SERMON: ANSWERING THE CALL (Easter Worship Service)

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
EASTER -- 23 March 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 14

16. Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
17. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, `Come, for everything is now ready.'
18. "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19. "Another said, `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20. "Still another said, `I just got married, so I can't come.'
21. "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22. "`Sir,' the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23. "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
24. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
25. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
27. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29. For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30. saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31. "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32. If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
33. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
34. "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
35. It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

-- this weekend, I had the opportunity to watch the movie, "No Country for Old Men" -- the winner of this year's Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year
-- did anyone else in here see this movie yet? -- it was directed by the Coen brothers, so you know that it is a very violent movie -- definitely not a family friendly film -- but it is probably one of the most profound movies that I have watched in a long time -- it's easy to see why it won Best Picture
-- I'm not going to ruin the plot for you, but I did want to share with you some thoughts on the subplot that undergirds and provides meaning to this film
-- Tommy Lee Jones plays Sheriff Ed Tom Bell -- Sheriff Bell has been the sheriff in his county for a long time -- his father was sheriff before him -- and his grandfather sheriff before him -- Sheriff Bell has learned how to be a sheriff from these men who went before him -- from these old-timers who stood for justice in a community coming out of the wild west days
-- these old-timers were like Andy Griffith -- they didn't even carry a gun, but they were able to handle any situation that came up -- but now, as Sheriff Bell nears the twilight of his career -- as he is becoming an old-timer himself -- he is confronted with a new and different and frightening world -- and he doesn't know what to make of it
-- it started when he had to send a young boy to the electric chair for killing a 14-year-old girl for no reason at all -- and now, as this movie opens, he is confronted with an evil and a violence that he just can't understand
-- and so he has a choice to make -- does he enter into this new world of evil and violence -- continuing down the path of his father and his grandfather -- standing up for justice and righteousness and peace in a world gone mad -- or does he simply quit -- give up -- and retire
-- that is the question that I want us to ponder this morning because that is the question that confronts us all -- do we choose to stand up in this world as a true disciple of Christ -- choosing to be a beacon of justice and truth and righteousness -- or do we just give up and live our lives and let the world do what it will?

II. The State of the World
-- without a doubt, the state of our world is not good -- we open our papers -- we turn on the tv -- we listen to the radio -- and we are confronted with a world that has gone mad -- rising inflation -- an unstable economy -- and a world of crime and violence and war like nothing we have ever seen before
-- when I was a kid we used to read of the murders in Atlanta -- of the home invasions -- of the crime -- and we would go to sleep at night thankful that we lived in south Georgia where those things didn't happen -- but now they do -- and not a day goes by that we don't read of some violent act -- some violent crime being committed -- somewhere down here in south Georgia
-- there are some days that I just get overwhelmed by this -- I just can't bear to look at one more crime scene on tv -- I just can't bear to listen to one more story of robbery or rape or murder -- and so lately, I've found myself coming in from work, and rather turning on the news, I try to find an old sitcom to watch -- just something that offers escape from the horrors of this world
-- when you think of what people are doing today to other men and women -- people created in God's own image -- it just breaks your heart
-- but, you know, no matter how bad things seem now, they've been worse -- think about the story of Noah and the flood -- in Genesis Chapter 6, it says that the Lord saw how great our wickedness had become -- how every thought of our heart was evil -- and it grieved Him -- God was sorry He had made us -- and so God chose to start over by flooding the earth and killing everyone except Noah and his family -- the only righteous family left on earth
-- the world was bad in Jesus' day, too -- life wasn't just cheap -- it had no value -- it didn't amount to anything -- murder was common -- and people were killed at the drop of a hat -- if Roman fathers got mad at their children, they could disown them -- sell them into slavery -- or even kill them with no repercussions -- it was perfectly legal
-- it was a time of evil and violence and wickedness -- and similar to the decision that Sheriff Bell faced in "No Country for Old Men" -- God was faced with a decision -- how should He react to a world filled with evil and violence?
-- He had promised Noah and all creation that He never would destroy the earth again, so that wasn't an option -- so God had a choice -- He could do nothing and let mankind burn themselves out with their violent ways -- or He could enter into the world to stand up for justice and truth and righteousness and to be a beacon of hope
-- of course, we know what He chose -- God entered the world through Christ Jesus -- the Almighty God -- the Creator of the Universe and all that is in it -- allowed Himself to be clothed in flesh and to be born in a manger on Christmas morn
-- to live as us -- to be us -- to live a life of holiness and righteousness to show us a better way and to give us a hope for a new life
-- no other religion can claim this -- no other god entered the world in this way -- the false gods of Greek and Roman mythology sometimes entered the world, but not on man's behalf -- they entered for their own selfish gain
-- the god of Islam didn't enter the world -- he just sent his word to the prophet Mohammed
-- the god of the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses didn't come -- he sent a created being instead
-- the gods of Hinduism and Buddhism didn't enter the world -- they just pointed to nirvana and self-enlightenment through men like Buddha
-- but in Christianity, God got involved -- Jesus became one of us so that He might die on the cross to reconcile us with the Father -- so that He might offer us forgiveness from our sins and a new way of life with Him
-- when faced with the question of what to do with a violent and evil world, Jesus chose to enter it and make a difference for eternity
-- but He did more than that -- He stayed behind in the presence of the Holy Spirit and He issued an invitation to all who would hear -- He invited us to become part of His family and to sit at His banquet feast -- and He invited us to enter this world on His behalf and to stand up for truth and justice and righteousness in His name
-- so, it is a two-fold invitation that we are asked to respond to -- the first is for salvation -- the second is for discipleship
-- let's look at these separately

III. The Call to Salvation
-- look back at verse 16

16. Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests.
17. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, `Come, for everything is now ready.'

-- in those days, it was customary for people to give out two invitations to their events -- the first invitation was given to just let people know that a banquet would be happening and to find out if they might want to attend -- the second invitation was sent out when everything was ready and when it was time for them to respond and to come to the banquet table
-- we see something similar in our spiritual lives -- in our lives, God has always been at work, calling out to us and telling us about His love and His Son Jesus Christ in so many different ways -- telling us that He offers us forgiveness from our sins and an eternal home with Him -- and then, when we are ready, the Holy Spirit speaks to our heart -- calling us to the cross -- calling us to come and believe in Jesus -- calling us to ask Him to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all the bad things we have done and to come into our lives and to be our Lord and Savior -- calling us to put our faith and trust in Jesus for our salvation
-- but look at our responses -- verse 18

18. "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, `I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'
19. "Another said, `I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20. "Still another said, `I just got married, so I can't come.'


-- we've always got excuses for why we don't come to church or why we don't come to Jesus, don't we? -- Sunday's the only day I get to sleep in -- I don't like the service -- I don't get anything out of it -- I don't understand the preacher -- I don't like the music -- there's too many hypocrites in the church -- I can worship God just as good from my deerstand or from my back porch
-- but, in the end, it's all the same, isn't it? -- regardless of the excuse -- regardless of how valid the excuses might be -- the fact is you're choosing to turn down an invitation from Jesus
-- that's what the Jews did -- that's who this parable is really about, although it speaks to our day and our time -- God had sent His invitation to the Jews through the prophets and through His written word -- inviting them to look for the Messiah -- to welcome Him in and tell others about Him -- but when Jesus came, all the religious people of His day had nothing but excuses for why they wouldn't follow Him
-- so God turned to others -- verse 21


21. "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, `Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
22. "`Sir,' the servant said, `what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
23. "Then the master told his servant, `Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.
24. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"

-- God brought His message of reconciliation and hope and love to the poor and the needy -- to the sinners -- to those Jews and Gentiles in Jesus' day who were looked down upon and who were suffering the most from the injustices of their world
-- God calls you to salvation -- He calls you to come to Jesus in faith and to sit at His banquet feast -- He speaks to you every single day in a thousand different ways, but if you continue to refuse, you may miss out on the feast -- you may miss out on eternity with Him
-- God's first invitation to us is for salvation

IV. The Call to Discipleship
-- God's second invitation to us is for discipleship -- look at verse 25

25. Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said:
26. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.
27. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

-- what does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? -- what does it mean to be a true follower of Him? -- it means everything -- it means sacrifice -- it means commitment
-- Jesus makes that point very clear here when He tells us that if we would follow Him, we must hate our family -- we must hate our life -- and we must pick up our cross
-- now, understand this, the phrase that Jesus uses here does not mean "hate" like we typically think of when we hear, "I hate you" -- it's a Jewish idiom -- a Jewish phrase -- that means, "to turn away from -- to detach oneself from"
-- in other words, Jesus is saying, "If you want to follow Me, then I have to be the most important relationship in your life -- I have to be more important to you than your family or your own self"
-- there is a cost to pay to be a disciple of Christ -- regardless of what the tv preachers might tell you, being a Christian is not supposed to be easy -- being a Christian -- being a disciple of Christ -- means that you are choosing to make a difference in this world -- you are choosing to get off the sidelines and into the game -- you are choosing to enter the battle to fight for truth and justice and honor and righteousness

