Love, Connect, Grow, Serve - Sermons From Middle River AG Michael Powis Sr.

Week 2: Grateful For Grace
Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10 // 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Write Up: We are God’s handiwork and were created in order to do good works that He planned for us to take part in. These good works are not executed to receive the love of God. These good works are the result of God’s good grace toward us. We should live lives of gratitude because we are loved by God as His beloved creation.

Think: I can do nothing to make God love me more. I can do nothing to make God love me less.

Feel: I am so grateful for God’s grace in my life that I will gladly take part in His designed plan for my life.

Do: I should consider all of the reasons I have to be grateful and make a point of thanking God for it.

Discussion Questions:


What are some examples of God’s grace in scripture?
How can we give our weaknesses to God?
Where is a place that you see God’s grace in your life?
Can you think of a time where your weakness made you more dependent on God?
What has God done in your life that you are grateful for?

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Scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14 // 2 Corinthians 5:17 // Colossians 3:12

If we are in Christ,
We are chosen to be a blessing.
We are adopted to be a part of the family of God
We are redeemed to be free.
We are purposed to live on purpose.
We are sealed to be faithful.

Think: If I am in Christ then I can live into all of these spiritual blessings because they are true of me.

Feel: No matter how I feel about myself, the truth is that I am chosen, adopted, redeemed, purposed, and sealed.

Do: Stop believing the lies told to you by the evil one and trust in the blessing of God

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Abide In Me: Jesus Is The Vine

POINT #1 – THE VINE IS THE SOURCE OF LIFE

John 15:5
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

“God is looking for people through whom he can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” A.W. Tozer

POINT #2 – THE CHRISTIAN LIFE CANNOT BE
ACCOMPLISHED ON OUR OWN

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

POINT #3 – ABIDING IN CHRIST SHOULD RESULT IN
LIVES THAT LOOK LIKE JESUS

In order to establish or reestablish connection, there are a few simple ways to respond.


Recognize your dependence upon Christ
Repent and commit to living in obedience
Repeat daily

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EVER WONDER WHY?—7
DOES GOD LOVE ME?
For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall
not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NIV

Two Kinds of Love


A love that loves because the object is valuable.
A love that loves and gives value to the object.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 NIV

God’s love makes you worthy.
… God is love.
9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:8-10 NIV

When the disciples James and John saw this, they
asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”
Luke 9:54 NIV

For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor
the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able
to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NIV

Think About It
Read Romans 5:8. What’s your thought process
like when you read about God’s unconditional
love for you?

Pastor Mike mentioned two kinds of love: a love
that loves because the object is valuable, and a
love that loves and gives value to the object. What
are some differences between these two types of
love?

When you consider God’s love for you, what
thoughts or feelings do you have? If you’re
currently struggling with feeling worthy of God’s
love, share that with your LifeGroup. How might
they be able to support you as you begin accepting
God’s love?

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EVER WONDER WHY?—6
WHEN GOD FEELS FAR AWAY
I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 9No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
...
11You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever. Psalm 16:8-9, 11 NLT

But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? Psalm 88:13-14 NIV

WHY DON’T WE ALWAYS FEEL GOD?


Maybe you’re oversensationalizing God’s presence.

So they asked [Jesus], “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” John 6:30 NIV

If you always felt God, you wouldn’t need faith.



Maybe your heart has hardened.
… “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. …’” Matthew 13:14-15 NIV



Maybe God just wants to draw you closer.



“From one man [God] made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”
Acts 17:26-27 NIV

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD ... Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV

Just because God feels distant doesn’t mean God is
absent.

… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as
your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God
with us”). Matthew 1:20-23 NIV

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8 NLT

Think About It

Read Psalm 16:8-9, 11. How can you remember God is
always with you, even if you don’t feel His presence?
If we always felt God, we wouldn’t need faith. What are some ways you can seek God, regardless of your feelings?

Challenges, hard times, and suffering can bring us closer to God. Share a time when you saw God working, even if you didn’t sense His presence.

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EVER WONDER WHY?—5
WHY CAN’T I STOP?

You’re focusing on the poison of religion and forgetting the power of grace.

Religion is our attempt to earn God’s approval by following all the rules.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. Titus 2:11 NIV

charis: the unmerited goodwill and favor of God
The grace that saves you is also the grace that sustains you.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this
present age … Titus 2:11-12 NIV

How Does God’s Grace Change Us?

The focus of religion is outward.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Matthew 23:25-26 NIV

The power of grace is inward.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,. Ephesians 3:16 NIV

• Religion says, “Try harder.”
• Grace says, “Trust more.”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 10… For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NIV

Asking for help is never a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom.

You’re trying to meet a need or relieve a hurt with something besides God’s grace.

… But where sin increased, grace increased all the more … Romans 5:20 NIV

Think About It

What is your thought process like when you’re trying to break a bad habit? How could you focus less on the outward and more on the inward power of grace?

Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. Where might you need to rely on God’s power more than yours?

You are only as strong as you are honest. Talk about a habit in your life that you’d like to change. How can your church family support you?

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