A Bible-believing evangelical church in the village of Wellington, near Hereford and Leominster.

Thought for the Day – 063

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Preached during the morning service on 23 May 2020 by .


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E V A N G E L I C A L WELLINGTON CHAPEL

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
DAY 63

John 1:17.— ‘For the law was given through Moses,
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’

Recommended reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

During the past two weeks we have been considering some of the many
attributes of God. I want to conclude this brief series by turning our attention to
one of the most beautiful words in the Bible—Grace.

The Grace of God.

God has shown His Mercy to those who are sinners. He has poured His Love
upon the undeserving. Romans 5:8 says, ‘God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’
God’s grace, however, is extended only to those who are drawn to Himself. God’s
salvation is through grace alone. I have tried to find a sentence that includes
these three great attributes. Eventually I found this: ‘Grace is God’s sovereign
love to those who receive His mercy.’
Grace is totally unmerited, unearned, undeserved and unsought. It cannot be
bought, worked for or won. If we could do those things I have mentioned, it
would no longer be grace.
Almighty God reaches down to desperate, wretched sinners and rescues us from
disaster.
Love can flow downwards from God; upwards to God; outwards to others.
Mercy can come downwards and go outwards but certainly not upwards.
But grace can only come from one direction: downwards from God.
It is so important that we consider all God’s attributes carefully so that we avoid
confusion.
One of the clearest verses dealing with God’s grace is given by the apostle Paul in
Romans 11:6 where he says, ‘If by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise
grace is no longer grace.’ Then we have Ephesians 2:8, ‘By grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.’ Verse 9 says,
‘not of works, lest anyone should boast.’
The message this morning is that salvation is of grace alone.
Why does the wonder of it fail to grab us? Sometimes familiar verses tend to
breed contempt. They become so common to us because we know them so well.
It’s so encouraging to see the reaction and faces of young believers when these
great truths initially dawn upon them.
No matter how long you have been a believer, or how young in the faith you are,
you must never lose the thrill of these amazing truths. May they excite us every
time we focus our minds upon them. If our hearts are cold, may the Holy Spirit
warm them and bring them to renewed life.
As I write this morning’s message, I realise I need another morning to look at this
wonderful attribute.
The hymn I have chosen was written by a man called Krishna Pal who was
William Carey’s first convert in India. He had many idols to remove from his
life, as he conveys in this hymn. I ask you to read these words slowly, especially
focusing your mind on verse 4.
May I also add that if you desire to look further into this wonderful word, which
I encourage you to do, I warmly recommend a book written by Brian Edwards
entitled Grace, Amazing Grace, published by Day One. It will thrill your soul, and
you have now plenty of time to read! Use time profitably.

Now, O my soul, forget no more
the friend who all your misery bore;
let every idol be forgot,
but, O my soul, forget him not.

Jesus for you a body takes,
your guilt he bears, your fetters breaks,
discharging all your dreadful debt;
and can you now such love forget?

Renounce your works and ways with grief,
and run to this most sure relief;
forget not him who left his throne,
and for your life laid down his own.

Infinite truth and mercy shine
in him, whose word is, ‘You are mine’:
and can you, then, with sin beset,
such grace, such matchless grace, forget?

Ah! no; till life itself depart
his name will cheer and warm my heart;
and singing this, from earth I’ll rise
to join the chorus of the skies.

And when at last all things expire
and perish in the general fire,
this name all others shall survive,
and through eternity shall live.

Krishna Pal, 1764-1822
Trans. Joshua Marshman, 1768-1837
CCLI – 1050955

Pastor: Kristian Dimond 01432 830002 07810 442523 pastor@wellingtonec.org.uk
Elders: John Roberts 01432 830100 jokaroberts@gmail.com
Keith Weber 01568 611251 07436 005561 keith.smallprint@gmail.com
Wellington Evangelical Chapel, Wellington, Hereford HR4 8AX www.wellingtonec.org.uk Reg Charity No 233810
THE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY IS PREPARED BY JOHN ROBERTS