The last couple of weeks have been so helpful in understanding how to apply Christianity to our everyday lives.  We talked about caring too much about what others think of us.  We said that when our value comes from people's approval, people control us, not God.  We then listed six ways people end up controlling us.

Last week, Sam talked about self-judgment.  I sat and listened and thought it was so helpful for us to understand how to stop criticizing ourselves.  Remember, he gave us four reasons why we wrestle with this.  You can’t get away from yourself.  We struggle to grasp and accept God’s love.  We won’t always feel good about ourselves.  You are opposed; you have an enemy.  Sam then explained the difference between conviction and condemnation.  If you beat yourself up, if you struggle with negative self-talk, you must go back and listen to his talk.

Have you wondered why Jesus had to die?  Why didn’t God just forgive our sins and move on?  Wouldn’t that be easier?  No pain.   No forty lashes with a lead-tipped whip.   No crown of thorns.  No crucifixion.  What’s the point of God sending Jesus to die on a cross?  I want to tell you a story, probably one of the best stories that explains why Jesus had to die.  

There once was a king who loved his kingdom.  He led with love and justice. His people respected him because they knew he was good, fair, and trustworthy.  One day, the king’s advisors discovered that someone was stealing from the royal treasury. They investigated, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t identify the thief.  Finally, hoping to put an end to the theft, the king issued a royal decree: Anyone caught stealing from the treasury would receive forty lashes in the town square. The decree was announced throughout the kingdom. Everyone knew the punishment. And because the king was just, everyone knew he would keep his word.

Time passed. Then, one day, the terrible truth came to light.  The thief was the king’s own daughter.  The king was devastated. He loved his daughter deeply, but he had made a decree that could not be ignored. If he allowed her to escape punishment, how could he be a just king? And if he allowed the punishment to happen, how could he be loving?  

The day of punishment arrived. The town square was packed with people. Everyone had the same question: What will the king do? Will he uphold his law and punish his daughter, or will he spare her because he loves her?

The king’s daughter was led to a post and tied in place. The executioner stood behind her, holding his whip. The crowd fell silent.  Just as the executioner raised the whip, the king shouted, “STOP!”  Everyone froze.  The king rose from his throne and walked toward his daughter. He looked at her with tears in his eyes. Then, without saying a word, he removed his royal robe and tore off his shirt. He stepped between his daughter and the executioner and wrapped his arms around her.  With his own back exposed, he looked at the executioner and gave the command: “Begin.”

The whip came down.  Again and again, the executioner struck the king. With every lash, the king absorbed the punishment his daughter deserved. He refused to let her go, shielding her with his own body.  When the fortieth lash fell, it was over.  The king’s daughter was unharmed. But the king’s body had been broken; he collapsed and died.  

That day, everyone understood the king was a king of love and justice.  He didn’t ignore justice; the punishment was carried out.  He didn’t ignore love; he loved her and paid the price for her sin.

Let me ask you: if you were the king’s daughter, and your father hugged you and died taking your punishment, wouldn’t that moment radically change you?  In this story, you are the king's daughter.  Jesus is the king.  The punishment that was supposed to be delivered to you fell on Jesus.  You walk away free.  We call this grace.  It’s a mix of love and justice.

Why did Jesus have to die?   Because God is a God of justice, the punishment had to be carried out.  And God is a God of love; Jesus took our punishment, showing us His love.   

I want you to hear this.

Romans 5:8 God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. NIV

That means, when you were at your worst, Jesus came for you.  Like the king who took his daughter’s punishment, Jesus died for us while we were sinners and took our punishment.  That’s intense.   

I want to share something with you, and I need you to know that I am not trying to be punchy.  I share this because it explains how many Christians live today.  If you believe God’s grace is only about you getting to heaven, you don’t fully understand God’s grace.  God’s grace doesn’t just save you for eternity; it transforms you to live today, right now, each day.

Scripture tells us that grace empowers us; it transforms us to live new lives.

Titus 2:11-13 For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people. 12 That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world. GNT

Do you see it?  There is a direct connection between us experiencing God’s grace and how we live our lives each day.  Grace isn’t: “I can live how I want and barely get into heaven.”   It’s about transforming us today, right now, each day.

Again, I’m not trying to be punchy; I’m trying to be very honest and transparent, and I want you to think through this with me.  

For many North American Christians, grace hasn’t done much in their lives.  

In today’s Christian culture, if we aren’t careful, God’s grace can become nothing more than a way to make us feel better about ourselves and give us hope that we will make it into heaven someday.  Unfortunately, for many, it doesn’t transform them.  It doesn’t lead us to change what Titus called ungodly living and worldly passions.  It doesn’t transform how they view themselves.  It doesn’t transform how they treat others.  If we aren’t careful, it can be normal to know about God’s grace while at the same time not allowing God’s grace to transform us.

