One Focus

One Focus

John 3: 16

Introduction

I have been talking a lot about One Focus over the past few weeks…And, it is finally here.  Today is our first day of One Focus.

Is there someone in your life who does not know Jesus as their Lord?  Do you know one person who is not a Christian?  Do you know one person who is not affiliated with any church in our community?

I want to challenge you to identify one person who (as far as you know) is not a Christian and is not affiliated with any church.  I want you to pray for that one person.  I want you to love that one person.  I want you to serve that one person and show them the love of Christ.  Then, I want you to invite that person to come with you to church.

Our church staff is going to plan several events over the next year to share the Gospel with the one person you are praying for and showing the love of Christ.  We promise that we will not embarrass you.  The first event will be the choir’s musical presentation Christmas on First Street.  The second event will be the Sunday morning worship service before Christmas (December 23).  The theme for that day will be “How Christmas Changed the World.”  Again, we promise not to embarrass you in front of your friends.

Allow me to emphasize what I am NOT asking you to do.  I am NOT asking you to knock on doors and speak to people you do not know.  I am NOT asking you to be confrontational—to walk up to everyone you meet and ask, “Are you going to Hell when you die?”  I am NOT asking you to stand on the street corner with a Bible and a bullhorn, preaching “Get right or get left…Turn or burn.”  No.  I want you to pray, to love, to serve, and to invite.

Since I have been talking about One Focus for a long time…And since today is the first day of One Focus…It is possible to think One Focus is a new emphasis for our church.  A new emphasis…A new initiative…A new direction…  But, that is not the case.  One Focus is as old as the Gospel itself.  This is not a new initiative for our church.  Instead, I like to think of this as “getting back to the basics.”  This is what we should have been doing all along.

I have been a Baptist all my life.  And, this is what I have been taught all my life.  We are supposed to tell others about Jesus and give them an opportunity to be saved.  We are to share the Gospel around the world and around the block.  The Gospel is the Good News about Jesus.  The Gospel is fully expressed in John 3: 16.

John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (NIV).”

I believe this one verse is important enough that all Christians ought to be able to quote it.  It is important, because it contains the essence of the Gospel message.  God loves us so much that he provided the only way for us to be saved.  God sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross and rise again.  Anyone who believes (has faith) in Jesus will be saved…saved from sin, saved from judgment and saved from death.

This is the Gospel (Good News) message.  It is the message of salvation.  It is available for all.  But, I wonder…  How is the world going to hear this Gospel message?

On one hand, John 3: 16 is a complete statement of the Good News.  On the other hand, it does not tell us how that message is going to get out to the world.  This leads me to believe we ought to think of John 3: 16 as the BEGNNING of the Good News.

At the end of the Gospel of John, we read the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.  When Jesus rose from the grave, he appeared to his disciples and gave them these instructions…

John 20: 21, “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you!  As the Father has sent me, I am sending you (NIV).’”

This is significant for a couple of reasons. 

First, we know from history that Jesus remained with his disciples for forty days after the resurrection.  Then, Jesus ascended into Heaven.  As a result, Jesus gave his disciples a job to do.  Jesus sent them just as the Father had sent Jesus.  Jesus gave them the same assignment the Father had given him.  The disciples were to demonstrate God’s love and to preach the Good News of God’s salvation.

Second, it is significant that Jesus gave this assignment to his disciples.  We know that some of the disciples were fishermen, and at least one disciple was a tax collector.  They were not the most educated men in their community.  They were not trained as preachers, theologians or philosophers.  They were ordinary people who had faith in Jesus.  Therefore, we should not think of evangelism as the work of trained professionals.  Evangelism is something Jesus asks each of his followers to do.

Ordinary Disciples

There are some people who do not believe God can use them in the work of evangelism.  Some people think they do not have the proper education to tell others about Jesus.  Some people think their past has disqualified them from ever being used by God.  Some people think they are not perfect enough to tell others about Jesus.  At best, these are just excuses we give ourselves for not doing what Jesus told us to do.  At worst, these are lies the devil has told us, and we believe.

The disciples were not trained as preachers, theologians or philosophers.  They were common and simple fishermen.  But, they had experienced Jesus.  They did not speak with eloquence or rhetorical skill.  All they did was tell others what Jesus had done for them.  They were like beggars telling other beggars where they could find some bread to eat.  Perhaps you don’t think you have the education or the biblical knowledge to talk to others about Jesus.  But, you do have an experience.  You can tell other people what faith has done for you.  You can tell others about how Jesus gives you peace in the midst of grief and suffering.  You can tell others about the joy and confidence you have in knowing God has a plan for your life.

The disciples did not have perfect pasts either.  We can think of Matthew, the tax collector, as an example.  Tax collectors were employed by the Roman Empire.  Even though they were citizens of the nation of Israel, they were loyal to their Roman bosses.  Tax collectors were notoriously dishonest—setting high fees so they could collect what Rome required and keeping a profit for themselves.  Yet, none of this disqualified Matthew from being a disciple of Jesus or prevented him from telling others about Jesus.  Perhaps your background is as ugly as Matthew’s.  God can still use you.

Of course, the disciples struggled with their faith and with their behaviors even after they had experienced Jesus in their lives.  Thomas was a doubter, and then there was Peter.  After Jesus was arrested by the Jewish religious leaders, Peter cursed and denied that he even knew who Jesus was.  But, God could still use Peter…And God did use Peter.  Peter shared the Gospel to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost.  Peter was the first disciple to cross over ethnic boundaries and share the Gospel with a Gentile (Acts 10).

So, what is your excuse?  God does not expect you to be the smartest or most eloquent speaker.  God can overcome your past sins as well as your present fears to use you.  The fact is, there is no one else like you.  God has given you specific talents, gifts and passions.  You have been uniquely designed by God.  And, even if someone did have the same gifts, talents and passions as you…No one has the same set of friends and relatives that you have.  God has prepared you uniquely and wants to use you uniquely.  I cannot reach the same people you can reach.  Even if you don’t think you are the best choice, you are still the person God wants to use in your sphere of influence to share the Gospel with people who might not otherwise be reached with the Gospel.

Love

John 3: 16 gives us a summary of the Good News of God’s salvation.  And it also tells us how and why God was motivated to offer this salvation.  It is because God loves.  God is motivated by love.

I suppose there are two ways we can talk about love.  There is love as an emotional feeling.  And, there is love which is expressed in actions.  Both of these connotations are found in John 3: 16.

In John 3: 16, we read about what God feels toward us.  Even though we are sinners by nature and sinners in our actions, God loves us.  Sin prevents us from having a relationship with God, because God is holy and perfect.  We are so affected by sin that we are completely unable to keep God’s righteous commandments.  We are so affected by sin that we do not pursue a relationship with God.  However, God was not satisfied with that broken relationship.  God wants to know us and to be known by us.  God wants to be in a covenant relationship with us.  So, God put his love in action by sending Jesus to live as an example of what that relationship with God looks like.  Then, Jesus died on the cross and rose again to bring us into that relationship with God.  Jesus demonstrated God’s love in action.

Remember what we just read about Jesus’ sending us?  Just as the Father has sent Jesus, Jesus is sending us.  Jesus sends us with the same mission the Father gave him.  Jesus’ mission was to share the love of God with the world and to tell the world about God’s salvation.  Our mission is the same…Show the love of God and tell others about God’s salvation.

The World

At this point it is important to note that John 3: 16 tells us God loved the world.  I think we need to keep in mind the personal nature of God’s love as we interpret John 3: 16.  Either this is a reference to an impersonal world—created order—or this is a reference to the people of the world.  It seems more likely that it is a reference to people.  If it does refer to people, then it says that God does not discriminate in his love.  God does not love ONLY the saved, or ONLY the Baptists, or ONLY the Jews.  God loves all the people of the world and does not discriminate.

We see this lived out in the life and ministry of Jesus.  Jesus demonstrated God’s love by showing compassion for the Jews and the Gentiles.  Jesus performed miracles for both men and women.  Jesus healed the sick and touched people who were considered unclean by the religious folks of his day.  Jesus shared the message of salvation with people who were wealthy and with people who were poor.  (If anything, the Gospel seems to tell us that Jesus spent more time with hurting people than with people who had everything going in their favor.)

If John 3: 16 is the beginning of the Gospel and John 20: 21 is Jesus’ instructions for us to continue the ministry he started, then we need to take seriously the way Jesus viewed lost people.  Jesus did three things for the lost people in his world:  (1) Jesus ministered to hurting people; (2) Jesus showed compassion to those who were needy; and (3) Jesus provided spiritual nourishment from God’s Word.

These are the same three things we are to continue doing in our world today:  minister to hurting people; show compassion to the needy; and provide spiritual nourishment from God’s Word.  If God can do this for the entire world, he expects us to do the same for just one.  Can you find one person for whom you can minister to them in their pain; meet their physical needs; and provide spiritual nourishment from God’s Word?

 

Conclusion

In January 2008, Howard Schultz became the CEO of the Starbucks Coffee Company for the second time.  Schultz was the entrepreneur who started Starbucks, but he stepped aside in 2000 to grow the company into new markets.  From 2000 – 2008, Starbucks thought they could grow their business and their profits by opening new stores all over the country.  (There was even a time when it was a common joke to talk about a Starbucks on every street corner or new Starbucks opening up across the street from another Starbucks.)

Ironically, Starbucks’ plan for growth did not work.  By 2007, they had over 9,000 stores in the United States.  But, they were losing customers, and their stock values had plummeted 42%.  That is when Schultz became CEO for the second time.

In Schultz’ first month as the returning CEO, he made a couple of bold moves.  First, he closed approximately 1,900 Starbucks stores.  This was a difficult move, but it was not unheard of in the business world and nothing like what he did next.  His second move was to find a way to retrain every Starbucks employee.  The only way to do this was to close every Starbucks location for three hours of training.

On Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 7,100 Starbucks stores closed to retrain their employees.  In their pursuit of growth, they had lost sight of their purpose.  Their employees did not know how to make a proper shot of espresso.[1] 

Starbucks had learned the hard way that by focusing on reaching the masses they had lost their focus on the one.  For Starbucks, the only way to fulfill their mission was to focus on one perfect shot of espresso for one customer at a time.  For a church, the only way to fulfill our mission is to focus on making a difference in the life of one person at a time…  Helping one hurting person…  Meeting the physical needs of one needy person…  Providing spiritual nourishment for one person who has not heard God’s Good News of salvation…

We may never reach the masses, but we can reach one.  And this is God’s plan…  One Christian reaching out to one other person.

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[1] Summarized from Howard Schultz, Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul (New York: Rodale, 2011).

Saved from Death: A Sermon about Eternal Life / Heaven

Saved from Death

1 Corinthians 15: 50 – 58.

Introduction

Next Sunday will be the first Sunday of an emphasis on Evangelism and Outreach for our church.  Starting next week, we will coordinate all of our church ministries and activities around the concept of One Focus.  As a church, we will focus our efforts on turning our church “inside out.”  As individuals, we will invite you to focus on one person—hopefully someone you already know—who is either not a Christian or not affiliated with any church in our community.  We will ask you to pray for that one person, love that one person, serve that one person, and to invite that one person to specific events at our church to introduce them to the Gospel of Jesus and / or the ministries of First Baptist Church.

