Post Sunday March 22 2009

Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

I’m all for formulas. I use them all the time. Six rows of five. That would be 6X5 which of course is 30. 5 miles until the next exit, I’m going 60 mph, that would equate to 1 mile per minute, thus 5 more minutes until we arrive at the next exit. I know the proper formula for the ingredients of the waffles my kids like. I know the proper formula to figure out the average amount we spend each time we go grocery shopping, take the last 8 grocery receipts add them up and divide that total by 8. Formulas are part of our every day life.

We are also given formulas for our lives. The 12 Steps to recovery. Nine things every parent must know in order to raise their child. Seven characteristics of highly effective people. 8 ways to meet the perfect mate. Three things you must do today! We’ve all read and seen those books.

Does God give formulas too? Is there a formula He has given us for life? We talked about addictions yesterday, but we really didn’t focus on the addictions but rather we focused on the truth. What was that all about? Shouldn’t we have spent more time talking about the root of addictions and the steps to overcome that addiction? What is God’s formula? Well, actually we did share God’s formula for overcoming addiction yesterday…..

I’ve always struggled with what we perceive God’s formula for this or that is. I’ve listened to others and read books on the fact that the perfect small group size is 12 people because that is how many “disciples” are listed being with Jesus all the time. I have a hard time imagining God responding to Jesus’ prayer time with the message, OK, choose 12 guys, only 12 because one day in the future churches are going to start small groups and they need to know what the perfect size for a small group is. But then I think, but He knows all things, maybe 12 people really is a “perfect” size for a group. But then why did Jesus seem to do some of His incredible miracles while only pulling Peter, James and John aside with Him? Is it 12 or 3? OK, clearly I do not know how to use that formula…

Why do some believe we need to pray the Lord’s Prayer exactly as Jesus told it and others believe it was just a model to follow? What is the correct formula? Does God only bless the prayer of the one who knows the correct formula to pray in? Does that mean God didn’t listen to the prayers of anyone in the Old Testament because they didn’t know the formula? Was it fair to them that they were clearly in Algebra I, while the rest of us with the Lord’s Prayer formula are in Algebra II we just happen to be the fortunate advanced students?

Why am I even thinking these things? I guess I just want to know what to do. I want the formula for life. What am I supposed to do to be changed to be that new creation? Can’t I just follow a formula to achieve that new creation status? Give me 12 steps and I’ll be new. I’m sure if I have 12 steps to follow I will be able to overcome these intense cravings within me for certain sins that keep me away from God…..right?

Again, I do love formulas and I do believe in them, I believe in 12 step programs to help us overcome addictions or other issues. I believe in the 7 habits of highly effective people, I do think they work and I believe in the 3 step and if I’m ever in a barn while fiddle music is being played I will use that 3 step like there is no tomorrow.

But addictions won’t be overcome, real God directed change won’t be had in our lives without relying upon and grounding our lives in the initial formula. What is that initial formula? I’m glad you asked…

With all the issues that existed in the world when Jesus came, all the injustice, all the sickness, all the atrocities, all the broken nature of men and women, He choose one formula to proclaim to the people:
“Repent and believe in the gospel.”

Repent - Turn away from your sin but not just any turn, but turn away from your sin and turn to God. Confess that you are not living up to God’s standard (righteousness, remember blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness), confess that you on your own have no ability to live up to God’s standard.

Believe – Place your faith and trust in, move your heart in with, stand firm in……the

Gospel – The good news, which is Jesus Christ and His death on the cross, the cross being the place in which He bore your sins, my sins, all the sins of humanity, past, present and future, was buried in the tomb, which is death, putting that sin into the death grave with Him and then rising again, the resurrection, a new life, freed from the bondage of sin.

That first step of confessing the fact that we have a problem, that we are incapable is indeed the greatest of first steps. It is that next step that is vital! We can’t move onto any other steps in our lives, no matter how wonderful those steps are without grounding ourselves first off in the next part of Jesus’ “formula.” We have to ground ourselves in the gospel, our faith must be in it, our hearts must be immersed in it, our eyes must be open to it. Gospel means good news for a reason, the good news is we can go ahead with life once we believe in it. The other steps that we then begin to practice and follow now have purpose, meaning and value because now they are immersed in the gospel.

The Vision statement of New Heights is “We exist to bring lives to the One who gives life.” Life is Jesus, Jesus is the gospel, thus the formula is Jesus=Gospel and Jesus=Life, thus Gospel=Life. Whether we are an addict of some kind or caught up in other sins if we are not grounded in this part of the formula all other formulas and steps no matter how well thought out and good intentioned will fail.

When we take those additional steps and apply those additional formulas after and only after embracing the gospel message we will see something remarkably different. We’ve got to embrace the formula for life before we can begin to embrace the formulas that assist us in living that life. That is why every Sunday will always go back to, refer to and offer up the gospel to each and every one of us. The gospel is our very lives. Thus the gospel, like the manna was in the passage we read on Sunday (Numbers chapter 11) right before us, if we try to look beyond it to something else we think we need, we are destined for failure. As difficult as your intense cravings may be and the desperation that it causes within you to look for any and all things to pull you out, you only need one formula that will help you follow all other formulas in life: Repent and believe in the gospel. Do not be deceived, this is the one formula you have to have memorized and the one formula that you must learn to use.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. Why may you not trust in the gospel message?
2. What steps are you taking to grow in the knowledge of who your Savior, Jesus Christ is? May you have skipped some steps?

pastor e