Grace And Glory

2 Peter 3:18, "But grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him [be] glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!"

Paul says, "For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God." This is so because of the original sin committed by our parents, Adam and Eve. But now through the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, we have been predestined and called, so that after justification we may be glorified (restored back to our former glory, the glory Adam had before he fell).
Those who have not accepted Jesus Christ are still fallen from glory, which means that they have not yet even initiated their justification that leads through grace and sanctification to glorification.

Grace must be rightly mixed with sanctification for it to breed glorification.
As Peter rightly puts it in our lead scripture today, we ought to grow in grace. And also we need to be aware that there is a possibility of also falling from grace, just like there is a possibility of growing in grace.
Many people have explained, interpreted and defined grace, and I am not here to compete with them or demolish what they have built, but to me, there is only one word to explain, interpret and define grace... JESUS CHRIST.
We are daily being confirmed into the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, do that He may be a firstborn amongst many brethren. We are expected to daily, continually look like Him more and more. You are supposed to look MORE like Jesus today, that you looked like Him yesterday. If there is something we need to be checking every now and then is, "How much more do I look like Jesus today, that I looked like Him... a few days ago, a few years age, a few decades ago, etc., etc."
How close are you to your crucifixion, not because of the bad things you have done, but because of the good things you have done that does not go very well with the religious people?

I have told you in the past, Jesus said, "If you want to be my Desciples, YOU MUST carry your cross and follow me", and I told you that that cross is for you to be crucified on. There are sweet stories that you might have heard, that, there is a valley and the cross is for you to use as a bridge ... well, those were just but stories to make you feel good.
It is only after crucifixion that glorification is attained. And the act of carrying the cross daily is our way if saying, we are not afraid of the worst the world may throw at us, we are always ready to pay the ultimate price.
Let's back up a little, even before we reach to the cross, growing in grace, is conforming more and more into the image of Jesus Christ.
He said, "These things I do, you shall also do and MORE THAN THESE I DO, shall you also do", in other words, He was saying, "I want you to be just like me, but even better, my desire is for you to be more than just like me, *and be me!"*
How do I know so?

Because the Bible says, "All things are possible with God", and Jesus could not do ALL THINGS in three years, He therefore left us that have more than three years on earth to not just do what He did (a few things) but do what He is able to do (ALL THINGS)! Hallelujah!!!
Now, the more you grow in grace, the more you grow in Jesus, the more you look like Jesus, the easier it becomes to transact spiritual business.

Not that I am already like Jesus, not that I have attained, not that I have attained perfection, but I am a testimony that spiritual business for me gets easier with each day. For starters, people are daily amazed by these things I write. Many ask, "Where do you get these? Where do you copy these messages from?" Many people have asked me to refer them to the site, where I get all these materials from! But do you know, I don't even sit down to think what I will say tomorrow. Did you know that I don't sit down to study and dig into what I will say tomorrow? I know some people have to sit for ours to prepare a sermon, others have to pray and fast, but like Samson, I just wake up, shake myself and destroy the Philistines!!
Tell me I have not grown in grace and I will slap you! Hahahaha, just kidding...
Another area I have discovered is in my walking-in-the-miraculous. Most of the times, I don't need to pray and pray and pray for things to work in my life, all I need is to desire it and it is fulfilled.

I have discovered that much of what I feel I have to go an extra mile to get from God is actually never a NEED but a WANT, and God has a tendency to take His time delivering WANTS but He is very fast in delivering NEEDS.
Let me give this testimony here.
I needed some money badly a few months ago. And while still in my office chatting and laughing with friends, I told God in my heart, (please notice that we were still in our chit-chat gear) "LORD I need this amount of money". Five minutes later, I heard a notification on my phone, and there in my phone wallet, someone had deposited the exact amount of money I needed. I didn't know the name of the person, so I thought it was a mistake and they would reverse it, but they didn't. As I walked home, a call came through and it was the number and I told myself, "Now here comes the reversal request".
But to my surprise, he told me that he has been silently receiving my messages and believed I deserved an offering! Then he asked me, "How can I gain the ability to hear God?" I told him, "You already have!"
He asked me "How?"

I told Him, "Whatever you felt when you felt the need to send me that money, that was God talking to you, because I needed exactly that amount of money you sent, no less, no more." He was so surprised and could not believe it. I told him to cultivate on that.
Now, falling from grace is not actually or necessarily falling into oblivion. No, it is conforming into the patterns of the world instead of conforming into the image of the Son. It is not a one day event, it is a process.

You don't fall from grace because you accidentally tripped, you fall from grace because you have continually let down your guard over time.
And you don't necessarily fall into oblivion, you just fall a class lower or a level lower. You soon discover that the things which you could do easily are becoming a little bit harder to execute. The demons that could not stand you are now asking you questions.
Now, one of the hardest thing is to restore a person that has fallen from grace back to grace. It is easier to restore a person that has fallen from glory back to glory, than it is to restore a person that has fallen from grace, back to grace.
This is why we are told to be careful when bringing back a person that fell from grace, lest they drag us with them down!

Because these people know it almost all, and they always have a theory of why things are not working as they once did. Many have very compelling scriptures, to prove themselves right in the eyes of the people. But deep within, they know that they are not where they should be neither are they where they were, they are a level lower.
As I finish, I will refer again to myvbeloved brother, Samson. When he fell from grace, he did not die immediately, he still had strength to grind wheat for the Philistines.
One of the good things about Samson is that, while down there, he discovered his mistake and started to grow again in grace. We say that his hair started to grow again.
It is possible if you have fallen from grace, for you to grow again in grace. But you must be humble and have a teachable spirit.

Because growth only comes by learning. There is a difference between growing up and growing old. In that everybody grows old, but not everybody grows up. *Age is not always an indication of wisdom, even fools grow old.* Hahahaha
Finally brethren, when you are fallen from glory, you cannot grow into glory. Don't tell yourself that, I will keep going to church and then I will change. Not, you don't grow into glory, you rise into glory. You make a decision, that, "Today, I have heard your voice, I will not harden my heart." Then you arise and shine, for your light has come! But if you fall from grace, all you need to do is to grow again in grace, through sanctification and soon your glorification will come. And the glory of the latter church, shall be greater than that if the former.


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