22 March 2015 - ENCS

The "Grace Changes Everything" series Pastor Josh did continue

"Is Change Really Possible" was the sermon topic he did pursue

Grace is something God gives us that we do not deserve

It must be given by Him, and can not earned, we do observe

Many of us ask for forgiveness instead of for help to change

Repentance actually involves a complete directional exchange

Many of us do as Josh's professor said and turn 360 degrees

But by turning to God He can change us and forgive with ease

Remembering that we should be driven by a relationship

Not an encounter with God every time we may sin or slip

 

Before talking about the core passage of John chapter five

Josh shared how Jesus kept the royal official's son alive

For the lesson in John chapter four from verse forty three

Is that believing Jesus, not merely hearing Him, is the key

The Holy Spirit allows each of us to have Jesus inside

And thus always be available to act as a trusted guide

The enemy will challenge us about what God did say

We should remember that following God is the best way

What changed Josh was seeing that this was the case

We don't need to fall off a cliff to receive God's grace

For hearing His voice helps us to understand His love

And reminds us of the path that pleases Him above

The Sermon on the Mount are guiding words from heaven

Which provide us with steps of happiness numbering seven

In relationships with God and others we should invest

That matters more than career, money, and the rest

 

Josh then moved onto the healing of the invalid by the pool

For thirty eight years he waited, others may have been cruel

Over time, if our identity becomes linked to a disease

It becomes a stranglehold and our heart it does seize

That often allows the devil to a place in our heart reside

Which can sometimes lead hope from our hearts to hide

Instead of letting our pasts freeze us and prevent change

Remember from grace and mercy God will never us estrange

Jesus knew the man's situation and was willing to fix it

It turned out that a simple act of belief was the ticket

Jesus told him to get up, take his mat, and to walk

In other words, to stop the excuses and mere talk

For excuses need to be silenced for change to occur

To Jesus' life-empowering words we can then defer

 

One word from Jesus overcame thirty eight years

Available to all, His power can overcome our fears