David's psalm of Repentance

David was an important figure in the Judaism. In the Jewish tradition, and so it was told. Adam, the first man was supposed to have lived longer than any man, a thousand years. One day Adam begged God to let him see the future and God led him through the celestial chambers, where the souls that were to be born awaited their turn. Each soul was a flame. Adam saw some flames burn purely, some barely flicker.
Then Adam saw a beautiful flame, clear, strong, golden orange, and healing. Adam said. ‘Oh Lord, that will be a great human being. When shall it be born?’ The Lord replied, sorry, Adam, but that soul, as beautiful as it is, is destined not to be born. It has been pre-ordained that it will commit sin and tarnish itself. I have chosen to spare it indignity of being besmirched.’
Adam pleaded, ‘But Lord, man must have someone to teach and guide him. Please, do not deprive my children.’ The Lord gently answered, ‘The decision has been made. I have no years left to allocate to him.’ Then Adam boldly said, ‘Lord, what if I am willing to bestow on that soul some of the years of my life?’ And God answered Adam, saying, ‘If that is your wish, then I will grant.’
Adam, we are told, died not at 1000 but at 930 years. And eons later, there was a child born in the town of Bethlehem. He became ruler over Israel. After leading his people and inspiring them, he died. And the Bible concludes; ”Behold, David the King was buried after having lived for 70 years.” (2 Sa 5:4; 1 Ch 29:26-28)

No Christian can testify that when he became a Christian, sin was erased. The tendency to sin is still as real as before the conversion. Even though we are save we still sin and worst is that we still derive pleasure from our sin. We still struggle with sinful habit. Sometimes we fall into shameful scandalous sin. Our thoughts and our words are always not what they are supposed to be. Our minds and affections are set on things that will pass away. Our hearts grow cold to things holy and evangelistic.
David was such a person.

David was one that really walked with God and he clearly always had God in his mind. At the time of facing Goliath, he cried out who dare to defile the name of the Holy God. He would not touch Saul for he believed he was God anointed. Of things that he said and done, you would have thought that there is no way he can sin against God. On the plus side, he was a Sheppard, a war hero, an inventor, a worshipper, a giver, a building designer, a true friend, a song writer, and a musician. On the minus side, he was an adulterer, a murderer, a lousy husband and an over indulgent, yet unconcerned father. He broke 6 of the 10 commandments. With a passing mark of 40%, you can hardly call him a man after God’s own heart. Yet he was.

We are also imperfect like David. We too sin. Don’t ever think that we will never commit a sin like David. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Malcolm Muggeridge, the famous British journalist, author, Christian convert and writer was a fascinating man. His influence in journalism as well as Christianity was quite powerful. He was particularly well known for making Mother Theresa known throughout the world. At the age of 79, together with his wife, they converted to Catholics.

In his autobiography as told by Ravi in a recent sermon, Malcolm Muggeridge recalled a time when he was in India. He was there living some years at the school of journalism as a young man. One day he came out of the building in the early hour for a morning swim. The building was by a river. Way out in the distance, he saw an Indian woman beginning to disrobe and get into the river to take her bath. Malcolm began to eye her and wonder if this is the moment for him to cross certain line. Seduction became stronger and he began to swim towards her. He says his mind is telling him this is wrong, this is wrong, yet on the other hand he can give her a meager offer. She would take his proposal after all she is a village woman and he is a rich man from another country. He swam harder and harder. He knew this was wrong but he persuade himself this is the moment to cross the line As he came closer, she became fearful because she wonder who this person was coming to violate her privacy. As he came close to her, she raised her hand to cover herself. To her own shock, saw this white gentleman emerged from the water, Shocking as it was to the woman, it was even more shocking to him when he came within a foot of her.. As the woman raise her hands to cover herself, he realized that he was looking at the face of a leper. The fingers were all worn away and the nostril were all gone with the eye brow and eye lashes. He said it was like looking at an animal peering out from her cheek bone. And he said I look at her nauseated for the moment and thought to myself .what a lecherous woman. When I hung my head in shame and realize it wasn’t the lecherous woman that was the problem, it was my own lecherous heart with which I was living. For the first time he saw his heart under God microscope for him.

