SERMON: LOSING JESUS

11 December 2016

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 2:41-52

Luke 2:41-52 [New International Version (NIV)]

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

      -- about halfway through December one year, this family was at home in the midst of getting ready for Christmas -- they were wrapping packages and putting out decorations, when they heard a knock on the door -- when they went to the door, no one was there -- but somebody had left a package on the porch -- they opened up the package and inside was a beautiful ceramic lamb

      -- well, the next night, the same thing happened -- there was a knock on the door -- and when they opened it, no one was there -- but there was another package on the porch -- this time the package was a ceramic shepherd that matched the lamb -- and they realized that these were all part of a nativity set

      -- they looked at the calendar, and found out that the mysterious packages started arriving when there were only 12 days left until Christmas

      -- every night they'd wait to see whether they'd get another package and what piece they would get -- by Christmas Eve, all the pieces of the nativity were in place, except for the baby Jesus

      -- by this time, the kids in the family really wanted to find out who was leaving the packages -- so on Christmas Eve, the 12-year old son hid out in the minivan to watch and see who was bringing the gifts, but no one ever came -- they waited all night for the mysterious knock on the door, but no knock ever came

      -- they worried that maybe the person had seen their son in the van and gotten scared off -- the husband suggested that maybe whoever it was had dropped the baby Jesus and broken Him and that there wouldn't be anything else coming this year

      -- they checked the porch again right before they went to bed, but still no package -- the next morning, when the kids got up -- even before they opened their presents -- they went to the door to see if the baby Jesus might have shown up -- still nothing

      -- so with a glance at the incomplete nativity set, they began opening up their gifts from under the tree -- but this year, something seemed different -- the mother said that the event had changed her focus -- she knew that there were presents under the tree for her, and that it was exciting to watch the children open their gifts, but the main thing on her mind was the feeling of missing Jesus -- of anxiously waiting for the ceramic baby Jesus to complete their Christmas set

      -- when they were almost through opening the presents, they came to one small package shoved way up under the tree -- it had been given to the mother by a lady in church whom she had helped earlier in the year -- the woman said it was just a token of her love and appreciation

      -- the mother started unwrapping the present and as the paper fell away, she began to tremble and cry -- there in the small brown box was the baby Jesus for their nativity set -- what they had been missing and longing for had been with them the whole time -- they had just lost Him in the hustle and bustle of Christmas

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 2:41-52)

            -- this morning, I want us to look at a familiar passage in the Bible about the time Jesus was lost -- we find it here in the second chapter of the gospel of Luke

            -- if you would, look back with me at verse 41

41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.

            -- this is the only place in the Bible where we find this story of Jesus getting lost -- it’s interesting that we find it here in this second chapter of Luke -- because this is the chapter of Jesus’ life before His ministry

            -- this chapter opens with the birth of Jesus -- angels show up in the fields outside of Bethlehem and announce to the shepherds there that the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for had finally come -- the long wait was over -- the Messiah had been born -- and it follows the shepherds into Bethlehem right into the stable, where they see the newborn Christ and then go out and spread the word that the Savior had been found

            -- then we read of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple as part of the purification rites -- and there we are introduced to Simeon and Anna -- who have been waiting and hoping and longing for the Christ to come -- who joyfully take the Christ-child into their arms and announce to those around them the ministry to which this child was born

            -- then twelve years later, we read here of Jesus coming back to the Temple with His parents for the celebration of the Feast of the Passover -- according to the Torah, all Jewish males were to visit Jerusalem to celebrate three feasts: the Passover -- Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks -- and the Feast of Tabernacles, which was also known as Booths -- if they lived distant from Jerusalem, they were only required to go up annually for the Passover feast        

            -- after reading this passage, a Sunday school teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem -- one little kid had a great answer, "They probably couldn't get a baby sitter."

            -- now that’s not the real reason, but it’s funny, none-the-less -- Jesus, at twelve years of age, would have been at the point in His life when His basic rabbinic teachings were coming to an end -- all young Jewish boys were taught the Torah in their synagogues or by their father until they were around twelve years old -- and then those who were most promising and who had the means to do so would seek additional training under a Rabbi, who would carry them deeper into the teachings of God -- you can think of it as starting seminary

            -- so now at twelve, we see Jesus coming up from Nazareth with His parents to Jerusalem -- back to the Temple -- to celebrate the Feast according to the custom of the Jews

           

            -- after the Passover had ended, Mary and Joseph headed back home with their caravan of friends and family -- even though the Romans controlled the province of Israel, it was probably safer to travel in a group -- and so family and friends would travel together to and from Jerusalem, especially for the major feasts

            -- but something interesting happened as they headed home -- they lost Jesus -- after about a day of traveling, they realized that they didn’t know where Jesus was -- in the hustle and bustle of getting everything loaded up and hitting the road, they just forgot Him -- they just assumed that He was walking with somebody else in their caravan and would show up at some point -- but He didn’t and so they started looking for Him among their relatives and their friends

            -- Greg Laurie points out something important about this passage -- he wrote that Mary and Joseph hadn’t “lost their love for Him or their faith -- they just lost Him”

            -- and he goes on to say something quite profound that’s important for us this time of the year -- this can happen to us, too -- we can lose Jesus if we’re not careful -- as Laurie point out, “we are so busy celebrating the birth of Christ that we can forget about Christ -- God’s only begotten Son can become God’s only forgotten Son” at Christmas

            -- Mary and Joseph loved Jesus -- they believed in Him -- they knew the circumstances of His conception and birth like no one else -- they knew He was the promised Messiah -- that had been confirmed by the angels and shepherds and Simeon and Anna -- out of all the people in the world that you would have expected to not lose Jesus, it would have been them -- but, yet they lost Him

            -- I have no doubt that everybody here loves Jesus just as Mary and Joseph did -- these Advent and Christmas seasons that we are getting ready for are celebrated because of our love for Jesus -- for who He is and what He has done -- for the promises we have in Him -- as the cliche goes, “Jesus is the reason for the season”

            -- but all too often, we can get so caught up in the preparations and the celebrations, that we forget what it’s all about in the first place -- we lose Jesus under our trees, just like the family in my opening illustration -- just like Mary and Joseph on the way back from Jerusalem after Passover -- this is something that we have to be aware of and guard against in our lives

            -- but let’s say we realize that we have forgotten Jesus -- we’ve lost Him somewhere along the way -- how do you find what is lost?

            -- look at verse 45

45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

            -- what do you do when you lose something? -- I am all the time losing something important -- it’s like I lay stuff down and then can’t find it again

            -- we were out at the agility trial at Reed Bingham this weekend, and I had been using my headlamp to find stuff in the back of the truck and pick up limbs for the fire after dark -- I had used it all weekend -- but yesterday, when I was getting ready to come home for the night, I looked in my backpack, and it wasn’t where it was supposed to be -- I couldn’t find it -- I had lost it

            -- so what do you do when you can’t find something -- what I do is try to retrace my steps and go back to where I was at to see if I can find it there -- usually, that works -- so I rechecked the pocket of the shirt was wearing -- I looked on the picnic table by the fire -- looked in the bus where I sometimes lay it -- and finally, I remembered I had been wearing my heavy jacket, so I grabbed it from the truck, and there was my headlight, right there in the pocket of the jacket

            -- the same is true for finding Jesus when He’s lost, too -- in Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus counsels the church in Ephesus -- He tells them that they have forsaken their first love -- they had lost their first love -- they had forgotten Jesus

            -- and so Jesus tells them to go back to where they were before -- to retrace their steps -- He tells them to remember and repent -- to do the things they did at first if they want to find their first love again -- if they want to find Jesus again

            -- that’s what Mary and Joseph did -- they retraced their steps -- they went back to Jerusalem -- back to the Temple -- back to the place where you would expect to find the Savior -- and there they found Jesus, sitting at the feet of the Rabbis and the teachers

III.  Closing

      -- one day this church was having a baptismal service down at the baptizing hole in the river -- an old drunk was wandering by and saw the preacher standing out in the water and waded out and stood beside him -- the preacher looked over and saw the drunk standing there and asked, "Are you ready to find Jesus?" -- the drunk said, "Yes" -- so the preacher grabbed him and plunged him under the water

      -- the drunk came up from the water and the preacher asked him, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk said, "No" -- so the preacher plunged him back under again -- he brought him back up and asked him again, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk answered again, "No"

      -- thoroughly disgusted by this time, the minister grabbed the drunk, plunged him under the water, and held him there for a good thirty seconds -- the drunk came back up, gasping for air, spitting and sputtering -- the preacher yelled at the drunk this time, "Have you found Jesus?" -- the drunk replied, "No, but before you put me back under again, are you sure this is where He fell in?"

