CSN - LightWing Messages - Sunday - 4/14/2024
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”
John 3:1-21 (NIV)
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE:
In the wake of the celebratory nature of Easter Sunday, the danger is in thinking that it was the climax of God’s efforts to restore His children to their rightful relationship with Him. However, if one truly understands the demonstration of Jesus’ faith, love and obedience to his Father in Heaven, an truly illuminated soul would realize that if they seek to follow Christ, they would also follow in faith, love and obedience of his guidance. The question asked at the time of Easter still remains: “If Jesus knew he was going to make the ultimate sacrifice, why did he ask those disciples to pray and watch with him?” Why did he need them to do so? Today. I ask another question: It is a very legitimate question, and it is the question that Jesus had asked before he was crucified: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 (KJV) Why did he ask, if God knows all?
I submit that there are some pesky questions that remain concerning all of the Bible – whether Old Testament or New Testament. The common lay person does not tread into these murky waters, but it is also true that learned leaders of the Christian faith do not either. They are very likely to claim that “it is a mystery” and a subject of faith. However, how many if these so-called people of faith have gone to their Father in Heaven in their prayers and asked such questions?
Of course, that is another question. In such matters of genuine faith, one would expect that the ones who are serious about such matters would fortify their faith. The concept of faith seeking understanding is not just a convenient phrase, but it should be a lifestyle.
One must return to Jesus in the Garden and ask the questions about the prayers he offered in such a time and the request he made of his disciples to pray with him as he prayed intensely nearby. Sadly, the disciples could not do what he requested of them. The concept of the spirit being willing, yet the flesh being weak is understandable in this critical circumstance. Jesus’ request of the three was likely the last earnest request he made while he was alive and free. This seems to me to be very relevant in that he knew where he was going, yet he requested their faith and support. Is this not also related to the question of whether he would find faith on earth when he returns?
Jesus expected his disciples to stay awake and to pray and to not enter into temptation. He did ask three times. These were his chief disciples. To all of us who have never met him in the flesh, we were asked indirectly to pick up our own crosses and to follow the way he practiced. Today, there are those who have the name of Christian ministers who do not have the courage to ask such a question of their followers. So, would Jesus consider them to be good shepherds? Jesus said plainly that if one is not for him, that person is against him: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30
In this edition, we offer two messages, one from a giant of faith within the Christian community. It is not a message that has been diluted or watered down and sanitized the way some ministers do for the consumption of their congregations in their churches. Our first message is from Rev. Charles Finney, the great evangelist credited as one who initiated the Second Great Awakening in the United States, which swept through America just prior to the American CIvil War. Finney’s sermon is from 1853, entitled: “God's Love for A Sinning World.” He provides a clear viewpoint on Jesus’ Resurrection. It is a long sermon, but it is good to read the entire sermon. However, readers must beware as it is very long, so we offer the first part, and cut it short, but we offer a point by point synopsis of what Finney had to say on the price God was willing to pay to redeem His sinful children. We do encourage our readers to use the link at the end of his message to read the sermon in its entirety.
The second message is one I wrote for Easter in 2021 at the time of the COVID scare. It was a reflection on a sermon entitled, “Questions That Easter Answers” that we posted in our Easter edition of our LightWing Messages this year once again. The sermon from King is still relevant, as are the words from Finney.
As always, we hope our readers would consider all the messages in this edition as having some relevance or meaning, and if readers know others who might also value the messages, we pray they would consider becoming LightWing messengers and kindly pass our newsletters on to those who would welcome them – or simply, please receive them yourselves.
We continue to hope those folks who are seeking more from the Citizens Sentinels Network are able to join us in our virtual meetings, which are no longer on Zoom, but a platform discovered called “MeetN.” We terminated our Zoom contract at the end of March in favor of MeetN. It will be much easier for readers to access the online meeting as the link information will not change from week to week as with Zoom. There is no need to request a link at this time. To join these meetings click this url:
https://meetn.com/vroom (The room name is vroom)
Also, for this week only we need to move the meeting to this Tuesday. We will hold our regular Zoom call discussion that day as there is a scheduling conflict on Monday, and I’ve found it difficult to be in two places at once. So, we are inviting our readers to call in on Tuesday (if possible) and check in with other like-minded readers for mutual support in such turbulent times. The discussion will focus upon the points of Charles Finney’s sermon shared today: “God's Love for A Sinning World.” Our readers either choose to participate in the Q & A session, or simply listen. If readers are not already on our list to receive a link to the call, please send an email request to this address: d.jamzon@gmail.com We’ll add you to our mailing list.
CSN LightWing Mission – Zoom call Tuesday 4/16/24 at 5:00pm PST This week only – on Tuesday due to a scheduling conflict this Monday! Normally, Mondays at 5pm PST (6pm MST; 7pm CST; 8pm EST).
These words are being freely offered to you – intended to shine light unto our paths, as written: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” Proverbs 29:18 - KJV
We hope our readers will enjoy both of our messages today. Share with others, if you can help in that way. Read, absorb and share, and practice what works for you. Become the light!
May God bless our readers and all of their loved ones. May God bless All His Children!
May we, who are called by His name, humble ourselves and truly receive the gifts that God has given with deepest gratitude – especially His Mercy and His loving Grace. May we also repent, and turn from the realms of spiritual apathy or of the actively wicked ways of the world - but to even to be able to pick up our cross and follow God’s ways as we take courage to build His Kingdom and His righteousness.
“God's Love for A Sinning World”
By Charles Grandison Finney
June 22, 1853
From "The Oberlin Evangelist" - President of Oberlin College - Publication of Oberlin College Lecture V
Text.-- John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Sin is the most expensive thing in the universe. Nothing else can cost so much. Pardoned or unpardoned, its cost is infinitely great. Pardoned, the cost falls chiefly on the great atoning substitute; unpardoned, it must fall on the head of the guilty sinner. The existence of sin is a fact everywhere experienced -- everywhere observed. There is sin in our race, everywhere, and in awful aggravation. Sin is the violation of an infinitely important law, -- a law designed and adapted to secure the highest good of the universe. Obedience to this law is naturally essential to the good of creatures. Without obedience there could be no blessedness even in heaven. As sin is a violation of a most important law, it cannot be treated lightly.
No government can afford to treat disobedience as a trifle, inasmuch as everything -- the entire welfare of the government and of all the governed--turns upon obedience. Just in proportion to the value of the interests at stake is the necessity of guarding law and of punishing disobedience.
The law of God must not be dishonoured by anything He shall do. It has been dishonoured by the disobedience of man; hence the more need that God should stand by it, to retrieve its honour. The utmost dishonor is done to law by disowning, disobeying, and despising it. All this, sinning man has done. Hence, this law being not only good but intrinsically necessary to the happiness of the governed, it becomes of all things most necessary that the law-giver should vindicate his law. He must by all means do it. Hence sin has involved God's government in a vast expense. Either the law must be executed at the expense of the well being of the whole race, or God must submit to suffer the worst results of disrespect to His law--results which in some form must involve a vast expense.
Take for example any human government. Suppose the righteous and necessary laws which it imposes are disowned and dishonoured. In such a case the violated law must be honoured by the execution of its penalty, or something else not less expensive, and probably much more so, must be endured. Transgression must cost happiness, somewhere, and in vast amount. In the case of God's government it has been deemed advisable to provide a substitute, one that should answer the purpose of saving the sinner, and yet of honouring the law. This being determined on, the next great question was--How shall the expense be met?
The Bible informs us how the question was in fact decided. By a voluntary conscription–shall I call it,--or donation? Call it as we may, it was a voluntary offering. Who shall head the subscription? Who shall begin where so much is to be raised? Who will make the first sacrifice? Who will take the first step in a project so vast? The Bible informs us. It began with the Infinite Father. He made the first great donation.
He gave his only begotten Son--this to begin with--and having given him first, He freely gives all else that the exigencies of the case can require. First, He gave his Son to make the atonement due to law; then gave and sent his Holy Spirit to take charge of this work. The Son on his part consented to stand as the representative of sinners that he might honor the law, by suffering in their stead. He poured out his blood, made a whole life of suffering a free donation on the altar-- withheld not his face from spitting, nor his back from stripes--shrunk not from the utmost contumely that wicked men could heap on him. So the Holy Ghost also devotes himself to most self-denying efforts unceasingly, to accomplish the great object. It would have been a very short method to have turned over his hand upon the wicked of our race, and sent them all down quick to hell, as once He did when certain angels "kept not their first estate." Rebellion broke out in heaven. Not long did God bear it, around his lofty throne. But in [the] case of man he changed his course--did not send them all to hell, but devised a vast scheme of measures, involving most amazing self-denials and self-sacrifices, to gain men's souls back to obedience and heaven.
For whom was this great donation made? "God so loved the World," meaning the whole race of men. By the "world" in this connection cannot be meant any particular part only, but the whole race. Not only the Bible, but the nature of the case shows that the atonement must have been made for the whole world. For plainly if it had not been made for the entire race, no man of the race could ever know that it was made for himself, and therefore not a man could believe on Christ in the sense of receiving by faith the blessings of the atonement…
Editor’s note: The remainder of this message from Finney is a synopsis of his lengthy sermon. For a full transcript of his message a link to the appropriate website is provided after this entry…
I. SIN IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING IN THE UNIVERSE.
1. It is the violation of an infinitely important law — a law designed and adapted to secure the highest good of the universe.
2. As sin is this it cannot be treated lightly. The entire welfare of a government and its subjects turns upon obedience.
3. The law of God must not be dishonoured by anything He shall do. He must stand by it to retrieve its honour.
4. Hence the expense. Either the law must be executed at the expense of the race, or God must suffer the worse results of disrespect to His law, or a substitute be provided who shall both save the sinner and honour the law.
II. HOW SHALL THE EXPENSE BE MET? Who shall head the subscription? The Father made the first donation.
1. He gave His Son to make the atonement due to law.
2. He gave His Spirit to take charge of this work.
III. FOR WHOM WAS THE GREAT DONATION MADE? By the "world" cannot be meant any particular part. The Bible and the nature of the case shows that the atonement must have been made for the whole. Otherwise no man could be sure that it was made for himself.
IV. WHAT PROMPTED GOD TO MAKE IT? Love. This love is —
1. Not complacency, or it would have been infinitely disgraceful to Himself.
2. Not mere feeling, as in those who are carried away by strong emotion. But -
3. Disinterested: for He had nothing to hope or fear; no profit to make out of the saved.
4. Zealous.
5. Most self-denying.
6. Universal because particular. God loved each, therefore all.
7. Most patient.
V. THE GIFT OF GOD MUST BE RECEIVED BY FAITH. This is the only possible way, God's
government is moral because the Saviour is a moral agent. Therefore God cannot influence us unless we give Him our confidence. Lessons:
1. Sinners may place themselves beyond the reach of mercy.
2. This involves them in the greatest responsibility.
3. This responsibility can only be discharged and the sinner saved by accepting the donation of Christ.
4. Accepting that donation let us give it to others.
The preceding contains only excerpts and a synopsis from the full sermon delivered by Rev. Charles G. Finney. A full transcript, which includes noations and footnotes, can be found by using this link: God's Love for A Sinning World Text by Charles G. Finney from "The Oberlin Evangelist"Text.pdf
"Reflecting on Resurrection"
Dennis Jamison Easter - April 4, 2021
The following message addresses excerpts from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermon entitled, “Questions That Easter Answers” delivered on Easter Sunday by MLK,Jr. at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which was featured in the Easter edition of the LightWing Messages: CSN - LightWing Messages - Easter Sunday - 3/31/2024 This message was written in 2021 and been truncated from its original length, but if any reader would like a copy of the original article, contact me at d.jamzon@gmail.com to request a copy and I will send the complete article via email..
