Joseph Prince - Superabounding Grace Today
Are you ready for the Word? All right, look up here, John chapter 1. "And the Word became flesh". Isn't it precious? Don't you think that the Creator of the heavens and the earth is a wonderful God? "And He became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth". I love this. Full of what? Full of grace and truth. Jesus came full of grace and truth. Now, that means what? He was full of unearned, undeserved favor for all of us. That's why the prostitutes, the sinners, the tax collectors, the social outcasts could touch Jesus and receive their miracle, receive their healing, whereas the Pharisees that trust in their own goodness could not receive from Jesus, amen? He's for the what? Undeserving. He's full of grace for the undeserving and unmeriting. That's all of us, amen? So, if you can understand grace in your weakest moment, in the moment that you have just failed, you can reach out and receive your miracle. Praise be to God, oh, hallelujah.
Now, let's look at this verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 9. It says, "And God is able". Let's all read together, shall we? "And God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work". Now, how many want to have God making all grace, all favor abound towards you? How many want that? Father, take down notes. How many want that? All those that's watching. Amen, you want that? Yes, we all want that. Amen? Our mama didn't raise no fool, right? Now, how many want that you always, good times, bad times, downturns, upturns, all right, whether Greek had a debt crisis, whether Italy has a debt crisis. Always means what? Always. That you always having how much? All sufficiency. How many things? In all things may have an abundance for? Every good work. Wow, that's a mouthful, isn't it?
God wants all favor to abound towards you that you always, good times and bad times, having all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work, got it? But the problem is this, when you read this verse in the King James or even New King James it says, "And God is able to make". To make is what? Future tense, isn't it? God is able to make. Now once you put something in future tense, you're never really sure that it is true for you now, because every time you read, "And God is able to make," you wish that all these promises, they are true in your life. But because it says, "God is able to make," future tense, there's always like, you know, a remote possibility it won't happen to you. But if I tell you in the Greek it is not future tense. In the Greek it's present active indicative. It's gonna blow you away, man. You know what it's saying actually or not? It's saying this in the Greek, all right, this is Joseph Prince version. "And God," literally present active means "continuously enabling all grace to abound towards you". Continuously.
Right now God is causing all favor, all grace to abound towards you right now, right now even as I speak. Right now all favor, all grace is abounding towards you, amen. That you always have all sufficiency and all things may abound to every good work. So, in the present active indicative, the Greek verb, literally tells us this is, indicative means it's a reality that is happening right now. And that's why we should have removed the italics as well as the future tense of the Old King James and put down literally, God is continuously powering up, dynamiting all grace towards you. God is literally enabling all grace to flow towards you.
So, someone will say, "Well, Pastor Prince, if this is true, if God is powering all grace towards me, he's continuously enabling all grace to abound towards me, why is it I'm not seeing all sufficiency in all things, why"? Good question. For additional tape copies please write, okay. Now, why is that true, why, why? Well, the thing is this, number one, we are very, very flesh conscious. We are materialistic conscious. We are a people that goes by sight. All right, since young, we do not know God's ways. God's ways is what? Ways of faith. Now, what God is saying is like this, listen, look up here. Some people teach faith like this and it's error, it's not accurate. Some people teach faith "When you have enough faith, it will affect, it will produce what you want". That's how they teach it. Now, that's wrong. New-age people teach that. All right, that's wrong.
Now, Bible faith is this. Bible faith is open up your spiritual eyes to see what God is already doing in your life, amen. It is not you believe long enough, the healing will be there. No, open your eyes to see the healing is all over you and start thanking God that you are healed, amen. That's faith. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11, verse 1, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen". One translation says, "Faith substantiates the invisible". In other words, right now, you can't see all favor abounding towards me. You can't see all favor abounding towards you. But if you have faith, you will say, "Thank you, Father. Thank you, Father. I receive it," amen. Even though your pocket right now, you don't have even $10, for example, if you thank God that all favor is abounding towards you, God will do miracles because everything works by faith.
Now again I repeat, faith doesn't mean you have faith, you make the thing real. No, it is already real in the invisible realm. Your faith substantiates what is real in your life. Jesus lived this way. When he see a man with a withered hand, he didn't say, "Wow, very withered, ah"? All right? He looked at the hand and says, "Stretch forth your hand". You don't tell someone whose hand is withered, "Stretch forth your hands," unless you see something that no one else sees. You see a lot of grace. Because he came to that person, he's now full of grace, full of undeserved favor for that person. He just, "Stretch forth your hand. Your provision is here. Your healing is here". Amen, it will affect the way you talk, it will affect the way you spend money, it will affect the way you live life. 'Cause I'm saying once you know this truth, it's going to cost you, this truth has got to do with money.
Let me show you the context. This 7:9, look at 7, the verse before and the verse after, it says, "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart," why? God loves a cheerful giver. It's talking about giving here. And then, "God is able to make all grace," that verse we studied just now. And then the verse after that, in this divine sandwich we see, "He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever". That's the gift of righteousness that endures forever. Again, the context is what? It's about your provision. It's about material things, it's about money, mm-hmm. That means what? Having all sufficiency and all things has got to do also with money. Are you with me? Is it possible to be a child of God? Actually, in reality, God is continuously enabling all grace to abound towards you, yet you're not experiencing in your life, all right?
Number one, faith causes these things to become actual, substantiates these things to become actual in the visible realm. That's one, and I answered that already. Number two, wrong believing also in this area. And for this, I wanna show you the prodigal son's story, Luke 15. The story, now, I'm not going to read the entire story because you all are very familiar with the story of the prodigal son. He left home and all that, and how he came back and found what? Unearned, undeserved favor, amen? But he has an older brother. Now, the older brother never left home. And the older brother, let's follow the story, "He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father". You all know the father, he is actually a picture of God the Father, right? So, the older brother answered and said to his father, "Lo".
Now, his father's name is not Lo. He was not a Chinese man, okay? "These many years I have been serving you". You see the abundance of "I" here? "I have been serving you, I never transgressed your commandment at any time". Notice what he says, "I never transgressed your commandment". He was conscious of what? Keeping law, keeping commandments. In other words, he was measuring his relationship with his father by how much commandments he has kept. Therefore, the father should do this for him, the father should do that for him. Is his heart full of thanksgiving for the father? No way. No way, Jose. You know why? Because he was full of the law. Can you see that? And he's lied even by saying, "I never transgressed". No one has never transgressed. You see, that's what it does, it builds pride. Then watch this, it gives you a wrong picture of the father and the father's love. He said to the father, "Yet you never gave me a young goat. You never gave me a young goat".
So, what he wanted was a billy for a friend, a guy named Billy. Okay, billy goat, you get it, billy goat? Okay, never mind, kid. You never gave me a kid, you never gave me a young goat. You never gave me. Look at the way some people look at God. Are they sons of God? Yes. Are they born again? Yes. This guy is from the family. He's a son of the father, the father acknowledged him as such. And yet, is it possible to have in one church, all right, believers who are enjoying God's unmerited favor and believers who are angry, resentful, jealous? I mean, his father is a good man. His father is gracious, full of what? Grace and truth. But can he experience it? No, okay? So, go back to the story again. "Yet you never gave me a young billy goat. But as soon as this son of yours came," notice, he didn't even say, "My brother". "This son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots," I don't know why he mentioned prostitutes of all the things that the younger brother did.
You know, maybe he got a problem in this area. Some people condemn others for the very thing that they're doing. Okay, never mind, it's okay. "You killed the fatted calf for him". All right? So, now he says, "When this son of yours came who devoured his living on harlots, you killed the fatted calf". Now, watch what the father said to him, the next verse. "Son," it's almost with a pained look on his face, "you are always with me. And all that I have, all that I have". Stop for a while, huh? Greek, the Greek part here says, "All that I have is yours," it's in the present. Now, what I'm trying to say from the story of the prodigal son's brother is this. Even though all things was his, the way he look at the father affected his receiving. Awesome. Grave truth. Something very, very profound that we need to take note. How you see God affects. And how we see God is based on what we hear. What we hear depends on what is preached, amen?
So, is it possible to be God's child and not enjoy the fact that all grace is abounding towards you? Yes, even though all grace is abounding towards you, amen? Now Jesus, look at the way he lived. I love it. He never carried the Jerusalem Bank with him. All right, he has 12 adults under his care, but everywhere he went, provision flowed. You all know the famous story of the feeding of the 5,000 with 12 basketsful left over. How did it begin? Jesus looked at the multitude, about 5,000 men, not counting women and children. It'll be about probably 15,000. He looked at all of them and he says, "I don't want to send them away, lest they faint along the way". Because the nearest city was about three, four days away.
And then Andrew brought a young boy to Jesus, and Andrew says, "This boy has five loaves and two fish". And this is what he said, Andrew, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish". Let's all say this, the last part together, "But what are they among so many"? In other words, what are they? What is they? Five loaves and two fish among so many. What is many? So many needs. What of this provision among so many needs? That's what they are saying. Can you see his consciousness? Now, watch Jesus. Drop down. "Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks". Andrew never gave thanks. He says, "What are these among so many"? Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, and what did he do? He gave thanks. Jesus's attitude is this, "What are all these needs among so much grace"? Oh, you didn't hear what I said. What are all these needs among the abundance of grace? Hallelujah, he thanked the Father for the abundance of grace, and guess what? The bread never went out. The fish never went out.
At the end, the Bible says, drop down, look at the last line. "As much they partook". No, go back again. "They partook as much as they wanted". As much as they wanted, the supply just went on and on and on. God was dynamiting, God was enabling all grace to abound towards them, that they always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work left at the end. After they burp, 12 basketsful left over. They took as much as they wanted, and there were 12 basketsful left over. And by the way, in the Greek, they are not baskets of scraps, baskets full left over, each basket full, all because someone said, "Thank you, Father, for so much grace, so much favor".
