In Ash Noah's sermon titled 'The Grace of God,' the concept of grace is explored through four main headings: the meaning and nature of grace, the reason for grace, the source of grace, and the result of grace. Grace, defined as unearned favor, is integral to Christianity and is mentioned extensively in the Bible, notably by Paul. Grace cannot be earned and is essential for salvation, encompassing repentance, justification, sanctification, and glorification. The sermon uses scriptures like Ephesians 2:1-9 and Romans 3:21-22, alongside the parable of the prodigal son, to illustrate grace as a divine gift, emphasizing that works do not contribute to salvation. The source of grace is traced back to God's actions throughout the Bible, from Genesis to the New Testament, with Jesus Christ as the ultimate source. Grace leads to election, justification, sanctification, and glorification, demanding humility and acknowledgment of God's sole role in salvation. The sermon concludes with a call to embrace and spread the message of grace.

Can I just pray for us again? Lord, I pray that you would fill each one of us with your Holy Spirit. Lord, it is your Spirit that opens ears and opens eyes. Lord, it is your Spirit that teaches. I pray, Lord, that you would protect me from error, that, Lord, the words that come would be from you indeed.

Oh, Lord, I pray that you would bless this next half an hour with showing us Your glories in Christ's name. Amen. So the grace of God, and as we sang, Can we actually get fit for heaven? Can we actually get fit to be saved? And that is what the grace of God explores.

The grace of God defines Christianity. It really defines us as a Christian. And I want to consider the grace of God under four headings, the meaning and nature of grace, the reason for grace, the source of grace, and then finally the result of grace. So firstly, the meaning of grace. The Hebrew word for grace is hen, which means kindness, which means precious, and favor.

And in Greek, that word takes on the form of charis and the Strongs defines this word as the divine influence upon the hearts of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ. Keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, in Christian knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues. Grace is mentioned over 150 times in the Bible, and almost 100 times it is Paul in his epistles who mentions grace. We see Paul how he sees himself as the chief of sinners. I can see how he considers himself the chief recipient as well of that amazing grace.

So grace as we look at its meaning, firstly I want to say that grace is something which cannot be earned. And grace is so intertwined with the gospel that if there were no grace, there would be no gospel. Grace is how we have been saved. All of salvation from repentance to justification, sanctification, and glorification, all of it is by grace. John Murray on grace.

Grace is undeserved favor, and if any constraint is placed upon God arising from worthiness on our part, whether it be of thought or word or action, then it is no longer grace. The grace of God to sinners is therefore not simply unmerited favor, it is also favor shown to the ill-deserving, indeed to the hell-deserving. So I would like for us to consider a few scriptures that are helpful in really drilling down into this meaning of grace. And Ephesians 2 verses 1 to 9 is a section that we cannot but go to. I'll read the scripture first.

Ephesians 2, verses 1 to 9. And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." So we see grace is a gift. It cannot be attained by anything other than the favor of God.

I want us also, as we try to really comprehend the meaning of grace, consider the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 verses 11 to 31. And as I read this portion of Scripture, let's look for examples of how we try and earn God's merit and justify ourselves through our works, and then how God shows us undeserved grace. A certain man had two sons, and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after the younger son gathered altogether, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed the swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger? I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

Make me like one of your hired servants." So here's the son scheming, imagining how he's going to earn back favor with his father. He wants to hire himself out. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. So even before he has heard a single word from his son, he has run to him full of grace, fell on his neck. The son who has been filthy with travel and all the prodigal living in front of the whole crowds who might have been watching kisses him.

And the son says to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. And here's the son still trying to earn his father's favor. But the father said to his servants, bring out the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand, sandals on his feet, and bring the fatted calf here and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found." And now his older son was in the field and as he came, drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

So he called one of the servants and asked, what these things meant? And he said to him, your brother has come. And because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf. But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.

So he answered and said to his father, lo these many years I have been serving you. I have never transgressed your commandment at any time. He's been working, slaving for a father in his father's house. And yet you never gave me a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as the son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.

And this is the father's response, Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours." So grace is righteousness that is granted, apart from any of the works of the law, anything that we can work toward. Works is the opposite of grace. We have a tendency to run to works to keep a scorecard of how well we are serving him. We do have a spirit of the prodigal son and prodigal brother, a tendency to benchmark others against ourselves, evaluate others by comparison to ourselves. It can also impair the way in which we evangelize, the way in which we look at sinners.

No amount of cleaning up will make us good or fit for God. Romans 3 verses 21 and 22, but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. Romans 4 verses 2 to 4. For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now to him who works the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. Romans 4 verses 5 to 8, but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works.

