A Space for Grace
by Clark Copeland
October 5, 2025 · First Pentecostal Church North Little Rock
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-2, Luke 4

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/clark-copeland--a-space-for-grace
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

------------------------------------------------------------
going to amen you. We're going to stand up. We're going to shake our fist in the devil's face and tell him he's still a liar and the truth is not in him. Amen. We're come to have church together today, man. Let's give the Lord one more hand clap of praise all over this house. Has he been good to you this week? Come on. Has he kept his hand on you this week? You ought to let them know I appreciate it. Oh God, come on. There's a lot of people didn't wake up this morning. You woke up this morning. A lot of people ain't in church this morning. You're in church this morning. I've got a reason to open up my mouth. Oh, I've got a reason to give. I don't care if it's Sunday morning. I don't care what tradition is. You don't know what I've been through this week to get me here. Come on. Some of you ought to wave. You've been through some stuff this week. You ought to wave your hand right now. Oh, come on. Life fought me this week. The enemy fought me this week. Friends fought me this week. But I came to church anyway. I didn't get dressed. I didn't go through everything I went through to come to church and not have church. What about you this morning, FPC? Some of you ought to lift your hand right where you're at. Come on, young people. Some of you ought to lift up your hand right where you're at. My God. Oh my God. There's victory on a Sunday morning. Come on. Why don't you reach over and pray with somebody right now? Why don't you reach over and pray with somebody in this house right now? Come on. We can stop it right here. Whatever you have need of, you ought to go ahead and lift it up in this house. Come on. We're pushing for a move of God today. We're pushing for a move of God in this house. If this church could have heard what was going on in that chapel Friday night, oh God, y'all could have heard these young people Friday night that were interceding and praying. Boy, you'd have the victory this morning.

Hallelujah. I'm so thankful for everything that God is doing in this wonderful church. I very quickly turn your attention to the book of Isaiah, chapter number 61. I want to say how honored I am to be at this church today. I love FPC. I love your pastor and appreciate him. She was here today, but praying for him. Love him. So good to have the bishop back. I wonder how many appreciate your bishop. Amen. He's a hero. And I love him.

Isaiah chapter number 61 and verse number one. The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. Heath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Would you lift up your hands with me all over this house one more time just for a moment? I'll preach fast today if you'll help me. I promise you. Would you lift up your hands? I love you, Jesus. God, I feel your anointing. It's real in this house. It's rich in this house. Can you that you'd reach somebody today, God? Would you minister? Come on. Would you get in the Holy Ghost with me right now for just a moment? Come on, young men. Help me pray right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

I want to preach to you just a little while on this subject. A space for grace. A space for grace. You can be seated this morning. Thank you for standing helping me.

I want to very quickly talk about a story. It's found in the book of Luke, chapter number four. It is prophetic. It is intriguing. It is enlightening. Jesus has just been in the wilderness for 40 days during this time. The devil has used every trick in his bag to try and trip Jesus up, to try and get him distracted from his mission and from his purpose. And every time that the enemy would bring temptation and bring trouble to the doorstep of Jesus himself, what a powerful revelation it is to realize that what Jesus used every time to combat the enemy was the word of God. But simply start and say as it is written. Now I want to tell you in this house, not only do we have the word of God, we've got the spirit of God. You better not ever let the enemy convince you that you are weak and that you are not powerful and that you cannot conquer what the enemy is bringing your way. You don't need a five-step program. You don't need selfm motivation. You don't need a motivational book. I'm telling you, all you need is this book that we have today. Praise God. You'll find in this book there is answers for every trouble, every problem, every dilemma that you may have. You just got to take time to get into the book and see what it says. All we need is the word of God and the spirit of God.

And Jesus come out of the wilderness different than the way that he went into it. Isn't it an amazing revelation to realize that when we're going through a trial and we're going through a hard time that as long as we stick close to God, God will give us the ability to come out of something that should have destroyed us and come out of it better than the way that we went into it. And as day 41 approached, they look up and no doubt there were many that thought him dead. You did not just wander off into the Judeian wilderness for 40 days with no food and no water and just survive for 40 days. But on day 41 they look up and they see a figure that is approaching and they realize that it is Jesus coming back out of the wilderness. Some things had changed in Jesus. The Bible says that when he returned, he came in the power of the spirit of God. There was a new level of authority. There was a new level of dominion that he operated at that he did not operate at before. I want to tell you, you better not despise when trouble comes your way. Thank God for every bit of trouble that has caused me to pray. If sickness causes me to pray, all I can do is say, "Thank you for my sickness." If criticism causes me to pray, all I can do is say, "Thank God that you allowed me to go through what I go through because I'm going to come out of it better than the way that I went into it."

