BY GOD’S AMAZING GRACE
Text: 1Corinthians 15:9-10
Good News Christian Fellowship
BUCAS, Daraga Albay
March 4, 2007
Introduction
I know that some of us here experiencing some hardships and difficulties. However, we pray that Grace of God be sufficient for them at this time. Problems remind us how short, frail life is. That gives us a forward look, anticipation when day we will be going with Him.
One of our sisters here got some problems. We pray that God’s grace will sustain her and give her strength at this time. I know that all of us here is prayer for her.
In Corinthians 15 masterfully detail what so called the cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith, that of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul says that he declares the gospel to the church at Corinth, the very same gospel which he had already preached to them.
This is the gospel according to Paul. However, there are many people talk about a gospel. But it is not the true gospel. What they have called today as full-gospel but in reality a perverted gospel because it’s adding to the gospel of Jesus Christ., adding an element not actually in the Gospel, as a result adding disillusionment to the number of people of the world concerning the Gospel.
But this is the Gospel Paul declares:
“For I declared unto you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the twelve.” (verses 3-5)
But then Paul in verses 12-19 declares the glorious resurrection as he masterfully logically develops a tremendous doctrine.
However brethren I want you to focus our attention to the passages between the Gospel and the glorious resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s look at verses 9-10. Three times Paul make reference to the grace of God. In his other epistles Paul always makes reference to the grace of God. For without the grace of God there will be no gospel. Without the grace of God there has been no need of the glorious resurrection.
I AM WHAT I AM BY THE GRACE OF GOD
Paul had been a persecutor, and went armed with letters to Damascus, to hail men and women and drag them to prison. However, grace transformed Paul from archenemy of the Christian faith to its staunchest defender; from rigid, legalistic Pharisee to a compassionate, Christlike person.
Here in this passage he declares, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
What Paul is talking about?
He was a child of God by the grace of God. He didn’t say because of my magnificent heritage, or because of the fact that I am a Jew, “I am what I am.” Paul didn’t say, “because of my tremendous education, “I am what I am.” Paul didn’t say, because I am a tremendous leader, “I am what I am.”
No! He says, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”
By the grace of God
• He was humbled.
• He was repentant.
• He was bold
• He was zealous
He was not a child by who he is or what he is or what he done rather of what God has done by the finish work of Christ.
Is there not a word of comfort and hope for us here? Can we join Paul in saying, “I am what I am by the amazing grace of God.”?
• I am chosen of God – Eph. 1:4
• I am God’s workmanship – Eph. 2:10
• I am the aroma of Christ – 2 Cor. 2:14
• I am a living vessel of Christ – 2 Cor. 4:7
• I am Christ’s ambassador – 2 Cor. 5:20
• I am God’s temple – 1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16
These are only some of them declaring who we are, what we are by the amazing grace of God.
The grace of God was sufficient as the basis for our salvation (Ephesians 1:3-14)
• God has chosen us in Christ
• God has predestined us
• God has secured our redemption
• God forgives our sins
• God has revealed to us the mystery of His will
• God has provided us with an eternal inheritance
• God has sealed us in Christ
• God guaranteed our inheritance
Illustration: My own story
So I grew up without involving in gangster or involving. I grew up without involving in drugs. I grew up in a descent family. But I’m lost.
Here’s a man who are involve in drugs; in gangster; in other vices. But he is lost.
One immersed in religion, one immersed in gangster and drugs, yet both become children of God, the same way by the amazing grace of God, not through anything that that they have done or by what they are or by what they have hope to be.
God’s amazing grace took the bad stuff in their life and transforms it for His glory and His purpose.
By the grace of God I am what I am.
The grace of God was sufficient as the basis for our salvation
HIS GRACE TOWARD ME WAS NOT IN VAIN
Paul goes on to say, “on His grace that stood upon me was not in vain.”
What does Paul mean? Paul here is speaking about living a victorious Christian life. That he was not just save by the grace of God but of the banishment of sins dominations over us.
We read in Romans 6:14, “ for sins shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”
All the law could say was, “Do this or die.” It gave no power with which to perform it demands. It could condemn, but could not give life. On the other hand, grace enables us to please God for it is through grace that God does His work in and through us. The spirit of God provides us the victory that is in Christ.
The grace of God is sufficient to banish the domination of sin.
The new life in Christ not only breaks the shackles of sin but it produces in us the fruit and graces of the Holy Spirit.
“it is an absolute promise, that sin shall not have the dominion over believers; and respects not acts of sin, but the principle of sin; and means not its damning power, though that is took away, but its tyrannical, governing power: "it shall not lord it over you", as the words may be rendered; for in regeneration, sin is dethroned; Christ enters as Lord, and continues to be so; saints are in another kingdom, the kingdom of Christ and grace..” (John Gill)
No matter how great your sin is, the grace of God is sufficient to banish the domination of sins in your life.
Having come to Christ, you (and others) should witness a profound change in your character, appetites and priorities. You are no longer the person you once were. As you progress in sanctification, you become more like Christ, and the following fruits should become increasingly apparent
The closer we get to God, the more sensitive we become to the sin that still dwells within us. However, we do not despair, for we remember that it is Christ’s righteousness, not our own, that protects us from God’s wrath. Also, we remain confident that God is faithful, and will continue to cleanse us by His Spirit and conform us more and more to the image of Christ.
Philippians 1:6 - For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus
I WORK HARDER BY THE GRACE OF GOD.
“I live more abundantly that they all, yet not I but the grace of God.
The grace of God is the backbone for living a successful Christian life.
After our sins have been forgiven by God – after God has decreed us sinless and righteous – there is a second manifestation of grace toward us. That is the grace to grow up into the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not only is this grace unmerited, undeserved and given freely – this grace has within it the concept of a divine enablement. That is, God enables, empowers and gifts to grow and live a successful Christian life.
So, Paul was desperately driven to work with Christ. He is not working for Christ, but he is working with Christ. That’s a big difference. Working for God means doing on our own strength. But working with God means following the leader, not taking the lead. Paul gifted as he was by the grace of God, openly admitted that God was the one who led the way, not him.
Paul’s letter to timothy we read, “Do not neglect you have which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hand upon you.” (2tim.4:14)
Timothy was given grace – a gift (charisma) – a spiritual endowment. In this context GRACE means far more than just unmerited favor. Timothy had a life- changing impartation of grace – that enabled him to be powerful in his work and witness.
Every single individual in this room can one day have His Lord look him in the eyes and say, “I am proud you. You did a good job – well done good and faithful servant.”
Brethren, we have everything we need by the Grace of God to live successfully the Christian life.
Look at the things the grace of God will enable us concerning our Christian life:
I. The ability to serve the Lord by His grace-
1. Romans 12:6, “having this gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.”
2. Ephesians 3:8, “to me, though I am the very least of all the saints, the
grace was given, to preach to the gentiles the unreachable riches of Christ.
2. The ability to stand hardship. Paul experience hardship. He was shipwrecked. He was beaten to death. He was mob by robbers. He experienced to be hungry. Paul had all sort of hardships.
“The Abundant grace may redound to the glory of God.” (2 Cor. 4:15)
3. The grace gives us the ability to overcome personal problems. Paul had personal problems. In 2corinthains 12 Paul ask God to remove the thorn in the flesh three times. But the Lord say, “the grace is sufficient.” Whatever the nature of the “thorn” that was tormenting to Paul, it was severe enough for him to plead with the Lord to take it away. But the thorn serve the purpose, and God allowed it to remain. It created in Paul a necessary incompleteness and a dependency on God
God may not remove the thorn, the hardships, the problems we had, but the Grace of God give us the ability to live about it.
Illustration: Story of a man amputee on both feet; and a man who has both feet.
4. God’s amazing grace gives us the ability to answer others. Sometimes people are afraid to witness to others because they can’t answer the questions. “What is they ask, they will put me in the spot.”?
“Let your speech always be gracious seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6)
The apostles were defined as “unlearned and ignorant men” in the book of Acts. It was not in their academics that made them powerful witness of the Gospel – it was the “great grace.” (Acts 4:33)
It’s only by the grace of god to know what to say or to witness in an individual.
5. It’s the grace that keeps us doctrinally stable.
“Do not be led away by diverse and strange teaching; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods.” (Hebrew 13:9)
6. By the grace of God we can suffer persecution. We can suffer mistreatment for the cause of Christ.
Illustration: Story of man who share the Gospel while at work.
Many times we heard that kind of story. But actually they are not mistreatd because of Christ. They found him sharing the word during work time. He is doing witness on his work. He doesn’t do it during “coffee break.”
That fellow is not suffering for Jesus. That fellow is revoke for being a thief.
Now Peter spoke about that: Read 2:19
It is never an easy to be Christian. It never has been. By the grace of God we can suffer that mistreatment if they come and the spirit of God will manifest to those who are persecuted.
We only suffer persecution by the amazing grace of God. The old flesh wants to throw the stone back. But the grace of God will enable us to suffer mistreatment.
Two things we need to know about grace:
1. God give it. It’s not something that we work out or work down with. God gives it. God give more grace.
2. Humility brings it. God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
The individual who will humble himself and say, “Oh god I need your salvation by your grace.’; “Oh God I can’t do all these things in my own strength, I need your grace Lord.”
That’s the individual to whom God will give His grace.
Then we are told in 2Peter 3:18 that we have to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Application
God did not give us grace for grace sake.
God gives us grace to minister to the needs of others (1Peter 4:10)
-whether people want to know about the saving grace of God
-whether to some bothers and sisters who needs to be encourage that the grace of God can give them victory in their lives.
- whether to challenge some brothers and sisters that by the grace of God they can live successfully their Christian life.
God gave us grace so that we can ministers to others as good stewards of the grace of God.
Some concluding thoughts:
Pen and words on a small paper and make it something worth many pesos – that’s genius.
A stock holder could take stocks and bonds and produce financial empire- that’s capital.
A government can take a piece of paper and put symbol and writing and picture on it, produces 1000 peso bill – that’s money.
Craftsman can take piece of wood with a few pesos, fashion it, produce an item, worth a thousand pesos – that’s skilled
Man and woman can take a piece of canvas puts an oil paint on it and produce something worth a hundred pesos – that’s art
But only God can reach down and take a lost sinner, lift him up out of the miry clay and put him on the rock and make something value in time and for eternity – that’s GRACE.
You may not have the capital. You many not have the art. You may not have the skilled. You may not be a genius. But you can have GRACE. God gave it Humility brings it.
By God’s amazing grace I am what I am.
