The Room – God’s Grace

Good morning. If you would be pleased turning to Ephesians chapter 2, we’ll be reading from there in a few minutes. I would like to thank the congregation for this opportunity to speak to you this morning from God’s word in Brent’s absence. And if you’re visiting with us, I’d like to add my greeting to you.

Please stay afterwards so we can get to know you better. While working with Exxon Mobil, I had the opportunity to live on Sakhalin Island, Russia from 2006 to 2011. There there was a small group of Christians, about typically about 15. And when I first arrived, there was two Russian preachers and an American who was fluent in Russian who preached all the lessons.

But after a while, the American and one of the Russian preachers moved away and the remaining preacher asked me to share in the preaching duties. Well, I had never preached and so I was kind of shaking in my boots. And um it really made me think about what our preachers have to do to prepare lessons every day for the congregation that things that will really impact their lives. As I started preparing sermons, there were several things I had to consider.

First, the people in the congregation had lived extremely difficult lives that I know some of you but probably not most of us could understand. They were all poor, could barely put food on their tables. One older lady in the congregation had been about 5 years old during the Battle of Leningrad in World War II and lost her entire family except for mom and her mom only lasted 2 years after that. So she grew up an orphan.

So the congregation needed a lot of encouragement. Secondly, they were extremely isolated from other Christians. There at the time were only four Churches of Christ in all of Far Eastern Russia, and that’s the area the size of the United States. So, not very many people.

They needed therefore a strong grounding in the word. Third, the sermons needed to be translated, and so they could only be about 12 to 15 minutes long because that ended up being 30 to 35 minutes after translation. But, I’m not going to have a 12 to 15 minute sermon today. I’ve added to it.

You’re not so lucky. Today’s lesson is based on one of the earliest sermons I preached there to address the needs. And since the first time I preached this lesson in Russia, I’ve had the opportunity to preach it around the world in several locations. But, I’ve yet to make it through this sermon without tearing up because of what it means to me, so I’ll beg your indulgence if I do so again.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God made the ultimate sacrifice of his son so that we have a hope of everlasting life with him. Now, let us expand on this a little bit by looking at the verse I had you turn to, Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 to 10. “And you he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sin in which you once walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. And raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. What a tremendous statement of the grace of God that we have access to through faith. Have you ever thought or dreamed about what it’d be like when you meet Christ? Will you be happy or sad in the day of judgment?

Will you remember the good you have done, or will you look with shame upon the all the sins you’ve committed in your life? Do we truly understand the full level of our sin and how undeserving we are of the wonderful grace of God? Do we understand the response that we should have to that grace? While I read many times the various verses in the Bible about grace, it was a the struggle to try to understand exactly what God was telling me, what the full measure of his grace was.

Sometimes it takes something completely unexpected to truly understand things. I heard a young man named Joshua Harris speak at a home school conference when our kids were young. Soon after this we read a short story by Joshua that triggered my understanding of what the Bible was telling us telling me about God’s grace. The story is called The Room and it’s based on a dream that Joshua had one night.

The story’s been published in several places, so some of you may have already read it before. The Room from the book I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room. There was no distinguishing features save for one wall covered with small index card files.

They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by author or subject in alphabetical order. But these files would stretch from floor to ceiling and seemingly endlessly in each either direction had very different headings. As I drew near the walls of files, the first to catch my attention was one that read Girls I Have Liked. I opened it and began flipping through the cards.

I quickly shut it, shocking shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was. This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life. Here were written the actions of every moment big and small in a detail my memory couldn’t match.

A sense of wonder and curiosity coupled with horror stirred within me as I began randomly opening the files and exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories. Others a sense of shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if anyone was watching. A file named Friends was next to one marked Friends I Have Betrayed.

The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird. Books I Have Read, Lies I Have Told, Comfort I Have Given, Jokes I Have Laughed At. Some were almost hilarious in their exactness. Things I Have Yelled at My Brothers.

Others I Couldn’t Laugh At. Things I Have Done in My anger. Things I have muttered under my breath to my parents. I never ceased to be surprised by the contents.

Often there were many more cards than I expected, sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the life I had lived. Could it be possible that I had time in my 20 years to write each of those thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth.

Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature. When I pulled out the file marked songs I have listened to, I realized the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly and yet after two or three yards, I hadn’t found the end of the file.

I shut it shamed not so much by the quality of the music, but more by the vast amount of time I knew that file represented. When I came to the file marked lustful thoughts, I felt a chill run through my body. I pulled out the file only an inch, not willing to test its size and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content.

I felt sick that such a moment had been recorded. Suddenly I felt an almost almost animal rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind. No one must ever see these cards.

No one must ever see this room. I must destroy them. In an insane frenzy, I yanked the file out. Its size didn’t matter now.

I had to empty it and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file to its slot.

Leaning my forehead against the wall, I let out a long self-pitying sigh and then I saw it. The title People I have shared the gospel with. The handle was it was it was brighter than those around it. All new newer almost unused.

I pulled on its handle and a small box not more than 3 inches long fell out. I could count the hand the cards it contained on one hand. And then the tears came. I began to weep.

Sobs so deep that the hurt started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried out of shame from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of the file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes.

No one must ever ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears I saw him. No, please not him.

Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly as he began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn’t bear to watch his response and in the moments I could bring myself to look at his face I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.

He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did he have to read every one? Finally he turned and looked at at me from across the room. He looked at me with pity in his eyes.

But this was a pity that didn’t anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put his arms around me. He could have said so many things but he said he didn’t say a single word.

He just cried with me. He got up and walked back to to wall of files. Starting at one end of the room, he took out a file and one by one began to sign his name over mine on each card. “No!” I shouted, rushing to him.

All I could find to say was, “No, no.” as I pulled the card from him. His name shouldn’t be on those cards. But there it was, written in red, so rich, so dark, so alive. The name of Jesus covered mine.

It was written in his blood. He gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don’t think I’ll ever understand how he did it so quickly, but the next instant it seemed I heard him close that last file and walk back to my side.

He placed his hand on my shoulder and said, “It is finished.” I stood up and he led me out of the room. There was no lock in the store. There were still cards to be written. This is the end of the story as it was written, but is it really the end or is it just the beginning?

I don’t know about you, but there are many of those files, doors that hit right home with me. I think back on the sum total of my life and just as with the young man in the story, I’m overwhelmed with the volumes of things I’m ashamed of and things I should have done but didn’t. But then I say, “Surely I’ve done better since I’ve been a Christian.” Or what about in the past year? Better, but still many of the cards of the negative variety and not enough of the good.

What about last month? What about just this morning? Did I make it through just this morning before without sinning before my God? It is clear that we need the grace of God that God offers every day of our lives.

This morning I would like to look at three aspects of the grace of God. As I was researching material for this portion of the lesson, originally I went to Mark Copeland’s Executable Outlines and he had given a sermon with three points that, while titled differently, covered much of what I was looking to say. So, a good portion of what I’ll be saying from these points is from Mark Copeland’s outlines. First is that God’s grace is undeserved.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We must all plead guilty to the statement. We can never say we are good enough to enter heaven. Even the very best of us cannot on our own merit entrance into heaven in God’s sight. In Isaiah Isaiah 59:2 we read, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” And Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.” God is holy and cannot be approached by one guilty of sin.

Our sin severs the precious relationship we should have with him. We experience spiritual spiritual death, our separation from God, which left to go on will result in eternal separation. While in this state of spiritual death, we are literally dead to God. As sinners, we cannot remove our guilt on our own.

We can’t run away from it, and we can’t work our way out of it. So, don’t be deceived by notions of our own goodness. We are sinners who need salvation. The recognition of this is the first requirement in our search for salvation.

