"Jesus the Savior Saves..."
TRUTHS:
1. The Christian faith sets itself apart from the religions of the world by introducing salvation through grace alone. There are similarities that can be found when comparing world religions, but biblical Christianity declares something about the ‘remedy’ for humanity’s brokenness that no other belief system totally incorporates—grace. Our faith proclaims that humanity cannot ‘fix’ ourselves, that the chasm between creation and Creator (due to sin) is far too wide for us to traverse on our own. Our good works, methodologies, and practices do not have enough power to transform our sin-sick souls. But Jesus came to earth to suffer alongside us, to live a perfect live, and to eventually be slain and raised from the dead (proving that He is God). Jesus accomplished what we could not, and graciously offers to cover us with His perfection.
2. The gospel of Jesus Christ is designed to deeply transform our hearts and lives. Repenting and being united with Christ is about much more than gaining heaven and escaping hell. While every person should by eternally thankful that God has promised them such a future, the work of Jesus is meant to impact our lives now (not just in the future). The person and work of Jesus frees us from the clutches of sin and death, and that bondage-breaking work is meant to begin the moment our eyes are opened to the truth of the gospel.
3. Jesus gives real hope to all who will ask. We were introduced to an acrostic (using the word ‘hope’) that will help us understand and process what Jesus accomplished for His creation.
4. “H” is for healing. Jesus came to deliver us from the works of the devil—sin and death. God offers grace to humanity because we wrestle with the powers of spiritual wickedness tempting us to deny our Creator. Jesus can deliver us from the sin and death that comes into our lives as a result of succumbing to those various temptations.
5. “O” points us towards viewing Jesus as an Overseer. We are saved to be a part of Jesus’ redeeming work in the world. As Jesus builds His Church, He gives revelation and wisdom to His children. He is the Good Shepherd, perfectly capable of leading and guiding us as we navigate life in a fallen world (and body). But we must remember that we need to be connected to a ‘flock’ in order to rightly discern and receive Jesus’ overseeing work. We cannot be off on our own, separated from a local church body, and trust that we will rightly discern the voice of the Good Shepherd.
6. “P” stands for purpose. Apart from Jesus, we can nothing that lasts forever. Our union with Christ causes us to consider eternity and not waste our lives by primarily (or solely) focusing on what the Bible refers to as “temporary.” We become connected to God’s eternal purposes for humanity through our participation in a local church body.
7. “E” declared that Jesus offers hope to everyone. Earth and all of creation has been prepared for humans to respond to the gospel truth. Jesus offers hope to every sinner, no matter the circumstances they find themselves in. What is God desiring from His magnificent work of creation? Redeemed humans—you!
8. The Book of Romans reveals that to receive the hope of Jesus we must cry out to the Father. Christianity is not simply a ‘thinking’ religion, it is a ‘speaking’ religion. Meaning, we must use our wills (through the use of our words), to respond to God’s grace. Simply feeling something or believing something is not the chief goal of the Holy Spirit’s convicting work. The Spriit of God beckons us to cry out for redemption, to cry out for the hope that Jesus offers us.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. Christianity is the only worldview that has 'grace' as its foundation. What does this imply and reveal about the Christian faith?
2. What is the danger in primarily viewing the gospel as a means of escaping hell and gaining heaven (upon our physical deaths)?
3. How does the gospel connect humanity to our true and lasting purpose? What have we been saved to and for? In other words, what are the purposes we have been saved to focus on?
4. Jesus offers hope to everyone. How should this impact our daily lives? What does this truth imply about how we are to interact and view other people?
5. Why does the Bible direct us to cry out for salvation? Why isn't intellectual agreement with the truths of the Bible not enough? What is the Lord communicating to us by setting it up to work this way?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray into the following areas:
For those who still haven't cried out for redemption and hope
To understand what we have been saved to
That our community would be changed by the hope that Jesus offers and is able to deliver
Thankfulness for God's great grace