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.

Born into the Kingdom #1: Repentance

 Note:  The following post is the first post in a three-part series called Born into the Kingdom.  These posts are really designed for new Christians but may be helpful to pioneer pastors in presenting simple Biblical truths to a young congregation.  - Chris

When we’re Christians, Eternal Life is what we’re aiming for; to enter into Heaven – The Promised Land.  Eternal Life, that’s the goal, right? It’s all about knowing God! 

John 17:3 (NKJV)
^17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:3 tell us that knowing that God and Jesus is Eternal Life.  There are a lot of gods in the world, but there is only one true God.  The key to knowing that God is to follow through on praying, reading your Bible, attending church, believing the promises and following the commands.  In short, living out the things of God, day after day – following God.

Hosea 6:3 (NKJV)
^6:3 Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.

This is what we call the process of discipleship – becoming and making disciples.  It’s our great commission. 

Matthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)
^28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

A disciple is a “fully devoted follower of Christ.”  It's not just someone who’s born again but someone who continues to pursue God after the initial glow of salvation wears off through the difficulties and struggles of life, enduring until the end. That’s a disciple.

People don’t become disciples on their own.  They’re taught to be disciples.  Just like after birth there are certain things that have to be done for the health of the baby.  The umbilical cord must be cut, and breast feeding must begin.  You have to show baby Christians the way. 

The book of Acts shows us the process of birthing someone into the Kingdom of God and what’s necessary to ensure their spiritual health.  Repentance, water baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit.  This is a three-part series.  This post will look at repentance.

Repentance requires three things in order to be genuine and effective:

Acts 2:36-39 (NKJV)
^2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." ³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" ³⁸ Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Repentance Requires a Teacher

In Acts Chapter 2 the Holy Spirit fell on those who were praying in the upper room.  It caused quite a commotion as three thousand people gathered in the street to see what was happening.  They must have been making a lot of noise. Peter stood up to preach.

The one hundred-twenty people in the upper room had choices.  They could stay quiet, they could pray, or they could preach.  Peter got up to preach.

If people are going to repent, they need to have someone tell them that it’s necessary.

Romans 10:13-15 (NKJV)
^10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." ¹⁴ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"

Peter stood up and explained to them the phenomenon of the Holy Spirit and a changed life.  He specifically preached two things.  These were not his feelings or opinions.

First, he preached the Word of God.  He quoted the Old Testament three times.  He’s preaching out of the scriptures.  We can talk to people and offer our opinions, “This is what I think…”, “I feel like this…”, but we end up in arguments and discussions.  What people need to hear isn’t our opinions or feelings but the Word of God.

1 Peter 3:15b (NKJV)
^3:15 …always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Second, He preached Jesus with conviction and without fear.  “This Jesus, whom you crucified…”

This reminded me of the story of Philip and the Ethopian.  In Acts Chapter 8, the Ethopian is traveling along and he’s reading the Book of Isaiah, but he’s not understanding it all.  Philip asks him whether he understands or not and he answers, “How can I know unless someone guides me?’  He needs a preacher!

Acts 8:35 (NKJV)
^8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.

So, a preacher is needed to bring someone to a place of repentance; so, they can hear and understand the Word of God.

Repentance Also Requires Faith from the Hearer

Acts 2:41 (NKJV)
^2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

This is talking about faith.  They heard Peter’s words and accepted them as the Word of God.  They believed.  They heard what Peter was saying to them and they believed that he was right.  They were convicted that their sin – their personal sin – crucified Jesus.  That comes from the Word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit.  In order to repent, you have to be convinced that you’re wrong. Convinced that what you’re doing is against God and that your sin is the reason that Jesus had to die.  If you never come to that you’ll never come to repentance.  The Pharisees and the Sadducees never believed, so they never repented. 

Repentance requires the thought that my sin is wrong and that it needs to be judged.  That’s why we preach on sin. It is in order to bring people to a place of repentance.

Think about your own life.  What was it that made you realize that you needed to get saved?  You had to come to a point where you realized that the way that you’d been living was wrong in God’s eyes.  You had to recognize that you were guilty.  That’s what happened in our text.

The people in our text heard Peter’s words and realized that they had played a part in Jesus’ crucifixion.  “This Jesus, whom you crucified.”  They felt the guilt and shame that goes with that.  The Word of God and the moving of the Holy Spirit led them to the faith they needed in order to repent.

