C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR FEBRUARY 20 & 27, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON THREE : TOPIC – GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISRAEL

By | February 20, 2022

C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR FEBRUARY 20 & 27, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON THREE : 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 20 & 27, 2022
LESSON THREE
TOPIC: GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISRAEL
MEMORY SCRIPTURE
“At the same time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:1).
The election of Israel from among other nations is a manifestation of God’s grace.
BRIEF COMMENT:
The text lends credence to the election of Israel from among the nations of the earth by God. It re-echoes the mercifulness of God to Israel as God’s chosen people and heritage. It wasn’t Israel that pushed God to appoint her or elect her as His people. She did not bribe God to favour her, but God, in His infinite mercy, and according to His prerogative, found Israel and chose her from among the nations of the earth. God still singles out people for favour, mercy and goodness today. It is not a function of what you know how to do or not. It is basically God’s initiative to raise one and dethroned the other (Psa. 75:6). The election of Israel is a function of God’s grace.
This demonstration of grace was evident, even when God sold Israel into captivity because of her unpardonable sins and recalcitrance. God was jealous over His people who He had sold out; He did not totally abandon them. He watched over them and promised to restore a remnant when 70 years of exile lapsed. God would make Israel enjoy full restoration as His people. That is the beauty of God’s grace. God is not like any man. When He forgives, the person has been unconditionally forgiven. God doesn’t upbraid. No reference to your past when God has decided to let go of it. God has decided to restore His people fully, and they will enjoy all the privileges of being God’s people again.
God’s grace is not a function of who we are, what we know how to do, or our backgrounds, but of His initiative. Only don’t misappropriate His grace (Rom. 6:1) by misusing your rights and privileges as the Lord’s people lastly, God is not a man. He doesn’t keep His anger for long. When He forgives, He doesn’t upbraid. So, forgive since He has forgive you.
DEVOTIONAL BIBLE READINGS FOR WEEK ONE
Mon. 14: Abraham: Called To Order (Gen. 17:1-4)
Tues. 15: Abraham Gets A Change Of Name (Gen. 17:5-14)
Wed. 16: Abraham’s Wife’s Name Is Changed (Gen. 17:15-16)
Thur. 17: Attempts To Settle For Ishmael (Gen. 17:17-20)
Fri. 18: Assurance Of The Promised Son (Gen. 17:21-27)
Sat. 19: And The Lord Visited Sarah (Gen. 21:1-7)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
 
1. God’s grace found Israel among all the nations of the earth and made her a specially chosen people and royal priesthood.
2. Believers in Christ Jesus are the chosen people of God, by grace; they are the spiritual Jews, and must live up to His expectations, by showing forth the praise of He who has called them.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Romans 9:6-33
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To show how Israel’s election is a function of God’s grace, basically.
OBJECTIVES: By the end of this lesson, the learners should be:
i. able to show that God’s grace was there even before Israel finally came and was divinely chosen above other nations;
ii. able to discuss the fact that it is only God’s grace that can make one to be unreservedly preferred above all others;
iii. able to draw out lessons from Abram’s choice above others, and Jacob’s preference to Esua, and apply these to lives; and
iv. evidently in agreement with the fact that it is heart-breaking for God when the believers abuses His grace lavished on him.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCES: GENESIS 11:27-12:9; 25:21-34; DEUTERONOMY 7:1-11; JUDGES 2:7-10; PSALMS 78:1FF; ACTS 7:1-8; ROMANS 9:10-21
Glory be to God Who has given us the opportunity to consider a very relevant theme in this series. This Grace series shall generate in our lives and the Church of God, great spiritual awakening and total transformation, in Jesus’ name. We receive God’s grace that will enable us to really experience undaunted spiritual uplifting, in Jesus’ name.
The previous lesson, God’s Grace Around Man’s Fall, has challenged us to see God’s grace in action when men fell from grace in the Garden of Eden. God’s grace helped men, even in his depraved situation. What a gracious God! In His loving grace and mercy, He made lasting gracious provision for man to fully recover, and be restored into full fellowship with Himself in Christ Jesus.
The present lesson is the third in the series, and it is settled GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISRAEL. This topic will be viewed from the perspectives of the fact that the grace was manifested before Israel came to be as a person, people, and nation, and the grace was lavished and is still being lavished on Israel.
Indeed, Israel, as a nation among other nations of the earth, received God’s grace that consists in her being divinely elected as a chosen nation from among others (Deut. 7:5-11). Not that Israel deserved to be chosen by God, but God’s prerogative made her the elect. By Implication, Christians are the Jews of today, the spiritual Israel billed for God’s eternal kingdom. Therefore, don’t take God’s grace for granted, or trivialise His offer of mercy. We are helped, in Jesus’ name, to walk worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This lesson is a 2-week lessons, which is divided into I and II, with each further divided into A and B.
DIVISION I: IS MANIFESTED BEFORE ISRAEL CAME
In His prerogative, God preferred and chose Abram from among his relatives and people, who were all perpetual idolaters. It was from this pagan culture that God called out Abram so that be could have fellowship and unflinching relationship with Himself, YAHWEH. Abram did nothing to deserve being counted as one of God’s elect. The only qualification is God’s grace. Likewise, God’s grace prevailed in the case of Esau and Jacob, and chose the latter ahead of the former. These are the issues under consideration in this division.
DIVISION II: IS LAVISHED ON ISRAEL
Having examined in the first division, the grace of God as it was available before the beginning of the world, and started the breeding of the nation of Israel through the patriarch Abraham, in this division, we will look at the grace as it was lavished on Israel. Were they better than all other nations, even those that were before them? Yet, they were graciously picked as apple of God’s eye, even His special. Also to be noted in this division, is the response to this unmerited and undeserving grace. Israel bastardised the confidence God reposed in them by being careless and unappreciative.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. IS MANIFESTED BEFORE ISRAEL CAME
A. THE CHOICE OF ABRAM
B. THE CHOICE OF JACOB ABOVE ESAU
II. IS LAVISHED ON ISRAEL
A. THE CHOICE ABOVE OTHER NATIONS
B. THEIR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GRACE.
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. IS MANIFESTED BEFORE ISRAEL CAME (Genesis 11:27-12:9; 22:1-19; 25:21-34 Acts 7:1-8; Romans 9:10-21).
 
