INTRODUCTION
1. Perhaps you have
heard it said: "The best things
in life are free!"
2. This is especially
true when you consider that the "best" thing in
life is a gift...
a. I am speaking of that
which God offers to all who will accept it:
"eternal life"
b. It is truly a "gift
from God"! -
"For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord."
3. And yet, though
eternal life is a gift...
a. A high cost was paid
to offer the gift
b. And a high cost must
be paid to receive it!
4. A high cost for a
free gift? How can that be?
a. This
"paradox" can sometimes be difficult to comprehend
b. However, teachings of
Jesus are often found in the form of a
"paradox"
(e.g., the Beatitudes -
"Blessed are the
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the
earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled."
c. Upon closer
examination, such "paradoxes" are not really
contradictions, but
expressions of very important spiritual
truths!
I. THE FREE GIFT OF
SALVATION
A. MANY HAVE A WRONG
CONCEPT ABOUT HOW SALVATION IS OBTAINED...
1. They think that
salvation is earned by the "good works" they do
2. Consider this
statement by a devout Muslim: "All
my life I
have obeyed the Koran
and worshipped Allah faithfully. If,
after death, I find that
there is no paradise and there is no
houris with which a man
may be comforted, as the Koran
promises, I shall feel
that I have been miserably cheated."
3. Many professing
Christians have a similar concept of attaining
heaven, that their
reward is received because of...
a. Their good life
b. Their generous giving
of their money
c. Their faithful
attendance at church
B. BUT SALVATION IS
GOD'S GIFT TO UNDESERVING MEN...
1. Offered while we were
still sinners, ungodly, and enemies -
"Blessed are they
which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God."
2. Not because we love
God, but because He loved us! -
1John 4:9-10
"In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins."
3. And it is offered to
all who will receive it! -
"And he said unto
me, it is done. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. I will give
unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
"And the Spirit and
the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is
athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
[Salvation, then, is
offered "freely". But does
that mean it costs
nothing? Not at all!
Indeed, we shall see
that nothing in all the universe has cost so
much...]
II. THE HIGH COST OF
PROVIDING THE GIFT
A. WHAT IT COST THE
FATHER -
"For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son , that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."
"He that spared not
his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely give us all things?"
1. It cost Him the
sacrifice of His only begotten Son!
2. He did not spare His
Son in an effort to save us from our
sins!
B. WHAT IT COST THE SON
-
"Let this mind be
in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross."
1. It cost Him the
renunciation of glory and majesty, which He
had with the Father
before coming to this world
2. It cost Him the
humiliation of servitude, even to the point
suffering and finally
dying by crucifixion for our sins
C. WHAT IT COST THE HOLY
SPIRIT -
"But we are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the
spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our lord Jesus Christ."
"And grieve not the
holy spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
1. A ministry through
the ages of patiently wooing the stubborn
hearts of sinful men
through the call of the gospel
2. Suffering long with
men who treat Him ill, being grieved when
they resist Him
[Each Person of the
triune Godhead has paid dearly to make the gift of
salvation possible. So certainly from the viewpoint of its
"provision", we can see "The High Cost Of A Free
Gift".
But the "acceptance"
of this free gift is also costly...]
III. THE HIGH COST OF
ACCEPTING THE GIFT
A. IT COSTS THE DENIAL
OF SELF, AND THE RENUNCIATION OF MUCH THAT
MEN HOLD DEAR...
1. Paul, who gladly paid
the cost, expressed it vividly in
several passages -
"I am crucified
with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not i, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which i now live in the flesh i
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for
me."
"But what things
were gain to me, those i counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and i count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord: for whom i have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but
dung, that i may win Christ,"
2. One cannot accept
Christ and His salvation on lesser terms
than the complete
surrender of self to Him!
B. THIS IS WHAT MAKES
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST "A HARD GOSPEL" FOR MANY
TO ACCEPT...
1. They want to accept
Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord of their
lives
a. Some even suggest
that accepting Jesus as Savior and as
Lord are two entirely
separate acts
b. But the two are
inseparable - cf.
"For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
"Therefore let all
the house of israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
"The word which God
sent unto the Children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord
of all: )"
c. Even religious
leaders who have led people to think
otherwise are beginning
to see the error of their ways:
"The church today
is paralyzed at the moment of its supreme
opportunity because we
have committed the blasphemy of
insisting that what is
so costly for God shall come easy to
us. We haven't dared face our congregations with
a hard
gospel." -- Dr.
Paul Calvin Payne, General Secretary, the
Board of Christian
Education, Presbyterian Church
2. No man can accept
Jesus as "Savior of his soul" without
accepting Him as "Lord
of his life"!
a. Jesus Himself made
this clear when He warned His hearers
that the cost of
discipleship is high
b. The lordship of Jesus
over self, life, and possessions must
be acknowledged if we
are to know Him as Savior!
3. People must realize
that Jesus commission His disciples to
preach "repentance
and remission of sins in His name"
Luke 24:47
"and that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem."
a. There is no remission
apart from repentance!
b. And repentance
involves the whole life! -
"For godly sorrow
worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the
world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a
godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of
yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire,
yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to
be clear in this matter."
1) Not only sorrow for
the past, that leads to repentance
2) But zeal and fervor
for the future, that affects how we
will live
c. Repentance is
therefore the abandoning of our own selfish
way, to go God's way in
obedience and fellowship with Him
C. "JUST ACCEPT
CHRIST AND BE SAVED" IS THE APPEAL OF MANY...
1. And many people
assume that it is a matter of "just accepting"
Him, "with no
strings attached"
2. However, consider the
words of Jesus Himself - cf
"He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him."
John 14:25
"These things have
I spoken unto you, being yet present with you."
3. To "receive
Jesus", then, requires a full surrender to the
lordship of Christ, a
sincere acceptance of His commandments
"If ye keep my commandments
, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and
abide in his love."
CONCLUSION
1. That is why the "gift"
of salvation, while offered freely, still
comes with a high
cost...
a. Salvation cannot be
earned, nor merited, by any amount of good
deeds
b. For even after a
lifetime of diligent obedience we are still
"unworthy
servants"
"So likewise ye,
when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are
unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."
c. But the Lordship of
Jesus rightly demands a full surrender to His
authority - cf.
2. Yes, the gift of
salvation is costly...
a. It cost God more than
heaven can declare
b. It cost Jesus the
agony and shame of the cross
c. Even today it costs
the Holy Spirit who seeks to woo you through
the gospel
d. And it costs everyone
who truly receives it the total submission
of self to the rightful
claims of Jesus on the lives and souls of
all who would be His for
time and eternity!
Jesus has paid the high
cost to offer you the gift of salvation...have
you paid the high cost
of accepting it? - cf.
"Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricked
in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, men and
brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto to you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call."
By Dinah Ramos
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