Why is this?  Because many North American Christians wake up every day and drag themselves into court.  There is a judge, and it’s God.  There is a jury, and it’s the people in this world.  There is a prosecutor, and we are the defendant.   As we sit in court, we sit in the chair, see God as the judge, and conclude, ‘I’m not enough.  I have struggled and failed.  I’m guilty, and I know it.’  And we assume the judge is looking forward to punishing us.  We see the jury, the world, and think, ‘What will people think of me when they find out who I really am?’  And the whole time we are in court, we feel guilt, shame, fear, restless, and defeat.  That is how many Christians walk through the day.  That’s why I said, God’s grace hasn’t transformed many Christians.  

Please hear me: because of Jesus, you never had to go back to court.  Using the courtroom analogy, I want you to picture this.  The prosecutor spends days explaining your sin and failures.   The jury delivers a guilty verdict.   The judge then pronounces you guilty.   You feel so defeated.  Then something happens that no one expects.   The judge gets up and takes off his robe.  He comes down to the floor to stand beside you.  They handcuff the judge and lead him out of the courtroom.  You go home free.

Let’s read about it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. 10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do. GNT

Let’s stop here and ask, do you do this?  Maybe you are a Christian, and you have heard about God’s grace.  You heard that the punishment that was supposed to fall on you fell on Jesus.  You heard that when God sees you, He sees the righteousness of Jesus in you.  You sing songs on Sunday about God’s grace being overwhelming.  Then you wake up on Monday, and you drag yourself back into court.  You look to others to notice you and validate you.  You think, ‘I’ve sinned; I’m not worthy of God saving me.’ And you find yourself walking in guilt, shame, and fear.  If this is you, I have great news for you.  You never had to go back to court.  You never have to look to others to notice you or validate you.  You don’t have to look at your past sin and failure and feel bad about it.

Do you remember what Paul wrote?

1 Corinthians 4:3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. 4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. NIV

Paul says, I know I am the chief of all sinners.  I used to hunt down and kill Christians; that’s the kind of person I was.  And I am telling you, because of God’s grace, it’s transformed me.  I don’t care what others think of me.  And the truth is, I don’t even care what I think about myself.  Why?  Because when I see myself and who I really am, I was a horrible person.  The only thing that matters is what God has concluded about me.  Imagine living in that freedom.  Imagine how freeing that would be.  

14 indicators that we may not fully understand God’s grace and drag ourselves into court.

1. We think grace is only about getting us into heaven, nothing about living each day on earth.

2. We use grace as an excuse to keep sinning and not make any changes.

3. We feel we must earn God's love and acceptance.

4. We feel guilty because we know our sin and failures instead of feeling free because of what Jesus has done for us.

5. We believe God's grace is for other people, but struggle to believe it is for us.

6. We feel like we are mature and ‘know’ a lot, but we have become judgmental and less gracious toward others.

7. We think being a good person, doing good things now and then, is enough.

8. We don’t want to change sinful habits, so we avoid the Bible, and we avoid time with Jesus.

9. We think grace means God is soft and won’t hold us accountable for bad choices or laziness.

10. We forget we need the grace of God as much today as the first day we met Jesus.

11. We experience grace, and our guilt is removed.  The pressure is off, and we feel great.  Then we go right back to an unchanged life, same routines, same thoughts, same desires.

12. We go to church and experience God restoring us, and we feel healed and forgiven.  Then, instead of helping others experience what we experienced in church, we become spiritually selfish, lazy, and disinterested in the church, the Bible, and a relationship with Jesus.

13. We experience God’s grace, and it brings us to tears because we are so grateful.  Then we struggle to live in that gratefulness; instead, we find ourselves looping in old negative attitudes.

14. God tells us, when He sees us, He sees the righteousness of Jesus in us, but we live like He sees our sin and failure.  So instead of courage, we live with guilt.

 Are you struggling with God’s grace?  I didn’t ask you if you heard about God’s grace and believe in it.  I didn’t ask you if you did a fill-in-the-blank discipleship on God’s grace.  I didn’t ask you if you sing songs about it.  I didn’t ask if you have a tattoo about God's grace.  I want to know if it has changed how you view yourself.  I want to know if it’s changed how you live your life.  I want to know if it has changed how you treat others.  Has it empowered you to take the focus off of you so you can focus on others?  Can you now give up your life for Jesus?  I want to know if it has transformed you.

 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. NIV

Remember Colossians 1:22 Holy, pure, faultless?

A normal day in the life of a person transformed by God’s grace.  I start each day reliving God’s grace.  Reliving how Jesus took my punishment, and I am free. That means I am reading Scripture, praying, and doing something to remember and celebrate God’s grace in my life.  I walk through the day; chances are, it's busy, stressful, and maybe with setbacks, challenges, and failure.  But I can walk through each day with gratitude because I know to my core that I am filled with the righteousness of Jesus.  Who I think I am, what I have done, what others think, what I think about myself, has been forgiven and forgotten.  I am free because the only thing that matters is what God says about me.  I never have to go back into court to live in guilt, shame, fear, restlessness, and defeat.

Question: What has God’s grace done to you?