Exodus 35-40 Is there any way to be right with God? Any way to get a FRESH START?

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Read 35:4-21, 36:1, then “ch36,37,38 record in exact detail the making of the Tabernacle”, 38:21-23

Or in more Biblical language: How can sinners approach a holy God? How can we get forgiveness? How can we receive mercy?

These were the questions faced by the Israelites.

First there was the question of whether God even existed. I mean, they’d all heard the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – but here they were, enslaved, beaten each day, working for the Egyptians. Didn’t really seem like God was there. Moses, an Israelite adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, was not a slave, but was so enraged by the suffering of his people that he decided to rescue his people…by murdering an Egyptian slave driver. This was discovered, and Moses had to flee to the wilderness. A failure.

Then much to Moses’ surprise God calls to him out of a burning bush, and tells him that he, Moses, is going to be God’s mouth and God’s Redeemer and will save and lead Israel. Whaaat? He was, needless to say, rather surprised. So were the Israelites. Suddenly Moses appears, terrifying plagues start to happen, and they are rescued. I bet even the most faithful Israelites were shocked when God suddenly moved in judgement on the Egyptians! When something you’ve been praying for suddenly happens. Like when my best friend suddenly decided to come with me to the church youth group. Like what. And then accepted Christ. Like whaat? After years!

So the Israelites were surprised to be rescued! Imagine that. Years of slavery. Your dad was a slave, you were a slave. Your son would be a slave. And then suddenly you are free. Terrifying plagues- but you are blessed. And then you arrive at the mountain of God. It’s thundering and lightening and very very scary. And God says “I will be your God and you will be my people” Wow!

And then Moses disappears for 40 days….and they decide to take matters into their own hands. They didn’t listen to revelation – to God’s word. No. They made God in their own image. Kinder. Smaller. More manageable. A God we can manipulate. A God who is not so holy and terrifying. A God you can bargain with. A God who will make us rich because “The laoord saauys thaaat we’re kids of Kiiiing, and Kiiings live in a palace, so I. I mean you should live in a palace too.”
Jesus will get me a BMW. I’ll take Jesus. It’s the modern version of the ancient “let’s make God a cuddly calf instead of this terrifying unapproachable God.

AS we saw last week, that went badly. A plague breaks out, the tablets – the covenant / contract between God and his people is broken – literally, Moses smashes them. 3000 Israelites die because of their rebellion, and now they are under God’s judgement and God refuses to go with them. Suddenly they are alone again. A lost bunch of slaves wandering around in the wilderness. Weak. Vulnerable. No home. No purpose.

Then Moses steps in and saves them. He pleads to God on their behalf, standing between God and them, appealing to God’s mercy, even offering his own life as sacrifice (which God did not accept). And joy of joys – God listens to Moses, and the Covenant is renewed in chapter 34.

Now what?

Because Moses is old. He’s pushing 80. He won’t be around to save them to be their representative, their mediator, much longer. How can they live with a holy God without being destroyed?

Because they, like us, were sinners. They got things wrong. They tried to do things their own way. God says “don’t make images of me” so they make an image. Ooops.

How often do we do same thing. We read in the Bible what we should do… and we do the opposite. Tell the truth. Na, easier just to lie. I might get into trouble if I tell the truth. Be sexually pure. Na, it’ll be ok for us to have sex even though we’re not married. We prayed about it! Love my spouse? Na, I’ll fight to get my own way. Show grace? Forgive? Na, Because it’s not like I’ve been forgiven…

So sinners have a problem. How do we get right with the holy God? Today’s passage tells us.

1. To be made right with God you need to make a beautiful holy tent!

2. The only way to be right with God is in the way that God says.

3. The only way to be right with God is to have a Moses

1. To be made right with God you need to make a beautiful holy tent!

There is a way for the Israelites to be made right with God again. A tent. A TENT WHERE GOD LIVES.

Turn to chapter 40 and the end of v33: So at last Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. 35 Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. 36 Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. 37 But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. 38 The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

This was no ordinary tent. It was made from finest materials with great skill. Like the Operahuset in Oslo. Or the Sydney Opera House. Something glorious, something eye catching, something that says “wow”. It was built with great skill by experts and with great devotion who worked hard to make it magnificent. This was built to glorify God. Like St Peters Basilikum in Rome. Or St. Pauls Chatehdral in London. Or the Notre Dame in Paris.

This tent is the Ancient version of that. Something incredibly beautiful. Detailed. Intricate.

But our cathedrals are open. This tent was built in layers. No-one could see the inner chamber. Because that was where the holy God “lived”. Go in there and you would die. The layers in the tent were to protect the people from God!
And it had an altar. Not a symbolic altar like some churches have – but a real altar, an altar on which animals were killed, blood was shed, continually. A constant reminder of our sinfulness and God’s holiness. God said to Adam “If you eat of the fruit I commanded not to eat, you will surely die”. And he wasn’t kidding. The wages of sin is death. So there was a reminder. Imagine the sounds, the smells, the amount of blood! The priests would be covered in blood!

When we think objectively about ourselves. When we turn off the inner lawyer who is always making excuses for our behaviour “I was tired, I deserved that, they deserved that, I was hungry, well 2 years ago they were mean, so…”
When we stop doing that we’re forced to acknowledge that we’re perhaps not as “good” as we think. In fact, I think that’s the worst thing about becoming a Christian – the Holy Spirit lifting the blinkers off so you start to see yourself as you truly are! Ouch.
But that means we have great compassion on others. Because, well, I do that. Or if I don’t do THAT, then I certainly do my own version of it. That’s why we in this church can say “come as you are” and mean it. Because you may be a messed-up sinner and so are we! And we want to introduce you to the one who can fix you! We are not here to pretend to be better people than everyone out there. We are here to point people to God.

So, how do we do that? Well, so far in Exodus we’ve discovered that in order for us to be right with a holy God you need: A holy tabernacle skilfully and beautifully made, with the bread of life on the table, the eternal light of the world on the lampstand, the altar with continual sacrifices, and priests washed clean, having made the right sacrifices, wearing their holy garments, ephod, turban, shoulder pieces, and even holy underpants. And if any of that is lacking, or done wrongly… it’s over.

