Sunday, September 11, 2016

BELIEVE- chapter 4 “God saves” Reinbeck UMC 9/4/16



BELIEVE- chapter 3 “God cares”
Reinbeck UMC
9/11/16
 (First slide is introductory video)
How to knock over a tower of blocks.
  (Power point slide plays video)
(Talking over top of video) That is the way some people approach Christianity. They add layer upon layer of complexity. They use bigger and bigger words. They write more and more books. They make more and more rules. They think the number of their words have saving power. They think the volume of their preaching has saving power. They think the height and beauty of their steeple will bring the world to God. They thing bigger and fancier is better.
(Video finishes)

If I were going to knock over a tower, I would touch it with my finger and knock it over. (DON’T DO IT)
 So when I come to this third week of the BELIEVE series to tell you about salvation I am not going to make it a great big theological knot you have to untie in order to get anything out of it. That is not what God wanted it! That’s not how did in Jesus did it!
If you turn to page ____ of your Believe book, you will find Jesus conversation with Nicodemus. You have to remember that Nick was one of the Pharisees. He was supposed to know all the answers. He was supposed to understand the deep things of God. He was supposed to have this salvation thing down pat. He comes, however, in the dark of night to admit to Jesus that he doesn’t get it. Jesus tried to explain it to him as simply as possible. In the process, Jesus changed everything.
1.           In Jesus Christ, God took a bite out of the old ritual system.
2.           In Jesus Christ, God took one great big bite out of the rules.
3.           In Jesus Christ, God chewed up some of the old fancy theological constructs that assumed people could save themselves. He said,
4.         “For God so loved the world
5.           that he gave his only Son,
6.         so that everyone
7.         who believes in him
8.         May not perish but may have eternal life.
 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Period.

Right here is everything we need to know about salvation.
 First, WHO DOES THE SAVING? Who does the loving? Jesus started with “For God so loved…” We cannot save ourselves… only God can save. That is why God sent us a savior…because there was no other way we could be freed from our sins, there is no other way we could be liberated from the death of guilt and shame,
 Second, we have to ask, WHY DID GOD DO IT? Because he loved. God is LOVE. Do you remember our first two weeks of the BELIEVE series.
           I believe in the God of the Bible Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
           I believe that God cares for me personally.
           And because God cares for you personally… because he loves you …he came as Jesus.. and Christ saves by faith.
 The third question is WHO CAN BE SAVED. Easy. The passage says it twice. For God so loved THE WORLD. Not just the righteous. Not just the wealthy. Not just the powerful. The whole world. Anyone… It says whoever believes… can be saved. That includes you.

 Fourth, HOW DO WE ACCEPT THIS SALVATION? Just believe. God came in Jesus so that anyone who BELIEVES will be saved. Now we have to spend a minute on the word believe.
In the New Testament, there is a word: “pistos.” Sometimes it is translated to believe, sometimes to have faith. So for our purposes here today, to believe is to have faith. I am not talking about a something that happens in your head like “I believe that alien life is possible.” I am talking about a
           Deep conviction on which you would stake you life.
           It is deep knowing. Where you know that you know that you know, and you know it in the depths of your being.
           Faith is a believing that you would trust with your life.
…Because that is exactly what we are asked to do….
           “Follow me.”
           “Take up your cross.”
           “Leave your nets and follow me.”
           “Go sell all that you have and then we’ll talk.”
So we must have faith… or belief in order to accept God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.

Finally, if we believe in that deep way, we will be saved.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED? This is the final thing about which we need to talk.
We talk about being saved, from what are we saved?
           We are not saved from sin because I am pretty sure I am not the only one here who still makes bad choices and sins.
           We are not saved from the consequences of our sin. Even good saved, born again Christians go to jail if they do wrong. The consequences are still there.
           We are not saved from doubt. Again, am I alone in that I sometimes have doubts and questions? I don’t think so.
From what then, are we saved? We are save us from being separated from God by, our sin. Sin creates a barrier between God and us.
God knows we are guilty of sin, God knows that because of sin we cannot, on our own, come to be in relationship with him. God knows that, but Jesus’ message was that God loves you so much that he is going to treat you as though you are innocent. He is going to tear down the barrier and restore you to life with him.
           Some might say he paid the price for our sin.
           Or took our punishment.
           Or paid the ransom.
 Each of those images is simply a way of understanding how salvation happened and each one ends up in theological knots. The bottom line is God knows you are guilty and he sent Jesus to tell you that if you have faith…if you believe… he will treat you as though you are innocent. By his death, he will tear down the wall that is eternal death, and you will be saved. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

 It is that simple
           God so
           Loved the
           World (you)
           That whoever
           Believes will be
           Saved to have
           Eternal life
That’s it.

 When the famous theologian, Karl Barth, was asked if he could sum up his life’s work, he said, “Yes, I can with a song I heard on my mother’s knee. Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Simple, right? Just believe and be saved.
Now the question is do you believe… will you believe… That is a decision that we don’t just make once. I don’t like the question, “are you saved.” I prefer “are you being saved” because every day we wake up, we have to answer the question again. Am I going to believe in Jesus and live for him today? Every day we have a new chance. With each new day, we have to make the decision to commit our lives and our day to him. It is a life long journey and we are on it together.
God so Loved you That if you Believe, in Jesus, you will be saved to have
Eternal life.
That’s it- simple as knocking over a pile of blocks. (Do it) AMEN

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