Sis Karen Sunday School 7/17/11
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
The grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared to all men!
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Appeared here means ‘shined out’. As the literal sun shines on everyone so has the grace of God shone upon all in these last days. The reason why this does not affect everyone is because there are those that love darkness. To everyone that loves light, the grace of God has appeared to them!
The light was created before the sun. So there was light before Christ came. When the Sun of Righteousness appeared He lightened everything.
This study is of grace:
Grace is the inspiration or influence of the divine upon the soul and it’s reflection in our life. Grace is gratitude. Grace is joy. Grace is unmerited favor. Grace is health. Grace is graciousness. Grace is benefit. Grace is thankfulness. Grace is pleasure. Grace is a gift. Grace is acceptable.
We’re going to study the meanings, ‘gift’ and ‘unmerited favor’.
Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Eph 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
We’re all included in verse 3 for we were all like verses 1 and 2. Verse 4: But God. Here we were fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind, lost in sin; But God!
Verse 8: By grace you are saved through faith not of yourself it is the gift of God. The inspiration makes us aware that we need a savior. It is the great gift of God that we can be saved. All of the law pointed to a savior, Jesus Christ. This gift of Christ has shined everywhere that we could be saved.
I don’t think we grasp what a wonderful gift this is. God gave to us unmerited favor. Salvation before was to the Jews, His ministry was to the Jews, but when He died on the cross, His blood was spilt for all. There is no way to merit it. It is a gift of God.
Paul labored hard to teach us that it is a gift of God. Not by works of righteousness, the law teachers tried to say that keeping the law was the way. Paul at first did everything that he could to stop the way of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
One day he was stopped on the way. The light blinded him. He asked, “What would you have me to do?” God sent him to the saints. He had to go to those very ones that he was coming after to persecute in order for him to receive help. He sent him to them for direction and healing.
Sue - God didn’t need any man’s help to get that light to fall. We look at those that seem to be impossible. If they will be like Paul and don’t let anything hinder them, then we will see the results.
Paul did his best then to teach of salvation by grace. The word grace is in Romans 22 times. He did his best to get across ‘not by works, there is no merit to keeping the law; it is through grace.’
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Verse 24: justified freely, again we see freely! Jesus redeemed us. He paid the price for a slave. We made a choice to go into the slavery of sin. He paid the price that we could get out. No longer do we have to be bound by the slavery of sin. Praise God.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
Rom 5:13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
Rom 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Rom 5:16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Verse 17: death reigns by one, Adam. The gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
This free gift, the unmerited favor, this great gift because of what he did for us should produce all the rest.
Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
Tit 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
We are justified by His grace; there is no other way. It is not of us; it is the gift of God.
1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
1Co 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
1Co 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul said that he was the least of the apostles, he was the last, he did not personally witness the ministry of Jesus Christ; he saw Him later. He persecuted the church of God. He was being honest. He said, “By the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”
Can we say that? “His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.”
November 30th
By the grace of God I am what I am
His grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain. 1 Cor. 15: 10.
The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us. Get into the habit of examining in the sight of God the things that sound humble before men, and you will be amazed at how staggeringly impertinent they are. ‘Oh, I shouldn’t like to say I am sanctified; I’m not a saint.’ Say that before God; and it means—‘No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are chances I have not had; so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.’ That may sound wonderfully humble before men, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.
Again, the things that sound humble before God may sound the opposite before men. To say—‘Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,’ is in the sight of God the acme of humility, it means you have so completely abandoned yourself to God that you know He is true. Never bother your head as to whether what you say sounds humble before men or not, but always be humble before God, and let Him be all in all.
There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal Redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfil His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purpose, and yours may be that life.
Timberly – A young man 19 or 20 was born with two defects: no eyes and limbs that were crippled and stunted. When he was 9 months old, His dad held him on his lap as he played the piano. Amazingly he copied exactly what the dad played. His parents then focused on teaching him music. By the age of two he could play all common songs like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ on request. When asked how he felt about being born handicapped, he said that he did not feel like he had a handicap; God had given him a gift.
Dorothy – without God we can do nothing.
By the grace of God I am what I am.
[1]Chambers, Oswald: My Utmost for His Highest : Selections for the Year. Grand Rapids, MI : Discovery House Publishers, 1993, c1935, S. November 30
No comments:
Post a Comment