We have been studying the letter of Paul to the church at Ephesus on Wednesday nights. Last week we learned that the grace of God is to be demonstrated in the church by the unifying and reconciling work of the Holy Spirit within the Body of Christ. The church is like a laboratory in which God’s amazing grace is developed and made known in the world. Think about the laboratories at Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Johnson and Johnson, and Moderna Therapeutics in which the COVID 19 vaccines were created, tested and made available to America’s population. These companies were the proving ground in which now over 50% of our nation’s adult population has been vaccinated. The pandemic is on the decline now as a result.
 
The apostle Paul said, “…the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.” (Ephesians 3:6-7)
 
The grace of God is proven and made available to both Jews and Gentiles which brings unity and oneness between fellow believers of all races, languages, and nationalities. Thus, the grace of God is proven within the church body by the harmony between fellow believers. Our church is a laboratory, a proving ground of grace in which all people may worship, serve and fellowship together in the name of Christ Jesus.
 
What if we could make God’s grace into a vaccine and inject it into the arms of every person in our nation?
What if this grace vaccine began to lessen the impact of hate, prejudice, racism and violence throughout our land?
 
Remember what the prophet Isaiah said, “…And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:4)
 
Why do we have to wait until we all get to heaven to find peace and harmony between the nations when we have the grace of God within our church sufficient enough to make it happen right now?
 
Jesus is praying for it to happen. Jesus wants peace within His church to spill out and bring peace in the world, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you have sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)
 
Our church is the laboratory in which that prayer is made real. We are the proving ground within which the grace of God and the prayers of Jesus are perfected and distributed.
 
We must get it right. There is no room for error and no time for delay. The world is coming apart. Peace and brotherhood in our neighborhoods and communities is at stake. Our children’s future is under attack. I fear discord and enmity as much as I fear COVID 19. The remedy is the GRACE of God. We can practice God’s grace with each other at church and then inject it into every situation we face in the world.
 
Lord, help us to be the kind of grace lab and factory our country needs and you would have us to be. Amen.

Our church is well into its vision to make this year a year in which we emphasize the gospel. I have preached 3 sermon series since the beginning of January which demonstrate the truth of the gospel in the life of Jesus our Savior.
 
Starting in January, I preached 5 sermons about the definition of the gospel and our responsibility as the people of God to keep it foremost in the ministry of our church.
 
I then preached 7 sermons based on the “I AM” statements of Jesus from the gospel of John. These sermons tell us all about who Jesus is and how He embodies that meaning and truth of what the gospel is all about and how we are to make it a primary influence in the world.
 
After the “I AM” statements of Jesus, I preached 8 sermons on the statements of Jesus from the cross. The gospel is displayed by the suffering and death Jesus endured on the cross in order to save us from our sins. There would not be a gospel without Christ’s willingness to suffer and die in our place. At the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins. To that end, the men of our church built a Gospel Garden between the two buildings on our property and raised a beautiful cross to remind us that the cross is central to the gospel message and to the ministry of our church. You cannot drive into our parking lots without being aware of the cross and the beauty of the gospel message.
 
Today, I begin a new sermon series about the appearances and statements of Jesus following His resurrection. Prior to the resurrection, Jesus spoke to multitudes of people, religious leaders of His day, and His closest followers about His relationship to God and His ministry in the world. Following His resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, several women, and a larger group of about 500 people. In these encounters, He spoke about His continuing mission to make the gospel known to the entire world. There were 10 appearances Jesus made following His resurrection. There will be one sermon on each appearance which should take us through the summer.
 
Following the summer months, I will begin a sermon series on the prayer life of Jesus. This series will encompass not only the prayers that Jesus prayed, but also the things He taught us about how we should pray. We will finish our Year of the Gospel with instruction and inspiration from our Lord Jesus about becoming more like Him when we pray. The gospel will never become what it should be in our lives without prayer. Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which your pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.” (Mark 11:24)
 
The most powerful influence in the world is the prayers of God’s people. We need to pray more, but we also need to learn how to pray like Jesus. Begin to pray now that God will do mighty and great things through our praying like Jesus taught us to pray.

