Sermon Tone Analysis

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths.

Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays.

Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell.

Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net.

After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted.

A worker or two fell into the net but were saved.

Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.

We pay nothing for God's eternal love and nothing for His son’s death, and nothing for the Spirit and our grace and faith, and nothing for the gift of salvation...What an astonishing thought it is to think of the unmeasurable difference between our deservings and our receivings.

Grace is no cost to us, for the price of what we deserve, was already paid, a net was even put up for us so we don’t have to live our lives in fear.

In my devotional life, I’ve been going through a newly released edition of the book Steps to Christ, with historical introductions and additional commentary on each chapter.

Steps to Christ is one of those book, that should probably be read about once a year.

The author, Ellen White one of our church founders unpacks the biblical subjects such as justification, sanctification, human free will, and repentence in this commentary about God’s gift of salvation.

To this day I have never read a book that better comments on the scripture’s definition of grace.

Today, we are going to talk about God’s grace toward humanity, and how it is delivered and recieved.

Also we can’t really unpack grace and understand it more if we don’t better understand repentance, and forgiveness.

Then we will talk about a quality of grace we don’t spend much time considering, or at least, I’ll admit freely, I hadn’t until this week.

I’ll tell you what that is a little later, but before we go any further let’s take a moment to invite God’s spirit to be with us, by praying.

If you have your Bibles I would encourage you to turn to , verse 39.

While Jesus was hanging on the cross, the criminals to his left and right began to interact with Jesus.

It says in verse 39:

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ?

Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.”

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ?

Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?

41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The 2nd criminal says a lot by first rebuking the other criminal’s words and then a plea for Jesus to remember him!

He openly admits that justice was being enacted upon he and his criminal mate, but the one who was the embodiment of goodness, and merit, Jesus, had done nothing wrong, and yet he was suffering their fate.

Jesus hears more than the words recorded in Luke.

He hears a man verbally approaching him with nothing to hide.

He has accepted his sentence as remorse for his actions.

He doesn’t approach Jesus for fear of what was to become of him.

Jesus looks into the heart and sees God’s light has exposed in the man’s heart where his sin exists, and in these final moments has chosen to repent.

Remember me in your kingdom.

Jesus still holding love for humanity in fact still interceding for them, asking the father to give them forgiveness and mercy for their crimes against their maker, tells the man He will be with Him again in paradise.

Wow, bringing hope to a sin filled criminal while hanging on a cross.

Maybe thats hope for you and me!

If Jesus can assure salvation to a criminal sentenced to death, whats stopping him from doing the same for me?

In the book Steps to Christ, chapter 3 opens with 2 questions.

How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous?

The answer given which was revealed to her by God through scripture and deep faithful relationship to God, was so simple.

The author Mrs. Ellen White says, “Its only through Christ...” If I could share that revelation to you, and everyone here would walk away understanding fully, there would really be no reason for me to continue preaching.

The answer has been given.

Many will claim understanding in hearing this answer, maybe falling into extremes of of overly wise or overly foolish.

We hear, through Christ alone and then focus only on self, by self cleansing, and personally trying to rid ourselves of sin.

Others get uncomfortable perceiving there is somehow an attitude that we might be saying it is pointless to uphold the law because we just claim God’s grace and there be no moral accountability to God’s statutes.

Those that are uncomfortable with sermons on grace are really actually worried about permissiveness--about the way the preaching of grace seems to say it's okay to do all kinds of terrible things as long as you just walk in afterward and take the free gift of God's forgiveness. .

.While we may be worried about seeming to give permission, Jesus wasn't.

He wasn't afraid of giving the prodigal son a kiss instead of a lecture, a party instead of probation; and he proved that by bringing in the elder brother at the end of the story and having him raise pretty much the same objections we might have.

He's angry about the party.

He complains that his father is lowering standards and ignoring virtue, and essentially rewarding such behavior.

And to that, Jesus has the father say only one thing: "Cut that out!

We're not playing good boys and bad boys any more.

Your brother was dead and he's alive again.

The name of the game from now on is resurrection, not bookkeeping.

You see there is a tension present within this conversation.

How can we answer, “through Christ only” are we made just or righteous with God if there is an expectation of action from His followers?

There might be some here who could have been lawyers, some of you like to dot every “i” and cross every “t.”

Those of you like that might be quick to say, “we do have to do something, to receive grace, we have to repent.”

To those who have that thought, I am going to make you feel further uncomfortable *** smile*** in hearing me say.

You are so right, but you may also be soo wrong.

Let’s look at repentance.

When the crowd being convicted of sin in their lives after hearing Peter preach at pentacost, they ask, “what shall we do?”

What was Peter’s answer??? (tell me what was it?)

REPENT!!!

At another time, shortly after, he said, “Repent, … and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”

Acts 3:19.

Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it.

We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart, there will be no real change in the life.

Mrs. White comments on repentance, saying:

There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance.

Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves.

But this is not repentance in the Bible sense.

They lament the suffering rather than the sin.

In other words its like me when I was a child after I had disobeyed my mother for who knows what reason, I could be heard all the way from my bedroom crying out, Mom I’m sorry!! I’m sorry, can I please be done having to sit in my room.

My mom had the wisdom and discernment to recognize I wasn’t sorry for what i had done, but might hate being couped up in my room enough that I might learn to not disobey her.

Thats why parents go in to the room afterward to explain the punishment, so the child not only understands the consequences but can also acknowledge the reasons for why it was wrong what they had done.

David learned a thing or 2 about repentance in his life.

David has 2 unique prayers found in the psalms that illustrate the nature of sorrow for sin.

He longed for the joy of holiness—to be restored to harmony and communion with God.

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord

imputeth not iniquity,

And in whose spirit there is no guile.”

, .

“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to

Thy loving-kindness:

According unto the multitude of Thy tender

mercies blot out my transgressions.…

For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my

sin is ever before me.…

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.…

Create in me a clean heart, O God;

And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from Thy presence;