The God of All Grace
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
In our previous message we shared with you some basic truths about the grace of God. In this message we want to share a few thoughts about the God of all grace.
In a previous message we shared with you the verse in
In most churches the emphasis is placed on the works of God (or perhaps our works) rather than on His person. That was the major battle when Jesus walked the face of the earth. Although many could accept His works, the religious elite of the day refused to accept who He was! Jesus said, in John 6, that some people followed Him because of His miracles and others followed Him simply to eat of the loaves and be filled. In John 6, we see the turning point of the ministry of Jesus on earth. The Jews could not accept who He was and even accused Him of speaking heresy. Human nature has never changed so that is still the major battle today.
In order to appropriate our Sure Foundation, we need to start with God and who He IS. Genesis 1:1 starts with, "In the beginning God ...". John 1:1 starts with "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. " Hebrews 1:1 starts with "God ...". The Old Testament and New Testament both agree that the true foundation of the Christian life is Jesus Christ Himself ... nothing else and no one else. The foundation is not a creed, not a doctrine, not a denomination, not a ritual or ceremony. Christ is THE foundation on which the church is built. Christ is the foundation of the covenant of grace made with the church and of all of the promises contained therein. He is a SURE foundation, on whom His people can safely and securely rest. He also has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the corner stone that unites all parts of the building together. He is the tried stone that has never and will never crack nor shift underneath the structure built upon Him.
Even the great apostle Paul said, after 30 years of ministry,
14 occurrences of Him, His, He
We must remember that Paul had spent three years at Ephesus, teaching and preaching daily. He wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians some seven years after he left there. Why would Paul pray that prayer, starting in Verse 16, if the Ephesians had already received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him? That is another Verse which points out that there is much more that God has in mind for us after we are born again, baptized in water, and baptized with the Holy Ghost. And there is much more that God has in mind for us after we receive the very best teaching that man can offer. It is one thing to sit under anointed teachers and marvel at the revelation of the written word of God that may flow through them. It is yet another thing to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
It is not a matter of knowing what the Bible says about the Lord; rather, it is about knowing Him! One way we can learn who Jesus Christ is is by coming up against situations in which He is the only One who can help us. When we come to the end of our rope, the Lord is there to throw us His lifeline. If even Paul could say, "that I may know Him," where does that leave us? Christianity is a walk ... an experience. Let us re-read 1 Peter 5:10. Peter says that the God of all grace, who has called US unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that YE have suffered a while, make YOU perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle YOU. In other words Peter is ministering from his experience, not from head knowledge. He is saying that he has already been through that process of suffering. In 1 Peter 5:1 Peter says that he is a witness (martyr) of the sufferings of Christ. Any man can put together a series of scripture verses and talk about them. But there will be NO anointing on that kind of ministry. Every minister must minister out of his experience. As the Apostle John put it, in
The man with an experience with the Lord is never at the mercy of the man with only a doctrine or an opinion.
Back to 1 Peter 5:10 ..."Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus." We have been called. But that does not mean that what follows is automatic for every born again believer. Being called is not the same as entering in. We must qualify for His kingdom. In almost every scripture, suffering is closely followed by glory, provided we accept and walk in that suffering. His glory speaks of His nature, His character, His innate being. We will share much more on the glory of God in a later message.
"After we have suffered a while." That means for a brief period of time. What is the purpose of our suffering? Suffering is meant by God to add the melody and harmony of grace to life. First of all we must identify with Jesus in His suffering, just as we must identify with His baptism, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, His intercession, and His weeping over (spiritual) Jerusalem.
From 1 Peter 5:10, note the four things that the God of all grace will do within us after we have suffered a little while: make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle us.
