Romans 3:23-24 – “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
One of the difficult challenges faced by pastors like myself is the requirement that we preach on the same topics over and over and over again. The first time I was faced with this realization was back in 1997. When I finished my first Christmas sermon series I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought I’d done a pretty good job in dealing with the central message of Advent but then God humbled me because twelve months later Christmas came again and I had to prayerfully think of a new way to tell the same wonderful story.
Well, believe it or not Christmas has come every year now for the past 15 years. Easter has too. Plus there has been a repeated need to preach on things like stewardship and marriage and parenting and ordaining deacons, etc.
Please understand—I’m not COM-plaining as much as EX-plaining. I know that since we are sinful people, there are messages that NEED repeating. As the prophet Isaiah inferred, the tendency of our fallen minds is to go astray which means we don’t retain principles of Godliness very well. Sin clouds our thinking and weakens our memory…hence the need for certain lessons to be repeated over and over and over again…hence the need for pastors.
I bring this up because today I feel the need for us to look at a subject that we’ve looked at several times over the years but it’s one that bears repeating because, as I said we are forgetful.
Plus this particular subject is a very important one to remember because it affects ALL WE DO…ALL THE TIME—especially here at Redland. I’m referring to the GRACE OF GOD and this morning I want to remind you of three vital tenets of grace—things we must remember if we are to think and perceive and act correctly…tenets all of us must embrace all the time if we are to continue to be the church God has called us to be.
(1) First, we must remember that we are all SINNERS.
As I read a moment ago, “Not some—ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:10-11 gets even more specific when it says, “There is NO ONE who always does what is right, NOT EVEN ONE. There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks to God for help. All have turned away. Together, everyone has become useless. There is no one who does anything good; there is not even one.” I don’t think Paul could make it any clearer. We are ALL fallen. We are ALL sinners…you…me…the praise team…the youth choir/choir…each and everyone of us!
When I was in college I was active in the Baptist Student Union and every year one of our ministry projects was to host a Christmas party for inner city children. We’d bring them to our center and we’d have food and games and we’d tell them about the love of Jesus. My first such party I was holding a cute little four year old girl in my arms and showing her around the room.
About that time by BSU director, Mr. Warren, began to tell the Bible story and this cute little girl wouldn’t be quiet so I gently said something like, “Hey…let’s be quiet and listen to the Bible story okay?” In response she angrily displayed her middle finger in my face. I was shocked that a kid this cute would even KNOW to do that—but it proves my point. No matter how good we look on the outside—on the inside we are all sinners.
Listen friends—the REAL trouble with our world—the REAL problem with our culture—is not immoral TV and movies and music. It’s not poorly behaved little four year olds. It is not the AIDS epidemic. It is not abortion or the erosion of the family. It’s not homosexuality or gay marriage. It is not drug and alcohol abuse. It’s not even terrorism. No….these things aren’t the problem—they’re just some of the FRUITS of the problem.
To put it another way, think of them as SYMPTOMS a disease that we all have known as SIN.
The symptoms vary widely with different people but the disease and its results are universal because all of us are “infected.” All of us are SINNERS. Now—people don’t like to be called “sinners” these days. They don’t like preachers like me to tell them they are “sick.” They don’t like to hear this sermon topic repeated. I think this is at least partially due to the fact that SIN is misunderstood in our society. People tend to think of sin as one specific kind of obvious immorality and if they don’t happen to be guilty of that kind of immorality, they don’t see themselves as sinners. They think, “I’m not gay.” or “I’ve never had an abortion.” or “I’m not an alcoholic.” or “I’m a republican! I always vote conservative!” or “I’m a democrat! I always vote for someone who will help the poor!” or “I don’t rob banks or do drugs. I’ve never killed any one.” In all these ways people think, “NOT ME! I’m not a sinner. I’m not a bad person.”
But we have to remember: sin is not just BAD things that we do—little or big. No, SIN is a STATE of imperfection—a state of DEPRAVITY into which we are all born. According to Webster the word “depraved” means “marked by corruption or evil, perverted, crooked.”
And, again, when we hear that we think, “Well, that doesn’t apply to me either. I’m not evil or perverted.” We conclude that “depraved” is a word that describes others but not us. We think that in our estimation we are pretty good but if you have come to that conclusion let me warn you: your math is flawed. I like how Dwight Pentecost puts it. He says: “Depravity has nothing to do with man’s estimation of man, but rather with God’s estimation of man. The Scriptures do not measure men by man; they measure men by God Who has created them. The creature is measured by the Creator and is found to be wanting.” Pentecost is correct. When we each hold our lives—our actions—our thoughts—our attitudes—when we hold ourselves up to God’s Holy standard it becomes obvious that we are all depraved.
