The Simple Truth

When you take an inventory of the relationships in your life, do you find you’re invested in those who don’t yet know Jesus? If you only surround yourself with people who think and act like you, you’re not able to be a conduit of God’s grace to those who truly need it. Pastor Dion reveals that Jesus did ministry wherever He was because He was about relationships. His friend list included tax collectors, sinners, and prostitutes. God freely gave you His grace so you can give it to those who are desperate for it.

What makes you truly excited to the point of rejoicing? Do you get loud and celebrate when your favorite sports team wins? Do you get excited and rejoice when you're at a concert? Pastor Dion will be challenging you today to examine if you're able to celebrate and rejoice over temporal earthly things, but not so much over eternal things. Are you filled with celebration when someone gets saved? Do you rejoice when you see a marriage restored or a wayward child coming back home?

If you were offered a free luxury package vacation that included an all-inclusive resort, free food, and free excursions, chances are you would be excited, but you would be waiting for the catch. In this world, typically, nothing like that is just offered for free. Today, Pastor Dion will be explaining to you how, as a child of God, you've been truly given a free luxury package that you don't have to earn by works. He's given you access to His throne, He's given you entrance into Paradise, but also freedom from sin!

As Pastor Dion continues his teaching series through the Book of Galatians, he'll be encouraging you to trust in God's provision and grace. God is faithful, even when you aren't being faithful, because He is not like man. You have been given an incorruptible inheritance from God the Father because you became His child the moment you received the free gift of salvation through Jesus. You can rejoice in knowing that you have all the benefits of being God Almighty's child.

Have you ever examined the lives of the religious leaders of Jesus' day while reading through the scriptures? Today, Pastor Dion will be explaining how trying to obey the law and trying to earn salvation through works and rituals will always leave you miserable and dry. The Pharisees seemed to completely lack all joy, even though they were supposedly God's spiritual leaders over God's people. There is freedom and joy for those who can rest in the knowledge that they are forgiven by grace.

Have you ever questioned if you're truly saved and going to Heaven when you die? The Apostle Paul challenges the church when he says you should examine yourself to see whether you're truly in the faith. It's healthy for you to examine yourself to see if you've ever truly received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or if you've backslidden into sin. Pastor Dion will be asking you a few questions to help you examine yourself in his teaching today. If you obey God's commands, the Bible says you love God.

If your mom or dad were to give you a gift from their heart, would you freely receive it, or would you try to give them money for it? God has given you the free gift of salvation because of His grace. The moment you try to earn your salvation, it's no longer receiving God's grace through faith. As Pastor Dion continues his teaching series through Galatians, he'll be challenging you to stop trying to earn God's favor and to believe that you already have it because of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Have you ever been thrown a party by the government if you've never broken the law? Has the town that you live in ever recognized you and given you anything for being a good law-abiding citizen? The answer is most likely no. This is because the laws aren't meant to reward, but they are meant to point out to you what you're doing wrong and punish you. Pastor Dion will be explaining to you that this is the same way the Law of God works as well. It's meant to teach you that you are a sinner in need of saving.

Today, Pastor Dion will be reminding you that regardless of how much good you've done in your life, you're still not worthy to enter into Heaven. The Bible says that your righteous deeds are as filthy rags before a holy God. This is why God gave His people the Ten Commandments and all the rules and regulations in the Law of Moses, to show you that you can't keep the rules perfectly and that you need a Savior. You can only depend on the Holiness of Jesus living within you on the day of Judgment.

What’s the source of your salvation? Is it from going to Church 3 times a week or reading your Bible every day? Is it from keeping the rules and being kind to others? So many of us live that way. As Pastor Dion will remind you in today’s message, salvation doesn’t come from anything you can do. God does care about your actions, but they can never be good enough for His approval. It’s only when you allow Christ to cover your sinful heart that you can be seen as righteous in God’s sight.