Titus 2:11

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. We are looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Speak these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

Father, as we open the Scriptures, would You please open our hearts, our minds, and our ears? We read in the Scriptures, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the church." So we want to hear what You want to speak to us through the Word. God, I trust that Your Word will not return void; it will accomplish what You sent it forth to do. We can be blessed and confident in the promise that You who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.

So God, we pray that by Your Spirit, by the working of Your Word, You would continue that work of transformation in our lives. Do work in us today, we pray, that would be evident this afternoon and throughout the rest of this week. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

Well, over the last several weeks, we have been in a brief series here in the book of Titus. If you've been with us as we've gone through chapter one and chapter two, then you know that here in this small book are a whole bunch of exhortations from the Apostle Paul to the church, the Christians who were on the island of Crete 2,000 years ago, but also to the church here today, existing in Southern California.

There are exhortations in this passage towards faithful, godly living. The Apostle calls us to a certain kind of lifestyle that would be very evidently seen in the world in which we live. For example, in the last section of Scripture, the previous passage we were in last week, he gives exhortations like this: be temperate, be worthy of respect, be self-controlled, be sound in faith, sound in love, and sound in patience. He says to be reverent, that the older women in the church should not be slanderers or...

Given too much wine, the younger women in the church are to be taught to love their husbands and their children, to be self-controlled, to be pure, to be kind, and to be submissive to their own husbands. To the young men in the church, he says that they are to be self-controlled, to do what is good, to show integrity, and to demonstrate seriousness in their lives, having soundness of speech.

When we look at exhortations like this from the Scriptures, whether it's here in Titus or in other places, challenges like these can sometimes cause us to feel a little bit condemned. If we're looking at a text like this or hearing a preacher preach a passage like this, it is quite possible for us to step away feeling like we've just received a new laundry list of dos and don'ts that we must try to check off every single week. We think, "I've got to do this, and I've got to not do that." The seriousness of it seems to compound when we read things like what we see at the end of verses 5, 8, and 10 in Titus chapter 2.

In verse 5, he effectively says, "Make sure you live a really good life." Why? So that no one will malign the word of God. We have this responsibility to walk in a way that is righteous so that no one will malign the word of God. Then in verse 8, he continues, saying, "Make sure that you get your act together." Why? So that those who oppose the gospel and oppose Christians may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. The way we live reflects upon us, the church, so we must ensure that we are doing it right so that no one can speak evil of the church.

In verse 10, he emphasizes that our holy conduct should be evident. Why? So that in every way they will make the teaching about God, our Savior, attractive. It is on us to exalt and lift up the teaching of the Scriptures, the doctrine of the Scriptures. People are watching. The seriousness of these do's and don'ts compounds when we look at words like that.

This reminds me of another passage of Scripture, a verse that is actually a favorite of mine in Philippians chapter 2. At the end of verse 12, Paul says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Words like that are challenging.

They seem to say something that a lot of people, not just Christians, but people in general, live out on a regular basis. There is this compelling thing within us that makes us feel we have to live to a certain standard. It's called a conscience. In fact, the moral lawgiver, God, has written into the heart of every human being a moral law. That conscience does two things. The book of Romans says it excuses or accuses you. It excuses you when you're doing things that are right in line with that conscience. It accuses you when you do things that are wrong, that are against that conscience.

Unfortunately, a lot of us live in a place of feeling pretty accused by our conscience. When we get right down to it, when we're really introspectively thinking about ourselves, we realize that we don't always live up to the standard that even our conscience sets for us. However, there is this compulsion in every human being to move in a way that excuses us according to our conscience. That's why religion is humanity's default. Every culture defaults toward a religious lifestyle. Even those people who say they are non-religious—more and more people in our society identify as the "nuns," N-O-N-E-S—are not religiously affiliated. The amazing thing is that they are religiously not religious in every respect, and they are often some of the most morally accusatory people. They point the finger at many for not living up to that morality.

We have this feeling within each of us that we need to live up to a certain level. When we come to passages like Philippians chapter 2, verse 12, which says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, there is a graveness, a gravity to that. We feel the weight of trembling and fearfulness, thinking, "I've got to live up to this standard." Man's interpretation of things like that is what we see in religion. However, that's not all that the Bible teaches on this.

Though we have verses like the exhortations in Titus chapter 2 or the call of the apostle in Philippians chapter 2 to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, those kinds of verses flow right into the passage we are going to be looking at today. For instance, that verse in Philippians chapter 2 flows immediately into verse 13, which says, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure." The Bible is filled with exhortations, a call to live at a certain level.

But along with the exhortations we find in the Scriptures, there is a call to live according to holiness and righteousness in our conduct. We see passages like the one in Titus chapter 2, verse 11. Verses 1 through 10 contain all of these exhortations to a holy conduct of life that we should be living according to. Then, in Titus chapter 2, verse 11, it states, "For the grace of God that brings salvation."

We need to stop there. The grace of God that brings salvation immediately leads us to point number one on our outline: Salvation is by grace. This is the basic premise of the Christian gospel. Salvation is by grace, which means if you are a Christian and have been one for a period of time, this is not a new statement to you. In fact, when you hear the preacher say, "Salvation is by grace," you might think, "Yeah, I know that." However, we cannot move too quickly beyond this essentially important and valuable truth. We need to sit on that, if you will. We need to allow our roots to go deep down into the soil of that clear and simple point: Salvation is by grace.

Now, if you are new to the Christian faith or maybe not yet a Christian, this is really good news. Salvation is by grace because, in accordance with the conscience that God has given to every one of the 7.2 billion people that populate this planet, all humans default towards religious effort. We try to make ourselves better, striving to become the best that we can possibly be. We have all kinds of different worldviews that move us in that direction.

But if you've tried to be good, you realize very quickly that you're not very good. We attempt to be good enough to appease our conscience, to meet the expectations of those around us, and to fulfill the religious standards that have been shown to us in our culture. Yet, when we try to do that, we find that we utterly fail. We can never be good enough. As a result, many people feel a sense of guilt and shame because they are not living up to even an internal standard of what they know they could be.

And that's why when someone says, "You could be so much better," there's a part of us that goes, "Well, you're right." Or when someone says, "You're not living up to your potential," there's a part of us that just goes, "That's true." Even though we may not want to publicly admit it, we realize the truthfulness in that statement: we could be so much better. The Bible makes this very clear. Whether you're in the Old Testament, the first two-thirds of the Bible, or the New Testament, the last third of the Bible, this truth is very evident.

I think of verses like Isaiah chapter 53, verse 6: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way." In the New Testament, Romans chapter 3 states, "There is none righteous, no, not one." We have all turned everyone to his own way. We have all departed from God. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, as noted in Romans chapter 3, verse 23. It is at that point of realizing our failure that the gospel comes in. In fact, in the book of Romans, it says that at just the right time, the gospel comes in.

What does the gospel say? Again, Isaiah 53, verse 6 states, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus came, had this prophetic vision of all our sins and failures being laid upon someone who would stand in our place. Paul, speaking about that after the fact, in the very same passage in Romans chapter 3, verse 23, says, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," and adds, "and being justified freely by his grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus." That is the one who stood in our place that Isaiah was looking forward to, and we look back to and rejoice in this truth: salvation is by grace.

So, if you're new to the Christian faith or you're not yet a Christian, that's really good news. But if you are a Christian, you might say, "Yeah, I know that. I've heard that for a very long time." You might feel that you know that truth, but I can guarantee that you have not exhausted that truth as much as you think you have. The reality that salvation is by grace is profound. The reason I say that is that a lot of Christians actually live more under works than under grace. I know this because I interact with a lot of Christians. In fact, most of my week is spent interacting with Christians.

