The Sermon Grace Full by David McGee
Oct 13, 2013
Grace Full (38:48)
Referenced Scriptures: Romans 12:3
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Romans 12:3
3) For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith.
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Most important that we take time always through to draw attention to God, and how that the God works in our lives and in a no. Sometimes we don't put together how blessed we are because of the knowledge we have an obvious shores we have that God is with us, there are there are people who don't argue and fight against their meal about God and the all his laws in his grace and his mercy. It's like they don't have a clue what this is all about and they put up front, sewer product circumstances insanely and all were loneliness and were going to make this happen. It's all up to us. But you know it's a combination is not just be doing my thing and is not just sitting around waiting for God to do his thing and perform it in our life as if everything is planned out and there are no decisions that we estimate so it's not those extremes. It's a place where God is active in our life and we are making decisions based upon the truths that we understand the Scripture to present to us and the truth of God presents to us are placed in front of us are placed in our hearts and minds of the way that we're going to make decisions and were going to pray and ask God for his wisdom and guidance in our daily life and I have spoken on Romans chapter twelve before and it's. There are books written on being just the book of Romans chapter twelve, and this week I was reading Romans twelve again and I came across this section and verse three, they just kind of in all stood out and so I thought okay will do. Romans chapter twelve. Again, the will to stick the burst rate so that's our text today and also I have entitled it race all grace full, not graceful as in no that you are graceful movements, but that we are grace full of God 's grace and that he wants to exhibit that race to our lives. So robust after twelve verse three reading from the message Bible. I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities and relating to you or in relation to living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace. It's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him and I I was thinking of the cons. The concept during the context that the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and what God does for us. So in the context of our life being affected and being directed by by God 's word. We want to see how God is at work in us sold to understand myself. I have to understand who God is and I have to understand what he is doing seen God has a purpose that God has a plan, but I'm part of that each of us are part of that plan. Each of us are part of Holley God is at work in our society and our lives and in the world around us and we are part of it. We are part of our community were part of our nation were part of our world. We are heart of everything that goes on around us and maybe in some ways the Mormon major partners on them. A very minor part, and sometimes we think we have no part in in all of these things, but we do whether we are actively participating or a spectator were still there were still making a decision were still participating in a half on another you watch the football game last night between the Penn State and the other team. There were a hundred and seven thousand people who were a part of that game, but there were only eleven people from each team and the time on the field. Now we would think if we were participating in that game. Well, we would be part of the eleven if I'm saying to you, you are participate in this game okay always say what you're one of the eleven on the field from part of the twenty two that are on the field so your participant, but what about the hundred and seven thousand in the state while they are part of it. What about those who are sitting at home watching it on TV while their apartment that they are very distant part and then there are those who will watch the commercials or watch the highlights on the wall. They are part of it, but even further part of Emily look at these things and was able. How am I apart of the kingdom of God, and part of what God is doing doing in my life and in our world around us. Well, if we just take a moment, I memorized it do this workshop at the hospital and I'll add it asked people to write down on a three by five card you look at a mere okay and what do you see what is your impression think what is your impression whatever not neither that way and I are very handsome parts, none of that kind of stuff, but just what do you see what is your characteristic when people look at you. What do they say whatever they see the value. Now, some as long as nothing of value throw that out, that's not overdone. That's that's garbage. When you look at near what you see the tank, so we'd have people do that and then we would hand out cards to people and women have them approach three different is like prior to the meeting, we would send them all cards three different cards and you have them approach three different people and for those individuals to wipe down what they think of them that I made you like to do that I would give you each a card and you can write down what you think of me, but you burn it don't show it right. Not true. So what happened was people were very surprised in what others have said about them on those parts and you know what individual was very thorough because they went to their parents. They went to assembling and then they went to their boss and I wrote down all other things than they were writing down three things that each one hat and they would bring them to this young time that we would do this training, and we would discuss them, and people were very surprised at what they had written down, and what other people have written down about them and as we look at the us and we see how that there is a difference between our opinion of what we see ourselves in it. Sometimes people come up in the same way you know you know you have this quality you have that quality and what we do. Was it said this morning. You really know me, but that if you only know what I you only knew what you look really good only knew what going on on the inside now we are going very well was the only new and I you always got a lot of that in people who were in green for bereaved over the death of someone, and the people would come up and tell them how good they look the and people would say what he only knew what was going on in the inside, while there are struggles in the way were going to have a life without all, if you don't have a struggle, okay, you just open your eyes and your heaven am sorry but that the only place you then you're not have a struggle of your having struggles walking the line, and if you recognize you have struggled recognizing to assessing life, and if you realize you have good qualities and you have bad qualities. Welcome to a good analysis because we all have them. No one has a life without conflict without struggles in because if we were all the same, really be a very boring place right if everybody were like you. You get tired of you okay in our lives as if I don't want to just you, which abruptly just put that away and I have seen the enough okay while what would God say about us are three qualities if we were writing elegant postcard to God through the five parts that they got water. My three greatest qualities and remember God 's processed knowing God 's character. We have to know his character. If we know God 's character, then we can have an assessment of who we really are is God 's characters, full of grace and mercy unmerited favor, God distributes equally. He doesn't have favorites so God looks at you and all of us on the same level. He loves us all equally. He loves us all with an everlasting love and his forgiveness is can be bought can't be changed. Your therefore us, so we're all on the same playing field level playing field that God was also what would God 's qualities that he would write down about us. What would they be well. I don't know exactly what they would be, but I know that they would have something to do with what we haven't become yet think because God is in the process of developing us from truly are the one he has in mind we haven't completed, he was begun a good work and you will complete it before he returns before we die. So God has a purpose to take us from where we are to where he wants us to be in completion of our life. So what he sees, and I would be the qualities that are in development and where they will be in time, so he wants to take us on this on this journey he wants to take us on this life span that we are involved in, and it is a grace full life Damon, thank you there's a graceful life and not enough if you look in the mirror and you say I am not graceful, you know that walking to gum at the same time, yet that may admirably rally. I know you. We are not graceful and that maybe in that type of setting, but we are full of grace, grace full Paul says in Romans chapter twelve verse three falsely the Romans out of a deep gratitude for all that God has given to him. Now Paul looks at his life. What he has become. He does so with the deep gratitude, he has come from a self righteous pious fantasy in which he would stand by and watch people by or pursue them in order to separate them from their Christianity by arresting them throwing them in jail, separating families and he was. He was. He was a nasty person. And Paul is saying that he is grateful he is deeply grateful for where he has come from so as we would think of these qualities of our life. Three qualities that you wrote down about your life, would we have a deeper appreciation to God for who we are now look where we come from and where we've come from, look where we have been how we have been in our life and where we are at this point now is not in what I living in a bed of roses, but no bed of roses have thorns. I don't like to lay down and roses. I would like to lay down in the bed of roses, not me. I don't want to lay down much of thorn bushes, I want to know what I was trying to clean out the Roosevelt bushes with some of the bushes we haven't I tell you I got stuff stopped all over me, scratched and whatever, and in it I don't like it in like those little rosebushes. They look pretty on the way down and then when I got this idea, but the better Rosen. So anyhow we are to have a deeper appreciation to God for where we are at the Army find them. You don't have to raise randomness how may we find it difficult to be thankful for where your wrap and I imagine if I can calmly have difficulty being thankful for your information, so none of you are thankful for my health. I was just perfectly happy with the way life is they are really happy with the way life is not now. I why why I think of it because of our business am I/ society in a wine because we're in a society that is built upon advertisement and advertisements are telling us what we don't have and so you would be happy if you had these things right if you had you all if you drove if you live if you made this you would be perfectly happy if you have an in on it, but see God and Paul is saying here, and God is saying through the apostle Paul that we are to look at our life. Anything I I am speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all for all the things of God 's given me you wonder why we are to be grateful for what God has given us. If we are not grateful for what we have. When will we be grateful for what we have think this does not stop for a minute and I'm not Americans. We a lot of time off this deal is they think so we don't have to watch the game. Now when I get home for the Steelers, we can just get up, pick it up at half-time and not that they are and how big lobby and watch it again. So what are the web wasn't what is the weather. I believe the rifle definitely reminded me of where I was when will he be grateful if we cannot be grateful for what we had when will we be grateful but has to start sometime if we don't start where we are. How can we be grateful tomorrow because I do like today and tomorrow's not much better allow so we are setting things up to be miserable. I'm miserable today and I will be miserable tomorrow. Yay you know if you think things are bad now, just wait to imagine standing up and saying, you know how bad it's been to get displayed. You think it's bad now, just wait and you can back next week, saying wow I can't wait to hear the next sermon, because God is full of punishment, guilt, condemnation, and the one speaker this week it done that ministers and ministers meeting I went to Carlisle. He grew up and known the church is the yes that was a pastor. I believe not, yet down with the past and he lived, and yet it was in doubt after he was in the Arkansas and it was a small and small pastor Paul small church anything about this one creature that no matter where you are you wrong, you were all going to hell anyway. The preachers were going out. Allen whenever he finished drinking. Everybody was burning, and everybody was in hell, and they were scared to death he was dying down, so was every other minister that he was preaching to an neurologist, whilst hellfire and brimstone type people. While it are alive. It's hard be thankful for what we have become, if we don't see the value in who we are and the value of who we are is what we found in Christ. So if we cannot be grateful to what we have. How can we be grateful for what we will be. So if we think that gratitude is something that the past is going to mail to us this week and were open up our mailbox and I have found it. Gratitude has come. I'm going to open it and I will be thankful that doesn't happen. So Paul extends this, he says gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I recognize, especially as I have responsibility and relationship to you in relation to you, so I am grateful in July am especially in my responsibility in relationship or in relation to you. I am grateful, and especially as I have responsibilities in my relation to you. I am grateful because of the responsibilities I have in relation to you anytime somebody say that I'm grateful for the responsibility. I have a relationship to you what the hell I thought I'm grateful for you ungrateful for you. It all lets the young preacher don't start tell me how to be grateful for people, like them very well, while whose fault of talking to get these qualities in others see in you, Kate the qualities of other CAM new member would back about handing those cards out to someone and they would write down what they see in you isn't often the same as what you see you fall. I've been grateful for what you see in me don't force their difficulties in their problems and NL. Some people just can't hear very well. They don't know me very. Wow, does they can hear a thing on saying, but BBC, Paul brings into focus how life works living then, as every one of you does this case that I'm speaking to you out of a deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you dies, all saying I live, is everyone of you do that, I'm in relationship with you and your relationship with me. He says that I'm lamenting as every one of you does this while life is about relationship with God relationships with one another and there is nothing lasts then this relationship that we have. Everything is based on relationship and we all have a right relationship with God were going nowhere, and that our relationship with people is a flowing out of that relationship we have with God. My everyday life. In Romans chapter twelve verse one Sony to my everyday life. My ordinary life. My sleeping my eating my going to work, and walking around life. I am about my everyday life and relationship with God relationship with you and my everyday walking around life eating and sleeping, getting up and going to work life, living, then, is everyone of you do. How many how many actually get up and walk around every day, well rested to do. Think we get up and walk around everything. Why is our relationship with Christ now, give or take a ion thing. Even, commit the compatible canal or any canal. What happens you have young a body of water, and interest in, NA and as steps or bridges. Note there was an lox and entity at the dam. There is a lock on the side where the boats and barges and things will go into that lock and they will lock that the new may barge inside this canal inside this part of this whimsical block Neve wouldn't lock them inside their and then it will let the water in from about and what happens is that the boat through the bars inside that lock right, it rises to the level that is going now, going down the river. It lowers to the level that it is going our relationship with God is about taking us rising costs to the level that God wants us to be my everyday life. My going out my coming in it. Ill pauses. I'm grateful. So you see, when I am grateful to God for what he doing in my life and my relationship with other. I am allowing God 's Spirit to take me to the level that I'm going. He raises me up, God, why keep the level of this relationship with God. Anyway, to me, I'll see you know if you ever watch these bolts are things in these locks they'll like us. The only bounce up and down. Now it's a very slow rise but what it's all finished their the level that they were going into in our life. Paul was saying, I am grateful it is when he began this gratitude to God for where I am, there is this rise going on in our life and around us that we are rising optimal level. The goblins to take us to so that we can go on the journey. Go on up the river goes of destination that God wants us to go so and we see then that, as every one of you dies. This is a process clause thing I'm grateful, and were all in the same process and guess what it in pure grace, grace it in pure grace. God looks at all of us with your grace, and this pure grace is unmerited favor that indisposed equally on all of us. It will lift every person to a new level. It lifts us now were not were not what we doing here. We're just saying gone. I am rifle for where I am and where you are taking me and all and especially as I have responsibilities and relationships. Our responsibilities and relationship and you know what the more negative. We are the more fun we are to be around, that's not true. Know how many love to be around negative people. It's not the work. I don't care how hard we work hard to search no matter where you go talk to work for you never work for me. It's not the work for you whites. The bomber there other words I would use, but I'm not there. Life is just doesn't work. And it's just not to make it an PC, but being grateful is I don't know how to work, but I don't want to work. I'm thankful for what the experience and have come into no one not thankful for the work. I'm not happy seeing. I'm thankful that I'm not happy I'm not happy for war. I am, as I don't deserve this, but you know what I'm looking beyond my feelings of how I see it to being grateful to God for where I am forgetting the things which are behind, Paul stood by and watched Stephen bestow a guy and he participated in this study, participated in separations of families in the jailing of families and and killing people being killed for their faith. They says know what I've got to let this out, forgetting those things which are behind, that was my whole life. This is my new life. God came into my life and there was a division between what I was and what I am. Christ came into my life now is talking about. I have a responsibility in relation the new women do every one of us does my PR grace, if not by what I've done that has brought about this change. It's like God is not in the pure grace you this week. One of the individual who her husband work with a university near Yuri and I forget which one it is. And I'm sorry for that but they have a lot of handicapped students. There, and that's called Chi Alpha group itself the Christian Christian community Christian love sorority not a fraternity something like that. And so they have a ministry there is this the University and they were baptizing individuals know that our baptismal services and longjohns pool while they were, they were having a baptismal service in an aluminum top of that which he said is yet a picture of it what it was was an old water was a water trough for cops. She didn't know that. But if otherwise it was a water trough for clouds is about twelve feet long by three or four feet high, and I feel with water in a rather baptismal service there for the students in the interest University and there are number of them were handicapped and one man, one vigil was his boring and his nickname. His website name with blind somebody you know. And that was his. It was his web name or whatever while after they were gone. The baptismal service in the methods of baptizing these people. They heard this commotion going on over the north. They were baptizing people in one person said to have extra tile in all they want to baptize and things like that but after the service they were talking in his one individuals saying I can see an insane. What I can see I was blind, but I can see there was no praying for the blind and praying for the lame prank. There was no one doing any of that. They were just having a baptismal service for commitment to Christ and this one person who is blind so himself is saying I can see I can see across the room I could see that banner. I can see that person over and they could literally see they were blind when they came in the line and I guess since birth in their hand. They are at the University and they were baptized in water and came up and they weren't in looking for this miraculous, but they very instant. How do we live in the grace full life and being thankful for God has brought us and recognizing ourselves as this person and relationship to others living as everyone else does in a grace full life. What happens. It is important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God in him. Let's look at this correctly. I'm not bringing you to God, and if you want to know the truth about it. I have lots of problems and faults. I know you don't think that you, but you know what we all are in this by pure grace, your grace, and it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who bring this goodness to God like I got all the stuff that God wants, and that's why he likes me in our I got all this good news that he likes in Egypt, bringing me along to show you how good I am. We all got this fall filled life, and God is saying, be thankful for where you are at and watch how I am going to in your thankfulness. Take your life and bring it up to a whole new level. How I entered into this block into this place were bolts are elevated. I've gone into this place of relationship with God, and I'm beginning to say thank you to God for who I am not because there's something I'm bringing to God. It's because God brings it all to me. God is bringing this into my life, my life isn't by chance. It's by God 's grace and so, in this place that I'm not happy about. I'm grateful to God for, and it's not about me bringing all this goodness to God, it's about me doing my everyday life. My common life, my ordinary life and what am I doing I'm serving God Raven 's baptismal service, and were just doing it because it's it's what God wants us to doing just what I can see there is that this lady was not talking about how her husband are just so overwhelmed at the University because there are all of these handicapped students coming to their charge service now wanting to know what happened to the lab, the blind, solid, so how do you get inside while we don't know God did it, but we didn't do anything special we get baptized, and they'll cannot be baptized till then will I be baptized by law heat in it, and I've been ing without wine came up against Dave left do that remains. It happens. Let's all be thankful for where we are at. Not because were bringing something to God. God is bringing something to us, and here I am sitting in this lock with my life, giving thanks to God, and I don't notice any these great miraculous changes, but my life is at a different level than it was when I started, and I'm not going down the river. I'm going upriver. When you go up the river you go against the current, and there are difficulties. There are times, but you see, it's important that you don't misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God is like, I can use I can I can swim upstream and I can do this on my own no God is bringing the strength to you. The only accurate way to understand this is by what God is, and by what God does. God is love, God is full of mercy is Grayson 's power are giving us the strength in our life to live at a different level than downstream beyond the dam no, it's not that big of a difference, but the difference. I'm a different place than I was before I'm at a different level than I was before the event difference, but you know what there's a difference. God is doing something in my life and the way that I really understand this is that God loves me for simple truth. God loves me, he does for me. They I never thought possible. He gives me hope when we pray, if we feel safe. Everything in life changes. God is with. It's not by what we are and what we do for him. It's not by that is not by what we are what we do what we bring to the table, it's who God is and how God is working in our life and how that here I am in this place, it doesn't seem very, very abnormal. Sometimes it feels a little confining, but yet I'm not happy, but I'm thankful in my life rises to the new level but God wants me to be in attendance, level that I'm learning to live in going forward with God. You know what you go far enough, they'll be another lock Adobe another level, but for right now recognized, be thankful for what God is doing and he is elevating us. He is elevating us to our next level. Be thankful I'm not happy. I'm thankful for who God is and what he does and then that's their it is a grace full life not is not what I am his grace full life. Thank you God for your grace and your mercy, that lift us ever so slightly and ever so slowly that it's hard to recognize where to hold upper-level Lord, we are calling in an upward direction upriver in light. It is a challenge and yet what we are thankful, not because of who we are and are great talents is because of who you are understanding you, Lord, and what you are doing with us for us in us about us. I is hard for me to be happy sometimes all these things, but I am thankful that you're with me and with you, God, everything is going to be okay. I feel that peace in my heart. Amen, amen Grace full life that grace full life. AmenMost important that we take time always through to draw attention to God, and how that the God works in our lives and in a no. Sometimes we don't put together how blessed we are because of the knowledge we have an obvious shores we have that God is with us, there are there are people who don't argue and fight against their meal about God and the all his laws in his grace and his mercy. It's like they don't have a clue what this is all about and they put up front, sewer product circumstances insanely and all were loneliness and were going to make this happen. It's all up to us. But you know it's a combination is not just be doing my thing and is not just sitting around waiting for God to do his thing and perform it in our life as if everything is planned out and there are no decisions that we estimate so it's not those extremes. It's a place where God is active in our life and we are making decisions based upon the truths that we understand the Scripture to present to us and the truth of God presents to us are placed in front of us are placed in our hearts and minds of the way that we're going to make decisions and were going to pray and ask God for his wisdom and guidance in our daily life and I have spoken on Romans chapter twelve before and it's. There are books written on being just the book of Romans chapter twelve, and this week I was reading Romans twelve again and I came across this section and verse three, they just kind of in all stood out and so I thought okay will do. Romans chapter twelve. Again, the will to stick the burst rate so that's our text today and also I have entitled it race all grace full, not graceful as in no that you are graceful movements, but that we are grace full of God 's grace and that he wants to exhibit that race to our lives. So robust after twelve verse three reading from the message Bible. I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities and relating to you or in relation to living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace. It's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him and I I was thinking of the cons. The concept during the context that the only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and what God does for us. So in the context of our life being affected and being directed by by God 's word. We want to see how God is at work in us sold to understand myself. I have to understand who God is and I have to understand what he is doing seen God has a purpose that God has a plan, but I'm part of that each of us are part of that plan. Each of us are part of Holley God is at work in our society and our lives and in the world around us and we are part of it. We are part of our community were part of our nation were part of our world. We are heart of everything that goes on around us and maybe in some ways the Mormon major partners on them. A very minor part, and sometimes we think we have no part in in all of these things, but we do whether we are actively participating or a spectator were still there were still making a decision were still participating in a half on another you watch the football game last night between the Penn State and the other team. There were a hundred and seven thousand people who were a part of that game, but there were only eleven people from each team and the time on the field. Now we would think if we were participating in that game. Well, we would be part of the eleven if I'm saying to you, you are participate in this game okay always say what you're one of the eleven on the field from part of the twenty two that are on the field so your participant, but what about the hundred and seven thousand in the state while they are part of it. What about those who are sitting at home watching it on TV while their apartment that they are very distant part and then there are those who will watch the commercials or watch the highlights on the wall. They are part of it, but even further part of Emily look at these things and was able. How am I apart of the kingdom of God, and part of what God is doing doing in my life and in our world around us. Well, if we just take a moment, I memorized it do this workshop at the hospital and I'll add it asked people to write down on a three by five card you look at a mere okay and what do you see what is your impression think what is your impression whatever not neither that way and I are very handsome parts, none of that kind of stuff, but just what do you see what is your characteristic when people look at you. What do they say whatever they see the value. Now, some as long as nothing of value throw that out, that's not overdone. That's that's garbage. When you look at near what you see the tank, so we'd have people do that and then we would hand out cards to people and women have them approach three different is like prior to the meeting, we would send them all cards three different cards and you have them approach three different people and for those individuals to wipe down what they think of them that I made you like to do that I would give you each a card and you can write down what you think of me, but you burn it don't show it right. Not true. So what happened was people were very surprised in what others have said about them on those parts and you know what individual was very thorough because they went to their parents. They went to assembling and then they went to their boss and I wrote down all other things than they were writing down three things that each one hat and they would bring them to this young time that we would do this training, and we would discuss them, and people were very surprised at what they had written down, and what other people have written down about them and as we look at the us and we see how that there is a difference between our opinion of what we see ourselves in it. Sometimes people come up in the same way you know you know you have this quality you have that quality and what we do. Was it said this morning. You really know me, but that if you only know what I you only knew what you look really good only knew what going on on the inside now we are going very well was the only new and I you always got a lot of that in people who were in green for bereaved over the death of someone, and the people would come up and tell them how good they look the and people would say what he only knew what was going on in the inside, while there are struggles in the way were going to have a life without all, if you don't have a struggle, okay, you just open your eyes and your heaven am sorry but that the only place you then