SERMON  NOTES: 8/22/10

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Jeremiah 1:4-10

Created, Called, Empowered

INTRODUCTION:  Well, as I continue to age it seems I have more and more senior moments.  Every day I have at least one existential moment – I’ll walk into a room and ask, “Why am I here?”   Just when I think I’ve got it all together – I forget where I put it – no, wait, I remember – or not!   

            The fact of the matter is, the reason we joke about this stuff is that we do want to know   why we are here and what our lives are about.  We would also like to have at least a bit of a handle on what we are doing and feel that we are capable of doing it!  In other words, we want to know the why, what, and how to of life.   

            We need to recognize, however, that this whole big question is different for Christians.   Our passage from Jeremiah this morning can give us insight on the answers to these questions for ourselves.  And the underlying theological concept is that God is the answer.   Our existence, our purpose, and our ability are all dependent upon God.

I.          First, we are all created by God.   God did not just start the ball rolling and then walk away.  He did not create Adam and Eve, and then let nature take its course.  He did not abandon His role as Creator and turn the world over to genetic roulette.  God individually and lovingly creates every one of us.  God made me.  God made you.  And God doesn’t make junk!

            Listen again to what God told Jeremiah.  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart….”  The great clergyman Harry Emerson Fosdick once dealt with this question of who you and I are in God's eyes.  His argument is compelling and affirming.   Fosdick noted that the more we know about any subject, the less we think in terms of the general and the more we think in terms of the specific.  For example, let's suppose my car breaks down.  I open the hood and I stare at a mass of wires, rubber and metal none of which mean anything to me.  I don't know anything about cars, so when I look under the hood, it is all one big blob. But a trained mechanic will look under the hood of my car and he or she will not see a blob or a mass.  The mechanic will see the fuel injector and the alternator, and he will reach into a part of the motor that I do not even see and tighten a connecting wire.  You see, the more you know about cars, the less you think in terms of the blob, the mass, and the more you think about individual parts.  Now, think of God.  God, who is the Source of all knowledge, does not see the general.  God sees the specific.   God knows you and me more intimately than we know ourselves. We are created by Him. We are not garbage to be thrown out.[1] 

            Now in addition to what all this says about our personal value to God, and our relationship with Him, it also has something to say on the subject of abortion.  Every individual person is God created.  That newly conceived, God created child in the womb is not a blob of tissue, not an inconvenience, and not unimportant.   Each child is, even in the womb, is a specific individual to God, and should be born. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart….”   Years ago my family saw a young man of Generation X age wearing a t-shirt that said, “I’m a survivor:   one-third of my generation was killed in the womb.”   “God made us, and He has a plan for our lives even before we were born.”  The answer to “Why are we here?” is that God put us here – He made us.

II.        Well then, what are we to do?  What is our purpose in life?   Well, the short answer is “Whatever God tells us to do.”  Again, listen to what God says to Jeremiah, “You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you…, today I appoint you….”   And like Jeremiah, each of us has been created by God for a purpose, we have been called.  

            Likewise each of us is called by God.  Maybe you don’t know what your call is, but if you will listen and obey, then you will find it.         Now we have to admit that Jeremiah’s first reaction was to make excuses: “But I’m too young.”  When we read the Bible we find that he is in good company.  Abraham said, “I’m too old to father a nation.”  Moses said, “I don’t talk good enough to address Pharaoh.”  Amos objected, “I am not a prophet or the son of a prophet.”  The rich young ruler said, “I have too much to lose by following Jesus.”  The disciples said, “If we stay with Jesus, they may kill us too.”  “I can’t, I’m not able, I don’t know, I’m afraid, I’m weak, I’m old, I’m young, I’m rich, I’m poor.”    We make excuses as to why we can’t do as God calls us.

            But the truth is, we need to stop with the excuses.  It’s been three decades since Nancy Reagan started an anti-drug campaign and coined the slogan “Just say no.”   That concept is right about drugs, but we Christians need to just say yes.  Yes to God.  Yes to God’s will. Yes to God’s call.   

III.       God created us for a purpose and calls us to our tasks.  Of course, that often leaves feeling a bit inadequate – how can we possible do the work of God?  How can we be His hands, His feet, His voice?  Well, the how is answered in the same way as the why and the what – God.  God empowers us to do what God calls us to do.   Here is what God said to Jeremiah.  “‘Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,’ declares the LORD.  Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth.’”  We needn’t worry about how we are going to do what God has called us to do, for God Himself will give us the gifts and the power to do His will, if we will only obey Him.

            Maurice Berquist in her book, THE MIRACLE AND POWER OF BLESSING, speaks of what she calls the parallel principle.  She says, if you pull a copper wire parallel to overhead power lines, you get a transfer of power.   Even though the second wire is not physically touching the first or connected in any way to a generator or dynamo, power will come into it just as soon as it gets parallel.  Now I don’t know if that really works, electrically, but I do know it works in our Christian lives.  When our lives are parallel to God's purposes, we find a power we never dreamed possible.  And it makes no difference who we are.  God gives us an identity, a job, and the power to do that job.[2]  

CONCLUSION:  It is time we Christians start living our lives in obedience to God’s call.  You see, God created you for this time; He knew when He made you just what years and events you would live through.   God gave you the talents He wanted you to have; He knew what you would need to do the things He was going to ask you to do.  God put you in the lives of the people He wanted you to influence; He knew what lives you would be able to impact.

            Answer the call of the God who created you.  Receive the power to do His will by walking in that will.  Give you whole lives to Jesus, body, mind, and soul.  Show your faith by trusting God and obeying Christ.  For as Mordecai said to Esther, “Who know but that you may have come … for such a time as this.”  

SERMON  NOTES: 8/15/10

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Luke 12:49-56

Truth or Consequences

I.          How many of you are addicted to the weather reports on the news?  I know I am.  I may not be watching the television, but I'll listen to hear the weather as it is being reported.  And of course, if there is any kind of tropical system, I can’t get away from the NOAA website.  Perhaps it has something to do with the human desire to know what the future will be, or maybe we really are only interested in how to dress tomorrow, but whatever the reason, many of us hang on Trent's (or another meteorologist’s) words as if they are gospel.

            Of course there is a serious problem with doing this.  The weather forecasters are often wrong.  I remember years ago in California, the local weather guy started predicting a cooling trend "in a couple of days."  And he was right, only he had to keep repeating it every night for two weeks before it actually happened!  When we lived in rainy Washington there was a local weatherman who almost always predicted that there would be "partial clearing" the next day.  Everybody loved Harry Wopler.  He was very popular.  I wonder if that's why his forecasts always included that optimistic, but usually wrong, prediction.  He was seeking approval rather than truth.  Anyway, I've decided that the only weather forecaster I'm going to believe is the one that says, "I just looked out the window, and it’s raining." 

            We are very interested in weather predictions, and we even have our own ways of second guessing the weather.  We may have our own system for second guessing the experts on the number or the track of hurricanes, or we may just rely on our “gut feelings.”  Our interpretations of the weather are often based on our own wishful thinking, but we think we know how to read the meteorological indications of our climate – but how are we at reading the signs of the times?

            Jesus warned the crowds that heard him preach that they should be able to read the "present time."  They should be able to tell what was going on around them.  And in the same way he is saying to us today that we should be able to read what is happening in our world, and see God's movement in current events.  It's just a matter of interpretation, and it really isn't all that hard.

1.         Reading the signs of what is coming in the world begins with having the proper relationship with Jesus Christ.  We must be committed to Christ above all else.  We must be ready to obey Jesus regardless of the consequences.  If we are not in this kind of relationship with the Lord, we will not be able to hear His word, His message to us, and we will find that we are prone to believe any and every absurd thing that we hear.   

            But we have to know what following Christ means.  Unlike the Seattle weatherman I mentioned earlier, we do not have the luxury of telling people what they want to hear.  We need to know and speak the truth.  Jesus is that truth, and the Word of God, the Bible, is God's repository of His truth.  We must proclaim and stand fast for God's truth, even when it isn't popular, even when it goes against the socially accepted norm, the “politically correct,” and even when it results in our being ridiculed, cast out, or persecuted.

