Westside Church of Christ

God observed His world. It had been so perfect in the beginning, until the serpent deceived Eve. The downfall was dramatic and grieved our Creator in His heart. The flood washed the evil away, but it quickly returned. Yet, His love for His self-destructive creation never ceased. Through the ups-and-downs of history, He never wavered. He had a plan, an indescribably costly strategy to save humanity. He would send His Son, amazing grace personified.

There has never been an expression of compassion like it in all of history. Broken down and hopeless people wandered aimlessly. The Christ came to offer a way back to God. He walked the road of temptation. He witnessed the wickedness of this world without ever giving in to it. He was a solitary pure light in a culture of darkness. He was hated for it. Yet, He offered love in return. He shed His blood to pave the way home. Amazing grace. How sweet the sound.

Hopelessness envelopes the lonely sinners. Guilt gnaws away at them. God seems a million miles away, if He exists at all. And surely, they are beyond the reach of His forgiveness. To hear of the Lord’s love sounds like a fairy tale. They see barriers where Jesus came to build bridges. Sin constructed a fence which they cannot scale. True, but the Savior can. He didn’t just climb over it; He knocked it down. “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world

(John 1:29)!”

He is the truth in a world of deception. We listen to the news channels. They sound like they are reporting from different planets. Who’s doing what, and why? The world is a rough place. Lies permeate the culture. Hostilities boil over. It has been that way from the beginning. Trouble erupted as soon as the lie was believed. Pilate posed the question, “What is truth (John 18:38)?” The simple answer: Jesus is.

Dishonesty robs us of life. Oh, we continue to exist. We still have brainwaves and a heartbeat, but we aren’t really living. We are simply here. Life is about so much more than making a living. Jesus elevated the concept of life in the way that He lived it. Sacrificing. Serving. Giving not getting. Surrendering to His Father’s will, even when it meant giving His life. Interesting, isn’t it? The way to true life is by giving it up. The greatest man who ever lived washed feet, then said that blessing came from knowing and doing just as he did (John 13:17).

God did not simply hurl a book full of instructions down to the earth. He sent a Savior and a role model; One who would retrieve us from the trash heap of wasted lives and show us a much better way to live. He truly is the way, the truth and the life.

Call to Praise: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

His word on it: Psalm 100:4

Sermon: “A Month of Thanksgiving”