What is hyper-grace?" – in the Bible #7

On February 1, 2014, the message was about how to determine if a church is teaching the relatively newly dubbed “Hyper-Grace”. There were at least 8 identifiers. I have already covered #1-6.

The following are signs of a hyper-grace church:
1. The preachers never speak against sin.
2. The lead pastor never takes a cultural stand for righteousness.
3. The Old Testament is almost totally ignored.
4. People who live immoral lives are allowed to teach and lead ministries.
5. The lead pastor speaks often against the institutional church.
6. The lead pastor preaches against tithing.

7. The lead pastor only preaches positive motivational messages.

Those attending hyper-grace churches only hear positive messages on health, wealth, prosperity, God’s love, God’s forgiveness and how to succeed in life. Although I also agree with and teach on these topics, we have to be careful to include in our preaching the whole counsel of God so that we feed the flock a balanced diet instead of just the sweetness of feel-good messages.

This reminds me a lot of # 1 – they never speak against sin. I, also, agree with the good news, the Gospel, the promises of God’s forgiveness and all of the positive messages. However, this approach ignores the biggest little word in the Bible – IF.

John 10:
• 37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
• 38 "but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
o Jesus told us to believe in Him only IF He does the works of the Father

1 Corinthians 11:
• 1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
• 2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you.
o Paul, like Jesus, told his followers to follow him, ONLY as he followed Christ – keeping the Commandments of God

John 15:
• 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
• 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
• 11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
• 12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
• 13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
• 14 "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
o IF you keep His commandments
o IF you do whatever He commanded

John 14:
• 15 "If you love Me, keep My commandments.
o IF
• 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--
• 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Ecclesiastes 12:
• 8 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "All is vanity."
o “Been there, done that” – Solomon’s life was full of variety – He had done it all – including going at least a bit insane for a while – His assessment is that the experiences mattered to no one but himself.
• 9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
o God granted Solomon’s request for wisdom and he used it to teach others – including us through his writings in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs
• 10 The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright-words of truth.
o It appears he spent a lot of time choosing his words carefully
• 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
o And the words that he chose were intended to goad us into action
• 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
o Solomon acknowledged that many books have been and will be written – to study everything that is available results in ‘the paralysis of analysis’ – we get tired of studying after a while – then we must make a decision
• 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all.
o And THAT DECISION needs to be to fear God (hold Him in awe due to all He has done and promises to do) and to keep His commandments – in every facet of our lives – that is all we can do – and it is all He expects us to do
• 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
o God know our every thought, every time we stand up and every time we sit down and every time we lay down. That knowledge should be enough to shake us up to follow His way!

In today’s world, it is common to hear televangelists as well as preachers in organized churches, preach only the ‘soft’ stuff. They tell us the God will bless us with monetary fortune, if we but send them $1000 or more. We can be healed if we only let them lay hands on us – pound us on our forehead. Yes, they tell us the God is Love and that God will forgive us and that God promises a life of success. And He does but not necessarily in this human life. It may not exist for us until the Kingdom of God. We cannot earn it in any way, but we must follow the IFs –and follow, obey His commandments.