Ephesians 2:4-10 "But God"

 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.   Ephesians 2:4-10, ESV.
 
In the previous three verses, Paul reminds us that God had saved us out of sin’s deadly grasp. He explains how we had once lived under sin’s penalty, death, and in the grip of sin’s power, experiencing devilish passions and deeds. Then, into the deep darkness of verses 1-3, enters the “But God” of verse 4. With those two words, Paul sets up the greatest contrast in all creation, that between our sin and God’s grace.
 
God, in an act of overwhelming mercy motivated by pure love, reaches out to dead sinners and rescues them, bringing them new life in Christ. Because this act of mercy is motivated only by love it is surely a work of God’s grace. And it is an act of immeasurable grace, for the sinner is pulled from spiritual death and a devil-following life all the way to the throne of glory! God rescues the sin-dead soul and transports it, in Christ, to the throne room of heaven. He does so that He might display that rescued sinner before the citizens of glory for all eternity and declare, “Here is the evidence! My kind grace has dealt with sin so completely that this one, even this one, has been rescued by my Son!” The heavens will look on and know that salvation is an unmerited gift, given by a merciful, kind, and loving God through the redeeming work of His Son. 
 
In a time when sin seems to be running wild in our world, it is good for us to remember that we would gladly be running amok, in the same way, were it not for the merciful and loving grace of God.
 
I am praying that you will be blessed today in one of two ways: either that you will be taken ahold of by God’s grace for the very first time and come in faith to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or that, having already been saved, you will be overcome with a sense of His grace again. 
 
Pastor Don