"Access to God Is Not an Entitlement"
Text:
Romans 5:1-8
"Now to
him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations. Amen." Ephesians
3:20-21
Dear
Fellow Christians:
The sound of
breaking glass finds its way into your sleep-deadened consciousness and you
suddenly realize that an intruder has broken into your house in the middle of
the night. You are instantly awake and terrified. What do you do?
Obviously that
depends somewhat on who you are. I might reach first for something a bit more
imposing than a telephone receiver, but certainly one of the first thoughts
that bursts through the panic is: Call the
police.
The police –
no matter what you thought of them before, in a moment they suddenly become
your best friends; guys with guns who are on your side.
But suppose no
one answers when you dial 911? Or suppose you get through, only to be asked who
you are and why anyone at the police department should risk his or her life to
protect you? Or you get through only
to be told, "Not interested, but
thanks for calling" followed by a dial tone. You would be outraged,
right? Because as a taxpaying citizen, you are entitled to protection from the
police.
Or suppose you
waken to a room filled with smoke, but when you call your heroic firefighters,
they tell you simply, "We're pretty
busy right now, but maybe later." Silly, right? Because, again, you
are entitled.
Well at least
you can always appeal to a much higher, much more powerful source of protection
and rescue. God is always there, right? God is always on call, isn't he –
always hears and answers every prayer? Not necessarily. Effective prayer is not
a universal privilege. The opening verses of our text let us in on a divine
secret: Access to God Is Not an
Entitlement. The words of our text will clarify for us. Those words are
found recorded in Paul's Letter to the Romans, the Fifth Chapter:
NKJ Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access
by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in
tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and
perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For
when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man
someone would even dare to die. 8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
So far the very words of God. May
that same God who gave us these words fill us with proper reverence for them,
that each time we hear them we may gain the gifts he desires to give us. To
this end also we pray, "Sanctify us through Your truth, O
Lord; your Word is truth!" Amen.
Historians may well come to refer to
the times in which we are now living as "The Age of Entitlement."
Americans have, by and large, come to believe that we are entitled to just
about whatever we desire. Even worse than that, we have come to imagine that we
somehow deserve whatever we desire.
If, for example, a rich person has more money than I do, it is good, right, and
fitting that our government confiscates their money through taxes, and then
doles it out to those of us who have less. We are also entitled to universal
free health care, home ownership, and free food and clothing, whether I want to
work for it or not. I am entitled.
I'm not sure when this change
occurred – and it is a change. Neither
my grandparents nor my parents harbored any sort of entitlement philosophy.
They worked hard and received with thanksgiving whatever the Lord blessed them
with. I strongly suspect that most or all of you could say the same about your
ancestors. But that is changing, or has already changed, and like most such
things, it has spilled over also into the spiritual realm. Our society now also
regards a wide variety of spiritual benefits - including access to God,
forgiveness of sins, even access to heaven itself – as entitlement. God owes us
his ear, his forgiveness, and his heaven, unless we just absolutely blow it
with some sort of prolonged, extra-evil behavior. We are also now entitled to
use God's name in vain a couple dozen times each day, but then have him stand
to attention and give us what we ask when finally we do use his name in some
sort of prayer.
But what if God takes the phone off
the hook? What if God just isn't accessible any and every time a human being
thinks he ought to be?
Rather disturbing thought, isn't it
– that "God is no longer taking your
calls." God's Word is not ambiguous in this area. In fact unless we
come to terms with God's truth in this area, we will never fully understand the
gospel, and the dramatic, miraculous rescue of every single sinner. The fact is
God's ear is closed to the utterances of the godless. 1 Peter 3:12 tells us clearly that "the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the
face of the LORD is against
those who do evil." Again in Isaiah 59:2, "But
your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will
not hear."
Human beings
need to come to terms with the true consequences of sin. Sin separated us from
our God. Sin created a rift that simply could not be mended without some sort
of divine intervention. Stop for just a moment here and consider the
ramifications of that simple fact. If sin created a barrier between us and our
God, and if that God – on account of our sins – no longer hears the words, the
prayers, that we nonetheless imagine that we are speaking directly to him, then
our problems are much, much greater than we could ever have imagined. Our
dilemma is then truly hopeless, from a human perspective, since there is simply
nothing at all that we can do to mend that rift between God and man. Having
lost the ability to communicate with our God, what could we possibly do to save
ourselves?
The answer is "Nothing at all." You can
neither persuade nor appease a God who blocks you from his sight; a God who
refuses all communication; a God who simply refuses to hear you. That is why
work-righteousness is such a ridiculous, damning fallacy. Even if a human being
could do something that the world
regards as "good," God does not regard it as such. Again we hear from
Holy Scripture that "without faith it is impossible
to please God." (Hebrews
11:6) Good works in the eyes of the world are not good works in God's eyes, for
it is only faith that makes any work truly God-pleasing. Yet even if we were to
pretend for a moment that an unbeliever could perform a truly good work apart
from faith, God would still take no
notice of it, since he has no regard for the godless. In fact that is exactly
why the only solution to our sin/lack of access problem is a Savior, a
source of rescue that lies outside of ourselves, the power provided by another.
And since no human being could
provide such a rescue (for all human being "have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God")
that source has to be divine. It has to come from God himself.
Which is exactly what the Holy Spirit is conveying to us in the opening
verses of this morning's text: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have
access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the
glory of God." Understand well what our God is telling us here.
Our access to God was and is not an entitlement; it was earned for us by the
suffering and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He is the one who provided
what mankind could not provide. In fact he did so in a number of different
ways.
First and
foremost, we needed a mediator; we needed someone who was on good terms with God the Father and who could offer some sort
of a payment to appease his holy, righteous anger over against sin. Since we
could not provide any such thing, Jesus did it for us. He did so by living a
sinless life, and then by offering that sinless life as the blood-sacrifice for
sins. Our text assures us that it was this very thing that opened the lines of
communication between God and man. In fact this was the message demonstrated on
Good Friday when the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
No longer was access to God the Father denied to sinful mankind. The death of
Jesus Christ, God's Son, served to reconcile God and man. How? Why? Because
that which had separated us from our God – our sins – was now gone. The wrath
of God over against every one of those sins was poured out on God's Son in our
stead. The result, for you and me, was total and complete pardon.
That is what our text means when it
says, "Therefore,
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." This declaration of "not guilty"
(justification) becomes our own personal possession the moment the Holy Spirit
creates saving faith in our hearts. The instant the Holy Spirit works in you
the trust and confidence that Jesus Christ is the provider in full of the full payment
for all of your countless sins, at that moment the hostility that once existed
between you and your God came to an end. You then have, in the words of our
text "peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Because you have this
peace, the lines of communication are wide open, as our text also promises: "through
whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand."
Access to our
God is not an entitlement; it is not something we have earned or deserved
simply by virtue of our humanity. This access had to be earned for us by our
Savior, and it is a gift and a privilege extended to us along with saving
faith. In fact even if we had yearned, with every fiber of our being and above
all other things, to have and enjoy a relationship with our God, we would
continue to be excluded apart from Jesus Christ. Our text makes this
unmistakably clear when it says: "For when we were still without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." And again, "But God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
How utterly foolish to regard our forgiveness and salvation as anything other
than an underserved gift from our God in view of what his Son has done for us
as our substitute.
We have, of
course, other notions of entitlement. That is, after all, the nature of
entitlement – we tend to believe that we are entitled to what we feel like we
are entitled to. So also, even as Christians, we somehow manage to develop the
notion that the Christian faith is some sort of an economic, medical, and social
guarantee. On the contrary, Jesus told us to expect just the opposite. Since
the world hated Jesus, we should expect that it will also hate those who love
and follow after him. Our text also spoke of things like tribulation,
perseverance, and character. The message is clearly that there are
no shortcuts to things like character. Character is not something that we
suddenly receive at conversion (another entitlement); it is painstakingly
constructed through perseverance in the face of ongoing tribulation. Clearly
the depth of insight offered here could be a sermon in and of itself. The point
that we take from these truths this morning is that our God would have us view
our conversion, our faith, our access to God the Father in prayer, even our day
to day lives and all that fills them as precious gifts that we have in no way
deserved.
God grant to
each of us hearts that recognize just how blessed we truly are, and to view all
of the undeserved gifts of our God with thanksgiving and gratitude. Our God,
who owes us nothing, has in fact given us everything. Amen.
Scripture Readings and Sunday Bulletin
for February 24, 2008
NKJ Exodus 17:1-7 Then all the congregation of the children of
Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the
commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water
for the people to drink. 2
Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, "Give us water, that
we may drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you contend with me?
Why do you tempt the LORD?" 3
And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against
Moses, and said, "Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to
kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?" 4 So Moses cried out to the LORD,
saying, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone
me!" 5 And the LORD said
to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders
of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and
go. 6 "Behold, I will
stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and
water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in
the sight of the elders of Israel. 7
So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the
contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD,
saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"
NKJ John 4:5-14 So He came to a city of Samaria which is
called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob's well was there.
Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.
It was about the sixth hour. 7 ¶
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a
drink." 8 For His
disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said
to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan
woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her,
"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a
drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living
water." 11 The woman
said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep.
Where then do You get that living water?
12 "Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us
the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his
livestock?" 13 Jesus
answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst
again, 14 "but whoever
drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that
I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life."
NKJ Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access
by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. 3 And not only that, but
we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4
and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit
who was given to us. 6 For when we were still without strength,
in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a
righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare
to die. 8 But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
ST. PAUL
Bismarck, ND 58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701) 425-5483
Mr. Mark Johnson, President (222-1855) Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist
Michael Roehl, Pastor mjroehl@bis.midco.net
The Third Sunday in Lent – February 24, 2008
|
The Opening
Prayer by the Pastor
The Opening
Hymn ‑#148- (Verses 1-8) (Red Hymnal)
"Lord Jesus Christ, My Life My
Light"
The Order of Morning Service – Red Hymnal page 15.
The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the bulletin insert)
The Old Testament Lesson: (Exodus
17:1-7) Our physical needs often short circuit our understanding of our
spiritual needs. This was demonstrated clearly in the events of our first
lesson this morning, where the Israelites were willing to sacrifice their
ethics and morality because of their thirst.
The
Gospel Lesson: (John
4:5-14) Our Gospel lesson offers us another view of mankind's tendency to focus
on the physical and ignore the spiritual. This is the account of Jesus'
interaction with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well. Note especially here how
Jesus seeks to elevate the woman's understanding of what is truly important –
the living waters of God's Word.
The
Confession of Faith ‑
The Nicene
Creed (Red Hymnal page 22)
The Pre‑Sermon
Hymn ‑#457- (Red Hymnal)
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus"
The Sermon – Text: Romans
5:1-8 (Printed on the back of this bulletin)
"Access to God Is Not an Entitlement"
"Create
In Me" (The Offertory) – Red Hymnal page 22
The Offering, followed by the Prayers
The Pre-Communion Hymn -#310 (Red Hymnal)
"Thy Table I
Approach"
The
Preparation for Holy Communion (Red Hymnal page 24)
The
Distribution -Hymn #306- (Red Hymnal)
"Lord
Jesus Christ Thou Hast Prepared"
The Nunc
Dimittis (Red Hymnal page 29)
The Benediction
The Closing
Hymn ‑#644- (Red Hymnal)
"Praise God from Whom All
Blessings Flow"
Silent
Prayer
Attendance ‑ Last Sunday (46) 2008 Average (50) Wednesday
(28)
This Week
at
Today -10:00 a.m. – Worship Service w/ Holy Communion
-11:15 a.m. – Fellowship Hour
-11:30 a.m. –
Congregational Assembly
Wednesday -5:45 p.m. – Confirmation & Bible
History
-7:00 p.m. –
Midweek Bible Study
Friday -7:00 p.m. –
Family Game Night
Friday-Sat -10:00 a.m.
– Pastor in EC for meetings
Next Sunday -8:45 a.m. – Sunday School and Bible Class
-10:00
a.m. – Worship
Service
-11:00
a.m. – Fellowship
Hour
Church Council Notes – Five of six council members were
present. Treasurer Weiss reported that our bank balance was too low in January
to pay all of our bills. One or more of our reserve loans to the CEF will have
to be recalled if the congregation does not react. Council voted to recommend
direct (paperless) contribution program to the Voters as a service to our
members. President Johnson will present an outline to the congregation after
church on Sunday. Several suggestions from the Outreach Committee were
discussed. One goal is to assemble a much more complete Visitor's Welcome
Folder that would include several additional items. February 29 (the next
Family Game Night) will also double as Sound Deadening Night. Details to
follow. A special Voters' Meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, March 9th.
An Article in our Constitution requiring signature of the Constitution prior to
voting membership will be addressed at the next Quarterly Voters' Meeting.
Special Voters' Meeting - is hereby announced for March 9th,
following the service.
Family and Sound Deadening Night – Our next Family Game night is this
Friday. Families are also encouraged to bring items to test for sound deadening
properties. More information will be offered after the service this morning.