Sermon Central
-
Buying Them Back
Contributed by Johnny Wilson on Aug 11, 2009 (message contributor)
BUYING THEM BACK
We're told about a gift of grace (singular) and informed that it will help us to build up the church in LOVE. Do you see a pattern, here?
Whatever we have to use in God's service comes directly from God.
It's a lot like a former colleague experienced at Ziff-Davis Publishing. He was working for ZD in public relations when he was called into Bill Ziff, Jr.'s office. Ziff told him that he wanted to reorganize the company and get a leaner, meaner PR group. To do so, he offered to fund my colleague with the start-up costs of starting his own PR agency and hiring his own staff. Ziff promised to provide the major part of the fellow's billings, but he wanted everything out of house.
My colleague took the money and started his agency. Ziff was true to his word and, not only did the PR man have all of the ZD business he expected and more, but the rest of the agency had grown faster than expected. Within a couple of years, Ziff called the PR man back into his office. At this point, Ziff expressed concern that he wasn't getting enough of the agency's attention. When my colleague started to protest, Ziff stopped him and said that he knew the fellow had built up his agency and that Ziff wanted to compensate him for the business he was going to lose when Ziff acquired his agency completely and brought him back in-house. When Ziff cited a number for buying back the business, my colleague said, "I don't understand. You funded the entire business in the first place and have been the biggest client the whole time and now, you want to pay for it again?" The PR man shared this with me several years after it had happened and he still had a sense of amazement. How much more generous could someone be than to buy the necessities for a person's business and then, buy them back?
Yet, that is essentially what God did. Jesus' death paid the blood debt for our sin and His ascension paved the way for our participation in His triumph. Now, with the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of grace, we are essentially being given the tools with no strings attached to find fulfillment together in the Church where we get the blessing. In fact, the word used twice in this passage for building up the body of Christ could really be translated with something that Yoon and Peggy (who repair homes and resell them) could relate to. God's Holy Spirit provides the tools, materials, and labor for us to be able to do "home construction" on the body of Christ, but then we get the privilege of living in the "home," the body of Christ where we have been privileged to do the work.
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
A Man Wanted To See Buckingham Palace. His Guide ... PRO
Contributed by Dale Pilgrim on Aug 25, 2005
A man wanted to see Buckingham Palace. His guide took him to the gate. “Oh, I don’t mean here. I want inside.” “I’m sorry sir,” replied the guide, “I don’t have ...read more
-
A Woman Decided To Have Her Portrait Painted. She ... PRO
Contributed by Thomas Black on Jan 28, 2005
A woman decided to have her portrait painted. She told the artist, "Paint me with diamond rings, a diamond necklace, emerald bracelets, a ruby broach, and gold Rolex." "But you are not wearing any of those things," he replied. "I know," she said. "It’s in case I should die before my husband. ...read more
-
Road Rage
Contributed by Tom Burkholder on Sep 2, 2005
Illustration: “Road Rage” By Dan Betzer It happened just a couple of blocks from my study yesterday afternoon; it was about 4 o’clock with rush hour traffic. Iti our burgeoning county, it sometimes seems like every car on earth is in my lane. A young fellow kept weaving in and out of traffic, ...read more
-
Terry Bowland In His Book Make Disciples – ...
Contributed by Mark Engler on Oct 12, 2005
Terry Bowland in his book Make Disciples – Reaching The Postmodern World for Christ writes this: “Many today balk at the teaching of the church. ‘Do you mean to say,” they ask, ‘that all those outside the church have no hope whatsoever? What about all the sincere folks who never come to Christ? ...read more
-
A.fools Are Defined By Holman's Bible Dictionary ... PRO
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jun 8, 2005
a.Fools are defined by Holman’s Bible Dictionary as: FOOL, FOOLISHNESS, AND FOLLY Translations of several uncomplimentary words which appear approximately 360 times throughout the Old and New Testaments to describe unwise and ungodly people. The words are especially predominant in the Wisdom ...read more
Related Sermons
-
Power Of Obedience
Contributed by Richard Tow on Jul 25, 2017
Obedience is inherit in the relationship of man (as a created being) with God, the Creator. The New Covenant does not do away with the need for obedience to God. In fact, it supply the strength to live that way. Heaven will be a place of obedience to God.
-
Hope In A Covenant Of Faith Series
Contributed by Dean Courtier on Feb 18, 2018
A Covenant of Faith and a man named Abraham. Romans 4:3, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
-
The Grace Of God
Contributed by Sam Mccormick on Aug 14, 2017
God's grace as the avenue of salvation is sometimes seen as being in conflict with obedience of the believer as a requirement, without which salvation cannot be obtained. Which is it, or is it a combination? Can this dichotomy be satisfactorily resolved?
-
Only One? "Where Are The Others?"
Contributed by Charlie Roberts on May 13, 2012
Aren’t you glad for the grace God extends to us, even when we don’t deserve it, even when He knows how were going to act after we receive it, He still continually offers it, because He loves us!
-
A Better Tomorrow
Contributed by Tesh Njokanma on May 24, 2015
When you sit, eat, fellowship and walk closely with the King of Glory, increase is guaranteed; the kind of testimony you can’t even ask or imagine will be given you and your tomorrow will certainly be better than your today..
