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27 Oct 98

Transforming Grace

Discussion Guide, Chapter 7e: The Sufficiency of Grace (Sacrifices and Rewards)

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.

• The qualifications for carrying out God’s ministry are
• Unworthiness
• Inadequacy
• God demands that we be unworthy and inadequate, because
• He can demonstrate His own power in our lives and the lives of others through us.
• Any "worth" apart from Christ (pride) only gets in the way of God’s power.
• The ministry is an awesome responsibility.
• Eternal lives are at stake.
• Man’s rebellion and repentance affect even creation itself.
• God gives us the grace to meet this awesome responsibility every day.
• The Wedge illustration demonstrates at least two things:
• As we grow in our knowledge of God, and as we grow in our knowledge of our own unworthiness, Christ is exalted, because He gives us our worth.
• It also demonstrates that as we increase our understanding of the awesome responsibility of the ministry, and as we grow in our knowledge of our own inability to do the ministry, Christ is exalted, because He gives us our strength.

Sacrificial Grace: Necessary for Ministry

• So far, we’ve been focussing on the grace to do God’s ministry. There’s one more aspect of this grace to explore: God’s sacrificial grace.

• What would you say the word sacrifice means?
• The American Heritage Dictionary
• (noun) The forfeiture of something highly valued for the sake of one considered to have a greater value or claim.
• (verb) To forfeit one thing for another thing considered to be of greater value.

• Would you say that we sacrifice ourselves in our holy living and in carrying out the daily task of the ministry? Yes.
• Rom 12:1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
• Luke 9:23. Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
• 1 Cor 15:30-31. And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31 I die every day--I mean that, brothers--just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• But I thought the sacrifice of Jesus was enough. If we have to sacrifice ourselves everyday, then doesn’t that take away from the finality of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?
• The sacrifice of Christ was done, once for all. Heb 10:8-10. First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

• How do you reconcile the finality of the sacrifice of Jesus with our understanding that we can offer God sacrifices in our daily living?
• We cannot sacrifice ourselves for our salvation, because Christ was the once-for-all, complete sacrifice for our salvation (Heb 10:10).
• By strict definition, for us to sacrifice anything to God, that thing would have to be worth something before Him. But since "without faith, it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6), and since spiritually dead men (Eph 2:1) cannot offer anything of worth before God (not even our faith), we can only sacrifice things that God gives us to sacrifice, because every good and perfect gift comes from God (Js 1:17).
• So in this sense (the daily walk sense), we can daily sacrifice only that which is daily available for us to sacrifice. This would be God’s sacrificial grace. It is the grace that is given to strengthen and replenish us as we give it back to God, and give it out to others.
• Side Notes:
• In another sense, humans tend to value ungodly things. So we "sacrifice" our old sinful lives in exchange for our new holy lives, but our old sinful selves only have perceived value from our perspective, so they only appear to be worthy sacrifices.
• This is a picture of the "now and not yet" phenomenon. The Christian is at the same time completely holy, but yet becoming more holy. Phil 3:10-14,16. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

• What are we actually offering as sacrifices?
• Heb 13:15-16. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
• Ps 51:17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
• Mark 12:30-31. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
• Eph 5:2. and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
• Rom 12:1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

• If we keep on sacrificing ourselves, where are we getting our worth? Our identity? Our strength? How do we gain this sacrificial attitude?
• Only through Christ. 1 Pet 2:5. you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
• We can sacrifice ourselves because we are kept secure in Christ’s strength. Not only this, but we can conquer with Christ’s strength. Rom 8:35-37. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
• When we make sure our neighbors are "amply supplied," we have the promise that God will meet our all our needs as we give ourselves away. Phil 4:18-19. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
• We gain this attitude by the grace of God. 2 Cor 8:1-4. And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
• "So it was the grace of God operating in them through the Holy Spirit, not the superiority of their own character, that caused such and abundant outpouring of generosity from the Macedonians. God did not leave them to the resources of their own human nature—which is not naturally generous—but intervened in their hearts by the power of His Spirit to create this amazing generosity" (TG, 167).

The Reward of Grace

• Emphasis on God’s grace apart from human worth or inadequacy leads to the question of the relationship of grace and rewards
• Doesn’t God promise rewards to His faithful servants?
• Didn’t Paul himself teach that we must appear before the judgement seat of Christ to receive what is due us?
• If all our efforts are the results of God’s grace, what room is left for "faithful service?"

