Recently I had the pleasure of leading worship and a high school guys small group for a church in Amarillo, Texas. The guys were great, and my time with them was extremely enjoyable. We walked through the fact that our lives very rarely, if ever, actually match the call and implications of the Gospel. We spoke of how, as church members and frequent attenders, the answers and knowledge of the gospel are known to us, yet the action that should result from this knowledge is often missing.
Ironically, this fact manifested itself throughout the weekend, even as it was spoken of and pointed to as sin. As much as I loved the guys, they were often extremely disrespectful, not only to me, but the the owner of the house. When we arrived at the house, it was spotless. The living room was clean, toys were organized and stacked in a corner, pillows were aligned on the couch and everything was in order. Throughout the course of the weekend, however, that quickly changed. I had made it very well known that the last day we would spend our time cleaning what had been made dirty.
The last day the house was a disaster. Lincoln Logs had been thrown throughout the room in a toy battle, chips had been crushed ground into the carpet, drinks had spilled, clothes were everywhere, the kitchen was torn apart, and it literally looked as if a tornado had torn through the house. Conveniently, all of the boys found something else that they needed to do during the time that they were supposed to be cleaning.
I cleaned. Everything. By myself. I did dishes, and put away toys. I moved clothes, cleaned up spills, put food away, swept and vacuumed for about an hour an a half. By the time I was done the room looked very much like it had when the weekend began.
I called the group back inside and immediately asked them if they noticed any difference between the house then, and when they had left it an hour and a half earlier. One student actually had the audacity to claim he didn't notice a difference. It was then that I explained that scenario actually tied fairly close to the Gospel.
Their mess had been cleaned. Free of charge, without any active persuasion from them, and most certainly not because they had deserved it. I cleaned because I loved them, and found it fit to do so. Likewise, our sins were forgiven while we were dead in our sins, not of our own will, but because God, who is good, and gracious found it appropriate to do so. We didn't deserve it, and most assuredly didn't earn it. Dead men don't make moves, and if they do, they certainly don't make good ones.
Secondly, we, like the student, forget how absolutely depraved and messy we were. The result of this is missing the amazing goodness of how clean we have been made. When our sin is small, so will be our Savior. When our sin is big, so will our Savior be.
Should you be a skeptic, I charge you to look at yourself and juxtapose it with perfection. Even if you don't believe that perfection exists, humor me. Outside of grace, perfection is necessary to find ourselves in communion with God when this life comes to a close. Perfection, unobtainable to you and I, was manifested through the God-man named Christ who died that we may live. May you be reconciled to Christ, for in him, and him alone is life
Should you be a believer, don't forget how absolutely wretched you were outside of the cross. When we lose sight of our sin, we lose sight of our Savior. He saved you, he picked you up out of the mire and despair that you were caught in as objects of wrath. May the recognition of how helpless you were impulse you to love God more, and live for him unashamedly, for his glory and your joy.
May the Word move in you, and through you.
To Him be the glory.
-Matt Allen
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