Monday Morning Sermon

There’s probably no theme that I would rather preach than grace. No subject seems to grab me at the core, is so visceral, as this one. Maybe it is because the older I get, the more I realize the depth of love God has demonstrated to me. Jerry Bridges once remarked in a class he taught here at Western, “We are more sinful than we will ever know, and more loved by God than we will ever realize.”               

         

Scripture is the story of grace. And yet, I find many believers who still have a hard to time accepting it. Some continue to come to me, needing pastoral assurance that they are truly forgiven, that God is neither condemner not shamer. Maybe it is because some have grown up in Christian communities that have mutated into graceless institutions.                                                                                               

I shared in a recent sermon an episode from “The Simpsons,” where Homer sees his born again neighbor Maude and says, “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks. Where have you been?” And Maude replies, “I’ve been away at Bible camp, learning to be more judgmental.”  We laugh (a bit nervously). We’ve become pretty good at creating stone throwers. But if John Burke, in his book No Perfect People Allowed is right, that the emerging generation is as desperate for grace as any, where 1 of 3 have had an abortion, 1 of 6 have been sexually molested, most have been sexually active prior to marriage, and most men struggle with pornography, then the church better be especially ready to extend truth and love.      
                                                                                  

Want to see a powerful picture of grace in action?  Watch this video of a woman who is part of my staff at Village.                                                                                                                                 http://www.vbconline.org/vbc/sermon_video