The Easter Door
One Month To Live
I’M SURE - you’ve noticed that we have a door on the stage. NOW - whenever you walk through a door you’re going from one place to another. AND - as you walk through a door you have certain emotions, depending on what’s on the other side of the door. WHEN - you walk through some doors you may have a feeling of excitement or joy. WHEN - you walk through other doors you may have a sense of anxiety or of fear. AGAIN - it all depends on what’s on the other side of the door.
THINK ABOUT – the various doors you walk through on a regular basis… AND - the emotions they create within you. QUESTION – what emotions do you feel (picture these doors in your mind) when you walk through the door to:
• your home
• your room
• a sports arena or stadium
• a movie theatre
• your favorite restaurant
• your best friends house
• your school or the class you dislike the most
• your place of employment (kind of depends on whether or not you are coming or going).
• Your bosses office
• a mall (a feel I need some oxygen – malls suck the life out of me)
• your dentist office for your annual cleaning
HOW ABOUT – the doors to the church… What emotions did you feel when you walked through the doors of the church a few moments ago: Did you feel:
• a sense of excitement?
• a sense of anticipation?
• did you feel pumped up – because it’s Easter/Resurrection Sunday! And your Savior is alive!
• or did you feel a little uneasy, because this is your first Sunday at SE or it’s been awhile since you’ve been in church and you are not sure what to expect? Will I like the music? Will the people be nice? Will I have to do anything weird?
NOW - the reason we chose a door as the prop for Easter this year is because when you think about it Easter is all about A DOOR! UNDERSTAND - Two thousand years ago, God the Son (the alpha and omega… the beginning and the end… the prince of peace, the everlasting Father, the Mighty God) LEFT - all the glories of heaven, put on human flesh (accepting it’s limitations) and walked through the door of human history… OR – should I say, walked through the door of HIS STORY…
UNDERSTAND – all of human history, every bit of it is REALLY ‘His’ Story. IN – the beginning God CREATED everything. AND LISTEN SINCE – the dawn of creation the overriding theme of human History has been God’s passionate pursuit of a prodigal people. HAS BEN – the story of a loving God doing whatever it takes to bring people back to Himself.
That’s why Easter is the focal point of all history – because Jesus Christ (Our king who came to bring us back to him) is the focal point of all human history (think about it all time revolves around Him. BC/AD. Every time you date a check, print a calendar… every time this unbelieving world puts a date on a news paper or magazine they are bearing witness to Him… YOU SEE - History just cannot get away from Him). That’s why 2000 years later over 2 billion people all around the world are celebrating His Resurrection this weekend. AND OUR GOAL – this Easter, is to help you find your place in His story.
OKAY – let’s go back 2000 years and see that first Easter through the pen of Matthew….
1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ’He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you." 8So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." - Matthew 28:1-10
Prayer…
"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
THEY – were looking for Jesus who was crucified. Jesus who was:
• arrested
• bound
• beaten
• bruised
• battered
• mocked
• insulted
• punched
• beard ripped out by the handful
• whipped by a Roman scourge… full of lead and broken pieces of pottery.
• Large chunks of his flesh ripped out
They were looking for Jesus…
• Stripped naked
• Nailed to a blood stained cross
• Crucified
• Suspended for 6 hours
• Who bowed his head a 3 pm and returned to the Father
They were looking for Jesus was crucified… BUT – the crucifixation was Friday and Sunday was coming! AND – on Sunday Jesus with GREAT POWER burst forth from grave… DEATH – could not hold our King! The tomb is empty. Jesus is resurrected! Jesus is ALIVE! "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.
UNDERSTAND – Jesus said that this (that what happened on that first Easter weekend – the betrayal/the arrest/the denials/the crucitixtion/His death/ and His resurrection) was going to happen.
WHEN – Jesus came into Jerusalem to begin his ministry (after over turning tables – and driving the money changers out of the Temple) He said, “Destroy this Temple, and I will raise it up in three days…” (John 2:19).
HE SAID – (in Matthew 12:40, to some religious leaders who were challenging him after He had cast out a demon) as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
AND HE – said to His guys as they prepared to go to Jerusalem for the last time in (Matthew 16:21) that - he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
UNDERSTAND – from the beginning to the end of His ministry Jesus said that He would – suffer, die and rise again … AND HE SAID – that His resurrection would be irrefutable proof that he was exactly who he said he was… God in the flesh. The bread of life. The light of the world. The Great I Am. The Savior King. CHECK OUT – these words from the pen of Paul… He was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead. Romans 1:1-4
HIS RESURRECTION - is meant to remove any doubts whatsoever as to who Jesus is. UNDERSTAND - the Jesus that you; Love, Follow, Serve, Sing to and worship… THE JESUS – we gathered in this place to honor is God!
• HE - is the Alpha and the Omega… the beginning and the end.
• He is the mighty God
• He is Creator of all that we see
• He is the light of the world
• He is holy, mighty, all-powerful, all-knowing
• HE always has been and He always will be
• He is our mighty fortress
• He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother
• He is the Kings of King & Lord of Lords..
• LISTEN - Jesus holds the world together… and he can hold our lives together…
Jesus is huge… holy… mighty… is God
AND – because he is God this means….that He
• Has all the answers
• Can deliver what he promised
• Provide all that you need
• Forgive all your sins
• Protect you from those who seek to harm you
• Bring peace to any conflict
• Conquer any problem
• Calm any storm
• Defeat any enemy
• What He said is true
• What He said He would do…he will do
• LIKE – cracking the sky, riding in on a white horse to take you to be with him forever in His Father’s house.
OUR - Jesus is God…!
OUR – Jesus is Alive!!!
AND…
HE - wants you (He wants me) to be alive. Fully alive.
JESUS SAID - I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10) THE ANGELS – who broke the apostles out of prison in Acts 5 told them… “God stand in the Temple courts and tell the people the full message of this NEW life…” – Acts 5:20 PAUL SAID in Romans 6:4 - Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. – Romans 6:4 (NLT)
UNDERSTAND - God wants you to live a new, abundant, passionate and purposeful life. One in which you’re fully alive.
BUT - most people…
MAYBE - even a few in this room, aren’t fully alive. THEY’RE - just going through the motions of life. JUST - existing, not really living! THEY’RE - in the survival mode, barely hanging on. JUST – trying to get through the day. A DAY – that seems hauntingly like every other day. WHY – is that? WHY - are so many people not experiencing the full life that God wants for them and that Jesus bought for them (through His D-B-R)?
WELL – to see why we settle for less than God’s best we have to go back to the first couple. Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world, a garden paradise. AND – not only that, they had an up close and personal relationship with God who would come and hang out in the garden.
AND - God said to them, “all of these doors I’ve created are open to you – you can walk through any door you want and enjoy life. THERE’S - only one door that is off-limits. There’s only one tree that you can’t eat fruit from.” SO – what did they do? THEY - went straight to that door – ate the fruit and disobeyed!
NOW GRANTED – they did have a little help in going through that door… AND - so do we… YOU SEE – you & I have to do battle with the VERY same enemy that they faced… AN ENEMY – that appeared to them in the form of serpent. AND – who Jesus said in John 10:10 comes to us as a THIEF determined to steal, kill and destroy the full life Jesus won for us through His death and Resurrection.
YES - Adam and Eve choose the ‘forbidden’ door… YOU - and I choose the forbidden door. AND WHEN WE DO - it creates a wall between us and God; a wall between God’s perfection and our imperfection. A wall of sin & guilt…
• Stack the blocks into a wall as you mention each regret listed below.
UNDERSTAND - man’s oldest problem – is that we all (by the choices we make to go through the forbidden door) build walls between us and God. Walls of guilt.
• Guilt for the time you lost your temper.
• Guilt for the day you lost control.
• Guilt for the years you lost your priorities.
• Guilt for the hour you lost your innocence.
• Guilt for
• Guilt for
• Guilt for
One guilty stone after another. AND – after awhile that wall gets pretty big. AND – it keeps us distant from God, separates us from Him… CAUSES - us to be afraid of Him. CHECKOUT - what God said about this wall through the prophet Isaiah 700 years before His Son put on flesh.
Your sins are the roadblock between you and your God. – Isaiah 59:2 (CEV)
DO YOU – see the picture those words paint? THIS WALL – is a roadblock between you and God. BETWEEN YOU – and the life God created us to live. BETWEEN YOU – and a life that is new, full and abundant.
BUT LISTEN - the Good news of Easter is that our: guilt/sins/mistakes/ and our failures are no longer the final word about our lives…! UNDERSTAND - God through the death and resurrection of His Son (defeated death, conquered sin, paid our debt in full) KNOCKING DOWN the wall and OPENING UP opened up for all of mankind the door (The Easter Door) back to God and life…
The first door God provided at Easter is
The Door Of Forgiveness
AND - if anyone ever needed to know that the door to forgiveness had been opened. IT WAS - a distraught, guilt ridden, sun weary fishermen named Peter...
Peter was standing with John when the 2 Mary’s came running into town... AND - when they came Peter and John ran to them... "Slow down, slow down -- we can’t understand you... what, the tomb is empty! Jesus, isn’t in the tomb! You saw Jesus on the road! He’s alive! You talked to Him!"
AND - at that VERY moment Peter and John headed to the tomb at warp speed. Peter was running as fast as he could, his heart pounding, his powerful legs pumping his feet up and down the winding paths of the dusty road leading to the tomb.... His friend John was running beside him. Peter was in the lead, but then he begin to think to himself…
"What a minute, why am I so happy. I denied Him. I talked so big. I was so confident. BUT – when it came time to take I stand, I failed, I fell, I denied Him… MAYBE – Jesus doesn’t want to see me… I have no right to take part in this celebration. Peter the rock, yeah right.”
His thoughts had slowed him down resulting in John being the first to make it to the tomb… BUT - John didn’t go in, he just stood at the entrance -- (perhaps afraid that when he went in Jesus would still be there). Peter though, once he made it to the tomb, without hesitation went in. He had to go in. He had to see for himself.
AND WHEN - Peter walked inside, he saw the strips of linen and the burial clothes, that had been around Jesus’ head folded laying on the stone slab.
AND - somewhere, we don’t know where, maybe on the shoreline overlooking the Jordan or on a dusty road outside of the city… BUT - the important thing is not where it happened, but that it did happen.... THE – apostle Paul even makes a point of telling us in I Corinthians 15:5, that Jesus appeared to Peter… and then to the 12."
NOW - the Bible doesn’t give us any details -- of that meeting. It doesn’t tell us what Peter said... I for one don’t think Peter said much of anything... I PICTURE - Peter alone, sitting with his head down and his heart broken...
HE - had set high standards for himself. Standards that he could never have live up to. After all he was just a man.... BUT - because he couldn’t forgive himself, Peter couldn’t believe that Jesus could forgive him either... "No way. Not after what I have done... I went too far... I don’t deserve His forgiveness Jesus. While my Lord and my friend was being beaten, scourged, crucified - I denied I that I ever knew him. I saw the pain in his eyes as he stood in the courtyard… bound, beaten - looking me straight in the eyes after I denied Him for the third time... If I could only go back and undo it all… but I can’t. I can’t make this right."
AND THEN - Peter felt a hand on his shoulder (“no, not another friend to try to consul me”) HE TURNED – his head to see who it was… and his heart nearly stopped beating when he saw that the hand was pierced. AS - he fell to his feet, He heard the voice of the one he loved more than life itself say, "PETER"
IF - you have ever been so overcome with emotion that you can’t talk... the tears just won’t stop, and the sobbing chokes off all words, that’s how I picture this meeting of Jesus with Peter. The big strong fishermen -- kneeling before Jesus, holding on to Him as he weeps intensely....
AND - I picture Jesus with his hand on Peter’s shoulder saying "It’s alright Peter. It’s alright. I know. I know. But it’s alright now. Peter look at me. Look at me. I forgive you my friend. Completely. Peter look at these wounds – they’re all for you. These wounds are why I came. They are what am about. These wound, these strips have healed you from your sin and guilt.”
NOW – I don’t know about you but I have been where Peter was. AND – truth be told I still find myself there at times… THAT IS WHY – Easter Sunday pumps me up! BECAUSE – it is a huge reminder that a door has been opened up to forgiveness.
• My sins can be washed away
• The stain of guilt & shame removed
• 1,2,3 – even 7 x 70 falls does not make me a failure!
YES – those wounds were for me and they were for you.
HEY CHECKOUT – these incredible words about forgiveness from the pen of Paul
He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. – Romans 4:25-5:2 (NLT,NIV)
• He was handed over to die for what? For our sins…
• He was raised to life for what? to make us right with God
• We have peace with God because of our own effort… NO – because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. (Listen, trying to get rid of your guilt with good works, religion, rules and measuring up only adds more guilt – because we can’t measure up to a perfect God and we don’t have it all together… And – the cool thing is because of Jesus we don’t have to)
• AND – where do we NOW stand because of Christ… IN – God’s amazing grace…
The good news of Easter is that anybody no matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve wandered, no matter how badly you’ve messed up, no matter how high your wall of regret and guilt is -- IF you will stop trying to tear down the wall of guilt yourself… IF - you believe in and accept the radical love of God… then you can walk through the door of forgiveness and come home!
AND ONCE – you have walked through the door of forgiveness… God wants to take you through the door of RESTORATION. YOU’RE – going to love walking through this door.
The Door Of Restoration
I’M – going to read 3 incredible passages of Scripture and then talk about this door of restoration.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Cor 5:17
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.– Ephesians 2:10
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.
– Romans 8:29 (Msg)
LISTEN – there is more to Christ’s Resurrection; Then fact that Jesus is alive (as awesome, necessary and glorious as that it is)… and that our sins can be forgiven (as amazing and as needed as that is)… UNDERSTAND – His Resurrection also means that we can be restored to who we were always meant to be…
NOW REMEMBER – in the beginning, in Genesis, we are told that man was made in the image of God. That man was created to be picture, a portrait, a reflection of what God is like… BUT – as we said earlier, sin quickly came into the world (man walked through the forbidden door) and that image got distorted… AND – we see that distortion everyday when we turn on the news… As – we see images;
• Of terrorists blowing up buildings and people
• Of corrupt politicians embezzling money
• Of men raping and killing little girls
• Of racism
• Of greed
• Of hatred
• Of immorality
BUT – we don’t have to turn on the news to see that distortion, do we? NO – we saw it when you looked in the mirror this morning…
• When you screamed out you kids
• When you gave your spouse the silent treatment
• When you lied to protect yourself or make yourself look good
• When you talked behind that person’s back
• When you snuck that look on the internet
•
•
BUT – friends this distortion is no longer the final word of our lives… BECAUSE – Jesus is alive… The Easter Door is open allowing Jesus to come into our lives and breathe into us new life (breathe into us His Spirit)… A Spirit of love, power and self discipline…
UNDERSTAND - God’s plan from the very beginning has been to make people like Himself. NOW - don’t get me wrong, let me be clear, He’s not saying you’re going to be a god. You will never be a god. NO - God doesn’t want you to become a god; He wants you to become godly. He wants - you to develop His character… He wants you to – think the way He thinks, act the way He acts, feel the way He feels… he wants you to have His values, His moral character. Bottom-line - God wants to be like Him, He wants you to BE like Jesus. In His opening chapter of his book; Just Like Jesus, Max Lucado writes;
What if for one day and one night Jesus were to become you? What if, for 24 hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule? Your boss becomes his boss, your mother becomes his mother, your pains become his pains? With one exception, nothing about your life changes. Your health doesn’t change. Your circumstances don’t change. Your schedule isn’t altered. Your problems aren’t solved. Only one change occurs.
What if for one day and one night, Jesus lives your life with his heart? Your heart gets a day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ. His priorities govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.
What would you be like? Would people notice a change? Your family – would they see something new? Your coworkers – would they sense a difference? What about the less fortunate? Would you treat them the same? And your friends? Would they detect more joy? How about your enemies? Would they receive more mercy from Christ’s heart than from yours?
And you? How would you feel? What alterations would this transplant have on your stress level. Your mood swings? Your temper? Would you sleep better? Would you see sunsets differently? Death Differently? Taxes differently? Any chance you’d need fewer aspirins or sedatives? How about your reaction to traffic delays? (Ouch, that touched a nerve). Would you still dread what your dreading? Better yet, would you still do what you are doing?
Would you still do what you planned to do for the next 24 hours? Pause and think about your schedule. Obligations. Engagements. Outings. Appointments. With Jesus taking over your heart, would anything change?
Keep working on this for a moment. Adjust the lens of your imagination until you have a clear picture of Jesus leading your life, then snap the shutter and frame the image. What you see is what God wants. He wants you to think and act like Jesus.
Let that sink in for a moment…
MAN – I soo love this door of restoration.
HEY – let me tell you one of the greatest truths about your life, once you have walked through the door of forgiveness and restoration… IT’S – the reason we are here. IT’S – what God created us to do… IT - blows my mind but it’s true. BOTH – the prophet Isaiah and the Apostle talked about it…
All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory. It is I who created them… - Is 43:7 (NLT)
We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him…
- 1 Cor 3:18
QUESTION – did you see it? Does it look as huge to you as it does to me? YOU – were created to bring GLORY to God. LISTEN – just as people look at: rushing rivers, thundering waterfalls, snow capped mountains, distant galaxies, ocean waves, sun soaked beaches and sunrises and sunsets with their symphony of colors and say, “Yes, there is a God and He is awesome and wonderful…” GOD INTENDS – for people to look at your life and mine, and say the very SAME thing!
TAKE A MOMENT – to let that really sink in. YOU – were created to bring glory to God……. AND WHAT – was said to the rose to make it unfold… Was said to me here in my chest… GOD – wants to restore you. TO – unfold your life like a rose. TO – put your life on display in order to bring Him glory.
We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him…
- 1 Cor 3:18
NOW – as you consider (maybe for the first time) that you can bring greater glory to God than the most amazing aspects of creation – I think God your Creator wants to say something to your heart through the pen of John Eldredge from his book ‘Waking The Dead, The Glory of A Heart Fully Alive.”
Things are not what they seem. We are not what we seem. You are not what you think you are. There is a glory to your life that your Enemy (the serpent, the thief) fears, and he is hell-bent on destroying that glory before you act on it. This…will sound unbelievable at first; perhaps it will sound too good to be true; certainly, you will wonder if it is true for you. But once you begin to see with those eyes, once you have begun to know it is true from the bottom of your heart, it will change everything. The story of your life is the story of the long and brutal assault on your heart by the one who knows what you could be and fears it.”
We’re going to start a series next week to help you help you to continue your journey through the door of Restoration. TO - help you become fully alive. TO - help you ACT on the glory in your that your enemy fears. To help you to unfold. It’s called “One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life.” BEGINNING – next week - we’re going to encourage everyone in the church to take the 30-Day Challenge and ask themselves the following question, “What would I do if I had one month to live?” Not because you’re going to die in a month. Lord willing you’re going to live many more years. But I believe if you’ll live the next 30 days as if it’s your last at the end of the month you’ll know how to really live!
