The sound of grace is the sweetest sound there is. The Gospel is wrapped up in one word: grace. The entire New Covenant is wrapped up in one word: grace. The more we know we are forgiven of all our sins, the more we will know we are loved and the more we will rest. No matter how far short we have fallen, we can look to Jesus and say, “I am under grace!” No matter how misunderstood we are, we can look to Jesus and say, “I am under grace!” No matter how chaotic our circumstances seem, we can look to Jesus and say, “I am under grace!” Because God has a good outcome for us! He looks at Jesus, and then He looks at the mirror image of Jesus in us, and says, “You are My Beloved Child. Grace to you! My peace I give to you! Blessings on your life!” Grace is all that dwells in Christ for us!

Session 5: “I Am Under Grace” transcript/ notes

Welcome to Session 5 of “As Jesus Is, So Am I.” This session is entitled, “I am under grace.” How appropriate that this is the 5th session. 5 is the number of grace!

Last week I knew the title would be “I Am under grace,” but that’s all I knew. At first I had a direction I planned to go in, but the Holy Spirit led me in another direction a few days ago.

He said, “No, I want you to go down memory road to the first time you ever heard pure grace. And what you heard and what those scriptures were.”

Wow! It  was vert simple. And that is what has made me weep to go back and remember the simplicity of what I first heard.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. It is the sweetest sound I have ever heard. You know, we can sing about the blood – “O the blood of Jesus,” “there is a fountain filled wit h blood” – we can sing about the resurrection – “up from the grave He arose” – and our hearts will well up with praise and we’ll want to worship the Lord. But the sweetest sound is the sound of His grace.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.

It’s a sound that melts our hearts and makes us cry.

Many years ago, there was a time when I was crying alot, but not from the sound of grace. It was from the voices of self-effort. “Just keep pushing and striving, and you will make it. God will be pleased with you and accept you. And you’ll live up to the expectations of the people around you.”

I became so burned out from working so hard chasing a carrot on the end of a stick that kept moving further and further out. It was unreachable.

But after miraculously hearing grace in a kairos moment, all my burdens were lifted. My life was changed utterly and completely. God used that simple message to lead me into a glorious encounter with Jesus.

After that, the sound of grace came in wave after wave. It was like a gentle rain that washed away all the unworthiness, all the striving; all the fears and heaviness and unforgiveness. My eyes were like a constant faucet of tears. What a glorious season of healing and restoration!

I Am Under Grace

But embracing grace also caused a lot of trouble for me. Ultimately, it would cause a dramatic earthquake that would severely affect me and the lives of my whole family.

But long before that, I remember sitting in a parking lot. I was early for a meeting with a friend – a pastor. My teaching on grace was causing a stir, and I knew this was going to be a difficult meeting with this friend because I anticipated that he was in sharp disagreement with me.

As I sat in the parking lot, in order to alleviate anxious thoughts, I kept saying over and over, “I am under grace. I am under grace. I am under grace. No matter what happens, I am under grace. If God is for me, who can be against me?”

In the meeting, my friend asked me why I only taught on grace. He said, “Why don’t you teach on parenting or finances? Why don’t you teach on the wrath of God?” That’s what he really wanted to know. I believe to this day that he was genuinely trying to help me. As I was listening to him, I prayed, “Lord, how do I respond to this?”

There was no opening to share the truth about grace with him. He did not have ears to here.

The only thing the Holy Spirit gave me to say was this: “Well, grace is what the Lord has told me to teach.”

I don’t mind talking about the wrath of God because the wrath of God consumed my sin in the body of Jesus. I don’t mind talking about parenting and finances because all the wisdom and provision we will ever need has already been provided by the grace of God at the cross of Jesus. So it aways comes back to grace!

Skimming the surface of grace

So today I want to share with you my notes from the first time I heard pure grace. It was a simple message. It was just a skimming of the surface. It wasn’t the deep waters of grace doctrines and the verse by verse in context teaching that would one day become my own calling. I t was like a beginner’s message on grace. And it utterly ROCKED my world.

Later I would begin spending 8-16 hours a day digging in the scriptures, immersing myself in the truth, writing and writing and writing. And this went on for months, even years.

I knew that to continue to lead and to teach, I had to know the scriptures, but just a skimming of the surface of grace was all it took for me to enter the rest of God and be transformed forever.

John 1:17

So the first scripture was John 1:17. Throughout my life I had always thought that grace was on one side and obedience./ holiness  was on the other side. Grace was just letting you off the hook when you weren’t obedient.

But what I didn’t realize is that grace is the greatest holiness there is because only grace could bring a sinful man and a holy God together.

John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

I had never in my life thought about this verse. Even though I led many people and wrote Bible studies, my focus was on other things than the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. My focus was on how to be a better Christian.

I had never contrasted Moses with Jesus, but John was putting Moses on one side, and Jesus on another. Moses represents the Old Covenant, and Jesus is the New Covenant.

• The law was given through Moses
• Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

I had always thought that truth and law and obedience were synonymous terms. Truth had to do with obeying laws.

But here in John 1:17 we see that truth is on one side and law is on the other! Truth is on the side of grace!

• The law was given through Moses
• Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

I didn’t know that no one had ever become holy through the law. I didn’t know that the only way to true holiness is through grace.

The focus of grace is Jesus, not obedience to laws or breaking laws. The focus of grace is Jesus, not sin. Sin is the root of a tree that produces dead fruit. Kill the root, and you will kill the tree. The way you kill the root of the “sin tree” is by preaching the Gospel – the Good News that  –

• The law was given through Moses
• Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ

The law was given, but grace and truth came. The law was given as a verbal communication through a messenger.

But grace and truth came to where we are in Jesus. He is full of grace and truth. He came from heaven to each of us personally.

When God gave the law through Moses, it was a covenant which the people arrogantly agreed to that demanded perfect righteousness from man. They boasted, “All that the Lord commands we can do!” No! They couldn’t! It was a message of condemnation because no man could meet the demands of the law.

For the law to be the law, it cannot bend. If you bend the law to where you can keep it, you dishonor it. For the law to be the law, it must remain in its total inflexible perfection. It must be uncompromising.

James 2:10 –  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

The law condemns the BEST of us because it demands perfect righteousness from the bankrupt flesh of man. But grace will save the WORST of us because it imparts righteousness to man as a free gift.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us,  that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Under the Law, God said,

Exodus 34:7 – “…[I will] by no means clearing the guilty…”

Under Grace, God says,

Hebrews 10:17 – “their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

In Hebrews 10:17 what changed? Jesus! Jesus came. Jesus died, Jesus rose again, Jesus is now seated in heaven!

We are no longer under the do good, get good; do bad, get bad system! We get the good we don’t deserve because Jesus took all the bad that He didn’t deserve!

This does not make you want to do bad! Grace makes you want to do good!

Grace is all that dwells in Christ for men

Grace is the truth of the Gospel. The Gospel is wrapped up in one word: grace. The entire New Covenant is wrapped up in one word: grace. Did you notice that John 1:17 begins with the word “For”? That means that it’s a continuation of the previous verse. Verse 16 –

John 1:16 – of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

One commentary says – “Grace” is the chosen New Testament word for the whole fullness of the New Covenant. Grace is all that dwells in Christ for men. (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary on John 1)

• When Jesus met the woman with the issue of blood, grace – all that dwells in Christ – gave life and healing to her.
• When Jesus took the two fish and five loaves, grace – all that dwells in Christ – multiplied the provision.
• When Jesus crossed the lake for one Gadarene demoniac, grace – all that dwells in Christ – drove out the demons and filled the man with peace in his mind.
• When Jesus “finally” showed up for Lazarus, grace – all that dwells in Christ – released resurrection life and restoration.

All of this was by grace. By grace we are saved and healed and delivered and provided for. Grace is all that dwells in Christ for men. The entire fullness of the New Covenant is in this one word: grace.

