Category Archives: grace

From Remembering to Rejoicing

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I believe that the cross of Jesus changes everything.

A symbol of intersection, it actually stands for transitions: transitions from death to life; transitions from sinners to saints; and, as this podcast notes, transitions from remembering to rejoicing.

The cross gives us much to remember and many reasons to rejoice, and Communion concentrates those elements in our lives.

As you listen to this podcast, give some thought to how much we have to be thankful for because of the Cross of Christ.

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Transitioning from Fear to Freedom…

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There are transitions at the cross of Christ.

That word, transitions, reminds me of the old film strip projectors. Film strips didn’t try to hide the transitions. They just went from one image to the next in a very linear way. The old 35 mm slide projectors tried to hide the transitions. But still, the transition was an abrupt click. Some technicians used them in tandem, causing the images to fade or dissolve from one to the next.

The personal computer made all of that obsolete. We haven’t had a missionary show up with 35mm slides in well over a decade. And fewer and fewer churches use hymnals, chorus books, or song sheets.

While all transitions are unique, one thing they generally have in common is this:

What was is no more.
And what was not now is.

The Bible teaches that transitions occur in every person who comes to Christ.

This podcast speaks of transitions that occur when we come before the cross of Christ.

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The Abuse of Grace

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I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Bugatti Veyron, but it’s a magical machine. It has 1,000 horsepower.

That’s right — 1,000. It has a special key you must insert and turn, while at rest, to allow it to use all those horses. When you do, it will travel over 250 mph. That’s powerful. The special key is a safety feature, because Bugatti knows that a lot of power can be very dangerous.

Have you ever noticed that almost always, when something is very powerful, it is very dangerous? Take a waterfall for example. As beautiful as Niagara Falls is, it would be a dangerous place were it not for the railing. Or farm equipment. Perhaps one of the most dangerous places to work is a farm because of the power of the machinery. Or tools. There was not much danger in an old hand-saw. But there is great danger in power tools.
The more power, the more danger.

This is true of grace. Grace is a powerful thing. The Bible tells us that grace is more powerful than law.

Romans 8:3a (NIV) For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering….

The Law of Moses is powerless compared to grace. Grace is the only thing powerful enough to procure your salvation, to keep you from judgment, and to find you forgiveness. Without grace, you would be forced to face God’s wrath.

Yes. Grace is powerful. And with that power, comes great danger — the danger of abusing grace. This podcast addresses this danger and encourages us to avoid it at all costs.

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