24-0809A_THE MESSAGE OF GRACE PT-5 (TO WHOM THE LORD LOVETH)

Zec 4:1  And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep, 

Zec 4:2  And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof: 

Zec 4:3  And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof. 

Zec 4:4  So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord? 

Zec 4:5  Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. 

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 

Psa 125:1  A Song of degrees. They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. 

Psa 125:2  As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. 
Psa 125:3  For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.

*GOD SPOKE TO HIM BY GRACE: NOT BECAUSE HE WAS DIFFERENT, NOT BECAUSE HE WAS A BETTER MAN, BUT BY GRACE GOD CALLED HIM.

THE.MESSAGE.OF.GRACE_  JEFF.IN  V-13 N-3  SUNDAY_  61-0827

  85    We'll call another character where God's grace was extended, many of them; we'll just speak of a few. Abraham. Abraham, no special man, come down from the tower of Babel, perhaps come out of a idolater bunch (his father), come down in the land of Shinar down there to dwell in the city of Ur. And while he was there, God spoke to him by grace: not because he was different, not because he was a better man, but by grace God called him. The Bible clearly makes that known.

Oh, Abraham, how Abraham tested God's patience. Told him, said, "Abraham, stay in this land; don't you go out of it." But as soon as a famine come, Abraham run.

AND HOW DO WE TEST HIS PATIENCE? TODAY WE'RE UP; TOMORROW WE'RE DOWN.

THE.MESSAGE.OF.GRACE_  JEFF.IN  V-13 N-3  SUNDAY_  61-0827

  86    Abraham spoke of us. God take--God took Abraham by grace and saved him. And that's how He takes you: by grace. And how do we test His patience? Today we're up; tomorrow we're down. One day we believe; the next day we're wondering. Today we're a Methodist; tomorrow we're a Baptist. Today we believe in Divine healing; tomorrow the tummy ache comes and we don't know whether we believe it or not. But yet in the midst of all of that, God wants us to stay put. But He saves us anyhow. If it wasn't the grace of God, we'd all be gone. Sure. God saves us by His grace.

*AND ANYBODY THAT'S WILLING TO REPENT, THE GRACE OF GOD STILL GOES FOR YOU.

 THE.MESSAGE.OF.GRACE_  JEFF.IN  V-13 N-3  SUNDAY_  61-0827

  87    Abraham was supposed to stay in that land, but be went down into the Chaldeans, or, not Chaldeans, but the Philistines; went down there to sojourn, to get out of the famine. Things was a little hard up in his country, so he went down there to journey down there with them, done exactly what God told him not to do; but yet the grace of God appeared to him and kept Pharaoh from taking--or the--or the king from taking his wife. Grace of God... When Abraham said, "It's my sister," lied about it, but yet the grace of God held him, because he repented. He was willing to repent.

And anybody that's willing to repent, the grace of God still goes for you. The grace of God is searching for you. So that goes for you backsliders this morning; the grace of God is still looking for you. If you'll just repent, God's grace is sufficient.

How He took good old Abraham, brought him back. And remember, Abraham was not saved by his works; he was saved by grace. Abraham was saved by faith, which is grace. And God saved Abraham because of His grace, not because of his behavior. He saved him because of His grace. Oh, how good. He was saved by grace.

 

*IT TAKEN THE GRACE OF JEHOVAH TO KEEP HIS FAMILY TOGETHER.

THE.MESSAGE.OF.GRACE_  JEFF.IN  V-13 N-3  SUNDAY_  61-0827

  91    Just like a husband taking a wife, and saying, "If you'll be a good woman, if you'll take care of the house, if you'll be true to me, if you'll keep my clothes clean; if we have children, if you'll be a mother to them; if you'll do things, I'll work till my hands bleed to make you a living, if you'll do it." But then, think, what if that woman turns wrong, lives lazy, won't work, won't do nothing? Then it takes grace to keep that family together.

O God. It taken the grace of Jehovah to keep His family together. And that's the only way we're Jehovah's family today, is because of the grace of Jesus Christ; we'd all be gone. But it's grace, oh, grace.

*SO GOD JUST GIVES IT TO YOU JUST AS YOU'RE ABLE TO FIGHT IT OUT.

TESTIMONY.RAISING.DEAD.BOY_  WEST.PALM.BEACH.FL  THURSDAY_  53-1203

E-21    Now, look. God said, "I'm not going to give it to you all at one time. If I give it to you at one time, if I do, then you'll... the whole land will swept bare, then the wild beasts will multiply against you, and will overcome you. I'm just going to give it to you little by little, as you're able to possess the land. I'm just going to drive them out and give it to you little by little."

That's the way God does tonight. Maybe today, you say, "Well, I--I do feel a little bit better. Well, praise God. We'll take some. We got Canaanites today. We'll take Amorites tomorrow then." See? And just as you're able to take it, God... You might break your neck if you got it all at once. You see? So God just gives it to you just as you're able to fight it out.

"Well," you say, "I couldn't move my hand only that much yesterday, but I can move it this much today. Praise the Lord. Tomorrow I'll move it that much." You see? Just little by little you shall have it.

*IF YOU'LL OVERCOME SOMETHING BY THE GRACE OF GOD, IT'LL BE ONE OF THE SWEETEST THINGS THAT YOU EVER TASTED IN YOUR LIFE

TESTIMONY.RAISING.DEAD.BOY_  WEST.PALM.BEACH.FL  THURSDAY_  53-1203

  E-22    Oh, I tell you: this is a mar--most marvelous thing that I've ever seen in my life is the greatest hours of my life is, when I get up against a wall that I can't get over it, under it, or around it. That's right. And then I trust God and He opens the way, and I go through the thing. God takes you through it. That's... Then when you come out on the other side, it's like Samson when he killed the lion. When he got out on the other side... When he killed the lion, and he got the sweetest honey he ever eat out of that old carcass of that lion. And sometimes if you'll overcome something by the grace of God, it'll be one of the sweetest things that you ever tasted in your life (Isn't that right?), if you know spiritually what I'm speaking of.

Psa 84:11  For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. 

Psa 84:12  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.