Grace Is // Grace Like a Flood (Part 1)

Summary

Highlights

• Pastor Mike shares his personal journey of understanding grace beyond religious practices. 😇
• The concept of 'good bad' and tiers of devotion and sinfulness is examined. 📏
• Grace is revealed as a non-competitive, equalizing force among believers and non-believers alike. 💪
• A touching story of a father and son highlights the tangible impact of grace in action. 🏊‍♂️🚴‍♂️
• Pastor Mike concludes by emphasizing that Jesus is the ultimate expression of grace. ✝️

Key Takeaways

• Grace is a gift that is unmerited, undeserved, and unearned. 🎁
• Our self-imposed standards and judgments of others often miss the point of grace. 🚫
• Grace diminishes our insecurities and comparisons, leveling everyone as equal recipients of God’s love. 🤝
• God’s grace empowers us to live freely, not bound by fear or judgment. 🕊️
• The imagery of Jesus acting as a loving broker of grace provides a powerful visual for understanding God’s love. 👟

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:30: Introduction to Grace Like a Flood This chapter introduces the new series titled 'Grace Like a Flood'. The speaker shares a personal testimony about their experience growing up in a Christian household, acknowledging that while they appeared 'good,' they were actually engaging in sneaky and deceitful behavior. This message is particularly meaningful to the speaker as it initially 'wrecked' them, suggesting a transformative personal impact.
• 01:30 - 03:30: Concept of 'Good Bad' and Levels of Sin The discussion begins with the notion of watching pornography and the social reaction to it, highlighting the phrase 'good bad.' This expression is used to describe the categorization of behaviors and actions into varying degrees of morality or sinfulness, such as calling a falsehood a 'little white lie.' These actions are questioned within the context of Christian faith, pointing out the tendency to create hierarchies or levels of sin in both minds and hearts, which may lead to fundamental issues in the faith.
• 03:30 - 05:30: Self-righteousness and Comparison in Christianity The chapter explores the theme of self-righteousness and comparison among Christians. It discusses how people often judge others and themselves based on visible actions such as the amount of scripture shared on social media or perceived devotion levels. The discussion points out the tendency to categorize individuals based on these outward expressions of faith, questioning the standards by which people measure closeness to or distance from God.
• 05:30 - 09:30: Personal Anecdote - Realization of True Grace The chapter titled 'Personal Anecdote - Realization of True Grace' explores the theme of judgment and comparison among individuals. It reflects on the tendency of people to evaluate others based on their own standards and experiences, often leading to judgments about others' actions or behavior. The speaker encourages honesty and transparency within their community, inviting members to acknowledge moments when they have unfairly judged others. By highlighting the commonality of this behavior in a 'hot church' setting—a place known for being humble, open, and transparent—the speaker aims to cultivate a more understanding and grace-filled environment.
• 09:30 - 16:00: Understanding Amazing Grace The chapter examines the concept of God's grace, specifically exploring how individuals often perceive themselves as a measure of God's goodness. It challenges the notion that any one person is chosen to be the ultimate gauge of divine grace, suggesting a broader, more introspective understanding of spiritual humility.
• 16:00 - 20:30: Misconception of Grace in the Church This chapter delves into the concept of grace within the church and tackles the misconception that God's blessings are indicators of moral or spiritual superiority. It challenges the belief that attending church makes one inherently better than others and encourages honesty and humility among churchgoers. The chapter aims to dissolve judgmental attitudes by highlighting that God views all individuals equally, irrespective of their actions or church attendance.
• 20:30 - 30:30: Grace as Unmerited, Undeserved, and Unearned This chapter discusses the concept of grace as a gift that is unmerited, undeserved, and unearned. It uses a metaphor of attending a religious service feeling prepared, contrasting it with a friend who was out partying, to emphasize the human perception of merit-based reward versus the idea of grace being given irrespective of one's actions or appearance.
• 30:30 - 39:00: Analogy of the Greek Meaning of Grace This chapter discusses the Greek concept of 'grace' through an analogy focused on the implications of one's presence, particularly in a religious setting. The narrative captures a personal reflection on how presence is perceived during worship, emphasizing self-awareness over external observation. It critiques the notion of attending worship for appearances rather than genuine devotion, and underlines the pressure felt from external judgment, symbolized by the phrase 'pray for me front row.' The analogy connects to grace by illustrating misunderstandings of recognition and presence, inviting readers to consider authentic engagement.
• 39:00 - 44:00: Paid in Full - The Gift of Grace Pastor Mike shares a candid reflection on his past attitude and mindset, where he felt a sense of superiority over others. He discusses the journey of realizing and acknowledging this attitude, suggesting a central theme of humility and grace. He implies a transformation in his thoughts and behavior, aligning with the concept of being 'paid in full' through grace.
• 44:00 - 47:00: Grace vs. Works - Understanding Free Gift The speaker reflects on how their upbringing influenced their beliefs, particularly around religion and the concept of grace versus works. Despite being raised in a religious family and going to church, they acknowledge their imperfections and recognize that everyone sins and falls short of the glory of God. The narrative suggests an internal struggle with the idea of being faithful and giving, while also acknowledging human fallibility.
