Title
Grace and Peace 恩 惠 、 平 安
Date
08/24/2025
Description
2 Peter 1:2: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
彼 得 後 書 1:2: 愿 恩 惠 、 平 安 ， 因 你 们 认 识 神 和 我 们 主 耶 稣 ， 多 多 的 加 给 你 们 。(page 1972)
Hebrews 3:14: For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
希 伯 來 書 3:14: 我 们 若 将 起 初 确 实 的 信 心 坚 持 到 底 ， 就 在 基 督 里 有 分 了 。(page 1942)
Ephesians 1:2: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
以 弗 所 書 1:2: 愿 恩 惠 、 平 安 从 神 我 们 的 父 和 主 耶 稣 基 督 归 与 你 们 ！page 1894)
Matthew 13:12: "For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
馬 太 福 音 13:12: 凡 有 的 ， 还 要 加 给 他 ， 叫 他 有 馀 ； 凡 没 有 的 ， 连 他 所 有 的 ， 也 要 夺 去 。( 1580)
Jude 1:2: May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
猶 大 書 2: 愿 怜 恤 、 平 安 、 慈 爱 多 多 的 加 给 你 们
(pg 1986)
Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
提多书 3:5: 借着重生之洗和圣灵的更新拯救了我们，这并非因为我们有义行，而是因为祂的怜悯. (1936)
彼 得 後 書 1:2: 愿 恩 惠 、 平 安 ， 因 你 们 认 识 神 和 我 们 主 耶 稣 ， 多 多 的 加 给 你 们 。(page 1972)
Hebrews 3:14: For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
希 伯 來 書 3:14: 我 们 若 将 起 初 确 实 的 信 心 坚 持 到 底 ， 就 在 基 督 里 有 分 了 。(page 1942)
Ephesians 1:2: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
以 弗 所 書 1:2: 愿 恩 惠 、 平 安 从 神 我 们 的 父 和 主 耶 稣 基 督 归 与 你 们 ！page 1894)
Matthew 13:12: "For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
馬 太 福 音 13:12: 凡 有 的 ， 还 要 加 给 他 ， 叫 他 有 馀 ； 凡 没 有 的 ， 连 他 所 有 的 ， 也 要 夺 去 。( 1580)
Jude 1:2: May mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
猶 大 書 2: 愿 怜 恤 、 平 安 、 慈 爱 多 多 的 加 给 你 们
(pg 1986)
Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
提多书 3:5: 借着重生之洗和圣灵的更新拯救了我们，这并非因为我们有义行，而是因为祂的怜悯. (1936)
Creator
Pastor: Mike J Koger
Contributor
Hillside United Methodist Church
3739 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
3739 US 80
Phenix City AL 36870
United States
Transcription
Grace and Peace: Building a Legacy That Lasts
Last Week: “What if this was the last time I got to do this?”
Psalm 90:12: Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise.
If we are living in true alignment, we consider our daily steps in life.
"When I leave this earth, I want to leave a legacy that my family will be proud of."
How many of us have thought something similar?
C.S. Lewis : "For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John."
A legacy is the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, or a person's life that continues after we're gone.
The truth is, we all start somewhere—and we will all end up somewhere.
What we do in-between will determine our legacy.
For most of us, we'll be forgotten by many shortly after we shed this mortal coil.
But not for those that we leave our message in their heart.
When your legacy is written on the hearts of those your life has touched, the impact can go on for generations to come.
For "the rest of your life to become the best of your life," you must accept the challenge and responsibility to change. To continue to grow.
This decision requires subsequent, radical action.
We only have so much time left to develop and leave a legacy for future generations.
If you spend your remaining days worrying about what everybody thinks about you, someday you'll never have to worry about it again because, once you're gone, you won't have left behind a legacy people will remember.
That sounds harsh, but that's what leadership and legacy are all about.
You won't always win approval—and you will certainly face criticism.
If we are to stay in alignment with God's purpose, we must accept this reality and still take that "road less traveled."
It might not always align with what others think we should be doing.
Heb 3:14: "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ."
This is where our key verse comes in. 2 Peter 1:2 says, "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
The Amplified Bible expands this: "May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in the full, personal, precise, and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
The word "multiplied" signifies an increase, an overflowing abundance, suggesting that God's grace and peace are not static but can grow and deepen in a believer's life.
As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones beautifully explained: "Grace leads to peace. It brings peace with God by reconciling us to Him. It brings internal peace and peace with others by changing our view of others. It brings the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds."
Ephesians 1:2 echoes this: "Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."
This greeting emphasizes that both grace and peace originate from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, highlighting the divine source of these blessings.
Imagine what your life could look like with multiplied grace and peace.
Remember Jesus' words in Matthew 13:12: "For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
MSG: "Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears."
Do you recognize God's grace, peace, and divine mercy operating in your life?
Take a moment to reflect on His grace and mercy in your personal history.
Psalm 124:1 prompts us to consider: "If the Lord had not been on our side..."
Look at all the forgiveness you've experienced—the second and fifth chances you've had—the restoration you've experienced when you know you didn't deserve it.
This is God's divine mercy at work.
As the song says, "Give thanks with a grateful heart."
Jude 2 affirms: "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you."
This is the central blessing, wishing for a plentiful experience of God's grace (mercy), wholeness and harmony (peace), and love for God and others.
Your legacy depends upon your pursuits.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
There's an old saying: "What you are seeking is seeking you."
Didn't Psalm 23 say, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me"?
Psalm 107:9 promises: "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
To build a legacy of grace and peace:
1. Recognize and receive God's grace in your own life first.
You cannot give what you don't have.
2. Allow God's peace to transform your relationships.
"Peace" means union and reconciliation after separation.
As Colossians 1:21 reminds us: "At one time you were separated from God...
But now..."
3. Become a channel of grace and peace to others.
Proverbs 27:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
Ask yourself: “Who am I sharpening? Who is sharpening me?”
4. Speak faith, grace, and peace into others' lives, just as spiritual mentors have also done for us in our lives .
(like all of us) I am a work in progress, but I am also a piece of work.
Still so very much that needs to change about me.
We are very blessed if we have someone speaking grace and peace into our lives
( ) Some of my most influential pastors went on to be with the Lord years ago –
…yet, their IMPACT, their LEGACY continues.
<praying in the Spirit> I gratefully recognized so many faces of those who have and those who continue to speak faith into my life
My life is a dim reflection of their dedication to Gospel ministry.
These precious mentors shared Grace and Peace to me.
Sometimes that meant they were seeing something (in me) that I couldn’t yet see.
5. Remember that true peace comes only through grace.
You cannot get to "peace" without accepting God's grace first.
"Peace" is much more than just the absence of conflict.
There will never be true peace in the Middle East until Jesus returns. Just because people aren't shooting doesn't mean real peace exists.
St. Alphonsus beautifully stated: "The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces... an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because, as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone."
Grace is the gateway—it is God's open door—His gift to us.
His open door back to fellowship.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Accept God's grace so you can live in His peace and build a legacy that touches hearts for generations to come.
As Ephesians 1:2 blesses us: "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace."
Do you believe this is for YOU? Will you receive it today?
Titus 3:5: "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit."
May grace and peace be multiplied to you
Let us build a legacy of grace and peace that will outlive us and continue to transform lives long after we're gone.
Last Week: “What if this was the last time I got to do this?”
Psalm 90:12: Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise.
If we are living in true alignment, we consider our daily steps in life.
"When I leave this earth, I want to leave a legacy that my family will be proud of."
How many of us have thought something similar?
C.S. Lewis : "For you will certainly carry out God's purpose, however you act, but it makes a difference to you whether you serve like Judas or like John."
A legacy is the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, or a person's life that continues after we're gone.
The truth is, we all start somewhere—and we will all end up somewhere.
What we do in-between will determine our legacy.
For most of us, we'll be forgotten by many shortly after we shed this mortal coil.
But not for those that we leave our message in their heart.
When your legacy is written on the hearts of those your life has touched, the impact can go on for generations to come.
For "the rest of your life to become the best of your life," you must accept the challenge and responsibility to change. To continue to grow.
