SCROLL DOWN TO THE COMMENTS!
What You'll Discover in this Episode:
152: Much More Grace
*This episode was taken fromPastor Jeff's sermon for Calvary Chapel Glenwood Springs
Why is it important to share the gospel? Who is a real disciple? And as a real disciple, who are you discipling now? How important is it to understand the privilege and the power of God’s grace?
John 8:31-32
Real disciples live in the Word of God. Those people find the truth. As we know, the truth will make us free. If have a challenge in life, the Word of God is the remedy.
The Bible teaches that a real disciples make disciples. This is our Great Commission. It is to make followers of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is the overarching issue that the entire church is to be engaged in each of us for all of our lifetime. Real disciples live in the word. It’s their fellowship and communion with the Lord.
So, who are you discipling now?
Do you meet with somebody regularly and go through the Bible together? Discipling does not have to be formal or complicated. It can be as simple as reading the Bible to your children, or spouse, or coworker, or someone online. There are so many ways to make disciples and it can be anybody
Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
You may feel inadequate or doubt yourself and ask yourself, “Who am I to make disciples? Who am I to share my faith?” But know that the Holy Spirit will cross your path with somebody. Col 1:28
This is our aim and target. Yes, we are not perfect but rest assured that God will use you.
The liberating power of the Word of God
When we get into the Word, that’s the answer. Abraham Maslow and his hierarchy of needs which culminates in self-actualization has no liberating power in his speculations and they totally contradict the scripture.
There is no power in the wisdom of the world. That just keeps feeding that corrupt tendency in our flesh to make us the focal point, the hope and the help for all of life. The privilege to minister the word of God to people, that’s where the liberating power is.
Be yourself but rely upon the truth of the Word of God.
How many ways and times has the Lord liberated you and me from things that bound us? The gospel came to us and we called upon the name of the Lord in that great truth and we were set free from a life of condemnation and alienation from God.
Sin is the Core Issue. Romans 5:12
What a mistake in the seeker sensitive fellowships to back off of terminology like sin and condemnation in the teaching and preaching of the church. What a serious mistake that is. God wants mankind to understand that sin is the core issue.
Sometimes we struggle because others have sinned around us or against us. But any way you come at it, you eventually get to the difficulties, heartaches, heartbreaks, problems of households, lives, and nations is sin.
The Remedy. Romans 5:17
How is it that lives get so devastated and shredded and messed up? Death has been reigning over them. And it happens not only to individuals but families, nations, and alliances among nations.
The remedy is God’s grace. The remedy is much more than the problem. Lives devastated by the reign of sin can be delivered, transformed, equipped, and made fruitful by the much more grace of God.
Romans 5 talks about being in Adam or in Christ. It’s foundational. When we help people see their connection to Adam, rebelling against God, sinning, falling short under the judgment of God, by their own choices and behavior, oh their heart is stirred, convicted to find a remedy.
In Adam or in Christ.
Everyone on earth is one or the other places. One is trouble in judgment. The other is life and glory.
- Are you His disciple?
- Are you FREE in Christ today?
- Are you in the place that you need to be in as a follower of Jesus Christ?
- Do you need to repent - make a u-turn in life?
- Are you on the wrong path in life?
- Do you need revival?
Conclusion
It is hard sometimes to admit we need God. We think we are so smart. We are so clever. We are so resourceful.
You have to humble yourself. You have to say, “I am a sinner and I know it.” You need to turn from your wicked ways. And you need to pray. That is what God says.
I want to give you an opportunity to get right with Jesus Christ and be forgiven of all of your sin so you can know with certainty that you when you die you will go to heaven. Act on it!
The Bible says, “That as many as received Him, He gave them the power to become sons of God.’ And I would like to be the first person to say, “Welcome to the family of God.”
Listen to the full episode and learn more about God’s grace. Join the conversation and leave a comment below.
