Deeper Magic

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CrossPointe Community Church
P O Box 126
Chippewa Lake, OH 44215

CALL TO WORSHIP

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of His disciples. As He came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, He sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” He told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for Him to ride on. As He rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of Him. When He reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of His followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”

But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
Luke 19:28-40

SCRIPTURE

Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed His powerful arm?
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance,
nothing to attract us to Him.
He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses He carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed Him down.
And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for His own sins!
But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet He never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, He did not open his mouth.
Unjustly condemned, He was led away.
No one cared that He died without descendants,
that His life was cut short in midstream.
But He was struck down for the rebellion of my people.
He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone.
But He was buried like a criminal; He was put in a rich man’s grave.
But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush Him and cause Him grief.
Yet when His life is made an offering for sin, He will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in His hands.
When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied.
And because of His experience, my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.
I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because He exposed Himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Isaiah 53:1-12

Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with Him. When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on His right and one on His left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for His clothes by throwing dice. The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let Him save Himself if He is really God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering Him a drink of sour wine.” They called out to Him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

A sign was fastened above him with these words: “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember Me when you come into your Kingdom.”
And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
Luke 23:32-43

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given Me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.
Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about Me in the Scriptures.’”

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). Then He said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.
Hebrews 10:1-12

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2

SERMON

Deeper Magic

Randy K’Meyer

In C. S. Lewis’s book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, young Edmund found himself in a precarious predicament by allowing himself to be drawn to and become enslaved by the White Witch (representing sin and evil). When the Great Lion, Aslan, (Christ) came to rescue Edmund, the wicked witch reminded him of the ‘deep magic’ written on the Table of Stone: that she has a right to the blood of every sinner. But to the amazement of all, after Aslan had spoken to her privately, the White Witch let Edmund go.

Later that night, Aslan surrendered himself to the witch’s camp. They took him, shaved off his magnificent mane, ridiculed him, beat him, spat upon him, and tied him to the table of Stone. The witch drew near, whetted her knife, and plunged it into the lion’s heart. In the distance, Aslan’s friends, Edmund’s sisters, Lucy and Susan, cried and cried.

The next morning they came back to the site to recover his body. But to their great surprise, they found the Stone table broken in two, and the body of Aslan was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly they turned around and found him larger and more majestic looking than they had ever seen him before. They hugged him and kissed him, weeping for joy, then asked him, “But Aslan, what does this all mean?”

“It means that though the witch knew the ‘deep magic,’ there is a ‘deeper magic,’ which she did not know. Her knowledge only goes back to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and darkness before time dawned, she would have seen that when a willing victim
who had committed no treachery was killed as a substitute for a sinner death would start working backwards” (death giving way to life) ¹

Like Edmund, the human race is in a precarious predicament, for we too have been drawn into and enslaved by SIN. If we wish for death to start working backward for us, like Edmund, we need a substitute.

God has actually given us a glimpse back in time to enable us to see where the trouble all began for us.

It all started a long time ago in a place called the Garden of Eden; where for a while everything was hunky-dory between God and those He created. Until God said, “Don’t do that.”

To which they said to God, “Hey, don’t tell us what to do,” or something like that. By the way, do you know why Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden? Because they failed to read the Apple terms and conditions.

After they ate the forbidden fruit, the Bible says, “At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves” (Genesis 3:7).

Note that they tried to cover over (atone) for their guilt by making their own fig leave clothing. But when God saw their self-designer clothing line, “This will not do! The atoning for sin cannot be woven with human hands.” And for the first time paradise is marred as the Lord God took one of the animals He created, and before their eyes allowed the ground to drink up its blood. (Genesis 3:21)

Note also that the ones who did what God said not to, deserved to die for disobedience. But God, in His mercy and grace, allowed an innocent substitute to die in their place.

Though the first sacrifice for sin was rendered by the hand of God, from that time on, it became man’s responsibility to offer sacrifices that would cover over (atone) for sin. And the blood of the sacrifice spilled over the Hebrew altar day after day, year after year, century after century. Even as Isaiah, the prophet, began to talk about One who was coming who would bear the sin of many, who would be pierced through for our transgressions, who would be as a lamb led to slaughter. (Isaiah 53:5-7)

It continued to flow as John the Baptist one day saw Jesus and declared, “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

It was still running even as people shouted, “If you really are the Son of God, come down from the cross and save yourself” (Matthew 27:40).

Even as the One who hung there uttered those remarkable words, words that take our breath away, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Forgive them? How? By sacrificing another animal? Not according to the author of Hebrews who writes,

Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.
Hebrews 10:11-12

C. S. Lewis was, in his own clever way, trying to convince us that, like Edmund, we too have fallen prey to sin’s clutches.

Is there any hope for sinners like you and me? Absolutely! Christ is our hope, our only hope! Not Christ and a good family, not Christ and morality, not Christ and sincerity, not Christ and giving up your sins, not Christ and good works, not Christ and trying real hard, not Christ and baptism, not even Christ and the Church. Just Christ, period!