Repentance Requires Confession

Acts 2:37 (NKJV)
^2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

This moment right here is the moment of confession.  They’re admitting their guilt.  It’s like them saying, “We know we’re guilty.”  “We know that we have sinned and deserve our punishment!”  “We know that we will face the wrath of God.  What shall we do to make it right?  What shall we do to be right with God.”  That’s a confession of guilt.

In order to repent of sin, you have to know what it is.  You have to know what it is that you have done.  So we confess that sin before God.  That’s why we have an altar call, to give us an opportunity to bring that sin before God. 

You hear the Word of God and Jesus preached.  You feel the conviction of sin, believing that it’s true.  You confess that sin before God.  Then comes repentance.

Repentance is a change of mind or a change of heart.  I know what I’ve been doing is wrong and I’m not going to live like that anymore.  Repentance is a change; the word translated as repent literally means to turn around.  It’s as if you’re going one direction away from God and you turn around and go in a different direction toward God.  Allof this begins with a confession.

Romans 10:9 (NKJV)
^10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

That’s the starting point – Confessing before God; declaring your sin and guilt before God.  This is when the real work starts, beginning to pursue God.  It starts with repentance.  I would encourage anyone who prays for salvation to go home and continue to confess before God.  Think about your sins and bring them before God.

A friend of mine who is a pastor, told me that one man told him that he went home and confessed for an hour and a half.  He really thought about his sin specifically  “I’v done this, I’ve done that…” That’s real repentance.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV)
^1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, God does his job and forgives.  He even goes so far as to take that sin away.  Then it’s time for you to do your part and change.  Be different – Follow God’s laws and live for Jesus.  Repentance is turning around and walking away from your sinful lifestyle.  I know this can be hard but God helps us.  Peter preached:

Acts 2:38 (NKJV)
^2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

First, we repent of our sin.

Second, we’re baptized for the remission of sin.

Third, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!

The next post will be about Baptism for the remission of sin!

 

Leviathan

 In this post, I want to talk about something that’s not totally familiar to most people.  It’s something we all deal with at some point.  It’s a part of spiritual warfare.  Something we must be careful to recognize and deal with in our own lives, but you don’t always see posts like this, so I want to present this because I want to educate people about this.  Even more than that, though, I want to begin a conversation about dominion.

Dominion is the ability to overcome and defeat the devil and defeat his plans for your life. He really hates us and wants to destroy us and our effectiveness in bringing about the Kingdom of God.

How many problems in life are the result of spiritual issues?  How many are the result of a lack of dominion and spiritual authority on our parts?  This post is a step toward taking dominion in your life. 

Isaiah 27:1 NKJV

In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

Leviathan

M. Scott Peck, an American psychiatrist, and author of the book, The People of the Lie, said in his book that many of people’s problems are explainable in common psychiatric practices.  However, he also makes the statement that he has, “seen the face of evil.”

“When the demonic finally spoke…an expression appeared.  It was an incredibly contemptuous grin of utter malevolence.  I have spent any hours inf ront of a mirror trying to imitate it without the slightest success… The patient suddenly resembled a writhing spirit serpent of great strength., viciously trying to bite the team members.  More frightening than the writhing body however, was the face![i] 

This is Leviathan!  Leviathan is like a sea serpent, a twisting spirit.  It is a description of a type of spiritual power.  I believe there are only two sources of spiritual power in the universe today – God and the devil.  Look at the description of Satan in the book of Revelation:

Revelation 20:2 NKJV

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Leviathan isn’t a name for the devil, it’s a description of the power that he wields, a form of action.  He takes the things of God and twists them, perverts them.  That’s the spirit of Leviathan!

A lack of spiritual authority and dominion in your life is an open door to sin; to unrighteous thought and behavior.  We call that unrighteousness iniquity.

Iniquity is a twisting dynamic, something happens when one’s mind or spirit gets twisted.  It’s not just your neighbor or circumstances.  It is your mind.  It is a demonic twisting of the mind.[ii]

Iniquity is not just everyday sin; it’s unrighteousness of the heart.  In other words, iniquity is a character issue, it’s part of what makes up your moral choices.  When there is a lack of spiritual authority in your life, when you’re not standing on God’s principles your mind and character begin to twist.  That affects your thoughts, your understanding and your behavior.  You are no longer in your right mind. There is a twisting effect. 

A [church] pastor in 1990, was involved in a church rebellion.  In a meeting he literally lost his “I have it all together.”  Some described it as going “ballistic.”  This was not the event of a moment although it may have looked that way.  No, somewhere he had opened a door or given place in his mind to this twisting spirit..  The issues were twisted in his heart.  His motives twisted his view of leadership.[iii]

People who are twisted cannot think properly about correction, discipline or even advice.  That spirit (Leviathan) rages against the stable and godly mind.  They seek to make trouble, leading others into their twisted pattern of thought. Leviathan divides, Leviathan ruins relationships; Leviathan destroys:

Proverbs 12:8 NKJV

A man will be commended according to his wisdom, But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

This is the strategy of the Leviathan spirit, to destroy fellowship and defeat God’s promises in you by destroying your faith in the promise through causing you to suspect God’s intentions and your leader’s intentions.

1John 2:18-19 NKJV

Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

Who were they that went out?  They were members of the church; they were in fellowship with the saints, but their minds were captivated by twisted strengths of arguments and imaginations against God and His people and so they left.

Do you know who they are?  They’re the “former members” that speak against the church in public with statements of twisted fact. “It’s a cult, they’ll tell you whom you have to marry.”  “They shun those who’ve left.  That’s Leviathan!

Have you ever felt like that?  That there’s nothing for you but defeat?  Do you feel like even God is against you; that the other people in the church are against you?  That’s Leviathan. 

One last statement about Leviathan.  He cannot be tamed by you.  He is untamable.  You cannot control demonic power in the flesh!

What About Your Life?

This is a spirit that gains access to your heart but demonic forces have no right to you.  They cannot just enter into a mind that is solidly focused on God’s will.  They cannot enter into a heart that is filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit.  They can only enter into a heart that is opened to them.  A heart that is not released from sin. 

One covert gave a great testimony of deliverance.  She was doing really well but later confessed that she never gave up smoking marijuana with “friends.”  Soon she found herself compromised and began doing all she had been doing before salvation.[iv]

This was the beginning of her “born again” life but she’d never broken away from the habits and friends of the old life. 

Think of the things that you say.  Are they God surrendered words or are they the language of the old life?  What are you watching?  What are you listening to and thinking about? Are they the things of God or the things of the world?  These are important questions, because these things can be an open door for Leviathan.  We’ve seen people caught up in twisted words and tortured logic, because there was door that was never closed in their lives.  Think about the following scripture for a moment. 

Isaiah 49:24

Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered?

Is your life and the pursuit of God available to be taken? Are your thoughts captive to the will of God, or are they vulnerable to hijack?  Can the things of God be taken from you?  When are the things in your home vulnerable to thieves and hijackers?  When your doors are open and unguarded.  When are the thoughts of your mind vulnerable?  When the door to your mind is open and unguarded.  We must protect our hearts and mind from Leviathan.  One way we do that is to slam the door to the old life.  Another is to guard the door and not allow the desires and lusts of the eyes and flesh to gain access to our minds.  You need a bouncer to cast out worldly things.  When we yield ourselves to the demonic, when we surrender to sin, we are not merely held captive; It’s not that we just become prisoners.  What happens is that we have given the demonic he right to access.  We aren’t just captives we are legally possessed by hell, because we have broken and/or ignored God’s law and will.  Hell owns us.

Leviathan is a spirit you must survive.  You must survive the whispering of Leviathan in your ear.  You must survive Leviathan’s strategies.  Leviathan is the king over the children of pride. 

Job 41:34 NKJV

[Leviathan] beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride."

Pride is the spirit of Lucifer – The spirit of Satan.  You will not defeat Leviathan in your pride.  Pride says, “I will never make that mistake again!” You will!  Pride says, “I know better now!” You don’t!  Pride says, “I’m in control!”  You’re not!

The Sword That Pierces Leviathan

It may seem like there’s no hope.  How can we ever overcome?  It’s in what I think.  It’s in what I feel.  It’s in the life I’ve lived to this point.  It’s in my old habits.  It’s even in the way I speak. I’m defeated; I will suffer oppression for the rest of my life.  I can never be anything than what I am now. 

Never underestimate the power of Salvation.  When a soul is saved a miracle takes place.  Hard core sinners set free of horrible addictions, in a moment; instantaneous relief.  It’s God that defeats the powers of hell and darkness.  It’s God that frees us from bondages, habits, evil thoughts and sin.  It’s the great promise of God.  It’s by God’s plan that Leviathan is defeated. 

Jesus came to destroy Satan’s power.  Jesus came to set us free from sin.  Jesus came to liberate us from the possession of hell.  God promised that in the Garden of Eden.  That promise holds true today, because God keeps His promises. 

"Jacquelle Crowe, as a teen, wrote a book for teens about the miracle of salvation. In it she tells the story of a prominent pastor. He heard a message at a youth conference that stunned him. The speaker said being a Christian wouldn’t change anything. You could keep the same friends and keep up the same activities. In effect, the things you enjoyed would remain things you could enjoy even after salvation. She titled her book, This Changes Everything. She then went on to explain salvation meant friendships and relationships were all changed. The view of God and the church were changed. Salvation changed everything. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit transformed everything about her life. In a moment of time and through a simple prayer everything changed.”[v]

Jacquelle Crowe is no longer held captive to a twisting spirit that wants to keep her captive. She was set free, liberated, in a moment of time by the miracle work of salvation – and so can you be!

 

---

[i] M. Scott Peck, The People of the Lie, The Hope for Healing Human Evil © 1983, Touchstone

[ii] Joseph C. Campbell and John W. Gooding, Deliverance to Dominion © 2019

[iii] Joseph C. Campbell and John W. Gooding, Deliverance to Dominion © 2019

[iv] Joseph C. Campbell and John W. Gooding, Deliverance to Dominion © 2019

[v] Joseph C. Campbell and John W. Gooding, Deliverance to Dominion © 2019

 

Shipwreck

On November 29, 1981, the St. Patrick, a one fifty-eight foot fishing vessel and its crew of twelve pulled out of its slip in Kodiak, Alaska, in search of King Crab in the Bering Straight.  On the first night of their journey a storm began building.  Winds were whipped up to one hundred miles per hour, waves began crashing over the handrail and smashing onto the deck:  The sailors began to put on their Arctic survival suits. 

The temperature of the water in the Bering Straight is about thirty-nine degrees Fahrenheit.  A Human body thrown into water of that temperature will become hypothermic and die in about 20 minutes. 

The storm continued to build, waves were rising up to twenty-five feet above the deck, and slamming into the bulkheads of the ship.  The galley was destroyed. Men were thrown completely out of their bunks where they had huddled to ride out the storm by the force of the storm.

The captain turned the bow of the ship into the wind, so that the waves would strike the ship’s bow first, to keep the ship from capsizing.  That’s when all hell broke loose.

A rogue wave is usually a wave traveling across the pattern of the waves; this wave is not caused by the storm.  Because the ship was turned into the storm the storm proof glass of the wheelhouse was unable to protect the wheelhouse from this wave.  The wave crashed into the wheelhouse and destroyed the navigation equipment.  The water then rushed down a gangway though an open hatch and poured into the engine room.  The ship lost all power, was not able to move forward, so all steering was lost.  It foundered and began to list to fifteen degrees starboard. 

The situation looked hopeless and the order was given to abandon ship.  The lifeboat had been lost, washed overboard, so the crew lashed themselves together and jumped into the icy sea.  They had jumped into the midst of the storm; into the darkness of the night.  Only the lights of the ship could be seen until all was dark.

One by one they died, through out the night for the next thirty-six hours.  Only two of them survived.  What happened to the St. Patrick?  Look at this conversation between the two survivors, from “Working on the Edge”, by Spike Walker:

The next day, Thomas learned that one other crewmate had survived the ordeal.  As he lay recovering in a Kodiak hospital bed, nurses wheeled in Bob Kidd for a visit.

 “I can’t believe it,” Thomas confided to his good friend.  “I would never have believed that a ship built like the St. Patrick could have gone down as quickly as she did.

Bob sat upright and turned and looked at Wally Thomas in astonishment.

“Wally,” said Kidd, It didn’t go down.  It didn’t sink.  They found the St. Patrick floating the day after we abandoned ship.  They’re towing it in right now!”

They had jumped too soon.  All they had to do was ride it out.  The ship was found twenty-four hours after they had abandoned ship; twelve hours before the last person died.

I want to post a message that I have entitled, “Shipwreck.”

