Your life is not your life! Jesus is your life!!

My guess - “80 to 90% of Christians are unacquainted with the gospel of grace.”

My evidence – The large number of believers who are still trying to capture what they already possess, trying to earn what God has freely given them.
Our Bibles say...2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
We're new!

If you were to ask “religious people” about grace they would declare, “yes, I am saved by grace! I thank God for His grace!” But by their works they testify that God’s grace is not enough. Grace may have got them started, but now it’s up to them to finish. Having begun with the Spirit they are now trying to attain their goal by human effort.

And yet Gal 3:3 clearly says “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

Instead of working out what it means to be saved, people are working hard to stay saved!!

The religious trap of “good works” usually begins when someone tells us that God won’t accept us or bless us or be pleased with us unless we perform for Jesus. Dead religious works are sold with respectable labels like “responsibility,” “good works,” “mission,” “sowing,” and “investing.” I am not against these things! What I am opposed to is the diabolical lie that says God’s favor depends on me doing them. We were never saved to become a Pharisee!!

Your saved....LIVE LIKE IT!!! We are saved by grace and kept by grace.

Our Bible in Col 2:6 reminds us “So then, just as we have received Christ Jesus as Lord, we are to continue to live in him.” How did you receive Him? By faith. How should you continue to live in Him? By faith! It’s faith in God’s grace from start to finish.

We all have some type of insurance. I've got house, car, life, health, insurance. But my question is, are we living by faith in the Son of God? Or have you taken out a little works insurance?

Watchman Nee put it this way, the choice is between trying and trusting. “You can try or you can trust but you can’t do both.” The gospel can become perverted, here's some signs that you might be living under self-imposed law.

We need to test ourselves to help determine whether the gospel message revealed by Jesus and preached by Paul is the one we are trusting... it’s a simple test. Just four questions.

1) Does this gospel cause me to fix my eyes exclusively on Jesus?

Does the message focus on me or does it cause me to fix my eyes on the Author and Finisher of my faith? Does it emphasize what I’m doing (or not doing), or does it emphasize His finished work on the cross? Does it make me introspective and anxious or Christ-conscious and grateful?

At Liv It our purpose, our great joy is to reveal more and more of Jesus. If we love the King we will love the kingdom. Whatever we need, our answer is found in Jesus and His finished work.

In 1 Colossians 2:2 Paul resolved to know nothing but “Christ and Him crucified”.

Question 2...Does this gospel increase my dependence on Jesus?

Jesus said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Sadly, much is being done apart from Jesus and most of it will amount to nothing! Some are focused on doing other stuff. And because they have become so busy doing other stuff they are worn out and missing opportunities to do the works and greater works of Jesus.

Christ in us is able to do greater things! Do ya trust Him? Working out your salvation with fear and trembling describes the adventure of learning to do impossible things with Jesus. We can do the impossible with Christ!

Question 3 “Does this gospel empower me to overcome sin?”

We have two ways to deal with sin; (1) preach law or (2) reveal grace. A law-based message will stir up the flesh in a human-powered quest for a change in behavior. This approach is inherently flawed… Romans 7:5 reveals that the purpose of the law is to inflame sin. Thus, any “success” with this approach will only lead to sins of pride, self-righteousness, and the truly fatal sin of unbelief in the grace of a loving God.

Colossians 2:23 reminds us “These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.” Ultimately the law is powerless to deal with sin because it leaves the heart untouched. Worse, it releases condemnation which some mistake for conviction and ministers death, just as it was designed to do.

In Hebrews 9:26...Grace declares that Jesus conquered all sin on the cross.

In 1 Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God” -that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption are not holy because of our behavior but because of His. You are a new creation with a new nature. Your old sin software has been nailed to the cross and you are no longer sin’s slave (Romans 6:6,20).

The law does not provide useful guidelines for Christian living.

We turn rules into idols when we put our faith in them instead of Christ. The Bible is very clear; the law empowers sin (1 Corinthians 15:56) and only a revelation of God’s grace can teach us to say no to ungodliness (Titus 2:12).

You are a sinner saved by grace only ONCE!

Question 4 “Does the gospel release peace and joy?”

Do you leave church better than when you walked in?

Romans 14:17 tells us that the kingdom of heaven is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If the gospel we’re listening to doesn’t reveal Jesus and the gift of His righteousness, then we will never experience the peace and joy that comes with it! It really is all about Jesus.

(Pastor Ron, during our most recent Pastors meeting gave this simple advice to those of us who are blessed to share his pulpit…”Be sure, to leave them wanting more of Jesus when you minister here at Liv It!”

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that He (Jesus) took our sin and gave us His righteousness. This is what the gospel reveals – in Romans 1:17, a righteousness from God that is received by faith from first to last . Romans 5:17 puts it this way, when you know that God has made you as righteous as Jesus, you will be empowered to reign in life.

This test is actually all about righteousness: Are we resting in Him or are we trying to impress Him with our righteousness? A false gospel will seek to manufacture righteousness through works and holy living. By prescribing a course of action for you to take, it will instantly fail the above three tests. It will burden you with loads you cannot carry and expectations you cannot live up to. Before you know it, you will be as stressed and joyless as Martha.

Here’s a thought. If you stopped doing the things you are doing for Jesus, would you feel guilty? What if you sinned, stopped giving, or skipped church? I’m not encouraging you to do any of these things – that would be foolish and your not foolish. But someone who knows they are clothed with His righteousness will never battle guilt and condemnation. John 16:10 tells us that even when we sin we will sense the Holy Spirit convicting us of our continued righteousness in Christ.

On the other hand anyone who is bought into a false gospel will never know lasting peace. Even when they’ve performed there will always be a sense of “but have I done enough?”

Paul began every one of his letters with the phrase, “Grace and peace to you from God the Father.” It is only a revelation of God’s favor that brings true peace. Know grace, know peace. Worldly peace is temporary, Philippians 4:7 reveals that the peace of God – that sense that everything is coming together for good because you belong to Jesus and His favor rests on you – passes ALL understanding. In other words…your understanding of your situation does in no way compare to how God sees your circumstance!

Col 2:7 says it fortifies your heart and mind so that in all circumstances you find yourself overflowing with thankfulness. No matter how severe your trial, you will be able to find rest – indeed, even joy – in His mighty, loving arms Philippians 4:4.

So how did your gospel do? If you honestly answered no to any of these four questions, there is great news for you. Rejoice, for you are living and walking in pure, undiluted grace!___