Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host)
Series Code: GPL
Program Code: GPL000002
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00:01 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
00:02 Can you identify God's three greatest gifts to humanity? 00:06 If we recognize His three greatest gifts of grace, 00:10 we will recognize the effects of God's grace. 00:13 Please join us now as we look 00:15 into the good news from the word of God. 00:39 Welcome to "The Grace Pipeline." 00:41 This series is a Bible study if you will. 00:45 It's a journey through scripture 00:47 and it follows the Bible study that I was privileged 00:50 to write on the topic of grace by the same title. 00:53 On our last program, we considered 00:55 how the love of God is the compelling force 00:58 behind the grace of God. 01:00 Today we will identify God's three greatest gifts. 01:04 And that will help us to define grace. 01:07 If you are following along in the companion book, 01:10 we are beginning in chapter 1 page 15. 01:13 Now on the last program I shared an illustration 01:16 the Lord gave to me that helps us understand 01:19 his super system of grace as explained in scripture. 01:23 I want to do a quick review with you. 01:25 God's heart wells with love for us. 01:28 And from that well of love flow all of God's blessings. 01:32 Grace is the pipeline through which all of these 01:35 blessings come from heaven to earth. 01:38 Faith is the faucet. 01:39 It's how we tap into God's grace pipeline. 01:42 And our faith regulates the release of blessings 01:45 from His great reservoir. 01:47 Prayer is the handle that opens the faith faucet, 01:50 trust is the foundation for the prayer of faith, 01:53 and relationship is the foundation for trust. 01:57 So love is the foundation for any relationship. 02:01 The greater our understanding of God's love for us, 02:05 the greater our love will be for Him. 02:07 In 1 John 4:19 the Apostle says 02:10 "We love him because He first loved us." 02:14 Greater love creates a more intimate relationship with Him 02:18 which creates more trust. 02:20 And that trust helps us to increase 02:24 our persistence in praying. 02:27 Prayer develops actions of faith. 02:29 And faith is how we tap into God's grace pipeline 02:32 and receive His wonderful blessings. 02:35 So what is grace? How do we define it? 02:39 If you've been a Christian for any length of time 02:42 I can almost hear you muttering God's unmerited favor. 02:46 Yes, yes, that's it, isn't it? 02:48 For all the years that I have shared this teaching, 02:51 that is the standard responses that audiences give 02:55 when I pose this question. 02:57 However I find fault with this definition. 03:00 It is not that it is untrue. 03:03 It is just far too narrow to express 03:06 the spectacular scope of grace. 03:10 And when I urge people to elaborate 03:12 on the definition of grace 03:14 they will often offer the explanation, 03:17 meaning God's graciousness to us 03:20 manifested in His undeserved mercy that saves sinners. 03:24 No, no, no. God's graciousness is an attribute. 03:29 It is an--His attitude and attribute of His character. 03:33 But grace is an act of the divine donor. 03:37 He expresses his dynamic forces of His grace 03:41 through specific acts and gifts. 03:44 Let me illustrate this important distinction. 03:47 Our gracious God is merciful. 03:50 That's His attitude, His attribute. 03:52 But by grace he extends pardon, a specific act or gift. 03:59 Before we unpack the customary definition 04:03 of God's unmerited favor, 04:05 let's examine something of interest 04:09 from the original Greek language. 04:11 What I'd like to do is just briefly consider 04:15 four related Greek words. 04:17 And those words are chairo, charis, charisma, and charakter. 04:24 So what is chairo? 04:26 Chairo is the root word for grace. 04:30 And it means to rejoice. 04:32 Charis, that is actually the word for grace. 04:36 And it represents multiple but related concepts. 04:39 It's used in numerous senses in scripture. 04:43 It can mean gracefulness, loveliness, agreeableness, 04:47 acceptableness, gratitude or thankfulness. 04:50 But by far, the most prominent meaning is the act of favor, 04:56 the goodwill gift, freely bestowed by God. 04:59 And when it comes to charis, the word "grace," 05:02 I like what Strong's Concordance offers. 05:04 It's a most notable definition of grace. 05:08 Here is what Strong's Concordance says. 05:10 That grace is "the divine influence upon the heart 05:15 and its reflection in the life." 05:18 So now let's consider "charisma." 05:21 That is a divine gift of grace. 