My Grace is Sufficient For You, Part 2

Greetings friends and new listeners and welcome to The Sound of Faith.

I'm Sharon Knotts thanking you for joining us today because we know faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If you've ever been in an extended trial of faith or fiery trial, today's message is good news for you. Jesus said, My grace is sufficient for you. If you're thinking you've heard it all before, think again and join me as we discover the significance of each word in my grace is sufficient for you. He's Jehovah Jireh. I'm the Lord who provides for you.

I can more than provide for you. Amen. My grace. I'm Jehovah Shalom. I'm the God of peace.

Shalom in Hebrew is so much richer than English. It doesn't mean an absence of war or an absence of conflict. It means more than that. It means the presence of God in all His goodness.

It means His presence is able to deliver you, rescue you, heal you, lift you. Amen. To give you completeness, wholeness. That's what the word means, complete. Oh, nothing missing, nothing broken.

He's enough. Amen. It's not human grace. It is not human grace because that's faulty. Man-made grace is weak, anemic. It can be arbitrary.

Amen. With favoritism and partiality. And it can be limited.

It can be genuine, sincere, but only go so far and run out of resource. But not God's grace. Not God's grace. Just flip over to 1 Corinthians 10. And you know this verse, but we want to read it because we want to get the full impact of it. 1 Corinthians 10, 13. It says in the first verse, it says you know this verse, but we want to read it because we want to get the full impact of it.

1 Corinthians 10, 13. There has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. So that means the devil is a liar when he tells you you're the only one going through this.

Nobody else knows what you're going through because nobody's as bad as you have it right now. Or words to that effect. But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will with the temptation also, I like that there also, make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. So God promised, I am faithful. I'm not going to allow you to be tempted.

I'm not going to let the messenger of Satan buffet you above that which you are able. I'm not always going to stop it. I'm not always going to pull you directly out of that place. But I promise you this, I will make a way of escape. He didn't say I'll make a hundred ways, but he'll make at least one way. And that's why when you're in that place, you got to be looking for God's way of escape, not yours.

Amen? That you may be able to bear it. You know this word temptation there, tempted and temptation is interesting because you have to look at the context who it's talking about because that determines what it means when it's talking about God, because God allows temptation to come where he said, I will not suffer you. The better word is I will not allow you to be tempted above that what you're able, but we got to take it what it's telling us, but I will allow you to be tempted, but I will allow you to be tempted, but I am going to be in charge of the degree of the temptation because I'm not allowing you to be tempted so that you can fail. God doesn't want you to fail.

He's not interested in our failing. He doesn't tempt us to show us, look what a big failure you are. He allows us to be tempted so that we can see that we're strong in him so that we can stand so we can prove because he already knows that we can prove to the devil, number one, through God I can stand. I came through the temptation and I'm still standing. What do you do when you've done all you can?

You stand. So if it's speaking of God allowing the temptation, it's to show that you are strong and you won't fail. Now when it's Satan, when Satan's tempting you because you have allowed yourself to get on his territory and open the door, he's tempting you so that you will fail. He's trying to get you to fail and to fall.

Amen. But when it's God, he's the one that's allowing it to come and sometimes he does. He allows us to be buffeted.

You know that word buffeted, I want you to know it's like punching you and punching you. But never to your breaking point. He only lets you get to your able point.

Your able point, not a breaking point. Because before you would get to a breaking point, he's going to give you the grace. God will give you the commensurate grace to counteract the trial. The severer the trial, the greater God's grace.

Amen. So we've learned that it is my grace. God said it's my grace. So we always have to remember God is the one controlling the grace.

And therefore he's controlling how much pressure is allowed to come against you. Second word, grace. The Greek word is charis. It means favor, loving kindness, merciful kindness by which God keeps, strengthens, increases us in faith, in knowledge, and in Christian virtues. This is what grace does for the Christian. We're not talking about grace to the sinner. Because grace to the sinner is this. For by grace are you saved through faith. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men. So that's Ephesians 2 and 8 and that's Titus 1 and 9. But to the Christian, to the believer is what I've just read.

Now let me tell you this. In your New Testament the word grace is found 156 times. That's a lot of times for 27 books.

Amen. 27 letters in the New Testament. And 130 of those times it is translated grace. And six times it's translated favor. And then there's a few others like here and there different ones that I won't mention for sake of time.

But these are the main ones. So it's God's manifested goodness towards us. And this manifested goodness towards us is through his son Jesus. Don't forget, Jesus said my grace.

Amen. Don't forget whose grace it is. You know I love what John said in the gospel of John the first chapter. And looking back he said and we beheld his glory full of grace and truth.

And of his grace have we all received and grace for grace. That means one layer of grace on top of another. On top of another.

On top of another. Amen. That means every time you need some kind of grace it's going to be there.

And not only that it's a cumulative. God's grace is a cumulative over our lifetimes. He gives us grace when we're first saved.

Not to quit and go back into the world. He gives us grace when we get persecuted and our family wants to throw us out the door. He gives us grace not to not to run away.

Amen. He gives us grace to those baby trials and the top of trials all those teenage trials. He gives us grace throughout our whole life. He just keeps putting one layer of grace on top of a layer of grace.