Acts 27:7-11 (NKJV)
^27:7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. ⁹ Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them, ¹⁰ saying, "Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives." ¹¹ Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

Acts 27:18-25 (NKJV)
^27:18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship. ¹⁹ On the third day we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. ²⁰ Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up. ²¹ But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. ²² And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' ²⁵ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

Acts 27:40-44 (NKJV)
^27:40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. ⁴¹ But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. ⁴² And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, ⁴⁴ and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

Decisions can Lead to Shipwreck

Every day we make decisions, every day we can make decisions that cause shipwreck.  Each and every day we look at some aspect or another of our lives and make a decision.  Most of those are simple decisions.  Will I get up and go to work?  What will I have for breakfast?  Some are more difficult.  Should I accept this job offer or wait for another?  Our entire life is made up of decisions.

Every thing we do stems from a decision we have made, and sometimes we can make a decision that causes problems in our lives.  We can make a decision that can haunt us for their rest of our lives.

I was listening to a radio psychology show, not long ago, and a young woman that called into the show was in the midst of wrestling through a decision she needed to make.  Her father and mother were divorced.  Her father had remarried and this young woman was very angry at the new wife and didn't like her.  So, she was wrestling with the decision to tell her father that she didn't want his wife in her life. 

The radio host put this decision into perspective by telling her that the real decision she was struggling with was whether or not she wanted her father in her life, because the father wouldn't leave his wife and destroy the relationship.  The girl was deciding if her father was worth putting up with the wife.  Her decision came down to this:  A relative of this woman had molested her and her father had ignored the signs of abuse.  He feigned ignorance, rationalizing that it didn't really happen.  So now this young woman was making a decision that would affect her family for generations, all because of a decision that her father made to make life simpler for him and not confront that issue with his wife and protect the child at the same time – SHIPWRECK!

Do you know what’s really sad?  We make decisions that deep and far-ranging, so cavalierly, so quickly.

A friend of mine made a decision that way.  He had been a Christian for a number of years and made a decision to walk into a strip club.  He rationalized it in his mind.  He said he needed to see what it was that had such a pull on the lives of other men.  This is one of the things from which he himself had been delivered and he walked in there making a decision to compromise his testimony and place his entire destiny at risk – SHIPWRECK!

There are people who have left their churches; walked out angry and bitter slamming you and the fellowship and your pastor, because they had made a decision that they weren’t willing to deal with some issue in their own life.  Sometimes, it’s easier to get mad at the pastor than face the painful truth that you aren’t living right.  How many times have you seen someone flushing their lives and relationships over some issue of pride in their life? It’s like abandoning ship in the midst of a storm – SHIPWRECK!

A decision you make today can destroy your life and your destiny.  The captain of the St. Patrick decided they had to abandon ship.  He should have tried to ride it out.  He made the wrong decision.  So did the centurion in our text, he decided that even though it was late in the year, even though he had been warned, even though they had already encountered difficulty that they would attempt to sail on.  It was a decison that led directly to the loss of the vessel off the shore of Malta.  His decision led directly to shipwreck.  We need to be careful because our decisions can lead to same fate for us.

Storms in the Middle of God’s Will

Even when you’re in the middle of God’s will for your life, storms can blow up.  Those storms can cause shipwreck in your life, as well.  In our text Paul is in the middle of God’s will for his life.  He’s doing exactly what God called him to do.  He’s been preaching the Gospel.  He’s been laboring for souls.  He’s been faithful to God’s call on his life and yet he finds himself in the midst of the storm and the shipwreck.  We see in the text that Paul is in God’s will at the very moment of the shipwreck:

Acts 27:21-25 (NKJV)
^27:21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. ²² And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³ For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, ²⁴ saying, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.' ²⁵ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.

We can see it as he speaks to the Angel of God in verse 24, who is speaking of the destiny that Paul must live out, “You must be brought before Caesar.”  God had a plan for Paul that included being brought before Caesar.  Paul was right in the middle of that plan, en route to being seen by Caesar and yet look at the storm that he encountered as the devil tried to short-circuit what God had planned.  Believe me I know what’s happening here.  I've encountered this in my own life. 

A number of years ago I was outreaching for an event that we had planned.  I was walking across a parking lot, because there were some young men that I had seen before and I wanted an opportunity to witness to them, and invite them to this event.  I looked both ways, I’m disabled and very careful about crossing the street, because I can’t move quickly to get out of the way.  A pickup truck came from around a corner, knocked me down and literally ran over me.  The truck went on leaving me lying bleeding in the gutter. 

Approximately two weeks later, in the paychecks of the people I worked with, as a dispatcher, was a questionnaire asking which dispatcher the men preferred, me or the other man.   It asked pointed questions, “Is dispatch helpful?” “Has your equipment ever been late?” “Who is the better dispatcher?’  They wanted the dirt, they were actually asking who should we fire? You decide.

Five days later at 3:45 am I woke up with severe pains in my chest, like a cramp that spread to my shoulders and jaw. I wound up in the hospital for three days with a week off work after that.  On the very day I returned to work I was fired from my job.

I was in the middle of God’s will for my life.  I was preaching the Gospel.  I was outreaching and following up on new believers.  I was in the midst of doing what I was called to do, and I still found myself in the midst of a storm as I was pummeled by wave after wave.  I called it “Hell Month.”

Matthew 5:45 (NKJV)
^5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Being in God’s will doesn't always save us from going through things.  It doesn't mean that some rogue wave isn't going to bust through and stop us in our tracks.  We have to be prepared for what comes at us.  On the St. Patrick there was a hatch left open and water poured through it into the engine room and destroyed the engines.  That stopped all forward momentum and that took away the ability to steer the ship.  In our lives faith and prayer are the hatchways that protect the engines and keeps us moving forward in His will.

In our text it was Paul’s faith that encouraged them and kept them moving forward.  God has a plan for your life as well.

Surviving Shipwreck

Shipwrecks can be survived.  You don’t have to go down with all hands.  The key is what you decide to do. 

One thing that happens is that as we testify, many times we paint a picture of a changed life. That’s absolutely genuine; my life has never been the same.  I am a completely different person.  I think, though, that we sometimes leave the impression that bad things will never happen again… but they do.  Life does not become whipped cream and cherries.  We all have to go through things.  We all have struggles we have to deal with.  Life can still be difficult, and we need to be prepared to deal with that.

People get saved and they think, “All my troubles are behind me.  I have no more worries.”  If we’re not prepared we can be overwhelmed and decide that we made a mistake in salvation and begin to look outside for comfort.  We can think, “I never went through all of this before I got saved.”  At that point we think life was better before we got saved.  That happened to Israel in the desert. 

God manifested Himself in power and delivered them from Egypt.  We haven’t seen God move with that kind of power since:  The plagues:  The miracles:  The Red Sea parted:  The Egyptian army destroyed…powerful stuff. Yet, just a few weeks later the Israelites were whining about Leeks.  Look at this:

Numbers 11:5-6 (NKJV)
^11:5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!"

Leeks are giant onions.  That’s how warped we can get.  Here, God is providing all for them.  He delivered them.  He manifested His power, destroyed the Egyptians and now is raining food down on them from Heaven, and they don’t like what He’s giving them.  It sounds like my kids at dinner, “I don’t like Manna!”  "Really?  What did you do to deserve a vote?”  The Israelites were ready to jump ship.  They were going to give up.  Sometimes, we think the answer is to quit, to abandon ship, to go somewhere else and start over.  Do you know that when you leave you take you with you? 

In the 1970s there was a revolutionary group called the Symbionese Liberation Army, the SLA.  They kidnapped Patty Hearst. Robbed a bank and most of them died in a shootout with the cops at a house in Compton, CA.  One woman, Kathleen Soliah, went underground, moved to a different state, and became someone else.  She abandoned ship.  Twenty-five years later whe was arrested and charged with attempted murder on a police officer and murder for her role in a bank robbery and was sentenced to twenty-five years to life.  She couldn’t hide from herself.  How many of us have tried that? 

Things get too hard, we’re confronted by our own sin and we think we can just go somewhere else.  We try to abandon ship, but we can't do that, because we still have that sin in our lives.  The best thing to do is to ride it out.  Huddle together, to keep away spiritual hypothermia.  Your brothers and sisters want to help you, not see you drown.  Your pastor wants to help you, not see your destiny destroyed.  Batten down the hatches.  Don’t let your forward momentum be destroyed, so that you can continue to steer through the storms.  Finally, don’t abandon ship.  The biggest mistake of this illustration was that they left the ship when it wasn’t sinking. 

We’ve seen people leave the church, and in leaving they have begun to drown.  All because they made a decision that it was safer to leave the ship and battle the waves on their own.  Ride it out.  The key to survival is in the decisions that you make.

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.