7 5 09 HT AM Going Grace Series Part 2 – Extending Grace
Going Grace Series Part 2 – Extending Grace
7 5 09 HT AM
Romans 5:6-8 NKJV
We continue today with our current series Going Grace, this campaign is not the same as going “green” rather its geared toward your life, its something you live by every day as you journey. This slogan of strength is to help you balance; your relationship with God and the reality of your human nature. The first step in Going Grace is to Accept Gods Grace for your life! Today we hit the second part as we talk about Extending Grace. Last week emphasized on our vertical relationship today is more of the horizontal.
Our model of extending grace is God – who in the purest sense of grace made provision for wrongs in advance of them being done. This model is our goal!
Romans 5:6 NKJV
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:7
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
One of our great challenges with accepting Gods grace is the fact that most of us never receive or give grace in a natural sense… meaning grace to and from one another…
We live in a world of two extremes – on one side we have needed grace and did not receive on another side, we have given grace only to find ourselves the recipient of repeated offenses and disappointment!
Our application definition of grace is simply: Unmerited Favor
Reasons we struggle with extending Grace –
1. We do not fully understand Gods grace
Ephesians 2:4 NLT
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much,
Ephesians 2:5
that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
· The more we understand Gods grace the more we can extend grace.
2. We tend to exploit others and excuse ourselves
Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV) 3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
3. We think wrongs will go “unpunished”
Proverbs 24:12 NLT Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
Romans 14 introduces to us the concept of accepting others and making allowance for them. The immediate context is that of religious practices in things such as days and food items. Personally I think you should eat and worship everyday J. In this passage however a broader context established by the surrounding chapters, book for our application on how we can extend grace to others.
Keys to extending grace –
1. Accept others
Romans 14:1 NKJV
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things.
Romans 14:2
For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
Romans 14:3
Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him.
When we accept others as they are we:
· Encourage Community
· Experience Comfort
· Eliminate Conformity
2. Allow them to live?
Romans 14:4 NKJV
Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:5
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
Romans 14:6
He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
Romans 14:7
For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
Romans 14:8
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
When we allow others to live their life we:
· Eliminate Insecurity
· Eliminate Control
3. Acknowledge God’s role – the role He plays in every life.
Romans 14:10 NKJV
But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Romans 14:11
For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.”
Romans 14:12
So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
When we understand Gods role we see that He:
· Is Omniscience –
Proverbs 15:3 NLT The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.
· Has Expectation – we measure up to God ( parable of the talents)
· He enforces Accountability – each one will give account (Romans 14:10)
Final point is a bit of a shift… the whole point of grace is that someone provides it to us… yet in grace is a two way component.
4. Accept Personal Responsibility
Romans 14:13 NKJV
Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
Romans 14:19
Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
When we accept Personal Responsibility we:
· Reduce Relational Incursions J
Incursion is an Aviation term for a plane going somewhere is should not, creating a possible confusion or worse crash for itself or another plane.
In our relationships grace is a challenge – what another does impacts each one of us.
Romans 6:1 NLT
Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?
Romans 6:2
Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
I challenge you to thoroughly consider the impact of each of your actions.
Colossians 3:12-13 NLT Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
People need grace most when the deserve it the least and least expect it! Give someone today undeserved and unexpected grace!!