GRACE
SUFFICIENT
BREAD
21 But
now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the
Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This
righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference, 23 for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24
and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:21-24 (NIV)
15 But the gift
is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man,
how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one
man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again,
the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment
followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many
trespasses and brought justification. 17 For
if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how
much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the
gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15-17 (NIV)
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you
followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the
spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time,
gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and
thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God,
who is rich in mercy, 5 made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you
have been saved. 6 And God raised
us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming
ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his
kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not
by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:1-10 (NIV)
1 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive
God's grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians
6:1-2 (NIV)
7 To keep me from
becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was
given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take
it away from me. 9 But he said
to me, “My grace is sufficient
for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may
rest on me. 10 That is why, for
Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
10 But by the
grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I
worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with
me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
10 I rejoice
greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed,
you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need,
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I
know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in
any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty
or in want. 13 I can do everything
through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:10-13 (NIV)
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
all. 2 Thessalonians 3:18 (NIV)
BUTTER
“The
mercy of God is that attribute which we, the fallen, sinful race of Adam, stand
in greatest need of, and God has been pleased, according to our needs, more
gloriously to manifest this attribute than any other. The wonders of divine
grace are the greatest of all wonders. The wonders of divine power and wisdom
in the making of this great world are marvelous; many wonderful things have
happened since the creation of the world, but none like the wonders of grace. ‘Grace,
grace!’ is the sound that the gospel rings with, ‘Grace, grace!’ will be that
shout which will ring in heaven forever; and perhaps what the angels sung at
the birth of Christ, of God's good will towards men, is the highest theme that
ever they entered upon.” Jonathan Edwards
“The
Will of God will never take you where the Grace of God cannot sustain you!” Anonymous
“It is well to be poor, when the knowledge
of our poverty serves but to unfold to us the exhaustless riches of divine
grace. That grace can never suffer any one to go away empty. It can never tell
anyone that he is too poor. It can meet the very deepest human need; and not
only so, but it is glorified in meeting it. This holds good in every case. It
is true of every individual sinner…Grace is the grand and only resource for us
all. It is the basis of our salvation;
the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable
hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken
world. May we cherish a deeper sense of grace, and more ardent desire for glory!” C H MacIntosh
“Prayer gives us the significance of frontline
forces and gives God the glory of a limitless Provider. The one who gives the power gets the glory.
Thus, prayer safeguards the supremacy of
God in missions while linking us with endless grace for every need.” John
Piper
“Doubt not His grace because of thy
tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as
in times of happiness.” Charles Spurgeon
“No
sea is deeper than the ocean of His love.
There is no army stronger than His hosts, no force greater than His
throne of grace, no enemy who can overcome His direct and indirect work in our
lives.” Robert
J. Morgan
“There are such difficulties in the way of our salvation as
could never be overcome but by that grace of God which is almighty. ‘What is impossible with men is possible with
God.’ His grace can work on the soul, so as to alter the bent and bias of it,
and give it a contrary leaning.” Matthew Henry
“The true Christian cannot be hid, he
cannot escape notice. A man truly living
and functioning as a Christian will stand out.
He will be like salt; he will be like a city set on a hill, a candle set
upon a candlestick. But we can also add this further word. The true Christian
does not even desire to hide his light.
He sees how ridiculous it is to claim to be a Christian and yet
deliberately to try to hide the fact. A
man who truly realizes what it means to be a Christian, who realizes all that
the grace of God has meant to him and done for him, and understands that,
ultimately, God has done this in order that he may influence others, is a man
who cannot conceal it. Not only that; he
does not desire to conceal it, because he argues thus, ‘Ultimately the object and
purpose of it all is that I might be functioning in this way’.” Martin
Lloyd-Jones
“Only two things
have ever changed the human soul: the fall and grace, the power of Satan and
the power of God. And God is infinitely
more powerful. Nothing is stronger than
grace. Satan doesn’t have any. God is defined by it.” Larry
Crabb
“The grace of God is infinite and eternal. As it had no beginning, so it can have no
end.” A. W. Tozer
“From God, great
and small, rich and poor, draw living water from a living spring, and those who
serve Him freely and gladly will receive grace answering to grace.” Thomas
a Kempis
“Costly
grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must
be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to
follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life,
and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and
grace because it justifies the sinner.
Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son. ‘Ye were bought at a price,’ and what has
cost God much cannot be cheap for us.
Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a
price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God.” Dietrich
Bonhoeffer
HEART
SAVOR
- · God’s grace is free, but it is not cheap.
- · God’s grace is more than sufficient for all things – He’s got me covered!
- · God’s grace to me was not without effect. Grace changes the leanings of the soul.
