WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:01.919 God, thank you so much for this morning. 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:03.680 Thank you for every person here. 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.519 Lord, I want to specifically ask right now that you just open our hearts and minds to your word. 00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:08.960 Your word is powerful. 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:09.919 It's true. 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:28.480 Lord, even if if we're here and or we're watching and we've never really engaged with scripture before, we have all these preconceived notions of what the Bible is about, I pray, Lord, that you would help us set those aside and realize that when you speak something, when you speak truth, it has the ability not to just change what's happening around us, but it can change us. 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:30.079 And we want that to happen this morning. 00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:32.399 We want to be more like the people you created us to be. 00:00:32.479 --> 00:00:39.520 We want to experience our destiny and being your children, part of your family, equipped by you, filled with your spirit. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:40.799 We pray this in your name, Jesus. 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:41.600 Amen. 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:42.560 All right. 00:00:43.039 --> 00:00:44.640 And this morning feels like eventful. 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:45.200 I'm excited. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:53.439 I was telling our team this last week that it feels like everything's kind of coming out of our sort of transition phase, and now we're going back into being a full-fledged church again. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.600 I'm like, I'm excited about everything happening. 00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:58.079 I'm really excited about the series that we started last week. 00:00:58.240 --> 00:01:01.759 If you weren't here, we started a brand new series called The Full Gospel. 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:03.679 The full gospel. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.200 We're studying Romans chapter 3, verses 21 through 31. 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:12.319 If you have a Bible, you can actually turn there, or if you have our mobile app, you can read directly, follow along. 00:01:12.400 --> 00:01:13.680 You can do that at home as well. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:21.680 I'm gonna go ahead and read this, and I want to preface this by saying most people when reading this section of scripture will be tempted to check out after about two sentences. 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:34.319 Because it is, it is, it's amazing, it is complex, it's very nuanced, it's also filled with a lot of terms that a lot of us, even those of us maybe who have been following Jesus for a long time, have sort of a hazy understanding of. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:41.359 And so it's so easy to read this and get a few sentences in and just be like, uh, skip forward, God loves me, I get it, right? 00:01:42.480 --> 00:02:01.040 But but it's very important for us to really fully understand what this is communicating because this section of scripture might just be the most comprehensive laying out of what the gospel, which is a word that means the good news, this might be the most comprehensive detailing of the good news of Jesus that we have in all of Scripture. 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:04.400 And so it's important for us to understand the full gospel. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:05.760 We can't just get the gist of it. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:08.639 You know, some things in life you can just get the gist of and it's fine. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:15.199 Like I've been watching uh the Marvel movies with uh with one of my kids at home, and uh, don't know if you guys are into those at all. 00:02:15.280 --> 00:02:17.199 I'm not like crazy into them, but they're fun movies. 00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:20.879 And so uh my wife will walk in the room sometimes and she'll be like, What's going on? 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:23.280 And all she needs is the gist, right? 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:27.520 Uh bad guy trying to get some powerful object, they don't want that to happen. 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:28.319 That's the movie. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:29.759 And she's like, Got it. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:34.400 There's some things in life that the gist is enough, but there are other things where it's not. 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:45.360 Like if you were having major surgery and you asked the surgeon whether or not they really felt comfortable and they said, Yeah, I think I've got the gist of it, you would be like, No, that is uh, whoa, the gist will not do. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:52.080 As we read this, understand that the gist of the good news, you need more than that. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:56.240 You need a complete understanding of what Jesus has done for you. 00:02:56.479 --> 00:03:05.759 A complete understanding of the gospel, because without that, with just a partial gospel, you'll only experience partial joy, partial love, partial peace. 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:07.280 No, you want the full thing. 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:09.280 So let's read this together. 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:11.599 Romans 3, 21 through 31. 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:20.479 But now the righteousness of God has been made manifest apart from the law, although the law and the prophets bear witness to it. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:26.159 The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, for there is no distinction. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:41.759 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:47.599 This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:56.800 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:58.960 Then what becomes of our boasting? 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:01.520 It's excluded. 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:03.439 By what kind of law? 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:06.080 In other words, it's saying, by what kind of law have we been justified? 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:07.759 By a law of works? 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:11.280 No, but by the law of faith. 00:04:11.919 --> 00:04:16.480 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:18.560 Or is God the God of the Jews only? 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:20.319 Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:29.360 Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:31.759 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:35.040 By no means, on the contrary, we uphold the law. 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:36.800 Again, there's a lot going on here. 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:41.360 It's very nuanced, but there's four major concepts that we're tackling in this series. 00:04:41.519 --> 00:04:53.759 And I believe if you understand, or at the very least, have a pretty good understanding of these concepts, you're in a really good place to experience what God ultimately wants you to experience as a believer. 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:58.160 Last week we talked about the first concept, which is righteousness through faith. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:04:59.600 Righteousness through faith. 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:03.199 Today we're going to look at justification by grace. 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:06.000 Next week is propitiation by atonement. 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.680 And then the last week is the ability to uphold. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:14.319 The ability to uphold, the ability to actually do what God calls us to do. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:17.600 Those four concepts give us the full gospel. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:23.759 And so, what I want us to do this morning is have a little bit of conversation about definitions, like really exciting stuff, right? 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:25.920 Who came to church this morning being like, you know what I want? 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:27.439 I want to learn definitions of words. 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:30.079 That sounds like spiritual and impactful. 00:05:30.240 --> 00:05:36.240 But the reality is, sometimes, sometimes we read scripture and we see words, and we know that those words are meaningful. 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.600 We might even understand, like I said a minute ago, the gist of the word. 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:47.439 But but if we don't actually know what's being communicated, we're missing out on the power of what's being said. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.439 You know, sometimes you say something and it's it's powerful. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:05:57.680 Those of you who have a spouse, think about the first time, or maybe you're engaged, right? 00:05:57.920 --> 00:05:59.040 You're at that level of commitment. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:03.040 Think about the first time that person looked at you and said, I love you. 00:06:03.839 --> 00:06:05.680 How powerful was that moment? 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:06.639 Right? 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:08.160 That word love, it meant so much. 00:06:08.240 --> 00:06:10.959 I'll never forget the first time I told my wife that I loved her. 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:17.360 She looked at me and it was like her eyes were just they're blue and they're beautiful and they were bright, and she just said, Thank you. 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:20.480 And uh, you know, that meant the world to me. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:21.199 You know? 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:24.000 It's a powerful response to that. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:27.120 Sometimes you just gotta keep at things, right? 00:06:27.199 --> 00:06:28.240 That's what I did. 00:06:29.439 --> 00:06:34.879 But but see, sometimes what happens when we read scripture, especially sections like this, is we read some some statements. 00:06:35.439 --> 00:06:44.720 And there's a lot of words, and especially when they're kind of religious words, and we're sort of like, yeah, I sort of understand that, but but but no, no, we've gotta we've gotta hear the power of what's being spoken to us. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:55.759 If we go back to verse 23 and 24 for just a moment, it says, we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:00.399 And if that's a hard thing for for you to come to terms with, this is like this is how I like to think about it. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:04.240 I have fallen short of my own standards like a thousand times. 00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:07.519 I fall short of my own expectations, let alone God's. 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.120 That's easy for me to grapple with. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:15.439 It says that we've all fallen short of the glory of God, but we are justified by his grace as a gift. 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:17.600 We are justified by his grace. 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.319 This morning we're talking about justification by grace. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:26.160 And so I really want to make sure that we understand what these words mean because they are powerful, powerful words. 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:28.079 Let's start with justification. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:29.759 Justification. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:32.480 This is a core concept of our faith. 00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:37.199 So if you're like a new believer, it is so vital for you to understand what justification is all about. 00:07:37.360 --> 00:07:43.759 If you're someone that hasn't put your faith in Jesus yet, good news, this will help you understand what you actually receive when you do that. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:45.839 Justification is a it's a massive term. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:47.920 We see it elsewhere in scripture, all over the place. 00:07:48.079 --> 00:07:55.920 Romans 5 1 says, Therefore, since we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:07:56.160 --> 00:08:04.160 Titus 3.7 says, so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:09.040 We see this phrase, justified, pop up all throughout the New Testament. 00:08:09.839 --> 00:08:13.680 We are justified because of the grace of God. 00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:19.519 But what I found is that very few people actually have a real understanding of what justification actually means. 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.040 In fact, I would put myself in that camp just a few years ago. 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:31.360 Like honestly, four or five years ago, if you would have come up to me and just on the spot, without any prep said, Hey, Justin, you are justified by God, what does that mean to you? 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:33.440 I would have said, Yeah, I'm forgiven. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:35.440 God has forgiven me. 00:08:36.000 --> 00:08:37.440 And that's true. 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:39.919 God has forgiven us. 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:46.320 Forgiveness, it's it's part of justification, but it's it's not the full picture. 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:48.399 Let me give you an example. 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:53.360 Uh, legally speaking, there's there's something called a pardon. 00:08:53.759 --> 00:08:58.879 And if someone's pardoned, what that means is that they are guilty and their guilt is recognized. 00:08:59.919 --> 00:09:07.279 But but someone who has authority determines that they don't need to worry about paying the price for their guilt anymore, and they're they're pardoned. 00:09:07.919 --> 00:09:10.559 And in that sense, all of us have been pardoned by God. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:13.600 He's looked at all of us and he sees our sin, right? 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:15.039 He knows everything. 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:16.480 We've all fallen short. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:18.960 And so, yeah, he has chosen to forgive us. 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:20.320 We've been pardoned. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:22.159 But he didn't stop there. 00:09:23.679 --> 00:09:28.320 Justification, legally speaking, would be you being declared not guilty. 00:09:29.440 --> 00:09:31.360 You've been declared innocent. 00:09:32.080 --> 00:09:39.519 So there's actually nothing to forgive you for if you've been justified, if we're using legal terms. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:41.759 That's actually what God has done for us. 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:45.919 When it says that we've been justified, it's so much more than forgiveness. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:51.840 It means that God has looked at us and through our faith in Jesus, he has declared us righteous. 00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:54.240 He's declared us not guilty in his presence. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:03.440 Now, I want to do something really quick, an exercise, if you guys are willing to participate with this, I believe it's powerful, to help us actually understand the difference between those two things. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:08.080 And so, just in your mind, picture you standing before God the Father. 00:10:08.159 --> 00:10:10.000 I don't know how you picture God the Father. 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:13.679 Maybe it's a throne, maybe he's got a beard, maybe it's just light. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:14.080 I don't know. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:15.519 Don't worry about that. 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:20.639 But just picture yourself standing before God the Father. 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:30.399 Aware of all your shortcomings, of all your issues, of your baggage, all your stuff. 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:32.320 And we all have stuff, right? 00:10:32.879 --> 00:10:34.159 Anyone here have stuff? 00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:35.120 Yeah? 00:10:35.360 --> 00:10:36.559 Wow, some of you don't. 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:37.919 Okay. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:42.320 Well, I always say if you don't have stuff, we should trade places, because I got lots of stuff, right? 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:47.440 Like you're in front of God the Father, and you're aware of all of that. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:50.639 And picture for just a moment, and really picture this. 00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:52.960 If you have to close your eyes, close your eyes to picture it. 00:10:53.120 --> 00:10:58.799 But you're there, you're thinking on all those things, and the father looks at you and he says, I forgive you. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.159 I forgive you. 00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:07.279 And you might want to protest a little bit, you might want to say, no, but Father, you you don't understand what I've done. 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:10.720 You don't understand what I've, the thoughts that I've had, the things that I've done in my life. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:13.120 No, I I I forgive you. 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:15.120 I forgive you. 00:11:15.360 --> 00:11:18.879 That's that's a powerful thought to experience, right? 00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:21.840 But that's not justification. 00:11:22.799 --> 00:11:23.840 That's a pardon. 00:11:25.120 --> 00:11:27.120 Justification's a whole different level. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:28.159 Same thing. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:29.679 Picture yourself standing before the Father. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:31.600 If you have to close your eyes, close your eyes. 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:35.039 You're aware of your stuff, you're aware of your shortcomings, all your baggage. 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:37.840 In fact, you can even picture yourself carrying all the baggage. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:45.120 And the father looks at you and he says, I find no fault in you. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:52.240 And you're like, Father, I've got all this baggage. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:55.679 Like I've done all these things, I've had all these thoughts. 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:57.440 You, I mean, I've I've fallen so short. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:02.559 And he looks at you and he says, No, I find no fault in you. 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:06.480 I find no fault in you. 00:12:07.919 --> 00:12:11.440 You are righteous, you are justified in my sight. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:13.919 That's what justification means. 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:16.480 It's more than forgiveness. 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:17.759 You see it? 00:12:18.399 --> 00:12:20.080 It's more than forgiveness. 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:22.399 I mean, how powerful is that? 00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.080 Really grab a hold of that for a second. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:24.799 Let this sink in. 00:12:24.879 --> 00:12:26.159 Like you've been forgiven by God. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:27.120 We talk about that a lot. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.320 He loves us, he forgives us, but it's so much more than just that. 00:12:30.799 --> 00:12:40.720 His love for you is so powerful, it is so complete, that simply by placing your faith in his son Jesus, he looks at you and he says, I find nothing wrong with you. 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.279 I find nothing wrong with you. 00:12:45.440 --> 00:12:50.000 Scripture says that he's taken our sins and he's put them as far as the east is from the west. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:12:52.320 That he's thrown them in the ocean. 00:12:53.440 --> 00:13:00.799 Through faith in Jesus, you have been so completely cleansed by God that he looks at you and he doesn't see it. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:05.919 Like you might even bring it up and say, God, I, you know, I've I struggle with this, and he's like, What are you talking about? 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:09.600 I see nothing wrong with you. 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:11.919 I find no fault in you. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.759 Your phone going off during church isn't even a sin. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:14.159 It's good. 00:13:14.240 --> 00:13:15.120 You're justified. 00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:16.559 It's all fine. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:19.200 I find nothing wrong with you. 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.960 I find no fault in you whatsoever. 00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:26.960 Do you believe that? 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:30.639 Is that hard to believe for anybody else? 00:13:30.720 --> 00:13:31.600 Like on a daily basis? 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:36.399 Like in moments like this, I'm like, yeah, I believe it, but on a daily basis, God looks at me and he finds no fault. 00:13:36.480 --> 00:13:38.240 See, if you really believe that, here's what that means. 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:42.480 You never have to bargain with God because you have nothing to make up for. 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:46.159 You never have to look at God and say, hey, God, I'm I know I messed up yesterday. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.679 I'm so sorry, I'm gonna make up for it today. 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:48.799 I promise I'm gonna do better. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:51.039 Like he would look at you and go, I find no fault in you. 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:52.000 I find no fault in you. 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:57.440 In fact, some of us, I believe God is looking at you right now, seeing you, and he needs you to hear this so badly. 00:13:57.519 --> 00:14:02.159 He's like, he's been saying it over and over again, but it hasn't sunk in, and so he's beyond the whisper. 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:05.679 And he's like going, I find no fault in you. 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:10.480 I love you, you're righteous, you've been made holy in my sight. 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:14.000 Jesus' blood, his sacrifice, it's covered everything, you're good. 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:16.960 I find no fault in you whatsoever. 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:18.639 That's amazing. 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:21.039 That's what justification is. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:24.960 It's powerful, it's so much more than forgiveness. 00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:31.919 And so if you walked in here this morning, if you turn this on this morning and you're like, man, I love the fact that I'm forgiven by God. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.879 I hope that you leave today knowing that no, you're more than forgiven. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:36.480 You're justified. 00:14:36.799 --> 00:14:40.720 And you're justified by this thing called grace. 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:47.360 And grace is another one of those terms that we spend a lot of time in church talking about, thinking about, singing about, right? 00:14:47.440 --> 00:14:49.440 But again, it's a term that we can get hazy on sometimes. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:50.559 Like, what is grace? 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:54.879 And I have found that a lot of times, whenever we're in this mode, like everything just sort of becomes forgiveness. 00:14:54.960 --> 00:14:56.000 You know, what is justification? 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:57.519 It's like, I'm forgiven by God. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:14:59.120 What is what is grace? 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:01.919 I'm forgiven by God. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.039 But no, no, no, we've got to know these terms because this is powerful. 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:06.799 Grace, grace is really powerful. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:10.159 Grace is like the the initiator of everything that God does. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.879 Like he loves us by his grace. 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:17.440 He saves us by his grace, he justifies us by his grace. 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:24.399 And if you want a really basic definition of grace, it's simply this: Grace is getting what you don't deserve. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:27.279 Getting what you don't deserve. 00:15:27.440 --> 00:15:29.279 It's different than mercy. 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:33.840 Mercy is you not getting what you do deserve. 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.840 Grace is actually receiving what you don't. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:42.799 It's a slight difference, but actually really, really different if you think about it. 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:47.360 For example, let's say you have a job and uh and you don't you don't do your job well. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:50.559 In fact, you mess up in a in a major, major way. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:16:02.320 If your boss finds out that you messed up, you lost the client, you whatever mistake you made, and decided not to fire you, that would be mercy. 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:04.879 Because maybe you deserve to be fired, but you weren't. 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:06.080 You you were given mercy. 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:10.159 And you would walk away with mercy, being like, thank you, thank you, oh, thank you. 00:16:11.039 --> 00:16:18.480 Grace would be your boss giving you a promotion and a raise, even though you just did what you did. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.320 And you'd probably walk away from that conversation confused. 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:26.240 Because grace does not make sense. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:27.919 That's something that I need us to understand. 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:33.120 Like, ultimately speaking, grace does not make sense to us as people because we experience very little grace. 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.240 We live in a world that it that gives very little grace. 00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:46.559 We live in a culture right now where if you say the wrong thing, if you tweet the wrong thing, it doesn't matter who you are, you could be famous with millions of fans, you said the wrong thing 10 years ago, no grace. 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:47.200 Right? 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:49.919 You're out, you're canceled, you're done. 00:16:50.399 --> 00:16:54.159 Our culture talks all the time about love, but it doesn't give very much grace. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.159 Because we don't understand grace as people. 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:04.079 We live in a world that understands love by merit, but not love by grace. 00:17:05.039 --> 00:17:08.400 So it just doesn't make sense to us. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:10.960 Let me kind of explain how this works with with God. 00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:16.559 Uh the word salvation, that's another word that we often talk about, hear about in church, salvation. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:20.000 Hey, salvation really has three parts. 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:21.119 Has three parts. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:22.480 Number one, justification. 00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:23.759 That's what we just got done talking about. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:26.960 God, through faith in Jesus, looks at you and says, You're righteous. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:29.200 Justification is an act of God. 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:30.960 You don't do anything. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:34.160 Like you didn't, you didn't have to do anything. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:34.720 Right? 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:39.119 Raise your hand if you did something prior to Jesus coming and dying for you on the cross. 00:17:39.279 --> 00:17:40.000 Anyone? 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:40.640 No? 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:41.039 Right? 00:17:41.119 --> 00:17:42.480 That's pretty easy for us, right? 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:44.559 Because he was like 2,000 years ago. 00:17:44.960 --> 00:17:46.000 But no one did. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:46.960 No one ever did. 00:17:47.039 --> 00:17:57.279 In fact, if we look at a scripture in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 4 through 5, it says, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 00:17:57.440 --> 00:18:02.319 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.200 This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 00:18:06.079 --> 00:18:10.559 That means God did not come for you, send his son to die for you because he had to. 00:18:10.640 --> 00:18:11.759 It's what he chose to do. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:13.759 He knew from the very beginning he would have to do it. 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.000 It gave him great pleasure in planning that. 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:16.480 Why? 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:22.880 Because he loves you so much that he was happy to do whatever was necessary to secure your place in his family. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:25.200 It's grace. 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:27.920 Starts with justification, salvation. 00:18:28.000 --> 00:18:28.880 It's an act of God. 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:29.599 You didn't do anything. 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.039 You don't, you can't do anything for it. 00:18:31.279 --> 00:18:34.160 The second part of salvation is something called sanctification. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:38.240 And that's a fancy word that just means being made holy over time. 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:39.839 That's a process. 00:18:40.240 --> 00:18:43.519 And so the good news is that if you're sitting here and you're like, man, I've got stuff. 00:18:43.599 --> 00:18:44.720 I've been a Christian for a long time. 00:18:44.799 --> 00:18:46.079 I don't know why I'm still struggling with this. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:47.279 Well, because you're there yet. 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:48.160 That's okay. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:49.759 You're still being sanctified. 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:52.799 God's working on you bit by bit, his spirit within you. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:19:01.200 And then the third part of salvation is something called glorification, which means the ultimate moment when we are in God's presence, no more issues, no more baggage. 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:01.920 That's all done. 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:03.519 We have eternal life with God. 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:15.519 Something that Paul talked about, for example, in Romans chapter 8, verse 18, when he says, For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:18.480 Paul was always looking toward this future glory. 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:26.160 So you've got three parts to salvation: justification, sanctification, and then glorification. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.119 Here's why I'm talking about this related to grace. 00:19:29.279 --> 00:19:30.720 This is not just a morning of definitions. 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:34.000 If you're new, it's your first time, you're like, man, is this all they do, just defining words? 00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:35.440 No, not really. 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:39.039 But it's important for us again to know these words so that they can have the impact. 00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.799 That whole process of salvation doesn't make sense. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:44.880 Because here's how it makes sense. 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:46.480 Sanctification should be first. 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:48.160 First, we should have to get right. 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:53.759 First, something should have to change in us, and we should be able to be at a certain level. 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:55.440 We're good enough, we're holy enough. 00:19:55.599 --> 00:20:00.319 And then, once we're good enough, God should look at us and go, okay, now you're justified. 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:04.079 And then we receive the prize, the the glorification part. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:05.279 That's how our world works. 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:06.480 I'll give you an example. 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:15.519 Uh for several years I have coached youth basketball, never two seasons in a row, because it's not good for me to be a pastor and a coach in the same community. 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:20.640 Um, if you're a referee in the youth basketball, I you probably recognize me, and I'm sorry. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.079 Um, but you made a bad call, and I had to do what I had to do. 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:25.200 So you got to get better. 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:26.960 Um, I'm just joking. 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:32.880 No, I've coached youth basketball, and and if you've ever done this, by the way, anyone in the room ever coached youth sports at all? 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.400 You guys have been youth, okay. 00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:40.000 Sometimes you have to go through this process, especially with young kids, and it is like I hate it, and I know the kids hate it. 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:40.720 It's it's awful. 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:44.079 It's like an it's like a necessary evil, and it's called assessments. 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:54.319 And what assessments are is all the kids who are gonna play, they all show up and they all have to do these drills in front of their friends and in front of coaches. 00:20:54.400 --> 00:21:00.880 And if you're a coach, you're standing there with a clipboard, and you are numerically rating the ability of like eight-year-olds. 00:21:00.960 --> 00:21:03.440 You know, it's really messed up, but necessary. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:13.839 And the reason you do that is because you're trying to make sure that the teams are balanced and even that you know, all the kids who have played for years don't all end up on the same team, and all the kids who thought, yeah, I want to try this out, they're all on the same team. 