riches of grace - amazing facts...michelangelo had seen something that no one else had been able to...

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1. Oh,The Riches of His Grace! .......... 2

2. The Best Out of the Worst .............. 6

3. My Grace is Sufficient .................... 10

4. Paul Before Nero ........................... 14

5. Peter’s Final Triumph ..................... 26

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each other? Aren’t you glad He doesn’t?He looks at the same people we do, butthe Bible says that He does everything“according to the riches of His grace.”And what a difference that makes! Manlooks on the outward appearance but Godlooks on the heart.

One of the strangest texts in the Bibleis found in 1 Corinthians 1:27, 28. Paulwrote, “But God hath chosen the foolishthings of the world to confound the wise;and God hath chosen the weak things ofthe world to confound the things whichare mighty.” How is that possible? Ourhuman reasoning says that it can never bedone. How could lowly, ignorant peopleor things be used to embarrass the intelli-gence of the highly educated?

I came across the answer to thesequestions as I studied the manner in whichJesus called His disciples.Think of it for amoment. The Master needed men whocould help Him communicate a life ordeath message to every country and in allthe languages on earth. Suppose you hadfaced such a task? Where would you have

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C H A P T E R 1Oh! The Riches of His Grace

I read recently about a business execu-tive whose work was to continuallyconduct interviews of people who

were seeking positions in his corporation.This man insisted on having a long officewith his desk opposite the door where theapplicants had to enter. As they wouldwalk across the room to take their place infront of him, he would watch themintently. By the time they were seated healready knew what he was going to doabout their application.

I’m not saying this is a good way to judge and classify people—by initialimpressions—but, unfortunately, most ofus do it, either consciously or uncon-sciously. We make quick decisions, quiteunfairly, based on how we respond to anindividual’s walk, smile or haircut.

Let me ask you a question. Does Godjudge us in the same way that we judge

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and fish was one brawny, hardheaded fel-low by the name of Simon Peter. Perhapshe was humming one of the rough folksongs of the sea as he worked at cleaninghis catch for the market. Not for amoment did he realize that somethingwould happen to him that day that wouldbring his name to the lips of millionsdown though the ages. Peter was just an obscure fisherman when Jesus ofNazareth passed by and looked at him.

What did Christ see as He looked at Peter on that memorable morning?Certainly not the same thing that every-one else saw. You see, the big fishermanwas not a very lovable character. He wasboastful and arrogant to such a degreethat people probably avoided him when-ever possible. This impulsive, bumblingman was always putting his foot in hismouth and saying the wrong thing at thewrong time. It almost seems, from thelimited record, that he was the kind ofman that only his mother could love. Butthat is not the man Jesus saw as He lookedat Peter that day!

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looked for qualified spokesmen and per-sonal representatives? I can’t answer forothers but I think I would have headedstraight for the university centers wherelinguistics and communication skills werehoned to perfection.

Jesus didn’t do that. He passed by thegreat rabbinical schools of His day, andwent down by the seaside where menwere casting their nets for fish.There Hecalled His disciples from among thosewho were rough and crude and even vul-gar. He chose some who could not speakproperly, even in their own provincialdialect! How could those uneducatedpeasants from the lowest levels of societyever meet the requirements of His world-wide mission? Why didn’t He selectscholars of Greek and Hebrew culturewho would know how to relate to peoplein every social circumstance? Let’s see ifwe can find the answers.

In the little fishing village of Bethsaidaone bright early morning, the fishermenwere taking care of the night’s catch.Among those who toiled with the nets

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panions were so willing to follow the callof this humble Galilean stranger, who wasalmost as rough hewn in appearance asthey were. There was nothing specialabout the physical features of Jesus thatwould make Him stand out in a crowd.We are told that He was like a “root outof the dry ground,” indicating that He wasnot particularly handsome. His carpenterclothes and calloused hands would haveidentified Him as just another villagerfrom a nearby community.

