God’s Sovereignty Part 12

Subject – God’s Abounding Grace

Text - Ephesians 1:8 “Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;”

God’s grace, what a true blessing it is to understand Gods grace. However, we live in a time that people, even some of them who are real believers in Jesus Christ do not understand God’s grace in their life. God’s working in a person’s life has been changed to irrelevance, because people have changed how God’s blessings to us are accomplished. People have done exactly as God has foretold us, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” Romans 1:25 They lie to themselves about who God is and what God does and when the grace of God is real in our accomplishments. People are actually the scum of all God’s creation, totally worthless to God, and if we read the bible properly, we will see that is exactly how God describes mankind. Adam and Eve turned their backs on God’s goodness, lied to God and hid themselves in shame after disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. They, in their fall found a new god to worship and serve, because once they denied the True God that left God for Satan and Satan became their god. God’s blessings were no more on them, and they no longer recognized God as their creator. Therefore, after Able was murdered by his brother Cain God chose sent Seth and his people to be the recipients of God’s grace until they met the women of Cain’s linage and sin took over, again no resect of God’s graciousness. So God in His wrath toward mankind flooded the earth and killed everything, except the occupants of the Ark. God said that the world was so evil, “…that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Gen. 6:5 God described His feeling this way, “…it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” So, God chose a man named Noah and God said this of Noah, “…Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” Notice that there was grace before anything else about Noah, and it was because of God’s grace that, “…Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.” Noah walked with God because of God’s grace, if it were not because of that grace Noah would not have been any different than anyone else. Also notice God talked about Noah’s righteousness and not about the righteousness of the other seven. Noah was not perfect in that he without sin, Noah walked with God and it appears that at that time he was the only one that did. God said of Noah that he was “perfect in his generations”, he did not say he was without sin. Noah’s family was also receivers of God’s grace because God blessed them by allowing them on the ark, notice God never spoke of their righteousness. Even with all this grace Ham sinned and his future generations were cursed because of his sin. I chose this account to point out how God’s grace works, every detail about Noah and his righteousness was God’s grace, his building the Ark was God’s grace, his family on the Ark was God’s grace, everything was God’s grace. Every event of the bible is the same story told repeatedly, how that God’s grace made people who and what they were, and how by God’s grace was their accomplishments accomplished. While today the world of religion refuses to give God credit for His grace. Mankind has never appreciated God’s grace, they talk about it, preach about it, and sing about it, but in their life, belief of the bible, and in salvation they refuse to acknowledge it. They can only talk about their accomplishments, when their accomplishments are nothing more or less than God’s accomplishments if done in rightiousness and theirs by grace. How many examples does God have to give us for us to understand that it is God’s grace that is sufficient, and not ours? Paul wrote in “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 Paul who was once Saul of Tarsus knew about God’s gracious hand of mercy, so did many other of God’s people in the bible, listen to Isaiah praise God and His grace, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isaiah 43:1 - 2 The grace and power of God just pours off the pages of the bible as you read it, but somehow in our time it is only talked about without meaning.

 God’s Abounding Grace means - to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess – meaning that there is so much grace that we can accomplish whatever God has ordained for us. We can accomplish nothing, but only by grace and through Jesus Christ we can accomplish anything. But why, why does God even do anything for sinful man, why did not God just destroy all sinful man in the flood? God answers that question, “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”  2 Corinthians 4:15 So that God gets all glory, everything is by God’s will and hand because it praises and glorifies God. This not only is in your salvation but also in your “…wisdom and prudence;” Read 1 Cor. 12:1 - 11 and you will find out that all our knowledge, understanding, wisdom, faith, power and everything else is by God’s grace, delivered by the Holy Spirit, as Salvation is by grace through Jesus Christ also delivered by the Holy Spirit, all by God’s grace to return all glory to Him. Salvation is not a choice, decision, repentance on mans part, nor does man play any part in salvation, otherwise it is not of grace nor does it return the grace to God as His work. Paul describes the grace of God and inability of man the best in Romans, please read these scriptures careful and then as yourself, how much can I accomplish without grace and God’s power. “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:17 - 20