Living At The Intersection Of The Cross and Grace - THAT WE MAY BELIEVE!

Our Foundations

— As you reflect back on Lent and Easter this year, what are some of your takeaways?

— How did God show up?

— How did He meet your needs

— How am I different because of the Cross, because of the Easter remembrance?

— Lent, Easter comes around ever year about this time. And mostly what people remember about Easter… Is what they had for dinner?

— God sending His son to die… On a cross, so that the he would bear the weight of all of our sin.

— From the smallest to the really big stuff… He bore it on the cross!!

— For that sacrifice we are now free to come into the presence of God… anytime.

— The vail is torn from top to bottom… The Holy of Holies is their FOR EVERYONE…

— Boldly approach the throne of God and ask forgiveness for your sin.

— You may be asking… Why is Jeff being so hard on me?

— Because God has some very special duties for us… This duties DEMAND that we are clean.

— Here is a QUESTION FOR YOU..?

Why?

Does GOD have so much confidence in me to do the things he is asking

— When God asks, he will provide all that we need and more to do the things that he has asked

— Sometimes we have the desire and we don’t have the tools.

— Other times we have all the tools but we just can’t get the gumption to do what is right.

Still...

WE ARE GOD’S CHOSEN VESSELS FOR HIS WORK HERE ON EARTH.

— “Not me Lord, you don’t want me representing you… do you?

— If you remember, the Jews having been given God’s attention tried and tired and tired pleasing God by living lives that were pleasing Him.

— The result “was and is” adding 617 “laws” for the people to obey… to be “right” with God.

— OUR God is one that acknowledges our efforts, is a gentle and willing teacher, walks alongside us, loves us, and disciplines us.

— His desire is that we step it up and be his chosen vessel.

2 Timothy 2:21 ESV

21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

Why did God choose us to be his chosen vessels?

— He gave to us the most important job in the universe.

— To be a “vessel for honorable use.”

— Continuing the act of Redemption that was started by Jesus, then given to His disciples

— I still haven’t answered Why?

— HE WANTS MORE… But he will take whatever he can get and still LOVES US!!

— We are created by God to be His Holy Vessels, HIS vessels of Living water.

— Why… Because even after we have turned our backs towards, listened but didn’t obey, failed to be a GREAT, CHOSEN vessels of HIS…

— He is still their coaching, cheering, celebrating the “little” steps of faith that we exhibit.

To allow the “Living Water” to pour out over all humanity. — That’s it., that’s the “Why.”

— A few weeks ago we learned about the “Samaritan Woman.”

— This woman came humbly as she usually did to get water…

— She met Jesus at the well,

— First she questioned him… “Why do you want a drink?

— Don’t you realize that I am a Samaritan and you are a Jew and we have not mingled for many hundreds of years.

— Jesus is in the disciple, witness making business.

John 4:13–14 ESV

13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

— Jesus chose to use this woman who had not one, but 5 husbands and was living with #6.

— Even today, in our world, we might raise an eyebrow to that woman.

But...

— Jesus REDEEMED, made new, this woman, who came to fill her water jar.

— NOT with the water that satisfies for a short time

— But… With the water that satisfy’s for eternity.

Drink this “Living Water,” At the Intersection of THE CROSS and GRACE.

— Jesus asks us to commit our lives to him.

— By Faith through Grace

— He promises that this yoke will

--NOT be difficult, heavy, unbearable.

Instead he said this...

Matthew 11:29–30 ESV

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

— THANK YOU GOD!

— No matter where you are on your Faith Journey, and it is a journey.

— Jesus keeps watch over all creation seeking to redeem and reconcile ALL and EVERYTHING to Himself!

He brings Redemption, to mankind at the INTERSECTION of THE GRACE and the CROSS.

— Come everyone… drink, commit, recommit, your life to Christ.

— Jesus set the stage for us to change our path, instead of on our own, we give ourselves and ALL to Christ.

— When we do this, the Heavens rejoice.

— AND satan is once again defeated.

—None of this is possible unless “We preach Christ, crucified.”

