Are you so ashamed of your past that you keep the guilt and shame hidden in your heart, afraid to help others by sharing your story for fear of judgement?
-or-
Is God’s grace on display in your life through the redeeming story of your past that you freely share with others?
**** Ephesians 2:8 ****
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
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In his message today at Trinity Baptist Church, Pastor Andy shared it’s our job to move from being “in-self” to “in-Christ”.
We all have a past that Satan holds over us. He wants us to be spiritually lifeless as we either unknowingly wollow in sin or willingly choose to harbor shame. Doing so leads to heartbreak and destruction.
As Christians, the further we get away from obeying God, the harder it gets for us to realize we are living in sin.
But every mistake we make is an opportunity for God. He is in the business of turning our past mistakes into redemptive stories. The mistakes of our past are opportunities for transformation.
God has a blueprint for our lives. It is clearly explained in Ephesians 2.
Blueprint Part 1: Our Past
We were all born into a sinful nature, on course to live by cultural norms under Satan’s power. We are naturally drawn to make decisions by what feels good now instead of what is biblically right. God gave us free will to choose either way.
Our accountability to Christ comes from knowing what we should do and doing it. But we often live a life of transgressions … moments where we know we are stepping across a line God has told us not to cross, and we do it anyway.
Satan loves those moments. He wants us to remain spiritually dead, caring only about ourselves, full of pride and selfishness.
God knew when we were born that sin would separate us from him. That’s why he setup part 2.
Blueprint Part 2: Our Position
Christianity is the only religion where you aren’t saved by your works. You can do a million good deeds, but only God’s grace provides your salvation.
As you grow in your position with Christ, you realize you were made for more. Your story changes. Your habits change. Your circle of friends changes. You make different choices. You get a new start.
A start that allows you to grow from a self-righteous person to a person who exudes the grace of God.
Blueprint Part 3: Our Purpose
God designed our blueprint to be full of mistakes that would allow him to show his grace. You were made alive in Christ, to do good works and share your story, so when others see you, they see the grace of God.
When you’re too ashamed to share your past, when you feel the need to hide your sin from others, and when you live in shame or fear of being judged, you lose the opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace.
We live in a world that teaches us to indulge in materialism, pride, selfish ambition, and sinful pleasures. But we serve a mighty God whose grace stands ready to change our desires from sinful to spiritual.
**** Romans 3:23 ****
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
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Jesus was the only man to walk this earth sin free. He is the only one whose judgement we have to stand before. And he exudes a grace and forgiveness that is second to none. Our purpose is to demonstrate that grace through our faith and our testimony.