How, then, can we explain why thosepractical men of the sea were willing towalk away from their boats and nets as soon as Jesus said “Follow me”? Whocan understand, from this future perspec-tive, why they were drawn to make a life-long commitment to follow this seeming-ly ignorant peasant? Surely there must have been something strangely irresistibleabout the face and voice of Jesus as Hecalled them to leave it all that day.An auraof love and power must have beamed withsuch strength that they did not even askthe expected questions.There is no record

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Jesus saw the real fisherman. He lookedbeneath that rough exterior and saw whatthis braggart could become through theriches of His grace. He saw a man whocould stand up and preach a sermon thatwould bring thousands to the altar cryingout “What shall I do to be saved?” Andbecause He recognized what this diamondin the rough could become through thepower of grace, Jesus loved him and calledhim to be a disciple. Isn’t that wonderful?And that’s why you and I are where we areright now. It’s why we’re not pulling the smelly nets of sin around anymore.Jesus passed by and looked at us. He didn’tsee us as we were, but as we might becomethrough His marvelous transformingpower. Oh, the riches of His grace!

C H A P T E R 2The Best Out of the Worst

I wish we could know the full story ofthat encounter by the seaside. First ofall, I wonder why Peter and his com-

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from under his skillful fingers the figure ofa man that was said to be so perfect that itlacked only life itself.That statue of Davidstood for many years in the basilica of St.Peter’s Cathedral in Rome as one ofMichelangelo most perfect masterpieces.

I believe that’s what Jesus saw as Helooked at that marred piece of humanitycalled Simon Peter.The Divine Artist hadseen something in the big fisherman thatnobody else had seen, and the shapingprocess was initiated. It took much ham-mering to remove all the pride and vain-glory. It required blows like the night ofthe Transfiguration, the denial by the fire-side and the night Peter walked on thesea. But slowly there came forth fromunder the Master’s skillful influence amasterpiece.

We can understand that miracle ofPeter because the same thing has hap-pened to each of us. In our unconvertedcondition we were no more attractive toJesus than the boisterous, loudmouthedfisherman. But when He passed by andlooked at us, He loved us in the same way.

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that they asked about leaving the expen-sive equipment behind, or how muchthey would be paid, or how they couldleave family or friends on such shortnotice.

But then began the process of mold-ing all of those clods of fractious humanmaterial into a team of powerful evangel-ists.What hope was there that Peter couldmake the transformation? I’m remindedof the story of Michelangelo as he walkeddown the streets of Rome one day. In acorner he observed a piece of crackedmarble that had apparently been cast asideby some would-be sculptor. In spite of theugly split seam across the face of it, thegreat artist stood looking at the aban-doned stone for a long time. Finally hecalled for his assistants to haul the marbleinto his studio. Behind the ruined surfaceMichelangelo had seen something that noone else had been able to recognize. Hebegan to work on the stone with chiseland mallet. Weeks and months passed byas the master hammered and hewed thescarred reject, until finally there emerged


Hindu land of India to the preaching ofthe gospel.That unknown leather workerbecame the father of the modern mis-sionary movement in India, and it was myprivilege, as a missionary there years later,to work with a direct descendant of thefirst Hindu convert won to Christianityby William Carey.

Again, Jesus passed down a side Streetin Chicago and entered a shoe storewhere a struggling Christian lad wasworking as a salesman. His name was D. L.Moody, and Jesus called him that day tobe a witness for Him. Dwight Moodystepped out of that little store to becomeone of the greatest lay evangelists sincethe days of the apostles. Later, he and hisgospel singer, Sankey, went to England fora large evangelistic series in the city ofLondon. On one of their slack days, theytook a carriage ride through the forestoutside the city, and there they cameacross an encampment of gypsies. Moodyordered the driver to stop so that hemight preach to the ill-famed group whocrowded around the carriage. After the

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I was following a stubborn mule througha tobacco patch in North Carolina whenHe called me to follow Him. My life hasnever been the same since. How could Hebring any good out of such miserablematerial? And yet He has done it over andover again. He has taken the weak, foolishthings to confound the wise and themighty. Aren’t you glad that He camelooking for you, and did not pass you by?Praise God for His matchless grace!

