https://www.gotquestions.org/Gods-timing.html

The first thing we need to understand about God’s timing is that it is perfect, just as all of God’s ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30; Galatians 4:4). God’s timing is never early, and it’s never been late. In fact, from before our birth until the moment we take our last earthly breath, our sovereign God is accomplishing His divine purposes in our lifetimes. He is in complete control of everything and everyone from everlasting to everlasting. No event in history has put so much as a wrinkle in the timing of God’s eternal plan, which He designed before the foundation of the world.

Patience is a spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22), and Scripture makes it clear that God is pleased with us when we display this virtue: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7), for God is good to those who wait for Him (Lamentations 3:25). And our patience often reveals the degree of trust we have in God’s timing. We must remember that God operates according to His perfect and foreordained eternal schedule, not ours. We should take great comfort in knowing that, when we wait on the LORD, we receive divine energy and strength: “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). The psalmist reiterates: “Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14).

When we question God’s timing, it is often because we are looking for guidance or deliverance from a difficult situation. We can rest assured, however, that our heavenly Father knows exactly where we are in our lives at every moment. He either put us there or is allowing us to be there, all for His own perfect purpose. In fact, God often uses trials to strengthen our patience, allowing our Christian faith to mature and become complete (James 1:3-4). And we know that all things – including these difficult trials – work out for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). God does indeed hear the cries of His children and will answer those cries according to His perfect will and timing. “A righteous man may have many troubles; the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19). The plans God has for His children are good plans – to help us, not hurt us (Jeremiah 29:11).

What is God’s Grace?

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/god/what-is-gods-grace.html

We experience God’s grace because God is gracious. In Exodus 34:6, when God is showing himself to Moses, we read “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Gracious is used here as an adjective describing God. It is one of his attributes.

Gracious, the Hebrew word channun, in its verb form, means to be considerate, to show favor. That God is gracious would mean that he is favorably inclined toward us. That he wants to show favor to us. To do what is best for us.

God is gracious. Graciousness is not something that he puts on and takes off depending on the situation. He is always gracious. He does not decide to show us grace. Rather it is just who he is. Because he is gracious he demonstrates grace in everything he does.

Grace is the Hebrew word chanan or the Greek word charis, meaning “the state of kindness and favor toward someone, often with a focus on a benefit given to the object.” (Strong’s Greek 5485).

Grace is what God does because he is gracious. Every action of God toward us involves his grace. His creation, his providence, his conviction of the sinner, his gift of salvation, his equipping of the saints, and the future he has prepared for us. All of this is due to God’s grace.

It is impossible to discuss adequately God’s grace without also mentioning love and mercy. These three attributes are closely related. And it is common to see them used together.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5).

Because of his love, God, who is rich in mercy, saved us by his grace. Where does love end and mercy start? Or mercy end and grace begin? I don’t believe you can really draw a line between them. They are not really three different attributes. All three are simply different ways that we as humans see God.

The Unfathomable Riches of Christ

https://bible.org/article/believer%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2s-unfathomable-riches-christ

When anyone accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Savior they are instantaneously enriched with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and declared to be complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). In fact, the Apostle Paul refers to these blessings as “the unfathomable riches of Christ” in Ephesians 3:8. “Unfathomable” is the Greek anexichniastos which means “past finding out, unsearchable, not to be tracked out.” The idea is that the believer’s blessings in Christ are “too deep to be measured.” Many of these blessings, however, are clearly defined for us in the Bible.

• In the eternal plan of God: Rom 8:29
• Reconciled: 2 Cor 5:18-19
• Redeemed: Col 1:14
• No condemnation: Rom 8:1
• Related to God through propitiation (the satisfaction of God’s holiness): Rom 3:24-26
• All sins removed by His efficacious blood: 1 Peter 2:24
• Vitally joined together in Christ for judgment of the old self “unto a new walk”: Rom 6:6
• Free from the law: Rom 7:4
• Children of GOd: 1 John 3:7
• Adopted (placed as adult sons): rom 8:15
• Acceptable to God by Jesus Christ: Rom 3:22
• Justified: Rom 5:1
• Forgiven all trespasses: Col 1:14
• Made near: Eph 2:13
• Delivered from the powers of darkness: Col 2:13-15
• Translated into the kingdom: Col 1:13
• A gift from God the Father to Christ: John 10.29
• Partakers of the holy and royal priesthood: 1 Pet 2:5
• Chosen generation, a holy nation, and a people of God’s own possession: 1 Pet 2:9
• Have access to God: Eph 2:18
• WIthin the “much more” care of God: Rom 5:9-10
• His inheritance: Eph 1:18
• Our inheritance: 1 Pet 1:4
• A heavenly association: Eph 2:6
• Heavenly citizens: Phil 3:20
• Of the family and household of God: Eph 2:19
• Light in the Lord: Eph 5:8
• Vitally united to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: 1 Thess 1:1
• Blessed with the “first-fruits” and the “earnest” of the Holy Spirit: John 3:6
• Glorified: Rom 8:30
• Complete in Him: Col 2:10
• Possessing “every spiritual blessing”: Eph 1:3

The Sovereignty of God

https://www.thegospelcoalition.com/essay/the-sovereignty-of-god/

The sovereignty of God is the same as the lordship of God, for God is the sovereign over all of creation. The major components of God’s lordship are his control, authority, and covenantal presence.

The sovereignty of God is the fact that he is the Lord over creation; as sovereign, he exercises his rule. This rule is exercised through God’s authority as king, his control over all things, and his presence with his covenantal people and throughout his creation. The divine name, Yahweh, expresses this sovereign rule over against the claims of human kings, such as Pharaoh (Exod. 3:14). Because God is tri-personal, however, his sovereign control is not impersonal or mechanical, but is the loving and gracious oversight of the king of creation and redemption.

His control means that everything happens according to his plan and intention. Authority means that all his commands ought to be obeyed. Presence means that we encounter God’s control and authority in all our experience, so that we cannot escape from his justice or from his love. When theologians talk about “divine sovereignty,” they usually have the first of these in mind, his control. Indeed, the Bible teaches that God controls all things. He has an eternal plan for all of nature and history (Eph. 1:9–11).

So even though Scripture teaches that God controls everything, we should not think of his sovereignty as an impersonal, mechanical determinism. God’s sovereign lordship is deeply personal. As Lord, God not only controls everything (efficaciously, universally), but also utters commands, words of life, that graciously govern the ongoing life of his creatures. And as Lord he has made a sovereign commitment to be “with” those who are his. Indeed, God’s sovereignty is a broad concept, including all that God is and all that he does, even embracing his love.

The Power of Our Praise and Worship

https://www.biblewaymag.com/the-power-of-your-praise-and-worship

The word praise means “the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God”

Worship on the other hand in the New Testament the Greek word most often translated “worship” (proskuneo) is “to fall down before” or “bow down before.” Worship is a state (an attitude) of spirit. The nature of Christian worship is from the inside out and has two equally important parts. We must worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).

Worship is a deeper form of praise. Everyone can praise God, but not everyone can truly worship as when you worship every part of you is involve: your mind, body and spirit. You get personal with God as you come from the outer court to the holy of holies where you physically or spiritual prostrate before God

1. Worship pulls down the glory of God. When you worship God the Bible says he inhabits the praises of his people, or he sits enthroned on the praises of his people (Psalms 22:3). What this means is that when you starts to praise God he comes down in your midst and inhabits your praises.
2. Praise and worship breaks yokes and brings deliverance. One of the first thing the enemy does when we are facing difficulties are going through our trials is to play with your mind as our mind is where the battle is either won or lost. He will come and play with your mind, tell you that you’re worthless, you cannot accomplish this or that or he will come and remind you of what you are currently facing. He loves when you focus on your problems, what someone said or did to you and not upon God as that is when he can infiltrate your mind and put thoughts in it that will hold you captive. That is why the Bible says that the weapons God has given us or not of this world, they are not carnal, weak or powerless but they are powerful spiritual weapons given to us by God to “…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”– 2 Corinthians 10:5. What this is saying that when a thought comes we should not sit idle and sup every thought that comes into our mind but we should hold them captive to see if they are God or not. If they are not of God we should destroy them, not to mediate upon them not even for a second but destroy them. ‘No devil I will not accept this thought. I am the head and not the tail’.
3. We receive breakthrough by praising and worshiping God. One of the power or effect of our worship is that we can receive breakthroughs in our lives when we learn to worship and praise God despite what we may be facing. Sometimes the enemy will stand as a fortress before us stopping us from receiving breakthroughs in our finances, relationship, ministry, job and so forth. The enemy is not our friend and his job is to stop us from receiving what the Lord has for us, but God is raising up on army that will not accept defeat or let the enemy robs them of what is theirs but will worship him for their breakthrough.

We Can Live Victorious Lives

We do not have to live defeated, but we can live a victorious life. Praise and worship is one of the most powerful weapon God has given us against the enemy. When we worship God even demons tremble and yokes began to be broken.

That is why the Satan is afraid of a worshiper because he cannot sit on a worshiper very long as when a worshiper gets into the presence of God he have to take his leave. Worship is so powerful that it can bring healing to the physical body, mind and spirit. Sometimes there are yokes on you, things not happening in your life and you need a breakthrough, you are weak in the spirit or body, spirit of heaviness is upon you, depression holds you captive and so forth, you can be free from them by praising and worshiping God.

Chapter 30 – Questions

1. Pg 228: Share what dreams /desires that you have put in God’s hand and you are waiting on His timing.
2. Ephesians 5:20: “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
   • What are you thankful for?
   • Have you ever really meditated on this verse
   • Have you ever continually praised God all day long !!
3. Read the following verses , then discuss the blessings found in the verses.
   • Eph 1:3-14
   • Romans 5:1-11
   • Romans 6:1-23
   • Romans 8:1-31
4. Share thoughts on the sovereignty of God.
5. Share your experience / or thoughts on how worship is a spiritual battle.

https://pastorrick.com/set-these-four-goals-to-grow-more-like-jesus/

We were created to become like Jesus Christ, so let’s use him as a model for growth. The Bible tells us that Jesus grew in four ways: “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52 NIV).

If you want to be like Jesus, then you have to grow intellectually, physically, relationally, and spiritually. As you read through these points, be thinking of one goal you can set for yourself in each of these four areas.

The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in spiritual strength and become better acquainted with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (TLB). I’ve found in my life that the smallest goal I set in this area reaps the most incredible benefits. As you think through this one, ask, “What can I do that will make the biggest difference?” Even a small thing can make a huge difference. Or what have you been putting off when it comes to spiritual growth? Do that one first when it comes to this goal.

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holy-spirit/how-are-believers-empowered-by-the-holy-spirit.html

God is a giving God. Because of that, he pulls from the unsearchable, limitless resources of his glory to give us strength or power in our inner being through the Holy Spirit.

First, notice that the location where God works is in our “inner being” or our souls. God is not concerned about our physique or attractiveness. As he told the prophet, Samuel, “the LORD sees not as man sees… the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Our identity is on the inside. That is why God focuses on our souls, and that is where he brings change and strengthens us.

Secondly, notice that God strengthens our souls with the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit? We could spend so much time here but let me give a few basics.

The Holy Spirit:

• is God, the third part of the Trinity; is a person (not an “it” or a “thing”)
• is often misunderstood and even forgotten; lives within believers as the personal presence and power of God
• is our soul’s “pneuma” (Greek for “force”); our “fresh air;” the “wind in our sails”
• raised Jesus from the dead; gifts us to serve each other and reach others with the gospel
• convicts us of sin in our lives; confirms God’s Word as truth when we read it; is our best friend, comforter, uplifter, and helper 

Thirdly, notice how Paul is explaining that instead of the Holy Spirit making the Christian life better, he makes the Christian life possible. Without the Spirit, we cannot even come close to living the life that God has called us to.

That is what Paul wrote at the beginning of verse 17 that the Holy Spirit strengthens our inner beings: “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…” (Ephesians 3:17).

Lastly, notice that God’s goal for the Holy Spirit in our lives is not just maintenance, but abundance. Paul wrote in verse 19: “[so] that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).

To be filled with the fullness of God is about allowing God to settle in, make himself at home, fully influence, overwhelm, and govern our lives. It is what is meant Paul meant in Romans 10:9 by confession Jesus as “Lord” of our lives.

https://rgcfairfax.org/3-ways-the-holy-spirit-helps-us-keep-gods-commands/

1. The Spirit strengthens, encourages, and helps the believer. Jesus introduces the Spirit here using the Greek word paracletos. This is a difficult word to translate into English. Literally, it means “one who is called alongside.” In the ancient world, a paraclete would have come to someone’s help in the way a defense attorney advocated for a defendant. Yet the word isn’t limited to court. The idea extends to someone who gives aid or who strengthens and encourages.
2. The Spirit stays with the believer forever. When Jesus introduces the Spirit as “another Helper, to be with you forever” (John 14:15), he’s speaking to disciples who are confused and anxious about his departure. What are they going to do without him? Can you imagine having Jesus as a friend and teacher and leader, and then having him disappear forever? Yet Jesus promises that the Spirit will be to them what he has been to them, and the Spirit will never leave.
3. The Spirit keeps pointing us to Jesus. The Spirit is not only another Helper, like Jesus, he’s also a witness who keeps pointing us to Jesus. “He will bear witness about me,” Jesus promises in John 15:26. He will remind us of how Christ has removed our guilt so we have access to God’s throne of grace. He will remind us of all that the Bible teaches us. He will stir our hearts to love Christ and desire to honor him. He will help us keep our eyes fixed on Christ so we can run our race well, fight the good fight, and finish the race with faith.

