The Son’s Inheritance - June 24, 2012 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

          Some of my worse spankings I received as a child came because I was a bit too insolent.  For example, I remember dropping a potato chip on the ground while we were at a picnic.  I did what any 7 year old boy would do; I picked it up and ate it.  Dad, of course, scolded me.  But I reminded him that potato chips come from potatoes which, I reminded him, come from the ground.  And besides, wasn’t he the one who told me to eat the skin of my baked potato, and they grow . . . That was about as far as I got.  Then I got what I deserved.

  We all know that you don’t go around eating things that have fallen on the ground because of germs.  Germs are bad for us.  Germs are unhealthy.  We are supposed to be wary of germs; almost fear them.  And it seems that our fear doesn’t stop at germs.  Alarmists have given us lots of things to worry about; things to fear.  We are continually informed about things which hurt our health, our well-being, and our world.  We are told to be concerned about germs, about certain foods, and about certain chemicals in our food.  We worry about failing health and looking old.  Even Nature may, at any moment, unleash its fury against our peace and security.  Fear the ocean because of all the man-eating sharks.  We are afraid of killer asteroids and killer tornados.  Alarmists have made us worry about Global Warming (oh, I’m sorry, that’s now called “Climate Change”).  And if all these scary things were not enough, we now are told to be alarmed about population growth.  It seems there are too many people on this planet, and in order to make things better, we need to drastically reduce the earth’s population.

          About two weeks ago the United Nations met to discuss growing population trends, and called all the countries of the world to enforce more control.  Their fear is that at some point the earth will not be able to sustain such a large number of people.  These alarmists point to the fact that we humans are destroying the earth[1].  We are the earth’s greatest enemy.  This planet would be better off without us; at least that’s what some want us to believe.

          If this world was the result of chance then its existence hinges precariously in the balance.  Tip the scales too far, and the whole thing will come crashing down.  But if this world has a Creator, and if this Creator is watching over His creation, and if this Creator continues to have a vested interest in His creation, then the Creator is not about to allow His work to fall apart.

          In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he points out that this world was created through Jesus, by Jesus, and for Jesus.  And it is Jesus who holds all things together.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17).

          The Colossian Christians had begun to worship angels (Colossian 2:18), and this is part of the reason Paul points to Christ and said that He is above all things, even in the spiritual realm, and that all things were created by Him and for Him.  Borrowing an image from Old Testament literature, Paul says that the “Wisdom” which crafted the world was Jesus (I was the architect at his side - Proverbs 8:30).  Paul even echoes the words of John the Apostle; where John says that “God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him.” (John 1:3).  Paul wanted these Christians to put Jesus in His proper place of authority.  They needed to see that Jesus had a unique position over creation, and that He is the One who should be worshiped.

          I understand why Paul told these things to the Colossian Christians, but how does this affect you and me today?  We certainly don’t worship angels, do we?  What difference does it make for us to know that Jesus was the Master Workman of creation?  I tell you that it is extremely significant for Christians to know this and understand this.  Knowing that Jesus, the Lord who died upon the cross to save us, was the agent of creation and the reason for creation, our hearts should move from fear to trust.  Think about this: In the beginning Jesus was the agent of creation.  In the end we will find that this creation was for Jesus.  In other words, He is the Alpha and the Omega; the beginning and the end.  The reason we exist and the reason for all of creation is Jesus.  This world, this universe, and you and I are Christ’s inheritance.  “God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe” (Hebrews 1:2).  God’s certainly not going to promise Him something, only to let it slip away.  To give an inheritance, there must be something to give.  Paul also points out that between the beginning and the ending, Christ will sustain all things.  Jesus is in a place right now where he is holding all things together (He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command - Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus will not allow this world to fall apart until it is time.  And no force of nature, no power on earth, and nothing in the spiritual world will ever prevail against creation until that appointed time.  No prophecy of Nostradamus, no Mayan calendar, no asteroid from space will ever put an end to what Christ is holding together.  Not even Global Warming (oops! Climate Change) will bring about creation’s demise.  Christ will not allow this to happen to His creation until He is ready.  As a matter of fact, when the end does come, it will happen through Him.  He brought all of this into existence, and he will be the One to end this existence.

