Experiencing the Grace of Jesus--Romans 5:19-21

This is a new study we've started at Independent Bible Baptist Church!  Pastor Fryer has written an indepth study on the Grace of Jesus, which we will go through in slow motion.  I do have some extra notes as well to share!

Let's begin!

Romans 5:19-21 :: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

A prayer that you can pray would be something like this:  Dear Father, forgive me for trying to impress you with the garments of  my own making.  You have shown me grace, and clothed me with Christ instead.  I know that it is only through your grace that I have been saved.  Guide me, teach me more about you.  Show me how amazing grace really is, and help me to experience the grace of Jesus.

We must understand that once we are saved God clothes us.

Galatians 3:27--"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

To 'put on someone' is an ancient idiom for assuming the standing or position of another person.  To 'put on Christ therefore means to assume (adopt) His standing before God.  Since Jesus is God's son, the Galatians are God's sons, thus confirming verse 26 ("For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.")  (Thomas Nelson KJV Study Bible, p. 1817)

In Romans 13:44, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."

Isaiah 61:10 says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

Let's stop there for right now.  Look back through the scriptures given, and read them again. 

When we are saved in Jesus, we have THE best garments one could have to wear!  We get to wear the garments of THE Bride!  We are the Bride, He is the Groom--do we want to wear old filthy rags and continue in the things we used to do before we got saved, or wear the beautiful flowing bridal gown and jewels?  By His Grace we are given the beautiful wedding gown and jewels, for this is something we could not earn on our own. 

As we are beginning 2012, we have the opportunity to display that beautiful wedding gown to everyone--we can show the grace given to us by Jesus our Lord and Savior.  If we hold on to those old filthy rags we wore before Jesus cleaned us up and forgave our sins, what will we show to those who need Jesus?  Will we show the beauty of grace?  Or will we show the filth of a sinful past and nothing else? 

Let's show our finest--let's put on Jesus and show Him!!

We're going to pause here and begin again next time with more on Experiencing the Grace of Jesus!