The Spirit is the key to Jesus’ disciples – both the ones he spoke to face-to-face and those today – being able to keep Jesus’ commandments. We can’t do it without him! He strengthens us, is always with us, and helps us keep our eyes on Christ. Honoring and remembering and depending upon the Holy Spirit is a crucial part of discipleship. One way I’ve found helpful to stir up faith for the Spirit’s ministry is to pray for it

Increase in Wisdom  pg 98   ( Thrasher ) ” Seeing life from God’s point of view….the ability to select the best goals for one’s life and the best means to achieve them…….the skill of living life before God .”

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/explore-the-bible/5-practical-steps-to-increase-in-godly-wisdom.html

When we look to our Savior’s example of how we should love, we see that “Jesus increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52). A proverb that is a constant challenge to me reflects the importance of such growth stating, “The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness” (Proverbs 15:14). Put another way, an intelligent person purposefully seeks knowledge, but fools nibble randomly, vacantly chewing on words and ideas that have no value, no flavor, and no nutrition.

What are you and I feeding our minds? Are we heeding this biblical warning about the danger of “garbage in, garbage out?” May we purposefully seek knowledge and guard against spending precious time on things that have no value. I know that I have wished and prayer for God’s knowledge and change in an area of my life only to realize two or three years have passed without my actively taking His advice and seeking it.

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/get-wisdom

Now finally I want to mention five biblical instructions for how to get this wisdom. First, desire wisdom with all your might. Proverbs 4:8 says, “Prize her highly and she will exalt you; she will honor you for your embrace.” These are not cheap words. To prize something and to embrace someone are signs of intense desire and love. Wisdom must be valuable for us. We must be willing to sell all in order to buy it: “Seek it like silver, and search for it as for hidden treasure” (Proverbs 2:4). Blessed is the graduate who walks through the commencement line more hungry for wisdom than when he entered school, for he shall be satisfied.

Second, since wisdom is found in the Word of God, we must apply ourselves in study and meditation to know the Word and do it. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalm 19:7). Therefore, we must devote ourselves to know and understand the testimonies of the Lord. And here I commend not only faithful Bible study, but also regular reading of great books on theology and biblical interpretation, books that distill the wisdom of the greatest students of the word over the past 1900 years.

The third thing we should do to get wisdom is pray. Solomon was not born a wise man. He prayed for wisdom and God said, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold now I do according to your word” (1 Kings 3:11). And Daniel admitted that in himself he had no wisdom (Daniel 2:30), but he said, “To thee, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for thou hast given me wisdom and strength, and hast made known to me what we asked of thee” (Daniel 2:23). And we have seen how Paul prayed that the churches might be given “spiritual wisdom” (Col 1:9) and that they might have “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God” (Ephesians 1:17). And finally, James puts it as clearly as we could wish: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God” (James 1:5). The wisdom that leads to true and lasting happiness is not natural or inborn. It is supernatural. It is a gift of God. Therefore, if we would “get wisdom,” we must pray.

The fourth biblical instruction for how to get wisdom is to think frequently of your death. Or to put it another way, think of the shortness of this life and the infinite length of the next. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” 

Finally, there is one last, absolutely essential thing to do if you would “get wisdom”: you must come to Jesus. Jesus is the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24, 1 Cor 1:30). Others had spoken truth; he is the truth. Others had pointed the way to life; he is the way and the life (John 14:6). Others had given promises, but “all the promises of God find their yes in him” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Others had offered God’s forgiveness; Jesus bought it by his death. Therefore, in him are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3).

God’s Grace   pg 99 ( Thrasher ) “ Paul said that grace was the secret to His labor. It refers to the gracious work of the Spirit who provides the motivation and enablement we need to do God’s will“

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/god/what-is-gods-grace.html

Gracious, the Hebrew word channun, in its verb form, means to be considerate, to show favor. That God is gracious would mean that he is favorably inclined toward us. That he wants to show favor to us. To do what is best for us.

God is gracious. Graciousness is not something that he puts on and takes off depending on the situation. He is always gracious. He does not decide to show us grace. Rather it is just who he is. Because he is gracious he demonstrates grace in everything he does.

Because of his love, God, who is rich in mercy, saved us by his grace. Where does love end and mercy start? Or mercy end and grace begin? I don’t believe you can really draw a line between them. They are not really three different attributes. All three are simply different ways that we as humans see God.

While God’s grace is about much more than our salvation, it is perhaps the most visible manifestation of his grace. As Paul says in Eph 2:5 and Eph 2:8, it is by grace that we are saved.

Our salvation is not because of anything we have done, or are even capable of doing. It is solely a matter of God’s grace. He offered his salvation to us simply as an act of his grace.

Salvation is by grace. But God’s grace does not end there. Believers are impacted by God’s grace in these three ways.

Justified to Stand in Grace. In Romans 5:1-2 Paul tells us that we are justified through faith. And by that same faith, we have gained access into the “grace in which we now stand.” Our position before God is a matter of his grace. 

Equipped with Spiritual Giftedness. In 1 Peter 4:10,  we find Peter telling his readers to be faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms, using our gifts to serve one another. God’s grace is reflected in our lives through his equipping of believers to serve within the body of Christ; our spiritual gifts.

Growing Strong in the Grace of God. In 2 Timothy 2:1, Paul instructs Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” This reminds me somewhat of Star Wars where some are “strong in the force.” But grace is really unlike the force of Star Wars, which is a pervading universal power. In contrast, grace, for the believer, is in Christ. 

Grace does not come just to a lucky few. But is available to all who are in Christ. When I am in Christ, God’s grace surrounds me. But just because it surrounds me does not mean that I either experience or enjoy it as much as I should. 

There is no aspect of God’s dealing with his creation that does not involve his grace. A gracious God cannot fail to demonstrate grace in all he does. 

That I exist is through his grace. That the sun shines and the rain falls is due to his grace.  My salvation, my standing with God, and my eternal future with him. It is all because of His grace. 

Even God’s justice and the eternal punishment of unbelievers reflect his grace. God gives every opportunity for repentance. But, in his grace, he does not force himself on anyone.

https://www.gotquestions.org/grace-of-God.html

God shows both mercy and grace, but they are not the same. Mercy withholds a punishment we deserve; grace gives a blessing we don’t deserve. In mercy, God chose to cancel our sin debt by sacrificing His perfect Son in our place (Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21). But He goes even further than mercy and extends grace to His enemies (Romans 5:10). He offers us forgiveness (Hebrews 8:12; Ephesians 1:7), reconciliation (Colossians 1:19-20), abundant life (John 10:10), eternal treasure (Luke 12:33), His Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), and a place in heaven with Him some day (John 3:16-18) when we accept His offer and place our faith in His sacrifice.

https://christiantoday.com/article/3-attitudes-that-will-hinder-your-growth-in-god/99525.htm

God is totally committed to our growth and molding into Christ-likeness, but we have to remember that we have a part to play, and thus must be careful to avoid certain attitudes that will hinder or impede our growth in Christ.

Arrogance/Pride   Pride or arrogance is a growth-killer. It stifles the growth of any Christian, period. The Bible expressly declares that God is against the proud, and that pride will always result to a problem in the Christian’s life.

Unforgiveness   Being unforgiving and bitter also causes one’s growth to be hindered big-time. I cannot emphasize this enough: God requires that we be forgiving, or else He won’t forgive us ourselves. If we are not forgiven of our sins, then how can we be cleansed and sanctified?

Stubbornness   Another attitude that’s sure to stifle the growth of any Christian is being stubborn. Being stubborn causes one to be unteachable, hard/impossible to correct/mold, and thus unprofitable in their faith.  Consider the Israelites who died in the wilderness despite being led out of Egypt by Moses. Their stubborn minds refused to obey God. In their rebelliousness continually did what was displeasing to Him. In the end, they were refused entry to the Promised Land.

Chapter 13 Questions

1. Pg 100: “Let your inadequacy draw you to God in prayer, and believe Him for these three prayer requests for your life and for the lives of those you love “. As Christians , what hinders us from having Christ like growth ? We all have areas that we struggle with. Share as able.
2. Read and discuss verses on wisdom:
   • James 3:17 Prov 19:8
   • Prov. 2:6 Ephesians 5:15-16
   • Prov. 11:2 Col. 4:5-6
   • Prov. 3:7 Prov. 4:6-7
3. Spiritual strength comes from the Holy Spirit.  Share a time when you needed help and the Holy Spirit “  came alongside  “.
4. Pg 99:  Share a time  ( other than your salvation) that you looked to God for His grace…..”His provision for motivation and enablement to do what he called you to do “. Every believer is in need of the grace of God for daily living so we should all be able to share !!
5. Share thoughts / insights from the book or notes.

He has Life in His Essence

John says, “In Him was life” (John 1:4). The life John has in view mainly is new life, spiritual life, saving life, the gift of eternal life, the opposite of spiritual death now and final condemnation later. That’s mainly what John means. Mainly he has in view the life that we do not have even though we are physically alive.

Listen to Jesus as He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). In other words, apart from believing in Jesus, we are all dead. In order to live forever and not “come into judgment,” we need the gift of life. That life is in Jesus.

His Life is a Shining Light

John adds: “and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). He says it because we don’t really know what spiritual death and life are, until we relate them to light and darkness and blindness.

Most of the people we meet every day look alive. If you tell them they are dead, they will think you are crazy. Yet, in a spiritual sense, every human being can be considered blind or dead. Later John talks about how the people in the world did not even recognize their creator when He lived in their midst. This is because they were blind. In one passage, the pharisees said, “Oh no, we are not blind” (John 9:40), and Jesus responded: “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains” (John 9:41). The point is, people think they can see and understand things clearly, yet spiritually speaking when Jesus lived on earth, very few people could see His glory. Of course some did. John said “We have seen His glory” (John 1:14), but very few did, while Jesus was on earth.

He Has Victory Over Darkness

John introduces the plot into His story immediately. As we have just seen, this Word came into our world that was immersed in darkness. There was a kind of conflict, where the darkness tried to overcome this light. But darkness was unable to overcome the light, and the light had victory over the darkness! We see this in the story of the Gospel, showing Jesus’ rejection and ultimate crucifixion, but having complete victory in His resurrection.

His Glory was Veiled

He Became Flesh (John 1:14)

In his gospel, John points out that Jesus was weary (John 4:6) and thirsty (John 4:7). He groaned within (John 11:33) and openly wept (John 11:35). On the cross He thirsted (John 19:28), bled (John 19:34) and died (John 19:30). After His resurrection He proved to Thomas that He still had a body (John 24:24-29), albeit a glorified one!

But it is important to understand that Jesus became man without ceasing to be God. The diving Word, the divine Son of God became a human without ceasing to be God. Remember Mathew 1:23: “they shall call His name Emmanuel, which means God with us”. John goes on to say “we have seen His glory” (John 1:14). No qualifications. Whose glory? The glory of the eternal Word, the Son.

There are deep theological mysteries here. Want a mind-bender? How is it even possible for the infinite and immutable God (He never changes. He is the eternal “I AM”, John 8:58 and “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever”, Heb 13:8) add a human nature to His divine one? It is hard to wrap our finite human minds around this mystery. It is one of those cases where we need to accept the limitations of our understanding and accept this revelation by faith. But in becoming flesh, He made God knowable in a way that had never been done before. That is why He is the eternal “Word” of God!

He Dwelt Among Us (John 1:14)

Jesus lived on earth, in ordinary dwellings. He invited two disciples who were curious about Him from John’s testimony to “come and see” (John 1:39) where He lived. He had a band of 12 disciples who he lived and travelled with during His entire public ministry.

The words literally mean “He pitched His tent among us”, reminding us of the tabernacle. This is one of the reasons why we know that Jesus did not cease to be God when He came to earth. 

These words are also shocking us because Solomon had declared “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you” (1 Kings 8:27)?

He was Unrecognized (John 1:10)

John says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him” (John 1:10). To most people, He was just an ordinary man. Maybe a wise teacher, but just a man. This is why Pilate said to Him “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you” (John 19:10). To Pilate, Jesus was just a man. Yes, Pilate could see that he was innocent and did not deserve to die based on the charges against Him. But Pilate could not see that He was in fact God in the flesh.

Isaiah says: “He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa 53:2). Nothing special to look at!

He was Rejected (John 1:11)

John says it is not just that He was not known or recognized, but that He was also rejected, and worse, by His own people. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11).There is a beautiful song, which talks about how Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified in a tree that He Himself had created. This is the paradox of the Creator coming and living in our midst and not being known.

We see that although He was rejected by His own people, there were some outsiders who did not reject Him. Think of the Samaritan woman in John 4, and He was sought by Greek gentiles (John 12:20). Yet He was spurned by the official representatives of HIs own people.

