by Hope City Church on Jan 10, 2024
In a recent message, Corey Williams delves into the concept of grace and truth, drawing inspiration from the Book of Daniel and the challenges faced by the church in contemporary society. The message begins by highlighting the church's focus for the year, which emphasizes the need for more grace, wisdom, accountability, discipline, and favor. Williams emphasizes that while grace and favor are often sought after, they are intertwined with the necessity for discipline and accountability.
Williams shares his admiration for his wife's ability to interpret the Old Testament and uses this as a segue to discuss the life of Daniel. He references Pastor Chris Hodges' book "The Daniel Dilemma," which examines the struggle of the church to maintain its identity in a society where cultural norms are shifting away from biblical values.
The message underscores the importance of faith expressing itself through love, as stated in 1 Corinthians 9:19, and the need for Christians to be a light in the world, drawing people to Christ through love and truth. Williams stresses that Jesus exemplified this approach by connecting with people before correcting them, thereby adding value to their lives.
Williams explores the life of Daniel, who stood firm in his faith despite cultural pressures. He draws parallels between Daniel's time and the present, where Christians must learn to stand firm in their beliefs even when society bows to different pressures. He emphasizes that the church's message remains unchanged, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, despite contemporary methods of worship and community engagement.
The message also addresses the balance between grace and truth. Williams points out that some Christians focus excessively on grace, neglecting the importance of truth, while others emphasize truth to the point of being judgmental and critical. He argues that both grace and truth are necessary, as Jesus himself demonstrated by offering forgiveness while also calling for repentance.
Williams further illustrates this balance by recounting the story of the woman caught in adultery from John 8. Jesus showed grace by not condemning her but also spoke truth by instructing her to sin no more. This story serves as a model for how Christians should engage with the world, offering grace while upholding the truth.
The message concludes with a call to love, serve, and share Christ with others, emphasizing that Christians cannot influence others if they are antagonistic. Williams encourages his listeners to be prepared to give an answer for their hope with gentleness and respect, as instructed in 1 Peter 3:15.
Key Takeaways:
- The life of Daniel serves as a powerful example of maintaining faith in the face of societal pressures. His ability to stand firm in his beliefs, despite the cultural norms of his time, offers a blueprint for Christians today who are navigating a world that often conflicts with their values. The story of Daniel reminds believers that steadfastness in faith is both possible and necessary. [05:54]
- The balance between grace and truth is a critical aspect of Christian living. Grace without truth can lead to a meaningless expression of faith, while truth without grace can be harsh and unloving. Christians are called to emulate Jesus, who perfectly embodied both grace and truth, offering forgiveness while also calling for righteous living. [25:19]
- The story of the woman caught in adultery highlights the importance of addressing sin with a combination of grace and truth. Jesus' response to the woman's accusers and to her sin provides a model for how Christians should approach others who are struggling with sin—offering compassion without compromising on the call to repentance and transformation. [30:17]
- Loving, serving, and sharing Christ with others are essential components of the Christian mission. These actions demonstrate the love of Christ to the world and open doors for meaningful conversations about faith. By living out these principles, Christians can effectively witness to others and draw them closer to God. [31:43]
- Christians must be cautious not to become so entangled with cultural norms that they lose sight of their faith. The message encourages believers to engage with the world without compromising their beliefs, to be a light in the darkness, and to influence culture positively without being influenced negatively in return. [22:27]
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. **Daniel 1:1-7** - The story of Daniel and his friends being taken to Babylon and their resolve to maintain their faith and practices.
2. **John 1:1-14** - The Word becoming flesh, full of grace and truth.
3. **John 8:1-11** - The story of the woman caught in adultery and Jesus' response of grace and truth.
#### Observation Questions
1. What were the key challenges Daniel and his friends faced in Babylon, and how did they respond? (Daniel 1:1-7)
2. How does John describe Jesus in John 1:1-14, and what does it mean that He was full of grace and truth?
3. In the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), how did Jesus balance grace and truth in His response to her accusers and to her?
