(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. Our study has brought us to Matthew 10 and we have been looking at the following passage for over a week. Yesterday I shared a message entitled, “You Can’t Do It!”, from the following passage. Today I feel led to go back to the same passage and further elaborate on yesterday’s thought, with more of a personal testimony. So let’s get into it. 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.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The disciples must have been shocked and possibly even terrified.
a) Jesus was sending them out to do what He did. They were going to be without Jesus, on their own, attempting the humanly impossible, and Jesus did not even allow them to take any money. This is the type of reliance God is looking for from us.
b) If the disciples considered themselves (their ability, strength, power, etc.), it would lead to nothing but fear, frustration and failure. But if the disciples shifted their focus to God and acknowledged the fact that they COULD NOT DO what was being asked of them, they would then be in position to allow God to do it through them. This is the same way we are supposed to live.
2. What the Lord calls you to do has more to do with Him than with you.
a) God called you by His grace and not your performance. The Bible says, “God saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” (2 Tim 1:9).
b) God made plans for you and He won’t change His mind. The BIble says, “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” (Rom 11:29).
c) God chose you before you chose Him. The Bible says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” (Eph 1:4).
d) There are specific things (works) God has prepared us to do while we are in the earth. The Bible says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10).
e) Our life is all about Him!
3. Focusing on you will lead to unnecessary pressure.
a) Yesterday’s message, entitled “You Can’t Do It!”, really ministered to me. I can’t say that I know everything call has called me to do, but the Lord has shown me a great deal of what is before me. I sometimes think about the magnitude of the call and I take on unnecessary pressure. Whenever I feel the pressure it is because I am focusing too much on me and not enough on God.
b) My wife and I just retired from the military. The military phase of my life is over and the season I am in right now is one of transition. What God has called me to do in this season is not my ultimate assignment, but it is part of my preparation. Lately I caught myself thinking, “I need to get ready. I need to make the most of this season. I need to be ready for the next season when it comes. I really need to be ready for what God has called me to do.” Do you see how many times I was thinking “I”, instead of thinking God? Thinking this way leads us to take on pressures the Lord never told us to take on.
c) Whatever God calls you to do will require His involvement to get done, so don’t put the pressure on yourself.
4. Embracing God’s grace in faith will take the pressure off of you.
a) I received my breakthrough a few days ago while I was driving in my car and I yelled out, “I Can’t Do It!” I know I can’t do what God has called me to do and accepting that reality is liberating.
b) I am going to do what God called me to do, but when I do it, it won’t be me doing the work. Like Jesus I will be able to say, “It is the Father living me in, He gives me the words and He does the work” (see John 14:10).
c) You will be ready when that time comes because it won’t be you doing the work anyway. You will be able to say like Paul, “I worked hard, but I was not really the one working. It was the grace of God with me.” (see 1 Cor 15:10).
e) You did not earn God’s call, it came to you by grace. You cannot complete God’s call without Him, it will require His grace. And when you’ve done what God has called you to do you will have to give God all the credit, because you will know it was God working through you the entire time. Grace takes the focus and pressure OFF of you!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. I realize there have been times when I took on unnecessary pressure because I was focusing too much on me, and not enough on You. When I put the focus on me, my performance, my preparation, my education, my resources, and etc., I never measure up to what You have called me to do. Because You, ON PURPOSE, call me to do things that exceed my ability. You call me to do things that force me to rely on You. You purposefully call me to do things I CAN’T DO! There have been times when I focused on me and it led to fear, frustration and failure. Those days are over! I know I can’t do what You are calling me to do, so there is no pressure on me. Now I put my entire focus on You, Your ability, Your strength, Your power, and Your favor, which all come to me by Your grace. I will do ALL You have called me to do, but it won’t be me doing it. It will be You and Your grace ON me, IN me, WITH me, and FOR me, doing what You called me to do. I am free because the pressure is no longer on me! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