That’s the way God says to be made right with him. The Israelites tried a different way – and 3000 died. And through the years the Israelites tried taking shortcuts, tried ignoring God’s word, changing his word, leaving bits out – none of it worked.

2. The only way to be right with God is in the way that God says.

Imagine that you were an Israelite living 3000 years ago. You couldn’t read and write – that was only specialists who could. So you wouldn’t be reading these chapters. You would gather each day at the synagogue and you would hear this being read. What kind of impact would it have on you as you listened first to chapters 25-31 about how you should build the Tabernacle. The excitement of God lives with US. Out of all the peoples on earth he chose us!
Then the horrifying sin of the Golden Calf. We’ve messed up. God will abandon us. And then, oh relief, Moses steps in and saves the day. Again. And then the actual building of the Tabernacle in chapters 35-40. God is still with his people! We are still his. He is still with us. The God of the universe who has chosen us to be his own, his very own. Not because we are special, or strong, or better, or more holy (that much is clear!), but because He is the Lord, the Lord, the gracious and compassionate God.

Last week it took us about 18 minutes to read three chapters. What impact would it make to listen to 6 chapters (about 36 minutes) of detailed instructions about building the tabernacle and then another equally detailed 5 chapters (another 30 minutes) on HOW they built the Tabernacle. Why is it here? Why so much detail? Is God just an accountant who likes boring details?

Well, no. Listening to over an hour of “this is exactly how you are to make it” followed by a thoroughly humbled people after the Golden Calf nonsense making it exactly as God said would make the point pretty clear. An hour of “here the curtain rods must go”, followed by “and, lo, they didst put the curtain rods here”.

They made the Tabernacle exactly as God said! And the people who made it where the people God said should make it. The ones who were specially gifted for it.

One hour of tabernacle. This is important! And these chapters about building it are almost word for word what God says in the earlier chapters.
What’s the point? we need to do exactly what God says in order to be made right with him. There is no other way to be made right with God except the way he has said, and only the way he has said, through his word, delivered by his redeemder, his prophet.

The Tabernacle was the way to be made right with God. But it would only work if it was built exactly as God had said. Any other way would lead to disaster.
The only way to be right with God is in the way that God says. And he says we need a Moses.

3. The only way to be right with God is to have a Moses

Look at 38:32,42,43 and the whole of chapter 40.

Ex 39:32 And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
He is the voice of the Lord.

Ex 39:42–43 So the people of Israel followed all of the LORD’s instructions to Moses. 43 Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the LORD had commanded him, he blessed them.
He is God’s representative. He blessed them because they had obeyed the Lord

Then in chapter 40 he actually builds the Tabernacle from what they had made.

Ex 40:16–21 Moses proceeded to do everything just as the LORD had commanded him. 17 So the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year. 18 Moses erected the Tabernacle by setting down its bases, inserting the frames, attaching the crossbars, and setting up the posts. 19 Then he spread the coverings over the Tabernacle framework and put on the protective layers, just as the LORD had commanded him. 20 He took the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant and placed them inside the Ark. Then he attached the carrying poles to the Ark, and he set the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of it. 21 Then he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle and hung the inner curtain to shield it from view, just as the LORD had commanded him.
And on it goes v22 he places the table with v23 the bread, just as the LORD had commanded him. 24 He set the lampstand in the Tabernacle across from the table on the south side of the Holy Place. 25 Then he lit the lamps in the LORD’s presence, just as the LORD had commanded him. 26 He also placed the gold incense altar in the Tabernacle, in the Holy Place in front of the inner curtain. 27 On it he burned the fragrant incense, just as the LORD had commanded him. V29 just as the LORD had commanded him.
30 Next Moses placed the washbasin - and the priests wash end of v31, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Moses is the key. He is the voice of God. The people obey his words and build God’s tabernacle exactly as God had commanded. Everything has been done exactly as it should. And God’s chosen mediator, Moses, now has put everything together: the tent, the ark, the bread, the lampstand, the altar, basin, everything built according to plan. V33 So at last Moses finished the work.
So what happens? 34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.

God comes down. He comes to live with his people. No longer far and distant on the mountain. But now with his people. It worked! We have God with us! Moses did it!

But Moses is just a player, an actor, a foreshadowing. He’s playing someone else’s role. Someone coming, greater than him, who would really be able to unite God and Man, and in whom God would truly live amongst us. Because look at v35 Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle. Even he is not holy enough to be in a glory cloud. Not even Moses. Is there anyone who could be holy enough to be in a glory cloud and not die…?

36 Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. 37 But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. 38 The cloud of the LORD hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

God with his people.

But what about us. Should we now find a Moses, then find a Bezalel and Oholiab, and build a magnificent tent, and get a load of animals so that we can offer the right sacrifices, so that we too can be right with God? Because Moses himself did say that there will be a prophet like him who will come in the future.

The Muslims claim Muhammed is the prophet like Moses. Is he though? Did he speak to God face to face? No he spoke only to the angel Gabriel. Did Muhammed meet God on the mountain in the glory cloud? Did Muhammed plead for his people and get God to show mercy? No.

But you know what? Jesus spoke face to face with the Lord, not through an angel. He called God Father, something no Muslim could ever do. Jesus met God on the mountain in the glory cloud. The disciples with him were terrified when they saw Jesus in his glory, and heard the Father say “This is my son. Listen to Him”. Muhammed claimed to have heard the word through an angel. Jesus is the word. And Jesus pleaded for his people “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

There is none like him. No-one comes close. No-one. Not even Moses, probably the greatest in the Old Testament.

Jesus is the better Moses, the one Moses was foreshadowing. He was the actor playing the Jesus role. He was a sinner, a murderer, whom God called out of the wilderness to be his Redeemer. So that 1500 years later when Jesus appears on stage we know ah! Here is the real deal. This is the one Moses was pointing to. Moses freed the people from slavery in Egypt – Jesus frees us from slavery to sin. Moses brought them through the wilderness to the promised land of Israel. Jesus takes us through the wilderness of this life and the promised land of the New Creation. Moses tried to offer his life on behalf of his people – but God did not accept his sacrifice. Could not. Jesus cries out on the cross “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” as he sacrifices himself for his people.
Jesus is our Tabernacle – where we can meet God. He is our sacrifice, his blood shed on the cross. He is our high priest, perfectly representing us to God, so that we can be with God. Forgiven. Set free. A fresh start. A new life.

