Time to Shine: Seeing Opportunities In The Midst of Calamity
— PASTOR MARK MIKELS
Intro … In our message this morning I would draw your attention to the fifth in a series of Christian Truths that are best demonstrated during difficult, even calamitous times.
Do you remember the first four?
- Truth #1 … “We Are But Strangers And Pilgrims In This World”
- Truth #2 … “We Are Recipients Of Supernatural Peace”
- Truth #3 … “We Possess The Secret Of Contentment”
- Truth #4 … “We Are All Members Of One Earthly Body (the Church)”
Now the thesis of this short series of messages is that when these truths (which are best demonstrated during difficult times) are in fact demonstrated during such times, they cause the Church of Jesus Christ to shine like the brightest of stars shine in the darkest of nights …
Our conviction is that we are living in just such times and therefore it’s “Time To Shine” as the title of this series declares.
So let’s now consider our “truth of the morning” …
DEMONSTRATION TRUTH #5 …
“We Have ACCESS To An In-Exhaustible SUPPLY Of God’s All-Sufficient GRACE”
(Romans 5:1-2)
Here’s how the Apostle Paul expressed it in his letter to the Church in Rome:
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
What a great statement!
Through faith exercised in the Lord Jesus Christ, all believers have gained access (have been granted permission to employ and enjoy) something called “grace” – something which enables them to “stand” – to maintain their position and equilibrium – during times when falling might be a real possibility.
So what is this “grace” to which we have been granted access and by
which we are enabled to keep on our feet under us during times of
duress?
Well there is hardly a more used word in the New Testament than the
word “Grace” …
Paul starts almost every one of his letters with the salutation
“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
from the Lord Jesus Christ” …
Someone once said Paul always put those two together because “anytime
you get grace you’re going to definitely need peace”.
You’ll see what I mean in a moment …
Consider then with me the definition of Grace – What exactly is it?
There are many ways of considering it …
The most common definition is:
“Grace is the unmerited favor of God”
Basically Grace is God looking with favor upon those who do not deserve
such favor.
It’s been said that “Grace is us getting from God what we do not
deserve” (Forgiveness and Heaven) whereas “Mercy” is us not getting
from God what we do deserve” (Condemnation and Hell).
But functionally speaking Grace is more than that – Grace has an action
element to it … Grace can be viewed as a verb as well as a noun.
There is a sense in which we can say “God graces those upon whom He
looks with favor”.
That’s the sense in which I want us to consider this incredible
Demonstration Truth this morning …
It’s in light of that action aspect of “Grace” that I would share
Today’s Key Definition – It’s a definition that I first heard expressed
many years ago by Mr. Bill Gothard – a marvelous teacher of God’s Word.
Today’s Key Definition – GRACE …
“STRENGTH to accomplish Spiritual PURPOSES.”
(2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 15:9-10)
We might say that “Grace is the God-Given Ability to get spiritual
things done” – things that would not just normally and naturally happen
– things that go beyond the expected or anticipated outcome.
Notice the way these Scriptures highlight this enabling aspect
of Grace …
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.
(2 Corinthians 8:9)
We sometimes read that so glibly … We read it as though it were just
a reporting of the facts without ever considering just what it took to
accomplish.
Let me ask you … which takes more “Grace” – spiritual strength …
leaving one’s poverty to move to a place of absolute wealth or leaving
one’s wealth to move to a life of abject poverty?
Jesus left the Glories of Heaven where he was “rich in reputation” –
where he as recognized by all as the Son of God and the Creator and
Sustainer of all things – to come to a place where he was considered
to be a pretender, a dangerous and even deluded charlatan.
Jesus left a life of sinless delight to enter a place where he would
experience the horrors of sin-induced judgment.
Great Grace – spiritual enabling – was demonstrated as Jesus carried
out the purposes of God in His earthly life.
This is the same “Grace” that was demonstrated in the life of the
Apostle Paul …
For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God (his unmerited favor) I am what I am,
and his grace to me (his spiritual enabling) was not without effect.
