The Grace to be Just Like Jesus

* You can now watch a video of this message at: https://new.livestream.com/rickpina/live.

(1 Jn 4:17 KJV)  … as he [Jesus] is, so are we in this world.

This morning I am going to do something a little different.  The Lord used me to preach a message yesterday entitled, “The Grace to be Just Like Jesus.”  As I prayed about what to write this morning, the Father led me to share a small portion of my notes from yesterday’s message.  I trust you will be blessed.

Also, you can watch the FULL Message online.  Here is the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGow_-hJslg&feature=youtu.be

I started off by sharing two aspects of God’s grace.

1.  Grace, from the perspective of God’s divine empowerment:

• The Grace of God enables us to do what we could never do on our own.

• Grace is the ability or an enablement that allows us to operate in ways that far exceeds human ability.

• Grace is the empowering presence of God to be who we are called to be and to do what we are called to do.

• Grace is God’s limitless ability flowing through our humanly limited beings.

Therefore:

• Since God is IN us and He works through us, nothing is impossible.

• When God leads us to do something that we can clearly not do on our own, we seek to do it by his GRACE!

2.  Grace, from the perspective of God’s divine motivation:

• We did nothing to cause God to WANT TO make plans for us before the foundations of the world.

• We did not earn God’s plans, nor have we earned His grace.

• Grace is a gift.  A gift cannot be earned.  All you can do with a gift is receive it.

• Grace is unmerited.

• Grace is undeserved.

• Grace is unearned.

• By Grace God blesses us because He wants to.

• God blesses us because He is so good, not because we are.

Therefore:

• Grace takes the spotlight OFF of us and puts it on God.

• Grace takes the pressure OFF of us and puts it on God.

• Grace takes the credit OFF of us and puts it on God.

(1 Jn 4:13-17 New Living Translation)

(1 Jn 4:13)  And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us.

• When you are Born-Again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence IN you.

• The Holy Spirit, God Himself, lives IN you!

• You are Born From Above!

• You are His Child!

• You have His Spirit.

• He will LIVE and WORK through you, if you DIE TO SELF!

• All you have to do now is GET OUT OF THE WAY!

(1 Jn 4:16)  We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

• My faith works because I am convinced that God loves me (Galatians 5:6).

• My love for God is not always consistent, but His love for me is!

• I am able to embrace the Grace of God, because I have embraced the Love of God.

• Even when I am faithless towards God, God is still faithful towards me (2 Timothy 2:13).

*** Faith is how I deal with God, grace is how God deals with me.  So even when my faith fails, God’s grace never fails!

(1 Jn 4:17a)  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment,

• The more you grow in God’s love, the more you will resist fear.

• You have nothing to be afraid of.

• Don’t be afraid of the day of Judgment.

• You are the righteousness of God by Grace.

• Righteousness is a gift given to you (Romans 5:17)

(1 Jn 4:17b) but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

• We live in confidence because of God’s Grace.

• We live in confidence because of God’s love for us.

• We live in confidence because We are Just Like Jesus and Jesus was never afraid.

• By grace we can live like Jesus lived — saying what the Father told Him to say and doing what the Father told Him to do — and we can make an impact like Jesus made, everywhere we go, because it is God working through us to perform His will in the earth!

Closing Confession:  Father, I thank You calling me from the foundations of the world.  I am not a mistake.  I have been called, with a holy calling, not according to my works, but according to Your own purpose and grace, which You gave me in Christ Jesus, before the world began.  Therefore I declare, that I am Your child, I am Your sheep, and I hear Your voice.  The voice of a stranger, I do not follow.  I have the mouth, but You give me the words.  I will be Your legs to walk, Your mouth to talk, and Your hands to touch.  I am Your emissary in the earth.  I have dual citizenship.  I live in two places at the same time, by Your undeserved grace.  I live in the earth, but I am a citizen of heaven and I have access to heavenly resources, enabling me to operate in the supernatural.  I receive the finished work that Jesus prepared just for me, by grace.  It is mine.  I believe it, I receive it, I declare it, I take it, I live it, and I become the person You destined me to be.  I am just like Jesus by grace!  I declare this by faith.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

This is Today’s Word!  Apply it and Prosper.