http://bible.com/events/48982006

What We Believe (2)”

Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which, briefly stated, means that before a man can seek God, God must have first sought the man.”

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

Welcome to our series “What We Believe”

Today we are looking at:

PREVENIENT GRACE

This belief based upon the Scriptures sets Christianity apart from other world religions.

Christianity = God has moved first towards us, longing for our response

World Religions = We must move first towards god (the gods) + hopefully they will respond in a gracious way

Enabling

Universal

Resistible

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭5‬‬

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

G.R.A.C.E

Gods Riches At Christ Expense

‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬‬

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

‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬‬

John Arnold

“Wesleyans are utterly pessimistic about human nature and outrageously optimistic about God’s grace. We must never confuse the two. Optimism about grace is not optimism about man. Without God’s grace, we are helpless to make any move towards God. Any desire or ability to do what is right comes from God as a free gift. From beginning to end, the Wesleyan watchword is grace, grace, grace. Nothing is man-centered. God gets all the glory for our salvation.”

By grace you are saved, through faith.

Because God sought you first.

CHARLES SPURGEON

“Remember, that God is not the God of uniformity, though he is of union and peace. He may lead you at once into joy and peace, as Nathanael, who said as soon as he saw Christ, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” God may, and doubtless has been blessing you through his grace from your birth; but he needs not to plunge you many days in the cold, dark waters of conviction, to wash away your sin: the blood of Christ at once can cleanse from all sin, if you confide your soul to him. Believe, therefore, and you are at once justified and at peace with God.”

WHAT WILL YOUR RESPONSE BE TO HIS COMPASSIONATE PURSUING GRACE TODAY?

Titus 3:4-7

John 6:44

2 Peter 3:9

John 1:9

John 12:32

Titus 2:11

Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

What We Believe

What we believe: Prevenient Grace

Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church.

Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

I welcome you to our new teaching series “What we believe”‭‭

Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3

‬‬Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

Just before this encounter, God had said they could eat from any tree in the garden, all the trees in the garden except one.

God had warned Adam that if they ate from this one prohibited tree, they would die.‭‭

Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭7‬‬

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

When they disobeyed God, the truth is, they did die, just like God said. but it was not in the sense they expected. What died was their spiritual life, their connection with God, their sensitivity to Him.

They became the original walking dead, and today we continue to live out that death. Dead to the things of God, insensitive to the things of the spirit, unable to resuscitate ourselves, unable to bring life back to our soul.

As we look at What We Believe, we will see that God has made the first move.

The beautiful truth of what we believe is that God has already made a way for us to have life, to know him, and he is calling you to life today.We believe in God’s prevenient Grace.

Prevenient grace takes on so many forms, coming through so many different avenues, but it all has one single purpose: To call you to Christ. To awaken you, to make it possible for you to go from death to life in Jesus.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3

‬‬As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

The reality of being spiritually dead has with it some of the same implications that being physically dead might.

When we are spiritually dead, our senses are not quickened to the things of the spirit.

We do not discern right from wrong as we should

We are not responding as we should to the things of God, or to the world.

We were both deaf and dead to God, focused often on ourselves.

And we are essentially doomed

In our sin-dead state we are influenced by or own desires and spurred on by the ruler of the kingdom of the air, and that’s the swindler from the Garden- satan himself.

Paul doesn’t mince words, he says in our dead state of sin, we are deserving of God’s anger and judgment. It’s a clear fact of God’s Holiness, that sin will be judged.

And that’s where we all start, living in death.

It would be a tragic and hopeless story if this were the end- it would be tragic if it were not for Prevenient Grace.‭‭

Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬‬

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

The point of prevenient grace is to make us alive with Christ, to be awaked from our spiritual death to new life in Christ through repentance and faith in him.- Our senses are quickened to things of the spirit.- Our discernment of right and wrong is quickened- We have a sense of a need to change- to do different. Perhaps even an awareness of our need for Christ.

We believe that God extends this grace to everyone! He enables all who will to choose him.

You know, there’s another important thing about this Grace- We believe you must respond to it.The Article of Faith for Prevenient Grace says it this way:

We also believe that the human race’s creation in Godlikeness included the ability to choose between right and wrong, and that thus human beings were made morally responsible.

The Lord doesn’t want anyone to live spiritually dead. He is pouring out his prevenient grace on everyone, desiring that nobody miss out on life with him.But we have to choose.

God has made the first move thousands of times, will you respond this time?

http://bible.com/events/48976245

Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

What We Believe

What we believe: Jesus Christ

What do you believe about Jesus? Have you really thought that question out in your life? No matter how you would answer that question today- I would suggest that your answer, is shaping your life.

What we believe influences our relationships, it sets our priorities, it shapes our lives, in all kinds of ways…Over the next few weeks as a church we are going to explore what we believe, a few of the key doctrines and concepts of scripture, that shape our life individually as well as our life together as the Church. Together we want to get a clearer picture of the nature of our faith as the Church of the Nazarene, not just to gain knowledge, but to value the freedom and joy found in living out the way of Jesus of Nazareth.

I welcome you to our new teaching series “What we believe”

Today we begin in what perhaps is the obvious place to start in a series addressing what we believe- and that’s with Jesus.

What we believe about Jesus will shape every aspect of our lives, and every aspect of our Church.‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭23

‬‬This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, 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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Matthew has included theological clues and testimony of who this child was. He links this announcement to the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah.

Matthew understood that Jesus being born in a stable in Bethlehem was important, but he knows the most important thing was who this child was-This is the Messiah born in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

God had come in the flesh, on a mission to save his people from their sins.

So what do we believe as a church?

We believe that Jesus Christ is eternally one with the Father

We believe the angel’s announcement that Jesus was born, became flesh/incarnate, by the work and creative power of the Holy Spirit upon a young virgin girl named Mary.

We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins- This is the mission the angel announced at his birth.

God was intervening in our human story in a new way that we could experience freedom from sin and new eternal life in him.

We believe that Jesus arose from the grave, taking on his resurrected body, and he now is engaged in intersession for us at the right hand of the father.

Over the next few weeks, we will be looking at a few key aspects of Nazarene faith based on the scriptures.

Next week we will seek to understand that in bringing people to salvation, God has acted first, going ahead of us, providing the grace and power that we need to choose him.

Then we will seek to understand that we no longer need to be slaves to the sin nature and its destructiveness when we are in Christ. In Christ, we can be free from the power of sin in our lives.

And we will conclude our series looking ahead with joy, knowing that death doesn’t hold the final answer for those who are in Christ. For them, a great resurrection is coming to eternal life in paradise.

At this point you might still be wondering, “So what?” What’s the big deal about this Jesus thing- Why is that where it all begins and ends?

I would propose to you today “The life you are seeking is only found in Christ”‭‭

John‬ ‭14‬:‭1‬-‭7

‬‬“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Friends, Jesus is the only way to the father.

He is the truth

And he is the life.

That’s what it means to believe in him.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Luke 1:26–35

John 1:1–18

Acts 2:22–36

Romans 8:3, 32–34

Galatians 4:4–5

Philippians 2:5–11