05:23 And charismata is the plural form of this noun. 05:26 And then there is "charakter." 05:29 This is a related word that has to do 05:31 with a genuine engraved work of art 05:34 in which the features of the created image 05:37 perfectly match the instrument or the person producing it. 05:42 This word stresses complete similarity, an exact image of, 05:47 or the express representation of something or someone. 05:52 We derive the English word character from this definition. 05:57 And that's to define the moral nature of a person. 06:00 So these four related Greek words paint-- 06:06 they come from the New Testament. 06:07 They're grouped together. 06:09 They paint an incredible word picture. 06:13 Did you perceive it? 06:15 God pours out His charis, His grace from on high 06:19 through his heavenly pipeline to offer us charismata, 06:23 His gifts of grace, with divine power 06:27 that will recreate within us a charakter or character 06:32 that is in harmony with His divine nature. 06:35 That's why the root word of grace is chairo, to rejoice. 06:40 You know we can rejoice. 06:42 Grace results in our rescue and renewal. 06:46 God desires to fashion us into His genuine work of art, 06:51 recreating in us His very image. 06:54 Our transformation is a work of God within us 06:58 accomplished by His grace. 07:01 That's what the Apostle Paul explained in Ephesians 2:10. 07:06 And this is what it says, 07:09 "For we are God's own handiwork His workmanship, 07:14 recreated in Christ Jesus born anew 07:17 that we may do those good works 07:20 which God predestined planned beforehand for us 07:25 taking paths which He prepared ahead of time, 07:29 that we should walk in them living the good life 07:33 which He prearranged and made ready for us to live." 07:38 Now let's revisit the standard definition of grace 07:41 and see what we can uncover. 07:43 Unmerited favor. What does it mean? 07:47 Well, unmerited means that we don't deserve it. 07:51 Not by self worth. There's nothing we can do to earn it. 07:54 And favor represents a divine gift 07:58 that bestows blessing and benefit. 08:01 So even within conventional confines 08:03 we see that grace is a spontaneous action 08:07 of love from God as he bestows His free gifts 08:12 on undeserving people like me and like you 08:16 who will accept His generosity by faith. 08:20 What is the single most exceptional revelation, 08:25 the greatest gift of God's love to the rebellious human race? 08:31 More accurately I should say, who is. 08:34 John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world, 08:39 He gave His only begotten Son 08:42 that whosoever believes in Him should not perish. 08:46 But have everlasting life." 08:48 And Paul takes note of God's overwhelming generosity, 08:53 saying in Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son 08:58 but delivered Him up for all, 09:01 how shall He not with Him also give us all good things." 09:08 Nothing else can compare 09:11 to the gift of God's grace found in our Savior. 09:14 And Romans 5:2 informs us that it is through Christ Jesus 09:20 that we have access by faith into this grace 09:23 in which we stand and can rejoice of the glory of God. 09:28 This hope-- hallelujah-- 09:31 God manifests His matchless grace to us 09:36 through three specific and undeserved gifts. 09:41 Number one of the three greatest gifts of grace 09:44 is Jesus Christ and His merits. 09:48 Number 2 is the Holy Spirit and His influencing assistance. 09:53 And number 3 is the Holy Scriptures 09:56 that yield knowledge of our Lord and the power of His promise. 10:03 As we examine these three greatest gifts of grace 10:07 in upcoming programs, we will begin to understand 10:11 that grace is God's divine power of salvation 10:15 to rescue us from sin and death, 10:18 to renew a right spirit within us, 10:21 and restore us to more purity. 10:24 God desires that we come to Him as little children, 10:28 learning to be absolutely depended upon Him. 10:33 All things come to us through His liberal acts of love. 10:38 God calls. He saves, He justifies, He sanctifies, 10:42 and He establishes us by grace. 10:45 Further we learn, repent, love, pray, 10:48 and even obey by grace. 10:52 We could list the affects of grace endlessly 10:55 but I think the point is becoming clear. 10:58 Grace is dynamic. And it is all sufficient. 11:02 That's why Jesus could say to Paul 11:05 that His grace is sufficient, 11:07 for His power is made perfect in weakness. 11:10 And it is through grace that we reign in life victoriously. 11:16 Look at this wonderful scripture promise 11:18 found in Romans 5:17. 11:20 It says "For if by the one man's offense," speaking of Adam. 11:26 "If by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, 11:30 much more those who receive abundance of grace 11:35 and of the gift of righteousness 11:37 will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ." 11:41 On our last program and so far in today's, 11:45 we have considered God's system of grace. 11:49 We've given you the long answer 11:50 to the question, "What is grace?" 11:52 So now let's condense this explanation 11:55 to a succinct definition. 11:58 One that you can easily remember. 12:01 "Divine grace is the unearned, 12:04 undeserved gifts bestowed by a God of infinite love 12:09 which provide His divine assistance 12:12 and supernatural power unto salvation." 12:17 Every good and perfect gift comes from above. 12:21 And it comes down from our perfect heavenly Father 12:24 through His grace pipeline. 12:27 God is the source of life. 12:29 So His grace is our source for spiritual life. 12:33 Grace imparts the life source of our Savior 12:37 who is willing to become a ransom and substitute. 12:41 Grace grants the life source of the Holy Spirit 12:44 who works in us to willing to do God's pleasure. 12:48 And grace supplies the life source of the word of God 12:53 which implanted in our hearts is able to save our souls 12:58 and make us partakers of His divine nature. 13:01 We truly have reason to rejoice. 13:05 Grace is the remedy for all that ails humanity. 13:09 And it is ours for the asking. 13:12 Allow me to share two wonderful Bible's accounts 13:16 that will help illustrate this. 13:19 The first is one of my favorites found in John 4:1-42. 13:25 And to conserve time I'm going to paraphrase for you. 13:29 If you're following along in the companion book, 13:31 we're beginning in the chapter 2. 13:35 What this story talks about, scripture tells us 13:37 that heading North from Judea to return to Galilee, 13:42 Jesus walked the direct route through Samaria. 13:45 And just outside the village of Sychar he became wearied 13:49 and stopped at Jacob's well 13:51 sending His disciples ahead to buy food. 13:54 So without a water pot and a rope to retrieve 13:57 the much needed refreshment from the deep well, 14:00 He rested nearby. It was noon. 14:03 A local Samarian woman approached, 14:06 surprised to see another person there 14:08 because the usual hours for villagers to draw 14:11 from the public well were in the morning or the evening. 14:14 She, however, came at midday. 14:18 Perhaps, purposely to avoid the critical glances 14:21 and the wagging tongues of those 14:23 who knew she lived in open sin. 14:26 Her intriguing history included married 14:28 just to five different men. 14:30 And her sixth, with whom she lived at that time, 14:33 was not her husband. 14:35 Little did she expect the life altering encounter 14:39 she was about to have with the seventh man, 14:42 Jesus, "the man of perfection." 14:45 Asking for a drink of water, 14:47 Christ startled her by His request. 14:50 This stranger was a Jew. 14:52 That much she recognized. 14:54 And the adversarial relationship between His people 14:57 and hers was one of mutual racial contempt. 15:02 Jews considered Samaritans half-breed mongrels 15:06 who practice a combination of heathenism 15:09 and the apostate Hebrew religion. 15:11 And Samaritans held bitter hostility against those 15:15 who pass through their land on the way to Jerusalem. 15:18 Moreover, it was not customary for Jewish men 15:21 to speak publicly with a woman. 15:23 So she asked Jesus-- she said, 15:26 "How is it that you being a Jew 15:29 can ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" 15:33 You know, the Samaritans knew of the expected Messiah, 15:36 the Savior of the world. 15:38 But this woman wasn't looking for the coming Christ that day. 15:42 She had not come to the well seeking grace. 15:45 Nonetheless, she came face to face 15:48 with the Master of grace who sought her. 15:52 I'm moved by what Jesus said next. 15:57 He didn't respond with a sermon 15:59 to explain their culture and doctrinal differences. 16:03 He didn't launch into scriptural apologetics 16:06 or chastise her for her sin. 16:09 He tenderly aroused her desire for grace 16:13 and stimulated a deep spiritual thirst within her soul. 16:18 Jesus answered and said to her, 16:22 "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you, 16:28 'give me a drink' you would have asked him 16:32 and He would have given you living water. 16:36 Whoever drinks of the water 16:38 that I shall give him will never thirst, 16:42 but the water that I shall give him 16:45 will become in him a fountain of water 16:48 springing up to everlasting life." 16:53 Oh, if only you knew. 16:55 If only you knew, he announced 16:57 that I am the gift of God 17:00 or as Revelation 13:8 describes Him, 17:02 "The lamb that was slain 17:04 from the foundation of the earth. 