The Apostles' Creed, part 4

Introduction
The most important holiday in the Christian year isn’t Christmas; it is Easter.  It is the day we celebrate Jesus’ final victory over sin and death.  On the third day, Jesus rose from the grave.  Because of what happened on Easter, all who believe in Jesus Christ have the hope of resurrection and eternal life. 

Easter comes only once a year.  However, for Christians, every Sunday is a mini-Easter.  It is the Lord’s Day.  And as we worship, we remember Jesus is alive.  He rose from the grave.  We worship a living Christ.  Listen to the Easter story from our Scripture.   As you listen, notice the awkward balance between joy and fear.

Matthew 28:1-10
¹ Early on Sunday morning,^[a] as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

² Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. ⁷ And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

⁸ The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. ⁹ And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Easter or Halloween
Easter is a spring holiday, but it has a lot in common with a very different holiday we celebrate in the fall—Halloween.  In the Easter story, we find the women in a graveyard hunting for a dead man in a tomb.  Mysteriously, the body is gone.  It is alive again and walking around!  The same plot could be used in a movie about a zombie or ghost! 
What separates Easter from Halloween?  What changes fear into joy?

Christians find the answer in faith.  As we say in the last part of our Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in... …the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.”

This is what Easter is all about—the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.        

We believe in... The Forgiveness of Sins
The women who came searching for Jesus at the tomb had nothing to fear from Jesus. He held no ill will towards them.  The disciples had nothing to fear from Jesus.  He held no ill will towards them either.  Jesus held no ill feelings even toward the soldiers who beat and crucified Him.  Remember His words from the cross?  “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” 

No, Jesus had no resentment or desire to get back at anyone.  He willingly forgave all.  Neither do we have anything to fear from the risen Christ.  Instead, we rejoice in the resurrection!  Christ is alive and He forgives our sin!

We believe that God does not harbor a grudge against those who sin.  No matter how terrible the thing we have done—even if we drove the nails into Savior’s hands and feet—we believe in the forgiveness of sins. 

Are you ashamed of something you have done?  Do you struggle with feelings of guilt?  Jesus forgives you.  Let it go. 

Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Don’t beat yourself up for the mistakes you have made—no matter how big.  God does not condemn you.  He welcomes you with open arms through Jesus Christ.  He has forgiven you.  Now, forgive yourself.  

We believe in the forgiveness of sins.  We believe God forgives us and we can forgive others.  And so, we pray in the Lord’s prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

Forgiveness is difficult.  Some offenses may be too hard for you to forgive.  (We are not naturally as forgiving as God.)  However, we believe in forgiveness and so we pray for God—through the Holy Spirit—to help us to forgive.  He wants us to learn to act as Jesus did. 
So, we strive to learn to forgive.  As we forgive, we find the one who is healed is really us.

We believe in the resurrection of the body.
The resurrected Christ was not a ghost out of a horror movie.  He was not somewhere half way between life and death—the undead.  Christ was and is alive!  He is filled with the everlasting life that only God can give!  He is not a ghost or a spirit.  His body and spirit are both alive! 

1 Corinthians 15:20 says Christ is the first to be raised to new life.  We are to be next.  We can be raised to new life if we believe in Christ.  When we are raised, we will not be ghosts or spirits.  We will have a body; not the body of an undead zombie creature.  We will be filled with everlasting life just like Jesus.  We will be perfect in mind, body , and spirit.

Some people have been misled to think the body (and material things) are bad.  There is the notion that flesh is evil and it is only the spirit is good and really matters.  But this is not what the Bible teaches.  When God created the physical world (and us), He said it was “very good.”  (Genesis 1:31)

The physical world and our physical bodies only became corrupt because of sin.  But Jesus restores us and the whole physical world will be redeemed in the end.  And the Bible and our Creed says, “We believe in the resurrection of the body.”

We will not just be spirits when we experience our own personal resurrection.  Just as Jesus had a new body and ate food and was able to touch and be touched by others, we too will have a body.  We will have feet and hands and eyes.  And people will know us and we will know them—better than we ever did in this life.

How this will happen is a mystery and I don’t fully understand it.  But you don’t have to understand something fully for it to be true.  I don’t fully understand how my cellphone works, but that doesn’t stop me from using it.

We believe in everlasting life.
John 10:28 says “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish…”

In this life, we face trials.  We struggle.  We feel pain.  We face very real and difficult problems. 
If this life is all there is, many might wonder if life is really worth living.  But we believe in everlasting life—that this present life is only one phase (and very fleeting).  Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Take a moment and try to comprehend the scale of eternity.  Let’s suppose we compress the history of the whole Bible into one, 24-hour day.

·       Midnight – Genesis 1 – God creates everything

o   Then we have Noah and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, etc. all before we even wake up in the morning. 

·       6 AM (Breakfast) – Moses is born

·       Noon (Lunch) – about 1,200 years have passed since Moses and now Jesus is born

·       6 PM (Dinnertime) – Gun powder is finally invented

·       11 PM – The day is almost over.  And just then with only an hour left, America wins its independence from Great Britain.

·        1:59 PM – You are finally born

·        12 AM – Your life on earth is already over (no more than a minute of recorded time.)

Now, let’s view your life on the scale of eternity.  When we compress the whole history of the world into the timescale of eternity, we can only represent it as a single red line (a tiny blip on the scale).  And your life is hidden somewhere in that line.  (By the way, this is not to scale because eternity has no scale!)  The point is:  your life—including all the struggles you face last only the blink of an eye (not even that long).  But Eternity is forever.

Have you ever had a toothache?  I got a toothache once—on a Friday night.  It was awful!  The dentist couldn’t see me until Monday morning.  You know how I got through it?    I thought to myself, “I can bare anything for a couple days if I know the dentist can give me relief on Monday.” 

It’s easier to bare pain and suffering for a little while if you know there is an end in sight.  Brothers and sisters, the suffering and pain of this life last but a short time.  And then we find relief.  Death is not something we have to fear.  It is only the gateway to Eternal Life, when all our pains are finally relieved. 

Think of all your loved ones who died believing in Christ.  Our faith is a celebration that they have everlasting life just like Christ!  For they have been forgiven of their sins and raised to everlasting life with God in Heaven.  The same forgiveness and everlasting life are promised to us if we truly believe.  In the Apostles’ Creed, we say that we believe.

Conclusion
I want to conclude our message and our series on the Apostles’ Creed with a ceremony to remember your baptism.  Some of you may remember how you were baptized.  Others have forgotten the details.  Some were baptized as infants and can’t remember.  What we mean when I say remember your baptism is:  Remember what your baptism declares.  God’s grace has reached out to you. Christ calls you to belong to Him and live a new life.

(If you have never been baptized, you are welcome to pray with us. Let this be an invitation to talk with me about taking that step.)

Remember Your Baptism
Pastor:  Do you believe in God the Father?
People:  I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Pastor:  Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
People:  I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. 
He descended to the dead.
The third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. 

Pastor:  Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

People:  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church; the communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

(Pray over the water…)  
(Sprinkle water towards congregation…)
“Remember that you are baptized”

The Apostles' Creed, part 3

Introduction
God called Israel to be His people—to reflect His character and make Him known to the world. But again and again, they fell short of that calling.  Jesus came to fulfill what Israel had been called to do. His story echoes theirs: He came out of Egypt, passed through the waters of baptism, and entered the wilderness. Where Israel had been unfaithful, Jesus remained faithful.

Through Jesus, God gathers His people into a family that includes both Jews and Gentiles. That helps us hear the contrast in today’s passage. Israel once stood trembling before Mount Sinai. Now, through Christ, we come to the heavenly Mount Zion, joining angels and saints in the presence of God. Listen to these words from Hebrews. 

Hebrews 12:18, 22-24
¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ²² But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

The Apostles’ Creed
Today, we continue with the 3^rd part of our sermon series on the Apostles’ Creed. 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; 

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord:

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, 

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

he descended to the dead;

the third day he rose from the dead; 

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; 

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, and the communion of saints…

This last part is what I want to discuss today.  Christians say this every Sunday.  But do we know what is means? 

"I believe in the Holy Spirit…"
The Holy Spirit (AKA the Holy Ghost, the Counselor, the Spirit of God, or simply the Spirit) is the third part of the Trinity of God.  The Trinity is a mysterious and often misunderstood concept Christians use to describe God.  In brief, God consists of three distinct but equal Persons.[1]  We believe God is one being, not three gods; but the One God expresses Himself as the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus was a Jew, and monotheistic Israelite, who subscribed to the Shema in the Old Testament law that says, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ()Deuteronomy 6:4) and the first of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:3, which says, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Yet the monotheistic Jesus commanded his followers in Matthew 28:19 to “…go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  Christians baptize in the name of One God—who is expressed by Christians in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  

This is a great mystery, because in our human experience, we don't really experience 3-in-1 kind of people.  Humans aren't like that.  But God is above and beyond our experience.  He is not bound to operate by the laws of human experience or even the laws of nature.  And so we are confronted with this mystery:  the Scriptures say God is One, but it also shows us God is three.  And so Christian theologians have developed the doctrine of the Trinity as our feeble attempt to explain what is not fully explainable.  But we know it to be so because Scripture repeatedly expresses God's 3-in-1 nature.

