May 24, 1998 - LESSON: Ephesians 2:1-7
SERMON TITLE: Show and tell
INTRODUCTION:
On a Friday, a four year old child in our nursery school, Pilgrim Playmates, brought
in a small frog for her "show and tell."
Unfortunately, in the rush to go home, the frog was left behind.
On Monday morning there was a decided order in the class room.
The frog had died.
Unfortunately, that happens with our attempts at show and tell.
We have a tendency to demonstrate the material.
The material is fragile and fleeting.
MAIN BODY:
A different kind of show and tell is illustrated by a child who was walking to
Grandma's house after attending Sunday School.
His lesson for the day had been Jesus' "Parable of the Last Judgment,"
He couldn't get out of his head the teacher's comment "When you give something to
another person, you're really giving it to Jesus."
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Walking through the park, he noticed an elderly women sitting on a bench, feeding some
pigeon.
She looked lost and lonely.
So he went over to her, sat down, took from his pocket a package of M&M's, and
offered her some.
She smiled and took them.
The boy liked her smile so much that, after she had eaten the M&M's, he gave her
some more.
This time they exchanged smiles.
For a while, they sat together in silence, just smiling at each other.
Finally, the boy got up to leave.
As he began to walk away, he turned, ran back to the bench, and gave the woman a big
hug.
She gave him her very best smile.
When he arrived at his grandmother's house, she saw a big smile on his face.
She asked, "What made you so happy?"
He said, "I shared my M&M's with Jesus, and she has a great smile.
Meanwhile the woman on the bench returned to her little apartment where she lived with
her sister.
"You're all smiles," said the sister. "What made you so happy
today?"
She replied, "I was sitting in the park, eating M&M's with Jesus, and you
know, he looks a lot younger than I expected."
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Are you are familiar with the Parable of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25.
That's the one which begins: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the
angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
That's the one where people are divided into two groups.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from
another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,
33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
To the one's on his right hand, the position of favor, the king says:
'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world;
I was in need and you satisfied my needs.
What was done is simply described.
for I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you gave me clothing,
I was sick and you took care of me,
I was in prison and you visited me.'
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What is demonstrated is people caring for other people in their need.
Why should people help other people?
What does it prove?
It is an act of show and tell.
What was done is an act of grace which reveals the growth in us of the characteristics
of God.
It is a demonstration of graciousness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Grace is a concept that we sometimes find difficult to define or understand.
Without oversimplification, grace is the personal, attitude, action, and influence of
God.
Grace is used as a synonym for love.
So there is no doubt about its meaning we are provided a role model, a personified
demonstration in word and deed.
God's love and grace is revealed in and through Jesus Christ.
In John 1, the source and meaning of grace is suggested.
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory
as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who
comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'")
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's
heart, who has made him known.
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In Ephesians 2, the purpose of grace is revealed.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us
5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ--by grace you have been saved--
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus,
7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
That God might show.
This is divine show and tell.
It is God's demonstration of his character and purpose.
In parts of Romans 5 and 6 the power of grace is revealed.
19 For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one
man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
20 But law came in, with the result that the trespass multiplied; but where sin
increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, just as sin exercised dominion in death, so grace might also exercise
dominion through justification leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6:1 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in
newness of life.
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We too might walk in newness of life.
Grace is the means to transform our spirit and personality.
It is the personality and power of God shared through the indwelling presence of the
Holy Spirit.
It is contrasted with the people on the left hand.
They didn't, they won't
Their future is vastly different.
CONCLUSION:
The child walking home from Sunday School shares his M&M's.
This time they exchanged smiles.
For a while, they sat together in silence, just smiling at each other.
Finally, the boy got up to leave.
As he began to walk away, he turned, ran back to the bench, and gave the woman a big
hug.
She gave him her very best smile.
When he arrived at his grandmother's house, she saw a big smile on his face.
She asked, "What made you so happy?"
He said, "I shared my M&M's with Jesus, and she has a great smile.
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Meanwhile the woman on the bench returned to her little apartment where she lived with
her sister.
"You're all smiles," said the sister. "What made you so happy
today?"
She replied, "I was sitting in the park, eating M&M's with Jesus, and you
know, he looks a lot younger than I expected."
This is also God's show and tell.
It is our opportunity to show and tell, or tell and show, as the case might be.
God's grace is provided for u so that we might be filled with grace and act
graciously.
"The true test of a civilized society is how well it takes care of its
losers." (Slote and Cobb)
The true test of Christianity is how well Christians acquire and demonstrate the grace
of God, not only to the losers, but to all people.
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