Movie about 10 years ago called RADIO. About a man who learned that life is not about winning and power but true wealth and joy comes from goodness, forgiveness and love. A football coach takes a liking to a mentally handicapped young man and invites him to share in the practices and football games. Others are very uncomfortable because they are this feeble-minded outsider is so different. When they first meet Radio he cannot communicate, he just pushes a shopping cart around a small southern town every day. The football players taunt him and abuse him. Radio doesn’t get mad when others make fun of him, radio forgives their taunts and jokes at his expense, even when they make him to look like a threat he is friendly and caring of others. The coach gets furious. He stands in defense of Radio and says to an unofficial town meeting “It is not because he acts different that you want to get rid of Radio, but you are afraid of him because he acts the way you know you should act.” When the town and the school board questions the effort to teach Radio the coach responds “we are not teaching Radio, he is the one teaching us.”
Eventually we discover that the football coach helped Radio because he knows of another incident where he saw someone in need and did nothing.
! Corinthians 9:15
Today’s message forces us to ask ourselves the question, “How do I express my thankfulness for God’s indescribable gifts?”
Chapters 8-9 of 2 Corinthians Paul talks of our giving back to God out of an understanding of His grace. He tells how the Macedonian churches, even though they had faced severe tragedy, begged for the chance to give and share in the ministry of the gospel of Jesus Christ in other cities. Through these 2 chapters Paul explains that our giving will encourage others to give, that our unselfish giving will result in returned blessing, that our giving will meet the needs of others, and will unite God’s people with a common purpose and most importantly, glorify God. Listen as Paul explains
2 Corinthians 9:12-15 This is not a message on giving money to the church, nor is it a message on how to receive God’s blessings, but it is a message on how we ought to live richly and generously because of God’s indescribable gift. No matter how much you give back to God, you cannot out give Him.
What has He given us?
1. The indescribable gift of God’s Son
2 Corinthians 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. Jesus is the eternal God, creator of everything. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is powerful and can do anything He chooses yet He chose to step down from the throne of Heaven and be born in a feeding trough in a borrowed barn to engaged parents who were strangers in town. He stepped down from the worship of multitudes of angels to love the unlovable and instead of master he became a servant to the homeless and untouchables. He stepped down from the security of all eternity to face the one uncertainty of all life, death. He stepped down from Heaven as His home to be laid in a borrowed tomb. But though Christ stepped down from Heaven to die, death did not have the final say; Rom 6:8-11 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. ESV
Now death and sin are powerless,
1 Cor 15:55-58
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ESV
God’s indescribable gift of Himself, how do we say thanks for life?
2. The inexpressible gift of God’s grace
Titus 3:4-8
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. ESV
Rom 5:5-8 God's love has been poured into our hearts
can you think of a better definition of grace? through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ESV
Every time I read these verses I hear the words “When we were at our worst, He gave His best.” The heart of the gospel is God’s immense grace. Although we are helplessly sinful, God through grace forgives us completely. It is only by His infinite grace that we are saved. Not by moral character, works of goodness, commandment–keeping, or church going. When we accept God’s total pardon, we receive the gift of eternal life. Many people will limit grace to that point in their lives when they walked to the front of a church and took the pastor’s hand. Saved by grace for them was a time long ago. But God’s infinite grace is not limited to a salvation event, but to a life of continually being saved.
Ira Sankey hymn—Have you on the Lord believed?/ Still there’s more to follow./ Of His grace have you received?/ Still there’s more to follow./ Oh the grace the Father shows,/ Still there’s more to follow;/ Freely He His grace bestows,/ Still there’s more to follow./ More and more and more and more,/ always More to follow;/ Oh, His matchless, boundless love,/ Still there’s more to follow.
3. The unspeakable gift of Christian life. There are some things that are too profound for words to fully describe. The victorious Christian life should be one of them. We have been forgiven, redeemed and set free, but at the same time, we are now obligated to the one who redeemed us, we now are indebted to live a life of indescribable hope and joy
1 Chron 16:8-12
Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
12 Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles and the judgments he uttered, ESV
John 1:16-17
And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
It is not often that we are rendered speechless by anything. With the media making a drama out of every event we’ve become numb to the truly inexpressible. We have become a nation that feels as though we have to bring everything under the description of a few words. How do you adequately describe the birth of a baby–the beauty of God’s creation–the feelings of a first love– how the Almighty God saved each of us by His grace? It brings us to points in our lives where words can’t begin to describe our grasp of what is going on.
Sadly sometimes we are silent concerning God’s gifts to us. Not because we are speechless, but because we fail to understand the magnitude of His grace shown to us.
1 Peter 1:8-9 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Are you now the recipient of His Salvation? It cannot be fully described in words, does it show in your life?
2Corinthinas 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