God’s grace is beyond man, his work or whatever he knows ho to do. It is available, ever-present and unchanging, because God is Grace personified. Grace didn’t come because Israel (as an individual and as a nation) deserved it, but God’s grace is ever-present and everlasting. Abraham enjoyed this unmerited grace and all his descendants after him. We now enjoy this same grace in Christ Jesus.
A. THE CHOICE OF ABRAM (Gen. 11:27-12:9; 22:1-19; Acts 7:1-8)
 
Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot the twelve patriarchs (Acts 7:8).
i. The gracious Lord deliberately chose Abraham as a progenitor of a chosen generation — God’s people, a holy nation and special people among all the nations of the earth (Exod. 19:5,6). What an unmerited favour!
ii. 12:1-9: The only explanation for Abraham becoming the progenitor of the nation of Israel is GRACE. Why choosing this terribly idolatrous man coming from a highly barbaric and cannibalistic traditional religion? GRACE! This assisted him to tilt towards God, and to obey when God eventually called him out of Ur, in spite of the seeming illogicality of the step.
iv. Acts 7:1-8: Abraham overcame several challenges, ranging from childlessness, to Hagar and Ishmael saga, to the reception of God’s promise for his life and offspring. God’s grace had given him the wherewithal to stand at those trying times (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).
v. Gen. 22:1-19: God’s grace assisted Abraham to triumph, when he eventually faced the trial of faith that would finally launch him into God’s eternal blessing and cement God’s covenant with him as the father of Israel and all nations of the earth.
vi. The work of grace I’d 100% God’s. However, man has roles to play. Man’s own side is also 100%, i.e. to fully cooperate with God, just as Abraham did in total obedience.
B. THE CHOICE OF JACOB ABOVE ESAU (Gen. 25:21-34; Rom. 9:10-21).
And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” (Gen. 25:23).
i. Gen. 25:21-28: Grace is not a function of what you know how to do, or not, but God’s prerogative/sovereignty. When Abraham’s two grandsons were yet in the womb, God showed His preference for one above the other (cf. Mal. 1:1-5).
ii. Rom. 9:10-13: GOD loved Jacob and disliked Esau. It was not a question of hatred but of preference.
iii. vv. 14-16: Is God partial in His judgment? No. He is righteous, gracious and unquestionable (Psa. 115:3). Some have tried to read favouritism into this, on the path of God. Note that the Lord didn’t say that the older would be slave, but that he would serve the younger. The idea is not that of being subservient. Of course, God blessed Esau also.
iv. Three things come to the fore here. The first is God’s sovereign choice. In His eternal redemptive programme, someone had to carry on with the Abrahamic covenant, and God sovereignly, unquestionably preferred Jacob, not because of what he had done–Grace in action!
v. In addition, God had the Messiah in mind, in His words: the older shall serve the younger. The whole world, including Esau’s descendants, would have to serve (worship) the Son of Jacob (the Messiah). That is God’s sovereign will and choice. Who dares query Him. (Psa. 115:3)?
vii. Gen. 25:29-34: God’s choice of Jacob above Esau was eventually justified by Esau’s waywardness and covetousness that resulted in him losing his birthday to Jacob. Man’s ungodliness van never attract God’s graciousness; it is impossible. God knew aforehand.
viii.Eventually, Jacob inherited the Abraham covenant, and became the father of Israel, God’s people. This is God’s grace in action.
ix. The only explanation for this preferential treatment enjoyed by Jacob over Esau is grace. When grace speaks for you, it silences all voices that can Speak against you.
LESSONS DERIVED
1. You need God’s grace to be singled out for His greatness and goodness, and to be able to overcome disgrace, now and ultimately. Claim it!
2. It is God’s prerogative to choose whosoever He pleases. He is inexplicably impartial and unquestionable.
WORK TO DO
Why would God dethrone one and lift up the other?
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
* The truth is, God specialises in doing this. He lifts one up and dethrones the other
But what could be the factor?
* God sits in heaven and does what pleases Him. No one can query or question Him (Psa. 135:6). Therefore, that is the function of God’s sovereignty. He is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.
* Also, it is God’s prerogative to show compassion on whom He has decides to show compassion. Therefore, anyone who is billed for the compassion of God is bound to be elevated while those who are not, will experience the other side of God (Exod. 33:19; 9:15).
* In the real sense, it bothers on grace. If the person being lifted has received God’s grace, it doesn’t matter his background, status, colour, age, or birth position in the in the family, God favours him and that may mean the pulling down of another, for his lifting. Consider the case of Esther and Vashti (Est. 1,2).
* Besides, if someone has chosen to dishonour, disrespect and lightly esteem God, God would be left with no option than to dishonour such and cast him/her out of His presence. The house of Eli suffered this fate (2 Sam. 2:30).
* Also, the sovereignty of God at some point in God’s redemptive agenda made Israel, God’s own special people to be at disfavour with God to make way for the Gentiles, who were godless. That is the idea of the grafting of the wild olive expressed in Romans 11.
* Therefore, to continue to enjoy God’s unmerited favour, you have to continue to cooperate with Him and not to abuse His grace lavished on you. The Holy Spirit will assist you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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