Each one of those makings tells us something about that which suffering is designed by God to do for us. We must always remember that "It is God who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). It is also important to know that the suffering which God brings to us is for our own good and must be accepted in humility, trust, and love. It is hard for us to kick against the pricks. Luke 20:18 says,
"Make you perfect" means to supply that which is missing, to mend that which is broken, to restore that part which is lacking, or to complete thoroughly. It is the same Greek word used in Mark 1:19 for mending nets. When we mend nets we make them useful or usable again. For the true saint, the path of brokenness leads straight to the throne of grace. The one and only way to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is daily communion with the Father and the Son. Many believers have become blinded by the temporal till we can no longer see the eternal reality of the holiness of heaven and the horrors of hell. Lord, have mercy and bring us to brokenness!
Through suffering God will establish a man. The word means to make as solid as granite. Suffering may come in different ways. It may be a physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering. When they crucified Jesus, I am sure that the nails that pierced His body hurt. When all of His disciples fled (Matthew 26:56) I am sure that was a deep emotional suffering. But the greatest suffering that Jesus endured was when He who knew no sin became sin on the cross and sin was crucified. At that point, Jesus had to be separated from His Father ... an experience that He had never known. Such suffering will either break or make us into that which the Lord desires. We have an opportunity to overcome. We have an opportunity to emerge like toughened steel that has been tempered in the fire. Years ago I heard a man say that he who is in the fiery furnace the longest comes out the purest.
Through suffering God will strengthen a man. No one really knows what his faith means until that faith has been tried in the furnace of affliction. The wind will extinguish a weak flame; but the wind will also fan a strong flame to a still greater blaze.
Jesus was put on trial by the Sanhedrin; so was Paul; so were Peter and John; so was Martin Luther and many others. Such a trial is a great honor. I have personally known four different men, solid ministers of the Lord, who were put on trial by a charismatic Sanhedrin. But Jesus counted it all joy; so did the apostles.
Through suffering God will settle a man. That word means to lay a foundation. The Lord is going to shake everything that can be shaken. It is then that we discover the things within us that cannot be shaken. It is in the trials of life that we discover the great Truth on which life is founded and which we cannot do without. But through all of our suffering, the grace of God is sufficient, provided we cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
God made everything for His pleasure, for Himself, for His rest and enjoyment. This world is not our home ... it is not our resting place ... it is not our center of gravity. The heavenly realm is unknown to us by nature. We can read about that heavenly realm in the Bible and we can hear about it through anointed preachers and teachers (if we are so blessed), but we can never know that heavenly realm until we experience it. There is nothing second-hand about the spiritual life in Christ. In the Book of Exodus, each man was to gather the manna daily (except for the Sabbath day) for himself and for his family. That is why Jesus told Andrew and Peter, "Come and see."
May our heart cry be, "Help, Lord! Break me of all traces of self and then make me into what You desire." By His grace may that be our heart's cry ... our heart's desire.
10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by [in] Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.11 To Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10-11
In a previous message we shared with you the verse in
2 Timothy 1:9, "Who hath saved us, and called us with an 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,"
In that verse we stated that His purpose, or fulfilling His purpose, is greater than His grace. Now we declare that God Himself is more important than His purpose. That clearly states the difference between a "me-centered" theology and a "God centered" theology.
Therefore the very first thing that we must understand is that the God of all grace is infinitely greater than the grace of God. Who He is is more important than what He does for us. The major theme of this word is about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ ... Who He is ... His innate nature and character. Many years ago I read a good illustration or analogy of the difference in importance of who someone IS as compared to what they DO. The man who has a wife in the home greatly appreciates her cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing. But she, herself, is far more important to him than what she does! Actually, if the wife senses that her husband appreciates her primarily for her household chores, some rocky times are ahead for that couple (which in the natural realm frequently leads to divorce). It is the importance of the person that gives meaning to the work. Lord, give us a deeper revelation of Who You are!
I have never been impressed by what a person "knows" or "does." Even natural man can achieve great results in those areas. But I am always impressed by who a person has become ... that is when I see the nature of Christ formed within.
We must not only understand the reality of the God of all grace, we must also acknowledge and appropriate the fact that God is greater than His grace. All grace emanates from God. The next thing we must understand, acknowledge, and appropriate is that the grace of God is in Christ Jesus. There is no grace outside of Christ.
