[] 3/16/1997 #51
BE OF GOOD CHEER
Matthew 9:1-8
INTRODUCTION: These words were writing on tombstone, "I do not seek a kindness given Paul, nor do I seek grace given to Peter. But the forgiveness which thou didst grant to the robber, that earnestly I crave."
I. PARALYSIS OF SIN
A. SIN LEAVES A PERSON HELPLESS.
B. SIN LEAVES A PERSON HOPELESS.
II. PRIORITY OF THE SAVIOR
A. SEEKING OF THE LOST.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
B. SACRIFICE FOR THE LOST.
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28
Andrew Meekens, was a elder in the International Evangelical Church. He was aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight which was taken over by hijackers last Nov. 23. The hijackers ordered the pilot to fly to a destination beyond the plane's range, and when the pilot announced to the passengers that he would have to attempt an emergency landing in the ocean, Meekens stood up and calmed the passengers, and then presented the gospel of Jesus Christ and invited people to respond.
A flight attendant who survived said that some 20 people, including a fellow flight attendant who died in the crash, signified their desire to accept salvation from the Lord.
Meekens was described as deeply committed to his faith. He did not survive the crash. He is survived by his wife, Ruth, and three children, ages 7, 5, and 2.
III. PARDON OF THE SINNER
A. RECONCILED TO GOD.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Rom. 5:10)
B. REMOVAL OF GUILT.
"Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Micah 7:19)
"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Heb. 10:17)
The Bible tells us that God has cast our sins into the depths of the sea. I heard the story of a preacher that had a little lady in his congregation who would shout, "Amen, Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!" She just bubbled with enthusiasm. The preacher didn't like the feed-back while he preached because it broke his concentration.
Finally he went to her and said, "Granny, please don't holler out like that, it distracts me," She answered, "But when you preach about the blood and the Passover Lamb, I get so excited. I know Jesus as my Savior! And when you preach about Daniel in the lions' den and all those other thrilling scriptures, I can't help myself.""But Granny," he replied. "You're throwing me off. You're ruining my sermon." "I'll try to hold it," she promised. But the next Sunday when he got on some good point, Granny couldn't hold it. She screamed out "Amen." Finally the preacher decided to give her a geography book to read while he was preaching.
This time there were no interruptions until he came right up to the climax of his sermon, then Granny yelled out--"Amen!" and it threw him off. After the service he said to her, "Granny, would you please tell me why you screamed just then?"
She said, "I was reading about the oceans and the seas and how deep they were. One place was so deep that they don't know where the bottom is. I figured that is where God put my sins and I just had to shout Amen!"