More Grace
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8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
Intro
Intro
I have preached on grace before, but we are going to go a little deeper
What is grace?
What is grace?
Hebrew and Greek words used for grace both deal with favor
Unmerited favor of God – was the description used when I was a kid, a good definition, but let’s break it down
Merit is when you earn or deserve something
You get a high grade on a test because you studied
You get a paycheck because you worked those hours
Favor - When someone does something good for you; positive action in your life, something to benefit you
Will you do me a favor? – Will you do something good for me, a positive action
We are used to merited favor
Return the favor is merited favor
Scratch my back and I will scratch your back
Parents expect their kids to do favors for them, bring me stuff, do stuff
How many young people have heard, “After all I have done for you!”
But because of God’s love, we can receive unmerited favor, grace
I receive something good that I have not earned, grace
Something positive from God that I do not deserve, grace
something awesome that I have not worked for, grace
God does us a favor, even though we did not do one for him . . . unmerited favor, grace
we all need more grace!
Why do we need grace?
Why do we need grace?
back to our scripture verse
8 And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
two reasons:
we need grace, so that we will always have everything we need
also, the verse teaches us that we need grace if we want to excel, go beyond expectations
let me use some bad English to help get this across,
The Bible teaches that the earth and everything it it belongs to God, including us
so we have nuthin’ (came in naked)
and the Bible teaches that nobody is righteous before God
so we don’t be deserving nuthin’
we have nunthin’, we don’t be deserving nuthin’ . . .so we definitely need some favors . . we need grace
and we need it for everything!!!
and the scripture says God is able to make EVERY grace . . . there’s more than one kind grace?
yes! Just to name a few:
saving grace
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Help me work for Christ grace
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
Spiritual gifts grace
6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;
Miraculous power grace
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.
Sustaining grace
9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
strengthening grace
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
power to live right grace
12 We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
grace for mercy
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
you want mercy? go to the throne of grace!
I’ve preached that mercy stops that bad stuff, grace gives the good stuff
and it’s good to divide them so that we can really appreciate what God does for us
but in reality mercy falls under grace, because mercy (leniency, forgiveness, another chance, stopping the bad stuff) is a favor that we have not earned
helping grace
the end of the verse says, “and find grace to help in time of need”
so whatever type of help you need, it comes through grace!
That’s why you need more grace!
Before I go on, this is not a “I can get whatever I want sermon”, or a “name it and claim it” sermon, but it is a “Let me get everything God has for me” sermon
And we are guilty of not utilizing God’s amazing grace to its full potential
grace is operating in our lives, but not overflowing/abounding/abundance in our lives
we seem to be living off of just enough grace
god’s grace is that smart phone
take pictures, browse internet, control the A/C, check the worthy, text, social media, find a job, order food, play songs, change the television station, get directions, shop, bible reading plans, buy tickets, fax documents, watch movies, send and receive money
but all we do is make calls
We need more grace, we need to grown in grace
18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
but we don’t receive more because here are some
Grace blockers
Grace blockers
what’s blocking more grace from our lives
what is keeping grace from overflowing in our lives
what’s keeping grace from growing
Grace blocker #1: We are not humble
Grace blocker #1: We are not humble
6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
God is against the prideful, but gives grace generously to the humble
God gives undeserved grace to those who realize that grace is truly undeserved
some of us need to lay our pride aside, and quit blocking grace from our lives
pride is such a sneaky sin, that no one really ever thinks they are prideful, so let me help you with a pride check, give you some signs that you need to lay your pride aside
you need to lay your pride aside, if all you pray about are you and yours
you are so important that you have no concern for others
when did you get so important?
Jesus taught us to serve others, live for others
your life is not supposed to be about you . . . don’t block grace
prideful people complain a lot
how could something negative be happening to me???!!!
I don’t deserve this!
like you are so special that you are above trials and tribulations
so prideful that you are not thankful for what grace has already given you
don’t block grace from your life with a prideful, complaining spirit
also lay your pride aside if you think you are better than others . . “i ain’t like these other . . .people”
some of you have a good work ethic, have common sense, and ambition . . . and you are not like these other people . . . you think you have what you have . . . because of you (work hard, not stupid, wanted to do something with your life) . . . . and you don’t realize it’s because of grace
God could take your work ethic, your common sense, and ambition, and drop you in another country/situation/circumstance, and you would be selling plums on the street corner, or worse selling drugs, or prostituting . . .
but God . . .
let you be born here
had someone there to guide you
let you see someone to inspire you
let you escape when you should have been caught up (another chance)
grace!
then where do you think you got that natural work ethic, common sense, and ambition?
they came from God . . . grace . . . lay your pride aside and get more grace
7 For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?
some of you look down on people with jail records, but you are only a couple of circumstances away from jail or the grave . . .let life be going rough and then somebody does you wrong
that disagreement could have escalated but circumstances dictated otherwise (not you)
road rage - honk with an attitude at somebody who is not going on the green light . . . like you have never been distracted . . .if they had given you the finger, you would have chased them down the street
you were almost that parent fighting at the kids softball game (my experience)
did you forget that your blood alcohol level were over the legal limit, but you didn’t get pulled over?
That’s grace! God did you a solid! you’re know better than the next person
some young people will lie to their parents, but look down on their friends that lie to them
so you can lie, but how dare somebody lie to you!
in Bible study we talked about how people have relations with all these people, but have the nerve to look down on someone who got pregnant out of wedlock (that could have been/should have been me)
Why would God give grace to someone who will treat grace like it’s not a gift, not a favor . . lay your pride aside
when you are humble, you talk like the writer of Proverbs 30
7 O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. 8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. 9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.
he gets it! He doesn’t look down on rich or poor
I told you before (24 years of marriage this July 7th) One of the reasons we made it was because we were too broke to go anywhere else
you need to lay your pride aside, if you won’t go to others for help
don’t want to admit that you don’t have it all together, can’t handle it
going to someone for help might be how God’s grace will get to you
you need to lay your pride aside, if you have a problem with praise
from Bible study, we learned that the woman who was humble and realized that she was a sinner who had been forgiven of much . . . was so grateful, that it spilled over into worship, fell at Jesus’s feet, washed his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, spent money on expensive perfume to anoint his feet . . . and she did it in front of others
many of us are still working on lifting our hands, saying hallelujah above a whisper
when you lay your pride aside, you don’t care about people watching you and what they think
or even better, you won’t them to think that God is worth all that praise!
be humble and don’t block grace
in fact, be humble enough to keep what you already have
Grace blocker #2: lack of faith
Grace blocker #2: lack of faith
Ephesians 2:8a - For by grace are you saved through faith
What saves us? . . . grace!
we don’t deserve it, we haven’t earned it, but we are saved anyway because of God’s grace
how do we get that grace? through faith
a lack of faith will block grace in your life
you need a faith that believes that all things are possible with God
nothing is too hard, it’s not too late for God
this faith will cause to you pray for bigger things
you have not because you ask not . . . many of us are getting exactly what we ask for, and have put the handcuffs on God
Jesus did not do a lot of miracles in his hometown because they did not believe
you have this Check is in your hand but you won’t cash it
“check is probably no good”
you need faith to believe that God will actually give YOU grace, favor YOU
we make the mistake of measuring his goodness, his forgiveness, his compassion, his ability to look beyond our faults . . . we measure all that against our own
we block God’s grace, because we don’t have the faith that God is that good
but Look at the thief on the cross (example of grace)
41 “And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
this criminal admitted his sin and what would be the fair judgment
but he has enough faith to boldly ask for grace (remember me, asking for a reward)
remember me when you get famous (give me something, money)
Remember me means do something for me
I know I am a criminal but remember me
Jesus said “today you will be with me in Paradise”
not, “you’re too evil”
Not, “it’s too late”
Not, “you’re just asking ‘cause you’re in trouble”
He said, “ok!”
God wants to say, “ok” to you too
Can you admit that you’ve done wrong, but you also know that God is so good that you can still ask for grace?
I messed up in my teenage years, I deserve all of the consequences, but Jesus, remember me
I acted a fool at the job
I didn’t do right in my marriage
I didn’t do right by my child
i didn’t do right by my body
I didn’t do right by my money
Don’t you underestimate grace!
We live, depend on, trust in God’s grace and not in what we deserve
remember, by faith we are not expecting what I deserve…….Looking for some favors
I’m not expecting regular results . . . looking for a miracle
Certainly if we can have faith to get saved by grace, we can have faith to live by grace
also, unblock grace by having Faith that will cause you to demonstrate it by your works
you’ll give because you believe God will give back but pressed down, shaken together
submit the application
make that phone call
write that vision
take the first step
then we block grace because we don’t trust god
don’t trust him with: money, sex, parenting, marriage, relationships
but a lot of grace, a lot of his blessings come through trusting what his word says about those things
Faith to keep waiting on the Lord
won’t give up
stay committed to following the Lord
more humility, more faith, more grace
more humility, more faith, more grace
examine your humility, examine your faith
note: Sometime the problem could be that we are looking for the wrong type of grace
Paul was looking for deliverance grace, but got sustaining grace
When we get more grace, God gets more glory
When we get more grace, God gets more glory
7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
God WANTS to give us more grace because He is going to point to us as examples of his grace, and all of creation will go wow!!!!
Look at what he’s already done!
Joseph - convict to a vizier
Moses - a murderer to a deliverer
David - Shepherd to king
Esther Orphan to Queen
Paul - persecutor to apostle
His 12 - disciples were nobodies: fishermen, a tax collector, wanna be revolutionary
Some of you think you are a nobody, no future, no possibilities, no prospects . . . are perfect candidates for Grace!
why not give God a chance to say
look what I delivered him from
look how I turned their life around
look at how far I brought them
look How I changed her
look I I used her to change the world
look at what he started with, and look at what he has now
none of them deserve it, but I am a good God, gracious God
Closing: one of the first blessings that God gave to Israel
open the door to grace with humility and faith!
Invitation
Invitation
humility to confess sin, faith to believe that God will make you his child because of what Jesus did on the cross
another note: Can we do whatever we want and just ask for grace?
God forbid
The correct response to grace is holiness
holiness, righteous living doesn’t bring the favor because our righteousness is as dirty rags
but holiness and righteous living are the proper responses to favor from God
