Today is Easter Sunday and we meet this morning to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead.
The gospel reading tells of Mary Magdelene being the first person to discover that Jesus had risen, and in a distressed condition found Peter and John who confirmed her story. Subsequently she met Jesus in the garden without initially realising to whom she was talking.
In the evening of that first Sunday, the Apostles were gathered together in a locked room when Jesus appeared. You can imagine the reaction of the Apostles who must have thought they were hallucinating, for most people do at some time have visions, especially if you are longing for someone whom you never expected to see. The Apostles were delighted to see the Lord however.
Jesus greeted them with the traditional Jewish greeting Shalom, words which mean not only ‘peace be with you’, but every kind of blessing. He then showed them His hands and side to prove that it was the same Jesus they had known when they were with Him, but by showing His wounds it verified that this was the Jesus who had been on the Cross and was now an alive person
Then Jesus gave them command saying, just as God had sent Him He was now sending them out to preach the gospel in His name. This is essentially and fundamentally what the Church should and must be doing, preaching the gospel that He left us and abandoning all the modern fancy ideas aimed at pleasing society. We don’t go out saying the Bible says…,but, I’ve got a better idea, we go in His name saying what He said.
Jesus then when parting He again said ‘peace be with you’ as a form of good-bye, and then breathed on them. At His baptism the Holy Spirit was poured out on Jesus, and He now tells the Apostles as God had given Him the Holy Spirit, He (Jesus) was giving them the power of the Holy Spirit to go out and tell the world about His offer of eternal salvation for all who accepted and believed in Him. If anyone did not, they were condemned eternally.
Jesus has passed on this mission to the Church all down the ages to go out and speak for His message, so that when people hear that message from us, they are indirectly hearing the words of our Lord.
In this morning’s Epistle, Paul wants to establish the historical reliability of the resurrection in order to give a firm foundation for his teaching. He is reminding the Church it was he who brought the good news and which was not invented but given to him by the Lord.
By believing and accepting this great event, you too may be released from the fear of death. But there’s a question you must answer. “Do you really believe this?” The devil believes in God, and many people who never go near a Church do so, they just don’t want him to interfere in their life, but hypocritically expect to be accepted by him when they die.
Paul stated they stood in the gospel; the function of the gospel is to give stability and power in a world so hostile to the faith. It was something in which they were being saved, and the glory of salvation is that gets better, and one of the wonders of Christianity is that it is limitless.
The essential basis of Christianity is that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins of all people; that he was buried but God raised him from the Dead as had been prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures.
Having come to faith it has to be guarded for there are so many temptations pushed by those opposed; life has its valleys from which at times it seems hard to climb out of. This means we cannot be casual; the faith that collapses has not been true faith.
We now have to look at how this applies to us in our present Christian journey.
How important is it to believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus? For quite a lot of people it is an immense barrier to overcome; Christianity is fine for being kind, meek and mild and providing nice backgrounds for wedding and baptism pictures, but why bring in religion. Why not just see it as a nice story instead of intimidating and upsetting people?
This chapter will not be fully explained in some Churches today as there will be a problem, namely that there are clergy who do not believe in the physical resurrection.
A man who had challenged the resurrection in unpleasant terms was some years ago, being consecrated into his Office as a Bishop in York Minster. Later the same night a bolt of lightning struck and blew out the rose window of the Cathedral. When this was suggested to be God venting His anger, that was mocked and ridiculed by the liberal establishment, yet there was no such experience in any other part of the city; why the Cathedral. People have yet to learn you do not mock God.
People will say about a passage you can’t expect me to believe that, it is now 2018. Yet they will believe many things even harder to understand. They will use a pocket phone to contact someone any place on earth just by pressing buttons on the phone, and the uninterrupted words will cross thousands of miles within seconds. They certainly wouldn’t be able to explain how that happens, but accept it. People don’t limit man’s powers, why limit the Almighty God? This where faith comes in; faith is believing what you can’t see or explain and where true believers are shown against the fake ones.
The New Testament was written by men of honesty and intelligence who had seen Christ crucified, dead and buried, finished, gone. There were thousands in Jerusalem who saw Jesus die, and hundreds who saw him after he had risen. There can be no equivocation, Jesus died and rose; it is the most attested to event in history.
To those Apostles the future was dark and uncertain without any indication he was coming back. If they preached they were risking their lives, placing themselves in jeopardy of being stoned or killed.
When told by the women that the tomb was empty they dismissed it only to find out for themselves it was true, they saw the linen cloths there folded where the body had laid. So the body had gone and they knew not where.
There have been several explanations suggested, none of which have any credibility. The Apostles knew they faced death if it was found they had intervened, but they did not have anywhere to take it.
The |Jewish authorities would not have been involved; they had a guard placed there and a heavy stone to keep the body in. They having denied the resurrection so would have been glad to have Jesus’ body to devalue him by exhibiting the body.
Another suggestion was that grave robbers took it, but they would not have left the cloths and valuable precious spices untouched for they would have been worth a lot of money.
An even more popular thought was that Jesus just play acted and swooned to be revived and do a Houdini act. Jesus would not have been in any physical condition to do anything; he wasn’t even able to finish his walk to the place of execution and had to have help from an onlooker having been lashed 39 times with a metal studded belt. Would such a sinless, honest, man do such a thing; of course not?
Most people believe in the eternal and desperately want to know what lies on the other side of death. The answer is quite simple. If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour, what lies on the other side is resurrection and life. If you have not accepted him, you have no hope at all. The Church generally has not preached this with the vigour it deserved; we have service liturgy which assures everyone the deceased will go to heaven which is unequivocally dismissed in the Bible.
If people choose to live life without God and Jesus, that is their choice, but when they do so they have nothing left but vain speculations and idle dreams. How sad it must be to come to the end of life and to believe that after death this is nothing at all.
Paul’s argument is that it is foolish to follow Christianity if you reject the resurrection from the dead. If Jesus had not risen from the dead there would be no Church, all our preaching would be a waste of time and effort. If there is no hope for the future, what purpose is there in setting aside the worldly pleasures to endure the isolation and scorn of being a Christian? We may just as well sell of our buildings and do what the rest of the world does on a Sunday.
We believe the resurrection of Jesus Christ is so important to us as Christians because we believe he did not die as a private person, but as the Saviour for all put their trust in him. The Bible states that God promised he would always be with us and never leave us; he created the world and still maintains it.
Continue to pray that this nation may once again become a truly Christian nation, and may the Lord always bless
Friday, 30 March 2018
Saturday, 24 March 2018
Mark 11 v 1/11
On Sunday we remember the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to proclaim Himself as the Messiah and was greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches, the same crowds who a few days later would be crying ‘crucify Him’. This is the beginning of Holy Week as we celebrate the events of 2,000 years ago and follow our Lord’s last days before His crucifixion, the heart of the Christian faith. All four gospel writers tell the story of that first momentous week, let us turn to Mark in Chapter 11.
The Chapter opens where Jesus is about to make the final stage of His life’s journey which will end at the Cross, and He plans it with great detail. Jesus had been in Jericho and was now ready to go to Jerusalem on the last stage of His life’s journey. He was going to walk the way many pilgrims had walked.
On reaching Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead to the next village, telling them they would find a colt tied by the side of the road and they were to untie it and take it to Him. If anyone should challenge them they were to say the Lord needs it. We are not told how Jesus knew this, He may have had a prior arrangement with the owner or it could have been through means of His supernatural knowledge.
So began the fateful journey down the Mount of Olives where He was joined by waiting crowds who greeted Him wildly, laying their cloaks on the road in front of Him and waving palm branches, and singing from Psalm 118 which was a psalm pilgrims sang as a hymn of praise to God. Palm branches were used to signify joy and celebration
Jesus would normally have slipped quietly into the city as He usually like to avoid attention, but on this occasion although He knew a price was on His head, chose to ride in triumphantly. All this was to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah in the Old Testament made nearly 600 years earlier. When the crowds hailed Him as the Son of David, the Messiah, He did not stop them.
Jesus as He knew a demonstration would happen and further enrage the Jewish leaders, and in fact the Pharisees were annoyed, so making them more eager to plot against Him. Jesus knew that God had a plan for Him, which made the Jews change their intentions. Jesus knew well what He was doing.
Jesus made it clear to the crowds that He was not the kind of Messiah of their dreams; He came in peace not as a conquering warrior. They did not understand His intention and were following for the wrong motives. These same adoring crowds would a few days later turn equally wildly against Him as He faced the Cross.
His works had become well known and the crowds greeted Him with shouts of Hosanna, which means ‘save us’, seeing Him as the one who would lead them to glory in world conquest. When they realised this was not His mission, the same crowds would later in the week shout’ ‘crucify Him’.
This was in fact more than a journey into Jerusalem, it was a journey to the Cross, a journey Jesus could have avoided and left the world to perish, but He readily went on to a very brutal and cruel death to take our place on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, a penalty we are unable to pay for ourselves.
As He entered the city Jesus paused on the hill overlooking it and we are told He wept because He knew that within a few years the city would be destroyed by the Romans.
As with every Bible passage there is a meaning and a message for us to-day. We should consider how we react to this Palm Sunday story. We may reject God’s Son as many did in Jerusalem. We may treat with an amount of indifference seeing it as just another bible story. As we study this story of our Lord’s journey to the Cross we see our forgiveness cost Jesus public mockery and the most cruel of deaths. Jesus wanted the people to accept Him as God’s chosen Messiah but their cheering was false and ultimately it would all lead to destruction
It is important for us to understand the lesson we can learn from this event. It is not enough to think positively about Christ. When we get to the last days Jesus is not going to say ‘Did you have nice thoughts about me?’ The question is, have we accepted He is the Son of God and Saviour of sinners, and trusted in Him alone for our salvation.
Just as the Jews then rejected Jesus, so do so many people now. But God allows us free will to make a decision to be with Jesus or not. Even those who claim to be Christians can be lukewarm and allow their commitment to grow cold. It is not enough to pay the odd visit to nod to the Almighty at Christmas, Easter or to a baptism service. There is a little ditty, ‘each time I pass may parish Church I pay a little visit, so when at last I’m carried in, the Lord won’t say who is it’. Everyone has to take responsibility for the way they respond to the Lord. As Christians we should ask ourselves are we following Him for the right reasons; do we realise the sacrifice He made for us personally?
.
I read a story of a Minister counselling a couple with married difficulties. At one point the husband said in anger to his wife, ‘I have given you a new home, new car , …and so the list went on.’ The wife answered, ‘yes that is true, you have given me everything but yourself.’ The greatest gift you can give for another is yourself, and that is what Jesus did, gave Himself.
.
There is an American story about a young man who painted a portrait of his friend shortly before the friend died. The young man took the portrait to his friend’s father, a rich man, who offered him a huge sum of money, which the young man refused. Some time later the father died and all his priceless possessions were auctioned. The first item up for auction was the portrait, which no one showed any interest in except the father’s old black servant. He offered a few dollars, all he had, and got the painting. The auctioneer to everyone's surprise closed the auction. The father’s will said ‘he who accepts the son has everything’. We can reject the Son as they did at Jerusalem all those years ago
The action of our Lord demands a response, and we all need to ask ourselves if we stood before the Lord today and we were asked why we should be allowed into heaven, what would we say. It is easy to say I am a Christian, 95% of the population believe as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others you have a passport to heaven. It can be very hard to be a Christian when so many organisations, government and public busybodies try to suppress your faith under pain of some sanction. How Jesus would weep over society today as He wept over Jerusalem. Jesus Christ lovingly and finally kept God’s law and voluntarily paid sin’s price at Calvary, and He did it for you and for me.
There comes a time in life when you have to make a decision, one which can affect you for ever; such a time may be now for you. Many people like to put awkward questions away, but this one is one you cannot. Do you follow Christ, or reject Him like the Jews did all those years ago, with all the consequences for eternity, no one can wait forever. There comes a time when a decision must be made. Why not on this Palm Sunday morning be at Church and hail him as your Lord. And may God bless you.
On Sunday we remember the first Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to proclaim Himself as the Messiah and was greeted by cheering crowds waving palm branches, the same crowds who a few days later would be crying ‘crucify Him’. This is the beginning of Holy Week as we celebrate the events of 2,000 years ago and follow our Lord’s last days before His crucifixion, the heart of the Christian faith. All four gospel writers tell the story of that first momentous week, let us turn to Mark in Chapter 11.
The Chapter opens where Jesus is about to make the final stage of His life’s journey which will end at the Cross, and He plans it with great detail. Jesus had been in Jericho and was now ready to go to Jerusalem on the last stage of His life’s journey. He was going to walk the way many pilgrims had walked.
On reaching Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of His disciples ahead to the next village, telling them they would find a colt tied by the side of the road and they were to untie it and take it to Him. If anyone should challenge them they were to say the Lord needs it. We are not told how Jesus knew this, He may have had a prior arrangement with the owner or it could have been through means of His supernatural knowledge.
So began the fateful journey down the Mount of Olives where He was joined by waiting crowds who greeted Him wildly, laying their cloaks on the road in front of Him and waving palm branches, and singing from Psalm 118 which was a psalm pilgrims sang as a hymn of praise to God. Palm branches were used to signify joy and celebration
Jesus would normally have slipped quietly into the city as He usually like to avoid attention, but on this occasion although He knew a price was on His head, chose to ride in triumphantly. All this was to fulfil the prophecy of Zechariah in the Old Testament made nearly 600 years earlier. When the crowds hailed Him as the Son of David, the Messiah, He did not stop them.
Jesus as He knew a demonstration would happen and further enrage the Jewish leaders, and in fact the Pharisees were annoyed, so making them more eager to plot against Him. Jesus knew that God had a plan for Him, which made the Jews change their intentions. Jesus knew well what He was doing.
Jesus made it clear to the crowds that He was not the kind of Messiah of their dreams; He came in peace not as a conquering warrior. They did not understand His intention and were following for the wrong motives. These same adoring crowds would a few days later turn equally wildly against Him as He faced the Cross.
