The Grace Of God

God's gift of grace allows us to be saved. God's grace is more evident when we are weak.


Scripture: 1 Peter 5:10, Romans 12

Transcript

Alright, thank you very much. And hello again radio friends. How in the world are you? You doin’ all right? Well I trust so. This is your good friend, Bob Cook. And I’m glad to be back with you, to share from the Word of God. We’re looking at 1 Peter 5, and we’ve gotten now to verse 10. “The God of all grace,” he said, “who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus. After you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.” That’s a great passage; it’ll take us a little while to get through it.

Simon Peter calls him, ‘The God of all grace.’ God’s grace. I just have before me here a listing of some of the, just some of the passages that speak of the grace of God. We are justified freely by God’s grace; we have access into this grace wherein we stand. By faith we can walk right into the presence of almighty God, and be received as His dear children. We receive abundance of grace through Jesus Christ, where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And grace becomes the re-, the reigning, the reigning, controlling factor of our lives. This is something that is missed by many a militant Christian I think, but ought to be given more attention.

Even so, “Might grace, as sin hath reigned unto death, even though might grace reigned through Jesus Christ, unto eternal life.” We’re not under the law, but under grace. And Paul said that his whole message was one because of God’s grace, “I say through the grace given unto me, to every one of you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think.” That’s Romans 12, you remember. We have gifts differing according to the grace that is given unto us. God makes you different, not because he wants to, to make you odd, an odd person, but because he wants to give some special grace to you, the fact that you’re different.

Oh, this is great, you know. How often I’ve wished I was like someone else. Have you ever done that? Wish I could sing like Bev Shea, wish I could preach like Billy Graham, and wish I could write like James Michener, and wish I could do this, and that, and the other. But God has made you the way you are. And you are different, having then gifts differing according to the grace of God that’s given unto us. Whatever you do, do it for Him, and in the enablement that He gives you.

And so he said, the, the reason for the letter to the Corinthians, encouraging them to give, he said, “That the abundant grace might resound to the glory of God.” Many people praising God because of the gift that the Corinthians gave. Wanted to finish in you the same grace also, that’s the grace of giving. “See that you abound in this grace. God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”

And then Paul had his own personal difficulties, which he asked God in three different occasions to remove from him. He said, “I besought the Lord thrice.” That means not just a word of prayer, I’m sure it meant prolonged periods of seeking God about it. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in your weakness.” So Paul then changed his approach and he said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities, that the power, in order that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I’m weak, then by God’s grace I am strong.” See, God has called us by His grace. And he offers us the riches of His grace. And He’s giving us good hope through grace — that’s a passage in 2 Thessalonians.

We’re to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And then when you get to the end of yourself, he giveth more grace. Oh I love that! “He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,” said Annie Johnson Flint. He giveth more grace. “God resisted the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” You get down before God, and humble yourself before Him, and God will pour out His grace upon you. And then it’s possible, beloved, to grow in grace. 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

That’s just a little quick six minute run down of the grace of God. And there’s a great deal more, as you Bible students know, a great deal of more could be said scripturally along that line. The basis of it all of course is that, it is the grace of God that enables us to be saved by grace. “For you’re saved through faith, and that and out yourselves, it is through the gift of God, not a work lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship.” God does it, you don’t do it. God’s grace. Someone has used the letters of the word ‘Grace’, GRACE as an acronym meaning, ‘God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense’.

God gives it all freely to you, because Jesus bought it for you at the cross. He’s the God of all grace. What kind of grace do you need today, huh? Well, circumstances differ, and so maybe it’s grace to be patient, or grace to suffer, or grace to be courageous, or grace to take another step when you’re so tired you don’t think you can put one foot ahead of another. Or grace to get down and, and humble yourself before God. Or grace to give something of your substance. Don’t just give out of your income; give out of your capital. That, that’s what real Bible giving is.

Take care of your church; and take care of your Christian radio station; and take care of your Christian missionary society; take care of those who are in Christian education. If we don’t educate our young people in the Word of God, you know that the state isn’t going to do that. And so there are different things that you and I need to think about in the grace of giving. You’re listening right this moment to a Christian radio. And you need to include them in your prayers, don’t you? Well of course. Well, the grace, He’s the God of all grace.

