KNOWING CHRIST
PHILIPPAINS 3: 8-11
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
In the name of Jesus:
A few years ago there was a true story about a man in New York City who was kidnapped. His kidnappers called his wife and asked for $100,000 ransom. She talked them down to $30,000.
The story had a happy ending: the man returned home unharmed, the money was recovered, and the kidnappers were caught and sent to jail. But, don't you wonder what happened when the man got home and found that his wife got him back for a discount? The writer of this story imagined out loud what the negotiations must have been like: "$100,000 for that old guy? You have got to be crazy. Just look at him! Look at that gut! You want $100,000 for that? You've got to be kidding. Give me a break here. $30,000 is my top offer."
Now I imagine that there are some of you who can relate to this story. I can, in that I would hope that my wife would pay top dollar to get me back, but perhaps she might seek to use a coupon! Seriously, though, I think that each of us would hope and think that if we were in a similar situation, that the ones we love would spare no expense to get us back. They wouldn't haggle over the price. They wouldn't say, 'Well, let me think about it.' I like to think that they would say, 'We'll do anything for you.'"
Well, this is exactly what Paul says that God has said and done for you! You see, the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Each of us, from birth, has been disconnected to God and from God. Martin Luther put it this way: we are in bondage to sin and we can’t free ourselves. And it is true, look around and that is why you see sin rearing its head in many forms: in hatred, prejudice, gossip, sickness, and death, just to name a few symptoms of this sickness that we all have. And this sin sickness ends in death, ultimately. We all die. That is our end. We can deny it, but we can’t escape it. We can think that it won’t happen to us, but it will. God says that the soul that sins will most certainly die. We die because we are sinful, we are sinners. We are alienated from God, and we need God’s help!
And help is what we have! Listen to the Word of God through the pen of Paul: “, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” that is to say, we have been made right with God and this is not of our own doing. This right standing with God is given as a free gift of His love. The human race is fallen race. We have fallen and we cannot right ourselves, we cannot pick ourselves up. But God can. And He has. He came down from heaven in the person of His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, has become our Substitute in life and death. In life, Jesus lived the perfect life and kept God’s Ten Commandments because we can’t. It then pleased God to offer up His only Son in death so that by the shed blood of Jesus Christ sinners would be forgiven. Mankind has been bought with a price, not with money, but with the blood of Jesus. We were not God’s people at birth because of our sinfulness, but He has made us His people by the blood of Jesus. We deserve God’s wrath and punishment, but we have received God’s mercy and love in Christ. You have been saved, as a free gift of God in Jesus Christ.
Salvation, what a wonderful gift, to know for certain, that you will be with the Lord, and with all who are the Lord’s, on that Last Day. On that Last Day, the Bible says that there will be a resurrection, that is, the dead will come to life again. To those who have believed in Christ in this life, theirs will be eternal life with Christ. To those who have rejected God’s offer of grace, they will die eternally.
Now I would like you consider, for a moment, the possibility of living forever, of being in heavenly bliss forever. It is difficult to imagine that in this lie, after all, we are confined by space and time. Our lives are limited, our knowledge, even time here on earth is limited. The old saying that all good things must come to an end is true. Our lives will end; the question is where will you spend eternity? If you could spend an eternity without pain, without stress, no fears, no worries, no sickness and death, hey that sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it? That is the offer God has for you and the world we live in. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. This life is yours in Christ. To know Christ, which is to believe in Him, accepts God’s offer of forgiveness, life and salvation. This is what Paul means in our text: “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” It is possible to live forever, and God makes this possibility a reality for all who believe in Jesus.
Let me be frank and a little bit personal here, if I may. The Davidson family knows the realities of life. Being a pastor and minister’s family doesn’t make us immune. We have our share of burdens. Last summer I flew to Florida to be with my dad as he died. I don’t share this with you for pity. I don’t want your pity; I just want you to understand that we live in a fallen world. Sin affects us all. Family and friends get sick, and will eventually die. Our comfort and hope is in knowing and believing in Christ. You see, I know that I will see my sainted mom and dad again, because they knew Christ and believed in Him. And we know as a family that when our loved ones die in the Lord that we will see them again, only in glory, perfected by Christ in the resurrection, because they in this life knew Jesus and believed in Him as their Lord and Savior.
Speaking for myself and for the members of Redeemer, I want, we want, you to have that assurance as well. This is why we have a pre school program, to tell little children about Jesus so that they will know and believe in Him. That is why we support and are active in mission work, simply to tell others about Jesus so that by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus, many more will be saved. That is why we are here today, to tell you about Jesus, so that you will know Jesus and His love, His help for you in time of need, His peace, His forgiveness, His assurance of eternal life.
