short sermon

Today I preached what was easily my shortest sermon. It lasted less than 10 minutes and contained several different remembrances of Ashley. Interwoven was the Gospel, as seen in John 14:1-7. There is only one hope, and it is Christ. He has promised that if we believe in Him, that he died for our sins and rose the third day to save us, we will be with him in paradise.

Despite its brevity, this sermon affected me more than any other time I have talked about the Gospel. As I looked out at the faces in the room, I became acutely aware of the fact that some of these people would never concede to the grace of God and would instead, choose hell because of the hardness of their hearts.

Fresh in the eyes of death, I saw the finality of the Gospel. That, at some point, we will no longer have the ability to teach them the Gospel. How horrible a thought. So horrible, that my whole body feels weak. How terrible the grace of God can be, when it is denied by the very people he came to save.

This brings the idea of evangelism (a topic that I'm teaching in a Wednesday evening class) to a new height. Oh, that my complacency towards those who don't believe would be kindled.

-joe

(18 Words will be posted tomorrow: the World and Sin)