The flaw that grace overcomes

Ephesians 2.1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body
Each person arrives in the world flawed. That flaw is not merely some physical or mental defect. Something radical and essential to proper human life is completely missing! We arrive dead. We turn out to be unmoved by the glory of God. Sure, we may be inspired by some magnificent view of snow-capped mountains, or an exhilarating and happy friendship - but we do not see in them the glory of God. We are dead and unresponsive to God, Christ and his Word. We live with this spiritual blind spot. And there is a very dark side to the cause of this blind spot that we also fail to notice:
2 Corinthians 4. The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Our actions are sinful because they are cut adrift from God who is Spirit and who made us. Instead of responding willingly and joyfully to the Spirit’s prompting, we follow a different motivation. We follow the course (trajectory) of this world which is inspired by Satan. And he works manically and maliciously to try and undermine God’s plans at every point. His fanatical focus is on God’s highest creatures: men and women. Having lost his own intimacy with God, Satan is determined to prevent humanity from knowing God. He works by inflaming the passions and disobedience of people. We have no true self-control. We are blown about by forces greater than ourselves: first by our own spiritual ignorance and second by the spiritual forces of evil. Ephesians 6.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

As unspiritual people, we ‘live in the passions of the flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind’ (2.3). Although we instinctively know God through his common or rainfall grace and by the evidence of his eternal power and divine nature which is seen in creation - we do not honour him as God or give thanks to him. People attribute their existence to accidental causes, deliberately suppressing the truth about God that is so brilliantly and convincingly revealed through rainfall grace and creation.

Why you might not be satisfied

What do you want? What do you really want?
Do you want to be happy? Do you want a husband or a wife? Do you want to be free from your debt? Do you want some time to do the things you enjoy? Do you want your own home? Do you want to be an amazing sportsperson? Do you want to be beautiful? Do you want to be liked? Do you want to stop feeling guilty? Do you want to have name for being a godly man or woman? It’s quite possible that you are turning up at church because you hope that God might satisfy any or all of these wants.

Have you ever stopped to consider that you may have fallen short in your wanting? You actually don’t want ENOUGH! You only want things and circumstances from God that you believe will allow you to be happy. Your interest in God is limited to him being the provider of personal good times which you can take away and enjoy.

If so, this is the reason why you are dissatisfied and always left wanting. And even if you get some of the things on the top of your wants list – you will still be left wanting. Why? Because you have never realised that what God wants to give you is himself.
Jeremiah 2:12–13
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the LORD,
13 for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

God lavishes his grace on you, not simply to make your play more fun. He does it so you will know him and joyfully trust him.

Saving Grace

Introduction
Last study we examined ‘common’ (or ‘rainfall’) grace. This is the favour that God generously showers on all humankind, good and bad. It includes these provisions: seasons and climate; law and order; medicine and education; conscience and positive human traits. God provides time, space and place for people revealing his kindness in spite of our deserving wrath. He does this so that people might reach out for God in repentance and make peace with him. This grace that is common to all people does us only temporary good unless we respond to it by repentance. Mistaking God’s kindness for weakness or for unwillingness to judge sin exposes us to eternal judgement. Refusing to make peace leaves us as his enemies.

Common grace is extremely encouraging to believers, because we recognise God doing good for us all over the place and in every way. This rainfall grace leads us to worship and thank him. The Psalms are full of praise for God because of his rainfall grace.

Now we must look at special or saving grace. The person who receives saving grace from God crosses over into a permanent, every-expanding experience of God’s blessing. Without it, you remain an enemy of God – perhaps a temporarily blessed enemy, but one living underneath the dam of his wrath; a dam that while held back to give you time to repent, will one day crash upon you.

Saving grace brings with it the faith that personally trusts Jesus Christ to achieve peace with God for us. It not only ‘triggers’ the faith that transfers us out of enmity with God, but it transfers and anchors us into a whole new world or kingdom of grace ‘in which we now stand and we rejoice’. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Grace like Rain

Matthew 5.43-48 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors (white collar criminals!) do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Acts 14.15-17. We bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.

God shows common or indiscriminate grace to all people – the evil and the good. Sunrise and rainfall demonstrate this. When the sun rises and warms the land, it does not do so only for those who trust God but it also rises on those who reject, disbelieve and even actively hate him. When the rain falls, it does not fall only on the land of the good, it falls indiscriminately upon every place. Good and evil both benefit.

Obviously, we know from experience that God’s common grace is not the only way he treats humanity. For wise purposes, he will permit natural disasters to come. Governments often break down and treat their people with injustice. People disobey the law of right and wrong written on their hearts to lie, steal, or make war. The reason for this is that God is not going to cover up the results of sin. If he did so, we would be caught unawares by death when it comes and not realise that we needed to make peace with him.

However, everyday, God treats humankind with common grace, such as: protection from accidents; medicines to put off diseases and delay death; technologies that will help people to work more efficiently; police to come and arrest the violent trouble-maker; a man diving into a river and saving a drowning child; a loved one traveling safely home from across the world; food in the cupboards to feed your children; an accident that prevents a robber from making it to your home; a well-run school that gives children a helpful education; … and it is God who gives to a writer or film-maker or philosopher the brief lightning flash insights into greater reality or the truth about the human condition. In all these ways, the good that is delivered to the world comes through God’s grace and often in spite of the blindness or rebellion of the instruments God uses. But God’s intent is the same: that we should know he is gracious and that he invites us to make peace with him through repentance.

But know this: common grace itself saves no one! It is merely an invitation or an awakening to trust God. It is not an end in itself. It is no good to have a happy, pain-free, convenient life for 40 or 60 years and then cave in through death and fall down into everlasting judgement for refusing to make peace with God. In fact, I imagine that the recollections of God’s common grace enjoyed briefly in this life, will be a fearful mental affliction on those come into the hell of God’s unending disapproval and judgement.

We must accept common (rainfall) grace in the right way. Take it as an invitation to be reconciled to God. Take it as an imperfect taste of the blessing he will lavish on you in Jesus Christ – an eternity of ever-increasing joy, satisfaction and love. Christian? Take it as an opportunity to crack on with your calling to fight evil and build the church. Don’t camp in the sunshine – plant, work, invest and harvest lives for God’s kingdom.

Home Groups - a vital function

Here is how fellowship groups or home groups function as the core and heart of the church.

Home groups allow us to get to know each other fully, so we are not strangers.

• This takes openness to one another. It takes time spent together. It takes hospitality and social interaction. A fellowship group encourages this.
1. Home groups let us support each other in our personal life, our daily work and personal outreach.
• We do this by praying for each other, by sharing teaching, by offering and receiving advice and by encouraging each other.
• Advice on raising kids – problems at work – sickness – crises – joys – birthdays … we get support from the church in our home groups.
2. Home groups encourage everyone to contribute to the group by discovering and using their spiritual gifts for the good of the group.
• The gifts and fruits of the Spirit can be reflected in the group and practised without embarrassment.
3. Home groups allow us to keep in touch with each other so we don’t drift away.
• We can do this between meetings by email, txt, visiting and phone.
4. Home groups help us to take the good news into our community.
• We do this as each group member is embedded in their workplace, school, university, family, friendships and neighbourhood.
5. Home groups encourage each member to learn by doing (mentoring).
• Each person is growing in their Christian experience and contributing more and more to the group.
6. Home groups let us carry out all the functions of the church.
• Bible teaching; prayer; worship; prophesying; evangelism; good works etc. They need to be more than just a ‘meeting’ but more of a network.
7. Home groups encourage the mixing of ages, backgrounds and experiences
• The group can show the unity of Christ in a diversity of people.
8. Public meetings are an outgrowth from the home groups.
• Because the big gatherings are not the core of the church they can be adjusted to meet changing and developing needs. They are blessed by the strength of the home groups.
9. Home groups create more opportunities to serve,
• In the small scale of the home group people are able to ‘learn to fly’ more successfully – there are more opportunities to serve.
10. Home groups are flexible and can be replicated with minimum of resources.
• It can meet in homes, cafes or parks.
11. We need the church to be is close to where people are living their lives and home groups are placed right there.
• Not just geographically close but also close to the life and culture of our times.
12. Home groups allow non-Christian people or seekers to feel comfortable to engage with Christians.
• In fellowship groups, people who are not used to church don’t have to put on a church persona - they simple hang out with the Christians who know them and accept them.

Jesus calls us to not only join his Church but build it.

Fellowship a Necessity

Paul teaches here that the whole body works together, under Christ, to build itself up. Christ is at work in every Christian. We see his hand and hear his voice at work in each believer.

1 Corinthians 12.13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

It is plain as daylight, that Jesus intends all church members to pull their weight. He intends that everyone should minister to one another so that there is a tremendous network of growth. Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4.