This is one of my dreams for our church.  I dream of becoming an outwardly focused church.  In my understanding of church, this is what a healthy church does.  The Bible encourages us to think of the church like a human body with many different members / parts functioning together in unity.  If we think through that biblical image of the church as a body, we can also compare healthy churches to healthy bodies.  For example, when a person has a life-threatening illness they focus all of their attention inwardly on getting well.  However, a healthy person is not supposed to think of self over others.  We feed ourselves and take care of our basic needs, but we also serve the needs of other people.  Only thinking about yourself is selfish, sinful and unchristian.  In the same way, healthy churches do not neglect their own bodies / members…  But, healthy churches also recognize the importance of loving others, serving others and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is the most important thing our church has to offer the people of Angelina County?  It doesn’t have anything to do with church or church programs.  It doesn’t have anything to do with our church buildings or even our worship service / preaching.  The most important thing we have to offer is the Gospel—that God loved the world so much that God provided the only way we can be saved…through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Starting next Sunday, I hope our church ministries, worship services and church communication will be so saturated with One Focus that it will be impossible for you to miss it.  One Focus and evangelism and outreach will be a part of everything we do.  But, before we launch One Focus, we need to examine our own spiritual condition.  Before we can tell other people how they can be saved, we need to make sure we have been saved.

“Saved” is a distinctively Christian word.  It has been a part of our Christian vocabulary for so long, I am afraid we sometimes take it for granted.  It may be surprising for people who have always been a part of Baptist churches that some people do not know what we mean when we say we have been “saved.”  They don’t understand, because “saved” is Christian shorthand for what Jesus has accomplished for us and offered us through faith.  “Saved” is shorthand, because it is one of those words that requires an object.  In order to be “saved,” we have to be saved from something.

In fact, I believe Jesus has offered to save us from three things:  Sin, Judgment and Death.

Two weeks ago, I preached about how Jesus offers us salvation from sin.  Sin is not a popular topic, but sin is real and affects every human who has ever lived.  Sin is anything we do which is contrary to the commandments God has given to his people.  In the Old Testament, God revealed his covenant to his people.  God initiated a relationship with the nation of Israel by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and forming them as a nation at Mount Sinai.  When God formed his people, he entered into a covenant with them.  God would be their only God, and they would demonstrate their faithfulness to God by keeping his commandments.  The problem of sin is the fact that we cannot live up to God’s standards.  We try to do what is right but fall short (or miss the target).  We focus on ourselves and stray away from God’s path.  We even actively rebel against God’s commandments through willful disobedience.  Through the crucifixion of Jesus, God has offered us forgiveness for all of our sins.  It is the only way to enter into a right relationship with God.

The reason we need forgiveness for our sins is that sin separates us from God.  God is perfect and holy in every way.  Therefore, our sins cannot be in the presence of God.  If God allowed sinners like us to be in relationship with God, we would have to question the holiness of God.  Either our sins are really not that bad after all, or God is not truly holy and perfect.  But, God is holy, and our sins are worse than we think.  Therefore, the natural consequence of sin is eternal separation from the holy God.  Our sins deserve to experience the full weight of God’s judgment.  Because we are sinners, we deserve to spend eternity separated from God in Hell.  But, Jesus died on the cross to save us from Hell.

Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from Hell.  But, the cross was not the end of Jesus’ story.  The cross is not the end of the Gospel.  After the crucifixion, Jesus was dead for only three days.  On the first Easter Sunday, Jesus rose again…victorious over death.  This is God’s promise to us that Jesus also offers us salvation from death.

1 Corinthians 15: 50 – 58.

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [fn7]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?” [fn8]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The book of 1 Corinthians was written as a letter from the Apostle Paul to the churches of Corinth.  Paul does several things in his letter to the Corinthians.  In parts of the letter, Paul answers specific questions the Corinthians had written to him in another letter.  (The Corinthian letter to Paul has not survived, but Paul makes reference to their letter in his correspondence.)  In other places, Paul addresses some questionable—even immoral—behavior taking place among the Christians in Corinth.  In other places, Paul waxes theological about the message of the cross and the importance of the resurrection.

I believe that Paul is using several different approaches in this letter to make one over-arching point.  Paul is teaching the Corinthians (and us) that bad theology always leads to bad behavior.  If we compromise our theological positions, we run the risk of compromising our ethical standing.  We can make this point about many different theological issues.  But, 1 Corinthians 15 demonstrates how the resurrection of Jesus has practical application to our daily lives.

Resurrection of Jesus

1 Corinthians 15 is a long chapter.  We really need to read the whole chapter to understand Paul’s philosophical argument.  Fortunately, he helps us by summarizing it in the last nine verses.

He began his argument by describing the importance of believing in the resurrection of Jesus as historical fact.  This was the essence of Paul’s preaching.  Jesus was more than a good man.  He was more than an inspired prophet.  He was more than a miracle worker.  Jesus was the Son of God, who was sent by God to fulfill God’s promises to Israel in the Old Testament.  Jesus fulfilled these promises by keeping all of the Old Testament Law and reinterpreting that Law in his life and teaching.  Then, Jesus fulfilled God’s promises by giving his own life as a voluntary sacrifice for our sins on the cross.  And, finally, Jesus fulfilled God’s promises by rising from the grave on the third day.

A lot of modern people like to talk about Jesus as a good man and a good teacher.  He lived an exemplary life and taught an earthy wisdom.  But, they do not want to talk about the cross and the resurrection.  Paul tells us this is an inadequate understanding of Jesus for a couple of reasons. 

It is inadequate to deny the cross and the resurrection, because our faith and our sufferings for faith would be for nothing.  If the resurrection of Jesus never happened, then Paul suffered for no good reason.  Paul sacrificed his life, his health and probably his close relationships to preach the message of God’s grace.  The Corinthians had lived a different kind of life from the way most people lived in the First Century Roman Empire.  You and I profess values that are criticized and condemned by Twenty-First Century American culture today.  And, all of this means nothing if Jesus did not rise from the grave.  In fact, Paul says, we are to be pitied more than anyone else, if the resurrection did not happen.

The resurrection of Jesus was so important to Paul that he offered eyewitness testimony to say that it was a historical fact.  After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the twelve disciples; he appeared to his own brother, James; and he appeared to a crowd of five hundred witnesses.  Paul wrote these words just twenty years after the resurrection, so many of these witnesses were still alive and available for cross examination.

When Paul speaks about the resurrection, he is referring to the literal and bodily resurrection of Jesus.  Resurrection is not the same thing as saying Jesus died and went to Heaven.  Resurrection does not refer to a symbolic resurrection of faith among the followers of Jesus.  And, resurrection does not mean spiritual enlightenment which became possible after Jesus died on the cross.

The tomb was empty.  The body of Jesus was no longer there, because Jesus was still using his body.  He appeared in his body when he commissioned his disciples to go and tell all nations that Jesus is alive.  He was dead, but now he lives.

Resurrection of the Dead

A second reason why it is inadequate to deny the cross and the resurrection is because of what it says about us.  On one hand, the resurrection proves that Jesus truly is who he claimed to be—the unique Son of God.  On the other hand, the resurrection is the foundation of our hope in eternal life.  If Jesus did not rise again, then God will not keep his promise to give us eternal life.

Paul comes from a thoroughly Jewish background.  As a Jew, he believed in a future resurrection of all the righteous dead.  Of course, he had reinterpreted his Jewish beliefs in light of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus died for all who believe and rose again for all who believe.  Therefore, the resurrection offers the promise of eternal life to all who believe.  This resurrection will be just like the resurrection of Jesus.

When we talk about the resurrection of the righteous, we need to be careful to speak of it in biblical terms.  The most popular view of dying and going to Heaven is more related to the philosophical writings of Plato than to the New Testament.  In Plato’s view, the body is sort of like a prison for the soul.  The soul longs to be free from the body, and death is like a welcome friend which releases the soul from the body.  More than likely, this is the exact philosophical belief Paul is writing against in 1 Corinthians 15.  The biblical understanding of eternal life is different from Plato’s view in at least a couple of ways.

 First, Paul tells us that death is our enemy and not our friend.  And this fits very well with our experience of death.  We grieve the death of our loved ones.  And, we take daily measures to avoid our own death.  We diet and exercise, we avoid risky behaviors, and we even wear our seatbelts in an effort to avoid death.  The only way to find victory over death is through faith in the resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruit of the harvest.  God raised Jesus as a promise that he will raise us up for eternal life.

Second, Paul tells us that eternal life will be a bodily as well as spiritual experience.  We will not have an entirely spiritual existence in Heaven.  Our life in Heaven will be both similar and dissimilar to our lives on earth—we will have a mind, a body and a spirit.  But we will be transformed.

Paul compares the difference between earthly life and Heavenly life in terms of a seed and a flower.  The seed does not look anything like the flower it will one day become.  But, when that seed is sown in the ground, it is transformed into something new…something different…something that it was originally intended to become.  Our earthly lives are like that seed.  Our earthly lives are not what we were created for.  God’s intention is to transform us for eternal and Heavenly life.  Even though we don’t know exactly what that will look like, we do know that it will be spiritual, mental and physical.

Eternal Life Begins Now

The body is important to Christian theology.  God created our bodies and calls us to “present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12: 1 – 2).”  God sent his Son, Jesus, in the body.  Jesus gave his body as a sacrifice on the cross.  When Jesus rose again, he rose in his body.  When Jesus ascended into Heaven, he went in his body—not leaving his body on earth.  One day Jesus will return to earth in his body, and on that day, Jesus will raise our bodies (transformed) for eternal life in Heaven.

If the body is an important part of our theology, then we need to realize that how we use our bodies truly matters.  Our bodies were not created for sinful purposes.  Instead, our bodies are to be used for the glory of God.  We worship God with our bodies (not just with our minds and spirit).  We serve God with our bodies (not just our minds and spirit).  We love and serve others with our bodies (not just our minds and spirit).

Perhaps this was what led to the church problems in Corinth.  Perhaps they held a low regard for their human bodies and elevated their minds and spirits.  As a result, they allowed sexual immorality to creep into the church.  They relaxed their restrictions regarding meat sacrificed to idols.  They even tolerated sinful practices in their worship services and the serving of the Lord’s Supper.  Their bad theology led to bad behavior.  By focusing less on their bodies, they were able to rationalize using their bodies in sinful ways.

Instead, we need to note a common refrain in Paul’s teaching throughout the New Testament.  Paul teaches us that salvation has BOTH a present tense and a future tense.  Salvation is something we experience now and not yet.  Salvation begins right here in our earthly lives, but it will be fully realized in our future, Heavenly lives.  In other words, eternal life begins right here and now.

Conclusion

This is why I believe Paul concludes his teaching on the resurrection by giving us assurance that our “labor in the Lord will not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15: 58).”

Since we will have a bodily existence in Heaven, and since we now have a bodily existence on earth, we should begin using our bodies on earth as they will be used in Heaven.  The simplest description of this kind of life is to say it is “labor in the Lord.”  It is doing the Lord’s work.  But what is the Lord’s work?

The Lord’s work is knowing and loving.  This is the work we will do in Heaven.  And, this is the work we should begin doing now.

Knowing and Loving God…

Knowing and Loving ourselves…

Knowing and Loving others…

One day, this work will be perfect—in Heaven.  But it is a work to begin right here and now.

This is what eternal life looks like—spiritual, mental and physical…But there is only one way to receive eternal life.  You must be saved from death through faith in Jesus, the first one to rise victorious over death.

Saved from Judgment: A Sermon on Hell

Saved from Judgment

Matthew 25: 31 – 46.

Introduction

Last Sunday evening, I had a meeting with a group of people from our church to begin planning and praying about a new initiative in our church.  The initiative is something we are calling One Focus.  Jerry Merriman has agreed to be our lay leader for One Focus, and Cindy Ramsey has agreed to serve as our prayer coordinator. 

