“We Have Been Claimed”
Ephesians 4:4-6
Sunday, May 1, 2011

Introduction: In our lives we are drawn to instant gratification. We care about doing things that will impact our lives now. We want to experience events where we can see instant results. We want to be able to see how what we do transfers into something that benefits us now. We don’t want to have to wait to see the results.
EX. Not too long ago Tyler wrote a paper on the Civil War. The topic he came up with was how the many immigrants that were a part of their army helped the north in their victory. Tami and I proofed the paper; my mom (who was an English teacher) proofed the paper; Tami’s mom, who was a teacher earlier in her life proofed the paper. We all thought it was a very good paper. But the English teacher Tyler has is a very difficult grader. She seems to feel good when only a few kids can get an “A” in her class (Tyler was one of those few in the first semester). So we were very interested to see what kind of a grade Tyler would get. We had to wait about a week and a half (which really isn’t that long, but it seemed long). In the end, Tyler got a 58 out of 60. But the funny thing was that a week and a half seemed like a long time.
Just a few weeks ago we baptized Sydney Garcia. We watched this event, and made our pledge at this event. But I realized that we haven’t really talked about the meaning and importance of baptism. Today I want to talk about how what we receive through baptism isn’t experienced in immediate gratification, but gives us the sign of God’s covenant on our lives, and seals us in our eternal place in the body of Christ.

I. What baptism is- (Ephesians 4:4-6; Romans 3:23)
It is important for us to understand that baptism is the sign of the initiation
by which we are received into the body of Christ. That is why an important verse that is read at baptisms is Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
Of course we know that baptism was given to us by God as a sacrament, as Jesus Himself was baptized, and anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism. Baptism is a token of our cleansing (meaning that it confirms that all of our sins are abolished and washed away in Christ). So there is some instant gratification, in that it is not just a token of what is being proclaimed, but we indeed have our sins “washed” away.
Because it is the initiation of being received into the body of Christ, we baptize not just adults, but children and infants as well. Since “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” children are included in the “all.” Sin has come into the world through the sin of Adam and Eve, and that sinful nature exists in us even when we are born. While a little baby doesn’t sin, that child does have a sinful nature that will manifest itself later.
So in baptism that sin is “washed” away as we are baptized into Christ and “clothe ourselves” with Christ. It is in baptism that the pledge is made to follow Christ and to live as people freed from our sins, not as slaves to sin. It is in baptism that we claim the promise of God that in Christ we have been chosen and saved.
We see that baptism then isn’t just something that happens on the physical level (with the water poured over us), but on a spiritual level as well. In fact, it is more spiritual than physical. The physical part of baptism is what we see, but the spiritual aspect of it is the more powerful and profound. The spiritual aspect is not seen with the eyes, but with our faith. We will talk more about what this spiritual benefit is in a moment.

II. Why we baptize-.(Romans 8:14-15; Ephesians 4:5)
In asking the question “Why do we baptize?” the obvious and most direct
answer is because it is a sacrament, instituted by Christ. But there is a deeper reason, and that is that when we are baptized, we are adopted into the family of God. As the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:14-15, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption...”
As children of God we are expected to act a different way. For example, because of my faith in Christ, not only am I led to act as a follower of Christ, but I expect my children to act as followers of Christ as well. I teach this to my children, and help guide them in the way they live their lives. At a certain point in their lives, Tyler and Tiffany accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. They were able to verbalize what was going on in their hearts that started at their baptism.
So parents are an important part of baptism when infants and young children are concerned. That is why we ask these important questions:
1. Do you desire that your child be baptized?
2. Relying on God’s Grace, do you promise to live the Christian faith and to teach that faith to your children?
The parents are there to guide and nurture and exemplify the Christian lifestyle, so that their children can understand who Christ is, and what role Christ plays in their lives.
Baptism calls to mind and renews the great favor God has shown us. Because we don’t deserve forgiveness, it is a great favor. Because we can’t wash away our own sins, we baptize those whom God has called to receive this favor of God.
Another important aspect of baptizing little children is that Christ died for
all, children and adults alike. Our redemption is found in the blood of Christ and the gift of faith given by the Holy Spirit. That gift doesn’t just come to us as adults, but early on in life. Since children are a part of the covenant, children of believers are to be distinguished from unbelievers by baptism, just as children of God in the Old Testament were distinguished by circumcision.
Baptism is to be done only once in our lifetime. I know that this can be a
controversial statement, but let’s go back to Ephesians 4:5, which tells us: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” People who move from one denomination to another often get re-baptized. Or some denominations don’t recognize the baptism of another. Or people who get baptized when they are a child, don’t remember their baptism, and so they want to get re-baptized. The effect and power of baptism is not in the remembering, but in the fact that the Lord is over it, and has anointed it.

