New Life MCC Gastonia

06/21/2026

WE MUST FORGIVE
by
Rev. Dawn Flynn
June 21, 2026 (New Life MCC)
Scripture: Epistle – Ephesians 4: 25-32; Psalm 32; Gospel –Matthew 18:21-35 (sermon text)

G. Ray Jordan tells the story of a man lying on his deathbed, harassed by fear because he had harbored hatred against another. He sent for the individual with whom he had a disagreement years before; he then made overtures of peace. The two of them shook hands in friendship. But as the visitor left the room, the sick man roused himself and said, "Remember, if I get over this, the old quarrel stands".

Does this story sound familiar? If we're honest with ourselves, we all have given 'conditional forgiveness' to people we have met in our lives.

It's hard to forgive someone when they hurt you. Our human nature wants to hold on and get back at them. The deeper the hurt the harder it is to forgive. Most of the time those deeper hurts involve things done to our partners, parents, children or grandchildren. We would die for any of them. But you know, Jesus had something very special to say about forgiveness in the Scripture in the Gospel of Matthew selected today.

That story is one of Jesus' parables. You know, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Hebrew word for 'parable' is 'mashal' and means 'be like'. The Greek word for 'parable' is 'parabol' which means placing one thing alongside another for comparison. A parable therefore is a kind of a comparison - comparing an earthly story and a heavenly meaning.

According to John Brokoff, parables constitute 1/3 of all Jesus teachings of which He told 50-70 parables. The number varies according to which scholar is counting. Brokoff also states that parables are characterized by five things:
-they are basic.
-they are intended for the common people.
-they make us think.
-they call for a decision to be made on our part as the listener.
-they explain truths about God.

This parable we are looking at today is sometimes called the parable of the wicked servant and sometimes it is referred to also as a teaching on the law of forgiveness. Let’s look at it more closely and see exactly what it says about forgiveness.

It starts in verse 21 with Peter coming up to the Lord and asking him how often he should forgive his brother when he sins against him. It is obvious here that Peter has taken to heart what Jesus said to the disciples in the previous verses 15-20 where He told them in verse 15 that if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. And if he doesn't, then in verses 16-17, you are to take one or two brothers with you as witnesses. If he still doesn't listen to you, treat him as a gentile or tax collector. But the point is, you are to make amends and forgive each other.

So, Peter here is taking Jesus statements one step further. He asks in verse 21 how many times am I supposed to forgive someone who sins against me? Am I to forgive them seven times? Peter is probably thinking that surely there must be a limit to how many times we are to forgive someone who sins against us. But Jesus says back to him in verse 22, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." Some manuscripts say seventy-seven times. The point is still the same. Seven is a perfect number. It reflects completeness. Jesus is not saying 77 times or 490 times. He is clearly saying there is no limit. We are to forgive continually. And to emphasize that Jesus tells the Parable of the Wicked Servant.

In the story in the Gospel, the Kingdom of God is compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. The king is God and His servants are us. One of His servants owed him 10,000 talents.

Let's stop here for a moment and talk a little about how much 10,000 talents is. During New Testament times, money from three sources circulated in Palestine:
1. The official money which was Roman.
2. The provincial money which was Greek.
3. The local money which was Jewish.
Is it no wonder money changers flourished!

The commonest silver coins of Palestine were the Greek tetra drachmas and the Roman denarius. They both were an ordinary man's wage for a day.
100 Roman denarii = 1 Greek mina.
60 Greek minas = 1 talent
By multiplying 100 x 60 you get 6,000 denarii equals 1 talent.
Taking 6,000 working days to earn one talent, 10,000 talents would take 60,000 working days.

If a worker worked 6 days a week (Sabbath off), it would take 10,000 weeks, or 192 years, to earn 10,000 talents. Oh, by the way, some scholars equate the value of that debt to about $145-$290 million with the value of a talent equal to $29,000 (heavy gold) to $14,500 (light gold).

It is obviously an impossibility to achieve. Jesus was saying clearly here that this is a debt that was impossible to pay back. The servant pleads for mercy and the King forgives him his debt just as Jesus forgives us our debt which we could never repay by His death on the cross.

But the servant then goes out and meets one his servants who owes him 100 denarii. Remember a denarius was a common man's wage for a day. The debt would equate to about 4 months of work. And what does he do. When the servant asks for mercy, in verse 20, it says he "refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt."

When his fellow servants heard about what he did they went and told the King. The King then called his servant and said, starting in verse 32, "you wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" and in anger, his Lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt". And when will he be able to pay all his debt? We just figured it out earlier - 192 years. That is never.

In verse 35 is the moral of the story: "So also God will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart".

You hear that. If we do not show that same forgiveness God shows to us through Jesus Christ, God will deal with us on the Day of Judgment, not with mercy, but according to the Judgment that the King gave the evil servant.

It all relates back to the Lord's Prayer where we say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. And to the fifth Beatitude which says, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy”. In other words, if we forgive those who sin against us and are merciful to them, God will forgive us and be merciful to us.

During these times of uncertainty, we must have a forgiving heart as people’s circumstances are uncertain. We must give to others from our hearts, not expecting to be repaid and not hold a grudge if someone doesn’t thank us. We must do everything, with joy, in the love of Jesus.

It also says that the forgiveness must come from the heart. That means it must be genuine. It must be such that no grudges are held. It must be forgiven and forgotten as God forgets our sins when we repent. It must not be like the story I told at the beginning of this sermon where the man says the quarrel still stands if he gets well. Only complete forgiveness will satisfy God. Forgiveness from the heart can only come from God.

We need to ask ourselves: Does our life exemplify that kind of forgiveness? If not, Jesus is waiting for us to talk to Him. Jesus wants us to have a forgiving heart. Go to Him and He will give it to you. The Scripture says He always gives to His children what is best for them. He never turns away from your request if comes from your heart.

In Jesus Name. Amen.

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06/14/2026

There will be no sermon today as I am on vacation. Sermons will resume next Sunday. Blessings to all.

06/07/2026

WITH FAITH NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE
by
Rev. Dawn Flynn
June 7, 2026 (New Life MCC)
Scripture: Epistle - Romans 4: 13-25 (sermon text); Psalm 33: 1-12; Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26.

Growing up in school, I was a good student but learning for me took hard work. I studied hard and did well. My grades were good enough to get into most major universities. I went on to college and found that college was much tougher than high school. Mom and Daddy weren’t there to encourage me to study and there were far too many distractions. I didn’t expect to do poorly yet I did do poorly and became very discouraged. I remember a talk I had with Daddy when I felt like giving up. He told me that I could be anything I set my mind to be however there were two limiting factors. Those were belief in myself and faith in God. I learned an important lesson that day. I learned that not only did I have to believe in myself and that I could be successful, but also that belief had to be coupled with faith in God.

Today’s lesson from Paul’s letter to the Romans is about belief in yourself and faith in God. It is about the great spiritual leader, Abraham. It is about a man who despite all obstacles kept his faith and God accounted it to him as righteousness.

In verse 13 we are reminded of God’s promise that the Creator would make him the progenitor of a great nation as recorded in Genesis 12:2-3. Let’s read those verses again: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse, and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” Notice that God’s blessing to Abraham comes entirely through his faith. It is not because of anything Abraham has done. The blessing was not given because of Abraham’s faithfulness to the Law, for the Law had not been given yet. As William Barclay says in his commentary, “it [the blessing] was the outgoing of God’s generous grace in answer to Abraham’s absolute faith.”

Paul continues in verse 13 to say there are two ways of getting in a right relationship with God – either through human effort, i.e., through the Law, or through righteousness of faith, i.e., through God’s grace. Because our feeble human effort to please God is a loosing cause, Paul goes on in verse 14 to say God’s promise to us through the Law is void. We can’t make it through our own effort. It is just not good enough. The Law brings the wrath of God upon us. Therefore, the only way to receive God’s promise through Abraham is through faith and acceptance of God’s grace.

It is interesting to note that there are two Greek words in the New Testament for ‘promise’, ‘huposchesis’ and ‘epaggelia’. ‘Huposchesis’ is used to denote a promise that is made with conditions. That is the kind we make when we say that we will do something for someone if they promise to do something back for us. ‘Epagellia’ is used to designate a promise that is made ‘without any strings attached’. It is a promise made out of the goodness within one’s heart. The Greek word Paul uses in verse 16 when he connects God’s promise to Abraham is ‘epagellia’. In other words, God’s promises have ‘no strings attached’. God’s promises say ‘I will love you and keep my promise no matter what’. God’s love, as William Barclay says, “is a love which will never let us go.”

Abraham’s faith was in response to that kind of love. He knew that God’s promises were ones he could count on - even when it seemed impossible for them to happen. When God promised to give him and Sarah a child in their old age (him being 100 years old and Sarah being 90 years old), they had doubts for a time. That is a natural human response. But they did not stay in doubt. Their faith and belief that their God ‘could do the impossible’ was dependent on God’s promises overriding their doubts. Verse 20 says, “No distress made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God.” God kept the promises made to Abraham and Sarah, they had their son ‘in their old age’, and through his descendants a great nation was made through which the Savior of the world was born. Abraham and Sarah, ‘in their old age’, were dead to the world of child bearing. But God, through grace, brought life back to Abraham and Sarah through the birth of Isaac. Verse 19 says, “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.”

You see, what makes Abraham such a mighty pillar of faith, is not what he did with his life. It’s not any great speech he made. It’s not any great structure he built. It’s not any great book he wrote. It’s not any great war he won. It’s his belief that God could do the impossible. Even when God asked him to offer his only son, Isaac, on the altar for a sacrifice, he believed he would bring him back to life. That was a belief in the impossible.

We all know stories about people who have accomplished the impossible because of their faith and belief that ‘God could do the impossible’. The Bible is full of such stories about Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Isaiah, King Hezekiah, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Peter, Paul and others. There are many contemporary examples of famous people who have overcome seemingly impossible odds to be examples of faith like Joni Erichson-Tada and Christopher Reeves. There are personal examples that each of us know of individuals whom medical science has said ‘there is no cure for your illness’ and, through faith and prayer, God has healed them. They are now living among us, witnessing to the grace and love of God. Their stories are for us, the weak hearted, so we can be reminded that God desires faith.

Let us be reminded that Jesus Christ’s death accomplished the impossible. We, as the body of Christ, must not let His sacrifice be in vain. We must walk in faith and obedience so WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE HAVE FAITH. Saint Theresa of Avila once said, “A church which is alive dares to do anything”. That can only be accomplished if we believe God’s Holy Word. That is, if we believe that God can make the impossible possible.

In Jesus Holy Name. Amen.

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05/31/2026

ATTITUDES TOWARD TRIALS
by
Rev. Dawn Flynn
May 31, 2026 (New Life MCC)
Scripture: Epistle - James 1:1-25 (sermon text); Psalm 121; Gospel – Matthew 5: 1-12.

Today I want us to look at a few very powerful verses in the Book of James. The Book of James is a very controversial book. Its author, as stated in James 1:1 is “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Traditionally that has been identified as James the brother of Jesus who is mentioned in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3. We know that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in Him during His ministry as stated in Mark 3:21, Mark 3:31-35 and John 7:3-9. However, after Jesus’ ascension we find the brothers of Jesus with the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:14) and James became a leader in the church in Jerusalem as stated in Acts 12, Acts 15, Acts 21 and Galatians 1, 2 and 12.

No one knows for sure when the letter of James was written. Tradition has the letter written before 62 A.D, which is the date of the martyrdom of James. Some believe it is the first New Testament book to be written around 45 A.D.

Regardless of the time the book was written or who the author is, its contents cannot be looked at lightly. James was one of the last books of the New Testament to be canonized and included in the New Testament. Many in the church had difficulty with James’ language and hard positions especially regarding the use of the tongue and the value of works.

James believed, as stated in Chapter 2:14, that “what does it profit, my brothers and sisters, if a person says they have faith but not works? Can their faith save them?” James believed that, as stated in verse 17 of the same chapter, faith without works is dead. He believed that faith was completed by works and therefore needed works. Those works however were an outgrowth of one’s faith and not a means to an end. It’s this same faith with works that guides us and helps us when we face trials which brings us to the central focus of our lesson today.

Our text in James 1:2-4 focuses on trials. Trials are part of being a Christian. It is an experience that we all face. Some of us face them more often than others, but we all face them from time to time. Some trials are more demanding and painful than others are. Yet, if we are honest, we all face trials every day. Sometimes those trials are so frequent or come so close together that we sometimes ask ourselves, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ and ‘Why do the unrighteous prosper and the righteous suffer?’

The question about why the unrighteous prosper and the righteous suffer has plagued mankind from the beginning of recorded history. We all know about the story of Job and how Job’s friends confront the same question as it applied to Job – why was he, a righteous person, suffering? They could not come up with a satisfactory answer and most of the time we can’t either.

As I mentioned earlier, a person’s faith is tied with their works. How a person reacts to difficulty is a good indication of their depth of faith. James tells us something that seems very strange. Listen to verse 2 again – “Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet various trials.” Goodness, does he know what he is saying? How can one consider it JOY to suffer and hurt? As a famous Vulcan named Spock, from Star Trek, would say – That’s not logical.

