We all sinned but God makes us righteous!

We all sinned but God makes us righteous!

CDC/22/7/12

Good morning church! CDC has just started a series on the great Book of Romans, and today we are looking at chapters 2 and 3. The book of Romans is so important that it is placed first in the New Testament among all of Paul’s letters, right after the Four Gospels and the book of Acts. Friends, Romans is also particularly famous for its role in enlightening Martin Luther and sparking off the great Reformation which gave birth to the Protestant church we worship in today. Indeed, Martin Luther held Romans in such high esteem that he wrote “this epistle is in truth the chief part of the New Testament and the purest Gospel. It would be quite proper for a Christian, not only to know it by heart word for word, but also to study it daily, for it is the soul’s daily bread. It can never be read or meditated too much and too well. The more thoroughly it is treated, the more precious it becomes, and the better it tastes”. So we see here friends, there is tremendous value in this marvelous book of Romans.

Okay, church, before we go on to Chapter 2, let us briefly recap the background of this epistle. It was written by Paul in 57 A.D. to the Roman church, a church he had never visited before. Having spent most of his ministry in the Greek and Macedonian regions, now Paul desired to preach more in the West, in Rome and ultimately, Spain. Bible historians indicate that Paul was probably hoping to make Rome his home base to garner support for missionary efforts into Spain.

As the Roman church did not know Paul personally, it was important for Paul to lay down clearly his main theology and Scriptural understanding and also to explain clearly to them the core truths pertaining to sin, judgment, justification by faith in Christ Jesus and the Christian life by the Holy Spirit. The result of Paul’s carefully constructed arguments here has given the Church one of the finest intellectual and spiritual works ever written.

As explained by the renown Bible teacher David Pawson, there was another pressing issue affecting the Church of Rome that Paul needed to address. You see, friends, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius, all the Jews were expelled from Rome, resulting in the church becoming a wholly Gentile church. By the way, friends, for those who may not know, the term Gentile refers to everyone who is not a Jew, including you and me here today. Later, during the reign of Emperor Nero, the Jews were welcomed back to Rome, as Nero realized they were good for business. Upon their return, Jewish Christians found that they were not altogether welcome back into the church, and problems with disunity began to arise between Jews and Gentiles in the church of Rome. Hence, Paul’s letter to the Romans also focuses heavily on explaining how Jews and Gentiles are all alike under sin and are all justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Jews should not look down on Gentiles and Gentiles should not look down on Jews, but both should live for Christ together as fellow brothers and sisters in one family. The unity of both Jews and Gentiles under Christ was a very important concern for Paul.

In Romans Chapter 1, Paul began by explaining how everyone everywhere on earth has no excuse not to know God because His invisible qualities and power is clearly shown in His creation. Sadly, instead of seeking the Creator God, men in general turned to man-made idols and became more and more sinful. Paul also explained how man intrinsically knows that sin is wrong and will lead them to death but somehow people still continue to sin and encourage each other to do likewise. The emphasis in Chapter 1 was on Roman Gentile believers who could identify with this realization of sins that they saw rampantly around them among the pagans.

As we begin Romans Chapter 2, friends, we now see that Paul focuses on a different group of individuals. Reading from vs.1, “Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, passing judgment; for when you judge someone else, you are passing judgment against yourself; since you who are judging do the same things he does. ² We know that God’s judgment lands impartially on those who do such things; ³ do you think that you, a mere man passing judgment on others who do such things, yet doing them yourself, will escape the judgment of God? CJB

In these few verses, friends, we see that Paul focuses on “you who judge someone else”. Everyone say “judge”. Judge! This brings to mind our Lord Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon of the Mount where he said “Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. ² For the way you judge others is how you will be judged — the measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you. ³ Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when you have the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite! First, take the log out of your own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!” Matthew 7:1-5

Church, since we are all sinners, what right do we have to judge fellow sinners? Without Christ, we are all under judgment together. When we pass judgment, we are indirectly saying that we are better than the other person. How often we do that everyday, consciously or unconsciously. Even on the road, most of us will typically judge the driver of a slow car in front of us as being incompetent or irresponsible. In the recent case of a dog mauling a jogger to death in Subang Jaya, I’m sure many of us jumped to pass judgment on the owner, right? Likewise, how many of us were so quick to judge a certain pastor in Singapore who is in trouble with the law? Even when we don’t know the full facts or circumstance of a case, we are already ever so quick to pass judgment.

Well, friends, remember that passing judgment has to do with condemnation. Instead, the opposite of passing judgment is mercy. Everyone say Mercy. Mercy! Instead of passing judgment, we should instead pray for the other person’s good. Even when we see a seemingly terrible sinner in front of us, did you know, it is in a certain way, looking at a mirror, a reflection of ourselves? Given different circumstances, we could well have ended up the same way. Friends, we need a paradigm shift in our mindset here, to realize, to recognize that passing judgment is sin, and instead pray to God to give us more mercy. So the next time we are tempted to pass judgment, let us stop, and instead try to look with mercy and pray for that person concerned. At the same time, we should reflect on our own lives to see if there is a log or plank in our own eyes.

Another thing, friends, even in helping others, it is hard when we view ourselves as superior or less sinful. In Galatians 6:1, Paul warns us “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted”. Friends, when we recognize our own sinfulness and the great grace and forgiveness we have received, we will naturally be more humble and understanding and thus better able to empathize with fellow sinners and help them. So friends, again, let us remember to judge less, and show more mercy in our daily lives.

Ok, moving on to verse 4, let us read: - “⁴ Or perhaps you despise the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience; because you don’t realize that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to turn from your sins. ⁵ But by your stubbornness, by your unrepentant heart, you are storing up anger for yourself on the Day of Anger, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed; ⁶ for he will pay back each one according to his deeds. ⁷ To those who seek glory, honor and immortality by perseverance in doing good, he will pay back eternal life. ⁸ But to those who are self-seeking, who disobey the truth and obey evil, he will pay back wrath and anger.”

In these verses, friends, we see three of God’s great qualities, His kindness –everyone say “kindness”, His forbearance – everyone say “forbearance” and His patience – everyone say “patience”. Friends, God is righteous, and His holy character demands that He punishes sin and there will be a Day of judgment for all mankind. However, His kindness and patience delays this judgment and has given us time to repent. However, Paul warns us not to be stubborn and unrepentant, for such attributes only store up wrath for ourselves on the day of judgment.

Verses 7 and 8 are especially instructive. Verse 7 speaks of the reward of eternal life for those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality. Friends, if we seek something, we will always have it in our minds. Everyone say seek! Seek! Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. God’s kingdom, God’s righteousness should always be first on our minds. Glory, honor and immortality are not so much in respect of this life, but in the life to come. Well, we can get a certain measure of glory and honor for ourselves in human riches and achievement in this world but friends, it is only temporary and of no lasting value. As Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?” The glory and honor that we should seek here is not from men but from God. It is the glory and honor that will last forever in Heaven that truly matters.

Friends, in regard to the phrase “perseverance in doing good”, some may ask the question – Doesn’t this indicate salvation by works? Are we required to persevere in X XX amount of works to earn or merit our salvation? Of course not! Christianity is the only major religion in the world that preaches salvation by grace, through faith, instead of works. I remember watching one Clint Eastwood movie where he said “Deserve ain’t got nothing to do with it!” and in this case, this statement is also so true! As Paul clearly explains in Ephesians 2:8, For you have been delivered by grace through trusting, and even this is not your accomplishment but God’s gift.” Friends, let us be clear that salvation is a gift of God, solely by grace, through faith and not by works.

However, friends, perseverance in doing good is the natural fruit of an active, living faith. As the book of James explains, faith without works is dead. Some say that the Christian faith is effortless, but this is simply not true. Rather as we continue in our faith in the Lord, His Spirit works powerfully within us to spur us on towards good deeds. In the Christian life committed to the Lord, we will encounter certain opposition, and at times we may be tempted to give up, but one of the hallmarks of a true Christian is perseverance. Everyone say Perseverance. Perseverance! In Revelation, Jesus promises rewards again and again to “him who overcomes”. Everyone say Overcome. Overcome! In Revelation 2:7, Jesus says “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ and in Revelation 2:11 He says “He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.”’ So friends, we must press on and overcome our difficulties and trials in living out our faith in Jesus so that we will receive our reward when our Lord returns.

Ok friends, moving on, verse 8, in contrast, gives us the attributes of those who will receive anger and wrath. They are self-seeking, disobey the truth, and obey evil. As Pastor Richard may say, a selfish, disobedient Christian is an oxymoron. Those who are self-seeking are always looking out for their own needs, own wants, own desires. Always Me! Me! Me! They put themselves first over others and have little or no regard for other people. Frankly friends, all of us are guilty of this kind of selfishness, to one degree or another. In our sinful human nature, it is not easy to put God or others before ourselves but it is our destiny in Christ to become more and more like Him as we walk by the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist understood this, saying in all humility “He must become greater, I must become less”, referring to Jesus in John 3:30. Friends, our Lord Jesus Himself showed us the way, leaving His privileged home, His great power and position in heaven to come to earth as a mortal human being, sacrificing Himself to save our fallen race. In Mark 10:45, Jesus told His disciples “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Just as our Lord served us and treated us as better than Himself, we too need to follow His example, and learn to serve others, considering them better than us. As we walk and grow in our Christian lives, it is important for us to gradually shift our mindsets from being me-centred to God-centred and others-centred. Let’s repeat this:- Me centred to God-centred and others’ centred.  

Church, to disobey the truth is to obey evil. If we know we are disobedient in some area, we need to return to the Lord quickly in repentance and pray for mercy and help to overcome. God’s Word is true and while we still have breath on earth, the Lord will not turn away anyone who comes to Him. He has promised us that, church! So friends, if we are caught in sin, let us turn back to God in urgency and receive forgiveness. We cannot hope to persist in continuous disobedience to God while hoping to escape wrath and judgment.

Okay friends, let us now move on to verses 9-16, which I’ll just summarize. In this passage, Paul starts speaking of Jews and Gentiles, explaining that God will bring judgment on everyone who does evil, first the Jew and then the Gentile, and Shalom peace to everyone who does good, first the Jew and then the Gentile. God does not show any favoritism. Paul then goes on to explain that although Jews will be judged within the framework of the Torah, Gentiles will be judged by their own consciences as the conduct the Torah dictates is written in their hearts. By the way, for those who may not know, the Torah refers to God’s law in the first 5 books of the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments given through Moses. Verse 13 is especially instructive. It reads “For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom God considers righteous; rather, it is the doers of what Torah says who will be made righteous in God’s sight”. Friends, this echoes closely what is instructed in James 1:22-25 which says “²² Don’t deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it! ²³ For whoever hears the Word but doesn’t do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror,²⁴ who looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But if a person looks closely into the perfect law, which gives freedom, and continues, becoming not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work it requires, then he will be blessed in what he does.” So friends, let us endeavor to be not only hearers but doers of what the Bible teaches us, and as the Word promises, we will be blessed in what we do.

Then in verses 17-24, Paul now addresses the Jews who boast about their status in receiving the Torah from God and knowing His will. Paul challenges them to consider whether they themselves are really following the commandments they are preaching. “You who preach “Do not steal?”, do you also steal? “Do you who preach “Do not commit adultery?”, do you also commit adultery? You who abhors idols, do you rob temples?” Basically, Paul is asking the Jews “Do you practice what you preach?” and Paul points out that their hypocrisy has caused God’s name to be blasphemed among the Gentiles.

Applying this to ourselves as Christians, hypocrisy is in fact a very common accusation against us. Many have in fact left the church because they cannot stand the hypocrisy within its walls, and many are turned away from Christianity because of the hypocritical lifestyle of so-called Christians. Friends, once we start calling ourselves Christians, we immediately bear the name of Christ, and stand up to greater scrutiny from unbelievers. In Luke 5:13-16, Jesus says ““You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.¹⁴ “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

Friends, when we become followers of Jesus, we are immediately called to be the salt and light of the world. The opposite of hypocrisy is genuineness. Everyone say Genuineness. For many years, I went to church but did not have a real relationship with God. Then I saw the natural gratitude of a colleague, who thanked God and thanked Jesus so easily and genuinely for even small things and I realized I wanted a real faith like that. From then on, I genuinely began to seek God to be real in my life and life with Jesus really started from then on. Friends, let us move away from hypocrisy and really seek the reality of God in our lives. We are not meant to be Sunday Christians but everyday testimonies for Jesus.

Ok friends, in Romans 2:25-29, Paul then makes it a point to stress that it is the circumcision of the heart that has value in God’s eyes rather than the circumcision of the flesh. What does this circumcision of the heart mean? In Deuteronomy 10:16, Moses preached “Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart; and don’t be stiff-necked any longer!” After the second generation of Israelites were circumcised just before they went into the promised land, all the men were helpless for a number of days until their injuries healed, and they had to be dependent on God in humility lest some enemy attack them. Everyone say humble! Humble! Friends, a circumcised heart is also a humble heart, open to God. It is also a tender heart, filled with love for God. For many of us, when we are in love, we can love till our heart hurts, right? There’s a love song by Rod Stewart that says “first cut is the deepest” referring to his first love. All of us need to learn to love Jesus so deeply that way.

