Chapter 6 the Church: Does God Believe In Organized Religion?

    “I don’t believe in organized religion” is one of those phrases that sounds smart but is actually dumb.

    Like “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” a phrase which even Ryan O’Neal made fun of in the movie, “What’s Up Doc?” just two years after he starred in the movie “Love Story.”

    But ask yourself: what system in the world does not have some semblance of organization? Imagine a school system or the military without organization. Any and every business has some form of organization, even Google where the late-bloomer hippie employees go to work barefoot.

    Even families and households have some form of rules and decorum. You can’t just walk up to some strange house and take up residence there just because you like their neighborhood or social income. Any system without some form of structure will fail due to chaos.

    God has a purpose in “organized religion.” God is a God of order (1 Cor. 14:33). First Baptist Killeen has structure and problems, rules and hassles, systems and faults. But that does not mean that God cannot use us or any church. In fact, God ordains the church to be His primary way to accomplish His purposes on Earth.

The following is a devotional from Zondervan

KEY QUESTION: How does God accomplish his purposes today?

From the very beginning God has had a vision to be with his people in perfect community. When the first two humans — Adam and Eve — rejected this vision and were escorted from the Garden of Eden, God began to unveil a plan to provide the way back. God’s plan consisted of making Abraham’s offspring into a great nation and then into the body of Christ through Abraham’s descendants. Thus the story of Israel pointed people of all nations to the first coming of Christ — and through him to God’s plan to restore a relationship with his people.

As Jesus was nearing his crucifixion, he told the disciples about what was ahead and about their role in accomplishing God’s ultimate vision for the coming kingdom. [Matthew 16:13-19] highlights that God’s plan for believers is still in force; the vision is for believers to come together in a community that continues to this day.

After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, God formed this community, called the church, led by his disciples. The story of the church points people of all nations to the second coming of Christ when he will fully restore the original vision of God.

KEY VERSE

 Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

KEY IDEA

 I believe the church is God’s primary way to accomplish his purposes on earth.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

•In the body of Christ, you belong to a family focused on all the things of God, which are good, right, and healthy.

•In the body of Christ, you will grow faster in your walk with God. Because of our new identity in Christ, we live to express who we are in Christ, not to prove who we are.

•In the body of Christ, you become a part of a movement larger than yourself.

YOUR TURN

What is a key phrase that describes the purpose of the Christian church in the world? (If you get stuck, you’ll find some ideas in Ephesians 4:1-16.) Join the discussion today and use the hashtag #BelieveTheStory.

Identity: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in everything, charity

        As we finish this week’s study on identity, notice how this belief leads perfectly into next week’s study on the church, specifically the local church. As members of Christ’s church, there are beliefs that we collectively agree upon that identify us and unite us as Christian believers and specifically as church members.

     But what is Biblical unity?

        Unity, not merely union. There is a story in Judges when Samson tied several pairs of foxes together with a torch in between them. There was a union, but not a unity.

Unity, not uniformity. I liked the way Evangelism Explosion used to say it: God wants unity but not uniformity. He loves diversity, but not needless division.

Unity, not unanimity. And there are times when God wants unity but not unanimity. We do not have to completely agree on every last detail. I don't mind for people to disagree with me as long as they are not disrespectful to my beliefs. One person said it this way,

“In essentials, unity. 

In non-essentials, liberty. 

In everything, charity.”

        Our identity in Christ leads to certain identifying beliefs that unite us together as a church. As Christians, we have more things in common which unite us than we have which divide us, especially in the local church, where we can unite to work for God’s kingdom. Our identity as individuals, along with core identifying beliefs as a church will lead to unity in our diversity.

     Ephesians 3:21 ends a great theological chapter, resounding with “To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Chapter 4 continues that prayer by explaining how we can practically give glory to Christ in the church for all generations -- in unity.

        In Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, recorded in John 17, He requested three things: the Splendor of God’s Glory (1-13, 24-26), the Sanctity from the world through His word (14-20) and the Symphony in the church’s unity (21-23).

Similarly, Paul lists ways to walk which will unite the church. Ephesians says we must

• Walk in works: the good works God has prepared for us (“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them,” 2:10),
• Walk in worthiness: in the unity of the spirit (“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,” 4:1ff),
• Walk not in worldliness: no longer in the futility of worldly thinking (“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,” 4:17),
• Walk in love (“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” 5:2),
• Walk in the light: as children of the light (“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” 5:8),
• Walk in wisdom, not as unwise, but as wise (“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” 5:15-16).

        We are indeed united by certain beliefs which identify us as a Christian body. But we are also diversified by certain gifts, talents and yes even opinions which actually strengthen us as members of that body. Those differences should never divide us in our common identity we have in Christ.

(For more on this topic of Identification in Christ, see the series on church membership entitled "Making Membership More Meaninful--Part 3, Membership means Identification."

Your New Identity Is Your New Identification

     Does anybody you know give out nicknames? Melissa’s dad gave his grandkids nicknames. “Scooter” because Rachel would scoot along rather than crawl, “Hannah Banana” because it rhymed and that’s what Grandma called her, “Mar mar” because older “Bubba” couldn’t say Marshall, and “Top Cat” because of Terrynce Caleb’s initials (and Granddad’s brother first called him that).

     Maybe somebody in your family makes up nicknames. When we get into a relationship with God, he doesn’t give us a nickname, he gives us a new name. Your name is your identification and God not only gives you a new identity but a new way of identifying just who and whose you are. You belong to God!

     Isaiah 62:2 says “You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name.”

     Revelation 2:17 and 3:12 says this: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it…  ¹² The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.”

    I think it is so wonderful God gave so many people new names, not just Abram and Sarai, but Simon became Peter, Saul became Paul. Can you believe it but God has a new name for you when you get to heaven. You have a new identity and it is yours for the taking!!

    There is a song by Matthew West which has the following chorus:

Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King
 

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh

Whoa oh ah oh ah oh oh  

    Whoops, sorry, I got a little carried away after listening to that song about four times as inspiration to this article. Rather than just reading the lyrics, go listen to the song yourself by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page and rejoice in your new identity in Christ. And remember this: God loves you just the way you are but He loves you too much to leave you just the way you are.

    Your new identity will be revealed as you believe and become more like Christ.

 

Listen to Matthew West's Hello My Name Is...

Believe Chapter 5-- Who am I?

     The following devotional comes from Zondervan.

Chapter 5: Identity in Christ

KEY QUESTION: Who am I?

The beautiful thing about God’s kingdom is that all those who welcome Jesus as their Lord are given the opportunity to accept a new identity through him. This is illustrated poignantly through the story of a crooked tax collector named Zacchaeus. Tax collectors were among the most despised people in Israel because they chose to work for Rome and were making themselves rich by gouging their fellow Jews. But Zaccheaus shows that even the lost can be adopted and made new.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:1-9)

KEY VERSE

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (JOHN 1:12)

KEY IDEA

I believe I am significant because of my position as a child of God.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

• Because of our new identity in Christ, we are free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)

• Because of our new identity in Christ, our worth comes from our position in Christ, not our performance. (Matthew 11:28)

• Because of our new identity in Christ, we live to express who we are in Christ, not to prove who we are.

• Because of our new identity in Christ, we can focus on building others up, not tearing them down.

YOUR TURN

How has the concept of being adopted by God the Father as his child and being welcomed into his household affect your identity and your sense of purpose?
 

Believe Chapter 5: Identity in Christ

 

 

 

     A new identity, a new name, a new family through adoption to God’s family, a new inheritance, a new birth, a new indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit within me, I am now a new creation with a new belonging in the body of Christ and have a new citizenship in my new home which resides in eternity.

     Becoming a Christian is so much more than just starting over. Yesterday, my daughter Rachel was in church with us along with her boyfriend, Daniel Salters, who is working his way up to major league baseball. Several weeks ago, she posted a news story about him in which he talks about his identity is not in being a baseball player, but who he is in Christ. See this link at http://www.gameonlu.com/video-gallery/?videoID=343

   This week we will be studying who our identity is in Christ. In Bible Study Fellowship, we will see that when John the Baptist came on the scene, they asked him, “who are you?” Later in the life of Jesus, Jesus Himself asked “Who do people say that I am?”

    In Believe, and in tomorrow’s devotional, we will see at the very end of Jesus' ministry, he encountered a tax collector named Zacchaeus, whose identity changed after encountering Jesus. 

