Anderson Sermons

If God's grace covers all of our sin, then why should we even bother to avoid sin and pursue holiness? In Romans 6, Paul answers this question by reminding us that sin is completely inconsistent with our new identity in Christ. Sin is a destructive, evil master, and Jesus died and rose again to set us free sin's tyranny! We don't have to say “yes” to sin any longer. Instead, we are free to serve a good master, Jesus, who gives us eternal life, righteousness and sanctification when we say “yes” to Him.

At this very moment, each member of humanity is represented before God by one of two men – Adam or Jesus Christ. Adam's one sin in the Garden brought death to himself and to all of humanity. No one can escape the verdict of condemnation because we are related to Adam. It may not seem fair, but because we were represented by one man, Adam, in death, we can also be represented by one man, Jesus, in life. And the one great hope for all of humanity is that the gracious act of Jesus completely overcomes the deadly act of Adam...and this gift is available to all who believe.

Having believed in the faithful work of Jesus Christ, God has declared us to be in right relationship with him...we are justified! And that is not just a legal declaration. Our justification changes our lives right now. We were God's enemies, but now we are at peace. We were without hope, but now we have hope that endures forever, even when we are experiencing suffering in this life. We were destined for eternal death, but now we have eternal life. Our justification changes everything!

Paul tells us unambiguously that we are justified by God through faith alone, apart from our own best efforts. That's easy to understand, but so hard to accept! We are tempted to add our own good works and religious practices back into the equation to earn, keep, or prove our righteous standing before God. But God gives us Jesus Christ's righteousness for free, so let's learn to enjoy God's extravagant generosity!

Our sin has created a rift between us and God, and there is nothing we can do to make things right again.
But God, in His immeasurable grace, refused to abandon us. Instead, He intervened with a solution: His Son.
Everyone who believes in Jesus receives His righteousness in place of his or her own sin. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We add nothing to the equation; we simply accept what God gives us through Jesus.
This is amazing grace!

God is right – in all that He is and all that He does. God's “right-ness” is revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the fulfillment of His covenant promises through Abraham to the entire world. And God is also right in His condemnation of mankind's active rejection of God and of His self-revelation. Our rejection of God proves our need for God and His saving work through Jesus. Our sin proves our need for the good news of the gospel!

The gospel is good news. In fact, the gospel (a Greek word that actually means “good news”) is the
very best news
ever! In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul explains in great depth and clarity why the gospel is such great news. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, He has the power to make us right with God. He has the power to remove our debt of sin and separation from God, to grant us the promise of eternal life, and to begin the process of transforming us into His image. Through the gospel
all things
will be made new. That's the best news ever!

In the busyness of day to day life, it is so easy for us to become distracted and discouraged from the things that really matter. What is the mission of the Church, and of each and every man and woman who comprises the Church?

We help people find and follow Jesus.