His works had become well known and the crowds greeted Him with shouts of Hosanna, which means ‘save us’, seeing Him as the one who would lead them to glory in world conquest. When they realised this was not His mission, the same crowds would later in the week shout’ ‘crucify Him’.
This was in fact more than a journey into Jerusalem, it was a journey to the Cross, a journey Jesus could have avoided and left the world to perish, but He readily went on to a very brutal and cruel death to take our place on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, a penalty we are unable to pay for ourselves.
As He entered the city Jesus paused on the hill overlooking it and we are told He wept because He knew that within a few years the city would be destroyed by the Romans.
As with every Bible passage there is a meaning and a message for us to-day. We should consider how we react to this Palm Sunday story. We may reject God’s Son as many did in Jerusalem. We may treat with an amount of indifference seeing it as just another bible story. As we study this story of our Lord’s journey to the Cross we see our forgiveness cost Jesus public mockery and the most cruel of deaths. Jesus wanted the people to accept Him as God’s chosen Messiah but their cheering was false and ultimately it would all lead to destruction
It is important for us to understand the lesson we can learn from this event. It is not enough to think positively about Christ. When we get to the last days Jesus is not going to say ‘Did you have nice thoughts about me?’ The question is, have we accepted He is the Son of God and Saviour of sinners, and trusted in Him alone for our salvation.
Just as the Jews then rejected Jesus, so do so many people now. But God allows us free will to make a decision to be with Jesus or not. Even those who claim to be Christians can be lukewarm and allow their commitment to grow cold. It is not enough to pay the odd visit to nod to the Almighty at Christmas, Easter or to a baptism service. There is a little ditty, ‘each time I pass may parish Church I pay a little visit, so when at last I’m carried in, the Lord won’t say who is it’. Everyone has to take responsibility for the way they respond to the Lord. As Christians we should ask ourselves are we following Him for the right reasons; do we realise the sacrifice He made for us personally?
.
I read a story of a Minister counselling a couple with married difficulties. At one point the husband said in anger to his wife, ‘I have given you a new home, new car , …and so the list went on.’ The wife answered, ‘yes that is true, you have given me everything but yourself.’ The greatest gift you can give for another is yourself, and that is what Jesus did, gave Himself.
.
There is an American story about a young man who painted a portrait of his friend shortly before the friend died. The young man took the portrait to his friend’s father, a rich man, who offered him a huge sum of money, which the young man refused. Some time later the father died and all his priceless possessions were auctioned. The first item up for auction was the portrait, which no one showed any interest in except the father’s old black servant. He offered a few dollars, all he had, and got the painting. The auctioneer to everyone's surprise closed the auction. The father’s will said ‘he who accepts the son has everything’. We can reject the Son as they did at Jerusalem all those years ago
The action of our Lord demands a response, and we all need to ask ourselves if we stood before the Lord today and we were asked why we should be allowed into heaven, what would we say. It is easy to say I am a Christian, 95% of the population believe as long as you are honest, kind and helpful to others you have a passport to heaven. It can be very hard to be a Christian when so many organisations, government and public busybodies try to suppress your faith under pain of some sanction. How Jesus would weep over society today as He wept over Jerusalem. Jesus Christ lovingly and finally kept God’s law and voluntarily paid sin’s price at Calvary, and He did it for you and for me.
There comes a time in life when you have to make a decision, one which can affect you for ever; such a time may be now for you. Many people like to put awkward questions away, but this one is one you cannot. Do you follow Christ, or reject Him like the Jews did all those years ago, with all the consequences for eternity, no one can wait forever. There comes a time when a decision must be made. Why not on this Palm Sunday morning be at Church and hail him as your Lord. And may God bless you.
Saturday, 17 March 2018
John’s gospel in Chapter 12,verses 20-33. Turn with me to this passage which John alone tells.
Jesus had entered Jerusalem for the Passover festival having just raised Lazarus from the dead, and was receiving an enthusiastic welcome from crowds of people gathered for the event. This was the major festival held annually to remember how God saved Israel. This was Jerusalem’s big annual religious festival: we might compare the Passover to our Christmas, when the Churches attract many people who attend not so much from a religious attitude, but see it as a social event.
At such a time as this, many non Jews would go to the city to join in the celebrations. Some Greeks were amongst the crowds who had heard of Jesus and were determined to meet Him. They were from a settlement in the North of Galilee and went to Philip who came from near their area and said to him, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus’.
Having heard the stories of what Jesus had done, they realised something was missing from their lives and wanted to receive from Him that something. So when they said they wanted to see Jesus, they were in fact seeking a meeting with Him.
These were sincere people, not sightseers anxious to see a celebrity figure; they didn’t want to see the temple or any other prominent figure. So they approached Philip and said, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."
The word see here has the sense of ‘have a meeting with, being able to talk with Him’. Like so many people today, these Greeks were not content with what they had in their own lives; they must have felt there was something missing. They thought there must be more to life than they had experienced and were searching for the truth.
These words, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus were the words the preacher used in his address when I was ordained. They are carved on the pulpits of numerous evangelical Churches in both England and the United States to remind the preacher that his duty is to teach about Jesus Christ; not to entertain, or engage in politics, nor speak about climate change, nor be intimidated by political correctness, remembering he is there to bring people closer to God, and there is no other way people can come to God, except through Jesus Christ. The Bible states, ‘how can they believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?’
Some weeks ago there was a Songs of Praise programme on television which told about a Curate at a Church in Weston super Mare who was being coached by a comedian, because she wanted to improve her ability to liven up her sermons by telling jokes. As a favourite journalist of mine would say, you really couldn’t make it up.
But she is not alone in confusing the pulpit with the theatre; in recent times I have witnessed slide shows, drama, and guessing games. I believe such action from the pulpit lowers people’s respect and reverence for the Church, even if they feel amused at the time.
When Jesus was told of the Greeks’ request He was pleased and responded immediately. He had not gone to Jerusalem to enter for the same purpose as the crowds had in mind; events were building up and were leading to the time of our Lord’s road to the Cross. So when He heard a group of people were genuinely seeking Him, He said, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Jesus said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
When He met those Greeks it was as the first sign that the gospel was to go to all the world, and part of God’s plan to bring salvation to the Gentiles, the symbol of the great harvest for which He came. If He had not died we probably would not know any more about Him for He would have just been another figure of history, of no greater significance than any other great religious leader. Because of the cross, He was able to do something He could never have done otherwise.
Jesus was glorified as his hands and feet were nailed to a wooden cross which was then lifted up causing him to bleed and suffocate to death. Crucifixion was the most prolonged, painful and horrific form of execution ever invented by man.
Jesus said this was His greatest hour. The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified, Jesus who died in the place of His people, taking the punishment, so they could be forgiven. This is what Christianity is all about. This is the centre of what it means to be a Christian.
He went on to say "Truly, truly, I say to you." Whenever Jesus used those words, it meant that He was going to say something important. Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone." He was pointing out that when a seed died it brought forth fruit.
As Christians were martyred for the faith, so the Church grew, and He was here meaning that He was like the grain of wheat, and unless He went to the cross, His whole purpose in coming to earth will have been in vain. He knew what He had to face, and that He is going to be glorified through the sacrifice the cross, because by that cruel death, the way to forgiveness for all believers was made possible. If He had not made the sacrifice on the Cross, you and I and everybody else, could not have forgiveness. His death meant eternal life for all who believed in Him.
The Jews would not have understood what Jesus meant. For them the Son of Man conveyed an image of someone who would lead to world conquest and so attain glory, but Jesus meant it was time for Him to make the supreme sacrifice for the world by dying on the Cross so bringing glory to Him and to God.
Jesus said the one loves their life will lose it. He was referring to those who live solely for themselves and out to get as much as they can without thought for others. Christians generally are called to put service of the Lord first, and indeed there are many men and women who could have followed brilliant careers for rich rewards, but chose to go on mission fields far away from their homeland and work for very little.
In v 27, We see the humanity of Jesus displayed when He expressed his fear at the thought of the Cross, but was ready to give obedience to God and suffer much pain, which would ultimately lead to triumph. God spoke to Jesus in His hour of torment, just as He did at His baptism and when on the Mount of Transfiguration. God is always ready to give strength when we seek it for the tasks we face in His name and cause.
As Jesus sits in the condemned cell contemplating his death, it’s hard. Just because he knew it was God’s will, didn’t make it easy. His heart was troubled.
And if Jesus was that stressed out, why are we surprised when the Christian life seems tough and hard. Jesus never promised it would be anything else. We follow a crucified Lord who said: follow me.
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there heard it and said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus told them, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine’. Jesus was meaning this showed the intimate and unbroken union He had with God the Father
Let us think for a few moments how this relates to us in our time. Maybe something has happened in your life to make you think things are not as you had hoped. Perhaps the thought of drawing close to God seems attractive, and you would like to meet with Jesus. Sometimes people can come to Church for years and then they hear a word which makes them think there may be something more for them.
If and when we want to see Jesus, He is ready waiting to meet us in our Bibles; obviously not in the physical sense, but an equally powerful way, and we can meet Him whenever we want to without restriction.
God still speaks directly to us to encourage us and will always respond to the seeker. If you have loved ones in your family or amongst your friends who are not saved, keep praying for them that they may come and see Jesus.
God is always ready to give strength when we seek it for the tasks we face in His name and cause
At the cross, Jesus underwent the judgement we deserve and paid our debt to God. His death gives us hope of everlasting life with Him one day. He wants to give us that hope in our life today. He alone can give you that new life that can never fade, and you can find that new life by meeting Jesus.
People in these high pressure days are so often weary and depressed and looking for that spiritual something. People are looking for something beyond themselves, looking for a way that gets the most out of life, yet carrying a load of guilt, fear and worry. So many men and women these days are doing things and behaving in a way that once would never have been thought of, so carrying all sorts of moral problems. Then they feel guilty and ashamed, become troubled in mind and turn to drink and/or drugs. Jesus said, ‘come unto me all you are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. .
Everyone today has to decide how to respond to Christ. People can be attracted to Christianity by its morals but won’t commit themselves to Christ Himself. For many the price is too high, for it would mean giving up some of the world’s standards and ways. Nor is an emotional attachment to the Church is what our Lord is seeking.
A day is coming when we will all see Jesus. The Bible says everyone will assemble before Him as He sits on the judgement throne. Some will go one way with the goats, some the other way with the sheep. We will have either joy in the after life with Jesus, or eternity with the lost. The criterion is how we respond whilst we are here on earth. The bible says ‘now is the time of God’s favour, now is the time of salvation’. It will be too late after we have died, and no amount of intercession will then save us.
May we ever be like the Greeks in our passage today and want to see Jesus and seek Him with all our hearts.
.
Jesus had entered Jerusalem for the Passover festival having just raised Lazarus from the dead, and was receiving an enthusiastic welcome from crowds of people gathered for the event. This was the major festival held annually to remember how God saved Israel. This was Jerusalem’s big annual religious festival: we might compare the Passover to our Christmas, when the Churches attract many people who attend not so much from a religious attitude, but see it as a social event.
At such a time as this, many non Jews would go to the city to join in the celebrations. Some Greeks were amongst the crowds who had heard of Jesus and were determined to meet Him. They were from a settlement in the North of Galilee and went to Philip who came from near their area and said to him, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus’.
Having heard the stories of what Jesus had done, they realised something was missing from their lives and wanted to receive from Him that something. So when they said they wanted to see Jesus, they were in fact seeking a meeting with Him.
These were sincere people, not sightseers anxious to see a celebrity figure; they didn’t want to see the temple or any other prominent figure. So they approached Philip and said, "Sir, we want to see Jesus."
The word see here has the sense of ‘have a meeting with, being able to talk with Him’. Like so many people today, these Greeks were not content with what they had in their own lives; they must have felt there was something missing. They thought there must be more to life than they had experienced and were searching for the truth.
These words, ‘Sir, we want to see Jesus were the words the preacher used in his address when I was ordained. They are carved on the pulpits of numerous evangelical Churches in both England and the United States to remind the preacher that his duty is to teach about Jesus Christ; not to entertain, or engage in politics, nor speak about climate change, nor be intimidated by political correctness, remembering he is there to bring people closer to God, and there is no other way people can come to God, except through Jesus Christ. The Bible states, ‘how can they believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?’
Some weeks ago there was a Songs of Praise programme on television which told about a Curate at a Church in Weston super Mare who was being coached by a comedian, because she wanted to improve her ability to liven up her sermons by telling jokes. As a favourite journalist of mine would say, you really couldn’t make it up.
But she is not alone in confusing the pulpit with the theatre; in recent times I have witnessed slide shows, drama, and guessing games. I believe such action from the pulpit lowers people’s respect and reverence for the Church, even if they feel amused at the time.
When Jesus was told of the Greeks’ request He was pleased and responded immediately. He had not gone to Jerusalem to enter for the same purpose as the crowds had in mind; events were building up and were leading to the time of our Lord’s road to the Cross. So when He heard a group of people were genuinely seeking Him, He said, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. Jesus said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
When He met those Greeks it was as the first sign that the gospel was to go to all the world, and part of God’s plan to bring salvation to the Gentiles, the symbol of the great harvest for which He came. If He had not died we probably would not know any more about Him for He would have just been another figure of history, of no greater significance than any other great religious leader. Because of the cross, He was able to do something He could never have done otherwise.
Jesus was glorified as his hands and feet were nailed to a wooden cross which was then lifted up causing him to bleed and suffocate to death. Crucifixion was the most prolonged, painful and horrific form of execution ever invented by man.
Jesus said this was His greatest hour. The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified, Jesus who died in the place of His people, taking the punishment, so they could be forgiven. This is what Christianity is all about. This is the centre of what it means to be a Christian.
