Sharing God’s Amazing Grace
2 Corinthians 6:3-6; 12
The last time we got together we talked about the transformation that God desires for our lives.
Some we can do on our own and we are expected to want that.
Some we can only do by the power of the Holy Spirit actively working in our lives.
Hurts, habits, and hang-ups are usually impossible without God’s help.
Illustration-(Shared with Bountiful Blessings)
Dog and Cat diary
If you were to look at a dog’s diary, it would be different than a cat.
The dog’s diary for a day would read something like this;
Went outside today and played with my master- My favorite thing.
Went inside and had a delicious bone, my favorite thing.
Took a good long nap- my favorite.
The cat’s diary would look a little different;
Woke up to day 948 in captivity.
Looked outside but found nothing of interest.
Just lying here with nothing better to do.
Hope no one bothers me.
The difference is how you look at things and what you put value too.
Apostle Paul in his writings to the church at Corinth is pointing them to the new life that is available in Christ and what to be careful of to not let the old life sneak back in and take control.
I really believe that a lot of believers are living subpar because they are not allowing God to change them. They are living in their own strength when the power of the Holy Spirit is available.
For those of us that are right now in the midst of a trial and experiencing sufferings, Apostle Paul tells us that it is temporary; WE DO NOT LIKE TO HEAR THAT.
We want God to fix immediately anything that we are displeased with.
2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”(17) “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
It is how we look at the things we are going through. If you believe that this life is all there is, you will live for yourself and live it recklessly and careless.
Or, realize that this is a temporary life and the best for me is yet to come and these trails, these setbacks, these sufferings are only but a moment when compared to time of eternity.
Some of us are waiting for some new bodies. These old ones are just not working right. This earthly tent has holes in it. This body has disease, has flaws, and has just plain gotten old.
You young people will one day understand that because we were sitting there just like you and the time has flown by.
Prayer- (That God would anoint our ears to hear what He has to say to us this morning.)
2 Corinthians, Paul is talking as a believer being a new creation, about ministry to each other and how we can help each other survive in a world that is getting more selfish, more demanding, and more dangerous and our God given rights are being taken away.
In the text this morning, he talks to the church about hardship.
2 Corinthians 6:3-6:13-
Paul really opens his heart to the church here. He is honest, yet has encouragement for the people that are suffering and going through tough times.
The Bible is full of people who went through hard times.
Joseph/Abandonment
Abraham/ Stranger in a foreign land.
Job/ Endless trials and sufferings
The disciples/ persecuted for their faith
(V 3), he says that he will not be a stumbling block to anyone that his ministry would not be discredited. Apparently, someone was attempted to discredit his ministry.
Someone was saying hurtful and wrongful things.
Anyone relate to that?
He comes to this conclusion after what he says in verse one, “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.”
How many are amazed at God’s grace?
Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.
That God would care enough for me to save me blows me away. I know how I am.
That God is so patient with us when He would not have to be.
He forgives, He restores, He gives second, and third chances is absolutely a God thing!
He says to us that we cannot forget His Grace in our everyday life and the sufferings we are going through now because they are temporary and He has eternity for our future.
Apostle Paul calls it ministry here, but it is everyday life because our lives are to be ministries back to God. He says in all circumstances, everyday, everyway, we are to remember the grace given to us and give grace to others we come in contact with.
To not allow yourself be an offense to the gospel.
Stand up for yourself, but do it in a Godly way that honors the Lord.
He says, in great endurance- beatings, imprisonment, hardships, sleepless nights, hunger, purity, bad reports, and imposters, we are to be true to our calling because of the grace given us.
Sounds like today
Elections should drive you to your knees.
Things that are happening to families.
Sickness, disease, the heart of deceitful men and women that desire to hurt us and hurt our country, and slam the name of our Lord.
He says to remain faithful and remain strong because of the grace that God has given us.
I look around today and I see people stretched to their max, emotionally, physically, and spiritually- much affliction and much trouble.
Seems more than we can bear.
He tells us that He won’t give us more than we can handle, but it Is hard!
I do not have numbered bullet points today, but if I did, the way that we can live our lives and not be an offense to the gospel and our faith would be;
(1) Not forget the grace that God has given us. This world is a mess but God is still in control and we can still live for Christ amongst a world that has turned their back to Him.
(2) Live in the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Let’s talk about that a minute. The only way that the disciples made it through what they went through was the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives.
You could always tell when they were in there own strength.
They failed miserably. They did things that they did not want to do.
They took their eyes off the Lord and sank!
Purity comes from the Lord, we cannot do that on our own.
Kindness, generosity, giving to others, comes from the Lord.
Taming our tongue- not telling someone off, comes from the Lord.
Battling hard work, sleepless nights, having needs to be met, comes from the Lord.
Paul considered the Holy Spirit of God the weapon that the world did not have and knew that he had to have in his live to fight the things of this world and be effective for God in the kingdom of God.
He needed the power of God to be working in his life so he could be working effectively for God and live the abundant life God wanted him to have.
(7) “In truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed.”
Do not be so fast to read on past that- The Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit are weapons in a believer’s life. Righteousness is a weapon. Holiness and obedience unto the Lord is a weapon. He says that righteousness in our right hand is an offensive weapon we can use and in our left hand is a defensive shield. It is a picture of Ephesians chapter 6 of the believer in all his armor. The word of God as our offense and all the power that comes as an empowered believer and a defensive shield that protects us from the enemies of our faith.
Sword of the Spirit and shield of faith- Why would any believer want to do battle without the provisions that the Lord Himself has offered each one of us.
I am telling you this morning that it is easy to die for something that you believe in. No one would die for something that they did not believe in, the disciples didn’t and either will you.
There are things that need to be put to death in our lives so that you are able to live how and where God wants believers to live. You die to self so that you can live with Him.
He made the first move, middle move, and is willing to make the last move but you will have to submit to His power to gain His power in your life.
Your strength, and you are very limited. His strength, and you will have all the power of heaven working in your behalf.
He made the first move before you even thought about God and what you were going to do. That is Prevenient Grace. God moving toward you before you even considered Him.
God’s patience with each one of us as we have rejected His offer of redemption and He gives us another chance.
If you have come to Rosedale for a while, you know what I mean by Greasy grace. Greasy grace is when you keep putting God off knowing that He will again respond to you later. Later may not come, we do not know when we will take a last breath. We respond when He draws us and we take what he offers and we begin the life that is intended for us instead of surviving in our ways.
“Beaten, and not yet killed.” This world has done everything that it can to tear you down and God has done everything to lift you up and respond to you. What voice are you going to listen too? Same old, same old or today are you going to take God up on his offer?
Beat up, broken, bloody, but not forgotten, God is calling you this morning.
Discipline is sometimes God evidence of His loving care.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you though his poverty might become rich.” 2 Cor. 8:9
“Having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”
Everything of eternal value that is-
Closing,
This morning I close by asking you a simple question… How is it going? Is what you are doing working?
If the answer is no to those questions, why don’t you submit your life to the God of the universe that has been trying to get your attention?
If you are going through rough times, listen to the words of the Lord that says;
He will never leave you or forsake you. He will not give you more than you can bear.
He did not say easy, and He did not say by what your measure of standard, but His.
He tells believers to show grace to others because of the grace He has shown us. We can all think of times we have so fallen short and He patiently waited for us to return to Him. Show that grace and mercy to those we come in contact with because of what He has done for us.
He wants to meet you where you are at and take you where you need to go.
Amen.
