Easter - Do vs Done

INTRODUCTION :

Welcome to Easter Sunday! On Easter Sunday we are often dressing up, spending time with family, eating good food, racing for candy or other treasures and making photographic memories.  And some of us go to church (willingly or almost willingly) to celebrate. Why is Easter such a big deal for the Christian Church?  Without the resurrection, our faith would have no foundation. It’s a big day and we are excited to celebrate with you. So welcome!

Let me pray for us and then we have a couple worship tunes to get us going.

WORSHIP : Forgiven by Crowder and Hymn- Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Question… We all use technology right? These days appliances will connect to your wifi and let you know if there is a problem and your coffee maker will tell you, via the app on your phone, when you need to order coffee and so on…Lately Ai, or artificial intelligence, is the hot topic so I figured why not ask it a question or two….

Today we are going to compare Work vs Grace as it relates to Do vs Done.

For funsies I asked Ai to define Work and Grace and this is what it came up with (in summary)

The word work means to perform tasks or duties regularly for wages or salary, or to produce a desired effect or result.

Grace is defined as unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification  

Hmm.  Ai kinda gets it, but let's see what the Bible has to say.

Works vs Grace 

“Works” vs “Grace” refers to the relationship between our human actions and God’s unmerited favor in the context of salvation. 

Ephesians 2:8-10 says For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

In this set of scriptures, we see a few things-

• Works: Works refer to the actions and deeds of individuals. Some believe that they can earn salvation through good works or deeds. 

• Grace: Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is a gift from God, not something we can earn or deserve.

• The Bible teaches us that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast.

• However, this does not mean that works are unimportant. Good works are seen as the evidence of genuine faith. As stated in Ephesians 2:10, believers are "created in Christ Jesus for good works".

Let me ask you a question…Do you think your good works will outweigh your bad works or let me say it this way…. do you think the good stuff you've done will outweigh the bad stuff you have done? Often, we are tempted to view our relationship with God through the lens of the answers to this question.

So, let’s change the words from Works vs Grace to Do vs Done and see how it relates.

Do vs Done

Do: This represents works you…”do” to try and gain favor with God in “hopes that your works will be enough to gain you entry into Heaven”.  It’s about trying to DO enough to please God. 

• The trouble is we don’t know if we ever do enough, how do you measure that?  Is your measure of works greater or less than the one sitting next to you right now?  Whose measure do you use? 

• God’s perfection is the measure. He is perfect and everything compared to that will fall short. Sin literally means to miss the mark … it is an archery term. When you miss the bullseye, it doesn't matter if it's a millimeter or a mile...it is called sin. How often do you hit the bullseye in the things you think, say and do?

• If sin is defined as missing the mark…then anything we THINK, SAY or DO that is not in accordance with the will of God is sin…..then that means you better get busy and DO whatever you think you need to DO to outweigh your “bad” stuff…it's a debt you cannot pay…you will never make it.

• I am not making this stuff up….Let me read it to you right here….Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Now I know some of you are thinking…man that is rough Jerry, I am just here for the egg hunt and food… well I’ve got some good news which brings us to

The verse following Romans 3:23 is 3:24 Let's look at those together now to get the good news. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

This brings us to Done…

Done: This signifies that Jesus has done what you, we, could never do. He lived the perfect life and died on the cross to pay for all the wrong stuff we have done.  It is just that.  The perfect One took the penalty for us.  Took our sin upon Himself and paid the debt for ALL of it.  Past, Present and Future sins of the world

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

• 2 Cor 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

• It’s important to note that just knowing this isn’t enough. We have to receive what Jesus has DONE. Have you ever been given something but refused to take it? If you don’t receive it, the gift is not yours.

So, how do we receive the gift of grace, how do we receive what has already been DONE on our behalf?

Rom 10:9-11 says because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

• Confess with your mouth through prayer which is your line of communication with God that Jesus is Lord

• Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead… Believe in the Resurrection, the true reason we have an Easter Sunday.

• That’s it…

CONCLUSION: You may have heard me say this before but let me say it again…. There are tons of religions, faiths, beliefs, some say as many as 4000, in the world that have people believing they have to Do something to “get to God”, but only ONE faith that has God coming to us.  That my friends is Christianity…The belief that Jesus is who He says he is.  Simply put. Jesus has DONE what we could never DO.  He lived the perfect life and paid the price on the cross for our sin, to BRING you to God and on the third day rose from the dead to defeat death and give us eternal life.  What a gift!  That is what Easter is about.