#### Interpretation Questions
1. What does it mean to stand firm in faith like Daniel did, despite cultural pressures? How can this be applied to contemporary Christian life? [05:18]
2. How can Christians today emulate Jesus' approach of connecting with people before correcting them, as seen in the story of the woman caught in adultery? [30:17]
3. What are the dangers of focusing too much on either grace or truth, and how can Christians find a balance between the two? [06:33]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt pressured to conform to cultural norms that conflicted with your faith. How did you respond, and what can you learn from Daniel's example? [05:18]
2. Think of someone in your life who is struggling with sin. How can you show them grace while also speaking truth into their situation, similar to how Jesus did with the woman caught in adultery? [30:17]
3. How can you ensure that your interactions with others are characterized by both grace and truth, avoiding being overly judgmental or overly permissive? [06:33]
4. In what ways can you be a light in your community, drawing people to Christ through love and truth, as emphasized in the sermon? [31:43]
5. Identify a specific area in your life where you need more discipline and accountability. How can you seek support from your small group to grow in this area? [01:07]
6. How can you prepare yourself to give an answer for your hope with gentleness and respect, as instructed in 1 Peter 3:15? What steps can you take this week to be ready for such conversations? [33:04]
7. Reflect on the balance between grace and truth in your own life. Are there areas where you lean too heavily on one over the other? How can you work towards a more balanced approach? [06:33]
Day 1: Steadfast Faith Amidst Pressure
Daniel's unwavering commitment to his faith, despite the cultural shifts of his time, serves as a powerful example for believers today. In a world where societal pressures often challenge Christian values, maintaining a steadfast faith is both a testament to personal conviction and a beacon of hope to others. It is a reminder that one's beliefs should not waver in the face of adversity. [05:54]
James 1:12 - "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
Reflection: How can you remain firm in your faith when faced with societal pressures that challenge your beliefs?
Day 2: Harmonizing Grace and Truth
The Christian walk requires a delicate balance of grace and truth, mirroring the example set by Jesus. Grace without truth can lead to complacency, while truth without grace can be perceived as unloving. Believers are called to navigate this balance, offering forgiveness and calling for righteousness, thus reflecting the full character of Christ. [25:19]
Ephesians 4:15 - "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ."
Reflection: In what ways can you practice speaking the truth in love to maintain the balance between grace and truth in your interactions?
Day 3: Compassion Without Compromise
The account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery demonstrates how to address sin with both grace and truth. This approach shows compassion without compromising the call to repentance and transformation. It is a model for believers on how to engage with those struggling with sin, offering hope and a path to redemption. [30:17]
John 8:10-11 - "Jesus straightened up and asked her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' 'No one, sir,' she said. 'Then neither do I condemn you,' Jesus declared. 'Go now and leave your life of sin.'"
Reflection: How can you offer support to someone in need while also encouraging them to pursue a life that aligns with God's will?
Day 4: Love as a Witness to Christ
Loving, serving, and sharing Christ with others are not just acts of kindness but are the essence of the Christian mission. These actions exemplify Christ's love and pave the way for meaningful conversations about faith. By embodying these principles, believers can effectively witness to others and draw them closer to God. [31:43]
1 John 3:18 - "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."
Reflection: What is one practical way you can show Christ's love through service in your community this week?
Day 5: Engaging Culture with Conviction
Believers are called to engage with the world without losing sight of their faith. This engagement involves being a light in the darkness and influencing culture positively without being negatively influenced in return. It is a call to live out one's faith authentically and courageously in the midst of cultural norms. [22:27]
Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Reflection: What are some ways you can positively influence your culture without compromising your Christian values?
Amen. Let me jump right on into the word. You all ready for the word? Pastor T had an amazing message in the first service today, absolutely powerful, and she'll be speaking again in the third service today. I'm not preaching in the third service, so she will be preaching that, and I'm looking forward to it. God is good!
We started a series just simply called "Exceedingly More." Today is the name of the series, "Exceedingly More." If you were here last week, our word of the year as a church is the year of more. Five of the things as a focus for us as a church that God gave me is that we need more grace in 2024, more wisdom in 2024, and we're going to focus more on grace today. I’ll deal with more details going forward on each individual point, but today, if you need my notes, my notes are actually on the website, weareopcity.cc. Scroll down just a little bit, and you'll see all my notes for the message today.
