Grace Protects

One of the great challenges in life is learning to say “no” to sin
Grace protects us by teaching us how!

“For the grace of God...teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Titus 2:11-12

What helps you say no to sin?

Guilt helps
Shame, Self-disgust
It is brought on by the Holy Spirit’s conviction
He nudges our conscience and we get that sick feeling and we know something needs to change
But guilt alone doesn’t have the power to change us
We can handle guilt - shove it down, step on it, bury it with medication, food, sleep

Fear helps
That also comes from God
“It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” Hebrews 10:31

Hell wasn’t some preacher’s creation
It is God’s punishment for the devil and his angels
And the eternal destiny of all who reject him

It is a motivator for us
When I preach a sermon that mentions hell, many come to me and thank me
“I needed that”

But we can handle fear
Soon our weakness gives way in spite of fear

The best motivator is grace
It teaches us to say no to sin

I will never forget a lie I told in 5th grade
I had a teacher that was one of those two or three great ones you get in a lifetime
You have a special connection with them – admire them, work hard to please them

My fifth grade teacher was like that
She was an older woman
I remember her reading us the book “Where the Red Fern Grows”

I came to class unprepared – my math homework wasn’t finished
Instead of admitting it, I lied and said I had left it at home
During recess she went through my math book and found it incomplete
She took me to the back of the room where we could have some privacy, and was holding my math book
She opened it and showed me the unfinished page
“You lied to me”

“I’m sorry”
I stayed after school that day, and finished my math paper
When I handed it in, she simply said, “Thank you” and never mentioned it again
She had given me grace: Unconditional love that responds with full forgiveness

I did not lie to her again
Though her forgiveness was easily given, I did not want to disappoint her again

God is easily as wise as my fifth grade teacher
He knows the power of guilt, fear, punishment
He prefers grace
Guilt, fear and punishment only change our behavior, and temporarily at best
God wants to protect us from the heartache of sin, so he gives us grace
Grace protects us from heartache in a way that guilt and fear cannot
And God wants to protect us

Our problem is the “loophole” of forgiveness offered by grace
It is easy to choose sin, planning to return to doing right at a later day!

W.H Auden writes in his poem “For the Time Being”
“I like committing crimes. God likes forgiving them. Really the world is admirably arranged”

We live that way
If you are living a lie right now, you are doing so with the plan, "I will straighten this out"

It is possible to do as Jude 1:4 warns “change the grace of God into a license for immorality”

If you are tired of the stress and heartache that comes with sin, try grace
I Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

You will discover that the problem with sin was you
Not circumstances
Not people who have wronged you
Not temptation
The problem with sin was you
Your heart

The only thing that changes your heart is grace
Not guilt, not fear - they only change your behavior, and temporarily
God wants to change your heart so you are protected from falling again

He offers full forgiveness, and gives your hope back, lifts you up