I Am Right With God // Grace Like A Flood (Part 2)

when my confidence is drifting when I

feel completely insignificant when I’m

scared and alone when I’m lost in

darkness with no sense of light when

fear and anxiety have paralyzed my bones

when taking two steps forward I’m

throwing ten steps back when the

pressure is just too much to bear but in

a moment

in a moment a moment in a moment it’s

great

your grace comes rushing in

like a flood

well good morning everybody

amen I am so excited to be here with you

I want to say a big hello to

transformation nation we have thousands

of people watching online right now and

to everybody who’s here in the building

I just want to say man I am so excited

that you decided to be with us we are in

an amazing series and before we get

started today there are many people here

that are stayed over from gat Stander’s

prayer conference my parents had a

prayer conference and I just want to say

welcome to transformation Church

transformation Church can we make them

feel welcome we love you guys

yeah so this is week two of a series

called grace like a flood and I don’t

know if you were here last week but if

you were here last week got wrecked

everybody like like it was it wasn’t a

thing like if you were breathing that

message the sermon the truth of God’s

Word touched your heart and if you

weren’t able to watch that please go

back and watch it but today we’re on a

journey we’re on a six-week journey for

God to I just say ravage our hearts like

to literally rip off religion and

comparison and all of these things but

it comes through the understanding of

grace and we learned last week that

grace is and if you aren’t here you need

to write this down grace is the

unmerited undeserved unearned kindness

and favor of God don’t ever forget that

because the enemy will try to make you

feel like somehow that God is not

pleased with you

Betty’s that he’s mad at you that he he

doesn’t want good things for you but

literally the overarching theme of the

Bible and everything that God has said

about us is it’s that he’s extended

grace his undeserved unmerited unearned

favor kindness and goodness and I want

us to look in the in the scripture in

Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8 and we’re

gonna read it in the amplified version

and amplify it but the Bible says for it

is by grace everybody

say grace it’s God’s remarkable

compassion and favor drawing you to

Christ that you have been saved actually

delivered from judgment and given

eternal life that’s amazing and it’s

only through your faith like I need

everybody to stop and realize that the

only thing that you have to do to be

able to experience eternal life and walk

in the freedom that God has for you is

put your faith in Jesus Christ and I

know that goes against religion and I

know that that goes against all the

people who try to control you with

mechanisms no you need to stop doing

this and you need to start doing this

and you need to do this those are all

man-made things the Bible tells us that

when we put our faith in Jesus that we

get to experience grace somebody say it

again say grace it’s gonna become your

new favorite word before this is over

okay you get to experience grace and

this salvation is not of yourself not

through your own effort but it is the

undeserved gracious gift of God not as a

result of your works it seems like he’s

trying to get us to understand something

like they’re saying the same thing over

and over again because many of us think

it’s how many bible scriptures we read

that makes God love us or how much

offering we’ve given or how many hours

that we serve that maybe God checks me a

little higher on the list because of

everything I’ve done and this scripture

is telling you it’s not because you sing

well it’s not because your children are

well behaved it’s not because you

married a superstar that God loves you

it’s because you’re his and you put your

faith in Him and it says it’s not as a

result verse 9 of your works nor your

attempts to keep the law now this is

funny to me because I had a situation

happen to me at the mall last week I had

a guy come up to me and tell me that he

did not believe and what we preached

here at the church he said I believe

basically in the Old Testament

like I’m woke y’all know the people who

woke like I woke like like I believe

what the Old Testament I believe in the

law he literally said I believe in the

law and then he proceeds to tell me how

he overspent in the mall that day and

and he had a budget but he went over

budget so let me say it like this he had

a law that he put in place for himself

only spend this much and he couldn’t

even keep the law that he put him

now how could we keep the entire law

that was put in place in the Old

Testament if you can’t even keep your

own laws many okay how many of us have

said we’re gonna stop eating bread or

sugar and we go back to eating bread and

sugar okay all right let me some of

y’all y’all being fake so let me ask

y’all how many of us have said that we

aren’t gonna stop talking to somebody we

like and somehow we end up back in

relationship with those people we can’t

even keep our own laws so how do you

think that you’re gonna be able to keep

every Old Testament law and so God is so

good that he knew that that he said I’m

giving you a free gift grace that will

no longer make you a slave to the law

but make you a slave to the love that I

have but like to make you so enthralled

with me that you will no longer serve me

out of Oh fear of maybe I’ll break the

law but I want you to serve me out of

love and it says this is not the result

of your works or your attempts to keep

the law so that no one will be able to

boast or take credit in any way for his

salvation like that’s the thing you got

to understand we don’t save ourselves

this is his salvation that we get to

participate in like you’ve never seen

