The Last Word

It is been several decades since readers, moviegoers have wondered whatever happened after the end of the movie gone with the wind. Some of you might know this, that a book and a made for television movie was made on that book trying to envision what had really happened. First of all you need to know that the characters in the classic novel were based on real people that Butler real name is Brett Turnipseed and Scarlett O'Hara real name is Emily and Louise Hannon in real life threat really walked out on her and he joined the Confederate Army. What happened after the war is one of the great story of the amazing grace of God.

After the end of the Civil War. Brett Turnipseed gambled and drifted around the country and he ended up in Nashville, Tennessee and Nashville in 1871 he was completely transformed by the power of the grace of God. He went into one of those revival tents on Easter Sunday morning 1871 rep reprinted and receive Jesus as his savior.

Not only that but he went to seminary and that he enrolled and he graduated and became a Methodist preacher and bagman of the Methodist preachers used to have circuit the Golden circuit riders and had a whole circuit of churches that he was riding around role Kentucky but that's not all red and Scarlett Emlen trespass again, not deliberately, but this is how it happened, a young woman in one of Rex's congregations ran away from home and Rhett became very concerned us a pastor, especially when he heard rumors that she was working in a house of prostitution and salutes so he personally went to look for her and try to track her down in order to bring her back home finally attract the young lady down, but he was told that the madam of the house would never let her go. So when Rhett asked to speak to the madam imagine his author amazement to find out that the madam is no other than Emlen and so he immediately challenged her to a game of cards. But he met a stipulation he said if I win the game, you have to let the young woman go free and winning he did with a royal flush and so the girl who was let go was set free, was married and become a much arc of a leading family but that's not all. Very shortly after Emlen's encounter with direct. She had an encounter with the living God. She repented and received the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and later she opened an orphanage for Cherokee children, beloved, the real story of Rhett and Scarlett is far more exciting than the fictional accounts, but you must see that in the media, you will not see that on network television because it is the story of God's amazing grace. Now I know most people are familiar with the song John Newton wrote back in the 1700s, amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me and yet you cannot be truthfully honest as you look at our culture without agreeing with theologian JI Packer who said that for our culture and for our generation that amazing Grace has turned into boring grace is that will help come. How come we look at the average churchgoer today.

They can get far more excited about church activities and church programs and social activities and social action in sports activities and even political and economic scene than they can get excited about the grace of God. That's a fact. And you know that I'm telling the truth for them. The grace of God is JI Packer said isn't boring, all to be sure most people would not object to you speaking about grace, especially if they need some they will not contradict you when you speak about grace, but that will politely listen.

They may even give tacit approval all but privately they questioned the value they question the importance questioned the validity of the grace of God and you have to ask genuinely have to ask what happens our culture.

What happened to our society. What happened to our churches. Why is there this indifference toward the grace of God.

Why do most people take the grace of God for granted and presume on the grace of God. Why is there such boredom in the church about this most exciting, most exhilarating aspect of all of the Christian life you have to conclude that we have bought into the greatest lie. The greatest lie says that Jesus is not the only way to heaven, that there are many ways to God and to heaven, that all religions contain truth. No wonder so many churchgoing people today they are confusing grace with leniency. They view God's grace as tolerance of sin on God's part that they say God has grown up and seems to be judgmental like he used to be in the days of the Bible that God does not care what you believe and how you live as long as you're a good person and so most people view God as a permissive God is an easy-going God uses all well with Cindy again, but after all they're not bad sins. I'm just going to look the other way and pretend it's not happening today. Most people view God as an accommodating God who has changed his standards since the days of the Bible that he modified his standards in order to fit with our culture of today, but beloved limited value that is not the amazing grace here is a tragedy. He is a tragedy by perverting biblical grace like this. Modern churchgoers are falling in the greatest lie all over again just like Adam and Eve fell for it in the garden, and just as Cain fell for it and we have been seeing throughout the series of messages how Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. How they fell for the greatest lie and they died spiritually because they surrendered the most amazing, the most wonderful thing of all. And that is intimacy with God and fellowship with God and that got thrown out of the Garden of Eden and then their firstborn, Cain did exactly the same thing he decided to come to God his own way, not God's way and he ended up killing his obedient brother able beloved. Listen, here's the truth.

Nothing escapes God's sight. God does not wink at our disobedience. God does not ignore our pride.

God deeply cares about what we believe and how we live.

