Grace: The Strength To Face Ourselves

Grace: The Strength to Face Ourselves

Joe Mack Cherry

I. Introduction

A. Nothing in the past 50 years has caused as much controversy as Grace.

1. Talk of grace raises a host of emotions.

a. Fear – the free ride syndrome that Paul dismisses in Rom. 6: 1

b. Anger – You got to do something! Oh really?

c. Discussions about grace lead to name calling.

1. Liberal

2. Pharisee/Legalist

2. I believe many times we focus more on our different views than we

do the true concept of grace.

a. We start looking at the symptoms and don’t see the disease.

b. Have you ever argued and fussed with someone until you couldn’t remember what you were fussing about? HA

B. Our perspective on grace can change as we do, if we aren’t careful.

1. Remember when you or someone close went back into the world?

a. There comes a time when a person realizes there is nothing that

he/she can do about a situation? Only grace can cover the sin.

b. As time passes, one can forget that he/she once needed grace in

a big way and it becomes difficult for them to pray God’s grace

on someone else. Time has a way of diminishing our awareness

of just how sinful we really are and embellishing our abilities to

overcome.

2. We must be careful not to deny the grace of God to anyone,

because it can be denied us. Grace is grace and its God’s to give as

He chooses.

a. Mt. 20: 15

b. The first forgot their need for the work/job = grace

c. The Pharisees gave no provision for grace, they piled on more laws.

d. Grace is the ultimate selling point of Christianity. Christ’s death for our sins is the ultimate extension of grace.

1. Rom. 5: 6

2. Rom. 11: 6

3. Eph. 2: 5

II. Body – Lk 17: 7-10

A. At first, this seems very harsh, coming from our Lord.

1. Here is a scenario where a person has worked all day long in the

fields and is probably tired and hungry, also.

a. What happened to the Golden Rule, Jesus?

* I think about my grandfather. When he had men working for

him they ate at the same table with him and at the same time

regardless of their creed or color.

* My grandmother had a maid who lived with her and the maid

was treated with the same respect that Granddaddy did his

men.

b. What kind of master would be so cruel and harsh?

c. Why are you condoning this “lording” over the servant?

B. Let’s look at what the Master/Slave relationship of the day.

1. In most incidences the master gave the slave something the slave

could not provide for himself or his family. Lev. 25: 39-55

a. Food

b. Debt payment

c. Life - in the aspect of a conquered country

2. God made provisions in His law for the treatment of slaves in both

testaments. The rules applied to Gentile as well as Hebrew slaves.

a. The 10 Commandments (Ex. 20: 10)

b. Much of Ex. 21

c. Deut. 15: 12-18

d. Deut. 23: 15-16 – addresses Runaways

e. I Peter 2: 18-23 – Look at this closer in conjunction with the text

3. Slaves had a dual responsibility as did their Master. God and each

each other.

a. Eph. 6: 5-9

b. Col. 3: 22 – 4: 1

III. Explanation & Application

A. With God as the Master, what did or does He provide that we could not

ourselves.

1. Salvation of course! Rom. 5: 6-8

2. In my studies, I was introduced to a new word – supererogation.

a. Understanding this term helps bring grace into the proper light.

b. Def. – “act beyond that which is required in the call of duty”

c. For the Christian this means even death!

d. Satan sabotages grace by convincing us that we deserve

something from God.

e. I Pet. 2: 18-23 – even this is not beyond that which is required.

Also see Mt. 5: 43-48

B. We must see ourselves for “who we are” in order to grasp the true

nature of grace.

1. Uh-oh here comes the “hell, fire, and brimstone”.

a. Today people don’t want to have anything to do a message they

feel is negative. Me? An unworthy servant? HA! I do this and I

do that and I wouldn’t dare do the other.

b. It’s the American way to earn everything – including salvation!

2. We must remember that grace allows us to do this.

a. Paul – I Tim. 1: 15

b. Paul – II Tim. 4: 7

3. The Bible is full of concepts illogical to modern man.

a. The first shall be last?

b. Lose your life and gain it?