Way back in the beginning, in Genesis 1:26 – ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make human beings^[a] in our image, to be like us…”  The Hebrew word naʿaseh means ‘Let us make’—God speaks in the plural, which makes since if God is 3-in-1.

We see all 3 persons of the Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus.  Matthew 3:16-17 – ^{16 "}After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened^[g] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”  God is present in Jesus (the Son), the Holy Spirit (descending like a dove), and the Father (the voice speaking from heaven).

When we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, God places His Holy Spirit in us.  The Holy Spirit is the part of God that gives us eternal life.[2]  

1 Corinthians 6:19 – “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”

Titus 3:3 – “He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is also the part of God that supernaturally enables us to live and serve according to God’s plan.

1 Corinthians 12:4 – “Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.”

The Holy Spirit is also the voice of God that acts as our conscience to teach us right from wrong and lead us in the way God wants us to go.

Galatians 5:25 – “If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

Listen to the still small voice of God; it is the Holy Spirit trying to lead you.  And cultivate your ability to hear by practicing spiritual disciplines (like prayer, sacraments, worship, and Scripture) and  through obedience.  (God is not going to keep speaking to you to show you the way if you don't actively listen and obey.)

"I Believe in the Holy Catholic Church…"
The word in this phrase that confuses people the most is probably “catholic.”  Why do we believe in the catholic church?

We are not referring to the Roman Catholic Church, which is just one of many denominations of the Church.  The word catholic means “universal.”   As a title for the Church, it was first used by St. Ignatius of Antioch in 107 A.D. when he wrote, “Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” [3]

So by catholic, we are referring to the mystical union of all Christians throughout the world who are united as one body (or one Church) in Christ.  It is not limited by denomination, or race, or nationality, or even by time.  Christ came for all and all who receive Him are part of his Holy Catholic Church. 

I believe the “catholic” (or universal) Church is Holy.  People in our times often complain about the Church’s shortcomings.  You don’t have to tell me about the shortcomings of the church.  I’m a pastor.  I’m on the “inside” of the church structure. I sometimes see the darkest parts of the church that no one else sees.  Yet still I believe in a holy Church. Why? 

Because the True Church is the spiritual Church that follows Christ.  At our best, Stark Methodist is one expression of this Spiritual Church.  It is what we strive to be—to truly embody the Spirit of Christ as a church.  The Church is holy because it is the only organization in the Bible established by Christ. 

Matthew 16:18-19 – Jesus said, “Now I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you lock on earth will be locked in heaven, and whatever you open on earth will be opened in heaven.”

The Church was established and empowered by the Son of God.  And the Church is Holy because God’s Spirit works through the Church to make people holy.

Matthew 18:20 – “Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am there.”   When we gather together as a church, the Spirit of God is present and works to change us into the likeness of Christ.  And the same Spirit leads Christ followers to go into the world to spread holiness everywhere they go.

Christians were never meant to be “lone rangers.”  We must belong to the Church.  A Christian who separates from the church grows cold.  I have never heard of someone growing closer to God after they abandoned the church.  But I can tell countless stories of people whose faith grew weaker or died spiritually because they stopped going to church.

Considered all the lives that have been positively influenced over the centuries by Jesus through the Church.  The best of what we experience in our world today came to be through the efforts of faithful Christians through the Holy Catholic Church.  What other organization can claim such a powerful influence that spans 2,000 years?

"I believe in the communion of saints…"
We say this every week in our Apostles’ Creed, but who knows what it means?  The Communion of Saints is the fellowship and spiritual cooperation of all Christians in the body of Christ.  This includes those on earth and those who already in heaven. 

Hebrews 12:23 from our Scripture lesson this morning says, when you worship “…you have come to the spirits of the redeemed in heaven who have now been made perfect.” 

In worship, we join together even with the saints in heaven!  How glorious!  As we gather for worship, it is a time to gather in the spirit with the saints who’ve gone before us!