17:06 And as John, the Baptist described Him in John 1:29, 17:11 "The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." 17:16 Oh, dear woman, if only you knew 17:20 that I am the gift of God to you 17:22 and I can give you living water 17:24 that springs into everlasting life. 17:28 I vividly imagine Christ, spreading his arms widely 17:32 as he presented these words of grace 17:35 in a gesture of the posture He would assume on the cross 17:39 and equally a sign of a welcoming embrace. 17:42 Separated from God by her sin, 17:45 the woman's parched and withered heart desired more. 17:51 You know, that was a natural longing 17:53 because when God created humanity, 17:55 He implanted eternity in our hearts, 17:59 a divine sense of the purpose of life 18:02 that He alone can satisfy. 18:04 After further time and conversation with Him 18:07 the woman finally drew from the well 18:09 but not from the well of Jacob. 18:12 For she dropped her water pot 18:13 and she ran to the city 18:15 to share the testimony of her experience. 18:18 Many returned with her to meet Jesus, 18:22 joining in the journey of grace 18:24 and believed because of His word. 18:27 With joy that day there was thirsting souls 18:30 who believed true living water from the well of salvation. 18:36 This summary of the gospel of grace 18:39 is found in Ephesians 2:8, where Paul writes 18:43 "For by grace you have been saved 18:46 through faith and that not of your selves. 18:49 It is the gift of God." 18:53 Salvation is God's free gift, 18:56 born of His commitment of love for all of humanity 18:59 and His covenant of grace. 19:02 Now strangely the concept of His great hearted gift 19:06 is difficult for many to comprehend. 19:11 Because they feel unworthy of salvation, 19:15 some people avoid God all together 19:17 and others sit in church with a furrowed brow 19:20 and a frown having no assurance of salvation, 19:23 languishing in their labors, 19:25 wearied from their self effort to measure up to His standards. 19:30 In startling contrast to these are those 19:33 who claim God's grace, but live like the devil 19:37 and cry foul at any mention of obedience. 19:40 Now naturally there are categories 19:42 of better informed Christians 19:44 that exist between these extremes. 19:47 But the point is, often people 19:50 miss the joy of relationship with God 19:53 because they do not understand His grace. 19:58 In Acts 16, we find the conversion story 20:02 of a Philippian jailer and in verse 30 he asks, 20:06 "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 20:09 This question that was posed to Paul and Silas 20:13 by this trembling Philippian jailer 20:16 echoes within all hearts that are awakened 20:19 to the sense of their spiritual need. 20:22 Respondents to Peter's sermon asked at Pentecost 20:27 that an astonished Paul uttered similar words 20:30 on the road to Damascus when he saw the light. 20:35 The jailer's cry for salvation was legitimately born of fear. 20:40 He had been assigned to guard Silas 20:43 and the Apostle Paul who were accused 20:46 of being servants of the most high God 20:48 and whose backs had been plowed 20:51 by the rod of injustice. 20:53 The heathen jailer had listened with callous indifference 20:58 to their prayers and songs of praise 21:00 coming from their inner cell 21:02 and awakened at midnight by a mighty earthquake. 21:05 He witnessed the divine deliverance of an Almighty God 21:09 who broke their chains and shackles, 21:11 who loosed the bars of the prison doors 21:14 and opened their way of release. 21:17 You know by Roman law, 21:19 the jailer would have to answer with his own life 21:22 for the loss of those prisoners 21:24 whom he assumed had fled. 21:26 And so as he drew his sword to kill himself, 21:30 the men of God intervened to stop his act of his suicide. 21:34 And he realized that they made no attempt to escape. 21:38 But rather they demonstrated personal concern toward him. 21:43 Can't you just hear the jailer asking, 21:46 "Oh, you who proclaim the way of salvation, 21:50 tell me about your powerful God. 21:52 What must I do to be saved? 21:56 What steps are necessary?" he asked. 21:59 And striking while the iron was hot, 22:01 Paul and Silas summarize the gospel of God's grace 22:06 with these words in Acts 16:30. 22:11 Excuse me, this is verse 31. 22:14 It says "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 22:18 and you will be saved, you and your household." 