Exodus 23-28. The promise-keeping God of justice and mercy

Exodus 23-28  (Read Exodus 23:20-25:22)

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On the 26th May 2018, just eight days ago, Ireland voted to remove the last remaining restriction they had against abortion. It was hailed as a great day, a day of rejoicing, a day for women’s rights, a day when women stood up and were counted. On Wednesday NRK celebrated 40 years of abortion in Norway praising Grete Irvoll, an Arbeiderpartiet politician, as a hero who stood up for women.

It was fascinating to read these articles with God’s laws ringing in my ears: the 10 commandments and then the book of the covenant in chapters 22 and 23. Because God’s laws protect the weak. Our abortion laws do not. Our abortion law does not protect women, but exposes them to abuse.

We are fooled by being shallow. The abortion campaign won by telling stories, personal stories, about women who had backroom abortions and how things went wrong and they nearly died and oh my goodness isn’t that terrible, we need to protect women from this.

And then you read the Bible and it’s all like Ex 22:16–17 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sex with her, he must pay the customary bride price and marry her. 17 But if her father refuses to let him marry her, the man must still pay him an amount equal to the bride price of a virgin.

Isn’t that terrible! Oppressive! Misogynistic! That’s what our gut reaction says. But is it? Look closer. Think. What kind of woman is it who would be seduced by the type of man that a father would forbid? A weak one. The strong can stand up for themselves, stand up against even their father. “No father, we’re in love”. But I regularly see in the news stories of women being fooled by a man seducing them, pretending to love them, and then making off with hundreds of thousands of kroners. Where was their protector? God’s laws protect the weak.

But the abortion laws protect the strong. The stories we hear are of the strong. Those who were strong enough to take that stance. Yes, things went wrong but then they made a big noise.
We don’t hear of those forced to kill their babies because it is an inconvenience to others. They are still silent in fear and in shame. “Why wasn’t I strong enough to save my baby?” “Why couldn’t I stand against my boyfriend or father or mother?”
No-one speaks for the babies, conscious of pain, being torn apart in the womb. They have no voice.
And very few speak up for the disabled who are quietly being eradicated. We are two-faced, celebrating the disabled with front page articles while supporting the laws which make sure we don’t have any more of their kind here because, really, that’s not a life worth living.

God’s laws protect the weak, those who can’t pay back. It is undeserved mercy. His laws are an expression of his heart. And that is fully seen in Jesus. He died on the cross for us in our weakness. He cries out Father forgive. He defends the cause of the fatherless and upholds the widow. He fulfils the law, and as Christians we are called to do the same. In fact, we are called to go beyond. Fulfilment and freedom. We are to act in love to protect the weak and to love the unlovable.

1. God will defend his people, so trust Him

2. God has mercy on his people, so draw near to Him

3. God is with his people, see Him

1. God will defend his people, so trust Him

20 “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.

Remember where we are in the story. The people of God are standing before the mountain of God. They have just experienced a miraculous rescue. Just a few weeks prior they were slaves in Egypt, being beaten and mercilessly worked. Then God stepped in. He rescued them through an incredible show of power. 10 plagues, ending in darkness and then death. Death of the first-born of everyone whose house was not marked by the blood of a lamb. It was a swap – the life of the lamb for the life of the firstborn. Everyone who believed God’s word, God’s way out, was saved!

And they were set free. Sent out with great rejoicing! And then Pharaoh changed his mind and sent his army after them. And they were trapped between the army and the sea. Oh no! Many wanted to turn back: “let’s go back to Pharaoh, at least we were safe”. “Did God bring us out just to kill us?”

Of course we know what happened. God showed his power by parting the sea and they walked through as if on dry ground – and when Pharaoh’s army tried to follow them – bam! The waters flooded back and wiped them out. “Hooray!” said the Israelites.

And now Israel are facing the next task. To believe God’s word that the land promised to Abraham is theirs. God said to Abraham in Genesis 15:13-16 “400 years from now your descendants will march out to take the land”. And that is now.

For them then they were to trust the Lord that he would do what he said. Bring them to the promised land. Despite the significant challenges! They needed to remember that they were no longer slaves in Egypt. God had rescued them, had given them a new identity. They were not to be like everyone else around them. They were to be different. Holy. 24 You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Don’t compromise. Fight! V24 continues Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

For us now: we too were slaves, slaves to sin. We have been rescued. We have a new identity: God’s people. A holy nation. Our sins are wiped clean. We are righteous in his sight!
But like Israel when we are under pressure we are tempted to go back into the old life, into slavery. Blend in. Do what everyone else is doing. It’s easier. Take the old shortcuts. Tell a few lies. Cheat a bit. Go back to old sins. Open the browser to look at porn. Pick up the bottle. Grab the syringe. Old habits. Old sins. We know where that leads, and it does not lead to joy.

We need to keep our eyes on Jesus! Just practically, going to church – this – helps greatly. It is a means of grace. It is no surprise to me when people who have been away from church for a while are struggling. Relationships are difficult. Sin is easy. God seems far away. Use what He has given you. Keep your eyes on him. For we are not alone in this battle. In fact, we don’t even really fight the battle.

Because did you notice v27-30 that it is the Lord who will drive them out. V27 I will send my terror ahead of you v27 I will make them run v28 I will send my terror v30 I will drive them out. It wasn’t the Israelites who had to drive them out. Oh yes, they had to pick up the sword. But the battle was the Lords. Oh, they may swing the sword, but it is the Lord who brings victory. Remember Jericho, that huge walled city? They walked around it and shouted, and the walls fell! God was with them. And then they went off by themselves and tried to defeat the little village of Ai without God – and were soundly beaten.

That’s us. With the Lord, we are victorious. On our own, we are lost. So keep your eyes focussed on him in your fight against sin. Do what is right and trust him.

And when we look at what’s going on around us in the world, at the battlefield of our culture… it’s easy to despair. To feel weak. As we watch people celebrating their sin, mocking God. It can be daunting. Like a little tribe wandering in the desert going to do battle against this big and strong and powerful people!
But the Lord is with us!
We need to swing the sword by proclaiming the gospel. It seems so weak. We might feel like grasshoppers when we open our mouth at work to talk about Jesus. But God is with us! And people need him. They desperately need the gospel, Good News.

Like Israel, we need to remember what God has already done, and not disobey him, but trust Him.

God will defend his people, so trust Him.

2. God has mercy on his people, so draw near to Him

24:8 Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.” 9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. 10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. 11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

So this is the actual covenant between God and the people. This why they have been brought here out of Egypt – to worship God. To be his people. Not just rescued from slavery, but to freedom. Likewise with us – we’re not just saved FROM sin, but saved TO righteousness.

So the Lord calls the leaders of Israel forward, and then Moses obeys God by doing what God has just been talking about. He builds an altar (with unhewn stones and no steps I would presume (20:24-26)). He substitutes dead animals for live people – because any unholy person who sees the Lord must die. So instead of the people dying, the oxen die in their place, and he splatters the blood on them symbolically. They are made holy through the sacrifice. The death they deserve has been taken by another.
And then he reads the book of the covenant – this is how you are to live as God’s holy people.

Great. But why? Why can they see God and not die? Why can Moses go and talk to God and not die? It’s not because he is righteous in himself. I mean, he was a murderer for goodness sake! So it can’t be his own righteousness.
And the elders and Aaron. In chapter 32 they show themselves to be completely unrighteous when they make a Golden calf to worship. So why can they see God and not be destroyed?

And why so much blood? And why does the blood work – I mean how can an ox take the place of a man?

We need to be asking these sorts of questions when we read the Bible.
For we are not worthy to see God. The people are afraid, at a distance, because of God’s holiness. They can only come near at his invitation. Without his invitation, they will die. It is like light and darkness – you turn on the light and the darkness is destroyed! It’s the way things are. God is a holy God and we are unholy. To meet him is to die – unless He makes us holy. So the blood. But how can ox blood make people holy?

Remember that the Old Testament speaks about Jesus. He’s the key to understanding. God’s mercy, God accepting sinners, and the blood sacrifices are all clues for us to see Christ.

God can forgive sinners because of Jesus’ death. All the sins of God’s people were poured out on Jesus on the Cross, including Moses and Aaron and the Israelites. They didn’t know how it worked – we do! They just had to trust God’s word that somehow the blood of the animal would be enough.

We trust God’s word that all who put their faith in Jesus will be saved. Our altar is the Cross. Our blood sacrifice is Jesus. He is our substitute, the one who dies in our place. And we are covered by his blood. This is what we remember in communion. This is what Jesus means when he says in John 6:53 “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.”
Just as they ate the sacrificial offerings and had the blood splattered on them – ew – so we too eat and drink in memory of what Jesus has done for us. We remind ourselves that we are unholy sinners. We cannot approach the holy God without dying. And then – o glorious truth – our death he has died, his life we have received – and so we remember his body and blood as we at the bread and drink the juice. We remember who we are.