His Glory Shone in Him (John 1:14)

“We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). So when Jesus cloaked Himself with humanity, His glory was veiled. It was hidden under His human body. It was so hidden, that He was unrecognized by the world. Isaiah says this about Him: As we have seen, Isaiah pointed out that there was nothing particularly attractive about the human body that Jesus took on, and when He was on the cross, it was actually repulsive to look at Him. Isaiah said: “as one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isa 53:2-3).

Yet, for those who had the eyes to see (and everyone is by default spiritually blind), He shone with glory. Do you remember that when the tabernacle and the temple were dedicated, the whole place was filled with the glory of God? It was so awesome that the people were afraid to look at it. We also see this when Isaiah had his commission. He had a vision of God exalted in glory, and the whole temple was filled with His glory. This God has now become man. He still has all of his glory, but it is hidden in His humanity. 

And His closest disciples, and a handful of others who He revealed Himself to, they saw in Him the radiant glory of God. Decades later when John thinks about those remarkable three years, he is still filled with amazement, and trips over His words as he contemplates the wonder: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life — the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us — that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you” (1 John 1:1-3).

He Gave Grace upon Grace out of His Fullness (John 1:16)

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). This is fantastic news. God could have chosen to become flesh as judge and executioner. All of us would have been found guilty before Him and be sentenced to everlasting punishment. But He did not come in flesh in that way. He came to reveal a divine glory that is “full of grace and truth”. This will be a righteous, God-exalting, costly grace. It will lead straight to Jesus’ death on the cross. In fact, this is why He became flesh. He had to have flesh in order to die in our place (Heb 2:14-15). The Word became flesh so that the death of Jesus would be possible. The cross is where the fullness of His grace shines the most brightly. It is not a wishy-washy, sentimental grace.

Jesus is filled to the brim with all of the goodness and holiness of God. The abundant grace that poured out of Jesus, is in a sense, an overflow of His fullness. This grace is His over-abundant perfection brimming over and spilling to those He came in contact with on earth.

He Spoke Truth Sprinkled in Grace (John 1:14, John 1:17)

“We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Although Jesus came overflowing with grace, He also spoke truth – truth that was not comfortable to hear. It was the truth about our sinful condition. He once said “The world … hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil” (John 7:7). It is not pleasant if someone comes to us and says that everything we do is evil. But Jesus did that. The world hated Him for it, but it was the truth. Grace cannot shine as brightly, without the backdrop of the truth about our real condition. So the truth Jesus spoke was very hard. Most people could not receive it. Yet, the truth that Jesus spoke could have the effect of people receiving Jesus, and being saved from all the consequences of their condition. Grace without truth is too soft. Truth without grace is too hard. Grace and truth together is just right. Jesus had both of these in perfect balance.

John repeats this thought. “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). John is talking about the mountain peaks of God’s revelation. Until now the Jews looked back to the time God gave His law through Moses. John is saying that there is a new peak of revelation – indeed a much higher one – the peak of the Word who became flesh, and who gave grace while speaking truth.

The History

Paul takes us back to Abraham, who lived 2000 years before Jesus. If you recall, God called him out of the land of Ur of the Chaldees to make an almost 1600km journey to Canaan. He gave him an unconditional promise in the 12th chapter of Genesis: “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:2-4). God confirmed it through an unconditional covenant in the 15th, 17th and once again in the 22nd chapter of Genesis: “I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen 22:17-18). 

Abraham had a son as promised by God, named Isaac. God confirmed his promise to Isaac: “I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 26:3-4).

Isaac had a son Jacob, to whom also God confirmed his covenant with Abraham. “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 28:13-14).

Notice the repeated phrase in God’s promise: “in your offspring shall all the nations/families of the earth be blessed”. Paul uses this phrase in his argument.

As we trace Jacob’s life, we find that Jacob died in Egypt and not in the promised land. He and his descendants continued to live in Egypt for 430 years (Exodus 12:40-41).  The Israelites grew into a great nation but they were enslaved in Egypt until the time of Moses, where God miraculously delivered them out of Egypt. He led them through the wilderness to Mount Sinai where He gave them the law through Moses. They eventually possessed the promised land.

The Theology

The key point to note is that God’s dealings with Abraham and with Moses were based on completely different principles. To Abraham it was a promise, and to Moses it was the law.

Paul is going to convincingly demonstrate  that Christianity is based on the way God dealt with Abraham (promise), not the way God dealt with the Israelites through Moses (law).

God’s Covenant with Abraham was By a Promise (Gal 3:15-18)

Paul makes a volley of points here.

1. In verses 15-18, Paul uses the example of a “Last Will and Testament” that a person makes (the word “covenant” in some translations could be better rendered “will” in this context). Such a will can never be modified once it has been established. In fact in ancient Greek Law, it could not be modified even when the person making the will was still alive. So if this is true for a human will, how much more immutable would be a promise made by God. It can never be rescinded. When God gives the law through Moses 430 years later, Paul’s point is that this can never annul the promise God made earlier to Abraham and make it void (Gal 3:17). The covenant with Moses would imply that the inheritance comes by the law. But if so, it no longer comes by a promise, but God gave it to Abraham through a promise (Gal 3:18).
2. Paul makes a note that the promise of the blessing of the nations would be through Abraham’s offspring (singular) and not “offsprings” – plural (Gal 3:16). This points to a single future Savior, who Paul identifies as Jesus Christ.
3. The promise was made directly by God, but the law came “third-hand” to the Israelites. It was delivered through God’s angelic agents to Moses the mediator and then to the people (see Acts 7:53 and Heb 2:2). I.e., God -> the angels -> Moses the mediator -> the People (Gal 3:19-20). How could something which was delivered “third-hand” to the people be more important than something that was given directly and was also given hundreds of years earlier?

Paul Answers Objections (Gal 3:19-22)

You can almost imagine the Judaizers bristling with indignation with Paul’s passionate arguments here. This was the cause for Paul’s arrest that was instigated by the Jews in Jerusalem: “This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place” (Acts 21:28). They would blurt out in indignation: “Paul, you have made a direct leap from Abraham all the way to Jesus and have completely skipped over Moses and the law. According to you, what is the purpose of the law”?

So Paul answers these objections

1. Why then the law? (Gal 3:19). Paul’s answer is: “It was added because of transgressions”. This is hard to understand as it stands, but most likely it means that the law was necessary to define sin. It is explained in more detail in Paul’s letter to the Romans: “through the law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:20). He also says: “Where there is no law there is no transgression” (Rom 4:15). And he then gives himself as an example to say: “If it were not for the law, I should not have known sin” (Rom 7:7)
2. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? (Gal 3:21). This is Paul taking on the offensive, and asking this question of his detractors. He then goes on to say that they were being very theoretical. They were saying “keep the law and you will gain life”. So Paul shoots back: “if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law” (Gal 3:21). However, in practice no one can keep the law. So rather than giving life, “Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise of faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Gal 3:22).

