Grace for Today - Activated

Intro self, recognitions, “Welcome home,” Slide w/QR Code, Welcome packet, testimonies, corporate prayer.

Opening

When peace like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows blow. Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, “it is well, it is well with my soul.” It is well, with my soul, it is well, it is well with my soul.

These words have been sung in the best of times and in the worst of times by Christians through the generations to steel our souls against fear, sorrow, and the ruthless storms of life. This great hymn was written by Horatio Spafford as he sailed past the watery grave of his four children to meet his bereaved wife in Europe. I’d like to summarize the story as told by Pastor Timothy Burt in his blog, Fresh Manna.

It was the winter of 1873, Spafford and his family had planned a trip to Europe to get away from the many trials they had faced since losing their only son to scarlet fever at the age of four, and all of their real estate holdings along the shores of Lake Michigan had burned up in the great Chicago Fire. They were in need of a sabbatical and planned to follow the evangelist DL Moody as he traveled around Britain on one of his great campaigns.

Some last-minute business matter delayed Horatio, but he encouraged his wife, Anna to sail on ahead of him from New York, along with his four daughters, on the French steamer, Ville de Havre. On November 2nd, 1873 the steamer carrying his wife and children would collide with an English vessel and sink to the depths in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people including the Spafford’s four children. Mrs. Spafford was spared only because of a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and kept her from drowning.

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join her. During that voyage, the captain of the ship called him to the bridge and told him “a careful reckoning has been made, and I believe we are now passing the place where the Ville de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep.” It is at that time, in that moment, when Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn, “It is well with my soul.”

Not many of us have faced the extensive tragedies experienced by Horatio Spafford, but we have all experienced trials and been “buffeted by Satan” in various ways. It is in these moments when doubt or fear, sorrow or despair begin to rear their ugly heads that the free flowing grace from heaven can be activated within us, and we can whole-heartedly say, “it is well with my soul.”

Pray

Intro

Last week we explored how Grace for today is received... it’s given freely through God’s favor, found in His presence, and accessed by faith. Grace for God’s Children flows freely from the throne room of God and through the cross of Christ at all times - it is the spring of all benefits disposed upon humanity . God lavishes us with His grace, not because we deserve it, but because His love determined it. And that is the nature of grace; it is undeserved and unearned, and even in most difficult moments of our lives it can be activated to produce peace like a river.

Today we are going to look at the concept of Grace Activated, how can we stir up the grace that God has lavished on us and bring it to the forefront of our response in any situation? We know that we have received grace, but the scriptures caution us not to receive it in vain. This means God’s grace should elicit a response. Once received, grace should be activated in our own lives, and then applied to the lives of those around us. We’ll talk about Grace applied next week, but for now let’s look at the ways grace is activated; through obedience, humility, and the will to persevere.

Grace activated through obedience

In Genesis 11:27-12:20 we read about the obedience of Abram. Just to set the stage, it was 367 years after the flood. The tower of Babel had fallen and the people of the earth had been scattered. Abram’s father, Terah took his family toward the land of Canaan and settled in Harran.

We read in Genesis 12:1–3 that “The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

And in verse 4, we don’t hear any questioning or reasoning from Abram, it just says “So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” (Genesis 12:4) Abram’s obedience is remarkable because he was willing to leave everything behind and journey to an unknown destination, trusting solely in God’s guidance despite not knowing where he was going!

At 75 years old, he had been living under his father’s roof, going where his father went, and tending his father’s livestock for his entire life. Then out of the blue, God just says “Leave your father’s house, and go where I show you.” Talk about getting out of your comfort zone! He has no idea where he’s going, how he will survive, or how he’s going to provide for his family, but He knows that God is with him.

His obedience activates God’s grace within him. The unmerited, unearned favor of the Lord was upon him and he simply does what God says to do. In Genesis 15:6, we read that “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Just as we are saved by grace through faith, Abram was also “credited” righteousness by the same grace even though Jesus had not yet come.

The call to obedience today is no different than Abram’s. It may not come in the form of being asked to leave our father’s house to go and possess a land God will show us, but we are asked to leave our old attitudes, habits, values and actions and to possess the promised inheritance of a life marked by Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “to put off our old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of our minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” When we are born again, we leave the household of our old master; sin, and set out follow God to possess the promised life of grace he will show us.

This is something that requires intentional effort, we must consciously choose to trust and obey. (another timeless hymn, by the way). People don’t drift toward holiness, as D.A. Carson has said, “People don’t drift toward holiness. They drift toward compromise and call it tolerance, they drift toward disobedience and call it freedom.”

It says in Titus that Grace teaches us to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Grace for today is activated through obedience, and that grace helps us to say “no” to temptation and sin, and to say “yes” to Jesus. Grace doesn’t give me freedom to sin, grace gives me freedom from sin.

Grace activated through humility

Esther is another example of God’s grace activated in the life of a believer. Her story is full of examples of how humility can activate God’s grace during difficult and sometimes scary situations. Her remarkable self-awareness and willingness to seek wise counsel increased her favor with everyone around her. Seeking no honor for herself, she humbly approached the king, demonstrating a powerful trust in God rather than in human outcomes.

Like Esther, we should know that demanding advancement or expecting to be honored doesn’t move the heart of God. We can activate God’s unmerited favor in our lives by humbling ourselves, trusting that God will lift us up, defend us, and deliver us at the right time.

Romans 12:3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” This scripture says, “Do not think too highly of yourselves,” and there are many examples in the bible of great leaders who actually thought too lowly of themselves!

