Tag: Jesus

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The Amazing Benefits of the Cross: Preservation (Heb. 9:11–15)

[Listen to an audio version here]

How do we know that we will make it ultimately to heaven? There are many things that could turn us aside and lead us astray. There are many challenges that we will face. How do we know that our destiny is secure?

Let’s put this another way. One way that people have often shared the Gospel is by asking, “If you died tonight, do you know for certain that you would be in heaven?” That question is designed to show them they need to receive Jesus as their Savior to be assured of eternal life.

But here’s another question. If you die 10 years from now, can you be sure that you’ll be in heaven? How do you know you’ll still be trusting in the Lord? Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but, once you think about it deeply, it can be rather disconcerting.

The answer to that question is what we want to explore today. We will see today one more amazing benefit of the cross: preservation. It is the assurance that God will not only give us salvation but also assures us that He will keep us in it forever, through all the difficulties and challenges of this life. The blood of the cross testifies that we are secure.

The Background of the Sacrifice
In the context of the Bible, Jesus’ death on the cross is the fulfillment of the temple and the sacrificial system. Whenever you read the Old Testament and see the temple or sacrifices, it is pointing forward to Jesus and His atoning death on the cross. As John the Baptist said, “Behold! The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Or, as Paul said, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

When Israel left Egypt, God established a tent where He was to be worshipped that was called the “tabernacle.” Later, Solomon built a permanent dwelling called the temple. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, and then rebuilt when the Jews returned to their land following the edict of King Cyrus the Great of Persia.

The temple consisted of four rooms. The first was the Court of the Gentiles. This place was where the people of the nations could come and worship. They could not enter the temple proper. The next room, the Outer Court, was where the Jewish people could enter to worship God. In that room, there was the bronze altar for sacrifice and bronze basin for washing. The third room, The Holy Place, was a room only the priests could enter. In it, there was the altar of incense, the table with the bread of the presence, and the menorah, the seven-branched candlestick continually burning. Finally, there was the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest could enter it and only once a year to make sacrifices on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This room contained the ark of the covenant, the great symbol and dwelling place of the presence of God in the Old Testament.

Now, to understand the temple, we should understand that the temple represents the universe, the cosmos. The Outer Court is the earth. The Holy Place represents the heavens. The Holy of Holies represents the throne room of God. It is above or beyond the heavens. We might think of the throne room of God as being in another dimension, using the terms of modern physics.

What the temple teaches us is to think of the world as the temple of God. We are here to see, enjoy, and worship God. However, our sin has brought division between us and God. The highest heaven is closed to us. We need it to be re-opened and heaven and earth united so that this world can be the holy temple to God that God intended it to be.

The work of the high priest pointed to a restoration of the world temple of God. The high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year to make a sacrifice with the blood of another. This pointed to a restoration, but it had to be repeated, over and over again, every single year. What this means is that, “This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper” (Heb. 9:9). We are looking for something better, and that is where Jesus and His cross come in.

The Fact of the Sacrifice
Jesus did not enter the Holy of Holies. He went into what it pointed to, the highest heavens, the throne room of God. “But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation” (Heb. 9:11). He did not enter into a copy of the the throne room of God but the reality.

When He went, He brought a sacrifice but not the sacrifice of another. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). Take note: this sacrifice, unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament, obtains eternal redemption. The word redemption means payment. It is a full and complete payment that lasts forever. We will return to this point later.

The author of Hebrews contrasts Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament. These sacrifices did serve a purpose. They needed to make them outwardly clean in order to participate in the temple worship. “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean” (Heb. 9:13). They had some effect but could not cleanse the conscience.

The author then uses this efficacy of the animal sacrifices to then make a comparison. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Heb. 9:14). It is important to note the wording here. Christ was an unblemished sacrifice. He was a human being who did not sin. But He was more than a man. If he was a mere man, His death would not be sufficient to pay for the sins of the world. He would have to suffer for one person and suffer forever. That would not make a full or eternal redemption. However, He was the Son of God. He offered Himself through “the eternal Spirit.” It was His divine nature that gave the sacrifice infinite efficacy and value so that He could pay for the human race and do it in three days, rising again, showing that His sacrifice was fully accepted! We cannot not praise this sacrifice in any higher words! It is the sacrifice of God for men, but He could not make the sacrifice unless He was a man. That’s why it’s so important to understand the two natures in one person.

The Results of the Sacrifice
What does this sacrifice do? It cleanses the conscience. It gives a real answer to the conscience. The conscious accuses us of sin and is also corrupted because of sin. Thus, it needs a full cleansing. The blood of Christ cleanses us from the guilt and corruption of sin. That’s justification and sanctification! It says that the accusations no longer have effect and that we are now empowered to live a new life.

What is the result? “[S]o that we may serve the living God!” (Heb. 9:14). This word “serve” probably refers to the worship in the temple. The priests serve in His holy temple. We join that service. As it says in Heb. 12:28–29, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.'” We become worshippers in God’s true temple. This is true in our Sunday worship as we approach the true Mount Zion each week in church, and it is true throughout the week as we present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord. The world is the temple of the Lord, and we are called to observe His works and sing His praise. This is our calling each day, each week, and for the rest of our lives.

The author of Hebrews makes another point, though. This sacrifice restores us forever. “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” (Heb. 9:15). Once we are called, Christ, through His terrible death on the cross, guarantees that those who are called receive the eternal inheritance. In other words, Christ’s death preserves us. Christ’s death keeps us. Christ’s death insures that we will make it to the end. This is part of His covenant or testament, the gift He bequeaths to us because of His death on the cross. This is one of the amazing benefits of the cross, we are His forever. If we are Christ’s, we can be sure that we will not only be His today but His forever.

