June 21st and 22nd, 2007
Grace Study – Edition #2
(Notes from Edition #1)
Grace (noun):
Chên (Prounounced: khane)
Grace Study – Edition #2
(Notes from Edition #1)
Grace (noun):
Chên (Prounounced: khane)
- Graciousness, that is, subjectively (kindness, favor) or objectively (beauty): - favor, grace or gracious, pleasant, precious, favored or well favored.
- Favor, grace or charm; in elegance or in acceptance.
Grace (noun):
- Of form or person (Proverbs 1:9; 3:22; Ps. 45:2).
- Favor, kindness, friendship (Gen. 6:8; 18:3; 19:19; 2 Tim. 1:9).
- God's forgiving mercy (Rom. 11:6; Eph. 2:5).
- The gospel as distinguished from the law (John 1:17; Rom. 6:14; 1 Pet. 5:12).
- Gifts freely bestowed by God; as miracles, prophecy, tongues (Rom. 15:15; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Eph. 3:8).
- Christian virtues (2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Pet. 3:18).
- The glory hereafter to be revealed (1 Pet. 1:13).
And now, Edition #2
So I said I would like to look at these scriptures. In a sense, I already looked over the Proverbs and Psalm scriptures. What I am going to study now is the second set of passages.
Genesis 6:5-8
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
You know, when I read this, I generally tend to wonder if God looks at me and grieves he made me, it filled with pain when he considers me, or if he looks at me and I find favor with him. I also have thought of when God would finally look at this world now when he did at this time in the passage. It will happen again, not quite like this, but the time will come. I just don’t want to think of how despaired God was here in Genesis. I mean, I am in pain right now, but can it compare to what he felt here? Or what about how he feels now? I mean, can he be pleased with cities in general like Las Vegas, Amsterdam or Prague? If these cities aren’t the Sodom and Gomorrah of today, I just don’t know what is.
Genesis 18:1-5
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
Now, I like this passage. The Lord found favor in Abraham. I’m not sure if it was because he was eager to serve or Abraham simply showing the due respect or what, but this heart was amazing. In the previous chapter, he was born his son, Isaac, and he hadn’t even offered him as a sacrifice yet. Abraham had a submissive heart. And that is what God looked upon him with favor. I have a son. He’s two. I can’t say that I would put him on an alter. I haven’t been asked by God to do something like that, and I know God wouldn’t do that in today’s time. God does ask things of me, different things that are laid out in the Bible. The question, I guess, is: am I eager to do those things? If someone needs something, do I jump at the request? I’m getting better at it. I know this: I have reached out to two people in two days. That may not be a whole lot, but I don’t meet a whole lot, and my “reaching out” faith is getting back to what it should. A friend of mine mentioned on Wednesday that there are not a lot of guys studying and a whole bunch of women studying. I am just trying to make a little dent in that right now.
Genesis 19:15-26
With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”
He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)
By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot found favor in God’s eyes. But honestly, that wasn’t the eye-popper in this passage. It was when Lot went to his sons-in-law, pledged to marry his daughters, and tried to get them to flee and they thought that he was joking. And guess what? They died. That hit me in how they did not trust a man who has favor with God. I thought, if a respected man of God came to me and told me that Dallas was going to be destroyed by something, like a massive tornado, and I look up in the sky and see that it is a clear day and the forecast says the same, would I go or would I think the guy is crazy? I guess my heart is already revealed. I already checked the forecast. And what’s kind of funny is that I could go back and change what I typed, but then that would be just wrong.
2nd Timothy 1:3-10
I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Grace has been given to me. It has been given to my wife, Jenny. It has been given by God and CJ (that’s Christ Jesus). I also call him JC (Jesus Christ). That’s why CJ came, to bring salvation. He came to bring grace. He came to bring an example and to prove that the impossible is possible. He lived a perfect life to show me that I can. I haven’t lived a perfect life, but I can. My wonderful help-mate sends me quotes from time to time, which are always thought provoking, but I generally don’t post them anywhere in here, but this one works: No matter what a man’s past may have been, his future is spotless. That quote is by John R. Rice. And that thought is very encouraging and makes me think AND BELIEVE I can live a perfect life, at least from here on out. Johnny Out.
So I said I would like to look at these scriptures. In a sense, I already looked over the Proverbs and Psalm scriptures. What I am going to study now is the second set of passages.
Genesis 6:5-8
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
You know, when I read this, I generally tend to wonder if God looks at me and grieves he made me, it filled with pain when he considers me, or if he looks at me and I find favor with him. I also have thought of when God would finally look at this world now when he did at this time in the passage. It will happen again, not quite like this, but the time will come. I just don’t want to think of how despaired God was here in Genesis. I mean, I am in pain right now, but can it compare to what he felt here? Or what about how he feels now? I mean, can he be pleased with cities in general like Las Vegas, Amsterdam or Prague? If these cities aren’t the Sodom and Gomorrah of today, I just don’t know what is.
Genesis 18:1-5
The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”
“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”
Now, I like this passage. The Lord found favor in Abraham. I’m not sure if it was because he was eager to serve or Abraham simply showing the due respect or what, but this heart was amazing. In the previous chapter, he was born his son, Isaac, and he hadn’t even offered him as a sacrifice yet. Abraham had a submissive heart. And that is what God looked upon him with favor. I have a son. He’s two. I can’t say that I would put him on an alter. I haven’t been asked by God to do something like that, and I know God wouldn’t do that in today’s time. God does ask things of me, different things that are laid out in the Bible. The question, I guess, is: am I eager to do those things? If someone needs something, do I jump at the request? I’m getting better at it. I know this: I have reached out to two people in two days. That may not be a whole lot, but I don’t meet a whole lot, and my “reaching out” faith is getting back to what it should. A friend of mine mentioned on Wednesday that there are not a lot of guys studying and a whole bunch of women studying. I am just trying to make a little dent in that right now.
Genesis 19:15-26
With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”
When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the LORD was merciful to them. As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”
But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”
He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)
By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, including all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.
Lot found favor in God’s eyes. But honestly, that wasn’t the eye-popper in this passage. It was when Lot went to his sons-in-law, pledged to marry his daughters, and tried to get them to flee and they thought that he was joking. And guess what? They died. That hit me in how they did not trust a man who has favor with God. I thought, if a respected man of God came to me and told me that Dallas was going to be destroyed by something, like a massive tornado, and I look up in the sky and see that it is a clear day and the forecast says the same, would I go or would I think the guy is crazy? I guess my heart is already revealed. I already checked the forecast. And what’s kind of funny is that I could go back and change what I typed, but then that would be just wrong.
2nd Timothy 1:3-10
I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Grace has been given to me. It has been given to my wife, Jenny. It has been given by God and CJ (that’s Christ Jesus). I also call him JC (Jesus Christ). That’s why CJ came, to bring salvation. He came to bring grace. He came to bring an example and to prove that the impossible is possible. He lived a perfect life to show me that I can. I haven’t lived a perfect life, but I can. My wonderful help-mate sends me quotes from time to time, which are always thought provoking, but I generally don’t post them anywhere in here, but this one works: No matter what a man’s past may have been, his future is spotless. That quote is by John R. Rice. And that thought is very encouraging and makes me think AND BELIEVE I can live a perfect life, at least from here on out. Johnny Out.
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