Dealing with Difficulty Through Grace (Part 2): 1 Timothy 1:2-7 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• 1 Timothy 1:2–7

About this sermon

God’s truth transforms our lives as we obey it. His truth equips and gives us confidence to deal with difficulty and find solutions to problems we encounter. Jesus said in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In the life of Jonathan Wainwright we find a great example of the power of grace and truth. Wainwright was the only U.S. General to be captured in WWII. General Douglas MacArthur had given the orders, "No surrender. Fight to the end." But intense fighting in the Philippines pushed Wainwright to surrender. For months in a Mongolia POW camp he was immersed in self-condemnation for having surrendered to the enemy. His body deteriorated under the harsh conditions and he was forced to hobble around on a cane. When MacArthur ultimately prevailed, the Japanese were forced to surrender. Wainwright was now free, but he continued to live as a prisoner because the news had not reached Mongolia. An Allied plane landed near the POW camp and an American officer walked to the fence. He saluted Wainwright and said, "General, Japan has surrendered." With this new information, Wainwright stood tall, limped to the commandant's office and declared, "My commander-in-chief has defeated your commander-in-chief. I am in control now. I order you to surrender!" Without a shot being fired, the Japanese commandant laid down his weapon and surrendered to the emaciated, weak man he had once controlled. The power of that transaction was not dependent upon Wainwright's strength, but on the TRUTH of VICTORY and DELIVERANCE of what had occurred. Beloved, when Jesus arose from the grave, His actions declared victory and liberation for anyone who will accept the truth of what He has done. The grace of God turns our darkness to light, our bondage into liberty, our doubts into confidence. Jerry Bridges was right when he said, "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." In a world where we vacillate between arrogance and shame, we need this strong reminder. In this message we continue to examine why grace enables us to deal with our difficulties. This 35-minute message was preached on Sunday night, October 2, 2022, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.

Topics

• Grace