Sunnyside First Baptist Church
Who I AM - Grace

  • Where we have been...

    I have in the past been in awe of God and how he works in ALL of His ways towards us, towards the universe. We are not there yet, but someday, all of everyone, science, spirituality, religion will realize that God is the beginner of everything. That everything that we see around is in fact created by God and is under His control.
    We worked through some difficult attributes of God. I hope that you felt the pull, the burden, the draw to understand more and more about God and how He has put together the foundation of our universe… ALL OF IT.
    So far in our study we have looked at the immensity of God, His infinite-ness, His Goodness, His Justice and Righteousness, His Mercy and this week we are looking at His Grace! This is a great topic.
    Please don’t rest in knowing that God is Merciful so He MUST be graceful.
    Mercy… my definition, because I asked you to come up with your own last week, if you remember
    Mercy is… God’s absolute willingness to compassionately forgive His people. Especially considering our circumstances.
    In light of the circumstances that we find our selves in by our own doing or God’s doing His is ready to FORGIVE us our unrighteousness and restore our relationship with Him.
    GOD’S GRACE
    So we have arrived at the place of God’s Grace. This is more than an attribute, a character reference, this is God
    GOD IS GRACE
    Grace flows from the depths of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit… The Trinity.
    Grace we often times think is a Jesus thing… Jesus died and on the cross and because of that death we have Grace from God and that is the definition of Grace.
    We do have Grace because of Jesus once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. But that definition alone misses the mark.
    Here is a definition, that frequently leaves more questions unanswered that questions that are answered
    God Grace… Is His unmerited divine favor, a favor from which comes many gifts.
    The gifts that we receive, especially those of salvation, comes on the shoulders of Jesus Christ. The gift of Grace also gives us MANY, MANY other gifts.
    Grace sets us apart from all other religions… there is a sense that God incarnate as Jesus, was the only one that could fairly represent the grace of God
    The very center and the core of the Bible is God’s Grace.
    The works of God in creation as well as his covenants, his promises, his word and all of his work of Redemption… ALL SPRING FROM HIS GRACE.
    God’s Grace towards mankind rises from the core of who He is… HE is Gracious.
    From the depth of the Old Testament
    Exodus 34:6 NIV84
    6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
    The Grace of God is NOT a reaction to our circumstances. Grace is an extension of who God is in eternity
    John 1:14–18 NIV84
    14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ ” 16 From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.
    By receiving the Grace of God through Christ…
    We participate in the divine fullness of “the love of God and fellowship of the Spirit
    2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV84
    14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
    So I want to leave this for a minute and talk about Grace...
    We are by the Grace of God, redeemed from our sin. My sin no longer counts against me because of the Grace of God.
    I’m not sure about you, but God’s Grace, the unmerited favor of God, has protected me… from me!
    My destructive life was leading me away from God, God’s people, my wife and my family.
    He paid the ransom for those sins in my life.
    Jeff you ask… How is that possible. Jesus died 2000 years ago how could he do that.
    Romans 5:8 NIV84
    8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    The single redemptive act, Jesus death on the cross, made a way for my sin, for my separation from God to be healed and forgiven.
    Okay… one more thing Jeff, you have not shown me that Grace is anything but a New Testament thing.
    God has given His unmerited favor throughout the Old Testament
    Here are a couple of instances where God has released His Grace
    Genesis 6:8 KJV 1900
    8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
    The context of this passage is clear… God intended to wipe out ALL living creatures… ALL of them. Except for Noah. Because Noah found God to be Graceful.
    He found unmerited favor in the eyes of God. Was Noah sinless… NO. Had he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior… No. What made Noah different??
    Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord!
    Another example…
    Moses was preparing to come down the mountain with the very oracles of God
    Exodus 32:7 NIV84
    7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
    They made idols
    They have become corrupt
    Exodus 32:11 NIV84
    11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “O Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?
    “The Favor” = “The Grace”
    Exodus 32:13 NIV84
    13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ”
    Moses actually sought the “Grace of God.” He reasoned with God, asking for a pardon from the peoples sin.
    Exodus 32:14 NIV84
    14 Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.
    Did Moses make God, change His mind???
    NEVER!!! God knew the results of the “discussion” before it ever happened. He wanted to demonstrate His GRACE to Moses. To Show Noah, UNMERITED FAVOR.
    God did not deal with Moses on the basis of the Law… he would have to killed him. Instead God dealt with Moses on the basis of GRACE.
    Grace Flows from God’s Goodness
    Grace is God’s goodness confronting human guilt
    POINT#1 - GOD’S GRACE IS HIS “GOODNESS” CONFRONTING OUR SIN!
    We try to decide where God’s Grace is and who it should and should not be given. We decide that it should be given out here and withheld there. Really by OUR own choosing...
    That is NOT how God uses Grace. His Grace is as prevalent as the air that we breath.
    We don’t get to decide who Grace is given to. This is a God ONLY thing
    I’ve heard it said
    Well he made is own bed… He’ll have to sleep in it
    The consequences of that sin will be so severe that he or she will never see the light of day again.