          Too often humanity forgets that Jesus is still the author of creation.  He notices even when a sparrow falls from the sky.  This is His world, not ours and not Satan’s (although Man gave Satan rule on this earth, the earth still belongs to Jesus).  And although humanity may not be living in fear of angels like the Colossian Christians, we are still a people who look nervously over our shoulder at the next thing which might spell our doom.

          Honestly I think we have misplaced fear.  We’ve become more afraid of the things that might kill us or make our lives more difficult.  We’ve become more afraid of running out of food or running out of money or running out of freedom than we have in fearing God.  But Christ commands “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:28-31). 

We place our hope in Jesus for our salvation in the life to come (when we die).  Can we not also place our trust in Jesus for our life today?  Have we forgotten that the One who holds us in His hand is the same One who is holding all things together (My Father, who has given them to Me,  is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. – John 10:29).

As the world panics all around us, I believe the Church has a responsibility to remain calm and assured amidst the chaos; amidst the stormy gale.  And I believe we can do this because the One who is holding all things together is the same One who said: For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?  “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?  “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  (Matthew 6:25-34)

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[1] See www.overpopulation.org June 14, 2012

Jahaziel–June, 20, 2012 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

A number of years ago Harry Chapin wrote a song entitled “Cats in the Cradle”. It tells the story of a new father.

“A child arrived just the other day,
He came to the world in the usual way.
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay.
He learned to walk while I was away.
And he was talking 'fore I knew it, and as he grew,
He'd say, "I'm gonna be like you, dad.
You know I'm gonna be like you."

The chorus went on to say,

“And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon,
Little boy blue and the man in the moon.

"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when,

But we'll get together then.

You know we'll have a good time then."

Eventually, as the song comes to a close, this father, who never had time for his son, finds out that the son now has no time for the father. And the song hauntingly laments,

“And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me,
He'd grown up just like me.
My boy was just like me.

When we talk about Father’s Day, most of us want to talk about the warm-fuzzy attributes of our fathers. We thank our dads for showing us how to face a problem, how to find joy in life, or how to find the career we have been looking for. But there are the other things we learn from our fathers, like stubbornness, a sharp and hurtful tongue, or the inability to say I Love You. In other words, it’s one thing to be known as the Son of Encouragement but something entirely different to be known as the Son of Thunder.

As Jesus was calling out the Twelve who would be His Apostles, notice what He has to say about James and John. ¹⁴ Then He appointed twelve of them and called them His apostles. They were to accompany Him, and He would send them out to preach, ¹⁵ giving them authority to cast out demons. ¹⁶ These are the twelve He chose: Simon (whom he named Peter), ¹⁷ James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”). (Mark 3:14-17) He called the sons of Zebedee “Sons of Thunder”. And they certainly lived up to their reputation. In Mark 9:38, ³⁸ John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using Your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” (Like, hey dude, this is our ministry!). Or in Mark chapter 10, ³⁷ They replied, “When You sit on Your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to You, one on Your right and the other on Your left.” (Jesus, we’d like the two corner offices). And look what they say in Luke 9 when some people reject Jesus. ⁵⁴ When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?” (Luke 9:54) I honestly believe these two were called “Sons of Thunder” because here is an example of the apple not falling far from the tree. Apparently the thundering temper and the assertiveness of Zebedee could be seen in both James and John.

When I look at this brief snapshot of James and John, I see two men who were possessive, controlling, and who thought they had Jesus all figured out. They knew what they knew, they knew others didn’t know, and they knew that they were right. I imagine the same could have been said about Zebedee.

Let’s contrast this with the story of a man named Jahaziel. He was such a man of noble character that even the King listened when he spoke (Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-19). It is significant that the whole assembly listened to the godly counsel of this man. And the fact that they did indicates that he was a man who could be trusted. Here was a man who was respected within the community. Here was a man whose word could be trusted. His reputation preceded him.