I find that many people live under a works mentality with God. This manifests in various ways in our lives. We often feel discouraged because we do not do enough good works, and we perceive that we commit far more bad works than we should. Perhaps that is true.

People come to churches all throughout our nation on a weekly basis, seeking to clear their consciences from the ways they feel they have failed in the previous week. They arrive with the weight of their guilty consciences, sing songs of praise, give offerings, and go through the Scriptures. At the end of the service, they may feel ready to face the week. However, by Tuesday, many find themselves totally deflated and discouraged because they have failed again. They already feel the need to return to church.

Alternatively, some may have messed up so significantly by Tuesday that they think, "I can't possibly go to church." As a result, I might not see them for three weeks. When they finally show up again and sit in their usual chair, I might ask, "Where have you been?" They often respond, "Oh, well, you know, I've been busy."

Many people live in a state of feeling like they never measure up to the standard. They read passages like "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," and the weight of that command only increases. They also read the exhortations of Titus chapter two, verses one through ten, which call for sobriety, righteousness, and holiness. These expectations can feel overwhelming, but we need to be reminded of the truth that salvation is by grace.

Another way that Christians sometimes demonstrate they are not living in the reality of salvation by grace alone is by being convinced that they are actually quite good. In a somewhat prideful manner, they believe they are better than others. This attitude reveals a lack of understanding of what it means to walk by grace through faith before Christ. They might think, "I'm pretty good at this whole Christian thing," and look down on other Christians, believing that those individuals need to get their acts together because they are not living the right way.

This mindset is exactly what is illustrated at the end of the wonderful story known as the Prodigal Son, found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.

How many of you have ever read the story of the Prodigal Son? You could turn there if you'd like, but you don't have to. I'll read from it in just a moment. In Luke chapter 15, we're told the story of a man who has two sons. The younger son comes to his father and says, "I want my inheritance now." He goes and spends it on riotous living. The King James Version says he squanders his inheritance on prostitutes and substances, among other things.

Eventually, he comes to the end of himself and returns home, where his father graciously receives him. We call him the Prodigal Son, and we see this as a beautiful picture of God's grace. However, there are actually two prodigals in the Prodigal Son story because there is an older brother.

In verse 25 of chapter 15, it says, "Now the man's older son was in the field. When he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing." His father was throwing a party for the Prodigal Son who had come home and received grace. The older brother, not understanding grace, becomes angry.

In verse 28, it states that he was angry and would not go in. Therefore, his father came out and pleaded with him. The older brother responded, "Father, these many years I have been serving you. I have been going to church. I never transgressed your commandments. I kept all the rules, and you never gave me even a young goat that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours— not my younger brother, this son of yours— came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him."

His father said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and now is found."

You see, you may not be the one who identifies with feeling constantly self-condemned, but maybe you are someone who feels pretty self-righteous. That is a danger we can fall into. We have to be careful about that, as we can look around and think, "Oh, those people..."

They're not living the way they should be, and then we get frustrated because they seem to be blessed while we think they should be judged. This leads us right into the next point that we find in Titus chapter two. It says, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men."

Point number two on your outline: Grace is for all people. Again, that's not new. If you're an old Christian and you've been around the block of the Bible for a while, you know this truth. You know it intellectually; you know it theologically. But it's not simply an issue of hearing or knowing it intellectually. The question is, do we really live this way? Do we really live with a constant understanding that grace is for all people? Or do we have categories of people that we think are just too far gone, that grace is not for them?

You might object, saying, "No, no, no, nobody's out of the reach of God's grace," because you know the right answer to that kind of thinking. Nobody is beyond the reach of God's grace. But do we really live like that? Do we really think that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace? Are we the kind of people, the kind of Christians, who have freely received God's grace and now freely give it out by sharing the gospel of grace with those who are not yet Christians?

