Living By
Faith (2): Grace for Living
2 Cor 8:1-4, 9:8, 12:9
Gaining
a biblical mindset, picture of Christian living. I
want to piece together a picture.
We’ll take a break for 2 weeks, but then
we’ll come back to this series to continue to flesh this out.
The problem with the debtor’s ethic is that [if
missed, you may want to listen to last week’s]
(1) it presumes we have something to offer God
This is a middle-class mindset; the weak, the poor, the oppressed do
not try to repay; they know they can’t.
It is the lower class that says, You are the
giver, I’m the receiver.
(2), it sees grace as something in the past.
How does the Bible
see Christian living, see grace?
Grace is not merely a past reality, but a present
and future one. We live in grace.
No one can live the Christian life, moment by
moment, without grace. Every moment of
our Christian existence is sustained and empowered by grace.
Do not picture grace as just something in the
past, just the cross. Grace is moment by
moment, grace is how Christians can do anything.
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past cross present future
Some might see grace at the cross (what
Christ has done for us), but from that moment on, it is our work, what we will
do for Christ.
I’d like to
establish today that it is all, from beginning to end, God’s grace
1.
Paul
begins and ends each letter with grace
[slide]
His blessing was for God’s continual grace upon his people. For Paul, grace was not something received in
the past; it was a daily, moment by moment reality. “May God’s grace be with you. May you live in grace.”
2. 2 Cor 8:1-4
The churches of
Why, how were they able to give so
radically? It was their overflowing
joy! This was not done reluctantly or
begrudgingly or out of heavy guilt. This
was the result of overflowing joy! This
was deep and genuine generosity.
They found joy in something else so that they
were not tied to the joy of money. They
loved their Christian brothers and sisters (needs in
But where did this joy come from? How were they able to have such hearts that
enabled such generosity? We read right
at the top, it was the grace of God that was given to the Macedonian
churches. Paul wanted the Corinthians to
know about the grace that was given to the Macedonians. Look at what God has given the Macedonians!
Paul sees the ability and desire to give, not as the grace of the
Macedonians to the Christians in
3.
2 Cor 9:8
And God is able to make all
grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Paul is urging the Corinthians to give
generously. Notice the argument/persuasion.
God supplies all our needs so that we can be
fruitful, we can flourish, we can multiply good works.
If you look at vv. 10-11, you’ll notice, God
supplies our needs, we are made rich, so we can be generous. I think that’s what Paul is referring to when
he says God will make “all grace abound to you.” God has given us so much so that we can give
to others.
The wealth, ability, desire, freedom,
privilege to give is God’s grace to us.
4. 2 Cor 12:9
Paul had a thorn in his flesh that tormented
him. We don’t know what it was, but we
know that it painful, weakening. Paul
asks for it to be removed.
God replies, My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
The ability to endure hardship is not by
looking back to past grace to feel thankful, but to cling to moment by moment
grace. I’ll supply what you need.
Notice how grace and power are in
parallel. God’s power at work is God’s
grace sufficient.
1. Grace is not “freedom
from” but “power for” righteous obedience.
Grace is not the permission to stop living
righteously but the sustaining gift of God to enable living righteously. Living by grace is not laziness or
antinomianism, but it is empowered obedience.
It is not the striving to obey that is legalism. It is the striving to obey by one’s own
strength:
but
2. Living by grace means radical, divinely empowered righteous living.
There is a difference between living in the flesh and living in the
supply of God.
The Macedonians have such joyful, supernatural generosity. That’s not normal.
Paul himself embraces his thorn, celebrate weakness. That’s not normal.
Christian living is supernatural living.
This overlaps on a number of other biblical concepts/verses
We are called to live by the Spirit, not in the flesh (Gal
We must abide in the vine; we are supplied by Him (Jn
15:5)
The empowerment of the Spirit, the
nourishment from the Vine—Paul calls this grace, living by grace. These are God’s gifts, supply for us (not
from ourselves).
I’ve been praying that God helps me be more
attuned to his promptings. I don’t know
that I can say I’ve discerned his promptings, but I feel that God’s been
providentially leading me. I happened to
read something in a bookstore that was very applicable at an Operation Board
meeting, I spontaneously asked someone if they wanted to pray and it turns out
that the invitation was so timely. I
once told a sister that I thought she was looking really good these days, and
outcomes this testimony of how God has answered a prayer for greater joy in her
life. Once I was wondering if I should
ask about a personal marriage, and it turns out the person brought up the
subject himself.
I don’t know that I can say I had felt
“prompted” to do these different things, but I somehow feel that God is
involved in the little details of my life.
