Extra Credit

Extra Credit Luke 17:7-10 Introduction: A. Extra credit is an academic concept, particularly used in American schools. 1. Students are offered the opportunity to undertake extra work in addition to their mandatory schoolwork. 2. Many times, extra credit can be used to permit a student to improve his or her grade after weak performance earlier in a course. 3. Extra credit always improves the student’s grade. 4. Does God allow extra credit? B. Many assume that if we do something wrong, we can do something right to make up for it. 1. In many religions this concept is the key to salvation from sin. a. This is the “balance scale” approach to salvation. b. It assumes that there is such a thing as extra credit; those additional charitable deeds can make up for sin. c. Under such a system the assumption is that it is possible for anyone to go “above and beyond the call of duty.” d. By doing more than we must, we are earning extra credit that can atone for our sins. 2. It works like this: a. As creatures made by God, we each have a “bank account” in heaven, in which we are always required to keep a certain level of good works, merits or credits. We can keep our account at the required level by obeying all the commands of the Creator. Every time we obey a command, we are making regular, required deposits into our account. However, every time we sin, our account falls below the required level; our account is “in arrears,” and we are subject to serious penalty. b. What can we do? Extra credits or merits to the rescue! When we do some good thing that is not our duty or obligation, we make extra deposits into our account. This enables us to catch up or make up for the losses from our sins, so that our balance is acceptable again. c. This would mean that in serving God we can go “above and beyond the call of duty.” C.When I was teaching, I did not give “extra credit.” 1. My reasoning was that if the student could not do the basic work of the unit or chapter, how could I expect them to do even more? 2. In my opinion, extra credit leads to grade inflation. 3. If a student’s grade does not accurately reflect their performance, it will catch up with them later in their education. 4. They will not have the knowledge they need to perform at higher grade levels. D. God’s view of extra credit is remarkably similar. I. Jesus Teaches That There Are No “Extra Credits.” A. Earlier, we read Luke 17:7-10. 1. As the ESV translates v. 10, “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” 2. The meaning here is clear. a. As God’s creatures we already owe God every good deed, every act of obedience that we can possibly do. This is our debt to the Creator. James 4:17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” b. A perfect life lived in perfect love for God and others is our duty. Jesus commands us in Matt 5:48, “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Even if we were living a perfect life, we would have nothing extra. B. What is the main implication of this teaching? 1. We can never do something extra to make up for our sins. a. Why not? Because every good thing we can possible do is already required of us. b. This is the debt of obedience that we owe to God. c. When we don’t do some good thing that we are supposed to do, it is like getting behind in the payment of our debt of obedience. d. This now becomes the debt of sin. 2. Once we get behind, we can never catch up. a. Why not? Because we will never have any extra works to apply to our sin-debt. b. We already owe God everything! c. We cannot use what is required to pay one debt, to pay off another debt. d. It’s like having two credit cards and paying one with the other one month, and then the opposite the next month. C.Think of a young man named Dan, who has fallen head over heels for a beautiful young woman named Judy. 1. He is thoroughly smitten. a. He asks the young lady to marry him. b. She wants to marry him too, but she knows how desperate he is and decides to take advantage of the situation. 2. Thus, she prepares a prenuptial agreement. 3. It says he will assign every possession he now and will ever own to his bride. a. Every penny he will ever earn, inherit, find, receive as a gift will automatically become hers. b. He readily agrees and signs the papers. 4. All goes well for a while, until one day the young wife confronts her husband. a. “I just learned that for the last two years, you have secretly been holding back $2.00 per week just so you can buy an occasional donut. Let’s see, $2.00 per week for 104 weeks, that means you owe me $208!” b. The young man goes into a panic. “Please, please! I’m sorry! I don’t know what came over me! I will pay it all back!” 5. Now, here is where the wife proves to be quite a bit sharper than her husband. a. When he promises, “I’ll pay it back,” she just looks at him and asks, “What with?” b. In shock he now sees the horrible truth: he will never have any money with which to pay her back, because everything he will ever own already belongs to her! c. He will owe her this $208 forever. D. So, with God, it looks like we have two choices: 1. Live a perfect life and stay even, and thus avoid hell through our own works. 