Sermon Tone Analysis

*Sola Gratia (Grace Alone) and the Need for Grace – Evangelizing Other Faiths, Pt 4*

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/Sola Gratia /– Salvation is by grace alone, the unmerited undeserved unearned favor and kindness of God toward sinners.

Salvation is not in any way or in any part produced or preserved by man’s works, will, effort, or anything inherent in man.

Salvation is not by God’s grace /plus /any human achievement, but it’s solely by the sovereign grace of Divine accomplishment.

God’s grace alone also preserves true believers so that they will persevere in the faith and will never finally fall away and abandon the faith.

This “preservation of the saints” is also by God’s grace alone so that salvation is neither gained /nor maintained /by any human efforts.

A Christian’s good words are the /result /of God’s good work begun in us.

-         God’s grace alone is the only reason we are not still dead in our trespasses and sins, deceived by false thinking (“but for the grace of God …”)

-         God’s grace is the sole source, not only of our eternal life, but of every breath we take and our life in general – we owe all to grace

-         We who believe so strongly in grace must show that same grace to others

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*I.

The Need for Grace in our Speech*

*Colossians 4:2-6* “/Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying … that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ … that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

/[all scriptures in NASB unless specified otherwise]

*1 Pet 3:15-16* (NIV) “/But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”/

*John 1:14-17* (ESV) “/14 //And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth … //16 //And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.//

//17 //For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ./

*II.

The Need for Grace in our Salvation (grace alone, not at all by works)\*

*Acts 15:11* “/But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they [non-Jews] also are/.”

(read v. 1-11 in light of 10:43-11:18; grace alone – not works)

*Rom 11:6* “/But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace”/

*2 Timothy 1:9* (ESV) says God “/saved us … not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began/”

/./

*III.

The Need for Grace because of our Sin*

*Isaiah 64:5-6* (NIV) /“…//But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry.

How then can we be saved?//

//All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”/

*Matthew 5:48* /“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”/

*Galatians 3:10* (NIV) /All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”/

*James 2:10* (NKJV) /“//For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”/

[~*This is why grace alone is good news: Eph 2:1-10, Rom 3:10-24, 6:23, 10:9-10]