Vol.8 The Real You - Your life in God's Mission

Last Sunday we had Jason Malone speak at church as the final sermon in our Real You Series. Nuff Said! (here are my sermon notes, obviously mostly in point formation)

http://media.southsidefellowship.org/audio/sermons/20110925.mp3
Ephesians 2  And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

- The Big idea of the Bible is that God is on a mission of Redemption - Through His church.
- The Decentrilization of the church is God's brilliant design.
- In Ephesians Paul gives us a look at what a non-believer's life looks like, thhen what a transformed life looks like.

THERE IS A MONUMENTAL CHANGE IN OUR LIVES WHEN WE MEET JESUS

- v.1-3 You cannot be rescued, if you do not what from.
- v.4 - BUT GOD - God steps in and begins our rescue Himself.
     - Before God steps in we were lost, but He brings us to light.
- If we find ourselves worried and oppressed abt other things apart from God's mission, We are living below our position as His rescued missionaries.
- God's LOVE defines us - not those things we worry about.

God's Gospel offers us:
* New life when you were dead
New Freedom when you were in Bondage
and a New Passion when you were condemned*

v.8 Grace is God doing good to us when we deserve the opposite.
 "Grace is costly for the giver, shocking for the observer, and traumatic to the receiver" - Tim Keller

- We are trophies of God's Grace into this sinful world
- God uses us and our situations to display His grace to those around us.
- Each and every one of our grace-stories is different, to the glory of God and His mission.

* Pursue God Yourself - Make Him a priority
* Live in a Biblical Community with other Christ followers - for the sake of those who don't know Christ
* Discover and engage in your Spiritual Gifts continually
* Invite people into your Grace-Story