When we acknowledge our sinfulness, we put ourselves in a position to understand my second point, which is that God’s grace is freely given. 1 John 4:9-10 reads, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. And this is love, not that we love God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Out of God’s love, he provided his Son to die for us.

He made his Son a propitiation for our sin, a sacrifice designed to appease. The sacrifice of Jesus was meant to appease God for our sin. God is just and requires an act to satisfy that justice. Romans 3:24-26 says, “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God sent set forth as a propitiation by his blood through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” God satisfies his justice through the shed blood of his Son.

God’s grace therefore functions as follows. One, God’s justice requires an appropriate sacrifice for sin. And two, because he loves us, he provided his Son as a sacrifice for sin. God recognizes the death of Jesus on the cross as a suitable ransom for our sins, paid in full.

So, to satisfy both his justice and his love, God provided salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot earn. God has provided. But, the provision of grace is not unconditional.

Otherwise, all would be saved and the Bible makes clear that not all will be saved. We therefore need to consider my third point, which is that God’s grace requires a response. Hebrews 5:9 says, “And having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” And Romans 6:17-18 says, “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” And having been set free from sin, you may you became slaves of righteousness. Jesus is the source of our salvation to all who obey him.

Freedom and from sin comes when we are willing to obey from the heart. As I started the sermon, I asked the question, “Will you be happy or sad on the day of judgment?” In Revelation 20:11-15, we read, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.

And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Just like in the story, every act of our lives is recorded, and we will be judged by what is written in the books.

We will not have a second chance once we reach the judgment seat. If our name is not found written in the book of life, we’ll be thrown in the lake of fire. The young man in the story was fortunate. He recognized his sinful nature while he still had a chance to walk with Christ.

But since I originally preached the sermon, a lot has changed. The writer of the story eventually became the live pastor of Covenant Life Church from 2008 to 2014. But then something happened in his life and in 2019, he divorced his wife and claimed he was no longer a Christian. We all have choices in our lives, but we must finish the race.

If we turn from our sins and continue to walk in faith, we have an advocate Christ Jesus. First Corinthians, excuse me, 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Romans 2:6-11, “God, who will render to each one according to his deeds, eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also the Greek, for there is no partiality with God.” Listen to Job in Job chapter 16:16-21, “My face is flushed from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death, although no violence is in my hands and my prayer is pure.

Oh earth, do not cover my blood, and let my cry have no resting place. Surely even now my witness is in heaven, and my evidence is on high. My friends scorn me, my eyes pour out tears to God. Oh that one might plead for a man with God as a man pleads for his neighbor.” Just as Job had faith in God, we must have faith.

Christ was willing to die for us, to shed his precious blood, that we may have hope. Romans 5:1-11 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have access by faith into his grace, in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope. Now, hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is given to us.

For when we were still without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” Having been reconciled to him, we must be a changed people. We must walk out of that room with all those file cards of our lives, having every intent to fill the good files. We must be a spiritual people.

We must give ourselves to Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15: 50-58 it says, “I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the For the perishable must clothe itself with imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true. Death has been swallowed up in victory.

Where, oh death, is your victory? Where, oh death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is in the Lord is not in vain. Let Let us not let this sting us, but let us have victory through Christ.

Romans 6:1-6 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Certainly not. “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” “Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection.” “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” Have you recognized the sin in your life? Are you ready to confess Jesus is the Christ?

Are you ready to turn from your sin in repentance? Are you ready to be re- united with Christ in baptism? Or perhaps you have been baptized into Christ, but have allowed sin to creep back into your life. This morning you have the opportunity to make things right with your God.

Let’s first turn back to Revelation and continue in chapter 21 verses 1 to 7. Now, I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people.

God himself will be with them and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain. The former things have passed away.” Then he who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I will make all things new.” And he said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And he said to me, “It is done.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give the the foundation of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. Whatever your need this morning, please come forward as we stand and sing.