This presentation is written foremost for those who seek spiritual power and more anointing; the newly enrolled into the body of Christ Jesus as well as those who are not yet sure of what the Lord expects from them. It is also for those who read the scriptures but the environment they find themselves (friends, families, classmates etc) in is a compromising dilemma that challenges their scriptural doctrine. The portion dealing with sustaining and abiding grace should help them. (2 Peter 3:18). Obedience to the rules and regulations are paramount to having a normal and functional society. It is more so in our christian life. I shall therefore base the most part of this paper on the relationship between obedience to the word of God and growing in grace. It determines the level of your spiritual power and the foundation to perform exploits in the name of the Most High God. I believe that those who are in Christ Jesus are already under grace. It is part of our benefits. Our Lord Jesus Christ emphasized the importance of obedience even at an early age. In Luke chapter 2 vs. 42-52, we read about the story of Him, even though He is God, subjected Himself to His earthly parents’ disciplines.

These pieces of facts will profit the reader if mixed with faith. Look at the matter from the eyes of a student who must make the grades to get a promotion to the next grade. During the school term the student must take tests to measure his or her performance. To excel, the student must have good knowledge of the subject matter. The teacher will not force the student to study but the teacher has the final say as to the promotion of the student. So it is with God. It is for our eternal profit to know the God we serve and what He requires of us (Micah 6:8.) We cannot avoid His grading when the time comes. You may not agree that this the truth but that does not change what will happen at the Day of Judgment. He cannot be bribed either. He, most times, will not act when He sees us challenging His precepts. That is where some of the danger lies. In Luke 13 vs. 27, “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity”. He made us moral agents with the ability to discern evil from good while not imposing His will on us even though He has the power to do so. Not just the power but the authority also. He made us and He loves us more than we can ever love ourselves. Yet He will not force us to love or obey Him.

Jesus Christ assures us in John 14 vs.2 that in His Father’s house there are many mansions. The choice then is whether you want to live in the house (heaven) in the first place. If and when you get there how good the mansion is you want to live in! We already have grace through Jesus Christ but do you want to grow in that grace? Consider the parable of the servants and the talents. The one with five went and traded with his five and brought more but the foolish servant with one talent did not bring fruit because he was lazy and bitter. The master took it away from him. Are you trading with the talents God gave you or trading in it?

We are living in a generation where science, arts and government-approved liberties allow us to give any meaning to the word of God as long as it feels good. Personal liberty comes before God’s commandment. Forgotten is the liberty Adam had but was misused and brought the human race into the present day bondage and chaos. Thanks for the blood at the Calvary. King Solomon was so blessed as no other king but he ended up building demonic altars for his various wives. God told him what he needed to do to continue in His favor but King Solomon did it his own way. He placed his own pleasure above that of God he once reverenced. Grace of God abused and misused. That will not be your lot in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. No-one is sure he made heaven despite all his wisdom and wealth. It is not how you started that really matters but how well you finish in the book of the Almighty. My prayer for you and myself is that our labor for God will not burn in the name of Jesus Christ. Let us strive by His grace to attain the height of His power and shake the devil from the governance our lives. I also pray that your life and my life shall not be a waste before God on judgment day. Amen. The fact and the absolute truth is that He does not really need us as much as we need Him. The spirit of King Uzziah will not overtake us. Amen.

I saw on a major television network some years ago where a university professor of theology (of an elite university in the United States of America) was a practicing homosexual. What was his answer when asked about this perversion? He said that at the time the bible was written, there were not too many people on earth so God needed to have a populated earth so he did not allow homosexuality. Now that the world is overpopulated according to this “learned” professor of theology, homosexual is a form of birth control. Sodom and Gomorrah will dispute that when it is called to testify on the day of God’s judgment. We have a longsuffering God and His mercies endure forever but it is for those that fear him as God. As His mercies are sure so are His judgment against His enemies; the sinners. Thank God. We have Jesus Christ dead but rose for those who will open their hearts to His knocks at the door. My prayer for you and myself is that God melts whatever is that blocks our ears from hearing from God. He loves to talk to us one on one as He did before Adam fell and as He did with His servant Moses.

