“Restart”

This is the seventh and final sermon in the Beginnings series, preached for Emmanuel Reformed Church, in Springfield, SD, on Sunday, March 3, 2019.

Noah’s story shows us that God takes sin seriously, because sin has so ruined what we were meant to be: holy and good, wired for love and connection. Because sin is the problem, God dealt with sin, washing it away.

Noah’s story also shows us that God’s loving-kindness perseveres, conquering sin and binding us to Him. The flood washed sin away temporarily, as did the animal sacrifices that followed for generations. But the new covenant in Jesus’ blood, poured out “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28), endures.

As you’ve listened to these sermons, if God has been speaking to you, inviting you to return to Him and begin again with Him, please don’t ignore Him. Let today be your restart, your new beginning with God through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. He has removed your sin in the death of His Son Jesus, and just as Jesus rose again to new life, so can you. And know that we would love to come alongside you as a church family, to encourage you and run alongside you “the race that is set before us,”

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2, ESV

Amen!