Be Strong In The Grace Series

INTRO.- 1 You then, my son, be strong. I thought all sons were strong! I guess it depends on the son and the type of strength you’re talking about. But when I was a son at home with mom and dad I only thought of one kind of strength and that was physical.

What about you men? Did you ever think that way? Did you ever try lifting something heavy just to prove how strong you were? Did you ever try to be a strong man and lift the rear end of a car?

I did but my 1955 Chevy wouldn’t budge off the ground even though I’d heard of strong men doing that sort of thing.

ILL.- My grandmother Muddy (Alma Jones) worked in the old Hotel Connor in Joplin, MO, as a beautician. She brought home magazines occasionally from their newsstand and one caught my eye. It was called “Strength and Health.” She bought it because it had some articles for women but I devoured the pictures of the body builders and weight-lifters in that magazine.

I was fascinated to think a little 132 lb. weightlifter could lift 336 lbs. over his head. That was a little over 2 and half times his bodyweight. TALK ABOUT STRONG! The bug bit me and I started lifting the weights at school in gym class. By the time I graduated from high school I weighed 135 lbs., but could lift more weight over my head than anyone in the school, including the gym teacher/coach. I could lift 215-220 lbs. over my head. I was a fairly strong little guy!

As we all know, there is strength and there is strength. And spiritual strength far outweighs and out-lifts physical strength. I’d much rather be where I am now spiritually than where I was then physically or even when I was the Iowa State Weightlifting champion in 1972.

I’D RATHER BE STRONG IN THE FAITH AND IN JESUS! The flesh fails but the spirit lives on forever! So which do you think we need to emphasize the most?

1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Be strong in the grace. We all need to be strong in the grace that is in Christ. We need to be strong in being gracious and also in His grace.

PROP.- Let’s think about what it means to be strong in the grace of Christ.

1- Being strong means to impart the Word

2- Being strong means to endure hardship

3- Being strong means to please the commander

4- Being strong means to obey the rules

5- Being strong means to pocket the bounty

1. BEING STRONG MEANS TO IMPART THE WORD

1 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

What you’ve heard me say entrust to reliable men. Sounds good to me since I’m a preacher. Have you preached any of my sermons to anyone? Or have you remembered anything I’ve said in a sermon and passed that along to someone else?

“It’s like my preacher said....” Or “I heard in a sermon last Sunday.” Or “Here’s a funny story my preacher told.” Is that the way we are? We remember the stories and especially, the funny stories more than anything else that’s said in a sermon or lesson!

Whatever it is, if it’s good and pertains to living the Christian life, let’s pass it on!

Being strong in the grace and being strong in the faith may well be one and the same thing. And being strong in the faith means to “pass on” or “entrust” the faith on to others!

Sermons are not just for preachers, you know! They are for us to listen and learn from and then pass on to others!

Deut. 6:5-7 “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

If God expected His people to pass His OT commandments to their children, then what about today? What about passing on the Word of God to our children? It would seem that we are even more responsible to do this sort of thing and not just to our children, but perhaps FIRST to our children and then to others!

Being strong in the grace and faith means to pass on the Word to to others!

2. BEING STRONG MEANS TO ENDURE HARDSHIP