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(Rev Canon Malcolm Convery)
Holy Communion, August 9th 2020
Holy Communion, August 9th 2020
Salvation from God
I have a box of geological specimens on my desk at home
and among them is a beautiful specimen iron pyrite, which is fool's gold.
Every time I see it I am reminded of a pupil whom I taught in a 6th form geology class many years ago.
He went on to obtain a degree in geology and he later became a professor in geology in South Africa.
He retired to Scotland from where he sent me the iron pyrite as a thank you gift for inspiring him in geology.
I was reminded afresh of this pupil when I read today's Bible passages. It brought me back to the day in class when this pupil, who was a member of a Pentecostal Church and knew I was an Anglican, asked me
‘Sir, have you been saved?’
It wasn’t the sort of question you would normally be asked in an Anglican church!
Today's two readings refer to being saved.
In the gospel we see Peter getting out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee and walking towards Jesus
who is walking on the water. Peter sees the waves and begins to sink and cries out
“Save me Lord!”
At once, Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him.
This would be what most people would believe as being saved - to be rescued from danger or a difficult situation.
In such a situation people may cry out: “God help me!” rather than “Lord save me!”
In our first reading from Romans, Paul clearly sets out the Christian understanding of being saved. Paul wrote:
“If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The salvation referred to here is not being rescued or delivered from the waves,
but being saved from a much graver danger,
namely sin and death.
God saves through Jesus from the consequences and power of sin in our lives.
Until we recognise what sin is and that we are all guilty of sin and need to escape its consequences,
we cannot experience what it means to be saved.
Sin is falling short of God's standards, not living up to what he sets for our lives
which is laid out in the 10 commandments-the law.
In sinning, we harm ourselves and other people
and it places a barrier between ourselves and God.
Indeed, sin is rebellion against God- the very person who created us in His image
to experience the depth of His love.
Sin cuts us off from God’s blessings and, if not dealt with,
will lead to judgement, condemnation and hell rather than heaven.
In our reading from Romans, Paul is addressing a Jewish congregation in Rome.
Just a few verses before our reading Paul tells us:
“You are deeply devoted to God, but your devotion is not based on true knowledge” (Romans 10:2)
What does Paul mean? He goes on to say to them:
“You have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself,
instead you have tried to set up your own way.”(verse 3)
What was ‘their own way’ we may ask?
Their way was to keep the 10 Commandments (ie the law) and to be faithful to God.
In other words-live a good life and so earn their salvation.
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians that:
“It is by God’s grace (unmerited favour) that you have been saved through faith.
It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so no-one can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We do not earn our salvation. It is received as a generous gift from God.
For many of Paul’s listeners this would have been a revelation, but for many a relief!
Paul had another surprise for those he was addressing. He told them that:
“Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved” (verse 13)
This included Gentiles as well as Jews. Gentiles were regarded as outcasts and beyond being saved.
No matter who we are, if we reach out to the Lord in penitence and faith, we will experience salvation.
Indeed our first step to salvation is to confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness.
You may remember the prophetic words of Zechariah who spoke about his son John the Baptist
when he said that John had come
“to give people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins”
To be forgiven Is a great relief, a burden lifted from our shoulders, freedom from captivity.
So the first step in salvation is confession of our sins and faith in Jesus.
This is a step that can be difficult to take as we do not see ourselves as sinning.
Sin is not simply doing bad things it's falling short of God’s standards.
It is rebellion against God.
Before we make our confession at the Book of Common Prayer services of Morning and Evening Prayer,
we hear these words written in 1 John: 8,9
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us.
But, if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right:
He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoings”
What a relief to know this and experience it!
Having received the gift of salvation, Paul in his letter to the Philippians urges us to:
“Keep working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation,
because God is always at work within you to make you willing and able
to obey His own purposes” (Philippians 2:12,13)
Living lives under God’s direction is the outworking of our salvation and it is only complete
when we leave this life and go to be with the Lord.
