The God Who Makes the Way

BULLETIN VERSE

For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” — Luke 18:14

CALL TO WORSHIP~ Sean

WELCOME | BRIEF COMMENTS~ Jeff

GOSPEL MOMENT | TRAINING TIME~ The Gospel Acrostic (Jeff shares)

CALLING PASSAGE | PASTORAL PRAYER~ Jeff

Psalm 51.1–13 | Crying Out for the Grace of God

PRAYER & MUSIC~ Brian T | Sean

SERIES — Gospel Conversations

Passage Reader— Lead Team Man

Which do you think the ‘not-yet Christian’ would most willingly enter into conversation with?

Tell me, which of these 2 men would you rather befriend | rather be in relationship with?

If there is 1 WORD (other than Jesus) we have always wanted to define what this church promotes it is RELATIONSHIP. Why?

Because that is the business God is in. GOD WITH US is the gospel story.

We need to help people come to understand that our God is a God they want to know. AND that there is a God who made them, loves them and wants RELATIONSHIP with them.

So, this summer, the question we need to ask ourselves

every morning when we get up | every time we walk into our place of work, or store, or coffee shop or… | In every conversation we enter into | With the people we come in contact with| in our summer plans and personal and family calendars

ARE YOU READY TO...

Make Room For God — LAST WEEK’S MESSAGE

HOMEWORK FROM THE GOD SPACE STUDY

Pray that God would give you eyes to see and hearts to hear the broken and hurting around you.

Take some time to consider which of these area you have the most potential to grow in:

Noticing others, Serving others, Listening to others, Asking others, Telling others

These are all the skills our Savior excelled in! | And He wants us to be like Him… 1 John 2.6

Why do we want to get better at these things. To build relationship, to start conversations, to help lead others to…

We want our lives to lead others to Jesus | if someone followed you around…

“Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian.” — Dwight L. Moody

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Step Into Grace

Talking Point 1

What keeps people from the grace of God?

PRIDE | SHAME

TODAY’S QUESTION

What does it take for someone to embrace grace?

See their need for it. | See God’s heart to unconditionally give it.

TRAINING TRUTHS

Rightly see themselves — Luke 18.9–12

and the need that they have — Luke 18.13–14a

and humbly come to the King. — Luke 18.14b–17

TODAY’S QUESTION

What does it take for someone to embrace grace?

Rightly see themselves — Luke 18.9–12

a parable TO people, not just about people…

To what kind of people? SELF-filled people.

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free.  There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves.  And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility.  According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride.  It was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind. Each person's pride is in competition with ever one else's pride.  Pride is essentially competitive - is competitive by its very nature.  Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.  It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Greed may drive men into competition if there is not enough to go round; but the proud man, even when he has got more than he can possibly want, will try to get still more just to assert his power.  Nearly all those evils in the world which people put down to greed or selfishness are really far more the result of Pride. Power is what Pride really enjoys. It is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.  But Pride always means enmity (i.e. ill will, hostility) - it is enmity.  And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. As long as you are proud you cannot know God.  A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you. - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

How do we know we are prideful? | We think we are better. We may never say it or even consciously think it. | But we all too often speak it and live it.

pride always leads to ridiculing others… shallow people

gossip is the currency of the arrogant… ironically, we do it to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

So who are you trusting in for your righteousness?

Does your speech, behavior, heart reflect that? Do you live out loud your dependence on the goodness of God

“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. — Luke 6:45

“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. — Matthew 12:34

There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes… — Proverbs 6:16

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. — James 4:10

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6–7

Where do you think Peter learned that??? open mouth insert foot Peter!

Talking Point 2

We all have an inner Pharisee. This keeps us from coming to God. How does it show itself? Inwardly? Outwardly?

TODAY’S QUESTION

What does it take for someone to embrace grace?

Rightly see themselves

and the need that they have — Luke 18.13–14a

opposite ends of the perceived righteousness spectrum | one is filled with pride. The other feels immense shame | but risks stating his need

δικαιόω = Justified from Romans study

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. — Romans 5:1–2

Why was this man justified and the other not?

He didn’t raise his hand | He didn’t pray a certain prayer | or get baptized | He didn’t tithe a cerain amount. He KNEW and admitted his need.

REPENTANCE | isn’t just stopping (turning away) but turning towards God

Talking Point 3

We all struggle with sin. This sometimes keeps us from coming to God. Are you comfortable bringing all your sin to Christ? Why or why not?

How can you use this in your life to invite Christ into the lives of others?

TODAY’S QUESTION

What does it take for someone to embrace grace?

Rightly see themselves | and the need that they have

and humbly come to the King. — Luke 18.14b–17

Admitting OUR OWN need is the best way to knock down wall to show others the ones THEY have put up

My own story— why I tend to be more patient w/ the unregenerate...

The difference between Peter preaching to the ‘self-righteous Jews’ and Paul taking the gospel to a world that knew nothing of need. | Peter is more in your face. | Paul leads with grace and his own need for it. | The church today has almost flipped this. | People IN the church we frankly coddle and those in the WORLD we pound on

the children of 18.15–17 are a God orchestrated prooftext inserted here to prove Christ’s point | Come as children today!

His most commonly shared title for Himself was Son of Man. But I bet the one He liked the most was Friend of Sinners. Why? Because that is a great 3 word summary of the gospel!

“I think Jesus preferred the company of sinners. Because the sinners were honest about themselves and had no pretense, Jesus could deal with them. In contrast, the saints put on airs, judged Him, and sought to catch Him in a trap of morality. In the end it was the ‘saints’, not the sinners, who arrested Jesus.” — Dane Ortlund

His Gentle and Humble heart invites us to come...

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” — Matthew 11:28–30

Have we learned from Christ?

TODAY’S QUESTION

What does it take for someone to embrace grace?

See their need for it. | See God’s heart to unconditionally give it.

And, as recipients of grace, it is GOD’S PLAN to reveal the world’s need for His grace through us. | Our testimony is LIVING PROOF of the grace of God. OR it is not.

[are we like the disciples chasing the children away? Maybe unintentionally?]

How do we see people stepping into grace in scripture? The truly desperate sinners of scripture fled toward Jesus, not away from Him. The worse a person felt about themselves, the more likely they saw Jesus as a refuge. My fear is that the church lost that gift to help the lost world step into grace today.

Are our lives lived in a way that invites someone into grace?

Have you NEVER tasted and trusted in grace? TODAY!

If you are a recipient of grace, are you ready to fully embrace it be leading others into it?

Song of Response—

Communion— At Tables

Song of Celebration—

REMINDERS

Learn how our nation was founded on godly Christian principles on Tuesday nights with Constitution Alive! It is a fun, entertaining, dynamic class complete with a prize basket and a daily raffle! Details are in your bulletin or contact Valerie Williamson. Join us, it will be lots of fun!

Get a God Space book and the study guide and ask some people to join you on this exciting journey to see how we can get better at sharing the HOPE with have in CHRIST.

NEXT WEEK

Take Notice — Luke 10.25–37

SENDING PASSAGE

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. — Matthew 11:28–29