Today we continue our series entitled, “Pursuing Grace-Based Success!”
Here are our foundational scriptures:
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV)
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31 NLT)
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
Studying the grace of God for the last decade (or so) changed my life and ministry in more ways than I have the time to explain. Early in the series, I taught you about the difference between the Old and New Covenants. The Old Covenant was rule-based and focused on human effort. That Covenant was never designed to make humanity right with God. It was designed to show us how wrong we are, and it served its purpose. The Law of Moses condemned us, and it was clear that we needed a Savior. That Savior came, His name is Jesus, and He came to save us from our sin.
The more I think about the Old Covenant (which came through Moses) and the New Covenant (which came through Jesus), the more thankful I am to be under the Covenant of grace. Think about salvation for a minute. We only receive eternal life because of God’s unearned grace. I remember, some time ago, when I was meditating on the love and grace of God for salvation, but I was about to preach a message about how to experience success in this world. I said to God, “I need to stop thinking about salvation and start thinking about success, because that is what I need to preach on today.” I then received these words in my spirit: “The same rules apply.” I knew exactly what the Holy Spirit meant, and that is what today’s message will be about. Paul said, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace” (Romans 11:6).
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. God did not expect you to earn your way to heaven based on human effort. He provided you eternal life through His Son, by His grace. In the same way, God does not expect you to earn your way to the accomplishment of His divine purpose for your life by human effort. Just like salvation came to you by God’s unearned and unmerited grace, earthly success is available to you in the same way.
2. We have been looking at 2 Timothy 1:9 for weeks. Let’s take a closer look today.
(2 Timothy 1:9 NKJV)
Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.
God saved you AND Called you.
— We have already covered the fact that God saved you by grace and not by works.
— You were not saved because of anything you did. You were saved because of what Jesus did (that’s grace), and you accepted the free gift of eternal life by faith.
— If you are Born-Again and all God wanted for you was to be saved from hell, you would be dead and in heaven. If Jesus only came for “fire Insurance,” you would be dead and gone.
— Not only did God save you from hell by grace, but he called you for His purpose, also by His unearned grace.
God called you to a HOLY calling.
— God saved you from hell, and He called you to His purpose.
— He called you to a holy calling, so your life could be about something bigger than you!
— God wants your life to be about His purpose, a purpose He established before you were born.
— God wants to be the “Central Character” in your life’s story. You were born because He has an assignment for you, and this assignment will bring glory to God!
God called you according to His own purpose and grace.
— The text says that the calling God gave you had nothing to do with your works. It had everything to do with God’s purpose and grace.
— Not only did God call you to His purpose, but He gave you the grace to accomplish it.
— Whatever God expects you to do, He equips you to do. Further, whatever He equips you to do, He expects you to do.
— Divine provision is contingent upon divine vision. Your life’s prosperity is locked up in your divine purpose.
— When you discover your purpose, you will be in a position to tap into the GRACE of God to get it done. It will be God’s “super” on your “natural.”
*** So not only did God give you grace for salvation. He also gave you the grace to accomplish what He called you to post-salvation.
3. The same God who offered you grace for salvation offers you grace for success.
— God offered you salvation by grace. Most Christians accept that they could never earn their way to heaven. They accept the free gift of eternal life by God’s unearned grace. However, many of those same Christians turn around and attempt to earn success in life by human effort alone. This is not the will of God.
— Just like God did not expect you to attain eternal life without Him, and He provided you salvation by grace, God does not expect you to attain success in life without Him. God will work through you to experience success in this world by His unearned grace.
4. The grace of God is a free gift.
— If it’s on the basis of grace, then it comes free and unearned. If it’s on the basis of works, then it is human effort and not grace. You have received God’s grace for salvation (free). Now open your heart to receive God’s grace for earthly success (free).
— If you are Born-Again and you are still breathing, it is because your earthly assignment is not complete. God saved you by His grace, and if that is all He wanted, you would be dead and in heaven. But since you are still here, it is obvious that God wants to use you, BY THAT VERY SAME GRACE, to accomplish what He birthed you into the earth to accomplish.
5. When you get to heaven, there will be two judgments.
Judgment #1: Why should I let you into my heaven?
— This judgment has nothing to do with your performance
— It only has to do with ONE decision.
— Did you accept my Son Jesus as your Lord?
— The only reason God the Father will allow you into heaven is because Jesus is your Lord; PERIOD.
— There is no other reason.
— If you accepted Jesus as Lord, you accepted the GIFT of eternal life. This gift was given to you by God’s unearned grace. All you did was receive it!
Judgment #2: What did you do with the ONE LIFE I gave you?
All your works will be TRIED by the FIRE!
The things you did for Jesus will be considered:
- Gold
- Silver
- Precious stones
- Those will SURVIVE the FIRE!
The things you did ON YOUR OWN will be considered:
- Wood
- Hay
- Stubble
- Those things will be BURNED UP by the fire!
But even the things you did that survive the fire, the things that God considers the “good works” He sent you to this planet to perform, those things were done BY THE GRACE OF GOD!
So you need grace to get into heaven, and you also need grace to perform the things you were sent to this planet to accomplish. You need God’s grace for everything!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about grace-based success.
The Good News of Your grace is often so good that it sounds too good to be true. But I know it is true.
You love me with an everlasting love. You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me before I did anything to earn or deserve His sacrifice. Jesus paid a debt I could never pay. You gave me eternal life completely by Your unearned and unmerited grace. I did nothing to deserve it. All You required of me was to receive it by faith. I did. I accepted Jesus as my Lord by faith, and I have been Born-Again.
Now that salvation has come to me by Your grace, I am learning that earthly success is also available to me by Your grace. If all You wanted me to do was make it to heaven, I would be dead. But I am still here because I am not done. You have an assignment for me, and it is far greater than anything I could ever accomplish on my own. The Good News is that I don’t need to.
Just like I accepted Your grace for salvation by faith, I accept Your grace for earthly success by faith. I submit and surrender to You. I embrace Your grace to accomplish Your will. I pursue earthly success by dying to self and living for You.
I am on this planet to bring glory to Your name! I will do so by Your grace. As You live through me, You will accomplish what You birthed me to accomplish, and You will be glorified through my life and living.
You use me for Your glory, by Your grace, because of Your love. I received the grace for salvation. I now receive the grace for success. Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