• 47:00 - 53:00: Jesus as the Ultimate Expression of Grace The chapter explores the theme of grace through the lens of religious practice, emphasizing personal reflections and introspection. It discusses the idea of writing a book to clarify and express deeper understanding of scriptures, highlighting that individual interpretations of religious texts can be subjective and context-dependent. The narrative illustrates a personal experience within a church setting, where the narrator feels a sense of judgment towards others based on their outward expressions of worship, such as lifting hands during praise. The narrator reflects on the lack of consideration for other people's circumstances, such as personal grief or physical limitations, that might affect their ability to participate in worship rituals. The overarching theme is the ultimate expression of grace, suggesting an understanding and acceptance that goes beyond superficial judgments and recognizes the diverse ways people connect with their faith.
• 53:00 - 59:00: Picture of Grace - Story of Dick and Rick Hoyt The chapter likely discusses the challenges and experiences of Dick and Rick Hoyt, their journey as a father-son team in various athletic events, and their impact on perceptions of disability. It highlights themes of perseverance, love, and the transformative power of combining strength and grace in overcoming obstacles.
• 59:00 - 60:00: Conclusion and Reflection on God's Grace The chapter concludes by reflecting on the internal insecurities people have, which manifest as feelings of superiority based on external accomplishments or possessions. It emphasizes the common belief that one's living conditions, possessions, or opportunities make them better than others. The chapter also touches on the irony of claiming to make 'moves in silence' while publicly announcing such intentions through social media. This reflective section encourages readers to recognize and overcome these insecurities in the context of understanding God's grace.

Grace Is // Grace Like a Flood (Part 1) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Today we're starting a brand new series called grace like a flood, and I'm so excited about it because This message is not a message for you. This is a message that wrecked me first I've been raised in a Christian household all my life, and so like I was bad, but like good bad You know what I'm saying y'all Y'all know, like I wasn't out like cussing people out and like soon and all that other stuff but I was sneaky and I was lying and I was
• 00:30 - 01:00 Watching pornography and I was so so like and that's funny how everybody laughed when I said good bad because in our minds we have delineations Of like who's bad? And then who's like good bad Have you ever heard somebody say like I just told a little white lie It does the same it's a lie But for some reason in our hearts and our minds levels And this is maybe one of the fundamental problems that we have in the Christian faith
• 01:00 - 01:30 And in the world today is because the levels to our sin in the levels to our faith And the levels to our outward devotion and the levels - how many scriptures we post on Facebook We categorized people on levels of how close. They are to God and How far they are from God? Like you ever said something like this like are they out there They really out there by whose standards
• 01:30 - 02:00 Now like they're out there compared to and the only person we usually can compare them to So if you do it, I mean it's not that bad but if they're doing something, that's Further than what you do it, and you thought they are out there, oh my god, did you hear did you see? Ok can we be honest cuz we're a hot church humble open and transparent how many people have thought or say if somebody else was out there come on let's just and you could have said it in a
• 02:00 - 02:30 Lot of different words, but but you said that Because somehow we become the measuring stick of God's goodness Somehow God has chosen me - now come on let's be honest. It's not what we say, but this one we do somehow. He's chosen me to Be the the temperature or the gauge
• 02:30 - 03:00 For how all other human beings are viewed by God He ain't gonna bless you for that Because I wouldn't do that and God's blessing me But you're doing it and God's not blessing you so I must be The standard Come on. Let's be honest This is stuff church people don't say for half y'all came today because you feel like going to church makes you better than somebody else
• 03:00 - 03:30 oh oh oh It's gonna be one of those series Like somehow your friend who was at the bar last night and got drunk, and and they're their sleep right now But you put on your Sunday's best Flatirons your hair put your mac makeup on face it beat you understand what I'm saying you did all of that and you came in here and
• 03:30 - 04:00 Somehow your mere presence Because you didn't worship You were looking around to see who was looking at you instead of who was looking at ya, oh oh I see y'all pray for me front row. I need your prayers cuz they gonna come after me on it But somehow your mere presence on the parking lot Like it's like when the worship says God is here you you think they're saying you are here or something
• 04:00 - 04:30 Somehow it puts us on these levels Why are you saying all that Pastor Mike? Why is you? Why are you so accurate with your with your interpretation of this because it was me Like that was me for so many years is That I would never say it, but I always thought I'm better than you I
• 04:30 - 05:00 Wasn't mad at me Because it was ingrained in me somehow That because of the family. I was raised in the church. I went to the the people who knew me my prayers Looks like a pray And I gave a little bit, and I was faithful and I messed up, but who does it? All of sin falling short of the glory of God, but I'll fall as much as you
• 05:00 - 05:30 Write a book say what you really meant by the scripture. I'm alright. It would be a best because that's what we really mean like It works for me, but it doesn't really apply to you and that's how it was and I would come into this very Church and lift my hands and Feel like because somebody else wasn't lifting their hands. Did I consider that man they may have lost the loved one No, did I consider that they may have been paralyzed in one of their arms no?
