Sermon
Lanier Christian Church
Easter, April 20, 2014
David Simpson
From Heartache to Hope
(The Thief or The Giver of Life?)
Romans 5:8, John 10:10; Romans 15:13
Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
“Thief” - the very word stirs up hurtful and frustrating emotions. You can’t say the word with a smile on your face. Thief...someone who steals...someone who robs you of your valuables.
Have you every had anything stolen? I have....on too many occasions. The first theft I experienced was when my eight track tape deck was stolen out of my first car. The window was smashed and they ran away with the tape deck and a few 8 track tapes. If they only knew it’s value today they would have left it alone! Another thief entered my life when my Ford pick-up truck was stolen from the church parking lot (at our previous location). Once again the window was smashed and this time the thief took the entire vehicle. It was found by law enforcement in another county two weeks later - burned.
I was not happy. I was angry. Someone had taken something of great value and usefulness to me. It took me a couple of days to settle down and realize it was just a material possession.
There have been other thieves in my life... and yours too...perhaps more damaging than the loss of material things.
The thief of wasted time has robbed me of precious moments that could have been better spent.
The thief of bitterness has robbed me of my peace.
The thief of lies and false accusations has robbed me of trust.
The thief of apathy has robbed me of purpose.
The thief of hatred has robbed me of love.
The thief of despair has robbed me of joy.
The thief of doubt has robbed me of faith.
The thief of the mundane has robbed me of passion.
The thief of negative attitudes has robbed me of potential.
The thief of isolation has robbed me of fellowship.
The thief of selfishness has robbed me of service.
The thief of conceit has robbed me of worship.
The thief of defeat has robbed me of hope.
These are subtle thieves that eat away at our character, our personality, our purpose and our soul. And unfortunately, I have often not been angry or frustrated at such loss, like I was that of my truck.
These thieves have caused much damage in my life. What about yours? And yet, I know, that the cause of such injury and loss is due to the fact that I allowed the thief to enter in the first place. Oh, it may have been a small opening. It may have been a weak moment. It may have been a lapse in judgment. But, none the less, the breach was made, and the thief entered without resistance.
I’ve never known the names of the thieves that took my possessions over the years. But, I know the name of the one who has robbed me of my virtues. His name is Satan. Jesus calls him thief..THE Thief.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
He is Satan which means “adversary.” The adversary wants to steal you away from your commitment to the Savior....kill your desire to follow Him...and destroy your faith.
And Satan doesn’t stop there. His greatest weapon against us is death. Who among us has not felt the sting of death? Death has robbed us of loved ones near and dear to us. Wives and Husbands. Mothers and Fathers. Sisters and Brothers. Sons and Daughters.
Relatives. Friends. Neighbors. Work buddies. Death is not limited to age or status or time.
But, because of the resurrection of Jesus...there is an alternative.
Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Jesus has always known that the greatest enemy we would face is that of death.
When Satan stole Adam and Even’s innocence, which ultimately brought about their death, God began to set his plan in motion to give hope to the world. Yet, because of sin’s damage, and Satan’s limited power, we die. The Bible says: Romans 5:12....
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned...” Those are the facts.
But God doesn’t look kindly on the theft of life. The heartache of death is replaced by hope. Because of Jesus, death is no longer the end, it is the beginning! 1 Corinthians 15:22 says: For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
Jesus is all about life. A full, meaningful, impactful, vital life. Not just breathing, but thriving!
That’s what heaven will be like. That’s what eternal life is like. A life that is richer, fuller, deeper than anything we have now...and it’s all because of Jesus.
Jesus said in John 14:19 - “Because I live, you also will live.”
No longer must the heartache of death grip out souls and cause us to grieve forever. There is hope because of Jesus!
No longer must the heartache of sin destroy our character and cause us to lose hope. There is hope because of Jesus!
No longer must the thief rob us of life and cause us to despair. There is hope because of Jesus!
The resurrection of Jesus...the death conquering Savior...has freed us from our heartache and restored our hope. Through his resurrection he has bound the power of the thief - Satan - and offers us life.
So how does Satan continue to influence us? Although bound and limited, his temptations still abound. Did you hear about the five people arrested last week for kidnapping the Winston-Salem Assistant District Attorney’s father? They held Frank Janssen in an apartment in Atlanta and had plans to eventually kill him. Thankfully the FBI found him and freed Mr. Janssen. Seven people have now been arrested for kidnapping and attempted murder.
The FBI claims the scheme was masterminded by Kelvin Melton, via text message from his prison cell. Melton, 49, a high-ranking member of the Bloods street gang from New York City, was convicted in October 2012 of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. He is serving life in prison. A phone was smuggled to him and he managed to send more than 120 texts to his partners outside of prison with instructions on how to kidnap and torture the assistant DA’s father with hopes this would cause the prosecutor and the judge to reverse his sentence.
Bound in prison but able to influence others to commit his dastardly deeds for him.
That is exactly what Satan does to us! He influences and tempts us to sin. And though he is limited by the power of Jesus’ resurrection, he is on death row, a defeated foe...and yet we allow him to influence us through his wicked schemes as he whispers to us lies behind his eternal prison cell.
The thief of life fills our minds with apathy, hatred, bitterness, doubt, negativity, isolation, despair, heartache and hopelessness. He can no longer hold victory over us because of death. Jesus now holds the keys to death and life. And instead, Satan, knowing his days are numbered, whispers to us lies that show he is still very much a thief at heart.
If we listen to his lies, we then allow him to steal our joy...to rob us of all hope. If we listen to his lies, he is able to kill our enthusiasm and passion for all things righteous. If we sucuumb to his lies, then he will eventually inflict the greatest hurt of all and destroy our faith.
I stand before you today as one who is well acquainted with death. I have grieved over the loss of loved ones and dear friends. I have performed countless funerals and sympathized with those who have suffered great loss. I have held the hands of a number of church members as they have given their last breath on this earth and entered into the arms of our Savior.
To this day, I believe wholeheartedly in the words of the Apostle Paul: “...to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” The heartache of death is replaced by my hope in a Savior that says: “Because I live, you too shall live.”
But, I am more concerned on this Easter day about the thief who wants to influence my life on a daily basis and steal my joy, my faith and my hope. In other words, I believe I’m going to be with Jesus when I die. I will be reunited with loved ones in Christ who have gone before me. I will enjoy the glorious wonders of heaven...but what about now?
Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Was he talking only about eternal life? I don’t think so.
I have allowed too many of my days to be influenced by the thief who wants to rob me of life - daily life.
I have listened more to the lies of this thief than I want to admit.
I have wallowed in his life stealing behaviors too often and failed to worship at the feet of the one who offers true life.
What about you? Who do you listen to? The thief or the Savior?
God forgive us on this Easter for failing to hear your offer of life. Forgive us for wasting our days here as if they had no meaning.
Forgive us for listening more to the thief of life, than the author of life.
Forgive us for choosing the least course of resistance instead of the narrow way.
Forgive us for failing to remember that you are life and you want to instill that in your followers through your life-giving Holy Spirit.
Forgive us for failing to live out the full life that you offer through your resurrection power.
The heartache of sin is replaced by the hope of our Savior. No longer do we have to be bound by the temptations of the thief.
We have been set free! I love the hope-filled words of 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17
"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."
That's it! Jesus died for us on the cross so that we don't have to die for our own sins. He died in our place. What marvelous grace and wonderful love he showed us by this act of sacrifice. And not only that, Jesus conquered death on that first Easter to show our enemy - the thief of life - that he has no power over us....not now...and not in eternity.
Instead, Jesus offers his Holy Spirit to us to encourage our hearts and strengthen us every day.
So, the message of Easter is one of eternal hope - not just for heaven to come - but for life now. Jesus should make a difference in the way we live! Don't let the thief rob you of life!
So, we come now to our time of Communion. This sacred time is a reminder to us that Jesus gave HIS life to offer US life.
As we reflect on his loving sacrifice and rejoice over his glorious resurrection - may we humbly realize that God loves us and he wants a daily relationship with us where He extends his grace, his love, his mercy, his guidance, his wisdom and his strength every day to those who belong to Him.
Before our time of communion, may we reflect on two verses:
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That's His love and grace. We didn't deserve or earn this love or this sacrifice.
And....2 Corinthians 5:15..
And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
May we commit to do just that on this Easter....no longer live for self but for our Savior who gave everything for us. He is risen! And that gives me hope to deal with every heartache…so I can live today knowing that HE is in control and offers me life…abundant life…now and forever.
He died for me…He lives today…I'll live for Him!
May we pray.....
