100 Days of Preaching the Gospel #24 | with Daniel Whyte III
TEXT — Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Currently, we are addressing the topic of how man is saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone as stated in the Bible. During our last time together, we saw three reasons why man cannot save himself. Man cannot save himself because of who he is. Man cannot save himself because of what he can do. And man cannot save himself because of how he feels.
Today, let’s turn our attention back to Scripture and look closely at Ephesians 2:8-9. Verse eight says, “for by grace are ye saved…” What is grace? Grace is defined as “good will, loving-kindness or favour.” Biblically-speaking, grace is “the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”
Providing grace is the part of salvation that God must do. And God has already done his part. God showed his grace by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” When Jesus Christ hung on the cross, that was God’s grace put on display for all the world to see.
Now, it is man’s turn to make a move. In other words, by displaying His grace, God put the ball in man’s court. Now, man has to act on the grace that God has provided. What is man’s role. Verse eight says, “For by (God’s) grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” God provided his grace because of his goodwill and loving-kindness, now we must have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We must receive the free gift of salvation that comes from Christ’s death.
+ Plus, listen to Jeremy Camp singing “There Will Be a Day” and Deitrick Haddon singing “Sinner’s Prayer”
Gospel Light House of Prayer International 