Sermon Central
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You Can't Come In...
Contributed by Sermon Central on Sep 8, 2011 (message contributor)
"YOU CAN'T COME IN..."
There was once a town drunk who gave his heart to Jesus Christ. He immediately stopped drinking and began to look for a church and had purposed in his heart that he would attend the first church he found. Determined to turn his life around he found a church and went in. He was met at the door by a couple of ushers and they told the man, "Please go home and clean up, take a bath, cut your hair, shave your beard and then you can come back to church." The man left and did what they asked and came back to the same church the next week.
Once again, he was met at the door by the ushers. The former drunk said, "I have done what you asked, I am clean, my hair cut and combed, I am clean shaven and I am ready to come to church."
The ushers said to the man, "That is good but your clothes are dirty and torn up. Go get a suit so that you will look nice for church." A little sad, the man decided to do what they asked, after all this was the church he felt he was supposed to attend. So he went out and bought a nice suit, determined that this time they would let him in so he could worship God.
The next Sunday the former drunk returned to that same church but this time the man was met by the two ushers and the senior pastor. Together, the three of them explained to the man that he could not come into the church because of his past. How would it look if the town drunk came to their church? The man walked out of the church totally dejected because he desired to worship God in a house of worship with the men and women of God. He sat down on the steps in front of the church and put his head in his hands and began to cry.
As he sat there, he felt the hand of someone touch his shoulder. Before he could look up he heard a voice say, "Don't worry my friend, I have been trying to get into that church for years and they won't let me in either." The former drunk looked up and saw a man dressed in a white robe with nail pierced hands. Jesus wanted in that church too.
(From a sermon by Greg Carr, Sheep or Goat, 8/10/2011)
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