Grace in Service
  1. Growing in the Grace of God
    1. Grow in Grace (2 Pe. 3:18)
      1. Grace is a realm or sphere that we live in
      2. We are to grow within this sphere
    2. Grace helps you become what you are (1 Co. 15:10)
      1. Rejects pride
      2. Requires effort
        1. God does not do for you what you can do for yourself
        2. God’s grace works with you, not in spite of you
        3. You must be a good steward of the gifts and abilities God gives you
  2. Continuing in the Grace of God
    1. Continue in grace (Acts 13:43)
      1. Grace must be finished (2 Co. 8:6)
        1. Growth can be stunted
        2. You never arrive
      2. Paul finished his course
      3. Hymenaeus & Demas (1 Ti. 1:20; cp. 1:14; 2 Ti. 2:17; 4:10)
    2. Law and Grace
      1. Either "under" law or "under" grace (Ro. 6:14-15; Gal. 5:4)
        1. Realm or sphere of activity
        2. You get "in" grace through faith in Jesus Christ
      2. Law Gives
        1. Punishment
        2. Guilt
          1. "all have sinned"
          2. Illus. You get pulled over for speeding and argue with the policeman, "I haven’t murdered or stolen." He’ll still give you a ticket. If you are guilty in one point you are guilty of breaking the Law!
        3. Knowledge of sin (Ro. 7:7)
        4. Greater urge to sin
          1. Illus. "Don’t walk on the grass" causes us to do it
          2. By nature we are rebellious and have an urge to break a law that is given to us.
      3. Grace provides a means for escaping punishment
        1. He. 2:9 "by grace tasted death for every man"
        2. Given freely (Ro. 3:24)
        3. Through Jesus Christ (Ro. 5:15-17)
        4. Grace covers any sin (Ro. 5:20-21)
          1. Illus. Dahmer’s supposed salvation. I have a difficult time with it, yet it is possible.
          2. Grace is sufficient
    3. Grace is not antinomian (Ro. 6:14-15)
      1. Grace frees from sin, it does not free us to sin
      2. God saved us to make us holy
      3. What grace does
        1. Puts us under a different law¾ the law of Christ
        2. Puts us under a different realm¾ the realm of grace
        3. Puts us under a different kingdom¾ the kingdom of God
      4. Compare the law of sin and the law of God (7:25)
        1. Motivation: Love for Christ
        2. I do my duty as an expression of my love
  3. Failing the Grace of God

    4. Note: Can’t lose salvation. See attached notes.

    1. Frustrate the Grace of God (Gal. 2:21)
      1. By not living in the realm of grace
      2. By living under the law
    2. Fail the grace of God (He. 12:15)
      1. Requires holiness
      2. Requires diligence
      3. Illus. The holiness of Mt. Sinai
      4. Cp. 10:28-29
        1. Components: grace, reverence, fear
        2. "Fearful thing to fall into the hands…"
    3. Waste the Grace of God (2 Co. 6:1)
      1. Illus. Wasted opportunities
      2. Wasted resources
    4. Corrupt the grace of God (Jude 4)
      1. These are not really saved
      2. They do not understand the true nature of grace
      3. They re-define grace to suit their needs
        1. Homosexuality becomes alternate lifestyle, gay
        2. Adultery = affair
        3. Drunkenness = disease
        4. Rebellion = independence
        5. Doing the wrong thing is now doing your own thing
      4. Lowering standards
        1. OK to lie if it’s about sex
        2. Pass w/o knowing how to read
        3. Duty has been replaced by desire
        4. Principle has been replaced by passion
        5. Discipline is passe
        6. Instead of do right, we try to feel good