Evans, Our God is Awesome: God's Grace
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1. Grace refers to the undeserved favor and mercy that God freely gives to believers through Jesus Christ. It is not something that is earned or deserved. 2. Most Christians do not fully understand grace and try to earn salvation through good works rather than relying on God's power and mercy. Living by grace means relying on the Holy Spirit's strength rather than one's own. 3. God's grace is more than sufficient for every need and gives believers everything they require to live obedient, victorious lives.
Evans, Our God is Awesome: God's Grace
- 1. The Grace of God Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 2. Evans suggests many Christians are pushing the ‘car’ of their Christian life, not realising that the power is under the bonnet (hood). That power is the grace of God. Grace is not earned or deserved, but it is made available freely and abundantly to all believers. Most Christians do not understand this word or idea. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 3. If you misunderstand God Evans suggests many you will misunderstand Christians are pushing the grace. We make God in our ‘car’ of their Christian life, image when in fact God is not realising that the power holy, he hates sin, he acts in is under the bonnet (hood). wrath, he has no need of anything or is the grace of That power anyone God. Grace is not earned or Grace says all you get is not deserved, but it is made because you deserve or available freely and demand it, but because God abundantly to all believers. is a God of grace. Most Christians do not God owes us nothing but all understand this word or of his goodness that we get idea. comes through his grace Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 4. 1. Grace is possible because of Christ God’s grace comes because of the sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ. We are not consumed because of this - and we go to heaven because of it. On the cross Jesus bought God’s grace for us rather than his wrath which we deserve - we get God’s goodness in our lives because of grace. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 5. Rom 5: 12...sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned - we all died because of Adam’s sin, Adam was our representative, our head If Adam hadn’t sinned we would have done - Rom 3:23 Rom 5:15, 17-18 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many...For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. One result is we do not fear death - 1 Cor 15:15, 2 Cor 5:8 Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 6. 1.a. Common Grace Grudem, “Common grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation” The grace of God is seen, and available, in the lives of all people - e.g Matt 5:45 This doesn’t mean all get saved but all do experience the grace (goodness) of God. It is said to indirectly come through Jesus because God chose not to judge the world at once when sin entered but was planning to save some through Jesus Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 7. 1.a. Common Grace Grudem, “Common grace is the grace of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation” The grace of God is seen, and available, in the lives of all people - e.g Matt 5:45 This doesn’t mean all get saved but all do experience the grace (goodness) of God. It is said to indirectly come through Jesus because God chose not to judge the world at once when sin entered but was planning to save some through Jesus Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 8. 1.b. Special Grace There are special benefits available only to those who belong to the family of God - benefits which come through Jesus Christ. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 9. 2. God’s grace brings us mercy Grace means giving a person something they don’t deserve - mercy means identifying with their misery, in mercy God saw our need, in grace he reached out and did something Eph 2:4-5 Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 10. 2. God’s grace brings us mercy But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with Grace means giving a person which he loved us, even when we were dead indon’t deserve - something they our trespasses, made us alive with mercy means identifying together within mercy God saw their misery, Christ— by graceneed,have been saved our you in grace he reached out and did something Note that grace comes first - it Eph 2:4-5 deals with sin - then God can be merciful to us and deal with the effects of sin Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 11. Confession of sin brings God’s grace (1Jn 1:9), then he deals with our misery - it is the difference between dealing with the symptoms of a disease and the underlying disease itself, both have to be sorted but in the right order. Lam 3:22-23 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions (mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. New for each day, for each problem, hurt, difficulty...anything Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 12. Each day God looks upon us and acts towards us with mercy - not because we deserve it, but because of grace that comes through Jesus Christ. There is a saying that someone throws themselves on the mercy of the court - not on the justice of the court - they don’t want what they deserve, they want mercy. Israel when in Egyptian captivity wanted mercy - their cries touched the heart of God. (Ex 3) Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 13. 3. God’s grace is sufficient for every need 2 Cor 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. There is no such thing as insufficient grace! 