In the last part of our reading from Romans, Paul raises a series of questions. He asks:
“How can the Lord call upon people who have not believed?
How can they believe if they have not heard the message?
And how can they hear If the message is not proclaimed?
And how can it be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out? "
These questions remind me the first year of my curacy in a church in St Helens.
When I arrived at the church a course called Evangelism Explosion was just about to start
and the vicar advised me to take the course.
Its purpose was to train people in sharing their testimony and the gospel message.
It was a 15 week course and the highlight of the course,
and the most scary part, was being sent out to homes in the parish in pairs!
People were asked were they happy to receive a visit from the church
and hear a simple presentation of the gospel message and the impact it had on those who were presenting it.
We were the messages going out with good news.
We found most of the people we visited believed in God.
They also believed in eternal life and heaven.
When asked “Would God allow them into heaven?” they replied “We hope so”.
When asked “Why should he invite you in?” they replied “We've lived a good life, we have tried to love our neighbours as ourselves we have done our best.”
We were able to say that “our best is not good enough”
and to go on to explain the role of Jesus in opening the gateway to heaven.
Several people received the gift of salvation became committed Christians
and many of them took up roles in the local church, some of whom still hold those roles today.
It was in a period of exciting growth.
This reminds me of the final verse of today's reading.
“How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring good news”
Who are today's messengers? Well, we don't have to look very far- just look around you.
Here they are - you and me!
We are called to share the message and experience of Jesus through the lives we live and the words we speak.
We are not all called to be preachers or leaders of Christian groups
but we are all called to be witnesses.
We are to witness i.e.- to share whenever opportunities arise,
our knowledge and experience of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
We’re not alone in witnessing. We can encourage each other,
but more importantly, we can ask God to empower us through his Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit
God's love will shine through our lives and impact upon the lives of others.
So Lord,
help us to be effective in spreading the good news through word-of-mouth and through the lives we lead,
that Your name may be praised in all the earth.
Amen
I have a box of geological specimens on my desk at home
and among them is a beautiful specimen iron pyrite, which is fool's gold.
Every time I see it I am reminded of a pupil whom I taught in a 6th form geology class many years ago.
He went on to obtain a degree in geology and he later became a professor in geology in South Africa.
He retired to Scotland from where he sent me the iron pyrite as a thank you gift for inspiring him in geology.
I was reminded afresh of this pupil when I read today's Bible passages. It brought me back to the day in class when this pupil, who was a member of a Pentecostal Church and knew I was an Anglican, asked me
‘Sir, have you been saved?’
It wasn’t the sort of question you would normally be asked in an Anglican church!
Today's two readings refer to being saved.
In the gospel we see Peter getting out of the boat on the Sea of Galilee and walking towards Jesus
who is walking on the water. Peter sees the waves and begins to sink and cries out
“Save me Lord!”
At once, Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him.
This would be what most people would believe as being saved - to be rescued from danger or a difficult situation.
In such a situation people may cry out: “God help me!” rather than “Lord save me!”
In our first reading from Romans, Paul clearly sets out the Christian understanding of being saved. Paul wrote:
“If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
The salvation referred to here is not being rescued or delivered from the waves,
but being saved from a much graver danger,
namely sin and death.
God saves through Jesus from the consequences and power of sin in our lives.
Until we recognise what sin is and that we are all guilty of sin and need to escape its consequences,
we cannot experience what it means to be saved.
Sin is falling short of God's standards, not living up to what he sets for our lives
which is laid out in the 10 commandments-the law.
In sinning, we harm ourselves and other people
and it places a barrier between ourselves and God.
Indeed, sin is rebellion against God- the very person who created us in His image
to experience the depth of His love.
Sin cuts us off from God’s blessings and, if not dealt with,
will lead to judgement, condemnation and hell rather than heaven.
In our reading from Romans, Paul is addressing a Jewish congregation in Rome.
