Grace Is An 'Inside Job!'
Sermon
A 'NEW AND IMPROVED' JESUS?
Sermons For Lent And Easter
We live in a high-gloss, fix-the-outside, cover-up-the-spots world. We believe in making good first impressions, so we are very adept at cover-ups and shining up the outside. We have cover-ups in politics, in the world of high finance, in big business, and in education. Even if you buy peaches or strawberries from a road-side fruit stand you have to watch lest they have put the smaller, maybe rotten, fruit on the bottom, and then entice you to purchace them by covering it with the larger, more beautiful fruit on top.
So, it seems it had to happen sooner or later, the temptation to fix-up would arise in the new fledgling church that God was bringing into being. With the exception of the events at Lystra, and a few other setbacks, things have been going fairly well with Paul and Barnabas as they are going from place to place, preaching salvation through the crucified, risen, ascended Christ. But now, some men come along who want to take away from the simplicity of the gospel message. It all began over a discussion by some men in Jerusalem who had arrived in Antioch. They were insisting that the rite of circumcision was essential to Christian salvation. This would, of course, make the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, subject to the Mosaic law and make Christ himself subject to Moses. These Jews felt it was all right for the gentiles to become Christians, but first they must be circumcised; meaning that they first become Jews and then could be Christians.
So a conference was called, and the decision was reached that gentiles are equal in all religious matters to Jews, for both alike are dependent upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ for salvation. Therefore, circumcision was not required for salvation, because grace alone, assures us of salvation! Bishop William R. Cannon, in his commentary, The Book of Acts, says, "Next to the description of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, this passage is the most important in the entire book, for what takes place here opens up for the church its largest field for expansion and makes possible the eventual winning of the Roman Empire to Christianity." From this point on, Christianity is not just a part of a small Jewish sect, but it will become an independent movement, growing into the New Testament church.
Our text, then, gives us the formal letter that was drawn up, announcing that the mother church at Jerusalem had made this firm decision. Wisely, they decided to send, along with Paul and Barnabas, two other emissaries who were both prophets; Judas Barsabbas and Silas. Paul and Barnabas were already well-known in the early church, beloved because they had often risked their lives for Jesus Christ. The letter went on to mention some reasonable restrictions for the new gentile Christians, but these limitations would be helpful to Jew and gentile alike, in that they would aid the new Christians in avoiding participation in pagan worship in any form.
We have here, then, some vital and important lessons for those early Christians, but also for all of us who follow in their train:
Grace Is Not What You Do
This entire chapter deals with what was then, and continues to be, a stumbling block for the Christian gospel. There are always those persons, however well-meaning they may be, who would make salvation possible through Jesus Christ, plus something else! But salvation is through grace and grace alone, and anything added to that is heresy!
It is understandable how this came about. These Jewish Christians had, for centuries, known a religion based on laws, precepts, rules, and regulations. But now they are told it was a work done in the heart; an "inside job," not an external act. This inner work is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, and not the work of circumcision, or any other good work, which brings redemption.
But it is hard to break old habits. Paul had to deal with this again and again. Romans and Galatians speak to the problem repeatedly. He had to keep preaching that Christian freedom is in Christ, and converts must not be encumbered again with the slavery of works righteousness. "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6)."
The Roman Catholic Church burdened its constituents with rules, regulations, and the purchasing of indulgences to "buy" favor with God. The Reformation was a frontal assault against externals being able to pacify God; but rather the glorious liberating truth of grace alone. Now here we are, nearing the 21st century, and often find ourselves still trying to "do" something to be saved. We work so hard at being "good enough" and hope that the balance sheet shows we are on the "good side of God." It is so difficult to move from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, from the outer rule to inner experience, from doctrines to life, from rules to revelation, from law to grace.
For many years I felt that God would love and accept me only if I could be "good enough" to please him. I was constantly trying to "shape up," to "do better," to "try harder." How miserable I was, and what a nervous Christian I became. I figured that God had a record book that he kept in heaven. On the page with my name at the top he had drawn a line down the center, with debits and credits on either side of the center. On a good day I might tally enough "plus points" to be pleasing and acceptable to God; while on a bad day I would be afraid to go to sleep at night lest I had not "earned" the right to heaven if I should die before morning. It was the greatest freedom in the world to be delivered from that kind of works righteousness! When I realized that I was justified and forgiven; not because of obedience to the law, not because of rituals or holy habits, but because of a divine grace that never failed, I was emancipated and felt a marvelous deliverance. We are forgiven, absolutely and completely, when we repent of our sins and trust God's action in our behalf in Christ. Forgiveness cannot be earned nor merited, it has already been given, it can only be accepted by faith.
