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Accepting God's Gift
Sunday Worship Sermon
AUGUST 16, 2009 - “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”
(John 6:51)
This morning, we again look at grace. Two weeks ago, we said that grace was God’s love, active in our lives. We looked at prevenient grace, God reaching out to us in love even before we were aware of him. Reaching out to turn us away from self-centeredness and sin toward Him and what he has to offer us. We said that our journey of faith is like a house and prevenient grace is like going up the steps onto the porch of a house, curious to learn more about what might be on the other side of the front door inside the house.
Today we have the opportunity to look at a second form of grace, justifying grace. God’s prevenient grace active in our lives got us up on the porch of the house. God’s justifying grace will allow us to go through the front door and enter the house. God’s justifying grace allows us to get to the point in our lives where we can say with our hearts, “I believe.”
When we reach this point we are able to say “no” to our former lives and “yes” to God. When we reach this point we acknowledge that we are tired of being controlled by sin, and we admit that life is more than just about “me” and my self-centeredness. When we reach this point we acknowledge and reach out to the one who is greater than “I,” the only one who can truly take away the emptiness in our lives and allow us to be all that we were created to be.
God’s justifying grace, at work in our lives, gets us to the point where we can say:
“I believe in you God the Father. I believe that you are my creator, and the creator of all things.”
“I believe in you God the Son. I believe that you are the very God and that you came and lived for me, died to take away my sin, and were raised from the dead so that I might live on even after my earthly life ends.
“I believe in you God the Holy Spirit. I believe that you continue to be present in our lives to comfort, guide, encourage, and sustain us.”
Going back to our picture of the house, when we are able to make the heartfelt statement, “I believe” it’s like we're standing at the door of the house, knocking. And then Jesus opens the door and we walk in.
For the door to be opened we have to accept Christ into our lives. Having accepted Christ we can also accept the gifts he has prepared for us: life on earth not controlled by sin, and eternal life starting right now. How wonderful are his gifts, more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine.
God works with each of us to help gets us to the point where we can say with our hearts, “I believe.” Some people are very young. Some are very old. Some have gone to church every Sunday of their lives but have only now come to really believe and to really turn their lives over to Christ. Some have never set foot in a church. Some say “I believe” quickly then just as quickly return back to their old selves. Some resist with all their might, believing only in themselves and ridiculing the idea of some higher power.
For some, they can tell you exactly when they came to believe. Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church, was almost struck by a lightning bolt. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, experienced his heart being “strangely warmed” during a church service.
For others, the experience is more gradual. There is no one moment in time to which they can point. For them, it happens over time.
This week, a person told me how he came to believe. I was attending the viewing of William Sowers who passed away last Saturday. Bill lived over in Burkittsville and attended Pleasant View Church of the Brethren. Bill was Randy Sowers' father and Ben’s grandfather.
Ben told me about his final visit with his grandfather, and he gave me permission to share that story. During Ben’s visit, Ben told his grandfather that he loved him, and he witnessed to his grandfather, “It was you who brought me to Christ.” Ben says it was an emotional moment and both men cried. Bill then asked Ben to pray with him and these two men went together in prayer to their Lord and Savior. Ben assured his grandfather that he would lead his own sons to Christ as Bill had done for him.
Through Bill, God’s love and justifying grace came to Ben.
And through Ben, God’s love was returned to Bill, a grandfather who in his last days heard what must have been a wonderful thing to hear: “I did something very good in my life; I brought my grandson to Christ.”
John 6:51 says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Bill Sowers lives on.
The living bread in our Gospel reading this morning is Jesus, who came down from heaven to save us from ourselves. We eat of this bread when we make the faith statement, “I believe.” Bill Sowers believed, and Bill has now received God’s gift of eternal life.
In justifying grace, God helps us go from the front porch to the door. When we knock on the door, when we say with our hearts, “I believe,” God opens the door and welcomes us into his house excited to begin showing us around all the wonderful rooms within his house.
We are able to enter God’s house because Christ has justified us. He has made us right with God. Through his death and resurrection he has restored our broken relationship with God and we can enjoy that relationship once again. In response, what we have to do is accept his gift of salvation and eternal life by claiming his as our Lord and savior – by saying with our hearts, “I believe.”
If you would like to commit your life to Christ today, or rededicate your life, you are invited to come forward during the hymn following the sermon, or the hymn at the close of worship. I’ll be at the altar to join you in prayer.
Amen.
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