A Year of Grace

I will never forget in August of 2018 God speaking to my spirit. He said one word, grace. God became clearer on what He wanted in relationship to that word as I prayed about what I was to do. He wanted me to teach for a whole year on grace. I had never in over four decades as a youth pastor or a lead pastor ever taught on one subject for a year. I didn’t think I could do it. God said that it was that important. I began to study grace and collect ideas for the teachings. When I looked at the year, I saw I needed forty-nine grace teachings. When I finished putting together the teachings, I saw I had fifty-seven teachings on grace. As of today, December 29, I have delivered forty-nine teachings on Sundays about grace to my family faith. I have also developed five teachings called Grace Abounds to do has a church wide study at the end of January. 



So, what have I learned about grace? I am so glad you asked.



I have learned that grace is lacking in our culture and many times misunderstood in the church.



Grace being undeserved goes against the entitled attitude in our culture. God’s Word constantly challenges us to let God’s grace guide our lives.



Romans 12:3

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.



Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.



Grace moves us out of the mindset that it is only about us and guides us into the truth that we need to be servants of God serving others. That goes against the concept of entitlement.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting grace enable us to focus on others, not ourselves.



I have learned that God’s grace has to be my motivation for everything I do.



In Galatians 1:15 Paul says that God set him apart before he was born and called him by grace. It is through grace that I exist and it is by grace that I am saved and it is by grace that God has called me to serve Him. In other words, everything I have and everything I am is by God’s grace. Because that is true, I submit myself to God and obey His will, not out of duty or to earn something, but out of my great gratitude to God.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is letting God’s grace motivate me to serve and obey Him.



I have learned that God’s grace is to characterize my life as a follower of Jesus.



John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son of God from the Father, full of grace and truth.



Jesus is full of grace and truth.



2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.



Salvation is not just about going to heaven. Salvation is about restoring in us as humans what was given up: that we were created in the image of God. It is about reforming the image of God in us. According to Colossians 1:15 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. As a follower of Jesus, I need to reflect the truth of who He is and grace is certainly who Jesus is.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is by God’s grace being formed more and more into the image of Jesus.



I have learned that grace is what makes Christianity different than any other religion, worldview, or philosophy.



Grace is used over one hundred times in the Bible. Other religions and worldviews have high standards of morality, caring for others, and doing things that help humanity. But Christianity is the only religion or worldview that teaches that God accepts us based on Him and not our effort and that what we do is to flow out of grace.



Galatians 2:20-21

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.



Other religions and worldviews make it all about what the person does. Christianity makes it all about Jesus and what He did.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about being God’s peculiar people, people saved and changed and formed by and through God’s grace.



I have learned that grace is the heart of God.



1 John 4:8 and 16 say that God is love. God’s love is made real in our lives through the grace that God gives us through Jesus.



Grace is the practical reality of God’s love applied to our lives.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the reality of God’s love through His grace daily in our lives.



Thanks for listening to and reading God’s grace teachings this year. And have an awesome 2020.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                        Joe

Grace and the Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:10

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”



This was the angel’s message to the shepherds. It contains three awesome examples of God’s grace.



Good News



The coming of Jesus the Christ as our Savior is good news.



Why is Jesus’ coming into the world good news?



It is good news because:

It means that the means of our salvation was in the world

It means that God loves us

It means that God’s heart desire is for my good



The good news of Jesus can be turned into bad news when we try and add things to it (legalism) or remove things from it (license).



Galatians 5:1 says “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”



The good news of Jesus means we have been set free from the burden of legalism or sin to be who God created us and recreated us to be.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is, by God’s grace, experiencing the reality of the good news of Jesus.



Great Joy



The good news of Jesus is meant to bring great joy to people.



The celebration of Jesus’ coming has been changed from the focus of that first Christmas. In Bethlehem, the focus was on Jesus. Mary and Joseph were focused on Jesus. The angels revealed to the shepherds that Jesus the Savior had been born. The wise men came seeking Jesus, the king of the Jews.



We focus Christmas on:

Family

Food

Gifts

And some “spirit” of the season



When we don’t experience those things to the degree that we are told we need to experience, we feel depressed and our celebration of Christmas is not one of great joy. Personally, our celebration of Christmas has changed over the years as family circumstances have changed and as where we lived has changed. What has not changed is that our celebration centers on Jesus. Christmas is a time of great joy because Jesus is to be the great joy of our lives.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is daily experiencing the great joy of Jesus in our lives.