And that means we have direct access to the Father. As Father. That was unthinkable for the Israelites. Even Moses did not experience what we experience now. They saw the Lord as King. They ate with him. Moses spoke with him in the glory cloud. But everything said “Danger! Danger!” v11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them.
V17 To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.

But we! We have access to the very throne room of heaven, not because the king extends his sceptre of mercy, but because he is our Dad! We run in to him and babble to him our prayers, and snuggle up to him, and say “Dad can you help me with this” and “Sorry Dad I was so rude” and all the other things children do. That is what Jesus did for us. We call him Abba, father. We have the same status as Jesus.

It is a swap. He took our status upon himself, and gave us his. 1 Jn 3:1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!
I like the King James version here: 1 Jn 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!

More than Moses even experienced. That’s what you and I have! Do you see how what we have in Christ fulfils and goes beyond anything we read about in the Old Testament? It is so familiar we don’t see it. But wow! Thank you Lord God, thank you Jesus for what you have done. Thank you Father that we can call you Father! Praise God! Praise you Holy Name! Praise you for your mercy! Amen!

God has mercy on his people, so draw near to Him

3. God is with his people, see Him

25:8 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them.
22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel

Wow. Again, we miss the significance of this. We are so used to God being with us that we forget what a privilege it is. That God, the Holy God, should live with his people. That’s crazy! Who are we?

Think about them then. You pitched your tent. That’s my tent. And that’s God’s tent. Over there. He is with us. What a symbol! God with his people. And you could go to his tent, and meet with him. Admittedly through a lot of sacrifices and blood spattering and the priests doing their thing – but you could meet with GOD!

That’s how amazing the Tabernacle is. And later the Temple – which was a Tabernacle made of bricks. That was a place where God and man could meet.

But we have something so much better. Because Christ is the fulfilment of the Tabernacle. He is the perfect meeting place between God and man. He is the blood sacrifice which opens the way. He is the great high priest who mediates between us and God. He is even the Word of God, a better Moses who doesn’t just bring us the law but fulfils the law. He is the law. Love personified. So we follow him, his way of love, not the letter of the law.

He is now our Tabernacle. Imagine if we had to go to a special place to talk to God. Travel to Mecca to touch a rock? To Jerusalem to wail at a wall. As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well: John 4:23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
In Christ we meet God. Only in Christ. There are no holy places!

But be more amazed. Because not only is Jesus the Tabernacle/Temple, but then he declares us his Temple, and comes to live within us. Eph 2:20–21 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. When we come to church we don’t come to a holy building, but we see holy people. We are the Temple of God. Made holy by his mercy.

God will defend his people, so trust Him
God has mercy on his people, so draw near to Him
God is with his people, see Him

What does that mean then. How should this affect us? Let’s spend a few moments applying this passage.

Because I don’t know what you’re struggling with. But dear friends, God is with us! So whatever it is do what is right and trust the Lord.

Maybe it’s relationship issues?
You’re single and tempted to date a non-Christian. Trust the Lord. He’ll look after you. Don’t take shortcuts!
Maybe you’re married and struggling - starting to look away. Don’t! Love the one you’re with. Get your strength from God and decide to love them.
Maybe you seek refuge in porn because its easier than fixing your relationship (or starting one!). Flee from sexual sin. Trust that the Lord’s way is best.
Or maybe you run to a fantasy world of your perfect wife or husband. Don’t. Live the life you’ve been given. Trust the Lord.

If you need help - get help! Sin withers and dies when exposed. It’s the only way to kill sin. Sin hidden GROWS. We’re all here for you. Christian keeps me accountable. And Debby. I know I can speak to them about my sin and not be judged, not be crushed, but helped. Who can you speak to?
And remember that if someone confesses their sin to you – forgiveness and mercy. They already know its wrong! That’s why they’re confessing. We all need help, not judgement. For none of us are perfect.

Maybe your struggle is with money. You may be tempted not to give because “we don’t have enough”. Obey the Lord and trust him for the result.
You may want to lie or cheat to get yourself out of a situation. Tell the truth and trust the Lord.
You may be greedy! Spend less. And be happy. Things own us. They don’t provide happiness! See the glory of the Lord. The shiny things fade compared to his beauty!

Or ill health. Hard to trust the Lord when your body is failing. But look to him for strength. Ask him to show you how you can glorify him in your weakness.

Or time. Time for Bible study or church. It’s so easy to go naa. Trust the Lord. I have never regretted making church a priority. Since 1995 I have gone to church nearly every Sunday. It has kept me alive, growing. Do what is right, and trust the Lord!

Draw courage from the Israelites. They were small and weak. And they had to walk in faith through the desert and fight massive armies. And God was with them.
We walk in faith through life, and fight our own battles. But the Lord is with us. He is already victorious. So let’s live out the gospel and share it with people, so more can be saved and bring glory to God. Let this church be filled more and more with the praises of those who were lost but now am found. (Uncover)

Romans 12. Live together in love.

Romans 12.

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What can you offer God? What can you give him to get right with him?

If you’re thinking “well, I can give him myself as a living sacrifice” you are – WRONG!

Wrong – but it says so right there. There in the passage.

No. What does it say?

Ro 12 And so (therefore), dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God – why? because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.

ESV I appeal to you therefore by the mercies of God, to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice.

The Bible clearly tells us that there is nothing we can do to get right with God. Nothing. We are dead in our sins. We are in Adam, we rebel against God, choose our own way. And nothing we do can make us right. Rom 3:10 there is no-one righteous. Therefore the gospel is not “this is what you can do to get right with God” – that is the way of every other religion! The gospel is GOOD NEWS. It is bad news if this chapter was what we had to do to get right with God! We’d be in big trouble. No it’s not the bad news, it is good news. In light of God’s mercy – as v1 because of all he has done for you.

The gospel is that when we were in rebellion, when we were dead, when we rejected God – God came for us. Why us? We don’t know. There was certainly nothing special about us. But it is because of God’s great mercy. Because he is full of love he decided to take rebels, sinners, and make them – you and I (if we are in Christ) – make us trophies of grace.

We do not sacrifice to get mercy. We have mercy, therefore we offer sacrifice. And it has always been this way. It was the same with Israel. They were God’s people, chosen by God. Therefore they offered sacrifices – praise offerings, thank offerings, and sin offerings. Now, because of Jesus, we no longer offer sin offerings. Our sin offering was given and accepted once and for all when Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. But we do still offer praise and thank offerings. And we do that by living! Being living sacrifices, living for the glory of God.

My Dad for years hated v1. “I don’t want to be a sacrifice”. Sacrifice has to do with altars and blood and flesh and flies and death. I don’t want that. Then one day as he was reading he suddenly noticed a word he’d never noticed before: living! A LIVING sacrifice. Our sacrifice is to LIVE fully for God. We are called to LIVE for God. To be truly alive. To be what we were born to be.
We were created to reflect God’s glory, his beauty, his love, his power, his love. And in Christ that is what we are called to. We have been remade, renewed, restored, from the inside out. We have the Holy Spirit of God within us. Now, in light of God’s mercies, because of all he has done for you, people chosen, loved, and kept by God: LIVE!

You see, it is one of the great truths of Christianity that death brings life. Christ died that he might win life for all, and proved it by rising form the dead. And for us death brings life. As we die to self we find we live. As we obey we find blessing and truth. As we do what seems unwise we find wisdom.

Ro 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

It is very important for us to remember that as we start looking at how we are to live that we remember what has come before. Otherwise we might think that all this is how we impress God so that he will like us and let us in to heaven. No! In light of God’s mercies. We have been forgiven, we have everything!

Now some might argue “but where’s the motivation then? If God has given me everything, if I know I’m saved, if I know I’m going to heaven. Why do anything? Why sacrifice? It takes away the motivation.”

Well, let me tell you about two teachers I had at school. One was called Mr Shone, who I had in the 6^th grade. And one was Mr Liddle, my 7^th grade teacher. Mr Shone was a cruel man. He was petty and vindictive and took particular pleasure in making certain pupils miserable and breaking them down. We were all afraid of him. When he was in the class, everyone obeyed! In fear of what he would do. But when his back was turned…. We hated him. We called him names. We stuck our tongue out at him. Our motivation to obedience only lasted as long as his eyes were on us.
Mr Liddle was the opposite. He loved us and cared about us. Those who had been crushed by Mr Shone Mr Liddle built up again over the year. You know we loved to obey Mr Liddle – even when he wasn’t in the room. We loved him because he loved us. Love is more powerful than fear as a motivation.

What view do you have of God? Do you see a stern taskmaster who demands the impossible. And you’ve got to somehow impress him? If that is the way you think of God, that is the God you will meet. But in the gospel we meet a God who demands the impossible – and then says what is impossible with man, is possible with God, and GIVES us his righteousness, purchased through laying aside his majesty, becoming one of us, suffering with us, dying for us, and then rising to new life. That is the God we serve. A God of such love. If we have met him, if we know him and are known by him, that is motivation enough to live for his glory.

You know, I don’t have to force myself to be married to my wife. I don’t think “oh no, I’m bound by this horrible contract”. It is a JOY to be with her. I know her and she knows me and so I want to please her, to bring her glory and joy.

So that’s what this passage is about. It’s about knowing God so that we can know what pleases him. Just like I know my wife and study her so that I can know what pleases her, we study the Lord to know what pleases him and what brings him joy. Let us delight our Father’s heart in the way that we live.
And, of course, living that way brings us great joy too, because it is the way we were made to live. And our motivation is love. We are loved by God. Rom 8:39 nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That is what we need to keep in mind as we look at tonight’s passage, and indeed chapters 12-16.

So that was the first point: In light of God’s mercy, live. Be a living sacrifice because he loves you.

The second point is this: To be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

And the third is: A living sacrifice lives a life of sacrificial God-glorifying love

1. Live 2. together 3. in love.

So, how do we live as living sacrifices for God? How do we give glory to God in everything we do? How do we reflect his beauty and love and glory and joy in our lives?

Well, it starts here – in our minds.

2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

ESV Do not conform to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.

Our minds need to be changed. We need to think God’s thoughts so that we can do what God wants.

And how do we do that? Need to know Him. Need his word. The Bible.

Now v1 and 2 I’ve known very well. Read it lots of times. But I haven’t really paid so much attention to the context. I know. So in preparing this I was amazed to see something that I’ve never seen before. The Holy Spirit through Paul after telling us that our minds need to be renewed – what does he immediately talk about? The church! The church is where we go to renew our minds.

3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

I found that fascinating. Because I’m such an individualistic Westerner I think “renew my mind, yes, I’ll lock myself away in my room and read the word.” If I know the Bible. Or if I’m a bit more “spiritual” I might say “I’ll go and seek God and wait for him to speak to me”. Or religious “I’ll go to a monastery”. But it’s all me on my own.
But our brothers and sisters from Africa and the East will be laughing at us now going “duh, no we do this as a COMMUNITY: the church”. We do it together! In the church most importantly we hear God’s word - but we also see it lived out. That’s why we have a body, not just a mouth! 6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. We need each other.

It’s like the Law. I’ve been reading the Pentateuch recently (the first five books of the Bible). And there’s a lot of law. Do this do that. And it’s not arranged logically. It’s all mixed up together. Stuff you had to do in everyday life with stuff the priests had to do with rules for the government. All mixed up. It’s impossible to remember. But not if you see it lived out. You’d watch your parents and go “oh that’s how it’s done”. Watch your neighbours. Oh yes, I’m supposed to do that. See the priests doing their duties “Oh that’s what it means”. The Law of God, his word, was lived out, on display, every day.

Likewise in the church. I have learnt so much by watching how my brothers and sister in Christ do things. I remember staying for a few weeks with our friends Paul and Penny Dawson and their five kids. I learned so much about Christian living just watching how they did things. How they balanced ministry and family demands, what they prioritised as important, how they spoke to their kids, how they taught them the Bible at their different ages. Wisdom on display.

Debby and I were both privileged to grow up in Christian families and we have gained much practical wisdom in how to live as a Christian. I know many of you did not – but that’s why we have the church! So watch godly people and see what they do. Ask. A number of people in this church will phone me up and say “I have an ethical dilemma, what should I do”. That’s brilliant. That’s Christian living.

And note that no-one has all the gifts. We need each other. Some teach, some prophecy (that is apply the Bible to everyday life), some exhort, some lead, some are generous, some kind, and so on. We are a team together, helping each other.

I want you to notice something. It is not just that God saves us. But he also gives us gifts and he decides the level of faith we have! 3 Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.
God is not only sovereign over our salvation, but also our sanctification (being holy). So see yourself as you are by how much faith you’ve been given. And if you want more – ask.
Because it is God who even gives us our faith, we cannot be proud. But humble. And as for us leaders – we have been given much, so much is asked. Not pride but humility and responsibility.

Some of you are highly gifted. And we will develop those gifts. How? In submission to Gods word. The more gifted you are the more essential it is that you know the Bible! A prophet needs to know Gods word. A leader needs to know Gods word. That’s why the leaders of the church are elder because an elder is one who teaches the word. We all need each other. The church needs you! Because we are called to be a living sacrifice. And to be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

So then, third point, A living sacrifice lives a live of sacrificial God-glorifying love. As a church, how do we live in a way that glorifies God. How do we live together in love?

Well, the rest of the chapter! There’s a lot here, so I’m just going to read it, make a few comments, and leave it up to each of us before God to repent! Different things will challenge us!

So, brothers and sisters, in light of Gods mercy, because we are forgiven, because we are chosen by God, because nothing can separate us from his love, because we have heaven as our inheritance and because the Spirit of God lives in us – this then is how we are to live, reflecting God’s glory:

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring each other.

See, if we see ourselves as we really are, by the FAITH God has GIVEN us, then we will be humble, delighting in others. Let us be quick to praise each other, to honour each other, to thank each other, to admire. When you think about the church, do you think “wow” or do you think “uh, why isn’t that done, why didn’t they do this”. Complaining comes so easy, complimenting so hard. Let’s delight in honouring each other.

11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Like Christian and Johanna, and my parents. But not just church events. Invite people home from church. Invite non-Christians. Open you home. People SEE Jesus in your home life. Don’t underestimate the work of the Spirit in and through you. Many things we take for granted just the way we do things, for others is ground-breaking.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Christian spoke two weeks ago on forgiveness from Philemon. Have you forgiven?
We sin against the Lord and deeply hurt him and others – yet we are forgiven. Therefore can we not forgive others who have hurt us?
This is not easy, and some of you may need help because of deep hurts. But we’ll do it together. Let’s take the ice that is in our hearts and melt it together in the furnace of God’s love.

15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. Odd translation! It’s “don’t be too proud to associate with those you think are beneath you”. I want this church to be full of “losers” outcasts, the “rubbish” of society. Because God is very good at taking those who are least and making them glorious. Let’s see what God can do! Because that’s the heart of Jesus. He was always hanging around with the lowly, the “sinners”.

And don’t think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. (oh how easily that comes to us. Revenge! No. Let GOD handle things). Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honourable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” 21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Isn’t that the very heart of God? We who are evil have been conquered by good. So let’s do the same thing! Never forget that we were enemies of God. And He has transformed us. He can do the same with that person who makes our life miserable, with that bully, with that pervert, that threat, that grumpy neighbour.
Never forget that we are sinners. But by the grace of God that is us. Perhaps if we’d grown up like them we’d be the same. Maybe all they’ve ever experienced is hatred, attacks, maybe that’s why they’re so hard and messed up. So ask the Lord for his strength, ask Him for His love, His compassion, see them through His eyes, and treat them how Christ has treated you. And see what God will do. Conquer evil with good. And if they are mean and horrible and unchanged – well, leave them in the Lord’s hands. He will pay them back much more than you can with your petty revenge. Leave it to Him.

Right. Wow. Well, aren’t we glad and overjoyed that this isn’t a list of rules to keep in order to be right with God! Praise the Lord that it is because we have been forgiven, renewed, transformed, we are called to live like Christ.
So let’s do it. Together. Let’s encourage each other. Let’s watch each other to see how to live. As they are following God, let us follow. And let’s encourage each other, pick each other up when we fall, carry each others burdens, help each other, push each other, work together until that great day when we see our saviour face to face.

1. In light of God’s mercy, live. Be a living sacrifice because he loves you.

2. To be a living sacrifice you need a renewed mind – and our mind is renewed through the church.

3. A living sacrifice lives a life of sacrificial God-glorifying love

1. Live 2. together 3. in love.

Romans 7:1-8:1 We are free!

Read: Romans 7:1-8:1

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Ro 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Free. No condemnation!

Do you feel like that?

Or do you feel like a failure? Like a fraud? Last week’s message from chapter 6 that sin no longer has power over us and that we live to serve Jesus as his slaves…. but I don’t feel like that! I struggle with sin. We know in our minds what we want to do - but we face a war within ourselves. I want to do good – but I do evil instead. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Isn’t that how we feel sometimes? Such a failure as a Christian. We don’t feel like we’re set free from sin. We don’t feel like slaves of God, but slaves of sin!

Today we’re hammered with the truth that the answer is NOT to try harder, or to find the hero within ourselves, or to abandon Christianity because “it’s just too hard”. The answer is in v25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Ro 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

How does that follow? How can I be a slave to sin in my sinful nature and yet not be condemned?

And what’s this stuff about the mind? How can I want to obey God’s law in my mind, but still sin?

Well if you know Romans, you know that chapters 1-11 is the “mind” part of the letter. This is the stuff we need to KNOW before we can obey. We need to THINK right before we can ACT right. It’s all about how we are to think. This is the battle-ground up here. We must understand who we are in Christ. This is our identity.

It’s no surprise then that when we come to chapter 12 it begins: Ro 12 And so, … I plead with you to give your bodies to God [as] a living and holy sacrifice…2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

How should we then think of ourselves? Not under law! But how can we defeat sin without the law? We defeat it with grace.

1. Grace is more powerful than law

2. We fight sin with grace, not with law

3. Grace frees us from a life dominated by sin and death, which law cannot do.

1. Grace is more powerful than law

6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit

There are only two ways to live: by effort, or by grace. We are all judged by works – it just depends on whose works. Our own works – which reveal our sin and lead to eternal death. Or Jesus’ works, which are perfectly righteous and lead to eternal life. Do we trust in ourselves, or trust in him? The law or the Spirit?

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ.

The law has no power over the one who is dead. We died with Christ. Just like if your spouse dies, you are free to remarry – the law of marriage no longer applies. Death breaks the power of the law. So if we have died in Christ, the law no longer applies to us. 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Because the law brings condemnation. The law like a spotlight reveals our sin and condemns us, rightly. But in Christ we have died to the law. It can no longer condemn us!

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Interesting. The fruit of a life lived by the law is condemnation. The fruit of the free gift of grace through faith produces good deeds. So if you want to do good deeds – remember who you are. Don’t strive. Don’t beat yourself up with the law. Remember who you. Dead to sin, alive to Christ. Mitt kjøtt er dødt!

And why doesn’t the law work? Because v5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death.

6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

We are free! Not only have we died to sin, but we are alive in the Spirit. We are not just saved FROM our sin, but also saved FOR God. And he breathes new life into us. We have his Spirit.

And that’s why it feels like there’s a battle-ground in us. Because have our old sinful nature still clinging on. No it’s my effort. And we have the new Spirit-filled nature, saying it’s all Jesus. And that creates conflict within us.

Imagine you were there when Jesus was being crucified. You see him beaten and bloodied. You hear his amazing words “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing”. You see him cry out – and just before he’s about to breathe his last breath, his great work accomplished – you shout “wait!”. Jesus breathes in – surprise on his face. “Wait, wait, wait, I just need to add my bit in to this”. Jesus, his arms outstretched, nails in his hands, the mission complete, a life lived in perfect obedience to the Father, and now giving his life in perfect love, bearing all our sins in his own body, just looks at you with bemusement. As you rush forward, pulling out your wallet. Look! The stuff I gave to TV aksjon! And that time I helped my friend! And here’s my church attendance.

Foolish isn’t it? “My child, none of that is necessary. My work is sufficient.” Jesus says. And then cries out “Father into your hands I commit my spirit” and dies in the darkness of the noonday sky as the earth shakes and rocks split open and the Roman centurion says “Surely this man was the son of God”.

Jesus’ work is sufficient. Why do we think we can add anything to it?

Grace is more powerful than law. And he proved it by bursting forth from the grave a few days later. Who of us can do that? Stop trusting in yourself. Trust in Jesus! Be free! Grace is more powerful than law.

2. We fight sin with grace, not with law

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin

What is the problem with the law? Me! I’m the problem with the law. The law is good. It is God’s good law. It came from his mouth. It is perfect. But as a way of salvation it is severely flawed. In fact, as Christian pointed out last week, the law itself recognises that it is flawed, because it has the sacrificial system built in to it for all the times you fail to keep it! “Here’s the law, guys, but you won’t be able to keep it, so here’s the way to be forgiven when you don’t keep it.”

The law was never the way to be saved. We are saved by grace. Abraham was saved by grace. David was saved by grace. There is no other way to be saved.

The law is an expression of God’s character. It is good and holy and pure – but as a way to be saved or a guide to holy living, it is horrible, and drives us to despair. There is no way you can live up to the standard of the law. As Christians, we do not look to the law to live the Christian life. Not if you take it seriously. For the summary of the law is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul” Who of us does that? Could possibly do that? Never mind the second part which is easier “love your neighbour as yourself”. We just don’t love our neighbour and that reveals that we don’t love God.

The law is remote and unyielding. It is perfect perfection, as hard as diamond, and it will break us. Its holiness, its perfection, is death to us.

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”

God’s law reveals my sin. Like a spotlight. The rational thing to do would be to repent! But then my sinful nature kicks in. 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power.

This past summer the kids and I were at a wildlife park, and there was this magnificent stuffed rhino on display. The real rhino were just over the fence – we could see them – but this one you could get close enough to touch. To feel the rough skin of the rhino. To feel as if you were right there.
But there was a sign on it. The sign said “do not touch”. Do you know, the sign did not make us want to touch the rhino less! In fact, it made us want to touch the rhino more. It was forbidden.

We touched it.

And that’s what we’re like with God’s law. God says “don’t do that”. And immediately we want to do it. Because if I’m pretending to be God in my life, I’ve got to show who’s the real boss.

Touching a stuffed rhino has little consequence apart from a few tut-tuts – but breaking God’s law kills us.

9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died.

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.

Brothers, let’s not fool ourselves. We cannot fight sin with the law. The law just makes things worse. We try to beat ourselves over the head with it – stop sinning, it’s wrong.
It doesn’t work. “Be better!” has never achieved anything. The law is powerless to change us. Only God’s grace can change us, because grace comes with the Spirit of God.

Let’s not say “be better” but “help me”. See, law-based religion is me-focussed. It’s my efforts that will help me. However much I talk about God, it’s actually me and my strength and my discipline which will help me succeed. Oh, God might help me, but it’s God helping ME. I’m in the arena, and he’s cheering me on. That will lead to frustration and death.

Grace is about recognising my helplessness. It’s not looking to me but to Jesus. He is in the arena fighting the battle I cannot win and I am cheering Him on. Yes Jesus, thank you, Jesus! He’s the focus, not me. And there is tremendous freedom in that. I am a slave to sin says v14. Do you believe that? Or do you still think with a bit of focus and discipline you can win? Is your trust in you or is it in Him?

We fight sin with grace, not with law.

3. Grace frees us from a life dominated by sin and death

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

It’s all about Jesus. Whatever our problem, it is sin that lies at the root. And the ONLY solution to sin is JESUS. Every other solution is trying to fight sin with.. more sin. Even God’s perfect law, something from heaven, from the mouth of the living God, cannot solve our problem. Why do we look to our wife or husband or politicians, or therapists, or discipline or techniques? Sin has ruined them all.

There is only one solution: Jesus Christ our Lord. Jesus, the man from Nazareth, born of a virgin called Mary. Jesus was born a human being in order to save us human beings from our sin. It is massive. Why do we think that “trying a bit harder” will succeed if God thinks that the only thing that will work is if he steps out of heaven and becomes one of us. Duh! What a miracle Christmas is.

Jesus the Man, became Christ: the rescuer, saviour, promised in the Scriptures. And showed that he is the Lord, the Living God, in his words, miracles, compassion, and his resurrection. Jesus Christ our Lord. Do you ever stop and just marvel at him. At his magnificence? At the beauty and wonder of the gospel. At the glory of Christmas? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

I keep sinning. Why? I know it’s sin – I agree with the law! 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

There are two of me inside. When you become a Christian, you enter a battleground. A battle in your mind. Two natures, fighting for control. Thanks be to God, the Spirit will win on the Last Day – but until then we are locked in a desperate battle against ourselves.

22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Not me! Not my wife. Not the therapist. Not the politicians. Not even the Christian preacher peddling gospel-lite pop psychology. Only Jesus has the power to defeat sin. Only he can change us from the inside out. Don’t forget that. One of the main weapons our old nature uses is deception – lies – by convincing us to rely on ourselves to solve the problem, rather than the freedom of relying on God. the law does not work and really can never work. We need to kill any idea in us that obeying a certain set of rules, being a certain way, going to certain meetings or avoiding certain foods or certain entertainment will make us right with God. We need to kill that idea. What will make us right with God is Christ. And nothing else. We cannot add anything to the work of Christ.

I experienced this recently. I was getting stressed, anxious. My joy went. I wasn’t excited about the next day – even when the next day was getting stuck in to the Word to prepare a sermon. Oh dear. Why? Because I’d forgotten who’s church this was. I’d forgotten who was responsible for all of you, and all those on the outside, and the churches in Oslo and Vestfold, and the state of the gospel in Norway and the church building and it wasn’t me! It’s Jesus. Fool I was. It took my wife and Petter to remind me that I am not the infinite Creator and Sustainer of all things. And when I let go of that burden which was not mine to bear – oh the lightness of being and the JOY that came back. Praise God.

In Christ we are free.

8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

We cannot add anything to the work of Jesus achieved on the Cross. So how do we apply this? Brothers and sisters, one thing we cannot do is go out of here relying on ourselves to live the Christian life. We are not the answer to our problems. We must humble ourselves and turn to Jesus. Jesus is not our life coach, helping us along – we fall at his feet as he lifts us up and turns us in to a beautiful shining example of his grace at work.

How does this work in practice? To fight sin with grace, rather than law, and embrace the freedom we have been given in Christ? Here’s an example: relationships problems! Those we love the most are often those we struggle most with as well. Why? Because you’re putting sinners together. Whether it’s your wife or your work colleague you’ve got two sinners put together and that creates issues. But this is the key: All relationship problems – ALL – are rooted in sin. Either yours or the other persons (or more likely, both!). The root cause is sin. Selfishness.
And who can fix sin? Not me, not you, but Jesus. Relationships are fixed vertically before they’re fixed horizontally. Remember the triangle – particularly if you’re married. You (L). Your spouse (R). God (Top). The closer you are to God, the closer you are to each other. How is it possible to love another person? Don’t rely on yourself – draw close to God, and He will show you how to love her. Draw close to God, and He will give you the power you need to love her with a fierce undying love. Draw close to God and things will fall into their right place. That’s why we’re gathered here tonight. Draw near to God in wonder and thankfulness and humility.

When we sin, we are reminded that we are weak and need grace. Don’t beat yourself up, but turn to him who arms full of grace died for you on the cross and then rose to life to give you his life-giving Spirit. There is not condemnation but power in humbling ourselves before Jesus. Power no law, no effort, no beating ourselves up can match. Because he lifts us up so that the glory goes to him and we stand in awe of what he has done in our lives. He is the hero in our story. Let’s live like it. Hooray for Jesus. Amen.

Romans 4. Jesus was always Plan A

Romans 4:1-25

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A few weeks ago when Christian started us off in Romans he told us a story from when he was a young Christian. He said that he didn’t understand how God’s salvation plan worked – that it seemed like a lot of trial and error. He thought that God first tried Adam and Eve with just ONE RULE but then they messed that up, so then he tried a WHOLE NATION with MANY RULES, but that didn’t work – so finally he tried Jesus and oh my goodness that worked! Hooray.
And Christian’s not the only one who thought this. There are many today who believe in dispensationalism – that God had a number of salvation plan attempts. And many believe therefore, wrongly, that there are a number of ways to come to God!
But as Christian grew in his faith and read the Bible – like today’s passage - he realised, hang on a minute, that’s totally NOT how things worked. There wasn’t plan A, B and C – JESUS was plan A all along. Jesus has always been the plan. Jesus was always God’s plan to save the world.

Even way back in Genesis 3:15 we read “And I will cause hostility between you [Satan, the snake] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Right at the start God promises a rescuer will come – a human being, born of a woman, who will strike the head of the devil. (This verse by the way is called the “protoevangelion”: the seed of the gospel) The rest of the Bible is really a search for this serpent-crusher, the one who can defeat evil – but at great cost to himself, for he will also be struck.
The whole way through the Bible it points to Jesus who fulfils all things. Jesus is the serpent-crusher of Genesis 3:15 who defeated Satan. Jesus is the Noah’s Ark of rescue, saving everyone who trusts in him from the coming judgement. He is the seed of Abraham who blesses the whole world. He is the prophet like Moses who leads the whole world from slavery to sin and to the promised land of the new creation. He is the fulfilment of the Law, the perfect Sacrifice, our great High Priest. And Jesus is the King in David’s line, who was promised that an everlasting King would come from him who will rule in peace and prosperity forever.

The whole Bible points to Jesus, rests on Jesus. He is the foundation, the theme, the one great subject of all of the Bible. Amen!

(By the way, that means that if you don’t understand how a certain part of the Bible relates to Jesus, you haven’t understood that part! The Bible is like a diamond, and Jesus is at its centre. There are a thousand beautiful ways to see him from multiple different angles as we read the Word.)

And this is the theme in today’s passage. The Jews had fallen into the trap of thinking that they were loved by God because of who they were: because they were “good” people – better than those “out there”. (How often do we fall into the same trap?)
No, says the Holy Spirit through Paul. It is not by works but by faith, and has always been by faith. And here’s Abraham, your forefather, to teach you!

Ro 3:20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Three points tonight and in honour of 500 years since the Reformation two weeks ago, I’ve pulled in a few of the Reformation rally cries to help us. Excuse the Latin!

1. Sola fide (by faith alone) – we are saved through faith in Christ, not through works (which is faith in ourselves)

2. Sola fide, Solus Christus (by faith alone in Christ alone) - there is no other way to be saved except through faith in Christ

3. Sola Gratia (by grace alone) - our faith is based solely on the grace of God, not on ourselves. We are counted righteous.

1. Sola fide (by faith alone) – we are saved through faith in Christ, not through works (which is faith in ourselves)

2 If [Abraham’s] good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”

Abraham had nothing to boast about, nothing he could go to God with and say “you owe me”. This was the absolute opposite to how Judaism viewed Abraham at that time (and still today). They view him as a great pioneer of ‘torah piety’, a man who pleased God above all by his obedience to the law. And many church groups and cults do the same thing. Because what we WANT in our heart of hearts is for it to be possible to earn our salvation and not be by grace. Why?

Because if it’s by grace alone then we have no control, no influence, no way to pretend to be God! The heart of sin is that I want to be God in my life. I want to answer to no-one but myself. I want to have faith in myself, my own efforts, rather than trust in (have faith in) God.

Because if I can jump through enough “good person” hoops, then God will owe me. God will be in my debt! I have something over God!
But if it’s by grace alone… then I am in His debt, He is God and I am not, and I must just submit to His will. Ooh. It’s hard.

4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

If we could work for our salvation then we could earn it. But we can’t. The Scriptures don’t say “Abraham earned his salvation and so was righteous” but they say “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous”.

Righteousness is given, not earned. It cannot be earned. It was never earned. Abraham, the “great man of faith”, the forefather of the Jews – he did not earn his righteousness, but it was given to him. And King David, Israel’s greatest king – he also did not earn his righteousness, but it was given.

6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin.”

We are saved, declared righteous, worthy of standing before God - only through faith in Christ, not through works, which is faith in ourselves.

How can we apply this?

Well, if we understand that the heart of sin is “I want to be God” and I want to earn my salvation and declare MYSELF righteous, we can understand the world a lot better.

For example, this gets to the heart of the transgender debates. Because they’re really about who will be God. I am God and I will determine my reality. My sex will change to conform with my perception of reality.
That’s why seemingly intelligent people are jumping on this bandwagon. Because it’s a great way to declare that we are independent of God. He cannot determine our sexual reality. I will. So I will support your campaign to determine your own gender because I support above all your right to determine your own reality, your right to be God.

Because if I say you can’t – well, then I’m admitting that there are boundaries to what we can do, that it may not be possible for us to determine our reality and that it may be that we are not God.
It is sin, the desire to be God, which lies at the heart of all this transgender foolishness.

So let us have grace, and present the gospel, because Jesus is the only solution to sin. Angry posts on Facebook and ugly protests are not going to save anyone or win anything, but push people away from Jesus. When we understand that sin is the underlying issue, the real problem, then we can have compassion, and come with grace and open arms – because that’s how Jesus accepts us.

You can certainly think of many other applications in the world today! And closer to home. Why is there conflict amongst us, in our homes. Is it not because I’m pretending to be God, and you’re pretending to be God, so when we meet – who’s going to be God? Fight!

Jesus is the solution. When I understand that I am a sinner who has been GIVEN righteousness and therefore I have nothing to boast about - not even ABRAHAM could boast… then I can meet others more and more with Christ’s love and Christ’s forgiveness.

Sola fide (by faith alone) – we are saved through faith in Christ, not through works (which is faith in ourselves).

2. Sola fide, Solus Christus (by faith alone in Christ alone) - there is no other way to be saved except through faith in Christ

11 Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. 12 And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised. 13 Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.

Circumcision was the mark of being a Jew. If you were a Jew you were circumcised to show that you belonged to God. A bit like being baptised into the church. But just like baptism, people began to mistake the outward sign of God’s grace as the thing that really mattered. They thought that having the mark was what was important, not the actual reality of God’s grace behind it. I’m circumcised, I can do what I want. I’m baptised, I’m safe now, I don’t have to bother with this Jesus fellow any more.

That’s like me saying “have you met my wife” and then pulling out a picture of Debby. And then talking to the picture and kissing the picture and sleeping with the picture – and never saying a word to Debby! That’s replacing the reality with the symbol.

Because circumcision was just a sign, nothing more. Circumcision without faith in Jesus is useless, just as baptism without faith in Jesus is useless.

And the Holy Spirit shows us this by pointing out that Abraham received God’s promises BEFORE he was circumcised. Circumcision was a sign of the grace he had been given.

In Genesis 12 God calls Abraham and promises to be with him and bless the world through him. In Genesis 15 he reconfirms his promise to Abraham (after Abraham had sinned) and that’s where he says in 15:6 And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith. In Genesis 18, 29 years later, Abraham is circumcised. He is declared righteous, and then receives the sign.

Therefore we who are Christians, if we have faith like Abraham in the promises of God – he is our spiritual father, whether we are Jewish or not. Whether Jew or Gentile, we who trust in Jesus are the sons and daughters of Abraham, the people of God.
But if you’re Jew but don’t believe in Jesus – well then your sign of circumcision is worthless and condemns you.

