Sermon – Pastor Tim – Access

Access

October 19, 2014 – Pastor Tim – “Access”

Ephesians 2:14-22, For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

To think as a Christian is not enough! We must start thinking and acting like sons and daughters of an open house, being built for God’s glory. And all are welcome. Because He has broken down the walls of separation.

Galatians 3:26-28, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever been guilty of having a condescending or superior attitude about another person’s weakness? I find it much easier for me to understand why I sin, than for me to understand the sins of others.

I don’t know why, I dare to think I have access to the soul-cleansing blood of Jesus for my sins, and then look down on another’s as though their sin is worst? Who am I to deny them access to the only answer to the massive problems that consume them and this generation? Christ has broken down the walls of separation. So that we all can become one in Christ.

Romans 3:21-24, But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

If a person has a failure in an area we relate to because we have a similar weakness, we immediately praise God for the blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness.  If they are unfortunate enough to fail where we are very strong, do we condemn them?  Do we mark them in some way and deny them the blood.

Let me read the words to a song from the 70’s

“Don’t shoot the wounded” by Chuck Girard

It’s easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast
Pressing on to meet that higher calling
But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly
And refuse to try and catch them when they’re falling
We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions
And when they do the things we know they should not do
We sometimes write them off as hopeless
And we throw them to the dogs
Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply
So I say…
Don’t shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever
They need our love no matter what it is they’ve done
Sometimes we just condemn them,
And don’t take time to hear their story
Don’t shoot the wounded, someday you might be one
We can love them and forgive them
When their sin does not exceed our own
For we too have been down bumpy roads before
But when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set
We judge them in a word and we turn them out,
And we close the door
Myself I’ve been forgiven for so many awful things
I’ve been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times
That when I see a brother who has fallen from the way
I just can’t find the license to convict him of his crimes
So I say…Don’t shoot the wounded…

If we do not want the spirit of Cain to be loosed in the Church!  Then we must prevent the spilling of our brother’s and sister’s blood because they are different, because their skin or their sin is different from ours. In the name of the Lord, let us restore to them the opportunity to the experience the life that only comes to the flesh through the blood of Jesus.

1 Corinthians 5:17-21, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

Without the blood all flesh dies—black, white, rich, poor, homosexual, heterosexual, drug addict, or alcoholic.  I am not saying that we should condone sin, but we should not measure or weight sin.  Without the blood of Christ to save us and the Holy Spirit to empower us, no flesh can be saved.

Romans 10:9-10, 13, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation… 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

I John 1:9, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

By the blood of the lamb, any man or women, regardless of their failures or past sin, can come quickly and unashamedly to the foot of the cross and allow the drops of Jesus’ blood to invigorate the soul that sin has mangled and destroyed.  We will never experience massive revival until we allow all sinners to come to the Cross of Jesus Christ.

 

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