Bethany Worship Center: Abundance of Grace Clancy Wilkerson

Introduction:

A) For the last 8 years or so I’ve asked the Lord to show me what a N. T. mindset is and what it looks like. Better than that how do I live in it? I did not ask for information but for transformation.
• So this teaching (actually it’s a series of 4 messages) comes out of that seeking

I believe is the hang up of the church, is that they try to live a victorious N.T. life with an O.T mindset.
• See themselves as sinners and not saints.
• They may call themselves sons or daughter of God but their approach to God is that of a servant.
• The sonship teaching and Mary. I know God loves me and He’s my father.
• Given words sinners/saints and servants / sons

B) I’d like to bring a message on grace. Hopefully to expand your understanding of what Grace is and God’s intention of how you’re to live in it.
1. I’ve been in ministry and have pastor about 34 years.
2. I’ve watched believers struggle with issues of sin; anger, gambling, some type of sexual immorality, alcohol or drug use or abuse, the list goes on.
3. They battle with depression.

Pp Premise: In Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, He not only took on our sin and died but he gave us power over sin.
1. Yet how many believers do you know that struggle with some area of sin? Maybe you’re here today and you’re struggling with a sin issue.
2. If that you, regardless of the smiley face you may wear at church, you’re frustrated, your Christian experience is a series of high and lows, and struggle.
3. No matter what, you feel there is this lingering presence or shadow that just seems to loom of you, just waiting to gobble you up.

D) Depending on how long you’ve been a Christian. In your desire to a victorious Christian, you’ve tried.
• Prayer and fasting
• Deliverance, or the casting out of demons
• Inner healing
• Being diligent – Christian disciplines, read my Bible, prayer, attend church.
• Yet although you may have had some relief, that struggle, and tendency to stumble is still there.

Pp What is Grace?
• Some confuse mercy with grace.
• God forgive me, God forgive me; they certainly know mercy. God is faithful and merciful,
• But they’re not been acquainted with Grace.
• Grace is: God’s love, God’s nature, God’s passion for us, God giving all of Himself to us.

F) Today we’re going to talk about living victorious, on receiving an abundance of Grace. Abundance of Grace, the power to reign. Romans 5 / Pray!

Pp The book of Romans is the fundamentals of our faith
1 Chapter 1 – We’re all without excuse, everyone has sinned
2 Chapter 2 – We’re all accountable (it not your spouses, neighbor or dog’s fault)
3 Chapter 3 & 4 We’re all guilty, and we cannot work our way out of it.
4 Romans 4:24-25 We’re introduced to Christ Jesus by Grace.

It (righteousness) will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:24-25

B) End of Romans 4 we pick up Romans 5:1- 2 (two verse one sentence, one complete strain of thought.
Pp Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2) through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
• Obtained our introduction, other translations say we have access into this grace.
• The word in the Greek is (4318) Pro-sa-go-ge: The act of bring together.
• Therefore (because Jesus took our sins upon Him at the cross, and the complete work of the cross, we have peace with God)
• No fear of punishment! God is not holding our sin against us.
• Through Jesus we have an open communion with God.

C) Most of us this idea of grace.
• Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that is where we put the period, that is the end of the sentence and the end our expectation Why? Because that is what we’ve been taught and that all we expect to believe.
• And Grace is something we receive as a onetime act or event. But beloved there is a comma their and a continuing of a thought.
• We have obtained an introduction by faith into this Grace.

Pp (Radical thought) Our struggle is not against sin, but our ability to open ourselves up and to receive God’s love, His nature and His power. Or to receive Grace!
1 What we focus on we empower.
• Grace is not the one time shot, where only sin was forgiven
• There’s a constant flow of Grace, like a rain being poured out from heaven.
• It’s available to us and for us.
• Paul begins to write about. (Subject in Romans 5 – 8)

Pp) Paul teaches through contrast. What comes through Adam, and what comes through Christ.
1 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- Romans 5:12