WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.200 I feel so that Grace Church could be here and 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:08.779 be what it is. I don't think there's been a Sunday 00:00:08.779 --> 00:00:12.560 that's gone by that he hasn't given in our church. 00:00:14.300 --> 00:00:18.000 And while we don't normally reveal the sum that 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.199 a person gives, we're going to make an exception 00:00:20.199 --> 00:00:23.160 in this case this morning because it is so significant 00:00:23.160 --> 00:00:27.440 and because I think all of you will appreciate 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:36.020 how much has been given. I think also as we understand 00:00:36.020 --> 00:00:39.079 this, it will challenge all of us to do more 00:00:39.079 --> 00:00:44.719 when we learn what this person has done. And 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:48.039 so I'm happy this morning to recognize this person 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:53.460 to give you the name of Jesus Christ. Did I surprise 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:56.500 you a little bit? Some of you are getting a little 00:00:56.500 --> 00:00:59.659 uncomfortable, weren't you? I saw a couple of 00:00:59.659 --> 00:01:01.240 people straighten their ties getting ready to 00:01:01.240 --> 00:01:11.379 come up. We don't often think of the Lord in 00:01:11.379 --> 00:01:15.980 terms of a giver, do we? But in fact, He is the 00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:21.000 most generous and extravagant of givers. God 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:27.790 loves to give because that's His nature. That's 00:01:27.790 --> 00:01:31.230 the nature of grace. The Apostle Paul was so 00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:35.790 excited about this truth that he wrote, for what 00:01:35.790 --> 00:01:38.689 is our text this morning in 2 Corinthians 9, 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:45.129 15, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. 00:01:46.510 --> 00:01:49.129 Now Paul is a man who knew how to use words. 00:01:49.230 --> 00:01:53.010 He had words that he could call upon. He had 00:01:53.010 --> 00:01:56.090 words that he could create. He said, when it 00:01:56.090 --> 00:02:00.329 comes to the giving of Jesus Christ, our God, 00:02:00.909 --> 00:02:06.609 I have no words. He says it's absolutely indescribable. 00:02:07.930 --> 00:02:11.050 Earlier in this section of 2 Corinthians, he 00:02:11.050 --> 00:02:15.530 told us exactly what the giving of Jesus Christ 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:19.990 has been. Chapter 8 and verse 9, You know the 00:02:19.990 --> 00:02:23.629 grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He 00:02:23.629 --> 00:02:28.270 was rich, Yet, for your sake he became poor that 00:02:28.270 --> 00:02:34.689 you through his poverty might become rich." And 00:02:34.689 --> 00:02:38.870 as he builds around this theme, writing by the 00:02:38.870 --> 00:02:42.009 Holy Spirit, the Apostle declares that God's 00:02:42.009 --> 00:02:45.050 giving is to be a motive for you and for me. 00:02:46.090 --> 00:02:51.289 He wants us to demonstrate the grace of God in 00:02:51.289 --> 00:02:58.280 our lives. in our giving just as God has demonstrated 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:05.000 His grace in giving for us. And he writes in 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.960 chapter 9 verses 6 through 11 that giving really 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:15.060 is investing with God. He says, this I say, he 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:19.819 who invests sparingly shall also reap sparing 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:24.289 dividends. Now we're putting that into 20th century 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:28.009 terms from the agricultural words of the first 00:03:28.009 --> 00:03:31.650 century, but that's what he's saying. He who 00:03:31.650 --> 00:03:35.770 invests bountifully shall also bountifully receive 00:03:35.770 --> 00:03:40.229 dividends. Let each one do just as he has purposed 00:03:40.229 --> 00:03:43.530 in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion. 00:03:44.229 --> 00:03:47.449 God didn't give that way, did He? God loves a 00:03:47.449 --> 00:03:50.789 cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace 00:03:51.069 --> 00:03:56.210 abound to you, that always having all sufficiency 00:03:56.210 --> 00:03:59.870 in everything. Notice the all -inclusiveness 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:03.530 of those terms. You may have an abundance for 00:04:03.530 --> 00:04:06.289 every good deed. As it is written, he scattered 00:04:06.289 --> 00:04:09.710 abroad, he gave to the poor, his righteousness 00:04:09.710 --> 00:04:13.990 abides forever. Now he who supplies seed to the 00:04:13.990 --> 00:04:18.889 sower and bread for food will supply and multiply 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:24.610 your seed, your investment for sowing, and increase 00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:28.069 the harvest or the dividends of your righteousness. 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:32.949 You will be enriched in everything for all liberality, 00:04:33.470 --> 00:04:36.889 which through us is producing thanksgiving to 00:04:36.889 --> 00:04:42.089 God. The Apostle Paul is not a prosperity theology 00:04:42.089 --> 00:04:46.660 preacher. He is not saying that we ought to give 00:04:46.660 --> 00:04:50.439 so that we can get in order to satisfy our greed. 00:04:51.540 --> 00:04:54.899 But he is saying that when we learn to be generous 00:04:54.899 --> 00:05:00.240 with God and trust God with the partnership in 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:05.319 our investment, God gives us a bountiful return. 00:05:07.060 --> 00:05:13.209 God is a giver. And this giving is rooted in 00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:18.069 the grace that is His nature. It would be good 00:05:18.069 --> 00:05:20.529 for us to think a little bit this morning about 00:05:20.529 --> 00:05:23.829 the meaning of grace because it sometimes is 00:05:23.829 --> 00:05:29.310 misunderstood by people. The word grace in the 00:05:29.310 --> 00:05:36.209 New Testament is the word charis. Charis. It 00:05:36.209 --> 00:05:39.769 is from a root word that means well -being. And 00:05:39.769 --> 00:05:45.189 so the idea is in grace that there is a disposition 00:05:45.189 --> 00:05:51.970 with it from which proceeds kind action and goodwill. 00:05:52.990 --> 00:05:56.990 It means that one brings well -being to another. 00:05:58.350 --> 00:06:03.949 It is to extend favor which is not deserved and 00:06:03.949 --> 00:06:07.279 which cannot be earned. The emphasis with the 00:06:07.279 --> 00:06:12.120 word is on the goodness of the giver. He is gracious. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:15.019 And, of course, the word is used of God in the 00:06:15.019 --> 00:06:19.019 Bible. Vine says that it refers to His unmerited 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:24.839 kindness, that it stresses universality and freeness, 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:27.839 its spontaneous character and the pleasure or 00:06:27.839 --> 00:06:31.839 joy that God designs for the one who receives 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:37.019 from Him. Donald Gray Barnhouse, that great Presbyterian 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:39.980 preacher of another generation said, love that 00:06:39.980 --> 00:06:44.540 goes upward is worship. Love that goes outward 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:50.939 is affection. Love that stoops is grace. That 00:06:50.939 --> 00:06:55.339 is the grace of God. Jesus Christ, though He 00:06:55.339 --> 00:07:01.730 was rich, became poor. He stooped. to come into 00:07:01.730 --> 00:07:05.850 the world and to go to the cross, so that through 00:07:05.850 --> 00:07:10.970 His act of self -impoverishment, we might share 00:07:10.970 --> 00:07:15.689 in His riches. There are three primary characteristics 00:07:15.689 --> 00:07:18.569 of divine grace. It is in the first place eternal. 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:24.310 God's grace did not begin at Calvary. In fact, 00:07:24.490 --> 00:07:27.290 in 2 Timothy 1 .9, and I invite you to turn there 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:31.290 with me, we see that God's grace extends far 00:07:31.290 --> 00:07:35.689 beyond time itself as we think into the past. 00:07:35.949 --> 00:07:40.750 2 Timothy 1 in verse 9, he speaks about God and 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:59.800 His power and he says, which was granted us in 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:05.980 Christ Jesus from all eternity. In other words, 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:11.100 before there was time and space and matter, before 00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:14.480 there was a universe, when there was just God 00:08:14.480 --> 00:08:22.120 and eternity, God then purposed in His grace 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:28.209 to rescue us from our sin. God's grace is eternal. 00:08:29.110 --> 00:08:31.870 It is not something that began in time. It goes 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:35.649 back into eternity and it stretches forward into 00:08:35.649 --> 00:08:38.769 eternity because it is a part of the very nature 00:08:38.769 --> 00:08:43.269 of God. Furthermore, this grace is free. What 00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:48.009 that means is that it's undeserved. It is unmerited 00:08:48.009 --> 00:08:53.250 by us. We are never asked to earn God's grace. 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:58.240 Hence, the false theology that says by certain 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.980 sacraments we can't earn the grace of God. Such 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:06.080 a concept totally negates what the Bible says 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:12.440 is grace. It is free. We are never asked to repay 00:09:12.440 --> 00:09:16.120 God's grace because we can't. It's impossible. 00:09:19.980 --> 00:09:24.059 And verse 24, it mentions the freeness of grace 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:29.059 in these words. It says, being justified, that 00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:34.279 means declared righteous before God. Being justified 00:09:34.279 --> 00:09:41.679 as a gift by His grace. A gift by His grace. 00:09:42.019 --> 00:09:47.860 A gift by His grace. It is not something that 00:09:47.860 --> 00:09:53.799 we earn or deserve, it is given to us freely 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:57.919 by God. It was very costly to God to be able 00:09:57.919 --> 00:10:02.899 to extend this grace to us. It cost Him the life 00:10:02.899 --> 00:10:07.259 of His Son. This grace was given to us as a gift 00:10:07.259 --> 00:10:10.200 through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 00:10:10.279 --> 00:10:15.299 the verse says. How costly it was for God to 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:19.490 be able to extend grace to sinners. But He was 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:23.549 willing to pay that price so that we might receive 00:10:23.549 --> 00:10:28.870 freely from God saving grace. This grace is also 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:33.370 sovereign. This grace is eternal, it's free, 00:10:33.450 --> 00:10:37.210 and it's sovereign. God exercises this grace 00:10:37.210 --> 00:10:40.889 according to His own will. We see this as far 00:10:40.889 --> 00:10:46.470 back in the Bible as Exodus chapter 33 and verse 00:10:46.470 --> 00:10:52.990 19. The Lord says to Moses, I myself will make 00:10:52.990 --> 00:10:56.909 all my goodness pass before you, Moses, and will 00:10:56.909 --> 00:10:59.490 proclaim the name of the Lord before you, and 00:10:59.490 --> 00:11:03.789 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. 00:11:05.909 --> 00:11:08.950 God is gracious toward those he has chosen to 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:12.750 be his own. God is not gracious to everyone. 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:17.539 but He is gracious to those who are His by His 00:11:17.539 --> 00:11:21.820 sovereign choice and in whom He places faith 00:11:21.820 --> 00:11:26.539 to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. God's grace 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:32.100 is a sovereign grace, a grace that has been purposed 00:11:32.100 --> 00:11:37.480 in Christ Jesus for you and for me before the 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:44.570 world began. God's grace is marvelous. Chuck 00:11:44.570 --> 00:11:47.909 Swindoll tells a story in his book, The Grace 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:53.769 Awakening, that illustrates grace. He says, I 00:11:53.769 --> 00:11:58.029 vividly remember my last spanking. It was on 00:11:58.029 --> 00:12:00.950 my 13th birthday, as a matter of fact. Having 00:12:00.950 --> 00:12:03.570 just broken into the sophisticated ranks of the 00:12:03.570 --> 00:12:05.950 teen world, I thought I was something on a stick. 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:10.909 I like that phrase. My father wasn't nearly as 00:12:10.909 --> 00:12:13.509 impressed as I was with my great importance and 00:12:13.509 --> 00:12:16.929 newfound independence. I was lying on my bed. 00:12:16.970 --> 00:12:19.269 He was outside the window on a muggy October 00:12:19.269 --> 00:12:22.190 afternoon in Houston weeding the garden. He said, 00:12:22.210 --> 00:12:25.509 Charles, come out and help me weed the garden. 00:12:26.950 --> 00:12:30.330 I said something like, no, it's my birthday, 00:12:30.570 --> 00:12:35.309 remember? My tone was sassy and my deliberate 00:12:35.309 --> 00:12:38.779 lack of respect was eloquent. I knew better than 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:41.559 to disobey my dad, but after all, I was the ripe 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:45.919 old age of 13 now. He set a new 100 -meter record 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:49.500 that autumn afternoon. He was in the house and 00:12:49.500 --> 00:12:53.620 all over me like white on rice, spanking me all 00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:56.879 the way out to the garden. As I recall, I weaned 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:59.399 until the moonlight was shining on the pansies. 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.759 That same night, he took me out to a surprise 00:13:04.759 --> 00:13:09.820 dinner. He gave me what I deserved earlier. Later 00:13:09.820 --> 00:13:12.960 he gave me what I did not deserve. The birthday 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:16.879 dinner was grace. He condescended in favor upon 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:19.639 this rebellious young man. That evening I enjoyed 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:22.860 what a proper theologian named Benjamin Warfield 00:13:22.860 --> 00:13:26.639 called free sovereign favor to the ill -deserving. 00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:33.519 I enjoyed grace. Great illustration, isn't it? 00:13:35.179 --> 00:13:38.379 God, in His mercy, has not given us what we deserve. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:43.919 What we deserve has been laid upon Christ. And 00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:46.159 in His grace, He has given us what we did not 00:13:46.159 --> 00:13:49.580 deserve because of the redemption that is in 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:54.659 Christ Jesus. Marvelous illustrations of grace 00:13:54.659 --> 00:13:56.820 in the Bible. One of my favorites is back in 00:13:56.820 --> 00:14:01.399 2 Kings, Chapter 5, the story of Naaman. Naaman 00:14:01.399 --> 00:14:06.600 the Syrian A man who was very important in his 00:14:06.600 --> 00:14:09.960 country, the General Schwarzkopf of his day. 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:15.480 A hero, but a man who was ill with leprosy and 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:19.440 incurable disease in those days. Not only disfiguring, 00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:27.220 but fatal. It just so happened, in the providence 00:14:27.220 --> 00:14:31.220 of God, that a little girl from Israel had been 00:14:31.220 --> 00:14:37.129 taken captive by some terrorists. of Syria, and 00:14:37.129 --> 00:14:40.590 taken back to their land. And she was given as 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:46.250 a slave to this great general. And she made the 00:14:46.250 --> 00:14:48.570 comment one day in passing, oh, it's too bad 00:14:48.570 --> 00:14:50.350 you don't know about the prophet who's over in 00:14:50.350 --> 00:14:55.809 Israel. You would surely be healed. Well, that 00:14:55.809 --> 00:14:58.370 comment created a lot of curiosity in Naaman. 00:15:00.750 --> 00:15:03.590 He went to the king and said, I need to go to 00:15:03.590 --> 00:15:05.730 Israel. And so the king said, I'll give you a 00:15:05.730 --> 00:15:07.769 letter. He took off for Israel. Went to the king 00:15:07.769 --> 00:15:11.190 of Israel and said, I need to find this prophet 00:15:11.190 --> 00:15:14.690 who's able to cure me of my leprosy. Well, the 00:15:14.690 --> 00:15:16.830 king of Israel was not a great man of faith. 00:15:17.730 --> 00:15:20.649 And he figured this was some kind of a plot by 00:15:20.649 --> 00:15:25.470 the Syrians to undermine him, to cause some issue 00:15:25.470 --> 00:15:27.730 to arise so that the Syrians could attack. He 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:32.000 was in despair. But somehow Elisha heard about 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:33.700 all of this and he sent a note to the king said 00:15:33.700 --> 00:15:37.220 don't worry don't worry send him down and So 00:15:37.220 --> 00:15:41.039 Naaman arrived at Elisha's house He knocked on 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:45.159 the door Explained his problem and Elisha said 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:48.200 go down to the River Jordan and dip yourself 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:54.000 seven times That particular part of the story 00:15:54.000 --> 00:15:57.820 caused one preacher that I heard about to name 00:15:57.820 --> 00:16:01.559 his sermon on this text, seven ducks in muddy 00:16:01.559 --> 00:16:06.559 water. Well, he was talking about Naaman who 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:09.639 had to dip himself seven times in the muddy Jordan. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:13.100 Naaman absolutely refused. His pride would not 00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:16.000 allow him to do something like that. And he went 00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:18.580 away storming mad, but his servants came to him 00:16:18.580 --> 00:16:21.799 and said, hey, I mean, what can this hurt? He 00:16:21.799 --> 00:16:23.539 said, look, you know, there are rivers over in 00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:25.779 Syria that are cleaner than this Jordan. They 00:16:25.779 --> 00:16:27.899 said, if this will work, why don't you do it? 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:31.860 So finally he relented and humbled himself and 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.539 went down to the Jordan River, dipped himself 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:37.120 seven times, and when he came up that seventh 00:16:37.120 --> 00:16:43.100 time, his flesh was clean and whole. God had 00:16:43.100 --> 00:16:47.100 healed him. Now was there something in Naaman 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:52.259 that caused God to say, oh my, there is a wonderful 00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:56.990 Syrian general? And he deserves my cleansing 00:16:56.990 --> 00:16:59.370 from this disease. Is that what he said? No. 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:02.710 God didn't say that about Naaman. Naaman was 00:17:02.710 --> 00:17:08.609 a sinner. He was a leper. He was condemned. But 00:17:08.609 --> 00:17:12.009 God in His grace provided for Naaman to learn 00:17:12.009 --> 00:17:16.950 how he might be made whole. And when Naaman responded 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:20.509 in faith and humility finally, he was made whole. 00:17:21.190 --> 00:17:23.730 And Nehemiah not only went away a healed leper, 00:17:23.829 --> 00:17:27.410 he went away a believer in the true God of Israel. 00:17:28.609 --> 00:17:33.509 The grace of God. Some of you have heard of Lee 00:17:33.509 --> 00:17:37.589 Atwater, who was chairman of the Republican Party. 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:39.630 He died just a couple of weeks ago of a brain 00:17:39.630 --> 00:17:43.650 tumor. By his own admission, Lee Atwater was 00:17:43.650 --> 00:17:50.940 not a nice man through his life. He rose very 00:17:50.940 --> 00:17:53.700 quickly through the ranks of political power 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:56.000 in the Republican Party. He was chairman, as 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:59.640 you may recall, of the election committee for 00:17:59.640 --> 00:18:04.960 President Bush. He was willing to do whatever 00:18:04.960 --> 00:18:08.799 was necessary to see that George Bush was elected 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:12.920 president of the United States. Regarding Michael 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:17.940 Dukakis, the Democratic candidate, Atwater said 00:18:17.940 --> 00:18:20.440 that he would strip the bark off the little so 00:18:20.440 --> 00:18:25.500 and so during the 1988 presidential campaign. 00:18:26.940 --> 00:18:32.900 Well, I think history shows that he did. He also 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:35.619 said that he did not care what people said about 00:18:35.619 --> 00:18:39.519 him as long as he got the results that he wanted. 00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:45.400 He was a man who believed that the ends justify 00:18:45.400 --> 00:18:48.019 whatever the means might be, and he didn't care 00:18:48.019 --> 00:18:51.559 whose reputation or feelings were involved. He 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:54.640 didn't care if he lied. He didn't care if he 00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:59.859 distorted. He wanted the end result and made 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:05.920 a lot of enemies. And then at 40 years of age, 00:19:05.980 --> 00:19:11.829 he was struck with a brain tumor. He says, I 00:19:11.829 --> 00:19:15.390 was never a religious man. If you asked me, I 00:19:15.390 --> 00:19:17.170 would have said I was a Christian, but I didn't 00:19:17.170 --> 00:19:20.569 go to church and can't pretend that I relied 00:19:20.569 --> 00:19:25.250 on my faith for much of anything. But he went 00:19:25.250 --> 00:19:28.250 on to say that having the brain tumor diagnosed, 00:19:28.269 --> 00:19:33.269 he began to reevaluate things. And as a result 00:19:33.269 --> 00:19:38.150 of that, in some ministry by Charles Coulson 00:19:38.150 --> 00:19:43.539 and others, Lee Atwater placed his faith in Jesus 00:19:43.539 --> 00:19:48.859 Christ within the last year. And he began to 00:19:48.859 --> 00:19:52.720 read the Bible voraciously. And he began to do 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.880 things he would never have dreamed of before. 00:19:55.519 --> 00:20:00.759 He sent letters of apology to Dukakis and to 00:20:00.759 --> 00:20:09.259 others that he had mistreated and defamed. Now, 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:13.019 the press does not understand this. One editor 00:20:13.019 --> 00:20:15.599 was writing about it in one of the local newspapers 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:19.240 this week and said, maybe it was all done in 00:20:19.240 --> 00:20:24.940 sincerity. Maybe it was just good timing. His 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:27.920 death brings up a dilemma I've struggled with 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:32.740 for years, says this editor. Excuse me. How necessary 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:35.880 is it to live your life within the boundaries 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:40.099 of civility If a little last -minute penitence 00:20:40.099 --> 00:20:44.940 can negate it all, put it more bluntly, is God 00:20:44.940 --> 00:20:49.680 really this big of a pushover? Well, the editor 00:20:49.680 --> 00:20:53.440 exposes his skepticism, which is not always unhealthy 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:57.859 for an editor, but he also exposes his woeful 00:20:57.859 --> 00:21:05.200 ignorance of God. God is not ever a pushover. 