Handelinge 26:17-18
Ds J Mhlanga - Sondag 6 Maart 2005
Intreepreek
Lees: Handelinge 26:12-18.
Sing: Lefela tsa Sione 60 (Tlo, moya o
halalelang); Lefela tsa Sione 67 (Nyakallang lefatseng lohle);
Hymn 4 (Holy, holy, holy).
Tema: Die oplossing vir ons wêreld lê in die
Evangelie.
- Hierdeur word die probleem van die mensdom beantwoord
- Hierdeur word die mensdom verander
- Hierdeur ontvang die mensdom hoop
Afrikaanse vertaling
Geliefde gemeente van ons Here Jesus Christus,
Een van die grootste vraagstukke waarmee die kerk vandag
gekonfronteer word, is hoe die kerk kan bydra tot die gemeenskap.
Hierdie vraag kom outomaties na vore as gevolg van die situasie
in ons land. Ons word gekonfronteer met armoede, HIV & VIGS,
werkloosheid, alkohol en dwelmmisbruik en noem maar op
As ons na die media kyk, sal u besef dat kerke wat sekere
gemeenskapsprojekte bedryf, steeds meer aandag geniet. Hierdeur
is dit duidelik dat daar steeds meer en meer n beroep op
kerke gedoen word om betrokke te raak by die gemeenskap, om te
help om ons land op te bou, om n impak op die gemeenskap te
hê.
Maar watter rol moet die kerk dan speel? Wat is dit wat die
kerk moet doen? Daar word gesê dat die kerk n impak op die
gemeenskap kan hê deur die mense goeie morele waardes aan te
leer. Ons word geleer dat dit die behoefte van die mensdom is, om
met homself in aanraking te kom. Die mens moet bewus gemaak word
van die gevaar van hierdie dinge. Hy moet geleer word om die
regte keuses te maak.
Dit is wat die kerk moet doen; sy moet die mense leer hoe om
op te tree. Ons word die versekering gegee dat die gemeenskap
gesonder sal wees as die kerke kan verenig in hierdie doel.
Die feit van die saak is dat ons almal in hierdie slaggat
getrap het. Ons het dit met beide hande aangeneem. Ek weet nie of
u dit sal ontken nie. Om my punt te illustreer, vra ek u om te
hoor hoe baie Christene praat oor die probleem van VIGS.
Gewoonlik hoor ek dat hulle sê; Mense moet leer om (voorhuwelikse)
seks te vermy. Hulle moet insien dat voorhuwelikse seks
sonde is. Is dit nie wat ons gewoonlik sê nie?
Wat laat ons so praat? Waarom dink u moet mense leer om te
weerhou? Dink u dat hulle al hierdie dinge verstaan? Daar het u
dit. Ons het in die slaggat getrap van gesonde morele onderrig.
Ons stem saam met die wêreld wat sê dat dit is wat die mens
kortkom. Leer hom hoe om hom te gedra.
Ja, ek stem saam. Ek stem saam dat die kerk n impak op
die gemeenskap kan hê. Dat sy n bydra kan lewer om die
lewens van mans en vrouens te verander. Tog, ek volstaan by die
feit dat daar net een weg bestaan om dit te doen. Die enigste weg
waarlangs die kerk n impak op die samelewing kan hê, is
wanneer sy terugkeer na die ware prediking van die Evangelie. Wil
u weet hoe die kerk n bydra kan lewer in die samelewing?
Hoe die kerk al die probleme kan hanteer waarmee ons
gekonfronteer word? Ek sê vir u dat alleen deur terug te keer na
hierdie Boek, dit vir die kerk moontlik sal wees om n bydra
tot die samelewing te lewer. Miskien wil u op hierdie stadium vra
waarom dit so belangrik is. Hoekom moet die kerk preek terwyl ons
met so baie probleme gekonfronteer word? Hoekom?
Kom ons kyk daarna soos God dit vir ons in sy Woord gee.
Die oplossing vir ons wêreld lê in die Evangelie.
- Hierdeur word die probleem van die mensdom beantwoord
- Hierdeur word die mensdom verander
- Hierdeur ontvang die mensdom hoop
- Hierdeur word die probleem van die mensdom
beantwoord
Ek weet nie of u regtig met my saamstem nie. Ek dink wel dat
as u na die teks kyk, sal u met my saamstem. Laat ek u herinner
aan wat hier gebeur. Ons teks vir vandag is geneem uit Paulus se
getuienis aan koning Agrippa in Handelinge 26. Hoe het Paulus
daar gekom? Hoe het dit gebeur dat n obskure, Joods-Christen
sendeling n oudiënsie met die koning van Palestina het?
