Acts 2:14,22-32; 1 Peter 1:3-9 Faith, Hope and the Resurrection

Acts 2:14, 22-32 is part of the first sermon ever preached. It was in response to the disciples’ speaking in tongues on the Day of Pentecost. When the disciples spoke in tongues, some people in the crowd thought that they were drunk. Peter stated that this was not true because it was 9:00 in the morning.

If Peter was drunk with anything, he was drunk with the Holy Spirit. It allowed Peter to preach with conviction and faith. It allowed him to preach with the same boldness, courage and urgency that Jesus did. Peter preached Christ. He explained God’s gift of salvation, what people did to refuse it, what God did in spite of their refusal to accept his gift, and what would happen to those who would accept the gift.

Peter declared that God wants his people to live in Christ. Christ’s life, death and resurrection were part of God’s plan for his people, and they are still part of his plan for us today. God’s plan could not be stopped then, and it can’t be stopped now. The crucifixion was predetermined by God, but it did not absolve the guilt of the people who put Jesus to death. They thought that they had ended Jesus’ ministry, but death could not keep Jesus in the grave, and it could not stop his ministry.

Peter said that death did not have the power to hold Jesus because Jesus was no ordinary man. He was God’s designated Messiah. Peter backs up this claim by referring to Psalm 16:8-11, which speaks of one who will not be abandoned to hell or experience corruption. King David wrote that particular psalm, and since his body died and decayed, the Holy One mentioned in the psalm refers to someone other than the speaker. David saw Jesus as the one who would not be abandoned to hell and whose flesh would not experience decay. In other words, David knew that Jesus would rise from the dead.

All was not lost when Jesus died on the cross. On the contrary, things were just beginning. God raised Jesus from the dead, and Jesus will return one day to judge everyone. No one is beyond salvation, no matter how bad their lives are.  

Everything that happened in Jesus’ ministry was part of God’s plan to reveal Jesus as the long-promised Messiah. God worked through Jesus. Jesus himself said that he could do nothing by himself. All of his teachings and miracles were the result of God the Father working through him.

The Holy Spirit fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Joel. Jesus could not have sent the Holy Spirit if he was dead; therefore, Jesus is alive! Jesus could not have send the Holy Spirit unless he had ascended to heaven as the Lord. Therefore, we can know for certain that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ. If we believe in Christ, we must repent of our sins, believe in the Gospel and give ourselves to a life of following Jesus. We have received God’s grace, and therefore we have to give grace in our relationships with other people.

Jesus’ ongoing presence casts a light on depression, despondency, death and damnation. Jesus is the light that shines in our dark, sin-filled world. When we obey God, we know what the outcome of our lives will be. We know what will happen to us when we die. We can rest in the hope of eternal salvation.

If we are to believe in Jesus, we must do so by faith, including the confession of faith by those whose lives have been shaped by Christ. Peter’s sermon is a good example, because he and the other disciples were eyewitnesses to Christ’s teachings and miracles. Faith-both ours and the faith of others-invites us to enter into a relationship with Christ. Faith is an invitation to expand our memories and our lives to include him. Faith invites us to live in him. 

The Holy Spirit is the unseen force that gives us our power. It guides us. For example, the Holy Spirit combined with the teaching of other learned pastors and scholars guides me when I prepare and deliver homilies. Hopefully the Holy Spirit works in each and every one of you as you listen to them. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to cope when life throws us challenges because the result will be eternal life with Jesus in heaven. Our adversities purify and strengthen us if they are met by faith.

The Holy Spirit also comforts us, especially when we travel through the dark times of our lives. It counteracts the pressures of our everyday lives. All we have to do is to know where the flow of the power is going and follow it. If we do, we can walk with courage and confidence. We would be like the elderly lady who was confined to a wheelchair and lived in a nursing home. One day she was visited by a very dignified pastor. As he stood to leave, she asked him to have a word of prayer. He gently took her hand and prayed that God would be with her to bring her comfort, strength and healing.

When he finished praying, her face began to glow. Something amazing was happening in her heart and in her body. She asked the minister to help her to her feet. At first she took a few uncertain steps, and then she began to jump up and down, dance and shout with joy and happiness until the whole nursing home was aroused.