somebody drown and being like oh I’m

about to save myself the person who

saves them is usually outside of the

situation it’s usually in a greater

position than they are and they are able

to use what they have to help some

that’s God and and we’re the ones

drowning in sin we’re the ones drowning

in comparison and guilt and frustration

but God says from another position from

a place that is higher than what we

could even imagine he says I’m going to

save you because this is not you this is

my salvation the bakers encyclopedia of

the Bible explains grace like this it

says grace is the dimension of divine

activity activity that enables God to

confront human and if

how many of us have been indifferent

about something like we knew the right

thing but it’s like I don’t really care

okay and rebellion now nobody likes to

talk about this but how many of us have

been rebellious and when I say

rebellious I mean like you knew the

right thing and you knew the

consequences and you just chose to do

the wrong thing okay now watch God

confronts human indifference and

rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity

to forgive and bless do you hear what

I’m saying

like every time you decide to be

rebellious or indifferent God says I’ll

forgive you for that

and I’ll still bless you even despite

that like like and I know that’s hard

for many of us to even conceive because

we don’t even have a filter like that I

think the saying goes like this you mess

over me once shame on you

you mess over me twice shame on me you

mess over me three times I’m gonna kill

you you understand what I’m saying like

I’m gonna kill you like some of y’all we

don’t even let people get to a third

time but God says every time you you

mock me every time you use my name in

vain every time you make a promise

prayer Oh y’all know what promise

prayers are y’all know when when he said

God if you get me out of this situation

I promise and all of us everybody in

here has broken a promise prayer to God

and he doesn’t throw us away or put us

in a place he says I have an

inexhaustible ability to forgive you and

to bless you just somebody just take a

moment and thank God come on somebody

got we worship you thank you for your

grace and the reason this is so inviting

to understand is because if you don’t

perceive God like this then it makes

your actions and your thoughts about God

ones that don’t line up with the truth

and and and this is something that I

realized in my life now like something

may be the truth but if it’s not your

perception it doesn’t matter like like

what you perceive is ultimately what you

react and

how you act upon and and so many people

don’t understand that god really is a

loving God they perceive something

different a lot of people perceive that

God’s mad at them a lot of people

literally I counsel people all the time

that feel like God is waiting for them

to mess up so he can punish them like

it’s almost like the bully at school

like if you do the wrong thing I’m

against you and and we may not say that

but that’s how we respond because the

the Bible is telling us truth but what

we perceive is something different I’ll

just say it in one step one statement

perception is your ultimate reality even

if it’s not the ultimate truth and your

reality dictates your actions so if you

don’t see God as a good good father we

sing the song we know it’s the truth but

if we don’t perceive him as a good good

father we don’t love him and respond to

him in that same way and so I just want

everybody in this room that’s hearing me

that’s watching online I want you to see

God right because if you see God right

then you’ll be able to respond to him

right and there are many people if they

knew how much God really loved them if

they perceived him right there would be

not a seat in a church in the world

because everybody wants a loving God

that will look past their faults and see

their need what does everybody want in a

real relationship like I want to know

will you be down for me if we go through

hard times like what do we say like I

need a ride-or-die chick like the only

person in relationship who has actually

been able to keep the title ride-or-die

is Jesus think about it like think oh

that’s good

think about it like he’s the only one

that said I will look past their faults

and matter of fact I’m gonna just ride

with them I’ll die for

and when you understand like people that

stay with people throughout jail

sentences and through sicknesses and all

that everybody looks at that in the

world

I view and they say that’s real love

because they stayed with them even

though they didn’t deserve it and why

then when it comes to God and and what

he did for each one of us the Bible says

while we were yet sinners Christ died

it’s because many of us have the wrong

perception of God but once you get the

right perception of God you can start

responding the right way and this is

this is the funny thing is because when

you got saved

many of you in this room like it was

amazing because you knew you didn’t

deserve it like like I know when I got

saved that’s like Lord you still look

like you do start doing it because it’s

like yo but somehow the enemy creeps in

and starts telling us it’s about our

works and somehow it was Amazing Grace

when we got saved but now somehow it

turned into light you know but I do

serve and I and I do give in and yeah I

mean I’ve given the largest offering

I’ve ever given in my life this year so

that’s why I’m blessed and this

scripture and this whole teaching is

telling you God cannot love you any more

than he loves you right now and when you

are trying to vie for position based on

what you do it’s almost insulting

because it’s all about what he did like

like I don’t do things for my wife out

of anything except love and God’s saying

when you give that’s cuz you love me

when you serve it’s because you love me

