A Sermon in Three Points

Sunday’s thoughts


Somewhere in time, November 13, 2011 – I went to church, just like any other Sunday. One of our Pastor’s verbalized what I believe most Pastor think and that is they hope that the congregation actually retains some of what he preaches on Sunday. I understand that need, I used to be a teacher and I always wanted my students to retain at least a portion of what they learned past the next test. So almost one week later, I am going to recall the essence of the Sunday sermon. Of course, the sermon will be interspersed with my own thoughts and ideas on the subject, so you can’t blame my Pastor if you think it’s off base.

We have been studying John, this week, Chapter 16. The scenario for this Chapter is Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples. He knows the crucifixion is coming, but they have no idea. So here is my version of a three point sermon.

1. The Christian life is not meant to be static. Many times we find ourselves in a groove of the mundane. Doing the same things over and over and I know that is part of life. I go to work five days a week at the same time, sit in the same desk etc, but that is not what defines me or validates my existence. Our walk with Christ should never be that way. It should be dynamic and always changing. If God is not working on some element of your life right now, than I would be concerned.

2. The God we worship is a trinity. Three in one. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was set to be crucified, he knew that God the body would be leaving, but God the spirit would be coming. In a way this is better. While it would be so great to have Jesus to sit down and talk to, Jesus could not be everywhere at all times and the Holy Spirit can. This is a concept that many people struggle with. I make sense of it this way. I am made in the image of God. I have a mind, a body and a spirit that will go to heaven when I die. God has the same, only he can divest Himself of his three parts in order to reach humanity. That is pretty cool.

3. John 16: 7-8 (NIV) “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 comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”

The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to instruct and convict us. It is not our job to convict the sinner of their sin, it is the job of the Holy Spirit. I am especially glad that is not my job. Since we are all sinners in need of God’s grace, we all need to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit instead of trying to convict others. As a Christian, the Holy Spirit is not done. As we study God’s word, the Holy Spirit is that still small voice that speaks to our spirit and helps us to grow and change in our faith, this is the righteousness part. Something we could never attain on our own. We also know that when we die, we will face judgment, but because of the sacrifice of Christ, our debt has been paid.

Now that we know all of this, what do we do with it? For one, we should know that the Christian faith is unique. You don’t just come forward and commit your life to Christ and consider that the end. No that is just the beginning. Other religions that I am familiar with, the walk of faith is guided by a list of rules. You work hard, you do what you’re supposed to and maybe you will get to go into paradise. With Christianity, it may appear that we have rules as well, but really it should be about a relationship. Having a relationship with God means that as we know more about Him and want to be more like Him and the desires of the sinful nature lose their hold. It’s never gone entirely, but you will notice sinful habits loosing appeal as you move closer to the light of Christ.

The Crucifixion gave us a way of salvation that is not based on our merit. God knew we would need it. It also freed up the path for the Holy Spirit to come and work in our lives. This working made us aware of God’s grace, because no matter how good you or I am, we will never be good enough on our own to make it to heaven. We need the sacrifice of Christ to pave the way for us. Our job now is to tell others about our experience and let the Holy Spirit work with them.

As with all good sermons, there has to be special music to back up the point. Enjoy the video.