(Read Matthew 10:1-10)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter and our study has brought us to Matthew 10. I shared this passage with you yesterday. Let’s go back to it today and seek to glean more from God about His unearned grace. The Bible says:
Jesus sent the twelve men out with these instructions: “Don’t go to the non-Jewish people. And don’t go into any town where the Samaritans live. But go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that are lost. When you go, tell them this: ‘God’s kingdom is now very near.’ Heal the sick. Bring the dead back to life. Heal the people who have leprosy. And force demons out of people. I give you these powers freely, so help others freely. Don’t carry any money with you—gold or silver or copper. Don’t carry a bag. Take only the clothes and sandals you are wearing. And don’t take a walking stick. A worker should be given what he needs.”
Yesterday I focused in on the fact that Jesus sent out His disciples as “Carriers of the Supernatural”. In this message I want to focus in on how emphasis was not on the disciples at all.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- Jesus took 12 men, some of which had just recently joined the team, and He empowered them to go out and do what He had been doing. This was clearly not a case of the merit. It was a case of grace. God doesn’t use you to perform supernatural acts because you earned the right to do so. God uses you because He wants to, because His grace looks past your faults, flaws and failures.
- God is not looking for perfection, He is looking for willingness. If you simply offer yourself as a sacrifice to God (Rom 12:1,2), He will work WITH you and then work THROUGH you for His glory. If you are willing, God is able.
- Grace takes the emphasis off of you, your performance and your ability. Your performance could never be flawless enough. Your ability could never be strong enough. But God’s grace is always enough.
- God does extraordinary things through ordinary people. God took a scared farmer, Gideon, and made him a successful military General. God took a prisoner, Joseph, and made him the Prime Minister of Egypt. God took a barren old couple, Abraham and Sarah, and made them parents of many nations. God took 11 misfits, the disciples, and used them to change the world.
- God can use anyone because the power comes from God and not man. Paul said, “We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us” (2 Cor 4:7). We are the containers, but God is the content. We may house the glory, but we cannot take any credit for the glory God allows us to transport around. God put His “super” inside of our “natural”.
- When you understand grace you enter into God’s rest. You know the assignment came from God, the giftings you will need come from God, the favor it will take to get it done will come from God, and the empowering presence to do what you can’t do on your own will also come from God. Even when you are facing extraordinary challenges, you can have peace, because you know it’s not about you!
- Today you might be faced with praying for someone who is sick, providing counsel to someone who needs guidance, or simply providing advice and/or leadership in a key meeting at work. No matter what the situation is, grace keeps the emphasis on God. If you are in a meeting, God can give you supernatural insight. If you are up against a sickness, God can release supernatural healing. Now matter what you are up against today, take the focus and pressure off of you. Embrace the grace of God. If you do, God will flow through you and you will experience grace-based success.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. I provide faith, and You provide grace. I provide the container, and You provide the content. I am willing, but I am not able. You are the one who is able. I provide availability, and You provide supernatural ability. I die, and You LIVE in, with, and through me. I keep my emphasis on You. I aim the spotlight of my life squarely on You. You deserve the glory for my life and living. You deserve the honor for what You have chosen to do through me. When the accolades come to me, I will always DEFLECT the glory right back to You. My life is all about You. It is Your power, Your ability, Your strength, and Your favor that have made me a success. And all these things have all come to me by Your unearned and amazing grace. So I enter this day with fearless confidence. I know I will succeed, because my success is not based on my performance. My success is based on Your grace. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