• God does promise us rewards
• Eph 6:7-8. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
• Col 3:23-24. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
• Heb 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
• Heb 11:26. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

• How do you reconcile the clear teaching of the Bible that we get rewarded for our actions when we know very well that we can never earn any blessings from God, whether salvation, or daily blessings, or final glory? These rewards are rewards of grace, not merit
• "If all our service to God is made possible by His undeserved favor and made effective by the power of His Spirit, then we have really brought nothing to Him that we did not first receive from Him. The Puritan Samuel Bolton said, ‘If there was anything of man’s bringing, which was not of God’s bestowing, through it were never so small, it would overturn the nature of grace, and make that of works which is of grace.’ But it is all of God’s bestowing. Every thought, word, or deed emanating from us that is in any way pleasing to God and glorifying to Him has its ultimate origin in God, because apart from Him, there is nothing good in us" (TG, pg 168).
• 1 Chron 29:14,16. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand…. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.
• Rom 11:35-36a. "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
• Faith is a necessary condition to pleasing God. So our acts of service must be done in faith. Heb 11:6a. And without faith it is impossible to please God
• But faith itself is a gift of God’s grace. Rom 12:3. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
• "So the grace of God in our service to Him does not negate rewards, but rather makes them possible. As R. C. Sproul said, ‘But the blessing Christ promised, the blessing of great reward, is a reward of grace. The blessing is promised even through it is not earned. Augustine said it this way: Our rewards in heaven are a result of God’s crowning His own gifts’" (TG, pg 169).

• The effective minister needs more than just ability and desire. He needs the heart and disposition of a servant.
• 2 Cor 4:5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
• 1 Thess 2:8. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
• 1 Cor 9:22. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
• Jn 13:3-5. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
• When I realize that really have nothing to offer God, that’s when I really start relying on the grace of God in Christ in my daily life.
• The worth that I have is seen in different light: It’s not mine. It’s all from God. Therefore, I am a steward not only over "tangible" resources (money, time, etc.), but also over every aspect of my ability to please God (prayer, witnessing, worship, study).
• When I realize that even the rewards that are promised me are given to me on the basis of God’s grace alone, then I am utterly amazed at God, and my motivation to obey out of gratitude is fueled, and in fact, is more rightly seen as the only valid motivation.
• Summary. "This is the amazing story of God’s grace. God saves us by His grace and transforms us more and more into the likeness of His Son by His grace. In all our trials and afflictions, He sustains and strengthens us by His grace. He calls us by grace to perform our own unique function within the Body of Christ. Then, again by grace, He gives to each of us the spiritual gifts necessary to fulfill our calling. As we serve Him, He makes that service acceptable to Himself by grace, and then rewards us a hundredfold by grace" (TG, pg 170).

Appropriating God’s Grace (Bridge to next Study)

• Quote (TG, pg 151): "God said to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you." God, who is "the God of all grace" (1 Pet 5:10), is the giver of grace, but that does not mean we Christians are passive recipients of it. Rather, we are to appropriate His grace…. Just as the Israelites had to gather day-by-day the manna God graciously provided, so we must appropriate day-by-day the grace that is always sufficient for every need.

• We’ve established that God’s grace is something to be gained, because it provides for our needs. So how do we use it? What are some ways that we can appropriate, or apply, God’s grace to our lives?
• Word
• Prayer
• Being ministered to by others
• Ministering to others
• Daily circumstances

• Quote (TG, pgs 151-2): "Timothy needed moral strength because he was prone to timidity. So Paul wrote, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What is your greatest need just now? Is it contentment in a very difficult situation? Paul would say to you, "Be content in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Is it patience or forbearance in very trying circumstances? Then be patient in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Is it moral purity in a romantic relationship? Then be pure in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Whatever your need at the time, you too can experience the reality of God’s words to Paul: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ God’s grace is sufficient. It is sufficient for all your needs; it is sufficient regardless of the severity of any one need. The Israelites never exhausted God’s supply of manna. It was always there to be gathered every day for forty years. And you will never exhaust the supply of God’s grace. It will always be there every day for you to appropriate as much as you need for whatever your need is."

Verses on Rewards

• Eph 6:7-8. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
• Geneva Notes
• Eph 6:7 With good will doing service, as to the {e} Lord, and not to men:
• (e) Being moved with a reverence for God, as though you served God himself.
• Eph 6:8 {10} Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether [he be] bond or free.
• (10) Although they serve unkind and cruel masters, yet the obedience of servants is no less acceptable to God, than the obedience of those that are free.
• Wesley Notes
• 7 Unto the Lord, and not to men - That is, rather than to men; and by making every action of common life a sacrifice to God; having an eye to him in all things, even as if there were no other master.
• 8 He shall receive the same - That is, a full and adequate recompense for it.
• Col 3:23-24. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
• Geneva Notes
• Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the {p} reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
• (p) Because you will have duly obeyed your masters, the time will come, that you will be changed from servants to sons, and you will know this for certain, which will be when you are made partakers of the heavenly inheritance.
• Heb 11:6. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
• Geneva Notes
• Heb 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a {d} rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
• (d) This reward is not referred to our merits, but to the free promise, as Paul teaches in Abraham the father of all the faithful, Ro 4:4.
• Heb 11:26. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

•  
• Jn 15:5b. …apart from me you can do nothing.
• Read Rom 8:32. He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
• Read 2 Pet 1:3. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

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This page was last edited on 19 Dec 1999.