III. Baptism with water. (and the Holy Spirit)- (Matthew 3:13-17)
Illustration: I want you to think for a moment that you have a child, and that child has gone out to play, and while they are playing it starts to rain. Some time goes by, and finally your child shows up at the back door. This child is wet and muddy. First of all, you would not let your child walk through your house in muddy clothes, so you make the child take off the muddy clothes. Second, you wouldn’t let your child go sit on the couch and watch TV. NO, you will send them right to the bath to get cleaned off. The water and soap remove the mud from the child’s body.
So we use water in baptism to signify the washing away of the “muddy” sin that has enveloped our being. But we need to understand that the water is not what cleanses us from our sin, or that the water gives us salvation. These things are not accomplished by the pouring of the water. Even more, the water doesn’t retain in itself the power to cleanse, regenerate, and renew.
What the water does is symbolize to us the power of God to cleanse, regenerate and renew. The water leads us to the knowledge of these wonderful gifts that God has for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because Jesus died on the cross, and was raised from the dead, that we can be led to Christ and receive this cleansing and renewal and new life!
But baptism is more than just the water. The water is the visible aspect of what is being done. When we are baptized, we also are anointed by the Holy Spirit. Let’s read for a moment about Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13-17…
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 15 Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”
When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came to be with Him. So too, when we are baptized, the Holy Spirit comes into our lives in a unique way. In receiving the touch of the Holy Spirit in this way, Jesus was being anointed and prepared for His ministry. So we too need to be touched by the Spirit of God, and anointed for the call of God on our lives. Baptism is one such event where God’s Spirit anoints us in a unique and powerful way!

IV. Why baptism is a corporate event-
In the Presbyterian Book of Confessions, in the “Brief Statement of Faith”
(p. 276), we are told: “The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers.”
Illus. Because of our nation’s economic crisis, and the fact that so many
people are out of a job, I have at times wondered what I would do if I found myself out of a job. I know that if I couldn’t find a job in my profession, I would be willing to work at most any job so that I could provide for my family. But if it lasted a while, and our finances became strained, I have been comforted with the fact that I have a family that would help us financially, or even with a place to live for a while.
It is comforting to know you always have somewhere to turn; someone to count on. Family often is this for most people. But there are some people who don’t have family that they can turn to. That is a hard, and often lonely place to be. But the good news is that the Body of Christ is also our family; a family that is to be there for us in time of need.
The baptismal service reminds us of this important fact. That is why I ask the congregation to stand and I ask them this question: “Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture (the child’s name), by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging him/her to know and follow Christ, and to be a faithful member of His church?”
Baptism not only connects us to God through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, but it also connects us to God’s people. We make a commitment to help the baptized grow in their faith. We make a commitment to help nurture one another. We make a commitment to encourage one another in spiritual growth. We make a commitment to be there for each other.
That is why baptism is to happen with God’s people, and as a part of a worship service. It is about worship, and it is about God’s people.
I have had people ask me to do a baptism for them where they can be dunked in water, instead of having water just sprinkled on them. Before I agree to do this, they have to understand first that it is not to be a private event, where they just invite a few people they want there, but it is to be public, where the whole church is invited. Second, it not just something you go and do, but needs to be part of a worship experience. If they agree to these conditions, understanding the importance of them, then with the Sessions approval I have done baptisms in this way.

