Would you turn back to Second Corinthians, Chapter nine? I've entitled this message. What grace does. Everybody has heard of the grace of God. What does grace actually do? The grace of God. Listen real carefully. The grace of God is not an offer. The grace of God is not an offer that God makes to sinners where it's up to them to accept it or reject it. The grace of God is an operation. It's not an offer, it's an operation. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 1.12, we read of the faith of the operation of God. And it does something with God being the operator of this operation. He is called the God of all grace. And in Ephesians 2a, we read that grace saves. Grace saves. And that means a whole lot more than it allows you to avoid going to hell and makes it to where you can go to heaven. Now, that's included in the grace of God, certainly, but it also does something in you. Look in verse 14 of chapter 9. And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God end. You. I repeat, the title of this message is What Grace Does. Now, let's start reading in verse. Seven. Every man, according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give. Somebody says, how much should a believer give, however much you purpose in your heart? That's a clear enough answer, isn't it? No other direction is needed. Whatever it is you purpose in your heart. So let him give, not grudgingly, not thinking you're the loser by what you're giving or of necessity, not giving to a need. Well, the bills are great this month. Therefore, we need to give. No, you do it because you want to. For God loveth a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you. Before we look at what grace does, we first have to look at what is behind grace. What's behind grace? The ability of God. And if we understand something about what's behind grace, we can understand something about what grace actually does. What's behind grace? The ability of God. God is able to make all grace abound toward you. Isn't that so? I look at everybody in here and I can say with full conviction, God is able To make all grace abound, overflow toward you. Come back with me to Genesis chapter 18. Hold your finger there in 2 Corinthians 9, but turn to Genesis 18. You know, we call sovereign grace, free grace, saving grace, but I like this able grace. And indeed, His grace is able grace. In Genesis chapter 18, beginning in verse 9, And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, This is the Lord Jesus Christ who has appeared to Abraham. I will certainly return unto thee. According to the time of life and low, Sarah, thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now, remember, Sarah had already gone through menopause. She understood that. She had already gone through menopause, so you can imagine what her response was. Now, Abraham, verse 11, and Sarah were old and well stricken in age, and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old, shall I have pleasure, my Lord being old also? She said, I can't have a baby, and I don't think he can help me have one. And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child which am old? Now look at this question. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At that point in time, I will return unto thee according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Then Sarah denied, saying, I laugh not. For she was afraid, I'm sure she was. I bet she was scared to death. And he said, Nay, but thou didst laugh. Now turn to Romans chapter four. I want us to look at what Paul says about this event in Romans chapter four. The reason grace can abound to you is God is able to make his grace abound toward you. Beginning in verse 17, as it's written, I've made thee a father of many nations. And he said that before he'd had any children. Isn't that interesting? He hadn't had any children, and yet he says, I've made thee a father of many nations. Before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were. who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations according to that which was spoken. So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. That was the opposite of Sarah at that time, wasn't it? She thought of the opposite of those two things. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded that what he had promised, Sarah shall have a son, he was able also to perform. Able grace. Now, I'm saying something I say very often, and I'm not saying it glibly. I'm a sinner. I'm the real thing as I speak to you. I'm a sinner. And he is able to make all grace abound toward me. His grace comes to me where I am, like that man laying half dead in the ditch. The Good Samaritan came to him where he was. Now, that's how grace comes to me. Ephesians 2, 4 and 5 says, But God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins. Hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved. Now who appreciates this? Only those who cannot do anything to save themselves. Those people appreciate this. Now, if you believe you have some inherent spiritual ability, If you believe in the power of free will, you won't like this because it takes away what you're hoping in your ability to do something, your ability to turn things around. But if you're without spiritual ability, you're a prime candidate for the grace of God. Here's what grace is able to do. Listen to scripture, June 24. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. Now that is what grace is able to do. And I think of Grace, every aspect of salvation is by grace. Every aspect. I don't think you've got to begin with election. God choosing who'd be saved. Now, he didn't choose who'd be saved because he foresaw they'd believe. He foresaw they'd repent. He foresaw they would do. No! He did so as an act of his own free and sovereign will. That's what grace is. Think of being justified. Think of actually being just before God. I stand before God right now without sin. justified before God, that can only be by grace. My redemption. Did He redeem me because I merited it? Because I deserved it? No! Grace! The faith I have, He gave it to me. It's the gift of His grace. The new nature I have is the operation of His grace. The repentance I have is the gift of His grace. The love I have to Him is the gift of His grace. Every aspect of salvation is by the grace of God. And here is what it does. Look in verse eight, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you. Having all sufficiency, and this is talking to every believer. Every single believer, the youngest believer, the weakest believer, The one who's most experienced in grace, this is talking to every believer, this isn't some special set. This is every one of them. He says God is able to make all grace abound toward you that you always know that word always and every time when this is not the case, having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. You have all sufficiency for all things. Now, turn with me back to Genesis 33. You know, every doctrine in the New Testament has an Old Testament example. Genesis 33. Now, this is when Jacob has come back to Esau after all these years, he's scared to death and he's trying to butter Esau up, if you'll remember, he starts bringing one set of gifts and then another set and another set. Esau sees all these presents coming his way, and he says in verse 9, and Esau said, I have enough, my brother. Keep that thou hast unto thyself. I've got enough. I've got plenty. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I found grace in thy sight, then receive, my president, my hand. For therefore, I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." Now, the word enough in verse 11 is a different word in the Hebrew than the word Esau used in verse 9 when he said, Brother, I have enough. In verse 11, the word is, I have everything. I have everything. I don't just have enough. I don't have the minimum. I have everything, all sufficiency in all things. Now, all sufficiency is not the minimum entrance requirement, but you surpass the maximum. You surpass. Bold shall I stand in that great day, for who unto my charge shall lay, fully absolved from these I am from sin's tremendous curse and shame. You see, I have all sufficiency in righteousness. I can't get any more righteous than I am. I have his righteousness. I have all sufficiency of holiness to the point that I can't become more holy. You don't grow in holiness. You either are holy or you're not. I have all sufficiency in holiness. I have superabounding grace. I can't get any more saved. I can't get any more loved. I can't get any more accepted than I am. Now, here's all sufficient grace. Turn to Colossians chapter two. Verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete. You have all sufficiency in all things. You don't have the minimum instrument for its requirements. You have the maximum. You are complete in him. You have everything you need materially. If you give away everything you have. You know, God will give you more. It's all His anyway, isn't it? You have all you need materially. The word also means self-sufficiency. You don't have to look to the world for a thing. And the word is also translated contentment. 1 Timothy 6, 6, Godliness with contentment is great gain. And it is, isn't it? You have all sufficiency, contentment in all things. You know, the Lord said to that woman at the well, whoso drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst. Now, what does that mean? Because there's a sense in which I'm always thirsting and I am. I'm always thirsting because I'm always conscious of some kind of seed and some kind of need. And I'm always thirsting in that sense, always. But you know what? I am utterly content and satisfied to be saved by Christ. I'm utterly content and satisfied that he gets all the glory. I'm utterly content to where I'm not looking for anything else. I don't know how many times people have heard the message of the gospel and they have to say, and they said, well, there's got to be something more. You ain't heard. You don't believe. Because if you believe, you know there is nothing more. We have all sufficiency in all things. There's nothing else even to desire. Content with beholding His face, my all to His pleasure resign. No changes of season or place could make any change in my mind. When blessed with a sense of His love, a palace of toy would appear, and prisons would palaces prove, if Jesus would dwell with me there. Now, God is able. To make all grace abound toward you, so that you always, not just when you feel good, that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. Now here's what grace does. Back to our text. Notice what it says in 2 Corinthians 9. So that you having all sufficiency and all things may abound to every good work. Now, here's what grace does. Here's what grace does. What does grace do? Well, it causes people to have all sufficiency and all things so that they might abound in every good work. Now, where grace abounds and sinners are saved by grace, it causes them to abound in good works. And I'm saying I'm talking of every believer. Now, what is a good work? Anything done out of love for Christ. Anything done out of love for Christ. You love your wife because you love Christ. You love your husband because you love Christ. You seek his honor because you love him. You ask for grace to walk in a way and to treat in a way that will honor him because you love him. Anything done out of love for Christ, I don't care what it is, anything done out of love for Christ is truly a good work. And every believer abounds in that. You don't think you do. I realize that. I think you do, though. I think you do. And you don't see it in yourself. But if you love Christ, you will abound in good works. He says in verse nine, as it's written, and you know, everything is as it's written, isn't it? That's the only reason we believe anything, as it's written. As it's written, he had dispersed abroad. This is talking about God. It's a quotation from Psalm 112. He had given to the poor, his righteousness remaineth forever. Now, he that ministers seed to the sower, he gives the sower the seed, both ministers bread for your food, multiply your seeds own and increase the fruits of your righteousness. Now, once again, Paul is demonstrating how you can't lose by giving that one who scatters abroad. He ends up gaining, he loses everything and he ends up gaining and what's that proverb? Proverb 1124 says, there is he that scattereth. And that increaseth, and there's he that withholdeth more than his meat, but it tendeth to poverty. He gives to the poor and he's no loser by it. His righteousness remains forever. Verse 11, being enriched. Here's what grace does. Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causes through us thanksgiving to God. Now, here's what grace does. It enriches to all bountifulness. Now, turn over to Second Corinthians 11 for just a moment. Verse three. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled or deceived Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that's in Christ. That word simplicity is the exact same word that's translated bountifulness. You see, when you're enriched by the grace of God, you know what it does? It makes you simple. If you're not simple, if I'm not simple, I don't know anything about the grace of God. It enriches us to simplicity, simple as opposed to devil. Riches do not make us compound, but simple. I'm a simple man. Now, understand this. What am I talking about when I'm talking about a simple man? Am I talking about, you know, I just eat cornbread and beans and don't know after all the finer things? Well, that's a good place to be. I love cornbread and beans. I was planning to fix it more. I grew up on it. Learned to do that. I keep telling you. But I shouldn't say this. She's a great cook. Listen to me. I mean, I love everything she eats, but I do love soap bean and cornbread. But the simplicity of Christ, a simple man, is the negation of the word and. Not Christ and. Christ alone. And that is the simplicity of Christ, the word and does not enter into the equation. I have a simple salvation. Christ. I have a simple righteousness. He is. It's not his and mine. It is. I have a simple cause of salvation. Grace. That's it. I have a simple reason for God forgiving me. For Christ's sake. That's the only reason. I have a simple reason for serving Him. For Christ's sake. You're enriched unto all simplicity And where there is simplicity, there will be bountifulness. Being simple, I'm not divided. I don't have divided interests. It's all His. When I give, I don't fear what's losing what's not mine. It's all His. And I'm trusting Him as my Savior and my Shepherd. We're enriched by the grace of God. It makes somebody simple. May the Lord make us simple. people, the simplicity that's in Christ and this simplicity causes thanksgiving to God. Verse 12. For the administration of this service. Talking about their giving to help the poor churches in Achaia, the poor saints in Mass or in Jerusalem, for the administration of this service, not only supplies the wants of the saints, But it's abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God, while by the experiment of this ministration, they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ. Now, that word subjection is submission. Submission, here's what grace does. Grace causes submission. And the first thing I thought of is lives. Submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. Now, why in the world should I do that? Because he said to. And you believe that whatever he says is best. And you do it not because you want to. Because if you don't want to, you're not really doing it in the first place. It is a willing submission. You willingly submit yourself to your own husbands for Christ's sake. Submission, you submit because you want to. Now, what does it mean to submit? Well, first, you see the truth and you submit willingly. You submit because you see it's in your best interest and you submit because you trust him, though he slay thee. Yet will I trust Him. And the grace of God makes someone submit their lives, subject their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. And where there's no submission, there's no salvation. We submit. Submit to Him. And you only submit to Him if you trust Him. Abraham, take now your son, your only son, whom you love, and offer him up as a burnt offering to me. You know what Abraham said? Yes, Lord. How? He trusted him. He trusted him. And he really believed because God had promised that the Messiah was going to come through this boy. He believed in his heart that God would raise him from the dead, but he trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. He trusted him. You trust, you'll submit yourself to him. And we submit ourselves to one another. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 5. You know, I think a way to describe submission is just saying, yes, Lord. Is that submission? Yes, Lord, whatever it is. Yes, Lord. Look in. Verse one, the elders, which are among you, I exhort to also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, not because you're forced to, not because it's your duty, but willingly. Not for filthy lucre, not for a paycheck, but of a ready mind. Neither is being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. And likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Grace makes a man submit. And turn back to our text in 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Your professed subjection or submission unto the gospel of Christ and for your liberal distribution unto them and to all men, and by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you. Now, I love what Paul does here. The whole. Subject of Second Corinthians, chapter eight and nine, two whole chapters are devoted to giving and being giving all this advice about giving and all of a sudden he stops himself. He says, thanks be unto God for His unspeakable, inexpressible, incomprehensible gift, the gift of His Son, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. How shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Let's pray.