We are ALL infected with the disease of sin…and what’s worse is the fact that this disease is a TERMINAL one. Sin is literally KILLING us. I hate the word “CANCER.” This is probably because of my line of work, I hear it all the time and I hate it because many times it means that someone’s life is going to be changed. I’ve heard this word applied to me…and to loved ones…dear friends. I hate this word! But there’s a word I have come to hate more and it’s SIN because there is no MAYBE when it comes to this diagnosis. On our own we have absolutely NO CURE for this disease. It is terminal and we are ALL infected. You see, sin cuts us off from the Source of all life in that it cuts us off from our Creator.
Lucado puts it this way: “Sin does to life what shears do to a flower. A cut at the stem separates a flower from the source of life. Initially the flower is attractive, still colorful and strong. But watch that flower over a period of time, and the leaves will wilt and the petals will drop. No matter what you do, the flower will never live again. Surround it with water. Stick the stem in soil. Baptize it with fertilizer. Glue the flower back on the stem. Do what you wish. The flower is dead. Cut off from God, the soul withers and dies. The consequence of sin is not a bad day or a bad mood but a dead soul.”
So…tenet #1: we are all sinners and this would be a sad sermon indeed if it weren’t for tenet #2. Here it is: THERE IS A CURE! We can be saved from our sinful state but we must understand that…
(2) …our salvation is ALL God.
The WONDERFUL news is that God has made THE way for us to be cured of the disease of sin. As we read a moment ago, “…the wages of sin is death—BUT…(and I love these three letters!)
…BUT…the FREE GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So—we don’t have to die—and better still, this cure that God has provided is not something we have to EARN. It is indeed a GIFT—a FREE gift—made possible by Jesus’ death on the cross. He died in our place. He suffered DEATH for our sins. He was CUT OFF from God. He died so we don’t have to. And only Jesus could do this. Only He could die in our place because the Bible teaches that unlike you and me Jesus KNEW no sin. He HAD no sin. He DID no sin. He THOUGHT no sin.
And…His complete sinlessness made Him QUALIFIED to die in our place. You see, since He didn’t have to die for His own sin, He was able to die for ours. As Romans 5:17 says, “For if by the trespass of one man [ADAM], death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of GRACE…and the GIFT of righteousness…reign in LIFE through the one Man, Jesus Christ.”
It is VERY important that you not miss the main point here. This cure is ALL GOD. We don’t earn it…because we CAN’T. We contribute NOTHING to our salvation. ALL of it rests completely on the GRACE of God. The Bible says that our best attempts at holiness are no better than filthy pieces of cloth—they are worth no more than the rags we use to wash the car or clean up behind the commode. God’s love in sending Jesus to die in our place is activated not by our GOODNESS but by our NEED. Our cure—our salvation—is God-given, God-driven, God-empowered, and God-originated. As 1st John 4:10 says, “It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us in sending His Son to be the way to take away our sins…[by dying on the cross.]”
And this IS wonderful news—which is why there are so many hymns and choruses written that rejoice in the grace-driven message of the cross. On Tuesday night of this year’s D.R. mission trip we worshiped with the members of a bi-lingual congregation known as Guyabal. It’s a small church on the outskirts of Hato Mayor and some of their members are Haitian and speak Creole while others are Dominican and speak Spanish. As part of the service that night Daniel and I sang a duet of the old hymn, “At the Cross.” He accompanied us on the guitar as I held up the song sheet with words and the chord progressions written above. With all those chord symbols floating around, on the second verse we got confused and stumbled for a few seconds trying to find our place—but that didn’t stop the song from being sung! No…the people of that church KNEW that song by heart in their own languages. Over the years they had REJOICED in the message of that old hymn as much as we had. So, when we stumbled they just picked up where we left off. Then the rest of the Redland team joined in as well—and we ALL sang the wonderful fact that on the cross Jesus did what we couldn’t. That night in Guyabal, we ALL sang about the fact that He paid the price for our sins. Jesus provided the one and only CURE for this sin-disease that plagues everyone. It was my favorite moment of this year’s trip—listening as guilty sinners from three different countries all sang in their own language,
“Alas! And did MY Savior bleed? And did MY Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?”
YES! HE WOULD!
“Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon that tree?”
YES! IT WAS!