Tell me, do you know this Jesus? If you don’t – get to know him! Speak to him, cry out to him for mercy.

Jesus, I have ignored you until now. Forgive me. I don’t deserve it. You are holy. I am a sinner. But you died on the cross for me. Please accept me as your child. I want to put you first, to live for you. Be my Saviour, my Lord and my God. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, please talk to me afterward.

And if you know him, don’t you just love him? Our tabernacle, sacrifice, priest, our Moses. All find their fulfilment in Jesus. Isn’t he amazing. Isn’t he wonderful. Be filled with his wonder and follow him as Lord. Whatever you’re struggling with take it to him. Wherever you are disobeying, confess it now. Let’s deal with it now. Kill it. Kill the sin that is dragging you down. Come forward for prayer. We can pray together.

Let’s get right with God. Lord, fill us with wonder and adoration so that that temptations and trials of this life fade away in the brightness of your love and your magnificence.

Amen

Mark 10:13-34 With God, all things are possible – even salvation!

Mark 10:13-34

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How do we get eternal life? How do we get in the right with God? How can we live forever, in paradise? Is there something that I can do now which will guarantee a glorious future, a future of hope and light and power and LIFE?

Good questions. Important questions. And questions with a surprising answer.

You could not get two more different people being compared in this chapter. The rich man – powerful, self-reliant, wealthy, successful, top of society – and the young children brought to Jesus – no power, no status, needing to be fed and clothed and taken places, no power – the disciples shoo them away, and, in those days, the bottom of society.
One comes to Jesus offering Jesus everything. He’s moral, upright, law-abiding, rich, skilled, a man of men. But he goes away sad. Because he will not bow the knee to Jesus.
The child comes offering nothing. And he is blessed by Jesus, taken up in his arms.

Chapter 8 to 16 of Mark is Jesus’ training session with his disciples, teaching them what this new kingdom of God looks like, the kingdom that Jesus is now establishing. And how they are to behave as his people, particularly as leaders. And it is shockingly hard. The standard of holiness is God. The requirement is perfection. Leadership is service. Greatness is humility. And we are to bring… nothing. We must be like little children, just receive and accept whatever God gives us

Tonight:

Only children can be saved

Good people can’t be saved

Only Jesus can save

1. Only “children” can be saved

13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

We’ve seen so far that Christian leaders lead by serving, not ordering people around. The disciples still hadn’t learnt this lesson – they were shooing the kids away.
Christian leaders see all people equally – no-one is excluded from the kingdom. The disciples hadn’t learnt that lesson either.
Christians guard their lives carefully, striving to obey Jesus, so as not to lead others astray. We’ll see the disciples did not guard their lives and so fell away from Jesus when they should have stood by him.
Christians pray “help me in my unbelief”, dependant on Jesus instead of arrogant self-sufficiency like the Pharisees. What were the disciples arguing about a few weeks back: who’s the greatest! (9:34)
But the most important lesson is this: Christians and Christian leaders depend on grace, grace alone, for their relationship with God. Because we will fail and fall, just like the disciples. And yet God will keep forgiving us, keep persevering (keeping on) with us, just like Jesus with his disciples.

Jesus teaches with a visual demonstration that brings home that message. We live by grace – God’s undeserved favour. It’s a gift. WE bring nothing. We are like children. Independence and self-righteousness, depending on your own goodness for salvation, like the rich young ruler, doesn’t cut it. Dependence, helplessness, simple trust, faith, like a child – these are the marks of a Christian.

This passage is not about children, but about Christians! If you doubt that, have a look at verse 24, what Jesus calls his disciples: 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God

It is not about children being innocent. Much rubbish has been spoken about these verses by people ripping them out of context, and ignore the rest of the Bible’s teaching on sin. They say “Children are innocent”. Jesus addressed that nonsense back in chapter 7: sin comes from our hearts, inside, not from outside influences. We’re born with it. It doesn’t enter us at age 12.

Anyone with children will know they are not innocent. The Bible tells us time and time again that we are born sinful, born as rebels against God, because we inherit that state from our parents, all the way back to Adam. We are born wanting to be God, independent, determining our own path, deciding for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.

This idea that children are innocent has had tragic consequences: people have stopped telling the gospel to children. Parents aren’t raising their children in the light of the gospel. Children, like adults, need to be told to repent of their sins and accept Christ. Because without Christ no-one gets to heaven, no matter what age you are. It is unbiblical nonsense to believe that because Jesus accepts the little children and blesses them, then if you’re under the age of 12 you go to heaven. If that was the case, the most loving thing we could do is kill every child under the age of 12 to make sure they go to heaven! Jesus was teaching the disciples to take the message of the Gospel to everyone, even children – not telling them that children are innocent, no need to bother with them, and if they die, hey no problem!

I mean, how would you even raise children without the gospel? Because kids understand sin and grace much better than we adults do. They struggle continually with their sinful behaviour – they’re not so sophisticated at hiding their sin and justifying themselves. They’re not so good at lying to themselves and pulling the wool over their own eyes! They know their own sin. And then we say they’re innocent, good. It is a lie. And they know it’s a lie because they know themselves. It is a lie with no hope. And so they reject Jesus, believing him to be a fool. Please, keep telling children the gospel! Do not be like the disciples, hindering the children from coming to Jesus. For Jesus will terrify you in his anger: it would be better for [you] if a great millstone were hung around [your] neck and [you] were thrown into the sea.

Tell them the truth. Call sin sin. Show that their behaviour reveals the rebellion in their heart. Help them understand their desires to control, to boss people around, to do what they want, their anger when they can’t be God in people’s lives. Help them know themselves. They need the truth as much as adults do. And then please offer them the wonderful news of the gospel – Jesus has dealt with their problem of sin.

I can tell you story after story of times I have sat with my kids, tears streaming down their face, as they cry and cry about their inability to stop being naughty, to stop sinning. “I don’t want to be like this”. They know! They know the pain of sin. What a horrible father I would be if I lied to them then and said “no, no, you’re good, you’re innocent”. That’s horrible because it’s saying to them “try harder, do better”. You’re failing because you’re not good enough. That’s religion. That’s moralism. And that cannot save. Instead I tell them that their heart is bent, that deep down they hate God, just like me, and that leaks out all over the place – but that Jesus has come to deal with that problem, that he forgives them, that he can wash away their sin and mine, that he loves them, and can hold them in his arms and bless them. And there is the power of eternal life!

