Jump Start # 3485

Acts 3:19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

Hitting the news recently was the list of famous people who visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island of immoral lust and sin. Epstein was a wealthy investor who hobnobbed with actors, presidents, and royalty. He was convicted of child sex crimes and died in prison. And, now a list has surfaced of those who mingled with Epstein. Ruined reputations, destroyed careers, and lawsuits are likely soon to follow. There are a lot of sins that our culture will wink at and give a pass on, but a pedophile is not one of them. Names on a naughty list is something that will be hard to overcome. I expect many attorneys have been called to see what can be done to keep names on that list from being made public.

But there is another list. This one wasn’t in Epstein’s possession. But it’s much worse that his list. And, my name was on that list. Your name was on that list also. And, no attorney could get our names off that list. And, where was that list? It was held by God. On that list was the sins that we have committed. Sins that we have forgotten about. The mean things we thought and even mumbled under our breath about others. The anger that led us to scream at the people we love the most. Yes, that’s on the list. The times our eyes wondered and chased pornography. We hoped we’d never get caught and that no one would ever find out. Yep, that’s on the list. The times we closed our hearts and were indifferent to others. On the list. The moments when arrogance and pride made us feel that we were better than others. On the list. The little prejudice that rises up. It’s there on the list. The times we worshipped in vain because we weren’t paying attention or worse, even slept during worship. It’s there, on the list. Those things we did as teenagers. On the list. College years. On the list.

In fact, God’s list is more than a bunch of names, as Epstein’s list is. God’s list is truly a list. It identifies all of our sins. Most of us have pages and pages. There are so many sins. These things are embarrassing to us. We be mortified if anyone ever saw this list. But God has. He has the list. We can say that He’s mistaken us with someone else, but God doesn’t make mistakes. We can cry foul and declare that we were young and didn’t know any better. But God knows better. The list is with God. We can’t break into Heaven and tear it up. We can promise to do better, but there is that list. And, our names are on it.

And, here is where our wonderful verse comes in. The plea of the apostle to repent and return to God so that your sins may be wiped away. The KJV vividly states that you sins would be “blotted out.” That brings the image of crossing out something. It is like Heaven’s divine eraser. It’s God’s “white out.” The list changes. Through the grace of God and our faith in the Lord, those pages of sins no longer exist. Wiped away. Blotted out. Removed. Forgotten. Cleansed. Washed. Redeemed. Sanctified. Justified. Saved.

Here are some thoughts:

First, God didn’t have to do that. He could have kept the lists as they are. He could have said, “We’ll sit down and go through every single sin you ever committed.” How terrible that would be. How painful that would be. How shameful that would be. Some would rather die than have to go through that torturous event. Instead, God has chosen to remove those sins. It was His love and grace that led to that.

As nervous as the high brow society is about Epstein’s list, God’s list includes all of us. The sweet grandma down the street. She’s on God’s list. The awesome friend in your life. His name is there. The busy mom who takes care of all her kids. She’s there, along with her sins. All of us are on God’s list.

Now we understand Paul’s words, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” What a gift salvation is!

Second, when I look at life like this, it makes me less judgmental of others and more humble because of my failures. I’ve been on that list. How can I chew someone out for a mistake when I realize that my name and my sins have been on God’s list. And, had it not been for Jesus, those sins would still be there.

Third, it makes me understand that God has done what no one else ever could. As much as family may love you, they could not get your sins off that list. Only God could. And, this makes me want to tell others that they too can get their list changed. God is willing to wipe away their sins. His divine eraser is ready for any who will commit to Christ and follow Him.

Sure makes one thankful for Jesus. Names on a list.

Roger

Jump Start # 3483

Acts 8:18 “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money”.

Many, many years ago, it was not uncommon to find bells attached to graves in a cemetery. There was a fear that the person buried wasn’t really dead. And, if they were to awake from a coma they would be trapped buried under ground. A rope protruding from the casket below ground would be attached to the bell above ground. If the person was alive, they could ring the bell and they could be dug up. There was a dreadful fear of burying someone who was alive.

Our verse today, makes us think about that in a spiritual sense. Simon, who was practicing magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, claimed to be someone great. Simon was baptized by Philip. He followed Philip and was amazed at the great miracles that Philip was doing before the people.

When Peter and John came from Jerusalem, they were laying their hands on the new disciples and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. Simon saw this. He wanted to do what the apostles were doing. As our verse states, he offered money so that he would have this power and ability to lay his hands on others. This would once again make Simon great in the eyes of the people. Simon would be in demand. He would be sought after.

Peter would have none of this. The power of God was not for sale. He rebuked Simon and told him to repent. There are many layers of great lessons to be seen here.

One has to wonder if Simon really believed when he was baptized or was this just a means to get fame and be important? The text tells us that Simon believed (13). This leads us to the thought of someone becoming a Christian who doesn’t really believe. Rather than crucifying the old man and being buried in death, the realty is, a live person was buried. We will not judge Simon.

Here are some thigns to think about:

First, sometimes the pressure is so strong for a young person to be baptized that they do that simply to stop the pressure. Other times, a young person sees his friends getting baptized and it seems exciting so he does it just for that reason. Or, a young man is told that he can’t marry the girl he’s dating unless he becomes baptized. So, he gets baptized. But in so many of these situations, rather than making a disciple, a live person has been buried. There is very little change in the hearts, attitudes and behavior of the person. There seems to be little interest in learning more about the Lord or worshipping the Lord. They got baptized but it sure looks like a live person was buried alive.

Second, maybe the mistake is not upon these people getting baptized but upon the rest of us as we stress baptism more than discipleship. Maybe the commitment is lacking because we have talked too much about water and not enough about Jesus. Baptism is important, but it’s not the golden ticket that guarantees Heaven. An unchanged life, an arrogant and unforgiving spirit, a cold and heartless attitude reflect a person that has not died to sin. Such is a person who has not denied himself. I’ve known many a person who were proud of their baptism, but their words and their heart crushed many around them.

Third, there is a growth period for all of us when we come to Christ. Simon thought he was great before he heard about Jesus. It sure seems that he wanted to continue to be great after he learned about Jesus. His example reminds us that patience, love, long suffering must be extended to those who are new in Christ. Many of us have decades of walking with Jesus. We know the books of the Bible. We know how to pray. We’ve heard hundreds of sermons and sat through so many classes. A new person might call the preacher, “Pastor.” Don’t explode when that happens. He’ll learn in time. He may get things upside down a few times. His background and experience may lead him to have to rewire his thinking. He may have been taught so many things that are just not so.

Simon learned that one can’t buy the gifts of God. The Lord is not for sale. All of us have to learn. It is a journey. Like a highway, some are ahead of us. Some are beside us. And, others are behind us.

Burying a live person…not something that one wants to do, physically or spiritually.

Roger