Would you turn back to Second
Corinthians, Chapter nine? I've entitled this message. What
grace does. Everybody has heard of the grace
of God. What does grace actually do? The grace of God. Listen real
carefully. The grace of God is not an offer. The grace of God is not an offer
that God makes to sinners where it's up to them to accept it
or reject it. The grace of God is an operation. It's not an offer, it's an operation. As a matter of fact, in Colossians
1.12, we read of the faith of the operation of God. And it does something with God
being the operator of this operation. He is called the God of all grace. And in Ephesians 2a, we read
that grace saves. Grace saves. And that means a whole lot more
than it allows you to avoid going to hell and makes it to where
you can go to heaven. Now, that's included in the grace
of God, certainly, but it also does something in you. Look in
verse 14 of chapter 9. And by their prayer for you,
which long after you for the exceeding grace of God end. You. I repeat, the title of this
message is What Grace Does. Now, let's start reading in verse. Seven. Every man, according as he purposes
in his heart, so let him give. Somebody says, how much should
a believer give, however much you purpose in your heart? That's
a clear enough answer, isn't it? No other direction is needed. Whatever it is you purpose in
your heart. So let him give, not grudgingly, not thinking
you're the loser by what you're giving or of necessity, not giving
to a need. Well, the bills are great this
month. Therefore, we need to give. No, you do it because you
want to. For God loveth a cheerful giver,
and God is able to make all grace abound toward you. Before we look at what grace
does, we first have to look at what is behind grace. What's
behind grace? The ability of God. And if we understand something
about what's behind grace, we can understand something about
what grace actually does. What's behind grace? The ability
of God. God is able to make all grace
abound toward you. Isn't that so? I look at everybody
in here and I can say with full conviction, God is able To make
all grace abound, overflow toward you. Come back with me to Genesis
chapter 18. Hold your finger there in 2 Corinthians
9, but turn to Genesis 18. You know, we call sovereign grace,
free grace, saving grace, but I like this able grace. And indeed,
His grace is able grace. In Genesis chapter 18, beginning
in verse 9, And they said unto him, Where
is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
And he said, This is the Lord Jesus Christ who has appeared
to Abraham. I will certainly return unto
thee. According to the time of life and low, Sarah, thy wife
shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent
door, which was behind him. Now, remember, Sarah had already
gone through menopause. She understood that. She had
already gone through menopause, so you can imagine what her response
was. Now, Abraham, verse 11, and Sarah
were old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with
Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore, Sarah laughed within
herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my
Lord being old also? She said, I can't have a baby,
and I don't think he can help me have one. And the Lord said unto Abraham,
Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child
which am old? Now look at this question. Is anything too hard for the
Lord? Is anything too hard for the
Lord? At that point in time, I will
return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall
have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I
laugh not. For she was afraid, I'm sure
she was. I bet she was scared to death. And he said, Nay, but
thou didst laugh. Now turn to Romans chapter four.
I want us to look at what Paul says about this event in Romans
chapter four. The reason grace can abound to
you is God is able to make his grace abound toward you. Beginning in verse 17, as it's
written, I've made thee a father of many nations. And he said
that before he'd had any children. Isn't that interesting? He hadn't
had any children, and yet he says, I've made thee a father
of many nations. Before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things
which be not as though they were. who against hope believed in
hope that he might become the father of many nations according
to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. And being
not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead when
he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness
of Sarah's womb. That was the opposite of Sarah at that time,
wasn't it? She thought of the opposite of those two things.
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but
was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded
that what he had promised, Sarah shall have a son, he was able
also to perform. Able grace. Now, I'm saying something
I say very often, and I'm not saying it glibly. I'm a sinner. I'm the real thing as I speak
to you. I'm a sinner. And he is able to make all grace
abound toward me. His grace comes to me where I
am, like that man laying half dead in the ditch. The Good Samaritan
came to him where he was. Now, that's how grace comes to
me. Ephesians 2, 4 and 5 says, But
God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved
us even when we were dead in sins. Hath quickened us together
with Christ by grace ye are saved. Now who appreciates this? Only
those who cannot do anything to save themselves. Those people
appreciate this. Now, if you believe you have
some inherent spiritual ability, If you believe in the power of
free will, you won't like this because it takes away what you're
hoping in your ability to do something, your ability to turn
things around. But if you're without spiritual
ability, you're a prime candidate for the grace of God. Here's what grace is able to
do. Listen to scripture, June 24.
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. Now that is what grace is able
to do. And I think of Grace, every aspect
of salvation is by grace. Every aspect. I don't think you've
got to begin with election. God choosing who'd be saved.
