Sunday, June 30, 2024

The Gospel of Grace

Gtcotr/ss063024

 

What do you do when you’re tired and discouraged and feel like you want to quit? 

 

This morning we are going to discover the answer to that question by reviewing two accounts in the Bible. The first account is familiar to many of you. It happened in a critical time in the life of Jesus. 

 

Jesus and the 12 Disciples had just finished the Last Supper and Judas had left the Upper Room on his way to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. The remaining 11 Disciples finished up and walked through East Jerusalem with Jesus, across the Kidron Valley toward the village of Bethany. 

 

Before starting up the steep ascent up and over the Mount of Olives, Jesus stopped in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was troubled. Let’s read:

 

Matthew 26 

38  Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

 

42  Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

 

44  So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

 

When Jesus returned after praying the third time, He was at peace. He knew that He was in the middle of God’s will for His life and that God was with Him, and that was good enough for Him.

 

45ff  Then Jesus came to His disciples and said, “Sleep on now, and take your rest, My hour is come … My betrayer is at hand.”

 

 

God gave Jesus victory over the situation by first giving Him victory in the situation.

 

More about that in a moment … but first:

 

Fast forward 25 years from the crucifixion. During those 25 years, those 11 Disciples preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ and started Messianic New Testament Church congregations all over the world. Saul of Tarsus, a notorious persecutor of Christians, was also Born-Again during those 25 years. He became an Apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles.

 

At the same time, the devil was doing everything he could to stop the Church and the spread of the Gospel. He tried to stop Jesus by putting one of his own messengers in the original 12 Disciples Jesus chose. Jesus recognized who he was and knew what he would do. 

 

John 6:70  Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

 

Why did Jesus let Judas stay in the group? I don’t know except for the prophetic fulfillment and the furtherance of the plan of God. You know, God doesn’t make me privy to all of His plans just yet. But … knowing God is with me and that I am in the middle of His will for my life right now is enough. 

 

Ok, back to Paul. Now the devil had succeeded in getting Jesus crucified and since he doesn’t know any new tricks, he tried it with Paul, over and over again. Every time Paul would preach in a city and people would get saved and he would start a new church, the devil would stir people up against him and either beat him, or put him in jail, or stone him, or run him out of town. 

 

Invariably, when Paul would leave town, the devil would send false teachers to the Churches Paul started to try and get the people confused about the Gospel. The devil hates the Gospel of Grace. And the devil hates anyone who preaches the Gospel of Grace. People in that day were even making vows to not eat until they killed Paul. I guess those 40 guys in Acts 23:12 finally starved to death. Well …

 

My studies show that in the autumn of the year AD57, the Apostle Paul decided to write his second letter to the congregation at the Church in Corinth. In his first letter he had been hard on them, but they did what he asked, and he was proud of them. Paul wanted to go back to spend some quality time with the people in the Church at Corinth. And Paul wanted to make sure the Corinthians weren’t afraid that he was going to come and get on to them again.

 

In preparation for his visit, Paul wrote what we know today as the book of 2 Corinthians. In this second letter Paul reveals some of the personal struggles he was facing. Paul writes:

 

2 Corinthians 7:5  For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

 

Everywhere Paul went he faced persecution, attack, discredit, and betrayal. The reader can tell Paul is tired. Remember, the devil hated Paul. He hates everyone who preaches the true message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

Paul was uncommonly blessed with revelation of the Gospel of Grace, but he was also uncommonly cursed with enemies of that message.

 

2 Corinthians 12 NKJV

7  And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

 

A messenger of satan … 

• Metaphorically it was just like a thorn in his body … constantly sticking and pricking the flesh.Every step was irritating. 
• In reality it was an angel of darkness, an envoy of satan, a demon, a devil sent to buffet and keep beating him down.

 

Scholars have been guessing what this thorn was for two thousand years. They have ranged from a headache to an earache to a squeaky voice, skin disease, lusts, panic attacks, and even fits of rage to gross physical disfigurements from all the beatings he endured. We don’t know.

 

But whether mental, physical, or spiritual … we know it troubled Paul terribly. Sometimes it was all he could think aboutPaul continued:

 

8  Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

 

Sounds like Jesus when He said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death.” After Jesus prayed earnestly 3 times, He found the peace that allowed Him to move forward. God gave Jesus victory in the midst of His difficult moment. God did the same with Paul.