Today is Graduation Sunday at Grace. We wish to honor our young people who are graduating from high school this year:

​Philomena Rhodes
Caleb Freeman
Jacob Dixon
Luke Fisher
 

We have watched each of these young people grow up among us. They are now ready to enter the next phase of their lives entering into the world as young adults. The advice of the apostle Paul is fitting for us to pass on to them this morning, “Therefore, since you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, not the things that are on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1)
 
Your parents and this church have passed on to you their faith in Jesus Christ. You are all born-again believers. You have learned to honor God’s word and respect its truth. You have been faithful and diligent in your service to the Lord. Many have prayed for you and have given their loving care to bring you to this moment today. We all praise God for you and rejoice with you as you enter this exciting chapter in your lives. As a blessing to you and a biblical challenge, let’s read from God’s word together this morning:
 
Pastor and Congregation:
“My Sons (and Philomena), do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; for the length of days and years of life, and peace they will add to you.
 
Graduates:
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man.
 
Pastor and Congregation:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
 
Graduates:
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:1-8)
 
All Together:
“Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
 
Pastor’s Prayer for the Graduates

​Listen to these amazing Mother’s Day Scriptures:

• “…observe your chaste and respectful behavior, your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God” (1 Peter 3:2b-4). The Bible is talking about the jewel of the Christian home. It describes for us the quality of a Godly wife and mother.
• “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her…” (Proverbs 31:25-28). A godly mother is a rich blessing to her children and family.
• “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:3-5). Children reveal the quality of a mother’s soul. Children show the world how precious a godly mother really is.
• “And Mary said, ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, for He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name’” (Luke 1:46-49). God sees and rewards the beauty of a mother’s humble spirit. God knows the value of a mother’s humble heart.
• “My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk to you” (Proverbs 6:20-22). A mother’s teaching will stay with you always. Your mother’s counsel will never let you down.

 
There is no doubt that God looks upon godly Mothers as the solid foundation upon which He builds His kingdom in this world. Today’s culture does not appreciate the true quality of a Christian mother, but God does. Many of the things’ mothers do for their families go unnoticed and unappreciated. Remember, God sees everything and knows the value of all mothers. He knows every contribution and every sacrifice they make for the good of their spouses and children.
 
Elizabeth George defines who godly mothers are: “What is a godly mother? A godly mother is one who loves the Lord with all her heart, mind soul and strength and then passionately, consistently, and unrelentingly teaches her child to do the same.”
 
My mother went back to school after I graduated from high school to learn to be a nurse. She worked third shift at Memorial Hospital in Nashville to pay my college tuition so I could become a minister of the gospel. Thank you, mom, for your passionate, consistent and unrelenting love and sacrifice for me. I pray you are happy with what your influence, manner and spiritual character has fashioned me to become. Robbie told me just the other day, “Your mother was a godly mother.” I said, “Yes, I know, and she inspired me to marry a godly mother.” Godly mothers beget godly mothers.

​Do you know that God did not send Jesus into the world to save the government?
 
Jesus did not come to save banks, or corporations, or social clubs, or ball teams, or Wall Street, or political parties. According to the word of God, Jesus came to “…seek and save that which is lost.” (Luke 19:10)
 
People are more important to God than institutions, ideologies, or even personal preferences. The apostle Paul said, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
 
Every individual person is important to God. It does not matter what nationality a person claims, the color of their skin, the school they graduated from, the language they speak, or the amount of money they have to spend, Jesus loves all people equally. He died on the cross so that every person might come to faith in Him as savior and Lord.
 
Have you noticed that God made Adam and Eve and placed them in the beautiful Garden of Eden before there was ever any government institution founded on the face of the earth?
 
In fact, in the seven days of creation, no government is even mentioned. Land was created, water was created, the sun and moon came into existence to rule of the day and night, birds had a place made for them, fish were placed in the sea, animals found a home on the land, but creation is silent when it comes to man-made governments. Birds are more important to God than governments. Listen to what Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26)
 
We need to keep things in perspective. Birds and people are more important to God than governments or anything man-made.
 
Now, God does grant governments a place of service under His divine authority. Government is supposed to serve in the best interest of the people they represent. Here is the role of government as assigned by God, “…it is a minister of God to you for good.” (Romans 13:4)
 
Let’s not get the cart before the horse. People do not serve the government. The government exists to serve the people. God’s preference and His will always centers on His great love for people. Jesus was the perfect example of God’s care for and love of people, “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)
 
His compassion for people resulted in His command to pray, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
 
We are to pray for our government like Jesus commanded. We are to labor in the harvest field with care and compassion like Jesus did. That is the role of government. Anything other than that is ungodly.