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Best Practices of our Faith – Salvation

September 13th, 2009 Comments off

When you look at the news there are tragedies all around us. We have just ended the season of West Niles. There is the pandemic flu coming. There are accidents and violence. Families struggle and relationships are a mess. Parents are estranged from children, spouses separate from one another, children suffer, and evil men have their way. In our lives there is an emptiness in spite of all the stuff we try to cram into that empty place. We cry out to God for help, for salvation, and our Deliverer comes. Sometimes we don’t even know what we need to be saved from, but Jesus comes and the Holy Spirit draws us to the Father, and we are saved.

Salvation: It is a process (rarely happens outside of context) that results in a defining decision. That decision requires humility, but it is a response to God’s work in the heart of the unbeliever.

Let’s look at 3 stories to understand this important truth:

Nicodemus (John 3:1-21) – “You must be born again”
So here we have our first story. In the middle of the night one of the spiritual leaders of Israel comes to Jesus. He comes at night because he doesn’t want to be seen. Jesus does not have a good reputation within the cultural and religious leaders. John was a problem, and then John gave way to Jesus. But the things Jesus said not only challenged the current religious teachings; they were connected to the Old Testament in a very real way. The leaders didn’t know what to make of it. So here comes Nicodemus… and he doesn’t start with a question. He assents to the power he sees in the miracles of Jesus. Jesus cuts right to the chase, to the heart of all. He starts off with a rather startling statement, “If you want to see God, the kingdom of God, you must be born again.”
The culture was all about connecting to God. They knew they were God’s people, His kingdom. The nation was trying to figure out sin and righteousness, trying to understand and obey the Law, the only way they knew how to get to God. And Jesus says that phrase oft repeated, “You must be born again.” In our discussion of salvation we need to start with the words of Jesus. He is the fulfiller of prophecy, the very deity incarnate, so when He speaks, we seek to understand. This phrase has been used for decades by evangelicals in connection with salvation. We can hear Billy Graham speaking to a stadium crowd, waving his Bible, making the declaration, “You must be born again.” He didn’t have to deal with the post-modernists who try to say there are many ways to God, that there is a truth in every religion, every revelation, and no ultimate truth; the hippies were saying that in their day. They can say what they wish, but my Bible doesn’t agree. Jesus said Himself, “I am the way the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me!” Understand, though, that another’s salvation is something we leave up to God. He is the One that peers inside the hearts of man. Salvation is a personal thing, between a person and God and we don’t know what. One who is saved, though, will be changed by that salvation; but that is next week’s message.
“You must be born again.” He doesn’t say you must be born into a good family; or you must be handsome or pretty, or that you must even be a nice person. He says you must be born again. Birth is an event, but also a process. For you and I it is a roughly 9 month gestation period followed by the event of birth. The event itself changes us in the most dramatic ways. From a place of darkness we enter the light. We become more alive than we would have ever thought possible… if we had the where-with-all to think. Given a choice, we wouldn’t be able to see the benefit of birth. We wouldn’t know that we were doomed to die if we stayed where we were. And so at the right time, God moves things along in the way prescribed back in the Garden. And so the non-Christian, the unbeliever, the one who is far from God does not always see the need for God. He does not recognize his or her doom if they stay in their present state. And God comes along and draws them to Himself, so that at the right time, they recognize the Salvation God offers, they believe in Him, and they are born again.

Paul (Acts 9:1-19) – “I am God”
Then we come to Paul; formally known as Saul. Before Acts chapter nine he was a man pursuing God. He had studied the Law and was so sure of himself. He was strong, and used his strength to pursue those who said God was different from His. He would track down the Christians and kill them. And in the middle of his mission of self righteous judgement, God grabbed him for His purposes. Jesus appeared in a blinding light and Paul’s life changed forever. Paul went to the high priest and got official letters from them saying he could arrest followers of the Way and bring them bound to Jerusalem. And so down the road he goes with his men. Do you see him marching? So proud and full of the rightness of his task he was. He was the man of the Law, and the Law demanded judgement. None would find mercy in him for the Law must be satisfied. And then the light shone down on him from heaven. And the voice cries out, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Saul hears and asks who it is he persecutes, and Jesus says, “It is I.” Saul is blind and enters the city of Damascus blind, being led by the hand. For three days he neither eats nor drinks, and he finds peace with God. The God who met Saul on the road to Damascus was the God of history; the fulfiller of prophecy; not some opinion or fly by night theological creation. When you meet Jesus, you meet a man of history as well as a God of eternity. When you meet Jesus He reveals himself as God before you and lays open your soul to your sins. In a very real sense that exposure to your true self, your fallen nature, your sinfulness could sear your spiritual eyes just like Saul’s. When you meet Jesus you may see Him in all His glory, the light of heaven falling around you… and you will know this: You are a sinner. This is the one truth you need to understand about yourself if you are to become a Christian, a follower of Jesus. You have to come face to face with your humanity, your fallenness. Sin is anything that goes against the character of God, and there is no one who has not sinned.
The problem people have is that they think they are not too bad; they haven’t reached the threshold of sin and wrong, beyond which one is judged. Any sin, though, is enough to separate you from God. I am not just talking about ultimate judgement or issues of heaven and hell; I am talking about today. If you have not asked Jesus to forgive you of your sin, you are not forgiven. Jesus’ death on the cross is not applied automatically to all people, both in history and the future. Jesus’ forgiveness is applied upon an individual recognizing they are a sinner and can’t ever be good enough to get to God. That’s why God came to us. So we ask God to forgive us of our sins; we are specific, for our sins are specific. 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us. Have you ever come to that point? There are people who have gone to church all their life. They have served on boards, taught Sunday School, and done good works of service; but they aren’t born again – they were too proud to admit that they themselves were sinners, that they were far from God all the while they were working for Him. Church is about community, but at the heart of that community is that we are all sinners walking along this path of life, pursuing the God who extends His grace and offers salvation rich and free. All we have to do is reach out and take it. We do that by admitting we are a sinner, far from God; and we recognize that Jesus is Lord. If our only message was “you are wrong, you are a sinner”, we would be preaching the Law, for that is what the Law does. Jesus offers forgiveness from the condemnation. Listen to the third story.