He went on to say "Truly, truly, I say to you." Whenever Jesus used those words, it meant that He was going to say something important. Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone." He was pointing out that when a seed died it brought forth fruit.
As Christians were martyred for the faith, so the Church grew, and He was here meaning that He was like the grain of wheat, and unless He went to the cross, His whole purpose in coming to earth will have been in vain. He knew what He had to face, and that He is going to be glorified through the sacrifice the cross, because by that cruel death, the way to forgiveness for all believers was made possible. If He had not made the sacrifice on the Cross, you and I and everybody else, could not have forgiveness. His death meant eternal life for all who believed in Him.
The Jews would not have understood what Jesus meant. For them the Son of Man conveyed an image of someone who would lead to world conquest and so attain glory, but Jesus meant it was time for Him to make the supreme sacrifice for the world by dying on the Cross so bringing glory to Him and to God.
Jesus said the one loves their life will lose it. He was referring to those who live solely for themselves and out to get as much as they can without thought for others. Christians generally are called to put service of the Lord first, and indeed there are many men and women who could have followed brilliant careers for rich rewards, but chose to go on mission fields far away from their homeland and work for very little.
In v 27, We see the humanity of Jesus displayed when He expressed his fear at the thought of the Cross, but was ready to give obedience to God and suffer much pain, which would ultimately lead to triumph. God spoke to Jesus in His hour of torment, just as He did at His baptism and when on the Mount of Transfiguration. God is always ready to give strength when we seek it for the tasks we face in His name and cause.
As Jesus sits in the condemned cell contemplating his death, it’s hard. Just because he knew it was God’s will, didn’t make it easy. His heart was troubled.
And if Jesus was that stressed out, why are we surprised when the Christian life seems tough and hard. Jesus never promised it would be anything else. We follow a crucified Lord who said: follow me.
Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there heard it and said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus told them, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine’. Jesus was meaning this showed the intimate and unbroken union He had with God the Father
Let us think for a few moments how this relates to us in our time. Maybe something has happened in your life to make you think things are not as you had hoped. Perhaps the thought of drawing close to God seems attractive, and you would like to meet with Jesus. Sometimes people can come to Church for years and then they hear a word which makes them think there may be something more for them.
If and when we want to see Jesus, He is ready waiting to meet us in our Bibles; obviously not in the physical sense, but an equally powerful way, and we can meet Him whenever we want to without restriction.
God still speaks directly to us to encourage us and will always respond to the seeker. If you have loved ones in your family or amongst your friends who are not saved, keep praying for them that they may come and see Jesus.
God is always ready to give strength when we seek it for the tasks we face in His name and cause
At the cross, Jesus underwent the judgement we deserve and paid our debt to God. His death gives us hope of everlasting life with Him one day. He wants to give us that hope in our life today. He alone can give you that new life that can never fade, and you can find that new life by meeting Jesus.
People in these high pressure days are so often weary and depressed and looking for that spiritual something. People are looking for something beyond themselves, looking for a way that gets the most out of life, yet carrying a load of guilt, fear and worry. So many men and women these days are doing things and behaving in a way that once would never have been thought of, so carrying all sorts of moral problems. Then they feel guilty and ashamed, become troubled in mind and turn to drink and/or drugs. Jesus said, ‘come unto me all you are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. .
Everyone today has to decide how to respond to Christ. People can be attracted to Christianity by its morals but won’t commit themselves to Christ Himself. For many the price is too high, for it would mean giving up some of the world’s standards and ways. Nor is an emotional attachment to the Church is what our Lord is seeking.
A day is coming when we will all see Jesus. The Bible says everyone will assemble before Him as He sits on the judgement throne. Some will go one way with the goats, some the other way with the sheep. We will have either joy in the after life with Jesus, or eternity with the lost. The criterion is how we respond whilst we are here on earth. The bible says ‘now is the time of God’s favour, now is the time of salvation’. It will be too late after we have died, and no amount of intercession will then save us.
May we ever be like the Greeks in our passage today and want to see Jesus and seek Him with all our hearts.
.
Friday, 9 March 2018
Today is Mothering Sunday a significant occasion in the church calendar when we still remember with fondness our dear mothers no matter neither how old we now are nor how many years have passed since they were last with us. No words can adequately describe that unique emotion we feel for our mothers.
This morning you heard the banns read out for two couples who are planning to get married here, young people looking forward to beginning a new life together;we wish them every blessing and happiness. I can relate to them particularly today. Olive and I were married on this date. We met as teenagers at our local Church, where better to meet, as the Bible states two people of faith have a strong foundation for marriage. Despite some setbacks we have been richly blessed by God, proving that those who trust in the Lord will be blessed.
So let us think about marriage, which the Bible sees as a prelude to family life and motherhood.
Marriage was intended to be a sacred religious ceremony to be celebrated before God in Church, men and women giving a promise to live faithfully together until death parted them, although now for too many it is until we get fed up with each other. As one girl said, ‘I took him for better or worse, but I didn’t know how bad his worse was.
This is why couples when they meet should properly understand each other and proceed judiciously. They say love is blind, but marriage is an eye opener.
A young Minister asked his bishop for advice in finding the right kind of a wife and was told, ‘find a woman who is pretty, prudent and with private means, and preferably in reverse order.’
Marriage is a solid foundation for the bringing up of children, who are a key factor in God’s intention for marriage. God intended men and women should have children, which means having a father and mother. (male and female) Children need both for a balanced upbringing and to receive the benefit of both characters in their lives. Family meant husband, wife and children. This is the ideal which cannot be attained by two people of the same sex.
People with limited intelligence call you homophobic if you disagree with same sex marriage; it is the word ‘marriage’ that offends, and we are all supposed to give our unqualified support. If you don’t you get abused, such is the new definition of free speech. I was prevented from taking a funeral because one family member knew my views on marriage; and spitefully objected.
The first marriage was performed by God; it was the first institution established. God never meant that we were to break up. Only death can part us. It is for life, it is for keeps. And God says only one thing can break the marriage vow and that is adultery. The Bible teaches absolute fidelity on the part of both husband and wife, but is recognised some marriages become unsustainable through abuse and I believe a compassionate God would be merciful.
It has been written ‘woman was made not out of man’s head to rule over him, not out of his foot to be trampled on, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, near to his heart to be loved’.
When two people appear together at Church for the wedding service, they pledge their faithfulness to each other and there is the giving of a ring(s). The ring has no break, no ending, signifying unending love. The ring is made of gold, precious and for longevity. This is what God intended.
In the days of Henry Ford, the car magnate, someone asked him to what formula he attributed his successful marriage. He said, "The same formula as the making of a successful car: stick to one model."
Motherhood is a special privilege and a sacred task. The great American President Lincoln once stated that no nation was greater than its mothers for they are the makers of men. Rabbis have a saying, ‘God can’t be everywhere so He made mothers’.
A mother’s love is special and unique and God gave woman a special and caring nature for His purpose.