Hebrews 12:1, says “We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses…” referring to the believers who have gone before us whose stories encourage us to have faith in God. 

Referring to the same “cloud of witnesses,” Hebrews 11:40 says, “God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them [the dead in Christ], for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race.” 

This says the lives of people already with God in heaven are tied to our lives—they can’t receive their “final prize” until we finish the race.  The final prize they await is the Day of Judgment when the wrongs of this world shall be made right and God shall create a new heaven and new earth.

So, we are part of a great fellowship of saints.  We are all pulling for each other—encouraging one another to love and good deeds.  Even the saints in heaven are pulling for us.

You Are Not Alone
Sometimes the Christian life feels lonely.  You may wonder if anyone understands your struggles.  You may feel too weak to do what God is asking you to do.  But listen to what we have confessed today: You are not alone.

The Holy Spirit lives in you. You belong to a Church that stretches around the world. And you are part of a fellowship of saints that even death cannot break.

So don’t try to live your faith alone. Listen to the Spirit.  Let your church family walk beside you.  Remember the faithful people whose lives taught you to trust Jesus.  And when we say these words again, let’s say them as people who believe they are true:  “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints.”

God is with us. We belong to Christ. And we belong to one another.

---

[1] Quickverse Life Application Bible – Dictionary entry for “Trinity”

[2] http://www.therealpresence.org/essentials/creed/acc09.htm

[3] http://www.therealpresence.org/essentials/creed/acc10.htm

The Apostles' Creed, part 2

Introduction
A few year ago, I had a church member tell me how much he appreciated reciting the Apostles' Creed in church each Sunday.  You see, he didn't grow up in a Methodist church, but a little country church and they didn't say the creed.  And when he came to the Methodist church, he was skeptical of what seemed like a unnecessarily formal ritual.  But after a a while, he asked his young daughter what Christians believe and she recited to him the Apostles' Creed.  And man told me, "I get it now."

The Apostles' Creed is a beautiful and succinct summary of the basic Christians faith--what we believe.  It’s important to know, everything in the Creed is based on Scripture.  Now, you can't look up the Apostle's Creed and find it in the Bible.  But all the principles it teach are in the Word.  And that's why we believe it.  

Matthew 16:13-17
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”[a]
14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[b] the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John,[c] because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

Ephesians 1:4-5
Scripture tells us that God sent Jesus to save and perfect His children.  Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.”

Who is Jesus?  If a person stopped you on the street and asked, “Who is Jesus?”  What would you say?  What would you say if they asked you what He did?  Perhaps you would be at a loss about what to say, but you don’t have to be, because we recite who Jesus is and what He did every Sunday in our Apostle’s Creed.  Say it with me:

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord: 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended to the dead;
the third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead...

The Creed (founded upon Scripture) tells us who Jesus is and what He did:
“He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary…”

You know the Christmas story.  God sent the angel Gabriel to appear to Mary.  In Luke 1:34-35 it says, Mary asked the angel, “But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin.”  The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.”

Jesus is special.  He was part of God’s plan to save us from the beginning.  He is the Son of God.  He is the product of a miraculous birth. He is the fulfillment of a multitude of prophecies given hundreds of years ahead of time. 

Yet He was also born as a helpless baby to a very human mother.  He was flesh and blood. 
He had to grow up like us.  He had to learn.  He felt emotions, got his feelings hurt, felt hunger, got tired, cried real tears and shed real blood.  Hebrews 2:17 says, “It was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that He could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.”

Jesus also suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.

Pilate – Pilate was the Roman governor in charge of Jerusalem when Jesus was arrested.
Matthew 27:1-2 – “Very early in the morning, the leading priests and other leaders met again to discuss how to persuade the Roman government to sentence Jesus to death. Then they bound him and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.”  [A real person…  Seat in Caesarea Philippi…]

Suffered – John 19:1-3 – “Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, and they hit him with their fists.”

Crucified – John 19:17-18 – “Carrying the cross by himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew, Golgotha). There they crucified him.”

Buried – Mark 15:46 – “Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus’ body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance.”
These are real places.  These are not just stories.  These events really happened.  Jesus is a real man who went through utter agony and paid the ultimate price for you and me!

Descended to the Dead - Not all denomination say this one; there are various interpretations and some choose to leave it out.  But this concept is also in Scripture.  In 1 Peter 3:18-20 it says, "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.  So he went and preached to the spirits in prison—those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat."

