GRACE

God's Riches At Christ's Expense

2 Cor 11:22-32

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me,

2 Cor 12:7-11

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing.

Mercy: God not giving us what we deserve.

Grace: God giving us what we don't deserve. 

Peter on the Day of Pentecost 

Paul on the Road to Damascus 

God uses grace to bring balance to our sufferings.

A balance is used to off set the weight of one thing to another thing.  

God even in our sufferings sustains us by his Love and power.

3 reasons why people suffer 

1. Our own stupidity

2. Because we live in a fallen world. 

3 v. 7-9. Because God allows sufferings. 

Paul describes his sufferings as a thorn in the flesh.

Should be interpreted as a plunging stake bearing down on Paul. 

-the heart of Paul 

-the mind of Paul 

-body of Paul 

Nothing escapes the hand of God 

He knows our sufferings 

Sees our sufferings 

Brings grace to our sufferings 

Roman's 5:1-5 

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

1. We have peace with others, ourselves and with God and that speaks to our past.  

2. We have access to God which speaks to our present. 

3. Even in our sufferings, by his grace, we have HOPE which speaks to our future. 

2 Tim 2:3 

3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

3 evil enemies 

1.our own evil flesh and sin nature

2. Evil in the world 

3. Evil of the Devil

Job 13:15

Tho he slay me yet shall I trust Him 

James 1:2

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,

We count

We know 

We let

And what is its perfect work?

To draw closer to God our Father 

I can let sufferings make me

Bitter

Or I can let them make me better. 

The same sun that melts the snow is the same sun that hardens the clay.

God's grace is...

Sufficient 

Sustaining 

Strengthening 

Sovereign 

But by his grace go I.