“The Passion of Christ”
Sunrise sermon: Easter Sunday, 4/4/10
Isaiah 26:6-9; Luke 19:1-10; Mark 16:1-9

Introduction: PASSION is the fuel for life. The dictionary tells us that passion is: “the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and His death; a violent, intense, or overmastering feeling; a strong liking for or devotion to some activity, object or concept.”
We see that even the dictionary tells us that the definition of “passion” is what Jesus went through during the last few hours of His life. It was His passion, the strong devotion He had to His calling and purpose that caused Him to suffer and die for us.
This morning we remember the resurrection of Jesus. We see the white cloth draped on the cross, and it is to be a reminder to us that Jesus Christ is alive! Let us see the passion of Christ this morning.

I. Jesus’ Passion was for lost people- (Luke 19:9-10)

a. Jesus’ mission statement- We see at the end of Luke, chapter 19, in
verse 10, Jesus’ mission statement; His purpose for coming to the earth; His reason for going to the cross; it says: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who were lost.” Now, if you really think about it, this includes all people, because we are all lost. Jesus came to save us all.
Story: “The River King”- There is a story of a village that lived by a river. One day the town scoundrel fell into the river, at first no one reacts; it’s just the town scoundrel. But then the King himself jumps in and saves him. The king is able to push the scoundrel to the side of the river, just out of the fast moving water. One of the villagers reaches out and grabs the scoundrels hand to pull him out, but the king is stuck in the fast moving water, and it starts to pull him down the river. The king in his effort to save the scoundrel had used all his strength, and had no strength left to swim out of the strong current. The people watch in horror as their king is dragged over the waterfall to his death. From that day on, whenever the villagers saw the scoundrel, they would say: “You’re the one the king died for.”
This is the message that Zacchaeus heard from Jesus in Luke, chapter 19. The passage tells us that Zacchaeus was a sinner, a scoundrel if you will, and Jesus has come into the town. Zacchaeus has heard about Jesus, how He loves all, and Zacchaeus wants to at least catch a glimpse of Jesus. Being that he is short, he decides to climb a tree to get a better view. Jesus spots Zacchaeus up in the tree, and calls him down, then invites himself over to Zacchaeus’ house. We aren’t told what they talked about while Jesus was there, but I can imagine it was about Zacchaeus’ sinful life and about how he had been cheating people out of their money; how he had gone astray; how he was heading for death. Jesus wanted Zacchaeus to know that He was there to save him.
Because Jesus was so passionate about helping lost people find their way, Jesus would not have let this opportunity pass without talking to him about how he could be saved. Jesus was always letting people know that they needed to turn from their sin and follow Him. And Zacchaeus heard the message, because Luke tells us in verse 9: “Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house…’”

b. Having a passion for lost people- We should never forget that
because Jesus is our Lord and Master, our example for life, we too should have a passion for lost people. We should take advantage of opportunities we have to share the message of the love of Christ with others. We should help save others who are lost by helping them find their way.
We can give hope to those who don’t have hope; give purpose to those whose lives lack purpose; give meaning to those who feel like life has no meaning; give guidance to those whose lives have gone astray. We do this by introducing people to Jesus and informing them of Jesus’ intense love. We need to help people see the commitment, the passion Jesus has for saving people, and that is why He allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross, and was raised from the dead 3 days later!

II. Jesus’ passion removed the barriers by His coming to us- (Luke 19:5; John 1:14; Mark 16:7)

a. Jesus was accessible to people- When we look at Jesus, we should
see God, because Jesus is God in the flesh. In the gospel of John, chapter 1 we are told that in Jesus we see “the glory of the One and only.” Because God took on flesh and dwelt among us in human form, in Jesus Christ, God made Himself accessible to people. As God looked down on His people, and saw the sin and the lack of love of people, and saw how lost people were, He decided that something needed to be done. He had sent prophets, and kings, and other servants, but this didn’t change people. So God did something wonderful, and that is He became flesh.
We see the example of this passionate feeling continue in how Jesus was always making himself accessible to people. Going back to the story of Zacchaeus, we see that even someone like Zacchaeus, who was short, and seemingly unimportant, was given access to Jesus. How these words of Jesus, from Luke 19:5, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today,” must have been exciting for Zacchaeus to hear. Zacchaeus had hoped to just catch a glimpse of Jesus, but now Jesus was going to be at his house! Zacchaeus would be able to talk with Jesus, and question Jesus, and interact with Jesus. He would have total access to the teaching of this great man. And in the end find out that Jesus was more than just a great man.

b. Making ourselves accessible- As a people of God, as a church, we
need to have this passion for people. We need to look for ways that will help us to be accessible to people; accessible to our community; accessible so that we can take the gospel of Christ into the world.
Illustration- “Abundant Entreaties,” 1001 Humorous Illustrations, #426, p. 169.
There is a company in Chicago called the Ruben Donnelly Company. It is the nations largest printer of magazines. The company has a machine that sends out notices to people whose subscriptions have expired, letting them know that they need to renew their subscription. One day the machine broke and ended up sending this farmer in Powder Bluff, Colorado 9,734 notices that his subscription to National Geographic had expired. Because of this influx of notices, he rode 10 miles to the post office and sent his money with a note that said: “Send me the magazine. I give up!”
If we are to have the passion of Christ, we need to do more than just show token love for people; we need to pile on the love of Christ to others. We need to always be looking for ways to share the good news of Christ; that Christ loves all and has died for all, and His death is there to save all who are lost. We need to persevere in telling people about Christ, and inviting people to church, even after they say “no.”
Even the message of the angel at the tomb was for Jesus’ followers to go out and to tell others that Jesus was alive, and that they would see him. The angel reminded them that we are to always be ready to speak about Christ; Christ who is risen and alive!

III. Jesus’ passion did not let Him reject anyone- (Rom 3:23, 5:8; Lk 19:7)

a. Sinners and outcasts- As we look at Jesus and that passion that He
had, we are amazed at how He was always going to the sinners, the outcasts, the so called rejects of the world. In Jesus’ thinking no one was more worthy or less worthy of salvation. Paul sets it straight for us, as he tells us in Romans 3:23- “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It is important for us to understand that Jesus went to the cross not because He loved some more than others, but because all needed saving. Paul again tells us in Romans 5:8- “For God demonstrates His love fur us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Going back to Luke 19, when the people saw that Jesus was leaving with Zacchaeus they responded in verse 7- “… ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” They couldn’t believe that Jesus was going to hang out with a sinner; eat lunch with a sinner; socialize with a sinner. They said this in a way that implied that Zacchaeus was lower in standing than they were, not realizing that we are all in the same place: sinners in need of being forgiven and saved.