The narrative in Luke of the encounter of the two disciples with the risen Jesus is an extremely dramatic story. It is also quite instructional and if readers are able to do so, they can encounter Jesus through Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus. In this New Testament story, we have a candid glimpse into the perceptions of two of Jesus’ followers, and their behavior in the presence of the risen Lord. Does it not have incredible relevance to us as we are expecting the return of the Christ in the present days? The instruction of Luke in this single encounter is quite valuable for all of us attempting to maintain our faith in desperate times that truly challenge the core of our faith and our understanding of the very meaning of life itself. So. within and between the lines of Luke’s narrative, there is much material to provide a backdrop for serious reflection on those times as compared to these times.
In these difficult and turbulent times, there are good things that are happening all around us, but as in the time of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, there were many who often had little clue of the happenings in the next village let alone what was happening in another country unless they were linked to those who were enlightened in that moment, or to those who were blessed by God’s grace, or connected to those caught up in God’s amazing Providence. Those readers of the Messages of Light should be able to discern that these are special times we are living in. The two men who were suddenly confronted by the presence of the risen Jesus, were caught by surprise, and did not recognize their Lord initially. Yet how, if suddenly confronted in a similar way, will we respond to receive the Christ in our lives in such a time as this? From Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. we receive these words:
Easter is a day above all days. It surpasses the mystery and marvel of Christmas with all of the glory of the incarnation. It asserts that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. It affirms that what stops us does not stop God and that miracle is as much a part of the end as of the beginning. Above all, Easter provides answers to the deepest queries of the human spirit. Easter symbolizes an event that provides answers to questions that have puzzled the probing minds of philosophers and theologians over the generations. You raise basic questions about the universe and about life and about all of the mysteries attached to it. And the Christian faith comes back confirming in words that echo across the generations that Easter has the answer. And I want to deal with some of these questions this morning, some of the questions that Easter answers, questions that we raise sometimes consciously and sometimes unconsciously.
One of the first questions that we find ourselves raising, Is the life of man immortal? Oh, from time to time we try to get by this question. You see this is, at bottom, the question, If a man dies, shall he live again? This question is as old as the primitive gropings of ancient man and as modern as a morning’s newspaper. “If a man dies, shall he live again?” It is a question of immortality. We try sometimes to be nonchalant about it. Or we might even agree with H. G. Wells that it is an irrelevant question, it is the height of egotism? -- to talk about immortality of the soul. Oh, we try to be agnostic about it sometimes and say we just don’t know, it isn’t important anyway. But then one day, death invades our home and snatches away from us a loving, devoted friend. One day we come to the moment that we see our devoted loved one fade away. As Carlyle said concerning his mother, “Like the last pale circle of the moon fading in the deep seas.”
And in that moment, we can’t be nonchalant. In that moment, we are not exactly agnostic. In that moment, we unconsciously cry out for the meaning of this thing. And there is something deep down within our souls that revolts against saying goodbye forever. We begin to ask: Is the ultimate destiny of man a rendezvous with the dust? Is the spirit of man extinguished at death like a candle guttered by a passing wind? We begin to wonder if death is a state of nothingness that leads us finally to a meaningless existence with no reality.
Then comes Easter to answer the question. Easter comes out ringing in terms that we all hear if we seek to hear it, that the soul of man is immortal. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have fit testimony that this earthly life is not the end, that death is just something of a turn in the road, that life moves down a continual moving river, and that death is just a little turn in the river, that this earthly life is merely an embryonic prelude to a new awakening, that death is not a period which ends this great sentence of life but a comma that punctuates it to more loftier significance. That is what it says. That is the meaning of Easter. That is the question that Easter answers—that death is not the end.
