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Part 9-My God is Gracious

Genesis 21Romans 5

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• Grace and Mercy…These two words are fundamental to our understanding of who our God is and how He interacts with His creation. My father helped me understand these two key words with the following definitions. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve, while Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. In God’s mercy He forgives us of our sins and doesn’t cast us forever into hell. In God’s grace, He declares us righteous and makes us full members of His family and provides a new destiny, heaven.

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1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover

the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

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BIG IDEA:

Where Sin Abounds,

Grace Super Abounds!

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Our Disbelief (1-7)–Abraham and Sarah’s disbelief didn’t deter

God from keeping his promise to Abraham and Sarah. God graciously fulfilled His promise and gave Abraham and Sarah their child of promise, Isaac. God’s grace is tied to His character not our performance!

–When have you seen God’s grace overcome your disbelief?

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Our Disobedience (8-21)• Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own

hands and sought to fulfill God’s promise of children by sinfully having a child through Sarah’s handmaid. This disobedience resulted in Ishmael, whom would never be God’s child of promise. Despite their disobedience, God still acted graciously to Ishmael!

• Can you recall a time when you chose disobedience yet God chose grace?

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Our Deception (22-34)• Abimelech was the same king that Abraham had lied

to regarding his relationship with Sarah (Ch. 20). This deception by Abraham put Abimelech and his people at great risk. When the plot was uncovered one might have expected Abimelech to angrily punish and forever break relationship with Abraham. God, however, had other plans and King Abimelech became the first to grant legal standing for Abraham to dwell in the land of Canaan peacefully!

• Have you experienced God’s grace reconciling a relationship that your sin had damaged?

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Where Sin Abounds,Grace Super Abounds!Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled

Grace, grace, God’s grace,Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,Grace that is greater than all our sin!