UAMEZ Sermon
Does God Accept Me as I Am?
2 Corinthians 12:9
Uploaded to YouTube June 9, 2026
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Description
If you have stayed away from church because you feel you need to get your life together first, this is for you: what is God's grace, and does it reach you right now? Pastor Kaloma Smith says grace does not wait for you to clean yourself up. Like the father who ran to his son in the parable, God meets you where you are, and his grace is enough for what he has not taken away. In this sermon, Pastor Kaloma Smith of UAMEZ Church in Palo Alto, California preaches on 2 Corinthians 12:9 and shows from Paul, the prodigal son and the thief on the cross that grace meets people outside the church walls, in their first hour and their last. Questions this sermon answers Do I have to get my life together before I come to God? No. The father in Luke 15 ran to his son while he still smelled like the pig pen, and hugged him before asking a single question. Why hasn't God taken away my struggle? Paul asked three times for his thorn to be removed, and God's answer was that his grace was enough and his power shows up in weakness. Is God's grace only for people who go to church? No. He says the church does not own grace, and grace finds people in the hospital, the house and the street. How is God's grace different from how people treat us? People keep a record of wrongs, and God promises to remember our sins no more, and he says it takes more strength to forgive than to hold a grudge. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9, Luke 15:11-32, Luke 23:39-43, Psalm 139:7 Chapters 0:00 What is God's grace? 2 Corinthians 12:9 2:55 When God doesn't take the thorn away 3:47 Why grace makes us humble and grateful 5:16 The prodigal son: grace doesn't wait for you to clean up 10:37 Grace is bigger than the church building 13:54 How God forgives vs how we hold grudges Join us Sundays at 10 AM PT, 3549 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306, or live at youtube.com/@uamez Plan your visit: uamez.com Instagram: instagram.com/uamezchurch Facebook: facebook.com/uamezchurch #UAMEZChurch #GodsGrace #2Corinthians
Questions this sermon answers
Do I have to get my life together before I come to God?
No. The father in Luke 15 ran to his son while he still smelled like the pig pen, and hugged him before asking a single question.
Why hasn't God taken away my struggle?
Paul asked three times for his thorn to be removed, and God's answer was that his grace was enough and his power shows up in weakness.
Is God's grace only for people who go to church?
No. He says the church does not own grace, and grace finds people in the hospital, the house and the street.
How is God's grace different from how people treat us?
People keep a record of wrongs, and God promises to remember our sins no more, and he says it takes more strength to forgive than to hold a grudge.
What are the chapters in this sermon?
Transcript and captions
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