OUTLINE:

Through Christ, worthless evil vessels like ourselves have been brought into the fold. Not only did Christ bring us into the fold, but we were made brand new, and made into something with eternal value.
Eph 2:3, Gal 6:15

We were born in sin (of the flesh), but now if you've placed your trust in Christ you're born again (of the Spirit). Hallelujah! Jn 3

What's Our Motivation?
Love is the great motivation.
2 Co 5:14 NIV
For Christ's love compels us,

We Are NOTHING Without The Lord
To accept this is to be set free by it, knowing it does not depend upon us, but upon God who is merciful.

Our obedience, if it's godly, has nothing to do with SELF. It has to do with gratitude FOR THE LORD. In fact, it's getting SELF out of the way and listening to the Spirit and the Word. It's living in the new creature, not working on the old.

Gal 3:3
Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Gal 6:12a
…to make a good showing in the flesh…

Pr 30:1-9
Do we actively pray for protection from ourselves, aware of the constant temptation to rely on the flesh, if not today, tomorrow?!

Pr 26:12
Do you see a man wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Ro 12:16
Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

Man must humble himself before God, admitting his foolishness compared to God, before he can see the light of the truth and be truly wise. 1Co 3:18, 8:2

Let the love of God fuel you to be humble and want to learn more of HIS perspective.

We will be set free because, even though we are in horror as we realize our total depravity, we are in awe of God's mercy towards us all the more.

Our Lord has rescued us from the infinitely deep pit of hell, from eternal death! We should be infinitely more grateful than for any blessing in this life!

You Saved A Wretch Like ME?!
ALL the glory and honor has to go to our God and Savior!
There is NO ROOM for self- righteousness!
Ro 7:21-25, Rev 3:17, 2Pe 3:18

Rev 3:17
'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

We are 100% vessels of His mercy, and that's it!

Many a man is tricked into believing his own goodness is good enough, when without God it's just excrement covered by a layer of powdered sugar.
Php 3:8, Is 64:6

Php 3:7-8 KJV
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Is 64:6 ASV
For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousnesses are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Man's Polluted Righteousness
It's like adding just one small piece of dung to a gallon of pure spring water... it's now tainted, right? That's what sin does to man's righteousness... it's now tainted and no longer "drinkable"! That's why God is disgusted with man's righteous deeds. Is 64:6

Each of us, in our own souls, need to reckon that there is NOTHING good about ourselves without Christ.

Only the Lord can make something totally useless useful.

"Were it not for the Lord's mercy towards me.......


Mt 5:3
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

We are nothing more than vessels of His tender mercy, and of His wonderful compassion!
Ro 9:15-16

Were it not for God's mercy, we would have all been consumed as vessels of wrath, due to our unrighteousness. In kindness, He transformed us into vessels of mercy, through Christ.
Ro 9:22-23

Mercy Dependent
Thank God He is good, reaching down to the lowly, to reveal the "riches of His glory"! And thank God that He is willing to take sinful, evil men like us (selfish, prideful, judgmental, immoral, etc.), and make us into "sons of the living God"!