            Years ago our daughter Stacy told me about watching the Miss Teen U.S.A. pageant.  When it came to the part of the competition where the finalists are asked questions and judged on their answers, at least two of the questions involved current social policies that spark much controversy.  I don’t remember the specific issues, but the girl who espoused the "currently accepted social norm" received a high score, while the girl who stood up for an unpopular position, even though it was well reasoned and presented, was given the lowest score of any contestant.  I was reminded of this years later when the Miss America contestant was so bitterly attacked for standing up for traditional marriage between a man and a woman.  And like her and that Miss Teen U.S.A. contestant, we must proclaim the truth, even though we may be penalized for our commitment.

            Jesus made it clear that with truth comes conflict.  It is often one of the consequences of speaking the truth.  I know that many Christians want to believe that if we are just "nice people," if we are "tolerant" and "accepting" of others, then everybody will love us and the Gospel will be advanced.  I'm afraid that nothing is further from the truth.  Jesus said, "Do you think that I have come to bring peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division.  From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three..."  It is okay for us to talk about the peace of Christ, but that peace is something within us.  It cannot be an excuse to conform to an ungodly society, to “go along to get along."

            To read the signs requires that we have a right relationship with Jesus and that we stand fast for His truth in spite of opposition and in spite of personal consequences.

2.         Now knowing how to read the signs of the times is often called a matter of interpretation.  But that does not mean that everybody's opinion is equally valid.  We need to know how to interpret those signs.  Let me give you a non-biblical example.  Take two market analysts who give their clients "predictions" of what the stock market is going to do next.  One says, "The market is hot.  Things are going through the roof.  This is the time to buy in expectation of making a big profit."  The other analyst says, "The market has gone as far as it can go.  It has to drop now in order to balance itself.  This is the time to sell to keep from incurring huge losses."  Now both of these people have made predictions based on the signs they see in the stock market.  You might think that both of these are "equally valid opinions."  But they can't both be true, and if you choose the wrong "equally valid opinion," then you could lose your shirt.

            In the same way, people will interpret the signs of the times differently, but not everyone's interpretation can be true, and if we accept the wrong one, we may have to face some unpleasant circumstances.  We may even end up in the wrong camp when the Lord starts separating out the sheep from the goats.  This is why every Christian must be able to read and understand God's Word for him or herself.  You cannot rely on radio or television preachers, writers of popular Christian books, Bible study teachers and leaders, or even your pastor to always give you the correct interpretation.  You must judge for yourself, for the Lord will hold you responsible for the quality of your judgments.  Of course, you should listen to those who are trained in the study and interpretation of the Word, but then you should test their conclusions against that Word.  Learn how to interpret world events in the light of scripture.  Always begin by looking for the simple, plain meaning of the Biblical text.  If Jesus says that immediately after event "a" happens, then event "b" will happen, you can be pretty sure that "a" is going to happen first, and only then "b" will happen!  It doesn't take a nuclear physicist to figure that out.  If anyone tries to tell you that event "b" has happened, but you haven't seen event "a" yet, then they is wrong!  If someone tries to tell you that Jesus has returned, when we haven’t yet seen all the signs in the sun and moon and stars, the great tribulation, or all the other things He Himself predicted – then look out – it ain't Jesus!  And the consequences of going after that false Jesus will be eternally deadly..          

            Knowing how to read the signs is nearly as important as having the right relationship with the Lord.  You can easily be led astray, if you do not know the basic principles of Biblical interpretation that every Christian needs to know, but which many fail to learn.

3.         Now I do need to give a warning here.  Even if you are in a right relationship with Jesus, and even if you do know how to read and understand the Bible and what it is saying about our times, you can still be wrong.  Even the best of Bible scholars can make mistakes, so you need to know how to cope with being wrong! 

            The person who is so convinced that they can never be wrong is in great danger, and this is particularly true when we are talking about interpreting "signs." 