Wel, dit was nie Paulus se plan nie! Twee jaar tevore is hy op
grond van vals aanklagte in Jerusalem gearresteer. Daardeur het
hy die geleentheid ontvang om sy getuienis voor die hele Joodse
Sanhedrin te lewer, net soos Jesus gesê het dit sou gebeur
Hulle sal jou arresteer en dit sal n tyd vir
getuienis wees. Daar was n komplot teen sy lewe en hy
is verskuif na Caeserea aan die kus. Daar het hy sy getuienis
gelewer aan Felix, die romeinse goewerneur. Na twee jaar in die
tronk in Caesarea, het die nuwe goewerneur, Festus, Paulus voor
koning Agrippa laat verskyn, sodat hulle kon hoor wat hy te sê
het.
Dan verduidelik hy alles aan Agrippa. Hy verduidelik wat dit
is wat werklik met hom gebeur, en hy sê dat dit alles begin het
met hierdie persoon genaamd Jesus. Hy was onderweg na Damaskus om
die Christene daar te gaan vervolg, alles was gereël. Toe het hy
hierdie Persoon ontmoet Hy het my geroep, en daar
was niks wat ek kon doen, behalwe om die roeping aan te neem nie.
Maar waaroor het hierdie roeping gegaan? Dit was oor getuienis.
Dit was oor getuienis lewer oor hierdie Persoon. Hy het my
gestuur om dit te doen, om van hom te getuig. Waarom moes
dit gebeur? Waarom al die getuienis? Dan kry jy Christus se
antwoord op hierdie vrae. Dit is die antwoord op die mensdom se
vraagstukke.
- Kyk hoe stel Christus dit aan Paulus.
17 terwyl Ek jou verlos uit die volk en die heidene na
wie Ek jou nou stuur,
18 om hulle oë te open, dat hulle hul van die duisternis tot die
lig kan bekeer en van die mag van die Satan tot God, sodat hulle
deur die geloof in My vergifnis van sondes en 'n erfdeel onder
die geheiligdes kan ontvang.
Daar het u dit. Dit is die probleem van die mensdom. Dit was
Christus se roeping aan Paulus. Ek moet sê, ek is oortuig dat
dit ook die roeping van die kerk vandag is. Dit affekteer almal,
nie-Jode en Jode, Christene en heidene. Almal word deur dieselfde
probleem gekonfronteer. En wat is hierdie probleem van die
mensdom?
Drie dinge word genoem. Die eerste is dat die mens blind is.
Dit is wat geïmpliseer word met die woorde dat die mens nodig
het om te sien; sy oë moet geopen word. Die mens is in homself
blind. Hy is blind vir die dinge van God. Hy kan wel sien, maar
as dit kom by die dinge van God, is die mens blind. Hy sien niks.
En ek moet sê as seks voor die huwelik onder die dinge van
God val, is die mens in n posisie om dit te omseil. Hy kan
dit nie gehoorsaam nie. Dit is van toepassing op alle dinge wat
na God se Woord verwys. Dit kan die Tien Gebooie wees, selfs die
gebod waaroor baie gepraat word, om mekaar lief te hê; die mens
kan dit nie hanteer nie. Hy kan dit nie doen nie, want hy is
blind. Daarom help dit nie om hom te vra om hom te gedra nie; dit
sal nie help om hom goeie morele waardes te leer nie. In plaas
daarvan dat hy lesse leer, vergroot ons net die probleem deur al
hierdie wette op hom te lê, want hy is geneig tot
ongehoorsaamheid. Daar is nie n beter manier om dit te sê
as hoe Paulus dit aan die Efesiërs skryf nie , (die mense)
wat ongevoelig geword het en hulle oorgegee het aan die
ongebondenheid om in hebsug allerhande onreinheid te bedrywe.
Ef. 4:19.
Die tweede probleem is dat die mens in duisternis verkeer. Ek
sal die verwantskap aan die eerste punt illustreer met n
klein verhaaltjie wat ek gelees het.