Bishop Taylor Smith, an evangelical stalwart, was one day sitting in a barber shop having a shave. When the bishop spoke of being made right with God, the barber replied, "I do my best and that's good enough for me." When the bishop's shave was finished, the next man took his place, and the bishop said, "May I shave this customer?" "Oh, no," replied the barber firmly. "But I would do my best," protested the bishop. "So you might," replied the barber, "but your best would not be good enough for this customer." "No, and neither is your best good enough for God," was the reply of Bishop Smith. Christianity is more than doing one's best, of "helping him out." It is letting God do his best for you, and that took place at the cross.
We keep working on externals, but God wants to work on the internal. We try to whitewash ourselves, but only God can wash us white!
Grace Is What Christ Has Done
Salvation is not what we can do, but what Christ has done. God purifies the heart by faith, so why put on a yoke of circumcision, or any other external requirement?
We are saved through grace. When God looks at us, he doesn't see us, he sees Christ. We "wear" him. We are covered by his blood, hidden in him, covered with his robe of righteousness. He doesn't even remember our sins. He forgets them. He blots out the record against us. He erases the writing of our offenses. He cleans the tape of evidence. He clears the computer. The horrible guilt of the past is covered with blood too precious to ever have been spilled in vain for us.
The St. Petersburg Times (November 1989) carried the report of a 21-month-old child who was dying. The baby's mother, Teresa Smith, risked her own life to give a part of her liver to her baby. Never before was there an operation taking a part of one person's liver and giving it to another. Someone commented on the extent of her love, but the mother said, a short while after the operation, "Once you've given someone a piece of your heart, it's easy to throw in a little bit of liver!" So with our Lord, once you've died on a cross, revealing a heart as big as the world, and loving enough to break and die for the sinner, it's a simple matter to accept the wondrous truth of his willingness to receive us. It would be rather presumptuous, don't you think, that a "wee bit of pain and flesh of circumcision" would need to be added?
We call this justification by grace through faith the process of being born again. What a tremendous experience is this new birth! We are sealed in the waters of Christian baptism and become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
Dr. Christian Bernard tells of one of his heart-transplant patients who asked to see his old heart which had been removed. Obligingly the doctor brought from the laboratory a large bottle where the old organ had been placed. As the man looked at the big muscle which once pumped life through his body, the famed surgeon suddenly realized that this was the first time in human history that a person had ever seen his own heart. It was a historic moment, but for the patient it must have been a keenly sensitive sensation, for the old heart had worn out and failed him. Now the old heart had been replaced by a new one, and without it his life would now be extinct. After gazing for a long moment at the old heart, the grateful patient looked up at the doctor and said, "I'm glad that I don't have that old heart anymore." This is the new life that Christ imparts to every person who is justified by faith and experiences the new birth. All of us desperately need a conversion that shatters the old life and makes all things new! That is why it is imperative that we know it is always an inside job. Cosmetic surgery will never do. We need a radical heart transplant.
The story is told of a plane that was bucking all over the sky as it hit some turbulence. A stewardess came to where Mohammed Ali sat, and said to him, "Mr. Ali, don't you think you should buckle your seat belt? This flight is becoming very rough." Ali replied, "Honey, Superman don't need no belt!" The flight attendant retorted, "Honey, Superman don't need no plane!" The self-righteous don't need a Savior. Those who think they can fix themselves don't need Christ.
William Temple once said, "It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet, or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it; I can't. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus, and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it; I can't. But, if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like that. And if the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that." This is the only way the Christian can be holy and good. It is not circumcision, or anything else we do, it is always what he does in us!
Now Do As He Commands
But what about "works." Are we not to do some good deeds? Yes, these early Christians were given some restrictions and ordinances that were to be kept. They were not to be kept in order to become Christians, but because they were Christians they would keep them. Out of a heart of gratitude and love for all that Christ has done for us, we naturally do good works. When we live in the Spirit, the natural outgrowth is good works. The letter of the law required holiness, but the Spirit imparts holiness. Jesus did not come to teach a new philosophy, but to bring a new life. He did not come with a new rule, but a new Spirit and a new attitude. The Old Covenant is letter, the New Covenant is Spirit.
The law was an external matter, grace is an internal matter and it works by faith. Christ is now with you all the time. You are in a relationship with him, the closest relationship a person can possibly have. Christ is inside you! Did you ever notice that Paul had Christ in him whether he was in the pulpit or in jail? So do we, and when Christ is in us, the good works are a natural fruit and evidence of his presence.
So now we see a difference between faith and works. Works are not for salvation. Salvation comes through the work of Christ at Calvary, and him alone. We respond to his call in repentance and faith, and we are justified by grace through faith. Our sanctification, then, is the living out of that faith in good works. Good works do not make you a Christian, they identify you as a Christian. Love for Christ is what makes us want to keep his commandments, makes us desire to never sin again, makes us want to be different, makes us want to give our Lord our best. The prayer of the hymn becomes our own, "More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!"