— How ever you are CALLED to serve… Serve!

— Not everyone is a elbow or a foot or a pretty face. But we all have a mission...

— Why… Because even after we have turned our backs towards, listened but didn’t obey, failed to be a GREAT, CHOSEN vessels of HIS…

—He is still their coaching, cheering, celebrating the “little” steps of faith that we exhibit.

— His yoke is on us… It’s an easy yoke, the small victories make the yoke lighter.

— The failures, the sin, the corrections, make us still feel the easy yoke, but maybe a bit tighter.

— And in Christ’s mind you are growing in Faith, by Spirit, embracing Jesus along the way.

— NOT because of what we have done, but because of He has done!

The sacrifice, the Death, Burial and the RESURRECTION of Christ makes EVERYTHING DIFFERENT!

— Be different. Put 100%, of your faith and trust in Him, who holds the keys of Heaven.

— Don’t let another day pass, if you have chosen Christ, or if you haven’t to topple all your strongholds in your life and RUN to the CROSS.

— And LEAVE THEM ALL THERE!— And Lazarus’ SISTER. A WOMAN, has trusted Christ, made the pages of scripture and speaks boldly for Christ!

I want to have Martha’s CONFIDENCE in the resurrection.

— John 11.23.

John 11:23–24 ESV

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

— Martha has this “quiet confidence” she knows what she knows

— AND then Jesus spoke to her… and by extension us, listen carefully!

John 11:25–27 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

I WANT TO SPEAK BOLDLY FOR CHRIST! DO YOU?

— In V.25-27 Martha and Jesus have a conversation that we get a peak at it.

— I want to speak Martha, I want to speak Jesus to the world… In doing so, He, THE LORD will add to their number each day.

Because of her faith AND our faith we are given a GIFT...

— This gift has two parts. One part is how we are to treat other believers

Galatians 5:22–26 ESV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

— Examine yourself… Look at each of those areas.

— Do we treat others with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness?

— OR are we two faced?

— OR are we just beligerant, nasty, joyless, aloof, and condesending to other “brothers and sisters.”

— Do we avoid idea’s, thoughts that indicate that we are something better than another… Weather it is because of their language, skin color, or national origin.. This is satan’s footprint!

— IT happens… Check yourselves, be on guard.

— Challenge those to challenge to the New Testament ethic.

— Try living like the book says and see what happens.

— AND THE SECOND PART OF THE GIFT...

We are also given a very specific gift to reach others.

— Those are the Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:8–10 ESV

8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

— Jesus, gives EVERYONE A GIFT!

— These gifts are given from God and are to be put to use in doing life, doing evangelism, loving people where they are at

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 ESV

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

— Even those who know nothing of the GIFT that is being given are being CALLED… Called to Faith in Christ.

— Your FAITH, will allow you to NEVER die.

— Yes your body will die, it will return to where it came from.

— But your soul, the essence of who are, lives in eternity, with a new body, a fresh clean, perfect body, where we will WORSHIP GOD in Spirit And TRUTH!!

— The price of the entrance to Heaven is huge, costly, it’s painful, it DEMANDED the PERFECT LAMB, Jesus the Christ, Who was sacrificed, to pay who our debt.

— At the intersection of the CROSS and GRACE, Jesus died, was buried and AROSE on RESURRECTION DAY.

— Do you want to be RESURRECTED to life ETERNAL…

Commit your life, and every part of your being to Jesus Christ. TODAY RIGHT NOW!

— I want to return to our “Why” question...

Why Does GOD have confidence in me to do the things he is asking?

— There are several things that happen between you and God, that does give him confidence.

— First, and of most importance… You have personally dedicated you life to Christ [period.] Because of that...

— He has given us the tools,

— He has given us the title, “Chosen Vessels.”

— He has given us opportunities that we don’t even know about.

— He has given us EVERYTHING we need and many of the things that we want.

It’s time to RETURN to God all the Good Things that He has given us!

— And to give to God ALL of Glory for what he has done.

— Grow up, be the disciple that we are called to be.

Let’s PRAY!!