Sister Karen Sunday School 8/14/11

Sister Karen Sunday School 8/14/11

Grace:

1.        The influence of the Divine upon the soul and its reflection in the life.

2.       Benefit

3.       Unmerited favor

4.       Gift

5.       Acceptable

6.       Joy liberality

7.       Graciousness

8.       Gratitude

9.       Pleasure

10.   Thankfulness, thanks, thankworthy

Today we’re going to look at graciousness.

Gracious – Marked by kindness and courtesy, Graceful, characterized by charm, good taste and urbanity – the quality of being polished and finished, Merciful and compassionate, and generosity of spirit.

The word grace is in about every book of the Bible.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord in Genesis.  It is a big study; if you want anything to study I encourage you to study a part of this study on grace.

Graciousness is to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior, To favor, bestow, cause to implore, move to favor by petition, beseech, be favorable, be merciful, have or show mercy and pity upon, make very much supplication.

Exo 22:25  If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.

Exo 22:26  If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down:

Exo 22:27  For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.

God is gracious.

Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Exo 34:7  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

There are 11 particular attributes listed in this passage for the Lord Jehovah.  I encourage you to study it some day.

Num 6:22  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

Num 6:23  Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

Num 6:24  The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

Num 6:25  The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

Num 6:26  The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Num 6:27  And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

The Lord is gracious to bend and stoop in kindness to an individual.  He is moved by His characteristics to be gracious to us.

2Ki 13:23  And the LORD was gracious unto them, and had compassion on them, and had respect unto them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, neither cast he them from his presence as yet.

He had respect unto His promises.  As He did then so He does today.  He’d promised Abraham that there would be a messiah in his seed.  He kept His promise all those years.

Job 33:24  Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

This word ransom means an atonement.  Praise God we have found a ransom or an atonement in Jesus Christ.

David taught us a lot about graciousness.

Psa 77:9  Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

Psa 86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Psa 103:8  The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

Psa 111:4  He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

Psa 112:4  Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

Psa 116:5  Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

In Isaiah:

Isa 30:18  And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

Isa 30:19  For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

Isa 33:2  O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.

Joe 2:13  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joe 2:14  Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?

This is the good news: He is merciful, and of great kindness, slow to anger and of great compassion.

1Pe 2:3  If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Have we not all tasted that the Lord is gracious.  We obtain grace through salvation and keep the grace by being obedient.  Let’s look to the scriptures.  We cannot obtain grace in any other way than the unmerited favor of God.  Once we have that, we need to follow the plan to continue in that grace.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Each day we need to come boldly before the throne of grace that ‘we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.’  We need the oil of life to help things go more smoothly.  He wants us to have grace not so that we can be a museum piece and hang on the wall but so that we can honor God.

Heb 12:12  Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;

Heb 12:13  And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

There is no feeling worse than failing of the grace of God.  When we do we need to be humble and ask forgiveness of God.  If we do wrong, we need to ask forgiveness of those we’ve wronged too.  Remember Moses: failing of the grace of God cost him entering into the Promised Land.  Let’s not fail of the grace of God.

When we allow our circumstances to cause us to fail of the grace of God then we do a lot of damage.  God help us to not lose our kindness and courtesy and all those things that grace offers us when we are in a difficult situation. 

Sometimes we need to go to the throne of grace more than once in a day.  Sometimes we are sleep deprived or have a headache, all these things cause us to need to go more often to the throne of grace.  It is wonderful that we have the invitation to come boldly.

Heb 13:25  Grace be with you all. Amen. Written to the Hebrews from Italy, by Timothy.

2Co 6:1  We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

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 did not receive the grace of God in vain.  This needs to be our testimony too.  Don’t make excuse for the flesh or whatever failure.  By the grace of God I am what I am.  Paul knew how important it was to have grace.  He knew what it was to be religious but graceless.  Paul by this was giving all glory to God.  He was giving his imperfections and all his works to God.

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God’s grace is sufficient for thee.  What a wonderful promise!

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Gal 2:21  I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Frustrate means to set aside, disesteem, neutralize, or violate: - cast off, despise, disannul, frustrate, bring to nought, reject.

 

2Pe 3:17  Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

2Pe 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

We grow in grace by:

Jas 4:6  But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Jas 4:8  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

We get grace by humbling our self before God.

Rev 22:21  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.