Now, there are a couple of questions that arise in relationship to this teaching. First, isn’t it required for us to persevere? In other words, it’s not as if someone could once believe in Christ and then turn their back on Him and be saved, is it?

This is accurate. We must persevere. We must hold on to what we have been taught. We must not give up our hope. But here is what happens. Christ guarantees that we will persevere. He preserves us so that we persevere. Citing Jeremiah 31, the author of Hebrews says that in contrast to the unfaithfulness of Israel in the wilderness, God will make sure that we are faithful, “This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” (Heb. 8:10). This promise the author of Hebrews applies to us, the true people of God, the true Israel of God. Christ’s death insures that all those who belong to this people will make it to the end and remain faithful.

The second question is, what about the warnings of falling away? Well, it is certainly true that people can fall away from the visible church after experiencing some of its blessings, but they were never true believers who had obtained the eternal inheritance. Hebrews has some of the most severe warnings in Scripture against falling away, yet it also says things like, “Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation” (Heb. 6:9). And, “But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Heb. 10:39). Those who have true faith and are called and heirs will not be lost but kept unto the end.

Conclusion
There are so many angles from which we can examine the cross. It is the center of human history and a source of endless wonder, a wonder that even the angels desire to look into.

In this series, we have seen that Christ’s terrible and agonizing death on the cross gets us amazing benefits. He pays everything, and we get everything. We are justified. This means we are declared righteous because of Jesus’ righteousness. We stand perfect and innocent before the throne of God, fully forgiven of all our sins. We are adopted. We not only are criminals who are pardoned, we become princes and princesses in God’s kingdom, exalted to the highest position. We are sanctified. We are delivered from the power of sin and made more and more able to live unto God and die to the ways of sin.

Today, we learn one more amazing benefit. Once we have all these things, Christ’s death preserves us in them. He who began a good work will carry it on unto completion. We don’t have to let the threat of persecution or sword or temptation or the devil make us fear that we won’t make it. Through the covenant established by the death of our mediator, we who are called will certainly and infallibly attain the eternal inheritance. That is an amazing benefit indeed. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Categories
Sermons

The Amazing Benefits of the Cross: Adoption (Gal. 4:4–5)

[Listen to an audio version here

What is my role in the world? Is it significant? Do I even matter at all? There is something about us that would make us think that we matter. We can think and see the world. We can survey the whole universe and consider it. Our own conscience judges our actions and tells us whether we have done right or wrong. We can connect with other human beings. We can think beyond the world and consider God. There is much that would make us say, we are significant.

On the other hand, there is much that would make us think that we are insignificant. We are a tiny speck in a tiny speck in the universe. We are one of billions of people on the earth at this time, and we are one of billions who have been born and died. It’s also easy to look at the little things we do like cooking, cleaning, going to work, or even doing a vacation and say, does this stuff matter at all?

Think of Josh Dobbs, the former UT quarterback who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would seem that Ben Roethlisberger matters because he is the starting quarterback. He has won his team Super Bowl rings. But what about Josh Dobbs? Now, if you were to play Josh Dobbs in virtually any sport, you would probably say, this is the most amazing athlete I have ever seen. Yet, on the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is basically a practice quarterback. And most of us don’t get anywhere near that level of athletic glory! Do we matter at all?

One of the amazing benefits of the cross is that it tells us that we matter and matter more than we could possibly imagine. That’s what our passage teaches us. The cross tells us of our amazing identity and our amazing destiny. Let’s consider this passage more carefully.

Christ Sent into the World
Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” What we read here is that Christ was sent into the world. This means that Jesus existed before He came into the world. For all of us, we were conceived, and that’s when we started to exist. Jesus existed before He was even conceived.

Jesus Himself was conscious of having been sent into the world. Before He died on the cross, Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). He existed in eternal glory with the Father before He was ever born.

That same person who existed from all eternity became a human being in the fullness of time. He took on Himself a human nature without giving up His divine nature. That’s why the ancient Council of Chalcedon affirmed that Jesus is one person in two natures without mixture, confusion, division, or separation. That accurately sums up what we have in our text.

The next thing you will notice about Jesus’ entrance into the world was that it came at the right time. God knows how to tell time and in the right time or the set time or in the fullness of time, He sent His Son into the world.

How was it the right time? Religions throughout the world were looking for someone to bring salvation to the world. Many saw Caesar Augustus as the one in whom their hopes would be fulfilled. They were looking for a savior.

The Roman Empire controlled much of the world. They had brought a relative peace, order, and justice to the world that allowed for rapid and safe communication of ideas all over the world in a common language. A few centuries before Christ’s birth, this would not have been the case.

When it comes to the Jews, who were especially looking for a Messiah, their own hopes seem to be dashed. They had been in exile and returned. They had gained independence under the Maccabees but were now “slaves,” as they might put it, under the Roman Empire. Their hopes were exhausted. It was the right time for a savior.

What Christ Did in the World
So, what did the Son do when He was in the world? Our passage tells us. First, He was born. He became a real human being, as we noted above. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her yet without sin. He became a real human being without giving up His divine nature.

Next, we read that he was born under the law. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” Thus, His calling and vocation had a reference to the law.

We might not think God’s law is that important, but God doesn’t view it that way. He created this world as its Sovereign Lord and Judge. He gave a law that was to be obeyed. His holiness demands conformity with this law, and His justice will defend it. This is God as we have Him revealed in the prophets. For example, the prophet Habakkuk says, “You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (1:13a–14b). He says elsewhere, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab. 2:20). He is the Lord to whom we must give account.

The amazing thing here is that Jesus became a human who had to give account to God. He who was God was also under God. He became a subject rather than the ruler. The Law-giver took his place among those who were called to be servants. He assumed the form of a servant obeying the law.

And what did the law require? If you go back to Galatians 3:10 and 12, you have the answer. The Holy Spirit teaches us, “The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, ‘The person who does these things will live by them’” (Gal. 3:12). In other words, the law doesn’t simply says, “believe, and you will have life.” It says, “Do what it says, and you will have life.” Well, how much do we have to do? In Gal. 3:10 we read, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” The law cannot exempt anyone. It can’t say, “it’s OK that you broke the law.” It just tells us, “you’ve broken the law and now must suffer the penalty.”

So, when Christ comes, He obligates Himself to obey the law and suffer its penalty. But here’s the amazing thing. He does this not for Himself but for us. “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” He is our substitute and representative before God. He is born of a woman and born under the law not for His own sake but for our sakes.

Our text indicates that He redeemed those under the law. The word “redemption” means payment. What did He pay? He paid the debt of those who owed obedience to God and the suffering that resulted from not obeying the law.

Here’s what Paul says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole or tree’” (Gal. 3:12). Christ redeemed us by taking the curse that was due to us so that we would not have to face it. That’s the amazing benefit of the cross. We are all under the curse because of our sin, but anyone who believes in Jesus and wants Him as their Savior can have the curse completely removed.

But there’s much more. It is not as if Christ simply removes the curse and puts us back at square one. He not only removes the curse. He secures the blessing that God promised long ago would come to all nations through a descendant of Abraham. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal. 3:14).

The Benefit We Get from Christ in the World
So, we have the curse due to us removed and now blessings are due instead of a curse. But there’s more. Christ merited for us not only a life of blessing. He merited for us the adoption to sonship. We actually become adopted children of God through what Christ did. “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal. 4:4–5).

Here’s what that includes. It means that we are legally adopted and called sons and daughters of God. It means that we receive the work of the Holy Spirit of adoption. “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’” (Gal. 4:6). We are not simply legally adopted, we have God’s Spirit who changes our hearts and enables us to look at God as a Father to us. It means that we are heirs of the entire universe. “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7). The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We get an eternal inheritance in Christ!

Now, think of this. It is a truly amazing thing. If we who were criminals in God’s court and worthy of eternal punishment were pardoned and assumed the place of the lowest servants, we would be eternally grateful. How much more the fact that we are actually taken to the highest position and become the sons and daughters of God! That is beyond belief.

In the classic movie, Ben-Hur, Judah Ben-Hur is a wealthy Jewish merchant. He refuses to turn on his own people, and so he is framed by a powerful friend and sold as a slave. He ends up as a galley-slave where is forced to work at heavy oars day and night for three years to move a naval ship of the Roman Empire. That ship ends up being attacked and sunk. Judah ends up saving Quintus Arrius, the admiral on the ship, from death, and they return to Rome. Arrius is grateful for what Judah has done, and he eventually adopts him as a son.

Now here’s the amazing thing. We can see how out of gratitude for Judah saving him, he might adopt him as a son. But God saves us from death and then adopts us as His children! He does it all! He not only saves us, He saves us through the terrible death of a cross. He undergoes the severe punishment in body and soul that was due to us so that we might come to be adopted as children! That is an astonishing thing!

The Apostle John was captivated by this amazing benefit of the cross. He wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). What an amazing thing that the God who created the universe and knows all the stars by name who has myriads upon myriads of angels at His service wants to call us His sons and daughters. If we could really get that, it would be the most astonishing and amazing thing we ever heard!

The philosopher Epictetus contemplated the fact that we are created by God. He said, “If only one could be convinced of this truth, that we’re all first and foremost children of God . . . I think one would never harbour any mean or ignoble thought about oneself” (Discourses, 1.3). No mean or low thoughts about ourselves! If this is true for us as created beings, how much more so is it true for those who have been redeemed and adopted into God’s family and are heirs of His eternal kingdom! God loves us more than we can imagine.

Conclusion
How do we know we matter and are significant in this world? God loved us so much He would send His own Son to die on the cross rather than see us perish. He also loved us so much that He adopts us as His children and heirs of the entire universe forever. That is our identity, and that is our destiny, all because of what Jesus did for us in the agonizing death on the cross. That is an amazing benefit indeed. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

What is my role in the world? Is it significant? Do I even matter at all? There is something about us that would make us think that we matter. We can think and see the world. We can survey the whole universe and consider it. Our own conscience judges our actions and tells us whether we have done right or wrong. We can connect with other human beings. We can think beyond the world and consider God. There is much that would make us say, we are significant.

On the other hand, there is much that would make us think that we are insignificant. We are a tiny speck in a tiny speck in the universe. We are one of billions of people on the earth at this time, and we are one of billions who have been born and died. It’s also easy to look at the little things we do like cooking, cleaning, going to work, or even doing a vacation and say, does this stuff matter at all?

Think of Josh Dobbs, the former UT quarterback who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would seem that Ben Roethlisberger matters because he is the starting quarterback. He has won his team Super Bowl rings. But what about Josh Dobbs? Now, if you were to play Josh Dobbs in virtually any sport, you would probably say, this is the most amazing athlete I have ever seen. Yet, on the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is basically a practice quarterback. And most of us don’t get anywhere near that level of athletic glory! Do we matter at all?

One of the amazing benefits of the cross is that it tells us that we matter and matter more than we could possibly imagine. That’s what our passage teaches us. The cross tells us of our amazing identity and our amazing destiny. Let’s consider this passage more carefully.

Christ Sent into the World
Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” What we read here is that Christ was sent into the world. This means that Jesus existed before He came into the world. For all of us, we were conceived, and that’s when we started to exist. Jesus existed before He was even conceived.

Jesus Himself was conscious of having been sent into the world. Before He died on the cross, Jesus prayed, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5). He existed in eternal glory with the Father before He was ever born.

That same person who existed from all eternity became a human being in the fullness of time. He took on Himself a human nature without giving up His divine nature. That’s why the ancient Council of Chalcedon affirmed that Jesus is one person in two natures without mixture, confusion, division, or separation. That accurately sums up what we have in our text.

The next thing you will notice about Jesus’ entrance into the world was that it came at the right time. God knows how to tell time and in the right time or the set time or in the fullness of time, He sent His Son into the world.

How was it the right time? Religions throughout the world were looking for someone to bring salvation to the world. Many saw Caesar Augustus as the one in whom their hopes would be fulfilled. They were looking for a savior.

The Roman Empire controlled much of the world. They had brought a relative peace, order, and justice to the world that allowed for rapid and safe communication of ideas all over the world in a common language. A few centuries before Christ’s birth, this would not have been the case.

When it comes to the Jews, who were especially looking for a Messiah, their own hopes seem to be dashed. They had been in exile and returned. They had gained independence under the Maccabees but were now “slaves,” as they might put it, under the Roman Empire. Their hopes were exhausted. It was the right time for a savior.

What Christ Did in the World
So, what did the Son do when He was in the world? Our passage tells us. First, He was born. He became a real human being, as we noted above. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her yet without sin. He became a real human being without giving up His divine nature.

Next, we read that he was born under the law. “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.” Thus, His calling and vocation had a reference to the law.

We might not think God’s law is that important, but God doesn’t view it that way. He created this world as its Sovereign Lord and Judge. He gave a law that was to be obeyed. His holiness demands conformity with this law, and His justice will defend it. This is God as we have Him revealed in the prophets. For example, the prophet Habakkuk says, “You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing” (1:13a–14b). He says elsewhere, “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him” (Hab. 2:20). He is the Lord to whom we must give account.

The amazing thing here is that Jesus became a human who had to give account to God. He who was God was also under God. He became a subject rather than the ruler. The Law-giver took his place among those who were called to be servants. He assumed the form of a servant obeying the law.

And what did the law require? If you go back to Galatians 3:10 and 12, you have the answer. The Holy Spirit teaches us, “The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, ‘The person who does these things will live by them'” (Gal. 3:12). In other words, the law doesn’t simply says, “believe, and you will have life.” It says, “Do what it says, and you will have life.” Well, how much do we have to do? In Gal. 3:10 we read, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” The law cannot exempt anyone. It can’t say, “it’s OK that you broke the law.” It just tells us, “you’ve broken the law and now must suffer the penalty.”

So, when Christ comes, He obligates Himself to obey the law and suffer its penalty. But here’s the amazing thing. He does this not for Himself but for us. “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.” He is our substitute and representative before God. He is born of a woman and born under the law not for His own sake but for our sakes.

Our text indicates that He redeemed those under the law. The word “redemption” means payment. What did He pay? He paid the debt of those who owed obedience to God and the suffering that resulted from not obeying the law.

Here’s what Paul says in Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole or tree'” (Gal. 3:12). Christ redeemed us by taking the curse that was due to us so that we would not have to face it. That’s the amazing benefit of the cross. We are all under the curse because of our sin, but anyone who believes in Jesus and wants Him as their Savior can have the curse completely removed.

But there’s much more. It is not as if Christ simply removes the curse and puts us back at square one. He not only removes the curse. He secures the blessing that God promised long ago would come to all nations through a descendant of Abraham. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Gal. 3:14).

The Benefit We Get from Christ in the World
So, we have the curse due to us removed and now blessings are due instead of a curse. But there’s more. Christ merited for us not only a life of blessing. He merited for us the adoption to sonship. We actually become adopted children of God through what Christ did. “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Gal. 4:4–5).

Here’s what that includes. It means that we are legally adopted and called sons and daughters of God. It means that we receive the work of the Holy Spirit of adoption. “Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father'” (Gal. 4:6). We are not simply legally adopted, we have God’s Spirit who changes our hearts and enables us to look at God as a Father to us. It means that we are heirs of the entire universe. “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” (Gal. 4:7). The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. We get an eternal inheritance in Christ!

Now, think of this. It is a truly amazing thing. If we who were criminals in God’s court and worthy of eternal punishment were pardoned and assumed the place of the lowest servants, we would be eternally grateful. How much more the fact that we are actually taken to the highest position and become the sons and daughters of God! That is beyond belief.

In the classic movie, Ben-Hur, Judah Ben-Hur is a wealthy Jewish merchant. He refuses to turn on his own people, and so he is framed by a powerful friend and sold as a slave. He ends up as a galley-slave where is forced to work at heavy oars day and night for three years to move a naval ship of the Roman Empire. That ship ends up being attacked and sunk. Judah ends up saving Quintus Arrius, the admiral on the ship, from death, and they return to Rome. Arrius is grateful for what Judah has done, and he eventually adopts him as a son.

