Everyday Grace: Grace in the Church // Dr. Jeff Warren
Channel: Park Cities Baptist Church
Date: 13/08/2023

SERMON RESPONSE GUIDE
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE: 
1 THESSALONIANS 1:1-7 NIV
1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 

KEY POINTS
Paul opens the letter to the Thessalonians with a common greeting: “Grace and peace to you”. Grace is at the center of all we do as a church. Let’s answer three questions about grace:

What is it?
Romans 1:17 is an important verse that helps us understand what grace is. The reformer, Martin Luther (a Catholic priest in Germany who sparked the Reformation) notes that this verse changed his life completely.

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 ESV

God’s grace is His one-way love toward us in Jesus and is displayed through His life lived for us, His death on the cross for us, and His resurrection- proving He is God and has overcome death and hell. Paul is saying we are made righteous by faith, not works.

- How would you define “grace” based on this verse?
- What does it mean that “the righteous shall live by faith”?

What does it look like?
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and see how Paul describes the proof or evidence that God’s grace has changed their lives. What three ways have the Thessalonians displayed the grace of God through their actions? How can you do the same?

How do we share it?
Read 1:4-6 again. How does Paul explain how the grace of God (the Gospel) has come to them? The way they received it is now the way they are sharing it.
- How can you apply this to your life?
- Who is God laying on your heart, with whom He’s prompting you to share the Gospel?

MEMORY VERSE
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 

PRAY
Lord Jesus, thank you for the grace you have offered to me. Thank you for replacing my sin with your righteousness. Guide me to live completely forgiven and lead me to share your Gospel with others in my life.