Sermon1

"The Proclamation of the

Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind”

By Rev. David Rodriguez

Presented at the Prresbytery Meeting, January 29, 2005

Well, it’s the end of January which is good news and bad news. The bad news is that practically all of the Christmas goodies have been eaten; the shortbread, cookies, choco-lates and candy are usually eaten up by New Years Day. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there is still plenty of mince meat,

Rev. David Rodriguez

fruit cake and blood sausage left, the food that makes Christmas Christmas, the food that only a select few of us can enjoy. And fortunately for us, it’s the food that most people won’t even try.

I see it every Christmas. Somebody will bring goodies to a party or to a meeting or to work and say, “Try this new cookie or this candy, you’ll love it.” And sure enough, people will try it and wonder how they ever lived their lives without it. Over the years, however, people have stopped saying “yes” whenever I offer them something new to try. I’ll be eating something really great, usually something they’ve never tried before and I’ll offer them a taste. “Do you like it?” I’ll ask. “Yes, it’s great. What is it?” “It’s squid. Do you want some more?” They never say yes. They always run away, to the bathroom. “That sausage tastes good, what is it?” “It’s blood sausage. Want some more?” And off they run. “Mincemeat is delicious, but are there raisins in it?” “Only a coupe” and there they go. “Fruit cake tastes great!” Did somebody just bake it for you?” “No, I’ve been saving it for about three years.” Hurry back!

In this morning’s scripture passage from the Gospel of John, we find some people who encouraged others to try something new and they loved it. The first person was John the Presbyterian, I mean John the Baptist. We find him on the bank of the Jordan River baptizing with his disciples. This wasn’t the first time that John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Earlier in this gospel he points at Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

In the Old Testament lambs were often used as sacrifices to atone or pay the penalty for sins. For example, the lamb that was killed at Passover was used this way. In the Old Testament the people had to find a lamb once a year and take it to the High Priest at the temple. The High Priest would pray over the lamb, asking God to accept its sacrifice as a substitute for the death of the person who would have to die eternally because of his or her sins, and then the lamb was killed. The person’s sins were then paid for with its death. As far as God was concerned, that person was now forgiven of all past sins.

Jesus is the Lamb that God provides for the payment of our sins. Because of His death, our debt to God has been paid. We don’t have to die for our sins. Jesus has died for us. Our sins have been atoned for in Christ. And so, John the Baptist is saying to his disciples as Jesus is walking by, “That’s your salvation over there. He is going to die in your place for your sins.” Talk about peaking the disciples’ curiosity! Two of John the Baptist’s disciples immediately ran after Jesus when they realized what John was saying, “Try Him, you’ll love Him.”

Andrew and another disciple, probably John who wrote this gospel, were the ones who followed after Jesus. Here we find Jesus testing his follower’s motives. Were they just curious about what John had said or did they really want to know Him. Well, Andrew and the other disciples addressed Jesus as Rabbi, which in Hebrew literally means teacher or master. And then they asked Jesus where He lived. This was a polite way in the first century of getting some information about Him. In a sense, it was like asking Him for an interview. And, how did Jesus reply to these two inquisitive people? Did he tell them to get lost and stop bothering Him? No, He says, “Come and see. Try me and you’ll love me.” Jesus wanted them to know Him and so He welcomes them with open arms and takes them home with him.

Now it was about the tenth hour, which was about 4 pm. It was getting late, close to sundown, and the gospel says that they spent the day with Jesus. In those times a day began at sundown and was finished at sundown the following day. So, these two had dinner with Jesus, spent the night with Him, and the next day as well. A whole day with Jesus; can you imagine? What would you do if you had 24 hours with the Lord? What would you ask Him? What would you tell him? Here Andrew and his friend had the whole day to spend with their Messiah, the one they were waiting for their entire lives, the one who was sent from God to be their teacher, their savior, their master, their friend, their brother, their God; the whole day with the Messiah to ask Him anything. What would be their first question? What would be their first confession? After their time with Jesus notice what happens. The first thing Andrew did was to run to Peter, his brother, and tell him about Jesus.

Andrew is my favorite disciple. He loved his brother dearly and he wanted him to know Jesus as he did. This is why we named our son after the Apostle, Andrew, because he cared enough to invite his brother to meet the Lord.

Peter was probably out on the beach at the Sea of Galilee, working on his fishing nets in the afternoon sun. Peter was a rather rough and crude man, probably quite salty in his choice of expressions. I imagine him as a strong, abrasive, and at times, violent sort of a person, the kind of guy who was fiercely independent and didn’t like being bothered while he was working. “Peter, Peter,” Andrew yelled as he ran up to his brother. “I’ve found Him. I’ve found the Messiah.” “Andrew, how many times have I told you not to interrupt me when I’m working on my nets? Get lost.” “But Peter, the Messiah, He’s here. I just talked to Him. Come on, try Him, you’ll love Him.” “Look Andrew, you dragged me off to that weirdo John who dresses like a looser and eats insects. Talk about a fruitcake! I’m not coming with you again on another wild goose chase. You want me to break your nose or what? Now take off.” “But Peter, the Messiah, I spent the whole day checking Him out. Come on, just talk to him for a few minutes.”