We are to be like children, not innocent, but dependant, coming to Jesus with empty hands, coming as we are. Because 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

How do you see yourself before God? Do you come to him as a good father, expectantly? Or do you see him as a harsh judge, someone to manipulate or placate with your good works? Does your relationship with him go up and down depending on your performance, how “good” you’ve been today?
No. If you are a Christian, then you are a child of God. That is who you are. And that never changes.

Only children can be saved.

2. Good people can’t be saved

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” 21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”

From the bottom of society, the helpless, dependent children, to the rich man, the pinnacle of society. He has power. He has money. He’s a mover and a shaker. To the first century Jew riches were a blessing from God for being good. Riches meant goodness. And he is a good man, following the Law, a moral man, outwardly a great success. Surely God would be pleased with this man?

But Jesus’ first words expose his heart problem. 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.”

This man thinks people can be good enough for God. He thinks that he is good. And he sees that Jesus is a good man like him. So he flatters Jesus “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life”. Oh, it’s a good question, asked of the right person, but there’s a flaw. Good teacher, what must I do? He is self-righteous. And I think he secretly thought Jesus would say “oh, you are so good, you’re fine. Well done!”

But Jesus says “only God is good.” When we’re talking about God, and knowing God, good does not mean good. Good means utterly perfect. Holy, without spot or blemish. Shining, painfully bright perfection. Only God is good.

But the man doesn’t get the hint. So Jesus quotes some of the Ten Commandments to him.

Now those of you coming to the Bible Study should know the purpose of the Law. The Law shows us our sin. We read God’s word and we’re like oh no! I need help! It makes us realise our dependence. The Law was not there, was never there, to be a checklist to impress God (or worse, a checklist to then say to God hey you owe me salvation) Galatians 3:10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.”

But the man is so in love with himself he doesn’t understand. 20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

And maybe he has. Maybe he’s a fantastic guy. But like an alarm bell in his head should have been this: why didn’t Jesus quote the first four commands – all those to do with relating to God.
This man’s problem is that he is outwardly good but his heart far from God. He is self-sufficient. He can say the right words and play the part, but at the end of the day he saves himself: it is his actions, his words, his goodness that counts, that gets him all the way to paradise. He does not consider himself helpless, like a child. He does not cry out “help me in my unbelief”. Instead he says “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”. I did it. I achieved it. God, you owe me salvation.
Indeed.
Who is God then if you are ordering God around, making God do things because you’ve pushed the right spiritual buttons.

This whole charade with Jesus is to justify himself. HE wanted Jesus to say “well done, you’ve done it, what a great guy you are.”

But, instead, Jesus loves him, and gives him a command that is impossible, that will make him dependent. A command that costs. Sell all that you have and follow me.
The man’s security was found in his wealth, his power, his prestige. His “goodness” was based on his abundance, living the good life. Give up your false security, says Jesus, and have faith in me – follow me.

The demand is stark. This man trusts in himself, follows his own path. Jesus demands that he trust in Jesus, and follow Jesus. He’s calling him to obey the commandments he didn’t quote: to have no other gods before him, to stop worshipping idols, to honour his name-

And the man goes away… sad. Good people cannot be saved because they cannot see their need for salvation.

“Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

We are in severe danger in Norway: Our wealth blinds us to our need for God. Our self-sufficiency leads us away from him. Our Christian morals leads us to self-righteousness.

26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible.

What are you trusting in? Is it yourself. Your own abilities. When you go to bed at night do you feel good or bad depending on what you’ve done during the day? Do you feel far away or near to God depending on your performance? Beware! Because you may be trusting in yourself rather than the free grace of Jesus.
And you are forgetting that you are a sinner. You are a law-breaker by nature, at your very core. You cannot satisfy the perfection of a great and holy and good God, not even as a Christian. No-one is good but God alone. There is great freedom in realising we are incapable of doing any good on our own! I can’t do it. Yippee, Jesus has doen it for me and I am free! SO let us repent now, stop trusting in our earthly riches, and follow Jesus!

Good people cannot be saved.

3. Only Jesus can save

Thankfully verse 27 does not end there where I ended it. 27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.

How is it possible. Only through Jesus. Jesus is about to achieve the impossible. He, the only good man, is walking towards Jerusalem, towards his death. 32 They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear. Why is he going to Jerusalem? DOesn’t he know what they will do to him? Yes he does, he who is the first, the top, the best, the good - will become last, a sinner. He will pay the punishment our sins deserve – all of our sins, even those we haven’t committed yet – by being “betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die and hand him over to the Romans. 34 They will mock him, spit on him, flog him with a whip, and kill him, but after three days he will rise again.”

Jesus, who is first, will be last, in order to make us who are last, outside, banished, first, inside, children of the Living God.

And it is a gift of love, a free, undeserved gift. Peter’s self-righteous claim in verse 28 “hey, we’ve followed you” is cut short by Jesus. “Please, you can’t out-give God!” is what he’s saying in v29-30. It is an undeserved, free gift. Your own abilities do not save you – in fact, they can lead you away from God. Come like a child, helpless, dependent, before the feet of Jesus, crying out “I believe! Help me in my unbelief!”

Isn’t the gospel amazing? Isn’t it just the most wonderful news you’ve ever heard? Isn’t this something we just want to run out and tell people? New life! New life! And given as a free gift! The price has been paid. Come as you are, and receive. Jesus can save. Only Jesus can save. But, boy, can Jesus save! Anyone, any place, anytime. Perhaps you, right now. Come as a child and say “Daddy, please let me be yours”.

Romans 3:21-5:2 (David Cook)

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https://youtu.be/Mu4WvMdcCTo?t=38s
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The following are the notes I (Daniel) took during the sermon when we heard it live a Word Alive in Wales (Easter 2015):

1.2 Romans 3:21-4:8 A unique prescription - David Cook

On safari in Kruger. Car starting unreliably. Bull elephant – “mostly” bluffing! Charged. Authentic elephant experience. Before that I had only seen elephants in zoos and circus – changed up. Counterfeit elephants.