David was a great worshipper. He was a great writer and singer of psalms. He had declared the blessedness of God. But he had a problem. He was a sinful man even though he had been forgiven by God. He had problem with woman for he can take anyone no matter who she belongs to.

It was at the height of his power and blessing under the goodness of God that he was infatuated with a beautiful Bathsheba, who was the wife of one of his military officer named Uriah. Bathsheba was not innocent as much as David as she put herself in the scene of David. Neither was David innocent as he also placed himself in a position where he was tempted. He should be out fighting with his men. We were told he sent for her and later found out that she was pregnant. He now had a dilemma. So he arranged for Uriah to come back so that he can claim to father the Child. When that plan failed, David conveniently arranged for Uriah to be killed in the battle. It was cold blooded murder. David later gave a honor military funeral for Uriah and proceeded as if it was a noble act to marry his widow. But the child died and they have other children.

For David when confronted by Nathan, the whole scene began to weight him down and he became obsess with the burden of the sin. It preyed on his mind until he got the relief through confession. This is what we see in Psalm 51.

We can learn from David. A total acknowledgement and take full ownership and repentance from whatever sin in our lives will make us men and women after God’s own heart. Someone once asked a preacher that you said the unsaved people carry a great weight of sin, but I don’t feel anything. The preacher answered if you lay a 400lb weight on a corpse, would he feel the load? Only a Christian has the capacity to feel the weight of sin. The guilt of disobedient interrupts the fellowship with God. That’s why confession of sin needs to be the ongoing thing in our life.

Psalm 51 is the true confession of a broken and contrite hearted person. It sums up how David feels after he realized his sin has put him separated from God. This psalm bears the mark of deep guilt. It was written in remorse out of pain, anxiety and fear. It reveals the essence of a true confessor.

Sin had made him dirty and he wants to be clean. Guilt had made him sick and he wants to be well. Disobedience has made him lonely and he wanted to be reconciled. Rebellion had made him fearful and he wanted to be pardoned. A man who feel dirty, sick, lonely and fearful. The consequence of sin. Out of that, he poured out his confession.

His confession brings out the 3 components. Firstly, he sees the sin as what it is, secondly, he see God for who He is and thirdly he sees himself for who he is.

David knew his sin deserved judgment and is against God (v 4). Sin also removes joy and gladness (V8) and cut off fellowship with God (V11). But he appealed to God’s grace and mercy (verse 1). He pleaded for God’s compassion. He knows his guilt and he asked God to blot out his transgression. David acknowledged his sin – my guilt, my sin, my rebellion (verse 2,3). He blames no one else and took full responsibility. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. He knows that he cannot blame God in his judgment. (Verse 4,5) Acknowledge that you can only appeal to God’s grave because you cannot merit God’s mercy and restoration. This is a broken and contrite heart. And that the Lord will not despise.

Secondly, True confession brings out the view of God. He move from the view of sin to the view of God in Verse 6. God desires holiness. True confession recognizes that I am sinner and appealed to God to clean on the inside. God look in the heart and you don’t want a superficial change (V10). David not only recognizes the holiness of God, but he also sees the power of God. God can clean him and God can purify him (Verse 7). More importantly, God is willing to forgive. He wants restoration and reconciliation (verse 8,9). David sees that His God can purify and clean his sin because He is powerful, merciful and full of compassion (V2,7)

David continues his prayer in verse 10 to verse 12. He had seen sin as it is and he knows who his God is. He asks for clean heart, steadfast spirit, not isolation from God. David also see how his forgiveness impact others. (Verse 13) The fact is that if my life is not pure, I cannot be useful to others. What is at stake here is our usefulness to the church.

So, in summary: After David sinned, when he failed miserably, he took the blame and repented. He did not try to put blame on anyone else. He repented and seek forgiveness from God. A God who is full of grace and mercy. Most importantly, his repentance is genuine as it was from his heart, he completely turned away from the sin. Bathsheba was his last wife and there were no more adulterous affairs. Even at his old age and on his death bed, his servants brought him virgin girl to lie with him to keep him warm, he did not touch her.

This is where I believe lies the greatest truth revealed in the God that we trust. He is a God with a very big heart. Compassion and full of grace, ready to forgive. We learn it from this from the Psalm of David. Our God will not cast you away when you go to Him in repentance after you have sinned.

There is a saying among the Sages that we are to repent exactly one day before we die. But how do you know it’s the day before you die? Exactly. Now is the time. Everyday.

Let’s go back to the third point. Ie How does the forgiveness of God for us impact others? We need to cover 2 issues here. First, we must trust God and really surrender and know that He can relieve our sin and secondly, we must transfer that forgiveness to others who may have sin against us.
There are many Christians who feel defeated because they cannot get rid of guilt or feel forgiven. C.S. Lewis says Satan's strategy is to get Christians preoccupied with their failures; from then on, the battle is won.
Many are only sorry for the consequence of a sin. A lot of people are going to church today without real repentance. According to John Macarthur, the mistake we make to day is to treat sin in 3 ways. First we hide it. Adam and Eve did it immediately when they realized that they have sinned against God. They sew fig leaves to cover and hid themselves from God. The second way we treat sin is we try to justify it. This is exactly what David did. Today we don’t even want to use the term sin. We call it mistake and find excuses for it. And finally we make light of sin.

Eugene Peterson, who paraphrased the Bible for his children, known as the message edition today, was a pastor in New York. In his book, running with horses told of a story about a man who was the janitor at his church. Willie Orser was a hard working but difficult to reach person. Although working as the janitor, he was actually a good artist. Eugene Peterson came out with a brilliant idea that he will ask Willie to paint a portrait of him. He will spend 2 to 3 hours a week for him to paint and he will have the chance to reach out to him. Willie started work on the portrait but will not allow Eugene to look at the portrait until it was finished. Finally the portrait was done and Willie’s wife came in to take a look. Suddenly she shrieked and uttered in her native tongue that it did not resembled Eugene Peterson. Eugene rushed over to look at the portrait. The portrait depicted a very sad looking Peterson. There was no compassion in the eyes. No pathos in his expression and there was no tenderness in his smile. Eugene asked Willie why had him painted him in such a manner. Willie slowly answered, ”Mr. Peterson, I have painted you the way I picture you the love of God had departed from you.” Eugene Peterson said that he had kept the portrait in the closet and every now and then he will take a look at the portrait to remind himself the love of God and how important it is to maintain the fellowship with our God.

In 1969 Simon Wiesenthal penned his thought-provoking book, The Sunflower, which captured the agony he personally experienced in one of history's darkest moments. Relating one encounter with the Holocaust, Wiesenthal described how he had been taken from a Nazi death-camp to a makeshift army hospital. He was ushered by a nurse to the side of a Nazi soldier who had asked to have a few private moments with a Jew. Wiesenthal warily entered the room and was brought face to face with a fatally wounded man, bandaged from head to toe. The man struggled to face him and spoke in broken words. Wiesenthal nervously endured the anxious monologue, finding himself numbed by the encounter. At the hands of Nazi soldiers like the one now dying before him, Wiesenthal had lost 89 of his own relatives. Here, the soldier confessed to the heinous act of setting ablaze an entire village of Jews; at his whim, men, women, and children were burned to death. With great anxiety, he described his inability to silence from his mind the screams of those people. Now on a deathbed himself, the man was making a last desperate attempt to seek the forgiveness of a Jew. The man begged him to stay, repeating his cry for forgiveness, but Wiesenthal could only walk away.

Yet even years later he wondered if he had done the right thing. Should he have accepted the man's repentance and offered the forgiveness so earnestly sought? Had he neglected a weighted invitation to speak or was silence the only appropriate reply? Seeking an answer, Wiesenthal wrote to thirty-two men and women of high regard—scholars, noble laureates, psychologists, and others. Twenty-six of the thirty-two affirmed his choice to not offer the forgiveness that was sought. Six speculated on the costly, but superior, road of pardon and mercy.

I don't know what it would take to absolve anyone of so monumental a crime. I don't know if it is possible to offer forgiveness for something so far beyond our moral reach. But I know that even in the most unfathomable places the God of Scripture somehow carries the burden of grace. Who can fathom the Son of God on the cross pleading with the Father to forgive the guilty for killing him? Who can conceive of a God who comes among his people, trusting himself to the hands of a fallen world, even knowing the troubling outcome? Who can grasp the heart of a God who chooses to love an undeserving people? To live as one marked by this disruptive grace is not easy. The command to forgive is thoroughly unsettling; in fact, it is sometimes haunting. To persist in love when we are tired or overwhelmed, or even rightfully angered by injustice, is a massive and costly request.

