Displaying Christian Sermons by tag: god’s grace

Charles Stanley (March-08-2023) Daily Devotional: The Riches of God’s Grace.

There are marvelous blessings available for each child of God—today.

Ephesians 1:1-14 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Imagine an elderly couple living in a dilapidated farmhouse. They can barely afford a few groceries and the medications they need. There isn’t even enough money to keep the heat on all winter. Shortly after they both die, a huge deposit of oil is discovered on the old homestead. All their years of poverty were lived out sitting on top of untapped wealth. 

Sadly, many Christians go through life like that elderly couple. They’ve distilled Christianity down to its most basic parts: God saved me, and someday I’ll go to heaven. Spiritually poor Christians fail to tap into the reservoir of God’s grace that’s available right now. There’s no reason to wait until heaven to start enjoying the riches of His favor, which He’s already lavishing on us.

True riches are not measured by your bank account but by the abundance of God’s grace. You’ve received Christ’s righteousness, forgiveness of sins, adoption as God’s child, the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, and an eternal inheritance. As a joint heir with Christ, you have access to God’s riches, which include unspeakable joy, unconditional love, and peace beyond understanding. Don’t wait until heaven; tap into these divine blessings every day of your life, beginning today.   

Keep It 100 - Steven Furtick Sunday Sermon | October-16-2022. Scripture References: Romans 4, verses 13-21; Genesis 17, verses 15-17. If God started it, it’s guaranteed. In “Keep It 100,” Pastor Steven Furtick reminds us what true faith looks like, and why it’s based on God’s grace, not our works.

Charles Stanley (February-05-2023) Daily Devotional: Living in God’s Grace

God can meet us in the midst of any hardship—no matter how distressing or detrimental it may be.

Psalm 42:1-11 - As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, ``Where is your God?" These things I remember and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God my rock, ``Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, ``Where is your God?" Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

When I visited the West Coast, I had the opportunity to do some photography at a spectacular beach. From 75 feet above, I watched huge waves roll in and crash on the rocks below, twisting and breaking, spraying foam into the air. 

While observing this magnificent display, I realized that our lives are very much like those rocks when we’re living in God’s grace. This world can throw some mighty fierce waves at us, but no hardship can overpower God’s provision for enduring it. That’s because His Spirit lives within each believer.  

God has granted us everything we need to emerge triumphant, no matter how intense the pain may be. Our peace and joy originate not in the circumstances of life but in our relationship with Christ. That’s why we can experience contentment even when a tidal surge slams against us. 

What situation is crashing upon you—relational problems, health issues, financial struggles? 

God wants you to live in His grace, rely on His strength, and put your hope in His unfailing love (Ps. 147:11 NIV - The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness). If you, on your own, were capable of handling everything that came your way, how would others ever realize that the Lord’s strength is what makes you strong? 

The X Factor - Steven Furtick Sunday Sermon January-30-2022. You’ve got something special. In “The X Factor,” we learn that it’s not our talents or abilities that set us apart, but God’s grace at work in our lives.

Joyce Meyer (July-23-2021) Daily Devotional: Controlling Our Words by God’s Grace

According to this Scripture, the one thing proving our level of spiritual maturity isn't how religious we are—whether we can quote Scripture, or the good works we do—it is the words from our mouths.

James 1:26 says, If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person's religious service is worthless (futile, barren).

No matter how religious you think you are, the true test proving your spirituality is whether you bridle your tongue or not. Bridle means "to restrain or control." If we aren't controlling our tongues, we are not operating in the level of maturity God wants us to have.

Prayer Starter: Lord, through You, I am able to control the words I speak by God's grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Joseph Prince (July-17-2022) Daily Devotional: Continue in God’s Grace

Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Galatians 3:3

How were you first impacted by Jesus? Was it through the law or was it His grace in your life that touched your heart? We all began our relationship with the Lord because we were impacted by His love and grace. Let us then continue in that grace.

Paul warned the Galatians against turning back to the law after beginning in grace. He said, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace [unmerited favor] of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6–7).

Paul takes this very seriously. He calls any gospel apart from the gospel of grace (God's unmerited favor) a perversion. Attempting to be justified by the works of the Ten Commandments is a perversion of the gospel of Christ.

Paul asked the church in Galatia point-blank, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh [self-effort]?" (Gal. 3:2–3).

Paul was saying to them, "You began by believing in His grace, why are you now depending on your works? That is foolishness! You should be continuing in His unmerited favor!” These are strong words by Paul.

Don’t start with grace and end up with the law. Don’t start with the new covenant, only to turn back to the old covenant! There are those who say that they are not justified by the law, but believe that they should keep the law for sanctification. My friend, both justification and sanctification come by our faith in Jesus' finished work alone.

When you are established in the new covenant of grace, you will experience a tremendous sense of confidence and security in Christ. When your confidence is in His unmerited favor and not your performance, you will not feel as if you are constantly jumping in and out of His favor and acceptance.

It is unfortunate that some believers have put themselves back under the old covenant without realizing it. Sometimes, they feel that God is on their side, but at other times, they feel that God is far away from them. Sometimes, they feel that God is satisfied with them, but at other times, they feel that God is angry with them.