    This child has broken EVERY ONE of my rules… There is NO HOPE for them.
    This behavior is going to lead to ruin. So much ruin, even God cannot redeem them.
    I have one word… FALSE, FALSE, FALSE, FALSE a thousand times over.
    You and I have lived long enough that we have seen the vilest of sinners set free and we have seen the Grace of God act in really unimaginable ways.
    The fact is...
    We do NOT have the mind of God and we CANNOT play God.
    POINT #2 - GRACE IS THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION.
    This is an important point...
    No one was ever saved, no one is now saved and no one will ever be saved except by GRACE.
    Grace ALWAYS comes by Jesus Christ
    You see the Law was given by Moses but Grace came by Jesus Christ.
    That does not mean that there was no Grace before Christ came.
    The cross of Christ… either looking forward to it or looking back on is the single point in all of History when Grace overwhelmed the world with God’s love.
    The grace did not come when:
    Christ was born in a manger.
    It did not come when Christ was baptized or anointed of the Spirit.
    It did not come when He died on a cross;
    it did not come when He rose from the dead.
    It did not come when He went to the Father’s right hand.
    “Grace came from the ancient beginnings through Jesus Christ the eternal Son and was manifest on the cross of Calvary”, in fiery blood and tears and sweat and death. But it has always been operative from the beginning.
    Everybody from Abel, who murdered his brother, was saved by looking forward to the cross. Grace came by Jesus Christ . And everyone that ‘s been saved since is saved by looking back at the cross.
    So the grace of God is operated toward everybody.
    But the saving grace of God is different. When the grace of God becomes operative through faith in Jesus Christ then there is the new birth.
    But the grace of God nevertheless holds back any judgment that would come until God in His kindness has given everyone a chance to repent.
    Grace is available to EVERYONE but only by repentance.
    POINT #3 - HOW SHOULD WE LOOK AT GRACE?
    One of those ways is this, Grace must be vast and huge as the universe to forgive a person like me. I have committed every sin possible.
    There is another way… Grace is way that God is. God being God, when He shows grace to a sinner, He is acting like God. He’ll never act in any other way than to be full of Grace.
    There is a flip side to this that we must talk about.
    When a person who is condemned, that would be all of us… turns His back on God and refuses to be rescued. That’s when God being God acts like God.
    God judges that person… sometimes so they would return to God, a sinner asking for forgiveness, a broken person seeking redemption and repentance.
    But in some cases, that only God knows, God’s full and complete judgement comes down on that person.
    If you’re out of the grace of God, do you know where the grace is? Turn your eyes upon Jesus, and there’s the grace of God flowing free for you—all the grace you need.
    If you set your teeth against Him, the grace of God might as well not exist for you. And Christ might as well not have died.
    The who and why are not up to us but are only in God’s mind
    ALWAYS God acts in accordance with His own wholly perfect nature… Period.
    A warning for you...
    Don’t try to understand… Just believe. Academics and skeptics just STOP! Just believe that God has Grace on everyone who looked forward at the cross and now back at the cross.
    It’s faith that made the Old Testament people righteous. It’s that faith looking toward the cross that released God’s Grace on them.
    It’s our faith as we look back at the cross that makes the difference for us! It opens the floodgates of Grace on our lives and in our Spirit if we look to Jesus as a once for all sacrifice for not only our sin but the sin of the world.
    Communion
    I hope today we can approach communion differently.
    Look at the Grace of God that he has given to the people of Old Testament...
    In spite of their sin and rebellion to God and to His Law he didn’t just wipe them off the map. Unless they completely turned their backs to God. And then He did with a vengeance.
    And then came Jesus, the incarnate God, who being just like God, did NOT consider being inequality with him. God incarnate, poured out his “God-ness” and became a man.
    He did this so that he would be an example to us… We, mankind, stuck with the sin nature of Adam. Looked forward to the time of a Redeemer. God sent THE Redeemer. Jesus Christ to be the once for all sacrifice for the sins of the world, Genesis 3 through Revelation 22.
    Today we come to the communion table. We approach as a people who are grateful for the saving GRACE of God that send Jesus and has forgiven our sin.
    If you have yet to acknowledge Jesus as your Savior, let these elements pass you and pray to God for your forgiveness and His Grace.
    SERVERS PLEASE COME!
    As we more into our communion time take a couple of minutes and go to the Father with your sin and ask forgiveness.
    1 John 1:9 NIV84
    9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
    Let’s remember… that Last Supper
    1 Corinthians 11:23–24 NIV84
    23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
    Servers please pass the elements...
    After supper Christ continued
    1 Corinthians 11:25–26 NIV84
    25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
    It is with our confession and repentance that we can boldly approach this communion table. Know that God welcomes us here and freely gives His grace to those who have turned to His Son.
    ​
  • This Is Amazing Grace
  • Grace Like A Wave
  • Your Grace Is Enough

      • Exodus 34:6NIV

      • John 1:14–18NIV

      • 2 Corinthians 13:14NIV

      • Romans 5:8NIV

      • Genesis 6:8NIV

      • Exodus 32:7NIV

      • Exodus 32:11NIV

      • Exodus 32:13NIV

      • Exodus 32:14NIV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:23–24NIV

      • 1 Corinthians 11:25–26NIV

  • O Praise The Name (Anástasis)
Sunnyside First Baptist Church
sunnysidefbc@gmail.com
509-837-3084
https://sunnysidefbc.faithlifesites.com
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