Romans 6:14

Romans 6:14 – For sin [Sin is a noun here. Sinful actions and words and thoughts are the product of the noun sin. Sin, the noun – ] shall not have dominion over you, [Why?] for [Because] you are not under the law, but under grace.

Dominion is the Greek word kyrieuō [ko-ree-yoo’-o] from the word kyrios. [koo’-ree-os] Kyrios is the word for Lord. So kyrieuō – dominion – means “to be lord over.”

The noun sin will not exercise lordship over you or be your master because you are not under law. You are under grace.

When sin entered mankind, every other evil came. When sin entered, “death spread to all men.” (Romans 5:12) So we can say –

• Sickness shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.
• Poverty shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.
• Satan – who is sin personified – shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

You might think it makes more sense to say, “Sin shall not have dominion over you, if you are under the law.” If you are under law, and you memorize the law and you try your best to practice the law, then sin will have not have dominion over you. But that’s not what the Bible says.

Romans 6:14, again – For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

When we think of the law, the first thing we think of is the 10 Commandments. The very first time I heard pure grace I heard that we are not under the 10 Commandments. More than anything, that may have been the greatest sacred cow that was bashed for me.

It’s like a I had to knock my head and make sure I heard that correctly. But it was right there in the scriptures! I was a proponent for putting the 10 Commandments in every school. We had a big push for that here in AL. But how about putting John 3:16 in every school?

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,….”

The love of God changes even little children on this inside and produces in them the good works that were prepared for them from before they were born! The Holy Spirit will do from the inside through His supply what the law could never do from the outside through demand.

Romans 6:14, again – For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 11:6

So let’s define the term grace. Grace is the unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor of God. If you can earn it, it’s not grace. That’s the way the Bible defines it.

Romans 11:6 – And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Pretty simple, right?! Works – in this context – self-effort and grace are mutually exclusive! When you are under grace, you will produce good works. But when you live under law, your self-effort produces dead works. So much of my life was dead works! And it was exhausting!

Self-effort will never produce good works. We never have to strive to produce good works! Focus on the Person of grace and the truth that you are under grace, and then good works will be the result.

Human discipline and human effort cannot transform us on the inside. But when the Holy Spirit comes inside of you and lives His life, you’ll have self-control, and you’ll be faithful – it’s the fruits of the Spirit! And when you walk in the fruits of the Spirit under grace, you cannot fail!

Ephesians 1:7

There are two sides to the coin of grace. On one side is the forgiveness of sins, on the other side is good works.

But most Christians don’t know that they have been forgiven of all of their sins – past, present, and even future! Everything you have done wrong – every action, every word, every thought – has already been forgiven!

Ephesians 1:7 – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

We are forgiven – not according to the confession of every sin! What if you forget to confess one sin? It’s not even logical!

We are forgiven “according to the riches of His grace.” Can you measure the riches of God’s grace? NO! So His forgiveness is unlimited!

If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then believe that when He died on the cross, ALL of your sins were put on Him! God did not miss a single one of your sins! Your sins did not escape the judgement of God!

They were judged in the body of Jesus, once for all! The cross is outside of time. God created time. God can see the day you were born to the day you will die, and He took every itemized sin and put it on Jesus.

You are totally forgiven! There is no punishment for you!!! Why? Because the law of double jeopardy says that God cannot punish for the same sin twice. It would be unrighteous! And God is perfectly righteous!

Some people are afraid of this kind of teaching because they are afraid that if we remove the law, there is no telling what people will go and do. They are even afraid of what they themselves might go and do!

But the truth is this: you are never truly free until you are free to fail. The wonderful thing about grace is that once a person knows that he has been forgiven of his whole life of sins – even the sins of his future, it doesn’t produce sin! It produces amazing love!

Woman with the Alabaster Box

There is a beautiful story of Jesus to illustrate this. It’s the story of Jesus and the woman with the Alabaster Box. [It wasn’t really a box. It was more of a flask. But “Alabaster box” is the KJV that I heard throughout the years.]