This is going to be one of the most exciting months in the history of our church. Don’t miss out. (be here every Sunday/if you miss a Sunday listen to the message online/invite a friend next week/join a small group (it’s where you can pick p your book… Day One will be April 1)
We’re going to give out the little wristbands and we’re going to start living this lifestyle. We’re going to take the One Month to Live Challenge and live this month this way and it’s going to change our lives, change our community – change our world. OKAY – once you have walked through the doors of forgiveness and restoration – you will find that you just naturally walk through this 3rd door.
The Door Of Hope
It was a cold October afternoon in 1982. Badger Stadium in Madison Wisconsin was packed out. That day there were more than 60,000 die-hard University of Wisconsin football fans watching their team take on the Michigan State Spartans. It didn’t take long to determine who the better team was. Michigan State was moping up the field with the Badgers. But what seemed odd was that even as the score became increasingly lopsided against their team, there were bursts of applause and shouts of joy from the Wisconsin fans. How could they cheer when their team was getting trounced so decisively? It turns out that 70 miles away the Milwaukee Brewers were beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game 3 of the 1982 World Series. Many of the fans in the stands were listening to portable radios and responding to what was going on in another game, in another sport, in another place.
There is something to be said for being plugged into what is going on elsewhere. Sometimes, the things that are going on where you are become extremely difficult. That’s why the bible tells us that we need to make sure we have our radios tuned to a different game. You see there in another game going on beside the one that you are in at this moment. Understand there is so much more going on then what is in front of you. THAT – is what Jesus reminded His guys of as they walked to the garden on the night of His arrest.
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going." Jesus the Way to the Father 5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
– John 14:1-6
LISTEN – because of Easter there is a lot more going on then what is right in front of you…. HIS RESURRECTION – allows us to walk through the door of Hope to tune into another a game. A GAME – where:
A lot of people believe in the resurrection. George Gallup did a poll that said 84% of Americans believe Jesus rose from the dead. It’s a historical fact. I mean it wasn’t done in secret. The whole city of Jerusalem knew about it and eventually the whole Roman Empire. It was big news. If Fox News or CNN would have been around they would have had it live. There are at least 15 historical references to Jesus meeting people after He rose from the dead. Over 500 people talked to Him after He was raised. Jesus rose from the dead. The real question is what difference does it make in my life today? It makes all the difference in the world if you let it. The Door to Forgiveness, The Door to Restoration and the door of Hope are open to you.
During the presidency of Andrew Jackson (in 1829), George Wilson, a postal clerk, robbed a federal payroll from a train and in the process killed a guard. The court convicted him and sentenced him to death by hanging. Because of public sentiment against capital punishment, however, a movement began to secure a presidential pardon for Wilson (first offense), and eventually Jackson intervened with a pardon. Amazingly, Wilson refused it.
The Sheriff was unwilling to hang Wilson – for how can you hang a pardoned man. Since this had never happened before, the Supreme Court was asked to rule on whether someone could indeed refuse a presidential pardon. Chief Justice John Marshall handed down the court’s decision: "A pardon is a parchment whose only value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon. It has no value apart from that which the receiver gives to it. George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon. We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, George Wilson must die."
And so, as punishment for his crime, George Wilson, on a day appointed by the court, was taken from his cell and hanged to satisfy the requirements of the law. Pardon, declared the Supreme Court, must not only be granted, it must be accepted.
What I want to do today is point you to the most powerful word in the English language and it’s mentioned twice in this verse.
“I tell you, NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the day of salvation.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:2
NOW is the time. NOW is all we have. We’re always looking for someday. We’re always looking for that miracle someday, but the miracle is in the moment. The miracle is always in the moment because that’s all we have. I’m going to ask you to open the door of your heart to Christ now. Don’t wait.