C H A P T E R 3My Grace is Sufficient

Consider for a moment how Godhas taken the weakest and theworst to turn the world upside

down. Whom did He choose when He had a major earthshaking task to per-form? He walked into a cobbler shop inNorthampton, England, and tapped a manon the shoulder as he labored over hisshoe lasts. In that humble shop God calledWilliam Carey to open up the dark

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sermon Sankey sang one of his beautifulgospel appeal songs. One earnest littlegypsy boy stood by the carriage wheeland never took his eyes off the greatsoloist during the song. Sankey was somoved by the lad that he put his hand onhis head and said, “God make a preacherout of this boy.” Later, under the influenceof that kindly Christian attention, thatforest gypsy boy dedicated his life to theministry and powerfully impacted theworld as Gypsy Smith.

In His own day, Jesus also called twotempestuous brothers, who worked theboats and nets with their father Zebedee.James and John seemed to be even lesslikely candidates for the ministry than theimpetuous Peter. They had hair-triggertempers and would fight at the drop of ahat. Christ actually gave them a nicknamem response to their violent dispositions.He called them “Sons of Thunder.”Perhaps He bestowed that name after theexperience in the Samaritan village. It wasthere that the brothers wanted to call firedown from Heaven to burn up the entire

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population because they did not showappropriate hospitality.

From all appearance, Jesus was destroy-ing His mission by calling James and Johnto be His disciples. It must have been obvi-ous to everyone that these men wouldembarrass the Master every time theyopened their mouths. Yet, Jesus knewexactly what He was doing. He saw theglorious potential in the lives of those can-tankerous brothers. One of them wouldbecome the most tender-hearted of thetwelve, leaning upon the bosom of Jesusand writing unparalleled epistles aboutlove for others. Once again God had cho-sen the “things which are despised to con-found the things that are mighty.”“Wheresin abounded, grace did much moreabound” (Romans 5:20).

Then there was the time Jesus wentwalking in the Bowery section of wickedold New York City, and down in the filthof the street lay a drunken wretch of aman by the name of Sam Hadley. Everyday he would lie in the gutter as a revolt-ing spectacle to those who passed by, and


each night he would crawl into one of theflea-bitten rooms along the Bowery tosleep it off. And that’s what Jesus saw asHe passed by and looked. Or was it whatJesus saw? The truth is that Christ did notsee a hopeless derelict at all. He lookedpast the filth and corruption and saw theman Sam Hadley could become throughthe power of His grace. He said, “Followme,” and that seeming piece of humanrefuse responded. For years Sam Hadleypreached the gospel along the waterfrontsof New York, leading thousands to acceptthe life-changing grace of Christ, andproving again that God can make the bestout of the worst.

C H A P T E R 4Paul Before Nero

How can we describe this “muchmore” grace that can overpowerthe strongest propensities of evil?

First of all, it is free and available to everysoul in the world. Also, it reaches far

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beyond the trite definitions that we oftenassign to it. Grace is not a theory, or adream, or a dead hope. The standardexplanation of “unmerited favor” falls farshort of describing its redemptive mis-sion. I’d like to suggest that grace is pri-marily power to provide for every possi-ble need in human life. It takes muchpower to chisel a chunk of dense graniteinto the perfect form of a man, but itrequires infinitely more to transform adissolute, immoral man or woman intothe image of Jesus Christ.

