Sunday, February 15, 2009: Spring Training 1--Conditioning

Spring Training: Conditioning
Romans 5: 8 and Galatians 2: 20.

I. Introduction.

Do you know the difference between Truth and Fiction? It’s really quite simple…Fiction has to be believable. The Truth—on the other hand—doesn’t have to be believable at all. Take for example the story about a church in England that removed a statue of the crucifixion from the outside of the church.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/06/crucifixion-church-vicar-sculpture-copnall

The statue in question was a 10 foot statue of Jesus on the cross—what we might refer to as a Crucifix. Typically, we associate the Crucifix with Roman Catholic churches. And as Baptists, we do not adorn our sanctuary with images of Jesus. We do this as a matter of theology and “what we are accustomed to” as Baptists. But the church in England did not remove the Crucifix for theological reasons. Rather, the church decided the statue was “too scary for children and non-Christians.”

The statue had been on the front of the church for over 45 years! But in December 2008, the church chose to remove the cross in favor of a more “uplifting” and “inspiring” image. Their reasoning was that by removing the cross, they could attract more people to their church.
Can you imagine a church without a cross? Can you even begin to think of replacing the cross of Christ with something more “uplifting” and “inspiring?”

As Christians, the cross represents the suffering and death of Jesus. The cross is central to our faith. But the cross is not the whole story. Yes. Jesus died on the cross. But the grave could not hold him. Three days later he was raised to life.

These two events ought to be held together as the single most important event in human history. Jesus died to save us from sin and rose again to give us the hope and the promise of new life.

Removing the cross is the last thing we need to do! Removing the cross could possibly attract more people to the church, but it reduces the church to nothing more than a social club. Removing the cross removes the life changing power of the Gospel.

That leads me to ask a question. Would it have been possible for us to celebrate the Resurrection if there had not been a Crucifixion? Of course not! The Resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot stand alone. In order for Jesus to be Resurrected he first had to be Crucified. This is not to say that he went through the motions of Crucifixion. Jesus had to literally and actually die before he could be Resurrected.

What about the opposite of that? Would it have been possible for us to celebrate the Crucifixion if there had not been a Resurrection? No! Crucifixion without Resurrection would have been the greatest religious failure the world had ever known. It would have been incomplete. Easter Sunday morning would be nothing more than a funeral service for a humiliated and unsuccessful religious person, who was no different from you and me.

What about Crucifixion and Resurrection together? What do you get when you place the Crucifixion and Resurrection side by side? Good News! It is like the Paul Harvey news program…Now we know the “Rest of the Story.”


II. God Loves You Just Like You Are.

Read Romans 5: 8

I cannot think of anyone greater than the Apostle Paul to write these words. Paul had a story just like your story and my story…He thought he needed to “Clean Up His Act” for God…
And he worked hard at it…He had a pedigree that most Jewish young men would have loved to have had for themselves…He was born into a good Jewish family, Hebrew of Hebrews, Hebrew ancestry and Paul even spoke Hebrew…His family obeyed the law and taught Paul to love and obey the law as a child…When Paul grew up, he took on the highest religious rank available to a Jewish man, he became a Pharisee…As a Pharisee, Paul out performed all the other Pharisees his age…Every religious man in town wished he could be as religious as Paul was…

But one day Paul discovered that none of these things mattered…Because as much as he might try to be good or righteous or holy or like God, Paul could never be as good as God is…He could never become righteous, because even if his actions were good his motives were questionable…Paul discovered that it is possible for a person to sin even while they are keeping the law…It is possible to do the right thing so other people will notice you and brag about how spiritual and religious you are, and that is sin…It is the sin of pride…

Paul realized that he was caught in a trap that he could never get out of…As a human being, Paul was sinful and could not stand in the presence of a holy God…

Did you know that? If you have sin in your life, you cannot be in the same place with God. Another way to say that is to say, God cannot allow you into Heaven if you have sin in your life. It doesn’t matter how big or small you perceive your sins to be. Sin deserves death and Hell…Eternal separation from God.

And that is where we encounter the Good News…God loved you so much that he sent his only begotten Son to live here on the earth and to die for your sins…Jesus died for sinners…Jesus did not die for good people…Jesus did not die for saved people…Jesus died for sinners…

As a good Jewish man, Paul understood the death of Jesus in terms of Jewish religion…He thought of it as a sacrifice…Jewish religion taught Paul that if he had sin in his life he would have to go to the synagogue and offer sacrifice to God…Sacrifices were offered on behalf of sinners, not for the righteous…

There is Good News today…You do not have to “Clean Up Your Act” for God to love you…God loved sinners, and he demonstrated it in the death of Jesus…

Jesus taught this to his disciples…One day he ate lunch (in broad daylight) with a man who was known in the community as a bad sinner…And the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this…And do you know what Jesus said?...“Healthy people do not need doctors. Sick people need doctors. And sinners need a Savior.”

God loves you just like you are…A sinner who needs a Savior…

III. But, God Loves You too Much to Leave You Like You Are.

If God loves me just like I am, does that give me a license to live any way I want to live? No! There is a second part of this Good News! Remember, I told you to keep Crucifixion and Resurrection together!

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a testimony that Jesus has conquered death and Hell…That Jesus really is the Son of God…That there is something for us to look forward to if we put our faith in Jesus…

But the Resurrection is also the beginning of a new kind of life for Jesus…No longer is Jesus confined to his human existence…While Jesus lived on the earth, he was limited in time and space…As a human with a literal and actual body, Jesus could not be in two places at the same time…Now, however, these limitations have been lifted…Jesus can be in all places at all times…

And do you know where Jesus lives? He lives in me!

Read Galatians 2: 20

There are 2 things in this verse that I want you to notice…The first I have already pointed out…Because Jesus Christ has been Resurrected, he lives in me…

But there is a second point here…It can be found in the answer to the question, “In whom does Jesus live?” Does Jesus live in every person on the face of the earth? No!

Look at the second line of that verse…The life I live in the body, I live by FAITH in the Son of God…That is the key…Jesus lives in those who have placed their FAITH in him.

When Jesus lives in you it will be noticeable…Remember, Jesus Christ is fully divine, he is God…Remember, God is holy and perfect…Remember, a holy God cannot stand in the presence of sin…Therefore, if Jesus is in you and you are a sinner, there will be a conflict…Conflict between righteousness and sinfulness…

Who will win that conflict? Righteousness…Jesus Christ will prevail…That means, when Jesus Christ comes into your life, some noticeable changes will take place…

1. Sin is no longer comfortable…Conviction of Holy Spirit

2. Your desires begin to change…Rather than pleasing yourself, you want to do what is pleasing to God…

3. Your character begins to change…When Jesus is in you, he works to mold you and to shape you into his own image and likeness…The best way to think of this is to think of family resemblance…Just as a child looks like his or her father, your life will begin to resemble the holiness of God.


IV. Conclusion.

Today I want to declare the Good News. Jesus Christ was Crucified so that you might be saved. Jesus Christ was Resurrected so that you might be changed into his image and his likeness.

God loves you just like you are…But God loves you too much to leave you like you are.

Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God?

Romans 10: 9, “That 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.”

This verse tells us that a person must do two things in order to be saved. You must BELIEVE that Jesus died and was resurrected for you. And you must confess (tell the truth) that Jesus is your Lord. This makes it personal. You cannot just say, “Oh yeah I believe.” You actually have to do something. You have to make it personal. You have to acknowledge, “Jesus is my Lord.”