GOD'S SAVING POWER #4/5

#1 · August 17, 2009, 2:05 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on August 17, 2009, 2:05 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
GODS SAVING POWER #4/5

GOD GIVES US LIFE

August 16, 2009

Text: Matthew 27:45-50, 28:1-10

As you know, I am preaching a series of sermons that come from the Scripture lessons used in this years Vacation Bible School. My last three sermons were from the Exodus account beginning with Gods call to Moses at the burning bush God is with us - then from the plagues brought upon Egypt because of Pharaohs refusal to let the Israelites go God is powerful and then from the Passover where the Israelites are spared God does what He says He will do.

One of the concerns I have about preparing a sermon series in this manner taking the VBS theme and Bible lessons is that the Scripture and lesson are so familiar and obvious that I wont have enough sermon material. Many times, as a preacher, sermon ideas arise from a devotional or a particular Scripture reading or some event I witness of hear about that leads me to say, Aha! What a timely and appropriate illustration of this Scripture lesson. Then, along with prayerful guidance from the Holy Spirit and further study into the passages of Scripture, I organize my thoughts into a sermon. From my perspective anyway, that process gives me more freedom to be creative than to be given a Scripture and theme from which to move to the sermon preparation. Such was the case as I looked ahead to the VBS lesson for day four.

The Scripture and the lesson come from the final two chapters of Matthew. On that day, the children were taught that Jesus was arrested, falsely accused, crucified, and buried for our sin. They were told that, though he was dead, he returned to life to display his power over death and sin, and that because of his sacrifice, our sin is forgiven as we confess to God our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord. This is, of course, the glorious Easter message in which we learn that God gives us life. Share with me the testimony from Matthew 27:45-50 and 28:1-10.

Perhaps the smartest thing a preacher could do at this point would be to sit down, be quiet, and let the Scripture speak for itself. What more could I or any other preacher say that could add to the value of this testimony from God? However, even though I had been thinking of this several weeks prior to this Sunday, the Spirit gave me a couple of insights to share concerning the meaning of this Scripture and Gods timeless truth.

From Matthew 26 through the end of this Gospel, we are given the description of Jesus sacrifice. Along with the other Gospels, we learn exactly how much Jesus loves us as he allowed himself to be treated in such a cruel, humiliating fashion. On both the human and spiritual planes, Jesus was innocent. As a human, Jesus had broken no secular or religious laws. All the accusations against him were false. Even though the High Priest tore his clothes as a sign of grievous distress when Jesus acknowledged his equality with God, Jesus was not lying because he is God. So Jesus was even innocent of blasphemy, a term used against someone either cursing God or claiming equality with Him.

Jesus was equally innocent on the spiritual plane. His obedience to the Father was complete and perfect. He never committed a sin even in his earthly body. In spite of his complete innocence, Jesus took the punishment reserved for each and every one of us who has sinned against God. This is an unimaginable act of mercy and love for which we truly do not have adequate words to express. Perhaps the best we can do is to, like Paul in Romans 5:8, simply declare this awesome truth: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Because of his sacrificial love, we are made alive through Christ. God gives us life.

Now keep all of this in mind as I share this incident from our recent trip. Baseball games can be interesting because of not only what is happening on the field, but also because of what is going on off the field. Most of the time there is a conversation to overhear. Such was the case at one of the ballgames we attended. I didnt hear everything that led up to this statement, but I caught this clear enough: [She] is a good Christian girl who wouldnt go out with any of us. I also caught the tone of how they said it. They were not paying whoever they were talking about a compliment.

Personally, I agreed with them on the dating part of their comment. I can understand why any girl, Christian or not, would not want to go out with them. I mean, they didnt seem to be terrible guys by contemporary standards, but I wouldnt recommend that my daughter go out with any of them. More than that, though, I thought, How sad. How sad that they have reduced the whole of Christianity to a set of moral actions that they then reject. Now I know that falling in love with Christ changes our behavior and that there are moral actions that we accept as our own as we strive to be like Jesus. I also know full well that a lot of folks, like these fellows at the ballpark, do not want to have anything to do with Jesus simply because they do not want to control their actions. That is sad, because they miss out on the relationship the rich, life-giving relationship that is ours through Christ. Like the Israelites on their last night in Egypt who could not get out without placing the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, we cannot escape the judgment to come without the cleansing blood of Jesus, who became our Passover lamb. How sad to think of how many of our fellow citizens and human beings with whom we are enjoying a common event like a baseball game who are going to not merely miss life with the Savior, but who are going to spend eternity in torment. And all because they reduce the Christian faith to a bunch of rules that they want to reject. Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died for our sin. Jesus returned to life to demonstrate that he has the power to overcome completely death and sin. Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6) God gives us life.

Coupled with this incident was another experience I had which was a bit haunting. Several months ago, Jeff Moore loaned me his copy of The Ezekiel Option by Joel Rosenberg. Well, I finally got around to reading it during this vacation. Since I discovered something that spoke to me for this sermon, I guess you can say that I was on a working vacation. Anyway, this book is a novel in which Rosenberg provides a possible scenario of events that could unfold in light of the prophesies of Ezekiel. Russia has a massive military capacity and a new dictator, Yuri Gogolov, not afraid to use it. Through an alliance with Iran and several other Middle-Eastern and European nations, Russia plans an invasion of Israel. Only through the divine intervention of God, as expressed in Ezekiel 39, is Israel spared. As the novel nears its end, Rosenberg writes, In that instance, Gogolov feared death. He could feel himself falling through the dark void of space. He was flailing and terrified and utterly alone. He braced for impact, but it never came. He cried for mercy he would never see. He felt the searing heat and the demons ripping at his eyes and face with claws like razors. And then, in a terrifying flash of clarity, he realized it would never end. (Joel Rosenberg, The Ezekiel Option, Tyndale, 2005, p. 412) Like I said, this is haunting. Even though it is one authors perception of the meaning of leaving this life without being washed in the blood of the Passover lamb, it reminds me of the truth of death in sin: it is torment; it is separation from God; it is eternal.

Earlier this year, I had a minor surgery. As everyone knows, a surgery can be minor only to those not actually having it. Nevertheless, this was a completely non-life-threatening outpatient procedure. I would have been home the same day had I not gone into it dehydrated by a headache and bout of nausea the night before. As a result of not rehydrating after the surgery, I was admitted for an overnight stay. During my brief hospitalization, I was asked frequently if I was in pain. Now one learns that you cannot just answer yes. When you do, you are asked to rate it. There is a one to ten scale, with ten being the worst. OK, well I had some pain, but I never thought it rated a ten, so I would say four or five or six, and they would keep it in check with some pain medication. Not a bad deal.

I was released the next day and, eventually, all of the pain medication wore off. Even though I had some pills to take for pain, they werent quite like the medication I was given in the hospital. In short order, if someone had asked me to rate my pain, I would have told them without hesitation, Its a ten! Maybe a fifteen! I wanted nothing to do with this. I wanted it to be over. I recall asking myself, How am I ever going to endure this? The mind, seeking for ways to cope, reminded me, Dont forget, this is temporary. You are on the healing side of it, and if you take the precautions youve been given, it will get better. Its not going to last forever. That little self-made reminder helped a lot. It did get better; it certainly did not last forever or very long in the scheme of things. But even as I healed, I also thought, Oh my goodness. What if this was a pain that was not healing? What if it was even more excruciating? What if it was not going to go away? How could I ever cope with that?

This is the reality that awaits those who reject Gods love. It is a haunting reality, one that is so haunting that millions of men and women over the ages have chosen to set it out of their minds completely, or as completely as possible, and reject the notion of their own need for salvation. If they could, some would destroy entirely any reference to the Bible from the face of the earth so that they do not have to be confronted by it. This is why we need ministries like VBS so that Gods love and eternal care can continue to be shared. This is why we need worship services so that we can praise God and learn more of His love for us. This is why we need to know that God gives us life.

The good news for which we are to be forever thankful is that Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2) Out of their slavery, God heard the cries of His people and called Moses to act as His deliverer. God is with us. In their confrontation with Pharaoh, who many considered their god, the Living God empowered Moses and Aaron to bring plagues upon the Egyptians. God is powerful. God promised that He would set His people free, even though it was completed at a terrible cost to the enslaving Egyptians. God does what He says He will do. Through the new covenant the new Passover, if you will God saves His people still today. God gives us life. Dont let this opportunity slip by today. Do not resist and reject any longer the loving claim that God is placing on your life today. Believe and be saved. There is no other way.

Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6) God gives us life.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

[email protected]

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GODS SAVING POWER #4/5

GOD GIVES US LIFE

August 16, 2009

Text: Matthew 27:45-50, 28:1-10

As you know, I am preaching a series of sermons that come from the Scripture lessons used in this years Vacation Bible School. My last three sermons were from the Exodus account beginning with Gods call to Moses at the burning bush God is with us - then from the plagues brought upon Egypt because of Pharaohs refusal to let the Israelites go God is powerful and then from the Passover where the Israelites are spared God does what He says He will do.

One of the concerns I have about preparing a sermon series in this manner taking the VBS theme and Bible lessons is that the Scripture and lesson are so familiar and obvious that I wont have enough sermon material. Many times, as a preacher, sermon ideas arise from a devotional or a particular Scripture reading or some event I witness of hear about that leads me to say, Aha! What a timely and appropriate illustration of this Scripture lesson. Then, along with prayerful guidance from the Holy Spirit and further study into the passages of Scripture, I organize my thoughts into a sermon. From my perspective anyway, that process gives me more freedom to be creative than to be given a Scripture and theme from which to move to the sermon preparation. Such was the case as I looked ahead to the VBS lesson for day four.

The Scripture and the lesson come from the final two chapters of Matthew. On that day, the children were taught that Jesus was arrested, falsely accused, crucified, and buried for our sin. They were told that, though he was dead, he returned to life to display his power over death and sin, and that because of his sacrifice, our sin is forgiven as we confess to God our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord. This is, of course, the glorious Easter message in which we learn that God gives us life. Share with me the testimony from Matthew 27:45-50 and 28:1-10.

Perhaps the smartest thing a preacher could do at this point would be to sit down, be quiet, and let the Scripture speak for itself. What more could I or any other preacher say that could add to the value of this testimony from God? However, even though I had been thinking of this several weeks prior to this Sunday, the Spirit gave me a couple of insights to share concerning the meaning of this Scripture and Gods timeless truth.

From Matthew 26 through the end of this Gospel, we are given the description of Jesus sacrifice. Along with the other Gospels, we learn exactly how much Jesus loves us as he allowed himself to be treated in such a cruel, humiliating fashion. On both the human and spiritual planes, Jesus was innocent. As a human, Jesus had broken no secular or religious laws. All the accusations against him were false. Even though the High Priest tore his clothes as a sign of grievous distress when Jesus acknowledged his equality with God, Jesus was not lying because he is God. So Jesus was even innocent of blasphemy, a term used against someone either cursing God or claiming equality with Him.

Jesus was equally innocent on the spiritual plane. His obedience to the Father was complete and perfect. He never committed a sin even in his earthly body. In spite of his complete innocence, Jesus took the punishment reserved for each and every one of us who has sinned against God. This is an unimaginable act of mercy and love for which we truly do not have adequate words to express. Perhaps the best we can do is to, like Paul in Romans 5:8, simply declare this awesome truth: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Because of his sacrificial love, we are made alive through Christ. God gives us life.

Now keep all of this in mind as I share this incident from our recent trip. Baseball games can be interesting because of not only what is happening on the field, but also because of what is going on off the field. Most of the time there is a conversation to overhear. Such was the case at one of the ballgames we attended. I didnt hear everything that led up to this statement, but I caught this clear enough: [She] is a good Christian girl who wouldnt go out with any of us. I also caught the tone of how they said it. They were not paying whoever they were talking about a compliment.

Personally, I agreed with them on the dating part of their comment. I can understand why any girl, Christian or not, would not want to go out with them. I mean, they didnt seem to be terrible guys by contemporary standards, but I wouldnt recommend that my daughter go out with any of them. More than that, though, I thought, How sad. How sad that they have reduced the whole of Christianity to a set of moral actions that they then reject. Now I know that falling in love with Christ changes our behavior and that there are moral actions that we accept as our own as we strive to be like Jesus. I also know full well that a lot of folks, like these fellows at the ballpark, do not want to have anything to do with Jesus simply because they do not want to control their actions. That is sad, because they miss out on the relationship the rich, life-giving relationship that is ours through Christ. Like the Israelites on their last night in Egypt who could not get out without placing the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts, we cannot escape the judgment to come without the cleansing blood of Jesus, who became our Passover lamb. How sad to think of how many of our fellow citizens and human beings with whom we are enjoying a common event like a baseball game who are going to not merely miss life with the Savior, but who are going to spend eternity in torment. And all because they reduce the Christian faith to a bunch of rules that they want to reject. Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died for our sin. Jesus returned to life to demonstrate that he has the power to overcome completely death and sin. Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6) God gives us life.

Coupled with this incident was another experience I had which was a bit haunting. Several months ago, Jeff Moore loaned me his copy of The Ezekiel Option by Joel Rosenberg. Well, I finally got around to reading it during this vacation. Since I discovered something that spoke to me for this sermon, I guess you can say that I was on a working vacation. Anyway, this book is a novel in which Rosenberg provides a possible scenario of events that could unfold in light of the prophesies of Ezekiel. Russia has a massive military capacity and a new dictator, Yuri Gogolov, not afraid to use it. Through an alliance with Iran and several other Middle-Eastern and European nations, Russia plans an invasion of Israel. Only through the divine intervention of God, as expressed in Ezekiel 39, is Israel spared. As the novel nears its end, Rosenberg writes, In that instance, Gogolov feared death. He could feel himself falling through the dark void of space. He was flailing and terrified and utterly alone. He braced for impact, but it never came. He cried for mercy he would never see. He felt the searing heat and the demons ripping at his eyes and face with claws like razors. And then, in a terrifying flash of clarity, he realized it would never end. (Joel Rosenberg, The Ezekiel Option, Tyndale, 2005, p. 412) Like I said, this is haunting. Even though it is one authors perception of the meaning of leaving this life without being washed in the blood of the Passover lamb, it reminds me of the truth of death in sin: it is torment; it is separation from God; it is eternal.

Earlier this year, I had a minor surgery. As everyone knows, a surgery can be minor only to those not actually having it. Nevertheless, this was a completely non-life-threatening outpatient procedure. I would have been home the same day had I not gone into it dehydrated by a headache and bout of nausea the night before. As a result of not rehydrating after the surgery, I was admitted for an overnight stay. During my brief hospitalization, I was asked frequently if I was in pain. Now one learns that you cannot just answer yes. When you do, you are asked to rate it. There is a one to ten scale, with ten being the worst. OK, well I had some pain, but I never thought it rated a ten, so I would say four or five or six, and they would keep it in check with some pain medication. Not a bad deal.

I was released the next day and, eventually, all of the pain medication wore off. Even though I had some pills to take for pain, they werent quite like the medication I was given in the hospital. In short order, if someone had asked me to rate my pain, I would have told them without hesitation, Its a ten! Maybe a fifteen! I wanted nothing to do with this. I wanted it to be over. I recall asking myself, How am I ever going to endure this? The mind, seeking for ways to cope, reminded me, Dont forget, this is temporary. You are on the healing side of it, and if you take the precautions youve been given, it will get better. Its not going to last forever. That little self-made reminder helped a lot. It did get better; it certainly did not last forever or very long in the scheme of things. But even as I healed, I also thought, Oh my goodness. What if this was a pain that was not healing? What if it was even more excruciating? What if it was not going to go away? How could I ever cope with that?

This is the reality that awaits those who reject Gods love. It is a haunting reality, one that is so haunting that millions of men and women over the ages have chosen to set it out of their minds completely, or as completely as possible, and reject the notion of their own need for salvation. If they could, some would destroy entirely any reference to the Bible from the face of the earth so that they do not have to be confronted by it. This is why we need ministries like VBS so that Gods love and eternal care can continue to be shared. This is why we need worship services so that we can praise God and learn more of His love for us. This is why we need to know that God gives us life.

The good news for which we are to be forever thankful is that Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2) Out of their slavery, God heard the cries of His people and called Moses to act as His deliverer. God is with us. In their confrontation with Pharaoh, who many considered their god, the Living God empowered Moses and Aaron to bring plagues upon the Egyptians. God is powerful. God promised that He would set His people free, even though it was completed at a terrible cost to the enslaving Egyptians. God does what He says He will do. Through the new covenant the new Passover, if you will God saves His people still today. God gives us life. Dont let this opportunity slip by today. Do not resist and reject any longer the loving claim that God is placing on your life today. Believe and be saved. There is no other way.

Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. (Matthew 28:5-6) God gives us life.

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

179 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

[email protected]

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]