     It is a good question for us to ask ourselves: “Who am I?” How do you identify yourself? “Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief” the old saying went. Proverbs says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” But the New Covenant declares that God gives us a new heart. See the following verses on how a new heart equals a new thinking which leads to a new identity.
 
Ezekiel 18:31 -- Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel?   

Ezekiel 36:26 -- I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 

Jeremiah 31:31-33 – ³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. ³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, ” declares the LORD.  ³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
 
Hebrews 10:16 -- “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,”

     No longer sinner, but now a saint; no longer lost, but now found; no longer estranged from God, but now a child of God. Jesus indeed is making “all things new” (John 21:5).

 

 

 

Believe the Bible for its Power, Purpose and Preservation

    In the artistic rendering portion of the video this week, we see Jesus’ three-fold temptation in the desert. The way that Jesus confronted temptation was that He used Scripture to defeat the devil … and we should too!

     The Power of Scripture. Our memory verse, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, says that Scripture is God-inspired, all of it! Jesus knew the power of God’s Word in battling temptation. The three temptations of the flesh, fame and fortune (turning stones to bread, putting God to test, worshipping Satan to possess all kingdoms) remind us of Eve’s temptation of flesh (“good for food”), fame (“to make one wise”), and fortune (“pleasant to the eyes”). 1 John 2:16 also sees this unholy trinity of “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,” which wars against our body, soul and spirit.

    Jesus’ temptation found in Matt. 4:1-11 was against his body (bread), soul (testing God), and spirit (worshipping Satan, not God). Many even see parallels in Scripture to Satan’s downfall was also found in body/flesh (beauty, Ezek. 28:17a), soul/fame/mind & heart & will (corrupted wisdom, Ezek. 28:17b), and spirit/pride/idolatry (Isa. 14:14).

    The Purpose of Scripture. BELIEVE this week also speaks to the “why?” of the Bible. God’s Word is not only powerful and authoritative, but there is a reason for it. Isa. 55:6-13 says it will not return void, but accomplishes His purpose. Too often people use God’s word for their purposes, misquoting or manipulating it. That’s why I like the lengthy passages in Believe; it shows the context of the text to prevent pretexts (say that three times fast). Hebrews 4:12-13 says the Bible penetrates our soul, spirit and joints and marrow (body). Why do we have a Bible? To teach, rebuke, correct and train.

   Think of those irritating GPS voices. They tell us the direction. When we get off course, the voice will rebuke us (“recalculating”), correct our course, and then once we are back on course, those voices tell us we are on the fastest route (training). It is a poor analogy, I know, but maybe the Navigators drawing shows it better (using the King James version).

    The Preservation of Scripture. Randy Frazee speaks about the revelation, inspiration, transmission and translation of Scripture. He says that out of the 24,000 copies of the New Testament (compared to only 643 ancient copies of Homer’s The Iliad, a distance second place finisher in extant copies) only 400 words (out of 138,200 total Greek words) carry any question to what they meant in the original penning, and none of those relate to actual doctrine. That’s a 99.71 agreement or if it were a college Grade Point Average, it would be a 3.99 GPA!

    Benjamin B Warfield said, “…not only is the New Testament unrivalled among ancient writings in the purity of its text as actually transmitted and kept in use, but also in the abundance of testimony which has come down to us…” Frazee concludes “It is clear … that God himself oversaw the handling and care of his Word in a meticulous manner. Factor in the numerous attempts at literary genocide of the Bible, and our confidence in it only rises.” (Think, Act, Be Like Jesus, by Randy Frazee, page 52).

    No truer words were ever spoken than these: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isa. 40:8)

Believe the Bible -- The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth

   So what is the big deal about believing some parts of the Bible but not others? Why can’t we pick and choose what we want to believe and ignore the other parts that either disagree with us or disagree with our society?

    Have you ever heard of the Jefferson Bible? With a razor blade, Thomas Jefferson cut out the verses that liked and pasted them in a new Bible, leaving out the verses he didn’t like. Marilyn Mellowes from the PBS show Frontline said this, “In short, Mr. Jefferson’s Jesus, modeled on the ideals of the Enlightenment thinkers of his day, bore a striking resemblance to Jefferson himself.” (Dr. David Jeremiah, I Never Thought I’d See The Day, pg. 81)

   God created us in His image, but whenever we pick and choose what parts of the Bible we want to believe and what parts we want to ignore, we then begin to make a god in our own image. And the Bible defines that a idolatry, making a god in the image of our culture or our imagination. Paul told us to “buffet” our body, but some people want to buffet the Bible, making a smorgasbord of Scripture.

   If we are followers of Christ, and we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we cannot take a view of the Bible any differently than did our Lord and Savior, and He said it will outlast the heavens and the earth (Mark 13:31). If you only believe in following the “red letters” and ignoring the rest, then please read these “red letters” of Christ’s words: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (John 5:46-47).  Jesus told Satan himself, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4). Not some words, every word even down to the jot and tittle. The mouth of the Lord is the entire word of God (Isa. 1:20, 40:5, 58:14). 

   The Bible was not written by mere humans, nor mortal man. Paul commended the Thessalonians, “you received the word of God which you heard from us. You did not accept it as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God,” (1 Thess 2:13). Peter said Scripture “never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, even though they were human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

   If you are going to reject some parts of the Bible, then who told you to do that? Not God. Not Jesus. Not the Bible. YOU told yourself to do that! 

    This week’s reading shows that 
God initiates His revelation (Exodus 3:1-4:17), 
  He illuminates His revelation (Luke 24:27-49), 
     He interprets His own revelation (2 Peter 1:1-21), 
He is the inventor of Scripture (Exod. 19-20), 
  He Himself interacted with Scripture (Matt. 4:1-11), 
     He is the inspiration of all Scripture (2 Tim. 3:10-17), 
He intervenes with Scripture (Isa. 55:6-13), 
  He invigorates and investigates our soul, spirit, thoughts and attitudes with Scripture (Heb. 4:12-13), 
     the Bible is impossible to add to and immovable to subtract from (Deut. 4:1-2), 
immortal in its endurance (Isa 40:6-8), 
  inerrant and infallible in every aspect (Prov. 30:5-6), 
    instructive to all (2 Tim. 4:2) 
      impervious to change, 
        invincible to attack, and 
          infinite in application to our lives. 
The Word was in the beginning (John 1:1) and 
   it will endure for eternity (Matt. 24:35). 

Believe The Word - - Going Farther than BELIEVE

    As much as I have been writing about BELIEVE for the past few weeks, it may surprise you that this week may be one of my least favorite. What’s more, it is the week that speaks about the Bible.

    It is not that anything is in this week that is wrong, but rather that this week is, pardon the pun, weak; it simply does not go far enough in affirming the word of God, the Bible. I am sure it is hard to put everything about the Word of God in a single week and a single chapter of a book. Entire books and commentaries have been written about the Bible so how can anyone put all that needs to be believed about the Bible in a mere week and a simple chapter.

    The key idea is not wrong but it is not fully complete. “I believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God that guides my beliefs and actions.” Yes, that is a true statement, but the Bible is more than merely “inspired.” 2 Timothy 3:16 says ALL of the Bible is not only inspired but God-inspired, God-breathed. It not only guides my beliefs, but it is absolutely authoritative to guide our beliefs. Benjamin Warfield concludes his exposition on this verse with the following statement:

What (2 Timothy 3:16-17) affirms is that the Scriptures owe their origin to an activity of God, the Holy Ghost, and (the Scriptures) are in the highest and truest sense His creation. It is on this foundation of Divine origin that all the high attributes of Scripture are built.

    Secondly the four statements of summation of beliefs begin with this one, “I believe the Bible is absolutely true…” …if only the first statement would have stopped there. In the study guide on pages 35 and 38 it goes on but does not need to. The Bible is absolutely true period. The second statement is “the words of the Bible are the words from God,” begs the question, if they are words of God, are they therefore not absolutely true in all things and not solely “in matters of faith and morals”?

    While Moses being confronted by the burning bush (the first and lengthiest section of this week's reading) is vitally true, in regards to the Scripture, the following are even more germane to the authority of the Bible: 

• Jesus’ statement in Matt. 5:18 that not one jot or tittle will fall;
• 1 Peter 1:23-25 is essential in studying that the Word of God regenerates us and will endure forever; 
• that the Bereans in Acts 17:11-15 were noble to search the Scriptures to know what is true;
• Jesus said the Holy Scriptures could not be broken in John 12:35-36 and frequently chided the religious by asking, “Have you not read?” implying that they were ignorant of God’s Word which is authoritative in all things;
• That the Scriptures are written so that we might know that we have eternal life (at least John's writings which are summarized in 1 John 5:13).

