Northside Church - Sydney
God is Able Week 1: …Able to Save
You're listening to another great message from Northside Community Church. Well, in August 2005, Hurricane Katrina smashed into the American city of New Orleans, with terrifying ferocity in excess of 1,800 people perished, billions of dollars of damage took place. And the records show as they analyze that terrible tragedy, there were many people who refused to be rescued. When the Coast Guard and other agencies moved in in the days following the terrible disaster, there were people who said, "No, bring us food, bring us water, we don't want to leave our homes." The authorities pleaded with them. They said, "The water hasn't finished rising yet. You're going to be stranded. You're going to be left alone." Many, many people refused to leave and they were among those who perished. People who refused to be rescued refused to be saved. In September 2008, in a remote Indian village in the highlands of northern India, 11 tourists were snowed in by a snowstorm and their combined insurance companies mounted a helicopter rescue service and the helicopters were sent out and two of the backpackers from Israel refused to be rescued, refused to be saved because it was on the Sabbath and it is forbidden for any Orthodox Jew to fly on the Sabbath. They took a risk. Fortunately, they were rescued in the ground party that arrived some days later. Well, why are we mentioning those kind of stories at the beginning of this series? Well, you see, friends, in this opening address, we are talking about God being able to save. But the reality is we have to be willing to receive His salvation before we can experience it. It sounds basic, but it's so theologically and fundamentally true and we need to mention that and we're going to come back to it later in the message. We need to be willing to receive His rescue package before we can experience it and it is a matter of choice. In Acts 4, the reading brought to us earlier, although there was clear evidence that a certain man had been saved, he'd been saved from a debilitating condition, an illness, he was crippled. He'd been saved a new life in Christ. It was clear as a bell, but there were people who wouldn't accept it. They were very cynical about what all this meant. The man I'm referring to, of course, is the man who pops up in Acts 3. He's the first recorded miracle on an individual basis, first recorded miracle in the book of Acts. He's the man who's begging at the gate of the temple. You know this story well, many of you. Peter and John roll up to the temple and he asks for money. Peter makes that famous quote recorded in Acts 3, verse "Silver and Gold We Don't Have." But what we have, we give you in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Get up and walk. And the man is miraculously healed. It's a dramatic healing, a dramatic example of someone being saved in that complete sense. But in the fourth chapter, the mood changes. In the fourth chapter of Acts, we have the aftermath of what should have been an incredibly happy event. But what do we find? Peter and John are whole before the religious establishment and they're being asked to explain their actions. You see, skepticism. Skepticism was the response from the religious hierarchy when the man in Acts 3 and 4 was saved. These men so bound up in their religious legalism and their preconceived ideas, they failed to see the beauty. They failed to see the significance of what had just taken place. Their contribution instead was a series of hard-hitting questions designed to bring the ministry of the disciples into disrepute and to throw a huge cloud of doubt over what had just happened. It's here in verse 7. Have a look at this. It has this for three penetrating questions. How did you do this? What power have you got? Whose name did you use? Never mind that someone's been dramatically healed, the whole life's been totally transformed. These guys are hell-bent on trying to discredit the disciples and undermine the reality of what has just taken place. Sadly, it happens today. It happens today. I mean, someone becomes a Christian, and it's not long before their life begins to change in the area of priorities and perspective and preferences and values and goals. In some cases, and I've seen this over the years, friends and relatives and colleagues don't quite know how to handle it. It becomes quite a challenge. They'll say of their friend or their relative, "Oh, they've gone all religious on us." They've got to be weird, and depending on the age of the person, they'll be attributed as having either a premature midlife crisis or a belated midlife crisis, something quite strange is happening. In some cases, the person who's become a Christian receives quite a bit of pretty heavy criticism. I know that's an experience that some of you have had and are having within your work environment. In some cases, within your family environment, in some cases, sadly, even your spouse has taken that horse, and it's very sad, it's very painful. I admire our people who live under those conditions for whom coming to church is really tough. Anything to do with their faith is really tough. In Acts 4, what's Peter's response to this barrage of cynical questions? It's simply to assert the belief that he had, the belief that all Christians have. And here in