The Apostle Paul calls us Jars of Clay (2 Corinthians 4:7). As followers of Jesus we must allow the Word of God to fill us with it's message of Truth and Grace. In this way, we become a "vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21).

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

If You’re Saved, and You Know It - February 12, 2017 sermon



By Pastor Greg

On the way home from church, a little girl turned to her mother and said, "Mommy, the preacher's sermon this morning confused me."  The mother said, "Oh! Why is that?" The girl replied, "Well, he said that God is bigger than we are.  Is that true?" "Yes, that's true," the mother replied. "He also said that God lives within us. Is that true, too?" Again, the mother replied, "Yes." "Well," said the girl. "If God is bigger than us and he lives in us, wouldn't he show through?"
Yes, you would expect God to “Show Through,” especially for those who claim to be Christians.  Yet even the Apostle Peter had moments of weakness.  Look how he responds when Jesus is arrested.
(John 18:15-27) 15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16 Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. 17 The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” 18 Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself.
19 Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. 20 Jesus replied, “Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. 21 Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.” 22 Then one of the Temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded. 23 Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?” 24 Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.
25 Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” 26 But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” 27 Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed. [1]
Peter denied knowing Jesus.  He did this three times.  Bible teachers give many different reasons for this, but the bigger question is why would he do such a thing, especially after he had called Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 16:16)?  Jesus even warned Peter this was going to happen, yet the Lord forgives him even before it happened (Luke 22:31-32).
Have you ever wondered why Jesus would forgive Peter ahead of time?  Why would Jesus extend His hand in grace to Peter knowing that he would deny any association with the Lord?  The Lord’s forgiveness even extends to Peter’s usefulness in the Kingdom.  Jesus extends a hand to Peter along the shoreline in Galilee, calling him to “Feed My sheep” (see John 21:15).
There is something in this exchange between Peter and Jesus that we cannot overlook.  Peter’s commitment to Jesus had wavered, yet the Lord offered him Grace; the Lord forgave this sin.  I say we cannot ignore this exchange because the Lord does not show favoritism (see Acts 10:34).  If He offered grace to Peter, Jesus would offer that same grace to others as well.  If someone else stumbles in their faith, they will find the same grace Jesus extended to Peter.
The Apostle Paul understood this.  He did more than denying knowing Jesus.  He tried to undermine the earthly work of Jesus.  Paul persecuted Christians and stood by while good Christian people were murdered (the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8:1).  Yet when confronted by the risen Christ, Jesus offers grace, and even commissions Paul to spread the Good news of the cross.
I do need to point out that in both these cases, these men repented of their sin; they recognized what they had done was wrong.  For sure, Jesus doesn’t offer grace to the person who is unremorseful – someone who refuses to admit what they did was wrong – but when a person has the courage to admit their sin, Jesus offers grace … even if they sin over and over again.
Still, the question remains; why would our Savior offer grace to the Christian who sins?  I mean, doesn’t it seem like He is letting them off the hook?  Surely the Christians should know better.  They didn’t allow God to show through.  Why does the Lord offer Grace?
Paul suggests we view salvation as a changed nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).   This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! [2]  And since we have a new nature, our actions and behaviors should naturally reflect this.  Our actions and behaviors do not change our nature, as we discussed last week, however, our nature should affect our behavior.  A changed person should change their attitudes and behaviors (see Romans 13:14 and Galatians 3:27).  Paul describes this as putting on New Clothes.  These new clothes (attitudes and behaviors) reflect our new nature (clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and love – Colossians 3:12, 14).  Unfortunately, even though a New Life has begun, our actions sometimes reflect the “old person.”  Yet these old actions and behaviors are merely a reflection of our old nature; they do not indicate we have lost our new nature.  Paul even admits to this struggle from time to time (see Romans 7).
So, a Christian will have bad days.  A Christian will wake in the morning, forget to dress in humility, and then struggle with pride and selfishness the rest of the day.  It’s not their nature that has changed; they simply put on the wrong attitude.  The good news is that when the Christian realizes what they have done, they can ask the Lord to forgive them, over and over again.  And the Lord offers grace.  He can do this because it was not the nature of the person that has changed, but merely a reflection of old behaviors and actions.
The Lord Knows this.  He knows we will struggle with old attitudes and actions.  He knew Peter would have a weak moment.  He knows that we will have a weak moment.  He knows we will misbehave as adopted children in the Family of God.  Sure, we will disobey – struggle to live in a way that reflects our new nature – but we never stop being God’s Children.  This is why Jesus could offer grace to Peter.  This is why the Lord extended forgiveness to Paul.  This is why He does the same for you and me.



[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Jn 18:15–27). Carol Stream, IL.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (2 Co 5:17). Carol Stream, IL.

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