My Grace is Sufficient for You

 

Read 2 Corinthians 12

I like to write. Business writing is typically active voice, indicative mood. People tend to gravitate to the passive voice and subjunctive mood. I think the terms have changed somewhat over the years, but I know the voice and mood parameters.

Traditional drama, the Shakespearean stuff, climaxed in Act III, Scene II, though there was always more to follow that you didn’t want to miss.

Today, if you want to read a joke online or get the most current news, you have to read and follow a link and then jump through the hoops of these crazy advertisements. That’s monetized social media.

The sermon usually builds to the end. I like to end mine with affirmation,  challenge, or both!

This morning, I will use the newspaper article mantra. This isn’t the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the reporter. I wish they would teach that again in journalism school. The press so valued in our Constitution was to be the watchdog of government, not its lapdog or attack dog. Some recalibration is needed, but that’s a Tom thing, not necessarily a universal truth. I miss Walter Cronkite.

This newspaper mantra to which I refer is this:  DON’T BURY THE LEAD. So, I jump right to the heart of the matter. God, your grace is sufficient for me.

Your grace is sufficient for me!

Imagine starting your day with thanksgiving. It makes sense. We are thankful people. We know how much God loves us, and starting our day with a thank you is just good stuff.

We are a grateful people, but what if we continued that spirit of thanksgiving by telling God every morning, “Your grace is enough for me.”

Imagine telling God every day, “I don’t have to ask you for anything for my life to be complete. Your grace did it all. I do not fear death. Sin thinks it can get the best of me, but your grace goes way beyond my sin.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Imagine stepping into each day already having won the day by rejoicing in the grace of God. Imagine—maybe some of you don’t have to imagine because it’s reality for you already—but imagine starting each and every day like this.

You are singing Celebrate, Jesus, Celebrate as your feet hit the floor.

C’mon, Tom. You don’t deliver sermons designed to make us feel good. What happened to “You will have trouble in the world?”

It’s still there along with the second part of the verse, “Take heart, I have overcome the world!”

To live is Christ, to die is gain. Still there.

Picking up your cross every day and following Jesus. Still there.

Persecuted for the name of Jesus. Still there.

These seem to be in conflict with “Your grace is sufficient for me.” They are not. There should be no dissonance in your mind.

God’s plan is for us to live in right relationship with him for all eternity, not as sheep and cattle in blissful ignorance and without the mind of Christ and an understanding of sin, death, hope, despair, trouble, salvation, kindness, gentleness, anger, hate, and more. And through these, we see the love of God at work in our lives.

Paul continued in that vein.

The victory for us was won in the blood of Jesus on a cross atop Golgotha two thousand years ago. It is realized in us with our profession of faith.  It is the free gift of God.

And you know what I will say next. What will we do with this incredible gift? I hope you stayed awake for this part over the years. The top response is love. Love God. Love each other.

For those who really want to be complete in Christ, love others as much as Jesus loved and still loves us.

Of course trust and obedience come next. Of those, trust is generally the most difficult, but surely has a big payoff.

Obedience is not simple lock-step compliance. I have shared my continuum of acceptance on occasion. Quickly, it’s Reject, Comply, Accept, and Embrace. The obedience target is embrace. God, I’m doing what you told me to do, and I am so in tune with the Spirit that you placed inside of me that it feels like it was my own idea.

This course that I am set upon is our discipleship. That’s no surprise. We have heard that more than a thousand times over the past several years. Typically, that involves some work.

I want to touch on something that I covered last Sunday at the first service. It will be repeated only for a few of you. Here goes.

We are motivated to please our Lord and be faithful to him, but motivation doesn’t get us to the goal. It might get us started but it can’t finish the work.

What gets us there? Discipline.

You might think that is just modern leadership wisdom, and it is, but it is in concert with the concept that we know as discipleship.

Discipline is following a course for efficacy. Do the things required for as long as necessary to achieve the desired results. This is not just when I feel like it or get around to it. It’s daily picking up your cross.

Disciples follow a leader and put his words into practice. For a disciple to achieve the desired results of becoming more like his teacher—his rabbi if you will—he must have discipline.

Motivation is great for getting you started. Discipline stays the course. Discipline moves you closer to the goal. Discipline corrects you when you veer from the course.

And discipline, I dare say, promotes passion.