b. A unique party- One of my favorite stories is told by Tony
Campolo. Tony Campolo is a sociologist at Eastern College in Pennsylvania. He is always a well known Christian speaker who speaks at conferences all around the world. He tells of a time when he was in Hawaii to speak. Because of the time difference he found himself wide awake at 3:30 p.m. wandering up and down the streets of Honolulu looking for a place to get something to eat. Finally he found a little “greasy spoon” restaurant, went in and sat down at one of the stools. He was afraid to even touch the menu. The guy behind the counter came over and said: “What d’ya want?” He ordered a donut. While sitting there eating his donut 8 provocative prostitutes walked in. Because there were so few stools they had to sit on either side of him. They didn’t care that they were talking loudly and crudely. Because of this, Campolo could easily hear their conversation. He heard one of the prostitutes say that he birthday was tomorrow. One of the other prostitutes responded: “So what do you want from me? A birthday party?”
The first one said back: “Why do you have to be so mean? I was just telling you it was my birthday, Why should you give me a birthday party? I’ve never had one in my whole life.” After they left Campolo asked the man behind the counter: “Do they come in here every night?” He responded: “Yeah, every night. The one whose birthday it is is Agnes.” Then Campolo got an idea that they could throw Agnes a birthday party. This excited the guy behind the counter, thinking it was a great idea. He called his wife, and the 3 of them started to plan the party. The next morning, at 3:30 a.m. the place was all decorated, and sure enough all 8 prostitutes walked in again. They screamed out: “Happy Birthday,” and started to sing happy birthday. Agnes didn’t know what to make of it, or what to do, so they told her to blow out the birthday candles. Then Agnes was asked to cut the cake, but before she could do it tears came to her eyes, as she said: “Look Harry, is it all right with you if I…I mean is it OK if I kind of….what I want to ask you is…is it OK if I keep the cake a little while? I mean is it all right if we don’t eat it right away?” “Sure,” Harry said. “Take it home if you want.” “Really?” she asked. And with that she was out the door cake and all. When the door closed there was silence, and no one knew exactly what to do. So Tony Campolo broke the silence by saying: “What do you say we pray?” When he finished praying Harry leaned over and said: “Hey! You never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?” Campolo answered back: “I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for prostitutes at 3:30 in the morning.” Harry looked at him quizzically, and then said: “No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was I’d join it!”
What a sad statement. People don’t think that there are any churches that cares about prostitutes, or would throw a party for one. Jesus’ passion led him to the outcasts and the sinners. Does ours?

Conclusion: In Isaiah 26:9 we read- “…This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.” Mark 16:5 says: “A young man, dressed in a white robe said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”

The passion of Christ is what led Jesus to be crucified for our sins. To give us salvation through His death. But a dead Lord would not have any power. His resurrection reminds us that He is indeed alive and able to keep us from the darkness of sin. It is the empty tomb that brings us life, because Jesus Christ conquered death, and thus conquers death for us as well, and the power that sin has over us. We see the passion of Christ in His seeking and saving the lost. We see the passion of Christ in His being accessible to people. We see the passion of Christ in His caring for all people. It is faith in the resurrection that brings us to Jesus, gives us life, and fills us with passion. As the poem “If Easter Be Not True” says:

If Easter be not true, then all the lilies low must lie, THE Flanders
Poppies fad and die; THE spring must lose her fairest bloom, FOR
Christ were still within the tomb, if Easter be not true.
If Easter be not true, then faith must mount on broken wing,
Then hope no more immortal spring. THEN hope must lose her
might urge, LIFE prove a phantom, death a dirge. If Easter be not true.
If Easter be not true, ‘Twere foolishness the cross to bear. HE died in vain,
Who suffered there; WHAT matter though we laugh or cry, be good or evil,
Live or die. If Easter be not true.
If Easter be not true—but it is true, and Christ is risen!
AND mortal spirit from its prison, OF sin and death with Him
may rise, worthwhile the struggle, sure the prize. Since Easter
aye is true!” (Knight’s Master book, p. 565)
AMEN.





“Where Have They Laid Him?”
John 20:1-10
10 a.m. Service; 4/4/2010

Introduction: “The Show.” A woman watched a man struggling to swim to the rock where she was sunbathing, only a hundred yards from the shore. When he finally got there, exhausted, she looked at him and said: “Wow, that was quite a show.” Then she stepped down from the rock, into the water and WALKED to the shore!
Many people have wondered why God chose to come to the earth in human flesh, die on a cross, and then be resurrected from the dead. This has confused more than one person. But the answer is because God has seen us put on quite a show of trying to do things on our own, trying to get ourselves to heaven. We struggle and struggle, but the truth is, we can’t get there on our own; we get there by simply believing in Jesus Christ, and what Christ has done on our behalf.

I. The Story- (John 20:1-18)

a. Where have they laid him? We have a tremendous story that takes

place at the end of the Lenten season (a season that starts on Ash Wednesday, and finishes on Easter Sunday). It is the story of Jesus Christ: his arrest, trial, beating, and crucifixion. It is the ultimate story of love; one who gives His life for those He loves. But it is more than that; it is the story of power and new life!
In the twentieth chapter of the gospel of John, that we just read, we see Mary Magdalene come to the tomb to pay her respects to Jesus. But when she approaches the tomb, she notices that the stone has been removed and that Jesus’ body is gone. So Mary runs back to where Peter and John are, and tells them that Jesus’ body has been taken, and it is not known where the body is.
Can you imagine the panic in Peter and John? The same panic and fear that was in Mary Magdalene. The same fear that would happen if a loved one of yours would be taken from their grave. So Peter and John run to the tomb to see for themselves. They BOTH saw and believed that Jesus was not there. Which is not surprising, because if you see an empty tomb, you will believe that Jesus is gone.
The question on their heart and mind? Where have they laid him?

b. Mary sees Jesus- A little later in the story, Mary is still at the
tomb, she is distraught, weeping with sadness at the emptiness of the tomb and the fact that she doesn’t know where Jesus is. Along comes 2 angels, clothed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been. Mary then makes this statement in John 20:13b- “…They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
At this statement, she turns, she sees Jesus, and is filled with joy!
Illustration: “The Water of Life.” In the Australian Outback, which is a desert-like area in the northern and central part of the continent, they have discovered an enormous body of life-giving fresh water. It is a huge underground lake. Now the existence of this body of water was a surprise to everyone, but one that brings great hope to those living in this dry area. It makes the future look good both economically and culturally.
In a similar, but far more profound an powerful way, when Mary sees Jesus ALIVE, she is filled with joy because Jesus is the real life-giver. Jesus is there to bring great hope to her life and the lives of all who believe. In a fraction of a second, Mary goes from despair (wondering where Jesus’ body has been laid) to being filled with hope and joy. She goes from sorrow, to seeing the glory of Jesus; the glory of God in the risen Christ! As Mary said to the disciples in John 20:18, “… ‘I have seen the Lord; and she told them that He had said these things to her.’”
This should be true of all who believe in Jesus Christ. The One who died for our sins, has been raised to life. We can see Him, we can experience joy and hope.

II. The Story re-told-

a. Edith Burns- DO YOU BELIEVE IN EASTER? (internet via Sandra Henningsen)
Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of doctor Will Phillips. She was Dr. Phillips’ favorite patient. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: “Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?” then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying, “My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?” Beverly said, “Why yes I do.” Edith then said, “Well, what do you believe about Easter?” And Beverly responded, “Well, it’s all about egg hunts, going to church, and dressing up.” Edith kept pressing her about the real meaning of Easter, and finally led her to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Dr. Phillips said, “Beverly, don’t call Edith into the office quite yet. I believe there is another delivery taking place in the waiting room. After being called back to the doctor’s office, Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said, Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?” Dr. Phillips said gently, “Edith, I’m the doctor and you’re the patient.” He paused for a moment and then continued: “Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you’re not going to live very long.” Edith said, “Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I’m going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!” Dr. Phillips thought for a moment, and then responded: “What a magnificent woman you are Edith Burns!”
Edith continued to come to Dr. Phillips office. During the Christmas holiday the office was closed. When it reopened on January 3, Edith did not show. Later that afternoon Edith called Dr. Phillips and said that she think she needed to go to the hospital. Then she said: “Doctor, could you put me near people who need to know about Easter?” Many women were saved because of Edith’s presence in the hospital. And not only patients; staff and nurses too. Almost everyone, except the head nurse Phyllis Cross. Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith. She had been in the army as a nurse; a real G. I. Jane. She had been married 3 times, and was hard and cold.
Well, one morning Edith was very sick and Phyllis had to go in to give her a shot. When Edith saw nurse Cross, she said, “Phyllis, God loves you and I love you and I have been praying for you.” Phyllis responded by saying: “Well, you can quit praying for me, it won’t work.” Edith answered: “Well, I have prayed and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family.” Phyllis Cross said: “Then you will never die because that will never happen.” And she left the room.
Every day she would walk into the room and Edith would say the same thing: “God loves you and I love you and I’m praying for you.” One day nurse Cross said she was literally drawn to Edith’s room like iron to a magnet. She sat down on the bed and said to Edith: “Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, ‘Do you believe in Easter?’ but you have never asked me.” Edith responded, “Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked and now that you have asked…” Edith went on to share with Phyllis about Jesus death on the cross, His burial, and His resurrection. And then she looked at Phyllis and asked: “Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?” And Phyllis said: “Oh, I want to with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life!” And right there Edith prayed with Phyllis to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord. Shortly after this, Edith died.

