2021.04.18 The Good News - Unplugged
Notes
Transcript
The Good News - Unplugged
The Good News - Unplugged
11 For there is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.
36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 “We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
40 “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,
41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
42 “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
Have you ever seen a popular singer online without any of their studio tricks? Sometimes it really showcases their ability … sometimes it really showcases the studio tricks and gimmicks they usually employ.
A few years back, MTV had a series they called Unplugged. They would bring in a band or musician to sing their songs without any of the electronics or studio production. My favorite artist (Paul McCartney) took his turn performing with all acoustic instruments. Stripped of all of the production, it was awesome to hear the bare quality of the songs and the musicians.
As Jesus came toward the end of his time with the disciples, his teaching took on a more urgent character. Some of the most important teachings occurred late in his time on Earth. And much of that teaching was simple in nature. A lot of the parables and “think about this” teachings were stripped down to their basic meat.
As my time grows shorter here, I’d like to following his example today, and share the good news without any of the the frills and bangles we often put on it. Let’s call it ...
“The Good News - Unplugged”
Just the basics of the faith!
Paul writes in our first Scripture this morning that God doesn’t show partiality [there is no “us” and “them”]
The reading from Acts says: “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) — you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea...”
Do you know what happened throughout Judea?
… beginning in Galilee
... about Jesus of Nazareth
… whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and endowed with power.
Jesus traveled around doing good and healing everyone … you know that part, right?
They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him up on the third day and allowed him to be seen … you know that part, right?
When I talk to someone about faith issues, I usually take them back to the beginning. The basics of the Good News is always a good starting point, and it never hurts to review. So if you’ve heard this before, let’s refresh our memories together.
Paul wrote that everyone has sinned and deserves death as their payment for sinning.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
He also wrote: “…if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
So, if you learn nothing else from me, I hope you learn that the basics of the faith hold only two requirements for salvation:
SLIDE
Proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life and let him take the driver’s seat.
Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
The Good News - Unplugged
The Good News - Unplugged
Statistically speaking, most of you are already familiar with the Christian faith. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here or watching and listening to a Christian worship service at home.
Easter and Christmas are the largest church attendance days in North America … but they aren’t the same crowd as one another.
Those who have never really been involved in a local church are likely to show up on Christmas Eve. They show up wondering something along the lines of, “What’s all the ruckus about this holiday, anyway?”
On Easter, the ones more likely to show up are those who have been involved and been burned by church people, or disenchanted with the whole concept of “church”. People being ‘burned’ by church people usually centers around expectations and demands that are way beyond the basics.
Perhaps you know someone (or maybe you ARE someone) who has been burned by church folk.
If so, before I move any further, permit me to explain a little bit.
We humans tend to judge God based on the behavior of his people. While that seems logical, it’s not an accurate depiction of God’s nature. It’s an accurate depiction of HUMAN nature as we seek out God.
We “Church Folk” are all broken, fallen human beings and when humans live in community, we often hurt each other. Amen?
So on behalf of whoever has hurt you along the way, let me apologize. From the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry you were harmed.
Today, I beg for your forgiveness, so that you can reconcile with God and with his people.
Jews had a system … scapegoat …
For your sake and the sake of God’s Kingdom, I want to ask you to assign the harm done to you to ME. BLAME ME for what you experienced, and please accept my apology.
Jesus died and came back to life to wipe away your sins and reconcile you to God. He also died and came back to life to wipe away the person’s sins who hurt you.
This Sunday, like all the others, we celebrate the Resurrection. Maybe this would be a good opportunity to renew your faith in Christ.
Regardless of what was done to you … Jesus Christ loves you deeply. You matter to him and he wants to be your Lord.
Is today the day you’ll say yes?
We’ll be renewing or making our Commitment of Faith using the liturgy found in the United Methodist Hymnal. This will all be on the screen for you to participate:
On behalf of the whole Church, I ask you:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
I DO.
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
I DO.
Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior,
put your whole trust in his grace,
and promise to serve him as your Lord,
in union with the Church which Christ has opened
to people of all ages, nations, and races?
I DO.
According to the grace given to you,
will you remain faithful members of Christ's holy church
and serve as Christ's representatives in the world?
I WILL.
The Holy Spirit work within you,
That having been born through water and the Spirit,
You may live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.
AMEN.
Let us pray...