But again, it's grace, it is wisdom, and it's what we need in 2024. Watch my favorite one: we need accountability in 2024. But y'all say a little bit stronger today: accountability in 2024. The fourth one is discipline in 2024, and then we'll have favor in 2024. Everybody wants the grace, the favor, and the wisdom, but a lot of that comes from being disciplined—people who are willing to be held accountable.
I want to just share as clearly as I can. My wife does an absolutely phenomenal job when it comes to breaking down the Old Testament. I still struggle with that. I have to study for about eight weeks for one particular part in the Old Testament; she could read it in three minutes and boom, that’s it. So please don't measure me based on her standards today because she's up here by herself on this historical stuff. I had to write mine down; she doesn’t have to read hers, I have to read mine. Come on, somebody!
I was just looking at the life of Daniel to set the foundation today on this thing of grace. This whole message literally came from a book that one of the churches in the part of the Ark that we are a part of—Pastor Chris Hardage wrote a book called "The Daniel Dilemma." In this book of Daniel, he's talking about how culture is changing things in so many ways that the church is having a hard time being who the church is called to be in the midst of a world and a society where culture is constantly going down. In many ways, the church is being forced, or the church is finding itself following the ways of the culture.
This message today, even though our focus is grace, is called "Grace and Truth." When you look at the Book of Daniel, chapter 1, the Bible talks about Daniel. I’ll read here in just a moment, but Daniel is one of those books that actually is a historical book but is placed in the prophecy section of the Bible. When it comes to the Book of Daniel, even though a lot of those things happened then—Daniel was like 606 BC before Christ—and all these prophecies that are taking place with Daniel at that time, some things were happening in real time, but even a lot of Daniel's prophecies were things that were going to come.
When you look at the life of Daniel, particularly in Daniel chapter 1, at that point, Daniel was only about the age of 16 years old. You really have to understand when you read the book of Daniel, or many books for that matter, when you get to chapter 6, about that time, Daniel is about 60 years old. So when we read the book of Daniel and you see Daniel in chapter 1, this 16-year-old who's now in the king's house, if you read this from the standpoint of him being that same kid, you're going to miss the power of how Daniel grew in his prophetic position to be a voice and a representation for the kingdom of God.
The nation of Israel had continually rejected God. They stopped respecting and fearing God. They literally were blessed by God, but the same people who were blessed by God got to a point in a season of their life for generations where they did not even acknowledge or read God's word. You know, that happens even today. Many people call themselves getting saved or they know God, but they drift away. They move away from God, and they have a mindset that God still loves them. And God does still love them, but there's a difference when God loves you in a sense of—or you love God in a sense of—I love God, but I don't fear God.
Many people quickly would say, "I love God, I love God," and that's most often not the issue. The issue is, do you fear God? Do you reverence God enough to allow His standards and His word to be the compass, to be the roadmap that we measure our life by? Unfortunately, in the church today, we don't teach on things like this. We speak more grace but not enough truth. You just can't speak about grace without speaking about truth, and you can't just keep talking about truth without speaking about grace.
I believe Daniel is one of those persons in the Old Testament that knew how to stand in a bow-down world. He knew how to stand when culture was trying to get him to change and go a different way. Daniel knew how to stand in the midst of the pressures that were coming his way. I hope today that you understand that pressures will come our way, but we must learn how to stand even when culture bows down. Come on, Hope City Church!
Now, y'all may hear our music and our worship; it may very well be contemporary, but our gospel, our message, is the same Gospel of Jesus Christ from 2,000 years ago—the same word, the same message of Jesus Christ. So never get that twisted. When you join Hope City and love the coffee and the singing and the greeters and the hostesses in the lobby, yes, we are very contemporary in that way, but when it comes to our message, our message is the same. Jesus has a standard; God has a standard. And it's just not grace; it's grace and truth. And it's just not truth; it is grace as well.
Because there are two extremes: one extreme is grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, grace, and then the other extreme is just truth, truth, truth, truth—oh, you’re going to hell, or you do that, oh, fire, fire, you’re going to hell. No, it's grace and truth. We got to be able to teach the word of God in such a way that people can come into the house of God. Even when you look at the life of Jesus, He hung around sinners quite often, and they loved to hang around Him.
