Trinity Baptist Church

God’s Amazing Grace

Sustaining Grace

Philippians 1:6

 

If you have your Bible, please turn to Philippians 1:6.  Two weeks ago we began a series on "Amazing Grace" by considering “Saving Grace”.  The Bible teaches us that we are saved by grace.  That means our salvation is God’s free gift to us.  We don’t earn it, in fact, we can’t earn it. 

 

It is a gift to be received by faith and grace makes it available to everyone.  However, only those who come through the finished work of Christ on the cross are saved.  And once you are saved, you will never be lost and for all eternity we will be a testimony to the grace of God. 

 

That’s why we say grace is “amazing”!  Whatever word could we ever use to describe what grace is and does?  We are saved by grace.  However, that’s not all there is to God’s grace. While there is a rich and deep theological side to grace, there is also a very practical side to grace as well.  And for the next several weeks, that’s where we’ll place our attention. 

 

Today I want to spend some time exploring the idea of “sustaining grace”.  Not only are we saved by grace, but we are to live by grace.  God's grace not only saves you from sin, but God's grace sustains you in every moment of your life. 

 

Now just to seed our thoughts this morning look at Philippians 1:6.

 

 

Now notice the Bible doesn’t say He might complete it or He’ll try to complete it.  He doesn’t even suggest He will complete it if we hold up our end of the bargain.  Paul says, “The One Who has begun the work of salvation in your life will bring it to completion.”  Not only does He promise to save you by His grace, but also He has promised to sustain you by His grace.

 

Now with that thought in our minds, turn to I Peter 5 and let’s look at what Peter says is involved in this sustain grace that completes the work of salvation. 

 

1 Peter 5:8-12

 

Now even though Peter is primarily saying goodbye to his friends as he brings this letter to a conclusion, he provides this great word of encouragement and he frames it in the context of the grace of God. 

 

Now the Apostle Peter knows a little something about temptation.  Peter had lived through some extremely dark days as he gave in to the devil’s temptation and denied the Lord. 

 

There was a day when Jesus told Peter the devil had desired to have him and sift him like wheat.  And Jesus promised Peter He had prayed for him to mature and be able to come to a time when he could help others to mature. 

 

Well when we get to the letter, that time has come.  Peter has matured in the faith and is now using what he’s learned to help other Christians. 

 

And what he’s talking about here is how out how the grace of God sustains you. 

 

Did you notice how he describes God there in verse 10?  It is the “God of all grace” that strengthens and sustains you. 

 

That means when the storms blow and the floods come and there are storms everywhere you look, you can trust the sustaining grace of God to get you through those times. 

 

There are three ways in particular we see that at work in our lives.  There are some common experiences that we all go through when we especially need the sustaining grace of God. 

 

Now remember, God has declared that He will complete what He’s begun in us.  So when these areas hit us, we can have confidence that He will see us through.  And notice, Peter says to his friend, Silvanus, “You are standing in the grace of God.”

 

We need to know, no matter what is going on around us, no matter what else may surround us, nothing is closer to us than is the grace of God because we are standing in His grace.  In particular, that means God’s grace will

 

 

Verse 8

 

Do you know what that is saying?  It is saying the devil wants to eat your lunch!  I mean the devil is after you.  There is a stalker after you.  All of us have heard about stalkers.  I can't think of much else scarier than knowing someone is constantly observing you with evil intentions. 

 

If that is true in the physical world, how much more alarming is that in the spiritual realm.  The Bible warns us that the devil is constantly stalking. 

 

So what’s his interest with us?  Well, once you give your life to Christ, you’re no longer Satan's property, now you are God's property.

 

Remember how Paul described the Christian life to the Ephesians.  He spoke of the past and what we once were.  In particular, he describes God’s children as having been children of wrath.  We belonged to the devil.  But by the grace of God, everything changed. 

 

However, even though I no longer belong to the devil, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try to influence my life and decisions.  The devil wants to do everything he can to get us to stumble.  He wants to destroy our testimony as a Christian.  He wants to rob us of any joy and fulfillment that might come from serving Christ.    

 

And one of the primary ways he does that is through temptation.  He will tempt you to make the wrong choices.  Every day we are faced with choices.  Will I do what God wants me to do or what I want to do?  Will I be unselfish and be generous or will I be selfish and be a miser?  Will I speak words of love and kindness or will I speak words of hate and destruction?  Every day, every person is faced with moral choices and those choices are called temptations.

 

And as we are learning in our study of the book of James on Sunday evenings, God allows them to come to strengthen us.  Satan, however, wants to use them to cause us to stumble. 

 

But the good news is God has positioned us in grace.  We are standing in grace.  The same grace of God that saved you is the grace of God that will sustain you and help you not to stumble but to stand in the face of temptation. 

 

And I think we need to understand that it is not a sin to be tempted.  Everyone, including Jesus, was tempted so obviously it is not a sin to be tempted. The sin comes in gving in to the temptation. 

