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2 Corinthians 12:9 “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.”
God’s grace is complete and perfect, and God works best in our lives when we are humbled, weak, and insufficient. The truth is our sufficiency is of God alone. 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” We must let go, and let God. Our prayer must be, “O Lord I can’t, but you can”. Trials in our lives may certainly help us reach to a point of weakness. There isn’t anything impossible or too hard for the Lord. The grace that is greater than our sin, is also complete and perfect to see us through the darkest nights, the highest mountains, and our deepest struggles. God’s grace is greater than all our problems. What is impossible with man is possible with God. 1. God’s Grace helps us to Give Benevolently 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 “Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.” This giving was amazing… it is without a doubt a sacrificial and miraculous way of giving. The only explanation one can give to this kind of giving is the grace of God. 2. God’s Grace helps us to Labour 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 3. God’s Grace to Witness with every God-given opportunity Colossians 4:5-6 “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” 4. God’s Grace to Forgive others as we have been Forgiven Ephesians 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” 5. God’s Grace to Endure Hardness and be Faithful to Please God 2 Timothy 2:1-3 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 6. God’s Grace Strengthens us in Christ Alone Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I thank my God who enables us through Christ to do what pleases Him. It is only by God's grace we can do all that He wants us to do, but we must be very careful not to blame the grace of God for our unfaithfulness, because God is able. We must have faith in His saving Grace and sanctifying Grace. Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
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John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This verse (John 3:16) is a famous Bible verse amongst the believers and non-believers. It is a rich verse that proves God’s love through one of the greatest promises ever given to man – the promise of “everlasting life”. DL Moody once said, “God never made a promise that was too good to be true.” God planned, prepared, and promised eternal life with Him in Heaven before the world even began. Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Unfortunately, in the beginning of creation the devil effectively deceived people into rebelling against God and living life without Him, causing them to miss out on God’s greatest promise. To rebel against God and live without the Creator is sinful and has brought about an eternal death, which has been passed on to all of humanity. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Notice what Jesus said prior to John 3:16…John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” In John 3 Jesus is speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, and Jesus points him back to the time when the children of Israel fell into sin as Moses was leading them to the Promised and Land (which is a picture of eternal life). Jesus was reminding Nicodemus of God’s Great Salvation that he offered them. John 3:16 reminds us about a few things regarding Salvation: 1. The Source of Salvation John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…” 2. The Sacrifice of Salvation John 3:16 “…that he gave his only begotten Son…” 3. The Scope of Salvation John 3:16 “…that whosoever believeth in him..." 4. The Seriousness of Salvation John 3:16 “…should not perish..." 5. The Security of Salvation John 3:16 “…but have everlasting life.” Jesus said in John 10:10 “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Philippians 2:2 “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
Likeminded As we serve the Lord and one another, the Lord desires us to be in the “same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” This love and mindset is not self-seeking, but rather it is to be other-esteeming; it is unconditional. It expects nothing in return. We never ought to serve to get gain, or do a good deed to be praised. We should never keep a list of what we have done for others to use it against them. Romans 12:9 “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” We must love and serve without hypocrisy. This love is to be genuine. We are to serve others for others. Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;” God’s Glory Philippians 2:3 “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; Frustration and resentment will start to build up in a person’s life when they serve to be seen. Some will only serve to be seen or they will not serve at all. The Bible mentions that this is vain. Remember, we are all servants of the Lord, and we must seek to serve for God’s glory. If we have God’s glory in mind when we serve, we will be able to serve others better and esteem them better than ourselves. Colossians 3:22-23 “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: vs 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” Others Philippians 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” We all have a specific part to play in the body of Christ. One person is a foot, another a hand, and another is an eye, etc. We are to seek to help each other become all that God has planned to be in the Body. I have never seen any of my body parts not willing to help each other. When I have an itch on my leg, I use my hand to scratch it to bring some relief. I use my eyes to help me see what happened to my sore arm. When I seek to serve others with love I fulfil the Law of Christ. We are to have a heart that rejoices to see others used and blest by God and for God’s glory. How can this be done? How can we esteem others better than self? The Mind of Christ! Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” If we are to have the mind of Christ we are to maintain a close walk with God and His Word. Jesus is the greatest example to us; He lived a life that was fully submitted to the will of the Heavenly Father. No Reputation/Humility (Philippians 2:6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: Philippians 2:7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: Jesus Christ (who is God) was willing to become a servant in the likeness of a Man. What an amazing testimony! God demonstrates what it truly means to esteem others better than self. God was willing to be poor so we could be rich in Christ. God was willing to be a servant so we could be joint-heirs with Christ. Obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Jesus submitted to the Heavenly Father’s divine plan; however, with that submission came sacrifice. To esteem others better than ourselves means we must sacrifice. Dr. J.H. Jowett said, “Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” If we want to have a ministry toward God and others that truly matters, we have to be willing to make sacrifices and pay the price. This is having the Mind of Christ. What a blessing it is that our annual calendar has a time to remind us how precious our mums are. There is a generation coming that will not acknowledge their mothers at all. God’s Word mentions in Proverbs 30:11, “There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.”