    For a good study on the reliability of God’s Word, the Bible, consider reading Kevin DeYoung’s book, Taking God At His Word and Will Davis Jr.’s book A Man Who Told Us the Truth. At the end of DeYoung’s book, he lists 30 books that affirm the Word of God.

     Perhaps one of the most greatest encouragements of the truth of God’s Word is when Jesus, the Son of God, is praying to the Father in John 17 and prays for us with these words, “Sanctify them by the truth, Your Word is truth.” His word will protect us and sanctify us.

Believe Chapter 4: The Bible--Take His Word For It

    When I first went into the ministry as Education Pastor at FBC Brownsville, even though I had a master’s degree in Religious Education, I really didn’t know what education ministers do all week…Order Sunday School material, then what?? I called up the music minister and asked him what Frank, my predecessor, did. He said, “You would have to ask him,” almost as if he didn’t know either. 

     At First Baptist Killeen, the education ministry is all about the Bible. The 12 deacons we are considering are asked if they believe the Bible is the Word of God. We believe that God’s Word has the right to command our beliefs and our actions! 

     Many of those who attend Sunday morning only and

don’t come to a LifeGroup...

   ...don’t come to a study on Sunday or Wednesday evenings... 

       ...and don’t study the Bible in a small group...

...they do not really get the whole picture of our church, Christianity and what it means to be a disciple of Christ in the context of a small group of believers. 

    This BELIEVE series is a great time for those who only attend the FBC Killeen worship service to become a part of a small group study. The text book BELIEVE is about 95% specifically selected Scriptures to reinforce 30 key Beliefs, Practices and Virtues. The other 5% is explanation of how to Think, Act and Be like Jesus. 

The following devotional comes from Zondervan:

KEY QUESTION: How can I know God and his will for my life?

    How do we know God? How do we understand and see the world we live in? How do we grasp where we came from and why we are here? How do we know where this story is ultimately heading?

    The answer is profound—God reveals himself and his grand plan to us. Our Role is to listen and believe. The Bible repeatedly records that God communicated to his people at specific times with specific messages. In some cases, such as with Moses at the burning bush, he spoke audibly.

    In other instances he spoke through dreams or visions or less direct impressions. But the words of the Lord were always given to his people to reveal his plan for them and for all humanity. God revealed his story because he loves us. 

    The Lord spoke mostly through prophets in the Old Testament and through Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament. 

    Throughout the Bible the writers warned readers that they should not add or take away from God’s Word. God has given and preserved his Word for us so we can rely on it to guide our lives into all truth and according to God’s good plan. Therefore, Christians revere the Bible and affirm its right to command our beliefs and actions.

 KEY VERSE

     All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

KEY IDEA

     I believe the Bible is the God-inspired Word of God that is the Supreme Authority which guides my beliefs and action.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live? 

    The Bible is the lens from which we view the world. God’s Word informs what we      think and feel about everything we encounter. We see the intervention of God in history, in our present lives, and on into the future as He continues to write his grand story.

    We are obligated and motivated to study the Bible to understand God’s will for our lives. The Bible forms the content of truth we seek to marinate our minds in.

    The principles in the Bible must govern our lives, even when we don’t fully      understand or like what it teaches.

YOUR TURN

    In what ways have you experienced the Word of God as “alive and active” in your own spiritual life?

Serving Grace: Saved from the Purposelessness of Sin

When I was in college, I had an early morning Spanish class and one morning, the teacher asked the class, “What is your motivation for getting up out of bed every morning?” She then narrowed her eyes towards me, and said, “Tim?”

Before I share how I answered that, there is one final thought before we finish the chapter on salvation: Not only does God save us from the penalty of sin, in the power of sin and the presence of sin, but He also saves us from the purposelessness of sin.

Our memory verse this week is Eph. 2:8-9, but I have often said that we stop short of the purpose of our salvation for others (and for God’s glory), found in Eph. 2:10. Let’s read that in context.

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. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The Greek word for “workmanship” found in verse 10  is poema, showing that we are God’s work of art. Our purpose is to be saved for good works and not by good works. Furthermore, these works are prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. There is a job that God has prepared to be done and He has  appointed you for salvation and also equipped you by His spiritual gifts to do them.

