I can get up every morning because I have opened up my life to the grace of God, and say, "God, what are the good works you have for me today? What adventure do you have for me today? How can I love God and love people today? How can I step into good works today? What's the mission you have for me today? How can my life take on eternal significance today? Because I know you have good works for me today!"

When it comes to this issue of salvation and a new start and a transformation by grace; it is almost as if God gives us an instanstaneous zap when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. In fact Ephesians chapter 2 tells us the very moment we reach out to God in faith; that very moment grace transforms us. Our eternity is changed and life becomes new because we experience the very life of Jesus Christ. Grace can change anything!

It says in Ezekiel chapter 18, "I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies declares the Lord! Therefore repent and live." It says in 1Timothy 2, "This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our savior who desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." It says in 2Peter 3:9, "God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Jesus said this in John chapter 8, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free". So the converse is if you don't know the truth, if you are believing a lie rather than being set free, you are in some kind of bondage. So the premise of the series we have been in this summer is that there is power in believing the truth. When we know the truth, we understand the truth, we believe the truth, it literally sets us free.

God the Father planned salvation. God the Son accomplished salvation. God the Holy Spirit, he applies salvation. He changes our lives. He makes us different people.

If you look at the testimony of scripture from Genesis to Revelation, you will see that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal God. To draw people into a relationship with God. To transform people in that new life in Christ. And then to reproduce the very life of Christ within the individual experience and within the corporate experience we call the church.

What do you believe about Jesus? Jesus Christ is the promised messiah, the God man, the bold prophet, the compassionate healer, the bondage breaker, the perfect example, the atoning sacrifice, the resurrected Lord, the interceding high priest, the returning King. What you believe about Jesus will change your life today and tomorrow and for all eternity.

Who do we really say Jesus Christ is? What do we really believe about Jesus? Because what we believe affects how we feel and how we live and the eternal destiny of our lives. And what we believe about Jesus will effect everything about our spiritual journey.

We feel guilty.  We are aware of our inadequacy.  We know how we fall short.  But for some reason we spiritualize that. You'd think the hight of spirituallity is feeling guilty. Your best sermons are when you leave feeling really bad about yourself. There is nothing spiritual about being guilty.  Guilt is a step in a process towards, freedom, forgiveness, hope, restoration.

The agnostic has a thought in his mind when he thinks about God. He says, "I don't know if there's a God." The hindu has a thought in his mind when he thinks about God; "there are many gods." Everybody has a basic notion, understanding, preconceived idea of God. The question is, is it acurate or not?