Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? Acts 2:42-47 offers us a glimpse of heaven here on earth. The early believers joined together in faith, hope and love in the very best ways possible. The reading from Acts is a picture of the early church. It suggests what the Holy Spirit can do. The Holy Spirit gives Christians the power to provide mutual service that reflects God’s justice, mercy, love and compassion. The Christian community exists not for our sake, but to care for its most vulnerable members and to be the means by which God’s gift of salvation is extended to others.

The apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ’s life, and they taught what they knew about Jesus and the Old Testament witness about Him. The apostles were likely in awe of the power they now had. They knew that it was not their power but God’s power. They knew that they had a responsibility to use that power wisely.

The early church was a healthy church. It was devoted to teaching, fellowship and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. It was a growing church. It was a joyously united church. It was a worshipping church. A healthy church today shows the same characteristics.

The early church believed in fellowship, or holding things in common or sharing things together. The early church also continued steadfastly in the breaking of bread and in prayers. When these believers assembled, they prayed both spontaneous and memorized prayers from their Jewish roots. God demonstrated the authority of the apostles through the miracles they performed, confirming the Gospel they preached and inspiring awe and reverence of Him. In the days following Christ’s ascension into heaven, this amazing power was moving into the church, and God was adding to their number every day. Every day, people were thinking, “I want some of that.”

Our worship is a witness to people both inside and outside the church. For example, when nonbelievers go to church, that are checking everything out. They are taking everything in. What kind of witness are we to the people sitting near to us? Non-believers will form an opinion about God and Christianity largely based on what they see. As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The early believers also opened their hearts to each other. They saw the best and worst of themselves, but they still loved one another, and they shoed that love by sharing what they owned with one another. The early believers shared what they owned because they were generous and committed to one another, not because they were required to do so. The fellowship of the early church expressed itself in open hearts, open hands and open homes.

Fellowship means that all Christians have the same hope of heaven-the same joys, the same hatred of sin and the same enemies. They have the same subjects of conversation, of feeling and of prayer. Revival leads to fellowship. It unites us with fellow Christians, and it unites those who were separated by sin with us when they repent and turn to God in faith. God’s grace unites us in seriousness and solemnity.

The passage from Acts depicts the life of the early Christian community as a model for Christian life today. Unfortunately, most Christians don’t follow this model. Our individual and communal lives should reflect our experiences of God’s grace and action in and among us. The early Christians realized that devotion to Jesus involved a commitment to a new way of thinking and living. A Christian lifestyle that appreciates the study of Scripture, generosity and caring doesn’t happen easily or automatically. It requires intention, effort and choice.

The early church is an example of what happens when the living Christ sets us free to fulfill His purpose for His people-that they become one with Him and with each other. If we as Christians want to be one with Christ, we must take time to be together to listen to each other, care for each other and be there for each other. Christians are partners with Jesus and other believers, so it is our spiritual duty to encourage one another in faith, righteousness and obedience. If we want to grow in faith and fulfill the mission Jesus has given us, we must regularly gather together for teaching, worship, encouragement and prayer.

Opening our hearts to one another means sharing our lives with them, and that’s what the early believers did. Christian lives can’t be lived in isolation. They are connected and work together just like all of the parts of a human body work together. Our churches can often be described as a group of people sitting in a circle with their chairs facing in. Paul and Luke want us to turn our chairs back to back and face out in a fellowship of the gospel. When we face out and reach out we have an outlet that fills our church with the young life of new believers.

God uses life’s circumstances to prepare people to receive the Good News. We can target people and take them to dinner and testify to the truth of Jesus through our words and the example of our Christian lives, but they will remain green to the Gospel. Only when God Himself moves in their hearts to ripen them through a circumstance or condition that is beyond their own ability to solve will they receive the Gospel.

The early believers also opened their homes to each other as places of worship, and in doing so followed Paul’s commands as written in Hebrews 13:2 and Titus 1:8. A well-known minister made the following comment:

“Something holy happens around a dinner table that will never happen in a sanctuary. In an church auditorium, you see the backs of heads. Around the table, you see the expressions on faces. In the auditorium, one person speaks; around the table, everyone has a voice. Church services are on the clock. Around the table there is time for talk.”

In some ways, the church today carries on this tradition. For example, members often meet in one another’s homes in small groups for Bible study or informal gatherings.

An essential part of worship, the Lord’s Supper-also referred to as breaking bread or Communion-causes believers to look back to the cross, forward to the coming of Christ, and inward to the condition of their heart.