Like everyone else, mothers are not perfect, but they are special… Mothers fulfil God’s desire in bringing us into the world, now that is special. We must remember and be thankful for the sacrifice and pain our mums endured to raise us up from the start. What a blessing to have a mother, but what a double blessing to have a godly one. Emerson once said, “Men are what their mothers make them.” Abraham Lincoln stated, “No one is poor who had a godly mother.” Evangelist Billy Sunday declared, “I don’t think there are enough devils in Hell to search and take a young person from the arms of a godly mother.” The right kind of a mother can make a big difference in a home, in a church, and in our nation! Notice what the Psalmist states in Psalm 16:6, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” Thank God for Mothers who are firm in their faith, their convictions, their prayers, and their love for their children and for the Lord. Mothers ought to be thanked every waking moment. Notice what Proverbs 31:28a says, “Her children arise up, and call her blessed.” If you are one of those people who have the special privilege of being called “Mum”, I hope you will understand the impression and influence you can have in your family, church and this nation. There is an old Spanish proverb that reads: “An ounce of mother is worth more than a pound of clergy.” May God give us mothers that will keep fighting the fight of faith and not give up or give in by the grace of God. We need mothers who will pray for their children; give a good, clear, godly and unquestionable pattern to follow; and encourage them on to honour God in all they do. We need mothers that will inspire their children to shine and do great things for God’s glory! Charles Wesley said “I learned more about God from my mother than from all the theologians in England” Charles Spurgeon said “I cannot tell how much I owe to the prayers of my good mother.” 2 Timothy 1:5 “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” A little boy forgot his lines in a Sunday school presentation. His mother was in the front row to prompt him. She gestured and formed the words silently with her lips, but it did not help. Her son’s memory was blank. Finally, she leaned forward and whispered the cue, “I am the light of the world.” the child beamed and with great feeling and a loud clear voice said, “My mother is the light of the world.” Mothers, we will not notice everything that you do for us, and sometimes we will forget to thank you, but “God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). As you continue to love and fear God, you will receive your true reward—a reward for every prayer, every sleepless night, every tear, every encouraging word, and every expression of love that you demonstrate by the Grace of God. We love you Mum, and we thank God for you! We all desire to have our prayers heard by our Heavenly Father; and our great God desires to hear our prayers. However, there are some things that hinder our prayers from reaching the ears of our God. When we look at Scripture we see a few things that encourage us to make sure we are in tune with God and have our prayers heard.
Sensitive to the Word Proverbs 28:9 “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” It is of the utmost importance to value and be serious about the Word of God. If we take God’s Word seriously, He will take our prayer seriously. If we would love to seek God through prayer, and have them heard, then we must love to seek and heed God’s Word. Spurgeon once said “Philip was a searcher after Christ in the place where Christ loves to be—in the pages of Scripture—and you must be the same if you desire to find Jesus!” Standing Upright Psalm 84:11 “…no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Unconfessed sin in our lives will stop us from walking uprightly and in return will hinder our relationship and communication with God. The psalmist mentions that “no good thing” will God withhold from those that walk in integrity and truth. God also states that their prayers will have strength and prevail; in others words their prayers will be heard by God like God answered Elijah’s prayer. James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Standing with Forgiveness Mark 11:25-26 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. Vs 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” A heart that harbors resentment toward others will defiantly hinder our prayers to God. Sensitive to our Wives 1 Peter 3:7 “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” The Bible mentions that when the husband has an insensitive spirit towards the needs of his wife, his prayers will be hindered. Standing with Faith 1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” A life that is lived by faith will cause us to pray in faith. George Muller once said "“I believe God has heard my prayers. He will make it manifest in His own good time that He has heard me. I have recorded my petitions that when God has answered them, His name will be glorified.” Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” 1. Love
Negative thinking: Nobody cares Positive thinking: Everybody cares Biblical thinking: God cares 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 2. Purpose Negative thinking: I am nothing Positive thinking I am something Biblical thinking: I am made by God Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works…” 3. Sufficiency Negative thinking: I am not sufficient Positive thinking: I am sufficient Biblical thinking: God is my Sufficiency 2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” 4. Christlikeness Negative thinking: I cannot change Positive thinking: I can change Biblical thinking: In Christ I can change 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 5. Victory Negative thinking: I am a looser Positive thinking: I am a winner Biblical thinking: I have victory in Christ 1 Corinthians 15:57 “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 6. Trust Negative thinking: I can’t wait Positive thinking: I will wait Biblical thinking: I’ll wait on the Lord Psalm 27:14 “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” 7. Forgiveness Negative thinking: God won’t forgive me Positive thinking: God will forgive me Biblical thinking: God can forgive me 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 8. Success Negative thinking: I will fail Positive thinking: I will succeed Biblical thinking: I must obey Joshua 1:8 “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” 9. Faith Negative thinking: I am fearful Positive thinking: I fear nothing Biblical thinking: God is with me Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” 10 Strength Negative thinking: I can’t do it Positive thinking: You can do it Biblical thinking: I can do it through Christ alone. Psalm 138:1-2 "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
Magnify = to make large, to honour, to lift up, to extol, exalt… Question: Why does God Magnify His Word above His name? 1. God’s Faithfulness to His Word reflects on His Name. Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.’ 2. God’s integrity is based on God keeping His promises. God keeps His promises. God is a God of His Word! Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Here are a few ways we can Magnify the Word of God in our lives. Meditate on the word of God Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Appreciate the Word of God Psalm 115:1 “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake.” Grow by the Word of God 1 Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” Navigate from the Word of God Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Invite the Word of God Psalm 119:133 “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Faithful to be under the Word of God Proverbs 27:8 “As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” Yield to the Word of God James 1:22-25 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. Vs 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: vs 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. Vs 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” Delight in the Word of God “For Your Law is my delight. God will not let a man die who delights in His Law! You are the sort of man who shall live. If you love the Law of God, the Word of God, the will of God, the way of God, He will not let you die! There are none too many of your sort in the world, so the Lord will keep you alive so long as you can serve Him here.”— CH SPURGEON
Nehemiah 6:9 “For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.”
