Author: Jinson Thomas

Categories
Sermon

It’s Never Too Late to Turn Back to God

We just started a new series from the book of Nehemiah. To put it plainly this is an amazing story of a covenant making, promise keeping, loving and gracious God!

Last week we were reminded about three truths about God:

  1. God’s promises are bigger than our circumstances: When your circumstances trouble you and overwhelm you, know that even in those moments God’s promises are as sure and firm as a solid rock! You can bank your life on the certain and sure promises of God.
  2. God’s faithfulness is bigger than our rebellion: That’s the assurance for sinners like you and me. Our destiny lies in the hands of an unchanging God. 1 John 1:9 says…if you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive you from all your unrighteousness. Our forgiveness is based upon the faithfulness of an unchanging God.
  3. The cycle of failing to keep God’s law is always broken by grace and provision of God: We all struggle to keep God’s law. We know that’s impossible for us in our flesh to obey God’s law perfectly as he demands. So God shows grace and provides a way through His Son by which that cycle can be broken. And that’s how He’s always operated right through history!!

And today we’ll be taking a closer look at the first four verses and look to apply those truths in our lives.

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah1:1-4)

In the first verse we are introduced to this character called Nehemiah. And the setting is in the king’s palace because he was a cup-bearer to the king. It was an important position because it meant that he worked very closely with the King. That’s where Hanani, his brother and some other men from Judah come to meet him. And you see him inquire and question them about the Jews who survived the exile and the condition of Jerusalem.

Right away you understand that he’s concerned about his people. Even though he’s in a culture and a lifestyle that’s distant from the Israelites, he still retains his identity which is why he would want to know how things were back home. Another way of putting the question: these are the people of God…my people…how are they doing?

However, the fact that he would actually ask it showed that he was disconnected from what was taking place in Jerusalem. This was their answer:

And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” V3

What are they referring to? In 2 Kings 25 it tells us how Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house and the great houses of Jerusalem and the army broke down the walls around Jerusalem. And all of Judah were taken captive and brought out as prisoners of war!

By the time we reach the book of Ezra, we see that the people have returned back to Jerusalem and Judah and start the rebuilding process. Some of the enemy leaders of the province wrote a formal letter of complaint to the Persian King requesting him to stop the work that is taking place. They made it seem like something wicked was being plotted by the Israelites as they were rebuilding the walls. The King listens to them and writes back telling them to stop the work until another decree made by the King approves of that. The rebuilding work stopped soon after it began and the work was made to halt for another 15 years.

As a result, Jerusalem and the people are left open and defenseless against their enemies because they don’t have a city wall. So it’s not just for decorative purposes that they needed a city wall. It was absolutely necessary for protection! A lack of a city wall clearly brought trouble and shame to the Israelites as described by Hanani and the other men.

And this is how Nehemiah responds to the news. As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (v4)

He understood the plight of his people. He began to feel the weight of the trouble and the shame that his people were going through. This was his wake up call! One thing we can infer from this text is that Nehemiah probably was going through a season of comfortability. He was working in the palace, he had a dignified position and a place in society, was man of influence. How do we know if he was being too comfortable and needed a wakeup call?

Look at his response…v6 and 7. He’s confessing the sins of his people and his own sins. How did that happen? He realized that what was happening to the remnant was not because of anything else but because they forsook God. The parallel of the city walls with the condition of the Israelites hearts is very evident. When the city walls were broken and torn down, it was also a reflection of the spiritual decline that had taken place. They were spiritually in ruins!
The brokenness of the people exposed and made him aware of his spiritual need for God. Immediately you see him turn to God in repentance. He got his wake up call!

Let’s just pause and think for a moment.

When you look at the moral and spiritual condition of the people around you…your family, your neighbors, your colleagues, your college friends and the 23 million people in the city, does it break your heart and move you to weep for them? Does it prompt you to pray for them because you realize they’ve forsaken God? When was the last time you wept and prayed for someone?

What would it take for us to be awakened to the reality of spiritual decline all around us?

It is a convicting question when we take a closer look at our comfortability and apathy. It is convicting to realize that we need to be awakened from our state of slumber. We need to be reminded that there is hope in the grace and provision of God!

Firstly, I want us to be encouraged by this truth. It’s never too late to turn back to God.

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
“return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:12-13)

“Yet even now”…It wasn’t too late for Nehemiah and it isn’t too late for us! All of us realize that we’re not where we should be. Our burden and brokenness for our own sins and the lost in the world is not where it should be. We struggle with the same issue of comfortability and apathy just as Nehemiah did. However, let’s be encouraged by the fact that it’s not too late and God wants us to repent.

Secondly, his timing is perfect.

One would think that the people’s disobedience and Nehemiah’s apathy could ruin God’s plan but it’s not the case. God is still in firm control of everything as He has planned. He will redeem His people as He has ordained. After this prayer of repentance we see how Nehemiah’s position as a cupbearer to the King was carefully used by God to accomplish His purposes. Does that encourage you to know that even though we fail and mess up, everything is still on time on God’s watch?

Thirdly, God uses our failures for His glory.

God gave Nehemiah such fervor for God’s glory and concern for people that now Nehemiah is the man whom God uses to restore the people back to God!!! Who would’ve expected a person who is a public servant, disconnected from His people to be the leader appointed to complete the task of restoring the city walls and likewise the people’s hearts to God? And that’s the encouragement. If you feel today like you’ve failed in your service toward God, know that God can still use you as a powerful vehicle to display His glory if you repent and turn to Him. The reason for that is He is God! He delights in the humble submission of His people: People who seem to be ordinary and unworthy and failures by worldly standards but used in extraordinary ways for His glory.

What God calls us to is repentance and humble dependence on Him. Being transformed and used for the purposes of God is purely His doing. That’s a common pattern that you see in the Bible. People encounter a Holy God, their sin is revealed, they respond in repentance and humble dependence and it’s God who then commissions them. Let’s look at one of those passages in the Bible:

Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah’s Commission from the Lord
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Again in v7 see a provision made from God to remove our sin and guilt. That could only be removed by a sacrifice on our behalf. We need to remember that our repentance is only made effectual by the death of Jesus on the cross. Apart from Jesus, there is no forgiveness, no cleansing and no service that will be acceptable to God. Jesus died in our place, purchased our freedom and now sends us to go and proclaim His glory!

And how do we respond to him? In humble dependence! Many times it’s our own sin that prevents us from seeing the brokenness around us. Let’s turn to the Lord in repentance – repenting of our sin, comfortability and apathy. Let’s ask God to break our hearts for the lost around us so that it moves us to weep and pray for them. All he requires from us is humble dependence on Him!

Related Sermons from the Nehemiah series:

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

What’s Your Excuse?

[audioplayer file=”http://thegatheringcommunity.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/whats-your-excuse.mp3″]

Scriptures: Luke 9:57-62
Preached by: Jinson Thomas.
Download Link

Description:
Following Jesus doesn’t promise a comfortable life. Comfort gives a false sense of security, a lack of eternal purpose and a lack of devotion.

In this audio you will learn about three men who gave different excuses when Jesus asked them to follow Him and how they missed the opportunity to respond in Faith.