The Grace of God leads us to change and not to sin

The Grace of God leads us to change and not to sin.
By Joseph Gutierrez

The last time I was here I talked about the Grace of God and how it does not lead people to sin. The text we used was in Romans 6:14-15 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

I just wanted to refresh your memory on what I have preached regarding the grace of God. We live each day and we don’t come into judgment because of the grace of God whether we are believers and unbelievers. Psalms 145:9. Jehovah is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works. Jesus said in Mathew Chapter 5 He maketh His sun rise on the evil and the good, and send rain on the just and the unjust.
We cannot take away the grace of God from the Scripture because it’s the very lifeblood, soul, and foundation of the Scripture. If we take it away there is nothing left for us to believe, preached, contend and live.

We also give grace a definition- I said that its an unmerited favor from God, to show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn’t deserve it and can never earn it. We can never earn grace and its an undeserved blessing and favor from God. God and His goodness saved us and pardon our sins. Using faith as a way of salvation that it may be all of grace. He showed mercy, kindness and love instead of judgment and His wrath. God devised a plan to rescue us from sin, transgression, and its consequences. He offered His dear Son for the payment of our sins and for the atonement by which his mercy can be justly be placed on us.
We used the text from Romans 9: verses 16 states “So then it is not of him who wills, nor him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 2Tim 1:9 Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was in Christ Jesus before time began. Titus 3:3-6
It is basically saying that we are saved because God chose us to be His chosen people and we should be grateful for that. Amen.
Also I have talked about that we can never add anything to our salvation because how can a person who is dead in trespass and sin Ephesian 2:1 who loves darkness rather than light John 3:19, In bondage to sin Galatians 4:3 captive by Satan to do his will 2Tim 2:25-26, Blind and deaf Mark 4:11 uninstructable people 1Cor 2:14 can naturally come to God on his own? A person who is dead spiritually cannot raise himself to be alive to receive God. The total rebellion of man is in Romans 3:9-11. Apart from the grace of God there is no delight in the holiness of God, and there is no one who seek after God. You really don’t want to take the final credit for you coming to Christ. John Piper said: You don’t want to stand before God at judgment day and respond to the question: “why did you believe and while others didn’t? they have the opportunity to do it? You don’t want to say your more smarter or your more spiritual but you would want to say “ by grace I was brought to faith which is irresistible grace. That is the grace that triumphs all resistance in the end. This is really humbling to human pride just think we are saved by a mere divine charity.

There are many churches today do not want to preach this truth because they are afraid that people will go on sinning more. Some of them even believe that they should continue on living in sin so that the grace of God may abound even more to them. That is very ungrateful to God don’t you think. But as I told you before “Faith without works is dead”. All the works the you do or all the goodness that you do is only the product of your salvation. These are the result of being a new creature in Christ Jesus. This the result of you being a born again believer. You cannot verify a true belief in Christ apart from righteous conduct.

My main point of preaching the Grace of God leads to change is to prove to you in the Scripture that it does not lead people to sin but instead to a change life and to holiness.

So the Doctrine of Grace and the whole plan of salvation by grace, promotes holiness. Whenever sin creeps in the question arises, “Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? The answer to this “God forbid.”

Number one, the Gospel of the grace of God promotes real holiness to men because the Grace of God saves us from the power of sin. The Grace of God saves us from the power to sin, what does it mean? It means the deliverance from the love of sin, the grace of God rescues us from the habit of sin, setting us free from the desire to sin.

Remember the Lord Jesus came to take away sin in three ways. He came to remove the penalty of sin, the power of sin and last the presence of sin.
Sin is under command and it may even get the advantage, but it will never be sovereign. Sin is conquered, sin is dead judicially, Christ has sentenced it, Christ condemned sin in the flesh. Romans 8:3. Jesus Christ have delivered us from death to life but you see sin is still there it is intended to exercise our faith, that we will be more in our prayer, for the daily breaking of the power of sin and corruption in them. 1 John 3:5 Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our sins. Remember this people of God, eternal punishment can never come upon those whom Christ freed from sin, those whom he justified. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Amen.

If however, you are still troubled about the power of sin and about the tendencies of your nature, here is a promise for you. Have faith in it, for it stands in that covenant of grace that is ordered and sure in all things. It is not the style of God to take away his gift. Romans 11:29 states: “The gifts and calling of God is, without repentance (irrevocable). That is without repentance on God’s part. He does not take away what He once has given.


2ndly the Grace of God possess a great power over men.

I can also say the divine love of God possesses a great deal of power over men because the grace of God is really the love of God towards us. It’s a fact that when men are forbidden to do things they straight a way do it even though they never thought of doing it before. Look at Singapore and the middle east they have the strictest law but people still do commit crime. Yes it does minimize crime but it does not prevent crime from happening.