After she quieted down, the minister hurried out to his car, closed the door, grabbed hold of the steering wheel and prayed a little prayer, “Lord, don’t you ever do that to me again!”  

We can’t separate the death, resurrection and exultation of Jesus. Each of these events gives meaning to the others. Each is an important piece of how God establishes and confirms Jesus’ messiahship and lordship, which results in the sending of the Holy Spirit. They fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. They show us that Jesus came to heal broken people-those who are broken physically, mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually. Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks for it. People who receive the Holy Spirit are changed. They are healed. They are put back together. They are not the same people they were before.

The Holy Spirit allows us to see visions and dream dreams. As the old saying goes, if you can dream it, you can do it. The Holy Spirit motivates us and changes us because God’s hand is also upon us. The Holy Spirit lives in us just like it entered the lives of the disciples on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus has been raised from the dead and is sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus is alive and praying for us. He is praying that everything we need to live faith-filled and faithful lives has been provided.

Peter’s speech tells us how we have access to salvation. Jesus gives us salvation, but only if we repent and are baptized in his name. Peter’s sermon is the core message of the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit gives power to God’s people, the end times are here, the Messiah has come and a message of salvation must be preached so that those who hear it may receive the new life Christ offers.

Bibliography

      1.      Ogilvie, L.J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN:      Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983)

2.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

3.      Radmacher, E.P.: Allen, R.B & House, H.W.: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1999)

4.      T.M. Moore, “Let?” Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

5.      David McGee, “Grace for Life.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

6.      Pastor Ken Klaus, “The Darkness Has Been Overcome.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

7.      Joel Osteen, “Rest in Hope.” Retrieved from www.joelosteen.com

8.      Will Thomas, “Sunday Surprise.” Preaching Magazine, January/February 2014, pp. 35-36

9.      King Duncan, “The Coming of the Spirit.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

10.  King Duncan, “Lightning Struck.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

11.  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

12.  Matt Skinner, “Commentary on Acts 2:14, 22-32.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

13.  Mitzi J. Smith, “Commentary on Acts 2:14, 22-32.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

14.  Pastor Jim Collins, “Do You Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ?” Retrieved from www.beyondpositivethinking.org

15.  Exegesis for Acts 2:14, 22-32. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

16.  Exegesis for 1 Peter 1:3-9. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

 

 

 

 

 

John 20:19-31 Seeing and Believing

Good morning boys and girls!

Has anyone told you something that was so amazing that you could not believe it?

Sometimes people like to tell us things that we can’t believe. For example, some people might have told you that there is no such thing as the Easter Bunny of Santa Claus.

Have any of you ever heard of a book called “Ripley’s Believe it or Not?” The man who wrote it enjoyed collecting stories that were unbelievable but true. For example, a young girl from California once swung 68 hula hoops on her body at the same time. A man once had a chicken that laid a square egg. The world’s largest hot dog was over 3000 feet long, weighed 885 pounds and took 103 butchers to carry it. As I mentioned a few moments ago, these stories are hard to believe, but they are true.

Even the Bible has stories in it that are true even though they are hard to believe. For example, Thomas the disciple refused to believe the other disciples when they told him that they had seen the Risen Saviour. He was not with the other disciples in the room when they saw Jesus on the first Easter night. He refused to believe them until he could see Jesus in person. One week later all of the disciples (including Thomas) were in the same room when they saw Jesus again. Jesus knew that Thomas needed proof of his resurrection, and that’s why he invited Thomas to put his finger in the nail holes in his hands and the spear hole in his side. Only then did Thomas believe.

Some people are like that today. They refuse to believe that Jesus rose from the dead because they have not seen him with their own eyes. They want concrete proof. On the other hand, all of us know that Jesus rose from the dead because we believe it in faith. We do not need to see it with our own eyes. We have faith in Jesus’ promise that he would rise from the dead.

Let us bow our heads and close our eyes for a moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Give us the faith we need to accept the Resurrection by faith.  We ask this in the Name of Your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, AMEN.

