The Mystery Revealed–July 22, 2012 Sermon

 

By Pastor Greg

A minister dies and is waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him is a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket, and jeans. Saint Peter says to this guy, "Who are you, so that I may know whether to admit you to the Kingdom of Heaven?" The guy replies, "I'm Joe Cohen, taxi driver, of Noo Yawk City." Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, "Take this silken robe and golden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." The taxi driver goes into Heaven with his robe and staff, and it's the minister's turn. He stands erect and booms out, "I am Joseph Snow, pastor of Saint Mary's for the last 43 years." Saint Peter consults his list. He says to the minister, "Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." "Just a minute!" says the minister. "That man was a taxi driver, and he gets a silken robe and golden staff. How can this be?" "Up here, we work by results," says Saint Peter. "While you preached, people slept. While he drove, people prayed."

Interesting point; a point I think the Church sometimes misses. God is not just looking for faith, but works as well.

As we’ve been reading the opening chapter of Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church, its apparent these people had heard of Jesus, had been presented with the Gospel message (that in Christ they will find life), had confessed their sin, and called Jesus Lord. But it seems they had taken that relationship and simply grown inward. I get the impression that they were more interested in figuring out who Jesus is rather than doing anything with this new-found knowledge. This is why Paul reminds them how a believer should respond to their new relationship with Christ.

“²⁵ God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you. ²⁶ This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. ²⁷ For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory. ²⁸ So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. ²⁹ That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.” (Colossians 1:25-29).

These Colossian Christians had been led astray by the notion that a mystery was some secret teaching that would be known only to an exclusive group of people. And they felt this secret knowledge set them apart from the rest of the world. So Paul attempts to correct that belief. Sure, the idea of the Church had been unknown in Old Testament times, but God revealed His plan through Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus didn’t come exclusively for the Jews. He didn’t re-establish them as the dominant political power in the world. Jesus came to set captives free; to offer His life as a ransom for many. But somehow the same selfishness that plagued the first Jewish followers of Christ was now plaguing these Gentile believers; that Jesus was their own personal Messiah.

Look closely at what Paul says in this section. After presenting a bigger Messiah to these Christians, he points out that he (Paul) had been called by God with the task of proclaiming the Word of God, and that he was to preach God’s plan of salvation (verse 25). God had not revealed this plan in the past, but now His plan has been made known, and it is being revealed through the teachings of the Apostles (verse 26). God has finally revealed that His plan all along was to offer redemption to not only Jews but to Gentiles as well. God provided Jesus to be a ransom for all people (verse 27).

When this mystery was first revealed to the Apostles, it was shocking. Keep in mind that at first the Church was almost entirely Jewish. But when Gentiles (non-Jews) were coming to God through faith in Jesus, these Jewish Christians were shocked. They had figured this offer of salvation was made only to the Jewish community. This is why God had to intervene; why He had to reveal even more of His mysterious plan. After the message of Jesus began to spread outside of Israel, Gentiles, who had never once followed the Old Testament Laws, were becoming believers. And God authenticated their faith by giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:44-48).

It seems God had to intervene so the Jewish Christians would understand that His plan of redemption belonged to both Jew and Gentile. The message of salvation was not exclusively for Jewish ears. Well, just as the Jews needed to get a bigger view of God’s plan, so too did these Colossian Christians. And Paul reminds them that believers have a responsibility to tell others about Jesus as well. He needed to remind them that a Christian’s responsibility is not to keep the message of Jesus a mystery, but to reveal it to all people. But for some reason the Colossians felt the Church was a select group filled with special knowledge. Notice the emphasis he makes in verses 28 and 29. Paul says a believer must labor to tell others about Jesus so that all will hear. And all who respond will find freedom and restoration in Christ.

The wake-up call for the first group of Jewish believers was that Christ did not just die for them. He came so that all might believe and find life. And in pursuit of a bigger Messiah this early Church needed to understand this. Jesus was not just their own personal Savior. He did not come so a select few of the enlightened might find life. He came to offer His life as a ransom for all who will believe. This was a lesson the Jewish Christians needed to learn, and apparently the Colossian Christians needed to learn. And I’m wondering if this is a lesson today’s Church needs to learn as well.

Like the woman at the well who knew that Jews separated themselves from Samaritans (John 4:9), It seems the world has the notion that the Church stands between them and God; holding some secret key that is reserved for only good people. I get that impression because I have met far too many people who believe they are beyond hope. I meet so many people who believe their lives are beyond redemption; that Jesus would never forgive the things they have done. And I wonder what role the Church has played in promoting that lie. In our own self-righteous piety, have we told the world to stay away? Do we expect lost sinners to clean up their act before they come to Christ or come to church? At some point in our pursuit of a bigger Messiah, will we need to change our view of who Jesus came to save?

If the people of this world feel it is beyond the Savior’s ability to forgive their sin, is it because we, the Church, have led them to believe this? If we have, then perhaps we do not fully understand the mystery of God, and God’s plan of redemption is not being revealed by the Church.

Like the Jewish Christians and the Colossian Christians, we need to realize that Jesus died for everyone, not just a select group of people. Today’s Church needs to stop being so selfish with Jesus and His offer of redemption to everyone and anyone. Jesus did not offer eternal life only to Americans. His offer of salvation is not limited to tax-paying conservative Republicans. Today the Church needs to realize that Jesus came to offer salvation to those who grew up in a church and those who did not; to grant eternal life to anyone who repents of their sin, even the adulterer, the liar, the homosexual, the child-molester, and any other crime or sin we might believe separates someone from God. No one is beyond the grace of God that is found in Christ the Lord.

Sometimes, like these Colossian Christians, we become so self-focused. We fix our eyes on Jesus and never imagine that His eyes might be fixed on someone else. When our eyes and hearts are opened to who Jesus is, what he has created, and what He has done (canceling the debt of sin held against us), we think “Wow, Jesus did this for me!” But we, the redeemed, need to keep in mind that He did this for our neighbor as well. And that neighbor just might be a Samaritan.

The Great Reconciler - July 15, 2012 Sermon

 

By Pastor Greg

A five-year-old boy squealed with delight when he opened his birthday present from his grandmother. It was a water pistol. He promptly ran to the sink to fill it.  "Mom," exclaimed the boy’s mother. "I'm surprised at you. Don't you remember how we used to drive you crazy with water pistols?" The grandmother smiled and said, "Yes, I remember."

Kids, I’ve got a bit of shocking news for you. Your parents were not perfect little angels. They got into trouble as well. Actually, come to think of it, even your grandparents were not absolutely perfect when they were children. And I know this is surprising news. It surprised me as I learned of my own father’s childish pranks, like putting a bag full of skunks on someone’s front porch. And in shock I exclaim “DAD! How could you?”, but in reality wishing I’d thought of it first. We are shocked because we just assume that everyone else was born good; we are the only ones who are bad. But that simply is not true.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. (Romans 3:23). And yes, that applies to both young and old. When Paul says “all”, he means “everyone”; mother, son, and grandma. But when Paul says “all have sinned”, doesn’t it make you wonder just which sins have separated us from God? In what ways have we fallen short of God’s glorious standard? Was it the lies we told as a child, or greed, lust and idolatry that stand between us and God? I mean, it would sure help if we knew which sins have caused us to be separated from God. Well, here’s the deal. I can give you the short list, but I don’t think you’re going to like the answer.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossian Christians he has continued to elevate Christ; he has presented a Messiah bigger than they had imagined. Jesus IS God. He is God contained in flesh and blood. And what all of this means is that because Jesus is God, He is able to do what no mere man could ever do; reconcile lost sinners to a Holy God. “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:19-20).

Please don’t miss this. Paul says we need to be reconciled, not just forgiven. But forgiven is what we are so often taught. We are often given a long list of sins that separate us from God. Now, I will admit that God has called us to live a life which reflects His holiness, but cleaning up our act will not free us from bondage. We could be the nicest, most pleasant person on the block yet still live un-reconciled to God. Being good does not save us, does it? Knowing we are bad doesn’t save us either. That’s because it is not our deeds that have driven a wedge between us and God; it is simply who we are.

