God's Grace in His Promises
Grace Sermon Series, Part 5
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Introduction
- The word translated "grace" in the New Testament comes from the Greek:
-- It is the word “charis”, which means “favor, blessing, or kindness”
- When grace is used in connection with God, it takes on powerful meaning
-- Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sin deserves
-- When we realize what we’ve been given, we can all extend grace to others
-- IMP: We do NOT want what we deserve … the penalty for sin is DEATH!
--- Rom 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Bottom line: Grace is His benevolence to the undeserving (you and me)
- Read 2 Corinthians 1:18-22
- Pray
∆ Point 1 – Dignity in the Promises
- There were each made by him according to His purpose and His will
-- What’s very important is our understanding the clarity in which God speaks
-- IMP: He does not deal in ambiguity, but in complete and solid facts
- The promises are links between His decrees and His acts; says it --> does it
-- He is the voice of the decree and the herald of the action
-- EX: When He sent an angel to proclaim the birth of Christ; it happened!
- The promises display the qualities of Him who uttered them
-- They are true, immutable, powerful, eternal, everlasting, provable, and reliable
-- When God decrees that we shall have His grace, we can stand on it as fact
- The promises maintain their union with God; they are not separated
-- Even after all this time they are still His promises – from then to now
-- We’ve been promised to see Him one day, and we shall see Him as He is
-- IMP: Others who’ve gone on have seen Him; He is real and forever
- TRANS: Knowing there is dignity allows us to explore the range of them
∆ Point 2 – The Range of the Promises
- The promises of God are found in both the OT and the NT
-- From Genesis to Revelation, running throughout time without end
- These promises run both conditional and unconditional
-- God’s promises run from certain works and promises of absolute order
-- His promises are eternal (forever lasting) and secular (worldly)
-- Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
- God’s promises give us encouragement when we live only for Him
-- For example, God’s promises contain blessings to those who are:
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Penitent:
-- Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
-- To those who repent His promises are certain
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Believing:
-- John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
-- To those who believe shall receive from Him
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Serving:
-- Psalm 37:3, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.”
-- Serving God means pleasing God; living rightly for Him
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Praying:
-- Matthew 6:6, “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
-- To those who pray God sees and rewards
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Obeying:
-- Exodus 19:5, “Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine.”
-- To those who obey will belong to God forever
∆ CHANGE SLIDE
- Suffering:
-- Romans 8:17, “And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”
-- If we suffer (live faithfully) we receive His glory in the end
- TRANS: Because the promises are certain, they are stable!
∆ Point 3 – The Promises are Stable
- The Greek word for “yes” or “yea” and “amen” are used to show certainty (v20)
-- They clarify that there is a definitive position taken; they testify to truth spoken
-- What we must see in this is our need to use them as foundations for faith
- The stability in the promises are found in Christ because He is:
• The witness of the promise of God
• The surety of the covenant
• The sum and substance of all the promises
• The fulfillment of the promises (by His incarnation)
• His atoning death, His living plea, His ascension power
- TRANS: Consider this … Jesus has seen the power of the Father
-- Therefore, His statements about them are our hope, and where we find strength
- Why is this important? Because the promise gives us the results!
∆ Point 4 – The Results of the Promises
- FACT: We shall not be swayed because one law has changed
-- However … we will glorify Him all the more because He is not defeated
-- At no time, was Christ put aside by God and those who believe are not either
- Just because 5 lawyers turned their back on God, doesn’t we mean we pack it up
-- People are still in need of Jesus and His grace – this HASN’T changed
- This is where we must show that our faith is not shaken because of change
-- The early church went through constant change because of the Gospel
-- The worship of Christ is forbidden in many countries around the world today
-- APP: But for us, we will not be swayed or defeated because God is bigger
Read 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
- It is God who does the work
- It is God who sets the rules in place
- It is God who has placed his seal on us
- It is God who has put His Spirit in our hearts
- It is God who guarantees what is to come … without our input
∆ Big Ideas
- So where do we land today? What do we stand on to continue tomorrow?
• Our hope is not found in the things offered by civilization
• Our hope is not granted by the things other men and women decree
• Our hope is in the Amen … the certainty of the One no longer in the grave
- The nation we live in can do many things … some we like and some we don’t
-- But there is one thing that will never change; one irrefutable fact we have:
-- THEY CANNOT PUT JESUS BACK IN THE TOMB! HE’S ALIVE!
- We are called to show God’s grace because of one simple fact:
-- Even in our own sin and unbiblical acts, God STILL loves you and me
-- The death, burial, AND RESURRECTION of Jesus gives us hope to live
- FACT: The grace of God is found in the immoveable promises of God
-- Let’s show the grace today, tomorrow, and until He returns … it’s our command
- Pray for forgiveness where we’ve failed God / Ask for grace to show Him to all