Of all the people in the Bible, she is the one I relate to most because – like her – the grace of God produced in me such an overwhelming love! He loves me so much, and I can’t help but love Him back! She who is forgiven much loves much!

Let’s look the story: A Pharisee named Simon asked Jesus to eat with him at his home. Pharisees are basically synonymous with self-righteousness. The self-righteous can never trust in grace. They only trust in their self-effort.

Luke 7:36-50 – And He [Jesus] went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, [that Greek work is a term for harlot. She was a prostitute.] when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His [Jesus’s] feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him [Jesus] saw this, he spoke to himself [not out loud, but to himself], saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered and said to him [In other words, Jesus could read this man’s mind and He knew his heart, so He answered his thoughts], “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he [Simon] said, “Teacher, say it.” 41 [So Jesus told this parable] “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. [So Jesus is speaking in a language the Pharisee would understand – the language of money In today’s dollars that equates to about $125,000 and $12,500 – both a lot of money.] 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. [Instead of throwing them in prison] Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon [This has become one of my favorite parts of this story. He was speaking to Simon, but His eyes were on her, and He wanted her to know that He loved her and was defending her.], “Do you see this woman? [Jesus sees her!] I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus is saying, “You know why this woman loves Me so much? Because she knows she is forgiven so much. You don’t love Me because you don’t think you have much to be forgiven of.”

Why, after hearing that story my whole life, was my heart all of a sudden overwhelmed with the love of God? Why do I see myself in this woman? Why does she make me cry?

Why can some people hear the gospel, and nothing happens, and then some people have a Damascus Road type experience? I don’t really know except to say I was desperate. Maybe that’s a common denominator.

But it is critical to know how much we have been forgiven to realize how loved we are. We are all that woman with the alabaster box!

Jesus was demonstrating the New Covenant. He was demonstrating grace and the forgiveness of sins. He was giving a picture of rest – this woman did not need to work for forgiveness or love. Jesus gave it freely. Like that woman, “we love because He first loved us.”

New Covenant began at the cross, not in Matthew 1:1

But even though Jesus demonstrated the New Covenant while He walked the earth, the New Covenant had not yet been enacted. The New Covenant did not begin at Matthew 1:1. It began when His blood was shed at the cross.

Hebrews 9:16-17, NASB – For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, [Speaking of Jesus being crucified] for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. [Like a will]

It’s only through the blood of Jesus that we are forgiven of all our sins. But Jesus was born under the law, and He actually taught the law. He said,

Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

That’s the law! But we are not under law! He was preaching to people who were not yet born again. No one was born again before the cross and resurrection.

When Jesus said things like that, what was He doing? He was bringing man to the end of himself. He knew that man could not keep the law.

Now, let’s fast forward to the words of Jesus after the cross. The “red-letter” words of Jesus in the gospels are not His only words.

Paul’s letters are also Jesus’s words after He has died, been raised from the dead, and seated in heaven, glorified and crowned with glory and honor. God raised up Paul to give him the words of Jesus for the church.

After the cross, what are the words of Jesus given to Paul about forgiveness?

Ephesians 4:32 – And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. [past tense]

Today after the cross, we forgive because we have been forgiven! The motive has changed! Modus operandi of the law was fear. Modus operandi of grace is love. Under law, you forgive to be forgiven. After the cross you forgive because have been forgiven!

When you know how much you have been forgiven, you will forgive freely! The Good News of the Gospel is not just Good News for us, but for everyone in our families and everyone in our lives! Stuff starts falling off like water off a duck’s back. You are so much easier to live with when you live that way!

The other side of the coin of grace: good works

So the first side of the coin of grace is forgiveness of all your sins and resting in the finished work of Jesus at the cross. The other side is dominion over the power of sin and effortlessly walking in good works.

You must be strong in grace to rest well. And you’ve got to rest well to walk well.

But the message of grace is such a frightening concept to some because they truly believe that if we preach too much grace, sin is going to have dominion over people.

