The Grace of God

Grace Bible Church of Conway's Podcast

In his sermon "The Grace of God," Ryan Bush explores the profound and central theme of God's grace within the Christian faith. He emphasizes that grace is foundational to the identity and hope of believers, as well as to God's plan for redemption.
Bush begins by highlighting the significance of grace to his church and its associated press, underscoring its vital role in their spiritual lives. He illustrates the concept of grace using an adoption analogy, explaining how, like adoptive parents who choose a child without regard to the child's merits, God adopts believers into His family purely out of His love and compassion. This divine adoption is unearned and reflects God's unconditional favor.
Bush defines grace using A.W. Pink's description: "the eternal and absolute free favor of God manifested in the giving of spiritual and eternal blessings to the guilty and unworthy." He emphasizes that grace is unmerited favor, a gift to those who do not deserve it. He outlines three key characteristics of God's grace: its eternality, freeness, and sovereignty.
1. Eternal Grace: Grace was planned before the foundation of the world. God’s decision to extend grace was made before any human action, ensuring that it is not contingent on human worthiness.
2. Free Grace: Grace cannot be earned or purchased; it is given freely according to God's good pleasure. This highlights the gratuitous nature of grace and underscores that no one is entitled to it.
3. Sovereign Grace: God bestows grace according to His sovereign will, choosing whom He pleases. This can be challenging to accept, but it underscores God's ultimate authority and wisdom.
Bush also discusses the occasion for grace, emphasizing that before creation, there was no occasion to exercise grace, as there was no need. He clarifies that Christ did not come to overturn a wrongful conviction but to take the place of the guilty, illustrating the depth of God's grace in Christ’s sacrificial act.
The sermon also delves into the mechanism of grace, particularly the concept of double imputation: Christ taking on human sin and imparting His righteousness to believers. This exchange underscores the transformative power of grace.
Bush concludes by discussing the practical effects of grace in the life of a believer. When grace begins to work in an individual's heart, it results in faith, repentance, and a new orientation towards God. This change is compared to being hit by an 18-wheeler truck—so profound that it is evident in the believer's life.
Finally, Bush encourages self-examination for evidence of grace, urging those who might struggle with assurance of salvation to seek counsel and reaffirming the importance of recognizing grace's work in one's life.
In essence, Ryan Bush's sermon powerfully articulates the transformative and unmerited nature of God's grace, urging believers to live in the joy and thanksgiving of this divine gift.