Will Be For All People



Jesus’ coming was not just for certain kinds of people:

Jews

Good People

Religious People

Wealthy People

Poor People



Jesus came for ALL PEOPLE!



I love the fact that my faith family is made of people who love people, all kinds of people. I love standing every Sunday and looking at the diversity of our faith family. I love it because Jesus is not just the Savior of America or Europe or Asia or Africa or Australia or Antarctica, but He is the Savior of the world.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is proclaiming to everyone and anybody that Jesus loves them and came to deliver them from the penalty of sin.



May you have an awesome Christmas with Jesus as the focus of your celebration and a Jesus-filled 2020.


In the Grace of God Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                             Joe

Grace and a Living Relationship

Religion gives you things to do and rules to follow.

Christianity gives you a relationship to enter into.

And rules without relationship lead to rebellion.



The reason that Christianity is different is because of grace. The story is told of C. S. Lewis that, as he was attending a theology conference, a group of theologians were discussing the major difference Christianity and other religions. C. S. Lewis said that was easy; that the major difference was grace.



In John 3 we see the evidence of that truth. John shows us grace that makes a relationship with God possible.



John 3:3

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”



It is a living relationship. It begins with the new birth. It is a birth from above. When we receive Jesus into our lives, we share His very life and become children in the family of God.



In John 17:3 Jesus says that eternal life is knowing the Father and the Son. Eternal life or salvation is not a commodity; it is a person.



In Galatians 2:20 Paul says that He has been crucified with Christ and that it is not him who lives but Christ who lives in him. Salvation is by faith experiencing the resurrected life of Jesus being lived through us.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing a living relationship with God through Jesus living in us.



John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son and that whoever believes Him will not perish but have everlasting life.



It is a loving relationship. Jesus is the bridegroom and we, the church, are the bride. Our desire is for Him above all else. John the Baptist in John 3:30 says, “He must increase, but I must decease.” That needs to be our attitude. Grace moves God to love us and do what is necessary to establish a relationship with us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing a relationship with God based in His love for us.



John 3:11

Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.



It is a learning relationship. Jesus is the faithful witness. He is the teacher. He shares God’s truth with us. It is a real delight to receive God’s Word, mediate on it, and make it a part of our daily lives.



The relationship continues to grow, and the longer we are in relationship with God, the more we learn and the more we can experience the joy of the Lord.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is enjoying a growing relationship with God year after year.



God’s grace is what enables us to experience a living, loving, and learning relationship with God. May God’s grace invade you and fill your life.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                           Joe  

Grace and Snakes

John 3:14-15

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.





Numbers 21:4-9

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.



The people sinned by rebelling against God and against Moses, God’s anointed leader. God sent snakes among the people as a reminder of His authority. When the people confessed and repented, God by His grace provided a way for the people to be delivered and be saved. God had Moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and as the bronze snake was lifted up and a person bitten by the snakes looked at the bronze snake, he would be healed.      



Jesus says that in the same way, when the Son of Man, Jesus, is lifted up and a person believes in Him, that person will be saved.



The verb lifted up has a dual meaning:



First, it means to be crucified.



John 12:32

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself.



Second, it means to be glorified and exalted.



John 12:23

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”



The cross of Jesus was not the end of His glory; it was the means of His glory.



The answer with the serpents for the people of Israel was not:

Killing the serpents

Making medicine to cure the snake bites

Pretending the snakes were not there

Passing anti-snake laws

Climbing the pole



The solution to the problem was obeying God and looking by faith at the uplifted serpent.



The whole world has been bitten by sin.



Romans 3:23

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.



The penalty of sin is death.



Romans 6:23a

For the wages of sin is death.



So just as the rebellion of the people of Israel against God led to death, the rebellion of each human being also leads to death.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being honest about our sin and realizing that it is so serious that it leads to death.



But just as the lifted of serpent would bring salvation and healing when by faith the people looked at it, so the lifted-up Jesus would bring salvation when by faith a person puts their faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord.



Romans 3:24

And are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:23b

But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.



The solution to our sin problem is not:

Condemning those who sin

Made-man solutions to solve the sin problem

Pretending there is no such thing as sin

Making laws to prohibit sin

Working really hard not to sin



The solution is, by faith, trusting God to save us based on the grace of Jesus through His finished work on the cross.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is not trusting ourselves to deal with sin but trusting God’s grace to deal with sin.