-- one day a chicken and a pig were walking down the street and as they passed by this restaurant, they saw a sign in the window that read, "Bacon and Eggs Wanted" - -the chicken looked at the pig and said, "You know, we ought to go in there and help that guy out" -- the pig said, "No way! I'm not going to do it" -- the chicken said, "Why?" -- the pig replied, "Because for you it's a contribution -- for me it's a commitment."
-- part of the problem in our churches today is that we've got a lot of chicken Christians -- Christians in name only, who are unwilling to pay the price it takes to truly follow Jesus -- to commit to living their life for Him and trying to make a difference in this world today
-- Jesus says that there's a cost -- and if you are going to claim to be His follower, you need to count the cost and be prepared to pay the price -- verse 28

28. "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?
29. For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
30. saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31. "Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32. If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.
33. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

-- where is our commitment to follow Jesus no matter the cost -- where is our dedication -- our determination -- our resolve -- our sacrifice
-- Jesus invites us to follow Him into this world -- to choose to enter this world -- to choose to fight the good fight -- to run the race -- to pick up our cross and follow Him because someone has to take a stand against the evil and violence and sin in our land
-- as Edmund Burke once wrote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-- the second invitation of Jesus is for us to count the cost, to pick up our cross, and to follow Him

V. Closing
-- In June of 1967, in a speech to students at Fordham University in New York City, Robert Kennedy, the brother of John F. Kennedy, said this: “Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.”
-- Jesus' invitation is for us to change this world -- to join Him in a battle of good versus evil -- to shine the light of truth and justice and righteousness in a world growing ever and ever darker -- to have the moral courage to count the cost, pick up our cross, and follow Him
-- in the movie, "No Country for Old Men," Sheriff Bell makes his choice -- he says that this world is just not for him -- and he chooses to quit and to do nothing to stop the evil and violence that confronts him
-- why do so many of us choose the easy way out like Sheriff Bell? -- why do so many of us choose to stand by and let evil rule the day while Christ urges us to get involved?
-- it's easy to choose to not come to church -- it's easy to come up with excuse after excuse of why we won't worship -- it's easy to turn down Jesus' invitation for salvation and forgiveness of sins
-- it's just as easy to claim the name of Christ and to come to church, but to come only to be entertained -- it's easy to contribute -- to offer up a little of our money -- a little of our time -- but to not commit ourselves to true discipleship or ministry for Christ -- to just stay in our pews and never enter the battle
-- it's easy -- but it's not right -- sometimes we have to make a commitment -- we have to be willing to make a sacrifice -- because it's the right thing to do

-- in the Book of Ezekiel, we read of another wicked time -- a time when the politicians and the leaders preyed on the people -- when the priests profaned the holy things of God and led the people into idolatry -- when the poor and the needy -- the widows and the aliens were being oppressed and brutalized -- when robbery and murder and violence was a way of life


-- and God said, in Ezekiel 22:30, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."
-- if God was to look at America today -- if He was to look at our churches today -- would He find anyone willing to stand in the gap on behalf of the land and the name of Christ?

-- this morning I want to extend to you Jesus' invitation to join Him in standing for justice and truth and righteousness
-- it starts by accepting Him as Lord and Savior -- by believing that He was God and that He died on the cross for your sins and that He rose on the third day -- it starts by asking Him to forgive you and to come into your life as your Lord and Savior -- it starts by accepting His invitation to attend the heavenly banquet feast
-- and it continues when you accept His challenge to pick up your cross and to follow Him -- to count the cost -- to enter the battle -- to fight the good fight and to run the race with honor and with courage -- knowing that there is more to this Christian life than just warming pews on Sunday -- knowing that we are called to make a difference in this world and in the lives of those we know
-- for some of you, that may mean that you start participating in ministries outside the walls of this church -- it might mean helping the homeless -- or visiting the sick -- or ministering to others in need
-- for some of you, that may mean serving Christ on the mission field -- carrying your cross to other lands and raising the banner of Christ in other countries
-- regardless of what you may feel led to do this morning, I am going to invite you to respond to Jesus' call today -- the choice is yours -- you can continue to take the easy way out -- to do nothing -- or you can choose to be part of something bigger than you -- you can choose to make a difference
-- let us pray

SERMON: RETURNING TO THE LORD (Easter Sunrise Service)

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE -- 23 March 2008

-- if you would, please listen as I read from Hosea 6

1. "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
2. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.
3. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."


-- the prophet Hosea was a contemporary of Amos -- and he ministered to the northern kingdom of Israel
-- as you remember, the nation of Israel was split into two after the death of Solomon -- ten tribes followed Jereboam and set up a new kingdom in the north -- they called this new kingdom Israel or Ephraim and they set up Samaria as their capitol city
-- the other two tribes remained true to the royal line of David and lived in the south -- they called their kingdom Judah -- and Jerusalem was their capitol

-- Hosea was God's messenger during the final days of the kingdom of Israel and it was a wicked and vile period with unrelieved anarchy, violence, and disaster -- the government was in a constant state of upheaval, with king after king being assassinated and with the throne being usurped by their murderer
-- spiritually, it was even worse -- the people had stopped worshiping the Lord God Almighty -- and had prostituted themselves with other gods -- they worshiped golden calves at Bethel and Dan -- and they offered sacrifices to the wicked gods Baal and Ashtaroth
-- but even though they left Him -- even though they strayed after foreign gods and sinned against Him -- God still loved them
-- they were His chosen people -- the apple of His eye -- and He longed for them to return to Him -- to repent of their wicked ways -- to stop worshiping false gods -- and to enter again into the covenant relationship with Him
-- time and time again, God called out to the Israelites through His prophets -- telling them to stop what they were doing and to return to Him -- but the people refused to listen and kept doing what was evil in God's eyes
-- finally, in Hosea Chapter 5, God warned the nation of Israel that if they kept on, that they would have to pay the price of their wickedness -- God would tear them apart -- He would carry them out of the land -- and He would turn His face from them until they admitted their guilt and repented of their sin and turned to Him again
-- not long after the prophet Hosea uttered those words, the nation of Assyria declared war on Israel -- they laid siege against the capitol city of Samaria and eventually conquered it and took the Israelites back to Assyria as slaves -- the Israelites were paying the price for their sins
-- as the Israelites were led into captivity to Assyria, they could see no hope of salvation -- they couldn't figure out how to get out of this mess that they had made -- they were reaping the consequence of their sin and their false gods couldn't save them
-- their only hope lay in the grace and mercy of God Himself

-- let me read verse 1 again -- 1. "Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.

-- the Bible tells us that there is a cost to sinning -- because of our sins, we are deserving of the judgment of God -- we are deserving of the punishment of God -- and that punishment is spiritual death -- eternal separation from God
-- the price must be paid -- there is no way around it -- the perfect law of God must be fulfilled
-- but, because we were unable to pay the price ourself -- because there was no way for us to fulfill the law of God and pay the penalty for sin ourself -- God Himself stepped in and Jesus took our place, taking our punishment for us
-- even though He was perfect and sinless -- even though He had done nothing wrong -- Jesus allowed Himself to be taken captive by the High Priest -- He allowed Himself to be punished and whipped and flogged by the Romans -- He took upon Himself the injuries that we deserved
-- Isaiah 53 says, "He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows -- He was pierced for our transgressions -- He was crushed for our iniquities -- the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him -- and by His wounds we are healed"
-- Jesus paid the price for our sins with His very own body and blood -- He died on the cross for us -- He paid the penalty for our sins and our disobedience in order to bring us back into fellowship with the Father again

-- verse 2

2. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

-- from the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, we found ourselves in captivity to sin and to death -- just like the Israelites were bound and held captive by the Assyrians -- we were bound and held captive to sin and to death
-- but Jesus went to the cross in our place to redeem us -- with His own body and blood, He paid the price of our ransom to free us from our slavery
-- and so, after He died in our place, He rose again on the third day to revive us -- to restore us -- and to reconcile us to the Father

-- verse 3

3. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

-- so how do we respond to this mighty act of God on our behalf -- how do we respond to what Jesus did for us on the cross?
-- this verse clearly tells us -- we acknowledge the Lord -- we acknowledge His mercy and grace -- we bear witness to the death and resurrection of Christ
-- this means that we receive Him as our Lord and Savior -- that we identify with Him in His suffering and death -- and that we share with others the good news of the gospel of Christ
-- and it means that we look forward to His return -- this verse reminds us of the second coming of Christ -- it tells us that as surely as the sun rises, that Jesus will come again -- that He will appear before us and that His grace and His mercy and His goodness will pour out on us like the rains that bring life to the earth

