MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
Who are we as a congregation? What is our purpose? What are we trying to do? When we come together to worship, who are we worshiping? Why do we believe what we believe? Who is our Lord – our Guide? To whom or what do we show our loyalty?
These & similar questions we will be considering in coming weeks – in our Sunday morning sermons, our adult Bible Classes, & during our Wed. evening Bible Studies.
I urge you to be a part of each of these opportunities to grow in your knowledge & your faith as we discuss these subjects & more in the weeks ahead.
Now why are we so concerned about our purpose as a church & what we are trying to do? To answer that, let me tell you about something that happened here about 2½ years ago.
ILL. Among our visitors one Sunday morning was a lady who told me that she had been one of the early members of Ridge Chapel about 25 years ago. She had long since moved away, but having come back to visit a friend, she decided to attend our service that morning. And we welcomed her warmly as we do all our visitors.
But after the service was over she approached & angrily informed me that she was not happy with us at all. Why? “Because,” she said, “throughout the service & in your sermon you mentioned Jesus.” And she felt that was absolutely wrong!
“After all,” she said, “Ridge Chapel is for all the people in Flint Ridge, & nothing controversial should ever be mentioned in the service.” And since there are people in Flint Ridge who don’t believe in Jesus we should never offend them by mentioning Him at all.
I suppose that in her mind Ridge Chapel should be strictly a club specializing in social gatherings & doing good deeds within our community.
Yet, Jesus is the reason we’re here! Now having told you this, I call your attention to my Scripture text this morning. It is about Jesus, my Savior & my God!
Listen to this passage in John 20:24-28 where Jesus appears to Thomas after His resurrection. The rest of the apostles had already seen him, but Thomas had not.
“Now Thomas, (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
“But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.’
“A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’
“Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
ILL. Seventy-four years ago, Adolph Hitler was Chancellor of the Third German Reich. He had sold the great mass of German people on the idea of a "Fuehrer," one supreme leader whose authority was not to be questioned.
His orders were to be followed implicitly. The people were to love him, to obey him, virtually even to worship him. "Heil Hitler!"
Soon, in their devotion to him, terrible atrocities began to happen. Those who questioned his edicts were silenced by storm troopers. Opponents were sent to forced labor camps. Jews were sent to death camps. Preachers who dared to protest were beaten & imprisoned. Church buildings were burned. It was a time in Germany when terror reigned supreme.
But in Berlin there was a German preacher named Martin Niemoeller who was small in size, but big in other ways. He had been a U boat captain in World War I, & he had courage. So one Saturday he had emblazoned on billboards all across Berlin the subject of his Sunday morning sermon.
The service was advertised for 11 a.m., but by 7 a.m. every bit of the standing room was gone. Following his sermon he was arrested, & spent the remaining years of Hitler's reign in a labor camp, denied all contact with the outside world.
What was his sermon title? What was his message? It was simply this, "Christ is my Fuehrer, Christ is my Leader, He is my Lord."
I. HE IS MY LORD
402 times in the N.T. you will find some form of the word "Lord" used in regard to Jesus Christ.
Take the text that we’re using this morning. It was a significant tribute that Thomas paid to Jesus when you consider what Thomas was like. He was a man who had to be shown - who said he wouldn't believe unless he could see & touch the wounds & put his hand into the gash in Jesus' side.
But when Jesus came walking through the bolted & barred door & held out His hands & said, "Thomas." Thomas cried, "My Lord & my God!" (John 20:28)
Another tribute to Jesus was paid by Mary Magdalene just after His resurrect-tion at the tomb.
John 20:11-13 says, “As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb & saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been…
“They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him."
"My Lord." Think what those words mean! As long as God stayed in Heaven He seemed far away, remote & impersonal. But then, in Jesus, God came down where I am, for the Bible says, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." (2 Corinthians 5:19)
God came down, & Jesus Christ became my Savior & my Lord, & now I have a personal relationship with Him that will last forever.
ILL. In one of the great chapels in Rome there is an amazing fresco by Guido called "The Aurora." For many years, to look at this fresco you had to lean back & twist your neck into painful positions to appreciate its full scope & beauty.
Finally, a great mirror was placed in the center of the floor. Now all you have to do is stand around the handrail & look down, & you see the beauty of the fresco reflected in the mirror.
Christ came to mirror God to us. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus represents God. It says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being…”
Our physical eyes can't see God, so God made a mirror, & in Jesus Christ we see the very image of God.
ILL. Daniel Webster is said to have been one of the greatest minds & one of the greatest speakers our nation has ever produced. In the back of Webster's own personal Bible he wrote these words,
"I believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. The miracles which He wrought, establish, in my mind, His personal authority, & render it proper for me to believe whatever He asserts.