How can such growth occur if we don’t meet together? How can the body build itself up if some parts are neglected and other parts refuse to pull their weight? This is exactly why Jesus set up his church in homes. The further we get away from this close, family-type interaction the cooler the love between us and the less empathy and understanding we have for each other. This will result in less talk and learning from God’s Word. It will lead to shallow, self-centred praying and formal worship. On the other hand, if we live interdependently as described in these letters to the churches at Ephesus and Corinth, then there will be growth.

We often make the mistake of thinking that a big outreach will fill the church and make it grow. But growth has to be added onto something that already exists. If we had a big meeting next week that brought in 100 people, they would soon dribble and drift away unless there is something for them to be plugged into. That is the role of home groups. They are the core of the fellowship. If they are small and ineffective, then the church will never be able to support good growth.

So, if you want to see our Church grow, you must take seriously the matter of ‘fellowship’.

Hebrews 3.Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we share in Christ (or: have become sharers in Christ) if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end.

Hebrews 10. Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

A War-Footing

Someone will ask why doesn’t God just let everyone go, so that there is no one destined for hell? Silly question! Even human governments don’t just open the doors of their prisons and let criminals go and live among the rest of society. We already know what it is like to have evil and good mixed together. (Jesus told a parable about it in Matthew 13.24-30). There is no heaven where you have evil mixed in with good. Jesus came to make sure that once and for all, these two are separated. If hearts are not reconciled to God, then you have enemies at work among God’s people trying to undermine righteousness. This is where Satan came in at the outset, deceiving Eve. People must be deliberately broken out of the stronghold of Satan and this involves a complete change of mind.

2 Corinthians 10. 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Put away all thoughts that church is something docile – something compliant, non-threatening and “nice”. The church has weapons!

2 Corinthians 6..2 Look, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise.

We Christians must learn to live on a war-footing. Sure, you can have a holiday, but not too much! Of course you can make your home comfortable, but not too much! Of course you can take a promotion at work, but don’t let you job control you! Of course you can fall in love, but let your marriage be a partnership in Christ’s business, not an excuse to become self-centred! Of course you should mourn the loss of your partner when he or she dies, but don’t let that stop you for getting on with God’s calling in your life! Of course you can celebrate birthdays and other happy successes in life, but don’t let your life be controlled by parties! If you are a Christian, you have been called to get involved in Christ’s mission. His mission is to build the church, adding to it by rescuing people from the grips of the evil one. 1 Corinthians 7.29What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; 30those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

The Church Fights

The church means action. Being the church does not mean defending an idea that is past its use-by date. The Church fights! The Church advances. If we are not advancing, we must not assume that Christ is not! If we feel flat and defeated, we must not assume that is how Christ feels! Listen him in Matthew 16:

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus calls the church, ‘my church’. He owns it, he builds it and he runs it. He is intent on building his church.

To build means to create something to a plan. Dumping rubble creates a pile, but is not building, because there is no plan. Jesus is building his church to a plan (we have it here in the Bible). He is rolling out his programme of revealing himself to humankind and rescuing all who will be reconciled to God. He is increasing his Church at the expense of something else. Jesus’ building costs Satan - because Jesus is annexing, that is taking over Satan’s territory. He is taking over Satan’s territory and he cannot hold out against Christ.

Matthew 12.28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

Jesus said that the gates of hell will not be able to resist his Church. We need to understand what ‘gates of hell’ means. It doesn’t mean that Satan owns hell. God owns hell. Hell is God’s final and unceasing judgement on evil and death. God controls it and God decides who will be permitted to remain there. Hell is reserved for all who will not make peace with God. Satan’s objective is to qualify as many people as he can to be enemies of God. His aim is to fill hell with rebels. He holds people captive to their sin by deceiving them. He knows he is going down. He has a mad and unchangeable envy and hatred of God and aims to take as many men and women with him under God’s judgement as possible.

So, when Jesus says that he is expanding his church and the gates of hell will not be able to hold up against its pressure, he is describing the aggressive fight that the church undertakes in every generation to release people from God’s judgement. They are under his judgement because they refuse to be reconciled to him. Satan works day and night to deceive people into believing that they have no need of God. Every sinner who learns about forgiveness, repents and is baptised, is a loss to Satan. The gates of hell have been prised open and another soul has been pulled out of the darkness into the kingdom of light. The fight is very, very hard and each individual that is pulled free is an enormous prize and significant victory for the church. This is good news. It is the good news about Jesus Christ.