This Week's Light Service Sermon

Light Service Sermons for the Month
What Does Christianity Teach About God
DATE: March 4, 2001
TEXT: Luke 4:1-13

During these next few weeks, the season of Lent--the forty days before Easter--I would like to share this preparation time with you with a series of messages that I have titled, What does Christianity Teach About. suffering, other religions, how to experience God, eternal life, and other things that are important--the bottom line issues of life.. And the first bottom line, bottom line issue "What does Christianity teach about God."
First, let me say that we see God best through the eyes of Jesus Christ. God put skin on and came to us and walked the face of the earth. Through Jesus we can get to know what God is like.
When we see God everything is different. It is like mountain climbers in Europe who were going up a high cliff. As they climbed throughout the day the sky was brilliant. The sun was shining. They were happy. They were determined. They were efficient. It went well and they reached their goal. But on the days that the clouds covered the pinnacle and they couldn't see where they were headed, they became grumpy. They didn't reach their goal those days. They complained so much and it was so difficult.
That's what it's like to live life without Jesus. When we don't see Jesus we feel shameful. It becomes difficult. We're grumpy. We're ornery. Life is just not right.
Today as we begin this series and focus on God, it is our prayer that you will indeed experience God this Lent.
Before we continue, let's pray.
(PRAYER)
This morning we begin by looking at the life of Jesus, who was God incarnate and demonstrated the character of God.
Jesus first of all was merciful. He went to the cross and took the rap for us.
Chris Barrows who is the song leader for the Billy Graham Crusades talked once about when his children were little and misbehaved. There were consequences for their misbehavior. He couldn't let it slide. (Just as God doesn't let evil slide. God came not to allow evil to just slip away--but God came to transform evil).
Chris needed to teach a lesson to his children so he decided he was going to take the punishment that was due them. Instead of sending them to their rooms or whatever, he decided that the children were to punish him. He took his belt off, then his shirt, and he gave his little girl the belt. He said, "Daddy's going to take the punishment for what you did wrong today. So take this belt and swing it as hard as you can to hit Daddy."
She took the belt and she swung as hard as she could. The belt had a little metal piece on the end of the belt and he said that when it hit him it left a welt. (He'd never do that again!) But then he gave the belt to his little boy. The little boy started to cry and said, "No, Daddy!" But Cliff said, "I told him that when we sin there are consequences and Daddy's going to take the punishment for you." So the little boy hit Daddy and it smarted once again.
Then they all sat on the floor, held one another and cried.
Cliff told them about Jesus who did that for them. Jesus went to the cross--took the nails for our sins and shame and the evil that is in the world.
The Bible tells us, "The Lord is merciful." (Psalm 103:8)
The second characteristic of God it that God is kind. The Bible tells us that he is kind, just as parents are kind to their children. The Lord is kind to those who worship him.
I am reminded of a husband and wife who when I first met them were having major marital difficulties. They were not regular church-goers. It was quite by chance that I visited them. Many years later they told me that visit made all the difference in their lives. It was then they discovered that God still cared about them. Today they are strong members of their church and more in love with each other than ever. Jesus demonstrated for us that instead of lashing out and destroying us, he demonstrated God's kindness by giving his life that we might have life.
Also Jesus showed us that God is patient. When God's son was hanging on the cross and the people were ridiculing his son who was dying for their sake, God could have wiped out the entire population. God could have said, I've had it. That's enough. No more! My son won't suffer and I'm going to intervene." God could have done that but he didn't. God is patient.
The Bible tells us that God is kind and patient.
I was reading a story of an owner of a tiny dog in Tacoma, Washington, named Tattoo. That poor little dog's leash got caught in the door of the owner's car as he started driving down the road. Little Tattoo picked up those paws and put them down as fast as he could. A police officer saw what was happening and clocked speeds of 30 MPH. Poor little Tattoo was running his heart out! He'd roll over and get up and run again. Finally the car was stopped and the officer pulled up to the door and said, "Your dog's leash is hooked in the door!" Poor little Tattoo didn't want to even go for a walk that day and now he was running 30 mph down the road!
