Well, good morning, everyone. And welcome. It's good to see you. It's a privilege again today to share with you the Word of God and to continue my series that I've been having on fundamentals of the faith.
Today, I have a two-part message, which is gonna be continued the next time that I speak. But I wanna share with you from the Word of God, the subject of grace and freedom by faith in Jesus Christ. Today, we are gonna talk about what the Word of God says about grace. And I gotta be honest with you, I am overwhelmed with this.
This is an infinite subject that is impossible to summarize in a short period of time. But as I prepared for this, my heart has been thrilled. And hopefully today I'll be able to share with you some blessed truth from the Word of God about the grace, the grace of God in our lives. Next time that I speak, I'm gonna talk about freedom.
I'm gonna major on John chapter eight. And Jesus said, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. And that is a blessed truth. And we're gonna look at that, how every person that comes to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior is free, free from the bondage of sin and brought into an incredible relationship with God.
So today we're gonna talk about grace. You know, every human heart longs to be free, absolutely. That is within our very nature. It's within our instinct.
We cry out to be free. We resist bondage. It's in our nature. But because of our sin, there's a sense in which every human heart naturally is in bondage.
We fear what we have guilt. And sometimes we're actually overwhelmed by our own shame because of some of the things that we've committed in our life. But we got great news for everyone today from the Word of God. It is grace that sets us free.
It is so amazing that God in his mercy has looked down upon humanity and has given us grace. So I'd like to make three points today up here on the screen. My number one point is, I wanna show you from the scriptures that grace came by Jesus Christ. And apart from him, there is no grace.
Apart from the coming of Jesus Christ, God's Son into the world, there is no grace. So I wanna show you that grace came by Jesus Christ. But I wanna show you that grace justifies us. And that we're justified, it means to be cleared of all guilt of sin, to have the past completely wiped out and gone.
And the future sins that we haven't even committed yet, we can be declared righteous in the sight of God, all because of grace. And then I'd like to show you from the scriptures that grace can only be experienced by faith. That in order for you to really come into the good of this, folks, you have to believe God. You have to believe what the scripture says because grace is experienced by faith alone.
I wanna read with you three scriptures that really prove these three points from the word of God. And I put them up here on the screen in case you didn't have a Bible. So you can follow along with me. Reading at John's Gospel, chapter one and verse 16.
I love this verse. Here's what it says. And of his fullness, have all we received. And grace for grace.
Now the construction of that word, as I understand it in the original, it literally means that he has given us grace upon grace, upon grace upon abundant grace that is continual and never ceases. Who's received it? All of us have received his grace. It's available for you today.
And of his fullness, that is who God is, God is infinite. And of his fullness, that's eternal, never ending. He gives grace upon grace upon grace. Grace that you don't even know you're gonna need tomorrow, next week, next year, grace.
It's awesome. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. My point here is that apart from the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, folks, there is no grace. But praise God, Jesus came and he came to give us grace.
Grace came by Jesus Christ. Now turn over to the book of Romans, Romans chapter three. And we're gonna read at verse 20. Romans chapter three and verse 20.
And it says, for by the works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight. For by the law comes the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law. If you look at verse 22, it says that through faith in Jesus Christ, all who believe for there is no distinction.
Verse 23 is quite a solemn verse. It includes all of us. It says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes all humanity.
Every person that has ever lived in any generation, in any nation, in any age of history has fallen short of the glory of God. But look at verse 24. Verse 24 says, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Justified freely by his grace.
And I love verse 28. Verse 28 says, for we therefore conclude, or the ESV says, for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Now one final reading in Ephesians chapter two, and verse eight and nine. It says, for by grace, you have been saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves, not of your own doing, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast, the grace of God. So what is grace? Simply put, grace is undeserved kindness. Grace is unmerited favor, something that you didn't do anything to come into the good of.
It has simply been given to you by God. Grace cannot be earned. Do you know why that is so important? Because there are so many people, many, many, many religions in the world and they say, do this, and you may get favor with God.
Or they say, go here, confess this, act this, do good until your neighbor, and maybe you just might get favor with God. Folks, the Bible does not teach that. And I wanna be very, very clear to what the scripture says. It says, grace cannot be earned.
That is works based salvation. The Bible teaches grace alone, not of works, lest any man should boast. Not only that, you can't add to grace. Oh, there's many people that want to add to grace.
That takes us back to the book of Galatians. And the Judaizing teachers that came after Paul went and he preached the gospel of the grace of God, and they said, yes, but you need to add Judaism to grace. No, do you know what that is, folks? That's legalism, that is bondage.
