Sunday Sermons
Grow In Grace
Peter closed his second letter with the statement, “but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). We often talk about growing in knowledge, the importance of Bible Study, and patterning our lives after what Jesus taught (2 Timothy 2:15), but what does it mean to “grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”? How does a person grow in grace? First notice that the Holy Spirit has no qualms about placing knowledge and grace side by side. Spiritual growth rests upon God’s grace and a correct understanding of the Scriptures. Therefore we must reject all teachings that try to drive a wedge between love and obedience, grace and law, forgiveness and responsibility, mercy and doctrine, and God and His Word (John 8:32).
Grace the ideal ground for growth
The term “grace” carries the ideas of unmerited favor and mercy (Titus 3:5-7; Ephesians 2:8-9). These two passages stress that salvation cannot be earned, but that it is freely bestowed upon meeting God’s simple and universally accessible conditions for salvation. In light of how we have lived in the past and our former moral failures, someone might ask, “Does it make any sense to try to live better?” Before some people can begin working on their lives, they must have reason to believe that it makes sense to do so. The deeper question in many personal problems is not, “What should I do?” But rather, “Is there any hope?” Is there any point to obedience, or is despair justified? Does this problem warrant giving up? Grace emphatically says that trying to live better makes perfect sense. Grace says that I can be forgiven of past sins, regardless of how many were committed in the past (Matthew 18:24-27; Luke 7:47 “Her sins, which are many, have been forgiven”). Even if I have fallen into the same temptation time and time again, grace says that I can be forgiven, and given a fresh start as long as I am truly repentant (Luke 17:3-4). The very fact that I am forgiven of any sin upon my humble sorrow and repentance means that I am never justified in giving up or saying that it is no use (1 John 1:8-10).
Romans 6:14
“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace”. First of course this passage is not teaching that there are no laws in the New Testament for us to obey (Romans 6:16; Matthew 7:21), in fact, the New Testament is called a “law” (Hebrews 8:10). Rather, the passage is reminding us that in light of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, there is no good reason why any person, especially any Christian, should find themselves in a condition of condemnation. There is no good reason to remain in a condition of condemnation, if one can be readily forgiven of their transgressions against God’s law. Sin does not have to be my master seeing that forgiveness is so accessible (Romans 6:17; 3-5). If you feel beaten by sin, plagued by temptation, hounded by moral failure, ask yourself, “Why?” As long as one feels the helpless tool of temptation, spiritual growth will not happen. I can see how a person in the world, without any knowledge of Christ, could feel that there is no use in trying, but why should any Christian feel this way?
Grace says we can please God
Rather than being someone who is simply impossible to please, imperfect human beings can actually please God (Matthew 25:23 “Well done, good and faithful slave”). We tend to forget all the individuals throughout the Bible that God considered as His friends (Acts 13:22; John 11:11; James 2:23). Seeing that I can be forgiven (1 John 1:8-10), every day I can stand before God and be viewed as right in His sight. Everyday I can have a good conscience. Grace also says that whatever God has commanded of me, I can actually achieve, for God never expects of us what we cannot accomplish (Matthew 25:15 “according to his own ability”; 1 John 5:3; Deuteronomy 30:11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, or it is out of reach”). Thus, not only can one actually serve God effectively, but one can also actually have a wonderful friendship with Him as well (Hebrews 11:38). In many Eastern religions, there is the doctrine of reincarnation, where over countless lifetimes a person who finally gets it right is allowed to leave this world of pain and suffering. What a depressing view of the future! Who really wants to do it all over again another 1000 times? Grace says that I can do it right the first time and then move on to my heavenly home (Philippians 1:21,23). Look carefully at this last verse; the Christians in the Bible truly believed that they were going to heaven (2 Timothy 4:8). Do we? One reason that some Christians do not grow or work that hard at serving God is because they have such a faint hope for eternal life. After all, how much effort are you going to put into something if you believe that it will be wasted effort in the end? Christians who are diligent in serving God are not people who think that they must earn salvation, rather they are people who have a strong hope of eternal life, and they want to do everything they can for the God that loved them so much (1 Corinthians 15:10). I have found in life that the closer something looks, the nearer the goal, the more realistic the chance for success, the harder people work at achieving that goal.