The basic idea behind One Focus will be to ask each of our church members to identify one person they can focus on.  We want each of our church members to find one person in your life who (as far as you can tell) is a non-Christian or is not affiliated with any church in our community.  Over the next year, we want you to pray for that one person; to love that one person; to serve that one person; to share the Gospel with that one person (if the opportunity comes up); and to invite that one person to some specific events we will hold at our church.  Our staff is going to plan several events with your one person in mind.  We will hold some special events which will be non-threatening (like the choir Christmas musical) and we will hold special worship services.  Each of these will be opportunities for our church to present the Gospel to people who do not know Jesus as Lord.

This One Focus is something we have been building toward and preparing for over the past (almost) nine months.  It is not a new initiative for our church.  Instead, I like to think of it as getting back to the basics…a concerted effort on evangelism and outreach.

For church folks, the idea of evangelism probably doesn’t require any explanation.  Evangelism is simply sharing the Good News with people who do not know Jesus.  Sometimes, evangelism takes the form of proving the truth claims of the Christian faith.  Sometimes, evangelism takes the form of meeting the real, physical needs of real people in our community.  But, in every form, evangelism must teach people how they can be “saved.”

What do we mean when we use the word “saved?”  It means that Jesus is our Savior, and Jesus is the only one who can save us.  But, saved is one of those words which needs an object.  If we claim to be saved, we must also claim to be saved from something.  If we tell other people that they need to be saved, we need to be prepared to tell them what they need to be saved from.  Therefore, we need to answer the question, “What have we been saved from?”

I began answering this question last Sunday.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin.  Even though we live in a culture where people do not accept the concept of sin, sin is a reality that affects all of our lives.  The Old Testament clearly describes God’s expectations for his people.  The Old Testament also describes an elaborate sacrificial system (lambs, goats, bulls and doves) to make amends for the times that God’s people do not live up to God’s expectations.

 In the New Testament, both of these concepts are reinterpreted by Jesus.  For example, Jesus was once asked which commandment was the most important commandment in the Bible.  Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength.  And the second commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Then, Jesus told us that these two commandments summarize the entire Old Testament Law (Matthew 22: 34 – 40).  In these words, Jesus reinterpreted the Law for us.  In his death on the cross, Jesus reinterpreted the Old Testament sacrificial system.  We no longer need to sacrifice lambs, goats, bulls and doves to seek God’s forgiveness for our sins.  Jesus gave his own life as the ultimate and final sacrifice to forgive our sins.

Sin is one of the things Jesus saves us from.  But, it is not the only thing.  Jesus died on the cross to save us from God’s judgment.  And, just as sin is not a very popular concept in our culture today, judgment is even less popular. Non-Christians do not like to talk about sin, but at least Christians are willing to talk about sin.  Judgment is different, because neither Christians nor non-Christians want to talk about God’s judgment…Because when we talk about God’s judgment, we have to talk about Heaven and Hell.  We don’t mind talking about Heaven.  But, Hell is a different story.  We don’t like to talk about Hell, because it is a terrible concept…eternal punishment, eternal pain and eternal separation from God.

I believe Hell is a necessary and important part of Christian theology.  In fact, I think there are several reasons why we ought to believe in the reality of Hell.

First, Hell is one of the reasons Jesus had to die on the cross.  Our sins deserve to receive the full measure of God’s justice.  No one deserves God’s Love.  Since we do not deserve God’s Love, Hell reveals God’s Love in that it demonstrates how much God loved us.  When we were unlovable—sinners and enemies of God—God provided the way for us to avoid the eternal judgment we deserve.   

Second, Jesus talked about Hell more than anyone else in the New Testament.  There are two Greek words that the NIV translates as Hell.  One is the Greek word hades—which typically refers to death or the grave but can mean Hell in certain contexts.  The other is the word gehenna—which always refers to the place of eternal judgment.  Interestingly, Jesus and his brother, James, are the only two people to use the word gehenna in the New Testament.  Paul talks about God’s judgment and tells us that “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6: 23).”  But, Paul never gives a name to this judgment.  Therefore, since Jesus talked about Hell more than anyone else, it is important for us to acknowledge the reality of Hell.  We cannot claim that Jesus is truthful if we deny the existence of Hell.

I believe Hell is a reality.  I believe Hell is a necessary and important part of Christian theology, but I do not find any pleasure in talking about Hell.  I once heard it said that we should never preach on the reality of Hell until it breaks our hearts that people are going to Hell.

I believe we should base our views on Hell on what the Bible says about Hell.  There is no better place to turn than the words of Jesus himself.

Matthew 25: 31 – 46.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

In this passage, Jesus never used the word Hell (or gehenna).  However, Jesus did talk about the reality of judgment and described that judgment with the concept we can recognize as Hell. 

This passage is the conclusion to a lengthy answer Jesus gave to his disciples.  Jesus told his disciples that he would go away and return.  When he returned, he would return as the glorified Son of Man.  Then, in Matthew 24: 3, the disciples asked Jesus to tell them when he would return.  In this lengthy reply, Jesus never actually answered the disciples’ question.  Instead of telling them WHEN he would return in glory, Jesus told them HOW he would return and that his return would come suddenly and unexpectedly.

According to this concluding statement, the purpose of Jesus’ return would be to judge all the nations of the earth.  Jesus would sit on the throne as the rightful King of all creation.  Jesus would perform the work of a shepherd, separating the sheep from the goats.

Fruit of Righteousness

But, there is something rather disturbing about what Jesus says here.  He tells us that we will all be judged according to our actions—feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the prisoners.  It almost sounds like Jesus is promoting a kind of “works righteousness.”  It seems like Jesus is telling us that we can work our way into the Kingdom of God by doing good deeds.

If Jesus’ words are interpreted to mean we can be good enough to save ourselves, then this is not a Christian teaching.  It goes against the basic meaning of the Gospel.  We cannot solve our own sin problem.  We cannot save ourselves from the natural consequences of our sins—God’s eternal judgment.  Instead, God solved our sin problem and saved us from judgment by sending Jesus to die on the cross and rise again.

What Jesus is describing is the fact that salvation is supposed to change our lives.  As long as we are unsaved sinners, we live a selfish existence.  We only please ourselves and never consider the needs of other people.  However, once we have been forgiven and set free, we are supposed to consider the needs of other people.  In particular, we are to look out for the people who are forgotten, overlooked and cast out by society.  Just as Jesus took care of outcasts, the followers of Jesus are supposed to take care of outcasts.

Jesus is not telling us that our works can make us righteous.  Instead, Jesus is telling us that when we are righteous—in a right relationship with God—it will change the way we live our lives.  Another way of saying this is to say, we are saved by faith in Jesus, but we will be judged by our actions.  We will be judged by the degree to which faith has changed our lives.  We will be judged by the sins we commit.  AND, we will be judged by the good works which we omit.

Judgment—Matthew 25: 31 – 33, “31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

Jesus is speaking about his future coming—the second coming.  He didn’t give his disciples a timeline, and he is not giving us a timeline.  Jesus speaks about the significance of his second coming rather than the time of his coming.  The second coming of Jesus will be a time of judgment.  It is enough for us to acknowledge that since this has not happened, it is still in the future.

Jesus tells us that Jesus himself will be the judge.  He will be the one sitting on the throne.  At the second coming of Christ, there will be no doubt who is the King.  He even refers to himself as the King in verse 34.  Jesus will return to earth in such a way that his glory and identity will be known to all.  But, for some, it will be too late.

Since Jesus tells us that “all nations” will face judgment, we can draw a couple of important conclusions.  First, God’s judgment will be comprehensive.  All nations, all races, all people groups will face Jesus as our judge.  But we will face this judgment as individuals, just as sheep are individually separated from the goats.  Second, God’s judgment will be inescapable.  No individual will be allowed to skip judgment.  One day, we will all stand before Jesus as our judge.

The judgment Jesus speaks about will involve two things.  Every individual will be held accountable for his or her life.  Then, Jesus will divide all people into two groups—the sheep and the goats, the blessed and the cursed, those who will be rewarded and those who will be punished.

Jesus will not judge us on what we do at the moment of judgment.  Instead, Jesus will pass down a verdict on a decision which has already taken place.  We will be judged on our decision to have faith in Jesus.  That decision will affect the ways we live our lives, whether we live out our faith by taking care of the vulnerable and outcasts or continue to live a selfish and self-centered life.

The idea of judgment is a terrifying idea.  Because Jesus will know our true identity.  We might be able to fool our friends and family.  We might even be able to fool our pastor and church members.  But, the Shepherd knows the difference between sheep and goats.  The sheep will be given a place of honor at Jesus’ right hand.  The goats will be assigned to a place of dishonor at Jesus’ left hand.

Hell—Matthew 25: 41, “41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

The words Jesus speaks to the goats in verse 41 are completely opposite of the words Jesus spoke to the sheep in verse 34.  There are five opposite statements in these verses.

Left Hand / Right Hand…  The right hand was recognized as the place of honor in the ancient world.  The left hand was the place of dishonor.

Depart / Come…  This is the basic difference between Heaven and Hell.  Heaven is being welcomed into the presence of God for all eternity.  Hell is being forever separated from God.  This is really no different from the way we choose to live our natural lives.  The life of faith is a life lived fully in the presence of God.  The opposite of faith is a life running away from the presence of God.  We don’t want to live according to God’s will and God’s way.  We don’t want to acknowledge God’s Love which he demonstrated through the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Instead, we say with our lifestyle, “Leave me alone.  I want to do it my way.”  At the day of judgment, Jesus will give us exactly what we wanted.  Either you will be welcomed into an eternity in the presence of God, or you will be banished to an eternity outside of God’s presence.  I once heard it said that the theme song of Hell is the song, “I Did It My Way.”  You did it your way in life.  You will do it your way in eternity.  God does not send anyone to Hell.  He simply gives you what you want—a life apart from God.

Cursed / Blessed…  On one hand, blessed and cursed can refer to the words we say about other people.  We bless others by saying good things to them and about them.  We curse others by saying bad things to them and about them.  On the other hand, it can refer to our existence.  Some people live a blessed life.  Some people live a cursed life.  I prefer to think of Jesus’ words as referring to how our eternal existence will play out.  Those who spend eternity in the presence of God experience true blessing.  Those who spend eternity outside of God’s presence experience the opposite of blessing.  Hell is a place of pain and punishment.

Eternal Fire / Kingdom…  Jesus spoke a lot about the Kingdom of God.  Sometimes, he told us the Kingdom is right here and now.  Here, he refers to the Kingdom as something in the future.  Perhaps the best way to think of the Kingdom at this point is to say it is the realm in which God is the King.  It begins in our natural life.  It finds it fullest expression in Heaven.

As I mentioned before, we cannot say that Jesus is truthful and deny the existence of Hell.  So, when Jesus described judgment as an eternal fire, I believe he meant it.  Either, Jesus meant that Hell is a literal fire which burns eternally with literal flames, or Jesus used the image of eternal fire to describe Hell as a place of unimaginable pain and torment.  The pain, punishment and eternal separation from God is worse than anything we can imagine.

Prepared for the Devil and His Angels / Prepared for You Since the Creation of the World…  Hell is the place which was prepared for the devil and his angels.  Hell was not created for human being.  Hell was not created for you, and you were not created for Hell.  You were created for a relationship with God—a relationship with God in your natural life and a relationship with God in your eternal life.  As far as we know, the devil and his angels were never given the opportunity to repent and accept God’s gift of salvation.  However, all humans are given that opportunity to be saved and escape an eternity in a place which was not prepared for us.  God does not send anyone to Hell.  He gives us the choice to spend eternity in the place prepared for us (the Kingdom) or to spend eternity in the place prepared for the devil (Hell).