In our present reality, do we recognize such words as true because we have read such truth from the Bible, or do we recognize such words as true because we have experienced the death experiences that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. is talking about in his sermon? Possibly, there are many who have experienced death within both realities: the intellectual and the real. For those who have only read about it, it remains an intellectual exercise. However, for those who have experienced death up close and personal, it cuts to the core of one’s being. And even those who experience death in such a way, have diverse reactions. Many have read that there are those who get angry with God over the death of a loved one, or they become lost and totally disheartened - like the two men Jesus encountered on the way to Emmaus.
Yet. in that one encounter with the risen Lord, they received hope, and even in the dark of the night they went back to Jerusalem to share their experience it was so transformational. Before the encounter, they were despondent and how they spoke to Jesus reveals it. They may have been so filled with grief it was obvious their faces were so “downcast.” This came from their own testimony of what was inside of them. How many people across the nation are experiencing this sense of ill ease and lack of clarity as to what would happen next? The one nation in the world where Christianity once flourished, has now been cast into a type of prison. Some are currently experiencing it physically, and some are experiencing the mental or spiritual anguish of what we had once has now been lost. Let us pursue this thinking further with Dr. King’s Easter sermon:
There is another question that we like to raise, it is the question of whether life is doomed to futility and frustration. We wonder whether life has meaning or whether it is doomed to final frustration and futility, and some people have concluded that it is doomed to final frustration and futility. Some people feel that life is nothing more than a pendulum swinging between frustration and futility, and ultimately, it has no meaning. It’s just a pendulum swinging. You’ve read of the pessimistic philosopher Schopenhauer, and he builds a whole philosophy on that in his book The World as a Will and an Idea. He builds a whole philosophical system on this fact, that life is nothing but a pendulum swinging between boredom and futility.7 It is nothing but a boring, disillusioning, bewildering statement. But then Easter comes to us and tells us that that isn’t true. And, one can discover meaning in this life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that all of the disappointments of life can be transformed into meaningful experiences.
So, here is the ‘crux of the matter’ that all Christians today must face: Are they living close to the risen Christ? From the two disciples who had experienced “the things that have happened there in these days...” there was not a great deal of hope as they met Jesus. They did not even realize who he was until he broke the bread with them. So, even based upon the words he shared with them on the road, they could not discern from whom they were receiving words of wisdom. The words of truth did not awaken them. It was not until the men invited Jesus into the home of one of them and shared a meal with him that it dawned on them, who they had invited into their home. In such a time as this in the days of COVID-initiated destruction of the ideals, principles, and values at the core of this nation, how many are so despondent that they may not recognize the time of their visitation from Christ? Ask this simple question: If the two disciples hadn’t been inspired to invite the risen Jesus into their home, would they have ever found out who it was that they were talking with on the road? Ask another two incredibly relevant questions: How are you, the reader, expecting the return of the Lord - how would you recognize him? In such a time with the fear of COVID covering the nation, would you be willing to invite a stranger into your home? It is a very legitimate question, and it is most definitely connected to the question that Jesus had asked before he was crucified: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8 (KJV)
Is the point of Easter only to celebrate the resurrection of God’s son? It seems to me that it is one of the points, but it is not the only point. Otherwise, Luke’s story of the men on the road to Emmaus would not have such a greater relevance to us in this time. Fear is not the appropriate response in this time of tribulation. We all need to strengthen our faith in God to place our trust in Him and in his unique ways of working His Providence. And, He does still love the American people. It is just that our love needs to return to Him to complete the circuit of love.
Reference for the Easter sermon of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Questions That Easter Answers, Sermon Delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
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From The Bible Gateway Blog: What Happened After the Resurrection? – 4/26/2011
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