A Song of Ascents!

 Do you know the biggest problem facing mankind, today?  It’s not climate change.  It’s not war with China.  It’s not Iran getting the nuclear bomb.  What’s the thing that beats people down the very most?  What leaves us hurting and depressed?  Are you depressed about those things I mentioned?  I’m not!  I really don’t think about those things much.

What beats us down is what happens in our lives – from the decisions we've made, the things we've done and the relationships we’ve destroyed.  That brings me to the thing that is the biggest problem facing mankind today.  This is the biggest cause of problems for people; the thing that causes the most damage to families, to marriages and to people’s lives – Sin!

Do you know what one of the greatest blessings of Christianity is?  It’s that you can be set free from sin.  It can be removed from you; taken away and forgotten by God.  Never to be remembered again!  You can have a fresh start, a new beginning.  You can be Born Again!

Psalms 130:1-8 (NKJV)
^130:1 A song of Ascents. Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; ² Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. ³ If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. ⁵ I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. ⁶ My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. ⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. ⁸ And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

A Song of Ascents

The very first words of this psalm are “A Song of Ascents.”  To ascend means to elevate, to rise up; to be lifted up.  The psalmist is saying that out of the depths he cried out.  The depths of despair; the depths of shame; the depths of guilt.  I want to show you how another version of the Bible puts it:

Psalms 130:1 (MSG)
^130:1 … Help, God—the bottom has fallen out of my life! Master, hear my cry for help!

The bottom has fallen out of my life.  I have sunk as low as I can go.  My life is a mess. 

Oh, how I have been in that place before!  The bottom fell out of my own life, but it wasn’t by chance.  It wasn’t bad luck.  It was the result of continuous and ongoing sin in my life.  That’s what destroyed me.  That’s what defeated me.  That’s what beat me down.  It was out of those depths that I cried out to God and He heard my cry for help.  It was a prayer of ascents, “God lift me out of these depths.”  Take away these things that I have inflicted on my own life.

Sin always destroys – Satan is a destroyer.

 

John 10:10 (NKJV)
^10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

What does he want to steal?  He wants to steal your life.  He wants to steal your finances.  He wants to steal your joy, but Jesus – He has come to give you life; more abundant life.  More abundant joy.  He wants to bring you out of the depths.  He wants to elevate your life. 

The psalmist asks God to hear his supplications.  Supplications is an earnest request for favor from God.  People in the Bible often pray, “If I have found favor in your sight, meet this need.”   That’s supplication.  When we cry out like the psalmist has here – He’s asking God to hear him, to help him.  This is supplications. 

The thing about this is that when we cry out to God, He does hear us.  He heard the groaning of the people in Egypt.  He heard their cries in the desert.  He hears us when we cry out to Him and He has mercy and compassion on us.

The way He lifts us up is through our salvation.  This is when we see his mercy, His forgiveness.  This is when there is a miracle of transformation in our lives.  I thought I was stuck in my sin.  I didn’t see any way forward.  I assumed I had completely ruined my life.  I couldn’t change on my own.  I had tried…I was stuck.

When I cried out.  When I came with supplications.  When I cried out to ascend.  When I was humble enough to do that.  God heard me and transformed me.  He lifted me out of that sin and lifestyle, and set my feet on solid ground again.

God hears you.  He hears you.  He knows your hurts and sorrows.  He’s heard your groaning.  He knows the depths of your sin and your despair.  He will lift you out of those things if you will cry out to Him.  Oh, what a gracious God we serve!

The Sea of Forgetfulness

How does God move to change us or transform us?  How does God restore our peace and confidence.  The psalmist tells us:

Psalms 130:3-4 (NKJV)
^130:3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴ But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

Look again at the Message Bible:

Psalms 130:3-4 (MSG)
^130:3 If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? ⁴ As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped.

Does God remember what you’ve done wrong?  Does He remember every little sin and wrong word?  The answer to that is yes!  These things are recorded, unless…unless what an important word.  Unless you have cried out for forgiveness and really repented.  If you have then what happens?  This:

Isaiah 43:25 (NKJV)
^43:25 "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.

He blots them out.  He makes them disappear.  They’re removed from you as the Bible says, “As far as the East is from the West!” (Psalms 103:12) Never to be remembered again, “And I will not remember your sins.”

