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

Thought for the Day – 064

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Preached during the morning service on 24 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 64

Acts 13:43 —
‘Paul and Barnabas … persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.’

Recommended reading: Colossians 1:1-14

Yesterday morning we began to consider the Grace of God. We conclude this
morning by looking at three main characteristics of grace.

1. Grace is Eternal.

Before we took our first breath, God’s grace was poured out upon us.
Before the world was created, grace was brought into God’s amazing plan.
2 Timothy 1:9 — ‘Who has saved us … not according to our works, but according
to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time
began.’
Grace was not some sudden afterthought by God, but was carefully planned and
put into action according to His purpose for us.

2. Grace is Free.

Romans 3:24 — ‘Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus.’
No one has ever, or will ever purchase it. It is free grace. It costs us nothing. It
cost God everything. No wonder the grace of God amazes us. So it should.
A number of years ago I came across the following words:
Wordsworth could take a worthless sheet of paper, write a poem on it and
make it worth thousands. That’s genius.
Rockefeller could sign his name on a piece of paper and immediately
make it worth millions. That’s capital.
The Bank of England can take gold, stamp a lion on it and make it worth a
fortune. That’s money.
An artist can take material that is worth practically nothing and make it
worth millions. That’s art.
Almighty God can take a worthless, sinful life, wash it in the blood of
Christ, put His Spirit in it, and make it a blessing to humanity. That’s grace,
free grace.

3. Grace is Sovereign.

Romans 5:21 — ‘As sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through
righteousness to eternal life.’
If grace reigns, there must be a throne. People do not reign in a park, but in a
palace; not in a thoroughfare, but on a throne.
The Bible speaks about the throne of grace. We often use that term in prayer.
Grace comes to us from a throne, but it is only a throne of grace to those who
have turned to the Lord Jesus Christ and trusted in Him for salvation. Grace is
God’s gift to sinners.
When we consider grace, it soon becomes clear that salvation is all of God. All
we do is acknowledge our sin, and then discover that where sin abounds grace
abounds even more—much more.
A reformer once wrote the following words:
Grace is a provision for men who are so fallen that they can never rise; so
corrupt that they can never change; so blind that they can never see; so
deaf that they can never hear; so dead that God alone must open their
graves and lift them to resurrection.
John Kent wrote nearly 300 hymns, most on the theme of God’s grace. He was
born in the West Country in 1766. He became blind in his early 50’s and his
words were written down by his young grandson. One of his greatest and well
known hymns was; ‘Sovereign grace o’er sin abounding.’
His dying words were: “I’m accepted, no merits of mine. I have nothing to boast
without or within. It is of His grace I am what I am.”

O how the grace of God
amazes me!
It loosed me from my bonds
and set me free!
What made it happen so?
His own will, this much I know,
set me, as now I show,
at liberty.

My God has chosen me,
though one of nought,
to sit beside my King
in heaven’s court.
Hear what my Lord has done:
O, the love that made him run
to meet his erring son!
This has God wrought.

Not for my righteousness,
for I have none,
but for his mercy’s sake,
Jesus, God’s Son,
suffered on Calvary’s tree—
crucified with thieves was he—
great was his grace to me,
his wayward one.

And when I think of how,
at Calvary,
he bore sin’s penalty
instead of me,
amazed, I wonder why
he, the sinless One, should die
for one so vile as I:
my Saviour he!

Now all my heart’s desire
is to abide
in him, my Saviour dear,
in him to hide.
My shield and buckler he,
covering and protecting me:
from Satan’s darts I’ll be
safe at his side.

Lord Jesus, hear my prayer,
your grace impart;
when evil thoughts arise
through Satan’s art,
O, drive them all away
and my God, from day to day,
keep me beneath your sway,
King of my heart.

Come now, the whole of me,
eyes, ears and voice,
join me, creation all,
with joyful noise:
praise him who broke the chain
holding me in sin’s domain,
and set me free again!
Sing and rejoice!

E T Sibomana, c.1910-75
Trans. Rosemary Guillebaud
© Translator
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