Even though Peter was stubborn and quick tempered, he did love his brother, and he knew that Andrew was just as stubborn. So, he came to Jesus. Peter’s introduction to Jesus was brief but direct.

Jesus’ pronouncement, “You are Simon, Son of John,” was really a diagnosis of his character. Simon, or Simeon, was the name of Jacob’s oldest son in the Old Testament. Simeon and his brother Levi ruthlessly avenged the rape of their sister by a Canaanite prince. But Jesus accepted Simon and changed his name to Cephas, which is Greek for Peter. Peter, or Cephas, means rock.

Here we see Jesus already changing an ill tempered fisherman into the godly leader of the church who would invite thousands to try Jesus, then travel to Rome, start the church there, and end his life as a martyr, crucified upside down on a cross. And Jesus wants us to invite others to come and see Him, and like Peter and Andrew, the Lord will satisfy their curiosity as well. This is what proclaiming the Gospel for the salvation of humankind all is about.

Now you notice that Andrew didn’t convert his brother. He simply invited Peter to meet Jesus. Jesus did the converting. Likewise, it’s not our job to convert others. Jesus will do that. All we have to do is invite people to meet Him, to examine Him. The Lord, through the work of the Holy Spirit, will do the rest.

How many of you know a Peter? How many of you know an ill tempered, foul mouthed, impulsive and even violent sort of person? How many of you know someone who would rather be out fishing than worshiping the Lord? How many of you have a Peter who came here today with you, kicking and screaming in the car all the way from home? How many of you know a Peter who desperately needs to meet Jesus, the Lamb of God, so that his or her life can be healed, transformed, forgiven, and remade into a life worth living?

The scriptures teach that the Holy Spirit speaks to a person’s heart, convincing him or her that the gospel is true, that Jesus really is the Lamb of God and their lives will never be the same again. Our job is to simply bring people to Jesus so that they can come and see Him. Just like John the Baptist did for Andrew and Andrew did for Peter, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

So where is Jesus, that we can take our friends and relatives to Him? Well, first of all, He is living within us through the Holy Spirit. And so, as our loved ones come to know us, it’s our responsibility to let them see the Lord who lives inside of us. By living a life that’s directed by Christ, our friends and relatives can come to know Him. In showing forth a godly character, in sharing answers to prayer, in living by faith, others can come and see Christ.

The Lord is also in the scriptures. All we have to do is invite others to read God’s word, to bring their questions to the Bible and to let Christ answer them. Studying the Bible with others, sharing verses that are significant in our own lives, inviting people to join you at one of your small group Bible studies, these are ways of helping another person to meet Christ.

The Lord is also in our churches, in the worship services, the Mariners gatherings, the work days, the youth groups, the Sunday school classes, and the choirs. When we invite others to our churches, we are inviting them to come and see the Lord.

And our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is even at our Presbytery meetings.

Some of you may know a Peter who is longing to meet Jesus and experience the love, forgiveness, healing and salvation that only He can give. And some of you here this morning may be identifying with Peter yourselves. The love and forgiveness and salvation that Jesus offers are things that you have never experienced before. Or perhaps you once did as a teenager during a retreat or at your ordination but it has been a long, lonely time since you’ve felt close to the Lord. Whatever the reason, you may be identifying with Peter and you’re wondering, “What do I do now?” The best thing to do is simply to talk to Jesus about your situation. Jesus loves you. He loves you so much and He’s a great listener.

Let’s pray together now. Dear Lord Jesus, You know what our lives are like. You know the mess we’ve made of things. We want to know your forgiveness and salvation. We want you to change our lives, just as you changed the lives of Peter, Andrew, and John. We are sorry for all of the ways in which we have sinned. We ask now that you would forgive all of our sins, because of your death on the cross as the Lamb of God. We also invite you to come and live in our hearts through Your Holy Spirit. We thank you for saving us from hell and for being our Savior. We thank you for living in our hearts and taking control of our lives as our master, our ruler, our Lord. We thank you that we belong to you in life and in death, forever. In your name we pray. Amen.

If you have just asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, let me know after the worship service. I want to continue praying for you and I want to help you grow in your faith. I would also encourage you to talk with another Christian about your new commitment, or recommitment, to Christ. For those of you with a Peter in your life, invite that person to meet the Lord. Let them see Jesus who lives within us and who speaks through the scriptures, and who leads and works in our churches. All we have to say is, “Try Him, you’ll love Him. Come and see the Messiah.” The rest is up to the Lord.