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:15.200 That would be a horrible experience. 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:27.599 And so you've got these kids, and and and they're they're going through their stuff, and you're sitting there as a coach with a clipboard, and and you're you're making notes, and it's it's like they're looking at you nervous, and you're like, man, this is awful for me too. 00:21:27.920 --> 00:21:34.799 And every year that I've coached, I guess because the Lord loves me, I've I've gotten the first pick every year. 00:21:35.119 --> 00:21:36.720 And so, what do I do? 00:21:37.359 --> 00:21:40.720 I pick the best kid, like shocker, right? 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:43.599 That isn't grace, by the way. 00:21:43.839 --> 00:21:45.039 Like that's me wanting to win. 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:48.960 So I pick the best kid, and then when my next pick comes up, guess what I do? 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:52.880 Whoever's the best kid on my list is still available. 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:56.240 That's that's what makes sense to us. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:22:00.960 You know, every year there'll be a kid who's like, clearly, you've never Even heard of this sport. 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:05.519 Like, I think you may have just walked in a few minutes ago and said, sure, I'll try this. 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:07.920 And you can tell this is totally new to this kid. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:10.000 It's like he's never done it before at all. 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:12.880 And those kids, guess where they get picked? 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:14.960 Last. 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.319 If you they're the last ones, because that's how our world works, right? 00:22:19.920 --> 00:22:22.000 How odd would it be if I got the first pick? 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.559 And I decided to pick the kid who was the worst. 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:26.960 Who had never played before? 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:29.680 And I'm like, no, no, I'm gonna pick him with my first pick. 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:32.079 And then I'll then I'll start working with him. 00:22:32.480 --> 00:22:39.359 Like I'll pick him, I'll secure his place on my team, and then after I pick him and choose him for my team, then I'll start to teach him how to play. 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:46.480 I mean, I I could go about that as a strategy, but I don't know how well it would go for me in the season. 00:22:47.920 --> 00:22:49.680 But that's what God's done with all of us. 00:22:51.359 --> 00:22:52.640 It doesn't make a lot of sense. 00:22:53.119 --> 00:22:57.119 It's not the strategy that we would choose as human beings, but God has chosen you. 00:22:58.000 --> 00:23:07.759 And he chose you and he gave you his son and he loved you before you had even displayed one iota of what he desired in you. 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:09.920 It's grace. 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:12.160 It's unmerited love. 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:15.920 That before you breathed, God loved you. 00:23:16.960 --> 00:23:19.599 Before you had done anything, God chose you. 00:23:20.480 --> 00:23:23.759 And he didn't choose you because he looked at you and said, Man, they've got potential. 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:27.279 I'm not saying you don't have potential. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:30.000 I'm just letting you know that that's not why God chose you. 00:23:30.079 --> 00:23:32.319 God did not choose you because he's like, ooh, wow. 00:23:32.799 --> 00:23:34.640 That one's super smart. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:36.400 I want that one on my team. 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:41.680 And by the way, if that is how God chose people, the disciples would make no sense if you know the story of Jesus. 00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:42.480 Right? 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:45.440 This is not, he's not, this is not the best of the best. 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:49.920 He doesn't choose us because of what he sees in us. 00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:51.680 He chooses us because of who he is. 00:23:52.720 --> 00:23:53.599 And he loves us. 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:59.119 There's a man named Charles Spurgeon, who was a preacher many, many years ago in England. 00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:05.759 And um sometimes when I write his name down in my notes, autocorrect changes it to Charles Sturgeon, and that's fine. 00:24:05.920 --> 00:24:08.799 Um but Spurgeon once wrote this. 00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:10.640 He said, Such is the grace of God. 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:18.319 It does not visit us because we ask it, much less because we deserve it, but as God wills it. 00:24:19.200 --> 00:24:21.519 And the bottles of heaven were unstopped. 00:24:23.759 --> 00:24:26.400 So God wills it, and grace descends. 00:24:27.279 --> 00:24:33.599 No matter how vile and black and foul and godless men may be, he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:42.640 And that free, rich, overflowing goodness can make the very worst and least deserving the object of his best choices. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:50.640 You have been justified by grace. 00:24:52.319 --> 00:25:00.319 God looks at you and he says, I find no fault in whatever fault you find in yourself. 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:08.079 You are alone when it comes between you and God in fixating on that. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:10.799 Not saying there aren't things you need to work on, like sure. 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:12.480