Third Sunday of Lent -- Make-Believe Jesus

 

I am about to preach something that I’m sure everyone in this sanctuary has heard before. But I preach it again today on this third Sunday of Lent because there are so many voices that every day contradict God and His Truth (with a capital T) – Truth that many of you have known since childhood.

 

So, I stand today, doing what the apostle Peter did when he wrote to his readers: 2 Peter 1:12-13 “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”

 

The contrary voices I refer to come from neighbors, friends, family, the media – even some pulpits. The contrary voices spew from mouths and the pens of many who have doctorate degrees and have written books on theology. Understandably, then, it is easy for many faithful Christians to be seduced by their smooth words, even though those words are laced with poison. It’s easy to be seduced if we aren’t reminded again and again of God’s truth as it’s been delivered to us in His infallible, inspired, and inerrant Word.

 

Rightly did the Psalmist say it: (Psalm 11:3) “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

 

I will say it right at the beginning of this message: Anyone – regardless of their academic degrees or popularity – anyone who tells you anything about God, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit that is not supported by Scripture in context with the historic teaching of the Christian Church from the first centuries – then know for certain such men and women are liars, frauds, and deceivers who wittingly or unwittingly work with Satan for our destruction.

 

In those early centuries, as the Christian Church struggled against such false teachers in their day, genuine and trustworthy biblical scholars convened several ‘councils’ to differentiate truth from heresy. The 4^th century formulation of the Nicene Creed was developed to address some of those lies – specifically the Arian heresy which taught huge swaths of Christians that Jesus was a created being and not the incarnate Son of God. If that sounds like modern Jehovah’s Witnesses and original Mormonism, you’d be correct.

 

Listen to how the Nicene Council wrote of Jesus who is: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial [one essence] with the Father; Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.”

 

Unlike the damnable lies about Christ circulating today in so many churches and spewing from so many pens, each point and subpoint within the Creed was supported by God’s infallible, inerrant, and fully inspired Scripture and not by traditions, opinions, or what was then current religious philosophies. We don’t have time today to look at each of those supportive texts, but they can easily be researched and would make a good homework assignment.

 

As I’ve said before, Lent was designed by the same 4^th century scholars to draw us closer to Christ. But the question facing EVERY Christian throughout Church history, to this present moment is this: Which Christ are we being drawn to? Is it to the Christ of Scripture, or is it to the make-believe Christ proposed by atheists, humanists, and wolves in clerical clothing who received training in some seminaries and churches?

 

The warning Jude gave to his first century readers is just as appropriate and necessary in 2026: “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4)

 

Make no mistake, every heresy that has ever gotten off the ground and inserted its serpentine seduction through the Church in every era – including ours today – every heresy got its strength by rejecting the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, infallibility, and divine inspiration of the entire Bible.

 

What do we mean by biblical inerrancy, infallibility, and divine inspiration? Briefly, it is this: Biblical inerrancy states that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is without error in anything it teaches. This includes history, doctrine, moral dictates, and anything else found in the Scripture.

 

Biblical infallibility means the Bible is incapable of error. It is never wrong about history, doctrine, morality, or anything else the Bible affirms.

 

Divine inspiration means the Scriptures, in their original manuscripts, are “God-breathed.” In other words, God supernaturally guided (not ‘dictated’) the authors of the Bible to write exactly what He wanted to communicate. Every WORD of the original texts is God-breathed. Every word. Every ‘jot and tittle’ is God’s intended message.

 

That’s why every heresy got and gets its strength by rejecting the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, infallibility, and divine inspiration. No wonder the apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Galatia: “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (Galatians 1:8-9)

 

So, which Jesus? That’s an extraordinarily serious question on this the third Sunday of Lent because how we answer that question determines the health, the soundness, and the genuineness of our relationship with Christ.

 

To answer that question, we now look once again to the Bible where God answers that question with such clarity that even a child can come to true faith if only he will believe the message. For the sake of time, we will look briefly at only a scant few Biblical texts.

 

Which Jesus? Scripture tells us Jesus is Almighty God in the Flesh (called the ‘incarnation’). (John 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:14) “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.”  (Philippians 2:6–7) “Although He existed in the form of God . . . [He] emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

 

It is necessary to now remind ourselves that after the Lord told the lame man his sins were forgiven, the Doctors of the Law correctly said to themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7) They were correct because all sins are ultimately sins against God – and therefore only God can forgive sins. The reason Jesus was and can now forgive sins – yours and mine – is because He IS God.

 

That point then leads us to the next. Scripture tells us Jesus is the promised Messiah (Christ), fulfilling the Old Testament promises God made to Israel and to humanity, promises to save anyone who WANTS to be saved from the eternal penalty their sins deserve. Isaiah 9, Isaiah 53, Jeremiah 31, Micah 5 are only a few of the HUNDREDS of Old Testament promises fulfilled in Jesus.

 

That’s why – and this is point number three in answer to the question, ‘Who is Jesus?’ – That’s why He is the only and unique Savior. Only the incarnate God can save sinners from the Father’s wrath against sin committed against Him – as is every sin we commit.

 

Listen again to only a sample of such Scriptures:  “Jesus said . . .“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6. Peter proclaimed: “There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12); Paul told the Thessalonians: (1 Thessalonians 5:9) “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

It is because of who Jesus is that this next point about Him must also be true: Jesus is the ONLY mediator between us and God. There can be no other. (1 Timothy 2:5) “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

 

A mediator. That was Job’s complaint: “How can a man be in the right before God? If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. . . . For He is not a man as I am, that I should answer Him and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any mediator between us who might lay his hand upon us both.” (Job 9:2-3, 32-33)

 

That was Job’s cry. He didn’t have a mediator. It would not be until many more centuries passed that God-incarnate would enter humanity as our one and only Mediator between us and the Farther. I am grateful Job’s complaint does not need to be ours.

 

What else does Scripture tell us about Jesus? It tells us He died on Calvary’s cross as a substitutionary atonement for our sins. Listen to Isaiah: Isaiah 53:5-6 “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.”

 

And Scripture again: “[Christ] bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24).

 

And what else does Scripture tell us of Jesus? The He physically rose from the grave on the third day. When the grieving women came to His tomb, Matthew records: “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead.” (Matthew 28:5-7b)

 

After Mary and the others reported to the disciples the empty tomb, John tells us that he and Peter raced to the tomb. When they stepped inside they “saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the facecloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself . . . For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” John 20:5-7, 9)

 

And finally, for our purposes today, Scripture reveals the genuine Jesus to be humanity’s final Judge: “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father . . . . “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:22ff)

 

The full acceptance of the Biblical record of Jesus’ unique role as humanity’s ONLY door to eternal life, the record of His virgin birth, sinless life, full deity and simultaneous humanity, of His atoning sacrifice for our sins, His resurrection, ascension to heaven, and His promised return for His faithful followers – belief in these biblical doctrines are essential for salvation. Jesus said to the theologians of His day: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24)

 

But as I said earlier in this message and many times in the past, not every person who stands in the pulpit or in front of a seminary classroom believes or teaches God’s truths. It is about those whom Jude warned in his short letter – and his warning carries equal weight today: “Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are the men who are hidden reefs . . . caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:11-13)

 

If we succumb to Satan’s lies about the Scriptures, then we can end up following men like popular spiritual author Richard Rohr, who teaches a New Age heretical Christ. We stand with heretical pastors, theologians, and authors like the recently deceased Episcopal priest, John Shelby Spong, who rejected the historical truth of the Virgin Birth, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, as well as Scripture’s commandments regarding human sexuality.

 

If we let ourselves be seduced by Satan’s evangelists, we will blindly follow wolves in clerical garb, even like those I’ve heard here in churches in this and nearby towns where some pastors preach a form of pantheism and Hinduism, or who tell their congregations that homosexuality is a legitimate sexual expression, or who won’t speak about abortion so as to not offend their congregation.

 

When the apostle Paul stood before King Agrippa at his trial, he asked the king: “Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead?” Acts 26:8)

 

Likewise, the question can equally be asked, “Why is it considered incredible if God ensured that the Bible we hold in our hands today is essentially identical to the original manuscripts penned thousands of years ago? Think of the irrational and deranged hubris of people who claim that the omnipotent and omniscient Creator is unable to communicate with humanity inerrantly and infallibly! Think of how insane it is to believe that God, who spoke everything in existence INTO existence  and SUSTAINS everything in existence – why is it so unreasonable to believe this same Almighty God couldn’t ensure an accurate copying and transmission of His words across the millennia to us in 2026?

 

Satan’s most often used strategy to lead people into moral and theological error has always been to convince them that the Bible, from Genesis through Revelation, is not God’s very word to us in printed form. Through his witting and unwitting servants, Satan seduces humanity into believing the Scriptures are full of error, myths, archaic philosophies, and culturally assigned attitudes.

 

Please! Pat attention. To imbibe such lies from his workers is to find ourselves outside the Body of Christ.

 

The season of Lent is another opportunity for the Christian – and I’d also say for the unbeliever in Christ – Lent is another opportunity to open our Bibles with humble hearts, to seek God’s truth, and to be drawn by Him closer to His wounded side.

 

As Matthew records in God’s inerrant, infallible, and divinely inspired word – Jesus appeals to us: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

 

 

Second Sunday of Lent - Saints by Calling

 

 

Sermon Lent Second Sunday

March 1, 2026

Saints by Calling

 

Today is the second Sunday of Lent which is a Christian observance whose origins can be traced back to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. It was that same council that formulated what is known as the Nicene Creed – a response to the Arian heresy, claiming Jesus was a created being and not God in the form of a man. And, as an aside, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the theological descendants of the Arian heresy. Mormons and Judaism also deny the full deity of Jesus, who is coeternal, coequal, and coexistent with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

As I said last week, Lent is a season within the Church liturgical calendar intended to bring Christians into a deeper relationship with Christ. I’ll speak to that point again in a few moments, but first I want to address a misconception that Lent is simply a time to ‘fast,’ a time to give up something enjoyable during the 40 days of Lent.

 

A simplistic example is how some give up chocolate or ice cream during Lent. But ‘fasting’ something just for the sake of a religious performance was never the intent of the men who first initiated the celebration of Lent back in that 4^th century.

 

In fact, fasting from something enjoyable simply for the sake of doing something ‘religious’ misses the entire purpose of the season. Anyone can give up something enjoyable to demonstrate how religious they are – and yet, in their heart, displease God.

 

The idea of performing some external action without an accompanying internal change of heart is – well, ‘nothing new.’ Solomon said it well: “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. ¹⁰ Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages which were before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-10.

 

The prophet Amos lived several centuries before Jesus was born. Listen to God’s rebuke of Israel through that prophet: “I hate, I reject your festivals, nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. “Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. “Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:21-24 

 

Isaiah, a contemporary of Amos said similarly: “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed and for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke? “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him?” Isaiah 58:5-7.

 

So, what good is fasting from chocolate if we continue to lie and cheat and gossip?  What good is giving up ice cream or television if we are unwilling to forgive those who have offended us? Lent is not about simply the fasting of pleasures. If our heart remains unchanged, the fasts are worthless.

 

For those who celebrate the season, the observance of Lent ought to be about where our heart is. As must ALSO be true of every other day around the calendar, the forty days of Lent are about whose we are, and to whom we belong.

 

And such questions provide a good segue into our examination of our text for today. Listen to the beginning of St Paul’s letter to the Christians at Rome. “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God . . . among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:1,6-7

 

Above all things, Paul considered himself a ‘bondservant’ of Christ Jesus. But let’s pause a moment and examine the Greek word Paul used here, doulos, and is translated in some bibles as ‘bondservant.” But in the ancient Greek and Roman world, doulos was a person owned by a master. A slave. One who had absolutely no legal autonomy, who was kept in lifelong service to his or her master.

 

The apostle Paul deliberately applied the word to himself to amplify the point of Christ’s sovereignty, rule, and ownership over his life. He was willingly a ‘slave’ of Jesus Christ, owned by Christ and kept in lifelong service to his Master.

 

However, because modern English speakers often associate “slave” with race-based bondage and brutality, some Bibles soften the word by translating doulos as ‘servant.’ But, as theologian Douglas Moo correctly acknowledges, translating the Greek word as servant instead of slave simply “diminishes the radical claim of belonging to Christ.” (ChatGPT)

 

So, let’s go back to the text: “Paul, a bond-servant [slave] of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God . . .

 

As many of you know, the word ‘apostle’ is a person ‘sent’ by someone as a messenger. In the New Testament the word is properly associated with the twelve apostles of Christ. But the word also has a broader sense in the Scriptures as one who is ‘sent’ to others with the message of the gospel. For example, Barnabas and James, the brother of the Lord, are both called apostles (see Acts 14:14, 1 Corinthians 15:7, and Galatians 1:19).

 

The point? Do you know that you are sent by Christ with His message? We know this to be true simply from the Lord’s commandment to us in that last chapter of Matthew’s gospel: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

 

That commandment is not only to the paid clergy. That commandment is to you. And to me. And to every other man or women who calls Jesus their Master and Lord. And this season of Lent is a perfect time to take that Biblical view into account. God has sent us into our world here at Ashwood Meadows with a message of hope and promise – and yes, of warning to repent and believe the gospel.

 

But – and this is important – there can be no ‘being sent’ for effective ministry without our first being a slave of Jesus Christ. There can be no ‘being sent’ for effective ministry without our willful and purposeful subordinating ourselves as a slave to the full and final authority of Jesus Christ in lifelong service.

That means, no bus driver can be sent by God into fruitful work among his coworkers apart from first being Christ’s slave. No CEO can be sent by God into fruitful work among his subordinates apart from first being Christ’s slave. No doctor can be fruitful for Jesus Christ apart from first being His slave. No lab technician, no hotel employee, no businessman or woman can be fruitful for Jesus Christ apart from first being His slave.

 

I’ll bring that point closer to home, no one can be fruitful for Jesus Christ as an aunt or uncle or grandparent apart from first being a slave of Jesus Christ. And now, let me drive the point even closer: no retiree can be fruitful for Jesus Christ apart from first being His slave.

 

The season of Lent, like every other season of the year, ought to be spent in some personal introspection, taking time to reflect on the integrity of our walk with Christ, including our willingness to not only hear His voice when we sin, but to also immediately repent and turn from that sin.

 

And Lent ought also to be a time of extrospection – taking time to turn our attention outward to the needs of others. As Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi: “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4

 

There are perhaps dozens of ways the Christian can demonstrate kindness toward others – both here at Ashwood and those outside this facility. Listen to Paul’s words to the Christians at Rome: For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment . . . [and] Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness . . . devoted to prayer,  contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.” (See Romans 12)

 

Some of you attended the service a few weeks ago when I included in your handout some ministries you might consider for financial support – whether with a lot of money or a little. I have other copies if you would like one.

 

And now, let’s turn our attention to the remainder of today’s text in verses six and seven: “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God . . . among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 1:1,6-7

 

We’ve already examined verse six, concluding that every Christian is called by Christ to bring His message of salvation, righteousness, and judgment to others. But now I focus our attention on verse seven – a key text in our understanding of how God looks at each of His adopted children, born into His family through our faith in Christ. Paul writes in verse seven: “To all who are beloved of God in Rome, called saints.

 

The Greek word hagios means “A most holy thing; Sacred.”  It’s the same word used of the Holy Spirit (e.g. Matthew 1:20); It’s used of Jesus (Acts 4:27); and it’s used of the Scriptures (Romans 1:2).

 

I want us to get that idea in our hearts. The Holy Spirit, through the writers of the New Testament, calls every true Christian ‘holy.’ ‘Sacred.’

 

In his commentary on the book of Romans, James Montgomery Boice, writes, “A saint is not a person who has achieved a certain level of holiness. A saint is one whom God has set apart for himself. It is what God has done, not what we have done, that makes us saints.”

 

Other commentators stress the point that ‘sainthood’ is state of being before it is our behavior. Our godly transformation flows from what we already ARE because of what God has done for us in Christ.