God’s grace provided a savior, Jesus, to be our atoning sacrifice for sin.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                          Joe

Grace and Wine

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with His disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.



This miracle or sign, like all of Jesus’ miracles, was an act of grace. Miracles are not done by Jesus because anyone deserved it. They are done out of Jesus’ mercy and grace.



Personally, this is one of my favorite miracles of Jesus. I love that it was done at a wedding. Jesus was attending this wedding and by doing so was placing His approval on marriage.



It was providing wine. Wine in the Bible many times symbolizes joy. Jesus was providing joy to a family that needed joy at that point in time. Running out of wine at a wedding feast was a huge disgrace to them as a family. Jesus, out of His grace, provided what they could not provide and saved their reputation. Jesus is our provider and protector.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on Jesus for our provision and protection.



John uses the word sign to describe this miracle. A sign points beyond itself to something greater. Jesus wanted people to believe not just in His works but in Him, who He really was. He was and is the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord. Jesus is God come in the flesh.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is not just looking at what Jesus does but at who He is and receiving Him into your life as the Messiah, the Savior, and the Lord.



This miracle pointed to Jesus as the one who fulfills our lives.



We look to things and people to do what only Jesus can do: fulfill us as His creation.



Ephesians 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.



Wine here means the things that the world offers us that promise fulfillment but lead to emptiness. The word debauchery means a lost, abandoned person. That is where the fulfillment of the world leads. But being continually filled up with the Holy Spirit leads to true fulfillment.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is finding true fulfillment in the filling and work of the Holy Spirit in and through you.



The water was in jars used for external purification. The water was used to ritually wash externally. Jesus turned the water into wine that filled them inwardly.



Romans 12:1-2

I appeal to you brothers therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.



Transformation of our lives is an inward work of God in our hearts and minds that is shown in living out God’s will. It is an inner change that leads to outer change. 



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being transformed inwardly by God and it being manifested in your life by how you live.



Jesus, from His grace, gives us joy, fulfillment, and transformation.



In the Grace of Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                            Joe

Grace Produces Thanksgiving

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.



Grace gives us the reason to thank God.

Grace gives us the empowering to thank God.

Grace gives us the way to thank God.



John 1:16-17

For from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.



Does that mean that there was no grace or truth in the Old Testament? No! It means that the fullest reality of grace and truth are revealed in Jesus.



God’s unmerited and unearned love for us is grace. That grace is the number one reason we should thank God. According to James 1:17 all the good and perfect gifts we receive come from God. There are uncountable numbers of reasons to thank God, but the greatest is God’s grace.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is acknowledging all the gifts that we receive come from God and thanking Him for them.



Job 1:21

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”



Job is in the middle of terrible situations. He has lost all of his material wealth and all his children. He could be angry and cursing God but instead he acknowledges that everything comes from God and God has a right to give and take way. Job, later on in chapter two, after he has lost his health, blesses God.



What gave Job the power to do that? God’s grace empowered Job then and empowers us now to thank God in the middle of every bad circumstances.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being empowered to give thanks to God in the midst of painful and fearful circumstances.



In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul talks about spiritual gifts. In verse 11 Paul says, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.”



The Holy Spirit by grace gives us spiritual gifts and, by using them, we thank God.   



Other ways we can thank God through His grace:

Prayer

Praise

Obedience

Proclaiming the Gospel

Building God’s Kingdom

Loving our Enemies and Praying for those Who Persecute Us

Giving Back a Portion of What God Has Given Us

Giving God Glory Through Everything We Do



God tells us all through His Word the means by which we can thank Him.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is using all we are and all we have to give thanks to God.



God grace gives us the reason, the power, and the ways to give thanks to God. All we have to do is to believe this truth and then give thanks to God.



May you experience the grace of God and spend time this Thanksgiving week giving Him thanks.

In God’s Grace and with Thanksgiving

Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

Joe

The Grace Exchange

God’s grace is so powerful that is causes exchanges to occur in our lives.



Zechariah 3:1-5

Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So, they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.



Joshua the high priest was being accused by Satan. Joshua had sinned and was standing with the filthy garments of sin and, instead of God listening to Satan’s accusation about Joshua, he exchanges his filthy clothing for pure and clean garments.



Because of His grace, God takes our sin and wrong doing and replaces that with His clean and pure righteousness.



That’s what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:21. That verse says, “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”



The Father took our sin and put it on Jesus and took Jesus’ righteousness and put it on us. In Jesus, we are the righteousness of God.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is by grace exchanging our filthy sin for Jesus’ pure righteousness.



What are some things that we have or have done that can be exchanged for who Jesus is or what He has done?



We can exchange Galatians 5:19-21 for Galatians 5:22-23.



Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.



Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.



By God’s grace we can exchange our works of the flesh that exclude us from the kingdom of God for characteristics produced by the Holy Spirit that makes us like Jesus.



We produce works that are in opposition to God and His will. When we surrender our lives to God, the Holy Spirit produces fruit that conform us to the image of Jesus.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is though God’s grace becoming more and more like Jesus.



We exchange Jeremiah 2:13 for John 7:38-39.



Jeremiah 2:12-13

Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.



John 7:37-38

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”



We can exchange our cisterns that are broken and will not hold water for a fountain of living water that is constantly filling us and flowing out of us.



We can try to live life based on ourselves and our human resources, which are broken and weakened by sin or we can live based on the filling of the Holy Spirit and on God’s resource which are limitless. 


Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being filled with the Holy Spirit and relying solely on God’s unlimited resources.



On the cross Jesus gave His life for our lives and we have the privilege of exchanging our sin, failures, weaknesses, and brokenness for Jesus’ sinlessness, victory, power, and completeness. And it is all through the grace of God.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                         Joe

Grace Tranforms

Transformation is a vital element in being a follower of Jesus. Salvation is not just about going to heaven. Salvation is a changed life. I have heard many people say that they accepted Jesus as Savior at one point in their lives but accepted Him as Lord at a later point. That is not how it happens. Salvation is on God’s terms, not ours.



Jesus gives in Luke 9:23 what it means to be a follower of Jesus. It means denying yourself, taking up your cross daily, and following Jesus with nothing held back. Salvation is about turning over the authority to run your life from you to Jesus. That means transformation in every area of our lives.



From Death to Life



1 John 3:14

We know we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.



We move from death, living without Jesus, to life, living with Jesus and the proof of that transformation is shown in our lives by how we love others. Love is a characteristic of God and the Spirit creates that in us and thus we are transformed.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is moving from death to life and that is shown by our loving others.



From Lost to Found



In Luke 15 Jesus tells three parables about something being lost: a sheep, a coin, and a son. In each parable the lost thing is found and there is great rejoicing over the object being found. For something to be found, someone has to realize it is lost. In the case of the sheep and the coin, the shepherd and the woman realized the sheep and the coin were lost and searched and found them. In the case of the son, he realized that he was lost and turned around and went back home. In all three cases the lost things were transformed by being restored to be what they should be and where they should be.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is be transformed by going from lost to found and experiencing restoration.



Separated to Near



Ephesians 2:12-13

Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.



By Jesus’ death on the cross, we have been transformed from being separated, far away from God, to being near to God. The transformation was in our position. Sin had separated us from God and Jesus’ death removed the sin barrier and we were brought near or reconciled with the Father.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being reconciled to the Father through Jesus’ death on the cross.



Enemy to Friend



Colossians 1:21-22

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation.



We were enemies of God because the desires of our minds were evil, against the person of Jesus. But through Jesus’ death, the Father reconciled us and made us holy, without blemish, and with no accusation against us so we would be His friends.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being in friendship with God.



Cursed to Blessed



Galatians 3:13-14

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” – so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.



We were under the curse of sin and the curse of not being able to follow hundred percent of the law. Jesus fulfilled the law and took the curse of our sin upon Himself on the cross and we received the blessings of forgiveness and eternal life and became a blessing to the Father by our transformed position and behavior.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is going from living under the curse of sin to the blessing of Jesus’ righteousness.



Stanger to Beloved Child



John 1:11-12

He came into His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.



Jesus gave us, through our faith in Him, the right to be children of the Father. Children loved and cared for by the Father.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is going from being outside the family of God to being God’s beloved children.



What do all these transformations have in common? They are all through God’s grace. We did not deserve any on them but God, because of the unmerited and undeserved love He has for us, did all this for us through Jesus’ death.



Grace transforms us into who God created us to be!



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                          Joe

Grace and Hope

In studying God’s grace over the last two years I have come to realize that everything God has done, is doing, and will do for me flows out of His grace. It begins with the truth that I am saved only by the grace of Jesus. His death and resurrection are the only hope I have for salvation. So, the hope I have comes solely out of the grace of Jesus.



Paul talks about the connection of hope and grace in Romans 5.



Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.



God loves us and out of His love He gives us grace and His grace produce hope in us.



What does this hope produced by God’s grace do for us?



Hope gives us constant reason to rejoice.



We have obtained access through Jesus into fellowship with God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). Circumstances and feelings will tell us otherwise, but the Holy Spirit working in our minds and spirits can empower us to choose to dwell in the joy of hope that God’s grace brings.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is by God’s grace rejoice in the hope of God’s presence.



Hope helps us to keep things in perspective



In Romans 8:18 Paul says, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” Funeral homes, hospital rooms, unexpected circumstances, health issues, financial worries, or marriage struggles – they all hurt and are discouraging, but they are all temporary and won’t be able to hurt us forever or take away the treasure that God has stored up for us in heaven. And God is bigger than any problem or struggle we will have and by His grace we will overcome them.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is by God’s grace dealing with our struggles and seeing that God has already overcome all that we face and gives us His victory.



Hope can spur us to incredible endurance.



In Psalm 27:13 David says, “I would have despaired, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”



I have been serving local churches since 1975 and there have been times of discouragement, disappointment, and hurt. These have come mostly from other believers, people I was serving. I have to admit that many times I was tempted to quit, but each time God’s grace enabled me to overcome the discouragement and I am still serving.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is experiencing the grace of God that is producing an enduring strength to get through life’s hurts.



Hope motivates us to get our lives in order.



Our hope, because of God’s grace, no longer depends on our own hard work and effort. The righteousness of Jesus is ours, and we can rest our whole lives, earthly and eternally, upon it.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living based on what Jesus by His grace has done for us.



We all need hope. Most see hope as wishing. Biblical hope is a confident assurance based on the promises of God and His faithfulness to fulfill His promises. God’s promises and His fulfillment are based on grace, because we don’t deserve them.



By God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                          Joe

Grace and Forgiveness

Forgiveness is an important element in knowing and following Jesus.

Forgiveness is a fundamental in removing the main obstacle to us experiencing the reality of Jesus in our lives. Sin separates us from God and forgiveness reconciles us to God.



Grace is the characteristic of God from which forgiveness flows to us.



In John 19:30 Jesus says, “It is finished.” This is not a cry of defeat. It is a cry of victory. So, what is finished?



In Ephesians 1:7 Paul writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace.”



According to this verse two things are done by or finished by Jesus.



Redemption Through His Blood



Redemption is repurchasing what has been sold to someone else. We belonged to our Creator, but because of sin we came to be owned and under the authority of Satan. Jesus bought us back by shedding His blood on the cross.



Redemption is paying off a debt. We owed God a debt because of our sin and Jesus paid it off through His blood.



Redemption is being delivered or rescued from some form of captivity. We were in slavery to Satan. He was holding us captive because of our sin. Jesus’ blood freed us from the slavery we were under because of our sin.



Redemption is atoning for a mistake or failure. In our case it was atoning for our sin. Jesus never committed any sin. He gave up His perfection for our sin. Jesus’ blood atoned. Jesus’ shed blood satisfied God’s righteous standard and we received the righteousness of Jesus.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving redemption; being removed for the authority of Satan to the authority Jesus, having our debt paid by Jesus, being rescued from captivity, our sin being replaced by Jesus’ righteousness.



Forgiveness Of Our Trespasses According To The Riches Of His Grace



We are forgiven.

Our Trespasses (stepping outside the boundaries God has set for our good) are forgiven.

Jesus does all of this by His grace.



Forgiveness through the grace of Jesus allows us to go from a life marked by failure and sin to a life marked by grace-empowered forgiveness.



So, is Jesus forgiveness for real?



Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west so far does He remove our transgressions from us.



Our sins are totally removed from us as far as the east is from the west.



1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.



Our sins are forgiven and we are cleansed from all the unrighteousness which stained our lives.



Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.



Our sins are forgiven and we are given as a free gift (grace) eternal life.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being forgiven, having our sin removed from us, being cleansed from the unrighteousness of sin, and receiving eternal life all through the grace of Jesus.



