This is the kind of sermon topic that the preacher hesitates to advertise ahead of time. If people come to church to hear some good news, this topic doesn't sound too promising. But I ask you to brace yourself and stick with it. The words we consider here are from the lips of none other than a merciful and loving Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. His words often contained some hard truths, but they also finally reveal to us the marvelous, incredible goodness and love of God to you and me. So let's dare to tackle the topic, despite its unpromising sound -- "Nobody Owes You Anything."

In a way, we know this is true. You and I ought to be grateful for everything we have; we ought to consider the whole sweep of our life as a gift that is given to us from the hand of providence. We owe our lives t…