The grace test message for May 6 2001
THE GRACE TEST
All of us as believers operate in one or two ways when we encounter the circumstances of life. We will either respond from a grace filled heart or a law filled heart. In short you and I are either a grace filled or law filled Christian. Hopefully when you take this test it will expose which one we tend to operate from.
When I first became a believer I was taught a lot about behavior and very little about a relationship with God. The only relationship I guess I had was based on how I behaved. I wish that had not happened but it did. I was made to feel guilty if I did not come up to someone’s standard. If I was not at church every time the doors were opened I was not considered a faithful Christian. If I were to miss visitation on Tuesday night I was made to feel condemned. I spent much of my early Christian life trying not to sin. I was focused on nothing but my behavior and not any on my Lord. My whole experience was spent trying to please those around me with my behavior. I found out much too late that I was operating as a law filled Christian. My attitude was judgmental, condemning, and condescending to say the least. I don’t know why anyone would want to be around me. But then one day something happened, I got set free. Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. I began to know, (by experience) the truth about grace. And it was this truth that set me free from a law filled existence as a Believer. I am very adamant about this truth, this truth of Grace. Illustrate what Paul said in Gal.1: 6; “ I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for another gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ;
This is the reason for these messages; I hope you will see this truth as well. This is the reason we are taking the time to take this test not to see how much we know but how we operate. When the world is caving in, do you think, oh my I must have really sinned this time? I must not have given enough, or been praying enough, or have been witnessing enough, but I am going to try harder from now on. Legalism goes far beyond the kind of clothes we wear or how we present our selves it goes to an attitude of our heart, and that attitude is there because of something we have believed whether it is true or not. Let’s get into the test, and don’t try to get ahead of me, and please answer truthfully, no one is going to see this but you, unless you want to share with some one.
1. People around me feel accepted by me especially my immediate family. T Or F? Marks of a grace filled Christian are that people feel accepted. God’s love is accepting love, agape love, love without acceptance is meaningless. Quote form Mike Quarles, People will do anything to be accepted even if it kills them. Scripture Romans 15:7 wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. Romans 14:1-3 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. [2] For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. [3] Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
2. I live a life generally free of guilt and shame. T or F? Shame- the idea something is wrong with me and it attacks my personhood; guilt- always doing something wrong it speaks to my behavior. Guilt is not from God, conviction is from God. If we understand the grace of God and operate out of our faith in Him we will generally live a life free from guilt and shame. Are you easily shamed into something or made to feel guilty about something? Then you are not operating our of a grace filled life, in fact you are operating from guilt or shame. God does not have to shame us or guilt trip us He has placed His son on a cross for us and raised Him up for us to give us life and He does not have to resort to guilt or shame.
3. I am overwhelmed with God’s love for me. T or F? 1 John 4:16 And we have come to know (experience) and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. Some people who are law filled live their lives under a cloud of fear and doubt. They are just wondering when the hammer or the next shoe is going to drop. Some of you did not grow up in a home where you dad loved you and you lived in fear, you don’t have to live in a terrible fear of God, he has demonstrated His love for us even while we were yet sinner Christ died for us.
4. I relate to God as a child relates to a daddy rather than a slave to a master or a student to a teacher. T or F? How do you see God, a teacher, a master or a father, Abba Father? Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Hebrews 2:15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. This fear is the fear that if I don’t get it right the hammer is going to fall. I must be perfect or God will bring some calamity upon me. This is a real fear most people have lived with as a Christian. It is important how we RELATE because how we relate is how we operate. In my marriage if I am fearful of either losing my mate or fearful that my mate will someday get me then I relate to that mate accordingly.
5. The word rest would describe how I am on the inside most of the time. T or F? What is this rest? Hebrews 4:3 for we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "As I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter My REST,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:5 and again in this passage, "They shall not enter My REST." Hebrews 4:8-11 for if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. [9] There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God. [10] For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. [11] Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. It is when we are not striving to earn our acceptance to God. It is also when we are not striving to earn our salvation, we know we are saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. All our sins have been paid for, we don’t have to work to pay off our debt or to pay God back for the finished work. How do we rest, we labor to enter that rest. He has finished forgiving me, he has finished the redemptive work, and all we need to do is rest in it.
6. When I explain the gospel people sometime ask “does this mean I can go out and sin”? T or F? Hopefully you do get this response because you truly understand grace and this question will come up. The grace of God has appeared teaching us to deny ungodliness. Paul dealt with this issue in his letter to the Roman Christians. We will cover this later.
7. I realize the Ten Commandments are not for the Christian but for the non-Christian. T or F? We will see more about this as we see the purpose of the law.
8. I realize more and more I can do nothing with out the indwelling Christ. T or F? “For me to live is?__________. Fill in the blank. Is it law that goes there or Christ? So do you need the law to live or do you need Christ? A very important question. It is all about a relationship with Him depending upon Him living in union with Him a person not living in union with a list, but living in a love relationship with a living person. That is Christianity and that is living a grace filled life.
9. I believe the deepest desire of every Christian’s heart is to please God. T or F? Heb. 10, he has written His laws on our hearts and our minds. I do not believe it is a Christian’s desire to try to see how much he can sin as a believer. That is not my deepest desire; it is to please my heavenly father.
10. The marks of a Christian disciple are that 1. They love Him (depend on Jesus,) and 2. They love people (one another) John 13, if you love me, you will abide in my word
What did you score? If you marked the majority of them true then you operate the majority of the time out of a grace filled heart. However if you marked the majority of them false then you operate the majority of the time out of a Law filled heart.
