THE POWER OF GOD'S GRACE

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Title: Power of God’s Grace

Introduction:

It had been a long flight and the crew was tired. This was even made more apparent by the rough landing. This particular airline had a policy that the pilot must stand by the door as the people exited to thank them for flying with the airline. The pilot was dreading this because of the hard landing, but he stood faithfully by. Surprisingly enough the people filed off and none said a word. Then came the last passenger, an elderly lady walking with a cane. As she got up to the captain she said, “Can I ask a question?”

“Sure” answered the captain.

“Did we land or were we shot down?”

Note – As this past week ended, you may not be sure if you landed or were shot down!

Note – Peter is building to a sobering conclusion. He has faithfully warned the early churches of false teachers.

Grace is the unlimited resource of God. It is the powerful inner working of the Holy Spirit to provide strength and to develop us into His image.

1 Corinthians 15:10 KJV 1900

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

He gives more grace.

I. The Potential of Grace-vs. 18

Note – Grow in grace.

Growing in Grace is not when you get more of God it is when God gets more of you.

We will never reach our potential apart from His grace.

A. God’s grace will strengthen the Christian.

2 Timothy 2:1–2 KJV 1900

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

1 Peter 5:10–11 KJV 1900

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Quote – “Kites fly highest against the wind, not with the wind.”–Winston Churchill

B. God’s grace will stabilize the Christian.

Note – Be rooted in Christ.

Colossians 2:6–7 KJV 1900

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Hebrews 12:28 KJV 1900

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

C. God’s grace will secure the Christian.

Ephesians 1:6 KJV 1900

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Note – God does not always isolate us from harm, but He surrounds us with His grace.

2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV 1900

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Ill – A vine clings to an oak tree, and in so doing, finds protection in the time of trial. If a violent storm arises and the vine is on the side of the tree away from the wind, the tree serves to protect the tree from the wind. If the vine is on the side of the tree exposed to the wind, the wind will only press it to the tree it already clings to. In the storms of our lives, God will at times set Himself between us and the fury of the storm, and so protect us from it. At other times, He will expose us to the storm so that its ravages, may serve to press us closer to Him.

The Potential of Grace

II. The Prevention of Grace

Note – Verse 17 is a warning!

Note- Warnings are needed!!

August 2004 Hurricane Charley hit Florida with winds of 145 mph, September 2004 Hurricane Frances hit Fl. with winds of 105 mph,

1. 1. The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs.

2. 2. The epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake was located in the Indian Ocean near the west coast of Sumatra.

3. 3. The violent movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates displaced an enormous amount of water, sending powerful shock waves in every direction.

4. 4. The tectonic plates in this area had been pushing against each other and building pressure for thousands of years. They continue to do so and will likely cause underwater earthquakes and tsunamis in the future.

5. The rupture was more than 600 miles long, displacing the seafloor by 10 yards horizontally and several yards vertically. As a result, trillions of tons of rock moved, causing the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years.

6. Within hours of the earthquake, killer waves radiating from the epicenter slammed into the coastlines of 11 countries, damaging countries from east Africa to Thailand.

7. A tsunami is a series of waves - the first wave may not be the most dangerous. A tsunami “wave train” may come in surges five minutes to an hour apart. The cycle is marked by the repeated retreat and advance of the ocean.

8. Despite a lag of up to several hours between the earthquake and the impact of the tsunami, nearly all of the victims were taken completely by surprise because there were no tsunami warning systems in place.

9. The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as far as 3,000 miles to Africa and still arrived with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property.

10. Many people in Indonesia reported that they saw animals fleeing for high ground minutes before the tsunami arrived – very few animal bodies were found afterward.

Ill – USA Today reported that the West Coast of Thailand and Indonesia did not have tsunami sensors on buoys. If they had, they may have received warning three to twelve hours in advance.

A. Beware lest you forget what you already know - verse 17 (Stir Up)

Note – Our knowledge needs to be translated into our lifestyle.

Ill – Martin Luther once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. On the third day his wife came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes.

“Who’s dead?” he asked her.

“God,” she replied.

Luther rebuked her, saying, “What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die.”

“Well,” she replied, “the way you’ve been acting I was sure He had!”

Note – No one can prevent your growth in grace except you.

Psalm 95:8 “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:”

Colossians 2:7–8 KJV 1900

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Note – Don’t let jealousy or pettiness or anger derail you.

Ill – Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon’s orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker’s church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. “I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead.” The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker’s study. It was Spurgeon. “You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed.”

B. Beware lest you fall from your stedfastness

An American Dictionary of the English Language STEADFASTNESS, STEDFASTNESS

STEAD´FASTNESS, STED´FASTNESS, n. Firmness of standing; fixedness in place.

2. Firmness of mind or purpose; fixedness in principle; constancy; resolution; as the stedfastness of faith. He adhered to his opinions with stedfastness.

Sterigmos – Stable in the faith

Ephesians 4:14–15 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

Matthew 7:24 KJV 1900

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

The Potential of Grace

The Prevention of Grace

III. The Power of Grace

A. Power to save

Ephesians 2:8–10 KJV 1900

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:4–7 KJV 1900

But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Quote – “God’s love flows from His character, not from ours. His love is not dependent upon anything we have done or will do. If you do nothing to serve Him the rest of your life, He will love you no less.”

B. Power to glorify God – verse 18c

Hebrews 12:28 KJV 1900

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

1 Corinthians 10:31 KJV 1900

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Conclusion

“It was a bright Sunday morning in 18th century London, but Robert Robinson’s mood was anything but sunny. All along the street there were people hurrying to church, but in the midst of the crowd, Robinson was a lonely man. The sound of church bells reminded him of years past when his faith in God was strong and the church was an integral part of his life. It had been years since he set foot in a church—years of wandering, disillusionment, and gradual defection from the God he once loved. That love for God—once fiery and passionate—had slowly burned out within him, leaving him dark and cold inside.

Robinson heard the clip-clop, clip-clop of a horse-drawn cab approaching behind him. Turning, he lifted his hand to hail the driver. But then, he saw that the cab was occupied by a young woman dressed in finery for the Lord’s Day, he waved the driver on; however, the woman in the carriage ordered the carriage to be stopped. “Sir, I’d be happy to share this carriage with you,” she said to Robinson. “Are you going to church?” Robinson was about to decline, then he paused. “Yes,” he said at last. “I am going to church.” He stepped into the carriage and sat down beside the young woman.

As the carriage rolled forward, Robert Robinson and the woman exchanged introductions. There was a flash of recognition in her eyes when he stated his name. “That’s an interesting coincidence,” she said, reaching into her purse. She withdrew a small book of inspirational verse, opened it to a ribbon bookmark, and handed the book to him. “I was just reading a verse by a poet named Robert Robinson. Could it be…?”

He took the book, nodding. “Yes, I wrote these words years ago.” “Oh, how wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Imagine! I’m sharing a carriage with the author of these very lines!” But Robinson barely heard her. He was absorbed in the words he was reading. They were words that would one day be set to music and become a great hymn of the faith, familiar to generations of Christians: Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, Tune my heart to sing Thy grace’ Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise. His eyes slipped to the bottom of the page where he read: Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it— Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above. He could barely read the last few lines through the tears that brimmed in his eyes. “I wrote these words—and I’ve lived these words. ‘Prone to wander…prone to leave the God I love.’”

The woman suddenly understood. “You also wrote, ‘Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.’ You can offer your heart again to God, Mr. Robinson. It’s not too late.” And it wasn’t too late for Robert Robinson. In that moment, he turned his heart back to God and walked with him the rest of his days.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it— Prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

Related Media

Related Sermons