By the Grace of Jesus

Readings:
I Chronicles 28
Acts 15:1-11

Focus:
Acts 15:11: "For our belief is that we are saved in the same way as they are: by the grace of the Lord Jesus."

In speaking to the gathered Christians in Jerusalem, Peter expressed one of the most basic truths of Christianity. We are not saved by being good or by following rules. We are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, given to us when we acknowledge that we are lost in sin and need his forgiveness, and that we accept what he did for us.

My husband used to tell a joke--and yet a story with truth in it--about a man who died and arrived at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asked him why he should be allowed into heaven. The man said, "I've been a nice person all my life and tried to respond kindly to people, and I took good care of my family."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

The man said, "I was faithful to my wife, and never got drunk or committed any crimes, even white-collar petty crimes; I didn't even keep extra change."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

So the man said, "I attended church almost every week, and gave 10% of my income most of my life."

St. Peter said, "That's not good enough."

Then the man said, "I supported missionaries and gave extra money to causes like world hunger, diseases, and other charities."

St. Peter said, "That's still not good enough."

The man, starting to feel desperate, said, "I took in foster children, and I helped at homeless shelters, and I took time off work to go on short-term mission trips where I built housing for desperately poor people."

St. Peter said, "That's still not good enough, and you've still got a long way to go in order to get close to being good enough."

The man felt overcome by despair at this point, and said, "It's only by the grace of God that I'll ever get in here!"

St. Peter said, "You're in!"