Main Idea: The gospel of grace leads to unity through holiness and sacrificial love for others.
- The purposeful pursuit of ___________________ in the gospel of grace brings encouragement to the church (vs. 22-27).
- Christian liberty in the gospel of grace is the freedom to pursue ____________________________ before God and __________________ for others (vs. 28-29).
“God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from human doctrines and commandments that are in any way contrary to His Word or not contained in it. So, believing such doctrines, or obeying such commands out of conscience, is a betrayal of true liberty of conscience. Requiring implicit faith or absolute and blind obedience destroys liberty of conscience and reason as well” [London Baptist Confession of Faith (chapter 21-paragraph 2)]
*Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 8; Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 6:12
- Unity, holiness, and love rooted in the gospel of grace leads to true ____________ and ____________________ (vs. 30-35).
Today’s Key Insight! If you were to share a key insight from today’s sermon with a friend, what would you say?
Today’s Lunch Discussion: Why is unity in the church important? Is unity the root or a fruit of the gospel of grace? How did the Jerusalem council communicate with the gentiles, and why is that significant? How should we pursue unity? What is significant about the four things the gentiles were asked to abstain from? How would the unity of the Antioch church benefit from “keeping themselves” from the things in the letter? Why is it vital that we not devalue nor ignore any part of the Old Testament? What is the whole Bible about? How does understanding the main premise of the Bible being the surpassing significance of Jesus Christ and His salvation bring the various parts of the Bible together? Do you view the pursuit of holiness as freedom? Do you tend to drift more towards legalism or license? How does grasping the gospel of grace deliver us from both? Is your joy increasing? Pray right now for your rejoicing to increase as you grasp more clearly the gospel of grace.