Resources:
Listening to this podcast and the topic of grace reminds me of the Hymn “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
When we seek worldly wisdom, been there and done that, it seems that the results are like a truck stuck in the mud and not able to go anywhere. You got the mud flying and making a lot of noise but you’re going nowhere. The grace of God through Jesus is freedom
Feeling like you are not a good enough Christian yet to share the gospel or Imposter Syndrome as Pastor Jeff put it, can be an intimidating place to be. For a new believer, it may feel like you haven’t earned enough credibility to be sharing about Jesus. But that’s really just a tactic of the enemy. Think of Paul who very quickly went from persecuting the Church to preaching the Good News. I think it’s important to fall back on Matthew 10:20 “For it is not you who will be speaking-it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” When we offer counsel to others, we should be in prayer that the Lord uses us to speak truth, no matter if we’ve been a believer for a week or a lifetime.
I’m so thankful for the Word of God. This scripture in Romans that talks about our “freedom in Christ” is so true. We were once separated from God because of sin, or as the scripture says, the sin of one man. But now because of one man, Christ, we are no longer separated. There is so much distraction in the world, and different movements, that sometimes it is hard to focus on what is right. But no matter what the world is doing, we are to continue to teach and counsel with what the Bible says. When the world teaches that it is all about “us”, we can be who we are, by relying on the Word of God.
We all needed to be reminded of the Gospel message. We need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. We need to hear of the grace that comes down from the throne of God. If we remember the Gospel message every day it sets the focus of our life on the right path each and every day. I watched a video series by Pastor J.D. Greear and he said every message from the pulpit should always include the Gospel Message. The Apostle Paul understood the importance of the Gospel when he told the church in Corinth that the Gospel was of first importance (1 Cor. 15:3-4). No matter how mature spiritually we think we are, we needed to always focus on the Gospel. Thanks Jeff for that great reminder of our sin and God’s grace.
The wonderful cross of Christ saves from sin. Fee’s us from our transgressions. We are not only freed from going to hell when we die, but we are free to live a life free from those things that pull us down, depression, addiction, evil thoughts. We are empowered to live lives that bring joy to ourselves and the people around us.
“Much more Grace” Grace – there is THE unique distinctive! Unmerited favor – the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prior to receiving Christ at the age of 21 I studied Psychology, sociology, Philosophy and world religions. In all my studies I never found any religion or philosophy that was not works based, predicated on the wisdom of man. The gospel alone stands uniquely and conspicuously against the tide of ALL worldviews. In so doing the Cross and the message of forgiveness in Christ is seen both as foolishness and a stumbling block to those who are perishing… “but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1Cor. 1:18 ; 1Cor. 2;14).
The message of Grace and forgiveness in Christ is incomprehensible apart from an acknowledgement, ownership and visceral reckoning with SIN!! Paul in Romans ( the 4th gospel) through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does a masterful job of laying out the universality of the human condition, and our utter hopeless condition without the saving, redemptive work of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. In fact, the entire O.T. sacrificial system speaks of our need for a redeeming Savior (Heb 9:22). Thanks be to God that ” when the fullness of time arrived (the nexus of all time and creation) God sent forth His Son……..(Gal.4:4)
Hi Ken! Yes, grace for justification is only the first taste of a lifetime of the much more grace available for daily living. Grace for growing. Grace for sanctification. Grace upon grace brings the transformation we need!
Over the years grace has been a struggle for me. It is a difficult thing to accept, but without it there is no chance of liberation, only the constant grinding of personal inadequacy. I can take peace in knowing that God extended grace to me even when I was not saved, and even now He is not suprised by my personal short comings. Knowing this gives the ability to share the message, it cuts off that feeling of being an imposter, I never claimed to be a perfect man only a sinner in need of the savior. That is the common need we all share.
Amen, thank God that we are seen pure and free form sin. God only sees Christ’s perfection when He sees us. We are saved from condemnation by the blood of Jesus Christ. We were rescued from the enemy by Christ loving sacrifice of blood, pain and tears. We don’t deserve it, but it is a sweet relief from our troubles now, and condemnation when we die.
It really hits home for me when Pastor Jeff spoke about the “Imposter Syndrome” that we can feel when thinking of Discipling. I have often felt held back by the verse Luke 6:42 when Jesus says “… how can you remove the speck from your brother’s eye, when you have a log in your own…” But as I have gotten older, and have a better understanding, the reality is there is no man who has overcome every sin on their own. And we are not standing in a place of judgment over those we are reaching; but rather, are sharing the hope and grace that we have been given, knowing that we cannot accomplish our own salvation.
This frees us from the feeling of being Hypocritical because we are not taking God’s judgment into our own hands. We are simply acknowledging our fallenness and inviting others to do the same; that we may accept the free gift of grace together.
I agree, it is all about the posture of the heart. There is a very clear difference between a sinner in need of a savior and a defiant heart. We are extended the gift of grace.
Timothy,
Great Insights! I concur with the same sense of inadequacy in discipling other men. Like you, in acknowledging my own struggle with sin I have found great understanding ,encouragement and fellowship with fellow believers. The key as you’ve alluded to is our collective FOCUS….Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the AUTHOR and PERFECTOR of OUR faith……(Heb. 12:2) and (Phil. 1:6)
Thank you Timothy for reminding us that, we are simply acknowledging our fallenness and inviting others to do the same. This is a simplistic way of remembering who we are in Christ. It makes the idea of sharing the Gospel, not so scary. It reminds me of what Billy Graham said years ago. “I need Christ, you need Christ, we all need Christ.”
Well said and I share your feelings about “imposter syndrome”. Acknowledging our short comings and inviting others to share in the Grace of God to free us from the bondage of sin.
Much More Grace. Isn’t our God so good? He provides freedom, peace, joy and so much more! I love how Pastor Jeff spoke about our personalities but to rely on the truth of God. He breaks us free from who we think we are suppose to be and be free in HIM! I want to share that I have just been overwhelmed lately, losing my joy and I realized I have not asked God for adequate time with HIM. I did and HE began to wake my up 2 hours early than usual and Goodness, has HE showed up! His filling of peace and joy replaces any cup of coffee! He set me free from my mind being overwhelmed, by just calling on HIS name. This is what we are to share with counselee’s in order for them to have an abiding relationship with the Lord.
Thank you Pastor Jeff for sharing the gospel in this podcast! I am thankful for the “much more abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness” through Jesus death on the cross for my sins. As I considered the words of Jesus in John 8:31-32, I am grateful for the liberty I’ve been given through knowing the Truth (Jesus), and abiding in Him. I made a choice many years ago to believe the gospel and receive Jesus as my Savior, to surrender my life to Him, allowing Him to be Lord over me, and I have never regretted that decision, even through the trials! My life is a testimony of His mercy and grace, and that is why I desire to share Him with others. My concern is for those who would rather believe the lie rather than the truth (2 Thes. 2:11-12). I have met with young adults that believe truth is relative, and as a result, will not receive the gospel…this is more evidence to me that we are living in the last days.
Thank you for sharing Ilene! It is truly devastating that the belief that truth is relative has become so popular. Though we never know who or when someone will accept Christ. Who knows? It may be that our challenging of their belief will be the thing that causes them to question and open their heart to THE truth.
You spoke the words, “there is no power in the wisdom of the world, but there is liberating power in the word of God.” So many people want to try and convince people that the way of the world is so fulfilling, yet they themselves are full of hurt, anger , depression and bondage. People are so set in not wanting to give up their sin that they are willing to give up true freedom. I know I need to do a better job of sharing my faith and living it out loud, showing others that there is joy at all times when we walk with the Lord.
Your conviction to display the availability of joy at all times to those walking in communion with God reminded me of 1 Peter 1:7-9, where we are promised that “…the tested genuineness of our faith… may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” And James 1:2-4, which call us to “count it all joy…. That the testing of your faith produces steadfastness… that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Right in line with Pastor’s message that tragedies of personality type, every believer can display this joy that is truly unattainable through any other means than genuine faith in Christ Jesus. He is honored by your heart in seeking to show that, and I believe it is His call to all of us: not to muster up joy from within ourselves, but to entrust ourselves more and more fully to Him in obedient faith, and watch Him grow our joy and spread it to everyone we encounter.
**Despite personality type**
Angela,
Isn’t it something to watch how the world offers advice and many take it! It is heart breaking, but we also as believers know that satan with deceive and blind the many people of this world. It is so vital to make sure we as Biblical counselors are walking rightly with God and continuing to share the Gospel as Pastor Jeff has said “In the store, at work, at church, with friends, family in the coffee shop etc “
Pastor Jeff you are right that there can be no good news without the bad news. Sin with its effect of death reigning on all us is the problem; it is our dilemma but the good news is that God gave us grace. In sharing the gospel I tend to struggle to make sure that I’ve captured all the key components of the gospel but the theme of Romans 5 as shared by Pastor Jeff showing who we were in Adam compared to what we have become in Christ has solidified my understanding of how to share the gospel more effectively. Truly like the point that without sin ,without Genesis 3 there is no salvation, no Romans 5. Sin is the reason Christ died so we must preach about sin so we can preach about Grace.
Considering who the “focal point” of our life and even our thinking throughout the day is such a helpful challenge. I just had a discussion with my teenage daughter this past weekend about her ability to share the gospel. She was burdened to share Jesus with a relative, but was worried that she wouldn’t present the gospel well, or that she wasn’t being a good example of Christianity. Just like you said in the podcast, I was able to remind her (and myself) that our ability to claim and share the gospel is fully dependent on Jesus’ grace towards us, and we are only able through the Holy Spirit speaking through us. I appreciated the point that we are all called to share the gospel within our own personalities. What a wonderful proof of the power of God- that despite our individual challenges and personality quirks, He is not only able to work through us. but has set aside specific good works for each believer to participate in for His glory!
So many people struggle to share the Gospel for the very same reason your daughter gave. It is wonderful to hear that you could talk to your daughter and help her with her struggle. We all need to help others to jump that hurdle and commit to sharing the Gospel with others.
Thanks for sharing. It’s exciting to hear of the younger generation willing to share the Gospel with others. Like all of these podcasts, there’s always at least a reminder of some sort, and this one had a great one.
I love the reminder to preach Christ. “Be yourself but rely on the word of God” ….absolutely because that is where freedom from sin is to be found. I love the fact that Biblical counselling is about pointing people to Jesus Christ, to the word of God and to the truth of the Gospel. It is the truth the lost and the found need to hear over and over again. Only the Son can set us free!
Like your point that only the Son can set free and this is what the lost and found need to hear. We who have been set free by the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of Jesus Christ must keep telling others this truth so that they can experience the freedom that we have in Christ as well.
Yes, I agree Ann! It is important that we be ourselves, but rely on the word of God. “And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God…” 2 Cor. 3:4-5
Ann-Louise,
I agree, I too loved when Pastor Jeff said to ” Be yourself but rely on the Word of God” God does use our personalities for His use and HE tends to always know who we need in our lives. Biblical counseling is counseling that will not fail, because Gods word doesn’t fail, it may convict, hurt, and be bold, but we all need that, His word as we know, also comforts, heals and brings Peace, Love and Joy!
Ann-Louise I couldn’t agree more. We all need to hear the Gospel over and over again in our lives. Thousand of people came to a saving faith in Christ listening to Billy Graham preach the Gospel message over and over again.
Ann-Louise, I also loved the be yourself, but rely on the word of God part. I think sometimes those in ministry can feel pressured to follow in the exact footsteps of the person who lead before them. Whenever we step into a new role, we aren’t taking over someone else’s ministry but rather we are continuing the Lord’s work. We have all been given different talents and we should use what we have been blessed with to further the Kingdom of God. Not copy someone else.