GRACE
FOR GRACE
By Pastor Danny Bezet
July 18, 1993
ROMANS
5:20: “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where
sin abounded, grace did
much more abound.”
JAMES
4:1-6: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not
hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and
desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because
ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive
not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye
not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in
vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he
giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth
grace unto the humble.”
JOHN 1:14,
15-16: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. …
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for
grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
INTRODUCTION
And of his fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace. (John 1:16)
Here
we have an unusual phrase.
What does this mean? It means Grace heaped upon Grace. When you get saved, it doesn’t
take you long to figure out that you need a lot of Grace.
We fail so many times and it seems that the
Grace of God would run out for such a wretched bunch. But it never runs out, God gives us
Grace heaped upon Grace.
Now you may be in this room this morning and are
so simple minded that you think you have never failed and that God is real
fortunate to have you. If that is
the case, this sermon is not for you.
It’s for the rest of us who know that we are sinners saved by
Grace and we could never merit that wonderful Grace.
What ever we are or ever hope to be, it’s
will happen because of God’s Grace heaped upon Grace.
Grace is the whole principle of New Testament
Christianity. It is the reversal of
fallen man. We cannot comprehend it
or understand it. It is the work of
God and only He can understand it.
It is unsearchable.
It is past finding out
It is the reason God would love and save an old
sinner
It is amazing.
We, because we are sinners and have a sinful
nature, deserve only hell, but God, by His Grace, gives us Grace heaped upon
Grace.
It is help for the helpless
It is hope for the hopeless
It is healing for the wounded and scarred
It is a balm for the broken
It is all you need.
And of his fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace. (John 1:16)
His fulness. That is ALL of His Grace. We have been given ALL of the
unexplainable Grace of God. He has
heaped upon us, Grace for Grace.
All that ever was, all that there is, and all
that there ever will be, It’s all ours. But that’s only a part of the
picture.
Put all that into a pile, then pile that same
amount on top of it, then pile that same amount on top of that, and over and
over, God heaps Grace upon Grace for us.
... but grace
and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John
1:17)
Acts 4:33 says, it is Great Grace.
Acts 13:43 says we are to continue in Grace.
Acts 14:3 says we are to give testimony of that
Grace.
Acts 15:11 says we are to believe through Grace.
Acts 20:32 says we are built up by Grace.
Romans 1:5 says we Receive Grace for obedience.
Romans 3:24 says we are justified by Grace.
Romans 5:2 says we have access to Grace.
Romans 5:17 says we have an abundance of Grace.
Romans 5:21 says Grace can reign in our lives
for righteousness.
But by the grace
of God I am what I am: and his grace which was
bestowed upon me was not in vain ... (1
Corinthians 15:10)
For ye know the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).
II Corinthians 12:9 says His Grace is
sufficient.
Galatians 1:6 says that Grace calls us.
In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. (Ephesians 1:7)
II Thessalonians 2:16 says Grace is our good
hope.
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope
of eternal life.
(Titus 3:7)
Let us therefore come boldly unto the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Hebrews 13:9 says the Grace establishes us.
I Peter 1:2 says Grace is multiplied.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish,
strengthen, settle you. (1
Peter 5:10)
And II Peter 3:18 says we are to grow in Grace.
With those things for an introduction,
let’s look at what Grace is able to do:
1 - GRACE IS ENOUGH TO SAVE ANY
SINNER
Not by works of righteousness which we
have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified
by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life.
(Titus 3:5-7)
It will reach all, from the best to the
worst. Jesus said, I will in no
wise cast you out. It was enough
for me and it was enough for you.
It was enough for the woman at the well.
It was enough for the woman found in adultery.
It was enough for Saul the Christian killer.
It was enough for Peter the cussing fisherman.
It was enough for Zacheaus the I.R.S. man.
It was enough for the wicked jailer.
It is enough for the poorest man on the earth,
The richest man,
The most intelligent,
The most simple minded,
The most powerful,
The most famous,
And the most wicked, vile, person on death row.
His Grace is enough for any body that will come
to Him in faith,
believing. It’s enough.
I am so glad that God saves ole sinners.
I’m thrilled and amazed that He sets them
free,
The biggest surprise in saving ole sinners,
Is that He would save an ole sinner like me.
It’s because His Grace is enough.
Don’t give up on that lost loved one, His
Grace is enough.
Don’t think He will give up on you, His
Grace is enough.
2 - GRACE IS ENOUGH TO KEEP ALL
THAT EVER WERE SAVED
Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you
faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. (Jude 1:24).
We have eternal salvation. Not because we deserve it or because we
earned it, but because of God’s Grace. I don’t understand it, but I know
His Grace is enough.
We have everlasting Life. You can’t wear it out, your sin
can’t wear it our, it’s everlasting because of God’s Grace. Jesus said:
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them,
and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater
than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:27-29)
READ ROMANS 8:31-39
Eternal means eternal
Everlasting means everlasting
Never perish means never perish
Freely give means freely give
God’s Grace is enough to keep all that are
saved.
3 - GRACE IS ENOUGH TO LIFT ANY
MAN THAT IS FALLEN
I wish we never failed. I wish all of us always did what pleased
the Lord and there was never any reason to regret.
I believe that it is the will of God that we do
right and never fail, but we do fail, and Grace heaped upon Grace is enough to
lift us from our failure.
For we have not an high priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)
In the story of the prodigal son we find
that he started out a son, was a son even while we was away in sin, and ended
up a son. How could that be? Grace heaped upon Grace.
Grace made him a son, Grace kept him a son, and
Grace lifted him up. It matters not
how far you have fallen, Grace heaped upon Grace is enough to lift you up.
Too many of us are like to older brother and
want God’s Grace to be selective.
But thank God it’s for ALL.
It is enough to lift ANY that are fallen.
Don’t let the Devil keep you in the hog
pen this morning, come to the Father, He has Grace heaped upon Grace for
you. It’s enough, it’s
all you need.
That fallen boy could never understand that new
robe that was put over his sin ravaged body, but his father whispered,
it’s Grace heaped upon Grace.
He could never understand that ring that was put
on his dirty finger, but his father whispered, it’s Grace heaped upon
Grace.
He could never understand the fatted calf and
the party to welcome him home, but his father whispered, it’s Grace
heaped upon Grace.
Don’t listen to the screams of the Devil,
listen to the whisper of the Father.
Don’t listen to the screams of the
brother, listen to the whisper of the Father.
His Grace heaped upon Grace will lift you out of
whatever your circumstance may be.
It’s enough.
4 - GRACE IS ENOUGH TO BEAR ANY
BURDEN YOU MAY HAVE
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is
made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Jesus told the Apostle Paul, My Grace is
sufficient.
Things may not always be as we would like them
to be.
The tears may wet your pillow at night,
Your heart may be broken and you think you are
going to die,
Your troubles may have you pinned and you think
you are down for the count,
Maybe poverty has overwhelmed you and your
family,
Maybe the pain is more than you think you can
bear,
Maybe death has touched your life and those you
love,
God’s Grace heaped upon Grace will always
be enough to see you through. He
will never leave you or forsake you, He is enough.
5 - GRACE IS ENOUGH TO HELP YOU DO
ANY WORK THAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO
And God is able
to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all
sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8; cf. Acts 14:26)
God has a plan, a purpose and a provision for
you and the work that He has called you to do. You find it all in His Grace heaped upon
Grace.
Stay where you are and trust that Grace.
It may be hard, but trust that Grace.
You may loose friends, but trust that Grace.
You may suffer loss, but trust that Grace.
Trust it.
Use it,
Lean on it,
Look for it,
Rest in it,
Tell about it,
But whatever you do, don’t quit,
God’s Grace heaped upon Grace is enough to help you find the victory.
Come boldly to the throne of Grace,
Get that Grace heaped upon Grace,
Then go back to work,
IT’S ENOUGH.
CONCLUSION
And of his fulness have all we received,
and grace for grace. (John 1:16)
It’s yours, all yours, if you will only
come to Him.
But grow in
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him
be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2
Peter 3:18)
PRAY!
Italics, bold and font sizes changed. Colors
added. Additional Scriptures added. -- John Henry