Restoring Grace

Topic: God’s grace can answer a mother’s prayers and restore

her wayward children to fellowship with Christ.

 

A Mother’s Prayers

• Monica would not give up on her son Augustine even though

he had renounced his faith in Christ and had chosen to live in

sinful rebellion to God’s Word.

• She continuously asked the Lord to use His restoring grace to

bring her son back to Him.

• God answered Monica’s prayers and Augustine not only came

back to Christ, but he became one of the most influential

teachers and theologians in the history of the Christian church.

 

God’s Restoring Grace

• Jesus told the parable of the Prodigal Son to reassure us that

God hears our prayers and will not give up on our wayward

children.

 

Challenge:

• Trust God and pray; He will answer according to His infinite

love and wisdom.

Liberating Grace

Topic: God’s grace can liberate you from the distress of

perfectionism.

 

Definition of “Perfectionism” – The attempt to prove that you are

worthy of receiving God’s love and acceptance.

 

Development of “Perfectionism” -- After receiving God’s love

and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ, you begin thinking

that you must be perfect to continue receiving His love.

• Galatians 3:2-3

 

Defeat of “Perfectionism”

• You cannot live a perfect life. Rom. 7:25b; 1 Jn. 1:8-10

• If Christ is your Lord and Savior, God loves you unconditionally

as one of His beloved children. 1Jn. 3:1

 

Challenge:

• You do not have Christ’s liberating grace in your life unless you

have Him as your Lord and Savior.

• If Christ is your Lord, then claim your relationship as God’s

child, and ask Him to deliver you from the distress of

perfectionism.

Healing Grace

Topic: God grace can heal you physically, emotionally, and

spiritually.

 

Grace and Physical Healing – James 5:14-16

1. God’s grace can heal you from any physical ailment.

2. Since medicine is a gift from God, He often uses medicine to

provide healing.

3. Sometimes God withholds healing and sustains us by His

grace so that we can be a stronger testimony to the world.

 

Grace and Emotional Healing – Psalm 147:3

1. So many things can break our hearts.

2. The Lord is very good at healing broken hearts.

 

Grace and Spiritual Healing – Isaiah 53:5

1. Our spirits are crushed because our sins separate us from

God.

2. Christ died to pay the price for your sins and bring you spiritual

healing.

 

Challenge:

• Jesus brings God’s healing grace into your life when you

receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

Sustaining Grace

Topic: God gives us His sustaining grace to help us do the

right things and finish our lives well.

 

God’s Grace When Tempted – 1 Pt. 5:8-10

1. Satan will tempt you to mess up your life so badly that you

won’t be a positive influence for God.

2. You will only find the power to resist temptations through God’s

sustaining grace.

 

God’s Grace When Tired – 2 Cor. 1:21-22

1. Doing the right thing requires a lot of energy; you will get tired.

2. You learn to draw upon God’s sustaining grace by doing 3

things:

a) Fill your heart with prayer – 2 Sam. 22:4

b) Fill your mind with God’s Word -- Psa. 119:10-12

c) Fill your life with God’s family – Gal. 6:2

 

Challenge:

• Life is impossible on your own. Learn to depend upon God’s

sustaining grace, and He will help you to finish your life well.

Guilt and Grace

Topic: God gives us grace by forgiving the guilt of our sins.

 

What is Guilt – Psalm 38:4

1. Genuine guilt comes from the conviction that God lays upon

our unrepentant sins.

2. False guilt is a punishment we lay upon ourselves for the sins

of others.

3. Guilt Tests:

#1 – Is the focus on God or other people?

#2 – Is the guilt specific or vague?

 

God’s Way of Handling Guilt

1. False guilt is overcome by believing God’s promise that you are

not guilty of another person’s sins. John 8:31,32

2. Genuine guilt is overcome by three steps:

a) Confess your sins to God. 1 John 1:9

b) Repent of your sins. Acts 3:19-20

c) Receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Acts 10:43

 

Challenge:

• No matter what is causing your feelings of guilt, God’s grace

can free you from it through your faith in Jesus Christ.

Amazing Grace

Topic: God offers you His amazing grace through faith in

Jesus Christ.

 

G – God’s Gift to You – Ephesians 2:8,9

1. God’s love and salvation are a free gift, you cannot earn them.

R – Receive God’s Gift by Faith – Ephesians 2:8,9

1. Trust God’s Word that you can only receive God’s gift of grace

and salvation through faith.

A – Available: It is Available to Everyone – Luke 23:43

1. Regardless of your background, your status, or your

sin…God’s gift of grace and salvation is available to you.

C – Christ is the Only Source – John 1:17

1. As the perfect Son of God, Christ was the only one who could

die for our sins and rise from the dead so that we could be

forgiven and receive God’s gift of grace.

E – Eternal: It Gives Us Eternal Life – Romans 6:23

1. The results of God’s gift of grace are eternal.

2. Some of the eternal benefits of grace can begin right now.

Challenge:

• God’s gift of grace and salvation begins when you place your

faith in Jesus Christ.

• Have you received Him as your Lord and Savior?

Topic: The Lord fills you with the light of His glory when you

meet with Him face to face.

 

Face to Face with Moses – Exodus 34:29-34

1. Moses shone with God’s glory because he met with God face

to face.

 

Face to Face with Us – 2 Cor. 3:7-18; Matt. 5:14-16

1. When you receive Christ as your Savior and Lord, He brings

His glorious light into your life.

2. Christ commands you to let His light shine out to people around

you. Here are some ways you can do that:

a. Trust Him when you are going through tough times.

b. Forgive others for the hurtful things they do to you.

c. Sacrifice your time and resources to help someone.

d. Invite your friends to church to meet your Lord.

 

Challenge: Your life shines brighter with Christ’s glory when you –

• Meet with Jesus everyday in His Word and prayer.

• Worship Him every Sunday here at UPBC.

• Share His love and light with others.

Topic: God will always be faithful to you.

 

Israel Was Treasured – Exodus 19:3-6

 

1. Israel was afraid to trust God, so He showed them His love and

power by delivering them from slavery and providing for their

needs.

 

2. He chose them to be His “Treasured Possession” and

established a special relationship with them.

 

You Are Treasured – 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10

 

1. The relationship God offered to the Hebrew people He also

offers to you.

 

2. Just as God sent Moses to deliver the Hebrews from slavery,

He sent Jesus Christ to deliver you from the slavery of sin.

 

3. Just as God showed the Hebrews they can trust Him, God

shows you that you can also trust Him

 

4. How can you become God’s “Treasured Possession?”

• Receive Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord.

 

5. How cay you receive God’s blessings as His “Treasured

Possession?

• By obeying His commandments and living as His witness to

proclaim His love and power to the people around you.

Topic: God ignites the passion of your faith when you meet

with Him.

 

Scripture: Exodus 19:9-19

 

God Shows Up!

 

1. God showed up on Mt. Sinai to ignite the faith of the Hebrews.

2. They consecrated (prepared) themselves to meet the Holy

God.

3. Sometimes to remind us who He really is, God shows up in our

lives in overwhelming and unmistakable ways.

 

 

Passionate Obedience!

 

1. God reveals Himself to us to teach us to “revere” Him.

2. Reverence for Him will lead to passionate obedience.

3. He gave us the 10 Commandments to remind us that He is

holy and we must obey His holy will.

4. Jesus Christ can take the guilt of our sins upon Himself since

He is the only one who has obeyed God’s laws completely.

 

 

Challenge

 

• Meeting personally with God will either send you running in fear

or it will ignite the passion of your faith.

• Is your faith half-hearted?

• Begin by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Topic: God commands you to respond with His compassion to

people’s cry for help.

 

Scripture: Exodus 22:25-27

 

God’s Compassion

1. Compassion is an essential part of God’s character.

2. His humble love for us motivates Him to reach out and respond

when we cry for His help.

3. Jesus embodied compassion; He helped people in need.

 

Our Compassion

1. If Christ indwells your heart and soul, then He has brought His

compassion into the core of your being.

2. If He truly indwells you, His compassion will motivate you to

respond to the needs of others.

 

Challenge

• Are your eyes and heart open to the needs of people around

you everyday?

• What has God enabled you to do to help other people?

• If you are not yet involved in a ministry of helping others, what

are you waiting for?

• Christ is calling you to show His compassion to others by

responding to their cry for help!

Topic: God allows us to go through tough times to help us

overcome our fears and to trust Him .

Scripture: Exodus 16:1-5

 

Understanding our Fears

1. The Hebrew people had learned to survive as slaves in Egypt.

2. But they did not know how to survive by following God into the

desert.

3. They had to choose between facing their fears and trusting

God or giving in to their fears and returning to their old life.

 

Fear or Faith

1. When life gets tough, your old life of sin will call to you.

2. You have a choice: return to the slavery of your past or trust

God and move ahead in your life of faith.

 

Challenge

• Jesus died to deliver you from the slavery of your past.

• If you have received Him as your Savior and Lord, He has

given you the ability to trust Him and live in victory over your

old life.

• Which will you choose?

Topic: Your love for Christ must motivate you to serve others.

 

Saved to Serve – Ephesians 2:8-10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

1. God saved you to accomplish the good works He has prepared

for you to do.

2. One of the reasons God had the Bible written was to equip you

to do good works.

 

Priority of Service – Matthew 25:31-40, 41-46

1. Jesus will judge the authenticity of our relationship with Him by

how we serve others with His love.

2. The love that Christ brings into our lives motivates us to serve

others.

3. Jesus warns us that sitting on the sidelines and not serving

others is a dangerous choice.

 

Challenge

• It is impossible to have the Lord Jesus Christ reigning in your

heart and not be motivated by His love to serve other people.

• It’s time to get to work serving others!

Topic: Jesus commands you to serve with His attitude of love.