Conclusion: I have just touched briefly on what baptism is, why we baptize, how water and the Holy Spirit play a role in baptism, and how baptism is to be a corporate event. There is much more that could be said, and has been said by others on this topic. But my hope is that through this sermon, you will have a little better understanding of the importance and significance of baptism. I hope you see why God instituted this sacrament into the life of the church. And even though we aren’t saved through being baptized, we are led to the saving grace of God through Christ our Lord. If you have not been baptized, I would very much like to talk with you about you getting baptized…. Let us give thanks to God this day, for this very special sacrament, and for the cleansing, renewal, and new life we receive. Amen.

"The Stone of Fear is Removed"

(Resource used: "Imagine Your Life Without Fear", by Max Lucado)

Matthew 28:1-10, 14-27

Easter Sunday, 4/24/11; 10 a.m.

Introduction: As a minister I see it all the time, people who have so much going for them, so much potential, but then they throw it all away with alcohol, or drugs, or just plain bad decisions. With these people, if I ever even have a chance to offer any counsel, it is usually not received well, because their hearts have become hard by their choice of life.

Oftentimes at this point they have been so beaten down, that they are fearful of what a change would mean. In this time, they need an extra bit of courage to help them rise above their mistakes, and turn their lives around. They need to break free from the fear that keeps them imprisoned in their situation.

Maybe you are in a place like this, or know someone who is. But even if you aren’t, we all have aspects of life that cause us some fear. Losing a job. Losing a child. Losing your marriage. Fear of getting sued. Fear of going broke. Fear of losing your health. I could go on and on.

But instead of fear, I want to talk this Easter morning about how our “stone” of fear can be removed! The same power that removed the stone from Jesus’ tomb, will remove our stone of fear.

I. Why are we afraid?- (Matthew 8:25-26, 28:2; Mark 4:38)

Here are a few important questions to ponder: Have you ever seen fear and

happiness exist at the same time? Or clear thinking and fear? Or confidence and fear? The answer to all these questions is NO. Fear is the bully that keeps happiness, and clear thinking, and confidence away. Fear runs them off.

a. You of little faith- In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8, Jesus gets in a

boat with His disciples. Tired from a long day of ministering to the people, He falls asleep. Sometime into His nap a storm arises. Peter and John, who are seasoned sailors, struggle against the wind, knowing that this is a severe storm and that they are in trouble. The other disciples, who are not seasoned sailors, feed off of Peter and John’s fear.

At this point, when they know they are in trouble, they wake up Jesus. We would think that Jesus would be comforting in this time of fear. Instead, Jesus says these words in Matthew 8:26, “Jesus replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” At first reading you might think that Jesus is teasing them. It would be like asking someone who just got out of a pool, ‘Why are you wet?’ It seems very obvious. They were afraid because their lives were in danger in a great and treacherous storm! The Greek word for the storm was ‘seismos,’ which means a trembling of eruption of sea and sky. The only other times Matthew uses this word seismos to explain what was happening, was at Calvary at Jesus’ death when the earth shook, and at Jesus’ resurrection, where we just read in Matthew 28:2 how the graveyard shook.

We see that the storm came upon them suddenly, and so did their fear. Even though Christ is with them, it did not keep them from experiencing the storm. But THEIR FAITH SHOULD HAVE KEPT THEM FROM EXPERIENCING FEAR!

b. Being at peace in the storm- Jesus is serious when He tells them they

have little faith. He is serious in His rebuke of them. Did He expect them to be sleeping like He was? While the disciples are screaming in fear, Jesus is dreaming. While the thunder is roaring around them, Jesus snores. The Gospel of Mark, talking about this same event, lets us know that Jesus was beneath the stern, protected from the waves and wind.

You have to believe that Jesus knew that the storm was coming. Even in this knowing, He chose to go to sleep. Of course, this sleeping concerns the disciples. Let us go back a verse, to Matthew 8:25, and read what is said there: “The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’” There is this implication in their voice wondering if God cares. Mark says it like this in Mark 4:38, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Notice they don’t ask about Jesus’ strength, ‘Can you still the storm?’ The don’t ask about His knowledge, ‘Are You aware of the storm?’ They don’t ask if He knows how to calm a storm or if He has experience with storms. What they are concerned about is if Jesus cares about them. They want to know if Jesus cares at all about their predicament; their situation.

