Introduction

If grace had a face, I think it would be smiling at you today. Not a plastic grin, but the kind that crinkles the eyes and warms the room. The kind you long to see when the week has been heavy, the bank account thin, and your heart even thinner. Maybe you woke up with that familiar knot of worry. Maybe you’re carrying an old regret or a fresh disappointment. Maybe the thorn in your side—a struggle that lingers, a weakness that will not budge—feels sharper than ever. Friend, you’re in good company. The man who wrote much of the New Testament knew all about thorns, all about prayers that seemed unanswered, all about strength that ran out at the worst time. And into that ache, he heard a word from Jesus that still heals the human heart.

Before we read it, hear this grace-soaked reminder from Tim Keller: “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” That line meets us where we live. It steadies the soul. It stands in the doctor’s office, walks into the performance review, sits beside you in the quiet car, and whispers, “Loved. Accepted. Held.” Grace is not thin or timid. Grace is fierce and faithful. Grace saves when we’ve got no merit, it steadies when we’ve got no muscle, and it strengthens us to keep walking when the path feels uphill.

Picture Paul, honest about his hurts and transparent about his limitations. He didn’t pretend to be a superhero. He boasted in what most of us try to hide. Why? Because he found a treasure the world can’t manufacture: the nearness of Christ in the very place he felt weak. Could it be that the place you least like about your life is the place Christ most loves to meet you? Could it be that the cracks in your confidence are where His power shines brightest? Grace does not shrink back from your shortcomings. Grace steps toward you with sleeves rolled up.

We’re going to reflect on grace in three ways today—grace that rescues the undeserving, grace that holds when we’re hurting, and grace that energizes our obedience. Think of them as three notes in one beautiful song. When they’re played together, hope rises. When hope rises, courage follows. And when courage follows, the day ahead looks different. Not easier perhaps, but different—because you won’t face it alone.

Here is the word that warmed Paul’s heart and can warm yours:

2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV) “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Do you hear the kindness in that sentence? Sufficient. Perfect. Gladly. Rest. The vocabulary of heaven sings over the vocabulary of our anxieties. When we are tired, He is tender. When we are spent, He is strong. When we feel like a flickering candle, He is the steady sunrise. This is not positive thinking. This is a Person present and powerful—Christ with you, Christ for you, Christ in you.

So take a deep breath. Bring your thorn. Bring the thing you wish you could fix. Bring the apology you can’t unhear and the mistake you can’t undo. Grace meets you here. And it doesn’t merely pat your head and send you on your way. Grace lifts your chin, puts strength in your step, and teaches your tongue to say what faith loves to say: “His grace is enough for me.”

Opening Prayer: Father, thank You for meeting us in the middle of our messes and our mornings. We confess our need for You—our sins, our sorrows, and our limitations. Lord Jesus, speak to us as You spoke to Paul: let Your sufficient grace be more than a phrase—make it our food, our fresh air, our steady ground. Holy Spirit, comfort our hurts and kindle holy courage. Where we feel weak, display Your power. Where we are weary, grant fresh strength. Where obedience seems costly, fill us with willing hearts. Let the power of Christ rest upon us today. In His mighty name, amen.

Grace that saves the undeserving

Grace shows up where we feel least worthy.

Grace does the thing we could never do for ourselves.

Grace moves first, and grace finishes what it starts.

The word from Jesus in the passage gives shape to this. It speaks of grace as enough. It speaks of power meeting us at the point where we have nothing left. That is the ground where salvation grows. Not in our strength. In our need.

His grace is enough. Enough means complete. Enough means no gap left for us to fill with effort, shame, or fear. When we hear “is enough,” we are hearing a present promise. This is not a memory from the past or a wish for the future. It is a living banner over our lives right now. Think of your story. The parts you would edit out. The parts that still ache. The parts you cannot fix. His grace stands over all of it and says, “covered.” The cross is the reason. The blood of Jesus is not thin. It does not fade. It does not need our polish. It speaks a better word than guilt. It reaches back to our worst day and forward to our last breath. It reaches into motives and thoughts and patterns we barely see. This is why the undeserving can be saved. Because grace does not ask for a down payment. It does not wait for a clean record. It brings the full payment of Christ to sinners who bring nothing but need. That is enough.

His power meets us where we are weak. Weakness here is not a small flaw. It is the truth that we cannot lift our own heart into life with God. We cannot carry our blame. We cannot stand in the heat of holy justice. We do not have that kind of strength. Jesus does. The line says his power comes to its full expression at the very point where ours fails. That means the door into life with God is open to people who admit the truth. To the person who says, “I need help,” power comes near. To the person who drops the mask, mercy rushes in. Repentance is that honest turn. It is agreeing with God about our sin and casting ourselves on his kindness. Faith is the empty hand that receives what Jesus gives. In that place, grace saves. Not because our faith is big. Because the Savior is strong. The sick do not heal themselves and then call the doctor. They call, and the doctor comes. That is what this word from Jesus is saying. Bring your weakness. His power will do what yours cannot do.

The phrase about the power of Christ resting upon us gives a picture. It is a word that hints at a tent, a covering, a home set up over a person. Salvation is not only a cleared record. It is the presence of Christ settled over and within us. He takes up residence. He does not stop at the edge of our mess. He moves in. He places his life over our life like a strong shelter. He claims us with mercy and guards us with his strength. Think of standing in the rain and someone opens a great canopy and holds it over you. You are still you. You are still on the same street. But there is a new cover. That cover is Christ himself. This is grace that saves the undeserving. Not just pardon from afar, but a Person near. He brings us into his safe place and calls it ours. Under that cover, condemnation loses its voice. Under that cover, shame has no right to rule. Under that cover, we learn to breathe. We learn to live as those kept by a power that will not let go.

Paul’s response in the verse shows the posture of people who receive this. He speaks openly about limits. He refuses to pretend. He chooses gladness in the very places he used to hide. Why would anyone do that? Because the saving life of Jesus is most clear when we stop curating an image and start telling the truth. When we confess sin, grace is not threatened. Grace goes to work. When we admit patterns and ask for help, grace does not recoil. Grace moves closer. This is how salvation takes shape in real people. It is not a performance. It is a life held by Christ’s power while we keep naming our need. That steady honesty keeps us near the source. It keeps us at the table where grace feeds us again and again. And over time, that same grace begins to mend what was torn, reorder what was chaotic, and grow what was barren. We do not brag about our failure. We brag about a Savior who meets us there and does the saving.

Grace that sustains in weakness

Paul records a sentence he received from the Lord ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO