Preaching Grace DOES NOT Produce Nominal Christians!

You know why the Reformers call it the means, or I'd like to rephrase it just for modern context, the fuel of grace?

You know why they call it that? Because it is grace that fuels us to do the work we've been called to do, not the law, not fear, not obligation.

We are set free by the gospel and it's the constant means of grace that transform us and give us the motivation to obey.

And when I see someone who's lacking obedience in their life, it's because they replaced Christ with something in the world.

And the only thing that draws someone back to Christ is the gospel, not the law.

To say that the preaching of Christ, the whole Christ, and the heralding of grace in the gospel is going to lead to licentiousness is a tactic of Satan.

It is not what God says. It's totally the doctrine of demons. Preaching grace doesn't create lukewarm people who don't want to be involved.

It actually invigorates people, like they want to give and give away what they have received.

They want to be a part of this transformative work of the gospel. And I can tell you,

Justin, the amount of time that these people hear the gospel, they come up and they're just so thankful that they're in a place that continues to fuel their obedience.

That's how they say it. Thank you for fueling our motivation in our hearts for Christ, because if it was the law,

I wouldn't have the motivation to keep going because I'm such a failure.

I'm so weak. People have confessed deep, dark sin that has existed in their lives in multiple church contexts.

And I'm talking serious minded, like we're about obedience and holiness kind of churches.

And this sin has never been brought into the light. It's never been confessed. Why? In part, because people have been terrified about how it's going to go.

And then folks come and they sit under the preaching of the gospel for a couple of years, and they get to know the saints for a couple of years, and they get to know their pastors, and they kind of see that the posture here is one of gentleness and patience, and it's all about Christ.

And we don't have our own righteousness. And when people confess sin, instead of people recoiling in horror, people lean in.

And then what happens? Real sanctification, confession. Like I'm going to own, like brothers, sisters, here's the reality about my life.

I've hidden it for 10 years. And here's where I am. And the only reason

I'm coming out with it is because I know that Christ has saved me. And I know that I'm actually safe here in this church to say this.

God be praised. So it's like, I don't mean to be a jerk or punchy, but get out of here with this accusation of, oh, well, this is just trying to soft pedal everything.

And we're trying to coddle and comfort people and celebrate debauchery and licentiousness. Get out of here.

This is about liberation and freedom and hope that we all need.

And it's about righteousness that we all need. And we all know deep down we don't have any of it. And so we are about that, and we're about sanctification, and we're about people's lives being bettered this side of the resurrection, because we can actually live honestly with each other and all lock arms together as we just cast ourselves completely on Christ.

And if you want to call that some kind of weak message for people whose lives are train wrecks, I guess guilty as charged.

We're going to keep preaching it. So I have a man who came to me and said, during COVID, unfortunately, he fell prey to pornography.

And it was a many year battle. And he says to me, he says, John, I have the joy of my salvation back.

And I've been freed from this slavery. And he worded it that way.

I got the joy of my salvation back, and it freed me from this slavery.

You see, that's what the gospel is supposed to do. The gospel does not say, Jesus loves you, it's okay, stay the way that you are.

The gospel says, Jesus loves you, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Now cast aside your weight and sin. Right? That's what it says. It's like what David says, blessed is the one whose sins are forgiven, against whom the

Lord doesn't count his iniquity. Not that there aren't sins, not that there isn't iniquity, it's that God doesn't count it against you.

Then what does he say though, in verses like three and following, David says that when I hid my sin, I was dying inside.

Like my bones were wasting away. Right? But then what I do, I confess,

I was like, I'm going to confess my sins to the Lord and you forgave me. And everything changes. Read through the gospels with lenses on looking for this.

How does Jesus interact with different kinds of people? How does he interact one with people who think they're righteous or think they can be?

He's brutal, speaks law, but then how does he interact with people who know they have no righteousness and who know they are sinners?