Bookends of the Christian Life

Yesterday I preached the first message in a new series entitled Bookends of the Christian Life that will carry us through the end of the year. The series, inspired by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington's book by the same name, gives us a chance to study how the doctrines of the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit bring stability in the Christian life. Read a little more about the series and see the schedule here.

I titled yesterday's message from 2 Corinthians 5:21, "The Righteousness of Christ." My focus was the glorious truth of how God views believers in Christ--with Jesus' perfect righteousness credited to their account.

Options:
• Listen online or download an mp3 of the message.
• Download a summary outline in PDF format.
• Use these questions by Don Devries to reflect on how to apply the message.

1. Have you ever said, "I just can't do it all" or "I feel like I'm doing nothing well" or "I don't even feel like I'm a Christian"? What do these statements reveal about what you are leaning on?

2. What does the Bible mean by "righteous"? What is God's standard for the level of righteousness He requires of us? Is it attainable?

3. What difference will it make to live moment-by-moment in the good of having our sin transferred to Christ and Christ's righteousness credited to us? What's the effect when we forget these truths?

4. Josh invited us to complete the statement, "I'm OK because __________ (I read my Bible everyday; I'm a good parent; I attend this church; I'm respected; I have a good job, etc.) What does your answer reveal about the bookends of your life?