b. You and me- What a great story! There is often life that comes
from death. What a great opportunity you and I have to tell others about Jesus dying on the cross for all people, because God’s love is there for us and for them. We can tell others about how Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive. We can tell them that Jesus is ready to live in their hearts. We can tell them that their lives can be changed if they would only believe in Easter. The true Easter. Not Easter eggs, and bunnies, and candy. But Jesus’ death and resurrection.
“A Lesson in Time Management.” One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. He had been talking to them about how to best organize and use their time. He decided to give them an illustration to drive home his point, so he said to them: “Okay, it is time to take a quiz.”
With that he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth Mason jar, and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one by one, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top, and no more rocks could fit inside, he asked: “Is this jar full?” Everyone in the class said “yes.”
“Really? He asked with a smile. He then reached under the table to pull out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some of the gravel in, shook the jar, causing the pieces of gravel to work themselves down, and continued to do this until no more gravel could fit. A second time he asked the class if the jar was full. This time the class was on to him, and so they said “no.” “Good,” he replied.
Then he pulled out from under the table a bucket of sand. He dumped the sand into the jar, and the sand went into all the spaces left between the rocks and gravel. “Is the jar full?” “NO,” the class shouted.
Finally, he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked: “What is the point of this illustration?” One eager student blurted out: “The point is that no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit more into it.”
“NO,” the speaker replied. “That is not the point. The point is this: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”
Easter needs to be a day that reminds us what is truly important. RELATIONSHIPS. First, our relationship with God through Christ. Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection makes it so that we can have relationship with God. Then our relationships with those important to us (family, close friends, mentors, etc…). Jesus’ death and resurrection makes these relationships deeper and more meaningful.

Conclusion: If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as you Lord and Savior, you can do so this morning. Please come talk to me and I will lead you in a prayer where you can give yourself over to God; where your sins and wrongdoings will be forgiven and removed; where you can “believe in Easter.”
In the end, Mary Magdalene and the disciples saw Jesus and believed. Where have they laid Him? Where have they laid my Lord? The answer should be “in my heart!” If this is true, then Easter will not happen just one day a year, but every day of the year. Amen.

“The Mind of Christ”
Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010
Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 21:5-11

Introduction: The actress Sandra Bullock was in two movies last year: “All About Steve” and “The Blind Side.” The interesting thing about it is that she won an Academy award for her role in “The Blind Side,” but a Razzie for “All About Steve.” Now if you don’t know what a Razzie is, it is “an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year.” Can you imagine the high Bullock felt in getting the Academy Award for best actress? Yet, how do you think she felt when she found out she had been declared the winner for the razzie? Probably not too good; From a high, to a low.
This morning we celebrate Palm Sunday. It is the day Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, with people shouting “Hosanna, Hosanna.” In one sense, Jesus must have felt quite a high to see people so excited about His presence there. But Jesus knew that a low was to come, when soon they would be shouting “Crucify Him, Crucify Him.”

I. The Mind of Humility- (Philippians 2:5-8; Luke 4:1-12)

a. Giving of yourself- If Jesus knew that this was to come, why
would Jesus open Himself up to the people? Why would Jesus give of Himself knowing the flakiness of people? It was because Jesus had a certain mindset; a mindset of humility. To give yourself up for a purpose, you have to be willing to set aside your own feelings and desires. You have to be willing to think of the other person. That is why the apostle Paul says in Philippians 2:5-6, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”
In having the mindset of being willing to give of Himself to others, Jesus was not as concerned with the actions of others, as He was with His own actions. The truth is, we can’t control the actions of others; or the thinking of others. The only thing we can control is our actions and our thinking. It is not about trying to gain accolades, or getting others to like us by doing what they want us to do. It is about doing what God has called you to do, and me to do, and Jesus to do!
So to do this, Jesus, even though He was God, decided to empty Himself of his place in heaven, and come to this earth. This took great humility on His part, because He put Himself in a place where He could be mocked, and ridiculed, and questioned, and despised. And even though He was God in the flesh, He knew He had a purpose, and a plan, and He wasn’t going to let anyone else affect this plan.
EX. In a college basketball tournament game a week ago, Kentucky was playing Wake Forest. Kentucky was favored to win, because they had great talent, especially in their freshman center. The Wake Forest center is known to be a dirty player, having gotten several players thrown out of the game during the season with his dirty tactics. He throws elbows and cheap shots, usually without the officials seeing it, and then when the other player retaliates that player gets the foul, or in some cases gets tossed. Well, he tried this against the Kentucky player, throwing elbows to the face and body throughout the game, but the Kentucky player kept his cool, stayed in the game, and Kentucky won by 30!
Jesus didn’t let the words or actions of anyone keep Him from carrying out His mission. Jesus could do this because of His humility, deferring to His Father time and time again.
b. Emptying yourself- We see this even more by the fact that
Jesus emptied Himself. How did He empty Himself? By giving up His place in heaven, and by giving up any of His own desires. Jesus knew why He was here, and He was focused on this single goal: to love people, and to die for the sins of the world.
Jesus had several occasions when He could have been tempted to give up this plan:
The most noteworthy is when He was in the wilderness praying before the start of His ministry. He was tired and weak and alone. He had fasted for 40 days and was very hungry. Along comes Satan trying to take Jesus away from what He was called to do: “turn this stone to bread,” Satan said. How tempting that sounded for a hungry man. Satan then spoke these words: “I will give you glory and authority over this world if you worship me.” Lastly, Satan says to Jesus: “Show you are the Son of God by throwing yourself off the temple so that the angels will come to protect you.” In all three cases, Jesus stayed focused on the word of God and the will of God!
As a human, Jesus had desires and temptations. By emptying Himself of His desires, and keeping Himself focused on the will of the Father, He was able to live a life of example, and put Himself in the place to die for our sins. This was not always easy for Jesus, like when He prayed in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. But in the end, Jesus kept Himself humble, and empty so that He could be filled with the power and presence of God.
As I said before, it was Jesus’ humility that allowed Him to be obedient. When we are disobedient, we are choosing our own way over God’s. Jesus knew He couldn’t do this and stick to the plan. As Philippians 2:8 tells us, “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” Death on a cross is not what any of us would choose for ourselves, including Jesus. But it was a needed event for Jesus to fulfill the plan of saving us from our sins. So obedience is the route Jesus chose.

