He’s Moving!
April 12, 2009
Pastor Brian Matherlee
Three friends were discussing death and one asked the group: What would you like people to say about you at your funeral?
• He was a great humanitarian,
• He was a great husband and father
• He cared about his community
• Look, he’s moving!
There was an item printed in Newsweek magazine a few years ago. It was a letter from a Department of Social Services. The letter was written to a dead person. It said: "To whom it may concern: Your food stamps will be stopped effective immediately, because we have received notice that you passed away. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances."
John went on a vacation to the Middle East with most of his family, including his mother-in-law. During their vacation and while they were visiting Jerusalem, John’s mother-in-law died.
With death certificate in hand, John went to the American Consulate to make arrangements to send the body back to the States for proper burial.
The Consul, after hearing of the death of the mother-in-law, told John that sending a body back to the States for burial is very, very expensive. It could cost as much as $5,000 he told John, and in most cases the persons responsible for the remains of their loved ones decide to bury the body in Israel, which would only cost $150.
John thought for some time and answered, "I don’t care how much it will cost to send the body back; that’s what I want to do."
The Consul, after hearing John’s reply, said, "You must have loved your mother-in-law very much, considering the difference in price."
"No, it’s not that," says John. "You see, I know of a case many years ago of a person buried here in Jerusalem. On the third day he arose from the dead. I just can’t take that chance."
Today we celebrate the greatest victory of all time.
In Peggy Noonan’s book When Character Was King, she tells about a meeting between President George W. Bush and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. It was their first meeting as world leaders and Bush wanted to be sure they connected—that they looked for depth of soul and character, not simply had a political meeting.
Bush brought up a story he had read about Putin. His mother had given him a Christian cross that Putin had blessed while in Jerusalem. Bush had been touched by the story. Putin told a story in response. He had taken to wearing the cross, and one day had set it down in a house he had been visiting. Strangely, the house burned down, and all Putin could think about was that his cross was lost in the rubble. He motioned for a worker to come to him, so he could ask him to look for the cross. The worker walked over to Putin, stretched out his hand, and showed him the already recovered cross. Putin told Bush "It was as if something meant for me to have the cross," inferring that he believed in a higher power. Bush said, "Mr. Putin, President Putin, that’s what it’s all about—that’s the story of the cross." The story of the cross is that God intended it just for you.
(Peggy Noonan. When Character Was King, pp 306-307. New York: Viking, 2001.)
God’s Desire
2 Peter 3:9, [God doesn’t want]anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (NIV)
The Message translation puts it this way, “[God] is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”
Here’s a list of what God wants to do for us:
• Adopt us as his children
• Free us from guilt
• Restore our relationships
• Fill the emptiness
• Empower us to live right
• Show kindness
• Realize our true value and worth
In short, God wants to love us like no one else can.
Our Problem
Video-“The Black Hole”
The book of Romans states our problem plainly
• “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away; they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (3:10-18)
• “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (3:23)
• “The wages of sin is death.” (6:23)
Just like our office worker who got swallowed up by the black hole. Sin swallows up our life. Think about it in these terms:
The Truth about Sin
1. Sin has no standard
a. Our office worker continued to dive deeper and deeper into theft. Nothing could stop him. Without an objective standard we turn right and wrong into whatever pleases us.
b. A little boy took an expensive model airplane from the home of a rich man. When confronted with his deed he said, “It might be wrong for you but it’s not wrong for me. The man is rich, he can afford one and I can’t. It doesn’t hurt him, he can go out and buy another one.” (summarized from “In The Grip of Grace”, by Max Lucado, page 27)
c. Sin will always take us farther than we ever thought we would go. It will leave us longer than we ever thought we would stay. It will cost us far more than we ever wanted to pay.
2. Sin skews our purpose
a. What do you live for?
b. People will look for meaning in life.
i. Maybe they’ll live vicariously through their kids.
ii. They’ll turn to entertainment, sex, sports, work & achievement.
c. Sin focuses us on the here and now. We barely see past our nose and find that our only hope to fill the emptiness is ever increasing indulgence in the earthly pleasures we can find.
d. When we find emptiness in these things we have chased after we turn to deeper and more destructive things.
3. Sin casts shadows on the seeker
a. A man driving along at night sees his friend on the side of the road looking for something under a streetlight. He asks the man if he needs help. The man tells him he lost his keys. The man gets out and begins searching with him. After a time he asks him where he lost them exactly. The man replies, “In my house”. “Then why are you out here?” the man asks! And his fried replies, “because the light is better out here.”
b. Romans 1:20-21, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
c. Sin will make us look in all the wrong places even when we repeatedly see it won’t work.
d. The plan of God through Christ doesn’t make sense. It’s too simple. Or maybe we’ve heard it too many times.
e. Have you ever been to the Biltmore House? It’s a fantastic place. No other home like it in America. I’ve been there many times. Over the years we’ve taken several guests to tour. At first we noticed new things and really enjoyed it. Then we began to hear the same things from the tour guides. Now all we do is give our friends directions to Asheville.
God’s Solution
Every other religion has a “doer” philosophy. Christianity has a “done” philosophy. Everything necessary for salvation has already been done by Jesus Christ. All that is left is accepting by grace through faith that it is true for me.
God’s plan of salvation:
Romans 10:9-13,
“If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Are you able to agree with God about your sin?
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God and Lord?
Do you believe God raised Him from the dead?
Then confess your sin
Ask God’s help to turn away from sin
Trust God to forgive you and help you begin to live for him
A man received a letter from his auto insurance company. The letter stated that his policy was being terminated for too many accidents and violations and he should seek to obtain other insurance.
To many, they think of God’s grace this way. God will forgive a certain number of “accidents” but one too many and I’ll be over the limit. God forgives all sin, every time. That’s why it’s called grace.
Romans 4:15 tells us about sinful people who trust God, “It is precisely these people in this condition who are called “set right by God and with God”! (The Message version)
Conclusion
God wants everyone to know His love and grace. God loves you just the way you are. He accepts you just as you are. But God loves you too much to leave you as you are. He wants each of us to understand that His grace is enough for each of us. It’s never too early or too late to turn to God.
On March 15 at the Lewis Creek Church (Indiana South), Pastor Dave Gates preached a sermon on being "born again."
On the way out the door Pastor Dave greeted Bucky, an 80-year-old man that has been attending his church. Pastor Dave said to him, "Will I see you in heaven, Bucky?" After pausing for a moment Bucky said, "Well I hope so but all my life I have never known for sure because I have never been born again’ as you preached today."
"You can know for sure, Bucky," said Pastor Dave. "Would you want to take care of that today before you go home?"’he asked. At that point Bucky started to cry and said, "Yes I would."
As Bucky was headed for the altar his wife said, "I want to go as well!" So this past Sunday morning Sis (as they call Bucky’s wife) and Bucky, 80 years old, got saved. After he prayed he raised his hands heavenward and said, "I feel so good, I feel so good!"