This is why it always bothers me with Christians who are supposed to be the light of the world when they say stuff like, "Well, people at my job don't like to sit around me 'cause my anointing." No, that's not why they don't want to sit around you. As the young folks say, "You’re aggy." You are agitated; you are aggravating. You know, "My anointing is so good, and it just makes people stay away from me." No, that's not why. You're too deep; come on, you're too judgmental, you're too critical.
We need both grace and truth. The light draws people. People were drawn to Jesus even in their sin. They wanted to be around Him. I want to show us and hopefully strike a good message today that as a church, as we continually grow and be all that God has called us to be, we don't miss the mark. We don't want to create an apostate place. Some of y'all don't know what that means right now, but this is happening in the body of Christ today. You can be in the building, but are you in Him?
We don't want to talk about that because we don't want to lose people sitting in our pews and our seats, so we keep talking about grace, grace, grace, and we don't stretch people and challenge people. Here's the sad thing about that: some of the stuff that people are going through personally, if you preach a solid enough word, it will help out with some of that personal stuff they’re going on in their life.
As I told you years ago, I am not the Holy Ghost police. I am not coming to your house watching everything that you’re doing. No, no, no, that’s not my job; that is the Holy Spirit's job. And listen, we're all on different stages of life and maturity, and God will deal with you where you are. But what I don't want to happen is to be so critical that somebody's on the edge of their seat about to give God their all, but our religious dogma can then push them out the house, and they'll never hear from another word again.
You'll be surprised how many people in this church, people I have counseled, are growing in their faith. As they go, things are falling off. See, we sometimes want everything to just totally change right then, but sometimes for some people, it is a process.
Look what it says here in Daniel chapter 1: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it." It says, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand." Some of y'all are probably saying, "Now, he said the year of more, and one of them is grace. I thought grace was going to be just give me, give me, give me, give me, you know, candy, and just all happy. I was looking forward to getting this grace message today, but this thing seems hard."
And listen, you guys, it is a little hard. It's almost like—and who remembers? You may be the one who did it to your kids, and the kid who was the recipient of it is right here. But who remembers when you had to take that casserole? You were the recipient of it, or you gave it to your kids. Okay, you were both sides now, right? That was some nasty stuff, but boy, I remember when I got some. About an hour later, I was kicking; I was up; I was, "Oh, I'm good now."
Some stuff is not good in the moment; it's not good in the going down, but in the process of time, it's the very thing your marriage, your faith, your dream, your life, your spirituality need. You don't need a lot of candy when you need some meat. You don't need candy when you need a lot of meat right now.
The Bible talks about how it gets to a point where people get itchy ears, and they only put themselves around people who would say what they want to hear, so it feeds that thing in them—not around people who would challenge their faith or challenge their marriage or challenge why they talk that way or challenge why they act that way. Some of you need to be around the right people in this season who will challenge you.
So we’re talking about grace today, but it's not coming the way you thought it was coming. Okay, I'll get to the good part at some point. It says, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand." Don't miss this here: "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it for about 70 years. He took them into slavery."
It says, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand along with some of the articles from the temple of God." In other words, he took some of God's stuff, like the ark, and mixed it with his stuff. He took God's stuff. It says here, "And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand along with some of the articles from the temple of God." These he carried off to the temple of his god.
So he took God's stuff, put it in his stuff, in Babylonia, and put it in the treasure house of his god. It said, "Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility." He's now going to bring some of God's people. See, he’s taking some of God's stuff, mixing it with his stuff; now he’s taking some of God's people and is about to put them in his service.
Who remembers the story? You know, with Miley Cyrus, you can have the best of both worlds. After the show, you're going to give it a go; you put it all together, and now you got the best of both worlds. Woo, woo, woo! Yeah, that’s what the devil does. He wants to give us the best of both worlds. He wants to put it together, and then after the show, we’re going to give it a go.
We see this stuff, and we miss the cunning and the craftiness of how he tries to bring that thing down. You know the specificity of the thing that matters the most to you. He does things to bring that thing down, and you don't even realize it.
Watch this here: "He brought the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect, handsome like your pastor." Thank you, Pastor T, for that one! Woo! Amen.