Just a few verses before our reading Paul tells us:
“You are deeply devoted to God, but your devotion is not based on true knowledge” (Romans 10:2)
What does Paul mean? He goes on to say to them:
“You have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself,
instead you have tried to set up your own way.”(verse 3)
What was ‘their own way’ we may ask?
Their way was to keep the 10 Commandments (ie the law) and to be faithful to God.
In other words-live a good life and so earn their salvation.
Paul reminds us in his letter to the Ephesians that:
“It is by God’s grace (unmerited favour) that you have been saved through faith.
It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so no-one can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We do not earn our salvation. It is received as a generous gift from God.
For many of Paul’s listeners this would have been a revelation, but for many a relief!
Paul had another surprise for those he was addressing. He told them that:
“Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved” (verse 13)
This included Gentiles as well as Jews. Gentiles were regarded as outcasts and beyond being saved.
No matter who we are, if we reach out to the Lord in penitence and faith, we will experience salvation.
Indeed our first step to salvation is to confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness.
You may remember the prophetic words of Zechariah who spoke about his son John the Baptist
when he said that John had come
“to give people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins”
To be forgiven Is a great relief, a burden lifted from our shoulders, freedom from captivity.
So the first step in salvation is confession of our sins and faith in Jesus.
This is a step that can be difficult to take as we do not see ourselves as sinning.
Sin is not simply doing bad things it's falling short of God’s standards.
It is rebellion against God.
Before we make our confession at the Book of Common Prayer services of Morning and Evening Prayer,
we hear these words written in 1 John: 8,9
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and there is no truth in us.
But, if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right:
He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoings”
What a relief to know this and experience it!
Having received the gift of salvation, Paul in his letter to the Philippians urges us to:
“Keep working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation,
because God is always at work within you to make you willing and able
to obey His own purposes” (Philippians 2:12,13)
Living lives under God’s direction is the outworking of our salvation and it is only complete
when we leave this life and go to be with the Lord.
In the last part of our reading from Romans, Paul raises a series of questions. He asks:
“How can the Lord call upon people who have not believed?
How can they believe if they have not heard the message?
And how can they hear If the message is not proclaimed?
And how can it be proclaimed if the messengers are not sent out? "
These questions remind me the first year of my curacy in a church in St Helens.
When I arrived at the church a course called Evangelism Explosion was just about to start
and the vicar advised me to take the course.
Its purpose was to train people in sharing their testimony and the gospel message.
It was a 15 week course and the highlight of the course,
and the most scary part, was being sent out to homes in the parish in pairs!
People were asked were they happy to receive a visit from the church
and hear a simple presentation of the gospel message and the impact it had on those who were presenting it.
We were the messages going out with good news.
We found most of the people we visited believed in God.
They also believed in eternal life and heaven.
When asked “Would God allow them into heaven?” they replied “We hope so”.
When asked “Why should he invite you in?” they replied “We've lived a good life, we have tried to love our neighbours as ourselves we have done our best.”
We were able to say that “our best is not good enough”
and to go on to explain the role of Jesus in opening the gateway to heaven.
Several people received the gift of salvation became committed Christians
and many of them took up roles in the local church, some of whom still hold those roles today.
It was in a period of exciting growth.
This reminds me of the final verse of today's reading.
“How wonderful is the coming of messengers who bring good news”
Who are today's messengers? Well, we don't have to look very far- just look around you.
Here they are - you and me!
We are called to share the message and experience of Jesus through the lives we live and the words we speak.
We are not all called to be preachers or leaders of Christian groups
but we are all called to be witnesses.
We are to witness i.e.- to share whenever opportunities arise,
our knowledge and experience of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
We’re not alone in witnessing. We can encourage each other,
but more importantly, we can ask God to empower us through his Holy Spirit and through the Holy Spirit
God's love will shine through our lives and impact upon the lives of others.
So Lord,
help us to be effective in spreading the good news through word-of-mouth and through the lives we lead,
that Your name may be praised in all the earth.
Amen