Look Up!

Here is my most recent article in the Final Word (newsletter of First Baptist Church of Howland):


I don’t know what it is about this time of year but it has always been my favorite. For those of us here in Northeast Ohio, much of it has to do with the break in weather. Of course, we have our traditional snowfall for the Indians opening day, but right after that we begin to look for that great round object in the sky and some warmer temperatures. But as a minister and more importantly a child of God, I have a more meaningful reason for loving this time of year. Spring means Easter – and Easter means we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This year Easter happens to fall at the end of April, which is the latest that I can ever remember. I have to say that I think Easter should be earlier than that but nevertheless I am excited as we turn our calendars to April.

You see there is nothing better for us to fix our hearts and minds on than the Cross and the empty tomb. But if you know me and have been around this ministry for any length of time, you know that I don’t believe it should be any different the other 51 Sundays of the year. Why would we only give prominent place to Christ’s death and resurrection at Easter and not all the time? If Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection is really the sum and substance of Christianity than we should be delighting in it all the time. And not just when we gather in church Sunday after Sunday but perhaps more importantly every day of our lives.

The message of the gospel is so simple and yet so profound. Simple in that a child can understand it. There is no pride in understanding its message or articulating its complexities. Yet, the gospel is profound because its message is diametrically opposed to what our nature believes. The gospel says that we are all lost sinners and what we deserve because of our sin is the wrath of God which includes eternal separation from God. But the good news is that God has provided a way for sinners to be forgiven and made right with God. This provision is in the person and work of God’s Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. The way is through His perfect life (or obedience) and sacrificial death (His ultimate act of obedience) on the cross for our sins. You see the gospel is all about what God has done in Christ on my behalf. Notice that the gospel says nothing of who I am or what I have done! At least, not anything good about who I am or what I have done! The only thing the gospel says about me (and you) is that we are sinners and hopeless and helpless left to ourselves. But again, the good news is that God did not leave us to ourselves!

This message is contrary to what we want to believe. We want to believe that we are basically good. We want to believe that we have a self-righteousness that can earn God’s merit or favor. While we may have no trouble admitting that Jesus died for our sins, we at least want to believe that we can do something to contribute to our right standing with God. But it is this kind of belief that rejects the truth of the gospel message. Any self-righteousness rejects God’s grace because it views the sinner as deserving of God’s blessing instead of undeserving. Whether we are speaking of unbelievers (who reject the gospel altogether) or believers (whose sinful natures cause us to quickly go back to our former beliefs), we need the message of the gospel everyday.

We all have a tendency to look within ourselves for the basis of God’s approval (or disapproval for that matter). So, it is critical that we make a daily effort to look to the gospel message. I am reminded of a quote from Robert Murray McCheyne that says "for every one look at ourselves we need to have ten looks at Christ". One of my favorite hymns says it this way:

When Satan tempts me to despair
and tells me of the guilt within (notice looking at ourselves)
upward I look and see Him there (now looking up to Christ)
who made an end of all my sin
because the sinless Savior died
my sinful soul is counted free
for God the just is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me!
(Before the throne of God above)

We must daily look outside of ourselves to the work of Christ on our behalf. It is His righteousness alone that is able to bring us into a right standing with God. Listen to Titus 3:5-7:
“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

And how does one get this righteousness? By Faith

Paul teaches this in Romans 5 and again here in Galatians 2:16:
“We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we…have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

I hope this message is the sole basis of your approval and acceptance with God and the assurance of your eventual admittance into heaven. It’s about all Him and what He has done on our behalf. That is the message of Easter and that’s the message of Christianity!

So, I would like to invite you to come and be a part of our services this Easter as we celebrate Christ’s finished work on our behalf. And with that said, I would like to invite you to come every Sunday and celebrate these same truths with us!