Today’s Scripture

Psalm 119:49-56                    Genesis 2:18-24          Hebrews 2:9-11           Mark 10:2-16

 

            This Tuesday morning our nation’s population reached 300 million.  It was 39 years ago that we reached 200 million.  That is a population growth of 50% in those years.  There is a projection when we will reach 400 million in the lifetime of most people younger than 55.

 

            That takes us to today’s reading from Genesis.  God made man and woman to be helpmates, to be one flesh, to recreate so there would be more and more and more people.  God made man in his own image and loved this crowning point of his creation.  Note that at the end of each day God saw that what he had made was good.  When he made man, he noted that it was “very good.”  God made man to be holy and to be family with each other and with him.

 

            Today, as we count 300 million people in this nation and over six billion in the world, think of all of these people in this perspective; God made all of these people to love, to receive his love.  That makes one wonder, “How much love does God have for all of these people today, let alone all people of all time?”  It overwhelms one as you try to contemplate how great this love is.  God is virtually an unlimited and unending love.

 

            Now consider that all of these people are consumed by sin, lost in sin.  Now multiply God’s love as we see Jesus on the cross, taking on his own self the sins of all 300 million in our nation, the six billion plus in today’s world, the sins of all who have ever lived and who will ever be.  How much greater God’s love becomes now!

            In today’s passage from Hebrews, God is telling us that Jesus suffered the death for each and every one.  The result of this act is to bring billions to glory.  In this, both Jesus who makes men holy and those made holy by him are the same family.  Jesus calls all his brothers.  That is how much God loves you and all people.  That is why we can so confidently and thankfully sing hymns such as “How Great Thou Art.”

 

            Jesus’ discussion in Mark shows us our sinfulness.  Sinfulness in marriage breaks up the family.  Sinfulness in your relationship with God breaks up that family relationship between you and God.  There is no way that you and I can come back into that pure relationship with him again, except at the cross.  Again, Jesus does all of this on your behalf.  He does not limit this to just a few or a select group, but his suffering and death is for all people of all time.  That is how great God’s love is.  That is the greatest comfort that no matter who you are, where you come from, how terrible any and all of your sins are, Christ died for all people and all sins of all people.  No one is left out of this love.  It is only those who refuse to accept this love who do not receive it and keep themselves cut off, divorced from God.

 

            Let us do church aerobics #3 today.  Two weeks ago we looked at each other and know that no one would be here if no one was ever told about Jesus.  Last week we walked up to someone we did not know and shared with that person a little bit about how we came to faith in Jesus.

 

            Today, take a minute to close your eyes.  Now do not fall asleep during the sermon.  But, while your eyes are closed, think of the 300 million people in this nation today.  Think about the six billion people in this world today.  Roughly two-thirds of these people do not have true faith in God for his love in Jesus Christ.  That shakes your eyes open again, doesn’t it?  It is kind of like having a bad dream.

 

            Close your eyes again.  Fix in your mind at least one person in your life that you at one or more times have had the opportunity to tell that person about your faith, your confident hope knowing that as Christ died for all of yours sins you now have eternal life with him.  But you did not take that opportunity to share this faith with that person.  Does that person know today this love of Christ or not?

 

            Listen to how faith happens in a person from Paul’s letter to the Romans [10:14-15].  How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear with out someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” [Isaiah 52:7].

 

            There is no way for an unbeliever to come to faith unless someone else tells that person what that faith is.  The people you know and meet day-by-day will not come to faith unless they hear this great truth so many of us take for granted.  The world is full of delusions Satan has placed that keep people from knowing how much God loves them and how this is fulfilled in Jesus. 

 

            Close your eyes again.  This time visualize in your mind how you might seize the next opportunity you will have to share this great love with another.  How will you share it in your actions, in a simple and sincere way of speaking your faith, or how you will invite that person to attend with you a service at Immanuel or a Bible Study here or in a person’s home?

 

            How will people know if they do not hear what your saving faith is?

 

 

 

1 Peter 3:15  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience.

 

Let us pray: