Good News For The Powerless Series

Audio at

http://www.adrian.warnock.info/2005/11/good-news-for-powerless-how-spirit.htm

We have been talking about legalism and grace. The Galatians had sunk back into legalism- something which we must beware of. There is more grace available for us, at all times, grace which covers over our sin.

GRACE REALLY DOES CHANGE PEOPLE, I want to tell a simple story that shows us what grace is and how it can change us

STORY OF CHILD WITH CHOCOLATE

GRACE CHANGES US, and FOR SOME HERE TODAY COULD BE THE FIRST TIME YOU REALISE THAT AND BECOME A CHRISTIAN

Gal 2: 15-.......so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

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Do you ever feel like giving up?

Do you ever feel you cannot change?

Said last time-law helps us know what sin is. God is good and we are not. Give up trying because God did it all for you

PRINT ON A PAGE CAN NEVER MAKE US HOLY ON ITS OWN.

So come to God as a sinner for forgiveness and his unconditional acceptance- theres nothing you can do to make him love you more or less than he does!

BUT this is not the end of the story.......

ALTERNATIVE TITLE- HOW TO DESTROY SIN! I have THREE ANSWERS FOR YOU:

1. realise that GRACE CHANGES PEOPLE: Understand the gospel means that we are no longer the same people we once were HOW CAN WE EXPERIENCE GRACE AND SLAP GOD IN THE FACE BY STAYING UNCHANGED?

Can we just keep on sinning? NO Christ came to save us from our sins not to save us in our sins. Every true Christian is on a journey to become more like Christ. Take One step towards Christ

Why do we forgive? For the same reason we are told in Galatians to remember the poor- we are indebted to God so how can we not bless the poor. God forgave us so how can we not forgive.

Parable of the servant who is unforgiving: he showed by his actions he hadnt grasped his status as forgiven.

Justification is NOT a legal fiction, for it occurs when we are united with Christ- in a real sense we are crucified with him, and thus in a real sense we actually become righteous by newbirth. When God declares someone not guilty he makes them not guilty. What he has done inside cannot but begin to work out on the outside.

’a new creation’ must live in the good of that fact

There is a power in every believer working for Good,

’It is faith alone that saves, but the faith that saves is never alone’

THINGS HAVE CHANGED- I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED-

Dead people have no rights to assert. Dead people don’t get jealous. Dead people don’t feel ’its not fair’. Dead people realise that whatever happens to them is better than they deserve. Dead people don’t think of themselves all the time!

The Christian life is one that is focussed on others not the self.

We should speak more of responsibility than rights. If everyone is caring for the needs of others then all our needs will be met.

This is about repentance- a change of mind that causes a change in action

Repentance is the natural response to the gospel and it continues throughout our lives- it is not a one moment activity.

We need help to repent. It is Gods Spirit who helps us- all this is tied up in grace. We never move on from the cross or our need of grace. It is grace that saves us and grace that goes on saving us throughout our lives!

We don’t do good to earn our way into heaven, we do it because we know we are going there so we might as well start living like we are!

When Christians play it fast and loose with sin non-christians mock and our Lord is held in disrepute. They might even say those Christians think they can get away with anything coz God will just forgive them.