Study Notes

FOUNDATION STATEMENT: Grace is always a free gift; grace to be healed, to be prosperous is always free-Eph 2:8

 

I.      When you come into the Kingdom all the Heavenly goods have already been paid for.  You can’t earn them, work for them, or pay for them.  The Kingdom doesn’t operate on buying and selling, but on giving and receiving.  So you don’t have to pay for what you need, you just have to receive it; Salvation is the gift (present, offering) of God

A.    Everything you need in the kingdom has already been paid for by the blood of Jesus

1.      Ephesians 1:7, Galatians 3:13-My redemption is through the shedding of his blood

a.      Redemption-Releasing/liberation effected by payment of ransom

b.      What was the payment? Through his blood

2.      I was released and liberated b/c somebody paid for my freedom

a.      If something is free for you it’s b/c somebody paid for it

3.      1 Corinthians 7:22-23-I was bought with a price 

B.     As powerful as the blood is, it alone is not enough to cause u to overcome-Rev12:11

1.      The blood has bought you out of sickness, but if you’re don’t add your words to it you won’t receive what the blood did

2.      Grace is the blood; faith is the word of your testimony

3.      In the Kingdom everything is free you just have to receive it with your faith

II.     Grace (or things that come from God) are received through faith, not through works 

A.    It is not through works b/c u can’t pay for what’s already been paid 4, u can’t earn what has already been earned, & u can’t work 4 what’s already been worked 4

1.      Jesus already earned it, worked for it, and paid for it so you can’t

a.      It’s not that you shouldn’t work for it, you can’t work for it

b.      I can’t pay for your car if it’s paid for; I can’t earn your paycheck

2.      Salvation is not for sale or hire; it’s not available to be worked for; it’s a free-gift

B.     God wants to give based solely on His love & not based your working & His owing

1.      There’s no love/grace in you getting your paycheck from your boss; where that paycheck is concerned we can’t talk about the love of your boss we can only talk about what hard worker you are 

2.      If your boss doubled your paycheck out of his own pocket and you didn’t earn it, then you’re going get a stronger revelation that your boss loves you

3.      God wants love to be magnified, in the Kingdom love is king (John 13:34)

4.      If what God gave to you were based on works, you wouldn’t get much, but if He gives it you based on grace He can overflow your cup

III.   Not of works doesn’t mean that you do nothing to receive grace; Not of works means what you do doesn’t earn you anything, what you do doesn’t pay for anything

A.    I can do nothing to earn it, but I have to do everything to receive it

1.      What I do, I do to simply receive what is free

2.      My faith isn’t earning something, it’s receiving something

B.     “If you have to do something, then it’s not grace.”

1.      EX: I bought you an 80,000 car but it’s in Saint Louis you just pick it up; is that grace

C.    Faith vs. Works

1.      Faith is not works-If you’re in faith you’re not working to earn something you’re believing to receive something-Mark 11:24

2.      Works is not faith-If you’re in works you’re not believing to receive something, you’re relying on your works; It’s not my doing, it his doing & my believing

D.    Faith is work and faith without works is dead (Faith is believing only & it is work)

1.      Labor (exert oneself, endeavor, give diligence) 2 enter rest by faith-Heb 4:3,11

a.      Real faith rests because it realizes the work has been done

b.      When you have entered into this rest you’ve stopped doing your own works

2.      1 Tim 6:12-It’s the fight of faith and the fight is to get to the place of rest with an adversary out there who is using everything he can to get you to not believe

a.      You have to meditate the Word, cast down thoughts, speak the Word, encourage yourself in the Lord, be thankful, and act like you have it not to earn something from God, but to stay in faith

IV.   Having a revelation that grace is a free gift, will keep it strong in your heart that all you have to do is believe (receive by faith)-Hebrews 4:10-All I’m doing is believing

A.    Jesus worked for it, paid for it the work is done; I’m not working, I’m believing

B.     That takes all the pressure off of me puts it on the Word of God

C.    The moment u start working for it can no longer be given to you by grace-Rom 11:6