Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness. That's 2 Peter 1-3, and part of the text for today's message. God has packed in around the believer rich promises and resources that enable us to live meaningful lives that magnify our Lord.
We have but to remember, keeping our eyes fixed on our provider. This is part 5 of a message that was first preached on May 7, 2023 at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. To hear the whole message, you can visit www.delightingrace.com. Can we say that? We should be saying that to ourselves every day. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And are the friend's relatives, associates, and neighbors, for those of you who are visiting, are the friend in my life beginning to more and more recognize the true character of Jesus Christ? Listen to me. Listen, please. I'm not talking about keeping up appearances.
Are you with me on this? That's not what I'm talking about. Are the people in your world recognizing the genuine outflow of your delight in God in your day-to-day walk?
You can't fake that. But it can be yours if you are very much aware of all the promises of God. And you build your life on those promises.
Let me bring this to a conclusion today. In my challenge to you, my call to you today is to live in God's grace. I want God's people as much as possible to be rescued. God, please rescue us from simply trying harder to be better.
That's not what the walk of faith is. God will, in our day-to-day, as we walk with him, he will faithfully remove the dross to manifest the fine gold of Christ's character. Are you willing to let him do that?
You know what? It's going to be painful. But it's worth it.
It's worth it. He will faithfully remove the dross to manifest the fine gold of Christ's character. As you walk with him in his faithfulness, this is what he does. This is, again, something that Paul meant when he said, It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Can we say that? We should be saying that to ourselves every day. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And are the Fran in my life beginning to more and more recognize the true character of Jesus Christ? Listen to me. Listen, please. I'm not talking about keeping up appearances.
Are you with me on this? That's not what I'm talking about. Are the people in your world recognizing the genuine outflow of your delight in God in your day-to-day walk?
You can't fake that. But it can be yours if you are very much aware of all the promises of God. And you build your life on those promises.
Let me bring this to a conclusion today. In my challenge to you, my call to you today is to live in God's grace. I want God's people as much as possible to be rescued.
God, please rescue us from simply trying harder to be better. That's not what the walk of faith is. The walk of faith is not keeping up appearances so others will think well of you. God's not in that.
That's not grace. I want you, Christian, I want you to beware of the awesome grant that has been lavished upon you in Jesus Christ. Here's what I'm calling you to do today. I'm giving you homework.
Care groups, here's a good discussion question. I'm calling you to know and remember the promises of God. All of them. Who are you? Answer this question. What is mine in Christ? What is mine in Christ? And let God's self-disclosure reveal that to you so that you remember it. And remembering it is not just mental recollection, it's knowing it so that I can take action upon it. So that I can build my life upon it.
You have been given an awesome grant. So know and remember all of God's promises. It is the means to every day becoming more and more like Jesus. It is the means to persevere, to rise above just hanging on. It is the means to living well. And I mean living meaningfully and purposefully with your glorious end in view. So that by your life in your day to day you magnify Christ. And you're pointing people to God because you're so satisfied in him. That's what glorifies him. If this is going to be true you have to know what's yours in Christ.
You have to know what his promises are. And he's made them known to us. Father, teach us your word. By your Spirit who illuminates our understanding, who illuminates the Scriptures to us. Father, by your Spirit through your word, teach us and remind us of what is ours in Christ. I'm going to challenge you this morning, loved ones, that you will make it your resolve to search Scripture and to pursue God. So that you will know confidently and joyfully what is yours in Christ. Would you before God right now ask him to help you in that pursuit? Because you want to pursue him and what is yours in Christ. To know it and to remember it, to build your life upon it.
Take a moment now before God and ask him through his word and by his Spirit to be your powerful helper in that pursuit. Father, we are so blessed that you have made yourself known to us in these ways. And Father, I ask that through your word and by your Spirit that you will teach us and cause us to remember the promises of God and what is ours in Christ so that we indeed can live as people who remember. That we will live meaningfully and purposefully, reflecting the character of Christ and pointing people to God because you are so good. Father, may our lives manifest one message alone and that is our love for you and your love for us.
And we will thank you for the joy that you fill our hearts with because of your love. Hear us now, Father, as we conclude with this song. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you. O my soul, rejoice, take joy, my King.
In what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears. As we propose to worship God, not just in here, but throughout the day and every day of the week, pursuing Him and pursuing a remembrance of what is ours in Christ. May that be the pursuit and the focus of our worship this week. Would you stand with me and let's sing that one more time with this resolve in our hearts to know Him and to love Him. I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you. O my soul, rejoice, take joy, my King. In what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears. Praise be to God for His unspeakable gift. Are there two people who would like to lift up their voices just in dismissal to dismiss us today? Just thank God for His grace and His promises. You've been listening to Rich Powell, the lead pastor at Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. The Delight in Grace mission is to help you know that God designed you to realize your highest good and your deepest satisfaction in Him, the one who is infinitely good. We hope you'll join us again on Weekdays at 10 a.m.
