Whatever Happened To Grace: Biblical & Theological Applications of the Grace of God

One of the most underrated and misunderstood disciplines in the Church is preaching. A sermon is like a recipe. It is only as good as the ingredients you put in. Preachers are often told by parishioners after preaching, “You preached a good sermon”. What is a “good” sermon and do parishioners actually know? Is it simply a good feeling a sermon gives you? Do parishioners and do preachers actually know what a “good” sermon is? Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, the late great preacher of the Concord Baptist Church in New York, was once asked in a preaching seminar, “How many points should a good sermon have?” To which Dr. Taylor replied, “At least one.” The one point, or the one ingredient, that must be included in every sermon is Grace! Grace is the unconditional love of God for all people. All too often, as we listen to sermons, the one ingredient not included is Grace! We hear a lot of judgments, punishments, and admonishments to work to be righteous, but we hear little to no Grace in the message. It goes without saying that much of our preaching, today, is centered and focused on prosperity and getting rich. We add a lot of bad ingredients to the recipe of preaching and leave out the most important ingredient of all: Grace. “Sermons in the Key of Life” is a calling to Christian preachers, teachers, and laity to put more Grace in our preaching and witness. “We are saved by grace”, the Apostle Paul says. That is not just a quotable Bible verse, but it is the essence of the gospel of Jesus the Christ. Without the message of Grace (God’s love for all) there is no gospel and there is no preaching. The Good News of our faith is God loves us ALL!