Amazing Grace (Lesson I) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part I)

Sharpening Your Ax Allowing a Message to Grip You

Im in the first stages of my study of grace as I write this introduction. I began by plunging into the Bible dictionaries and lexicons to understand the crucial grace words. Then I began to read the wealth of bible passages that expound the multifaceted themes of grace. And as I read passage after passage after passage, the wonder of it all began to slowly build until today it simply overwhelmed me. This morning, alone before God in my home, listening over and over to teven !urtis !hapman singing Speechless, I "ust lost it. #ith tears streaming down my face $I dont often cry%, sometimes dancing $I never dance%, sometimes falling on my face in awe of &is ma"esty, sometimes "oyously singing along with teven, I was overwhelmed by the grace of God lavished on such an unworthy worm as myself. Im left speechless, ama'ed, astonished, before my gracious, (ind, loving )ather, who has allowed me to catch a glimpse of &is incredible grace. In that light, the following messages are not * aturday +ight pecials, that you throw together at the last minute in order to have something to say to the (ids tomorrow morning. -lease dont present the grace of God casually, without being gripped by it your self. .isten to grace songs $such as Speechless% that move you. /ead a boo( li(e -hilip 0anceys Whats So Amazing About Grace? Begin meditating on the passages early each wee(. !onfront in all its horror the "udgment that your sinful, depraved, status deserved before a "ust and righteous God. /emember the anguish of being without hope, without God in the world. 1nly against that blac( bac(drop will the brilliance of Gods grace truly astonish you. Then allow the compassionate, longing expression of the prodigal sons father become your picture of how God loo(s down upon you. 1nly then will your heart be bro(en enough to teach this lofty theme. P !P"S#$ %Y T&# #'( ") T&IS M#SSAG#* I +A'T MY ST (#'TS T" +AL, " T ") T&# !""M AST"'IS&#( A'( SP##-&L#SS AT T&# I'-!#(I%L# SA.I'G G!A-# ") G"( A'( T" APP!"P!IAT# &IS SA.I'G G!A-# I) T&#Y &A.# '"T/

Intro0uction
Im introducing this new series with a 2uestion3 How would most students picture a person whose li e is totall! devoted to God? $0ou may want to have students actually answer this 2uestion out loud.%

!opyright 4ay, 5666, by teve 4iller. This series may be copied freely only within your local church or ministry. #e also want to encourage translations, but as( you to contact us first at smillero7toast.net.

&ow you would personally answer that 2uestion says a lot about how you view God and the !hristian life. 0ou see, I believe that most students thin( of a committed !hristian as one who doesnt do certain things. .i(e, */eal !hristians dont smo(e, drin(, or have premarital sex., And if they were to draw a picture of such a person, she would probably not have a stern, "oyless expression, because basically shes missing out on all thats fun of life in order to live a disciplined, sacrificial life for God. But the Bible paints a radically different picture of the committed believer. I need some volunteers to read verses for me. $-ut them on an overhead or -ower -oint after they have been read.% For the LORD your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete ! $8eut. 9:39;% Deli"ht yourself in the LORD and he will "ive you the desires of your heart ! $-s. <=3>% #no "ood thin" does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless ! $-s. ?>399% $ rejoice in followin" your statutes as one rejoices in "reat riches ! $-s. 99@39>% #$ have come that they may have life, and have it to the full ! $Aesus, in Aohn 96396% %ut the fruit of the &pirit is love, joy, peace# ! $Gal. ;355% )rom these verses, what picture do you get of a devoted believerB $)ull of "oy, contentment, and peace.% Then where have most people gone wrongB I thin( that most nonC!hristians, and many !hristians, have never grasped one of the central messages of the Bible3 G/A!D. .ets pray that God will open our eyes. $&ave -rayer.%

A/ Grace$ +hat it means

$LL'&(R)($O*+ ,(his could be a skit- "his stor! never happened, but i !ou can place !oursel in the stor! and e#perience the eelings o Sean, !oull begin to grasp toda!s topic$ Sean is a %th grader whos secretl! craz! about &name the latest dream girl that gu!s generall! concur is a babe' (rittan!$ He )eeps trac) o her concert schedule so that he can snatch up the best seats whenever her band pla!s in a nearb! town$ He )nows he has no chance to go out with her$ Hes a nobod! *a lowl! reshman in a nowhere town with no connections$ He might as well be invisible at school$ + he were to trans er out tomorrow, no one would care or even notice$ Hes not athletic, academicall! inclined or ph!sicall! attractive$ Sean cant even get the attention o the middle school girls in his neighborhood, much less a star$ He )nows hes a loser$ (ut he!, when it comes to (rittan!, it never hurts to dream$
Lea0er$ Its usually best not to read a story li(e this to your students. Instead, in your preparation, read over and over the story, sometimes out loud, until you (now the details of the story. $0ou dont have to memori'e it word for word. 0ou might highlight a few places if it helps.% Then tell it to your students as you would tell any interesting event that you have experienced. This will ma(e the story come alive.

So one evening a ter supper hes listening to a ,- on his bed when he gets this phone call rom a girl who claims shes (rittan!$ .ow Sean ma! not be that bright, but hes no idiot$ He )nows that the reshman cheerleaders are probabl! having a sleepover and ma)ing pran) calls$ His little sister must have ratted on him about the (rittan! posters in his room$ So he /ust pla!s along with the gag$

(e1ining Grace 2) "l0 Testament sage$ The two primary &ebrew words are .esed3 mercy, (indness, loving(indness, goodness .en3 undeserved favor, used of the action of the superior or stronger coming to help the inferior or wea(er.

Gods grace was often seen in the 1ld Testament, but more prominent in the +ew. $+B8, T8+TT% 3) 'ew Testament sage$ The main Gree( words are /haris3 a noun that appears 9;;x in the +T, meaning either a) graciousness, attractiveness $as in *gracious words,% 4) favor, grace, gracious care or help, goodwill c) the practical application of goodwill, a $sign of% favor, gracious deed or gift, benefaction 0) exceptional effects produced by divine grace, sometimes almost identical to the power o God $or )nowledge or glor!% e) Than(s, gratitude. /harisma4 a noun meaning *a freely and graciously given gift, or *a favor bestowed, /hari0omai3 a verb meaning to *show favor or (indness,, *give freely or as a favor,, *to be gracious to someone,, *to remit, forgive, pardon, /haritoo3 a verb meaning *endue with grace,, *bestow favor upon,, *favor highly,, *bless., $T8+TT, BAG%

5emember4 "he conte#t determines which meaning the biblical writer intended in an! given passage$

"he girl sa!s, He! Sean, +ve seen !ou at several o m! concerts and or some reason + couldnt get !ou o m! mind$ So + had one o m! bod!guards trace !ou down and get the scoop on !ou$ He tells me !oure a prett! nice gu!$ + )now this must seem weird with me calling !ou and stu $ (ut this Holl!wood crowd is so arti icial, so plastic$ 0or /ust once +d li)e to go out with a decent gu!, tal) about normal stu and not have to worr! about someone /ust using me to brea) into a music career$ So a ter about 12 minutes o small3tal), she ma)es her move$ So Sean, would !ou li)e to get together sometime?

Sean, deciding to pla! along with the gag, repliesWell, let me loo) over m! -a!"imer$ &He lips some pages o a phone boo) to ma)e some noise$' +ve got 0rida! night ree the wee) a ter ne#t$ "heres a pause and she sa!s, 6oo)s good on m! schedule too$ + suppose !oure too !oung to drive$ 7ind i + pic) !ou up at !our place? Sounds great8 sa!s Sean$ A ter the! hang up he starts getting depressed$ What )ind o a uture could a gu! have who is alwa!s the end o someones /o)e? A ter a couple o wee)s he sort o gets over it, although ever! time he hears some girls laughing in the lunchroom, he assumes the!re laughing at him$ So come 0rida! night hes at home tr!ing to ind a 9uiet room awa! rom his :;3!ear3old sisters riends, who are having a sleepover$ "hen the doorbell rings$ His sister answers and all the sudden the giggl! girls go silent$ +ts one o those silences thats so silent that its loud$ <ou )now what + mean? Sean wal)s into the living room to ind (rittan! standing there, surrounded b! a bunch o speechless :;3!ear3old girls$ She loo)s over to see Sean and as)s, Well, are !ou read!? A million thoughts race through his mind$ =ust a moment, he sa!s$ 7m>mmm>ma)e !oursel at home$ And Sis, could !ou and the girls )eep (rittan! compan! while + inish getting read!? He wal)s casuall! to his room, which becomes a tornado o activit! to prepare or a date his wildest imaginations could have never dreamed possible$ -o !ou )now what Sean /ust e#perienced? "he $dea+ If you (now a good real life story biblical word is grace$ "here are several wa!s the similar to eans you may want to use word grace is used in the (ible, but one wa! is when a it. I remember a teenage girl named great, important person is willing to step down and 4elany from our community who was help a lesser person who is in need$ diagnosed with cancer. Through an
organi'ation li(e the 7a)e a Wish 0oundation, she re2uested the opportunity to meet the thenCcurrent teen heartthrob, actor Eir( !ameron. +ot only did Eir( $a professing !hristian% invite her to his !alifornia home, but he introduced her to other movie stars, flew to Georgia to go to a local * ix )lags, amusement par( with her and some friends, and (ept in touch with her up until the time she died.

And what do !ou thin) is Seans emotional response when the girl o his dreams, a girl whos totall! out o his league, actuall! accompanies him on what turns out to be the irst o man! dates? &Hes totall! blown awa!$ Hes astonished$ Hes amazed$ Hes speechless$' And !ou )now what? ?ne o the oundational )e!s to living the ,hristian li e is to understand /ust how much lower, how much less deserving we are than Sean, how much greater God is than (rittan!, and how much more God went through to ind us and have a relationship with us$ + we trul! grasp that, well understand wh! =ohn .ewton wrote a song and named it )ma0in" Grace$ <oull be so astounded, dumb ounded, and speechless that !our li e will never again be the same$ o, what is graceB Grace is when someone does you a favor by helpin" you or "ivin" you somethin", even thou"h you did nothin" to deserve it and nothin" to earn it

And get this. The word grace is used over :@@ times in the +ew Testament and over :%2 times in the 1ld Testament. 8o you thin( God might be trying to get our attentionB 4ost of the boo(s of the +ew Testament $9? of 5=% either begin with grace $e.g., * Grace to you and peace#,% or end with grace $e.g., *Grace be with you.,%. 8o you get the impression that Gods saying, + !ou miss ever!thing else, dont miss the grace thing8? o with the story of ean and our definition of grace in mind lets chec( out the most incredible demonstration of grace that the world has ever (nown.

%/ The ltimate (emonstration o1 Grace

The grace that ean received from Brittany was pretty ama'ing. o what is it that ma(es Gods grace even more ama'ingB

The &ighest -ame (own to &elp the Lowest (Phil/ 3$5*6)

1ho ,2esus-, bein" in very nature God, did not consider e3uality with God somethin" to be "rasped, but made himself nothin", takin" the very nature of a servant, bein" made in human likeness !

&I'TS3 2) If your students arent into guitar heroes, illustrate this with whatever interests 7our stu0ents have (soccer heroes* etc). 3) !onsider using a clip 1rom the movie* :+a7nes; +orl0*< $or "ust describing the scene% where #ayne and Garth $starting at c. <?56 through <??:% saw roc( legend Alice !ooper in concert. Being roc( fanatics, they get incredibly pumped at the concert and then head bac(stage, waving their bac( stage passes around. Incredibly, they happen upon !ooper in a room where hes hanging out with his crew. Garth cant say a word. &es speechless before this legendary roc( star. Then !ooper casually as(s if they want to hang out with him. #ayne and Garth simultaneously loo( at each other, fall on their (nees and begin crying *#ere not worthyH #ere not worthyH #ere not worthyH #ere scumH, I thin( a lot of people feel that way when they meet a personal hero. All the sudden they forget everything they had prepared so long that they would say. Their mind goes blan( and they find themselves speechless in the persons presence. &ow much more should we stand speechless when we come before the throne of the awesome !reator of the universe, as we reali'e how small and unworthy we are, and are awed by &is invitation to come hang out with &im.

$.eader3 4a(e sure that some youth read each of the criptures out loud.% #ho here is into roc( guitarB #ho are your guitar heroesB Imagine them calling you up and saying they want to hang out with you, give you personal tips, and help you brea( into the music business. 8o you thin( that would be unheard of, wild, cra'yB Then imagine the God of the Fniverse loving you, wanting to (now you intimately $every hair on head%, and becoming a man to die and pay your way to heaven. Thats not "ust grace. Thats A4AGI+G Grace.

&is Grace +as Incre0i4l7 #xpensive (Phil/ 3$8* -r/ II -or/ 8$9)
)nd bein" found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death 4 even death on a cross5! The only price Brittany paid was to ris( her pride among her &ollywood buddies. But the price Aesus paid was a lowly life and a tortured death. G!" P A-TI.ITY$ As I read to you 4atthews account of Aesus final hours, raise your hand and stop me when I come to a new type of suffering that Aesus endured. Then tell me what the

suffering was. And remember, this is the on of God who is going through all this or !ou personall!$ I need a volunteer to write each aspect of Aesus suffering on the overhead as we find it. I(#A$ Dither instead of, or
following the group activity, show a clip of the crucifixion in the *Aesus, film. $-urchase for N9=.@; through Gospel )ilms at www.9C ?66Gospel8irect.com)

(!ea0 Matthew 36$35=>?/) $Types of suffering include3 9% vs. 5: I flogged, 5% vs. 5? I stripped, <% vs. 5@ I crown of thorns, >% vs. <6 I spit on, ;% vs. <6 I struc( repeatedly on the head, :% v. <9 I moc(ed, =% vs. <; I crucified, ?% vs. <@ I insults hurled at him, @% vs. >9 I moc(ed, 96% vs. >> I insults heaped upon &im, Js. >: I forsa(en by &is )ather.%

4t. 5=35:C;63 v. 5: I * courged, K *LoftenLmeant being Mflayed to the boneL., *This verseL apparently covers a more complex $and brutal% se2uence than appears at first sight., $)rance% The whip consisted of *leather thongs with small pieces of metal or bone tied to them., $+B8% * o hideous was this punishment that the victim usually fainted and not rarely died under it., $I BD% v. <; C *The probability is that Aesus had been stripped absolutely na(ed., $DGT% *crucified him, K *The whole body was strained., ince hands and feet are *a mass of nerves and tendons,, the nails would lacerate them and cause excruciating agony. $+B8, I BD% Jictims experienced *insufferable thirst, and *literally died a thousand deaths., $I BD% *After awhile, the arteries of head and stomach would be surcharged with blood, causing a throbbing headache, and eventually traumatic fever and tetanus would set in., $+B8% <@ I The imperfect tense pictures *a continual defaming., *sha(ing their heads, K *a sign of scorn and derision, $BAG%. -robably li(e *flipping someone off, in American culture. >: I *forsa(en, K *to abandon, to leave in the lurch, $Eey% *!ried, K *a strong verb indicating powerful emotion or appeal to God. This is no dispassionate theological statement, but an agoni'ed expression of a real sense of alienation., $)rance%

$8escribe scourging and crucifixion using some of the insights from the text box.% +ow you can begin to see why the /oman historian !icero called crucifixion the most horrible torture ever devised by man ! And as we understand the extent of Aesus suffering on the cross, we reali'e "ust how awesome &is grace is toward us.

!espon0ing To Go0;s Incre0i4le Grace

But as we stand in awe of &is grace, our natural 2uestion is Wh!? Wh! did He have to go through all that or me? I need several volunteers to read some verses that will tell us why Aesus went through all this suffering. After each verse is read, someone put the verse in your own words. Romans 6+76 4 #for all have sinned and fall short of the "lory of God ! Romans 8+76 9 For the wa"es of sin is death#! Romans :+; 4 %ut God demonstrates .is own love toward us in this+ 1hile we were still sinners, /hrist died for us ! 2ohn 6+<8 4 For God so loved the world that he "ave his one and only &on, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life ! $#eve all sinned and dont meet up to Gods standard.% $ ince weve all sinned, weve got to pay the penalty of death.%

$Aesus paid the penalty of death that we deserved to pay.%

$#e must trust !hrist for our salvation.% According to these verses, Aesus didnt "ust come to earth to be "ust a good example. &e came to die on the cross for us, so that we could be put bac( into a right relationship with God and have eternal life. I heard it put something li(e this3 I1 our 4iggest pro4lem were a lac@ o1 1rien0s* Go0 woul0 have sent us a companion/ I1 our 4iggest pro4lem were a lac@ o1 e0ucation* Go0 woul0 have sent us a tutor/ %ut since our 4iggest pro4lem is that we are lost* Go0 sent us a Savior/

Action Points
There are two types of students here today3 9% Those who are not secure in their relationship with Go0/ 0ou either (now that you dont (now God, or youre not sure where you stand with &im. !ould you follow me in a prayer to receive that incredible gift of salvation that Aesus is offering youB 5% Those who @now Go0 an0 are secure in their 1aith/ 0our action point for today is to reflect on all Aesus has done for you and begin to get caught up in &is grace. pend some time praising &im this wee( in your times alone. The God of the Fniverse loves you and wants to spend personal time with youH If you will allow that truth to grip you, you will see what it means to be speechless before God.

Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson I) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part I)

How would most students picture a person whose life is totally devoted to God?

A. Grace !hat it means

Sean Experiences Grace Grace is when someone does you a favor by helping you or giving you something, even though you did nothing to deserve it and nothing to earn it.

The word grace is used over 155 times in the New Testament and over 190 times in the Old Testament. Do you think God might be trying to get our attention? Most of the books of the New Testament (1 of !"# either begin with grace (e.g.$ %Grace to you and peace&# or end with grace (e.g.$ %Grace be with you.&#. Do you get the im'ression that God(s saying$ If you miss everything else don!t miss the grace thing"?

". The #ltimate $emonstration o% Grace

The &ighest 'ame $o(n to &elp the Lo(est (Phil. ) *+,) &is Grace !as Incredi-l. /0pensive (Phil. ) ,+1+ 'r. II 'or. 1 2) igging !n"atthew #$%#&'() #oman historian $icero called crucifi%ion 3the most horri-le torture ever devised -. man.4

*esponding +o God,s !ncredible Grace

*omans -%#- ' )e(*e all sinned and don(t meet u' to God(s standard. *omans &%#- ' +ince we(*e sinned$ we(*e got to 'ay the 'enalty of death. *omans (%. ' ,esus 'aid the 'enalty of death that we deser*ed to 'ay. /ohn -%0& ' )e must trust -hrist for our sal*ation.

Student &andout

Amazing Grace (Lesson I) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part I)

How would most students picture a person whose life is totally devoted to God?

A. Grace !hat it 55555

Sean Experiences Grace

Grace is when someone does you a favor by helping you or giving you something, even though you did nothing to deserve it and nothing to earn it. The word grace is used over 155 times in the New Testament and over 190 times in the Old Testament. Do you think God might be trying to get our attention? Most of the books of the New Testament (1 of !"# either begin with grace (e.g.$ %Grace to you and peace&# or end with grace (e.g.$ %Grace be with you.&#. Do you get the im'ression that God(s saying$ If you miss everything else don!t miss the grace thing"?

". The #ltimate 5555555555 o% Grace

The 5555555 'ame $o(n to &elp the 555555 (Phil. ) *+,) &is Grace !as Incredi-l. /0pensive (Phil. ) ,+1+ 'r. II 'or. 1 2) igging !n"atthew #$%#&'() #oman historian $icero called crucifi%ion 3the most horri-le torture ever devised -. man.4

*esponding +o God,s !ncredible Grace

*omans -%#- ' )e(*e all ........ and don(t meet u' to God(s standard. *omans &%#- ' +ince we(*e sinned$ we(*e got to 'ay the ....... of death. *omans (%. ' 111111111 'aid the 'enalty of death that we deser*ed to 'ay. /ohn -%0& ' )e must ........ -hrist for our sal*ation.

Amazing Grace (Lesson II) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part 3)

P !P"S#$ AT T&# #'( ") T&IS S#SSI"'* I +A'T MY ST (#'TS T" +AL, " T SP##-&L#SS A)T#! TASTI'G ") T&# I'-!#(I%L# SA.I'G G!A-# ") G"(/

Intro0uction
$LL'&(R)($O*+ &6eader4 +t would be more e ective to use this actual clip$ +t is a power ul scene$' +n a scene rom the movie 6es 7iserables, a released prisoner appears at the door o an elderl! couples house, needing a place to sta!$ "he! allow him to spend the night$ (ut during the night a vivid dream about the horror o his time in prison wa)es him, leaving him in a state o panic$ +n desperation, he steals their silverware in order to be have enough mone! to ma)e it to his destination$ "he old man awa)es, catching him in the act$ "he thie )noc)s him to the loor, unconscious$ +n the ne#t scene the police arrive at the old couples home with the stolen silverware and the hopeless thie in handcu s$ "he police tell the old man the thie s unbelievable stor!4 that the silverware was given to him$ "he old man responds, +m disappointed in !ou$ &And we all assume that his ne#t words will condemn the man to return to the horrid prison$ (ut instead, the old man shoc)s us with his response$' +m disappointed because + told !ou to ta)e the candle holders as well$ "he police respond incredulousl!, So he was telling the truth? ? course, the old man replied$ +n shoc)ed disbelie , the prisoner regains his reedom on the word o the old man$ !eview$ .ast wee( we tal(ed about grace. &ow does this movie clip illustrate graceB #hat is graceB .ast wee( I began showing "ust how incredible Gods grace is toward us C how understanding it should leave us speechless. #e said that some human acts of grace ama'e us, li(e the grace of the old man toward the thief. But that grace doesnt even compare with the extent of the grace of God. #hyB .ast wee( we showed that Gods grace was greater because3 The highest came to help the lowest/ +o one else could ever dip that low to help people so undeserving. Go0;s grace was incre0i4l7 expensive/ #e saw how Aesus allowed &imself to undergo what one historian called the most horrible torture ever devised b! man I crucifixion. And "ust thin(, all that humiliation and suffering for people who didnt deserve &is great sacrifice in the least.

But theres more that astounds us about Gods grace. .ets pray as we get into it. (Pra7er)

The =ost (eserving !escue0 the Least (eserving

#e cant understand the extent of Gods grace unless we understand the extent of our sin. I see lots of ads that say stuff li(e, Get the service !ou deserve$ 1r <ou deserve a brea) toda!$ .isten to me carefully. If you thin( you deserve an!thing good, you will never be astounded at Gods grace. Believe me, the last thing you want to get is what you deserve.

Lu@e 6$B5=CC A v/ B8 *Eissing the feat was a common mar( of deep reverence, esp. to leading rabbis., $Eey% vss/ C2=CB I *denarius, K a days wage for a laborer. vss/ CC=C5 I imon failed to give Aesus the treatment of an honored guest. oil K 1live oil was plentiful and cheap. Cer ume was rare and expensive. v/ C6 I *L&er love is proof that she had already been forgiven. It was her response to Gods grace., $+ote v. ;6, *0our faith has saved you.,% $4orris%

Aesus told a story that used to bother me in .u(e =3<:C>>. #holl read this for usB $LL'&(R)($O*+ .ow that ma)es sense$ + m! teacher catches me pic)ing m! nose in class and doesnt punish me, +m grate ul but not awed b! her grace$ (ut i she catches me changing m! report card grade in her computer and blowing up her science lab, then she lets me o the hoo), +d run an! errand she as)ed or and ta)e her an apple ever! da! or the rest o m! school !ears$ <ou see, the larger the debt orgiven, the more !ou love the orgiver$ #hy do you thin( this passage bothered meB Because I never saw myself as that bad a person before I was saved. It was li(e the passage was saying I didnt have as much potential to love God as someone who had really screwed up his life before coming to !hrist. But then I saw Aesus teaching from a different angle3 "he more + realize how bad and undeserving + was and am, the more amazed + will be at Gods grace in saving me and the more +ll love Him$ $LL'&(R)($O*+ + !oure sitting around pla!ing video games and mom as)s i !ou want a glass o water, !ou could ta)e it or leave it$ .o great thirstA no great desire$ (ut have a water bo! o er !ou that same glass o water a ter running gut sprints in a sweltering ootball camp all a ternoon and that water will loo) and taste li)e heaven$ In the same way, until we reali'e the blac(ness of our sin, we have no real appreciation for a avior. And if we dont thin( of ourselves as being all that bad, we thin( that we almost deserved heaven without Aesus and dont fully appreciate what &es done for us. ?nl! against the bac)drop o the blac)ness o m! own sin can + see the brilliance o Gods glorious grace$ o the big 2uestion is, =ust how bad and undeserving are we? Bven the best o us?

2 A +e;re All (irt7 !otten Scoun0rels

+ow I want to warn you, the first half of this message is not going to ma(e you feel good. But youve got to feel really bad before you can feel really good. o dont wal( out on me in the middle, o(ayB Thin( youre a pretty good guy or girlB Thin( again. #ho will read /omans <3@C9? for usB 1hat do we conclude then> )re we any better> *ot at all5 1e have already made the char"e that 2ews and Gentiles alike are all under sin )s it is written+ ?(here is no one ri"hteous, not even one@ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God )ll have turned away, they have to"ether become worthless@ there is no one who does "ood, not even one (heir throats are open "raves@ their ton"ues practice deceit (he poison of vipers is on their lips (heir mouths are full of cursin" and bitterness (heir feet are swift to shed blood@ ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know (here is no fear of God before their eyes AB o, according to these verses, how many of us are righteous, clean before God, deserving heaven because of our own good deedsB $.et them respond.% Thats right, none. +ot even 4other TheresaB +one. +ot even Billy GrahamB +1+D.

3 A The !ationalization Game* an0 &ow +e Pla7 It

If some of you were honest about it, youd ob"ect, Give me a brea)8 +m not all that bad8 %!AI'ST"!M$ &ow do people rationali'e their sin, so that they dont thin( theyre really so badB $!onsider brea(ing into small groups and having one person from each group report their conclusions. The following can "ust elaborate on what they came up with.% &ere are some reasons that we dont see ourselves as dirty as we really are.

+e compare ourselves with 1ellow sinners* not a hol7 Go0

$LL'&(R)($O*+ +magine that !ou live in a neighborhood where the )ids !ou pla! bas)etball with are all !ounger and smaller than !ou$ Since !ou can dominate them, !ou eel prett! good about !our talent$ +n !our leisure moments !ou imagine !oursel pla!ing on the school team and strutting !our stu be ore the awed cheerleaders$ (ut lets imagine that !ou move to a new neighborhood$ "he irst da! there, !ou and !our in lated ego start strutting !our stu on the neighborhood court, hoping that some locals will see !ou pla!ing and come out to challenge !ou$ (ut as the bus rom the high school stops at the corner, out step these huge teenage clones o 7ichael =ordan, 6arr! (ird and 7agic =ohnson$ <ou overhear one sa! in a hus)! voice to the other two, He! loo)8 "he new gu! pla!s bas)etball8 .ow we can pla! two on two8
I(#A$ Transform this illustration into whatever sport or activity your (ids can relate to. Dxamples3 9% 0ou thin( youve got an impressive physi2ue. Then you go to a school where every guy is built li(e Arnold chwar'enegger. 5% 0ou thin( youre good at soccerL <% 0ou thin( youre a great guitar playerL.

<ou swallow hard, tr! not to loo) intimidated, and hang onto !our ego with the thought, +ve pla!ed against tall gu!s at school$ + wasnt so bad$ (ut as the! start warming up, consistentl! shooting three3pointers rom arther than !ou can even throw the ball, passing lawlessl! behind their bac)s and between their legs, e ortlessl! slam3dun)ing the ball at will, !ou realize that !ou are totall! outclassed$ Suddenl! !ou see !our talent through di erent e!es$ <ou realize that even !our best I(#A3 !onsider substituting shots loo) incredibl! aw)ward in comparison to these names of students in your youth gu!s$ Bven !our dribbling loo)s stupid$ <oure a worm$ group in these illustrations. It And not /ust a worm$ A at, slow, stupid worm$ .ot ma(es it more fun and personal. wanting an!one to see what /ust ive minutes ago !ou thought was talent, !ou e#cuse !oursel , e#plaining that !oure suddenl! eeling sic)$ 8o you get the pointB #hat does this have to do with how we see our goodnessB $.et them respond. #hen we compare ourselves to other sinners, we may loo( pretty good. But compare ourselves with those incredibly greater than us, and ultimately God, we dont see ourselves as so great.% $LL'&(R)($O*+ + 5ic) grows up in a rough neighborhood where he is )nown as the good!3 good! because the hardest drug he uses is mari/uana and he never uses )nives when he beats up strangers, then he cant see his bad points as all that bad$ Sheila comes rom a nice, but not religious amil!$ She sees hersel as incredibl! spiritual because she hangs out with the church crowd and reads her bible occasionall!$ (ut place Sheila and 5ic) in a home with the apostle Caul as a ather and mother "heresa as a mother and the!ll both eel the! are wic)ed creeps$ .ow ta)e that a huge step urther and let the brilliantl! white, spotless, totall! pure Son o God appear in their home$ <ou are there visiting$ Bven 7other "heresas and the apostle Cauls white clothes loo) li)e coal miners clothes in comparison$ Suddenl! the! all realize how blac) their pride, un orgiving spirits, and secret sins appear be ore God$ <ou eel worse than a spiritual worm$ <oure a dirt!, at, stin)ing worm$

"ther people;s sins are 4igD ours are little/

A!TIJIT03 !ategori'e these sins as you see them. -ut a *B, by what you consider big sins, and an *., by the little sins3 OOO 4urder OOO Theft OOO !leaning only part of your room and telling your parents you cleaned all of it. OOO Eilling an animal for no reason OOO +ot believing God OOO ecretly hating a person who did you wrong OOO Getting proud of your accomplishments OOO Gossip OOO Boasts about stuff OOO Greed OOO -racticing atanism

$LL'&(R)($O* ,OC($O* <-4 ?ur idea o which sins are little and which sins are big is o ten in luenced b! our amilies, riends, and culture$ 0or e#ample , A amil! rom another countr!

moved into an a luent Atlanta suburb and ran into trouble with the neighbors because the! )ept a goat in the bac) !ard$ .ot having lived in this culture, +m sure the! had no idea that this would be o ensive, so in order to solve the problem with their neighbors, the! promptl! slit the goats throat and coo)ed it$ "hen the animal activists had a it$ "he! 9uic)l! discovered that what was ine in their home culture was loo)ed down upon in another$ $LL'&(R)($O* ,OC($O* 7-+ 0or a person o drin)ing age in America, drin)ing a small amount o alcohol and then driving in America ma! not be considered all that bad$ + the alcohol level in !our blood is slight, the police wont hassle !ou$ (ut dont assume that all countries thin) the same$ +n some countries, legal alcohol levels are less than here, and driving while at these levels is punishable b! death b! hanging or death b! iring s9uad$ And dont call momma to get !ou out o /ail$ <oure under their laws now$ o, before we go to meet God, wed better chec( out what God thin(s, in &is heavenly culture, about what we see as *little, sins. SMALL G!" P A-TI.ITY$ 8ivide into groups of four or five. &ave someone read each passage out loud. Dach verse lists sins that either God really hates, or the ones that &e says are characteristic of those deserving death or hell. 8iscuss which sins you are surprised to see there. /omans 935@C<5 $Included as characteri'ing those deserving death3 disobedient to parents, gossips, boasters% /evelation 593? $Included as those who will go to the fiery la(e of burning sulfur3 cowardly, unbelieving, liars%
-rov. :39: I *detestable, K *something disgusting, an abhorrence,, $ trongs%, abhor, loathe, detest, abominable $T#1T %

-roverbs :39:C9@ $.isted as things God hates, are detestable to &im3 haughty eyes $haughty K arrogant, exhibiting great satisfaction with oneself and disdain for others%, lying tongue, one who causes dissention. ome of you will ob"ect, "hose things cant be all that bad$ Bver!bod! does them$ But "ust because everybody does it doesnt mean its not terrible. But youre right about one thing3 Dverybody does it. And that means were all sinners. In fact, were all bad sinners. &ow badB $/eal bad.% .ets say it together3 +m a dirt!, rotten scoundrel &have them repeat it' who deserves onl! death and hell &have them repeat it'$ Along that line, Ive got a confession to ma(e. Im guilty of adultery, murder and have verbally assaulted people so badly that I deserve hell. &ard to believeB #ell, according to the Bible, if Ive ever hated my brother, Im a murderer $I An. <39;P 4t. ;355% If Ive ever lusted in my heart, Im an adulterer $4t. ;35?%. Guys, do you ever thin( the wrong thoughts about girlsB Then youre an adulterer too. If I call a brother a fool, Im guilty enough to go to the hell of fire $4t. ;355%. Dver refer to someone as a fool or idiot or gee(B 0ou are in ma"or trouble. And by the way, if I brea( one commandment, Im guilty of brea(ing them all $Ams. 5396%.

#ith that in mind, probably everyone in here is an adulterer and murderer li(e me. !ompared to a holy God, we are incredibly evil.

B A So Let;s )ace It* +e;re In MaEor Trou4leF

If God were to throw everyone of us into hell, he would be perfectly "ust. #e have done plenty to ma(e us worthy of death and hell. The apostle -aul says that humanity is lost, dead in our sins $Dph. 539%, ob"ects of &is wrath $Dph. 53<% without hope and without God in the world $5395P cr. /om. ;3:C99%. And no matter how good I do from here on out, Im still guilty. A righteous "udge would declare us all guilty and condemn us all to hell. 8o you really believe thatB If you have now faced how dreadfully blac( your heart is, then youre finally ready to see the brilliance of Gods grace.

C A Grace to the !escueF

o far, youre probably sorry you came today. But all weve done is to paint the blac( bac(drop to the picture. +ow youre prepared to understand grace. In the midst of all our pride and "ealousy and ic(y sin, even when we hated or ignored God, Aesus came to our rescue. Because we deserved itB +o. omeone read about it from Dphesians 53>C@3 %ut because of his "reat love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with /hrist even when we were dead in trans"ressions 4 it is by "race you have been saved )nd God raised us up with /hrist and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in /hrist 2esus, in order that in the comin" a"es he mi"ht show the incomparable riches of his "race, eDpressed in his kindness to us in /hrist 2esus For it is by "race you have been saved, throu"h faith 4 and this not from yourselves, it is the "ift of God 4 not by works, so that no one can boast ! 0ou see, no ones going to wal( into heaven boasting about all he did to deserve it. alvation is not a wor(s thing. Its not an earned thing. Its a Gods grace thing. $LL'&(R)($O*4 +magine that Sunda! !ou the spend night with a riend whose parents are out o town$ <ou get into his athers li9uor, part! all night, and begin ranting and raving about how the schools a boring prison and someone needs to liven things up$ So earl! 7onda! morning, thoroughl! drun), !ou brea) into the athers gun collection and head to the school$ <ou go into the principals o ice and ma)e an announcement over the intercom that classes are cancelled but a part! is ta)ing place in the ca eteria$ <ou ta)e the principle hostage and publicall! humiliate him, covering his ace with chocolate pudding and ma)ing him crawl over the lunch tables, bar)ing li)e a dog$ <ou e#it through the computer lab, shooting up all the computers, spra! painting obscenities against the principal as !ou leave$ 0rom that point on, most ever!things a blur until the ne#t morning when !ou wa)e up in the local prison$ <ou 9uic)l! realize that the part!s over$ An o icer stops b! to in orm !ou that although ortunatel! no one was in/ured, !ou and !our riend did about D:,@22,222$22 damage to the school and !ou so humiliated the principal that he didnt come bac) to school the ne#t da!$ .ow close !our e!es and tr! to picture !oursel sitting in the holding cell$ As !ou sober up and realize what !ouve done, !ou shudder$ <ou )now that !oull spend a good portion o the rest o !our li e in prison$ And to ma)e matters worse, !our scuzz!3loo)ing cellmate has been loo)ing !ou over a little too ondl!$ =ust when !ou thin) matters could get no worse, the o icer stops bac) b! and sa!s, He!, + /ust got word o who !our /udge is gonna be$ +ts /udge Gri iths,

ondl! )nown around here as E"he Hanging =udge$ .o one ever gets a brea) rom him$ <ou ma! not )now him, but !ou probabl! )now his son$ Hes the principal at !our school8 "hats right, the one !ou totall! humiliated in ront o the students and acult!8 Whatever hope !ou had o getting o the hoo) has now been dashed$ (ut then the Crincipal shows up with an o icer, wanting to spea) to !ou alone$ He loo)s at !ou )indl! and sa!s, +ve alwa!s believed in !ou, and + still believe in !ou$ +ve re used to press charges$ +m a wealth! man and will pa! or all the repairs$ <oure a ree man$ +n a moment o time, !ou go rom hopeless despair to ecstas!$ <ou deserved ever!thing bad, but he gave !ou ever!thing good$ How would !ou treat that principle rom now on? o, we are all miserable sinners who deserve punishment. #hat do we expect when we come before the righteous AudgeB -unishment. But what does he offerB Grace and forgiveness. But it goes way beyond what the gracious forgiveness that the principal showed. But youll have to read about it yourself to see the incredible grace that God offers us in salvation.

+hat Go0 "11ers In Salvation

A-TI.ITY$ Bible earch. Eeeping in mind how much we deserve only punishment and everything bad, divide into small groups and read the following verses, letting a secretary list each thing that God gave us in our salvation. Try to ma(e as many sentences as you can with this format, :+hen weG* I -or/ 5$22 *Austified, K *a legal &eG<

term used of ac2uittal, Mrec(on as righteous, Mdeclare righteous, Mac2uit. -aul uses it for the act of God whereby, on the basis of !hrists atoning death, he declares believers to be "ust, and accepts them as his own., $4orris% Titus B$6 C *In the +ew Testament hope does not indicate merely what is wished for but what is assured., $Guthrie%

#xample$ !ol. 539<,9> I +hen we were spiritually dead, &e made us alive. #hen we were filthy, &e washed us and made us whiter than snow. $I !or. :3@C99P II !or ;39@,59P Titus <3=, /om. >35;% #hen we were enemies, &e too(s us bac( as friends. $/omans ;396P <356C5>P II !or. ;39@% #hen we deserved death, he canceled the debt and gave us life. $/om. :35<P <35<P Titus 539<,9>% #hen we were helpless, &e came to our aid. $/om. ;3:P Dph. 539,5,;,95% #hen we were blinded by atan and slaves to sin, &e opened our eyes and set us free. $II !or. >3<,>P An. ?3<>C<:P cr. Titus <3<P II Tim. 535:% #hen we couldnt pay our way to heaven, &e gave us a free tic(et $Dph. 53>,;,?,@ P /omans :35<% #hen we had nothing to loo( forward to, and &e gave us hope and promised us heaven. $Titus <3=% #hen we deserved &is wrath, &e gave us &is love. $An. <39:, cr. /om. ;3?,96%

-onclusion
+ow you see why some people have defined grace in this acrostic3

G/A!D K Gods !iches at -hrists #xpense

-L"SI'G A-TI.ITY$ Its hard to find a word powerful enough to describe Gods grace. Aohn +ewton used the word *Amazing when he wrote Amazing Grace$ 1thers use awesome$ But today people say stuff li(e, "hats a totall! amazing t3shirt$ 1r "hat was an awesome hamburger$ Awesome isnt as awesome as it used to be. -erhaps thats why, in teven !urtis !hapmans latest !8 he searched for another word to describe his response to Gods grace. &e said it left him speechless$ I want to play the song for you now as you reflect on the words on the overhead. As you pic( up the melody, sing along on the chorus. $ peechless !8, 9@@@% If youve never accepted Gods ama'ing gift of &is on and eternal life, this would be a great day to do it. If you have, then spend the wee( reflecting on the riches of &is grace and than(ing &im for all &e has done for you. And begin to respond to God li(e you would respond to that principle who paid your way out and let you off the hoo(. +o tas( would be too small, no sacrifice too great. Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson II) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part ))
%/ 0ormer 1risoner 23'eriences Grace& The "ost $eserving 6escued the 2east $eserving

,esus told a story that used to disturb me in 4uke "567899. )ho(ll read this for us? The more : reali;e how bad and undeser*ing : was and am$ the more ama;ed : will be at God(s grace in sa*ing me and the more :(ll lo*e <im.

Only on the backdro' of the blackness of your own sin can you see the brilliance of <is glorious grace.

7 8 !e9re All $irt. 6otten Scoundrels (6omans : 2;71) ) 8 The 6ationalization Game+ and &o( !e Pla. It

!e compare ourselves (ith %ello( sinners+ not a hol. God (reverse this pt (< the ne0t=) Other People9s Sins are "ig. Ours are Little.

+o$ categori;e these sins as you see them. 1ut a %=& by what you consider big sins$ and an %4& by the little sins5 ... ... ... it. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Murder Theft -leaning 'art of your room and telling your 'arents you cleaned all of >illing an animal for no reason Not belie*ing God +ecretly hating a 'erson who did you wrong Getting 'roud of your accom'lishments Gossi' =oasts about stuff Greed 1racticing +atanism

Activit. !hich sins don9t seem to %it in these lists o% 3-iggies4= ?omans 15!@86!A ?e*elation !15 1ro*erbs 751781@.

: 8 So Let9s >ace It+ !e9re In ?a@or Trou-leA (2'h. !51$6$1!# B 8 Grace to the 6escueA (/phesians ) B;2)
Student &andout

Amazing Grace (Lesson II) Grace That Leaves You Speechless (Part ))
%/ 0ormer 1risoner 23'eriences Grace& The 55555 $eserving 6escued the 55555 $eserving

,esus told a story that used to disturb me in 4uke "567899. )ho(ll read this for us? The more : reali;e how bad and undeser*ing : was and am$ the more ama;ed : will be at God(s grace in sa*ing me and the more :(ll lo*e <im.

Only on the backdro' of the blackness of your own sin can you see the brilliance of <is glorious grace.

7 8 !e9re All 55555 555555 Scoundrels (6omans : 2;71)

) 8 The 6ationalization Game+ and &o( !e 55555555 It !e compare ourselves (ith %ello( sinners+ not a 555 555 Other People9s Sins are 5555. Ours are 555555.

+o$ categori;e these sins as you see them. 1ut a %=& by what you consider big sins$ and an %4& by the little sins5 ... ... ... it. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... Murder Theft -leaning 'art of your room and telling your 'arents you cleaned all of >illing an animal for no reason Not belie*ing God +ecretly hating a 'erson who did you wrong Getting 'roud of your accom'lishments Gossi' =oasts about stuff Greed 1racticing +atanism

Activit. !hich sins don9t seem to %it in these lists o% 3-iggies4= ?omans 15!@86!A ?e*elation !15 1ro*erbs 751781@.

: 8 So Let9s >ace It+ !e9re In ?a@or 55555555A (2'h. !51$6$1!# B 8 Grace to the 555555A (/phesians ) B;2)

Amazing Grace (Lesson III) Grace %usters

P !P"S#$ %Y T&# #'( ") T&IS L#SS"'* I +A'T MY ST (#'TS T" S## &"+ T&#Y &A.# MIS '(#!ST""( G"(;S SA.I'G G!A-# A'( T" %#GI' T" S## IT %I%LI-ALLY/ P!#PA!ATI"'$ .oo( over the conclusion and ma(e sure you have secured enough nails and papers $with the verse on top% for this closing activity. 0ou may also want to prepare to use teven !urtis !hapmans song, "he Great Adventure, at some point in this lesson.

I'T!"( -TI"'
$LL'&(R)($O*+ +n a stor! that +ve heard attributed to the great church re ormer 7artin 6uther, some o Satans demons came to report in to their master, bragging about the havoc the! were raising among ,hristians on earth$ "he irst boasts4 A group o ,hristians were meeting in a building, and + started a ire that )illed them all$ So what8 scowled Satan$ "he! are

now all in heaven$ <ou have accomplished nothing$ Another came be ore him and reported, + discovered that a large number o ,hristians were ta)ing a vo!age on a ship, and + arranged or the ship to sin), )illing them all$ <ou ool8 Shouted 6uci er$ .ow the! are all sa el! in heaven$ <ou have accomplished nothing$ 0inall! a third, sl! demon came be ore him and reported, + slowl! in luenced a zealous believer until now he is lu)ewarm at best$ So what did !ou do with him? in9uired Satan$ "he demon replied, + le t him in the church, so that he could in luence the rest o the believers$ And then Satan and his demons danced and laughed in delight or the great victor! that had been won$ Along that line, someone has said that the greatest threat to !hristianity is the unexcited believer. I suppose thats why atan loves to place people that Ill call Grace (usters in the church. 0ou see, for the past two wee(s weve tal(ed about how God poured out &is incredible grace on us to offer us &is on, forgiveness, and heaven even though we deserved only hell. Thats exciting, lifeCchanging stuffH o atan (nows he must confuse people about these awesome truths. And in a lot of peoples lives, hes succeeding. 0ou can tell it by the lac( of "oy and I(#A$ -lay (he Great peace in their lives. 0ou can tell it by the way their spiritual )dventure,! by teven !urtis life is such a drudgery to them. 0ou can tell it by the way !hapman. It spea(s of Gods they treat other people. ama'ing grace in the context of the
adventure of a dynamic !hristian life, in which dull religion is left in a cloud of dust behind. $4a(e sure you have the words up on an overheadQpowerpoint for them.%

If the !hristian life doesnt seem very exciting to you, maybe youve fallen for one of the *Grace Busters., .ets pray as we loo( at some of these problems that rob !hristians of their "oy.

P!AY#!
The last thing atan wants !hristians to understand is Gods grace. !hristians who understand Gods grace fall in love with atans archenemy and get so excited about life that they impact others. )rom atans perspective, theyre dangerous. o, hes called on the Grace (usters to ma(e sure people cant see Gods grace. .isten with your heart and you may discover that youve fallen for one of these deceptions.

 G!A-# % ST#! H2 A Le"alist Luther!

*4ost Americans believe that spiritual salvation is an outcome to be earned through their good character or behavior. ix out of ten people $;5R% believe that Mif a person is generally good, or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in &eaven., $)rom 9@@@ survey of Americans by George Barna, found on Barna #ebsite at www.barna.org S!opyright Barna /esearch Group, .td. %

&eres a true story of a teenager who grew up as a legalist, trying to earn his way into heaven. !an you see yourself in his struggleB $LL'&(R)($O*+ A short, stoc)! teenager named 7artin 6uther was li)e a lot o other bo!s$ He en/o!ed a good time, loved music and the beauti ul outdoors, pla!ed an instrument, and wor)ed hard enough at his studies to be able to ma)e it into law school$ <oud have thought he had ever!thing going or him$ (ut no matter how good things loo)ed on the outside, he couldnt ind peace in his heart$ <ou see, his parents and the ol)s at church had taught him that in order to ma)e it to heaven he had to :' do enough good deeds and 1' pa! o his bad deeds$ (ut no matter how hard he tried, doubts and ears plagued 7artin because even though he was a good )id, he could never be certain that hed been good enough deserve heaven$ A ter eeling reall! down or about si# months, he was wal)ing to the universit! one da! when a storm suddenl! developed and a bolt o lightning struc) him to the ground$ Assuming that God was tr!ing to get his attention, he decided to do the most sacri icial thing that he could in order to be on Gods good side$ He vowed to become a mon)$ +t didnt matter that the decision enraged his dad and disappointed his teachers$ He igured !ou dont ool around with God$ So he didnt waste an! time$ +n two wee)s he entered a monaster!$ And not /ust an! monaster!, an especiall! strict monaster!$ And 7artin wasnt /ust an! mon)$ He was an especiall! strict mon)$ 7artin wanted to do ever!thing possible to ma)e sure he could avoid hell and achieve heaven$ He wore rough clothing and limited his ood, sometimes not eating at all or three da!s straight$ He wor)ed b! da!, had devotions at night, pra!ed seven times a da!, and committed not to marr!$ -o !ou get the picture? "his was no ,arnival ,ruise Ship$ + an!one could have wor)ed his wa! to heaven, 7artin could have$ (ut do !ou )now what? Bven a ter ten !ears o incredible per ormance or God in the monaster!, he still couldnt ind peace$ How could he ever )now i he had remembered to con ess ever! single sin, or i he had con essed each one sincerel! enough? Bventuall!, he began to hate God * this all3power ul /udge that he could never satis !$ (ut ever!thing changed when 7artin was given the responsibilit! o teaching the (ible$ (! listening more to what the (ible said about God than believing what other people told him about God, he began to slowl! discover what he had totall! missed his whole li e * the grace o a loving God$ His change o mind began when he was teaching Csalms$ +n one prophetic psalm showed him that the Son o God came to earth and e#perienced what its li)e to be orsa)en b! God$ =esus had e#perienced the same orsa)en emotion that 7artin elt8 0inall! he began to see the merc! o God$ "hen he began to teach the boo) o 5omans and discovered that salvation didnt come b! our own good deeds$ +nstead God orgives us onl! b! His grace because o =esus death or us$ .ow it all made sense$ He no longer had to wor) or his salvation8 He no longer had to wonder i he had done enough to earn heaven$ =esus had alread! paid his wa!8

7artin 6uther was never again the same$ 0inall! he could get e#cited about his gracious God$ 0inall! he could ind the peace he had alwa!s sought$ +n act, he got so e#cited that he stood against the corrupt, power ul church o his time$ He put his li e on the line b! de !ing both his religious and civil authorities, starting a spiritual revolution that has impacted us to this da!$ A lot o his li e reads li)e an actionFadventure movie$ He sometimes had to disguise himsel to avoid being murdered$ ?nce his riends )idnapped him and too) him to live in a castle or his own sa et!$ ?ne da! the emperor o the Hol! 5oman Bmpire ordered him to appear be ore a meeting o princes and other important people, who demanded that he den! his teachings$ (ut he stood his ground be ore the Bmperor and said, Gnless + am convinced b! the testimon! o the Scriptures or b! clear reason>+ am bound b! the Scriptures + have 9uoted and m! conscience is captive to the Word o God$ + cannot and + will not retract an!thing, since it is neither sa e nor right to go against conscience$ + cannot do otherwise$ "oda!, over H22 !ears a ter 6uthers death, he is considered one o the most in luential men who ever wal)ed the ace o the earth$ Hes in !our school histor! te#ts because !ou cant understand Western ,ivilization without understanding 7artin 6uther$ He changed the course o religious histor!, both or the ,atholic and Crotestant church$ He wrote songs that are still sung toda!$ Ceople still stud! his boo)s$ Web sites are devoted to him$ (ut he would have never le t his mar) on the world had he ailed to discover Gods grace$ -o !ou want to be a mover and sha)er and leave a mar) on the world li)e 6uther? -o !ou want to have his boldness to ma)e !our stand when it seems ever!one else is alling? "o share his impact and power, !ouve irst got to tap into his discover! o grace$ &Sources4 5oland H$ (ainton, Here + Stand4 A 6i e o 7artin 6uther, Abingdon Cress, .ashville, pp$ #ii3I;A World (oo) Bnc!clopedia' 0ou probably havent gone to the lengths .uther did to try to please God. But one survey found that most people believe that they have to earn their way to heaven. 8o you thin( that if you can do enough good deeds to outweigh your bad deeds, then God will loo( over the computer printout of your deeds on "udgment day and let you into heaven because of themB If thats your idea of salvation, you probably have a hard time understanding why some people actually li)e God and en/o! serving &im. To you, Gods "ust li(e a strict employer whos watching you every second to catch you goofing up. And you probably go to sleep at night fearing that you may have not done enough to deserve heaven. (IS- SSI"'$ &ow would you counsel people who have fallen for this *Grace BusterB, .i(e .uther, the apostle -aul grew up in the wor(s thing. But after he met Aesus -aul wrote this about his new understanding of salvation3 $After I read each verse, tell me what you thin( it says to *.egalist .uther.,% $ do not set aside the "race of God, for if ri"hteousness could be "ained throu"h the law, /hrist died for nothin"5! $Galatians 5359% %ut when the kindness and love of God our &avior appeared, he saved us, not because of ri"hteous thin"s we had done, but because of his mercy ! $Titus <3>,;a%

For it is by "race you have been saved, throu"h faith 4 and this not from yourselves, it is the "ift of God 4 not by works, so that no one can boast ! $Dphesians 53?,@P cr. II Tim. 93@P /om. <39@C<6P >3>,;P ;39=P 993:P I -et. 939<P &eb. 53@P Gal. <359,55P Acts 9;399.% &eres an important grammar 2uestion. Is the action of the phrase have been saved past, present, or futureB $Its past, something that for the !hristian has already happened, not something were slowly earning over time.% Thats why its possible to (now that you have eternal life. $I An. ;39<%. Apparently Gods not into gathering a bunch of people into heaven so that &e can listen to them sit around bragging about how hard they wor(ed to deserve being there. By offering salvation as a gracious gift, the whole wor(s thing is done away with. o heaven will be full of grateful people who (now that the only reason they got in was because of Aesus. 8o you understand Grace Buster T9 and how to overcome itB

G!A-# % ST#! H3 .an" in (here .arry!

