Gifted By Grace | You're Not Who You Were | Chad Veach

0:00 What's going on, everybody? Welcome to another message from Zoe Church Los Angeles. We are a community in L.A. that is all about the person and the message of Jesus. I'm so excited for you to hear today's message as we start a brand new series on grace. If you'd like to give today, by the way, if you're a part of our community, go to our website and you can give there, zoechurch.org. And we want to thank everybody that gives in tithes, offerings, and really helps us get the message of Jesus out around the world. Today we're starting a new series about the person, not the principle, the person of Jesus, the person of grace. Let's jump in to this week's message. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, let's read together. It says, God made him, that's Jesus. God made him, Jesus, who had known no sin, to become sin for us.

1:00 So let's break that down. God, our Father, made Jesus to become sin for us. So if you don't know anything about Jesus, he was a perfect man. He lived 33 years on this earth. No spot, no wrinkle, no blemish, no sin. God made him who knew no sin to become sin for you and I. So that in him, Jesus, we might become the righteousness of God. Oh, I like that last part. Why did God do this? God made Jesus who had known no sin to become sin for us so that you and I could become righteous. Let me give you the definition of righteousness. This righteousness is being in right relationship with God, being approved or accepted by him, not because of our works or our good deeds, but because of our faith in Jesus.

2:01 So I don't know if you knew this this morning, but when you got up, you are in right standing with the father. You have been accepted and approved by God, not because of your works, but because of your belief in Jesus. so today you ought to just know that you have never been more righteous than you are right now and nothing that you do or don't do can take away your righteousness because God made him who knew no no sin to become righteous sin for you so that through the gift of Jesus you and I could become the righteousness of God is anybody thankful today that you have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. John, or sorry, Romans chapter 5, verse 17. For if by the trespass of one man, who is that one man? His name is Adam. In Spanish, Adam. I have no idea if that's true or not. Like Adam. It's like, dude, what are you talking about? For if by the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man, Adam, how much more will those who receive God's abundance provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through that one man, Jesus Christ?

3:19 Look at that part right there, the second part. For those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness. Righteousness is a gift. Reign in life through that one man, Jesus Christ. I want to preach a message today. Write down the title. It's called The Gift That Changed Me. This is The Gift That Changed Me. And I like the word gift because we're just, we're in birthday season in our house. And so all of our, we're going into the evens. We're about to be 14, 12, 10, 8. And at our house, that means there's a lot of birthday parties and a lot of opening of presents. And I love my 10-year-old Mav the Sav, because my 10-year-old Mav the Sav, he gives the same reaction to every gift. It doesn't matter what this young man gets, he's going to give you the same energy, whether it is an Amazon gift card, a Roblox gift card, or a Nerf gun. It doesn't matter. Like my guy brings it every time. Have you ever gotten a gift and you're like, Thank you.

4:24 Thought we were closer. not gonna lie it doesn't really match our energy that's fine i guess or have you ever gotten a gift you open it you're just like oh i better perform right here this is every gift i get from julia it's like okay here we go oh my gosh no you didn't but I just like the idea that righteousness the Bible is clear it's not something that you can work towards it is a gift from God and it's not even just the gift of Jesus it really is the gift of the Father your Father wanted you to be in right relationships so bad that he made him who knew no sin to become sin for you so that in turn you might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

5:26 Come on, clap if you believe. That's the greatest gift that the world has ever known. It's the gift that changes you. It's the gift that changes our life. Grace, put it on the screen. Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely. It is the peace of God given to the restless. It is the unmerited favor of God. Oh, I love this about God. God loved you so much that he sent his one and his only son to die in your place. That if you would, the Bible says that if anybody would believe in him, doesn't matter the color of your skin, doesn't matter your political preference, doesn't matter your socioeconomic background, doesn't matter the teams you root for, that if anybody were to believe in him, they will not perish, but they will have everlasting life. come on anybody believe in the gospel today God sent grace. Grace is not a principle. Grace is a person. Grace has a name and his name is Jesus.

6:30 And that's why I love this because some of us, we got to understand, we used to be under the tyranny of the law. The law pointed out how bad we were, but never gave us the power to overcome our sin. When grace came, grace freed us from the tyranny of the law and gave us the power to overcome all of our past and sin. So I love this because I want to give you four things to write down today. Write down number one, that grace gives life. Wherever Jesus is, there's life. Wherever Jesus is, there is not death. No, the law kills. The law brings death. In fact, the first time the law is ever preached in the Bible, 3,000 people die. The first time grace is preached in the book of Acts, 3,000 people are saved. The law kills, but the spirit gives life. The law destroys, but grace will set you free. Anybody grateful today? You're not under the tyranny or the canopy or the rulership of the law. Clap if you're thankful. I'm under the leadership and the tutelage of the person Jesus.

7:37 You gotta understand that where Jesus is, there's life. Where grace is, there's life. Put on the screen, John chapter one, verse 16. Out of his fullness, we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Put on the screen, grace is the good pleasure of God that inclines him to bestow benefits upon the undeserving. It raises the beggar from the dunghill and sets him among the princes. You and I could never earn our way to Jesus. We could never deserve our way to the Father. So God sent us his one and only son. Grace is undeserved. It is unearned. I love this. Also, the law says try harder, but grace says let me help you.

8:29 when you're under the tyranny of the law the law demands you better try you better you better you better tithe you better pray oh you just Some of us think this is how God talks to us. What's wrong? The law says try harder. You know what grace says? Grace says, let me help you. Because wherever Jesus is, there's life. He didn't look at the women at the well and say, what's wrong with you? Try harder. He didn't look at the woman caught in adultery and go, what's wrong with you? Try harder. He didn't look at the man in the tree, Zacchaeus, and say, what's wrong? Bro, get down. Try harder. No, the law says try harder. But grace says, I'll help you. and I'll give you life, give you freedom, give you joy, and give you strength. See, we're not under the law anymore. The Old Testament, the tyranny of that old thing that we can never live up to.

9:30 The law is like a mirror that points out all your issues. Have you ever gone into a changing room at the mall and you went in the changing room and you tried on something and you looked in that mirror and you're like, this mirror's broken. I did not look that bad. When I left my house, I was bawling out. My mirror at home is fixed right. We got settings on my mirror. This mirror is broken. The law pointed out your flaws, your sin patterns, your weaknesses, your issues, but never gave you the power to deal with them. Grace doesn't point out your problems. Grace points you to the solution. It says, I will help you. I will heal you. I will serve. Oh, you ought to clap like you're under grace and you're not. The law kills, but grace gives life. that's why you gotta get grace first in your life. In fact, we believe, write down number two, you gotta get the divine order in your life.

10:27 Grace comes first. Grace is first in our life. Jesus is first. In fact, if you ever wanna memorize a verse, I don't know if you're a person that memorizes scripture, but if you ever wanted to commit a verse to memory, let me make a case for this one. Ephesians 2, verse 8. For it is by grace we have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourself. This is the free gift, gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone should boast. I like that last part, lest anyone should boast. Because we live in L.A. and people love to boast.

11:07 In L.A., people are like, oh yeah, you know, I was just with so and so. Oh, let me pick up that name you just dropped. I'm so sorry. Wow, amazing, wow. Aren't you special? And you know, I just got my new car. It's a Lamborghini. We just love to boast. We love to brag. We love to look at social media. Look at me, all right.

11:33 And he says, not of works, lest anyone should boast. The law creates religious people. Grace creates relationship with Jesus. the law will get you boasting that look at how much i pray look at how much i read look at how much i serve look at my morals and my ethics and my standards look at me grace says look at jesus isn't he amazing isn't he radiant isn't he glorious he saved A wretch like me. Come on, give him praise. You got to put grace first. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. So what comes first?

12:30 Your faith or Jesus? Jesus always comes first. In fact, you wouldn't have a faith in Jesus unless Jesus gave you the ability to believe. Your faith is from God. God fanned it into flame. God grew it and raised it. That's why the Bible says he is the author and the finisher of your faith. Belief comes from God. Even your faith is from God. For it is by grace you have been saved through your faith in grace. And most people are like, look at my faith. I got tons of faith. Yeah, just let me pray for you, man. I got faith.

13:04 Okay, buddy. Calm down. I'm more impressed with grace. grace comes first for it is by grace you have been saved through faith in grace not of works lest anyone should boast you cannot work your way into being righteous with god you cannot earn it or deserve it grace by definition write this down your notes it is undeserved blessing it is unmerited favor it is undeserved blessing and unmerited favor let me say it again it is undeserved blessing and it is unmerited favor. Why is this so important? Because religious people always want to trace their blessing back to them. Religious people always wanna go back, you know why I got that, it's because you know, like six weeks ago I tithed $5.

13:57 And so that's what happens when you give. no grace says it is nothing you have done it is undeserved blessing it is unmerited the favor of god that's on your life the blessing of god that's on your life is not because of your activity it is only through your faith in jesus and so when you start to understand that you stop going i'm so bad, you start living in he's so good. You get your eyes off yourself and your eyes on Jesus. This is making sense to anybody. So you got to know where grace is, there's life.