-- you know, on that first Easter Sunday, the disciples didn't know what we know -- they didn't know that Jesus had gone to the cross for them -- they didn't know that He had paid the price for their sins with His own body and blood -- they didn't know that He had ransomed them from captivity to sin and death
-- all they knew was that their leader was gone -- that Jesus had been tortured and crucified and died -- and that He was buried in a borrowed tomb
-- all they knew was that Jesus was dead -- their hope was dead -- and all they had dreamed and believed about Jesus was dead too
-- they had heard that Mary Magdelene and the other women had gone to the tomb and found it empty -- and they knew that Peter and John had gone there, too, and found it in the same way -- but they didn't know how or why or what it meant
-- so the disciples scattered and hid in fear from more persecution -- while some of the disciples hid in the upper room -- others did the only thing that made sense to them -- they left Jerusalem
-- two of the disciples who left headed out of Jerusalem towards the village of Emmaus -- a small town about seven miles from Jerusalem
-- and as they were walking along, discussing what had happened to Jesus -- a stranger met them on the road and began to walk with them and shared with them how the events of the day were prophesied in scripture -- how the Messiah had to suffer and die and then would rise again on the third day
-- when they made it to the village of Emmaus, Cleopas and the other disciple urged the stranger to stop and stay with them for the night -- so He went in and stayed with them
-- let me read you the rest of this passage from Luke 24

30. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32. They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"
33. They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together

-- when the stranger took the bread, gave thanks for it, broke it, and gave it to them, the men realized that the stranger was Jesus and that it was His body and His blood that had been given for them on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins and to free them from their bondage to sin and to death

-- in the simple act of sharing in Holy Communion -- in the simple act of breaking bread together and partaking of the wine -- we find Jesus revealed to us just as He was revealed to the disciples on the Road to Emmaus and just as He was revealed to the Israelites who looked to Him for salvation while they were held captive in Assyria
-- for that reason, I want us to take a few moments this morning, as the sun is rising against an empty cross and as we join together to celebrate an empty tomb and a risen Savior, to share together in the sacrament of Holy Communion

SERMON: CHANGING ADDRESSES

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
16 March 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Romans 6

1. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2. By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3. Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7. because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

-- there once was this rich man who found out that he was dying -- and he got really sad, because he was really rich -- he had just recently become a Christian and believed in the power of prayer and so he set out praying to God day after day after day, "God, I look forward to coming to heaven, but I'd really like to bring some of my wealth with me when I go"
-- after many days of this fervent prayer, God finally spoke with the man and said that people normally were not allowed to carry anything with them when they died, but that He would make an exception for this man -- God said, "I'll let you take one bag with you when you die" -- so the man got excited and he cashed in all his money and put it in gold bullion and had it put in a bag and kept it there on his bed
-- when he died, he found himself standing before the pearly gates holding his bag in his hand -- St. Peter met him there and said, "Whoa -- wait a minute! You can't bring that bag in here. God doesn't allow anything from earth to come to heaven." -- the rich man protested, "But God gave me special permission -- He said I could carry one bag"
-- St. Peter scratched his head and said, "Well, if God said you could, come on in. But before you come through, can I see what you brought?" -- the man proudly opened up the bag and showed Peter the bars of gold -- Peter looked at him and said, "I don't understand. Why did you go to all that trouble just to bring a bag of pavement with you?"
-- well, it's a corny little joke, but it makes a point -- the things of earth have no value in heaven -- and, as we talked about last week, nothing from the old kingdom -- nothing from our old life -- can enter into the kingdom of God

-- in order to be made ready to enter the kingdom of God, all of the old things of your life -- your material possessions -- your self -- even your life -- must be destroyed -- because nothing from the old kingdom can enter through the gates into the new kingdom
-- this is a hard thing -- it is difficult to go through a life experience where you lose everything, but we see people around us doing it every day
-- sometimes it happens in natural disasters -- when hurricanes or tornadoes or fires sweep through and destroy everything that someone owns -- leaving them with nothing
-- sometimes it happens in economic disasters -- like the Great Depression or during a bankruptcy, when all of our material possessions are taken away
-- sometimes it happens in other ways -- I remember a time in my own life when I had to give up everything that I had and start over again -- my possessions -- my allegiance to my family -- even my own identity -- it happened a little over 17 years ago
-- in my case, it didn't happen because of a natural or economic disaster -- it happened because I got married -- as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me."
-- when I got married, I had to get rid of all my childish things and my childish ways in order to enter into this new life with Kim -- the furniture I had growing up -- the bed I had since I was 6 years old -- just wouldn't work in this new life and had to be left behind
-- even my family allegiances had to be left behind -- growing up, my family was very close -- and every Christmas and every holiday and every major life event, we would gather -- but now I had to leave that old life and those old allegiances behind in order to form a new life and a new family

-- I think that's one reason why Christ used marriage as a metaphor for our Christian life and our relationship with Him
-- marriage is a life-changing experience that requires you to leave the old behind in order to enter into this new relationship and this new life
-- we call this, "Leaving and cleaving" -- leaving means leaving your old life -- your old family -- your old ways behind
-- cleaving means a separation or a split -- in this case, it means that you leave your old life --you separate from it -- you part from it -- and you join together with your spouse to form a new life and a new family
-- this is the picture we see from Scripture concerning our spiritual life -- as we talked about last week, there are two kingdoms -- the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God -- we are all born into and held captive by the kingdom of the world -- we are bound by sin and by death and by our flesh -- it's like this great big bag of stuff that we carry with us everywhere we go and that we just can't let go of
-- and because of this great big bag of sin and flesh and death we can't leave the kingdom of the world and enter the kingdom of God -- because nothing from this world -- not our material or our spiritual possessions or anything we might have in our bag -- not even pavement -- can pass through the gates leading to the kingdom of heaven
-- in order to go to heaven -- in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, then, we have to get rid of all this stuff and separate ourselves from it -- in other words, we have to leave and cleave it
-- but we can't -- there is no way we can do it in our own strength -- we are too corrupted and too sinful to put all of this aside
-- so that's where the cross comes in -- the cross put an end to sin -- it put an end to death -- it put an end to our sin nature and to all the old things of our life -- when Jesus went to the cross, He paid the price with His own body and blood to separate us from the things of the kingdom of the world
-- when He died on the cross, He carried us with Him, along with our great big bag of stuff -- and when He died, we died with Him
-- look back at verse 1 in this passage

1. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
2. By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
3. Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4. We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
6. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--
7. because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

-- Paul tells us quite clearly here that our old self was crucified with Christ -- we were united with Jesus in death so that we might be able to leave and cleave from the old things of this world
-- hold your place here and flip over to Colossians 2

13. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,
14. having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.
15. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

-- all our sins -- everything that we had in our great big bag that we carried with us -- all of it was nailed to the cross with Christ and we bear it no more -- that is why Jesus cried from the cross, "It is finished"
-- when Jesus died on the cross, He made the cross a great eraser for us -- all of our old life -- all of our sins -- and our sin nature -- and our bodies -- and our very life -- was erased and taken away and we were left with a nice clean slate
-- that's the purpose of the cross

-- but the story of Christ doesn't end on Good Friday, does it? -- Christ did more than just die on the cross to make us nice and clean and leave us in the kingdom of the world -- look at verse 8

8. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

-- when Jesus was on the cross and the one thief repented of his sins and put his trust in Jesus, Jesus told him, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" -- when Jesus died on the cross, He changed addresses -- He opened the gate that led to the Kingdom of God and went through it, carrying with Him all those who believed and trusted in His name and in His finished work on the cross
-- in this verse, Paul is basically telling the Romans, "There's more to it than the cross -- after we have died on the cross with Christ -- it's time to change addresses"
-- and that's where the resurrection comes in
-- the word "resurrection" means that something that was dead is made alive again -- Paul says, "we died with Christ, now we will be alive with Christ" -- but we will not be the same as we once were
-- when we were baptized with Christ in death, all of our old was washed away -- all of the old was nailed to the cross and destroyed -- it no longer exists -- so we enter into a new life with Christ -- we cross over into the new Kingdom

-- if you would, turn over to 1 Corinthians 15 and we'll end there
-- in this epistle -- in this letter to the Church at Corinth -- Paul is trying to help the carnal, worldly minded Corinthians understand what happened when they put their faith and trust in Jesus
-- they were thinking that they were made clean and new at the cross so they could live a better life here on earth as part of the kingdom of the world -- but Paul says, "No, you're not part of that any longer -- all of the old has passed away and you now have a new life and a new body"
-- look down at verse 42

42. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
43. it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
44. it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
46. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
47. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
48. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--
52. in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
54. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

-- now here's what Paul's saying -- when you were in the kingdom of the world, you were a natural person and you carried with you the things that marked you as a member of that kingdom -- your flesh and blood -- your life -- your sin -- and your sin nature
-- but now, because of the cross, all that was of the old has been destroyed -- it has been executed -- put to death -- crucified with Christ
-- and now, because of the resurrection, you are changed -- where once you had a mortal body, now you have an immortal body -- where once you lived in dishonor, now you live in honor -- where once you were weak, now you have the power of Christ -- where once you had a natural body, now you have a spiritual body
-- the resurrection did not just make the old better -- but it made the old new

-- working in the Environmental Office at Moody Air Force Base, we are caught up in this green movement that's sweeping this country -- everybody wants to recycle and to protect the environment -- companies are touting that they are "green" companies -- and I read a news article this week that said even the Baptists are now on board with being green
-- but I want to make one point clear -- God doesn't recycle -- God doesn't take the old and make it usable again -- He didn't die on the cross to fix us and make us better suited to live again in this world -- God's into making new things -- not making the old things better
-- in Ezekiel 36:26-27, God tells us, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh -- and I will put my Spirit in you"
-- in 2 Peter 3:13, Peter tells us to look forward to the new earth and the new heaven that God is making
-- and in Revelation 21:5, Jesus says, "Behold, I make all things new"

-- the cross was about getting rid of the old and the resurrection was about creating the new
-- when you come to Christ -- when you trust in Him in faith for the forgiveness of your sins and believe in your heart that He was God and that He paid the full price for your sins -- God doesn't just recycle you and make you better -- He makes you new so that you might be able to enter into His kingdom
-- that's why we call salvation being "born again" -- Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus that he had to be born again -- first, he had to be born of water -- born into the kingdom of the world -- born into natural life -- but then he had to be born of the Spirit -- born into the kingdom of God
-- the cross and the resurrection are God's way of birthing us into the new kingdom -- of separating us from the old -- of helping us leave and cleave our former way of life -- and to enter into a new life with a new body and a new heart and a new spirit -- as we enter His kingdom
-- the Bible tells us that this is the only way -- the old just can't enter the new -- you can do whatever you want to do -- you can read all the self-help books that you want -- you can follow all the latest fads and cleansings -- you can become legalistic and try to live a morally perfect life -- but it doesn't matter -- you're still part of the old can't inherit the new
-- like the old saying goes, "You can take a pig, dress it up, put lipstick on it and call it whatever you want to, but it's still a pig"
-- the only way to enter into the kingdom of God is to be born again -- to be made new -- not recycled -- not reincarnated -- but made new
-- to come into the kingdom of God by way of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus

-- in my opinion, one of the greatest hymns that was ever written was, "Just As I Am" by Charlotte Elliott
-- just listen to the words in the first two verses of this song:

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou bidst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
to rid my soul of one dark blot,
to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

-- Jesus wants us to come to His cross just as we are, warts and all, because it's not about making us better -- it's not about dressing us up and putting lipstick on us and making the outside new -- it's not about cleansing us and giving us a fresh new start in this kingdom
-- No, Jesus wants us to come to His cross just as we are, so that He can put to death all our old life -- all our old ways -- all our old sins and our old sin nature -- and so He can make us new creatures through His resurrection
-- 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
-- can you say this about your life? -- if not, then I'd invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led
-- Let us pray

SERMON: ENTERING THE NEW KINGDOM

Preached by Gregory W Lee
9 March 2009

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 18

28. Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30. "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31. Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected.
32. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34. "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35. "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
36. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38. "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"
40. They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.


-- on September 6, 1620, 102 men, women, and children stood on the deck of the Mayflower as it departed from Plymouth, England -- as the ship pulled away from the dock, very few looked back -- instead, they looked forward -- towards the horizon -- towards the new world -- as they left their old home and old world behind
-- their journey actually started in the late 1500's when they began to be persecuted by the English Government because of their refusal to adhere to all the rules and restrictions of the state church of England -- unlike the Puritans, who sought to purify the Church of England by reforming it from within, these families did not believe that reformation could come within the church and sought to separate themselves from this religion
-- unfortunately, that was against the law, and the separatists were forced to flee to Holland -- however, after several years in Holland, the members of this group noticed that their children were not maintaining faithfulness to their religion and their culture
-- they were being transformed into the Dutch culture and were adopting Dutch religious practices -- so the leaders of the group decided to make a drastic move -- they decided to separate themselves from all of these corrupting influences so they could be true to their own religious beliefs -- this would require a new home in a new place
-- just recently, a successful colony had been established in the New World at Jamestown, Virginia, and the leaders felt that this new world -- this new continent -- would be their salvation
-- they would start a new colony, dedicated to their religious beliefs and the continuation of their cultural norms -- a new kingdom -- a new life
-- and so the 102 passengers boarded the cramped quarters of the Mayflower and prepared to sail on September 6, 1620 for New England -- there was little room on the ship for personal effects -- there was no room for furniture -- so most of their possessions had to be left behind -- entering the new world meant leaving the old behind
-- but it all paid off when the small group of Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in November of that same year in their promised land -- a land where their new colony, founded on the principles of religious freedom for all, could flourish

-- sometimes, in the dramatic narratives of the Easter Story -- in the telling of the gripping passages of Holy Week that lead us from the mountaintop of Palm Sunday to the valley of the horrors of Good Friday and the cross of Christ -- we forget that what was truly going on was a battle for the allegiance of the people
-- it was a battle of two kingdoms -- of two worlds -- the old versus the new -- and it pitted Jesus against the religious and political establishment of His day
-- when Jesus emerged on the scene -- God incarnate -- God with skin on -- God clothed in the form of man -- He came, not as the Prince of Peace, but as the author of our salvation -- the harbinger of a new life in a new kingdom -- He came to preach to the captives of this world the good news of the kingdom of God
-- throughout His life and His ministry, Jesus preached and proclaimed this message -- "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand" -- the kingdom of God was coming and Christ came to call us to be part of it -- to leave the old and to come into the new
-- it was for this reason that Christ died -- it was for this reason that we celebrate Easter
-- this passage that we opened with from John's gospel demonstrates the tension that existed at that time between the old and the new -- and it reminds us of the tension that we face in our lives, as we seek to be part of God's kingdom while yet living as strangers in the old
-- so, let's turn now to this passage and let's look at it in a little more detail as we examine this interplay between the two kingdoms during the final days of Christ's life

II. Scripture Lesson
-- at this point in the narrative of Holy Week, Jesus has been betrayed into the hands of the High Priest and the Sanhedrin by Judas Iscariot -- He has been tried before the high council and been found guilty of blasphemy for claiming to be God's Son
-- the council wanted to have Jesus killed, but the Romans would not allow the Jews to execute their prisoners, so, as this passage opens, they have brought Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to be formally charged and executed by the Romans
-- verse 28

28. Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
30. "If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
31. Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law." "But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected.
32. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.

-- here we see the first reminder in this passage of the tension between the old and the new kingdoms -- when God had established the nation of Israel as His chosen people, He had given them rituals and ceremonies that were to serve as reminders of His presence among them and to serve as signs of the Messiah and the kingdom to come
-- but, over time, the meaning of the rituals and the ceremonies had been corrupted -- the rituals and ceremonies were now followed -- not as a means of relating to God -- but simply as something that was law -- something that was to be obeyed -- something that was followed simply for the sake of tradition
-- we see that in this verse -- the most important thing on the minds of the council was not the death of Jesus or the fact that they were executing someone who claimed to be God's Son -- but the fact that they had to be careful to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean and miss out on participating in the Passover ritual
-- the Passover was to serve as a reminder to them of God's power in saving them from captivity and bringing them to the Promised Land -- how ironic that they would miss God Himself in their midst doing the same thing, as Jesus came to save the people from captivity to sin and death and to bring them into God's kingdom
-- if we are not careful, we can allow our religious practices -- even the disciplines of the means of grace such as prayer and Bible reading and church attendance -- to degrade into meaningless practices with the form of Godliness but with no power whatsoever

-- verse 33

33. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
34. "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
35. "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

-- Pilate belonged to the kingdom of the world, but he had heard rumors of another place -- of another kingdom -- all of us have
-- in Romans 1:19, Paul wrote, "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them" -- embedded in our DNA is a memory of paradise lost -- of the kingdom that was -- and the hope of the kingdom to come
-- when Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews, Jesus responded by asking Pilate why he had asked -- was he asking simply out of curiosity or because the Jews had told him -- or was he asking because he desired to know the truth and to enter the kingdom of God himself
-- this tension -- between choosing to stay in the old or to go into the new -- exists within all of us -- this choice has to be made by us all -- do we stay in the kingdom of the world or do we go with Christ into the kingdom of God?

