Marilyn, Phyllis and Lester, family and friends of Evelyn:
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!
[By Grace]
“By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
In the days before Evelyn’s passing, I sang some hymns to Evelyn with the family. One of those hymns was “By Grace I’m Saved.” Each stanza of this hymn begins with the phrase “By grace” and for each stanza, Evelyn replied “By grace, I’m saved. By grace, I’m saved.”
Evelyn was strong in her faith. On my many visits with her, I would tell her of the happenings in the world with respect to the Scripture I shared with her. One time, I remember saying that there are some people who do not believe that Jesus is the only way to God the Father. She would respond back, “How could anyone not believe in Jesus?” That is a great question. How could anyone not believe in Jesus?
Her faith was strong. She firmly believed that she is saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.
[The Way]
Well, Jesus wasn’t always as easy to understand as He is today. Today, we each have access to the inerrant Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Through God’s Word, we know that everyone who follows Christ as Lord and Savior has been saved by grace through faith in Him.
In our gospel lesson, Jesus tells His disciples then and His disciples now, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1).
Here, Jesus is reminding us that whatever the situation in our life, whatever the season in our life – “a time to be born, and a time to die” or “a time to weep, and time to laugh” or “a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3) – let not our hearts be troubled. Instead, send your troubles to God. For Jesus is truly the Son of God. Jesus hears every one of our prayers and He answers every one of our prayers. It may not be want we want at the time, but God’s will is always done.
Jesus then tells us that He has prepared a dwelling place for everyone who believes in Him. He says, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3).
Here, Jesus teaches us that these many rooms are not temporary housing – like hotel rooms – but these are permanent residences with the Father in heaven. Here, Christ is preparing a new promised land for His Church.
Jesus concludes saying to His disciples, “And you know the way to where I am going” (John 14:4).
I’m sure all the disciples looked at each other in wonder. Instead of Peter, who normally speaks, Thomas speaks, asking His Lord, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
I’m sure Thomas wasn’t alone with his question. You see, the disciples didn’t always understand what Jesus was saying.
Today, many non-believers in Christ continually ask this question: “How do I get to heaven? What do I have to do to be saved?”
Here, Jesus gives us the answer! “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Jesus is Himself the way to God the Father, not a way to God the Father. He not only shows us the way – by revealing it – but He is the Way.
Jesus is Himself the truth. We can depend on Jesus.
Jesus is Himself the life. He created life and He is the source of eternal life for all mankind.
Apart from Jesus, there is no other way to salvation. Salvation can be found in no other way. It is only through Christ alone that we are saved. This is what Evelyn believed. This is the faith that Evelyn is now living in heaven. She has received her dwelling place with God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ.
[God’s Steadfast Love]
We, too, can receive the same gift! Evelyn received her gift of salvation, not by her own doing, but by grace though faith in Christ alone.
It was on April 26, 1925 when God adopted Evelyn to be His own child through the waters of Holy Baptism. It was then that the Holy Spirit gave Evelyn the ability to believe in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Then on April 2, 1939, she publicly confessed to God that she would never forsake the one true Christian faith.
No one is able to be justified before God by their own strengths, merits, or works, but we are justified freely – by grace – on account of Christ alone, through faith alone. Everyone in Christ has been received into this grace and their sins are forgiven on account of Christ alone, who made satisfaction for our sins through His sacrificial death and His glorious resurrection.
Jesus Christ died for all people, not just for a chosen few. For Jesus said: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:16-18).
God the Father sent His one and only Son Jesus the Christ to destroy the powers of sin, death, and Satan upon all who trust in Christ alone. He accomplished this feat through His death upon the cross and His resurrection from the grave, so that whoever trusts in Him would receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation.
We did nothing to earn this grace. It is only by God’s steadfast love for us that we receive this grace!
[His Workmanship]
So, for everyone in Christ, what do we do while we live in this grace? Do we sin all the more? By no means! Instead, we do good works, not for God, but for our neighbor. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
Again, this is what Evelyn did. She taught her daughters – Marilyn and Phyllis – the way they should go. In fact, this is what Evelyn called her greatest accomplishment in her life. Evelyn also lived out her Christian faith in service to her community and to service to her church. Again, she did this not because she had to, but that she had the opportunity to do it. It is all through Christ’s doing that we are saved.
[Wrapped in Christ’s Righteousness]
Today, Evelyn is in the Church Triumphant with all the saints in heaven. She is wrapped in the robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all her sin. She hungers no more, neither thirsts anymore; the sun does not strike her, nor any scorching heat (Revelation 7:16). She and all the saints are before the throne of God. She and all the saints are in the midst of the Lamb who is their Shepherd.
But, she and the saints – along with us here – wait for Christ’s return to earth. On that day, there will no longer be any division between heaven and earth. There will no longer be division between body and soul. For on that day, Christ will make all things new. He will create a new heaven and a new earth! So, in this new heaven and new earth, there will be no more sin, no more sorrow, and no more death. Everything will be created anew and all by the grace of God. Amen.
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
T SOLI DEO GLORIA T
No comments:
Post a Comment