Of all the writers of the Bible, Paulseemed to have a truer concept of graceand also a deeper appreciation for its dra-matic performance in daily living. If thegreat apostle could write today he wouldprobably not be able to give a more pro-found statement on grace than he gave tothe church in Corinth. He wrote:“But bythe grace of God I am what I am: and hisgrace which was bestowed upon me wasnot in vain; but I labored more abundant-ly than they all: yet not I, but the grace ofGod which was with me” (1 Corinthians

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outward appearances would have preclud-ed Saul from any possible considerationfor such a mission. But Jesus made Hismove on the basis of grace—that divineenergy that would capture the focusedrage of Saul and redirect it into the mis-sionary zeal of Paul. No wonder the greatapostle wrote,“By the grace of God, I amwhat I am.”

How did that grace-power operate mPaul’s extensive ministry? When he foundgrace in the eyes of the Lord, what did itdo for him? He found deliverance fromthe storm at sea and from the deadlyvenom of the viper later on the island. Hewas rescued from prison and saved fromthe mob who tried to stone him. Gracewas very real to him, because it consistedof dynamic present power for every dan-gerous moment of his busy life. It is easyto understand why he made grace thechief theme of his evangelistic thrustamong the non-Jewish cities to which heministered. To the Ephesians he wrote,“Unto me, who am less than the least ofall saints, is this grace given, that I should

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15:10). In one verse Paul makes a three-fold reference to the grace that was total-ly responsible for all his accomplishments.Constantly he preached about it and gavewitness in every place to his miraculousencounter with Christ on the Damascusroad.

Paul never forgot the radical events ofthe day that brought him face to face withthe Messiah he rejected and despised.Withfury in his heart he had rushed to destroyevery Christian he could track down inthe territory of Damascus. But then camethe bright light and the voice fromHeaven! The proud Pharisee was blindedduring that confrontation, but he also hadhis eyes opened for the first time concern-ing the object of his intense hatred.As thescales fell away from his spiritual visionand Paul recognized the voice of the veryJesus he had persecuted, he cried out,“What wilt thou have me to do?”

Have you ever wondered why Jesuschose the most rabid religious fanatic inthe Jewish community to be His mission-ary to the Gentiles? It is certain that all

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held Paul firm and unmoving even thoughthe thorn was not removed.

To understand the strength of thatsufficient grace we need to follow Paulthrough those final weeks and months ofhis ministry. He had an insatiable desire togo back to Jerusalem and proclaim thegospel where he had barely escaped fromthe infuriated priests and Pharisees.All hisfriends tried to dissuade him from thedangerous venture, warning him aboutthe violent prejudice of the Jewish com-munity. Paul’s answer was: “Now I gobound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, notknowing the things that shall befall methere, save that the Holy Ghost witnessethin every city, saying that bonds and afflic-tions abide me. But none of these thingsmove me, neither count I my life dearunto myself, so that I might finish mycourse with joy, and the ministry, which Ihave received of the Lord Jesus, to testifythe gospel of the grace of God” (Acts20:22-24).

That grace which had been revealedto Paul on the Damascus road was like a

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preach among the Gentiles the unsearch-able riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).

Did Paul find that marvelous graceadequate for all the problems and dangersthat constantly beset him? In one case hebecame afflicted with an irritating physi-cal disability that he designated as “athorn in the flesh.” From other places inhis epistles we gather that the problemhad to do with his vision. In his letter tothe Galatians he stated, “Ye would haveplucked out your own eyes, and havegiven them to me” (Galatians 4:15).Againhe spoke of having to write them in largeletters as though he could not see verywell (Galatians 6:11).

The infirmity became so severe thatPaul made it a special subject of prayer. Hedescribed the experience in his second let-ter to the Corinthians: “For this thing Ibesought the Lord thrice, that it mightdepart from me.And he said unto me, Mygrace is sufficient for thee: for my strengthis made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians12:8, 9). Thus God’s powerful deliveringgrace now became the sustaining grace that

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I’ve tried to reconstruct in my mindhow Paul must have felt as he was usheredinto the throne room of the most evil,bloodthirsty tyrant who ever ruled anation. Nero was the heartless despot whohad ruthlessly persecuted the Christians atRome and whose actions toward his ownpeople had been without a trace of pity orcompassion.