When we are unbelievers the Law commands obedience, but does not promote it; it often creates disobedience, and an overweight penalty has been known to provoke an offense. The Law not only commanded difficulty to us but impossible things on us. Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse; for it is written, Curse is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. If we disobey one commandment of God we are curse. The law commands but gives us no strength to obey it. There is a will to do it but lack of power to do it. Just imagine Adam & Eve before the fall they have the power to resist sin and obey God but chose to sin against God. How much more for us? Apostle Paul said Romans 7:18“To will is present with me; but to perform that which is good I find not” That’s why in verse 24-25 He cried out to God and said: O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Law fails to justify us! The Law fails but love wins.

When Love reigns in your heart for Jesus you will count not your life so dear anymore. Charles Spurgeon said, “ Duty holds the fort, but love casts its body in the way of the deadly bullet. Who would think of sacrificing his life on the ground of the law?
A little bit of History here that a stumble upon by reading. It’s about Napoleon. I think everybody here knows him or know about him.
Napoleon said this about Jesus while He was in exiled on the rock of St. Helena. There, the conquered of civilized Europe had time to reflect on the measure of his accomplishments. He called Count Montholon to his side and asked him, “Can you tell me who Jesus Christ was? The Count declined to respond. Napoleon countered and said:

Well then, I will tell you. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne and I myself have founded great empires; but upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus Alone founded His Empire upon Love, and to this very day millions will die for Him… I thinks I understand something of human nature; and I tell you, all these were men, and I am a man, none else is like Him: Jesus Christ was more that man…I have inspired multitudes with such and enthusiastic devotions that they would have died for me…but to do this it was necessary that I should be visibly present with the electric influence of my looks, my words of my voice. When I saw men and spoke to them, I lightened up the flame of self-devotion in their hearts… Christ alone has succeeded in so raising the mind of man toward the unseen, that it becomes insensible to the barriers of time and space….Napoleon further states: Wonderful! In defiance of time and space, the soul of man, with all its powers and faculties, becomes an annexation to the empire of Christ. All who sincerely believe in Him, experience that remarkable, supernatural love toward Him. This phenomenon is unaccountable; it is altogether beyond the scope of mans creative powers. Time, the great destroyer, is powerless to extinguish this sacred flame. Time can neither exhaust its strength nor put a limit to its range. This is it, which strike me most; I have often thought of it. This is which proves to me quite convincingly the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

Napoleon saw Jesus Christ conquered not by force but by winning the heart by love. He basically said that Jesus Christ doesn’t need to present or visible to stir up the hearts to go till the end and give their life for their Lord. Don’t get me wrong some people are willing to be martyrs & die for their faith if they are innocently deceived but if they know the truth they wouldn’t die for anything. Just like what Pastor Rick said in Easter Sunday If Jesus Christ didn’t raised from the dead the eleven apostles would not given up their life for Christ.
Love to Jesus creates something in us… a heroism of which the law knows nothing about. All the history of the church of Christ, when it has been true to its Lord, is a proof of this.
· Stephen got stone to death in the book of Acts.
· Apostle James got beheaded in 36 AD.
· Doubting Thomas died in India being slain by darts.
· Simon brother of Jude was crucified.
· Mark was thrown in the fire, Bartholomew was beaten by staves, later crucified and then beheaded.
· Apostle Andrew the brother of Peter preached in Ethiopia where he was also crucified
· Mathew died by running a spears through him.
· James the half brother of Jesus was thrown down, stoned, and got beaten in the head.
· Apostle Paul beheaded in Rome.
· Apostle Peter was crucified upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
· Apostle John got boiled alive in a big cauldron escape then exile at the island of Patmos.


These are just a few men who died for their faith, because it was engraved in their heart the Love for Jesus that they count not their life but to serve Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.

Remember that grace has a strange subduing power, and leads men to goodness, drawing us to Himself. The Lord knows the key to the hearts of the wicked and ungodly men hangs on the nail of love.

3rdly the grace of God reveals to us the evil and the wickedness of sin.

When God begins to deal with man with a view of blotting out and washing out his sins and making him a child of God, he usually causes him to see his evil ways. He makes us see how wicked and disgraceful our sins are in our own eyes. Like the tax collector in Luke 18:13:
And the tax collector, standing a far off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “ God be merciful to me a sinner!”
This tax collector saw the wickedness of his sin revealed by God himself and he came home justified by God.

In our case when we do sin we feel so awful, weak, ashamed, and afraid. We see ourselves, here we are again we failed God again. We can do nothing but cry out to God and ask for forgiveness. It’s an awful and terrible feeling.
It’s true what the Scriptures say that you lose the joy of your salvation. You realize what can God possibly see in me always a failure. David felt the same way Psalms 51:3 “ My sin is ever before me”.
Please don’t underestimate the seriousness of sin. We need to strongly and firmly deal with sin in our life. Because sin steals joy, it ruins fellowship with God, sin hinders prayer, and sin brings the discipline of God. We need to understand the seriousness of our sin. It violates our relationship with the Lord.
Put it in your mind when sin is at the door- remind yourself that you belong to the Lord. If it’s the same sin say you have once deceived me, I have the Lord to overcome you now. Remind yourself again and again that you are not a servant of sin any more; you are now the servant of the Almighty God.

