Jump Start # 2573

Acts 2:22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God preformed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.”

We were singing the hymn, “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus” Sunday in our worship at home. What we are doing at Charlestown Road is providing songs for folks and families to sing at home in their worship. We sing the same songs, even though we are not together physically. “Tis so sweet,” was one of the hymns Sunday. That hymn has been around for a long time. Some would put it in the traditional or old fashioned category. Maybe, but it’s still a great song. It’s one of those hymns that stays with you throughout the day.

The chorus made me think of our verse today. In that hymn, the chorus begins, ‘Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; how I’ve prov’d Him o’er and o’er…” How I prov’d Him. That’s the thought we need to look at.

Our verse today, from Peter’s early sermon, shows how God proved Jesus. The Lord was attested through miracles, signs and wonders, which God preformed through Him. God proved Jesus. He proved that He was God on earth. From the Heavens, God declared, “this is My Son.” God proved that Jesus was obedient. The cross proved that. God proved that Jesus was compassionate. The healing miracles showed that. The acceptance of the outcasts showed that. God proved that Jesus was a servant. Washing the disciples feet showed that. God showed that Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy. God proved Jesus.

But in that old hymn, ‘Tis so sweet,’ the chorus states, “How I’ve prov’d Him o’er and o’er. It doesn’t say how the Bible proves Jesus, which it does. It doesn’t say how God proves Jesus, which we’ve seen He did. No, the hymn says, ‘How I’ve prov’d Him.’ And, it isn’t just a one time deal. I’ve prov’d Him o’er and o’er.

Now, that brings us to this thought: How do we prove Jesus? How do we prove Him o’er and o’er?

First, there is a strong link between the trusting in Jesus and the proving of Jesus o’er and o’er. Jesus has been there. Jesus has helped. Jesus has kept His promises. We know. We’ve trusted Jesus to help us through the storms of life and He has. There have been prayers offered from hospital rooms, the front lines of war, the cemetery, and beside the beds of our sick children. Those long nights have not found us alone. God has been there. God has helped us. The number of answered prayers among us is vast and long. How has one prov’d Jesus o’er and o’er? It’s been a lifetime of trusting God. The Lord has never forsaken us. The Lord has never left us on our own. The Lord has never been unreachable. We’ve trusted Him and He has been there. Even know, with this dreaded virus that is wrapping around the world, our prayers and our trusts in the Lord is strong. God never lets us down, never.

Second, we’ve prov’d the Lord by the difference He has made in our lives. We are a better people because of the Lord. Here we are in a world-wide storm, but there is a calm within us. This will pass, we know. The Lord has taught us to be thoughtful and kind. The Lord has molded our thinking and helped us to be forgiving and gentle. The Lord has opened our eyes to be generous and servants to others. We have become the living Bible that some will notice. We don’t gossip. We don’t try to hurt others. We do what we can, even to those who do not like us. Without the Lord, we’d be like everyone else. And, that is not a good picture. Consumed with the here and now. Materialistic. Selfish. Indifferent. Secular. And, now in a crisis, unable to understand and not even sure how to pray– that’s right where we would be, had it not been for the Lord. We’ve proven that the Lord can change a person. Look at how we were in high school or college. Wild. Rebellious. Indifferent. Radical. Anti-authority. Disrespectful. Wasting precious days. And, look at us now. We’ve shown to our families, to the world, and to ourselves that God can make a difference in our lives.

Third, we’ve prov’d the Lord through faith. Centuries of believers have given up their lives for the love of the Lord. They did not resist. They did not rebel. They did not strike back. They, like the Lord, suffered. They did not raise their voice. They did not utter threats. They did not deny the Lord. Fiery furnaces, lion’s dens, prisons, and the executioner’s axe did not make these believers waver. They believed in a better world. They believed that they would see the Lord. They believed that they would be with the Lord. The fear of death did not crack their great faith in the Lord. They loved the Lord more than their own lives. And, it is upon the shoulders of these great forefathers that we now stand. Critics deny the Lord, yet we believe. The godless mock the Lord, yet we believe. God’s word has been challenged, tested, attacked and accused. Yet, the faithful of God hold dear to their beliefs. Prophecies have been fulfilled. Promises have been kept. God’s word has shown to be true over and over.

Proving the Lord o’er and o’er makes our faith real. We’ve proved the Lord. It’s not just that the church has proved Him. It’s not just that the Bible proved Him. We have. We know. We’ve seen in our own lives that the Lord is good. The Lord is there. The Lord is real. Hope is wrapped around this great faith in the Lord. Death doesn’t scare us. The uncertainties of tomorrow doesn’t worry us. A world-wide epidemic doesn’t change a thing for us. God is good. He is so good to us. We know the Lord is. We know because we’ve prov’d Him o’er and o’er.

The victories in the past help us face tomorrow. Knowing that the Lord has been there for us, gives us the confidence that He will be there again for us. He has never let us down.

Indeed, ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.

Roger