I have often found it easier to fit into shoes of the prodigal son than the shoes of the remaining older brother. Yet in this well-known parable of Jesus, both sons are invited to celebrate and rejoice. To the wayward child who has squandered and defamed, God's grace is lavish. It is extravagant and poured out on those who neither expect it nor deserve it. The celebration is thrown in the honor of the run-away, in honor of the return of just one lost sheep. When these shoes are ours, we are both humbled by the Father's attention and compelled by his mercy.

Yet to the child on the other side of justice, the Father's grace is jarring and disruptive—indeed, prodigal, reckless and wasteful. His invitation to the feast is both awkward and demanding, a seeming call to overlook the potential of our reckless brother to strike again at our expense. These shoes are much harder to walk in. The Father's call to forgive the one whose sincerity is questionable is often agonizing; his command to love the habitual prodigals in our midst is both costly and exhausting.

But it is his request. "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" asked Peter. But Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22). God's grace disrupts our sense of righteousness and summons us to respond in similar kind. Whether we find ourselves in the shoes of the prodigal or treading the difficult ground of the older brother there is good reason to rejoice and celebrate the unveiling love of the Father. His unfathomable grace and mercy shatters our sense of who is worthy to enjoy the benefits of God's kingdom, inviting us to the celebration regardless of where we stand.

Conclusion

DL Moody once said that You and Christ cannot be one until you and sin are two. We need to come clean before God to confess and repent of our sin even if it is habitual sin as we do not want the fellowship with our God to be interrupted. In the same way, we must live to forgive others who may have sin against us.

Jesus Christ, Our Rock

Bursa Malaysia is the stock exchange of Malaysia. But in Turkey, Bursa is a city located in the north western province of Bursa. She has a population of slightly less than 3 million. Although not directly, it is almost surround by sea of water. On the north east is the Black sea, on the north is the Marmara Sea, and on the East is the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The body of waters and the mountains are the factors which create strong wind in Bursa. Throughout the year and peak in December, extremely strong wind will blow through the city. The wind locally named as Lodos is so strong that if you are less than 100 pound, you would be blown off the street when it hits.

Because of this phenomenon, houses and building are built with strong foundations and mostly of brick and stone. A few years ago, when Lodos made one of its many visits, a school collapsed and killed 6 school children. Imagine the horror when they discovered that the school was not built to the standard and that the builder was under the illusion that it is ok and that nothing will happen.

Another incident in Taiwan is that a building had collapsed and the authority found out that the builder had used empty drum and even paper and paper boxes to fill in the gap between bricks.

Story like this is not new and not news to us for we in Malaysia also experienced many instances of collapsed building because of poor foundation and building that was built not according to the standard. The stadium in Terengganu, a mall in Johor and so on.

Our life is also like a building. If we do not have a firm foundation, when Lodos comes our way, we will not be able to withstand the trials and tribulations and we will crumble easily under the pressure.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples, 13 “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”. 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But most importantly, Jesus wants to know what do they think. In verse 15, he asked 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

When Jesus, the Son of God asked a question, I think we better pay attention. Who do you say I am?

In Genesis 32, there is a story of Jacob wrestling with God. Now let me just refresh your memory on Jacob. Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebecca. Jacob stole his brother’s birth rights and had to flee to stay with his mother’s brother, Laban, his uncle. He then had to work additional years just to married his love, Rachel having being duped into marrying the eldest daughter Leah first. Anyway, From Jacob, we have the 12 tribes of Israel.

Now in Genesis 32, Jacob is returning and prepared to meet his brother Esau and that night, he met God alone face to face and it is here that we read he wrestled with God. I want to bring to your attention on verse 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.