Even beyond that, the sad fact is that sometimes the church has not been known for being very gracious. This lack of grace is not just toward people who are not Christians, but also toward those who identify as Christians. We sometimes struggle to be gracious because we look at others and think, "That guy's failed." Christians can be known for kicking people when they're down and out, even other Christians. We look at that brother or sister and think, "I can't believe they did that. They got a DUI," or "I can't believe they failed in such a big way; they're such a miserable sinner." We can be so ungracious to people, forgetting that we have freely received God's grace, and that God's grace is for all people, even those who are failures.

In Ephesians chapter six, verse one, it says, "If anyone is overtaken in a trespass, a sin." The concept that comes to my mind when I hear "overtaken" is that of a giant wave enveloping a person. They have been overtaken in a trespass, in a sin. It says, "You who are spiritual," and we think, "Yeah, that's me," as we anticipate the next word.

You who are spiritual, condemn them. No, it says, restore them in a spirit of meekness and gentleness, lest you also be tempted. We have that old saying, "But for the grace of God, go I." We might need to remind ourselves of that reality: the grace of God is for all people.

If you're not a Christian or you're new to the Christian faith, this isn't just good news; it's great news. Sometimes people think, "God won't accept me. You just don't know all the bad things that I've done. You can't imagine the wicked things that I've done." Well, first, let me just say, I don't want to imagine the wicked things that you've done. But secondly, let me remind you that our God is a God of grace. He knows every bad thing that you've ever thought, said, or done, and still, He is gracious. He offers us salvation by grace.

Do you realize that Hebrews chapter four says that His throne is the throne of grace? The Scriptures say that we can come confidently and boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace anytime that we need it. The grace of God is for all people, and it's in His grace that we find this wonderful salvation. Salvation is by grace. It is grace for all people: the good, the bad, and the ugly. In His grace, God accepts us as we are, but His desire is to transform us.

Look again at Titus chapter two, verse 11: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age."

Point three: saving grace teaches us how to live. It teaches us how to live. We have this long laundry list of exhortations and commands in the Scriptures, not just in Titus chapter two, verses one through ten, but in many other places as well. We are compelled by the internal drive of our conscience to try and fulfill all of those do's and don'ts that we find in the Scriptures. However, until we have the grace of God in our lives, we are totally incapable of living in a way that honors God and clears our conscience. But when God's grace enters in, it teaches us and instructs us how to live.

Now, what exactly does God's grace teach us? Well, notice what it says in verse 12: it teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The first thing that God's grace teaches us is to deny ourselves. This teaching is very much in conflict with the modern Western ethos in the 21st century. The worldview of 21st-century Westerners, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Europe, is to do whatever you want. Whatever appetite or impulse you have, you should act on it. The culture tells us not to hold back because that wouldn't be living your true self.

However, there are some confines to this worldview. Sometimes, you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't harm anyone else. I was watching a BBC video this past week about the rise of hallucinogenic drugs in the world, especially in the West. They highlighted a woman from the United Kingdom who constantly partakes of hallucinogens in the form of mushrooms, but she microdoses. Her statement was, "What's it matter what I do? I'm not harming anybody." This reflects the prevailing worldview of our day, which constantly tells us that we should not deny ourselves any impulse.

Yet, when the grace of God comes into our lives, it begins to instruct us to deny and reject ungodly impulses of carnality. Why does it tell us to do these things? Ultimately, because God, who created us, knows that these things will ultimately destroy us. Some people think that the restrictions God gives in the Scriptures are meant to make us unhappy, as if He is a cosmic killjoy. They imagine Him up in heaven saying, "I don't want you to be happy, so no drinking, no drugs, no extramarital sex."

In reality, God knows how we should live in a way that is best for us. These restrictions are not just because He is a cosmic killjoy; they are for our benefit. As we receive God's grace, it instructs us on how to live in a way that rejects ungodly impulses. Why do we do this? We do not do this out of religious obligation to obtain salvation. The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation. Therefore, we do this out of gratitude for His salvation.

Not only do we do this out of gratitude for His salvation, but we also do this by the gracious enabling of His Holy Spirit. In Romans chapter seven, Paul writes in verse 18, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For the desire is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil that I will not to do, that I practice. Oh, wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" Can anyone identify with this?

However, he doesn't stop there. He doesn't leave us with that question that so many of us can relate to: "Who will deliver me from the body of this death?" He says, "I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord." So then, with the mind, I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin.

In Romans chapter eight, verse one, he continues, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did. He paid it all. God did this by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin. He condemned sin in the flesh. Why? Verse four tells us that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

God, by His grace and the work of His Spirit, enables us to walk in a way that denies the carnal impulses of our flesh. The grace of God teaches us self-denial, but it also teaches us to walk in righteousness. The grace of God instructs us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, as stated in verse 12.

So, God's grace teaches us to deny carnal impulses, and it teaches us how to walk in the Spirit, in His grace, and in righteousness. Additionally, it teaches us, thirdly, to maintain a focus. In verse 13 of Titus chapter two, we are encouraged to look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Finally, saving grace secures our eternal hope. That is such good news!

Saving grace secures our eternal hope. If you ask twelve people this week at work or in your neighborhood, "If you died tonight, do you think you'd go to heaven?" odds are probably ten of those twelve, if not all twelve, will say, "Yeah, I hope so." However, their hope is not the kind of hope we are discussing. If you press a little further and ask, "On the basis of what?" many will respond, "Well, I'm a pretty good person." If their hope is based on being a good person or on having done fewer bad works than others, then it is merely wishful thinking. It is similar to hoping to win the lottery, where the odds might be just as slim.

When we turn to the Scriptures, we find that saving grace secures our eternal hope. This is an absolute certainty of eternity with Christ, a certainty not based on our good works or our abstinence from bad works, but rather on His finished work. Jesus on the cross declared, "It is finished." Because of His work, He provides us with the security in Christ to be with Him.

We will not be with God in heaven because we have maintained righteousness; we will be with God in heaven because He has clothed us with His righteousness. It is essential to maintain that focus. We are looking forward to seeing Christ. If today you are living before God based on your good works or your abstinence from bad works, you are probably not looking forward to His coming. You might think, "One day I'm going to have to stand before God, and then what?"

However, if you relate to God based on His finished work, you can say, "I am eagerly looking forward to the coming of Christ," because it is not about what you have or have not done; it is about what He did. In another passage, we are instructed to look unto Jesus. Hebrews chapter 12 states, "Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin that ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us."

Let us walk in righteousness by looking unto Jesus. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2 states, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith." Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. He is the author and the finisher of our faith. He joyously went to the cross on our behalf to pay the price, the debt that was required because of our sin.

Therefore, we lay aside every weight and sin that so easily ensnares us. We deny ourselves and run with endurance the race that is set before us, not so that we can apprehend salvation and security in being with Him for eternity, but because He has apprehended it for us. We do this in response to what He has done for us. If you have trusted in Christ and the finished work of Jesus on the cross, then you have this eternal hope in Him.

Paul expresses this in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13: "In Him, you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

We are eagerly looking forward to the return of Jesus for His whole church, the second coming of Christ, or that meeting with Jesus. Individually, all of us will die, and one day we will stand before Him. We eagerly anticipate that moment because He paid the price, and we have absolute certainty that we will be with Him for eternity.

How do we have this absolute certainty? Titus chapter 2, verse 13 speaks of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us. Why did He give Himself for us? That He might redeem us, buy us back from every lawless deed, that is, from every sin. Jesus wants to rescue us from every sin and to purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

So, why do we deny ourselves and live after righteousness? Do we deny ourselves and live after righteousness so that we can obtain salvation?

No, it's been obtained for us by Christ. Throughout Christian history, there have been those who have said that if you teach the grace of God in this way, as the Bible actually reveals it, then we are going to have a problem. They argue that if you tell people they are totally secure in Christ, not according to their works, then they will run out and just live it up and sin. But Paul asks, "Shall we sin that grace may abound?" Certainly not! How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it?

When we realize the greatness of the grace that has been given to us in Jesus Christ, the response is not to go out and live it up. The grace of God instructs us to deny ourselves and to live in righteousness. Why? Because Jesus died to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify us, that we would be His own special people, zealous for good works.

Point number five: saving grace sets us apart as God's purified, peculiar, and passionate people. The grace of God sets us apart as God's purified, peculiar, and passionate people. It's all right there in that verse. He redeemed us from every lawless deed to purify for Himself His own peculiar people, as the King James Version puts it, that we would be a passionate people for good works.

We cannot purify ourselves apart from God's grace. But once His grace has entered in, He redeems and saves us from every lawless deed, every sin, so that we would be His purified people.

My friend Josh Transky, who pastors the church plant we are sponsoring in downtown Baltimore, posted on Instagram this morning a picture of a gentleman named Dan. In the caption, he wrote, "I literally pulled Dan out of the gutter today to bring him to church." On their way walking to church, Dan said to him, "I don't think Jesus can forgive me for all the sins I've done." Josh asked for prayer for Dan, and I guarantee Dan heard the gospel today at Haven City Church in Baltimore.

What is that gospel? Jesus redeems us from every lawless deed to purify us. He does not call us to purify ourselves before we can receive His grace. He gives us His grace to purify us and make us His own peculiar people, a set-apart people, as stated in 1 Peter chapter two.

Peter says you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people. Why? That you would proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. You who were once not a people, but now you are a people; you who had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

How do we become this great people of God, a peculiar people? By His grace and by His mercy. May our response be that we are a people who are passionate, zealous for good works. Why? Well, as Jesus said in Matthew chapter five, verse 16, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

On Father's Day, it's a good place to end, that we would glorify our Father in heaven. Our Father who has loved us so much that He gave everything to redeem us as His adopted children. In response to that, may we be passionate about good works so that we would bring glory to our Father. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, I thank You for Your grace. It's been called God's riches at Christ's expense. Jesus, You gave everything for us so that You could fully pay the debt of our sin, redeeming us to be Your special treasure. You would then transform us by the working of Your grace, that we would glorify Your name.

You can take what was once a vessel of dishonor—our broken lives—and turn them into vessels of honor in Your house and Your kingdom. Lord, we thank You for Your grace, and I pray that You would pour out Your grace in abundance upon Your church, as we come before Your throne of grace right now, needing it.

God, would You make us not only the recipients of Your grace but also the conduits of Your grace? As we have freely received, may we freely give it out to others, because we are going to connect with people today who are in desperate need of that grace.

Maybe as we are standing here today, you realize your need for the grace of God. Perhaps you are already a Christian and you feel the weight of your sin and your shame.

My conscience is heavy, and you need to be reminded of a pouring out of God's grace upon your life. Or maybe you have not yet put your faith in Jesus because you've been convinced that you're not good enough. Well, let me tell you, you're not good enough. You never will be. But Jesus isn't calling you to be good enough to receive His grace. He freely gives it as we receive it by faith.

If you want to receive the grace of God today, the forgiving grace of God, I want to lead you in a prayer to do that. If that's you, would you just lift up your hand high so I can see it? Anyone here today? I see you over here on my right. God bless you right here in the front. Anyone else? Lift up your hand high. I need your grace. I see you there in the back.

If that's you, would you pray with me where you're at? Dear Jesus, would you fill my life with your grace? Would you forgive me of my sin? Lord, I know that I can't earn my way to You. I've tried and failed, but would you come in and fill me, forgive me, and help me to follow You by faith? In Jesus' name, amen.