Last week's House Church teaching began a series called "The Grace by Which We Stand". This series focuses on how we understand grace and how deeply it impacts our lives. Each week there will be a specific testimony given of how living outside of grace and then finding it has changed lives.
The text for this week was Romans 5:1-5:
This series on grace does not make light of the high cost of sin, to cheapen its effect, or even cheapen grace itself. The message is designed to lead us into solid Biblical grounds that keep us from something so many of us struggle with day to day - condemnation of the adversary. Until we learn more about Biblical grace it is easy to fall into the adversary's trap: he hands us our shame and failures and simply lets us beat ourselves with condemnation. This means that we aren't living in the reality of God's love! Love and grace have in fact been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we must break away from our guilt and shame. Are you tired of living in constant guilt and condemnation?
The Spiritual Domino Effect:
Peace with God introduces us to His Grace. Grace leads us to learn to stand in triumph in the midst of trials, knowing that the outcome is designed by God to produce perseverance. Perseverance and patience are a supernatural gift that is designed to allow God to forge within me proven character: steel in our souls, strength of character, uprightness. These things breed hope in all situations and "hope does not disappoint".
- How do we reach this grace? By faith we reach up to Christ. The cross shows us how.
2. Verse 2 says that we are introduced to His Grace by faith.
- This means that now that we know God's peace through Christ's work on the cross, we are taken by the hand and lead to grace. Knowing Him introduces us to His grace, His mercy, and His continued work in our hearts and lives.
- Grace makes us understood by Christ:
We are a work in progress.
We fail.
We cannot be saved by works.
The power of the cross is the power of Jesus' innocent blood spilled for our guilt to
cleanse us of all sins daily and forever. This grace, undeserved and daily given, is
the Grace by Which We Stand.
- This is the way that we plant our feet solidly in life: faith enough to take Jesus' hand.
3. Verse 3 shows us the effective outcome of trials. Because we are introduced to His Grace and walking in His peace, we can exult in the Hope of the glory of God.
- Trials are designed by God for a progressive work in our lives with a precious outcome. They are not waste, not in vain, and not cruel. See James 1: 2-4 and James 1:12.
- Not only do we survive trials and learn, but they produce effective qualities in us and also "precious songs in the night". In Psalms 42:8, David wrote these words: "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life." Job 35:11 is another example to look at.
4. Verse 3 says that trials bring about perseverance, patience, steadfastness little by little when we abide in grace. These qualities are wrought in us and are gifts from God that allow us to stand in the midst of life while many around us fall.
- If we do not abide in Christ's love and mercy, we experience anxiety, stress, hopelessness, fear, fatigue and depression.
5. Verse 4 emphasizes "proven character" that makes us upright, unwavering, with steel in our souls.
- This proven character holds fast to integrity. See Job 2:3.
- God can use this, but men also. We are in need of a generation of proven character, integrity that has been forged through trials.
6. Verses 4 & 5 discuss the way that grace leads all the way to hope.
- Hope cannot and does not disappoint. Why not? Now that we have peace with God and have been introduced to His grace, we walk through our trials with perseverance and patience which shapes a proven and upright characters which in turn breeds hope in all circumstances so that we can stand in grace.
- We stand because we are experiencing the daily love of God being poured out within our hearts - enough to overflow into the lives of others through the Holy Spirit.
Join us this Sunday, April 14th, for a continuation of this series.
The text for this week was Romans 5:1-5:
"Therefore, having been justified by faith,we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance,proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."
This series on grace does not make light of the high cost of sin, to cheapen its effect, or even cheapen grace itself. The message is designed to lead us into solid Biblical grounds that keep us from something so many of us struggle with day to day - condemnation of the adversary. Until we learn more about Biblical grace it is easy to fall into the adversary's trap: he hands us our shame and failures and simply lets us beat ourselves with condemnation. This means that we aren't living in the reality of God's love! Love and grace have in fact been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we must break away from our guilt and shame. Are you tired of living in constant guilt and condemnation?
The Spiritual Domino Effect:
Peace with God introduces us to His Grace. Grace leads us to learn to stand in triumph in the midst of trials, knowing that the outcome is designed by God to produce perseverance. Perseverance and patience are a supernatural gift that is designed to allow God to forge within me proven character: steel in our souls, strength of character, uprightness. These things breed hope in all situations and "hope does not disappoint".
- Verse 1 emphasizes that Grace gives us peace with God through Jesus and Jesus only (see Romans 4:24 & 25).
- We have come to understand that it is not only peace with God through Christ, but also His peace in all of life.
- How do we reach this grace? By faith we reach up to Christ. The cross shows us how.
2. Verse 2 says that we are introduced to His Grace by faith.
- This means that now that we know God's peace through Christ's work on the cross, we are taken by the hand and lead to grace. Knowing Him introduces us to His grace, His mercy, and His continued work in our hearts and lives.
- Grace makes us understood by Christ:
We are a work in progress.
We fail.
We cannot be saved by works.
The power of the cross is the power of Jesus' innocent blood spilled for our guilt to
cleanse us of all sins daily and forever. This grace, undeserved and daily given, is
the Grace by Which We Stand.
- This is the way that we plant our feet solidly in life: faith enough to take Jesus' hand.
3. Verse 3 shows us the effective outcome of trials. Because we are introduced to His Grace and walking in His peace, we can exult in the Hope of the glory of God.
- Trials are designed by God for a progressive work in our lives with a precious outcome. They are not waste, not in vain, and not cruel. See James 1: 2-4 and James 1:12.
- Not only do we survive trials and learn, but they produce effective qualities in us and also "precious songs in the night". In Psalms 42:8, David wrote these words: "The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life." Job 35:11 is another example to look at.
4. Verse 3 says that trials bring about perseverance, patience, steadfastness little by little when we abide in grace. These qualities are wrought in us and are gifts from God that allow us to stand in the midst of life while many around us fall.
- If we do not abide in Christ's love and mercy, we experience anxiety, stress, hopelessness, fear, fatigue and depression.
5. Verse 4 emphasizes "proven character" that makes us upright, unwavering, with steel in our souls.
- This proven character holds fast to integrity. See Job 2:3.
- God can use this, but men also. We are in need of a generation of proven character, integrity that has been forged through trials.
6. Verses 4 & 5 discuss the way that grace leads all the way to hope.
- Hope cannot and does not disappoint. Why not? Now that we have peace with God and have been introduced to His grace, we walk through our trials with perseverance and patience which shapes a proven and upright characters which in turn breeds hope in all circumstances so that we can stand in grace.
- We stand because we are experiencing the daily love of God being poured out within our hearts - enough to overflow into the lives of others through the Holy Spirit.
Join us this Sunday, April 14th, for a continuation of this series.
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