It is not a “normal” life. I want
to live in the Spirit, abide in the vine, live by God’s grace.
What is the power for Christian living? It isn’t our self-generated, gratitude-fueled
effort. It is divinely empowered,
abundant life. We need to receive God’s
supply each moment.
This week a brother shared his lust struggle
and was deeply discouraged and ridden with guilt and shame. He had done things he wished he could undo;
he felt weak and powerless in this area of his life.
Am I to tell him: Jesus died for you. Aren’t you thankful? Because you’re so thankful for Jesus, could
you fight your lust? Do it for Jesus!
It seems a more biblical approach would be:
We can’t win this on our own. We need
God’s power, we need to receive grace from God. We need His power.
Christians live moment by moment by the grace
of God.
3. We
live by faith in future grace
Paul encourages the Corinthians to give
generously, believe that God will supply all your needs!
Paul himself believes that though he has this
thorn, God will help him!
We must believe that the gift/strength/supply
is going to be there when we need it.
[diagram: highlighting future
grace]
Let me apply these two areas for us.
Let’s be generous, give abundantly, give radically. How
is your financial giving? Is it only
human giving or is it divine giving?
How will you be able to give?
Look again at 2 Cor 9. God will supply.
God will supply your store of seed, you will
be made rich in every way.
God will make all grace abound to you.
Give your money away and believe that God
will provide/bless. That is trusting in
future grace: living like you believe the grace is going to be there when you
need it.
Think of the Israelites in the desert, collecting manna. They were to only collect a day’s supply, and
trust that God would supply each day’s need.
If they kept any over night, it would go rotten. They had to trust in future grace—that the
manna was going to be there.
That’s how you can be
generous—you believe that the manna is going to be there.
Let’s embrace weaknesses, thorns.
Physical handicap; lust, sarcasm, temper
You ask God to remove it, he says, my grace
is sufficient.
Though you wish that God would remove the
problem, he says, when you need it, grace is going to be there! Trust me, call on me, rely
on me.
How is Paul able to delight in his weaknesses
and hardships—he believes the grace is
going to be there.
We like to have savings, buffer, abilities,
talents, extra time. So we don’t have to
worry, we don’t have to trust. Often
times we want the money first, and then will give. Or we want our weaknesses removed, so we
won’t need extra grace.
But that’s not the way God operates. God wants us to trust Him, to trust that when
we need it, grace will be there. (Pr
30:8-9, just give me my daily bread). God says, trust me!
Matthew 10:18-20
and you shall even be brought before
governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
“But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how or what you will
speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what you are to speak. “For it is
not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has
overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not
allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
Faith in future grace means
trusting that God will supply, believing
that grace will be there.
Living in confidence,
freedom, security, strength, riches, etc.
If you have a generous spirit, an ability to
give—that’s God’s grace to you.
If you have a thorn in your flesh (an physical ailment, lust, temper, etc.), and you’ve been
able to deal with the pain, avoid the porn website, hold your temper—that’s God’s
sufficient grace.
If you’ve been able to pray and you feel
God’s promptings, God’s guidance, God providentially working through your
life—that’s God’s grace to you.
If you’ve been able to be patient with your
toddler, appropriately and lovingly handle the tantrums without having a
melt-down of your own and instead demonstrate Christ-like character and even
pray for your child in that moment—that’s God’s grace to you.
There’s a difference between living in the
strength of our own flesh, and living in the power of God’s moment by moment
grace.
Some of you feel you should serve, but you’re
nervous about being a small group leader, going on summer missions, going into
fulltime ministry or missions. Believe
that grace is going to be there.
Some of you feel you want to point your
friends to Jesus, to bring them to church, to share your story, but you’re
afraid they won’t respect your life, they’ll have tough questions. Believe that grace is going to be there.
Some of you men feel so discouraged and weak
in the area of lust and purity. You know
that you’re weak, and you know you need God’s grace. Believe that grace is going to be there.
We have to grow in our relationship with Christ, that we’re not afraid,
we have full assurance, the grace is going to be there.
Some of you are looking at your kids, and
you’re apprehensive about raising them or even just managing them.
We’re expecting our 3rd child. We were open but surprised—we believe God’s
grace is going to be there for us. God
gave us the child, God will give us the grace to raise
the child.
If you’re just looking into Christianity, I
want to tell you that we believe in a God who supplies, empowers, helps us
moment by moment to live supernatural lives.
We’re weak people, but we trust a God who supplies everything we need.
None of us have everything today to know we
can make it to the end. We live by faith
in future grace.