Revelation has taken us through some of the darkest scenes in Scripture—judgment, tribulation, the final rebellion, and the destiny of the lost. But when God brings us to the final verse, the Bible does not close with darkness. It closes with grace.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Grace is God giving us something we desperately need but do not deserve. We cannot earn it, merit it, repay it, or add anything to what Jesus Christ accomplished for us at the cross. Salvation is entirely the gift of God, received through faith.

And the grace that saves us does not leave us unchanged. We do not work for salvation; because we have received grace, we desire to live for the One who saved us.

The story of John Newton reminds us just how far that grace can reach. The man who called himself a wretch discovered a truth every sinner needs to know: where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.

Scripture: Revelation 22:21; Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 2:11–14; Romans 5:20

The sermon explicitly describes salvation as a gift—free, not a loan, and involving an exchange of ownership—and then distinguishes works as the result of grace rather than a contribution to salvation.