We Are Saved By Grace! For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-- not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 RSV) One Misconception About God’s Grace: Some believe that if a person does anything when it comes to salvation then that person is not relying upon the grace of God but upon their own merit in order to be saved. They seem to think that any action negates the grace of God!

John 3 Fiery Serpents And Grace

Nicodemus There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:1-3 NKJV)

The Bronze Serpent & The Son Of God "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3: NKJV)

The Murmuring Israelites When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD, and said, "If thou wilt indeed give this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities." And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and gave over the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities; so the name of the place was called Hormah. From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food." (Numbers 21:1-5 RSV)

The Fiery Serpents Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:6-9 RSV)

God’s Grace To The Israelites And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. (Numbers 21:8-9 RSV) Grace: Unmerited Favor; “Kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved.” (Thayers) Was the bronze serpent a gift from God or did the people deserve it? God’s instructions were for those that were bitten to go and look at the bronze serpent. If the people believed but stayed in their tent would they be healed? Did the fact that the people had to actually go and look at the bronze serpent change the gift? Were they still saved by the grace of God or did they earn their salvation?

The Bronze Serpent & The Son Of God "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 RSV) He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. (John 3:36 RSV)

Receiving the Blessings Of God! God has taught us in the OT and NT that we must obey His instructions in order to receive His Grace. Noah – Genesis 6 Jericho – Joshua 6 Naaman – 2 Kings 5 The blind man – John 9 God’s grace does not rule out instructions to be obeyed and obeyed strictly. How do we receive the grace of God today? Believe (John 3:16) Repent (Acts 2:38; 17:30) Confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9,10) Be immersed into Christ. (Acts 2:38; Mk. 16:16; Gal. 3:27) Maintain Good Works (Tit. 3:8; Rev. 2:10)

We Are Saved By Grace! For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-- not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 RSV) Obeying the instructions of God in order to obtain His grace does not negate the gift! So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. (James 2:17 RSV) "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15 RSV) The only thing we will ever “earn” is death for our sins. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 RSV)

Conclusion "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.' (Matthew 7:21-23 RSV) Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, (Hebrews 5:8-9 RSV) For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, (Titus 2:11 RSV)

Sources Audio Sermon Material From Bill Hall on Grace.