II. The Mind of Love- (1 Jn. 4:7-11; Is. 53:11-12; Philip. 2:9-11)

a. A concrete act- Along with having a mindset on being humble,
Jesus also had a mindset on love. Love in action. Love is not an abstract concept in the Christian faith. Love is a concrete act. This is important to remember, because the words “I love you,” are so often said, but not always lived out in concrete ways. Words lose their meaning if they are not acted upon. My kids say that they love me, but I know it all the more that they love me when they do what they are asked to do. I know it all the more when they show me with their actions.
EX. It is nice to get gifts at Christmas. But when someone takes the time to make you something, instead of buying you something for the sake of the gift, real love is shown; especially when it is your kids. Last Christmas Tyler and Tiffany both did this. Tiffany spent a great amount of time at her computer making Tami a 2010 calendar. Then after she printed it out, she took time to color it to make it even more beautiful. Tyler also did something on his computer, and that is make Christmas cards for Tami, me, and his grandparents. He made each card unique and special for each person, choosing just the right pictures and words for each of us. In the end, when we received these gifts, we experienced love as a concrete act!
God didn’t just say the words “I love you” to us. God demonstrated this love to us. What Jesus did for us is concrete love. He came to this earth. He gave us His time. He showed us how to live and love. He gave us important teachings. And ultimately He gave His life for us so that we could know His love in a deeper way, and be able to love Him back; not just while we are on this earth, but for eternity.
Even in my description of Jesus’ love we see it in action. Let me say it again, a little slower: He came to this earth. He gave us His time. He showed us how to live and love. He gave us important teachings. And ultimately He gave His life for us so that we could know His love in a deeper way. Love in action. We are asked by God to love as He loved us, in action; to love both God and others. As the apostle John says in 1 John 4:7-11, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”
b. Love expressed- Our love is expressed in so many ways. We just
need to be more aware of it. And as John said, it is a response to the love God first gives to us. If you have ever doubted whether God loves you, all you have to do is look at the cross. As I’ve been mentioning, the cross expresses the love of God./ You have heard the song “Jesus Loves Me,” which of course says: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” But even more powerful words could be: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Cross, tells me so.”
Isaiah says is to us like this in Isaiah 53:11-12: 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
OR Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Love can be short lived. I have had many people tell me that they love me,
only to see them leave my life after a short time. I have had many people tell me they love me, only to see that their love for me was based on what I could give them, or do for them, and when I didn’t do what they wanted, the relationship ended. We don’t have to worry about this with God. If ever we wonder, “Does Jesus Love me?” we can know the answer is yes by remembering the pain that Jesus suffered for us on the cross, and the fact that He suffered and endured this out of His love for us. But there is more, and that is, Jesus had a mindset on the cross, a mindset for hope.

III. The Mind Set on Hope- (Exodus 12:1-14)

a. The reason for Passover- Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was seen as dramatic. But Jesus knew that He was not going to take on the Jewish leaders or the Romans through force; Jesus wasn’t about to lift Himself up as an earthly ruler. Jesus was not going to display His Lordship and power in this way. No. The reason for the celebration of the Passover each year was for the purpose of remembering how God had saved the Jews from the Egyptians during the time of Moses, and the hope they had at the coming of their freedom.
You might remember that when Moses came to free the Jews from slavery, Pharaoh time and time again said “NO.” So finally, Moses told Pharaoh that if he did not let the Jews go free, that the angel of death would come, and all firstborn children would die. And then Moses went to his people, and spoke this message; we find it in Exodus 12:1-13 1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire,... Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover. 12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—says the Lord, “both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
And then we read in Exodus 12:14… 14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD -a lasting ordinance.”/ To commemorate is to establish an event that helps you to remember the original event. As the Israelites had the “Passover Lamb” that saved them from the angel of death, so Jesus was going to be this Passover Lamb for us; for all who believe. This triumphal entry was the start of the dramatic act that would end on a cross. The event that gives us eternal hope.
b. Hope found- Of course the hope is that death passes over all
who believe. Not physical death, but spiritual death. Jesus is the king of kings, as the people were shouting, but not a king of this earth; the King of heaven. And as His people, we know that we have the hope of eternal life.
Now you may look at your life, and not feel a lot of hope. Maybe you are weighed down with burdens. Maybe you are weighted down with worries. Maybe you are weighed down with depression, or alcoholism, or lack of motivation. There is hope for us there as well. The other day I received a wonderful e-mail. You may have heard of the story “Footprints.” Well, this e-mail was an updated version of Footprints…
Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily, consistently, not really any varying. But your footprints are disorganized; a stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds, and return. Gradually your footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends!
This seems perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that once etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps. Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are becoming one. This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change. Suddenly the second set of footprints is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place. Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints.
You are amazed and shocked. Your dream ends. Now you pray:
"Lord, I understand the first scene, with zigzags and fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But You walked on through the storm and helped me learn to walk with You." "That is correct."
"And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I was actually learning to walk in Your steps, following You very closely." "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose that I was becoming like You in every way." "Precisely." "So, Lord, was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this time it was worse than at first." There is a pause as the Lord answers, with a smile in His voice. "You didn't know? It was then that we danced!"
In the midst of all of life, we will have times when we walk with Christ; and we will have time when we start to walk away; and we will have time when we are victorious with Christ, because we have humbled ourselves, given up our will, and have taken on the mind of Christ. It is then that we dance with the Lord!

Conclusion: Palm Sunday is the start of Holy Week. When the people yelled out “Hosanna,” they were crying out “Hail to the king.” It was a call for help. Jesus heard their cry, as God heard the Jews cry when they were in slavery, and Jesus became the “Passover Lamb” to take away the sins of the people. This is why Jesus had the mindset that He did, because He knew that His plan was the only way to help us; through His obedience.
Let us not think about Palm Sunday without letting it take us to the Lord’s Supper, to the Garden of Gethsemane, to Good Friday, and the cross. It is all of this that leads us to understand the mind of humility, love and hope. Let us receive all of this in and through Christ. Amen.

“The Value of Knowing Christ”
Sunday, March 21, 2010; Philippians 3:4b-14



Introduction: In our shopping, we usually want to find something that is of value to us, at a price we can afford. When Tami and I realized that our van was at the place where it needed to be replaced, we knew we couldn’t afford a Lexus, or BMW, or a Mercedes. But we still wanted a car that would serve us well and be good quality. We had seen the Hyundai Sante Fe on the road when we were driving back from Arizona, and thought we wanted something of that style. So one afternoon we went to Hyundai, then we looked at the Toyota RAV 4 and the Honda CRV. In the end, for the money we could afford, we felt the Sante Fe was the best vehicle. Since then we have been very happy about our choice.
In life, we too want value. But we aren’t always sure how to get it. As I’ve said before, Lent is a time to evaluate where we are, and where we should be in our lives. In this morning’s Lenten sermon I want to talk about the value of knowing Christ.

I. Confident in the flesh- (Philippians 3:4b-5; Matthew 19:16-26)

a. Paul- The apostle Paul starts off our passage by letting us know that people put a lot of confidence in themselves; confidence in the flesh. Now while it is good to be confident in some ways, we can be overconfident. The battle in Paul’s time is about being circumcised or not. Since Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles (the non-Jews), the Jews were upset because he was allowing them to become followers of Christ, and children of God, even though they weren’t circumcised. This was causing them to be prejudiced by thinking that they were better because they were circumcised.
Example- This reminds me of the Dr. Seuss story “The Sneetches,” that I read to my daughter Tiffany’s class a couple of weeks ago. It starts like this…
The Sneetches, by Dr. Seuss
Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars. The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars…. Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all…But, because they had stars, all the Star-Belly Sneetches Would brag, “We’re the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches.”…With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they’d snort, “We’ll have nothing to do with the Plain-Belly sort!”…And, whenever they met some, when they were out walking, They’d hike right on past them without even talking.
When the Star-Belly children went out to play ball; Could a Plain Belly get in the game? Not at all…You only could play if your bellies had stars
And the Plain-Belly children had none upon thars.
The story goes on to talk about how the Sneetches without stars on their bellies were jealous of those who did. One day a man comes with a machine that can put stars on their bellies. So they do it, thinking that it will make them equal to the others. Then the original ones with stars get upset and have their stars taken off. All the while making the man with the machine rich, spending all their money to be like or different from the other. The end of the story is wonderful…
Then, when every last cent of their money was spent, The Fix-It-Up Chappie packed up. And he went…And he laughed as he drove In his car up the beach, “They never will learn. No. You can’t Teach a Sneetch!”…But McBean was quite wrong. I’m quite happy to say. That the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day…That day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches. And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches…That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether they had one, or not, upon thars.
Paul is saying here in Philippians 3 that he could boast about all his Jewish qualifications (circumcised on the eighth day, Hebrew of Hebrews, tribe of Benjamin, and on and on), but that is not what is important.

