Bible Study: God's Grace is Enough

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Today is Tuesday September 21, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Joel. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-september-21

Today's Message: God's Grace is Enough
You know how hard life can be, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing something that looked impossible become possible. As Christians, we can become so guilt stricken over things from the past that we can literally feel like there is no possible way God will ever forgive me for what I have done. The truth is this, God's grace is enough and all we need, oh, we might have to face some consequences for sin, but once we repent, it's over and done with. God has Alzheimer when it comes to our confessing sin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -I John 1:9. Since God can not lie, praise God for that!

The Book of Joel is the twenty-ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains three chapters. The author of the book is Joel and it was written to the people in Judah. The purpose of the book was to warn Judah of their sin and need for repentance and to inform them of God's future restoration plans for the nation. What we are to learn from the book is that even in the midst of corrective judgment, God plans future blessings for His people. “The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel. Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth....Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” -Joel 1:1-5, 14,15. God is reminding all church leaders and all His people that they were going to suffer the consequences of their sins, but it is time to listen to me, repent, and do not stop with yourselves, tell every generation it is time to get right with me.

Jesus will return and when He does there is no second chances, we must keep telling the lost the Gospel before it is too late. There is no purgatory, there is no soul sleeping, or whatever else these false religions are trying to deceive people with. There is only heaven and hell and when you die you go to one of these places. The only way to go to heaven is through your faith in Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” -Titus 3:5-7. We Are Not Saved By Works, But By The Blood of Christ! Praise God! Like I said earlier, we may have to suffer the consequences of our sins, but it's not something we can avoid, so, if you sinned, and we all do, just deal with the punishment, seek forgiveness, and move forward. If you have ever gotten a good whupping by a parent, you know it hurts, but you learn or you should have learned not to do it again, then after the pain wears off and you seek forgiveness it's all over and done with forgotten about. God is the same way, He promises all of us that if you sin you will have to take the punishment, but you will learn from it and when you come to me and repent I will forgive you and bless you for your faithfulness.

God's grace is enough to repent and be blessed through it, God promised the Israelites that if they repent and return to Him He will take care of them and bless them even more. “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.” -Joel 2:23-27. God never stops providing His people with the things that they are in need of. He only stops if we stop trusting Him and continue to live in sin. God will restore everything He has taken away from us and then some, but all we need to do to receive those blessings is to repent. It's that simple.

God's grace is enough to save every person, but you must ask Him for it first. He promises that He will cleanse all who come to Him. “The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more....For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.” -Joel 3:16,17,21. Zion is the hill in Jerusalem, on which the Temple was built, God dwells there and it will be the final gathering place for all His people, whether Jew or Gentile none are strangers to God if they repented and asked Jesus to save them. “If thy children will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children shall also sit upon thy throne for evermore. For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.” - Psalm 132:12-16. Today, God's covenant is trusting in and accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.

Okay, so you have been living in sin after you got saved and you do not know what to do. Repent, God's grace is enough to forgive you. You are still saved, nothing removes our salvation from us, Jesus died once on the cross so that means we only need to get saved once. However, you still need to repent for you current sin, God has more grace for you. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:6-10. God will lift us anyone who humbly come to Him. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and week.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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