They believe that we need the law to make us obedient. They have more faith in the flesh of man than in the Spirit of God! But the law will never make you holy.

We’re all for holiness, but how do we get there from here? Willpower and human discipline will never conquer sin! When you believe that, you are actually making light of sin! Sin is a monster! You cannot overcome it in the flesh. You try for a week or two, and it gets worse instead of better! “The strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)

Grace is the only answer to sin! The way to conquer sin is grace!

Romans 6:14 – For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Woman caught in adultery

There is no better story to illustrate this truth than the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery. Jesus demonstrated the New Covenant to her.

The Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus – who was “caught in the very act.” They brought her – not “them.” It takes two, but they only brought her, probably because the man was one of them.

What they were trying to do was to catch Jesus breaking the law. He was attracting the sinners with His talk of love and grace, so they said –

John 8:5-6 – “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him.

If Jesus said, “Stone her!” Then so much for His preaching of grace and love. If Jesus said, “Don’t stone her!” Then He would be breaking Moses’ law. But what did He do next? He didn’t answer them right away.

John 8:6 – But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

Jesus wrote on the ground with His finger. I always heard He wrote in the dirt, but it wasn’t dirt. It was the stoney ground of Jerusalem! He wrote on stone! Where is the only other place you see the finger of God writing on stone? It was God writing the 10 Commandments! (Ex 31:18; Deut 9:10).

He was saying, “You presume to tell Me about the law? I’m the One who wrote the law. Let Me give you the purity of the law!”

John 8:7-8 – So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last.

One by one they left. Jesus gave them the full fury of the law! It’s so easy to put the law on someone else, but when it is turned back on you, no one can handle it.

Did Jesus break the law? No? But was the woman condemned? No. Jesus arranged it so that this woman would be left alone with the only One who is altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful!

He looks into her eyes and says,

John 8:10-11 – “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” [Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law, but under grace!]

Jesus gave her no condemnation, and then says, “NOW, go and sin no more.” But so often Christians will say, “Go and sin no more, and then we won’t condemn you.” But that is the law! The more they try to go and sin no more, the more they go and sin some more.

The power to go and sin no more is in Jesus’s words, “Neither do I condemn you.” He knew that soon He would go to the cross and bear all of her sins and be condemned in her place.

There is no condemnation for us because all of our condemnation fell on Jesus. If you know that, you will have the power to go and sin no more.

The best thing we can do when we fail is pray, “Father, I thank You that all my sins are forgiven.” We should do that before guilt can take root. Guilt will cause us to sin again. Guilt even causes addiction. But Grace is the answer to addiction.

Once a leader said to me,  “What you’re saying is fine for the mature believer, but it would confuse the fire out of a new believer! And it would never work for those with addictions.” My response: “It’s the answer for the new believer! Grace is the only answer for those with addictions!”

Her last word: “I’m not jumping on the grace bandwagon.” My heart broke not only for her, but also for all the people she influenced through her ministry.

Grace produces good works

When we are established in grace, we will operate in grace, and we will end up with good works. Even though grace is not works, it produces good works.

Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

What’s so good about good works? Why should we walk in good works? If we take that in reverse, it helps to see it. We want people to see our good works because they shine a light on the God who loves people so much. They will look at us and glorify Him!

Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Grace doesn’t shine a light on man! It shines a light on the goodness of God!

Grace and more grace

You know, Paul used the word “grace” more times in his letters to the most immoral church than in his letters to any other church. He used the word “grace” 26 times in his letters to the Corinthians.

Corinthian church members were acting like the unrighteous. Not only were they suing each other, but some were going to the temple prostitutes. One guy was sleeping with his mother-in-law. This was the most carnal church.

Paul didn’t excuse the sin, but he taught them that grace is the antidote! Some might think they need more law, but Paul never used the law on them!

He reminded them of who they were in Jesus and what Jesus had done for them. He said all things are permissible, but not all things are beneficial.