            -- what do we need to do to find Jesus again at Christmas? -- we need to retrace our steps -- we need to go back to the place where we last saw Him -- to the places where we would expect to find Jesus hanging out

            -- church is always a good place to start -- and I’m glad to see all of you here this morning -- but one day out of seven won’t keep you from losing Jesus the rest of the week -- we need to go to the places where Jesus can be found every day -- if we want to find Jesus and keep from losing Him again this Christmas season, we need to be diligent and committed to seeking Him daily in His word -- in our prayers -- in our conversation and fellowship with others

            -- the daily disciplines -- the means of grace by which we find Jesus and experience Him in our lives

            -- this isn’t rocket science, but it might as well be if we aren’t using the tools at our disposal -- you’ve heard the old adage, “if you don’t use it, you lose it” -- there’s a lot of truth to that

            -- to keep from losing Jesus, we have to be intentional about keeping Him close -- we have to be intentional about doing the things that keep Him close -- we can’t let the busyness of life make us forget about Him -- we can’t let the worries of life cause us to misplace Him -- we have to be living for God -- we have to be sure that He is with us

            -- this means we have to be in a right relationship with Him -- living holy and devout lives of faithfulness -- ready for His coming and sure that He will never leave us or forsake us -- but we have to be careful that we don’t walk away or leave Him behind because we get too busy or caught up with other things

            -- as we close and leave here to continue getting ready for Christmas, don’t forget to take Jesus with you when you leave -- look around -- make sure He’s with you -- and keep Him close this holiday season

            -- let us pray

REDEEMING THE SEASON

I understand that 2016 was not a banner year for most people. It was a year of trials and troubles. A time when we watched our country divide politically and racially as never before. A time where we watched terrorists here and abroad seeking to destroy our sense of peace and our well-being. A time that has left many without hope.

But consider this true story:

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear that his own son had been seriously wounded as a Lieutenant in the Union Army of the Potomac. Sitting down to his desk that following Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing and ringing. It was in that setting he wrote:

 "I heard the bells on Christmas Day,
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men.

And in despair I bowed my head,
There is no peace on earth I said.
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men"

Hope is not lost. Hope was born on Christmas Day, and the hope of Jesus continues to ring out in our land today!

Do not despair, my friends, but listen for the bells, for the sound of the heavenly choir, for the jubilant praises of the faithful!

Take hope and heart in the presence of Jesus today, and carry that hope with you through Christmas and into the new year!

SERMON: THE LETTER FOR TODAY IS “S”

23 October 2016

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Romans 7:14-20

Romans 7:14-20New International Version (NIV)

14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

            -- for the last couple of weeks, I’ve been channeling my inner Sesame Street -- I imagine all of you watched Sesame Street as a kid, and remember how ever episode they would pick a letter and then focus the entire show on that letter and words that began with that letter?

            -- I don’t know if you realized it or not, but we’ve been doing something similar over the past couple of weeks -- we started with the letter “C” -- and looked at the life of King Solomon and The Three C’s of Spiritual Defeat -- Complacency, Compromise, and Corruption -- which were overcome by the C of the Cross

            -- last week, we talked about the real “F” word -- forgiveness -- and what true biblical forgiveness is, what it should look like in our lives, and why we must express forgiveness in our lives to become who God has called us to be

            -- this week, we’re looking at the letter “S” -- and we’re going to be focusing on three words that begin with that letter -- Sin, Salvation, and Sanctification

II.  Sin

            -- as much as I hate to, we must begin our discussion this morning with the reality of sin

            -- as we are all too painfully aware, our lives have been molded and shaped and formed through the ubiquitous presence of sin -- because of Adam and Eve -- because of The Fall in the Garden of Eden -- that distinct moment in time when Adam and Eve gave into sin and disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil -- we have all become sinners -- born into sin -- who live out sin-filled days on this earth

            -- contrary to popular opinion, we are not sinners because we sin -- but, we sin because we are sinners -- this is who we are -- this is the doctrine of original sin -- we are born with an inherent sin nature because we are born in Adam -- it is part of us -- there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from this sin nature, and it causes us to do sinful acts -- we simply cannot help ourselves

            -- this original sin has tainted our lives from the very beginning -- we are defined by our sin -- sin characterizes who we are and what we do and who we will become -- sin and the fall resulted in a curse on us and on God’s creation, and the shadow of sin touches every part of Creation

            -- so what do we mean by the word “sin?” -- “sin is any action, deed, or thought that falls short of God’s perfect character” [http://www.xenos.org/essays/five-views-sanctification]

            -- and there’s not a person in here, nor a person that has ever lived -- apart from Jesus Christ Himself -- who has not sinned and done what is wrong in God’s eyes -- there’s not a person in here, nor a person who has ever lived, who hasn’t fallen short of the glory of God -- of God’s perfect character

            -- look at what Paul says here in this passage as he expounds in the Book of Romans on the Law and the reality of sin in our lives exposed by the Law

            -- verse 14

Romans 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.

            -- because of original sin, we have been born into slavery to sin -- it defines who we are -- it defines what we do -- we sin because we have this sin nature within us

            -- but, as AA and the other twelve step programs point out, you cannot be healed until you first admit who you are -- so God gave us the Law to demonstrate the extent of our sinfulness -- the Law not only shows us what God demands of us, but our failure to keep the Law reveals our sin and our need for a Savior

            -- look at verse 15

Romans 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

            -- this sin is within us -- it is part of us -- there is nothing we can do about it -- like Paul, even when we try to do good, we find that we can’t -- even when we try to stop sinning, we find ourselves giving in time and time again to temptation and sin

            -- it is because we have this sin living inside of us -- the sinful nature Paul speaks of here in verse 18

            -- we can have the desire to do good -- we can have the desire to follow the Law and to do what God commands -- but we are powerless to carry it out

            -- the sin within -- the sin we are slaves to -- we are bound to -- keeps us from doing what God wants us to do -- it keeps us from being who God created us to be

            -- our sin has condemned us -- as the Bible says in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin are death” -- this is what we have earned in our lives because of our sin -- we have earned condemnation -- we have earned separation from God -- we have earned an eternity in Hell

            -- but the reality of sin leads us to the good news of Jesus Christ and to the promise inherent in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”

            -- the promise of John 3:16 ushers in the good news of our next “S” word -- Salvation

II.  Salvation

            -- salvation literally means “to be saved” -- the word that is translated as “salvation” in our Bibles “stems from the Greek word “sozo,” meaning to save from peril, injury, or suffering.” [http://truthsaves.org/articles/salvation-vs-sanctification/]

            -- in the context of the Scriptures, salvation refers to Christ’s atoning death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins -- Christ came to take our place -- as it says in 2 Corinthians 5:21, He who knew no sin became sin for us and took our place on the cross -- suffering and dying and paying the penalty of sin that we owed so that we might be saved from the wrath of God and actually become the righteousness of God

            -- another term we use to describe this act of Christ on our behalf is justification -- “just as if I never sinned” -- the restoration of our original being before God -- we term this as “positional holiness”

            -- because of Christ, we are set apart positionally in the eyes of God as holy and righteous -- without sin or blemish -- not because of anything we have done -- not because of who we are -- but because of Christ’s imputed righteousness -- Christ’s righteousness covering us and removing our sins

            -- in a very real sense, there are three components to the salvation that comes through Christ [http://truthsaves.org/articles/salvation-vs-sanctification/]:

            -- as we have already talked about, salvation delivers us from the penalty of sin -- the price has been paid -- Jesus took our place on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin with His own body and blood

            -- secondly, there is salvation from the power of sin

            -- in the passage from Romans 7, Paul lamented that he could not do what he desired to do -- when he desired to do good -- when he desired to follow the Law and obey the commands of God -- he found himself unable to do so because of the power of sin in his life that kept him in bondage

            -- but Christ has destroyed the power of sin in our lives -- He has broken the chains of slavery and freed us from the grasp of sin -- we have been saved from the power of sin and can now choose to live lives in obedience to God

           

            -- finally, Christ’s death on the cross provided salvation from the presence of sin -- even though we are saved -- even though we when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and put our faith and trust in His atoning death on the cross -- even though the power of sin has been broken in our lives -- we still live with the reality of sin in this world -- we still live in a fallen state, surrounded by sin and the consequences of sin

            -- but the Bible promises that we will be eventually saved from even the presence of sin -- this is our hope in Christ -- this is our future state in eternity when we will live with God in heaven forever -- a place where there will be no more sin -- no more shadow -- but God’s light will shine and there will be no more sin and no more darkness

III.  Sanctification

            -- but we cannot discuss salvation without talking about the third “S” word for today -- Sanctification

            -- turn over to 2 Thessalonians 2:13-17

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits[a] to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings[b] we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, 17 encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

            -- Paul writes here to the Thessalonians that we have been chosen to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit -- what does that mean? -- what is sanctification?

