Category Archives: grace

Need some encouragement?

Posted on by

Everyone knows it’s nice to get a gift. And the Word teaches us that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. But have you ever thought of a third possibility — that it’s blessed to BE a gift?

This somewhat theologically heavy podcast, speaks of the reality that those who have repented and placed their faith in Christ are actually gifts from the Father to the Son — and more.

If you are looking to be encouraged by how God views his children, this podcast is for you.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Easter Sermon — What the Resurrection Means

Posted on by

Easter speaks to us concerning what it means to be a Christian, and how that connects with the Resurrection of Christ.

Jesus isn’t special just because of his teachings. There have been many good teachers in history. Jesus isn’t special because he died. Lots of people died. The thing that makes Jesus special – the thing that makes his teaching, his death, and his life special – is his resurrection. The reality of his resurrection makes it possible for you and me to live exceptional lives. Christians are to live exceptional lives.

Now, I am sure you’ve met people who claim to be Christians, but their life doesn’t look that different from those who make no such claim. And, if you’re like me, that’s a huge turn-off. Pretending to be something you aren’t – that’s hypocrisy. I hate it. You hate it. Jesus hated it. He referred to people who pretended to be good as “white-washed tombs.” They looked good on the outside, but on the inside, they were filled with dead man’s bones. There was no resurrection to their lives. They were still dead in their sins.

A person who fails to demonstrate that Christ has made a difference in his or her life is likely not a Christian at all. Being a Christian is about being changed from the inside out. When Peter references the Resurrection of Christ he speaks of that change.

This sermon addresses the difference the new birth makes in our lives.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Walking the Walk of Grace…

Posted on by

It was Phillip Yancey in his book What’s so Amazing about Grace, who first showed me the “new math” that God uses. He writes:

“I grew up with the image of a mathematical God who weighed my good and bad deeds on a set of scales and always found me wanting. Somehow I missed the God of the Gospels, a God of mercy and generosity who keeps finding ways to shatter the relentless laws of ungrace. God tears up the mathematical tables and introduces the new math of grace….

…. Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more—no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity school, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes. And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less—no amount of racism or pride or pornography or adultery or even murder. Grace means God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.” ~Philip Yancey in What’s so Amazing about Grace, p. 70.

A few pages later Yancey observes…

“At the center of Jesus’ parables of grace stands a God who takes the initiative toward us: a lovesick father who runs to meet the prodigal, a landlord who cancels a debt too large for any servant to reimburse, an employer who pays eleventh-hour workers the same as the first-hour crew, a banquet-giver who goes out to the highways and byways in search of undeserving guests.” Philip Yancey in What’s so Amazing about Grace, p. 91.

That’s not good business, but that’s what is happening in our text. Leaving behind 99 sheep to go find one is not the old math of the law. It’s generally not considered a good idea. But it is the idea that Jesus uses to show us how God loves us. It’s the new math of grace. It’s the way God loves you. He loves you with a reckless love.

This podcast speaks of his great grace.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download