Grace is neither permissiveness nor leniency. Grace is neither free nor cheap grace is the most costly and the most precious commodity in the whole of the universe, grace, cost God. The infinitely precious blood of his son and that is why God said on the on the basis of that shared blog on Calvary can all of humanity. Anyone anywhere in the world can come to me.

No other way is the only way for anyone to come to God as the only basis on which a Hindu can come to God is the only basis on which the Buddhist can come to God it's only basis in which a Muslim must come to God. It's the only way in which, yes, a churchgoing American must come to God. Packer might consider one of the great theologians of our time gives basic for reasons as to why the amazing grace gave way to becoming boring.

Grace number and put those four nonwords of his so I don't blame him blame me first because they refuse to see themselves as fallen creatures who are rebelling against God. Unlike John Newton who brought amazing grace. They don't see themselves as Richard and Ross, and spiritually blind. Secondly, they refuse to believe in the judgment of God. They say God is not going to judge anybody and certainly our culture teaches that we can do all things that nothing is impossible including pleasing to God and coming to him the way we think he should receive us in fourth place with our penchant for human rights, we come to view God as a politician who we put in office and if he doesn't do what we tell him to do. Then we just get him out of office and vote for somebody else.

We run around and live as if God also something listen to me. God owes us nothing and don't ever forget that grace is his favor, and that he can give it or withhold it as he wishes. I find his grace puts me on my knees around my face before him, far from finding his grace to be boring. It is the most exhilarating and for the last 46 years I have never ceased to be amazed by his grace. Some of you think that God always you favor that God owes you something. Beloved friends listen to me, the sooner you disabuse yourself of this mistaken notion, the sooner you're able to experience the amazing grace of God. In fact, Jesus said when he told us the story of the prodigal son he's talking about that boy who rebelled against his father, the boy who insulted his father who rejected his father who humiliated his father who lived contrary to his father's way. When he finally came to his senses and he came home he found his father not only welcoming him, but he was waiting for him in his waiting for every sinner who acknowledges his or her soon to come to him is waiting for you. It's amazing thing is his father never reminded him of his past sins didn't help at him and that's what God does. But first you have to come to your senses. You have to realize that you are unworthy that you are undeserving of his grace, and you know what, I have no doubt in my mind is not in the Bible's knowledge Jesus that I have no doubt in my mind that this young man for the rest of his life. Probably every waking moment he live in gratitude and thanksgiving and of self giving in thankfulness to the grace of his father. When Satan told Adam and Eve about the big lie when his shoulder to them.

He basically said to them, what you hear people today say may not be exactly the same words but the same meaning card is not good if he tells me to come to him only one way, how can a good God not allow me to live the way I want God must not want me to be happy. God lies because the Bible is contradicted by today's movies and books on the rest of them. I cannot be fulfilled unless I'm free to do what I think is right. I really will contact you really want that. I really want to bemoan God and that's what they say and that is the big lie started in the Garden of Eden and beloved.

This is the core of the big lie that cause spiritual death for Adam and Eve today just looks a little different use polish language we do it little bit more cleverly we use multimedia to presented but it's the same old lie Lisa how come what these people are saying today is what Adam and Eve said back then because in the final analysis, Adam and Eve and they fell for the greatest lie they actually blamed God for their sin and death of people doing today. They blame God look at Genesis 312 Adam's biggest excuse was know what I'm going to give your use of translation okay is what Adam was doing said you know God. If you did not give me this woman I know some of you thinking he is a wimp and he was. If you have not given me this woman. I wouldn't of disobeyed you got a have you given me a better woman maybe standing up and taking it like a man is if you give me a different woman I probably wouldn't disobeyed you to blame God is really your fault. And when God confronts Eve, she does the same thing. The ladies don't get all happy. She does the same thing is you can't really blame Adam straight face okay but she also blamed God, is that the devil meaning you put him there. The devil made me do it but you actually saying is God this you fault is really your fault, but she was nice about it. After all, if God did not put Satan in the garden.

She would not of fallen for the greatest lie right are thinking about this and I think of a story the true story of Russian Emperor Frederick the great one that he decided to visit all his prisoners in the Pottstown prison and as he came in the door and they said the Emperor is here and he was visiting with each prisoner. Every prisoner insisted on his innocence. Each prisoner claimed to be a victim of our frame up of some injustice. Each prisoner blame somebody else for their imprisonment and then right again determined that there was a lone man prisoner and the man had his head down hanging low and he said to the embrace of your Majesty. I am guilty and richly deserve my punishment upon which the Emperor shouted for the prison warden visit, here get this man out of here before he corrupts all these noble and innocent prisoners and he was set free. Beloved. That's the grace of God in a nutshell, is the grace of God. All I know you love to make excuses but in the ultimate analysis God is not looking for an excuse. He's not looking for rationalization.

He is looking for confession is looking for conviction.

He is looking for repentance and just a Jesus tells us there were two men went to the temple to pray, one is a Pharisee and the other one was a publican and the Pharisee stood there in the temple is it you know God, I am really a good guy. I've done all these good things for you Garden of done this and have done this and I kept the fees not tied than I've done this and I look at all the kept all the all the rituals of all I kept them all.

The publican strikes his heart. The sousaphone given me on a miserable sinner. What did Jesus say Sadat tell you the truth, that man who confessed and repented. Went home justified but not the self-righteous guy. That is why today we have millions of churchgoing folks who are spiritually dead and they're in desperate need to be brought back to life.

There are millions of poor articles and their hiding in church pews and they need to understand that only through confession and repentance what they experience that amazing Grace and today my beloved friend highest calling is twofold is to cry to God that he might raise the spiritually dead, and that we would tell everybody who would listen about the marvelous grace of God that they have to repent and right knowledge their sin. That sin destroys eternally. But grace gives eternal life. For that is the same grace that was promised by God, and we been seeing that's right so you gotta memorize this. Where was it promised in Genesis where 315.

God bless you Jesus did not appear in a vacuum. As they say Jesus did not come to found a religion as they say. But Jesus as the promised one for all of humanity by God himself to our first parents, Adam and Eve that is going to come and is going to crush Satan's head that you going to come in through his grace would be saved everyone to acknowledge their sins and believe in him.

Everyone who would repent and know that he died on the cross and rose again. It was for them that he paid the wages of their sin. Only then will they be it on the saved and receive the grace of God I remember on a few occasions out here. People say to me; why didn't God just shout from heaven to all you forgiven your sins are forgiven us are taking care of all your sin pretended your sin never happened. You forgiven.

It's always an indication this is dead giveaway that the person who makes a statement like that is a person who is spiritually dead. It's a clear indication that the person has not come to grips and begin to comprehend the enormity of his or her skin that that person thinks that they are not too bad that they are okay that they feel because they haven't committed one of the big sins. Therefore, the going to be accepted by God is all I'm not perfect. I know that but who is right, but I want you to think with me just for a moment when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of Eden. Adam did not commit any of the big sins. He didn't even kill anybody. The only person there to kill is even she was still alive didn't steal from anybody who's there to steal from. He had it all. Not commit adultery. Eventually, Eve was the only one in the place did not commit any of the so-called big sins that it was all white. I don't commit the big sins then what was his sin that caused him spiritual death and being thrown out of garden. Listen to me carefully. Please choosing his way instead of God's he wanted to be accepted by God.

Some other way than what God said and that my beloved friends is the mother of all sins is the root of all sins is the foundation of all city's to the some people who really think that this idea of many ways to God is that is new and hip thing that was popularized by Oprah Winfrey. Now it's not.

It's as old as the garden is the oldest and the greatest lie of all times and it continued to be retold in the media and books and movies and on television every single day and buying into the lie will keep a person in spiritual death and until you believe that Jesus is the only way is the only one who can forgive your sins. When you come to him in brokenness and in humility until you do that you will never experience the amazing grace of God that sets you free and gives you new life.

You know, one of the greatest one of the most powerful words in the English language is the word home HO MAD home because home indicates the thought that communicates the thought that your warm and and and your secure an annual protected and it communicates that you belong in and that you are loved and the true value of that word home is felt most keenly by those who are furthest away from home a soldier on the battle for health a patient in the hospital bed, a prisoner in the cell. A runaway child was away from home and as long as you are away from God's grace your away from home. All of your efforts of trying to see seek to ease your pain will never bring you home. All of the rationalization of your wanting to be good. Never going to bring your home is going to keep you away from God's home where grace is found, like the father of the product is waiting for you. He is waiting to leverage his grace upon you when you come to your senses.

Confess and repent. Thanks for listening to this message from Dr. Michael. You sat recently featured on leading the way. If you'd like to know more about us, please visit LTW.org that LTW.Ward