Under the Law and In Christ (Gal 3:23-29)

Paul has now given us a survey of 2000 years of history. Having answered anyone among the Judaizers who might have objected, he now completes his thought by contrasting two groups of people. Those who are “in Christ”, and those who are “under the law”.

The reason Paul says that the law held us captive and imprisoned us (Gal 3:23) is that those under the law have no way of escape. Since we cannot keep the law, we are sinners, and can never please God. This is our prison. We are under condemnation  apart from Christ. This is why John says: “Whoever believes the Son is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already” (John 3:18). Many of us are familiar with John 3:16, which speaks of God’s love for the world which was so great that He sent His only Son. However, John goes on to say that those who do not believe in this Son, Jesus are “condemned already”. Everyone is already in a state of condemnation apart from Jesus. This is the prison every human being is in, and their only hope is Jesus.

Paul also says the law was our guardian (Gal 3:24-25). It provided some level of protection against anarchy until the time of Christ, when the promise was fulfilled. There were also punishments when the law was not kept. Transgression needs punishment. But once Jesus came, this guardian is no longer necessary.

Paul goes on to say, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith” (Gal 3:26). Please note that Paul says “sons” and not “children” because in that culture sons received the father’s inheritance. This is not a sexist comment. Legally we are like “sons” before God. The word applies to both men and women in that all those who believe in Jesus are heirs of God as His sons. Paul makes this crystal clear a few verses later, in Gal 3:28.

God is no longer the judge who through the law has imprisoned us and condemned us.  God is no longer our guardian, who through the law restrains and chastises us. God is now our Father who has accepted us and forgiven us in Christ. We no longer fear Him, dreading the punishment we deserve, but love Him with deep devotion. We are neither prisoners awaiting our final judgment, nor are we minors constrained by a guardian, but we are now adult sons of God and heirs of His glorious inheritance.

Here is another opportunity we have to address some wrong thinking in our culture and also among Christians. God is not a universal Father. That concept is foreign to the Bible. He is the universal Creator who brought all things to existence, and He is also the universal King who rules the entire universe that He created. But He is only the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and of those who are adopted into His family through faith in Jesus Christ. He is Father to the believer, and Judge to the unbeliever. He accepts the believer with great love as our Father, and condemns unbelievers to hell as the absolutely righteous Judge. Let us not squander any of the precious promises of God that are only for His children, to those who do not believe in Him. Those promises do not apply to them. J I Packer says that being a child of God is one of the distinctive characteristics of being a Christian, and our greatest privilege. More on this in our next study.

Paul then says we have “put on” Christ in baptism (Gal 3:27). He is saying that when the believers identified with Christ in baptism, they had in a sense “put on” Christ.

Paul then goes on to draw the logical conclusion if we are all sons of God:

1. We are one (Gal 3:28)
2. We are heirs, and Abraham’s true offspring  (Gal 3:29)

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28).

• There is no distinction of race
• There is no distinction of rank
• There is no distinction of social class
• There is no distinction of sex

In Jesus Christ we are all brothers and sisters, and this supersedes every conceivable human boundary possible.

And Paul concludes this thought with a flourish. Those who are in Christ are Abraham’s true offspring, and also heirs of God according to promise (Gal 3:29).

Application

Paul has made a grand sweep of human history in today’s text. It is a powerful antidote to the “philosophy of meaningless” in today’s culture. Today it is fashionable to say (or believe) life has no meaning or purpose. If this were true, what is there to live for? An increasing number of people identify themselves with the “no religious affiliation” category. Such people have no goal in life and are headed nowhere. In biblical terminology, such people are “lost”. They do not realize that this life is not all there is. They will one day have to face their Creator as their Judge, and will be condemned to spend an eternity in Hell, away from fellowship with God forever.

However, in Christ we find ourselves. We have a significant place in eternity. This gives us infinite three-dimensional significance:

• Height – we are children of God and heirs with Christ of the promise
• Breadth – the gospel breaks every possible barrier between human beings.
• Length – we join the vast line of believers through the entire history of the human race in this relationship with God.

So let me ask each of you here. Are you “in Christ”? As you can see, the chasm between those in Christ and those who are not, is very, very wide.

I would like us to look at these truths through two lenses. One which looks at the grand purposes of God, and the other that looks at why we are here.

The grand purposes of God: Some people seem to think the Bible is a vast trackless jungle, very confusing and full of contradictions. However, the glory of the Bible is that it is extremely coherent. The whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation tells the story of God’s sovereign purpose of grace. It reveals His master-plan of salvation through Christ. This is why God created the world. He wanted to display his glory to the fullest extent possible to a group of people who were made in His image. This is our inheritance – to know the infinite God of the universe as our Father and enjoy Him and His creation, completely free of any limitations for all of eternity.

What we studied today, sweeps through the entire Old Testament and into the New Testament. He brings together Abraham, Moses and Jesus and spans a period of about 2000 years. This is a satellite survey of the entire Old Testament landscape. There are some mountain peaks like Abraham and Moses. Then there is mount Everest – who is Jesus Christ, who towers over all of Scripture. God’s promise to Abraham was confirmed by Moses, and fulfilled by Jesus Christ. It shows us the unity of the entire Bible.

There is a great need today, for us to have a biblical view of ourselves and of history. We get so distracted with our current problems in the 21st century that we do not care much about the past or the future. We need to take a step back and view the whole counsel of God. His everlasting purpose was to redeem a people for Himself through Jesus Christ. We need to look back. Even before Abraham was Adam through whom sin and judgment entered the world. We also need to look forward to the final consummation when Jesus returns with power and great glory to reign forever. Our God is systematically working out His plan. And through the Bible, he allows us to have a glimpse of it, and invites us to become a part of it.

Why do we exist? After God gave the promise through Abraham, He gave the law through Moses. Why? Because He needed to allow things to get worse before they could get better. The law exposed sin, provoked sin and condemned sin. The purpose of the law was to unmask our veneer of respectability and expose what we are really like underneath – sinful, rebellious, guilty, under the judgment of God and completely helpless to save ourselves.

The law must be allowed to complete its God-given duty. One of the faults of the contemporary church is to soft-pedal sin and judgment. This does people a great disservice. It is only when we know we are sick that we recognize our need for healing and seek it. It is only when we know that we stand guilty and condemned before God that we know that we are hopeless apart from our Savior. We must never bypass the law and come straight to the gospel. To do so goes against God’s own plan of biblical history.

