Counting Every Blessing – Week 1 - Grace
Notes
Transcript
Welcome to Thanksgiving Season – 18 days to Thanksgiving. No one counts down to T-day like we do Xmas, so I am here to help you get ready. It gets busy, doesn’t it. Not all bad but we need times like this to slow down, take a breather, and be thankful because it is so easy to forget the blessings of the Lord and forgetting can be devastating to our faith.
The book of Deuteronomy is preparation for the Hebrews to go into the Promised Land and they will start to enjoy things they haven’t experienced in a long time – they will be free, they will have their own land, they will be living in a land that is prosperous (referred to as the fertile crescent). And God knows how easy it is to forget. So, through Moses he communicates these truths:
Deuteronomy 6:10–12 (NIV) — 10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV) — 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.
We can easily fall into the trap that all we deserve all we have.
Today, as we start our series, "Counting Every Blessing," we begin by reflecting on the greatest blessing of all—the blessing of salvation. And this salvation isn't just about securing a place in heaven; it's about being transformed here and now. It’s about becoming a new creation in Christ. As we dive into this message, let’s keep that in mind: salvation is more than just our future hope—it’s our present reality.
Let’s begin with what Paul says in Ephesians 2, a passage that makes it crystal clear that we are saved by grace, not by anything we could do or achieve.
Be thankful for grace that saves
Be thankful for grace that saves
This should be at the top of all our lists.
Ephesians 2:1–9 (NIV) — 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2 paints a powerful picture of our condition before salvation: we were dead in our sins. Not just lost or misguided, but dead. Dead people can’t bring themselves back to life. There is nothing we could have done to save ourselves, no good deed or religious act that could change our situation. Yet, Paul writes,
It’s this grace, this unmerited favor, that saves us. Not our works, not our efforts. Nothing we could do would ever be enough to earn God’s salvation. And that's the point. Salvation is a gift. Think about it this way: if someone came to you and wiped away all your debt how would you respond? Would you try to pay them back? You couldn’t. We like to do this – someone gives us a gift we want to give them something to earn that gift. We resist the idea of something free. There are no free lunches we are told. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God loves us so much that he has given us something that we can never earn. And that’s how it is with God’s grace. It's a gift we can’t repay, and we’re not asked to and when we try, we become legalist. We begin to doubt our salvation. We become judgmental of others because we know they don’t deserve it but we can’t believe it.
Luke 18:9–14 (NIV) — 9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
It is the person who humbly knows they can do nothing to earn God’s forgiveness that truly lives into the abundant life Jesus promised. And that changes our lives.
Be thankful for grace that transforms
Be thankful for grace that transforms
This type of gift not only saves us it transforms us. It’s like we’ve been given a manual on how to live. It’s like we’ve been given a map to our destination. We know how to live. It’s like we can see the world clearly for the first time.
Titus 3:3–7 (NIV) — 3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
This passage doesn’t just tell us what we’re saved from—it tells us what we’re saved for. Salvation is not just about being forgiven; it's about being made new. It’s about transformation. The old self, with its sinful desires and misguided pursuits, is gone. Through the Holy Spirit, God renews us. We are reborn, and that new birth marks the beginning of a new life, a life that reflects the character of Christ.
A spiritual practice I engage in from time to time is to think of what my life would be if I hadn’t heard the gospel. We were not regular church goers and as I look back if we hadn’t experienced the grace of God I wonder what my life would be like and when I do I shudder. I know that grace helped me see the world much better and has made my life so much better.
1 Corinthians 15:9–10 (NIV) — 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
Be thankful for grace that is available to all
Be thankful for grace that is available to all
When Jesus came there were some Jews who thought that God was very exclusive – that you had to fit a particular profile to be saved. And Jesus blew that idea out of the water – he called religious people who fit that profile (Nicodemus) but he was found associating with and criticized for imagining that God loved tax-collectors, sinners, women, lepers, Gentiles.
Luke 19:9–10 (NIV) — 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Paul drives this home:
Romans 4:16 (NIV) — 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Grace is available to all.
It bothers me when I see some great offer – maybe a phone or a coupon or finance rate … - and then when I read the fine print or hear the disclaimers I realize I am not eligible. Rats. There are no eligibility requirements for God’s grace. All are invited.
You don’t have to be anyone other than who you are to be loved by God. It doesn’t matter who your parents are, where you live, what language you speak, what country you are from, or even your past – God’s transforming grace is available to all of us. It’s an open invitation for anyone who would receive it.
This week, I want to leave you with a few practical steps to live out the blessing of salvation:
Embrace grace: Take time each day this week to remind yourself that you don’t need to earn God’s favor. When you feel the temptation to measure your worth by your actions, remember that God’s grace is already yours.
Live as a new creation: Reflect on areas of your life where you need to experience transformation. Ask God to help you live in the freedom and renewal that salvation brings.
Share the gift of salvation: Look for opportunities to share the message of grace with someone this week. Whether it’s through a conversation, a kind gesture, or a simple invitation to church, let others know that they, too, are invited to experience the blessing of salvation.
As followers of Christ, we must not forget that we are also messengers of this invitation. Who in your life needs to hear this message of grace? Who needs to know that God’s love is available to them? Perhaps there’s someone you’ve written off or someone who feels unworthy of God’s love. Let’s commit to sharing this blessing of salvation with those around us, just as freely as God offers it to us.
If that is you, if you need God’s grace he invites you.