And there are good meaning people today that try to add legalism to grace. Folks, it's not in the Bible. The grace of God alone is a gift. And nobody can add to it.
That is an insult to God, to add something, to his amazing, infinite grace. The truth of the Bible is that grace can only be accepted as a gift. You can't earn it, you can't pay for it, you can't add anything to it. You just need to accept it as a gift from God.
How do you do that? Comes by faith. For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, less than he mentioned, both. I'd like to illustrate grace today by telling you two stories from the Word of God.
The first one is found in Hebrews chapter two. And the second one is found in Second Samuel chapter nine. So in Hebrews chapter two, there are two great rebellions in the history of the universe. If we go back so far back into time, even before the world began, there was a rebellion of angels that rebelled against God.
And the second great rebellion was the rebellion of mankind in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Both were caused by the sin of pride. Both came from the devil. Both angels and man came under condemnation.
And this is really sad, but this is really true. Both angels and mankind were given a sentence of death, eternal death, eventually hell and the lake of fire. That was the condemnation. The judgment that God gave to angels that kept not their first estate confined to hell and the lake of fire.
In fact, Jesus said that hell was made for the devil and his angels. But unfortunately, when mankind sinned against God, they came under the same condemnation. But what's so amazing about Hebrews chapter two is the Lord Jesus Christ is introduced. It has a thought ever occurred to you, why in the sovereign amazing wisdom of God, he provided redemption for mankind and he passed angels by.
I am sure that angels might look and say, God, why did you provide redemption for sinful mankind? And there's no redemption for angels. I don't know the answer, but I know that Hebrews 2 says this. He took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham and he was made like unto his brethren.
And he took upon him flesh and blood that in his grace, he would taste death for every man. Hebrews chapter two and verse eight says this, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than angels because of the suffering of death. Catch this, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man, for everyone. Do you know that the measure of God's grace is measured by two things?
Who Jesus Christ is and how low he stooped and what he sacrificed to save you and I from hell? Do you know who he is? We heard about it today. Who be in the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, creator of all things, God himself.
He's called the Christ Messiah. That is a term of dignity, a term of royalty. He's King of Kings, he's gonna reign on the earth forever, but he was made lower than angels. That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Do you know that he condescended in grace to take your condemnation, to take my condemnation, to taste our punishment that we could be made the children of God, folks, this is grace. I wish I could explain it, I can't. Let me tell you another story. In second, Samuel chapter nine, you get the amazing story of King David.
Now, I'm sure that most people hear no of the history, but let me just fill you in on a couple of details. Before King David came to the throne, he was hunted by Saul, which happened to be Mephibosian's grandfather, and for 13 years, David lived in a cave, the forest of Ephraim, and he ran, and Saul tried to destroy him, took thousands of men of Israel, and hunted him, and hunted him, and hunted him, plagued him for 13 years. Eventually, God in his sovereignty brought David to the throne. Now, in those days, what would a King do to the family of the enemies of the king?
Would totally destroy the family. Mephibosians were born into a family of the enemies of the king. Let me stop here for a second. Do you know that we have been born into a family that really are the enemies of God?
I don't know if you realize that or not, but the Bible actually says in Colossians that we are enemies in our mind by wicked works, and we are the children of Satan, of the devil, that we actually are born into this world separated from God. This is how amazing grace is, because when we were enemies, he came to reconcile us. Romans chapter five says, and he paid the debt of our sin by his own blood so we could be brought to God. This is grace.
So Mephibosheth, Mephibosheth was also crippled. I don't know if you see anything there in yourself, but the Bible says that we are without strength. The Bible says that we are ungodly, not able to help ourselves. Mephibosheth couldn't even work his fields.
He was crippled. He had nothing to offer anyone, and he lived in this place called Lodi Bar, a place of no pasture. And King David comes to the throne, and he says, is there any left yet of the house of Saul that I might destroy them? No, that's not what he said.
Look what he says. Second Samuel chapter nine and verse three, is there any left yet of the house of Saul that I may show the kindness of God to them? Oh folks, that's grace. That is grace, the kindness of God.
And so he calls Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth gets carried literally to the king. He thinks the king is gonna totally destroy him. Enemy of the king.
His father tried to kill King David, and now he's got nothing to offer. What on earth is gonna happen? And King David says, Mephibosheth, I'm gonna give you back all the heritage of your father. What?
All his land? I'm gonna restore it to you. Not only that, I'm gonna give you servants to work that field. Not only that, I'm gonna make you a son, a son of the king, and you're gonna come to my table, and you're gonna eat bread continually at the king's table as one of the king's sons.
