Christian Living

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From A Hangman’s Noose To Jesus
Larry Lilly Journal sermon April 2009
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

That the early church blazed the trail for preaching salvation through Christ is a matter of bloody and often tormenting history. And these men and women were not ashamed, even under threat and execution of torture and death to continue this insistence then as now found to be “offensive” to more “enlightened” minds is also written large on the record in their blood.

So, why the departure from this truth by the moderns? Why the near shame when His name is mentioned. Why is Jesus becoming an unmentioned name, even in churches that supposedly are supposed to be the citadel of His ambassadors? And why do Christians hunker down and keep quiet about the cowardly response to the pressure from below?

Jesus Christ won no popularity contests during His physical ministry, yet we read everything possible on the subject of not offending those who spit at the mention of His name. An article in the Christian Science Monitor told of the demise of evangelicalism and wondered why, offering few reasons, such as a departure from teaching young Christians true doctrine. One statement said about all most young Christians know about Christianity is that they “feel” good about what they believe. I suppose if the question were posed, “What do you believe that makes you feel good?” the answer would be, “Whatever makes me feel good.” So goes the religious wheel circa 2009.

In my lifetime I have observed several miraculous changes in ideas about the Bible, about sin and about solutions. I recently made a statement that got legs and was partially quoted. My full statement was: “I will no longer counsel alcoholics, I cannot help them. I will counsel admitted drunkards, for Christ offers no excuse for abusers who hide behind excuses, but has compassion, salvation and deliverance for confessed sinners.” I got so many phone calls, I am now wireless due to lines being burned to a crisp.

I rejoice in the deliverance in Christ, but Christ will not accept excuse makers, only those who acknowledge the part sin plays in their predicament. This is where the good news, the gospel of Christ comes in, and begins a lifelong work in a person’s heart.

A long time friend of mine who works as a chaplain in a very large jail told the following story to me.
“I had been talking with a young woman who was brought to the jail on serious charges and who thought she had all the answers and thus no time for God. I visited with her several times. To my surprise she listened intently to the plan of salvation (A simple explanation of why Christ came) and she called upon the Lord. She asked for a Bible. I told her I would get her one and she thanked me. A few hours later I returned to the women’s block and handed her a nice soft bound Bible through the bars. She started to weep and then gathered herself and said, “Please excuse me, but I have something for you.” She turned to walk to the back of her cell and I said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot accept anything from you?” She said, “You’ll be glad to accept this.” She then walked back to the cell door and handed a hangman’s noose to me that she had fashioned from a few pieces of her clothes. As she handed the noose to me she said, “I won’t need this now, I know God heard my prayer.”

The woman was released in a few days and is attending a church is the area. She is making progress in the things of the Lord and getting a second chance from the community. God is still on the throne.

Why are some Christian leaders against using His name? Why do we go along with people and programs that denigrate the power of the gospel? The gospel that brings such a change as took place in this young woman’s heart is the hope of the world, for time and for eternity.

An old song has it: “I have ceased from my wandering and going astray, since Jesus came into my heart, and my sins which were many are all washed away, since Jesus came into my heart.”
The truth of the old song is as up to date as next week’s news. And as always it is life changing, and it is direction changing.

I have used the term that Paul used to describe the central truth of the gospel. This truth is laid out in several passages of scripture, but this one seems to encapsulate this truth graphically:

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

There is no legitimate way to remove the resurrection of Christ from the dead from scripture and still have a Bible salvation. Paul later states: 1 Corinthians 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. The point is driven home here: 1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

That a vast majority of so called professing church members are YET in their sins is beyond argument when you consider the answer to the question about the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Part of the Romans Road gospel, mentioned earlier states: Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

What is often called the “salvation formula” refers to the historical fact of the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead. When this truth is dearly held and acted on, coupled with the acceptance of His death in your place, you then have the chemistry of the power of the gospel to bring about the inner change that results in drunkards becoming men and women of sobriety, of wicked people of all sorts becoming children of God and thus fulfilling the stated purposes of God in their life.

Much ado is made this month during “Easter” celebrations, but little is made of the power that works inside a human heart when Christ comes into the life. Again, Romans gives insight into the awesome power of belief: Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 8:11 one of the most powerful truths concerning living a life of victory over ourself. LML
“He is Risen From the Dead and He IS Lord!”

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