Divine Initiative

Rom 5:8 But G-d commendeth his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.


THE DIVINE INITIATIVE 2CORINTHIANS 9:7-15; JOHN
15: 16-17 MAY 21, 2006 – MITZVAH DAY THOMAS H.
YORTY, WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

There are moments in life when we make choices
or some divine initiative in us, some power
greater than us helps us make a choice that
changes things for the good. Last week I read in
my alumni magazine how a Presbyterian minister,
a Methodist minister, a Catholic priest and a
rabbi – no this is not a joke – each gave their
life jackets to fellow soldiers in the first
seconds after the USS Dorchester was struck with
a torpedo from a German U-boat. Over 900 troops
were being transported to Europe on the
Dorchester. The year was 1942. For some reason
there weren’t enough life jackets. So the four
chaplains gave theirs to four men who didn’t
have any. The soldier, who received a life
jacket from the Presbyterian chaplain and
graduate of my alma mater, said that the four
chaplains, after giving away their jackets, went
about quieting the panic, helping men who were
“frozen” get into life boats, and were praying
for the safety of the others as they went down
with the ship. There are moments in life when we
make choices or some power greater than us helps
us make a choice that bridges the walls that
divide humans and changes things for the good.
That night on the Dorchester those four
chaplains made such a choice. And based on their
choice I submit to you that they were authentic
servants of a great God. Their selfless act that
fateful night inspired a ministry in
Philadelphia dedicated to people of all faiths;
several novels and documentaries; and a
foundation in Minnesota that honors those who
have risked their lives to protect others of a
different faith or race. What I love about that
story is if you think of 1942, it was another
world. Protestant, Catholic and Jew did not
mingle or talk much to one another in those
days. But these four transcended those barriers.
I’d like to talk today about the impulse in our
Christian faith to bridge the differences that
divide people. It is a subject worthy of our
consideration this Mitzvah Day when
congregations of three different faiths with
much current tension between themhave chosen to
work together for the common good. This is a
special day. And every time I tell someone from
out of town about Mitzvah Day, as I did recently
a classmate who is President of the United
Church of Christ in Massachusetts, they say how
remarkable this ministry is and how they wish
their community had a Mitzvah Day. Today’s
reading from 2 Corinthians picks up the theme of
breaking down the dividing walls and cooperating
for the good of the whole. St. Paul writing to
the church in Corinth was asking them to give
money to an emergency relief fund he was
collecting for poor Jewish Christians in
Jerusalem.The significance of the fund is that
it was given by Gentile Christians for Jewish
Christians—two groups much at odds in the early
church.


If you want to read the entire text go to:
http://www.westminster-bflo.org/sermonrepository/2006/may2106.pdf.


For today, I'd like to look at the first line in the passage above:


"There are moments in life when we make choices
or some divine initiative in us, some power
greater than us helps us make a choice that
changes things for the good."

Except that I want to change the last words in that sentence to -
...a choice that changes things forever. There is no way that I know of
to measure the significance of choices that we make.


This is salvation. It is illustrated in the story above clearly. Some will die unless they are given something that they need. In the illustration, those who are perishing know exactly what they need for survival. The need is not always so obvious. Until we take a look at scripture. Then we see what we need and why we need it. We see sinners in need of a saviour, and we see the Divine Initiative. Our creator has provided all that we need for salvation.


It begins in Eden with Adam, and the fall of
man. And it ends at the empty tomb, with the resurrection of Christ. These are the two pivotal events of human history. Personal history pivots at the moment of conversion. All of these events are motivated by Divine Initiative. Here is what scripture has to say:


Gen 3:11 And he said, Who gave you the knowledge
that you were without clothing? Have you taken
of the fruit of the tree which I said you were
not to take?


Gen 3:23 So the Lord G-d sent him out of the
garden of Eden to be a worker on the earth from
which he was taken.


This passage describes the fall of man and the entrance of original sin. Adam did what he had been told not to do, even though he knew that the penalty was death. He was forced to leave Eden, and enter into a world of pain as a
consequence of sin. Everything about Adam's world changed in an instant.


Look around. If you can't see the effect of sin in the world, you must be smokin' crack. There is pain, death, war and on and on.


Even though, in this world, there is no way to avoid the consequence of original sin, salvation provides an escape from the eternal penalty of sin. Look at the quote below:


Ro 5:12 For this reason, as through one man sin
came into the world, and death because of sin,
and so death came to all men, because all have
done evil:

13 Because, till the law came, sin was in
existence, but sin is not put to the account of
anyone when there is no law to be broken.


14 But still death had power from Adam till
Moses, even over those who had not done wrong
like Adam, who is a picture of him who was to
come.


15 But the free giving of G-d is not like the
wrongdoing of man. For if, by the wrongdoing of
one man death came to numbers of men, much more
did the grace of G-d, and the free giving by the
grace of one man, Jesus Christ, come to men.


16 And the free giving has not the same effect
as the sin of one: for the effect of one man's
sin was punishment by the decision of G-d, but
the free giving had power to give righteousness
to wrongdoers in great number.


17 For, if by the wrongdoing of one, death was
ruling through the one, much more will those to
whom has come the wealth of grace and the giving
of righteousness, be ruling in life through the
one, even Jesus Christ.


18 So then, as the effect of one act of
wrongdoing was that punishment came on all men,
even so the effect of one act of righteousness
was righteousness of life for all men.


This is the Divine Initiative. We were dead in sin, by our relationship to Adam. But through the work of Christ, who paid the penalty for sin on the cross, we find salvation through faith. There is nothing that we can DO.


Christ did everything for us. Look at this:


Eph 2:4 But G-d, being full of mercy, through
the great love which he had for us,


5 Even when we were dead through our sins, gave
us life together with Christ (by grace you have
salvation),


6 So that we came back from death with him, and
are seated with him in the heavens, in Christ
Jesus;


7 That in the time to come he might make clear
the full wealth of his grace in his mercy to us
in Christ Jesus:


8 Because by grace you have salvation through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is given
by G-d:


9 Not by works, so that no man may take glory to
himself.


We have the offer of a free ticket on the Jesus Bus. Although it's not really free -- it was paid for by Jesus dying on the cross. The price is paid, a price so high that we could never pay it on our own. It was paid by Divine Intitiative.