161 Sermon Illustrations on Grace

The central story of the book of Jonah is not that of a big fish, but of the grace and mercy of a loving God according to Rev. James Merritt of Snellville, Georgia. He said that while some people try to run from God, the story of Jonah shows that -- despite the contentions of some -- man can never actually escape from God.

"I've heard parents say, 'My children are running from. You know, really and truly, you can't run from God. How can you run away from the presence of God? How can you really get away from God? You can't."

Jonah tried to escape from preaching the gospel to the sinful people at Nineveh, but God used a large fish ultimately to bring him to the city. While Jonah's disobedience resulted in him being swallowed by a fish, Merritt said the fish is not the central point of the book. The prevailing theme of Jonah is the grace of God in turning away his wrath from Nineveh.

"You need to put a big circle around chapter three, verse 10. This is the real miracle of Jonah. The real miracle is not a physical miracle about a great fish; it is the spiritual miracle of a gracious father, of a father who looked at a city and said 'You gave me 175,000 reasons to burn you up with the smoke of my wrath, but I sent a preacher to preach the gospel, to tell you to repent. ... Because you have turned toward me, I have turned away my wrath.'

"That's the lesson of Jonah. Sometimes we get so hung up on the fish, and it makes for good reading and all that, but I'm convinced that people really don't understand the lesson of the book of Jonah."

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First, it was a 1960's TV series. Then it was a 1980's TV series. Then it was a blockbuster movie in the 90's. Today, it's still there in reruns. Yes, it's "Mission Impossible." Now the original classic shows began with Agent Jim Phelps getting a tape and some photos describing a mission that was virtually, well, impossible. The voice on the tape would say, "Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it is ..." followed by something like "capture the entire Bolivian Army by Tuesday, OK?" Then the tape would self-destruct. Well, Mr. Phelps would get to work assembling his team, and the rest of the story would be about how they pulled off this assignment that was supposedly "undoable." Actually, there's something more exciting than watching Mission Impossible. That's living it! Maybe you do - or you could!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Why Mission Impossible Isn't."

Maybe you're looking at the week ahead, the day or month ahead, and you're saying, "Looks like Mission impossible." I sure have those seasons. In fact, it was one of those times when the challenges looked overwhelming that God really introduced me to our word for today from the Word of God.

I was facing one of those all-too-common weeks that was a mountain of deadlines and decisions and responsibilities and people. And I began to feel those panic feelings that come when it looks like "there is no way." I'd been reading in 2 Corinthians, and one of those stress-filled mornings the Lord lovingly gave me a promise that changed everything. Now you may be facing a challenge, or multiple challenges, that look like an unmovable mountain. Maybe your Mission Impossible is in your family, or your work, or in an important relationship. Maybe it's medical or financial or academic or ministry. And it's not the tape that's about to self-destruct - it's you.

Well, here's our very encouraging word for today, 2 Corinthians 9:8. "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." That is an insurance policy with no loopholes. "All grace ... in all things ... at all times." You are never going to be in a situation where you do not have the grace you need!

Now that word, "abound," it's interesting in the original Greek. It means "more than enough; be left over; make extremely rich." One place it's used in the New Testament is in relation to the feeding of the 5,000. Now there was a Mission Impossible. "Your mission, men, is to feed these thousands of people with whatever you can find." So they found one boys' lunch. In their hands - nowhere near enough. In Jesus' hands - well, they had plenty for everyone with 12 baskets to spare: one for each of the 12 "Mission Impossible" team members. And that "abound" word is used when the Bible says they had food to spare. "Abounding" food where it looked as if there would be nowhere near enough.

God promises His grace resources to you on that same "abounding" basis. If you depend on the spiritual adrenaline of God's grace, you will get it done, and you'll have resources left over! And why does God load you up with His resources? So you can load others up through the good works you have to do. God "plentys" us so we can "plenty" those around us.

You have in Christ Jesus more than enough grace for every assignment God has given you. That is why your Mission Impossible is possible.

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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A British secretary got more than she bargained for when she asked her bank for a small loan and was sent a check for a small fortune, a British newspaper reported.

Susan Anderson wanted $5,700 to pay off debts. The Halifax bank, which uses the slogan "Always giving you extra," did just that and sent her a check for more than $13 million.

"I know the slogan, but this was ridiculous," Anderson, 51, told The Sun.

The mother of two didn't spot the error at first. "It's only when I looked at it later that I thought: 'That's not right'," she said.

"At first I thought it was for 8,000 pounds (about $11,600), twice what I wanted. Then I looked at it again and realized that there was this huge figure that seemed to go on for ever," said Anderson, who is now expecting a new check for the right amount.

The single mother of two from Gloucestershire in western England alerted the bank to the mistake, but not before photocopying the check and showing it to her workmates. She also admitted dreaming about how to spend the money.

"Since getting it I've been round the world 20 times in my head spending it. I could certainly do some serious damage to money of that kind, and I need it," she said.

A spokesman for the bank told The Sun a computer error was behind the blunder.

Antiques and young children - that is not a good combination. It is, in fact, an invitation to disaster. Like that lovely antique teapot my wife had out years ago when the kids were little. Well, you know what happened - one moment a teapot, the next moment, pieces of a teapot. But Karen quickly rallied to remedy the situation. No, she did not disown one of our children. She sent me out for a tube of some sort of super glue. And amazingly, she put those pieces together and recreated that old teapot -and that glue has held it together to this very day!

Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "God's Super Glue."

There are times when you and I can use a little "super glue" - because it's us that's going to pieces. And that spiritual glue is available to you right now, if you know where to get it and you know how to use it.