Motivation: I want to please God.

Discipline: I take this step to draw nearer to God and my goal of pleasing him.

Passion:  l love it when I sacrifice, face resistance, get slapped on the back of the head, stumble and get back up and press on towards the goal. I can’t think of what life was like before I was compelled to bring glory to God with every step, even my missteps, when I am strong and especially when I am weak.  Hopefully, you associated the weight lifting and rope climbing analogies with our weakness and God’s strength in this service last week.

Passion, purpose, and pressing on towards the goal is more than alliterative, it pleases God because we continue in steps big and small, and even some repeated, towards the goal we have been given by our Lord and Master.

And here’s the thing, you can’t get me off course. You can’t sell me a bill of goods. I am all in.

So what’s with this "your grace is sufficient" business if we still have to go through trials, work at pleasing God, and do this whole overcomer thing?

Your grace is sufficient for me, and we affirm that we are part of God’s victory over sin and death. We acknowledge the unfathomable. We have already won the day. You can do anything you want to me, and you can’t change the fact that I will be in right standing with the Lord and in the presence of the Lord. I know that whatever comes at me in this world is not enough to take that away from me.

That victory is mine. It is blessed assurance. It is well with my soul. It is peace that is more than I can comprehend.

Well then, why did Jesus say ask, seek, and knock? Why the Parable of the persistent widow? Why pray at all?

You are not God’s great experiment. You are the crown of his creation. He wants to dialogue with you every day. He wants to see you grow and learn, even if it takes a couple of attempts, even if it’s a couple of hundred tries.

He loves the overcomer spirit that you desire so you can please him. We are his children. He loves us. He will never kick us to the curb.

We should acknowledge, celebrate, and rejoice in the fact that none of our trials can take the ultimate victory that we know in Christ Jesus away from us.

God is sovereign.

God won the victory for us.

God wins. We win. There is some win-win for you.

But ask God for what you need. He wants to give you good gifts. Sometimes, that gift might be to let you grow in the trial and come out closer to him at the end. Sometimes, it is to take away anxiety but let you pay off the house like you scheduled your mortgage to do.

Sometimes, it is to take a problem away or show you that it was never really your problem.

Sometimes it is to rock you out of your comfort zone so you can get into this abundant life mode and do some real living.

Whatever it is, it is part of our growth. Our victory, our blessed assurance is already in place.

God, your grace is enough, but let’s see if we can build upon that foundation and reach as high as we can in bringing glory to your name. That’s moving from discipleship to discipline (pick up your cross daily if you will) and graduate into passion.

There is a parallel track that I might label purpose. You may get my mantra on purpose again before I leave, just not today. But it runs in parallel to passion.

I should discuss Paul's letter a little more. He is still arguing about weaknesses and strengths.

He is still asking for some indulgence with his foolishness, and by that, he means boasting in his resume. You have seen the meme that someone not capable of violence is not peaceful; he is harmless. If you are capable of violence, you must choose to be peaceful because there are other tools at your disposal.

That’s generally on target, but it parallels Paul’s thinking on this foolishness business. He could play the resume game and probably win. He didn’t do the three year tour with Jesus, but he suffered for the name of Jesus more than anyone else I see in the Bible.

Paul could have done well in the resume game, but he chose not to, mostly. That is to say, I could play that game. Here is a glimpse of what it might look like, but I count all of those worldly accolades—to include the religious ones—as dung.

What counts for everything is the grace of God on which I build everything else. God, you have laid the foundation in grace, and that in itself is enough. If I botched up everything else, I would still be with you forever, even though it might be like escaping a fire with only the singed clothes on my back.

I want to do more, and I want you—church—to do more. Let’s build on what is already enough, not for our glory but to bring glory to God.

For the believer desiring to grow in the Lord's ways, our requests and petitions become more about glorifying God. This must be a big deal for us. It is a big paradigm shift for those who have only been consumers of God’s mercy and grace.

How did we get here? Paul had some affliction. We are not sure what, but likely it was his vision or arthritis that made writing difficult.  When you end up writing a whole bunch of the New Testament, either would be important.

There is a sovereignty discussion to be had with his thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment him. Every good gift is from above. There was an incredible revelation that came from this gift, so I am calling it a good gift and not a punishment.