Conclusion

Jesus sets a choice before us.  We can choose between his right hand and is left hand.  We can choose to come to Jesus or to depart from his presence forever.  We can choose between an eternity of blessing or an eternity of being cursed.  We can choose between the Kingdom of God or eternal fire.  We can choose to live the life God created for us or to live in a place prepared for the devil.  On judgment day, Jesus will give exactly what we want.

Before we can launch an evangelism initiative, each one of us needs to make sure that we have been saved.  We need to examine our own spiritual condition before we try to share the Gospel with other people.

The Gospel is simply this.  All of us have a sin problem which we cannot solve.  Our sin problem deserves to experience the full weight of God’s justice.  Yet, God loved us so much, he provided the only solution.  Only Jesus can forgive you of sin.  Only Jesus can save you from God’s judgment. 

How have you responded to God’s  love?

How have you shared God’s love with others?  Since all the nations will be judged, all the nations need to hear.

Saved from Sin

Saved from Sin

Psalm 51

Introduction

In the next few weeks, we are going to begin a church-wide emphasis on evangelism and outreach, called One Focus.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise for several reasons.  First, you have probably heard me talking about this over the past couple of weeks.  We even had about 90 people show up for a Sunday evening meeting to talk about One Focus.  Second, this was one of the recommendations from our Long Range Planning process last year.  We have spent the first eight months of 2012 preparing our church for evangelism and outreach.  (I don’t think we were ready to do evangelism and outreach at the beginning of this year.  We were like the dog who liked to chase cars.  He chases and barks, but he doesn’t know what to do with one if he ever catches it.)  Third, you shouldn’t be surprised about a Baptist church emphasizing evangelism and outreach, because that is what Baptist churches have done as long as I can remember.  I guess we can think of this as getting back to basics.

I’m sure you know where the word “evangelism” comes from.  It comes from the Greek word, euangelion—which means “good news.”  Perhaps we could say “evangel” means good news, and “evangelism” means to share the good news with others.

In our modern world, the words “evangel” and “evangelism” are distinctly Christian words.  This was not the case in the ancient world.  In the Roman Empire, for example, there was probably an “evangel,” or announcement of good news, every time a new Caesar came into power.  A copy of one of those evangels announcing the new reign of Caesar Augustus has been found, and reads:

The providence which has ordered the whole of our life, showing concern and zeal, has ordained the most perfect consummation for human life by giving to it Augustus, by filling him with virtue for doing the work of a benefactor among men, and by sending in him, as it were, a savior for us and those who come after us, to make war to cease, to create order everywhere…; the birthday of the god (Augustus) was the beginning for the world of the good news that has come to men through him…(N.T. Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said. [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1997.], p. 43.)

On one hand, I am tempted to think those are some bold claims to announce a new king in the land.  Perfect consummation for human life…Benefactor among men…A savior for us…To make war cease…To create order everywhere…  Did people truly believe a new king was going to solve all their problems?

On the other hand, I think it sounds rather familiar.  We just finished watching the Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention on television.  And, both of our political parties made the same kind of announcements about their candidates.  The wars will cease…The economy will turn around…American independence from foreign oil…A new health care system…A job for everyone who wants a job…

I am going to do my very best to offend every person in church this morning.  There is only one Good News that brings salvation and a new life.  It is not the good news of Caesar Augustus.  It is not the good news of Barack Obama.  And, it is not the good news of Mitt Romney.  The only Good News that can save you and change your life is the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God.

The Good News of Jesus Christ addresses our basic and universal human need.  “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23).”  Because we are sinners, we are separated from God and deserve to feel the wrath of God’s judgment against our sins.  Every person will one day stand before God in judgment.  Those who remain in their sins will be sent to a literal and eternal Hell.  Those who have been saved from their sins will be accepted into a literal and eternal Heaven.  Or, as Romans 6: 23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If all have sinned, how can anyone be saved?  And, what exactly is sin?

Psalm 51

Psalm 51 is a rare Psalm, because it is a Psalm that has a story.  Tradition tells us these are words written by King David to confess his sins and seek God’s forgiveness after he had broken five out of the Ten Commandments.

While Israel’s army was off at war, David coveted another man’s wife, Bathsheba.  Then, David committed adultery with her.  When David discovered Bathsheba was pregnant, he devised a lie to cover up his sins.  When the lies did not work, David had Bathsheba’s husband murdered.  Then, he stole another man’s wife.  Coveting, Adultery, Lying, Murder and Stealing…He broke five of the Ten Commandments!

The Prophet Nathan, at great risk to his own life, confronted the king with his sins.  David immediately confessed his sins and sought God’s forgiveness.  We believe these are David’s words of confession—confessing that he has sinned against God.

In describing the context of Psalm 51, I have used several words that are not very popular words in Twenty-First Century America.  For example, when was the last time you heard someone talk freely and openly about “sin?”  Or what about “confession?”  One of the reasons we don’t hear people talk about confession, is because we don’t really like to talk about sin.  Confession is about admitting guilt. 

I believe these are the most difficult words in the English language: “I was wrong…  It is my fault…  I am guilty…”  There are not many people in our culture who are willing to admit they are guilty.  We might even have a difficult time finding a guilty person in the Huntsville prison.

Confession is admitting that we are guilty of sin.  But, what exactly is “sin?”

               

Three Words for “Sin.”

There are three Hebrew words that we translate as “sin” in the Old Testament.  The interesting thing is that all three of these words show up in the first two verses of Psalm 51.

