Identity: Accepted

Imagine if that terrible moment—that mistake you relive over and over again in your mind—was erased from your record. Imagine if, like in some fantastic dream, you were loved without limit and forgiven forever. Imagine if you were accepted. Loved by the God who made you. Forgiven by the God who bought you. Declared innocent by the God who died for you. Imagine if there were no stones to throw, only grace to bestow. 

The sermon today is titled "Accepted." It is the fifth installment in our "Identity" Series. The Scripture reading is from John 3:16-18, John 8:10-11, and Romans 8:1. Originally preached at the West Side Church of Christ (Searcy, AR) on March 12, 2023. All lessons fit under one of 5 broad categories: Begin, Discover, Grow, Learn, and Serve. This sermon is filed under Discover: A New Identity.

Click here if you would like to watch the sermon or read a transcript.

Footnotes (Sources and References Used In Today's Podcast):

• For this series, I formed my outline (and begin each lesson) by consulting James Bryan Smith's The Good & Beautiful You. For this lesson, see especially chapter 4: "You Are Loved" & chapter 6: "You Are Forgiven."
• Max Lucado, "Not Guilty." He Still Moves Stones (1994).
• Homeless statistics: 160 million homeless; 1.6 billion without adequate housing.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Series Intro
• 1:09 Intro Highlight: If He Could Love You Like That
• 2:12 Not Guilty (John 7:53-8:11)
• 13:58 Unconditional Love (John 3:16)
• 17:23 No Condemnation (John 3:17; Romans 8:1)
• 22:46 Forgiven Forever (1 John)
• 29:51 Conclusion: Accepting the Accepter