            In the mid 1800's, William Miller became convinced that Christ would return on October 22, 1844.  He was wrong, but after "The Great Disappointment" the Millerites went on, corrected their error, and continued to seek God's will.  Out of this movement grew the Seventh-Day Adventists, who continue to seek to understand the signs of the times in light of scripture.  But in 1930 a Bulgarian immigrant founded a sect of Seventh Day Adventism, and when he died, his wife predicted that God would despose the Arabs and Jews and give the Holy Land to this sect, these so-called "Davidians," on April 22, 1959.  She was also wrong, but her followers did not adjust to this "disappointment," and this already fringe group ultimately became the Branch Davidians led by David Koresh.[1]

            Sometimes we may be wrong, but we need to be able to accept that we made an error in judgment, go back to God's word to discover our error, and move on.  Of course, I believe one error we sometimes make is to try to pin-point a date for the Lord's return, since Jesus told us that no one knows the day or hour except God the Father.  Jesus said that even HE didn't know!  So it is rather presumptuous for us to set dates.

            At the same time, we need to be aware of the trends and the events that indicate that we may be coming to that time.  Jesus tells us that while we don't know when He will return, we should always be ready for His return.  If we are not ready, the consequences for us can be grim. 

C.        Jesus was pretty blunt about His opinion of those who do not pay attention to the signs of the times.  "You hypocrites," He said, "you know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"  The crowds of Jesus day missed the significance of who He was and what He was sent to do because they did not know how to read the signs in the light of Scripture.  The masses today may well be surprised by the second coming, because they are too lazy or too hard-hearted to attempt understand what God has told us about what He plans to do in the world. 

            The signs are there for us to see.  God's plan is here for us to read.  If we are only willing to put the two together, we can be better prepared to face what is happening and what is going to happen in our world.  If we are unwilling to read God’s Word and to face the signs we see around us, then we will be faced instead with the consequences of our ignorance.  Choose wisely.  Understand the signs.  Always be ready, for we do not know when the Son of Man will return on the clouds

SERMON  NOTES: 8/8/10

Note: To send a comment or question about this sermon, click on pastormichel@bellsouth.net

Psalm 107:1-9, 42-43

Say It Out Loud

INTRODUCTION:  Type my sermon title into a Google search box and you will get a wide variety of results ranging from an Illinois mental health campaign  to a Japanese language program for children to a YouTube video to, of course, James Brown’s classic song from the 60’s – “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.”  Whether it is expressing ones ethnic identity, bringing one’s problems into the open, or learning a new language, people recognize the importance of verbalization.

            On the other hand, there seem to be times when it is best to keep one’s mouth shut.  Society is filled with jokes about things that are better left unsaid.  For example, when a police officer says "Gee Son....Your eyes look red, have you been drinking?"  You probably shouldn't respond with, "Gee Officer your eyes look glazed, have you been eating doughnuts?"[1] 

            These diametrically opposed actions – speaking out or keeping quiet – are all very well for society at large.  But what about our Christian faith?  Are we supposed to be vocal or silent?  I certainly recognize that there are situations in which Christians have to generally keep their faith a secret – as in North Korea,  China, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and other places where being known as a Christian can get you real dead real quick.  In many places believers must balance keeping a low profile and not denying their faith.

            But we don’t live in those places, and in spite of the current anti-faith attitude of our society, we still have the freedom to express our faith, to speak out for Jesus, and to try to be the moral conscience for our society.  Psalm 107 gives us some great insight into our responsibilities.  

 I.         The words of this psalm that jumped right out at me this past week are, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so….”  Those few words make two very important points.

            First, we are the redeemed of the Lord.  Think about what that means.  We are redeemed,  bought at a high price for the glory of God.  We are saved from our sins,  granted eternal life,  and delivered from the fires of hell.  We are promised abundant life, joy, and peace  in this world, and the very presence of God in the life to come.  The great Christian theologian, Jonathan Edwards, once said, “The redeemed are dependent of God for all.  All that we have -- wisdom, the pardon of sin, deliverance, acceptance in God's favor, grace, holiness, true comfort and happiness, eternal life and glory -- we have from God by a Mediator; and this Mediator is God.”[2]  What an incredible blessing.  What amazing grace we are offered by God.

            Next, if we have this wonderful blessing of redemption from the hand of God, shouldn’t we want to tell others about it?  If we will think about our redemption in terms of the end result of all that God has done,  then our mouths should be opened and our lips proclaim the praise of our God for what He has done.  Now I understand the fear that we have in regards to talking about our faith.  A survey was given to those attending training sessions for the Billy Graham crusade in Detroit.  One question asked, "What is your greatest hindrance to witnessing?"  For 51 percent the biggest problem was the fear of how the other person would react!  None of us likes to be rejected, ridiculed, or regarded as an oddball.[3]

            Now here is the solution to our problem.  That fear of rejection is the result of putting the emphasis on ourselves – we fear our witness will be rejected, that we will be thought odd, that we will be made fun of.  But it is not about us.  “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” means that it is about God and what God has done.  You don’t have to be able to quote every verse in Scripture.  You don’t have to have an answer for every tough question that might get thrown at you.  You just have to tell people what God has done for you.  Tell them how God has changed your life.  Make it about God,  and don’t take their reaction personally.

            You know, the problem with the “super-Christian” is that outside the church itself, they are always disguised in their secret identity.  In our society, see should not be Christianity’s version of the secret agent.  In every situation, before every audience, in every circumstance we should be willing and ready to say it out loud, “I am redeemed of the Lord!”

II.        A good way to start this witnessing is also found in this psalm, “Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love.”  Give credit where credit is due. Thank God,  openly, publicly, vociferously for all His blessings.  Don’t tell your friends and neighbors how lucky you are  – that says what you have is the result of random chance.  Don’t tell them how successful you are  – that says what you have you have earned.  Tell them how blessed  you are – and be specific! – “we have been blessed by God in Christ!”

            One morning R.C. Chapman, a devout Christian, was asked how he was feeling.  "I'm burdened this morning!" was his reply.  But his happy countenance contradicted his words.  So the questioner exclaimed in surprise, "Are you really burdened, Mr. Chapman?"  "Yes, but it's a wonderful burden -- it's an overabundance of blessings for which I cannot find enough time or words to express my gratitude!"[4]   

            In every situation, before every audience, in every circumstance we should be willing and ready to say it out loud, “Thank God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that I have been born again into a redeemed life and been blessed in all things.”

III.       Along with all God’s blessings comes a responsibility.  At the end of the psalm, after a brief discussion of the ways of the unrighteous, it says, “Let those who are wise give heed to these things.”  We are the redeemed of the Lord, and we need to be thankful for all He has done for us.  But we are also called to be God’s servants, His witnesses, and even His prophets.

            This nation, as my late father would have said, is “going to hell in a hand basket.”   There have been more arrests of individuals who support terrorism, and Al-Qaida’s new leader is reported to have lived here in the U.S for 15 years – enjoying the benefits of our nation while plotting attacks against it.  It seems like every day another child or young woman is abducted, and there is another case of someone attempting to contact and communicate with a minor with knowledge and intent to engage in sexual conduct.  As we were leaving California last week, a federal judge declared that California’s legally passed ban on same sex marriage was unconstitutional. 

            And every time a Christian speaks out against Islamic extremism, the immorality of our society, the depravity of homosexuality, or the danger generally of spitting in God’s eye, he or she is labeled racist, prudish, intolerant, and narrow-minded.  But that should not stop us.  We have a responsibility to be the conscience of society, whether society wants it or not!  As H.C. Trumbull said,  “Conscience tells us that we ought to do right, but it does not tell us what right is -- that we are taught by God's word.”[5]  Even if we want to allow Americans to follow their conscience, they need to know what is right – and as the custodians of the Word of God, we are in the position of being able to do just that.  Remember that the one who will not stand up for something, will fall for anything!

            Do not be afraid to speak out for what is right.  In every situation, before every audience, in every circumstance we should be willing and ready to say it out loud, “This is the Word of the Lord.  We must not deviate from His ways or abandon His laws.”