And that brothers is grace. Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin." And the Galatians were another bunch that Paul writes to who had departed from grace and were trusting in their works. Galatians 1.6, Paul says, I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel. Goes on to say in Galatians 2.21, I do not set aside the grace of God, For if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

Secondly, let's look at the reason for grace, the fall, and the rescue of man. Genesis 3 verses 6 to 7a. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, She took off its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.

Romans 3, verse 23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul writing further in Romans 5 verses 12 to 14, Therefore just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin. And thus death spread to all men because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of him who was to come." So the fall caused all of us for wanting to be rescued.

Chapter 20 of the SLBC in paragraph 1 says that the covenant of works was broken, the covenant of works being broken by sin and made unprofitable unto life. God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman, as the means of calling the elect and begetting in them faith and repentance. In this promise the gospel as to the substance of it was revealed and is therein effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners. We lost and lonely, weak and weary, needed to be saved and so the need for grace. Thirdly, what is the source of grace?

We see right from the beginning. Grace is not a concept of the New Testament. Grace is on every page of the Bible. God gives grace to Adam and Eve. The verse I read before Genesis 3, 7 in part in B, the second part, we see they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

It's man's nature, fallen nature, that we would want to work, to earn our salvation, to earn our favor with God. But what does God do? Genesis 321, also for Adam and his wife. The Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. Let us also consider Noah, Genesis 6 verses 8-9.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. I can see why we might have thought that because Noah was a just man that he found grace in the eyes of God.

And Calvin's commentary here is really helpful. The phrase Noah found grace is a Hebrew phrase which signifies that God was propitious to him and favored him. For so the Hebrews are accustomed to speak, if I have found grace in thy sight, instead of if I am acceptable to thee, or if thou will grant me thy benevolence of favor. Which phrase requires to be noticed, because certain unlearned men infer with futile subtlety that if men find grace in God's sight it is because they seek it by their own industry and merits. I acknowledge indeed that here Noah is declared to have been acceptable to God, because by living uprightly, he kept himself pure from the common pollutions of the world.

Whence, however, did he attain this integrity, but from the preventing grace of God? The commencement thereof, sorry, the commencement therefore of this favor was gratuitous, gratuitous, sorry, was gratuitous mercy. Afterwards the Lord having once embraced him retained him under his own hand lest he should perish with the rest of the world. So God's grace is what keeps us from sin. God's Grace is what keeps us from falling into unrighteousness, nothing that we do on our own.

Grace is received through Jesus Christ, the source of all grace. The marvel of God's grace is pre-eminently displayed in the cross of Christ. Jesus alone is the captain of our salvation. So the source of grace continuing on in John 1 verse 14 we read through the section 14, 16 and 17 And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ Romans 5 20 and 21 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so, grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 3, 24 to 26, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God has passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Fourthly, the result of grace. When we think about the result of grace, we do need to consider that election, justification, sanctification and glorification is the work of grace. John Murray again, grace demands humility, the humility that constrains us to be willing debtors all along the line of salvation, from its fount in election to its consummation in glory.

Salvation is of the Lord, and it is only of him if it is all of him. This is the doctrine of grace and its glory. Romans 11.5, even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Ephesians 2, 8, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God." So election is of grace.

Justification is of grace. Romans 3.24, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." And Romans 5, 15, and 16. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned, for the judgment which came from the one offense resulted in condemnation.

But the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. So we see grace produces justification as well. Sanctification and our cleansing from iniquity. We might think, reading Philippians 2.12, it does say that we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, but this doing means no suspension of grace. Philippians 2.13 clearly says, "'For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Quoting John Murray again, our willing and doing are all together of God's working and therefore of grace. Paul writing to the Galatians, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you. Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, Are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

So we see how even sanctification is a work of grace. What about glorification? Paragraph 2 of chapter 17 of the SLBC, the chapter is of the perseverance of saints, says this, this perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ and union with him, the oath of God, the abiding of his Spirit, and the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace, from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof." And Romans 8.30, moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. And whom He justified, these He also glorified.

So to finish off, I'd like to just cover some applications and our response. For those who haven't experienced this free amazing grace, cry out to God today. Do not wait. Do not continue in your sin that grace may abound. Reading from SLBC chapter 20 paragraph 2 of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace.

This promise of Christ and salvation by Him is revealed only by the Word of God. Neither do the works of creation or providence with the light of nature make discovery of Christ or of grace by Him." Turn to His Word. Read his word. Humble yourself before the mighty hand of God and cry out to him. And to those of us who have experienced this grace, who have tasted of this grace, maybe not stop talking about it, Maybe go into the byways and the highways and to the uttermost part of the world preaching this gospel of grace.

Amen.