They will be sunk into the sea:

Micah 7:19 (NKJV)
^7:19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

Never to be brought up again.  All of those things you were ashamed of forgotten.  All of those things that brought you to despair.  All of those things that robbed the joy and life from you.  They are gone forever!

When I got saved this was the greatest thing for me.  I was able to go on as if those things were no longer a part of my life.  God had forgotten them and would remember them no more!

Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)
^8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

We can escape the weight of our sin.  The weight that pulls us down.  The weight that keep us from ascending.  Have you ever tried to carry a heavy backpack up a huge mountain.  It’s very difficult to climb up, but when the weight is gone, how strong do your legs feel.  This is the greatest thing about salvation.  The strength you have to go on with your life once the weight of that sin is gone.  We are set free from that burden of our sin.

No religious philosophy can do that.  Only salvation and the repentance of sin can cause this.  Our God is a merciful God who loves us, who hears us, who forgives us, and who relieves us of the crushing weight of sin.  Just think of how it would be if God didn’t do that.  There would be no hope.  Repentance would be futile.  Buddhists are doomed to endlessly repeat life until they get it all right, because their ascendance is based on their behavior.  Every sin is recorded and never forgotten.  Karma is a cruel master, but in repenting, God will forgive and remember no more.  Those things you did before will not affect your future, unless you do them again, and don’t repent of them.

There is Hope in God

Our God is a God of Hope.

Psalms 130:7-8 (NKJV)
^130:7 O Israel, hope in the Lord; For with the Lord there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption. ⁸ And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

Before we get saved, we are sold under sin, as if we are slaves, because if you think about it, we are slaves to our particular sins.

That’s why I needed salvation, I was overwhelmed, I was burdened down, I was a slave to all that I was doing.  I couldn’t stop, even when I wanted.  I had lost all hope.  I needed the mercy and compassion of God to release me from all of that, and God did have mercy.  God did show compassion.

Here I am today, to declare to you that God is a God of mercy and compassion.  God will redeem you from the slave owner…Satan.  He will set you free from the chains that Satan uses to hold you:  The chains called sin.  There is hope today that the bondage of sin can be broken.  This is what the psalmist is rejoicing over.  This is the hope that he’s declaring.  This is the promise of salvation.

God will lift you up, in a moment of time.  You can be transformed.  All of the shame and sorrow and burden erased.  Blotted out, because God is gracious.  God is merciful.  God is a loving God and a righteous judge.  Have hope today, God can do a miracle in your life.

It's Not About You

I have noticed over the years that people come to church for all kinds of reasons.  They mostly have to do with themselves.  When you’re a new convert it’s perfectly acceptable, to be self-focused. After all, we come to a place where we can accept salvation when we have torn our lives and our psyches apart. I was on the verge of suicide when I got saved.  I needed some time to work through all of those issues before I could focus on other people’s needs.  But there comes a time when our focus has to change.  We have to stop worrying about our own needs and begin to work on that thing to which God has called us all.  It’s not all about us; it’s about the purposes of God.

Mark 11:15-17 (NKJV)
^11:15 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. ¹⁶ And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. ¹⁷ Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a 'den of thieves.' "

A House of Prayer for All Nations

We read this and we think that Jesus is angry because people are making money and cheating people in the temple.  There’s much more than that going on here, although that’s a part of it, hence the “den of thieves” reference.  But Jesus is careful to make the statement, “My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all nations.” 

Where this took place was the Court of Gentiles.  This is the place where non-Jews were allowed to come to the temple to worship.  It was the place where they could come and pray to God.

Gentiles were not allowed in the Temple itself or in the areas where the sacrifices were done.  They had a special place.  That was the place that the Jews chose to turn into a market. 

They didn’t have a concern about the Gentiles.  They thought the temple was all them about their needs.  But God was clear that the Temple had a place for all nations to worship.  This is why Jesus was angry.  There was a place for everyone in the temple; it wasn’t just all about the Jews.

Look at how Jesus reacted in this parallel scripture from the Book of John:

John 2:13-17 (NKJV)
^2:13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. ¹⁵ When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers' money and overturned the tables. ¹⁶ And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!" ¹⁷ Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up."

He made a whip and whipped them out – to drive them out.  The disciples were watching this and they remember the scripture in Psalms 69:9, “Zeal for your house has eaten me up.”

Jesus wasn’t always the gentle, comforting person we think of, Jesus confronted the Pharisees, “You white-washed tombs”! “You painted sepulchers full of dead man’s bones”!  You look good on the outside but you’re corrupt on the inside!  He has a zeal for the purposes of God.  God’s purpose for the temple wasn’t just so the Jews could worship – It was a house of prayer for all nations. – The Gentiles too!

We come to church thinking, “it’s all about me!”  God has given me this place to get comfort.  God says this is a place for all nations.  Are you even concerned about God’s purpose, or is it all about you?  Look at this scripture:

Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)
^16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. ²² Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" ²³ But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus is describing the facts of His crucifixion, but Peter doesn’t want to lose Him.  Peter loves Jesus.  He loves the comfort of being in His presence, but Jesus confronts that – He called him Satan.  “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter, you’re only thinking of yourself.  It’s not about you Peter, it’s about the purposes of God!

God’s purpose for Jesus was to die on the cross, to redeem all of mankind.  The Cross was for all men, so was the Temple.  That's also what the church is for.  It’s not just for the comfort and warm feelings of God that we feel.  Its purpose is to bring other people to Jesus.  Jesus was eaten up with zeal for the purposes of God. 

The early church had revival because they looked outward.  They had all things in common.  They shared with each other.  They cared about each other.  How come you resist praying for each other?  Why do you avoid outreach?  Sometimes people are there physically but you’re more of a distraction than a help.  You don’t encourage your brothers and sisters to come.  Do you even notice that some people aren’t attending regularly anymore?  People come and get saved but no one encourages them or prays with them.  It’s not all about you! 

If Jesus walked into your church during service, what would He do?  Would he start tossing tables?  Would He make a whip of cords?  Would He call somebody Satan?

How Many Will Have to Die?

I want to turn into another direction for a moment.  I want to look at Israel in the battle for the Promised Land.  God does a miracle and brings them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land.  Now they have to fight for it, so God gives them a plan to defeat the walls of Jericho.  He also tells them that the spoil of the land belongs to Him.  It’s a type of tithe; the first fruits.  All of the Gold, all the precious things that belonged to the people of Jericho are to be left on the field of battle, they belong to God.  Those things are His, but look at what happens:

Joshua 7:1 (NKJV)
^7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel.

Achan saw the wonderful things that God had reserved for Himself and he couldn’t resist taking some of them.  He buried them in his tent.

Joshua 7:21 (NKJV)
^7:21 "When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

He’s thinking about himself:  A beautiful garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of Gold.  He couldn’t resist it.  The Bible says he coveted it:  Lust, selfishness, he was only thinking of himself. He wanted the precious things of God, only for himself.  Look what happened as a result.

Joshua 7:4-5 (NKJV)
^7:4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. ⁵ And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

Achan was selfish.  He wanted those beautiful things for himself.  It was all about him and his needs, but look at the outcome:  thirty-six people died as a result of his selfishness. 

Joshua 7:11-12 (NKJV)
^7:11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. ¹² Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

Is God serious about our sin?  Oh, you bet He is!  Because of Achan’s sin of putting his needs first thirty-six people died.  Innocent people died because of his selfishness.  Maybe some of them were people that he cared about.  Maybe some of them were friends and family.  They were fellow soldiers.

Maybe Achan needed those things.  Maybe Achan was looking out for his family.  Whatever the reason thirty-six people died because he was selfish. 

How many will die because of your selfishness?  How many co-workers and classmates?  How many friends and family members?  How many will pass into an eternity in Hell because you can’t be obedient?  You do realize that God has a commission on your life; a purpose for your life?  God has called you to reach others.  “Go and preach the Gospel”, that’s a command.  Not doing it is disobedience and that’s a sin.  It’s selfishness and that's also sin, and it will cause other people to end up in Hell. Here’s the really hard part.  God will hold you accountable for that.  Achan and his entire family were stoned and burned to death. Not just Achan, his entire family – perished.  It’s a terrible sin to put what you want over the purposes of God!

Go And Sin No More!

Okay, I’ve done the cutting.  I’ve opened wounds.  I’ve probably made some people angry.  I don’t want to do that, but God woke me up with this – Every point, every scripture.  I had to get up and write it all down so I wouldn’t forget.  I have to be obedient to what God speaks to me.  I don’t want to put my desires over God’s purpose.  If God is going to wake me up with this I have no choice but to preach and post this.

I’ve learned something in sixteen years of preaching.  If I’m going to cut, I need to heal.  So, here’s the salve, here’s the medicine, here’s the grace.

Jesus is at the Pool of Siloam – People went there to be healed.  There was a man who had come there for many years and he’d never been healed.  He was still suffering:

John 5:5-8 (NKJV)
^5:5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" ⁷ The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." ⁸ Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk."

Jesus sees this man and asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” Immediately the man goes into all the reasons he hadn’t been healed.  “No one helps me.  Someone gets in before me.  I can’t do it on my own.  I need help and no one will do it.  I want to be well but I have reasons.”  Who’s he thinking about?  He’s having a pity party.  Jesus wants to do a miracle for him but he can’t take his eyes off himself and his suffering.  Finally, Jesus tells him to take up his bed and walk.  Jesus had grace in the midst of the man’s sin.

Selfishness is sin.  In fact, selfishness is the root of all sin.  The love of money is the root of all evil, right?  The love of money is selfishness – I have to get my slice.  Keep your hands off my stack.  It’s what the Jews at the Temple loved!  It’s what Achan loved! It’s selfishness. 

Jesus had to die because of it.  It’s the reason the Pharisees turned Him over to Pilate.  They wanted to hang onto their money and power.  Selfishness put Him on the cross, but look at His almost last words, “Father forgive them!”  Forgive them for their selfishness and envy.  Forgive them, for murdering innocent blood.  Forgive them; they don’t even know what they’re doing.

At the pool of Siloam, Jesus ran into the man he healed again and He said to him:

John 5:14-15 (NKJV)
^5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." ¹⁵ The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Go and sin no more!  He was made well and his sin removed.  We’re all here because we need Jesus’ grace.  We’re all here because we want his comfort and blessing.  Your comfort is found in your repentance.  Your blessing is found in His purpose.  He has a purpose for you and your church.  The purpose of the church is the salvation of others.  Let’s not be like the Jews and Achan; callous and selfish.  Repent, be made whole and sin no more!

Grace Continues to Work in You

Grace!  We’ve all heard of Grace, right?  That word grace can be defined as undeserved mercy.  Here’s an example:

Someone steals from you.  The theft not only takes something of value from you, but maybe you have a sentimental attachment to that thing.  Maybe your deceased father gave it to you. So, it’s not just that you lost something, you lost something that has value for you, beyond the monetary value.  The person gets caught, returns the item to you and asks you for forgiveness.  There are two things you can do.  You can send them to jail or you can forgive and go on.

Forgiving and moving on is grace.  The thief doesn’t deserve it, but you grant it anyway.  That’s grace – That’s what Jesus did.  While we were sinners, He came and died for us, so that we wouldn’t have to suffer God’s wrath.  We didn’t deserve it…but He did it anyway.  God’s grace.

My question for today is this:  Did His grace stop there?  Is His grace life-changing?  His mercy was; I’m not the same since I got saved.  But can grace change you?  That’s what I want to look at today.

1 Peter 5:10 (NKJV)
^5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

The God of All Grace

So God is the God of all grace.  He has called us to eternal glory.  You know, God could have just written us off.  After Adam sinned He could’ve said, “That’s it, I’m done with these people,” and just written us of, but He didn’t.  In fact, He had a plan to bring us back to Him; back to eternal glory, which is Eternal Life with Him in Heaven.  The plan was Jesus Christ:  Who would come and pay the penalty that we should have to pay.  Look:

Romans 5:12 (NKJV)
^5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Adam’s sin spread to all of us, because we have all sinned.  So, we have a penalty to pay – The penalty is death.  We will all die, but there is a gift:

Romans 5:15 (NKJV)
^5:15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

The grace of God and Jesus’ grace are gifts that come to all who receive them.  After all, a gift is only a gift if you receive it, right.

Romans 5:18-19 (NKJV)
^5:18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. ¹⁹ For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous.

That gift of righteousness makes us right with God and:

Romans 5:21 (NKJV)
^5:21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam’s sin resulted in the sin of mankind.  Sin became a part of our nature and we all deserved death.  But Jesus came and paid that price for us, even though we didn’t deserve it; undeserved mercy.  It makes us innocent, that’s what justified means.  This is a picture of the grace of God.

There is one other thing I want you to consider here.  God created the Garden of Eden and put Adam there.  He met every need that man would have in the Garden; a place to live, food, meaning and purpose (through the job given to him), companionship and his spiritual need.  God walked with Adam in the cool of the Garden.  They had a personal relationship.  God cared about Adam’s needs – He took care of him.  He walked with him – Spoke to him.  God is a personal God; an emotional God.  He loves us.

1 John 3:1a (NKJV)
^3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

He created us to have fellowship with Him, so we are also able to have that kind of relationship with Him.  We are the children of God.  God is a personal God, not a mysterious hidden deity.  He cares about our needs.  He cares about our suffering, in the same way a father cares about his children. 

In our text, He warns us that we will suffer for a while, but that He is in control and can use that suffering to do a work in us – To perfect us, establish us, strengthen us and settle us.  So, the grace of the cross didn’t end there.  Grace is ongoing.  God still works in us.  We are made better through suffering.  We’re not just suffering for suffering’s sake.  There is a purpose in our suffering. 

This is why I feel sorry for atheists.  For them all of life is futile.  You’re born into a hostile world.  You suffer all kinds of troubles and pain.  Then you die, never knowing the comfort of God’s grace.  There’s no meaning and purpose to life.  There’s nothing to look forward to.  There no hope of anything better.  What a bummer to think that life here, with all of its suffering, is the best life there is.  No wonder that so many people that don’t know God commit suicide.  There’s no real purpose to life outside of God’s grace.  It’s just one struggle after another.

God’s Grace Extends Throughout our Lives

His grace continues, even after we get saved.  It’s not just limited to what Jesus did for us.  Look at the second part of our text:

 1 Peter 5:10b (NKJV)
^5:10 …after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

I want to elaborate on what I said earlier, He uses our suffering to do a work in us.  

He perfects us – That word perfect means to thoroughly complete us.  This life is a training program; a preparation.  He’s making us ready for eternal life.  He’s working out all of the bad things in us; the selfishness – attitudes; the bitterness – bigotry, anger, and impatience, all the things that make us imperfect humans. 

God knows that we all have some of those things in us.  He uses our suffering to work those things out of us, to perfect us.  That’s how He makes us ready for Heaven.  In modern times, we use that word perfect to mean without flaws.  That’s what God is doing in completing us, taking out the imperfections and flaws.

He establishes us – That word establish means to set fast; to make permanent.  Another way to say it would be, to make it solid.  Sometimes, people have so much trouble serving God:  They’re in, they’re out.  One day, they’re sacrificing for the will of God, another day they can’t even come to church once a week.  They’re not solid, they’re not set fast.  When things go well they praise God; when things go badly they can’t even pray.  Our text tells though, that we suffer a while and God does a work in us.   That suffering can make us solid in the things of God, because when we get to a place where we can do nothing to solve or alleviate the suffering on our own, we have to turn it over to God.  It’s impossible for us.

They say there are no atheists in foxholes.  When the bombs are falling there’s nothing you can do to change the situation…except pray.  Life is like that.  We all encounter situations that we can’t change except by answered prayer.  That’s how we learn that we can trust God.  We realize that without Him life is pretty bleak, so we become less wishy-washy with our faith.  He establishes us in that faith.

He strengthens us – He strengthens our spiritual knowledge and power.  When things get really ugly in the world what do we do?  When we find out we have an incurable disease, or lose a loved one, or our job disappears?  When life gets really bad, what do we do?  Most of us pray.  Most of us want to draw nearer to God. 

Do you know that most people get saved in times of struggle and turmoil in their lives?  People want to come before God with their problems and plead for help. “Oh help me, God, help me!”  We begin to interact with God.  We improve our relationship with God.  We start to read our Bibles to find answers. 

By reading our Bibles we learn more about God:  Who He is and how he works in our lives.  Our knowledge of God increases.  By praying we are able to tap into the power of God.  We become stronger in those things.  Our relationship with God is strengthened.

