Embracing Grace: The Journey of Communal Salvation

1) "If we have tasted grace. If we've been transformed from death to life. It should look like in our life. Pursuing unity with other brothers and sisters. Loving one another. Not feeling something. But being committed to one another in love. And working together with one mind and purpose. Which brings us to our underlying principle this morning. The working out of our faith is others focused. If we want to know what it looks like to work out our salvation. Then our faith is going to become more and more. Others focused. And become is the key word. That as we continue to grow in Christ. It transforms our fundamental nature. From a self-centered experience. To a selfless experience. Where the more I grow in Christ. It becomes less and less about me. And more and more about you." [51:13] (64 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "Our faith though personal is never individual. Though personal is never individual. Following Jesus is a communal effort. With individual responsibilities. Now we tend to think of it in the contra of that. That following Jesus is an individual effort. That brings some communal responsibilities. That if I'm going to live out my faith. Then I've got to do some things with you along the way. But that's not even the heart of it. It is a communal effort. Salvation is being baptized into the body. Our faith is not me centered. It is us centered. We are one. Salvation means not just that I get a ticket to heaven. But that I become a part of you. And you become a part of me. It is a communal effort. That makes some demands upon my individual person. That I've got to contribute to your benefit. And your behalf." [51:59] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "And this morning this gathering is not about me. And it's not about you. It is about what God is building in this family. For the sake of our community. And for the sake of the gospel around the world. And if you're a follower of Jesus today. You have an individual responsibility. To what God is doing in this body. In this community. Our faith is a communal effort. With individual responsibilities. So Paul describes for us. What the working out of our faith looks like. In verse 3 he says. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility. Value others above yourself. Not looking to your own interest. But each of you to the interest of others." [53:52] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "The height of selfishness. Is living in such a way. That we are unbothered. Unconcerned. About how we. Affect those around us. Part of just being a good. Human being. Means taking the feelings. Of others into consideration. Not saying. Everything that I think. Not doing everything. That I may normally do. Not being the way that I am. Because it might affect you. In a certain way. That's just part of being a good human. But the gospel. Calls us to a whole other level. Than just that. Paul says rather in humility. Value others. Above yourself. I have a hard time. Just taking your feelings into consideration. Much less. Thinking. And acting in such a way. That values your feelings. Above my own. That's a pretty high bar. But that is. The Jesus way. That's the demand. The gospel places. Upon our life." [55:26] (73 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "The working out of our faith. Is others focused. This is the very essence of salvation. Before Christ. We were selfish. Prideful. Arrogant. Me centered. The only thing that concerned us. Was my happiness. My preferences. My way of doing things. We were under the power of sin. We talked about this. Wednesday night in City Youth. We're leading the students through. This series called the big story of the Bible. Connecting the Bible's redemptive message. From Genesis to Revelation. You can't tell the biblical story. Without. We started in creation in week one. And then Wednesday night. We talked about the fall. That when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Rather than choosing to trust God's goodness. They chose to live by their own authority. Trusting in their wisdom. And their ways. To bring about goodness and satisfaction. On their own terms. Rather than God. And that fracture in God's good creation. Allowed sin to enter the world. Essentially infected. All of humanity." [57:22] (73 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "And the Bible teaches us. That only Jesus. The great physician. Can heal us of the condition of sin. As a matter of fact. Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. This means that anyone who belongs to Christ. Has become a new person. They are a new creation. They have been transformed. The sentence of death. That was over them through sin. Has been broken. Through the power of the death. And the resurrection of Jesus. The old life is gone. The new life has become. So Paul tells us. That the way to live out this new life. In Jesus. Where we used to live only for ourselves. But now that. The controlling power of sin. That oriented us to the world. In a way that said. It is all about me. Has been broken. We have been freed to live. As God intended us." [01:00:23] (56 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "And this is what the image of God is. Who being in very nature God. Did not consider equality with God. Something to be used. To his own advantage. Rather he made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant. Being made in human likeness. Being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself. By becoming obedient to death. Even death. On a cross. Jesus came as everything. We are not. But as everything. That we were created. To be. That even though he was the lord of glory. And could have descended to earth. On a throne. With robes of authority and power. And demanded to be served. By the humanity. That he created. He came not only as one of us. But as the lowest of us. Not to lord his authority over us. But to serve. You and I." [01:01:26] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)