Now's the Time: To Reognize Jesus' sacrifice
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Last week I proclaimed that, even in times of difficulty, chaos, turmoil and even persecution — we can have hope.
As I said last week: Hope is here because Jesus is here.
Jesus is here because we have gathered in His Name.
We have worshipped in His Name.
We have prayed in His Name.
And now I proclaim the Bible, God’s Word, in the Name of Jesus.
Let’s hear the Word of God this morning:
Text: Romans 5:6-11
Helpless
Helpless
Before hope came into our lives, before we had experienced the grace that we sang about — we lived apart, separated from the only One who can give us the hope we desperately need.
We lived apart from Jesus.
And though we may not have recognized it we were not only hopeless, we were helpless.
I like the way the NLT translates vs. 6 - Romans 5:6 (NLT) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.
So not just helpless, but UTTERLY helpless.
There is an erroneous way of thinking that has invaded our society.
That error is that we somehow think we are worthy of salvation because we are “good” people.
Do you remember what I read just a few weeks ago:
Romans 3:10–12 (NASB95) as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; 12 ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
Being utterly helpless to save ourselves is the lifestory of every human being who has lived on this earth —
Except for Jesus, who, while being fully human was also fully God.
Something truly hard for our finite minds to understand.
Even though we may not be able to fully grasp that Jesus was both fully human and fully God at the same time, just maybe we can understand what the Holy Spirit has spoken to us. That before Jesus:
We were helpless, hopeless and bound for hell.
We deserved hell — and we knew it.
As says it: Hebrews 10:26–27 (NASB95) For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES.
According to a 2022 poll 71% of Americans WANT TO believe we are “good” people.
But the Apostle Paul disabuses us of that lie, and the Holy Spirit confirms it in our spirit, when Paul tells the believers in Ephesus:
Ephesians 2:1–5 (NASB95) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
So, yes, we are UTTERLY helpless to save ourselves.
While Were Sinners
While Were Sinners
But as verse 6 tells us:
AT THE RIGHT TIME Christ died for the ungodly.
Aren’t you glad, Jesus didn’t say:
“Oh, I need to wait until everybody is good enough to be saved before I die for their sins.”
“I need to wait for everyone to clean up their act...”
NO!
Romans 5:8 (NASB95) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus never has and He never will wait for us to clean ourselves up, pull ourselves out of the pit by our own bootstraps, or do enough good deeds to earn salvation.
He comes to us at the right time.
Even when we are utterly helpless and up-to-our-neck in the most foul, filthy, and demeaning sins — He doesn’t wait for us to get it right.
He dies for us and then reconciles us to His Father by His Blood.
He saves us as we come to Him JUST AS WE ARE.
We sing a version of the hymn Just as I Am that has the chorus:
I come broken to be mended
I come wounded to be healed
I come desperate to be rescued
I come empty to be filled
I come guilty to be pardoned
How?
By the blood of Christ the Lamb
And I'm welcomed with open arms praise God
Just as I am
Justified By His Blood
Justified By His Blood
Praise God for the Blood of Jesus…
That mends, heals, rescues and pardons.
Romans 5:9–11 (NASB95) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Thank God we have been justified by His blood!
When I repent and turn from my sins, they are washed away and I am justified — it is just as if I’d never sinned.
Not only justified by the Blood of Jesus, but according to ...
(Ephesians 2:13) We who were afar off have been brought near by the Blood
Brought near, we have access to God and all the resources we need — through the Blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 10:19 (NASB95) Therefore, brethren, … we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
(Ephesians 1:7) We have been redeemed by the Blood of Jesus
(Hebrews 9:14) We are made able to serve the living God through the Blood of Jesus:
Hebrews 9:14 (NASB95) how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
And as we grapple with a real devil, who assaults us constantly, through the Blood of Jesus, we have victory.
Revelation 12:11 (NLT) And [the overcomers] have defeated [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
We sing it because we believe it.
There is Power in the Blood.
Now is the time to remember the cost of that Blood being spilled for us.
Now is the time to remember Jesus died for us — not because we were deserving, or had somehow earned His sacrifice.
Now is the time to remember that we were utterly helpless and hopeless — but according to His grace Jesus died, shedding His precious Blood to justify us and to reconcile us to the Father.
Examine Ourselves
Examine Ourselves
We recognize what Jesus has done by partaking of a supper of Remembrance together — the Lord’s Supper.
As He told not only His disciples, but also us in Luke 22:19 (NASB95) … do this in remembrance of Me.”
But before we do so, we need to make sure we are prepared to partake.
We do not partake flippantly, irreverently, thoughtlessly — but rather we intentionally seek to be made worthy by confessing our sins and, by faith, receiving forgiveness of those sins.
1 Corinthians 11:26–32 (The Message) What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt. 27 Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? 28 Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe. 29 If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. 30 That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. 31 If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. 32 Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.
What is our attitude?
What is our spiritual state?
Let us cry out to God, in the Name of Jesus, for forgiveness and cleansing from sin.
1 John 1:9 AMP 2015 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us … from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].
Prayer
Let Us Partake
Let Us Partake
Worship Team, please come to the platform, by way of the Table.
Can we all stand?
You don’t have to be a member, but I urge you not to partake if you haven’t asked for a received forgiveness of your sins.
While the Worship Team leads us in a song that reminds us of the price Jesus paid...
Come receive and hold the elements until we can all partake together.
Please stand or sit here at the front so we can partake as a family.
Bread:
1 Corinthians 11:23-24 23 For I received from the Lord Himself that [instruction] which I passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is (represents) My body, which is [offered as a sacrifice] for you. Do this in [affectionate] remembrance of Me."
Prayer
End prayer with prayer from Seder: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Cup:
1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in [affectionate] remembrance of Me."
Prayer
End prayer with prayer from Seder: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Jesus is Coming Back:
On this Ros Hashanah, let us remember Jesus is coming back!
1 Corinthians 11:26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are [symbolically] proclaiming [the fact of] the Lord's death until He comes [again].