OUTLINE:

The Fruit of Grace
If there are circumstances in your life that you are still in bondage to, somewhere along the line, you’ve not received grace the way you ought to (e.g., missed it, rejected it, misunderstood it).

“for good works” - Tit 2:14
“Good” implies God’s scale of values, not man’s. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above...” (Jas 1:17a).

“good works”
They are never, ever by means of work done by you in the absence of His grace.

“but overcome evil with good”
You don’t have to actively or exhaustingly try to overcome evil (even that which is in your own life) by force; you simply leave it be and turn to good. Good is light and light extinguishes darkness without fail. Simply turn to good (e.g., repent).

Ro 12:19
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

“but overcome evil with good”
You don’t have to actively or exhaustingly try to overcome evil (even that which is in your own life) by force; you simply leave it be and turn to good. Good is light and light extinguishes darkness without fail. Simply turn to good (e.g., repent).

“What Is Good? And Who Gets To Define It? - Part 1 (of  17)”
11/9/2017

1Th 5:15; 21-22
See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone...but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Is 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
 who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
 who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter!

“but overcome evil with good”
You don’t have to actively or exhaustingly try to overcome evil (even that which is in your own life) by force; you simply leave it be and turn to good. Good is light and light extinguishes darkness without fail. Simply turn to good (e.g., repent).

“When have/do I depend on my own devices in the absence of God’s grace to accomplish a work?”

When You’re Under Pressure...
Do you strive or do you seek contentment?

1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain
Give this serious thought! Godliness and contentment are a “package deal” (akin to love and obedience).

MacArthur on “contentment” (1Ti 6:6)
This Greek word means “self-sufficiency,” and was used by Stoic philosophers to describe a person who was unflappable and unmoved by external circumstances. Christians are to be satisfied and sufficient, and not to seek for more than what God has already given them. He is the source of true contentment (2Co 3:5; 9:8; Php 4:11-13, 19).

1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain
Give this serious thought! Godliness and contentment are a “package deal” (akin to love and obedience).

Eve’s Example
Any attempt to do good in the absence of God’s grace results in misery. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise...” (Gen 3:6). The result? Spiritual death and curses from God. If God doesn’t give it to you, it isn’t good for you!

Persistence Wins!
Keep going to the throne of grace for answers (ala Heb 4:16). God will either answer your prayers or change them. Either way, you will be delivered.

By Grace Through Faith
We go boldly to the throne of grace knowing that regardless of the answer(s) we receive back, they are intrinsically good because they are from God. We persist in seeking the truth, not that which our preconceptions have led us to believe is truth. Sanctification hones our persistence for grace.

Understanding Good That Sanctifies
Grace is good, as is the humility required to receive it.

“he deceives himself”
This is the epitome of covert arrogance - it “hides” sinfulness away, out of “sight.” This strategy allows sin to persist and avoid the scrutiny of introspective self-examination. Calling darkness light and light darkness accomplishes this. When our definitions are twisted, we are.

Understanding Good That Sanctifies
Grace is good, as is the humility required to receive it.

By Grace Through Faith We Are Saved
In this we must be supremely confident. This is both our assurance of positional sanctification (aka salvation, proper - Eph 2:8-9) AND experiential/progressive sanctification (aka being saved daily - Jn 17:12; 2Pe 2:9), as well as our ultimate sanctification (aka perfection in Heaven - Tit 3:7).

Eph 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2Pe 2:9
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.

Tit 3:7
so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

By Grace Through Faith We Are Saved
In this we must be supremely confident. This is both our assurance of positional sanctification (aka salvation, proper - Eph 2:8-9) AND experiential/progressive sanctification (aka being saved daily - Jn 17:12; 2Pe 2:9), as well as our ultimate sanctification (aka perfection in Heaven - Tit 3:7).

Grace Is Never Forced Upon Us
God presents us with grace (quite a merciful gesture, don’t you think?), commands we receive it, but never forces us to take it.

Sanctification is a function of obedience.

The Goal of Sanctification
The divine context for the life of a believer is love.