Ok friends, coming to Chapter 3:1-2, Paul now explains how the Jews are privileged in being entrusted with the very words of God. This privilege of course comes with great responsibility. The famous words in the Spiderman movie are very true even in this case “With great power comes great responsibility”.

Church, this truth is also very applicable to us as Christians as we also have been entrusted with the very Words of God in the Bible. We should not take this privilege lightly but make it a point to study and know the Word deeply for it is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path, as the Psalmist writes. A time may well be coming near when there will be a famine of God’s Word as prophesied in Amos.

In the movie, the book of Eli, Denzel Washington holds the last copy of the Bible in a post-apocalyptic world and is commissioned by God to bring it from East to West to a place where it will be safe. Along the way, he meets much danger and adventure but everyday, he reads the Bible faithfully. Although he loses the Bible later, he is able to recite it word for word once he reaches his final destination.

Friends, in many countries, even in East Malaysia, there is a shortage of Bibles and the need for God’s Word is great. In time to come, there could well be a situation where all Bibles are outlawed and required to be destroyed. While we have easy access to the Word of God with us now, we would do well to be vigilant and commit portions of Scripture to memory so that we may still have some of God’s Word with us in dark days ahead.

Ok, moving on, friends, Romans 3:3-8, Paul explains that although some Jews were unfaithful, God still remains faithful. Everyone say Faithful. Faithful! For us, it is the same, God is faithful even when we are faithless as is written in 2 Timothy 2:13. Even though we fail again and again, God picks us up and restores us every time we come back to Him. In fact, as Paul continues, God is faithful even if every man is a liar, and God is completely righteous in judging our sins.

Continuing from there, Paul then addresses a common argument some people were using that says “why judge me if my sins make God look even more holy?” “Why judge me if when I lie, I make God look more truthful?” “Ridiculous”, Paul says “Then how could there be judgment day?” Friends, if such arguments were accepted, people would do evil all the time, using the excuse that doing evil would produce more good. Church, the point is not whether our sins make God look more righteous. The point is that our sins have a consequence and will bring judgment on that appointed Day unless we repent and turn to Jesus.

Ok, friends, now we come to Romans 3:9-18, the main crux of our message today where Paul establishes clearly that both Jews and Gentiles are all controlled by sin and under judgment. He quotes from the Psalms:- 

 “So are we Jews better off? Not entirely; for I have already made the charge that all people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are controlled by sin. There is no one righteous, not even one! No one understands, ¹¹ no one seeks God, ¹² all have turned away and at the same time become useless; there is no one who shows kindness, not a single one! ¹³ “Their throats are open graves, they use their tongues to deceive. Vipers’ venom is under their lips.¹⁴ Their mouths are full of curses and bitterness. ¹⁵ “Their feet rush to shed blood, ¹⁶ in their ways are ruin and misery,¹⁷ and the way of shalom they do not know. ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Friends, this passage that Paul quoted from the Psalms clearly tell us that no one, neither Jew nor Gentile is righteous, not even one. Without Jesus in us, we will be like that. We won’t understand. We won’t seek God. Turning away from God, we become useless. The word “Salvation” has the meaning of being salvaged, of making useful again something that would be otherwise useless.

In verses 12 and 13, we see that godlessness is also often reflected in a lack of kindness and the sins of the tongue, full of curses, bitterness and lies. We are reminded again here of the great sinful capacity of the tongue which Scripture warns us time and time again. James likens the tongue to a beast no man can tame and a little fire that sets a whole forest ablaze.

The godless also have no fear of God. They do as they please without any thought about the coming Day of Judgment. Once we are saved, it is our calling to practice the opposite – to seek God daily, to show kindness, to control our tongue, to follow the way of peace and fear the Lord.

Moving on, friends let’s read from verse 19” ¹⁹ Moreover, we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those living within the framework of the Torah, in order that every mouth may be stopped and the whole world be shown to deserve God’s adverse judgment. ²⁰ For in his sight no one alive will be considered righteous on the ground of legalistic observance of Torah commands, because what Torah really does is show people how sinful they are.

So we see here friends, the very purpose of the law, the Torah. It is to show everyone that they cannot meet God’s righteous requirement on their own. It is impossible for any human being, even the most devout person to be good enough. God’s standard of perfection and holiness is so high that no man could possibly attain it. That’s why we need help, that’s why we need a Savior to save us.

On our own, we would have no hope, no solution to the problem of sin but thanks be to God, He has made a way, by giving the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. We were powerless in our sins, but God made it possible, He made the way through Jesus Christ for us!

Let’s go on now to vs.21-24 where God explains this way to us:- ²¹ But now, quite apart from Torah, God’s way of making people righteous in his sight has been made clear — although the Torah and the Prophets give their witness to it as well — ²² and it is a righteousness that comes from God, through the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah (which means Savior), to all who continue trusting. For it makes no difference whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, ²³ since all have sinned and come short of earning God’s praise. ²⁴ By God’s grace, without earning it, all are granted the status of being considered righteous before him, through the act redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by the Messiah Jesus. ²⁵ God put Jesus forward as the sacrifice of atonement for sin through his faithfulness in respect to his bloody sacrificial death. This vindicated God’s righteousness; because, in his forbearance, he had passed over [with neither punishment nor remission] the sins people had committed in the past; ²⁶ and it vindicates his righteousness in the present age by showing that he is righteous himself and is also the one who makes people righteous on the ground of Yeshua’s faithfulness.

You see, friends, after establishing that all people are sinners and cannot be saved on their own, Paul now unfolds the main thrust of the gospel – God’s way of making people righteous in His sight. What is this way? It is a righteousness that is given, as a gift, from God through our Savior Jesus Christ to all who continue trusting. In the Old Testament, God instituted the Torah that required animal sacrifices for the people to receive forgiveness from their sins.

Incidentally, the early Chinese also understood this. Very interestingly, the word righteousness in Chinese is a combination of the words “sheep” over the word “us”. It seemed that the early Chinese forefathers understood that the sacrifice of a sheep was necessary to cover our sins so that we would be considered righteous. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, we see how Abel’s sacrifice of sheep was accepted by God while Cain’s sacrifice of fruit was not. This knowledge could well have passed down from Abel to Noah to his son Japheth and his later descendants who went to China and became the Chinese people.

This was to foreshadow the coming of God’s only Son as the perfect sacrifice once and for all that would serve as the way complete forgiveness of sins could be made available to us. And how do we receive this? By continuing to trust. But to trust in what? To trust in Jesus for salvation.

In verse 24, consider the words “granted the status of being considered righteous”. In the NIV, the word used is “justified”. Everyone say “justified”. Someone wants said that justified means to be made “just as if I had never sinned”. In legal terms, being justified is to be declared not guilty, even though we are guilty. There was a Mexican drug dealer who killed a man in a deal gone sour and was sentenced to death in Texas. Somehow, his clever lawyer managed to commute the sentence to life imprisonment, and in prison, he found the Lord. After he was released, he proceeded to plant many churches in Mexico. One of his common sayings was “Texas said I’m guilty, the judge said I’m guilty, but Jesus says I am not guilty!”

Friends, all of us are guilty of sin. It’s in our blood. Even a child knows how to be selfish and want toys belonging to another child all on his own. Nobody needs to teach him to sin or to lie. Because of our sin, we were destined for death and eternal judgment and suffering. However, because God our Heavenly Father loves us, He provided a way for us to become righteous, just as if we had never sinned. Friends, to be righteous is the only way that we can be with God and escape judgment and through Jesus Christ, this way is now made available to us. We only have to trust Him, like a little child.

Many people cannot grasp this awesome concept. They cannot comprehend how the Almighty, All-powerful God of Heaven can possibly sacrifice Himself and suffer so much pain for the sake of weak, mortal, created beings. Logically, this does not seem to make sense.  However, if you consider a father and a child, it is not surprising for a loving father to sacrifice everything, even his own life, for the sake of a child. And that’s how God sees us – as His own children. The Bible says that by the Holy Spirit, we call God our Father, Abba – We call God, daddy! We are more precious to God our Heavenly Father than a son or daughter is to a loving earthly father. Why did God create families, father, mother, son, daughter? Why did He introduce Himself and our Lord Jesus as Father and Son? Church, He wants us to understand that He loves us like the closest family loves each other. Friends, if only we could truly understand and know how much God loves us!

In closing, let us now focus on our Lord Jesus, and thank Him for His way of salvation. At this point, I would like to take a short moment to talk to anyone who may not have accepted Jesus before. As we have learnt from the book of Romans, all of us are sinners, and judgment and terrible suffering in hell awaits us because of our sins. We can never be good enough, righteous enough on our own! However, God has prepared a way out for us because He loves us so much as His own children. He has sent us a Savior to die for us that we might be saved and receive eternal life. He is God’s own Son and His name is Jesus, which means Savior. He came to earth to be a human being about 2000 years ago and died on the cross as the perfect sacrifice to bring salvation to all who would believe in Him. God raised Jesus back to life on the 3^rd day and He appeared to His disciples and to many people before going back to Heaven. The Bible says that Jesus continues to knock on the door of every heart and will enter all who invite Him in and give them His salvation and forgiveness from all sins. Once we invite Jesus in, He will give us a new heart, and His Holy Spirit to help us become more and more like Him.

I will now say a prayer to invite Jesus into our hearts, and I would like to invite anyone of you to follow me in this prayer to God. “Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me, so that my sins can be forgiven. Please forgive me, dear Lord, and take away all my sins. I invite you, Lord Jesus, to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and help me live life anew in You. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Bible says every time someone repents and finds salvation in Jesus, the Heavens rejoice, and there is a great celebration in Heaven. May the Lord guard and protect everyone of us who said that prayer. In closing, let us now focus on Jesus, as we sing Jesus, God’s Righteousness revealed.   

The ride through Jerusalem

The ride through Jerusalem

CDC/Elder Gong Wooi Sing/1/4/12

“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “Say to Daughter Zion,    ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11

Jerusalem is a city surrounded by many hills. The Mount of Olives is immediately east of Jerusalem. Bethany is about 3km from Jerusalem while Bethpage is about 1 mile from Jerusalem. As you go down the Mount of Olives towards Jerusalem, you will pass many olive trees and even part of the garden of Gethsemane. While the term normally used is “going down” to Jerusalem, this is a bit misleading as Jerusalem is also on a hill. As such, you will descend from the Mount of Olives and ascend again towards the holy city.

Bethpage is mainly famous for being the place where Jesus got his donkeys. Bethany on the other hand was a place close to the Lord’s heart. There, He was much loved by His close friends Lazarus, Mary and Martha. It was a place of rest and relaxation for Him, where He could expect a warm meal and fellowship with close friends. 10 years ago, I named the Kota Kemuning group Bethany with the goal of being a place where a stranger would feel at home. Today, the Bethany care group has certainly lived up to its name, being a place of warm fellowship and light banter, especially among the womenfolk.

It was on a Sunday morning that Jesus rode into Jerusalem. Saturday, the previous day was the Sabbath and Friday, the day before, He had the Passover meal with His disciples.

How did Jesus secure the donkeys? Those days, a donkey was like a Mercedes to a farmer. Some think Jesus prearranged for the donkeys while others say it is the Holy Spirit’s work. The important thing is that it took place to fulfill prophecy. Still, one sign is not enough to confirm the Messiah. Not everyone who comes to Jerusalem in a donkey can claim to be the Messiah. There are of course many other prophecies that are needed to be fulfilled to confirm this.

How many donkeys did Jesus ride on? I can’t quite imagine a man riding on two donkeys at the same time. In my recent trip to Israel, we had a very knowledgeable guide who knew the New Testament very well. Once I forgot the proverb “Don’t say things too quickly” and when she was talking about the Eastern gate of the temple, I confused it with the Eastern gate of the city and she promptly corrected me “They don’t allow donkeys in the temple” to much laughter.  Regarding the two donkeys, she explained that the people placed cloaks on both the donkeys but the Scripture did not say that Jesus sat on both donkeys. Genesis 49:11 says “He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch”. Jesus rode on a baby donkey, never ridden before. The presence of the other donkey, presumably the colt’s mother, would be calming to the colt.

How did they gather such a large crowd in Jerusalem without any media? Tens of thousands had gathered at that occasion. There are in fact 3 reasons for this. Firstly, it was the time of the Passover. Every Jew must visit Jerusalem 3 times a year and Passover is a favorite time for it is then that the Jews remember their deliverance from Egypt. Passover is something like Independence Day to them. The historian Josephus wrote that while the normal population of Jerusalem was about 100,000, during the Passover, it could swell up to 2 million. Secondly, a lot of them had also come to see Lazarus, whose fame had spread as the guy who had been raised from the dead. Thirdly, the day Jesus rode in was the first day of Nisan where the households were asked to prepare lambs for sacrifice. The High Priest would go out to the surrounding areas to find a spotless lamb and carry it through the Eastern gate of Jerusalem. Jesus must have come in not long after. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as the Lamb that takes away the sin of the people.

What kind of reception was this? It was one fit for a king. Palm fronds are symbolic of victory. The cloaks on the road signifies submission to the king. In the Old Testament after Jehu was anointed by Elisha, the soldiers placed their cloaks on the steps for him to walk up.

The overwhelming welcome showed that the mood of the people. They were emotionally fired up. For over a 100 years, the Jewish people had been conquered and oppressed. Horrendous and terrible atrocities had been inflicted upon them. They really suffered a lot. In Israel, we visited Masaga, a fortress built by King Herod on a precipice at the end of the Dead Sea. It is only about 15 feet above sea level but very high up relationally as the Dead Sea is a 1000 feet below sea level. It was the last stand made by the Jews when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in AD70. It was there that over a 100 Jews killed their own wives and children to spare them being raped and forced to be slaves. Then they drew lots to kill each other. When Israelis go for national service, they say on oath “Masaga must never fall again”.

Imagine how the Jews longed for a Savior. The Christmas song, O come, O come, Emmanuel expresses very well this deep longing. Seeing Jesus fulfilling prophecy by entering through the East gate and riding on a donkey and considering all the great miracles He had done, the people became so excited that Jesus would be the King to overthrow the Romans, free them and restore the glory of Israel. Incidentally, an East gate reference can be seen in Ezekiel 43:1-2 which says “Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.”

Today, the mood in Israel is great and gungho. They were involved in 5 wars since their were formed again in 1948 and won all of them, some through miraculous circumstances. There are some who even wear T-Shirts in the market that say “America, do not be afraid. Israel is behind you”.

Hosanna, hosanna means “Save us now, save us now”. The Scripture “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” is very popular in worship songs among the Messianic Jews or Jewish Christians. In Matthew 23:39 Jesus says “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, Barukh haba b'Shem Adonai "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." In other words, Jesus was saying “You won’t see Me again until you are ready to welcome Me”. 

What was in the mind of the disciples?  The mood of the disciples must also have been very upbeat. On the way, James and John were arguing about who was the greatest among the disciples. Even their mother came forward to lobby Jesus for her sons to be seated on his left and right in Heaven.

In Matthew’s account, the Pharisees are not even mentioned. In Luke’s account, it says they were indignant that Jesus was receiving such praise. However, He told them that even if the people did not praise, even the stones would cry out! The Pharisees knew that with Jesus, their popularity was gone, and they were very jealous. They were also perhaps afraid that such fanfare would stir up the Romans in the city. However, the Romans typically would have had a look at Jesus on a donkey and thought it was a big joke. To them, even generals had to come into the city on a tall, white horse.

Jesus knew He was the promised Messiah and set Himself up as Messiah. Earlier, we see that Jesus shunned publicity and asked those He healed to keep quiet about it. Once, when Jesus perceived the people were about to make Him king by force, He departed to the mountains. It was all a matter of timing. Now was the time when publicity was needed. If Jesus were to come and die quietly Christianity would have never taken off so quickly. Imagine if you were a resident in Jerusalem. Emotions were so high that Jesus would be the Messiah and then brought so low when He was humiliated and crucified. Then you would be astonished when you heard that Jesus had resurrected. And then, you heard Peter preaching that powerful message quoting the Scriptures to fit in recent events. Wouldn’t you be an interested listener? 3,000 came to the Lord in a single day. Many would have had an internal tug of war and relooked the Scriptures for themselves.

Jesus had come as the Messiah and not the conquering king this time. The Jews totally misunderstood His mission. They wanted to fit Jesus into a mould of their own making. People felt cheated and this probably caused them to turn and shout for Jesus to be crucified. The Lord however, went into Jerusalem determined to the will of the Father, knowing there was no turning back.

In verse 11, people in the city asked “Who is this?” The crowds gave a seemingly understated answer “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee”. It was a low-key answer. Perhaps, they were afraid to provoke the Pharisees. Galilee and Nazareth were not known to have prophets. Nathaniel expressed surprise that anything good could come out of Nazareth. In Matthew 2:23, Matthew quoted the prophets concerning the Messiah “He will be called a Nazarene.”

In Isaiah 53, the prophecy of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension is told in amazing accuracy, 100 years before the event. Jesus is truly the Son of the living God. In Revelation 9:7-10, “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.””, we see how there will be an eternal Palm Sunday in Heaven.

As we consider Palm Sunday, each one of us will have our own different responses. However, for me, there are 2 main lessons about Christ – His humility and His sacrificial love.

Coming on a colt shows us the Lord’s humble nature for riding on a young donkey was a very humbling things. Earlier in the Beatitudes, Jesus taught, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”. Sir George Allenby, the British General dismounted from his horse when entering Jerusalem in respect for the Lord. “How could I ride a horse into Jerusalem when my Lord rode a donkey?”

Our Lord’s sacrificial love was seen when Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem. He suffered 39 lashes and died the most painful death to show how deep was His love for you and me. In response, it is easy to say “I’ll try to love Him more” but we would do well rather to show kindness to those around us, and be a blessing so that others can know God by showing His love through us.

The Cost of Following Jesus

The Cost of Following Jesus
CDC/ 4/3/12

Today’s topic is an especially hard one, being about the cost of discipleship, the cost of following Jesus, and we will examine in particular two areas in our lives which we must learn to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
Our main passage today is from Matthew 8:18-22 but let’s read together from vs.16, “ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases 18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Ok, friends, let us picture ourselves back in time to the place where Jesus was. Imagine, it is evening, and Jesus has been ministering to crowds of people in the thousands probably for hours now, healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching the good news. Jesus would be very tired by now, I’m sure, and the Lord gives instructions to his disciples to cross by boat to the other side of the lake. We get an idea how tired Jesus was because just a few verses later in vs.25, it describes how Jesus fell so soundly asleep he was not even awaken by a powerful storm.  Just as Jesus is about to go, a teacher of the law who has been listening to Jesus comes and tells Jesus“ I will follow you wherever you go.” But Jesus answers “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Well friends, what does this mean? In fact, Jesus was telling the man, “Even animals, even birds have their own homes but if you follow me, you won’t have a permanent home.” Sure enough, straight after this encounter, Jesus had to sleep in a boat, something Jesus and His disciples must have done quite often in His three years of ministry.
Incidentally, in Luke 9:57-58, this same conversation is also recorded. Someone tells Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go.” and Jesus answers in the same way “Foxes have holes and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  Just a few verses preceding this encounter, Luke records how a Samaritan village would not welcome Jesus, and after this conversation, Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples to towns He will go to later. And Jesus warns them that some of these towns will not welcome them. Indeed, the life of Jesus and His disciples during that time were like nomads, traveling from town to town without a permanent home. So, we see here, friends, this saying of Jesus definitely applied to Jesus and His disciples during that time.

However, the next question we need to ask ourselves is “Does this apply to us today?” In the early church, the disciples of Jesus largely followed this model, especially the apostle Paul, who traveled all over the known world to spread the gospel. Paul gave up everything and did not have a permanent place to lay his head. In 1 Corinthians 4:11, Paul exclaims “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.”

Well, friends, there were also many Christians who did not move about but continued to stay in their own homes and served God in the local church. Were they not true disciples of Jesus? Of course they were. There are missionaries whom the Church sends out, and there are senders who support the missionaries. Both are important in the Church of Jesus Christ. However, it is also true that more are called than are willing to go. As the Scripture says “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”.

The missionary calling, friends, is often one of great hardship and persecution.
Consider the shining example of our own sister Soo Bee, who is doing missionary work in Chad, Africa. Forsaking the comfort of home here in Malaysia, she is staying in a little hut in a poor African country, serving God almost on her own. In a recent email, Soo Bee shared how in a place where resources are so limited and the need is so great, anyone would be overwhelmed if they did not learn how to just live one day at a time, and not worry about tomorrow. Her courage, her perseverance in the Lord’s service is simply amazing, and the Lord will not forget the sacrifices of His servants. As Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 19:29, “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Yes, friends, the sacrifice may be great, but Jesus promises that the rewards will be even greater. God is no man’s debtor. We just can’t outgive the great God who loves us.

Ok, friends, some of us may think “If I don’t have a calling to be missionary, I don’t need to leave my home. This doesn’t quite apply to me”. However, friends, we must not forget that we are in the end times, and Jesus warns us in Matthew 24 that we, His disciples will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and hated by all nations because of Him. Friends, when persecution comes upon all Christians as a whole, losing our beloved homes, even our lives could become a serious reality indeed.

Friends, for many of us, our home represents our greatest form of security. It is our place of comfort, where we can sleep and be at rest. Those who have no home, who sleep on the streets, or under makeshift tents can never be fully at rest. They know they are always vulnerable to easy attacks from robbers and thieves. Losing our homes would probably be the greatest material sacrifice we would have to make for following Jesus. And we need to be ready should that day come.

Church, the main point of this saying is that Jesus must be first, even above our homes, even above our most basic comforts. In today’s world, many have become too caught up with things like home improvement - renovating every few years, always looking for the latest hi-fi set, LCD TV or sofa. How much better, friends, would the resources entrusted to us be invested instead in building the kingdom of God and helping the poor. Church, in view of the coming end times, it is so important, now, when we still have times of peace, to become less absorbed in the things of the world, and more devoted to the things of God, so that we can be strong and mature in the Lord when the time of testing comes. Remember, friends, our security, our refuge, our meaning in life should be in God alone and not on material things.

In the great passage of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11, we see that one of their common factors was that they saw themselves as foreigners and strangers on earth. They knew that this earth is only a temporary place, not where they truly belonged. Instead, they continually looked forward to a better place, a better country, a heavenly one.

Let’s read this beautiful portion of scripture together:-
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:13-16

Friends, this great city that God has prepared for us is described in all its splendor in Revelation 21. It is a city made out of pure gold and precious stones. This city does not need the sun or the moon for God gives it light, and our Lord Jesus is its lamp.

Church, when we have this mindset, this continuous expectation and hope for this far better home, we no longer become so focused on the temporal things in life. As Paul exclaims in 2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal..” Friends, this principle is so important for us to understand and apply to our daily lives. All trouble, all suffering, all hardship that we could possibly face on earth is nothing compared to the most amazing, beautiful, perfect everlasting life we have in Jesus.

Friends, beware. In today’s church, there is a dangerous prosperity gospel that focuses too much on the material blessings of the here and now. Prosperity preachers even dare to say “If you have Jesus, you can expect to get rich, you can expect to get gold!”. In contrast, friends, if you really look into the teachings of Jesus, the Lord always focuses our attention on heavenly things rather than earthly things. He says in Matthew 8:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Friends, wealth in itself is not sinful, but those who have wealth must be careful not to let it become a snare for their hearts. It is so easy to fall into the love of money and become entangled in the ways of the world. We have to recognize that there is no point in accumulating lots of wealth that we cannot take away when we leave this earth. As Jesus said “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul? “

In life, friends, let us bless when we have the opportunity to bless, realizing within us that we are strangers in this temporary world. Let us always look forward expectantly to our perfect home, the perfect kingdom that the Lord who loves us has destined for us one day.

Ok, moving on, friends, let’s come back to Matthew 8 vs 21. Straightaway, another disciple says to Jesus “Lord, first let me go and bury my father”, but Jesus tells him “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead”. Here, there is a disciple who makes a seemingly reasonable request of the Lord. Bible scholars speculate that it is quite unlikely the man’s father was already dead, because he would be already too busy with funeral arrangements if that were the case. Instead, his father was probably of old age or ill health, and the man probably wanted to take care of his father until death before committing to Jesus. However, the Lord tells him “Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead”. Apparently, the members of this man’s family were spiritually dead. Perhaps they had not accepted the testimony of Jesus. The underlying principle behind Jesus’ reply is that Jesus is more important than our family ties.

In the corresponding passage in Luke 9, yet one more disciple comes to Jesus and says “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family”. The Lord answers him “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God”. Furthermore, in Matthew 10:37, Jesus said ““Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”. Therefore, church, the main point again is that our faith in our Lord Jesus is most important, far more important than even the closest of our family relationships.

But how does this apply to us practically? For many Christians in non-Christian homes, this is in fact a very difficult issue. For example, in many traditional pagan Chinese families, failure to hold the joss-stick and bow down to one’s ancestors is seen as being non-filial. A Christian friend of mine told of how the rest of her family boycotted her and would not speak to her because she refused to burn incense or bow down to her recently deceased father-in-law. The point is, friends, difficult as it may be, our love for our Lord Jesus must take precedence even over our love for our families.

However, does this mean we should abandon our families in our service of God or cut ourselves off from unbelieving family members? Of course not! Although our love for Jesus is first, this does not mean that we stop loving our families. In fact, the more we know Jesus, the more we know God, we will find that we will love our families even more. As John writes, “we love because God first loved us”. Let’s say it together, church. “We love because God first loved us”. There is something about knowing God’s love that overflows out of us, and enables us to really love others.

