HOPE RESTORED: ACKNOWLEDGE

Sermon Notes, November 22, 2015

Rev. Garry McGlinchy

            Rev. McGlinchy continued his second sermon series based on 1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”  He has spoken of Faith Redefined: Obedient; Miraculous; and Tested.  The third sermon in his series was Hope Restored: Acknowledge.

            Pastor Garry began his sermon with a discussion about history—how he couldn’t see a reason to study it when he was young, but now realizes we are part of it, and we need to learn from it.  Our own personal history influences our behavior.  We need to know about our ageless Christian heritage as well.  We acknowledge hope by taking responsibility for our actions, and acknowledging our need for Christ.

            Genesis tells the story of Adam and Eve.  They had it all: God had given them dominion over everything in the garden, and gave them just one rule: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Genesis 3: 8-24 tells the story.  The serpent creates doubt. Eve is tempted.  She shares with Adam. They experience shame and guilt, and place the blame on others and make excuses when God confronts them.

            We can get two truths from this story: God LOVED us.  The fact that they were naked meant that they were open and free with God.  They had choices: they decided to sin.  But after they sinned, they were ashamed.  Which is better? To die with honor, or to live with shame?  We have that choice still.  Temptation is all around us.  We choose whether or not to succumb.  Another truth we get from this story is that God wants a RELATIONSHIP with us.  He came to the garden to have fellowship with Adam and Eve.  He sent His Son so we could have fellowship with Him.  We need to take responsibility for our part of the sin.  We need to repent from sin so God can take care of it through Jesus.

            Hosea tells the strange story of a prophet God told to marry a prostitute.  It was a living picture of the way God searches for and redeems His people.  Hosea 6:1-3 urges us to repent; to acknowledge our need of the Lord, to be in the mode of understanding what God wants us to do.  Repentance gives patience of heart and RESTORES hope. 

There are consequences to our sin.  Adam and Eve sinned, and ever since the entire human race has suffered the consequences: pain, toil, separation from God.  But when He banned them from Eden, God began the restoration process, culminating in Jesus coming to the earth to be the sacrifice for our sin.  Too many live the life of a sinner, like Gomer, the wife of Hosea, who kept going back to the old life he’d taken her out of.  We need to take responsibility for our actions.  “Come—let us return to the Lord.”