Let’s just pause for a second here. Why did the all knowing God ask the question, what is your name. Of course He knows. God is reminding Jacob that remember who you are, you are the cunning deceiving brother who stole your brother’s birth right. But listen, you will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

So it is with you this morning. Never mind your past. Never mind your struggle. Jesus is wants you to answer the questions he asked his disciple “who do you say I am”. Now listen to the answer given by Peter. Matthew 16: 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And here is Jesus respond to Peter: Yes on this confession about me, on this rock, I will build my church. Jesus is saying that we are sinners, cunning and untrustworthy. But he is also saying that he is the Rock that we can build on.

1 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

Paul in his letter to Corinth as recorded in 1 Cor 10:4 reaffirmed that the Rock was Christ. The passage that Paul refers to is about the children of Israel wandering through the wilderness, God caused water to flow from a rock. Moses reflected on this miraculous event when they are about to enter into the promised land in Deut 8:15. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock.

Moses also said in Ex 33:22 that God hid him in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand for protection.

With these background experiences, Moses was the first to use the word Rock when he describe God. He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. Ex 32:4 .

Other speak of God in this figurative way are Hannah and David. Hannah prayed “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. (1 Sam 2:2)

The word Rock is used no less than 20 times in Psalm when the writer describes God. It is almost synonymous with fortress, shield and refuge.

From all these scriptures, we can find a few of God’s attributes related as Rock.

Jesus is our Rock of:
1) supply who quenches our thirst (Exo 17; Deut 8:15, Phil 4:19)
After the children of Israel left Egypt and wandered in the desert, they grumbled to Moses and the Lord for water. The Lord asked Moses to strike the rock and water come out of it. Paul took a Christology interpretation of the story and reminded the Corinthians again that Jesus Christ is the Lord who will quench our thirst when he wrote in 1 Cor 10 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

2) safety who protects us (2 Sam 22:1-7; Psalm 18:1-4; 62;2)
When the Lord delivered David from his enemies and from Saul, he sang praise to the Lord and described Him as the Rock who provide safety for him to take refuge 1 I love you, LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 94:2 also speak of the Lord Rock who provide safe refuge in time of trouble. 22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

3) ages who is eternal (Isa 26:4; Heb 13:8)
We are all familiar of the hymn Rock of ages. Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8). He eternally exist and promise to be with us all the time.

4) strength whom we can stand on (Psalm 40:2; 62:2)
Another favorite hymn we always sing is On Christ the solid Rock I stand,, all other ground is sinking sand. Psalm 40 1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. And in Psalm 62: 2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
I heard a very interesting interview of Dr James Dobson with Michele Bauchman, the congress woman from Minnesota and the presidential candidate for the Republican party recently. She and her husband, a doctor are devoted Christian who have 5 biological children but raised 23 foster children. She said that she came from a broken family. The parents divorced and her mother who made $4800 raise them all. She found Christ when she was 16. Over the year, through all her difficulties and facing all the challenges, Jesus Christ is the rock that she cling to for support and for strength. She said you can read it all in her just released book, Core Conviction, My Story. You see, Jesus Christ is real. He is our solid strength. I am not saying she is the right or wrong candidate for the President. But her testimony is worth paying attention to.

Rock solid – this is what God’s gift to us, in Jesus Christ. He promised to be with us, secure and stable, providing and supply our needs for all times. In just one week time, we will be celebrating Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. What will be our gift to him?
May I suggest that you offer yourself as a gift to God. Remember that Jesus is only a rock to those who put their trust in Him. But to those who rejected him, He will be a stumbling rock. A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them (1 Pet 2:8) But if you are to reject him. Jesus is a stumbling stone. Peter made it very clear, that when Jesus became a stumbling block, we will fall (1 Peter 2:8)

Conclusion
There is no middle ground. If we believe, Jesus can be our rock upon which we can build and face the Lodos of our lives or he can be our stumbling stone over which we will fall.

Salvation and Rewards

Eph 2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


Let me begin by asking how many of you have been in court before? I don’t mean as a spectator or a lawyer. I mean as a subject under the scrutiny of the lawyer or judge. I can tell you it is not presence. I was witness for 3 cases and appeared in court for at least 5 times and each time, it is upsetting and uncomfortable. The lawyer will try to put your character to the test and you almost have to defense yourself. In fact it was like I am the one on trial.