Grace says you can beat that temptation
“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, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Notice the first two words, “No temptation”, not even a temptation that has beaten you repeatedly in the past. Yes, all of us are imperfect and each one of us has our own struggles, but that being said, no single temptation has been destined to be the end of any of us. Being imperfect does not mean that a single temptation has to beat us time and time again. The word “overtaken” means “has seized, and holds one in its grasp” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 862). “The verb is in the perfect tense denoting that the temptation is one which lingers” (Willis p. 331). Even temptations that seize us, catch us off guard, and linger, still can be resisted. Then notice the wonderful open door! “Shut into a cul de sac, a man despairs; but let him see a door open for his exit, and he will struggle on with his load. How different all this from the Stoic consolation of suicide: ‘The door stands open’!” (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 862). Grace says that there is always a way of escape!
Grace says you can serve God in this situation as well
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Knowing the character of Paul, we would have to conclude that he felt that good, unselfish, and spiritual reasons existed as to why this "thorn in the flesh" should be removed. We can sympathize with Paul; for many of us have often prayed that God should remove a problem (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, personal, relational), because we feel that we could serve Him better if such a hindrance was removed. We could be better Christians, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers….if only God would remove what presently stands in our way to greater personal growth. Yet God informs Paul, that even with his thorn in the flesh, he was presently a recipient of God’s grace. Paul needed to hear that he could still be a very effective Christian in spite of this hindrance, and circumstances and any other external factors. These do not have to hinder spiritual growth; neither do they have to get in the way of effective service. Even while Paul was in prison, he could still teach people the gospel (Philippians 1:12-13). Paul is reminded that the thorn was being monitored by God’s grace, and that Paul could handle this situation. Let us remember as well that in view of our sins, we actually deserve far more inconveniences, troubles, and problems than we are currently experiencing” “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). “And often He restrained His anger” (Psalm 78:38). “Thou God hast requited us less than our iniquities deserve” (Ezra 9:6-13).
Forgotten areas of grace
“House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord” (Proverbs 19:14).
The expression “a prudent wife is from the Lord” suggests that one cannot find a prudent wife through manipulation or mere human wisdom. While wealth can be transferred from a father to a son, a good wife cannot be inherited. The verse certainly infers that those who want to marry need to ask God for guidance. “The decision is critical, yet by oneself (one’s own limited wisdom) a person has little chance of making the right choice” (Alden p. 145). Young men and women sometimes overlook such a prudent person, desiring rather to marry someone more on the basis of external appearance. When you are dating, rather than wondering who you want to marry, ask yourself, “Who would God want me to marry?” The expression “from the Lord” also reminds us that such a prudent mate is a “gift” from God, and a very undeserved gift at that, for we could never actually buy or afford such a mate if their value was reckoned in monetary terms (Proverbs 31:10). Growing in grace also involves making good use of the gifts that God has brought into your life, including appreciating and making the most of a marriage with a godly spouse.
“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3).
“In contrast to the frantic, self-absorbed, and self-sufficient work ethic described in the first stanza (vv. 1-2), the second stanza (vv. 3-5) unfolds the quiet blessing of God on a family through the gift of children. Most of us think of work and our families in nearly separate categories. We live highly compartmentalized lives. But the Jew (godly person) would ask, ‘Why is the house being built if it is not for the family? And why are the watchmen protecting the city if not for the families that live in it?’” (Boice pp. 1119-1120). “Nothing is said of monetary wealth or of position: an upstanding family is wealth enough and honor enough”(Kidner p. 441). Do we view our children as “living assets?” We see a great contrast in Genesis chapters 11 and 12. While in chapter 11 man builds for glory and security, to achieve only a fiasco, at the end of chapter 11 God quietly blesses Terah with a son (Abraham), whose blessings have proliferated ever since (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:26ff). “To extend our name and our blood into the next generation is a part of God’s blessings and promise to us (Genesis 1:28)” (Williams p. 428). The writer reminds us that we aren’t independent of God. Even when it comes to having children, we are still dependent upon God’s providential care and blessings. It is so sad in our culture that children are often viewed as headaches, hindrances to what people want to do, and almost a curse instead of a reward. Do we view our children as a precious gift from God? Do we view our children as a reward? Do we view them as evidence of God’s unmerited favor? Men and women need to be reminded that a “family” is a gift from God and a “family” is an great environment in which a person can grow spiritually. Children do remind men and women of their responsibilities, they can bring adults back to reality, they even have a tendency to make worldly people a little more conservative.
Likewise, let us remember that the local congregation, with its elders and deacons is another gift from God. Having elders to watch for our souls (Hebrews 13:17), and having brothers and sisters who want to spend more time with you, is another gracious environment in which to grow spiritually. Thus we all have “grace” in which to grow!