Dit handel oor n man wie se vriend by hom in sy woonstel
kuier. Die besoeker was heeltemal blind en het vir n paar
dae by hom gebly. Een nag het die man uitgeloop na die gang toe
en gesien dat dit heeltemal donker was, maar hy kon hoor dat sy
vriend in die sitkamer is, alhoewel daar ook geen lig gebrand het
nie. Hy wou net uitroep waar die ligskakelaar is, toe hy besef sy
vriend is blind. Hy skakel nooit n lig aan nie. Dit was
n vreemde gewaarwording.
Die punt is: Ons vriend sal nooit die duisternis as n
vreemde verskynsel hanteer tensy sy oë geopen word nie.
Duisternis is hier die tuisland. As sy oë geopen sou word om die
lig te herken, sal hy van die duisternis na die lig keer. En so
is dit ook op die geestelike gebied. Waar daar geestelike
blindheid is, is mense tuis in die duisternis van die sonde. As
jy sou sê, Haai, skakel aan die lig voordat jy jou
seermaak, sal hulle nie weet waarvan jy praat nie. Eers
moet die oë geopen word. Dan sal hulle omdraai en in die lig
wandel.
Dit is dan die probleem: die mens verkeer in die duisternis
omdat hy blind is. Hy geniet hierdie lewe wat hy lei, dit lyk vir
hom normaal. Hoe kan mense so leef, selfs as hulle sien dat hulle
besig is om dood te gaan, waarom al die selfsug? Dit is die lewe
van die mens.
Dit is nie al nie; daar is n derde punt oor die probleem
van die mens. Hy is nie net blind en in die duisternis nie. Ons
moet vra waarom hy in hierdie weg bly wandel. Dit bring ons by
die derde probleem. Hy verkeer onder n sekere mag. Die mens
verkeer onder die mag van Satan. Die mens volhard in sy weë
omdat daar n krag is wat in hom werk. Daarom is die mens
nie vry nie; die mens word as n slaaf gebore, slaaf van sy
sondige begeertes, maar ook slaaf van Satan. Onthou u nog hoe
Paulus dit stel? Hoe hy die verwantskap tussen die blindheid van
die mens en sy duisternis aantoon? Ons vind dit in 2 Korintiërs
4:4, die mens is soos hy is omdat die god van hierdie wêreld
die sinne verblind het, sodat die verligting van die evangelie
van die heerlikheid van Christus, wat die beeld van God is, op
hulle nie sou skyn nie.
Wat kan die kerk dan met sulke mense doen; kan sy die situasie
van die mens verbeter, deur vir hom te sê hoe hy hom moet gedra?
Dit sal nie werk nie, broeders en susters. Dit is wanneer jy na
die mens kyk soos hy hier openbaar word, dat u sal besef dat daar
meer nodig is. En dank God, want daar is n oplossing in die
Evangelie. Wat doen hierdie evangelie? Dit werk verandering in
die mens.
- Hierdeur word die mensdom verander
Kan u hierdie wonderlike verandering bemerk? Dit is wat
Christus hier sê. Die mens word van een sfeer na n
volgende verplaas, van blindheid na n siende toestand, van
duisternis tot die lig, en van Satan tot God. Laat ek u iets vra.
Wat het ons vandag saam hier byeen gebring? Hoe kan ons die
mengelmoes van kleure wat hier vergader is, verklaar? Daar is net
een antwoord: dit is die Evangelie. Dit is die verandering wat
ons ondergaan het. Daar is geen manier waarop ons hierdie
vergadering kan verklaar, behalwe deur hierdie Evangelie nie.
Die enigste hoop vir hierdie land, vir ons kerke lê in
hierdie Evangelie. As mens deur die hele Bybel blaai, sien n
mens dit is waar. Kyk na die geskiedenis van die Israeliete. Wat
het gebeur as hulle gebly het by die woord van God? Hulle het
floreer, sake het ordelik verloop. Maar wat het gebeur toe die
profete hulle eie drome begin droom het, hulle eie stories begin
vertel het? Toe is hulle gekonfronteer met dieselfde probleme as
ons vandag. Kyk na die wêreld soos dit is: wanneer het die mens
regtig bloot daarvan geniet om mens te wees? Was dit deur die
opbloei van opvoeding? Dit was slegs in tye van Herlewings soos
ons dit in die geskiedenis aangeteken vind; dit is slegs as die
Evangelie opnuut ontdek is.
