Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Grace Be With You

Bryan Schneider · August 14, 2021

1 Thessalonians 5:28

sharonrpc.org/sermons/grace-be-with-you

Summary

Paul closes 1 Thessalonians with a prayer that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ will be with the whole church.
Grace is God's unmerited favor: sinners cannot earn it, and Christ dies for them while they are still enemies.
Paul's conversion and the repentant thief demonstrate mercy received by guilty people who possess no claim upon God.
Jesus himself is the fountain and object of faith, the eternal Son who became man, obeyed perfectly, and bore the cross for sinners.
The believer's security rests not in the strength of faith considered by itself but in the gracious Savior upon whom faith rests.
Knowing Christ is the heart of Christian hope and the deepest joy of heaven, surpassing every created benefit.
Grace transforms recipients into conduits of grace who speak kindly, serve patiently, forgive, and answer evil with good.
Because the benediction addresses the whole congregation, Christ's grace must shape the church's shared patience, care, admonition, peace, and hope.

What does it mean to call grace God's unmerited favor?
Why can neither good behavior nor the strength of one's faith earn salvation?
How do Paul and the thief on the cross display grace toward enemies and the undeserving?
Why must Jesus himself, rather than created benefits, be the object of Christian faith and hope?
What did the Son do in becoming man, obeying the law, and bearing the cross?
Why is the presence of Christ the central joy of heaven?
How does received grace transform speech, parenting, caregiving, work, and relationships?
What does the plural scope of Paul's benediction require of the church as a community?

Grace: God's free and unmerited favor toward undeserving sinners in Jesus Christ.
Object of faith: Jesus Christ himself, upon whose person and completed work saving faith rests.
Fountain of grace: Christ as the personal source through whom God's saving favor and living water come to sinners.
Imputed righteousness: Christ's righteousness counted by God as belonging to those who receive him by faith.
Living water: Christ's gift of spiritual life that satisfies the deepest need and springs up to everlasting life.
Conduit of grace: A person transformed by Christ's kindness who extends undeserved kindness and edifying speech to others.
Benediction: A prayer of divine blessing spoken over God's people, here asking Christ's grace to remain with the whole church.