Month: March 2016

Categories
Sermon

What’s so special about Easter?

Textual Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:12-22

Let’s start with these questions: What are some things that come to your mind when you think about Easter? What are some traditions that are associated with Easter? What is so special about Easter?

As you talk to different people, you get different explanations. Here are a few:

1. Easter eggs for children!

2. It’s a time of celebration: so it’s all about the food! You’ll find that a lot in traditional churches where they’ve observed “lent” for more than a month. They’ve abstained from eating meat so far and so people lose total control of their appetites on Easter!

3. Most people would say…it’s a Christian festival to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. If you go to a Catholic or a traditional church and ask people what the meaning of Easter is, they’ll tell you that Jesus died on Good Friday and rose again on Easter Sunday. And even though that’s factually true, I don’t think they really understand or believe that it really took place. They’ll say it in a way as though it was a legend that was passed down over the ages. The main focus is the festival!

And I think that’s where the original context of this Resurrection Day event matters. Just imagine if all of us existed in Jesus’ day. We noticed him during his earthly ministry, witnessed the great and wonderful miracles he performed: healing the sick, driving out the demons.

We heard his message: Repent and believe in me for the kingdom of God is near! We observed his life: impeccable! Nobody could point a finger at him because he was sinless. He lived a perfect life! And then people falsely accuse him and put him on a cross and crucify Him. After his death, he is buried in a tomb and all that hysteria surrounding him is silenced! So they thought…but in three days he is raised from death and comes back to life! Do you think they celebrated a festival for his resurrection?

No, there was restored joy and hope for all who believed in Him and fear upon those who rejected him. Why? Because if Jesus conquered death, then everything He said about Himself is true and so is the judgment that will come upon those who rejected him! That’s the impact that the resurrection has. It’s not a festival or a feast but an encounter with the risen Lord!

Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection has major and huge implications for our lives today! We’ll attempt to glaze through a few of them in today’s passage: 1 Cor 15:12-22

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope[a] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

When you read 1 Corinthians, you realize that this church has a lot of problems. Paul writes this letter to correct these problems. It was a church struggling with division, immorality, idolatry and theological confusion. One of the facts that some of the Corinthians was denying were believers being raised from the dead.

Why would some Corinthians deny the resurrection of the dead? It’s not just because they were confused or ignorant. Rather, a denial of the resurrection would mean hopelessness with regards to the future and also an unaccountable life which gives them the license to do whatever they wanted to do!

V32-34 says “If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right and do not go sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

If there’s nothing to look forward to after we die, then that leaves us with no reason to live a holy life. Therefore, these Corinthians were using this as an excuse to justify their promiscuous lives.

And the way Paul puts it: he says it’s a BIG issue! You can’t allow this to slip under the rocks. It’ll ruin the entire foundation of our faith.

We’ll try and understand this by first looking at the resurrection event and then its effect!

1. Event of the Resurrection

v12, 13: Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

The argument being, if there is no resurrection of the dead, then even Christ has not been raised! And if Christ is raised, then there is a resurrection of the dead!

So let’s answer this question first: Did Christ really rise from the dead? If this question is answered then every other question is laid to rest.

A. The Empty Tomb: Jesus was publicly executed in the most torturous manner and then placed in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Jewish Council. 3 days later a few women claimed that the tomb was empty! This is publicly verifiable! As we all know, Jesus had a hostile opposition. They could have easily squashed the news that Jesus rose from the dead by producing a body which they certainly tried to do. But they couldn’t…the tomb was empty and the body was nowhere to be found.

B. Jesus’ Post-Resurrection Appearances: One thing we need to remember is that the Bible is also a historical book which lists events in history as they were.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Cor 15:3-7)

This letter was written within 20 years of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Paul explicitly states the number of people who saw Jesus after his resurrection and also provides names of people “who were still alive”. If anyone wanted to cross-check and cross-examine these witnesses they could do it and confirm if Jesus truly rose from the dead or not.

These are two of the many reasons for believing that the resurrection of Jesus actually took place. These facts and witnesses that can be examined to verify the accuracy of the events and authenticity of the claims!

2. Effect of the Resurrection

So Jesus’ resurrection is Real and Accurate! How does that impact us is probably the question on your minds? It has everything to do with us.

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith!

a. Christ’s resurrection settles our debts once and for all

V17: And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

We know that the main reason why Jesus came into the world was not to be a moral teacher or a miracle worker. He came to die and give his life as a ransom for many (Mk 10:45) Jesus lived a perfect life completely in obedience to God. He lived the perfect life that we could never live. His death on the cross wasn’t because he deserved it…he died as a substitute for our sins. All our sins were placed on Him and he paid the penalty of us all. His resurrection was God’s stamp of approval on the sacrifice. God completely accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf and it means that

ALL of our sins are totally paid for!

Rom 4:25: He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

How awesome is that! One sacrifice of Jesus now makes us right before God!

b. Christ’s resurrection seals our resurrection!

V20-22: But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

Not only are we presently in right terms with God but even our eternity is secured by His resurrection!
What’s the biggest fear in the hearts of men? It’s the same fear for the richest person in the world and the poorest person in the world. No matter how successful you are, you still won’t have an answer to the problem of “Death”. Even if you take all of the health precautions, that still doesn’t guarantee a long, never ending life. Everyone fears death!

But here’s the amazing truth for everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus for their salvation, know that your earthly death won’t be an end in itself! That’s why Paul uses the term “fallen asleep” and not dead. Just like Jesus was raised from the dead, everyone who trusts in Jesus as their Lord will be raised to life! The greatest enemy and fear was conquered by Jesus! Jesus reduced the impact of death to nothing with His victory over the grave. Death is no longer a consequence for believers in Christ!

You might wonder how does that take place. How can Christ’s life, sacrifice and resurrection be closely tied to mine? How does Christ’s resurrection impact my resurrection?

The reason is because believers are united to Christ in a very special way. Union with Christ is a very key theme in the Bible. It’s the same reason why Christ’s death for sins has been shared by us. It’s the same reason why the righteousness of Christ has been attributed to us. It’s the same reason why the close fellowship with God also been gifted to us. Similarly, our union with Christ also insures us of a resurrected body just like his!

Eg: How a married couple can share the financial benefits of their union with each other….

That’s how important and significant Christ’s resurrection is for us!! Let’s look at the application:

i. It empowers us to be focused on the mission:

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. V58

After a long discussion on resurrection, Paul exhorts the believers to be steadfast in the work of the Lord. It is because Christ was raised from the dead, and we too shall be raised from the dead, that we should continue unswervingly in the Lord’s work. Everything we do to bring people into the kingdom and build them up will have eternal significance, because we shall all be raised on the day when Christ returns and we will all live with him forever.

This is point that needs to be driven home! Christians living with the knowledge of the resurrection can’t be living for themselves! They can’t be living without a purpose. Christ and His mission are constantly on the forefront! Just imagine being like Jesus and with Jesus forever…1 John 3:2. We know how the story is going to end. We know what Christ is doing in the city of Mumbai and all over the earth and we know what He calls us to participate in! Every other ambition or purpose pales in comparison to the joy of serving God in building His kingdom. Maybe Christ’s mission not been the single focus of your life so far. In the light of the resurrection, would you surrender yourself to be steadfast in the work of the Lord?

ii. It demands us to stop yielding to sin in our lives:

Rom 6:11-13: In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

When you evaluate your life, in which areas do you find yourself yielding to sin? Where is God asking you today to kill the sin in your life? What would it mean for you to offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness?

Categories
Sermon

Scripture & Preaching

‘Scripture & Preaching’ is the third part of our Liturgy series. The questions we will answer in this part are as follows.

Q. Why is the Holy Bible important to us?
Q. What is the goal of Biblical scriptures?
Q. What is Preaching?
Q. Why is preaching important?

Before we deep dive into answering the above questions, let me share with you some facts about the Bible we should know.

1. The Holy Bible has 66 books – 39 books in the Old Testament & 27 books in the New Testament.
2. The word Testament means ‘contract’ or ‘covenant’.
3. The Bible is written by approximately 40 authors from different walks of life, they were shepherds, farmers, tent-makers, physicians & kings.
4. They were written across a period of 1500 years.
5. The Bible was the first ever book to be printed in the year 1454.
6. The Bible is translated in 2018 languages, the highest ever.

Biblical scriptures has been an inspiration to many generations and it continues to inspire people even to this day.

Ravi Zacharias, one of my favorite preachers experienced the love of God through the scripture when he was a young boy lying down on the hospital bed. Somebody gave his mother the Bible and asked her to read the book of Luke. As Ravi was lying down helpless waiting for his death, he heard this mother read Luke 14:19 which said “Because I live you live”.

Later Ravi said that the word changed his life forever and meant to him as the defining paradigm for the rest of his life.

There are endless stories of how the Biblical scriptures has changed people lives throughout generation.

My life was changed when I was a young boy who failed in studies and was rejected by my teachers, neighbors and especially my father. An old uncle counselled me and reminded me of God’s love from the Bible; it changed my life forever.

The Importance of Scripture

To answer the importance of scriptures let me talk about the 2 major characteristics of the Scripture.

i) Authority of Scripture
ii) Sufficiency of Scripture

AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

Wayne Grudem in his book “Bible Doctrine” defines the Authority of Scripture as follows.

“The authority of scripture means that all the words in scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of the scripture is to disbelieve or disobey God”

Scripture is important to us because they are Gods own words. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul writes to Timothy as says

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

There are internal as well as external evidences that prove the Bible is God’s word.

Internal Evidences

a) It’s Unity

Even though the Bible is written by 40 different authors from different walks of life across 1500 years there is an unbelievable uniformity in the overall text from the start to the end without any contradiction.

Most people who contradict the scriptures have either not read it completely or are interpreting it wrongly. If at all there were any major contradictions the scripture would have been abolished long ago.

b) It’s Prophecies

The Bible also contains prophecies which has been fulfilled through ages. The Old Testament has over 300 prophecies about Jesus that were fulfilled.

There is absolutely no other religious book with this type of predictive prophecy.

c) It’s Authority & Power

Like I mentioned before, the Scriptures carry an Authority & Power that has been transforming lives of millions across the globe.

It is quite rare to see a book change and transform people’s lives in such a massive way.

External Evidences

a) It’s Indestructible nature

There were hundreds of attempts made to destroy the Bible over generations, from Roman emperors to Communist dictators to modern day atheists & agnostics. None of them were successful, the Scripture and its impact over human lives still continues to grow.

b) It’s Self attesting nature

In India it’s a common practice to get photocopies of our educational certificates attested by a Lawyer before submitting it to any government procedure. The Lawyer verifies it against the original document and validates the photocopies with his stamp saying they are true.

To attest any document in this manner the attesting person should have a higher authority and should be a reliable source.

In case of the scriptures if anybody has the authority to validate its authenticity its scripture itself because there is absolutely no Higher authority or reliable source that can validate the scriptures.

The two arguments people use to speak against the scripture is either ‘Human Logic’ or ‘Scientific Truth’. In no way these two are reliable sources or else they would have the answers to human sufferings and pain. Only the Bible has the answer to human suffering and the cure.

SUFFICIENCY OF SCRIPTURE

Waye Grudem defines Sufficiency of Scriptures as follows

“The sufficiency of scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation; for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly”

2 Timothy 3:15 –

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Please note in the above verse Paul says the primary goal of the scripture is to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, it is to restore the broken relationship between God and Humanity.

Therefore the sufficiency of scripture means that we don’t need any more special revelation to help us relate to God which I believe is the most important need to every human being.

The work of Christ on the cross revealed in the Holy Scriptures is all sufficient for our redemption from sin and sufferings which also promises us an eternal life of Joy and fulfillment.

The answer to human sufferings is sin and Bible says that Christ died for all and bore the penalty of our sins once and for all on the cross. He died in our place and conquered death and rose again on the third day. All we need to do is to believe in his redemptive work, put our faith in him and follow him wholeheartedly.

The Gospel is the only truth that needs to be treasured.

In Colossians 2:8 Paul is warning the church to be careful of ungodly philosophy and empty deceit which is based on human traditions, the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.

In Galations 1:8 Paul says “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed”

We believe in the Scriptures because it is all sufficient.

PREACHING

Preaching is proclamation especially the fundamentals of the gospel.

In 1 Cor 1:23 Paul says ‘We preach Christ crucified.’

We preach because we are commanded to do so in 1 Timothy 4:1-4

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

In Romans 10:4 Paul is urging the believers saying “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

Preaching is important because it reminds people about God’s faithfulness and his provision for salvation.

Categories
Sermon

Our Offerings to God – Singing, Confession & Giving

 

Last week we started with a new series on Liturgy and we looked at Sacrifice – The Act of worship.

We read through the book of Romans chapter 12 where Paul is appealing to the church in Rome by the mercies of God to offer themselves as a living Sacrifice.

Sacrifice in the new testament is the act of worship where we offer ourselves, our bodies our minds into total submission to God and to one another not because we have to but because we want to.

In Romans 5:8 Paul writes “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Romans 3:25
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood.

Hebrews 10:10
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

We firstly gather around the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And our response to that Sacrifice is our offerings in the form of Singing, confession and giving.

We don’t sing, confess and give out of religious duty.

Very often it is possible for us to look at these offerings as some kind of favor we do to God or as an obligation.

Remember the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. From the outside he seemed to be a great guy, was obedient to the scriptures, lived a righteous life, had a good reputation in the society, but Jesus reveals the condition of his heart, his heart was set on the worldly treasures.

Yes, Is it possible for a Christian to do all the rights things and bring the right offerings to God and yet have his heart set on the world and the things of this world?

The rich man’s acts of righteousness was done as a duty. In fact, His treasures and possessions were the center of his life. He just couldn’t imagine a life without his wealth and possessions and walked way depressed. He failed to recognize that everything belonged to God, that everything comes from God.

In Acts 17:24-25 the author writes
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

First and foremost we have to recognize that it is because of His mercies that we are what we are, it is because of His mercies we have what we have. Everything in our life works for good because we love him and treasure him more than anything else.

Therefore, our singing, confession and giving is a response to his great love and mercy.

Now, some may ask if everything belongs to God than what does he need from us.

The answer can be found in
Psalms 50:7-15

v14 – offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
v15 – call upon me in the day of trouble

The 3 things God desires from us is

  1. Humility
  2. Gratitude
  3. Dependence on Him

Without these 3 our singing is meaningless, our confession is waste of time and our giving is worthless.

So, let’s fix our hearts in the right place as we now look into each of these elements in Liturgy.

SINGING

Why do we sing?

We sing because the scripture says so

Colossians 3:15-17
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Paul tells us that worshiping God together in song is meant to deepen the relationships we enjoy through the gospel. This happens in 3 ways.

1. Singing helps us remember Gods word.

Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly…singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”

Last week in our community group we talked about how we can find ways to get rid of guilt when we sin and learn to live as the adopted children of God. One of the ways we talked about was to constantly remind ourselves the word of God.

Singing, especially is an excellent way to remind ourselves of truths from Gods word.

I remember a few months I kept playing and singing a song called “Father, you are my father” the whole day because I was low and discouraged with something that happened, reminding myself of the Father’s love for me. It took away my sorrow and filled my heart with joy and hope.

That’s what happens and should happen even when we gather on a Sunday morning to sing and celebrate. Reminding ourselves the word of God.

2. Singing helps us respond to Gods grace

We’re also told to sing with “thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Our wholehearted singing demands a response.

God gave us singing to combine objective truth with thankfulness, doctrine with devotion, and intellect with emotion.

3. Singing helps us reflect on Gods glory

Doing “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,” implies bringing God glory.

Worshiping God together in song glorifies God. It expresses the unity Christ died to bring us.

It anticipates the song of heaven when we’ll have unlimited time to sing, clearer minds to perceive God’s perfections, and glorified bodies that don’t grow weary.

Singing is not about giving preferences to particular kind of music or a particular worship band. It is about glorifying God.

CONFESSION

In our community group one other solution we talked about in dealing with guilt was to be able to confess our sins to one another.

Most of the time when we fall into sin we often think we can deal with it on our own without telling anybody, which is very dangerous place to be in. We allow the guilt to ruin our days and weeks until we find a solution on our own by sometimes moving to a quieter place, until we hear a preacher on the television who speaks words of encouragement etc.

Dealing with sin and guilt on our own is a very unhealthy and dangerous practise. Many have ruined their lives.

The healthy way to deal with it is to use the provision God has given us and that is to confess with one another.

James chapter 5:16 says

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

When we confess to one another we allow others to speak and remind us of Gods word, his love, our identity and lead us into devotion completely setting us free from guilt and shame and enable us to live a life of freedom and joy.

You don’t have to ruin even a single day with a guilt ridden, unproductive and unhappy mentality.

For Christians, confession of sin, ultimately, is application of the gospel.

James chapter 5 calls Gods people to a corporate confession.

Confession of sin in the presence of others is applying and celebrating the gospel, together.

Confession is part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. And that is why we Confess.

GIVING

We give because Jesus said so. In Matthew 6:2 he said

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

We give because the early church gave and set aside a sum of money for missions work.

1 Cor 16:2
On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Proverbs 3:9 ‘Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops’.

Proverbs 14:31 ‘Whoever is kind to the needy honours God’

Motives For Giving

1) TO BLESS GOD:- 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, ‘Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’ so we primarily give to bless and bring glory to God

2) TO BLESS THOSE AROUND US :- Because Jesus said in Acts 20:32 ‘It is more blessed to give than receive’.

3) TO BE BLESSED OURSELVES :- Not for selfish reasons but to be in an even better position to give even more into the work of God. In 2 Corinthians 9:11, Paul exhorts the generous brothers at Macedonia that, ‘You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion’.