Miskien ervaar jy twyfel en wonder of die Evangelie dit
werklik kan doen. Inderdaad, die Evangelie op homself het nie
krag nie. Dit is hierdie Persoon van wie dit getuig, wat al
hierdie dinge doen. Kom ons kyk weer hoe Christus dit aan Paulus
openbaar. U kan dit nie miskyk nie. Dit is Christus wat dit doen.
Hy wat gekom het om mense te verlos, doen dit. Dit is al wat Hy
aan Paulus sê. Ek het jou aangestel om my getuie te wees.
Ek sal jou red
Ek is Jesus, vir wie jy vervolg..
Hy is nie iemand wat sommer net stil sit nie; Hy is besig om
te werk, Hy is by sy kerk. Daarom kon Hy sê dat Paulus in die
vervolging van sy kerk in werklikheid Hom vervolg het. Want Hy
leef, Hy is die HERE. Hy is die een wat die harte van mans en
vrouens deur sy Woord en Gees verander. Hy doen dit alles.
Ons word geroep om die Evangelie te verkondig, en die res laat
ons aan Hom oor. Hy doen dit. Hoeveel meer moet ons bid vir
hierdie verspreiding van die Evangelie? Dat ons nie sal rus as
ons twee of drie sendelinge het nie, maar dat ons daarna sal
verlang dat die hele wêreld met hulle gevul sal wees. Dat
hierdie Evangelie na almal toe sal versprei. Maak dit jou gebed;
sien dit as n roeping, nie net vir my nie, maar vir almal
wat die Naam van Christus bely. Want hierin lê die hoop vir die
mensdom. Verlang daarna dat niks anders geken word buiten
Christus nie.
Dit is wat ons wêreld nodig het. Dit benodig n
volhoubare heling en transformasie van n volledige
individu, insluitend sy intellek en sosiale lewe. Dit word net in
die Evangelie gevind, net in Christus, ons Verlosser. Dit gebeur
as ons die Woord predik. Ek doen daarom n beroep op u om
nie hiervan af te wyk nie, maar dit na te volg, want hierin lê
ons hoop en die hoop vir hierdie wêreld. Dit bring ons by die
derde punt.
- Hierdeur ontvang die mensdom hoop
Die Evangelie is nie net daar om die probleem van die mensdom
te analiseer nie. Dit spreek die probleem aan, dit spreek die
mens aan. Wat is die tekortkoming van al die oplossings wat die wêreld
aanbied? Dit spreek net die uiterlike van die mens aan. Dit fokus
net op die fisiese behoeftes van die mens. Maar dit is nie regtig
die mens se probleem nie. Die mens is soos hy is omdat hy nie
hoop het nie.
Die mens se innerlike wese is leeg. Hy is wanhopig. Die mens
worstel met skuldgevoelens in homself. Hy voel dat hy skuldig is;
hy weet dat hy skuldig is; daarom probeer hy om die probleem op
te los. Is dit nie wat u sien nie? Dat die mens iewers wil
behoort, dat hy bang is om alleen te wees, dat hy bang is om met
homself gekonfronteer te word? Hoe verklaar u die wye gebruik van
dwelms en dronkenskap? Is dit nie die mens wat probeer om vrede
met homself te vind nie? Dit is waarna hy strewe, maar dit help
nie, dit verskaf nie aan hom vreugde nie, dit stil nie sy gewete
nie. Want die mens se groot probleem is dat hy voor die aangesig
van God moet verskyn, dit is sy probleem. Waarom is die mens van
alle dinge die bangste vir die dood?
Dit is omdat hy weet dat hy dan voor die aangesig van God sal
moet verskyn, en hy weet nie hoe om dit te doen nie. Dit is iets
wat binne-in homself gebeur.
Dan kom die Evangelie en vertel vir hom dat daar hoop is. Die
skuldgevoelens is aangespreek. Dit is op so n manier
aangespreek asof die mens nog nooit gesondig het nie. Dit is die
eindresultaat van die Evangelie. Dit gee n mens vrede, jy
kan jouself in oënskou neem, jy voel voldaan.
Dit is wat Christus sê, dat hulle vergifnis van hulle sondes
mag ontvang. God het n weg gebaan, daar is hoop vir die
mens in Christus, Hy het dit alles gedoen. So wat ons moet doen
is om die Goeie Nuus aan te kondig. Ons moet mense konfronteer en
vertel dat dit nie nodig is om te vrees nie, jy kan verseker wees
van jou toekoms, net as gevolg van hierdie Man: Jesus Christus.
