Mercy, Grace, & Love

Liberty Churches

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Mercy, Grace, & Love

Easter Changed Everything

April 14, 2019 • Lead Pastor Tim Moen

We are entering into The Passion Week Celebrations!

• Palm Weekend - Celebrating the Triumphal Entry

• Good Friday - Remembering the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

• Resurrection Day (Easter) - Celebrating the Resurrection

You can read about the Triumphal Entry of Jesus in all four of the Gospels.

• Matthew 21:1-11 (Which is our Text this weekend)

• Mark 11:1-11

• Luke 19:28-44

• John 12:12-19

At both Christmas and Easter.... We often celebrate and thank God for the GIFT of His Son Jesus Christ.... And Jesus certainly is... A gift! In reality... There are actually three other gifts that really define the greater gift... Jesus Christ.

• MERCY • GRACE • LOVE

Mercy is God not punishing us as we deserve for our sins.

We ALL have sinned!

Ecclesiastes 7:20 “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth
who does good and never sins.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...”

1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We will all die a physical death!

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment...”

As we head towards celebrating Resurrection Sunday... There is GREAT NEWS!

• God is not an ANGRY God!
• God does not want to punish you!
• God does not want you separated from Him for eternity!
• God is a MERCIFUL God and He has done everything possible to save
you for your sin.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

NOW... TODAY... Is the day of Salvation!!

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

King David fully understood his need for God’s MERCY...

Psalm 51:1-2 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!”

James 2:13b tells us that “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

MERCY is greater than judgment!!

God wants to give you MERCY!!!
He is offering you MERCY... Today!!!

GRACE is unmerited favor. God not only wants to give you His MERCY... He also wants to give you His GRACE!

Grace is a gift!

Romans 3:24b says, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”

GRACE Initiates - Our Salvation

John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.”

GRACE Initiates - Forgiveness of Sins

We can see this in the case of the thief who died on the cross together
with Jesus. He turned to Jesus and Jesus received him saying: “Today you will be
with Me in Paradise”. Luke 23:43.

GRACE Initiates - God’s Power

Luke 9:23-24 “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

GRACE IS - Jesus Christ

Ephesians 1:3-14 “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of grace,

8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ

10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Jesus Christ is the Grace of God... And through this Grace we all have an opportunity to receive God’s eternal gift of Salvation and if that were not enough... Also every spiritual blessing!

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

LOVE

1 John 4:7-12 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.

10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

FAITH

God’s grace is entirely wrapped up in a person: Jesus. You can’t get it through religion or ritual. You can’t get it by following the rules. You get it through Jesus. God’s grace is free. You simply need to accept it.

All you need to do to benefit from God’s LOVE - MERCY - GRACE is this...
You just have to receive it!
How? By FAITH!

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

April 21, 2019 • Lead Pastor Tim Moen

Today is the day of Salvation... In Christ Jesus! 2 Corinthians 6:2 “For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” The great news for all is: • God is not wanting to judge you! • God does not want to punish you! • God does not want you to be... Separated from Him for eternity! • God is a MERCIFUL God... and He has done everything possible to save His creation from their sin. ☑️ Sin is serious business! ☑️ We were all born sinners! ☑️ God will one day judge the worlds sin! All will face God’s judgment one day... ☑️ IF we remain in our sin... There is a penalty... Which is the second death The Good News is... However... That because of God’s MERCY, GRACE & LOVE... God has made it possible for anyone to escape this the second death! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“ Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God gave us the greatest gift ever... He gave us His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus came into this world having only having one main mission... To pay the penalty for our sins. Philippians 2:6-8... 6 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God ra thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a tservant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The MERCY, GRACE & LOVE of God — Is FULLY dependent upon the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is A gift for ALL! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the PILLAR of our Christian faith. Without the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ... There is no Christian faith! • Everything that we believe • Everything that we hope for • Everything about Christianity... HINGES... on the facts... That lead us to believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead! IF anyone could prove that Jesus Christ was not resurrected... That person would go down in the history books... As the one who destroyed the Christian faith. Guess what... For more than 2000 years so MANY have tried... No one has ever succeeded! ----------------------------- John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” The Christian faith is 100% All about The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The RESURRECTION CHANGES EVERYTHING 1️⃣ It proves who Jesus is! Romans 1:4 “and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,” 2️⃣ It makes forgiveness possible! 1 Corinthians 15:14-17 14 “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” Hebrews 9:27-28 “ 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. 3️⃣ It solidifies our Salvation! Romans 10:9-10 9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Jesus Christ came for one purpose... To save YOU! John 10:10b “He came that you might have life and life more abundantly.” Jesus did not die just so that all the “good people” could be saved! He died so that EVERYONE ... Who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ would be saved! • Good.... Bad... • Beautiful... Ugly... • Rich.... Poor... It does not matter... If you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved!!! John 10:10 “The thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly.” The Resurrection of Jesus Christ... Can give you LIFE!!! It is your decision!