Lifecoast Church

Today, we are always compelled to take sides over popular issues, and make judgments based on people's actions or sins. But Jesus refused to give in to position taking, and He always approached the sinner with grace and truth, with a heart of love. Pastor Jeff shows us how to do this in our lives, and the key is remembering who we really are, and what has been freely given to us, and should be freely given to others.

Jesus walked this earth with a perfect balance of Grace and Truth, and brought life to those He encountered. How did He do it, while we tend to struggle in such relationships. The answer is in the Tree that Jesus from which Jesus drew His source. Listen as Pastor Mike describes the 2 Trees found in Genesis, and how we tend to live from the wrong one. If you want to experience life, you have to be living in the Tree of Life.

How do you walk in grace and truth? It seems we always seem to lean one way or the other. We either turn someone away with truth, or leave others feeling no need to change because of grace. Jesus modeled the perfect balance of the two, and experienced perfect results, with the woman at the well.

How do you help change a hurting world?

Our task is not to try and change them...but simply to live out the grace that has changed us. If we allow the Grace of Jesus to fill us...then we can freely give it away to the world around us.

Live it out, then give it out freely, as its been freely given to us.

If God's Grace is so transformational, why do we see so little of it in His Church? At times it seems like you could find more grace at WalMart than you can among God's people at Church? The truth is - relationships are hard, and people are all sinners. So how do we learn how to live in grace with one another? How do go from being people in need of grace to grace givers?

For all that Jesus Christ has done for us, it should be easy for us to want to do things for Him. But sometimes our focus becomes the tasks we are doing, instead of the One we are doing them for. And in the end we end up feeling exhausted and unappreciated. But Jesus didn't tell us to produce fruit for Him. Instead He told us to just remain in Him, like branches on a vine. In the abiding, He produces all the fruit through us that He desires, filling us with joy! Abiding in His grace...works!

After our messages on Salvation through Grace and then understanding that Grace throws away the "score card" use for ourselves, the place to go next is what is our next step? The next step is to just let Grace do its work. It seems easy and satan tries to lead us back to our list of DOs and DONT'S. letting Grace do its work is an Inside Out process. We first must completely surrender our will over to The Spirit within us and begin the process of learning to hear His voice. It all begins with surrender.

Probably the biggest problem believers contend with after salvation is the idea that there still is nothing left to do to please God. We know by grace He was happy at the cross to let us into heaven, but we're not altogether sure how to keep Him happy until we get there.

We are a people of works, and we develop lists of do's and dont's to "add to" grace.. hoping its enough to please Him. Pastor Mike shows us how the lists don't work, and in fact, how they have a negative effect on us all. We cannot do one thing to make God love us any more, and we cannot do one thing to make God love us any less. He's just plain happy...because of grace alone.

From the very beginning, right up until the coming of Jesus, Grace has been God’s plan. Sin has riddled us, and seeks to drive us far away from God. And our natural bent is to “make up” the difference for our shortcoming by working hard at getting better. We’ll join a religion, and try to “look” better, or be better, but in the end, it all falls short. Nothing helps this guilty conscience of ours. But God, because He is love, Graced man with an alternative to his works - His Son – and we have to do nothing to earn His pleasure and satisfaction. Grace Works. And He is pleased to tell you – there is nothing else you have to do, all the work is done.

For most of us, we learn about grace as that ticket God purchased for us to be used later when we die to get into Heaven. But what if it were more than that? We can look around and see a world, and a church, that is riddled with a lack of Grace. Religion is everywhere – with it’s Do’s and Be’s, and guilt and shame. But it never really helps us get better, and our churches many times look just like the world. What we have found is that unless we have learned to receive God's grace - we won't be able to give it to others.

What if we began to jump head first into understanding God’s Grace, and allow it not only to change us, but become the very tool that changes those around us on a daily basis? What could a Holy Spirit do in this world, and in our church, if we became tools of grace for Him to use?