What a beautiful Easter Sunday! It's warm, sunny and I am stuffed after a wonderful lunch at my parents' home. In a few months I might have a vague memory of that, but I feel sure that I will remember our church service today. Pastor Jeff began his sermon with, "You'll never meet a person that doesn't have a past, littered with mistakes and failures, wishing for a do-over." Yes, he was speaking to every person in the room. Then instead of the resurrection story, he read the story of the woman who was caught in adultery and brought by the Pharisees to Jesus, asking if she should be stoned (John 8:2-11). Did your thoughts, like mine, skip to He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone? Wait, our Pastor wanted us to think some more...
John 8:6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
What would I write? Nothing of consequence I'm sure. I'd be avoiding answering their question and I'd probably be drawing something in the sand like I do at the beach. But, what did Jesus write? It was important enough that He stooped down twice to write with his finger. Our Pastor had an interesting suggestion. Was Jesus writing down the sins of the accusers? (Psalm 44:21b For He knows the secrets of the heart.) Hmmm.
Remember He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone? Well, Jesus was the only one without sin. He chose not to cast the stone - at any of us because Jesus Sees What We Can Become and Tells Us What We Need to Do. He said, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. Finally, Our Response Tells Jesus Something: He is the boss of your life, you do what He says in His Word and you are not ashamed of Him. How? Admit you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus is Lord, raised from death, and Confess Him as Lord.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The altar call was given and at least a dozen people came forward to be baptized immediately. After one song, we were witnesses to each one being baptized on Easter morning, a repeated vision of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ! There were four services this weekend and Pastor Jeff sent an awesome tweet just after 1 p.m.
@JcrookJwc: 54 trusted Jesus and were Baptized on Easter Weekend @bpbc Praise The Risen Lord Jesus!!
No comments:
Post a Comment