(based on
the hymn “Arise, My Soul, Arise!)
Preached by
Gary Hicks on July 20, 2014 at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, Frederick,
MD.
Therefore,
there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set
you free from the law of sin and death… For
those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The
Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear
again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to
sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,
Father.” The Spirit himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:1-2, 14-16)
Sometimes
things from long ago are better than new things. In the category of “Love
poetry” would you prefer William Shakespeare or Justin Bieber? In the “Art”
category, would you prefer Marie Cassatt or contemporary Spanish painter José
Merello? In the “Grab Bag” category, would it be King Solomon or Weird Al
Yankovic?
Charles
Wesley is a man from long ago. He was born in 1707, three hundred years ago,
more or less. And he is a hymn-writer whose good old hymns are likely to be
sung for centuries to come.
Charles
Wesley was John Wesley’s younger brother. Most of us know that John and Charles
started the Methodist movement. John was the leader and organizer. Charles was
the poet. Methodists sang his hymns each week when they came together.
He wrote
more than 6000 hymns. (By writing 3 hymns a week, you too could write 6000
hymns – in 38 years!) Millions of Christians sing Charles’s hymns today. They
are full of good theology. Our Methodist hymnal includes 59 of them.
Today we’re
focusing on “Arise, My Soul, Arise” – my favorite Wesley hymn. Growing up in Canada,
we didn’t sing it in my church, but Dad sang it as he prepared sermons.
Read this
hymn together with me...
Arise, my
soul, arise! Shake off thy guilty fears.
The
bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears.
Before the
throne my Surety stands;
My name is
written on His hands.
He ever
lives above for me to intercede,
His
all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
His blood
atoned for all our race
And
sprinkles now the throne of grace.
Five
bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary.
They pour
effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me.
“Forgive
him, O, forgive,” they cry,
“Nor let
that ransomed sinner die!”
The Father
hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One;
He cannot
turn away The presence of His Son.
His Spirit
answers to the blood,
And tells
me I am born of God.
My God is
reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear.
He owns me
for His child; I can no longer fear.
With
confidence I now draw nigh,
And
“Father, Abba, Father,” cry.
Today this
hymn is our framework to retell the good news of Jesus.
First I
want to make one observation, and then share two truths with you.
My
observation is that THIS HYMN EMPHASIZES THE BLOOD OF JESUS. This hymn
sees the blood of Christ as God’s remedy for our sin.
The Bible tells
us that, in the Old Testament, “almost
everything was cleansed by sprinkling it with blood, and without the shedding
of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22 – Living Bible).
And Wesley
uses several strong phrases to describe the blood of Jesus: “the bleeding
sacrifice”; “His precious blood”; “Five bleeding wounds”. One phrase hits me
hardest: “My name is written on His hands.”
When we
partake of the Lord’s Table, the grape juice reminds us of the blood sacrifice.
We say, “the blood of Christ, shed for you.”
We don’t
fully understand why God gave blood sacrifice such an important place in
ancient worship. Maybe part of it was to help us understand how distasteful sin
is to Him.
But blood
sacrifices ended with the death of Jesus. He was the perfect, final sacrifice. I
thank God for His perfect sacrifice for my sins!
Now let’s
look at the two important truths emphasized by Wesley:
1. GOD
WANTS TO PARDON US, NOT CONDEMN US. The scripture we read says: “there is now no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1) And John 3:17 tells us that: “God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
God’s plan
is not condemnation, but restoration.
Listen to
these strong phrases from Wesley’s hymn:
“The
bleeding sacrifice in MY behalf appears” (Note the personal pronoun “my”).
“He ever lives above for ME to intercede.” “Five bleeding wounds… pour
effectual prayers, They strongly plead for ME.”
Friends, God
is on OUR side! The Father treasures
us. The Son died and rose again for
us.The Spirit fills us with divine
love. God is on our side!
Here’s the
scene that Charles Wesley seems to set up: Imagine yourself as the accused, on
trial in a great courtroom. God the Father is the judge. Satan is the prosecuting
attorney. And Jesus is your defense attorney.
All the
charges against you are listed: perhaps 50 pages full of accusations. Satan
brings many witnesses against you. The charges are obviously true – you are
guilty. Finally the prosecution rests its case.
Now your
defense attorney stands – Jesus of Nazareth. All eyes are on Him. He steps from
behind the defendant’s table. We notice that his hands have been pierced
through. We see that His feet have been badly wounded. We see a deep wound in
His side, where a spear has torn the flesh.
Jesus
says, “Yes, Your Honor, the defendant is guilty. But she is my sister. I have
already taken her guilt upon me, I have suffered in the defendant’s place. Let
her go free.”
Now all
eyes are on the judge – God the Father. And quickly He says, “Oh, yes, set her
free! Someone else has paid her penalty. My Son has suffered in her place.”
It’s a powerful
scene. But the Bible never says that such an event ever takes place. The courtroom
drama may help us understand the power of Christ’s wounds, but it could also
give us a false picture.
If we think
that the Son loves us more than the Father, we’re mistaken. If we think that
the Father is out for justice but the Son wants mercy, then this imaginary
scene has gone too far. God is One. He does not want to condemn us. His agenda
is pardon. When it comes to our salvation, the Creator of the universe is on
our side!
2. WHEN
WE’RE BORN OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT TELLS US SO. Sometimes we call this the
“assurance of salvation.” It makes sense that if God forgives our sins, He wants
us to know without any doubt that we are forgiven.
In their
early years, John and Charles Wesley were both hindered by the mistaken idea that
we cannot know for sure if God has saved us from our sins. This false theology
says that, in this life, we cannot know for sure whether we are bound for
heaven or hell.
But the
Wesleys had Christian friends (the Moravians) who convinced them
otherwise.
The
scripture we read says: “the Spirit you
received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by [that same
Spirit] we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit… testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 8:15-16)
“Abba” is
an Aramaic word that means “Daddy” (or “Papa.”) It’s a term of endearment, an
intimate word. If you’ve ever wondered if God is a personal God, you should
ponder this word ABBA.
The Father
wants us to feel an intimacy with Him. He is not some faraway deity running the
world by remote control. He is our PAPA, our DADDY. Somehow DADDY sounds too
familiar, too irreverent. But God yearns for that kind of relationship with us!
Here’s how the scripture we read is translated in The Message: “This
resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.
It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next,
Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know
who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.”
When we
believe in Jesus we are adopted into God’s family. And the Holy Spirit goes to
work. He speaks with our spirits and assures us that we are God’s children.
Say (if
you believe it): “God speaks to me.” “When I am forgiven, God tells me so.”
When we
have been redeemed, an inner voice will speak peace and assurance to our
spirits.
Charles Wesley
was 30 before he felt the inner witness and knew that he was forgiven. Christianity.com
says that he was sick with pleurisy and a bad toothache. He was staying at a
friend’s house in London, England. On Pentecost Sunday morning, 1738, Charles
asked God to give him an assurance of salvation.
At one
point he heard a friend's voice saying, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
arise, and believe, and you shall be healed of all your infirmities."
Charles
whispered, "I believe, I believe." That day he received the witness
of the Spirit within himself. He was
assured that his sins were forgiven. His life was changed. (http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/charles-wesley-lacked-holy-spirit-no-more-11630225.html)
Charles
had been a seeker after God, a doer of good deeds. But that day was a turning
point.
Now he was
confident of God’s forgiveness. He was to become a much more effective worker for
Jesus.
What about
you? Do you have an inner witness from the Spirit that your sins are forgiven? Are
you confident that, if you were absent from your body, you would be present
with the Lord?
God wants
to assure you of your salvation. Ask Him to give you that inner witness. I know
that He will!
Speak with
a Christian friend and pray together that God will help you know without a
doubt that your sins are forgiven. Or I would be glad to meet with you and we can
pray together.
And it
might be that you are in need of the Holy Spirit’s help in strengthening your
faith, or reaffirming your Christian convictions. Let’s do business with God
this morning, while He’s speaking to us!