Therefore the very first thing that we must understand is that the God of all grace is infinitely greater than the grace of God. Who He is is more important than what He does for us. The major theme of this word is about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ ... Who He is ... His innate nature and character. Many years ago I read a good illustration or analogy of the difference in importance of who someone IS as compared to what they DO. The man who has a wife in the home greatly appreciates her cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing. But she, herself, is far more important to him than what she does! Actually, if the wife senses that her husband appreciates her primarily for her household chores, some rocky times are ahead for that couple (which in the natural realm frequently leads to divorce). It is the importance of the person that gives meaning to the work. Lord, give us a deeper revelation of Who You are!
I have never been impressed by what a person "knows" or "does." Even natural man can achieve great results in those areas. But I am always impressed by who a person has become ... that is when I see the nature of Christ formed within.
We must not only understand the reality of the God of all grace, we must also acknowledge and appropriate the fact that God is greater than His grace. All grace emanates from God. The next thing we must understand, acknowledge, and appropriate is that the grace of God is in Christ Jesus. There is no grace outside of Christ.
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.2 Timothy 2:1
In most churches the emphasis is placed on the works of God (or perhaps our works) rather than on His person. That was the major battle when Jesus walked the face of the earth. Although many could accept His works, the religious elite of the day refused to accept who He was! Jesus said, in John 6, that some people followed Him because of His miracles and others followed Him simply to eat of the loaves and be filled. In John 6, we see the turning point of the ministry of Jesus on earth. The Jews could not accept who He was and even accused Him of speaking heresy. Human nature has never changed so that is still the major battle today.
From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.
John 6:66After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for He would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill Him. John 7:1
In order to appropriate our Sure Foundation, we need to start with God and who He IS. Genesis 1:1 starts with, "In the beginning God ...". John 1:1 starts with "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. " Hebrews 1:1 starts with "God ...". The Old Testament and New Testament both agree that the true foundation of the Christian life is Jesus Christ Himself ... nothing else and no one else. The foundation is not a creed, not a doctrine, not a denomination, not a ritual or ceremony. Christ is THE foundation on which the church is built. Christ is the foundation of the covenant of grace made with the church and of all of the promises contained therein. He is a SURE foundation, on whom His people can safely and securely rest. He also has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is the corner stone that unites all parts of the building together. He is the tried stone that has never and will never crack nor shift underneath the structure built upon Him.
Even the great apostle Paul said, after 30 years of ministry,
That 1 may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; Philippians 3:1015 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,19 And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:22 And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,23 Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.Ephesians 1:15-23
14 occurrences of Him, His, He
We must remember that Paul had spent three years at Ephesus, teaching and preaching daily. He wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians some seven years after he left there. Why would Paul pray that prayer, starting in Verse 16, if the Ephesians had already received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him? That is another Verse which points out that there is much more that God has in mind for us after we are born again, baptized in water, and baptized with the Holy Ghost. And there is much more that God has in mind for us after we receive the very best teaching that man can offer. It is one thing to sit under anointed teachers and marvel at the revelation of the written word of God that may flow through them. It is yet another thing to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.
It is not a matter of knowing what the Bible says about the Lord; rather, it is about knowing Him! One way we can learn who Jesus Christ is is by coming up against situations in which He is the only One who can help us. When we come to the end of our rope, the Lord is there to throw us His lifeline. If even Paul could say, "that I may know Him," where does that leave us? Christianity is a walk ... an experience. Let us re-read 1 Peter 5:10. Peter says that the God of all grace, who has called US unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that YE have suffered a while, make YOU perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle YOU. In other words Peter is ministering from his experience, not from head knowledge. He is saying that he has already been through that process of suffering. In 1 Peter 5:1 Peter says that he is a witness (martyr) of the sufferings of Christ. Any man can put together a series of scripture verses and talk about them. But there will be NO anointing on that kind of ministry. Every minister must minister out of his experience. As the Apostle John put it, in
1 John 1:1-4, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full."
The man with an experience with the Lord is never at the mercy of the man with only a doctrine or an opinion.