And 1 Peter 4:6 — “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead…”
(See also Acts 2:2, 31; Ephesians 4:8-10; and Romans 10:6-7)

There are differing interpretations on why Jesus descended to the dead and what it means.  I find comfort in thinking that it means even those who lived and died before Christ's atoning sacrifice had a chance to hear His message and be saved and Christ personally took them the message.

On the Third Day, He rose from the dead.  When the Jesus’ followers came to the tomb to put spices on his body in Luke 24:5-6, the angels said, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead!

Thousands, if not millions, of people visit this tomb every year.  Jesus is still not there.  I’ve been there and I’ve seen it and I can testify.  The tomb is empty; Jesus is risen!  I know He is risen, because I talked to Him just this morning!

We believe in a Lord who has authority over everything—even death.  When you begin to worry that your problems are too big, remember you believe in Jesus Christ who rose from the grave!  He can overcome any problem you face—even death.  

He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

It was important for Jesus to return to heaven.  It tells us that His home is heaven.  Jesus has taken His rightful place on the heavenly throne.  We too should set our sights on our Heavenly Home and think not only of this world.  For even if we suffer and die here (as Christ did), our true Home is in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus’ ascension to heaven also tells us that we have a job to do here on earth.  If Jesus wanted to do all the work, He would have stayed until all the work was done.  He ascended to heaven so we would have a chance to do some of the work ourselves.  Though Jesus empowers us and helps us to accomplish his plans, we are the ones who have to act as his hands and feet.  We are his body.  If we don’t act as Jesus to this world, no one will.

Acts 1:11b say, “Someday, just as you saw him go, [Jesus] will return!”  One of the fundamental beliefs of our faith laid down in the Bible is that Jesus is going to come back to judge the living and the dead.  One day, all people will be held accountable for their actions.  Therefore, it would be wise for us to live a life of godly service, doing as much good as we can with what we have in the time we have left. 

Say it again with me:
We believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: 
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended to the dead;
the third day He rose from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

Salvation Comes from Jesus
Do you truly believe?  Reciting the words doesn’t save you. Only a personal relationship with Jesus based on true faith saves you.  It is when your eyes are suddenly opened and you realize, “Oh my!  Jesus really does want to save me!  He really did suffer and die for me.  He was whipped for my transgressions.  He was punished for my disobedience.  He bled to wash away my sins!  He died for me!  And on the third day, He rose from the grave.  He ascended to heaven and one day He’s going to come back for me and I want to be ready!” 

When you realize that, repent, and you pray in your heart, “Lord, I believe in You and I want You to save me!  Forgive me!  Help me to live the way You want me to live!  Be the Lord and Savior of my life!” Then, you will be saved. 

God is Forever | A Sermon on Psalm 115:8 & Revelation 21-22

Introduction
I feel like I have a tall order in my sermon today. Because, this weekend, we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the founding of our great nation–the land that I love. But, we are also working our way through the themes for our upcoming Vacation Bible School, which will be July 13-17 from 6:30-8:30. 

But God is good, and I believe He’s given me just the right Word to share this morning. But in order to make this work, I sensed God wanting me to skip ahead and preach on the Day 5 theme for VBS today and then do Day 4 next Sunday. So I flip-flopped my original plans, because I want to be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s direction. 

The title for Day 5 of VBS is God is Forever.  The Memory verse for the lesson is Psalm 115:8. But to give a broader context for this pass, lets read verses 1-9. 

Psalm 115:1-9
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness. 2 Why let the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens, and he does as he wishes. 4 Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. 5 They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. 6 They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. 7 They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. 8 And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust the Lord! He is your helper and your shield.   

The Book of Revelation
In addition to the memory verse in Psalm, our VBS lesson teaches about John’s vision of Heaven in the Book of Revelation. That’s pretty bold! Revelation 7:17 - For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. 

People often think the point of Revelation is to predict the future. But the purpose of Revelation’s more than that. (By the way, there is no “S” in Revelation) 

In Revelation, God shows John what’s really going on in his world–things we can’t see. Now, John (one of Jesus’ 12 Disciples) lives in a world dominated by the Roman empire. Rome is the superpower that controls John’s world (and all the Christians in it). It is a pagan world, unchristian to its core, and the Romans empire is anti-Christian. Christians are this tiny, persecuted minority, with no political power, seemingly at the mercy of Rome and everyone else. Because they believed in Jesus, Christians were often ostracized. Their businesses failed because often no one wanted to do business with "those Christians".  For the same reasons, they often can’t find work. They are kicked out of synagogues and they sometimes even lose their homes or are driven out of town. 