Did you happen to notice how the Chronicler traces Jahaziel’s heritage? He indicates that Jahaziel’s father was Zechariah. Well, Zechariah just happened to be one of the Levites Jehoshaphat sent out into the land to teach people the Laws of God (2 Chronicles 17:7). Jahaziel actually came from a long line of musicians who served at the Temple. They were part of the Praise Team. And I believe we are told these things for an important reason. Jahaziel’s character was formed by the godly influence of the men in his life. Contrast that with the character inherited by James and John.

I believe a father has a responsibility to pass along godliness to his children; that they understand what good and noble character looks like. I also believe that if a father will smother his child with affection, encouragement, and his blessing, he will fill his child with something no one else can. But if a father starves his child of these things when they are young, they will spend a lifetime looking for them in ways too horrible to imagine.

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the song “Cats in the Cradle”. I was spending the night at my cousin’s house. As the song came to a close, my cousin was unusually sober.  It seemed to me that he had a hole in his heart that had never been filled.

I doubt most fathers understand how deeply they impact their children. Most fathers simply raise their children the way they were raised. And if your father passed godliness and his blessing on to you (that he made you feel valued and important to him), that is a good thing. But I find too many fathers who speak the same hurtful and cruel words they heard as a child. I see too many fathers ignore their children; fathers who fail to impress godliness and holiness and righteousness upon little hearts. And if you starve your children of your blessing, you will create an empty hole in their life that they will never fill even into adult hood. And regret will fill your heart one day when you realize they’ve grown up just like you.

Firstborn of All Creation–June 10, 2012 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

Several years ago, during a community worship service, we did not sing the second verse of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. By the way, that’s the verse which mentions Jesus. And considering that there were people of different faiths participating in this service, I guess the leaders didn’t want to mention His offensive name. After all, one religious group has their beliefs about Jesus while the next believes something else. So rather than offend, it was apparently better to simply omit His name.

It seems that in today’s society the identity of Jesus is open to personal interpretation; a person can make up their own mind and develop their own theology of Jesus. After all, it seems no two people can completely agree on who Jesus really is. And honestly not much has changed. Even while He walked the earth, people were divided, just as He had said. Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! (Luke 12:51).

People have all kinds of opinions about Jesus. Some flatly deny that He was a real person (Atheists). Some think He was a god who looked like a man (Gnostics). Some think He was a man who became a god (this view is held by the Mormons). Some feel that He was simply another of God’s prophets; a man that grew up in Palestine who became God’s messenger (this view is held by some other religions, like the Muslims). Others agree that Jesus was divinely created (the virgin birth), and because of this He was a sinless man. The big change in His life came after He was baptized. Then, empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus began His ministry on earth. And as God’s sinless witness, the Father worked through Jesus to perform all those miracles. For example, God was the One who turned the water into wine and who fed the crowd of 5,000 (this view is held by some Christians). However, even this view diminishes who Jesus truly is. Jesus was most certainly more than a sinless man gifted by the Holy Spirit and empowered by God. He was and is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15).

One of the first things Paul points out is that Jesus Christ is neither Man deified nor God humanized. He was not a man who became like God or a god who looked like a man. He is far more than what some people have been trying to make Him. In Colossians 2:9, Paul will write “In Him dwelt the fullness of God”. In other words Jesus is fully God and God is fully Jesus. If a person wants to know what God is like they need merely to look at Jesus. “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father”! (John 14:9). He is “the exact representation of His (God’s) nature” (Hebrews 1:3). And if this claim is true, then what we have learned of God, we would expect to see lived in Jesus. There should be harmony in their words and deeds.