The early believers were passionate believers. They were so excited about their faith that they couldn’t wait to go to church. They loved being with fellow believers, sharing their faith and the Lord’s Supper and being encouraged by other believers. They were so eager that they met together every day! If only people today were that eager!

The result of these activities was the growth of the church. Everyone who observed the lives and prayers of the early church experienced a sense of awe of God and his presence. The church grew and found favour with people both inside and outside of the church. The love of the people was a testimony, especially to those who did not agree with the apostles’ teachings. Oh, how we need this today.

The early church turned its wold upside-down for Christ. They taught the doctrine of Christ, their fellowship centered on Christ, they remembered Him in communion, they communicated with Him in prayer, and they exalted Christ in worship. As the 21st century church focuses on Christ in this way, the Spirit will turn its world upside-down as well.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1490-1491)
2. Jeremiah, David: A.D.: The Revolution that Changed the World (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers; 2015; pp. 49-56)
3. Jeremiah, David: Acts: The Church in Action, Vol. 1 (San Diego, CA: Turning Point for God;2006,2015; pp. 70-73)
4. Pastor Mark Jeske, “Devoted to Worshipping Together.” Retrieved from www.TimeofGrace.org
5. Barnes’ Nots on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
6. Pastor Bobbly Schuller, “The Early Days.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.cc
7. Ogilvie, L.J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983, pp. 71-74)
8. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
9. Stanley, C.F., The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
10. Pastor Dick Woodward, “A Fellowship in the Gospel.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@corsswalkmail.com
11. Pastor Greg Laurie, “You Are Being Watched.” Retrieved from www.harvest.org
12. Dr. Lanie LeBlanc, “2nd Sunday of Eater/Divine Mercy Sunday.” Retrieved from volume2@lists.opsouth.org
13. Richard Neill Donovan, “Exegesis for Acts 2:42-47.” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
14. Pastor James MacDonald, “Picking Apples.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
15. Johnathan Kever, “A Healthy Church.” Retrieved from www.preaching.com
16. Matt Skinner, “Commentary on Acts 2:42-47.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
17. Scott Schauff, “Commentary on Acts 2:42-47.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
18. Daniel Clendenin, Ph.D., “Apostolic Devotion: The Actual Historic Tradition.” Retrieved from http://www.journeywithjesus.org

Have you ever had difficulty trusting someone or something? If so, you’re not alone. In today’s Gospel reading, Thomas did not trust the disciples when they told him that they had seen the risen Saviour. Thomas refused to believe them until he saw Jesus himself.

Psalm 16 is a psalm of trust. King David was the writer, and he trusted God. He tells us that we can trust God as well. God has asked us to trust him in the midst of the trials of life. We can trust God because He is present with us in every moment of life. We can be confident in a God who counsels and makes us secure and promises eternal pleasures. In contrast, those who go after the pleasures of the world reap nothing but sorrow. Nothing can shake us loose from the grip of God’s grace if we remain close to Jesus and our hope remains focused on His return. Only Jesus can provide the cure for the loneliness many of us experience in life today.

Psalm 16 is also an Easter psalm. It is full of hope. God will preserve us because of His goodness. God is our inheritance. He is always before us. God gives us hope. He is the God of life. Psalm 16 embraces the true meaning of life: God and people. When we love God and love people, we fulfill the two Great Commandments.

Verses 1 and 2 include three different names for God: powerful creator, covenant-giver and the Lord and Master of Life. David saw in all of these names the personal presence of God in his life.

David saw the idols of the Moabites and the Philistines, and he heard of his own people’s history of idolatry. The principles of God’s holiness kept him from giving in to the same temptations. God’s presence is seen in the moral instructions we receive. It is His assurance of stability. David gives us three benefits of God’s presence:

1. Our hearts will be glad with the joy of His presence.
2. Our tongues will speak kind and wise words.
3. Our bodies will rest secure because God will carry our burdens and reduce our stress.

David challenges us to live differently, to live a life in which God is the only god for us, for all. How would our daily lives change if we looked to God as the only god that we have? How would our lives be oriented if we believed that God is the only source of any good we have?

It might seem strange to us, but God tells us to bless our competitors and our enemies. We can do this because our security is based on doing what God calls us to do. It is not based on pitting ourselves against other people. When we give to others, we often receive something for ourselves. When we bless others, we are often blessed ourselves.
Blessing our enemies is part of God’s plan for our lives. He understands the plan even if we can’t understand it. If we seek His will, He will make His plan known to us in His own time and in His own way.

The word “lot” means circumstances, or the place where God has put a person. People do well to recognize, as David did, the daily provisions of God. God often gives his counsel when we are quiet enough to listen to Him-for example, while in bed or getting ready for sleep. We must be ready to listen at all times because He may be ready to speak at any time.

When we accept Christ, we will experience joy. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God within us. Joy will automatically be evident on our faces. God gives us the gift of joy so that we may experience fullness in Him. Living within God’s boundaries provides a joy and fulfillment we can’t find anywhere else.

Joy is one of the greatest things our world needs today. Joy brings things like enthusiasm for life, determination to never give up, and a strong desire to encourage others. It will give us the strength to face life’s challenges. The greatest joy we have is the knowledge that Christ conquered death through His resurrection. That knowledge is part of the great joy of Easter. We don’t have to be afraid of death any more.

Jesus came as God’s heir to establish our eternal inheritance. This is part of our resurrection hope. God was always at Jesus’ right hand. Jesus was kept secure through death and into eternal life by His resurrection. Jesus took the pains of life into the presence of God. He fulfilled the promise of victory over the grave. Chris was preserved by God, given His inheritance, not moved or shaken, secured from death and ushered into God’s presence where there is eternal life.

All of us have times in our lives when we need something or someone to help us. Sometimes these things become crutches to us, but at other times they give us the confidence and support we desperately need. God is the only support we truly need, and we can rest assured that He will always be close by.

Nothing is good until it is connected or reconnected to God. When it comes to our lives, we were created and redeemed from sin so that we could be with God. He is the source of life and love. He is always with us and sees our best. We were not created or redeemed to go it alone. God is Emmanuel-God with us. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we don’t have to go it alone.

Psalm 16 is an expression of God’s care and presence We will not rot in the grave. We know a life that is stronger than death. God has shown us the way of life, and we enjoy the pleasures of living with God now and forever. When we sense God’s presence in our lives, we enjoy the pleasures of living with God now and forever, and we can face the challenges of life because we know that God is with us.

I want to close my message today with this story. It’s called “Just Checkin’ In,” and it ties in quite nicely with the theme of my message.

A minister passed through his church in the middle of the day.

Decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle.

The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in awhile.

His shirt was kinda’ shabby and his coat was worn and frayed.

The man knelt, bowed his head, then arose and walked away.

In the days that followed each noon time brought this chap

And each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.

Well, the minister’s suspicions grew, and robbery was his main fear.

He decided to stop the man and ask him, “Whatcha’ doing’ here?”

The old man worked down the road. Lunch was half and hour.

Lunch time was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.

“I stay only moments, see, ‘cause the factory is so far away;

As I kneel here talkin’ to the Lord, this is kinda’ what I say:

‘I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I have been,

Since we found each other’s friendship and You took away my sin.

I don’t know much of how to pray

But I think about You every day.

So, Jesus, this is Jim just checkin’ in.’”

The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that this was fine.

He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just anytime.

“time to go,” Jim smiled, said “Thanks.” He hurried to the door.

The minister knelt at the altar, he’d never done it before.

His cold heart melted, warmed with love, he met Jesus there. “I just came again to tell You, Lord, how happy I have been,

Since we found each other’s friendship and You took away my sin.

I don’t know much of how to pray

But I think about You every day.

So, Jesus, this is me just checkin’ in.’”

It was past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn’t come.

As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some.

He went to the factory and asked about Jim and found out that he was ill.

The hospital staff was worried, but he’d given them a thrill.

The week that He was with them, brought changes in the ward.

His smiles, a joy contagious, changed people, his reward.

The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim was so glad,

When no flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had.

The minister stayed by Jim’s bed, he voiced the nurse’s concern;

No friends came to show they cared; Jim had nowhere to turn.

Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile;

“The nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know, that everyday at noon

He’s here, a dear friend of min, you see,

He sits right down, takes my hand, leans over and says to me:

‘I just came again to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been,

Since we found each other’s friendship and I took away your sin.

I always love to hear you pray

I think about you every day.

And so my dear Jim, this is Jesus checkin’ in.’”

