Category: Grace
Subject: Grace
FB: Super Conquerors!
In Romans 8, the apostle Paul expressed a wonderful sentiment when he asked the rhetorical question, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (verse 31). The relationship we have with God guarantees our ultimate victory. Christians have on their side the Creator of the universe – the omnipotent, omniscient, eternal One.
Paul knew this, and wrote, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (verse 37). The phrase “more than conquerors” comes from a single greek term, hupernikao. The prefix huper strengthens the term, and carries the idea of “superior, abundant, exceeding.” The word indicates not only a victory, but that said victory is decisive and complete.
In effect, Paul states that through God and His Son we become super conquerors! Nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of god which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (verse 39).
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FB: Saved by Grace!
We are saved by God’s grace. The term “grace” is properly understood as an undeserved gift. In other words, if any of us obtain salvation, it will not be because we earned it, but because God chose to extend to us that wonderful gift. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Accepting that, we ask the following two questions:
- Does God choose to save everyone? The Biblical answer is no. Some will be saved, and some will be lost. In the day of judgment, some will go to hell, and be separated from God for eternity! (cf. Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8; among many others).
- Who does God choose to save? Is His choice arbitrary? Is it made regardless of the behavior of man? The Biblical answer is again, no! Consider Hebrews 5:9, concerning the sacrifice of the Lord, “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
We can’t earn our salvation. But, the Bible clearly says that God chooses to extend the undeserved gift of grace only to the obedient.
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FB: God Has Not Cast Away His People
In Romans 11, the apostle Paul notes that God has not forsaken His chosen people, the Israelites (vs. 2). However, he emphasizes in the letter that there has been a change in who God regards as chosen! He states in verse 5, “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”
Now, the remnant that remains of God’s chosen or elected ones, are those who have obtained grace. As Paul noted in Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
This remnant includes those among the Jews who believe and obey the gospel of Christ, and also those among the Gentiles who do the same. In our text, Paul refers to the Gentiles as “a wild olive tree, …grafted in among them” (vs. 17).
God be praised that whether Jew or Gentile, we all have the hope of heaven if we believe!
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Invitation: A Remnant
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
In Romans 11:5 Paul notes that the remnant saved by God in the New Covenant are chosen “according to the election of grace.”
Sermon: Hagar and Sarah
A discussion of Galatians 4:21-31. To make your appeal to the Old Covenant, you align yourself with Hagar and Bondage rather than Sarah and freedom. As Christians, we are children of the free woman!
Mining the Scriptures: 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15
Christians are loved by God. Before the world was created, God chose them for salvation (cf. Ephesians 1:4) – the elect of God. This election, as noted by Paul, is accomplished through sanctification. The Holy Spirit separates us from the world through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are made holy through the blood of Jesus Christ, and as such obtain His glory.
This is a concise description of our redemption. We are saved by the grace of God, expressed through the sacrifice of the Savior. Saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). We are God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
This is why Paul, in giving thanks for the Thessalonians, admonishes them to “stand fast and hold the traditions you were taught” (vs. 15). Such is the only appropriate response to God’s grace, (cf. Titus 2:11-12).
Invitation: The Root Supports the Branches
Invitation delivered by: Stan Cox
Paul’s use of the Olive Tree metaphor in Romans 11 teaches two important lessons (among others). First, we are saved by Grace. Second, we must remain faithful until death to be saved.
Mining the Scriptures: Ephesians 1:7-10
Verse 7 is a wonderful, concise statement revealing the way God redeemed man. It is through the blood of Jesus. As the perfect sacrifice, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, that we might not die for our transgressions. This gift of the Son is the extension of God’s grace to man.
This gift granted is the result of God’s wisdom and prudence. The word prudence is defined by Strong as “intellectual or moral insight.” The problem of sin is a difficult one, solved only by Divine wisdom and action. We can’t save ourselves. Salvation comes from God’s wise and prudent gift of his Son Jesus.
