C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL FOR , MARCH 6 & 13, 2022 UNIT ONE, LESSON FOUR  : TOPIC – GOD’S GRACE IS REALISED IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 

Gods grace brought our Lord Jesus and His redemption. Don’t take this grace in vain, please.

Christians live in the Spirit as Christ breaths on us (Jn. 20:22; 1 Cor. 2:15). The law of sin and flesh have been condemned at the coming of Jesus Christ, who came in the likeness of the sinful man (not that He was sinful), for the redemption of man. The law was given as a rule of righteousness. However, rebellious principles still continue after giving judgment for running fowl of the Law. So in effect, the law was weak for its inability to pardon and sanctify man. It could only reveal sin but could not deliver from its power. The trouble lies not with the law but with the fallen human nature that has no capacity to obey God. So, Christ came at the nick of time to purchase redemption with His blood, for the sinful man, bringing every believer (as many as take the pain to accept His finished work) into the favour of God. He is the only sacrifice for our sin, once and for all (Heb. 10:1ff). He executed and destroyed the power of sin and guilt. Our sinful nature was condemned while our sins are forgiven. So, far anyone who desires freedom from sin, flesh and Satan, Jesus Christ is the only answer. Of a truth, …what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3). Hallelujah!

Mon. Feb. 28: Jesus: The End of The Law (Rom. 10:4)

Tue. Mar. 1: Jesus: Our Saving Grace (Eph. 2:8,9)

Wed. Mar. 2: Jesus Calls According To His Purpose (2 Tim. 1:9)

Thur. Mar. 3: Jesus Gives His Fullness (Jn. 1:16)

Fri. Mar. 4: Jesus’ Grace Is Indiscriminately For All (Rom. 3:20-24)

Sat. Mar. 5: Jesus’ Grace Is All-Sufficient (2 Cor. 12:7-9)

1. Jesus is God’s grace Who appeared for man’s redemption, when the law failed. He is the only true Saviour!

2. Many priests and prophets had appeared for the redemption of man to no avail. All they could do was enforcing the law on offenders and punishing them to pay ransom annually, and these, to no avail. God’s grace finally brought His Son, Jesus, to seal the work of salvation for man. Hallelujah!

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Hebrews 4:16

AIM: To impress in our hearts that our salvation is not by any other means that Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for our redemption.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of this lesson, it is expected that learners should:

i. be able to show that God’s grace brought Jesus to represent His Father for the remission of our sin;

ii. have begun to show more graciousness of Jesus’ sacrifice for the redemption of the sinful man;

iii. be more appreciative of Christ’s graciousness in His works and words among us today; and

iv. express Jesus Christ as the only grace of God capable of giving all-round salvation to those who will come to Him.

Glory be to God for bringing us to yet another lesson in this series. Previously, we concluded lesson 3, where we studied the topic, GOD’S GRACE ELECTS ISREAL. There, we discussed how Abraham was chosen to be the father of faith, which culminated in the birth of the nation of Israel with Jacob being preferred above Esau, and Israel above other nations of the earth. He is unquestionable! We also learnt about how Israel responded to this laudable grace of God upon them — ingratitude. May we never fail to appreciate God for His benevolence upon our lives and His Church, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

God is blessing us these two weeks with another topic: GOD’S GRACE IS REALISED IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Thank God who has given us Jesus to finish the seemingly impossible—man’s redemption. How? Grace brought Him in our Lord Jesus. God’s grace brought Jesus to represent Him Who is the Father of grace. Jesus came as grace personified — an embodiment of God’s grace. He, in answering the call of the Father, God, chose to die for all men, even in our depraved condition, i.e. when we least deserved it. Through His atoning work, He perfected our salvation. The high point of our discussion is not how Jesus died, but why He came as the grace from the Father to save humanity.

Furthermore, God’s Word makes it very clear that it God’s grace through our Lord Jesus Christ, that works salvation. How did Jesus demonstrate this grace? That is glaring in His words and works, to the admiration of all. The totality of what He came to do on earth is the salvation of man, which the law couldn’t perfect. Through this grace, salvation is perfected and brought to humanity (Jews and Gentiles alike).

It is our hope that we, who have the privilege of this grace will not abuse it by working against His will, but would uphold it to the end, with righteous living. Amen.

This lesson is divided into two–I and II. Each of these divisions is further divided into part A and B.

DIVISION I: GRACE BRINGS JESUS

In this division, we are going to be discussing John 1:14-18; Romans 5:6-11; 6:23. It is broken down into parts. Part A is titled TO REPRESENT FATHER OF GRACE, and B, TO DIE FOR THE UNDESERVING. Grace brought Jesus from the bosom of His Father to bring us the fullness of God and manifesting His glory through gracious acts and words. This happened even when we were still sinners, undeserving of His compassion and favour. Jesus changed man’s wages from death to eternal life for as many as receive Him (Jn. 1:12).

This section also has two parts: A, CHRIST’S EXPRESSLY DEMONSTRATES GRACE AND B, CHRIST GRACE BRINGS SALVATION. Here, we see how Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, demonstrates grace through His works and words as He empathises with all categories of people in their challenges giving them succour. This is exercise of grace in action; loving the undeserving sinful man (Rom. 5:6-8)? He came to save all men who will surrender to Him, without discrimination of any kind. If you are ready, His arms are always readily open (Matt. 11:28,29).