Recently, I heard a testimony of a pastor’s wife who was the first to know Christ among her family members. She was practically disowned by her parents and had to stay with friends and depend on others to help her buy working clothes. Basically, she lost her home, she lost her family’s love and support because she decided to follow Jesus. Yet, amazingly, she found that she loved her parents more and more as she felt Christ’s love for her through her persecution. Every year, she would continue to bring flowers to her mother only to have the flowers thrown back in her face. Yet she continued to love her parents and pray for them. After a long time, they too came to know the Lord and one day, the mother asked forgiveness from her daughter.

Friends, some of us may feel that God is too hard to require such a sacrifice of us. However, we have to understand that if we really know God, putting Him first is how we can really show true love to our family. What would be the use of following our parents or relatives back to worshipping idols? We would perish with them. However, if we remained true to God, and continued to pray for them, our parents or relatives would have every chance to know the real truth and be saved in the love of God. Sometimes, as Jesus said, it takes a single kernel of wheat to fall to the ground and die for many seeds to be produced.

Church, most precious in this world above all material things are our family relationships, but even this must come secondary when it comes to our Lord Jesus. Following Jesus means putting Jesus not only before all material things, but also before all relationships.

So friends, looking back at the key message today, we see that basically Jesus is telling us “If you follow me, you may lose your home, you may lose your family.” Underlying these two hard sayings is the Lord’s command in Luke 9:23-24 – let’s read together “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Basically, friends, following Jesus demands our all, our everything. Either Jesus is Lord of all, or He is not Lord at all.

However, friends, in our actual practical experience, has following Jesus actually been so hard? The truth is, most of us have not endured real persecution for our faith. Other than missionaries who have left homes or those persecuted by non-Christian family members, most of us have generally never really suffered for our faith.

We, the local church have thus far largely been spared persecution, perhaps due to her general agreement to restrict the preaching of the gospel. However, in so doing, are we guilty of obeying men rather than God? How would the church of China, for example, respond in our shoes? These are not easy questions, but in general, to obey the whole will of God could well result in persecution, and no one likes to move away from their comfort zones. Still, in the coming end times, God will use persecution as a way to shake the church, and this testing will identify who is really loyal to Jesus and who is not. Again friends, let us be reminded that in the time that we have now, when great persecution has not yet arrived, we must strengthen our faith, grow deep and mature in the Lord, and strive to please the Lord in all that we do.

Friends, in recent years, there has been a popular movement within the church that focuses heavily on the “Gospel of Grace”. The basic premise is that since Jesus has done everything for you, you don’t need to do anything at all, just sit back and receive! Some proponents of this gospel even claim that Jesus’ Sermon of the Mount and the Lord’s prayer are only relevant up to the cross and that people trying to live by them are accused of working for their salvation and missing the grace of God! They even accuse those who confess their sins after being saved as being faithless since they claim all sins are already forgiven anyway - past, present and future! They focus a lot on on what Jesus has done for them but not on what Jesus requires of them. How sad that God’s Word is manipulated in this way. 

Friends, while the emphasis on Jesus’ finished work on the cross is all-important, this movement has gone beyond that to create a kind of easy-going gospel where there is no striving, no aiming for holiness that is clearly taught in the New Testament. This gospel is pleasing to the ears, and has the appearance of wisdom but it has no place for the Words of Jesus that we are looking at today – that we need to put Jesus above all comfort, even our homes, even our families.

Church, following Jesus does not mean we will have an easy, problem-free life. However, God has promised in Scripture that He will always be with us, always there to help us through every difficult situation as we continue to hope in Him. Jesus said “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age”.

At the same time, friends, we will find that following Jesus is not as difficult as we may perceive when we come and learn from Him. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus said “Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The reference to the yoke which is typically placed on bulls when plowing the field shows that there is hard work in following Jesus. However, Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. As we grow in knowing Jesus deeper and experience His great love and power, we will find it is easier and easier to sacrifice of ourselves to Him and to serve Him more and more. Indeed, the words “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” will indeed be a reality!

Church, in following Jesus, we need to be sure of our faith. Ephesians 2:8-9  says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Yes, we are saved by grace, through faith, not by works as stated clearly by Paul. However, continuing to Ephesians 2:10, it says “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So, church, we are saved solely by grace yes, but we are saved for a reason, and that is to do good works. The book of James plainly tells us that faith without works is dead. Basically, friends, a genuine faith will result in us doing good works, which are the fruit of a true faith. Remember, friends, salvation is a process. Sanctification means that we are being made holy. We have to continue in our salvation until Jesus comes back. Time and again, we see in the gospels, how Jesus says “Follow me”. Follow is an active word. Jesus said “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working”. We are to continually seek to follow Jesus and join Him in His work wherever He is. Following Jesus, friends, may mean leaving our homes, and we may even face rejection from family, but if that is our destiny, we really still need to follow the Lord.

This principle of actively following Jesus can be seen right in the basics of our salvation which we would do well to revisit at this point.

In Mark 1:15, Jesus proclaimed “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The meaning of the word repent in Greek means to change one’s mind. In Hebrew, the word repent means to turn around. The picture one gets is of a man walking in one direction and then turning around 180 degrees and walking in the opposite direction. Therefore repenting involves both a firm inward decision and the acting out of that decision. The best example we have in Scripture is that of the prodigal son, who repented in the pig sty when he made a firm inward decision to go back to his father and physically went back.

For us, repentance comes when we decide firmly in our minds that we need to go back to God our Father in Heaven. It is turning away from just living life however we want and instead looking to God to save us. Once we repent, we are now facing in the right direction towards God, towards Jesus and it is so important for us to continue facing and walking in this direction, which is towards the light. Friends, do not think that repentance is only for unbelievers. We too, even mature Christians, need to ensure that we keep in repentance. John the Baptist said “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” How do we keep in repentance? Make sure we are facing God in our hearts and minds, seeking to follow Jesus and acting it out, always aiming to move closer to God.

Once we have repented and now face towards God, the next step is to believe. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Friends, once we turn to God, we must next believe three important facts. Firstly, Jesus Christ died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to God so that our sins can be forgiven. Secondly, God raised Jesus back to life on the 3rd day so that we too might receive eternal life in Him. Thirdly, Jesus will save those who believe in Him as the one and only way to God. Friends, Jesus means Saviour. That means He is the one who saves us from our sins and we must believe that! Once we believe this, our names are written in the book of life.

