God Looks at You Through Eyes of Grace

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Hope of Easter

God Looks at You Through Eyes of Grace By Rick Warren — Apr 4, 2015 “Don’t treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” (Galatians 2:21 NLT) The Bible says in John 1:17, “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (NCV). Why through Jesus Christ? Why is Jesus Christ the only way to Heaven? Why not Buddha? Why not somebody else? Jesus Christ is the only way for you to get into Heaven because he paid the price of admission. On the cross, he paid for your sins. Grace is free, no doubt about that. But it is not cheap. It cost Jesus Christ his life. The law tells me when I do wrong. It says, “You blew it!” But Grace says, “You’re forgiven. Here’s how to get back on track. Let’s get going in the right direction.” In the Bible, the favorite description for someone who’s accepted God’s grace is the term “in Christ.” That phrase is used more than 120 times in the New Testament. It refers to somebody who has found salvation through the grace of God. Imagine a notecard that represents my life and a Bible that represents Jesus Christ. In my life, there are a lot of things I’ve done wrong that disqualify me to live in a perfect place like Heaven. There are sins I’ve committed, thoughts and actions that have been hurtful to my relationships. There are things that I’m really ashamed of, things that have left me broken and scarred. When you look at my life — that dirty, torn, ugly notecard — it’s easy to think, “There’s no chance of this getting into Heaven. It’s nowhere close to perfect.”  But Jesus Christ takes my life with all its scars, guilt, and shame. When I accept God’s free gift of grace and salvation, I am in Christ. When I’m in Christ, can you see my imperfections? When you put the notecard in the Bible, can you see how messed up it is? All you see is the Bible. And all you can see when I’m in Christ is Christ. When God looks at me with eyes of grace, he only sees the perfection of Jesus Christ. “Don’t treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die” (Galatians 2:21 NLT). If you could have made it to Heaven without any help from God, Jesus wouldn’t have come and died on the cross for you. But there was no other way. You’re either going to get into Heaven in Christ or you’re not going.  Grace is God’s riches at Christ’s expense. It’s a free gift. Just accept it in faith! Talk It Over What is it about Jesus’ sacrifice that sets him apart from other religious figures? Why is it important to understand the relationship between the Law and God’s grace? In what ways do we often treat God’s grace as meaningless? Our Gift: Eternal Realities Complete Audio Series Are heaven and hell real places and what are they like? How can you be absolutely certain you’ll spend eternity in heaven?  To answer these questions and more, Pastor Rick put together an audio series called, Eternal Realities: Heaven and Hell. LEARN MORE Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren The Hope of Easter teaching series. LEARN MORE Series Summary Message 1: Amazing Grace Message 2: The Answer Is Easter PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at rickwarren.org. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America. This devotional © 2015 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe