Title: “The Grace of the Great God” By Dr. Rev. Joseph Son
Scripture: Ephesians: 2: 4-10
(Ephesian 2: 4-10)
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Beloved Saints!
There is no one here who was not born without the grace of God.
No one is sitting here without the grace of God.
No one is saved without God's grace.
No one can go to heaven without God's grace.
It is entirely by God's grace that we are alive and breathing until now.
Even if you have met difficult things and faced crises at times, the fact that you have lived and worshiped and praised the Lord is itself the grace of the great God.
Because all of this is proof that God loves us.
Showing that is today's text.
The content of today's text is that we, who had no hope at all, were saved by God's great love and made us live toward a greater dream and vision.
Then, who is God who has given us such great grace, how did he bestow such great grace, and what kind of vision should we who have received such great grace live? Let's find out.
First, let's look at the words that are not recorded in today's text and are missing from the original text.
V4: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
The word is verse 4a. It is the word “but”.
So what does the word “but” modify here?
we are
① Those who died in trespasses and sins
② Those who were slaves of Satan
③ Those who lived according to the lust of the flesh
④ As a cursed person, he was a person who had no hope at all.
However, God, who is rich in mercy, saved us and gave us the gift of salvation.
Then, why did God grant such great grace?
That is, people tend to interpret all circumstances from their point of view.
I said this in a sermon a long time ago.
‘Interpretation is important. Interpretation is the man.’
‘It is important to interpret the Word with faith in everything.’
The curious thing is that even in the same environment, each person's interpretation is different.
In the Bible, out of the 12 people who returned from spying on the land of Canaan, 10 people and Joshua and 2 Calebs have very different opinions.
Numbers 13: 30-31
30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”
31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”
The thoughts of the leaders who came to see the same environment were divided like this.
But who was right?
The thoughts of 10 people who are the majority and the thoughts of 2 people who are minority were different.
As a result, the conquest of Canaan was delayed by 40 years.
We must take care of this.
One misinterpretation can delay success by 40 years.
So it is very important to interpret the Word by faith in all circumstances.
However, this interpretation is not easy.
Why isn't it easy?
God must come first.
It is because they are self-centered, self-understanding, and not God-centered.
The life of spiritual success and failure is divided here.
A person who is self-centered and self-interested often misunderstands God and is likely to misinterpret God.
Just as a young child cannot fully understand the hearts of their parents, believers who are self-centered are likely to lead a completely erratic life of faith because they do not know the will of God well.
And the characteristic of a person who is self-centered and has a strong self-understanding is that they tend to act with their own stubbornness rather than obey the Word, and most of them serve God incorrectly.
Beloved Saints!
Please believe that the God we serve is not the God we meet through our understanding, but the God we meet through the Bible of the Old and New Testaments, the Word God has revealed.
Therefore, I bless you to live a life that obeys only the Word of God, the Bible.
1. Then, what kind of person is God who bestowed such great grace on us?
(1) He is the Creator God.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God is the one who created the heavens, the earth, people, living creatures, and plants.
Anyone who believes in this amazing fact is a Christian.
Because without faith you cannot believe this fact.
I hope you believe that the flowers here were created because of God's will, and that we, the lords of all things, were also created because of His will and purpose.
You are a precious creation created for God's will and purpose.
God is the Creator of all things, and He is the God who governs and governs them.
Acknowledge this fact and bless only God to live a life of obedience.
(2) He is the self-existent God.
Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” God is self-existent as the Creator, but we are not self-existent.
We are the ones who came through his parents.
Who supplies the rice, noodles, and fruits we eat?
Who gave the farmer the land to work for?
Who made it rain in spring and autumn?
Who gave you the sunlight? Who gave you the air and the wind? Nothing happened without God.
Therefore, dear saints!
I believe that the God who governs and reigns over all things is self-existent, and I bless you to live in obedience only to God.
(3) He is God the Judge.
Exodus 12:12b " I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! "
1 Samuel 3:13 “I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.”
Revelation 18:8: “For the Lord God who judges him is mighty.”
Because God is just, He is a God who does not tolerate sin.
Therefore, we were people with no hope of salvation because of our sins, but thanks to the grace of the great God, we who were dead in transgressions and sins were brought back to life.
This is the greatest blessing. We believe that the people going to hell have become the people of God in heaven by the grace of the great God, and we bless to live in obedience to God alone.
2. Then how did God bestow His great grace?
He killed his only son, Jesus, instead of us.
Ephesians 2:5-6 “He made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses” (by grace you are saved)
Verse 6: raised them up together and seated them together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus
Verse 8: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this does not come from you; it is the gift of God.
Verse 9: “Not by works, so that no one can boast.”
‘God killed his only son on the cross to pay for our transgressions and sins in order to save us.’
So, the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled.
Isaiah 53:4-6
Verse 4: "Surely he took up our infirmities and bore our sorrows, but we thought that he was punished by God, smitten and afflicted."
Verse 5: “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and with his wounds we are healed.”
Verse 6: “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, and each has turned to his own way, but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
Because of our sins, God made His only begotten Son pay the price for our sins.
We believe that we have been forgiven of our sins and saved through the grace of the cross.
As in verses 5-6, we believe that we were resurrected together by believing in Jesus, and that we are spiritually seated with Jesus in heaven. Likewise, our salvation is thanks to the great grace of God who gave His only Son.
Therefore, as in verse 9, we have nothing to boast about because salvation is a gift of God's grace, and we bless only to give thanks to God who has given us such great grace.
3. Then, what kind of vision should we live after receiving the grace of the great God?
① We died in trespasses and sins
② We were a slave of Satan
③ We live according to the lust of the flesh
④ God saved us, who were cursed, by His great grace, but it is not desirable if it ends with just being grateful and rejoicing.
At least we deserve to live a life that repays the great grace of God.
It is to live a life that meets the purpose for which God created it. That is, (You must live for good works.)
Verse 10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
So, what is the good thing we are talking about here?
It is the fulfillment of one's duty to God and man.
To sum up, love of God and love of neighbor are good works.
The Ten Commandments specifically tell us this.
It is good to obey the Ten Commandments.
Since it is impossible to explain each of the Ten Commandments, shall we read them together?
The 1st Commandment “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).
The 2nd Commandment: “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or make for yourself any image of anything in heaven above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them” (vv. 4-5a).”
The 3rd Commandment “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (v. 7a).”
The 4th Commandment “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy (v. 8).”
The Fifth Commandment “Honor your father and mother” (v. 12).
The Sixth Commandment “Thou shalt not murder” (v. 13).
The Seventh Commandment “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (v. 14).
The Eighth Commandment “Thou shalt not steal” (v. 15).
The Ninth Commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (v. 16).
The 10th Commandment: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's" (v. 17).
As we well know, commandments 1-4 are for God, and commandments 5-10 are for people.
As those who have been saved by the grace of the great God, we must keep the Ten Commandments and do good works.
Now, Korean churches and believers are becoming more like American churches and believers.
With the start of the 5-day workday, the members of the American church go on a trip by car on weekends or hold a first service and go on a trip.
It happened that on Sundays and Sunday afternoons the churches would be empty.
Then, it is a tragic story that over 90% of churches have already been closed during summer vacations for a long time.
However, the Korean church members broke the Ten Commandments and began to act the same way.
It's a little late, but it's getting more and more like the American church.
Therefore, we must be alert. I hope that you will not become a saint who will not be invited on the day of the Lord's return by entering into such a category.
All we have to do is be like Jesus.
There is something that our Jesus did not rest in order to give us the great grace of salvation.
It is worship, the Word, and prayer life.
No matter where Jesus was or what he did, he was always centered on worship, words, and prayer life.
We should look like this.
The saints die spiritually the moment their worship, the Word, and prayer life are cut off.
And you will not be able to do the good work of God.
Beloved Saints!
How is your worship, Word, and prayer life?
In worship, the Word, and prayer life, there is a way for us to live, a way for us to win, and a way for us to receive praise when we stand before the Lord. And there is joy and reward in life, and there is peace and happiness.
so my soul lives
Beloved Saints!
I pray that we all receive the grace of salvation from the great God and do our best in the Word and prayer life as those who were created for good works.