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 714-715)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Williams, D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol: 13: Psalms 1-72 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1986, pp. 129-135)
4. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
5. Joni Eareckson Tada, “Do You Ever Miss the Lord?” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org
6. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “King Solomon’s Warning.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org
7. Os Hillman, “Competition in the Kingdom.” Retrieved from www.marketplaceleaders.com
8. Dawn Mast, “Lifting my Spirit.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
9. Steve Arterburn, “A Renewed Sense of Purpose.” Retrieved from www.newlife.com
10. Charles R. Swindoll, “Outrageous Joy.” Retrieved form www.insightforliving.ca
11. Jim Burns, “Just Checking In.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
12. Pastor Jesse Bradley, “When God is Near.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
13. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Victory is Ours!” Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org
14. Pastor Ken Klaus, “It’s All Good!” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
15. Pastor Ken Klaus, “You are the Best, Lord!” Retrieved from www.lhm.org

Have you ever wondered how the disciples were able to accomplish so much after Jesus returned to heaven? The answer is revealed in the story of Peter and John and the healing of the lame man. We read what happened because of that healing from Acts 3:11-26.

Jesus worked through Peter and the Holy Spirit to heal the lame man. Jesus had two main purposes for healing the lame man:

1. He loved the lame man and released his healing power because of the compassion and concern in His heart.
2. He wanted the people to know that the movement he started when he was on earth was continuing through His disciples, in whom He was living through the Holy Spirit.

Peter directed the attention away from himself and toward Jesus. We as Christians are encouraged to follow the same pattern.

Faith was the secret of the lame man’s healing, and it is the secret of unlocking all power in heaven and earth. That’s why Peter could heal the lame man. He had great faith and consequently great power. Peter wanted the people to receive the same gift of faith.Faith is a response to Christ’s love revealed on the cross and in the Resurrection. Faith comes by hearing the truth. When we have faith, we receive Christ’s healing power through the gift of the Holy Spirit for our needs and those for whom He guides us to pray. Unless a prayer request glorifies Him, His name can’t be used nor the power released.

The Jews knew about miracles and could interpret them. They should have known that the miracle of the lame man’s healing came from God and not from man. Peter’s sermon was a call for the Jews to repent and accept Jesus as the Messiah. He told the Jews that they were responsible for Jesus’ arrest and death and that they needed to repent, even though Jesus was crucified because of the ignorance of the people. In the very city where his audience had crucified Jesus, Peter used the word “you” four times to confront them with the enormity of their sins. Before these people could repent, they had to see themselves as guilty before God.

Peter could have scolded the Jews for crucifying Jesus, but if he did he would not have reached their hearts. His goal was to encourage the Jews to repent, and that could only be done with tenderness, love and kindness. Love, not scolding, is the key to encouraging people to repent.

The main reason why the Jews crucified Jesus was that they did not know that He was the Messiah. Ignorance must be considered when looking at a crime, but the Jews did have an opportunity to know that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter reminded them that since these events were predicted in the Old Testament, they had hope in God’s mercy, especially since they were living under grace just like we are living under grace today.

In Acts 3:22 and 23, Peter quoted Moses, the hero of the Israelites. Moses said in Deuteronomy 18:15,18 and 19 that God would raise up a prophet. That prophet was Jesus. The New Testament is the glorious revelation of the Old Testament shadows that mysteriously forecast the coming of the Saviour. Peter showed that he preached the same Messiah and God that the prophets proclaimed.

Peter told his audience that he knew that they and their leaders had killed Jesus in ignorance and Jesus appealed to the Father in Luke 23:24 not to hold their sin against them. Their sins could be blotted out if they would only repent and be converted.

It’s one thing to admit our mistakes, and another to actually be willing to turn to God. If we are willing to accept Christ as our Saviour, God’s grace will be enough. He will wipe away our sins. He will restore us and our relationship with Him.

Peter promised three results of repentance:

1. Forgiveness of sins.
2. Times of refreshing. People will be refreshed in their Spirits when the Holy Spirit comes to live within them.
3. Christ will return and establish His kingdom on earth. The earth will be renewed beyond the abundant and productive state it had before Adam and Eve’s fall.Every sermon in the Book of Acts is built around the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the sermon we heard in the reading from Acts is no exception. If Christ is not resurrected, then His death is meaningless.

Countless people who place their faith in Christ say that their first and most evident emotion is the sense of having a burden lifted from them. The idea of repentance applies to us today. The Scriptures state that if we do not hear God’s Word and repent, we will be destroyed. We have a choice, and we should choose the offer of mercy and embrace the Messiah. If we do, we will receive the same power of the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we will also be able to accomplish so much for the Kingdom while we are here on earth.

