Grace, Abundant, Gospel and Doctrine, http://graceabundantgospel.blogspot.com/
Small Group
Dexter First Presbyterian Church
Revised Schedule

January 18 2014
Chapter 5 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 3 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 3 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Isaiah 44, Psalm 51.

February 1st 9:30
Chapter 6 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 4 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 4 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12, Psalm 102

February 15th 9:30
Chapter 7 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 5 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 5 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Colossians 2, Psalm 130,

March 1 9:30
Chapter 8 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 6 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 6 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Nehemiah 9, Psalm 143

March 15 9:30
Chapter 9 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 7 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 7 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Isaiah 26, Psalm 77

March 29 9:30
Chapter 10 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 8 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 8 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Romans 3, Psalm 5

April 12 9:30
Chapter 10 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 8 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 8 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Philippians 2 Psalm 27

Hello all

I think the weather got everyone today. Our next meeting is scheduled for the 7th of December. We will discuss today's reading which is posted below. If you are stressing over the Boice, read the Lucado and the Scripture. I will cover the Boice for you. It is not a problem. Also, please bring your prayers and examples of grace or gracelessness on the seventh. After the seventh we will probably suspend the group for one month until January 4th or 11th which ever works for all of you.
Thanks bunches. BEV

Small Group, Grace

23 November, 2013

Reading:
Chapter 4 of Max Lucado’s book Grace, More Than We Deserve, Chapters 2 in both Boice Books, the Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace and  Doctrine of Grace, Chapter 4 of Galatians and Psalm 38.

In Galatians 4, Paul tells the Galician church that they have forgotten the gospel message. He points to the path of the law which is slavery and death and the path of Jesus’ atoning death and following reconciliation to God. He further states the first path leads to isolation and sectarianism and the second path leads to joy, freedom and abundant public presence.
He illustrates his argument with Sarah’s history contrasted to Hagar’s; that one’s sons inherit the kingdom while one’s sons inherit desolation.
Paul here uses Scripture to illustrate his point about grace, that we are saved not by our own works or by a combination of works righteousness and Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, but by the full efficacy of Jesus’ death on the cross. That His sacrifice frees us from the bondage of the law and the death of sin. Jesus’ sacrifice cancels our debt in full without additional credit or remaining balance.
In Psalm 38, David knows the depth of his sin in separation from God. He grieves his unholy state and seeks forgiveness and reconciliation.
Lucado speaks of grace perfectly sufficient to our needs. He says we may rest in Jesus, no longer grieving separation from God, because through Jesus we are again reconciled.
Boice speaks passionately for the church and against the culture that chips away at the need for Jesus and the truth of our sin. In The Gospel of Grace, Chapter 2, he establishes the patterns of this age: secularism, humanism, relativism, materialism, pragmatism, and mindlessness. He defines each of these and then illustrates how these cultural segues have infected the church. Finally he implores us to use our minds, to think through our faith.
In the Doctrines of Grace, Boice discusses the history of Calvinism as it relates to the rise and fall of the church. He Speaks of Calvin’s Geneva, the Puritans in England, the Great Awakening in America, and ends his illustrations with Kuyper in Holland in the late 1800's.
Boice moves from these illustrations to a discussion of Calvinism falling to cultural weakening and eventually to liberalism and an understanding of faith that is neither faithful or grace-filled. He ends the chapter with a discussion of the present evangelical crisis, pleading with the church to restore sound Biblical teaching and concomitant doctrine from which freely flow evangelicalism.
Thank you for reading. See you soon. The internet is down, no doubt due to ice. I will post this when I am able.
Blessings BEV

Grace: Abundant, Gospel, Doctrine

For Saturday October 12 2013

Our reading for today is The first two chapters of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado

Scripture John 8:1-11, Psalm 6

Lucado assures us that God can change our hearts. "God answers the mess with one word:grace." He goes on to ask if we really know what grace means. We use the word often enough, but with little or no thought as to its actual meaning. He suggests we settle for wimpy grace; a type of grace that never causes too much trouble or asks for a response.

So how do we long for something and then settle for something else? How to we long for salvation from our selves, our sins our pestilential human nonsense and then settle for more of the same. Easy we're human and our nature is perverse. "Grace comes after you," Lucado writes. I thought of The Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson. The notion that God hounds us with His grace, He humbles himself even unto a cross and our ways leave us we are truly dead to sin when He indwells in us; this notion arrests us, holds us captive. God sinks in deeper.

Lucado puts it this way (paraphrasing): from insecure to god secure we are given a heart transplant, a transplant where God sees hears knows the heart of Jesus which covers our dead tired sinful heart, paying out grace to cover our sin.

Chapter 2 begins with a look at John 8:1-11, noting especially that Jesus stoops lower than anyone when he writes in the dirt with his finger. "He says grace is a God who stoops," again the visual image is of humbling.

In the passage from John 8 Jesus stands and asks, "where are your accusers?" The question is simple, but pair this with the meaning of the name Satan as the accuser and the event takes a turn. Jesus stands between the woman and her accusers, Jesus stands between us and our accuser, even The Accuser, though our sentence is death he brings grace and life.

Jesus doesn't condemn the woman nor does he condemn us. John 3:16-17 tells us that Jesus did not come to condemn but to save.

Next meeting:

October 26th, 9:30

Chapters 3 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 1 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 1 of The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture:  Genesis 21:1-21, Psalm 32

If you have questions or comments please e-mail me or comment on this blog. 

Grace, Abundant, Gospel and Doctrine, http://graceabundantgospel.blogspot.com/
Small Group
Dexter First Presbyterian Church

October 12th, 9:30
The first two chapters of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Scripture John 8:1-11, Psalm 6

October 19th break

October 26th, 9:30
Chapters 3 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 1 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 1 of The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture:  Genesis 21:1-21, Psalm 32

November 2 break

November 9th, 9:30
Chapter 4 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 2 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 2 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Galatians 4, Psalm 38

November 16th break

November 23rd
Chapter 5 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 3 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 3 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Isaiah 44, Psalm 51.

November 30 break

December 7th 9:30
Chapter 6 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 4 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 4 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: 2 Samuel 12, Psalm 102

December 14th break

December 21st 9:30
Chapter 7 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 5 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 5 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Colossians 2, Psalm 130,

December 29th break
January 4th break

January 11th 9:30
Chapter 8 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 6 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 6 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Nehemiah 9, Psalm 143

January 18th break

January 25th 9:30
Chapter 9 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 7 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 7 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Isaiah 26, Psalm 77

February 1st break

February 8th 9:30
Chapter 10 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 8 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 8 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Romans 3, Psalm 5

February 15 break

February 22nd 9:30
Chapter 10 of Grace, More than We Deserve, Greater than We Imagined by Max Lucado
Chapter 8 of Whatever Happened to The Gospel of Grace, James Montgomery Boice
Chapter 8 of  The Doctrines of Grace, by James Montgomery Boice
Scripture: Philippians 2 Psalm 27
Consider shifting to Tuesday evenings in December because the fellowship hall will be in use most of this month or we could finish in January/February