Why is this? Because this is what fear does; it tests our faith and our trust!

II. Does God Care?- (Matthew 6:25, 10:31, 14:27)

a. What fear does to us- The truth is, we see that first of all fear

corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. We begin to wonder if God really is love, like the Bible says. We begin to wonder if God loves us. If God can sleep in our sterns, with eyes shut when we are afraid, then does He really care? If He permits storms even after we give our lives to Him, then how does this show He cares? If He dies, after everyone has put their faith in Him, then how can He help them now? And so our fear unleashes a stream of doubts into our minds, our hearts, even to the depth of our being.

Second, we see that the disciples’ fear makes them demanding of God: “DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE STORM!” We do this just like the disciples. And we do it because our fear causes us to feel a loss of control. Our fear causes us to feel insecure, and when we are insecure we tend to become more demanding.

Third, fear deadens our recall. The reason why Jesus was serious when He rebuked them for a lack of faith, is because the disciples had seen Jesus heal people of all kinds of sicknesses and diseases. They had witnessed Jesus healing a leper with a touch, and a servant with a command. They had experienced Jesus casting out spirits. With seeing all of this, they should have trusted Jesus in any and every situation. But fear causes us to forget what God has done. As the old adage says: “What have you done for me lately?”

This would have been a good time for someone to have spoken up and reminded everyone of all that Jesus had done. But fear causes us spiritual amnesia and sucks the life out of our soul. In truth, fear becomes our god, because it is what controls our lives.

When you are fearful, you cannot love, because love is too risky. When you are fearful, you cannot give to others, because you fear you will not have enough for yourself. When you are fearful, you cannot dream, because you are afraid of failing. Of Jesus’ 125 imperative commands, 21 speak of us not fearing. Why? Because Jesus knows what fear does to us!

b. Jesus takes fear seriously- Even though Jesus rebuked the

disciples for their lack of faith, Jesus does care about their fear. Jesus takes fear seriously. When Jesus says ‘don’t be afraid,’ it is because He cares about what our fear will do to us.

Think of it in this way: when I as a parent give my child a command, it isn’t because I like to be bossy, or I want to be harsh with them. It is because I care about them, and I am firmly guiding them away from trouble, and into a life that will lead to blessings!!

So it is true of God and us. Listen to some of these commands of Jesus:

Matthew 10:31- “So don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.”

Matthew 6:25- “I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough.”

Matthew 14:27- “Take courage, I am here!”

Jesus does not want us to live in a state of fear. The truth is, we don’t want to live in a state of fear either. I don’t think you would ever say something like: “Thank God for my pessimism. I’ve been such a better person since I lost hope.” OR “My hypochondria helps me to have such a better life.”

Jesus’ question is a good one, when He asks: “Why are you so fearful, you of little faith?” Fear can be a good thing, to warn us of danger, or from keeping a child from running across the road. Fear itself is not the sin, but it can lead us to sin. If we let our fear lead us to angry outbursts, or withdrawals, or great doubt, then it does become a problem.

Fear will come, we just have to not let it reside in us. We have to remember these “do not fear” statements from Jesus.

EX. A few years ago the family started watching this reality TV show where kids were chosen to run a town on their own, without any parents. It was quite a struggle for the kids. It especially bothered Tiffany at the time, so much so that it caused her to have ‘night terrors.’ She allowed her fear of thinking that she would be without her parents to allow her to have these nightmarish dreams!

To show the disciples that He did care, Jesus got up and with a command calmed the wind and the waves. Jesus shows us He cares by calming our storms when we come to Him. Just as I lovingly calm the fears of my children when they are afraid because I care for them, so God calms ours. BUT HE DOESN’T WANT US TO HAVE THESE FEARS.

III. God’s Promises- (John 14:1-3, 3:16; Matthew 10:31, 9:2, 6:25-27)

a. Our greatest fear- Aristotle called death the thing to be feared

most, because it appears to be the end of everything. This is why we so often are saddened by the death of a loved one, because we feel that it is the end of our time with them. But this is only if we don’t understand death in its eternal form.