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1491-1492)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Ogilvie, L.J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 28: Acts (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1983; pp. 81-86)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Dr. Tony Evans, “Do You Need to Change Your Expectations?” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
6. “Repentance.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com
7. Richard Neill Donovan, “Exegesis for Acts 3:12-19.” Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com
8. Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

There are three stages in every successful relationship, including romance. First, you must get to know the other person. Second, you must like the other person. Finally, you must love the other person. Our relationship with Jesus involves all three stages. Paul emphasizes this in Romans 10:1-13.

Knowing Jesus involves knowing what he wants us to do so we can be saved. The Jews were outwardly eager to know God, but they were not eager to know Christ. They failed to submit to God’s righteousness. They tried to be righteous before God on the basis of their own works. They sought to establish their own righteousness and missed the gift God offered them. For the Jews to receive God’s righteousness, they had to stop relying on works and start believing in Christ’s work.

Asking Christ to be our Saviour requires us to give up control in order to have real life. The Jews did not want to give up that control. Asking Christ to be our Saviour also involves breaking through the barriers of generation gaps, social status and culture-something else that the Jews did not want to do. True happiness only comes when we discover the treasure house that Jesus makes available when we come to Him in faith.

Asking God to save us but not change us is like asking a surgeon to remove a cancerous growth from our bodies without cutting. Cutting and breaking are a part of healing in God’s kingdom. Healing can only come when we allow Jesus to enter our hearts and remove anything that is useless or harmful.

Knowing Christ involves knowing what he did for us. The word “end” means that Christ is the goal or fulfillment of the Old Testament law. He was the object to which the law pointed. The Mosaic law is no longer binding on us as Christians. The Mosaic law looked forward to Christ. It ended when Christ came to earth.

If a person chooses to be justified by the law, he or she must live by the law. There is no room for error. The entire law must be kept because keeping a portion of it has no value. If someone breaks one of the laws, he or she breaks all of them. The law demands absolute perfection without any mitigation. Christ was the only person who obeyed the law perfectly, so he was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

An outward expression of our faith in Christ gives outward evidence of inward faith. We need to believe in the resurrection and the complete truth connected with it. That includes Jesus’ sin-bearing death in our place and God’s approval of Christ’s work. Trusting in Christ is the pathway to salvation, not deeds. We can’t earn salvation through our own efforts. It can only be obtained through faith in Christ. Faith is a heartfelt belief in the reality of Christ’s resurrection. In Christ’s resurrection we see that his claim to deity is valid. We also see that his death brings salvation to us.

When we place our faith in Christ, God looks at us just as He looks at Jesus. Jesus completely obeyed the law, without exception and without fault. Christ’s perfect record becomes ours through faith. Anyone who puts his or her faith in Christ will be saved and will receive eternal life.

Paul speaks of righteousness as if it is a person. We do not need to ascend to heaven to bring righteousness down. Christ has already done that. W do not need to descend into the grave. Christ has already been raised from the dead. We do not have to go on a journey around the world to find it. Christ is accessible by faith, as near as our mouths and hearts. All we have to do is reach out and receive Him by faith.

Knowing Christ involves confessing that Christ is our Saviour. Confessing Christ is evidence of genuine faith. Salvation comes through belief in Christ, acknowledging that He is God, and was raised from the dead. His death satisfied God’s demand for the penalty for sins. His resurrection validated both His claims and the Father’s statements that He is God.

When we are saved, we need to anchor our faith in the promises of God and nothing else. If we pray a prayer of salvation, our hearts and mouths must go together. Words are not enough. Real life begins when we depend on Jesus, when we call out to Him to give us what we can’t earn ourselves-a right relationship with God. That can only happen through faith in what he did for us on the cross.

When we are saved, that does not mean that we won’t have any problems in life. What it does mean is that our eternity will be set in heaven with God. In return, we are to tell the world about Jesus. We are called to either go where God sends us or donate money or anything else that will help others go into the mission field.

Because Christ is God, His death, burial and resurrection took care of the world’s sins. Just as all who sin will be judged, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Christ lived the life we could not live and took the punishment we could not take to offer the hope we can’t resist. His sacrifice forces us to ask the question: If he so loved us, can we not love each other?

 Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1558-1559)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Briscoe, D.S. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 29: Romans (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 193-198)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
6. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
7. Bayless Conley, “Wise Counsel.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
8. Anne Graham Lotz, “One Life.” Retrieved from www.angelministries.org
9. Elizabeth Cole, “The Call.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com
10. Pastor Ed Young, “Acknowledge Who God Is.” Retrieved from www.edyoung.com
11. Dr. David Jeremiah, “Sending and Sent.” Retrieved from www.davidjeremiah.org
12. Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz, “Call on Him.” Retrieved from www.lhm.org
13. Dr. Charles Stanley, “The Mission Question.” Retrieved from www.intouch.org
14. Pastor Bobby Schuller, “Supposed to Be.” Retrieved from www.hourofpower.org
15. Os Hillman, “The Eternal Sales Call.” Retrieved from www.marketplaceleaders.com
16. “Crossing the Gap Between Us.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com
17. Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Our Treasure House.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org
18. Exegesis for Romans 10:5-15. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com 

Have you ever wondered what happens to people who don’t obey God’s will? If you have, there is a good example in the passage from Jeremiah 22:13-23.

Jehoiakim renovated the palace by conscripting his people during the Babylonian crisis, and that reflected his misplaced priorities. He attended to his personal comfort rather than fulfilling his royal duty to care for the poor and the needy. Jehoiakim would not only die, which happened before the Babylonians captured the city of Jerusalem in 597 BC, but there would not even be lament over his death and he would not receive a proper burial.

Jehoiakim’s oppressive ways meant that he did not know God. He saw only an opportunity for wealth. He did not see the needs of the poor. Because he was cruel, no one mourned his death. His burial was the same as the burial of a donkey. Those of you who have ever buried the remains of a dead animal know that it is a very simple task. All you have to do is dig a hole that is big enough for the carcass, put it in the hole and fill the hole. This is not the same as the elaborate burial rituals dead kings and queens receive today.

Those who followed Jehoiakim and his ways were driven out of the country and scattered throughout the world just like the wind scatters seeds that are lying on the ground. God had the last word then, and he has the last word today.

When we serve, when we give to the poor and needy, when we step out of our comfort zones and step into the lives of those who are suffering, we will see God’s heart for people. Generous living is a life of proper stewardship. We aren’t living generously if we give away our time, talent and obligations in one part of our lives but not meeting the obligations in the other parts of our lives.

One of our obligations is to know God. That means more than having a peaceful feeling in our hearts. It means acting for the benefit of others, especially for people who can’t pay us back. If we know God, we will love to serve him. If we know God, he will speak to us in both our prosperity and our hardship. In both cases we have to listen carefully for His voice and hear and obey what He says. What has God been saying to you lately?

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1456-1458)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Guest, J. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 19: Jeremiah, Lamentations (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1988; pp. 154-159)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
6. “Spending on the Future.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
7. Kelly McFadden, “God’s Heart for the Poor and Needy.” Retrieved from www.homeword.com

How many of your either know or knew someone who people might say is “different?”

They end up in this category for many different reasons-race, colour, creed, beliefs, religion, the community they live in, or even a disability. I can tell you from personal experience that it is no fun to be labelled as “different.” I can sympathize with the blind man in the reading we heard from John 9:1-41. I hope that all of us as Christians can sympathize with him as well.

When the disciples saw the blind man, they saw an object of theological curiosity. In contrast, Jesus saw a man in need. There was a common belief at that time that suffering was the result of sin. The New Testament argues that this is not necessarily true, although situations such as cirrhosis of the liver and lung cancer are caused by the sins of drinking and smoking respectively. Even today, there are some people who look for someone to blame when tragedy strikes. They would rather call it a curse of God or a fitting punishment for some previous fault or crime instead of admitting that such things just happen or might happen to them.

Sometimes God allows us to go through suffering and hardship so that we can see Him deliver us through His mercy and power. Miracles can and do happen when we pray to God. For example, many of you know that I’ve been going through a tough time money-wise because of working part-time. The recent death of my mother did not help the situation either. A couple of months ago I was running short of money one day and wondering how I was going to make it until the next payday. I prayed to God for an answer. I was eating my supper one evening when all of a sudden someone called to me from the front hall of my house. One of our parishioners dropped off a sympathy card along with a bag of groceries. Even better was the surprise I found inside the sympathy card-money meant for me!

Jesus used the metaphors of night and day to highlight His identity as the light of the world. Then he brought light to the blind man by healing him. Jesus could have simply spoken and restored the man’s sight, but his instruction to go and wash in the pool of Siloam was perhaps intended to test the man’s faith.

Jesus saw the blind man who was in physical and spiritual darkness and responded to his need. Similarly, he responds to our need for spiritual light because we live with the handicaps of our sin, limitations and false ideas about God. Baptism gives us our initial sight, just like washing in the pool at Siloam helped to give the blind man his physical sight. As we continue our journey through Lent, we have a chance for a spiritual eye exam. Just as we need to have physical eye exams on a regular basis, we need to have our spiritual eyesight checked regularly.