No, I worked harder (more effectively) than all of them -yet not I,
but the grace of God that was with me.
(1 Corinthians 15:9-10)
In that one testimonial passage, Paul pays tribute to both aspects of
this Grace to which we have been granted access …
Without grace we would neither have been allowed to be saved in the
first place nor would we be enabled to live the Christian Life with any
degree of success.
Grace both gets us into the game and enables us to play effectively!
Now in light of our current circumstances and in keeping with the theme
of this series of messages, let me draw your attention to …
Today’s Key Application …
GRACE provides strength to ENDURE the TRIALS of life.
(Acts 4:33; 2 Corinthians 12:9)
Consider the earliest believers – the ones in Jerusalem following the
birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost …
There were thousands of converts out of the tens of thousands of Jews
that had come to the city for the Festival of Pentecost – many chose
not to return immediately to their homes – who would want to?
Luke tells us in Acts chapter two that they (the new believers) …
“devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship
and to the breaking of bread and to prayer (worship).”
(Acts 2:42)
They were enjoying one continuous spiritual meal!
However, though they were enjoying spiritual plenty, they soon began to
experience physical scarcity … many of these new believers were far
from home – their “travel money” soon ran out.
It became a time of need for them … It could have become a very
“tough time” for them – It could have become a time that either tested
or at least limited the enjoyment of their new found faith.
Notice how “Grace came into play”.
Luke reports in a most practical, non-theological way that …
Acts 4:33 … “Great GRACE was upon them all.”
Here’s the full report …
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any
of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.
With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who
owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and
put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he
had need.”
* They BONDED – They SHARED – They TESTIFIED – They SURVIVED
That’s grace at work … God worked in them and through them to provide
for them and they cooperated with Him.
Remember our instruction from last week …
“See to it that no one misses the Grace of God.”
It’s “grace” that enables us to keep moving forward in God-pleasing,
spiritually-purposeful ways.
Now this circumstance didn’t last forever … Those early believers
eventually moved out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout the Empire
but for that brief period of time Grace was wonderfully demonstrated
among them.
Consider with me another insight into the nature of God’s enabling
grace – an insight granted to the Apostle Paul.
God said to Paul …
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 …
“My GRACE is SUFFICIENT – My POWER is perfected in WEAKNESS”
Here’s the circumstance that prompted the granting of that insight …
“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. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
away from me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is
made
perfect in weakness.”
Paul was pleading for a miracle of deliverance – “take it away”.
God gave him a message of assurance – “My grace is sufficient –
this circumstance allows my power to be perfected in your life”.
* Paul’s ATTITUDE was completely TRANSFORMED
“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that
Christ’s power may rest on me. 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.”
God’s Grace didn’t make Paul’s life better – It made Paul’s life
remarkable!
Indeed … God’s Grace provides strength (enables us) to endure the
trials of life, whatever they might be.
How amazing is God’s Grace!
And now, remember the good news expressed in that “Demonstration Truth”
with which we began this message …
“We have ACCESS To An In-Exhaustible SUPPLY
Of God’s All-Sufficient GRACE”
This remarkable, transformational Grace of God is available to us …
We have access to it … We can stand “Knee-Deep” in it if we want to.
And when we do, we will shine impressively in the eyes of the
surrounding world … We will be fortified and stabilized.
And we will demonstrate the strength necessary to accomplish God’s
spiritual purposes in our lives
And so in light of that good news, I would close this message this
morning with …
Today’s Key Admonition …
AVAIL yourself of the All-Sufficient GRACE of God.
(Hebrews 4:16)
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may … find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Come confidently … Come (as it were) to the Throne of Grace with your
“ATM Card” in hand … Put it prayerfully in the slot and withdraw from
God’s inexhaustible account sufficient grace for the trials of the day!
Final Thot …
God’s GRACE and man’s STRENGTH are inversely RELATED!
God gives GRACE to the HUMBLE!
(James 4:6)