but when you when you help somebody else

it’s because you loved not so that I can

love you that’s already done and so what

I want you to realize is that we have to

get this perception under control

because the thing you got to realize is

that as amazing a saving grace is

sustaining grace is that amazing to

no I want to say that one more time the

the same grace it took you to get out of

that situation and for God to save you

it’s the same grace it takes for him to

sustain you every day every moment every

hour and some of us were amazed at the

beginning of our relationship but for

some reason we feel like it’s us now and

I came to encourage you I came to tell

you that God’s grace is not just for the

beginning it’s sufficient through your

entire life and so so today I want to

title my message um I’m right with God

I’m right with God like like like I want

you to I want you to believe this as a

believer cuz many believers don’t

believe this

and if this is not your truth then you

do things contrary to what God’s Word

says for you I want you to turn to

Romans Romans chapter 4 verse 1 and

we’re gonna read about our father of

faith Abraham today and we’re gonna see

if we can pull some truth about this and

that’s being right with God um it says

what didn’t shall we say about Abraham

our Father who has a founded according

to the flesh for it is Abraham who

justified by works he has something to

boast about for if Abraham was justified

by works he has something to boast about

but not before God for what does the

scripture say abraham believed god

everybody say abraham believed god and

it was accounted to him for

righteousness now to him who works the

wages are not counted as grace but as

dead but to him who does not work but

believes on him who justifies the

ungodly his faith is accounted for

righteousness that is a good piece

description I love buddy I like what did

that mean Pastor Mike that’s why I’m

here I’m your pastor I’m your tour guide

on this amazing journey

I’m not break it down okay you got me

okay so so the reason why this scripture

is so amazing is because it’s telling us

what

grace and works looks like in the sight

of God and honestly if I was to go to

Woodland Hills mall right now or

whatever mall is near you and just pull

random people like how does somebody get

to heaven like most of the answers

people would come back with then they

don’t have to be believe at the digit

they would just say you have to do good

things like do good things and it would

probably be summed up like this do more

good than bad and you’ll get to heaven

like like and how many of us know some

good people who are not believers like

you no good I mean they’re good people

like and and the only problem is God’s

standard is not good it’s perfect and I

need us to see this so how will we ever

get to heaven well I got two questions

for you and I need y’all to be honest

cuz we’re a hot church humble open and

transparent okay so I need y’all to be

honest with me how many of you and

probably not a lot of people will raise

their hand but how many of you have

broken every law of God like how many of

you have broken every law okay nobody

okay so I got another question for you

after I read James 2:10 let’s look at it

and the person who keeps every law of

God but makes one little slip is just as

guilty as the person who has broken

every law various so let me ask a

different question how many of us have

made one little slip oh come on right

and some of y’all y’all slippin slidin

yeah this ain’t no one little slip this

is a slip and slide okay so what does

this say Pastor Mike C we try to put

levels on this thing again will you

killed somebody will you lied well well

well you’re in a homosexual alternate

relationship but you keep thinking about

your brother’s wife every time you see

them oh yeah I mean you’re I’m in I’m in

your business I’m here for you today

what are you saying well will they keep

doing this and God said but you did this

and if you’ve made one little slip even

playing feel and see the church we don’t

memorize that Scripture

that ain’t on our poster our postable

Instagram abou with scriptures of the

day but why wouldn’t we let the world

know that because somehow we want to

keep control to make people feel that

somehow we may be better than them like

we know a god that’s got us on the

executive level of life and I know

you’re down there and I know you’re

struggling but maybe one day you can get

like me and God says I see all the same

like right here and until we perceive

this properly then we look at our

righteousness and what God has done we

look at it wrong so if God’s standard is

perfect and none of us nobody in this

room nobody watching has been perfect

how do we go to heaven simple

we believe in the perfect one like like

this is what that’s why God created this

entire thing so that we could be once

who believed in Jesus and by our belief

in Jesus we get the free gift of God the

unmerited unearned undeserved kindness

and favor of got nobody deserved it

everybody from the little white lie

which there’s no such thing to the

person who is committing adultery

everybody needs the grace of God and

when we receive this we’re able to find

what God intended not for Christians but

for the whole world

look at Romans 4:3 one more time this is

what we’re gonna get our three points

for the day it says for what does the

scripture say it says abraham believed

god that’s one point and it was

accounted that’s the second point to him

for righteousness that’s the third point

but I’m gonna work it backwards okay so

we’re gonna start with righteousness but

we’re gonna hit all of these so the

question is point number one what is

righteousness okay what is righteousness

and if I said you know pastor Demario

he’s a righteous guy he’s righteous like

what would that mean in the natural it

probably would mean that pastor damar

a good person a good husband he works

good he keeps his word he does nice

things for people and and and he’s an

honest man that’s what it would sound

like in the natural and if that was your

assumption you’d be right like that that

that would be a correct assumption but

it’s just not the only assumption let’s

just say when we talk about this thing

of grace and works I’m gonna read some

things and they may sound like riddles

but I want you to Zone in right now and

listen to what I’m saying and really

register it in your heart is Demario

righteous because he does righteous

things or does he do righteous things

because he is righteous think about it

see the root word of righteous is right

so let’s break it down a little further

is she right with God because he does

right things or does he do right things

because through grace he has been made

right with God like this is the whole

difference between works and grace right

here like I’m not righteous because of

what I do I’ve been made righteous and

so now I do right things and see that’s

why everybody’s trying to find the line

of sin and what but it means that you

haven’t really received grace you

haven’t really fallen in love with the

one who took your sins because you’re

trying to figure out how much you can do

and get by with instead of falling in

love and because you’re in love you want

to do the right thing to please the

person you’re in love with I know it’s a

lot and I know it’s coming against your

religion but this is not about doing

right it’s about being right with the

one who is right and this is what we

have to believe as Christians that I am

right with God when you believe I am

right with God it changes your actions

when I know me and my wife are right in

our relationship I can go and say stuff

to her and be fine with her and do

different thing when we’re in struggle

when there’s strife there’s certain

stuff you just stay away from

like because I know I’m not right with

her and what ends up happening is many

people because they feel like they’re

not right with God

they don’t say certain things to him

they don’t talk to him they won’t they

won’t come to his house but the one

thing I know about Nathalie is no matter

where we are and whatever situation that

we were going through I always have

access to speak love into her life I

always have access to be able to give to

her

I always she can be mad at me but I’ll

put out a person she was like Oh Big

Daddy I mean I mean well did I say that

out loud

anyway what I’m saying to you is no

matter what happens because of my

positioning in her life that I’m always

in right standing even if I say

something dumb like like when I made a

covenant to her it didn’t matter that

sometimes I’d forget to take out the

trash like like like there’d be some

times where I’d say the wrong thing or

she’d asked me how do I look and I

actually would be honest and then then

we were in trouble for the rest of that

like do you understand what I’m saying

like but that did not stop me from being

in relationship being in right-standing

with her the thing I’m trying to tell

you is God factored in your mess-ups and

he said you’re in right-standing with me

so even when you mess up even when you

do the wrong thing even when you do that

does not take you out of this covenant

that doesn’t mean you need to go around

looking for something I’m still the

answer for your heartbreak I’m still the

thing that will fulfill your purpose I’m

still the one who will change the broken

situation into something that will give

you life but so many people because

they’ve done a wrong thing in the

relationship go outside of the

relationship looking for the thing to

fulfill them inside and what God’s

saying is you’re not right because of

what you do you’re right because of what

I’ve done

do you understand that and this has

changed me completely this why I’m so

passionate because

I was the guy who felt like my works

made me worth it

now I’m gonna say that again because

many people are dealing with it how good

I play drums how amazing my outfits are

how like I thought that that is what

made me worth it to God because I’ve

been told that’s what made me worth it

to people but God’s standard of worth

was not based on what you could do it

was based on what he did so when he sees

you with your nappy hair which oak

thrift store jeans on with your bad

performance he says that’s my boy that’s

my girl that’s my child I’m proud of

them I love them I’ll stand up for them

I’ll protect them I will go to bat for

them I’ll even die for them like y’all

we gotta get this cuz I talk to people

every day that have a fight because they

feel like they’ll never measure up and

my question is what are you trying to

measure up to because when God looks at

you and says it’s good who cares what

anybody else says about you the only

thing I heard this quote one time that

said the only thing that can define a

thing is its creator why are we going

around asking other creations who we are

well why are why are we finding our

validation of how many likes of creation

gives us when our Creator liked us

stepped back and said it’s good and

that’s why it’s not about what we can

work it’s about the grace of God

somebody said it’s about the grace of

God and so this is what I want everybody

to see so what is righteousness you

write this down righteousness is right

standing with God like that’s the

easiest definition it’s right standing

with God and now I want you to declare

the sermon title somebody say if

you’re a believer say I am right with

God like you gotta get this in your mind

because every day the enemy comes to

tell you God’s mad at you you looked at

it you said it you did it you’re not

enough he’s the accuser of the Brethren

the only thing he can do is speak lie

like if you hear the enemy it is his

