Receive not the grace of God in vain...

2 Corinthians

{6:1} We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

**
Is it possible to receive the grace of God in vain?

Dict.
in vain
1. To no avail; without success: Our labor was in vain.


'...beseech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.'

That you receive not the grace of God to no avail.

Can we receive the grace of God and then have it mean nothing?

2Corinthians
{6:2} For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
{6:3} Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed
{6:4} But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses
{6:5} In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings
{6:6} By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned
{6:7} By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left
{6:8} By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true
{6:9} As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed
{6:10} As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Wow.

Now is the day of salvation.

Receiving not the grace of God in vain means what?

That God's grace lives in us, works in us, that we are workers with Christ.

Receiving God's grace makes us workers with Christ.

We can't receive God's grace and not be workers for Christ or else we've received the grace of God in vain.

We are to--

Give no offense in anything- so that Christ isn't blamed. Do you imagine that means how people claim to be Christ and go on to be horrific people deceiving others, hurtin the innocent, stealing, lying...when they are found out it does what? It makes people blame the organization they're affiliated with doesn't it? We aren't to give offense in anything, that way the way of God will not be blamed for the offenses taking place.

We are to--

In all we do- realize we are ministers of God.

Ministers of God in - patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings.

How?

By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the Word of Truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and left.

No matter what, when we are honored or dishonored, giving an evil report of a good report, called deceivers yet being true, not being known and even if we are well known, when we're dying, as we are living, as those chastened and not killed. Even as filled with sorrow, yet rejoicing, even poor, yet others get rich around us, when we have nothing, and yet we possess all things.

Wow.

Talk about a recap of life.

Talk about encompassing it all in a few words.

Talk about the truth.

How are we ministers of God through Christ? Pureness, knowledge, longsuffering, kindness, Holy Ghost, real love, Word of Truth, power of God, armor of righteousness on all sides.

How are we ministers?

By the grace of God.

So that the Grace isn't in vain we have to walk as Christ walked through the power of Christ.

The grace can be in vain, we can't make a mistake there. We can all receive the grace of God it's not withheld from anyone, not a single person. The grace can be received in vain though. The grace can be meaningless if it all stops there. If the grace we receive is in vain it's because we aren't accepting Christ into our lives, letting Him live in us, work in us, through us. We can accept Christ and fancy ourselves saved, but it can all be in vain if Christ isn't allowed to live in our hearts and the result of that is allowing Him to work in us, and us working for Him.

Liars, deceivers, those who have received the grace of God in vain, they all exist, we can't be fooled. We can't believe that all who seemingly come to Christ are Christs.

Jesus said-

Matthew
{7:15} Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
{7:16} Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
{7:17} Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
{7:18} A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
{7:19} Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
{7:20} Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.


**
Don't those false prophets in sheep's clothing appear to be the real thing? They do, and that's why they deceive. They can seemingly receive the grace of God but in vain...in vain. So while they're claiming salvation in Christ's name, these wolves in sheep's clothing are claiming it in vain.

We say that works will not save us and I say AMEN to that! Yes it is by our works we are known. By the fruit of our labors, by our actions, by our lives. We are a living testimony to our beliefs.

Does it seem impossible to walk as Christ walked? Well it is if we attempt to do it on our own and claim the glory for doing so to ourselves. If we shout out for others to look at us, look how Godly we are, or even look how Godly we were, we are claiming the glory when all glory goes to God. When our walk with Christ was so new and so fresh, so strong and so pure it was seemingly easy, even the difficulties seemed easy some how in Christ, in that walk. Yet, slowly that walk in Christ becomes OUR walk, and we start counting on ourselves to walk, and the more we looked to ourselves to do good, the less we became able to do so. Somewhere along the line our eyes left Jesus and turned inward. To justify that inward gaze we try to blame God for letting us go, we blame God for hanging us out to dry, when He did no such thing. We looked inwards even while we claimed to be looking to Jesus, our focus became all about us, and not at all about Him. It became all about our needs, our sufferings, our afflictions, our heartaches, our loneliness, our pain and we felt abandoned and no wonder, we took our eyes off Christ and all we could see was ourselves.

It's not impossible to walk as Christ walked. It's not impossible to be true ministers of God by the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He has to be our everything, and we have to become nothing so we can be all in Him. Christ can live in us, work through us in all things, we have to let Him. And we have to realize that it is possible to receive the grace of God in vain, that there are wolves in sheep's clothing, that there are many who will seem holy that are far from it, and our only hope is through Jesus, the word of Truth.

Amen.