Message for April 3, 2022 from Pastor Jerry

 Pastor Jerry: Reconciled to God

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Rom. 5:5,11)

     About the year 1515 a young priest in Germany, Martin Luther, was having a Bible study in the book of Romans and saw the true meaning of the Romans message given by Paul.  It was this message, “the just shall live by his faith.” This was a rebirth of the original teachings of Scripture.  Believers were free from all the man-made doctrines that had taken hold of the church during 15 centuries of time.The revelation was, it is not what we do for God that saves us, but rather what God did for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins that we might be reconciled to God.  It is what we commonly call being “saved by Grace”.  

      Grace is not just having our sins forgiven, but it gives us power over the power of sin in our lives.  Grace makes us as though we never sinned.  It wipes out all the charges against us and gives us a new heart in the image of God to reflect God in our lives.  We will never perform in a perfect way while living on this earth but Jesus presents us to the Father faultless by His own blood which was shed for our sins.  When Jesus said “it is finished” as He hung on the cross it wasn’t that His life was over but that everything needed for man’s salvation was complete.  Paul summed it up to the Phillipian jailer by saying, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved”.  My friend, that hasn’t changed.