In fact, our word for today from the Word of God is all about this powerful agent that can hold you together, no matter what. Hebrews 4:16 puts it this way: "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Now, I studied that "grace to help us" in the original Greek words of the New Testament and I discovered that the word translated "help us" is used only one other time in the Bible - in Acts 27:17. Paul is on a ship that is literally being blown apart by a violent storm. The Bible says they passed ropes under the ship itself to "hold it together." There's that "help" word from Hebrews 4:16 - except here it's about literally keeping the ship from coming apart in the storm.

God says that what His grace is able to do for you - to help hold you together when the storm is intense and things seem to be breaking apart. He invites us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence." That word "confidence" means boldness and frankness. So when you start to pray, you go to your Lord boldly, talking, not in fancy "prayer-ese" language, but with straight talk. You tell Him how it really is, how you really feel, how much you need Him.

The Bible says that when you do that, you can "find grace." I like the deeper meaning of the Greek word that we translate as "find" here. It means to "come upon" or to "discover." There's almost an element of surprise in it - "Wow! Look what I just found! All this grace - lots of grace ... to hold me together in this situation right now!" When the verse says "grace to help us in our time of need," the original language is saying help that comes at just the right time - no, not before you really need it, not after you really need it, but right on time.

So this is one power-packed invitation from the One who rules the galaxies from His "throne of grace" - to come into His throne room boldly and honestly, reaching out to put in our hands the exact resources we need for this moment, this challenge, this situation, this need. He will respond with a flood of grace - just the kind of grace you need right now -suffering grace, waiting grace, deciding grace, grieving grace, single grace, physical grace, emotional grace, or financial grace.

But the grace doesn't just come to you automatically. You have to go for the grace this moment requires! And so often we don't. We struggle and worry and scheme, never going to the Grace Throne for the answers or resources we need. We could be rich - we live in unnecessary poverty. We need to accept this incredible invitation many times a day - and pray aggressively, not passively; boldly, not timidly; specifically, not generally. And it's all available to us because of Jesus - we come there because He died to make it possible for us to get this close to the God of the universe.

So there is never any reason you need to go to pieces. The grace glue of your God can hold you together, no matter what hits you!

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. 'Practical Answers to Real Life Issues'

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What if we never forgot our past deeds? What if all our memories remained constantly present to us as a victory just won or a defeat just suffered lingers in the mind? On balance, I don't think that I would like this; for I am aware that my defeats are more numerous, more shameful, and more hurtful, than are my victories plenteous, pride-giving, and healing. Forgetfulness, then, for me, can be an agent of grace.

What do I mean by this? An agent of grace is something or someone that irrespective of your earning it, gives you life. My mother always loved me. Before I could earn her love, and after I proved I wasn't worthy of it, my mother loved me. From the milk of her breast to the milk of her heart – my mother's love has been life-giving. She has been an agent of grace to me. From her I received unmerited life.

Strangely, so also the morning can be an agent of grace in my life. I go to bed burdened by the dirt on my hands and the dirt in my heart, and when I awake, as the sun rises, so also my hope rises. Do you feel this too?

Some creature of the night, I imagine, must have stolen me away to the River Lythe, the river of forgetfulness, and bathed me on its banks – not too much so that I lose my past, but just enough so that I can hope in the new day, hope in the future.

Through the ages Christians built their churches facing East towards the rising sun. Beautifully, they believed that the rising of the sun pointed to an even greater event: the resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The light of Christ, they believed, could dispel the dark of night that the soul feels in the dark of night. I believe this too, for He has done it in my life. Indeed, He does it every morning when I look toward Him and His resurrection.

Now, of course, forgetfulness is not redemption. But it can point to how our sins can be taken away from us. The promise of the morning is not that God will forget our sin, for He remembers the Cross where our sins earned their payment. The promise of the morning is that resurrection does occur; our past though it may be as dark as a moonless night can be transformed into a future as bright as the noonday.

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Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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R.C. Sproul once preached a sermon that he called: "We've Grown Accustomed to His GRACE." He got the name from a song in the musical "My Fair Lady." Remember it? Henry Higgins is unwilling to admit that he's falling in love, but he'll go so far as to sing: "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face."

Now R.C. Sproul gives that idea a little different twist. He tells of something that happened to him in his first years as a college professor. He was assigned to teach the course: "Introduction to the Old Testament." And he had 250 first year students in the class. He knew it would be difficult to communicate personally with a class that large, so he set out all the class requirements in a course syllabus. Then he went over that syllabus in the first class session.

The students were to write three short papers during the semester, he said. The first one was due at noon on September 30th, the next one was due at noon on October 30th, and the last one was due at noon on November 30th. He explained what he wanted, what he expected them to do in the papers.

And then he emphasized again the need to finish the papers on time.

He said: "Let me make it perfectly clear! I want those papers on my desk at 12:00 noon on the assigned dates, or you will receive a failing mark for them. The only excuses I'll even consider are if you're confined to a hospital that day, or there's a death in the family." He paused for a minute. He scanned to faces in the room. "Do you understand?" he asked. And 250 heads nodded together. Yes! We understand! It's all perfectly clear!

So September 30 rolled around, and 225 students turned in their papers. Two hundred twenty-five out of 250. And when Professor Sproul got back to his office, there were 25 students gathered around the door. They were scared to death. Here it is, their first year of college, their first assignment, and they hadn't been able to make the transition from high school yet. Time got away from them, in all the newness of the year. And they didn't have their papers done!

"Oh, Professor Sproul!" they cried. "Please don't fail us on this assignment! Please give us one more chance! We're so sorry! Please just give us one more day!" And they looked so pathetic, he said. And I didn't want to hurt anyone. So, says R.C. Sproul, I gave them another day. I couldn't bear to see them in agony like that! But, he says, I reminded them very clearly that it wouldn't happen again! October 30 meant October 30! No more late papers! "Absolutely, sir!" they said. And they scampered off to finish their papers.

Well, October 30 came around. Two hundred students turned in their second papers. This time, there were fifty students at his office door. "Oh, please, Professor Sproul! We did it again! We're really struggling, and we're sorry we couldn't get our papers finished! Can you give us another chance? Please?"