Kom na Hom toe soos jy is, Hy sal jou volledig reinig.
Dan begin die mens met n nuwe lewe. Dit is n lewe
van geloof. Dit is n lewe in Christus. Die mens word n
lid van die wat geheilig is, die wat in geloof aan Christus gewy
is. Hy word in n nuwe gemeenskap geplaas. Dit is die
benadering van die Evangelie tot die situasie van die mensdom. Ek
dink almal sal saamstem dat dit is wat die mens nodig het, wat
ons land nodig het. Daarom vra ek u: hoe is u hierby betrokke?
Waaraan bestee u u tyd? Mag dit meer en meer aan hierdie
Evangelie wees.
As dit dan waar is, wil ek n beroep doen, nie net op
myself nie, maar op almal wat na God geroep is deur sy kerk.
Beskou dit as u plig om almal voor die troon van God te stel. Bid
dat ons hierdie Evangelie mag bekendmaak, dat dit ons strewe sal
wees om niks anders aan te hang nie as die gekruisigde Christus.
Bid dat ons Hom getrou, nederig en navolgingswaardig mag predik.
Want as ons dit doen, sal die wêreld ware genesing ontvang.
Dit word nie bereik deur die verskerping van morele waardes, die
versprei van die boodskap van goeie morele sedes nie. Dit is in
die verkondiging van Christus en in Hom alleen, dat die wêreld
en almal wat daarin woon, die oplossing van die probleem sal
vind, dat hy regtig verander sal word, en ewigdurende hoop sal
ontvang.
AMEN
Engelse preek
Beloved congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
One of the biggest questions posed to the church today is; how
does the church contribute to society? This question comes
automatically because of the situation we are facing in our
country. We are faced by poverty, AIDS & HIV, unemployment,
alcohol, drugs, and you can name them. As you turn your eyes to
the media you will realize that more and more the churches which
run certain community projects are held up. By this we see that
more and more the churches are called to be involved in society,
to help in building our country, to have and impact in society.
However if you ask, what role should the church then play?
What is it that the church should do? We are told that the church
can have impact in society by teaching the people good morals. We
are told that this is the need of man, to get in touch with
himself. He needs to be made aware of the dangers of these things.
He needs to be taught to make correct choices.
This is what the church should do; it must teach people the
way to behave. We are given the guarantee that if the churches
can unite in doing this, our society will be better.
The truth of the matter is that we have all fallen for this.
We have received this with both hands. I do not know if you will
deny this. However to take an example to clarify this fact, I ask
you to listen to many Christians when they speak about the
problem of AIDS. I normally hear them saying; people should
learn to abstain. They must see that sex before marriage is
sin. Is not this what we normally say?
What is it that makes you to speak like that? Why do you think
that people should learn to abstain? Do you think that they
understand all these things? There you have it; we have fallen to
this trap of good morals teaching. We agree with the world, when
it says this is what man is lacking. Teach him how to behave.
Yes I agree. I agree that the church can have an impact in our
society. That she can help in changing the lives of men and women.
Yet, I maintain that the only way to do this; the only way which
the church can have impact in society it is only when it comes
back to the true preaching of the Gospel. You want to know how
can the church contribute to society? How the church can deal
with all the problems which are facing us? I put to you that it
is only by coming back to this Book, that the church will be able
to be involved in our society. Maybe at this time you want to
ask, why this is important. Why should the church preach while we
have so many problems facing us? Why?
Lets look at it as God gives it to us in his word.
The Solution For Our World Lies In The Gospel
- It Is By It That The Problem Of Man Is Answered
- It Is By It That Man Is Changed
- It Is By It That Man Is Given Hope
- It Is By It That The Problem Of Man Is Answered
I dont know if you will really agree with me. I do think
that if you look at this text you will agree with me. Let me
remind you of what is happening here.
Our text today is taken from Paul's testimony to king Agrippa
in Acts 26. How did Paul get here? How does it come about that an
obscure, Jewish-Christian missionary has an audience with the
king of all Palestine?