Now let’s bring that right down to where you and I live. The fact of the matter is, there is never a moment in any of your life, there’s not any moment anywhere in your, your whole life schedule, but that the grace of God is not applicable and available. You need God’s grace to deal with the aggravating problems of running a home; you need God’s grace to approach the problems and challenges of your daily work. What are you, a stenographer, or an implementer, an expediter? Are you in the production line, getting things on out to be shipped? Are you a manager? Are you in personnel? Are you in accounting? What are you?

Well, you need God’s grace to approach your job. And by that I don’t mean that you’ll try to be religious on everything. In this old world it’s impossible to act religious in many situations. You can’t come to work singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy” at the top of your voice. At least in some situations. Because if you did, you’d be in the personnel office by ten, and the men in white coats would have you by eleven, if you didn’t cut it out. You can’t be officially religious, but you can be full of the grace of God.

The blessed Holy Spirit working and living, He indwells the believer as you know. And by faith, you invite Him into every room in your heart-house so that He fills your whole life. And then He spills out of your life the blessed grace of God. It says of our Lord Jesus, in the Bible, “They marveled at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth.” When the early Church had that experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit as they prayed, this was after Pentecost. It said, “They were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And they spake the Word of God with boldness, and great grace was upon them all.”

When God is working in your heart, it’ll be a combination of boldness and grace. Not the brassy sound of self-will, but it, it’s the loving, caring, grace of God; and yet the courage of eternal truth in your mouth. That’s quite a combination, isn’t it? God’s grace at home; God’s grace on the job; God’s grace in dealing with difficult situations, and difficult people; God’s grace in facing your own personal disappointments, and frustrations. It’s hard to see something you have hoped for, not quite work out, isn’t it? Or to have your hopes dashed and people say, “Well that didn’t work; he failed or she failed,” that’s hard.

Grace to face the frustrations and the disappointments of life, without caving in. You live a while, you learn that when things don’t go right, that’s not the end of everything. It may well be for God, in God’s plans, the beginning of something. Many a wonderful plan, many a wonderful effort for God has grown out of seeming failure. So don’t cave in. If you… and I’m talking to somebody probably who needs this just now. If you’re facing some personal frustration or failure, and you’re just about to give up on everything including yourself, don’t do it. God is the God of grace. He’s going to see you through. For He had said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee,” He’s the God of all grace.

It’s the grace that restores. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” How many times have you and I had to come back to our heavenly Father and say, “Lord, I blew it, I failed you there; please forgive me.” The Bible says, “There is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared.” And so it’s grace to, to forgive and grace to be cleanse, and grace to restore. The prophet said, “I will restore unto you the years that the locust hath eaten.” In other words God makes what you have gone through, pay out in terms of what you can become for Him.

Bill Carle is now with the Lord a good many years. But it was my privilege to know him as a dear friend, and to travel with him different times, in this country and overseas. Great voice, magnificent basso profundo. He was born, William Carl Quintmire, up there in Wisconsin. But when he went into show business, he shortened it as Bill Carle, and that’s the name by which we knew him. He was, he was in the, the show business world for many years. Sang in an opera, sang in Billy Rose’s Horseshoe, sang in a number of different night spots.

And when he was bought to faith in Christ, prayed for salvation one day in the office of, of our good friend Roy McClellan. He was then, had in his pocket a juicy contract for an extended appearancein New York. Well of course, all of that changed. He never did return that contract. And he began to sing the Gospel. And Oh, how he sang it. But he was, he was 51 or 52 — something like that, when he was saved. And I asked him, I said, “Well, what, how do you feel about, about all the years that you spent in show business before you became a Christian?”

He said, “I’ve often thought about that. But,” he said, “you know the Lord has enabled me to be of help and blessing to many people in the show business world, since I was saved. And it does seem that everything I ever went through, has paid out for the glory of God.” Isn’t that great? Well that’s how God does it — His grace. We’ll come back to this the next time we get together.

Blessed Father today, give us a great experience of Thy grace. In Jesus’ name I ask. Amen.

Till I meet you once again by way of radio, walk with the King today and be a blessing!



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