00:21:08.140 --> 00:21:15.619 But God is gracious. And God is willing to forgive 00:21:15.619 --> 00:21:20.420 anyone who comes to Him with repentance and faith. 00:21:22.359 --> 00:21:24.740 And we can be grateful that Lee Atwater came 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:29.759 to that point in the last year of his life. What 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:32.720 an illustration of grace we see in this man. 00:21:35.880 --> 00:21:40.230 Another man that you have heard of and who has 00:21:40.230 --> 00:21:44.789 been called by some of us, even, pineapple face. 00:21:46.349 --> 00:21:48.769 No, it's not a Dick Tracy cartoon character. 00:21:49.970 --> 00:21:53.990 It's Manuel Noriega of Panama. I should say, 00:21:53.990 --> 00:22:00.390 lately, of Panama. Ruthless little dictator. 00:22:03.970 --> 00:22:11.660 A killer. Stole from his own people He dealt 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:22.880 in drugs as low as a scum of the earth But as 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:25.119 you know the story he was removed from power 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:27.160 by a little action on the part of the United 00:22:27.160 --> 00:22:31.000 States and was taken To Miami where he sits today 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:37.000 in prison awaiting his trial Back In January 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:41.660 of 1990, just a little over a year ago, there 00:22:41.660 --> 00:22:45.559 was a man who mailed a New Testament to Noriega. 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:48.900 He had nothing to do but to read, and so he began 00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:52.480 to read it. And they asked for, these people 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:54.519 who mailed the New Testament asked for time to 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:58.259 visit with him. And he consented. It took months 00:22:58.259 --> 00:23:00.839 for the red tape to be worked through, but finally 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:05.579 it was agreed that on a certain day, they would 00:23:05.579 --> 00:23:08.900 come to visit with Manuel Noriega. It was the 00:23:08.900 --> 00:23:12.700 15th of May, not even a year ago. They came to 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:15.180 his cell and sat down with him. And over the 00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:18.920 course of three hours, explained to him more 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:20.980 fully the New Testament he had been reading. 00:23:22.180 --> 00:23:25.359 And Noriega, with tears streaming down his cheeks, 00:23:25.619 --> 00:23:29.220 repented. And his own words are that he placed 00:23:29.220 --> 00:23:33.289 his faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior. Here 00:23:33.289 --> 00:23:40.650 is what he wrote in his Bible in Spanish. I received 00:23:40.650 --> 00:23:43.990 Jesus Christ as my Savior the 15th day of May 00:23:43.990 --> 00:23:49.829 of 1990 at 11 a .m. The same group went then 00:23:49.829 --> 00:23:53.029 to visit his immediate family. His wife and two 00:23:53.029 --> 00:23:56.549 daughters also reportedly have received Jesus 00:23:56.549 --> 00:24:00.890 Christ as Savior. Is God a pushover? Not in the 00:24:00.890 --> 00:24:04.140 least, my friend. then how can God forgive a 00:24:04.140 --> 00:24:09.019 person like Noriega? The same way that He can 00:24:09.019 --> 00:24:16.579 forgive you and me. Noriega's sin was nailed 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:20.619 to the cross of Jesus Christ. Does that mean 00:24:20.619 --> 00:24:23.519 that he should be let out of prison and go free 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.400 and testify? No, it means that he's going to 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:29.339 have to pay for the crimes that he's committed 00:24:29.339 --> 00:24:32.769 against society. however he is found guilty. 