b. Us- This is so true with us as well. We like to put confidence in our flesh, thinking that what we do is so special. And if you think about what the human race has accomplished it is quite amazing. We have created the computer and the internet, the television, the airplane, the rocket, the automobile, and on and on I could go. We can travel underwater and into space. We have learned how to cure many diseases.
But this confidence has also led us to do some terrible things… We have created instruments of destruction like bombs, and landmines, poison gas bombs, rocket launchers, assault rifles. We have learned how to clone human beings. And like Paul was talking about, we have used prejudice to deeply injure others. We put confidence in the flesh, thinking that we are better than others.
On top of this, the confidence we put in the flesh can keep us from God. When we think we are capable, then we feel we don’t need anyone else, including God. Why do we need God if we can do it on our own? And doesn’t this start early in life. I know my kids, at an early age, would say to Tami and me: “I do it.” They want to do it on their own. They only want our help if they can’t do it themselves.
How true this is when it comes to our relationship with God. We only turn to God in those times when we can’t handle something on our own.
In Matthew chapter 19 a rich man came to Jesus to ask Him how he could be saved. At first Jesus tells the man that he needs to follow the commandments (because this is how all Jews thought they would be saved). The man tells Jesus he has kept all the commands (which couldn’t be true, but he thought it to be true); here you see his confidence in his flesh. Then Jesus decides he is primed for the truth, knowing that this rich man has put his confidence in his riches and in his lavish lifestyle. Picking it up in Matthew 19:21-26, “Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ 22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’ 26Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

II. Gains and Losses- (Philippians 3:5-11; Genesis 17:12)

a. Comparing gains and losses- Paul then turns to the idea of gains and losses. Of course if you have ever looked at a balance sheet, you know that on one side you put your gains, and on the other side you put your losses. After you have put everything down on the paper, you hope that your gains outnumber your losses. And this is what Paul does.
Paul first talks about what he has gained. Let’s go back to look at Paul’s pedigree: 1. Circumcised when he was eight days old. This was done in accordance with the commandment that God gave Abraham for all the Jews. Genesis 17:12- “He that is 8 days old shall be circumcised among you.” Paul stresses the fact that he was born into the Jewish faith and thus has experienced the blessings and privileges known because of that.

2. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. Not only was Paul an Israelite, he belonged to the elite tribe of Benjamin. It was from the tribe of Benjamin that the first king of Israel had come. Even his original name, Saul, was from the great kings of Israel King Saul. In essence, Paul had a sense of aristocracy because of this.

3. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Jews were all over the world, and they would not allow themselves to be assimilated into the world. They were faithful to their religion wherever they went. But in some places the Jews would forget their language and would become Greek speaking Jews. A Hebrew was a Jew who not only was of pure racial descent, but also retained the Hebrew language.

4. A trained Pharisee. The Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. There were not many Pharisees, and the Pharisees held great power. They would separate themselves from the common people and the common life.
These were some of the gains Paul claimed to have in his life. On the other side were his losses… Paul speaks of this in verse 7- “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.” The same list is here on the loss side. We will talk in a moment why Paul feels this to be true.

b. What constitutes a true gain?- If we were to think of our gains and losses, we might list on the gains side, things like family; job; the fact that we have a place to live; our friendships; the possessions we own; the fact we live in a country where there are many freedoms, including the freedom to worship God. These gains would be those parts of our lives that we felt were a blessing to us.
On the losses side you might list things like: financial troubles; relationship troubles; health issues; maybe even being born into a family that didn’t give you the privileges of someone else; your job you don’t like or the fact that you don’t have a job; for others it could be something like not being able to get pregnant or lacking an education. Some might even consider the color of their skin a loss, especially if they have faced great persecution and prejudice.
Here in Philippians chapter 3, Paul reorients the thinking of the Jews, and for that matter all who follow Christ, about what a gain is. To understand what is a gain, you have to have the right mindset. That is why Paul starts by talking about gains and losses. If we think our gains are based on the flesh and by what we have, then we will struggle to understand what God has put into this world to be a gain for our sake. But if we allow our minds to be reoriented by Paul’s teaching, then we will turn our minds to think of gains as that which is associated with Jesus Christ.
That is why Paul uses specific phrasing in this passage. We see Paul say things like: “regard as loss because of Christ;” “regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ;” “regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
For Paul, the gain is found in Christ and in knowing Christ. Later in the book of Philippians, Paul talks about knowing what it is to be in need, and what it is to have plenty. Paul has experienced both sides of the coin. From this experience, and the experience of coming to know Christ, Paul determines that the only gain worth experiencing is to know Christ. All other things that we might consider to be a gain in life, is like rubbish compared to this gain!

III. What we gain in Christ- (Revelation 3:20; Philippians 3:8;
1 Corinthians 1:15; Mark 8:34; Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:35)

a. Knowing Christ- Last week I was given a cute and wonderful story. It is the story of a pediatric nurse who, when listening to the hearts of these little children, would let them take the stethoscope, put it up to their chest, and listen to their heart beat. One time when she was doing this, she gave the stethoscope to this four-year-old named David and said: “What do you suppose that is?” David listened attentively, and then looked at the nurse with excitement and said: “Is that Jesus knocking?”
In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is speaking, and He says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” For us to have gain in Christ, we first have to know Christ. To know Christ, we must open the door and invite Christ in, and let Christ change us. If you have never done this, it is not hard to do. You simply humble your heart and mind before God, and pray for God to forgive your sins. Then let Christ cleanse you of your sins, and fill you with the Spirit of God.
There is a wonderful booklet called My Heart Christ’s Home, by Robert Boyd Munger. In this book our body is likened to a home. Just like there are many rooms in a home, so there are many rooms in our body. The Study is the mind, the control room of the house, where all that we look at and take in (like magazines, books, movies, etc.) affect our thinking. Then there is the Dining Room. This room represents our appetites and desires like money, fame, and degrees. There is also the Living Room. The living room is the place where Jesus wants to meet with us and talk. The next room is the Workroom. This is the work that we do, and can include work that we do for the Kingdom of God. There is also the Rec Room, the place where we have our fun; the Bedroom, the place where our sexual desires reside; and lastly the Hall Closet, where we keep our hidden sins. For us to invite Christ in, we have to give him all the rooms of our body; we have to give Him our whole being!
We have to have the attitude that Paul has when he says in Philippians 3:8: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

b. The blessings of being in Christ- So what is the value of knowing Christ? What are the blessings that we gain when we are in Christ? There are so many that could be talked about here, but let me mention a few…

1. Salvation in Christ- Jesus was willing to struggle for us by going to the cross and enduring the pain and ridicule of this event. Why would Jesus be willing to suffer and die for us? Why was He willing to endure suffering and pain? Because He came to save us from our sins. Because He knew that this was the plan to reconcile us with the Father. Because He wants us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. He gave Himself up to save us. As the apostle Paul tells us in
1 Corinthians 1:15- “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”