Watch this here; y'all are laughing too much. "Showing an aptitude for every kind of learning, well-informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king." He wanted the best of God's people to be with his stuff. He said he was to teach them, watch this here, he was to teach them the language and the literature of the Babylonians.
So now he's bringing them into the culture and now going to teach them their language, their slang, if you would, the way they talk, the way they do things. He said he was to teach them the language and the literature of the Babylonians.
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. He's now getting them to eat. Now these boys had a special diet that the Hebrew boys lived off of. He's now bringing them in and is about to force them to eat what they eat, changing the culture, changing the way they live, changing the way they act.
I remember my first time drinking years ago. Now, I've been saved since February '97, and I remember when I first got W. Y'all just got W, just got W. I was walking straight; I didn't even know Jesus then. I was walking straight; I was just green. I wasn't even—I could have been saved. In a sense, I was so green, but I got a hint of everything. I got a little whiff of everything that was wrong—girls, come on, somebody, drinking. I mean, just everything that was wrong.
Oh, that’s good too! Yeah, y'all are laughing; you once were. Come on, somebody! I got a little whiff of all of that stuff there, and I remember for me drinking, going to the club, and my favorite drink at that time—I don't know what the favorite drinks are tonight, so don't laugh at me—but my drink at that time was gin and juice, whatever. So about '97, '98, but when I was in, and then I went to a party one night, and I remember at the party, it was like an open bar, all types of drinks there.
That night, they kept saying, "Here, try this here, try this here, try this here." I remember I could clearly remember even this moment here that Friday night in which I did that. I had to go to work that next morning, like at 8 or 9:00. Y'all, I was throwing up right at my desk. Everything that I ingested, for a year, I was doing that on a regular basis. Stuff I was never not doing, but I had to take on the same diet as these people, as my friends, for one reason or another—be it to fit in, be it to just whatever the reason you may do it. That was me, and I see this same story here.
It said they were to be trained for three years. The devil will spend three years on changing how you think and how you see and how you believe. He's going to bring you into the culture and change the way that you think and convince you how it should go and show you how the church is wrong. He’s going to spend three years letting Facebook indoctrinate you, social media telling you the right way.
The devil is patient, you guys. Notice how he mixes his stuff with God's stuff so that it doesn't look too bad. I think I just lost five members just then. The membership, I see, I just saw a few people move their names from the membership list because you just want me to be candy. I'm your pastor; I won't do right by you if I don't tell you the truth and nothing but the whole truth, so help me God.
Now watch this here: what you do with it is totally on you. I just want to make sure you know what the whole book says, and then you choose to do what you're going to do with it. Train for three years. The devil has been working on some of y'all for three years, working on that marriage for three years, trying to tear it down for two years, trying to take your dream out of your heart for a year.
He's been working on you. Pastor T talked about in the first service how God, Job was going to and fro in the earth, and God asked Job, "Where you been?" He said, "I've been going through the earth looking for somebody to bring down." He said, "Oh really? Did you try my boy Job?" Now hold up now, God, why are you going to introduce me to put my name on the list? "Have you tried my boy Job?"
Listen, some of you are on the list now. This conversation between Job, God, and Satan—Job doesn't even hear it. So God over here has a conversation going on talking about you, and for some of you, God is talking about you because you qualify to pass the test. It's the only reason why He brought Job's name up.
I'm not going to tell her message, but in the end of the overall message, when Job went through all he went through, the Bible says Job got double for his trouble. Anybody could use double for whatever you went through in 2023. Come on, somebody! All that you endured, and you stood your ground, you stood your integrity, you didn't eat from their table. You stood your ground.
We got to learn how to stand up in that bow-down world. It said they were to be trained for three years, and after that, they were to enter the king's service. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
I'm not going to have time to break this down the way I was. That clock says 10:56. I can't. You got the third service coming up in here. Y'all said keep on going. Y'all don't even care about the third service. Just preach! Don't care about them. It'd be a war getting y'all out and getting them in, but I got to hurry this thing up somehow. Fix it, Jesus! Do it, Lord!