Scripture: John 13:3-5,12-17; Phil 2:5-7; Mt. 20:25-28

 

Service Defined

1. Jesus set the standard for service by washing the disciples

feet.

 

2. He is God, but He chose to be our servant.

 

3. He commands us to adopt the same attitude of a servant.

 

Service Honored

1. The world honors “latitude” (position) of service, while Christ

honors “attitude,” the willingness to service wherever He calls.

 

Challenge

• Have you humbled your heart and learned from Christ how to

have the attitude of a servant?

Topic: Jesus commands you to love your enemies.

 

 

Love Defined

1. Loving your enemies means seeking what is best for them.

 

2. You can only sustain “agape” love for your enemies by

allowing Christ’s love to fill your life.

 

Love in Action

Three ways to love your enemies

1. “Do good to them” by meeting their needs.

2. “Bless them” by speaking well to them and about them.

3. “Pray for them”

 

Challenge

• Every time you love your enemies with the love of Christ

you are proving that you are a child of your heavenly

Father.

 

•God promises to reward you eternally for all of the ways

you show His love to your enemies rather than being

vindictive and hateful.

Topic: Jesus commands you to love your neighbor as you

love yourself.

 

Who Is My Neighbor?

1. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus taught

that we must love anyone that God brings into our lives.

 

2. This lesson put an end to prejudice and discrimination

against other people because of their race, culture, or

religion.

 

How Do I Love Them?

1. Jesus taught that we must love others at least as much as we

love and care for ourselves.

 

Challenge

• You can only begin to love others as you love yourself if

you have received Christ as your Lord and Savior.

 

• Christ’s love in your life will inspire you to care for

others in whatever ways God has equipped you to help

them.

 

• Is there someone in your life right now that you are

ignoring or refusing to love even though God has

equipped you to help them?

Topic: Jesus commands you to love God with all your

strength.

 

 

What Is Your Strength?

1. Your physical strength includes your raw physical power,

your focused physical strength, and your physical abilities.

 

Who Owns Your Body?

1. The Bible teaches that your body and your soul belong either

to the kingdom of the world or the kingdom of God.

2. If you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord, then both

your body and your soul belong to Him.

 

Who Owns Your Abilities?

1. God gave you all of your physical abilities.

2. Christ purchased you and your abilities by His death and

resurrection.

3. You belong to Christ and should be focused on obeying and

honoring Him with your abilities.

 

Challenge

• You can only begin to love God with your all your

strength if you have received Christ as your Lord and

Savior.

• Are you using all of your strength to obey and serve

Christ?

Topic: Jesus commands you to love God with all your mind.

Scripture: Mark 12:30-31

 

 

Understanding Your Mind

 

1. There are three major parts to your mind: intellect, emotions,

and will.

2. Intellect Is the ability to analyze, understand, and retain

information.

3. Your emotional center is the switch board that carries your

feelings into every part of your body.

4. Your will is the ability to make firm decisions.

 

 

Learning to Love God with All Your Mind

 

1. You learn to love God with your intellect by choosing His

intellect over your own.

2. You learn to love God with your emotions by trusting God to

meet all your emotional needs.

3. You learn to love God with your will by choosing His perfect

will over your own imperfect desires.

 

 

Challenge

 

• You can only begin to love God with your whole mind if

you have chosen Christ to be your Lord and Savior.

• You grow in loving God with all your mind by choosing

to love and obey Him every day.

Topic: Jesus commands you to love God with your whole

Soul.

 

Scripture: Mark 12:30-31

 

 

God’s Image

 

1. God created us with a soul that possesses some of God’s

divine characteristics.

2. He created us with a soul so that we could have a

relationship of love with Him.

3. We lost that relationship because we have chosen to disobey

God’s holy commands.

4. Now we try to satisfy the needs of our soul through human

relationships…which can never replace the love of God.

 

 

Developing Whole Soul Love

 

1. Choose the Lord to be your Shepherd. Ps. 23:1-3

2. Choose the Lord to be your Savior. Ps. 62:1-2

 

 

Challenge

 

• In what ways are you trying to substitute the love of

another human for the love of God?

• You can only love God with your whole soul if you have

chosen Christ to be your Shepherd and your Savior.

Topic: Jesus commands you to love God with your whole

heart.

 

Scripture: Mark 12:30-31

 

 

Wholehearted Difficulties

 

1. Wholehearted love for God means that nothing competes

with your devotion to Him.

2. A half-hearted love for God always leads to disaster.

3. Wholehearted love for Christ means obey Him completely.

 

 

Wholehearted Benefits

 

1. God will let you find Him. Jeremiah 29:13

2. God will guide your life. Proverbs 3:5-6

3. God will keep you from the shame of disobeying Him.

Psalm 119:2-5

 

 

Challenge

 

• Christ’s command is to love the Lord -your God.

• He becomes yours when you place your faith in Jesus

Christ and receive Him as your Savior and Lord.

• Every day, chose to continue to love Him wholeheartedly

by obeying Him completely.