Forgiven & Set Free
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Intro
Intro
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
The thief has a funny way of using life to do his stealing, killing and destroying. This happens through catastrophes beyond our control: sickness, the passing of a loved one or an accident, each taking so much from us. Other times it takes from us when we fall prey to the many choices that lead us away from God’s best. These choices were made in times of sorrow, fear or disbelief in what God would have for us to do. Yet . . .
Proposition: In the midst of the consequences of our choices there is great hope.
Proposition: In the midst of the consequences of our choices there is great hope.
Transition: Hope for forgiveness, hope for healing and hope for a future full of peace and free from guilt. Hope that is available to and needed by all people. For Paul tells the church of Ephesus . . .
I. Our Life Before Jesus
I. Our Life Before Jesus
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
We Were Broken People
We Were Broken People
“You were dead in your trespasses and sins” = Synonyms
“Problem we have is that we have lost the purpose for which we were created, to be in a relationship with God.”
“Dead” = Unable to live the life God had intended for you to live; what you think is living isn’t living
Things, experiences, feelings of other people don’t completely fulfill our most basic desires (leaves us empty)
We Naturally Followed Our Passions
We Naturally Followed Our Passions
“Followed the ways of this world”
We were taught to be self-centered
It’s how we lived our life.
Generally, our decisions and what we think we wanted or needed was all dictated by us.
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
“Cravings (‘passions’ - ESV)…desires and thoughts”
“Like the rest” = How everyone else is living their life
II. Jesus Steps-In
II. Jesus Steps-In
God Didn’t Have To Love Us
God Didn’t Have To Love Us
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
“But” = Major transition
“Mercy” = Kindness or concern shown to someone in need
His mercy flows out of a loving heart for us, not from anything we have done to deserve it.
Remember, it was His law that we have broken!
God didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up, He made a way for us to earn his favor despite who we are
Definition of “grace” - showed favor towards us that we didn’t earn
Transition: We are people hard to love. Broken and naturally self-centered, deserving of God’s wrath (judgment). Yet,
He Loved You None The Less
He Loved You None The Less
“By grace you have been saved” = Gospel
Listen to the words of the Apostle John as He writes about Jesus’ sacrifice
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Two Ways To Live
Because of his love, God sent his Son Jesus Christ to offer his life on the cross as the full payment for our sins. H takes our punishment and makes a way for us to receive God’s forgiveness.
God accepted Jesus’ death as full payment and raised him from the dead to prove it. Jesus now reigns and will one day return to judge the world.
Transition: You have taken the time to examine your life in light of the Scriptures and what God has been showing you.
III. God Wants You
III. God Wants You
He Wants You To Be An Example Of His Glory
He Wants You To Be An Example Of His Glory
in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For all of eternity, God wants to point to you and say, “look at _____, that right there is a display of how gracious and kind I am.”
Creation will marvel. It will take all eternity for creation to fathom God’s love
That’s why Paul emphasis yet again that we do not play any part in our salvation (vs. 8-9)
Today’s Pattern
God transforms the most broken, sinful moments of our lives into something that give Him glory.
Sometimes He allows us the pain and brokenness to play out in our lives.
He then shows us His mercy and grace, gives us clarity and focus, using the same brokenness to minister to others.
Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
He Wants You To Fulfill His Purposes For You
He Wants You To Fulfill His Purposes For You
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Throughout the Bible, we see the people of God, rise up and do great things after they have fallen (cf. Saul Acts 9 - Blindness allowed him to see the church differently).
Conclusion
Conclusion
You are unique. Your story of God’s grace is unique and has, with all it’s good and bad, has become a part of God’s story here on earth. It’s also evidence to others of God’s faithfulness, mercy and grace. So take heart in what God has done and trust Him for what He wants to do for you, for it is greater than anything you can think or imagine.