What a moment it must have beenfor the eloquent Paul when he was grant-ed permission to speak in his own behalfbefore the ruler of the entire world. Howdid he feel as he looked around that mag-nificent hall where ambassadors andlegates from every country were assem-bled to honor the emperor? There is nodoubt that Paul could have presented anable defense for himself because he washighly educated in the persuasive art ofspeech, but when he saw that vast assem-blage of representatives from the ends ofthe earth his heart was moved withinhim. He realized that the words he wouldspeak that day would be carried back toall the countries represented there. So

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burning fire in his heart. He longed togive one final testimony to the leaders ofthe people he loved, even though Godhad revealed to him that imprisonmentwould result.

The enemies, of course, were waitingfor Paul, and they did attack him physical-ly. He was manhandled by both soldiersand citizens, and after appraising thedepth of feeling against him as revealed inthe false witnesses before the governor’scourt, Paul appealed to Caesar.

After months of political intrigue, aswell as many miserable weeks of life-threatening storms at sea, Paul was deliv-ered to the authorities in Rome.There hewas thrown into a dark, mucky hole inthe ground called the Mamertine Prison.Today, those who visit the site are con-ducted down brightly lighted steps intothe dungeon area. I thought of Paul’sactual confinement as I walked downthose stairs on my visit to Rome. He lan-guished there for many days before theyhauled him out and prepared him to standbefore the emperor.

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ble not to see it as the soldiers escortedthe prisoner toward the coliseum.

Paul undoubtedly saw the monumentthat day and the inscription carved intothe pedestal: Nero—Conqueror. Is it hardfor us to imagine the thoughts that passedthrough his head as he looked up at thatmassive stone image and read the wordson the foundation? Surely Paul’s mindwas taken back to the day when he sat inthe prison at Corinth, writing an epistleof encouragement to the suffering saintsin Rome. He had heard of their persecu-tions under the cruel hand of Nero, andhis pen dripped with sympathy and loveas he poured out his heart to them.“Whoshall separate us from the love of Christ?Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecu-tion, or famine, or nakedness, or peril orsword? ... Nay, in all these things we aremore than conquerors through him thatloved us. For I am persuaded, that neitherdeath, nor life, nor angels, nor principali-ties, nor power, nor things present, northings to come, nor height, nor depth, norany other creature, shall be able to sepa-

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instead of his own legal defense Paulpreached one of his most powerful ser-mons about the riches of that gracerevealed so long ago on the road toDamascus.

That sermon never died. It was nodoubt repeated by those who heard ituntil the influence had circled the earth.But Paul was returned to the filth of thewretched Mamertine. Later, he was grant-ed limited freedom to communicate withfriends and fellow Christians, but aftertwo years the guards came again to placethe aged apostle under chains from whichhe would never be freed.

Was that promised grace sufficient tosustain the gallant tent maker to the veryend of his life? Yes. The day came whenthey led him down the cobblestone streetfor the last time, past the emperor’s palaceand into the arena where his life was to betaken from him.What did Paul think as hepassed the great statue of Nero that stoodin front of the royal palace? History tellsus that the huge image towered 110 feetinto the air; It would have been impossi-

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better look? This man had been a profes-sional white-collar thief, but when Jesuslooked at him that day his greedy heartwas transformed by grace. Have you con-sidered the miracle of that moment whenJesus called his name and announced thatHe was going home with Zacchaeus forlunch? In a flash the wily tax collector sliddown the tree to accept the offer, but bythe time he touched the ground his devi-ous nature had been totally changed, andhe was a different person. His first wordswere,“Behold, Lord, the half of my goodsI give to the poor; and if I have taken any-thing from any man by false accusation, Irestore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).

No one can deny that those wordsbear mighty testimony of true conversion.Zacchaeus had a lot to restore, and he stillhad committed to sharing half his fortunewith the poor. What a fantastic heartchange took place in that few seconds ofconversation. Oh, the riches of His grace!How measureless and deep. One day Jesuspassed by on that road and looked downand saw a poor man in the gutter. He

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rate us from the love of God, which is inChrist Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35-39).

Paul’s own inspired words now comeback to comfort him as he reads theboastful inscription on the statue. Surelyhe must have thought,“Nero, you are notthe conqueror.You are the slave of yourown perverted nature. Christians are thefree ones. We are ‘more than conquerorsthrough Christ our Lord.’”

Paul counted it all joy to make thesupreme sacrifice for the Savior he loved.A man cannot die for a shallow cause, butsomething had been etched into the heartof Paul that could never be erased. God’sgrace was sufficient. It did not fail him.Neither has it proved insufficient for anyother who has claimed it by faith. A manis never the same when Jesus passes by andlooks and loves. Paul certainly wasn’t, andneither was Nathaniel whom Jesus sawunder the fig tree.

And what can we say aboutZacchaeus, the midget millionaire, whowas so eager to see the Master that heclimbed a sycamore tree in order to get a

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would soon be tested and found wanting.“Verily I say unto thee, that this nightbefore the cock crow, thou shalt deny methrice” (Matthew 26:34).

Within hours the little group of disci-ples were trying to stay awake while Jesusagonized in the Garden of Gethsemane.Suddenly, out of the darkness of the night,came shouts from a well-armed mob, andPeter, stirred from his slumber, leaped tohis feet with sword in hand. In a rash dis-play of bravado he swung wildly at the nearest man, whacking off an ear.Instantly, Peter was rebuked by the quietvoice of the Master, “Put up again thysword into his place.”

Then pandemonium broke out as thetraitor Judas identified Jesus as the objectof their search. In the resulting confusionJesus was violently separated from His fol-lowers and dragged away for an impromp-tu, illegal confrontation with Pilate in thegovernor’s judgement hall. As for the dis-ciples, we have this simple, succinct bibli-cal statement, “Then all the disciples for-sook him, and fled” (Matthew 26:56). But

reached out to him and met his need.Thenext day He passed the same way andlooked up to see a rich man in a tree. Hewas able to meet his need also. How won-derful that He can meet the need of everyindividual at any social level and regardlessof the problem. He can meet your needand mine this very moment.

C H A P T E R 5Peter’s Final Triumph

But let’s come back to the biographyof the big fisherman. His was prob-ably the most dramatic change of

all the rest.Yet there was another time thatJesus looked at Peter under very differentcircumstances. All the disciples had pro-fessed undying devotion to their Master,but impulsive Peter had spoken louderand longer than any of the others. Hewould go to his death rather than be dis-loyal to the One who had called him fromhis nets. Jesus, of course, knew better andwarned the ardent disciple that his words

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not allowed to follow the pain-rackedapostle as he sought out a solitary place toagonize through a seemingly endlessnight. But the remorse did not cease forPeter on that Paschal night, nor on thepreparation day which followed.

In our own minds we can easily pic-ture the tormented state of Peter’s mindduring that special high Sabbath whileJesus rested in the tomb. He struggledwith the thought that he might havecommitted the unpardonable sin. Theoverwhelming guilt of his despicable deedwas constantly before him.

But then it was Sunday morning andPeter forced himself to join the other dis-ciples as they assembled to share theirgrief.There is shame on the part of all asthey remember their cowardly conducton Thursday night, but Peter is more dev-astated than any of the others. I can pic-ture him drawing aside into a corner, stillred-eyed from weeping. Suddenly thedoor bursts open and Mary Magdaleneflies into the room, gasping out the elec-trifying news that she has seen the resur-

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then Matthew quickly adds these words,“But Peter followed him afar off unto thehigh priest’s palace” (Verse 58).

