Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith,
To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts,
Hebrews 3:7-8
Lesson 8 | The True Work of Grace
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How do the fear of God and grace work together? We will look at this as defined by the Scriptures. This lesson is covering pages 27-33 of The Treatise of the Fear of God. (Go to Lesson 1 to download your FREE eBook copy of this book)
Notice the verses here in Hebrews 3:7-8, "Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, TODAY, IF ye will hear his voice - harden not your hearts"
The word "IF" is a powerful word in the written word of God. You see, God in his mercy has given us the choice. We call it free will. We can choose whatever we want to do, say, live, etc.. However, the Lord God wants us to choose HIM and His way -- Jesus Christ. When we say that we choose God, we must also say that we choose to live our life HIS WAY. There is no middle ground when it comes to the things of God. It is HIS way or hell. You get to choose. (He wrote it, I didn't)
In these last days, men's heart grow colder and colder to the things of God. In II Timothy 3, we read that men will be lovers of self more than lovers of God.
The current conversation among church attenders, either at the local building or listening online or TV -- is "it's all about GRACE". I ask...WHAT is all about grace??
The word grace means favour. I think every one has come to an agreement on that definition. BUT what does that really mean?
Without really knowing who God Almighty is, we cannot understand grace.
Without having the fear of God, we cannot understand grace.
The contemporary teaching of grace has taught half truths and lies mixed together. For example, the error taught is that God will be nice to you no matter what because Jesus died on the cross. The teaching makes way to an ambiguous, vague, fill-in-the-blank check type of teaching.
Hmm, that kind of sounds sort of right. But is Almighty God the same as a pagan god like Buddha that needs some sort of appeasement and then good things will happen to you. Why is the LORD God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth defined in the same way as any other pagan god??????
The work of redemption is SPECIFIC in what it accomplishes. God DID so love the world that he gave his only begotten Son, the whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
So, what's the disconnect?
The disconnected trap is that grace and even faith are defined INCORRECTLY, to mislead and deceive people who don't and won't read the Bible for themselves. YIKES.
Everybody wants eternal life.
What is eternal life? Look up John 17:3 ..
What is the job of the Holy Spirit? Look up John 16:7-15 and write down 5
Grace is the LORD Jesus Christ and because of Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Read John 1
Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
How do we obtain grace?
- I Peter 5:4-7
- James 4:6
- Jude 4
It is en vogue to have supernatural power. Everybody wants it. I mean everybody..from the church goer to the witch, from the businessman to the student. Also en vogue is the teaching that God just wants you to be happy. Not fat and happy; fit and happy. It is taught by most prominent preacher/teacher/speakers that you get saved to have the power of God. If that is your motivation, you don't understand the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Here is a prime reason for this study of the fear of God.
How does the written Word of God define the power of God? Romans 1:15-16
Are we listening to another gospel?? Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Based on the previous Scriptures, write a definition for grace:
OK. Now let's go over to page 27 of the Treatise.
Here we read that the fear of the Lord is:
- A grace: Hebrews 12:28
- A dispensation of the grace of the gospel: Jeremiah 32:38-41
- A treasure: Isaiah 33:6
- This grace of fear maketh man to excel: Job 1:8
To address again the adage that "it's all about grace", we clarify that to live under grace and in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we must understand the fear of God.
How do we know we have the fear of God?
1. Son-like fear of God: Jeremiah 32:38-40
2. A new heart : Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26, Matthew 9:17
3. The sound impression that the Word of God maketh on our soul:
Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 31:12; Romans 6:17
4. Faith: Galatians 3:2, Hebrews 11:7
5. Sound Repentance for and from sin: II Corinthians 7:10-11
6. A sense of the love and kindness of God to the soul: "We hope in his mercy" Psalm 33:18
7. A due consideration of the judgements of God that are to be executed in the world: Psalm 119:120
8. A godly remembrance of our former distresses. (God says "take heed") Deuteronomy 4:9-11
9. Receiving an answer to prayer (Abraham prayed for Lot out of Sodom & Gomorrah)
10. A blessed conviction of the all-seeing eye of God: Luke 16:15
11. A sense of the impartial judgement of God upon men according to their works: I Peter 1:17, Romans 2:16
Did you look up for yourself these Scripture references? (I know that this lesson has a lot of looking up. But did you do it?) What do you conclude? Write your thoughts in your study notes.
DIG DEEPER
- Read Hebrews chapter 4.
- Look up these words and write out the definition
- dispensation
- comply
- mollify
- conviction
3. How many times is the word JUDGE used in the Scriptures?
4. How many times is the word SIN used in Scriptures?
5. How many times is the REPENT used in the Scriptures?
I pray that we will draw closer to the LORD.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14
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