This decision requires subsequent, radical action.
We only have so much time left to develop and leave a legacy for future generations.
If you spend your remaining days worrying about what everybody thinks about you, someday you'll never have to worry about it again because, once you're gone, you won't have left behind a legacy people will remember.
That sounds harsh, but that's what leadership and legacy are all about.
You won't always win approval—and you will certainly face criticism.
If we are to stay in alignment with God's purpose, we must accept this reality and still take that "road less traveled."
It might not always align with what others think we should be doing.
Heb 3:14: "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ."
This is where our key verse comes in. 2 Peter 1:2 says, "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
The Amplified Bible expands this: "May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in the full, personal, precise, and correct knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."
The word "multiplied" signifies an increase, an overflowing abundance, suggesting that God's grace and peace are not static but can grow and deepen in a believer's life.
As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones beautifully explained: "Grace leads to peace. It brings peace with God by reconciling us to Him. It brings internal peace and peace with others by changing our view of others. It brings the peace of God which guards our hearts and minds."
Ephesians 1:2 echoes this: "Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ."
This greeting emphasizes that both grace and peace originate from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, highlighting the divine source of these blessings.
Imagine what your life could look like with multiplied grace and peace.
Remember Jesus' words in Matthew 13:12: "For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
MSG: "Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears."
Do you recognize God's grace, peace, and divine mercy operating in your life?
Take a moment to reflect on His grace and mercy in your personal history.
Psalm 124:1 prompts us to consider: "If the Lord had not been on our side..."
Look at all the forgiveness you've experienced—the second and fifth chances you've had—the restoration you've experienced when you know you didn't deserve it.
This is God's divine mercy at work.
As the song says, "Give thanks with a grateful heart."
Jude 2 affirms: "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you."
This is the central blessing, wishing for a plentiful experience of God's grace (mercy), wholeness and harmony (peace), and love for God and others.
Your legacy depends upon your pursuits.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
There's an old saying: "What you are seeking is seeking you."
Didn't Psalm 23 say, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me"?
Psalm 107:9 promises: "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
To build a legacy of grace and peace:
1. Recognize and receive God's grace in your own life first.
You cannot give what you don't have.
2. Allow God's peace to transform your relationships.
"Peace" means union and reconciliation after separation.
As Colossians 1:21 reminds us: "At one time you were separated from God...
But now..."
3. Become a channel of grace and peace to others.
Proverbs 27:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
Ask yourself: “Who am I sharpening? Who is sharpening me?”
4. Speak faith, grace, and peace into others' lives, just as spiritual mentors have also done for us in our lives .
(like all of us) I am a work in progress, but I am also a piece of work.
Still so very much that needs to change about me.
We are very blessed if we have someone speaking grace and peace into our lives
( ) Some of my most influential pastors went on to be with the Lord years ago –
…yet, their IMPACT, their LEGACY continues.
<praying in the Spirit> I gratefully recognized so many faces of those who have and those who continue to speak faith into my life
My life is a dim reflection of their dedication to Gospel ministry.
These precious mentors shared Grace and Peace to me.
Sometimes that meant they were seeing something (in me) that I couldn’t yet see.
5. Remember that true peace comes only through grace.
You cannot get to "peace" without accepting God's grace first.
"Peace" is much more than just the absence of conflict.
There will never be true peace in the Middle East until Jesus returns. Just because people aren't shooting doesn't mean real peace exists.
St. Alphonsus beautifully stated: "The more a person loves God, the more reason he has to hope in Him. This hope produces... an unutterable peace, which they preserve even in adversity, because, as they love God, and know how beautiful He is to those who love Him, they place all their confidence and find all their repose in Him alone."
Grace is the gateway—it is God's open door—His gift to us.
His open door back to fellowship.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Accept God's grace so you can live in His peace and build a legacy that touches hearts for generations to come.
As Ephesians 1:2 blesses us: "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace."
Do you believe this is for YOU? Will you receive it today?
Titus 3:5: "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit."
May grace and peace be multiplied to you
Let us build a legacy of grace and peace that will outlive us and continue to transform lives long after we're gone.