Post by foxjj on Aug 22, 2021 7:53:31 GMT
Reconciled to God
Jeb waited outside the Church on the corner of Hope and Main Street, where his friend Arno had promised to join him this morning. The two had known each other many years and Jeb was eager to share his new faith experience with his friend. When Arno arrived they entered the Church and found seats just as the service began. After the songs of worship, Pastor Ross Jones opened his Bible, and asked everyone to turn to the Gospel of John chapter 14, then read verse 6: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
After taking a sip of water, he began his sermon: "Looking at life, have you ever wondered why we see so much pain and sorrow? The answer - according to Scripture - is that life has been tainted by sin. In the book of Genesis, the Bible gives an account of sins origin where we read of the disobedience of the first man and woman - Adam and Eve. The consequence of their sin was to pass on to their descendants a sin nature, which separated the human race from a holy God.
"However, there is good news. Out of love for His creation, our Heavenly Father devised a plan wherein we can be reconciled, and return to fellowship with Him. This plan involved His Son. When Jesus entered our world, He was virgin born, which means that He did not inherit the sin nature. Consequently, when He offered His life as a sacrifice, Jesus offered it as 'The Pure Unblemished Lamb of God.' This means that there can be no other sacrifice for sin, because our Redeemer has already paid the penalty. While on the cross Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished.”(John 19:30) In other words, He was stating, “it has been accomplished.”
Pastor Jones paused, before asking: "So how can the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died over two thousand years ago, affect you and I today? The answer is found in the pages of the Bible where Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. (John 14:26) In the Scriptures, of which the same Holy Spirit inspired chosen men to record for our benefit, we can read of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
"Among the many teachings of our Savior, we read where He said that we must be born again (John Chapter 3:3) by this, He meant that we require a spiritual rebirth. We will experience this when we repent of our sins and seek God’s forgiveness, not because we deserve it, but because we have reached the place in our life where we now believe that Jesus died in our place, and through His sacrificial death, our sins have been forgiven. In doing this, only God can know how sincere a person is. If they are truly sincere, their sin is forgiven, and they become born again of God. Consequently, they can now live life free from guilt. They are assured of an eternal life in the presence of their Heavenly Father. There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ and His finished work.
"God has done His part, so how do we do our part? Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 10:9-11: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Pastor Jones brought his sermon to a close with this appeal; "There is a heaven to gain, and a hell to avoid. As we have seen this morning, the Scriptures clearly teach Jesus is the only way. Please do not leave here without knowing that your sins have been forgiven, and that you are born again. If you require prayer, I will be available at the end of the service."
Arno was deeply affected by the sermon, and now understood why his friend Jeb had changed after accepting Christ's sacrifice on his behalf. However, there were still questions, and prayer with the Pastor was a good place to begin.
Today, let us worship our God for the gift of Reconciliation.
John Joseph Fox.
Jeb waited outside the Church on the corner of Hope and Main Street, where his friend Arno had promised to join him this morning. The two had known each other many years and Jeb was eager to share his new faith experience with his friend. When Arno arrived they entered the Church and found seats just as the service began. After the songs of worship, Pastor Ross Jones opened his Bible, and asked everyone to turn to the Gospel of John chapter 14, then read verse 6: "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
After taking a sip of water, he began his sermon: "Looking at life, have you ever wondered why we see so much pain and sorrow? The answer - according to Scripture - is that life has been tainted by sin. In the book of Genesis, the Bible gives an account of sins origin where we read of the disobedience of the first man and woman - Adam and Eve. The consequence of their sin was to pass on to their descendants a sin nature, which separated the human race from a holy God.
"However, there is good news. Out of love for His creation, our Heavenly Father devised a plan wherein we can be reconciled, and return to fellowship with Him. This plan involved His Son. When Jesus entered our world, He was virgin born, which means that He did not inherit the sin nature. Consequently, when He offered His life as a sacrifice, Jesus offered it as 'The Pure Unblemished Lamb of God.' This means that there can be no other sacrifice for sin, because our Redeemer has already paid the penalty. While on the cross Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished.”(John 19:30) In other words, He was stating, “it has been accomplished.”
Pastor Jones paused, before asking: "So how can the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who died over two thousand years ago, affect you and I today? The answer is found in the pages of the Bible where Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. (John 14:26) In the Scriptures, of which the same Holy Spirit inspired chosen men to record for our benefit, we can read of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
"Among the many teachings of our Savior, we read where He said that we must be born again (John Chapter 3:3) by this, He meant that we require a spiritual rebirth. We will experience this when we repent of our sins and seek God’s forgiveness, not because we deserve it, but because we have reached the place in our life where we now believe that Jesus died in our place, and through His sacrificial death, our sins have been forgiven. In doing this, only God can know how sincere a person is. If they are truly sincere, their sin is forgiven, and they become born again of God. Consequently, they can now live life free from guilt. They are assured of an eternal life in the presence of their Heavenly Father. There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ and His finished work.
"God has done His part, so how do we do our part? Paul wrote in Romans Chapter 10:9-11: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
Pastor Jones brought his sermon to a close with this appeal; "There is a heaven to gain, and a hell to avoid. As we have seen this morning, the Scriptures clearly teach Jesus is the only way. Please do not leave here without knowing that your sins have been forgiven, and that you are born again. If you require prayer, I will be available at the end of the service."
Arno was deeply affected by the sermon, and now understood why his friend Jeb had changed after accepting Christ's sacrifice on his behalf. However, there were still questions, and prayer with the Pastor was a good place to begin.
Today, let us worship our God for the gift of Reconciliation.
John Joseph Fox.