Frustrating the Grace of God

Dick Schell

Midland SDA Church

September 6, 2014

Scripture – Galatians 2:21

What is meant by “the grace of God?” Clara Barton was a Red Cross worker in Cuba during the Spanish – American War. Colonel Theodore Roosevelt came to her one day and wanted to buy certain supplies for his men. She refused to give him these things although he knew she had them.  He told her that they were needed and told her that he was ready to pay for them. She said, “You can’t buy them.” He asked, “How can I get them, then? “Just ask for them, Colonel,” she said, “Just ask for them,” He smiled and said, “Then I do ask for them with all the earnestness of my heart.” And he received them.

Now that is grace-when you need something and can’t buy it, but it is given to you freely. Salvation is the grace of God, something you need but cannot buy with all the money in the world, but which is given to you freely, without money and without price. “It is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

If I worked for a man for $1,000 per month and at the end of the month he pays me $1,000, it is my reward, I have earned it. But if he gives me $100 extra at the end of the month, that is grace. I did not earn it. I did not deserve it; he gave it to me out of a heart of love. That is human grace. But oh, how much greater is God’s grace, divine grace. You were a sinner, you spurned His love, you rejected His Son, and you trampled His invitations underfoot. Although you did not deserve it and ought to be forever condemned, He saved you and will take you to heaven. That is God’s divine grace, His amazing grace.

Someone has said that ‘grace is love outliving itself. It is God’s plan to do a great work of grace in our hearts to bring salvation, to bless others, to make us better and finer citizens of the kingdom of heaven. But we often frustrate that grace. What do we mean by “frustrating”? Let me illustrate. A father has great plans for his only son. He plans for him to finish high school and college and enter business with him. But the boy is lazy; he quits school, drifts from place to place, and winds up running an elevator or just plain loafing. He has frustrated the plans of the father and is a great disappointment to him. God has wonderful plans for every one of us. But because of our sin, selfishness and disobedience we often frustrate His grace and disappoint Him.

WE FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD BY GIVING ALL OF OUR ATTENTION TO THIS WORLD

God has wonderful plans for us, but they never work out if every thought is of material and earthly things.

Years ago in France a miser dug a cave cellar, and each day he would go there and count his wealth. One day the wind blew his door closed and the spring lock caught and imprisoned him in the cave. He perished there miserably since no one was nearby. The house was later sold, and they found his skeleton on the cold ground, with his money surrounding him.

Many people today are being ruined by the love of money, pleasure and this world. They pile up millions but lose their souls. They spend their time in gaining and getting and seeking, but have no time to give to God who wishes to work out His purpose in their lives.

A Christian visited a worldly man, and the man showed him his mansion. When they came to the tower the man pointed out to him the surrounding countryside. “It is all mine.” he said. “The field is mine, the farms are mine, and all you see is mine. Once I was a poor boy, but I worked and saved and invested, and now it’s all mine.” “This is all on earth,” said the other man, “but what do you own up there?” “Where?” he asked. “What do you own up in heaven?” asked his friend. “I’m afraid not much.” “Then one day,” said the other man, “you will have to leave it all. You can’t take anything with you, so you’re nothing more than a beggar.”  The poor old man burst into tears with plenty on earth but no hope for the future. He died within a month.

Yes, God has plans for us but, He can’t work them out if we give all of our time and thought to this world.

Bulletin Insert – Amazing Grace – Second Stanzas x 2 - Congregation

PARENTS FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD BY NEGLECTING THE SPIRITUAL WELFARE OF THEIR CHILDREN

God gave you your children. Do you remember when that wonderful baby was placed in your arms? How proud you were! How your heart swelled with joy! You were greatly moved and you said,” God has been good to me, I’m going to be a better person. I’m going to live the right way and set the right example for him. But you haven’t kept that promise. You neglected to train him rightly, you took him to Sabbath School you took him to church, yet, he never heard a prayer fall from your lips, he never saw you read the bible, and you never told him you wanted him to be saved.

God had some plans for him and expected your cooperation, but you were neglectful. You frustrated the grace of God. God had some plans for Moses’ life. Pharaoh’s daughter, although she was not Moses’ real mother, cooperated with those plans, trained Moses and imparted wisdom to him and with his mother’s spiritual guidance Moses became ready to carry out God’s plan for him.

Many times children are born to parents who are too busy or too indifferent to pay any attention to the spiritual welfare of the children. The children grow up without parental example or teaching. When the children grow older the parents begin to take an interest in spiritual things. But the children are not interested. The parents try to get them to come to church but it is all in vain. They have begun to run with the wrong crowd and are living lives displeasing and hurtful to their parents. 

You are free to leave God out of your life when the children are growing up. You can critize the church and the pastor. You can leave the restraining influence of the church out of your family life. But one day your heart will be broken by your children’s conduct and indifference.

A man went out into the field one hot day with his little girl. He became sleepy and lay down beneath the shade of a tree. The little girl found some flowers and cried out, “Look Daddy, how pretty.” But he had gone to sleep. Soon he awoke, and his first thought was, “Where is the child?” He shouted her name but there was no response. He ran to the edge of the cliff and down on the rocks and briers he saw the mangled form of his beloved little one. He rushed to the spot, took her in his arms, and weepingly accused himself of her death. Mothers and fathers are going to sleep spiritually, and their children are drifting into sin.

Mothers wet their pillows with their tears and the hearts of fathers are broken because of their children. Years earlier they could have won their children to Christ and a better life, but they went to sleep and frustrated the grace of God.

BACKSLIDERS FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD

Once, when you first joined the church, you were faithful and active and useful, and therefore happy. But now you are a backslider. You seldom go to church, you sporadically read your bible, and your prayers are quick and on the run and your contributions are given with reluctance, or lack of enthusiasm. With all of that you have lost the joy that once was yours.

David was a great man of God who could say, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” He could say “God is our refuge and strength.” But this mighty man of God sinned grievously. When he did, he lost something. He lost joy, the joy of his salvation. He was a backslider, and he never found joy until he repented of his sin and came back to God. If sin has tripped you up, you’ll never find happiness and joy again until you come back to God, confessing that sin and repenting of it.

A certain man came to a revival meeting. He had once been a faithful Christian and church member but he had been a backslider for years. He sobbed out his sin and confessed to God and found peace. The next night he came back and said to the pastor, “I have had a wretched day. I have several children. They are all grown. I went to see them today and told them what the Lord had done for me. I tried to win them to Christ but they only mocked me.” This reminds us of the story of Lot. He lived for a time for the world and not for God. When he finally realized what Sodom stood for and all of its sins, he tried to persuade his grown-up children to go with him, get right with God and seek a righteous life, they only laughed at him.

God wants you. He wants to use you. He wants you to have a good influence. If you have backslidden, if you have drifted, come back, and cease frustrating God.

Bulletin Insert – Amazing Grace – Third Stanzas x 2 - Congregation

WE FRUSTRATE THE GRACEOF GOD WHEN WE HINDER THE WORK OF HIS CHURCH

It is God’s plan for His church to go forward. Every year the church ought to reach more people and have more influence for Christ. Yet in every church there are members who hold its work back. They object to everything, they “grip” about everything and it seems to hurt them to see the church go forward. It is difficult to understand such Christianity. If you have been saved by the grace of God, surely you ought to be happy to pull together with the other members of the church and help to advance its cause. God help you not to frustrate the grace of God by doing anything or living in such a way to hurt the church.

SINNERS FRUSTRATE THE GRACE OF GOD BY PUTTING OFF AGAIN THE QUESTION OF SALVATION

It is God’s desire that you be saved. He tells us that He “has no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” and that He is not willing that any should perish.” He has given you the privilege of being brought up in a Christian land. You have been to Sabbath school and church many times. Often you have heard the gospel and the way of eternal life. All of your life you have expected to be saved. You never have planned to be a godless old man or woman, yet you have let the years go by.

Dr. Theodore Cuyler was a pastor in New York. One cold winter evening he was a guest in the home of a rich merchant who was not a Christian. As the wind blew around the door the man said, “It’s an awful night for the poor.” Then he went upstairs and came back with a roll of bills in his hand. He gave the money to the preacher and said, “Please hand this out to the poorest people you know.” Dr. Cuyler took the money and used it for the poor. The next day the preacher wrote a letter to the merchant and thanked him for the gift. Then he wrote, “How is it that a man is so kind to his fellow creatures is so unkind to the Savior as to refuse Him his heart?” The letter touched the man’s heart. He realized what he had been doing, so he sent for the preacher and gave his heart to Christ.

You may be kind, you may be honest, you may be good and generous, but you are lost if you have not opened up your heart to the Savior. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” Why not let him in? He brings all the glories of heaven and earth with Him. Don’t’ make Him stand outside the door of your heart.

A young man was sinking into death in the hospital. He received a letter from his sister, and a friend read it to him. The last sentence read, “Oh, my dear brother, when you get this letter, won’t you accept your sister’s Savior? The young man cried out, “It’s too late, it’s too late.” Friends, it is not too late for you? The Holy Spirit is calling. God wants to save you. Don’t frustrate His plans by turning your back on Him and putting Him off.

Bulletin Insert– Amazing Grace – Fourth Stanzas x 2 – Congregation

A man dreamed that he stood at the gates of heaven. He wondered if he would be allowed to enter. He saw a great company, clothed in white and singing coming into the gates. “Who are you?” they were asked. “We are the godly fellowship of the prophets.”

Alas, “said the man, “I cannot enter with you. He watched as the group entered the gates and the air swelled with a song of welcome. Another company came forward and they said, “We are the noble army of martyrs.” “Alas said the man, “I cannot enter with you.” Another group came forward and said, “We were the faithful gospel preachers.” “Alas. said the man, “I was no preacher.” These groups were admitted immediately.

Another group came forward. Among this group were Saul of Tarsus, Mary Magdalene, the thief who died on the cross, and many others. They sang out. We were the company of lost sinners, whom no man could number, of every tongue and tribe under the sun, but we were saved by the blood of the Lord Jesus our Savior.” Then the man said in his dream, “Thank God, I can go in with them.” We, too, were sinners, but we trusted Him who died on the cross of Calvary and were saved.

This group entered the gates, but they said, “There will be no songs for us, for we were great sinners.” But to their great surprise. The shouts were louder, the songs were sweeter, and the welcome was far greater than that of the others.

My brothers and sisters will you not join that number? Bring all your sins, all your sorrow, all your burdens to Jesus. He alone can help you. He alone can save your soul. He alone can take you to heaven.

2 Peter 3:18 – But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever, Amen.

Closing Song:

Bulletin Insert – Amazing Grace – Fifth Stanzas + 2 additional – Congregation