There are counterfeit Christianities. Majority of Christians have counterfeit Christianity. Eg Some Catholic friends believe in Jesus but also based on their own good works. No assurance. There is nothing momentous about the counterfeit gospel.

Jesus PLUS my works is not momentous Because I can never be sure.

If we die without repenting do we go to heaven? So many people believe that we won’t go to heaven because of unconfessed sin.

When we start in the Christian life we know we stand only on the basis of Christ’s work. But we start substituting OUR works for Christ’s work!

Saved through faith in Jesus but live by faith in works – counterfeit gospel.

Rom 1:17 from faith from first to last – v20 law makes us conscious of sin, v21 but NOW has been made known (Paul didn’t discover it or make it up – revealed) . This righteousness from God comes through the faithful work of Christ and all who believe in that work.

v23 none of us have any righteousness.

Justified: legal court. The word is the noun form of the word righteousness. Means we are in the right with God. Legal declaration. Freely by grace, not what we deserve.(Mercy is withholding punishment due – grace is rewarding the opposite behaviour. Illustration: break in – please don’t report me to police. I won’t (mercy). Do you have 10 dollars? I was willing to show mercy (not report to police) but not grace (reward bad behaviour)

But how can God justify guilty unrighteous people and still be righteous?
v24 redemption by Christ Jesus. business world, pawn broker (cash converters) – buy back. Something in bondage, has to be bought back. Something that was yours, now buying it back. What is the price? The perfect life of Jesus given in death (“his blood”). This is what God’s justice requires: a perfect life. This is what God’s love provides: a perfect life.
This demonstrates God’s justice.

Luther: I reached heaven when I saw that God’s righteousness was not God’s requirement but God’s provision!

I don’t become perfect any more than Jesus becomes actually sinful. But it is a transaction that takes place.

3^rd word: v25 sacrifice of atonement / propitiation. From Temple. Jesus sacrificial death absorbs the just anger of God.
It is an idea common to pagan religions – sacrificing maidens to monster. But God’s is not angry for no reason, and he provides his own sacrifice!

MOMENTOUS!

Triangle 

                  God

/ justified            ^\propitiation

US   <-redemptive      Jesus

Arrows point away from Jesus – his work is central. Points to us we are the recipients.
Jesus propitiates God’s wrath ; redeems us.
On the basis of Jesus’ work God the Father then justifies us.

No conditional element in our relationship with God.  (human relationships are always  conditional)

Rom 10:1. God provides righteousness but they reject God’s righteousness. And that is Israel’s problem.  It’s all about provision not requirement.

ALL RELIGION IS A HEARTLESS BULLY. Religion must be stamped out and stopped. Religion is cruel and unremitting. Making constant demands that are impossible to meet.  The only things that can stop this bully is Jesus Christ.

Our righteousness is filth. It is done. It is not do.
 

God is not sulking with you!

V27-28 3 implications.
no boasting. Because no law, and even faith is a gift!
open to all. Everyone on same basis of Christ
nullify law? No because Jesus fulfils the law.

“Do I hear somebody say that I dreamt this up? Is this new?” NO! Look at Abraham.  This is the experience of Abraham. God spoke, Abraham believed. It was by faith, not by his works.

But isn’t this only for the circumcised? No! You cannot say that circumcision (obeying law) was what made him right with God. Only by faith.

Isn’t this the law? No because it hadn’t come yet!

14 years before circumcision, 430 years before law. No law, no rite – only faith.

God’s Spirit does not send me back to the law – He takes me to Jesus.

V23 Abraham’s story is for us. It is by faith.

Have you collapsed all your weight onto Jesus. Or have you collapsed most onto him and a bit on us? Because that’s a counterfeit gospel.

Why should I let you into heaven? Because I... NO! Because Jesus.

Have I been good enough? NO! But Jesus has.

5:1 Since we have been justified by faith:
1. God is at peace with us
2. Access (landing platform) into life of grace (unconditional because opposite to what we deserve)
3. Rejoice at glory of God

Do you not find gospel good news / momentous news because you are relying on yourself – a counterfeit gospel.  

 

Genesis 17 Be perfect.

Genesis 17

Empty spaces - what are we living for?
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score.
On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for...

Lyrics from Queen’s famous song “The show must go on”. Great song. Great questions. Why are we here? What are we here for? What is the reason we exist? Why did God make you and make me? For what purpose?

Well, the answer we get in this chapter is surprising: we’re here to be perfect. God made us to be perfect because he is perfect, and we were made to reflect his glory. Let’s dig in to this chapter:

1. What will God do?

The chapter opens with God making a promise: 2 I will make a covenant (promise) with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”

But hasn’t he already done this? What’s going on?

Well, it’s worth comparing the earlier chapters 12, 13, and 15 to this one, 17. Because here there is something new.

Once again God appears to Abram and promises him a land, a people, and a blessing. But instead of one nation, Israel, Abram will now be the father of many nations – v5. This is so significant that God changes his name to mark this occasion: Abram “exalted father” will now be called Abraham “father of a multitude”.

You see, not only will Abraham be a “blessing to all nations” (ch 12:3) but the father of many nations. And more than that, we suddenly get the idea of Kings coming from the Abrahamic line. But there’s something else, something far more significant: v7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

God promises to be with Abraham’s descendants: he will be their God and they will be his people.

The Bible story is like an onion. As we read through the story, we peel back layer after layer of the story. Or the Bible’s like an ogre, because ogres are like onions, with layers (Shrek!).
The Bible is like a brilliantly written story which reveals just a little bit more of the mystery until at last the whole thing clicks into place and you’re like “Ah!”
Actually it’s not “like” that – it IS that. This is God’s story, revealed to us bit by bit, and the “Ah!” moment is when Jesus steps onto the pages of his story and we’re like “Oh, it was all about him! He’s the hero of the story! He’s the mystery now revealed!”
Jesus is the blessing to all nations. Jesus is the King descended from Abraham who will gather people from every tribe and nation and family and language group on Earth into one new humanity. The new people of God by faith. The people who have Abraham as their father because he is the man of faith. Abraham believed God, and it was credited as righteousness we read a few weeks back. The everlasting covenant of chapter 17 is fulfilled by Jesus. And we are the descendants of Abraham if we too have faith in the promises of God.

