God's Glorious Gift

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV)

Tonight was the concluding night of a weeklong “Spiritual Roundup”, sponsored by the Senior Women’s Auxiliary of our Northwestern District Association, Pastor Steven R. Barnes, serves as Moderator.

Several area pastors along with their congregations gathered each night at GSJ for prayer, praise and preaching. This program was the first major initiative of our current Women’s President, Juanita Kyle. I was bestowed the honor of preaching the closing service and the Lord showed Himself strong in a mighty way. I preached a sermon entitled “God’s Glorious Gift” taken from Ephesians 2:8-9. The message served as a reminder that we who were once dead, depraved, dominated by Satan and in danger of God’s wrath, have now been delivered through the saving grace of God without any deeds of our own. Even though the text mentions grace and faith, and they are gifts themselves, the context of this verse, against the backdrop of the entire chapter, shows us that the glorious gift of salvation is the main thrust. Here’s a brief outline:

I. It Is Provided By Grace

II. It Is Procured Through Faith

III. It is Proven By Works

The atmosphere was filled with the sacrifice of praise and the aroma of rich Christian fellowship. I am so thankful to the members of GSJ, who worked untiringly to host our District this week. You guys are the best and pastor loves you.

Well, I must get some sleep because I have a full day on tomorrow. In the morning, we host our Annual Health Fair, and in the afternoon I will share in the wedding ceremony of a son of the church. Please pray that the Lord grant me renewed strength for tomorrow’s opportunities to serve Him. God Bless.

The Righteousness of God

My first Wednesday back from vacation was indeed special. I was greeted with resounding applause as I walked into the educational wing of our church to lead noon and evening bible study. It’s really precious to know when you are away that people sincerely miss you and can’t wait to tell you how much they appreciate the ministry God has given you.

We resumed our study of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. In recent weeks we had discussed the wickedness of man in his depraved state and have concluded that all men are under sin. Whether we are Jew or Gentile all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. We continued our exploration of this rich doctrinal treatise, finding ourselves in chapter 3; verse 21-22; where Paul says:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (ESV)

Paul is expanding upon his thesis for the whole book which you may recall was eloquently stated earlier in chapter 1 verse 17. It says:

For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)

Having already succeeded in arguing that there is none righteous no not one in 3:10; Paul now makes it known that the only way we can become righteous is through faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. What the law, circumcision or any other thing could not perform has been provided through Christ who is the righteousness of God promised and revealed.

We had such a wonderful feasting of God’s word that time ran right past us. Truly, this was a fruitful day in the word as we praised God for His unspeakable gift of salvation made available to us all.