So, Jesus gives us His promises to help us in our times of fear. As Jesus said in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” This is not a promise that sounds too good to be true, but it is a promise that comes from God Himself. It is a promise that is born out of the wonderful verse in John 3:16, “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE.”

Do you believe this verse? Do you trust this verse? Do you give yourself over to this verse? That is what life and death are all about, making this verse come true.

b. Fear not- As I said before, God gives us His promises so that we

don’t have to fear. God gives us His promises so that our fear won’t get the best of us. WHEN WE FEEL WE DON’T MATTER, we remember Matthew 10:31, “So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.”

WHEN WE FEAR WE’VE DISAPPOINTED GOD, we remember Matthew 9:2, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.”

WHEN OUR FEAR BECOMES WORRY, we remember Matthew 6:25-27, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

You might be familiar with the “God Promise” book. It is a book that has all of God’s promises from scripture in it. It is divided by categories. Whatever your concern, you turn to that category, and find the verse that affirms God’s presence and help in your life.

After Jesus was killed, we are told that the disciples went into hiding, not just because they were grieving Jesus’ death, but they were afraid that they too would be killed. They had again forgotten all that Jesus had said, and all that Jesus had done. But on Easter morning, we see the women coming to the tomb. They are met by an angel. We read again Matthew 28:5-7, “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.’”

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sin. He was raised to life on Easter day so that we could have the stone of fear removed from our lives, even our fear of death….I want to show you a show video clip called “Stethoscope.”

Conclusion: Show “Stethoscope” video. Man finds a stethoscope on the ground. The stethoscope plays music to whatever it touches. Man is leaning on a pole, touches the pole with the stethoscope and it plays the song “Lean on Me.” He touches a fire hydrant and it plays “Who let the dogs out.” He touches an Icee and it plays “Ice, ice baby.” Then he touches his chest, where his heart is, and it plays Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” Ends with verse, Colossians 1:27, “Christ lives in you.” Because of Christ’s life and death, we need not fear. Because of His resurrection, He is alive in us, and always there to work on our behalf. Hallelujah. Amen.

"The Same Mind"

Philippians 2:5-11

April 17, 2011: Sixth Sunday of Lent (Palm Sunday)

Introduction: Over the last 5 weeks we have talked about the virtues of ‘honesty, purity, loyalty, integrity, and gratitude.’ We talked about how we need to bring these virtues back into our lives, our church, our world. To do this, we have to seek to be more like Christ; draw off the strength and power of Christ.

“Live Science” internet article. Feb 14, 2006 Forget about opposites attracting. We like people who look like us, because they tend to have personalities similar to our own. And, a new study suggests, the longer we are with someone, the more similarities in appearance grow. Researchers set out to investigate why couples often tend to resemble one another. They asked 11 male and 11 female participants to judge the age, attractiveness and personality traits of 160 real-life married couples. Photographs of husbands and wives were viewed separately, so the participants didn't know who was married to whom. The test participants rated men and woman who were actual couples as looking alike and having similar personalities. Also, the longer the couples had been together, the greater the perceived similarities. (By Ker Than)

Studies show that married couples who have been together a long time begin to look more alike, think more alike, and act more alike. In fact, last week Terry Garcia made a comment to me, telling me that her parents had been married 40 some years, and she thought they were starting to look more and more like each other!

This morning, I want to talk about how we can, and need to, look like Christ; become more LIKE Christ. Christ came so that this could happen. In part, this takes time. The longer we follow Christ, the more we will be like Christ. But it can start right away as well because of what Christ got started on Palm Sunday many, many years ago!

I. Not Equal- (Philippians 2:5-6; 1 Peter 1:16; Romans 3:23)

a. Like God- In Genesis 1, as the Bible describes God creating all things,

including people, there is a wonderful verse, verse 27 which says: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are created in the “image of God.” This is a wonderful truth.