Sometimes our spiritual blindness is the result of the influence other people have on us. As one of our former ministers said one time, “You are who you associate with.” We live in a world where sin is waiting to pounce on us just like a lion or a tiger pounces on its prey.

Spiritual vision allows us to see who we are before God, where we are going and what we have to do along the way. Jesus’ gift of spiritual sight gives us the direction we need in our lives today. Sin is the rejection of the light that was brought into this world by the Light of the World. Our response to that light is important. The Light of the World has the purifying power that cleanses the worst of sins just like many cleaners can clean the worst types of physical dirt.

The way the formerly blind man reported his encounter with Jesus provides a pattern for sharing faith: “Here is my story. This is who I was—blind, helpless and hopeless in my sin. Then I met Jesus, and this is how my life changed.” It is difficult for people to argue with a person’s story.

The Sabbath was established as a day of rest, but the Pharisees had added numerous regulations to make sure everyone “rested.” In their thinking, this healing—if in fact the man had actually been healed—was “work” and thus violated the Sabbath. The law about not healing people on the Sabbath was not God’s law. It was their interpretation of God’s law. To make matters worse, the Pharisees were important, educated, prosperous, respected—and it went to their heads. As we might say locally, they were “too big for their britches.” They assumed that they had they answers, so they closed their minds to new ideas. Instead of celebrating the man’s good fortune, they saw only a violation of their rules and a threat to their power.

Their power was also threatening. The man’s parents acknowledge that he was their son. They acknowledge that he was born blind and could now see, but they either did not know or were afraid to acknowledge the source of his healing. Perhaps they were afraid that if they said that he was healed by Jesus, they would also be expelled from the temple.

Unfortunately, a similar situation exists today, especially for our Christian brothers and sisters in the Third World. Many of them face opposition and persecution because of their faith. The difference between them and the blind man’s parents is that these Christians are proud of their faith and are not ashamed to speak about Jesus.

God’s healing presence was felt through the healing of the blind man’s sight. If people believed that his blindness was the result of sin, then Jesus’ healing should have proved to them that God works through Jesus to forgive sin. The blind man saw what the Pharisees refused to see. Jesus was more than a mere man. The blind man could see God and His truth. The Pharisees could not see this.

The Pharisees rejected the blind man’s healing as a miracle. They held on to their understanding of the man born blind as a product of sin and nothing else. They rejected the evidence of the miracle for the sake of the comfortable worldview that they had been trained to hold.

The worst thing the Pharisees could have done was to assert that they were not sinners. The best thing they did was cast the man out of the synagogue, where he saw Jesus with his own eyes and worshipped Him. Jesus did not rob the Pharisees of their sight, but they were blinded by their refusal to see. They assumed that they could see clearly and rejected anything that was different from their beliefs. Jesus did not condemn them, because they are condemned already because they did not believe in the Son of God. As is often the case with those who reject Christ, the Pharisees were blinded by their pride, not by ignorance. They chose not to understand. They preferred the darkness of their own self-interests to the Light of Christ. The Pharisees are on trial, not the blind man. His newly found freedom judges their darkness. The Pharisees used their so-called superior spiritual position as teachers of the Law as a weak, pathetic defense. Those of us who are Christian leaders can be tempted to fall back on our credentials such as a seminary degree or certificate of ordination when we are confronted by the witness of a newly born disciple of Jesus.

The Old Testament phrase, “Give God the glory” is a Hebrew phrase that often meant “Confess your sins and repent.” Many religions will say we know, just as the Pharisees did, but traditions and prejudices blind their followers. The newly sighted man challenged Jesus’ opponents with his “I know” declaration. His experience was not second-hand faith but the result of a direct encounter with Jesus. In anger, the Pharisees threw the man out of the synagogue. When Jesus heard about this, He sought out the man, just like he seeks us out, offers us His help and encourages us in our walk with God.

There have always been people who reject the truth in order to maintain the status quo, but there have also been those who are willing to stand up and speak up about this bad habit. When someone who tries to live up to the truth is rejected by society, he or she will be sought out by Jesus and called to a new life in Christ.

Through His healing of the blind man, Jesus confronts our spiritual blindness and reminds us that we must look beyond our own perceptions, rules and biases. If we allow our self-righteousness to blind us, we will never see the face of Christ. We will never meet him if we close our eyes to His presence in the world. We can learn to see clearly by doing these three things:

Changing how we see God.