CONCLUSION:  All too often, my friends, Christians are too quiet.  They are quiet about their faith, though they have been given the greatest of all gifts.  They are quiet about their blessings, though they are the recipients of more than they even realize.  And they are quiet about what is right and wrong, though they have been granted the very Word of God as a light and guide.

            Years ago there was a pub in Laguna Beach, CA, modeled after one in England.  Its name was “The Quiet Woman,” and it had a rather insulting sign.  Don’t be a quiet Christian.  Gove heed to the things of God.  Thank the Lord for all He has done.  And above all else, let the redeemed of the Lord say so – proclaim it loud and clear – we have been bought with the blood of the Lamb, and our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life

SERMON  NOTES: 7/18/10

Note: To send a comment or question about this sermon, click on pastormichel@bellsouth.net

Colossians 1:15-23

In Christ Alone

INTRODUCTION:  Well, let’s see.  What’s going on in the world?   The Presbyterian Church (USA) is again trying to overturn its historic ordination standards and make sexual immorality acceptable.  Mahmoud Abbas has again rejected the call by both Prime Minister Netanyahu and the US administration for face-to-face peace talks with Israel.  The Gulf of Mexico is covered in oil.  Terrorist bombs went off in Uganda, killing  80.  US/North Korea relations continue to degenerate.  Protests continue on both sides of Arizona’s new immigration law.  There’s flooding in China.  A Massachusetts’s federal judge has declared the Federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.   A common thief, the “Barefoot Bandit,” is for some absurd reason becoming a folk hero – which has to say something not very flattering about the “folk” involved.  Oh, and the new iPhone is facing a recall because of antenna problems.  Doesn’t it seem as that if it is not one problem, it’s another?  Pauline commented to me recently that our lives are beginning to feel like the arcade game   Whack-a-Mole – you know the one where the little rodents keep popping out of the holes and you have to whack them on the head. 

            Of course, the root cause of all the problems that keep popping up at us is spiritual.  We have trouble, pain, disaster, suffering, war, hatred, apathy, and all because we live in a fallen world.   And that “fallenness” comes from our broken relationship with God, a relationship that only the Lord Jesus Christ can restore.  Jesus died for our sins.  He bled on the cross, so that we might be washed clean of our iniquities.  He rose from the dead that we might have life, and in Him we are reconciled to God the Father.

            So all in all, the solution seems pretty simple to me.  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”   All that has to happen in the world is for every man woman and child to give their lives to Jesus!  And why wouldn’t they?  Jesus promised salvation, grace, peace, abundant life, hope, and reconciliation with God.  Who wouldn‘t want that?  Well, apparently a lot of people, even many within the church, don’t want it.  In spite of that, the fact is that there is nothing in this world that is more important to us than our relationship with Jesus.

I.          So it is that we must reject the false teaching in the world and the church that anything is more important than Jesus.    Consider what the world and parts of the church consider important.

            Few years ago, potential employers were bemoaning the crop of college graduates applying for their companies.  Employers reported that they were not interested in the work.  These potential employees asked only three questions: what does the job pay, how much vacation time do I get, and how soon can I retire?   Ask a hundred people in Pembroke Lakes Mall what is the most important thing in life, and what kind of answers do you think you would get?   On the positive side you might get family, children, or friends.  I suspect more common answers would be money, possessions, prestige, pride, and pleasure.   I doubt you would get very many people respond “Jesus.”

            In the church, as we have seen in our own denomination as well as in others, we find things like self-esteem, wisdom, respect for others, the appearance of unity, absence of conflict, a distorted definition of justice, political correctness, or diversity are the watchwords that reign above all else in both decisions and actions.  Among the non-denominational groups it might well be health and prosperity, being seeker friendly, growth, success, appearance, or even size   that takes precedence.