Peter (Matthew 16:13-19) – “I will change your life”
We have Peter, who is man with a menial job. He is a fisherman, his brother is a fisherman, and his friends are fishermen. He is working at his trade when along comes the Messiah. His brother is excited for Peter to meet Jesus. Jesus calls to Peter and says, “Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men.” And Peter does follow Jesus. For some 3 years he follows this itinerant preacher, balancing his following with looking after his family I don’t know how that worked, but I do know God provided what Peter and his family needed. Jesus dies and is resurrected. Wonder of wonders, and they wait. The Holy Spirit moves and Peter becomes not only a preacher, but the head of the church in Jerusalem. How does one go from fisherman to head of a church? In peter’s case, it started with his conversion. Peter believes that Jesus is the Messiah, but that doesn’t save him. He is not born again at that point. We see the progression of salvation as Peter interacts with Jesus and learns. Finally, in Matthew 16, it clicks. Previously, Jesus warns His disciples about the “leaven of the Pharisees”. He is saying beware of the teachings that push the Law, that teach that it is the Law that saves. Jesus finally turns to His disciples and asks them, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” After receiving the answers Jesus then asks for their statement, “But who do you say that I am?” It is Peter that answers, and I believe this is the moment for Peter when he is born again. His statement is simple, “You are the Anointed One, the Son of the living God!” Peter knew he was a sinner. He was confronted with it again and again. Jesus needs more than just recognition of fallenness. Jesus asks for belief, for faith. In our fallen state we need to recognize that it is Jesus who has the answers, and so we surrender our lives to Him. We make Jesus our Lord. When we recognize we are sinners we recognize Jesus as Savior, as our Forgiver; but when we recognize Jesus as the answer, as the Messiah, we make Him the Lord of our life.
There’s the joke about the one armed fisherman who said it was this big (lift one arm up). Get it? Without the second arm, the other end of the fish, our claim means nothing. So as it is with salvation you need both statements. You need both halves to make the whole. You are a sinner, and so surrender your life – Jesus becomes your Savior and Lord! This is the heart of the Good News. Even though life is a mess and we are powerless to make things ultimately okay, God has already provided the Way. He has already done the work. Are you feeling crushed? Are you spent? Are you tired of trying to do it on your own? Here is the invitation from Jesus Himself: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Some people come very close. They struggle with pride which makes them think it is shameful to come forward in a church, shameful to admit they are weak. A man martyred for his faith said many years ago, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”. Don’t let the pride of the years stop you from having a vital relationship with Jesus.

What people need to know to be saved:
They are a sinner, but Jesus is the Savior.
They must surrender (because they are a sinner) and let Jesus be Lord.

Categories: Best Practices Of Our Faith, John 3, Nicodemus, Paul, Peter, salvation Tags:

The Story of Peter

April 12th, 2009 Comments off

Matthew 16:13-19 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?“ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.“

What do we know of Peter? He’s a fisherman, and several stories of him and Jesus are related to that. A few times he and his fellow fishermen get a bountiful catch after meeting Jesus. Then there’s the time he tried to walk with Jesus on the water. Remember the story of the transfiguration up on the mountain? What about the time of the washing of the feet, where he wanted Jesus to wash all of him? Peter was cutting off the servant’s ear when Jesus was arrested. Remember the breakfast on the beach, where Jesus challenged him 3 times to feed His sheep, restoring Peter after his 3 time denial? What other stories can you think of that focus on Peter?