14:46 And there's things in life that will destroy you, things that will kill you. people with bad breath. Bad drivers. I don't know who I'm preaching to, but I'm preaching to somebody. No, the law kills, but grace gives life. And grace comes before you. This is the divine order of heaven. Oh, I love this. Put it on the screen again. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith. This is not from you. It's not a gift you can give yourself. You know, in L.A., people love to treat themselves. I'm treating myself to a spa day. I'm treating myself to a me day. Or birthdays in LA, it's one week, baby. It's one week. We got men of God in our church trying to celebrate their birthday for a week.

15:39 You need to go to Brotherhood and get delivered. the grace is not from you. The grace is from God. And the more I start to realize, whoa, you took me from Dunghill. You took me from nobody. You took me from a sinner that was in need of a savior and brought me to a place that I could never earn myself. And now I'm in right stand. Who am, come on, praise him. Who am I to be in right standing? I'm a sinner. Come on, clap if you believe it. I'm a nobody. I'm in need. I am desperate. I am hungry. I am thirsty. I am broken. I'm dependent. The more you understand the power of grace, the more you rely on it. The more you depend upon it, the more you turn to him. But the law gets you over here going like, No, no, you can fix this.

16:33 No, you can do this. Just keep, come on, pick up yourself, and you can try. You can earn it. Come on, you gotta just get back, and you just gotta do right again, and you're gonna just, this is exhausting, isn't it? The law is exhausting, because it's never feel like we're enough. We never feel like we've done enough. We never feel like, it's like, oh, every time I feel like I'm doing better, it's like, oh, but there's that one thing, and there's that one time, and I was doing good for two weeks, man. two weeks I had momentum. no that's the law you know grace says get your eyes off you get your eyes on jesus get your eyes on grace for it is by grace you have been saved that's why write down number two or number three grace is to be received it cannot be earned the grace of god can never be deserved it can only be received.

17:31 Received. The work of a believer is receiving. And watch what shame does. By the way, anytime you slip into the law again, it's because you're led by fear, shame, or doubt. And the law just says, no, no, you can't go back to God because he knows that you, he knows, he just worked for a little bit and that's shame, fear, and doubt speaking.

18:00 The gift of grace can only be received. Have you ever received a gift and it was like for real, for real, too much? Somebody gives you something, you're like, okay, no, like. I know my value, this is too much. Somebody gave me something a few years ago and I was like, bro, I know you love me, we're good. This is crazy. And they're like, no. And I'm like, I know my value, this is too much.

18:35 Grace is that thing that the value's so high and yet you have to receive it. I don't know what family you're from. I don't know what you did or didn't do. I don't know what shame is telling you, but the only thing you can do with grace is receive it. It's the only thing you can do with it. I can't earn it. I can't deserve it. It's just a free gift of God. In fact, let me read a few verses. Romans 11, 6. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works. Otherwise, grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace. Otherwise, work is no longer work. We got to decide. Romans 4. When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. but people who are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. Galatians 2 verse 21, I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing. If I could earn it myself, then the cross is futile. If I could do it myself, then the blood of Jesus means nothing.

19:53 If I could earn my way and give my way and preach my way into righteousness, then Calvary is insufficient. But I believe Jesus died for a reason because he took my place and I could never live up to the standard. So Jesus became the standard for me and died in my place. Come on, clap if you're thankful today for the gift of grace. you gotta, you gotta, you gotta just receive it. It is what it is. And some people are like, you know what? I, I, I, I've worked harder. I, I deserve more. I, I, I, I deserve this. I was talking to somebody on the phone this last week and they're telling me that they recently got a promotion. They got a raise and they're really pumped about it. And then one of their coworkers came to complain to them and, and the coworker felt like they deserve the race and they couldn't admit, well, I got the raise, but you didn't. And so they were just kind of listening. And, and, and as they were telling me that I was thinking that so many people in church under the law still think I deserve this.

20:54 Look at how much I've given God. Look at what I've done for you. I've been in church this long. I've done so much. No, no, no. Grace cannot be deserved. Grace is only received. And then when I get a perspective on what I think I deserve, you know what I deserve? I deserve wrath.

21:22 You know what I deserve? The wrath of God. But Jesus took my place and became sin for me. So now, undeservedly, I'm now the righteousness of God. By the way, you'll never become more righteous than you are today.