Bibliography

1.      “Believe It or Not!” Retrieved from webservant@sermons4kids.ccsend.com

2.      “Identification, Please.” Retrieved from webservant@sermons4kids.ccsend.com

1 Corinthians 15:12-28 Resurrection, the Key to Eternal Life

Do you know that there are some people who refuse to believe that Jesus died and rose again? They claim that Jesus actually passed out on the cross and was revived by the cool air in the tomb. Unfortunately there is a major flaw with this belief. It does not explain how water and blood flowed out when the Roman soldiers crucified Jesus, but medical science can. When the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side, they pierced the sac that surrounds the heart.

A similar claim is made in 1 Corinthians 15:12-28. Some people in the Greek city of Corinth argued that although Jesus died and rose again, believers who died would not rise again. Part of Greek culture was the idea that the body was a prison in which the soul was housed and that in death the soul that is good is freed. The idea of bodily resurrection would have been offensive.

Paul argued that this belief is false. Paul reminded the Corinthians that Christ was a human being, and if people are not raised from the dead then Christ was not raised from the dead either. If Christ is in a grave somewhere in the Middle East, then we are still in our sins and the burden of our sins rests on us instead of on him. As a result, we would have to stand before our righteous God and give an account of every sin we have ever committed, and we would be guilty of every one of them.

Paul painted a dark picture of what life would be like without the resurrection. All preaching would be empty or false. There would be no forgiveness of sin. We would all face death without hope, and we would be tortured by the thought that those we love who have already died have perished forever. The Resurrection is for both now and the future.  If it was for this life only, then no life has any purpose.  

Paul refers to Christ’s resurrection as the “first fruits”, or the first of many who would be raised from the dead. The term “first fruits” refers to a sample of an agricultural crop that represents the nature and quality of the entire crop. Paul’s insistence that Christ died and was raised from the dead moves God from the background to the front stage of human experience. God gets involved in our lives. God is fully in human form in the person of Jesus. God is fully involved in everyone who has died.

There are two main races in the world-the natural race, which is headed by Adam, and the spiritual race, which is headed by Jesus. The natural race consists of everyone who has ever been born, whereas the spiritual race includes everyone who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. To be alive in Adam is to be alive in the flesh and the sin-filled world, but to be alive in Jesus is to be alive spiritually.

Christ’s resurrected body represents what the resurrected bodies of all believers will be like. These bodies will never again be subjected to weakness, illness, aging or death. Until Christ returns to earth, believers who die will exist in heaven as spirits without bodies. Christ’s resurrection will give us the second, third and more chances we need. In return, we need to embrace the chance of new life Christ has given us.  

It’s appropriate that we are hearing this reading from 1 Corinthians today. We have just celebrated Easter and Christ’s triumph over sin, death and the grave. In doing so, he obeyed God’s will for his life. Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of Man, is thus the only way salvation can be brought to us, because he has fulfilled the righteousness we rejected and borne the judgment we deserved, and each of these in the human flesh with which he was born of the Virgin Mary. He set a good example for us to follow. That is, we are to obey God.

When Christ returns, there will be the Great Tribulation and a terrible resurrection for those who are destined to spend eternity in hell. The eternal kingdom will be delivered to God and Jesus. Death will die and no one can escape it, but Jesus will cast it into the depths of hell.

Christ and the church will be joined when he returns. When they become united, God will establish his kingdom here on earth. Everything will be under Christ’s authority, and Christ will be under God’s authority. Jesus and God can’t be controlled by us. They control us. They control our eternal destiny if we let them. If we want to let them control our lives, we have to believe that Christ died and rose again so that we can have eternal life. When this happens, we will be different, and people will be able to look at us and see that we are different. They will see that we are people who have seen Jesus. We will be able to say the words of Job 20:25-“I know that my Redeemer liveth.” The resurrection was the foundation for everything the disciples did, and it is the foundation of our Christian faith.

When all hope was lost, Jesus destroyed death through his resurrection. We can rejoice that God can repair the status of our lives and restore us to wholeness. Anything in our lives that is hated, weak, and contemptible can become beautiful, radiant, and a blessing. We need to have trust and confidence in God and allow the risen Lord to show us the way.

 Bibliography

 

1.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

2.      Chafin, K.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol.30: 1,2 Corinthians (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985)

3.      Radmacher, E.D.; Allen, R.B. & House, H.W. :Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1999)

4.      Dr. Jeffrey K. London, “Baptized into Easter.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

5.      Leonard Sweet, “Trash Can or Treasure Chest.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

6.      Raymond Gibson Jr., “The Only Trust that Really Matters.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

7.      Richard Gribble, CSC, “Repairing Our Lives.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

8.      Richard Gribble, CSC, “Raised to New Life Today.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

9.      Harold C. Warlick, “A Note to Fearful Hearts.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

10.  T.M. Moore, “Since by Man Came Death.” Retrieved from www.colsoncenter.org

11.  Dr. Mickey Anders, “Does the Resurrection Make a Difference?” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org.

12.  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)

 

 

 

Parable of the Mustard Seed

The parable of the mustard seed is a good example of how God works in the lives of ordinary people---specifically, how He uses us to fulfill His will. He places a tiny, tiny gem of an idea or command in us, and uses us along with His Will to take that tiny item and make it into something bigger and better.

Since God always does things in His own time and in His own way, we do not always know how or when that seed will be planted. It could be in the form of a thought, or a dream we have at night, or a conversation with a friend or family member. It could be in the form of our job, or our community work, or our church work. It could be in the form of the church minister or other member of the church family. The possibilities are endless, because with God anything is possible. We might not always know when God plants that seed, but when He reveals His plan for our lives at some point in the future, we often have an "AH HAH!" moment.

For example, if someone had told me in the year 2000 or earlier that I would one day be standing before this congregation as a Lay Reader, or serve as Parish Treasurer and QCAC Treasurer, or even volunteer with the local food bank, I might have been tempted to call a mental hospital!!! But then, my father got sick and died, and throughout his illness and passing the people of this congregation, along with our former Rector Father Ken, showed God's love and compassion by being there when the Condon family needed them, not only during our attendance at Sunday services, but with visits to the home and the hospital. I have often wondered if God was speaking to me and planting that mustard seed when I read a lesson at my father's funeral, because immediately afterward Father Ken put me on the list of people who read lessons during Sunday services, and a few months later he strongly encouraged me to enter lay ministry as a Lay Reader---and as the American commentator Paul Harvey would say, "...now you know............THE REST OF THE STORY".

When He plants that seed, we might not always understand what He wants us to do or become, but He will reveal His plan in his own time and in his own way. Some of us have been called by Him to ordained ministry, and others have been called to lay ministry. Some of us have been called to ministry in music (such as our organist and choir), and some of us have been called to minister to the young people in our congregation. Some of us have been called to ministry in the community through our work or studies, our community groups, family or friends. In each case, our ministry has its roots in the tiny seed God planted in each of us.

God also uses people from all walks of life to do His work when He plants that mustard seed. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, lower class or upper class, Caucasian, African-American, Asian, etc. If He decides to use you to fulfill His will, there's nothing that can stop you when you and God work as a team. In 1934, God took an ordinary farm boy from North Carolina, and over the course of time made that farm boy into one of the most famous evangelists of our time, while at the same time charging him with the responsibility of spreading the good news of salvation to the world. God also realized that this work would not be finished in the farm boy's lifetime in spite of being equipped with a team of associates chosen by God, so in July 1974, in a hotel room in Jerusalem, He also planted the same seed in the heart and soul of that farm boy's son. Today, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association stands as an example of the parable of the mustard seed. It started as something very tiny, but has blossomed into a worldwide mission of spreading the good news, thanks to that simple farm boy from North Carolina-Rev. Billy Graham-and his son Franklin.

When God decides to use you and plant that tiny seed, he doesn't care what you look like on the outside---He looks at what's on the inside, namely, what's in your heart and soul. Throughout the Bible the Lord showed more compassion for a lowly beggar lying on the side of the road wearing torn and dirty rags BUT WHO WAS FILLED WITH FAITH, then he ever did for all the rulers of the ancient world who were filled with wickedness and contempt. When God had Samuel anoint David with oil in our Old Testament reading this morning, He did not look at what David looked like on the outside---He looked at what was in David's heart and soul. When Samuel anointed David with oil and thus obeyed God's command, Samuel planted that tiny mustard seed into David's soul---and that seed blossomed into David the warrior who slew Goliath, David the Psalmist, and the House of the Great King David of Israel, the same house that Jesus came from.