And, softy that he was, R.C. Sproul gave in. "Okay!" he said. "But this is it! Don't let it happen again!" he said, in the sternest voice he could muster. "Do you Understand?"

Yes! Yes! Yes! They understood. And they were so grateful! They actually broke out singing. Right there in his office! "We love you, Professor Sproul! Oh yes, we do!" And for thirty days, he was the most popular professor on campus!

Then came November 30. And 150 students handed in their papers on time. And 100 students gathered around him after class. He said to them, "Hey, where are your papers?" And they were as casual, and as cocky as could be. They said, "Don't worry about it, Professor Sproul! We'll have them in for you in a couple of days. No sweat!" But Professor Sproul stopped them cold in their tracks. He took out that dreadful little black book, and he opened it to the pages with their names. He clicked his pen, and he said, "Johnson! Where's your paper?"

Johnson said, "I don't have it today ... I'll bring it in tomorrow!"

And R.C. Sproul wrote an "F" in his book.

"Greenwood!" he said. "Where's your paper?"

"I'm sorry, sir! I'm not finished with it yet!"

So Professor Sproul marked down an "F" next to Greenwood's name.

And suddenly there was a murmur that ran through the group. "Hey!" they said. "That's not fair!"

And Sproul said: "What!"

And they said, "That's not fair!"

And Sproul said "You think I'm not being fair?"

And they nodded vigorously! "It's not fair! It's not fair!"

And Sproul looked at Johnson, and he said, "Johnson, do you think I'm not being fair?"

"Yeah," says Johnson, "I don't think it's fair."

"Okay!" says Professor Sproul. "I don't ever want to be thought of as unfair!"

"Tell me, Johnson, wasn't your paper late last time?"

"Well, yes ... it was ..."

So Sproul turned back to those grades, and he erased the "B" there, and he made it an "F."

And everybody was stunned. Silence. Nobody moved. And R.C. Sproul said to them, "Is there anyone else here who wants justice?"

And very quickly they slipped away to their rooms.

And then R.C. Sproul said to his congregation: "Do you see what was happening? When those first 25 students came begging for lenience, they didn't know if they would get it or not. And when they came the second time, their hopes had grown. But by the 30th of November, they came expecting mercy. They came thinking that they deserved it. They came planning on it. And so their failures and their sins didn't mean anything to them any more!"

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From a sermon by Wayne Brouwer

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What is the most historically significant event of 1776?

As an American, the signing of the Declaration jumps to mind. Arguably, America influences the shape of the world today and the destiny of the world tomorrow. And the global influence of the American experiment began in 1776. Constitutional democracy has swept the world over the last two centuries from India to Chile to Russia, American democracy has inspired as much as it has been emulated. That certainly qualifies the Declaration of Independence as a significant historical event of 1776.

Yet perhaps there is another plausible contender for this title: the publication of Adam Smith's work WEALTH OF NATIONS. Just as democracy has swept around the globe in the last two centuries, with equal pace and force, the ideas of Smith have gained sway. Smith's economic theories are the foundation for modern capitalism, which has gained currency from the markets of Nairobi, to the financial centers of Hong Kong, to the skyscrapers that line Wall Street. Unquestionably, Smith's work is a major shaper of our world today.

Given such enormous competition, could a third contender even be seriously considered? Mark Noll, the pre-eminent evangelical historian, thinks so. In a lecture at Harvard Divinity School, Noll made this startling statement:

I say with calculated awareness of what else was going on in

Philadelphia [the signing of the Declaration of Independence],

and in Scotland, where Adam Smith published his Wealth of

Nations, that of all world-historical occurrences in [1776] the

publication of August Montagu Toplady's [Rock of Ages] may have

been the most consequential. [1]

The first and most reasonable response to such a bizarre statement is: what in the world do you mean, Professor Noll? How could a hymn be more historically significant than the Declaration of Independence? How could song and verse be more historically potent than Smith's Wealth of Nations?

Noll does not explain his surprising remark, but rather leaves it for the theological imagination of his audience. So imagine with me how this could be true.

Imagine what occurs when through a hymn countless men and woman are confronted with the love of God and His redeeming work on their behalf. Imagine thousands of hearts made tender in the sway of a tune. Imagine legions of transformed hearts singing, “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” Imagine God on the move.

Remember, God does not just save souls for the hereafter but redeems lives on this earth. Maybe that is how a hymn can matter so much.

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1. Mark Noll and Ronald F. Thieman, Where Shall My Wond'ring Soul Begin? (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), p. 12.

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Copyright © 2003 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

”What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 NKJV)

Shall We Sin That Grace May Abound?

• what…then? — in view of this glorious doctrine of grace?

• shall…sin — Rom 3:8, 6:15 — as though sin were unimportant, because the sinner is so graciously pardoned

• grace…abound? — that the grace of God may be magnified by the pardon of multiplied offences?

• dead [died]…sin, etc — “we who have died by sin, how shall we still live by it?” (Macknight), Dead, “in baptism and justification” (Bengel), “When Christ died, you died. A dead man cannot sin. And you are dead; dead as to that life over which alone sin has power, the life of flesh and sense and time: how then can you sin? To sin is to forfeit just that which is your glory — just that which makes your Christianity — a present union with Christ in His life after death in heaven” (Vaughan), “Live no more in it; renounce it: be dead to its influence.” (Stuart), “Dead in its condemning power” (Haldane), “Died, not figuratively, though spiritually and peculiarly; in Christ’s death all believers died with Him” (Olshausen), “A man dies not only when the soul leaves the body, but when, though yet in the body, it puts off bodily passions.” (Philo), “To kill the passions is to die with them.” (Porphyry)

The Gospel secures the practice o f holiness — Rev. C. Simeon, M.A.

