The Confidence of God's Grace, Ty Hamilton, 8/30/26

Well, praise God. We are here another Sunday.

Amen. Come here. God's word is to sing his praises

because he is worthy. So today I would like to

talk about the confidence of God's grace. Hear

the words of the Lord from Ephesians chapter

two, verses one through ten. And you, he made

alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. In

which you once walked according to the course

of this world. According to the prince of the

power of the air. The spirit who now works in

the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we

all once conducted ourselves. In the lust of

our flesh. Fulfilling the desires of the flesh

and of the mind. And were by nature children

of wrath. Just as the others. But God being rich

in mercy. Because of his great love with which

he loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses.

Made us alive together with Christ. By grace

you have been saved. And raised up together.

And made us sit together in the heavenly places.

In Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come. He

might show his exceedingly riches of his grace.

In the kindness. Toward us in Jesus Christ. For

by grace you have been saved through faith. And

this is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.

Not of works. Lest anyone should boast. For we

are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus

for good works. Which God prepared beforehand.

That we should walk in them. Let's pray together.

Father, we thank you for this time of gathering.

Father, we thank you, Lord, that your word is

the ultimate authority of truth. And Father,

you have blessed us with it. Father, we have

everything we need to live a life of godliness

through your word and by obedience. Father, as

we see it in holy scriptures. Father, I pray

that your spirit would move on our hearts today.

Father, as we hear from you in Jesus name. Amen.

Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

there is something we need to settle in our hearts

before we can properly understand the Christian

life. The success of God does not depend upon

the strength of man, but upon the grace and faithfulness

of God himself. That truth sounds simple. But

it becomes remarkably important when we begin

to look honestly at ourselves, at our families,

at the church, and at the world around us. We

see our weaknesses and failures. We see how easily

people wander, how quickly enthusiasm fades,

and how often our best intentions fall short.

Sometimes we look at our own lives in wonder.

How will I ever become the Christian God has

called me to be? Sometimes we look at our families

and wonder, will our children remain faithful?

Will the next generation love God? Sometimes

we look at the church and we see weakness. We

see discouragements. We see disagreements, immaturity

and sin. And we wonder, will God's purposes really

prevail? And we look at the world around us.

And we see unbelief. We see hostility toward

Christianity. We see confusion about truth and

morality. We see people rejecting the authority

of God's word. We see a culture that seems to

be moving further and further away from the things

of God. And sometimes we can begin to wonder

whether the church will be able to stand. But

those questions reveal something important about

us. We are often tempted to measure our future

by the strength of what we can see. If we see

strength, we become confident. If we see weakness,

we become discouraged. If we see growth, we become

hopeful. If we see failure, we begin to wonder

whether everything is falling apart. But the

gospel gives us another way. To look at the Christian

life. Our confidence is not found in what we

can do for God. Our confidence is found in what

God has done, is doing, and has promised to finish

for us. That confidence is grace. He does not

need human strength to accomplish his purposes.

He does not need perfect people to build his

church. Or sinless families to preserve the covenant

faithfulness. Or Christians to guarantee the

salvation of his people. Grace does not wait

for us to become strong before God can work.

Grace is what God gives us because we fall short

of the glory of God. Listen to the way Paul describes

our condition in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1.

Ephesians 2:1

And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses

and sins. Paul does not say we were struggling.

He does not say that we were spiritually sick

and simply needed some assistance. He says we

were dead. And then, after that statement, comes

one of the most beautiful expressions in Scripture.

But God. We were dead, but God. We were enslaved

to sin, but God. We were separated from Christ,

but God. We were without hope. But God, Paul

continues, but God, who was rich in mercy because

of his great love with which he loved us, even

when we were dead and trespasses made us alive

together with Christ. That is grace. Grace does

not merely improve people who are already moving

in the right direction. Grace raises the dead.

Grace does not merely give a little help. To

people who almost made it. Grace accomplishes

what sinners can never accomplish for themselves.

And because salvation begins with grace. The

Christian life continues by grace. And our perseverance

rests upon God's grace. So today I want us to

see four truths. Grace begins where human strength

ends. Grace accomplishes. What God promises.

Grace produces a people who live differently.

And grace preserves what God has begun. Point

one. Grace begins where human strength ends.

The first thing we must understand is that grace

becomes precious only when we understand how

desperately we need it. Human beings. Naturally

want to contribute something to their salvation.