But there is another even more important court case that all of us have to attend. For everyone of us, there is no escape as at the end, everyone will have to face God in one of His two courts. Those who are believers who follow Him will have to face Him in the court call the judgment seat. For the unbelievers, you have to face God in the court call the Great White throne. It is in this court that all of us have to answer to him. It is the final judgment.
These two future judgments are very different from each other. At the Great White throne, unbelievers will face God’s final judgment for eternal condemnation. On the other hand, believers will face God one on one at the judgment seat and be rewarded for the services rendered to Him. One is total utter tragedy while the other is sheer jubilation.

To avoid in the court where the Great white throne is, you have to be a believer. This salvation is given to you free. You only have to accept it. You do not have to work for it but you do have to work for the rewards at the judgment seat.

In short, the great white throne is where we are judged for being not saved and the judgment seat is where we are judged for being saved.

There are clear distinctions between work for salvation and work for rewards. Let’s look at salvation and rewards now.

Salvation

Many years ago, one of my guests complained that my receptionist was rude to him. I apologized to him and got the details from him. Apparently, he was asking for some free added things from the receptionist and my receptionist, Edwin was upset after his badgering and told him straight to the face that “Free things are not good and good things are not free”.

Is it true that “Free things are not good and good things are not free”? In a sense it is true when so many shops and sales throw in worthless freebies just that you will buy the thing. But as far as salvation is concerned, it is the best free thing one can get. Even better, it is from God.

Eph 2:8 & 9 are the two verses which we shared a lot with our friends and one that we that comfort in. Salvation cannot be earned and provided free to all of us. But the problem is that we stop reading and did not continue to verse 10. Verse 10 is very clear that we are created to do good work. There is life after salvation and we must not just sit back and relax. God requires that we produce fruits and give an account at the end of our life when we meet him in heaven.

The first thing we see is that salvation is provided by God for all sinners. (Eph 2:3) It does not discriminate and because all of us, black or white, yellow or red. Young or old, short or tall, fat or thin, male or females are sinners, it is for all of us. In John 3:16, it says who so ever will.

Don’t miss the second point here: salvation is for our sins. (Eph 2:1) We read through the Bible and we know we human are fallen creatures who rebelled against God. But God has a plan to redeem His people to Him. His plan is through payment of a ransom. The ransom is through His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses that talk about God’s redemptive plan are Rom 6:23; Gal 3:22; John 1:12; Rom 5:8-9; 1Tim 1:15; Luke 19:10. Jesus came to die specifically for our sin. Jesus shed His blood specifically to bring about salvation of mankind.

And thirdly, once we accepted Jesus Christ’s payment for our sin, God says He will choose to remember our sins no more. In Hebrews 10:17 we read “Their sins and lawless acts, I will remember no more.” What it is saying here is not that God forgets our sin, but that He chooses not to remember. God is perfect, He cannot forget. In Samuel, there are 2 full chapters on David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11,12). But when you come to Chronicles, you read all about David but none about with Bathsheba. You see when God forgive. He does not remember the sins anymore.

The next observation is that although not all sinners are the same, salvation is same for all. Salvation does not depend on us. It does not matter how far we came along, salvation provides the same rescue. Although the experience of coming to Christ may differ from one to another, once we are saved, we all become a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Whether you accepted Jesus at a young age or in your dying moment like the thief at the cross, both are saved. Look at Saul/Paul, Lydia and the jailer. They all came from different back ground yet they are all came to the same faith.

Finally, salvation is a gracious gift from God. Eph 2:8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. There is no prior condition and there is no string attached. Salvation is not under point system that you need to accumulate your work and sacrifice and then redeem it when you have gathered enough points. You cannot earn your salvation but it required your faith. It is God who tell us that the work is Done.

About a month ago, I asked my secretary what had happened to her as she looked rather pale. She told me that she is fasting. Puzzled as Ramadham is not even close, I asked her why she is fasting. I am doing it to pay back what I missed last year. She was trying to make up for the missed day that she was to fast last year. The next day, she came to me looked even more sick and handed me a medical chit. The doctor had given her a day sick leave.

After about a couple of weeks, I was able to ask her if her God will be happy to see her suffer just to please Him? There are indeed many, even among Christians who will go a long way to torture, to suffer in order to gain the peace with God. “If this is your God, will you think again?”, I asked her. Jesus had done it all and there is no more doing in our part in order to be saved. Salvation cannot be earned.

Rewards

In contrast, rewards are quite different from salvation. Firstly, while salvation is provided by God for all sinners, rewards are provided by God for all saints. The Bible addresses all believers as saints once they become believers. God has work in mind for you the saints who is the living people after salvation. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2;10)” and in 1 Cor 9:24, Paul said that he wants to be qualified for the prize.
The next contrast we will see is that salvation is for our sins but rewards are for our service. Heb 6:10 says God is not unjust, He will not forget your work. What a contrast in that He does not want to remember our sin but wants to remember our work.

Earlier we said that salvation is same for all, it does not matter how far and where we came along. But rewards are very different. Rewards depend on our works. In fact, rewards are proportionate to our service to Him. Everybody gets the same salvation but not everybody gets the same rewards. We will receive our wages according to our labor. (1 Cor 3:10-15). And in 2 Cor 5:10, we read “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. “ Also in Matt 16:27, it says that “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. “

Our ability to do work is God’s gracious gift to us. His rewards to us are also His gracious wage paid to us for the work we are able to accomplish for Him. Jesus declares in Rev 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” That is why Paul said he wants to fight a good fight, he wants to finish the race, and keep his faith. (2 Tim 4:7).

Rewards require our faithfulness. We need to continue faithfully for the work we carry out for the work. At the end, it is God who will tell us, “Well Done”.

Conclusion

The contrast for salvation and rewards are very clear and distinct. 1) Salvation is for sinners. Reward is for saints. 2) Salvation is for our sin. Rewards are for our service to Him. 3) God will not remember our sin and not forget our works. 4) Salvation is same for every sinner. Reward is different for every saint. 5) Salvation is a gracious gift from God. Rewards are gracious wage from God paid to us. 6) Salvation requires faith. Rewards require faithfulness. 7) Salvation is when God said Done. Rewards are when God says Well Done.

So the question is what should we do? Think of the 3Rs. In our environment awareness world, the 3 Rs of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle are known to all. For us the believers, having believed, should also practice the 3Rs of believers. Receive, Reflect and Response. Don’t be an RC. No, I am not saying don’t be a Roman Catholic. Don’t be a retired Christian. Respond and live up to the expectation. Deliver the good work that God has promised for us.

A pastor was talking to a man at his death bed. The man seem sad and the pastor asked him if he is afraid to die. He said, ”No pastor. I am not afraid to die. I am just ashamed to die.” You see, not everybody will earn rewards. God has a program for us who are the living people after our salvation. The real life begins immediately upon salvation. Any work before salvation will not be acceptable by God but our work after salvation will be encouraged and rewarded.

Remember that salvation is now and that rewards are in the future. You cannot earn your salvation but you must earn your rewards. We all must get ready for the journey : we need to get to know the savior and start our work. You must be saved first before your work will count because that will be your service to Him. Once saved, you and I have this short life to work and earn our rewards that we can enjoy forever. What are we waiting for?

Jesus responds to our Needs

In psychology class we learn about Maslow's hierarchy of needs. According to him we human have 5 level of needs. It starts at level 1 with the physiological needs that are vital to survival, such as the need of water, air, food and rest. Level 2 is the security needs which are important for survival. This include a desire for steady employment, health insurance, safe neighborhood and shelter from the environment. Then it goes on to social needs, Esteem needs and self-actualizing needs. While this is only a secular interpretation of human needs and even then, there are many other authors who advocates different needs. It is true that we all have needs, tons of needs. But it does not matter how you categorize these needs, Philippians 4:19 says it all: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”. Plain and simple, the source that meet our needs is the Lord Jesus Christ.


Indeed Jesus understand and care about us. He will respond to our needs because in 1 Peter 3:7 we read : Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

We can study the four gospels and look at how Jesus responds to all who have came in contact with him,. From these encounters, you will notice that many times, it is Jesus that probed them before they even realize and asked for their needs.

There are no less than 125 incidents of Jesus meeting and talking or teaching to people. From total strangers to his disciples. From Pharisees to the rulers. Each time, he always give them new insights. On top of this, he performed 35 miracles of healing, 9 miracles such as turning water to wine, feeding of multitude with simple food, walking on water and catching of fish. You will see that He cares for the physical as well as spiritual needs of the people.

