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The pastor’s sermon last Sunday was titled "Getting It Right." He used Colossians 1:13-23 as his biblical reference.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation – if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Here are my notes from his sermon. They may seem brief.
Lent is a time set aside for the church to prepare for Easter.
The pastor is concerned that we don't know how to worship correctly. The pastor believes it good to shout "Amen" or raise your hand or clap, but it is not required. The response should be for God.
He wants every service to have some meaning. The Lenten season should be for a purpose.
Why do we worship? More importantly, why do we worship Jesus?
Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus came because we are all sinners.
That pastor said he thought that the image of Jesus throwing the sinner a life preserver is not a good analogy. If we are dead in our sins, dead people don't reach for life preservers.
[Editor’s note: The analogy I have heard is that of Christ dragging an unconscious man from the water and bringing him back to life by artificial respiration. In this model, Christ does all the work.)
Our philosophy in churches is that we need to be better people. We don't need to become better people we need to become new.
Jesus is not like God, he is not close to God, he IS God. He is the creator of all things. When Jesus was hung on the cross, Jesus is the one that created the seed that grew into the tree on which they crucified him.
We worship Jesus because...
-He rescued us
-He alone is worthy
-He fulfilled the plan of redemption
God is holy and just. God cannot avoid punishing the guilty and still be a just God. He has a dilemma. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin.
Jesus became the sacrifice that washed away our sins. Because Jesus has made the sacrifice, we will be presented to God, when we die, as sinless. Washed clean.
If you don't know Jesus as your personal savior, then you are dead in your sins and are bound for eternal damnation in hell.
Posted by Ted at February 19, 2005 8:42 PM