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ON THIS PAGE"The Double Claim" "How much can I get away with and still get into heaven?" THE DOUBLE CLAIM
A few weeks ago I had lunch with one of our students in Cambridge. In those historic surroundings I remembered the student some years ago (about the time your own Rev James was a student, as I think about it) who turned up in Hall one evening and demanded a tankard of ale with his dinner. The Dean, who is responsible for all discipline in college, was summoned. He consulted the rule book and discovered that, yes indeed, ancient regulations did require the college to supply a free tankard of ale at Dinner to any student who demanded it. But as the first sip was taken the Dean promptly fined the student half a crown for daring to turn up to Hall improperly dressed – the student was wearing his gown but he was NOT wearing his sword!
Surfing the internet I was not surprised to discover that it is not only Cambridge University which has all kinds of silly laws and regulations about food. In New Jersey, USA, a person can be arrested for slurping soup in a restaurant. In Indiana it is against the law to ride on a bus or enter any theatre or cinema within four hours after eating garlic. Kentucky has a law forbidding anyone from carrying an ice-cream cone in his pocket.
Then there are weird and wonderful laws concerning transport. In Florida if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle. You should beware that NOBODY is allowed to park or land a flying saucer in any vineyard in France. And in Alaska it is a specific offense to push a live moose out of a moving aeroplane.
Some places have strange laws which
apply exclusively to women. In Oregon, young ladies are not allowed to drink coffee after six o’clock in the evening. In Florida unmarried women risk a fine or even jail if they go parachuting on a Sunday.
These silly laws are not just in America. You probably know that in English Law there is still a specific offence of being found drunk while in control of a cow. In the city of Chester it remains perfectly legal to shoot any Welshman with a bow and arrow, just as long as you do it within the city walls and after midnight.
Even the church does not escape such crazy laws. In West Virginia, it is a specific offence for a clergyman to tell jokes or humorous stories from the pulpit during a church service!
With so many ridiculous laws in place, it is no surprise that many people rebel against any and all rules and regulations - or just ignore them altogether. Our world today is full of people with no regard for the law, and many with no idea at all of right and wrong. The other day I read this slogan, “The only rule is there are no rules.” Many people are living their lives by that slogan! Many people are living as if they never have to answer to ANYBODY else for their actions. “The only rule is there are no rules.” Of course, through the years there have always been people who have broken the law and refused to be answerable to other people. But in earlier generations it was different. Even people who “feared no man” would fear God. Even people who weren’t afraid of being caught and punished by human law still were still afraid of being caught and punished by God. They knew they would face a reckoning one day! Today life is different! The vast majority of people today live their lives as if there is no God, as if God doesn’t exist. Some respect man-made laws, some do not. Many people pick and choose which laws they will obey and which they will ignore. Most people are just content to live by the eleventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not get caught.”
That’s why I was particularly struck by a book I found the other day in the Christian book shop. “Hell’s best kept secret”. What is the great truth that all the powers of evil want to keep secret? What is the truth which would change the world if people really believed it? Simply the truth that God is a Holy and righteous God and every single human being will one day face judgement for all the wrong things they have done!
What I want to make very clear this morning is that people CANNOT live like that. People do not have the right to live a life which ignores God. We are NOT free to live life as we like. We are not free to choose which laws to obey and which laws to disobey. Human beings are not free to ignore God, because God has a claim on every one of our lives. In fact God has TWO distinct claims on our lives – a DOUBLE claim on each of us. God has a first claim on our lives because He made us – God is our CREATOR. And God has a second claim on our lives because he has made a way for us to be saved – God is our REDEEMER. Creator and Redeemer – A DOUBLE CLAIM. Let me explain what I meanJ
The first claim on our lives – God is our CREATOR
This world is not an accident. It is not here by chance. The whole universe is here because God created it! Our planet exists because God created it. We are only alive today because God made us! If you already believe that God created everything you don’t need me to tell you. If you don’t then we haven’t really the time to go through all the philosophical arguments for the existence of God. To many people it is intuitively obvious that the whole universe could not have just come into existence from nothing. Something had to make it all happen - there had to be a “first cause.” For other people, even better proof that God exists comes from the evidence of design in everything we see. Two hundred years ago William Paley expressed this “argument from design” something like this in “The parable of the Watchmaker”. Supposing you were walking along the road one day and happened to find a watch. You could look inside at its intricate mechanism. You would not imagine for one second that the watch was a purely natural object. You would recognize at once that it was man made – that some person had designed and manufactured the watch. In the same way, Paley said, if we look around at the intricacies of the natural world, we see evidence of design. And those signs of design point to the existence of a designer, the architect of the whole of Creation, the celestial watchmaker. I saw a film a long time ago which I can still remember vividly. It looked at fascinating animals like the trapdoor spider and the archer fish and the bombardier beetle, and many others which demonstrate the inventive genius of God. Studying and then teaching science I became more and more convinced of the truth of this “argument from design.” Consider the incredible way in which the human eye works, or even more amazing the human brain. Look at the immensely complex way inheritance works, the way DNA and RNA and so many different proteins all interact to pass on genetic information. Look at the way that biological catalysts, enzymes, work at a molecular level. The probability of a wonderful world full of such amazing designs coming into existence by random chance is vanishingly small. Design points to the existence of the divine designer, the architect of the universe, God. Psychologists and philosophers find it impossible to explain how human beings developed consciousness and conscience, and appreciation of beauty and spirituality, the desire to pray and worship. Evolution never claims to explain these things, and never could! The Christian explanation is simple - God made us this way! The argument from design. So after decades of study, like many other scientists who are also believers, I agree more than ever with Louis Pasteur, the biologist to whom we are indebted for the process of pasteurization which gives us fresh milk to drink. Pasteur once said, “Posterity will some day laugh at the foolishness of our modern materialistic philosophy. The more I study nature the more I am amazed at the Creator.”
God is our Creator. But that gives God a claim on our lives. Because He made us, that gives God the right to tell us how we should live our lives. And He has done so, in the Bible, the Maker’s instructions. God has given us the rules we should live by if we want to be healthy and productive individuals and communities. Rules like the 10 commandments. Not silly rules, but basic obvious rules like don’t steal and don’t murder and don’t tell lies and don’t be envious of each other and respect family life. Other simple rules like love your neighbour and do to others as you would like them to do to you. Just the kind of rules that so many people are choosing to ignore nowadays because they think they know better! It is no surprise that the world is in the mess it is in, when so many people ignore the Maker’s instructions!
One of my hobbies is computers. I enjoy the challenge of making computers do what they should do and of mending computers when they are broken. And over the last 25 years I have discovered that there is one simple secret of success in working with computers. Read the manual. If it isn’t doing what it should do – read the manual! If it isn’t working like you want it to – read the manual. If it isn’t working at all – read the manual! The world would be a much much better place if everybody followed the Maker’s instructions! Read the manual! God HAS this inescapable claim on our lives – He is our creator. And the Creator has warned us that we will be accountable for our actions!
Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
No excuse – Judgement Day is coming! God’s first claim on our lives – He is our creator! The second claim on our lives – God is our REDEEMER
The reason this wonderful world is so messed up is because people don’t follow God’s rules. Every single act of disobedience puts a barrier between the Creation and its Creator. Every occasion when people reject or ignore God’s claim on their lives takes them further away from God. Every single one of us is trapped in a prison made up of our own greed and selfishness and pride. By rights God could just give up on us all. Scrap the whole earth and everybody on it and start again from scratch. But God hasn’t done that. Or God could just sit back and watch us human beings take ourselves to destruction. God doesn’t do that either.
The Bible tells us that God has done something entirely different. God really cares about His creation. So God chose to enter into His creation, to be born as a human being, to put the world right again, the author appearing in his own play to write the perfect ending because all the actors keep on getting their lines wrong. The Almighty God became a man in Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect human life to show us how to live. And then the Creator became so identified with His creation that he experienced human death, the death of a common criminal, death by crucifixion. And the Bible tells us that by his dying on the cross, Jesus Christ has made it possible for this damaged broken world to be put right again. Jesus has rescued us. Jesus has saved us.
One word for this rescue which the Bible uses almost 150 times is the word “redemption, redeem, redeemed, redeemer.” We heard it in our reading from the first letter of the apostle Peter. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
We have been redeemed. We have been bought back. We have been saved from the mess we have got ourselves in to by Jesus and his death on the cross. It’s as if we are criminals, thrown in jail because we can’t afford to pay the enormous fine which is the just punishment for our crimes. But then somebody else comes along and pays the penalty we could never pay. Or it’s a bit like as if we have been kidnapped and held hostage. Our kidnappers demand an enormous ransom, so much more than we could ever afford to pay. And then a complete stranger pays that ransom on our behalf. We are free to go. The price has been paid. We have been bought back. We have been redeemed. But this rescue does not come to us automatically. It is not forced upon us. We have to accept it individually for ourselves. The prisoner is freed to walk out of that prison any time – but he has to choose to walk out into freedom. The hostage is freed to leave – but she has to choose to accept that freedom. And this is why God has a second claim on the lives of each one of us. Because God has redeemed us. He has paid the penalty. He has paid the ransom. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” We owe a debt of gratitude to the one who has paid such a high price to make it possible for us to become free. That puts us under an obligation to leave the prison, to leave the kidnappers, to claim our freedom, to live our lives with God instead of without Him. We have an obligation to read the manual and live life according to God’s rules! We are in God’s debt because he is our redeemer. The recent celebrations of the 60th anniversary of V.E. day reminded me of a true story about Winston Churchill. A wealthy English family once invited friends to spend some time on their beautiful estate. The happy gathering was almost plunged into a terrible tragedy on the first day. When the children went swimming, one of them got into deep water and was drowning. Fortunately, the gardener heard the others screaming and dived into the pool to rescue the helpless victim. That young child was Winston Churchill. His parents were deeply grateful to the gardener and asked what they could do to reward him. He hesitated, then said, “I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor.” “We’ll pay his way,” replied Churchill’s parents, and so they did. Years later while Sir Winston was prime minister, he was struck down with pneumonia., The king was very concerned and summoned the royal physician, the best doctor who could be found, to the bedside of the dying leader. That doctor was Sir Alexander Fleming who just happened to be that son of that gardener who had saved Winston from drowning as a boy! The brand new treatment Fleming had discovered in 1928, the antibiotic penicillin, saved the Prime Minister’s life. Something Churchill said years later looking back on his life is most striking. “Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person.”