Like the Law of Moses, it was given for Paul’s own good, and as it turns out for our enduring benefit as well. But we have this whole God using Satan thing so was it directed, permissive, the syntax of the day or something else.

That’s a study, not a sermon, but surely worth the effort if it’s on your heart. Remember this.

Paul was given this thorn in the flesh. He asked God to take it away three times. It was obviously something that Paul wanted out of his way in this ministry.

God said, “Better than taking it away, I will use it to reveal a truth to you. It’s worth sharing.”

My grace is enough for you.

No matter the trials of the day, the week, the years, and the decades, you always have my victory, my strength—especially in your weakness, and this blessed assurance that your salvation is assured in Christ Jesus.

This grace is sufficient. If that’s all we ever received, we have enough. But we know that God wants so much more than enough for us. He is the God of good gifts. We might call him El Shaddai.

Do you remember Jesus saying that even you with corrupt and sinful hearts know how to give good gifts to your children? How much more does your Father in heaven know how and desire to give his children good gifts?

I’m not burying the lead. I’m not holding the best for the last. I’m not venturing into figurative language or even more Marine Corps examples and analogies. I do have to ask, did anyone try to climb a rope this week?

Start thanking God from the moment you awaken tomorrow. Then, let him know that his grace is sufficient for you. That’s an affirmation, a celebration, and cause to shout for joy to the Lord.

Then say, “Show me, teach me.” What? Your ways and your paths. Now you are ready to tackle the day in a life that’s already claimed victory.

In the words, “Your grace is enough,” you are saying: GAME ON.

Here is the thing about living in God’s mercy and his grace. It’s kind of a big deal. Not only am I good with God’s grace being enough, but it also brings me quickly to the worst that could happen to me, which is that someone kills me. But all that would do is change my geography, and maybe the search committee schedule.

Let’s live an abundant life and see how much glory we can bring to Jesus. This grace thing is big—it’s bigger than our sin. It is our foundation for an abundant life. Let’s live to the full.

It’s Game On! Your grace is sufficient. Game On!

Amen.

Read also: It Would Have Been Enough

It Would Have Been Enough

 

Read 2 Corinthians 12

Extra Reading: Dayenu: It Would Have Been Enough

So, we come to the words, “My grace is sufficient for you.” You will hear more on that in the next service, but let’s do a little background work first.

God gave these words to Paul. Do you think he was surprised?

He shouldn’t have been. I will take you two places this morning. The first is a glimpse at Psalm 136. We have done this before in antiphonal format as it was written, usually with me reading the lead and the congregation responding with, “His love endures forever.” It will sound familiar.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods.

His love endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords:

His love endures forever.

That’s the antiphonal format—the call and answer. You know when I mention that I have these conversations with God. They are mostly on my walks and sometimes on a long drive. I ask in my mind and he answers via the same routing.

I get to ask whatever I want. Sometimes, I know exactly what the response is. Sometimes, I’m surprised.

The psalms encourage us to have out loud conversations with God, about God, or about God's mighty acts—you get the drift. They are aloud and generally spoken among a group of believers.

Paul knew the psalm and the antiphonal format. He was also a Jew and a Hebrew, and he knew the Dayenu. It was a significant recounting of the Exodus of Israel  in verse or song.

Dayenu (“It Would Have Been Enough”) is a song traditionally sung during the telling of the story of Exodus at the Passover seder. The song’s stanzas list a series of kindnesses God performed for the Jewish people during and after the Exodus and concludes each with the word dayenu — “it would have been enough.”

I thought that most of the antiphonal stuff from the Old Testament was done marching to the temple, but I watched the current season of The Chosen—at least the season you don’t have to pay extra for to see it as soon as it’s released—and loved the presentation.

Each disciple sat around the table and led one part. That means every disciple knew every part, as every Hebrew should have. Here is how it goes.

If He had taken us out of Egypt and not made judgments on them, it would have been enough for us.

If He had made judgments on them and had not made them on their gods; it would have been enough for us.

If He had made them on their gods and had not killed their firstborn, it would have been enough for us.

If He had killed their firstborn and had not given us their money, it would have been enough for us.

If He had given us their money and had not split the Sea for us, it would have been enough for us.

If He had split the Sea for us and had not taken us through it on dry land, it would have been enough for us.