2 Peter 3:18 - grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord... Are you miserable because you do not realise the riches of his grace? Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 14. 2 Cor 12:7-9 -So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh,a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." What is your thorn - a person, situation, past event...? Are you living in your strength, ability, knowledge - then you are not living, or growing, in grace. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 15. 4. God’s grace trains us for victory Titus 2:11-13 - For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 16. Acts 20:32 -And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. Grace is not simply a concept or idea it is a powerful living reality - it gives you victory, power, ability, it teaches you how to live...living in your own power nullifies the grace of God Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 17. Gal 2:20-21 -I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the Acts 20:32 -And now I commend fleshto live by faith the the Son of God, who loved me and gave you I God and to in word of his himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness grace, which is able to build you up wereto give you the inheritance died for no purpose. and through the law,then Christ Note how Paul goes on - among all those who are sanctified. 3:1 O is not simply a Who has bewitched you?It was before your Gracefoolish Galatians!concept or eyes it is a powerful living reality idea that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. - it gives-you victory, Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, 5:1, 2, 4 For freedom power, ability,not submit you how to of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to and do it teaches again to a yoke live...living in acceptown power Christ will be of no advantage you that if you your circumcision, nullifies theare severed from Christ, you who would be justified by to you...You grace of God the law; you have fallen away from grace. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 18. Evans says, “it’s possible for us as Christians to go back to an external rule of conformity, and in so doing to cancel out the power of Christ in our lives. Some of us who are trying to do good have cut off the power of Christ because we operate by external conformity and determination rather than by the inner dynamic of grace... “You don’t live by grace but by the flesh standard, doing in the flesh what can only be done by the power of God.” Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 19. Gal 5:16 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The power to walk in obedience to christ is not ours but that of the Holy Spirit. We get motivated to obedience through the Holy Spirit. And we have to keep getting filled with the Spirit 1 Cor 15:10 -But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them,though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 20. 5. God gives grace on his terms James 4:1-2 - we have to ask for grace, but make sure your motivation is right, see verse 3. Verses 4-6 - we have to come with humility Hebrews 4:16 - we have to draw near - Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 21. 5. God gives grace on his terms James 4:1-2 - we have to ask for What causes quarrels and what causes grace, but make sure your fights among you? Is it not this, that motivation is right, see verse 3. your passions are at war within you? Verses 4-6and dohavehave, so you You desire - we not to come with humility covet and cannot obtain, murder. You Hebrews 4:16 -quarrel. You do not so you fight and we have to draw near - Let us then do not ask. You ask have, because you with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that and do not receive, because you ask we may receive mercy and find grace wrongly, to spend it on your passions. to help in time of need. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 22. 5. God gives grace on his terms James 4:1-2 - we have to ask for grace, but make sure your motivation is right, see verse 3. Verses 4-6 - we have to come with humility Hebrews 4:16 - we have to draw near - Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 23. 5. God gives grace on his terms You adulterouswe haveDo you not James 4:1-2 - people! to ask for know that friendship with the world is grace, but make sure your enmity with is right, see verse 3. God? Therefore whoever motivation wishes to be a friend of the world makes Verses an enemyhave to Or do you himself 4-6 - we of God. come with humility is to no purpose that the suppose it Hebrewssays, "He yearns to draw Scripture 4:16 - we have jealously nearthe spiritthen with confidencedwell over - Let us that he has made to draw near tohe gives more grace, that in us"? But the throne of grace. we may receive mercy and find grace Therefore it says, "God opposes the to help buttime ofgrace to the humble." proud, in gives need. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 24. 5. God gives grace on his terms James 4:1-2 - we have to ask for grace, but make sure your motivation is right, see verse 3. Verses 4-6 - we have to come with humility Hebrews 4:16 - we have to draw near - Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 25. Responding to the grace of God 1. Are you living your life in your power or do you really need God’s grace - what did you last need grace for? 2. Are you growing in grace - compare yourself with Gal 5:22-23 - have you grown, where do you need to grow? 3. Look at James 4 - are your prayers for the glory of God? Tuesday 22 March 2011
- 26. Memory Verse 2 Cor 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Tuesday 22 March 2011