What are the challenges when speaking about grace

1
What are the challenges when speaking about grace?

• 1. Handling my emotions. It is not difficult
  for me to worship God when I think how
  He has lavished His grace upon me!
• 2. Whether or not each one of us will be honest
  to our core. Can we say Okay. I'm going to
  take a risk and believe that grace is real.

2
Reasons to WorshipGod is Gracious and Forgiving

• Does God give mulligans?
  Is He the God of second chances?
• Does He give do-overs?

3
The second chances God offers

• Abraham was given a second chance.
• Jonah was given a
  do-over.
• Peter was given a
  series of mulligans.

4
Passages about God being a gracious God

• Psalm 1038--The LORD is compassionate and
  gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love...10)
  he does not treat us as our sins deserve or
  repay us according to our iniquities.
• Psalm 1165--The LORD is gracious and righteous
  our God is full of compassion.

5
First, I want us to see grace
for what it really is

• How should we act?
• We have three choices before us
• 1) Justice
• 2) Mercy
• 3) Grace

6
Second, I want us to have a feel for what grace
can really do or mean in our lives and the lives
of other people

• What if we received justice?
  Romans 623--The wages of sin is
  death.
• What if we received mercy?
  Psalm 10310--He does not treat us as our
  sins deserve, or repay us according to our
  iniquities.
• What if we received Gods grace?
  Romans 623--For the wages of sin is death,
  but the (free) gift of God is eternal life in or
  through Christ Jesus our Lord.

7
Grace is outrageous, a valuable blessing freely
bestowed on some totally undeserving person

• Its scandalous
• Its too good to be true

8
Third, I want to give you a great example of how
our Lord showed grace to one of His disciples

• John 1810
• Luke 2254-57
• John 211-17

9

• John 213--I'm going out to fish, Simon Peter
  told them, and they said, We'll go with you. So
  they went out and got into the boat, but that
  night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the
  morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the
  disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5
  He called out to them, Friends, haven't you any
  fish? No, they answered. 6 He said, Throw
  your net on the right side of the boat and you
  will find some. When they did, they were unable
  to haul the net in because of the large number of
  fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved
  said to Peter, It is the Lord! As soon as Simon
  Peter heard him say, It is the Lord, he wrapped
  his outer garment around him (for he had taken it
  off) and jumped into the water.

10

• John 218--The other disciples followed in the
  boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were
  not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9
  When they landed, they saw a fire of burning
  coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10
  Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish you
  have just caught. 11 Simon Peter climbed
  aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of
  large fish, 153, but even with so many the net
  was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, Come and
  have breakfast. None of the disciples dared ask
  him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord.
  13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to
  them, and did the same with the fish.

11

• John 2115--When they had finished eating, Jesus
  said to Simon Peter, Simon son of John, do you
  truly love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he
  said, you know that I love you. Jesus said,
  Feed my lambs. 16 Again Jesus said, Simon
  son of John, do you truly love me? He answered,
  Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus
  said, Take care of my sheep. 17 The third
  time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you
  love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him
  the third time, Do you love me? He said, Lord,
  you know all things you know that I love you.
  Jesus said, Feed my sheep.

12

• Three times Jesus asks the same question,
  one question for each time Peter
  denied Him.
• Peter is restored to his ministry and life
  with Christ with one question
  Do you love me
  more than these?
• The most important observation
  Jesus restores us, forgives us
  and gives us our mission if we love
  Him.

13
Does God provide a mulligan, a
do-over?

• Yes! Hes the God of second chances.
  
• I John 19 was written for Christians and all who
  need His forgiveness.
• Now, do we have reason to worship? God is
  Gracious!