The Sound of Grace [page 4]

The Sound Of Grace ...Continued from page 3
If anyone had the right to throw stones at us it was God. But he didn’t. He forgave us through the death and physical resurrection of his son Jesus Christ. Aren’t you glad that God gave us grace? Do you want to hear the sound of grace? (Let the stones drop to the ground one by one) That is the sound of grace.
It wasn’t the grace of the teachers of the law, and it wasn’t the grace of the Pharisees. It was the grace of Jesus. John Newton was right: “ ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed.”
“Neither do I condemn you,” is only the first part; that is the rescue of grace. The second part is “Go and sin no more.” And that is our requirement of grace.
The Requirements of Grace (verses 12-13)
It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions (lusts ? would be a better translation here), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope ? the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is our “Go and sin no more” charge. Grace not only saves us, but it also teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions. Paul uses this word in Romans 1:18. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” And then Paul goes on to define what ungodliness is:
Verse 21, “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him.”
Verse 23, “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.”
Verse 26, “Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.”
Verse 27, “Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”
How dare some churches say that homosexuality is okay when God is it is an abomination? But the grace of God teaches us to say “No” to these things. Not “Maybe,” not “Later,” not “Let me think about it,” but “No.” In one of his sermons, Robert Smith says that the devil wants you just to dance a little dance with him. I dream of the day when our “yes” will be “yes” and our “no” will be an emphatic “no.” Not being apologetic for what we believe.