So let me move forward real fast because I just, unfortunately, can't break this down. I will make this promise: unless my schedule is free on Thursday, catch me on Bible study on Thursday night. I'm going to unpack this in a way that’s going to blow your mind, okay? So whatever I miss out here, Thursday night, Facebook, 8 o'clock—not 7; I can't do it. Half of y'all are at work, so 8 o'clock, get home, get relaxed, 8 o'clock. I'm going to do a full Bible study on this right here, but I'm going to preach as much as I can, okay?
I love y'all. You're quite welcome, sir. So watch this here: truth and grace. Watch this here: John chapter 1. Look what it says here: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God," talking about truth, God's truth, God's word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning."
That's going back to Genesis chapter 1: "In the beginning, Elohim, Barah." Then God went on to say, "Let there be light." So even when the Spirit of God moved, the Ruach of God hovered over upon the face of the deep—the presence, the Spirit of God, the word of God, and God was there in the beginning. When creation was formed, in the beginning, God was there; the word was there as well.
The Ruach, the breath of God, the Spirit of God hovered on the face of the waters. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning, and through Him all things were made. Without Him, nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind."
It says, "The light shines in the darkness." I love that! The light shines in the darkness. As a church, we can't go and hide ourselves away from the culture; we must be with the culture. When you look at the life of Jesus, Jesus hung around prostitutes, alcoholics. Jesus was with them.
I can't say, "I don't want to be a value or a light." No, we got to let our light shine in the darkness. You can go over without crossing over. You can go over without crossing over. That’s my concern today—that too many people are going over, and they’re crossing over.
Okay, 'cause we got to go over to compel and to win. Jesus said, Paul said, "I became all things to all men so that I, by any means necessary, can win them—not them winning me." I just lost three more people. Minutes are rough. I just felt a hit on my back; they’re stoning me right now.
Okay, it said, "Where the other Pastor Cory at? He dead; he gone. You got this one right here now." The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Yes, get that! The darkness has not overcome it.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God—children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Watch this here: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." He didn't just come with grace; He didn't just come with truth; He came with grace, and He came with truth.
What is truth? Truth is God's standard. John 17:17 says, "Sanctify them by Thy word; your word is truth." So how do I separate myself? I separate myself based on what the word says. The word is what sanctifies me or separates me. Truth is God's standard; grace is God's favor. Ephesians 2:8 says, "God saved you by grace when you believed, and you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God."
Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Truth is God's standard; grace is God's favor. Watch this here: without truth, we are corrupt. Without grace, we are condemned. Without truth, we become worldly. Without grace, we become judgmental.
Without truth, we become worldly; we become no different from the church. Without grace, we become judgmental, become critical, always got to talk about what we're against rather than what we're for. Come on, somebody! We're against this; we're against this. No, what are we for? Because it was through loving kindness that Jesus drew the world.
Are you with me? Even the woman at the well, it was His loving kindness with her that drew her to Him. Truth without grace is mean; grace without truth is meaningless. Truth without grace is mean, and grace without truth is meaningless.
Watch this here: grace invites us to be free so the truth can set us free. Say it again: grace invites us to be free. The favor of God invites us to be free so that the truth, the standard of God, can set us free—not just set us free in the area of once we accept Christ.
Pastor T did an amazing job years ago preaching how the other side of the cross. Many of you may be on your way to heaven because you received the favor, the eternal gift of salvation, but now that you're on the other side of the cross, how do I now get that other favor that rests on my marriage and my dreams and my visions and what I'm called to do? That’s where many of the Christians are struggling from. They came to the foot of the cross; they got saved. Now that they're on the other side of the cross, it's, "Oh, I just wait to go to heaven now."
No, and there are some people who like that. They just want to be in church all day, wearing white dresses or black dresses all day, and they don't see nothing. All they say is, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus."
Without truth, we are corrupt. Without grace, we are condemned. Without truth, we become worldly. Without grace, we become judgmental. Truth without grace is mean; grace without truth is meaningless.
Listen, I'm done, sir. Grace invites us to be free so the truth can set us free. You know, in John chapter 8, verse 1, I'm not going to read it all right now, but that's a story about a woman who was caught in the act of adultery.
