Living in Grace – Mind the G.A.P.

Pastor Alan returned to Colona for the summer with a message all about grace. To listen to this message, simply click play on the audio player below. As usual, I’ve included Alan’s notes and links to Bible Gateway for the Scriptures referenced.

Living in Grace – Mind the G.A.P. (Grace Alters Perception)

What is grace?  It is all we are in Christ, not based on merit, but given to us by God the Father through Christ and the Spirit. 1 Peter 5:10

Where is grace found?  In Christ who is full of grace and truth and gives us grace upon grace. A greater grace.  John 1:14-17

3 Stages of Grace

1. Grace at the point of saving faith.  
   • The point is this, salvation is never earned. It is a gift. 
   • The word grace carries the idea of gifting. Ephesians 2:8-9
2. Grace as the means of Christian living. James 4:6. God gives more grace!
   • You can never live as God intends you to if your focus is on what you are doing for God instead of what He is doing for you.  “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
   • Grace makes prayer possible. Hebrews 4:16
   • Grace sees us through suffering. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
   • Grace is the means by which we grow. 2 Peter 3:18
   • Grace is a stabilizing force. 1 Peter 5:12, Hebrews 13:9
   • Grace gives us freedom to live and love. Ephesians 4:32
   • Grace is related to God’s mercy and compassion. Isaiah 30:18-19
   • Grace is the power behind God’s sanctification process in us. Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 2:11-12
3. Grace in the “afterlife”. 
   • Future grace. 1 Peter 1:13, Ephesians 2:7. 
   • Part of the future grace is our glorification. Revelation 21:6.
   • Will you drink from the living water given freely?

Conclusion:  Grace reminds us we need to talk more about what God has done, and is doing, for us and less about what we are doing for Him.

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The following Sunday was Pentecost, and Pastor Alan shared an awesome message about the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, due to a technological failure, it did not get recorded. So, I am going to do the best I can and share Alan’s study notes here.

Pentecost – Acts 2

1. What was Pentecost?  
   • The background of harvest festivals and giving of the law on Mount Sinai is the important backdrop to what is happening. 
   • The festival is called Shavout (the Feast of Weeks/Harvest).
     • Marked the early grain harvest.
     • Shavout has the same Hebrew root as Sabbath.
       • שָׁבוּעַ shabuaʿ – seven or a week
       • Shavout means 7×7 (49)
       • Pentecost is Greek for 50
   • The giving of the law was marked by wind, trumpets, fire, and smoke.
     • Compare Exodus 19:16-19 with Acts 2:2-3.
2. Spirit’s Coming Acts 2:1-13
   • The setting: There are one hundred and twenty of Christ’s followers gathered in one place. They had been told by Christ earlier that the Spirit would come so there was no doubt an anticipation.
   • The supernatural: There are three things describing the Spirit’s coming.
     • A sound like a violent rushing wind.  vs 2
     • Tongues of fire that rested on each individual. vs 3
     • The ability for the crowd that shows up to hear the Jewish Galileans in their own language (i.e. their native tongue). 
       • These people were from all areas of the Mediterranean basin. 
       • Side-note: This phenomenon is not the gift of tongues that Paul talks about to the believers in Corinth.
     • What can we imply and apply from this supernatural event?
       • The Spirit comes in power to give power, like the noise of the powerful wind.
       • The Spirit purifies.
         • Fire is the symbol of purification. (Isaiah 6:6-7; Proverbs 25:4; Zechariah 13:9)
       • The Spirit gathers people from all nations like a giant harvest.
       • The Spirit writes the law (Mount Sinai) on the hearts of people.
         • This is explained in Peter’s sermon that follows.
3. Peter’s Sermon (Acts 2:14-21)
   •  What’s not happening? vs 14-15
     • The strange language phenomena is not drunken speech. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning.
     • The explanation:
       • He quotes with slight alterations, from the prophet Joel and Ezekiel. 
       • The point is the time has come and God is pouring out his Spirit on all people, and those people will prophesy (speak forth about the things of God – Prophecy is more about “forth-telling” than “foretelling”).
       • Luther said, “The knowledge of God, through Christ, which the Holy Spirit kindles and makes to burn through the word of the gospel.”
4. The Spirit Working Through the Sermon (Acts 2:37-47)
   • There is repentance when the Spirit moves.
   • There is salvation where the Spirit moves.
   • There is baptism where the Spirit moves.
   • There is devotion and communion where the Spirit moves.
   • There is sharing where the Spirit moves.
   • There is awe where the Spirit moves.
   • There is hospitality where the Spirit moves.
   • There is prayer where the Spirit moves.
   • There is growth where the Spirit moves.