Jesus Strong 2: Because His Grace Is... Series

Today, we’re beginning our second message in our series, “Jesus Strong.” Last week, the message was, “Jesus Strong: Because You’re Not Strong Enough.” Today, I’ve entitled the message, “Jesus strong: Because His Grace is.”

Our text will be 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. You can go ahead and turn there in your Bible, and we’ll read together in just a few minutes. That’s 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 9 & 10.

While you turn there, let me tell you a story.

A preacher’s Sunday sermon was Forgive Your Enemies. Toward the end of the service, He asked his congregation, “how many of you have forgiven their enemies”?

About half held up their hands.

Not satisfied with the response, he then repeated his question. As it was past lunchtime, this time about 80 percent held up their hands.

He said, let me give you a moment to think about that and say a quick prayer to help you forgive. After a minute of silence, he then repeated his question again.

Every person responded, except one small elderly lady.

“Mrs. Jones?” asked the preacher, “Are you not willing to forgive your enemies?”

“I don’t have any,” she replied, smiling sweetly.

“Well, Mrs. Jones, that is very unusual. How old are you?”

“Ninety-three,” she replied.

“Wow! Mrs. Jones, what a blessing and a lesson to us all you are. Would you please come down in front of this congregation and tell us all how a person can live ninety-three years and not have an enemy in the world.”

The little sweetheart of a lady tottered down the aisle, faced the congregation, and said “I outlived the old hags!”

Well, it turned out that she wasn’t such a great example to put up in front of the Church – but, even though I have to twist it pretty hard to do it, I think we can still dig a grain of truth out of that story, which is this – God’s grace will ALWAYS overcome and outlive your sin and mine. All of our weaknesses – our failures – NONE of them are a match for His grace.

This is a good time to read our text, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. I’ll be reading from the English Standard Version, which I’ll have up on the screen as well:

“… he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I’m here to tell you today, God’s grace is always sufficient because He is all powerful and His grace is everlasting.

Nothing can match God’s power.

Sufficiency of His Grace:

What does God mean when He says, “My Grace is sufficient for you…”?

Corrie Ten Boom, in her book, “Tramp for the Lord,” told about an old woman she met during the Communist persecution of Christians in Russia.

The woman had MS, and her body was badly bent and twisted as a result. She stayed on a small sofa, propped up by pillows, unable to move most of her body.

The only part of her body she could control was her right hand. She spent all day and into the night, every day for years with an old typewriter, typing one letter at a time with her index finger of that hand. It’s what she was typing that I want to share.

She was translating Christian Books into the Russian language. She translated and typed parts of the Bible and books written by great Christian teachers.

Always using just that one finger—peck … peck … peck—she typed out the pages.

Quoting from the book, "Not only does she translate books,’ her husband said as he hovered close by during our conversation, ‘but she prays every day while she types. Sometimes it takes a long time for her finger to hit the key, or for her to get the paper in the machine, but all the time she's praying for those whose books she's working on."

Corrie continued: “I looked at her wasted form on the sofa, her head pulled down and her feet curled under her body. ‘Oh Lord, why don't you heal her?’ I cried inwardly.

Her husband, sensing my anguish of soul, gave the answer.

‘God has a purpose in her sickness. Every other Christian in the city is watched by the secret police. But because she has been sick so long, no one ever looks in on her. They leave us alone and she is the only person in all the city who can type quietly undetected by the police.’"