Grace Over Legalism: Embracing Faith in Christ
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "You see, through the gospel of grace, we are free from the shackles of legalism. Our acceptance from God is not up to our performance. Our acceptance of God is based upon his provision. We don't have to be good enough for God because we could never be good enough for God. Understand that. You can't do enough for God. Jesus was good enough for all of us. And once we accept Jesus and the free gift of grace through him by placing our faith in him, God completely and totally accepts us. As a Christian, do not walk around feeling defeated. You have victory in Jesus. Put a smile on your face, not a phony smile, a smile that comes from your heart, knowing that you are accepted by God just the way you are, but you're being changed by him every single day." [54:06]
2. "It does not matter who you are. It does not matter what you've done. You're sitting in a church row on Sunday or a death row on Monday. It doesn't matter. When you cry out to Jesus in repentance and faith, trusting in his death, burial, and resurrection to save you, the Bible says you will be saved. Regardless, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. That grace that God extends to us was provided by the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ." [49:12]
3. "You see, you cannot earn your way to God. You cannot work your way to God. And you're never going to be good enough for God. The second problem is it puts you in an impossible situation. Because then you have to answer this question. How many rules do I have to follow? How perfectly do I have to follow them? How many regulations do I have to keep? And where do I find all these regulations? What are all these restrictions? And how do I keep all these restrictions? The good news is, you can't. And you don't have to worry about it. Jesus Christ is our perfect sacrifice. Trust in Him." [01:03:17]
4. "The vast majority of this world has been bewitched with a spell. That they can earn their way to God. That they can work their way to God. That if they keep enough rules, abide by enough regulations, or effect enough restrictions, that God will accept them. And there's two problems with that. First of all, if that's true, then that makes Jesus' dying on the cross. Meaningless. And in fact, it makes it foolish. That's why the Bible says the preaching of the cross is foolish to those who are perishing. Because the message doesn't make any sense to people who don't know Christ Jesus." [01:02:42]
5. "You get to do certain things. Somebody said to me, do you have to preach today? No, I get to preach today. And what a blessing it is to preach the Word of God. If you'd asked me 20 years ago, do you ever think that you'll be a preacher? I would have said, ha, ha, you're so funny. But what I found was that God has a sense of humor. And God will use anyone who is willing to be used by Him. You see, for a lot of people, they leave the church because they get disillusioned by certain things. It's kind of like the same reason that people get a divorce. They fall in love with an ideal, then it becomes an ordeal, and then they start looking for a new deal. And that's why a lot of folks leave the church." [57:02]
### Quotes for Members
1. "From the very beginning, the church only had one mission and one God-given assignment. And as a church, Oak Grove has the same mission. For nine years, I was on WXCY radio. That ministry ended this year. I wish it hadn't, but it did. And at the end of every single recording, I said the same thing. Oak Grove exists to exalt the Lord Jesus, to know him and make him known. Visit us online at oakgrovebaptist.com. Now the second, the last part, really doesn't matter, but I got so used to saying it, I can't stop saying it. But from the very beginning, the church was to be unique from every other institution in the world. Every institution that came before it, and any that came after it. Because it was never to be centered around religion, and it was never to be centered on being religious, but quite the opposite. It was centered on a relationship. Trying to get people to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ." [47:36]
2. "You see, where the church is supposed to be all about redemption and reconciliation, there's always been a movement to try to turn it back to religion, which is all about rules, regulations, and restrictions. Not long before he passed, Muhammad Ali, who changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali to avoid the Vietnam War, was asked about what he saw in his future. This is what he said, quote, I just want to get to heaven, and I've got to do a whole lot of good deeds to get there. Now, that's sad. It's sad that he felt that way. But Islam is a works-based religion. have to do, do, do, do. And when you get there, there's a scale. And if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you get in. It's a crapshoot, right? You're rolling the dice. Am I going to get there? A Christian knows, based upon what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, that when you put your trust in Jesus, you're going to heaven." [55:15]
3. "Paul had clearly told them that how Jesus had done everything necessary on the cross for them to be accepted by God. He freed them from the notion that somehow you had to be good enough. But now they're being tempted to go right back into the slavery of legalism and law keeping. Now, I want to call your attention to two words. The first one is the word foolish. It means without knowledge or reason. He's saying you're being illogical and you're being unreasonable. So, see, first he appeals to their head. He appeals to their intellect. And that's what he's telling them. You're being illogical and unreasonable. Because once you truly understand who Jesus is, and not only that he died on the cross and what he did on the cross, was to make one final full payment for all of our sins and give us an absolutely free ticket that always grants us access to God. And it makes absolutely no sense to add anything to that. You have to turn to Jesus to subtract anything from Jesus or to accept anything outside of that free offer of grace. In other words, once you truly experience Jesus, you don't want to turn from him. You don't want to add to him. You don't want to subtract from him. Why would you even think about doing that?" [59:29]
4. "You see, God promised him that he'd be the father of a great nation, and a blessing to the entire world. That nation was Israel, and that blessing was Jesus Christ. Abraham simply believed God, took him at his word, and followed him for the rest of his life. And at that moment, Abraham was justified. God credited him with his life. Perfect righteousness. In other words, God fully and finally accepted Abraham. And so, in effect, Paul is saying to these Judaizers, these legalists, these people that are more concerned about rules and regulations, take note that God accepted Abraham, and he had not even been circumcised yet. He had not kept the law, because there was no law. It hadn't even been given. How did God start with Abraham? By grace. How did Abraham start with God? By faith. How did God end with Abraham? By faith. How did God end with Abraham? By grace. How did Abraham end with God? By faith." [01:16:21]
5. "The gospel is not an invitation for you to do anything for God. It is a declaration of what God has done for you. See, what Jesus did for you on the cross is not only all you need to be accepted by God, it is all you ever need to be accepted. God's grace covers it all. And these Galatians were guilty of spiritual treason. They were saying that Jesus is inadequate, Jesus is insufficient, and adding anything to Jesus is an insult to Jesus. So we always first look to the Son because He is enough. Second, we live in the Spirit. Paul cuts right to the chase and asks the question that these Galatians needed to hear. Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Now, Paul has only one question, and he knows that once they answer this question truthfully, they will have, in effect, solved their own problem. And in this, he gives us the classic definition of what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is someone who has received the Spirit of God. A Christian is someone who has trusted in Jesus to save them. And once we do that, we receive the Spirit of the Lord. That's what a Christian is." [01:04:13]
6. "You see, for a lot of people, they leave the church because they get disillusioned by certain things. It's kind of like the same reason that people get a divorce. They fall in love with an ideal, then it becomes an ordeal, and then they start looking for a new deal. And that's why a lot of folks leave the church. Now, the way God starts with us is the way that He finishes with us. We start with God through His grace and our faith, and that's the way that we finish with Him. And the way that you avoid the shackles of legalism and continue to breathe the fresh air of liberty is that the gospel brings to us life. And there's three things that we should always do. Number one, we should always look to the Son." [57:02]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "You see, through the gospel of grace, we are free from the shackles of legalism. Our acceptance from God is not up to our performance. Our acceptance of God is based upon his provision. We don't have to be good enough for God because we could never be good enough for God. Understand that. You can't do enough for God. Jesus was good enough for all of us. And once we accept Jesus and the free gift of grace through him by placing our faith in him, God completely and totally accepts us. As a Christian, do not walk around feeling defeated. You have victory in Jesus. Put a smile on your face, not a phony smile, a smile that comes from your heart, knowing that you are accepted by God just the way you are, but you're being changed by him every single day." [54:06]
2. "It does not matter who you are. It does not matter what you've done. You're sitting in a church row on Sunday or a death row on Monday. It doesn't matter. When you cry out to Jesus in repentance and faith, trusting in his death, burial, and resurrection to save you, the Bible says you will be saved. Regardless, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. That grace that God extends to us was provided by the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus Christ." [49:12]
3. "You see, you cannot earn your way to God. You cannot work your way to God. And you're never going to be good enough for God. The second problem is it puts you in an impossible situation. Because then you have to answer this question. How many rules do I have to follow? How perfectly do I have to follow them? How many regulations do I have to keep? And where do I find all these regulations? What are all these restrictions? And how do I keep all these restrictions? The good news is, you can't. And you don't have to worry about it. Jesus Christ is our perfect sacrifice. Trust in Him." [01:03:17]
4. "The vast majority of this world has been bewitched with a spell. That they can earn their way to God. That they can work their way to God. That if they keep enough rules, abide by enough regulations, or effect enough restrictions, that God will accept them. And there's two problems with that. First of all, if that's true, then that makes Jesus' dying on the cross. Meaningless. And in fact, it makes it foolish. That's why the Bible says the preaching of the cross is foolish to those who are perishing. Because the message doesn't make any sense to people who don't know Christ Jesus." [01:02:42]
5. "You get to do certain things. Somebody said to me, do you have to preach today? No, I get to preach today. And what a blessing it is to preach the Word of God. If you'd asked me 20 years ago, do you ever think that you'll be a preacher? I would have said, ha, ha, you're so funny. But what I found was that God has a sense of humor. And God will use anyone who is willing to be used by Him. You see, for a lot of people, they leave the church because they get disillusioned by certain things. It's kind of like the same reason that people get a divorce. They fall in love with an ideal, then it becomes an ordeal, and then they start looking for a new deal. And that's why a lot of folks leave the church." [57:02]
### Quotes for Members
1. "From the very beginning, the church only had one mission and one God-given assignment. And as a church, Oak Grove has the same mission. For nine years, I was on WXCY radio. That ministry ended this year. I wish it hadn't, but it did. And at the end of every single recording, I said the same thing. Oak Grove exists to exalt the Lord Jesus, to know him and make him known. Visit us online at oakgrovebaptist.com. Now the second, the last part, really doesn't matter, but I got so used to saying it, I can't stop saying it. But from the very beginning, the church was to be unique from every other institution in the world. Every institution that came before it, and any that came after it. Because it was never to be centered around religion, and it was never to be centered on being religious, but quite the opposite. It was centered on a relationship. Trying to get people to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ." [47:36]
2. "You see, where the church is supposed to be all about redemption and reconciliation, there's always been a movement to try to turn it back to religion, which is all about rules, regulations, and restrictions. Not long before he passed, Muhammad Ali, who changed his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali to avoid the Vietnam War, was asked about what he saw in his future. This is what he said, quote, I just want to get to heaven, and I've got to do a whole lot of good deeds to get there. Now, that's sad. It's sad that he felt that way. But Islam is a works-based religion. have to do, do, do, do. And when you get there, there's a scale. And if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you get in. It's a crapshoot, right? You're rolling the dice. Am I going to get there? A Christian knows, based upon what Jesus Christ has done on the cross, that when you put your trust in Jesus, you're going to heaven." [55:15]
3. "Paul had clearly told them that how Jesus had done everything necessary on the cross for them to be accepted by God. He freed them from the notion that somehow you had to be good enough. But now they're being tempted to go right back into the slavery of legalism and law keeping. Now, I want to call your attention to two words. The first one is the word foolish. It means without knowledge or reason. He's saying you're being illogical and you're being unreasonable. So, see, first he appeals to their head. He appeals to their intellect. And that's what he's telling them. You're being illogical and unreasonable. Because once you truly understand who Jesus is, and not only that he died on the cross and what he did on the cross, was to make one final full payment for all of our sins and give us an absolutely free ticket that always grants us access to God. And it makes absolutely no sense to add anything to that. You have to turn to Jesus to subtract anything from Jesus or to accept anything outside of that free offer of grace. In other words, once you truly experience Jesus, you don't want to turn from him. You don't want to add to him. You don't want to subtract from him. Why would you even think about doing that?" [59:29]
4. "You see, God promised him that he'd be the father of a great nation, and a blessing to the entire world. That nation was Israel, and that blessing was Jesus Christ. Abraham simply believed God, took him at his word, and followed him for the rest of his life. And at that moment, Abraham was justified. God credited him with his life. Perfect righteousness. In other words, God fully and finally accepted Abraham. And so, in effect, Paul is saying to these Judaizers, these legalists, these people that are more concerned about rules and regulations, take note that God accepted Abraham, and he had not even been circumcised yet. He had not kept the law, because there was no law. It hadn't even been given. How did God start with Abraham? By grace. How did Abraham start with God? By faith. How did God end with Abraham? By faith. How did God end with Abraham? By grace. How did Abraham end with God? By faith." [01:16:21]
5. "The gospel is not an invitation for you to do anything for God. It is a declaration of what God has done for you. See, what Jesus did for you on the cross is not only all you need to be accepted by God, it is all you ever need to be accepted. God's grace covers it all. And these Galatians were guilty of spiritual treason. They were saying that Jesus is inadequate, Jesus is insufficient, and adding anything to Jesus is an insult to Jesus. So we always first look to the Son because He is enough. Second, we live in the Spirit. Paul cuts right to the chase and asks the question that these Galatians needed to hear. Let me ask you only this. Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Now, Paul has only one question, and he knows that once they answer this question truthfully, they will have, in effect, solved their own problem. And in this, he gives us the classic definition of what it means to be a Christian. A Christian is someone who has received the Spirit of God. A Christian is someone who has trusted in Jesus to save them. And once we do that, we receive the Spirit of the Lord. That's what a Christian is." [01:04:13]
6. "You see, for a lot of people, they leave the church because they get disillusioned by certain things. It's kind of like the same reason that people get a divorce. They fall in love with an ideal, then it becomes an ordeal, and then they start looking for a new deal. And that's why a lot of folks leave the church. Now, the way God starts with us is the way that He finishes with us. We start with God through His grace and our faith, and that's the way that we finish with Him. And the way that you avoid the shackles of legalism and continue to breathe the fresh air of liberty is that the gospel brings to us life. And there's three things that we should always do. Number one, we should always look to the Son." [57:02]
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