“Amazing pity! GRACE UNKNOWN and love beyond degree!
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away.
It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day.”
So…GRACE TENET #1 – We are all sinners. GRACE TENET #2 – Our precious salvation is ALL-GOD.
(3) Here’s grace tenet #3 – The grace of God affects all of LIFE.
It is literally ALL-GRACE…ALL THE TIME! If we let it, God’s grace will color everything we do.
For example, it affects how we look at other sinners. Since we know we are ALL guilty—and since we know that our salvation has nothing to do with our goodness…grace-driven believers don’t judge other sinners. Lucado writes, “Can the hungry accuse the beggar? Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? Can the sinner condemn the sinner? No. Only One can judge—God.” I like the Message paraphrase of Romans 2:2-4. It goes like this: “Surely you don’t think that by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from coming down on you hard do you?! Or did you think that just because He’s such a nice God He’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind but He’s not soft. In kindness He takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change.”
Grace does that. It stops us from being judgmental and changes our lives in radical ways. If we let it, grace makes us into GRACIOUS people—people who are driven by grace in literally everything we do. Grace prompts us to turn from sin. It motivates us to try and live in ways that please God. In Romans 6 Paul talks about this when he says, “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” In other words, how can we who have been made right with God not strive to live right? How can we who have been loved by God not love others in the grace-driven way He loved us? How can we who have been blessed NOT bless? How can we who have been given grace not live graciously? Titus 2:11-12 says, “The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
If you’ve ever been with us on one of our mission trips to the Dominican Republic then you’ve probably heard Pastor Carlos’ testimony. Carlos’ testimony is VERY powerful—and very LONG so let me give you a quick summary. In his young adult years Carlos Soregaard was not a Christ-follower. In fact, he was in rebellion against God. He abused alcohol and smoked three packs of cigarettes a day. He both used and sold drugs. His wild, sinful lifestyle led to the destruction of his first marriage and estrangement from his two sons. It also very nearly destroyed his body. He was diagnosed with emphysema—and got to the point where he no longer wanted to live. He was at rock bottom—and as is so often the case…at this point he finally began to seek God. Carlos spent a month fasting and praying. During that month he repented of his sin and gave his heart and life to Jesus Christ. He testifies that God healed him of his lung disease. He’s never had a problem with it again and that was many years ago. I don’t know about you but I’ve never heard of anyone being cured of emphysema. Well, since the day he became a Christ-follower—since the day Carlos experienced the GRACE OF GOD, his entire life has been different. Since he met Jesus—instead of living for self—Carlos Soregaard is a passionate Christian striving to serve others. Everything in his life from the moment he wakes up until the moment his head hits the pillow is focused on telling everyone he can about Jesus.
Don’t get me wrong. He’s not perfect. I’ve seen him lose his temper. I’ve seen him stressed.
He’s not PERFECT…but he’s DRIVEN. He’s COMPELLED to give his life in service to Jesus Who gave His life for him. For example: Carlos has started nearly 30 churches. He pastors his own church—a very large congregation by Dominican standards. He hosts mission groups like ours all year long. He runs a clean water ministry for the community providing pure water for next to nothing. He shares the gospel on local TV three times each week. He has started an ESL ministry. He bought a retreat center and is fixing it up. He never sits still. I can’t keep up with him! I don’t know how he does it….but I know WHY. It’s the grace of God. It has changed ALL of his life. God’s grace DRIVES Carlos and if we let it, it will do the same for us.
So to review…here are three MAIN tenets of grace that we must not forget: All of us are sinners—hopelessly lost and dying Our salvation is all God—we don’t earn it—CAN’T earn it or deserve it Once we accept it—God’s grace impacts ALL of life. It drives everything we do. Another grace-driven person named Paul put it this way: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all…and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again. Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
Several times a year we share communion to remind us of the Grace of God. As we do so today, I invite all Christians present to partake with us. Even if you are not a member of this church….If you are a Christian…if you are His, this is Yours.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
We close our service by allowing you an opportunity to respond publically to the grace of God.
If God’s grace is driving you to your knees about something and you’d like one of the pastors to pray with you come forward.
If God’s grace is compelling you to join our church, come.
And if God’s grace has helped you to see your need for Jesus—ask Him to forgive you of your sin and lead you through live.
And then come and share that decision with us!
BENEDICTION:
Let the PEACE OF CHRIST rule in your hearts
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
Let the WORD OF CHRIST dwell in you richly
and whatever you do…in word or in deed
Do it all in the NAME OF CHRIST giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.