Sermon Central
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The Fact That God Forgives Us And Blesses Us When ... PRO
Contributed by Bill Sullivan on Jul 11, 2001 (message contributor)
The fact that God forgives us and blesses us when we don’t deserve it, and of course, we never really deserve it, is what makes grace such a risky thing.
Author Philip Yancey, in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace, calls these things loopholes. We all understand loopholes. Webster’s defines a loophole as a means of evading something unpleasant - a hole that provides a means of escape.
Yancey notes that in his book he provides what he calls "a one-sided picture of grace - portraying God as a lovesick father eager to forgive, and grace as a force potent enough to break the chains that bind us. He writes: "depicting grace in such sweeping terms makes people nervous, and I concede that I have skated to the very edge of danger. I have done so because I believe the New Testament does, too."
He then proceeds to tell the story of a friend of his he called Daniel. Daniel was about to leave his wife of 15 years for another woman, someone younger and prettier. He knew the personal and moral consequences of what he was about to do. But he had a larger concern - and he asked his friend "Do you think God can forgive something as awful as I am about to do?"
What a question, huh?
Yancey pondered, "How can I dissuade my friend from committing a terrible mistake if he knows forgiveness lies just around the corner?"
C.S. Lewis quoted Augustine, who said, "God gives where he finds empty hands." Then Lewis noted that a man whose hands are full of parcels can’t receive a gift. Then Yancey wrote: "Grace must be received. Lewis explains that what I have termed grace abuse stems from a confusion of condoning and forgiving. To condone an evil is simply to ignore it, to treat it as if it were good. But forgiveness needs to be accepted, as well as offered, if it is to be complete…and a man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness." Ultimately,...
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The Story Is Told Of A Man Who Once Went To ...
Contributed by Gene Gregory on Jul 19, 2004
The story is told of a man who once went to Alexander the Great and asked for some financial help. Alexander told the man to go to his treasurer and ask for whatever he needed. A little later, the treasurer went to Alexander and told him he was hesitant to give the man what he asked for because ...read more
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John Wesley Provides The Most Convicting Analysis ... PRO
Contributed by Kenneth Squires on Jul 20, 2004
John Wesley provides the most convicting analysis on what it means to be a true servant: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can.” Rick ...read more
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The First Day Of School Our Professor Introduced ... PRO
Contributed by Davon Huss on Oct 21, 2004
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a winkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire ...read more
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Road Rage
Contributed by Tom Burkholder on Sep 2, 2005
Illustration: “Road Rage” By Dan Betzer It happened just a couple of blocks from my study yesterday afternoon; it was about 4 o’clock with rush hour traffic. Iti our burgeoning county, it sometimes seems like every car on earth is in my lane. A young fellow kept weaving in and out of traffic, ...read more
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And Starting Today, You Are Beginning To Turn ... PRO
Contributed by Peter Schmidt on Nov 13, 2003
And starting today, you are beginning to turn into adults. While your parents still are going to make a lot of choices for you, you are just beginning that Phase where you begin to make some life-changing decisions. You will learn that mom and dad won’t always be there to tell you what to do. I’m ...read more
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