Come back into the region of Galilee and he's teaching in the synagogues and the house would be full when Jesus would teach. And this point in his ministry, he had probably the least amount of opposition that he would ever have. The Bible says that the devil had departed for a season. Every synagogue in that region wanted him to come and to teach. And finally, one day he comes back to the little village called Nazareth. I'm sure there were some that thought and questioned whether or not he would ever return to this place. But he comes to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Now, I don't want to take too much time on this morning, but Jesus was faithful to go to church. They knew on the Sabbath, we're going to find him in the synagogue. Sure enough, on the Sabbath, they walk into the synagogue and there is Jesus and he is teaching the word.

I want to take just a moment and I want to lay this scene out if you would allow me. Today. The entire land had been waiting for the return of Jesus. They had heard about his confrontation in the wilderness. They had heard about the miracles. They had heard about the questions of whether or not this man could actually be the Messiah. There would have no doubt been electricity in the air that day. Now, the usual order of a service is actually similar to what we do today. It would begin with an opening prayer or a praise. Then there would be a reading from the law. Then there would be a reading from the prophets. And then there would be a sermon. Now on this particular day, Jesus would deliver both the reading from the prophet and the sermon. As he stood before the congregation on that Sabbath day, he called and asked for the scroll of Isaiah, what we would know as Isaiah chapter number 61. And as the crowd began to listen to the words that were falling from the words of Jesus, it was a passage that no doubt many that were in the building knew and understood by heart. Stood up and said, "The Lord, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. Kath, send me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Right here is where something that was so odd, something that was so out of character, no doubt, something that anyone that was there had never seen before. Right there in the middle of a verse, even in the middle of a very phrase, Jesus stops what he's doing and he closes the scroll and he goes and he sits in his seat. Now this would be like me coming to this pullpit, and I promise you I'm going somewhere today, and turning your attention to a verse that most would know, John 3:16, and saying, "For God so loved the and stopping and going and sitting down, it would have been out of order. It would have not flown. It did not make sense with what was going on. But Jesus was giving us a prophetic glimpse into his purpose and his nature and his reasoning for being on the earth. And I want to tell you that when he stopped in the middle of that verse, when he stopped in the middle of that phrase, they all looked at him. The Bible says that the eyes of all those that were in the synagogue were fastened upon him. Once again, he did not stop at the end of a verse, but he stopped in the middle of a phrase. And to those that were there, I'm sure they were wondering, "When is he going to finish the verse? When's he going to finish this phrase? When is he going to open up the book? When's he going to open up the scroll and finish the end?" You see the beginning of this verse was talking about a day of mercy. It was talking about a day of grace. But right there where Jesus stopped. Right there where the comma was. It was where the day of judgment was going to begin. There was a comma that separated the day of mercy and the day of judgment. It's not that one day Jesus would not preach judgment. It's not that one day he would not preach about the judgment of the wicked. But he said, "I've come today to preach liberty to somebody. I've come today to preach hope to somebody. I'm preaching the gospel to the poor. I'm preaching healing to the brokenhearted. I'm preaching deliverance. He closed the scroll and sat down in his seat.

I want to tell you, it's been over, hallelujah, 2,000 years today. And can I preach to you that the book and the scroll is still closed? I'll tell you, well, what does that mean? It gives me hope because I'm telling you that means that we are still living in a day of mercy and we are still living in a day of grace. And we're still living in a time, my God, when it does not matter. You could have lived 60 or 70 years out in the world for the devil doing whatever he told you to do, doing whatever he wanted you to do. But I'm preaching to you in one service. You can change your mind. You can come to this altar and make up your mind. I may have lived for the devil my whole life. But for the rest of my life, I'm preaching to you about a God that has unbelievable mercy. I'm preaching to you about if you knew the testimonies in this househ. If you knew the men and the women in this place, they're not here cuz they hadn't made mistakes. I'll tell you why they're here. It's because of grace. It's because of mercy. If you're a recipient of mercy, I wish you'd wave your hand at me. Come on, I'm preaching to you. I don't care how long you've been down, how long you've been. There's mercy for you today. There's grace for you today. I don't care where you're living. I don't care what you've done. There's mercy. My God, I wish you'd help me on a Sunday morning. I said there's grace.

God's grace is so unfathomable. It's so unbelievable that we cannot I'm just telling you I cannot comprehend when I read through the Bible and I read about a place by the name of Nineveh that was so wicked and so sinful and God sent a preacher and the preacher said yet 40 days in Nineveh shall be destroyed. It was generation after generation that had lived in sin that did not do what God told them to do. But in one moment of repentance, God said, "I'm not going to destroy them." In one moment of repentance, God said I was going to do it. But I changed my mind. I'm preaching to you about a God that took a wicked king by the name of Ahab and said, "You were wicked. You're the most evil king that's ever lived, but he humbled himself." And God said, "I forgive you." I'm preaching to you about David that murdered a man and committed adultery. But God said, "David, if you'll repent, I'll forget. I'm preaching to somebody in this househ. Come on. God has kept you. He's had his hand on you. And you ought to let somebody know. Let's pray in this house. Would you lift up your hands?" Hallelujah. Come on, just for a moment. Would you lift up your hands? Anybody thankful for grace? You ought to. You could at least do that today. Come on. You could at least raise your hands and thank him for his grace on this Sunday morning. Come on. If you're filled with the Holy Ghost, I want you to lift up your hands right now. Come on. If you're filled with the Holy Ghost, you ought to lift up your hands right now. Hallelujah.

Boy, we're so good at always feeling like whenever we change our mind that we can always push it off. I wonder how many people that are in this house today that are living in sin right now this morning. How many weeks have you told God I'm going to serve you next Sunday? I wonder how many people are in this house that have every intention of one day doing it right, but you still have not yet done it right. I wonder how many people died and are lost without God that had every intention of one day serving God. You know why? Because the enemy is so good at convincing us we will always have another opportunity. Will always have enough. I'm preaching hope to you today because I'm telling you that if you're alive and breathing and in this house, there is mercy for you. But I want to preach to you that on that day just as abruptly as he closed that scroll and went and sat in his seat, I'm preaching to you just that abruptly, it's going to be opened back up again. He said, I've come to preach healing to you. I've come to preach hope to you. I've come to preach restoration to you. But at the end of that verse, it says, "And the day of vengeance, the day of judgment." I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful that where my feet are today, where I'm standing, I've still got access to grace this morning. I know you may get tired of me preaching the same spirit, same idea week after week. I'm not trying to do it. I'm just doing what I feel today. But I've come to preach to you my burden that there's going to be a day that as abruptly as he closed that book, it's going to be opened back up again. I know we're living in a day of mercy, but we're not always going to be living in a day of mercy. I know we're living in a day of grace today. And you've been living in a day of grace your entire life, but just let me stand here as a young man and preach to you. We will not always be living in a day of grace. Why don't you ask Jezebel about it? Why don't you ask Judas and Pharaoh and Cora and Saul? Ask them if it happens. Ask them if mercy or if judgment really is real. I'm telling you there comes a day in the life of every individual when we refuse the mercy and the grace of God.

How much longer are you going to push this off, sir? How many more services are you going to promise God that this week I'll do right? How many more revivals are going to have to come by before you finally just come to this altar? How many messages are we going to have to hear before you'll finally get serious about you know what? Lift your hands with me. Come on. I'm reaching for you today, sir. Come on. I wish you Come on, young people. Help me right now. You're who I'm leaning on this morning. I need you to help me. Come on. I'm reaching for you today, sir. Come on. Help me pray. Help me pray. Come on. I wish you'd open up your mouth, young ladies. Help me pray right now in this house. Oh, let's push. Let's push. Come on. Come on. Let's push. Let's push. Come on. Come on, apostolic. Let's push. It's Sunday morning. Let's push anyway. Right in the devil's face. Let's push today.

Come on. The only reason you're still here on a Sunday morning is grace. Come on. The only reason you're still here, come on. God should have took you out and he should have took me out. Ah, come on. I cannot come to church and not give him my everything. My God, if you're the recipient of mercy, you ought to be praying with me. If you've ever received grace, you ought to be praying with me today. Some of you young people ought to pray for your parents right now. Come on. Some of you ought to pray for some backsliders in this house today. Oh god. Come on, somebody ought to cry out for grace today. I wish you'd realize the position you're in. Come on, you ought to lift up your voice. We're still living in a day of grace. Judgment has not fallen yet. Come on. There's still hope for you today. I don't care how long you've been out. I don't care how long you've been messed up and addicted. We're still living in the day of grace. You've got to lift up your hands. You've got to put yourself in a position where you can receive mercy. Where you can It's in this house today. The book is still closed. He has not finished the phrase. He has not finished. You ought to have taken advantage of it while there's still mercy.

