there is a new trend in the world and that trend is that we give affirming thoughts to one another it's a new trend but it's actually an old trend by different name it you may call it New Age thought you may call affirming thought it was called about 60 years ago the power of positive thinking in fact not all that long ago there was a very famous preacher you could see them on television every time you turn on the television there was a bright smile there was encouraging thoughts but there was no gospel when we look to our passage today I want to talk to you today about a people changed by grace now will tell you I made it to half of the sermon this morning and so my hope my goal is to make it through all of it but if we only get half that'll be okay it's an incredible thought that were able to influence the world by positive thinking that if we just have the right positive thoughts were able to move things were able to make things better though it may be an incredible thought it is the exact opposite of what we find in Scripture when we look to Scripture we are not confronted with positive thoughts but when we look to Scripture we are confronted with the reality of who we are and in the reality of who we are that doesn't lift up our self-worth it doesn't lift up our self being but what it does is brings us to the one who can change at all it may seem contrary to all that we find in the world today but the way forward is not the way of positive thinking it's not the way of better thoughts about ourselves and better self-worth but it is confronting who we are in all of that reality and as we do we recognize that there is there at the foot of the cross the hope for all of mankind as we look at this we see that there are two that there are two freedoms that are brought by the grace of God that idea and grace I have been talking to you about that our vision statement for our church that Rose Hill Baptist Church is a family it's a family of people who been changed by the grace of God are learning to live by the grace of God and who seeks to see the world transform changed by the grace of God God's grace you have heard many sayings of God's grace God's graces Christ our God's riches of Christ expense you have heard the grace is unmerited favor there many many thoughts about the grace of God Donald Barnhouse that great Bible scholar and pastor said this way love that goes upward is worship love the goes out word is affection and love that stoops's grace Chuck Swindoll my favorite preacher said this writes this about grace to show grace is to extend favor or kindness to one who doesn't deserve it and can never earn it every time the thought of grace appears there is an idea of being undeserved in no way is the recipient getting what he or she deserves favor is being extended simply out of the goodness of the heart of the giver grace expresses the love of God to those who were undeserving if you would I want to read one more one more statement of grace this one written by Lewis Sperry chafer the founder of Dallas theological seminary says this about grace the meaning of the word grace as used in the New Testament is not unlike its meaning as employed in common speech before the one important exception namely in the Bible the word often represents that which is limitless since it represents realities which are infinite and eternal it is nothing lasting than the unlimited love of God expressing itself in measured was great what he say he saying that the despite our rebellion from God our sin against God comes face-to-face with the reality of the unlimited love and grace of God on to share with you today these two freedoms brought by the grace of God the first freedom is this grace frees us from earning eternal life all around us in culture there is a trend to depict ourselves better than we are I recently watched a documentary on this very idea the whole thought the whole thing was the development of cultural influencers that the whole field that's a whole occupation in influencer and their whole job was simply to take social media and influence people in a direction that they wanted to go and that the extent of this was absolutely crazy the point was to present themselves better than they were that they live lives that are better than that and then they wanted to that they then they intended they literally had a baby pool there with the lady laying back in her hair and the baby pool with rose petals out but when she took the self the when she took the picture that was highly stage and highly edited she was at the four seasons they had they were driven they were dressed with what she looked like she was drinking a glass of the bubbly you know which was actually Olive Oyl which I thought was great she was drinking Olive Oyl and she was reaching over for the chocolates that no joke were cocoa covered butter it went on that they wanted to show what kind of lavish lifestyle that they had that they they took a picture of they wanted a picture of themselves riding on their private jet which was a room no joke rented a room rented of the fuselage of an airplane it was just a room created to look like the fuselage of an airplane that was $50 an hour to take a picture of themselves to look like they were on an airplane the one that even got better was that they projected on the screen that on the low the the wing of an airplane this is real and took a $12 toilet seat to make it look like the window of the airplane and took the picture the whole point was to present themselves better than they were that's the point because what resulted of that when people thought that they were living this lavish lifestyle they wanted to live this lifestyle to and so companies would send thousands of dollars a product just so that they could take