So, it seems it had to happen sooner or later, the temptation to fix-up would arise in the new fledgling church that God was bringing into being. With the exception of the events at Lystra, and a few other setbacks, things have been going fairly well with Paul and Barnabas as they are going from place to place, preaching salvation through the crucified, risen, ascended Christ. But now, some men come along who want to take away from the simplicity of the gospel message. It all began over a discussion by some men in Jerusalem who had arrived in Antioch. They were insisting that the rite of circumcision was essential to Christian salvation. This would, of course, make the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, subject to the Mosaic law and make Christ himself subject to Moses. These Jews felt it was all right for the gentiles to become Christians, but first they must be circumcised; meaning that they first become Jews and then could be Christians.
So a conference was called, and the decision was reached that gentiles are equal in all religious matters to Jews, for both alike are dependent upon the grace of God in Jesus Christ for salvation. Therefore, circumcision was not required for salvation, because grace alone, assures us of salvation! Bishop William R. Cannon, in his commentary, The Book of Acts, says, "Next to the description of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts, this passage is the most important in the entire book, for what takes place here opens up for the church its largest field for expansion and makes possible the eventual winning of the Roman Empire to Christianity." From this point on, Christianity is not just a part of a small Jewish sect, but it will become an independent movement, growing into the New Testament church.
Our text, then, gives us the formal letter that was drawn up, announcing that the mother church at Jerusalem had made this firm decision. Wisely, they decided to send, along with Paul and Barnabas, two other emissaries who were both prophets; Judas Barsabbas and Silas. Paul and Barnabas were already well-known in the early church, beloved because they had often risked their lives for Jesus Christ. The letter went on to mention some reasonable restrictions for the new gentile Christians, but these limitations would be helpful to Jew and gentile alike, in that they would aid the new Christians in avoiding participation in pagan worship in any form.
We have here, then, some vital and important lessons for those early Christians, but also for all of us who follow in their train:
Grace Is Not What You Do
This entire chapter deals with what was then, and continues to be, a stumbling block for the Christian gospel. There are always those persons, however well-meaning they may be, who would make salvation possible through Jesus Christ, plus something else! But salvation is through grace and grace alone, and anything added to that is heresy!
It is understandable how this came about. These Jewish Christians had, for centuries, known a religion based on laws, precepts, rules, and regulations. But now they are told it was a work done in the heart; an "inside job," not an external act. This inner work is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, and not the work of circumcision, or any other good work, which brings redemption.
But it is hard to break old habits. Paul had to deal with this again and again. Romans and Galatians speak to the problem repeatedly. He had to keep preaching that Christian freedom is in Christ, and converts must not be encumbered again with the slavery of works righteousness. "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Galatians 5:6)."
The Roman Catholic Church burdened its constituents with rules, regulations, and the purchasing of indulgences to "buy" favor with God. The Reformation was a frontal assault against externals being able to pacify God; but rather the glorious liberating truth of grace alone. Now here we are, nearing the 21st century, and often find ourselves still trying to "do" something to be saved. We work so hard at being "good enough" and hope that the balance sheet shows we are on the "good side of God." It is so difficult to move from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, from the outer rule to inner experience, from doctrines to life, from rules to revelation, from law to grace.
For many years I felt that God would love and accept me only if I could be "good enough" to please him. I was constantly trying to "shape up," to "do better," to "try harder." How miserable I was, and what a nervous Christian I became. I figured that God had a record book that he kept in heaven. On the page with my name at the top he had drawn a line down the center, with debits and credits on either side of the center. On a good day I might tally enough "plus points" to be pleasing and acceptable to God; while on a bad day I would be afraid to go to sleep at night lest I had not "earned" the right to heaven if I should die before morning. It was the greatest freedom in the world to be delivered from that kind of works righteousness! When I realized that I was justified and forgiven; not because of obedience to the law, not because of rituals or holy habits, but because of a divine grace that never failed, I was emancipated and felt a marvelous deliverance. We are forgiven, absolutely and completely, when we repent of our sins and trust God's action in our behalf in Christ. Forgiveness cannot be earned nor merited, it has already been given, it can only be accepted by faith.
Bishop Taylor Smith, an evangelical stalwart, was one day sitting in a barber shop having a shave. When the bishop spoke of being made right with God, the barber replied, "I do my best and that's good enough for me." When the bishop's shave was finished, the next man took his place, and the bishop said, "May I shave this customer?" "Oh, no," replied the barber firmly. "But I would do my best," protested the bishop. "So you might," replied the barber, "but your best would not be good enough for this customer." "No, and neither is your best good enough for God," was the reply of Bishop Smith. Christianity is more than doing one's best, of "helping him out." It is letting God do his best for you, and that took place at the cross.
