The God of All Grace

Q: What does the Bible say about God's grace?

The Bible describes God's grace as unmerited favor, essential for salvation and sustenance in the Christian life. God's grace is foundational to Christian faith, highlighted in passages such as Ephesians 2:8-9, which emphasizes that we are saved by grace through faith, not of works. This grace is not only the initial saving grace but also encompasses God's continued support and strengthening throughout the believer’s life. As seen in 1 Peter 5:10, after we have suffered, God perfects, establishes, strengthens, and settles us. This ongoing grace sustains us in trials, reflecting God’s unwavering commitment to His people.

Q: How do we know salvation is by grace alone?

Salvation by grace alone is affirmed through Scripture, emphasizing that it is not based on our works but solely on God's purpose and grace. The certainty of salvation by grace alone is stacked upon numerous biblical foundations. Romans 3:23-24 reveals that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, yet are justified freely by His grace. This indicates that we cannot earn salvation through our efforts. Additionally, 2 Timothy 1:9 emphasizes that God saved us and called us not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace. This highlights that salvation originates in God's eternal plan, underlining that it's a work of grace from start to finish.

Q: Why is prevenient grace important for Christians?

Prevenient grace is crucial as it prepares our hearts to respond to God's call, allowing for true faith and conversion. Prevenient grace, understood as the grace that goes before any human action, is essential in the Reformed understanding of salvation. It signifies that God initiates the process of salvation by preparing the hearts of individuals to respond to His Word. In the case of figures like Abraham or Jeremiah, there was a prior work of God's grace that allowed them to respond to His calling. This notion underscores that faith itself is a gift from God, ensuring that He receives all the glory for our transformation and salvation, as confirmed in John 6:44, where Jesus notes that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them.

Q: What role does grace play in a believer's trials?

God's grace sustains believers through trials, providing strength and purpose amidst difficulties. In the life of a believer, grace plays a vital role during times of trial and suffering. As mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul learned that God’s grace is sufficient for him, demonstrating that through weakness, God's strength is made perfect. This principle reassures believers that trials serve a purpose in God’s sovereign plan, shaping them into more Christ-like individuals. Romans 8:28 encapsulates this truth by declaring that all things work together for good to those who love God, highlighting how divine grace transforms adversities into opportunities for growth and deeper reliance on Christ.

Q: What is God's sustaining grace?

God's sustaining grace refers to His continual support and assurance that upholds believers in their faith journey. Sustaining grace is the divine enablement that God provides to keep believers steadfast in their faith throughout life’s challenges. It reflects the belief that God does not merely save His people but continually strengthens them for the journey ahead. In Philippians 1:6, Paul affirms this by stating that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. This grace reassures Christians that they are not alone; rather, God actively works in them to will and to do for His good pleasure, upholding them in moments of weakness and uncertainty.

We're turning to the book of
I Peter, I Peter chapter 5, and here is
a powerful, powerful scripture. It says in I Peter 5 verse 10,
But the God of all grace, the God of all grace, now that's
the title of this message, the God of all grace, who hath called
us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have
suffered a while, make you perfect, establish you, strengthen you,
and settle you. To him be glory and dominion
forever and forever. Amen. Now, my subject is the
God of all grace. It is God who called us. That's
what it says here. He called us unto His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus. It is God who will keep us after
you've suffered a while. He'll make you perfect. It is
God who will sanctify us. He'll establish you, strengthen
you, and settle you. It's God who will glorify us,
and it's God who will get all the glory for what He does. To
Him be glory, dominion, and power forever and forever, for it's
by His grace that we're saved. It's by His grace, Paul said,
I am what I am. So what I'm saying to you today
is this, that our redemption, our salvation, call it whatever
you want to, our deliverance, our eternal life, our transformation
and translation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of
God's dear Son is all of God and all of grace. And not because
of anything we've have done, are doing, or shall do. For it's
of grace, and grace alone, all of grace, from its origination
to its consummation. Salvation is of the Lord. He
purposed it. He purposed it. He executed it. It pleased God to make you His
people. It pleased God that in Christ should all fullness dwell.
It pleased God to bruise Him. It's of God in its application.
It pleased God to reveal Himself to us. It's of God in its sustaining
power. We're kept by the power of God
through faith. We're kept by the grace of God.
And it's certainly of God in its consummation, in its ultimate
perfection because He'll raise our viral bodies and make them
like unto His glorious bodies. It's all of grace. Grace in the
beginning and grace in the present and grace in the future. Every
step we take is ordered of the Lord and by His grace. You see,
the old timers, the old writers used to talk a lot and write
a lot and preach a lot about prevenient grace. Most folks
today in churches do not know what that means, prevenient grace. But I tell you what it means,
prevenient, going before, preceding any human action. preparing the
way, grace before grace. That's right. Before revealed
grace, there's grace purposed. Before redeeming grace, there's
grace that plans it, purposes it, and gives us Christ as our
surety. You see, our Lord spake a parable. I want you to listen to this
very carefully. Listen to me. Our Lord spake a parable. He
said, a sower went forth to sow. And he said, as he scattered
the seed, some fell by the wayside, some fell on stony ground. And
it sprang up, but it died soon, because there was no root. Some
fell among the thorns, and it sprang up in the thorns, and
briars choked it. But some fell on good ground.
And it bore fruit, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold.
And his disciples came to him and said, What do you mean? What does that parable mean?
He said, Well, the sower who went forth to sow is the Son
of Man. And the seed is the Word of God, the preaching of the
Word of God. Like seed, it's scattered, it's
sown. Wherever it's heard, that seed
is sown. And he said the different grounds represents people who
hear the preaching and hear the Word, hear the gospel. Some of them are like the wayside,
hard, fallow, unbroken, and the seed just lays there on top of
the ground. And the birds there come pick
it up. Bears no fruit. But as the seed is sown and the
word is preached, some fell on stony ground, had no depth, no
root. But it sprang up for a moment.
But after a while, the sun came out. And because it had no root,
it didn't reach down into the water. It was just on top of
the soil. It died, withered and died. And that people just hear
it for the moment. passing fancy or something. And
after a while, the cares of the world and the things of the world
just destroyed the Word. And he said, some fell among
the thorns. And it sprang up, but the thorns
choked it. That's the cares and deceitfulness of riches and materialism
and all these things that people get busy about these other things
and they're not, don't have any time for the things of God. But
you know, he said, some of the seed When the Word's preached,
it fell on good ground, good ground. And it bore fruit, some
30, some 60, some 100 fold, but all of it bore fruit. Well, where's
this good ground? There's none good, no, not one.
There's none righteous, no, not one. Man's not good. Well, what
is this good ground? I'll tell you what it is. How
came this ground to be different? This ground's been plowed. This
ground's been harrowed, been broken up. It's been prepared,
prevenient grace, prepared for the seed, going before the seed,
preceding any human response or action. God prepared the ground. And that's Abraham. Abraham was
75 years old before God called him. Abraham didn't know God. Abraham lived in an idolatrous
country. He was an idol worshiper with
his father. Abraham didn't know God, but God knew Abraham. And
God prepared his heart. And when God came and said, Abraham,
get out of your father's house and away from your father's people
to a land I'll show you, and Abraham obeyed. God Almighty
prepared his heart for the Word. God knew him. God called him. God led him out. God took him
out. But he responded when the Word
came. because God Almighty prepared Abraham to receive that word.
God said to Jeremiah, listen to this, in Jeremiah 1.5, the
Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah, listen to this, Jeremiah, before
I formed you in the belly, I knew you. Before you came out of your
mother's womb, I knew you. And I sanctified you and I ordained
you a prophet to the nations. God's grace made Abraham to differ. God's grace made Jeremiah to
differ. God's grace made Noah and Moses
to differ. Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. When God first spoke to him about
the flood, long before that, long before that. I tell you,
all of you can say, and this is to believers. I'm talking
to believers. All of you can say, before thy
hands had made the sun to rule by day? Are earth's foundations
laid or fashioned Adam's clay? What thoughts of love and mercy
flowed toward us in Christ our Lord? Oh, to grace, how great
a debtor daily I'm constrained to be. Lord, let thy goodness
like a fetter bind my wandering heart to Thee, prone to wonder,
Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart,
take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above. Here I raise
mine Ebenezer, hither by Thy help I'm come, and I hope by
Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home." Grace, all of
grace, grace in its origination, grace in its execution, grace
in its application, grace in its sustaining power, and grace
in its ultimate perfection. All I was, am, and ever will
be is by the grace of God. Who makes you to differ? Who
makes you to differ? What do you have you didn't receive?
Now, I want you to listen carefully to me, and I know not many of
you will do this, but I wish you would. I wish you'd get a
pencil and paper. I'm going to give you seven things.
I'm going to talk to you about the grace of God, about the God
of all grace. And if you'd get a pencil and
a piece of paper, I'll give you seven words that applies, seven
words about grace that applies to every believer listening to
my voice, old, young, man, woman, whomever. Seven words about God's
grace, the God of all grace, the grace of God toward us. There's
God's covenant grace. Covenant grace. Did you know
the word covenant's in the Bible over 300 times? Covenant. God's a covenant God. He made
a covenant with Noah, made a covenant with Moses, made a covenant with
Abraham. There's an everlasting covenant which He made with His
Son when He gave Him a people and made Christ the surety of
those people and guaranteed the salvation of those people from
before the foundation of the world. It's an everlasting covenant.
And David, man after God's own heart, David, sweet psalmist
of Israel, David, son of Jesse, David, king of Israel, lay dying,
75, 80 years old. I don't know how old he was,
about 75 or 80, and he was dying. And you know what he said? The
last words David said on this earth, the last words, it's found
in 2 Samuel 23, 5. David said, although it be not
so with my house, God hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and sure, this is all my salvation and
all my desire." David was dying and David took comfort in that
everlasting covenant of grace, covenant mercies, covenant mercies,
covenant grace. You know Hebrews 13 talks about
the blood of the everlasting covenant. Paul rejoiced in eternal
effectual grace. He said, God chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world. That's right. He wrote to the Thessalonians
and said, I'm bound to give thanks for all of you, brethren, beloved
of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the
truth. And he called you by my gospel. But before you ever heard
the gospel, God chose you. That's right. I'm bound to give thanks to God
always for you because God hath from the beginning chosen you
to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the
truth, and He called you by our gospel. How long has God loved
His sheep? He's always loved them. He said,
I've loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness, I've drawn you. That's why I've drawn you, because
I love you. Romans chapter 9 verse 11. Listen to what God says about
Jacob. We're sons of Jacob. We're called sons of Jacob. And
God said about Jacob, He said, Rebekah had two children in her
womb, Jacob and Esau. And those two children being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, it was said to her. The elders shall serve the younger.
Jacob have I loved. Jacob have I loved. Esau have
I hated. Oh, covenant grace, everlasting
grace, everlasting love. I've loved you with an everlasting
love. Chose you before the foundation
of the world. Gave you to Christ. Covenant
mercies. That's right. Grace before grace. And then there's secondly God's
