Forgiveness
is an important element in knowing and following Jesus.
Forgiveness
is a fundamental in removing the main obstacle to us experiencing the reality
of Jesus in our lives. Sin separates us from God and forgiveness reconciles us
to God.
Grace
is the characteristic of God from which forgiveness flows to us.
In
John 19:30 Jesus says, “It is finished.” This is not a cry of defeat. It is a
cry of victory. So, what is finished?
In
Ephesians 1:7 Paul writes, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace.”
According
to this verse two things are done by or finished by Jesus.
Redemption
Through His Blood
Redemption
is repurchasing what has been sold to someone else. We belonged to our Creator,
but because of sin we came to be owned and under the authority of Satan. Jesus
bought us back by shedding His blood on the cross.
Redemption
is paying off a debt. We owed God a debt because of our sin and Jesus paid it
off through His blood.
Redemption
is being delivered or rescued from some form of captivity. We were in slavery
to Satan. He was holding us captive because of our sin. Jesus’ blood freed us
from the slavery we were under because of our sin.
Redemption
is atoning for a mistake or failure. In our case it was atoning for our sin. Jesus
never committed any sin. He gave up His perfection for our sin. Jesus’ blood
atoned. Jesus’ shed blood satisfied God’s righteous standard and we received
the righteousness of Jesus.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving redemption; being removed for the
authority of Satan to the authority Jesus, having our debt paid by Jesus, being
rescued from captivity, our sin being replaced by Jesus’ righteousness.
Forgiveness
Of Our Trespasses According To The Riches Of His Grace
We
are forgiven.
Our
Trespasses (stepping outside the boundaries God has set for our good) are forgiven.
Jesus
does all of this by His grace.
Forgiveness
through the grace of Jesus allows us to go from a life marked by failure and
sin to a life marked by grace-empowered forgiveness.
So,
is Jesus forgiveness for real?
Psalm
103:12
As
far as the east is from the west so far does He remove our transgressions from
us.
Our
sins are totally removed from us as far as the east is from the west.
1
John 1:9
If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
Our
sins are forgiven and we are cleansed from all the unrighteousness which stained
our lives.
Romans
6:23
For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.
Our
sins are forgiven and we are given as a free gift (grace) eternal life.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is being forgiven, having our sin removed from
us, being cleansed from the unrighteousness of sin, and receiving eternal life
all through the grace of Jesus.
God’s
forgiveness is real.
God’s
forgiveness is by grace.
In
God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
One
of the marks of God’s grace working in our lives is that God’s grace qualifies
us. I have been serving churches for a long time and I have not been qualified
to serve Jesus through any of them. It is His grace that qualified me then and
qualifies me now to teach, counsel, and guide His church.
The
first church I served was First Baptist Church in Archer City, Texas. I had no
formal theological training and no experience. When I asked why they were
willing to take a chance on me, the answer was that I was young and ignorant,
but they saw a desire in me to serve God and they wanted to be a part of enabling
me to do that. That was God’s grace at work in His church to qualify me to
serve Jesus through His church.
In
1 Corinthians 1, Paul shares about who God chooses and uses and what qualifies
those He chooses.
1
Corinthians 1:22-25
For
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a
stumbling block to Jews and folly to Greeks, Christ the power of God and the
wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness
of God is stronger than men.
The
world wants proof of a person being qualified to do something. That proof
usually comes in forms of education (degrees), training (certificates), and
experience. Paul says that even if you have those things the main thing is that
you have the power of God. Jesus, who is the power of God and through His
crucifixion and resurrection shows that power.
The
first reason that having Jesus and His grace as what qualifies you is that the
foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom. The second reason that having
Jesus and His grace as what qualifies you is that the weakness of God is
stronger that man’s power.
Human
resources cannot qualify us for serving God, but God’s grace gives us wisdom
wiser than human wisdom and power stronger than human power.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is depending on God’s grace to gives us God’s
wisdom and God’s power.