So it’s this great new promise, a new revelation of God’s covenant. Wow. But there’s also a new demand, a new sign of faith. God tells Abraham how he must respond.

2. What must Abraham do? Be blameless

17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

We’ve heard this before. Where? Noah. Gen 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

And God spoke to Noah. So too with Abram: Blameless. To be in a covenant relationship with God, you need to be perfect. Noah knew God, and he was “blameless”. Abram knew God, and God said “be blameless”.

Jesus said “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:20.

Now the Pharisees we’re used to thinking of as bad guys – they were the ones who killed Jesus! But actually these were the church leaders of the day. They were well respected – everyone wanted to be like them. They were holy men, careful to obey the law in all its details. Righteous? They were righteous. They are the poster-boys for getting to heaven under your own steam: these guys were serious. They would wear the right clothes. They would pray at the right times with the right words. They would tithe their garden herbs, taking a tenth of them to the Temple. Their whole lives revolved around serving God. And Jesus said “You must be more righteous than them!” Whaaat?

To us Jesus might have said you need to be more righteous than Mother Teresa. Or more gentle than the Dalai Lama. Or more lovely than Debby Garratt. It is something shockingly difficult, impossible even.

Jesus said “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of Mother Teresa, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Abram, Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

The only way to know God is to be perfect. Think about the epistles (letters to the churches) we’ve studied: Romans and Ephesians. Both of those call on us to act perfectly. Eph 4:1–4 (NLT) Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Lead a life worthy of your calling. Be humble and gentle, patient and united – always. That is Christian behaviour. How’re you doing with that?

Romans 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.

Be a holy sacrifice. Be perfect. Abram, serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

But wait just a minute. I was here last week. I preached the sermon! And I remember that Abram wasn’t perfect. He wasn’t blameless at all! He was an adulterous sexual sinner, abusing Sarai’s poor servant girl Hagar, along with his wife, using Hagar’s body for his own purposes. What Abram and Sarai did to Hagar was terrible – about as far from “blameless” as you could get. It was so terrible that Hagar ran away to the desert to die.

And then in the very next chapter God says “blameless”. What’s going on here?

Has Abram – Abraham - fixed up his game in the thirteen years since the abuse of Hagar? Has he turned over a new leaf, tried really hard – you know, brushed his teeth, shined his sandals, combed his hair, used New Spice? Is that’s what’s happened?

Well, it might be nice to imagine so, and maybe that’s what you were taught at Sunday school: Abraham was a good guy, so God liked him, and was his friend. He scanned the hearts of all the people, and saw Abraham’s heart was good, and so chose him. That kind of nonsense is all around us: the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach it, prosperity gospel peddlers teach it, most of the State churches appear to teach it, most of the Sunday School material seems to teach it. Be good, and then God will like you.

That is a lie.

Because if you actually READ what the Bible says, instead of what you think it says….well, the message is quite different. Abraham has not changed. Oh, he’s certainly grown in his faith, no doubt about that! Only a man trusting that God could raise the dead would be willing to sacrifice his son whom he loved (chapter 22).
But he still lies about his wife Sarah being his sister (in chapter 20), and this time he really has no excuse! He just doesn’t have enough faith to believe God’s promises.
He laughs when God says he’ll have a son in this very chapter (v17).
He allows his wife to abuse Hagar and Ishmael and send them out into the desert to die (chapter 21).
Abraham is no saint. He’s not really the type of man you’d want your daughters to marry, is he? He’s the kind of leader who would be in Telen all too often for the wrong reasons (or in Se og Hør: exclusive interview with Hagar “He sent me away to die!”).

Abraham was not perfect. He did not try really hard and become perfect. He is not perfect, not blameless. Yet God says to him “be blameless”. God says to us “be blameless”.

What’s going on?!! How can we do this?

Well, here we come to a great truth at the heart of the Bible. To borrow from Major Ian Thomas: if we are made in God’s perfect image, why should He not demand perfection from us. It is a perfectly reasonable demand. That demand only seems unreasonable to us because we’re missing something, something so obvious, so clear, so necessary. Sin clouds our minds because sin says “I am God!”.
What’s missing is this: God. God Himself. He is the missing piece of the puzzle. To quote: “When God made you and me, His intention was that we in normality would be seen as different to the animal kingdom by a quality of life and behaviour that would allow for absolutely no possible explanation but God within us.”

We were designed needing God to be fully human. There is indeed a God-shaped hole in each of us. We are designed to be perfect, but we were NOT designed to achieve that perfection on our own. We must have God’s perfection, God’s righteousness, in order to be perfect, be righteous. True humanity, really LIVING, is only found when God lives within us. He is our life.

And that’s why God says to Abraham, says to us: be perfect. Be like me, for I am with you. 7 I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

Man without God is like a car with no engine. He is our engine, our driving force. Without him, we are nothing. Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

3. How can we be blameless?

Well, there was a big clue a few chapters back, just before the big mess with Hagar. Turn back to chapter 15, verse 6: And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.

In the story of Noah, we read that everything humans thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil (6:5), but v8 Noah found favour with the Lord”.

In v1 of Ephesians 4 it says Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

Therefore. Because of what God has done. Because you’ve been called by God.

Verse 1 of Romans 12 says the same thing. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.

And so. Because of all he has done for you. How often we skip over those words! But that’s the truth. Never remove moral exhortation from its redemptive context. That means never preach “this is how you behave” without the gospel of grace. We are saved. We are declared righteous. So be what you are!
It’s not try really hard, but be what you now are: a new creation.
It’s like saying to a car with no engine: drive vs. saying to a car with a new engine fitted: drive. One is impossible, one is perfectly natural!
Christian, be what you are. Let the Holy Spirit transform you. Give yourself over to God: your time, your money, your relationships, your love life, your sex life, your friendships, your work, your dreams, your career, your “rights”. Everything you are, everything you have – give it over to God. You belong to him.

The sign that Abraham believed that he was forgiven by God, that he belonged to God, was circumcision. His body was marked: a sign that he and all his descendants belonged to God. 10 This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised. 11 You must cut off the flesh of your foreskin as a sign of the covenant between me and you. …13 All must be circumcised. Your bodies will bear the mark of my everlasting covenant.

His circumcision was a sign of the covenant. It was a sign of his faith. Because we humans are rather stupid, Israel kept getting that wrong and trusting in the sign rather than having faith! “Oh, I’ve got the sign, I don’t need to trust God!” Whoops.

The external sign symbolised an internal change. That’s why the New Testament talks about a circumcision of the heart, and why our sign is not circumcision but baptism. We do not bear the mark in our own bodies, because that mark was pointing towards the One whose body would be marked for our sins.
Jesus is our sign of circumcision. His body bore the mark of God’s everlasting covenant. Eternally, his body is scarred.

And so in baptism we celebrate our old life being put to death with Jesus on the cross, and us being raised to new life with him in his resurrection. We are a new creation, with new, circumcised hearts. Hearts that belong to God.

So we then are part of the multitude of nations that come from Abraham. He is our father, not by blood, but by faith. And we are part of that amazing promise in v7 “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
He is our God because our King, Abrahams descendant, Jesus, the Christ, bore our sins upon the Cross, took the mark of the covenant in his own body, and won for us the righteousness of God, so that we can believe and God be counted as righteous.

In Christ, you are fully human. Friends, rejoice! And start living out what God’s put in you. Yes, you will stumble and fall, but remember that Jesus has already borne your sins: you are counted as righteous. And stand and carry on. Abraham stumbled many times – but each time he was forgiven, blessed, raised up. Have faith. Trust God’s word. You are forgiven in Christ.

This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. He is our God.

Our response? I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.

Praise God that he himself bore the marks in his body to cover our sins, to give us a new heart, and make us new creations: truly human. Thank you Father.

God's mission is our mission

 

Today’s sermon will be a little unusual: I have only two verses, and those from different places! Next week we’ll carry on with the life of Abraham and God's promise, but today I'm going to spend some time on who we are and why we are here. Why Rock International Church? Why bother to start a new evening service? I and many others already have enough to do, and this just adds to an already heavy load. Why are we doing this?

This is the reason: because we are not on our own mission - but on God’s. The word mission means "a task, a calling; your core driver". Our mission is set not by us but by God - we belong to him. God's calling is our calling. God 's mission is our mission.

And the mission is this:

Rom 1:16 (ESV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

2 Tim 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

God's mission is :

- To reach the lost

- To equip or train the saints

To put it in more plain language: God is on a rescue mission – and once you’ve been rescued, you become part of the rescue team. It’s like joining the fire brigade – you’ve got to be physically strong, mentally alert, keeping your mind and body fit so that you can follow Jesus as he goes into the fire to rescue people.

That’s kind of what it’s like.

Now I’ve taken only two verses today because I want us to feel the impact of the universal Biblical truth that these two verses hold. Because – we are always tempted away from these truths. Churches fail because they leave these truths behind. Christians become ineffective, scattered like sheep without a shepherd when they leave these truths behind.

So, let’s spend some time thinking about: how does God save people, and how are we made ready, equipped, to serve him.

1. How does God save people?

If I asked you that question, what would you say? How are people saved? What would you do to save people? In fact, let me ask you the question: How does God save people?

Now unless you’ve all been smarty pants and given the correct answer we probably have a number of different answers. And even if you have got it all correct I suspect that that’s not actually the way you think. Because I don’t think like this.

Because how does God save people? This is the way (singular)

Rom 1:16 (ESV) I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation.

There is ONE way to be saved. To hear and believe the gospel. There is no other way to be saved.

No-one is saved by the church. No-one is saved by Christian music. No-one is saved by Christians being nice. No-one is saved by Bible knowledge. No-one is saved by food programs or orphanages in Columbia. No-one is saved through friendship. No-one is saved through beautiful church buildings. No-one is saved through religious activities. No-one is saved through baptism, or receiving communion, or growing up in a Christian family.

The only way to be saved is the gospel.

Do I really believe that?

The problem is that the gospel is offensive. I want there to be some other way to save people – an easier way. I’m looking for it.
The gospel says to people “You are wrong. God is right. Repent”. It says you cannot save yourself - you need a saviour.
And no-one like being told they’re wrong. No-one likes being exposed. Here we are, having a great time pretending that we are God in our lives, making decisions, declaring to ourselves what we think is right, and what we think is wrong. You know, like when I told that guy to beep beep beep! – well, he deserved it. And when I took that bit off my taxes – well the government just wastes the money. And when I manipulated by husband or boyfriend into doing what I wanted, or nagged him or made fun of him in front of my friends and his – well he deserved it because he’s such a lazy so-and-so. And so on and so on. Fill your own little self-justification in there!

We’re very good at deciding what we do is right, or at least not as wrong as what those other people are doing. Ooh, we love pointing fingers. But when Jesus comes along and exposes our hypocrisy (double standard), exposes our sin – ooh, we don’t like that.

Two verses later we see why we need the gospel, and why only the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Ro 1:18 (NLT) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

We have suppressed (covered) the truth with our wickedness. We have rebelled against our Creator, God Most High. And he is angry. And rightly so.

And if you think he doesn’t have a right to be angry – look at the world. Look what a mess we’ve made. Wars, murders, rape, child abuse, environmental damage on a massive scale, we’ve wiped out whole species of animals and plants. We lie, we cheat, we abandon those we claim to love – God is right to be angry. It’s good that he’s angry – because these things matter. What we are doing to our world, what we are doing to each other – it matters. It matters to God.

How terrible it would be if God really *was* that stupid “God of love”: the Grandfather in the Sky who just accepts everyone and just sweeps everything under the carpet. It doesn’t matter – here, have a cookie. It mocks the victims, the suffering, the devastation caused by our sin. How you would feel if you came home to your wife having sex with the neighbour and when you poured out your anger and heartache to your friend he said “oh, that doesn’t matter”.

No, God is angry, and that is good. Sin matters. Sin must be dealt with. Evil must be dealt with. The evil that is done to us, the evil that we do to others. It matters. In Romans 3:10 it says “No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.” We’re in serious trouble! And this is where Jesus comes in.
Rom 3:21 (ESV) But now the righteousness of God has been [revealed]… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

The gospel is the message of Jesus. If we’re not talking about Jesus, we’re not sharing the gospel. The gospel is about Jesus. He is the King of the God’s Kingdom. He is the Gospel, the Good News. Because he took our place, taking the punishment of death our sins deserved in order to set us free to be part of God’s team, God’s family.