native tongue is a lie and so when he

tells you you’re not worth it you’re not

qualified nobody will come to that event

even though God gave it to you even

though it’s the truth he’ll lie to you

even when we opened up the third service

right before I came out here on the

third service the enemies like nobody’s

out there you’re gonna be preaching to

yourself didn’t I tell you to open the

third service didn’t I tell you and so

what you have to remember is no matter

what the enemy says I am right with God

but like you got yo Church I cannot I

cannot be more emphatic because more of

the issues that we’re dealing with is a

level of us not believing who God’s

already said we are like it’s not it’s

not that we don’t know it’s that we

don’t believe it when the Bible says

we’re the head and not the tail well God

why are other people getting promoted I

told you you’re the head and not the

tail you’re above and not beneath I’m

going I’m working the plan out be

patient trust me everything that God

says is coming to pass like all these

scriptures that we know it’s the truth

but obviously we don’t believe it and

the reason we don’t believe it is

because we really don’t believe we’re

right with God

and so that’s why we start doing dances

and doing new things and some of y’all

are so spread out serving God that

you’re about to lose your husband and

your children and God said you don’t

even have to do that to feel loved by me

but come on church I know it’s not sexy

but it’s the truth but today I want you

to believe and understand that you are

right with God and he calls you

righteous I want to give you an example

just

just to help people further get this and

let me ask you a question okay can a

righteous person do an unrighteous thing

yes like a righteous person somebody who

believes can do an unrighteous thing

some of y’all did it last night um ever

since you’ve been saved you’ve done

unrighteous things

all of us have okay let me ask you

another question can an unrighteous

person somebody who doesn’t believe

who’s not put their faith in Jesus can

they do righteous things yes they can

give to the poor and do right think

member rights is all it means is do

right things like that that’s the you’re

doing right things yeah a person who’s

not safe can be philanthropy do

philanthropy they can help people they

can do all of that stuff okay so let’s

go does the righteous thing that the

unrighteous and us make them righteous I

know some of y’all like huh Peter Piper

picked a peck of pickled peppers like

she like doesn’t like what are you

saying I’m just asking a question when I

do righteous things but I’m unrighteous

does that make me righteous and the

answer is no like like I get if I don’t

put my faith in Jesus but do good things

it doesn’t make me in right standing

with God I’m gonna give you a further

illustration okay let’s say there’s a

guy and he’s not a believer okay not a

believer he goes on a business trip

tells his wife and kids

I’ll be back he goes on a business trip

he has a meeting with some amazing

clients he has a bang-up date I mean he

signs the most clients he’s ever signed

and in fact he signs the largest client

he’s ever signed in his life he leaves

goes back to the hotel change his

clothes goes feeling good about himself

he goes downstairs to have a dinner he

has a great dinner filet mignon

asparagus garlic mashed potato I’m

getting hungry right now and and and

then he leaves the waiter a $50 tip

because he feeling good then he goes to

take a walk and he strolling and and the

kids are playing basketball and the ball

goes over the gate and he catches it and

he looks at it and he throw

it back to him and they say thanks

mister and he’s feeling good about his

life and then there’s an old woman at

the crosswalk that she has two bags of

groceries and she’s a little slow and a

little older and he says ma’am can I

help you with that and he basically

didn’t just walk across the street but

he walks the groceries to the woman’s

house and just blesses her and on the

way back to the hotel he sees a homeless

man on the street and he’s asked him for

money

and he says man I understand your plight

I’ve had some hard things happen in my

life and he reaches in his wallet and

gives him $100 now now I want you to

think about like this guy does not

believe but he’s done a whole bunch of

good things wouldn’t we agree those were

all like good things that he did okay

good things now let’s say we have

another man he’s a believer he loves God

has the same type of family he goes to

the transformation church let’s give him

a couple extra points okay so he goes to

TC and he goes on a business meeting and

he meets with clients and it’s the worst

meetings he’s ever had he actually loses

clients and matter of fact he loses his

largest client his his most lucrative

client cuts the deal with him he goes

down in the hotel after that horrible

day to have a lukewarm meal that

basically he found a hair in his food he

left the place irate

frustrated he says I’m gonna cool down

he goes to have a walk kids are playing

basketball the ball comes over and he

looks he said y’all tryin to hit me and

so he takes the ball and throws it into

the street and a bus runs over it he

said that’s what you get and then he

walks to the corner and he sees an

elderly lady with groceries and he feels

like she’s being too slow so he pushes

her and she falls and she breaks her

eggs and her hip and he keeps walking

back to the hotel kind of quickly

because the cops is on the way and he

sees a homeless man asking for food and

for money he says man why don’t you get

a job you stupid and cusses Ana

okay he doesn’t go to transformation

Church let’s let’s just go ahead and put

that out there but he is a believer he

doesn’t go here because nobody here

would do that okay

so he doesn’t do that but let me ask

this question does the righteous deeds

that the unrighteous man does make him

righteous or in right standing with God

no like like he never put his faith in

Jesus but he did a lot of right things

that doesn’t secure his eternal

salvation because he did right things

but please listen to this and contrary

to popular belief does the unrighteous

or the bad things the bad deeds that the

righteous man does make him unrighteous

no he’s still right with God even though

he did wrong things this is hard for

people to believe because we want

everybody to suffer at the level of what

they do and let me help you

there are consequences for every action

that man probably got picked up at the

hotel by the cops the year what I’m

saying

but that didn’t change his standing with

God oh and I know and I know but God

still sees righteous because he believed

in what Jesus did for him and I know

again this is hard that’s why we got

five more weeks of this or four more

weeks of this because this is gonna take

us coming out of a human perspective and

coming up to a father God perspective

and the Bible tells us that’s hard

because he says my ways aren’t your ways

and my thoughts aren’t your thoughts and

so I need us to hear this I am made

righteous by my position not my

performance no you need to hear this

somebody I’ll need to get a tattooed on

your back I am NOT made righteous by my

performance I am made righteous by my

position and when you understand that

you understand that yeah I may suffer

consequences for things I do wrong here

on this

earth but God still sees his son just

think of the prodigal son he took his

father’s inheritance went and squandered

it on miss most theologians believe on

hookers on on gambling on on frivolous

living but the father never disowned him

as his son like he never said you

remember the brother you used to have he

would stand out every morning grace

looking to extend the unearned unmerited

undeserved he did the wrong thing

favor and kindness of a father to the

son who did the wrong thing who acted

unrighteous but it did not change his

position in the family church until we

believe this we look at people on the

street who smoke as less than us instead

of as my brother and sister you look at

the person who’s walking into the gay

nightclub as an enemy instead of your

brother and sister just because they’re

doing the wrong thing does not mean

they’re not in the family then they

believe in church if we don’t get

anything else we have to be ones that

take our perspective from this low level

comparison driven I’m gonna outdo you

keeping up with the Joneses mentality of

Grace and Christianity – you know what

this is the gospel of salvation and I’m

going to tell as many people as I can

that there’s a free gift that our daddy

has left them that if they would just

open up their heart and receive it it

would change everything in their life so

what is righteousness it’s right

standing with God

second question did Abraham earn it now

now this is this is where most of was

like yeah he had to do something for

this let’s read Romans four – if Abraham

was justified by works he has something

to boast about but not before God for

what does the scripture say Abraham

everybody say believed this was his

act of salvation was not to do a whole

bunch of changing it was to what

believed he believed God and it was

accounted and I want everybody to see

that word accounted to him for

righteousness

for righteousness now to him who works

the wages are not counted as grace but

as debt debt this word accounted it’s

the same word how many y’all had to take

account in class like that was a yeah

that’s what frustrated but that word

means to keep record or debt of debits

and credits okay and so this scripture

is saying to us that that that God is is

asking um did Abraham do something for

God that made God in debt to him and he

was like no no no that’s why God gave

grace because because God’s not gonna be

in debt to nobody so so if we did good

works or if we did good things and and

and God had already made a way for us

then then he would have to owe us and so

let me break it down to you in a

different way if you had a painter come

to your house and do a job painted your

whole house now you’re in debt to him

until you pay him and God was saying if

you do good works for me I’m not gonna

be in debt to you so I’m I don’t want to

do all this accounting I’m just gonna

pay for everything like I want you I

want you to see that he said I’m we’re

not gonna be playing tit for tat well

you cussed here so that’s minus 3 but

then you gave here so plus 4 but then

you lost Foom all the time so minus 20

like he he said let’s not play this

accounting game I’m gonna give you grace

and you don’t deserve it and you can’t

earn it and it’s unmerited and I’m gonna

pay for everything so this whole

accounting thing we can throw it out the

window I wish somebody would have told

me that in college but but we’re gonna

throw it out the window and you don’t

owe me anything except to believe that I

did it and when you believe I did it

your account is taken care of like like

I need y’all to see this because God

wants

us to live right with God he wants us to

live righteously and so I’m gonna give

you an example of it let’s go to my

trusty whiteboard right now because cuz

cuz until we see this sometimes probably

the last 30 minutes has been just words

for you I think this is gonna change

everything for you

we need the account let’s let’s have

three accounts okay

these are three accounts and we need the

account of a bad person a good person

and a perfect person well we know the

only perfect person is Jesus okay he

lived a perfect life he died in our

place he did this whole thing and he did

it perfectly now we need the account of

a bad person and I don’t know just for

kicks we’ll just go ahead and put a guy

that I know up there who was a bad

person me okay

