Acres of diamonds
The story was about a farmer
Who lived in Africa and through a visitor became tremendously excited
About looking for diamonds. Diamonds were already discovered in abundance
on the African continent and this farmer got so excited about the idea
of millions of dollars worth of diamonds that he sold his farm to head
out to the diamond line. He wandered all over the continent, as the
years slipped by, constantly searching for diamonds, wealth, which he
never found. Eventually he went completely broke and threw himself into
a river and drowned.
Meanwhile, the new owner of his farm picked up an unusual looking rock
about the size of a country egg and put it on his mantle as a sort of
curiosity. A visitor stopped by and in viewing the rock practically went
into terminal convulsions. He told the new owner of the farm that the
funny looking rock on his mantle was about the biggest diamond that had
ever been found. The new owner of the farm said, "Heck, the whole farm
is covered with them" - and sure enough it was.
The farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine...the richest the
world has ever known. The original farmer was literally standing on
"Acres of Diamonds" until he sold his farm.
• One of the greatest diamonds that we as believers have id the diamond of Grace.
• Grace
o Abundant
o Suffient
o Grace & peace
o Sustaining
o Spirit of grace
o Great
o Abounding
• The devil will love to have us run around looking for peace,liberty, freedom, but gets us running around busy in :
o Works
o Law
o Condemnation
o Regret
o Keeps so busy so frustrated and so disappointed in your self and life.
If any one understood the grace of god was the apostle paul he started off the chief of sinners and ended up the chief of apostles was one word grace
If you ever see a turtle sitting on top of a fence post you know he never got there by him self.
• If you ever see a saint of God sitting in church with their bible under there arm and life sorted out additions broken you that there never got there by them selves
• If you ever see someone singing in the qoiure with their hand lifted up you know that they never got there by their own
• If you ever see a pastor\ preacher anointed and god is using him you can know he never got there by himself.
• Grace help us get what we can’t get on our own
• There is a tendency to forget that there is tendency to forget
o john 16 : you have not chosen me I have chosen you
• Grace make effectiveness happen often we need to be shaken and reminded that it is by grace that we are saved not by works we need to overwhelmed we need to be Brocken over it and shook up by it
• The estimate of any object is determined by what someone is willing to pay for that object.
o When god looked at us silver and gold was not enough to pay for us when he looked at it he said only the blood of my son can pay for that, if you ever wondered if god loved you the cross is the answer to that you are of great worth to him.
• Paul said he won’t frustrate the grace of god
gal 2”20 I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21 [Therefore, I do not treat God’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.]
john 8:4 Teacher, they said, This woman has been caught in the very act of adultery.
5 Now Moses in the Law commanded us that such [women—offenders] shall be stoned to death. But what do You say [to do with her—what is Your sentence]?
6 This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.
7 However, when they persisted with their question, He raised Himself up and said, Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.
8 Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger.
9 They listened to Him, and then they began going out, conscience-stricken, one by one, from the oldest down to the last one of them, till Jesus was left alone, with the woman standing there before Him in the centre of the court.
1. Judgemental people don’t know when to keep quit, they always talk too much always look for ways to condemn, loves to see people do wrong and get punished.
1. if they stopped at Moses law commands to stone her. They were under law.
2. If they left it at that they would be justified to stone her, punish her to the max.
Glory of the New Covenant
2 cor 9:7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
2. The accuser is a astute legal prosecutor who will not hesitate to use the Ten Commandments to condemn you. That is why the word of God says that the Ten Commandments are not just the “ministry of death” but also “ministry of condemnation”.
3. Remember there is nothing unholy about the Ten Commandments, they are holy just and good, but they have no power to make you holy and just and good.
4. The law is unbending and inflexible standard it cannot compromise when you fail it cannot show you grace – if it does then it is not the law.
5. The law always ministers condemnation, If you are under law every time you fail and fall short of gods standards you will be condemned, grace always ministers richeouness that why it is called the ministry of richeneous
Judas
• we will all have a choice to make to walk under the law of death and condemnation or to walk under Grace, there is two examples of walking in grace or law
• judus never chose to walk under grace but chose to walk under law and condemnation.
Mathew27 Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. 2 Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.
6. When Judas came to his senses and reliased that he has done wrong he went to make right with the religious leaders they said “it is not our problem”
1. It is amazing that religious and law will not bend that is why we cannot look and the law and religion as they don’t care and can’t help you.
7. I believe that if Judas threw himself into grace and threw himself in forgiveness the story would have ended a lot different.i believ that God would have restored hime.
8. Condemnation is weapon that the devil would love to use against us, takes away our confidence takes away our hope, takes away our relationship with God.
9. Condemnation is a killer , killer of faith dreams and confidence with God.
10. What do you say Jesus
They went to far and asked jesus what do you say?
• They asked Jesus who is:
o Full of love
o Compassion
o Forgiveness
o grace
Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ
He looked at the woman
Listened to the accusers
Stooped down and touched the dirt,
• sending a signal that I don’t mind getting my hands dirty to rescue you, when you can’t get to me I stoop down and touch dirty filthy lives.
Then he stood up and said if you don’t have any sin then you can cast the first stone,then they left as they were all guilty.
The only one who could accuse her did not have any rocks
• Jesus the only one without sin, theonly one that could have stoned her did not have any stones.
• God is not angry he doesn’t have any rocks,
• God only has love grace and acceptance for you he does not have any stones to stone you.
He stooped down again:
Amazing part of the scripture is he never gives up on us he never loses hope, he never grows tiered, when he stooped down again he was saying I don’t care how many time I have to stoop I don’t care how many times I have to get my hands dirty. I will keep on until you safe.
Peter – accepted grace.
John 21:15 after breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these others?”[d]
“Yes,” Peter replied, “you know I am your friend.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon, son of John, do you really love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I am your friend.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 Once more he asked him, “Simon, son of John, is you even my friend?”
Peter was grieved at the way Jesus asked the question this third time. “Lord, you know my heart;[e] you know I am,” he said.
Jesus said, “Then feed my little sheep. 18 When you were young, you were able to do as you liked and go wherever you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and others will direct you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to let him know what kind of death he would die to glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
Rom 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
• Peter accepted grace and rejected condemnation
• He went on do great works in the kingdom, not to mention became a great example of what will happen when we receive God’s grace.
• Jesus always goes after us never stops pursuing us
o He asked 3 time do you love me
o Because peter denied him three times.
• We need to show Grace
o We need to stoop down to people and help raise people up
o We need to get our hand dirty and involved in people lives
o Not be so focused on what they are involved in but rather what they can become, we need to look through the eyes of faith in God and the eyes of grace to remember that would be me if it was not for the grace of God.
o Just as jesus stooped down a second time we must have the mind set that we will not give up or quit on people.