God’s forgiveness is real.

God’s forgiveness is by grace.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                       Joe

Grace Qualifies

One of the marks of God’s grace working in our lives is that God’s grace qualifies us. I have been serving churches for a long time and I have not been qualified to serve Jesus through any of them. It is His grace that qualified me then and qualifies me now to teach, counsel, and guide His church.



The first church I served was First Baptist Church in Archer City, Texas. I had no formal theological training and no experience. When I asked why they were willing to take a chance on me, the answer was that I was young and ignorant, but they saw a desire in me to serve God and they wanted to be a part of enabling me to do that. That was God’s grace at work in His church to qualify me to serve Jesus through His church.



In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul shares about who God chooses and uses and what qualifies those He chooses.



1 Corinthians 1:22-25

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.



The world wants proof of a person being qualified to do something. That proof usually comes in forms of education (degrees), training (certificates), and experience. Paul says that even if you have those things the main thing is that you have the power of God. Jesus, who is the power of God and through His crucifixion and resurrection shows that power.



The first reason that having Jesus and His grace as what qualifies you is that the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom. The second reason that having Jesus and His grace as what qualifies you is that the weakness of God is stronger that man’s power.



Human resources cannot qualify us for serving God, but God’s grace gives us wisdom wiser than human wisdom and power stronger than human power.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on God’s grace to gives us God’s wisdom and God’s power.



1 Corinthians 1:26-29

For consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human might boast in the presence of God.



We need God’s grace to qualify us because God does not always choose the wise or the powerful or those of noble birth. God usually chooses the weak, the low, and the despised. God does that so that He will receive the honor and glory for what those He has chosen accomplish.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being chosen by God and used to confound the power of the world.



1 Corinthians 1: 30-31

And because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boasts in the Lord.”



God’s grace enables us to serve by giving us God’s wisdom.

God’s grace enables us to serve by making us the righteousness of God.

God’s grace enables us to serve by setting us apart for God’s exclusive use.

God’s grace enables us to serve by redeeming us from sin, both the penalty and power of sin.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being in Christ Jesus.



God’s grace enables us to be qualified to serve Jesus through His church.



By God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                         Joe

Joseph and Elisha and Grace

God’s grace is not just God’s undeserved love that stops bad things from happening to His people. God’s grace is also His undeserved love that transforms what we define as bad things into things that are for good for those who love Him and are seeking to fulfill His call on their lives.



Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”



This verse is not saying that every single thing that happens in our lives is going to be good. We live in a fallen world which is dominated by sin. Living in a world like that means that we will face difficult and painful things in our lives. The promise that God makes us is that when we turn those things over to Him, He will transform them into things that will ultimately benefit us.



There are two incidents in the Old Testament that illustrate this truth.



Joseph was the youngest son of Jacob and was the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel. Joseph was his father’s favorite and Jacob didn’t hide that fact. He showed that Joseph was his favorite in many ways and Joseph’s brothers were well aware of it.



Joseph also did things that did not help the situation with his brothers. He had dreams that indicated that his father, mother, and brothers would someday bow before him. So, when his brothers got a chance, they sold Joseph to some merchants and told Jacob that he had gotten killed by some wild animal.



Joseph was bought by Potiphar and served him so well that he was put in charge of all his master had. When Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s wife, he was thrown into prison.



While Joseph was in prison, he interpreted some dreams for Pharaoh’s servants. One was that one servant would be restored to Pharaoh’s service and that the other servant would be executed. Joseph asked the servant who would be restored to service to remember him to Pharaoh. When both dreams came to fulfillment, the servant that got restored forgot about Joseph for a while. When Pharaoh had a dream that no could interpret, the servant remembered Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was elevated to the second highest office in Egypt.



Joseph in that powerful position was able to save his family and bring them to Egypt for protect and provision.



The situations for Joseph were not good in themselves. They made Joseph a powerless, imprisoned slave. But God used them to save Joseph’s family. This was the family through which God would build a nation for His name and through whom the Messiah would come.



After the death of Jacob, Joseph’s brothers came and told him that Jacob had told them before he died that he wanted Joseph to forgive his brothers. In Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph says, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”



Joseph knew that his brothers meant to harm him but that God was more powerful than their jealousy and caused it to lead to good. Good for Joseph and all his family.  



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing that God’s grace is more powerful than man’s evil.



The second incident is found in 2 Kings 6. God is revealing to Elisha the battle plans of the King of Syria. Elisha was then sharing the plans with the King of Israel so that he could defeat the Syrians.



When the King of Syria finds about what is happening, he sends an army to capture Elisha. When Elisha’s servant sees the Syrian army surrounding the city where he and Elisha are, he goes and gets Elisha. When Elisha sees the situation, he tells his servant not to fear because there are more on their side than on the Syrian’s side. Elisha prays that God would open his servant’s eyes and the servant sees that beyond the Syrian army is an army of fire there to protect him and Elisha.



Elisha prays for God to blind the eyes of the Syrian army and God does. Elisha guides the Syrian army to the capital of Israel where a treaty is worked so that the war between Israel and Syria is ended.



The servant only saw the Syrian army but Elisha say the army of God surrounding them. Elisha trusted that God had a plan and he trusted God to work that plan not only for his good but the good of all God’s people.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is God working a good and great plan to benefit His people even in difficult circumstances.



God’s grace takes things we call bad and makes them work together for our good.



In God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls

                                           Joe

Core Values

We all have core values. I have several core values.



My Core Values:

Never eat anything that is moving.

When someone tells you what you should do, smile and nod your head and then go do what God wants you to do.

Never share your opinion with your adult children unless they ask for it.

Try to always listen to your wife even if you are watching the Yankees play.

Never argue with a Pharisee, especially if they are members your church.



My core values are not meant for anyone else because they are peculiar to me and you are not bound by them.



I believe that Jesus has given some core values for His church. These core values come from looking at the Head of the church, Jesus, and seeing who He was and knowing that, as His body, we are to be like Him.



The Core Value of Love



1 John 4:8 & 16 says that Jesus is love.

John 13:34 Jesus tells us to love one another.

John 13:35 Jesus says love for each other is the mark of us being His disciples.

1 John 4:10 says that because Jesus loves us, we are to love each other.



It is very clear that as followers of Jesus we are to love others as He loves us.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving as Jesus loved.



The Core Value of Grace



Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith.

Romans 6:14 tells us that sin has no power over us because we are under grace, not the law.

2 Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:14 tells us that grace should overflow from us.



It is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to allow His grace to permeate us. 


Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is manifesting the grace of God to the world.



The Core Value of Mercy



Romans 9:16 tells us God has mercy.

Ephesians 2:4 tells us that God is rich in mercy.

Hebrews 4:16 tells us that we can have confidence to draw near to God’s throne and receive mercy.

1 Peter 1:3 describes God’s mercy as great.



It is clear that we as followers of Jesus have received mercy and thus to show mercy to others.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving God’s mercy and showing that kind of mercy to others.



The Core Value of Acceptance



In Luke 19 Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for lunch showing His acceptance of Zacchaeus.

In Matthew 8 a leper asks Jesus to make him clean and Jesus reaches out and touches him and makes him clean.

In Luke 7 Jesus allows a woman with a bad reputation to anoint His feet with perfume and declares her forgiven of her sins.

In Matthew 9 Jesus has dinner with a group of tax collectors and tells the Pharisees that He came to call sinners.



It is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to not judge others on outward appearance but as Jesus does, on what is in their hearts.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting all people who desire to follow Jesus no matter who they are or what their backgrounds are.



The Core Value of Hope



Romans 5:2 tells us to rejoice in the hope we have in the glory or presence of God.

Romans 5:5 tells us that we have hope because the Holy Spirit has poured it into our hearts.

Ephesians 1:18 tells us that we have been called to hope in Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 tells us that our hope is the salvation we have through Jesus.



It is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to live with hope in Jesus, who He is, and what He has done.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in our Hope, Jesus.



The Core Value of Truth



In John 14:6 Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

In John 8:31-32 Jesus tells us that abiding in His word will give us the truth and truth will make us free.

In Ephesians 4:15 we are told to speak the truth in love.    

In Colossians 1:5 we are told that the word of God, the gospel, is truth.



It is clear that as followers of Jesus we can know the truth and live out that truth.



Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing, speaking, and living the truth.



The church is a community of faith in Jesus that demonstrates love, grace, and mercy, which results in the acceptance of all who come seeking Jesus, and living in hope and truth.



In Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                   Joe