verse 12, look at this, salvation is to be found through him, Jesus alone. In all the world, there is no one else whom God has given who can save us. Wow, what a statement. Now friends, for the Christian, if you've accepted God's rescue package, that's a statement of faith. It's also a statement of truth. It's a statement of truth. But for a non-believer, that's just a statement. It's just a statement. It takes a step of faith and repentance to accept that Jesus is the one and only Savior. That's not revealed to you at an intellectual level. You have to accept that by faith. Let me put it another way. The statement Jesus died, that's an historical statement. A man called Jesus lived, he died. The statement Jesus died for our sins, that's a faith statement. You can only believe that by faith. You have to accept that as an act of faith. You said to me, well, what does that mean? I mean, aren't we just playing with semantics here? Does it make any difference to our message? Does it make any difference to our outreach strategy as to whether it's a statement of fact or a statement of faith or just a statement? It really does. You see, an understanding of what's being said here will have a profound effect on how we do mission. It's a very inadequate form of evangelism just to go around telling people Jesus saves. That's a very inadequate form of evangelism to go around shaking placards in front of people saying Jesus saves. Because that's what people expect the church to say. It's almost like a caricature of the church. Oh, yeah, the church. They're going to come like saving people. Jesus saves. It's a bit like the old joke of the fiery preacher who preaching his heart out in a mall and caught a bystander who was just drifting by and he said, "Hey, friend, Jesus saves." And the guy said, "Well, I hope he has a high-interest bearing account. These are tough times." Like it just didn't connect. Jesus saves. Wow. Here's the thing. Jesus saves is little more than a religious slogan or a catch cry until a person acknowledges their need of rescue. That's it. It's little more than a slogan until a person acknowledges, "Yeah, I need to be rescued. Jesus, I'll take your hand." And with this understanding, our mission in the world among the people with whom we mix becomes much more relational. That's the difference. As we seek to help them discover why they are in need of rescue. And a lot of what we do here in this church is design to help people see why they need to be rescued. They may see something in us that triggers a, "Wow, they've got something I don't have." There's the beginning of the process of feeling a need to be rescued. People hit a crisis, but they hit something terrible that happens in their lives, "God, where do I turn?" Those people at Northside, they seem to be coping with their crises in a way that I'd like to. It's all designed to, it becomes more relational as we heighten people's awareness of their need to be rescued. And friends, you know, ultimately that step, that's a work of God. I mean, he is the one, he is the one who convicts people, ultimately, of the need to be rescued. That's the work of his spirit. So in that sense, as I often like to say, you know, we're in the church, we're in sales. He is in production. We don't have to produce the results, but we do have to sell the need to be rescued. And we do have to exhibit that in our own lives. We through all we say and do continuously affirm our God is able. He's able to save. And what does that mean? What are the points of contact? It's one thing to say that God is able to say, but what are the points of contact where we can really help people to see their need to be rescued? Well, in these closing moments, look at this, God through Jesus saves us in a number of potentially transformational ways. He saves us from our past. Everyone needs release from guilt. Everyone needs forgiveness for past sins. People pay big dollars for that with therapists and psychotherapists and psychoanalysts. It's a huge market. People want release God. What have I done? I didn't do the right thing by my kids, my failed marriage is haunting me. Didn't enough of my parents, my kids, that failed business. People are looking for forgiveness all the time. What is Paul saying in Colossians? Look at this. This is so, so powerful. This is Colossians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14. He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us safe into the kingdom of his dear son, by whom we are set free. That is our sins are forgiven. You see the way the Bible links salvation with rescue all the time. He rescued us from the power of darkness. All those things that will hold us back the guilt, the instruction of the angel to Joseph and Mary. You will call his name Jesus. Why? Because he will save his people from their sins. Way back there at the beginning of the story of Jesus. But God through Jesus also saves us from the present. Hey, what do we need to get through life, the journey of life? What do we need on a daily basis? We need guidance. We need direction. We need a moral compass. We need confirmation. We're living as we're meant to live. What else do we need in the present? We need comfort in times of trouble. We need strength in times of fear and doubt. We need courage in times of weakness. And that's the ministry of