 

The church at Rome was comprised of sinners, just like the church at Ashwood Meadows. But – and this is a CRITICAL ‘But’ – many of you know the research that tells us of the well-established psychological principle which suggests that we often become – at least in part – what others think of us.

 

In his book, Human Nature and the Social Order, sociologist Charles Horton Cooley postulated that people develop their self-concept based on their perception of how others view them. In other words, Cooley believed that we form our self-image according to how we think others think of us.

 

Now let’s make some personal application of Cooley’s point:

 

God thinks of you as a SAINT. That’s what He calls you because that is not only what He THINKS of you, but also it is what you ARE. You are a saint, washed and purified from sin through your faith in the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus.

 

Does that mean we no longer sin? Of course not. Our sin nature remains in us, but it no longer reigns over us. Knowing God’s assessment of us ought to change our self-concept. Knowing God’s assessment of us as saints ought to work its work in us to say no to sin.

 

Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians – a church plagued by a wide array of damnable sins: “Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9b-11

 

Our godly transformation, slow as it may be for most of us, our godly transformation will inevitably conform us into the image of Christ, because the Father says it will. Listen again to Paul:

 

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

 

Notice the verb tenses. Predestined. Called. Justified. Glorified. All past tense. In other words, in God’s eternal view, it’s a fait accompli. It’s already accomplished.

 

In one of my recent messages, I reminded us that saints are just the sinners who fall down – and get up.

 

So? Look at yourself in the mirror later today and remember how often you’ve fallen in your life – AND how often you’ve gotten up. That’s why you’re here today, and each Sunday, isn’t it? You got up.

 

Some of you have faced terrible disappointments and unmet expectations in life. Some of you struggle with chronic pain that often takes over your thoughts. Others grapple with loss, loneliness and fractured families. On and on, the trials go.

 

But you’re here, in this sanctuary, still seeking Him. Still serving Him. Still following Him.

 

The Season of Lent reminds us of the path to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday is pitted with the same setbacks and thorns, and blood, sweat, and tears that every saint of God has experienced to one degree or another in their journey toward that Celestial City.

 

I prepared this message hoping to stimulate our hearts to steadily continue to mature into the saint God not only calls us, but also knows us to be. I hope that each of us are encouraged to work day by day in His Vineyard – not only here at Ashwood Meadows, but wherever He will yet lead us. And I hope that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts will always be acceptable and pleasing to Him to loves us. May God make is so.

 

Amen

 

 

Lenten Message -- Search Me

First Sunday of Lent

Search Me, O God

 

Today is the first Sunday of Lent – a season within the Church liturgical calendar designed to lead the faithful Christian into a deeper relationship with Christ. I’ll speak more about that in a few moments, but first, let’s look at our primary text for today’s message which sets the stage – so to speak – for all that I want to bring to us this afternoon. Please follow along as I

read from Genesis 36:31-39

 

“Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel. Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. Then Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah became king in his place. Then Jobab died, and Husham of the land of the Temanites became king in his place. Then Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the field of Moab, became king in his place; and the name of his city was Avith. Then Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah became king in his place. Then Samlah died, and Shaul of Rehoboth on the Euphrates River became king in his place. Then Shaul died, and Baal-hanan the son of Achbor became king in his place. Then Baal-hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar became king in his place . . . .”

 

I hope you caught my repeated emphasis on the verb, ‘died.’ Everyone in this sanctuary is sadly and mournfully acquainted with death. I know about death. My mom is dead. My father and my adopted father are both dead. My brother-in-law is dead. Nancy’s mom, dad and stepdad are all dead. My cousin is dead. Nancy’s cousin is dead. Another of her cousin’s wife is dead. And many of our friends are dead.

 

And one day I will be dead. Nancy will be dead. You will be dead. Our children who survive us will one day be dead. And such is the pattern of life since the Garden of Eden.

 

Several years ago, I learned a Latin phrase, Memento Mori. The meaning of the phrase resonates with me, and I’ve mentioned it before. It means, “Remember, you must die.”

