Gerry van der Wende: How will we be remembered?

How will we be remembered?

May 27, 2012

Malachi 3:16

Memorial Day

Down through history, there have been battles to be fought and wars to be won
Our young men and women go out in service to their country, to fight these battles on our behalf
On this day, memorial day, we will remember them!
We remember them because of their patriotism,
We remember them for their courage in fighting for their country
We remember them for giving their lives for freedom
We will spend a moment in silence, now, as we remember them
TAPS

Introduction

Those we just remembered were fighting for a flag, representing their country
There are particular things that we remember them for
In remembering, we do not think about negative things that may have happened in their lives
These men and women gave their all, and that is what we remember, not their sins, or negative stuff they may have done.
They finished well and that is what counted.
The Christian is also in the army
We fight battles that may be far more intense than fighting on the field of war
Our battles are huge, because we are not fighting flesh and blood, but instead we are battling spiritual forces – 2 Cor 10:3
As human beings we see only the material and physical things
But there is a spiritual war going on around us
There are casualties in this war, and there are wounds we carry around and scars we bear
This war is real, whether we see or recognize it or not
If we want to be on the winning side in this war, there are steps that we need to take, to ensure victory.

Repentance

The first step we take is to repent of our old way of life
Repent means to turn around, start going in the right direction, living in sync with our Commander’s directions
When we repent, and ask Jesus into our lives, something extraordinary happens
We are removed from the kingdom of darkness, and are placed into the kingdom of God
It is as though we crossed the lines, across no-man’s land, and into the Lord’s army
What happens then is that we become God’s children, instead of being subject to the devil and his forces.
We now have a fresh start. Our sins are forgiven and are remembered no more
Psalm 103:8-14
Our guilt has been washed away
But it requires stepping across the line, from one side to the other

Baptism

At the same time as we take this step, into Jesus’ kingdom, we are baptized
Acts 2:36-39
Repentance is followed by baptism
We need to be baptized because in the heat of battle, we can sometimes become discouraged, and we can forget or discount the thought we had of surrendering our life to God
Baptism gives us a ceremonial reminder of the decision we made, and emphasizes to us that we now have a new allegiance
Romans 6:3-7
When we are baptized following Jesus example, we are immersed in water
There is meaning to being immersed in water
As we go down into the water, we are burying our sinful past
Our sins are forgiven and will be remembered no more
As jesus bore our sins when he died on the cross and then was buried in a tomb, we too bury that past in the waters of baptism
But just as Jesus was raised from the tomb, we too arise from the waters of baptism, to live a new life, no longer under the penalty of sin
We will be baptizing during the service, next Sunday
If you want to be a part of that, please let me know so we can be prepared

Power for the battle

The next step is that we need ammunition for the journey, power to defeat the enemy
This is what Jesus promised us in Acts 1:4-8
In our human flesh we have little power to stand against the enemy’s arrows and darts
He is attacking us daily, and there is no way for us to stand, except to wear the armour God gives to us.
God wants to give us power to be his witnesses, to move against the forces of darkness, and release the captives the enemy has taken.
This baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism, an immersion
Instead of having only an earnest, a deposit of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14), we are now filled with the Holy Spirit, God living in us
The book of Acts shows us that the filling with the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the gift of tongues
It is available to you, it is not scary, it is a gift
If you want to receive this baptism with the Holy Spirit, it will be available to you at the end of this service
If you would like to receive Jesus into your life, today, please come forward right now and take a seat here on the front row
If you would like to be baptized in water, please come forward and let us know
And if you would like to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, please come forward now, ready to receive.

Conclusion

Gerry van der Wende