Five Solas: Sola Gratia (Gray on Grace)
Sola Gratia (cont.)…
The Miracle of “Grace Received”
The Power of the Cross, Part 1
1 Corinthians 1.18-31 Notes
Pastor Guy Gray
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Questions for Reflection and Discussion
What does the Cross mean to you?
What would be a modern day equivalent of the “foolishness of the Cross”?
How has the truth of the Cross brought humility into your life?
How has the message of the Cross set you free from self-effort to earn God’s favor or blessing?
The Miracle of “Grace Received” is the Power of the Cross, “Part 1″
To hear and respond to the message of the Cross is to humbly receive the grace of God for your life by faith. This is where the power starts. This is the first dimension of the power of the Cross-the power of God’s grace given through Christ’s sacrifice and received by faith. Those who truly hear this message and “get it” are transformed. They are all about Jesus. They boast, but only about Jesus! When a whole Christian community is boasting only about Jesus instead of arguing about who is the coolest or wisest or who has the best worship music, that’s when amazing things start to take place in the church. Then everyone get’s on the same page and the church is a witness of the gospel of Jesus in powerful ways. Pray that we might know the power of the Cross-grace given and received. As we do, may our love and zeal for Christ multiply! May our love for one another bring a unity stronger than ever before!
The Grace of God “Released Through Your Life”
The Power of the Cross, Part 2
1 Corinthians 1:23-2:5
Pastor Guy Gray
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“For the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength” 1 Corinthians 1:25
Ideas for Reflection and Discussion:
God’s Grace Released Through You!
This week we were reminded that the saving work of the Cross does more than just forgive us our sins. It prepares and equips us to be agents of God’s grace in this fallen world.
What are some of the effects that the Cross should have in our daily life?
Can you think of any scriptures that help us tounderstand how the Cross impacts us? (Luke 9:23, Philippians 3:10)
To what extent do you see these things at work in your life right now?
How does the power of the Cross help us to minister in a broken world?
Humility and Sacrificial Love
Think about the relationships in your life right now. Which of them need the humility and sacrificial love that the message of the Cross brings?
How would that impact those relationships?
The Miracle of God’s Grace “Through” Your Life is the Power of the Cross, Part Two
When Christ yielded to the Cross, in submission, humility and weakness, he trusted that God almighty would intervene and raise Him up in resurrection power. That was the power of God at work through weakness! This is the same principle that is at work in our lives as we follow Christ. Both First and Second Corinthians are filled with teaching about this principle (in addition to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 see 2 Corinthians 1:5-9 & 4:8-11 & 12:9-10 & 13:4). Now it’s time for each of us to apply this principle in the daily details of our own lives. This means in our relationship with God and others. It starts with submitting your life to God and His purpose instead of demanding your own will. It is about being humble in relationships and acting in sacrificial love instead of seeking your own success-your own agenda-your own pleasure. This is radical. It is the way of the Cross. It is also the way of Christ’s resurrection power in our lives and in our world. Do you believe this? How can you act on this truth in the next week? How amazing and wonderful it will be to see the grace of God actually working through your life and touching the lives of others in this fallen world!