Remember Matthew 5:10-12? Listen to these words of Jesus again – “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so people persecuted the prophets who were before you.” The way of discipleship is not easy. Those who went before us knew it and those who will follow us will also know it. It’s part of being a follower of Jesus. It goes with the territory. Our hearts may know that it goes with the territory but our minds keep telling us to rebel against God. We want to blame God when things go bad. We want to blame God when we lose our job unfairly. We want to blame God when a loved one dies unexpectantly. We want to blame God when a child dies of cancer before their life even gets started.

Yet James is saying we must not rebel against God when we suffer but instead consider it a cause for joy. Now that does not mean that we should invite trouble nor does it mean that we should ‘grin and bear it’ so to speak. Instead, what James is saying is that we must look beyond the trial and suffering and look toward the results that God will bring out of it, that is, the good that will come of it.

Look at verses 3,4 and 5 again – “for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let the steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Wow! Did you get that? Trials test our faith and if we look toward the goodness that can come from them, it will produce steadfastness, which will bring us to perfection. Whatever the trial, it can bring us closer to perfection.

Trials can come in many shapes and sizes. Trials need not be just religious persecutions. Certainly, they would be included. But trials include pressures from the social and economic context that we live in. Trials may come as a direct result of a sin that we have committed. Trials may bring about depression and that itself can be a trial.

The only way that we can rejoice in trials is to look at the righteousness that we will attain through the experiences as being infinitely more precious than the discomfort and hurt that we are suffering today. We must come to understand that the comfort and peace that we have in this life is not the greatest thing we can experience. The FAR greater thing we can experience is to become better Christians and grow closer to being like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s in this attitude of trust and steadfastness, looking to the better future, that we are able to endure all trials.

It is always good to remember that no matter how hard times may get, nothing can separate you from the love of God. Always remember God’s promise in Romans 8:37-39, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The question to us today is do we believe it? Do we honestly believe Romans 8:28 which says, “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love our Creator and who are called according to God’s purpose”?

I know that when my mother died of cancer in 1984 at the age of 56 after 2 years fighting hard for her life, I wasn’t sure that I believed it. I was angry with God for taking my mother away. She was too young. She so looked forward to loving her grandchildren and they weren’t old enough to remember her. Yet today I now know that God’s purpose was greater than I realized. I thought God’s greater purpose was to let my mother’s love be experienced by my children. That was not God’s greater purpose. God’s greater purpose, I’ve come to realize, was to bring my mother closer to her Savior. Mom believed in Jesus as her personal Savior in a very simple child-like way. As her life became more complicated, she would have had difficulty coping with the problems that life would give her. Jesus knew that and called her home while she was still innocent and pure in heart. Mom now knows His peace, love, and healing which, I believe, were part of God’s greater purpose.

We must believe. We must accept our trials and look ahead to God’s blessings. We must consider it a joy to suffer for Jesus’ namesake. What a joy to be counted worthy to suffer for Jesus! Do you feel that way today? Do you consider it a joy to suffer for Jesus?

I hope you do. If you don’t, you need to pray today that God will give you the kind of joy that James talks about. You need to pray that God will give you the kind of joy that passes all understanding that will keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. You need to pray for the kind of joy that will carry you through ALL kinds of trials and let you feel God’s peace under all circumstances.

Praise God for the incomparable gift of Jesus Christ! Jesus is waiting for you with open arms to come to Him and be strengthened by His love and power.

In Jesus Holy Name. Amen

05/24/2026

WHY PENTECOST IS IMPORTANT
by
Rev. Dawn Flynn
May 24, 2026 (New Life MCC)
Scripture: New Testament – Acts 2:1-21 (sermon text); Psalm 104: 24-34; Gospel – John 20: 19-23.

Today is Pentecost Sunday.

When you enter the sanctuary, you immediately notice that the paraments have been changed. They have been changed from the white of Easter to red. The color red is characteristic of one of the three colors of fire: red, yellow and blue, with red being the symbol of heat. The flame, a symbol of power and the Holy Spirit, is intertwined with the cross in most Protestant church signs.

And, of course, the lighted candles on the altar are an ever-present reminder of the presence of the Holy Spirit among us. The candles are lit before the service starts, symbolizing that presence.

