4th Sunday in Lent 3/6/05 Text: Romans 8:1-10 Title: Grace Alone
3/6/2005
Text: Romans 8:1-10
Title: Grace Alone
Please join me in prayer. Eternal God, pour out your Spirit upon us that we might be aware of your presence in our midst, that we might be attentive to your Word, and that we might be faithful always to your way, through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
This past week I was watching a documentary on TV that brought back memories of a terrible event that happened in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, 1992. Some of you might remember the riots that broke out after the police officers that had beat Rodney King had been found innocent. It was a terrible event, one that was widely covered by the media, at times it appeared that the whole city was on fire.
As I was watching the documentary I was surprised when the memory of one particular incident came flooding back into my mind. It made me just as sick to my stomach as it did the first time I watched it in 1992. There was a man, named Reginald Denny, a truck driver that was delivering a load of sand who made a wrong turn, and drove right into the mess. He was pulled from his truck by two young men, hit with bricks, beat with a broken bottle, and kicked in the face until he was unconscious. I think it was one of the most brutal attacks on a human being that I have ever seen.
He was seriously injured, but somehow managed to live through it. The two men who had so savagely beat him were caught and brought to trail, where they both received life sentences.
I wondered just what happened to Reginald, so I looked up on the internet to find out where he is presently living, and then followed a trail of newspaper and magazine articles on him and his attackers.
According to newspaper reports covering the trial, the two men were unrepentant, but what Reginald did after the trial was over was even more shocking, for he went over to the mothers of his attackers, hugged them and toldl them that he had forgiven their sons for what they had done to him.
I have no idea if that had any effect on their sons, but I do know that it had an effect on a writer from People magazine, who wrote, “What was even more remarkable than his physical recovery was his lack of hostility toward his attackers.” A lack of hostility, by the way, that still continues today.
That day he gave them undeserved forgiveness, forgiveness that his two attackers did not even want, and certainly did not deserve. An unusual event, no doubt, but one that led me to preach this morning on our Epistle reading for today, for it is there that we read the most wonderful story of forgiveness. You see, God’s forgiveness is a forgiveness that is freely given to all people, people that do not deserve forgiveness, or for the most part do not even want it.
Unlike Reginald who forgave his attackers for his own well being and peace of mind, God’s forgiveness is given out of pure love for his human creation. He does not need to forgive for himself; he just does it out of love.
You see the world, that includes you and me, expressed their hatred of Jesus by rejecting him, beating him, and finally killing him on the cross. Unlike Reginald who had his arms around his head as he tried to fend off the blows, Jesus had his arms spread wide open with the offer of forgiveness and reconciliation.
For you see, why we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is grace: Forgiveness and love given to us when we do not deserve them. It is absolutely essential that we realize our sinfulness, for if we think that even in the smallest way that we deserve, or ever will deserve God’s forgiveness, we have in a sense nullified that grace, for it has to stand completely on its own.
Grace has to stand on its own because it is the only way we can be forgiven, for grace means that God, because of Jesus death, has freely and completely forgiven all of our past, present, and future sins. We find proof of that in Romans 8: 1-2. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
I think that sometimes we get so use to God’s grace toward us that we forget that grace is one of the defining elements of the Christian faith. In seminary I took a course titled, World Religions. The more I studied the major and some not so major world religions the more I came to realize that Christianity has something that is unique. No, it is not the death and resurrection of Jesus, although that is an essential part of Christianity, for without that we would have nothing.
What Christianity has that no other religion has, is grace, the free forgiveness of one’s sins, by an almighty perfect God. You see God’s love comes to us freely, without any strings attached and asks nothing in return. It goes against what is taught in all other religions of the world.
The Buddhist has his eight-fold path, a religious walk entirely based on the individual’s performance. Hindu’s doctrine of karma with its successive phases which determines a person’s destiny is based on certain things that a person accomplishes.
The Muslim has a code of law, although it is different from the law the Jews follow, they just like them, must precisely follow that law, if one hopes for Salvation. They are all good works religion. Christianity is the only religion that makes it perfectly clear that it cannot be earned. It comes as a free gift.
Forgiveness is a free gift, so you do not have to try to be perfect. Having a relationship with God does not depend on how well we do or how perfect we are. It is based solely on the mercy and grace of God. That is good news for us failures.
We are told that in the book of Titus, where we read in verse 4 through 7, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
There is no doubt that if we were to scrutinize the thoughts, decisions, and actions of our lives on any given day, we would find that even the best of them would be filled with selfish purposes and wrong motivations. That is proof that we will never get to where we no longer need God’s grace toward us. We must cling to it, for it is the only way to salvation.
Knowing that and truly accepting it will free us from guilt and legalistic perfectionism for we can never be perfect enough to win his favor. Our salvation, our relationship with God is based solely on his grace toward us and not ours toward him. That should also inspire us to no longer give in to sin, but to try and be more Christ like as we live under his forgiveness
Unlike the Law, grace never hurts, it always soothes the troubled conscience, and yet there are those who misunderstand this wonderful message of grace. They feel like since they are forgiven they no longer have to obey God, that they really do not have to live their lives in a truly God pleasing way. Wrong thinking that is for sure, for when you believe that, you have turned your back on his gift of salvation.