• 05:30 - 06:00 Like we don't consider nothing like what uh? You see me Lord Here I am sue Offering plate gone by you pull out your wallet strong life. How many how many Lord am I gonna? They could have given online you like don't even know but somehow all of those things
• 06:00 - 06:30 feed this little Insecurity in us that tells us somehow I'm better than you Where I live makes me better than you what our Drive makes me better than you What opportunities I have that nobody knows about But you'll see like it's funny when those people post like just cuz I ain't saying nothing don't mean nothing's happening Like I see a post like that once a week like make moves in silent. You just told us making moves
• 06:30 - 07:00 But it's they all understand what I'm saying it's this thing that we're always trying to be on another level then somebody else and I was in a hotel in Dallas on a sabbatical July 2015 and I go away for one week every summer to just
• 07:00 - 07:30 Figure out what the Lord is trying to say for our church the next year and what he wants to say to me God in that hotel room God didn't speak nothing the whole first day I came the second day, and I found this book called Jesus is by Judah Smith and and God said I want you to read the whole book tomorrow now I have never read a whole book in one day except like dr. Seuss or Chicka Chicka Boom Boom some of y'all know so me y'all know what I'm talking about a whole book and literally 12 hours I
• 07:30 - 08:00 Read this entire book and at the end of the book. I was sitting there crying Because it was a mirror basically exposing to me to my own judgment for Humanity And how I was just as messed up and enos they were As a pastor as a person who gave like their there was no difference We all needed Jesus. We all needed the grace of God and Then I proceeded to watch an 8 part series by pastor Robert Morris on Grace and y'all
• 08:00 - 08:30 For two days. I just said in that room and cried because it was 27 28 years a Feeling like somehow That the guy and a homosexual relationship Or the man who kidnapped the kids or the person who I'm better than them And the reason why you don't know what to say or do right now is because somewhere deep down in us
• 08:30 - 09:00 Many of us in this room Feel like what people do is really who they are And if they did it then somehow, and you didn't then somehow you're better than them and Today I'm telling you this next six weeks God is going to begin to tear through religion
• 09:00 - 09:30 No, I'm serious. He's gonna begin to tear scales off of our eyes to make you see if you're the suburban mom Who has a nine bedroom house and goes on vacation twice a year and you're a homeless person? living and eating out of the trash can You both are still in need of the same grace that is provided only by Jesus Christ I
• 09:30 - 10:00 Not know, it's hard for some people to hear that right now, so I'm gonna explain it i'ma going to it Let's open up our hearts And and and just go into this so my first point today is I don't want to title this message grace is just Grace is I called it Amazing Grace and I've done all this other stuff But I just want to call it grace is and my first point. I want to say is grace is amazing like like and this is the thing that a lot of people don't understand is because We say Amazing Grace and be singing uh
• 10:00 - 10:30 Xenon Sirs flame But why is grace amazing? like Not enough just to have grace, but explain to me Amazing Grace Like what does it mean to do something amazing? And I begin to think about this because as I'm studying this and remember God has given me a full
• 10:30 - 11:00 Revelation like I up into this point when God showed me this. I've never heard a full message on grace I only heard like like God's grace is sufficient or this cliches and stuff like that But really talking about grace seeing the balance of it seeing what it's not seeing what it is I never heard it, and so I got God just beginning to speak to me And I was like what's so amazing about grace and as I looked into it I looked at that word amazing and that word amazing is talking about things that are unusual Doesn't make sense um um things that are uh
• 11:00 - 11:30 Abstract and over-the-top feats Kind of like um some of y'all have seen American Ninja Warrior has anybody seen that show okay has anybody competed on that show Okay, cool, okay Me and my daughter were watching it last night, and I've been watching I I don't know why I love that show, and if you don't know what that show is it's basically people doing
• 11:30 - 12:00 extremely hard obstacle courses for adults Basically and these people are training for years And doing all of this stuff to make this happen and I was watching it with my daughter last night And it was so funny because it was her first time seeing it like actually watching it with me And I've been watching it for a long time and she said daddy How is he doing that I said girl don't ask me? I don't know She said he's so strong and then she started to list all these attributes his muscles are so big, and then she look at me
• 12:00 - 12:30 And she learn he said daddy do your muscles do this I said yes, yes, they do They're in process, but they do do that. I said I had him now but um And then I said Bella isn't that amazing she said yeah, that's amazing Because not the average person could do that Not the average Can can hang from a two-inch a piece of wood?
• 12:30 - 13:00 for 20 feet and that the average person could do that and I begin to think about it and God said when it's amazing it's not average When it's amazing it's something that the average person can't do or maybe let's take it a step further when we talk about God It's it's something that they wouldn't do And so I said, okay? So God your grace is amazing so so what does that mean and God said most of my people in the world today?
• 13:00 - 13:30 Don't understand grace He said and they definitely don't understand Amazing Grace okay people in the world. He said no no people in my church Like my children like people they don't understand grace, and they don't understand Amazing Grace, and he said Michael just think about how many believers Came in two houses of worship today, but they have a sense of shame condemnation and a fear failure How many people sitting in this room and watching right now are performance oriented and perfection driven? Oh?