Today’s Scripture in Acts 2 is the familiar story of the advent of the Holy Spirit after the ascension of Jesus, which we call Pentecost.


The word ‘pente’ from Pentecost means ‘50’. This reflects the fact that Pentecost occurs 50 days after Easter. At the beginning of the story of Pentecost in Acts, we find the disciples all in one place. Where is this place you ask? It is not clear. Acts 1:13 says they went up to the upper room where they were staying. We do know they were afraid for their lives for the Romans were looking for them. So, they congregated together in prayer. Acts 1:15 says there were about 120 including women, one of which was Mary the mother of Jesus. Where they gathered was really of little importance. The real importance is that they were together as Jesus had commanded them to be in Luke 24:49 when He said, “And behold, I send the promise of my Creator [that is, the Holy Spirit] upon you, but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.”

While they were in one place a wind came and filled the room with the Holy Spirit descending upon them like tongues of fire. After receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, Peter spoke boldly to a crowd of people outside about Jesus. After he spoke, the scripture says, about 3,000 souls accepted Jesus. What a powerful example of the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives! The scared Peter that denied Jesus three times in the courtyard, could not have done that without being equipped by the Holy Spirit. The Peter who spoke on that Pentecost day was not the same Peter. This was a transformed Peter.

It is important to understand that Jesus never sends His disciples anywhere without equipping them for the job at hand. Let me repeat that. Jesus never sends His disciples anywhere without equipping them for the job at hand. That is true as much today as in Jesus’ day. Whether it is the Holy Spirit or a Spiritual Gift, Jesus never sends us anywhere unprepared. That’s why the disciples were together that day. They were there to receive the tools to prepare them for the ministry to which God had called them. So, the question to us is – Are we willing to let God equip us for the ministry that we are called to do in the world? Are we willing to go wherever God sends us and do whatever God asks us to do to give glory to God and Jesus?

To successfully do what we are sent to do, we must have faith and believe. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 17:20. He said, “For truly, truly I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there.’ And it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Do you know how big a mustard seed is? It is the smallest of all seeds. It is approximately 2 mm long. I hate to tell you, but I don’t think any of us have literally moved a mountain lately. That means, we don’t have much faith. Jesus said this to tell us that to successfully do what we are called to do we must have faith and believe we are able to do the task at hand.

Following Mark’s recording of the event, Mark quotes Jesus saying in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” So, Jesus is telling us that if we ask for the gifts and power to glorify Him, it will be given to us. That is all possible because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the world.

Pentecost is important because on that day the God sent the Holy Spirit to the world to equip each of us for ministry. Because the disciples did as Jesus commanded, because they believed and desired more than anything else to serve Jesus, they were blessed and received the gifts of the Spirit that God wanted to bestow upon them to equip them for their ministry.

All those same gifts are yours and mine if we just believe. And we will be able to do even greater things than Jesus did. Jesus said in John 14:12-14, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and greater works than these will he do, because I go the Creator. Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that God may be glorified in me; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.”

It’s clear. Whatever we ask from God, in Jesus’ Name, for the purpose of glorifying God, will be given to us. Therefore, if we desire a spiritual gift so we can glorify God, God will grant it to us. That is God’s promise. We must believe that. Just as Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to His disciples when He left them, He promises us the same gifts.

This Pentecost, claim the gifts that God has promised you to use for God and Jesus’ glory. God is faithful to the promises we find in Holy Scriptures. Step out in faith and be blessed! Believe! There is no greater joy in this life than to know that you have faithfully done what God has asked you to do.

Praise God for the incomparable gifts of Jesus Christ, the Promised One, and the Holy Spirit!

In Jesus Name. Amen.

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05/18/2026

WE ARE JESUS’ ARMS AND LEGS TO HUMANKIND
by
Rev. Dawn Flynn
May 17, 2026 (New Life MCC)
Scripture: New Testament - Acts 1:1-11 (sermon text); Psalm 47; Gospel – Luke 24: 44-53

There are 5 essential elements of our faith identity as a Christian that are critical:
- Belief in the humanity of Jesus
- Belief in the divinity of Jesus
- Belief in the death of Jesus
- Belief in the resurrection of Jesus and
- Belief in the ascension of Jesus

Today is a special day in our church as it is Ascension Sunday.

Ascension Sunday celebrates the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who now sits at the right hand of the Creator. The ascension traditionally occurred 40 days after the resurrection, on a Thursday. How they knew it was a Thursday I don’t know but the Catholic Church celebrates the Ascension on Thursday. The Protestant church however celebrates it on the Sunday following Ascension Thursday so last Thursday, May 14, was officially the day Jesus ascended into heaven.

