My Grace Is Sufficient For Thee
Pastors Appreciation Service • Sermon • Submitted
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· 266 viewsWe can find strength through God's Grace through every aspect of our lives.
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Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
I wanted to stop by and share with Pastor Thomas and to you this evening, that God’s Grace is Sufficient for you.
We here this so often but what does it mean to you and me? When we are attacked on every side, how is God’s Grace Sufficient for me?
Paul declared “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”
Pastors and saints God’s Grace is Sufficient for you. In infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses. God’s Grace is sufficient for you.
What is God’s Grace? It is his unmerited, undeserved favor that He pours out upon us.
We didn't do anything to deserve it but God gave it!
It was David who stated “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
Is there any one in here that know you don’t deserve his grace and his mercy?
Here Paul has explained his vision and revelations to the Corinthians, he tells them about the thorn in the flesh that was given to him.
The apparent purpose of this thorn was beneficiary. Its intent was to keep Paul from conceit on account of his visions and revelations which otherwise may have given him a reason to boast.
But Paul had other thorns through out his life that would make it tough on a Traveling Preacher to endure.
Yet time after time he shows us that God’s Grace is Sufficient.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians
God’s Grace is Sufficient for me because God’s strength is made perfect in weakness.
When I am weak then I am Strong.
Paul tells the people of Corinth I glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
That is to say all I do is done in and through the power of Christ.
Paul reels off a list of how the power of Christ and the Grace of God was sufficient.
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Infirmities.
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Infirmities.
Paul said I take pleasure in my infirmities. Not just what he was going through at the moment but what he had been through.
13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
Two phrases we need to fully understand are “infirmity of the flesh” and “at the first.”
Remember what happened soon after Paul's conversion. God said to Ananias, “I will show him how great things he must suffer for my names sake.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Reproaches
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Reproaches
Before Becoming a Christian, Paul had Caused Others to Suffer Greatly.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
He had to defend his apostleship throughout his ministry.
13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:
Galatians
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Gods Grace is Sufficient in Neccesities
Gods Grace is Sufficient in Neccesities
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2 Corinthians 11:27
11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Philippians 4:11-13
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Persecution
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Persecution
Paul faced persecutions through his ministry. He summed it up:
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2 Corinthians 11:23-
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. 24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Paul said we are persecuted but not forsaken.
2 Corinthians 11:23-
Paul said we are persecuted but not forsaken.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Distress.
God’s Grace is Sufficient in Distress.
2 Corinthians 11:25-
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
1. His life was threatened in Damascus.
2. His life was threatened again in Jerusalem.
3. Persecuted and run out of Antioch in Pisidia.
2 Corinthians 11:25-26
4. Faced possible stoning at iconium.
5. Stoned and left for dead in Lystra.
6. Opposed and made the center of controversy.
7. Experienced the loss of his close friend and co-worker, Barnabas.
8. Beaten with rods and imprisoned at Philippi.
9. Cast out of Philippi.
10. His life was threatened in Thessalonica. ,
11. Forced out of Berea. -14
12. Mocked in Athens.
13. Taken before the judgment seat in Corinth.
14. Opposed by the silversmiths in Ephesus.
15. Plotted against by the Jews in Greece.
16. Apprehended by the mob in Jerusalem.
17. Arrested and detained by the Romans.
18. Barely escaped being scourged.
19. Rescued from the Sanhedrin mod action.
20. Assassination plot against him.
21. Two-year imprisonment in Caesarea.
22. Shipwreck on the island of Melita (Malta).
23. Suffered a snakebite.
24. First Roman imprisonment.
But through it all, I made it by the Grace of God.
For when I am weak then I am strong because I've learned to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.
Brother Pastor if that's not enough to convince you. Think of what Paul said “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.”