Jesus, the Son of God
[Scripture Reading from the Beginner’s Bible]
He’s still risen today! What has Jesus’ resurrection to do with us? Why does that matter to us? The Apostle John tells us the story of Jesus’ resurrection, and then he says like this: “These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it”(Jn 20:31, MSG). Who is Jesus? He is the Christ, the Son of God. When we say, “I believe Jesus is the Son of God,” that confession of faith must include three statements of truth.
Jesus Has Died
First, Jesus has died. I want to explain the meaning of Jesus’ death through one beautiful true love story. This is a story about five American missionaries and their families. Their story became a movie, titled, “End of the Spear.” They attempted to evangelize Waodani people of the jungle of Ecuador. The Waodani tribe was famed for their cruelty. They used to spear not only other tribes, but also their own tribe members. They were slaves to superstition and vicious circle of revenge. In 1956, the five missionaries found and contacted this tribe. They learned simple Waodani words, such as “We are your friends.” Eventually, all five missionaries were speared by the tribe warriors. Although they had guns in their hands, they did not use them. Instead, while they were dying, they said to them, “We are your friends.” After this, even more amazing thing happened. The wives and children of the missionaries decided to go and live with the Waodani people. And the tribe people asked them, “Why didn’t your husbands use guns?” The wives answered, “They tried to tell you the story of Jesus. He was abused, but he did not retaliate. He suffered, but he did not threaten, because he wanted to show you that there is a new way of life.” One by one the Waodani people began to experience transformation of life in Chirst. Jesus lay down his life for us because he wanted to show us there is a new way of life, because he wanted to set us free from our fear of death, superstition, and vicious circle of life. By his death, Jesus gave us new life, new hope, and new us!
Jesus Rose Again
Secondly, Jesus rose again from the dead. Why is this important? By his death Jesus gave us new life. By his resurrection, Jesus gave us power to live a new life. On the night Jesus was arrested, his disciples were all troubled. But Jesus said to them, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you… When, he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:7, 13a). In his book Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan tells us this truth in a creative way. In the story, the main character, “Christian,” saw an unquenchable fire against a wall. And he also saw a man clothed in black standing by and continually pouring water upon it, but the fire only burned brighter and hotter. And then the guide took Christian behind the wall to show him the reason for that. Here Christian saw another man with a vessel in his hand continually pouring oil upon the fire. Christian asked, “What does this mean?” The guide said, “This is Christ. He pours the oil of his grace to his children continually. So, the devil’s power cannot quench the fire in their heart.” We may be tempted, fall, and even shrink back sometimes, but we need to remember this. Risen Christ is still within us through his Spirit. He is greater than the one who is in the world! (1 Jn 4:4) So now, we have power to overcome our old selves and temptations. We have power to overcome evil with good. We have power to do what is right. We have power to live like Jesus lived. There is life-changing power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Will Come Again
The last and but not least statement of truth is this: Jesus will come again. Are you excited about his second coming, or are you afraid of it? Are you ready to meet Jesus, or do you need more time? Jesus said, “Surely, I am coming soon!” (Rev. 22:20) This promise opens our eyes to realize that this life isn’t everything. This promise helps us look heavenward and live for eternity. In Korean church history, there was a time when Christians were severely persecuted by Japanese for half a century. At that time, Pastor Gil was one of the spiritual leaders of the Korean church. What kept him going was the promise of Jesus’ second coming. In particular, he read the Book of Revelation more than 10,000 times and memorized the whole book. Because of the promise of Jesus’ second coming and final victory, he was able to endure persecution. He realized that “he fights from victory, not for victory.” So he didn’t just barely endured trials and tribulations, but under his leadership the Korean church flourished and experienced the great revival. Jesus’ second coming gives us reason to endure. His second coming gives us reason to live the day. Yes, Jesus is coming soon. Maranatha! Amen. Come, Lord, Jesus!
Remember Your Baptism
This morning I prepared a baptismal bowl as a reminder. By baptism we (our old-self) died and were buried with Christ. And just as Christ was raised from the dead, now we live a new life by the power of His Spirit. We, Christians, are the people who already had a funeral for our old-self and live as a new creation.
Today is a perfect day to reaffirm our faith in Christ as a church, as his body, as his bride. Today we will take a moment to officially welcome our new members into this church. But this is not just a time for the new members, but it is a time for all of us here in this room to remember our baptism and to renew, reaffirm our faith in Christ. Let us be fully present and part of this celebration. Now I will present the candidates for new members...
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