25 Woods Lake Road, Building 8, Greenville, SC
When you think about your plans for the future, what percentage of those plans revolve around you, your needs, your dreams, your happiness, your money, your comfort? How is it possible that those of us who call ourselves followers of Christ are so preoccupied with our own agenda rather than being totally consumed with His agenda? Because of what Christ has done for us, we have been called to live our lives entirely for Him. What would it take to move you from where you are to that kind of life?
When difficult or painful circumstances come into your life, do you ever stop to consider that they may have been divinely orchestrated by God to bring about His ultimate purpose in your life? Many Christians see hard times as a sign that God has abandoned them or that He is not being kind to them. But the Bible teaches us that God is at work even in the worst moments of our lives, and if we will surrender them to Him, He will bring about a life of fruitfulness for His glory!
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!
Imagine yourself being chained in a dark, gloomy dungeon, kept as a slave by a cruel master, with no hope at all of ever being set free. That is exactly the condition we were all in before Christ! We were slaves of Satan and bound by the chains of sin, with absolutely no way to buy our own freedom. But God loved us so much that He paid the price for our ransom by sacrificing His Son on the cross. Christ paid for us with His own precious blood, and because of this, we have been redeemed!
“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)
When a prisoner is pardoned and set free, he doesn’t live the rest of his life hanging around the prison yard and sleeping in his old cell at night. He lives in freedom! When a person receives Jesus as his Savior, he is forgiven and set free from his sin, but unfortunately, many Christians cannot believe they are really free, so they continue to live each day trapped by the power of sin. The Bible tells us that because of Christ, we have been set free from the power and the penalty of sin. This is great news! Listen to today’s message and learn how to live in the freedom you’ve been given!
We have all done things in our lifetime that we know are wrong. Sadly, many people go through their entire life carrying the guilt and shame of things from their past, never feeling worthy, loved or accepted by God. But because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, we can break free from a life of guilt by receiving the forgiveness and grace He offers to us. Regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, God’s grace is greater than all our sin, and you can receive that grace today!
If you were in debt for a billion dollars, imagine how grateful you would feel if someone paid it for you, especially if you had done nothing to deserve such kindness! The truth is, that debt is small compared to the debt we really do owe. Our sin has put us under a debt we can never pay, but because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, all who trust Him by faith will be forgiven! Has the magnitude of just how much you’ve been forgiven of ever dawned upon you?
The parable of the Prodigal Son is not really about the son at all. Jesus told this parable for one reason… to show us His Father’s amazing love for the lost. The prodigal son never expected to be welcomed home again, and he was surprised when he saw his father running to kiss him and receive him with open arms. Above all, this is a story of God’s amazing love for “lost causes.” For anyone who has strayed away from their heavenly Father, know that He longs for you to come home!
Where would your life be right now without Jesus? The fact is, you would be wallowing in sin, and you would be faced with a debt you could never pay. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the debt for our sin and saved us from the wrath of God that was coming upon us. We did absolutely nothing to deserve this… that’s why it’s called Grace! Do we really understand all that God’s grace has brought to us? It truly is amazing grace!
Many people have tried to define the word Grace, but the greatest definition of grace is when Jesus took our sins upon himself and died on the cross in our place. He became sin for us, so that we might receive His righteousness. He willingly took our punishment and suffered God’s wrath for us. There is no greater picture of grace. When is the last time you remembered and gave thanks for all that Jesus endured and accomplished on the cross for you?