I. The supposed tendency of the Gospel to encourage sin:

1. The Gospel certainly, when stated as Paul stated it, has, to a superficial observer, this aspect;

2. Hence men, in every age, have characterized it as licentious.

II. The security it gives for the practice of universal holiness:

1. What a man professes at his first entrance into Christ’s Church;

2. What effect this profession must have on all his future life.

Address

1. Those who entertain this objection against the Gospel;

2. Those who, by their conduct, give occasion for it;

3. Those who bear in mind and exemplify their baptismal vows.

Conviction of sin — Dr. Milne, the late missionary, in speaking of his conversion, says, “The book which God made use of more especially for convincing me of my sin and misery, was Boston’s Fourfold State, which I read with the deepest attention. It conducted me into my own heart, discovered the evil which before lay hid in the chambers of imagery; the monstrous ingratitude to God which marked all my conduct; and the pollution of original and actual sin with which my soul was contaminated. I saw that I was necessarily under the strongest and most righteous obligations to God, and had never for one hour of my life discharged these, but lived in rebellion against the Author of my life; so I was justly under the curse of God’s righteous law, and exposed to everlasting misery.” Under the tormenting fears of eternal wrath, he sometimes wished himself transformed into a stone, or one of the fowls he saw flying over his head in the fields. He was frequent and fervent in prayer, and was, in the mercy of God, led to those means by which he learned how even a vile and guilty creature, such as he was, might be for ever saved.

“A Christian is one who is united to Christ; united by the possession of the Holy Spirit; so united that it is as though he had already passed through that, death, and entered upon that life after death which Christ has actually passed through and actually entered upon.” — Dr Vaughan.

“But what does the divine response say to him? ‘I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” (Romans 11:4-5 NKJV)

Remnant According To Election Of Grace

• what…answer[response], etc. — “the case is now just as it was in the time of Elijah; an apparently universal defection, but in reality a considerable faithful remnant, even among the Jews.” (Vaughan). “If even Elijah was deceived in his estimate of the number of God’s faithful servants, how much more may you reckon them amiss” (Wordsworth).

• Baal — [article in Greek is] te, i.e., feminine. A goddess, Astarte, was worshipped under the name of Baal

• election…grace — “according to a selection of free favour”

The election of grace — Homilist

I. The election is eternal, in the same sense as Christianity is eternal.

II. It does not of itself imply eternal salvation.

III. It does not imply a decree of reprobation.

Apostolic preaching — “To preach practical sermons, as they are called,” says Bishop Horne, “that is, sermons upon virtues and vices, without inculcating those great Scripture truths of redemption, grace, &c., which alone can incite and enable us to forsake sin and follow after righteousness — what is it but to put together the wheels, and set the hands of a watch, forgetting the spring, which is to make them all go?”

The atonement is fundamental — The late Thomas, Earl of Kinnoull, a short time before his death, in a long and serious conversation with the Rev. Dr Kemp, of Edinburgh, thus expressed himself:- “I have always considered the atonement the characteristic of the Gospel; as a system of religion, strip it of that doctrine, and you reduce it to a scheme of morality, excellent, indeed, and such as the world never saw; but, to man, in the present state of his faculties, absolutely impracticable.”

The present and the future — I see the first handsel that God gives them [the Israelites] in their voyage to the land of promise, thirst and bitterness. Satan gives us pleasant entrances into his ways, and reserves the bitterness for the end. God inures us to our worst at first, and sweetens our conclusion with pleasure. — Bp Hall

“God’s people are His children; they are born of God, and sons of the Most High. Natural love will not cast away a child. They are His portion, the lot of His inheritance, His revenues of glory, He has by them. A man will not despise his own glory, or reject his own inheritance.” — Caryl

Psalm 20:4–5 (NAS) God Bless You « Leader information shown in this fashion »

A. May He grant you your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your counsel! We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

B. What does it mean when we say “The Lord bless you” as we find, for example, Numbers 6:24–26 and Ruth 2:4?

1. the general meaning of “bless” is to give thanks; for example, when we give the blessing for the meal, we are thanking God for it and His other provisions for our daily need

2. the root meaning of this verb, BARAK, is “to bend the knee, to fall upon the knee, to kneel;” It is readily apparent how this describes our blessing God, but how can this apply to God?

3. Consider first man blessing man: Jacob as he was dying and he blessed his sons; what did he do?- « — he gave a prayer — prophetic in his case — for each of them in which he conferred some particular favour upon them (sometimes those favours were kind of negative as those of Isaac for Esau) »

4. So when the greater blesses the lesser, it means that he is C___________ F______ upon the lesser; so God blesses men

C. What are the ways we find in Psalm 20:4–5 that God blesses?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Jesus' message to the church at Pergamum has a curious reference to a new name written on a white stone. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it" (Revelation 2:17).

What does this mean? Should we look forward to being handed a white rock after we die? Why is there a name written on it?

This verse has had a variety of interpretations. But several meanings make the best sense based on our knowledge of the times in which it was written.

In an ancient court of law, when defendants were condemned, they received a black stone with their name on it. If they were acquitted, they received a white stone. If this is what is meant by the verse, the parallel to salvation is crystal-clear. Those who have trusted Jesus for salvation will receive an acquittal from the judgment of God. What a relief it is to know our sins are forgiven and eternal life is assured!

Another plausible explanation springs from the ancient Olympic Games. When athletes were winners in a competitive game, a white stone was awarded. The Greeks valued excellence not only in the arts and the sciences, but they also prized physical prowess. So athletic heroes were awarded tokens of honor for their perseverance. This tooprovides a possible explanation of the verse.

Combining both illustrations shows us the amazing balance of the Christian life. We are saved by grace through faith alone. Yet as obedient believers in Jesus, we will still struggle as we seek to serve the One who saved us. One is a picture of unearned acquittal, and the other speaks of being rewarded for acts of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Trusting Jesus for salvation means receiving a new identity. It's like receiving a new name written on a white stone that shows we are forgiven. -- Dennis Fisher

DESTINATION POINTS * What impressed me about the historic setting of this passage? * How do grace and responsibility work together in my life as a believer? * I have become a new person in Him! When was the last time I thanked God for my special identity in Jesus?

Grace leads to works done out of gratitude.

“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee…:” II Cor. 12:8,9.

Perhaps no verse of Scripture has brought more comfort to Christian hearts than this one; and does not the explanation of its preeminent appeal largely lie in the fact that it is the record of a personal experience? “He said unto me.”

“My grace is sufficient for thee” — sublime and satisfying answer! How much better than the literal granting of the apostle’s request! Had the pleading of those sensitive nerves been literally yielded to, what losers would Paul and ourselves have been! Paul would have lost more power than pain; and how many thoughts that have since inspired patient hero-ism would never have come to us! Such epistles as Paul’s could only have their birth in the travail of trial. Paul’s prayer was sincere and intense, but it left the higher spiritual altitudes unscaled. To have the “thorn” removed was poor compared with having its presence sanctified. To have the “messenger of Satan” taken away was poor compared with having him transformed into a “ministering spirit”. Paul wanted the thorn away; whereas Christ wanted to show how grapes may be gathered of thorns. God’s choicest flowers often bloom on bitter stems.

“My grace” — how gloriously the grace of Christ shines from the pages of the New Testament! Gaze at that matchless character. See His perfect grace revealing itself through everything He said and did, giving Him perfect poise in every situation and on all occasions. See how He combines in Himself all the masculine virtues, and all the feminine graces. Gaze at Calvary. See that utter triumph of sheer self-sacrifice! 0 that life! that death! “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” That grace may be mine!

“My grace” — who but the absolutely Divine Christ could say this? How empty would the words be from the lips of any but a Christ who is verily God! “My grace” — the words involve omnipotence, omnipresence, the possession of all the Divine resources, the perfect knowledge of all human needs, and our Lord’s perpetual presence everywhere with His people. For any mere creature to make such a claim — whether worm or archangel makes no essential difference — would be ludicrous.

“Sufficient” — the supply has exact correspondence with the need; never too much, never too little, but perfect adequacy; never too soon, never too late, but timed to the tick of the clock and to the beat of the heart. Grace for tomorrow’s needs will not come today. Grace for today will not come tomorrow. There is a story comes to us from the old-time martyr days, about a condemned Christian who lay one night in his prison cell knowing that at daybreak he must be burned at the stake. The prospect was terrible. How could he endure the ordeal? He picked up the candle that flickered in his cell, and tried the experiment of holding his little finger in the tiny flame. With a gasp of pain he quickly withdrew it. How could he possibly undergo the torture of his whole body in the flames? Yet at sunrise he went to his death with irrepressible exuberance, and sang with heavenly ecstasy shining from his face. When the real emergency came. sufficient grace was given. So is it always.

There are many things that secular organizations can do just as well as the church. They can build homes, feed the hungry and clothe the poor. But there’s one area the church should excel in, and that’s extending grace.

Grace is a foreign concept to the world. We learn early that we are graded and judged on our performance. There is no free lunch. We must earn our own way. And it’s every woman for herself.

But along came Jesus and He introduced the world to a different way – God’s way. Jesus began many of His parables with these words, “The Kingdom of heaven is like .” Then, Jesus proceeded to tell a story that turned the economics of the world upside down. After all, what shepherd would leave 99 sheep alone to search for one? How can a few coins given by a widow be of more value than the donation of a rich man? And what about the father who willingly welcomed a once-rebellious boy home with a party?

God’s grace to His children is completely unmerited love and forgiveness. It is an extravagant love that defies our human understanding.

While our soul longs for grace, we are confounded that it could actually be extended to us. But even more difficult to comprehend, is that it is also extended to those who offend us.

Grace is a gift, and cannot be earned. In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace,” Philip Yancy said, “None of us gets paid according to merit, for none of us comes close to satisfying God’s requirements for a perfect life.”

This truth can transform our relationships. You see, if God offers grace to us, then we should offer grace to others. As we represent Jesus to a broken world, we can best reflect His character by extending grace – unmerited love and forgiveness.

The hardest place to extend grace is often in our own homes, beginning with our spouse and children. But it’s the best place to start living out the higher calling of Christ.

My prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, thank you for your extravagant love toward me. Thank you for your great sacrifice so that I can approach your throne of grace and receive mercy. Forgive the times I have not shown grace to another. Help me be more like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Application steps:

• Consider how God has given grace to you.

• Identify those ways.

Reflection points:

• What comes to mind when you hear the word “grace”?

• Can you think of a time when you either performed an extravagant act or were the recipient of one? Share how you felt and what was the response.

• There are many areas where we are not given grace, including: secular culture, graceless religion and parents who fail to offer loving acceptance. Have any of these been a factor in your life?

• Can you think of something good in your life you received but did not deserve?

• Have you neglected to show grace to someone in your life? What should you do about that?

Power Verses:

Hebrews 2:9

Colossians 4:6

2 Thessalonians 2:16

Hebrews 12:15

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:11 AV)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 AV)

A self-righteous and unbroken heart would rather hear of precepts to be kept, or of doctrines to be discussed, or even claims of duty to be met; but grace — till we know our ruin and guilt, that is the least palatable of all messages to the proud heart of man. Offer alms to a wealthy man, or counsel to a self-conceited fool, or medicine to a healthy man, and in each case it will be as welcome as grace to an unbroken heart.

Of grace then let us sing!

A joyful and wondrous theme!

Who grace has brought, shall glory bring,

And we shall reign with Him.

Have you noticed that every one of the nine Christian Church Epistles begins with the same invocation? “Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” From such a heart as Paul’s it was no mere wish, but an earnest, loving prayer. It is always appropriate, and particularly so at the beginning of a new year. There are three great truths comprised in it, namely, the fatherhood of God, the lordship of Christ, and the true blessing of the Christian believer. It will mean much if we enter the new year with these great truths in mind.

We are living in such times as never were before. Awful convulsions have shaken the world. Millions have died in recent world wars. Thrones have fallen. Sweeping changes have come. Science has now put into men’s hands powers of almost unlimited possibility either for racial good or racial destruction. The war-haunted world is a smoldering volcano. It is not strange that apprehensive feelings should cling around us as we peer into the future, and that we fall back with relief on the doctrine of the divine sovereignty. Yet somehow even that is not enough. We need the further truth that the God who is sovereign is also “our Father”. All our life will feel safer and gladder; the enigmas of human history will assume a kindlier aspect; and the big universe itself will become friendlier, if we go into the new year with this precious truth in mind, that the sovereign God is our Father, ever-loving, ever-present, compassionately interested in all our concerns, and ever pursuing through our changeful earthly vicissitudes His purpose for our ultimate good.

But see now the absolute lordship of Christ in this Pauline benediction. Admittedly, the Greek word kurios here translated “Lord” is used in the New Testament as a mere honorary title not unlike the English “Sir”; but it is also used as the equivalent of the Old Testament “Jehovah”. It is in this latter sense that Christ is Lord in the sense in which God alone can be Lord. If proof of this were needed, it is here in this very benediction. The “grace” and “peace” are to come from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”. Such close association of our Lord’s name with that of God, and such implied identity in the imparting of grace and peace, would be sheer blasphemy if Christ were not co-equal with the Father. May we never cease to marvel that our Saviour and Lord is the eternal Son of God Himself, in whom there is the perfect union of human sympathy and divine power! He is Lord of history.

The vast turmoils and evolutions of our day are but the predicted pre-cursors of His own return in kingly authority, to establish His worldwide millennial empire. We are thinking realistically He may return this year! Paul prays that “grace” and “peace” may be given to us. These are two lovely words. Grace here is the imparting to us of God’s holy love.

That other word, “peace”, here means well-being in general. How often we Christians misunderstand our real needs! How often we think that if only we had more money, higher position, greater gifts, or perhaps better health, we should be much better off! No, our real need is “grace and peace.” Thank God, they can be ours through all the coming days.

And Matthew, the publican. Matthew 10:3.

In the minds of the Pharisees, Matthew’s name is linked with the worst of men, but Matthew alone of the Gospel writers describes himself as the publican. But Matthew does not tell us that he left all to follow Jesus. Luke tells us this. Though the Pharisees linked his name with the worst of men, it is enrolled among the most highly favored men, the “apostles of the Lamb”! The last place his name appears is in everlasting foundations of the wall of the tax-exempt City Foursquare (Revelation 21:14).

Oh! that beautiful city, with its mansions of light,

With its glorified beings, in pure garments of white;

Where no evil thing cometh to despoil what is fair;

Where the angels are waiting, Yes, my name’s written there.

“At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out come back to you: an eye for an eye. . . . Along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that. . . . Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed. . . . I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to be my judge. I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross.”

-- Bono, leader singer of the band U2, quoted in "World," August 6, 2005

[for another version, see HolwickID #22348]

Poem of God's Grace

I did not know His love before,

The way I know it now.

I could not see my need for Him,

My pride would not allow.

I had it all, without a care,

The "self-sufficient" lie.

My path was smooth, my sea was still,

Not a cloud was in my sky.

I thought I knew His love for me,

I thought I'd seen His grace,

I thought I did not need to grow,

I thought I'd found my place.

But then the way grew rough and dark,

The storm clouds quickly rolled;

The waves began to rock my ship,

I found I had no hold.

The ship that I had built myself

Was made of foolish pride.

It fell apart and left me bare,

With nowhere else to hide

I had no strength or faith to face

The trials that lay ahead,

And so I simply spoke His name

And bowed my weary head.

His loving arms enveloped me,

And then He helped me stand.

He said, "You still must face this storm,

But I will hold your hand."

So through the dark and lonely night

He guided me through pain.

I could not see the light of day

Or when I'd smile again.

Yet through the pain and endless tears,

My faith began to grow.

I could not see it at the time,

But my light began to glow.

I saw God's love in a brand new light,

His grace and mercy, too.

For only when all self was gone

Could Jesus' love shine through.

Author Unknown

Very great are his mercies. — 1 Chronicles 21:13.

Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. — Luke 8:39.

The Greatest Wisdom is to know

the love of God revealed below;

To know His Son who came in grace,

and died to save a guilty race

From sin and endless woe.

The Greatest Blessing is to have

a living hope beyond the grave;

To have when this short life is done,

a place with Christ beyond the sun,

Who came in love to save.

The Greatest Joy that fills the breast

is peace with God, through Christ possessed;

It makes the heart with rapture swell,

for oh! ‘tis joy unspeakable

To be thus fully blessed.

The Father’s boundless love we sing,

The fountain whence our blessings spring;

How great the depth, how high it flows,

No saint can tell, no angel knows, Tate.

Take, for instance, the eucalyptus tree. It seems especially adapted to antidote the gaseous effects of a polluted atmosphere. It is the loftiest timber tree of Australia; it grows especially in malarious districts, sometimes to a height of five hundred feet. It absorbs moisture to a very remarkable extent, and grows with extraordinary rapidity, covering vast barren districts with a huge forest in a few years. And you may enclose seed enough in an envelope to plant an acre. How like the blessed Gospel, making the tree of life to grow in the worst moral marshes, rapidly, beautifully, gloriously covering the deserts with the foliage and fragrance of heaven! And you may distribute the seed so easily and cheaply.

It is wonderful that an infinite creator and Ruler of the world and a fallen, sinful human being can be in fellowship-the Creator showing Himself to the creature, and the creature leaning, as it were, upon the arm of the Creator. It is a wonder of grace. It comes about through One who is fittingly called Wonderful. Why should we not say hourly, "Lord, what will you have me to do?" yes, or to bear, for it is possible for us to "endure as seeing him who is invisible" (see Hebrews 11:27).

-John Hall

He hath put a new song in my mouth. — Psalm 40:3.

O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. — Psalm 96:1.

The possession of grace fills us with very different feelings from the possession of anything else. A man who has much money is not very anxious that all the world should be rich; one who has much learning does not long that all the world were learned. But if you have tasted the grace of the gospel, the irresistible longing of your heart will be: “Oh, that all the earth might taste its regenerating waters.”

I have a peace, it is calm as a river,–

A peace that the friends of this world never knew,

My Saviour alone is its Author and Giver,

And oh, could I know it was given to you.

Now is the judgment (crisis) of this world … And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. — John 12:31-33.

The place where man reaches the climax of his rebellion and iniquity, in the murder of God’s beloved Son, is where God laid the platform for the display of the richest grace the world had ever seen or known! Here was One who had come from the presence of the Father, with a message and mission of love to men, and for that love they gave Him hate — and death. In the treatment of Joseph, the loved son of Jacob, who was sent by his father to seek the welfare of his brethren (Gen. 37:12-28), and who was hated by them, and sold into slavery, we have a faint picture of this; and in the undying love of Joseph, as later manifested by him for these same brethren, we have a reflection of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, now prevailing, in drawing men unto Him. — T. D. W. Muir.

Tree of the curse, man at his worst,

Depraved, deceived, corrupt and base;

Tree of the curse, God at His best,

A ransom here, 0 sinful race! — W. H. Ferguson.

I was mulling over a recent conversation I had with a disenchanted Christian brother. He was upset with me. So upset that he was considering rescinding his invitation for me to speak to his group. Seems he’d heard I was pretty open about who I have fellowship with. He’d read the words I wrote: “If God calls a person his child, shouldn’t I call him my brother?” And, “If God accepts others with their errors and misinterpretations, shouldn’t we?”

He didn’t like that. “Carrying it a bit too far,” he told me. “Fences are necessary,” he explained. “Scriptures are clear on such matters.” He read me a few and then urged me to be careful to whom I give grace.

“I don’t give it,” I assured. “I only spotlight where God already has.” Later I had a great thought. A 'why-didn’t-I-think-to-say-that?' insight. If the subject resurfaces, I¹ll say it. But in case it doesn’t, I¹ll say it to you. (It’s too good to waste.) Just one sentence:

I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment,

but I’m still stunned by his grace.

Story after story. Prayer after prayer. Surprise after surprise. Seems that God is looking more for ways to get us home than for ways to keep us out. I challenge you to find one soul who came to God seeking grace and did not find it. Search the pages. Read the stories. Envision the encounters. Find one person who came seeking a second chance and left with a stern lecture. I dare you. Search.

You won’t find it. Seems to me God gives a lot more grace than we’d ever imagine. We could do the same.

1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1

The Beauty of Ruth

Boaz’ Care for Ruth

Ruth 2:8–17

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2

The story thus far …

A. Elimelech and his family leaving Judah to go to Moab

B. The reign of deaths: Elimelech, Mahlon, Chilion

C. The three widows left: Naomi, Orpah, Ruth

D. The return of Naomi and Ruth to Bethlehem-Judah

E. Ruth goes out to work

F. The introduction of Boaz

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. For the sake of those visiting this morning, let me recapitulate Ruth to this point

1. The famine in Judah in the time of the judges and Elimelech’s decision

2. Death, marriage, death and 10 years have passed

3. The sad state of 3 widows

4. Naomi’s decision and conversation with her daughters-in-law

5. Ruth’s decision and desire to work

6. Boaz comes to the field and sees Ruth

3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3

Verses 8–9: Boaz speaks to Ruth

A. Here we read Boaz’ invitation to Ruth to continue to glean from his harvest

B. What does Boaz’ way of greeting Ruth imply?

C. What privileges does Boaz give to Ruth?

D. What care does Boaz take of her?

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. 8 And Boaz said unto Ruth, ‘Have you not heard, my daughter? {idiomatic for ‘Listen to me!’} Do not go into the fields of another in order to glean, and moreover, do not pass on from here; also stay close to my maidservants. 9 Let your eyes be in the field where they harvest and go after them. Have not I commanded the reapers not to touch you? And if you be thirsty, you shall go unto the vessels and you shall drink of that which the young men are drawing.’

B. Boaz’ greeting

1. Cannot be taken as a casual statement; approaches being a command

2. Uses same term for Ruth as did Naomi; recognition of family relationship; avuncular

C. Privileges accorded

1. He opens his harvest to her

2. He provides for her refreshment

D. Cares taken

1. His own maidservants to be her companions … for what purposes? … protection, know the way

2. Warning to the men to be careful how they treat her

4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 4

Verses 8–9, cont’d.

A. Boaz' relation to Ruth was that of Go‘el (although there was one nearer than he); this means …?

B. In what ways are Boaz’ actions typical of Christ?

1. Cf Hebrews 2:11, Matthew 12:48-49

2. Cf Matthew 11:28-30

3. Cf John 6:35, 48, 51

4. Cf John 4:10-11, 7:37-38

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. Go’el means Kinsman-Redeemer. This person held a responsibility for those who were part of his clan. It was he who would seek justice on their behalf, who would pursue a man-slayer to bring him to judgement, and would rescue (redeem) them from debt. This is the word that Job used when he said “”And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.” (Job 19:25 NAS), meaning that Job’s Go’el would vindicate Job’s position. Jesus Christ is our Go’el, or Kinsman-Redeemer.

B. Christ

1. Considers those following Him to be His family

2. Issues a gracious invitation to those in need

3. Provides to man spiritual food

4. Provides to man spiritual water

5 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5

Verses 10-12: Boaz, Ruth, and Grace

A. Here we read

1.Ruth’s question of why Boaz’ grace

2.Boaz’ answer

B. What principal element impressed this grace upon Ruth? …what other factors would do so?

C. What things motivated Boaz’ grace?

D. What position is Boaz assuming with respect to Ruth?

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. These are not 3 people! —

1. 10 And she fell upon her face and bowed herself to the earth; and she said unto him, ‘Why have I found favour (Hen – Grace as in Gen 6:8) — I being a foreigner — in your eyes to pay attention to me?’

2. 11 Then Boaz answered and said to her, ‘Truly it has been told to me all which you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, that you forsook your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and you came into a country which you had not formerly known. 12 May Yahweh reward your works, that your reward may be complete from Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you have come in order to seek refuge under His wings.’

B. That she was a foreigner. Other possible factors would be his wealth and importance (see Ruth 2:1 and note Boaz’ credentials: “a mighty man of wealth”; “wealthy and influential man”)

C. What Ruth did

1. Her acts for her mother-in-law

2. Her willingness to leave her family

3. Her coming to a new country

4. Her works before Yahweh, her seeking refuge under His wings

D. His attitude: that of the head of a family blessing one of the family

6 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 6

Verses 10-12, cont’d.

A. What does Exodus 33:19 tells us about God’s grace?

B. What actions and attitudes lead to God’s graciously showing Himself propitious to an individual?

1.Deuteronomy 4:29 (also Jeremiah 29:13)

2.Acts 10:34-35

3. Isaiah 55:7

4.Hebrews 11:6

5. John 1:12 (vv 5-18)

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. Grace is the unilateral action of God

B. Yet God in grace shows Himself propitious to those

1. Deut 4:29 – who seek Him with a full heart

2. Acts 10:34f – who fear (respect) Him attempting to do what is right; John Gill: “though God accepts of such who fear him, and work righteousness from a right principle, and to a right end, without any regard to their being circumcised, or not circumcised, or to their being of this or the other nation, yet their fear of him, and working righteousness, are not the ground of their acceptance”

3. Isaiah 55:7 – repentance, turning from sin to God

4. Hebrews 11:6 – faith and seeking God

5. John 1:12 – accepting the Person of God’s Son by faith

6. Ephesians 2:8-10 says “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (NAS). While there is no way that we can earn salvation, we must not take this to mean that we have no responsibility in the matter of apprehending the salvation that God offers to us.

7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7

Verses 13-14: Further developments

A. Now we read of

1.Ruth’s response to Boaz’ kindness

2.Boaz’ further care for her

B. Ruth’s words:

1. Having found favour, her desire is …?

2.What ways does she see that Boaz has shown favour?

C. What kindnesses did Boaz show at meal time?

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. The conversation:

1. 13 And she said, ‘Let me find favour in your eyes, my lord, because you have encouraged me and because you have spoken kindly of your maidservant; although I am not as one of your maidservants.’

2. 14 At meal-time Boaz said to her, ‘Draw hither and eat from the food and dip your morsel in the vinegar.’ So she sat down by the side of the reapers and he took to her roasted grain. So she ate, was satisfied, and had some left over.

B. Ruth:

1. If she has pleased him that she may do so further

2. He has

a. Encouraged her

b. Spoken kindly

c. In his attitude elevated her up to the position of one of his own maidservants

C. At meal-time Boaz

1. Had her eat with this people and share of the refreshment

2. Served her himself

3. Saw that she had more than enough

8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 8

Verses 13–14, cont’d.

A. How ought a Christian respond to God’s grace?

1. 1 Thessalonians 4:1; by seeking …

2. Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 5:25; by recognizing …

3. Galatians 1:10; by perceiving …

B. Boaz reveals a Christ-likeness in

1. Matthew 10:45, Philippians 2:7

2. Psalm 23:5

3. And he elevated Ruth to be as one of his own people

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. Ruth can be seen as a type of the church or the believer

1. 1 Th 4:1 – In seeking to further please (find favour) with the One who has shown grace to her

2. Gal 2:20, Eph 5:25 – In recognizing the kindness He has shown to her in love and giving Himself for her

3. Gal 1:10 – In perceiving the high privilege of being a servant of Christ

B. Boaz acting in a Christ-like fashion by

1. Matthew 10:45, Phil 2:7 – His servant attitude

2. Ps 23:5 – giving to her in abundance

9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 9

Verses 15-17: The rest of the day

A. Finally we read of

1.Boaz’ instructions

2.Ruth’s working until evening

B. What three instructions did Boaz give?

1.Let her gather AMONG the sheaves

2. Deliberately leave extra for her to glean

3.Do not rebuke her

C. How did Ruth spend the rest of the day?

D. How do you evaluate Boaz’ “care package”?

– - – - – slide above, notes below – - – - -

A. The story continues,

1. With Boaz’ instructions: 15 And when she arose in order to glean, Boaz commanded his menservants, saying, ‘Also among the sheaves let her gather, and do not reproach her; 16 as well, be sure to draw some out for her from the sheaves and leave them that she may glean; and certainly do not rebuke her.’

2. And Ruth’s efforts: 17 So she gleaned in the field until the evening and beat out that which she had gleaned; and there was about an ephah of barley.

B. His instructions

1. Confirms his foreman’s acquiescence to letting her gather AMONG the sheaves – in some way this seems to have been a privilege for a gleaner

2. Made the work easier for her

3. Make this humbling task easier for her by their words

C. Ruth

1. Worked while it was still light – busy;

2. Gained an ephah of barley – approximately ½ bushel – 5 gallons (Imperial) – ¾ cu ft – 30 lbs – 22 litres – 14 kgm; figure that out as flour and how much is it in loaves of bread, etc?

10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10