God doesn't just plant seeds in people. He also plants seeds of growth and faith in churches and their congregations. When He does so, the process is not always easy-in fact, the process can be fatal like it was for Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Like the old cliché says, the process often involves "short-term pain for long-term gain", but that pain can and usually does lead to something even better that God has planned. The current process of discernment that our Parishes of Liverpool and Eagle Head are going through is a good example. The process of change is not easy and can be painful for some, but whatever the final result is, rest assured that it will be something better that God has planned for us. No one knows yet what that result will be, but as we will see, God will reveal His plan in His own time and in His own way.

When God plants that seed, He nurtures it and makes it grow, but He needs our help to do the job. When our thoughts and desires are in line with God's plan, that seed will grow, but if they don't agree with God's will, there is trouble on the horizon. For example, when we pray to God and ask for something, He might grant our wishes right away, He might also say "Not now", or He might also say "No, I have something even BETTER in mind for you". God's will takes priority if we let it. He gave us a choice-accept Him or reject Him. If we accept Him, that mustard seed will grow and flourish. If we reject Him, that seed will be like the seed that fell on rocky soil in another parable-it doesn't take root, and it dies. We do not always know what that seed will grow into, but God does, and He will reveal it to us in His own time and in His own way.

The story has been told of Marilyn King, former US Olympian. She was a member of the 1972 US pentathlon team at the Olympics in Munich, but the massacre of the Israeli athletes combined with an ankle injury led to a disappointing performance. At the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, she placed 13th, but she knew she could do better. During her training for the 1980 Olympics, she hurt her lower back in a car accident-an injury that forced her to stop her physical training. She started mental training by watching films of other pentathlon athletes and by picturing her performance in her mind. By the time the 1980 Olympic trials began, she was barely well enough to compete, but the seeds of faith and positive thinking that God planted in her grew into a second place finish.

God uses the tiny seed He plants to reward us for being faithful. Mary the mother of Jesus was a good example. She was a pious, faithful, simple, lower class young girl who was rewarded for her faith by being given the honor of bearing God's son. He also uses the tiny seed of sin to punish us when we disobey him. One only has to remember the downfall of evangelists Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart to realize that the tiny seed of sin-in this case, greed and immorality- can grow into pain, suffering and destruction.

God NEVER stops planting seeds. He doesn't just plant one seed and concentrate on growing and nurturing it. He is ALWAYS planting seeds in His people. Those who prepare sermons can testify to this. They often get several additional thoughts, ideas, insights, etc. with every draft they write-and sometimes they get additional thoughts as they are preaching. One can regard these thoughts as being the seeds of what God wants the person delivering the sermon to say.

God also uses the seed He plants to change behaviour that He doesn't like. Take the Gospel writer Paul, for example. God used a seed called blindness to change Saul from a man who hated and persecuted Christians. That seed blossomed into Paul, one of the most prolific and devoted apostles of the New Testament.

Perhaps the most potent use of the seed is to remind us that God is in charge. He uses our trials and tribulations to remind us to put our faith in him and not rely on our own human strengths. He often plants seeds when we suffer as a way of reminding us to be obedient to him. Many people have said that they have had near-death experiences, and that these experiences have been life-changing. He uses our friends and family to remind us of his presence during times of illness or death. The story of the footprints in the sand reminds us that God is always there and that He will give us strength in times of trouble---even to the point of carrying us through life's deep, dark valleys. God is in control, and if we let Him guide us in our life's journey, we will arrive at the great destination called Heaven. God plants the seed as a way of starting the journey, the road of life that we travel with Him is the growth of the mustard plant, and our arrival in Heaven is the ultimate blossoming of that tiny mustard seed. The road is long and not always easy, but the ultimate destination makes the process of planting and growth worthwhile.

Thanks be to God. AMEN

 

Romans 6:1-14 Dead to Sin and Alive to Christ

A well-worn one dollar bill and a well-worn twenty dollar bill arrived at an incinerator to be retired. As they moved along the conveyor belt to be burned, they struck up a conversation.

The twenty dollar bill reminisced about its travels all over the county. "I've had a pretty good life," the twenty proclaimed. "Why I've been to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the finest restaurants in New York, performances on Broadway, and even a cruise to the Caribbean. ""Wow!" said the one dollar bill. "You've really had an exciting life!"

"So tell me," says the twenty, "where have you been throughout your lifetime?"

The one dollar bill replies, "Oh, I've been to the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Lutheran Church ..."

The twenty dollar bill interrupts, "What's a church?"

How many of you have heard of a weapon called the AK-47 assault rifle?

It was invented by a Russian general named Mikhail Kalashnikov. The gun became popular with terrorist groups and many nations because it is simple and almost impossibly to destroy. When the general was confronted about the number of lives his weapon had taken, the general replied, “I have no regrets and bear no responsibility for how politicians have used it.”

The general died in December of 2013, and shortly before his death he might have regretted his words. In a letter he wrote to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he asked, “If my rifle took away people’s lives, then can it be that I am guilty for people’s deaths, even if they were enemies?”

All of us have sins hidden in the back of our minds and in the corners of our hearts. These private sins give us grief any time they come to the surface of our thoughts. Even though they might have been forgotten by others, and even though we have been forgiven by God, the sins still bother us. The apostle Paul offers us this assurance: “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under the law, but under grace.”

 

There are other people who believe that by doing good deeds they will get to heaven when they die. Unfortunately, they are dead wrong. The only way we can gain the new life that salvation offers is to die a spiritual death. In other words, our sin-filled nature has to die, and the only way it can die is if we accept Christ in faith. That is the point of Romans 6:1-13.

Just like Christ died, was buried, descended to hell and rose again, we have to be “buried” with him by baptism into faith. Only then can our link to our old, sinful life be severed. When we die to sin, death has no more dominion over us. We are reborn into a new life in Christ, just like Christ was resurrected from the dead. Our new “body” is clean, and it must be kept free from sin.

Some people also believe that once our sins are forgiven, they will continue to be forgiven, so we can continue to do whatever we want to. The German pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer described this attitude as “cheap grace.” People who have this attitude are forgetting one thing. Grace may be cheap for us, but it was not cheap for Jesus. He paid a heavy price, because he paid for God’s grace with his life. Grace is not a ticket to a sin-filled life. Grace does not give us permission to sin. God’s loving grace is the free offering that leads us to salvation. Grace is not the same as salvation. Grace is the coming together of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice and his obedience to the gospel. We do not go to heaven because we want to go. We get to go to heaven because of God’s grace, but only if we accept it by faith.

Reconciliation to God requires repentance, and repentance requires remorse. Remorse requires responsibility because we have to accept responsibility for our actions. Repentance restores relationships. Reconciliation reaps rejoicing, as in the Parable of the Prodigal Son when the father rejoiced at the return of his wayward younger son.  

The key to salvation is baptism. Water baptism is an outward expression of the inner transformation of Christ. As we step into the water, we are in Christ. As we are immersed in the water, we are buried with Jesus, and as we rise from the water we are raised with him to a new life. As we walk away from the water, we show that we are walking with Jesus in a new way of life. We can also cry “It is finished” because everything that can be done about our sins has been done by Jesus. Our old way of life has been crucified with Christ and we have been freed or justified from sin. Once we have been freed from sin, we have to apply what we have been taught about our relationship to sin to our own lives. Once we have done that, we must say “no” to sin.

When we are baptized, we die to sin just like Christ died for our sins. We become a new creation, and as such we must live a new, resurrected life. We are called to make the same type of sacrifice that Jesus made. We must make that sacrifice as an act of devotion for what Christ has done for us. We must also make this sacrifice because there are people who have not yet received Christ’s grace. People need to see God’s grace, love and peace lived out in human form.

