Sometimes I hear...

“I have never heard it taught like that before.” “I've been in church nearly all my life and I never looked at it that way before.” I can understand what they are saying because I felt the same way when I finally got the message of God's grace correct once and for all! I decided right away that God's grace would be at the center of everything I do and teach. I don't always succeed at that but I'm getting better at viewing life, the circumstances of life, and people from the standpoint of God's unmerited favor and forgiveness. Grace is bestowing favor on others. It's loving people – not the “loving the sinner and hating the sin” stuff you hear some people say, it's loving the sinner period, no stings attached.

“Well Pastor Don, that sounds pretty great but how do you b

ring that person to repentance so that they can come to Jesus?” “Especially if you don't hate the sin in their lives?” “Are we to just accept their sin, ignore it and hope it goes away?” The answer is a simple YES...Grace doesn't simply hate sin, it doesn't see sin! Grace turns its attention not to the sin but to the one who needs to experience God's love, God's power, God's forgiveness. Grace provides the road to forgiveness. Without this road the prodigal son would have never found his way home (Luke15: 11-31). Without this road the repentant thief on the cross would not have found forgiveness and the entrance to heaven (Luke 23:42,43).

Grace provides the return route to God through Jesus. This “return route” is grace. Ephesians 2:8,9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast."

Have you ever gotten a gift, in the past, at Christmas, your birthday, anniversary, etc., that you thought was the absolute best gift you have ever gotten in your life? Something that knocked your socks off, something you knew you never deserved or expected to have?

Where is that gift now? Do you still have it or is it in a closet, in a drawer, out in the garage, or no longer around?

For many people grace has become just like that. Oh, I don't mean that grace no longer “abounds” (Romans 5:20, 21), but the realization of what grace accomplished has become hidden and minimized by countless sermons on the redeeming power of work and self righteousness. We “get involved”, we “get busy for God” and we begin to measure our religious work ethic spiritually. We send to much time trying to achieve what we always had when we came to know Jesus as Lord.

Because of Jesus...we know longer receive forgiveness by providing our own sacrifice. We are forgiven past, present and future through Gods sacrifice on our behalf on Calvary.

“This joy that I have the world
didn't give it to me
this joy I have the world didn't
give to me
oh this joy I have the
world didn't give it to me
the world didn't give it
the world can't take it away.”