Now, he didn't choose who'd be saved because he foresaw they'd
believe. He foresaw they'd repent. He
foresaw they would do. No! He did so as an act of his
own free and sovereign will. That's what grace is. Think of
being justified. Think of actually being just
before God. I stand before God right now without sin. justified before God, that can
only be by grace. My redemption. Did He redeem
me because I merited it? Because I deserved it? No! Grace! The faith I have, He gave it
to me. It's the gift of His grace. The
new nature I have is the operation of His grace. The repentance
I have is the gift of His grace. The love I have to Him is the
gift of His grace. Every aspect of salvation is
by the grace of God. And here is what it does. Look in verse eight, and God
is able to make all grace abound toward you that you. Having all sufficiency, and this
is talking to every believer. Every single believer, the youngest
believer, the weakest believer, The one who's most experienced
in grace, this is talking to every believer, this isn't some
special set. This is every one of them. He
says God is able to make all grace abound toward you that
you always know that word always and every time when this is not
the case, having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every
good work. You have all sufficiency for
all things. Now, turn with me back to Genesis
33. You know, every doctrine in the
New Testament has an Old Testament example. Genesis 33. Now, this is when Jacob has come
back to Esau after all these years, he's scared to death and
he's trying to butter Esau up, if you'll remember, he starts
bringing one set of gifts and then another set and another
set. Esau sees all these presents coming his way, and he says in
verse 9, and Esau said, I have enough, my brother. Keep that
thou hast unto thyself. I've got enough. I've got plenty.
And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I found grace in thy sight,
then receive, my president, my hand. For therefore, I have seen
thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast
pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought
to thee, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because
I have enough." Now, the word enough in verse 11 is a different
word in the Hebrew than the word Esau used in verse 9 when he
said, Brother, I have enough. In verse 11, the word is, I have
everything. I have everything. I don't just have enough. I don't
have the minimum. I have everything, all sufficiency
in all things. Now, all sufficiency is not the
minimum entrance requirement, but you surpass the maximum. You surpass. Bold shall I stand
in that great day, for who unto my charge shall lay, fully absolved
from these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame. You see, I have
all sufficiency in righteousness. I can't get any more righteous
than I am. I have his righteousness. I have
all sufficiency of holiness to the point that I can't become
more holy. You don't grow in holiness. You
either are holy or you're not. I have all sufficiency in holiness. I have superabounding grace.
I can't get any more saved. I can't get any more loved. I
can't get any more accepted than I am. Now, here's all sufficient
grace. Turn to Colossians chapter two. Verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete. You have all sufficiency
in all things. You don't have the minimum instrument
for its requirements. You have the maximum. You are
complete in him. You have everything you need
materially. If you give away everything you have. You know,
God will give you more. It's all His anyway, isn't it? You
have all you need materially. The word also means self-sufficiency. You don't have to look to the
world for a thing. And the word is also translated
contentment. 1 Timothy 6, 6, Godliness with
contentment is great gain. And it is, isn't it? You have
all sufficiency, contentment in all things. You know, the
Lord said to that woman at the well, whoso drinketh of this
water shall thirst again, but whosoever shall drink of the
water that I shall give him shall never thirst. Now, what does
that mean? Because there's a sense in which
I'm always thirsting and I am. I'm always thirsting because
I'm always conscious of some kind of seed and some kind of
need. And I'm always thirsting in that sense, always. But you
know what? I am utterly content and satisfied to be saved by
Christ. I'm utterly content and satisfied
that he gets all the glory. I'm utterly content to where
I'm not looking for anything else. I don't know how many times
people have heard the message of the gospel and they have to
say, and they said, well, there's got to be something more. You
ain't heard. You don't believe. Because if
you believe, you know there is nothing more. We have all sufficiency
in all things. There's nothing else even to
desire. Content with beholding His face,
my all to His pleasure resign. No changes of season or place
could make any change in my mind. When blessed with a sense of
His love, a palace of toy would appear, and prisons would palaces
prove, if Jesus would dwell with me there. Now, God is able. To
make all grace abound toward you, so that you always, not
just when you feel good, that you always, having all sufficiency
in all things, may abound to every good work. Now here's what
grace does. Back to our text. Notice what
it says in 2 Corinthians 9. So that you having all sufficiency
and all things may abound to every good work. Now, here's what grace does.
Here's what grace does. What does grace do? Well, it
causes people to have all sufficiency and all things so that they might
abound in every good work. Now, where grace abounds and
sinners are saved by grace, it causes them to abound in good
works. And I'm saying I'm talking of
every believer. Now, what is a good work? Anything
done out of love for Christ. Anything done out of love for
Christ. You love your wife because you
love Christ. You love your husband because
you love Christ. You seek his honor because you
love him. You ask for grace to walk in
a way and to treat in a way that will honor him because you love
him. Anything done out of love for
Christ, I don't care what it is, anything done out of love
for Christ is truly a good work. And every believer abounds in
that. You don't think you do. I realize
that. I think you do, though. I think you do. And you don't
see it in yourself. But if you love Christ, you will
abound in good works. He says in verse nine, as it's
written, and you know, everything is as it's written, isn't it?
That's the only reason we believe anything, as it's written. As
it's written, he had dispersed abroad. This is talking about
God. It's a quotation from Psalm 112.
He had given to the poor, his righteousness remaineth forever. Now, he that ministers seed to
the sower, he gives the sower the seed, both ministers bread
for your food, multiply your seeds own and increase the fruits
of your righteousness. Now, once again, Paul is demonstrating
how you can't lose by giving that one who scatters abroad.
He ends up gaining, he loses everything and he ends up gaining
and what's that proverb? Proverb 1124 says, there is he
that scattereth. And that increaseth, and there's
he that withholdeth more than his meat, but it tendeth to poverty. He gives to the poor and he's
no loser by it. His righteousness remains forever. Verse 11, being enriched. Here's what grace does. Being
enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causes through
us thanksgiving to God. Now, here's what grace does.
It enriches to all bountifulness. Now, turn over to Second Corinthians
11 for just a moment. Verse three. But I fear, lest
by any means, as the serpent beguiled or deceived Eve through
his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity
that's in Christ. That word simplicity is the exact
same word that's translated bountifulness. You see, when you're enriched
by the grace of God, you know what it does? It makes you simple. If you're not simple, if I'm
not simple, I don't know anything about the grace of God. It enriches
us to simplicity, simple as opposed to devil. Riches do not make
us compound, but simple. I'm a simple man. Now, understand
this. What am I talking about when
I'm talking about a simple man? Am I talking about, you know,
I just eat cornbread and beans and don't know after all the
finer things? Well, that's a good place to
be. I love cornbread and beans. I was planning to fix it more.
I grew up on it. Learned to do that. I keep telling
you. But I shouldn't say this. She's a great cook. Listen to
me. I mean, I love everything she eats, but I do love soap
bean and cornbread. But the simplicity of Christ, a simple
man, is the negation of the word and. Not Christ and. Christ alone. And that is the
simplicity of Christ, the word and does not enter into the equation. I have a simple salvation. Christ. I have a simple righteousness.
He is. It's not his and mine. It is. I have a simple cause of salvation.
Grace. That's it. I have a simple reason
for God forgiving me. For Christ's sake. That's the
only reason. I have a simple reason for serving
Him. For Christ's sake. You're enriched
unto all simplicity And where there is simplicity, there will
be bountifulness. Being simple, I'm not divided.
I don't have divided interests. It's all His. When I give, I
don't fear what's losing what's not mine. It's all His. And I'm
trusting Him as my Savior and my Shepherd. We're enriched by
the grace of God. It makes somebody simple. May the Lord make us simple.
people, the simplicity that's in Christ and this simplicity
causes thanksgiving to God. Verse 12. For the administration
of this service. Talking about their giving to
help the poor churches in Achaia, the poor saints in Mass or in
Jerusalem, for the administration of this service, not only supplies
the wants of the saints, But it's abundant also by many thanksgivings
unto God, while by the experiment of this ministration, they glorify
God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ. Now,
that word subjection is submission. Submission, here's what grace
does. Grace causes submission. And the first thing I thought
of is lives. Submit yourselves unto your own
husbands as unto the Lord. Now, why in the world should
I do that? Because he said to. And you believe
that whatever he says is best. And you do it not because you
want to. Because if you don't want to,
you're not really doing it in the first place. It is a willing
submission. You willingly submit yourself
to your own husbands for Christ's sake. Submission, you submit
because you want to. Now, what does it mean to submit?
Well, first, you see the truth and you submit willingly. You
submit because you see it's in your best interest and you submit
because you trust him, though he slay thee. Yet will I trust
Him. And the grace of God makes someone
submit their lives, subject their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.
And where there's no submission, there's no salvation. We submit. Submit to Him. And you only submit
to Him if you trust Him. Abraham, take now your son, your
only son, whom you love, and offer him up as a burnt offering
to me. You know what Abraham said? Yes, Lord. How? He trusted him. He trusted him. And he really believed because
God had promised that the Messiah was going to come through this
boy. He believed in his heart that God would raise him from
the dead, but he trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. He trusted
him. You trust, you'll submit yourself
to him. And we submit ourselves to one
another. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 5. You know, I think a way to describe
submission is just saying, yes, Lord. Is that submission? Yes, Lord, whatever it is. Yes,
Lord. Look in. Verse one, the elders, which
are among you, I exhort to also an elder and a witness of the
sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that
shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is
among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, not
because you're forced to, not because it's your duty, but willingly.
Not for filthy lucre, not for a paycheck, but of a ready mind.
Neither is being lords over God's heritage, but being examples
to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall
appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
And likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, yea,
all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with
humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble. Grace makes a man submit. And turn back to our text in
2 Corinthians chapter 9. Your professed subjection or
submission unto the gospel of Christ and for your liberal distribution
unto them and to all men, and by their prayer for you, which
long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Now, I love
what Paul does here. The whole. Subject of Second
Corinthians, chapter eight and nine, two whole chapters are
devoted to giving and being giving all this advice about giving
and all of a sudden he stops himself. He says, thanks be unto God for
His unspeakable, inexpressible, incomprehensible gift, the gift
of His Son, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall he not also with him
freely give us all things? Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable
gift. Let's pray.