We want to believe that there was something in

us that caused God to choose us. We want to believe

that we were wise enough to understand the gospel.

Strong enough to respond. Good enough to be accepted.

Faithful enough to remain. But the scriptures

destroys that confidence. Not to leave us hopeless.

But to give us a better confidence. The Bible

tells us that salvation belongs to the Lord.

Ephesians 2 does not begin with our decisions.

It begins with our death. And you he made alive

who were dead in our trespasses and sins. That

is where grace begins. Grace begins where human

strength ends. Dead man cannot revive himself.

A blind man cannot give himself sight. A slave

cannot simply declare himself free. A sinner

cannot manufacture a new heart. That is why salvation

is entirely dependent upon the mercy of God.

Paul said, by grace you have been saved through

faith. And that is not of yourself. It is a gift

from God. Notice these words. Not of yourself.

That phrase destroys our boasting. It removes

the ground from underneath human pride. It directs

all glory toward God. If salvation depends upon

us, then even in heaven, we would have something

to boast about. But God has designed salvation

so that the only person who receives the glory

is God himself. The Christian does not stand

before God and say, look what I have accomplished.

The Christian says, look what God has done. And

that is grace. And this is where the gospel gives

us tremendous confidence. If my salvation depends

upon my strength, then I have every reason to

be afraid. Because I know myself. I know how

inconsistent I can be. I know how quickly my

courage can disappear. I know how easily temptation

can expose my weaknesses. I know how often I

fail to do what I know I should do. If everything

depends upon me, I have no foundation that is

solid. But if salvation depends upon God's grace,

then I can rest. My foundation is no longer my

performance. My foundation is Christ. My foundation

is God's promises. The foundation is grace. That

does not make sin unimportant. It makes grace

infinitely glorious. We do not minimize our weaknesses.

We understand our weaknesses, what they teach

us. Our weaknesses teach us to stop trusting

ourselves and start trusting the God who is strong

enough to save us. Think about how often scripture

brings God's strength into view precisely when

human strength has failed. God calls Abraham.

When the circumstances surrounding the promise

appeared impossible. God brings Israel out of

Egypt. When Israel had no military power capable

of defeating Pharaoh. God brings his people through

the Red Sea. When there was nowhere for them

to go. God gives victory through Gideon's 300

men. When an army would have seemed far more

reasonable. God uses David. A shepherd boy to

confront Goliath. And again and again, God places

people in circumstances where human strength

is insufficient. Why? Because God is teaching

us to trust Him. The Lord does not need circumstances

to be favorable so He can accomplish His purpose.

He does not need the odds to be in His favor.

He does not need... to us to provide what he

lacks. God lacks nothing. God saves us. When

God saves us, he saves us. When God calls us,

he calls us. When God promises, he is faithful.

And when God begins his work in a sinner, he

does not suddenly discover that that sinner is

more difficult to save than he expected. God

knew exactly what we were when he saved us. He

knew every sin. He knew every failure. He knew

every weakness. He knew every future failure.

He knew that every time we would stumble, he

knows. Yet grace came. And that is humbling.

But it also deeply comforting. God's grace did

not begin with an inaccurate assessment. Of who

we were. Amen. He knew us completely. And he

saved us anyway. So when you see weakness in

yourselves. Do not conclude that God has lost

control. When you see weakness in your families.

Do not conclude that God's promises have failed.

When you see weaknesses in the church. Do not

conclude that Christ has abandoned his bride.

Instead, remember where grace begins. Grace begins

where human strength ends. And when human strength

ends, God's strength has not even begun to run

out. Point number two. Grace accomplishes what

God promises. Once we understand that grace begins

where human strength ends, we can see another.

we can see something even greater. Grace does

not merely offer us help. Grace accomplishes

what God promises. This is where the sovereignty

of God becomes deeply comforting. God does not

merely make salvation possible and then stand

back to see what happens. God saves, God calls,

He regenerates, He justifies, God sanctifies,

and He preserves. And God glorifies. The entire

work rests upon him. Paul writes in Philippians.

Be confident of this very thing. That he who

began a good work in you. Will complete it until

the day of Jesus Christ. Notice who began the

work. He did. And who accomplished it. He did.

And that confidence. That's the confidence of

grace. Paul does not say, I am confident because

the Christians are strong enough to finish. He

says he is confident because God will complete

what he had begun. That is a completely different

foundation. Think about what it means for us.

