Dear Christian friends:

The deaf church before in Minneapolis was called "Grace Church." "Grace" is a beautiful name for a church. And that is a beautiful and precious word to every Christian. "By grace are ye saved" Paul says. (Ephesians 2:8) Without God's grace we are lost and condemned forever.

In our text St. Paul praises God most wonderfully because of His rich grace to us sinners. "To God be honor and glory forever and ever" he sings. (verse 17)

We, too, like Paul, need to learn better of God's grace and sing praises to Him for that, so let us attend to our text and hear again of:


In our text Paul shows that God's grace is for all. (verse 15) "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." And Jesus said, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." (John 3:16) No matter how bad or sinful, God's grace is for everyone. Jesus suffered and died for all.

And it never is depleted by using. When we use our car the gas is gone after two-hundred miles. But God's grace is never gone. It is a little like the sun. Although the sun has shinned daily for six-thousand years it is not burned up. So God's grace shines upon us daily and is never gone.

Yet if man is to receive it for himself, personally, he must want it. God does not force man to accept His grace. Man himself must accept it by faith. And Paul shows who only will want it: sinners. Those who know that they are lost and condemned sinners.

Paul knew that about himself. He writes here, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." Paul couldn't forget his sin, although Christ had forgiven him. In verse thirteen he lists his man bad sins: blasphemer, persecutor, injurious. We know Paul's wicked deeds against Jesus and his disciples.

In Bible class this morning you read about that again. Paul does not try to hide his sin or offer poor, weak excuses. He confesses: "I did that! I have no excuse"

So you and I must know our sinfulness and confess it. Often man tries to hide his sin. He thinks people don't know; God doesn't know. Or man invents false excuses to prove himself right. If he does adultery one month, he excuses that and argues, "I was good eleven months, so my wife and God ought not be cross if I sin one month."

Sometimes church members make false excuses for not doing their duty. They argue, "I went to church three Sundays now the fourth Sunday I earn a vacation. God should not be displeased if I miss one in four." All those are false excuses and lies. They multiply sin.

Solomon says, "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." (Proverbs 28:13) And Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:5, "God giveth grace to the humble."

So let us not proudly hide our sin or invent false excuses or lie about it, but let us know and confess, "Yes, yes I did that wicked thing. I failed to love God and other men. I have been jealous and selfish and mean."

When we are honest about our sin, then we are ready to receive the wonderful grace of God and oh what joy we have when we hear that God is kind and merciful to sinners.

Paul writes how he had received mercy. (verse 13) You know how that happened, Acts 9, on the way to Damascus. So Christ has called you through gospel preaching and through baptism. You and I, too have received His mercy and grace. This we can't earn by our self-doings or work; it is a free gift of God.

Many people try to earn God's grace by doing good as going to church every Sunday or by paying much money to the church and the poor. But that displeases God when we try to buy His favor.

Man cannot earn God's grace, but Christ, God's Son did. Paul says God gives us this grace because of Jesus Christ. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." (1 Timothy 1:15)

By His holy birth and perfect life and by His innocent suffering and death Jesus, God's own Son, earned or bought the grace of God for us. God is gracious to you because of Jesus, not because of your goodness. Some people are displeased about that. They are proud and want to earn God's favor themselves. Those who try to do that fail to receive God's grace.

Don't brag about your good works, but only praise Jesus and trust in that for God's grace. Then you can be sure that God likes you. He will like you as He likes Jesus, for by faith you put-on Jesus' beautiful and righteousness and God is gracious to you as His own Son.

If you have in this way received God's wonderful grace, it will change your way of life as it changed Paul: He says, "before I was a blasphemer, but now I am a minister. The name, Jesus, which I once hated and despised, that name I now love and preach and praise day and night."

So you and I. Before we perhaps laughed and mocked about Jesus and baptism and the Lord's Supper, but now we love that name and praise it and sing it and honor it before all people. In church, at home, at work when visiting we should love the name of Jesus and show it to others.

Wonderful grace of God in us! May it be in all of us.

Amen.