|
by the Rev. Dr. Charles P. Grier Introduction: Greetings to all of you! And thank you for being here! We appreciate every one of you. Some of you have come from distant states, some from Canada, and all of you had to “cut corners” in order to be here. Many are my next-door neighbors, and I appreciate you! We appreciate all the sacrificial effort that has been expended. My daughter, Dee has worked all week just making the cake; Marvine has worked two months making arrangements; Chris has put a lot of time and effort into this happy occasion, despite the fact he is already over-worked as Assistant Pastor of a large Baptist Church in Kansas City; the rest of the family have all cooperated. We appreciate all the special music and the efforts of all those who have participated in any way! Last but not least, we appreciate Pastor Zigee and the Redeemer Lutheran Church, for permitting us to use this lovely sanctuary and all the modern equipment, as well as those from the Church who have volunteered to help us. Thank you! And God Bless You!
Our Scripture Reading this Afternoon is from John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I Give to you, that you love one another; “AS I HAVE LOVED YOU,” that you also love one another.”
And He wants us to display a Certain Kind of Love,
This is not merely a privilege — IT IS A COMMAND! “A new Commandment I give to You!” Have you ever known love that compares with God’s love for a lost world? We will never fully grasp the DEPTH of that love. But God wants us to demonstrate, at lease, some of the QUALITY of that love. Jesus had ended his three and one half years of public ministry and He had arranged one last evening with His beloved disciples. The Passover Supper had been served. Judas had already gone out on his satanically inspired task of betraying his Lord! Jesus knew, only too well, the situation He was now facing. He tried to tell His disciples but they were occupied with their own plans for the future, and even slept while He agonized in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ knew He was about to be arrested and condemned to die. He knew they would drive long heavy spikes through His hands and feet, nailing Him to that old rugged cross. He knew they would then drop that timber into the hole they had dug and proceed to secure it firm and erect. At that time the weight of His body would rest on those huge spikes that tore his hands, and feet and anchored him to the cross! He Knew His disciples would all forsake Him and run for their lives. He knew Peter would deny that he ever knew Him. He knew His Heavenly Father would have to desert Him while He hung on the cross of Calvary. There on that Cross He would take the place of the lost sinner. He would take the place of Charlie Grier. Whether you realize it or not, He represented you! And you! And you! He died for every mortal being that ever lived, including Cain, and Judas Iscariot. The fact that they rejected Him, was their choice. Christ did all a loving Savior could do to keep them from going to Hell. Over and above everything else: “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25). Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love HIM! And we ought to love one another! And we ought to love, AS HE HAS LOVED US! God said “love one another!” This is a Command! How much should we love one another? “As I have loved You!” You say, “I hope to go to Heaven. Everybody expresses love Over There!” Jesus was not speaking to the people in Heaven when He said those words. He was addressing mortal beings, like you and me. We are to love our friends—and we are to love our enemies! We are to love our neighbors---and we are to love our family members. We should love those that attend our church---and those who attend other churches, as well as those who do not attend at all. We are to love “The down-and-outer! And we are to love the Up-and-outer!” When I was in the hospital, two patients shared the same room, but we were fenced off by a curtain, so that I could not talk to my close fellow patient. Is Heaven going to be like that? Sure some of us are going to Heaven, because Christ paid our debt on the Cross of Calvary. But this much we must understand, “Those BAPTISTS are all wet! We can’t have fellowship with them. And those PENTECOSTALS are of the devil! Don’t have anything to do with them! Those, LUTHERANS, METHODISTS, AND PRESBYTERIANS are all modernists and no longer preach the Gospel. Forget about them! Some believe there will even be ROMAN CATHOLICS in Heaven. Surely You wouldn’t want anything to do with them! Martin Luther left the Catholic Church! So Catholics are all TABOO.
Beloved, is this the way Heaven is going be? Is it all curtained off? Is each denomination going to have its own little corner? Or, are we going to be one blood-bought family? I am glad I’m a part of the FAMILY OF GOD. I’m not saying every-body is going to Heaven. Those who reject Christ and refuse to make Him Savior and Lord of their lives, will never darken Heaven’s door. They will be lost forever and ever! And I am not saying that all those who are religious are going to Heaven, either! Most of those who oppose the Gospel of Jesus Christ are extremely religious---but they are not right with God, SO THEY ARE NOT GOING TO HEAVEN! I was saved in 1925, at age 18, and I started preaching within 2 or 3 weeks from the day I accepted Christ. If I continue another 4 months I will have been in the ministry 82 years. I was the first convert in the community. There was no church or Sunday School there and never had been. If there were other born again believers, I was not aware of that fact. I was also the first GRIER to accept Christ as Savior. The day I was saved I began praying for each of my unsaved loved ones and I considered it my responsibility to reach them for Christ. My mother and sister were saved within one month. I prayed 15 years before my Dad was saved but after 20 years, my brother Archie seemed still to hate everything that pertained to Christ and the Bible! It didn’t look like my prayers were all being answered! Then one day his sweet little wife was on her death bed. As he sat by her side, she asked him one question: “Archie, do you love me?” “You know that I love you,” Archie responded. “Then meet me in Heaven” --and she was gone! Archie climbed the stairs and spent 2 hours on his knees. When he came down from that loft, he was a changed man. He lived another 25 years or more after that, as a devoted Child of God. Praise God! He and I were now able to enjoy the things of God together. We could pray together and have blessed fellowship in the Lord! Everybody in this room is a part of a family. We didn’t work our way into that family---or buy our relationship –Neither did we steal our way in to it some clever way. We were BORN into it! I have 4 children; 5 grand children; and 8 great-grand children. The only way any of them became part of my family was by the way of BIRTH. Have you been BORN into God’s family? In John 3:3 Jesus said, “Except a man be BORN AGAIN he can not see the Kingdom Of God.” I’d like to know how many denominations are represented here today. It would be almost impossible to find that out. I have friends in all denominations, including the Roman Catholic Church. When we get to Heaven, we will find out how many different denominations are represented here now. We will also find out how sincere each of us are about wanting to go to Heaven. Some people want to go to Heaven but they want the things of the world, more! If they have to make a choice, there is a long list of earthly things that are more important to them than their eternal soul. Before they can become a Christian, they must first be willing to give up their sin. And they must be willing to make God’s Will, their will. Is there some one here today who really wants to be saved? I am on my way to Heaven and I would like to clasp your hand on the other shore. The Bible says we can know we are saved! Paul declared in: 2 Timothy 1:12 “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day. Turn with me to Acts 2:38. After preaching an evangelistic message on the Day of Pentecost, “Peter said to them, ’Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission if sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call. And with many other words, he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. How many in this audience know that you are saved? Could I have a Show of hands? Praise God! How many are not sure, but you do want to know that your name is written in Heaven? Those who want to be saved just come up here and stand with bowed head while someone prays for you.
|