 

The origin of the phrase goes back to a custom in ancient Roman society. When a general returned to the city after a great victory on the battlefield, he’d parade through the streets on a golden chariot to the cheers of the crowd. But because such tributes could lead to pride and a false sense of his own importance, a slave –one of the humblest servants – was to remind him of his mortality by whispering to him: “Look behind, remember that you are a man”.

 

For the same reason, “Memento mori” has often been used to remind great men that regardless of their exploits and glories, their epilogue is the same as everyone else’s: One day they will die.

 

Now, I admit at the outset of today’s message, that all of this talk about death sounds dark and depressing. But truth be told on this first Sunday of Lent, “Memento mori” is an invitation to wisely reflect on the brevity of life – and on the vanity of human ambitions.

 

Solomon understood life’s brevity and the uselessness of accolades and possessions. Listen to what he wrote: “For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other . . . all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 3:19.

 

And at the end of his life he offered this counsel to all who have ears to hear: “[This is the] conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13b-14)

 

Now then, all of what I have said these last few minutes segues us back to the season of Lent. Lenten preparation usually includes fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

 

So yes, Lent is very much associated with death, which is why Christians receive ashes on their forehead, to symbolize our eventual death and remind us of our human frailty. That’s why the pastor recites these sober words of warning as he places the ashes on the forehead: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you will return. Repent, and believe the gospel.” 

 

Very much like what the victorious Roman general would hear: “Look behind you. You are just a man.”

I pause for a moment to reiterate a most important point: While Lent is strongly associated with death, Lent is ALSO strongly associated with the hope – the expectation – of eternal life which Christ alone offers to anyone who receives by faith His gift of forgiveness and the remission – the erasing – of their sins. And that’s why confession and honest repentance are so integral to this season of preparation.

 

Some might ask how a person prepares for both death AND for the hope of eternal life. Well, let’s let the word of God guide us. For example, here is Mark 1:1-4 – “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

How to prepare? First – repentance and ongoing, day by day taking ownership of our sins – as King David took ownership of his adulterous sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. Listen to his ‘mea culpa,’’ his admission to God that his sins were his own fault: “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight.” (Psalm 51:1-4)

 

I pause again to make this further point about Lent because there always lurks behind this season’s observance the danger of compartmentalizing our self-examinations, There’s a danger that through the rest of the year we dilute the Holy Spirit’s voice to our souls to put aside even what we might like to call ‘little’ sins.

 

Human nature is such that we usually prefer to avoid the hard part of DAILY carrying our cross, of DAILY living the Christian life with a holy integrity. It’s human nature to slowly, nearly imperceptibly, harden ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s daily call to live lives marked by ongoing repentance. It’s just easier to set such things aside and bring them forward only during the various liturgical seasons.

 

Repent. That’s what John told those coming to him for baptism to do. And the first recorded words of Jesus were the same. Listen to Mark 1:15 where the Lord announced: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

 

Repentance is not a popular idea in our culture – which ought not surprise us. It was the Lord Jesus who said, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13:24); And again (Matthew 7:13b-14) “The gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

 

Repentance. I wonder if that might be a reason the Lord warned His followers: “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23-24

 

I think it’s hard for a rich man to get into heaven when they trust in their own resources and their own philanthropic ‘goodness’ instead of living a life marked by mea culpas. And although the Lord didn’t say it, I think it’s just as hard for someone who’s lived for decades outside of true Christian faith to come to a saving faith because once they realize they’ve been wrong all this time about sin, righteousness, and judgment – it’s hard for them to lay aside their pride and admit to God AND to others that they’ve been wrong for 50, 60, or 70 years.

Listen: It’s as true today as it was when St Paul penned these words to the Christians at Corinth: “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”  

 

And what is that word of the cross? Certainly ‘repentance’ threads its way through the warp and woof of God’s message to humanity. There can be no salvation without true repentance. Christ’s atoning sacrifice on that cross can be of no value to anyone without true repentance.

 

But there is yet another word of the cross, a word directly related to repentance, and we would be wise to pay attention to this truth: The attitude of REVERENCE and a healthy fear of Almighty God is the second means of preparation for the celebration of Easter and a year-round walk with Christ.

