Untitled Sermon (36)

Grace Becomes Grit

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is pure mercy, it is pure grace. I recently heard a pastor bemoaning the state of the evangelical church in America…he said that many conservative churches have .65 converts per year in their church. The church is in decline. So what do we do? Definitely more activity is our problem in the American church. Right? His point was there needs to be a major shift in the church, something ruinous and bomb like.

So his hook line, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, was grace needs to turn to grit. And I think I know what he meant…but really? My grit, which is my power, compared to his grace, which is his power? Really? That is the answer? That is the dynamite of God?

Answer to Woes Is the Gospel

Is it possible that the answer to your marriage issues, the answer to our parenting struggles, the answer to wayward teens, the answer to a lack of converts in the church, the answer to secret sin, to the answer to lethargy and sloth, the answer to gossip and strife, and the answer to sexual sin and greed, that the answer to all of these woes is STILL the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God? In other words, is the answer to all of these woes STILL Nothing but Jesus?

Or is it Jesus plus something else. Because how do you add ANYTHING to the kind of power that I described earlier? How is any of that extra added on power significant? Is it possible that pure unadulterated grace and mercy as fuel not just for our conversion, but for our sanctification, which is the process of us growing in holiness that the fuel for THAT is pure grace and mercy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which IS the power of God?

“Yes Grace, But...”

Because here is what happens…we add qualifiers to the Gospel because we are denying it’s unbelievable power to stand on it’s own as an announcement of what Jesus has done. So we get yes, grace, but statements. Yes, the Gospel is the grace of God for sinners, BUT you must do this and that as well. Yes the Gospel is the grace of God for sinners, BUT you have to be careful when you preach grace or the people will start becoming even worse sinners, and don’t even get me started on what the teens will become. I recently read this written by a professor at John Knox Seminary: The theological plumbing in the church these days is fixed in such a way that if you try to pour the pure water of the mercy and grace of the Gospel down the pipe of people’s hearts, it backs up. Then the theological plumber gets called to clear the theological clog with a few ifs and buts added to the Gospel. That is why I’m convinced that the old plumbing has to be totally replaced not repaired. The Gospel is that God saves sinners through grace alone through faith alone through the finished work of Christ alone. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. That is the power of the Gospel.So what does that mean in our lives? If you get it, if you grasp it, there is nothing I would be able to say when it comes to what it means in your life that would compare with the amazing fruit and change you would experience just by the power of the Gospel.

Is it Really True?

Paul shows us what it means when we say that we are saved by faith and not by works. Paul shows us what it means to live as free people. Paul doesn’t add any “buts” to grace. In fact Paul will say later that while the Gospel IS the actual power of God, that the Law, while beautiful and while perfect and while good for us, and while useful for convicting us of sin is POWER-LESS to change us.

SLIDES

(NIV)

3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,[a] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.

Or in (NIV)

So the former commandment is set aside because it was weak and useless

Is it Really True?

Because it is easy to sing about grace and pray about grace and preach about grace and talk about grace, but it is harder to actually believe it is true. And that is a struggle for me just as much as it is a struggle for you.

Is it really true that God will not love us more if we are good or love us less if we are bad?

Is it really true that we cannot out sin the grace of God?

Is it really true that nothing can separate us from the love of God?

Is it really true that the Gospel IS the actual power of God for salvation and for change in our lives?

Is it really true, because it seems too good to be true, that this God has offered a free gift of Jesus who has paid for our sins?

And Can It Be Asks How Can it Be True

One of the great hymns is And Can it Be…and that hymn asks that question—how can it be that thou my God would die for me? How can it be that no condemnation now I dread? How can this amazing love be true and free and endless and eternal?

All that Changes Heart is Gospel

Three steps on how to live are great and useful…but those won’t change your heart. Those will only modify your behavior. The only thing that will change your heart will be your faith and the Gospel which IS the power of God. Is believing it is really true.

Because if it is really true, you are seated with Jesus in heavenly places.

If it is really true he is preparing a place for you.

If it is really true, Jesus died for that sin, and set you free from that sin. So you aren’t just saved by faith but justified by faith.

Always Way Out

That is why Scripture tells us that there is no temptation known to man that Jesus didn’t face and also there is no temptation where God doesn’t provide a way out through the power of the gospel. You can’t say, I can’t help it, yes you can through the power of God that is the Gospel.

You shouldn’t say, I can’t get over it. Yes you can through the power of the Gospel. God always always always provides a way of escape and that way of escape is through faith. Through believing the Gospel which IS the power of God. Through believing that it is true.

One personal application and one corporate application on why we need this sermon series on Romans:

Slaves to Wrong Things

Personally, we need Romans because we are slaves or servants to all the wrong things. Paul says in verse one he is a servant or slave to the Gospel…that is a sermon series by itself. When we lose the power of God which is the Gospel, we are Slaves to what people think.

Slaves to bad habits.

Slaves to secret sin.

Slaves to money.

Slaves to comfort.

Slaves to anxiety and worry. Slaves to pleasure. Slaves to material things.

We can even be slaves to what’s going on in the world, and gripped by fear and anger about cultural events—that is just another form of slavery. Slaves to something that seems good, like being a slave to our families, or a slave to being good. A slave to moralism both for yourself and imposing your moralism and your brand of your moralism on others.

Is it Really True?

Because it is easy to sing about grace and pray about grace and preach about grace and talk about grace, but it is harder to actually believe it is true. And that is a struggle for me just as much as it is a struggle for you.

Is it really true that God will not love us more if we are good or love us less if we are bad?

Is it really true that we cannot out sin the grace of God?

Is it really true that nothing can separate us from the love of God?

Is it really true that the Gospel IS the actual power of God for salvation and for change in our lives?

Is it really true, because it seems too good to be true, that this God has offered a free gift of Jesus who has paid for our sins?

And Can It Be Asks How Can it Be True

One of the great hymns is And Can it Be…and that hymn asks that question—how can it be that thou my God would die for me? How can it be that no condemnation now I dread? How can this amazing love be true and free and endless and eternal?

Is it possible that the answer to your marriage issues, the answer to our parenting struggles, the answer to wayward teens, the answer to a lack of converts in the church, the answer to secret sin, to the answer to lethargy and sloth, the answer to gossip and strife, and the answer to sexual sin and greed, that the answer to all of these woes is STILL the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God? In other words, is the answer to all of these woes STILL Nothing but Jesus?

Or is it Jesus plus something else. Because how do you add ANYTHING to the kind of power that I described earlier? How is any of that extra added on power significant? Is it possible that pure unadulterated grace and mercy as fuel not just for our conversion, but for our sanctification, which is the process of us growing in holiness that the fuel for THAT is pure grace and mercy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which IS the power of God?

That is the power of God which is the Gospel.

Even the broad outline of Romans is pure Gospel from start to finish...

: Diagnosis, : Deliverance, : Description

Paul diagnoses sinners in chapters 1-3, Paul announces deliverance for sinners in chapters 4-11, and Paul gives a description of what our lives will begin to look like when our lives are fueled by the power of God which is the Gospel in chapters 12-16. Pure Gospel, the very power of God. The Gospel then contains the full ability of God, the full strength of God, the full force of God.

Grace Becomes Grit

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is pure mercy, it is pure grace. I recently heard a pastor bemoaning the state of the evangelical church in America…he said that many conservative churches have .65 converts per year in their church. The church is in decline. So what do we do? Definitely more activity is our problem in the American church. Right? His point was there needs to be a major shift in the church, something ruinous and bomb like.

So his hook line, and I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, was grace needs to turn to grit. And I think I know what he meant…but really? My grit, which is my power, compared to his grace, which is his power? Really? That is the answer? That is the dynamite of God?

Application

I have entitled this series Unshackled because it is the power of God that is the Gospel that frees us from our chains. It is the power of God that is the Gospel that unshackles us from sin. What does this look like practically?

Corporate: Famous for the Gospel

We need Romans because we are called to become famous for the Gospel. Churches aren’t famous for the Gospel. If you were to ask someone on the street what the first thing is they think about when they hear the term evangelical church, they will talk about some political issue that we are for or against or they will talk about hypocrisy which we can own, or they will talk about being judgmental which we also can own. They may talk about the way evangelicals fight science or dislike people not like themselves. But they won’t say—evangelicals are famous for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and here is what the Gospel is, even if I don’t believe the Gospel, I can tell you what it is because evangelicals are so famous for it. I don’t know much about evangelicals, but I know they are very serious about Jesus.

You know, the liberal church left God and the Bible…but the evangelical church left Jesus.

Be Known For Weakness

I want people to say about Reach Church...my neighbor goes to Reach Church and it seems that his life is guided by this inexplicable grace. This calm assurance that he has. This humility he has. I mentioned the verse earlier where Paul said he had a thorn in his side, and he pleaded three times for the Lord to remove it and the Lord said, my grace is sufficient for thee, for in your weakness my power is made perfect. As if God needs our weakness in order to perfect his power. That God uses weak people because weak people are all that he has to choose from.

Like the playwright Thorton wrote, “without your wound where would your power be?” When people hear about our church, could they say that our weakness is our power? That we rejoice in our weakness? That those people at Reach Church when they sing your grace is enough for me that they really believe it is true? When the people at Reach Church sing in Christ alone, my hope is found, that they really believe that is true?

Because here is what happens…we add qualifiers to the Gospel because we are denying it’s unbelievable power to stand on it’s own as an announcement of what Jesus has done. So we get yes, grace, but statements. Yes, the Gospel is the grace of God for sinners, BUT you must do this and that as well. Yes the Gospel is the grace of God for sinners, BUT you have to be careful when you preach grace or the people will start becoming even worse sinners, and don’t even get me started on what the teens will become.

I recently read this written by a professor at John Knox Seminary:

The theological plumbing in the church these days is fixed in such a way that if you try to pour the pure water of the mercy and grace of the Gospel down the pipe of people’s hearts, it backs up. Then the theological plumber gets called to clear the theological clog with a few ifs and buts added to the Gospel. That is why I’m convinced that the old plumbing has to be totally replaced not repaired.

The Gospel is that God saves sinners through grace alone through faith alone through the finished work of Christ alone. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. And that is powerful.

So what? Let me ask you a question…have you had a gospel break through? Have you broken through to begin to really and truly get Nothing But Jesus. To really and truly get that the Gospel IS the power of God? You need a break through…imagine if a whole church broke through together? Imagine if a whole church was unshackled together.