you're not have a struggle of your having struggles walking the line, and if you recognize you have struggled recognizing to assessing life, and if you realize you have good qualities and you have bad qualities. Welcome to a good analysis because we all have them. No one has a life without conflict without struggles in because if we were all the same, really be a very boring place right if everybody were like you. You get tired of you okay in our lives as if I don't want to just you, which abruptly just put that away and I have seen the enough okay while what would God say about us are three qualities if we were writing elegant postcard to God through the five parts that they got water. My three greatest qualities and remember God 's processed knowing God 's character. We have to know his character. If we know God 's character, then we can have an assessment of who we really are is God 's characters, full of grace and mercy unmerited favor, God distributes equally. He doesn't have favorites so God looks at you and all of us on the same level. He loves us all equally. He loves us all with an everlasting love and his forgiveness is can be bought can't be changed. Your therefore us, so we're all on the same playing field level playing field that God was also what would God 's qualities that he would write down about us. What would they be well. I don't know exactly what they would be, but I know that they would have something to do with what we haven't become yet think because God is in the process of developing us from truly are the one he has in mind we haven't completed, he was begun a good work and you will complete it before he returns before we die. So God has a purpose to take us from where we are to where he wants us to be in completion of our life. So what he sees, and I would be the qualities that are in development and where they will be in time, so he wants to take us on this on this journey he wants to take us on this life span that we are involved in, and it is a grace full life Damon, thank you there's a graceful life and not enough if you look in the mirror and you say I am not graceful, you know that walking to gum at the same time, yet that may admirably rally. I know you. We are not graceful and that maybe in that type of setting, but we are full of grace, grace full Paul says in Romans chapter twelve verse three falsely the Romans out of a deep gratitude for all that God has given to him. Now Paul looks at his life. What he has become. He does so with the deep gratitude, he has come from a self righteous pious fantasy in which he would stand by and watch people by or pursue them in order to separate them from their Christianity by arresting them throwing them in jail, separating families and he was. He was. He was a nasty person. And Paul is saying that he is grateful he is deeply grateful for where he has come from so as we would think of these qualities of our life. Three qualities that you wrote down about your life, would we have a deeper appreciation to God for who we are now look where we come from and where we've come from, look where we have been how we have been in our life and where we are at this point now is not in what I living in a bed of roses, but no bed of roses have thorns. I don't like to lay down and roses. I would like to lay down in the bed of roses, not me. I don't want to lay down much of thorn bushes, I want to know what I was trying to clean out the Roosevelt bushes with some of the bushes we haven't I tell you I got stuff stopped all over me, scratched and whatever, and in it I don't like it in like those little rosebushes. They look pretty on the way down and then when I got this idea, but the better Rosen. So anyhow we are to have a deeper appreciation to God for where we are at the Army find them. You don't have to raise randomness how may we find it difficult to be thankful for where your wrap and I imagine if I can calmly have difficulty being thankful for your information, so none of you are thankful for my health. I was just perfectly happy with the way life is they are really happy with the way life is not now. I why why I think of it because of our business am I/ society in a wine because we're in a society that is built upon advertisement and advertisements are telling us what we don't have and so you would be happy if you had these things right if you had you all if you drove if you live if you made this you would be perfectly happy if you have an in on it, but see God and Paul is saying here, and God is saying through the apostle Paul that we are to look at our life. Anything I I am speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all for all the things of God 's given me you wonder why we are to be grateful for what God has given us. If we are not grateful for what we have. When will we be grateful for what we have think this does not stop for a minute and I'm not Americans. We a lot of time off this deal is they think so we don't have to watch the game. Now when I get home for the Steelers, we can just get up, pick it up at half-time and not that they are and how big lobby and watch it again. So what are the web wasn't what is the weather. I believe the rifle definitely reminded me of where I was when will he be grateful if we cannot be grateful for what we had when will we be grateful but has to start sometime if we don't start where we are. How can we be grateful tomorrow because I do like today and tomorrow's not much better allow so we are setting things up to be miserable. I'm miserable today and I will be miserable tomorrow. Yay you know if you think things are bad now, just wait to imagine standing up and saying, you know how bad it's been to get displayed. You think it's bad now, just wait and you can back next week, saying wow I can't wait to hear the next sermon, because God is full of punishment, guilt, condemnation, and the one speaker this week it done that ministers and ministers meeting I went to Carlisle. He grew up and known the church is the yes that was a pastor. I believe not, yet down with the past and he lived, and yet it was in doubt after he was in the Arkansas and it was a small and small pastor Paul small church anything about this one creature that no matter where you are you wrong, you were all going to hell anyway. The preachers were going out. Allen whenever he finished drinking. Everybody was burning, and everybody was in hell, and they were scared to death he was dying down, so was every other minister that he was preaching to an neurologist, whilst hellfire and brimstone type people. While it are alive. It's hard be thankful for what we have become, if we don't see the value in who we are and the value of who we are is