Rat Poop Cookies

 Read Galatians 1

Who likes cookies? Who likes homemade cookies? Who wants a cookie?

Here’s the recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  If you don’t get it all down, don’t worry there are one or two million recipes on the internet. Let’s go.

1 1/2 sticks         Butter, unsalted

1/3 cup      Granulated Sugar

2/3 cup      Brown Sugar

1       Egg

1       Egg Yolk

1 1/2 tsp    Vanilla Extract

2 cups        All-purpose Flour

1/2 teaspoon      Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon      Kosher Salt

1 11 Oz bag of chocolate chips

I had all of the ingredients except that I could only find an 8 oz bag of chocolate chips.  You can’t short the chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies.  What to do?

So, I’m 3 oz short, but I was cleaning up behind the stove and found 3 oz of rat poop.  So, 8 oz of chocolate chips and 3 oz of rat poop equals 11 oz.  All is good.

How are your cookies now?

Seriously, I didn’t put 3 oz of rat poop in your cookies.  It was only 2 oz, maybe 1 oz.  Are they still tasting good?

OK.  There is no rat poop in the cookies that I gave you.

What if you needed to borrow a gallon of gasoline because your car was a few miles down the road?  I have about a half-gallon in my gas can.  I’m not sure if that will get you to the gas station or not.

So, before I give you the gas, I go out behind my house and run some water into my gas can and make it nearly a little fuller.  I can’t put too much in there.  Your car won’t run on water, but what would a little hurt?

We don’t want anyone messing with our cookies.  We don’t want someone watering down our gas.  Paul says don’t let anyone corrupt the gospel.

God loved you so much that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save the world through him.

Salvation comes from Christ alone.

Your salvation is a gift of God that you receive by faith.  You believe in Jesus.  He is Lord. He is the Son of God.  God raised him from the dead.

In that simple belief is life and life everlasting with your loving Father and with Jesus and you have the deposit of the Holy Spirit with you now, so you know the promise is real.

It’s not, I believe in Jesus and circumcision for my salvation.

It’s not, I believe in Jesus and total obedience to the Law of Moses for my salvation.

It’s not, I believe in Jesus and will attend all feasts and festivals of the Lord for my salvation.

There is no Jesus Plus Gospel.  It’s all Jesus when it comes to salvation.

So, we can keep on sinning and just get more grace? That’s not the deal.

In response to grace—mercy, forgiveness, and favor that we didn’t deserve, we live as Christ’s disciples.  This is our response.  This is our act of worship.  This is our act of service, but it is in response to God’s saving grace.

Salvation comes in Christ alone.

Probably 90% of what I preach to you on a regular basis is discipleship.  I’m preaching to the saints, those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior.

But on occasion, we need to be reminded that salvation is a gift of God that we receive by faith in Christ Jesus.  There is no other gospel than that of life in Christ Jesus.

My knee has already bowed and my tongue confessed that Jesus is Lord.  I am certain of my salvation.  Don’t come at me with another gospel.

Enjoy your cookies.

Amen.