If He had taken us through it on dry land and had not pushed down our enemies in the Sea, it would have been enough for us.

If He had pushed down our enemies in [the Sea] and had not supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years, it would have been enough for us.

If He had supplied our needs in the wilderness for forty years and had not fed us the manna, it would have been enough for us.

If He had fed us the manna and had not given us the Shabbat, it would have been enough for us.

If He had given us the Shabbat and had not brought us close to Mount Sinai, it would have been enough for us.

If He had brought us close to Mount Sinai and had not given us the Torah, it would have been enough for us.

If He had given us the Torah and had not brought us into the land of Israel, it would have been enough for us.

If He had brought us into the land of Israel and had not built us the ‘Chosen House’ [the Temple], it would have been enough for us.

Sourced from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/dayenu-it-would-have-been-enough/

So when Paul asked God to take away his affliction and God told him that My grace is sufficient—enough—for you, do you think he was surprised?

Nor should we be surprised in our current reading.  This grace that we have is a sufficient answer to our every prayer. It’s not always the answer that we want, but it is always sufficient.

It is always enough.

This week, consider the fact that even if God never answered a single prayer the way we wanted him to, it would still be enough.

There’s something to chew on.

Let’s chew on it in the context of “My grace is enough for you.’

Amen.

My Grace is All that You Need!

 Read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

I don’t wear many tee shirts.  That doesn’t mean that I don’t have quite the collection.  I think I have 10-15 VBS shirts. Coming in close behind my VBS shirts are my Marine Corps shirts.

I have one that says pain is weakness leaving the body. That’s a good macho shirt that conveys the mindset of an overcomer. We like victory. We like to win.

It’s a corollary of the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.   We understand pain is weakness leaving the body. It helps us press on when our bodies say that’s enough.

I embraced this mantra for years but these days I still have pain but I don’t think pressing on using my own devices got rid of the weakness or trouble or hardship.

It seems like I still have the pain and the weakness.  What kind of deal is that?

Let’s go straight to verse 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.

Paul wanted some pain or condition or affliction removed. He asked God, repeatedly and God’s answer was one that we know well.

My grace is sufficient for you.

That was not the answer Paul hoped for, but his response revealed that God does work with us in this world as we go through:

·       Weakness

·       Insults

·       Hardship

·       Persecution

·       Other difficulties

When you made your to-do list for today or tomorrow or Thursday next week, I am confident that none of you put insults or hardship or pain on your list.

When you made your bucket list for this life, who put persecution on it?

Last week we talked about doing what God told us to do even when we don’t like it. Today, we look at dealing with our personal circumstances when God tells us that he is not answering our prayer in the way we want.

How do we deal with my grace is enough? How did Paul?

He delighted in his weakness and in the insults hurled his way and in whatever difficulties confronted him for when he was weak, God’s strength came to dwell in him.

Can we delight in our difficulties?  Really, can we do what James proffered when we face trials of all kinds.  Can we consider these attacks and affliction and difficulties as pure joy in a world hat sees things differently?

·       The world says a good life is one without trouble. It’s walking on the sunny side of the street.

·       The world says that you can do without God. Be the numero uno in your own life.

·       The world says moan, groan, and cry unfair when things don’t go your way.

·       We know that there will be trouble in this world but that Christ has overcome the world for us.

·       We know that trouble will come and go but we cannot move forward into real growth without God.

·       We know not to complain about everything that seems to be going wrong, but to rejoice in it for it is but another opportunity to see God’s strength.

So where does that leave us?

·       If you are alive, you will have pain.

·       If you still have a heartbeat, you will have trouble in the world.

·       If you are doing what God told you to do, you will have some persecution.

·       If you speak the truth in love, you will receive insults in return on some occasions.

But know that in all of our weaknesses and afflictions, God hears our prayers. Sometimes he removes the problem, accelerates the healing, or comforts us in affliction.

But sometimes, he says my grace is enough. I’m not taking this pain away. I’m not fixing the problem the way you asked. You get to keep that thing you consider hardship for a while longer or maybe all the days of your life.

Sometimes, God says my grace is sufficient. My grace is all that you need.

Are we up to responding as Paul did?

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.

Think on these words as you approach your life and your world.

My grace is sufficient for you.

Let us learn to rejoice in our weaknesses!

Amen.