A New Car, God, And Grace

A New Car, God, and Grace

I. Introduction

A. Your mission

1. You have just been given $50,000.

2. I am sending you on a mission—to buy a new vehicle.

3. The vehicle must be brand new. It cannot be used.

4. Have people tell me what kind of car they would buy.

5. Ask why they made that choice.

B. Our mission

1. That is a fun fantasy mission to think about.

2. Today, I want to talk about another mission—the mission of Jesus.

3. Simply put, Jesus’ mission was to seek and to save the lost.

4. We have been given the same mission.

5. I want to address that mission by talking about a new car, God, & Grace.

II. Transition

You may be wondering what a new car, God, & grace have to do with our mission. Hold tight and I’ll do my best to show you.

III. Scripture

A. John 3:16-17—16“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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

B. Luke 19:10—10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

C. Matthew 28:19—19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

IV. Prayer

V. A New Car, God, and Grace

A. When you really get down to it our mission is to do what Jesus did.

1. What did he do? He showed us God’s grace.

2. What is grace?

a. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.

b. Grace means there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and nothing you can do to make God love you less.

3. What is our mission?

a. We are to show the world God’s grace.

b. The world can do just about everything better than the church can…but it does not show grace.

Now, let’s consider our mission in terms of a new car, God, & grace.

B. FIRST: God isn’t looking for that new car smell

1. How many of you know what I’m talking about when I say new car smell?

a. I did a little research about it.

b. It comes from things called phthalates which make plastics softer and more easily moldable.

c. It has been shown to be toxic in big enough doses.

d. Did you know you can actually buy air “freshener” in the new car smell fragrance?

2. What could I mean by saying God is not looking for that new car smell?

a. Simply this, God doesn’t exclude anyone.

b. His grace is not available to only a select group.

c. His grace is for everyone.

d. One need not look right, act right, speak right, belong to the right political party, etc.

e. Any person can be a recipient of God’s grace.

C. SECOND: God doesn’t get sticker shock

1. What is sticker shock?

2. God doesn’t get sticker shock.

3. He never looks at a person and says, “You’ll be too much trouble.”

D. God doesn’t get buyer’s remorse.

1. What is buyer’s remorse?

2. God does not second guess his offer of grace.

3. He doesn’t wonder if he made the right decision concerning you.

4. He loves you and would go to ridiculous lengths to have a relationship with you.

VI. Transition

A. Our mission: Show God’s grace to a world that many times doesn’t even know it needs his grace.

B. What does grace look like?

VII. Conclusion

A. Read pp. 49-51 from What’s So Amazing About Grace?

1. This girl: nose ring, music, skirt length, pills, tricks, body-piercing, illness, on the street

2. There’s nothing you can do to make God love you more and nothing you can do to make God love you less.

B. Read pp. 104-106 from What’s So Amazing About Grace?

VIII. Response

A. Imagine how it would feel to show the same grace we have received.

B. Picture the joy of hearing stories here in our area like the two I just read.