Mercy and Grace
We can live a life pleasing to God by trusting in His promises and doing His will, receiving mercy for our past sins and grace for our time of need.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the distinction between mercy and grace, explaining that mercy pertains to the forgiveness of past sins, while grace is essential for our future needs, especially during times of temptation. He illustrates this with the example of Peter sinking in the sea, highlighting that in moments of struggle, we can cry out for grace and receive immediate help from Jesus. Poonen reassures believers of God's promises that He will not allow us to face temptations beyond our ability to endure and that He is able to keep us from stumbling. With these assurances, he encourages a life dedicated to doing God's will, free from sin.
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We are told to come boldly "to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). Mercy and grace are not the same. Mercy refers to the forgiveness of our sins. That relates to our past. But we also need grace - for our time of need, in the future.
Our time of need is when we are tempted, when we are about to fall - just like Peter, when he was about to sink in the sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:30). That's when we should cry out for grace; and just as Jesus stretched out His hand immediately to hold Peter, we'll find that we get grace too, so that we stand and don't fall.
There are wonderful promises in God's Word that assure us that God will keep us from falling. Just look at some of these:
First of all, God promises that He will never allow us to be tempted by any temptation that is too strong for us to overcome: "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10:13).
God's Word also says : "He is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless" (Jude 24).
With these and many other wonderful promises given us in God's Word, there is no need for us to sin any more. Our life can henceforth be lived to do the will of God alone (as it says in 1 Peter 4:2).
Sermon Outline
- Mercy and Grace
- Our Time of Need
- God's Promises
- God's Faithfulness in Temptation
- God's Ability to Keep Us from Stumbling
- Grace - Help in Time of Need
Key Quotes
“We are told to come boldly 'to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need' (Heb. 4:16).” — Zac Poonen
“Just as Jesus stretched out His hand immediately to hold Peter, we'll find that we get grace too, so that we stand and don't fall.” — Zac Poonen
“With these and many other wonderful promises given us in God's Word, there is no need for us to sin any more.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We can trust in God's faithfulness to keep us from being tempted beyond what we can handle.
- We can apply God's promises to our lives by doing His will and trusting in His ability to keep us from stumbling.
- We can live a life pleasing to God by receiving mercy for our past sins and grace for our time of need.