Now here’s the amazing thing. We can see how out of gratitude for Judah saving him, he might adopt him as a son. But God saves us from death and then adopts us as His children! He does it all! He not only saves us, He saves us through the terrible death of a cross. He undergoes the severe punishment in body and soul that was due to us so that we might come to be adopted as children! That is an astonishing thing!

The Apostle John was captivated by this amazing benefit of the cross. He wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). What an amazing thing that the God who created the universe and knows all the stars by name who has myriads upon myriads of angels at His service wants to call us His sons and daughters. If we could really get that, it would be the most astonishing and amazing thing we ever heard!

The philosopher Epictetus contemplated the fact that we are created by God. He said, “If only one could be convinced of this truth, that we’re all first and foremost children of God . . . I think one would never harbour any mean or ignoble thought about oneself” (Discourses, 1.3). No mean or low thoughts about ourselves! If this is true for us as created beings, how much more so is it true for those who have been redeemed and adopted into God’s family and are heirs of His eternal kingdom! God loves us more than we can imagine.

Conclusion
How do we know we matter and are significant in this world? God loved us so much He would send His own Son to die on the cross rather than see us perish. He also loved us so much that He adopts us as His children and heirs of the entire universe forever. That is our identity, and that is our destiny, all because of what Jesus did for us in the agonizing death on the cross. That is an amazing benefit indeed. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

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Sermons

What Will You Do with Your Freedom? (Galatians 5:13)

[Listen to an audio version here]

Booker T. Washington in his book, Up from Slavery describes what it was like for black slaves at the end of the Civil War.

Finally the war closed, and the day of freedom came. It was a momentous and eventful day to all upon our plantation. We had been expecting it. Freedom was in the air, and had been for months. . . . As the great day drew nearer, there was more singing in the slave quarters than usual. It was bolder, had more ring, and lasted later into the night. . . .

The night before the eventful day, word was sent to the slave quarters to the effect that something unusual was going to take place at the “big house” the next morning. There was little, if any, sleep that night. All was excitement and expectancy. . . . The most distinct thing that I now recall in connection with the scene was that some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper—the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.

What an amazing scene! The glory of freedom! There is an amazing joy in the releasing of the captives and the slaves to glorious freedom.

And it is just that sort of freedom that the good news about Jesus Christ proclaims to us. We are free. Paul says, “For freedom you have been set free!” “You are called to freedom!” The Apostle Paul says in Gal. 5:13. If you have put your trust in Christ as Savior, then you have been freed! You are free! You should rejoice like the slaves rejoiced to be set free after the Civil War!

The Meaning of Our Freedom
What does it mean that we have freedom? From what does Christ set us free? Consider these seven ways that Christ has freed us.

1. Christ has freed us from guilt. Our sin has incurred guilt before God and feelings of guilt within ourselves. We are rightfully under the curse of the law because of our sin. The glorious news is that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us . . .” (Gal. 3:13). We stand justified and accepted before God’s throne. We no longer need to feel the crushing weight of guilt because of our sin. We are free.

2. Christ has freed us from old habits. The old habits of sin no longer have dominion over us. We may experience the presence of sin, but we don’t have to live under its power. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24).

3. Christ has freed us from anxiety. We may feel anxiety, but we don’t need to let it dominate our lives. Why? Because Christ has given Himself for us, we do not need to be anxious about the future! We can trust that the Christ who gave Himself for us will subdue all things for our good.

4. Christ has freed us from bondage to old wounds. We all have those things that have hurt us, but we don’t have to live in bondage to them. Christ’s assurance of blessing tells us that these wounds do not describe our destiny. In addition, Christ’s power within us frees us to forgive and so release ourselves from the bondage of those who have hurt us.

5. Christ has freed us from the power of bad relationships. Why do we remain held in the bondage of bad relationships? Christ frees us to find what we need in Him. When we do that, we don’t have to bargain our well-being away in bad relationships while eating the scraps of acceptance that people are willing to throw to us. We are freed to love and serve those around us while also maintaining legitimate boundaries.

6. Christ has freed us from idols or wrong centers. When an idol takes over our life, we look for life from it. This causes us to sacrifice everything for the sake of it. For example, work becomes an idol for us, and we sacrifice our family, health, and children to it. Christ frees us from this because He delivers to us the status and security we were looking for in our work and that our work promised but could not deliver.

7. Christ has freed us from the fear of death. Death has lost its sting. It will not win in the end. We know that when we die we will be with Jesus. When He comes again, we will rise to new life. We know that He will take care of those we love. We do not need to cower before death the way our society does. Christ has freed us!

There is literally nothing more important that you can do this year than to take these facts in deeply and learn to rejoice in your freedom. A greater sight of these things will change everything for you.

As I enter into my 7th year here, there are really two things that I want you to see through my ministry here. The first is to have a greater vision to see how great Christ is and how utterly sufficient all that He has is for you. This is the first thing, not what we do but what Christ has done, is doing, and will do for us and in us.

Get that in view! Meditate daily on it. Listen for it in the sermon. Experience it in the sacraments. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enable you to see it. Remind each other of it. Pray for each other that we will be able to see like never before how totally sufficient Christ is for everything we need. Pray that we will see how secure we are, how accepted we are, how empowered we are, how valued we are, how free we are! I can’t say it enough or too often. We have everything we need secure for us in Christ. You are free! You are called to be free, to experience this freedom.

