* You can now watch a video of this message at: https://new.livestream.com/rickpina/live.
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our new mini-series entitled, “Growing in Grace.” A few days ago we started walking our way through 5-9 of Peter’s second letter. The Apostle Peter wrote, “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books” (2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG). Today we will focus on the statement, “complementing your basic faith with… generous love.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. To grow in God you must grow in love. For the past few weeks we have been learning about growing in grace and I told you that in order to grow in grace you must grow in your knowledge of God. Well, guess what? The more you grow in your knowledge of God, the more you will know about the love of God, because love is not something God has or does, love is literally who God is (see 1 John 4:8 & 16).
2. You can only love because of God’s grace towards you. The Apostle John, who was also known as “the beloved disciple” or “the disciple of love,” said, “We love because he [God] first loved us” (1 John 4:19). When you think of the fact that you could not even love God unless He first loved you, you get an even greater appreciation for God’s grace. God loves you by grace; completely unmerited, unearned, and actually undeserved. God loved you before you did anything to acknowledge it, appreciate it, or reciprocate it. God loved you by His amazing grace. You are only able to love God and others because God loved you first.
3. Your faith will be strong when you are convinced God loves you. Paul said, “Faith works by love” (Gal 5:6).
a. For years I thought this verse (Gal 5:6) meant that my faith will work when I love God and other people. Meaning, that if I am not operating in love towards God or others, then my faith will fail. However, the entire letter to the church in Galatia is about human effort (the Law) vs. God’s effort (grace). So, in context, Paul is not putting a requirement on you — to make sure your upward love towards God and outward love towards man is perfect — before your faith will work. No, Paul’s emphasis is on God and not us. Therefore, Paul must mean that faith works when we are convinced that God loves us!
b. God’s motivation to bless you is His love, not your faith. What caused God to make plans for you, to seek you out, to save you, and to then use you for His glory, is His LOVE and GRACE, not your faith or perfection.
c. When you are convinced God loves you, it puts you in a position to receive from Him. Your understanding of God’s love towards you helps you receive His grace by faith.
d. When you are convinced God loves you, it is easier for you to believe. Because at that point you are believing God and what He wants to do in your life because He loves you and not because you are perfect.
e. When you are convinced God loves you, that He wants to bless you by grace, because of His everlasting love towards you, then you will believe God with your confidence in Him and not you. This way you know you don’t have to be perfect to receive God’s promises. You just have to believe that He wants to bless you; not because you are so good, but because He is so good!
f. When you are convinced God loves you, your faith is truly energized. Your faith finds its strength in knowing that God loves you. When your faith is rooted in God’s love towards you, it will be powerful, because it will not be contingent upon you. It will be contingent upon God and His tireless dedication to you and the plans He made for you before the foundations of the world.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your love and grace. The more I learn about Your love, the more I fall in love with You. You loved me while I was yet a sinner. You made plans for me before the foundations of the world. You planned to blessed me, even though You already knew all the mistakes I was going to make. You looked at my life in advance — faults, failures, flaws and all — and You destined me for Your purpose anyway. You looked beyond my faults, even before the foundations of the world, and You planned to use me for Your glory. You made plans for me by Your amazing grace, and not because I would be perfect. You and I both know I am far from perfect. But I am forgiven. You have saved me, forgiven me, washed me in the Blood of Your Son Jesus, filled me with Your Spirit, and called me according to Your plans and purpose for my life. You did this because You love me. You bless me by grace, not because I earn it. Therefore, from this day forward, I declare that my faith will be rooted and grounded in Your Love towards me. The more convinced I get that You love me, and that You want to bless me by Grace, the more strength my faith will have, because my faith will no longer be rooted or grounded in me. From this day forward, my faith is rooted and grounded in You. I have FAITH IN GOD! Even when I am faithless, You have promised to be faithful to me. So I will not allow the devil to cause me to feel condemned anymore. The devil comes to condemn me because of my mistakes, but the Holy Spirit convicts me of the righteousness Christ Jesus died to give me, and He reminds me of the fact that You love me, that You are committed to me, and that You will never leave me, nor forsake me. I enter into this day with fearless confidence, because my confidence is IN YOU and not me. I grow in grace by growing in LOVE! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