God made man and gave woman as man’s helper, someone who can be at man’s side who will give life more meaning, pleasure and support; someone to love and cherish. God has now made two people, man and woman, Adam and Eve, equal in every respect but not the same, the perfect answer, someone who could complement man in every way, physically and mentally in a way other men could not, and men throughout the ages have appreciated and recognised this. God wanted to supply what was lacking in man’s life and together they could have children and create the ideal family. God planned the human heart to love, marry and have children. This is why He made Adam and Eve, not Bill and Harry or Sharon and Tracy.
Most men if honest would concede how their wife has been of much help, mine certainly was. When I was a Vicar, Olive attended every service I took, for the first thirty years whilst she was fully well and not being one who liked the limelight, preferred to be amongst the congregation, getting her hands dirty when required and generally sharing in, and was very popular. People who wanted me to know something, but didn’t want to tell me directly, would use her as a means of communication, and she would tell me who needed attention and help, in addition of course to telling me in a prudent way what I shouldn’t have said and done and what I should have. I accept it doesn’t always turn out so well, but if I tell you Olive comes from the nation’s most exciting and vibrant city where girls are special, you will immediately know I am speaking of Livepool. She almost met the bishop’s criteria in being pretty, prudent, but alas not of private means.
The emancipation of women began when a young Jewish girl was told she would be the mother of the Saviour of the world. She would ever be the only woman to wear the red rose of maternity with the white rose of virginity. Her son, our Lord, would later bestow on women a respect and dignity no man could challenge. Ever since wherever Christianity has existed women have been respected and adored.
It was not until the 20th century in the perverted name of progress and so called equality, surrendered much respect by adopting the coarsest practice of men and even excelled in doing so.
Spiritual matters should be of concern to mothers. Promises are made at baptism services that children will be brought up in the fellowship of the Church, although few have ever any intention of honouring the promises made. A child taught biblical values has a sure foundation which can guide him/her throughout their life.
I think of the fact that my mother believed in God in her simple way, and took me to church. She never sent me to church, she took me to church, and that puts something in the character of children, I still went with my mother to the city’s Cathedral into my teenage years. Mothers continue to care and worry for their children even when they reach adulthood. We have numerous examples of godly mothers in the Bible as an example for us to follow such as the mother of James and John who sought favour for them from Jesus, Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth Salome, and of course above all Mary the mother of Jesus.
We need women who will lead their families back to more old style morality decency and purity. Children are being brought up without any religious knowledge, knowing nothing about Jesus and his dying on the Cross so our sins can be forgiven; taught that only by believing in Jesus can we get to heaven; told of Biblical characters even in the homes of whatever class of home. We must be one of the most pagan nations, where religion is a no go area for so many young people. In the United States, where they unashamedly do God, and most people have faith, young people are showing a real desire for Christianity. We import much from America; if only we could include Christianity.
If the mothers of this nation do not resist the onslaught of the perverse and aggressive secularist agenda, which is to destroy the family ideal, we face a bleak future.
The Bible calls on older women who have an honoured place in society, to play a major part in guiding younger women in the bringing up of children from their years of experience. We must have concern for women bringing up children in a world where all moral values are being eroded. Theirs is a big responsibility, especially when the nation’s broadcasting system gives out such foul talk and explicit scenes that cause weaker minds to think that is the natural way of life.
At this point we ought to remember all those women who do not have children and may be feeling distress today when present of chocolates and etc are being passed. Some have chosen not to be mothers rather preferring to follow a career and contribute much to society. Other women through physical or medical reasons cannot be mothers and our prayers must be for them. We also grieve for mothers who have lost a child. Whilst we may cherish memories of our mothers some will not have such pleasant thoughts.
May God richly bless all mothers, and give them the wisdom and the desire to teach their children of Jesus Christ.
This morning you heard the banns read out for two couples who are planning to get married here, young people looking forward to beginning a new life together;we wish them every blessing and happiness. I can relate to them particularly today. Olive and I were married on this date. We met as teenagers at our local Church, where better to meet, as the Bible states two people of faith have a strong foundation for marriage. Despite some setbacks we have been richly blessed by God, proving that those who trust in the Lord will be blessed.
So let us think about marriage, which the Bible sees as a prelude to family life and motherhood.
Marriage was intended to be a sacred religious ceremony to be celebrated before God in Church, men and women giving a promise to live faithfully together until death parted them, although now for too many it is until we get fed up with each other. As one girl said, ‘I took him for better or worse, but I didn’t know how bad his worse was.
This is why couples when they meet should properly understand each other and proceed judiciously. They say love is blind, but marriage is an eye opener.
A young Minister asked his bishop for advice in finding the right kind of a wife and was told, ‘find a woman who is pretty, prudent and with private means, and preferably in reverse order.’
Marriage is a solid foundation for the bringing up of children, who are a key factor in God’s intention for marriage. God intended men and women should have children, which means having a father and mother. (male and female) Children need both for a balanced upbringing and to receive the benefit of both characters in their lives. Family meant husband, wife and children. This is the ideal which cannot be attained by two people of the same sex.
People with limited intelligence call you homophobic if you disagree with same sex marriage; it is the word ‘marriage’ that offends, and we are all supposed to give our unqualified support. If you don’t you get abused, such is the new definition of free speech. I was prevented from taking a funeral because one family member knew my views on marriage; and spitefully objected.
The first marriage was performed by God; it was the first institution established. God never meant that we were to break up. Only death can part us. It is for life, it is for keeps. And God says only one thing can break the marriage vow and that is adultery. The Bible teaches absolute fidelity on the part of both husband and wife, but is recognised some marriages become unsustainable through abuse and I believe a compassionate God would be merciful.
It has been written ‘woman was made not out of man’s head to rule over him, not out of his foot to be trampled on, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, near to his heart to be loved’.
When two people appear together at Church for the wedding service, they pledge their faithfulness to each other and there is the giving of a ring(s). The ring has no break, no ending, signifying unending love. The ring is made of gold, precious and for longevity. This is what God intended.
In the days of Henry Ford, the car magnate, someone asked him to what formula he attributed his successful marriage. He said, "The same formula as the making of a successful car: stick to one model."
Motherhood is a special privilege and a sacred task. The great American President Lincoln once stated that no nation was greater than its mothers for they are the makers of men. Rabbis have a saying, ‘God can’t be everywhere so He made mothers’.
A mother’s love is special and unique and God gave woman a special and caring nature for His purpose.
God made man and gave woman as man’s helper, someone who can be at man’s side who will give life more meaning, pleasure and support; someone to love and cherish. God has now made two people, man and woman, Adam and Eve, equal in every respect but not the same, the perfect answer, someone who could complement man in every way, physically and mentally in a way other men could not, and men throughout the ages have appreciated and recognised this. God wanted to supply what was lacking in man’s life and together they could have children and create the ideal family. God planned the human heart to love, marry and have children. This is why He made Adam and Eve, not Bill and Harry or Sharon and Tracy.