What We Should Do with Our Freedom
The second thing is that when you are filled with joy because by faith you see the wonders of what Christ has for you, use that glorious freedom to work as hard as you can to serve others, do good, and glorify God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What is the chief end of a human being?” It answers, “to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Those are the two key things I want to teach. I want you to find your joy and fulfillment in God. Being filled, I want you then to do all that you can to glorify God to the highest degree you possibly can.

Enjoying God and glorifying God are interrelated. Sometimes we need to press forward when we do not feel like it. However, many times what we need to do when we don’t feel like serving is to go back to the root of faith. Ask yourself: Am I experiencing the freedom that I have in Christ through faith? Am I, through fellowship with Him, being empowered to live a new life and enlightened to see the greatness of His power and love for me? It is faith working through love. In order to work through love we need to grow in our faith. When we grow in our faith, we can and will work through love.

If you feel like you have nothing left to give right now, then give attention to yourself. Get the help you need. Tend to your wounds. Get healthy. Get your spirit right. Take a rest. Take a break. Let your heart heal. God does not need our service or His own gifts (which is really what we are giving back to Him). The kingdom will make it on OK without you, and you will come back much better equipped to serve. Make no resolution to do anything except take in God’s goodness until you feel empowered to move forward.

If you feel like you have nothing left to give, then give attention to what you are doing. Do you really need to do all the things that you are doing? Are there things that you are holding onto that you don’t need to? Are there areas you are spending money where you could stop? Are there relationships that have moved on, but you keep holding on to them? And do you need to think so much about all the things that society tells you that you need to think about? I mean, whether you love him or hate him, does Donald Trump really deserve as much of our emotions and head space as we have given him (and no, he’s not going away)? You need to spend lavishly, but you need to spend lavishly on those things most worthy of expenditure!

If you feel like you have nothing to give, work on increasing your faith, but also work on increasing your love: “through love serve one another.” Yes, you can do this. Learn to see the world and people as God sees them. When it comes to believers, we have all trust in Christ and resolved to live for Him. What an amazing thing we have in common! But what about outside the church? The Apostle Paul says, do good until all, especially those of the household of faith. Every person you meet is a human created in the image of God and made for society! The world is full of friends, in spite of its sinfulness. We are made for community! But what if they do us wrong? Then, they harm themselves. If someone is unjust, they are acting contrary to their nature. It’s as if they were breaking their own bones. This deserves our pity as much as our condemnation! We can learn to love because God will teach us how to love, even our enemies, even in our darkest days.

So, you may not feel that you have much to give. Then, give attention to what is going on in your heart and life. Find ways to reconnect with the freedom in the Gospel. However, if you feel the freedom and joy that God gives through the Gospel, then push forward to serve others. Push forward, and push forward hard. Give it all you’ve got. Do all that you can. What should you do with your freedom? “Do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

At Thanksgiving, we learned that we should see the blessings that God has given us innumerable ways without ignoring the bad. At Christmas, we learned that there is a joy that transcends all our circumstances. At New Year’s, we hear the good news of a fresh start. A whole year is before us! What are you going to do with it? How are you going to serve this year? Make your resolutions as big as you can and as attainable as you can. Resolve to do something that will equip you to serve better. Resolve to do something that will bless those around you. Resolve that in some significant way or many, you will serve others in love.

When you do, expect opposition. Expect resistance. Benjamin Franklin said: “Mankind are very superficial and dastardly: they begin upon a thing, but, meeting with a difficulty, they fly from it discouraged: but they have capacities, if they would employ them” (cited in Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life, 1081). The Apostle said concerning the Christian life, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). What is true of the good of the Christian life is true of all good things in this life. There will be opposition to doing them, inside us and outside us. We have to accept that in order to accomplish anything good. Your family or church or class will not applaud your efforts to change things. Practicing an instrument or reading a difficult book will always be hard. Engaging in society involves the clash of political opposition. We’ve got to accept this reality and still move forward. Through love, serve one another, and don’t give up!

Conclusion
So, what are you going to do with a year? Maybe you need to take the whole year off from serving and just get mentally and physically healthy. That’s fine. Your standing with God is not based on how much you serve this year. You are justified in Christ, on the basis of His perfect service, not yours.

But if you’re in good shape or even decent shape, if you feel that you can serve, then whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Use the joy of the freedom of your spirit to serve one another in love! Push forward. Push hard. Don’t take the path of least resistance. Whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord. Keep breathing in deep the freedom you have in Christ, and aim for something greater this year out of a great sense of love for Christ and the power of Christ.

Whatever this year brings, let’s aim at something. Let’s try to do something significant. Let’s have no wasted years. Let’s do things that will bring us satisfaction. Let’s do things that will glorify our God and Savior. Let’s do things that will impact our communities. Let’s do things that will bless our church and the broader church. Let’s do it for the love of others and the love of our great Savior who loved us and gave himself for us that He might free us to be a people for Himself, zealous for good works. Amen.

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Sermons

Crossing Boundaries (Acts 11:19–21)

[Listen to an audio version here]

Have you ever been in a restaurant or business where it seemed the people were more interested in each other than you as a customer? Have you ever felt like an afterthought?

Peter Drucker, the famous business strategist and writer, began to realize that this was a general problem in business. Businesses would lose sight of the fact that they were there for the customers and become ingrown. They would become more concerned about their inward process than about their outward purpose.

The same can happen in the church, too. The church becomes inward-focused. It forgets that it is there for a larger purpose: the kingdom. The goal of the church is not the church. The goal of the church is to bless the world and to make an impact in it.

Today, I want to tell you about some brave men who saw with clarity what God wanted to do to expand His work in the world and acted on it. We don’t know their names. We just know what they did and the huge impact it made, an impact that is still with us today.

The Context
The first line in our text reads: “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled . . .” (Acts 11:19). This line hearkens back to Acts 8:4 which says, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”

Stephen had preached boldly about Jesus. The result was as negative as it was when Jesus preached. The rulers of the Jewish people, led by Saul of Tarsus, stoned Stephen and killed him. Saul later bitterly regretted it and ended up preaching salvation through the same Jesus Stephen had preached. We know Saul now as the Apostle Paul, but the Stephen was still dead.

However, God knows how to bring light out of darkness. Speaking of Jesus’ death, the Apostles prayed, “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen” (Acts 4:28). They knew that God was working out a plan. Here God was working out a plan as well. This martyrdom was something God permitted and ordained for His own purposes. You see, the church had gotten stuck. They all stayed in Jerusalem, even though Jesus told them to go throughout the world. When the persecution broke out, they scattered.

The result was that they preached everywhere they went. Our text adds an important qualification, though. They preached, but “they were spreading the word only among Jews” (Acts 11:19). This is what was comfortable. These were people of the same culture and mindset. They could not yet break out of their comfort zones enough to go into all the world and to every people.

This was true in spite of the command of Jesus that was abundantly clear. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15). Instead, they only preached to the Jews.

However, we shouldn’t be too hard on these folks. Most Christians are only friends with Christians. Even among Christians, we get comfortable with certain people. Even when we know people, it can be hard to get out of our comfort zone. When it comes to people, we all really like our groups. We build groups with whom we are comfortable, whether these are groups that do the same work, have the same views, participate in the same ministry, are part of the same family, or have the same skin color, etc. It’s just easier to be with those with whom we already feel comfortable. How many of us would act in a much different manner than our fathers in the early church? If we were part of the church at that time, would we have broken out of the mold and stepped out of our comfort zone? What do our current actions teach us? How many people have we shared a meal with who were really different from us and didn’t conform to a particular pattern? No, these were people just like us.

The Action
But there were some brave men who acted differently. They stood out from the herd. “Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:20). Some of them began to speak to the Greeks as well. A few of them were bold enough to cross boundaries. They took Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations seriously. They spoke to the Greeks.

What a powerful lesson for us. When we think about advancing God’s kingdom, we can look to the great figures of Acts such as Peter, John, and Paul, but here were ordinary Christians who simply spoke to those who were different from them. They went to the Gentiles. They got out of their comfort zone. They crossed boundaries.

When I think of someone who crossed boundaries, I always think of my dear and special friend Hennie Vandersluis. As you can tell, she was Dutch. Her father was a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, a church that is by and large ethnically Dutch. However, her father went where most in his denomination would not. He started a church in downtown Kalamazoo among those of different ethnicity, background, and class. Hennie never forgot that lesson. She was a collector of people and relationships. She gathered people together from all walks of life. When she threw a big birthday party and invited all her friends, there was a dizzying variety of people. She simply crossed boundaries. She got out of her comfort zone. She touched hundreds of people. She left a light that shines brightly for all her friends and relatives in the way she loved people so well.

And that’s what we can do, too. Whatever your skills or background, you can cross a boundary. You can speak to people you don’t know. You can talk to people outside your group. You can start small. You can just start talking today to someone you don’t normally talk to. You can talk to a neighbor you’ve never talked to before. You can strike up a conversation in line with someone at the grocery store. After that, you can take another step and start going to places where you don’t normally go and connecting with people you don’t know. Then, you can invite people out for coffee, for dinner, or to your home. It’s rather simple. The only walls keeping us from doing this are inside us, and we can break through them. We have not been given a Spirit of fear but of power! As Jesus said, “You shall receive power.”

Then, you can share with them your life. When you do so, you can share your faith. You can tell them about Jesus. That’s what these Jews did. They told them “them the good news about the Lord Jesus” (Acts 11:20).

That’s what we can do, too. We can tell them of hope in Jesus. We can tell them of the love of Jesus. We can tell them of forgiveness in Jesus. We can tell them of the faithfulness of Jesus. We can tell them of the guidance of Jesus. We can tell them of the leadership of Jesus. We can tell them of security in Jesus. We can tell them of the friendship of Jesus. We can tell them of our purpose in Jesus. Whatever we have experienced, whatever has touched our hearts, we can share.

The Results
And what will happen when we get out of our comfort zones and cross boundaries to reach people for Jesus? “The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” (Acts 11:21).

The phrase, “the Lord’s hand was with them,” reminds us that the work of restoring the world is ultimately God’s work. It is God who adds to our numbers. It is God who opens the heart. It is God who ordains to eternal life. It is God who causes people to listen. This is God’s work.

However, He does it in a specific way. He opens hearts and minds through people who are open to His leading like the Jews from Cyprus and Cyrene. When we cross boundaries, God opens hearts. When we go, we are not alone. God’s hand will be with us to do great things.

I have observe that whenever people of any denomination or group of Christians get a real vision to reach out, God blesses it. He does not let this vision go unfulfilled. It may not be exactly what they imagine, but God will use it in extraordinary ways.

That’s an encouragement for us. God will bless our efforts just as He did with the people of Antioch. There, they were first called Christians. There, the church thrived. There, the missionaries were sent out. Antioch became a platform for ministry to the rest of the world. And it began with men who were willing to get out of their comfort zones and cross boundaries.

So, what can you do? You can cross boundaries to love people and speak to them about Jesus. You can start talking to those whom you ordinarily would not. This is the adventure to which God calls us, no matter who we are. So, let’s step out. Let’s get out of our comfort zones. Let’s cross boundaries. Let’s do so in the confidence that God’s hand will be with us, and we will be amazed to see what God will do through us. Amen.