            It is very easy to find something to turn into an idol in our personal or church lives.  But this is what Scripture says:   ¹⁵He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.   ¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. ¹⁹For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him….^[1]

            There is nothing more important than Jesus.   Before the universe existed, He was.  When the world was called into existence, He did the calling.  He is the creator of every power and authority, so He has precedence over them all.  He is the glue that keeps the universe together – without Him, it would all fall to pieces.  He is the beginning of life, and He is the beginning of life after death.  And He is all these things, as Paul says, “so that in everything He might have supremacy!”  I hate to contradict Frank Sinatra, who sang “New York, New York,” but it is Jesus, not Frank, who is   “King of the hill, Head of the list, Cream of the crop, At top of the heap.”[2]

II.        Jesus is not only the most important, He is also unique.  He is the only one who can bring about salvation.  The blood of Jesus on the cross is the only means of grace by which we may be saved.  So it is that we must reject the false teaching of salvation outside of Jesus.  

            Most of those out there in the world, even among American citizens who call themselves Christians, believe that if they are just “good people” that will get them into heaven.   If they don’t kill anyone, don’t lie, cheat, or steal – at least not any more than anyone else does – drop an occasional couple of bucks off with their favorite charity, then they will be welcomed to heaven with open arms.  Others think they can bribe their way into heaven by giving generous gifts to organizations, pretend their way into heaven with fake faith, or force their way into heaven by demanding that God operate on their terms. 

            At the same time, there is this false idea in the world that other religions or other forms of spirituality can bring about salvation.  Perhaps one can meditate their way into eternity through yoga or transcendental meditation.  Perhaps one can work their way into the highest levels of heaven by doing all the right things, going through all the right rituals, and wearing the right clothes.  Perhaps one can find inner peace by walking through some pagan maze.  Or perhaps one can use machines and techniques developed by a not very successful science fiction writer to get “clear” (and then everyone can all jump up and down on Oprah’s couch like Tom Cruise).  Well, to be perfectly blunt, none of these or the myriad other false religions and practices out there are going to do anyone a bit of good.  And, unfortunately, recent surveys have shown that the beliefs those inside the church are almost identical to those outside, that a large proportion of “born-again Christians” don’t believe that Jesus is the only means of salvation.

            It is very easy to go chasing after some “new and improved” or “iron-clad guaranteed” religious practice to gain salvation.  But this is what the Scripture says,   ¹⁹For God was pleased … through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.^[3] 

            It is only through Jesus.  “There is no other name in heaven or on earth by which we may be saved.”  God has made a way to accomplish what we cannot, what the world cannot, and what false religion cannot.   That way is Jesus.   And there is no “Plan B.” 

III.       Among the false teachings that we must reject is what many have come to call the “Rodney King School of Theology” – “Why can’t we all just get along?”  This is particularly popular in the mainline denominations, like ours, where this is this crazy idea that we should all get along, that is be unified in purpose, even though we are in total disagreement as to the truth and authority of God’s Word.  Therefore, we must reject the false teaching that Christian unity can exist without the purity of the faith and the moral purity that comes from obeying Jesus.  

            We are the body of Christ.  That is the basis of our unity, but the basis of our being in the body is Jesus.  This is what the Scripture says,   ²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- ²³if you continue in your faith, established and firm….^[4]  We were alienated from God because of our evil behavior.  We are reconciled to God because of Jesus’ atoning death on the cross.  We are declared righteous vicariously, because Jesus has paid the price for our sins.  But we can only be holy – that is set apart for God – if we remain firm in our faith.

            Our Christian unity cannot just be unity of purpose.   It also has to be unity of belief – our foundational faith beliefs have to be the same.   How can we claim to be “one in the Spirit and one in the Lord” if we do not agree on the nature of God and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, including what He has done for us in His life, death, and resurrection?  True Christian unity also has to be unity of obedience – we have to share a common understanding of what God’s Word demands of us.   How can we claim to be one body, if each of us is making up our own rules which contradict the commandments of God and Christ? 

CONCLUSION:  There is no way to salvation out side of Him.   “What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”  There is nothing in this world or in the spiritual realm that is more important than Jesus.   “Name above all names.  Worthy of all praise.  My heart will sing how great is my God.”  And if we are to experience true unity we need to live out our faith with authenticity and integrity by following Jesus.  After all, if we are all going the same direction because we are following the one who is the Way, then we will have unity.  If we are all putting Jesus first in our lives, then we will have unity.  And if we all accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we will have unity.   “In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.  What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all— Here in the love of Christ I stand.”