The Omniscience God has planned everything in order. Disobedience of His commandment will affect subsequent events that He will again have to intervene to set it back on course. That is why we have the New Testament because man disobeyed the Old. Let us glance at a few but eventful situations of disobedience in the bible and how it changed the history of man. Adam was put in a nice cool and quite garden with instructions. God realized that loneliness can be bad so he made him a mate. Then he wanted to be like God with whom he has never had any quarrel or dispute. He messed up and we have a sinful race. A merciful God prepared His son, Jesus Christ, for a rescue mission. The people of Israel got tired of direct rule by their maker and wanted a king. They got King Saul who promptly erred through disobedience. King David was chosen to bring Israel closer to God again. His psalms of praise to God, fear of God and obedience to God made God favor Israel again. God made an everlasting covenant with the house of David. The newly delivered Israel revolted and almost stoned Moses. They got bit by serpent. Moses had to make a brazen serpent. God says He will honor those who honor Him. How do we honor God? So many ways but the one He likes obedience the most is by us to confirm that we have no other beside Him to tutor us. God loves for us to praise and worship him but of what use is praise and worship when we disobey Him!

GROWING IN GRACE
PRIMARY REFERENCES: 2 PETER 3 VS 18, ROMANS 6 VS 1-2a, Eph. 2 vs. 4-5. Ph 2 vs. 8-10:

2 Peter 3 vs. 18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”

Romans 6 vs. 1-2a: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin, that grace may abound? God forbid.”

Ephesians 2 vs. 4-5 “ 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.”

Philippians 2 vs.8-10 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself. And became obedient unto death, even death of the cross; wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given Him a name which is above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth:”

WHAT IS GRACE?
We will now take a quick look at the meaning of the word “grace” as it is applied in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. This will help us understand what the Old Testament giants in the Lord had to go through to receive the favor of God and why the New Testament heroes have more excellent testimonies. In the OT the Greek derivation is from the word “checed” meaning to show pity, favor, mercy while in the NT it is from the word “Charis”, meaning acceptable, benefit, gift, pleasure, liberality, underserved favor, amongst many other meanings.

In the OT every sinner had to offer a sacrifice to purge away sins and this was to be done each and every time one sinned. The priest had to offer sacrifice for himself first before presenting the people before God. As you do not like your child or servant to disobey orders, so God hates sin while He loves repentant sinners. A wayward child is a problem to parents so a sinner contradicts the characters of God who made man in His image. Yet He does not want to destroy man. None was found yet worthy in heaven or earth to break the seals and open the scroll.

In New Testament terminology, the word GRACE means a free gift of God to man without any merit from man. It has also been probably better defined by a man of God as “what God may be free to do and indeed what He does accordingly for the lost soul after Christ has died on behalf of them” He does not destroy the lost soul but makes opportunity for it to change to what He wants it to be. God found Someone with His divine standard worthy to break the seals and open the scroll. Hallelujah! It is one act of God’s sovereignty. No controversy. Some people inter-change grace with mercy and or love but they are not really inter-changeable acts of God. While both come from the God of grace and mercy, mercy is what we ask for when we acknowledge our sins and ask for forgiveness while grace is what we do not deserve but gets. Love of God toward us is what made him provide a means of salvation for the payment of the debt of sin. While we can grow in grace according to our obedience to God Almighty, we do not grow in mercy. Then mercy is the result of God’s compassion towards a sinner, which a sinner may ask for while grace is a combination of mercy, love, confession of Jesus Christ, obedience to God and compassion.

WHY IS GRACE NECESSARY? No-one can of his or her own power fulfill the condition for heaven. It is absolutely impossible. The power and demands of the flesh are forces too much for man. Mercy rejoices against judgment. Can you and I imagine that one day the whole earth is wiped out in a flash as punishment for sin? Will it take God more than a second to do that if He chooses to do so? Can anyone justifiably accuse Him of been wicked? The correct answer to both questions is NO. The scripture is there for us to know His values as guide. Prophet Micah 6 verse 8 says “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Therefore willful ignorance is not acceptable on judgment day. Deuteronomy 30 vs.14 says “but the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it”. All have come short of the glory of God because of our sin. The bible also says that God will visit the sin of the father on the children up to four generations and this will definitely not leave anyone qualified for heaven without Jesus Christ. God therefore made conditional provisions for heaven for us. That condition is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. To this condition is attached the main element of growth in grace – OBEDIENCE TO GOD. The necessity of grace therefore is to give the sinner opportunity and time to recover from the bondage of sin by accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior. The blood of Jesus Christ avails the sinner cleansing and bring him or her to God. This is what Heb. 4 vs. 16 means “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Ephesians 2 vs.8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God” How? Vs. 13 –14 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.”

