In our current preaching series we are working through the book of Romans and we have spent some weeks looking at the subject of Grace. Graham mentioned Terry Virgo's book God's Lavish Grace, which we'd encourage you to get hold of and read it!
The message of God's grace has been one of the key messages that Terry has brought to the church over the last 40 years. It has been a message that has not only characterised his ministry but also his walk with God.
Review of God's Lavish Grace
Sunday- go to church, sing joyful songs of praise, hear an encouraging and challenging sermon about fighting sin, leave with renewed resolution to obey God and beat temptation.
Monday - make time to read the Bible and pray, fight with sin going well, feel close to God.
Tuesday - managed to scan over a Bible passage before running for the bus, feel flustered but still trying to live whole-heartedly for God.
Wednesday - busy day, no time to pray, feeling weak.
Thursday - give in to temptation, feel like a rubbish Christian.
And so it goes on.
In this commentary, the person constantly measures their spiritual success by their own achievements or failures. If they made time to pray, they feel good about where they stand with God. If they mess up, they feel ashamed. To them, the way God sees them fluctuates like a spiritual barometer. When they're doing well, He's smiling. When they're not, He's angry.
Terry Virgo's book 'God's Lavish Grace' is a fantastic smash-down to this way of thinking, which ensnares so many Christians today.
Virgo's main point is that Jesus has obtained a place for us to stand in grace, a place of total acceptance and security. He goes through the book of Romans to demonstrate that 'they which receive abundance of grace... shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ' Rom 5:17
Therefore your daily walk with God is not about your spirituality or performance, but about your position in Christ.
Christ's unchanging righteousness is yours every day and is not in the least dependent on your feelings or your performance!
God has not called us to a life of slavery but one of overcoming. We need to KNOW that the blood of Christ is sufficient to cleanse us from every sin (past, present and future); the cross is ENOUGH for us to be forgiven. We can't earn God's approval by our 'good deeds'. On the cross, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' (John 19:30) He dealt with our sin completely. All that is left for us to do is to rejoice in the fact that we are totally accepted by God through Jesus, and then live a life liberated to serve Him, with the empowering help of the Spirit to fight sin.
Virgo's conversational style is engaging and uplifting as he opens up the life-changing truth of God's Word in this book. He shows us how susceptible we are to rely on our own abilities rather than God's great grace. (review from amazon.com by S. Toovey)
From the publisher
This wonderful survey of the impact and outworking of God's grace in the life of the believer will revitalise the most threadbare faith. In his early years as a Christian, Terry Virgo experienced ''zealous but rather condemnation-driven Christianity''. Then, one day, he explains, ''I began to grasp the wonder of God's glorious grace. I gave myself to fresh study, and then began to preach God's grace with new freedom, joy and certainty, having personally experienced the complete transformation of my own Christian life.
"Few joys can be compared with discovering the wonder of God's grace, and I now set this material before you, certain that, if you will give yourself to reading with an open heart and a willing spirit, your whole experience of Christ can also be transformed.
"Grace should never lead to passivity, but to outrageous adventure, a lifestyle that baffles those who play safe. It threatens the status quo not only of tentative religion but also of cyncial unbelief. It sets the church free to risk all."
Get a copy today here.
Watch Terry Virgo
Terry has presented this teaching in various locations and different times. In the following three talks Terry shares many of the themes in his book at Jubilee Church in St Louis.
Grace: Part 1 - Freed from sin's condemnation
Grace: Part 2 - Freed from sin's power
Grace: Part 3 - Freed from dead works
Watch & Listen
Terry also gave a shorter summary of these three talks in the following preach which was recorded at Crosspoint Church (USA).
Audio
Video
You can watch and listen to other series and talks by visiting our media page: jubilee.org.uk/media
Disclaimer: All talks on this website are the speakers own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the position of Jubilee Church, ChristCentral or Newfrontiers.