Here are the notes for the Bible Study on Grace - God Blessing Us.
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Be blessed!
Chris
Grace - God Blessing Us
1. Grace - The Key to Fruitfulness
Fruit is something that grows when you give the plant what it needs. You cannot force the plant to bear fruit!
Our fruitfulness increases as we increase in our understanding of God’s goodness, His abounding grace, towards us. Conversely, if we don’t know the real Him, the gracious God, we won’t be fruitful.
Colossians 1: 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; (NKJV)
Bringing forth fruit results from us hearing and knowing the grace of God in truth.
2. The Problem of Motivation
We often don’t have a very strong motivation for the things of God.
DIET and EXERCISE example – like athletes have motivation to win.
If we don’t know or don’t believe that what we are doing is greatly beneficial for us, we won’t do it. THAT’S why we study scriptures!
3. Godliness is Profitable!
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. (NKJV)
Godliness is profitable. Ungodliness is not. Satan has lied that godliness as poor, miserable, restrictive, prudish, selling sin and ungodliness as being more beneficial. The Church has by and large also believed that for too long.
Godliness is fun, victorious, beneficial, cool. Ungodliness is not.
If we don’t realise this, we won’t have motivation.
If we realise that we have benefits for eternity for this short life, motivation goes up. If we realise it benefits us here today, man that’s motivation!
Remember that there is promise for now and that which is to come! If we think it only benefits after death, we are likely to put it off.
Your walk with God has to be a pull, not a push. You need to be drawn by the motivation of the love of God, the rewards He has for us, His grace, not pushed by guilt.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, 12 that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
God can fulfill the good pleasure of His goodness and work of faith, according to the grace of God. We can stymie the grace with unbelief!
4. Understand Grace = Great Blessings
Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (NKJV)
What builds us up? The Word of Grace. When we try to do anything for God without realising, without leaning on His goodness, we will fail - Rom 2:4
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (NKJV)
Jesus' grace to us will cause us to abound, Him becoming poor that we may be rich.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (NKJV)
Grace gives us abundance for every good work, to have sufficiency in all things.
5. Grace Bearing Fruit
Grace Resulted in Generosity
2 Corinthians 8: 1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. (NKJV)
The Macedonian church obviously held on this promise:
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (NKJV)
Jesus' grace to us will cause us to abound, Him becoming poor that we may be rich.
Other verses
2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. (NKJV)
Everlasting consolation and good hope come by grace and they comfort our hearts and establish us in every good word and work.
6. Grace Came Because of Jesus
John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (NKJV)
John 1:16 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. (NLT)
It was the finished work of Jesus that afforded us great grace.
1 Corinthians 1:4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, (NKJV)
Other verses
Philippians 1:7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. (NKJV)
1 Peter 1: 13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (NKJV)
7. The Take Away
- Grace will cause us to be FRUITFUL
- We need to know WHY!
- A fruitful life of Godliness has great benefit for life here and for all of eternity!
- Jesus came to bring us all blessings through Grace
- We have, as a church, the Grace needed for all things
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