— PASTOR MARK MIKELS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Intro <\/em><\/strong>… 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.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Do you remember the first four?<\/p>\n Now the thesis of this short series of messages is that when these\u00a0truths (which are best demonstrated during difficult times) are in fact\u00a0demonstrated during such times, they cause the Church of Jesus Christ\u00a0to shine like the brightest of stars shine in the darkest of nights …<\/p>\n Our conviction is that we are living in just such times and therefore\u00a0it’s “Time To Shine” as the title of this series declares.<\/p>\n So let’s now consider our “truth of the morning” …<\/p>\n “We Have ACCESS <\/span><\/strong>To An In-Exhaustible SUPPLY\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Of God’s All-Sufficient GRACE<\/span><\/strong>” Here’s how the Apostle Paul expressed it in his letter to the Church in\u00a0Rome:<\/p>\n “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace\u00a0with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained\u00a0access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n What a great statement!<\/p>\n Through faith exercised in the Lord Jesus Christ, all believers have\u00a0gained access (have been granted permission to employ and enjoy)\u00a0something called “grace” – something which enables them to “stand” – to\u00a0maintain their position and equilibrium – during times when falling\u00a0might be a real possibility.<\/p>\n So what is this “grace” to which we have been granted access and by Well there is hardly a more used word in the New Testament than the Paul starts almost every one of his letters with the salutation<\/p>\n “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and<\/p>\n from the Lord Jesus Christ” …<\/p>\n Someone once said Paul always put those two together because “anytime You’ll see what I mean in a moment …<\/p>\n Consider then with me the definition of Grace – What exactly is it?<\/p>\n There are many ways of considering it …<\/p>\n The most common definition is:<\/p>\n “Grace is the unmerited favor of God”<\/p>\n Basically Grace is God looking with favor upon those who do not deserve It’s been said that “Grace is us getting from God what we do not But functionally speaking Grace is more than that – Grace has an action There is a sense in which we can say “God graces those upon whom He That’s the sense in which I want us to consider this incredible It’s in light of that action aspect of “Grace” that I would share Today’s Key Definition – GRACE …<\/p>\n “STRENGTH to accomplish Spiritual PURPOSES.”<\/p>\n (2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 Corinthians 15:9-10)<\/p>\n We might say that “Grace is the God-Given Ability to get spiritual Notice the way these Scriptures highlight this enabling aspect<\/p>\n of Grace …<\/p>\n For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,<\/p>\n that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,<\/p>\n so that you through his poverty might become rich.<\/p>\n (2 Corinthians 8:9)<\/p>\n We sometimes read that so glibly … We read it as though it were just Let me ask you … which takes more “Grace” – spiritual strength … Jesus left the Glories of Heaven where he was “rich in reputation” – Jesus left a life of sinless delight to enter a place where he would Great Grace – spiritual enabling – was demonstrated as Jesus carried This is the same “Grace” that was demonstrated in the life of the For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be<\/p>\n called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.<\/p>\n But by the grace of God (his unmerited favor) I am what I am,<\/p>\n and his grace to me (his spiritual enabling) was not without effect.<\/p>\n No, I worked harder (more effectively) than all of them -yet not I,<\/p>\n but the grace of God that was with me.<\/p>\n (1 Corinthians 15:9-10)<\/p>\n In that one testimonial passage, Paul pays tribute to both aspects of Without grace we would neither have been allowed to be saved in the Grace both gets us into the game and enables us to play effectively!<\/p>\n Now in light of our current circumstances and in keeping with the theme Today’s Key Application …<\/p>\n GRACE provides strength to ENDURE the TRIALS of life.<\/p>\n (Acts 4:33; 2 Corinthians 12:9)<\/p>\n Consider the earliest believers – the ones in Jerusalem following the There were thousands of converts out of the tens of thousands of Jews Luke tells us in Acts chapter two that they (the new believers) …<\/p>\n “devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship<\/p>\n and to the breaking of bread and to prayer (worship).”<\/p>\n (Acts 2:42)<\/p>\n They were enjoying one continuous spiritual meal!<\/p>\n However, though they were enjoying spiritual plenty, they soon began to It became a time of need for them … It could have become a very Notice how “Grace came into play”.<\/p>\n Luke reports in a most practical, non-theological way that …<\/p>\n Acts 4:33 … “Great GRACE was upon them all.”<\/p>\n Here’s the full report …<\/p>\n “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who * They BONDED – They SHARED – They TESTIFIED – They SURVIVED<\/p>\n That’s grace at work … God worked in them and through them to provide Remember our instruction from last week …<\/p>\n “See to it that no one misses the Grace of God.”