22:25 The jailer hurried the disciples to his home. 22:28 He awakened everyone in his household, 22:30 giving Paul and Silas the opportunity 22:33 to deliver the gospel of God's grace, 22:36 including without doubt 22:37 the message of repentance and baptism. 22:41 He and his whole household accepted Christ as their Savior 22:46 and were baptized immediately. 22:48 Now in Acts 10 we find the narrative 22:52 of the very first mission of grace to the Gentiles. 22:55 And it was when Cornelius, a centurion of the Roman army, 23:00 he lived in Caesarea. 23:02 And he had learned of the one true God. 23:05 And he became a devout believer. 23:07 As he was earnestly praying one day, 23:09 an angel appeared to him and instructed him 23:13 to send for the Apostle Peter to receive a message from God. 23:18 And meanwhile, grace was in action 23:20 in the city of Joppa preparing 23:22 Peter's heart for this mission of mercy. 23:26 God gave Peter a vision of a great sheet, 23:30 one that was filled with common and unclean animals. 23:34 And then he told Peter, "Rise, eat 23:37 and don't consider common that which he had cleansed." 23:43 Peter was perplexed. 23:45 He was struggling spiritually to gain understanding. 23:50 And he would eventually realize that God's purpose 23:54 was to purge prejudice from his maturing 23:59 but imperfect Christian heart. 24:02 You see, orthodox Jews did not share fellowship with Gentiles. 24:07 They considered them unclean. 24:09 And Peter and the other Jewish Christians 24:12 still practiced this prideful prohibition. 24:16 So Peter prepared for the potential backlash 24:21 against his own ministry that would surely result 24:24 from his visit to the Gentiles' home. 24:27 He enlisted six Jewish Christians 24:30 to accompany him on the mission. 24:32 When Peter and his company arrived in Caesarea, 24:36 Cornelius and his household were eager to hear 24:40 all things commanded by God. 24:43 Finally the puzzled Apostle perceived 24:47 the meaning of the vision. 24:49 And he said it was that God shows no partiality 24:53 but accepts whoever fears him and works righteousness. 24:57 So Peter preached a simple message 25:00 explaining how God had anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit 25:04 and power to heal those oppressed by the devil. 25:08 He shared the cruelty of Christ's crucifixion 25:12 and the glory of His resurrection. 25:14 And he told how God ordained Christ 25:18 to be judge of the living and the dead. 25:21 And he concluded by saying in Acts 10:43, 25:26 "To him all the prophets witness that, 25:29 through his name, whoever believes in Him 25:32 will receive remission of sins." 25:36 While Peter was still speaking, 25:39 God poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit 25:42 on Cornelius and his household. 25:44 They tapped into the grace pipeline by faith 25:47 and receiving the spirit began to magnify God. 25:51 So Peter asked his uncircumcised, excuse me, 25:55 his circumcised traveling companions. 25:58 He said can anyone forbid water that they should not be baptized 26:03 who received the Holy Spirit just as we have. 26:07 And they recognized the household of Cornelius 26:12 as brothers in the Lord. 26:14 And they baptized them in the name of the Lord. 26:16 And the Jerusalem Christians stayed on several days, 26:20 certainly providing further instruction. 26:24 Can it possibly be true? 26:26 Is belief the only requirement for salvation? Yes. 26:30 But we must recognize this word "believe" used in Acts 10:43 26:36 in reference to Cornelius' household, 26:38 in Acts 16:31 in reference 26:40 to the Philippian jailer's household. 26:43 It meant more in the original language 26:45 than simply accepting something as truth. 26:48 To believe in Christ, meant to acknowledge 26:51 His divinity and power, to rely on Him as Savior 26:56 and to commit to make him Lord of your life. 26:59 For those who relayed on Him expectations of dramatic changes 27:05 accompanied their act of believing. 27:07 In other words when they accepted Jesus Christ 27:12 as the greatest gift of God's grace, 27:15 the effect that He had on them was life changing. 27:19 Well, our time has gone by quickly today. 27:24 We hope that you will join us next time 27:27 and tune in each time with your Bible in hands 27:30 and a pen and paper so that you can take note 27:33 of this scriptures and use them for your further study. 27:38 My prayer for you, for me, for people around the world 27:43 who call up on the name of the Lord 27:45 is that we will grow in grace 27:49 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 27:53 To Him be all the glory forever and ever. 27:58 Amen. Thank you. |
Revised 2014-12-17