Mephibosheth is just overwhelmed, and he falls to his knees, and he says, I am a dead dog. Why have you looked upon me? Folks, I don't know if you get the spiritual sense of this or not, but this is who we are in a sight of God. We're enemies, we're crippled, we had nothing to offer God, and in his mercy, and in his grace, in undeserved kindness, God himself became a man, came to this earth, came to where we were, to pick us up and show us grace, for by grace, are you saved through faith?
I wanna share with you the lyrics to a song that every time I hear them, it melts my heart. I was flying home from Dallas on Friday, and had my iPod in, and I'm just listening, and this song came on, and I, you know what? I shed a tear. I just lifted my heart to God, and I worshiped when I think of this song.
Tell me if you can relate. It's called Carry to the Table. It's by Leeland, and it is a song that so adequately describes grace. Wounded and forsaken, I was shattered by the fall, broken and forgotten, feeling lost and all alone, summoned by the king into the master's courts, lifted by the savior, and cradled in his arms.
I was carried to the table, seated where I don't belong, carried to the table, swept away by his love. I don't see my brokenness anymore when I'm seated at the table of the Lord. I'm carried to the table, the table of the Lord. Fighting thoughts of fear and wondering why he called my name, am I good enough to share this cup?
The world has left me lame. Even in my weakness, the savior called my name in his holy presence, Am healed and unashamed. You carried me, my God, you carried me. Folks, this is grace.
This is grace. We have been brought to the table of the Lord spiritually, seated in his presence, place that we don't belong, cleansed from our sin. Guilt removed a child of God, a son of the king, continually to be able to sing his praise. Folks, this is grace.
You know, it's like an ocean. And I feel like in my 49 years, I've just dipped my toe in that ocean. It goes on forever, deep, vast, immense, unfathomable, bask in the grace of God. Folks, there's nothing better that you can experience in your whole entire life than the grace of God.
I wanna tell you today that grace came by Jesus Christ. And apart from the coming of God's son into the world, there is no grace, there is no hope. But thank God he came. When the fullness of time was come, says in Galatians, God sent forth his own son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem them, which were under the curse of the law.
You know, I started to list this at, I know that you're gonna look at this and you're gonna smile because where do you start and where do you finish? There's not enough slides on PowerPoint to list the experiences of the grace of God. But I am gonna tell you that when Jesus Christ walked on this earth, he showed grace. He showed abundant grace.
He showed grace upon grace upon grace upon grace. And he's shown it to you today. And he's gonna show it to you forever. That in the ages to come, he might show on to us the exceeding riches of his grace.
Jesus Christ showed grace to Nicodemus, a learned, religious man who was lost and seeking. Jesus Christ showed him grace when he said, in John chapter three, you must be born again. Jesus Christ showed grace to the woman of Samaria. Most people wouldn't even have talked to.
The Jews wouldn't even have traveled that way. He said, I must go through Samaria. There's a woman there and I'm gonna show her grace. And he goes to that woman and he said, if you knew the gift of God, you would ask of me and I would give you living water.
He showed grace to the nobleman's son, John chapter four. The nobleman said, I'm not worthy that you even come under my roof to speak the word only. He said, go your way, your son lives. He showed him grace.
He showed grace to the paralyzed man who lay on his mat for 38 years. Can you fathom that? Waiting for 38 years in John chapter five. And Jesus walks up to him and says, do you wanna be made whole?
Are you kidding me? I've been here for 38 years. Folks, this is the grace that God offers you and I today. Do you wanna be made whole?
He's got grace for you. He said, I will. Take up your bed and walk. He showed grace to a woman, taken an adultery.
Bible says she was caught in a very act. Religious, hypocritical men picked up stones and were ready to destroy that woman. And Jesus said, neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more.
What grace? Where are all your accusers? They're gone. Oh, what grace?
What amazing grace. Jesus showed grace to a man that was born blind in John chapter nine. To Mary, to Martha, to Lazarus, John chapter 11, when he raised him from the dead. In Mark chapter one, there is a begging leper that people wouldn't even go within 10 feet of.
In those days they would hold their hand over their lip and they would say unclean. Nobody would ever want to touch them. People would take their children and they would drag them around. Don't touch that man.
Don't go near him. He's begging Jesus. He says, Jesus, if you will, I know you can make me whole. Jesus said, I will be whole.
Folks, that is grace. Oh, that is grace. And Jesus says the same thing to you today. I will, behold, paralyzed man in Mark chapter two.
Four friends took him, they uncovered the roof and they let him down. Jesus said, your sins be forgiven you. Who can forgive sins, but God alone? This is grace.
