You Are Not an Old Sinner Saved by Grace

Sermon outline

Believers live under grace and not under the law, made righteous by the finished work of Christ and not by their own performance, so they must stop calling themselves sinners, labour to enter God's rest, and never let the blessings that rest brings become their god.

1. The law came by Moses, grace and truth by Jesus Christ

   The question every Christian must settle is whether to live by the law of Moses or by grace, and Romans 6:14 answers it: you are not under law but under grace, and grace is Jesus. The law of Moses was given to the Jewish people; Gentiles were grafted in through Christ. Knowing this means you do not give your heart to the Lord and then go home wondering whether one sin today will cost you heaven.

   “Jesus is grace and grace is Jesus Christ.”

   • John 1:17
   • Romans 6:14

2. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness

   Abraham lived four hundred years before the law, so he functioned under grace: he believed God, and righteousness was imputed, added to his account. Under the law the priest never asked the worshipper what he had done; he only inspected the lamb, and if the lamb was spotless the worshipper was forgiven. Now God looks at Jesus, and if Jesus is spotless, so are you. Once that is settled, you stop wondering whether you are forgiven and move from the milk of the Word to its meat: understanding God's will for your life and becoming a good steward.

   Illustration: "When I have some road rage on the road, and then some colourful words come out of my mouth and I get to work, what am I?" The answer, morning, afternoon and a year later, is the righteousness of God.

   “We are not made righteous from the work that we did. We are made righteous by the work that Christ did.”

   • Romans 4:1-6

3. The law is not of faith

   Those who live by the works of the law are under a curse, because the just shall live by faith. The law was never meant to make us holy; it was a shadow, there to show that no one could be holy without God. Listen to the law talking: I don't drink, I don't smoke, I'm a good man, I, I, I, me, me, me. The two men crucified beside Jesus probably did not deserve paradise, but asking for mercy meant they believed He was the Christ, and they were saved. God looks at the heart and the finished work, not the outward appearance, so share the gospel with everyone you meet.

   Illustration: People dance to "Jerusalema" in public without caring who is watching, and soccer fans scream in the pub and the neighbour's yard. "You can shout for Man United. I can shout for Jesus."

   “I, I, I, me, me, me. That's living under the law.”

   • Galatians 3:9-11
   • Galatians 2:16
   • Luke 23:39-43

4. Change the language: you are a saint, not a sinner

   After the cross everything is different, so "I'm an old sinner saved by grace" has to go. After you are born again you are a saint, born again righteous. He labours this because when the chips are down and nobody is declaring over you, this is what you stand on. Temptation is pressure on the flesh to take you back to works, and religion does the same, pulling you back to performance and ritual, where every other faith on earth already lives.

   “Temptation, in a simple way, is pressure put on the flesh.”

   • Hebrews 4:10

5. If it is by grace, it is no more of works

   If you had to earn it, it is not grace; and focusing on the fruit of our works means neglecting the root. The only work God asks is to believe in the One He sent. Rest is not doing nothing; it is doing our daily work from the position that it is already done, even before it has manifested. We are not in it for what we can get, a food parcel or a return on a sown R100, but for the relationship bought by His blood, which is more important than our marriages or our children.

   “He doesn't need us to be Him, but we need Him to be us.”

   • Romans 11:6
   • John 6:28-29

6. Labour to enter the rest

   The highest form of faith is the rest of God, and faith is taking possession of what Jesus has made available. Do your best to enter it, because the Word exposes our innermost thoughts, and the authenticity of our faith shows in our language and in whether we work from stress or from the finished work. Faced with a frightening diagnosis, start with confession, find the scriptures and declare them, sing and dance alone if you must, until mind and heart align and you are in rest; then comes the manifestation. We are meant to be a peculiar people, so that others ask how we can have peace in a time of war. The Bible says we are seated with Christ, not standing, because our job is to rest: a baby must sit before it can crawl, stand and walk.

   Illustration: A student on loans facing exams still studies, but studies from rest, confessing that the Lord has made his head sharp and will bring to remembrance what he needs at the time he needs it.

   “Deliverance is a finished work. Healing is a finished work. Prosperity is a finished work.”

   • Hebrews 4:11-12
   • 1 John 4:4
   • 1 Peter 2:9-10
   • Ephesians 2:6

7. Beware lest you forget the Lord

   In rest God gives cities you did not build, houses full of good things you did not fill, wells you did not dig and vineyards you did not plant, and he prophesies these over the church. But the next verse warns: beware lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of bondage. Do not make the car, the house you could not afford, the business, the promotion or even the miracle baby your god. When there is money in the bank, no debt and new social circles, live circumspectly and keep realigning.

   Illustration: "You got the promotion, you the boss now. You're not the boy now."

   “Don't make the thing that God blessed you with your God.”

   • Deuteronomy 6:10-13

In this message