In fact, as we have seen, every one of us owes our life to God, not once but twice! Almighty God has given us the gift of physical life. And then in Jesus Christ, God also offers us the free gift of eternal life. God is our Creator. And then God also offers to be our Redeemer. So how should we respond to this double claim God has on our lives? Remember the words of that song by Graham Kendrick – Paid on the nail! Christ has died on the cross for us, paid the penalty, paid our ransom, paid on the nail! If you heard that your life had been
valued, That a price had been paid on the nail If you heard that His name was called
Jesus Would you say that the price was too dear? You say ‘no’, but the price stays the
same.
Well, how much do you think you are
worth, boy? Will anyone stand up and say?
How much do you think He is worth,
boy? Will anyone stand up and say?
How can we possibly escape if we ignore such a great salvation?!!!
HOW MUCH CAN I GET AWAY WITH AND STILL GET INTO HEAVEN?How much can I get away with?
People used to try and live by the 10 commandments – now they only care about the 11th – “Thou shalt not get caught!”
We can always justify our own actions. We see so clearly faults in other people’s lives which we turn a blind eye to in our own lives. NEWSPAPER - Modern irregular verbs, describing the same thing in different ways depending on who you are talking about.
I am a skilful driver, you are a reckless driver, he is a maniac behind the wheel! I am generous, you are extravagant, he throws his money away. My children are determined, your children are wilful, his children are out of control! I know how to express myself, you have strong opinions, he is always arguing. I am occasionally economical with the truth, you often bend the truth, he’s a liar! I am prudent, you know how to take care of number one, he’s a selfish so-and-so.
All kinds of actions and attitudes which we know very well are wrong when we see them in other people, but when WE do them, they’re alright! We justify our actions.
Still so many people live on the basis of “how much can I get away with?” And still get into heaven?
People DO still think about what happens when we die? Is there an afterlife? Is there a God?
That’s why , although not so many people go to church every week, and not so many get married in church, when it comes to funerals around 99% of people opt for a religious funeral. They like to hedge their bets, just in case!
And then, We are spiritual beings, not just mind and body but spirit as well. We have this God-shaped gap in our lives. “Our hearts can find no rest, until they find their rest in God.”
How much can I get away with and still get into heaven? Good news and bad news for you – bad news first. Bad news - you can’t get away with ANYTHING! JESUS says
Matt 13:47 "Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into their buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away. 49 It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good 50 and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and grind their teeth.
From cover to cover the whole Bible is concerned with this one theme – judgement. How can sinful men escape the judgement of a Holy God? Judgement Day is coming - there will be a day when all the wrongs in the world are put right. When all those who have done wrong get their just desserts!
And the next bit of bad news is that when Judgement Day comes – you and I will all be in BIG trouble! Because God’s standard is perfection – and none of us will live up to that standard! How do we know judgement is coming?
Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked .. ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Good news – there is a way of escape!
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has made a way of escape. We can’t get away with anything. Sin HAS TO be punished. But God has made a way for our sin to be dealt with – a way for US to be forgiven!
Isaiah 53:6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. (GNB)
There is a green hill far away outside a city wall. Where our dear Lord was crucified. Who died to save us all. He died that we might be forgiven. He died to make US good. That we might go at last to heaven saved by His precious blood. There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gates of heaven and let us in.
God will forgive us. More than that God will accept us as His beloved children and give us the free gift of eternal life, life in all its fullness, because of what Jesus Christ the Son of God has achieved by his cross and resurrection!
Matt 13:44 "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field. 45 "Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls, 46 and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.
David and Nicola being baptised is saying – they have found the hidden treasure - they have found the pearl of great price! They don’t want to go on trying to get away with everything they can. They realise they have done wrong – and will keep on doing wrong! They realise they will never live up to God’s standard of perfection – that they deserve God’s judgement. But with humility and gratitude they have accepted God’s free gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Jim Elliot was a young missionary who was martyred for his faith. He said: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
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