Moses’ first meeting with God turned into an argument about sending someone else, someone better equipped to bring the people out of Egypt. Gideon was hiding like a coward in a winepress when an Angel appeared and called him, “Valliant warrior.” David was entirely overlooked by his family when Samuel anointed him as king over Israel. And God’s great grace came upon them all.

It’s our humility in our weaknesses that activates God’s all sufficient grace. We all know in 2 Corinthians 12:9 how the Lord says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul replies, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” This is humility in action.

There is something to be said about knowing who we are in Christ, knowing our weaknesses, our gifts, and limitations, and being honest with ourselves - without any need for fakery. If we can be genuinely "boast gladly about our weaknesses,” then with God’s grace, and Christ’s power we can become who He has called us to be.

The number one obstacle to activating Grace for Today is pride. James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor (grace) to the humble.” Pride hardens our hearts against the grace of God and leaves no opportunity for the potter to massage the clay. God is seeking humble, willing, and available children who are looking to come alongside what He is already doing in the earth, and who will seek to follow wherever He goes.

Grace activated through perseverance

One more example of God’s grace activated in the most devastating circumstances is, of course, Job. This Old Testament patriarch is probably history’s best-known sufferer. Despite losing everything, Job maintained his faith in God, who ultimately restored him and blessed him abundantly.

The story of Job emphasizes that true perseverance, rooted in faith, activates God’s grace to trust His plan, and to find comfort in difficult times. James 5:11, the only place Job is mentioned in the New Testament, credits the favorable outcome of his story to his perseverance, saying “we count as blessed those who have persevered… the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

It is often our sheer will to persevere that activates God’s Grace to overcome and push through the most difficult times in our lives. Once activated, God’s Grace brings out our giftings and abilities which are needed in any particular situation. Bobby Alger said at our DOVE conference something that really stuck with me. He said, “God’s Grace is the divine enablement placed on you that establishes and enhances the abilities that God has placed in you.”

In a single day, Job lost his wealth, servants, and children, and was then struck with a painful, disfiguring disease that left him scraping his sores with pottery shards. His suffering encompassed the material, emotional, physical and mental anguish of a thousand lifetimes. But despite these trials, Job persevered, maintaining his trust in God with powerful declarations like, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” and “I know that my Redeemer lives.” His perseverance ultimately brought about God’s blessing.

Closing

Now, we’ve highlighted the lives and situations of several Old Testament figures as examples of God’s grace activated in the life of a believer, but as I close, I’d like to look for a moment at the life of Peter. He may have known a thing or two about grace, don’t you think? This is the disciple who denied Jesus three times. Not only that Jesus was not the Messiah, but he denied that he was his disciple or a Christian at all.

Despite this terrible sin, Christ demonstrated His amazing mercy, grace and love by appearing to Peter right after His resurrection, first among the disciples. A private meeting which showed God’s unbelievable grace that can forgive even the most profound betrayal. Peter knew about grace, and in his letter to the early Christians, he highlighted the three most appropriate responses in 1 Peter 5:6-10.

Let’s look at this section of Scripture as it was written for Christians today as well. He tells us to be humble in verses 6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6–7 )

He encourages us to be steadfast in our obedience in verses 8-9, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8–9)

And he motivates us to persevere through our trials in verse 10, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal lory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10)

The grace of God is upon us all, every day, regardless of our circumstances. It is the result of His great love for us and there is nothing we can do to earn it. However, we must not receive God’s grace in vain, and we are called activate it in our daily lives through obedience, humility, and perseverance.

This week in your small groups, read 1 Peter 5:6-10 again, and discuss which of these three you find to be the most difficult. Share with the group a time when you felt like God was calling you out of your comfort zone, or you had to overcome your pride for a better outcome, or a time when you needed to persevere through a difficult situation. How was God’s grace activated in your life as a result of your obedience, humility or perseverance?

Pray (Stand)

Lord, Jesus - Thank you for your amazing grace! Thank you for lavishing your love and mercy upon your children, and for giving us the choice to respond to you. Thank you for your forgiveness for all the times we did not respond with grace. Please help us to remember that your grace is always available to us, and to keep our pride from blocking it. We humble ourselves before you in obedience to your great love, and we commit to push through our circumstances without giving up on our faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The intercessors are available to pray with you this morning for grace, for healing, for salvation and intercession for loved ones. The elders and I are also available to pray with you, just ask. We also lift the tithes and offerings to the Lord this morning.

We have a supernatural opportunity each week to demonstrate our faith in the Lord of all by giving a tithe of all our income to the ministry of the church. Lord, we thank you for every blessing we have in our lives. We believe according to your word that as we give this ten percent, you will bless the 90 and make it go even further than if we had kept 100. We bless these tithes and offerings, the gifts and the givers. We present them to you with joyful hearts, may they be pleasing to you and bring glory to your name. Amen.

There are three ways to give, digitally, in the basket at the altar, or the box in the vestibule. Those of you who are here for the first time today, just drop that contact card you filled out into one of the offerings - this service was our gift to you and we hope you’ll be back soon.

Finally, we also bless the elements of our Communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God our father for the bread, and to His Son who broke it for us. This is Jesus’ body, given for you - do this in remembrance of Him. We also bless the juice, giving thanks for the blood of the new covenant which was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins, as we drink it, we remember His amazing grace. By His blood we are forgiven, and by His stripes we are healed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Come to the table, pray, eat, drink and may “the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”