Most men if honest would concede how their wife has been of much help, mine certainly was. When I was a Vicar, Olive attended every service I took, for the first thirty years whilst she was fully well and not being one who liked the limelight, preferred to be amongst the congregation, getting her hands dirty when required and generally sharing in, and was very popular. People who wanted me to know something, but didn’t want to tell me directly, would use her as a means of communication, and she would tell me who needed attention and help, in addition of course to telling me in a prudent way what I shouldn’t have said and done and what I should have. I accept it doesn’t always turn out so well, but if I tell you Olive comes from the nation’s most exciting and vibrant city where girls are special, you will immediately know I am speaking of Livepool. She almost met the bishop’s criteria in being pretty, prudent, but alas not of private means.
The emancipation of women began when a young Jewish girl was told she would be the mother of the Saviour of the world. She would ever be the only woman to wear the red rose of maternity with the white rose of virginity. Her son, our Lord, would later bestow on women a respect and dignity no man could challenge. Ever since wherever Christianity has existed women have been respected and adored.
It was not until the 20th century in the perverted name of progress and so called equality, surrendered much respect by adopting the coarsest practice of men and even excelled in doing so.
Spiritual matters should be of concern to mothers. Promises are made at baptism services that children will be brought up in the fellowship of the Church, although few have ever any intention of honouring the promises made. A child taught biblical values has a sure foundation which can guide him/her throughout their life.
I think of the fact that my mother believed in God in her simple way, and took me to church. She never sent me to church, she took me to church, and that puts something in the character of children, I still went with my mother to the city’s Cathedral into my teenage years. Mothers continue to care and worry for their children even when they reach adulthood. We have numerous examples of godly mothers in the Bible as an example for us to follow such as the mother of James and John who sought favour for them from Jesus, Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth Salome, and of course above all Mary the mother of Jesus.
We need women who will lead their families back to more old style morality decency and purity. Children are being brought up without any religious knowledge, knowing nothing about Jesus and his dying on the Cross so our sins can be forgiven; taught that only by believing in Jesus can we get to heaven; told of Biblical characters even in the homes of whatever class of home. We must be one of the most pagan nations, where religion is a no go area for so many young people. In the United States, where they unashamedly do God, and most people have faith, young people are showing a real desire for Christianity. We import much from America; if only we could include Christianity.
If the mothers of this nation do not resist the onslaught of the perverse and aggressive secularist agenda, which is to destroy the family ideal, we face a bleak future.
The Bible calls on older women who have an honoured place in society, to play a major part in guiding younger women in the bringing up of children from their years of experience. We must have concern for women bringing up children in a world where all moral values are being eroded. Theirs is a big responsibility, especially when the nation’s broadcasting system gives out such foul talk and explicit scenes that cause weaker minds to think that is the natural way of life.
At this point we ought to remember all those women who do not have children and may be feeling distress today when present of chocolates and etc are being passed. Some have chosen not to be mothers rather preferring to follow a career and contribute much to society. Other women through physical or medical reasons cannot be mothers and our prayers must be for them. We also grieve for mothers who have lost a child. Whilst we may cherish memories of our mothers some will not have such pleasant thoughts.
May God richly bless all mothers, and give them the wisdom and the desire to teach their children of Jesus Christ.
Saturday, 3 March 2018
1 Corinthians 1 v.18/25
This morning I want to turn with you to the Letter Paul wrote to the Church of God in Corinth. This Letter has been described as a Letter for the 21st century, because its contents are now so relevant.
The passage we are turning to is all about the heart of the Christian faith, the Cross. All religions have a symbol; the Jews have the Star of David, and Muslims the crescent, we have the Cross. We display it on our Churches, Bibles, ladies predominantly wear it around their necks, but even men in the entertainment industry wear it, despite their lives being unworthy of doing so. But everyone is relaxed about that, it is only when you wear it as a demonstration of your faith that you run into trouble.
Turning in detail to our passage,
Corinth was a sophisticated city and these Corinthians considered themselves wise and full of human wisdom, and such thinking had crept in to the church at Corinth, and the danger was that they would change the gospel, and so the importance of the message of the cross, to suit the world, and to make it more palatable to society.
The message of the cross of Christ is still foolishness today to many people. Even in the church there is much preaching of human wisdom in order to please society and to conform to what modern culture demands, so that the Church loses its moral and spiritual authority, and so makes it appear we have nothing special or different to offer. Rather than lead the way, the Church has itself be led. Like the Corinthians, we seek to operate by human intellect rather than the wisdom of God
Paul was telling the Corinthians, and by extension us, that the Church is to make known the will of God and take His authority to the world. Such is the purpose of the Church.
The Christian faith is the faith of Christ crucified. That Jesus, the Son of God, fully God and fully man, died in our place on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and rose again is central.
We must not alter the message of the cross, yes it is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.
Paul always held there are two distinct points of view, two black or white fundamental absolutes that can never be reconciled because they produce different responses to the gospel. Firstly, those who are blind to the truth of the gospel are perishing, and are eternally lost. To them however, it is absurd, and they refuse to believe the Biblical teaching that to achieve eternal salvation you have to believe that a man died on a Cross 2000 years ago, in a little country on the far side of the world, and did so that our sins may be forgiven.
I have taken hundreds of funerals over the past 40 years and there has never been any doubt in the minds of those attending that the deceased would be going to one of the many mansions in heaven. I have always been amazed how so many people who never attend Church or study their bibles know the verses from John’s gospel, and believe it automatically applies to them. Such is the effect of the Church’s false teaching. Most people sincerely believe as long as you are honest and leave a good life, such is your inheritance and to think otherwise is ridiculous. The Bible does not support them.
It is amazing how many people believe everybody, irrespective of lifestyle, will go to heaven; and there those within the Church, even clergy, who believe what is called the belief of universalism.
The other reaction is that those who believe Jesus did die on the Cross that we might be saved, will one day live with Him in heaven, having eternal life.
Paul then quotes from the Old Testament where God states, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’. We have men who write books and speak in profound theological terms. They love to debate issues from the Bible and put forward alternative interpretations of Scripture. Whilst this may entertain themselves in University Common rooms, they can only cause confusion in other people’s minds when they are transmitted to the wider public. God promises to frustrate such actions.
Again Paul quotes the words of God when God said where is the wise man? Human wisdom is transitory. At one time a highly educated person could be valued for having a great deal of knowledge, but such is the amount of knowledge available that a person needs to specialise in a particular field. Just in my time a person could do well in their occupation and rise to a senior position without having any degree, now that is becoming very less likely. Some people have more than one degree, but little common sense. One cynic remarked the Church is falling apart by degrees.
Many of the so-called educated in our culture are increasingly antagonistic toward Biblical Christianity. Those who claim there is absolute truth and morality, are looked at as if we are the uneducated ones. The so-called sophisticated like to think that we are backward and ignorant because we believe in a creator God before whom every person will stand to give account. And true Christianity is especially singled out because of the implications of the message of the Cross.
The Jews and Greeks both asked for a sign. The Jews could not accept that the Messiah could be crucified on a tree. The Jews found difficulty with the cross, because most of them were looking for a political leader who would deliver them from the Roman Empire. Jesus didn’t want to start a political movement that would overthrow Rome, He came to establish the Kingdom of God.
