Grace Alone: The Power That Humbles and Heals

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:00:00] Hey, let's take a moment to welcome all of our guests who are tuning in online and who are here physically. Let's give it up. Thank you so, so much. Now, here's the beauty and the miracle of the time that we live in. There's going to be people that you and I impact for the gospel that we may never, ever see. Your prayers, my prayers, our faithfulness, our commitment to Jesus,

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:30] our generosity is impacting people all over the country. Matter of fact, I got a note. This is from a gentleman by the name of Brock Berryhill. He says he's a teacher. Can we give it up for the teachers? Can we let the teachers know we appreciate them? And a football coach, hallelujah. In Scobie, Montana. My wife is from Montana. My wife is from Montana.
[00:01:00] and she don't even know where Scobie is.
[00:01:03] He says, I want to let you know how much I enjoy your teaching and you have helped my walk with the Lord immensely.
[00:01:11] Pastors probably don't get enough thank yous, but this is my thank you.
[00:01:14] You will be the only person in South Carolina with a Scobie Spartan gear.
[00:01:19] He sent me like a sweatsuit top.
[00:01:21] From one fisherman to another, thank you for all that you do.
[00:01:25] Can we give it up to our production team that allows the message to go forward?
[00:01:31] So if you don't think you're making an impact, you are.
[00:01:35] So when it says thank you to Derwin, none of this could happen, first and foremost, without God.
[00:01:40] And secondly, without your prayers, your participation, and this incredible staff.
[00:01:46] God is moving in ways you and I don't even know.
[00:01:49] I would have never known unless I got this note.
[00:01:52] Can we give it up one more time for our guests?
[00:01:55] That are tuning in now.
[00:01:58] Usually at this point, I say, can we give it up to our 1300 correctional facility partnerships?
[00:02:04] But I was disinformed.
[00:02:05] Can we give it up to our now 1400 correctional facility partnerships?
[00:02:14] I remember 15 years ago, it was zero.
[00:02:17] And now we are in 1400 correctional facility partnerships.
[00:02:21] Do you know how many thousands of men and women are being?
[00:02:25] It's huge.
[00:02:26] 118 ale work that get serve on movies.
[00:02:30] Only in GeorgeARRENESS MUSEUM inimin.
[00:02:40] A zoo may lack the local priorities to help people to live better lives in Wichita state.
[00:02:45] 2020 borough parliament.
[00:02:47] How can we shape the story of this?
[00:02:49] We need to complicado and change the details.
[00:02:53] We know.
[00:02:53] The Dom bench.
[00:02:54] When we read this, you're gonna get us a effectivement von Resee, we read this an influence for the gospel. So once again, when we give, when we pray, we commit, God is using us. There's gonna be families restored. And to the CC family, you guys look beautiful. Check this out. Teenagers, we're continuing our series called The 5 Solas. It flows out of what's called The Protestant Reformation.
[00:02:54] German priest who began to read the Bible and as he read the Bible along with other ministers of the day they were like wait a second the things that the dominant church is teaching is not scriptural so from that flowed was called the five solas and what we've been doing the last few weeks is we have been anchoring ourselves in our ancient tradition of our faith and so today we're gonna look at sola gratia what does that mean it means by grace alone that Jesus rescues us not because we climb a ladder to reach him but because he descended down a heavenly ladder to reach us that we are rescued by grace now if I were say a movie producer in Hollywood if I wrote a movie script and if I was a producer I would do a movie called saving grace not saving private Ryan saving grace and the so the subtitle would be saving grace from Christians and here's why after nearly 30 years of ministry Christians for the most part don't understand the beauty and the life transforming power of grace I've heard things like well you know greasy grace like you wanted him greasy grace well first of all if you think grace is greasy it's not it's not it's bloody and here's what I mean by that is that the blood of Jesus forgives not my effort the blood of Jesus makes me righteous not my effort the blood of Jesus is what raises me from the dead with him and empowers me not my effort so if you mean grace if anything call it bloody there's also other people who say well grace is easy believism is it really then you don't understand grace because grace is not simply God saying oh you did a little boo-boo and I forgive you grace is actually God eradicating obliterating reiterating, forgetting our sin, but also coming to live in us so we can learn how to win. And winning is a life of holiness and beauty and reflecting Christ. God does it from the beginning and from the end. So let me tell you something. Please get over yourself and let Christ get in you. Please get over yourself and let Christ get into you. Pride is not just look how great I am.
[00:05:14] Pride is how bad I am. Notice you think about I more than him. One of the reasons why we have such an epic mental health crisis. Now, I'm not talking about biological, chemical, hereditary.
[00:05:30] That's not what I'm talking about. We have an incredible ministry for that. What I'm talking about now is the obsession with self. We are so obsessed with ourselves. We've even made worship.
