Grace is found through the Cross (The Cross speaks)

The cross. You're one of the things that I observe, every time we got this together as church is, we're all different. With all different. There's nobody who looks similar in fights or I'll tell you story, where is he?

He had his hair free.

And we said hello and not, you know, I'm not good, I'm good with faces, but I'm not good with names. I think it's the following Sunday or the Sunday after that don't end up with these bind on the wrong and I won't text you and said, hi, my name is David. He said we've met before. A nice remember, I meant to be good with Pisces so I wasn't surprised I didn't remember his name. And then I realized, but he's had, was holding control and we're all different. We we're things different ways, we look differently sometimes, sometimes you'll change your hairstyle, and people won't recognize you. But you know what? Just because we do things differently, it doesn't mean that right or wrong, just means they different. there are people in this room who like, eating raw chilies, There are people who think the halt is 35. There are people who think the hot is 25 in X, if I personally if it's 25° C, I'm hot, I'm in a shirt. I'll be other people in the room.

Where is sweaty? What is 25? So what I'm saying is we're all different and for those people listed online, you look different too. But you know what? As we come together we need to celebrate our differences and therefore work on all different. I'll give you an example. We had a couple in the church, they were grandparents and time and the son and daughter. Got my son, son, son and daughter-in-law got married and had kids. And then for some reason, like they had to live with Mom and Dad had to move back into the grandparents house. And the children were very creative. What I mean by creatvs play, true on the wallpaper with crowns.

Now I don't know what you think about. Is that what you were house? Whether you go. Okay, that's fine. We'll just been crazy but what do you go? No. Did anyway.

I got cold to a family meeting. Because Mom said it's okay. They just being creative and grandma said but this is my house and I like my wallpaper to be neat and tidy

It was a clash of cultures. I'm not saying what's right or wrong that's up to you, but I was asked to come and have a conversation to be part of the family meeting. No, like I could say, was this was pretty simple, whose house is this? It's Grandma and Grand. Whose house rules rule in this house grandma's? And granddad's, I said, if you use a family want to stay, You observe the house rules. You don't want to upset the house rules, tell him to find somewhere else to live. And I can say that's true for us as a household. Judy, and I have had young people come to stay with us over many years, and some of them thought it would be okay to come in at 12 in the week, you're in by midnight. And we locked the front door. Anyway, we lock the front door. House rules. Now I don't know what your house rules are some of you who shall houses, students, probably you wish the rest of the people in your house. Observe the same house rules As You Are. Some of you have sinks that are full of dirty pants and you get frustrated by that. Another people you were with washing up after something. I'm not criticizing. I'm just saying it's different Grace. Needs to fly across reveals, the depth of God's grace Ephesians. 2 verse 8 says, this by Grace, you have been saved through faith and this is not from ourselves. It is the gift of God. So don't give us a gift of Grace. What is Grace? Grace is undeserved favor. Undeserved favor. You do you walk into a room and something happens to me probably about five or six years ago, I walked into the room.

And there was a standing ovation as I walked in the room.

How's the weather in Boston? What's going on here? I miss it. Sorry, sorry. We thought you were the guests of the of the meeting. So please sit down, will do that again in about 30 seconds behind me. And then kind of an ounce is coming in now. Give him a round of applause. Black stuff out. Welcome. I wonder what people feel like when they come to church on a Sunday morning, I'd love to have more people on the door. Welcoming people saying, I'm so glad you're here. Welcome. Cuz we are goats glad you're here. I'm glad you're here. Other people in the room are glad your head high hope that you're glad that your grace is undeserved favor. We do knots on salvation.

We could not improve ourselves enough to receive it, or achieve it all through religious act. But the cross is, I talked about last week demonstrates that salvation is purely God's initiative at Calvary Christ. Took upon himself, what we deserved so that we could receive what we never deserved. I want you to imagine, you have a debt, may be something you owe some money. I might maybe something is being paid. The cross is example of a debt being paid in the debts, being paid in full. Just imagine walking into a bank and handing over some money sign, that's my payment for this month. And then going there is no money owing, any more, your debt has been paid, the feeling that would be in you because when we live on the taxi said, it's a challenge especially if we're struggling to pay our bills. The cross demonstrates. God's love for his creation for his Humanity, Romans 5, verse sides, but God demonstrates his own love for us. In this whilst we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Don't wants relationship with you and me and you might say, who me? Yes, he does. He wants a relationship with you and me.

The cross happened whilst Humanity, while the world was broken rebellious and lost. Price didn't just come to the good people. He came For All Mankind.

Go to hopes and believes of all the oil might be saved.

I don't know whether you've ever played with little children at the privilege of having two little children, a two-year-old the four-year-old stay all week this week. Julia did a fantastic job. I did my bit but nowhere near as much as I should have done. Probably. But you know what? When a child fools are you?

and you see that, like full in Iva, maybe you had the thought, You're already moving toward something, is everything, okay? You're not waiting for them to go.

You're not waiting for that you're already moving towards him and God already moves towards us. Go to already has moved towards us. The cross provides forgiveness and freedom. In Ephesians 1 verse 7 in him, we have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace, God's grace, God's riches.

Do you? And I can forgive one another? Somebody might say something through something and it hurts. You will leave some kind of cost you can say sorry I'm really sorry I forgive me. Unforgiveness can fly, but there are many things that we do that. We cannot pay a price for through the cross forgiveness becomes possible seen. He's not ignored, it's dealt with through Christ, sacrifice it, overcomes it.

I used to be a young man as he was at the time and I'll check, she was a landscape gardener. And that's a young man, he'd run his business and he did not pay any tax. He became a Christian coming to church and realize that he ought to do things, right? So he went to the tax man who said when the tax return was due. I want to report that. Not only do I owe tax for last year, but I have tanks for the previous years. How do I recorder?

He went out to meet you with the taxman text message. We've never had anybody why you telling us this? We wouldn't know about this. If you weren't telling us digital taxation elements of a lot become a Christian, and I know that I've got to do things. Right? And said, wow, let me go and find out, he came back to the next meeting. Let you know what we just got to draw the line as I stop from here. You owe nothing. Rice had flowed favor had been given. Sometimes there is a price to be paid but when that price, he's paid then we fine just how much I've walked out into the cross opens the way to a relationship with God. Romans 5 verse 1 says this that for since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Before the cross, that was the separation between man and go to between humanity and I'll create sir. I'm in Jesus Paid the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus. The only son of God, there is no plan B in God's plan, he sent his one and only son as he says in John 3:16, he said his one and only son that whosoever believes in Him. Should not perish but will have everlasting life Grace, restores relationship. And I want to talk about this in terms of our relationship, we called, but our relationship with one another If we allow Grace to flow then I'll differences don't become friction. They become friction less.

I'll give you an example. Some of some of our friends in church when they eat Curry, they don't use knives and forks. Like, my happy it was I was told to wait with a knife and fork. I'm so when I'm looking at a plate which is don't chapatis and Dal Curry on it and I'm looking at how people pick you up and If I did that, I'd make a right mess. I don't think it's right or wrong, I'm just saying it's different. China Wok. I actually have said to a couple of my Asian friends. Please teach me and African French to say. Please teach me how to eat life cuz I don't know how to do it. Judy. And I when we first met at University in the block we were in, there was a Chinese gentleman, he was doing a PhD and he left his wife and two children back in China and he had fifty Pence a day to legal to feed himself. Every lunchtime have some noodles, and two eggs cooked in a bowl. And every lunchtime you would say, would you like me to share it with you? I was blown away by his generosity and we can all be. We don't have to have very much to be generous and sometimes we don't even ask and I just want to encourage you to allow Grace To Fly. Luke 9:23 as the cross tools to us to live by cry. She says this, then he said to them, all whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Grace, not only saves us. It transforms Us in the way we live. Those of us who receive Grace or cold to live differently, showing forgiveness, showing humidity and loving others.

The cross is both salvation and a patent for a living. When we forgive someone who's hurt us, we are leaving out Grace the grace. We received through the cross Grace, received the, grace extended,

I would encourage each one as a prize or kind of Julius to a closed that God would fill us up with his grace. The cross stands as a greatest expression of Grace in all history in Old history, the greatest expression of Christ's these things at the cross, we see the depth of God's grace. He didn't just give us a gift. He sent his one and only son who died on the cross and rose again at the cross. We see the power of God's love. Did you remember not only an empty cross a body taken down and put into a team? But we also remember the empty to he rose again, he conquered Death At The Cross, we see the reality of forgiveness. Some of us say we forgive, but we keep on, bringing it up again, it's a bit like kippers for breakfast. We keep on bringing up again again. We say yes I forgive you but I'm never going to smile that you ever again. Yes I forgive you but I'm never going to have breakfast with you and whatever it is. The cross shows us the reality of forgiveness. The cross shows us the restoration of relationship. Why did God send his only son cuz he wants fellowship with you? And me he wants a relationship with you and me. That's why he loves it when we pride, that's why he loves it. When we give time to him. I don't know when you probably how much time you sit in silence, but I'd like to encourage you. Please don't just sit down and go through your prayer list. Is my 10 things on praying about to let go. Thank you very much. Cuz sometimes we do that sometimes we literally rushing to a room with them. We've done our prayer and God's sitting there like a loving, dad and going. Hello. Hello, I've got something to say to you today, and we're already gone. I mean I still think it's a beautiful illustration that we go to is a month. We should probably listen twice as much as we speak. And that includes with God, Lexio Divina, which is a Bible cost at Peak. Greg encourage people, 24/7 prior. I'm one of the things he said, whenever you read the Bible, for whatever you going to refund is going to be good. The Bible's good. Even even the Gabba Gabba Gabba. It's good. It's lots of parts of the Bible that I don't still don't understand but I'm excited about when I will understand. Sit down. Choose to get some time to reading your Bible. Be still.

Play Lord. I'm going to read your work now. Would you speak to me through your word? Read the word and sometimes read out loud. Why not even if you're sitting in the room on your own, read out loud. This something about speaking out the word, it's important. I know there are people in this room who walk around Old Town speaking out, the word of God. I'm going to Prattville. Can we do people in this room who prevalent around Allentown? I deep fry walk around College. 230 silently. Sometimes I think it's good to know. He's a little trick if you want the little trick to not feeling like you're looking crazy, you're walking around. Sure. You're walking around campus and you're praying and you're prodding out. Louds people do, she's talking to herself, just put your earphones in from your phone. Then he's Suddenly It's Perfectly Normal.

Just a little trick. At the cross, we see the cool to a transformed life.

We sing a song Sometimes and they'll know, we are Christians by our love by 11. I'll know we are Christians by our love. I wonder whether anybody would notice in my life. Let me make the 2:30 that I'm interested.

I used to be a TV program called Through the Keyhole. Italy Christman. I think it was a nice to go into I celebrities house and they look at the books on the Shelf. I need to look at the artifacts on the table. Whose house is this Wonderful time to your house. So we went with a camera around your house. Whose house is this? Believer. How do you store important to the Today Show? The reality of the gospel for Corinthians 2, Corinthians. 9:12 it says this, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Are we leaving the world's? We're admitting that you run out of whatever it is money time strength energy. Is seen as a negative. Okay, you haven't got enough. There are moments when I run out of patience. Do you run out of patience? Sometimes you want to go, I just want to punch you right now. I want to see people smiling so I'm always scratching their ear itches. But you know, that's the reality and sometimes we just need to run out to ourselves are running to him and say, I don't have any more patience. Give me some patients to print this. Why don't have any more love for this person? Give me your love that. I might love him. I don't have enough Grace to be able to deal with the situation. Give me the grace that I need to be gracious to this person. Call Grace, begins and ends. The cross.

I don't think we touch. I don't think we talked about enough about the cross. I think it's seen as a place of suffering, the place of pain and that's true. It is, but it's also a place of Victory is also a place of sacrifice is also a place of God's gift to us. Four Graces found through the cross. So, let me pray. It's on, it's on, but I do just want to get some spice to go to say stamp on some of the things I've said that we some things that are ringing through your head. And there are already, it's fine. Whatever. Go wants to remind you about the bike. I want us to close our eyes. Those are listing a home. Please also respond here. If you want to. I'm just going to start Waze running out the first poster. Some people as I'm talking right now as we're heads bowed and eyes closed. When I talk about running out your MeetMe sign. Yes, that's me. I'm running out of. I do know what it is. And I'm going to pray for you. So I thought you how in the hell would you stand you running out off? Might be Grace. Might be love, might might be patient since they are very costly things, but if you're running out, you're running on empty, you know, you're running on empty all the time. Would you stand cuz I got to pray that the God who sent his only son to the Cross to do, I fear? You will fail you again with all that you need.

Prince, When I'm weak, you make me strong. It's when I'm poor, then I can say I'm rich. Running out is okay.

Especially when we're giving to others without counting the coast.

So it's up to you, what you stand cuz I'm going to probably right now. For the week knowledge. Before you weather in the room weather is getting nicer weather standing in the room right now, it'll be acknowledged. We've run out of what we need. Floating sunglasses. Some of that's about all lifestyle. Some of that's about the choices we made, but Lord, forgive us, we repent return from those poor choices, return back to you and say, what you feel us again, Lord, would you for this again, with the patients that I'm able to fill us with the love that I need for this person who I should be loving, but I know, would you give me the humidity? Put them first.

Would you give me a fresh bundle of Mercy right now? but instead of insisting on Justice, I'm able to show you love. Honda Bible Lord, I pray the Lord release things that are stuck standing before you and we've now Lord, I pray that you release resources. Loading our lives, in our families, in the church. And, and why the to load from the storehouse of having low? But you release what we need but not because we need it because we want to bring the glory back to you play. Father God, we thank you. We thank you in Jesus time, and it just want to sit down as want to do one more, one more thing before I head back to the worship team.