the Holy Spirit. That's his main role in our lives to minister to us in these ways. Jesus saves us in the present in that sense. What a Savior we have in the present. Experiencing complete victory if we claim it through him who loves us according to Romans 8. And of course Jesus saves us from the future. Of course. The Bible makes it very clear there are two pathways once we move from death. And one leads to eternity with God, the other leads to eternity without God. And the thing is we get to choose. We get to choose which pathway we take. Jesus has promised. He's followers. All of us in John 14 too. There are many rooms in my father's realm and I'm going to prepare spaces for all of you. I'm going to come again and receive you unto myself. We know that passage in John 14. Now friends, I'll be honest. I don't think too much about the details of heaven. I know many people do. I know there are lots of references in the Bible to heaven. Most of which I should say are as symbolic and they're designed to convey symbolic meanings. I don't think much about the actual details of heaven but I tell you what, there is nothing like living knowing that beyond the grave you're going to be okay. Isn't that a, I mean those of you and there are so many of you who could testify to that when, I mean you're ready to live when you're ready to die. During the days when I was terrified of flying, I remember a friend said to me, he said, "Oh Graham, I'm very surprised. You're a minister. You're a man of faith and you're afraid of flying." I said, "Look, I'm not afraid of dying. It's just how long it's going to take to get there. I mean how long is that going to be? We may be afraid of the cause of dying." I know some of you have fears about drowning and all that sort of thing but you know like the cause of dying is one thing but the passing over when you know that there is eternity waiting and that's not a presumptuous arrogant look at me. That's just, that's just for you. I remember years ago when Billy Graham was out here and Mike Willis he asked him, "Are you sure you're going to heaven?" He said, "Absolutely certain." And Mike Willis he said, "You sound very confident. Billy Graham said, "I'm absolutely rock solid certain. I'm going to heaven." And then Mike Willis he said, "Well I guess it's understandable. You're a great evangelist. You've brought many thousands of people to Christianity. I guess your place is guaranteed." And Billy Graham leaned forward to look right down the camera, right down, right directly initially at Mike Willis and he said, "Listen, I'm sure of going to heaven, not because I'm an evangelist." He said, "There are tens of thousands of your viewers right now who have exactly the same certainty I have. It's not about how good we are or not are. It's about who we are in Jesus Christ. I guess we've accepted." Mike Willis he somehow recovered. I don't know exactly why I think. So friends like that's a big part of our future salvation. First verse we learn in Sunday school, "God's the love of the world that he gave his only son. The whosoever believes in him should not perish. God doesn't want anybody to make the wrong choice. Whosoever should not perish but have everlasting life." There's another aspect. It's the last one of the salvation that's been provided by our great can-do God. God, through Jesus, saves us from ourselves. He saves us from ourselves. Is that about that? What do I mean by that? We touched on it last week very briefly and I need to read the appropriate verses once again. These are the verses from Acts, rather Mark chapter 8 verses 35 and 36. Look at this, "For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it," said Jesus. "But if you lose your life for me and for the gospel, you will save it." Do you gain anything if you win the whole world but lose your life? That's our destiny. Our destiny is investment in the kingdom, losing ourselves in the life and ministry of Jesus. You try to save it all, you're going to lose it. That's not how life's meant to be lived. We are created as spiritual beings to lose ourselves. All we are and am and hope to be to lose ourselves in the work of God's kingdom. That's part of our salvation from ourselves and from an otherwise selfish and self-centered lifestyle. Our God is able. Friends, when you think of Jesus as Savior, when you think of Jesus' saves, that's not just a slogan and a t-shirt. It's not just a band of your wave at a gospel rally. Jesus' saves is a lifestyle. It affects our past, our present, our future. It affects who we are. The big question today is do you know Jesus as your Savior? Or you might know him as your friend, might know him as your guide, your teacher, your great example. Do you know him as your Savior? Have you reached a point where you've recognized, unlike those people in New Orleans, unlike those two hikers in India who said, "Oh no, we don't need that." Have you recognized you do need a Savior? We are meant to link with God, our Father, through Jesus, his Son. That's the salvation that is offered to you and to me today. Do you know Jesus as Savior? You can. As part of our ministry time, you can come forward at the back and you can pray, ask for prayer to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior. It'll be the greatest decision you'll ever make. Let us bow in prayer, shall we?