Well, it was not Paul's plan! Two years earlier he had been
arrested on false charges in Jerusalem. At the time he got to
give his testimony to the whole Jewish Sanhedrin, just like Jesus
said he wouldthey will arrest you and this will be a time
for testimony. Then there was a plot against his life and so he
was moved to Caesarea on the coast. This time he gave his
testimony to Felix the Roman governor. After two years in prison
in Caesarea, the new Roman governor Festus puts Paul before King
Agrippa so they can hear what he has to say.
Then he explains it all to Agrippa. He explains what is it
really that is happening to him, and he says that it all started
with this person called Jesus. He was on his way to Damascus to
persecute Christians there, all things were well arranged. Then
he met this Person, he called me, and there was nothing that I
can do, except to agree to this call.
But what was this call all about? It was about witnessing. It
was about giving testimony about this person. He send me to do
that, to witness for him. Why should this be done? Why all this
witnessing? Then you have Christ answer to these questions. It is
the answer to mans problem.
Look how Christ put it to Paul. 17 delivering you from
the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending
you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to
light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they
may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those
who have been sanctified by faith in Me.
There you have it all. That is the problem with man. That was
Christs call to Paul. I have to say that I am convinced
that it is his call to the church today. It affects all
Gentiles and Jewish. They all face the same problem. And what is
this problem of man?
Three things are mentioned. The first one is that man is blind.
This is implied by the words that man is in need of seeing; his
eyes must be opened. Man in himself is blind. He is blind to the
things of God. He does see I agree, but when coming to the things
of God man is blind. He sees nothing.
And I have to say that if sex before marriage falls under the
things of God, man is in a position, to bypass this. He cannot
obey it. This applies to all things that relates to this word. It
can be the Ten Commandments, even the command which is very much
spoken about, to love one another; man is unable to deal with it.
He cannot do it, for he is blind. Therefore it does not help to
ask him to behave; it cannot help to teach him some good morals.
Instead of lessoning that, we will be increasing the problem by
giving him all these laws. For his is inclined to disobey. There
is no better way of saying this than the way Paul says it in
writing to the Ephesians that man having lost all
sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as
to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for
more (Eph 4:19).
The second problem is that man is in darkness. To explain the
relation of this to the first point I will use a little story
that I read.
It is about a man who had his friend as a visitor in his
apartment.The visitor was totally blind and lived with him for a
few days. One night as he (the man) walked out into the hall and
noticed that the hall was totally dark and, he could hear his
guest at the end of the hall in the restroom but there was no
light on. Os he opened his mouth to call out where the switch was
and then quickly he caught himself. He is blind. He never turns
on the light. It was a strange sensation.
Here's the point: our his friend will never treat the darkness
as something strange until her eyes are opened. Darkness is here
native land. If his eyes were opened to know light she would turn
from darkness to light. And so it is in the spiritual realm.
Where there is spiritual blindness people are at home in the
darkness of sin. If you say, "Hey, turn on the light, you're
going to hurt yourself, they won't know what you are talking
about. First the eyes must be opened. Then they will turn and
walk in the light.
This is then the problem man is in darkness because he is
blind. He enjoys this life that he is living, it looks normal to
him. How can people live like this even if they see that they are
dying, why all this selfishness? It is the life of man.
That is not all; there is the third point about the problem of
man. He is not only blind, and in darkness. We have to ask why he
continues in this way. There comes now the third problem he is
under a certain power. Man is under the power of Satan. Man
continues in this way because there is a power working in him.
Therefore man is not free; man is born a slave, slave of his
sinful desires, but also slave to Satan. Do you still remember
the way Paul puts it? How he shows the relation between the
blindness of man and his darkness. There you have it in 2
Corinthians 4:4, man is as he is because the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,
should not dawn upon them.
What then can the church do with such a man; can she improve
the situation of man, by just telling him to behave? It cannot
work brothers and sisters. It is when you look at man as he is
revealed here that you will realize that something more is needed.
And thanks be to God, for there is a solution in the Gospel. What
does this Gospel do? It brings change to man.
- It Is By It That Man Is Changed
Can you see this wonderful change? This is what Christ is
saying here. Man is taken from one sphere to another one, from
blindness to seeing, from darkness to light, and from Satan to
God. Let me ask you something. What is it that brought us
together here today? How can we explain this mixture of colors
gathered here? There is only one answer, it is this Gospel. It is
the changed we have undergone. There is no way in which you can
explain this gathering except by this Gospel.
The only hope for this country, for our churches lies in this
Gospel. You can look this through out the entire Bible you will
realize that this is true. Look at the History of the Israelites.
