RECEIVING GRACE
Chapter Ten
Lesson 39
Those Who Need Grace
1. The barrier of pride that keeps God’s grace out of the lives of so many often takes the form of? (pg. 172) ______
2. A) Jesus taught this truth in Luke 18:9-13. Who did Jesus speak this parable to? ______
Luke 18:9-13 (AMP) 9 He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [that they were upright and in right standing with God] and scorned and made nothing of all the rest of men: 10 Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, the one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee took his stand ostentatiously and began to pray thus before and with himself: God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men—extortionist (robbers), swindlers [unrighteous in heart and life], adulterers—or even like this tax collector here. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I gain. 13 But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!
B) What did they think about themselves? ______
C) “Despised” others. Greek for despised includes an idea of “least esteemed”, “set as naught”, why would a prideful person despise the lowly? ______
D) What personal pronoun did the Pharisee use over and over? ______
E) Who was the center and focus of his prayer? ______
F) Would you say that trusting in our own righteousness spawns judgments (on others)? ___
G) Contrast the Pharisee with the tax collector. ______
H) The tax collector recognized that he was the one who needed ______
I) What physical pose did the tax collector take toward God? ______
J) When we confess our sins to God are we parading our own righteousness or goodness? ____ Why? ______
3. What is the difference between acknowledging before God: “yah, I’m a sinner” and “Oh God, forgive me!” ______
4. P When I first read In Grace Alone I was in the middle of a personal situation with another and I was led to pen in the margin a poem I had written when I was first saved – “The something wrong is deep in me and not the fault of somebody”. Does contemplating this parable lead you to true repentance?
5. Is true repentance an acknowledgement that the other person is off the hook for his/her part in a conflict – or is repentance taking responsibility for my part in the situation? ______
6. Whose responsibility is it to deal with the other party/parties? ______
7. If I try to justify myself am I any better than my accuser? Y ___ N___ How/why? ______
8. (From personal experience [allowing some time for emotions to cool] -) what happens to the “high octane ‘ping’ in the gut”? ___
9. Does that mean that God has dealt in grace to the repentant? Y___ N___ don’t know ___
10. Jesus concludes this parable with this reality – verse 14. ______
Luke 18:14 (AMP) 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified (forgiven and made upright and in right standing with God), rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
11. Considering the word justified could be rendered just-as-if-I’d never sinned, was the sinner forgiven for whatever sin that had so disheartened him? Y ___ N___
12. Was the tax collector justified? Y___ N___
14. (pg. 174) What is the key to receiving grace and mercy? ______
15. What kept the Pharisee from receiving grace and mercy? ______
16. What is the danger of “religious self-righteousness”? ______
17. The tax collector did not have this barrier – instead what did he do? ______
18. Explain: “opened himself up and received the grace of God”. ______
19. If guilt lingers, have we opened ourselves up to receive God’s grace? Y___ N___ How will we know when we have? ______
20. How/why is humbling ourselves a decision? ______
21. How/why is humbling ourselves an attitude? ______
22. Is this decision – this attitude – something we need to cultivate? Y___ N___ Why? _____
How to Receive God’s Grace
23. What are the two aspects to the transaction of receiving God’s grace? ______
24. Why is “stop working” considered a negative aspect? ______
25. Do you have to work for God’s approval? Y ___ N___
26. Can you earn God’s grace? Y___ N___
27. Can God even give us grace on the basis of what we do? Y___ N___ Why? ______
28. If God did give grace on this basis would it be an accurate picture of ourselves? Y ___ N___
29. Would this be an acceptable prayer for one seeking grace: “Oh God to be and not to try!” _
30. Read Romans 4:4-5. “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt”. Being so, why would the first requirement be: stop working! ______
Romans 4:4-5 (AMP) 4 now to a laborer, his wages are not counted as a favor or a gift, but as an obligation (something owed to him). 5 But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).
31. When we stop working what is the only thing left for us if we desire to be righteous before God?
32. Why would it be humbling to put yourself in the category of those who need to be justified because they are ungodly? Why would religious people have difficulty seeing themselves among the ungodly? ______
33. But to the one who does trust God who justifies the ungodly, what does the Bible say about his faith?
34. According to D.P. (pg. 175) “from this point forward we are living on God’s ______and not living on the produce of our own” ______
35. When we live on God’s “credit” is like using someone else’s credit card – we make the transactions and the owner of the credit account pays the bills. True False
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