In the same way, baptism, taking communion, even serving in the church – is all worthless without faith in Jesus. If you are doing things to impress God, to get God in your debt, you are lost. Repent quickly and receive God’s grace!

We are baptised because we believe in God’s word that we who believe in Jesus are 1. justified (declared righteous); 2. redeemed (set free from sin); 3. and propitiated (the wrath of God is satisfied). That’s what we learned last week: the court, slave market, and sacrifice. The judge has declared us righteous in Christ. In Christ we are no longer slaves of sin but now set free to serve God. And the wrath of God like a blazing fire was taken by Jesus, and satisfied in his death on the cross. Hallelujah!

Therefore we as Christians serve with joy! We are declared righteous and so we want to live like it!

To give a personal example of this. A few people have remarked on how Debby and I can just keep on serving. And serving. And serving. Year in year out. And this is the secret – what we’re learning in this passage. Because it’s not about our efforts, what I can do, but what Jesus has done. We are saved through Christ alone. Our eyes are on him, not ourselves, and so we are filled with His strength.
Our friends who are Jehovah’s Witnesses are confused. They can’t understand how we can work and work and work and still be happy and full of energy. Because they cannot keep up with us! As Jesus say “Our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees”. And I’ve seen the same amongst many of you as well. You give and give and never are exhausted. Because the love of Christ burns in you. What a witness that is to those around us. The way we love each other burns blindingly bright!

Because others serve out of self-reliance, faith in themselves. Whereas we serve out of the joy of faith in Jesus. So I’m free! I’m free to give up my career and to move to Norway. I’m free to work only part-time in order to plant a church. I’m free to serve and serve in as much energy as the Lord gives me because my worth is not attached to my output. I’m already declared righteous. I’m God’s son! So whether I’m sick for two weeks like recently, or whether I’m meeting with forty guys and preaching ten times – my standing before the Lord is unchanged.

And faith is trusting in that truth.
Sola fide, Solus Christus (by faith alone in Christ alone) - there is no other way to be saved except through faith in Christ. And that sets us truly free!

3. Sola Gratia: Our faith is based solely on the grace of God, not on ourselves. We are counted righteous.

You may have noticed now that I'm just saying the same thing three times! That’s because this whole chapter just says one thing. We are saved by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone. But look now at what that means in practice. How God sees us.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

Now here it’s useful if you’ve read the story of Abraham. Because if you have – isn’t v20 weird? How can Abraham be described as “not wavering in his faith” and “his faith grew stronger”. Hasn’t Paul read the Old Testament? Did the Holy Spirit make a mistake?

Because when we read the story of Abraham we see someone who “wavered” many times and outright disbelieved God’s word! Abraham lied because he was afraid of Pharaoh. He didn’t trust that God would protect him even though God had promised him exactly that. Instead, he lied and put his wife at risk - in fact, she became part of Pharaoh's harem. That is, he allowed another man to abuse his wife sexually because he did not believe in the word of God. Is this the man of faith?

But it get worse. Abraham was sexually immoral, raped his servant Hagar, and then abandoned her to die in the desert!

My wife also pointed out that another sin was that he “listened to his wife”. When Sarah came up with the suggestion, “Why not be unfaithful to me and sexually abuse my servant Hagar?” he said “ok”. He was the “nice man” and said “yes dear”. Just like Adam, he did not take responsibility for saying “no” to his wife. He didn’t want to be unpopular. Anything for a quiet life…

I want to spend a bit of time on this because it’s a big issue today. Men who aren’t leading, aren’t taking responsibility, but instead are “nice”. The nice man. We are called to be much more than nice - we are called to be godly! Love demands that you take responsibility and say “no” when necessary.
Because it is tempting to be “nice”. It looks like you're a modern man who values his wife - but it's really just laziness. You just say “yes dear, whatever you want”. And then when things go wrong, you just say “It's not my fault, she said ...”.

You know, God wasn’t fooled when Adam tried that, nor when Abraham tried it, and he won’t be fooled when you do either. And neither will your wife. A friend of mine is a nice man. He bent over backwards to satisfy his wife. He’s now divorced. Because what he thought was being “nice” and even perhaps “other-person centred” she experienced it like this “He's lazy! He doesn’t care about me. He just sits on the couch and says ‘yes dear what you want’. He doesn’t love me”.

Don’t be nice. Be godly. Have faith that God's way is the best way, no matter what our culture and norms say. Who knows better? God or us?

Back to Abraham. He wasn’t godly with his wife, he was a liar, abuser, and so on... but he is described here in Romans as one who “did not waver in his faith” Why?

Because this is how God works. The point of “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” is not Abraham's faith but God’s faithfulness. Our faith is not what matters. So often we have such weak faith. We doubt. We waver. We act in disbelief and disobedience. Just like Abraham.
But because God is faithful, Abraham and you and I are counted as righteous. And so God says about us “Daniel Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.” Put your own name there into v20 and lets read it together.

Do you believe that? Because if God is for you, who can be against you (8:31)?

If you feel like you've messed up, like you've sinned, that you're not worthy of forgiveness – that’s right! Admit that now as we confess our sin together. I am a sinner. But keep listening, don’t get distracted: because after confession comes communion. When we are reminded of Jesus' masterwork on the Cross, and we are reminded that though we may be unworthy and unrighteous, he is worthy, he is righteous, and he has given us his righteousness! Abraham understood this. He believed in what God said: “You are righteous.” Let's do the same.

We are saved through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone. Glory to God in the highest! Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.

Mark 14:26-52 No guilt, no shame – Jesus has taken it!

Mark 14:26-52

Listen to MP3

Look at yourself in the mirror. And say to yourself these words: “I am strong. I am confident. I am powerful. I will overcome.”

This is the kind of pastoral advice that people like Joel Osteen are giving. It sounds good. It sounds like advice I want to hear. But is this advice that Jesus would give?

Well, based on tonight’s passage, the answer is a resounding “no!”

In fact what Jesus says is “don’t fool yourself. You are weak.”

And then he says “but do not fear, for I am strong, and my will will be done”

“I am weak. I am a sinner. But Jesus is strong. Jesus is my saviour. Jesus has overcome!”

“In Christ, I am strong. In Christ, I am confident. Christ is powerful. Christ will overcome.” Amen!

1. We are weak (27-32)

2. Jesus is strong (33-42)

3. God’s will will be done (41-52)

1. We are weak (27-32)

27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” 30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the same.

How often do we see ourselves as better than we are? Especially us guys – we always want to do it alone, in our own strength. That’s the disciples, confidently asserting that they would rather die than deny Jesus. But a few hours later 50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.

It’s brutal isn’t it, to have your weakness so cruelly exposed. We (people) want to be strong, wish we were strong – but we are weak. Often we know the right thing to do, we want to do the right thing, but we don’t do it. It’s too hard, too costly, and so we chicken out, take the easy road.

We are weak.

And Jesus knows this. And he still loves us!

Our weakness, our failure is not something we have to try to hide from him. Christianity is not about pretending you’re better than you are!

Because Jesus is strong. Although he was “deeply troubled and distressed” he still went through with his suffering and death on the cross, bearing the sins of the world – in order that he, the strong, can lift us, the weak, up.

It’s fantastic news!

And that’s why we see the disciples “warts and all” – with all their failures. I can imagine Peter sitting with Mark as he writes this book says “no Mark, you must put my failure in. I don’t care about my reputation! People must understand the gospel. Jesus came for sinners.”

I thank God for the disciples. Because they are real people like you and me. They make mistakes, they get things so wrong, they don’t understand, they are foolish, they are cowards – these are no super-spiritual giants, ticking all the right religious boxes! I mean Peter even tells Jesus off at one point, telling him he’s wrong. Oops.

And Jesus still loves them, still accepts them, still allows them to follow him – and uses them, makes them part of his great glorious work of salvation! And builds the church upon their weak and frail backs!

I heard someone tell a story about Jesus returning to Heaven after his resurrection. The angels are standing there singing praise, congratulating Jesus about his great work of salvation, his great achievement. All glory to the King!

But then one angel comes up to him and says

“uh, Jesus, I’ve got a question....”

“Yes?”

“Um, how are you, you know, going to get the message out? About what you’ve done? How are people going to hear about it”

Jesus points to the little band of weak and small disciples.

“Ah, hahaha, hmmm, yes, yes, them, yes. Do you, um, have any other plan?”

“No, no other plan.”

Don’t you love our God, who chooses the weak to shame the strong, who reveals truth to children and conceals it from the “wise”, who loves the unlovable and forgives the unforgiveable – even at the cost of his own life. Who builds his unstoppable church through people like you and me!

The God who is strong in our weakness.

“No guilt in life, no fear in death, this is the power of Christ in me. From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny.”