Carrying through on the Saving Grace, Sustaining Grace, and Supreme Grace titles, this would be God’s Serving Grace. God has given us grace and peace in this world for a purpose. Rick Warren made fame and fortune in writing two books, The Purpose-Driven Church and The Purpose-Driven Life. God has a purpose for saving us and it really is not “all about you.” That’s the opening line of The Purpose-Driven Life.

We see this Serving Grace in 1 Peter. 4:10:

¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

When we get to Chapter 17, we will learn more about the gifts of the spirit. Hopefully you already know how you are gifted and more than that, that you are using your gifts and eagerly desiring the greater gifts, (“But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.” Paul said in 1 Cor. 12:31…and what is the more excellent way? Hint: this leads into 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and that is a different lesson!)

Now to answer how I answered that teacher: I had no idea she was going to ask me this, nor did I have an answer prepared beforehand. I know the Holy Spirit gave me this answer and the teacher actually shared it with other classes I later found out. I said to her and the class: “Every morning I wake up, I know that the God of the universe lives in me. I know that He loves me and called me for a purpose. To love Him and glorify Him and show Him to others. So, every day is an adventure that we handle together.”

I was just as astounded when I said it as the teacher was when she heard it. And even though I have used that illustration repeatedly, I am still astounded that I remember it so well. We are saved by God’s grace to serve, and we serve for a purpose!

Supreme Grace: Saved from the Presence of Sin

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

1 Thess. 5:23.

     If saving grace keeps us from the penalty of sin and sustaining grace keeps us from the power of sin, supreme grace keeps us from the presence of sin. It is the finalization of our salvation. Supreme grace is the ultimate in our three parts of salvation, seen as justification (saving grace), sanctification (sustaining grace) and glorification (supreme grace).

     Years ago, I dreamed I went to heaven (no, I am not going to break into a song, thanking you for giving to the Lord and no, I am not going to write a best-selling book about my dream). In that dream I wanted to see if I was really in heaven. So I tried to do something that you are not supposed to be able to do in heaven: I made myself have a bad thought. In my dream, I was disappointed that I could still sin in heaven. I actually woke up very glad that I had not actually gone to heaven because if we could sin in heaven, heaven would not be heaven.

     Speaking of heaven, John wrote in Revelation 21:27 that “there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.”

     Eternal life is God’s gift to us. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death, but the gift (charisma) of God is eternal life.” It is in this context of Acts 15:11 which Peter puts our salvation in the future result of God’s grace, “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we SHALL BE SAVED in the same manner as they.”

     This concept of three aspects of salvation is seen in Jesus’ words as well. In John 5:24, Jesus describes the three aspects of salvation as having “passed from death to life” (past tense), “has everlasting life” (present tense), and “shall not come into judgment” (future tense).

     Keeping with the human trinity analogy we used two weeks ago, in the past when we were saved, our dead spirit was regenerated at justification; in the present our souls are being renewed in sanctification; and on "That Day" in the future, our bodies will be resurrected at glorification, and our three-in-one triune selves will be forever restored to the image of the triune God.

     A particularly difficult passage in the book of Revelation (shocking to think that some parts of Revelation would be hard to understand) is Revelation 22:11. Here, the angel explains things to John the final state of the unrighteous and the righteous:

“He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” 

     Radio commentator J. Vernon McGee said this verse is perhaps the scariest verse of all of the book of Revelation for those who are condemned. But I also see it as perhaps the most reassuring verse for those of us who are going to experience God’s Supreme Grace. 

     In eternity, we are going to grow and increase in our righteousness and holiness.

     The fallen angels lost their place in heaven and could never regain it. They are reserved for judgment (Jude 6). Fallen humanity who receive salvation will gain the holiness of heaven by God’s grace and we shall never lose it. 

     Peter must have longed for this supreme aspect of grace, because he spoke about being heirs together of the grace of life in 1 Peter 3:7. He spoke of “the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” in 1 Peter 1:13. And he concludes his letter with this great and blessed hope of all three aspects of our salvation by grace:

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus (past tense), after you have suffered a while (present tense), perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you (future tense in heaven when we are perfected permanently).” 

(1 Peter 5:10).

Sustaining Grace: Our Salvation from the Power of Sin

    Have your ever noticed the way that Paul starts off almost every epistle he sent?

     “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

     Why did the Apostle Paul impart a blessing of grace to those who are already believers? True, Paul wanted to convey saving grace to those who were not saved, but why would he wish grace to the churches, if those who are in the churches were already saved.

     It is because there is more to grace than salvation from the penalty of sin. Within the vastness, the limitlessness, the infinite grace of God, grace also means our deliverance from the power of sin. We are sustained by grace and we are the recipients of God’s sustaining GRACE.

     Where in the Bible do we see God’s sustaining grace? Virtually on every page we see God’s favor upon His people who are saved but need God’s sustaining grace. For this study, let’s look at a few passages.

     In Acts 14:26, we see this gem of a verse: “From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.” It wasn’t salvational grace that was commended to Paul and the missionaries, but His sustaining grace, His presence and sustaining power which enabled them to do the work.

     Let’s look somewhere else for God’s sustaining grace. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says, “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.”

     Salvation is not just to save you from the penalty of sin, grace is also freely given so that we can be delivered from the very power of sin. Paul said if others saw anything good in him, “it is not I who do it but it is God’s grace which makes me who I am.” His grace wasn’t a one-time shot, nor was it in vain but his grace compels me to labor all the harder, all the more abundantly for God has not only saved me, He is sustaining me. 

     But even more than that, I was reminded recently that God not only sustains us in His power, but also in our weakness. There was a time when the Apostle Paul was unable to do what he knew God had been given the power to do. He felt weak, powerless, and beaten up by Satan. He pleaded in prayer repeatedly to no avail, losing to this prickling power of the carnal, sinful world. At long last, Jesus spoke to Paul’s heart, saying, “My grace is enough for you. Your failure is not My failure, in fact your powerlessness perfects My powerfulness in you.”

     From that moment on, Paul no longer was discouraged by his perceived powerlessness. In fact, he boasted in his infirmities, in his reproaches, in his needs, in his persecutions, in his distresses. In every weakness, Paul looked to Christ’s power and said, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” 

    Did that last line sound familiar? Not only is it found in 2 Cor. 12:10, it is also sung in a children’s song: 

Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak but He is strong.

     Don’t be discouraged by sin’s power. We have been delivered from the penalty of sin and we are being saved from the power of sin. But one day, we shall be delivered from the presence of sin! 

Believe Chapter 3 -- Salvation and the Penalty of Sin

     The book Believe does a dandy summation of how salvation was achieved: From our fall in the garden, the foreshadow in the Passover, the prophecy of Christ’s coming in Isaiah, to the fulfillment in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and then Paul’s explanation in Romans.

     (By the way, when was the last time you heard the word dandy in casual conversation?)

          Our salvation comes by God’s blessing, God’s favor, His undeserved kindness and gift to us. That comes by God’s Grace. Grace and salvation is at its foundation the good news that we have been delivered from the penalty our sins and that penalty is eternal death and separation from God.

      So today, let us look at the foundation, saving grace. First, know that it is God who initiates salvation, not us. God is the author of our salvation and thus he is the author of grace. In Ephesians 2: 4-9, we see that grace works in our salvation. It is through grace, God’s gift to us, that salvation begins.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 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.

     Grace in Greek is charis. That’s right, the same word used in the word charismatic. It’s also used in the word charm, charity and charitable. It literally means gift or gifted. Those who have some inbred charisma are naturally gifted and people are naturally drawn to them.

    So Grace is a gift and therefore we do not purchase, buy, deserve or earn a gift. It is based on the Giver! There are no “takebacks” with God.

     “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” that is number one part of the gospel (see 1 Cor. 15:3). But notice that it is a done deal. We have been saved from our sins. If we “have been saved” with the emphasis of the past tense, then we do not need to worry that somehow God is going to “unsave” us. If salvation is a gift by His grace so that we would not boast, how then could our salvation be kept by us and by our works which would only lead us to boast?

    The gospel or good news is that God’s grace, His riches, His blessings do not end at the sinner’s prayer. That’s just the beginning. His Amazing Grace does not cease or even diminish once salvation is imparted. God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense is not terminated at our regeneration. Grace is initialized at our salvation, but it is also realized in our sanctification. 

     We will see that tomorrow.