Every single believer is the recipient of God's grace. If you know Jesus Christ today, if you're a believer, you have received God's grace. Now folks, this is a powerful statement. When Paul looked at Timothy as he was sending him out into the mission field, what he gave to him was a command.
It wasn't a suggestion. When he said to him, be strong in grace, what Paul was saying to him was, Timothy, Christian man, Christian lady, Christian boy, Christian girl, you are strong because God's grace is in you. You are strong because God's grace is in you, not you may be strong or you might be strong or go and serve the Lord somewhere in order to become strong. You are strong.
Be strong because of the grace of God. That was the voice of Dr. Don Wilton, teacher here on The Encouraging Word, as we launch into this wonderful Bible study about strong in grace. As we study the Word together, know that we're available for you. We are The Encouraging Word, and we're all about sharing God's truth with a searching world. And today you can help us do that by ordering an audio or video recording of Dr. Don's teaching. And remember, there are a lot of ways you can connect both online at theencouragingword.org or give us a call right now at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. We'd love to pray with you and for you or connect with some wonderful resources that'll help you grow in Christ.
And now, Dr. Don Wilton. The Encouraging Word. Some of you are living very weak, pathetic Christian lives. Some of you are playing the game. Some of you do not fully grasp the magnitude of God's grace.
Some of you are leading powerless lives. And some of you are struggling so much when all the while God has done something for you that you cannot do for yourself. This is an encouraging word.
I'm going to invite you to step out of the realm of your own mediocrity. I'm calling you and upon you to listen carefully to what God has to say in times like these. I invite you to open your Bible to 2 Timothy and chapter 2. I'm going to break down something for us, and our overriding theme in times like these is strong in grace. Strong in grace. All I'm going to do is read to you verse 1 of chapter 2 today, because in verse 1 of chapter 2 of Paul's second letter to Timothy, God's servant makes a statement that is deeply profound. It is so rich.
It's so monumental. It's so life changing. And I can assure you, I can guarantee you on the authority of God's word. If you ask the Lord to write these truths into your heart, you will be deeply encouraged in your walk. You'll be strengthened in your resolve from parents to business people, doctors and nurses and lawyers, teachers, retirees, sons and daughters.
God will thoroughly invigorate your life. In verse 1 of chapter 2, Paul makes the statement, he says, You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Now, may the Lord write this word upon our hearts together. Two important facts that I simply want to put on the table with you today about the Christian life. Number one, that the Christian life is a changed life, and the rich heritage that God has passed on to me as my father's son, which I pray that I would pass on to my sons and my daughter. And you and I who are called of God to stand up and to be counted for Christ Jesus.
Paul here contextualizes this. And he says, You be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus that is in you. And it begs the two most important facts about the Christian life that first and foremost, the Christian life is a changed life.
And I heard my dad as I listened to him ask that question of each one of you and the thousands who worship by way of television as your life changed. That's the Christian life. No more did you raise your hand in a worship service. No more did you just simply pray a prayer.
No more did you just become a member. Is your life changed? Are you different? Because if you're not different, you've never met Jesus Christ. You cannot know Jesus Christ and continue the same as before. The Christian life is a changed life. But it begs a second most important fact, and that is simply this, that the Christian life is a graced life. Oh, I've got some wonderful news to share with you today. The Christian life is a graced life. This message is designed to do two things.
Number one, to help you know what you have in Christ. Now, folks, get ready for this, because we are about to discover that this is not something that you acquire. This is not something that you earn. This is not something that you work for.
This is not something that you pay for. This is not something that you have one minute and lose the next. Listen carefully. If your life has been changed, you are graced by the power and the presence of Christ in you. And I want to help each one of us understand that you can know what you have in Christ. And second of all, to help you to use what you have for Christ. So I look at my life today, I'm asking the Lord, I'm saying, Lord, please help me to understand what I have in Christ. This grace that you have placed in me that you've given to me and understanding what I have. Please help me to use what I have to be faithful to you. Help me to appropriate the deep, wonderful spiritual truths that accompany God's grace. Enable me to stand up when I want to sit down. Enable me to love more and to give more and to serve more.
Enable me to be the kind of man that you want me to be. This is what I pray for each one of us. Every single believer is the recipient of God's grace. If you know Jesus Christ today, if you're a believer, you have received God's grace.
Now, folks, this is a powerful statement. When Paul looked at Timothy as he was sending him out into the mission field. What he gave to him was a command. It wasn't a suggestion when he said to him, be strong in grace. What Paul was saying to him was Timothy, Christian man, Christian lady, Christian boy, Christian girl, you are strong because God's grace is in you. You are strong because God's grace is in you, not you may be strong or you might be strong or go and serve the Lord somewhere in order to become strong. You are strong. Be strong because of the grace of God.
How do we understand this together? The strength in the grace of God in times like these. What is God trying to tell us? Every believer is a recipient of God's grace. And there are four biblical facts that attest to that. Every believer, a recipient of God's grace.
Number one, because God provides his grace to us. Love those passages in God's word, you take Romans Chapter five and verse one, the Bible says, therefore. Having been justified by faith. We have peace with God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not die, but should have eternal life.
Because God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might believe. And when you believe in Jesus Christ, you become indwelt by his spirit, who is the giver of all that God is. Christ in me.
I'm not my own. I've been bought with the price. God provides his grace to us.
God has made it possible for us. This is such incredible good news. You know, you go to the city of New Orleans. What a sin city. New Orleans is making a good comeback from Hurricane Katrina.
I lived there for 15 years at one time. As you know, most of that city was destroyed. Hundreds of people were displaced. Thousands of people lost their homes.
Many lost their lives. The place has been completely turned upside down and it's coming back. You know, as you walk around the streets witnessing and sharing your faith in Christ and as you go about from one place to the other, you can feel the sinfulness of the city of New Orleans. The voodoo, the darkness. You don't have to walk around the French Quarter to come to understand how that Satan has his grip on a city.
It's no different in Spartanburg, South Carolina. You know that as we worship in our towns and villages, Satan is on the prowl. Never before in the history of our nation are we facing a greater dilemma when I said, regardless of your political affiliation, it is not, my friends, it is not, my friends, it is not going to take a new or old president in the White House of the United States that will change America. It's going to take a radical act of repentance on the part of people before a holy and a righteous God, because only Jesus Christ can change the hearts of people forever. Somebody say amen.
All right, I'll slow down. It's 866-899-9673, and that connects with one of us 24 hours a day, happy to talk or listen or pray and also connect you with some powerful resources. We have a wonderful collaboration on our website right now at www.tewonline.org. It's two resources, one from Dr. Wilton's friend Chuck Colson, who's with the Lord now, a book called My Final Word, and then Dr. Wilton's DVD and CD on The Final Authority, God's Word. As you go to our website, www.tewonline.org, you'll see ways you can get that, and as you do so, as you invest with that gift of $25 or more, you're helping us present the gospel. Remember, Dr. Wilton receives no compensation, takes no salary, even all the books that he's written, all of that goes to sharing the love of Jesus Christ with just one more.
Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Every believer is the recipient of God's grace because God provides us with His grace. What an act of love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. But every believer is the recipient of God's grace second because God invites us to receive His grace. God invites us to receive His grace. Ephesians 2 and verse 8 and 9, For by grace you are saved through faith, not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Paul reiterated time without number that our taking a hold of the love of God in Christ Jesus has everything to do with His merciful favor upon a people such as you and I who are born dead in our trespasses and in our sins and God in His love and mercy because He is rich in love and mercy. That is the very heartbeat of the attributes of God Himself. That is the very fabric of His grace. His mercy and His love invites us to receive His grace. Have you received God's grace?
The lines are being drawn, precious friends. You either belong to the Lord Jesus or you don't. And for some of you today, God is giving you, I pray not, but I believe God is giving some of you a final opportunity to accept His invitation, to trust Him as Savior and Lord, the work of God by His Spirit. Do not, do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Who am I talking to?
Who are you today? What is God saying to us as a people? He invites us to receive His grace because He has provided us with His grace. And all believers are the recipients of His grace. Number three, because having provided that grace and having invited us to receive that grace, God admits us into His grace. Folks, this third point is unbelievably deep, so I want to go slowly and deliberately.
I want you to hear this. When you give your life to Jesus, when you repent of your sin, and you call upon the name of the Lord and God by His Spirit knocks at your heart's door, when you see yourself in the light of God's holiness, when you understand that without Him you're destined to an eternal hell separated from Him forever, when you know in your heart before a holy and a righteous God that without Christ there is no salvation, and you repent before Him, and you call upon His name, and you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and you are saved. It's at that point that God admits you into His grace. Romans 5 verse 2, Paul made this point abundantly clear when he said that having made peace with God through Jesus Christ, we are now given access into the grace of God.
And by the way, that word admission really carries with it the idea of being introduced into the Christ life. It's very much like when our children are born. You can go to any parent and say, what part of your life do you hold back from your kids? You and I love our children so much, and with all the hustle and bustle of these little ones that we love so much, what do we do as parents and grandparents? We introduce them into all the blessings of who we are. That's what we do. How much more so our Heavenly Father who admits us into His grace, love Ephesians 2 verse 18, for through Him, for through Him we have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Just think about that. Or if you were to go to Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 12, Ephesians chapter 3 and verse 12, in Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with both freedom and confidence. No wonder Paul looked at Timothy and said, listen, be strong in grace. God's admitted you. God's grace is yours.
Yep, every believer is the recipient of God's grace. But you must believe first. Don't do what half of America does, folks. Half of America waits until there's a crisis. We, the people, we wait for the hurricane. We wait for the tragedies of the collapse of the Twin Towers. We wait for our grief. We wait for the tornado to come through our community. And then we all suddenly run to God. We say, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme.