Changing how we see and what we see in our lives.

Changing how we live.

Like Jesus, we must work the works of him who sent us while it is day. That work is the work of shining light into the darkness and leading those who seek the light of God’s truth into Christ’s presence. It is there where we will find life eternal and light perpetual-and that, ladies and gentlemen, is the best light to see.

Bibliography   

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1456-1458)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Jude Siciliano, OP, “First Impressions, Fourth Sunday of Lent (A).” retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
4. Frederikson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1985; pp. 162-173)
5. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Version. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
6. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
7. Pastor Dick Woodward, “A Definition of Sin.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Bayless Conley, “Not Ashamed.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
9. Ryan Duncan, “Born Blind.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
10. Exegesis for John 9:1-41. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

Have you ever noticed that on warm summer nights all sorts of moths and insects swarm to outdoor lights that are left on? The variety can be fascinating and ranges from mosquitoes to dragonflies and everything in between. Insects are not attracted to more darkness. They are attracted to the light.
In a similar way, people who are living in darkness in our world today are not attracted to more darkness. They are attracted to the Light on Christ. We can help them out by turning on our own lights from Christ. We don’t have to be trained speakers or ministers or evangelists. All we have to do is share with others what Christ has done for us and what he means to us. For example, we can share the fact that we were also in darkness.

Paul declares that we as believers were once darkness, not that we were in darkness. We were not innocently surrounded by sin and evil but were wholly part of that environment. Our old selves had to die in order to sever our relationship with sin. Being new people in Christ doesn’t mean that we are sinless. It means that because our old lives have been crucified and buried just like Christ was crucified and buried for us, we don’t have to sin any more.

Now we have become light and should have no fellowship with darkness. We can walk in the light of Christ by doing good deeds, acting as beacons of light in our dark world and not even thinking about sinning. We are to conduct ourselves ethically since we have adopted the way of Christ. We are to lead moral lives. Good works and Christ-pleasing behaviour are important parts of living the Christian life because God prepared such good works for us to do. In addition, we are to imitate Christ and God as important components of our Christian walk of life.

Paul reminds us of our conversion experience. This reminder is twofold. First, it refocuses our attention on new conduct, which represents a new reality. Second, it strengthens us so that our new conduct encourages others to awaken from sleep and the darkness of their own negative conduct and be converted into the light of Christ.

Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians sets boundaries for our lives together as a community of faith. These boundaries allow us to pursue goodness, justice and truth not only by following truth, but by exposing anything that is false or secret. Paul urges us to test everything to see if it is acceptable to God. We can do this by asking questions such as;

1. Is this thing in agreement with God’s Word?
2. Will it draw us closer to God?
3. Does it further the cause of Christ in the world through us?

Being a Christian should cause us to think and act differently from the rest of society. Walking in the light of Christ confronts us with the possibilities of love and goodness. It also exposes the temptations of green and abuse. Exposing evil is risky, but the greater threat is the silence of those who consistently sacrifice their moral consciences on the altar of social order. We do not have to fear evil and darkness because we are armed with the light of Christ.Believers must not only remove themselves from darkness, but they also have a responsibility to expose and stand against the darkness. The Bible gives general principles for living, but we as Christians must use wisdom to discern how to apply these principles to current issues in our lives. Christians are to show by their lives and their wise interactions that evil is not to be ignored by God’s people.Life without Christ is a lot like what we experience during a power outage-survival mode in pitch darkness. Without Christ, hope, truth and morality are whatever we want them to be. Without Christ, our lives are simply lives spent stumbling around in the dark hoping not to bump into anything. How often do we hear friends say something like, “Well, I guess I’ll just wait and see and find out in the end whether I was good enough.” Thankfully, there is an alternative to a life of uncertainty and darkness. It is a life with Christ, who offers assurance and a grace that sheds light in the darkness.    

Bibliography

1.  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p. 1646)
2. ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
3. Margaret Aymer, “Commentary on Ephesians 5:8-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
4. Richard Carlson, “Commentary on Ephesians 5:8-14.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org
5. Dunnam, M.D. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 31: Galatians/Ephesians/ Philippians/Colossians/Philemon (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; pp. 215-223)
6. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
7. Meghan Kleppinger, “No Longer Stumbling in Darkness.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
8. Dr. Neil Anderson, “A Change in our Very Essence.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com
9. Anne Graham Lotz, “Just Turn On the Light.” Retrieved from www.angelministries.org