Volume 26, Issue 5
The Greatest Sermon ... (Continued From Page 14) WisconsinChristianNews.com
Page 15
Folks, Jesus is telling us ahead of time that the world won’t understand us. In some cases, people will seek to harm you. It is happening all over the world today. But the point Jesus is making here is the world will persecute you because of Him. It is Christ in you that they are seeking to destroy. As Jesus taught these truths to the multitudes on the mountainside that day, I wonder if he had in mind the words the apostle Paul would write to the Eph- esian Christians barely 60 years later: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God pre- pared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Here is the basis of our forgive- ness). “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circum- cision,’ which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, ex- cluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Because we have been forgiven we can forgive others). “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordi- nances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establish- ing peace, and might reconcile them both
in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.” (The re- sult being we have the peace of God and peace with God). “AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY, AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR.” (to those who believe and to those who had not yet believed – just like on the moun- tainside that day). Ephesians 2:8-17. A very wise person once wrote, “I grew up in the ‘40s/’50s with practical par- ents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it. “A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now: Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in dad’s hands, and dish towel in mom’s. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress — things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eat- ing, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throw- ing things away meant you knew there’d always be more. “But then my mother died, and on that clear summer’s night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn’t any more. Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.
broken...and heal it when it’s sick. This is true...for marriage....and old cars...and children with bad report cards...and dogs with bad hips...and aging parents...and grandparents. “We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special...and so, we keep them close.” Don’t throw away your relationships. The key to “fixing” broken relationships is forgiveness. Understanding who we are in Jesus and that we were created for relation- ships brings great joy to life. Perhaps you’ve never known this kind of joy. Maybe you gave God control of your life years ago, but you’ve never re- ally reached a place of hungering and thirsting for Him. Or perhaps you’re here now and you’ve never allowed God to have control of your life. You’ve never been so burdened down by your sin that you asked God to forgive you and cleanse you in Jesus’ name. You might be here now and you’re struggling with the issue of forgiveness. You’ve carried this burden around with you for a long time. Is it time to lay those burdens down? Is it time to forgive as you’ve been for- given? Dr. Mike Spaulding P. O. Box 3007 • Lima, OH 45807
“So...while we have it... it’s best we love it...and care for it...and fix it when it’s
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