Grace means that God’s love and forgiveness come to us free and without cost. Therefore as a people of God let us all look forward to that day when we will gather around his throne, and sing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of love comes to us today in his Supper, so that as we partake of his body and blood we may get a foretaste of the heavenly banquet which will have no end. Amen
Text: Romans 8:1-10
Title: Grace Alone
Please join me in prayer. Eternal God, pour out your Spirit upon us that we might be aware of your presence in our midst, that we might be attentive to your Word, and that we might be faithful always to your way, through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray. Amen
This past week I was watching a documentary on TV that brought back memories of a terrible event that happened in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, 1992. Some of you might remember the riots that broke out after the police officers that had beat Rodney King had been found innocent. It was a terrible event, one that was widely covered by the media, at times it appeared that the whole city was on fire.
As I was watching the documentary I was surprised when the memory of one particular incident came flooding back into my mind. It made me just as sick to my stomach as it did the first time I watched it in 1992. There was a man, named Reginald Denny, a truck driver that was delivering a load of sand who made a wrong turn, and drove right into the mess. He was pulled from his truck by two young men, hit with bricks, beat with a broken bottle, and kicked in the face until he was unconscious. I think it was one of the most brutal attacks on a human being that I have ever seen.
He was seriously injured, but somehow managed to live through it. The two men who had so savagely beat him were caught and brought to trail, where they both received life sentences.
I wondered just what happened to Reginald, so I looked up on the internet to find out where he is presently living, and then followed a trail of newspaper and magazine articles on him and his attackers.
According to newspaper reports covering the trial, the two men were unrepentant, but what Reginald did after the trial was over was even more shocking, for he went over to the mothers of his attackers, hugged them and toldl them that he had forgiven their sons for what they had done to him.
I have no idea if that had any effect on their sons, but I do know that it had an effect on a writer from People magazine, who wrote, “What was even more remarkable than his physical recovery was his lack of hostility toward his attackers.” A lack of hostility, by the way, that still continues today.
That day he gave them undeserved forgiveness, forgiveness that his two attackers did not even want, and certainly did not deserve. An unusual event, no doubt, but one that led me to preach this morning on our Epistle reading for today, for it is there that we read the most wonderful story of forgiveness. You see, God’s forgiveness is a forgiveness that is freely given to all people, people that do not deserve forgiveness, or for the most part do not even want it.
Unlike Reginald who forgave his attackers for his own well being and peace of mind, God’s forgiveness is given out of pure love for his human creation. He does not need to forgive for himself; he just does it out of love.
You see the world, that includes you and me, expressed their hatred of Jesus by rejecting him, beating him, and finally killing him on the cross. Unlike Reginald who had his arms around his head as he tried to fend off the blows, Jesus had his arms spread wide open with the offer of forgiveness and reconciliation.
For you see, why we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That is grace: Forgiveness and love given to us when we do not deserve them. It is absolutely essential that we realize our sinfulness, for if we think that even in the smallest way that we deserve, or ever will deserve God’s forgiveness, we have in a sense nullified that grace, for it has to stand completely on its own.
Grace has to stand on its own because it is the only way we can be forgiven, for grace means that God, because of Jesus death, has freely and completely forgiven all of our past, present, and future sins. We find proof of that in Romans 8: 1-2. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
I think that sometimes we get so use to God’s grace toward us that we forget that grace is one of the defining elements of the Christian faith. In seminary I took a course titled, World Religions. The more I studied the major and some not so major world religions the more I came to realize that Christianity has something that is unique. No, it is not the death and resurrection of Jesus, although that is an essential part of Christianity, for without that we would have nothing.
What Christianity has that no other religion has, is grace, the free forgiveness of one’s sins, by an almighty perfect God. You see God’s love comes to us freely, without any strings attached and asks nothing in return. It goes against what is taught in all other religions of the world.
The Buddhist has his eight-fold path, a religious walk entirely based on the individual’s performance. Hindu’s doctrine of karma with its successive phases which determines a person’s destiny is based on certain things that a person accomplishes.
The Muslim has a code of law, although it is different from the law the Jews follow, they just like them, must precisely follow that law, if one hopes for Salvation. They are all good works religion. Christianity is the only religion that makes it perfectly clear that it cannot be earned. It comes as a free gift.
Forgiveness is a free gift, so you do not have to try to be perfect. Having a relationship with God does not depend on how well we do or how perfect we are. It is based solely on the mercy and grace of God. That is good news for us failures.
We are told that in the book of Titus, where we read in verse 4 through 7, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”
There is no doubt that if we were to scrutinize the thoughts, decisions, and actions of our lives on any given day, we would find that even the best of them would be filled with selfish purposes and wrong motivations. That is proof that we will never get to where we no longer need God’s grace toward us. We must cling to it, for it is the only way to salvation.
Knowing that and truly accepting it will free us from guilt and legalistic perfectionism for we can never be perfect enough to win his favor. Our salvation, our relationship with God is based solely on his grace toward us and not ours toward him. That should also inspire us to no longer give in to sin, but to try and be more Christ like as we live under his forgiveness
Unlike the Law, grace never hurts, it always soothes the troubled conscience, and yet there are those who misunderstand this wonderful message of grace. They feel like since they are forgiven they no longer have to obey God, that they really do not have to live their lives in a truly God pleasing way. Wrong thinking that is for sure, for when you believe that, you have turned your back on his gift of salvation.
Grace means that God’s love and forgiveness come to us free and without cost. Therefore as a people of God let us all look forward to that day when we will gather around his throne, and sing praises to our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of love comes to us today in his Supper, so that as we partake of his body and blood we may get a foretaste of the heavenly banquet which will have no end. Amen
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 12:36 PM
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