-- verse 36

36. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
37. "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
38. "What is truth?" Pilate asked.

-- Jesus makes it clear -- there are two kingdoms -- there are two choices -- the kingdom of God is not of this place -- it is not a kingdom made with secular hands -- it is not a kingdom of earthly power or might -- it is not a kingdom that you are born into -- but it is a kingdom that you were created for from the beginning of time

-- verse 38

With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.
39. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release `the king of the Jews'?"
40. They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion.

-- the Jews were faced with a choice between Jesus and Barabbas -- each representing a kingdom -- a way of life
-- Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion against the Romans -- he had sought the path of worldly power and Jewish nationalism
-- Jesus had also taken part in a rebellion -- but not against the Romans or any earthly kingdoms -- as a man, God had come to rebel against the kingdom of the earth -- against the power of sin and death -- on our behalf
-- and now the Jews were going to have to make a choice -- would they take Barabbas and live in the world -- bound up with meaningless religious practices and transformed idolatry -- or would they choose Jesus -- and follow Him to the new world -- the promised land -- the kingdom of God
-- "Give us Barabbas" they proclaimed -- and so made their allegiance known

III. The Kingdom of God
-- when the Pilgrims left England for the new world, it was a whole and complete separation -- they had to leave the old behind -- their old government -- their old friends -- their old families -- even their old possessions -- in order to make the journey
-- in the same way, when we are called to enter into the Kingdom of God -- to leave the old kingdom of this world -- we have to make a whole and complete separation
-- when the choice is before us of who to choose -- of which kingdom to enter -- we must take this into consideration -- we must count the cost -- for the things of this kingdom cannot enter into the kingdom of God
-- that is the purpose of the cross -- the cross of Christ put to death all the things of this world for those who choose to follow Him -- it puts to death our former allegiances -- our former way of life -- our sins and our sin nature -- our very life
-- the Bible tells us that we were crucified with Christ -- that we died with Him -- died to self -- died to sin -- died to destroy all the things of old
-- the old must give way to the new if you want to enter the kingdom of God

-- if you would, flip over to John 19

38. Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.
39. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.
40. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
41. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid.
42. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

-- we believe that the Bible is the living word of God and that it was written under inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- every word -- every phrase -- everything within it -- was chosen to be put there by God Himself -- there is nothing there without a reason or a purpose
-- with that in mind, I found myself pondering these verses this week -- all four of the gospel writers tell us that Jesus was buried in a new tomb that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea -- why a new tomb? -- why make such a big deal about this?
-- and then it hit me -- it is because the old must give way to the new -- as the cross ushered in the existence of the new kingdom of God, nothing of the old could remain
-- traditionally, Jews would be buried in family tombs -- tombs that had served as the final resting place for their family for years and years
-- but, the cross put to death the old way of doing things -- Jesus was now part of the new -- He had died to the old practices and the old traditions -- and so they buried Him in a new tomb -- a tomb that no one else had ever been buried in before -- because Jesus was the first to go that way
-- if you are to enter into the kingdom of God, you must leave the old behind -- you cannot carry the things of your past life and your past kingdom with you into the new kingdom
-- when God was destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, He told Lot and his family to flee to the hills -- and not to look back -- to leave the old and to go on to the new -- but Lot's wife looked back -- she couldn't bear to leave the old -- and she was turned into a pillar of salt
-- when Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples and started washing their feet, Peter turned to Him and said, "No, you shall never wash my feet" -- but Jesus said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me" -- the old had to be washed away -- the dirt and grime and accumulated sin that comes from living in this world and this kingdom had to be removed -- put to death -- destroyed -- or Peter could have no part with Jesus
-- in Matthew 9:16-17, Jesus said, "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. -- Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."
-- the new cannot coexist with the old -- the old must be left behind

IV. Closing
-- so, what does this mean? -- it simply means this -- when you were born, you were born into captivity in the kingdom of the world -- you were enslaved by death and by your sin nature -- but Jesus came to proclaim release to the captives -- to proclaim salvation and a new way of life in a new kingdom -- an eternal kingdom ruled by God
-- but you have to choose to be a part of this kingdom -- you have to decide for yourself where you want to be -- do you want to continue to live in the old -- in the familiar -- or do you want to enter the kingdom of God?

-- in the movie, "The Matrix," the character Neo is offered a choice by Morpheus -- does he take the blue pill and stay where he is -- living the same old life in the same old way with the same old things -- or does he take the red pill and live in the truth?
-- but, Morpheus warns, there is a cost -- taking the red pill and entering the kingdom of truth requires that you leave all the old behind -- nothing will ever be the same again
-- Jesus tells us the same -- if you choose me, then you have to separate yourself from the old -- you have to completely sever yourself from your past -- all the things of the old world must be put to death -- your self -- your life -- your sins -- everything
-- as Watchman Nee points out, "The Cross was the means God used to bring to an end the old things" and our old life
-- Jesus is the door and the gate to the new kingdom -- by choosing Him -- by choosing to enter the new kingdom through Him -- we are deciding to leave the old and to allow Him to destroy it through the cross so that we might be made fit for the new kingdom
-- how we are made fit is another discussion -- and we will continue it next week

-- so as I close, I want to ask you to take a moment and think about yourself -- think about your allegiances -- about your time -- about your life -- what kingdom are you living in? -- what king are you serving?
-- have you chosen Christ over the world? -- or are you caught in the tension between the old and the new -- trying to live with one foot in both kingdoms?
-- if this sounds like you, then I want to invite you to respond to God's Word today -- to choose Jesus -- to choose life -- to choose the kingdom of God
-- let us pray

SERMON: KEEPING THE LAMPS LIT

Preached by Gregory W Lee
2 March 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Mark 14

12. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?"
13. So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him.
14. Say to the owner of the house he enters, `The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'
15. He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
16. The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
18. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me."
19. They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"
20. "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me.
21. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

-- Robert Robinson was just a little boy when his father passed away in 18th century England -- without a father in the house or a strong male figure to guide him, Robert quickly fell in with a bad crowd, and was soon given to all sorts of bad influences -- night after night he would go out carousing with his friends, drinking and gambling and enjoying all the vices the world had to offer
-- one night, he and his friends found a drunk gypsy woman, and they began to harass her and they demanded that she tell them their fortunes for free -- finally, she pointed a finger at Robert and said, "This one will live to see his children and his grandchildren"
-- that struck a chord with Robert -- he thought to himself, "If I'm going to see my children and grandchildren, then I'm going to have to change the way I'm living" -- shortly after this experience, he decided to go hear the Methodist preacher George Whitefield
-- in order to avoid seeming weak in front of his friends, he suggested that they go with him and heckle Whitefield and the crowd that came to see him
-- Whitefield preached on the text: "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matthew 3:7) -- Robert left in dread, under a deep sense of sin that lasted for three years -- finally, at the age of twenty, he made peace with God and immediately set out to become a Methodist preacher himself -- two years later, in 1757, he wrote a hymn which expressed his joy in his new faith -- a hymn that we all know and have all sung, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
-- but Robert's story doesn't end there -- not long after this hymn was written, Robert left the Methodist Church -- he left his ministry -- he left his faith -- and he wandered again along the roads and byways of his youth -- traveling again along the path of iniquity
-- one day he was traveling by stagecoach and there was a woman sitting there across from him reading a book of hymns -- she ran across a hymn that she thought was wonderful and started to hum it quietly to herself -- finally, one verse just caught her attention, and she asked Robert what he thought of it
-- "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it -- prone to leave the God I love -- here's my heart, O take and seal it -- seal it for thy courts above"
-- Bursting into tears, Robert said, "Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

-- this morning, as we continue preparing our hearts and our spirits during this Season of Lent to celebrate Christ by remembering and reflecting on what He did for us, I am going to preach on one of the most controversial topics in our churches today -- namely, once you are saved, are you always saved or can you fall from grace?
-- there's not a lot of differences between us and the Baptists or between us and a lot of the other denominations in our areas -- but this is a key difference -- this is one of the defining differences that separates our denomination from all the others
-- the Baptists say "once saved, always saved" -- but in our church, we disagree -- we say that it is possible for a person to fall from grace -- not necessarily to "lose" your salvation -- but to choose to walk away from the faith
-- so, who is right? -- who is wrong? -- and does it matter? -- the answers to those questions are of extreme importance, especially in our day and age, a time when we just don't see a lot of difference between Christians and the rest of the world
-- so, let's look together at the Scriptures and let's see what we can find there that might help us answer these questions

II. Scripture -- "Not I?"
-- in this passage that we opened with, we read Mark's account of the Last Supper -- as we read, Jesus and His disciples were getting ready to celebrate the Passover meal -- and since they were just visitors to Jerusalem, His disciples didn't know where they would be holding the meal
-- so Jesus told them to go into the city and they would find a man carrying jars of water -- they were to follow him home and say to the owner of the house, `The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there."
-- so the disciples went on their way and found everything just as Jesus said -- they got the upper room in that house ready and now the 13 of them were relaxing around the table, sharing together the Passover Seder -- the traditional Jewish meal held each Passover
-- but rather than being a time of joyous celebration, you get the sense that there was a pall over that evening -- a foreshadowing of the events to come -- look back if you would at verse 18

18. While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me."
19. They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"
20. "It is one of the Twelve," he replied, "one who dips bread into the bowl with me.
21. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."

-- now, we all know the end of the story -- we all know that it was Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus into the hands of the high priest for 30 pieces of silver -- but that's not what I want you to see in this passage
-- when Jesus tells them in verse 18 that one of them will betray Him, look at their response -- verse 19

19. They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?"

-- "surely not I?" -- every single one of the disciples asked Jesus that question -- because every single one of them knew the truth that each of us knows in our heart -- the same truth that Robert Robinson knew in his heart when he penned those words, "prone to wander, Lord, I feel it -- prone to leave the God I love"
-- regardless of your relationship with Christ -- regardless of your position in the church -- regardless of whether you are a pastor or Sunday School teacher or worship leader or lay leader -- regardless of whether you are a Methodist or a Baptist or an Episcopalian -- we are all just one step away from being Judas -- just one step away from betraying our God -- from denying Him and turning away from the faith -- just one step away from falling from grace

-- there's a term that we use in the church to describe people who have fallen away from their relationship with Christ -- we call it "back sliding"-- we're all aware of it and we all know people who are in this state -- people who once were very close to the Lord and walked with Him in a close relationship, but who have now wandered away from the church and from the Lord and from their responsibilities in some way
-- now, that's not to say that all of these people have fallen from grace -- that they have "lost" their salvation -- as I understand this concept from Scripture, the fall from grace is not the result of a single step, but a progression of steps down a steep slope
-- all of us sin -- there's not a person in this room who didn't sin this week -- perhaps even this day -- and every time that you sin, you put a wall of separation between you and God -- but we have the promise of Christ and the promise of 1 John 1:9 that says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness"
-- so the normal progression of a Christian's life is for us to wander -- to give in to our flesh and to the worldly temptations -- and to disobey God and sin against Him -- but when we do so, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin -- we feel the guilt of our sin -- we feel the estrangement -- the separation -- from God -- and we realize we have walked away from Him -- and so we turn back -- we confess our sin and ask God to forgive us -- and He receives us home again with joy -- much like the story of the Prodigal Son
-- the Prodigal Son went off and squandered all that his father had given him -- he sinned against his father and against heaven -- he wandered far off indeed -- but when he turned around and asked for forgiveness, he found his father waiting there with open arms, running to meet him
-- this is the normal pattern of the Christian life -- we are like toddlers following our mother in a store -- we wander off one step -- and then two -- but then we get scared and come running back to her for safety and protection
-- people like this are not really backsliders, but just normal Christians who have sinned and who are seeking to restore their relationship with Christ
-- a back slider, on the other hand -- a person who is in danger of falling from grace -- is a person who takes not one step or two or three -- but has taken many steps away from God -- they begin to neglect their relationship with Him -- they quit coming to church -- they quit seeking God's voice and His presence in the Bible and through prayer -- they quit fellowshipping with other Christians -- and they allow habitual sin to creep into their life
-- finally, they reach the point where they have chosen to walk so far away that they decide it's just not worth the trouble to try to come back -- they haven't really "lost" their salvation so much as they didn't do what was necessary to maintain their relationship with Christ -- and now they just don't have the desire to continue -- and so they choose to walk away
-- men like Judas -- men like Hymaneus and Philetus -- who Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:17-18 had "wandered away from the truth" -- and men like Demas -- who Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:10 had deserted him because he loved the world more

-- let me give you an illustration -- one time when I was a kid, we went to the water park in Douglas -- I forget the name of it -- I think it was Crystal River or something like that -- and I remember that they had this big water slide -- and we were all excited to ride it
-- you had to climb up this ladder to get to the top -- and then you'd slide all the way down -- but you always had the opportunity to get back on ladder and climb back up to the top again
-- now, after a little while, I began to get tired -- you know that walk back to the ladder was long -- and the ladder itself was high -- and it was hard to climb -- and you had to stand on the ladder until you made it to the top -- and it got to be too difficult to do it
-- so I quit riding the water slide -- I thought to myself, "You know, maybe I'll come back and ride it again before it's time to leave" -- but time went on and every time I looked at it, I thought about that long walk and climbing back up the ladder, and I just didn't feel like doing it -- the slide was always there, beckoning -- waiting -- for me to come back -- but before I knew it, it was too late -- it was time to go home
-- that is the difference between a Christian and a back slider -- the Christian climbs back up to the top -- but the back slider -- the person who is in danger of falling from grace -- decides its just not worth the trouble to go back up to the top again

-- how true are those words that Robert Robinson penned? -- we all know that we are prone to wander -- prone to leave God -- it is a danger that we all face -- the disciples knew it, and we can see that plainly in this passage
-- these are men who knew God -- who knew Jesus -- who had eaten with Him -- slept with Him -- who spent their days walking and talking with Him -- who sat at His feet as He taught -- who watched Him heal and do miraculous signs and wonders -- and yet, when the statement was made, "One of you will betray me," every single one of them wondered, "Is it me?" -- they knew they were all capable of making wrong choices -- of wandering away -- of choosing to leave and to betray the God they loved
-- throughout the Bible we see passage after passage -- verse after verse -- that warns us of this propensity and that warns us to stay close to Jesus to prevent us from back sliding
-- Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:1 that "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons."
-- for that reason, Jesus told His disciples, "Remain in my love" in John 15:9 and Paul counseled Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:14 to "continue in what you have learned learned and have become convinced of" -- to not leave it and follow the path of others who had turned away

-- so, in this Season of Lent, as we reflect on our sinful natures and on who we are and who we were before we came to Christ -- knowing that we are prone to wander -- knowing that we are prone to leave -- what do we do about it?
-- in Leviticus 24, God gives instructions to Moses about the golden lampstand that was located in the Holy Place -- and God tells Moses that the Israelites are to make sure that there is always oil for the lamp, so that it might be kept burning - and in Lev 24:4, God says, "The lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD must be tended continually."
-- that is the position that we take in our understanding of salvation -- while we understand that salvation is a free gift from God -- that we are saved through faith by grace alone -- and not of works -- we do recognize that maintaining our relationship with God requires continual tending -- it requires continual work -- we have to keep oil in our lights
-- if you would, turn over to Matthew 25 and we'll finish up there --

1. "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
3. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
4. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.
5. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6. "At midnight the cry rang out: `Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
7. "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
8. The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
9. "`No,' they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10. "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
11. "Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!' they said. `Open the door for us!'
12. "But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'

-- when I talk with my Baptist friends about eternal security and about whether you are "once saved, always saved" or whether you can fall from grace, I usually tell them that it doesn't really matter what you believe, so long as you stay close to Christ
-- if you keep oil in your lamp -- if you tend it continually -- if you continue in what you have been taught and remain in Christ's love -- then you will stay in close fellowship with Him -- you may
take a step or two away, but you'll always come back
-- how do we keep oil in our lamp? -- how can we guard ourselves from wandering away from the truth -- from abandoning the faith? -- by maintaining our relationship with Jesus
-- we do this through the means of grace -- through the normal ways in which God's grace works in our lives to restore us and renew us on a daily and continuing basis
-- typically, this means that we worship God -- both in our individual lives and as part of a church -- it means that we listen for God's voice as we read His word -- it means that we talk with Him through our prayers -- it means that we keep short accounts with Him -- confessing and repenting of our sins on a daily basis -- and it means that we participate in the sacraments and in acts of service in His name
-- these steps -- these means of grace -- while they can't save you, they can keep you close to Christ -- they keep your lamp filled with oil -- and they help you stay close to the cross -- close to the top of the mountain -- close to God

-- as I close now, I want to invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- we are all prone to wander -- we are all prone to leave the God we love -- and every day -- in a thousand different ways -- we do just that -- we take a step or two away -- but then we come back
-- I don't know where you are in your relationship with Christ -- I can't know your heart -- only you can -- and you know if you are walking close to Christ or if you have wandered far, far down that slope -- it could be that you have been just going through the motions -- just coming to church and singing the songs and not really feeling it in your heart -- it could be that you have started wandering away from God
-- the good news is that God never moves -- He is always there for you -- and if you just turn around and start home, He will meet you there
-- if this sounds like you, then I want to encourage you to come home today -- to turn back to Him today -- to restore your relationship with Him today -- so that you may know that you are saved -- and so you won't have to respond, "Surely not I?" when Jesus reminds you that someone is going to betray Him
-- Let us pray

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME -- TELL SOMEONE ABOUT THE CHANGE

This Saturday night is the start of daylight savings time, certainly coming much earlier than I can ever remember. A lot of folks, like me and those older than me, are walking around confused. "This Saturday? I thought it changed the last Saturday in March."

