No Assembly Required Series

Life Verse| No Assembly Required

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from othe wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by rhis life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received sreconciliation.”

Romans 5:6-11

Children love getting gifts and it’s a big reason why they love Christmas and birthdays. When I grew up, I loved it when my parents would come home and just give me gifts, out of the blue. It made me feel special because I never knew the gift was coming and I didn’t have to do anything to earn the gift. Now, as far as days like Christmas and my birthday, while I don’t have to “do” anything to get the gifts I am given, they were kind of expected.

Of all the gifts I was given, there came three little words on the box of the gift that easily turned the gift into a nightmare, even temporarily. Those words were, “Some assembly required.” I am one of those people who don’t enjoy putting things together.

One of the gifts I remember receiving was a bike. I recall on separate occasions that my dad bought a bike for me that had to be put together and I impatiently waited for him to assembly the product so I could enjoy it. Yet, I also remember getting a bike that was a finished product and I was able to enjoy it immediately.

In essence, no assembly required is often the best gift a kid can get

When I was growing up, attending the Catholic Church, I had this picture in my head that God was not only holy and perfect but he wanted me to be someone I could never really be. I had an unhealthy fear of God in the sense that if I didn’t get my life right, then I would face his judgment. That’s a tough thing to face when you’re a kid because you want to enjoy your life. You want to spend time with your friends and build forts and tease girls. So, the issue I was facing was that having fun seemed to go against everything that God wanted for me. I had this fear of dying and having to face God because I wanted to live my life.

Again, life came with the sense of “Some assembly required.” Basically, I had to do something before I was a complete product. I had to be on God’s good side and being morally good, all the time or else hell would await me with open arms. What a terrifying thought!

So it all comes down to this. Here I am, a sinner, lost in my sin, with this crazy hope that one day I will get my life in order but as life continues on, I am finding it more and more difficult to be good. I am finding church to not make a lot of sense anymore and when I am at church, I want to be spending time with my friends and playing video games!

“But God…” that’s the key phrase that changes everything in this life. A careful reading throughout the Scriptures reveals that “But God” moments often occur following man’s failure. As the Old Testament drives us to the Incarnation of Christ we find ourselves still without hope. In a hopeless world Christ leads us to another “But God” moment that changes everything.

1. On the cross, Jesus displayed his love for us.

The cross is, was and always will be the focal point of God’s story. At the cross, Jesus laid down his life for lost sinners. It’s not simply the act of death but what it portrays that makes it so amazing. Jesus died for those who would betray him, those who deny him, those who would hate him and those who would kill him. It was not simply an act of death but an act towards those who were against him. Christ died for his enemies, Christ died for those who are weak, and Christ died for those who are lost.

Paul describes the condition of man in Romans 5:6-10 with these terms: weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies. Jesus died for his enemies, those who were hostile towards an all loving God. This Jesus, crucified, is the picture of amazing grace.