WYE 2 - They Don't Deserve It

Introduction

Hello everyone! So great to see you all tonight, once again, welcome to 1Eighty. Tonight we are continuing our series What’s Your Excuse? Last week we talked about Moses and his excuses when God called him. How he didn’t feel he was good enough to do the job. Although, God wasn’t looking for someone “good enough” He was looking for someone faithful and God would do the rest. We learned how that principle still applies to us today.

Today we are talking about a different excuse.

They don’t deserve it.

I’m sure we’ve all said this at one time or another. Some got what you didn’t think they earned.

One time in college I wrote a paper and I went crazy with it. It ended up being like 15 pages with 20 some odd sources. (GO ON TO TALK ABOUT FRIEND THAT DIDN’T TRY AS HARD AND GOT GOOD GRADE)

I’m sure we all have stories like that. Times when someone got the grade they didn’t deserve. Times when your sibiling got away with something you would have gotten KILLED for doing. Times when the guy that is slower and weaker than you made the team while your stuck warming the bench.

In fact, there were many people in the Bible that had this same mindset. Where they thought they should pick and choose who deserved what. To the point where some of them wanted to pick and choose who got to receive God’s grace.

Where going be looking at this idea all throughout the Bible but I think the best place to start is Jonah

Jonah Background

For those that may not be aware of the story of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet, a communicator with and for God. God called Jonah to go to Nineveh (which was a city of deep seated sin and a great enemy to the nation of Israel).

So instead of doing that Jonah hopped on a boat and went the opposite direction of Nineveh, setting sail to a city called Tarshish. While on the boat God sent a great storm that only stopped once Jonah volunteered to jump ship (pun intended). Once in the sea God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah sat in the fish fro 3 days, the whole time praying to God.

After the 3 days the lord commanded the fish to spit Jonah out on the beach and Jonah went “willingly” to Nineveh. Once there Jonah began prophesying the name of God to the people and miraculously, his messaged was heard. In face the noblemen and the king of Nineveh heard Jonah’s message of God and the whole city converted!

Transition

Imagine if the entire city of Berwick converted suddenly to Christianity. That would certainly be something to celebrate! Even I would be dancing the street praising God for that amazing turn!

But Jonah didn’t think this way. In fact, Jonah was very very angry about this turn of events. Let’s see what Jonah was thinking after this miraculous event.

Jonah 4:1–3 NIV

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

Jonah was angry that God would forgive them. That they would turn over the hearts to the Lord. To Jonah this wasn’t a moment to celebrate but instead a moment to throw a fit!

Jonah didn’t think they deserve graciousness, compassion or love. Especially from God!

This is an idea I have heard here and there. “Well I can’t possible invite that person to church. There not churchy enough”

“That friend is a troublemaker, they won’t do well here”

What I hear when I hear that is that the underlying feeling is that they don’t deserve church or Christ. Lets be real that is what is being said, they don’t “deserve” it! So lets get the root of it.

Main Points

“Deserves” Doesn’t matter

There is no where in the bible that will say that we deserve the goodness of God. In fact in many places it says quite the opposite.

Romans 3:21–26 NIV

But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

At no point in any of that does it say that Jesus gave himself over because we deserve it. It doesn’t say that He came down because the Jews deserved it. It doesn’t say that He came down because the Gentiles deserved it.

(For those that don’t know a Gentile is simply a person who isn’t an Israelite)

No, in fact it’s very clear that we are saved by His grace, by faith in Him, by righteousness.

In fact, Paul explains exactly what humans deserve later on in the book of Romans. Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse is saying that because of your sin, the places that we fall short, we deserve death. We don’t deserve forgiveness, grace, or salvation.

Paul is writing to the church here. He is writing the Christians. Honestly I think it’s something that Christian church needs to hear. We need to drop this pretence that just because we believe in God we are better than people.

I’ve heard more gossiping in church than outside of it. The truth is, we are no better.

We are people, all messed up and in need of help.

If we are going to drop the excuse of They Don’t Deserve It we need to understand that none of us do! No person deserves what God has given us. Not a one. We are all imperfect beings. Easily consumed by sin. There is not a single person in this room that is deserving of God.

The truth is we don’t deserve God, and yet, He is there for you. You see, believing in Christ isn’t a question of deserve, it is a question of need. We all need Him.

We are all in need of forgiveness, grace and salvation. All of these things are needed for our eternity and to effect the way we live today.

You need something to give you direction. Something to give you drive. Something to guide you. For some it’s money, for some it’s sex, for some its acceptance. But the truth is all of that is false and hallow. It doesn’t supply what Christ does. John 14:6

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Why? Because Christ supplies our needs. Not because we deserve it, but because He loves you that much.

What do we need?

Grace

Ephesians 2:4–5 NIV

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

A basic way to think about grace is it is God’s favor toward the unworthy.

In spite of our failings forgives us and through that lets us keep trying to improve with His help!

Think about Nineveh again. God would have been justified in nuking the city. Everyone in the city hurt, abused, stole, murdered their way through life. God would have been justified in judging them and destroying their city. Instead He sent a messenger to give them another change. Not because they deserved another chance but because of His grace!

God is a merciful God. God is a loving God. God is a gracious God!

He doesn’t want to eradicate the sinful. He could but He doesn’t because He wants to give them a chance. That’s what this life is! A chance to get to see the things God has created and then give us an opportunity to give our lives over to Him. God is gracious to us.

It’s because of God’s grace that even when I fail I can come to Him.

The ultimate example of this grace, is in Jesus.

Salvation

Lets read Romans 6:23 again.

Romans 6:23 NIV

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The first half of the verse tells us that we our wages, our payment, what we deserve from our sin is death. BUT

This but is one of the most important buts in Scripture. It is saying that yes we deserve death BUT because of what Jesus did we have been given salvation. He has taken all of His mercy, grace and love and poured it down on an underserving creation because it broke His heart to know what would happen to His creation if He didn’t!

He didn’t come down because He had to but because He wanted to!

John 3:16–18 NIV

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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

He came down to this Earth because He loved you!

But not only because He loved you, but because He loved your friends, your family, even your enemy.

Jesus died on that cross so that everyone could have an opportunity to give their sins to him.

Conclusion

Call to come to Jesus.

Prayer