God's promises does not depend upon our ability

to make them come true. God promises depends

upon God's ability to keep them. And there is

a world of difference between those two things.

If God says he will build his church, he will

build his church. If Christ says Christ will

have a people from every nation, Christ will

have a people from every nation. If God says

his sheep will hear his voice. His sheep will

hear his voice. If God says nothing can separate

his people from the love of God in Christ Jesus,

then nothing can. Why? Because God wins with

grace. God chose Abraham when Abraham had no

ability to create a nation, God promised. God

preserves Israel when Israel repeatedly proves

unfaithful. God raises up David. When David is

merely the shepherd boy. God uses Gideon. When

Gideon considered himself insignificant. God

uses Moses. When Moses feels incapable. God takes

fishermen and tax collectors. And makes them

apostles. God takes Saul. A persecutor of the

church. And makes him Paul. A preacher of the

gospel. Again and again. Scriptures put human

weakness. Beside divine strength. Why? Because

God wants his people to know where the glory

belongs. The story of redemption is not look

what a great people God found. It is look what

a great God saves sinners. And that is grace.

And this matters when we think about the future.

We can become anxious because we cannot control

the future. We cannot control our children's

decisions. We cannot control the culture or the

government. We cannot control what happens in

the church. We cannot control what will happen

tomorrow. But God's sovereignty means that our

inability to control the future does not mean

the future is out of control. The future belongs

to Christ. The church belongs to Christ. Our

families belong to Christ. Our salvation belongs

to Christ. And Christ is not losing. There may

be seasons when the church appears weak. There

may be seasons when the world appears powerful.

There may be seasons when righteousness seems

to be retreating. But appearances do not determine

God's purposes. God's promises do. Consider Christ's

words in Matthew 16. I will build my church.

And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against

it. Notice what Christ did not say. He did not

say, I will try to build my church. He did not

say, I will try. I will build my church if enough

Christians cooperate. He did not say, I will

build my church as long as the culture remains

favorable. He said, I will build my church. That

is the language of divine authority. Christ is

not waiting for the world to give him permission

to reign. He is reigning. He is not wondering

whether his kingdom will survive. His kingdom

is coming and is here now. And because Christ

is building his church, we can work with confidence.

This does not make us passive. It makes us faithful.

We preach because Christ is building his church.

We evangelize because Christ is gathering his

sheep. We disciple because Christ has commanded

us to make disciples. We raise our children in

the fear and admonition of the Lord because Christ

is Lord over our homes. We gather for worship

because Christ is worthy of worship. We pray

because God has ordained prayer as one of the

means by which he accomplishes his purposes.

We work because our labor is not in vain. Paul

says in 1 Corinthians 15, 58. Therefore, my beloved

brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding

in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor

is not in vain in the Lord. Our labor is not

in vain. Why? Because God's purposes do not depend

upon our strength. That means we can labor without

fear. We can preach without despair. We can evangelize

without anxiety. We can pray because God hears.

We can obey because God is working. We can persevere

because God is faithful. God wins with grace.

Point number three. Grace produces a people who

live differently. There is, however, a great

danger we must avoid when we hear that salvation.

Is by grace. We might begin to think. That obedience

no longer matters. But the scripture never teaches

that. Grace does not produce. Lazy Christians.

Grace produces new Christians. The same passage

that tells us. We are saved by grace. Immediately

tells us. Why we have been saved. Paul says in

Ephesians 2 .10. We are his workmanship. Created

in Christ Jesus. For good works. which God prepared

beforehand that we should walk in them. Notice

the order. We are not saved because of good works.

We are saved for good works. Works are not the

root of our salvation. They are the fruit. Grace

changes what we love. Grace changes what we pursue.

Grace changes what we do, how we worship, how

we treat our families, how we work. How we respond

to suffering. How we respond when someone wrongs

us. How we think about our possessions. How we

think about our neighbors. How we think about

the church. The Christian life is therefore not

an attempt to earn God's favor. It is a response

to having already received God's favor in Christ.

We obey because we have been loved. We serve

because we have been served. We forgive because

we have been forgiven. We show mercy because

we have received mercy. We pursue holiness because

Christ made us his own. Grace does not lower

the standard of holiness. Grace gives us a new

desire to pursue it. That is why the Christian

life should look different. Not because Christians

never struggle or never fall. The difference

is that grace has been given. A new direction.