The shameful interlude around thefire in the palace courtyard highlights thedepth of Peter’s instability, earlier recog-nized by Jesus when He added the nameCephas or Peter (rolling stone) to Simon’sname. In three groveling denials Peter dis-tanced himself from the One who wasplainly visible through the open door.Those lips which had declared, “thou artthe Son of God” now began to pour forthcurses and invectives to avert the accusingfinger of a little girl who recognized him,but his earthy denials were cut short inmid-sentence by the shrill sound of acrowing rooster. Then Peter’s eyes weredrawn through that open door to meetthe steady, return gaze of Jesus—a sorrow-ful look of love and compassion thatwould burn in the broken heart of Peterfor many hours.

As the full horror of what he haddone dawned on Peter’s mind he fled intothe sheltering darkness. Mercifully we are

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like a newly risen sun. And then Peter isrunning, running to tell everyone the glo-rious news. The narrative continues aftersaying “they believed not,” with thesewords,“Then rose Peter and ran unto thesepulcher” (Verse 22). The joyful wordsrang in his heart—Jesus still loved him!Jesus had forgiven him!

I need waste no further words withthe story, because every one of us haspassed through the same sharp-edgedremorse that cut off Peter’s joy and hope.We have asked ourselves the same ques-tion that he must have screamed into thedarkness—”Why did I do it? I loved Himand yet I denied Him!” And our brokenhearts have been lifted and healed by thesame blessed assurance that our sins havebeen forgiven. Jesus loves us still andresponds instantly to our cry of repen-tance. Hallelujah! What a Saviour! Howcan we not love such a Redeemer? Andfrom such an experience of restoration wemay enter as Peter did into a life of con-stant victory and fruitful witnessing forthe Master. All because He has chosen us

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rected Jesus.There is a stir of excitement,but then a wave of unbelief. ExcitedlyMary repeats the words of the angel thatthey should go to Galilee to meet theMaster for themselves. But the Bible saysthat her words “seemed to them as idletales, and they believed not” (Luke 24:11).

Is it hard to imagine Mary’s frustra-tion at such skepticism of her eyewitnessreport? But where was Peter? Surely hewould believe that she was telling thetruth. Seeing him in the corner sherushed to pour out her story anew.“Come,” she said, “We must meet ourLord in Galilee.”“No, Mary. Not me. Jesuswill never want to speak to me again. Idenied Him with cursing and swearing!”And then Mary’s words tumble out withrenewed excitement,“No, Peter, the angelsaid,‘Tell his disciples and Peter.’ He calledyour name. He especially wanted you tobe there.”

Did ever sweeter words fall upon ahuman heart than those thrilling words ofMary? Into the darkened life of thatgrieving disciple the glory of heaven burst

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in our weakness, through the riches of Hisgrace, to confound the things that aremighty. Where sin abounded, let gracemuch more abound! Thanks be to God forthe unsearchable riches of that grace!

Riches of Grace32 Library of Sermons

1. Armageddon2. Can a Saved Man Choose to Be Lost?3. Does God’s Grace Blot Out the Law?4. Hidden Eyes and Closed Ears5. How Evolution Flunked the Science Test6. Is It Easier to Be Saved or to Be Lost?7. Man’s Flicker or God’s Flame8. Satan in Chains9. Satan’s Confusing Counterfeits

10. Spirits From Other Worlds11. Thieves in the Church12. Why God Said Remember13. Why the Old Covenant Failed14. The High Cost of the Cross15. Hell-Fire16. Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?17. Blood Behind the Veil18. Spirits of the Dead19. The Brook Dried Up20. Death in the Kitchen21. The Search for the True Church22. Is It a Sin to Be Tempted?23. Is Sunday Really Sacred?24. Heaven ... Is It for Real?25. Rendezvous in Space26. Christ’s Human Nature27. Point of No Return28. The Rich Man and Lazarus

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