May 30, 2010 - Change Is Gonna Come:

Condemned To Saved (Luke 23:32-43)

Kernel Message: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do - Ephesians 2:8-10

• Like the criminal on the cross, Christ’s gift to us is undeserved grace and salvation.  We don’t change ourselves to earn God’s favor, but we are transformed as a result of God’s illogical love and amazing grace.

Practical Pieces of the Message:

• Jesus changes people.  Those who put their faith in him and follow him never, ever stay the same.
• We often think (maybe subliminally) that we must change in order for God to extend us his acceptance.  We think we must first measure up, prove our worth - and then God will accept us and extend salvation.
• Scripture shows that grace and salvation come regardless of our worth, as a free gift.  The criminal on the cross is a clear example of this truth.
• We deserve the punishment the criminal on the cross received, but God offers us the same gift Christ offered him (Romans 6:23).
• Change and transformation occur as a result of grace, not as a prerequisite to grace.
• Having a hard time changing/being transformed?  Get in touch with grace.

Key Point:

• We are saved by - and changed by - grace.

Key Scriptures:

• Luke 23:32-43 (Jesus crucified next to criminals; Jesus asks Father to forgive those who crucified him; one criminal insulted Jesus, the other asked that Jesus remember him; Jesus tells him, “today you will be with me in paradise.”)
• Romans 5:6-9 (Christ died for us, the powerless and ungodly - while we were still sinners.)
• Titus 3:4-7 (We are saved not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.)
• Ephesians 2:4-10 (God made us alive in Christ while we were dead in our transgressions; it is by grace we are saved, not by works; we are created in Christ to do good works [as a result of grace, not as a prerequisite to receive it].)
• Titus 2:11-14 (The grace of God brings salvation; grace teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to be self controlled, upright and godly.)
• 1 Peter 1:3 (In God’s great mercy he has given us new birth.)
• Romans 3:23-24 (All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and are justified freely by his grace.)
• Romans 6:23 (The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus.)

Drama, Media, & Connecting Pieces:

• Pre-video:
• Key Video:
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• God Story Videos:
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• Scripture Reading:
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