Paul started and finished with grace! He opened 1 Corinthians with

1 Corinthians 1:3-4 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus,…

He closed 1 Corinthians with –

1 Corinthians 16:23-24 – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

It was the same with 2 Corinthians. Paul opened with –

2 Corinthians 1:2-3 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…

He closed with –

2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

Grace, grace, and more grace!

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!” Grace is not a topic to me. I will never teach on anything else because Grace is a Person and His name is Jesus!

I Am Under Grace!

JESUS – the same Savior who died for our sins is alive today, and He still says, “There is no condemnation for you!”

Whatever condemning thoughts come to us, we need to “nip them in the bud.”  Do not receive them! Don’t become self-introspective and repeat the thoughts – “I shouldn’t have done this! I should have done that!” OU know who does that more than anyone? Parents! Don’t do it!

• When we condemn ourselves, we will condemn others.
• If we don’t forgive ourselves, then we won’t forgive the ones that we love. You will hurt them because you are hurting yourself. When we forgive ourselves, we set ourselves free, and then we’re free to forgive others!
• When we punish ourselves, we will punish those around us.

Instead, we need to just look at the cross.

• Jesus took our beatings.
• Jesus took our scourging.
• Jesus took the nails.
• Jesus took the shame.

Just look to the cross and say, “Thank You, Jesus. Thank You for loving me this much!”

Christ crucified. Think about it – what did mankind think of God’s only begotten, beloved Son? They put Him on a cross – suspended between heaven and earth, not considered worthy of either. Jesus cried-

Matthew 27:46 – “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” [Jesus had always called God “Father”!]

• On the cross, as the Son of Man, He called God “God” for the first time so that we as the sons of God could call God “Father.”
• He was forsaken so that we might be accepted.

Jesus took our place of condemnation that we might take His place of honor. He wore the crown of thorns so we could wear the crown of His righteousness, glory, and honor.

Today, we can look to Jesus and say, “I am under grace!” And

• no matter how far short we have fallen, say, “I am under grace!”
• no matter how misunderstood we are, say, “I am under grace!”
• no matter how chaotic our circumstances seem, say, “I am under grace!”

Because God has a good outcome for us!

He looks at Jesus, and then He looks at the mirror image of Jesus in us, and says, “You are My Beloved Child. Grace to you! My peace I give to you! Blessings on your life!” My grace is all that dwells in Christ for you!”

Not Guilty Anymore, Aaron Keyes

I want to end with this: I want to dedicate this message to my dear friend Lindsey to whom I will be forever grateful.

Before this pure message of grace was revealed to me, my heart had to be softened in order to receive it. Lindsey called me and told me I needed to listen to a song. She told me to stop everything and listen to it.

That song was what God used to melt my heart so I could hear the sweet sound of His grace.

I remember where I was when Lindsey called. I was sitting at my makeshift desk in the living room of our old house. It was about 9pm, and I had papers all over the desk and my computer. I was working on endless tasks in spreadsheets, which I despised.

I stopped, went to iTunes, spent $0.69 on the song and listened to it over and over and over. In the next few months, I listened to that song literally hundreds of times. It became the theme song of my ministry.

It’s called “Not Guilty Anymore” by Aaron Keyes. I’m going to play the song in a minute, but I’m going to read the lyrics now for those who are listening online.

And I just want to say – if there is a Tricia out there listening to this – a leader who is burned out and miserable – go get that song! Right now! Listen to it over and over until it melts your heart like it did mine.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done;

It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from

Doesn’t matter where you’ve been

Hear me tell you that I forgive

You’re not guilty anymore

You’re not filthy anymore

I love you, mercy is yours

You’re not broken anymore

You’re not captive anymore

I love you, mercy is yours

Can you believe that this is true?

Grace abundant I am giving you

Cleansing deeper than you know

All was paid for long ago

There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Jesus

You are spotless; you are holy; you are faultless; you are whole

You are righteous; you are blameless; you are pardoned; you are mine.

Copyright info: All scriptures in the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

• (NKJV) New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
• (NASB) Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)