Sidewalk Sermon

I was glad my daughter couldn't read yet.  I was even more glad that she didn't see it and ask me what it said.  Though I could have gotten away with a vague answer.  We just continued down the sidewalk.  But then I began to think about it.  And I thought it might make some sense to her.

 "Hey Rach."  I stopped and stooped down.  "Do you know what I saw on the sidewalk back there?"

"What?"

 "It was a bad word someone had written in the sidewalk.  How do you figure it got there?"

 "Maybe (a little pause, an adorable look of probability) they wrote it when it was wet."

I tried  to weave a little metaphor around it.  I told her that she was like wet cement.  And everything she did that was not in God's will was like a bad word being written.  "As the cement dries the word gets left there permanently.  And you can't erase it.  You have to break up the sidewalk and put down a new one.  That's the only way to get rid of it."  She seemed to get the picture.  So I kept painting.

"Those bad words are like sins.  And sins keep us out of heaven.  And the only way to get rid of those sins is to rip up the old sidewalk and put down a new one."   She's pretty sharp.  I guess you can say she knows me.  Or at least she knows me well enough to guess at the answer.  "Who do you think is the only One who can put down a new sidewalk?"

 "Jesus?!"

She was right.  And I told her so.  And that is exactly what He did.  When you are born again, when you enter into the new life in Christ Jesus, the old sidewalk is ripped up and cast away.  A new slab is put down.  A slab of the Spirit.  But the beauty of this slab is that it is already dry.  It is a solid piece of rock.  Nothing can be etched into it.  No sin will be recorded in it because it is protected by the blood of Jesus.  There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The things we do wrong now, having already received the gift of salvation through the blood of Jesus, are like chalk drawings on the sidewalk.  They are there for a moment.  There for us to see.  There to remind us of the grace of God.  There to remind us just how far we are from Him.  But they don't stay.  A little rain (a little repentance) and they are gone.  Leaving no trace of ever being present.  The ever cleansing blood of Jesus is just that.  Ever cleansing. 

Check your sidewalk.  If you have not yet accepted the gift He offers.  If you have not allowed Him to put down a new slab.  Think about it. 

If you have... look for the chalk writings.  Read them out loud to Him.  Acknowledge them.  Admit them.  And the blood will do its job.

SDG