My Grace Is Sufficient for Thee
God uses trials to bring us to a place of dependence on Him, enlarge our faith, and teach us to trust Him, and to claim His promise, My grace is sufficient for thee.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes that crises and trials are often necessary for spiritual growth, as seen in the lives of Jacob, David, and Paul. These challenges compel believers to deepen their faith and reliance on God's grace, ultimately leading to a victorious life. Simpson illustrates that through hardship, individuals can experience God's sufficiency and learn to trust Him more fully. The sermon highlights that it is in our extremities that we discover the true power and faithfulness of God. Thus, trials serve as a means to draw closer to God and receive the grace we need.
Text
God allowed the crisis that closed around Jacob, on the night when he bowed at Peniel in supplication, to bring him to the place where he could take hold of God as he never would have done. From that narrow pass of peril Jacob came, enlarged in his faith and knowledge of God and in the power of a new and victorious life.
God had to compel David, by a long and painful discipline of years, to learn the almighty power and faithfulness of his God, and to grow up into the established principles of faith and godliness which were indispensable for his subsequent and glorious career as the king of Israel.
Nothing but the extremities in which Paul was constantly placed could ever have taught him, and taught the Church through him, the full meaning of the great promise he so learned to claim, My grace is sufficient for thee. And nothing but our trials and perils would ever have led some of us to know Him as we do, to trust Him as we have and to draw from Him the measures of grace which our very extremities made indispensable.
Sermon Outline
- I. God's Sovereignty in Trials
- A. God allows crises to bring us to a place of dependence on Him
- B. Trials can enlarge our faith and knowledge of God
- II. The Power of Discipline
- A. God compels us to learn His power and faithfulness through discipline
- B. Discipline is necessary for growth in faith and godliness
- III. The Sufficiency of God's Grace
- A. Trials teach us the full meaning of God's promise, My grace is sufficient for thee
- B. We learn to trust God and draw from Him in our extremities
Key Quotes
“Nothing but the extremities in which Paul was constantly placed could ever have taught him, and taught the Church through him, the full meaning of the great promise he so learned to claim, My grace is sufficient for thee.” — A.B. Simpson
“And nothing but our trials and perils would ever have led some of us to know Him as we do, to trust Him as we have and to draw from Him the measures of grace which our very extremities made indispensable.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must learn to trust God in our trials and extremities, and claim His promise, My grace is sufficient for thee.
- God uses trials to bring us to a place of dependence on Him, and to teach us to trust Him and draw from Him in our extremities.
- We must not underestimate the power of discipline in our lives, as it is necessary for growth in faith and godliness.