Life can be like that! How often do you feel like you're picking them up and putting them down as fast as you can. You're rolling over and over and you're still not going fast enough. We're living in a microwave society.
I encourage you to relentlessly hold off on rushing through life. Hold off on trying to take things into your own hands.
The Bible tells us to be patient. We want to run our life, if we pray and God doesn't do an instant work we say, "Alright God, we'll do it on our own!" And then we REALLY mess it up.
But God is patient. And God encourages us to be patient.
God is loving. The Bible tells us, "His love never fails. How great is God's love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth." The distance between heaven and earth is so great we cannot even calculate it! As we explore the heavens we are just starting to find out that it's even gibber than we though! That's how great God's love is.
There was a professor who was trying to disprove God. At the University of Southern California, a philosophy professor, who was an avowed atheist wanted to make sure that every student by the end of the semester got rid of the idea of believing in God. He was trying to strip away anything that they might have hung onto in their faith.
Day in and day out he would take these 300 students through the rigors. He would say, "Anyone who believes in God is a fool because God doesn't exist. Jesus Christ never died on the cross." And he'd take it point by point. Then at the end of the semester he would say, "Is there anyone in the classroom who still believes in God, stand up." No one dared stand. Then he would take a piece of chalk. He'd hold it out and say, "If there is a God, God could come down and stop this chalk from smashing into bits and pieces on the concrete floor." And so he'd drop the chalk, the chalk would fall smashing into smithereens all over the floor. Then he'd say, "That proves to you that there is no God."
The next semester there was a Christian who had to take the class in order to graduate. Every day he prayed before he went. He'd sit there and listen and pray, "God help me find a way to say something." Sure enough the last day of the class the professor asked, "Is there anyone in here who still believes in God?" This young man, Ron, stood up and said, "I believe in God."
The professor said, "You fool! If there was a God he could take this piece of chalk and catch it before it hit the ground." And just as he was about to let go of the chalk, he turned his arm and it rolled down his sleeve, it went down the front of his shirt, caught in the fold of his trouser, hit his shoe and just rolled intact (not even a chip) onto the ground.
The professor stormed out of the auditorium. Ron went to the front of the class and said, "Fellow students, we've been listening for an entire semester to a man who is trying to take our faith away. Let me tell you how much God loves you?" Not one student walked out as he told them about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Finally, Jesus proved to us that God is forgiving. The Bible tells us, "The Lord won't always be angry and point out our sins. He doesn't punish us as our sins deserve. How far has the Lord taken our sins from us? Farther than the distance from the east to the west." (He didn't say nor and south because there are north and south poles. He said east and west. Where is the point of east and west? Well, it goes on and on.)
Little 4 year old Wallace got mad at mom and dad and decided to run away from home to make it on his own. Little Wallace walked out the front door. Dad could have stopped him but he didn't. Wallace walked into the forest across the street. He started winding his way around. For about an hour he was wondering in the forest. Dad followed at a distance watching little Wallace meander through the woods. Finally, little Wallace realized he was lost. He stood there and all of a sudden Wallace hollered out, "HELP!" Then Daddy emerged from the bushes and reached for the little boy's hand. "Do you want to take my hand?" Little Wallace reached out his little hand. Then daddy said, "Let's go home."
That's what God did for you and me. When we holler out, "HELP! WE CAN'T DO IT!" God says, "Will you take my hand?" God reaches out his hand. God initiates. God reaches out and asks us to simply take hold. God will walk with us.
Do you see God through what Jesus did? Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ? If you've seen him today for the first time, I invite you to open up your heart. Open up your life and welcome Jesus. When you see Jesus you catch a glimpse of what God is life. Won't you welcome him today?
AMEN