2. Lordship of Christ- Next we have the Lordship of Christ. It isn’t enough just to have salvation. To know Christ is to understand that Jesus wants to be our Lord and to guide our lives. This is because Jesus knows that we will make many bad choices if we choose to be the lord of our own lives. Even worse, Jesus knows that Satan will come to deceive us, and by such will be the lord of our lives. That is why Jesus tells us in the gospel of Mark, 8:34- “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”

3. Grace of God through Christ- When we have given ourselves over to Christ in this way, and Jesus is our Savior and our Lord, then we experience the grace of God which comes to us through Christ. Paul talks about God’s grace often in his letters, as he says in the beginning of both Ephesians and Philippians: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul uses this many times as his greeting to those whom he is writing. But on an even deeper level, in Ephesians 1 Paul talks of the grace of God which comes to us as forgiveness, and then there is the grace of God making His mysteries known to those who are in Christ, along with the promise of eternal life that is even secured through the deposit of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

4. Giving nature of Christ-Lastly, for our purposes today, there is the giving nature of Christ which comes to those who are true followers. Jesus Himself reminded us of His nature, when He said in the gospel of Matthew 20:28- “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Our Lord, who is God in the flesh, and who could demand people serve Him, has shown the example of giving Himself for the sake of others. Why? Because Jesus tells us in Acts 20:35, “… ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Jesus knows that when we are more prone to give than to receive, then we will bless others in our giving, and ultimately we will be blessed through our giving. The blessings will come back to us by God and others!

Conclusion: I know for a fact, that my life today, with Jesus, is so much better than my life was before Jesus. That doesn’t mean my life is void of problems or issues. I have plenty of both. But it does mean that my life is more blessed. I could count gains verses losses in regards to physical possessions or the lifestyle I think I want to live. Or, I could count gains in losses like Paul did: Paul was more concerned with knowing Christ, serving Christ, and growing in Christ than he was about anything else in his life. Paul knew that giving himself up for Christ is what would bring him the greatest amount of blessing both here on earth, and ultimately in heaven. So our challenge, and joy, is to seek to know Christ all the more each day. We do that through giving ourselves over to Christ, being with the body of Christ, and serving Christ in this world. Let us commit to do just that as a people of God, and as a church. Amen.

“The Happiness That Comes from Forgiveness”
Sunday, March 14, 2010; Psalm 32:1-11

Introduction: Happiness is a word that people like to talk about. It is a positive word. The word causes you to think of smiles and laughing, singing and playing. It might remind you of those special family times you have, or hanging out with a good friend. It might cause you to dwell on times in your life that were low stress and void of conflict. We want to be happy. We long to be happy. We strive to be happy.
The trouble with happiness, is that it really only comes when things are good. And one of the things that can break our happiness the quickest is our sin. The problem with this, is that we are prone to sin. We are told in Romans 3:10, “There is no one that is righteous, not even one.” Understanding this, we know that we will sin, and our sin breaks the bond of our happiness. As we move along this Lent season, I want us to focus on how even in the midst of our sin we can experience happiness, because we have forgiveness from God!

I. Abraham, David, and Faith- (Romans 3:21, 4:1-3, 6-7; Psalm 32:1-2)

In Romans 3:21 the apostle Paul says, “But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” The phrase “Law and Prophets” is actually referring to the Old Testament. The first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) were known as the books of the Law. The rest of the Old Testament was referred to as “the Prophets.” What the apostle Paul is telling us in the third chapter of the book of Romans is that in the midst of the unrighteousness of all people, God is making known His righteousness which He Himself has given over to us as guilty sinners. This is testified to by the books of the Law, and the books of the Prophets. In other words, the entire Old Testament bears witness to the fact that God was going to bring His righteousness to us who cannot be righteous on our own.

a. The law- If you were to ask an orthodox Jew who is the most important person in all the books of the Law, without question he would answer, “Abraham, because Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people, and Abraham was the one with whom God established His covenant.” The apostle Paul already knows this, that is why he writes the fourth chapter of the book of Romans.
Paul is basically saying, “Okay, since Abraham is the most important person in the books of the Law, let us see how he is justified by God. Let us hear from Romans 4:1-3, “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” Did you hear what Paul is saying? If Abraham was justified by his works, then he would have something to boast about. But Paul lets us know in verse 3 that Abraham was justified by his faith, not his works. That’s why he says “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Any righteousness that is given to Abraham, must be given to him by his faith, not his works!
So we see here, that the greatest person in the first part of the Old Testament is justified by faith, not works. The one to whom God made His covenant is justified not by what he ultimately does, but by what he believes. This faith was exhibited right in the beginning, as God tells Abraham to go on a journey, but doesn’t give Abraham the final destination, just the general direction. Abraham, by faith, uproots his family, and begins the journey. And we see this faith in Abraham exhibited time and time again.

b. The prophets- Going back to that orthodox Jew, if you were to then ask him who is the most important person in the books of the Prophets, he would answer: “Our great King David, because God confirmed His covenant with David saying, ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David,’ and the Messiah is to come through David’s line.” The apostle Paul also addresses David in the fourth chapter of the book of Romans to see how he is justified. In Romans 4:6-7 Paul is quoting David from Psalm 32, when he says: “David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7’Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.’”
Psalm 32 is one of the great scriptures that shows how God justifies ungodly sinners. In these verses, David is telling us exactly what we learned with Abraham, that people are not justified by their works, but by their faith. We are credited with righteousness not because of what we do, but because our transgressions are forgiven and our sins are covered. In this way we are blessed.
In these first 2 verses of Psalm 32, we have the consummation of the gospel. The psalm starts off with how believers are blessed. David here gives us the fourfold blessing that comes from God: first, blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven. Second, blessed is the one whose sin is covered. Third, blessed is the one who the Lord does not lay on blame. Fourth, blessed is the one in whom there is no deceit.
It is not about the fact that we never go astray, but rather that we come back to God after we have gone astray. There is great blessing in knowing that even after we have strayed, God receives us back. God not only receives us back, but the wrong that we have done is covered over, and not held against us.
You might notice that in this psalm, while it is the message of the gospel, it is not the complete message because Jesus hadn’t come and died yet; there is no mention of Jesus in this psalm. Those in the Old Testament knew that the Messiah would come and take away their sins, but it wasn’t yet a reality. Today, we can know the whole gospel, because we have the whole story before us. So we can read back into what David is talking about, to help us understand the whole message of the gospel.

II. The fourfold blessing- (Psalm 32:1-2; Acts 10:43; Hebrews 8:12)

So let’s look at this fourfold blessing a little closer.

1. Transgressions are forgiven- Back in the Old Testament, forgiveness was received by going to the temple and having a pure animal sacrificed on your behalf. The priest would make the sacrifice, and then the forgiveness would be imparted to you by this ceremony. This sacrifice needed to happen on a regular basis for you to receive forgiveness. This process was anything but complete.
When Jesus came, it changed everything. Jesus came so that we might have forgiveness once and for all. Jesus took our place by going to the cross and dying for us. Once this sacrifice took place, there was no longer a need for animal sacrifice. Now the forgiveness that is needed is found in Christ. As Peter said in Acts 10:43, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him shall receive remission of sins.” Remission is forgiveness, and so we receive forgiveness through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not just for some, but for all sinners who believe in Jesus.

