Grace Sagola Church

The command to honor one another is often overlooked by today's evangelical world. However, there is a biblical model for giving honor when we become the conduit of recognizing God's assignment in the beauty of His design. 

The challenge for believers is to follow Jesus in serving one another. He has recreated us for this purpose, He has equipped us for service by His Spirit, and He receives the glory for our service to one another. 

The church has a God-given task of serving as His vessels of restoration. As we have experienced restoration from God - we are then tasked with advancing this work in one another's lives. To "restore" one another is the actionable work of the gospel in our church community. 

The family of God is a family. We care for one another, love one another, pray for one another, and watch over one another. This isn't the sole task of a shepherd or pastor - we each must learn how to speak sensitively and responsibly to encourage each other in the faith. 

The disciples of Jesus Christ will be known by their love for one another. However, it is unfortunately all too easy for churches today to remain cold, individual, distant, and unconcerned for each other. These moments of apathy and disconnectedness are modern expressions of "playing church." 

The process of building each other up in the faith is the job of every believer. This is most clearly seen in the lives of those who are weak and doubting. In the struggles of this life we are created in Jesus to be one another's strength. 

Prayer is both a blessing to the believer and a spiritual discipline. However, it is often too easy to take prayer for granted and also to fail at the Bibilcal practice of prayer that makes it more than a Christian ritual. 

Playing church is the compromise of God's new creation, it's a performance driven façade of spirituality, and it's a kind of illness within the body of Christ that can lead to the removal of His presence.

The resurrection of Jesus is the historical account of God's definitive judgment of "man's" justice. Where we repeatedly fail and fall short, God has given vindication of Jesus' life in the miracle of the resurrection - that graciously comes along with an invitation for us to join with the Judge of all creation.

The cross of Christ is the pinnacle of fulfillment for God's answer to man's sinfulness. And when received by faith, the cross is our initiation into a transformation that allows us to supernaturally see and serve our neighbors to advance forth God's justice. 

There is a tangible undercurrent to God's Kingdom - it's the place where we find Biblical Justice-for-all. Throughout the ages, sin has left us with those who have a permeant expression of harm: the hurt, the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the immigrant. We desire to live patterned after Jesus' promises to make all things new and restore the broken. 

The Justice of God has been accomplished in the gospel such that we are offered, not only forgiveness FROM God, but the ability to forgive LIKE God. However, without the evidence of God's forgiveness, we are remaining under His wrath, storing up future judgement for us on the day of Jesus' return. 

God has given the church a message for the world. Although we are in the world, we must be careful to avoid being like the world and advancing its values. Rather, we are called to be distinctively Christian while we live like Jesus. 

There is no other teaching on earth that fully encapsulates the depths of justice than the gospel. It is only in the completed work of Jesus Christ on behalf of sinners that we find God's commitment to be both "just" and the One who "justifies" sinners. 

Our world has insulated itself from any adherence to objective truth. This has been a slow, deliberate and subtle deception. Christ's followers are called to pursue Justice with a clear proclamation of the truth, especially to a world that has deafened itself to the gospel. 

The Justice of our Lord is always aimed at those most needing it. Throughout the scriptures “the poor” are at the top of the list for those who our Lord advocates justice.

God has abounding patience for us, and He steadfastly watches over his children. We will do well to remember that it is only by His Lordship that we can see every wrong righted and true justice delivered - anything else becomes a counterfeit. 

Our ability to serve the Lord in unity is dependent upon our status before God. As we have been those justified by God's grace, we become those who can advance His work of reconciliation together. 

Our culture has distorted the image of God's church to blind us in dividing between the bubble of God's blessings and the hurt in the world in and around us. The family of God has been tasked with bringing restorative justice to those "least of these" our brothers and sisters, and then to extend this influence of life to the rest of the world through the message of the gospel. 

The kindness of God is core feature of His definition of Justice. When we act, serve, and live like God we will draw from His own dealings with us, for He has again and again showed us what He requires from His followers. 

The Justice of God is good, because it flows from His character. Any expression of Biblical Justice in our world that is displayed by Christians must also extend His character. Our "good" must be motivated from Godly compassion. 

Jesus is the light of the world and the one who brings God and mankind together. If we truly believe what He says and what God has revealed we will reflect God's light to carry on Jesus' illumination into the world.

Jesus' role in our salvation is from start to finish. Unless we embrace that He has done it all, we will be left with an impossible task of maintaining our faith. Praise the Lord - we are saved by His faithfulness! 

Observations: Problem #1 – We don’t see the need Problem #2 – We don’t want the gift Problem #3 – We want Jesus on our own terms Conclusions:  Jesus is God’s gift Given to you That changes your identity Application:  Let the gift of Jesus CHANGE your life

We need a high priest - One who can stand in our place in the presence of God. Because of the incarnation, Jesus not only fulfills the representative aspect of a priest, but He is also able to deal mercifully with us - as one who has been through and experienced the difficulties of earth.