God has prepared the limitless riches of Christ for you. Included in those limitless riches is the unlimited grace of God. You need to keep reminding yourself that God has prepared limitless riches of Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-9 NKJV But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
The riches of God’s grace makes dramatic changes in everyone who has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
By God’s grace we have been raised up and have been made to sit with Christ in heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:17-21; 2:6-9). Since we have this new position in Christ, we are told to walk worthy of our calling, to walk in love, and to walk as children of light, (Ephesians 4:1-2, 5:2; 5:8-10). Our walk demonstrates that we have been lifted out of our old life into the glorious liberty of children of God. Then we are told to stand against the wiles of the devil, (Ephesians 6:10-18). To enable us to stand we have been presented the whole armor of God. Due to God’s unlimited grace we are enabled to sit, walk and stand with Christ in victory.
The vast richness of God’s grace is demonstrated by His kindness on us.
God’s grace is sufficient to save all sinners and raise us up into a new life of victory, power and position in Christ. This is a message of victory, hope and blessing for you.
In this place in which we sit, walk and stand, we are made more than conquerers through Christ.
1 John 5:1 tells us, “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”
1 John 5:4 NKJV For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Our faith rests in the grace of God to save us, make us His own, and bring us into a new life of overcoming victory.
The Apostle Paul presented us with the possibility of frustrating or setting aside the grace of God.
Galatians 2:21 KJV I do not frustrate the grace of God…
Galatians 2:21 NKJV I do not set aside the grace of God…
Paul was introducing a dilemma that we all face.We all face the challenge to stay in the faith and walk in the grace and favor of God. The dilemma relates to the function of obedience in relation to grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We need to remember how we were brought into this new life of victory.
We were saved by grace. You have been raised from the life of sin into this new life of victory in Christ. The challenge for each of us is to sit, walk, stand, and live in the victory and liberty of Christ.
Galatians 5:1 NKJV Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
“Stand fast” means to remain in the liberty Christ has given us. Here is the challenge. Once we have been saved by grace, we should give evidence of our salvation.
How do we “give evidence” of the grace we have received?
Remember the story of the homeless man that had been made a king’s son in Buckingham Palace. Once he was accepted by the grace of the king, he was offered a bath, new clothes, and a position of honor at the king’s table. He was given a name and recognition of a son of the king.
It is indeed amazing unlimited grace that took us in.
We were on the outside, but He brought us in and made us His children. He has washed and cleansed us by unlimited grace.
When we are saved by grace, God has every right to expect us to give evidence of the grace we have received.
When the filth of our old life has been removed, we are clothed in robes of righteousness. We are made to sit with Christ in heavenly places. We are told to walk worthy of our calling. We are given the assignment to stand against evil. We are made children of the King of kings.
1 John 3:2 tells us, “Beloved, now we are children of God…”
Let’s get back to our question: “Is it possible to frustrate or set aside the grace of God?” If we can, how?
Galatians 2:21 KJV I do not frustrate the grace of God…
Galatians 2:21 NKJV I do not set aside the grace of God..
First, we “frustrate or set aside the grace of God” by trusting in our own obedience and strength as the source of our strength and righteousness.
In Galatians 2:21, the Apostle Paul was addressing righteousness through the law.
The Jews determined that there were 613 Mitzvot or traditional commandments.
The Mitzvot commandments related to all aspects of life, the Temple, sacrifices and services, and criminal procedures. The Jews thought that strict obedience to the Law made them righteous before God. They assumed that they were enabled to stand by their own works.
Jesus gave at least 300 commands.
Several of them were given to specific individuals. Some were for a historical situation. The various lists of Jesus’ commands include some 38 to 125 commands that apply to believers today. Everything that Christ said is good and should be obeyed. There are special blessings that come as a result of hearing the Word and being a doer of the Word.
Here is the dilemma.
We frustrate or set aside the grace of God by thinking that we can do it on our own. You did not become a King’s child because you were so good. We are a child of the King by grace Who brought us in. By grace we are covered and made new. By grace we are enabled to stand in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. Once we have been redeemed, cleansed and made new, we should walk in obedience to the faith that we have in Christ.
John 14:15 NKJV Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
The test of our love for the Lord and our new position is obedience.
John 14:23 NKJV Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
The true believer knows that they have been raised with Christ and have been made to sit with Him. They know that they were down and out without Him. They recognize that they stand by grace and not by works. They know that were it not for grace, they could not sit, walk, or stand with Christ.
Second, to “frustrate” or “set aside” the grace of God means to continue a sinful lifestyle after being saved by grace.
Romans 6:12-16 NKJV Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
Once we have been saved by grace and have been given access by faith into this grace in which we stand, we should present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. We should crucify the flesh with its lust. We should walk in obedience to the faith. We should continually lay aside the old things that held us.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Ephesians 2:10 NKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
God is able to make you complete in every good work.
Now we live and walk in the grace in which we stand.
What exactly has Christ done in your life?
- Has he brought you out of a destructive life?
- Has he given you hope and a new future?
- Has he delivered you from an addictive lifestyle?
- Has he changed your nature and character?
- Did He give you love, joy and peace?
- Did He cleanse you from your old sins?
- Did He break the chains of your captivity?
- Did He clothe you in His righteousness?
- Did He claim you as His son or daughter?
If He has done that, you should walk in the victory wherein Christ has made you free.
Refuse to go back to the things that held you. You are free in Christ.