Jesus’ sacrifice is the culmination of God’s scheme of redemption. He came in the “fullness of time.” God determined to save man at that time, in that way.
Jesus’ sacrifice is for all men. In Christ, “all things” are gathered together. There is no distinction between in race or gender. All are eligible for salvation — “In Him.”
From the Preacher’s Pen: God’s Justice and Mercy
The world has a skewed view of the Almighty God of heaven. Some consider Him to be a hateful, vengeful God. When they consider God’s treatment of the pagans in Canaan, of Sodom and Gomorrah, and other examples of God’s judgment, they see only His reaction, not the just causes that precipitated that judgment.
Others go to the other end of the spectrum. They see the love of God expressed in Jesus’ life and death and consider Him to be a benevolent God that will overlook sin, and allow all men a heavenly home.
Both images are partly accurate, but entirely wrong because they are incomplete. They emphasize one aspect of God, while rejecting another! God is both just and merciful. Any accurate view of the Almighty must balance these two attributes. The Psalmist, in Psalm 85, expresses that balance well.
“Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven” (10-11).
The Psalmist understood the fierceness of God’s anger. Israel was guilty of sin, and so God showed them His wrath. However, upon their repentance, the Psalmist confidently called upon God to “Show us Your mercy, Lord,
And grant us Your salvation” (7). Eternal salvation is available to all who fear Him, showing God’s justice, and His mercy!
Sermon: The High Cost of a Free Gift
The sermon describes a popular, present day view of Grace (sometimes referred to as the Hyper-Grace movement), showing its fallacies, and establishing what scripture teaches regarding man’s response to the gift of salvation.
Mining the Scriptures: Romans 1:13-15
The apostle here expresses his desire to overcome any obstacles, and visit the Romans, that he might, “have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles” (13). Remember, Paul was appointed by God to be an apostle to the Gentiles (cf. Acts 9:15).
His admission of indebteness to them is an interesting one. Why did he owe them? He owed them because of what God had done for him! Paul recognized that both the gift of salvation (cf. Romans 7:24-25) and the ministry to which he had been appointed (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:9-10) were not his because of any merit on his part. If such a gift had been given to him, it seemed to him that he was obligated to do his very best, for the remainder of his time on earth, to avail others of that same gift.
Emphasis will be placed upon preaching as a means of servicing that debt in our comments on verses 16 and 17. For now, note his complete dedication to the task. “For as much as is in me, I am ready…” (15). These words give us some understanding of the value of our gift from God. Grace brings salvation. Rather than thinking of grace as freedom from sin’s consequences (cf. Romans 6:1-2), we should see it as obligating us to righteous living! (cf. Titus 2:11-14).
Sermon: Self-Sufficiency
Deuteronomy 8:11-18. The text introduces the question, Is there room for God in your life? A comfortable life can be dangerous, as we forget God. Truly, we are sufficient only in God, because only God is sufficient!
Invitation: The Prodigal Son
Invitation delivered by: Chad Gallman
Chad Gallman uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to emphasize both the mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father, and the necessity of a sinner to “come to himself” to receive that mercy.
Mining the Scriptures: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
Paul’s gracious prayer for the Thessalonians acknowledges that it is according to God’s grace that they would be glorified in the Lord Jesus Christ (vs. 12). This statement brings to mind two important considerations. First, we are saved by grace. Our glorification is a direct result of Christ’s gift, as He died on the cross for our sins. Second, to be glorified, we must be recipients of that grace.
Paul prayed that the Thessalonians would be counted “worthy of this calling” by God. It is God alone who determines whether one is or is not worthy. As revealed in the preceding verses, those who are not found worthy are punished with “everlasting destruction” (vs. 9), while the worthy are granted rest, “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (vs. 7).
Here Paul enlarges on the blessings of being found worthy. Those who are “fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness.” Again, it about God, not ourselves. Even when we have done all, we admit “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10). When we live for Jesus Christ, His name is glorified in our obedience — and as a result, we too will be glorified as the result of our association with Him.