<\/p>\n It’s “grace” that enables us to keep moving forward in God-pleasing, Now this circumstance didn’t last forever … Those early believers Consider with me another insight into the nature of God’s enabling God said to Paul …<\/p>\n 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 …<\/p>\n “My GRACE is SUFFICIENT – My POWER is perfected in WEAKNESS”<\/p>\n Here’s the circumstance that prompted the granting of that insight …<\/p>\n “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfect in weakness.”<\/p>\n Paul was pleading for a miracle of deliverance – “take it away”.<\/p>\n God gave him a message of assurance – “My grace is sufficient –<\/p>\n this circumstance allows my power to be perfected in your life”.<\/p>\n * Paul’s ATTITUDE was completely TRANSFORMED<\/p>\n “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I For when I am weak, then I am strong.”<\/p>\n God’s Grace didn’t make Paul’s life better – It made Paul’s life Indeed … God’s Grace provides strength (enables us) to endure the How amazing is God’s Grace!<\/p>\n And now, remember the good news expressed in that “Demonstration Truth” “We have ACCESS To An In-Exhaustible SUPPLY<\/p>\n Of God’s All-Sufficient GRACE”<\/p>\n This remarkable, transformational Grace of God is available to us …<\/p>\n We have access to it … We can stand “Knee-Deep” in it if we want to.<\/p>\n And when we do, we will shine impressively in the eyes of the And we will demonstrate the strength necessary to accomplish God’s And so in light of that good news, I would close this message this Today’s Key Admonition …<\/p>\n AVAIL yourself of the All-Sufficient GRACE of God.<\/p>\n (Hebrews 4:16)<\/p>\n “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,<\/p>\n so that we may … find grace to help us in our time of need.”<\/p>\n Come confidently … Come (as it were) to the Throne of Grace with your Final Thot …<\/p>\n God’s GRACE and man’s STRENGTH are inversely RELATED!<\/p>\n God gives GRACE to the HUMBLE!<\/p>\n (James 4:6)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[3,5],"archive_item":"http:\/\/archive.org\/details\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com--time-to-shine--time-to-shine-part-5","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons\/202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermons"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sp_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sonlifecommunitychurch.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
DEMONSTRATION TRUTH #5 …<\/h3>\n
\n(Romans 5:1-2)<\/p>\n
\nwhich we are enabled to keep on our feet under us during times of
\nduress?<\/p>\n
\nword “Grace” …<\/p>\n
\nyou get grace you’re going to definitely need peace”.<\/p>\n
\nsuch favor.<\/p>\n
\ndeserve” (Forgiveness and Heaven) whereas “Mercy” is us not getting
\nfrom God what we do deserve” (Condemnation and Hell).<\/p>\n
\nelement to it … Grace can be viewed as a verb as well as a noun.<\/p>\n
\nlooks with favor”.<\/p>\n
\nDemonstration Truth this morning …<\/p>\n
\nToday’s Key Definition – It’s a definition that I first heard expressed
\nmany years ago by Mr. Bill Gothard – a marvelous teacher of God’s Word.<\/p>\n
\nthings done” – things that would not just normally and naturally happen
\n– things that go beyond the expected or anticipated outcome.<\/p>\n
\na reporting of the facts without ever considering just what it took to
\naccomplish.<\/p>\n
\nleaving one’s poverty to move to a place of absolute wealth or leaving
\none’s wealth to move to a life of abject poverty?<\/p>\n
\nwhere he as recognized by all as the Son of God and the Creator and
\nSustainer of all things – to come to a place where he was considered
\nto be a pretender, a dangerous and even deluded charlatan.<\/p>\n
\nexperience the horrors of sin-induced judgment.<\/p>\n
\nout the purposes of God in His earthly life.<\/p>\n
\nApostle Paul …<\/p>\n
\nthis Grace to which we have been granted access …<\/p>\n
\nfirst place nor would we be enabled to live the Christian Life with any
\ndegree of success.<\/p>\n
\nof this series of messages, let me draw your attention to …<\/p>\n
\nbirth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost …<\/p>\n
\nthat had come to the city for the Festival of Pentecost – many chose
\nnot to return immediately to their homes – who would want to?<\/p>\n
\nexperience physical scarcity … many of these new believers were far
\nfrom home – their “travel money” soon ran out.<\/p>\n
\n“tough time” for them – It could have become a time that either tested
\nor at least limited the enjoyment of their new found faith.<\/p>\n
\nof his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.<\/p>\n
\nof the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.<\/p>\n
\nowned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and
\nput it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he
\nhad need.”<\/p>\n
\nfor them and they cooperated with Him.<\/p>\n
\nspiritually-purposeful ways.<\/p>\n
\neventually moved out of Jerusalem and scattered throughout the Empire
\nbut for that brief period of time Grace was wonderfully demonstrated
\namong them.<\/p>\n
\ngrace – an insight granted to the Apostle Paul.<\/p>\n
\nrevelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of
\nSatan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
\naway from me.<\/p>\n
\nmade<\/p>\n
\nthat<\/p>\n
\ndelight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
\ndifficulties.<\/p>\n
\nremarkable!<\/p>\n
\ntrials of life, whatever they might be.<\/p>\n
\nwith which we began this message …<\/p>\n
\nsurrounding world … We will be fortified and stabilized.<\/p>\n
\nspiritual purposes in our lives<\/p>\n
\nmorning with …<\/p>\n
\n“ATM Card” in hand … Put it prayerfully in the slot and withdraw from
\nGod’s inexhaustible account sufficient grace for the trials of the day!<\/p>\n