We can be like God in many ways. We have the capacity to love, to forgive, and to show compassion. We have the capacity to be in relationship. We have intelligence and reason and can “know” many things. We are called to oversee all of creation; to be lord over it. But probably the greatest way we are like God is that we have the ability to create and be creative.

I wonder what it was like for God to create. It must have been great fun to think about what He would put on this earth. All the different kinds of trees and plants. The clouds that bring rain. The mountains and the land. The sea and the other bodies of water. Just making some water fresh, and other water salty!

And then he got to the more complex life. He began to make the animals. Think about all the different kinds of animals there are, and how these animals all fit into a structure that works together….. But he wasn’t done yet.

God then saved His best for last; man and woman… Man and woman were to be in relationship with each other, but they were to be in relationship with God as well. And man and woman were given the great privilege and responsibility of being able to create more life. TO CREATE LIFE. I have to tell you, that when Tyler and Tiffany were born, it was two of the most incredible moments of my life. Tami and I had created life that was in our image.

b. Unlike God- But just as we are created in the image of God, we are

not exactly like God. There is indeed quite a difference between us, and God. In more theological terms it is called transcendent and immanent. Immanent qualities are those qualities that we have that are like God; as I said before qualities like loving, kind, fair, and so on… Transcendent qualities are those qualities where God transcends (goes beyond) anything we could be. These qualities include loving unconditionally, being omnipotent (all-powerful), being omniscient (all-knowing), and being omnipresent (all-present).

It is pretty evident that God is above and beyond us. In fact, we have trouble even being able to conceive our thoughts in a manner similar to God.

These Sunday School funnies remind us how we can be short sighted:
The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mommy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"
A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."
A Sunday school teacher said to her children, " We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?" One child blurted out, "Aces!"

But another way that we are not like God, is our sin. We are told in the Bible that we are to seek to be holy like our God is holy. But we are also told that we have “all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” And yet, we can try and have the same mind of Christ. We can try and live a virtuous life, which leads us to seek to enhance those qualities we have that are in the image of God. This attitude, this same mindset, leads us to our second point of being a servant.

II. Being A Servant- (Philippians 2:7-8)

a. Doing His will- Example- In a Peanuts comic strip, Linus is eating a

peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and in the middle of a bite, he says to Lucy: “Hands are fascinating things! I like my hands…I think I have nice hands…my hands seem to have a lot of character…these are hands which may someday accomplish great things…these are hands which may someday do marvelous works! They may build mighty bridges or heal the sick, or hit homeruns, or write soul-stirring novels! THESE ARE HANDS WHICH MAY SOMEDAY CHANGE THE COURSE OF DESTINY!!”

Lucy comes over and looks closely at Linus’ hands, and then says: “They’ve got jelly on them.” (The Gospel According to Peanuts, p.36)

In Ecclesiastes 2:11, this verse says- “Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was in vain and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” We can easily feel this way, because all too often, we are not seeking to fulfill what God created us to do and be, but we go off chasing our own dreams.

The first thing we have to understand, is that to be a servant, we have to

desire to do God’s will. This is important, because, since God created the world, and created you and me, we will really only be happy, and bear fruit, if we are doing the will of God in our lives; if we are serving God.
To do this we have to create a habit of listening to God; and God speaks to people who listen. God uses people who desire to be used. God blesses people who have the attitude of a servant. That is why the apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:7, in regards to Christ, “But (He) made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…” Christ Himself knew that this was what was important; to be a servant.

So, if you want to be truly useful in life, you need to be useful for God. If you

want to do something significant with your life, if you want to be chosen by God, then you need to seek to listen to God, and seek to follow God’s plan. You probably need to stop thinking that you have all the answers, and realize that so often we feel like so much of life is in vain because we are chasing after the wrong things. We are trying to satisfy ourselves with things that won’t satisfy. We need to gain a new perspective on life (as we talked about last week, learning how to be grateful for what we have), and believe that God can come to us and speak to us, and choose to use us. Being a servant isn’t a negative thing; it actually frees us to truly live.

b. Four steps to being a servant- Example- “Four Steps to Your Dream,”

Illus. Unl., p. 26, #2…Years ago a young black child, growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, had his school visited by a famous athlete named Charlie Paddock. At the time Paddock was considered the fastest human being alive. Paddock told the children that if they could dream it, then God could help them to be it. That young boy decided on that day that he wanted to be the fastest human being on earth. He then and told his track coach what his dream was, and his coach told him to achieve his dream he had to build a ladder to it. He coach then gave him the four steps of the ladder: determination; dedication; discipline; and attitude. The result was that this young man went on to win four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, including breaking the world records for the 100 and 200 meter dash. The name of this boy? Jesse Owens!!

