{"id":226,"date":"2013-01-17T16:57:22","date_gmt":"2013-01-17T22:57:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/sensingt\/?p=226"},"modified":"2013-01-17T17:15:06","modified_gmt":"2013-01-17T23:15:06","slug":"grace-is-an-action-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/sensingt\/2013\/01\/grace-is-an-action-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Grace Is An Action Word"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\">Sunday, January 6, was Epiphany Sunday. I have always considered Titus 2:11-14 a key Epiphany Sunday text. On this particular day I used the opportunity of teaching the adult Bible class in order to set the scene for Titus 2. My sermon notes are below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\"><strong>Focus<\/strong>: God\u2019s grace not only saves us, God\u2019s grace enables us in the present tense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Function<\/strong>: To embolden God\u2019s people to access God\u2019s grace in active ways.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Plotline<\/strong>: God is a God of grace and God\u2019s grace saves us. *And God\u2019s grace teaches us. *And throughout life, God\u2019s grace sustains us. *The appearing nature of God\u2019s grace enables us to live lives of grace. [For those familiar with Buttrick&#8217;s <em>Homiletic<\/em>, you will note the sermon is in the mode of immediacy.]<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px\"><strong><em>11\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><em>For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. <strong>12\u00a0<\/strong>It teaches us to say \u201cNo\u201d to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, <strong>13\u00a0<\/strong>while we wait for the blessed hope\u2014the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, <strong>14\u00a0<\/strong>who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. <\/em>(Titus 2:11-14)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\" align=\"center\">When I was in High School, there was a TV showed called, <em>A Touch Of Grace<\/em>.\u00a0 The wife and mother of this family was named Grace.\u00a0 The stories centered on how Grace touched all of their lives.\u00a0 Today, children are still being named Grace, however, the Greek derivation is more common\u2014Charis, Charisa, etc.\u00a0 But there is more to Grace than just a name.\u00a0 \u2014Retell the Gospel story \u2026<\/p>\n<p>*God is a God of Grace. And God\u2019s grace saves us. *But God\u2019s grace is more than that, God\u2019s grace also teaches us.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>For example, two foundational stories:\n<ul>\n<li>Abraham was declared righteous by faith before his circumcision and before the giving of the law. (Rom 4)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI brought you out of the land of Egypt\u201d \u2013Then the giving of the Ten Commandments. (Exod 20)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>But Israel did not remain in the loving arms of God\u2019s grace. But that was not the end of God\u2019s story.<\/li>\n<li>Out of God\u2019s grace, God promised \u2026<\/li>\n<li>And after years of waiting, God\u2019s grace appeared in Jesus Christ\u2026<\/li>\n<li>And grace appeared to each one of us\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>*<\/strong>Paul writes about this grace\u2014a saving grace. But grace is more than that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014<\/strong>Read Text Again<\/p>\n<p><strong>&gt;<\/strong>This grace is active, it teaches us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&gt;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">FIRST<\/span><\/strong>\u2014to deny ungodliness and lust.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&gt;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">SECOND<\/span><\/strong>\u2014to live self-controlled and upright lives.\u00a0 To be godly.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">To deny:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To live:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>grumbling\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 encouraging<\/li>\n<li>complaining\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 exhorting<\/li>\n<li>gossip\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 uplifting<\/li>\n<li>hate\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 loving<\/li>\n<li>anger\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 compassion<\/li>\n<li>anxiousness\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 peaceful<\/li>\n<li>worry\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 joyous<\/li>\n<li>Do you prefer to wear sour clothes from the hamper or new clean clothes?\u00a0 Even after washing clothes can become soured again. But grace teaches us to say no to soured clothes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">To say no:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To say yes:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>jealously\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 concern<\/li>\n<li>envy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 service<\/li>\n<li>pride\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 humility<\/li>\n<li>selfishness\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 selflessness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>To live self-controlled lives (disciplined lives)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*God\u2019s grace not only teaches us, it sustains us.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cSustainable\u201d (key word in research, industry, school).\n<ul>\n<li>Markets<\/li>\n<li>Green Earth (sustainable resources, sustainable energy)<\/li>\n<li>Kids in school<\/li>\n<li>And our faith.<\/li>\n<li>As we live here on the earth, we look forward to the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus.\u00a0 Just as Israel of old waited for the coming of the Messiah, so we are called to wait. It is grace that enables us to wait. Grace sustains us.<\/li>\n<li>Child waiting for Christmas\u2014getting part of the gifts early to enable that child to wait. Then &amp; Now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*God\u2019s grace appears to us in order that we might live gracious lives. Grace is not a figment of our imagination or an abstract concept for philosophers to contemplate. God\u2019s grace is tangible, concrete, and alive. Paul describes two appearings of grace. The initial appearing of God\u2019s salvation in Jesus Christ and the final appearing to all of God\u2019s people. In between, from \u201cback then\u201d to \u201cout there then\u201d, God\u2019s grace is still active in order to enable us to live now.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>God\u2019s grace teaches us. I saw grace teach a young man when\u2026<\/li>\n<li>God\u2019s grace sustains us. I saw grace sustain a mother when \u2026<\/li>\n<li>God\u2019s grace enables us to wait for that appearing. But not wait on a couch. God purified for himself a people. We are a people eager to do good works by taking hold of God\u2019s grace now, in between the two appearings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunday, January 6, was Epiphany Sunday. I have always considered Titus 2:11-14 a key Epiphany Sunday text. On this particular<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3578,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons","comments-off"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Grace Is An Action Word - HomileticalSensings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/sensingt\/2013\/01\/grace-is-an-action-word\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Grace Is An Action Word - HomileticalSensings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sunday, January 6, was Epiphany Sunday. 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