what we found in Christ. So if we cannot be grateful to what we have. How can we be grateful for what we will be. So if we think that gratitude is something that the past is going to mail to us this week and were open up our mailbox and I have found it. Gratitude has come. I'm going to open it and I will be thankful that doesn't happen. So Paul extends this, he says gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I recognize, especially as I have responsibility and relationship to you in relation to you, so I am grateful in July am especially in my responsibility in relationship or in relation to you. I am grateful, and especially as I have responsibilities in my relation to you. I am grateful because of the responsibilities I have in relation to you anytime somebody say that I'm grateful for the responsibility. I have a relationship to you what the hell I thought I'm grateful for you ungrateful for you. It all lets the young preacher don't start tell me how to be grateful for people, like them very well, while whose fault of talking to get these qualities in others see in you, Kate the qualities of other CAM new member would back about handing those cards out to someone and they would write down what they see in you isn't often the same as what you see you fall. I've been grateful for what you see in me don't force their difficulties in their problems and NL. Some people just can't hear very well. They don't know me very. Wow, does they can hear a thing on saying, but BBC, Paul brings into focus how life works living then, as every one of you does this case that I'm speaking to you out of a deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you dies, all saying I live, is everyone of you do that, I'm in relationship with you and your relationship with me. He says that I'm lamenting as every one of you does this while life is about relationship with God relationships with one another and there is nothing lasts then this relationship that we have. Everything is based on relationship and we all have a right relationship with God were going nowhere, and that our relationship with people is a flowing out of that relationship we have with God. My everyday life. In Romans chapter twelve verse one Sony to my everyday life. My ordinary life. My sleeping my eating my going to work, and walking around life. I am about my everyday life and relationship with God relationship with you and my everyday walking around life eating and sleeping, getting up and going to work life, living, then, is everyone of you do. How many how many actually get up and walk around every day, well rested to do. Think we get up and walk around everything. Why is our relationship with Christ now, give or take a ion thing. Even, commit the compatible canal or any canal. What happens you have young a body of water, and interest in, NA and as steps or bridges. Note there was an lox and entity at the dam. There is a lock on the side where the boats and barges and things will go into that lock and they will lock that the new may barge inside this canal inside this part of this whimsical block Neve wouldn't lock them inside their and then it will let the water in from about and what happens is that the boat through the bars inside that lock right, it rises to the level that is going now, going down the river. It lowers to the level that it is going our relationship with God is about taking us rising costs to the level that God wants us to be my everyday life. My going out my coming in it. Ill pauses. I'm grateful. So you see, when I am grateful to God for what he doing in my life and my relationship with other. I am allowing God 's Spirit to take me to the level that I'm going. He raises me up, God, why keep the level of this relationship with God. Anyway, to me, I'll see you know if you ever watch these bolts are things in these locks they'll like us. The only bounce up and down. Now it's a very slow rise but what it's all finished their the level that they were going into in our life. Paul was saying, I am grateful it is when he began this gratitude to God for where I am, there is this rise going on in our life and around us that we are rising optimal level. The goblins to take us to so that we can go on the journey. Go on up the river goes of destination that God wants us to go so and we see then that, as every one of you dies. This is a process clause thing I'm grateful, and were all in the same process and guess what it in pure grace, grace it in pure grace. God looks at all of us with your grace, and this pure grace is unmerited favor that indisposed equally on all of us. It will lift every person to a new level. It lifts us now were not were not what we doing here. We're just saying gone. I am rifle for where I am and where you are taking me and all and especially as I have responsibilities and relationships. Our responsibilities and relationship and you know what the more negative. We are the more fun we are to be around, that's not true. Know how many love to be around negative people. It's not the work. I don't care how hard we work hard to search no matter where you go talk to work for you never work for me. It's not the work for you whites. The bomber there other words I would use, but I'm not there. Life is just doesn't work. And it's just not to make it an PC, but being grateful is I don't know how to work, but I don't want to work. I'm thankful for what the experience and have come into no one not thankful for the work. I'm not happy seeing. I'm thankful that I'm not happy I'm not happy for war. I am, as I don't deserve this, but you know what I'm looking beyond my feelings of how I see it to being grateful to God for where I am forgetting the things which are behind, Paul stood by and watched Stephen bestow a guy and he participated in this study, participated in separations of families in the jailing of families and and killing people being killed for their faith. They says know what I've got to let this out, forgetting those things which are behind, that was my whole life. This is my new life. God came into my life and there was a division between what I was and what I am. Christ came into my life now is talking about. I have a responsibility in relation the new women do every one of us does my PR grace, if not by what I've done that has brought about this change. It's like God is not in the pure grace you this week. One of the individual who her husband work with a university near Yuri and I forget which one it is. And I'm sorry for that but they have a lot of handicapped students. There, and that's called Chi Alpha group itself the Christian Christian community Christian love sorority not a fraternity something like that. And so