Faith in the Grace of God
As we have been told in the previous teaching on Pressing On by Pastor Mary Mugo, we ought to always press on in the calling of God over our lives, as that is the only way we will reach the goal and glorify God through our lives. This teaching is a continuation of that message, to build up on one of the points she spoke about on how to press on, that is putting our hope and trust in the Lord. I want to talk about having faith in the grace of God.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is Paul, who as he ran through the race of life set before him encountered numerous challenges, in form of persecutions, infirmities, reproaches, needs, distresses and so on, for Christ's sake. Of all these there is one challenge that really got to him, and that he kept pleading with God to remove from his life, obviously so that he could continue running the race of life with ease: persecutions. When he was talking about "a thorn in the flesh", contrary to popular belief, he was not talking about an illness; he was talking about persecutions. The word 'infirmity' as used in verse 9 is from the Greek word asthenés, which is translated to 'want of strength', 'weakness', 'illness', 'suffering', 'calamity', 'frailty'. Of all these translations, only one translates to something close to sickness, which is illness. The rest talk about relation to weakness.
The other time the word "thorn" is used in the Bible in a similar context it is in Numbers 33:55:
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
God was talking about the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, whom the children of Israel were to cast out when they got there, or else they would be a nuisance and constant pain to them. So in this context "thorn in your side" meant people. I believe Paul, in writing to the Corinthians about his experiences in serving God, used a similar metaphor when talking about the numerous persecutions he continued to go through, by talking about the thorn in his flesh. He kept praying for God to remove this thorn, but it would be impossible, as Jesus Himself said that as long as we are in this world, we will have tribulation (Jn. 16:33). If God were to answer Paul's prayer and take away his persecutions, then that would mean his persecutors dying or Paul being removed from the world. Paul was being persecuted because of Jesus, as Jesus Himself said that if they persecuted Him, they would also persecute us (Jn. 15:18-20).
So, what was God's answer to Paul's prayers? He told him in a nutshell to stop focusing on what lay outside him, and focus on what lay inside him: the grace of God. The grace of God is like a 2-sided coin. One side is God's unmerited and undeserved favour, while the other side is God's supernatural ability to do that which we cannot be able to do on our own. God was telling Paul to concentrate on His supernatural ability in him, to do that which he could not be able to do on his own ability.
Today, many continue to cry out to God concerning what they are going through, asking God to take away the struggles, pain, persecutions, tribulations and so on. All the while God, in His still small voice, is always saying to us, "My grace (my supernatural power in you to do that which you cannot be able to do on your own ability) is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." For many people, being weak is not good; they like being strong at all times, in themselves, and being able to do everything with little help from God. This is why many rich people do not see the need of God or putting their faith in Jesus, as basically they think they can do everything on their own. The only way the power of God can be manifested in our lives is if we agree to be weak on our own, and strong in Him. We should come to a point of letting go of trying on our own strength, admit that we cannot do anything on our own, and surrender to God's power and grace to work in and through our lives.
You see, God's strength cannot co-exist with your strength; it only exists in your weakness. Some people think God wants them to try out everything, then when they come to a point where they cannot do it anymore they turn to God. This is why they come up with such phrases as, "God helps those who helps themselves," or, "Do your best and leave the rest to God." There is no Scripture to support such wordly notions. Instead, we see such Scriptures as:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
John 15:5b
...without Me you can do nothing.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
God does not want you to run the race alone; He wants to help you run it, from the beginning to the end. God does not want to be your audience, where you are running for Him; He wants to be your strength, breath, life etc., so that you run from Him. This is why Acts 17:28 says that in Him we live and move and have our being. He wants to be involved in all you do, so that at the end you have nothing to boast about; that when you look back you have no idea how you made it, that the only thing that comes to mind is, "It's all by His grace."
Before any child is born, the parents do their best to make preparations before the birth of all the child may need: diapers, clothes, sleeping cot, toys etc. The more financially able the parent is, the more preparations they do. Some even go to great lengths of securing the children's education money, all the way to high school. In the same way, God, before creating us, lay before us all we need to make it in life. This is why He says:
2 Peter 1:3-4
...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is Paul, who as he ran through the race of life set before him encountered numerous challenges, in form of persecutions, infirmities, reproaches, needs, distresses and so on, for Christ's sake. Of all these there is one challenge that really got to him, and that he kept pleading with God to remove from his life, obviously so that he could continue running the race of life with ease: persecutions. When he was talking about "a thorn in the flesh", contrary to popular belief, he was not talking about an illness; he was talking about persecutions. The word 'infirmity' as used in verse 9 is from the Greek word asthenés, which is translated to 'want of strength', 'weakness', 'illness', 'suffering', 'calamity', 'frailty'. Of all these translations, only one translates to something close to sickness, which is illness. The rest talk about relation to weakness.
The other time the word "thorn" is used in the Bible in a similar context it is in Numbers 33:55:
But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.
God was talking about the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, whom the children of Israel were to cast out when they got there, or else they would be a nuisance and constant pain to them. So in this context "thorn in your side" meant people. I believe Paul, in writing to the Corinthians about his experiences in serving God, used a similar metaphor when talking about the numerous persecutions he continued to go through, by talking about the thorn in his flesh. He kept praying for God to remove this thorn, but it would be impossible, as Jesus Himself said that as long as we are in this world, we will have tribulation (Jn. 16:33). If God were to answer Paul's prayer and take away his persecutions, then that would mean his persecutors dying or Paul being removed from the world. Paul was being persecuted because of Jesus, as Jesus Himself said that if they persecuted Him, they would also persecute us (Jn. 15:18-20).
So, what was God's answer to Paul's prayers? He told him in a nutshell to stop focusing on what lay outside him, and focus on what lay inside him: the grace of God. The grace of God is like a 2-sided coin. One side is God's unmerited and undeserved favour, while the other side is God's supernatural ability to do that which we cannot be able to do on our own. God was telling Paul to concentrate on His supernatural ability in him, to do that which he could not be able to do on his own ability.
Today, many continue to cry out to God concerning what they are going through, asking God to take away the struggles, pain, persecutions, tribulations and so on. All the while God, in His still small voice, is always saying to us, "My grace (my supernatural power in you to do that which you cannot be able to do on your own ability) is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." For many people, being weak is not good; they like being strong at all times, in themselves, and being able to do everything with little help from God. This is why many rich people do not see the need of God or putting their faith in Jesus, as basically they think they can do everything on their own. The only way the power of God can be manifested in our lives is if we agree to be weak on our own, and strong in Him. We should come to a point of letting go of trying on our own strength, admit that we cannot do anything on our own, and surrender to God's power and grace to work in and through our lives.
You see, God's strength cannot co-exist with your strength; it only exists in your weakness. Some people think God wants them to try out everything, then when they come to a point where they cannot do it anymore they turn to God. This is why they come up with such phrases as, "God helps those who helps themselves," or, "Do your best and leave the rest to God." There is no Scripture to support such wordly notions. Instead, we see such Scriptures as:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
John 15:5b
...without Me you can do nothing.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
God does not want you to run the race alone; He wants to help you run it, from the beginning to the end. God does not want to be your audience, where you are running for Him; He wants to be your strength, breath, life etc., so that you run from Him. This is why Acts 17:28 says that in Him we live and move and have our being. He wants to be involved in all you do, so that at the end you have nothing to boast about; that when you look back you have no idea how you made it, that the only thing that comes to mind is, "It's all by His grace."
Before any child is born, the parents do their best to make preparations before the birth of all the child may need: diapers, clothes, sleeping cot, toys etc. The more financially able the parent is, the more preparations they do. Some even go to great lengths of securing the children's education money, all the way to high school. In the same way, God, before creating us, lay before us all we need to make it in life. This is why He says:
2 Peter 1:3-4
...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Before we got saved, before we were even born, God knew all we
would need and made the provisions ahead of time, through Jesus. When we
received Jesus, we received all things to help us enjoy the God-kind of
life on earth, and live in godliness. God foresaw all the battles and
persecutions you would go through, and put in you all the grace you
would need to go through it all and remain victorious. This is what He
was pointing out to Paul, so that Paul would stop focusing on what was
outside him, and start focusing on what was inside him.