 

When Paul pleaded with the Lord, time after time after time, the Lord answered him:

 

9  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

God gave Paul victory over the situation by first giving him victory in the situation. 

 

If you have ever been tired or discouraged, mentally, physically, or spiritually worn out and just want to quit … you’re in good company. In fact, you are surrounded by some great company. Let me close with this passage and you will know just what to do.

 

Hebrews 12 NKJV

1 ¶  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

2  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

 

Action Items for Today

1. Lay aside the weight and the sin that keeps capturing your mind.
2. It’s a long race … you will need some endurance.
3. Keep your eyes on Jesus, His grace is sufficient.

 

God will give you victory over every situation, even if it is a messenger of satan. First however, He wants to give you victory in the midst of your moment. 

 

Romans 8

37  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Faith Supplements Part VII: Brotherly Kindness

Review:

We are continuing our series called Faith Supplements. We are going through the 7 spiritual ingredients listed out in 2 Peter 1 that help form a godly life. Whether it be vitamins, minerals, herbs, etc, supplements are so important. They help maintain and even increase our overall nutrition in areas we might be lacking.Supplements help provide a boost to our overall health. 

 

Similarly, our spiritual health is just as important. Like vitamins, there are spiritual supplements that we can take everyday to help boost our faith, spiritual walk. In part one, we discussed the responsibility we have to maintain our relationship with God.

God has given us everything we need in order to build a godly life
Godly Life = to be pleased with God and to be pleasing to God
God gives us the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him
Everything we need to build a godly life is found in His Word
They are His great and precious promises given to us
By which we have access to the divine nature
And help us escape corruption from our evil desires

 

Virtue

Virtue = The courage to do the right thing in every situation
Culture and society do not determine the right thing.
The right thing is that which God has commanded in His Word
Only God establishes truth
Virtue is doing the right thing, according to His Word, even when nobody else is
We all need convictions. Without convictions, we can be talked into doing anything.
We need godly convictions- they give us the courage to do what is right in all situations

 

Knowledge

On top of virtue, the Bible encourages us to add knowledge
Knowledge = Truth acquired from Gods Word
Knowing what is right in Gods eyes
The spiritual battle we are in is all about truth; God wants to get truth into the hands of everyone. The devil wants to deceive as many people from the truth as possible.
When we know the truth, it sets us free. Therefore, we need knowledge of the truth.
Knowledge of the truth informs us of what truly matters

 

Self-Control

On top of Knowledge, we are encouraged to add self-control
Self-Control = The ability to do the right thing in the moment of temptation
Mastery over desires; dominion within
There is a battle for self-control in our life
The devil is working overtime to gain control over your life. He wants to have dominion.
He is using the things of this world to entice the desires of your flesh to giving in to temptation. When we do that, we concede control in that area of our life over to the devil.
He wants to remove control, while God wants to produce self-control in our life. That only happens when we choose to trust Him with the reigns of our life.
Let us live by the spirit, think before we act, ask the Holy Spirit to helps us, and then choose to do the right thing. 

 

Perseverance

On top of self-control, we are to add perseverance
Perseverance = to remain under discipline
We are called to persevere through hardship: God is with us through difficulty
We are called to persevere with people: be patient with others
We are called to persevere in the faith: do not give up; fight the good fight of faith

 

Godliness

Godliness = Conforming to the character of God in every area of our life
We have an expectation to grow in godliness
However, God doesnt want us just to act godly; He doesnt want us to simply have an appearance of godliness.
His desire is that we would become godly through the transformative power of the Holy Spirit
We must train ourselves in godliness by putting His Word to practice

 

—————————————————————————————————

 

That brings us to the sixth supplement listed in this passage, brotherly love.

 

2 Peter 1:5-7

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness

 

On top of godliness, we are to add brotherly kindness. So what is brotherly kindness?

 

Brotherly Kindness = (Philadelphia) = Kindness toward a family member

 

This word was exclusively used for love shown toward your own family in the secular greek world. Yet, Peter is encouraging Christians to love with this kind of love for each other.

 

Brotherly Kindness = Loving fellow believers like family

 

Out of our godliness should come kindness. As we grow in our God-like-ness, we should grow in love and kindness. Specifically, toward the other members of Gods family. The more we become like God, the more we should love like Him.

 

1 John 4:7-8

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

 

Peter is talking about family.

