The Gospel of God’s Grace

Theme: The Gospel of Your Salvation
“Him you also trusted, after you heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation…” (Ephesians 1:13)

Date: October 19, 2003 - Sunday 10:30 A.M. Worship Service - (During a Gospel Meeting October 17 Through 19, 2003, at the Northeast church of Christ, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Speaker: Mack Lyon, Speaker on the In Search of the Lord’s Way Television Program
Main Scripture: Acts 8, 9, 20:17-38, 22, 26; Ephesians 2:4-9; 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Paul loved the Christians in Ephesus very dearly. He wanted to send some words of admonition to the leadership of the church over there, and some words of encouragement to them to remain faithful to the very end. In the seventeenth verse of Acts, chapter 20, we’re going to read that speech that he made to those elders, and get the basis for our lesson:

[Acts 20:17-38] “And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. ¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, ¹⁹Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: ²⁰And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, ²¹Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. ²²And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: ²³Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. ²⁴But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. ²⁶Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. ²⁷For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

²⁸ Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with His Own blood. ²⁹For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. ³¹Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. ³²And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. ³³I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. ³⁴Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. ³⁵I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the Words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, ‘'It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

³⁶ And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. ³⁷And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, ³⁸Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.”

Probably there is no other passage in the writings of Paul, and in all of things about Paul, in the New Testament that reveals to us his character more than this passage here. Probably, it’s in this passage we get a better insight into his determination and his resolve to preach the Gospel among the Gentile people, even at the cost of his very life, if that demanded it. And so, he tells us in verse 24 that “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God .”

And we’re calling this a “Gospel Meeting,” and in it, we have been focusing on this word GOSPEL and its many usages in the New Testament. We’ve pointed out that the word appears 101 times in the New Testament. We’ve also pointed out that it had qualifying phrases, or adjectives, associated with it in some passages, such as this one, which gives it a distinctive message itself. We pointed out that seventeen times in the New Testament it is called the Gospel of GOD. Eleven times, it is called the Gospel of CHRIST. Then there’s one other time that it is called the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, bringing that total, then, to twelve. We mentioned also in the passage we have just read that it is called the Gospel of the GRACE OF GOD. In Ephesians 1:13, it is called the Gospel of YOUR SALVATION [“…In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise….”]. And in Romans, chapter 10 and verse 15, it is also called the Gospel of PEACE [“And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”]. And there are other passages that give it the same kind of an idea. But this morning, we’re talking about the Gospel of the GRACE OF GOD.

Paul wrote and spoke more about the grace of God than anyone else. The apostle John is said to be “the apostle of love.” And Paul is said to be “the apostle of grace,” because he spoke and wrote so much about God’s grace. Perhaps the reason for that is, that he had experienced in his own life greater and more demonstrations of the grace of God than anyone else.