2. Sin even just one time and fall behind in our debt forever. II. How Are We to Get Out of This Situation? A. Only by grace, in the form of Jesus’s perfect atonement for our sin. 1. This is the only thing that can truly “make up for” our sin. a. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was truly “extra merit.” b. On the cross Jesus was going “above and beyond the call of duty.” c. His extra credits are what go on the other side of the balance scale, canceling out our sins and giving us eternal life. 2. Last week, we referred to the 2nd verse of the hymn, “Rock of Ages.” Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill Thy law’s demands. Could my tears forever flow; Could my zeal no respite know! All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.” 3. Rom 11:22, “Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise, you also will be cut off.” B. Do you remember two weeks ago when we discovered that we have a choice as to how God relates to us? 1. When sin collides with God’s holiness, He acts in wrath. 2. When sin collides with God’s love, He acts in grace. 3. God can’t choose which side He will show to us, because both sides are who He is. 4. We are the ones who must choose which side of God’s nature will determine our eternal destiny. 5. READ Luke 17:7-10. a. This shows God’s severity and sternness. b. It talks about His holy nature by which he judges sinners according to law and justice. c. He demands payment of our debt of sin. 6. READ Luke 12:35-37. a. This shows God’s goodness and mercy. b. It talks about His loving nature by which he judges sinners according to grace. c. It’s the opposite of justice. d. Grace is God going above and beyond the call of duty, forgiving our sin-debt. Conclusion A. We can never do too much for our Master. 1. We can never be too good. a. We can never work too hard. b. We can never know too much. 2. We can never do enough to deserve our heavenly rewards. a. When we already owe perfection to God, why should He even say “Thank you” when we do something good? b. Why do we serve him, then? c. Not for rewards, but because it’s our duty and it’s our desire. d. He gives us heavenly rewards anyway, though, not because He ought to, but just because He wants to! B. Jesus was the only one to do his duty to his Creator without going bankrupt. 1. He never sinned, but even in this He was an unworthy or unprofitable servant. a. He only did his duty. b. This does not mean, however, that Jesus’s perfect obedience means nothing for us. c. Jesus’s perfect obedience made him the perfect lamb to offer the only perfect sacrifice for sin. 2. Using banking terms is an effective way to understand this. a. Make a list of everything you owe. b. Come up with the total of your debt. c. I am a benefactor and I’ve set up a fund to pay the debt of everyone here. d. All you must do is write out the checks to each of your creditors and put them in the mail. e. When they get to the bank, the money will automatically be transferred from my account to yours and you will be debt free. 3. Rom 4:22-24, “It [Abraham’s faith] was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” a. This is what it means to have something credited to our account. b. When it is given to us, it is applied to our account and counted as our own. c. Abraham believed God could do what He said He would do. d. God used that faith and obedience to mark paid to Abraham’s sin debt. 4. God, being our benefactor, has created a fund to pay the sin debt of everyone here. a. All we must do is have the funds from that debt applied to our account so that we are debt free. b. Where did God get this fund? From the cross of Jesus Christ! Romans 4:25, “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” God uses our faith and obedience to mark paid to our sin debt. C.We choose to be treated like the slave in Luke 17 or the slaves in Luke 12. 1. We can appear before the final judgment seat as either: a. Unprofitable servants of the holy God, or b. Blessed servants of the gracious God. It seems like a no brainer. 2. How do I have the funds from that account applied to my debt? a. You must go to the bank of faith. b. God provides everything for our salvation, but He can’t go to the bank for us. 3. How do I get my sin debt paid? a. Hear the Gospel (Rom 10:17). b. Believe the Gospel (John 8:24). c. Repent of Your Sins (Acts 17:30). d. Confess Christ (Matt 10:32). e. Be Baptized (Acts 2:38).