So, let's take a chance and become evangelists of change this week. Remind people of the time change. Encourage them to set their clocks back before they go to bed on Sunday. And, while you're at it, remind them about church the next morning. Invite them to go with you. And tell them about the real "change." The permanent change. The change that comes from Christ. It never comes too early. It can never come too late. But it needs to come. How dreadful it would be if the people we pass never miss daylight savings time but miss eternal savings time.

MOTIVATING THE CHURCH

Motivation. The bane of any professional minister. The bane of churches and of denominations. Why is it, in our day and age, that generally only 10% of people participate and do all the work while the others just sit back and do nothing? Is it an artifact of our religiousity, of the way we "do" church? Or is it a failing on the part of church and denominational leaders?

This is a universal problem. It is not just isolated to one church or one denomination or even one continent. When I googled the term "Motivating Churches," I came up with 1,200,000 websites dedicated to solving this problem. I get advertisements in the mail on an almost daily basis, "How to grow your church," "How to motivate your members to excel," "How to emphasize outreach in the 21st century." Why are we struggling with trying to get our members to participate in church, to participate in the life of our communities of faith? Why are our churches so ineffective in ministering the gospel of Christ and motivating our members to get out and make a difference in the life of another?

The writer of Hebrews wrote in Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." What can we do, as professional ministers and church leaders, to motivate the church to do more, to be more, to live more?

While I certainly don't claim to have all the answers, I do have some ideas of how we might encourage and motivate our members to move forward into the life-transforming business of a life of faith.

1. Capture the Calling. When I look at the members of most churches today, I sense a lack of purpose, a drifting on the sea of religiousity. Many members just simply don't know why they are at church, other than it's Sunday and they're supposed to be there. I think that's one reason why Rick Warren's book, "The Purpose-Driven Life," was such a success. People are looking for a purpose, they are looking for a reason, they are searching for meaning in their lives. The problem is they are not finding it at church. As church leaders, we need to help people recapture their calling in Christ, to identify their spiritual gifts, and to encourage them to actively live out their gifts outside the walls of the church and in the communities where faith is put to the test. We need to turn the focus off of the church and onto the community. Jesus spent most of His time ministering in the streets and in byways of Israel. He came for the sick, not for those who didn't need a doctor, and so He went to where they were. He knew His purpose. He knew His calling. And we need to help our churches know what Christ is calling us to, the mission He has given us, individually and corporately. The Bible says, without a vision, the people perish. We can just as easily say, "without a vision, without a purpose, the people become apathetic."

2. Determined Discipleship. One of my concerns with the church in America is that we are not building up the body of Christ as we should. We have programs and services to bring in the unchurched, to get them to the altar, to get them saved, and then we shake their hand, add them to the church roll, and go on to the next prospect. We leave them lost at the cross without any direction or focus in their life. And, statistics show that they stay for a while, and then they wander off in search of something else. Several years ago, Ted Haggard wrote a book where he addressed this issue in his own church in Denver. Their evangelism rates were out the ceiling. People were coming to Christ in large numbers. But, just as quick as they were coming in the front door, they were leaving out the back. There was no staying power, and I attribute this to a lack of intentional and determined discipleship. Jesus demonstrated for us the practice of discipleship. He took a handful of men and spent time with them, teaching them with His words, showing them the in's and out's of service and ministry with His life, and building into this new community of faith. And, when they were ready, He sent them out in pairs to find others to disciple. As a general rule, we have lost this in our churches. Rarely is there intentional and determined one-on-one discipleship. At best, we have small groups that meet for fellowship, but how much intentional discipleship is going on? If we want to encourage our members to grow, if we want to motivate them to minister to others and to experience the life-changing transformation of Christ working through them, then we are going to have to build them up and instill in them a mature faith.

3. Challenge the Called. Our modern age of entertainment has been detrimental to the church. Instead of viewing church as a training ground for ministry, many now view it as a source of entertainment, something that they come to view, not to live or to experience. I have found that most people in our churches are interested in doing something, but first they have to get out of this "entertainment" mode and into "action" mode. They need to be challenged. They need to be encouraged. They need someone to come to them, individually, and say, "You are gifted in this area. You are the person Christ has called to do this. Now, come on, let's get it done." It doesn't matter if it's serving the elderly, preaching in the streets, knocking on doors, or feeding the homeless, the people in our churches are more than ready to do so, IF, and this is a big "IF," we confirm their calling, we disciple and train them so they get past their fears of doing ministry, and we challenge them to step up and do what Christ is calling them to do.

It all comes down to making people care. Like the quote in the picture above from the movie, "Office Space," it's not that most people in the pews are lazy, it's just that they don't care. They've been taught to not care by churches that turn worship services into productions and who focus solely on numbers and not discipleship. It's time we change the way we do church and start motivating our members to be all they can be, to trust in the Spirit to work in them and through them as they minister to others.

What do you think? Let's start a discussion on this. How can we motivate? How can we encourage? How can we stop the revolving door in our churches? How can we truly be effective in ministry to those around us? How can we turn our members from being consumers to being producers for the kingdom?

LAWS OF LIFE

We've all heard of the Golden Rule and Murphy's Law. Here are some lesser-known, but no less true, rules and laws of life.

Law of Mechanical Repair: After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch or you’ll have to pee.

Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Law of Probability: The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.

Law of the Telephone: If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal.

Law of the Alibi: If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire.

Variation Law: If you change lines (or traffic lanes) the one you were in will start to move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Law of the Bath: When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings.

Law of Close Encounters: The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don’t want to be seen with.

Law of the Result: When you try to prove to someone that a machine won’t work, it will.

Law of Biomechanics: The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.

Law of the Theater: At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last.

Law of Coffee: As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold.

Murphy’s Law of Lockers: If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.

Law of Rugs/Carpets: The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug.

Law of Location: No matter where you go, there you are.

Law of Logical Argument: Anything is possible if you don’t know what you are talking about.

Brown’s Law: If the shoe fits, it’s ugly.

Oliver’s Law: A closed mouth gathers no feet .

Wilson’s Law: As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.

Doctors’ Law: If you don’t feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you’ll feel better. Don’t make an appointment and you’ll stay sick.

EASTER TRIVIA

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier!

Here are the facts:

1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).

2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

SERMON: BECOMING AN EVERGEEN

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
24 February 2008

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 23:31

31. For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

-- this morning, we are going to begin our final preparations for the celebration of Easter on March 23rd, just four weeks away -- as you know, we are in the middle of Lent, the 40-day season of preparation during which the church has traditionally prayed and fasted and repented of their sins in anticipation for the glorious resurrection of Christ
-- this was also a time when converts to Christianity would be taught the basics -- the foundation of their faith -- to prepare them for baptism on Easter morning
-- it is a time of reflection -- of remembering -- and of repenting -- it is a time when we are called to reflect on who we are -- to remember the depths of our sins -- and to repent of our sins and to draw closer to God through the acts of fasting, prayer, and penance as we seek again the forgiveness of the One who died on the cross for us and who rose from the dead on the third day
-- so this morning, with these three areas in mind, I want us to look at a passage from Luke that talks about the crucifixion of Christ

-- before we do that, let me remind you of the context of this passage -- the events of this passage take place on the Friday of Holy Week -- Good Friday -- as you remember, Jesus had celebrated the Passover with His disciples in the Upper Room on Thursday night and had then gone to the Garden of Gethsemene to pray, where He had been betrayed into the hands of the priests by Judas
-- the temple guards took Jesus to the temple, where He was tried before Annas and Caiaphas, and they decided He should be killed -- so they took Him to Pilate, the Roman Governor, to get Pilate to order Jesus' execution
-- Pilate did everything he could to release Jesus and turn Him free -- Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, hoping that Herod would deal with Him -- but Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate
-- Pilate had Jesus flogged and hoped that would satisfy the Jews, but it didn't
-- then Pilate tried to get the Jews to pick Jesus over Barabbas -- the notorious murderer -- but the crowd chose Barabbas as the one to be freed
-- so, finally, with no other choice, Pilate condemned Jesus to death
-- if you would, turn with me now to Luke 23, and let's look at this passage in some detail as we remember, reflect, and repent

II. Scripture Lesson
-- verse 24

24. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.
25. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will.
26. As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.
28. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children.
29. For the time will come when you will say, `Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'
30. Then "`they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" '
31. For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"

-- this passage is a pivotal passage in Scripture -- it calls to mind our sin -- the cross that Jesus bore to Calvary -- but it also is a call for action -- for decision -- on our part
-- in a very real sense, these verses are a call for repentance -- I think the key verse in this passage is verse 31, where Jesus asks the question, "For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
-- by asking this question, Jesus is asking us to make a decision -- will we be a green tree or will we be a dry tree?
-- in order to answer this question, we have to know what the difference is
-- a green tree is a tree that is alive -- a tree that is growing -- a tree that is capable of bearing fruit -- in spiritual terms, a green tree is a person who has a living faith in Jesus -- who is "in" Christ -- who is connected to Jesus
-- a dry tree, then, is a tree that is not alive -- a tree that is receiving no nourishment -- a tree that is dead and lifeless and barren -- in spiritual terms, a dry tree is a person who is still living apart from Jesus
-- you would think it would be easy to tell the difference between a tree that is green and alive and a tree that is dead and dry, wouldn't you? -- but sometimes it's not easy to tell the difference
-- Christ's call for us is to be people that are always green -- always alive in Him -- we have trees down here that are evergreens -- pine trees -- live oaks -- magnolias -- you can look at them, even in the dead of winter, and tell that they are alive
-- but we also have trees down here that are deciduous -- that lose their leaves when it starts to get cold -- when the winter storms hit -- when things get rough -- these tree are still green, but it's just not evident
-- the other day, we were looking at some of the trees on the base and trying to decide whether they needed to be cut down or not -- and just looking at them, we couldn't tell if they were alive or if they were dead -- we had to go over to them and scratch their bark to see if they were green underneath -- we had to check to see if they were alive
-- Jesus doesn't want us to be trees that someone has to check to see if they are alive -- Jesus wants us to be evergreens for Him -- He wants us to be people that others can look at and know that we are alive -- He wants us to be people who are always growing -- always green -- always connected to Him
-- but what if you're not? -- what if you look at yourself and realize that you have allowed sin to creep into your life -- what if you look at yourself and realize that your faith has faltered during the winter storms -- what if you look at yourself and realize you have never known the saving grace that comes through confession, repentance, and forgiveness -- what then?
-- that's who this passage is for -- that's who the cross is for -- that's who Easter is for
-- this passage shows us how to go from being dry trees or being green trees that look dry to being evergreens for Christ -- we do that through confession and repentance and turning in faith to Christ -- in other words, we do that by dealing with our sin

-- look back at verse 26

26. As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

-- repentance and confessing involves mourning and weeping over our sins -- this means that we recognize who we are -- namely, that we are sinners and have disobeyed God's holy commandments -- as it says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"
-- the path to repentance requires us to take ownership for our sins -- to agree with God that we have disobeyed Him -- a lot of the problems and issues that we are having in society today is our refusal to name sin for what it is, namely, an act of willful disobedience against God -- instead, we use euphemisms to hide our sins and to cover them -- calling adultery, an "affair" -- abortion, the "right to choose" -- homosexuality, a "life choice"
-- even in the church, we have this problem -- we think nothing of telling a white lie from time to time -- of gossiping in the name of sharing prayer concerns -- of judging others by our actions and our inactions
-- in order to become truly alive for Christ -- in order to become evergreens -- we first must recognize and admit our sins to God
-- that is the first step in repentance -- in the Bible, the idea of repentance is represented by two verbs -- the first verb means that you feel sorrow -- that you mourn and weep over your sins

-- the second verb means that you return -- you return to God -- you leave your sins behind and you turn to Christ for forgiveness and atonement
-- we see a great picture of leaving sins behind in this passage -- Luke tells us in verse 26 that Jesus was led away -- in John 19:17, we are told that Jesus "went out to the place of the Skull" -- to Golgotha or Calvary
-- in other words, Jesus took our sin upon Himself and carried it away
-- have you ever wondered why Jesus was crucified at Golgotha? -- well, the easy answer is that, by law, executions could not be held inside the city -- but there is also a deeper, spiritual answer -- it goes back to the Old Testament law that God gave to Moses and the Israelites -- to the rituals and sacrifices that He gave them so that they might receive temporary cleansing and forgiveness of their sins
-- in Leviticus 16:5-28, we read of the sacrifices that were made on Yom Kippur -- the Day of Atonement -- it was on this day that the sins of Israel were removed by God as the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies and made a sacrifice before the very presence of God -- it was the only day of the year that anyone could enter the Holy of Holies
-- the ceremony started by selecting two goats that were acceptable to God -- once the goats were selected, lots were cast to determine which goat would be killed and which goat would be spared
-- the goat that was selected to be killed was sacrificed in the temple -- its blood was collected and was sprinkled on and before the mercy seat -- the place between the two cherubs on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies -- and then it was sprinkled on the altar of sacrifice
-- the fat from the goat and some of its organs were burned on the altar as an offering to God -- but the rest of the animal -- its hide and its meat were carried outside the camp and burned away from the people and away from the presence of God
-- the second goat was presented alive to God -- this was the scapegoat -- the priest would lay his hands on the head of this goat, and the sins and the guilt of the nation of Israel would be confessed and put on this goat -- this goat was carried out into the wilderness and turned loose -- traditionally, they would carry this goat out at least 6-1/2 miles from Jerusalem to make sure it would never come back again
-- in this ritual, the goats represented the two ways that God dealt with the sin of the Israelites -- first, He forgave their sin through the sacrifice and offering of the first goat -- next, He removed their guilt through the scapegoat
-- through this ritual, the sins of Israel were taken away, both physically and spiritually -- the goats were representative of the repentance of the Jews -- their sins, having been confessed and atoned for through the blood sacrifice, were carried away and the Jews turned away from them and turned to God
-- in the same way, Jesus bore our sins away, outside the City of Jerusalem, to Golgotha -- away from the presence of God and away from the presence of the people -- our sins were completely taken care of by the cross and we are supposed to bear them no more -- we are supposed to turn from them and leave them outside our camp -- outside our lives -- and turn to God
-- the path to becoming a green tree, then, lies through repentance -- as it says is Hebrews 10:11-13: "The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. -- And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. -- Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore"
-- so what comes after repentance? -- look at verse 32

32. Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
33. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left.
34. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

-- after we repent of our sins -- after we have mourned and wept over our disobedience -- after we have confessed our sins to God and turned from our sin and left it behind -- God offers us His forgiveness
-- in His first words from the cross, Jesus prays a prayer of forgiveness for us -- the cross is the place where our sins were removed -- the cross was the place where the perfect blood sacrifice was made as an atonement for our sins -- the cross was the place where forgiveness was given -- where we can be made holy and clean in God's eyes
-- in order to have our sins forgiven -- in order to be made evergreens for Christ -- we must come to the cross in repentance -- but we have to do more than that
-- there were many people at the cross that day, but not all received forgiveness -- verse 35

35. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."
36. The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar
37. and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."
38. There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"
40. But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?
41. We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
42. Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. "
43. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

-- Luke tells us in verse 35 that many people stood watching as Jesus died on the cross -- the rulers and the leaders of the Jewish people were there -- the soldiers were there -- the two criminals were there
-- but out of all mentioned in this passage, only one received forgiveness for their sins -- the one thief who turned to Jesus in faith and in trust

III. Closing
-- salvation -- the forgiveness of our sins and the promise of eternal life with Christ -- comes only through repentance and faith
-- it comes only when we honestly recognize the sin in our life and call it what it is -- when we realize that we have sinned against God and disobeyed His holy word -- when we mourn over our sin and repent from it -- when we turn away from our sin and turn to God instead
-- it comes only when we turn to Jesus and receive His offer of forgiveness and new life in faith -- trusting only in Him and His finished work on the cross -- knowing that the only path to heaven is through Jesus alone
-- as I close this morning, I want to invite you to take a look at your life -- are you a green tree -- an evergreen -- living with God and for God -- with the fruits of the Spirit evident in your life
-- or are you dry -- standing barren and leafless before the sky? -- if so, then Jesus is calling you today to come home to Him -- to return to Him and to leave your sins behind
-- Jesus promises that we can all be green and fruitful trees through Him -- all we need to do is to confess and repent of our sins and turn to Him for forgiveness in faith
-- there aren't any magic words that you need to say to make it happen -- there just needs to be a heart-felt prayer between you and God as you put your faith and trust in Jesus, believing that He has paid the price for your sin debt on the cross with His own body and blood
-- as we close in prayer, I want to invite you to respond to God's word as you feel led -- the altar is always open, and if you want me to pray with you, then I will be happy to do so
-- let us pray