I was reading in Luke 5 this morning about when Jesus called Peter and James and John to be his disciples. I was quite interested in Jesus' response to Peter, after Peter realized that he was in the presence of the Lord.
At the start of this account, Peter, a fisherman didn't fully understand who Jesus was, even though in the previous chapter Jesus had healed his mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-41). On a side note, it could be that Peter wasn't all that thrilled that Jesus healed his mother-in-law, I don't know I am just sayin'. But now in chapter 5 Jesus does something that really gets Peter's attention. He demonstrates his power over the sea as he orchestrates the largest catch of fish that Peter has probably ever witnessed. Is there any surprise that when they are back at the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection that Peter immediately recognizes Jesus to be the stranger who told them to cast their nets on the otherside providing them with a big catch. I do find it curious that Peter appears to be more impacted by the tremendous catch of fish than by Jesus healing his mother-in-law from a bad fever. It just goes to show that catching a fish is far harder than recovering from a bad illness, not that I think that is the point of the story.
Ok, back to the point. When Peter realizes what Jesus has done, he quickly realizes who Jesus is. This presents Peter with a problem because he knows that he is a sinful human who is not fit to be in the presence of a holy God. He is probably envisioning Isaiah 6 in his mind as he realizes that he is face to face with God in the flesh. While Peter's reaction is appropriate (that is his understanding of his own sinfulness), Jesus' next statement to him reveals that Peter's sin will not prevent fellowship with Jesus.
Why does Jesus tell Peter not to be afraid? The reason he tells this to Peter is because it is not Peter's sin that will prevent him from having fellowship with God through Jesus. Now don't get me wrong here and think that I am presenting a concept of universal salvation, because I am not. Peter is fully lost in his sin and is eternally separated from God at the point that he encounters Jesus, but the point of Jesus statement is that he doesn't have to fear because his sin does not disqualify him from being able to receive salvation as a free gift.
This is because it isn't our sin that prevents us from receiving salvation, but rather it is our refusal to place our faith in Jesus that prevents us from receiving the free gift of salvation. Yes God does take sin seriously and there are eternal consequences for our sin, but the glorious message of the Bible is that Jesus has taken the consequences for our sin upon himself and that through faith we can receive the gift of eternal life.
I was reading in Luke 3 this morning and I noticed that three times John the Baptist was asked the question "What should we do?"
These people who were asking the question had come to John to confess sins and be baptized in order to give evidence of their turning to God for salvation. So the question that they asked is not one of what should they do to gain salvation, but rather how should they live in light of putting their faith in God.
The answers that John the Baptist gives them are quite revealing for us as we consider how are we to now live as members of God's family. Here is a basic summary of John's instructions:
Give what you have to those who need it.
Practice honesty and integrity in all you do.
Be content with your material possessions.
If we lived this way every day, how great would be the opportunities for the gospel be?
This simple little song, sums up all that is essential in the Christian Faith.
Jesus Christ is Lord
We are sinners in need of mercy
Jesus is able to extend mercy to us
We receive mercy or salvation when we come to Jesus in faith.
In Luke chapter two is the account of Mary and Joseph taking Jesus to the temple to dedicate him on the eighth day according to the law of Moses. The priest at the time was named Simeon and the Lord had already revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph arrived, Simeon was there having been led by the spirit to go to the temple. Immediately, I would presume with divine prompting, he recognizes Jesus as the son of God, the Messiah the Savior, and he gives the child a prophetic blessing"
Lord, now I can die in peace!
As you promised me,
I have seen the Savior you have given to all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel.
It is the middle line that contains "given to all people that I want to focus on today. Many evangelical Christians do not realize that there are many theologians and scholars in the church who do not believe that statement to really be true. They deny that Jesus was really sent for all people and that he died and rose again to say everyone.
This thinking was born with the five points of Calvinism and the Synod of Dort (1618-19) that formalized those five points. I am not going to provide here a full treatment of Calvinism nor explain all five of its points. The focus today is on the extent of the Atonement of Jesus. In essence Calvinism teaches that the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross only pays for the sins of the elect (Those that God chose to regenerate and grant the ability to believe to). The logical conclusion of this teaching then is that if you are unelect, Jesus didn't die for you and the penalty for your sins (death see Rom. 6:23) has not been paid.