            -- sanctification literally means, “to be set apart, to be separated for a purpose” -- in the case of the Bible, to be sanctified means we have been set apart and separated from sin and from this world and separated to God and to holiness and righteousness -- “sanctification is the process of being set apart and conformed to the image of Christ” [https://carm.org/justification-and-sanctification]

            -- salvation works hand-in-hand with sanctification to form us into the new creation Paul speaks about in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

            -- when we are saved, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit immediately comes to indwell us -- to live within us -- the very presence of God inside us, forming us into a new creation -- working within us to transform us from sinful human beings into the men and women God has called us to be -- working with us to make us holy as God is holy -- to make us more and more like Jesus every day

            -- so, as Paul puts it here in 2 Thessalonians, salvation ushers in the process of becoming saved through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit

            -- we talked about how salvation was positional holiness -- that through Christ’s atoning death on the cross, our position has been changed in the eyes of God -- Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us -- we are seen in the eyes of God as holy because Christ’s holiness and righteousness covers us

            -- but it is an undeniable fact that even though we are holy positionally in the eyes of God, we are far from being holy in our reality -- in our real lives -- as Oswald Sanders said, “The older I get, the more deeply I am aware of how sinful I am”

            -- we know that we sin -- we know that we still do not do what is right -- we know that we still choose to disobey God and do things that are not pleasing to Him, even though we now have a desire to do better and even though Christ has destroyed the power of sin that was keeping us from being able to live sin-free lives

            -- that’s where sanctification and the sanctifying work of the Spirit we read of here in 2 Thessalonians comes in

            -- sanctification describes the process by which righteousness is imparted to us -- as the old becomes new and we are transformed into a new creation from the inside out -- this is known as progressive holiness -- living into the salvation and new life Christ made possible on the cross

            -- this is when our behavior and our actions and our thoughts and our attitudes begin to mirror that of Jesus -- when the physical begins to mirror the spiritual and to reflect the change made within us through the saving and sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit

            -- it is not something that we can do on our own -- it is only through the power of the Spirit working in us and through us that we become sanctified and set apart and holy as Jesus is holy

            -- sanctification is the realization of our salvation as we begin to experience a life of grace and holiness

IV.  Closing

            -- so let’s bring all this home -- I think the best way is to borrow an analogy from the Bible to summarize how these “S” words work in our lives

            -- in many places in the New Testament, we see our Christian lives compared to a race -- the thing to remember about a race is that it has a definite beginning and an end -- you have a starting point and then you have a finish line

            -- the starting point of our Christian life is the moment of salvation -- the moment when we come to believe and to trust in the finished work of Jesus on the cross and we receive salvation -- when we are justified in the eyes of God and the righteousness and holiness of Jesus are imputed to us

            -- that is our starting point -- it’s the point when we leave sin behind -- when sin no longer holds us back, but we are able to move forward into the true life that God has called us to live

            -- the race itself corresponds to sanctification -- to our becoming more and more holy every day -- to becoming more like Jesus -- not just positionally in the eyes of God -- but in reality in our physical and spiritual lives here on earth as the Spirit works within us to make us more like Jesus

-- all the way along this race, you should be progressing from unholiness to holiness -- you should be progressing from sinfulness to righteousness -- or, as the Bible says, you should be growing from glory to glory.

-- If you have been saved for any length of time and have been trying to serve the Lord, you should be able to look back over your shoulder and see areas in your life where you have grown more obedient -- more holy -- to God

-- You should have areas in your life where you can say, "I used to commit this sin but now I don't.  I walk in holiness in that area."

-- If you have been growing in holiness in your life, you should have at least one major area of sin that is no longer true for you.

-- Does that mean you are holy in all you do?  --no -- But it means you are progressing, you are getting better, you are further down the road than you were when you started.

           

            -- the finish line is our goal -- the finish line is the point where salvation and sanctification are truly realized -- where we experience our new life with Christ forever -- the finish line is eternal life with Christ -- and when we reach that point, we will be completely transformed into the men and women God has called us to be

            -- so, what do you need to take home with you today? -- you need to remember the three “S” words -- that sin has been overcome by the salvation given on the cross -- and that we are being sanctified and made holy by the power of the Spirit within us

            -- we are moving forward in holiness -- being sanctified and set apart to fulfill the calling on our lives -- and every day, we should be striving to become more and more like Jesus through the power of the Spirit within -- that is what I want you to get

            -- let’s pray