Creflo Dollar - Living The Grace Life - Part 1
If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Saint John chapter 1, verse 14 and verse 17. I’m gonna read out of the King James and the NLT. This morning, I wanna lay a structure and a foundation and I call this «Living the Grace Life.» How do you do that? How does that work? Saint John chapter 1, verse 14 says: «And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.» Now, he makes it very clear here that Jesus is the one that’s full of grace and full of truth. And then verse 17, he says: «For the law was given by Moses,» the law by Moses. «But grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.»
Now, one of the first things that we wanna understand in living the grace life is that grace never means license to sin, as some people think. It’s on the contrary. It is grace that prevents a believer from sinning. The Bible talks very clear in Romans chapter 6:14, that we are not under the law, but we are under the grace of God. Under the law, that’s when people sin. Under grace, we are free from that. And so grace is to be considered and we need to understand what it is and what it is not. And so, let me give you the definition that we’ll be working with here. Grace unmerited, it is unmerited. It is abounding, which means it increases. It’s the unmerited, abounding provision. Grace is unmerited, abounding provision of the unrestrained operation of God’s infinite love. The unrestrained operation of God’s infinite love. And it happens through Jesus Christ on behalf of mankind, especially for those who depend on him.
Now, let’s look at that one more time. Grace is the unmerited, means it’s not earned. You can’t do anything to deserve it. It is the unmerited abounding provision. Grace is provision and it increases. The unmerited abounding provision of the unrestrained operation of God’s infinite love, the unrestrained, in other words, his infinite love cannot be stopped by your crazy, all right? His infinite love, and it happens through Jesus Christ, right? And it’s on behalf of man. This grace is for mankind. It’s on behalf of mankind, but it is especially, especially, for those who depend on him. That’s big. Those who have more confidence in him than they do in themselves.
And so one of the things I want you to recognize is that God is committed to the protective care and provision for all of his natural creations. What God created, he is committed to taking care of, and he created us, amen? What he created, he’s committed to take care of. Let me give you a few examples. For example, you have the rain, you have the sunshine, and you have the elements in the earth. They’re all a part of his providence for plant life. He created plant life and there’s rain that will provide, there’s sunshine that will provide, the elements there that are gonna provide. Whatever he creates, he is committed to taking care of. And then you have food for animals and all other things that are needed to sustain their lives. These are gifts of his care. This is a gift of his providence.
And so we look at us. We have been created by God and look what he’s given us: food, clothing, shelter, everything needed for the wellbeing of man’s, now, this is a key of man’s natural life. All of these are provisions by the Creator for the benefit of the created. God’s providence, God’s commitment to take care. God’s commitment to provide. Now, in light of that, I just want you to understand that principle that God takes care and provides for what he created, okay? So now in light of that, how does grace fit with this? Well, grace is a similar great and abounding provision of God. Grace is a provision of God. It is something that God has provided. But instead of being for physical creation, it is essentially for the spiritual realm.
Watch this. It is a provision of God to restore all that was lost spiritually because man sinned and makes possible, this grace makes possible and this grace sustains a new creation on a far higher plane than any other creation. The new creation that God provides for a man when he gets born again, that’s something that’s provided by the grace of God that what happened in the garden is not the end of it. God says, «Now, I created you and regardless of what you’ve done, I have provision even for what happened in the garden, I now will supply you with a new creation.» Is everybody following me?
All right, now, this great provision of God is summed up in Romans 8:32 in the NLT. Look at that. This great provision for God is summed up in Romans 8:32. And this great provision is something I really want you to get a hold of. He said in verse 32: «Since he did not spare even his own Son,» he didn’t even spare his own Son, «but he gave him up for us all,» he said, «Now, won’t he also give us everything else?» So he says, «I have given you my own Son. Why are you doubting everything else that you’re gonna need? I created you and look what I gave you, I gave you my Son. I will give you everything else because I am committed to your care.» And so ultimately, here, what I want you to see is that Jesus is that provision for every need of mankind.