When
Paul caught this revelation, he started rejoicing in his weaknesses,
for in them God's strength was manifested, and also rejoicing in
infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions and distresses. He didn't rejoice for these, but rejoiced in them, in spite of them. God is not the one who brought these things, as Paul starts by stating that the thorn
in the flesh was a messenger from Satan. God doesn't bring persecutions,
needs, infirmities etc., and these don't come to make us better
Christians as some people think. These come to 'buffet' you, as they did
Paul. They come from the devil, the devourer, thief and accuser of
brethren (1 Pet. 5:8, Jn. 10:10, Rev. 12:10).
They come to bring you down and try devour you. We don't become
stronger when we embrace these things, thinking they're from God; we
become stronger when we remain in faith, surrendering to and trusting in
the grace of God, as we keep our eyes on our race and goal, in spite of these things. These
things (persecutions, needs, infirmities, distresses etc.) come as
distractions, to get you to take your eyes off Jesus and your race.
Paul, for a moment, got distracted and started to focus on the
distractions, asking God to remove them. Lovingly, God told him to focus
on His grace upon His life, and keep on pressing on.
Elsewhere, we see
Paul saying:
Acts 20:18, 22-24
18 And
when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first
day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews...
22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Later on, he says:
1 Corinthians 15:10a
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain;...
22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Later on, he says:
1 Corinthians 15:10a
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain;...
At
first, the persecutions and trials were a distraction to Paul. After God
ministered to him and encouraged him to focus on His grace rather than
what he was going through, we see Paul getting to a point of saying that
none of those things moved him anymore. Did God remove persecutions,
trials and so on, for Paul to say this? No. He just helped him shift his
focus from the outside, to the inside, from what the devil was doing,
to what God had done (given him all the grace to go through it all), and
was doing (helping him overcome). He understood that the trials and
persecutions were just but distractions, which is why he said that none
of them moved him, so that he could finish his race with joy, and the
ministry Jesus gave him, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
All trials, tribulations, persecutions, distresses etc. are just but
distractions for you, so that you may not finish your race with joy, and
fulfill your purpose.
The best soldiers are not the ones who have never fought any battles.
They're the ones who've fought numerous battles, and came out
victorious. Even when they lose the battles, they don't quit, but go
back, see what they did wrong, and go back to the battlefield. Recently I
learnt something interesting about soldiers: they never retreat, unless
at the order of their leader. When they go on the battlefield, it's do
or die. When the battle gets fierce, they don't turn to their commander
and starts crying to him; they fight to the end. The same is true for
policemen. Picture a policeman who's been equipped with weapons and
authority to fight being confronted by thieves and calling his superiors
to complain about the thieves. They're not supposed to focus on the
thief, but rather on what they have that can bring down the thief. We're
soldiers, called by God to finish this journey successfully. We've been
equipped with all we need to always walk in victory. Instead of
complaining and fussing about the enemy and what he brings our way, our
focus should be on who we are, Who our Commander is, and what He's
equipped us with.
Purpose to rely on the grace of God for all you do, starting from the simplest thing to the biggest thing. Rely on Him to do everything. Don't try to perform and live for God; you will fail. Live from God, where you rely on Him for everything. Some people try to even obey the Word on their own, and end up failing. You're never strong enough to do things on your own; you always need the grace of God. As the Bible tells us, when you think you are standing, be careful lest you fall (1 Cor. 10:12). Surrender to the grace of God to help you do everything, from resisting temptations, obeying God's Word, working, studying, speaking etc. God gave you His grace to help you run this race of life; have faith in it, and utilize it to the maximum.
Always see yourself as God sees you, and see yourself with what He has given you: all the grace you need to emerge victorious. God has faith in the grace He gave you to overcome all that comes your way, and finish your race with joy; have faith in it too, and at all times keep your focus on Jesus.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
You can and will make it through life and all it brings, because God's grace is sufficient for you. Believe that.
Acts 20:32
"So now, brethren, I
commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build
you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
2 Peter 3:18
...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18
...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Grace and peace to you!
-- Sam Gitonga.
(28/02/15 Kesha Service Sermon, Teaching Transformation Ministry.)
Brother Sam is the Youth Leader, at Teaching Transformation Ministry. We
are located along the Thika-Ruai Flyover Junction (at the Thika Rd./
Bypass intersection), Next to Eastgate Restaurant.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking your time to comment.
Blessings.