I once heard tell of a young man who stood face to face and challenged his father with the accusation “when did you ever do anything for anyone but yourself”.
Another instance and a child cries out to his Father “we’re not friends anymore”, another time more heartbreakingly “you don’t love me anymore”.
None of these things where true of course, but in the heat of the argument or a moment of resentment things can often be said that shouldn’t, things that we know to be untrue.
It may amuse you that there I stood, some time ago, and my young four year old son should say to me that he no longer wanted to be my friend, not only that but he might suggest in his upset, that even for a moment I didn’t love him. Heartbreaking even to think about it isn’t it really?
It’s often true to say that man is a resentful creature isn’t it? That has often been seen to be our lot since the human race in Adam first fell.
How many Fathers and Mothers amongst you could help but smile with memory at similar such recollections. How many Grandparents have consoled and reminded their own of similar incidents as only time and experience allows?
How many remember being that very child and blush with embarrassment at what you said so foolishly so long ago.
The very foolishness of it all. The intellectual might add, the impetuousness of youth!
We resent discipline so often don’t we; we resent being told what to do and how to go about doing it. And we lash out so often against authority, rightly or wrongly, with such indifference, so often.
This was not so of our Lord, this could not be said of Jesus. He came not as some at the time imagined he would, a great leader of armies, a great warrior, or as great law and authority challenger. No great physical deliverer from the authority of the mighty Roman Empire was evident here, as some expected.
Rather he came as one who was obedient to the law of the land, he did not oppose the authority of the time, he didn’t rise up against the current rulers of his day, he didn’t resent them rather he subjected himself to them.
He came in humility lived a life of servitude to others, was subject to the laws of common men in all that he ever did.
He was circumcised on the eighth day following his birth, as Jewish law required him to be, he took no easy way out in the affairs of men, he was fully subject to the laws, even the circumstances of his birth and all that that entails reflect this fact.
The angels we read appeared to the shepherds, to common men, despised perhaps for the job that they did, common men about their business, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying Glory be to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men. Peace and good will the reconciliation was now in progress, man could now be reconciled, no time for fear but rejoicing for what was now possible and what was to come. Messiah, promised one was born; the message was and is rejoice.
In another instance we can read here in scripture in Mathews Marks and Lukes accounts if we look, how he answered those who would seek to trick him into perpetrating some act of lawless behaviour. You’re a man of God, the question was posed, is it therefore lawful for us to pay tribute to Caesar, and the answer, show me your money, whose image and inscription is upon it, give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and unto God that which is Gods.
This was our Lord right through wasn’t it, seeing right into the hearts and minds of sinful men, that is why our Lord lived as he did, not born as of one of position or stature, to be in an influential position, to have it easier than the rest of us would, no that was never to be the case He did not bask in his own glory or use his divine power and authority to make his earthly journey an easier one. He truly came to reconcile us with God to bring about a peace with the Father.
We are, you and I, with the rest of the human race, by our nature and inherent sinful nature unfit to stand in the presence of a Holy and Righteous God, we shan’t stand on the judgement day resting on our own worthiness.
Our Lord was born in to a sinful world that’s true and evident enough as we read through scripture, but we must understand that the stain of sin, which we all inherit from birth, was never upon him, his conception was not of man but of the Holy Spirit. He was and remains unique and singular in his sinless ness.
Now let’s have no misunderstanding of the facts, left to our own devices we shan’t stand you and I on that judgement day at all but for the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. And face a judgement one day we all shall.
Scripture faithfully records, for it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgement.
I was recently listening to a tape one of a series of great preachers, and in one the preacher powerfully calls the peoples attention to what scripture has to say.
He calls the people to attention, warns them of behaving like religious Pharisees, knowing the laws of men Inside out, and observing their religious activities to the letter but caring little for the truth behind the pomp and ceremony of it all.
Sit up and listen, be still, get your mind off the general day to day activities and listen to Gods word, this is Gods word we’ve come here to study and understand today.
Without the life he lived, the life of perfection he lived, Without his spotlessness, without his sacrifice, without him taking upon himself your sins personally, without your accepting him for what he is and did, just for you personally, without the blood of Jesus Christ, without you being washed in that blood day by day and hour by hour, moment by moment, without you being born again brother by that same means.
Then you’ll go to hell, and so will I and no mistake about it for there is no other way by which we shall find salvation.
Without the blood of Jesus there would be no remission of sin. Without the remission of sin there could be no reconciliation with God. If we are not reconciled with God we can’t stand in the judgement spotless, and if we can’t stand before Almighty God spotless we can’t be fit to share with him in Glory. And if we are not fit for glory we have rejected Jesus and he will reject us. And hell shall be our destination.
It’s a personal Gospel this, this book the Bible it’s personal and deep rooted in its message. Tell me yourself if you can read much of it without feeling its specific in its pursuit of you. In fact it’s quite true to say that it specialises in you and me and our personal and individual needs.
Sometimes you know we get to the stage where people don’t want to feel that they are being preached at as sinners, but the truth is that we all stand here today condemned for our sinfulness, each one of us, and we cant get away from it however we try and most certainly not by mincing around the point and generalising.
Scripture never generalises does it, it points the finger straight at you and it says you must be made clean, you must repent, you must be born again. Its specific in what it tells me I am, a sinner, specific in what it tells me I can do about it, be cleansed, and specific when it tells me how to go about it and how soon, by the blood of the lamb and without delay, and the consequences of not doing any of these things, separation eternally from God.
Will you note well that you won’t stand because you’re a good person who hasn’t stolen or cheated anyone! Even if you never have! You won’t stand because you did good works or deeds, even if you spent a lifetime doing them! Helping the needy, the sick or the poor. You won’t stand because you’re a regular churchgoer or a full church member, though praise god you may be! Or because you take communion or you’ve been baptised christened or confirmed or anything else you care to mention. Ultimately none of these count if you’re missing the essential ingredient!
You only stand spotless on that judgement day brother or sister because you accepted Jesus Christ into your life. You claimed him as your own personal Lord and Saviour. You’ve heard preached what was said to Nicodemus, Nicodemus ye must be born again, Nicodemus you know the law and the scriptures, he would have been something of an expert no doubt on both, but you don’t grasp this basic fact. Well you must grasp it because Nicodemus you must be born again.
Are we like that here, I meet many colleagues sadly who say they no nothing of spiritual regeneration being born again, or what it means, they feel its all about attending church and doing good works, they miss the point, though many of them may be better men than me.
That blood of Jesus it was shed for our redemption, he became the necessary sacrifice the price and the cost of our sinfulness. It was necessary to reconcile us with God.
He accomplished all that; he was Son of God and became a man, born of a virgin conceived of the Holy Spirit. In order to save sinful men and to be their substitute then the eternal Son of God became a man, Johns Gospel makes it so wonderfully clear The word became flesh and dwelt amongst us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth.
He became the sacrifice for our sins and in and through him the old sacrificial system was done away with forever, his value was such that all the sins of men were laid to his charge. Pure and perfect in all ways he was, yet our sins were laid to his charge, he was tempted in all manner of things but yet he remained untarnished and without a spot or blemish of sin upon him.
The Devil himself was his tempter and God allowed all this to demonstrate to the world the perfection of his Christ, Scripture again and again demonstrates for us this perfection in him, he did not sin, he did not fail or else his sacrifice and master plan for mankind too would have been flawed and limited. For if he had sinned then all his promises too could have touched by sin also, been flawed also. This was not the case, as scripture points out his promises stand eternal and sure. Hebrews 13 v 8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever.
The sacrificial system was done away with forever superseded by this once and for all time sacrifice. The completed work of Jesus
How glorious also the thought that there is indeed a man who even now stands at the right hand of the Father, our sympathetic great High Priest who knows what it as like to live in a sinful world, who knows our every weakness and shares in our every sorrow. That’s Jesus our promised Messiah.
We have no need of a priest save Jesus for he is that great high priest who intercedes with the Father on our behalf when we come before him and confess our very need of him.
As we move on into another new year do we put Jesus away once more with the rest of the trappings and trimmings of Christmas, have we indeed been serious about the gospel message of salvation which stems right from that very birth at Bethlehem some 2000 years ago.
Are we sitting comfortably knowing the laws, the stories and all the religious paraphernalia off by heart, but really taking no such notice?
We can sit here looking good and we may fool one another, but you know we will find that the Lord sees right to our hearts personally. Just as was said to the man Nicodemus, Brother you must be born again.
Our Lord came down to earth to live a life of servitude, a life of perfection yet he was and still is rejected of men, men rejected him because he was not the deliverer they expected, not in the way men expected, they wanted an earthly deliverer to free them from this earthly foreign tyranny, the might of the Roman empire.
He was an obedient son to his earthly parents, he was subject to them as scripture states, he was under the laws of the Jewish people, and under the tyranny of the Roman empire, He was tried by Pontius Pilate and scorned and mocked by Herod, rejected by his own people and sentenced to death even the cruel death of the cross for crimes that were never committed by him.
His friends forsook him, his own people rejected him, the soldiers spat on and tortured him, but the greatest sorrow was reached finally in those words which he cried out “my God my God why hast thou forsaken me” Mans guilt is proven in the crucifixion of Jesus for in truth man truly nailed him to the cross.
Why God should have forsook him can be understood when we read;
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
He was made to take upon himself our sins the purchase price of our salvation, so that we, you and I personally, might be able to partake of the righteousness of God through him.
This Jesus was the Lamb of God; He was made an acceptable offering on our behalf. For God in Christ reconciled the world to himself. For who could supply such a lamb but God.
It will be too late for many to offer him recognition once he comes again to reign in all his glory, now is all the time we may ever have, for now is the appointed hour.
Where once there was rejection abuse and the dishonour wrought of men, a day will come when every man shall recognise him for what he truly is King of Kings and Lord of all. On that day every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess him the King of glory that he truly is.
May the Lord bless you as you meditate upon his word.
Amen
Call To Worship Galatians ch 5 v 1 to 6
New Testament lesson 1 John ch 3 vs 1 to 12
New Testament lesson 2 Luke ch 2 vs 8 to 33