Amen. We received grace for grace because John went on to say the law came by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. My God that's John 1 16 and 17. We are the recipients of God's grace through Jesus. Now as we get into the New Testament letters we see that grace is really explained to us in many ways.

And if you went through the book of Romans there's quite a few and I can't do them all but let me briefly give you these what Paul said about grace in Romans. In 3 24 he said we are justified freely by his grace. Justified means to be put in a right standing with God. It means God looks at us and he sees us as righteous. Not because we earned it or are righteous in and of ourselves but our righteousness is from Jesus. He is our righteousness. Amen. He's our redemption our sanctification our justification. Whenever you see the word justification just know that it means righteousness.

Amen. So we're in a right standing with God because of his grace. That means because I'm in a right standing with God I can come boldly to the throne of grace. I don't have to come sheepishly or timidly or with some inferiority complex. I can come boldly because I've been made righteous in him.

Amen. He that knew no sin became our sin bearer that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And that's because of grace. Romans 5 2 I like this one it dovetails with what I just said.

We have access a c c e s s that access means we have an entrance into an open door we can come in we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand. You know I know you can't see it in the flesh but if you could look in the spirit you would see that right now I'm standing in grace. I'm standing in grace. I am up here preaching to you today because I'm standing in grace. I'm walking around here getting excited by the anointing because I'm standing in grace.

Amen. Standing in grace. And because I'm standing in grace now unto him who's able to keep me from falling and present me faultless and blameless in his presence with everlasting joy. And it's all because of faith that I have that access. You see if you don't have faith to believe the door is not going to open to you. But when you believe it the door opens you walk in you say I need to get in there and I need to be walking in some grace today. And we all know this one. This is the one of the greats five twenty where sin abounded the grace of God did much more abound. Amen. So no matter what your life was like before you came to Jesus Christ no matter what kind of sinner you were we were all wretched.

That's let's put it that way. We were all wretches. I don't care if you thought you were goody two shoes and you didn't hardly do anything bad like the other people though you know those drug addicts and those alcoholics and those prostitutes and you know oh I was never like that. Well you were still a wretch. Still a wretch. Cause Paul said oh wretched man that I am who will save me from this body of sin and death. And we all know that Paul was quite righteous. He was a Hebrew of the Hebrews and a Pharisee of the Pharisees and he knew the law and he sat at the feet of the great Rabbi Gamaliel.

But he was still a wretch. Amen. So whatever it may have been where sin does abound the grace of God does much more abound. So if you come to Jesus and you've got an alcohol addiction and you've got a drug addiction or some other very strong addiction that you have tried to stop and you just could not do it. You tried to quit smoking.

You tried to quit drinking or whatever it might have been. You know we won't have to go get the whole catalog out of sin. But you might have come not only a wretched sinner for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But you also came with a lot of bondage habits in your flesh. Well where those habits and sin does abound. God's grace does much more abound. Much more abound.

Much more abound. When some of you came to Christ you weren't smokers you weren't drinkers you didn't you weren't on drugs. So you didn't have to get set free from those things. And God's grace saved you delivered you. But that one that comes in the devil says you will never ever get free.

No point in your even coming. Don't even go up to that altar. Don't even pray the sinner's prayer because you know that you can't stop. The devil is a liar.

Where sin abounds the grace of God does much more abound. Somebody needs to hear this today. Somebody needs to hear this. And I bind the demon will try to distract them so they can't hear it. Just come. Come as you are. Just come as you are. Just as I am without one plea but that thy blood was shed for me. Amen. Oh Lamb of God I come I come just as I am and waiting not to rid my heart of one dark blot to him whose blood cleanses each spot.

Oh Lamb of God I come I come. You can't cleanse the spots much less deliver yourself from the power. See the blood not only blocks out the sin it delivers you from the power. See that's what the Old Testament bulls and rams and all the sheep and animal sacrifices could not do.

They could allow God to withhold and restrain judgment on people because they brought a blood sacrifice but they were going to go back out there and do it again because they didn't have the power of the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And that's why he said in 6 14 sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the law but you are under grace. So now before we move on I'd like to ask is there anyone that would like to offer what is your favorite scripture on grace. Raise your hand if you have a favorite scripture on grace that you'd like to say.

Okay the brother out. You stole my verse. Brother Al stole my verse that was going to be mine.

So let me tell you because I know you didn't hear it way over yonder. Second Corinthians 9 8 but the God of all grace is able to make all grace abound on to you that you always having all sufficiency there's that word in all things may abound on to every good work. Now that's got so many superlatives in there. I just can't even take it all in.

It's one of the greatest. God is able to make all grace and all grace means what it says. All grace how much grace do you need. I need all the grace I can get Lord.

I need all the help I can get Lord. Well he's got all grace. He's got all grace. Don't ask for a little bit ask for all grace.

And he's not done. All grace abound. When something abounds it means it's multiplying. See in the beginning he adds to you grace upon grace he's adding grace upon grace upon grace. But now he's multiplying and grace is abounding. And now you always in every situation always having all sufficiency in all things.

