“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
In the later half of the Nineteen Thirties, on her first day of school, my mother came home and told her mom, my Mamaw Iris, that she needed some crayons and a big matchbox (they used frequently in those days) to put them in to take to school the next day. Mamaw wondered why such a little girl needed a big matchbox to accompany a smaller box of new crayons, but she was more than happy to purchase the crayons for my mom that afternoon. When my grandmother and my mom arrived home, mother proceeded to take her brand-new crayons out of the box, break each one of them, and then place her broken crayons into the larger match box she had emptied of its remaining matches. And when my grandmother asked her why she was doing such a thing, my mom replied, “Because all the other boys and girls in my class have broken crayons and I want to have broken crayons, too.” So, the next morning mother took her broken crayons to class so she could be like her classmates.
What was happening to Jesus as He was hanging on the cross? Paul tells us the sinless Son of God who was God born in the flesh in a manger in Bethlehem, was taking the full weight of the sin of the world: your sin and mine, upon Himself so that we could be clothed in the Father’s righteousness now and forever! Only the innocent Son of God: fully God and fully man could receive the lash of the whip across His back and the piercing of the nails and the spear into His flesh in-order-to make the way for the forgiveness of sins and the reconciliation to God for broken crayons such as you and I and everyone else on the planet. This was accomplished once and for all though the spillage and the cleansing of His precious blood! Only Jesus’ blood could satisfy the Father’s Holy right to demand a pure and innocent sacrifice to die for our sins so that we could stand before God now and at the day of judgment washed clean and pure in the sight of God! Jesus understands you! He came to identify with humanity for the purpose of dying for our sins. Will you offer Him your brokenness and receive His crucified and resurrected life today? (Read Hebrews 4:14-16).
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 91
Luke 23:34; Matthew 5:43-45(a)
Lemon Pie
“When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing’” Luke 23:33-34
Once my mom told me of the time when, as a young girl, she went out on a date with Neil Galloway; and they were with another couple. While they were out, they all decided to go to Betty Ruth Bearden’s house to see if she had one of her delicious lemon pies made because they were known for being the best lemon pies in the area. When they got there, Neil, (mother’s date), took up with Betty Ruth and later married her!
Fifty years later mother received a call from a long-time friend of hers from home by the name of Jackie West. Jackie told my mom that she had been listening to Eddie Arnold sing and remembered that she (my mom) had taken her (Jackie’s) boyfriend, Neil Galloway, away from her. And mom replied as quickly as possible with this, “Jackie, if it will make you feel any better, I lost him to a piece of lemon pie.” They laughed and spent probably a couple of hours on the phone, and all was forgiven--all was well.
Oh, if life were always that easy! The truth is, unforgiveness lurks at every corner seeking to enslave and to destroy! A harsh word-a take away-a seeking for revenge as the injustice replays over and over in our minds. Oh! how this grows sour in the soul! How vital is a Biblical and experiential understanding of the issues surrounding “forgiveness: of the other person, self, and God?”
Pay close attention to the life of little Ruby Bridges who, in the 1960’s, was the first African American child to enter an all-white elementary school in Louisiana and how she did not retaliate when faced with the hatred and animosity she received from others. Instead, she responded with the words Jesus spoke from the cross in Luke 23:34.
Jesus bore the evils and the hatred of society upon His body on Calvary’s tree for you and for me and as the old spiritual hymn reads, “He never said a mumbling word.” Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…” Matthew 5:43-45(a).
The place where we stand forgiven (and empowered to be forgiving), is at the cross.
Thank you Jesus for forgiving me!
Pastor Louie
Sand Mountain Sermonette 92
Acts 2:24; Roman 3:23
“The Done-Dead Boy”
“But God raised Him from the dead…” Acts 2:24
When I was a sophomore in high school in the seventies, I began to experience some ongoing fatigue and occasional dizziness issues that resulted in my parent’s seeking the advice of a good friend who was a specialist physician in Birmingham, Alabama. After seeing this doctor, he felt it best to admit me to one of the local hospitals for testing because he believed my health problems could be stemming from issues related to my blood pressure, and being as young as I was, he wanted to stay on top of things. So, I was admitted to what we learned was a wing of the hospital that dealt with youth-related health problems.
About mid-week one of my nurses who would prove to be my favorite, an African American nurse, walked into my room that morning to take my blood pressure. She was a “to-the-point” nurse but one with a big heart. She said, “All right, James, sit up on the side of the bed so I can get your blood pressure.” So, I did, at which time she proceeded to fit my right arm with one of those classic cuffs from a what is now a vintage blood pressure device. And she took the bulb and pumped and pumped as she was keeping a close eye on the needle. After doing this, she stopped and looked at me as baffled and said, “Boy!” You-done dead!” And I can tell you I was scared until I realized I was still breathing and fully alert!
I asked her why she had said that, and she replied, “Because your lower reading reads zero, and you can’t be alive with a reading like that!” Then, she chuckled and said, “Let me try that thing again!” And she did and told me the lower reading was a little better, and then she walked out without telling me what that reading was! After a week, I went home with no official report from the doctor. Soon my parents and I received a letter which said that after many tests, they could find no reason as to why my blood pressure was fluctuating so much, but due to my age and the fact I was a little overweight at the time, my blood pressure should level out with time. So, my mom put me on weight-loss program, and I lost forty pounds and then, everything was fine!
The Biblical truth is, being “Done dead” because of blood pressure fluctuation issues is most certainly a means to be concerned and to be checked but being spiritually “Done-dead” is disastrous! Paul tells us in Roman 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” This means that you and I have been born into the world as sinners. That’s why as much as we think we are progressing to a better future in this world, we just keep making a mess of things! The famous Nineteenth Century Preacher, Charles Spurgeon has said that God would not have sent the Savior into the world if we did not need saving! So, what’s the cure for the evil heart that separates us from a loving and holy God? The one cure is found in the One to whom our Scripture today addresses: Jesus Christ, the Son of God! “But God raised Him from the dead!” The Bible says through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the spiritually dead become spiritually alive and have eternal life!