This is grace. He says to a tax collector that was a despised man. Hey, Levi, follow me. Show him grace.
He actually went to his house and he had a gathering at this man's house. In Luke chapter seven, there's a woman who only has one son and she's a widow and he's dead. And this woman is broken, completely broken. And the funeral procession is going out of the city of Maine and Jesus walks up and he stops the coffin.
And man, I say unto you, rise. What? He showed grace. He showed grace.
He goes to a woman that's only called a sinner. Imagine if your name was in the Bible and all it was was a sinner. We don't even know this woman's name. But this religious man, Simon says, if this man were a prophet, he'd know she's a sinner and she's touching him, that's disgusting.
Jesus said, your sins be forgiven you. What grace? What grace? Blind Bartimaeus, he's on the side of the road at Jericho and he's calling out, the son of David, have mercy on me.
And everybody's saying, Bartimaeus, would you just shut up? Nobody wants to talk to you. You're just a blind beggar. Man, like give it up.
No, no, he's calling out louder and louder. And Jesus stops and he calls Bartimaeus. He says, what do you want me to do? Lord, that I might receive my sight.
Give him his sight. Oh, what grace? Absolute grace. Zacchaeus, this filthy rich man that everybody hated.
He's up the tree. Jesus stops and he says, come down. I must abide with you at your house. How about the dying thief?
Folks, maybe there's somebody here and you might think, you know, I've met a lot of people on the street, by the way, that have said this. I'm so far away from God. I've done too much sin. I can never be saved.
Maybe you think because of your past or what you've done that you're beyond grace. Oh, folks, let me tell you from the word of God. You're never beyond grace. If you're living, breathing, in this life, in this body, there's grace available for you.
The dying thief, he's got about three, four hours to live. His whole life is a life of crime. It's a disaster. Nothing to offer God.
Nothing. He's just completely become unraveled. His life is a shipwreck. He's dying.
He's got a couple of hours to go. And at the beginning of those couple of hours, he's blaspheming him. Finally, he realizes this man has done nothing to mess. And he says, Lord, remember me.
Oh, that grace. What amazing grace. The Lord reaches out to him and he says, today you'll be with me in fairness. I don't care about the rest of your life.
I'm paying for it right now. What grace. Folks, I am here to tell you from the word of God that grace came by Jesus Christ. And when he walked on this earth, he showed grace upon grace, abundant grace, never ceasing grace, never ending grace.
And it's available today. I'm sure that everyone in this audience today that has had their sins forgiven and knows him can say from their heart, thank God for the amazing grace of God. Folks, God has shown grace to everyone in Northbrook that has trusted him as their savior. And I'm here to tell you that he's shown grace to me because I don't deserve it.
I do not deserve it. I've sinned against him time and time and time again. But he has grace upon grace, upon grace, and abundant grace. He's gonna give me grace next week when I need it.
I don't even know yet because he is a gracious God and he offers unending, unceasing, undeserved, unmerited, favor that every one of us that believe in him have come into the good of. Grace justifies us. It clears us of all guilt of sin. Ephesians chapter one says this, verse seven, through his blood, we have redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins according to the riches of his grace.
Grace justifies us. I wanna tell you, and I'm sure you already know this, the law came by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Here's the contrast between the law and grace. You know what the law does?
It kills. Bible actually says that. Second Corinthians chapter three, and I think it's verse six, yes, the law kills. The law condemns us.
The law entered to expose our exceeding sinful nature to show us all the times that we've transpressed, overstepped the boundaries, missed the mark, committed iniquity, immorality, ungodliness. The law shows us how exceedingly sinful it is and it brings a death sentence. But grace, oh, grace provides a savior. Oh, amen.
Grace provides a savior, Jesus Christ, who came to meet our need. The law kills because it has a death sentence. Romans chapter six and 23, the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Grace sets us free. Grace provides a payment for sin in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Folks, because on the cross, He took the penal suffering for our sin. He became the substitute that died in our stead so that we will never have to pay for our sin.
Jesus took our sin upon Himself in order to redeem us. This wonderful verse in Romans chapter three and verse 24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. I've already told you what it means to be justified. Some people have said it's just as if you've never sinned.
It's better than that. It brings us into the presence of God where we can see His face. We can stand in His holiness and not be completely annihilated because He's cleansed us. He's given us a right standing in the sight of God just as His Son is in the sight of God.
We are the same when we trust in Him. Cleared of all guilt. In 2 Corinthians chapter eight and verse nine, it says, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be made rich. How deep was His poverty?
Ephesians two, who being in the form of God thought it not, Robert.