Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Sunday, Jan 3, 2110

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html

Salvation (Rom. 3:23-28); The SL ( Rm 7:18-25; 8:4; Gal 5:16-17 ); Spiritual maturity (Rev 3:21)

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2009 – Part 3

The Grace Provisions for a Merry Christmas and Joyous New Year

A. A Biblical Christmas, a Joyous New Year & the Matchless Grace of God.

1. Jesus Christ: God’s treasure-trove of grace, Rom 3:25; Eph 3:16-20.

2. The Grand Incarnation of God - from the Infinite to the finite, Col 1:15-18, Jn 1:16; Isa 9:6-7; Micah 5:2; Heb 1:1-4, 8; 10:5-9; Mt 28:18-20; Jn 1:1-18, 10:30; Philip 2:5-11; Gal 4:4-5.

3. The uniqueness of the historical narrative of the incarnation, Luke 1-2.

B. Beneath the historical surface: grasping the theological truths through Bible doctrine, 2:9-38.

1. “Glory of the Lord shone around them,” Lk 2:9.

2. Grace: Only grace can remove all of man’s fears, lack of confidence, inadequacies, and anxieties and replace them all with courage, strength, and all of those rich virtues that are products of spiritual self-esteem.

3. It is ONLY because of GRACE that there is any good news or any joy at all, Lk 2:10 with Romans 1-5.

a) Reality check: Condemnation of all Gentiles, Romans 1.

b) Reality check: Condemnation of all Jews, Romans 2.

c) Good news! God’s FREE gift of redemption, propitiation, and justification through faith alone, Rom 3:21-28.

d) Good news: justification by faith is not a novel doctrine, Rm 4.

e) Grace brings great confidence and joy for the future regardless of the circumstances of life, Rom 5.

C. There are only three kinds of people in the world = 3 responses to Christ.

1. Unsaved, 1 Cor 2:14; Lk 2:7, 18.

2. Carnal believers, 1 Cor 3:1-4.

3. Spiritually growing believers, Luke 2:14-38; 2 Cor 5:9; Eph 5:10; 1 Thess 2:4; Heb 11:5; 13:1, 21; Jn 14.