[00:05:43] Well, I don't really like that music. I want to hear this. Question, when did God ask you and I what music we like? God's like, okay, Durham, what do you want Macias and the group?
[00:05:53] To sing today. The goal is not, do I like worship? The goal is, do I obey what's being saying?
[00:06:01] Well, what I want us to do right now is I want us to close our eyes and I want us to cup our hands.
[00:06:13] Teenagers, when you cup your hands, this is an ancient symbol that Christians have used for like 2000 years as a symbol to receive God's blessing. And I'm going to read something I wrote about.
[00:06:23] Grace over us and let it just fall on you like a morning mist on the grass.
[00:06:31] Here we go. Grace is God's relentless love and action. Grace is not something we earn or deserve.
[00:06:42] It's the very heartbeat of God reaching down to heal, forgive, and transform us.
[00:06:49] Grace is Jesus himself coming for sinners.
[00:06:53] Not when we are at our best, but when we are broken. Grace is God's power to do and it's what we could never do on our own. To forgive what we can't fix, to love who we can't love, to become who we were always meant to be. Grace doesn't just get us into heaven. Grace gets heaven into us.
[00:07:16] Grace is not a free pass to stay the same. Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to make us righteous.
[00:07:22] Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to make us righteous. Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit to make us better. Grace doesn't say try harder. Grace says trust deeper. Grace is the scandalous beauty of the gospel. Grace is God giving himself in Jesus so we can become healed, whole, and holy. That's grace.
[00:07:48] Let's dive into it. Because you are saved by grace alone, let's pause here. The word saved throughout the New Testament has three different tenses. It can be used to say I have been saved from the penalty of sin, which is separation from God. I'm being saved from the power of sin. That's called sanctification. I will be saved from the presence of sin. That's the new heavens and new earth glorification. If you're new here, God does not, his goal is not one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day.
[00:08:18] You will be lifeless spirits that float around somewhere. No, no, no. Family, there's going to be a new heaven and new earth. We're going to have new resurrected bodies. My grandmother who was riddled with cancer when she passed is going to be the tall, statuesque, beautiful woman I remember as a child. Some of you are going to get your hair back.
[00:08:43] Amen.
[00:08:46] Whatever ethnicity you are, that's what we're going to be.
[00:08:50] It's going to be a continuous adventure and novelty of new ruling and reigning with Christ.
[00:08:56] So salvation is not just a trip to heaven when you die.
[00:09:00] Now, in my younger years, my theological learning outpaced my maturity.
[00:09:08] And so I would do things like this in the south when we first moved here and I was learning a lot of stuff.
[00:09:13] And, you know, some people in the south, you know, they're like, brother, are you saved?
[00:09:18] And I'll be like, I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved.
[00:09:24] And they would go, like, what do you mean?
[00:09:27] So we need to save the word save the same way we need to save the word grace.
[00:09:34] And so grace reaches us and brings us into the kingdom, grows us to reflect the kingdom, and then empowers us for all eternity in a new heaven and new earth.
[00:09:44] Don't shortchange what salvation means.
[00:09:47] So because you are saved by grace alone, grace alone destroys self-salvation.
[00:09:55] Now, what exactly is self-salvation?
[00:09:58] For those of us who don't know Jesus, self-salvation is this.
[00:10:01] It is the belief that we can make ourselves right, whole, and worthy apart from God's grace.
[00:10:08] In other words, it's like we have a resume and we go, God, see, do I qualify?
[00:10:12] It's like we're climbing steps.
[00:10:13] It's like, did I reach it?
[00:10:15] As a matter of fact, it was like I was before I became God.
[00:10:17] It's like we're climbing steps. It's like, did I reach it? As a matter of fact, it was like I was before I became God.
[00:10:17] I became a follower of Jesus.
[00:10:19] From 1993 to 1997 I had teammates with the Colts who shared Christ with me, and here's what kept me away.
[00:10:26] When I clean myself up, then I'll go to God.
[00:10:31] That's like saying, I'm having a heart attack, and after I get over my heart attack, I'll go to the cardiologist.
[00:10:40] No, you go to the cardiologist because you haven't a heart attack.
[00:10:43] You go to Jesus because you need to be cleaned up.
[00:10:46] Jesus says, Come as you are.
[00:10:51] Come as you are.
[00:10:54] Self-salvation for those of us who are in Christ, we're followers of Jesus, works this way.
[00:10:59] Hey, Jesus, thank you for dying for me.
[00:11:01] I'm good now.
[00:11:03] Now I got it from here.
[00:11:06] And so we live this life obsessing about, am I following the rules?
[00:11:10] Am I doing the right things?
[00:11:11] Am I doing this?
[00:11:12] And we become very religious people.
[00:11:15] Have you been around religious people?
[00:11:17] They're not fun to be around.
[00:11:19] They're always uptight and angry, like somebody made them eat lemons.
[00:11:24] And they're always angry and mad.
[00:11:26] You know why?
[00:11:28] Because that's the way they think God feels about them because they never measure up.
[00:11:31] And then, ooh, they love to burn down other people in sins that they don't commit.
[00:11:38] I just wonder why Christians don't talk about greed very much.
[00:11:44] Like, it's funny.
[00:11:45] Like, we talk about sexuality, but we don't talk about love.
[00:11:47] We don't talk about money and all that stuff, which, yes, sex outside of a marriage between a husband and wife is sin, but also is greed.
[00:11:53] One of the things that blows my mind is, from time to time, people will go with me on the Internet or whatever, and they'll be like, it's not the government's job to take care of the poor.
[00:12:02] And I go, it's not the government's job to give tax subsidies to billionaires like they do.
[00:12:09] So one way it's capitalism.
[00:12:11] The other way it's socialism.
[00:12:13] Hello.
[00:12:13] I don't know about you, but I can use a tax break.
[00:12:17] I don't know about myself.
[00:12:18] Seriously, let's reel it in.
[00:12:24] We often, when we're self-salvation, we point against sins that we don't have.
[00:12:34] When you understand God's grace, you say, I'm a beggar who got bread, and I can tell you where you can get it from free.
[00:12:45] Because we remember at the foot of the cross, regardless, we all need God's grace.
[00:12:53] Self-salvation is keeping score to make sure you stay in good graces with God.
[00:12:58] Can I tell you this?
[00:13:00] And this might hurt a little bit, but it's to heal.
[00:13:02] God is not your drunk dad, who you had no clue what mood he was going to be in when you got home, or your narcissistic mom.
[00:13:11] And you had to walk around in eggshells, and you had to make sure everything was okay.
[00:13:15] And so now you've projected that onto God.
[00:13:17] And you go, God, you saved me by grace, but I gotta do more, I have to be more.
[00:13:20] I gotta do, I gotta do.
[00:13:22] And God is going, son, precious child, let me love you.
[00:13:25] And you'll find yourself being and doing things you never, ever thought was possible.
[00:13:32] So here's what self-salvation.
[00:13:34] Let's go to Titus chapter three, four through eight.
[00:13:37] Now here's something that's important.
[00:13:39] Y'all know I'm gonna teach you the Bible.
[00:13:40] Even the little things matter.
[00:13:42] The name of the book is Titus.
[00:13:44] On the count of three, say Titus.
[00:13:45] One, two, three, Titus.
[00:13:47] Why is that important?
[00:13:48] Because Titus was a gonim.
[00:13:51] If you're Hebrew, you know what that means.
[00:13:53] It means a non-Jew.
[00:13:55] It means a Gentile.
[00:13:56] You're like, what's the big deal?
[00:13:57] Write down Acts chapter 10, verses 28 through 32.
[00:14:01] Here's the big deal.
[00:14:02] Peter, a Jew called by God, goes to Cornelius, a Gentile Italian, and says, yo, man, I ain't even supposed to be in your house.
[00:14:12] You're a Gentile.
[00:14:14] For Paul to call Titus a Gentile to be his disciple is breaking the barriers of racism.
[00:14:24] That's just from his name, I just gave you that.
[00:14:27] Imagine if we actually believed the Bible.
[00:14:30] So many problems would be solved.
[00:14:33] So many.
[00:14:34] They're probably like, here comes Paul.
[00:14:36] He's bringing one of them with him.
[00:14:42] He equips him.
[00:14:44] He equips him with a new person.
[00:14:46] He equips him with a new relationship.
[00:14:47] He equips him with a new person.
[00:14:49] He equips him with a new God.
[00:14:50] So here's what he says.
[00:14:51] In the end, what Paul's trying to say here is that he's trying to make these four steps to get these multicultural people to live together as the people of God and look what he says.
[00:15:04] But when the kindness of our God, when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, that's Jesus, he saved us.
[00:15:11] This word saved is written in such a way that it means past action with continuous operation. God doesn't stop saving.
[00:15:13] Saved us not by works of righteousness that we've done, but according, you ready, to his mercy.
[00:15:20] Through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
[00:15:24] I'm going to preach that at the end, and I cannot wait.
[00:15:27] He poured out his spirit on us abundantly.
[00:15:31] Friends, this isn't like drip, drip, drip.
[00:15:34] This ain't a faucet.
[00:15:35] This is Niagara Falls.
[00:15:37] He poured out his spirit on us abundantly.
[00:15:39] How?
[00:15:40] Through Jesus Christ, our Savior.
[00:15:42] So that, having been justified.
[00:15:45] Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
[00:15:46] Let's look at the Greek syntax on this.
[00:15:48] Having been.
[00:15:49] The way this is written, past action, future implications, present reality.
[00:15:55] God goes, I made you righteous then.
[00:15:57] I keep you righteous now, and you will be righteous forever, based on what Christ did then, what Christ is doing now, and what Christ will be.
[00:16:06] So guess what?
[00:16:07] Get your eyes off yourself and get to worship.
[00:16:10] It is hard to have a pity party.
[00:16:12] When you're praising.
[00:16:13] It is hard to sleep with your girlfriend when you're praising.
[00:16:16] It is hard to cheat somebody and be grady when you're praising.
[00:16:20] Get your mind on Christ.
[00:16:23] If you're on Christ, you don't have to think about right or wrong.
[00:16:26] You're going to flow in the power of the Spirit.
[00:16:33] Even the baby get it.
[00:16:35] He's like, preach on, preacher.
[00:16:39] Justified by grace.
[00:16:40] We.
[00:16:42] May become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
[00:16:45] This saying is trustworthy.
[00:16:46] Titus.
[00:16:47] Come on, Titus.
[00:16:50] I want you to insist on these things.
[00:16:52] He's like, this is what you preach.
[00:16:53] This is why I preach the way I preach.
[00:16:55] So that those who believe God, remember none of the new Testament books or old Testament books were written to people who didn't believe it was written to a believing community.
[00:17:03] This is how you grow in faith.
[00:17:05] So that those who believe, watch this might be careful to be, to devote themselves to good works.
[00:17:12] When you understand grace, grace works when you understand grace, it's not about earning or achieving its overflow of grace.
[00:17:25] These are good and profitable for everyone.
[00:17:29] So here's what happens when we live in self salvation.
[00:17:34] Self salvation keeps you unreconciled to God and under his condemnation.
[00:17:40] John 3 17 and 18.
[00:17:41] Everybody quotes John 3 16, but 17 and 18 are just as important for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
[00:17:56] Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the one of the one and only son of God to believe in the name means to believe in the work of Christ.
[00:18:08] So Jesus came as a sin offering.
[00:18:11] He came to take our sin and when we reject that offering, we're telling God my self salvation is good enough.
[00:18:20] So some people go, I just don't like the fact that people go to hell.
[00:18:25] God doesn't either.
[00:18:26] That's why he sent Jesus.
[00:18:27] So they wouldn't.
[00:18:28] Oh wait, y'all didn't catch what I just said.
[00:18:30] God doesn't either.
[00:18:31] That's why he sent Jesus to stop him, but he's not going to force you.
[00:18:35] So for those of you that are younger, there was a time in airports where there was a section that said.
[00:18:41] Smoking.
[00:18:43] And so people would walk in and it's like big old clouds in there and they're smoking.
[00:18:47] It's in time to beat up anybody that smokes.
[00:18:49] It's obviously a terrible habit.
[00:18:51] Vaping is even worse, right?
[00:18:53] So they're in there, but on the cigarette package, it warns you.
[00:18:58] It's literally warning you.
[00:19:01] So you make a choice to go in.
[00:19:04] You make a choice to self isolate because of harmful products with nicotine to get you addicted that you want to smoke and then everybody else walks by.
[00:19:15] Well, that's kind of the way hell is, is God is going, you've read the warning label.
[00:19:21] And he's like, don't go, don't go, don't go.
[00:19:24] In order to go to hell, you got to walk over the cross.
[00:19:29] That's why we're so passionate about reaching people.
[00:19:32] We want to reach 8 billion people.
[00:19:35] We want to reach everybody that there are people self isolating themselves.
[00:19:39] When God is going, no, I want you to breathe.
[00:19:41] Breathe the fresh oxygen of my love.
[00:19:45] And you and I got the message.
[00:19:50] Do you know what you and I contribute to our salvation?
[00:19:54] The sin that made it necessary.
[00:19:56] That's it.
[00:19:59] Self-salvation psychologically creates anxiety and insecurity.
[00:20:03] Let me say it again.
[00:20:04] I have to preface it.
[00:20:05] This is not talking about biological or hereditary, just like some of us inherited red hair, blue eyes.
[00:20:11] Green eyes, black hair.
[00:20:12] We can also inherit mental health issues as well.
[00:20:16] There's nothing to be ashamed of.
[00:20:18] Get help.
[00:20:19] Most people who suffer with substance abuse addiction have an underlying mental health issue.
[00:20:24] It's called dual diagnoses.
[00:20:26] Instead of going to get medical help, they go to the street corner.
[00:20:29] Instead of going to get medical help, they go to the liquor store.
[00:20:32] Instead of getting medical help, they go to prescription drugs.
[00:20:35] Let's get help.
[00:20:36] Let's bring it out.
[00:20:37] So we've talked about it.
[00:20:38] We have a mental health ministry here.
[00:20:40] It's valuable.
[00:20:41] What I'm talking about now is anxiety that comes from self-salvation.
[00:20:47] What do I mean by that?
[00:20:49] Check this out.
[00:20:51] When your value depends on performance, you never feel safe.
[00:20:59] Let me take you back into the world that I used to live in.
[00:21:03] As a former NFL player, I've had coaches.
[00:21:05] Now remember, these guys are in their 20s, 22, 23, dealing with grown men.
[00:21:10] I've had grown men say, I will fire you before I let your poor play fire me.
[00:21:16] So you're already on heightened awareness already.
[00:21:19] And then they say this, you're only as good as your last Sunday.
[00:21:23] So imagine you live under that pressure.
[00:21:25] You don't know Christ and all you hear is you're only as good as the last thing you ever did.
[00:21:31] Case in point, when someone wins, when some team wins a championship, what's the first question a reporter asks them?
[00:21:38] Can you do it again?
[00:21:39] Can you do it again?
[00:21:40] Can you do it again?
[00:21:42] In all my years of ministry, I've never had one of my teammates go, man, when me and my wife was on the verge of divorce, I showed her my Super Bowl ring.
[00:21:52] Hey, son, listen, Super Bowl ring.
[00:22:00] Care about no Super Bowl ring.
[00:22:02] Care about love, emotional regulation.
[00:22:05] And so for me, I never felt safe.
[00:22:09] People go, you misplanned?
[00:22:10] No, I'm misplanned.
[00:22:11] Are you kidding me?
[00:22:13] No way.
[00:22:14] No way.
[00:22:15] I began to feel safe when Jesus said, you may have heard you're only as good as your last Sunday, but you need to know you're only as good as my life, death, and resurrection, and it's good enough.
[00:22:29] That's when you have security.
[00:22:31] That's when you really become who God's created you to be.
[00:22:35] This creates a crippling fear of failure.
[00:22:38] Because when you fail.
[00:22:40] It does not just feel like you did something wrong.
[00:22:43] It feels like you are something wrong.
[00:22:45] Case in point, early in our marriage, my wife and I got married.
[00:22:48] I was barely 21.
[00:22:50] She was 22.
[00:22:51] My whole life was built upon what I did.
[00:22:53] So if I didn't do good, that means I'm not good.
[00:22:56] And so early on, we would have conversations and I would know that she was right about what she was saying.
[00:23:01] But if I admit it, that meant the foundation I built was cracked.
[00:23:05] I couldn't let the foundation crack be exposed.
[00:23:08] You know why?
[00:23:09] Because it would mean I'm exposed.
[00:23:10] So guess what I would do when she would bring up concerns?
[00:23:12] I would ignore her.
[00:23:15] It's called stonewalling, like all y'all men do.
[00:23:20] And then the more you stonewall, her voice turns up a little bit more.
[00:23:24] So you stonewall some more.
[00:23:26] Her voice turns up a little bit more and you stonewall some more.
[00:23:29] You're like, I'm winning.
[00:23:30] And the next thing you know, she's chasing you around the house like a little Chihuahua biting at your Achilles' heels.
[00:23:36] Your dysfunction has made her emotional.
[00:23:38] Emotionally, not regulated, and both of you guys are sinning because you're too insecure.
[00:23:43] I was too insecure to say, you're right.
[00:23:45] But I couldn't say you're right because my life was built upon the foundation I built.
[00:23:52] That's the problem with building your life on sand and not on the rock of Jesus.
[00:23:59] Now, project that to every relationship in your life.
[00:24:04] You don't have to live that way.
[00:24:05] Teenagers, learn this now.
[00:24:07] Self-salvation.
[00:24:08] Psychologically creates perfectionism and control.
[00:24:12] Have you ever been around a perfectionist?
[00:24:15] If you didn't say nothing, you might be sitting next to one right now.
[00:24:21] Perfectionism says this.
[00:24:22] I must control the outcome of other people because my identity is found in how they do.
[00:24:28] Let me talk to the parents right here, right now.
[00:24:31] And my kids are 29 and 25.
[00:24:33] I got some authority to talk about parenting.
[00:24:35] I say this respectfully.
[00:24:37] I say this lovingly.
[00:24:38] If your kids are not over 20 and you want to talk about parenting, shhh.
[00:24:44] I long for the day that podcast equipment becomes too expensive for people to buy.
[00:24:50] Just because you can buy the equipment, just because you can get on the gram, don't mean you're qualified to talk about it.
[00:24:56] You literally could hurt somebody.
[00:25:02] Giving advice about stuff you know nothing about.
[00:25:05] Right.
[00:25:06] Right.
[00:25:07] Like, well, my kid obeys.
[00:25:12] They're three!
[00:25:23] The beauty of parenting.
[00:25:26] When you're a perfectionist, you want to parent behaviors and not their heart.
[00:25:31] While you're paying the bills, you can get them to do what you want them to do while they're around you.
[00:25:36] But when they leave, they won't.