In the Old Testament we see God healing the sick, feeding the hungry, forgiving sin, and displaying power over creation. Don’t we see Jesus doing the same? Consider the Story of the paralyzed man found in Luke chapter 5. Jesus looks at this man and forgives his sins. After this, the religious leaders in that room exclaim “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!” (Luke 5:21). Actually, they were right. Only God can forgive someone’s sins. So Jesus, in order to prove that He was no mere man, turns to them and says, “I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” (Luke 5:24). To John the Baptist Jesus points out that “the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor” (Luke 7:22); a paraphrase of several Old Testament prophecies about the messiah (Isaiah 35:5–6; 26:19; 29:18–19; 61:1). Although some insist that Jesus never claimed to be God, truthfully He never left His identity open for debate.

As the second person of the trinity, Jesus possesses the same characteristics we see in God, yet they are contained in human flesh. Paul reminds us that “Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up his divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross”. (Philippians 2:6-8). Christ took on flesh, and chose to live according to the same limits you and I have. He grew weary. He got hungry and thirsty. He lived in a frail body that could be cut and wounded. He could bleed to death. But even thought His body was like yours and mine, that body contained the second person of the Trinity.

The second thing Paul points out is that Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation”. However, he doesn’t mean first in order as the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim, but first in authority or rank. The Greek word used here (prototokos) is not a noun, but an adjective. This early church hymn claims that Jesus was not created by God, but in fact existed with God before time even began. Even John the Apostle begins his gospel account reminding us of the same thing. “He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2).

If it’s true that Jesus actually existed before time began, just not as flesh and blood, then is it possible that people met Jesus before He became flesh? Actually they did. When you read in the Old Testament that a person encountered The Angel of the Lord, they were really seeing the pre-incarnate Christ; Jesus appeared to them in the image of a man before He became a man. Theologians call this Christophany or sometimes a Theophany; where The Angel of the Lord appeared on this earth.

Unlike a regular Angel, The Angel of the Lord acted with authority, made decisions, and gave direction. In contrast, a regular Angel is simply a messenger. And by the way, after the birth of Christ, there is no reference in the New Testament to The Angel of the Lord appearing to men and women. After the crucifixion, people mentioned seeing the risen Christ, not The Angel of the Lord. By then He had a name.

Paul reminds us first that Jesus is the exact representation of the invisible God. What we know of God we can see lived out in Jesus. And secondly he reminds us that not only has Jesus existed eternally with the Father, but that He has been given authority over all creation. Paul says that Jesus wasn’t “born”, but that He chose to limit Himself and live like one of us in a sinless mortal body. And what that means is that for 33 years God Himself walked this earth. God took on flesh and became like us. And because of this, the world has never been the same.

This doctrine of Christ was important in Paul’s time, and it’s just as important today. It is vitally important that we understand Just who Jesus really is. English pastor J. S. Baxter summarized this best when he said “Fundamentally, our Lord's message was Himself. He did not come merely to preach a Gospel; He himself is that Gospel. He did not come merely to give bread; He said, "I am the bread". He did not come merely to shed light; He said, "I am the light". He did not come merely to show the door; He said, "I am the door". He did not come merely to name a shepherd; He said, "I am the shepherd". He did not come merely to point the way; He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life".

Truthfully, Jesus never gave us the option of deciding for ourselves who we want Him to be. The character of Jesus is not open to personal preference or opinion. The only option He gave us was to either accept Him for who He is and be saved, or ignore Him and face judgment. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). Honestly, if Jesus was merely a good man filled with the Spirit and empowered by God, then I can understand why people get offended when Christians say “no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). But if He is truly God in the flesh, then His words, His commands, His teachings, and His death need to have absolute sway over our life.

No Other Name - June 3, 2012 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

          “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).  Those words were spoken by the Apostle Peter to a crowd of Jewish Priests.  It seems he and John got in trouble for healing a lame beggar, and these religious leaders wanted to know by what power or in whose name they performed this healing.  So Peter told them. The healing came through Jesus of Nazareth; the same Jesus these religious leaders had crucified, and the same Jesus God raised from the dead. 

I suspect these religious leaders didn’t like Peter’s answer, and I’m sure they didn’t appreciate his accusatory tone, but he did answer their question.  However, it’s this closing line that probably created the most trouble.  Had Peter not uttered those highly divisive words, he could have avoided a lot of anguish for himself and for the church.  Guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter adds those exclusive words – NO OTHER NAME.  Salvation cannot be found through anyone else.