However, we must understand that we must continue believing in Jesus. In the Greek, the verb form believe actually means keep on believing – so we must keep believing in Jesus continually. Friends, this belief is not just head knowledge, like believing an article of news reported. It is a belief that is so deep that we are willing to stake our very lives on it.

There is a story of the famous tightrope walker Blondin who could walk across the Niagara falls blindfolded, on stilts, in a sack and even push a wheelbarrow across. However, one day, Blondin asked his manager to hop on his back before crossing over. It is one thing to believe Blondin could do it, it is another to trust him completely by risking your life for that belief. However, friends, that it the level of belief that we need to have in Jesus for our salvation. Friends, do we trust in Jesus enough that we are willing to let go of our homes, our families, even our lives for His sake? True believing will result in outward actions that show we believe in Jesus. Those who really believe in Jesus will desire to follow His teachings and know more and more about Him. Jesus said “If you love me, obey my commands.”

So friends, recapping again, when we repent, we are facing God and seeking His salvation. Then we believe Jesus is the way for our salvation, and as we follow Him, we are continuing in His salvation. It is both a conviction in our hearts and an active life lived out in seeking to follow Jesus, His will, and His teachings. As long as we continue in the Lord, we can be absolutely assured of our salvation.

However, friends, we must be careful to stay on this path, this direction of following Jesus. The world is always calling us to veer off in other directions. The devil uses both the carrot and the stick to get Christians off the safe road. The parable of the seeds illustrate this perfectly. Some seed are sown among thorns, where the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things choke the word, making it unfruitful, and we know very well what happens to trees that do not bear fruit. They are chopped down and thrown into the fire. There are also some seed that fall on rocky ground, which fall away during trouble or persecution. So, we need to stay focused on following Jesus, through temptation or persecution.

A key concept in Scripture that we must understand is our need to Overcome. Everyone say Overcome. In Revelation, in Jesus’ letters to the seven churches, He always promises reward to him who overcomes.  In Revelation 3:5, Jesus said to the church of Sardis “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels”. Church, remember that this letter is addressed to the church, to Christians. Therefore, this verse tells us it is also possible for a person’s name to be blotted out from the book of life, which is the book of salvation. Remember how Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned”. When we are following Jesus, we are remaining in Him and we will bear fruit. If we do not follow Jesus, we can no longer bear fruit, and are in danger of being thrown into the fire. Remember friends, the importance of finishing the race, of staying true to Jesus till the end no matter what the cost. Our salvation depends on it.

Ok friends, so we know it is so important to follow Jesus, but how do we do it practically, on a day to day basis? We need two main things – firstly, the Word of God, and secondly, the Holy Spirit. In the Epistles, Paul tells us the secret “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”, “if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.” The Holy Spirit is the One who tells us Jesus’ will and helps us follow Him. At the same time, we also need the Word of God, which is the primary way by which God speaks to us and teaches us. The Spirit and the Word cannot be in conflict. Rather the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance the particular portion of God’s Word that we need to apply in a given situation. So friends, it is so important for us to give priority towards knowing God’s Word more and more as well as seeking to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading day by day, consciously. We can talk to the Holy Spirit as to a person. “Holy Spirit, what should I do in this situation?”. ”Precious Holy Spirit, help me out here, I need Your wisdom”. “Holy Spirit, guide me as I speak, even now”.

As we draw to a close, I would like to invite the musicians to come at this point.

Although I attended church for many years, I somehow felt that I did not have a real relationship with God, with Jesus. However, things began to change during my first year of work in 2000. In the course of my work, I had to go to old colonial bungalows, some of which had evil spirits, and I felt my unreal faith was powerless in the presence of evil. At the same time, I was also deeply impressed by the simple faith of a colleague, who was so genuinely thankful to God for even small things in life. I knew his faith was real, and I really desired for Jesus to be real in my life too. At that point in my life, though I did not realize it, I was repenting. I was turning away from just living life however I wanted, and starting to want to live life how God wanted. From that desire, I started to pray and seek God, and I felt a quickening in my spirit, and the Lord really became more and more real to Me, in the Word, in prayer, in worship. Before, I was so fearful of going to haunted houses. Not long after the change in my heart, I was no longer afraid, and would even read the Bible and worship in a haunted house, even alone.

Brothers, sisters, friends, I want to encourage you, desire for Jesus to be real in your life. He will come in and you will never be the same again. Through Jesus, I have heard testimonies of broken marriages being healed, strained relationships between parents and children restored, serious financial or medical problems resolved.  Jesus has promised us in His Word “No one who comes to me will I turn away”. He will accept everyone who comes to him, young or old, rich or poor, male or female. Whatever our past, whatever our sins, He will not turn away any of us who come to Him. He is able to make all things new, to give us new life!

As we close, there are perhaps some of us here today that do not know Jesus personally. However, in your heart, there is a turning happening even right now. You realize you cannot be saved on your own, but you are turning to God now for His salvation. More than 2,000 years ago, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for your sins and God raised Him from the dead on the third day. If you really believe this in your heart, that Jesus has saved you, you have found the door of salvation. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the only way to salvation. Friend, you only have to ask Jesus to come in, to come into your heart! Following Jesus does not promise us an easy life. We may well have trouble and persecution because we follow Jesus, but He has promised to always be with us, to give us peace even in a storm and in the end, we will receive wonderful, everlasting life. When we invite Jesus into our hearts, He will give us His Holy Spirit, the Great Teacher, who will teach us to follow Jesus and we need to listen to Him. I will say a prayer now to ask Jesus to come into my heart, and I invite any of you who have not known Him to follow after me. “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I am lost without Your salvation. I thank You, Lord Jesus, that You died on the cross for me that my sins might be forgiven and that I might inherit eternal life. I ask You Lord Jesus to come into my heart right now as my Lord and Savior. I receive Your Holy Spirit. Help me to follow You always as Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.” Once we have said that prayer, we are saved in Jesus Christ, we have received God’s Holy Spirit and joined the family of God. As the Holy Spirit leads us, we can now set our hearts on a life of following Jesus, as our precious Lord and Savior. Then on, we need to continue along this road, this adventure of following Jesus. We do this by reading and learning from the Bible and growing in Christian fellowship with brothers and sisters. May God bless you!

Perhaps there are also some of us who have attended church for many years like I did, but somehow feel that our faith in Jesus is not quite real. Let us turn to God again, let us desire for Jesus to be real in our lives. If you feel this way, but even now, strongly desire for Jesus to be real in your life, I invite you to say this prayer after me. “Lord Jesus, I believe in you, I know much about you, but I really need You to be real in my life. Help me really know You Lord. Awaken Your Holy Spirit within me. Create in me a new heart O Lord. In Jesus name, Amen”.