Sufficient Grace

SUFFICIENT GRACE

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

TEXT: 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, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing 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. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

PROPOSITION: To motivate the hearer to entrust him/herself fully to God.

INTRODUCTION: This sermon is built on the acronym G.R.A.C.E.

I. SUFFICIENT GRACE IS A GIFT FROM GOD

Ephesians 2:8,9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Application: God gives us the measure of grace we need to meet the demands of what is happening in our lives at the moment. He does not give us grace for what might happen tomorrow, that would be tomorrow¡¦s grace. He gives us grace to meet the demands of our lives from moment to moment so that we would learn dependence upon Him.

Notice what Apostle Paul is saying:

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

God¡¦s grace is only experienced when we reach the end of our ability and move into total dependence upon Him.

II. SUFFICIENT GRACE IS A PRODUCT OF GOD¡¦S PLAN FOR OUR REDEMPTION

7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the reve-lations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.8 Concerning this thing 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

Application: Apostle Paul was a saved man. He knew the joy of the forgiveness of sins. He knew what it was like to be used of God and to have his prayers answered by God. Yet, in this one prayer, God¡¦s answer to Apostle Paul was in effect, ¡§Paul, you¡¦re going to have to suffer and yet stay faithful to me. You¡¦re going to have to persevere on in the midst of everything that is wrong with your life. But, Paul, My grace is sufficient and I will see you through all of this.¡¨

Being a Christian will not always guarantee that your life will be forever blissful and problem free.

Isaiah 43:1a,c-3 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, ¡K "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

Isaiah 59:19b When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

Application: God¡¦s promise, in the midst of everything that is going wrong in your life, is: My grace is sufficient ¡V I¡¦ll see you through this thing.

Romans 8:35-37 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

III. SUFFICIENT GRACE IS ALWAYS ACCESSIBLE

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 infirmi-ties, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Application: God¡¦s refusal to take away Paul¡¦s trouble was the motivation for Paul to seek God more earnestly, to depend upon Him more fully, and to trust him more completely.

When events occur in your life God¡¦s motivation is just the same for you as it was for Apostle Paul. God wants to draw you nearer to Himself. He wants to make Himself more real to you and to anoint your life in a way that can happen only when you are completely dependent upon Him.