Creflo Dollar - The Gifts of Grace and Faith - Part 1
I believe over the next month as you hear these teachings, and listen, I’d love to be able to teach the whole series in one thing, but it’s like an onion, I gotta peel this back. But what’s going to happen is as we begin to discover and get detail on things that we thought we knew, you’re going to begin to see the manifestations of the promises of God and it’ll be with sweatless victory, watch this, instead of sweating to try to get it. And so I pray for you and your house and your family and everything that you’ve been going through, that the Lord will bring some of those discomforting, painful situations to an end. That everything Jesus has given you, you will now know how to take it and receive it and walk in it and to turn to your friends and people around you and say, «There it is».
I want to show you how to move what God has finished from the unseen dimension to this physical seen dimension without sweat. Go ahead and praise the Lord like he’s already done it, go ahead and praise him like he’s already done, go ahead and praise him like he’s already done it. Amen, you may be seated. If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Ephesians Chapter 2, Ephesians chapter 2, beginning at verse 8. And sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s the small foxes that spoil the vine. If you read the Word of God and you get a wrong interpretation or just kinda miss out on the fullness of what it means, it can affect your outcome. Verse 8, and y’all pray for me today, «Sweet lips, Pastor Dollar,» say that, «Sweet lips».
Right, because sweet lips increase learning, sweet lips, yeah, sweet lips, all right, ready? He says, «For by grace are you saved through faith; and that,» underline the word «that». No, underline it or you have computers, I apologize, make note of the word «that,» «For by grace are you saved through faith; and that,» that’s huge, «and that not of yourselves: it,» that’s important too, «it is the gift of God». Verse 9, «Not of works, lest any man should boast. Not of works,» or this gift is not available because you performed or labored to get it.
If you performed and labored to get it, it would no longer be qualified as a gift, but something you earned or deserved because you labored to get it. And it also literally means not of the works of the law, which is a performance-based agreement. And he says the reason why it is not gonna be of your works or your labor to get this gift, he says, «lest any man should boast». So what God gifts to us, you can’t boast on your behalf. The only way you’re gonna be able to boast is to boast about him. 10, «For we are his workmanship,» God’s work, «We are his workmanship,» which means God’s work is us, that’s awesome. God’s working on you, say it out loud, «God’s working on me». We are his workmanship, oh, that’s awesome. You’re seated here minding your own business and God’s working on you.
As I teach this, he’s working on you. When you go home, he’s working on you. When somebody cuss you out, he’s working on you, «Why the Lord had me get cussed out,» he working on you. «Oh, I lost my job,» he working on you, «How are you working on me»? See, all of those are opportunities to mature and to grow. «For we are his workmanship, created,» we’re created, «in Christ Jesus,» now watch this, «unto good works». So good works are huge here, but good works are not added to the gift, so that the gift can do what it needs to do. Good works will come from the gift, «which God hath ordained that we should walk». He’s ordained for us to walk in those good works. I’ll show you scriptures in this series where God said, «I saved you by grace so you can do good works».
But he didn’t say, «You have to add works to my grace in order for my grace to work». What he said was, «My grace doesn’t need your work, but my grace will produce out of you and from you good works because of the gift I gave you». So without the gift, good works wouldn’t flow out of you. «So I gave you a gift so that good works can come out of you». So when somebody knock on your door and say I’m hungry and naked, good works, if you really got that gift, it’s just gonna flow out of you. The fruit of the Spirit flows out of you because of the grace of God. Yeah, all right, now let’s go back and, verse 8 and let’s dissect this for a moment.
He says, «For by grace are you saved,» now here’s the big thing. We know that grace, by its definition, it is unmerited favor, it is unmerited favor, it is unmerited in abounding provision, in the unrestricted or unrestrained operation of this love that comes out of Jesus Christ towards… and it’s for human beings, mankind. But it’s especially for those who will depend on him. And now watch this, «For by grace,» so we know that grace is already a gift, right? By definition, grace is a gift, it’s unmerited, a gift is unmerited, unearned, a gift is unearned. So by definition, you know that grace is a gift, «For by grace are you,» what? He didn’t say, «For by grace are you born again».
This is huge, he did not say, «For by grace you are born again,» now, are you born again by grace? Yes, but he didn’t say you’re born again by the grace of God. It’s more to born again, yes, you’re born again by the grace of God, but he uses a word here «saved». I’m gonna look at two Greek words, the first one is «soteria,» «For by grace are you sozo,» or «soteria». Now put this on the screen for me, «For by grace are you saved,» soteria. Now, this means something. I want everybody to see it, yeah, this means something, so by grace are you, you have deliverance, preservation, safety, protection. You’re delivered from the molestation of the enemies. In an ethical sense, that which concludes to the soul safety and salvation, so you’re delivered from the attacks of your soul. The Messianic salvation, which includes all of those things that Jesus has made available for you and to you, all the finished works of Jesus.
All right, now let’s put it in College Park understanding. He gave you the gift of protection, soundness, safety, healing, deliverance, all of the finished works of Jesus is what you got by grace. By grace, you are born again, by grace, you are delivered, by grace, you are sound, by grace, you are healed, by grace, you are equipped to deal with the enemy. By grace, all of what you’re sweating to try to get has been gifted to you by grace. We limited that to just born again, but it’s not just born again. It’s born again, it’s delivered, it’s protected, it’s healed, it’s all of the finished works of Jesus. It’s everything to dealing with the enemy trying to come against you, you’re equipped for that. The enemy trying to attack your soul, you’re equipped for that, brokenness in your heart, you’re equipped for that.
You are equipped right now for that, but we’ve been working to try to get these things when we already got these things, by grace. If I give you a box and in the box there is a t-shirt, and you go around talking about, «I need to go to work and get extra hours 'cause I need to buy a t-shirt». And I’m like, «You got a t-shirt». «Where is it»? «It’s in a box». «Well, how do I know it’s in the box? I mean, the box is all wrapped up». «It’s in the box. Unwrap the gift». I’m saying to you, church, unwrap the gift.
All right, so that’s soteria, now, let’s look at another Greek word sozo, S-O-Z-O, «For by grace do you have sozo,» to save, to keep safe, sound, to rescue from danger or destruction, one (from injury or peril.) So any type of thing you go, to save a suffering one (from perishing), suffering from disease, to make well, to heal, to restore to health. By grace are you saved from suffering disease, you’re saved and made well. You’re healed by grace, you’re restored to health by grace. «No, I got to work to get to it».
Unwrap the gift. It’s been gifted to you. Oh my goodness. Now, something needs to change in our thinking when it comes to you trying to do something to get what’s already been gotten. You have to change your thinking to realize I have it now as a gift to me by grace, I am healed by grace. Now, here’s the thing, we’ve been trained to look at what we can see and we don’t stand on what we don’t see. You are, not going to be, not trying to be, well, I hope to be, you’ve got to move to this place of «I am saved, delivered, healed, protected».
Now, that’s got to be present tense continuum, it’s gotta be something you receive now without seeing. If you make reservation on the phone or online, you know, you may not see what you reserved until you get there, but somehow or another, we’re living by faith in everyday situations. You came to church by faith. Now, go back to Ephesians 2, y’all see how we’re gonna do this? Now, watch these fascinating things that come to place now with that in mind, «For by grace are you,» it’s a much bigger word now, right? Much bigger word, saved, healed, all right, I’m gonna call it out and then you just say, «already done,» ready? Healed, sound, preserved, delivered, whole, mmm, prosperous, restored, defeated enemies, That ought to get you preaching to somebody. You’re going through something and they don’t know.
There’s something up here trying to feel sorry for you, you’re going through something and they don’t know that you already know. Oh no, honey, don’t get this twisted, I already got it. I don’t get it twisted, it’s been gifted to me. Don’t get it twisted, I know who I am. Don’t get it twisted, I know physically I might be in a situation and emotionally I might be in a situation, but I am now just being transformed. It’s like the air conditioning unit, it can be hot in the house, but when you change the thermostat, everything starts working to reach the desired temperature. I’m trying to change your thermostat this morning so that the angels of God, the Holy Ghost of God, the name of Jesus of God, everything will start working to bring you to that setting.
So today I’m gonna talk to you about true faith. «For by grace are you», you’ll never be able to say that one word again without thinking all of the other stuff. And here it is. So everything that’s been made available, we access this through what? We access this through what? All right, real quick, Romans 5:2 and Romans 4:16. In the NLT, Romans 5:2 and Romans 4. We’ll come back to this now. All right, verse 2, «Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand,» isn’t that interesting? «We now stand,» glory to God, «and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing,» watch this, «God’s glory,» or these manifestations I started off talking to you about.
Glory here is the manifested word, and notice how it starts, beginning of verse 2 again, notice how it starts. He says that, «Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege». It’s not because of our labor, not because of our effort, not because of our performance, do you see this? It is because of our faith that he has brought us into these undeserved privileges. So I am all that he has done, all right, because of my faith. Now look at Romans 4:16, now this is gonna be a little shocking, but I’ve got to take my time on this, but, amen, here we go. He says, «So the promise is received,» all of the promises, we just, we talked about the promises of «sozo» and «soteria,» right? «All of the promise is received».
See, all of these gifts have to be received. They gotta be received. We’ve been trained, we’ve been working for it. They gotta be received. Get a picture of that, they gotta be received. I have a gift in my hands, I extend that gift to you, it’s gotta be what? Received, it’s got to be taken, it’s got to be received. It doesn’t require you to work to get it, you already got it, it’s got to be received. Not working to get healed, not working for soundness, not working for preservation, but receiving, receive. Say it, received, this promise is received, and guess what faith is? Faith is your receiver mechanism, faith is your receiver mechanism. Faith is not your go-get it mechanism, faith is your receiver, it’s your receiving mechanism.
So God gave you grace, which is a gift, watch this, «So the promise is received by faith, it» what is this it referring to? Faith, «it is given as a free gift». It’s interesting because the promise was given as a free gift and faith was given as a free gift. «And we are all certain to receive it whether or not we live according to the law of Moses». You don’t need faith to live by the law, 'cause the law is clear, do this and this happens. You don’t need faith to live by the law, but you need faith to receive under this new covenant what Jesus has already given you. And «if we have faith, like Abraham’s, for Abraham is the father of all who believe».
He’s not just the father of all Jewish people, he’s the father of all who receive, he’s the father of receivers who received like him. And how did he receive, «Abraham, you’re gonna have a son». Abraham, he said, «I’m 100, my wife, she’s 90-something. We old, we ain’t, we don’t have the equipment. There’s nothing we can do to make this happen. We old, we don’t even feel like getting it on. There’s nothing we can do to make this happen.
If this is going to happen, if this promise is going to take place, you gonna have to do it. All we can do is believe and receive this child. We can the only thing we can do is receive an Isaac. We can’t make him, we can’t work for him, we have to receive an Isaac». But religion’s taught you now you got to sweat for an Isaac, you got to perform for an Isaac, you got to do all these things to get an Isaac. And he says, «No, no, no, I only require for you to hear the promise, believe the promise, and take the promise, I ain’t asked you to do nothing else».