As we strive to put God first in all that we do and seek to bring Glory to God by the way we live, we will face various discouragements. Nehemiah had discouragement come his way as he was doing the Work of God. Sanballat and Tobiah found out that the “walls of Jerusalem” were being rebuilt, and they wanted to make sure it didn’t happen. So they invented lies (that he was planning to cause a revolt against the king, and that he wanted to be king) about Nehemiah to cause him to fear so the work would cease. Nehemiah 6:8 “Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.” The devil at some point will use someone (whether they know it or not) to discourage you from the work of God. They will falsely accuse you and pursue you so that you would be fearful. This is to weaken and cripple you so will not be effective in the Work of God. Remember, the enemy does not want you to be used for God’s glory. What do we do when we are discouraged? 1. Cry out to God Nehemiah 6:9 “For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” King David was accustomed to cry out to God when he was discouraged. Either by his enemies or by his own sin. Psalm 59:1-12 2. Continue to do right Nehemiah 6:10-11 “Afterward I came unto the house of She-ma-iah the son of De-la-iah the son of Me-het-a-beel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee. Vs 11 And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.” Nehemiah didn’t need to hide like a criminal as if he was guilty of the accusation. These were just lies trying to manipulate Nehemiah to do wrong. Nehemiah 6:13 “Therefore was he hired, that I should be afraid, and do so, and sin, and that they might have matter for an evil report, that they might reproach me.” Fear can grip our hearts and therefore cause us to react and act in haste with our decisions; fear can leads us in a way that demonstrate a lack of Faith in God. As a result we can lose our testimony, and defame the name of God…Nehemiah knew that God will not encourage him to do wrong and go hide in the Temple of God. Nehemiah 6:12 “And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him…” Cry out to God, Continue to do right, and God will give you the grace you need to battle against discouragement. 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 3. Commit the Discourages to God Notice how Nehemiah goes to God in prayer, entrusting his discouragers - Tobiah and Sanballat – into God’s hands. Nehemiah 6:14 “My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noa-diah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in fear.” As the temptation arises to try clear your name, resist the urge and leave it to God…As the flesh desires to move forward to avenge itself, pull back and leave it to God. Romans 12:17-19 “Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. Vs 18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Vs 19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” When you react the enemy has you where he wants you. They want you to act in fear. They want you to make hastily decision, greatest of all, they want you to lose your testimony. Notice what happens when you choose to cry out to God, continue to do right, and commit them in God’s Hands. Nehemiah 6:15 “So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.” Nehemiah 6:16 “And it came to pass, that when all our enemies heard thereof, and all the heathen that were about us saw these things, they were much cast down in their own eyes: for they perceived that this work was wrought of our God.” You’re able to finish the work God has entrusted to you, and your discouragers will see God’s power and know that they cannot prevail against Him or God’s people. The way you respond as a Christian will play a big part in the eyes of others. Let people see Jesus in you! 1 Timothy 6:10-12 “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Vs 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Vs 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
As Christians we are engaged in a spiritual warfare. We are to battle against the things that would war against our souls. One of those things the Bible mentions is “fleshly lust.” 1 Peter 2:11 “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” There are many Christians who are not as serious about the things of God as they used to be because they have been entangled with the affairs of this life; making money the priority rather than making Jesus preeminent. Don't Quit When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don't you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turned inside out— The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit— It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.—Anonymous 2 Timothy 2:1-4 “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Vs 2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Vs 3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Vs 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” Remember the fight that we are in is a “good fight;” do not be distracted from the things of God. Keep eternally focused. 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…” |
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