1. This morning our lesson was based on the special request that is made in Hebrews 12:28 -- "let us have grace." 2. We showed: a. what grace is b. how we become servants of God through grace c. how we need God's grace to serve Him faithfully in His kingdom. 3. This brings us to our lesson for this evening -- because we need God's grace, "let us avoid falling from grace." 4. Let us begin by showing how . . . Discussion: I. THE BIBLE CONTAINS MANY WARNINGS AGAINST FALLING FROM GRACE
A. Hebrews 3:12-14 B. Hebrews 4:11 C. 2 Peter 2:20-22 D. On the basis of these warnings, let us examine . . . II. SOME THINGS THAT CAN CAUSE A CHRISTIAN TO FALL FROM GRACE
A. "Tribulation" (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21) B. "Seeking to be justified by the law of Moses" (Galatians 5:1-4) C. "Loving the world" (2 Timothy 4:10a) D. "Erring from the truth" (James 5:19-20) E. "Leaving the first love" (Revelation 2:4-5) F. To remain faithful to the Lord, Christians must guard against being overcome by things such as these. G. Let us turn our attention to . . . III. SOME INSTRUCTIONS THAT WILL PREVENT FALLING FROM GRACE
A. "Run the Christian race with patience, keeping our eyes focused on Christ" (Hebrews 12:1-3) B. "Resist Satan" (James 4:7b) C. "Develop the Christian graces with diligence" (2 Peter 1:5-11) D. "Remember that the Lord is able to keep us from falling" (Jude 24) E. "Endure tribulation, knowing that a crown of life awaits those who are faithful" (Revelation 2:10) Conclusion:
1. The Bible teaches that a Christian can fall from grace. 2. Let us: a. heed the warnings given in the Bible against falling from grace b. beware of things that can cause us to fall from grace c. practice these instructions that will keep us from falling from grace.