“I believe, therefore, all His declarations, as well when He declares Himself to be the Son of God, as when He declares any other proposition. And, I believe, that there is no other way of salvation than through the merits of His atonement. He is my Lord."
But many people call Him "Lord" & don't mean what they are saying. In Luke 6:46 Jesus asked, "Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, & do not do the things I say?" How about you? How about me? Is He your Savior & your Lord?
II. HE IS MY EXAMPLE
ILL. Until a few years ago the best selling book ever written in the U.S. was Charles Sheldon's book "In His Steps." Millions & millions of copies were sold.
The scripture which inspired & permeated this book is 1 Peter 2:21 which says, "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps."
He is my Lord, & He is my example.
In the Upper Room, Jesus, their master, their teacher, their Lord, girded Himself with a towel & washed His disciples' feet, & said, "I have given you an example." (John 13:15). He gave us an example of service.
And on the cross, with blood flowing from His body, Jesus looked at those who were crucifying Him & prayed, "Father forgive them." He gave us an example in forgiveness.
He gave us an example in prayer. He gave us an example in witnessing with the woman at the well, & in a night class with just one pupil - Nicodemus.
People are not often won to Jesus just by preaching no matter how great the preacher. And few have come to Him just on their own. The majority come because someone talked with them, one on one, about Jesus as their Savior & their Lord.
III. HE IS THE SOURCE OF MY POWER
He is my Lord, He is my example, & He is the source of my power.
ILL. Some years ago I read a news item about a man whose engine was missing. I mean that literally. He got into his car, turned on the key, & nothing happened. Finally, he got out & lifted up the hood & discovered that someone had stolen the motor. The power was gone.
Jesus is the source of our power. Paul says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
ILL. A friend of mine was on an airplane one day when the pilot came on the intercom & announced the speed that the motors indicated. Then he gave the actual speed of the plane. They were traveling 105 miles an hour faster than the speed the motors indicated. Why? A tailwind was boosting them.
There have been times when I have tried my best, but my best just wasn't good enough. But then something above & beyond my power picked me up & gave me the power to do what needed to be done.
He is my Lord, He is my example, & He is the source of my power.
IV. HE IS MY DEFENDER & INTERCESSOR
He is also my Defender & Intercessor.
The Apostle John wrote, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." (1 John 2:1)
Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them." Christ is my defender & intercessor.
Long ago David wrote these words about the love & care of God, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:2)
Christ is my example, the source of my power. He is my defender & intercessor. Christ is my Fuehrer, my Lord & my God. Is He yours?
ILL. A number of years ago, S.M. Lockridge, a black preacher in San Diego, CA, prepared a sermon that he titled “That’s My King.” He had an amazing way with words, & I would like to read a part of it to you this morning.
My King was born King. The Bible says He's a 7-Way King. He's King of the Jews - that's an Ethnic King. He's King of Israel - that's a National King. He's the King of righteousness. He's the King of the ages. He's the King of Heaven. He's the King of glory. He's the King of kings & Lord of lords. Now that's my King!
I wonder, do you know Him? My King is a sovereign King. He's enduringly strong. He's entirely sincere. He's eternally steadfast. He's imperially powerful. He's impartially merciful. That's my King!
He's God's Son. He's the sinner's Savior. He's the centerpiece of civilization. He's unique. He's unparalleled. He's unprecedented. He’s pre-eminent. I wonder if you know Him today?
He's the miracle of the ages. He supplies strength to the weak. He sympathizes & He saves. He guards & He guides. He heals the sick & cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners & delivers the captives. He blesses the young & defends the feeble. He regards the aged, & rewards the diligent. That's my King! Do you know Him?
Well, my King is the doorway of deliverance. He's the roadway of righteousness. He's the pathway of peace. He's the highway of holiness. He's the gateway of glory. His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never fails.
His Word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous. His yoke is easy, & His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you . . . but He's indescribable. He's incomprehensible. He's invincible, & He is irresistible. That's my King!
The heavens can’t contain Him. Man can’t explain Him. The Pharisees couldn't stand Him. Pilate couldn't find any fault in Him. Herod couldn't kill Him. Death couldn't handle Him, & the grave couldn't hold Him. That's my King!
He was in the beginning of all things. He has always been & He will always be. David said the Heavens declare His glory & the firmament shows His handiwork. And He is my Savior & my King! Praise the Lord. I am His, & He is mine! Do you know Him? Oh, won’t you come to Him today?
(An adapted & shortened version of his comments)