1
Corinthians 1:26-29
For
consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly
standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose
what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world,
even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human
might boast in the presence of God.
We
need God’s grace to qualify us because God does not always choose the wise or
the powerful or those of noble birth. God usually chooses the weak, the low,
and the despised. God does that so that He will receive the honor and glory for
what those He has chosen accomplish.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is being chosen by God and used to confound
the power of the world.
1
Corinthians 1: 30-31
And
because of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God,
righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written,
“Let the one who boasts, boasts in the Lord.”
God’s
grace enables us to serve by giving us God’s wisdom.
God’s
grace enables us to serve by making us the righteousness of God.
God’s
grace enables us to serve by setting us apart for God’s exclusive use.
God’s
grace enables us to serve by redeeming us from sin, both the penalty and power
of sin.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is being in Christ Jesus.
God’s
grace enables us to be qualified to serve Jesus through His church.
By
God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
God’s
grace is not just God’s undeserved love that stops bad things from happening to
His people. God’s grace is also His undeserved love that transforms what we
define as bad things into things that are for good for those who love Him and
are seeking to fulfill His call on their lives.
Romans
8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
This
verse is not saying that every single thing that happens in our lives is going
to be good. We live in a fallen world which is dominated by sin. Living in a
world like that means that we will face difficult and painful things in our
lives. The promise that God makes us is that when we turn those things over to
Him, He will transform them into things that will ultimately benefit us.
There
are two incidents in the Old Testament that illustrate this truth.
Joseph
was the youngest son of Jacob and was the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife
Rachel. Joseph was his father’s favorite and Jacob didn’t hide that fact. He
showed that Joseph was his favorite in many ways and Joseph’s brothers were
well aware of it.
Joseph
also did things that did not help the situation with his brothers. He had
dreams that indicated that his father, mother, and brothers would someday bow
before him. So, when his brothers got a chance, they sold Joseph to some
merchants and told Jacob that he had gotten killed by some wild animal.
Joseph
was bought by Potiphar and served him so well that he was put in charge of all
his master had. When Joseph was falsely accused of attempted rape by Potiphar’s
wife, he was thrown into prison.
While
Joseph was in prison, he interpreted some dreams for Pharaoh’s servants. One
was that one servant would be restored to Pharaoh’s service and that the other servant
would be executed. Joseph asked the servant who would be restored to service to
remember him to Pharaoh. When both dreams came to fulfillment, the servant that
got restored forgot about Joseph for a while. When Pharaoh had a dream that no
could interpret, the servant remembered Joseph. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s
dream and was elevated to the second highest office in Egypt.
Joseph
in that powerful position was able to save his family and bring them to Egypt
for protect and provision.
The
situations for Joseph were not good in themselves. They made Joseph a
powerless, imprisoned slave. But God used them to save Joseph’s family. This
was the family through which God would build a nation for His name and through
whom the Messiah would come.
After
the death of Jacob, Joseph’s brothers came and told him that Jacob had told
them before he died that he wanted Joseph to forgive his brothers. In Genesis
50:19-20 Joseph says, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you,
you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that
many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
Joseph
knew that his brothers meant to harm him but that God was more powerful than
their jealousy and caused it to lead to good. Good for Joseph and all his
family.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is believing that God’s grace is more powerful
than man’s evil.
The
second incident is found in 2 Kings 6. God is revealing to Elisha the battle
plans of the King of Syria. Elisha was then sharing the plans with the King of
Israel so that he could defeat the Syrians.
When
the King of Syria finds about what is happening, he sends an army to capture
Elisha. When Elisha’s servant sees the Syrian army surrounding the city where
he and Elisha are, he goes and gets Elisha. When Elisha sees the situation, he
tells his servant not to fear because there are more on their side than on the
Syrian’s side. Elisha prays that God would open his servant’s eyes and the
servant sees that beyond the Syrian army is an army of fire there to protect him
and Elisha.
Elisha
prays for God to blind the eyes of the Syrian army and God does. Elisha guides
the Syrian army to the capital of Israel where a treaty is worked so that the
war between Israel and Syria is ended.
The
servant only saw the Syrian army but Elisha say the army of God surrounding
them. Elisha trusted that God had a plan and he trusted God to work that plan not
only for his good but the good of all God’s people.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is God working a good and great plan to
benefit His people even in difficult circumstances.
God’s
grace takes things we call bad and makes them work together for our good.
In
God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
We
all have core values. I have several core values.
My
Core Values:
Never
eat anything that is moving.
When
someone tells you what you should do, smile and nod your head and then go do
what God wants you to do.
Never
share your opinion with your adult children unless they ask for it.
Try
to always listen to your wife even if you are watching the Yankees play.
Never
argue with a Pharisee, especially if they are members your church.
My
core values are not meant for anyone else because they are peculiar to me and
you are not bound by them.
I
believe that Jesus has given some core values for His church. These core values
come from looking at the Head of the church, Jesus, and seeing who He was and
knowing that, as His body, we are to be like Him.
The
Core Value of Love
1
John 4:8 & 16 says that Jesus is love.
John
13:34 Jesus tells us to love one another.
John
13:35 Jesus says love for each other is the mark of us being His disciples.
1
John 4:10 says that because Jesus loves us, we are to love each other.
It
is very clear that as followers of Jesus we are to love others as He loves us.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving as Jesus loved.
The
Core Value of Grace
Ephesians
2:8-9 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith.
Romans
6:14 tells us that sin has no power over us because we are under grace, not the
law.
2
Peter 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
1
Timothy 1:14 tells us that grace should overflow from us.
It
is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to allow His grace to permeate us.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is manifesting the grace of God to the world.
The
Core Value of Mercy
Romans
9:16 tells us God has mercy.
Ephesians
2:4 tells us that God is rich in mercy.
Hebrews
4:16 tells us that we can have confidence to draw near to God’s throne and
receive mercy.
1
Peter 1:3 describes God’s mercy as great.
It
is clear that we as followers of Jesus have received mercy and thus to show
mercy to others.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is receiving God’s mercy and showing that kind
of mercy to others.
The
Core Value of Acceptance
In
Luke 19 Jesus invites Himself to Zacchaeus’ house for lunch showing His
acceptance of Zacchaeus.
In
Matthew 8 a leper asks Jesus to make him clean and Jesus reaches out and
touches him and makes him clean.
In
Luke 7 Jesus allows a woman with a bad reputation to anoint His feet with
perfume and declares her forgiven of her sins.
In
Matthew 9 Jesus has dinner with a group of tax collectors and tells the
Pharisees that He came to call sinners.
It
is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to not judge others on outward
appearance but as Jesus does, on what is in their hearts.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is accepting all people who desire to follow
Jesus no matter who they are or what their backgrounds are.
The
Core Value of Hope
Romans
5:2 tells us to rejoice in the hope we have in the glory or presence of God.
Romans
5:5 tells us that we have hope because the Holy Spirit has poured it into our
hearts.
Ephesians
1:18 tells us that we have been called to hope in Jesus.
1
Thessalonians 5:8 tells us that our hope is the salvation we have through
Jesus.
It
is clear that as followers of Jesus we are to live with hope in Jesus, who He
is, and what He has done.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in our Hope, Jesus.
The
Core Value of Truth
In
John 14:6 Jesus tells us that He is the way, the truth, and the life.
In
John 8:31-32 Jesus tells us that abiding in His word will give us the truth and
truth will make us free.
In
Ephesians 4:15 we are told to speak the truth in love.
In
Colossians 1:5 we are told that the word of God, the gospel, is truth.
It
is clear that as followers of Jesus we can know the truth and live out that
truth.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is knowing, speaking, and living the truth.
The
church is a community of faith in Jesus that demonstrates love, grace, and
mercy, which results in the acceptance of all who come seeking Jesus, and
living in hope and truth.
In
Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
