Part 1: Pursue Peace & Be Holy (click here)

* The Grace of God 

The grace of God is in view. Verse twenty-eight says, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:” Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. There are several points here:

* Salvation is all by God’s grace.

* Living the Christian life is all by God’s grace.

* (Refer back to verse 14) There are some who are not pursuing peace with others. As a result of this, they are falling short of living the grace-empowered life. They are being hindered from running the Christian race to their full potential.

* There are some who are not pursuing holiness (sanctification) or living a life that is consecrated to the Lord. Because they are attempting to please themselves in the flesh, they are falling short of living the grace-empowered life.

MHC said of Esau’s example: That apostasy from Christ is the fruit of preferring the gratification of the flesh to the blessing of God and the heavenly inheritance.

So the question to believers today is, “Do you want to please your own flesh more than you want to receive the blessing of God in your life?

If we are to finish our Christian race correctly, we must diligently pursue peace and not give place to sin!