|
| |
Transforming Grace
Discussion Guide, Chapter 7a: The Sufficiency of Grace (Grace as Ability and Desire)
Central Idea: God’s grace enables us to persevere and grow despite any and all
obstacles. God gives each of us the grace we need to fulfill the ministry and service He
has given to us to bring glory to His Name.
Warm-Up Question: Give an example in your life where you had your "thorn in
your side," or you had to endure a traumatic event, and God’s grace was
sufficient to enable you to meet this challenge.
Necessity and Sufficiency
We have seen in this study that the grace of God is necessary for salvation, and
we’ve even seen that the grace of God is necessary for living the Christian
life. But can we go so far as to say that the grace of God is sufficient for living
the Christian life?
- Other ways of putting this question:
- Will the grace of God ever "run out" or not be there when I need it
?
- Do I need anything else besides the grace of God in my life
?
- (Is anything else necessary besides the grace of God in my life?)
- Let’s start with the passage that speaks directly of the "sufficiency of
grace."
Read 2 Cor 12:2-10. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the
third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows. 3
And I know that this man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but
God knows--4 was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is
not permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about
myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a
fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of
me than is warranted by what I do or say. 7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of
these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger
of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses,
in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am
strong.
- SG #1a. What explanation does Paul give for why is physical suffering is not removed?
- To keep him from becoming conceited (vs 7).
- So that Christ’s power may rest on him (vs 9).
- Because suffering causes him to be weak. And weakness leads to strength (vs 10).
- SG #1b. Why do you suppose we don’t always get a clear explanation of why we are
allowed to suffer certain things?
- Because God wants us to depend on Him alone, not the security of a certain future.
- The (immediate) future, to us, is unknown and unstable. This forces us to put our trust
in that which is steadfast and stable: God in the present. Prov 27:1. Do not boast
about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
- What was Paul’s attitude toward suffering? Why
?
- He delighted in his weaknesses and sufferings, because it make God’s strength more
apparent (vs 10).
- SG #1c. Why do you think God expresses His power through our weaknesses rather than
through our strengths?
- Possibly, because we really don’t have any strength apart from God, we just think
we do because of our deceptive pride.
- Because God wants us to recognize His strength as His, so that we don’t take
the credit.
Grace: God’s Divine Assistance (Ability and Desire)
We see that God gives us enough grace to rely on, but what are some ways we can rely on
His grace? In other words, what form does God’s grace take on when we rely on it? How
does it help us?
- In order to further understand the sufficiency and fullness of God’s grace, we need
to look at some passages that bring out other aspects of God’s grace.
- What is the more popular understanding of the definition of grace
?
- Most people would say something like, "undeserved favor"
- Most people associate grace with salvation: God delivers me, not because of who I am,
but in spite of who I am.
- Let’s look at some passages that seem to indicate a more complete meaning of grace
than just, "undeserved favor."
- Teaching Practice: You’re now the teacher, and you are preparing your Bible study
for your students. You’re preparing a study on the sufficiency of God’s grace.
- There are three principles of Bible study:
- Observation: "What does it say?"
- Interpretation: "What does it mean?"
- Application: "Why do I care?"
- To give you practice assembling truths from the Scriptures, we’re going to look at
several verses that you know talk about grace. (Get from topical Bible, concordance).
- Focus on this question as you observe: What questions do these verses answer?
- Heb 4:16. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- The source of transforming (or enabling) grace is the throne of grace (Jesus Christ).
Grace is something we receive when we are needy, and it helps us.
- Ac 13:43. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts
to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in
the grace of God.
- Grace is something a person can continue in (there is a time domain to grace).
- Ac 20:32. Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you
up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
- The word of God’s grace can strengthen me and give me blessings.
- Rom 15:15-16. I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of
them again, because of the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the
Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles
might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
- God gives us His grace for a purpose that glorifies Him. Duty comes with grace.
- 1 Cor 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not
without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that
was with me.
- God’s grace shapes who we are. God’s grace works within us to do the work of
the Lord.
- Eph 3:7-8. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me
through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all God's people,
this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ
- God’s grace causes us to become servants of the Gospel. God’s grace comes to
us through the power of God. Grace is the ability and desire to do the work of God.
- 2 Cor 9:8. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at
all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
- God’s grace gives us everything we need. No only so, but God gives us enough grace
to do every good work.
- So we see that:
- God’s grace doesn’t just mean "undeserved favor,"
- His grace actually provides us with the ability and desire to do the work of the Lord.
- It enables and motivates us to obey Him.
- Now we can better understand how God’s grace can be sufficient for our
lives.
- But what if I say, "God’s grace is a storehouse of good things, and it’s
always available for me to use, but I’ll take just enough to be saved. God won’t
mind if I rely on Him for salvation, but rely on myself to get by in my everyday
life." What do you think God thinks about that
?
- Read Deut 8:2-3. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert
these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart,
whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and
then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you
that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the
LORD.
- What are some observations
?
- God led the Israelites through the desert in order to do three things:
- Humble them
- Test them
- Reveal their hearts and to see if they would obey God
- God took away food of the earth and gave back food from heaven.
- God caused the Israelites to hunger.
- In their state of hunger, God fed them.
- This was done for a purpose: to teach them that God’s word is necessary in their
lives.
- What are some interpretations and applications
?
- God not only allows us to suffer, but causes us to suffer for very specific purposes: To
give us something far better.
- God doesn’t waste pain.
- God is able to provide everything we need for everything that is important.
- The things that we think are necessary for living are rarely ever the same as the things
God knows are necessary for living.
- The manna was a shadow of Christ.
- Jn 6:32-35. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has
given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from
heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
- Jn 6:48-51. I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert,
yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat
and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this
bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world.
- Jer 2:13. My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of
living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
- Therefore, all our needs are met through Christ, and only Christ, who gives us strength.
- Analogy: You are in a canoe in the middle of the ocean. The canoe represents
self-sufficiency. This canoe has kept you from drowning for all these years. When the
weather is calm, you are calm and stable. Then God saves you. He anchors you to the Rock
of Christ. You are glad that you are no longer drifting throughout the seas of
purposelessness, but you still have affections for your old, faithful canoe. Besides,
it’s given you something dry and stable to stand on for all these years out at sea.
It’s comfortable. It’s what you are used to. Then, a storm comes. The waves
begin to pick up. You start to lose your balance. The only thing you can think of is to
jump onto the Rock, because it’s not moving with the waves. It looks stable. So you
abandon your capsized canoe and find firm footing on the solid earth. It’s the first
time you’ve experienced such firmness and steadiness. When God saves us, He anchors
us to Christ. We soon find out that this Christ is so steadfast and faithful, that we can
rely on Him for everything. As Christians, we have no reason to be self-sufficient,
because everything that I need is found in Christ.
- Why do we settle for so little? Do we not realize what is promised us? Do we not let the
glorious weight of the phrase "eternal life" impact the very core of our beings?
Do we not realize that we will know God in the full relatively soon? Why do we settle for
our own self-sufficient pride?
Conclusion
- Quote (DG, pg 67): "Grace, as used in the New Testament, expresses two related and
complimentary meanings. First, it is God’s unmerited favor to us through Christ
whereby salvation and all other blessings are freely given to us. Second, it is God’s
divine assistance to us through the Holy Spirit. We have seen that God’s grace
assumes our sinfulness, guilt, and ill-deservedness. In the second meaning of grace, we
see it also assumes our weakness and inability. Just as grace is opposed to the pride of
self-righteousness, so it is also opposed to the pride of self-sufficiency."
- Main Points:
- Necessity
. We’ve already established that God’s grace is necessary for our
lives.
- Sufficiency
. God’s grace is sufficient for our lives. It’s all we need.
There is nothing we need that cannot be found in God’s grace.
- Ability and Desire
. God’s grace is the ability and desire to live a life holy
and pleasing to Him. He doesn’t just "smile down on us." He helps us
with His grace.
Application
- How do these truths comfort you in your present trials?
- I can realize that God never leaves me, even when it feels like it.
- It is comforting to know that all pain and suffering has a purpose, and that God
doesn’t waste pain.
- How do these truths affect your prayer life?
- I will pray for more transforming grace, in very specific ways.
- I can expect to get grace when I approach the throne of grace.
- How do these truths affect your witness to others?
- To non-Christians, when things get shaky, I can offer them positive hope: "God
doesn’t just cancel your moral debt. He actually gives you His blessings and grace to
endure."
- How do these truths affect your Christian growth?
- Col 1:6b. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has
been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its
truth.
|