Finally, He settles us.  He settles us in the sense of settling the frontier.  He builds something in us.  We become more grounded.  We’re not so easily moved.  We’re not so anxious  and worried over circumstances.  We trust God for his grace.  We know that He will come through.

People that are worldly live in fear a lot.
  

“What of this good thing doesn’t happen.”
“What of this bad thing does happen?”
“What will I do?”  

People get ulcers.  People have anxiety attacks, nervous breakdowns; go to psychiatrists, or just plain freak out.  Some of you may be able to see yourself in that.

We can trust in God to see us through.  That’s the faith part of the Christian lifestyle.  God’s grace is ongoing throughout our salvation. It doesn’t stop.  God is with us all the way through.

That’s How God’s Grace Helps us

We are so lucky to have found Jesus, but we have to be careful, because we sometimes take grace for granted.  We think that because His grace always works in us that we won’t suffer the judgment of sin.  We think thatwe can do whatever we want, but look:

 Romans 6:1-2 (NKJV)
^6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

We need to walk away from sin and allow God’s grace to work in us to do those things that we have just spent all this time talking about

Let Him PERFECT you!

Let Him ESTABLISH you.

Let Him STRENGTHEN and SETTLE you.

Our Lord and Rescuer: The Straight Skinny

I listen to a lot of preaching and I read a lot of sermons and books, and I find it surprising how much of it is on the deeper things of God:  Deep heavy theological thoughts, on obscure passages and ideas.  For the place where I’m ministering these things are too deep and complicated to get across with all the cultural and language barriers.  It’s not because people couldn't grasp it, but because I have a difficult time communicating it to them within their cultural context.  The problem is mine, not theirs.

But in reading these things I realize that the gospel was meant to be simple. It’s meant to be understood in all cultures and by all people.  The Gospel works everywhere it’s tried, but a failure to reach people is usually the fault of the communicator.  So in thinking about this today, I want to approach the Gospel with some simplicity.  The Gospel is intended to be straightforward; it’s good news. 

In the US we have a term for that, it’s called the “Straight Skinny.”  That term merely means the unembellished truth.  I’m going to tell a story that I think will illustrate the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  So here it is, the straight skinny…

In 1991 something took place that rarely happens.  Three storm fronts collided to create a situation that meteorologists referred to as the “The Perfect Storm.”  During this storm in 1991, a warm front, a cold front and a hurricane combined to create 100-foot waves, high winds and torrential rains. 

If you know anything about sailing this is a very bad time to be at sea.  However, in this storm a thirty-two foot sailing vessel, the Sartori by name, found itself in high seas.  The crew consisted of a very experienced captain and two somewhat inexperienced women.  The women became frightened as the vessel slammed its sail against the sea and then righted itself, and called the US Coast Guard, who came out in a helicopter to rescue the crew of the Sartori.

What makes this a powerful story isn't that the people needed rescue, but it was the action of the Coast Guard that’s important.  The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter into the high winds of the hurricane.  They flew out to the Sartori, and then a lone man, called a rescue swimmer, jumped into the high winds and huge waves to evacuate the crew: A lone man swimming against the power of a hurricane and 100-foot seas. 

This man put his life at risk in order to rescue these people.  He was jumping into an extremely dangerous situation; not for himself; not for the glory or recognition, but selflessly for other people.  He was fully prepared to give his life to rescue them; he was the first into the water and the last one out.

John 15:13 (NKJV)
^15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
 

We have a friend that was willing to do exactly that:  To give His life for us.  That’s what I want to declare to you today our Lord and Rescuer.

1 Timothy 1:12-15 (NKJV)
^1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

God Can Use Us, Even Though

In verse 12 of our text, Paul is speaking of the trust that God has placed in him.  I am often amazed by the grace of God.  God’s gracious, Paul is a blasphemer and a persecutor, and yet God is using him.  I want you to take a moment and think about this, because we are in the same boat as Paul.  We love Jesus and we’re trying to live out his will…now.  But it wasn't always that way, was it?  At one point we were as bad as Paul.  Look at this scripture.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV)
^6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

That pretty much sums most of us up.  We all are at least one, if not all, of those things.  We were opposed to the will of God.  We were at enmity with God.  We were opposed to living the will of God; in fact, we were opposed to anything other than what made us feel good.  Am I right or am I wrong?

Even though we were all that, now God has entrusted us with His purpose and will on earth.  We are God’s plan for salvation for the world.  It’s up to us to draw others.  It’s up to us to lead others to Jesus.   It’s a sacred trust between God and Christians.   Maybe you’re reading this and you’re not a Christian.  Maybe you’re just here, on this website, exploring what this is all about.  Maybe you've been attending church, but you still don’t see the value in Christianity.  The value in it is right here in what Paul is saying.  Even though we have been a rebel and a sinner, God has had mercy and given us a way out of the punishment of our sin.  The sin and the filthiness are all taken away.  It’s not just that we are forgiven; the Bible tells us that the sin is removed; washed away.  We’re cleansed, we’re sanctified, (holy; literally made as saints), and we’re justified; made innocent.  God did that for us, even though.  Even though we were rebels and enemies of God, because we did those things in ignorance.  We didn't know what we were doing. 

Isn't that what Jesus said, as he looked at those who brutalized and crucified Him.  In the midst of all that he looked down from the cross at the people who were murdering Him and called out, “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”  Look at His words:

Luke 23:33-34a (NKJV)
^23:33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."…

He said, “They don’t know what they’re doing.”  They didn't know what they were doing.  Do you think if they knew they were crucifying God that they would have done it?  That’s just like us; we don’t see our sin from God’s perspective before we have Jesus in our life.  We don’t know we’re offending God.  It just doesn't occur to us.  If we knew God was real and that we were offending the Creator of the Universe, we wouldn't do it, would we?  Some of us maybe, but most of us wouldn't want to offend the creator.  After all, we’re ignorant; we’re not crazy. 

God used Jesus in the same way the US Coast Guard uses rescue swimmers.  Think about this, rescue swimmers jump out of the relative safety of a helicopter, into the storms and troubles that others are facing, risking death, in an attempt to rescue them.  That’s what Jesus did.  He became man:  He took on the troubles and storms of life that we are facing to rescue us.  We face certain death…the Bible says we are dead in our sin.  He jumped into the world from the safety of Heaven to rescue us from certain death.

In this same storm, another man, another rescue swimmer, in the midst of another rescue died.  He disappeared into the storm and was lost at sea.  The people were rescued but the rescue swimmer died.  He gave his life for those people.  This is exactly what Jesus did.  His death rescued us:  His spilled blood was the payment for our sin, our wrong behavior.  Because of his death we are rescued; saved and then we are entrusted to be a part of the rescue of other people.  “The grace of our Lord is exceedingly abundant.

God’s Mercy is Abundant

That’s what mercy is all about.  The whole thing is amazing to me.  In the beginning of time, Adam and Eve rebelled from God.  They did the one thing He told them not to do and because of that they lost the Garden.  They lost the place that God gave them that met every one of their needs, because they chose themselves over God’s will.  That’s basically what happened.  They chose to be like God rather than to obey God.  That’s the choice that they made and it cost them the Garden.  They were kicked out.  God separated Himself from them.

The tree of life was now off limits for them.  The thing that gave eternal life was now out of reach.  We can’t have eternal life and sin at the same time.  It’s one or the other.  So they were separated from God and they were to remain separated for centuries. 

So about now you might be thinking, where’s this mercy, you've been hearing about; this exceedingly abundant mercy.  The mercy is found in the beginning, immediately after they sinned.  This is an interesting moment:

God is laying curses on them.  Eve would have pain in childbirth.  She was crested to be the mother of all, that’s what Eve means, mother of all.  But now that blessing would be the curse.  God had given Adam food, shelter, and everything he needed.  He even gave Eve to him.  Now Adam is going to have to work for it.  What was freely given before would require sweat and struggle.  There will be thorns and thistles, pain and setbacks. 

He said these things after he had cursed Satan.  What He told Satan was that an offspring of Eve would come and destroy his power.  His power was the power to lead us into hell; to keep us in the bondage of rebellion:  A slave to sin.  That’s what we all are:

John 8:34 (NKJV)
^8:34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.

We all do things that we know are wrong; even though we know we shouldn't do them we do them anyway.  We’re slaves to it.  It’s sin and we’re slaves to it.  This is what God’s mercy is all about; we didn't deserve what God did for us.  What would we do if someone did something wrong that hurt us?  We would want to get revenge.  That’s what we do when we’re angry…”It would serve them right if ______________ (fill in the blank with something horrible.)

Look at what God did.  He said, they did wrong and they hurt Me, so I will send someone to make it right.  Someone who will pay the price for what they have done. Someone to take their punishment for them, even though they hurt Me.  Someone who will go to His death so they won’t have to, just the same way that the rescue swimmer who died to rescue other people did.

In the storm, the people who were out in the in Sartori shouldn't have been there.  They’d heard about the storms converging.  They knew what was coming.  They were ignorant.  They ignored the warning, that’s ignorance.  Even though they knew all that, a rescue swimmer was sent to go in after them.  A man was sent to rescue them…even though.

That’s mercy, they didn't deserve it but a rescuer was sent for them anyway.  That’s mercy.  That’s also what God did for us.  We didn't deserve it but it was done for us, anyway…that’s God’s mercy.  What makes it exceedingly abundant mercy is the price that God paid to rescue us. 

Think about the family of the rescue swimmer who died trying to rescue those people who were out where they shouldn't have been.  Do you wonder how they felt?  “ We've lost a heroic, selfless man, because he wanted to rescue some idiots who had no business being out there in the first place.  Look what we traded for them.”  That’s what they were thinking, probably.  That’s what I would have been thinking.  Look at the price we paid for them.

Look at the price God paid for us.  Some of us though, we make that sacrifice of little value because we continue in sin. We remain ignorant of the price that was paid for us, or we neglect to help others to understand the price that was paid for them.

I was reading something on the Internet the other day that made me want to throw my computer on the floor:  Made me want to just toss it out the 10^th floor window.  Some guy, some pastor said he hates when we say things to people about their sin and the ultimate result of sin…hell.  He said we shouldn't do that.  He said we should let people just find his or her own way to God.

That goes against everything I believe as a Christian.  There was a price that was paid for that sin; a heavy price.  As a Christian I shouldn't let that price be wasted by not bringing it to people’s attention.  Otherwise, how will people know they’re doing it? 

Jesus confronted the woman at the well.  She’d been married five times and now she was shacking up with another man.  Jesus said, “Bring your husband to me.”    She’s telling him how religious she is and he says, “Bring your husband to me.”  That’s confrontation.  Jesus didn't hold back and neither should we.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  They don’t realize that it’s sin and that they will have to pay a heavy price for it.  Somebody needs to tell them, so they can escape the price.  When we continue to sin or refuse to warn others we make that price that was paid worth nothing.

What if the people who were rescued through the death of the rescue swimmer, went into the next storm, and the next, and continued to need to be rescued.  It would mean that that man gave his life for nothing.  Those people would be frivolous with the lives of those who risk it all to rescue them.  When we continue in our si,n or allow others to do the same we are being frivolous with God’s mercy and Jesus’ sacrifice.

Jesus went to the cross to free us from slavery to sin. He did it to destroy Satan’s power over mankind.  He did it to rescue us

He Saves Sinners

Finally, here’s the good news.  That what the Gospel is, that’s what I said at the very beginning of this.  Gospel literally means the good news.  So here it is:

1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)
^1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

Paul says that Jesus’ purpose was to come into the world to save sinners.  Then he says that he’s the worst of the worst:  The Chief of all sinners.  He’s saying that if Jesus can save him, He can save us, too.  You haven’t killed Christians just for being Christians, have you?  Paul did.  He stood by and consented to their death, that’s the same as throwing the stones.  God forgave him and he can forgive you.  In fact, there are many people whom we would consider to be horribly evil sinners:  Murderers and rapists.  People who have done horribly evil things and God forgave them.  

They've repented and they’re saved.  They've been given a second chance.  They are free from sin.  If they could be forgiven what would hinder you?

I talk to people sometimes and they tell me, “God can’t forgive me.”  But the Bible says that if we will confess our sin, God is faithful to forgive.  “But you don’t know what I've done, is the response.”  No I don’t, but I know what Paul has done.  I know what others have done and God forgave them.  God can forgive you as well.  That’s the good news today.  Jesus came to save sinners like you and I.  He came for us.  He’s our Lord and Rescuer.