2. Sin is covered- But God does more than just forgive our
sins. God covers over our sins. This really is speaking about the atonement of Christ. This atonement, this covering over of our sins comes by way of Jesus Christ. It is not something we can do. We cannot cover over our sins.
EX. I remember when I was in college I did many kinds of jobs. Since my father was a painter, painting was one of the jobs I did. One time I was helping a friend paint this house, and the house was painted in a dark color; I think it was red. The homeowners wanted us to paint the new house white. Most times when you paint, you only need 2 coats of paint. The first coat doesn’t quite cover I, so you put on a second coatt. But in this house, 2 coats wasn’t enough. We had to use 3 coats. Now when you are painting a whole house, that extra coat is very time consuming, especially when there were high ceilings, and high stairwells.
When trying to cover over our sins, we can’t just pretend that they aren’t there. We can’t bury them in the recesses of our mind. We can’t paint over them; not even 3 coats of paint will work for that. To cover over our sins we need Jesus. The blood of Jesus is what is needed. Jesus’ blood is so powerful that it completely wipes away the sin we have committed. Jesus’ blood is so powerful, that it is as if the sin never happened in the first place. That is why the scripture tells us, in Hebrews 8:12- “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
When our sin is covered, we no longer have shame. The beauty of this truth is that what Jesus covers us with is His righteousness. So we go from being sinners, to having our sin forgiven, to having our sin covered over with the righteousness of Christ. It’s the ultimate make-over! On some of the reality TV shows people go through some pretty amazing transformations, but that is just the physical appearance. The ultimate make-over comes when we are transformed in our inner being. And Christ can do this for us.

3. The Lord does not impute iniquity- The next phrase is that the Lord does not impute iniquity. What does this mean? To impute iniquity is to mark our sin down. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, our sins are forgiven and done away with. But immediately we have sin in our lives again. That is the nature of a sinner, to sin.
The Lord could begin to write down our sins, even after we were saved. This would in many ways put us back into the position where we started; lost in our sin. The good news is that we are blessed, because what Jesus did for us on the cross is something that we retain throughout our life and into the next one. While Jesus could mark down our sins, He doesn’t, because He is the one who has removed them, and will continue to remove them. It is not a one-time gift.
The moment we trust in Jesus, His blood covers us from all the sins we do from the time we were born, to the time we die. Does that mean that I can willfully sin and it doesn’t make a difference? No. We have the responsibility to seek to live for the Lord. Those who are truly in Christ, will not want to sin, and will try to avoid sinning. This is how we are changed. We become slaves to righteousness rather than sin, as Paul says in the book of Romans. And because this iniquity is not imputed to me, I will not have to deal with judgment when I get to heaven.

4. No deceit- This is where the fourth statement of blessing comes in; blessed are those in whose spirit there is no deceit. There are some people who are great at being deceitful. In fact, some of the most intriguing movies are about people who seem to be one way, and then at the end they have tricked everyone, because they were someone else.
EX. One of the most deceitful characters in a movie is found in the movie starring Matt Damon, The Talented Mr. Ripley. In this movie Ripley is hired to bring back the son of a wealthy man so that he can carry on the family business. Ripley flies to Italy and finds a way to “run into” this son, Dickie Greenleaf. Ripley concocts a story where he and Greenleaf went to school together at Princeton. After Ripley is suspected to not be forthright, Ripley kills Greenleaf, and then assumes his identity, living off Greenleaf’s allowance, even going so far as to rent two hotel rooms, in his and Greenleaf’s name, and send notes back and forth.
This sounds farfetched, but there are many in our world that live deceitful lives. In fact, there are many Christians, who appear one way, but then when they are away from the church, they are completely different people. While it is fairly easy to deceive the average person, we cannot fool God. If we are deceitful in our lives, we will not be blessed by God! For us to be blessed, to have our sin forgiven and covered over, we must be people who confess, not who pretend and deceive.

III. The Prayer of Confession- (Psalm 32:3-11)

Every Sunday we lift up a prayer of confession. Because we do it each week,
its importance can be overlooked. Confessional prayer is vital to our experiencing God’s blessings, and to feel a sense of happiness in life. In the rest of the psalm, David helps us to understand why.

a. Wasting away- David is very explicit in his description of his life when he
is deceitful, trying to keep his sin from the Lord. He says in verses 3-4: “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” The contradiction of trying to seem good on the outside, while on the inside you know your sin, is very tiring. While we can’t be open to everyone who asks us, “How are you doing?” we do need to find outlets for confession.
As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit residing in us. Because this is true, when we sin, the Spirit works on our heart and mind to confess. When we resist this need to confess, it will only drain us of our energy, our enthusiasm, our happiness.

b. Faithful prayers- David continues in verses 5-7, saying, “Then I
acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD ‘—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. 6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Do you hear the sincerity of David’s prayer? He acknowledges his sin before the Lord, and entreats everyone who is godly to confess and to pray faithfully to the Lord. In the faithfulness of our prayers we will have our guilt removed.
David also lets us know that the Lord is a place for us to go and hide from our temptations and sin. When we seek the Lord out, He will deliver us, and will protect us, and will surround us with His presence.

c. The instruction of the Lord- In his faithfulness, David opens himself to
God’s instruction through his confession. Without confession our sin will keep us from being able to connect with God and God’s instruction. As David says in verses 8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”
When we are lost in our sin, we do not want to know what God wants to teach us, or go in the direction God wants us to go. When we are lost in our sin we are stubborn like a mule and struggle with God. When we are lost in our sin we cannot be faithful to God because we do not understand what God has for us. When we are lost in our sin, we cannot be faithful to God, we are not accountable to others, and we are not teachable. There is not much that God can or will do in our lives when we are in this place. Confession helps us to move to a place where God can bless us.

Conclusion: There is a story of a town in Switzerland that wanted to come up with a motto to be painted on the town clock. A painter was hired to do the job, but given no instruction on what to paint. The painter came to the mayor, since it was his idea, and asked for a suggestion of what to paint. The mayor simply said: “It’s up to you.” The painter went away to think, but didn’t come up with anything, so he came back to ask the mayor again the next day. Again the mayor told him that he didn’t want to be bothered with this, and sent the painter away again. Day after day the painter, not wanting this responsibility kept coming to the mayor for an idea. Finally, when the painter came, in his exasperation the mayor called out: “Go about your business.” Thinking this was the motto, the painter went and painted it on the clock.
While life isn’t meant to keep us happy, happiness is and can be a part of life. To do this, we need to go about the business of God. Only then will we be happy. But to do this we need to be free from the burden of our sin. Let us give thanks for this great word from David in Psalm 32, that lets us know that we are blessed because we are forgiven and our sins are not held against us. And may this knowledge lead us to do our business with happiness. Amen.

“Will Not Be Tested Beyond Your Strength”
Third Lenten Sunday; 3-7-10; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

Introduction: I want you to turn to the outline with me, and in the introduction of the outline you will see a paragraph. This will be a test to see how well you can read this paragraph, even though the words are misspelled. Let’s read it together…
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer
in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that
the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses
and you can sitll raed it wouthit any porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

How did you do on this test? It is interesting how this is true. Even though the words are misspelled, we can still read what is written.
In regards to the tests we face in life, this is quite easy. But life is full of tests, and how we handle the tests of life is important. This morning, we are going to look at how God doesn’t allow us to be tested beyond our strength, beyond what we are capable of handling with God’s help. And how we do in these tests, show the commitment we have in our relationship with God.

I. The Testing of Idolatry- (1 Cor. 10:1, 6-7; Matt. 6:24; 1 Tim. 6:10)

a. The Corinthians- In this chapter we see that the Corinthians were
allowing themselves to continue to worship the idols of the pagans. Part of the challenge for the apostle Paul, was that he converted the Corinthians to Christ, but they brought in their pagan worship into their Christian thinking.
So Paul tells them in verse 6- “Now these things occurred (referring to the challenges the Israelites faced in the desert, and how they themselves worshiped the golden calf) they occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.” So with this in mind, Paul next writes to them in verse 7- “Do not be idolaters…” Paul was trying to help them see that their behavior was not according to what Christ would have for them; that their pagan practices were evil, specifically the practice of eating a meal to a pagan idol.
They were also participating in the eating of food at the pagan sacrifices. They didn’t think it wrong to go to these feasts. Because it was something they had done before they came to Christ, it was natural for them to continue this behavior after they had become Christians. They didn’t understand that this would send a wrong message to those who were not of Christ. They believed that they could combine the two practices, their Christian practice with their old pagan practice.
That is why Paul starts the chapter with the words: “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud…” The Israelites had started out on the right path, following God. But then they lost their focus, and they brought in the practice of idol worship that they had learned in Egypt. In doing so, they were no longer giving themselves over to God fully, but were dividing their thinking, their hearts; their commitment to other gods. That is what idol worship does, it divides our obedience.

b. Us- As I have mentioned before, Lent is a time to examine our
heart to see if we have anything that is keeping us from God. We too have practiced idol worship, although it doesn’t seem to be that to us. We practice idol worship when anything becomes more important to us than God. We practice idol worship when we are guided in our lives by anything other than God’s word. We practice idol worship when our focus is on anything other than what God would have us to do.
EX. I’m not sure how this came about, but when I was a teenager, I purchased a little Buddha statue, and some incense, and I would burn it in my room. I didn’t worship the Buddha, but this statue was in my room.
I mention this, because often times when we think about idols, we think about something physical that is seen that we worship. But our idols are not always visible. For many, money is an idol, because we worship it. We seek after jobs that can pay us the most money. We work extra hours so that we can have enough money to pay for all the things we want. But Jesus warned us about money, when He said in Matthew 6:24- “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
The apostle Paul took up this idea of money, when he said in 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Some other things that can become idols to us are: sex (which Paul speaks about in this chapter), power, position, and possessions, just to name a few. The point is, and idol is anything that takes the place of God in our lives; anything we worship instead of God. And Satan is so deceptive in how he gets us to make these things important in our lives in a way that we don’t even realize we are doing it.

II. The Testing of Trying God- (Eph. 6:1-2; 1 Cor. 10:9; Num. 21:4-9; Rom. 12:1-2)

a. Our kids- Any of you who are parents, or who have been parents,
know that many times in your life, your kids will try your patience. It usually happens when they want to do something, or want to get something, and you say “no.” Now understanding that God gives us the ten commandments, and one of the commandments is “Honor your father and your mother,” and understanding that Paul affirmed this commandment when he said in Ephesians 6:1-2, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise,” should lead us to believe that the conversation is over at this point. Right? WRONG.
The truth is, when dealing with children, the conversation is never over at the first “no.” After the first no, they usually ask again. So we give them a second “no,” and the matter is done. Right? STILL WRONG. They continue on and on and on. This probably comes back at us because when they were babies, they would cry and cry until they got what they wanted. Have you ever seen that happen? A baby starts to cry, the parents ignore it at first, but in time the annoyance of the cry leads them to usually give in and give the baby what he or she wants.
In doing this, however, we have created the issue of “testing.” Our kids will test us to see how far they can go. No, is not a strong enough word to stop them from asking again and again. And watch out if you have ever said no, and then given in and said yes. They will remember that as long as they live. They will be relentless in their pursuit of testing your will. It is not until I threaten to punish them (take away something from them) that they stop this “testing.”

b. Us- We chuckle at this because we know it to be true, not realizing
that we do the same thing with God. That is why Paul, here in 1 Corinthians 10, says in verse 9: “We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes.”
This verse is again referring back to the Israelites in the desert. This is found in the book of Numbers, 21:4-9, “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!" 6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”
What happened here? Well, it started with all the traveling they were doing; they grew tired. Then there was impatience, because they didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. On top of this, they were questioning what God was doing as they weren’t seeing any results (forget the fact that God had gotten them out of Egypt, and they had witnessed all the plagues, and the parting of the Red Sea, and God destroying the Egyptian army in the Red Sea).
In this context, they were testing the Lord, thinking that they were just going to die. They didn’t trust God; they didn’t believe God had a plan and a purpose for them. Actually, we can test the Lord in a way; listen to Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” When we have given ourselves over to God, offered our lives to God, and seek God instead of this world, then we can catch a glimpse of God’s plan, and test it to see if it is indeed God’s plan. But the Israelites hadn’t given themselves fully over to God; they weren’t testing God’s plan. They were asking God for their own plan, and God was saying no. Too often we are seeking our own plan, to which God is saying no, but we try Him anyway!

III. The Testing of Complaints- (1 Corinthians 10:10)
Grumbling- Paul next talks about grumbling. He says in verse 10- “And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.” Why shouldn’t we grumble? Isn’t grumbling a way to make our voice heard? Actually, no. Grumbling is our complaining that things aren’t the way we want them to be.
Going back to children, children grumble when they don’t get their way. Children grumble when they are bored because they have to be with their parents, doing “adult” things. My daughter grumbles when she has to go to Tyler’s baseball game. She doesn’t want to watch the game, and feels she is just wasting her time. Tyler grumbles when he has to go to Tiffany’s Girl Scout events, because there isn’t anything there to do that he wants to do.
We grumble when we are lost in our sin and aren’t looking for what God is trying to teach us. We grumble when we don’t get our way in church, forgetting that it is not our way that is important, but God’s. We grumble when we feel like life isn’t fair; that somebody else has a better situation than we do.
Let me give you another test. It is just 3 questions: 1. What do you put in a toaster? Answer: "bread." If you said "toast." 2. Say "silk" five times. Now spell "silk." What do cows drink? Answer: Cows drink water. You wanted to say "milk," didn’t you? 3. If a red house is made from red bricks, and a blue house is made from blue bricks, and a pink house is made from pink bricks, and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from? Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. Did you think green bricks? HOW DID YOU DO?
These questions are designed to trip us up. By saying silk three times, and then thinking about a cow, our mind goes to the idea of milk. This is the same strategy that Satan uses in our lives. Like with Eve, Satan tries to trip us up into thinking that life isn’t fair, or that God’s way will be boring, or that God is trying to keep us from all that we could really have. Because of this we grumble and complain.

IV. A Way Out- (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13-15)
But finally, Paul gives us the good news. In the midst of all the struggles, and
trials, and testing, and temptation to do wrong, there is hope. Paul gives us the good news in 1 Corinthians 10:13- “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” First of all, whatever trials and temptations we encounter, there are not new; others experience them as well. This is good news, because so often we feel alone in our struggles, forgetting that others can empathize with us, and that we can get advice and encouragement from those who have experienced what we experience.
Second, God doesn’t let anything into our lives that we can’t bear. Now this doesn’t mean what we can bear alone, but what we can bear with God’s help. We should always seek the Lord whatever is going on, and the Lord will give us strength when we need strength, peace when we need peace, perseverance when we need to persevere. God will help us to get through the temptation. Lastly, God gives us a way out. If you make yourself aware of what is going on in your life, when you are tempted with something, God will actually help you overcome the temptation. Maybe the phone rings and diverts your attention, or something catches your eye and helps you to change your focus. The truth is, to sin, we have to work at it. That is why we are told in James 1:13-15, “When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15Then, after desire has con-ceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Do you hear the verbs? Dragged away. Enticed. Conceived. Birthed. And the sin leads to our undoing.

Conclusion: Lent is a time to put our faith into perspective, understanding that this world around us, this life we live, can easily distract us and lead us away from God. We fall into the trap of worshiping things other than God, questioning God’s plan for our lives, complaining when we don’t like how things are, and giving in to our temptations, that we could easily avoid. Let us give ourselves over to God, knowing that God has what is best for us in mind, and let God strengthen us to serve Him faithfully. Amen.