This past Sunday, we started our series, 40 Days of Grace, with the topic, "Why Grace is Necessary." It was a different kind of message for me, because although I am not Joel Osteen with his "Best Life Now" type messages, I am not a fire and brimstone preacher either. However, as we speak about grace, it is necessary to talk about some uncomfortable topics.
The first topic that was uncomfortable was the topic found in John 14:6 where Jesus says, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." That is very unpopular in our society, but if we are to truly understand grace, we need to know that Jesus is the only way to heaven. If heaven could be obtained in other ways, Jesus didn't need to die on the cross. That is uncomfortable, because we all know people that don't believe in the crucifixion and Resurrection, and therefore won't be in heaven, if we believe the Bible is true (and Jesus' words are true).
The second uncomfortable topic was the topic of hell. If there is no hell, grace is totally unnecessary. If we are not in danger, why do we need saving? What is Jesus saving us from? If you're okay, I'm okay, we're all okay- grace is totally unnecessary. As a matter of fact, if there is no hell, the entire Gospel message and ultimately, the entire Christian faith is utterly irrelevant. Without hell, and grace to save us from hell, Christianity becomes another in a long list of self-help strategies to make improvements on ourselves. That was not Jesus' intention at all.
I had a person in my Sunday night home group that said he respected me because I was the first pastor he had ever had that ever mentioned hell. Maybe that's why churches are so weak and anemic these days. If Christians have no concept of hell, then they will never have any idea what they were saved from, no gratitude towards the Savior, and ultimately, no need for Him at all. He becomes an annoying little guy over there telling us to give our money or show up for an hour on Sunday morning, not the savior of our lives from the most horrible place we could even imagine.
An old preacher told me, "In order to save someone, you have to get them lost first." I believe that. Until we know what we were saved from by Jesus' death on the cross, we will never know we need a Savior. And yet, if I am the first pastor this guy has ever had that has ever talked about hell, no wonder so many people in the church have a low opinion of Jesus, if they have an opinion at all. Even though it is only Day 3 of the 40 Days, grace has already been more than I ever thought it would be. I look forward to the next 37 days.
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