&arry (nows that he was saved by grace through faith. But now he thin(s hes got to (eep his salvation with good wor(s. How would !ou counsel Harr!? $Give them time to respond.% &arry desperately needs to understand I Aohn ;39<. #ho will read it for usB $ write these thin"s to you who believe in the name of the &on of God so that you may know that you have eternal life ! 8id he say, that !ou ma! have the potential o one da! achieving eternal li e? +oH &e said that you may )now that you alread! possess eternal life. And chec( out /omans ;39. #hat does it say to &arryB (herefore, since we have been justified throu"h faith, we have peace with God throu"h our Lord 2esus /hrist,#! $!r. I !or. :3@C99%
!omans >$2 I *Austified, K *be ac2uitted, be pronounced and treated as righteous $upright, "ust% and thereby become righteous, receive the divine gift of righteousness, to be "ustified $BAG%.The Eing Aames rendering, being /usti ied, doesnt bring out the force of the Gree( passive as clearly as the +IJ.

.oo( carefully at the tenses of these verbs. &es writing to !hristians and says that they have been "ustified through faith$ #hy is it significant that the "ustification too( place in the pastB $Because its something that has already happened to us. #ere not wor(ing toward it.% And notice that having been /usti ied is in the passive tense. 8oes anybody remember from Dnglish class what passive tense meansB $It is something that someone else SGodU did for us. +ot something we did for ourselves.%

And if Ive already been "ustified by God, then theres no need to pay for my sins after this life in a place that some call -urgatory. Thats why Aesus could say to the thief on the cross who called on Aesus in faith, :Gtoda! !ou will be with me in paradise$ $.u(e 5<3>5,>< % +ot, +ll see !ou in paradise a ter !ou purge !our sins or a ew hundred !ears$ But toda!$

G!A-# % ST#! HB A :Eeep Crayin" (hat Crayer! Catty

The same verses we "ust discussed should help -atty. Dvery time the youth minister gives an invitation to receive !hrist as avior, -atty thin(s she needs to get saved again. How would !ou counsel Catt!? $.et them respond.% he doesnt understand that you dont need to be born again every wee(. #hen I was born into my physical family, I wasnt disowned by the family every time I messed up, having to get reC adopted every time I as(ed forgiveness and got bac( right. In the same way, Im still Gods child, even when I blow it. .oo( how -aul addressed a group of !hristians who had blown it big time. They were full of pride about their wisdom $I !orinthians chpts. 9,5%. They had made all (inds of divisions in the church $chpt. <% and had brought lawsuits against each other $chpt. :%. And its bad enough to get drun( at a party. But some of the !orinthians were getting drun( at the .ords upperH $ch. 99% But when -aul corrected them, he didnt tell them that they needed to get saved again. Instead, loo( at how he referred to them in the letter3 to the church of God which is at /orinth, to those who have been sanctified in /hrist 2esus, saints by callin"# ! $I !orinthians 935, +A B% &anctified F *ma(e holy, consecrate, sanctify, dedicate, $BAG% *Being set apart for God, $4orris% &aints K *!hristians as consecrated to God, $BAG% #hen we sin as !hristians, we dont need to be born again, again. Instead we need to confess our sins to (eep that close fellowship with God. 4y relationship with God $as &is child% is secure. But my ellowship with &im can be bro(en. $I Aohn 93@%

G!A-# % ST#! HC A &cumba" &cotty

I(#A3 A great illustration to use here would be of Aohn +ewton, who wrote the song Amazing Grace$ &is life story is incredible and I tried to capture some of it in an illustration I put under the topic *forgiveness, $in the *Illustrations, section of our site, type *+ewton, into the earch Box and clic( *go., Illustration title is *+ewtons /ebellion.,%. I didnt use it here because I had already used it in the series on *Authorities.,

cotty cant imagine God ever wanting him in &is heaven. &es been too rotten. &is parents say hell never amount to anything in life. cotty tends to agree. &e thin(s hes too far down the wrong road to turn bac( now. #hat would you say to cottyB $Get a response.% cotty doesnt understand the extent of the grace and love of God. If cotty thin(s hes the chief of all sinners, hes never met the apostle -aul. omeone read for us what -aul said of himself in I Tim. 939<C9;3 Gven thou"h $ was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, $ was shown mercy because $ acted in i"norance and unbelief (he "race of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, alon" with the faith and love that are in /hrist 2esus .ere is a trustworthy sayin" that deserves full acceptance+ /hrist 2esus came into the world to save sinners 4 of whom $ am the worst %ut for that very reason $ was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, /hrist 2esus mi"ht display his unlimited patience as an eDample for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life ! $Timothy 939<C9;P cr. II !hron. <63@P Titus 5399P An. <39:% o, in what way is -aul saying that his case is an example to othersB $If God showed mercy on him, being the worst, then other bad sinners can (now that God wants them to have eternal life as well.% +ext time you thin( youve been too bad for God, "ust remember a guy named -aul, the chief of all sinners, who God forgave and made into one of the most powerful warriors for &imself that the world has ever (nown.

Action Points (Getting Into Grace)

ome of you may have seen parts of yourself in todays message. -erhaps youve been trying to earn your way into heaven li(e 6egalist 6uther trying desperately to stay saved by your deeds li(e Hang +n "here Harr!, or thin( youve got to get resaved every time you sin li(e Jeep Cra!in that Cra!er Catt! or feel too sinful for God to love, li(e Scumbag Scott!$ Ive got great news for every one of you.

Gods love is so high that !ou cant get over it, so wide that !ou cant get around it, so deep !ou cant get under it$ +o matter how mixed up or sinful youve been, Gods grace is greater still. To try to help you visuali'e this, Im handing out a nail and a sheet of paper to each of you. At the top of the sheet of paper is what -aul, the chief of sinners, wrote in -olossians 3$2B*2C$ 1hen you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with /hrist .e for"ave us all our sins, havin" canceled the written code, with its re"ulations, that was a"ainst us and that stood opposed to us@ he took it away, nailin" it to the cross ! ome of you thin( that theres a written list of wrongs that Gods holding against you. A list that youve got to either pay for or ma(e up with a longer list of good deeds. To help you visuali'e this verse I want you to write under this passage the initials of some sins that you thin( God is holding against you. $Give them a few minutes.% +ow fold your paper in half so that no one can see what you wrote. Bring your nail and your paper with you and form a line to the front of the room. At the front youll find a wooden cross and a hammer $have several if your group is large.% +ail your list of sins to the cross as an act of worship, reali'ing that if Aesus is your avior, then hes paid the penalty for all your sins when he died on the cross for you. $Dnd in a prayer of than(sgiving, letting students express their than(s for Gods grace and forgiveness.%

Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson III) Grace "usters !ntroduction

emons *eport to Satan

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C7 8 2egalist 2uther

3or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith 4 and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 4 not by wor5s, so that no one can boast. (/phesians ) 1+2)

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C) 6ang in +here 6arry

! write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may 5now that you have eternal life. 7! /n. (%0-8

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C: 8 39eep :raying +hat :rayer :atty

to the church of God which is at ;orinth, to those who have been sanctified in ;hrist /esus, saints by calling. (I 'orinthians 7 )+ DAS")

G6A'/ "#ST/6 CB 8 3Scumbag Scotty

;hrist /esus came into the world to save sinners 4 of whom ! am the worst. (Timoth. 7 7:;7E) God,s love is so high that you can,t get over it, so wide that you can,t get around it, so deep you can,t get under it.

<ction :oints
6e forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us= he too5 it away, nailing it to the cross. 7;olossians #%0>8

Amazing Grace (Lesson III) Grace "usters

Student Sheet

!ntroduction
emons *eport to Satan

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C7 8 11111111111

3or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith 4 and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 4 not by wor5s, so that no one can boast. (/phesians ) 1+2)

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C) 6ang in +here 111111111

! write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may 5now that you have eternal life. 7! /n. (%0-8

G6A'/ "#ST/6 C: 8 39eep :raying +hat :rayer 1111111111

to the church of God which is at ;orinth, to those who have been sanctified in ;hrist /esus, saints by calling. (I 'orinthians 7 )+ DAS")

G6A'/ "#ST/6 CB 8 35555555555555 Scotty

;hrist /esus came into the world to save sinners 4 of whom ! am the worst. (Timoth. 7 7:;7E) God,s love is so high that you can,t get over it, so wide that you can,t get around it, so deep you can,t get under it.

<ction :oints
6e forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us= he too5 it away, nailing it to the cross. 7;olossians #%0>8

Amazing Grace (Lesson I.) "ur Gracious Go0 (Part 2)

P !P"S#$ %Y T&# #'( ") T&IS L#SS"'* I +A'T MY ST (#'TS +&" &A.# %##' A'TAG"'ISTI- T" G"( T" %#GI' T" LI,# &IM/ Lea0ers$ In order to accomplish this purpose, pray for God to give you ways to move beyond head (nowledge into the emotional and heart level. Its hard to ta(e people from hating God to loving &im by simply presenting a logical argument. Ideas3 #xpose them to Go0;s grace in &is +or0/ )or .uther, his "ourney from hating God to loving &im began by an exposure to the truth of Gods #ord in order to clear up his misconceptions. Pra7 1or Go0 to 4rea@ through/ Fltimately, were fighting a spiritual battle with the forces of dar(ness which blind our students. God sometimes opens peoples eyes in a flash. A scientist had studied the universe for years without finding God there. But while driving along a highway he suddenly saw design in the universe and (new there must be a designer. Ta@e 7our praise time up a notch/ -raise through song is more than a warm up to your message. !assie Bernalls friend said that the singing at the retreat that melted !assies hard heart $ ee illustration in next lesson%. !hoose songs in a style that moves your students. !hoose songs with lyrics that allow students to praise God. 4a(e sure that it is done with excellence. !onsider moving the praise time to the middle or end of your lesson. 1r intersperse praise songs throughout your message so that students can express bac( to God what they are learning. Allow them time to than@ Go0 out loud for the specific things &e has done for them. Let them share wa7s in which the7 have seen Go0;s grace/ -erhaps some students from another youth group with dramatic testimonies would li(e to come share. Prepare a sli0e show $or -ower-oint -resentation% o1 4eauti1ul scener7 to show in the bac(ground while they are singing praises. -erhaps appropriate portions of the *Aesus )ilm, could be shown with no audio as they sing praises. )ind practical ways to show @in0ness to 7our stu0ents. #rite a note. 4a(e a call. )ollowC up on a prayer re2uest. tudents floc( to one of our unday chool teachers. 1ne of his practices is to give a cheap suc(er to each student each unday. Its a small way he show Gods love to them. $-lus, it (eeps their mouths shut when they shouldnt be tal(ingH% If you tal( about Gods grace but fail to demonstrate grace, dont be surprised if your students dont get it.

Intro0uction
.ast wee( I told the story of 4artin .uther, who grew up clueless about Gods grace and felt he could never do enough to please God. After living this way for years, do you remember how he began to see GodB $A stern "udge who provo(ed fear in everyone.% o what were .uthers feelings about GodB $&e hated &im.%

A lot of students, and probably some of you, can identify with .uther. #hen you see people who get excited about worship and smile toward heaven as they sing, you dont get it. #hen you thin( of God, if &e exists at all, you despise &im. 0ou view &im as a powerful, pushy authority who always wants to get &is way and throw those who dont I(#A$ !onsider using the chilling li(e it into hell.
song, *Angel of .ight,, by -etra $*.ever Sa! -ie, album%, to show how atan disguises himself as an angel of light in order to deceive people.

Im convinced that theres an evil force in this world whos not "ust out to get you into drugs. &is primary mission is to blind you to the love and grace of his archenemy3 God. ILL ST!ATI"'$ Since a lot o students were going nuts over 7etallica, + decided to sur to some o their sites on the web and see what the! were tr!ing to communicate through their l!rics$ Although their music is awesome, + ound that their l!rics were obsessed with death, destruction, and the spiritual enemies o God$ + began to wonder wh! these gu!s seemed to hate God so much$ + ma! have ound at the 7etallica Bnc!clopedia site, which not onl! gave their l!rics, but also supplied in ormation on what was behind the songs$ ?ne o the songs that especiall! caught m! e!e was titled "he God "hat 0ailed, rom their (lac) Album$ According to the site, =ames wrote the song about his moms death rom cancer$ She belonged to a cult that didnt believe in using doctors$ She believed so strongl! that her aith in God would heal her that she re used an! medical aid and died$ + suppose in =ames mind, when his mom needed God the most, He didnt come through$ 7a!be that e#plains his dar) attitude toward li e and his antagonism to God that comes across so clearl! in his l!rics$ +ow todays message is not meant to clear up all your 2uestions about why God allows bad things to happen to good people. $ ee my series on 7astering <our ,ircumstances where I deal with this issue.% All I want to say is that your view of God ma(es a ma"or impact on how you view life. If this message helps to change your view of God, it could very well change your life. .ets pray as we try to repaint the picture of God that many people have. P!AY#!

%!AI'ST"!M$ 2) #hat are the popular conceptions of God $#hat God is li(e. &is character.% that you thin( students have todayB $This could be done in small groups and reported bac( to the large group.% 3) )or each conception of God you come up with, discuss how it affects the life of the person who holds it.

I/ The Go0s that (on;t #xist (Popular Pictures o1 Go0)

$.eader3 Ive listed the following as a few that they may come up with. 0ou can add any that they might miss.%

:The -osmic Scrooge<$ a stern, busy accountant who keeps a precise list of all your sins, constantly tallyin" the difference between your bad deeds and "ood deeds, and treats you accordin"ly
&ow does this image of God affect the people who hold itB This was 4artin .uthers view of God. &ow did it affect himB $)elt he could never please God. Began to hate God.% If thats your picture of God, I can tell you that you have a hard time getting excited about &im, and you are baffled by people who worship &im wQ excitement and awe.

:The -osmic ,illEo7<$ a celestial party pooper who looks over the earth for people havin" a "ood time, so that .e can make them stop
How does this image o God a ect the people who hold it? $They see a relationship with &im as a boring drudgery.% o what is God li(eB &ow does &e loo( at usB

II/ The Go0 I 'ever ,new A/ The Go0 +ho Throws Parties
!an you imagine a God who throws partiesB I couldnt either until I began to reflect on some interesting Bible passages.

2/ An Annual %rin" Hour Favorite Food and 1ine! Part7

Today Im letting you in on something thats beyond most peoples comprehension. 4ost thin( of the 1ld Testament as a time of drudgery where a smileless God ordered people to (eep a lot of pic(y (eut/ 2C$33=36 = cholars differ as commandments so that &e could swat &im when they to whether this is the same tithe messed up. prescribed in +umbers 9? or an
additional tithe. In the third year, the entire tithe was given locally to the .evites and those in need. $vss. 5?,5@% Try not to get sidetrac(ed on the 0rin@ing issue. But if you get cornered into it, you could mention that drun(enness is sin $-r. 5639P 5<35@C<9P Dph. ;39?% hould students drin( at allB &ere are some biblical principles involved3 Would !ou be disobe!ing !our parents? $Dph. :39C<% Would !ou be disobe!ing !our governing authorities? $/om. 9<39C=% Would it be a positive in luence on others? $-hil. >3@% Will it harm !our bod!? $I !or. :39@C56% ,ould it be a stumbling bloc) to either believers $/om. 9>39<,9@% or non3believers? $I !or. @39@% ,ould it harm !our reputation? $Titus 53:C?P I Tim. <3=,96%

If thats your idea, youve never actually read the 1ld Testament. .ets try to erase from our minds for a moment all these conceptions of God that weve learned from other people and from our own imaginations. Instead, lets go bac( to the Bible itself to find what it says about God. )irst, chec( out the instructions for the yearly tithe of the farmers produce in 8euteronomy 9>355C5=. +ow stay with me, because some of you are already thin(ing, "here God goes again, ma)ing people ta)e their hard3earned stu and throw it in a ire somewhere$ Sacri ice, sacri ice, sacri ice$ But lets ta(e a closer loo( at the passage. %e sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year Gat the tithe of your "rain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwellin" for his *ame, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always ! 8id you catch thatB 0ou dont ta(e the tithe and burn it as a sacrifice. 0ou ta(e it and eat it at a big feastH This sounds a little more upbeat. o lets continueL %ut if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe ,because the place where the LORD will choose to put his *ame is so far away-, then eDchan"e your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and "o to the place the LORD your God will choose !

Are you following what Gods sayingB If its not practical to ta(e one tenth of all your cattle and produce travel 966 miles to the feast, then "ust exchange it for silver. And what do you thin( they are to do with the silverB $.et them respond.% 8edicate it to the templeB /ead onL 'se the silver to buy whatever you like+ cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anythin" you wish ! o you ta(e your silver and go on a shopping spree to buy whatever !ou want. &e didnt say pra! and ast to determine e#actl! what God wants !ou to get$ &e already specified what &e wants you to get3 anythin" you wish , +1# you throw it all into a big sacrificial fire and burn it before the .1/8, rightB .ets read onL (hen you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice ! o lets get this straight. 0ou ta(e a tenth of your crops and herds, sell them for silver, travel to an appointed place, go on a shopping spree to buy whatever food or wine or anything you want, then you go eat it with all the other fol(s in a huge celebration that God wants you to en"oy. All through the boo( of 8euteronomy I (eep finding these party words3 *re"oice, $8eut. 9>35=, 9:399,9>%, celebrate $9:39<%, gladness $5?3>=%. #hats &is purpose in all thisB .oo( at one of the feasts in 8euteronomy 9:39;3 &even days you shall celebrate a feast to the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses, because the LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you shall be alto"ether joyful !,*)&%I hope this is blasting an incredible lie that the Dnemy has foisted on the world3 That God is a big celestial bully who sits around thin(ing of creative ways to ma(e people miserable. .isten, when God gives us laws, they are for our good. #hen he says be faithful to your marriage partner, &es not trying to stop all your fun. &es trying to (eep us from getting hurt. &e wants to free us from the tragedies that are ruining students lives. #hen you understand Gods laws from that perspective, it ma(es perfect sense why an 1ld Testament Aew could write, O how $ love Hour law5 $ meditate on it all day lon" ! $-s. 99@3@=% +ow its true that God hates sin and often corrects us when we get out of line. But many cant see &is mercy, how &e delights in you, how &e wants to experience great "oy. Is it hard for you to picture a God who throws partiesB Then get your thin(ing in line with the truth.

