The Sayings of Jesus - "My Grace is Sufficient"

April 14 2013 “The Sayings of Jesus: My Grace Is Sufficient” 2 Corinthians 12.1-10 Pastor J Hines

When we think of the sayings of Jesus, we think of the “I am” sayings, where Jesus declares in the gospel of John 7 elements of his identity ‘I am the good shepherd, I am the vine you are the branches, I am the way, the door; I am the bread of life, I am the light and the truth, I am the resurrection and the life.’

Today, we are looking at a lesser known saying of Jesus. “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” The Lord is speaking to Apostle Paul who wrote most of our New Testament and spent his whole life spreading the gospel, helping others to access the love of God. Every Christian’s story is not as dramatic, but Christians everywhere are like Paul in at least three ways. Number one, Paul had a supernatural experience, number two, he suffered, number three, he got an answer when he prayed.

Paul had a supernatural experience. He had visions, out of body experiences, revelations; light bulbs went on in his head so he understood deep things about life. One time, a poisonous snake wrapped around Paul’s hand. He was not bitten, so those witnessing this believed he had special powers from God. Many of us have had enough close calls that show God was with us in a special way.

According to Acts 19 when Paul’s handkerchiefs and work aprons touched the sick, their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them. Even today, there are ministers who give and sell special cloths that are said to have the power to cure and attract blessings. Such things are very natural and true, but very limited. Some Christians try to capture God’s healing and help, put it in a box, sell it, hoard it, control it, or schedule it for a certain service where God is guaranteed to show up and heal you, but God’s not having it. We can’t control the supernatural, spectacular, marvelous things of this world. All we have is by the grace of God.

God blesses us, heals us, and helps us using whatever timing, relationship or source that God chooses. It may be holy water, a holy song, sermon, or even a handkerchief.  We know that a young child’s attachment to a certain blanket, binky or toy can be so comforting that we dare not leave home without it. We know the healing powers of fragrant flowers, fresh air, the sweet songs of our feathered friends, and the sight of long awaited family and friends returning after a long absence. We know how holding a hand and holding a winter scarf that a loved one has left behind can bring hope and happiness that can sustain us, even heal us. God has an infinite number of ways to heal and help us.

During Holy Week, our Christ Servant Ministers – Terry, Anne and Aubrey took a risk and helped prepare a special Maundy Thursday Service. Maundy Thursday recognizes the mandare  of Jesus– from that Latin word for commandment – His command to each disciple to love one another. Instead of a traditional foot washing, we modernized the concept and administered a hand washing of the disciples at Bethel. The looks on the faces and the atmosphere of worship as our hands were washed was such a wonderful  blessing. One person said, ‘I felt the love.’

Feeling God’s loving, powerful presence was nothing new for the Apostle Paul. Saying “yes” to whatever way God wanted to use him so others could experience God had become routine for him.

Most of us have or will have some delightfully breathtaking, profound or inexplicable spiritual experience, even if for a fleeting moment. Such experiences can ground us in our faith, make us feel closer to God and inspire us to grow. A little taste of heaven can strengthen our resolve to excel in our spiritual lives.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism was no stranger to the supernatural. He left England and came here to Georgia to preach to the Indians. They weren’t having it, especially that high church stuff. They had their own culture, their own sense of God. They probably felt that Rev. John was arrogant and afflicted with a superiority conflict. When the Indians were not converted as he expected, Wesley became depressed and discouraged. A Moravian friend helped restore his faith. Eventually, he had a spiritual experience that set his faith on fire and changed the world. 

Many people have had such experiences even if they do not claim to be Christians. Several years ago, I invited a woman to church. When she hesitated, I agreed to meet with her and pray with her believing that God would help her make a commitment. We did meet and we did pray and she had a very moving experience of encouragement about her husband whose mental health was not in a good place. She was so excited that she asked if we could meet and pray again.

 As much as I wanted to say, “yes” I believed God wanted her to make a commitment to the body of Christ, to a whole church that could support her and her family. I knew she could be a blessing to the church as well, but she refused to commit.

The Apostle Paul told the church of his supernatural experiences. Then he dropped a bomb. ‘I’ve got problems even God won’t fix.’ Paul had trouble, but who doesn’t.

The story is told of a man who came upon great tragedy and stopped attending church. A pastor called him but got no return call. Various members reached out, but the man did not respond. Finally, several months passed, and the pastor ran into this fellow and they began to talk.  The pastor encouraged him and reminded him to continue to have faith in God. The man spoke up, saying, “Pastor you do not understand. I have not lost my faith in God. I just hate him.” “I just hate him.”

Troubles can reveal the worst in us, and the best in us. Either way, we can rest assured that in our troubles, God has a purpose and a plan. There are all kinds of things happening on our behalf that we can never see. Our disappointments are God’s appointments. Our extremity is God’s opportunity. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God is working it out.

Paul prayed three times that God would take away his thorn in the flesh. We do not know if he spent a few hours kneeling in prayer, whether he stood before an altar, laid prostrate before a bible, sung aloud, read the Torah, kept a journal, bowed or vowed an offering, washed his hands, wore special clothes or all of that. We don’t know, but we do know that after all that the answer was “No.”

Not getting what we want can be very frustrating and discouraging. Rather than pouting, ranting or raging, we do better to thank God and prepare ourselves for where the Holy Spirit wants to guide us next. All of us should be ready at the impulse of God’s love as the songwriter penned : Take my life and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

*Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love.

It’s time for you to take at least one step closer in a relationship with our Creator. It’s time to listen even more carefully. Like a plant leaning toward the sunshine, we who are alive in Christ are eager to be in God’s presence and grow.

If we are prompted to speak to someone, we go ahead and do it. If we see a need, we ask God’s guidance in meeting it. If there is a song in our hearts, we sing it. If we have comfort and support to give, we give it.

We can do whatever we are called to do, whenever we are called to do it. God’s grace is sufficient to help us make it through.  As we continue to pray about making our building more accessible, God is preparing us for a closer walk with God and with one another. That’s our number one priority, to be the body of Christ. Whatever we do, however we do it, we cannot afford to lose sight of God’s plan for us to be a united witness of our faith and trust in the God who has guided and provided for us all these years.

Where we are weak in courage or lacking in finances, God is strong enough to guide us to spiritual and financial resources that we never dreamed of. God is going to strengthen us for the task at hand. In our moments of weak faith and   finances, God will provide someone with strong faith and finances. We CAN do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God specializes in things that seem impossible. As we work together and give our all, we will prove it to be true once again. Amen.