a picture you know tonight is the Super Bowl it used to cost thousands and thousands and thousands and millions of dollars to just for seconds on the Super Bowl of a commercial and the newest commercials the funniest commercials were always presented but now all the Super Bowl doesn't it doesn't have the selling power that it once did and there's a reason because now cultural influences or influences are influencers are making multiple 10 20,000 hundred thousand dollars for one picture of them using a product online is the motivation the motivation is to look better than you well there's something within the human heart the desire sat there something in the human heart the desires maybe not to that extent but the desire for you and I to take the picture just so we look better than we are to have the crowd look bit larger than it is to look sharper that we are skinnier than we are more angular angle than we would be because all of it shows something to us about the human heart but I want you to know that grace frees us from that because grace shows us that it is greater than our sin look again with me in verse 20 of chapter 5 this and what Paul writes the law came in so that the transgression would increase but where sin increase grace abounded all the more so he tells us there is a point with the law that the law has a point and that point is not to show you and I how to live that law that law was not designed to show you and I how to be right with God but rather the law has a point and that is to show you and show me that we are broken and cannot be right with God on our what does the law do the law doesn't show you how good you are the law shows you how bad you are now you may hear that you say will pastor that's not the type of sermon that I want what I would like to hear is up and encouraging sermon one that lifts up one that but what we record what we have to recognize is that one that makes light of our sin does lasting harm and lasting damage to us because when we make light of our sin and not with the reality confront who we are then it takes us away from the very thing that actually can help us listen to what Paul writes Galatians chapter 5 of which you to hear this in verse four Paul writes this you have been severed from Christ you who are seeking to be justified by the law you have fallen from grace the office at the antithesis to grace is the law and the antithesis to grace is you and trying to make ourselves right with God on our own the law brings us like a Mack truck bearing down on us with the reality of our fallenness the human heart desires the perversion of the law what you mean pastor and divide it desires to show us how we can be right with God but what does the law do the law confronts us with the reality that there is no such thing as little white lies that sin is serious because it was sin that crucified our Savior that sin is serious because sin separates us from the love of God that sin separates us from the freedom that comes in crime giving in to the temptation the book the to believe that we can free ourselves is not just the rejection of our need of a Savior but is the repudiation of the work of Christ was and what Paul writes Galatians 2 in verse 21 Paul writes this I do not nullify the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then Christ died needlessly the law serves to show just how much we need grace listen the world will tell you we've got to think positive we got to have good thoughts we got to lift up one another we got to encourage one another we got to send good vibes to one another but what the Scripture says is that there is no good thing within a the Scripture says that who we are is an affront to a holy and righteous God that the very things that we do our seminar symptoms are they display the the correctness of the human heart and as a result of that that that law was designed to amplify the reality of our sin church what am I saying to you I'm saying to you that this was according to what the Scripture says you're not as bad as you think you are you are far worse than you think you are and the the way to freedom is not to think more positively about that in a couple years ago we had a controversy in this in the Kentucky Baptist convention there was a group within the Kentucky Baptist convention that wanted to wanted to continue down the road to a firm lifestyles are contrary to what we find in Scripture and at the time the Executive Director said Matt I may need you to speak on that and so if you were to Google my name Matt pastor Matt Shamblin you will find a picture of me you you you don't need to look far you'll find a picture of me standing in a microphone and you can just see that I'm holding court they are standing at this microphone and there is a man standing behind me with his arms crossed glaring down at me I didn't know he was standing behind there's a lot of humor in that but and so my question was simple how much do we have to hate people to lie to them about what the Scripture says about this lifestyle I said it was the Lord Jesus Christ who tells us that you shall know the truth and the truth will make us free church right now in the world of affirmation it seems to be the most hateful bombastic belligerent thing to tell someone you are in sin and that you are worse than you believe yourself to be what we find in Scripture is that that the opposite of that is true in a world of affirmation in a world of positive thoughts the reality of the affirmation that positive thought is not encouragement and acceptance but is condemnation that when we look to Scripture what we find is that the law reveals our state and it is not that our words hear me it is not that our words condemn the Bible says that we are condemned already John chapter 3 verse 18 were condemned already Wi-Fi the Bible says that God loved the world he does and that's why he sent his son to rescue us to save us from our state of condemnation already so church the truth is our state of condemnation already is not one that we can think away but it is one that we must come face-to-face with in order to receive the freedom that comes only in Christ it is the law that amplifies the reality of our sin in order to magnify the reality of his grace notice what he says again in verse 20 the law came in so that the transgression would increase the point of the law is not to make us feel good about ourselves the point of the law is not to encourage us to the point of the law is to show us our damnation that's what it's point is the point is to show us we are condemned already will that is awful rough preaching preacher it's truthful preaching because it also tells us the that on the stark dark background of sin lays the beautiful picture of grace the very first funeral that I ever preached was Carol at the league Carol to the Lord on her deathbed Carol was a dear dear friend Carol always reminded me of Julia sugar Baker from designing women remember Dixie Carter Carol was always incredibly classy and Carol had Carol Carol for different things at different things in life of one of the things that Carol did was she sold jewelry and listen she could sell a catch-up Popsicle to a woman in white gloves I'm telling you she was incredible Carol was so classy always conducted herself so classy and I'll I remember I worked at a jewelry store it it Christmas time and when it Carol Carol and her and her ex-husband at owner owned a jewelry store in a farming community and she recognize when a guy came in with workboots and bib overalls and mud he probably had enough cash in his pocket to buy anything in the store and so as the other salesmen would dismiss him Carol would go right to him and she would walk over Carol was a beautiful lady a sweet lady very classy and she would talk to this guy that I I remember seeing a farmer come in bib overalls mud boots on it was Christmas Eve you know what Christmas eve means for a man coming to a jewelry store don't you that is a desperate man willing to do whatever it takes to make his white hat wife and it was Carol Carol was a saleswoman she had it down to an art I'll never forget this man walked in and she walked over to him and she if you could just imagine this she as she walked over to him she led him to the most expensive case in the whole store the case where the diamond tennis bracelets were and she started to talk to him and she would present one and I knew what she I knew what she was doing because this was her skill she she led them to the most expensive tennis bracelet in the case and she she owes she pulled the tennis bracelet out and as she did she open this black felt pads and gentlemen if if you have a salesman a jewelry salesman open a black black felt pad in the background of their mind they hear do the to go to and she laid that his brace of the other and laid across her hand and as she did she laid out on the black and the lights were designed just perfectly within minutes he pulled out a large wad of cash and laid out a lot of money right there on the counter to pay for that the beauty of that those beautiful diamonds reflected off of the by dog to the black dark felt of that pad church that's exactly what the apostle Paul is doing right here as he confronts the believer with the reality of their sin he does so as not to leave them there but in order to bring them face-to-face with the beauty and the reality of the glory of God and the grace of God and I will tell you the story doesn't stop with the horrors and the reality of our sin unless those who are confronted with their sin fail to repent you see it's repentance that turns this from a terrible story and turned it from a terrible reality to a glorious reality it's that one single word repentance look what it says notice here I hope you had your pen because this is worth circling verse 20 the law came in so that the transgression would increase but that conjunction makes all the difference but where sin increase grace abounded all the more God's grace makes us who we are as a church and it poured out on us richly what you hold your spot here but I want you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 1 what you see this in verse five please turn there with me if you're watching at home turned there with me in your copy of God's word and have your pen ready because I told you we are a family a family of people who have been changed by the grace of God and it is the grace of God that brings us together listen to what the apostle Paul says here Ephesians 1 look in verse five he predestined us to the adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according notice this to the kind intention of his will to the praise of his glory of his grace notice which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace which he lavished on us their lives notice what he tells us that when we are brought face-to-face with the reality of our sin were not left it there but he lavishes on us his love and his grace notice church the motivation is the love of God church the love of God is not some some cheap IBM but the love of God is the reality that this is the motivation of this is God's motivation in saving you and saving me that we are brought to the face-to-face with our sin but as we are brought face-to-face with our sin through repentance what do we find we find that he freely bestows upon us grace he freely bestowed upon us that which is undeserved that is the reality of grace grace is not how we can present ourselves grace is not that we can make ourselves better but grace is this that brings us to this word the beloved that's who we are as a church that's why we are a family changed by the grace of God because we are in the beloved that is a the recipient of his free love and grace the law reveals our sin it magnifies it amplifies our sin in order to magnify his grace because grace is greater than our sin no matter where you've been no matter what you've done we don't want to look at our sin but it's the recognition of our sin that takes us to repentance and it is with their we find the love of God that brings us to himself in grace it is this grace that gives us eternal life look what he says here in verse 21 so that as sin reigned in death even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord when we are studying grace it seems like we're missing something as we look here we see the difference between grace and the law look what it says again in verse 21 so that as sin reigned in death even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life and so church when we are brought face-to-face with the reality of our sin what are we being confronted with were being confronted with the reality of death that the opposite of sin is not tenderness the opposite of sin sin is death and the opposite is light that's what happens now think of this what I just told you that in a world that says everything that we need to affirm one another we need to accept one another your perfect the way that you are the Scripture says no you're far more worse then you believe yourself to be and it road that leads to life what does that mean that means in a world that says everything is wonderful you are wonderful just the way you are everything's great that is a world that seeks your death now imagine that what is it that Scripture says the wages what we earn for our sin is death we see the reality of this what James writes James the half-brother Jesus James chapter 1 what you to see this in verse 13 James one verse 13 listen to what he writes let no one say when he is tempted am being tempted by God for God cannot tempt be tempted by evil and he himself does not tempt anyone but each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust then when lust has conceived gives birth to sin and when sin is accomplished it brings forth death the temptation is not of God but rather reveals our great need for the Lord so what is well when we see this in our world that our world says we just need to affirm everything is wonderful we don't need to talk about sin listen that the reality of prosperity preaching you can turn on prosperity preaching and everything is wonderful and it's all :-) and here's for way to have a better you what are they saying go to hell go to hell go to hell that's the reality now that is harsh but it's true because the opposite of this is the opposite of being confronted with your sin is being okay in death and when we can't have the grace of God until we recognize our great need for the grace of God church the Bible is not a book of self-help the Bible is a book that confronts you with your inability to ever help yourself I will say that again because Joe got the Bible is not a book of self-help it's a Bible it's a book to confront you with the reality of your inability to help yourself that's what it does but it doesn't leave you there what happens look what I'm telling you makes Jesus Christ the hero of the story 10 ways to be a better you makes you the hero of the story grace makes Christ the hero actually actually the truth of the matter is grace just recognizes who Christ is we don't make them anything and so he tells us so that is sin reigned in death even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Paul says this Ephesians to which you turn with me to Ephesians 2 verse four which you to see this before we move on when we're rightly deserving death and the wrath of God we are brought face-to-face with the reality of our sin what happens when that takes place we are brought to repentance and we turn and meet the lavish love and mercy of God Ephesians 2 in which you to see this in verse four but God being rich in mercy because of his great love which which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ grace you by grace you have been saved and raise us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus what happens if you can't build yourself up enough what happens if you cannot contribute enough will from the eyes of the world must be real here what happens if you don't matter because of who you are but you only matter because of what you can do you have a culture of death with a smile on its face what you mean pastor will look at our world today look at our world today the same group of people that would would say we very much care about your life are the same ones that are in a mass fashion murdering baby the same way that the same ones that will say that they care so deeply about your health and your life are the same ones who are euthanizing old people all around the world in civilized countries why is that the case it's the case because the truth is it's a culture of death and its very core you and I are valuable only if we can contribute and when we stand and say anything opposite of that war when we don't have the ability to contribute to our value is decreased but what is it that the Scriptures tell us the Scriptures tell us that God loves you and his love for you is not based on you can't love for you is based on him he has made you in the image of God he has sought to save you by sacrificing his son for the Lord by the love of God he lavishes his love on you not because you cleaned yourself up he lavishes his love on you because he is loving and is loved you in spite of yourself church that is the grace of God please don't let it be lost on you that the motivation of our salvation is God's love that you and I rightly deserving of the judgment of God are brought are brought face-to-face with the reality that though we deserve the judgment of God we receive grace not earning it not achieving it not cleaning ourselves up enough for it but you and I received grace when we should receive judgment but I want you also know this that God does not just freely give grace what you mean pastor of the Bible to hear me God doesn't just freely give grace meaning that he doesn't just say I'll forget about that sin but none of he doesn't do that what do we find in Scripture we find in Scripture that God gives us grace by judging his son only to see of passage again to put it on the screen Ephesians 1 what you see this again in verse five because here he tells us about grace listen to what he says again Ephesians 1 of verse five noise as he predestined us to the adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself according to the kind intention of his will widely say that according to the kind intentions of his will wipe to the praise of the glory of his grace which he freely bestowed on us and so what is the product of grace for seven in him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses so there it is how does grace, grace does not come just because God's forgotten your sin if God forgot your sin and he himself would not be righteous so how does it come we are we recognize that we are worse than we thought and with that recognition with that reality God the father pours out his awful wrath on God the son as your substitute and he pays the penalty for your see if you rightly deserve it but in repentance his payment becomes mine and what do I get from grace I get redemption and forgiveness and that redemption and that forgiveness is not given in a stingy way it is given freely and lavishly and it is based on him and not on you that's why I told you that God's grace you will never receive more of God's grace because you have received all of God's grace and that grace came fully and entirely in Christ so why are we at Rose Hill Baptist Church a family who has been changed by the grace of God because we have recognized the reality of our sin and in recognizing the reality of our sin the striving has ceased and in that we have received eternal life by his grace his grace means we don't deserve it his grace means we fully deserve his judgment but we receive redemption and forgiveness because of him not because of me which also tells you something else that if it's based on him and not me then me losing it would be based on him and not me wouldn't what glorious thought for me to lose my salvation would mean that at some point I would've had to do something to earn it I love what John MacArthur says if you can lose your salvation you would you know what what a glorious thought I didn't do anything to earn it and I certainly can't do anything to keep handicapped by him all church let me pray with you father thank you for our time together thank you Lord for your word and Lord it is not easy to hear that were worse than we think the Lord when we find it in that road a decision that in truth I am a sinner deserving of the judgment of God that Lord at the end of that road I have a decision to make do I stand still do I stand firm and make the choice to face the judgment of God on my own or do I throw myself on the mercy of God and ask for forgiveness redemption I know that there are those who are watching here this morning or in this room who is they hear these strong words from your your Scripture it is a cold hard wake-up call but Lord may it be one that results in repentance that Lord not with a stiff neck do we hear these words but all God with brokenness do we come to the foot of the cross and there we find forgiveness and redemption I pray oh Lord that if there be one in this room if there be one watching over the Internet listening over the radio that Lord as they hear these words your Holy Spirit is working in them and Lord repentance comes that they recognize all God that is who I am rightly deserving judgment rightly deserving hell all God I come to you and ask for mercy because of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ he in my place I pray oh God that if there be one here who says that today the Lord they find the lavish love of God waiting on them that you in your mercy you in your freedom offer to them forgiveness with every head bowed and every eye closed here this morning would you say pastor as I hear your words this morning I recognize that I rightly deserve the judgment of God but today I am asking God for his forgiveness for his mercy and for his grace I'm asking him for the very first time to save me if that's you would you just look up at me and I would embarrass you I will call you out that you have men you say pastor I deserve his judgment but I'm asking for mercy maybe you're watching over the Internet and your hearing these words and you say pastor I deserve the judgment of God that I am asking for his mercy is a number you can text you can email I'd love to hear from you father we thank you that as we hear these harsh words that they are met with mercy and grace in the glorious love of God Lord thank you for our time together thank you oh God for who you are and that Lord contrary to all that we find in the world we find mercy with you Lord thank you for this time together thank you for these wonderful folks who made the time to come out or join us on the Internet or by the radio to spend this time with you and your word and I pray oh God that as we continue through this week we live in grace recognizing we are far worse than anyone knows and yet you freely bestow your love on us we ask all these things in Jesus name and all God's people said