What happened when they adhered to the word of God? They
prospered, things were in order. But what happened then when the
Prophets started to dream their own dreams, and to tell their own
stories, they experienced all this problems, we are facing.
Look at the world as it is, when was it that man enjoyed
really to be man? Was it through the flourish in education? It
only in the times of the Revivals as you read the history; it was
only when the Gospel was recovered again.
Maybe you are in a point of doubting, and you are wondering if
the Gospel can really do this? Indeed the Gospel does not have
power on its own. It is this Person that it testifies to, that
does all this things. Look at it again as Christ reveals it to
Paul. You will never miss that. It is Christ who is doing this.
He who came to set men free is doing this. This is all that he is
saying to Paul. I have appointed you to be my witness
I
will rescue you
I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting
He is not just someone sitting down, he is working, he is with
his church, that he could say that in persecuting his church,
Paul was persecuting him. For he is alive, he is the Lord. It is
him who changes the hearts of men and women by his Word and
Spirit. He does it all.
However he calls us to announce this Gospel, and we leave
everything to him. He does it. How much more should we pray for
this spread of the Gospel. That we should not rest in having two
or three missionaries, but that we may long to have the whole
world being full of them. To everyone this Gospel may be spread.
Make it your prayer; see it as a calling not only to me, but to
all who profess this Name of Christ. For it is in this that the
hope of man lies. Long that nothing else should be known except
only Christ.
This is what our world need. It needs a substantial healing
and a transformation of an entire individual, including the
intellect and social life. This is only found in this Gospel, it
is only found in Christ, our Savior. This is what happens when we
preach the word. I ask you then, not to be diverted from this,
pursue this, for in this lies our hope, and the hope of this
world. This leads me to our third point.
- It Is By It That Man Is Given Hope
The Gospel does not only analyze the problem of man. It deals
with it, it deals with man. What is the problem with all this
solutions that the world is offering? It is that it deals only
with the outer part of man. It deals only with the physical needs
of man. But this is not really the problem of man. Man is as he
is, because he does not have hope.
In his inner being man is empty. He is hopeless. Man has the
problem of guilt in him. He feels that he is guilty; he knows
that he is guilty; therefore he is trying to deal with his
problem. Is not this what you see? That man always wants to
belong somewhere, that he is afraid to be on his own, that he is
afraid to be face himself. How do you explain all this use of
drugs, and drunkenness? Is not that man is trying to have peace
with himself? He is out to do that, but this does not help, it
does not bring him joy, it cannot silence his conscious. Because
the big problem that man is facing is God, that is his problem.
Why is man afraid of death all this things?
It is because he knows that he must face God one day, and he
does not know how to do this. This is something happening inside
of him.
Then comes the Gospel, it tells him that there is hope. The
guilt of man has been dealt with. It has been dealt with in such
a way that man has never committed any sin in his life. That is
the end result of this Gospel. It gives man peace, it makes man
to face himself, and fell content.
This is what Christ is saying, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins. God has made a way, there is hope for man in
Christ, he did it all. So what we do is to announce this Good
News. We face man and tell him that there is no need to fear, you
can be certain of you future, only because of this man; Jesus
Christ. Come to him as you are, he will deal with you in a
complete way.
Then man starts to live a new life. It is a life of faith. It
is life in Christ. He becomes a member of those who are
sanctified, those who are devoted to Christ in faith. He is
placed in a new community. This is the approach of the Gospel to
the situation of man. I think from this we can agree that this is
what man needs; this is what our country needs. Therefore I ask
you; in what way are you involved in this. To what do you give
your time to? Let it be more on this Gospel.
Then if this is true, I would like to make a request, not only
for me, but also for all those who are called by God through his
church. That let it be your duty to put them before God. Pray for
us that we may proclaim this Gospel, that we may resolve to know
nothing except Christ crucified. Pray for us that we may preach
him faithfully, humbly and exemplary.
For it is when we do this that our world will receive true
healing. It is not in uplifting morals, and spreading the message
of good morals. It is in preaching Christ, and it is in him alone
that our world, and everyone will find the solution to his
problem, that he will be really changed, and be given a hope
eternal.
AMEN
Kopiereg word voorbehou.
Indien u die preek wil gebruik kontak asseblief ds J Mhlanga.
(kyk in preek)