Verse 1 b:  “…according to your great compassion blot out my TRANSGRESSIONS.”  This is the Hebrew word “pasha…”

Verse 2 a:  “Wash away all my INIQUITY…”  This is the Hebrew word “avon…”

Verse 2 b:  “…and cleanse me from my SIN.”  This is the Hebrew word “hatah…”

Hatah (translated “sin” in the NIV) is a term from the world of archery.  It paints a word picture for us.  The translation would be something like “to miss the mark.”  The archer takes careful aim at either a target or at his supper.  He draws the bow string back and releases the arrow.  He is doing everything in his power to hit the target or to kill the animal.  BUT, he missed his mark.  If we apply this to sin, then we can say that there are times in our own lives when we tried to do the right thing.  We wanted to do the right thing.  We might even have thought we were doing the right thing.  BUT, we missed the target.

Avon (translated “iniquity” in the NIV) is a term from the world of shepherding.  It also paints a word picture.  The translation would be “to stray off the path.”  Think about the nature of sheep.  Individual sheep do not consider the needs and desires of the rest of the flock.  All they think about is themselves and what they want or need at any given moment.  And what is a sheep’s most immediate need?  Usually, it is food.  A shepherd cares for the flock and provides food and water for the flock.  He also wants to keep the flock together, so they will be easier to protect from predators.  But the sheep don’t think about things like this.  Individual sheep only think about eating the grass in front of them.  A sheep might put his head down and move from one clump of grass to the next without ever paying attention to where he is going or where the rest of the flock is.  After moving from one clump of grass to the next, a sheep might look up and discover he is all alone.  He has strayed away from the path and is separated from the rest of the flock.  Again, we can apply this to sin in our own lives.  We might move closer and closer to the boundaries, thinking, “I’m not hurting anyone.  What I am doing is really not sin.  This is the Twenty-First Century.  No one follows those out dated rules anymore.”  Then one day, like the sheep, we look up to find ourselves all alone.  We strayed away from God’s will and purpose.  And we wonder, “How did I get to where I am now?  How did I become this person?  This is not who I am!”

Pasha (translated “transgressions” in the NIV) is a strictly moral term.  There is no word picture associated with this type of sin.  Its translation is “willful violation of God’s standards.”  Another word we might use here is “rebellion.”  We know what the right thing is, but we don’t care.  We know what the Bible says, but we ignore it.  We seek to please ourselves and satisfy our own desires with no regard for what is right.  If you want a word picture, we might compare this to an angry bull that charges and injures others.  He does not care about your feelings or your pain.  He only cares about himself.

We could build a case here for what we might call “Hebrew parallelism.”  This is a poetic device often found in the Psalms and other Hebrew poetry.  The author repeats himself using similar words and phrases to communicate one idea multiple times.  However, we could also build a case for a comprehensive view of sin.

Such a comprehensive view would mean that all sin separates us from God.  It does not matter which kind of sin you might commit.  You might have TRIED to do the right thing and failed.  You might have WANDERED away from God’s plan.  You might have REBELLED against God willfully.  It doesn’t matter.  Sin is sin.  Any sin—no matter how small you think your sins are—needs to be forgiven by God.  And the pathway to forgiveness is confession.

Confession.

Again, let me point out that confession is not very popular, because at its very root, confession is an admission of guilt.  We cannot be forgiven if we never admit we are guilty of sin.  That is the first step to confession.  Confession is the opposite of pride.

The second step is to say it out loud.  You cannot keep your confession of sin inside.  God has already told us he is willing and able to forgive our sins, so why would we remain silent?  Are we trying to hide our sins from God?  It is like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  Once they realized they had sinned against God, they hid from God.  But God knew about their sin and confronted them.  God already knows about our sins.  God has already told us he is willing to forgive.  We should have no reason to remain silent out of fear.

The third step of confession is to be specific.  We are not told to pray, “Lord, IF I have sinned forgive me of however I have failed you.”  Confession is not supposed to be general.  Confession is when we admit the specific ways we have sinned and failed to do God’s will.  We need to name the ways we have sinned against God.  If you want to be forgiven, you must tell God what you want him to forgive.

Confession Reveals Something about Me.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…None of us is innocent of sin.  We do not measure up to the standards God has set for us to live as his people.

God has a standard he wants us to live.  God’s standard is recorded in the Law.  We are to be different from the rest of the world.  We are to be set apart from the rest of the world.  Our lives are to be devoted to God and his purposes, not the world and its purposes. 

Confession Reveals Something about God.

God is holy and righteous…Another way of saying this is to say God is not like us.  We are sinful and evil.  God is perfect and set apart.  If God is holy and perfect, how can he be in relationship with sinners?  There are two choices.  Either God must compromise his holiness by entering into a relationship with sinners, or God must fix our sin problem before we enter into relationship with God.

That leads us to the second thing confession reveals about God:  God is approachable and forgiving…God has provided the only way to fix our sin problem and enter into a relationship with God.  In the Old Testament this was symbolized in an elaborate sacrificial system.  Then, God sent Jesus, his Only Begotten Son, who lived a sinless and perfect life and then voluntarily gave his life as the final sacrifice for our sins.  Because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we can be forgiven of our sins and have relationship with God.  Relationship on earth and throughout all eternity in Heaven.

Confession Reveals Something about Salvation.

God is the only one who can provide the way to salvation…We cannot solve our sin problem.  We cannot work our way to a position which is pleasing to God.  The Law describes God’s expectations for our lives.  But there is only so much the Law can do.  The Law can COUNT our sins, but the Law cannot COUNTER our sins.  Only Jesus can fix our problem.

Salvation is grace through faith—or no one could be saved…No one deserves to be forgiven.  It is simply a free gift of Grace.  Just like any gift, it can be accepted or rejected.  We accept God’s gift through faith…Believing God wants to save us, and believing that God will keep his promises.  Since God has already offered the gift of salvation, there will be no room for excuses when we stand before God in judgment. 

Conclusion

God doesn’t want you to remain in your sin.  God has provided a way out of sin.  The way out is not the Law and keeping a list of rules.  The way out is to receive God’s free gift through faith.  You will never receive this gift, if you cannot admit you are guilty.  Faith begins when we confess our sins.