00:24:35.789 --> 00:24:40.210 But it does mean that before God's court, Noriega 00:24:40.210 --> 00:24:47.509 is forgiven by the grace of God. I hope that 00:24:47.509 --> 00:24:50.150 you know the meaning of that forgiveness, that 00:24:50.150 --> 00:24:57.390 God gives freely and sovereignly. How do we respond 00:24:57.390 --> 00:25:02.259 to such grace as this? How do we respond to such 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:07.940 unselfishness on the part of God? Well, obviously 00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:12.079 we can't pay God back for His grace. We can't 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:14.539 now do something that is going to say, well, 00:25:14.660 --> 00:25:18.119 now here's what I'm doing for you because of 00:25:18.119 --> 00:25:20.740 that, and it kind of pays you back, God. It doesn't 00:25:20.740 --> 00:25:25.039 work that way. But what the apostle says in our 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:29.339 text is that because of God's grace that cannot 00:25:29.339 --> 00:25:32.880 even be described in human words, that we ought 00:25:32.880 --> 00:25:38.859 to be gracious in our giving. The grasp of God's 00:25:38.859 --> 00:25:43.200 grace in our lives should cause us to let go 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:48.640 of what we tend to hang on to in our selfishness. 00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:54.279 The story is told about two travelers. One was 00:25:54.279 --> 00:26:00.779 greedy and the other was envious. As they were 00:26:00.779 --> 00:26:03.619 traveling along, by and by an angel came and 00:26:03.619 --> 00:26:07.859 walked with them for a time. And then it was 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:10.480 time for the angel to leave. And so before he 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:13.880 left, he said, I want to do something for you. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:17.579 And he said to these two, greedy and envious, 00:26:19.359 --> 00:26:24.119 I will grant the wish of the first of you to 00:26:24.119 --> 00:26:28.859 make a wish. And then I will give a double portion 00:26:29.869 --> 00:26:36.109 of that wish to the second one. Well, you can 00:26:36.109 --> 00:26:39.609 imagine the dilemma that it put those two in. 00:26:40.410 --> 00:26:42.470 Greedy didn't want to go first because he wanted 00:26:42.470 --> 00:26:46.170 the double portion. Envy didn't want to make 00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:52.009 the first wish because he would envy the double 00:26:52.009 --> 00:26:55.589 portion that greedy got. And so there ensued 00:26:55.589 --> 00:27:00.380 an argument, followed by a struggle. and then 00:27:00.380 --> 00:27:04.720 a fight until one had the other by the neck almost 00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:08.480 dead and then he relented. And he said, all right, 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:14.140 all right, I'll make my wish. And he said, I 00:27:14.140 --> 00:27:21.720 wish myself blind in one eye. His wish was granted 00:27:21.720 --> 00:27:29.400 and the other got the double portion. Envy. and 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:34.880 greed are totally counterproductive. When you 00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:38.599 and I grasp and hang on to what God has put into 00:27:38.599 --> 00:27:42.420 our hands in the first place, it only ultimately 00:27:42.420 --> 00:27:47.559 corrupts us and destroys us. How much better 00:27:47.559 --> 00:27:50.119 that we should recognize that the God we worship 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:55.500 is a God who gives. And that we allow that grace 00:27:57.289 --> 00:28:02.130 to be very real in our lives as well. That because 00:28:02.130 --> 00:28:13.410 He is a giver, we're givers. Let's pray. We sing 00:28:13.410 --> 00:28:16.849 sometimes the hymn, All to Jesus I surrender. 00:28:17.970 --> 00:28:24.410 All to Him I freely give. But before we ever 00:28:24.410 --> 00:28:31.079 sang that song, Jesus, as it were, sang to us, 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:40.960 all to you I surrender, all for you I freely 00:28:40.960 --> 00:28:50.980 give. Because of that great grace, you and I 00:28:50.980 --> 00:28:56.069 can release what we hang onto. and invest with 00:28:56.069 --> 00:29:01.930 God our time, our talents, and our treasures. 00:29:03.710 --> 00:29:05.950 May that be the spirit and the attitude of our 00:29:05.950 --> 00:29:09.690 hearts. Talk to the Lord about it right where 00:29:09.690 --> 00:29:16.930 you're seated. Tell Him your response. Tell Him 00:29:16.930 --> 00:29:33.980 your response to His indescribable grace. Let's 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:36.099 stand together, please, with our heads bowed 00:29:36.099 --> 00:29:48.400 and sing. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound 00:29:48.400 --> 00:30:24.190 That saved a wretch like me! Father, we recognize 00:30:24.190 --> 00:30:30.079 you as the greatest giver in our church. And 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:34.559 how much you have given we can never fully define. 00:30:36.019 --> 00:30:41.079 How gracious you are. And so now may your grace 00:30:41.079 --> 00:30:45.940 overwhelm us and free us from sinful covetousness 00:30:45.940 --> 00:30:51.500 and greed and envy. And enable us likewise to 00:30:51.500 --> 00:30:59.099 be gracious in giving to others. In Jesus' name. 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:00.359 Amen.