WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:21.555 In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the presence of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind. 00:00:22.035 --> 00:00:31.780 But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:46.425 By grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 00:00:46.745 --> 00:00:56.185 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 00:00:56.585 --> 00:01:03.990 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 00:01:04.870 --> 00:01:10.150 So if we can just ask God to bless his word in prayer. 00:01:11.535 --> 00:01:14.975 Heavenly Father, we just thank you for your word today. 00:01:15.055 --> 00:01:23.375 We ask that you would bless the reading of your word to all our hearts today and minister it to us by your Holy Spirit. 00:01:23.855 --> 00:01:25.295 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:44.195 So first of all, I think it's helpful to start off by saying that I'm standing here today as a sinner saved by grace, and the Bible tells us that we are all sinners, tells us that we cannot save ourselves, and that our only hope is found in Christ Jesus. 00:01:44.755 --> 00:01:50.355 In Romans three twenty three we read, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:57.890 Notice the scripture does not say that some have sinned or that only those who have lived particularly bad lives have fallen short. 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:00.130 It says all have sinned. 00:02:00.850 --> 00:02:09.355 We often hear of the gospel spoken off in terms of our brokenness, our tendency to make wrong choices, or how we could have got caught up in the wrong crowd. 00:02:09.915 --> 00:02:18.475 These can be very real experiences, and we all know how God's grace can bring about real change in our lives. 00:02:18.980 --> 00:02:23.780 We should never dismiss that or underestimate the difference God's grace can make in someone's life. 00:02:24.100 --> 00:02:28.580 But the gospel goes deeper than simply turning our lives around or becoming better people. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:34.420 Our greatest problem is not just that our lives are broken or that sometimes we make the wrong choices. 00:02:35.145 --> 00:02:41.785 The Bible tells us that we are sinners before a holy God, and that we need to be rescued from the consequences of our sin. 00:02:42.505 --> 00:02:46.345 We live in a world where we often judge ourselves by how we compare with other people. 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:50.280 We might look at someone else and think that we're not as bad as they are. 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:58.600 We might think that because we attend church, try to do good things, help our neighbors or live a respectable life, that we're doing well in the eyes of God. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:01.160 But that's not the standard God has called us to. 00:03:02.005 --> 00:03:04.565 His standard is His own perfect holiness. 00:03:04.965 --> 00:03:08.405 Christ Jesus is the perfect example of that holiness. 00:03:08.645 --> 00:03:11.125 He lived a sinless life that we could never live. 00:03:11.685 --> 00:03:18.760 When we look at ourselves, honestly at our own hearts, our thoughts, our words, and our actions, we begin to understand that we have all fallen short. 00:03:19.160 --> 00:03:20.920 We've all sinned against God. 00:03:21.640 --> 00:03:24.920 And the problem with sin is not simply that it makes us imperfect people. 00:03:25.400 --> 00:03:29.800 Sin separates us from a holy God, and the consequence of our sin is judgment. 00:03:30.735 --> 00:03:33.695 One day Jesus Christ will return in power and glory. 00:03:34.015 --> 00:03:37.615 We do not know that they are, we must be ready. 00:03:38.095 --> 00:03:46.060 We might tell ourselves that we have plenty of time, that we can put off responding to God for another day, but our lives can change in a moment. 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:49.420 We must not presume that another day will come. 00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:54.700 If we leave this world outside of Christ, we face the judgment of God and eternal punishment. 00:03:55.180 --> 00:04:01.405 Because God is perfectly holy and just, he cannot simply overlook our sin and pretend that it does not matter. 00:04:01.965 --> 00:04:05.245 We cannot make ourselves right with God through our own efforts. 00:04:05.725 --> 00:04:10.525 We need to be rescued from the judgment our sins deserve and reconciled to a holy God. 00:04:11.510 --> 00:04:13.910 So what must we do to be saved? 00:04:14.710 --> 00:04:17.910 Being a regular attender at church will not save us. 00:04:18.550 --> 00:04:23.270 Belonging to the Congregational Church or the Church of Ireland or the Presbyterian Church is not what saves us. 00:04:23.975 --> 00:04:28.935 Being a good neighbor or a good contributor to society will not save us either. 00:04:29.495 --> 00:04:36.535 There's nothing we can do in and of ourselves to earn our own salvation, and that's where the good news of the gospel begins. 00:04:36.855 --> 00:04:44.110 Romans five verse eight tells us, but God shows his love for us, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 00:04:44.750 --> 00:04:48.110 God did not wait for us to make ourselves worthy of his love. 00:04:48.510 --> 00:04:50.910 Jesus Christ commended this world to save sinners. 00:04:51.705 --> 00:04:55.865 Knowing that we could never save ourselves, God provided the savior that we need. 00:04:56.825 --> 00:04:59.705 Christ lived the perfect life that we could never live. 00:05:00.265 --> 00:05:06.025 He willingly went to the cross where he bore the punishment for our sin, for your sin and for my sin. 00:05:07.010 --> 00:05:12.610 We sometimes think of God in terms of how He appears in the Old Testament and how He appears in the New. 00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:18.130 In the Old He is a God of wrath, and in the New He is a God of love. 00:05:18.530 --> 00:05:22.585 But the God of the Old Testament is the same God we see in the New Testament. 00:05:22.745 --> 00:05:24.585 His holiness has not changed. 00:05:24.905 --> 00:05:26.585 His justice has not changed. 00:05:26.985 --> 00:05:31.305 His wrath against sin has not changed, and neither has his love. 00:05:31.625 --> 00:05:36.590 At the cross we see both the seriousness of our sin and the greatness of God's love. 00:05:37.070 --> 00:05:40.030 God has not ignored our sin or simply overlooked it. 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:46.990 Through the sacrifice of his son, he has dealt with our sin and provided the way for us to be reconciled to him. 00:05:47.695 --> 00:05:51.055 And this brings us back to the passage we read from Ephesians two. 00:05:51.295 --> 00:05:56.175 Paul tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins. 00:05:56.175 --> 00:05:58.895 We were not merely broken or in need of a little improvement. 00:05:59.290 --> 00:06:03.370 We were spiritually dead and unable to make ourselves alive to God. 00:06:04.010 --> 00:06:07.930 But notice those wonderful words in verse four, but God. 00:06:08.330 --> 00:06:16.795 It is God, that same God of the Old Testament, who takes initiative in our salvation, rescuing us from the wrath that we deserve. 00:06:17.435 --> 00:06:22.955 We could never save ourselves, but God, in his great love and mercy, has acted to save us through his son. 00:06:23.595 --> 00:06:31.380 Ephesians two tells us, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. 00:06:31.860 --> 00:06:35.460 We are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. 00:06:35.940 --> 00:06:39.540 Salvation is God's gift, not something we can earn through our own efforts. 00:06:40.325 --> 00:06:48.645 When God saves us, he forgives our sins, he makes us alive in Christ, and gives us his Holy Spirit as our helper and guide. 00:06:48.965 --> 00:06:54.725 Romans eight verse one says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:59.100 Those who are in Christ are clothed in his righteousness. 00:06:59.500 --> 00:07:04.060 Our sin was imputed to Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to us. 00:07:04.540 --> 00:07:06.620 This is the wonderful truth of the gospel. 00:07:07.275 --> 00:07:13.995 Christ took the punishment our sins deserved, and through faith in him, we are counted righteous before God. 00:07:14.875 --> 00:07:19.995 And so I want to speak particularly to anyone here today who has not yet put their trust in him. 00:07:20.800 --> 00:07:23.120 Perhaps you've attended church for years. 00:07:23.440 --> 00:07:29.680 Perhaps you consider yourself a good person and try to do what is right, or have always believed that there is a God. 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:33.120 But none of these things can take away your guilt before him. 00:07:33.945 --> 00:07:37.545 Knowing about Jesus is not the same as trusting in him for your salvation. 00:07:38.265 --> 00:07:47.145 The question is not whether you've lived a better life than someone else, but whether you've recognized your sin before a holy God and your need for the savior he has provided. 00:07:48.380 --> 00:07:53.660 Do not put your trust in your own goodness, your religious background, or your efforts to become a better person. 00:07:54.140 --> 00:08:00.540 The answer from the beginning has always been to repent, to turn from your sin, and trust in Jesus Christ alone. 00:08:01.575 --> 00:08:05.415 For those of us who have already trusted in Him, this is where our confidence remains. 00:08:05.975 --> 00:08:10.695 We will still struggle with sin, but our hope is not found in our own perfection. 00:08:11.175 --> 00:08:14.935 We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. 00:08:15.780 --> 00:08:24.340 We have all sinned and stand in need of God's mercy, but God and his love has provided a savior in his son, Jesus Christ. 00:08:24.740 --> 00:08:31.525 He died for sinners, he rose again, He is Lord and he will return in power and glory. 00:08:31.925 --> 00:08:34.405 May we all be fine trusting in him. 00:08:34.965 --> 00:08:36.005 Let us pray. 00:08:37.525 --> 00:08:48.270 Heavenly Father, we just thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins and rise again, so that all who repent and trust in him may be forgiven and have eternal life. 00:08:48.670 --> 00:08:53.870 Help us to recognize our need for a savior and to rest in Christ alone for our salvation. 00:08:53.950 --> 00:08:55.630 In Jesus name, amen.