God's Gracious Gift

Welcome to this weekend, and hatchback at the town family when he can for living the Christian life you find yourself trying hard and just doing the best you can hear the liberating news that as a believer your ability to be godly doesn't depend on you know we set the life that wins is not a life of service perfect.

It is the life of God, helping those who help themselves. The life that wins is Christ living his life in and through you and me isn't something we work up is something that God gives you your call.

We said the life that wins is the life of the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose primary responsibility. It is not just the help us to release the life of Jesus Christ through so that it is his life and not our life. The life that wins is a life that wins over it is a life. The winds of a bitterness is a life that wins over hatred is a life that wins over anger is a life that wins over the desire to quit give up is a life that wins over fear is a life that wins over everything.

That would leave the child of God is a life that wins over the strongest and most intense temptation. God has not left is that you struggle and to do our best. He says it is expedient for you that I go away if I go away, the comfortable, you will be in you with you and upon you releasing the life of Christ in and through you and me that you see here's the problem we are self oriented people. That's the natural flexion away like he'd expect God to do it all robot got to do something. Don't tell me that salvation is all of God not of me because that's just not my way. Sure, that I must do something and usually it is amazing how many people are saying and then they begin a life of failure because they feel I got to trust the Lord to save me by grace but then I got the paddle mountain wagon. I knew somehow I don't think even the good graces of God and you don't paddle anything to keep in the good graces of God, visit he says as you want as you therefore have received him so walking in him. The problem is we want to help God keep us know the Bible is in sight saved by grace About what works. No, that's not what he says saved by God's unconditional love By your own family notice saved by grace, therefore we to walk in the grace that here's the problem will give you a first reading chapter 1, for a moment, because you see he says in verse 29.

The first ring in chapter 1 he said in the verses. Previous to that God uses the we in order to confound the body. He says in verse 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence, but of him are you in Christ Jesus, whom God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that according as it is written, he that Gloria Bettinger and the Lord to watch this God has arranged the Christian life so that we are saved by what you ask is what did you do in your own strength in your own power in your own energy in your own life in your own knowledge in your own wisdom to be saved zero, absolutely nothing. What did you do you, by faith, which was the gift of God did what you only had one thing you have to lift your head you have, the better you enclosure and never move a muscle, and receive Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you exercise your will to do what to believe him and therefore to receive him. That's all you did you you believe the witness of Scripture by an act of your will. You said, I do believe I do receive pieces so as you as you received him so walking in him as I was reading in the past week or so. The biography of George Whitfield the greatest preacher in this nation back in the 1740s.

I want you to see something that happened to him and John Wesley to the greatest preachers the world has ever known that this is over 200 years ago. These men are in the process there already belong to religious group that out preaching about what you notice what happened to George Whitfield searching to deserve searching to work for his salvation already in seminary already out preaching this God only knows how the nights are blowing up on my big groaning under the weight I felt and bidding Satan depart from me, in the name of Jesus and a sense of other desperation and rejection of all self trust. I cast my soul and the mercy of God through Jesus Christ and a ray of hope array of faith rented him from above. I should me.

I would not be cast out. And therefore he was born again. That's just one little paragraph of paragraph after paragraph of the paragraph he saw in his own effort. He finally withdrew from all of his friends. He did everything he possibly could. In order to merit and deserve salvation than this the John Wesley Vallarta been through school at his education and us know what happened to him.

Wesley had gone to Georgia with one supreme purpose. He came over here when it was a column he says quote my chief motive. He had been declared is the hope of saving my own soul, but he returned to his home and living in with these hope Shattuck. He was in bitter dejection for the whole person was shaken by the realization that salvation was not to be gained on a program of human effort that he knew that he must be changed inwardly and confessed what I learned why.

What of all the least… And what should have suspected that I who went to America to convert others to myself was never converted.

Here are two men who studied the Scriptures day and night. But listen pay Ms. the central truth of the word of God that man is saved. But none of his efforts here to admit to men who gave themselves to the ministry.

Wesley seeking to give of himself and to suffer even on the death is paragraph in order to merit salvation will resemble sure they knew better than that tell you something my friend what they did and later discover the cause. It was all of grace, and none of themselves they had in absolute desperation to throw themselves up on Almighty God and ask him to do for them what none of their preaching another intellectualism. None of the service of that ministry.

None of the prohibitions whatever merit for them that salvation is the unadulterated gift from Almighty God to man all man does is to believe the witness of Scripture and to receive by faith. Jesus Christ as Savior and then as you have therefore received him so walking in him.

It Jesus Christ save you and me own any other condition except the fact that he chose his unconditional love to reach down and exposes the truth greatest the faith to believe and forgive us of our sins. If it were anything else it would be partially earned and partially given, and he says, for by grace, his unmerited undeserved love. Are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.

Now that being true, he says, in Colossians as you have received a package receiving units. The Lord, I believe the witness of Scripture, I repent of my sins.

What is it listen is about what and how you fit repentance and Elizabeth all of God. Listen. Repentance is not works repentance. The Bible teaches us is a change of attitude which will if you change radically about anything you going to have different results. Is that what watch this carefully. Repentance is a change of attitude. Repentance is of me going up and stop in my drinking, stopping, not stealing stuff in my line something my love that's not repentance. Repentance is a change of mind repentance as I do acknowledge the witness of Scripture.

I do believe what God says about his son, Jesus Christ. I do surrender my life to him. That is all an act of my will.

I do believe I do surrender the different direction of the different actions or habits and attitudes are going to be the result of a whole different perspective of who Jesus Christ is my watch this pieces as you have received the package you receive it you received them by faith trusting him. So walking in him which means listen who was responsible for our salvation Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

As you receive them by faith surrendering you like them.

So walking in him what was salvation a gift.

What is the Christian life is a gift. Listen, is not the exercise of works, the Christian life is a gift equal to the gift of salvation, he says what's this passage go back if you will to Colossians chapter 2 the three words I want you to notice in verse six he says, as you have therefore received him receive Christ Jesus.

So what's this walk what's that word walk he and him verse seven rooted and built up.

Here's the key. First of all, you must be united within. That's the salvation experience united with her. Then he says what chapter 15 of John rooted in the him and then what walking in him, so that what is he do, he brings us into oneness with Christ roots is in heaven. What he teaches us in all that you not may walk in his spirit in his energy in his power in his wisdom in his knowledge and he says the spirit of the living God who is within us is doing what energizing us teaching us comforting us if you will read, 14, 15, 16 chapters of John. You will discover that the Christian life is the gift of God Almighty. When Jesus Christ comes into our life. He does through us will never be able to process of it is a gift that is the problem. If you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior and then you have the idea somewhere along the way you get the idea that you got to keep it. You going to be miserable. You listen how many of us would have to admit that we broke all the commandments we fail that every single thing. God isn't going to allow anybody in the sense of self security to think they can do without God. He says the just shall walk by faith, to just shall live by faith as you receive them by faith. So you walk in him that Almighty God saved you by pure grace he keeps you by grace and the daily walk is a daily walk of living out his gift to give an example. Follow me with about four verses and I will show you something and I want to watch the tents of this verb seeking pick it up. Go back to the vision chapter to promote because of these four passages, each one speaks of something that God has or is going to do for us.

He says in verse eight of Ephesians chapter 2 know what, for by grace and the Greek says have you been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God already. If you'll turn to look in first Corinthians chapter 15 for a moment and I want to notice something here beginning in verse 51 he says versatile one, behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, that is, we won't all be dead when Jesus comes, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump for the trump shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, all right if you turn to first Thessalonians chapter 4 and look if you will, at verse 12 beginning in verse 13 is talking about the resurrection of saints moves a little bit diverse everything they said. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them.

The clouds to meet the Lord in the air. That is one of the passage go back to Romans chapter 4 Romans chapter 4 verse four. He says now to him that work. It is the reward not reckon the grace but a bit if we trusting in our work sees as its debt and not grace, that if you turn the Romans chapter 8 and listen if you will to verse 21 because the creature itself or himself, speaking us shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption out of the glorious liberty of the children of God. All of those passages have one thing in mind that all use the passive tense which says what's this which says we have been saved. Secondly, we have been delivered from this corruption.

Thirdly, we shall have been raised we shall have been caught up together. The saving the breaking is out of bondage and delivering us the raising is out of the dead that catching us up at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of those are something God does for us. We don't do ourselves and raise yourself up in the resurrection morning no way you can save yourself. God saved you can't raise yourself in the day and God's got the right you not going to jump up and not flop in the air when Jesus Christ comes he says he's going to catch away. Nor can you deliver your self from sin on a day-to-day basis. All of these things are the works of God. And this is the key to understanding the light that wins and you see the problem is we saw Joaquin just let God do it all. I can just trust.

Surely I got to have something that must be something I must do and you see the whole humanistic philosophy places. I only got I can do it by liquid Dragon. I'll cut it out, but I want to quit drugs out, but you see what God is doing is allowing our society to be brought further and further lower and lower to a sense of desperation that man's model claims and demands that rejuvenation himself and his new ideas and his new philosophies are not going to change the inner man because man is a spiritual being and the only thing that can change a spiritual being is a spiritual being greater then the spiritual being itself and he said all of us, he that is within you is greater than he that is in the world. So the essence of what I'm saying is that for this when you receive the Lord Jesus Christ you received him by faith you received him, he says in John chapter 1 as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. How did you receive the Holy Spirit. By faith he says in John seven. These all that great day. As he began to share with them the gift of the Holy Spirit came as many as received him on the day of Pentecost when Peter prayed he said as many as received him receive the gift of the Holy Spirit receiving is something that you and I accept as a gift of Almighty God, so that the life that wins is the light that by faith receive and accept that the life of Christ as his life to be lived through us when you not send the presence of God. That's what he says we going to cast out crowns before him all about rewards we got to get him.

Why, because in that day as never before. You and I will understand and recognize he didn't save us by works, nor have we been kept by our works, nor did we live the life of victory by our the life that wins my friend, is a life of grace is a life of faith you say will how do you begin that life. I must be willing by faith just surrendered all to him that selectively disable his networks go when you go there. It is simply a matter of faith, trusting him surrendering to him as an act of faith. Likewise, as you and I have received him with a walk in the listen. The biggest problem we have is pride. We don't like to admit it but it's there.

We think will now how can I just expect God to do it all that. Listen, I didn't say you do nothing but ISA does not work, there's no human effort on our part to make it work because the longer in my life and I think is true in your life. The longer we focus our attention upon some wrong or some disobedience and some sin. The more difficulty we have in overcoming it is when we say God I can't.

I just I just had to trust you to overcome this in my life, whatever it might be. Then the victory comes because all victory in the spiritual life is the victory that comes through receiving by faith what Almighty God has provided for us the light that wins is a gift by faith. It is ours by believing and receiving what Jesus Christ has provided for you and me. But until you understand that you keep on striving keep on working, keep on trying keep on being defeated and one of my God, my God. Is this all there is for the Christian life and one of these days unless you get the message even as it forget the whole thing and you'll end up another defeat. When God absolute and perfect victory. I want to encourage you this morning to ask God to begin to help you understand the light that wins is up you wonderful again Almighty God. Every single person who is willing to believe. Thank you for listening to God's gracious gift if you like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministries intense.org. This podcast is a presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia