25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
Although we may know the truth, suffering and trials can sometimes give us a kind of spiritual amnesia and cause us to turn inward and become self-focused. In those times, we need to be reminded that God has not abandoned us, and that there is still a bigger mission beyond our present circumstances. If you are in a place like that right now, this message will bring clear direction and renewed hope to you!
Have you ever looked down on someone because of their sinful lifestyle? What that actually reveals is that we do not understand what awful sinners we ourselves are. Today we look at a man who didn’t think he was a sinner, and a woman who knew she was, and how her awareness of her great sin caused her to express extravagant thankfulness to Jesus.
If a prisoner served his time and was set free, it would be unthinkable for him to go back and live in his prison cell. Yet many Christians who have been set free by Jesus continue to live as prisoners to their past. Jesus said if we know the truth, it would set us free, and we would be truly free. Are you saved, but still living under a cloud of guilt and fear because of your past sin? Jesus invites you to be set free today!
The world puts all kinds of labels on us to define who we are: smart or dumb, pretty or ugly, popular or unpopular, successful or failure. The truth is, all of those labels are lies! We are not defined by any of those things. Jesus met many people whose lives were shaped and limited by the negative labels society had placed on them, but His transforming power set them free from those lies and gave them a brand new identity in Him. Don’t allow other people to define you. Find your identity in Christ alone!
We all have regrets and wounds in our past. They are a part of life. But if those things are not dealt with in the right way, they can become toxic over time, damaging our relationships, hindering our decisions, and destroying our effectiveness for Christ. The truth is, if we don’t deal with our past, it will dominate our present and dictate our future. We learn from the life of Joseph that if we are willing to surrender our past hurts to God’s control, those chains will be broken, and we will be empowered to live out the mission He has for us.
If someone bought you a new car, paid for it in full, and gave you the title, would you go to the dealership every month to make payments on it? Of course not! And yet that is exactly what we often do as Christians. Our sin debt has been paid in full and our record has been wiped completely clean, but we continue to live as though we’re guilty in God’s eyes. Once you understand the truth about God’s forgiveness, you will see your standing before Him in a whole new light, and you will be free to live your life for Him without being crippled by the guilt of your past!
“If God has forgiven me, why don’t I feel forgiven?” Have you ever asked that question? As Christians, we know that God has forgiven all our sin and He has promised to never remember it again. Why, then, do we so often still feel haunted and condemned by things in our past? If you’ve ever wrestled with this issue, today’s sermon will help you understand why that happens and how you can move beyond your past into the future God has for you! (Audio problems at the beginning will clear up within the first few minutes)
An encounter with the risen Savior changes everything. After Jesus rose from the dead, he purposefully and intentionally met with certain people to strengthen and encourage them in some way. Each one, having met their risen Savior, walked away from the encounter, forever changed. Have you encountered the risen Son of God? Have you been forever changed?
Christmas, as a season, is full of many emotions and attitudes. It is the one time of year when it is acceptable to talk about Jesus. Knowing the reality of the circumstances surrounding Christmas, we also find that the truth cannot be silenced. It is far too easy to be caught up in the commercialism, materialism and worldliness that is so evident this time of year; either being swept away in its current or being embittered towards it. Which attitude do you currently own?
God has a plan and a purpose that He is bringing to pass. Through the ages, there are different degrees to which the world has experienced God; Innocence, Conscience, Human Government, Promise, Law. Living in the age of grace now, our experience with God is dependent upon our cooperation with the Spirit of God. We cannot gain true wisdom, knowledge, understanding, or counsel without the Holy Spirit. We must learn to trust Him over our own senses and understanding. We will only begin to trust Him over our own senses if we know who He is. We will only know who He is, when we choose to read His word, trusting His Spirit to reveal to us who He is.
Jesus washed the twelve disciples feet; it seems even the feet of Judas Iscariot. Jesus does however state that “not all of you are clean”, speaking of Judas. Even though Judas was one of the twelve, he was not counted clean by Jesus. Are you clean? If so, are you still clean? Jesus also spoke to Peter saying “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me”. Even though most of the twelve were already made clean, they needed a little washing to stay clean. Are you still clean?
Covenant. It’s how God relates to man. There was an old covenant, as described in the Old Testament, and we should learn about it to know more about who God is. It was holy and good. Unfortunately, man was unfaithful to his side of the covenant. But God, out of mercy and love for us, has initiated a new covenant, and He has replaced the old covenant with the new. It is this new covenant that we refer to as the Good News; the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is described to us in the New Testament, and God has invited each one of us to accept and commit to His new covenant. When we do, He promises cleansing from our sins, and the blessing of new life. One that will last for eternity. Be encouraged as we reflect on the good news of God’s new covenant.