3/ A Cull Out )ll the &tops! &ome -oming Part7

.ets loo( at a +ew Testament party passage. In .u(e 9; we find Aesus tal(ing to whoever will listen and eating with people that the religious big shots despised3 tax gatherers and sinners. The religious crowd grumbles about it and Aesus tells them a story in verses 99C<5 to explain Gods heart for sinners. Ill put it in a modern setting, reading it as part of a letter that a young 9@CyearC old named +eal writes to his brother about his previous year.

Alternative$ Instead of reading this *letter,, play the Crodigal Son Suite by Eeith Green. This powerful song goes through the life of the -rodigal on in a way that only Eeith Green could present

-ear (rother,

it. + want !ou to )now e#actl! what happened to me over the past !ear, so that !ou can avoid the hell + went through$ A ter m! high school graduation, + sat down with dad or a little ather3son tal) about m! uture$ + wore a conservative pair o )ha)i pants and a collared )nit shirt$ <ou )now, the routine we alwa!s did when we wanted something rom dad$ + convinced him that a ew o m! riends and + had been planning to launch a computer business or some time and we elt it was time to stri)e now while the mar)ets hot$ "hen + gave him that apologetic loo), li)e + didnt eel 9uite right about as)ing this, but then loo)ed him in the e!e and as)ed, ,ould + ta)e the mone! !ou set aside or m! college and m! portion o the inheritance and use it to pursue this dream? + )new dads emotions would be mi#ed$ <ou )now how much he wanted us to do the college thing$ And he reall! didnt want to ris) me losing that mone! that he hoped + would use ta)e care o him in his old age$ (ut + reminded him about how he alwa!s told us o his regrets that he pla!ed it so sa e in li e, managing someone elses print shop instead o ta)ing the ris) to set up his own$ Cerhaps /ust seeing his oldest child sitting there in the living room, nicel! dressed, spea)ing to him man to man about a easible business simpl! overwhelmed him$ Whatever the case, a ter spending a ew da!s loo)ing over the business plan &that +d ound on the internet', he too) me to the ban) and trans erred an incredible DI22,222$22 over to m! name$ + loo)ed him sincerel! in the e!e and said, + wont let !ou down$ At that moment dad probabl! relished in what he considered one o those ather3son moments that hed alwa!s loo) bac) on ondl!$ His sons transition into manhood$ "he beginning o a business venture that would surel! ma)e him proud to be m! ather$ (ut behind a sincere e#pression m! hard heart was sa!ing, Stupid old man$ Hes wor)ed i t! hours a wee) ma)ing his emplo!er rich while hes lived a rugal li e in order to save or a retirement that might never happen$ Somebod! needs to en/o! this wealth be ore it all disappears into a nursing home$ + was alread! pac)ed, so + lit out o town without even calling to sa! goodb!e$ + thought o no one but m!sel $ 7! whole world centered around me$ As + le t the (a#le! cit! limits, + rolled down m! window, clinched m! ist and shouted de iantl!, +n ive !ears +ll return rich and amous8 <ou wait and see$ <oull be lined up or m! autograph$ 7! dream was to brea) into ,hicagos nightclub business so that + could spend m! nights hearing great bands and hanging out with the part! crowd while + built m! ortune$ ?h !ea, + pic)ed up a ew necessities along the wa!$ 0or me, image was ever!thing$ So + traded in the ailing 0ord "aurus or a brand new Corsche$ "hen + bought some clothes worth! o m! new image$ With all that mone! and m! natural charm, + 9uic)l! bro)e into ,hicagos social world o the local movers and sha)ers$ At one part! + met an incredible brunette named Keronica who wor)ed or a inancial irm$ As + e#plained m! dream o owning a club, her e!es lit up$ She had been thin)ing o leaving her /ob to start up something o her own$ We hit it o so well that within a ew wee)s we had moved into an upscale apartment near some o her ac9uaintances$

Her riends treated me li)e an e9ual, listening intentl! to m! ideas$ + thought + had them wrapped around m! ingers$ And since the! had lots o business e#perience, their advice to orm a business partnership sounded wise$ "ogether, we could ma)e some serious mone! out o his inheritance$ Within a ew months, + was riding on the clouds$ + was :% !ears old, owned a hot club that pulled in top emerging bands, partied with incredible people, spent mone! wildl! on whatever m! e!es desired, had Keronica to manage the inances, and ever! chic) adored me$ =ust si# months out o nowhere land, and li e was unbelievable$

The Pro0igal Son3 The context provides the (ey to interpreting this parable. The religious elite grumble because Aesus receives sinners and eats with them $9;39,5%. In response, Aesus tells three stories, of which this is the last, to show Gods love for lost people. v. 9; I *)or a Aew no occupation could have been more distasteful. A rabbinic saying runs, M!ursed be the man who would breed swine., $4orris% v. 56 I *In that part of the world it was generally not considered dignified for an elderly man to runP yet, he runs., v. 55 I *Best robe, is a status symbol. */ing, is probably a signet ringLan indication of authority., $&endri(sen%

"hings went great or another si# months$ (ut suddenl! the bottom ell out$ +t started one morning over brea) ast when + noticed that the roots o Keronicas brunette hair were starting to emerge blonde$ + panic)ed and chec)ed the inancial records personall! or the irst time$ Sure enough, Keronica was clueless about the inances$ (ut her riends werent clueless$ "he! had been slowl! draining m! ban) account dr! b! billing Keronica or e#orbitant consulting ees and borrowing mone! in m! name rom the local 7a ia$ .ow it was pa!bac) time, and + was dead bro)e$ Keronica le t in the Corsche to get her nails done and never returned$ (ut the ma ia arrived the ne#t da!, o ering me three choices4 pa! up immediatel!, wor) or them, or die$ .eedless to sa!, + accepted their generous /ob o er$ -uring the da!, + did their dirt! wor), ma)ing dangerous drug transactions and threatening people who were behind on their pa!ments$ 7! pa!chec) was a bowl o soup and enough cocaine to )eep me going or a da!$ At night + slept in an abandoned building with other addicts$ + lived in constant ear 3 ear o the ma ia, ear o the police, ear o those who beat me and abused me at night$ 0inall! m! drug habit got so bad that the ma ia gave me a serious beating and threw me out$ 6ater that night, as + was going through m! avorite garbage can loo)ing or ood, + began to thin) o how good + had it bac) home * m! own bedroom, securit!, hot meals, a amil! that loved me$ "hen it occurred to me that dad occasionall! emplo!ed homeless people through the Salvation Arm!$ "he! didnt get much pa!$ (ut at least the! had ood and a sa e shelter$ + wrote dad a letter e#plaining to him what had happened$ + had lied to him, humiliated him, wasted his mone!, and certainl! didnt deserve an! avors$ .or did + even dream o him allowing me bac) home as a son an! more$ + /ust wanted a lowl! /ob with ood and shelter$ + would tr! to get home over the wee)end and + hoped hed be willing to consider hiring me$ "hat Saturda! morning + persuaded a ormer emplo!ee rom the nightclub to drive me home$ + cleaned up as best as + could$ (ut m! ill3 itting clothes couldnt hide all the scars and needle mar)s$ "he whole wa! + rehearsed what + was going to sa!4 +ve messed up bad$ + )now + dont deserve to be !our son$ Clease could !ou ind it in !our heart to let me be an errand bo! at the print shop$ + promise to do a good /ob or !ou$ (ut /ust be ore we turned onto our street, + told the driver to stop so that + could loo) and ma)e sure none o m! neighbors or old riends were around$ + didnt want an!one to see me loo)ing li)e this$ (ut as + loo)ed down the street

toward m! house, + cho)ed up with tears$ "here was m! aging dad, an#iousl! piddling around in the ront !ard, pulling a weed here or there, and then gazing intentl!, hope ull! at ever! passing car$ -raped on the ront o the house was a huge banner that said, Welcome Home, Son$ + began to instinctivel! wal) down the tree3lined sidewal) toward the house$ When dad spotted me, + immediatel! began m! little prepared speech, but he bro)e into a run, then grabbed me b! the nec) as he sobbed uncontrollabl!, sa!ing over and over, <oure alive8 <oure alive8 We had almost lost all hope but now !ouve come home alive$ ,ome inside, get !ou a decent bath, then put on some nice, warm clothes rom !our closet$ +m ta)ing !ou with all m! associates and relatives to the most e#pensive restaurant in town$ +ts time to celebrate$ + /ust cant believe that !oure reall! home8 +ow remember, I didnt ma(e up the story. Aesus told the original version 5666 years ago. #ho does the father in the story representB $God% #ho does the son representB $a person whos rebelled against God% #hat point was Aesus ma(ingB $God loves sinners and wants to receive them.% .isten to me as we close. God loves you. &e reall! loves you. &e doesnt wait till after youve cleaned up your act to love you. &e "ust loves you. &is love is so high that you cant get over it, so wide you cant get around it, so deep you cant get under it. As incredible as it sounds, &e thin(s about you, longs for you, and has gone to incredible lengths so that you could (now &im intimately. If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

Action Points
o how do we respond to a God li(e thatB $.eader, determine which of these applications you will primarily aim for in your group.% Accept Iesus as Savior. God loves us sinners. +o matter how much youve rebelled, &e stands there li(e the father in the front yard, longing to ta(e you bac( into his arms. But our sin deserves to be punished. As a "ust God, he cant "ust let us off the hoo(. Thats why Aesus paid the penalty for our sins on the cross. God wants you to trust in &is son to forgive you and give you eternal life. -ommit 7oursel1 to 1ollow &im. $Titus 3$22=2C)

ILL ST!ATI"'3 +magine that !oure .eal & rom the above stor!'$ <ou deserved to be a target or !our dads spit, but instead !ou got a warm embrace, a ma/or part!, and received bac) into !our amil!$ +ts the da! a ter the part! and !oure settling bac) into li e as a son$ An old riend calls !ou up and sa!s, He!, instead o wor)ing at the old mans print shop tomorrow, how about coming over to m! house and getting wasted? How would !ou respond? &Get their input$' How could + do that to m! ather? +ve been that road$ +t ends in miser!$' -id !ou notice? .o one said an!thing about ear o punishment$ <ou see, now were operating out o a relationship wF a God who loves us$ .ot out o ear o /udgment$ +ts a totall! di erent world, a totall! di erent view o the ,hristian li e$ When !ouve been graciousl! loved, orgiven and accepted to the e#tent that .eal was in the stor!, !ou naturall! want to please the ?ne who save !ou$ Hes got good plans or !ou$ <ou can trust !our li e with a God li)e that$ %ecome a gracious person. ince you were loved when you were unlovely, love the unlovely around you. ince you were forgiven when you deserved to be punished, forgive those around you who deserve your punishment. ince God throws parties for the

undeserving, be nice to those that most people refuse to tal( to. Get outside of your little clic( and open your heart to others who are hurting.

Amazing Grace (Lesson IF) Our Gracious God (Part 7) Introduction

+he God +hat 3ailed

Overhead

I. The Gods that $on9t /0ist (Popular Pictures o% God)

3The 'osmic Scrooge4 a stern, busy accountant who 5eeps a precise list of all your sins, constantly tallying the difference between your bad deeds and good deeds, and treats you accordingly. 3The 'osmic Gill@o.4 a celestial party pooper who loo5s over the earth for people having a good time, so that 6e can ma5e them stop.

II. The God I Dever Gne( A. The God !ho Thro(s Parties 7. An Annual ?ring @our 3avorite 3ood and Aine Part. ($euteronom. 7B ));),)
Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the 2B* your God in the place which the 2B* chooses, because the 2B* your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the wor5 of your hands, so that you shall be altogether Coyful. 7D<S?8 ($euteronom. 7* 7E)

). A :ull But <ll the Stops &ome 'oming Part.

Action Points
Accept Hesus as Savior. 'ommit .oursel% to %ollo( &im. (Titus ) 77+7)) "ecome a gracious person.

Amazing Grace (Lesson IF) Our Gracious God (Part 7) Introduction

+he God +hat 3ailed

+tudent +heet

I. The Gods that $on9t 5555555 (Popular Pictures o% God)

3The 'osmic 555555554 a stern, busy accountant who 5eeps a precise list of all your sins, constantly tallying the difference between your bad deeds and good deeds, and treats you accordingly. 3The 'osmic 55555555554 a celestial party pooper who loo5s over the earth for people having a good time, so that 6e can ma5e them stop.

II. The God I Dever 55555555 A. The God !ho 5555555 555555555 7. An Annual ?ring @our 3avorite 3ood and Aine Part. ($euteronom. 7B ));),)
Seven days you shall celebrate a feast to the 2B* your God in the place which the 2B* chooses, because the 2B* your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the wor5 of your hands, so that you shall be altogether Coyful. 7D<S?8 ($euteronom. 7* 7E)

). A :ull But <ll the 11111111 &ome 'oming Part.

Action Points
Accept Hesus as Savior. 'ommit .oursel% to %ollo( &im. (Titus ) 77+7)) "ecome a gracious person.

Amazing Grace (Lesson .) "ur Gracious Go0 (Part 3)

P !P"S#$ %Y T&# #'( ") T&IS L#SS"'* I +A'T MY ST (#'TS +&" &A.# %##' A'TAG"'ISTI- T" G"( T" %#GI' T" LI,# &IM/ A'( I +A'T T" M".# MY ST (#'TS +&" AL!#A(Y LI,# &IM T" %#GI' T" )ALL I' L".# +IT& &IM/

I'T!"( -TI"'
4any people get their picture of what God is li(e from their own family experience and what they hear about God from others. )or example, $LL'&(R)($O*+ (ill (aile! e#perienced a horri ic childhood$ He was abused and abandoned b! his real ather, then beaten and se#uall! abused b! his step ather$ He elt re/ected b! his mom$ "o ma)e matters worse, his h!pocritical parents claimed to be ver! religious$ He later adopted the stage name A#l 5ose, and became amous in the band Guns . 5oses$ +ts no surprise to me that his l!rics so o ten re lect hate and rebellion$ How do !ou thin) his bac)ground a ected his l!rics? How do !ou thin) his bac)ground in luenced his view o authorities and his view o God? &Sources4 http3QQwww.angelfire.comQutQurumeaQrob.html' ome of you can relate to Axls bac(ground. And li(e him, you have a dar( view of the world and assume that God is "ust another authority who wants to let you down and abuse you. And Axl is far from alone in his dar( view of the world. $LL'&(R)($O*+ When guitarist ,arlos Santana chose the songs or his recent &:%%%31222' best3selling album, he purposel! tried to run positive, encouraging themes through the album$ Wh!? 6isten care ull!$ +n a recent interview, Santana sa!s that lots o students have a victim mentalit!$ "he! wa)e up each morning believing that li e stin)s and ever!ones out to get them$ He then hits the interviewer with a parado#ical statement4 As !ou )now, most people are not happ! unless the!re miserable$ &B#ploring the Supernatural, by /ich 4aloof, The 4usicians -lanet 4aga'ine, pring, 5666, p. 55% #hat do you thin( antana meant by that statementB $.et them discuss. 4any musicians and students thin( its uncool to be positive, happy and than(ful. Instead, they are miserable, constantly complain about their circumstances, and seem to prefer life that way.%

#e all come here with views of God and life that have been shaped by our upbringing, the media, and our friends. But today, I challenge you to clear your minds of all your preconceptions so that we can ta(e a fresh loo( at how God presents &imself in the Bible. If you dont li(e the picture of God thats in your mind, please dont re"ect &im until youve got a clearer picture of who &e actually is. But to see God clearly is more than a mind game. Its a spiritual battle. o lets bathe this session in prayer so that God will brea( through and give us eyes to see. P!AY#! !#.I#+$ .ast wee( we loo(ed into the Bible and discovered a God who threw parties. #ho remembers what the 1ld Testament party was li(eB #hat about the +ew Testament partyB &ow does a God who throws parties differ from the God most people have in their mindsB

%/ A Go0 +ho Showers s +ith Grace

I dont want to lay my opinions on you here. /ather, I want you to go straight to the bible and draw your own conclusions about whether or not God deserves our worship and our lives. )irst well loo( at verses that spea( of the physical blessings God has showered on us. %I%L# S#A!-&$ 8ivide into small groups. &ave someone read a verse and let at least one person say in his own words what the verse says that God does for people. $8ont preach hereH .et the students read the verses on their own and come up with their own comments. Ive got some of my thoughts beside each for those who are spea(ing to groups so large that small group interaction may be impossible.%

2/ Ph7sical %lessings
#the God of all "race#! ,$ Ceter :+<II(#AS$ 2) A group of more mature !hristians could ta(e -salm 9>; or -salm 5< and ta(e turns reading a verse and than(ing God for something the verse brings to mind. 3) !reate a slide show out of beautiful nature scenes $Ive done it by finding calendars with dramatic nature scenes and ta(e pictures of the scenes using slide film. 4ount the camera on a tripod to minimi'e movement.% Then turn out the lights and sing praise songs while loo(ing at the slides.

Genesis 2$32=B2 Gods Grace in ,reation$

Kariet! o ood and animals C God could have given us grits in morning, a banana at night, a palm tree to loo( at and a li'ard to play with. Instead, he put man originally in a paradise with fresh fruits and vegetables, and the possibility of millions of combinations of those to ma(e delicious recipes. #hens the last time you wal(ed into Eroger or opened your refrigerator and praised God for what was thereB

:41L * "he human bod! 3 Dveryone loo( at one of your hands for a moment. Twitch one of your fingers. -ic( up your Bible or wallet. &as it ever astounded you how incredible a creation that hand isB 0our brain interacts seamlessly with it to tell it to hold a pencil lightly, grasp a boo( tight enough to (eep it from dropping, to pull immediately away from a hot ob"ect. It can learn to play the guitar or the piano. &ave you ever than(ed God for your hands and fingersB 0ou neither wor(ed for them nor did enough good to deserve them. Thats Gods grace. Matthew >$C> Sun and 5ain$
4t. ;3>; I /emember3 in the culture to which these words were spo(en, a rainy day was a good dayH #ithout rain, their crops would fail.

Matthew 5$36=B? Wild lowers that we didnt plant$ I Timoth7 5$26 7aterial things or our en/o!ment$ "ther Ph7sical %lessings$ Brainstorm other ideas3 $The air, the seasons, parents, church, friends, music.%

+ow I (now that some of us have gone through some horrendous times. But its interesting how some people can come out of those hard times bitter and others come out better. The only difference in those two words is the letter *I., I can either focus on the bad circumstances, get bitter and conclude that life stin(s, or I can focus on the good in life, be than(ful for what I have. ome people see the donut and others see the hole. Its all in my perspective. atan wants us to focus on lifes hard times and become cynical. God wants us to focus on the good times and become than(ful. -erhaps thats part of how -aul could be content and "oyful while sitting in prison.
I(#AS3 2) !assies friend who brought her to the retreat $see illustration at end of this lesson% said that it was the singing that seemed to brea( through to !assie. Thats a good reminder that weve got to touch hearts, not "ust educate heads. !onsider putting together a sli0e presentation (or Powerpoint) with beautiful scenery and put lyrics to praise songs on each picture. This gives the opportunity to praise God for &is handiwor( as you sing to &im. 4a(e sure all lights are out so that you get the full impact. 3) )in0 a color4lin0ness test $my encyclopedia has one in it% and put it up in front of the group. 8ont anyone say anything. Dveryone loo( at it. If you are not colorblind, you can see a number. omeone tell me what the number is. +ow can any of you not see the colorB !olor blind people cant see any number. They see only meaningless bloches. And no matter how hard they s2uint or how many of you try to describe the number and where it is, they cant see it. Thats the way it is for many people who are *grace blind., #e must pray that God will give them eyes to see. . $If you are artistic ta(e the colors off of a colorblindness test and ma(e images of cruelty and hatred in the world. But only the nonCcolorblind people can see Aesus on a cross dying for them. A *chal( tal(, would serve the same purpose.%

3/ Spiritual %lessings

#the riches of .is "race, which .e lavished upon us ! ,Gph <+J,;ometimes, especially when were sic( or our families are in turmoil, its hard to fully appreciate all our ph!sical blessings. But God has also given us spiritual blessings, blessings that are constant and never change. Again in your small groups, reflect on these spiritual blessings that God has given us. $.et the youth read and reflect on these as they did above. If time is running low, choose the passages that you thin( are the most effective.% !om/ >$2=22 I /usti ied, peace with God, hope, =esus died or us, saved rom wrath, reconciled !omans 8$B2=B9 I God is or us, delivered up His Son or us, will reel! give us all things, /usti ies us, intercedes or us, nothing can separate us rom His love, we can overwhelmingl! con9uer #ph/ 2$6 I 0orgiveness, according to the riches o His grace #ph/ 3$2=9 I made us alive rom the dead, raised us up, seated us in heavenl! places, saved as a gi t 3 -or/ 8$9 &e became poor so that we could be rich$ In/ B$25 have eternal li e !ev/ 32$B*C 6oo) orward to new heavens and new earth, with no more cr!ing, death, etc$ &e4 2B$>*5 God will never desert or orsa)e us$ Mt/ 6$6 God answers our pra!ers$ Pr/ B$>*5 God gives us direction$
!om/ 8$B2=B9 .ss/ BB11. C *-aul for a moment envisages the situation in terms of a court of "ustice, where the believer stands to be "udged., *Lif God ta(es the side of the defendant, no amount of evidence for the prosecution can procure an adverse verdict., $Bruce% *To "ustify, is to declare the claims of "ustice satisfied., *+o rational creature, no enlightened conscience, can call for the punishment of those whom God "ustifies., $&odge%

#ph/ 2$B blessed with ever! spiritual blessing

%rainstorm "ther %lessings$ !an you thin( of other spiritual blessings that God has given usB #hat do you li(e about the !hristian lifeB $Dxample3 God could have commanded us to praise &im by wal(ing on our (nees for a mile each day. Instead, &e accepts our "oyful praise through song, instruments, and than(sgiving.% #hy spend all this time counting our blessingsB Because if a wealthy person gives me a couple of 2uarters to purchase a canned !o(e, I casually than( him and go on with my life. But if he gives

me unlimited use of his credit card, house, swimming pool, and country club membership, then Im overwhelmed with gratitude. I than( him profusely and as( what I can do to show my gratitude. In the same way, the more I understand how much God has done for me, the more I want to than( and serve &im.
"n -omprehen0ing our Spiritual %lessings3 In this lesson $and series% Im following -auls approach in Dphesians. &e begins by explaining in detail the riches that the readers have in !hrist $Dph. 9C<%, praying that their hearts can comprehend how much God loves them and has blessed them spiritually $939?P <39?,9@%. 1nly after enlightening them concerning their blessings in !hrist does he exhort them toward right conduct, motivated by wanting to live a life worthy of their high calling $>39%, modeled after Gods conduct toward us $>3<5C;35%, consistent with their new life $;3?%. Thus, a ma"or (ey to seeing our students spiritually blossom is to ma(e them aware of what they have in !hrist. $+ote also /omans 9C99 as a basis for the practical exhortations of 95C 9:.%

T&A', G"( A-TI.ITY$ +ow come together in a large group for prayer. I want everyone to thin( of at least one physical or spiritual thing that is an evidence of Gods grace to you. Try to ma(e it something that you dont normally than( God for. It may or may not relate to the verses we "ust said. )or example, I once heard a guy than( God for the fluid that surrounds his eyes, (eeping them from hurting. +ow, one at a time, mention something out loud to God that you are than(ful for. #e could list hundreds of blessings God has given each of us, but it would never ma(e an impact on many people. ome of you here may sit through this session and not be impressed at all with God. #hyB Because in trying to help people understand grace, Im convinced that were dealing with more than "ust a mind game. #ere dealing with spiritual warfare. -owerful, evil spiritual forces grip peoples dar( glasses so that they cant ta(e them off and see the grace in the world. $II !or. >3<,>% Thats why, for many people, God has to ta(e the dar( glasses off before they can see &is grace. Its not an intellectual thing. Its a God thing. Ill give you an example. $LL'&(R)($O*+ ,assie (ernall became )nown worldwide as a :L3!ear3old student who died in the April, :%%% massacre at ,olumbine High School$ + thin) that her spiritual /ourne! well illustrates the change that happens when God ta)es o a students dar) glasses and replaces them with Grace Glasses$ ,assies /ourne! to the dar) side was much di erent rom A#ls$ Her parents adored her$ Bach morning her dad would sit on the side o her bed, sing a little good3morning song to her, and tell her, Have a good da!, ,assie, +ll see !ou tonight$ Her dad

too) her or rides on his dirt bi)e$ "he! had enough mone! to bu! her pets and to!s and nice clothes$ (ut her childhood happiness began to slip awa! when she got with the wrong riends in th the @ grade, students who dabbled in satanic rituals$ "heir view o li e became her view o li e$ Ker! slowl!, subtl!, over the ne#t ew !ears, the glasses through which she viewed the world became dar)er and dar)er till she could not longer see an! grace in the world$ ?ne da! her mom was loo)ing or a (ible in ,assies room when she ran across some letters addressed to ,assie rom her best riend$ What she ound devastated her$ "he riends letters were ull o occult drawings, spells, e#citement about a Satanist church where people had to drin) a )ittens blood to enter, horri ic drawings o a man and woman hanging b! their intestines and daggers protruding rom their hearts$ +ncredibl!, the drawings were labeled 7a and Ca, ,assies parents$ Her riend was obsessed with death$ ?ne o the letters said, >)ill me with !our parents, then )ill !oursel so !ou dont go to /ail$ ,assie told one o her riends that she was planning to )ill one o her teachers$ Her parents too) drastic action, orbidding her to see her riends, and putting her in a new school$ ,assie became obsessed with suicide and would scratch her hands and wrists with a sharp metal ile until the! bled$ She hated her parents$ She hated her miserable li e$ ,assie later wrote these words in a paper or an Bnglish class4 "hroughout this time + hated m! parents and God with the deepest, dar)est hatred$ "here are no words that can accuratel! describe the blac)ness + elt>$ .ow thin) with me or a minute$ What is going on here? ?n the outside, ,assie has a lot going or her$ Shes got parents who love her, eed her, and give her things$ Shes getting a ree education in a great school$ She lives in a nice, warm house in a nice neighborhood$ 7illions o )ids around the world would give an!thing to have what she has$ What has happened? &Get some discussion here$' Something has happened inside ,assies mind$ She has allowed hersel to become blinded to the grace around her and obsessed with the dar)ness$ + something hadnt happened to open up her e!es, she could have ver! well become one o the murderers at ,olumbine High$ 0rom a biblical point o view, + thin) we can assume that what went on here was more than /ust a natural process$ ,assie later said that she had given her soul to Satan and elt gripped b! the powers o dar)ness$ Her parents couldnt ma)e an! progress tr!ing to tal) to her rationall!$ Her mom came to see that a spiritual battle was going on$ She tried to go into ,assies room one da! and couldnt bring hersel to enter$ When she inall! did, in her own words, + cant 9uite describe it, but it elt li)e !ou could almost cut the air in that room with a )ni e, the atmosphere was so oppressive$ She elt or certain that there was more to this than /ust a rebellious teenager$ She began to cr! and pra! or God to brea) through$ "he ne#t chapter o the stor! is dramatic$ A ,hristian at her new school be riended her and invited her to a wee)end retreat in the 5oc)! 7ountains$ "hat night, God bro)e through to her during a praise and worship service$ "he change was almost instantaneous$ Her dar) glasses ell o $ A ter the service, ,assie and a ew others began to loo) up at the stars$ "he! stood there in silence, totall! in awe o the God she had once hated$ Her parents noticed the change when she stepped o the bus$ She had le t gloom!, with her head down, sa!ing nothing$ She came bac) bounc! and e#cited$ 6isten care ull! to her dads own words, +t was as i she had been in a dar) room, and somebod! had turned the light on, and she could suddenl! see the beaut! surrounding her$ "he! saw the smile that had disappeared !ears ago$ She began to love and respect her parents and her brother$ Grace had been all around her, but or the irst time in !ears she could inall! see it$ &Source4 She Said <es4 "he Gnli)el! 7art!rdom o ,assie (ernall, b! 7ist! (ernall, Clough Cublishers, :%%%' ome of you can probably identify with the dar( view of the world that !assie formerly had. &ave you ever wondered why you thin( that only negative lyrics are cool I lyrics about death,

destruction, hate and revengeB &ave you ever wondered why you thin( all positive lyrics are wimpy and gutlessB 4aybe you havent gone as far to the dar( side as !assie did, but if youve become negative and cynical about the world, and youre not *happy, unless youre complaining, youre on the same path. If youre on that path, I challenge you, I plead with you to as( God to intervene. As( &im to brea( through and open up your eyes. Ill give you an opportunity now.

Action Points
.ets pra7 that Go0 will open up our e7es to see &is grace. $.et someone lead in prayer.% &ave you got the *+egative 8isease,B Dverything you see is dar( and gloomyB .et me prescribe :Than@ Therap7< to you. Several times per 0a7* than@ Go0 1or the things 7ou normall7 ta@e 1or grante0/ And not "ust God. Than( people that youve never than(ed before. .i(e that teacher thats trying to get through to a class of disinterested students. Go ma(e his year by than(ing him for pouring his time into you guys. .i(e your parents for something theyve done for you. Than( God regularly for things you normally ta(e for granted. Any of you got appendicitus todayB In the process of a massive heart attac(B #hy not than( God that you dont. Its only because of &is grace that youre able to be here today. $!ol. <39:P cr. I Thes. ;39:C9?% Serve Go0 out o1 gratitu0e* not compulsion/ #hy do you come to church or serve GodB To please your parentsB Because your parents ma(e youB Because youre afraid God will smash you if you dontB If these are your motives, dont be surprised if spiritual stuff is a drudgery to you. I challenge you to do this3 meditate on Gods grace till you get so excited about it that you begin to serve &im out of a grateful heart for who &e is all &e does for you.

Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson F) Our Gracious God (Part ))

IDT6O$#'TIOD
?ill ?ailey becomes <xl *ose "ost people are not happy unless they,re miserable.

". A God !ho Sho(ers #s !ith Grace 7. Ph.sical "lessings

Genesis 7 )7;:7 5555555555555555555555555 ?atthe( E BE 55555555555555555555555555 ?atthe( * ),;:I ......................... I Timoth. * 7, ........................... Other Ph.sical "lessings .......................

). Spiritual "lessings
6om. E 7;77 .............................. 6omans 1 :7;:2 ............................ /ph. 7 , ................................ /ph. ) 7;2 ............................... ) 'or. 1 2 ............................... Hn. : 7* ................................ 6ev. )7 7;B ............................... &e- 7: E+* ................................ ?t. , , ................................ Prov. : E+* ................................. /ph. 7 : ................................. Other "lessings 55555555555555555555555555555 ;assie ?ernall,s /ourney in and But of ar5ness

Action Points Pra. %or /.es to See. ThanJ Therap. ('ol. : 7*K cr. I Thes. E 7*;71 Serve God out o% Gratitude+ not 'ompulsion.

Student Sheet

Amazing Grace (Lesson F) Our Gracious God (Part ))

IDT6O$#'TIOD
?ill ?ailey becomes <xl *ose "ost people are not happy unless they,re miserable.

". A God !ho 5555555 #s !ith Grace 7. 5555555 "lessings

Genesis 7 )7;:7 5555555555555555555555555 ?atthe( E BE 55555555555555555555555555 ?atthe( * ),;:I ......................... I Timoth. * 7, ........................... Other Ph.sical "lessings .......................

). 55555555 "lessings
6om. E 7;77 .............................. 6omans 1 :7;:2 ............................ /ph. 7 , ................................ /ph. ) 7;2 ............................... ) 'or. 1 2 ............................... Hn. : 7* ................................ 6ev. )7 7;B ............................... &e- 7: E+* ................................ ?t. , , ................................ Pr. : E+* 555555555555555555555555555555555 /ph. 7 : ................................. Other "lessings 55555555555555555555555555555 ;assie ?ernall,s /ourney in and But of ar5ness

Action Points Pra. %or /.es to See. ThanJ Therap. ('ol. : 7*K cr. I Thes. E 7*;71) Serve God out o% Gratitude+ not 'ompulsion.

;9

Amazing Grace (Lesson .I) Living a Grace=)ille0 Li1e (Part 2)

P !P"S#$ B0 T&D D+8 1) T&I .D 1+, I #A+T 40 TF8D+T T1 BDGI+ &1#D/I+G 1T&D/ #IT& T&D A4D G/A!D #IT& #&I!& G18 &1#D/D8 T&D4. L#A(#!S$ Too much material, too little time. Its my downfall. o, I consolidated my final few lessons into this final lesson. !onsider expanding on each of these points yourself, adding more discussion and illustrations and extending the series an extra wee( or two so that your students have time to internali'e each of these points.

Intro0uction
4any of your classmates at school have been treated so cruelly that death is beginning to loo( better than life for them. Ill give you an example. $LL'&(R)($O*+ 7ulti3platinum selling singerFsongwriter =ewel wrote a moving song entitled 0at (o!$ +ts about a real bo! named Bdward who was one o her close childhood riends$ Bdwards riends mercilessl! teased him or being overweight$ 6i)e most )ids, he probabl! tried to brush o the /o)es and act li)e the! didnt bother him$ (ut inside he became more and more depressed$ 0inall!, b! age :M, he decided that enough was enough$ He went to a corner o =ewels parents arm and shot himsel in the ace$ "his is what he wrote in his suicide note4 .obod! will love me$ And to )now that !oure not se#uall! attractive in our societ! at age :; or to eel that !ou wont ever be loved at age :M is /ust devastating$ &.eil Strauss, /olling tone,
:FLF%%'$ Selecte0 L7rics 1rom :)at %o7< by Aewel 0at bo! goes about his da! "r!ing to thin) o unn! things to sa! 6i)e, E"his is /ust a game + pla! And E+ li)e me this wa! ?h ragile lame When no one eels the same

#ish you could have been there for Ddward, before it was too lateB #ell Ive got news for you. Dvery day in your school, in your neighborhoods and perhaps even in your home there are *Ddwards, all around you. 8uring the hour that we meet, 55? teens in the F A will attempt suicide. Thats two million students every year whose lives are so miserable that theyre loo(ing for a way out. $!-0F )all 9@@?
+ewsletter +ts "ime to Give "hem "ime, by #alt 4ueller%

These students desperately need to hear an encouraging word from someone who cares, someone who will give them some grace. .ets pray that this morning God will show us how to ta(e the grace that Gods showered upon us and shower it on the people around us. P!AY#! 8o you want to help the *Ddwards, that God puts in your pathB &ere are some specific ways. As God touches your heart with ideas, write them out in the Action Coints section at the bottom of your student sheet.

;5

I/ Put Your !elationship with Go0 )irst

4any !hristians are more a part of the problem than a part of the solution. #hen you find yourself in a situation where everyone whos anyone is dishing out ungrace to the lowly, it sometimes ta(es more guts than youve got to ma(e a stand and say enough is enough$ 0oull need a power from outside yourself to brea( with the crowd, ris( your own reputation, and reach out to those who are despised. 0ou need a motivation and power that comes from a tight relationship with God. &ow do you get that motivation and powerB Aesus was one time as(ed, (eacher, which is the "reatest commandment in the Law>! &e replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind ! ,=t 77+6J96KAs we begin to understand the grace that God showed toward us, its only natural that begin to li(e &im, love &im and desire to spend time with &im in personal 2uite times and group worship. The closer we get to God, the more we can share &is heart for the downtrodden. o put your relationship with &im first. $LL'&(R)($O*+ Have !ou noticed the di erence between a gu! who casuall! dates a girl that he )ind o li)es versus a gu! who is head over heals in love? "he gu! in the casual relationship has lots o other important things in his li e, doesnt want her around all the time, and complains about having to go shopping with her, bu! lowers or her or bu! her gi ts or special da!s$ "he head over heals gu! )nows ever! moment that shes ree rom class and ta)es advantage o it$ He wa)es up thin)ing about her and goes to bed dreaming o her$ And he delights in inding an! opportunit! to serve her b! carr!ing her boo)s, pic)ing up something at the store or her, or helping her with homewor)$ +ts the same wa! with our service or God$ "he more passionate we are or Him, the more we delight in spending time with and serving Him$ And how do we serve AesusB 1ne way is to help those who are hurting, li(e Ddward. Aesus said, $ tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me ! ,=atthew 7:+LI, see conteDt, especially vss 6:,68-

) )bove Hour =inistry

#hy is your relationship with God more important than your ministry or GodB $Get a response% Someone has said that the main thing in the ,hristian li e is to )eep the main thing the main thing$ If the greatest commandment is to love God, then dont let your ministry or anything else come in front of it. Go on, use and develop your gifts to impact the world. But (eep it in perspective. ome people get so infatuated with ministry that they neglect their love relationship with God. And many spiritually crash, burn and impact people negatively instead of positively.

;<

-ol/ 3$3?=3B3 *It is not difficult to picture the sort of religion -aul is opposing here. Its elaborate liturgies and seemingly rigorous selfCabasing asceticism give it a name for serious piety3 but it is a sham., $#right% *#hy, you are attributing an inherent value to things which are fleetingP you yourselves are citi'ens of eternity, and yet your thoughts are absorbed in the perishable., $.ightfoot%

% )bove Cicky Rules

&ince you died with /hrist to the basic principles of this world, why, as thou"h you still belon"ed to it, do you submit to its rules+ ?Do not handle5 Do not taste5 Do not touch5A> (hese are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachin"s &uch re"ulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self9imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restrainin" sensual indul"ence !,/ol 7+7I976ome people imagine God (eeping a scoreboard of who (eeps the most pic(y rules. In their minds, the ob"ect of the game is3 He who )eeps most rules wins$ They fast every 4onday, never miss a 2uite time, never watch movies, and thin( that the stricter they get, the more God loves and admires them. $ ee !ol. 53:,=P 9:C5<P /om. 9>39=,9?.% And dont get me wrong. 8iscipline is great $I Tim. >3=%. And (eeping Gods laws is a natural result of loving &im $An. 9>39;% But some people try to get stricter than the Bible in order to impress God and the religious crowd. /emember, the -harisees were awesome rule (eepers. But playing the rule game led them into spiritual pride, selfCrighteousness, and, as in the case of 4artin .uther, hating God. -ut the relationship first. #ant to ma(e an impact on the *Ddwards, around youB /emember that God already loved you before you (ept the first rule. And thats the same way &e loves the lowliest person you (now.

II/ (raw 1rom &is Power/

As we connect with the heart and power of God, well find a strength thats way beyond our natural powers. The Gree( word for *grace, often carries an interesting meaning in the +ew Testament. ometimes its almost synonymous with the word *power., .oo( at how the Apostle -aul, one of the most powerful !hristians of all times, describes the source of his power $&ave students read these and comment on them.%3

;>

$$ /or <7+K %ut he ,the Lord- said to me, =y "race is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness !

II -or/ 23$6=2? C *In regard to what was Mthe thorn I a whole literature has been written on it. But for us now it matters not what it was. Dnough that it was, to a very strong man, a tremendous trialP a something which for the time dar(ened his whole spiritual s(yP a conflict which brought him face to face wQ the powers of hell., $4oule% I -or/ 2>$2? C "han all o them could mean either *more than all of them put together,, or *more than any one of them., 4orris and Grosheide opt for the former. -olossians 2$38*39 C 6abor *expresses toil carried to the point of weariness., $DGT% It *is used especially of the labour undergone by the athlete in his trainingL, $.ightfoot% The present tense indicates continual action, not a one time effort in the past. Struggling has also been translated *striving,, earnestly contending,, *struggling li(e an athlete.,

$ /or <:+<I %ut by the "race of God $ am what $ am, and his "race to me was not without effect *o, $ worked harder than all of them 4 yet not $, but the "race of God that was with me ! /ol <+7K (o this end $ labor, stru""lin" with all his ener"y, which so powerfully works in me ! o how do we hoo( into this powerB Rely on .is power ,or, perhaps, )bide in .im!-

$ am the vine@ you are the branches $f a man remains in me and $ in him, he will bear much fruit@ apart from me you can do nothin" ! $An. 9;3;P cr. Acts 9>3<% )sk for .is power

Let us then approach the throne of "race with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find "race to help us in our time of need ! $&eb. >39:P I An. ;39>,9;P Dph. <39>C9:%

;;

#e cant live the !hristian life by "ust gutting it out in our own power. ure, we strive. But we strive in the power that &e gives us. &e wont ever give us a tas( to do without also giving us the grace $power% to do it. 4any have found a ma"or (ey to living the !hristian life in learning to draw on &is resurrection power. I(#A$ Fse a clip from a movie where someone dramatically finds that someone has more power than he ever thought possible. $D.g., "he 7atri#, when +eal re2uests weapons and an incredible arsenal materiali'es.% And "ust how much power is thereB .oo( what -aul says in Dph. <3563 *ow to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or ima"ine, accordin" to his power that is at work within us# ! -aul says theres more power available to us than we could ever imagine. In fact, theres more than we could ever as) or imagine. In fact, theres immeasurable more than we could ever as( or imagine. 8raw on that power and you can live a life that ma(es a difference.

III/ Serve "thers +ith Io7* Motivate0 47 Grate1ulness an0 Love/

If your only motivation for loving *Ddward, is to fulfill a duty to God, he will sense the phoniness of your love. #ant your love to be realB Then reflect on all the grace God has showered upon you, and let your service of others flow naturally from your "oyful, grateful heart. As Aesus said to his disciples, $ have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete ! $An. 9;399P cr. II !or. >39;P I -et. 93<C9;P /om. 9>39=P 9;39<P Acts 9<3;5P &eb. 9535?% -eople serve God for lots of different motives. ome serve out of fear that if they mess up once, God will smash them. 1thers serve to try to earn salvation. 1thers are saved but thin( they have to wor( hard to (eep their salvation. 1thers thin( God only smiles on them when they have served &im to the point of exhaustion. But those who understand the grace of God serve &im because they are grateful and love &im. These are the people who truly en"oy God. These are the people who truly impact others. .et me give you an illustration3 $LL'&(R)($O*+ +ve heard the stor! o a !oung Bnglishman who traveled to ,ali ornia bac) in the :M22s to search or gold$ A ter several months o prospecting, he struc) it rich$ ?n his wa! home, he stopped in .ew ?rleans$ .ot long into his visit, he came upon a crowd o people all loo)ing in the same direction$ Approaching the crowd, he recognized that the! had gathered or a slave auction$ Slaver! had been outlawed in Bngland or !ears, so this !oung mans curiosit! drew him to watch as a person

;:

became someone elses propert!$ He heard Sold8 /ust as he /oined the crowd$ A middle3aged blac) man was ta)en awa!$ .e#t a beauti ul !oung blac) girl was pushed up onto the plat orm and made to wal) around so ever!one could see her$ "he miner heard vile /o)es and comments that spo)e o evil intentions rom those around him$ 7en were laughing as their e!es remained i#ed on this new item or sale$ "he bidding began$ Within a minute, the bids surpassed what most slave owners would pa! or a blac) girl$ As the bidding continued higher and higher, it was apparent that two men wanted her$ +n between their bids, the! laughed about what the! were going to do with her, and how the other one would miss out$ "he miner stood silent as anger welled up inside o him$ 0inall!, one man bid a price that was be!ond the reach o the other$ "he girl loo)ed down$ "he auctioneer called out, Going once8 Going twice8 =ust be ore the inal call, the miner !elled out a price that was e#actl! twice the previous bid$ An amount that e#ceeded the worth o an! man$ "he crowd laughed, thin)ing that the miner was onl! /o)ing, wishing that he could have the girl himsel $ "he auctioneer motioned to the miner to come and show his mone!$ "he miner opened up the bag o gold he had brought or the trip$ "he auctioneer shoo) his head in disbelie as he waved the girl over to him$ "he girl wal)ed down the steps o the plat orm until she was e!e3to3e!e with the miner$ She spat straight in his ace and said through clenched teeth, + hate !ou8 "he miner, without a word, wiped his ace, paid the auctioneer, too) the girl b! the hand, and wal)ed awa! rom the still3laughing crowd$ He seemed to be loo)ing or something in particular as the! wal)ed up one street and down another$ 0inall! he stopped in ront o some sort o store, though the slave girl did not )now what t!pe o store it was$ She waited outside as the dirt!3 aced miner went inside and started tal)ing to an elderl! man$ She couldnt ma)e out what the! were tal)ing about$ At one point the voices got louder, and she overheard the store cler) sa!, (ut its the law8 +ts the law8 Ceering in, she saw the miner pull out his bag o gold and pour what was le t o it on the table$ With what seemed li)e a loo) o disgust, the cler) pic)ed up the gold and went in a bac) room$ He came out with a piece o paper, and both he and the miner signed it$ "he !oung girl loo)ed awa! as the miner came out the door$ Stretching out his hand, he said to the girl, Here are !our manumission papers$ <ou are ree$ "he girl did not loo) up$ He tried again$ Here$ "hese are papers that sa! !ou are ree$ "a)e them$ + hate !ou8 the girl said, re using to loo) up$ Wh! do !ou ma)e un o me8 .o, listen, he pleaded$ "hese are !our reedom papers$ <ou are a ree person$ "he girl loo)ed at the papers, then loo)ed at him, and loo)ed at the papers once again$ <ou /ust bought me>and now, !oure setting me ree? "hats wh! + bought !ou$ + bought !ou to set !ou ree$ "he beauti ul !oung girl ell to her )nees in ront o the miner, tears streaming down her ace$ <ou bought me to set me ree8 <ou bought me to set me ree8 she said over and over$ "he miner said nothing$ ,lutching his mudd! boots, the girl loo)ed up at the miner and said, All + want to do is to serve !ou 3 because !ou bought me to set me ree8 &5eprinted rom Hot +llustrations or <outh
"al)s cop!right :%%H b! <outh Specialties, +nc$ ;22 South Cierce Street, Bl ,a/on, ,A %1212$ www$<outhSpecialties$com$ Gsed b! permission$'

.i(e the Dnglishman who bought the slave, God bought us, at great expense, so that &e could set us free. And li(e the beautiful slave girl, once we grasp the extent of Gods sacrificial love for us, the more naturally we desire to serve &im and others.

;=

Action Points
#e began by thin(ing about the tragedy of Aewels friend Ddward, who (illed himself because of an ungracious world. Are there some *Ddwards, in your neighborhood or in your school that you could impact by stopping the (idding and cuts, paying them some attention, and showing the same loving grace that God showed youB #hatever you thin( God wants you to do, write it out in your *Action -oints, section. SAs they write, consider playing a song in the bac(ground li(e *)at Boy,, by Aewel *)or Annie,, by -etra $.ever Sa! -ie Album'N$

Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson FI) Living a Grace;>illed Li%e (Part I)

3at ?oy by ,ewel I. Put Your 6elationship (ith God >irst (?t. )) :,;:2) <. <bove @our "inistry &he main thing in the $hristian life is to 'eep the main thing the main thing( ?. <bove :ic5y *ules ('ol. ) )I;):) II. $ra( %rom &is Po(er. (!! ;or. 0#%E= ! ;or. 0(%0)= ;ol. 0%#E8

;?

*ely on 6is power. (Hn. 7E EK cr. Acts 7B :K) <s5 for 6is power (&e-. B 7*K I Hn. E 7B+7EK cr. /ph. : 7B;7*)

III. Serve Others !ith Ho.+ ?otivated -. Grate%ulness and Love. (Hn. 7E 77) ?ought to be Set 3ree

Action Points

Student Sheet

Amazing Grace (Lesson FI) Living a Grace;>illed Li%e (Part 7)

3at ?oy by ,ewel I. Put Your 6elationship (ith God 555555555 (?t. )) :,;:2) <. <bove @our 111111111111 &he main thing in the $hristian life is to 'eep the main thing the main thing(

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?. <bove :ic5y 11111111111 ('ol. ) )I;):) II. $ra( %rom &is 5555555555555. (II 'or. 7) 2K I 'or. 7E 7IK 'ol. 7 )2) 1111111111 on 6is power. (Acts 7B :K Hn. 7E E) 1111111111 for 6is power (&e-. B 7*K I Hn. E 7B+7EK /ph. : 7B; 7*)

III. Serve Others !ith 5555555555+ ?otivated -. Grate%ulness and Love. (Hn. 7E 77) ?ought to be Set 3ree

Action Points

Amazing Grace (Lesson .II) Living a Grace=)ille0 Li1e (Part 3)

P !P"S#$ B0 T&D D+8 1) T&I .D 1+, I #A+T 40 TF8D+T T1 BDGI+ &1#D/I+G 1T&D/ #IT& T&D A4D G/A!D #IT& #&I!& G18 &1#D/D8 T&D4.

Intro0uction

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.ast wee( I began by telling the bac(ground of Aewels song, *)at Boy., #ho remembers the story of the real person that the song was aboutB $.et them share. 0ou fill in the details they miss.% 1ur challenge was that as !hristians, God has called us to help, encourage and befriend those who have needs. Today we want to continue that theme. #ell give lots of specific ideas, so (eep your pencils ready to "ot down Gods promptings in your *Action -oints, section. Theres not a lot of grace around these days. In a recent survey over half $)iftyCone percent% of teens said they had been verbally insulted or threatened in the past year. $8iscovery !hannelQTime poll of 9,666 Americans, released April 9<, 5666% And many of these endure put downs almost every day. ome of you can probably identify. 4any students dread school each day, not because of difficult studies, but because of the ungrace that awaits them there. In class, teachers put them down because of their intellectual wea(nesses. In -D, fellow students tease them for their clumsiness. The rich put them down because of their clothes. Then they come home to parents who remind them, daily it seems, that they will never amount to anything. 4any of these people are desperate. #hat can we do to give them hopeB #e must treat others with the same grace that God has shown us. .ets P!AY that God will open our hearts and change our lives.

I./ Treat "thers +ith Grace ) .elp those who are hurtin"
+h7J %ecause Go0 helpe0 us when we were hurting/ (his is how we know what love is+ 2esus /hrist laid down his life for us )nd we ou"ht to lay down our lives for our brothers ! $I An. <39:P cr. .(. :3<:P /om 9;35,<P 4t. 993>,;P 4t. @3<;,<: .(. 9@396% %!AI'ST"!M$ #ho did Aesus lay down &is life forB $Fs.% &ow should that affect the way we treat other peopleB $#e should be willing to do the same for others.% omeday, you may need to actually lay down your physical life for someone. But short of laying down our physical lives, what might this involveB $At least to be willing to be identified with them, to be willing to tal( to them and be re"ected by others in the process, to go to great pains to help them with their needs.% #hat are some specific things we could do to help hurting peopleB $-ut how you thin( you should respond under your *Action -oints.,%

% %e kind to the unlovely

+h7J %ecause Go0 love0 us when we were unlovel7/ %ut God demonstrates his own love for us in this+ 1hile we were still sinners, /hrist died for us# For if, when we were GodAs enemies, we were reconciled to .im throu"h the death of his &on, how much more, havin" been reconciled, shall we be saved throu"h his life5! (/om. ;3?,96, cr. .(. 9>39<P 9;39,5% I love this poem by 8ave Tippet, which was inspired by the shootings at !olumbine &igh chool.