The problem with this teaching in Calvinism is that it doesn't fit with the Bible. There are numerous verses in Scripture, including the passage above, that point to the fact that Jesus came to die for the entire world, not just for the elect. And if Calvinism is right then the message of the Bible is a cruel joke, because Scripture is very clear that Jesus came to die on the cross for everyone.
Our church preaches a message of Free Grace, meaning saving grace (forgiveness of sins and restoration of relationship with God) is available to all who believe in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation. You don't have to prove anything or change anything in your life, God's offer of free salvation through faith in Jesus is available to all persons everywhere.
You can have confidence that you will spend eternity in relationship with God in heaven by simply believing in Jesus Christ for you salvation.
If you are uncertain if your pastor or church really believes that anyone can be saved, then ask your elders and pastor? And if they don't believe that anyone can be saved, then ask them why not, because the Bible clearly teaches that anyone can be saved.
Here is a very interesting article about the impact of technology on preaching and how we do church and plant churches. You may or may not agree with everything in the article, but if you care at all about the future of what church will look like the article is well worth reading.
http://www.the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue123/index.cfm?id=46&ref=COVERSTORY
This morning I was reading in Mark 14 and read again Peter's denial of Christ at his trial in the court of the high priest. I was struck with how quickly the denial took place. How easy it was for Peter to deny Christ in the extraordinary circumstances that he was in. I don't think that Peter planned to deny himself as a follower of Jesus that day. I don't think that he even doubted Jesus as Messiah at that point. But I do think that he was overcome with fear that led to his denial. Fear is a powerful emotion. Whether we are fearing for our physical safety our financial security or whatever else it may be, fear can drive us to do and say many things that we really don't want to.
It isn't fear so much that I wanted to speak with you about today, but rather the real possibility that we deny Jesus as much as Peter did. For we American Christians we never may be in a situation where our lives are on the line for our faith and that death awaits us if we refuse to deny Christ. But there are many more subtle and destructive ways in which we deny our faith in Christ by how we live. To me these denials are more destructive because of the deceptiveness of them. I think that most of us, if we are honest, will see the reality of our denials of Jesus in the following statements.
-I deny Jesus when I choose to live life according to my rules.
-I deny Jesus when I choose to speak harshly to my wife or children.
-I deny Jesus when I refuse to forgive someone who has wronged me.
-I deny Jesus when I give out of mere obligation instead of joy and generosity.
-I deny Jesus when I don't trust him to provide me with all of my needs.
The list of ways in which we deny Jesus could go on and on. Anytime we don't trust God's plan and provision for our lives we are essentially denying the life that Jesus died for us to have. We are telling God, thanks but no thanks, I don't need your help, and I can figure this life out on my own.
So what are the ways in which you deny Jesus with your actions?
Well I am back from a nice family visit over Spring Break. While it is always good to see family it is so nice to be home again. This was our first extended time away from the Peninsula since we moved here and it always helps make a new community feel like home when you leave and come back again.
Since I am still technically "on vacation" I am only going to share with you a quote on preaching from the blog Fresh Air of Grace by a good friend of mine. Click here to go directly to the post.
As I read in the Gospel of Mark today, I was struck by how Jesus just doesn't fit into our preconceived notions of how the Son of God should behave. In Mark 11, he curses and fig tree and fights with the merchants who were just trying to do their job by keeping the economy of Jerusalem alive and well. Certainly not activities that many of us would expect a modern day religious leader or pastor to do. But Jesus didn't worry about our expectations or our social norms. He knew the Father intimately and lived according to the purpose that the Father sent Him with, and when that purpose collided with the social norms and religious leaders of the day, it became obvious that Jesus was not about the status quo.
I am feeling quite convicted by these thoughts today as I sit in my warm comfortable house and type on my nice new laptop. Why do I get to live this life while so many others are suffering and even dying for holding the same beliefs that I am. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the many blessings that I have and I know that it is only by the grace of God that I have any of it. It isn't that I am worthy, because I am not.
Not to be cliche, but the old question of What Would Jesus Do, still rings true. I have to constantly evaluate my own life and what I am living for. How do I spend my time, money, resources. If people looked at my calendar and checkbook would they see that I value what I say I value, or would they think I valued comfort, stuff, and entertainment? It is so easy to live selfishly and live with enough religion that I feel good about my life. That isn't what it is about, life is about living each day in a sacrificial way towards those that God has called me into relationships with (Family, church, friends, coworkers, community). Every relationship is an opportunity to serve, sacrifice, and love and thereby give glory to God.
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