I gotta give him a name because grace is more than a curriculum. Grace is more than a subject matter. Grace is a person. His name is Jesus and Jesus is God’s provision. I know a lot of people don’t wanna lack. Jesus is my provision for everything I need. He is my provision. God created me and gave me Jesus, and Jesus is my provision. He’s my provider. He’s my righteousness. He’s everything I ever need. Are you listening to me? So let’s dig into this. This is the grace life, and in living the grace life, you’ve got to know Jesus is my provision. Jesus is my provision and I don’t want you to turn this into a work so you can continue to give yourself credit for what happens.
I want you to believe, but I don’t want you to take your belief and turn it into a work. Mm, I want you to see Jesus every time a need shows up in your life and that’s why it’s so powerful when things happen in your life and you forgot the scripture and you don’t know what that is and you say, «Jesus!» And things start happening because he is my provision. I love scriptures, so let’s look at about six of them right now, okay? All right, here’s the first thing I want you to check out. Let’s look at this. Grace is the operation of God’s love. Look at John 3:16 in the King James book. He’s the operation of God’s love. Notice what he says: «For God so loved the world,» look at what he does out of his love, «that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.»
Grace is the operation of God’s love. Hebrews chapter 2 and 9 in the NLT. Hebrews 2 and 9 in the NLT. He says, «What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position 'a little lower than the angels'; and because he suffered death for us, he is now 'crowned with glory and honor.' Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for every man.» All that came out of his love. Grace is something that is a result of his love. Grace is born out of the love of God. Look at what he’s doing here. This giving of his Son of God in death. For every man is said to be by the grace of God born out of his love. John 1 and 16 in the NLT. I’m just pretty fanatical about you knowing it’s in the Bible, that these speakers are not making none of this stuff up. We just know how to read.
John 1 and 16. He says, «From this abundance, we have all received one gracious blessing after another gracious blessing.» One gracious favor after another gracious favor, and it keeps going on. It’s grace upon grace, upon grace upon grace. And when you think he’s about out of it, it’s grace and blessings and blessings and grace and blessings and grace. Those who receive grace upon grace, out of his fullness are the same whom Jesus loved unto the end. It’s born out of his love. Ephesians 1 and 4. Ephesians 1 and 4 in the NLT. He says, «Even before he made the world,» now this got me kind of choked up as I was look, check what he said. «Even before he made the world.»
You gotta understand that stuff that happens in life, it doesn’t surprise God, doesn’t catch God off guard. He doesn’t have to go back and restructure stuff. Even before he made the world, God loved us. That blows my mind. Before he made the world, he loved me, okay? Before he made the world, he loved me. God loved us and he chose us before he made the world, okay? He chose us in Christ. He saw us in Christ because before he made the world, to be holy. He saw me holy in Christ before he made the world, hallelujah. And he saw me without fault in his eyes before he made the world. So no matter what it looks like right now, I believe what God saw before he made the world. And before he made the world, he saw me holy.
Before he made the world, he saw me righteous. He gave me a stance, praise God. He gave me something to stand on while I was going through my transformation. He gave me, and I’m not coming off that stance. I am holy, I am righteous. I am out without fault. And then your neighbor might say, «I don’t see it like that,» but that doesn’t matter. God sees it like that. And now we need to see it like God sees it. Are you listening to me? Man, and all of those who chose to be before him in love. Ephesians 2, verse 7, in the NLT. This is my last one. I just, God’s amazing. He’s awesome. You cannot live this grace life without a relationship with Jesus. Christianity will not be fruitful if you think it’s just rule-keeping.
Christianity requires a relationship because everything in this new covenant is heart-based and we keep trying to do things law-based. When it’s heart-based, you’re not looking at whether it’s 10% or 90%. What is my heart telling me to do? When it’s heart-based, you’re not going to church because, oh, I wanna fulfill my duty and obligation. When it’s heart-based, you’re not keeping up with the time when you’re in prayer. Get rid of the measurements. Get to know Jesus and he’ll start showing you stuff that’s in the Bible that you didn’t know was in the Bible. And one day you start reading it and realize he told you before you saw it. That’s what relationship does. I need to seriously calm down. This really happens to me.
