Love is salvation in the present moment.

May 12, 2013 Evening:

Title: The Inauguration of the Age of Salvation

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 85:10 – Righteousness and peace kiss each other

Gospel Passage: John 15:5 – I am the vine

Sermon Text: Heb 2:3b – It was declared at first by the Lord

Sermon Point: The great salvation for which the Old Testament prepared us was declared in word and deed by the Lord Himself

… It was declared at first by the Lord,

We have such a great salvation. It is far beyond any gift that could have come to us through the Law.

The law showed us our own disobedience. Because of sin, we did not have peace with God.

We would be satisfied with a system of peace with God that ignored the Law and our sinfulness, gave us the blessings that we desire, and left us without a true relationship of love from God. God would not be satisfied with that.

The salvation that He has agreed to is one where righteousness and peace kiss. What is righteousness? It is obedience to all the commands of God. That includes what we ought to be doing and not only what we should not be doing. The Lord demands perfect righteousness, and we have none of that.

Jesus is all perfect righteousness. But He is more than that. He is love in person, and we are His beloved. In Him, and especially in His death on the cross as our Redeemer, righteousness and peace kiss.

He has become for us the vine of righteousness and peace with God. He is the Source of all love, and through Him, love comes not only to us, but it goes through us to others.

Love is salvation in the present moment.

Love was first declared by the Lord. He declared love in His own obedience. He declared love in His miracles and in His powerful teaching ministry to His disciples. He especially declared love to us in His solitary death for sinners. But the cross was not the end of love.

The power of His love has been shown forth to us in His resurrection. Why did Jesus bother to meet His disciples after the resurrection? Why did He not simply go home to the Father and save His disciples from afar? He loved them. He met two of them on the road to Emmaus. He met Thomas in His doubt and unbelief. He met Mary Magdalene at the grave and called her by name. He met Peter and the others at an amazing breakfast by the sea. He had a purpose in each of these meetings.

He knows us too. He called us and gifted us individually, and He sends us forth in love together as those who are united with Him. But we are loved also in the record of His love for those who were with Him after He rose from the dead. We are loved in His announcement of salvation to them. Their salvation is our salvation as well. That salvation is experienced even now through His Word of divine love.