 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||
|
No claims of absolute originality are made for this material. As one man said, "I milk a lot of cows, but I churn my own butter." Please use these sermons as the Lord leads, but nothing on this site may be used for profit without my expressed, written permission!
|
|
|
1 Timothy 3:16 EVERY DAY IS MEMORIAL DAY Intro: In April 1863, in That loving deed set in motion our celebration which has become known as Memorial Day. We honor the war dead once a year, but their sacrifice is evident every single day of the year! Today, we want to honor the memory of all those who have sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. Those thousands of sacrificed lives were not given in vain! Because of their sacrifice, we are free today and have the right to assemble ourselves together and worship our God. Think of the numbers of those who died to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today:
Today, I do not want to diminish the sacrifice and service of
those men and women who have served our nation so faithfully and so
valiantly, but I want to talk about one great Soldier. This great Soldier
stepped onto a harsh battlefield one day.
He took up arms and entered the fight knowing that it would cost
Him everything. This Soldier bravely entered that battlefield
and won a great victory, but at a terrible price. This Great Soldier gave His life, not for a
nation, but for all humanity. His
was not a life given in vain, but the sacrifice of His life served to
set free the captives of sin.
For the child of God, Every Day Is Memorial Day. We
need to remember the sacrifice of Heaven’s Greatest Soldier. Today, let us remember a man named Jesus and
the sacrifice He made for us all.
The verse before us today is probably and ancient hymn of the
early church. In its six short stanzas, it tells us all about
the Gospel of grace. I would
like to look at this brief, but powerful song.
I want to share three great blessings that are made plain through
its words. Let’s look at
this verse together and as we do, I want to tell you why I say that
Every Day Is Memorial Day. I.
MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER HIS APPEARING ( A.
Jesus Laid Aside His
Heavenly Address – Like every soldier who has ever served in
the armed forces, when Jesus came to this earth, He also left His home.
He had, from all eternity, lived in Heaven.
He had existed in a place of perfection, free from sin, pain,
suffering and sorrow. He originated
in a land where He was exalted, honored and worshiped.
Yet, He willingly left all that behind to enter this sin cursed,
hate filled world. He came to
a world where even those who had longed for his appearing would reject
Him, John 1:11. He came to a land
where He would be ridiculed, hated and killed.
Yet, He came anyway! God
came to the earth and He robed Himself in human flesh, John 1:1; 14. He lived as a
man among men and died as a man to redeem man from his sins! May we never forget that our Savior is no ordinary
man, but He is God in human flesh! B.
Jesus Laid Aside His
Heavenly Apparel – When a soldier enters the army, he ceases
to wear the same clothes he wore as a civilian.
He dons the uniform of his nation.
When Jesus came into this world; He willingly concealed His heavenly
fame within and earthly frame. He
took upon Himself the body of a man, Phil.
2:5-8. Here was God, the Creator of the universe, born
as a baby in
Because Jesus left heaven and came into this world, He knew pain,
suffering, rejection, hunger, thirst, loneliness, and many other of
the problems that are part of the human condition.
He suffered all that He did so that He might feel our pain and
know how to comfort us when our trials come, Heb.
4:14-16; Heb. 2:18; 1 Pet. 5:7.
When Jesus came into this world as a man, He lived His life as
a man. He died on e the cross as a man. He rose again from the dead as a man. He ascended back into Heaven as a man. And, when He comes again, He will return as
a man. He willingly and forever
laid aside His omnipresence and limited Himself to a human body for
all eternity because He loved us. II. MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ( A.
Remember His Perfect
Service – The phrases “justified in the Spirit” and “seen of angels” speak of
the divine approval that was upon His life and work. From the time Jesus was baptized in
Another proof that God’s sanction was upon the Lord Jesus
is the statement “seen
of angels.” From
the announcement of His birth, Luke
2, to the angels’ ministry to Him at His temptation, Matt. 4, to the angels who spoke to the women at the empty tomb, Jesus
was the recipient of angelic presence.
They watched as their Creator was born.
They watched as He lived among men and fulfilled the plan of
God. They watched with their hands on the hilts of
their swords as He died, just waiting for His orders to come and fight
for Him, Matt. 26:53. (
When Jesus came to this world, He was born, He lived and He died
without sin, 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:21-22. He perfectly fulfilled the Law of God, and His
service was accepted by the Father!
That’s why I don’t have to keep the Law.
That’s why I don’t have to try to please God to be
saved. Jesus has already satisfied all the demands
of God, 1 John 2:2; Rom. 3:25. His work has been accepted by the Father and
is imputed to all those who believe in Him by faith, Rom. 4:24. B.
Remember His Perfect
Sacrifice – The phrase “justified in the Spirit” also speaks about the sacrifice of Jesus
on the cross. You see, Jesus
did not just come to this world to live, but He came to die, Mark 10:45; John 18:37. And
die He did! Jesus Christ, the
perfect, sinless Son of God was taken to a place called
When Jesus died on the cross, He suffered in ways that we can
never imagine, Isa. 52:14. But, all of His suffering was for one reason:
You! He died so that you might
have life! He endured the cross
so that you might be saved. He
shed His blood to redeem you from your sins and to make it possible
for you to be saved. His death made “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,”
Rom. 10:13, a real possibility!
So, let us remember today a man named Jesus Who took our sins upon Himself
and died in our place at the cross!
Of course, after Jesus died, He was buried in a tomb and sealed
up. Three days later, He was “justified
in the Spirit” when God brought Him back from the dead! This is further proof that Jesus was Who He
claimed to be. The resurrection of Jesus from the
dead was God’s “Amen!” to everything Jesus claimed
to be! Because He died and raised gain, His death has
value. Now, any lost person can
bow before him, call on His name and through faith in His death and
resurrection, be saved forever by the grace of God! C.
Remember His Perfect
Salvation – We are told that this Jesus was “preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in
the world...” Again,
we are reminded that His life and death were not just for Him. He did what He did because He had a plan to
save the lost! 1.
His Salvation Is Proclaimed
– Here, Paul reminds us of the rejection of Jesus by the Jews, John 1:11, and of how the Gospel came
to a people who did not know God. What
grace that God would allow His glorious Gospel to be preached among
people who did not know Him and did not want Him.
He sent His saving Gospel to a people who were helplessly and
hopelessly lost in sin, Eph.
2:1-4; 2:12-13!
What grace that God would reach out to people like us who are
so vile and so wicked. What grace
that God would fix it so that we could be saved through simple faith.
What grace that we were allowed to hear about so great a salvation! What grace that the Word of God came to our
hearts in glory and the demonstration of power, Rom. 10:17. Thank God for the
proclamation of the Gospel! 2.
His Salvation Is Powerful
– We are told by the phrase “believed on in the world” that this
Gospel message is a powerful one, Romans
1:16. When lost sinners hear
it, those ordained to eternal life are saved by His grace, Acts 13:48. I praise the Lord
for the day His Gospel was preached not just to my ears, but also to
my lost, dead heart. Thank God
that the Spirit of God regenerated my dead soul and gave me the faith
to believe in Him! I praise God for His salvation today! That’s why we must
never give up on the lost. We never know when and where the
Lord will move in power and save that precious soul! Thank God, He is in the saving business! III. MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER HIS ASCENSION ( A.
The Glory Of His Ascension
– After accomplishing His earthly mission, Jesus ascended back to His
heavenly home and was enveloped in the glory He had before He was born
in Bethlehem, Acts 1:9-11; Phil. 2:8-11. When we see Him in glory, He will still have
a body. His body will still be
marked by the nail prints in His hands and feet.
The marks of His thorny crown will still be evident. The stripes upon His back will still proclaim
His eternal love for you and me. But,
when we see Him on that day, He will not be the lowly Nazarene. He will no longer appear as Isaiah described
Him, Isa. 53:2-3. When we see Him then, He will shine with a glory
brighter than that of the son. He
will be the light of Heaven, Rev.
21:23. If you could see Him today, you would be awestruck
with His glory; blinded by His brilliance; and speechless in His presence!
We serve a glorious Lord today and one day, His servants will
see Him, Rev. 22:4. B.
The Grace Of His Ascension
– When Jesus ascended, the Bible tells us that He sat down at the right
hand of God, Heb. 10:12. This tells us that His work of redeeming sinners
was forever finished! He completed
that work and ascended back to Heaven as our High Priest. There, at the right hand of God in Heaven, Jesus
makes intercession for you and me as we journey through this land toward
home, Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34. Thank God for a Friend in High places! Thank God for One Who pleads our case in the
courtroom of glory. He prays
for us, and He is our Advocate against the attacks of the enemy, 1 John 2:1. That is grace greater
than we can imagine! C.
The Gravity Of His
Ascension – When Jesus ascended
back into Heaven, He did so with the promise that He would return
again some day, Acts 1:11; John 14:1-3. The fact that He is returning for His people
adds an element of gravity to His return.
For, when He comes, He is not coming again for everyone; He is
only coming for His people. He
is coming only for those who are saved by His grace and who are washed
in His blood. Therefore, friend, you need to be sure that
you are saved today so that when He comes, you can go to Heaven to be
with Him for all eternity, Matt.
24:44. Conc: Friends over 1.1 million men and women have died to guarantee our freedom
as Americans. They gave their
all so that we might enjoy all the blessings of this great land. Today, we honor they memory and their sacrifice.
Thank God for every one of them.
But, I would remind you that Every Day Is Memorial Day! Why? One day Heaven’s greatest Soldier
came to this earth and died to give us eternal freedom from the penalty,
power and presence of sin. Thank
God for His unspeakable gift! May
we, the redeemed, never forget Who Jesus is, what He has done for us,
and where He is taking us some day!
Oh friend, are you ready to meet Him?
Are your sins under the blood today?
Have you been to
If you are saved, maybe you need to get before Him and tell Him
how much you love him for all that He has done for you.
He is worthy of our praise and of all the worship and glory we
can offer to Him. What a Savior!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2003 by Alan Carr |
