The Grace of God
Introduction
Reading v9-11
v10 – a great affirmation
Paul is writing to Christians in Corinth who have experienced all sorts of problems
He is reminding them of the Gospel he preached to them (v2)
He reminds them of the essential elements of this gospel (v3-4)
That Christ died, was buried, was raised on the third day – all according to the Scriptures
He wants to confirm them in their faith
Paul adds an autobiographical note about his conversion, call and labour as an apostle
He had been saved by the same gospel he preached to them
All of Grace
Paul’s conversion was all of grace
Remember what Paul was like before hand
He was a blasphemer, a violent man
He was persecuting the church
He was doing everything possible to oppose the name of Jesus Christ
Breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples – Acts
The road to Damascus experience
The Lord had mercy on him
He was the last of the apostles (v8)
He was one abnormally born / born out of due season
He was alive – but only just
Confidence in God’s Grace
He calls himself the least of the apostles
He knows he is not inferior to the other apostles
He had been a persecutor of the church
His conversion was entirely of God’s grace
Yet he has confidence about God’s call for him
God changed him from being an enemy to proclaiming the gospel of salvation
In fact at first others did not believe his conversion
We need grace to accept what we are in light of what we were
Paul had to be changed/converted
Grace overcomes
God no longer remembers our sin, but we may remember them
We may have a continuing sense of unworthiness
Religion is often the enemy of grace
This was the case with Paul
Paul humbled himself
Example of John the Baptist
Grace keeps us humble
Grace is not welcomed by all
Example of the elder brother and the labourers in the Vineyard
How do we see people around us?
Do we sit in judgment over them?
Do we say ‘there but for the grace of God go I?’
Consider Saul of Tarsus – changed by God
God condescends to those who are conscious / overwhelmed by their sin
Paul considered himself faultless as a religious person
Paul saw himself the worst of sinners when he was converted
1 Timothy 1:12-17 – It was all of God’s doing that he was changed
Continuing Grace
Paul’s call and conversion were all of God’s grace
He still depends on God’s grace
We depend on God’s grace
Many accusations came against Paul
Example of being at Stephen’s feet
We are what we are because of the grace of God
Our lives changes when we become a Christian – examples
Still we depend on God’s grace
We have doubts
Paul had doubts
We may have a growing consciousness of failing and sin
We fall short
We need to be reminded of the gospel
This is the basis of our assurance
2 Tim 1:12
Hebrews 10:19-23
The more that happens, the more we need to lean on God’s grace
Our confidence is in the grace of God
Works of Grace
Paul’s gospel work – was all of grace
God’s grace was not without effect
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians of all the things he suffered
Yet God’s grace enabled him to do these things
1 Cor 3:10
We may hide behind excuses
Are we deadly serious about what we are doing?
Grace is a powerful motivating force
It gives us every reason to serve Him
It is not about punishing people in the future for things that they do not do
A true power of grace is that we want to serve God with everything we have
Our response is to give Him everything we are
Quote from song ‘Take my life’
We want to give God the very best of what we are
Like in the Old Testament – a sacrifice without spot or blemish
Closing Remarks
The grace of God was in Paul (v10)
This grace will bring us to completion
We need to ask God how we should serve Him
God was working in Paul
God is working in us
Matt 25:21 – we will blessed in God
Quote from song ‘And can it be’
We will be there because of God’s grace