It’s funny, that the stories that first came to mind were all in the Gospels. We see another side of Peter, though, in Acts. In fact, the first 12 chapters are all about Peter and how he had changed! In the Gospels he was impulsive, putting his foot in his mouth every other day by going to extremes in his devotion to Jesus. He was the one jumping out of the boat or throwing his whole body into the washbasin. In Acts, after being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, we see him preaching 2 sermons, raising a young girl from the dead, being arrested several times for preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ, being rescued by an angel, preaching in several regions, initiating ministry to Gentiles, and eventually becoming the head of the church in Jerusalem. Did you get a sense of the change in Peter’s life? Did you see his transformation from a man driven by emotion and feelings, to one driven by the Gospel, by a love of God, by a Risen King?

What happened? A big part was the resurrection of Jesus. Peter’s faith in Jesus being the Christ, the son of the living God, became rock solid. There was no more wavering in his understanding of what God was about and doing in the world. There was the day of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit was given to the followers of Jesus. There was the Church, his support and encouragement from his friends.

Seek the presence of God. Peter spent 3 years walking with Jesus, hearing His voice and teachings, listening to His explaining the meaning of His stories, and saw many miracles. Through Peter seeing Jesus die and resurrected, He understood that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Jesus was the King. There was nothing his King couldn’t do. In Matthew 16:16 Peter made his confession of who he thought Jesus was, but in Acts we see Peter live out that confession. As we celebrate this Easter Sunday the resurrection of Jesus, we understand that it was all about God restoring us to fellowship with Himself. It is all about His presence in our life. However you can do it in whatever situation you are in, pursue God. When someone sets out to be a carpenter or an accountant, what do they do? When I graduated high school I was heading for Chartered Accounting. Math came easily, and I had some interest in it. I was looking at a 4 year degree, with a co-op option that allowed me to get some experience in the field. After that there were exams to be studied and passed. One thing I have come to understand about being an author is that it is like any other profession – to be good at it you have to work at it. Of some 10,000 people who want to right, probably only a tenth of them will actually put some effort into it and sit down regularly to write. Of those, only a percentage will put effort into attending conferences and put some money into learning the craft. Of those, only a percentage will go further and read books and learn the craft. When all is said and done, only a handful of those 10,000 will make it because they have taken the time to be the best they can be. What about Jesus Christ. How much effort and time and resources do we put into getting to know Him, to understanding the revelation of God, the Kingdom of God? God waits for us every day as we go out the door for the invitation to go with us. With a minor adjustment of attitude and priority, Jesus can easily be our constant companion throughout each and every day. This is the foundation of salvation – God’s presence. You want to stay close to God for life, and not fall away as some have done, seek the presence of God. Love God with all your heart, soul, and might.

Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There is no secret to the Christian walk. It is all about relationship. We relate to the Holy Spirit in Truth. There is a walking in step with the Spirit; a leading and guiding to Jesus; a Comforter. When we look at the story of Peter, we understand the impact of the Holy Spirit in his life. Starting at the day of Pentecost there was a power in His life, in his preaching that only came as a result of the power of the Risen Lord. Remember the story of the angel getting him out of prison? The supernatural was at work in his life, protecting and guiding until Peter was once again in the presence of His Lord and Savior. Ephesians 5:18-19 talks of being constantly filled with the Spirit. We are called to holiness, and that will only happen as we allow the Spirit to have free reign in our life. This involves understanding our gifts and what God created us for. There is a freedom that comes to being all you can be in Jesus. When you read the book of acts you see the power of the Spirit working in and through the disciples and apostles. Remember the story of Peter where he had that dream and was commanded to eat the unclean things. Imagine what that meant to the church of his day! It was only in obedience to the Spirit, though, that the church grew. You and I wouldn’t have the Gospel if Peter said, “No” and everyone followed his example. Follow the Spirit, not the church or tradition. God may want to use you to do a new thing. Want a life that changes the world? Seek the guidance of the Spirit.

Seek the fellowship of the Church. Peter’s faith was not lived in isolation. Indeed, all his work was for those around him. At times he certainly helped and led others. At other times he was in need of others’ help and prayer. The church, the body of Jesus – it is amazing that wherever one goes there is a commonality of fellowship that extends beyond filial and platonic relationships. Bonnie found 5 new friends recently. They are ladies from different parts of the United States, but within a few short days they became fast friends. It is not about talents or any kind of comparison with each other. It is about the bond of love, the oneness of our faith. One sad thing I have noticed is that people tend to leave the church when they have problems in their lives. That’s the very opposite of what should happen. Too often we shoot our wounded, or are afraid of being judged, when the body should instead be about grace and love. At our Good Friday service we had 6 different churches together. Each of those other pastors I consider a friend. And though our theology may have different emphasis or fine points, the central truth is that we are all one in Christ. We are all on that same pilgrimage of becoming more Christ-like in all we think, say, and do. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says that “two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” Though short times of isolation can be beneficial in our relationship and dedication to God, don’t let things go unresolved in the body. We have to talk and work things out; otherwise Satan gets a foothold in our lives and can mess things up. Love your neighbour as yourself.

Seek the Presence of God.

Seek the Guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Seek the Fellowship of the Church.
Take these to heart, and understand who your King is, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Categories: Easter, Fellowship of the Church, Guidance of the Spirit, Peter, Presence of God Tags:

Ordinary Shepherds, Extraordinary God

December 21st, 2008 Comments off

Luke 2:8-20

Do we have a class system in Canada? Are there jobs in our city, in our life that we consider below ourselves? People are working all around us. When we go to a mall there are tons of retail personnel, there are cleaners of the floors, the garbage cans, the windows, the bathrooms and the food court; there are security guards. When you buy a product it is surrounded by people – people who mined the materials in parts of Africa or Asia, or grew animals from which the material was sourced, people who refined those products, people who then assembled and packaged them, others who shipped it and drove the truck or worked on the ship; even those who received it in a warehouse, then shipped it to another, and then put it on a shelf for you or I to buy. Which job is worth more? They all had a place, a part in the process, but we often look down on some of those people as the consumer. Because we are paying money, we are worth perhaps a little bit more. That gives us the right, we think, to think we are superior in attitude, if not in voice or action. But we are no more special in God’s eyes.

The shepherds in the New Testament times lived lonely lives. Much of the year they had their sheep out in the countryside, and they were not regarded very highly. There was a predisposition to their status in society, and it was pretty low. So where does God first take the message of the incarnation, of Emmanuel, God with us? It goes to the shepherds. Who would God send it to first if it was today? God sends the message to all – a message of Good News. Did the angels ask or command the shepherds to do anything except to not be frightened? No. But these uneducated men shared their experience of God, and many listened. Take this to heart, we are all pilgrims in this journey. We need to be bringing whoever is near us along, encouraging and helping them in their own walk with Jesus.

So, we have looked at Elizabeth and Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds. Other characters in this story are the magi. What is one common denominator for all these people? They all experienced a visit by an angel. Two of them had dreams where the angel(s) spoke to them, the rest were visited in person. I want us to leave today with a few thoughts –

First, Seek God – wise men still seek Him. I saw a video online this past week called the Story of Stuff. It is a very sobering look at how our world operates. It is a call to action to change what we are doing with our world. As important as that is, sometimes there is a place for the call to action to change what we are doing with Jesus. We need Christ in us. Our consumer driven society tries to tell us differently. The problems in our life try to give truth to the lie that there is no God, or that God is not concerned with where I am at. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The tragic fires causing death, the accidents on the roadways, the sickness, both physical and mental and social that affect us, our families, and our world are the result of sin and selfishness going back to the Garden of Eden of which we were all a part. God hurts to see His creation subjected to this stuff, but that was the price of free will, the ability for you and I to choose who will sit on the throne of our lives. I am here to tell you Jesus needs to sit there, if you want peace and love and grace in your life. Whether you have been a Christian for a week or for 4 decades, know the truth that wise men still seek Him.

Second, God is doing things that may cause us fear – but there is nothing to be afraid of. Most of these nativity people were afraid, and they were told to not be afraid. Here we are some 2012 years and 3 months later and God has said to us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (or timidity), but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7) God is at work redeeming people to Himself. He is using us and calling us to be involved, and he says, “Do not be afraid.” This truth is connected to God’s promise of presence and the faith we have in God to fulfill that promise. In the Great Commission God says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Hear that promise? I am with you always. What is there to fear if God, the lover of your soul, is with you?

Third, Know the Good News – God wants you to share it. This is the basic call of the one who follows Jesus, the one who calls themselves a Christian. You have to know it personally. For the shepherds it was an announcement, but not fully understood until that little baby they saw in the manger was resurrected from the grave for the forgiveness of our sins. Do you remember Peter? He was the man that rejected Jesus 3 times, who was always putting his foot in his mouth, trying his best to be all that Jesus wanted. It wasn’t until he was walking in the power of the Holy Spirit that his life became energized, alive. It wasn’t until then that he fully understood the Good News and began to share it in earnest, because he experienced it. This uneducated fisherman preached a sermon that would put any preacher to shame in Acts 2, and listen to what happened: “37 Now when they (the people assembled) heard this (Peter’s sermon), they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” The angels came and told the Good News, make sure you know it in your heart. Is there joy there? Happiness? I pray so, but if there is pain and sadness because you are far from God, and you need a touch from God, take the time right now to talk to Him, to ask forgiveness and ask for Him to come into your life as Lord. Don’t put it off.
Categories: Advent, Peter, Shepherds Tags: