C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR FEBRUARY 27, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON THREE / DEVISION  II  : TOPIC – GOD’S GRACE ELECTS Israel

By | February 27, 2022

C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR FEBRUARY 27, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON THREE / DEVISION  II  : TOPIC – GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISRAEL

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CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH WORLDWIDE

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
(KINGDOM OF GOD FAMILY)
THEME: GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD
JANUARY – JUNE, 2022
UNIT ONE: THE GRACE OF OUR LORD
FEBRUARY 27, 2022
LESSON THREE : GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISRAEL
DIVISION II.
II. IS LAVISHED ON ISRAEL (Deut. 7:1-11; Jdg. 2:7-10; Psa. 78:1ff)
 
Israel enjoyed the grace of God, abundantly. They were not the first nation to be established on earth, and were not the most righteous. Yet, they were spoilt with God’s unmerited favour. In fact, Israel was worse than most of the other nations. Yet, God’s grace overlooked their waywardness and divinely picked them as His own, ahead of the other nations. Our story is not different today. Only we should not abuse this wonderful action of God.
A. THE CHOICE ABOVE OTHER NATIONS (Deut. 7:1-11)
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth (Deut. 7:6).
i. God graciously fulfilled His covenant with Abraham. He led Israel into captivity in Egypt, according to His Word (Gen. 15:1-21), and after 400 years, when the sin of the Canaanites was full, He delivered Israel from Egypt, as a nation, to inherit the Promise Land. Only God’s grace does what no man can do.
ii. vv. 1-5: Israel never merited becoming a great and chosen nation above others, but God’s grace. Or how can anyone explain just one nation rooting out seven nations greater and mightier.
iii. Obviously, the reason Israel found divine grace is to deal with those godless people who had turned enemies of God. Israel must not intermarry with them; their altars, sacred pillars, and images must be destroyed. God’s holiness never condoles sin. Those who carry God’s grace must frown at ungodliness.
iv. vv. 6-8: Another reason God lavished His grace upon Israel is not because she was better or greater than the others, but because of God’s unfailing love for her (cf. Exod. 19:6). God is ever faithful and loving.
v. vv. 9-11: Here, Israel was reminded of God’s faithfulness, truthfulness, and goodness. The covenant-keeping God shows mercy to those who love Him, and demonstrates His bitterness against those who hate Him. Thus, to enjoy God’s grace, you have to love Him and obey His commandment, through, and in Jesus Christ.
vi. “For you are holy people to the Lord…” The idea of holiness is not Israel’s making God’s. Only Jesus’ righteousness is adequate to bring man into intimate fellowship with God. Man’s own righteousness is by far inadequate. In fact, it is like a filthy rag (Isa. 64:6).
B. THEIR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE (Jdg. 2:7-10; Psa. 78:1ff)
In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works. Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear (Psa. 78:32-33).
i. One would have expected that Israel would appreciate and always acknowledge this divine unmerited favour, but she rather reciprocated it with unfaithfulness and grievous sins. That is man for you (Gen. 6:5ff; Jer. 17:9).
ii. Psa. 78:1-16: Give ear, O my people, to my law (line 1). God expected Israel to recognise His wondrous works and pass same to their offspring after them (cf. Deut. 6:1ff). However, they acted contrary to God’s intention. Hope you too are not abusing God’s grace and mercy today?
iii. Lines 17-20: Right from when they were in the wilderness, they started to irk God. They tested Him and asked annoying questions: Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? (Line 19). The same God who graciously chose them, defeated their enemies in the Red sea, and met their needs promptly (line 20)!
iv. Lines 21ff: This unholy to God’s grace infuriated Him, but by His compassion, He continued to forgive their iniquities (lines 38, 39). We cannot continue in sin that the grace of God may abound (Rom. 6:1)!
v. Jdg. 2:7-10: Their response when they eventually got to the Promised Land wasn’t better either. They didn’t learn from how rebellion finished their fathers in the wilderness. In Canaan, they soon forgot God’s faithfulness (v. 10), and relapsed into idolatry — SUICIDE!
vi. Are we better today than these people who failed to appropriate God’s grace in their lives of the oncoming generations?
vii. It is habitual of man to fall, falter and fail in his relationship with the good Lord. Irrespective of the faithfulness of God that man may enjoy, he can fumble. That is why he needs the help of the Holy Spirit to stay steadfast Israel showed the persons they were by biting the finger that fed them, as they soiled the grace of God lavished on them with sinning impenitently. Are we different?
LESSONS DERIVED
1. God’s covenant and lovingkindness are the reasons behind the unmerited favour He bestowed on man, especially Israel.
2. To sustain the grace of God we undeservingly enjoy, we must develop right attitude to Him and everything about Him.
QUESTIONS
1. Grace is not a function of what someone knows how to do, or otherwise. Discuss with respect to God’s grace in Israel’s election.
2. Man’s ungidliness repels God’s grace. Explain in the light of Romans 6:1.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
ANSWER TO QUESTION 1:
 
* Of course, grace is not a function of what one knows how to do, academic qualification, birth position or demography distributions but God’s undeserving mercy and favour.
* Esau and Jacob were brothers who came from the same womb the same day. While they were yet in the womb, there was the prophecy that one will serve the other, and by the way, the older will serve the younger. That was when they yet to know how to make any choice or decide for themselves.
* God graciously chose one ahead of the other, since the two of them cannot advance the covenant of Abraham at the same time.
* So, one has to be chosen ahead of the other, while the other had to be left out or dropped. This does not mean that the one chosen is better than the disapproved or disfavoured.
* God’s prerogative had to speak, since He is the sovereign Lord and determinant of all things in heavens and on earth (Psalms 115:3).
* The bottom line is, ask for God’s favour and mercy over your life and family.
* Do the word of God after you have given your life to God because failure to do so is a factor that can speak against you in the place of mercy (mercy seat).
* Cooperate with God in all things, and do not abuse God’s love bestowed on you. It does not pay to be wayward.
ANSWER TO QUESTION 2:
* Having established that grace is not a function of who we are, what we can or can’t do, it is important to know that it is impossible to be expecting to enjoy God’s grace, mercy and goodness while we wallow in sin (Rom. 6:1).
* Paul categorically disapproved of the possibility of enjoying God’s grace when one continue to sin perpetually.
* God is holy and those who will enjoy Him and all that He has to offer must be ready to walk and work with Him in obedience and holiness (John 4:24).
* Esau’s character could be one of the reasons he fell out of favour with God, since God knew him before him before his birth as someone who is not upright in heart. Hence, he was cast out of Abrahamic covenant, which will eventually usher in Messianic covenant.
LIFE APPLICATION
Anyone who will experience the grace of God and fully enjoy it must cooperate with God as He is leading and directing him. The election of Israel was by God’s grace as we have known, yet Israel needed to cooperate with God to fully appropriate this wonderful act of God. Christians don’t have an alternative to being in God’s divine agenda, because they are God’s chosen vessels, and they should be ready to show forth His praise among the people of the world, where they are, and to be light in the midst of darkness.
CONCLUSION
This is the end of lesson 3. Just as Israel enjoyed the grace of God over and above all other nations, before and after her, believers, being the spiritual Israel, have received the grace of God through the finished work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is pertinent to be careful with what we do with this provision of God that we have uncommonly and undeservedly received. May the Holy Spirit help us to appropriate this wonderful work of grace, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK TWO
Mon. 21: Israel: Demonstration of God’s Grace (Psa. 67:1)
Tue. 22: Israel: Expected To Proclaim God’s Salvation (Psa. 67:2)
Wed. 23: Israel Should Show Forth God’s Praise (Psa. 67:3,4)
Thur. 24: Israel Must Help People Praise God (Psa. 67:5)
Fri. 25: Israel’s Blessings Hinges on God’s Grace (Psa. 67:6)
Sat. Israel Should Help People Fear God (Psa. 67:7)

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