February 3, 2008 -- "God's Love"

It was a mountain one-room school house where severe discipline was used to keep the rowdyism of uninterested pupils in check. The noon recess was ended and the teacher was interrogating the class with regard to the disappearance of Sally’s lunch. After a few minutes of verbal threats and demands, a sob was heard. It was little Billy, a thin, undernourished child. His family was the poorest of the poor.

“Did you take Sally’s lunch?” demanded the teacher. “Yes sir,” mumbled Billy through his tears. “I was hungry.”

“Nevertheless, you did wrong to steal and you must be punished,” declared the teacher.

“As the teacher removed the leather strap from its place on the wall, Billy was ordered to the front of the room and told to remove his shirt. The arm of the teacher was raised over the bent and trembling form of little Billy.

“Hold it, teacher!” shouted a husky voice from the rear of the room. It was Big Jim, striding down the aisle removing his shirt as he came. “Let me take his whipp’n,” he begged.

The teacher was aghast, but knowing that justice must be demonstrated, he consented and laid the belt to the back of Big Jim with such force that even the stronger boy winced. But Billy never forgot the day that Big Jim took his place. (James S. Hewett)

The story of what Big Jim did for Billy is what Christ did for us. He took our place. You see, we are God’s children – all of us. But because of sin – the bad things that people do – we are separated from our heavenly Father. So, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sin. That is why he died on the cross. He died to reclaim humanity. If any one then believes in Jesus and what he did, he will be saved.

Mike Nardella did a wonderful thing. He saved a picture. He found what I am about to show you in a garbage can in the kitchen of the Multi-ministries building. Someone had trashed it. It was wrinkled in the process. Mike reclaimed it, had it matted and framed at Crim’s, and brought it to church. He asked me to take a look at it to see if we could hang it here. As soon as I saw it, I recognized the picture. It was taken by a student at Alderson Broaddus College where it hangs as a large portrait in the practice room beneath the Chapel. I had tried to duplicate the picture years ago and failed. Mike, through his act of kindness, rescued the portrait. Here it is.

It is the most unique picture: Christ looking through the pain of the nails toward those he loves. He took the nails, the thorns, and whippings, and even the spear, just because he loves us this much.

Faith and I used to play a little game when she was real small. I would say to her, “I love you this much (put hands together just a little bit). She would look sad. Then I increased the distance between my hands, and I would say it again, “I love you this much.” Then she would get the tinniest of smiles. Then I would increase the distance between may hands again and again until they were stretched all the way out: “I love you this much!” And then she would smile from ear to ear and say, “Yeahhh.” Jesus did the same for us. He should his love by stretching out his hands on the cross and loving us this much!

A friend visited an elderly woman badly crippled by arthritis. When asked, “Do you suffer much?” she replied, “Yes, but there is no nail here,” and she pointed to her hand. “He had the nails; I have the peace.” She pointed to her head. “There are no thorns here. He had the thorns; I have the peace.” She touched her side. “There is no spear here. He had the spear; I have the peace.” That is what the atonement of Jesus Christ means for us – He gave of himself so that we might have the peace. (Ralph Turnbull, If Only I Had One Sermon to Preach.) That is what salvation does. Salvation gives peace. And God continues to give peace through Christ. And God also continues to reclaim us, even from the garbage heaps of life.

Last week one of our parishoners said to me that it would be a good idea to tell folks how to make sure they are saved – in a real simple way – because there may be some present who think that they are saved but they really aren’t. What a good idea. Here is a real simple way to make sure you are saved. You just need to know 4 or 5 things:

1. Realize that God sent His Son for you: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

2. Know that everyone sins and sins separate us from God: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

3. Realize that we must turn away from sin: “Unless we repent, we will die” (Luke 13:3).

4. Realize that Jesus makes a way for us to get to heaven: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).

5. Believe in Jesus: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

If you understand these 5 things and wish to make Christ your savior, pray silently with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that Jesus Christ, Your Son, died on the cross for my sin and rose from the dead to be my Lord. God, I now repent of my sin and personally invite Jesus into my life. Thank You, Jesus, for giving me the free gift of eternal life. I promise to live for You as You reveal yourself to me through Your Word, the Bible. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.