Ah, all right, so here’s the second part I wanna look at from that definition that God’s love is infinite. It’s infinite. Look at 1 John chapter 4 and 16. God’s love is infinite. «We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.» Have you put your trust in his love? We have put our trust in his love. «God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.» As God is infinite. How many of you know God is infinite, right? Then so are his attributes. His character is infinite. Therefore, that love which is must be infinite. That love doesn’t have a date where it’s over. That love doesn’t have, well, based on what you did, it’s over. You saw he said he loved you before he created the world.
Why would you ever ask the question, «Well, God, do you still love me?» You’re trying your best to try to get him out of love with you. He ain’t gonna do it. Some of you are trying to divorce God. He ain’t gonna do it. He gonna be following you everywhere you go. You go get drunk, he gonna be right there with you. You go buy a little prostitute at the little, he gonna be right there with you.
You think you can just divorce God and go somewhere? He said, «No, I’m tied to you. I’m invested in you. I’m not going nowhere. Your crazy ain’t crazy enough. Your sin is never gonna be bigger than my grace and my love for you. I dare you to try me. I ain’t going nowhere. You can be high as a kite. You can go back to everything you said you weren’t gonna go back to. I’m gonna still be there, right there, and I’m not canceling the assignment on your life. That assignment is still gonna be on your life. I will not leave you. I will not forsake you. I am eternal infinite love. You can’t get rid of me. Even if you’re on your death bed and getting ready to die, eventually, you gonna recognize you still married to me. I’m not going nowhere.»
All right, let me slow down. We keep trying to make sin greater than grace and it’s not and it will never be, because when sin increases, grace will keep increasing more. You walk around here actually thinking that your mess is bigger than his grace. Ooh, Jesus. God’s love is infinite because the measure of it, his only begotten Son, is infinite. Oh, the grace of God. I gotta slow down because I’m a cry baby now and I’m just, I’m thinking about, you know, when you have a relationship with him, you know, when you have a relationship with him, the grace of God flowing from infinite love is inexhaustible. It can never fail. One moment, folks, just a little bit. Just 20 seconds. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. I never try to exalt anything above, a new life.
All right, all right. Let’s look at this next one. Living the grace life. Understanding that grace is, watch this, unmerited. Quit trying to bring something to the table. If it’s by grace, it’s not by works. All right, now listen to me now. Man can do nothing or contribute nothing to that which God does in grace nor do anything to merit it. He can’t do anything to it. Now I’m really led to do something right here. Go to Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 and 9. I think I need to make it very clear. We get kind of messed up on works, okay? And we get upset because we’re always saying, «Well, what do you do? Well, what do you do? Well, what do you do?» And I’m gonna go over this again, but he says, «God saved you by his,» what? «Grace.»
When did he save you? When you believed, okay? And you can’t take credit for this. It is a, what? A gift. You can’t earn it, right? Verse 9. Watch this. «Salvation is not a reward for good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it,» right? Verse 10, and I’ll look at it a little bit more. «For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created a anew and created us anew in Christ.» Now, look at verse 10 in the King James for a moment. I want you to see what’s happening here. Did you hear what he just said? You’re God’s workmanship. So there’s some work that God can do on you that you can’t do on yourself. «We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.» So God has work. Works, three types of works. God has work. His work is you, all right?
God ain’t gonna never… see, he started a work in you. He’s not gonna turn it over to you to finish it. If he started a work in you, he’s gonna continue to work in you and he gonna finish the work in you. So I ain’t worried about his work. Somebody said, «Well, what if I’m not finished when he come back?» That’s on him. But I’m gonna be finished. See, he working on you right now. He working on me right now. «I am his workmanship unto,» watch this, «good works.» So, now we’ve got God’s works and we’ve got good works. Good works are born out of your heart. Good works are not good works because of the action of the work. Good works are good works because of the motivation behind the works.