 

The greater our awareness of God’s holiness, of His glory, and His majesty, the greater will be our reverence and our healthy fear of Him. And the greater our reverence and fear, the greater will be the self-debasing of our pride and of our greater desire to fall on our faces in repentance.

 

Let me say a few words by way of example about what I mean by a healthy fear of God. He loves us, loves us like the Rock of Ages. He sacrificed His own Son on that Cross so we might live in glory with Him.

 

BUT – although He loves us, loves us, loves us – He is not one to be trifled with. He is not one to be dismissed. He is not one to be taken for granted. He is not a doting Grandfather-type who turns a blind eye to our sins. He is the unequaled holy Lord and Creator of the heavens and earth. The brightness of the noonday sun is pitch dark when compared to the brilliance of His holiness.

 

You may remember what Isaiah said when he saw the glory of God: “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”; The apostle John, when he saw the Lord Jesus in His majesty, wrote: “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.” (Revelation 1:17). To the great Moses, God said, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

 

When God gave His commandments to Israel and Mount Sinai, Moses wrote: “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance . . .  ²⁰ Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:18, 20)

 

The Christian’s healthy fear of God – wherein we know He loves us, but we are also assured that He will punish our disobedience and irreverence – it is that fear of God that will keep us from sin.

But I perceive much of the Church has lost its fear of God. Otherwise, how is it that so many, even in pews and pulpits, are so cavalier with the Holy, Holy God – even to refer to Him as ‘the man upstairs”?

 

How? I think it’s the result of either our thorough lack of understanding of who we are and who HE is – or it’s a consequence of our presumption of God, of taking Him for granted. And make no mistake, presumption inevitably builds an ever-darkening barrier between us and God.

 

Indeed, if one properly observes Lent with a renewed focus on repentance and reverence, we’ll recognize that barrier is our conscious or unconscious attempt to not only dilute God’s glory in our eyes, but also to diminish in our minds our grave need for honest and daily repentance.

 

It’s not possible to treat God with the reverence He deserves and which He requires when we excuse away our sins, even what we call little sins. Truth be told, there is no such thing as a sin so little that is not damnable if not repented.

 

And make no mistake, irreverence inexorably leads to presumption – deadly presumption. We find a plethora of tragic examples in Scripture of irreverent presumption. One example occurs early in the Torah. Not only were the priests Nadab and Abihu sons of Aaron the High Priest – but they received an invitation from God to dine with Him (Exodus 24:9-11). And yet, not many days later, God killed them when they performed their priestly office “with strange fire” (See Leviticus 10:1-2).

We can’t know for certain what the strange fire was, but I infer from the context that the two sons of Aaron treated God with neither obedience nor reverence. Perhaps they presumed on their relationship with God because they’d eaten a meal with Him. Perhaps they believed they no longer needed to act as reverently or as obediently toward God as He required of others. Perhaps they presumed they were among His ‘favorites.’

Presumption toward the Almighty is a perilous attitude because it deceives us into thinking our walk of holiness and of God’s unchanging requirement for our ongoing obedience, holiness, and repentance does not strictly apply to us.

 

After Macbeth learned of his wife’s death, he voiced a grim monologue of life – not too unlike Job’s grief-stricken defense to his three so-called ‘counselors.’

 

Listen to Macbeth tell it: “Out, out, brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot; Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

 

Macbeth, like Job and Solomon and countless others before him and after him gives honest reflection to life’s brevity and the vanity of possessions and tributes and power and wealth. And the Lenten season, if properly observed, helps bring a godly perspective to it all.

 

“As for the days of our life,” wrote Moses, “they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years; Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away . . . .  ¹²So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:10, 12)

 

I close today’s message with this counsel: As we heard at the beginning my message when I quoted from Genesis 36 the litany of those who died, the Latin phrase, Memento mori, should be the theme of our lives – not just during the 40 days of Lent, but through the remainder of our years. We each need frequent reminder that we will die – and after that comes God’s judgment. That sober recognition ought to make King David’s prayer resonate with each of us and compel us to often ask God:

 

 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24

 

Yes, Lord, search us and lead us in the everlasting way and build within us a lifestyle of honest and ongoing repentance and of great reverence for You. Amen and amen.