• 13:30 - 14:00 It's gonna be quiet in here today How many of us have father wounds? How many of us believers live depressed and discouraged because they feel that they can never measure up? Like like this is what's happening in the church people who's put their faith in Jesus. This is what's happening? Every day and that's because we don't understand the grace of God
• 14:00 - 14:30 Because somehow you feel like it's still your works that is making you accepted by God Somehow you feel like it's your paycheck and and how you dress and how your house is always clean And how everybody precedes you you think that's why I love you You you you you are in a place right now Believing the lie that the enemy wants you to believe that somehow After you receive God's grace now you have to work to keep it
• 14:30 - 15:00 So I'm out here, I'm doing everything I can cuz I don't want to make daddy scared I don't want to make God mad, and that's why you have so many people that are in church for years And they've been serving God out of fear Not out of love. They're scared that the dad who adopted them is Gonna one day put them out of the house so I won't be the child who does anything wrong because if I do one thing wrong I
• 15:00 - 15:30 Will be ashamed. I will be kicked out. I'll be flown away and Somehow, I'll never get the experience the father's love and that's why you have generations of people who have gone to church religiously But they're empty and their children aren't going to church because they see that it's fake and now we have a whole group of people That are unchurched and D Church Because they don't want to have to be feared into something they want to love something
• 15:30 - 16:00 And That lets me know as a church. We don't understand grace I Heard a prominent pastor explain it like this. He said Grace is like this. It's like you're in a boat, and there's a current pulling you towards hail and then God provides oars and That's grace And as long as you get those oars, and you keep rowing and you go against the current pulling you to hell
• 16:00 - 16:30 You're gonna make it to heaven And he said grace is the divine enablement To keep on rolling And a lot of people would agree with that, but then I would know you don't understand grace Because that wouldn't be amazing grace. That would be amazing you This is me giving this is me serving. This is me. It would be amazing you and you're not that amazing and
• 16:30 - 17:00 He went on to say he's like no, no you guys kind of understand He was talking to a large group of people and it broke my heart because when you know better you do better I didn't understand grace so seven years ago. I would have listened to him be like yes. Yes row row row your boat like That's that would have been me but When I understood it I was like I gotta just keep rowing all my life and keep the law and keep going against like how and
• 17:00 - 17:30 He said I pulled a hundred pastors And I asked him what is Grace and they said something like thee the unmerited favor of God, and he said yeah But ten percent said it's a divine enablement To live a new life And he said I think the churches missed it grace is the divine in a moment to live a new life And and I was like god that sound kind of right, but I don't like what he said Michael
• 17:30 - 18:00 He missed the key ingredient. He said he asks. What grace is not what grace does Grace does empower you to Live a new life it does Empower you to say no the temptations that you used to have it does Empower you to put down the bottle who had control over your life it does do that, but grace is and I want you to write this definition down because it's going to be the Anchor of this whole script this whole series grace is the unmerited
• 18:00 - 18:30 Undeserved unearned kindness and favor of God That's what grace is it's unmerited. It's undeserved, and it's unearned Like there's nothing you did Like your what you do Does not allow God to put His grace on display for you?
• 18:30 - 19:00 It is Unmerited undeserved and unearned, and it's the kindness and favor of God And this is gonna be a foundation message today Because it's gonna. Take me five weeks to get this in your heart like like like because some of you There's like. I just cracked religion right now like you're just like What is that? Okay, just keep coming Keep hearing because God is going to show us
• 19:00 - 19:30 And and and I want you to know that that I'm gonna just unpack these words So let's let's do this if that's the title of the message is grace is the first one is Grace is amazing and the second Point is grace is unmerited Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 I'm gonna read this in Three different translations cuz it just gives gooder and gooder, and I know that ain't right Oh my college professors. I don't know, but that's what it feels like it. Just gets good or and good look Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 it says for by grace
• 19:30 - 20:00 Everybody say that word grace For by grace you have been saved through one action faith So like when you put your faith in Jesus Christ you Have now been extincted grace Only through your ability to receive it through faith, okay, and that not of yourselves And I love that because it tells you because you would try to take credit for it
• 20:00 - 20:30 It's not your rolling that allows you to Experience the grace of God it is the gift of God somebody say gift of God not of works Lest anyone should boast see there's a lot of boasting going down going on down here, but there will be no boasting in heaven Because everybody that that makes it to heaven will know I have much to do with this
• 20:30 - 21:00 Because I can playback the replay of all my mistakes but the grace of God tells me that he cast my sins as far as The East is from the West it says he chooses not to remember. Oh y'all come on cuz March 25th 1968 you was out there yeah out there But God was right there with you and somehow we forget That it's not of our works. I'm a read this in the amplified version for it is by grace