And Christians often became scapegoats who got the blame for any disaster that befell a town. When a terrible fire destroyed much of Rome, emperor Nero blamed Christians.  Many historians (even Roman ones) believe it was actually Nero who started the fire.  So Nero had to do something.  He had many arrested and doused in pitch, tied to stakes, and turned into human torches to light the streets of Rome--all in a effort to divert the blame from himself.  

And so these Christians were asking, “What’s the point of being a follower of Christ?” It is into this world of hurt that God gives the Apostle John his Revelation. And Revelation isn’t just a vision about what’s going to happen at the end of time (why would the hurting people reading Revelation in the 1st century care; tell me how this helps me NOW). 

Revelation Pulls Back the Curtain
God gave Revelation to pull back the curtain on their CURRENT events and show Christians: there is way more going on around you than what you can see. Everyone thinks Rome is a mighty empire, that it’s permanent, but it’s not. It will soon be gone. But the Kingdom of God is forever. And you are citizens in God’s Kingdom that will last forever. 

Think about all the things people back then thought were so important and would last forever. The Temple. Caesar. The Roman Empire. Their own suffering. But God pulls back the curtain in Revelation and says, “These things are temporary. But My Kingdom lasts forever. And ultimately, all the empires of this world will fall, and all the rulers of this world will cease, and every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all.” 

And here’s the thing, God’s Kingdom isn’t just something we look forward to in the future. No. God’s Kingdom is now. It starts for us the moment we say YES to Jesus and it exists behind the curtain of what we can see. It’s not just coming; it’s here now. And when we follow Christ faithfully, we participate in God’s Kingdom. 

Many Things We Love Are Temporary
God’s Word also reminds us that many of the things we love are temporary. When I was a kid, I used to love swimming in pool.  I would hate it when my parents said, “It’s time to go!” As a parent myself, I tried to soften this with my own kids by giving them a 5 minute warning.  

But we all know that some things we really like don’t last forever. (Vacation ends. Summer break ends. Baseball season ends. Favorite toys break. Pets die.) We even know that houses deteriorate. Careers end. Health fades. Even church buildings don't last forever. And on a wider scale: nations rise and fall. Ancient Egypt lasted 3,000. Greece lasted 600 years. Rome lasted 2,000. But all faded away. 

This weekend we celebrate 250 years of our nation. I'm deeply thankful for America. I love this country. I'm grateful for the freedoms we've enjoyed. But Scripture reminds us that every earthly kingdom—even the greatest ones—are temporary. We can be thankful we live in a great nation, with a proud history. We should be grateful for the patriots who made tremendous sacrifices to build our country and preserve it for 250 years. And we should do our best to honor them by taking care of America the best we can. 

Where Is Your Hope?
Where is your hope? Since we’re in church, we would probably all answer “Jesus!” It sounds good and we know it’s probably the right answer. We should put our hope in Christ. But here’s what I’ve found about myself (and maybe it’s true for you too): Our reaction to world events can reveal where our hope is and, sometimes, how we may need to ask God to help us change our thinking.

Consider: 

If we lose hope because our candidate doesn’t win, it could reveal that we have placed too much hope in a candidate instead of in God. 

If we give up because we see our community or our nation changing in ways we don’t agree with, it might reveal our priorities are misaligned. 

What happens inside you if: The stock market crashes… If your health changes… If life doesn't go the way you hoped… 

If our hope dies because of these things, it is a clue that maybe we’ve put too much hope in the things of this world instead of God. We might not want to hear that, but that’s what God wants us to know. 

By all means, Christians should be actively involved in trying to shape the world around us to match the values of God’s Kingdom. Our prayer is always with Jesus’ in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven…” Yet we don’t put our ultimate hope in the systems, people, governments, or kingdoms of this world. Our hope is in the Lord and our eternity is the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Revelation 21:3-4
Revelation 21 gives the grand vision of God’s heavenly Kingdom. Verse 3-4 says: “I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 

God’s love never runs out, never changes, never leaves. God’s love is permanent, His promises are unbreakable, and His home is waiting for all who trust Him. That means we don’t need to be afraid of the future. It means we don’t have to lose hope in the present–even if things don’t go our way. We can live with hope, confidence, and joy–because no matter what happens, our “forever” is safe in God’s hands!