Sermon Central
-
God's Grace Sends You Walking
Contributed by Ray Ellis on Mar 5, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: God is for you and not against you whatever your situation. God’s grace is sufficient for you.
“God’s Grace Sends Us Walking”
An ad for the U.S. Marines pictures a sword, and beneath it the words: “Earned, not given.” If you want to become a Marine, be prepared to earn the right to be called a “Marine” through sacrifice, hardship, and training. If you get it, you deserve it. But if you want to become a Christian, you must have the exact opposite attitude, for the message of the gospel is: “Given, not earned.” You cannot save your own soul, and God will not save anyone who tries to earn salvation, but only those who will humbly receive it as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ. If you get it, you absolutely did not deserve it.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;’ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Romans 5:8), “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” NLT
It is God’s love and grace that gets us through the darkest nights. When life all around us seems to tumble in God’s grace and love keeps us from falling into the pit of despair. Jesus Christ does not promise that no storms will come our way. He does promise perfect security in the midst of storms. Jesus does not promise an easy passage in life, but he does promise a safe landing.
When trouble comes your way you can blame God and shake your fist and say, “God you need me. Since you let this happen to me, I’ll show you, I’ll get even with you.” Your threat is like the man on a mountain who stumbles and falls and breaks his leg. He says to the mountain, “Mountain you broke my leg. I’ll punish you for what you did to me. He takes a stick of dynamite and blows a hole in the mountain to punish the mountain.
God in His grace give you the same promise God gave Israel through His prophet Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 NIV
Isaiah 40:28-29 “Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.”
God is for you and not against you whatever your situation. God’s grace is sufficient for you. He knows your circumstance and challenges in life. Through Isaiah God gives you this promise: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
God says, no mater what challenges you are experiencing in life, no matter how sick you may feel, or what you have lost. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weaknesses.”
The Apostle Paul totally trusted the Lord for both his strengths and weaknesses. He said in II Corinthians 12:9-10 that the risen Lord Jesus spoke to him about all his weaknesses, “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” Paul accepted the word of Jesus and testified: “So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me. Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
It’s wonderful to know that God’s love is unchangeable; He knows exactly what we are and loves us anyway. Whenever you are faced with hardships and trials you can call on Jesus. Jesus is the sweetest name you can know. Even when the night is the darkest, Jesus can give you a song in your heart.
God’s grace sends you walking through the darkness until you come into the light.
“For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God and not of works.” Ephesians 2:8-9
The Single Greatest Gift
The single greatest gift that we can receive is the gift of God’s salvation. Unworthy as we are Jesus stepped out of heaven and became one of us. He died in our place. Whoever puts their faith in Jesus and turns from sin will be saved. Romans 5:8, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