Now, the Holy Spirit of God was so pleased with our Lord's attitude that, dropping down many verses after that, referring back to this incident, it says, "Near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks". Near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks. Of all the things that happened that day, the Holy Spirit was so pleased Jesus didn't say, "What, only five loaves and two fish, ah? That's all you can take, ah"? No, he thanked God for it, you know why? He didn't have this attitude, "What are they among so many"? He has this attitude, "What are all these needs among so much grace"? Amen? Are you with me, church? In closing... I need to bring this to a close, okay? And this is the closing. Look at Ephesians, y'all can stay if y'all want to, I'm going. Ephesians 3, verse 20, look at this verse. Let's all read this verse together: "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us".
Now, according to the power that works in us, that means this is God answering our prayers beyond our wildest dreams, that's contemporary language. All right, it's according to the power that works in us. Now, it does not say you must do certain things for the power to work. It just telling you because the word "works in us" is in the present tense as well. That means constantly, the power is working in us. You better believe it. It's not a matter of feelings, sensations. You don't need that, all right? You need to believe God. God says what? His power is working in you. Can I have a good amen? "According to the power," the word "power" is dunamis. And "that works in us" is the word "energeo," also for power, works.
Now, energeo is where we get our English word "energize, energy," very good. Now, what is this verse saying? Many of you think you know what this verse is saying. You don't know. You think you know, but you don't know. You think you know, but you don't know what this verse is saying. This verse is saying because the power, the dunamis, the dynamite of God is always at work in us, be careful what you say. Be careful what you think because God will exceedingly abundantly answer above all you ask or think. Now, we think we understand, so what I've done is that I have broken it down to seven levels. Because God works on seven. The first one is the apex we see. Can you all see this? "Now to him who is able to do".
Now, that's good enough to say to someone in need, "God is able to do". He will say amen, but that's not all, that's not enough. The next level says, "Now to him who is able to do that we ask". So, we ask is there. Be careful what you ask, God will do it. But again, that's not what the Bible says just now we read. The next level, the third level says, "Now to him who is able to do what we ask or think". Wow, have you ever fantasized about a nice house? Have you gone through some magazines in a "Home and Decor" or whatever, and you wish that you have a house like that? Be careful what you think when the power is working because God will answer all that you ask or think. No, no, wait, wait. Many of us don't ask much, so even God answer, you don't know 'cause you don't ask much. Many of us think nothing, so you know God answers, you don't know. Once this verse comes alive, you'll be asking and asking and asking, and thinking and thinking and thinking, and asking and asking, and thinking. Because God has to exceed that. Amen.
So, here if I tell you God is able to do what we ask or think, man, it's good enough. But that's not what the Bible says. The next level says, "Now to him who is able to do all that we ask or think". Oh man, all that we ask or think. Every iota, all that we ask or think, wow, wow. But again, that's not what the Bible says, amen. The next level, which is now what level? Five. "Now to him who is able to do abundantly all that we ask or think". Let's say you are in need. You say, "Pastor Prince, can you pray for me? I have this disease, the doctor says blah blah blah blah blah, and blah blah blah blah blah". And I tell you now to him, before we pray, we are going to pray to him who is able. You must know this one that we are praying to is able to do abundantly all that we ask or think. Is that good enough? Yes.
Now, you all must not pretend like, you know, it's not exciting, okay? Because it is. You all know what's going to come, that's why you all are waiting. You all don't want to say amen yet. Y'all jump ahead already, you all know what the verse is saying. But I'm just saying let's say you don't know what the verse is saying and I tell you just this line alone, it's good enough. True or not? But that's not what the Bible says, amen? The Bible says this, sixth level, "Now to him who is able to do abundantly above all that we ask or think".
Wow, it's only the sixth level. God never stop on the number of man, six. God always stops at a number of seven, the perfect number, which is the last one. Are you ready? Let's all read this together, "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think". Hallelujah, amen. Give you praise, Lord Jesus. We give you glory, Lord. Hallelujah, come on, church, give him praise. He is the one. He is the one. He is the one, come on. Because of him, he unleashed upon us the floods of abundance of grace. What we are experiencing today is not for free, amen? It's not free rather, I should say, because it costs God his Son. How can sinful man, undeserving man experience God's favor? God designed it in such a way when Jesus cried, "Finished," all the blessings was unleashed. Amen? It's your part to give thanks, amen. Thank God for the more abundant favor.
If you are sick, thank God, "Father, I thank you there's grace, there's so much more grace of healing than there is sickness". If you are struggling financially, say, "God, I thank you there's super abounding grace for my lack". And start thanking God for that grace, amen? What is this need compared to superabounding grace? What is this sickness compared to superabounding healing, amen? Start thanking God. So, all of you right now, you can raise your hand and put your hand on your heart. Say this after me:
Father in heaven, you are the one who has caused, who has empowered, who has dynamited, who has powered all grace, all favor to abound towards me continuously, incessantly, unceasingly. All grace you are enabling, all grace continuously to abound towards me, that I always, good times and bad times, always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. I believe it. I give you praise, Father. You are the one who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. In Jesus's name.
Give him praise again, hallelujah, hallelujah. Praise the Lord, thank you, Father, thank you, Father.