Many efforts have passed on the side of God to re-unite man with Himself, but to no avail with so many people. This He did by bringing laws to curtail man from his perpetual evil, so that he can retreat from sinning. Yes, the law could only condemn unrighteousness, it didn’t make people righteous, for it failed to pardon and sanctify, until God brought Jesus with His sinless blood, and so is the only grace capable of redeeming man.

A. TO REPRESENT THE FATHER OF GRACE (Jn. 1:14-18)

No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (v. 18).

i. v. 14: …the Word became flesh… Jesus has always been with/in God, in heaven, as the Second Person of the Trinity (vv. 1ff). He chose to come and live among us in the bodily form (Phil. 2:5ff), at the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4) — the Emmanuel, God with us. He BECAME man, to tabernacle with us, to gracefully actualise God’s redemptive purpose for man.

ii. He came with such a glory as was proper to the Son of God. As the priests saw God’s glory as He dwelt in the tabernacle, among the Jews (Exod. 25:22; Num. 7:89), so was His glory manifested in His gracious words and the works while Jesus dwelt among men.

iii. As the One born of a woman, but without a natural father, by divine conception in the womb of a virgin, He came, full of unmerited favour, kindness, and mercy to men, with the energy of the Truth. How?

iv. vv. 15-16: The eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ (v. 15), wisdom, and truth, we have all received grace/mercy for forgiveness, and truth to express His Gospel and direct people in the way of salvation, until we are all filled with all the fullness of God.

v. …grace for grace implies more and more of the fullness of the grace of the Gospel, made manifest to the genuine believers, until we get to Christ’s heaven; grace upon grace — God’s abundance that Jesus brings to all mankind; what the Law couldn’t do (v. 17).

vi. v. 18: In the OT period, man couldn’t grasp all the fullness of God, because of the level of revelation. Jesus Christ has come as full revelation/representation of God, fully showing us God’s grace and truth (v. 17). His words and works are those of the Father of grace (Jn. 10:30-38; Col. 2:9).

vii. Paul, in Col. 2:9, x-rays the deity of Christ, first as One in whom dwells the Godhead bodily, secondly, amplifies it as One in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells, and finally, as One in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. So what else do you need to believe and receive Him?

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Rom. 5:6).

i. 5:6: In the OT, everyone bore his/her own sins, but the weight of sin is too much for any man to bear (cf. Rom. 6:23). So, God became man, to deliver us and its power (Matt. 1:21). He came when we had no strength, while we were still sinners (v. 8b), and so declared ungodly hence undeserving.

ii. vv. 7-8: It is humanity unbelievable that anyone would want to die for the undeserving, like the depraved man (v. 7), but amazingly, God demonstrates His love in choosing to bear the judgment He had declared on the condemned man (3:23; 6:23) who could neither help himself nor offer ransom (v. — the height of love (Jn. 15:13). This Grace in action.

iii. vv. 9,10: The joy is, since we have been declared righteous by His blood even when we least deserved it, He shall graciously save as many as received Him (1:12) from the impending wrath on the disobedient (1:18). If He saves us when we were His enemies, how much more will He give us His fullness unto eternity?

iv. v. 11: The reconciliation we receive through our Lord Jesus Christ is an expression of God’s saving and sustaining grace (2 Cor. 5:19,21). After all, man couldn’t reach back to God, on his own (Eph. 2:8; Tit. 2:11). He has also graciously given us this ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19bff).

v. 6:23: Yes, …the wages of sin is death. That is what man rightly deserved, but grace brought mercy to triumph over judgment, giving us Jesus Christ, through whom we have the gift of God which is eternal life — pure grace in action. Rejecting Him is accepting death while accepting Him means life and light, now, and in eternity (cf. Jn. 1:4,12).

vi. Jesus is that precious gift of God, so freely given, but that the foolish man thinks he doesn’t need. But whether or not you think you need Him, He has concluded the work of your redemption. Only that you have to personally accept Him as your Lord and Saviour to fully enjoys His many grace that will lead you home to Him, eventually.

1. Jesus is the full representation of God, revealing His grace and love redeem humanity, graciously achieving what the law couldn’t.

2. All Jesus did with respect to redeeming man wasn’t because man deserved it. It is His grace and love showered on the undeserving. Never abuse them!

How are we expected to reciprocate the gifts of God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus, which is the height of expression of God’s grace?

* The value of a gift determines the level of its appreciation.

* The Priests of old were much revered for standing in the gap for the people though much appease God for their own sin. How much more the gift of the Only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:16, 17).

* Jesus expects us to reciprocate His good gesture (read CACGHB 680).

* The utmost He requires and that we must obliged Him, is our hearts (Prov. 23:26).

* We must abstain from sin from where we were saved (2 Cor. 5:17).

* We must live a life of righteousness in, through Him, and be like Him (1 Cor. 11:1; 1 Tim. 6:11).

* Don’t just be a Christian; be a disciple.

* Like Paul, we must continue to discipline ourselves and bring others to the saving Arm of Christ (Matt. 28:19,20; 1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 2:3,4). Go and preach, teach and empower others to know Him.