We may stumble. But we get back up. We may fall

but we repent. We may be discouraged. But we

return to Christ. We discover another area of

sin. But grace teaches us. To bring that sin

into the light. The Christian does not say I'm

good enough. The Christian says Christ is good

enough. Because he has saved me. I want to become

more like him. That is the work of sanctifying

grace. And this gives us a very important perspective

on our lives. Sometimes we expect God's grace

to produce dramatic changes immediately. We want

to see obvious victories. We want every struggle

resolved right now. We want every temptation

conquered. We want every family problem fixed.

We want every weakness removed. But much of God's

work is quieter than that. A man who once responds

in anger learns to hold his tongue. A wife who

once carried bitterness learns to forgive. A

father who neglected his spiritual responsibilities

begins leading his family. A young person learns

to love the Word of God. A Christian who once

lived primarily for himself begins giving generously.

Someone who once avoided conflict and difficult

people begins praying for them. Some people who

would not admit wrongs learns to say, I was wrong.

Please forgive me. Those things may not make

headlines, but they are evidence of grace. It

looks like repentance, patience, faithfulness.

It looks like continually to worship when life

is difficult. It looks like opening the Bible

when you do not feel like it. Or opening or praying

when you feel discouraged. It looks like choosing

obedience. When sin would be easier. Grace is

not merely something we talk about on Sunday.

It changes how we speak to our spouses. How we

conduct our business. How we treat our employees.

How we respond to our neighbors. It changes how

we behave when nobody is watching. Because grace

has taken hold of the whole person. And gives

us a very important perspective on the church.

The church is not a gathering of people who have

arrived. It is a gathering of sinners whom Christ

is transforming. Every person sitting around

you is a testimony to God's grace. Some are further

along than others. Some struggle in ways you

can see. Others struggle in ways you cannot.

Some are strong in one area and weak in another.

Yet all of us stand on the same ground. Grace.

That should change the way we treat one another.

There is no room for spiritual pride in the church

building who builds his church upon grace. We

did not save ourselves. We did not make ourselves

worthy. Christ brought us here. Christ redeemed

us. Christ sanctified us and is sanctifying us

today. And Christ is still working. we see our

weakness in another believer, our first response

should not be pride. It should be patience and

prayer. It should be mercy. Because the same

grace that is working in them is the grace that

is working in us. And when we ourselves fall,

grace teaches us not to run away from Christ,

but to run toward Him. The gospel does not say

get yourself cleaned up and then come back. It

says come to Christ, confess, repent, believe,

walk again. That is grace. Grace produces a people

who live differently, not because they are stronger,

but because God is changing them from the inside

out. And that brings us to our fourth point today.

Grace preserves. What God has done. And what

he has begun. Perhaps one of the greatest comforts

of the Christian faith is this. The grace that

saves us. Is the grace that keeps us. God does

not bring us into his family. And then leave

us to survive on our own. He does not say I saved

you. Now see if you can make it to the end. God

who began the work. Is the God who carries us

forward. That is why Paul could say in Philippians

1 .6, Be confident of this very thing, that he

who began a good work in you will complete it

until the day of Jesus Christ. There will be

moments when you feel strong. There will be moments

when you feel incredibly weak. There will be

moments when faith seems easy. There will be

days when trusting God feels difficult. There

will be seasons of victory. There will be seasons

of painful struggle. But our confidence cannot

rest on how we feel on that particular day. Our

confidence rests upon the faithfulness of God.

And that is what makes grace so powerful. Grace

does not simply meet us at the beginning of salvation.

Grace follows us all the way home. When Peter

failed, grace was there. When David fell into

grievous sin, grace was there. When Elijah became

discouraged, God's grace was there. When the

disciples fled from Christ, grace was there.

When doubting Thomas doubted, grace was there.

And when God's people stumble today, grace is

still there. That does not mean God excuses sin.