preparing grace. Somebody called it formative
grace. What is formative grace? Well,
when something's form is molded, it's shaped, it's prepared, God
Almighty orders all of our steps, all of our lives by His good
providence to bring us to that desired goal. That's the salvation
of our souls. In II Timothy 3, verse 15, Paul
said to Timothy, From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures
that are able to make thee wise unto salvation. Timothy, that
faith in you dwelt first in your mother and in your grandmother.
And ever since you were a child sitting on their laps, you've
known the holy scriptures that are able to be used of God to
make you wise unto salvation. I'll tell you this, every step
that Joseph took, Joseph, that young boy whose brothers despised
him and cast him into the pit, but every step from that pit
by way of Potiphar's house, by way of prison, by way of suffering,
many years, every step from that pit to the throne in Egypt was
altered by God. That's formative grace. That's
preparing grace. That's molding grace. God's goal
and objective was to take Joseph to the throne. And God predestinated
every step he took between that pit and that throne over all
those years. And Joseph finally had his brothers
gathered in front of him and he said, what you did to me,
you meant for evil. God meant it for good. and all
things work together for good to them who love God, who are
called according to His purpose. You believers, nothing in your
life has ever taken place by accident. It's all purposed,
programmed by God Almighty. Each step, the steps of a good
man are ordered by the Lord, ordained of God. That's formative
grace. Here's the third one. There's
restraining grace. You know anything about restraining
grace? David was fleeing from Saul. Now listen to this, listen,
listen carefully. David was fleeing from Saul.
David, anointed of Israel, king of Israel, but he was fleeing
from Saul. He had a few good men with him,
small army. He requested a man, a rich man,
In a large community, he requested food from that man. Nabal was
his name. Nabal turned him down. And David
got angry. And David was strong and mighty,
a mighty warrior with mighty men. And he got angry. He grew
very angry. And he told his men, he said,
buckle on your swords, get your spears. We're going down to that
village and we're going to kill every man. Every father, every
son, every baby boy, every male, we're gonna kill every one of
them. And they started. And they were met by this man,
Nabal's wife, Abigail, who knew God. And she said, she stopped
David. She said, David, she came to
him and restrained him. She said, don't do this. Don't
do this. Don't go to that village and
kill all of the children. and all of the fathers and sons
and men because of this evil man. God will avenge you. God will avenge you. And David
turned back and he said to her, he said, Abigail, he said, Blessed
be the Lord God who sent you to me this day. Who sent her? God did, restraining grace. Hold it, David. David gives vent
to his passions and his anger and his terrible hatred and God
says, No, you don't. How did God do it? He sent a
woman. God sent you to me and you kept me from shedding blood
and avenging myself with my own hand. I'm talking about restraining
grace. And I'll tell you down through
your lives, in my life, God has restrained us, put a hedge about
us, even when we didn't know Him. Where would you be and what
would you be if God had not restrained you? If God had not kept you
even when you didn't know him Somebody wrote a poem one time
determined to save me. He watched over my path When
I was Satan's blind slave in sporting with death Though dark
was my way. He was my guide. No foe could
destroy me Because my God will provide The heirs of salvation,
I know from His Word, shall never see death till they see their
Lord." Restraining grace. Kept. That's right. Some, there's a sheep of Christ
out there right now. Plenty of them listening to my
voice. You haven't come to Christ yet, but you will. If the Father
gave you to Him, you'll come. If He died for you, you'll come.
His Spirit will call you. You'll hear the Word. And God
will keep you and restrain you And order your steps until you
come in faith broken, broken, believing on Christ. I don't
know when it'll be, but it will be. It says, Whom He foreknew, He predestinated
to be conformed to the image of His Son. Whom He predestinated,
He called. And whom He called, He justified.
And whom He justified, He glorified. Here's the fourth one, God's
regenerating grace, regenerating grace, calling grace. 2 Timothy
1, 9, listen. He has saved us. Paul's writing
from prison to young Timothy. He said, He saved us, and He
called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to
us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Have you been called? He called you. He called you. He had saved us, and He called
us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to
His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began. Zacchaeus, come down. He passed
Matthew at the receipt of custom. Matthew, follow me. James and John, down there with