IS IT( GRACE) FOR ALL?
The answer to this is YES as long as he or she accepts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the only Savior. Apostle Paul said in Galatians 3 v 28 there is neither Greek or Jew, free or bond before God. In Mark 7 vs. 28-31 says about the Syrophoenician woman who Jesus would not initially attend to. She was not Jewish but Jesus answered her prayers because she was persistent. Apostle Luke was not Jewish yet he wrote one of the books of the gospels. Apostle Paul was sent to evangelize the Gentiles. In Luke 19 vs. 41, we read about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. He was well aware that there were Pharisees and other unbelievers there and will perish without accepting His grace. “Go ye into ALL the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” says Mk 16 vs. 15 in the great commission. Even arch enemies of God are included peradventure their understanding will be opened.

The first condition for this grace is accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. This has been to me, personally, a very worthwhile and profitable experience since I have come to know Him and do His will. I have not lost anything since then but the heavy load and shame I did not know I had or refused to accept I had. I since then have that internal confidence that HE is there watching over me and will intervene when need arises. He never fails. He never sleeps nor slumbers. As a matter of fact Jesus Christ said in John 6 vs. 39 that He will never lose anyone His father and our father in heaven gives Him. In verse 51 of John chapter 6, He promised to lay down His life for me and for you. Did He do so? Yes, he sure did. I do not know of anyone who can keep such promise. In fact and indeed Ps 49 vs. 7 and 8 forbid it for anyone to sacrifice his or her life for another. Father, mother, brother, sister, children, prophet, prophetess, pastor or anyone cannot do it. Anyone of them may promise to but I am almost certain it will not come to pass for the reason it is done. None of them can take away sin.

CONDITIONS TO GROW IN THE GRACE OF GOD.

It is important to accept that obedience to the Word of God is the key that attracts grace from God. That is the cornerstone word from Genesis to Revelations chapter 3. What does grace bring with it amongst other benefits? Power from God. a) increase in the conformity in the Spirit of God; b) increase in what God values e.g. constant holiness, to conduct ourselves in the way God will conduct Himself, c) to increase in the knowledge of God through our practice of it and that our focus force be in things of Jesus Christ. Grace comes only through Him and growth in things of Him Psalm 127 vs. 1 “except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth but in vain”. It is through our cooperation with God by our obedience to Him that we can grow in grace.

OBEDIENCE! OBEDIENCE!! OBEDIENCE This is the most important ingredient to receive from God after we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. An analogy I will make here is that of two children of the same parents. One is very difficult and disobedient to parents and the other very pleasing to the parents. Most parents will tend to favor the needs of the obedient child and may not even give the other if there is any leftover. So it is with GROWING IN GRACE before the Almighty God. God will give those who obey Him and do His commandments more of what they ask according to the scriptures and you will say that person has anointing. It is because he does the will of the Father. That is what the bible says in Philippians 2 verses 8-10. In the flesh, I do not see myself putting aside a kingly robe for the rags. Why should I leave behind an estate worth over zillions of dollars to leave in a manger? Give me one sane reason. But that is the need to love things of heaven than of this earth. The logic in the human eyes is absurd but hat is exactly what our salvation requires (things of heaven). Jesus Christ was obedient that God gave Him a name above all other names in heaven and earth and under the earth. And to booth, every knee must bow before Him whether they wish to or not. Also in the book of Exodus 25 verse 9 and Numbers 8 verse 4, Moses was found faithful that he spoke with God face to face but did not die but God face anyone who sees His face shall die. The bible says anyone who sees God face to face shall die. The obedience of Moses brought him more grace before God. This was because God found him faithful. He brought the once mighty and fearsome Pharaoh to his knees with an ordinary looking staff of a shepherd. Obedience before God will bring us closer to Him and the closer you are to a person the more friendly you get and the more favors and attention you receive. What that has you will get if you ask for it. And God has the ultimate power.

We can again consider the absolute necessity for obedience. In any military code, disobedience to orders may earn the offender into the “stock’ and many have been court-martialed for disobeying orders. Disobedience is taken as a disruption of orderliness. That is in the world and how much more of heaven. We are in a spiritual warfare where a little error can cost life. I remember the story a man who decided to have a “truce” with Satan because he was assured that if he stopped praying, Satan will no longer bother him. The bible says we should pray without ceasing. It is a standing commandment for every believer. He stopped praying but it was the prayer of saints that brought him back to life from unexplainable sickness. One of the saddest cases in the bible to me personally is the story of the young prophet in 1 Kings 13. Instead of a great testimony it turned to disaster for a man just starting his ministry. This can happen to anyone who is not aware of spiritual warfare and importance to orders from God. What do you think of the older prophet? Will God judge him cruel? We shall find out in heaven. I pray that we make there in the name of Jesus. Amen.

We shall briefly examine the obedience of a few characters in the bible and what God did through them and for them: see if your life fit any of them.

MOSES.
Except for our Lord Jesus Christ, there has been no prophet so close to God as Moses. In Nu.12 Vs. 7-8, God punished Moses brother and sister (Aaron and Miriam) who were also ministers of God, to show His displeasure at people who defies His obedient servants. The bible says Moses spoke with God “mouth to mouth”. Since we know that one of the attributes of the Most High is purity, He must have seen holiness in Moses. It was to Moses God showed the pattern of the tabernacle in Ex. 25. Moses built it as he was shown, Heb. 3 vs. 3. If Moses had been a disobedient by not ordering the people to mark the two side posts and the upper posts of their houses with Passover blood, would you imagine what would have happened to the people! Most of the same people God wanted to safe would have died. History would not be the same as we read it today. But by the obedience of one man, the history of our salvation continued even till Christ Jesus. Deut 34 vs. 5-11 tells us hat God Himself buried Moses. He made intercessions for the people Num. 14. Through the hands of Moses, God delivered people from bondage. Miracles were performed at his hands culminating in the destruction of Pharaoh at the red sea. Today, anyone who performed a miracle would want to go on television while this gift was more common in those days and in the times of the early apostles.

ABRAHAM:
He is known as the father of faith for he never doubted God. What would you do if God told you in dream or any other way to pack your things and go to live in a mosquito infested land? Not only that, He will tell you day by the day the direction of the land. I am not too certain you will consider that it is God. If you do you may ask for a map or compass just in the event that you get lost. You will want to know where to rest or get shelter from the rain. Abraham, the bible says, did not doubt or question God in Gen. 12. He was told to offer his most beloved son, Isaac, as sacrifice, and he did not question God. Many of us are not even paying our tithes much less to give up any of our most treasured possessions. Because of the obedience of Abraham, he became the Bill Gates of his time and from his loins came our Savior Jesus Christ.

ISAIAH:
Major Prophets of today are known by their wealth. Not too many of them would do what God told this prophet, often quoted by Jesus Christ, to do. In Isaiah 20, vs. 1-2, the prophet walked barefooted and naked (for a man his status) to prove that obedience is better than sacrifice. The first recorded sermon of our Lord Jesus Christ, Luke. 4 vs. 18-19 was quoted from Is. 61 vs.1 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”. Isaiah saw the train of God’s glory but still remained humble and obedient. Many major prophecies even about Christ came through him, Is 11 and 53. Many of his writings are also major and popular warfare texts. Is 54 vs. 17 “no weapon fashioned against me shall prosper”; Is 43 vs. 2 “When thou pass through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”. He was feared by king and tradition says that he was sawed in two and became a martyr.

NOAH
Man with the ark. It is incredible if we are to compare his patience with man of today to spend an enormous amount of years to build anything; he did not bother about the jokes made about him because he foresaw that he did not need mans approval if he has God’s. God gave him the order and he was not answerable to any but God.

DAVID
Here is a case study of the sovereignty of God; this man committed quite a few misdeeds which ordinarily would have sent him to hell fire before the cross yet God measured his heart’s and found a fervent love and fear of God; he inquired of God before he took any decision, he had the opportunity to “justifiably” kill Saul his enemy but did not, he made himself available to be used of God as a soldier and He made him a king along with it.