And then as soon as the house is rebuilt, we walk out again until the next crisis. Doesn't work, folks. God is not a puppy dog. God is not pleased with our country. He's not pleased with you. He's not pleased with me. What He wants me to know is that He's provided His grace to me through the atoning sacrifice of His Son. He's invited me to receive that grace by faith. And having received that grace by faith, He admits me. He gives me access into the sphere of His grace. And having done so, He lets me understand that as a believer I'm a recipient of all of God's grace because God preserves us by His grace.
That's a powerful statement, folks. God doesn't save us by His grace and then leave us to fend for ourselves. God saves us by His grace and then preserves us by His grace. There's so many passages of Scripture. Love what the writer to the Hebrews says in chapter 4 and verse 16. Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 16, he says, Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need. You got a need right now? I want everybody worshipping with me right now.
I want you to think about your life, your marriage, your family, your children, your circumstances, your finances, your physical needs. Listen to this passage. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.
Just listen to this. 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 5, the Apostle Peter talking about believers says that we are kept through faith. And as we are kept through faith, we are shielded by God's power until the coming of salvation.
And that metaphor, by the way, that is used there is a wonderful metaphor because it shows us that as believers, that we are garrisoned about by the protective custody of God's grace. God has us in the palm of His hand. He knows you.
He loves you. He's on your team. If God be for us, who can be against us? If God be for you, who can be against you? You see, God's grace, my friend, is the sphere of God's sovereignty. So who is God?
Just think about God for a minute. Who is God? God's all powerful. He's the creator of the heavens and the earth. He's omnipotent. He's omnipresent. He's omniscient. He's sovereign.
Without Him was not anything made that was made. When you and I are protected, when we are preserved by God's grace, it is because God's grace lives in us. In other words, the sphere of God's sovereignty is made available to every believer.
Not only the sphere of God's sovereignty, but the zone of God's attributes. Attributes are an essential commodity. I've got attributes.
You've got attributes. And the Bible tells us that God's grace is not only the sphere of God's sovereignty, but it is the zone of God's attributes. And if it's the zone of God's attributes, it's also the galaxy of God's holiness. And so when I know that Paul says to me, I must be strong in God's grace, it means that what is made available to me is the sphere of God's sovereignty and the zone of His attributes, His love and His wisdom and His compassion and His strength and His righteousness and the galaxy of God's holiness are made available to me as sorry sinner saved by the grace of God. Wow.
Wow. Be strong in grace. Be strong in grace. You mean you've done that for me, Lord? For me?
Yep. And He's done it for you. So my word to you today, precious friends, be encouraged. You're not on your own. Be strong in grace.
That strength is available to you right where you are. We'd love to talk with you, pray with you. Love to have the opportunity to connect with resources that will help you grow in grace as well. You can call us at 866-899-WORD, that's 866-899-9673, or we'd love to meet you keyboard to keyboard online at theencouragingword.org.
That's theencouragingword.org. Before we get away, closing thoughts from our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton. God has spoken to you, hasn't He? And you're ready to give your heart to Jesus.
I'd love to help you right now. Would you pray this prayer with me and accept Jesus into your heart and life? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner.
I know that Jesus loves me and died for me on the cross. Right now, I repent of my sin and I confess my sin to the Lord Jesus Christ. Come into my heart and save me today and forgive me for my sin. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. If you've prayed that prayer, we'd love to get alongside of you and celebrate with you and send you some literature and help you as you begin to grow.
And I want you to know that I love you very, very much. If you just prayed along with the pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, to give your life to Christ or rededicate your life to Jesus. Oh, welcome to the family of God.
Or maybe it's welcome home. We want you to grow in your faith. Dr. Wilton has prepared some free resources just for you. If you'll call us, we'll send them to you. Our number is 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673. If you've given your life to Christ or rededicated your life, let us know so we can send you these free resources. And you can also meet us on our website, www.tewonline.org.
That's www.tewonline.org where you'll discover great resources like this. This month, as a special bonus offer, you can purchase Saturdays with Billy as a brand new 4CT audiobook. This audiobook is narrated by Dr. Don Wilton and would be a great gift.
It would also be great to listen to in the car. You will enjoy hearing about the beautiful friendship between Billy Graham and his friend and pastor Don Wilton. Along with the audiobook, we are offering a DVD collection of Billy Graham Crusades, A Gathering of Souls. This documentary gives the history of the Crusades from the first event in 1949 to the remarkable events behind the Iron Curtain and in the Far East.
You are sure to enjoy watching this collection of timeless Crusades. Please visit www.tewonline.com or call 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 to order. Our time's gone for today, but oh, tomorrow Dr. Wilton has a powerful message from Second Timothy called Fight Like a Soldier. I hope you'll join us and let's stay connected between now and then on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. The Encouraging Word
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