When we are baptized, we become united with him in that we are buried with him. Our life to that point is over and a new life begins. Our sins have been removed. The barriers that have kept us from the joy and freedom of the Gospel have been removed. We are free to live Christ’s love. We have been made righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice. God declares that we as sinful people are righteous, and that righteousness is based on a belief and trust in Jesus instead of on our good works. God imputes or credits Christ’s righteousness to sinners who believe in Christ and accept what he did for them on the cross. God justified himself by punishing sin.  

The Law of Moses was good, holy and righteous, but it could not be kept, and so it cursed the people. The Law could only show God’s standard and condemn people who could not keep it. It could only trouble people’s consciences about their deeds just like General Kalashnikov’s conscience troubled him. The Law kept the people in chains, and today we are still in captivity. Some of us are captive to shopping. They can’t pass up a sale, even if their homes are already full of unnecessary stuff. Some people are slaves to food. They have never met a Tim Horton’s donut that they didn’t like. Some people are slaves to their jobs. They hate their jobs, but they are being paid too much to quit. Some corporations are slaves to greed. Their only concern is the bottom line.

Some people are slaves to human standards. Human standards can only trouble people’s consciences because humans are condemned when they can’t keep human standards. We can easily distort the true Word of God by adding our own traditional practices and making them equal with God’s original plan. We need to stand against these practices as the Lord did before we become tied to man-made traditions.

On the other hand, God does not condemn us when we fail to meet his perfect standards if we accept by faith the knowledge that Christ paid the penalty for our sins. When God calls us into holy living, his call comes with the conviction that we are to be different. If we try to run our lives the way we used to run them, we will fail. The only way to succeed is to have faith in Jesus. If we do, God will accept us by grace. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less.  

How many of you remember the Peanuts comic strip character named Pig-Pen? The creator of the comic strip, Charles Schulz, described Pig-Pen as “a human soil bank who raised a cloud of dust on a perfectly clean street.” Wherever Pig-Pen went, he had a dirt cloud that loomed around him. It was a nasty, ugly stink cloud. When we show a lack of self-control by allowing sin to enter our lives, it is like a big stink cloud that follows us wherever we go.

The winner of the battle between the Spirit and the flesh depends on which one we feed. It is like the trapper who owned two dogs that he trained to fight. Every month he brought them to town to fight. The townspeople would bet on the winner. The owner also bet on the dogs, and he always won. Some people caught on and asked the owner how he knew which dog would win. The owner answered “The one who wins is the one I feed.”

We must set our minds on the things of God, seeking to please him and be obedient to him in all we do. That way, we feed the Spirit and insure our victory over sin. Choosing Christ helps us make better choices in life. When people accept Christ as their Saviour, they live happier, more fulfilled lives. Christ has changed what they believe themselves to be. They can trust the promise God made at their baptism that they would always be his children, and that no sin would be too big for him to forgive.

 Bibliography

1.      Jamieson, R.; Fawcett, A.R. & Brown, D.: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Oak Harbour, WA: Logos Research Systems Inc.; 1997)

2.      Briscoe, D.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982)

3.      Norman, R.S., “Justification by Faith” as in D.S. Dockery (Ed.): Holman Concise Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers; 1998)

4.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, NASV (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 2006)

5.      Radmacher, E.D.; Allen, R.B. & House, H.G.: Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1999)

6.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 10 Bible software package.

7.      Pastor Ken Klaus, “Am I Forgiven?” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

8.      Rev. Gregory Seltz, “Keeping Score When It Counts” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

9.      Dr Ed Young, “Which Dog Wins?” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

10.  Dr. Jack Graham, “What You Have to Do to Go to Heaven.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

11.  John E. Werham, “Grace Understood.” Retrieved from www.forthright.net

12.  Doug Fields, “Pig-Pen.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

13.  Dr. Neil Anderson, “Fences Around the Laws.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

14.  King Duncan, “The Second Step.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

15.  William G. Carter, “Thanks God, We’re Already Dead.”  Retrieved from www.esermons.com

16.  King Duncan, “A Lesson from Dr. Seuss.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

17.  Steve Albertin, “Fido’s Dilemma.” Retrieved from www.esermons.com

18.  The Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn, “The Repentant Life.” Retrieved from www.lectionary.org