Grace--God's Generosity Toward Us!

Sabbath School Class—Life as Discovery and Hope
May 16, 2009

Larry R Evans
Introductory Reflections
It is said that after his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon, met with some of his leading generals to review what had gone wrong. In the course of their discussion, the general pointed at England on the map before them and said, “Except for that red spot I would be master of the world.” Satan could say the same thing today except he would point to the cross on Calvary! You and I can be thankful for that red spot that rescued us from being dominated by our enemy. The love of God, the grace shown toward us by Christ, is not a quick study but rather a continuous study spanning every subject of the Bible. It is grace that “connects the dots” of all Bible teaching and what brings personal meaning while living in a world that gives so much space and time to physical pain and personal hurts of all kinds. Grace is the theme that brings life not only to the doctrines of the Bible but hope to everyone who has struggled with temptation and sin. This is not only our study this week. It needs to permeate not only what we believe but who we are and how we relate to others who treat us less than we deserve.

Reflective Quiz

1. Jesus Christ is the center of the Old Testament. [Gen. 3:15; Ex. 25:8; Isa. 53] True

The whole purpose of the earthly sanctuary service was to point to the coming of the Messiah. For example consider Hebrews 8:1, 2

Heb 8:1-2
8:1 The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. (NIV)

It was Jesus who was the sacrificed Lamb of God (Jn 1:29); it was Jesus who guided the Israelites in the desert (1 Cor. 10:3); it was Jesus whom Isaiah referred to as the suffering Servant. (Isa. 52, 53)

It has been said that a veterinarian can learn a lot about a dog owner he has never met just by observing the dog. By looking to Jesus we see much about God, His love for us and that there must be a plan bigger than what we can comprehend at the moment. The question, however, must also be asked: What can the world conclude about God by observing you and me as we make our priorities and face some of life’s challenges.

If we are to begin to understand grace and if we are to learn what kind of people we ought to be we should begin any study of grace by focusing on Jesus. In doing so we not only learn more about Jesus and the Father but we will develop a sense of identity and purpose. Grace has far more impact than the forgiveness of sin.

2. The symbol of a lamb taken to slaughter adequately conveys the full meaning of grace. [Isa. 53:7; Jn. 1:29; Matt. 20:28] False

Before we answer let’s look at Isa. 53:7,

7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth. (NIV)

While this is a powerful illustration of the sacrifice Christ was willing to make, it only tells a portion of the story.

Matt 20:27-28
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (NIV)

The idea of ransom suggests the release of someone held captive by means of a payment given for their release. The “Lamb’s” innocence while not negated isn’t the main point. Something more is added. A price must be paid for salvation to be possible and that payment (ransom) is a reflection of God’s grace.

There are other symbols which when taken together with lamb and ransom provide for us a deeper understanding of what grace really means.

3. We are saved by the example of Jesus. [Rom. 5:18; Isa. 53:4,5] False

Did Jesus leave us an example of a wholly, dedicated allegiance to the Father? Certainly! Note what Peter says,

1 Peter 2:21
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (NIV)

So help me now, how would you answer the question?
Let’s look at Rom 5:18-19

18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (NIV) )

Isa 53:4-5

4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (NIV)

Jesus saved us by being our substitute not by being our example. Of course, He is our Example in so many ways but our salvation is dependent on His sacrifice which replaces our due rewards for our own sinfulness.

4. “By beholding Christ” we become changed. [Heb. 12:2,3; 2 Cor. 3:16-18; Jn. 1:29] True
Heb 12:1-3
12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (NIV)

Let the repenting sinner fix his eyes upon "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29); and by beholding, he becomes changed. His fear is turned to joy, his doubts to hope. Gratitude springs up. The stony heart is broken. A tide of love sweeps into the soul. Christ is in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. When we see Jesus, a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, working to save the lost, slighted, scorned, derided, driven from city to city till His mission was accomplished; when we behold Him in Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood, and on the cross dying in agony,--when we see this, self will no longer clamor to be recognized. Looking unto Jesus, we shall be ashamed of our coldness, our lethargy, our self-seeking. [Ellen White in The Desire of Ages, p. 440.]

Grace doesn’t stop there! Grace impacts the way we see others as well.
2 Cor 5:16-21
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)

“A grace-full Christian is one who looks at the world through ‘grace-tinted lenses.’” [Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? p. 272]

5. The Sabbath and the Second Coming should be the central truth of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. [Eph. 2:4-10; Deut. 5:6, 15; Rev. 14:6-12, 14; Acts 17:28] False in the conventional sense.

Let’s take a look at the context of the Sabbath in the Old Testament:
In Deuteronomy we have the law of God given a second time and this time around a special emphasis is given. Note:

Deut 5:15
15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (NIV)

One context of the Sabbath is liberation or redemption! Who was it that set the slaves free? Was it Moses? No! He was simply God’s servant for the hour. It was Jesus who set the captives free.

Isa 49:8-9
8 This is what the LORD says:
"In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9 to say to the captives, 'Come out,'
and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'
(NIV)

No question the Seventh-day Adventist Church has a mission to uphold and teach the significance of the Sabbath and the Second Coming of Christ but not apart from the grace of Christ. In fact, these two cardinal doctrines must be seen as flowing from God’s grace if they are to any sense of validity.

6. The last words Jesus ever spoke to a convicted felon were words of hope, not condemnation. [Lk. 23:39-43; Rom. 7:24-8:2] True

Luke 23:39-43
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42 Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (NIV)

The same principle of good news applies for us as well. Faith in Christ despite our past yields hope.

Rom 7:24-8:4
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. (NIV)

Concluding Reflections

It has been said that Grace is:
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense!

That pretty much sums up the story of grace but there is so much behind that simple acronym. Lives are being changed – released from Satan’s captivity. Government coercion in an attempt to silence religion is no match for the grace of God. Philip Yancey tells t of the attempt by the Chinese government to blot out all evidence of the Christian church. House churches were forbidden as was the right of parents to give religious education of their children. Missionaries were sent home while pastors and Bible teachers were imprisoned and tortured. At the time there may have been 750,000 Christians in all of China. Today one estimate is that there are 35 million believers. The church in China now constitutes the second largest evangelical community in the world; only the United States exceeds it.

“One China expert estimates that the revival in China represents the greatest numerical revival in the history of the church. In an odd way, the government hostility ultimately worked to the church’s advantage. Shut out of the power structures, Chinese Christians devcoted themselves to worship and evangelism, the original mission of the church, and did not much concern themselves with politics. They concentrated on changing lives, not laws.” [Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace?, p. 259]

Indeed the world thirsts for grace! No power is stronger . . . except one: our personal decision to reject God’s love. But even then God’s grace continues to call. We may stiff-arm God but He continues to call. God’s grace is amazing but time is limited. You and I are called to be ambassadors of this grace. Have we let it permeate our being? Do others see Jesus in us?