God’s Grace to Overcome

God’s Grace to Overcome

We are continuing our Series on Building a Spiritual Life, and we’ve talked about the Church’s Identity, Our New Life in the Church, How to Connect with the Church, the Benefits of Belonging to the Church, and we continue with this session on God’s Grace to the Church.

In my opinion, some of the saddest words in the Bible are those found in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges.

Judges 16:20
²⁰ And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him.

But notice the stark difference between Samson’s failure story and that of Peter.

Matthew 26:75
⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Both men had failed. Both men had walked away from what they should have known was the “right” way to go. You can say that both men dropped the ball. But there is one thing that makes a significant difference between the two stories. That one thing was repentance. Now, Samson finally made it there. In the end he asked for forgiveness and God granted it, but not before his eyes had been gouged out and he was made a mockery and a laughingstock before the enemy. Ultimately, it cost Samson his life.

Peter on the other hand, Peter “remembered the word of Jesus” and left a broken and repentant soul. I imagine this is one reason why Peter was inspired to write these words.

2 Peter 3:9
⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

We serve a God who, by nature, is patient [Romans 15:5], merciful [Exodus 34:6], kind [Titus 3:4], and love [1 John 4:8]. A God who supernaturally draw us to Him [John 12:32]. A God who is quick to forgive [1 John 1:9]. All because of one word, grace. Grace has been defined many ways, but in the New Testament it is an extension of God’s love, offered freely to all, where blessings and favor are given when the recipient doesn’t deserve it.

Faith In God’s Grace

We are not saved because of anything that we can do, it is because we have faith in and accept the Grace of God.

Ephesians 2:8-10
⁸ For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Questions:

• We are saved by what (Ephesians 2:8)?
• Is there anything we can do to earn our salvation (v.8-9)?
• How should we walk (or live) as a result (v.10)?

The Bible plainly says that we cannot save ourselves, and it would also be true that we cannot make any spiritual progress without God at work in our lives. So, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way at the beginning. We ALL need grace. We ALL need forgiveness. We ALL need mercy. We ALL need strength. The bottom line is we ALL need Jesus.

Could you just take a moment and offer God some praise and thanksgiving for the grace that He has already extended into your life. And while you’re there, why don’t you go ahead and worship Him and ask for strength and wisdom to take care of the current issues you face. He is a good God, He is a powerful God, He is a righteous God, and He is a God who extends grace.

One Day at A Time

What we just took part in should not be a “once and done” activity, but it ought to be something we do every day. As we consistently seek God daily, He will help us build a life of faith. Every day we must turn to God for direction. Every day we should ask for strength and wisdom. Every day we must trust in God for a fresh start. Every day we are to seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness [Matthew 6:33].

Luke 1:74-75
⁷⁴ That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

When we are consistent and faithful in our pursuit of God, He WILL help us grow and mature in holiness.

Some of the transformation God does in our lives happens instantly. I am thankful for those times. But there are others that take place overtime. The Spirit of God enters our life in a moment, but It’s fruit must be developed over a lifetime. We do not become mature Christians overnight. Maturity by its very definition is a process of growth over time. Discipleship does not happen in a single moment at the altar. Discipleship happens every moment of every day. Some days we do well, other days not so much. But we must remember these words.

Lamentations 3:21-24
²¹ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. ²² It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. ²⁴ The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Maturity and discipleship are products of consistency. Jesus told us to pray for our “daily bread” [Matthew 6:11].

Look at it this way, do you enjoy a fresh, right from the garden, perfectly ripe tomato? (Most people do, but if you don’t, just replace the tomato with your favorite garden vegetable or fruit.) Now, if you plant a tomato seed in early February, tend to it and watch it grow, chances are by the end of summer you will be enjoying the fruit of your labor. But if you don’t, you can dream about it, wish for it, long to taste it all you want, but all your dreaming and wishing and longing are going to end up in disappointment. If you want to reap a harvest you MUST first plant the seed, then consistently tend to it while it is growing. The same is true in our spiritual life. We must be willing to invest DAILY, spending time with God daily, CONSISTENTLY, allowing Him to shape our life, growing stronger in faith and becoming established (rooted and grounded) with God.

Enduring the Storms of Life

We can expect to encounter trials during our journey, but God will sustain us. As a reality of living in a fallen world full of broken people, we will find ourselves in “tough times”, but as Christians, we need to have the understanding that God redeems all of our pain and creates purpose out of our trials.

1 Peter 4:12-13
¹² Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: ¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Prayer can help us endure trials while remaining aware of God’s ever-present glory and majesty. Prayer is not guaranteed to deliver us from our storm [Theological Note: God has the right to say “no”], but prayer can give us the strength and focus we need to endure the storm.

Remember, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” [Romans 8:28]. Stop and consider this, it might just be possible that God is preparing us to be able to show empathy and provide wisdom to a brother or sister who will be going through the same storm in the future.

Overcoming Failure

We are all human and we will make mistakes. The key is turning to Jesus, allowing conviction into our lives, repenting of our sin, and accepting His grace to get back up.

Imagine Peter’s shame at denying Jesus. Peter had professed his commitment, even to the death, yet in the moment of trial he failed. He could have played the blame game, he could have ignored it, but he didn’t, “he went out, and wept bitterly”. He allowed the Master to reach out and draw him into a place of repentance, growth, and commitment. Have you ever stopped to consider, every time that you read 1 or 2 Peter, you are reading the inspired Word of God, penned from a man who failed just like us. But he got back up and by God’s grace kept walking.

Please don’t misunderstand the context of this message. I am not saying that grace gives us a license to sin, because it doesn’t.

1 John 2:1-2
¹ My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: ² And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Grace does not give us an excuse to sin, but it does give us the remedy for failures: Jesus Christ the righteous.