Justifying Grace

Below is a speech I made during a Walk to Emmaus Weekend. For more info on Walk to Emmaus go to http://www.gracehouse.org/

Justifying Grace Talk:

In the nineteen-fifties a cake mix company came up with a new mix that only required the addition of one cup of water. The cake mix was a complete failure. Although in blind taste tests it always surpassed its competitors the company could not get people to buy the product. The company’s marketing department decided to ask shoppers in the cake mix isle of a grocery store why they chose other mixes over theirs. The result was shocking. The only reason that people refused to purchase the mix was that they believed that if it only required one cup of water that it must not be any good. The company immediately changed the recipe and the mix sold like the proverbial hot cakes. What did they do to the recipe? The mix now required one cup of water and one egg.

My name is Jamie Strickler and this talk is entitled “Justifying Grace.”
Fist a little about myself. I am a forgiven sinner crushed by the law and resurrected by the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been married to Suzanne, better known as Zanny, for eight years and we have three children: Joey 6, Ally, 5 and Gabby 1. I spent nine years as a finance director at some of the larger car dealerships in Iowa before God called me to be a preacher. In the last two years I have completed my BA in Religion from Grand View College in Des Moines IA, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and now I attend Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN on a full academic scholarship. While completing my undergraduate degree I served at Hope Ministries’ Bethel Rescue Mission, in downtown Des Moines, as a night chaplain.

Introduction:

Justifying Grace tells the story of how an individual responds to God’s calling of them into a relationship with Him. It is the moment when we realize that we do not merit the relationship; it’s not something we work our way into. We come to this realization when we understand that God accepts you as you are to then make something new out of you. God accepts your unacceptability. Justifying Grace is the Holy Spirit turning us around, it's our awakened awareness, our eyes being opened to the love and companionship of God; the Holy Spirit making God’s claim on you irresistible and changing you from the inside out. In the Old Testament God used the prophets to call His people’s wicked, unfaithful hearts back to a genuine relationship with Him by reminding them of His covenant.

As we have heard, in the Prevenient Grace talk, God is constantly pursuing us, sometimes referred to as the hounds of heaven. Throughout the Bible we hear of God calling His people into a mutual love relationship through a covenant. In the Old Testament times when two parties wanted to make a covenant with each other they chose a covenant representative from either party. Each covenant representative would bring an animal and sacrifice it before the other party. The animals represented each party’s willingness to die to up hold the covenant.

In the New Testament God makes a New Covenant. He sends Jesus, His very Word, as a sacrificial Lamb to die for the forgiveness of sins and as an act of His law convicting sinners in an attempt to call them back to Him. Those who believe in His promise are counted as righteous, or in a right relationship with Him. Through His grace God sends the Holy Spirit to create in you a new heart through faith. And how does this faith happen? This faith happens through the hearing of the Word of God.

Romans 10:17
17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

In His mercy God sends a preacher with the Word of God on his tongue to deliver to sinners a message that releases the Holy Spirit and causes faith to come to life inside of the repentant sinner. Our relationship with God happens by faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:14-15
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"[a]

In the first part of my talk I told you of a cake mix company and how they sold their mix by giving the consumer more of a part to play in the creation of the cake. Well God is like the cake mix company. He wants to give you a very tasty cake. But as humans we have a hard time believing that all we have to do is add one cup of water or just believe in Jesus. Men always want to have control in their lives and a relationship with God isn’t any different. But the truth is that the cake company doesn’t need our help to complete the cake. But to sell our rebellious minds on the mix God lets us believe that we have a part to play, saying yes when he calls.

When the Holy Spirit has created enough faith within you to accept the fact that God’s grace is more than you could ever hope for you are said to have had a conversion. St. Paul calls it being crucified with Christ or putting the old self to death.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me

The more you hear the Word of God the more your faith grows. Through faith you gain a better understanding of yourselves and gain the desire to care for the needs of your brothers and sisters. You come into a fuller understanding of God’s purpose for your life. Please understand that from faith comes good works. You don’t do good works then have faith. Your relationship with God isn’t something you merit, remember the cake company.

Romans 3:20-26

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

No one will be justified by the law in other words by how well you serve or pray. You can no longer lean on your own strength and understanding to follow Jesus. You must pull away from yourselves so that the Holy Spirit can do His work inside of you. If you think you have control over your sinful body, try to invoke that control the next time you have diarrhea or try to stop your heart from beating or hold your breath.

Humans can’t always trust their emotions. I’ll be honest some days I wake up and I don’t feel saved. Those are the days when my faith must cling to the promises of Jesus; “My body broken for you, My blood shed for you.” By remembering Jesus’ finished work on the cross I know that regardless of how I feel, God is at work in my life. God is infinitely patient, even through your days of unfaith, He is there working in your lives putting to death the flesh and raising up the spirit.

Romans 6:4

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

God’s grace is the enabling factor for the change in your life. What are some disciplines that you may practice so that God’s graciousness grows in you? We have already discussed the importance of the hearing of the Word of God therefore church attendance is important. Even if the sermon on a particular Sunday isn’t any good, even if the choir is off key and even if your child is disruptive you still hear the Word of God proclaimed and your faith is the better for it. Some other disciplines that involve the Word are prayer, scripture reading, meditation, and doing what you were called to do. By doing what you were called to do I mean loving your neighbor. God doesn’t need your good works, something about Him being all powerful, but your neighbor does. If your neighbor needs help moving then go help them move. Don’t go with some ulterior motive of converting them. That only leads to trying to merit souls for the Lord and that is way beyond your ability. You show them God’s love and grace and let God do the converting. You might be surprised; your neighbor might ask you why you are such a helpful friend. That question is God opening the door for you to discuss you faith. Never try to pry that door open. Hard human hearts won’t allow it. Trust me I’ve tried it.

Let me tell you the story of a homeless man named Al. Al was the third and unwanted child. He was tied to a bed until he was two years old. At the age of six his parent sent him to a mental institution where he was molested. At the age of eight he was sent to reform school where he was molested. At fourteen he ran away and was selling his body on the streets to pedophiles to earn money for food. At sixteen his parents allowed him to come home where he raped his older sister and younger brother. Al has done time in jail for kidnapping a woman during a car jacking. Al is a hopeless alcoholic on the streets of down town Des Moines. Try as I may I just couldn’t convince Al of God’s love. I learned that I didn’t have that power. My job was to love him right where he was and not for what I wanted him to be. I was to love him, answer his questions about God when asked, and pray for him daily. When I say I have tried to break down the door I have. But through that experience it was me that God was changing not Al. I still talk to him on the phone about once a month and pray for him daily. I’m doing what I was called to do.

I have learned a semester of Greek in the last three weeks so let me share a word with you. Agape. It is one of the three Greek words for love. Agape is the love that God has for you. It is a love so deep that the finite human mind can not comprehend it. Agape is what you’re receiving this weekend. The kitchen crew, the agape team and even the people of the Emmaus Community have written you letters to let you know about this agape. Believe me it is a rare occurrence in this world to see it in action.

So when you return to your lives remember this agape, remember that you are called to love your neighbor. That is your calling, your vocation. In his essay “On the Freedom of a Christian” Martin Luther said, “Don’t go looking for crosses to bear, a man who has a family has cross enough.” Our crosses are the people God calls us to care for. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! De colores!