I don't care what the test is. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial, marital, whatever it is in all things you can abound on to every good work. See the thing is God's all sufficient more than enough grace is. It's enough.

It's not going to be it is. It's available to you in your greatest trials. The greater the trial the greater the grace.

That brings us to my grace is IS. That's a verb but how many know what kind of verb it is. There's two kinds of verbs.

Come on folks. Action is one. Is this an action verb? What is it? It's a state of being.

A couple more gold stars went out. It's a state of being. So when God said as we learned last week to Moses who said what am I going to tell the children of Israel when I tell them you sent me to deliver them from Pharaoh and get them out of Egypt and they're going to say oh yeah and what is God's name? I am. And we learned that I am stands for Jehovah and we learned that Jehovah or Jehovah in Hebrew is derived from a Hebrew verb and it means I am the God that is, that was and evermore shall be. In all three dimensions God is.

Amen. Oh he didn't say I am the God that was and he didn't say I am the God that will be because if he was just the God that was it was good for them folks but it's not helping me. And if he's the God that will be but I'm in trouble right now I might not make it down there to when you will be. But he said I am a right now God. I'm the God who is who was and evermore shall be. The word means the existing one.

The existing one. The ing on there means it is a present tense so it doesn't matter what the time is on the calendar it's present. 3510 times in your Old Testament you will see it in the King James Version as capital L O R D and that is the same as Jehovah the God who was and evermore shall be. So what did he say? He said above himself in Malachi 3 6 I am God and I change not. He said in Hebrews 13 8 the same yesterday today and forever. So his grace is it's not going to be and it's not going to run out no matter how many times you come and how many times you receive grace. It's not going to run out.

It's not limited. It doesn't just work in certain situations for certain times. It works in everyday daily tasks of life. It works in crisis. Emergencies. It works when you're facing the worst test of your life just like the father did in our story.

The worst test of his life. It works when your health is failing. It works when your marriage is failing. It works when your finances are failing.

It works when a loved one dies and it works when you come under fierce spiritual attacks. My grace is you know that somebody wrote that song one day at a time. Lord Jesus that's all I'm asking of you. Just give me the strength today to do what I need to do. Well that's what God promised.

That's what he said. Today my grace is sufficient. It's sufficient today. So today receive my grace. Don't start worrying and fretting about tomorrow because tomorrow there will be grace for tomorrow.

Amen. Grace woke me up this morning. Grace started me on my way.

I'll just tell you the words I won't sing it. Grace will help you with all of your troubles and firmities. Amen. God's grace. Grace grace God's grace. Now consider this. If God's grace is then we have to stop begging and pleading for it to be manifest in our lives.

We have to what the man said that I quoted. Don't take the fact my grace is. It's a fact. And don't turn it into a plea. Oh Lord please let your grace come and help me.

You have to accept it as a fact. Your grace is sufficient for me. Amen.

And when we do that it will become a reality. As long as we're praying oh Lord I need you to give me more grace. I need grace. I need grace. Then we're not receiving the grace that is.

I really don't know how to explain it because it's kind of hard to explain. But how many know what I'm trying to say? Amen. Alright grace is and what's the next word? Sufficient.

The Greek word is archaeo. And what this word means it means to be possessed of unfailing strength. To be strong enough. You know there's a popular song right now being played on Christian radio. And when he starts saying I'm not strong enough or I'm not strong enough but you are something to that effect. How many know that song I'm referring to?

Nobody? Okay. Well anyway words like that pop out to me. So anyway this is what the word sufficient means. It means to be strong enough.

I mean very simply to be strong enough. He's strong enough for what? For whatever. For everything. For anything.

I don't want to sound like a broken record here but small things, medium things, big things. You're strong enough. If you like Samson get attacked by a lion spiritually speaking.

Amen. Because that's what Paul said. God delivered me out of the mouth of the lion with Samson.

It was literal. And as I said when I preached that a few weeks ago I don't think that Samson knew he was strong enough. He didn't know how strong he was because this was his first contest. His first attack.

And he took that lion and grabbed it by its beard and then he just split it in two like it was a stuffed toy. He was strong enough because the Spirit of God came upon him. He was strong enough. And you are strong enough because his grace is strong enough against any danger. It's strong enough to be able to bear up with evil.

So if you're in a prolonged battle, prolonged, you're strong enough. Amen. What an uplifting word of the Lord. My grace is sufficient for you. Inspired by the true story of the tragic loss of a child and how 2 Corinthians 12 9 was the catalyst for healing, the Holy Spirit prompted me to define each word of this phrase. The intention of each of these six words and their connective meanings create a dynamic perspective that brings strength and comfort for extended and puzzling trials.

For the embattled believer, it makes the unbearable bearable and ushers in God's glorious power. You can order My Grace Is Sufficient for you on CD for a love gift of $10 or more for our radio ministry. Request SK210, mail to Sound of Faith, PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or go to our e-store at soundoffaith.org where MP3s are available. You will also find scores of messages on many topics by my father, R.G. Hardy, and myself. But to order My Grace Is Sufficient for you by mail, send your minimum love gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Request offer SK210. Till next time, this is Sharon Otse, Maranatha.