[00:25:37] Question, do you want to raise a legalist or do you want to raise someone who lives from God's grace?
[00:25:43] It's better that they make mistakes at home where you can shepherd their hearts instead of getting them to follow rules.
[00:25:49] Because typically what they do is they follow the rules you want them to follow, but there are more rules to follow and none of them follow us all.
[00:25:57] However, but we can learn how to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.
[00:26:01] One of the things that I've learned is when my kids blew it back in the day, one of the most powerful things I could do.
[00:26:07] Is when they come to confess is to go, that's it?
[00:26:12] That's all you did?
[00:26:13] Let me tell you what I did.
[00:26:19] I invented what you're trying to do.
[00:26:23] Their respect for you will go out the roof.
[00:26:25] You know why?
[00:26:26] Because you'll go from being a parent to being a human.
[00:26:30] They will go, you mean you wasn't born at 45?
[00:26:34] They'll be like, you act like you're 45.
[00:26:35] They'll be like, you act like you're 45.
[00:26:36] They'll be like, you act like you're 45.
[00:26:37] So, they spilt hot water to you and say, you know what?
[00:26:38] You've got a perfect autoc Adjusting that and They won and said, mom, we're starting confident.
[00:26:40] They said no thanks, but if your on a diet from here club, do they think that they'd take advantage of your point?
[00:26:42] No, we don't want them here no no, actually struggle like today.
[00:26:43] Our kids call us constantly.
[00:26:44] We have relationship because they're the currency that was paid years ago.
[00:26:45] You want to shepherd their hearts for the gospel, not just their behaviors.
[00:26:52] When you shepherd the heart, they learn to follow God on their own.
[00:26:56] Think long term.
[00:27:00] Don't put your ego on the outcome of your kids.
[00:27:04] Because when they do good, you get the credit.
[00:27:06] быстр my part.
[00:27:07] you take the credit. Also, when you make your kids number one and they leave and you've been neglecting your spouse, that's when a lot of people get divorced. They're like, man, we don't even know each other. All we did was hang out with the kids. Trying to help you.
[00:27:29] Presley might've been eight or nine and she had done something. And so I was like, well, Presley, you understand that, you know, you got to get the wooden spoon. Vicki Gray has a wooden spoon back in the, well, obviously we don't use it now, but back when the kids, she carried around a wooden spoon because we didn't grow up with the gift of suburban Ballantyne parenting.
[00:27:51] Do you know what Ballantyne parenting is? Like you're walking through Target or whatever and little Susie Jo got one kid here and little, you know, and then you got your son right there, little Jacob, and he's asking for toys.
[00:28:05] And you're like, no, we got to go. And then he's still there and he's acting a fool. And she's like, don't make me count to three. One,

[00:28:18] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:28:18] two, three. And, and, and little homie's like, you ain't gonna do nothing. You ain't gonna do nothing. You ain't gonna do nothing.

[00:28:35] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:28:35] I used to watch these white people like, this is amazing.
[00:28:44] All right. This part ain't funny. This is okay. I'm gonna let, I'm gonna let y'all stop laughing.
[00:28:50] That's not the way we were raised. You know what my grandmother would say?
[00:28:53] Policemen don't count to three. You listen now or you'd be dead. You listen now.
[00:28:59] And y'all don't know about switches, do you?
[00:29:04] All this 15, year olds are like, what is these people? Okay. Let me explain. So in the hood, there'd be these trees and on the trees was a thin branch. It's called a switch.
[00:29:16] And your grandmother would say, boy, go outside and get the switch.
[00:29:21] Cause you're going to get it. And then you'd be walking to it like this.
[00:29:25] Cause you know what's happening. And then most of the time you bring the switch and like, see, and you don't even get you because you already paid the price. Hey guys, but seriously though, God is much better at managing his universe than you and I are.
[00:29:42] Will you trust him? Here we go.
[00:29:46] Perfectionism is the compulsion to get everything right through control so you can feel adequate. Jesus makes us adequate, nothing else because you're saved by grace alone. Grace alone, humbles and heals. Now humility is not, well, whole shucks.
[00:30:08] When God has gifted you and you deny it, that's not humble.
[00:30:11] That's false pride.
[00:30:18] But when the kindness of our God, when the kindness of God, our savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us not by works of righteousness that we had done to watch this, but according to his mercy, and remember the saving isn't just to get into the kingdom.
[00:30:37] It's the mercy that keeps us.
[00:30:40] But according to his mercy through the washing of regeneration, renewal by the Holy spirit, he poured out his spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our savior.
[00:30:52] So that having been justified by his grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
[00:30:58] Eternal life once again is not somewhere we go it's right now for all eternity.
[00:31:04] We're going to be with God.
[00:31:05] This saying is trustworthy.
[00:31:07] Now watch this.
[00:31:09] I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works.
[00:31:17] These are good and profitable for everyone.
