Good morning and welcome in today Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from Ephesians 2 but before we do that…

Have you ever planned to go somewhere to a special event but it was cancelled? Maybe you went to a little league game and because of rain or inclement weather it was completely canceled.

Canceled means to decide not to conduct or perform something planned or expected or you stop it from happening.

When we sin, it requires punishment before God. But if we trust in his only begotten son Jesus Christ and confess our sins God cancels our debt. He stops that punishment from happening.

Beginning at verse 4. It says…

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

If you remember the other day we did a study on the same topic and today we’re just going to move back a little bit in the chapter.

It teaches us that God is rich in Mercy. This Word means plentiful or abundant.

For example up here in northern Minnesota you might say that we are rich in natural resources or that we’re rich in wildlife. Another dictionary says rich means having a lot of something.

One of the synonyms is plentiful which means existing in or yielding great quantities or abundant.

That is how forgiving our God is through Christ Jesus, He has great quantities of grace for us if we confess our sins. When something is plentiful it’s ample and abundant.

Up here in northern Minnesota we have an ample supply of trees.

Loggers out here are logging all the time because of that abundance.

The word Ample means more than enough. God has more than enough grace for us to get forgiven and make it all the way home to heaven someday.

One other synonym is liberal which means given used or occurring in generous amounts.

How many of you have been sitting at a Thanksgiving Day table and your mom keeps bringing out more potatoes and gravy and putting them on your plate.

She has a whole pile cooked up and she just keeps bringing them out and bringing them out until you are stuffed. God has got that much grace for us.

Ephesians 2:7 says…

⁷ That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7

⁷ In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Philippians 4:19 says…

¹⁹ But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Let’s take a look at this word mercy for a moment. One of the dictionaries says mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward somebody whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.

Mercy is compassion or forbearance. Forbearance is the action or refraining from exercising a legal right especially the enforcing of a payment of a debt.

Remember Jesus took our sin debt at the cross. One other dictionary says refraining from the enforcement of something that is do such as a debt a right or an obligation. It’s a cancellation is what it is.

When we confess our sins to God God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. That is called forbearance. Before we receive forgiveness, you have to confess and admit your faults.

Look at Romans 3:25 it says….

²⁵ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Each of us are worthy of death. Because of our sinful condition, Jesus took upon himself our sins and took our death at the cross so that all those who believe on him and confess our sins can have complete remission and forgiveness for their faults.

That is what we call forbearance.

Forbearance is when somebody owes you something but then they come to you and they say I’m sorry and apologize. They say I repent and then you forgive them completely from your heart never to be remembered again. You simply let It Go.

When we talk about a debt it is something that is owed or due.

Think about somebody out in the world who might get arrested for stealing. Then he ends up getting punished and has to serve time in jail. They call it we paying one’s debt to society.

Spiritually speaking, in the Christian life Jesus pays our sin debts for us.

Paul warned the church about going to law one with another. Work things out with forgiveness, love, mercy and confession in the church. Each of us have sinned against Christ but if we admit and confess our sins he forgives us. In the world the law does not do that. It punishes.

God is rich in Mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us.

Romans 5:8 ⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I’ve worked with kids that nobody wanted to work with. Everybody felt their unredeemable. Perhaps in them I saw a lot of myself, wanting somebody to love and care for me enough to help me. I personally found that in Jesus, and tried to extend that love to others around me.

Even before we had become converted to Christ, even before we had become changed, God loved us.

He sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sinfulness.

1st John 4:19 says….

¹⁹ We love him, because he first loved us.

God doesn’t want anybody to perish. That is why he sent a Saviour, His precious son Jesus. He wants us to confess our sins and to come to His Son so that we can get forgiven and inherit eternal life someday.

John 3:16 says…

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The archaic definition for believe is to accept something as true. It means to feel sure about the truth of something. It also means the definition of believe means to have confidence in the truth of something.

So to inherit eternal life someday, we have to believe in God’s Son Jesus Christ. You have to believe in how much he loves and cares for you. You have to believe that he died on the cross to deliver you from your sins.

What we need to do is confess and admit the truth that we are sinners and get forgiven.

1 John 4:16

¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

The Apostle John was one of Jesus disciples and he believed with all of his heart how much Jesus loved him. When we walk in love we can know that God is with us.

The great commandment is to love God. Matthew 22:37-39 says….

³⁷ Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

So again we want to walk in love. We want to walk in love toward the Lord Jesus Christ obeying Him perfectly.

John 15:9 says…

⁹ As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

In the church you can have all kinds of spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues, healings, and miracles but if you don’t have love then you’re pretty much missing everything that you need.

1st Corinthians 13:1 says…

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

God is love and love is the end of the Commandment out of a pure heart. We take that love and grace and mercy that he has shown unto us and we give it to others.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

He says here that we are dead in our sins.

Romans 6:23 says….

²³ For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:12

¹² Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Sin leads to death and that’s why we have to get forgiven and come to Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:21

²¹ That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

James 1:15

¹⁵ Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

John 5:24 says..

²⁴ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

1st John 5:11-12

¹¹ And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

¹² He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Romans 5:6-11

⁶ For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

¹⁰ For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

¹¹ And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

Again, our study verse says…

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

The archaic definition of quickeneth means to make alive or bring to life or to be born again.

Lots of people walk around this world each day and they feel like they’re alive because they’re breathing or they’re having lunch together, but what they need to do is become alive spiritually. In the days of Noah people felt alive but they were destroyed in the flood.

This Earthly World fools you. Each of us are sinners and we’re all guilty and we can’t escape God’s punishment without his forgiveness and mercy. In the carnal nature we always tend to look and think that somebody else is so much worse than we are but the truth is that one sin is enough in a person’s life to be cast away from God’s presence. Just one sin.

The general human nature wants to look down on others and feel like you are not as bad of a sinner as everyone else on this earth.

In the eyes of God we are all equally worthy of the same punishment. That’s why Jesus was sent for a payment for our sins.

1 Samuel 2:6

⁶ The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

So even when we were dead in sins He’s quickened us together with Christ. God takes our sins away when we come to his Son Jesus Christ and forgives us.

To be completely forgiven for your sins is to receive a new life. It’s to receive a new opportunity. That’s why he says, by grace you are saved. The archaic definition of grace is mercy or pardon. One very simple definition for grace means unmerited favor.

If we confess our sins to God he simply forgives them. But we have to admit the truth that we are in error that we are wrong and that he is righteous and we are sinners. That’s why the scriptures teach that none of us are righteous not a one. It is by grace you are saved. If you truly have received forgiveness through Christ and believed and trusted Him and had your sins washed away you’re going to become a changed person because your heart is going to change.

Look at the life of the Apostle Paul who was once destroying churches but then later on by God’s grace he was starting them. That’s why the Apostle James teaches in James 2:17…

¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

If you are truly forgiven in your heart you’re going to have works that show that forgiveness. It’s going to show God’s Mercy is doing a work inside of you. If there is no works present then your faith is dead. He says again in verse 20….

²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

…but thou knowest of vain man that faith without works is dead.

Each of us have a sin debt that we have to come to Christ with and get forgiven for any sins that we have committed. God wants us to walk in good works and kind deeds. People should be able to see those things happening in your life because faith is the evidence of things unseen. So again,…

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

It’s only by what Christ did for us at the cross that we can ever be in heaven with God someday. But people who are professing to be forgiven and walking in newness of life should have works that other people can see. Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your father in Heaven. Praise God for his grace extended to this world of sinners.

And that’s why I’m to stop for right now but Lord willing will talk to you some more tomorrow. till then, bye-bye everybody.

Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to look at a passage of scripture from Ephesians chapter 2. Beginning at verse 8 it says…..

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Today we’re going to start right at verse 8 and break this passage down bit by bit.

It teaches… for by grace are you saved through faith…

The word salvation means deliverance from sin and its consequences. Another dictionary says salvation is the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss or destruction. The Bible is very clear that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We as sinners cannot save ourselves.

Imagine being on the top of a huge skyscraper that’s on fire and there is no where you can go and nothing you can do to get off that roof. You cannot save yourself because it’s burning all around on the edges and there’s nowhere to go. Then a helicopter comes flying over the top of the roof and drops a rope to you and you climb onto that rope and they take you off that roof to safety.

You needed someone to save you. You needed help to get off that roof because you couldn’t do it on your own.

God wants to save us. He wants all men to come to a place of repentance. But we cannot save ourselves. We need God’s assistance and that is why he sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross in Jerusalem.

The Apostle teaches…for by grace are you saved.

In one dictionary I have Grace is defined as unmerited Divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.

Unmerited simply means that it’s not deserved. God helps us. He gives us Divine assistance for our regeneration. Regeneration comes from the word regenerate which simply means to be formed or created again. It means to be spiritually Reborn and converted. One other dictionary I have says having a spiritual rebirth. Well that was exactly what Jesus was teaching Nicodemus in John chapter 3 that he needed to be born again.

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

So in order to do that he gives us Divine assistance. God sent his only begotten son into this world to die on the cross for our sins so that we could have forgiveness with God. And it’s completely unmerited because you cannot earn forgiveness.

The other day we were talking about how the Apostle wanted the people in the church to be forgiving and merciful with each other. You cannot earn mercy and forgiveness. It is something that is unmerited favor because when a person comes up and apologizes for their sins you simply need to forgive them when they say I repent. So I will say it one more time you cannot earn forgiveness.

When someone apologizes and says I’m sorry I did that… you need to forgive them. You’re not supposed to tell them, well if you do this and this and this first, then maybe I will talk about forgiving you. That is trying to earn forgiveness and I don’t believe that’s the truth of what the Gospel teaches here. It is not the way that God forgives us through Christ. God teaches us if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. (1 john 1:9)

We have innumerable amounts of Grace given to us through Christ. That’s why it teaches us to come boldly to the throne of grace in time of need.

The archaic definition for Grace is Mercy and pardon.

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or to harm. If you pardon someone it means the act of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or an offense. The verb says to forgive or excuse a person error or an offense. Another dictionary says the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty. Or lastly to allow an offense to pass without punishment. It’s about being forgiving.

So again, you cannot earn forgiveness. Some people will say, I’m not going to forgive you unless you do this or that and this and that and then maybe I’ll think about it.

God simply says to confess and to say I repent whether it’s to him or to a brother in the church that you have wronged. It’s about saying, I’m at fault and I’m sorry and then you’re supposed to forgive them and that’s the end of it.

So again the Apostle says, by grace are you saved.

Salvation is God’s work. Anything that results in our lives is a result of what he has done. It is his mercy and forgiveness that is doing the work in our hearts and our minds. Just listen to the apostle in 1st Corinthians 15:10 he says…

¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

So you see here Paul doesn’t even credit himself with the things he was doing.

He gives the credit to God’s forgiveness doing a work inside of his heart.

Romans 11:6

⁶ And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Hebrews 4:16

¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Romans 3:23-24

²³ For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

²⁴ Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

We cannot earn our own salvation and the reason why is because all of us are sinners. There is only one way to get to heaven and it’s through the blood of Jesus Christ as our atonement unto God.

2nd Peter 3:9

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God wants to save each of us but we have to come and confess our sins in order to be reconciled unto him. Now back to our study verse…By Grace are you saved through faith.

If you profess to have faith it means you completely trust and have confidence in Christ Jesus. In another dictionary it’s defined as loyalty to Duty or to a person or thing. When we possess faith we believe that God truly is real and that He will reward those who diligently seek him. (Heb 11:6)

Eph 3:16-17

¹⁶ That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith…

When we have faith we are placing our complete trust in him. We’re not placing our faith in our own works and deeds. Now back to our verse for today…

By grace are you saved through faith…

Our salvation is based upon unmerited Divine assistance from God through his forgiveness. It happens when we believe the truth of his Mercy In Christ. And salvation is not of yourselves it is the gift of God. So God extends to us a gift through his son Jesus Christ.

A gift is defined as something given willingly to someone else without payment. Imagine a bride and a groom just got married. After the wedding they are sitting at the head table in the reception hall and everybody is bringing up their wedding gifts to them. Attached on the top of each package is a note on the box saying that they owe $22.

Another person brings up another gift and on the top it says you owe me a lawn cutting. Those aren’t actually gifts because they’re not freely given. They are something that you have to pay for just the same as if you went to the store and bought it yourself.

Well, Jesus paid for our debts at the cross. We have a debt that we couldn’t pay but Jesus is God’s only begotten son and He is perfect, and the perfect atonement for our wrongdoings. Those who believe on Him can confess there sin and receive a free gift of his grace. It’s completely unearned and completely unmerited. That is the kind of forgiveness we want to have with each other in the church.

Back to our study verse…..not of works lest any man should boast.

When we do good works they are something that God’s divine grace is doing through us. The apostle was speaking in Galatians 1:23-24 said…

²³ But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed.

²⁴ And they glorified God in me.

God’s forgiveness and grace can do incredible things in a person’s life. One must never forget who is doing it. Salvation is not of works.

Remember the Apostle Paul wasn’t preaching himself. He that speaketh of himself is seeking his own glory but when you’re preaching another’s Glory it teaches us in the scriptures that there is no sin in them. So instead of boasting, saying look what I did,…we say, look at Christ and what he is doing in our lives! He gets the glory!

Who do we sing about when we come to church? Do we sing songs about ourselves or the praises of Jesus?

Verse 10 says,…for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

Once again we give the credit to Jesus for what is going on in our lives or any works that we do because they’re all motivated by his forgiveness that is working inside of our hearts through faith. We are his workmanship. He is the Potter and we are the clay. He softens our hearts through his grace and his Mercy and then he is remoulding us and making us into something new. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

The only way we can do something good in our lives is because of what Christ does through us. Good works God has before ordained that we should walk in them, so again, we need to believe and trust in God’s forgiveness and his Mercy by which we are saved.

We cannot earn forgiveness. It is something that is completely unmerited from God. We are required to confess our sins to God and to others that you have wronged in the church but Salvation is not of Works lest any man should boast, we are His workmanship. He is doing the work through a forgiving heart.

Look at all the things that we have written by the hand of the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. Look at what God’s grace can do when you believe and trust in his mercy and what he did for us at the cross.

Do you want a free gift today?

And that’s where I’m going to stop for right now good Lord willing we’ll talk some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody

The word “ashamed” means “reluctant or unwilling to do something because of shame or embarrassment.” If someone is ashamed of something they do not want to be associated with it or deny that they know about someone or something.

It is like a messy house. A wife may not want to have friends or neighbors over to the house if it is messy or disorganzed, because she would feel ashamed of how the house looks. Or maybe a student at school did’t get a good grade in a class and they don’t want their parents to know about it. They feel ashamed of their grades.

We shouldn’t feel ashamed about Jesus or His teachings. We shouldn’t feel embarrassed to let others know that we are a Christian, or to do things in the name of Christ. Paul wasn’t ashamed of the words and teachings of Christ.

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.” Philippians 1:20

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16

You don’t need to feel sad or be ashamed if people people persecute you for being a Christian and standing up for the word of God. Remember that they persecuted Jesus, and when you take a stand as a Christian, persecution is a part of that life.

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” 1 Peter 4:16

I’m sure many people can relate to this, but when you are in grade school and you have an event where all of the student’s parents come, some kids might be ashamed or nervous to let their friends see their parents hug or kiss them. They don’t want to be called a “momma’s boy” or a similar such thing. They don’t want to be teased or ridiculed by others.

Don’t be ashamed to let others know that Jesus is your friend. Do not worry if someone calls you a “freak” or “loser” because you take a stand for Christ. Just as a parent might be saddened or disappointed if a child didn’t want to be around them with their friends, if we are ashamed of Jesus and His words, then he will be ashamed in us.

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

True belief in Jesus will strengthen you to withstand criticism and ridicule.

‘’For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.’’ Romans 10:11

Don’t be ashamed to be a Christian, for our Friend is the King!

In Christ,

Andrew

“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”
Luke 17:3-4, KJV

Pardon

the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense.

: the excusing of an offense without exacting a penalty

 to absolve from the consequences of a fault or crimeb: to allow (an offense) to pass without punishment : FORGIVE

REBUKE……

To speakangrily to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done to you or others. This is a justified anger. When people sin against you it upset you.

If someone sins against you rebuke them if they repent forgive them

When they SAY….I Repent they are admitting and confessing their fault. You must forgive them. God doesn’t state that unless you be a good boy for the next year, I’m not going to forgive you. He doesn’t say change your ways first before he forgives you. He says to say I repent. If we confess our sins which simply means to own up to your own faults, he will forgive.

Those who cant forgive as God does are without mercy. They have a cold unforgiving heart. The are holding a grudge against an offending party an withholding forgiveness. That is not Christianity. God is far more merciful than that. If you cannot forgive, you will not be forgiven by God either.

Confession to others you have wronged is required too. Confessing is to say I repent. It means to admit that you were wrong and apologize.

I rebuked Bob, no apology.

Jerry falsely accused me of abusing Andrew and calling us parasites. No apology.

I rebuke mom…. no apology.

I say I’m sorry to mom for all offenses in front of entire family b4 she left….no forgiveness from her.

Synonyms & Antonyms for pardon

Synonyms: Noun

• absolution, ….: the act of forgiving someone for having done something wrong or sinful : the act of absolving someone or the state of being absolved
• amnesty, 
• forgiveness, 
• remission, 
• remittal

Synonyms: Verb

• forgive

Antonyms: Noun

• penalty, 
• punishment, 
• retribution

Antonyms: Verb

• resent

APOLOGY DEF a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure…..

a written or spoken expression of one’s regret, remorse, or sorrow for having insulted, failed, injured, or wronged another:

A sincere apology contains the phrase “I’m sorry” and is followed by the thing that happened. (“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings by not inviting you to the birthday party.”) These words are important as they signify someone taking responsibility for what happened.

an act of saying that you are sorry for something wrong you have done:

Colossians 3:12 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

A new marriage is very similar two new Christians who start a relationship with Jesus Christ a new marriage can have lots of imperfections and mistakes and in order to keep the marriage going you have to be forgiving and merciful with each other and that’s the same thing in the church with Christ God grants us wanted some mercy and demands that were merciful with others so that we can grow into what he wants us to become