• 21:00 - 21:30 God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ so if there's any current It's not a current drawing you to Hale There's a parent that's trying to draw you to Christ That the Bible says it's the Holy Spirit who draws unto salvation And and and and life circumstances and issues they they're the things that become dams and boulders, but God he's after you He wants a relationship with you no matter how many times you've messed up fouled up
• 21:30 - 22:00 He wants this with you and look at it. It says that you have been saved actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life through faith and This salvation is not of yourselves not do your own effort Like not because of what you did But it is the undeserved gracious gift of God Not as a result of your works like it's being very redundant because at some moments
• 22:00 - 22:30 I think that I mean I didn't deserve it back then but God you know I've been good like I'm doing good it like I'm Serving you now like I've gone six months without having sex with somebody I'm I'm good and and it keeps coming back to the same thing. It's not of your works It's not because you gave that large offering it's not because you served the orphans in Haiti It's the free gift of God
• 22:30 - 23:00 He said He says but it is the undeserved gracious gift verse 9 not as a result of your works. Nor your attempts to keep the law So that no one will be able to boast or take credit in any way for his salvation I'm gonna read it in the message version. It says now God has us right where he wants us With all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus
• 23:00 - 23:30 Saving is all his idea and all his work all we do look what we do trust him We trust him enough to let him do it oh my god, that is good Bible This should be friends somebody right now Cuz there's no way you could keep the law you set for yourself
• 23:30 - 24:00 Like okay, come on. Let's be honest. You said you ain't eating doughnuts this week You set the law Nobody else said it how did you end up in Krispy kream line? Cuz we're unable to Keep the law that we even said So, what do you do? It says All we do is trust him enough to let him do it
• 24:00 - 24:30 It's God different start to finish We don't play a major role if we did we'd probably go around bragging that we've done the whole thing No, we neither make or save ourselves God does both the making and the savings Y'all That's such good Bible right there
• 24:30 - 25:00 So it's not because of your rowing and And we won't be able to boast about it And so when I when I started looking at this I know that this goes against a lot of people's philosophy about themselves because the only reason you feel good about yourself is because You're boasting about what you didn't even do Like my life has changed girl. Yeah, I know back in high school I was like that, but now I got a job that paid me well. I got two guys fighting over me
• 25:00 - 25:30 I got I'm insurance. I'll do a Bible study. I have a Christian glam squad. I mean we're And somehow I needed God when I got out of college, but somehow 10 years later after all my good deeds It became my rowing Do you understand what I'm saying and what happens is I know this sucks cuz it doesn't make you better than nobody
• 25:30 - 26:00 Like and this is the hard thing where religion comes in and and tries to make The differences know what we believe in this and then you believe in that it, and then we do this But you only do it on this day, and and which Everybody's trying to be the one who's God's favorite And what God's looking at all of us and saying you're all my favorites I
• 26:00 - 26:30 Love all of you to say evens around He cussed you out Lord, I heard him, anyhow right now in your presence Even Jerome as a matter of fact y'all hold on cuz I'll leave the ninety-nine Y'all didn't got in touch. I'll leave I know y'all good, but my child
• 26:30 - 27:00 And then we sitting here looking like the prodigal Brother not the prodigal son of the protocols brother see y'all like yeah, that's me no no Why are you blessing him? Why what you never threw a party for me, and I've been faithful, and I've been I've been holding on to your promises I've been doing like why are you?
• 27:00 - 27:30 Because God's coming to us today in this grace like a flood series, and he's saying everything I've ever had You Could throw a party whenever you want to but the reason we're celebrating is custom homeless loss Come on church but now he's found and He didn't merit it. He did nothing to deserve this a matter of fact. He did the opposite
• 27:30 - 28:00 So what happened? She feeling miss messes, huh Listen so what happens when God Extends his grace in his love even when you're running the opposite direction And then he asked you to help throw the party
• 28:00 - 28:30 To do the invite list Do y'all hear what I'm saying. That's when we'll understand do we really understand grace Are we still feeling somewhere, it's about our works and I wanna I want you to understand that grace is unmerited say that grace is Unmarried we don't merit the grace of God And I as I begin to study this I was trying to think of examples of where this applied in my life
• 28:30 - 29:00 And I probably have one of the best fathers in the world. I don't just have a good father I have a grace filled father a prominent man of God said it like this He said Tommy Todd is grace personified, and I didn't understand what to say he would say it all the time And I'll be like okay great What does that mean when I understood this that? Grace is unmerited I Pretend I just flash back in my mind to all these examples and I
• 29:00 - 29:30 Remember one specifically that happened almost every week when me and my brothers were in middle school in high school I have four brothers and inevitably one of us would forget or use prematurely our lunch money every day and that was the time where they start putting pop machines and Fruitopia and I'll no switch I had but boy that fruits. Hopefully a strawberry Kiwi. Just kept taking my dollars just It was the bomb yeah
• 29:30 - 30:00 We broke And and what ended up happening Was we call our dang and like clockwork every day one of my brothers He would come and give us a new lunch money now. It's only from eight to twenty like what it's only four hours How did you spend your six dollars of your eight dollars in four hours? And and this is the thing that I always remembered he never
