A Journey of Grace: Sustaining Grace

Grace takes Work

Review prevenient, saving, sanctifying and introduce Sustaining grace.

Grace that enables us to do what God calls us to do and live holy lives.

This grace is the power of God that keeps us from falling.

Jude 24–25 NLT

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

It is important to understand this grace is a work of God through the Holy Spirit in and through us personally and communally. This grace does require us to work with God and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in order to grow in relationship with God and one another. It requires work for us to fully live like Christ, to reflect the restored image of God.

This kind of work takes God’s grace and a community.

The dryest spiritual time in my life.

Last week we remembered the first 3000 people to hear the gospel and by the power of the Holy Spirit repented and were baptized. This week we see what sustaining grace looked like for these new believers. How they grew in grace and how the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The Early Church

The early believers were devoted. That is totally 100% committed. We must be totally committed to God’s work of grace in our whole life not just parts of our life but all of it.

We can learn a lot from these early believers who were devoted to, the apostles teachings, to fellowship, to sharing meals together, including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.

All these things help us grow in relationship to God and one another. They help us grow in grace and to continually be transformed more and more into the image of Christ.

The Apostles Teaching

Early Christians didn’t have the bible, that is old and new testament as we know it today. They relied on hearing what Christ taught through the apostles. They relied on their witness to his death burial and resurrection.

The early believers had a hunger to know more and more about Christ and the work of God in their lives that they worshiped together each day.

Today we follow the apostles teaching through the bible the written word of God. We grow in our understanding of who God is through his word and who He revealed himself to b in Christ. As we wrestle with God’s word we learn more what it means to live a holy life, and to be formed into the image of Christ.

While personal devotion time is important, we must remember that we need the encouragement of our brother’s and sisters in Christ as well.

The Fellowship of Believers

Hebrews 10:19–25 NLT

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Our fellowship together is important. None of us can grow in grace on our own. We need the encouragement of each other. What we wrestle with in our personal devotion times, should also be wrestled with and prayed for in bible study and prayer groups.

We must grow personally in our relationship with God and as a community. We do this through fellowship and encouraging one another. We cannot neglect meeting with each other, this is how we encourage and hold each other accountable to grow in the areas God is challenging us to grow.

The Breaking of Bread

The table is symbol of community. Years ago families gathered around the dinner table as a time to connect and grow as a family. The table served the same function for the first church.

It is around the table they shared in fellowship about the apostles teaching. In the days of the early church even in Jesus day sharing meals around the table was sharing life together. Remember the out cry of Jesus sharing a meal with Zacheus.

Around the table the first church encouraged one another. Shared what God was doing in their lives, and held one another accountable to grow in this grace. Through the breaking of bread they grew in relationship with God and each other.

Breaking bread didn’t just refer to the first potluck. It also referred to the Lord’s supper. They regularly gathered in each other’s homes to remember Christ and sacrifice. Through this shared meal and their regular meals worship didn’t just happen at the temple but continued in their homes. Remember they were devoted, 100 % committed.

To Prayer

Finally we see that they were devoted to prayer. Prayer is where we communicate with God. It is where we lift one another up in prayer. It is where we pray for what we need and acknowledge before God the areas he has challenged us to grow.

The early church always went to the temple at the times of prayer. We can see this in Acts 3:1. The disciples were committed to personal and communal prayer. Not only did they pray around the table, but also at the temple and in their own prayer closets.

These prayers through the work of the Holy Spirit empowered the church to grow, personally, and as a community. We must not lose sight that the LORD added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Growing in Grace Together

Growing in grace isn’t possible simply by keeping a list of practices. Growing in grace isn’t possible by simply by avoiding sin. If it were the pharisees of Jesus day would have been the most holy people around. sustaining or growing in grace is first and foremost a work of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.

“The Pharisee Christian- one who tries to lead a holy life by self directed effort and the flesh- will always fall short of perfect love because it is not enough to want to be like Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus must be in us. This is the crux of heart holiness. Grace is needed to empower, enable and lead a holy life.” -David Busic

We must grow in this grace personally and as a community of believers. The early church shared life together around the table. They encouraged each others new faith through fellowship around the table. They remembered the Lord’s supper around the table.

The table is a symbol of community. Last week we gathered around the communion table together to remember Christ and his sacrifice.

This sacrifice makes grace possible. We are all works in progress. We desperately need God’s work of grace to continue in and through us for that to happen we need to work with God. We also need to grow together and support one another in that grace.

“Holiness is not a moment of time and voila!-virtue is acquired. No: it is what we are formed into. ‘Conversion is a gift and an achievement. It is the act of a moment and the work of a lifetime.’ Patience for the long view is what is needed for the journey of grace. We must garden the fruit.”

May we leave here today giving God 100% access to our lives. May we work with God and encourage one another that we may grow in grace together. As we grow more and more like Christ may the Lord add to our number daily those who are being saved.