I was a bad person before I came to

Christ now we need the account of a good

person okay and not because I’m trying

to get any brownie points or dinner

tonight

but Natalie she was a good person and

this is um the accounts of a bad person

a good person a perfect person so let’s

put it like this Oh righteousness okay

like that’s right standing with God righ

T II owe us that’s right right okay I’m

hooked on phonics Stephen but the Lord

uses me and then s we’re gonna use as

sin okay so what did my account look

like before I believed in God sin sin

sin sin sin sin sin sin living sin

talking saying watching seeing messing

with sin doing sin having sin want some

sin eating sin just sin everywhere like

it was a sin everywhere like like this

is what my account look like don’t judge

me because your account and run off this

is bad but I did some right things I did

some righteous things and so there’s a

few little are a little little bitty

little no or you know I’m saying I I

helped and I served in my youth group

like

some righteous things but for the most

part sin now Natalie she was a different

type of child Knight like her mom like

if her mom said she was disappointed in

her she would start crying

me my mom cuz she’s disappointed all day

she had to beat me three times to get me

to cry you hear what I’m saying like and

so Natalie did good things and so she

did her account look more like this like

righteous righteous righteous oh yes mom

whatever you say I’ll do this yes yes

and and what ends up happening there is

because all have sinned and fallen short

of the glory of God there’s sin there

too so so there’s some sin let me yes I

guess just it’s not and what did Jesus

is account look like it just looks like

righteousness that’s it okay so these

are the accounts of people now now I

want you to see what isaiah 64:6 says it

says but we are all like an unclean

thing okay and all of our righteousness

is that’s every right thing that we

could do are like filthy rags so so

maybe maybe these ours aren’t standing

for righteousness

maybe these ours are standing for rags

so compared to Jesus’s righteousness

when he looks at me he sees sin in rags

when he looks at Natalie he sees rags

and sin he doesn’t see righteousness and

so most of us think that the good people

are somehow in this category but Jesus

says all I see when I see it as I see

rags and sin so what did God do and this

is so exciting this is why understanding

grace is so important for every person

in this room this is why what you’ve

been through is not summing up what God

has done for you this is why what Jesus

has done it’s more amazing than anything

you could ever believe because what

Jesus did by obeying the father

so we have Jesus back over here and what

he had was righteousness in his account

and Michael guess what Jesus sees our

what God sees when he looks at me

one big s for sin Nataly he sees one big

sin

Abraham let’s just bring our father of

faith in here one big sin you I’m just

gonna put you in here one big sin all of

our accounts have seen him every one of

us except Jesus now look at the

scripture in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 here’s

what happened 2,000 years ago God took

righteousness and he took it look I want

everybody to see this he took it from

jesus’s account he erased righteousness

when he came to die for us and he put

sin in jesus’s account for all of us

prove it to you look at 2nd Corinthians

5:21 for he made him who knew no sin to

be sin for us no you got to see this he

literally took the perfect human and the

perfect one who did this right and he

knew no sin he made him sin not just

because he made him sin for us that we

might become what what should we become

the righteousness of God in Christ

she’s y’all so when Jesus came to the

cross he bore all of our sin and what

did that do for you it took an erase sin

out of your account it took and erase

sin off of your life

it took and erased sin off of your

conscience but this is the thing that we

have to understand now you don’t have

sin

but you don’t have righteousness either

so what how do I get righteousness into

my account what did Abraham have to do

did he have to earn it I gotta work to

get righteousness in my account all he

had to do was believe y’all I know I

know it’s hard to understand how God

would be this generous to people who

don’t even like him that much but it’s

because we’re his and he created us and

even if you have a kid that get on your

nerves he still has your last name it

still is your child you still go into

those parent-teacher conferences like

I’m so sorry because they are yours but

this is the part where it gets itchy for

religious people the blood of Jesus

didn’t just erase the sins of

transformation Church or Christians or

believers when Jesus died on the cross

he erased the sins of the whole world

not yeah the person you don’t like what

Jesus did erased sin from their account

look at 2nd Corinthians 5:19 that God

was in Christ reconciling the world to

himself not imputing and that word means

accounting not not accounting their sins

are trespasses against them and has

committed to us the word of

reconciliation God didn’t do it just for

us he did it for the entire world but

pastor everybody’s not going to heaven

correct because God gave everybody

choice I’m about to drop some knowledge

on you that that everybody has to be

able to receive and this may be a

shocking statement for some people but

people don’t go to hail first

in Jesus already paid for that they go

to hell for unbelief like look like this

is why the church is so backwards

because we’re trying to make people work

to prove to us that they’re good enough

to be a part of our exclusive God club

and he died for the entire world so

people don’t go to hell for for for for

sin Jesus took sin into his account they

go to hell

cuz they don’t believe he did it for

them y’all sit with that wrestle with

that pray about that go look up the

scriptures try to find it cuz until once

I got this once I understood this then I

understood scriptures like there’s

nothing that can separate me from the

love of God like you don’t even

understand that Scripture if you don’t

recognize there’s nothing death not life

nothing in this present age or the

future cuz once I put my faith in Jesus

it’s locked down like what’s wrong I am

secure in him so so so there’s no sin in

our accounts but there’s also no

righteousness so so what happens as when

I was a young adult and I will stop the

claim Church and I really asked Jesus

into my life

righteousness came in when Natalie was a

young girl and she asked Jesus to be her

Lord and Savior righteousness came into

her life when Abraham was 75 and had

been through hell in his life and he

believed righteousness came into his

life my question for you it has

righteousness entered your life

are you right with Scott and today

it’s not you doing a whole bunch of

gymnastics and sandwich you’re gonna

quit and making false promises all

Abraham had to do was believe and that’s

my last point what did Abraham have to

do what do you have to do believe what

do you have to do no matter what you’re

in right now and what’s going on in your

life to know that you’re in right

standing with God what do you have to do

believe no matter what comes no matter

who leaves no matter what situation to

know that you are right with God what do

you have to do believe and that’s all I

came to tell you today I said the grace

of God is unmerited undeserved unearned

and when you receive the grace of God

you get the ability to be in right

standing with him right with him and

your actions or your works don’t make

you right with God your belief in him

makes you right with God and because

you’re right with him then it changes

your actions it starts to talk about

faith without works is dead because when

I really start believing in God then I

want to do works that are good works to

show that our relationship is real to

show that I truly love him this is not

just something I’m doing as a get out of

hell free card this is something that

I’m doing because I love the one who

first love me what I want us to know as

a church is we’re not gonna be the

church and the body of believers that

are trying to make people scared of dad

that’s played out that’s why they’re not

at churches today what we’re gonna do is

be living epistles that let people know

that all you have to do is believe and

when you believe God accounts your life

with him as righteous and can I help

somebody else cuz cuz I hear somebody

saying well you don’t know what idea

pastor miking you don’t know how bad I

was Abram was a heathen like like like

if you read the he did not come people

like well you he was from the

tribe of Israel and no Israel was his

grandson like like like it was Abraham

Isaac Jacob Jacob’s name got changed to

Israel like that’s where the children he

was he was from a heathen nation they

didn’t believe God I mean okay cuz

somebody I’ll think that no we act like

these Bible characters or superheroes or

something to be like no they were real

people like his wife was beautiful and

he came into a city and he lied lied and

said that his wife was his sister so the

King could basically take her and

sexually abuse her

this was before he believed and God

still calls him the father of our faith

why cuz when he sees Abram he does not

see Abram he sees Jesus because he

believed in Genesis 12 you can go read

it and something else said okay it was

it was before he believed but after he

believed some of y’all know after he

believed he slept with the housekeeper

trying to make the promise of God come

to pass

like he committed adultery after he

believed why didn’t God throw him out

why is he not why is he still in the

Bible because your performance does not

change your position with God there was

a consequence he had to deal with real

issues he had baby mama drama okay but

God still looked at him and said from

you I’m you’re gonna have descendants

and still blessed him with Isaac like

what are you trying to save her house

I’m like is if you believe in God and

what she’s the finish where Jesus has

done for you he still has an

inexhaustible ability to forgive you and

to bless you I am right with God can I

pray with you Father I thank you for

every person listening to what has been

said today father and I know they’re

wrestling with religion and wrestling

with worthiness and wrestling but what

they felt about their self but today God

I’m asking you Father to do something in

every person father God that is amazing

let

believe you let us believe your word let

us believe father God that it’s more

about our positioning with you than it

is our performance father let us really

step into grace and not just our works

father and let our good works speak of

how much we love you not how much we’re

scared of you and hoping not to go to

hell and hoping we don’t make a misstep

father you factored in our fumbles you

factored in our missteps integrase and

thank you for sending Jesus to take the

payment to take the sin that we would

make in our account thank you that he

took it up on the cross and he bought it

so that we can live free God I come

against lies of the enemy that are

trying to tell people that this is not

for them God I’m speaking to the thing

that you have called us to be and I’m

asking it to come alive in us that we

may truly be the righteousness of God in

Christ Jesus let us never believe

another day that we are not right with

God and Father let us extend the grace

that we have now received we believe you

and trust you for it in Jesus name

come on let’s give God a shout of praise

come on if you believe and you receive

the grace of God thank you lord for

grace like a flood hallelujah