they have a ministry there is this the University and they were baptizing individuals know that our baptismal services and longjohns pool while they were, they were having a baptismal service in an aluminum top of that which he said is yet a picture of it what it was was an old water was a water trough for cops. She didn't know that. But if otherwise it was a water trough for clouds is about twelve feet long by three or four feet high, and I feel with water in a rather baptismal service there for the students in the interest University and there are number of them were handicapped and one man, one vigil was his boring and his nickname. His website name with blind somebody you know. And that was his. It was his web name or whatever while after they were gone. The baptismal service in the methods of baptizing these people. They heard this commotion going on over the north. They were baptizing people in one person said to have extra tile in all they want to baptize and things like that but after the service they were talking in his one individuals saying I can see an insane. What I can see I was blind, but I can see there was no praying for the blind and praying for the lame prank. There was no one doing any of that. They were just having a baptismal service for commitment to Christ and this one person who is blind so himself is saying I can see I can see across the room I could see that banner. I can see that person over and they could literally see they were blind when they came in the line and I guess since birth in their hand. They are at the University and they were baptized in water and came up and they weren't in looking for this miraculous, but they very instant. How do we live in the grace full life and being thankful for God has brought us and recognizing ourselves as this person and relationship to others living as everyone else does in a grace full life. What happens. It is important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God in him. Let's look at this correctly. I'm not bringing you to God, and if you want to know the truth about it. I have lots of problems and faults. I know you don't think that you, but you know what we all are in this by pure grace, your grace, and it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who bring this goodness to God like I got all the stuff that God wants, and that's why he likes me in our I got all this good news that he likes in Egypt, bringing me along to show you how good I am. We all got this fall filled life, and God is saying, be thankful for where you are at and watch how I am going to in your thankfulness. Take your life and bring it up to a whole new level. How I entered into this block into this place were bolts are elevated. I've gone into this place of relationship with God, and I'm beginning to say thank you to God for who I am not because there's something I'm bringing to God. It's because God brings it all to me. God is bringing this into my life, my life isn't by chance. It's by God 's grace and so, in this place that I'm not happy about. I'm grateful to God for, and it's not about me bringing all this goodness to God, it's about me doing my everyday life. My common life, my ordinary life and what am I doing I'm serving God Raven 's baptismal service, and were just doing it because it's it's what God wants us to doing just what I can see there is that this lady was not talking about how her husband are just so overwhelmed at the University because there are all of these handicapped students coming to their charge service now wanting to know what happened to the lab, the blind, solid, so how do you get inside while we don't know God did it, but we didn't do anything special we get baptized, and they'll cannot be baptized till then will I be baptized by law heat in it, and I've been ing without wine came up against Dave left do that remains. It happens. Let's all be thankful for where we are at. Not because were bringing something to God. God is bringing something to us, and here I am sitting in this lock with my life, giving thanks to God, and I don't notice any these great miraculous changes, but my life is at a different level than it was when I started, and I'm not going down the river. I'm going upriver. When you go up the river you go against the current, and there are difficulties. There are times, but you see, it's important that you don't misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God is like, I can use I can I can swim upstream and I can do this on my own no God is bringing the strength to you. The only accurate way to understand this is by what God is, and by what God does. God is love, God is full of mercy is Grayson 's power are giving us the strength in our life to live at a different level than downstream beyond the dam no, it's not that big of a difference, but the difference. I'm a different place than I was before I'm at a different level than I was before the event difference, but you know what there's a difference. God is doing something in my life and the way that I really understand this is that God loves me for simple truth. God loves me, he does for me. They I never thought possible. He gives me hope when we pray, if we feel safe. Everything in life changes. God is with. It's not by what we are and what we do for him. It's not by that is not by what we are what we do what we bring to the table, it's who God is and how God is working in our life and how that here I am in this place, it doesn't seem very, very abnormal. Sometimes it feels a little confining, but yet I'm not happy, but I'm thankful in my life rises to the new level but God wants me to be in attendance, level that I'm learning to live in going forward with God. You know what you go far enough, they'll be another lock Adobe another level, but for right now recognized, be thankful for what God is doing and he is elevating us. He is elevating us to our next level. Be thankful I'm not happy. I'm thankful for who God is and what he does and then that's their it is a grace full life not is not what I am his grace full life. Thank you God for your grace and your mercy, that lift us ever so slightly and ever so slowly that it's hard to recognize where to hold upper-level Lord, we are calling in an upward direction upriver in light. It is a challenge and yet what we are thankful, not because of who we are and are great talents is because of who you are understanding you, Lord, and what you are doing with us for us in us about us. I is hard for me to be happy sometimes all these things, but I am thankful that you're with me and with you, God, everything is going to be okay. I feel that peace in my heart. Amen, amen Grace full life that grace full life. Amen