SERMON SERIES ON “A COMMUNITY OF GRACE”

FOR THE SALVATION OF HUMANKIND

Scripture: Psalm 27; Mark 15:21-29; Colossians 2:13-15

INTRODUCTION

Throughout the Lenten Season, our series of sermons have been focused on what it means for this church to be and to become “A Community of Grace.” Each Sunday, we have explored, one by one, the lines of our Statement of Purpose printed on the front of the bulletin. And guided by the scripture lessons, we have remembered and re-enacted the journey which led our Lord and His disciples toward the city of Jerusalem.

Today we stand at the foot of the cross in awe and humility, to proclaim that through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on a hill called Calvary, God has secured, once and for all, “The Salvation of Humankind” from here to eternity!

Long ago, on that first Good Friday, it did not appear to be so. Mark tells us that as Jesus hung there dying between two thieves, the crowds mocked Him and shouted, He saved others; He cannot save Himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe (Mark 15:31-32).

When the final hour came and the sky turned dark, Jesus Cried out with a loud voice, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? (Verse 34) And then He breathed His last breath and died.

Had you and I been there, we probably would have stood huddled in despair as did all the rest, with our hopes shattered and our hearts broken in sadness. He was supposed to be the Savior, the One who had come to redeem us. And yet, when the chips were down, He couldn’t even save Himself. That’s what they thought, that is what they said as they walked away and left Him for dead.

But all these centuries later, looking back from this side of Easter, we know how the story turned out. And so we can say now, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus could have saved Himself. He could have steered clear of Jerusalem and avoided all of that pain. But He didn’t. He could have escaped from His enemies when they came to arrest Him. But He didn’t. He could have defended Himself before Herod, Pilate and the religious leaders who accused Him of blasphemy. He could have made His case, won the day and walked away from that mock trial Scot-free. But He didn’t. And as He hung on the cross and heard them cry, “Save yourself and come down!” He could have called out a legion of angels to rescue Him and wipe out the whole crowd. But He didn’t. Why?

Because somehow Jesus knew that His mission on earth was not to save Himself, but to die on that cross and save all of us from our sin. He chose to give His life for me and for you, and with the last breath that was in Him, He looked down and said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do!

Years ago, the Reader’s Digest ran a story about a young boy who knew what he had to do. His sister needed emergency surgery, and because she had a rare blood type, the doctors said that it was essential to have a supply of plasma available if the operation was to be successful. The only donor who could do it was her ten-year-old brother.

The doctors and the parents explained the situation to him, saying that they had to extract some of his blood in case his sister needed it. The boy thought for a moment, and then consented.

Surgery was scheduled for the following day, and the boy was brought to the hospital early that morning. His mother and father stood beside him as he lay on the table and the needle was inserted. He watched as the plastic bag slowly filled up with his blood, and then he looked at his parents and the doctors and nurses and spoke these words of courage: “How long will it be till I die?”

You see, that younger brother had not understood what they told him the previous day. But he knew that his sister needed blood, and he was willing to give his life to save her.

Now God only knows how the death of His Son has saved us from our sin. That is a theological mystery which we call the Atonement, and no one has ever been able to completely comprehend or adequately describe exactly how it happened. But of this we can be absolutely certain: Jesus Christ could have saved Himself – He had the power to do it. But He chose instead to die on the cross, to set us free from sin, so that we could live the rest of our lives in a relationship with Him. And if you have come here today, looking for, hoping for, praying for the assurance of forgiveness and the promise of salvation, then Jesus Christ would say to you: “Those gifts are yours, here and now. Open your hearts to receive them.”

II.

You say, “Well, I have already done that. I have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life and I believe that He has saved me from sin. But everything hasn’t turned out the way I expected it would, and the promise that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) just hasn’t come true. Sometimes I wonder if God is really there, if God really cares about me.”

Here is a Christian wife and mother who has devoted her life to her husband and children. But he lost interest and found someone else, and the counselor who has tried to help is now suggesting that you find a good lawyer.

Here is a Christian pastor who was called into the ministry and committed his life to serving a congregation. But some of the members resisted his leadership, criticized his preaching and called the Presbytery Executive to recommend that he might do better in another location.

Here is a Christian businesswoman, who gave her best to the corporation. But when the economy went down and her accounts slipped away, there was no one around at the end of the day to stand beside her.

And here is a Christian who has taken good care of himself – no smoking, regular exercise and careful about his health. But without warning, the x-ray shows a spot on his lung, and suddenly he’s facing surgery, hoping something can be done.

In the midst of it all we wonder, “Is God really there? Does God really care about us?” It was that same question which Jesus cried out from the cross: My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?

And the answer, with all of its harsh reality, is this: God has saved us from sin, but He has not saved us from pain or from sorrow. That is what King David discovered as he faced his enemies and prayed for deliverance in the 27^th Psalm, and that is our human condition still today. We cannot avoid or escape walking through the valley of the shadow. Goes does not guarantee that we will have happy marriages, fulfilling ministries, successful careers or perfect health. But He has promised to walk with us wherever we go, and we can count on His presence every step of the way.

It happened to me in 1983 when I had to have back surgery. My legs were numb and I couldn’t walk down the steps from our second floor bedroom in Pittsburgh. So the ambulance came and they carried me in a stretcher out the front door. It was raining and one of the paramedics draped a white cloth over my face. Our next-door neighbor, named Bud Thorne, showed up at that moment, and asked Barbara “Is he gone?” I answered from under my shroud “No, but he is going to the hospital.” And after my operation the next day, I felt the presence of God in that room, comforting me, healing me, assuring me that I was going to be all right.

Barbara Brown Taylor tells us about the novelist Reynolds Price and his battle with cancer. In his book entitled “A Whole New Life,” he wrote that after months of surgery, radiation, pain and paralysis, he lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. “How much more do I take?” he asked God…and after a long pause, he received the answer. “More” said a voice…addressing him as clearly as someone sitting beside his bed. And more is what he got: more surgery and more pain…but also more love, more patience, more life – full of the astonishing grace of God” (From “The Living Pulpit,” an article by Barbara Brown Taylor, January-March, 1995).

CONCLUSION

And that affirmation leads us back to the foot of the cross, where we have been saved from sin, saved from the fear of death and where we can know by the grace of God that we are not and never will be left alone. Do you believe that today?

The Apostle Paul believed it and he staked his life upon it. In his letter to the Colossians he wrote these words at the outset: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father. And in the second chapter, he made that message clear, saying God has forgiven us for all our trespasses and nailed our sins to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).

Now how did the Apostle Paul know that was true? Something had happened to him years before on the road to Damascus, where he was knocked down and turned around by the grace and love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Paul knew that he didn’t deserve it. There was nothing he could do to earn it. So he opened his life to receive it and spent the rest of his days trying to share that gift with others. By grace we are saved (Ephesians 2:8) became the watchwords of his ministry, and those are the same words which he leaves with us today.

By grace we are saved. We don’t deserve it. We cannot earn it. But standing at the foot of the cross on this Good Friday, we can look up to Jesus and thank Him for it – the greatest gift ever given “For the Salvation of Humankind.”

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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