[00:31:19] Notice what Paul doesn't say.
[00:31:20] Yell at them, scream at them, make them feel bad.
[00:31:23] You better do this.
[00:31:24] You better do this.
[00:31:27] That's not Christianity.
[00:31:28] God loves you to obedience.
[00:31:31] Grace wrecks you so much.
[00:31:33] You're like, why would I want to do that?
[00:31:36] I haven't shared this story in a while, so I'm a hip hop head.
[00:31:40] I grew up.
[00:31:41] I remember in 78 when they said hip hop wouldn't even last.
[00:31:44] I'm that old.
[00:31:46] Ho tell Mo tell holiday.
[00:31:50] It got to stop.
[00:31:50] Now we got to stop.
[00:31:51] It gets bad after that, but that's the sugar hill gang.
[00:31:55] By the way, don't tell me you can't memorize scripture.
[00:31:57] That's 1978.
[00:32:03] Y'all killing me up here.
[00:32:07] Put them in a back.
[00:32:11] Yes, our worth.
[00:32:15] It's his mercy.
[00:32:17] Abundant grace.
[00:32:20] He does it.
[00:32:21] He does it.
[00:32:22] Watch this teenagers.
[00:32:24] Grab this.
[00:32:25] I'll go back.
[00:32:26] Grace alone means your worth is in Christ alone.
[00:32:33] This is so hard.
[00:32:33] Self salvation is so hard to give up.
[00:32:38] Here's the pushback that I get.
[00:32:40] People go, well, Derwin, are you saying we just need to believe in God and don't do anything?
[00:32:44] My question would be, why would you not do anything if you believe God has done everything?
[00:32:50] Why would you not do anything if you don't believe if you believe God has done everything because God has done everything.
[00:32:55] He empowers you to do more than you ever thought.
[00:32:57] Guys, grace is amazing and not just saves our soul.
[00:33:01] It saves our whole.
[00:33:03] Do y'all understand a man?
[00:33:06] That's a compulsive stutterer who didn't go to church is your pastor.
[00:33:11] A man whose first wedding he went to was his own at 21 is your pastor.
[00:33:17] Are you kidding me?
[00:33:20] Grace will unleash potential in you for his glory that you've never seen before, but it doesn't happen by striving.
[00:33:29] It happens by trusting and saying, God, my worth is found in you and you alone.
[00:33:42] Grace alone means you have a new birth with a new heart and a new power on a count of three.
[00:33:49] Say new birth 123 new birth.
[00:33:52] So when Paul talks about the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit, what does that mean?
[00:33:58] First, the washing means this is that the Holy Spirit applies.
[00:34:02] The blood.
[00:34:03] Of Jesus to you.
[00:34:04] When we talk about the blood of Jesus is a deeply Jewish word that goes back to the sacrifice of the unblemished lamb.
[00:34:09] And it means this that every impurity, every sin we've ever committed or will ever commit has been blooded out, has been wiped out, has been forgiven since you haven't even started yet, have been forgiven.
[00:34:22] God's forgiveness is that great, but not only does he take away our sin, he adds something to us.
[00:34:27] He adds his righteousness, but also he gives us a new birth.
[00:34:31] That's what it means to be born again.
[00:34:33] Listen, the God who rose from the dead now wants to live in you.
[00:34:38] That's what it means to be made alive, to be born again.
[00:34:41] The living God of the universe wants to indwell.
[00:34:44] You wants to house in you wants to empower you.
[00:34:48] Grace means this.
[00:34:49] Jesus gave his life for you to give his life to you to live his life through you.
[00:34:54] He gave his life for you to give his life to you to live his life through you.
[00:34:59] Will you let him would you stop trying?
[00:35:08] Stop trying to be a great husband and say, Jesus, be great in me.
[00:35:14] Stop trying to be a great mom and say, Jesus, will you be great in me?
[00:35:20] Stop saying, I'm gonna beat this addiction and say, Jesus, will you beat this addiction through me?
[00:35:24] Whatever your hurt, your habit, your hang up is, would you stop trying and start dying so he can live?
[00:35:32] He is more powerful.
[00:35:33] He is more powerful than you.
[00:35:34] He is more powerful than me.
[00:35:36] He rose from the dead, walked on the sea of Galilee.
[00:35:39] Would you let him do it in you?
[00:35:41] Would you let him transform you?
[00:35:43] Would you let him do it?
[00:35:46] Is it easy?
[00:35:47] No, they're dark forces.
[00:35:50] I want to destroy you, but his victory assured.
[00:35:54] Yup.
[00:35:57] You are saved by grace.
[00:36:01] I want to tell you a story really quickly.
[00:36:05] Uh, the person I'll just call her grace.
[00:36:07] You met with Vicki and I last week.
[00:36:08] She's was at TC for three years.
[00:36:12] And, uh, I tell you guys all the time how I go into my coffee shop.
[00:36:18] I don't own the coffee shop, even though I bought enough coffee coffee to own it over the last 20 years.
[00:36:25] But I go in and I pray and I say, God, bring people to me that need to hear about your grace.
[00:36:31] So I'm sitting there eating my salmon scramble with bacon and a biscuit notice some women and we begin a conversation, begin to share my grace story, invited her to church.
[00:36:43] So grace comes three years ago.
[00:36:46] She has some needs.
[00:36:48] She's in financial hardship, so she goes to the market to get food.
[00:36:52] If you don't know, we have a free grocery store that feeds over 500 people per month.
[00:36:56] So if you're not giving financially, you're missing out on blessing.
[00:37:01] Other people.
[00:37:03] So from that, Miss Margaret and some of the other people with our care team say, Hey, you know, you need to learn how to manage money God's way.
[00:37:12] So we're going to teach you financial faithfulness.
[00:37:15] Go to financial faithfulness class.
[00:37:16] So she goes to financial faithfulness class from financial faithfulness class.
[00:37:20] They go, you know, you've really had some deep traumas in your life.
[00:37:24] I think therapy would be good.
[00:37:25] So we pay for her to go to therapy.
[00:37:28] That's one years, two years.
[00:37:30] Now, year, three comes and she meets with Vicki and I, and she says, Hey, you need to hear my story.
[00:37:35] And she shares that she goes, um, it's bittersweet because I'm going to be leaving.
[00:37:39] And guess why I'm leaving.
[00:37:41] I'm leaving to open up a restaurant that I'm going to be a managing partner in.
[00:37:47] She went from asking for free food to own in a restaurant.
[00:37:51] So other people can eat food.
[00:37:53] Don't tell me what grace cannot do.
[00:37:57] Grace will not only save your soul, but it will.
[00:38:00] It will transform the whole of you.
[00:38:04] Let's pray.
[00:38:06] God of immense grace and mercy pour out the spirit abundantly upon us through Jesus Christ so that we can walk in the beauty of your grace.
[00:38:22] Hey, right now, if you are a person and you thought, well, Jesus, did 95% and I'll do 5% or if you thought I need to fix myself to come to him, or if you thought his sacrifice wasn't enough and you had to do something, listen today, would you receive grace?
[00:38:44] Would you come to him and just say, Jesus, I come with nothing.
[00:38:49] You come with everything and I receive it.
[00:38:52] So if you've never prayed to receive and follow Jesus by grace, today is your day to be.
[00:39:00] I want you to be washed and renewed and to be reborn through the abundant power of Jesus.
[00:39:08] Would you accept his gift today?
[00:39:10] If that's you right now where you are, would you say this to him today?
[00:39:14] King Jesus, by faith, I look at the cross and I recognize that should have been me, but you took my place.
[00:39:20] Your blood forgives me.
[00:39:21] Your blood makes me righteous for three days.
[00:39:23] You lay dead in a tomb, but on the third day you rose again to live in me to make me a part of your eternal family.
[00:39:28] I say, yes to you, Lord of grace in Jesus name.
[00:39:32] Amen.
[00:39:33] Amen.
[00:39:34] And amen.
[00:39:35] Let's give God a round of applause.
[00:39:38] All right, fam.
[00:39:40] Listen, if you prayed that prayer, the connection card that Pastor Paul talked about, fill it out and say, I committed my life to Christ or I renewed my faith in Christ.
[00:39:51] Our teams are going to get a hold of you.
[00:39:53] We're going to help you grow.
[00:39:55] Your life matters.
[00:39:56] We want to see you flourish.
[00:39:59] Here's our soul tattoo.
[00:40:01] What do we think about throughout the week?
[00:40:03] Grace alone, humbles and heals.
[00:40:05] Listen to this sermon over.
[00:40:06] I tell you guys, I listened to it 10 times before I preach seven to 10, 10, 10 times.
[00:40:12] Catch up with me throughout the week when you're working out, when you're driving to school.
[00:40:15] Okay, here's our action step.
[00:40:19] Share God's grace with someone in your life this week.
[00:40:23] Don't force it.
[00:40:24] Just pray and watch God bring people in your life.
[00:40:28] All you need to share is this is what I was like before Christ.
[00:40:32] This is how I met Christ.
[00:40:33] You can meet Christ too.
[00:40:35] By the way, come hang out with my family.
[00:40:38] We, we have this huddle thing on Sundays at Indian land and Lake Wiley.
[00:40:42] Come, come hang out with us.
[00:40:44] And when they come, Oh, the spirit of God is here.
[00:40:47] The power of God is here.
[00:40:49] Okay.
[00:40:50] Well, in the words of a philosopher that we all know and love by the name of Forrest Gump.
[00:40:56] That's all I got to say.
[00:40:57] About that.