Grace Alone

GRACE ALONE
Genesis 6:1-7:1


Grace is “undeserved blessing freely bestowed on humans by God.” Grace “does not start with us, it starts with God.”

WHY WE NEED SAVING?

Ephesians 2:1-10
Sin is disobedience towards God. Our sin has corrupted every aspect of this world.
1. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination and every intention of human thinking was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5)
a. Corrupts the mind and will of man
2. Romans 8- 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope.
a. Corrupts creation
3. The Penalty of Sin
a. The wages of sin is death- Romans 6:23
b. 20 The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him. (Ezekiel 18:20)

WHAT ARE WE SAVED FROM?

God tells Noah that a storm is coming that will “destroy, blot out, and wipe away mankind” but also all of creation.

1. The Storm of the End Times
a. Matthew 24- 4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
2. The Storms of Life
a. John 16:33- In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
b. Living a “good life” does not keep trouble away.

HOW WE ARE SAVED AND WHY WE CANNOT DO IT OURSELVES?

1. Get Out of Your Boat
a. Matthew 14- 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it…29Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
b. 2 Corinthians 4- 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
c. What the devil intends for our destruction—God will use for our benefit!
“But Noah found grace (favor) in the eyes of the Lord…Noah was a just and righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9)
2. Noah was saved through grace because the Bible teaches that no one is good.
a. 19"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.” (Luke 18:19)
b. 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
c. Noah was told of the storm and told how to avoid its devastating effect.
3. Noah was declared righteous not because of his works, but because of his faith.
a. Romans 1- 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[a] just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
b. 7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11)
c. Romans 4:5- 5However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
4. You cannot earn your way into heaven…it is 100% Grace Alone- God has provided our Ark in Jesus Christ!
a. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3)
i. We try building our own ark—the problem is that our wood is warped.
ii. CAR TOTALED STORY- We are totaled from the minute that we come into this world.
1. Ephesians 2:3- 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
iii. What we try to do is “fix” our lives with philosophies and rules—but it is meaningless because in the end we have NO ETERNAL VALUE
b. Romans 3:22- 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
i. So, we should not try to “fix” our lives, when Jesus offers to buy us a new life—at no cost to ourselves—but costing him his life.
1. Romans 6:23- 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[a] Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. 2 Corinthians 5:21- 21God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
3. 1 Corinthians 15:21-22- 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
ii. The new life is abundant life!
1. John 10:10- 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
2. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
5. On the other side of the storm- Peace
a. Genesis 8:11- “And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a newly sprouted and picked olive leaf!”

WHY WE HE CHOSE TO SAVE US?

“9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins.” 1 John 4

“4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Simply because he loves us!

God shut the door!

The Enduring Power of Love

THE ENDURING POWER OF LOVE:
LOVE NEVER FAILS

Scriptures: John 17:6-26, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 John 3

I. Jesus’ Prayer in John 17
a. Love never stops being patient, never stops believing, never stops hoping, never gives up. (1 Corinthians 13:7- God’s Word Translation)…why…because Love NEVER FAILS
b. Jesus knew that our love would be tested and He prayed for complete unity so that the world would know that we are His
c. Love defines who God is and what we should be
II. Love Never Gives Up- Jesus at Gethsemane
a. Between the Now and Not Yet- 2Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,[a]we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
i. Jesus faced the ultimate test of his love when he moved towards the crucifixion. His love was able to endure because it was a deeper love that looked to not what is but what would be.
ii. How many times am I to forgive the unfaithfulness of others?
1. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.
2. Always- Eccl. 11:1- Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
3. Don’t let the unrighteous acts of others rob you of what God has given you! Don’t give up on others because God has not given up on them.
iii. The love that we express towards others—is God’s love working through us.
1. 1 John 4- 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
III. Love Never Fails
a. Philippians 1:6- 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
i. Recognizing that God is in control (Philippians 2:1-11) we are able to humble ourselves to express our love through service.
b. 1 Corinthians 9- 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
c. The prize is seeing the resurrection power of Jesus Christ!
IV. Love Remains
a. Galatians 5:6- The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
i. John 12:25- 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
b. Matthew 27- 54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son[e] of God!"
c. Matthew 25:14-30- Parable of the Talents
i. Invest our love in the kingdom for it is what will transform the world!

PERFECT LOVES CASTS OUT FEAR

PERFECT LOVES CASTS OUT FEAR
1 John 4:13-18

I. Relationship between Love and Fear
a. Deuteronomy 10- 12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
b. Acts 5:1-11- Ananias and Sapphira
i. This couple did not have the reverential fear that kept them in check with their love for God
ii. The lack of reverence for a relationship makes it so that you are always making withdrawals from others without making deposits!
c. The fear that the Lord is commanding is not to be afraid but to be reverential when it comes to loving Him
i. 1 John 4- But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
ii. To reverentially love God it means that we have a respect for Him and awe for His love that He has shown to us- it keeps the love from being too familiar.
iii. It means that we do what He says- Proverbs 16- Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.
d. Our love for God and love for others requires reverence.
i. 1 Corinthians 13- It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
ii. How we love others reflects how we love God
1. 1 John 4- 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
2. Matthew 25:40- 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
3. James 3- 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
II. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
a. Fear of Condemnation
i. John 3:17- 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
ii. Romans 8:1- 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
1. How does this apply to us?
a. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
b. Ephesians 4- 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
b. Fear of Tyranny/Oppression
i. John 8- 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
ii. Galatians 5- 1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
1. 13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b] 15If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
2. Ephesians 5:21-33- Submission and Love- It is for freedom that Christ has sets us free
a. Reverence for God and love for one another is what is required to keep submission from becoming tyrannical
III. Free to Rejoice
a. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
i. We rejoice in the Love of the Lord, which allows us to enjoy one another
1. Psalm 13:5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.