This is why the gospel is so unappreciated today. Some ignore it, and others ridicule it. It is only in the inky blackness of the night sky that stars appear. No one has appreciated the beauty of the gospel until the law has exposed his own sin. It is only in the background of sin and judgment that the glory of the gospel shines forth.

We see this truth in the parable of the Prodigal Son. There were two sons. Both were lost in different ways. The first by open rebellion against the father, and the second who expected to earn his father’s approval by being good. The story ends with the father embracing the prodigal son (Luke 15:22-24), while the older son is angry and resentful (Luke 15:25-32). He never experienced the depth of his father’s mercy and love, because he thought he was self-sufficient. This truth is also illustrated by Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14).. The Pharisee prayed: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get” (Luke 18:11-12). But the tax collector “stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner’: (Luke 18:13). Jesus ends by saying: “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. (Luke 18:14). Remember, we saw that the word “justified” means that God’s verdict on this man was “righteous, not guilty”. The tax collector understood his sin and his desperate need of God, and therefore God was delighted to declare him righteous and to save him. That is the power of the gospel!

“Not until the law has bruised and smitten us will we admit our need of the gospel to bind up our wounds. Not until the law has arrested and imprisoned us will we pine for Christ to set us free. Not until the law has condemned and killed us will we call upon Christ for justification and life. Not until the law has driven us to despair of ourselves will we ever believe in Jesus. Not until the law has humbled us even to hell, will we turn to the gospel to raise us to heaven” (John Stott).

Note: I was very blessed, and have liberally used content from John Stott’s commentary on Galatians, “Essential Freedom” (IVP, 1988)

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/draw-near-confidence

But our sin and covenant unfaithfulness must not make us stay away from Christ. Instead we must draw near to His throne. Christ has opened up the Holy of Holies to us through His death on the cross. We do not send Aaron into the holy place in our stead anymore. We can go in ourselves if we have been covered by the blood of Christ.

Not only must we draw near to Christ, we must draw near to Him in confidence. This does not mean that we come arrogantly demanding forgiveness as a right. We draw near in confidence not because of our own “rights” but because of the person and work of Christ. We are confident because God, who was not obligated to redeem us, nonetheless promises to forgive us if we submit to Christ. Drawing near in confidence means that we firmly believe God’s promise of grace in Christ.

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/draw-near-to-the-throne-of-grace-with-confidence

Because he is alive, and in the presence of God with the sacrifice of the blood of the Son of God, and full of sympathy for his people, therefore two things:

1. 1. Verse 14b: “Let us hold fast our confession.”
   2. Verse 16: “Let us come draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.”

The confession is simply our unshakable hope (Hebrews 10:23) that God is for us and will work to bring us into his final rest and joy. Hold fast to that because you have a great High Priest.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/confidence-to-approach-god-together

So what accounts for this confidence? How is it that people who sin in word and deed can be said to have objective confidence to enter the holy places, a confidence that doesn’t dissipate in the wake of personal sin and in the contemplation of the God who is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29)? The writer answers this question for us: “We have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20). Our confidence to enter is not based upon what we’ve done or not done but upon what Christ has done through the shedding of his own blood. Our confidence is based upon the work of Christ. It is Christ who “entered once for all time into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

Pg 34 Mercy and Grace

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-terms/what-is-the-difference-between-grace-and-mercy.html

Mercy and grace are the utmost attributes of love. The essence of the Bible is loving God and loving people through the lens of Jesus Christ. Two grand works of God have displayed His all-powerful, gracious, and merciful nature: creation and redemption.

Mercy is the act of withholding deserved punishment, while grace is the act of endowing unmerited favor. In His mercy, God does not give us punishment we deserve, namely hell; while in His grace, God gives us the gift we do not deserve, namely heaven.

Mercy is a compassionate love to the weak, and grace is a generous love to the unworthy. Humans are weak and unworthy – we all need God’s mercy and grace. Mercy takes us to the path of forgiveness, while grace leads us to reconciliation.

https://www.compellingtruth.org/mercy-grace.html

Both perfect mercy and perfect grace are found in Jesus Christ. Through His sacrifice on the cross, He has provided a way of escape or mercy from the consequences of sin (John 3:16, Romans 5:8). God has extended grace by providing salvation and proclaiming salvation to us through the Son, His teaching in Scripture, and through the Spirit of God at work among us. Hebrews 4:16 blends these two ideas in one powerful statement, teaching, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

https://bible.org/article/be-gracious

God’s grace and compassion are cited as of great importance in the Minor Prophets. Thus Joel in Joel 2:12-13 instructs his people to have “a total re commitment on the part of the whole populace … is reassuring for the believer to understand something of God’s character so as to be able to rely on his perfect response to any situation. God is consistent in his character: he is gracious and merciful, not easily angered, and full of kindness.”

May we, then, ourselves likewise follow the reassurance of Hosea’s charge to his people, “Say to him: ‘forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips’” (Hos 14:2). Thus Israel “was to come into God’s presence with heartfelt confession on their lips” … and “having repented and come to God with proper intentions, they were to petition God for forgiveness of their sins and guilt.”

Pg 36 Walk in the Light / Honesty

https://www.gotquestions.org/walk-in-the-light.html

To “walk” is, in short, to live one’s life. One’s lifestyle or way of life can be considered a “walk.” The word also indicates progress. Walking is related to growth; it is taking steps toward maturity. “Light” in the Bible can be a metaphor for life, happiness, righteousness, or understanding. The Bible is clear that light comes from the Lord God, the “Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17). He is the opposite of evil. Putting it all together, “walking in the light” means “growing in holiness and maturing in the faith as we follow Jesus.”

https://bible.org/seriespage/19-walking-light-ephesians-57-14

Becoming a Christian is not so much a matter of adding Christ to your life as it is abandoning your life to find true life in Christ. And when one thus trusts in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the change is not small. It is a radical transformation. It is a change from death to life, from darkness to light. Paul’s words indicate that our calling as Christians should have a radical impact on our conduct. We will never be the same again. We should never think or act the same. Our thinking and our behavior after our conversion should compare to our former “walk” as though it were night and day. Anyone who thinks of salvation differently would seem to do a disservice to the teaching of our Lord, and of the Old and New Testament writers.

https://christiantoday.com/article/the-importance-of-being-honest-with-god/82093.htm

But without being honest with people, we prohibit ourselves from pursuing authentic relationships with others and with God. In the same way that we avoid being truthful with our friends, family members and any other people we engage with, because we’re afraid of any number of possible consequences of our openness, so too can we avoid being honest with God.  Sometimes we worry about fully opening up to God because we think he’ll get mad at us or we’re mad at him but we think we shouldn’t be so we try to steer clear of discussing it as this means we’ll have to accept and confront our emotions.

