The Lie

Most of this is from a Talk by Louie Giglio @ Passion '05

A Massive Lie within the Christian Church

What does it mean to stop trying and have a lot more dying in our lives?

Who can say, "I have always put God first and Glorified Him in everything I do?"

So what is different here? What will make you (when your done reading this) go and serve God with all your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength? Rather than continue the cycle of rededication!

Lie #1:

There is Something Better than Jesus

What is it in your life? In what area have you bought into this lie? Is it, Sexual Temptation? Lying? Stealing? Foul Language? Where do you struggle with sin?

Jesus Is Better!!!

Yes, I'm in the Battle too, Yes it's a Temptation for me too, Yes I struggle, but guess what...

Jesus Is Better!!!

Have you been in this lie so long that you are thinking, "I'm in deep and I think I'm going under? How do you break out from underneath this weight?

How do you love God more?

How can I agree with Isaiah?

Isaiah 26:8

"Yes, LORD, walking in the way of Your Truth, we wait eagerly for You. For Your Name and Your Renown are the Desire of our Souls."

I desire that my life be a part of a generation that lives for the Glory of Your name. (Psalm 86:11-12)

How can I agree with the 5 Passion Statements?

1. Because I was created by God and for His Glory, I will Magnify Him as I respond to His Great Love. My Desire is to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of my life.

(God, Give me a desire for you like the desire that You have for me. Colossians 1:16-18, John 17:3, Revelation 3:20, Philippians 3:7-10, Jeremiah 9:23-24, Psalm 73:25-28, Psalm 16:11, Isaiah 43:7)

2. Because Christ established the church for God's Glory, I desire to magnify God as I use the gifts He has given me to serve and build up the Local Church. I will pray for continued renewal in my church through the work and power of the Holy Spirit.

(God renew in me a love for Your Church, the Body of Christ. Ephesians 3:20-21, 4:1-13, 5:25-27, Hebrews 10:23-25, Acts 2:41-47)

3. Because God is Glorified Greatly when Believers Love each other, I desire to Magnify Him as I Humbly yield to and pray towards unity among All Christians in my life.

(God, give me a desire to lift up Your Name above all other names. John 17:20-26, John 13:34-35, 1 Corinthians 3, Psalm 133:1, Colossians 3:12-17)

4. Because many in my life are hopelessly separated from God, I desire to magnify Him by sharing the Life and Love of Jesus where I live. As I share, I will earnestly pray for revival in my world. (God, break my heart for those with whom I live. Romans 10:11-15, Isaiah 6:1-8, 62:6-7, Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Peter 2:9-12, Philipians 2:12-16, 1 John 5:14-15)

5. Because God is seeking worshipers of all peoples, I desire to magnify Him among the nations. I actively commit my life and energy to participation in His global purposes in my generation. (God, kindle in me the desire to go anywhere, at anytime, at any cost, to do anything to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Psalm 86:9, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Isaiah 49:6, Revelation 5:9-14, Matthew 28:18-20, Psalm 67, Acts 1:8)

Good News: You Can't!!!???

It is not about Self-Power, and I can do this...It's about Christ's Power, and He can do it!!!

Lie #2:

You Can Do It

NO! You Can't...It's a Lie!!!

Let me ask you a few questions?

Do you have consistency in your Quiet Times? Prayer Times? Loving the Hard to love people in your life? Being full of Christ all the time? Sharing the Gospel? Avoiding Temptation?

Most everyone who reads this, must honestly answer: No I don't have consistency!

We are Amazing Failures!!!

The Christian Life is not Hard. It is not even Difficult! It is IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

It is so impossible for us, that there has only been 1 person who has pulled it off...and they named it after Him!!!

God isn't saying, "You can do it!"

He's saying, "You can't do it, and if you think you can do it, you're just about to stumble and fall. I'm not asking you to do it, I know you can't do it, I know how hard it is. I know you; and this isn't going to work for you! But it worked once...and Christ is still here! And I am going to put the 1 who can, inside the 1 who can't, so He can live the Christian life through the 1 who can't!"

Colossians 1:24-27

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

This is the Mystery...Christ IN YOU!!! Jesus Christ is Living inside of the Redeemed!!!

Isaiah, Daniel, David, Moses, Abraham, Micah, and Rahab didn't know this! But you get to know it!!! It has been made known to the Saints!!! Christ IN You!!!

A Saint is not a person who has led a good life, and we remember them for it...

A Saint is a person that God has set apart, and redeemed...Made Holy!!!

Do you want to live a life that Glorifies God?

Then you have to know this Mystery because this Mystery is the operational element that produces that power of God! Christ IN You!!! This isn't about going someplace when you die! It's about receiving a power source for while you live!!!

The question here isn't, "Do you know where you will go if you die tonight?"

It is, "If you don't die, do you have the hope and confidence of a power source that will enable you to live triumphantly tomorrow?"

Rededication is a Man Made idea!!!

I promise to never do that again God...I know what I said before, but I promise this time it will be different.

It's not about I...It's about what God has done!!!

Rededication should not be promises...but refocusing! There is no I in rededication...it wont work...You Can't!!!

We have Jesus...not just a belief in Him...We Have HIM!!! CHRIST IN YOU!!!

In and not And:

Jesus = Victory

Not Jesus and...Christ is the Hope of Glory...not Christ and...

Lie #3:

You Can't Stop

This lie is all about the next lie...and you will see why.

Who are you?

Lie #4:

I'm just a sinner, saved by grace

No don't loose me here...I'm not going off the deep end!

The focus of this lie is that we are JUST Sinners...saved by grace

This gives us an excuse to sin...because I'm just a sinner...what else do you expect!

It will be completely ordinary and normal to sin...if we believe this lie!

You are a sinner, a rebel, a hater and reviler of God! Who God found, restored, redeemed, forgave, cleansed, and made Holy in Christ...You are a Saint!!!

Paul's letters start...Dear Saints ---Stop Sinning!!! Not, "You big, fat, bunch of retched sinners...saved by grace.

This is 1/2 of the Gospel! Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins...it's up to me to figure out how to live my life.

The other 1/2 of the Gospel is -- Jesus rose from the tomb, called me to life and to be life in me and righteousness in me and to be God in and through me!

Do you know Romans 3:23?

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Is that it? Is there anything more?

It is at this point that I just LOVE punctuation!!! What comes after the comma?

Romans 3:24-26

"and are justified by his grace as a [free] gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

We are ALL Sinners, BUT...

Don't believe 1/2 of the Gospel! We are sinners, JUSTIFIED by God's GRACE, FREELY!

Colossians 2:13-15

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him."

1 Sacrifice for all sins! Past, Present, and Future!!! And He calls me FORGIVEN!!!

He [Jesus Christ] NAILED ALL of my sins to His Cross!!! He became sin on my behalf, so that I might become the Righteousness of God!!!

2 Corinthians 5:21

"For our sake he made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Who are you? Who am I?

I am the Righteousness of God in Him [Jesus Christ]!!!

I am a sinner who has been transformed, forgiven, cleansed, and made a Holy One IN Christ! I am given a new Identity in Christ...I am a Saint!!!

Difference between Sinners and Saints

Sinners try to do Good things!!!

Saints...can sin! They temporarily Abandon their Sainthood (although not permanently), choosing something less than what God has designed for them.

A Holy One living in an Unholy lifestyle!

God wants us to "Change the way we think about ourselves."

The short hand of Paul's letters is, "Saints...Stop Sinning!"

Not, "Sinners...Act Holy."

By God, I am the Righteousness of God!

By God, I am a Holy One, a New Creation, Cleansed, Forgiven in Christ!!!

I'm a Holy One who is sinning Temporarily!!!

Who are You???

Are you a Sinner...saved by grace?

Or...A Saint/Holy One in Christ Jesus?

Stop trying to Act Holy and Start dying to trying! Surrender to Christ!!!

Colossians 2:14

"by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

When Satan (the Accuser) comes to you reminding you of all your past sins...through Christ you can say, "You want to talk about my past sins? O.K. here is what I know, 'by canceling the record of debt that stood against me with its legal demands. This God set aside, nailing it to the cross with Christ Jesus.' My debt is payed, I am now the Righteousness of God through Jesus Christ! You want to talk about that....Hey, where'd you go???

Everything...Past, Present, Future...All sins Christ Nailed to the Cross!!!! Once for All!!!

Romans 8:1

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

Who are you?

You Big, Fat, bunch of....Saints!!!

Stop Sinning and believing the lie that anything is better than Jesus!!!!

In Christ,

David