I know we like to make a list of things (sins) that keep us apart from God, but in reality it is not a long list at all. Here’s the short list: the reason “all have sinned” is because we “all have been born”. We have all been born into slavery; separated from God because of our fallen human nature.

We are not free people. We are slaves to our human nature. And sadly, many people think that to be Christian is to either stop doing bad things and start doing good things, or at least get Jesus to forgive the bad things we do. Many people picture Jesus as the Man with the huge bank account who pays the traffic cop every time they get caught speeding. Of course, those who hardly ever speed don’t need Jesus as much as those with a heavy foot. But when we start thinking this way, we end up like Simon the Pharisee; comparing our goodness with another person’s sinfulness, and thinking we are so much better because we only sin a little (Read Luke 7:40-47).

Simon had been forgiven little because he wrongly assumed his debt was small, especially when compared to the sinful woman in the room. What did not occur to Simon was that no matter how good he might be he was still held captive by sin. His life was still under the curse of sin. And it is this same curse that everyone has inherited; every person who has lived, every person who is living now, and every person who is yet to be born. We are born cursed by sin, and if you want proof that we are under sin’s curse, just visit a cemetery some time.

“Once you were separated from God. The evil things you did showed your hostile attitude. But now Christ has brought you back to God by dying in his physical body. He did this so that you could come into God’s presence without sin, fault, or blame”. (Colossians 1:21-22). Notice what Paul says.  He says the evil things we did showed our hostility to God.  The sins we commit are a demonstration of our sinfulness.  That’s why Jesus isn’t looking for people who keep a long list of “do’s” and “don’ts”. He is looking for sinful people who know they are in bondage. Keeping a long list of good commands will not save anyone. Growing up in church does nothing to set a person free. A person can attend church all their life yet still live in bondage. The only way to find freedom is to realize you are held captive by sin (which is a reality for all of us because of death), and to realize that freedom is found in Christ alone. Salvation comes by faith in the Man God sent to be our ransom; the only Man who could take the charges against us and nail them on the cross.

No one is born into freedom. All are born into slavery. We are born into sinfulness. It’s not what we have done that makes us slaves, but who we are. Actually those lies, the greed, lust, and every other sin we commit are signs of our sinfulness. And by committing these things we testify that we are fallen creatures; men and women and children held captive by the great deceiver who wants us to believe that we are free. But Paul insists that we are not. He implies that the relationship between God and humanity has been broken, and Christ came to offer His life as the ransom for many. It was Jesus who “erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them [through the cross]” (Colossians 2:14-15). This is why there is nothing I can possibly do to free myself from the bonds of sin. I can be a really good slave, but I’m still a slave. I need forgiven for my wicked sins, but I also need to be freed from the sinfulness that holds me captive. This is why I need a Savior, why we all need a Savior to redeem us from captivity. We need someone whose life is of infinite value, and is able to pay the debt and make us free.

Firstborn From the Dead - July 1, 2012 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

Johnny was coming home from church one Sunday morning with his mother. His mother noticed he had a serious look on his face. "What's on your mind, Johnny?" she asked. "Is it true what the preacher said about us all coming from dust and turning back to dust?" "Why, yes, it is, Johnny," she said. "Why do you ask?" "Well, when we get home," he answered, "You better look under my bed, because someone's either comin' or goin!"

Some of the most fragile times in our lives are the coming and the going. But coming doesn’t seem to be as traumatic as the going. It seems few of us remember the coming. But we certainly are concerned about the going. Recently someone said they don’t worry about being dead; it’s the process of dying they’re not too fond of. However, birth and death are not the only stages we will face in our existence. For the redeemed, there is another.

