Grace

Pastor Sam welcoming you to victory today.

I'm going to share with you a message that I preach recently. I predict it will be a blessing to get more information, you can always go to our website. That's victory Taft.org or call us your church office 804748881.

Let's coordinate service right now where God is moving by his spirit. There are times when the says I have found the answer but I will worship. One of the million transcendent impersonal gods of escape rebirth as a erectile or woman. Maybe the Buddha says I know the answers. Self-denial and self-sacrifice and and and the confusion of says study the sacred classics learn the rules of righteousness, but in the end, you must follow the path of duty and that path ends at the great, but the power of salvation rest in this one fact 2000 years ago Jesus Christ marched up Calvary's lonely hill and very became the sin substitute for all men of all ages throughout all of time. Romans chapter 10 verse nine says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the bed, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believe the righteousness and with the mouth confession is made of the salvation, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved first John 49 intense as this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that we might live through him. His love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. How are we saying we are saved by grace, a money-saving Ephesians 2889.

This is for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. How many of you know, your Savior this morning showed a big gay man turn to your neighbor and say I'm saved by grace through faith. Now there's a difference between grace and mercy. Both of the more important and sometimes they're used almost interchangeably of Scripture. But there is a huge difference. You see, there was a time when you and I were lost without God, without hope in this world we were handed breakneck speed to a center sale, but mercy stopped us and mercy said no mercy reached down and found us where we were in the depths of sin brought us up out of a horrible pit out of the miry clay out of the quagmire of sin. God because of his mercy, reached down and brought himself and the Bible said he set our feet over the solid rock and established our goings and put a new song in our mouth even prays on the God Marcy said you're not going to hail you deserve to go because this old accent if it shall die in the wages of sin is death, but Marcy said now you're spattered… Fail, but grace said not only are you not going to hail, but now you're going to get what you don't deserve. Now you're going to have love and joy, peace, now you're going to know contentment. Now you're going to no purpose in life that you're going to have open a promise. Grace turned around and gave to me what I did not deserve. Marcy said you're not going to get what you desire, braces are going to get what you don't deserve somebody said grace to be used as an acronym God's riches at Christ's expense. I do know this, that grace is exemplified and grace is described in Psalm 103.

David said bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits to forgive of all thine iniquities who he with all thy diseases Redeemer thigh life from the structure chronically with the lovingkindness and tender mercies to satisfy thought mouth with good things so that guy you is renewed like the Eagles I have received the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and I am saying is there anybody here. Save this morning. Hallelujah, he sent for by grace are you saved through faith, the just shall live by faith, your faith doesn't save you. It's faith in the grace of God I don't have faith in myself that I can save myself. In fact, I would trust the best 15 minutes of my life would go together to get me into him.

I'm saved by faith in the grace of God.

It is the on merited favor of God's will. For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Now I'm not saved by works need review Titus revises not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which is shadowless, abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, not what is the purpose of work Jesus administer your good works and glorify your heavenly father. James talked about works and call the corresponding actions. He said I'll show you my faith by my works. In other words, I can stand appeared tell you that I believe that God wants to bless me that God wants to prosper glove and I wish above all things without mass prosper be held even as thy soul prospers when God says bring the ties and offering into the storehouse and see if I won't open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing.

I have to tie in order to see that blessing because my tithing is a corresponding action by faith says God is my provider. God is my source and my good works can be interpreted as tithing. Water baptism, communion, all these things that I do I do because I'm saved not in order to please say, somebody so I said I believe water baptism cleanses you from said no. I believe the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from sin, but once you're cleansed from sin, you will find a place to get baptized because that's how you seal the deal lived there and you say to the devil and of the world and to your family and your friends, your fellow worshipers. I have been born again are passed from death on the life of a new creation. Old things are passed away and that's what water baptism is otherwise you go in the baptistery of right-center income outlets are. There's nothing you can do all your old and by herself. That will save you. It's not by works couldn't save myself, but what God did what God made all the difference for me. Alleluia. So is it by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. I want to take just a moment this morning from a and lead you on a guided tour of Calvary never thought about it not been over there many times the land of the Bible is one of my favorite spots is to go to Calvary and I can see it in my mind's eye right now, but there were three crosses their the cross over Savior. The cross oversight in the cross of the center one cross you have someone dying under the penalty and guilt of sin or another cross you have someone receiving the sin offering and forever being changed and on the middle cross is the emaciated form of one who came to be the sin sacrifice and the sin substitute the one who canceled the second so you have three crosses each of us this morning is represented by one of these three crosses, I will tell you which one you are, but I'll tell you which one you're not. You're not the Savior.

