Grace Wins | Don’t Be Afraid of Grace
Many pastors are afraid of the grace message; they feel that if you tell people that nothing they can do would make God love them less that people will use grace as an excuse to go out and live a life full of sin. Legalistic preachers say, “Grace is no license to sin,” but I […]
Grace Wins | Is God’s Grace a License to Sin?
Is God’s Grace a License to Sin? Many people accuse grace preachers of encouraging sin. Does the Gospel of Grace lead to lawlessness? “Antinomianism” is a word originally coined by Martin Luther during the Reformation to describe those who live in lawlessness or are against the Law. The word is made up of two Greek […]
Grace Wins | Is Receiving Grace Based on Our Performance?
As a teenager, I did clown shows for children. I dressed in a silly costume, put on clown makeup, rode a unicycle, and juggled. I worked really hard on becoming a good juggler. For several hours every day I practiced. My goal was to have a perfect show without dropping a ball. But, no matter […]
Grace Wins | What Do I Have to Do to Earn God’s Grace?
What do you have to do to go to heaven? Do you have to be baptized? Do you have to read your Bible every day? Do you have to go to church every Sunday? Let’s ask the thief on the cross next to Jesus. He simply said to Jesus, “Remember me.” In the next moment […]
Grace Wins | Is Grace Fair?
I have been a Christian almost my whole life. I have faithfully served God since I was a child. But in God’s eyes, I look exactly the same as the smoking, drinking, drug addict who just got saved five minutes ago. When we get to heaven, we will both be dressed in the same white […]
Grace Wins | What Mountain are You Standing On?
There are two famous mountains in the Bible. The first is Mount Sinai, where the Ten Commandments and the Law were given to Moses. The second is Calvary, the peak on which Jesus was crucified. Which mountain are you living on? The first mountain represents the Old Testament, the second represents the New Testament. Under […]
Grace Wins | Does God Remember Your Sins?
We remember our sins and the sins of others better than God remembers them. If we ask God, “What about Bob who committed adultery?” God replies, “I don’t remember him committing adultery.” God does not remember the sins that are covered by the blood of Jesus. Scripture repeatedly affirms this: *“As far as the east […]
Grace Wins | Grace to do Good Works
For a world that needs to experience God’s grace, our good works are important. Good works are part of God’s eternal plan for your life: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,not of works, lest anyone should boast.For we are His workmanship, created […]
Grace Wins | What Fruit is Your Life Producing?
Good works are the fruit of a Christian life. What kind of fruit is your life producing? If the tree is good, it will bear good fruit. If the tree is bad the tree will bear bad fruit. “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.A good tree […]
Grace Wins | Why don’t Paul and James Agree about Grace?
Let’s look at two different Scripture passages: one is from Paul, the other from James. At first glance these verses seem to directly contradict each other. Much of the controversy about the grace message can be resolved by a proper understanding of what each of these titans of the early church, Paul and James, really […]
Grace Wins | Grace in Galatians
Galatians has been called the “Emancipation Proclamation for Christians.” Just as Abraham Lincoln proclaimed all American slaves free, so Paul sets free those who have been enslaved to the Law. Twelve times in this letter Paul uses the word “freedom” or “liberty” Paul initially visited the region of Galatia (part of modern Turkey) during his […]
Grace Wins | How Should Grace Filled Leaders Deal with Sin?
The Jerusalem Council wrote a letter to the believers in Antioch and asked Judas and Silas to deliver the letter. The letter said that the believers did not have to be circumcised or keep the Law of Moses. Then it continued, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us, to lay upon you no […]
Grace Wins | How Saul Became Paul
Saul was a celebrity among the Pharisees. He was circumcised on the eighth day as the Law demanded. Both of his parents were Jews, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was educated in Tarsus in the philosophy of the Greeks. He studied theology in Jerusalem under the brilliant religious scholar Gamaliel, one of the leading […]
Grace Wins | The Only Sin that Can Send You to Hell
The only sin that sends people to hell is the sin of rejecting Jesus. “When [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in Me” (John 16:8-9). Over the years, many theologians have debated about “the unpardonable […]
Grace Wins | Jesus Fulfilled the Law
Jesus took the Law seriously. In the famous “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no […]
Grace Wins | Don’t be a Pharisee!