Look what it says here in John 8: "Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning, He was back again at the temple. A crowd soon gathered, and He sat down and taught them. As He was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 'Teacher,' they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law—watch this—the law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?' They were trying to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with His finger. You know, I believe He was down there writing. They say, "You came to tell me about her situation? What about the way you treat your wife? You didn't pay your child support in five years. Come on, talk to me here."
He was, I believe—I can't prove it here, but I believe He was down there writing down what they were doing. I think one by one, it said, "Paul, you did this." Paul had to walk off. "David, John, Sally," whoever, they all had to walk off with everything.
Some of y'all need to start doodling in the sand. Get off Facebook, stop clapping back, and responding back to what people are saying, challenging you. It said He just stooped down, blocked out the world, blocked out what they were saying, and just started doodling in the sand.
He said, "But they kept demanding an answer." The pressure of culture. So He stood up again and said, "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." Then He stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, watch this here, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" She said, "No, Lord."
Watch this here; don't miss this here. Jesus said, "Neither do I." Grace! "Neither do I." But it didn't stop right there. Truth! He said, "Go and sin no more." Grace! He had grace on her, but He also spoke truth to her. You can't keep doing that; you can't keep living like that.
See, what God is calling us to do as a church, the people that are looking for help, we got to get both grace and truth. We got to learn how to love well. Three things: love people, serve people, and share Christ.
The word John 13:34 says, "A new command I give you." And Pastor David, I let you close me out, sir. "Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, all men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
As a church, we need to love the world, love people, serve people, but we got to speak the truth in love because, watch this here, we cannot antagonize and influence at the same time. We can't antagonize and influence at the same time. You can still keep your standards, but you can't antagonize and influence at the same time.
Galatians 5:6 says, "The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself by love." 1 Corinthians 9:19 says, "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone to win as many people as possible." That’s Paul. That’s my desire. I'm not bound to any man, but I make myself the well man so that I could not just win people to salvation, but just walk with you in your journey of life to become healthy and whole physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically.
And then the last one: share Christ with people. 1 Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect and keeping a clear conscience."
Your guests and your friends you bring here, I want to make sure that we are—I’m going to speak the truth, but you can speak the truth in love. But do this, and I see it week after week—people bringing their friends at the door. "I brought my mama; I brought my so-and-so." People telling me how that word stretched me and how that word challenged me.
I can go deeper in other stuff that folk say, but folk are basically getting healed, set free, and delivered. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against you, against your good behavior in Christ, may be ashamed of their slander.
Listen, Jesus connected before He corrected. He connected before He corrected. You ever want to fix somebody? You ever want to see somebody in your family get right? You ever want to see that uncle or that mother or sister get to a certain place in life? Connect with them first. Find a place to connect with them before you correct them and try to show them the errors of their ways. I promise you it will add value to their life.
1) "Jesus connected before he corrected. Connect with them first, find a place to connect with them before you correct them and try to show them the errors of their ways. It will add value to their life." [34:13] (Download)
2) "We got to learn how to stand up in that bow down world. Daniel knew how to stand in the midst of the pressures that was coming his way." [05:54] (Download)
3) "We cannot antagonize and influence at the same time. You can still keep your standards and your convictions, but you can't antagonize and influence at the same time." [31:43] (Download)
4) "Grace invites us to be free so the truth can set us free. Grace is God's favor, inviting us to freedom, and truth is God's standard, setting us free." [25:56] (Download)
5) "Without truth we are corrupt, without grace we are condemned. Without truth we become worldly, without grace we become judgmental." [25:19] (Download)
6) "Truth without grace is mean, grace without truth is meaningless. Grace invites us to be free so the truth can set us free." [25:56] (Download)
7) "Daniel is one of those persons in the Old Testament that knew how to stand in a bow down world. He knew how to stand when culture was trying to get him to change." [05:18] (Download)
8) "We need both grace and truth. The light it draws people; people were drawn to Jesus even in their sin. They wanted to be around him." [07:48] (Download)
9) "The church is finding itself following the ways of the culture. Our message is grace and truth, not just grace alone, and not just truth alone." [02:47] (Download)
10) "The nation of Israel had continually rejected God. They were blessed by God but did not even acknowledge or read God's word, much like many today." [04:38] (Download)
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