Did you notice v27 27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’

Jesus knew hundreds of years before that the disciples would fail him. It’s from Zechariah 13:7. The big themes in Zechariah are the LORD returning to his Temple, and blessing the whole world through “Jerusalem” – the new people of God. The last time we heard a quote from Zechariah was during the triumphal entry: Jesus, the King, riding in on a donkey. Rejoice O Zion! But now the King, the Shepherd, will be struck and the sheep scattered. This is all part of God’s to bring about his purposes: here is the King, ready to be struck, the sheep, bleating their cries of “we will not be scattered” – but He will be struck and they scattered.
He knows. He knows they will fail him. And he has already forgiven them! 28 But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

They will fall, but have no fear, for Jesus will bring them together again in Galilee, where he began his ministry, this time the risen, victorious Christ, giving them power to enable them to do the works he has given them to do: to spread the word about Jesus, his victory over sin and death, and forgiveness for all who come to him. No guilt, no shame, but forgiveness, acceptance, and a new way of living, a new purpose, a new goal: the glory of God Almighty.

What a God we serve. He knows their coming failure, yet has already forgiven them as he goes to the Cross to pay the price that forgiveness costs. Remarkable.

What is it that you feel guilty about? Have you let Jesus down? Have you some secret sin which you could never reveal to anyone, certainly not Him? Do you sit awake sometimes in the dark watches of the night, your room closing in about you, as your thoughts accuse you “guilty! Guilty! Weak! You are no Christian! How dare you call yourself a Christian! Failure!”. Are you ashamed of boldly claiming to stand for Jesus “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” – only to shrink away in denial when the time came?

Well, welcome to the human race! This is us. We are not righteous. We do not seek God.

But, thankfully he seeks us. He knows our weakness. He knows our shame. He knows our guilt. And he has covered it with his blood.

It is gone.

No guilt in life, no fear in death! This is the power of Christ in me.

I am weak – but he is strong. And in Christ, I am strong.

Confess your sins with joy, not fear, for he knows and has forgiven you!

We may not be the best Christian in the world – but we have the best Christ! Where we are weak, he is strong. So trust him. He will hang on to you. His grip will not fail. You are secure in him.

I am weak, but

2. Jesus is strong (33-42)

33 He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. 34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 35 He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. 36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

That night in the garden was the worst of Jesus’ life. Here before him lay the final choice: to go through with torture and death, and worse, face the anger, the wrath, of the Father as he carries our sins to the cross; or to turn aside, to call down myriads of angels to fight for him, to be carried up in glory to his rightful place in the throne room of heaven. What would you have chosen?

Like Jesus, deeply troubled and distressed – what would you have done?

Like Jesus, saying “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.” – so deeply full of sorrow you feel like you’re going to die, simply because of sorrow, of dread of what is to come – what would you have done?

Like Jesus, throwing yourself before God Almighty in prayer, begging him to get you out of this, open another way “Abba (Daddy), Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.” – what would you have done?

Well, we know what Jesus DID. He did not fall away. He did not yield to temptation. He did not fall asleep but prayed for strength. He did not turn back. Instead he prays the most remarkable prayer in the Bible, and the prayer that should be echoed in the heart of everyone who follows Jesus, everyone who calls themselves a Christian, in every area of our lives because we belong to him: 36 “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Not my will, but yours be done. That is the cry of a heart yielded up to God.
Jesus here is the perfect human being, willing to do whatever the Father asks in order to glorify him.
We were created to bring God glory – that is our purpose and our destiny. We were made to reflect back to God his beauty, his splendour, his majesty, crying out with every action, every thought, every prayer, every word spoken, at work, at home, in the garden, up on the mountain: you are glorious, you are holy, you are amazing. Your will be done.

We pray that in the Lord’s Prayer, don’t we? “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.” That doesn’t mean out there somewhere, distant from us – no we’re praying that his will is done in our lives, we’re praying that we would yield to his will, praying that we would not fall into temptation and follow Satan along the path of comfort and death, but Jesus along the hard path – but glorious and fulfilling and the path of life eternal.

And so often we fail. So often we do what WE will. We are weak. We are like the disciples – when they were supposed to be praying what were they doing? Sleeping!
37 Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed the same prayer as before. 40 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say.

While we are sleeping. While we are giving in to our desires, our “needs” – Jesus is praying. Jesus is doing exactly what he should be doing – even though he was totally alone. Even though he knew what was coming. His “sheep” were about to be scattered. His friends would abandon him. He was about to be arrested. “The time has come” he says.
And he was about to drink the Cup. In the Old Testament the Cup was often used as a symbol of God’s judgement on sin. For example Jer 25:15-16 This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled to the brim with my anger, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it. 16 When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them.” Similarly Jer 49, Isaiah 51, and Psalm 75:8.

Set before Jesus was that cup. A foaming cup of poisonous punishment. Anger upon anger, wrath upon wrath, poured out for the sins of the world from all of time and space all gathered into one concentrated poisonous dose. Like a witches’ brew – but a thousand, a million, a trillion times worse. We will never know what Jesus knew he was facing.

But he faced it.

Three times he prayed for steely resolve to drink this cup to its last drop. And he did not falter, did not stop. “Up”, he says, “let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here”
He did not run, did not call down legions of angels to defend him, did not use his awesome power to simply swat away the soldiers who had come to arrest him. He had prayed. He was at peace. Not my will, but yours, Father.

We may be weak, but Jesus is strong.

3. God’s will will be done (41-52)

48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? 49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.” 50 Then all his disciples deserted him and ran away.

Jesus offers no resistance to his arrest - in fact he goes out to meet them. No playing hide and seek amongst the trees. No fighting. No running. One of the disciples gets it wrong – hacking off someone’s ear.
He should have prayed – he’s totally on the wrong page!
And then when Jesus simply gives himself up, terror grips them all and, just as Jesus prophesied in v27, quoting Zechariah’s prophecy from hundreds of years before, the sheep do indeed scatter: v50“they deserted him and ran away”. One disciple, a “young man” who is probably Mark, the writer of this gospel, was so frightened that when the soldiers grabbed him by his long shirt he 52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked.

They all abandon Jesus. The spirit was willing “I will die for you Jesus!” – but the flesh was weak.
But Jesus, the perfect man, prayed, was strengthened, and did not fall away. Where we are weak, he is strong.

All this is happening according to God’s plan. 49 But these things are happening to fulfill what the Scriptures say about me

This was written down hundreds of years before so that we would KNOW that it is true. We would KNOW that Jesus is truly the Messiah, the Christ, the Rescuer – and our King. The Bible is not one book written by some old dude in a tower. It’s a library (so the name “Bible” from the Latin biblia meaning library): 66 books written by 40 authors, written over 1500 years. So hundreds of years before Jesus, men were writing, inspired by the Holy Spirit, about what he would be doing and what he would be saying. Isn’t that amazing?

Last week we saw how all the different promises of God come together in Christ. He is our King, our Priest, and our Prophet. He is the new and better Moses leading the new and better Exodus: the rescue of God’s people. Jesus is the Temple, the meeting palce between mand and God. And he is the Passover Lamb. The sacrifice that can protect us from the angel of death. His body is broken for us. His blood shed for us. He is the Suffering Servant the prophet Isaiah saw. He is the King the prophet Zecahriah saw. He is the LORD – Yahweh - coming to his Temple from Malachi.
Again and again we see that Jesus fulfils Scripture. Someone counted up all the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled – somewhere between 300 and 400, depending on how you count (some people count one verse saying two things as two prophecies, others one)! And Jesus fulfilled all of them. Every single one. Statistically impossible to do by random chance – the only way to fulfil these prophecies is if you are the one who was prophesied!

Have assurance. This is true. This is the gospel: Christ Jesus came to save sinners. Do you think he would bother with all this if that weren’t true. He could have blasted all these fools out of the garden with a word. But he didn’t, because this is why he came. He, the perfect man, came to take our place. He came to be found guilty, to die a sinners death, so that you and I can be found righteous, and live for him. And he rose to life again

He came because we are weak. So if you’re feeling like a failure. If you are agonising over sins that you just keep committing, over sins that you choose to do – remember the disciples, and remember that they ran away from Jesus! And he knew they would. And yet he carried on to the cross so that he could forgive them, and so that he could forgive you.

Yes, sin is serious. Yes it is painful and ugly and damaging. But it can be forgiven. Our confidence is not in ourselves. But our confidence is in Christ.

We may be weak, but Jesus is strong. He knows our weakness, knows our guilt – and has covered it.
Pray without fear. Pray without guilt. Come to him knowing your darkest secrets are covered. And walk in new life, to his praise and glory. Hooray for Jesus!

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Today Frode, Juliejean, (Hazel) and Robert are all choosing to be baptised. But what is it they are choosing? Well, they’re choosing to follow Jesus Christ. They are saying publicly I belong to Jesus.

But what does that mean? What does it mean to follow Christ? What does it mean to be a Christian?

I think if you ask most Norwegians today if they are Christian they would say yes. By which they mean they’re not Muslim or Hindu, they have some sense of a God, and they think church is a good idea and Jesus’ moral teachings were pretty good. But the Bible says that’s not a Christian. The devil believes those things!

It’s not just about going to church either. You can go to church for many years and still not be a Christian. You can say all the right things, do all the right things, be a good person – but still not be a Christian.