Jesus has no hesitation to call the religious authorities a “brood of vipers,” “blind fools,”, or “hypocrites”. He insulted the nation king by calling him a “fox”. He said to the face of his good friend and disciple, Peter, “Get behind me Satan”. But at the same time, he showed his compassions to the people in many occasions and tenderly calling the people, “my child”, “daughter”, and said things like “I feel sorry for these people”. Throughout the gospel we read that Jesus has compassion for children (Mk 10:13-16), for women (Lk 7:36-50; 8:42-48, John 4:1-40) and for the marginalized members of the society (John 8:1-11; Lk 19:1-10) and most significantly, Jesus has compassion for the spiritual needy. We will not have time to go through all the encounters of Jesus , but we will look at a few examples and look into the response of Jesus when he encountered the various people’s needs.

1. Jesus responds to our needs when we place our faith in Him

a. Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35-41; John 8:22-25)

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:35-41)

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (John 8:22-25)

b. Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman (Mark 5:21-43; John 8:40-55)

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat. (Mark 5:21-43)

John 8:40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” 49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.” 50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. (John 8:40-55)

In the first incident, in their fear, the disciples cried out to Jesus. Of course, they blamed it on Jesus that he does not care. But instead Jesus asked that “Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?” In the second story, why did Jesus insist on pointing out that someone had touched Him. Jesus is showing all the people that ‘Your faith has healed you. Go in peace’. He said the same thing to Jairus. “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. Of course he meant what he said, the girl was healed.

Jesus did not ask for more. As long as we put our faith in Him, he responds.

2. Jesus responds to our needs so that we can see our real needs

a. A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight (Luke 18:35-41)

35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God. (Luke 18:35-41)

b. The Healing at the Pool

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesd and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed 4 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.(John 5:1-9)

c. Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

1 Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7 Then the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man. (Matt 9: 1-8)

In the first 2 cases, why did Jesus ask a question that has such an obvious answer? Jesus did not ask the question because he did not know the answer. He asked the question in order to let the man know what their real need is. He asked them so that they realize their need and what He can do for them. What is obvious is that we think we know our need is but what is not obvious is what Jesus thinks our need is.
In the third case, Jesus did not ask the man “what do you want me to do?” Jesus first told him that his sins are forgiven thereby telling the teachers that they too are paralyzed like the man and need to have their sin forgiven (v6), In the end, the first 2 men received from Jesus what they think was their greatest need: physical healing. The paralytic, however, received what Jesus perceived as the greatest need: forgiveness of sins. He gives more than their needs.

3. Jesus responds to our needs by showing us it is the wrong need

a. The Request of James and John

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” 36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. 37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” 38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” 39 “We can,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus will not necessarily respond positively to all our request. Yes He will respond but He still may respond negatively. The request of James and John is selfish and lack understand on the whole purpose of God. Yet we see that Jesus did not rebuke them but merely corrected them of their misunderstanding. In addition, Jesus taught them a great lesson in humility, not only to James and John but also to the other disciples who were indignant.

We need to know the priority in our life so that we will see the real needs. Jesus does not necessarily have to respond positive to you if it does not fall into his will.

Application

Now that we have seen how Jesus responded to the needs of the people around him, our next question is how do we apply it to our lives. Do we have the attitude and mind of Christ to handle our own needs.

1. Realize our needs and that Jesus can fulfill these needs for us

2. Know the "right" needs

3. Put our faith in Jesus

What about the needs of those around us? We too can share the same insight to them.

But while we are pointing Jesus to others, let us remind each other that while it is nice and biblical to say that Jesus meets all our needs, we have to be careful that we do not intentionally make him our slave. Very often, we make the mistake of treating Jesus like the genie in the bottle. It is as if he is at our commands anytime, anywhere and he will respond to any of our request. When our needs become ambiguous, and its range cover our selfish desires, and that the gospel promise a fulfilled life, we may present salvation as a mean of receiving what Christ offer without obeying what he commands, we shifted our focus from God’s glory to human’s benefit. Don’t make the mistake of what William Willimon says that in the church today, we have an almost exclusive focus upon Jesus as the one who feeds, loves, and heals and as almost complete neglect of Jesus as the one who saves.