Come on. I want you to join up with somebody that you're standing by. Brother Canai, if you'd help me right now, I want you to join up with somebody you're standing by. I don't mind ending right here this morning. I don't have to preach my whole message. I don't mind ending. Come on. I wish you'd find somebody right now. Come on. I wish you'd find somebody right now. I wish you'd pray for somebody in this house right now. Today. Come on. I've come with a burden today. I've come to reach for somebody. I know you've heard it timing. Come on. Don't you let the devil convince you that grace never runs out. It can run out. Don't you let the devil convince you you'll always have another week. Come on. I preach to you. Today is the day. Today is the day. This morning is the day. Don't you push it. If you feel conviction, you ought to respond right now. I said you ought to respond. Don't you Come on. Some of you felt to do something right there and you didn't do it. Come on. You need to do what you feel. You need to yield to the Holy Gh. Don't you quench the spirit today. Don't you quench the Holy Ghost today. Come on, lift up your hands all over this house right now. Boy, I feel a check in the Holy Ghost right now. Boy, I feel a check in the Holy Ghost right now. Come on, I need you to lift up your hands. Come on. I know it's been heavy, but I've got to do what I feel today. I know it's been heavy. I've got to preach how I feel to preach. Come on. I'm telling you, sir. You better not push this off. Hear the voice of this young preacher. Hear the cry of this young. Don't push it off. Don't wait till next week. Don't you better respond today.

Come on. If you don't have the Holy Ghost today, you ought to be running to this front right now. If you don't have the Holy Ghost, if you've never talked in tongues, you ought to be running to this front right now. If you've never been baptized in the name of Jesus, I'm telling you, I would not leave until I was baptized today. Come on. I want you, if you know somebody in this house that's not filled, that's struggling today, I wish you'd find them this morning. Come on, young people. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Come on. Would you help me pray? Come on. Today is the day of mercy. Today is the day. I've come to preach the gospel to the brokenhearted. I've come to preach healing to those that are hurting. I've come to preach deliverance. Come on. But it's not always going to be this way. He said, "And the day of vengeance of our God, you ought to respond. You've got to respond when God has given you a space for grace. You've got to respond to the day when God is giving you an opportunity for mercy.

Come on. I want you to join up in this house. Join up in this house. Come on, men. Come on. I wish some of you still in your pews would come out this morning. Come on. Everybody ought to step out of where you shout today. Everybody ought to step out of where you shout today and find somebody. Oh God, do it today. Do it today. Feel somebody. Come on. We got visitors praying through right now. Come on. We got visitors praying through right now. Come on FPC. Let's pray today. Let's pray today. Let's pray. Oh yes. Come on. I know it's Sunday morning. I wish you'd push beyond tradition today. Come on. I wish you'd pray. I wish you'd pray. I know it's Sunday morning. Can you get in the Holy Ghost anyway? We got people depending on your prayer. We are Jesus. Hallelujah. It's victory in the house today. In Jesus' name. Oh yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. In Jesus name. We believe you God. Oh that's a way to pray young people. Oh yes God. Oh yes, God. I believe you now. I believe you now. I believe you now. I believe you now. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Oh yes, God. That's a way. Gather around those that are praying. Help them break through to the Holy Ghost. Yes, God. I believe you now, God. I believe you now, God. I believe you now God in Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. We believe you Jesus. We believe you Jesus. We believe you Jesus. We believe you Jesus. Heat. Heat. Come on, sisters now. Pray for these that are seeking. Come on, gather around them close. Yes, God. Yes, God. I believe you, God. We can't make it without you, God. Oh, there's hungry souls. Look around. You find those that are praying and help them today. Lord, I believe you now. Lord, I believe you now. Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes. We need his mercy today. Yes. Look at the hungry souls today, church. Oh, there's victory over there. There's victory. There's deliverance. Oh yes, God. That's the way. Show one another the love of God. Show the love of God the prayer. Oh yes, God. We believe you today. Yes, God. We need your mercy, oh God. Oh yes God. Yes God. Oh help somebody. Oh yes Lord. I need your Oh yes God. I need your God. Yes God. We can't live without you. Oh yes, Jesus. Oh yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God. Yes, God. Brother and pray with them with the pews all Oh yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. change.