their father Zebedee, fishing. James, John, Follow me, I'll
make you fishers of men." Our God calls His people. He calls
them. It's an irresistible call. It's
an invincible call. It's by His Spirit, by the power
of His Spirit. It's by His Word, the life-giving
Word. It's by the preaching of His
Gospel. Please God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them but
believe. The preaching of the Word. Regenerating grace. Calling grace. And then there's God's sufficient
grace. I love this. God's sufficient
grace. And some of you believers right
now need this. You're lying on your bed right
now in a hospital room or at home. Your heart's bad. You're so weary. You're hurt.
So depressed. Listen. Paul was given a thorn
in the flesh. God gave it to him, a messenger
of Satan, to buffet him, lest he be exalted above measure.
But God sent trouble to the apostle Paul. And Paul said, I prayed. I prayed three times God would
take it away. And he said to me, my grace is
sufficient for you. My grace is sufficient for you. For my strength is made perfect
in your weakness. Will you hear me? Every trial,
I'm not one of these preachers that promises you no problems,
no trials, no suffering, no hurt, nothing. Yes, sir, in this world
you're going to have tribulation. You're going to have fiery trials.
You're going to have trouble. He that would live godly in Christ
Jesus shall suffer. But every trial and every difficulty
in the life of a believer is ordained of God. The Heavenly
Father brings our trials our way. And these trials and troubles
are for our good, to teach us patience, to give us comfort,
to strengthen faith, to reveal faith, to wean us from this world. And these trials are for our
good and for His glory, to work His purpose for us and in us. But along with the trial, He
has promised to give us grace. Give us grace, all the grace
we need, and it's sufficient. It's sufficient grace. He giveth
more grace. What's that song? He giveth more
grace when the burdens grow greater. He giveth more strength when
the labors increase. To added affliction, He addeth
His mercy. To multiplied trials, His multiplied
peace. Oh, His love has no limit. His
grace has no measure. His power no boundary known unto
men. For out of his infinite riches
in Jesus he giveth, and giveth, and giveth, and giveth for grace. It's sufficient. Job said, He knows the way I
take. And when he hath tried me, I
shall come forth as gold. Would you hang on to that? Job
23.10. He knows the way I take, and
when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Well, six,
there's keeping grace. They'll never perish, but the
God of all grace, who hath called us, chosen us, and called us,
and redeemed us by His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after
you've suffered a while, He'll make you perfect. He'll establish
you, strengthen you, settle you. He that hath begun a good work,
He'll finish it. He'll finish it. Now then, number
seven and last, there's dying grace. A man said to Spurgeon
one time, he said, Brother Spurgeon, he said, I don't have dying grace.
I just don't have dying grace. And Spurgeon said, well, are
you dying? He said, well, no. He said, you don't need it. You
don't need dying grace if you're not dying. When you come to die,
God will give you grace, dying grace. That's right. He'll make
you weary of this life and weary of this road and weary of this
path and weary of this world. And when it comes time, you'll
say with Paul, I'm ready to go. The time of my departure is at
hand. And Paul looked at the past with no regrets. He said,
I fought a good fight. I've kept the faith. He looked
at the present with no complaints. He said, I finished my course.
My life's over. My race is run. My course is
accomplished. I've graduated. I have no complaints. I've finished my course." And
he looked at the future with no fear. Henceforth, there's
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will give to me in that day, and not to me only, but
to all of you who love his appearance. Oh, I could go on talking about
His grace, growing grace, giving grace, forgiving grace, dying
grace. But the God of all grace, who
had called us and given us life in Christ Jesus, will establish
you and perfect you. But it all be by grace, not of
works, lest any man should bow. All right, write for this tape
if you'd like to have it. It's called The God of All Grace
and the one on the other side. Send two dollars, we'll mail
it to you. Till next week, God bless you.

The God of All Grace

What does the Bible say about God's grace?

How do we know salvation is by grace alone?

Why is prevenient grace important for Christians?

What role does grace play in a believer's trials?

What is God's sustaining grace?

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The God of All Grace

What does the Bible say about God's grace?

How do we know salvation is by grace alone?

Why is prevenient grace important for Christians?

What role does grace play in a believer's trials?

What is God's sustaining grace?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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