My Grace is Sufficient

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 12:8–10kjv KJV 1900

8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 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. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Intro

It was Eleanor Roosevelt who once said in quotes

“a woman is like a tea bag. Only in hot water do you realist how strong she is”

Ain’t that good. Every sister in the room odd to put that on Facebook. I’m just like a tea bag, you don’t know how strong I am until I’m placed in hot water, but what if God doesn’t just want that word to be for just the sisters in the house. What if God says no, that’s for Christian brothers and sisters. You not know who you are until you have been place in hot water.

You though you was strong, but it really came out when you where under pressure, when life hit you with some unexpected moments, that you did not know.

You don’t really appreciate a windshield wiper until it starts raining. It’s sitting there, its in there, it’s operable (operate-able), but its not appreciated into the storms come. Y’all listen, but you not listening, see just like a car there’s some stuff in you that you don’t appreciate unto storms show up.

You don’t know how much faith you have unto your life is shaken.

You don’t know how much courage you have unto your life loses it’s equilibrium.

You don’t know how much swag you have unto someone walk up on you and says the wrong thing that could have really Brough out that other side of you that you try to suppress for your Christian ethnics and morality

Can I get the real folks in the room that can testify I learned a whole lot about me not on the mountain top, but I learned about me in the valley. I didn’t learn about God when life was good and serving ice cream and cake.

I learned about God when I lost money,

when I lost friends,

when I lost family,

when I lost my mind,

when I lost my stability.

Can anybody thank God that the pressure didn’t destroy you. The pressure only pulled out of you, that which was always in you.

Paul

You don’t know how strong you are until you are place in hot water. That’s really what Paul is trying to say.

Paul had revelations, he experience elevation,

he had revelations, he experience elevation,

he had revelations, he experience elevation,

one more time because y’all not getting he had revelations, he experience elevation,

he had seen things that nobody else had seen,

he had done things nobody else had done,

he had gone places nobody else had gone.

And when you have seen things and done things that nobody else has done you become a quick candidate for arrogance and pride, and God to protect you from becoming to empress with yourself, God sometimes will add some pain to you to remind you that you still human.

I’m preaching already. And that’s why in verse 7 Paul says that I was giving a throne in my flesh to buffet me. That word buffet in the original greek means to keep getting hit in the same spot. This isn’t like a throne on a rose bush, this is a long stake, a long metal stake that you would drive into the ground to keep a rope in place. It was if Paul was saying, I was been hit in the same spot.

Now we often take pressure:

if we are getting a little bit over here

a little over there,

a little bit in your family,

a little bit in your finances,

a little bit at the church,

a little bit at the job,

but when God allows the same pain to keep hitting you:

in the same spot,

the same person,

the same family member,

the same battle,

the same issue,

the same depression,

the same despair,

the same phone call,

the same co-worker, the same co-worker, the same co-worker, the same co-worker, the same co-worker.

and you like God can you send somebody else, but he keeps hitting you in the same spot.

Paul said, it was not until I was under the same pressure in the hot water. This long metal stake been driven into my flesh, I realized although I was been hit with this throne, God was hitting me with something else.

And you are Gifted and Blessed

no matter what you think about yourself,

no matter what other people say about you,

no matter what your bank account say right now,

even without a job, you still belong to God,

even without resources you still belong to God.

Who am I talking to in this place.

You can not let what you go through make you forget your identity,

You can’t allow your Calamity make you for forget, I still Anointed,

Yes I had some bad days, yes I made some mistakes, yes I’ve been hit in the same spot, but when you get finished hitting me I’m still Gifted, I’m still blessed, and the pressure is what quality me for the power of God, are y'all listening. (keep moving to the next point)

Point 1

Paul says yes you are Gifted and Blessed because you can make it through the pressure number 1. Because you have The sufficiency of God’s Grace

Look at someone and say you got God grace. This is all Paul is telling us here in verse 8 (NLT) 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Take this pressure from me, take this hot water from me, and God said nah Paul I’m not going to take it. My Grace, is sufficiency. You know we done hear that so much we don't even appreciate that but we need to hear it again. My Grace (shake your head).

NOTE: the question

Did you just hear the person pronoun on the front of grace, it did not say your grace it said my grace. God is saying it is the repository of my grace, its the resources from me, it’s my grace, and it is sufficiency grace, the unmarried favor of God, undeserved blessings.

Mercy & Grace

Mercy and grace are twins, Mercy is the stuff that is held back from you that you did deserve. See when you cut up in the grocery store with your mama and she was about the swing that belt at you or take that shoe off real quick, and in al 10 spank you, but she didn’t do it that mercy. But the same day that you cut up and you say mama can I have $10 to go to the movies and she gave you that $10 that grace. And when you get something that you do not deserve that grace and that’s why I’m confuse right know because I just told you that God said my grace sufficiency, more than enough, complete and in satisfactory and there people still looking at me like, huh.

I say that God grace in your life is completely satisfactory, more than enough.

Stuff that you did not earn,

stuff that you did not pray for,

stuff you did not qualify for,

maybe Im preaching the wrong message today, maybe this side will wake up with me, is there anybody in the house today that would say father I think you that your grace is sufficient.

See some people forget. You think this is all about you, You did it, I went to school, I drive this, I live here, don’t nobody care what you drive, where you live, that’s not why you are alive doing well right now. You are alive because God grace came in your situation and gave you some stuff that you did not deserve. (Pause: gets some breath)

Irresistible Grace

John Calvin that 16th century theologian calls it irresistible grace, Let the church say irresistible grace. He says God’s grace is irresistible. It’s like this, it catches you while you are still in your sin and it keeps easen (easy) you in. It’s seductive. You was jack up from the floor up, beat up from the knee up and Gods grace did not wait for you to get it together but God sent his grace to pull you in. And when you saw the blessing of God and the favor of God, you became so mesmerize (46:30) that his grace was just so irresistible. Can anybody admit that God grace pulled you in.

And that’s why I don’t like church people that is Judgmental because if God grace can pull you in, why are you sticking your nose up at anybody.

You just stop cursing,

you just stop twerking,

You just got save the other day,

you just learned where the book of Lamentations is , and you [I can’t believe she wore that]

if you don’t sit your Boujee want-a-be self down.

If God can pull us out the street,

out the club,

change the taste of weed and alcohol out of our mouths, he can pull any,(cut it short)

It was irresistible grace

John Westley

But then 2 century later another guy popped up on the scene and his name was John Westley and John Westley didn’t call it irresistible, watch this, he called it prevenient grace.

Prevenient Grace

John Westley say According to him, There’s a grace that meets you before you meet Jesus. Somebody say prevenient. That where the prefix pre come from, pre meaning before. Before you came to God, God loved you enough that he came and got you.

So you say I was looking for the lord, no God was looking for you. You ain’t save today cause you found the lord. You save today because the lord found you. It was prevenient, somebody in this house better stop perpetrating and say I think God while I was out there doing everything I knew how to do, he came and got me with his grace

Justifying Grace

but then John Westley says there’s something called Justifying Grace. See when I came into christ and I walked down the al and gave God my heart I was meet with justifying grace. That word justifying simply means I was born wrong but he made me right. See when you came to God and he cleaned you up and he washed you with his grace, you don’t even look like what you use to be. And every-now-and-then when you see somebody from your pass, and they say man you changed, you odd to tell them absolutely, because whenever you walk with God you ain’t suppose to look like you always looked. I’m covered in justifying grace.

Sanctifying Grace

But then John Westley goes another step and say, maybe there’s something called sanctifying grace. And that’s not prevenient before you came to christ or justifying grace when you came to christ, sanctifying grace says now that I am already save, I am still a work in progress.

And see God has pulled you the side to do a specific assignment, and let me tell you if you don't shout over nothing today you odd to be glad the Gods grace is sanctifying. Because although you know better you still don’t do better, God say I am still going to love you enough to stick with you, although I know you know better (really quick move on) somebody odd to open you mouth and forget about who siting beside you and say God thank you for not giving up on me. That’s sanctifying grace.

Now do me a favor you got to help me preach this thing, find somebody real quick and say neighbor can I keep it 100% I don’t know if it’s irresistible grace, I don’t know if it’s prevenient grace, I don’t know if it’s justifying grace, I don’t know if it’s sanctifying grace, but what I do know is, It’s amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found, Was blind, but now I see. Here’s for the old school saints: Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come; His grace, Brough me. Somebody odd to take 10 second and thank God for his grace, is sufficiency for you.

NOTE: keep preaching

Grace, that’s all in your bank account right now,

grace that’s what you put on this morning,

grace you woke up out a bed, that wasn’t bed that was grace,

you drove you thought that was a Honda no that was grace,

that job you working that’s grace,

that check you going to check that’s grace,

that breath you just took that grace,

and if you can’t thank him for nothing else, just say God thank you for your saving grace.

Church Folk

Wait a minute: the problem is church folk get too arrogant. Our anointing, and gifting has nothing to do with us but it’s all about what God is doing though us. Paul say I am anointed but that didn’t keep me from getting hit. When God hit me with the throne he hit me with something else. His grace.

You odd to walk in you job like a boss tomorrow. Don’t be arrogant, don’t put your head up in the air. Just walk in confident saying he who had begun, A good work in me will preform unto the day Jesus, (cut it short).

You got to walk up in there with some swag tomorrow. You odd to come though dripping, come dripping with this grace, come dripping with his favor, come dripping with this anointing. Then tell somebody I got drip for sale. That for the young folk, yea I’ve got plenty of this, because his grace, Paul say is sufficiency.

God Strength

Can I give you one more thing to carry though the week.

You don’t just have the sufficiency of God grace, but secondly you have the complexity of God strength. (Read the text slow:) My grace is sufficient for thee, my power is made perfect in your weakness.

That complexity, and mind blowing. You mean to tell me that the only time I will see the fullness of Gods power is when I’m weak? Because the end of verse 10 it says for when I am weak, then am I strong. For my power is made perfect, which means God starts completing his power, God finishes his power in you, not when you are strong, and got it all together, with the tie perfectly straight, and your 6 inch stilettos perfectly pumped. God can’t help you when you still got it. God says as long as you got it, It’s on you.

But when you say like some of the older member use to sing: Guide me, O. Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land. HERE IT IS, I am weak, but thou are might, Hold me, with your powerful hand.

Believe it or not, but all they was trying to tell you was I don’t have it all together, I have not perfected this walk with you, but here is what I need you to know God, I’m weak, but when I am humble enough to admit my weakness God is strong enough to give me what I need. And that’s why you don’t need to be around here trying to at like you got it altogether. Can I tell you this, as long as you keep faking it into you make it, God can not show up and heal, and deliver, but when you walk in this church and say

God I don’t have it altogether,

God I’m broken this morning,

God this family is on my last nerve,

God if something else happen I am falling apart.

Its at that very moment when the power of God rushes in and give you some strength.

Preach Whoop

I’m finished y’all, but as I close and take my seat:

Lord I need some strength

Lord I need a healing

Lord I need deliverance

Lord I need encourage

Lord I need your anointed

Let your Grace, fall down, on me

Is there anybody here this morning, that is thankful for his grace.

I just want to show my gratitude

And say father, I thank you for your grace

If God has been good to you. You odd to to wave your hand

If God has been good to you You odd to get and get your praise on

Is there anybody grateful today. For all the lord has done for you

Is there anybody grateful today. For all the lord has done for you

You odd to get up out your seat

High five somebody, NO NO NO point to them

Pull somebody out the bed. Off the couch.

Then turn around, and tell them.

Look where, he brought me from

Look where, he brought me from

If he’s kept you,

If he’s blessed you,

If he’s blow your mind,

If he made a way. When you didn’t see a way, You odd to give him praise

covid didn’t take you out,

sickness didn’t take you.

God has always, provided for you.

Even when you didn’t deserve it,

I know him by Jehovah-jireh, my provider.

And when I am weak, he make me strong.

Somebody say it to yourself, he make me strong. he make me strong. he make me strong.

Now do me one more favor. Point to somebody and tell them, God grace, is sufficiency.

Close and prayer

How many of y’all know that it’s God grace that you still here, that you still alive, in your right mind.

And God said don’t forget, don’t forget, what I done for you. Tell somebody what I done for you. Tell somebody how I saved.

Is there anybody in the house, I don’t don’t know maybe you are online and you want to give christ your life.

I want you pray this prayer with me. If you are already a believer , prayer it with those who are don’t. That is joining the kingdom of life.

I want you to say this

Heavenly father

I believe, Jesus christ, is lord.

I believe that you sent your son Jesus, to die for my sins.

I believe that you raised him up. On the third day.

I’m a sinner, but I want to be saved.

Come into my heart, forgive me of my sins, and fill me with your holy spirit.

I’ll live the rest of my life with you. In jesus name. Amen!