To the Colossian Christians, Paul writes “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:18). As Paul continues to lift up Christ to the Colossian Christians, he reminds them that Jesus is the head of the Church and that He is Firstborn of the dead; indicating that there is yet another step in store for those who call Jesus Lord. Men and women and children who have been ransomed from the fire owe their life to Jesus. By accepting Jesus as Savior, the Church (those who are “Born Again”) have been granted eternal life (John 3:16).

Jesus speaks to Nicodemus about being born of the Spirit (John 3:6). And being born of the Spirit speaks of a moment when we become filled with God the Spirit because of our belief in God the Son. And God the Spirit accomplishes many things in our lives while we live here on earth; for example, gifting us for ministry, helping us connect to God, and convicting us of sin. We call this being "Born again". But according to Paul there is another rebirth as well; a lesson the Colossian Christians needed to hear.

Remember their fixation on angels and spirits (Colossians 2:18). The great false teaching at this point in history was that the physical world was wicked and sinful, but the spiritual world was good and pure (called Gnosticism). This is why Paul speaks often about the physical body in which Christ lived (For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body - Colossians 2:9). Trying to correct a common-held misunderstanding, Paul points out that the greatest thing God the Father can do for us is not to kill the body so the spirit can be freed from sin, but to give humanity the gift of the resurrection; and Jesus is the “Firstborn of the Dead”; the first of many who will one day be reborn from the dead.

Gnosticism taught that death freed the spirit; and when free, a person would live eternally as a spirit no longer confined in a sinful, physical body. Yet the Gospel writers all point out that Jesus rose again with a body. He could be touched. He could eat. He could be seen. And Paul says that the resurrected Jesus is just the beginning. As the head of the church, Jesus has become the first of many who will be resurrected.

Resurrection is different than being brought back to life. The truth is we do not die. We continue to live even though the body in which we live dies. So when Christ talks about the resurrection, He isn’t taking about the reanimation of our bodies (like Lazarus, for example), but recreating something new; something like the old, but not the same. We see this in the resurrected Jesus. His new body was like the old, but so much more. It was similar, but not the same.

In pursuit of a bigger Messiah, Paul reminds us that Jesus is not just Lord over life and Lord over creation, but He is also Lord over death. And as Lord (head), He will take the Church with Him. This is what Paul means when he says that Christ is the Head; the Firstborn from the dead. He implies that others will follow; meaning The Church. Just as He holds all things together in this life, so too will He hold all things together in the next.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-56. There, Paul mentions that one day death will be overcome. But how can there be victory if only our spirits live? They are already eternal. Death has laid claim to the physical, so victory over death can only be claimed when it becomes a physical victory; which is exactly what Jesus accomplished by leaving death behind and walking out of the grave. Death is defeated not just spiritually but physically as well. Paul stresses quite clearly that even though our present bodies may pass away, a new immortal body will be given to all who call Jesus Lord. “These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever”.

Christ does what no other could; He rises from the dead so that the church might also rise to life. Christ does what none other has. He leaves behind an empty grave. And the best part of this is that you and I are already halfway there. We have won half of this victory by being born of the Spirit. Total victory over sin & death will one day be ours when mortality puts on immortality. For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. ² We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. ³ For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies (2 Corinthians 5:1-3).

Without the resurrection of Jesus there would be no resurrection. If Christ had not been flesh and blood, there would be no physical resurrection, only a spiritual release from creation. But since Jesus is Lord of Creation and Lord over Creation, and since Jesus will receive a glorified creation as an inheritance, then there must be more than simply a “spiritual” world up there somewhere; a place where we exist as angelic creatures with wings and halo’s over our head. If Jesus is the “First fruits” of the resurrection, then it seems to make sense that what He has become, we will become as well.

It is not ashes and dust that awaits us. Our future is not one where we become angel-like waiting to win our wings, but a future where we become like Christ; for He is the head, the firstborn from the dead. On that day when we are reborn we will not become angels, but we will receive our resurrection gift; a glorified body that shall never die. And as the Bride (the Church) is given to Christ, the angels will stand back and sing praises to what God the Son has done; that through Him and by Him and For Him all Creation is glorified.