Back to 1 Peter 5:10 ..."Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus." We have been called. But that does not mean that what follows is automatic for every born again believer. Being called is not the same as entering in. We must qualify for His kingdom. In almost every scripture, suffering is closely followed by glory, provided we accept and walk in that suffering. His glory speaks of His nature, His character, His innate being. We will share much more on the glory of God in a later message.
"After we have suffered a while." That means for a brief period of time. What is the purpose of our suffering? Suffering is meant by God to add the melody and harmony of grace to life. First of all we must identify with Jesus in His suffering, just as we must identify with His baptism, His death, His resurrection, His ascension, His intercession, and His weeping over (spiritual) Jerusalem.
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:17-18
From 1 Peter 5:10, note the four things that the God of all grace will do within us after we have suffered a little while: make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, and settle us.
Each one of those makings tells us something about that which suffering is designed by God to do for us. We must always remember that "It is God who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). It is also important to know that the suffering which God brings to us is for our own good and must be accepted in humility, trust, and love. It is hard for us to kick against the pricks. Luke 20:18 says,
"Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
"Make you perfect" means to supply that which is missing, to mend that which is broken, to restore that part which is lacking, or to complete thoroughly. It is the same Greek word used in Mark 1:19 for mending nets. When we mend nets we make them useful or usable again. For the true saint, the path of brokenness leads straight to the throne of grace. The one and only way to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is daily communion with the Father and the Son. Many believers have become blinded by the temporal till we can no longer see the eternal reality of the holiness of heaven and the horrors of hell. Lord, have mercy and bring us to brokenness!
Through suffering God will establish a man. The word means to make as solid as granite. Suffering may come in different ways. It may be a physical, emotional, or spiritual suffering. When they crucified Jesus, I am sure that the nails that pierced His body hurt. When all of His disciples fled (Matthew 26:56) I am sure that was a deep emotional suffering. But the greatest suffering that Jesus endured was when He who knew no sin became sin on the cross and sin was crucified. At that point, Jesus had to be separated from His Father ... an experience that He had never known. Such suffering will either break or make us into that which the Lord desires. We have an opportunity to overcome. We have an opportunity to emerge like toughened steel that has been tempered in the fire. Years ago I heard a man say that he who is in the fiery furnace the longest comes out the purest.
Through suffering God will strengthen a man. No one really knows what his faith means until that faith has been tried in the furnace of affliction. The wind will extinguish a weak flame; but the wind will also fan a strong flame to a still greater blaze.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:7
Jesus was put on trial by the Sanhedrin; so was Paul; so were Peter and John; so was Martin Luther and many others. Such a trial is a great honor. I have personally known four different men, solid ministers of the Lord, who were put on trial by a charismatic Sanhedrin. But Jesus counted it all joy; so did the apostles.
Through suffering God will settle a man. That word means to lay a foundation. The Lord is going to shake everything that can be shaken. It is then that we discover the things within us that cannot be shaken. It is in the trials of life that we discover the great Truth on which life is founded and which we cannot do without. But through all of our suffering, the grace of God is sufficient, provided we cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
God made everything for His pleasure, for Himself, for His rest and enjoyment. This world is not our home ... it is not our resting place ... it is not our center of gravity. The heavenly realm is unknown to us by nature. We can read about that heavenly realm in the Bible and we can hear about it through anointed preachers and teachers (if we are so blessed), but we can never know that heavenly realm until we experience it. There is nothing second-hand about the spiritual life in Christ. In the Book of Exodus, each man was to gather the manna daily (except for the Sabbath day) for himself and for his family. That is why Jesus told Andrew and Peter, "Come and see."
May our heart cry be, "Help, Lord! Break me of all traces of self and then make me into what You desire." By His grace may that be our heart's cry ... our heart's desire.
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