For He was the Lamb of God who substituted His life for ours when He died on the cross. And when we receive by faith what He offers, “death begins to work backward.” In other words, His death upon the cross secures eternal life for us. Or as we will sing later, “The mighty cross has become a tree of life to me.”

Has the cross become a tree of life for you? The choice is yours. The Bible is clear: “The wages of sin is death.” You can pay the penalty for your sinfulness if you wish to. Or, you can choose the sacrificial substitute, the Lamb of God, who has paid the price in full!

Toward the beginning of the Letter of the Hebrews the writer asks, “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation?” (2:3).

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man was watching for signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his study. He told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, the young man opened the box and was disappointed to find a leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angrily, he said, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” And he packed up all his belongings and left home.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family. As time went on, his heart softened and he thought perhaps he should see his father again. But before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s study and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. He picked it up and it fell open to a page where his father had carefully underlined a verse: Hebrews 10:12: “But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.” Under those words, was a key taped to a tag with the car dealer’s name. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words, “PAID IN FULL.” ²

The price has been paid in full. Have you accepted what Christ offers?

And now, we are ready to transition from the theological section of this message to the practical application.

According to Leon Morris in his book, The Atonement,

The New Testament Christians liked to use this imagery of sacrifice to bring out important aspects of the service they render God as their response to the great salvation God has brought about through the sacrifice of His Son. ³

Or as Paul wrote the Romans,

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.
Romans 12:1

There was a very dedicated Christian woman, who worked in an amazing way with the underprivileged people in London, England. Once she shared the story of how seeing another Christian’s faith not only led to her conversion but also, inspired her to live a life of sacrificial service. She was a Jew fleeing from the German Gestapo in France during WWII. She knew she was close to being caught and wanted to give up. She was being hidden in a home when a Christian widow who was a neighbor came by to warn her that she had to run as the Germans were on their way. This Jewish lady said, “It’s no use, I’m tired of running, they will eventually find me anyway.”
The Christian widow said, “Yes, they will find someone here tonight, but it won’t be you. Give me your identification papers and go now!”

Then the Jewish lady understood that this widow was willing to take her place as the fleeing Jewish woman. When she asked the Christian widow why she was willing to do that, she replied, “It is the least I can do for Jesus, who has already done that and more for me.”

That Christian widow was caught and imprisoned in the Jewish Lady’s place, and within six months she was dead. This Jewish lady never forgot that. In fact, she too accepted the sacrifice of Christ on her behalf and gave her life to Him.
She met God through the greatest love a person can give, personal self-sacrifice.
And then she began to live a Christian life of sacrifice, serving others, saying,
“That’s the least I can do, considering what great sacrifice Christ has made for me.”

Some of us hear stories like that and in our most sanctified moments think,
‘Oh, to give my life for Christ appears glorious, to pour myself out for others,
to pay the ultimate price; I’ll do it, I’m ready to go out in a blaze of glory!’

That would be like taking a $1000 bill (if there still was such a thing) and laying it on the table, “Here’s my life Lord, I’m giving it all.” But the reality for most of us is that He sends us to the bank and asks us to cash that $1000 bill in for quarters, 4,000 of them. For most of us go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there: listening to the neighbor’s troubles, instead of saying, “I’ve got a lot to do,” volunteering some time at our mid-week kid’s program, visiting with someone in the nursing home, sending a card, making a phone call, offering a prayer.

Don’t underestimate the power and effectiveness of those 25-cent acts of grace to change lives forever.

Several years back, there was a tiny Colorado church where a student minister was serving as a summer intern. Mrs. Rolf was known as the poorest person in that parish, but she was always present whenever the church doors were open. That’s why it was strange she was missing when they had a farewell party for that minister at the end of the summer. And stranger still when the next morning she wasn’t in attendance at worship to hear his farewell sermon.

So after services, that student minister drove out to her place. He just heard her answer his knock from inside and found her in bed. She apologized for being too sick to attend his last service. Then she told him she was glad he had come as she had a gift for him. Knowing her destitute condition, he said she didn’t have to give him anything. But she made him promise he would take it. She told him to run his hand along a certain shelf where he found a quarter. “You must take it, as it is all I have to give. Use it as you go back to seminary to prepare to be a minister.”

To this day he doesn’t remember what happened to that 25-cent piece. He only knows what happened to himself; that quarter bought a minister. For, more than 50 years later, he has never been able to shake off that godly woman’s sacrifice.

In a way, it would be easier to go out in a flash of glory, get it over with in one fell swoop, knowing that your story is going to make tomorrow’s headlines. It is much, much harder to live the sacrificial Christian life little by little, over the long haul, 25 cents at a time, but it’s worth it.

So on this Palm Sunday, we can thank God for the deeper magic: Jesus gave His life as a substitute for ours, and we can give ours for others one quarter at a time.

1 C. S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,
[New York, New York: Harper Collins Publishers, © 2004]

3 Sermon Illustrator, Man’s Desire, author unknown, June 11, 1997.
https://sermonillustrator.org/1997/06/11/mans-desire/