A man either you are a saint or a sinner. Somebody Harpreet one time says I'm just talking to two kinds of people. Today the saints and banks. If you're not a child of God. You're not a saint, were called to be sites were called out of this world.

And so I see Jesus hanging suspended between heaven and earth in the arms of that cruel cross, as if to say, he's not good enough for heaven but is too good for the year and where he suffers and bleeds and dies for us now folks I want you to know something this going out over television it be seen on the Facebook. It will be seen on social media and it will be heard over our international radio network battle cry will people understand something you don't become a Christian by just going to church. You don't become a Christian because you're not a Muslim or you're not a Hindu, you're not a Buddhist. You don't become a Christian just because you're not Jewish.

You become a Christian when you receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life as your Lord and say, somebody that's how you become a Christian, you know, just the other day I bought something and I usually do these things because I've tried so many of them and they don't work but I told my wife I said honey. Somebody open the door on your car. There's a real bad, didn't and now I want your car look nice. I'm going to buy me the master cost me 39 $0.95, and I found out you can get two of Benoit looks a good and I said I want to do it. I ordered it two weeks later it showed up. I sit on Emma fix at noon on your car. She said okay. I go in the garage and I do everything it tells me I follow the details meticulously. You got a glue gun you put glue on their there's a little tab that you insert and it sticks to the glue. Then there's a device that you clamp on to the little tab and then you pull on it and the glue pops up and the dent comes. Well I did it the first time in the dent was still there.

I said I gotta do it again. I did it again.

I read the directions on no. 25 times because I usually don't.

Not that I would do this right is my wife's car when I got through. I looked at it and I could still see the dent and I read the fine print and it said you'll probably have to follow this procedure at least 10 times. Well I kept going and finally I got halfway decent looks okay is not perfect but it looks better now. Here's my point. I spent an hour and 1/2 in the garage. It did make me a Buick or for some of you think that because you come here an hour and 1/2 on Sunday morning is going to make you a Christian. It takes more than that. You must be born again, you must pass from death and the life you must have your name written in heaven Must be a transformation that is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. All things are new. He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God through faith in Christ. Galatians asked the question how can God be just to justify the sinner and answers the question in chapter 3 in verse 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, cursed is everyone that I give a literary 750 years before Christ was born in Bethlehem's manger Isaiah said he was despised and rejected of men that we hear as it were our faces from him. But there was no beauty that we should behold him talking about how he was. His is up his visage was marred talking about how he was so brutally beaten and mercilessly beaten and there is hanging on the cross. But he said surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our friends questions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him with his stripes we are healed. Probably like sheep have gone astray.

We have turned everyone to his own work. The Lord hath laid on the equipment. All because of what Jesus did on Calvary. Just die. Diane map flag so his death was substitutionary.

His death was vicarious. He died so that I could live hallelujah he who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God.

I want to turn to your neighbor if you washed in the blood if you're a child of God. I want you to turn to your neighbor and say I am who God says I am telling right now. I am the righteousness of God through faith in Christ, you know, if you go to Alcoholics Anonymous and you know the difference between a drunken alcoholic drug doesn't have to go to meetings but if you go to AA they'll have you stand up and say hello everybody I'm Steve and I'm an alcoholic.

If you go to drug rehab will make you stand up in front of the group therapy is this. You got to admit to your you got a moment hello everybody, my name is Bill and I'm a drug addict, but I want to know because of Calvary.

I don't have to stand up and Salem, sinner, I can tell you I am a child of God. My name is Rick everything I'm going to be blessed God. I'm not who I used to be.

There is therefore now no reason for them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after this. Hallelujah.

Glory to God is with the grace of God is all about and into you understand what happened to Calvary you'll never understand the grace of God is Jesus the just run for the unjust one is sinless and separate from sinners, pure and holy. But he's become sin for us what you think. People hate them so much.

After that what you think they were able to beat him with her for us and plucked the beer from his face to slap him the problem of theirs is there for us and and or call him all these terrible derogatory names because they saw something in him that they've never seen before. They sold their Syrians him him everything they loathed and detested about themselves they saw Jesus because when he prayed in the carton and set not my will but thine be done. His soul became an offering for sin, so here he is hanging on the cross. Christianity was born there but Christ died.

Don't forget the price of our redemption was the death of Jesus on the cross. They said he said but he can't save himself truer words were never spoken. How could Jesus save himself and save you would made so he offered himself. There on that cross and shouted probably all hell went into convulsions I believe that's why the art.

I believe when the curtain was written in the temple that 16 inch poor living curtain that separated man from the presence of God was went by the finger of God. When that happened. God was saying there was no way you could ever approach me until now, but now you can come boldly unto the throne of grace, now you can come because of the blood. Now you can come you can come telling all because of the grace of God.

You can now comment of God in the holy of holies no more bloodsoaked garments of the priests. No more lambs and turtledoves and bullocks offered is a sin sacrifice because that one sin sacrifice is been offered forever to cancel the Cendant and the Spirit and the bride say, let him that hear her say come and let him sit at first come. And whosoever will let them take of the water of life freely. It is finished. The plan of salvation is finished.

There's nothing I can add to it. There's nothing else I have to do it is finished. It is finished that I can come to Jesus today. Just like I am in the safe say it doesn't make any sense in the natural for me to tell you that you can come into this room today.

Steeped in sin bound by chains of sin and be set free walk out your new person and what the enemy has gone he's convinced of this world. The Christiana just like anything else, just go to church to try to do the best you can but in the end you don't know what's going to happen, but the truth is that when we come to him in repentance and we give our lives to him. We are transformed we are changed, literally change so that we bear the image of Christ. Christ lives in us in the Bible says I am. These are the words of Paul. He said I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the like, which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God love me and gave himself for me. Quickly master this. From what we saved exam. Say what you say from what three things from Satan from sin and from self bombs is greater is he that is in me that he was in the world. Make no mistake about it Satanism about enemy of anyone who professes to know Christ. He comes to steal, kill and destroy the place for kids, and that the devil had his way in your life today, he would drag you down fail and he drag you through every mudhole between here and hail. He wants to wreck and ruin your life.

There's a young man couple years ago spoke from his pulpit. He had been known far and wide as the next Billy Graham. He was young enough that he could relate to young people polite enough that the older people respected seem like you had a great handle on theology that he understood grace and this place on a Sunday morning was packed to hear young man share his testimony about how he had found the Lord last night. I was shocked when I saw a post where he was giving the finger to everybody in social media and saying I don't care anymore about what you think. I don't care anymore about my upbringing in church.

I don't care anymore about so-called Christians who are hypocrites argue that there had been some changes in his life. I knew that there had been moral failure in his life, but see if you don't correct that if you don't go back to the cross and you don't get back with you all to be and what you should be with the Lord. What happens is become clear with bitterness and resentment and anger. You begin to to director attack against the very people that want to love and restore you.

There has to be some contrition Bible study that covered his sins shall not prosper, but also confess it and for sake of them shall have mercy.

Once you confess your sins, I don't have any power over you anymore. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let the wicked forsake his white righteous man is thought that every time he will have mostly applauded God, he will abundantly pardon, but you cannot continue to conceals a sin and hold the truth in unrighteousness without the judgment of God, grace will prevent that, and I'm telling you this morning if you've tried and failed and tried and failed in your so discouraged you don't want to try again. Don't you listen to the devil you come to God. Confess your sin that you know about it. Count out all about it and make up your mind that by his help in Christ you will live a holy life, mostly man were saved from the devil. Now I can say grade receipt that is in me that he that is in the world.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper in any enemy that comes against me. One way shall be shown skillfully for me seven ways began with a special prayer for you. I pray today that God will bless you and encourage you and that what you heard today will stay with you or you will be able to walk out your thank you so much for being a part of victory today for more information. I want you to go for a website that's victory tab.border policy or an 804-744-8881. Thank you for listening. God bless you until see you next time.

All victory today