Grace Of God And Flaws Of Men

Grace of God and the Flaws of Men is a deep exploration of the truth and power of the Gospel through the failures of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These three men have always been celebrated as heroes of faith, and rightly so too. But before they emerged as true heroes, each of them also had several moments of weakness along their respective journeys in faith. This book is a delightfully counter-intuitive narrative of the flaws, failures and frustration of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But as we uncover each flaw of these three men, it is not the ugliness of their sin, but the beauty of God's grace that will be more obvious. Each chapter dives into the abominable depths of the sins of men, only to come back up with the dazzling riches of the Gospel of grace. This is the central theme of this book: when sin reigns darkest, grace shines brightest. And this grace is not just the mercy of God for our forgiveness; it is also the power of God for our transformation.

Explore this stunning quality of God’s grace: It never ends! In this revision of a foundational work, John Piper reveals how grace is not only God’s undeserved gift to us in the past, but also God’s power to make good happen for us today, tomorrow, and forever. True life for the follower of Jesus really is a moment-by-moment trust that God is dependable and fulfills his promises. This is living by faith in future grace, which provides God's mercy, provision, and wisdom—everything we need—to accomplish his good plans for us. In Future Grace, chapter by chapter—one for each day of the month—Piper reveals how cherishing the promises of God helps break the power of persistent sin issues like anxiety, despondency, greed, lust, bitterness, impatience, pride, misplaced shame, and more. Ultimate joy, peace, and hope in life and death are found in a confident, continual awareness of the reality of future grace.

Once upon a time, people knew their neighbors. They talked to them, had cook-outs with them, and went to church with them. In our time of unprecedented mobility and increasing isolationism, it's hard to make lasting connections with those who live right outside our front door. We have hundreds of "friends" through online social networking, but we often don't even know the full name of the person who lives right next door. This unique and inspiring book asks the question: What is the most loving thing I can do for the people who live on my street or in my apartment building? Through compelling true stories of lives impacted, the authors show readers how to create genuine friendships with the people who live in closest proximity to them. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter make this book perfect for small groups or individual study.

Why do Christians even mature Christians still sin so often? Why doesn't God set us free? We seem to notice more sin in our lives all the time, and we wonder if our progress is a constant disappointment to God. Where is the joy and peace we read about in the Bible? Speaking from her own struggles, Barbara Duguid turns to the writings of John Newton to teach us a theology with a purpose for our failure and guilt one that adjusts our expectations of ourselves. Her empathetic, honest approach lifts our focus from our own performance back to the God who is bigger than our failures and who uses them. Rediscover how God's extravagant grace makes the gospel once again feel like the good news it truly is

ôGrace. ItÆs what we crave most when our guilt is exposed. ItÆs the very thing we are hesitant to extend when we are confronted with the guilt of othersùespecially when their guilt has robbed us of something we consider valuable. Therein is the struggle, the struggle for grace. ItÆs this struggle that makes grace more story than doctrine. ItÆs the struggle that reminds us that grace is bigger than compassion or forgiveness. That struggle is the context for both. When we are on the receiving end, grace is refreshing. When it is required of us, it is often disturbing. But when correctly applied, it seems to solve just about everything. This struggle is not new; it has been going on since the beginning.ö ùAndy Stanley We find in the pages of Scripture that the stories found there often mirror our own stories, and that we too need the very thing we do not deserve: the grace of God. From the beginning, the church has had an uneasy relationship with grace. The gravitational pull is always toward graceless religion. The odd thing is that when you read the New Testament, the only thing Jesus stood against consistently was graceless religion. The only group he attacked relentlessly was graceless religious leaders. Even now as you think about grace, there might be a little voice in your head whispering, ôIt canÆt be that easy!ö ôWhat about obedience?ö ôWhat about disobedience?ö ôWhat about repeated misbehavior?ö ôWhat about bad habits?ö ôWhat about justice?ö ôWhat about repentance?ö ItÆs this tension that makes grace so slippery. But thatÆs the beauty and the truth of grace. We donÆt deserve it. We canÆt earn it. It canÆt be qualified. But God gives it to us anyway because he loves us unconditionally. The story of grace is your story. And as you are about to discover grace plays a larger role than you imagine.

An uplifting look at three famous and flawed fathers of the Christian church and how their lives can inspire us to fall in love with God and find the power to overcome our weaknesses. Augustine grappled with sexual passion. Martin Luther struggled to control his tongue. John Calvin fought the battle of faith with the world's weapons. Yet despite their failings, each man will always be remembered as a founding father to the Christian faith because of the messages they declared. And even with their deaths hundreds of years ago, their messages still speak today. John Piper explores each man's life, integrating Augustine's delight in God with Luther's emphasis on the Word and Calvin's exposition of Scriptures. Through their strengths and struggles, he teaches us how to better live today, for when we consider their lives, we behold the glory and majesty of God - and in that, find the power to overcome our weaknesses.

An intriguing study of what families of the Bible, which were far from perfect, can tell contemporary readers about today's imperfect families.