God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. How do you know that God loves you? Is it how well you pray? Is it because of your good works? NO! God loves you all for the sake of His beloved Son. Jesus’ Good Friday Dying and Easter Rising. While we were still weak. While we were still in our sin. Rebelling. Hating. Fighting. Lusting. Gossiping. God gifted you His beloved Son.
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2)
The Blood of Jesus is the price – for your redemption. The Good News of the Gospel brings you peace. We have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. (Romans 5)
Brought back to God. Once you were not the people of God. The doom of the wrath of God looming. But Jesus took it for you. In Christ you have been reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5)
The love of Christ. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2)
Be baptized, every one of you. Here is where God is giving out His Good Friday and Easter gifts; through water and the Word. We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6)
You are not your own. You were bought at a price. Honor God in your bodies. The righteous will live by faith. Christ’s Church will live by the power of God's Word. Hearing, trusting and believing the Word preached into your ears and hearts. You are the New Creation in Christ, living by faith.
What does the New Creation do? Living in faith toward God and love to our neighbor. We love one another as Christ has loved us. Unconditional. Sacrificially.
How to live the sanctified life? Die – Die to your sin. Rise – Rise as the New Creation in the baptismal waters every day living in Christ.
You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6)
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2)
Rejoice in God's love for you in Christ. Rejoice in hearing and believing God's Word. Happy living as the New Creation in Christ. Living by faith in Christ. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.