"THE HIGH COST OF A FREE GIFT"
INTRODUCTION
1. Perhaps you have heard it said: "The best things in life are free!"
2. This is especially true when you consider that the "best" thing in
life is a gift...
a. I am speaking of that which God offers to all who will accept it:
"eternal life"
b. It is truly a "gift from God"! - cf. Ro 6:23
3. And yet, though eternal life is a gift...
a. A high cost was paid to offer the gift
b. And a high cost must be paid to receive it!
4. A high cost for a free gift? How can that be?
a. This "paradox" can sometimes be difficult to comprehend
b. However, teachings of Jesus are often found in the form of a
"paradox" (e.g., the Beatitudes - Mt 5:3-6)
c. Upon closer examination, such "paradoxes" are not really
contradictions, but expressions of very important spiritual
truths!
[In this lesson, we shall consider how it is that a gift which is free
can be so costly; beginning with...]
I. THE FREE GIFT OF SALVATION
A. MANY HAVE A WRONG CONCEPT ABOUT HOW SALVATION IS OBTAINED...
1. They think that salvation is earned by the "good works" they
do
2. Consider this statement by a devout Muslim: "All my life I
have obeyed the Koran and worshipped Allah faithfully. If,
after death, I find that there is no paradise and there is no
houris with which a man may be comforted, as the Koran
promises, I shall feel that I have been miserably cheated."
3. Many professing Christians have a similar concept of attaining
heaven, that their reward is received because of...
a. Their good life
b. Their generous giving of their money
c. Their faithful attendance at church
B. BUT SALVATION IS GOD'S GIFT TO UNDESERVING MEN...
1. Offered while we were still sinners, ungodly, and enemies -
Ro 5:6-8
2. Not because we love God, but because He loved us! - 1 Jn 4:
9-10
3. And it is offered to all who will receive it! - cf. Re 21:6;
22:17
[Salvation, then, is offered "freely". But does that mean it costs
nothing? Not at all!
Indeed, we shall see that nothing in all the universe has cost so
much...]
II. THE HIGH COST OF PROVIDING THE GIFT
A. WHAT IT COST THE FATHER - Jn 3:16; Ro 8:32
1. It cost Him the sacrifice of His only begotten Son!
2. He did not spare His Son in an effort to save us from our
sins!
B. WHAT IT COST THE SON - Ph 2:5-8
1. It cost Him the renunciation of glory and majesty, which He
had with the Father before coming to this world
2. It cost Him the humiliation of servitude, even to the point
suffering and finally dying by crucifixion for our sins
C. WHAT IT COST THE HOLY SPIRIT - 2 Th 2:13-14; Ep 4:30
1. A ministry through the ages of patiently wooing the stubborn
hearts of sinful men through the call of the gospel
2. Suffering long with men who treat Him ill, being grieved when
they resist Him
[Each Person of the triune Godhead has paid dearly to make the gift of
salvation possible. So certainly from the viewpoint of its
"provision", we can see "The High Cost Of A Free Gift".
But the "acceptance" of this free gift is also costly...]
III. THE HIGH COST OF ACCEPTING THE GIFT
A. IT COSTS THE DENIAL OF SELF, AND THE RENUNCIATION OF MUCH THAT
MEN HOLD DEAR...
1. Paul, who gladly paid the cost, expressed it vividly in
several passages - Gal 2:20; Ph 3:7-8
2. One cannot accept Christ and His salvation on lesser terms
than the complete surrender of self to Him!
B. THIS IS WHAT MAKES THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST "A HARD GOSPEL" FOR MANY
TO ACCEPT...
1. They want to accept Jesus as Savior, but not as Lord of their
lives
a. Some even suggest that accepting Jesus as Savior and as
Lord are two entirely separate acts
b. But the two are inseparable - cf. Lk 2:11; Ac 2:36; 10:36
c. Even religious leaders who have led people to think
otherwise are beginning to see the error of their ways:
"The church today is paralyzed at the moment of its supreme
opportunity because we have committed the blasphemy of
insisting that what is so costly for God shall come easy to
us. We haven't dared face our congregations with a hard
gospel." -- Dr. Paul Calvin Payne, General Secretary, the
Board of Christian Education, Presbyterian Church
2. No man can accept Jesus as "Savior of his soul" without
accepting Him as "Lord of his life"!
a. Jesus Himself made this clear when He warned His hearers
that the cost of discipleship is high - Lk 14:25-33
b. The lordship of Jesus over self, life, and possessions must
be acknowledged if we are to know Him as Savior!
3. People must realize that Jesus commission His disciples to
preach "repentance and remission of sins in His name" - Lk 24:
47
a. There is no remission apart from repentance!
b. And repentance involves the whole life! - cf. 2 Co 7:10-11
1) Not only sorrow for the past, that leads to repentance
2) But zeal and fervor for the future, that affects how we
will live
c. Repentance is therefore the abandoning of our own selfish
way, to go God's way in obedience and fellowship with Him
C. "JUST ACCEPT CHRIST AND BE SAVED" IS THE APPEAL OF MANY...
1. And many people assume that it is a matter of "just accepting"
Him, "with no strings attached"
2. However, consider the words of Jesus Himself - cf. Jn 14:21,23
3. To "receive Jesus", then, requires a full surrender to the
lordship of Christ, a sincere acceptance of His commandments
- cf. Jn 15:10
CONCLUSION
1. That is why the "gift" of salvation, while offered freely, still
comes a with high cost...
a. Salvation cannot be earned, nor merited, by any amount of good
deeds
b. For even after a lifetime of diligent obedience we are still
"unworthy servants" - cf. Lk 17:10
c. But the Lordship of Jesus rightly demands a full surrender to His
authority - cf. Mt 28:18-20
2. Yes, the gift of salvation is costly...
a. It cost God more than heaven can declare
b. It cost Jesus the agony and shame of the cross
c. Even today it costs the Holy Spirit who seeks to woo you through
the gospel
d. And it costs everyone who truly receives it the total submission
of self to the rightful claims of Jesus on the lives and souls of
all who would be His for time and eternity!
Jesus has paid the high cost to offer you the gift of salvation...have
you paid the high cost of accepting it? - cf. Ac 2:36-39
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