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Photo by Josh Hild on Unsplash

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Sermons

Always Doing Good (Acts 9:36–43)

[Listen to an audio version here]

It’s easy to look at the great figures of history and see what they’ve accomplished and think that our lives are insignificant. Who are we in the light of such great people? Who are we in light of David? Or Moses? Or Paul? Or Peter?

Well, God may not call us to preach to thousands, to conquer kingdoms, to liberate a nation, or to plant churches, but that doesn’t mean that we have no purpose. This month, I want to highlight from the book of Acts several people who demonstrate the variety of ways in which we can participate in God’s redemptive plan and make an impact in the world that lasts for eternity.

Today, we begin with a woman named Tabitha. I want you to see what she did and the effects of what she did.

What She Did
We meet Tabitha in the context of Peter’s travels. God was getting his Apostles out into the world, and they were beginning to travel and make an impact in the world. They were beginning to see that they had to put the new wine into the new wine skins. They were leaving behind the old wine skins of the religious practices of the elders and even of the Old Testament. They were good for the time, but now the Gospel was going worldwide. Things had to change.

We see this change in the fact that Peter stayed with Simon the tanner. Because Simon worked with dead animals, he was “unclean” and would have had to stay outside the city gates. The fact that Peter stayed with him was evidence that his views were changing. This would be made explicit in his encounter with Cornelius in chapter 10. I encourage you to read it.

When Peter came to Joppa, our text tells us that there was a disciple named Tabitha. A disciple is a student or follower. Those who follow Jesus are those who listen to what He teaches and then seek to imitate Him and live by His teachings. In those days, a student would literally follow their teacher around listening to his teachings. Today, disciples listen to Jesus’ Word in the Bible and seek to put it into practice in their lives.

Tabitha was a woman who was “always doing good.” Here is the goal of the Christian, to be a person who is always doing good. In this way, Tabitha was and we can be disciples of Jesus. Peter describes Jesus as one who “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38). Those who go around doing good are like Jesus. That’s why Paul says that we are called as disciples to do good. He says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9–10).

The text points us to the object of these good works. She was “always helping the poor” (Acts 9:36). Why was she doing this? She did it because this was Jesus’ agenda. Jesus wanted her to make the poor a priority. Here is what Jesus said:

When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:12–14).

Tabitha took this to heart and made helping the widow and the orphan her priority. We should, too.

What did doing good to the poor look like? The sad thing was that Tabitha had died just as Peter arrived. When Peter went and saw her where they had lain her body, “All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that [Tabitha] had made while she was still with them” (Acts 9:39). This was the sort of good thing that Tabitha had done for the poor.

And this gives us an idea of how we can be partners with God in the work of redemption. We can do good. We can give our money, time, and resources to do good unto others.

What does this look like today? It may mean that we see a need in someone’s house and work on it with them, as Live It does all over this county. It may mean that we speak to people in our neighborhood, giving of our time. It may mean we get involved in civic organizations. It may mean helping a young family by watching their children. It may mean foregoing something we would want to do to let others enjoy things. It may mean having people over to our home.

In doing this, we will need to be strategic. We have limited resources and an absolutely limited amount of time. Where should we focus our energy? We may have friends and family to connect with, but the example of Tabitha reminds us that Jesus wants us to put the least of these on our list of priorities. Where are the least of these in your schedule? I know this is hard. Jesus calls us to take a hard look at our schedule and priorities and say “no” to some good things in order to do those things that are best for His kingdom.

The Effects of What She Did
But this passage reminds us that doing good is not without its rewards. As the Apostle Paul says, “we shall reap, if we do not give up.”

We see the rewards in the people who mourned for her. They were so deeply moved by what she had done that they wept at her funeral. She had loved them so well.

When the men went down to the MNA Disaster Response Warehouse, Mike Kennamer, who coordinates the work at the warehouse, told us about his experience in going to places where natural disasters had wrought devastation. He said that he found again and again that people were amazed at what the volunteers did. Why, they would ask, would you take your vacation time to come and help us? Then, he would tell them about how much Jesus had done for him and that this was his motivation. That’s what “always doing good” can lead to.

But God had greater things to do here. When Peter went up to the room, he knelt down and prayed. Then, he stood up. He spoke to Tabitha, “Tabitha, get up.” He said. Then, she opened her eyes and got up. God had performed a miracle, and Peter presented her to them alive.

The testimony of her resurrection was so great that it spread all around. “This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord” (Acts 10:42). This is a reminder that we never know what God will do when we step out in faith to do good to those around us. God takes what we do and miraculously spreads it much further than we can imagine.

I heard about an example of this at our Presbytery meeting a few weeks ago. Our Mercy Ministry Committee has gotten involved in medical debt relief. For pennies on the dollar, you can wipe out a huge amount of medical debt. A Christian organization is partnering with people who want to serve the poor in this way. The chairman of our Mercy Ministry Committee told about one woman whom they had helped relieve from hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. They not only helped her, they got to know her. She was so moved by this demonstration of love that she accepted the love of Christ into her life. That’s what God will do when we step out in faith to do good.

So, how can we do good? Take the things you actually already do and ask yourself, how can I use this to do good? Who are the people in my life to whom I can do good? Who has Jesus already put in my life that I can bless as a way of showing His love? Once you’ve answered that, do it. You never know how God made use it. Amen.

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Photo by Marília Castelli on Unsplash