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:The "utsi0er< He was a dweeb in the e!es o some$ A loner$ Strange$ Gnpredictable$ He was di erent$ Spo)e o strange things$ Weird things$ "hings that no one had heard be ore$ His dad had a bad reputation with some$ He tried to tal) about his relationship with his ather$ 0ew o the teachers listened$ ?r cared$ He belonged to a gang$ A gang that was considered dangerous$ +t roamed the town, causing local authorities trouble$ He got in peoples aces$ He hung out with losers$ 5ich )ids hated him$ Some said Satan was in him$ He called the teacher names$ "o their aces$ He lived on the streets$ He called himsel God$ He got violent once$ He was e#pelled or it$ (ut he came bac)$ He tal)ed about his own death calml!$ He promised to come bac) rom the dead$ ?ne o his gang got him arrested$ He de ended himsel in court$ He lost$ "he state e#ecuted him$ +t was a horrible death$ ?n the third da!, he )ept his promise$ &Gsed b! permission o -ave "ippett' (IS- SSI"'$ If this was your first time to hear this poem, what surprised you about itB &ow does it ma(e you thin(B #e often forget "ust how revolutionary, so ob"ectionable Aesus was to so many. But &e didnt come to impress people. &e came to see( and to save the lost. Thats why &e hung around the people that the selfCrighteous despised3 the prostitutes and other social outcasts. And thats why &e didnt fit in with a lot of the popular, respected people. If I want to live a life of grace, reaching people li(e the ones Aesus reached, I cant write people off, re"ect them, or snub them because of their outward appearance or reputation. (IS- SSI"'$ #hat are some of the ways that we unfairly "udge people or stereotype themB $All *)rea(s, use drugs. All Goths are violent. All "oc(s and cheerleaders are hung up on themselves. -rostitutes are more sinful than selfCrighteous straight people. )at people are undisciplined. -eople who flun( classes are losers.% !an you thin( of people who defy these stereotypesB $D.g., 8... 4oody and !harles purgeon were overweight, but also godly and disciplined.%

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If these people were in your school, would you loo( down on them or loo( up to themB As a child, he began tal)ing later than normal$ He was regarded a rea) b! his classmates because o his lac) o interest in sports$ His teachers considered him dull because he was poor at memorizing b! rote$ ?ne teacher told him in e#asperation that he wouldnt amount to an!thing, was wasting ever!ones time, and should drop out o school immediatel!$ &<ou /ust loo)ed down on !oung Albert Binstein &0acts rom Albert Binstein4 A 6i e, b! -enis (rian, :%%I, =ohn Wile! and Sons, +nc$' "he! memorized loads o Scripture, pra!ed a lot, and never hung around the wrong crowd$ &Some o !ou /ust loo)ed up to some o the Charisees who had =esus )illed$' As a college student, he en/o!ed putting down ,hristians$ &<ou /ust loo)ed down on =osh 7c-owell as a !oung college student$ He has now almost certainl! spo)en on more universit! campuses in de ense o the aith than an! living person$' He was out to murder ,hristians$ &<ou /ust loo)ed down on the apostle Caul$' As a !outh, he disrupted his !outh group with his pencil ights and general rowdiness$ He made out with girls in the church storage closet$ &Shame on !ou8 <ou /ust put down (arr! St$ ,lair, the ounder and director o 5each ?ut and a man whos been used greatl! b! God$'

o dont "udge people by their outward appearance. If you want to reach people li(e Ddward, learn to see them, not for what they are now, but what they could be if God transformed their lives. &eres a good rule of thumb3 "reat ever! person !ou tal) to as i !ou might be his last ditch e ort to ind someone who cares be ore he ta)es his own li e$

/ For"ive those who hurt you

I(#A$ )orgiveness is a central aspect of grace. If you want to spend a wee( or two on this critical issue, consider using .esson 9 of my */elationships, series and the latter part of .esson 5 of the *-re"udice, series.

+h7J %ecause Go0 1orgave us when we sinne0 against &im/

%e kind and compassionate to one another, for"ivin" each other, just as in /hrist God for"ave you ! $Dph. >3<5, cr. !ol. <395C9>, 4t. 9?359C<; %

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Arent you glad that God doesnt hold your sins against youB ince God forgave you of sins which were atrocious enough to deserve an eternity in hell, &e as(s you to be "ust as gracious to those who have sinned against you. This forgiveness thing is so crucial, so central to what grace is all about, that Im going to dig in a little bit more. Because when were unwilling to forgive people, we find ways to "ustify our attitude, pretend we dont really have a problem, and bury it deep inside. To uncover our unforgiveness, Im gonna slowly mention a few examples of people you need to forgive. /eady for some soul searchingB Are you mad at Someone who spread a rumor about !ou? A riend who betra!ed !ou? Someone who stole !our bo! riend or girl riend? Someone who stole a material thing rom !ou? A teacher who was un air to !ou or put !ou down? A parent who consistentl! lets !ou down? A relative who has avorites, o which !ou are not one? A relative who molested !ou?

If I had a thermometer in each of your mouths, I probably could have seen your temperature rise when I reminded you of a person about whom you are inwardly seething with rage. But by harboring that rage, that unforgiving spirit, who are you hurtingB $.et them answer.% In what ways does harboring bitterness and anger hurt peopleB $It can control your thoughts, ruin your "oy, rob you of sleep, ma(e you physically ill.% .isten to me. #hatever those people did, let them go. /elease those people that hurt you. Fntil you release them by forgiving them, they will pull you around with a leash that threatens to strangle you. 0oure letting them control you. .et them go. 1nly then can you find the "oy and peace that comes with a life of grace. P!AY#!$ .ets stop here and let you deal with God about this. Bow your head. !lose your eyes. ome of you are mad with people who have hurt you. The last thing you want to do is to forgive. 0ou want to get even. But would you be willing to silently pray that God will give you the *want to, I the willingness to forgive. $Give them a moment.% ome of you may be ready to tell God, *I forgiveL, and you fill in the names. Then, as( &im for the power to (eep forgiving that person when the rage returns from out of nowhere. As( &im to replace that rage with love and compassion. 1nly then will you be free.

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D Love those who sin a lot

I In/ C$2?*22 C *In the ancient world outside !hristianity, it was thought appropriate to love only those who were regarded as worthy of being loved., $ tott% In verse 96 *we find the deepest meaning of the term Mlove3 love means forgiving the sins of the beloved and remembering them no more. This is what God has done for rebellious man(ind3 he pardons their sins against himself at his own cost., $4arshall% *Llove is selfCsacrifice, the see(ing of anothers positive good at ones own cost, and a greater selfCgiving than Gods gift of his on there has never been nor could be., $ tott% *Gods love for us, then, supplies the motive power for &is peoples love for one another., $Bruce%

+h7J %ecause Go0 love0 us when we ha0 sinne0 enough to 0eserve hell/ %ut God demonstrates .is own love for us in this+ 1hile we were still sinners, /hrist died for us ! $/om. ;3?% (his is love+ not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his &on as an atonin" sacrifice for our sins Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ou"ht to love one another ! (I An. >396,99 cr. I Thes. <395P Dph. >3<9C;35P 4t. @396C9<P .(. 9;P9@396% $LL'&(R)($O*+ Copular ,hristian pro essor, author, and spea)er "on! ,ampolo once threw an unusual late night part! that well illustrates this point$ &While this reall! happened, he changed the names, setting, and a little o the dialogue$' ,ampolo lew rom the States to Hawaii and ound his internal time cloc) all out o whac)$ So at ;4;2 A7 he wandered the streets o Honolulu loo)ing or a place to eat$ 0inding a sleaz!, greas! diner still open, he sat down and ordered a cup o co ee and a donut$ About that time, eight or nine prostitutes came in and sat down on either side o him$ ,ampolo suddenl! elt an urge to ma)e his e#it but decided to sta! when he overheard their conversation$ A prostitute named Agnes said that she would be thirt!3 nine the ne#t da!$ Her riend replied, So what do !ou want rom me? A birthda! part!? What do !ou want? <a want me to get !ou a ca)e and sing EHapp! (irthda!? Agnes chided her or being so cruel and ends b! sa!ing, +ve never had a birthda! part! in m! whole li e$ Wh! should + have one now? A ter hearing that, ,ampolo hung around till the women le t$ "hen he as)ed Harr!, the greas! man behind the counter, about them$ Gpon inding that the! came in ever! night, he suggested that the! throw a part! or Agnes$ Harr! loved the idea and called his wi e out o the bac) room to share it with her$ She said, "hats wonder ul8 <ou )now Agnes is one o those people who is reall! nice and )ind, and nobod! ever does an!thing nice and )ind or her$O So earl! the ne#t morning the! did ever!thing up right$ Harr! ba)ed the ca)e and ,ampolo decorated the entire diner, complete with crepe3paper decorations and a sign that read,

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Happ! (irthda!, Agnes8 Somehow, the word must have gotten out about the part!, because b! ;4:@ A7 ,ampolo ound himsel in a restaurant pac)ed with prostitutes8 When Agnes arrived at ;4;2 sharp, the! screamed in unison, Happ! (irthda!8 Agnes was so stunned that she could hardl! stand up$ And when the ca)e arrived with all the candles lit and the accompan!ing birthda! song that she had probabl! never heard sung in her honor, she began to weep$ She couldnt bring hersel to cut the ca)e, hesitantl! as)ing i an!one would mind i she /ust )ept it or awhile$ ,ampolo no doubt stunned ever!one b! o ering to lead in a pra!er$ A terwards, Harr! said, He!8 <ou never told me !ou were a preacher$ What )ind o church do !ou belong to? He responded, + belong to a church that throws birthda! parties or whores at ;4;2 in the morning$ A ter a pause, Harr! almost sneered his answer$ .o !ou dont$ "heres no church li)e that$ + there was, +d /oin it$ +d /oin a church li)e that8&,ondensed rom "on! ,ampolo, "he Jingdom o God is a Cart!, Word Cublishing, :%%2, pp$ ;3%$' Aesus was often in trouble with the selfCrighteous crowd for being (ind to, listening to, and eating with (nown sinners. But Aesus responded that &e came to reach sinners. &e came to see( and to save the lost. After all, well people dont need a physician. Are there sinners that you despise so much that your face probably betrays your disgust whenever you get near themB Is it possible that a small act of (indness could forever roc( their worldB (IS- SSI"'$ #hat could we do to help sinnersB &ow can we guard ourselves from getting pulled into their sinB

G &hower "race on everyone

+h7J %ecause Go0 showere0 &is grace on us when we 0i0n;t 0eserve it/ $n him we have redemption throu"h his blood, the for"iveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of GodAs "race that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understandin" ! $Dph. 93=,?P Titus 5399C9>P cr. I An. >396,99,9@P Acts 963<?P 5 !or. 9395P /om. 53>P Dph. 53=P Titus <3>C?P .(. >355% $LL'&(R)($O*+ Steve S/ogren &showgrin' was one rustrated pastor$ He wor)ed hard at his ministr!, spea)ing to people da! a ter da! about Gods love and his vision or starting a church$ (ut people /ust didnt seem interested$ .inet! seven percent o the :222 plus people that he tal)ed to re/ected him$ A ter two ull !ears o re/ection a ter re/ection, he had a small group o ;L people to show or all his e orts$ (ut then something happened$ Something so amazing that a ter seven !ears, over two thousand people were attending his church$ Clus, the! launched :1 other churches in the area$ A ter :2 more !ears, H,@22 people were regularl! attending$ What happened to turn things around? +nstead o tr!ing to pull people into the church, pastor Steve and his small group o believers began loo)ing or wa!s to show grace to people$ "he! ound needs in the communit! and began meeting those needs$ "he! washed the windows o passing cars, cleaned toilets at businesses, gave awa! hot drin)s to shoppers on cold da!s, gave awa! cold drin)s on hot da!s, wrapped peoples gi ts at malls during the ,hristmas season, and served in man! other wa!s$ And ever!thing was ree with no strings attached &thats grace'$ When people as)ed wh! the! were doing it, the!d repl!, We /ust want to show !ou Gods love in a practical wa! and leave them with a business card with the name and address o the church on it$ Ceople couldnt believe it$ Some would begin to weep$ Some would begin to as) 9uestions and open up their hearts$ Some would as) or pra!er$ Ceople e#pected ,hristians to preach at them or as) them or mone!$ +nstead, these ,hristians caught them o guard, con using them

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with )indness$ 0or most people, there was no immediate response$ (ut over time people began to tal) about the church that showed Gods love b! serving$ Castor Steve and his loc) dont serve people /ust to get them into their church$ "he! serve because their 7aster served$ (ut as a result, in one !ear alone, @,222 people visited their church, I2P o whom were unchurched$ + thin) the sa!ing etched over the entrance to their church e#plains their secret well4 &mall thin"s done with "reat love will chan"e the world !
&Source4 ,onspirac! o Jindness, b! Steve S/ogren, Kine (oo)s, :%%;$ "heir website4 http3QQwww.cincyvineyard.comQ'

(IS- SSI"'$ Are you (nown as a person who meets needs, who servesB Is our youth group (nown for doing good deedsB #hat are some small things we could do with love that might begin to change our worldB $.et them discuss.% In addition to the above ideas, here are some more ideas to start your thin(ing3 older students tutoring struggling younger students, delivering food to shutC ins, shoveling snow from driveways and sidewal(s, visiting orphanages or nursing homes, helping someone with his garden, ma(ing bird feeders or bird houses for convalescent homes, shining shoes, washing windows on homes or businesses. Is there a re"ected person you need to pay attention to and offer your friendship in your neighborhood or at schoolB

F .an" out with those who are beneath! you

+h7J %ecause Go0 hangs out with us* although we are light 7ears 4eneath &im/ Do nothin" out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves Gach of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others Hour attitude should be the same as that of /hrist 2esus+ $-hil. 53<C?P cr. 4(. 963>5C>;P An. 9<3<C9;P /om. 9539:%. #e began with the story of Ddward, who committed suicide because of the ungrace that was dished out to him through his life. I want to end on a positive note, with another down and outer who was shown grace by someone who refused to 2uit. $LL'&(R)($O*+ =amie was considered one o the weird girls at her school$ While most o the others dressed airl! prepp!, she dressed grung!, complete with big chains and metal beads around her nec), and short, bleached3blonde hair$ =amie was a ,hristian, and when a new ninth grade girl trans erred into her school, =amie was the one who stubbornl! loved her and pra!ed or her$ + sa! stubbornl! because the new girl apparentl! didnt want a riend$ At irst =amie would /ust sa! hello, and the new girl would /ust give those -ont tal) to me signals$ She was closed o , bitter, hopeless * and seemed li)e she wanted to sta! that wa!$ (ut ever! da! =amie )ept tr!ing to brea) through the hard shell and pra! that the new girl would respond$ When the girl inall! opened up enough to tal), =amie tried to bring God into the conversation and silentl! pra! or a response$ (ut the girl responded, "heres no wa! + can love God and went on to e#plain that she had given her soul to Satan$ (ut =amie re used to give up$ "he new girl was heav! into dar)ness and wrote dar), suicidal poems$ She brought a ile to school and sometimes cut hersel with it$ She o ten considered suicide$ "urns out she was seething with rage because her parents had ta)en her awa! rom her riends and had moved her to a new school$

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(ut =amie never gave up$ She invited the new girl to her church group retreat$ She elt the new girl would relate to the !outh in the group, since man! o them dressed li)e pun) roc)ers with weird hair$ Her parents rea)ed a little when the! let their daughter o in the par)ing lot to go to the retreat$ 0rom the wa! the )ids dressed, it appeared that the! were letting their daughter go with a group li)e the )ids the! were tr!ing to get her awa! rom$ (ut the! let her go$ And the! were glad the! did$ (ecause at that wee)end retreat, God opened her e!es and she poured out her heart to God, as)ing His orgiveness or all she had done$ She went home a di erent person and never loo)ed bac)$ +m so glad that =amie never gave up$ "he girl she stubbornl! loved to =esus was named ,assie (ernall, the girl we tal)ed about last wee)$ ,assies earthl! li e suddenl! ended three !ears later, when the two gunmen blasted their wa! through ,olumbine High School, but that was onl! the beginning o ,assies new li e in heaven$ "he stor! o her aith traveled around the world$ (ut the part o the stor! + want !ou to remember toda! is the stubborn love that a teen mis it named =amie pla!ed$ <ouve got to wonder whether ,assie would have ever seen the grace o God, had she not seen it through =amie$ &0acts summarized rom4 She Said <es4 the unli)el!
mart!rdom o ,assie (ernall, b! 7ist! (ernall, pp$ @M3M@'

And !ou )now, there are ,assies all around !ou toda!, in !our neighborhood and at school$ Some dress prepp! and some dress rea)!$ (ut the!re con used, hopeless, and desperatel! need =esus$ And we dont )now how long we have to reach them be ore the! e#it this li e$

Action Points
God has shown you incredible grace by loving you when you were unlovely. If you thin( hard enough, youll reali'e that you probably rub shoulders with re"ected *Ddwards, and depressed *!assies, every day at school. Are you willing to pass on the grace to them that God gave to youB #hat can you do to show (indness or a helping hand or friendshipB Ill give you a moment of silence to write in your *Action -oints, section whatever God lays on your heart.

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Overhead

Amazing Grace (Lesson FII) Living a Grace;>illed Li%e (Part II)

IF. Treat Others !ith Grace <. 6elp those who are hurting. (I Hn. : 7*) ?. ?e 5ind to the unlovely. (6om. E 1+7I) &reat every person you tal' to as if you might )e his last ditch effort to find someone who cares )efore he ta'es his own life( ;. 3orgive those who hurt you. (/ph. B :)) . 2ove those who sin a lot. (6om. E 1K I Hn. B 7I+77) +hrowing a :arty for a :rostitute E. Shower grace on everyone. (/ph. 7 ,+1K Titus ) 77;7B) Small things done with great love will change the world. 3. 6ang out with those who are beneath you. (Phil. ) :; 1) /amie,s Stubborn Grace

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Action Points

Amazing Grace (Lesson FII) Living a Grace;>illed Li%e (Part II)

IF. Treat Others !ith 555555555555 <. 6elp those who are 11111111111. (I Hn. : 7*) ?. ?e 5ind to the 111111111111. (6om. E 1+7I)

Student Sheet

+reat every person you tal5 to as if you might be his last ditch effort to find someone who cares before he ta5es his own life. ;. 11111111111111 those who hurt you. (/ph. B :)) . 2ove those who 11111111111 a lot. (6om. E 1K I Hn. B 7I+77) +hrowing a :arty for a :rostitute E. 11111111111 grace on everyone. (/ph. 7 ,+1K Tit. ) 77+7B) Small things done with great love will change the world.

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3. 11111111111111111 with those who are beneath you. (Phil. ) :;1) /amie,s Stubborn Grace

Action Points