"My Grace Is Sufficient”

“MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT”

2 Cor. 12:7-9

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

1. A couple was celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They had both been exemplary people. Suddenly an angel appeared in front of them; “I have come to grant each of you one request: what have you always wished for?”

2. The woman smiled and said, “I’ve always wanted to travel!” POOF! A pile of airline tickets appeared to destinations across the globe.

3. The angel looked at the man. He said, “Well, this is a little irregular, but I’ve always wished to be married to a woman 30 years younger than me. POOF! He was suddenly 90 years old.

B. TEXT

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. 8….I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor. 12:7-9, NKJV.

C. THESIS

1. We’re looking this morning at the Balm from Heaven, the wonderful grace of Jesus that brings healing, comfort, and strength to us in all the trials and troubles of our lives.

2. The Lord Jesus promised us that His grace would be sufficient to sustain us, no matter what difficulties we encounter. That’s our topic today; “My Grace is Sufficient.”

I. WE’RE ALL GOING TO NEED THIS GRACE

A. WE’RE GOING TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE TRIALS

1. No Christian should imagine that they are immune from troubles during this life. Even if you’re as close to God as Paul – with visions of paradise and a world-altering ministry – God still allowed him to experience faith-straining trials.

2. The 7 most difficult life-events are 1). death of a spouse or child, 2). divorce, 3). personal injury or illness, 4). career failure, 5). losing all you have to a natural disaster, 6). War or financial collapse and/or 7). imprisonment. You may not experience ALL of them, but you will experience SOME of them, and when you do, YOU’LL NEED EXTRA HELP TO FACE THEM.

B. WE, IN OURSELVES, DON’T HAVE SUFFICIENT RESOURCES

1. Just like a river normally flows within its banks, we’re capable of bearing normal levels of troubles. But occasionally there’s a 50-year flood; once in 50 years an abnormally large amount of rain falls, and no river can contain the amounts of overflow.

2. So it is with trials. A few times in a lifetime the “perfect storm” of troubles occur at the same time. The effect is that we are overwhelmed; we can’t mentally process all the trouble. We can’t see a way out. The effect is an overload, shock, and despair.

C. ILLUS.: QUICKSAND

1. An analogy to troubles is quicksand. We’re programmed to believe that the more we struggle, the more success we will have. The problem of quicksand is, the more you struggle, the worse off you are.

2. Troubles can affect us like quicksand. We’re hit hardest below the surface level. We know how to fix things above ground, but not below (in the psychological & soulish realm). So we flounder, helplessly trying to gain footing.

3. But the Lord Jesus knows how to heal the wounded soul & mind. He knows how to bring light into our darkness; to turn weakness into strength, disorder into order, and despair into hope. He alone can bring peace to the troubled heart.

4. NO TRIAL WILL BE TOO GREAT, IF WE RELY ON GOD’S STRENGTH TO BEAR IT. “Where sin (trouble) abounds, God’s grace does much more abound” Rom. 5:20.

II. HOW CAN JESUS MAKE SUCH A HUGE PROMISE?

A. HE HAS DIVINE RESOURCES

1. HE’S DIVINE. If anyone else said, “My grace is sufficient” for every believer, it would be a lie and an empty promise.

2. But because it’s Jesus who holds the seven stars in His hand, who suspended the world over nothing and created the universe by the Word of His power, He, (as the divine God-man), has the power to fulfill what He promised.

3. ANOTHER REQUIREMENT: HE MUST BE PRESENT WITH ALL HIS PEOPLE.

a. Jesus claimed what no other religious leader ever dared claim: to be God in human form. He said, “I will never leave you or forsake you; I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” Who else could fulfill this promise except He “in whom we live and move and have our being?” (Acts 17:28; Mt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5)

b. But because He IS everywhere that He can impart grace in our hearts at the exact moment He perceives that we need it. What a Savior! What a Friend! What a divine Helper!