Date:   11/01/09

Text:   Ephesians 2:8-10

Title:   Free But Costly

Theme: God's grace is free yet there is high cost when His followers live out their faith.

Introduction:

  Wherever you go in the world, you spot Coca Cola signs. During the late 19 th century it was patented as a medicine, and was later brought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler . The company's marketing tactic converted it into an international drink. It is welcome by many yet no one could reproduce it. Why? It is said that the company keeps its recipe as top secret and is securely put away somewhere in Atlanta . It is a recipe passed down from the 19 th century to the present. No one, except for a few, have access to it to modify its ingredients or change its taste.

  This is like our scripture verse for October, Jude 3b, “ I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. ” This is about a body of truth that God has revealed and given to his people. It has been passed down to us. Jude urged us to take good care of this body of truth, not to be distracted from it, alter or dilute it. This body of truth includes God's revelation about human sinfulness, about salvation, and how we are to live on earth while waiting for his return. We had learned how sin has affected every aspect of our being. This morning we'll explore God's grace, to study the profound truth that God's free grace has brought us to him, yet there is a high cost when we live out this faith.

I •  We are reconciled to God by His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9 is a very familiar passage to most of us, “ 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast .” It tells us about how we are at peace with God, our sins forgiven and being saved from the power and dominion from Sin. The new relationship with God has nothing to do with our merits or good conduct, for we have none. It is all because of God's grace and through our faith in him. The entire Bible is full of this teaching and illustrations. I want to take you to an OT narrative. After David became king of Israel , he asked if there was anyone in Saul's household that he could show mercy and kindness. You see, David had a covenant with Saul's son, Jonathan, that when David became king, he would not kill off all of Saul's descendents. David's servant eventually found Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth , and was brought to David. Twice in the narrative, Mephibosheth was referred to as a cripple. In those days, cripples did not get invited to feasts, let alone show up in the king's presence. Mephibosheth also referred to himself as a dead dog, to underscore his unworthiness before the king. But David insisted on showing mercy and kindness, graciousness. Moreover, asked Mephibosheth to eat with him and his other sons. David treated him as a member of the family. To Mephibosheth , this was grace, it had nothing to do with his merit or good conduct.

This is what Paul wrote in the Ephesians. We are brought into God's presence because of His grace. Or look at it from another perspective. About 2 months ago, Some parents took their children to colleges out of Houston . Most likely the first thing we did was to open a bank account for them. To start with, we may have put in a minimum amount. What did our kids have to do? Most likely, nothing. All they had to do was to start drawing money for their school expense. This account is grace to our children.

We are saved by grace, then what?

II •  Salvation by grace leads to good works.

Very often when we memorize the Ephesians passage, we stop at vs.9. But take note of vs. 10, “ 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ” What are we saved for? For good works. This is a repeated theme in Jesus' teachings and further expanded by the apostles. For example, in the book of Titus 3:1,8,14, “ 1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, ….. so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works… ….. 14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, …” We are saved, not that we will enjoy peace and fellowship with others. But even more so, we are to do good works. Good works means to feed the hungry, care for the sick and the forgotten ones in nursing homes and prisons.

As we go to various prisons in this and many other countries, we'll notice how the local Christians visit and care for the prisoners. Rivington House, located in Manhattan 's Lower East Side is America 's largest HIV/AIDS residential healthcare facility. Every Monday evening, Gifted Hands volunteers would go there, using crafts to encourage creativity and conversation with the residents there. Last week I met a young lawyer working for a non-profit organization to help solve the global AIDS/Poverty issues. There are those among us volunteering in some Houston city clinics to provide medical care for the poor. Others volunteer their time and energy in hospices, providing comfort and encouragement to the terminally ill. In Chuck Colson's DVD on Faith, Garry Poole the narrator, has a 7 year old child with Down's syndrome. He would organize an annual walk in Atlanta to remind people of the joy these children can bring to families. It is also meant to encourage and support families with Down's syndrome children. There are those who work and volunteer at Crisis Pregnancy Centers or Asian Against Domestic Abuse, helping the voiceless and the weak. These are some examples of good work.

We are saved not just so we can have a smooth and happy life. The scripture clearly teach us that as we are saved by grace, it is also this grace that will drive us to do good works.

III •  Salvation by grace is costly.

There is another aspect of grace that we often overlook. In 1Pet 1:6-7, “ 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ” James 1:2, “ 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, …..” What do these two passages tell us? When we follow Christ, there will be trials and sufferings. And often such trials will bring us grief. It is part of life, but in trials, the genuineness of our faith will be manifested. Surprise, isn't it? Having been saved by grace does not mean no more trials or suffering. Yes, it costs us nothing to come to Christ, it is grace. However, having come to him, we are not exempted from the trials in life. What are some trials and hardship we may face as a result of being saved?