 

The process generally begins with a thought.  Satn tries to influence out thoughts.  The battles are won or lost in our thought life.  Long before we commit a sin, we conceive that sin in our thoughts.  That’s why we are told to guard our minds and take control of our thoughts and be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  

 

That means sometimes we have to turn the channel or avoid certain friends or stop going to certain places so we can avoid the possibility of the temptation.  And it is God's sustaining grace that helps us to stand firm when we are tempted.

 

Second, God’s grace will

 

 

Do you ever get tired?  I figured out why I’m so tired! 

 

For a couple of years now I’ve been blaming it on age, poor blood, lack of vitamins, air pollution, saccharin, being overweight, dieting and lack of sleep, but now I found out the real reason: I’m tired because I’m overworked.

 

The population of America is 237 million. 104 million are retired. That leaves 133 million to do the work.

 

There are 85 million in school, which leaves 48 million to do the work.

 

Of this there are 29 million employed by the federal government, leaving 19 million to do the work.

 

2.8 million are in the Armed Forces, which leaves 16.2 million to do the work.

 

Take from the total the 14,800,000 people who work for State and City Governments and that leaves 1.4 million to do the work.

 

At any given time there are 188,000 people in hospitals, leaving 1,212,000 to do the work.

 

Now, there are 1,211,998 people in prisons.

 

That leaves just two people to do the work. You and I,  and you’re sitting there doing nothing!

 

We are just worn out, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  We come to church sometimes and we can barely stumble in to the building.  We drop down in our seats.  Sometimes we come in and we don't even feel like worshipping God.  And I will tell you, it takes a lot of strength and energy to live life today.

 

And I’ll tell you this:  being a Christian complicates it that much more!  Sometimes it’s draining to just do the right thing and hold your emotions and deal with the stresses and keep up with the schedules and be faithful to the Lord. 

 

If you are the only Christian in your office or workplace, then you may have the toughest job in America.  If you are the only Christian student in your class at school and you’re trying to live your faith and make a difference in the lives of your friends, then I promise you come home tired at the end of the day because you are constantly going against the tide. 

 

And in a society that is growing more and more anti-Christian and has lost its sense of morality, the pressure to conform is ever-increasing.  Christians are constantly going against the culture.  Everything Jesus said is counter to what our culture does.  It is easy to go downhill.  All you have to do is just coast.

 

And I want to tell you something.  Sometimes I get tired of being nice.  If some little snot-nosed punk teenager is too busy on his i-phone to take my order at the Burger King and doesn’t have enough sense to change a dollar bill into four quarters wants to be rdue to me, he better get ready for a sermon because the preacher’s just about sick of that attitude!

 

I don’t want to be nice!  Sometimes I don’t like being kind to you!  There are days when it would just be best if you didn’t come whining around my office with all your junk!  I don’t want to be kind to you.  I don’t want to be kind to my family.  I don’t want to be kind to the whole world!  And I’ve got an out!  I’ll just blame it on my blood sugar being low! 

 

So how do you have victory in those kinds of days and experiences?  If you live a real Christian life, you are going to go against the tide, you are going to go against the stream, you are going to be in the minority, and you are going to have to have a power greater than your own. 

And that power is the grace of God.  Remember, you are standing in grace.  And just as you came to the altar and received Jesus into your heart and were saved by His grace, you have the privilege of returning time and time again to the same source to draw on the grace you need to strengthen you and help you when you are tired. 

 

Listen to this verse:  2 Corinthians 1:21 (HCSB)

 

“Now it is God Who strengthens us, with you, in Christ. . .”

 

Where do I find the energy, where do I find the strength to have the attitude and the spirit of Christ?   "It is God Who strengthens us.”

 

The key to living in God's grace is living, not in our own strength, not in our own power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit who helps us to stand even when we are tired.

 

And all you have to do this morning is say, Holy Spirit, here I am.  I am available, I am humbled, I am contrite, and I am open.  God I can't do it.  And when you say, I can't do it, He says, “That’s right.  But I can.” He will lift that heavy load.  He will take that burden from your heart.  He will heal that memory that covers your soul. 

 

He will touch your life and He will sustain you through the problems you are going through in that marriage, in that job, in that situation that you can't seem to control if you will let Him do it this morning.  He’ll help you stand against temptation.  He’ll strengthen you when you’re tired. 

 

The third thing is His grace will

 

 

I would venture to say that every person here has some trouble in his or her life.  If you are not in trouble you are about to get in trouble or you have just gotten out of trouble. 

 

Jesus said we’re going to have some troubles.  We ought not to be surprised by it, we ought to expect it.  And yet we, as believers, always seem to be surprised when something happens.  We want to know why the Lord let it happen.  That’s easy:  The Lord is testing you to develop your faith and character.  It’s just that simple.

 

So if they are going to come, and the Bible assures they are, then we need to know how to deal with them. 

 

Now there are three kinds of trouble. 

 

First, there is the kind of trouble that sort of blows you away like the wind.  It hits you hard and bam! You just explode. You have seen footage of hurricanes and tornadoes, how buildings just explode when those twisters hit.  And troubles come like that; they just blow everything in your life to bits.

 

 

Another kind of trouble that comes along are the burdens of life. They weigh you down.  They linger.  They are there when you get up and when you go to bed.  You can’t escape them. 

 

Then there is another kind of trouble where it seems to catch you off guard. The devastation is not so much because it was unexpected, but more undeserved.  It may be a spouse who announces the marriage is over or the boss says you are no longer needed, and without warning, life is turned upside down.   

 

So how do we deal with the troubles of life, whether they are unplanned, unrelenting or undeserved?    Well it during those times that God wants to know we are standing in His grace and He is there to is there to sustain us when trouble comes.

 

And upon that truth we, first of all,  

 

 

Look at Psalm 34:17-18

 

Isn’t that a precious promise?  When God’s children cry out to Him, He hears and delivers them from their troubles.

 

But notice the qualifier in verse 18.  The Lord is near to those with a broken heart and contrite spirit.  So why is that so necessary? 

 

It is because grace is available only to the humble. 

The arrogant and proud don't need grace, they don't need God.  They are self-sufficient.  SO when they get in trouble, they look for resources other than God. 

 

But the humble, the broken-hearted cry out to God and God is near to strengthen and heal and bless because grace doesn't begin to operate until we realize we can't do it. And when we realize we can’t do it, we cry out to God and grace shows up!  If your in trouble, pray!

 

Second

 

 

We need to let God’s Word steady us.  We access God's grace by getting in His Word. 

 

Again listen to the Psalmist in Psalm 119:25

 

Could that verse describe you?  Do you ever feel like you inside are just melting?  Another version reads “I am weary from grief”.  And the request the psalmist makes is for God to strengthen him through His Word!  And that was written from a limited Old Testament perspective. 

 

How much more should the New Testament Christian be encouraged as he reads the Bible!  The Word of God speaks to us today and encourages us and exhorts us and tells us who we are in Christ and how much God loves us and tells us what God has done for us, what He wants to do for us. 

 

If you’ve got troubles, then cry out to God, fill your mind with His Word, and

 

 

Whether they realize it or not, everybody needs a church family.  There is built into God’s design for the church a support system that can be found nowhere else on earth.  God forgive us when the world’s organizations do a better job of caring fro their members than does the church.

 

The greatest potential for support in your time of trouble is your Sunday School class.  

Every child of God ought to be in Sunday School.  In that one setting all three of these sources of help will be available to you. 

 

There you’ll be prayed for and encouraged.  And you’ll have the opportunity to fill your mind with God’s Word.

 

And not only that, you’ll fill that need in the life of someone else who’s having troubles as you pray for them and study alongside them in your class. 

Whether we like to admit it or not, we need each other.  If you’re young in the faith, then you need to get around some folks who’ve walked with God a long time.  You need to listen and learn and talk with Christians who have gone through some of the troubles of life. 

 

If you are a seasoned saint, you need to be around some younger people, not only to encourage them, but be encouraged by them. 

 

Listen:  We are here to support one another.  We are not here to criticize one another.  We are not here to compete with one another.  We are not here to tear down one another.  We are here to support one another and share with one another the grace of God. 

 

One final thing that will sustain you in trouble: 

 

 

If you are experiencing troubles, focus on the promises of God.   There are over 1,000’s of them in the Bible.  I suggest that you get some promises that are life promises for you. God will direct you tot hem and you can claim them as your own. 

Psalm 40:1-3 is especially meaningful to me.  At a very difficult time in my life over 30 years ago, God led me to this passage.  That trouble is long since gone, but I have found myself returning to the is passage time and time again.  And you need to know when everything goes wrong and the bottom falls out, that you can go back to that promise.

 

On May 17, 2008, Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman and his family suffered a devastating loss. Their five-year-old adopted daughter, Maria Sue, was struck and killed when Chapman's 17 year-old son was backing his SUV out of the family's driveway.

 

Then just two months later, Chapman returned to his concert ministry continuing to lead people in worship. It was not easy, but the words from Job as expressed in Matt Redman's song, "Blessed Be Your Name," kept him going. It was the first song Chapman sang the day Maria died when he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to sing again:

 

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me,

When the world's all as it should be.

Blessed be Your name.

 

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering,

Though there's pain in the offering.

Blessed be Your name.

 

You give and take away.

You give and take away.

My heart will choose to say,

"Lord, blessed be Your name."

 

Chapman says, "As I sang this song ... it wasn't a song, it was a cry, a scream, a prayer, [but] I found an amazing comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding."

 

Chapman says he also reconsidered the words to all his songs and whether he could still sing -- and believe -- them. Instead, he found that losing his little girl brought the meaning of those songs into sharper focus. In fact, he added a new verse to his song, "Yours," which he had just written a year previously:

 

I've walked the valley of death's shadow

so deep and dark that I could barely breathe.

I've had to let go of more than I could bear and

I've questioned everything that I believe.

Still even here in this great darkness

a comfort and a hope comes breaking through

as I can say in life or death, God we belong to you.

 

Today, I want to encourage you to not give up.  Remember, He that has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion through His sustaining grace.

 

Let’s pray.