You see, only Jesus is righteous (good) enough for God. God is perfect, holy. An all-consuming fire. And the only way to be with God, even be near God, is to be holy, perfect, righteous – a holy fire yourself.

That’s why in the Old Testament God always warned people to stay back. The Temple was layers and layers of barriers to God – because if you went into his presence – you would die. Unholy man – holy God. Dead. And all-consuming fire.

But when Jesus died on the Cross, he opened the way to God. His righteousness became ours. And our sinfulness was destroyed, dealt with, paid on the cross. All our evil deeds, all the things we’ve done wrong – and still will do wrong. Paid for. In full. That’s the gospel. Jesus, our righteousness.

It’s a swap: his life for ours. Our life for his.

And when we understand how HUGE the gospel is – all our little efforts to “save” people get put in their rightful place.

“Being nice” looks ridiculous compared to the Son of God on the Cross, bearing our sins. Having a nice church service is irrelevant compared to his righteousness. Lots of Bible knowledge is wasted if we haven’t grasped the central message of the Bible: Christ, and him crucified. Our religion is empty if we don’t know Jesus. To know him is to know the Father. There is no other way to know God except by knowing Jesus.
And if you don’t know him – repent and ask him to save you. Do it now. He hears your thoughts. Pray silently “Father God, forgive me. I have sinned against you. Save me. I want to follow you, belong to you. In Jesus name. Amen.”

We must, must, must get the gospel central in our thinking. Christ! Christ Alone! Then everything falls into place, and has its value. Because being nice is good. Music is good. A nice church is good. Food programs and orphanages are good. Friendship is good. But we must not let what is good be the enemy of the best.

Only the gospel is the power of God for salvation.

You want to see people transformed? Stop being just nice. Share the gospel. Repent and believe in Jesus.

Ok, great, but how? How do we do this? I don’t know what to do? Do I just start blurting out “repent and believe” to everyone who walks past? Or as I heard one pastor tell this story recently: a man in his church was at work, when someone came in and said “the tap in the men’s toilet isn’t working”. He’d been praying for an opportunity to witness and so he called out “I know a fountain of living water where sins are washed away, there’s wonder-working power at the blood of Calvary”. Apparently you could have heard a pin drop!

So what do we do? God’s genius is that sharing the gospel is not just something we do, but something we are. It is our very lives that are transformed by his Holy Spirit that bear witness to our hope and give our words context and truth.

2. How are we equipped to live the Christian life?

How do we live as a Christian? How do we “repent and believe” like Jesus says?

Well, God is a good Father – he does not leave us alone! Like any good parent, he feeds and clothes us – and this is done, again, in only one way: through hearing his Word. As we listen to Him, His Spirit takes His Word and makes it real, alive, transforming us.

2 Tim 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

How are we equipped to live the Christian life? Through ALL Scripture. There’s a reason in this church we’ve been through Mark, Amos, Epheisans, Philemon, and now Genesis. All over the Bible. Because we need to see the WHOLE story, the complete revelation of God.

It is through Scripture (the Bible) that we are equipped for every good work. The opposite is also true: the man who is not in the Scriptures is a man totally unequipped for every good work.

Why are Christians failing to make an impact here in Norway? Why are so few turning to Christ? Why is the church in rapid decline? Why are Christians “safe”? Why do the lives of Christians look exactly the same as everyone else’s – seeking comfort, wealth, safety?
2 Tim 3:17 says “because they are not equipped”. Too many sermons are “Generic Platitudes for today” (“Poor copies of overused sayings for today”).
God’s Word should shock us, challenge us, move us to wonder and praise – not leave us saying “meh”.

When we read the Bible – whether at church on a Sunday, or in the Bible group, or reading to our family, or reading on our own – we are coming before our Creator God, our Heavenly Father. These are his Words to us. It is mighty. It is deep. It is spiritual. It is transforming power.

Let me tell you a story about a man. Let's call him Ola. Ola is married, has two children, a job, and some hobbies. But there is one thing that is a little strange about dear old Ola. He almost never eats. He usually eats every Sunday - that is, if he's not out fishing or hunting - or Man Utd (the world's best soccer team) is playing.
But pretty much Sunday. Except in the summer of course. From time to time he’ll make a small sandwich in the evening when he feels a little guilty because hardly ever eats, or when he’s under pressure at work or at home. He promises himself that this will become a new habit, but all too quickly he falls back into old habits again of not eating.

That’s Ola. Mostly he is happy with his efforts - but sometimes he feels that he’s missed something. But that doesn’t last long - he easily finds something to distract him from such thoughts.

But the truth is that Ola is so thin and bony and has so little energy that his efforts at work are not good. Well, it's not so bad that he could be fired, but it’s so much less than what he could have done.

And his family is missing their servant leader. When Ola gets home he is so worn out he's not ready to meet his family's needs and just leaves it to the wife because she’s "good at such things."

And the church! Well, he does get there occasionally, but he’s so tired he can’t do more than just sit in the seat until it’s time to leave.

It is quite clear that Ola’s problems would be quickly solved if he just ate regularly. But, he says, he has no time. Next week, says Ola. Next week I'll eat. It will be fine.

Now, when it comes to food, it’s clear – it’s so natural, so obvious to set aside time to eat. Hello, we need it! We die otherwise! Or just become less and less effective if we starve.

But when it comes to God's Word, it seems we believe the opposite. Oh, I can get along with a little snack once a week!
Are we crazy or what?!
We are created dependant on God. Dependant upon His Word.
Jesus quoted from Deut 8:3 "man does not live by bread alone , but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. "

We depend on His Word to survive. Make time for Bible reading, Bible group, church twice now on a Sunday, family Bible time, one-to-one Bible reading and conversation – in just the same way as food. We shop, prepare, and eat our food, and use a large part of our time and money doing it. So should it be with our spiritual food: the Bible, God’s Living Word spoken by His Spirit into our lives.

What is the power of God for salvation ? The Gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And how are we equipped to serve Him? Through the whole Bible, hearing it taught at church, at home, in private. Oh Lord, speak to us, change us we pray!

So let us make time to spend in the Word, let us encourage each other to keep telling others about Jesus, our glorious, wonderful Saviour and Lord. Amen!