 

Family of God

• Before Christ you and I were alienated from God
• When we received Christ, we were adopted into the family of God
• God became your Father
• Other believers became your spiritual brothers and sisters
• At the end of the day, we are all family

 

Reality being a part of Gods Family

You are a part of the family of God! He loves you as His own child; just not as an only child. We are born-again into the family of God, not as an only child, but as one of many. God has many children! In this family, God expects for you to love His other kids as well.

 

[Illustration of my family]These are lessons that are learned within the family structure, within a household.

 

Similarly, God expects for us to love His children. It is not easy, but we are expected to love one another. That happens within the context of family; that happens within the Fathers house. That happens within the context of church community.

 

This is one of the reasons why church is so important; to be able to fellowship with other believers! We get to spend time with our brothers and sisters! Of course we run into people that we may not vibe with the best, but we are still expected to love them. 

 

The only way my children began to learn to love each other is by growing and maturing. It takes a little growing up to realize that the family doesnt revolve around you. Similarly, we too mature spiritually when we learn that it is not all about usbut that is a much better place to be.

 

Qualities of a Good Sibling

There for each other
Loves each other through thick and thin
Supports the others (celebrates wins)
Checks in on their siblings
Forgives their siblings when they are done wrong
Apologize when they are wrong
Patient with the others
Sympathizes with the family

 

That is one thing I love about our church. We are all about family. We truly do treat each other like family. We try and support one another, we pray for one another, we grieve with one another, we are there for one another. That is a godly trait. I believe our church exhibits this as a whole.

 

Jesus as Our Example

Jesus is our example in loving others. 

 

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

 

1. Jesus humbled Himself
Jesus had just finished washing the disciples feet. While this was common practice for visiting guests at this time, it was also the role of a lowly servant. He showed them that if they are to love like Jesus loved, they were going to have to humble themselves as a servant.

If we are to love our spiritual brothers and sisters the way Jesus loved, we are going to have to humble ourselves. It is not about us getting what we want, it is about serving others. Jesus showed us that humbling ourselves and serving others is essential to brotherly love.
2. Jesus forgave
On His way to the cross, one of Jesus’ disciples stabbed Him in the back, Peter denied ever knowing Him, and almost every one of His other disciples abandoned Him. Yet, Jesus would later restore His disciples and fellowship with them again. Jesus, in His humanity, had a right to be angry. However, He forgave them. He wasnt going to charge them for the mistakes they made yesterday. Instead, He offered grace for the opportunity to invest in the future.

It is important that we do not allow the mistakes from the past to keep others from reaching their God-given potential in the future. Thank God Jesus didnt do that to us. Thank God He does not charge us for our past. Thank you Lord that He has forgiven uswe should do the same.
3. Jesus laid His life down
Jesus did not try to save His life, He gave it away. He laid His life down so that we would be lifted up. Jesus told His disciples to "love one another as I have loved you” under the reality that He was about to lay down His life. This was the very thing that He was signifying to His disciples; they were to lay their life down for one another.

Similarly, if we are going to love one another as Jesus loved us, we must be willing to lay our lives down. Meaning, we must be willing to put our ego aside and exalt others, celebrate with others, sacrifice getting what we want for the benefit of someone else.

 

By doing these things, people will know we follow Jesus. They will know that there is something different about us. People will see Jesus. God will be glorified.

 

 

How should we love our spiritual brothers and sisters?

 

1 Peter 1:22-23

22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever

 

• Sincerely - To be genuine. Not fake, non-hypocritical, not pretend, not for show, not for approval of man, not two-faced. It is genuine, and real. 
• Fervently - To go the extra mile
• Pure Heart - Right motives, with goodwill in our heart. No ill-intentions.

 

Takeaways:

 

I. Be a part of Gods Family
• Step into Gods family
• Gods family is best expressed within the local church
• It is a blessing to be a part of the family of God
• Be a part of what God is doing; interact with your brothers and sisters
• Dont be a stranger!
II. Invest in Gods Family
• There are blessings in Gods family because of someone who is showing kindness, encouraging, praying for you, checking up on you, etc.
• Let us not be only on the receiving end, let us look to see how we can participate.
• Look to be kind to someone, encourage someone, meet someone you dont know, get to know someone, pray for someone, check on them, etc.
III. Invite others into Gods Family
• By loving one another, others will see that we are followers of Jesus
• Encourage others to join you for church, tell them about what God has done in your life, let them know there is a place for them in Gods family.