So, what is a Christian? What does it mean to be a Christian?
Well, being a Christian means, firstly

1. Being perfect, like Jesus – every day.
We cannot know God, unless we are perfect.
Oh. But I’m not.

2. Recognising my sin, so I need Jesus’ grace – every day.

Wow! Thank God for grace and forgiveness! Yes, but it’s not cheap grace. We are called to obey.

3. Fighting my sin, in Jesus’ power – every day.

1. A Christian is to be perfect, like Jesus, every day

Now you might think, hang on, isn’t Christianity about being a bit better, trying hard, being nice?
Unfortunately, many “churches” have ended up presenting a “Christianity” like that – even here in Norway.

But that’s not what the Bible says. Listen to Jesus’ words:

Mt 5:48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Let me read that again. Og på norsk: Vær da fullkomne, slik deres himmelske Far er fullkommen.
Seriously? Oh yes. This is in the middle of the sermon of the Mount, where Jesus commands his followers to love their enemies, to be faithful to your wife – even in your mind: a lustful thought is the same as adultery. Woah. He says you must never worry, because that means you’re not trusting God. Never break a promise. And on and on. Be perfect, like God Himself.

These aren’t suggestions! These are commands. This is what you must do to enter the kingdom of God.

So often we try to soften Jesus words - to make them reachable if we just make a big effort.
But that’s the point. We can’t do it. We have fallen short of God’s glorious standards. Even the best of us. Even in our best moments. We’re not perfect like God.
That’s the mistake the Pharisees made (the bad guys in the gospels - the religious leaders who ended up killing Jesus). They were trying to reach heaven by their own efforts. They thought “perfect” meant “good enough”. It doesn’t. It means perfect.

Leviticus (3. Mos) 19:2 The LORD … said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

This is echoed again and again throughout the Law. And the apostle Peter picks this up in the New Testament:
1 Pe 1:14–16 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

The Apostle Paul says the same thing in Rom 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. In the original Greek the verse literally says being holy is the only sensible or smart thing to do. In other words, not being holy is DUMB!

Hopefully by this stage you’re thinking “Uh-oh, I’m in trouble”. Because that is exactly the response we’re supposed to have. Meeting God is not “Hey buddy, how’s it goin’”. It’s “oh my goodness I’m going to die”.
Remember the prophet Isaiah’s reaction when he saw God: Woe is me! I’m doomed. I’m finished. For I am a sinful man, and I have seen God.
And the Apostle Peter when he realised that Jesus was God said “Get away from me Lord, I am a sinful man.”

Perhaps if apostles and prophets are reacting like that... maybe we should too? Fall on our faces before God. Get away from me Lord. I’m not good enough.

God’s goodness is a fierce goodness. He’s described as an all-consuming fire. The Temple has layers upon layers around it – not to protect God from the people, but to protect people from God! To come to God imperfect is to die.

But hang on. Isaiah wasn’t perfect – but he wasn’t killed. His sin was wiped away and he served God. And Peter too. In fact, none of the so-called “heroes” of the Bible are perfect! Adam disobeyed, Noah got drunk, Abraham slept with his wife’s slave girl, David stole his friend’s wife and then arranged his murder to cover it up, Moses was a murderer – and said no to God! And the list goes on. Gideon was a coward, Samson was a sex maniac, Jacob was a cheat, Joseph was boastful and arrogant. So what’s going on? Is God telling lies? Does he actually just want us to try our best?

No. Judgement Day will not like school today where “everyone gets a prize”. Only the winners win. Only those who deserve.

As Romans 2 points out Ro 2:5–6 But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done.

Ok, but how did David and Abraham and all the other imperfect people – how did they know God.

Here’s the magic. Here’s what makes Christianity unique amongst all religions and worldviews: grace. Grace. God’s undeserved favour. Nåde. Ufortjent velsignelser.

When we come to God, realising we fall short of his standard – he responds in mercy. That is why Jesus came. He swaps places with us. He gives us his perfection. He takes our imperfection, our sin.
Instead of being judged by what WE have done, we are judged by what CHRIST JESUS has done! It’s a swap. (Vi har byttet ut vår synd, vår gjerninger med Jesu gjerninger, Jesu godhet!)

That is how a Christian can be perfect. Not in myself. But in Christ.

A Christian is to be perfect, like Christ, every day.

And we do that by:

2. A Christian needs to remember he is a sinner, needing Jesus’ grace (forgiveness), every day.

This is the key. We do not come to God in our own strength. But we come in weakness. Help.

Jesus told a story to illustrate this. It’s found in Luke 18:10–14 if you want to follow along in your Bibles.
“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee (the religious, good person, top of society), and the other was a despised tax collector (traitor, “Quisling”, bad person, bottom of society).
11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don’t cheat, I don’t sin, and I don’t commit adultery. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’
14 I tell you, this sinner, not the (good) Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

The Pharisees eyes were on – himself. He trusted himself to save himself. Good luck.
But the tax collector, Oh he knew he had no chance! His eyes were on God. His trust was in God to save him. And the message of the gospel is that Jesus saves sinners who trust in him.

We come in weakness, we come in humility. This is the way of the Christian life. This is what following Jesus looks like.

I have been thinking recently about the weakness of Christianity. In many ways its stupid religion with stupid message. There’s a big holy God, and he going to strike us down – well we all feel guilt, so far so good. But because he loved us so much he came himself to die on a cross for us. What? And we don’t have to do stuff, offer sacrifices, etc. to earn our salvation. It’s all done. What? It’s just. Weird. It’s weak. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. Drop your sword. You can’t force people to become Christians because then it’s not real. And our God is hanging naked on a cross, broken, bloodied. It is a very weak message.

But it keeps spreading. Remarkable. Under terrible opposition. Over 60 million people have died rather than give up their Christian faith. 60 million martyrs. And that was 10 years ago. The number is higher now. They roll over and die. And yet this weak church is unstoppable. Unkillable.

I heard recently that the first missionaries arrived in Japan in 1549. Huge numbers turned to Christ. The Emperor got worried and banned Christianity under pain of death. Huge numbers killed because they refused to renounce Jesus. 300 years later missionaries are finally allowed back in. And they find… Christians. And now the church is growing. Slowly. But growing.
We were at a Christian convention this summer and at the prayer meeting a brother was going to share what God was doing in his country. Which country was that? North Korea.

Christians sin. The church gets corrupted, and makes a huge mess. Governments crush the church. Enemies inside and out. And yet it endures. It carries on. It grows. The church keeps growing. In the quiet, in the dark. Under pressure. Under threat, It GROWS. All over the world. Almost as if some unseen power is guiding it, protecting it, keeping it.

In its weakness the church is unstoppable. Because in our weakness we see the power of God.

There is no other explanation for the church, it is only God. I cannot explain why Frode, Juliejean, Hazel and Robert are standing here today. Except by the power of God. In their weakness, he has been strong, changing them to be more and more like Jesus. They are living miracles!

Christianity is not about huge monuments and displays of power and doing GREAT THINGS FOR GOD. It is coming before Him in humility each day, saying I can’t. I’m not strong enough – will you be my power, will you be my strength, will you be my righteousness today, Lord Jesus.

We come as we are. We start by admitting our sin, turning away from our sin (repentance), and turning to God. And we continue, by admitting our sin, repenting, and believing.

Every day we need to remember “I am a sinner before God” – and turn to Jesus in our weakness, saying forgive me. And then we remember that in Jesus we are declared perfect. We are given his perfection.

And because we belong to Christ, we want to obey him, we want to love him. And so we fight.

3. Fighting my sin, in Jesus’ power – every day.

Because we come as we are. But God does not leave us as we are. He changes us.

2 Co 5:17–18 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

This is the work of regeneration: of changing a sinner into a righteous person. God declares us righteous and then starts making us righteous. It is a work that will only be completed after we die – when we see him face to face we will be transformed in the blink of an eye. But until then each day we become more like Jesus. (Sometimes one step forward, two steps back). But he is at work in us.

Eph 4:24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

1 Cor 1:2 I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people.
He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

We fight sin, we obey, we are regenerated, not by being strong. Not by trying really hard like some spiritual superman. No. We continue how we started. By admitting our sin. By admitting that we are weak. In humility. And by throwing yourself onto Jesus and his strength and his power. We are holy only through Jesus Christ. So every day we put on our new nature – we decide to act like children of God.

There’s an old Sunday school song which goes: Trust and obey, trust and obey, there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Faith and repentance. It’s how we start. It’s how we continue. It’s how we end. And one day, we will see him face to face. One day his work in us will be finished, just as he promised. The last bits of the old sinful man will be burned away, and we will rise like a phoenix from the ashes – new, perfect, like Jesus.
As CS Lewis once said – if we could see ourselves as we will be – in all our glory - we would fall down in worship. That is what Christ has done for us. This is why we are being baptised. This is why we fight our sin. Because we are loved by Him. And we love Him in return. And we will be with Him. Perhaps today.

Are you ready?

Come as you are. And be transformed.