"inexhaustible grace for an exhausted world."

     Last night I went to bed relatively early, hoping to catch up on the sleep I have not been able to get this week. But I couldn't sleep - exams were stressing me out. I felt sick and shaky. So my mom, being the superhero she is, gave me some homeopathic medicine (homeopathy FTW) and spent a good 15-20 minutes finding me a sermon that she liked for me to listen to. It's one by Tullian Tchividjian from this year's Liberate conference. 

     I may have started listening to it stressed out and nervous, but by the end of it I was completely relaxed. In this sermon, Mr. Tchividjian talks about "Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World," a concept I have heard many times. I know that I need grace. I know that I can't do anything in my own strength, and I know that I don't have to. But there is something about the way he preaches that really hit it home for me. I realized things at 1:00 last night that I never realized before. And I was blessed. I'm taking on these last two days of exam with all the power of God in me because that sermon reminded me that I don't have to be anything without Jesus. He is where my identity lies. Not in my achievements. Not in how hard I study or when I get my exams done compared to everyone else in my school. Not in my grades. NOT IN MY GRADES. 

     I was able to identify with a lot of the struggles Mr. Tchividjian talked about in his sermon. I realized that I am exhausted - physically, emotionally... spiritually, even - and that it's okay because there is more than enough of God's inexhaustible grace. 

     It's a little over an hour long, but I encourage you watch it if you get the time. It really is incredible. 

It's Vimeo so I'm not sure how to share the video directly on here but here's the link: http://vimeo.com/87839633http://vimeo.com/87839633

Happy Thursday. It's almost the weekend. :)
s

P.S. Audrey Assad came out with a new EP, "Death, Be Not Proud," a few days ago. You really should check it out. :) 

Jesus is loving Barabbas - a Judah Smith video

     My sister showed me this video last night and it brought me to tears. It's so beautiful and true, and it reminded me of the truth of the cross in a way I didn't know I needed. Please take eight minutes to be blessed by this. Judah Smith is a dynamic and gifted speaker, and the graphics of the video help to intensify the message. For this reason, I suggest you view it in Youtube so that the screen is bigger. :)

-Sarah :)

P.S. My spiritual life has been a whirlwind lately. So many new things that God is introducing to me! I'm not sure I will be able to share them all; I'm afraid of coming across as confusing and I don't want to lead anyone astray. But I hope that I will be able to put some of my thoughts in order enough to give you a couple of posts soon. I haven't blogged in exactly a month! :P

Titus 3 - Jesus changes everything - part 1 {Worthy11}

 
Hi!

I'm finally posting about Worthy!!!! Below is some of my notes on the first message we heard. More are coming. Enjoy!

     The theme of the youth retreat this year was "Jesus changes everything". This includes our faith, our evangelism, and much, much more! Jesus came to earth 2000 years ago, and he changed EVERYTHING. He made the blind see, the lame walk, the sick healthy, the dead rise, cast out demons, etc. Plus, he changed the way people looked at the law of Moses and how to live for God! 

     The first night, Mr. Brewer (our youth pastor) taught us about how Jesus changes us through grace. Below are some of my notes on this sermon.

     

     When Jesus changes us through grace, it's something only he can do. We cannot give spiritual sight to those who are spiritually blind. 

     Mr. Brewer gave the example of trying to explain what color looks like to someone who is blind. How could you explain it in a way that they could understand? You couldn't say that the color green looks like trees, because they don't know what trees look like either. The point is, describing color to a blind person is impossible.
    
     The first point he made was that Jesus changes our hearts. He saves us because of HIS righteousness, not because we did something great (we didn't). On a side note, I feel like that last sentence is something I've heard SO much. I have to ask God to make it real to me every time I hear that truth. Otherwise, I will block it out and not want to hear it anymore. I DO need to be constantly reminded of it!!! We don't contribute at all to bringing our salvation about, except to bring the sin that we need to be saved of.
     When we are saved, it is easy to take it for granted that we are chosen by God. To help us avoid this way of thinking, and instead be thankful to God that we were chosen, we can remember what we were like before we were saved. We were hateful, malicious, envious, foolish, disobedient, and rebellious. We were headed to hell. Thinking about how we were saved from eternal sorrow, regret, pain, and horror should boost our thankfulness to God a lot!
  
     The second point was that Jesus changes our religion. A works-based religion says: "If I obey, God will love me." A faith-based religion, a religion changed by Jesus, says: "God loves me because of who he is, regardless of how I perform." Of course, he is grieved when we sin, but his love for us never changes. Just because he is sad does not mean he is going to leave us alone.
     There is a song by Casting Crowns (I don't know what it's called :D) that I've heard on the radio, and part of it goes something like, "Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of Who you are." I feel like that sums it up perfectly. :) Basically, a works-based religion is all about us, while a faith-based religion is all about Jesus.

The third and final point Mr. Brewer made was that Jesus changes our status. We go from being hateful and rebellious, to heirs of God. We go from wrath to mercy, all because of the Gospel. We get what Christ deserves.

Thanks for reading. I hope this encouraged you :)

-Sarah :)