          Peter’s words set the world on edge, and they became the foundational rock upon which the church was built.  Christianity is built upon the truth that Salvation can be found in Christ alone.  To gain access to God in the next life, everyone must go through Jesus.

          That’s a rather bold claim; one that continues to set the world on edge.  The world arches its back when Christian’s make this claim.  This claim divides, and sets Christianity apart from all other world religions.  It even seems to divide the Church.  A movement called Progressive Christianity questions whether Jesus truly is the “only way”.  They officially “Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.”  And yet Peter asserts that there is “no other name”.

          So, is this claim true?  Is Jesus really the only way to heaven?  If not, then He was a liar.  Either that or He was delusional, because He even said these things about Himself.  To Nicodemus Jesus says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”. (John3:16).  And to His apostles He says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me”. (John 14:6).  What kind of man would say such things?  Either Jesus was really who He said He was, or He was a madman.  We must choose one or the other.  There is no middle ground.  We cannot say that He was simply a good man; a man filled with the Holy Spirit who taught us how to be good, and how to love both God and one another.  Not even those who were alive when He walked the earth took this middle ground.  John points out that “a division occurred in the crowd because of Him.”  (John 7:43).  Either people believed Him, or they thought He was mad. 

          As Jesus walked on earth, people were constantly amazed at what they heard and what they saw.  The crowds were amazed at His teaching (Matthew 7:28).  His disciples were amazed when the wind and the waves obeyed Him (Matthew 8:27).  “What kind of man is this” they asked.  Even Peter’s eyes were opened one day.  Looking at the face of Jesus, Peter realized that it was no mere man standing before him.  Jesus was unlike any other man he had met before.  And in a moment Peter realized that this person standing before him, who looked like the son of a man, was the Son of God.  Peter falls at the feet of Jesus and pleads, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8b).

          Just as the world has been diminishing God to a size it can manage, so too is Jesus being reduced to nothing more than a spiritual man; a man filled with the Holy Spirit, who attempted to turn our eyes back to God.  Theologians, biblical scholars, and seminary professors have taken the Jesus we encounter in scripture and reduced Him to simply a deified man; a man who demonstrated god-like character.  This is why I believe the time has come to pursue a bigger Savior.

          What do you supposed caused Peter and John and Paul and all the other Apostles to remain steadfast and immovable on their claim that there is no other way?  It’s because they knew that Jesus was not a man deified nor was He God humanized.  They knew that there had never been anyone like Jesus, and there never would be anyone like Jesus ever again.  He was and is the only begotten of God.  And because of this, no other name would be sufficient to atone for man’s sin, and no other person could become the perfect sacrifice for man’s sin.  No other god took on flesh.  No other man was sinless.

          There is no other name by which we might be saved because there was no other “man” like Jesus.  “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ” says the Apostle Paul (Colossians 2:9).  In other words, what we have come to see and know of God, we also see lived out in Jesus.  And this truth became foundational to the new Church.

          The early Church believed this and taught this.  The Apostles endured torture and death rather than compromise on this truth.  They passed on what they had seen and heard.  And no threat from Jerusalem or from Rome could make them recant what they held to be true.  The early Church remained steadfast on this truth; the truth about Jesus, that He is the visible image of the invisible God.

          Considering the way Jesus is being diminished by our society and even within the Church at large, perhaps we should take some time pursuing a bigger Savior.  Maybe we could benefit today from a bigger view and a deeper understanding of who Jesus really is.  Perhaps we need to be reminded just as the Colossian Christians needed to be reminded.  Paul took the time to tell them the truth, then admonished them to stand firm in that truth.  So if Christians today need to stand firm in the truth about Jesus, perhaps we need to be reminded what that truth really is; the truth about Jesus Paul reveals in Colossians 1:15-23.  Read those verses, and in the next few weeks we will take a deeper look into the characteristics found in no other name.