Foundry Community Church
2nd Sunday in Lent - Year A
  • I'd Rather Have Jesus

      • Psalm 121NIRV

      • Romans 4:1–5NIRV

      • Romans 4:13–17NIRV

  • The God of Abraham Praise

      • John 3:1–17NIRV

  • Grace is often defined as “God’s unmerited favor bestowed upon man.” While that is true. There is much more to the Grace of God. We often in our humanity, fail to recognize the true power of God through His Grace that is available to us.
    Today, our journey takes us through Grace to help us understand it better, no matter where we are in our faith journey.
    The Gospel reading takes us to Jesus and Nicodemus interaction about being born again. This is where Grace is birthed in the life of a new believer.
    Many churches talk about “discipleship” or “spiritual formation.” What most churches don’t actually do it just that. Most don’t understand how to identify and nurture those who are seeking Christ.
    Today, because of the very simple fact that we are in the Lenten season, the season of preparation, the season of repentance, I want to look at our Spiritual journy and what it looks like for the Church.
    Robert Webber in his book “Journey to Jesus” talks about several stages in a person’s life that brings them to Spiritual maturity. He describes these stages like this:
    INQUIRY - (THE SEEKER STAGE)
    Inquiry (The Seeker Stage): This initial phase involves the church acting as a nurturing community to draw in and welcome those who are unchurched or searching.
    Far too many times, Church people mistakenly identify “attenders” as “disciples” when in reality, they are in the very beginning stage of their spiritual journey. They haven’t made identification with Christ, they are simply coming to a church to see something different than they have ever experienced previously.
    ~ I want to be clear, these people, while being people that God loves immensely, they have not made the decision to surrender to Christ. They have one or more of the following attributes:
    These people may be completely unchurched previously.
    They may also be church drop outs from another church community or denomination. They may have left for a variety of reasons, but at the epicenter of that decision, they often recognized hypocrisy, heresy, apathy or a variety of other “church killers.”
    They may be “Church hoppers” or “Church shoppers” as many people call them. They go from church to church, denomination to denomination, religion to religion seeking something to “scratch their itch.”
    What each have in common is this: These people have not surrendered their lives to Christ at this point, but they recognize that the way they have been living is unfulfilling and that there has to be something more. Many people never make it past this point in their Spiritual Journey and often, it isn’t the person’s fault entirely. The Church feeds them a narrative of “attendance equals holiness…” In reality, they are just making wider lanes on the highway to hell with less exits.
    This is the group of people that we as a church need to be finding then drawing them to the next stage. This was where Nicodemus was. Many people will want to argue that Nicodemus was a “religious man.” I agree that he was “religious.” What he was not, was a disciple of Christ at this point. Jesus wasn’t impressed by or deluded into mistakenly thinking that Nicodemus was somehow magically, “one of His” because of Nicodemus’ credentials.
    INQUIRY - (THE SEEKER STAGE)
    CATECHUMENATE - (THE LEARNER STAGE)
    Catechumenate (The Learner Stage): A period of intensive teaching and formation where the individual learns the foundational stories and doctrines of the faith.
    This group of people are in the beginning stages of their Christian faith. They have made a decision to follow Christ, although they really don’t understand the fullness of Christ.
    INQUIRY - (THE SEEKER STAGE)
    CATECHUMENATE - (THE LEARNER STAGE)
    ENLIGHTENMENT - ( THE CANDIDATE STAGE)
    Enlightenment (The Candidate Stage): Typically occurring during Lent, this stage is a time of deep reflection, repentance, and preparation for baptism.
    The people in this stage are now fully committed to the way of the Cross and are really beginning to show some signs of “walking with Christ.” They will at this stage choose Baptism out of understanding, not blind obedience.
    INQUIRY - (THE SEEKER STAGE)
    CATECHUMENATE - (THE LEARNER STAGE)
    ENLIGHTENMENT - ( THE CANDIDATE STAGE)
    MTYSTAGOGY - (THE NEOPHYTE STAGE)
    Mystagogy (The Neophyte Stage): The final stage, where the newly initiated continue to be nurtured and integrated into the full life and mission of the church community. 
    These people are now fully engulfed in the Spiritual life of the Church. They are actively serving God, and bringing others into the “Inquiry or Seeker” phase of the Christian Journey.

    1. Born Anew by Grace

    So, Here we find a “religious” guy, Nicodemus seeking out Jesus. What we need to recognize is this, although very ‘devout’ and ‘religious,’ Nicodemus was seeking something more than he had. He was empty, lost, searching and humble enough, even though he had “high religious standing” to realize that he was spiritually deficient.
    John 3:1–8 ESV
    1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
    “A ruler of the Jews.” Not everyone who calls themselves a spiritual leader is leading people to heaven. In reality, Nicodemus was realizing that he was lost himself, and as such, paving the road to hell for countless others he was “leading.”
    John 3:1–3 ESV
    1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
    Here, Jesus uses what many today call “Christianese” on our pal Nic. What in the heck is “born again?” Quite simply, allowing the old you to die, so the new you can live in Christ. It is called “surrender.” My life is not my own, I live for Christ. Jesus went on to explain “born of flesh” and “born of spirit” which to many is paradoxical at least and utterly confusing at worst.
    Let’s go on and gain some clarity:

    2. Grace Overcomes Sin

    We talked about “original sin” last week - Adam and Eve in the Garden. ~ Eating junk food and believing the lies of the devil. Paul helps us out in Romans 5 quite nicely.
    Romans 5:12–14 ESV
    12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
    He’s telling us, just like Jesus was telling Nicodemus, that we all are born into sin. And worse, death ~ eternal separation from God because of that sin - not because we committed it in the first place, because Adam committed it. He doomed mankind to a life of servitude to sin and death by his choosing sin over the gift, ~ the grace of God. It’s like my physical features. I inherited them. You can line up me and my brothers with a hundred other people, and ask, “who’s related?” And I’ll bet more than not would say, “Jim, Jeff, and Joel are the one’s related.” Why? Because we inherited many similar physical characteristics. Just like we ALL inherited the “sin gene.”
    Because we all were “born of water,” the natural human birth experience, we all have inherited this one diabolical gene called “sin.”
    BUT~!
    Romans 5:15–19 ESV
    15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
    So, here Paul takes us past the physical birth process and explains the “spiritual birth.” He’s describing the very act of God’s Grace extended to man through the work of Christ, which let us be clear, is
    THE ONLY WAY TO GOD.
    The work of the Cross is God’s demonstration of Grace to each one of us lost in the sin of humanity. It is only through surrender to the very will of Almighty God through Jesus that we gain access to the throne room of Glory rather than inheriting the “Wages of our sin.” ~ the original sin ~ Death. Wait! you mean to tell me that I am condemned to a sinner’s hell because Adam was a glutton? YUP. But for the Grace of God.

    3. Freedom Through Forgiveness

    So far, we haven’t taken Grace past the “God’s unmerited favor bestowed upon man.” and I told you that there was more. Here you go.
    Psalm 32:1–4 ESV
    1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
    John Bevere has this to say about Grace:
     
    The Reservoir (Grace): Represents God's infinite supply of divine power and ability that enables believers to live a godly life and go beyond their natural capabilities.
    The Pipeline (Faith): Represents the means by which we access that power. Without "hooking up the pipeline" through faith, the reservoir of grace remains inaccessible to the believer. 
    Empowerment vs. Forgiveness: Bevere argues that while grace includes forgiveness, its primary New Testament function is empowerment—the divine influence on the heart that reflects in a changed life.
    Visible Grace: He often cites Acts 11, noting that Barnabas "saw the grace of God" in Antioch. Bevere uses this to illustrate that grace should be visible through one's actions and character, not just heard in words.
    Going Beyond Natural Ability: He teaches that trying to be holy in one's own strength is impossible; grace is the specific "enablement" required to please God and perform what He asks
    Key Aspects of Bevere's Teaching on Grace:
    Empowerment, Not Just Pardon: Grace is the divine power that enables believers to do what they cannot do in their own strength, such as living in holiness.
    The E-Bike Analogy: In his book X: Multiply Your God-Given Potential, Bevere compares grace to an electric bike. You still pedal, but the motor provides the strength to climb steep hills, representing how grace works with human effort.
    Active Stewardship: Grace is not a license to live however one wants. It is a gift that requires stewardship, impacting our rewards and our accountability before Christ.
    Connection to Obedience: True grace fosters a heart that desires to obey God and pursue holiness, rather than using grace as a cover-up for ungodliness.
    Grace and Repentance: Grace enables the daily posture of repentance, which is necessary for staying aligned with God's will.
    But that Grace begins with this…
    Psalm 32:5 ESV
    5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

      • John 3:1–8NIRV

      • John 3:1–3NIRV

      • Romans 5:12–14NIRV

      • Romans 5:15–19NIRV

      • Psalm 32:1–4NIRV

      • Psalm 32:5NIRV

  • MYSTERION
  • Doxology
  • How Great Thou Art
  • Now Unto Him
Foundry Community Church
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