We keep working on externals, but God wants to work on the internal. We try to whitewash ourselves, but only God can wash us white!
Grace Is What Christ Has Done
Salvation is not what we can do, but what Christ has done. God purifies the heart by faith, so why put on a yoke of circumcision, or any other external requirement?
We are saved through grace. When God looks at us, he doesn't see us, he sees Christ. We "wear" him. We are covered by his blood, hidden in him, covered with his robe of righteousness. He doesn't even remember our sins. He forgets them. He blots out the record against us. He erases the writing of our offenses. He cleans the tape of evidence. He clears the computer. The horrible guilt of the past is covered with blood too precious to ever have been spilled in vain for us.
The St. Petersburg Times (November 1989) carried the report of a 21-month-old child who was dying. The baby's mother, Teresa Smith, risked her own life to give a part of her liver to her baby. Never before was there an operation taking a part of one person's liver and giving it to another. Someone commented on the extent of her love, but the mother said, a short while after the operation, "Once you've given someone a piece of your heart, it's easy to throw in a little bit of liver!" So with our Lord, once you've died on a cross, revealing a heart as big as the world, and loving enough to break and die for the sinner, it's a simple matter to accept the wondrous truth of his willingness to receive us. It would be rather presumptuous, don't you think, that a "wee bit of pain and flesh of circumcision" would need to be added?
We call this justification by grace through faith the process of being born again. What a tremendous experience is this new birth! We are sealed in the waters of Christian baptism and become new creatures in Christ Jesus.
Dr. Christian Bernard tells of one of his heart-transplant patients who asked to see his old heart which had been removed. Obligingly the doctor brought from the laboratory a large bottle where the old organ had been placed. As the man looked at the big muscle which once pumped life through his body, the famed surgeon suddenly realized that this was the first time in human history that a person had ever seen his own heart. It was a historic moment, but for the patient it must have been a keenly sensitive sensation, for the old heart had worn out and failed him. Now the old heart had been replaced by a new one, and without it his life would now be extinct. After gazing for a long moment at the old heart, the grateful patient looked up at the doctor and said, "I'm glad that I don't have that old heart anymore." This is the new life that Christ imparts to every person who is justified by faith and experiences the new birth. All of us desperately need a conversion that shatters the old life and makes all things new! That is why it is imperative that we know it is always an inside job. Cosmetic surgery will never do. We need a radical heart transplant.
The story is told of a plane that was bucking all over the sky as it hit some turbulence. A stewardess came to where Mohammed Ali sat, and said to him, "Mr. Ali, don't you think you should buckle your seat belt? This flight is becoming very rough." Ali replied, "Honey, Superman don't need no belt!" The flight attendant retorted, "Honey, Superman don't need no plane!" The self-righteous don't need a Savior. Those who think they can fix themselves don't need Christ.
William Temple once said, "It is no good giving me a play like Hamlet, or King Lear, and telling me to write a play like that. Shakespeare could do it; I can't. And it is no good showing me a life like the life of Jesus, and telling me to live a life like that. Jesus could do it; I can't. But, if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write plays like that. And if the Spirit of Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live a life like that." This is the only way the Christian can be holy and good. It is not circumcision, or anything else we do, it is always what he does in us!
Now Do As He Commands
But what about "works." Are we not to do some good deeds? Yes, these early Christians were given some restrictions and ordinances that were to be kept. They were not to be kept in order to become Christians, but because they were Christians they would keep them. Out of a heart of gratitude and love for all that Christ has done for us, we naturally do good works. When we live in the Spirit, the natural outgrowth is good works. The letter of the law required holiness, but the Spirit imparts holiness. Jesus did not come to teach a new philosophy, but to bring a new life. He did not come with a new rule, but a new Spirit and a new attitude. The Old Covenant is letter, the New Covenant is Spirit.
The law was an external matter, grace is an internal matter and it works by faith. Christ is now with you all the time. You are in a relationship with him, the closest relationship a person can possibly have. Christ is inside you! Did you ever notice that Paul had Christ in him whether he was in the pulpit or in jail? So do we, and when Christ is in us, the good works are a natural fruit and evidence of his presence.
So now we see a difference between faith and works. Works are not for salvation. Salvation comes through the work of Christ at Calvary, and him alone. We respond to his call in repentance and faith, and we are justified by grace through faith. Our sanctification, then, is the living out of that faith in good works. Good works do not make you a Christian, they identify you as a Christian. Love for Christ is what makes us want to keep his commandments, makes us desire to never sin again, makes us want to be different, makes us want to give our Lord our best. The prayer of the hymn becomes our own, "More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!"