It is difficult for us to understand what crucifixion meant to the Jews. It would have been unthinkable in the first century to wear a cross as an ornament of jewellery, just as no one today would wear a model of the gallows or electric chair around their neck, but that is what is equal to how the Jews saw the cross. They could not believe God would allow his Son to die that way. This should make anyone wearing a cross to think deeply as to what purpose they wear it.
The Greeks thought their learning and wisdom was sufficient. A man hanging on a cross to save the world was just utter nonsense to them. These two demands are still evident in our society today.
There are still those who demand that God perform for them. There are still those that demand that God conform to our logic and reason. But history has shown that they would not believe even then
Things haven’t changed in the intervening years, the cross is still offensive as I pointed out earlier, it strikes at the conscience and gives a sense of inner guilt.
The gospel message is the opposite of worldly wisdom. Paul is here saying I know how foolish it sounds to those who don’t believe when they hear that Jesus died to save them, but we do believe, we preach Christ crucified. He never diluted the message to make it appear something different so people could accept it, as is now happening. How we need to hear that message today, but how often do you hear a sermon on the Cross? Have you heard one in recent times?
In the Cross we see the love of Jesus Christ displayed in a way that defies explanation. God loved us so much that he stepped in and did what we cannot do. How deep the Father’s love for us that He gave his only Son to die for us. The truth is that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. The good news is that God would not sit idly by and do nothing. He has provided a way. It is the way of the Cross. Not everyone will travel that way. Many have and will reject it. But for those who do receive it, they will experience its power.
This morning I want to turn with you to the Letter Paul wrote to the Church of God in Corinth. This Letter has been described as a Letter for the 21st century, because its contents are now so relevant.
The passage we are turning to is all about the heart of the Christian faith, the Cross. All religions have a symbol; the Jews have the Star of David, and Muslims the crescent, we have the Cross. We display it on our Churches, Bibles, ladies predominantly wear it around their necks, but even men in the entertainment industry wear it, despite their lives being unworthy of doing so. But everyone is relaxed about that, it is only when you wear it as a demonstration of your faith that you run into trouble.
Turning in detail to our passage,
Corinth was a sophisticated city and these Corinthians considered themselves wise and full of human wisdom, and such thinking had crept in to the church at Corinth, and the danger was that they would change the gospel, and so the importance of the message of the cross, to suit the world, and to make it more palatable to society.
The message of the cross of Christ is still foolishness today to many people. Even in the church there is much preaching of human wisdom in order to please society and to conform to what modern culture demands, so that the Church loses its moral and spiritual authority, and so makes it appear we have nothing special or different to offer. Rather than lead the way, the Church has itself be led. Like the Corinthians, we seek to operate by human intellect rather than the wisdom of God
Paul was telling the Corinthians, and by extension us, that the Church is to make known the will of God and take His authority to the world. Such is the purpose of the Church.
The Christian faith is the faith of Christ crucified. That Jesus, the Son of God, fully God and fully man, died in our place on the cross to pay the price for our sins, and rose again is central.
We must not alter the message of the cross, yes it is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved it is the power of God.
Paul always held there are two distinct points of view, two black or white fundamental absolutes that can never be reconciled because they produce different responses to the gospel. Firstly, those who are blind to the truth of the gospel are perishing, and are eternally lost. To them however, it is absurd, and they refuse to believe the Biblical teaching that to achieve eternal salvation you have to believe that a man died on a Cross 2000 years ago, in a little country on the far side of the world, and did so that our sins may be forgiven.
I have taken hundreds of funerals over the past 40 years and there has never been any doubt in the minds of those attending that the deceased would be going to one of the many mansions in heaven. I have always been amazed how so many people who never attend Church or study their bibles know the verses from John’s gospel, and believe it automatically applies to them. Such is the effect of the Church’s false teaching. Most people sincerely believe as long as you are honest and leave a good life, such is your inheritance and to think otherwise is ridiculous. The Bible does not support them.
It is amazing how many people believe everybody, irrespective of lifestyle, will go to heaven; and there those within the Church, even clergy, who believe what is called the belief of universalism.
The other reaction is that those who believe Jesus did die on the Cross that we might be saved, will one day live with Him in heaven, having eternal life.
Paul then quotes from the Old Testament where God states, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’. We have men who write books and speak in profound theological terms. They love to debate issues from the Bible and put forward alternative interpretations of Scripture. Whilst this may entertain themselves in University Common rooms, they can only cause confusion in other people’s minds when they are transmitted to the wider public. God promises to frustrate such actions.
Again Paul quotes the words of God when God said where is the wise man? Human wisdom is transitory. At one time a highly educated person could be valued for having a great deal of knowledge, but such is the amount of knowledge available that a person needs to specialise in a particular field. Just in my time a person could do well in their occupation and rise to a senior position without having any degree, now that is becoming very less likely. Some people have more than one degree, but little common sense. One cynic remarked the Church is falling apart by degrees.
Many of the so-called educated in our culture are increasingly antagonistic toward Biblical Christianity. Those who claim there is absolute truth and morality, are looked at as if we are the uneducated ones. The so-called sophisticated like to think that we are backward and ignorant because we believe in a creator God before whom every person will stand to give account. And true Christianity is especially singled out because of the implications of the message of the Cross.
The Jews and Greeks both asked for a sign. The Jews could not accept that the Messiah could be crucified on a tree. The Jews found difficulty with the cross, because most of them were looking for a political leader who would deliver them from the Roman Empire. Jesus didn’t want to start a political movement that would overthrow Rome, He came to establish the Kingdom of God.
It is difficult for us to understand what crucifixion meant to the Jews. It would have been unthinkable in the first century to wear a cross as an ornament of jewellery, just as no one today would wear a model of the gallows or electric chair around their neck, but that is what is equal to how the Jews saw the cross. They could not believe God would allow his Son to die that way. This should make anyone wearing a cross to think deeply as to what purpose they wear it.
The Greeks thought their learning and wisdom was sufficient. A man hanging on a cross to save the world was just utter nonsense to them. These two demands are still evident in our society today.
There are still those who demand that God perform for them. There are still those that demand that God conform to our logic and reason. But history has shown that they would not believe even then
Things haven’t changed in the intervening years, the cross is still offensive as I pointed out earlier, it strikes at the conscience and gives a sense of inner guilt.
The gospel message is the opposite of worldly wisdom. Paul is here saying I know how foolish it sounds to those who don’t believe when they hear that Jesus died to save them, but we do believe, we preach Christ crucified. He never diluted the message to make it appear something different so people could accept it, as is now happening. How we need to hear that message today, but how often do you hear a sermon on the Cross? Have you heard one in recent times?
In the Cross we see the love of Jesus Christ displayed in a way that defies explanation. God loved us so much that he stepped in and did what we cannot do. How deep the Father’s love for us that He gave his only Son to die for us. The truth is that we are sinners and cannot save ourselves. The good news is that God would not sit idly by and do nothing. He has provided a way. It is the way of the Cross. Not everyone will travel that way. Many have and will reject it. But for those who do receive it, they will experience its power.
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