The Lord will Guide You Continually - Rev Peter Ameadaji (31 December, 2023 Crossover Service)

Christmas is the celebration of the Grace of God to man. The first Christmas celebration was held by the angels at the birth of Jesus. They were rejoicing that the birth of Jesus has brought God’s favour to men – His grace.

Luke 2:8-14

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

To help us appreciate why Christmas is a great celebration of God’s grace, we will look at the What, the Why, the How and the When of the grace of God.

Bible Study Theme Wrap up Session :Glory of His Grace (December 27, 2023)

The concept of Grace and Glory is best typified by the personality of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus is described as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” – John 1:29b. He is also described as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.” (Revelations 5:5b NKJV)

The Lamb and the Lion are very interesting mammals in many ways. But more interestingly, they represent the two ends of a pole. The one is meek, weak, gentle, and mostly used for sacrifice. The other is strong, courageous, fierce, and royal. The king of his kingdom, respected, feared, and merciless. The one is the embodiment of Grace; the other is the embodiment of Glory.

This morning, we shall be considering the personality of the Lord Jesus as;

1. The Embodiment of Grace (The Lamb), and

2. The Embodiment of Glory (The Lion)

Grace, like love, has been so used, and perhaps misused, that it has become somewhat of a cliché. We have to make sure it doesn't stay that way or else we would lose its essence and advantage. Grace is multi-faceted and we may be limited by attempting to define it. It may be best-described. As we go on looking at it, the Holy Spirit has a way to open our eyes of understanding to what it is, at least an aspect of it, so that we can have some perspective into what grace entails.

The word "glory" comes from the Latin word "gloria," which means "exalted reputation, honour, or distinction. The Greek word “charis” is translated into grace.

It means a favour bestowed; a generous benefit freely given.

It is an Unmerited favour or undeserved favour. It is favour bestowed by God through His power to transform a person’s life, starting at salvation unto eternal life; we are a product of God’s grace.

We do not qualify for what we received, we do not have personal capacity to achieve what we achieved, we do not have resources to do what we did; we are simply a product of God’s grace and benevolence.

God’s immeasurable resources, power and wisdom is made available to us so that glory can rightly belong to Him, this is product of His grace.

No wonder the most important prayers of believers is anchored on three things which are led by His grace! May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy spirit…. Grace is required for our journey and there is abundance of grace for all we go through either pleasant or unpleasant.

God is able to make sufficient grace available to us all. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV)

We will look at the sufficiency of His grace and how it brings glory unto the Lord.

The glory of God is a concept deeply woven throughout the Bible. Let’s explore what Scripture reveals about it:

1.

Creation Declares His Glory: Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” When we gaze at the vastness of the universe, the intricate design of nature, and the beauty around us, we catch glimpses of God’s magnificence and splendour.

2.

Humans Were Made for His Glory: Isaiah 43:7 tells us that humans were created for the glory of God. We bear His image, and our purpose is to honour Him with our lives. Genesis 1:27 emphasizes that God made us in His image.

3.

Jesus Reveals God’s Glory: Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” Through Jesus, we see the invisible God made visible. His life, death, and resurrection display God’s glory.

Grace is a word we use very often. Sometimes I wonder if we haven’t lost touch with the full meaning or impact of the word.

Biblically, grace is said to mean:

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Unmerited favour or underserved favour.

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A gift that cannot be worked for or earned.

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Grace gives and gives freely.

Grace comes from God – God is the source of Grace – Ephesians 1:6-7.

God is the God of all grace – 1 Peter 5:10.

Grace begins with God.

God is grace, just as He is love, etc.

The Psalmist concludes this Psalm 84 in verse 12:

“O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” NIV

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How lovely it is when our lives become the dwelling place of God, when He inhabits our innermost being, when we find our home and our rest with Him.

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How rich and wonderous is the life of those whose sun and shield is God Himself.

Truly blessed are the men, women, or children who put all their trust in Him.

TASTE AND SEE THE LORD IS GOOD.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATION I BIBLE STUDY WRAP UP SESSION I NOVEMBER 29, 2023

“In the old days, men condemned murder; and truly murder is forever wrong.

But I tell you that not only are man’s outward actions under judgment; his [innermost] thoughts are also under the scrutiny and the judgement of God.

Long-lasting anger is bad; contemptuous speaking is worse, and the careless or the malicious talk which destroys a man’s good name is worst of all.

The man who is a slave of anger, the man who speaks in the [tone] of contempt, the man who destroys another’s good name, may have never committed murder in action, but he is a murderer at heart.”

To rephrase what I stated earlier, “The one who exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is not the person who is satisfied in knowing he hasn’t committed murder; it is the person who is satisfied only when every inch of his heart is right with God.”