THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
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14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
The Full Mystry of Grace is Unfold in
What ?
How ?
When
Developed and Living in the reality of it .
Grow in Grace
Dimension of Grace .
The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.”
“Grace” is one of the most important concepts in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.
Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God.
Definition of Grace
In Christian terms, grace can be generally defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, despite the fact that we fall short of living righteously.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2).
Umeritted access to God .
A state of consiouness and understanding of the unlimited blessing and riches of God , which become accessible by the sacrifice of christ .
Modern, secular definitions of grace relate to a person's "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; or a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment."
Merriam-Webster's list of definitions for grace include:
1. "Unmerited divine assistance granted to humans for their regeneration or sanctification"
2. "Approval, or Favor"
3. "A charming or attractive trait or characteristic"
4. "—used as a title of address or reference for a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop"
5. "A short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks"
6. "A musical trill, turn, or appoggiatura"
What is Grace?: Christian Quotes About Grace
“Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.”(B.B. Warfield)
“Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.”(John Stott)
“[Grace] is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.”(Jerry Bridges)
“Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it.” (Paul Zahl)
"Grace is God's best idea. His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly - what rivals it? Of all his wondrous works, grace, in my estimation, is the magnum opus." (Max Lucado)
"The five means of grace are prayer, searching the Scriptures, the Lord's Supper, fasting, and Christian [fellowship]." (Elaine A. Heath)
Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, and these result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment kills. Only grace makes us alive.
A shorthand for what grace is - “mercy, not merit.” Grace is the opposite of karma, which is all about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve, and not getting what you do deserve. Christianity teaches that what we deserve is death with no hope of resurrection.
While everyone desperately needs it, grace is not about us. Grace is fundamentally a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. Michael Horton writes, “In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace, then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.”
Christians live every day by the grace of God. We receive forgiveness according to the riches of God’s grace, and grace drives our sanctification. Paul tells us, “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” (Titus 2:11). Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight; we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 2:18). Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behavior.
In fact, God’s grace grounds and empowers everything in the Christian life.
The Biblical Context of Grace.
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Saving Grace.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
The Finished work of Christ on the Cross. You hear and belive the Gosphel .
Save by the work of christ alone .
The death , bural and ressuraction of christ .
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Grace is the basis for:
· Our Christian identity: “By the grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
· Our standing before God: “this grace in which we stand.” (Romans 5:2)
· Our behavior: “We behaved in the world … by the grace of God.” (2 Corinthians 2:12)
· Our living: those who receive “the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ,”(Romans 5:17) by the “grace of life.” (1 Peter 1:7)
· Our holiness: God“called us to a holy calling … because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 2:9)
Enabling and Empowering Grace . Nothing JUST HAPPENED
Grace that makes men functions in the capacity of the spirit , Grace design for exploits . empower you even thou effort is from you but the result is more than the effort .
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Power assisted .
· Our strength for living: “Be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:1) for “it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.” (Hebrews 13:9)
· Our way of speaking: “Let your speech always be gracious.” (Colossians 4:6)
· Our serving: “serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace.” (1 Peter 1:10)
· Our sufficiency: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 2:9) “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.” (2 Corinthians 2:8)
· Our response to difficulty and suffering: We get “grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16) and when “you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace...will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 1:10)
· Our participation in God’s mission: As recipients of grace we are privileged to serve as agents of grace. Believers receive grace (Acts 11:23), are encouraged to continue in grace (Acts 13:43), and are called to testify to the grace of God (Acts 20:24). Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). God’s mission is to the entire world.
· Our future: God, and his grace, is everlasting. “Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)
· Our hope beyond death: “grace [reigns] through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21)
The gospel is all about God’s grace through Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul calls it “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and “the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3).
The gospel of the grace of God is the message everyone needs. The word of grace is proclaimed from every page of the Bible and ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ. The last verse of the Bible summarizes the message from Genesis to Revelation: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all” (Revelation 22:21). Through Jesus “we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16)—the gratuitous and undomesticated grace of God.
The Outcome and Relaity of Grace
10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Effect of Grace .
1.Prayer .
10 “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
2. Speaking , Obedeint and Acting of Grace.
3. Release of Prophetic word that sponsor Grace .
4. Maximazing the Grace .
the labour deminsion of Faith .. the step is took as a result of what God said .
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
The corresponding action you took bec of prophetic instruction.
The heigh the level of your pertesporty contribution the hegher the grace work in your life .
Grace is not a lience for laziness , it system of adavanteage . it takes effort to pray , and read the word. the energies with you that is more than u .
5. any christianity that makes God absolutely responsible for the outcome of your life is an irresponsible chritiannity .
6. Working in Flesh .. depend on your effort , wisodm . but Grace while u work you depend on the sacrifice of Jesus .
7. The Grace overring around you . but no contribution and effort from your side .
8. Training , deligence , study are all your pastipatorung effort . The sacrifice that does execellent (Grace )demand
9. The Sign shall follow them that believe..
17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
10. Esther .. Grace Steps.
16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” 17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.
11. what a re u doing as a prove of what God has show you . ..
12. Show me action u take as a prove of what God is saying
13. The labour dimension of Faith . lack of balance and completeions
14.Joshua . Walking round Gericho . Joshua 6 ..
18 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;
19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.
9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
15. Naaman .. Dirty River . 2king 5
16. Man at the beutifula Gate .
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
17.Rest is not lack of effort , it means depends on God .
Raise up with the assurance backing of God to take actions.
18. effort in faith ..release and maxmazing Grace .
17. David and Golaith . Grace for leadership ..what have you told me and what is my perticipatory action to maximasing the GRACE .
18.. Dont tell every thing is Grace .. FASTING , PRAYER ,
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. 12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
Grow in Grace and 4 Ways to Do It.
Measure of Grace
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
The principle is simple but very profound, and Ephesians 4:7 encapsulates it: 'But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.' The grace comes with the gift!
Although this verse is set in the context of the fivefold ministry gifts, it is not just applicable to those called into 'full-time ministry'. The Bible says this grace is given to every one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Whenever God calls you to do something, He will always supply the perfect measure of grace so you will be able to operate in your gifting. But whenever you try to operate outside your gift, you will find it difficult, burdensome, and miserable, because there will be no grace for it.
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"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." - 2 Peter 3:18
The Bible talks about grace as what is often summarized as “unmerited favor.” Instead of being based on our good behavior or lack of it, it is based on God’s incredible goodness and unconditional love for us. But how do we grow in it?
Ephesians 2 says that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:4-9, emphasis added).
Interestingly, Paul includes one more verse after this incredible description about our salvation by grace, lest anyone object to the idea of grace by cautioning that people receiving it will just take it for granted and live sinful, selfish lives. He reminds believers: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). God’s grace is not bestowed on us because of our good works, but it is bestowed on us to enable us to do the good works that God had in mind for us to do before the creation of the world!
What Does it Mean to Grow in Grace?
In his second letter, Peter shares with his readers that God’s grace makes possible a godly life and that are to grow in that grace. By the power of God’s grace being applied to the believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit, growth is possible even when faced with false teachings and other hardships. At the end of the letter, Peter states that “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13), and then spends the last few verses instructing believers on what to do in the meantime. In conclusion he says: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). It’s a beautiful idea, but how does one do this practically?
John Gill's Commentary on 2 Peter 2:18 puts it this way: In the gifts of grace, which, under a divine blessing, may be increased by using them: gifts neglected decrease, but stirred up and used, are improved and increase... There is such a thing as growth in grace, in this sense; every grace, as to its act and exercise, is capable of growing and increasing; faith may grow exceedingly, hope abound, love increase, and patience have its perfect work, and saints may grow more humble, holy, and self-denying: this is indeed God's work, to cause them to grow, and it is owing to his grace; yet saint, should show a concern for this, and make use of means which God owns and blesses for this purpose, such as prayer, attending on the word, and looking over the promises of God, for an increase of faith; recollecting past experiences, and looking to the death and resurrection of Christ for the encouragement of hope, and to the love of God and Christ, for the stirring up of love to both, and to the saints; considering the sufferings of Christ, the desert of sin, and the glories of another world, to promote patience and self-denial, and the pattern of Christ, to excite to humility; though "grace" may also intend the Gospel, the knowledge of which is imperfect, and may be increased in the use of means, and which is a special preservative against error, a growth in which saints should be concerned for: the knowledge of Jesus and his glory.
4 Practical Ways You Can Grow in Grace
In the book of Acts, many people came to know the Lord through the Spirit-empowered preaching of the apostles. The things they did to grow are then described: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42-46). This short verse gives us several powerful ways that we can “grow in grace and knowledge.”
1. Devote yourself to teaching.
Though the truths of Scripture are simple enough for a child to understand, they are also deep enough that they can be studied for a lifetime without running out of new insights. God’s grace is fully available to us from the moment of salvation, but it takes time to examine our whole lives in light of His whole truth. Devoting ourselves to listening to Scriptural teaching allows us to apply our knowledge of God and our experience of his grace to each and every aspect of our lives.
2. Devote yourself to the life of your church.
Gathering together in a fellowship of believers is an important part of living as a Christian, giving us a foretaste of the day that we will all gather together around God’s throne, singing his praises (Revelation 7:9). Hebrews 10:24-25 says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Being together with other believers gives us the chance to live out the many “one another” verses in the Bible that we simply can’t live out individually. We are meant to be in community as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
3. Devote yourself to breaking bread with others.
Living in community with other believers extends beyond church gatherings. It also includes being involved in each other’s daily lives. Peter urges believers to “show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:9). In true hospitality, the focus isn’t on the food but on the sharing of it, enjoying one another’s presence and mutually acknowledging our gratitude to God for his sustaining grace.
4. Devote yourself to prayer.
When we devote ourselves to prayer, we connect with God in a moment-by-moment way (not special occasions only). We become more cognizant of his presence and power in our lives. We notice his gifts and are moved to gratitude. We look to him instinctively for his help in our time of need. In short, prayer helps us grow in our awareness of God and so, in a sense, prayer activates his grace in our lives. While God is the ultimate source of our growth and the provider of all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), our participation is essential, and prayer is the way that we begin to use the vast and amazing grace which has been given to us. “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” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Grace to be Save
Grace to Serve him right
Grace to be fruitful
Grace live Right
Grace for Exploits
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