Romans 5:12-21 (NKJV)
2 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, must more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Where would we be without grace?
This week, many of us will gather around a table with our loved ones; we will pause and think about what we have to be thankful for. We may be thankful to God that we have been able to pay bills, the little miracles that occur in our checkbook, or at least the rubber checks that haven’t bounced. We may be thankful for the roof over our heads, the food on our table, and the clothes on our backs.
As tragedy after tragedy affects our country and across the world, we should appreciate our lives, as we are reminded of those who have recently died in tragedy. At the time Dr. DARF wrote this sermon (in 2001), it was shortly after the tragedy of 9/11 and the bombing of the World Trade Center. Since then, we’ve continued to see tragedy. We see tragedy in our youth with some of the highest percentages in depression, anxiety, and stress. We see tragedy in the school systems, a place once safe for our youth, now a place of tragedy and fear. We see tragedy in our nation, our government, with its greed. Tragedy is everywhere and with so much tragedy, we must recognize that there will be many families overcome with grief and likely not in the mood to celebrate the Thanksgiving season. The holidays will bring difficulty.
But there is God! And we give thanks to God. This week, I’d like to share a song from the 1970s by Andre’ Crouch, To God Be The Glory. Many of us recognize this song…”To God be the glory / For the things he has done / With his blood he has saved me / With his power he has raised me / To God be the glory / For the things he has done…”
This song reflects the message of this text. While none of us have ever done anything to deserve God’s goodness, through Christ, He has given us His grace. It has been said “that grace is unmerited favor,” therefore, grace cannot be earned. It is only because of God’s great and wonderful everlasting love that He offers grace to wretched sinners. Of course, at this point, we have to look at our own views.
- Do we see ourselves as a righteous person, and do we consider ourselves totally free of sin?
- Do we see ourselves as a wretched sinner, that can only be saved by God’s amazing grace?
Like many of you, I have met some of those who feel they have gone on to perfection. It doesn’t do much good to argue with those people, as most of them are convinced they are good people. As for myself, I am a wretched sinner. I may hold the appearance at times as looking somewhat holy but I know what’s inside of myself. And, in case I forget, God has given me family and friends who are always kind enough to remind me of my faults to keep me in line. And, in recognizing my wretched state, my thanksgiving expressed to God for his amazing grace can only be stated through gratitude.
Thanksgiving is showing Gratitude for Grace
Unlike the impatient youngster whose parents force him to refrain from diving into that gloriously roasted, juicy, golden drumstick at Thanksgiving dinner, one realizes that although the din
ner may taste good, there is nothing like the everlasting banquet God is preparing for those He has redeemed. Food is tasty, and while many of us will enjoy 80-90 Thanksgiving meals during our lifetime, there is still no comparison for the ultimate satisfaction that God brings. So, we turn to that youngster and say “Do you realize there is something here that is better than that turkey drumstick? We also have ham and stove-top stuffing!”
But, there is something better than stuffing – how about being stuffed full of God’s grace? Is it possible that being stuffed full of God’s grace has something to do with our tradition of saying grace? This idiom is a common expression that we’ve used for many years to describe the act of giving thanks before a meal. It can be traced back to ancient times when people believed that food was a gift from the gods, and in our case, THE God. So, since saying grace is what we do…let’s say grace!
Let us say grace as more than a mere statement of thanksgiving offering at a traditional place and time. Let us say grace as a joyful expression celebrating God’s amazing love working in us. Our saying grace may be a worshipful demonstration, giving a marvelous testimony to the heartfelt profession of faith in God’s acts of salvation. Whatever it means to you to say grace, don’t do like some people and say grace without commitment, without emotion, and without feeling. God deserves for us to say grace, in recognition of His amazing grace, with hearts filled with praise, and grace on our lips. In short — say grace, and make sure you mean it.