All these feelings are based predominantly on their own evaluation of how they have performed, how they feel about themselves, and not how God sees them. Because there is no new covenant scriptural basis for such evaluations, they end up arbitrarily deciding if they are deserving of God’s blessings and favor in their lives or not, when in fact, they actually have access to His blessings all the time, simply because of Jesus and His finished work at the cross.

Today, think, talk and act knowing that it is not about you or your works—it is about Jesus and Him alone, and step out into His blessings for you!

Derek Prince (October-29-2020) Watch Sermon: Stop Trying To Earn God’s Grace And Favor. What's the correct relationship between what we believe and what we do? Although we all know that we are saved by grace through faith, we often still try to earn God's grace and favor by our works. But it’s by faith, not works, that we’re saved

Joseph Prince (September-05-2020) Daily Devotion: GOD’S GRACE IS UNMERITED.

Galatians 5:4 - You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

What is the grace of God? Simply put, the grace of God is God blessing, healing and delivering you because of Jesus. The grace of God is His unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor toward you simply because of Jesus’ finished work at the cross.

Because God’s grace is based on Jesus’ work and not yours, the only way you fall from this grace is by believing that you can earn, merit and deserve it through your obedience and good works.

For example, you fall from grace when you say, “God has to answer my prayer because I have prayed long enough.” You also fall from grace when you think that because you are serving in church or you have kicked a bad habit, God is pleased with you and He has to bless you.

When you think that it is by your efforts and obedience that you receive God’s blessings, you become like the Pharisees. They believed that their law-keeping justified them and ensured that God would bless them. But the truth is that when you believe like them, “you have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” This means that you are cut off from Christ, who is your salvation, Redeemer, healer and provider. Christ has become of no effect to you!

My friend, surely you would want Christ to be of effect to you. People to whom Christ is of effect receive from Him the miracle they need. When He is of effect to them, He is their healer and they get healed. He is their wisdom and they are wise before man. He is their good success and they experience good success in all that they do.

Beloved, for Christ to always be of effect to you and to never nullify the grace of God operating in your life, just remember and believe that it is because of Christ and His finished work—His blood, His stripes, His death, His obedience—that you are justified, healed and blessed!

Charles Stanley (August-06-2019) Daily Devotion: The Riches of God’s Grace. The longing in our heart is one that only God's rich grace can satisfy.

Life sometimes seems like one long series of problems, doesn’t it? Even if we’re going through a relatively pleasant “season,” there’s always an undercurrent of yearning for something better. Perhaps this is what Solomon meant when he wrote of God, “He has planted eternity in the human heart” (Eccl. 3:11 NLT).

What we are longing for is revealed in today’s passage, and each benefit to believers is found “in Him,” meaning Christ.

God’s Lavish Grace (vv. 7-8). As believers, we have confidence that through Christ, we’ve been forgiven of our sins and redeemed. No matter what’s going on around us, we never have to doubt our eternal security.

A Glorious Future (vv. 9-10). Although we currently live in a fallen world, we know God will “in the fullness of the times” bring all things to completion in Christ. In that day, Jesus’ familiar words to the Father will be fulfilled: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

An Inheritance (Eph. 1:11-14). One of the most amazing aspects of our salvation is that we are heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17)—and our inheritance has already been obtained for us. We can be confident of this because God always brings His will to pass, and He’s given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge guaranteeing that we will receive this heavenly inheritance.

When our journey becomes difficult, or we’re simply worn out with all the struggles or routines of daily life, we need to remember that we are not home yet. Life isn’t yet as it should be, but God has provided His grace and His promises to give us hope and contentment.

Joseph Prince (June-30-2020) Daily Devotion: REST AND FIND GOD’S GRACE.

Luke 2:40 - And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

The verse says that the grace of God was upon Jesus. The Bible also says that where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (see Romans 5:20). And when you put the two together, you may find yourself asking, “If the grace of God was upon Jesus, does it mean that He sinned?”

No, Jesus did not sin (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). So there must be another explanation as to why God’s grace was upon Jesus. There must be another explanation as to why someone can abound in God’s grace even when he has not sinned.

Let’s look at the word “grace” when it is first mentioned in the Bible. Genesis 6:8 says that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Noah’s name means “rest.” So the verse is telling us that rest found grace. In other words, when you rest, you find grace!

So grace was upon Jesus because His life was a life of rest and trust in His Father. He said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself. He can do only what He sees His Father doing” (John 5:19).

Likewise, grace comes upon you when you rest and trust God. If you have a wayward child, stop nagging at him and trust God to handle the problem. Say, “Jesus, I commit this boy into Your hands. I cannot control him. You can.” If you have a persistent pain in your body, bring it to the Lord. Say, “Jesus, I hand all my worries about this pain to You. You work on the pain.”

“Pastor Prince, what if nothing happens?”

Honestly, if after you have given the matter to Jesus and nothing happens, what can you do? If Jesus Himself can’t do anything about it, do you think you can? But praise God, once the problem is handed over to Jesus, He can and will do a perfect work of taking care of it for you!

So live a life of rest. Have this attitude and tell the Lord, “I can do nothing of myself. I just rest in You Lord and I trust You.” Beloved, what you will see is the grace of God upon you in every situation of your life!