We know from Scripture that all the original Apostles except Judas saw Jesus’ Ascension back to the Creator. In the Scripture in Acts 1:1-11 we read about this miraculous occurrence.

The ascension of Jesus has no parallel in the Old Testament. The closest is the translation of Enoch found in Genesis 5:34 and the translation of Elijah in II Kings 2:1-12.

The translation of Enoch is recorded in Genesis 5:34 and simply says -
"Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him".

And the translation of Elijah is recorded in II Kings 2:1-12. Elisha, Elijah’s companion, sees Elijah taken from him up into heaven. Verses 11-12 read –
"And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried 'my Creator, my Creator! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' And he saw him no more."

Remember that there is a significant difference between them and Jesus. Enoch and Elijah ascended into heaven without dying. Jesus Christ our Lord, died, resurrected, and then ascended into heaven.

We know that Jesus had to die, taking on our sins in order to prevent our eternal separation from God. Being pure and without sin, that act made Him the ultimate Pascal lamb sacrifice, once and for all.

After that death, Jesus physically resurrected from the dead as recorded in all the Gospels on what we call Easter morning. That resurrection was the final blow to Satan. His resurrection set the stage for the Final Judgment Day when Satan will be bound and thrown into the Lake of Fire for all eternity and it gives everyone who accepts Jesus, as their personal savior, eternal life.

Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of the Creator to judge both the living and the dead. We confirm our belief in that when we recited the section of the Apostle's Creed that says ‘He ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God the Creator, from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.’

We believe that Jesus will judge all humankind during the final judgment. That's is what is recorded in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 20:11-15 says that after the Judgment, Satan, along with all his angels and followers, are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and all those whose names are written in the Book of Life will go to live with Jesus.

It’s important to remember that we cannot earn our way into heaven, that is, that we cannot do anything that will get our name written in the Book of Life. The names of all humans were written in the Book of Life and are there through the shed blood of Jesus when He died on the Cross at Calvary. The only way our names could ever be put into the Book of Life is through grace. Among the letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor we find in the Book of Revelation a letter to the church in Sardis. In that letter, as recorded in Revelation 3:5, the angel writes, “He who conquers shall be clad in white garments, and I will not blot his name from the Book of Life.” So, the way we live our life, that is. whether our life shows that we accept and acknowledge what Jesus has done for us, determines whether our name stays in the Book of Life or is blotted out.

Revelation 22:1-5 talks about the blessings that those who belong to Jesus will experience in the New Jerusalem, the Resurrection City. Verses 3-5 says, "There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb (that is Jesus) shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. And night shall be no more; they shall need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign forever and ever."

Wow. I get chill bumps when I read what awaits those in heaven who are faithful. On top of that, those who belong to Jesus will reign with Jesus and God the Creator forever and ever. That is Jesus’ promise to us. And all that is possible because He ascended to be with the Creator and to be the judge of all humankind.

Jesus’ ascension also allowed the Holy Spirit to come to us and be our spiritual guide as we talked about last week. Jesus told His disciples that He had to go the Creator or the Counselor would not come.

So, the ascension of Jesus is critical for at least three reasons:
1. It is the outgrowth of Him dying on the cross for our sins and His resurrection from the dead.
2. It allowed Jesus to sit at the right hand of the Creator so He can judge the world during the end times to allow those who are faithful to live with Him and the Creator for all eternity.
3. It allowed the Creator to send the Counselor (i.e., Holy Spirit) to lead and counsel us until that day when Jesus comes again to take His church home.

In the Scripture in I John 5, the writer of John says in verse 10: "He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself."

That is what the ascension of Jesus Christ did. It allowed His Spirit of Testimony to become a part of you and me.

Ok Preacher, what is the Spirit of Testimony? The Spirit of Testimony is our response, our testimony to the world of Jesus’ Spirit living within us. That means,
- we are His ambassadors to the world.
- we are His arms and legs to all humankind.
- we are the testimony, the messengers, to the world that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world.

For every time we partake of the sacrament of Holy Communion, we say to the world that:
We affirm our bonding to Jesus our Savior.
We believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins.
We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of the Creator and will judge both the quick and dead.

Hallelujah! Jesus Christ ascended, lives in us and we are honored to be His messengers to the world!

In Jesus Name. Amen.

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