Failing the Test
This week I went for my truck licence so I can drive a fire truck for the Jamberoo Rural Fire Brigade.
Everything was going really well until I turned left at a set of traffic lights and cut the corner a tiny bit… but just enough for the rear tyre to briefly mount the curb.
‘Bump’… FAIL!
Even though I’d done a good job of the rest of the test, that one, small, ‘bump’ meant I failed the test.
No matter how I went in the other scores, I just needed one little mistake in the ‘fail’ list, and it’s a long, sad trip home.
In many ways, this is what it’s like with God’s judgement.
All we need is one ‘fail item’ in our life-long test, and then God, the instructor, will put a big cross in the box next to the sentence ‘SORRY! YOU DID NOT QUALIFY’.
And the problem is that any one time that we live like Jesus is not our king, then this single ‘sin’ is enough to rightly disqualify us from eternal life.
As we read in Romans chapter 3 verse 23: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
It all sounds pretty hopeless!
But here’s the wonderful news that the Bible says straight after in verse 24: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
“Grace… freely… freed…”
Even though all of us have failed the test of life, God now makes us right in his sight… passing the test for us, and giving us certainty for eternity if we turn and serve Jesus as our loving ruler.
But even though Jesus has given me a ‘pass’ to heaven, I’ve still got to do that driving test again in three weeks!
JODIE McNEILL
Coming up this weekend 27-28 February
This weekend Jodie McNeill will be continuing our series on 1 Kings ‘Power and Hope’ as we look through chapters five and six.
If you have any questions, simply fill out a response slip during the service, email us at office@jamberooanglican.com or send an SMS to 0439 890 086.
Here are the questions that Jodie plans to answer this weekend. If your question isn’t here, then don’t worry… we’ll try and fit it in over the coming weeks!
1 Why did Bathsheba say, “may my Lord King David live forever!”, when he was about to die?
2 Why didn’t King Solomon show mercy to his brother-in-law?
3 Did God’s promises justify the murders by King Solomon when he first became king?
4 What do you think about capital punishment?
5 When someone says, “surely as the Lord lives” (1 Kings 2:24), do they think that God can die?
6 Why did Jesus tell people he healed not to share the news of their healing with others?
7 Was God happy for Solomon to have so many wives?
8 Is it right for a Christian to marry a non-Christian?
9 Is it wrong for Christians to read and believe in star signs?
10 Does a person need to have a true faith in God to possess godly wisdom?
Join us this Saturday at 5pm where after church at 7pm we’re having a pizza party birthday bash for Jodie & Mandy!
Or join us Sunday at 9am where we’ll gather for church, and then after will have fellowship over morning tea and tasty espresso!
We have kids programs at both of our services! Join us for ‘Joeys’ (toddlers through to preschool), ‘Junior Roos’ (for school years K to 2), and ‘Senior Roos’ (for school years 3 to 6). Our service is live streamed to the TV in the hall so if you need to stay with your child, you won’t miss out on God’s word.
If you can’t make it in person, head to watch.jamberooanglican.com to watch our livestream. To catch up on previous sermons, head to our Youtube channel youtube.jamberooanglican.com.
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