THE GREAT ESCAPE!
INTRODUCTION
One of my greatest joys as a pastor is helping people celebrate milestones as they grow in their faith in God. Penny thank you for allowing me to be involved in this special, sacred event. I trust that from today on you will know an added intimacy in your walk with Jesus.
Who’s heard of Harry Houdini?
Well, Harry Houdini, the famed escape artist issued a challenge wherever he went. He could be locked in any jail cell in the country, he claimed, and set himself free quickly and easily. Always he kept his promise, but one time something went wrong. Houdini entered the jail in his street clothes; the heavy, metal doors clanged shut behind him. He took from his belt a concealed piece of metal, strong and flexible. He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after labouring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell.
That story of Harry Houdini reminds me of a story that Jesus told. It’s a story that some of us here this morning had our attention drawn to on Friday night at the Men’s Convention. It’s found in the gospel of Luke chapter 18 & verses 9-14. I’ll read it to you.
(READ VERSES 10-13)
Now Jesus in those few verses tells us about two men –a Pharisee (and the Pharisees were respected as godly leaders and teachers of the day) and a tax collector (despised by his fellows).
When we look at the Pharisee we kind of picture a first-rate man – This man thanks God for making him the way he is (vs. 11). He’s morally good – we hear he doesn’t cheat or commit adultery and he’s just (vs. 11). He’s devoted to his God – he fasts twice a week (vs. 12). And he sacrifices – he gives a tenth of all he earns to God. This Pharisee is a top bloke. And he prides himself on being a good man.
The tax collector on the other hand seems to be the opposite to the Pharisee. He couldn’t even look God in the eye so to speak. And he stood far off – because he realised he was a ‘good for nothing low life’. All he could do was cry out, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! You see he had no excuse – he couldn’t deny what he was. God, be merciful to me, a sinner!, is all he could say. No wonder tax collectors and sinners were considered to be one and the same.
You may be thinking, David you said the story of Houdini reminds you of this story in the Gospel of Luke - how, I can’t see the connection?
Well I didn’t read you the whole Luke story. You see Jesus wasn’t just telling this story for us to picture two different guys. No, let me read the rest of the story to you.
(READ LK 18:9-14)
Jesus says the tax collector not the Pharisee got it right!
You see the Pharisee tried to work his way to a right relationship with God, just like Houdini tried to work his way to freedom. The Pharisee tried to earn God’s favour. He had not understood that his very best was simply not good enough!
When Houdini gave up and just fell against the door it swung open for him. When the tax collector threw himself on the mercy of God, it was like Houdini admitting defeat and failure. It was like Houdini just falling against the door – it swung open! The tax collector understood that when Jesus had proclaimed that the greatest commandments were to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul – and love others as yourself – he had no hope of being good enough for God. All he could do was throw himself on God’s mercy.
You see the Pharisee did what a lot of us do. FIRSTLY, he tried to be good enough. And that’s like trying to jump to the moon. You may be able to jump higher than me – but you’ve still come way short of reaching the moon. SECONDLY, the Pharisee compared himself with other people – thank God I’m not like the tax collector. And he wasn’t! He was much better than the tax collector. But the Pharisee should have measured himself against God. When we do that we begin to realise we can’t measure up!
I can compare myself to some bad person and come out looking pretty good – but it’s another thing to measure myself against God’s standard.
He said, be perfect as I am perfect! Only God can meet that standard.
So what did God’s mercy look like for this tax collector?That’s where Penny’s baptism comes in. That’s where Romans 6 comes in!
A little earlier Tom read for us a portion of Romans chapter 6 where you could be forgiven for thinking that the apostle Paul is here explaining the shape of the mercy which God dished out to the tax collector. Paul says, it’s a Jesus shaped mercy. Listen to his words once again:-
(READ ROMANS 6:3-4)
Penny, the baptism that you are about to undertake symbolises what is spoken of here in Romans chapter 6. Water baptism doesn’t get you right with God, but it does symbolise being right with Him.
When you, in a few moments, are submerged into the water, you symbolise the fact that you died & were buried with Christ – you were baptised in Him. His death to sin became your death to sin; His burial became your burial; His resurrection became your resurrection.
Your identification with Jesus does not end in death to sin; it extends to being resurrected with Him to a new kind of life. A life lived in Jesus to God. You have life to the full!
Penny as you come up from under that baptismal water you are proclaiming the newness of life you have found in Jesus Christ. I am the way, the truth & the life, said Jesus. And, I came to give you life, life more abundantly.
In Philippians Paul says this about himself If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Phil 3:5-9)
We are so glad Penny that God has revealed His righteousness to you and allowed you to put your trust in Jesus – the only one who has never broken the greatest commandments. Penny as the apostle Paul encourages us to do, walk now in newness of life – for the sinful you died with Jesus and the righteous you rose with Him. His righteousness has been imparted to you.
Penny I pray for God’s richest blessing on your life as you continue in your walk with Him. And I challenge you when the going gets rough to look back & remember your baptism & all that it symbolises.
Remember the day you died!Remember the day you rose again!
We are challenged today to follow Penny’s example in making Jesus our Lord. We are challenged today by witnessing the reality of the resurrection in the life & testimony of Penny. We are challenged to consider being obedient to our Lord by being baptised. May our risen Saviour have His way in each of our lives.
He set to work immediately, but something seemed to be unusual about this lock. For 30 minutes he worked and got nowhere. An hour passed, and still he had not opened the door. By now he was bathed in sweat and panting in exasperation, but he still could not pick the lock. Finally, after labouring for 2 hours, Harry Houdini collapsed in frustration and failure against the door he could not unlock. But when he fell against the door, it swung open! It had never been locked at all! But in his mind it was locked and that was all it took to keep him from opening the door and walking out of the jail cell.
