[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 1st of March, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church. Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]
A few weeks or so ago we talked about how it was necessary for Jesus to die so that our sins might be forgiven. Only a blood sacrifice, of the Spotless Lamb, could atone mankind of all our sin. That one act by Jesus, obeying His Father and accomplishing His will, was for us, giving us the chance of eternal life in paradise. And I say a “chance”, because although Jesus died for all mankind, all the world, not everyone will believe in Him nor follow His commands - not everyone will be saved.
It was necessary for Jesus to do this, for God to offer His own Son in sacrifice, because of the act of one man, one of God’s most beloved creations, back when the world was new. Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome explaining this, in chapter 5, verses 12 through 19, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
It was necessary for Jesus to do this, for God to offer His own Son in sacrifice, because of the act of one man, one of God’s most beloved creations, back when the world was new. Please listen and follow along to what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome explaining this, in chapter 5, verses 12 through 19, reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died — from the time of Adam to the time of Moses — even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other Man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other Person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
--Romans 5:12-19 (NLT)
Let us pray… Father God, Your plan for the salvation of mankind required the sacrifice of Your own Son upon a cross of our making. Yet His death opened the door for our eternal life. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and follow His example, His voice, His commands. Father, may our lives ever more reflect Jesus and the example He gave us. Please help us be true to Your Son and to show Him to the world in all we do. Help us be worthy of the sacrifice He made to save us from ourselves.
Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit in our hearts. Write Your message there so it is always before us. Speak to us of death to this world and our sin, and life everlasting. This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
The December 1992 issue of “Progress Magazine” contained this little story:
When Billy Graham was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding. Graham admitted his quilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court.
The judge asked, "Guilty, or not guilty?" When Graham pleaded guilty, the judge replied, "That'll be ten dollars - a dollar for every mile you went over the limit."
Suddenly the judge recognized the famous minister. "You have violated the law," he said. "The fine must be paid… but I am going to pay it for you." He took a ten dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner! "That," said Billy Graham, "is how God treats repentant sinners!"
John the Baptist called the people to, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Jesus echoed that proclamation as He began His ministry and throughout His walk on earth. We are called to repentance for the kingdom of heaven is indeed at hand. And if we truly do repent, what do you think God’s reaction will be?
Jesus died on the cross to pay our ticket, signing for us in His own blood. When we repent, turn from our disobedience and turn to God, accepting Jesus as His Son and our Master, then not only will our ticket have been paid, but we’ll be treated to a steak dinner, or the heavenly equivalent which is far superior to anything on earth! Jesus tells us, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Lent is the perfect time for repentance. Let the angels sing and the heavens rejoice!
Paul tells us that when Adam sinned, sin entered the world, and brought death with it. Now this was well before the Law handed down through Moses, but this shows us that sin involves more than breaking some of the Ten Commandments.
What, then, is sin? At its root, sin is disobedience to God. When we disobey God, when we do something we know He does not want us to do, we sin. And because sin brought along death into the world, and because we all sin, we all die. This is true even for Jesus, the Son of God, Himself Divine, who came to the earth in human form, as one of us, sharing all our frailties. Even though He Himself was without sin, death also claimed Jesus. Not death of natural causes or accident or old age, but a cruel death at the hands of the very people He came to save!
But then an amazing thing happened. Jesus did not stay dead. God’s Holy Spirit raised Him to life once again. Jesus conquered death, and those who believe in Him and follow His commands share in that victory! Death will not be able to hold us! We too shall be raised from the dead, to live forever with Jesus and our Father God in heaven!
Do we deserve this marvelous gift? No, certainly not, nor could we ever deserve it, we who are sinners, not even we who believe. This is a gift from God, His undeserved mercy and grace bestowed upon us because we do believe! It is only through Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s grace that we are redeemed, forgiven, and saved from eternal death. Only by God’s grace and forgiveness can we ever be seen as right in His eyes.
King David wrote a special song describing the joy of forgiveness that I’d like to read to you. This is a little long, so you have a copy in your bulletin. Listen and follow along to David’s Psalm 32…
1 Our God, You bless everyone
whose sins You forgive
and wipe away.
2 You bless them by saying,
“You told me your sins,
without trying to hide them,
and now I forgive you.”
3 Before I confessed my sins,
my bones felt limp,
and I groaned all day long.
4 Night and day Your hand
weighed heavily on me,
and my strength was gone
as in the summer heat.
5 So I confessed my sins
and told them all to You.
I said, “I’ll tell the Lord
each one of my sins.”
Then You forgave me
and took away my guilt.
6 We worship You, Lord,
and we should always pray
whenever we find out
that we have sinned.
Then we won’t be swept away
by a raging flood.
7 You are my hiding place!
You protect me from trouble,
and You put songs in my heart
because You have saved me.
8 You said to me,
“I will point out the road
that you should follow.
I will be your teacher
and watch over you.
9 Don’t be stupid
like horses and mules
that must be led with ropes
to make them obey.”
10 All kinds of troubles
will strike the wicked,
but Your kindness shields those
who trust You, Lord.
11 And so Your good people
should celebrate and shout.
--Psalm 32 (CEV)
We must confess our sins, not because God doesn’t already know what we did, but because we need to understand that what we did was wrong. When we realize we’ve sinned we must go to God in prayer, promising to repent, seeking His forgiveness. We should willingly obey God’s word and Jesus’ commands, and not be like stupid horses and mules that must be led by ropes. And lastly, we should celebrate God’s great grace, and shout for joy for we are forgiven!
We are all dying, even that little baby we baptized this morning. The day will come when we take our last breath on this earth, even as we pray that day will be a long, long ways off for little Samantha.
But here’s the thing… We who believe in Jesus and follow His commands will not stay dead! Just like Jesus, we will be raised to life anew by God’s Holy Spirit, and this time it will be life everlasting. This is the promise Jesus spoke. This is the promise God proved by raising Jesus from the dead.
Jesus is the Son of God. He died to wash us clean of our sins by His blood. And He rose from the dead to life eternal, ensuring the promise of our own resurrection and everlasting life in paradise. Believe it and do as Jesus says, and death will turn to life. In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, You sent Your Son to earth as one of us. He lived among us, just as we live. And He died, just as we die. But Father, You did not let death keep hold of Jesus! You raised Him from the dead, and that assures us of the promise You made to raise us to new life, too! Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son to save us. Thank You for resurrecting Him back to life, ending death's hold. Please help us to repent, to turn from our disobedient ways, to understand just how much Jesus did for us, so that we might mirror His life more closely in ours.
Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to repent of our sinful ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…
Lord Jesus, You gave up Your place in heaven to come to earth as one of us, to save us from ourselves. You called us to repentance, and set the example of how we should live by how You lived. And then You conquered death so that we might share in Your victory! Thank You, Jesus, for giving up so much just for us! Thank You for taking on our sins that we might be washed clean by Your blood and forgiven. Help us, please Lord, to be worthy of Your sacrifice. Help us to better serve You in this life by serving those in need so we can enjoy eternal life with You in paradise. This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment