Testifying to the Gospel of God's Grace

The message I didn’t preach on Sunday would have been from Psalm 31. The Lord led me instead to Acts 20:22-24 where the apostle Paul basically says that his life means nothing to him, if only he may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus had given him. That task is testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

 That’s the kind of single-minded focus every believer ought to have concerning the mission God has given to us. When it comes to proclaiming what God has done for us through Jesus, we should strive to say sincerely with Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). When we truly yield our lives to Jesus as Lord, then the truth is that we will have denied ourselves, taken up our cross and follow Him wherever He leads.

I’m often convicted for my own lack of zeal. Maybe it’s a lack of completely dying to self and living fully in Christ. Perhaps I’m too concerned for my own life rather than offering it to God as a living sacrifice.

Yet in light of the gospel of God’s grace, what could I possibly withhold from Him? He is the One who poured out His mercy through Jesus on the cross. What I deserve because of my sin (and what everyone deserves because of their own sin) is death and hell. Yes, even one single act of rebellion toward God, even one failure to do the good I know I ought to do, is sin. And it’s enough to eternally separate me from His presence.

But, hallelujah, God doesn’t give us what we deserve! Instead, as we come humbly before Him in repentance and faith, acknowledging our absolute inability to save ourselves, receiving His forgiveness for our sins through Christ, then our God mercifully cleanses us from every stain of sin and washes us white as snow!

Friend, do you know how much God loves you? Even though you’ve messed up hundreds of times, even though you’ve said some awful things, even though you’ve done some hurtful things, and even though you’ve lived a self-pleasing, self-centered and self-sufficient life, God in His great love for you still sent His Son to take away your sins!

It’s like the judge before whom a young girl was brought having been fined for speeding. She was clearly guilty of breaking the law, and she had no means to pay the fine. The judge could have dismissed the case, but then he wouldn’t have been a just judge. He could have sentenced her to jail until the fine was paid, but that would have seemed unkind. Instead, he stood up out of his seat, removed his robe, walked away from the bench, took the money owed from his own pocket and paid the debt. You see, the girl was his daughter, and he loved her enough to cover the guilt and set her free.

That’s what our Lord did for us. It’s what He offers today to whosoever will believe in the name of Jesus. He came from heaven to earth, making Himself in human likeness, and paid the penalty we could not pay ourselves by pouring out His righteous wrath against His sinless Son when they crucified Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Because Jesus took our sins upon Himself, anyone who looks to Him for salvation will receive the mercy of God.

And not only will you not get what you do deserve, you will also get what you do not deserve – and that’s the unmerited favor of God, the gospel of His grace. When you turn away from sin and turn in faith to Jesus, you get abundant and everlasting life! You get the joy and the peace and the comfort and the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in you day by day as you walk this earth. And you get the assurance that when your time on earth is through you’ll have an eternal home in heaven in the presence of the living God!

That’s the gospel of God’s grace, of which Paul said he lived to testify. Paul knew that he himself had been the “worst of sinners,” but through the mercy and grace of God he had been saved. And he could not help but testify to what the Lord had done, urging others to believe on Jesus and receive eternal life. One whose life has been saved from eternal death can hardly hold back anything from the One who held back nothing to save us.

Maybe we’ll get to Psalm 31 this Sunday. I want to invite you to come and find out! Feel free to wear your favorite church T-shirt, or Christian T-shirt, or come dressed however you choose. Our worship of our Savior hinges not on what we wear on the outside, but on what we give Him from the inside. Hope to see you then, or better yet, on Thursday night (Sept. 9) also at the Popcorn Stage downtown for a great concert with The Whisnants!