While teaching Sunday morning at church, the Lord moved upon me to expand on Grace and Faith. These are the power twins of the covenant. Grace is able to supply everything that faith can conceive. We've had such a limited view of the real truth of our Father, that we've limited Him greatly in what He has provided for us and what He wants to do through us. We've looked upon matyrdom as the ultimate sacrifice and expression of our walk with Him. God doesn't need people to die for their faith, but ultimately to live for their faith in Him.
When God spoke to the Apostle Paul in 2Corinthians 12:9 (Amplified), we really missed what God said to him about grace. Religion has mostly looked at Paul's troubles and has even conjured stories of how God blinded him, made him sick and humbled Paul for his pride. This has nothing to do with what the scripture said at all. What God did tell him was that whatever arose, no matter what it may be, grace could and would take care of it.
Many of us have been where Paul was in his ministry. We couldn't understand how if we were doing what God called us to do, then why was it so difficult. At the time Paul was undergoing his trials and difficulties, he was the only man on the planet who had the revelation of what the new birth was all about. In Paul's Epistles, we learn about our being joint heirs with Jesus. We discover that we were made righteous with Jesus' righteousness. We find out who we are now as the redeemed of the Lord. Paul received this revelation from the Father Himself. Read the 12th chapter of 2Corinthians and you'll find that he received this revelation while caught up into the very presence of God Himself.
Because no one else had this revelation, satan needed to stop Paul from speaking it forth before people could hear it. Romans 10:14 (Amplified) says, "But how are people to call upon Him when they have not believed (in whom they have no faith, upon whom they have no reliance)? And how are they to believe in Him (adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him) of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?"
Without the truth being preached, we (the gentiles) would never have known about salvation. It was the downfall of satan when this revelation was declared to the world. Satan had no choice but to stop Paul any way he could and shut Paul up before we heard and believed. Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself)."
The message that came from the Messiah was, and is, the truth of grace. Grace has made salvation available to all the world, by faith in Jesus. Salvation was even made available to the gentile, if we would accept this grace by faith. Jesus told Paul that we could enter into covenant and fellowship with (what had formally been) the God of the Jews. Now, through Jesus, grace had take the place of Law and grace had included all men and not just the Jew.
Satan assigned a messenger to Paul in 2Corinthians 12:7 (Amplified) to keep him from speaking the truth to the world. This messenger tried everything he could to shut Paul up. Paul went into all the known world with this message and declared the new birth to those outside the covenant. Jesus confined His ministry to the "House of Israel" and only in very few instances ministered outside the covenant. Jesus took His Word to the gentiles only after the Jews refused to hear Him.
As Paul was going about doing the will and call of God on his life, satan was busy trying to stop the preaching of this new covenant. In the midst of all his trials and hassles, Paul did exactly what most of us would have done and became discouraged. He asked God what in the world was going on, and God answered him in 2Corinthians 12:9 (Amplified) saying, "My grace (My favor and loving kindness and mercy) is enough for you (sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully) for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in (your) weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!"
Grace wouldn't only sustain Paul, but would assure the very presence of Christ would rest upon him as a tent of provision. The very strength and power of Christ was ever present in this grace. Like many of us, Paul started out doing what God called him to do, but in his own ability. He thought that teaching and preaching this message would be simple enough. However, what he didn't take into consideration was the enemy of the cross didn't want this truth to get out. When Paul spoke of his tribulations and trials, it was almost always about things the Church struggles with even today.
Ephesians 6:11-12 (Amplified) says, "Put on God's whole armor (the armor of a heavey-armed soldier which God supplies)." This is what God's grace supplied for Paul when he asked, "That you may successfully stand up against (all) the strategies and deceit of the devil." Verse 12 goes on, "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents) but against the depotisms, against the powers, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
These "spirit forces" were something Paul had not encountered in his past life. He found that in his own human strength, he had no way of combatting them. This new warfare (this messenger of satan) that was hindering him, was new to Paul. When he called out to God (three times) to deliver him, God's answer was, "My grace is sufficient for every need." Now Paul understood that flesh and blood couldn't war against spirit forces. Paul declared that (by the Holy Spirit in his life), he was glad when his natural forces and human strength wasn't enough because that's when grace would take over and supply everything needed to complete the task.
All the power of God was wrapped up in this grace. All of His power to deliver, to hear, to work miracles and even to raise the dead to life, was wrapped up in this grace. Even when satan stirred up the people and had Paul thrown into the prison of Rome, grace provided a way through Paul's letters to reveal the glory of the new birth.
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