Our most powerful relationships are built upon trust, and it’s no different when we consider the one that we have with God. Often, a reluctance to speak honestly with God points to a lack of trust in him. We can fail to trust him to be just, to be forgiving or to be helpful when in fact he is all of these things. God wants us to come to him with everything that’s on our minds and even though we might not be able to see a way through, he always can. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Chapter 3 Questions

Pg 34 The author poses this question……. “ How do I come to God with confidence when I am thinking the wrong things and I know I have the wrong attitude? “ What do we do?

Pg 35 “ How has God used the past and present difficulties of your life to lead you into a life of prayer?

Pg 36 Agree or disagree /discuss …. “Temptations are an appeal to meet righteous needs in an unrighteous way . “

Pg 38 How will you “ walk in the light” with each temptation of your life?

“ Purpose to let every point of temptation lead you into a conversation with God and trust Him to meet the deepest thirsts of your heart . “  – Bill Thrasher

Salvation – being saved – is a free gift from God!  It is not a reward for our good deeds or self-denial. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or give God in exchange for our salvation. It is a GIFT we don’t deserve. We are sinners who have been disobedient to God. We don’t deserve anything from Him. Yet God, in His love, has chosen to give it to us. It is called GRACE in the Bible. It is received only through FAITH in the Lord Jesus. There is no other way to get it.

In the Bible, we read:

“It is by GRACE you are saved, through FAITH… not as a result of works.

”This is the simple but wonderful truth of the Gospel!

We rejoice in our salvation. Now, what do we do? How do we live? In the Bible, God says: “I know the plan I have for you.”  Jeremiah 29:11

God has a plan and purpose for our life! Before our salvation, we had our own plans and we were going our own way, living selfishly for ourselves. Now we want to live our new life for Lord Jesus and follow his plan for us. God has lovingly planned a unique life for each of his children. It is not an empty life, it is a fulfilling life, full of good deeds He wants us to do for him. 

What are the good deeds God has for us? Serving God by serving others – like being kind-hearted, loving, and caring, helping people in need, praying for them, telling others about the Lord Jesus and his priceless gift of salvation, etc. The Lord Jesus will lead us along the way and the Holy Spirit will show us how to follow him. All the blessings God has for us will be found only along this path as we follow the Lord. Bible tells us: “God has created us in Christ Jesus to do all the good works which He has already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 

My dear friend, as we rejoice in our salvation, let us eagerly pray and find out all the good deeds God is calling us to do.  And let us do them with joy!

Prayer: “Heavenly Father, please help me not to live a meaningless life only for myself. Help me follow the Lord Jesus and do all the good deeds which You have planned for me to do to serve others and bring You praise and honor.”

However, we are finding that adoption is a hard concept for our human minds to grasp.  Recently, when we were in the midst deep struggle, we were told by a well wisher that, “God only talks of orphan care in the Bible and doesn’t talk about adopting children. So, perhaps He only expects us to care for the fatherless by placing them in orphanages where the kids have each other, are well looked after, and might even be happy and thrive. Most adopted children seem so unhappy, and their adoptive parents struggle so much too. It just doesn’t seem worth it!” In other words, they were wondering if adoption was really required.

So the question we had to face was: Had we unnecessarily stretched ourselves too far? Did we go beyond what God had expected of us?

This caused us to pause. It is a very weighty question, because adoption had changed the trajectory of our lives! In choosing this path, had we inadvertently stepped out of God’s will, and were our struggles just a consequence of those self-made choices? We earnestly began seeking answers to these questions, because in addition to being deeply invested in it, we were also involved in adoption and foster care ministry in our church and county. Not surprisingly, the is answer embedded in the very core of our Christian faith! We re-discovered that God did not need to tell  us to adopt in the Bible, because He modeled it Himself through His actions, and Scripture is threaded with His invitation for us to be like Him! To understand this awesome truth, we need to first step back and remind ourselves of how far God was willing to “stretch Himself” for our sake, so we could belong to Him as His adopted children.

The Bible tells us that God created all human beings to reflect His nature and to bring Him glory. However, right from the beginning, we chose to rebel against God our Creator, and broke our relationship and fellowship with Him. Consequently, for His justice to prevail (since He is a perfect and holy God), every one of us justly deserves to experience His wrath against us, and we should be banished from His Presence forever into Hell. However, God in His mercy and compassion chose to do something about it, which He had planned before the world even existed! He sent His Son Jesus, to come to earth as a man, and to die on a cross, bearing the punishment for all our sins on Himself! In this way, God could  freely offer us reconciliation with Him, in perfect mercy and justice, and that we can live eternally with restored fellowship with Him. This is perfectly summed up in this well known verse: “For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The Bible calls this salvation. It is a free gift God has given us, although we did not even deserve it. God demonstrates His love for us, in that while were were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Imagine that! God chose to save us when were were at our worst! He set His love on us! He sent His Son to die on the cross to take the punishment we deserved for our own sins! What a God He is! If He had done nothing more for us than to save us, the echoes of our praises for His mercy and His grace would reverberate throughout eternity!

However, the wonder of the Christian gospel is that God did even more. Far more! With a love that we can only marvel at but never fully understand, God chose to go above and beyond! God chose to adopt us into His family as His beloved sons and daughters, and make us co-heirs with Jesus. That is over the top, outlandish love! This very thought caused the apostle John to pause in the midst of his letter and exclaim in awe: “See, what kind of love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1). As Matt Carter once said, we will never understand the depth and intensity of God’s love for us, until we wrap our minds around the kind of love that He has for us. God didn’t just love us by taking our punishment on Himself. He did it by choosing to adopt us into His family at great cost to Himself! He is now our Father. We are now His children. The implications of this thought should really mess us up (in a good way)! Through His grace, we have been redeemed and are raised up  through Jesus as His adopted children. Nothing  can separate us from His love forever! May we never lose the wonder of this staggering truth!  In fact, one day as heirs of God, we will sit with Jesus on His throne and rule all of His creation along with Him (Rev 3:21)!

Here is a powerful message our family recently watched, which explains these truths more clearly: This message is well worth the watch, and can be life-changing for you!

This is the heart of our Christian faith. It gives us the perfect framework to address the question of whether we go too far when we choose to adopt children! Yes, we can support children in orphanages – and orphanages do have their place. However when we choose adoption, it becomes a beautiful reflection of the very nature of God Himself, and stands as a testament of the gospel to a watching world! If God has loved us so much that He became our Father, how can we stop at less? We can step out boldly, knowing that it greatly pleases and honors God. with the deep assurance that even though the price we pay be extremely high, we are in the center of a His will and that He will walk along with us to provide for all our physical, emotional and spiritual needs! So, the next time we are asked this question, we can confidently say that we adopt because it reflects our Heavenly Father’s heart!