Journey Of Grace

Mt. 20:18-19, 28

- Difference between a Trip & a Journey

- A trip is just travelling to a place & back again

- Journey implies that the person is searching for something and can include a struggle to reach the destination

World Magazine interviewed Bill Moyers journalist & spokesperson for the mainstream American left. Him. When asked about his faith, Moyers mentioned growing up in a Southern Baptist Church and said; “Someone recently asked me what the moment was when I became a Christian. And I told them, I never did become a Christian. I can’t turn the other cheek. I can’t sell all my possessions and give them away. I can’t love my enemy. I am not a Christian because I can’t do what Jesus asks. But, I care deeply about that figure. He has instructed my faith; He looms large in my life. But I can’t do what He asks me to do, so I can’t legitimately claim to be a Christian.”

--World Magazine, March 14, 2009 p.25

At some point in his church upbringing, Moyers must have missed the message of grace. The whole reason Jesus took our place is because we are unable to live righteously. The Gospel of works is the enemy of the Gospel of grace and we have to fight it at every opportunity. One mark of a false religion is the emphasis of salvation by our own works.

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JOURNEY OF GRACE TOWARD THE PASSION WEEK

Coming to Jericho - Blind man healed Lk. 18:35-43

Passing through Jericho Zacheus saved Lk. 19:1-10

Going out of Jericho two blind men healed Mt. 20:29-34

At Betheny Lazarus raised Jn 11:1-46

Jeus leaves Betheny for the Wilderness Jn 11:54-55

Six days before the Passover Mary Anoints Jn 12:1-11

Palm Sunday the next day Jn 12:12-19

1. Christ the Giver of Grace

- Begin Again With Grace

- Lk 7:41-42

- Pence/Coin - a days wage

Today’s Min. wage - Just gone up $9.00 a hr.

= $36,000 (roughly 2 years wage) vs $3,600

- Which debtor represents you?

- What have you got to pay?

- Well, “I want to be saved”

- Put on the credit side

- I have nothing to pay

- v.42 – Forgave them both – GRACE

- The root word for grace in the Greek is charis.

- This verb means, "I will rejoice and be glad.

- Intoxicated with joy

2. Christ A Lover of Losers

a. Understanding the Past through Scripture

- Sinful women anointing Jesus

- Samaritan Women with 5 husbands

- Invalid who had failed to get his timing down for 38

- Fishermen failed at fishing

- Woman caught in adultery

- Doubting disciple failed to believe

b. Our Experience in the present

- Here we are today with our problems at losing

- Unhappy with our situations

- Job is difficult with it’s hours and demands insecure with no future

- Families that do not understand me

- Unhappy with my possessions & they are breaking down

c. Our Solution is Grace our way

- We have come to cheap grace which we want to be replaced with the next best thing

- Our focus is always somewhere else

- Seeking forgiveness without repentance

- We want grace without our cross

- We want life without Christ

- Never understanding our debt and Christ’s payment

- Eph 2:8-9 calls out

3. Christ A Savior of Sinners

Gospel can be summarized from three passages .

• Cause For Salvation God’s Love Jn. 3:16

• Conduct of Salvation

Confess & believe Rom. 10:9-10.

• Channel of Salvation

By grace through faith Eph. 2:8-10 It’s not by works v. 9,

But for works v. 10,

So begin again with Grace

4. Grace Work

• Grace set us free from sin,

Sins power,

Sins effects its consequences.

Romans 8:1 (AV)

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who wal k not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

• Grace restores our relationship with God

- Back into fellowship and communion, with Him.

• Grace protects us from sins power of temptation

C. H. MacKintosh

“God’s grace is magnified my ruin. The more keenly the ruin is felt, the more highly the grace is valued.”

The most joyful converts to Christ you will ever see, are the ones who have come to realize how utterly lost and helpless they were without Him