Let Go!
There are some things in life that hold us back when the solution is right in front of us. "If you want to be free, then you have to let go!"
1) God's Law is good, but when we look at it the wrong way, it enslaves us.
2) Letting go of the law doesn't mean we throw it all out. It means that because Jesus fulfilled the law for us, we are free to choose to live God's way.
3) Through faith our attitude and motivation now changes. We get to begin to live the way we were meant to!
4) It's a simple formula, but letting go is hard for us to do. That's why we go again and again to the Means of Grace where the Spirit works in us.
5) We tend to try to live good enough lives for Jesus, but the truth is that Jesus has made us good enough, now we get to live!
"That sounds amazing God! So... How??? How do I experience that? How do I live this out? How do I receive it?"
Lean into the question "So... How???"
"Talking head" is an idiom describing a person who always seem to be informing others or sharing their endless insights, but in reality they never actually accomplish anything. In our study of sanctification we are starting to venture into the action part of the series, that living our Christian faith is just that - living it and not just talking about it.
Fully A Son. Free To Live.
So often we live like we're still under restrictions and slaves to our sin. But you've been set free. You are God's child. God wants us to celebrate that "It's A Family Thing!"
Stop Trying to Be What You Already Are!
We all have a list of things we think we need to do in order to be who we want to be. But God wants us to live in the reality of who we already are in Him!
1) God has been working throughout history in order to make us His children.
a. Instead of sending a Savior right away, in His grace He first gave the law to show us our need for a Savior.
b. He knew the perfect time and conditions for a Savior to enter this world.
2) God's Son became us, so we could become God's Son.
3) When God looks at You, what He sees is His perfect Son!
4) Being a good Christian is not an objective to be achieved, it's a position of authority that we've already been given and from which we live!
Sin, Them, and Me
Dealing with our own sin is challenging enough, but what about when someone I care about sins? Do I say something or do I just mind my own business? This weekend we dug into this challenging "Nagging Question" as we studied Galatians 6:1-2.
Their Sin. Your Opportunity.
Sin isn't fun to talk about and it's challenging to deal with. But when a brother or sister in Christ gets caught up in sin, there's a special opportunity in front of us.
1) We all have the same root issue. We all have the same Savior. Through faith we are now one united family in Christ, empowered by the Spirit to live differently.
2) When a fellow Christian is caught in a sin, it's not time for us to point fingers, but to see someone who is in desperate need.
3) By the power of the Spirit, God would have the church collectively work together to restore what was broken.
4) When working to restore a fellow Christian, we depend completely on Jesus and the Spirit to repair them and to sustain us.
5) We get to carry each other's burdens and in doing so, live out the way of Jesus, the One who carried our burdens to the cross and to the open grave.