21:43 There's nothing that you say or do that we're looking at you. You know how your iPhone battery can just drop down? There's nobody here that's like, you're in the red in righteousness. Your batteries, your righteousness, ooh, find a charger, bro. Or get the new phone. No, you're righteous. You're righteous. The next time you sin, the next time you make a big blunder, a huge mistake, I want you just to say to yourself, I'm the righteousness of God. Because you know what it'll change? Under the law, you'll go, I got to hide this from dad. Under grace, you go, God, can you help me? I messed up again. I made another mistake and I need you. the law, the law teaches you to hide your sin. Grace teaches you that there's life with Jesus, no matter your sin. You see the difference? And I just feel like there's so many people that inadvertently on accident without trying to slide back here.

23:00 you're raised with parents that were law-based maybe you've been under teaching that was law-driven fear will take people far being a fear preacher will take people far we're not here to scare you we're here to heal you we're not here to tell you how bad you are we're here to tell you how good he is come on clap if you believe it today that's the power of grace Write down the last one. Grace empowers, but it never excuses.

23:39 I just love this because grace is not a pardon to go sin. No, it's a power to be received. And so some people would think like, oh, because God will love me no matter what I do and he'll be there for me no matter what I say and all of it's grace and all of it's undeserved and all of it's unmerited. So because this doesn't change anything, well, then I can just live however I want to live. No, that's not what grace does. Grace teaches me how to deny ungodliness. Grace teaches me how to walk in my God-given potential. Grace teaches me to follow God's plan for my life. I say no to my old life and I'm gonna say yes to my new life in Christ. So it's not an excuse. Grace is not an excuse. grace isn't this this this this banner of just like i can do whatever i want and i can say whatever i want and i can i can be whoever i want to be because grace you know that's an excuse grace is an empowerment grace empowers me to walk out god's plan for my life in fact the more i'm in love with grace the less i'm attracted to my old life why would i go back to that old broken bitter bound place when I can walk in truth freedom, healing joy and peace why would I so hold on you want to be in grace and live in your old life, you haven't encountered grace the more I follow grace the more I want the new life the God thing, that's why I'm so excited today we got so many people that are getting baptized here at Zoe Church, they're going from their old life into their new life.

25:30 You know that saying, out with the old, in with the, I'm a Jesus follower now. So I used to be a slave to my flesh. I used to be a slave to the world. I used to be a slave to culture and I didn't even know it. I used to be under the law. Now I'm under grace and I'm led by grace. I'm driven by grace. I'm healed by grace and I'm freed by grace because grace runs my life now. I've got a new identity. I don't know if you've done this yet. it's a hard, it's a hard thing to go do.

26:04 Have you gone to the DMV to get the real ID? Neither have I. So every time I travel, lugging around my passport, getting no stamps, flying to Minnesota, no stamps. Here I am showing my passport at TSA because I just refuse to go to the DMV. I think DMV is from the devil. what's at the DMV the law and so I've been delaying I'll go at some point when Juliet makes me but I like that real ID it's your real ID.

26:59 Your identity in Christ is your real ID. Some of you have been going by an old identity. You used to party, but now you're free. You used to gossip, but now you're free. You used to be mean, but now you're kind. You used to be selfish, but now you're just, come on, clap. Like God changed not a part of you. He changed all of you. religion will never change you from the inside out. Only grace can do that. Come on, give him a praise. If you've got a new identity that's in Christ, I'm a new creation. Out with the old, in with the... Come on, give him a praise today. Stand to your feet, stand to your feet. Let me read a couple more verses real fast. Stand to your feet, everybody. Romans chapter six, verse 15.

27:52 What then? Shall we sin because we're not under the law, but under grace? By no means. Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey. Whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness. You have been set free from sin, and you have become slaves to what? Righteousness. you've been set free so why in the world we would we go back to that old busted down broken self you didn't even like that version of you stop letting people capitalize and take advantage of your broken self stop letting people pull you down to who you used to be start stepping up into grace and saying i know I'm a broken mess, but I'd be lost without you. I'd be blind without you. Come on, praise him today. I'd be dead without you. If it weren't for grace, grace, grace, grace, grace gets on the inside and it, and it, it makes you a slave to righteousness. It makes you, I want to be planted in the house of God. I want to serve the house of God. I want to walk in truth.

29:16 that's what I want grace is so powerful it would change your appetite I was talking to a young man in our church recently and he just got set free just came to grace he said I was about to do something bad with my girlfriend and I was like what do you mean he's like Say less. I'm good and he goes I couldn't I just felt God speaking to me that's not who you are anymore grace is so powerful it will mess with you before you sin and after you sin because God's in love with you He's in love with you.

30:08 It is what it is. Come on, let's pray today. Again, thank you so much for listening. We pray that it brought you great encouragement and great strength to your faith journey. Remember that God is for you. So if God is for you, who can be against you? Make sure you hit the subscribe button, leave a comment and share the message if it brought you strength. And we'll see you next week at Zoe Church. Thank you.