• 30:00 - 30:30 Punished us or and he never Asked why we kept doing it. It was almost as if as a father He expected that his children would mess up And he already was always prepared to take care of all of our stupid mistakes
• 30:30 - 31:00 And when I begin to think about what grace is it's our Heavenly Father Already taking in consideration, Oh your stupid mistakes and Said I'm gonna send the payment that We'll be able to take care of all of your mistakes And when I saw that I said, man
• 31:00 - 31:30 That's what grace like a flex length Or many of us if we were doing that in our kids. We're doing that You ain't eating today, I guess you bout too fast Because I gave you money, what did you do with the money? It don't matter you ain't got it no more, huh? So I want you to do something now go to the lunchroom and watch everybody else eat So maybe tomorrow
• 31:30 - 32:00 Come on let's be honest Cuz we're always in a place where we feel like we gotta teach you That what you did you suffer for oh? Come on, y'all I'm just I'm just trying to this is what the word is telling us right here, but once you receive the grace of God you Get to experience another level of God's faithfulness
• 32:00 - 32:30 so the grace of God is Unmerited I heard. It said like this the Bible says love covers a multitude of sin the MLT version the Michael Living Translation, I say grace covers a multitude of stupid sins Because that's really what ends up happening you cheated on your wife God doesn't throw you away. He says let me in today
• 32:30 - 33:00 Can I help you with that? and I can restore what looks broken to the world and I can make it something that other people can learn from But you gotta like that grace like a flood Come into that situation and this is the sad thing about us many of us don't want it for other people because we haven't accepted it for ourselves I Must say that one more time many of us do not want grace like a flood to be poured out for other people
• 33:00 - 33:30 Because we have not truly accepted it for ourselves God is not holding you hostage to what you did when you were in college you're holding yourself hostage and He keeps saying can we move past this I? Already paid for it It's already paid for you want to keep talking about it I'll be here until You realize that? Any man that be in Christ
• 33:30 - 34:00 He's a new creation behold the old has Everything in your life no But you can say that But the question is do you believe it so the grace of God is unmerited the next one the grace of God is Undeserved somebody say grace is undeserved You don't deserve it That's the point-blank period of this whole point even though you're a leader even though you're a better person
• 34:00 - 34:30 Even though you're more humble even though now you have a big house Even though you're generous even though you're in a pure relationship you do not deserve the grace of God look what Romans 3:24 says it says being justified freely or Undeservedly by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Let's unpack this word grace a little bit this word grace Actually in the Greek is the word Horace a lot of people say Karis, but it actually is pronounced Horace
• 34:30 - 35:00 And if you've named your daughter Karis don't go home and start calling her her ease okay But-but-but this word is actually a Greek word before it was a spiritual word so God chose to use this word to To be able to show us what grace is in life and so I begin to study it what it meant in the Greek and and and it always referred to a Superior giving a benevolent gift to an inferior not an inferior person
• 35:00 - 35:30 But maybe they were inferior in goods or inferior in something that they had and so what would end up happening is let's say Somebody owned a shoe store, and they were superior. They could provide shoes Charles come here and help me real quick You're gonna be the superior you stand right there, okay, so so let's say Charles wanted to provide shoes And and and there was somebody that that needed shoes And and and they um they wanted to bless them so sweetheart. What's your name?
• 35:30 - 36:00 Gabrielle come here come help me Gabrielle. Okay? Um. This is this is what would happen is that the logical thing? this is the picture of grace okay that a Superior in goods or resources would give to the inferior and most of us is like ah that's grace But when you study it out in the Greek this may surprise you there was always a third party involved in this word grace so there would be the superior the
• 36:00 - 36:30 Inferior that needed. What was there and these are the closest on words in the English language So I wouldn't use these in spiritual terms But I just trying to get you to get the picture this would be the paid the patron okay This would be the client, but there was always a third party in his name was the broker and What would happen is? This person say I can provide the goods and and and and the brokers job was to bring the person who had it
• 36:30 - 37:00 Together with the person who needed it But there was something else that happened. Can you give me that real quick? So the broker didn't just bring him together the broker paid for it, too So you made it and I now know who needs it But you said I want to bless people kind of like Tom's have y'all ever heard the story of toms And how they make shoes for and then every shoe that's bought here somebody in a third-world country kid so you made it
• 37:00 - 37:30 But I know who needs it, and I'm not just gonna give it to him. I'm gonna pay for it in full This this is the Greek meaning of hurry or grace and I as the broker went last night and paid for these Nikes okay, and because I saw them heels you have on today I
• 37:30 - 38:00 Went and paid for it from somebody who made it and knew what needed to happen But now I've paid for it in full and I'm going to give it to the person who's in need Don't miss this picture the saint of faith example. These are your Nikes okay? Do you see her face cuz she didn't deserve it
• 38:00 - 38:30 She didn't earn it and she didn't merit it, but I was thinking about her last night. I Was thinking about her when she wasn't even thinking about her sad Baby girl god bless you There you go till y'all give it up for them as an example That is the picture of grace does that sound familiar?
• 38:30 - 39:00 Jesus is the broker He's the one that said God What do you need me to do cuz the world needs you and he said I will go and pay for it on the tree And I'm not putting a down payment on it. I'm gonna pay it boom, Oh Somebody ought to give God some praise like that That God paid for it in fool for your mess ups for your shirt to off feel the presence of
• 39:00 - 39:30 Somebody y'all need to recognize this God didn't put your salvation on layaway Excuse me layaway you General a layaway. It's one word you don't know what layaway is where you you pick it out And you put a little down and then and then we come back, and we we put a little more on it And that's what we feel like coming to church is
• 39:30 - 40:00 Putting putting a little more When we serve I don't really like doing this guy's not really transformed my heart, but I got to put a little something To keep must When you accepted Jesus it was paid in full I Hear you I hear you, but that's the mic you've now just given people a license to sin They don't need permission
• 40:00 - 40:30 If they don't see it See it can't be love and to there's a choice and I know pastors and leaders who are watching it. It's easier to keep a congregation and controlled if you scared them It literally is that's why the church has been built on hail and you're just not going to hail Like you're gonna. End up in hail like you gonna. It's like a scare tactic, but who are you really love?
• 40:30 - 41:00 That it's out of fear And what I'm saying is I know this is messing with all your religion like I know like you're like wow And then they're going to think they can do I would rather people hear this go while out and sin hit rock bottom and See that the only thing they need
• 41:00 - 41:30 Instead of Living a lukewarm life If I'm saved on Sunday wiling out Monday through Saturday but I'm putting a little bit on my layaway of salvation the Grace of God is undeserved Just say it one more time grace is undeserved I Heard this story about a man named Edward Victor here and some of you know maybe dr. Eva Hill he was prominent in
• 41:30 - 42:00 the church world he tells the testimony on how he was a young man and he felt the call to be a preacher and He told his mom mom I'm gonna be a preacher one day And she said I believe that so you're gonna go to college and so all growing up He was a young minority, and he he thought all the way to he's about 12 13 years old He was going to college because he would always say it
• 42:00 - 42:30 And then he started to realize the at this point in our nation's history It was very hard for an african-american young man to get into a college let alone have the finances to pay for it he realized he was being raised by a single mother and And they just didn't have it, so he said I'm I'm still gonna be a preacher I'm just not gonna go to college and so he started telling himself that and then one day got the courage to tell his mom And so he says mom you know I'm still gonna be a preacher, but I'm not going to college. She said boy shut up
• 42:30 - 43:00 She said you're going to you gone to college y'all know gone like that's one word that's going but it's gone you gone She said you're going to college and she said look them square in his eyes. She said God will provide He said okay, I will provide or we still broke We're still struggling He goes throughout his high school career he would get down again and
• 43:00 - 43:30 He said mama I'm still gonna be a preacher like I'm studying the scriptures on them But I'm probably not gonna get to go to college there There's no assistance for me right now, but I can't do it when she says son Square in the house God will provide So his mom sent him to the Registrar's Office on the day that everybody's supposed to get their schedules and he's standing in a line and And and standing in a college register line don't mean much because they will let you get all your stuff and then like deny you
• 43:30 - 44:00 At the last moment like you got booked. See you got all Denied like and so he's standing there Five people back, and he said he's just shaking cuz he has no money and His mom said go cuz God's gonna provide for People back three people back two people back. He said when he got Up to the window and the woman said can I help you he said a man Stepped up next to him took out his hand put a lot of money in it and he said son
• 44:00 - 44:30 God will provide oh, yeah Y'all he gave the money to the woman she Beginning to counted out told him what the bill was and it was enough for him to get registered She took a big red stamp and over the receipt. She said boom and it said paid in And For the first time in his life
• 44:30 - 45:00 All the Scriptures he studied came to this point and he said I remember thinking. That's what Jesus did for us He paid our bill in Full if you don't hear anything else that I say You didn't merit The kindness favor and goodness of God you don't deserve The favor kindness and goodness of God and my last point is
• 45:00 - 45:30 grace is unearned and This is the one that a lot of people get messed up on the Romans 11:6 says and if by grace then It's no longer of works otherwise grace is no longer grace, but if it's of work It's no longer grace otherwise work is no longer work. Let me help you understand this Let's substitute for grace and works free and earned cuz Romans 6 26 tells us that we receive the free gift of God Romans
• 45:30 - 46:00 3:24 tells us that being justified freely by His grace So I just want to say this scripture a different way just substituting the words so Romans 11:6 remixed if it's free It's not earned Otherwise free is not free if it's earned It's not free otherwise earn does not earn This scriptures are saying either grace is one or two things. It's free or it's earned
• 46:00 - 46:30 And many of us don't want to accept that the grace of God is a free gift Like like it's unearned look what the baker encyclopedia of the Bible says about it It says grace is the dimension of divine activity that enables God took? human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless Thank you you can't run out of forgiveness for us
• 46:30 - 47:00 Cute you won't stop blessing us It's free like Like you can never be given a gift that you have to pay for It's not a gift. Just imagine you being at your birthday party like oh my god Sally Oh, we thought about you here. You go, and you open them. You're like oh Like do you like it? Yes, that'll be eighty six thousand fifty two cents
• 47:00 - 47:30 You wouldn't even know I don't even like it. This is ugly actually Because It's it's not free if I have to pay for it Get this grace is not free it's not a gift Which the scripture says over and over it's the free gift of God. It's the free gift of God What can you do with the gift? What's the only thing you can do?
