Sermon

 

Now is the time for each one of us to accept the Lord as Savior, unless you have already done so. If you have then it is time to know what Jesus said and what He meant by what He said. If we listen to what He said and meditate on His Words, then, and only then, can we be free of the chains of religious bondage. I do not profess to understand every thing He tried to tell us, but there is plenty that He told us in very simple terms that do not require one to be a rocket scientist. I cannot emphasize enough how vital it is for us to know what He said and what He meant. If you believe He is our Savior, then listen to Him.

 

In the Gospel of John 1:39, Jesus' answer to the inquiring future apostles was, "Come and you will see". How prophetic this answer was, "Come and you will see". You must understand here that Jesus was saying that we must first come or go to Him and then our eyes will be opened. Then and only then will we see. One might say this is a step of faith, and indeed it is. No one asks to see the airplane he is about to board, fly, and then   get on. No, we simply, in an act of faith get on and hope it will fly. I believe, personally, that my faith in Jesus is more assured than any thing I might do on earth. So, here we have Jesus at the beginning of His ministry telling us that the first step towards salvation is to accept His invitation; 'come and see.'

 

In John 2:16 Jesus Said, "Take these away; stop making my Father's house a house of merchandise". Obviously Jesus was very angry because they were profaning the house of God. Please understand this passage in that the Temple was the place where God resided; (it was called  the Holy of Holies), before Jesus was crucified. Only the High priest could enter this area. However, when Jesus gave up His Spirit (died on the cross) the veil (covering the Holy of Holies) was split or torn open from top to the bottom, Luke 23:45. This meant that the Temple was no longer the house of God; the house of God now is the individual where the Holy Spirit resides. In essence Christianity was born at that moment in time. Salvation was now open to all. By the way, although I have not personally researched this, it is said by Bible scholars that the veil was quite thick and made of leather; quite a feat, but then again please remember who caused it. At the risk of being redundant and boring I would like to reiterate two points not to be overlooked:

1)      We are the church (the word ecclesia means called out), see Hebrews 12: 23 '….to the general assembly and church of the first born,' i.e. the body of Christ.

2)      The way to God is now open and directly through Jesus.

 

In John 2:19, Jesus says "Destroy this Temple (His own body) and in three days I will raise it up". This is a prediction of his crucifixion and resurrection and was actually said for the benefit of His apostles for they remembered it when they saw it happen.

 

In John 3: 3-8 Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" .In this passage Jesus is trying to explain to Nicodemus (remember he was a member of the Pharisees and a Jewish ruler) that a person must be born of the flesh and then must be born of the Spirit. To be born of the Spirit is to accept Jesus as Savior and then the Holy Spirit resides in that person (the church) forever.

 

John 3:15 and of course 3:16 (perhaps the most famous and most quoted verse in the Bible). Let's remember who is saying this, Jesus is. Sometimes the source of this scripture gets lost in the enthusiasm of the moment. I've heard many people say, John 3:16 says……but as we know Jesus says it. John is just reporting what he heard Jesus say. Jesus is the one who says believers will not perish but have eternal life. And all that is required is a step of FAITH. As Jesus said to Andrew, one of the two following Him in John 1:39…"Come and see". I pray for those who have yet to 'come and see'.

 

Let us all take a moment and praise Jesus for His unconditional love.