Three Things God Cannot Afford
Memorial Service • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewSelf sacrifice of God to save humanity
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Introduction
Introduction
An elder once posed the question "what price can you put on the cross?”
The value of the cross is priceless, but there are three things that God cannot afford.But before we do that, let us have a look at the property laws of a toddler:
Property Laws of a Toddler
Property Laws of a Toddler
If I like it, it's mine.
If it's in my hand, it's mine.
If I can take it from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
If I saw it first, it's mine.
If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
If it's broken, it's yours.
What if that was God's attitude that the moment we were broken he would discard us?
In fact, he did the opposite:
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
God said even if you are broken, you are still mine.
Our brokenness cost everything and therefore…
God Cannot Afford For You to be Lost
God Cannot Afford For You to be Lost
God paid an over inflated price for a broken clay jar and there was no resource in heaven that could afford to restore this broken clay jar except the life of His son.
In the parable of the lost sheep, we get a glimpse of the extent that God went to save us despite our brokenness.
What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
You might be broken, but the price that was paid to save you is perfectly worded by the apostle Peter:
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
It's no wonder that God cannot afford for you to be lost
God Cannot Afford to Lower the Asking Price for Your Salvation
God Cannot Afford to Lower the Asking Price for Your Salvation
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
There is another gospel that argues that the blood of Jesus is not enough we have to also “work” our way into God’s good books.
Nothing illustrates this point more than the parable Jesus spoke of in Luke 18 of the Pharisee and the tax collector:
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
“There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly, repeated more frequently, or established more firmly in the minds of all than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works. Salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ alone.”—Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, pp. 18, 19.
This is the asking price of our salvation—is faith alone! Anything less is “another gospel”
“Joshua had received the promise that God would surely overthrow these enemies of Israel, yet he put forth as earnest effort as though success depended upon the armies of Israel alone. He did all that human energy could do, and then he cried in faith for divine aid. The secret of success is the union of divine power with human effort. Those who achieve the greatest results are those who rely most implicitly upon the Almighty Arm.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 509
God Cannot Afford to Wait On You
God Cannot Afford to Wait On You
There’s a type of Christian that I would describe as BNPL Christians.
What is a BNPL Christian? BNPL stands for “Buy now pay later”
In one of Jesus’ parables, he gives a perfect example of a BNPL Christian:
“What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
A BNPL Christian:
Wants the benefits of Christianity now without the sacrifice
They have a form of Godliness without the power
Christ says “come” the BNPL Christian says “wait”
Are you a BNPL Christian? If you are God cannot afford to wait on you because
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
Conclusion
Conclusion
His love bankrupted heaven for you. His love doesn't consider Himself first. His love isn't selfish or self-serving. He doesn't wonder what He'll gain or lose by putting Himself out there. He simply gives Himself away on the off-chance that one of us might look back at Him and offer ourselves in return.—Cory Asbury
There might be three things that God cannot afford, but there is one thing you can afford:
And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
Robert Arthington (1823-1900)
The ‘Millionaire Miser”
Lived in one room, slept in a rocking chair, wore the same clothes for 17 years…
Born into a wealthy Quaker family but became a Baptist in his twenties
Believed that bringing the gospel to the whole world would bring about the second coming of Jesus
When he died it is said to have contributed millions of pounds to the spreading of the gospel across the world
When he died they found a note from a missionary:
"Gladly would I make the floor my bed, and a box my chair, and another box my table rather than that men should perish for want of the knowledge of Christ."
Robert Arthington lived the life of a pauper for the sake of the gospel.
Unlike the rich young ruler, you don't need to be sorrowful - you can afford to lose everything for the sake of the kingdom. You can afford…