Our Rock and Redeemer; 我們的磐石與救贖主

3/11/12 Sermon by Minister Michael Johnson; translated by Elder Jui-Lin Ou Yang is attached.

Our Rock and Redeemer

Psalm 19

I love to be outside! Every chance I get I love to get out to ride my bike with Anna. Riding down a tree-lined path with the sun breaking through the leaves is so peaceful and calm. I also love to camp and hike. There is something about waking up early to the fresh damp air and seeing the sun just starting to peek over the horizon. At night the stars are so bright because we’re far away from the city lights. However, if you were to ask me what my number one outdoor activity is, I would say skiing, hands down. The most exhilarating time to ski is when you get on to the mountain after a fresh fallen snow. At the top of the mountain you can look out over the mountain range that reaches as far as the eye can see. You see fluffy white powder untracked out in front of you. Then you push off from the top and start to cruise down the run. It doesn’t matter if it’s a groomed run or one that takes you through the trees. Whatever the trail I choose I cannot help but be amazed by the glory of the Lord. I love to see His creation, the absolute beauty of his handiwork. While I am up on those mountains, I consider the trees and how they’re made to shoulder the weight of the snow. I look at the breathtaking mountain peaks and lakes in the distance and fathom the Lord’s greatness. I cannot understand how anyone can explain away the hand of the Lord in nature. Of course I appreciate the technology that gets me to the top by way of chair lift and the different types of skis that allow me to navigate deep powder verses ice. But there would be no skiing without the creation of mountains and that frozen precipitation we call snow. Nothing compares to the beauty and the majesty of God and His creation.

This is what the first half of Psalm 19 is praising. Listen to how the Psalmist describes the work of the Lord, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky displays his handiwork. Day after day it speaks out; night after night it reveals his greatness. There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon. In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun. Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber; like a strong man it enjoys running its course. It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat.”

What a wonderful description of the Lord’s work in creation. As the psalmist proclaims the creativity of the Lord he is very conscious that creation declares the glory of God and reveals His greatness. In fact the Psalmist says, “There is no actual speech or word, nor is its voice literally heard. Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth; its words carry to the distant horizon.” The Psalmist is expressing that creation does indeed voice the reality of the Lord. To everyone who sees creation the presence of the Lord is revealed. But if this is the case then why are there people who do not acknowledge the Lord’s hand in creation? This is because of general revelation.

General revelation is visibility of God in all of creation. There are many people who say, “certainly all of creation could not have come about simply because of some ‘big bang’ there must have been someone or something out there that put all this together”. Then in the same breath they start to talk about “Mother Nature” and some supposed work with the weather and flower blossoms. They acknowledge that creation did not come by chance but came by the work of some divine power. You also see general revelation in us as Christians. There are those around us who wonder what makes us different from others. They wonder how we as Christians can be so joyful even when things are not going well. This is again a revelation of the Lord’s power in our lives. You see they only way we can have hope in the midst trouble is through the grace of the Lord. So when others see how we walk through adversity and wonder how we can do it they see our Lord. Again, this is not the revelation of the Lord that leads to salvation, but one that raises questions. People might see creation or see how we as Christians behave and wonder what makes us different. They might even ask us directly why we act the way we act. How can we be so hopeful? How can we have such joy? Of course our only answer can be our relationship with Christ and following His commands.

People who do not live according to the Law of the Lord try to act as a Law of their own. These people try to live a “good people”. They follow what they believe is best. This comes from what they observe to be most favorable in the world. They might follow bits and pieces of God’s commands such as do unto others as you want done unto you. They take concepts such as not harming others and being faithful to their spouse. However, these are not done to the glory of God, but are done because they believe it is best. But we are to follow the Commands of God because they strengthen our relationship with Him and as a result, it strengthens our relationship with others.

Let me read Psalm 7-14, “The law of the LORD is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the LORD are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful. The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life. The commands to fear the LORD are right and endure forever. The judgments given by the LORD are trustworthy and absolutely just. They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb. Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there; those who obey them receive a rich reward. Who can know all his errors? Please do not punish me for sins I am unaware of. Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless, and innocent of blatant rebellion. May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.”

We see here how the Lord’s commands are set apart from the way of the world. They impart wisdom, insight, and guidance. They are reliable. They are trustworthy and just. If we believe in Yahweh then we must believe that His ways are greater than any we can create. You see, when we begin to believe our rules are greater than His we begin to ask who gets to make the rules. When it is determined that no one gets to make the absolute rules then we are left to a set of loose rules that apply to some and not others. Thus we are back to living under general revelation and not special revelation. The Lord’s commands are given to us as a revelation of His power and order in our lives. They point out our sin so we can repent and sin no more. Special revelation is the work of God in our hearts to open our eyes to His true character and to give us Salvation. When we have special revelation we no longer see creation as the work of some vague divine being, but the work of the true Creator. We see Scripture not as another “good book” but as the true word of the Lord given to us to follow. No longer is prayer to a vague higher power but to our Lord Jesus Christ who mediates between us and our Heavenly Father. The Psalmist does not speak about the commands of the Lord in terms of making this world better, but seeks to obey the Lord better. This is summarized in the last two verses, “Moreover, keep me from committing flagrant sins; do not allow such sins to control me. Then I will be blameless, and innocent of blatant rebellion. May my words and my thoughts be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my sheltering rock and my redeemer.” The sin separates us from the Lord, but the Lord is our sheltering rock and redeemer. The way we can enter into this relationship is when we are seen as blameless and innocent before Him. Again, this is why we need salvation in Christ. It is this special revelation. It is the work of God to open our eyes to His truth that give us blamelessness. It is the Holy Spirit that reveals Scripture. This brings us to the importance of this message for today.

Today we celebrate Holy Communion. Today we eat of the bread and drink the juice that symbolize the blood and body of Christ shed and broken for our salvation. There are some who wonder how we are to understand the elements of communion. There are four primary views on the bread and juice. There is transubstantiation, consubstantiation, Calvin’s approach, and Zwingli’s approach.

In Reformed doctrine we follow the Calvinist perspective which believes the elements do not change but there is a spiritual experience. Calvin believed that during communion the Holy Spirit is present connecting us to the Risen Christ. The Catholic perspective believes in something called transubstantiation. It understands the bread and wine to become the actual blood and body of Christ while remaining to the senses as bread and wine. This perspective takes human Christ out of heaven and brings Him to earth. The next perspective is held by Lutherans and his called consubstantiation. This theology believes that Christ comes alongside of the bread and wine. The fourth major theology is the Zwinglian theology and it holds that the Eucharist is nothing more than a memorial. Zwingli believed when we come together we are remembering Christ’s work to give us salvation, but is not a spiritual exercise in the sense of the other three theologies. The Calvinist view is held above the others in Reformed theology because for one we believe Christ in human being sits at the right hand of God until He returns to take His followers to Heaven. Also, the Calvinist theology of the Holy Spirit connecting us to the Risen Christ in Heaven remembers that Christ is alive.

We do not celebrate the death of Christ again and again as transubstantiation believes. Our connection to Christ is not Him perpetually on the Cross, but Christ is alive! We must always remember that Christ is alive! It is not Christ’s death alone that provides us salvation. It is Christ’s death and resurrection that gives us salvation. Anyone can die and say it is for our salvation, but only Christ rose again from the dead for our Salvation.

The Zwinglian view fails because it removes any spiritual connection to Christ at all. If the Eucharist were only a remembrance or memorial of Christ’s work on the cross I do not believe Paul would have given such strict warning to approach the Table having sought forgiveness. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11, “For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself.”

The warning here is not to scare people out of taking the Eucharist. Instead, it is meant to make sure that people participate in this Sacrament with conviction. The forgiveness of the Lord came at a cost to the life of Christ. To participate in the Lord’s Supper without intention of seeking forgiveness is offensive to the Lord. The Lord does not take things half heartedly. In essence we are lying to the Lord if we walk to the table and take the Eucharist when we do not mean to turn from sin. The Eucharist is not some magical practice to remove our sin. It is not work we do to avoid hell. It is an active spiritual event that draws us closer to Christ. So approaching it without a care for the meaning results in judgment. This of course means even seeking forgiveness from sins we are not aware. The Psalmist asks the Lord to point out and forgive secret sins. These are sins the Psalmist is not even aware he is committing. It seems hard to think of sin that we are not aware, but this could be sin such as harboring bitterness.

The Calvinist approach understands the descent of the Holy Spirit to unite our participation in the elements to our salvation found in the risen Christ. The Holy Spirit raises us to the Risen Christ who is our salvation. We celebrate in the Lords supper the death of Christ, but also His resurrection. The Eurcharist is an outward sign of an inward grace. The Lord has shown us mercy. He has shown us grace. Accept it here and now!

So come to the table having truly sought forgiveness. Come to the table with a pure heart. Give thanks to the Lord for showing us the Truth of Salvation. No longer do we need to live in the grips of sin. No longer do we seek empty philosophy. No longer can we claim ignorance about our sin. The Lord has revealed Himself to us and we can live forever! Bless His name!