• 47:30 - 48:00 receive it And that's why God is coming to you every Sunday here a transformation church, and he's trying to give you the gift of grace and And Grace has a name Jesus grace is bonus point grace is Jesus That's all in it and every day and every day the Bible says in Revelation he stands at the door and knocks I Have a package for you I
• 48:00 - 48:30 Have transformation for you, I healing for you, you know you don't want me today, okay, I'll be back tomorrow Hey, it's me again, Jesus. I can't grace Ya know I've been here since you were 10 when you went to that that camp and you almost received me then But you thought that your failures in what you did the night before made you unworthy but
• 48:30 - 49:00 like I I've been watching you every day Since you've been born. I know this is a little weird, but like I know the number of hairs on your head I Know that's crazy. You don't even know that I don't know it's crazy Why do you want me What I should have to pay For all of the things that yeah about that like no no no no the wages of your sin was death there was a payment
• 49:00 - 49:30 But yo like if you let me in I could tell you about our Father Like and so our Father like yo, you haven't met him yet, but when you do You'll never meet a more graceful person in your life like he saw you here in this decade and So he sent me and So everything that you would do that would create this long bill
• 49:30 - 50:00 Man, we got a good dad. He paid for it like like no no But you got to understand like I heard that it was all these rules rituals and regulations Now broke like this is what you got to understand like once you meet that You'll just want to do things different Like like once you meet that you won't be looking for your security on a posting Instagram where you have to be naked Cuz you'll know who's you are now like you just been out here by yourself
• 50:00 - 50:30 Can I can I please come in I'm not ready yet, okay cool I'll be here tomorrow and the day after that and I'll show a picture job And I'm working a little things like like that promotion you got That was me No, that was me Okay, but you you know you're not that good
• 50:30 - 51:00 Like you know you copied and pasted everything for that presentation. I was there remember I was there I Mean I was outside I was outside the window I saw it what? Well maybe another day tomorrow's not promised But just in case just in case I'll be here See the grace of God it's unearned
• 51:00 - 51:30 And I want to show you a picture of grace We're done today. I just hope you really realize That the grace of God for you is amazing grace is unmerited the grace of God is undeserved and the grace of God is unearned and the grace of God is a person the grace is Jesus I Want to show you a picture of grace there's this man named dick and Rick Hoyt? It's it's a father and a son
• 51:30 - 52:00 Rick was born with the umbilical cord around his neck and so he he had brain damage And so he's never been able to walk or talk a day in his life They found out though that he was extremely smart so his mom Julie and Dick they they taught him how to read the alphabet with just blinking his eyes and moving his eyes And he would he learned this and so then they got together with Some developers in 1973 and they developed the technology
• 52:00 - 52:30 that would allow him to basically move his eyes like a cursor on a mouse and then like bumped something with his head as like a Clicker and he would be able to talk for the first time in 1973 now think about that technology it's in use all over the world today, but they built it for him and One day they had a tragic accident. He's in high school now They had a tragic accident with one of the kids at his school, and he he typed out with his eyes
• 52:30 - 53:00 he the city was doing a 5k run to raise money for the family of his friend that that was tragically paralyzed and He told his dad. I want to run in that race So his dad beginning a train not a runner Not anybody who's ever done any athletics like this, but he begin to train because his only son decided he wanted to run in this race and So they ran in that 5k And at the end of the 5k his dad dick looked at Rick and he said how do you feel?
• 53:00 - 53:30 And he typed out he said this is the first time in my life that I haven't felt handicapped and So his dad continued to Train he literally committed his life to Making sure that his son Could experience that feeling over and over and over again and so since then these two have done over 72 marathons and over
• 53:30 - 54:00 255 triathlons And if you don't know what a triathlon is I looked it up cuz I did a triathlon is 2.4 miles of swimming 26.2 miles of running and a hundred and twelve miles of biking They've done that over 250 five times So so when dick is running Rick is being pulled behind him or being pushed in front of him
• 54:00 - 54:30 When when when dick is swimming? Rick is in a life raft Being pulled by his father And when when dick is cycling Rick is on the seat in front of the bike being carried I? Want to show you I hope you've never forget this a picture of grace
• 54:30 - 55:00 Who taught the son And who told them you can love this file
• 55:00 - 55:30 Hi whose words
• 55:30 - 56:00 Every the same god, that's things
• 56:00 - 56:30 Oh To 12
• 56:30 - 57:00 Every time I watched it it messes me up
• 57:00 - 57:30 Because I'm the young man in the chair
• 57:30 - 58:00 And anything I've been able to do in this life
• 58:00 - 58:30 It's been because God has been pulling me. He's been pushing me, and he's been carrying me by His grace
• 58:30 - 59:00 The grace of God
• 59:00 - 59:30 Is amazing
• 59:30 - 60:00 Cuz none of us deserve it have earned it or mareting
• 60:00 - 60:30 Thank God for Jesus