JESUS CHRIST:
He is the reason for the grace we enjoy today. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not have to come from His throne but He did; to pay our debt. He is the Qualifier of our grace. Through obedience He suffered and never complained. The assignment God gave Him was to save man while enduring wickedness even from the same people He came to set free. In John 5 vs. 26-30, Jesus Christ told us of the assignment. He obeyed the father unto death on the cross. In those days, hanging on the cross was one of the most shameful and painful forms of deaths. In the Roman times, it was a form of sports always even more so it the “offender” was a believer. Philippians 2 vs. 8-10 tells us about the obedience of Jesus Christ. Through this obedience, salvation came to man. Can you imagine what eternity would be like without the obedience of this one man, Christ Jesus? Yes. We already have it in the catastrophe of terrorism, hunger, pain, tears, murder, fear, wars and threats of wars. The bigger pain will be that all these would have being for eternity without Jesus Christ. Thanks for Jesus and God for accepting Him in our stead. What if God had not allowed His son to die in our place! The degree of obedience of Christ is our real joy. The greater the obedience the more the grace. The more the obedience the more the anointing. No wonder His names mean “The Anointed One”. From His obedience we enjoy grace when we obey Jesus Christ.

OTHER CONDITIONS TO GROWING IN GRACE.

REPENTANCE.
This tells God that we know that we have done something wrong that will damage our relationship with God. Acknowledging that wrong is important. We must repent of all known and unknown sins because we are serving a holy God. If we confess our sins before God then He knows that we are serious to work for him. We must also keep our minds clean because that is the engine house of the soul where either God will interact with us or Satan with his own. We need to nurture good thoughts for us to be able to hear from God. Samuel was a child when he heard from God because his mind was still tender and clean. Only a tender heart will repent of evil done against God. The life of King David provides the availability and use of grace in the scriptures. He committed some terrible sins but he was always on his knees immediately God brings them to him. The ultimate sin is to shed innocent blood which King David did with near perfection. However when God confronted King David, he owned up to it immediately without any excuse given. He asked for forgiveness and he has today the famous Psalm 51. Why did God forgive the horrible sin of King David but dethroned King Saul? Was God fair? Yes. 1 Kings 15 vs. 30. King Saul agreed that he had sinned but he wanted honor from man and not repentance nor forgiveness of sin from God. He sinned against God even though Samuel told him to destroy the Amalekites. Samuel was only delivering God’s order. Conversely, in 2 Samuel 12 vs. 13, King David said he had sinned against the Lord not against Prophet Nathan. God gave the commandment that “thou shall not kill.” He was severely punished for his horrible sin but he was pardoned from paying the real penalty for that type of sin.

Mark 14 verse 3, woman with the expensive oil, washing the Lord’s legs with her hair brought everlasting testimonies. She did not count the cost of the oil. It was not just the cost of the oil that our Lord Jesus Christ appreciated so much about but the woman cleaned Hs feet with her hair. The hair is a token of beauty of women. So will the soul of those who desire to grow in grace. There is nothing too much to give up growing in grace.

FORGIVING OTHERS AS YOU WERE FORGIVEN:
Again we need to study the practical teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the flesh, the betrayal by Peter on the night of His arrest and the time He needed the support of His inner circle the most would demand that we never speak to Peter and the likes of him again. Most of us would rightly have no friendship of Peter as worth a cent any longer. Peter had just professed his "love" for Christ that he would die with if need be. When rubber met the road Peter and the others denied knowing Jesus. Peter even went further to curse himself if he ever knew Jesus. They just had dinner and He washed his Peter’s feet. Jesus Our Lord Jesus Christ not only forgave Peter but made him one of the leaders of the Apostles. This is forgiveness at its pinnacle. No wonder we must bow at the mention of the name of Jesus Christ. It must be realized that the objective of Satan is to have us not forgive others whereby the offender will not have the opportunity to correct the error and that we do not receive forgiveness ourselves. The legal ground would then be established against us. King David made sure that Shimei in 1 Kings 2 vs. 8 was punished by his son King Solomon because of what Shimei did in 2 Samuel 16 vs. 5. The story of the servant who would not forgive a smaller amount of debt even though his master had forgiven him a larger debt earlier. He had to repay the debt plus jail. (Bible passage) It is very important that we not fulfill the desire of the flesh to see those who offend us suffer for their offence. We call this “justice”. In the Old Testament it was but if the old covenant is good enough there will be no need for a new one paid for by the blood of the Master.