And so this is why we invite you to believe in Christ. We can’t force you to believe, only offer and ask you to believe. We don’t try to coerce you only invite you to believe in Jesus. Jesus never once forced people to follow Him, but He always invited. That is why He says: I stand at the door and knock. Jesus knocks and asks you to believe and follow Him, so that by knowing and believing in Him, you will have eternal life. My greatest desire today is that you believe in Jesus, your children and other members of your family believe in Jesus, so that by believing in Jesus you will have life in His name.
I want to be clear; today we are not asking you to become a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church. Most certainly, we would love to have you as a member, but membership isn’t what this is about. I WANT TO SAY CLEARLY THAT IF YOU HAVE A CHURCH HOME, BE A FAITHUL MEMBER OF THAT CHURCH. ATTEND SERVICES THERE, BE ACTIVE. WE AREN’T LOOKING TO STEAL MEMBERS. BUT WE DO WANT TO OFFER TO YOU THE INVITATION TO, IF YOU HAVE NO CHURCH HOME, TO MAKE REDEEMER YOUR CHURCH HOME. Here you will hear the grace of God in Jesus. Here you will learn more about Jesus and His love for you. Our purpose, my purpose and mission as a pastor, is that I help you know Jesus so well in this life, so that you will recognize Him on the other side.
And so, I conclude with the words of the Apostle Paul: Come and be God’s friend, for he, Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for you, that by believing, you will have life in His name.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
A V 8 Moment
A V8 MOMENT
LUKE 15:1-3, 15-31
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
In the name of Jesus:
There were a series of commercials for V 8 Juice which contained what are now known as V 8 moments. These moments were captured in the commercials when an individual, after eating a salad or some other vegetable, that he has an enlightened moment. Like a bolt of lightening from above it dawns on the person in the commercial that, instead of eating his fruits and vegetables, he could have had a V 8. This state of enlightenment comes to be known as a V 8 moment.
In our text for today, there are a series of V 8 moments. Truths which become evident after reflection, truths which change lives, truths which we need to consider, so may the Spirit through the Word this day give us such a moment!
The parable of the Prodigal Son is a well known parable. In this story, Jesus tells of a young boy who yearns to leave home. He is plain sick and tired of living under the same roof of his father, and so he requests his inheritance so that he can leave. He takes “what is coming him” and leaves home, free from being burdened and shackled by living at home. He wants his freedom and the bonds which tie him to his family cut and severed. And so he sets out, free to do what he pleases, free, answering to no one but himself, doing his own thing, in his own way, when he wants to do it. At first he thinks, “Now this is living!” But he soon grows unhappy. The son squanders all that he possessed. He becomes penniless and destitute; his only comfort comes from living like a pig. How ironic, in that in his freedom he probably lived like a pig and in the end he truly was living with the pigs!
And then comes the V 8 moment, kind of: ““But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father,” like a bolt out of the blue, he comes to the realization of all that he gave up. His father’s hired servants have more than what he does now! But it is a kind of V 8 moment, because this young lad still doesn’t get it. It doesn’t truly understand how his father feels about him. He doesn’t understand nor comprehend his father’s love. This is why he goes on to say: “18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ Note his request, he asks to be treated as one of the hired servants! In essence, he asks for his dad to employ him on his staff. Kind of like filling out an application for employment and willing to go through a job interview! Certainly, this young man thinks, that his father will see the prodigal son’s value as a servant. But in saying this, the son shows that he still doesn’t really get it. He has no clue how his father feels about him. He is still in need of a V 8 moment!
For the father sees his son in the distance, and even before the son can approach his father his loving father approaches him! The father shows compassion on his son, he shows him UNDESERVED LOVE AND MERCY. Nothing the son has done or could do would make his father treat him this way. And so: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Oh how we and how the citizens of planet earth need such a V 8 moment! For you see, we are like this prodigal son, in that we have squandered our relationship with God! Each of us has forsaken God and has lived as if God did not mean anything to us! We have failed to love God above all things, we have trusted in our own righteous works and have not feared God and His wrath as we should! All of us have sinned and have fallen from God’s grace.
But in our sinfulness we think, oh, I am different. We think, I am not as bad of a sinner, at least not when compared to my neighbor. I am not like so and so, who cheats on the spouse, or who tells lies and gossips. Surely God sees what a good person that I am, and He understands when I can’t live the way He wants me to. He understands when I speak ill of the person who wronged me, because he really had it coming to him. Or we say that God will excuse just this one time (that happens to turn into a habitual sin). Or we think that God is truly a God of love, so He will excuse me and forgive me because that is who He is. And in doing so we sin against God, we cheapen His love, and we reject His grace. What we need is a V 8 moment.
We need to see ourselves as God sees us. We need to understand and comprehend that we are truly unworthy of God’s love. We HAVE sinned; we HAVE fallen from grace, there is NO ONE right with God, not even one of us. Such is our sinful state that we are spiritually DEPRAVED. We have nothing to which would make us pleasing to God. We can offer nothing which would turn God’s heart towards us. We are truly a desperate people, a people desperately in need of God’s mercy and love. Repentance is a type of V 8 moment, not a one time lightening bolt event, but a continual recognition that we are spiritual beggars, in need of God’s grace. We need God to pity us, to not look at us because of our sins. The prodigal son comes to this recognition when he finally says: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” The son says that there is nothing he can do; he falls on the mercy of his father. Here is truly his V 8 moment, here the son places his faith in his father’s love, and here he is forgiven and restored.
And the Good News is that God IS merciful. He HAS HAD mercy upon us and the sinful world. The prodigal son’s father is not moved by his son’s remorse, but is moved by his own love for His Son. In the same way, God is not moved to love us because of our sin, but IN SPITE of our sins. For the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, God loved us in Christ. And God was moved, in love FOR US, in that in His mercy and grace the Father sent His Son into this sinful world to BE sin for us. Hence, God placed all of our sin upon Jesus, regarding Him and treating Him as the greatest sinner that ever lived. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we would know God’s love for us in Jesus.
We, who were conceived in sin and darkness, have had God’s light and love burst into our lives in the waters of our Baptism. Here in Baptism God creates in us new hearts and gives us a new life in Christ. In Baptism God drowns our old sinful self, so that by daily sorrow for sin and repentance, our sinful self dies with all of its sin and sinful desires, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we arise anew to live before God as His children.
This is what Paul means when he writes in the book of Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:3-5).
And so God teaches us in the story of the prodigal son not only of our spiritual unworthiness and depravity, but of His great love for us in Jesus. Our life with God is not about how we seek God, but how God seeks us in Christ. God so loved us and the sinful world that He sent His one and only Son, to come down to our level, yet without sin. And while living for us, Jesus showed His love by climbing the cross, opening up His arms, and dying for us. In love He has defeated sin, Satan, and death for us. Our conversion in Baptism is our v 8 moment, when God places us in fellowship with Him. God calls us to live out this moment, each and everyday, so that living as His children, we might share the news of how all have become His children in Christ.
When the prodigal son and father’s relationship is restored, the Scriptures tells us that great joy breaks out in the household. The fattened calf is killed, and the celebration begins. And even now God calls us to share this News of His love and forgiveness in Christ with all. For when one sinner repents and believes in Christ, all heaven breaks loose in song! For Jesus says: “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
May you share the News of Christ, so that angels will celebrate.
Amen
LUKE 15:1-3, 15-31
17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
In the name of Jesus:
There were a series of commercials for V 8 Juice which contained what are now known as V 8 moments. These moments were captured in the commercials when an individual, after eating a salad or some other vegetable, that he has an enlightened moment. Like a bolt of lightening from above it dawns on the person in the commercial that, instead of eating his fruits and vegetables, he could have had a V 8. This state of enlightenment comes to be known as a V 8 moment.
In our text for today, there are a series of V 8 moments. Truths which become evident after reflection, truths which change lives, truths which we need to consider, so may the Spirit through the Word this day give us such a moment!
The parable of the Prodigal Son is a well known parable. In this story, Jesus tells of a young boy who yearns to leave home. He is plain sick and tired of living under the same roof of his father, and so he requests his inheritance so that he can leave. He takes “what is coming him” and leaves home, free from being burdened and shackled by living at home. He wants his freedom and the bonds which tie him to his family cut and severed. And so he sets out, free to do what he pleases, free, answering to no one but himself, doing his own thing, in his own way, when he wants to do it. At first he thinks, “Now this is living!” But he soon grows unhappy. The son squanders all that he possessed. He becomes penniless and destitute; his only comfort comes from living like a pig. How ironic, in that in his freedom he probably lived like a pig and in the end he truly was living with the pigs!
And then comes the V 8 moment, kind of: ““But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father,” like a bolt out of the blue, he comes to the realization of all that he gave up. His father’s hired servants have more than what he does now! But it is a kind of V 8 moment, because this young lad still doesn’t get it. It doesn’t truly understand how his father feels about him. He doesn’t understand nor comprehend his father’s love. This is why he goes on to say: “18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ Note his request, he asks to be treated as one of the hired servants! In essence, he asks for his dad to employ him on his staff. Kind of like filling out an application for employment and willing to go through a job interview! Certainly, this young man thinks, that his father will see the prodigal son’s value as a servant. But in saying this, the son shows that he still doesn’t really get it. He has no clue how his father feels about him. He is still in need of a V 8 moment!
For the father sees his son in the distance, and even before the son can approach his father his loving father approaches him! The father shows compassion on his son, he shows him UNDESERVED LOVE AND MERCY. Nothing the son has done or could do would make his father treat him this way. And so: “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.”
Oh how we and how the citizens of planet earth need such a V 8 moment! For you see, we are like this prodigal son, in that we have squandered our relationship with God! Each of us has forsaken God and has lived as if God did not mean anything to us! We have failed to love God above all things, we have trusted in our own righteous works and have not feared God and His wrath as we should! All of us have sinned and have fallen from God’s grace.
But in our sinfulness we think, oh, I am different. We think, I am not as bad of a sinner, at least not when compared to my neighbor. I am not like so and so, who cheats on the spouse, or who tells lies and gossips. Surely God sees what a good person that I am, and He understands when I can’t live the way He wants me to. He understands when I speak ill of the person who wronged me, because he really had it coming to him. Or we say that God will excuse just this one time (that happens to turn into a habitual sin). Or we think that God is truly a God of love, so He will excuse me and forgive me because that is who He is. And in doing so we sin against God, we cheapen His love, and we reject His grace. What we need is a V 8 moment.
We need to see ourselves as God sees us. We need to understand and comprehend that we are truly unworthy of God’s love. We HAVE sinned; we HAVE fallen from grace, there is NO ONE right with God, not even one of us. Such is our sinful state that we are spiritually DEPRAVED. We have nothing to which would make us pleasing to God. We can offer nothing which would turn God’s heart towards us. We are truly a desperate people, a people desperately in need of God’s mercy and love. Repentance is a type of V 8 moment, not a one time lightening bolt event, but a continual recognition that we are spiritual beggars, in need of God’s grace. We need God to pity us, to not look at us because of our sins. The prodigal son comes to this recognition when he finally says: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” The son says that there is nothing he can do; he falls on the mercy of his father. Here is truly his V 8 moment, here the son places his faith in his father’s love, and here he is forgiven and restored.
And the Good News is that God IS merciful. He HAS HAD mercy upon us and the sinful world. The prodigal son’s father is not moved by his son’s remorse, but is moved by his own love for His Son. In the same way, God is not moved to love us because of our sin, but IN SPITE of our sins. For the Bible says that while we were yet sinners, God loved us in Christ. And God was moved, in love FOR US, in that in His mercy and grace the Father sent His Son into this sinful world to BE sin for us. Hence, God placed all of our sin upon Jesus, regarding Him and treating Him as the greatest sinner that ever lived. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we would know God’s love for us in Jesus.
We, who were conceived in sin and darkness, have had God’s light and love burst into our lives in the waters of our Baptism. Here in Baptism God creates in us new hearts and gives us a new life in Christ. In Baptism God drowns our old sinful self, so that by daily sorrow for sin and repentance, our sinful self dies with all of its sin and sinful desires, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we arise anew to live before God as His children.
This is what Paul means when he writes in the book of Romans: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:3-5).
And so God teaches us in the story of the prodigal son not only of our spiritual unworthiness and depravity, but of His great love for us in Jesus. Our life with God is not about how we seek God, but how God seeks us in Christ. God so loved us and the sinful world that He sent His one and only Son, to come down to our level, yet without sin. And while living for us, Jesus showed His love by climbing the cross, opening up His arms, and dying for us. In love He has defeated sin, Satan, and death for us. Our conversion in Baptism is our v 8 moment, when God places us in fellowship with Him. God calls us to live out this moment, each and everyday, so that living as His children, we might share the news of how all have become His children in Christ.
When the prodigal son and father’s relationship is restored, the Scriptures tells us that great joy breaks out in the household. The fattened calf is killed, and the celebration begins. And even now God calls us to share this News of His love and forgiveness in Christ with all. For when one sinner repents and believes in Christ, all heaven breaks loose in song! For Jesus says: “Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
May you share the News of Christ, so that angels will celebrate.
Amen
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