When we mention our faith at work, when we tell others that Jesus is the only way to the heavenly father, people at work and school will give us that funny look. As if they are saying, “you still believe in this stuff?”. It is called soft hostility. In recent years, the Catholic church started the process of making Mother Teresa a saint. During the investigation, it was noted that in her diary, were records of her bouts with depression. The critics expressed their skepticism of her faith. How could someone like her have doubts about God and feeling depressed? However, come to think of it, it is quite understandable, right? When Mother Teresa, on a daily basis, faced the poorest of the poor, the lowest of the caste system, many of them dying from malnutrition and illness before her eyes, plus her grief for the babies aborted worldwide, it would have been impossible not to feel depressed. Yet, in the midst of depression, mother Teresa kept on serving the poor. When we survey different pastors about their weekly sermon preparations, this is what we generally find. Most would acknowledge the preparation process as energy draining, exhausting and often painful. Many experienced depression either prior to or after their preaching. Yet, they kept on preaching. For we understand, trials, and difficulties are part of the price one must pay to follow Christ.

Here in Houston , we pastors and Christians can preach and worship without any fear or anxiety. But in many house churches in china, whenever the believers come to worship, when I was preaching among them, there was anxiety, wondering if the Government Security officers would come and interrupt their gatherings. Many church leaders would be careful with what they said on their cell phones, for it could easily be monitored. This year in May, the moment one pastor got off the train in one city, he was brought to the police station. They would not let him sleep but kept asking him questions. He was eventually released 24 hours later. Did he or other believers complain? No, they were grateful for the opportunity that they could explain their faith to the officials. To many believers, suffering and trials for their faith is a given. Some of them are even discussing whether their churches or congregation can adapt to a society without persecution. Yes, our salvation is free. However, when we live out this faith, it can be costly.

IV •  Salvation by grace leads to forgiveness and reconciliation.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Joseph in Genesis. Out of jealousy, his brothers sold him to Egypt . The story ends with Joseph meeting his 11 brothers, offering his forgiveness, and the siblings being reconciled. At the same time; about 4433 miles away in China , a different value system began to emerge. When someone offended the king, his two generations would be executed. Later, it developed into 9 generations. And then there was one time in China's history, during the Ming dynasty, King Zhudi ordered 10 generations of a scholar to be executed, including his students. In an article about Britain 's war with the Islamic extremists in Africa in the 19 th century, a leader said to the British, “We love wars and you love peace, therefore we will win.” In many cultures and religions, there was simply no room for forgiveness and reconciliation.

However, it is the Christian faith that we are told to love our enemies and pray for those who persecuted you. Yes, we have freely received God's grace, and now we are told to love and be reconciled with our enemies. In S. Africa , during the apartheid rule from 1948 to the 1990's, many injustices were done to the non-white majority in that land. They were often tortured and imprisoned. After the collapse of the Apartheid government, instead of revenge, Bishop Tutu organized the “Truth and Peace” movement to bring forgiveness and reconciliation to that land.

In Rwanda 1994, within 100 days, 1 million people were killed in genocide. In 2000, Paul Kagame became the president. Under his leadership, he brought about forgiveness and reconciliation between the various tribes. This was known as the Greatest Success Story in Africa , and a model for racial reconciliation. We also remember an incident that happened several years ago on a college campus in the East coast. A Korean student was killed on a campus. Sometime later, the mother of the victim went to the prison to visit the killer and offered him her forgiveness. Christian faith alone calls for forgiving our enemies and praying for them. Our faith calls us to forgive those who have offended us and to be reconciled to them.

Conclusion:

  Whenever we take part in the communion, we are reminded that it is by grace that we are saved, we are being reconciled to God. It has nothing to do with our merits, for we have none before this holy God. But what comes next after the communion, after the acknowledgement of grace?

In the 1930's Dietrich Bonheoffer was a young pastor and theologian in Germany . Because of his resistance to Hitler, he was dismissed from teaching at the U of Berlin, and banned from speaking in public. In March of 1939, he received notice of being called to serve in the armed forces. Many of his friends were concerned for his safety, so they helped him to come to the States in June, 1939. Even though his life in NY's Union Theological Seminary was very comfortable, yet a war raged within him. One night after listening to a sermon in NY, he realized that he could not escape the conclusion that his vocation compelled him to share in his countrymen's fate as they suffered the Nazi's evil. That evening, he decided to return to Germany, and may be the cross. Back in Germany, he joined the resistance movement but was arrested in July of 1944. He was put in prison and executed three weeks before Berlin's liberation. In his book, “The cost of discipleship”, he wrote about the free grace from God. Bonheoffer was the person who coined the phrase, ‘cheap grace'. To him, God's grace is always free, but never cheap. When we attempt to live out this grace, it will lead to good work, forgiveness and reconciliation with those who have deeply hurt us. At times, it could also be costly, being ridiculed, misunderstood and mistreated. For Bonheoffer, to follow Christ, eventually cost him his life.

This is the faith that was given once, for all. May we not be distracted from it nor distort the truth therein.