Like a Child Week 3

Good Morning

Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastors here at Freedom Chapel. We exist to bring hope to our community we do that by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.

If you are new with us this morning would you please take the time fill out that little flap on the side of your bulletin. If you put it in the black boxes by the back door we will make a donation in your name to a local charity and send you cookies. Church can we show our guests some love this morning.

Family Movie Night

Christmas Family Service

Roll that Video Mr. Media

Over the last several weeks we have been in a series called like a child. If you haven’t noticed the sanctuary is decorated a little different this year. I enlisted Tabitha and Michelle to decorate the sanctuary with a child like flair. Because I believe that we have made thing too formal when it come to Christmas. Everything feels so adult and there is not this since of awe and wonder. This is exactly why we are doing this series.

In week on we covered

MY GOD FORGIVES ME

Never hear…

In order to get this promotion-I’ve got to work like a child!

The Cowboys will ever win another Superbowl unless they start playing have childlike teamwork!

Honey if we are going to Get out of debt…I’ve got to earn like a child!

It would be crazy if we in these areas of life that are seemingly significant we would emulate a child.

Yet in the most important/eternal things…it’s the only way we can experience it.

Mark 10:15 (ESV)

15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Today we are going to talk about Grace.

According to the Tyndale Bible Dictionary.

Grace is the dimension of divine activity that enables God to confront human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless.

I don’t know how many time as that my kids have asked me “daddy do you forgive me.”

Kids understand Forgiveness. It makes sense to them. They desperately need it and their world isn’t ok until they have received it.

So today as we look at this idea of Grace lets do it as a child would describe it:

My God Forgives me.

MY GOD FORGIVES ME

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Most of us have a concept of this idea that God forgives us, however in our adult way of thinking about things we tend to muddy the idea of God’s Forgiveness up. This morning we are going to really simplify the idea of forgiveness and pretend that no one in this room understands the concept of God’s forgiveness.

Let’s start with a question. Everyone repeat after me:

HOW DOES GOD FORGIVE?

I am Glad you asked.

When God Forgives:

1) GOD REMOVES OUR SIN COMPLETELY.

Psalm 103:12 ESV

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

You see it is not that God no longer holds our sin against us,

God completely separates our sin from us.

It is no longer attached to or associated with us.

This is what it looks like Table and Terry.

Once God Removes our Sin then the Bible tells us:

2) GOD FORGETS OUR SIN IMMEDIATELY.

Isaiah 43:25

Isaiah 43:25 (ESV)

25 “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

I want you to wrap your head around this: The all-knowing creator of the everything that exists, makes the willful decision to limit His memory as it relates to our sin.

Back in my dads day they did not have computers. I realize that for some of you that is hard to believe. This meant that if you were going to write a research paper you either hand wrote the whole thing or you used a typewriter. A type writer was this device that looked like a giant computer keyboard and it was attached to metal letter that would raise up and strike a ribbon with ink on it that would then place the letter on the page. It was as barbaric as it sounds.

If you made a mistake you would have to pull the paper out and use a product called liquid paper or White out to cover the mistake and then type over it again. However you could see on the paper that the mistake was still there. It was always on the paper.

That is how most of us view Forgiveness. God covers it but it is still there.

But when God forgives he highlights the offence, presses delete, closes the document without saving, and then clears the memory on the computer.

It is gone, It is Forgiven...............

Honestly, how many of you at one point in your life or another have asked for God’s forgiveness yet don’t feel forgiven?

If you truly ask for forgiveness and are repentant God moves on. The only person hanging onto the issue is you.

This is what it means to be Living under Grace.

LIVING UNDER GRACE

I can not remember who it was that told me this however the words have rung true to me for over 20 years.

This person took me out to dinner and it was a nice dinner. Paid for it and then tried to give me a financial gift. I of course could not stand to take the gift and refused. What they said next has changed my world. “Why are you trying to steal my blessing. God told me to do this. If you don’t take this than You are stealing my blessing.”

I replied well how do I ever repay this, because naturally now I need to bless them in return because everything has catch.

This person replied “Just Say thank you and receive the gift.”

You see Grace feels too easy.

Grace feels too good to be true.

It makes me feel better if I add a little something to it.

God’s grace + anything else= isn’t God’s grace at all.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Children naturally understand Grace

Grown ups naturally live under the law (have you ever thought)

Adult Thinking:

I read the bible today=God is pleased with me…

If I do enough good things...........,

I can keep this one sin for myself…

I’m not nearly as sinful as that person…

I can never be free from this addiction so why even try…

I’m going to get rid of my guilt by doing more good things.

Romans 6:14 ESV

14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

When we live under the law we reap the law......i.e. trying to always live up to standards that we can never meet up too.

When we live under Grace we come to the realization that God loves me regardless of my ability to live up to the standards.

Definition of Living Under Grace:

LIVING UNDER GRACE: THE LIFE-CHANGING CONSTANT AWARENESS OF WHAT I’VE BEEN GIVEN IN LIGHT OF WHAT I DESERVE.

Stay with me here:

Turn with me to Luke 7:36-39

Luke 7:36–39 ESV

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.”

LIVING UNDER GRACE PROPELLS US TO…

1. CHANGE OUR HEART’S AFFECTION

Luke 7:44–48 ESV

44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

I need you to like me approve….Jesus

You need the promotion…Jesus

You need a spouse…Jesus

2. CHANGE OUR LIFE’S DIRECTION

Luke 7:37–38 ESV

37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

The affection is driving the direction!

What is the significance of this perfume? 1 yrs wages.

This act is is considered as the most extravagant act of worship toward Jesus in scripture and it is.

But as you look deeper into the Arab Culture of at this time perfume was worn around the neck of a prostitute. As men would walk by they would smell the perfume and that was the sole sign that the woman was selling her body.

Pouring the perfume wasn’t just an act of love but a declaration that she will never be a prostitute ever again.

She poured out on Jesus any future opportunity to sin.

This is why I said stay with me..... Earlier I was not saying there is no benefit to spending daily time with God.....or changing the standard of your life because of your relationship with God.

God does not love you more or less because of how you act. However, life changes and daily time with God Changes your response to him and how close your heart is aligned to his.

This woman was so changed by the grace of God she

The grace of God is dangerous, lavish, excessive, outrageous, and scandalous. The person who receives this gift with childlike faith will never be the same. It will change their view of their past and future. It will change the hearts affection and life’s direction.

Lets pray