It means that the failures of his people. Do

not overflow the faithfulness of God. The covenant

is stronger than our inconsistency. Because the

covenant rests upon God's faithfulness. That

is why we can repent. If our salvation depended

upon our perfect performance. Repentance would

become terrifying. But because Christ has accomplished

our redemption. We can come boldly to the throne

of grace. We can confess our sins. We can receive

forgiveness. We can get back up. We can continue

walking. Not because we are strong enough. Because

grace, God's grace is strong enough. Think about

the comfort found in the words of Jesus in John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10, 27. My sheep hear my voice. I know

them and they follow me. And then Jesus says

in John 28. And I give them eternal life and

they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone

snatch them from my hand. Notice the security

of that promise. Christ does not merely say that

his sheep have eternal life if they manage to

keep themselves secure in his hand. He says they

will never perish. No one will snatch them from

his hand. That is the security of grace. There

may be times when your faith feels small. There

may be times when you wonder whether you can

make it. Remember this. Your hope is not found.

Your hope is not that you will never become weak.

Your hope is that God will never become unfaithful.

And He never will. That does not give us permission

to become careless. It gives us freedom to become

faithful. That's the difference. If we do not

obey because we are afraid, That one failure

will cause God to abandon us. We obey because

we belong to him. We do not pursue holiness.

Because we are trying to convince God to love

us. We pursue holiness. Because he has already

loved us in Christ. We do not persevere. Because

we are trying to earn our final salvation. We

persevere. Because God is preserving us. And

that means even our. Perseverance is a testimony

to God's grace. When we get to the end of our

lives, we will not look back and say, I was remarkably

faithful. We will look back and say, God was

remarkably faithful. God preserves what He begins.

That means we look forward to the future with

confidence. Not confidence in ourselves, but

confidence in Him. The same grace, That found

us. Will sustain us. The same grace that justified

us. Will sanctify us. And the same grace that

carried us this far. Will carry us to the end.

And that is why God's people. Can say with confidence.

God wins with grace. So my conclusion is this.

The Christian life. Is not a story about. What

man can accomplish for God. It is a story of

what God in His grace accomplishes for man. We

have seen our weakness. We have seen our sin.

We have seen our ability to save ourselves. But

above all that, we have seen the grace of God.

And that is where our confidence must rest. Our

confidence rests in the God who is faithful.

The God who takes dead sinners and makes them

alive. The God who takes those who are far away

and brings them near. The God who begins a good

work in his people and promises to carry through

to completion. Paul says in Philippians 1 .6

again, be confident in this very thing that he

who began a good work in you will complete it

until the day of Jesus Christ. That is grace.

And perhaps this is why One of the most beloved

hymns the Christian church has endured for generations.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved

a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm

found. I was blind, but now I see. Grace is amazing

because we did not deserve it. We could never

earn it. And can never accomplish our salvation

ourselves. And that grace is not merely an idea.

Grace has a name. Jesus Christ our Lord. The

grace of God revealed to us in his son. The one

who came for sinners. Lived a perfect life. Died

upon the cross for our sins. And rose again in

victory. That is the gospel. We were dead. but

God made us alive. We were guilty, but Christ

bore our guilt. We were far away, but Christ

brought us near. We could never save ourselves,

but Christ saves. So when we sing amazing grace,

we are rejoicing in the Savior who gives us that

grace and to His people whom He saves. And beloved,

that grace does not stop at our conversion. That

same grace that saves us. Is the grace that sustains

us. When you are weak. His grace is sufficient.

When you fall. His grace restores. When you are

discouraged. His grace gives hope. When you cannot

see what God is doing. His grace teaches you.

To trust in the one who can. And when the Christian

family. Comes to the end. Of his earthly pilgrimage.

We will discover. That even then. Ourselves home.

Grace carried us. From the beginning to the end.

Salvation belongs to the Lord. So don't leave

this morning. Looking inward and asking. Am I

strong enough? You are not. Do not ask. Am I

good enough? You are not. Do not ask. Have I

done enough? You never could. Look instead to

Christ. Look to the cross. Look to the empty

tomb. Look to the grace of God. The gospel declares

that God wins with grace. And that is why we

have confidence. That is why we can worship.

That is why we can repent. And that is why we

can persevere. And that is why we can face tomorrow

without fear. Our hope is in what God has done.

What God is doing. And what God has promised

to finish. And when our strength finally reaches

its limits. God's grace never will. When our

ability finally fails. God's faithfulness will

not. When we have nothing left to offer. Christ

will still be enough. So go from this place with

confidence. Not confidence in yourselves. But

confidence in your God. Trust in his grace. Rest

in his grace. Walk in his grace. And when you

are reminded of your weakness, do not despair.

Remember the gospel. And because God is faithful,

his grace will have the final word. And amen.

As we open this up with a time of prayer to the

congregation.