I really thank God because by the operation of grace we are made weary of sin, we do not like sin anymore and its imaginary pleasure. If you do not hate sin in your life you are still in your bitterness because the fruit of the Spirit loves righteousness, holiness and disliking every false way. God hates sin Psalms 45:7.
I was reading on something and I stumble upon on something very crucial. I have time to reflect on what this Puritan pastor said. He’s name is Edmund Calamy. Here’s the quote: “There is more evil in the least sin than the greatest calamity.” We are so caught up in our misery and calamities in life that we overlook our sin and we even tolerate our sin. Sin is sin and I pray lets all treat our sin seriously—it dishonor God, it abuses our liberty, it defiles God’s grace, worship, our service, and fellowship with him. It stains, taints, poison and destroy every good and holy.


Fourthly, the Grace of God made us a new creature in Christ Jesus.

IF the doctrine of Grace in the hands of an ordinary man might be dangerous, it should not be with a person that is born again. He’s been quickened by the Spirit, and created a new in the image of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon the chosen person, and transforms him: The Spirit of God starts to remove his ignorance, his affection is changed, his understanding is enlightened, his will is subdued, his desires are changed and refined, his very life changed. That’s being born again!

You have been created a new being in Christ Jesus. This takes place in every man who becomes a partaker of the free grace of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Men are transformed by the Spirit of God. If somebody said to you “if I believed that I was eternally saved, I should live in sin. Perhaps you and the Devil would; but if you were renewed in the heart you would not. God regenerates his children and when that happens you are bounded to righteousness. You will not live in an unbroken pattern of sin anymore.
You will desire holiness in the fear of the Lord.

All beings live according to their nature, and the regenerated person would be crying out for holiness, warring against sin, and laboring to be pure in all things. A born again person will put all his efforts towards that which is pure and perfect. And a new heart makes all the difference. That’s why Ezekiel 11:19 states, “ then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new Spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 and Hebrews 8:10a

Lastly, when we have been a partaker of divine grace and become a new creature. We even have a better restraint from sin, we now have the third person of the Godhead living in us.

We have the Holy Spirit daily help us. God the Holy Spirit is dwelling in every person whom God has saved by his grace. That’s the security we have, a wonderful help in our sanctifying lives. By what process can men be better kept from sin than by having the Holy Spirit himself to dwell in us.

The Holy Spirit became our deputy within our hearts. The Holy Spirit leads believers to be much in prayer, and what a power for holiness is found in the child of grace speaking to his heavenly Father.

If you have a constant fellowship with God, He will continue to renew you and equip you against the warfare of sin. The Divine Word or the Scripture is also, with its precepts and promises, is a never failing source for living a holy lives. John Macarthur said: The out of your life is directly proportional to the intake of Scriptures. The more you read the Scripture and apply its precepts the more it will transform you. The more you know about the law of God the richer your understanding of Scripture will be. The more consistently you read the Word, learning the Word, hearing the Word, meditating the Word of God will easily activate your mind and warn you of the danger of sin.

So how is it possible that the doctrine of Grace should suggest sin to men If you constantly submitting and drawing near to God? Remember this when you are a renewed person God’s Spirit frequently quickened your conscience; so that you are aware if what you are doing is sinful. You see sin in a clear view, do not ignore it but resist it.

We become sensitive to sin in our lives as you grow and mature in the Lord. It’s true He who has the most grace given to him is most conscious of his need of more grace. CH Spurgeon. The gracious people are often afraid to put one foot before another in fear of doing wrong.

Have you felt this holy fear, this caution? It is by this that the Holy Spirit prevents you from ever turning your Christian liberty into evil acts or daring to make the grace of God an argument for foolishness.

Conclusion:

Let me just repeat what I have said previously. The Grace of God release us from the power of sin, God’s grace created a love in our hearts that cannot be extinguish but leads us to holiness and motivates us till the end, God’s grace reveals to us the evil and the wickedness of sin, The grace of God made us a new creature in Christ Jesus, and most of all We have the Holy Spirit, the Godhead Himself living in us to restrain us from turning our liberty in licentiousness.
The person who has been taught of God to think, will not so readily sin, we have obtained a different view of ourselves. New hope comes crowding on the man who is saved by grace. And I pray that you have been partakers of the divine nature. We have been free to do what is right but not free to do what is wrong and sinful.
The question is this is there a sinner here who is willing to be saved by God’s free grace through believing in Jesus Christ?

There is not a word in God’s book against you but everything is in your favor. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinner, on whom I am chief of. 1 Tim 1:15 Jesus Christ did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. Repent and believe the gospel. Repent and believe Jesus Christ. Repent and sin no more. Only trust Him, and rest in Him. It is by grace that we are saved, by grace you will be change and by grace it will lead you back home into the eternal presence of God.