Prevailing People 3
Last week: Jacob spent his life working schemes, to get what God had already promised
Jacob was living out how he was identified – scoundrel, heel, trickster
He had to learn how God saw him & who God made him to be
Grace
1. God stoops down from where He is to give you gifts that you don’t deserve,
because of who you are, not because of what you’ve done
2. Grace is Empowerment for ministry (charis, charismato); spiritual gifts
God gives me what I need to do what I’m purposed to do
Grace gifts give me an Edge
I am already set up for success
3. Grace is the Presence of God in your life, and Access into His Presence
Genesis 39:1–5, 20-23
Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field.
Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him…
20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. 22 And the keeper of the prison put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The keeper of the prison paid no attention to anything that was in Joseph’s charge, because the Lord was with him. And whatever he did, the Lord made it succeed.
Joseph was successful – as a servant & as a prisoner
Success is not about money – it’s about becoming who God made you
Who or what did God make Joseph to be?
God made Joseph to be in charge – Gen 41:40
God didn’t make Joseph to interpret dreams – that was his spiritual gift
How did Joseph ascend? God was with him
Grace is the Presence of God in your life…
Regardless of the external circumstances
How did Joseph come to understand Grace when his father had difficulty with Grace?
The coat of many colors
Joseph received the gift because of who he was, not what he had done
1. Joseph received the gift because of who he was, not what he had done
2. God was with him
3. Interpreting dreams was Joseph’s gift – not his purpose
These are all definitions of Grace
Would you say that…
When Joseph walked in his grace, other people’s lives became better
After you receive Grace you extend Grace
2 Cor 5:16–21
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ,
and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them,
and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us:
we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. – Grace
We are supposed to be Grace Ambassadors
With the message…
If we looked on your Facebook, or Instagram, or SM page – what’s the message?
Have you had to “put someone in their place”?
Question: Why do we find it difficult to extend Grace?
1. We don’t have many experiences of receiving things we don’t working for
We think we worked for what we have – so we want others to work, too
2. We want to make sure that someone pays for the offense against us
God was the offended party
Yet, He was the initiator of Reconciliation
1st definition of Grace:
God stoops down from where He is to give you gifts that you don’t deserve
We need to learn how to stoop
Until we learn to stoop, we will not experience the “fulness of His Grace”
We will limit our Access into His Presence
Grace empowers you to Succeed
Other people will be better
Rom 5:17
By one man's offense death reigned through the one,
much more those who receive abundance of grace
and of the gift of righteousness
will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
“Grace is my experience of the generosity of God”
o Amazing
o Abundant
When I become Abundant Grace, I become an expression of the generosity of God