At first glance, Jesus should have loved the Pharisees: they were trying to live holy lives, and they were trying to get other people to live holy lives too. They were faithful to pray. They were givers, tithing religiously. They were evangelists, working hard to make converts. They seemed to be doing everything right. But […]
Grace Wins | You Are Blessed
Do you want to be blessed? Do you desire to live a life of abundance? Have you been searching for a way to be more blessed than you are right now? In Exodus 19:5, God promises, “If you obey my commands, you will be blessed.” But in the New Testament, God replaced this conditional blessing with an […]
Grace Wins | 9 Reasons You Need God’s Grace
1. You learn how to live a holy life: “[Grace teaches] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). 2. You receive miracles: “Therefore they stayed there a long time, […]
Grace Wins | The story of Peter Rodriguez
My friend, Peter Rodriguez, grew up in a denomination that was extremely legalistic. His church had rules about everything. Rules about clothing and rules about baptism. Rules that a woman could not cut her hair, wear makeup, or curl her eyelashes. Rules forbidding wedding rings. They taught that their church was the only way to […]
Grace Wins | The Story of Martin Luther
During the Middle Ages, the view of the Roman Catholic Church was that grace was a treasure that was managed and dispensed by the Church and its organization. Believers did not inherently receive grace as believers, but priests taught that if one gave money to the Church, or prayed enough, or did enough good works, […]
Grace Wins | What is the Price for Spiritual Success?
The great missionary evangelist T. L. Osborn came to my house. Twenty-seven young evangelists had flown in from different parts of the world to meet with him and learn from his lifetime experience of crusade evangelism. For three hours, he shared stories and insights from years of ministry. At one point, a young preacher asked […]
Grace Wins | Why are Religious Rituals Dangerous?
Once when I was in Pakistan, I saw a man with a flock of birds in a cage. Another man came and bought a bird. I thought he was buying the bird as a pet, but to my surprise, he immediately set the bird free. My translator explained that some people in Pakistan believe that […]
Grace Wins | Why Study Grace?
Grace is a hot topic. Several years ago, I started hearing many preachers speak about grace. The interesting thing is that most of them disagreed with one another. Some preached on “radical grace” and others accused the “radical grace” preachers of allowing people to sin. Both sets of preachers pretended to be nice to each […]
Kevin Wagner | Four of the Favorite Healing Stories of the Evangelist
Description: The best sermons for the evangelist to preach come straight from the stories about the life of Jesus. Today, Daniel King and Kevin Wagner talk about their favorite healing stories from the Gospels. Discover why these healing stories can become such powerful messages. Show Notes: These are the healed stories we discuss: The […]
Grace Wins | Why is Grace Amazing?
Have you ever been amazed? A Sequoia tree, the largest living thing on our planet—is amazing. The sheer volume of water pouring over Niagara Falls—is amazing. The Great Wall of China, stretching for hundreds and hundreds of miles over rugged terrain—is amazing. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong stepping onto the moon—amazing! Roger Bannister running the […]
Grace Wins | What is Grace?
What is grace? The English word “grace” comes from the Latin word gratia, which means “pleasing or thankful.” The Greek word for grace, found throughout the New Testament, is charis. The picture this word provides is that of a ruler, who, having conquered a rebellious people, allows them to live despite their opposition. “Charm” is […]
Healing Power | The Story of the Dying King
(2 King 20:1-11; 2 Chronicles 30-32; Isaiah 38) The king was sick and dying. He looked up at the purple canopy covering his bed and coughed. Despite the lush trappings of his room, nothing could be done for his health. The best doctors money could buy were unable to help him. He had only one […]
Healing Power | The Story of the Healing of an Enemy
(2 Kings 5) Naaman was a great man. He was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was famous throughout his country and feared by the armies of other countries. Because of his military victories, he was wealthy and respected. There was only one small problem with his life; he had […]
Healing Power | The Story of the Spitting Healer
(Mark 8:22‑26) The man from Bethsaida was blind. Some of his friends took him to Jesus and begged the great healer to touch his eyes. Jesus, ever willing to give personal attention in response to the faith of the needy, took the man by the hand and led him outside the village. Jesus leaned close […]
Healing Power | The Story of the Woman Who Could Not be Cured By Doctors
(Matthew 9:18-22; Mark 5:21-34; Luke 8:40-48) She was a desperate women. For twelve long years she had suffered from a terrible sickness. She could still remember the day the issue of blood started. At first it did not concern her, but when the bleeding continued after several days it began to worry her. Nothing […]