AMAZING LOVE

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Celebration of God's Goodness
2. Understanding Righteousness and Justification
3. Jesus' Sacrifice and Our Declaration of Righteousness
4. Accessing Grace Through Righteousness
5. The Illustration of the Store and the Credit Card
6. Making Righteousness Personal
7. Closing Encouragement and Thanksgiving

Introduction and Celebration of God's Goodness

The message begins with Pastors Leonard and Lori sharing their joy at being together with family during the Fourth of July celebrations. They express gratitude for their loved ones and encourage everyone to enjoy time with family and friends.

The pastors then return to the subject of Sunday's teaching, "God's Master Plan." They remind listeners that their previous teaching focused on righteousness and the importance of understanding what it means to be right before God.

They explain that righteousness means being justified before God, standing before Him as though sin has been completely dealt with. According to the gospel, God Himself has made believers righteous.

Understanding Righteousness and Justification

Pastor Leonard explains that true righteousness is not human righteousness but God's righteousness. Holiness and righteousness originate with God and were made available through Jesus Christ.

Jesus came as the sacrifice and offering for all humanity. Through His finished work, the issue of sin has been completely dealt with. Believers now stand in righteousness rather than condemnation.

The pastors read:

Romans 4:25- "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

Romans 5:1-2- "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

They emphasize that Jesus was delivered for our sins, not His own. He bore our transgressions and paid the price that humanity could never pay.

Jesus' Sacrifice and Our Declaration of Righteousness

Pastor Leonard then points to Isaiah's prophecy concerning Christ.

Isaiah 53:10-11- "Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."

The pastors explain that Jesus knew no sin and committed no sin, yet He willingly became the sacrifice for the forgiveness and redemption of humanity. They stress that when Jesus was raised from the dead, it became heaven's declaration that believers are righteous before God.

Pastor Leonard addresses a common statement often made by believers: "There are none righteous, no, not one." He reminds listeners that this statement belongs to the old condition of humanity before Christ and should not be used to deny the believer's new identity in Christ.

Romans 3:10- "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one."
He teaches that believers who continue to deny their righteousness are often mixing the old covenant understanding with the new covenant realities established through Jesus.

Accessing Grace Through Righteousness

The pastor's focus is on the word "therefore" in Romans chapter five. Because believers have been justified, they no longer strive to become righteous. They already are righteous.

They return to Paul's words:

Romans 5:1-2- "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

The pastors explain that righteousness gives believers access to grace. They then read another key verse:

Romans 5:21- "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."

According to the teaching, grace reigns in the life of the believer through righteousness. If a person does not understand that they are righteous before God, they may struggle to enjoy and experience all that grace provides. The pastors emphasize that understanding righteousness allows believers to confidently receive from God.

The Illustration of the Store and the Credit Card

Pastor Leonard shares a practical illustration involving shopping with his wife. He explains that when someone walks into a department store, they have access to everything inside the store. The products are available and visible. However, access alone does not mean ownership. He compares the store to God's grace. Grace contains everything believers need for every area of life.

–Righteousness, however, functions like a credit card or debit card.
-Righteousness is what allows the believer to receive what grace has already provided.

The believer can walk through the store of grace, choose what is needed, and take possession of it because righteousness grants full access. The illustration demonstrates that grace is available, but righteousness gives believers confidence to receive and enjoy what God has already supplied through Christ.

Making Righteousness Personal

Pastor Lori encourages everyone to make the message deeply personal. She says believers should not merely say that Jesus came for humanity in general. Instead, each person should say:

"He came for me."
"He made me righteous."
"He came for you."

She encourages listeners to look in the mirror and declare that they are righteous with God's own righteousness. The pastors remind believers that because of righteousness, they now have access to all of God's grace.

Pastor Leonard also shares his love and appreciation for his wife and reflects on the temporary nature of earthly marriage, expressing his desire to cherish every day together. He references Jesus' teaching regarding the resurrection:

Matthew 22:30- "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."

This personal reflection serves as an encouragement to treasure the relationships and blessings God has given.

Closing Encouragement and Thanksgiving

The message closes with an encouragement to celebrate family, friends, and the blessings of living in a nation that acknowledges God.

The pastors pray that the nation would continue to remain under God and encourage everyone to enjoy their times of celebration.

Finally, they thank their viewers and ministry partners for their prayers, gifts, cards, letters, and financial support. They express sincere gratitude for everyone who has helped and blessed the ministry.

The central truth of the message remains clear: Jesus came for us, bore our sins, and rose again so that we could stand before God completely righteous. Through that righteousness, believers now have peace with God and full access to every provision of His grace.

We hope this article blessed you and strengthened your understanding of your righteousness in Christ. Please share this teaching with others so they too can discover the amazing love of God and the wonderful grace that is available through Jesus Christ.