Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction: Over the next several weeks we are going to be looking at the subject “Grace is Greater.”

This series is based off a book by the same title, written by Kyle Idleman.

We will also have Sunday night Bible studies that will go along with the sermon series, each Sunday night at 6pm.

I believe this series can be transformational in YOUR life, as you grasp a better understanding of grace and the fact that it is available to YOU through faith in Jesus Christ.

Scripture Introduction: Today’s message is going to focus on the fact that “God’s Grace is More Forgiving Than Your Guilt.”

Feelings of guilt can be used by the enemy to try to drive you further away from God and cause you to feel as if you cannot be forgiven, restored and be a full-fledged son or daughter in God’s family with all the rights and privileges that come along with it.

The very reason we all need forgiveness is because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Sin has separated us from God and the only way we can be reconciled to God is through the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

I have good news . . .

God’s Righteousness is Available to Everyone Who Needs It! (3:22b-23, 5:12-14)

Explanation

As we think about this statement we should ask ourselves some obvious questions:

What is the righteousness of God

Who needs the righteousness of God

Why is the righteousness of God a big deal

How does one obtain the righteousness of God

Why do we need the righteousness of God

What is the “righteousness of God?”

The righteousness of God refers to having a right standing with God which is made possible through salvation.

No one can have a right standing with God apart from the salvation that was purchased through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This leads us to our next question . . .

“Who needs the righteousness of God?”

Notice again the latter part of . . .

“For there is NO DISTINCTION: for ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . .

.”

Who needs the righteousness of God . . .

ALL people EVERYWHERE need the righteousness of God because all people everywhere have sinned against God and have fallen short of His glory!

None of us have ever been able to live up to God’s standard.

We have all missed the mark.

We have failed at accurately and adequately reflecting His glory at numerous times and in numerous ways.

Because we are all sinners, our relationship with God has been shattered and severed, therefore none of us have a right standing with God on our own.

To answer the question, “Who needs the righteousness of God?” The answer is very, very clear . . .

ALL OF US DO!

We all need God’s righteousness because we all fall short of God’s righteous standard.

Why is the righteousness of God such a big deal?

Notice again verse 23.

“All have sinned and FALL SHORT of the glory of God.”

Greek scholar Spiros Zodhiates says this about the phrase “fall short”:

[fall short] is in present tense and in the indicative mood which would imply a continuous ongoing action.

Our falling short is not just a condition, it is a repeated action in our lives because of our sin nature.

Stuart-(Zodhiates)“come short” is in present tense and in the indicative mood which would imply a continuous ongoing action.

Our falling short is not just a condition, it is a repeated action in our lives because of our sin nature.

Kyle Idleman makes a great statement about verse 23, he says “Our ability to appreciate grace is in direct correlation to the degree to which we acknowledge our need for it.”

Until we understand our need, we cannot appreciate the gift and sacrifice of Christ.

You see apart from the righteousness of God we are under the sentence of DEATH.

Death refers to a separation, and although it certainly refers to a physical death (a separation of the soul and body) it also references spiritual death (the separation of the soul from God).

For this answer turn over a page or two in your Bible to

Now notice

You see apart from the righteousness of God, we are not only separated from having a relationship with God NOW, but we will be separated from God for eternity in a place referred to as the “Lake of Fire.”

Sin is a BIG deal.

Being separated from God and separated from His righteousness is a BIG DEAL! Jesus put it this way, “What would it profit us if we gained the whole world and lost our soul?”

The reason God’s righteousness is available to you and to me and to everyone else who needs it is because of GRACE!

Grace is a subject we are going to be looking at over the next several weeks.

However, grace cannot be fully appreciated until we come to the realization of how much we desperately need it!

Illustration

Kyle Idleman, a pastor in Louisville, KY and the author of the book, “Grace is Greater” said this about grace:

Our ability to appreciate grace is in direct correlation to the degree to which we acknowledge our need for it.

The more I recognize the ugliness of my sin, the more I can appreciate the beauty of God’s grace.

The Bible holds up a mirror and confronts us with the reality of our sin ().

Until we recognize our need for grace, we won’t care about receiving it...We work hard at convincing ourselves and others we’re not that bad, but the truth is we are worse than we ever imagined. . .

If we miss the reality and depth of our sin, we miss out on the grace of God...Until we come face-to-face with our terminal diagnosis, we will refuse the cure.

First, we find that God’s righteousness is revealed apart from the law (3:21).

While the Law and the prophets refer to the righteousness of God, they could never PROVIDE the righteousness of God.

They could expose sin, they could expose our need, the could point us to the ONE who could provide this righteousness, but they could never, in and of themselves produce this righteousness that we ALL so desperately need!

I don’t think the Apostle Paul ever got over the grace of God because he never got over how desperately he needed it.

He said in

The word “am” is in the present tense.

Paul did not say, “I was the worst of sinners,” he said “I am” the worst of sinners.

Application

Have you come face to face with the ugliness of YOUR sin.

Certainly it is very easy to come face to face with the sins of others, with the sin of those who have hurt us, with the sin of those who have hurt the most innocent among us, but have we come face to face with the UGLINESS of YOUR sin . . .

your deceitfulness, your lust, your gossip, your discontentment, your pride, your greed, your self-righteousness and the list goes on.

We compare ourselves to others

We weigh the bad against the good.

Tells the story of NY City, Mayor Bloomberg who said, “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to Heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed.

I am heading straight in.

I have earned my place in Heaven.

It’s not even close.”

(He was referencing his work on gun safety, obesity and smoking cessation).

We weigh the bad against the good.

Jean Larroux: If the biggest sinner you know isn’t you, then you don’t know yourself very well.”

The story is told of former NY City, Mayor Bloomberg who said, “I am telling you if there is a God, when I get to Heaven I’m not stopping to be interviewed.

I am heading straight in.

I have earned my place in Heaven.

It’s not even close.”

(He was referencing his work on gun safety, obesity and smoking cessation).

It is obvious Mayor Bloomberg does not understand the seriousness of sin and his desperate need of Amazing Grace.

The question is DO YOU?

Have you ever been BROKEN over YOUR sin and the high price it cost Jesus to make atonement for your soul.

Grace doesn’t seem so amazing until sin seems awful.

So how do we obtain this righteousness that all of us so desperately need?

We need to come to understand that. . .

God Provided Righteousness For us Through Jesus (3:24-26, 5:6-11)

Idleman: We work hard at convincing ourselves and others we’re not that bad, but the truth is we are worse than we ever imagined. . .

If we miss the reality and depth of our sin, we miss out on the grace of God.

Jean Larroux: If the biggest sinner you know isn’t you, then you don’t know yourself very well.”

See also — “am” is a present tense verb . .

.Paul didn’t say “I was” but said “I am”

Diagnosis-Sin

the more you learn about the righteousness of God and the more you examine your life and motives—the closer you will get to the inescapable conclusion that you are the worst sinner you know.

Infected the whole world