Just like there is a cost to be a top-notch athlete like Jesse Owens, there is a cost in being a top-notch servant of Christ. Phil. 2:8 says- “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death…” For Christ, the cost was His death. For us, it is determination, dedication, discipline, and attitude.

1. Determination- First is determination. In anything in life, if we

don’t have determination, then we will get frustrated and decide to quit. Why? Because determination is the act of deciding firmly to do something. Without determination, we will not apply ourselves and not gain the second quality, which is dedication. Dedication is next.

2. Dedication- Being committed to something. It doesn’t matter if it is easy

or hard, if you are committed to doing it for the long haul. In fact, when things get hard, those who are determined work even harder. Third there is discipline…

3. Discipline- Discipline is training in a way that molds and perfects

an individual for a particular task. If we want to be the best servant of Jesus, then we have to be disciplined in the things of God. We have to be disciplined in prayer (talking & listening to God) and we have to be disciplined in living our lives in a way that honors God. Discipline is what will help us in being a servant. Last is attitude.

4. Attitude- The attitude we are called to have is humility. This whole

passage in Philippians 2 shows us the humility that Christ had; “(He) did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.” Now this is talking about the Son of God, God in the flesh, who knew the importance of humility. If Christ could have the attitude of humility so as to become a servant, shouldn’t you and I?

You probably know someone who when they talk, it is out of arrogance and boastfulness, and their words are as empty as a clanging cymbal. Or you probably know someone who might seem generous, but it is all an act to make others think more highly of them. Without the attitude of humility, we make ourselves nothing, and we will accomplish nothing important for God!

III. Lifted Up- (Numbers 21:1-9; Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Peter 5:6)

In the Old Testament, there is the story of how the Israelites were wandering

in the wilderness, being prepared by God for the promised land, when some of the people got bit by venomous snakes and died. The people cried out to God, and God provided a way for them to be saved. Numbers 21:8-9 tells us- “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.’ 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.”

This passage was a way to teach the people to look to God for life. And it prepared the people for Jesus’ coming and how Jesus would be “lifted up.”

a. On the cross- And so we see that first of all, as a servant, Christ is to

be “lifted up” onto the cross. This lifting up of Christ is a divine necessity, meaning that God planned all along to save us from our sins by having Christ crucified on the cross. By doing this, not only does Christ pay for our sin, but He becomes sin on our behalf so that death and sin no longer rule over us. We will talk about this more on Friday at our Good Friday service.

b. To the Father- But after His death, Christ had to be “lifted up” to the

right hand of the Father where all things were put in subjection under Christ’s feet.

As Philippians 2:9 says, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” From an earthly standpoint, Jesus suffered the ultimate humiliation by dying the death of a common criminal. However, when seen through the eyes of faith, this humiliation becomes the throne of glory and a life-giving act.

In Matthew 21, as Jesus entered Jerusalem, and people shouted “Hosanna! Hosanna!”, Jesus knew that this was to be short lived. Jesus knew that His destiny was not to be put on an earthly throne, but that soon He would be killed on a cross. Jesus knew that He needed to do this so that we could have the ‘same mind’ as Him. Jesus knew the extent of His mission, and that He would be raised from the dead. As the Apostles Creed tells us- “He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.” Being lifted up to the Father was part of His reward for being a servant.

c. Lifting up Christ- And this is where our path as servant crosses the

path Jesus took. It is now our privilege and responsibility as the Church, and as a people of God, to “lift up” Christ in our lives. When we “believe” in Jesus, it is a verb, which suggests throwing oneself onto Christ. We are called through faith and trust to abandon ourselves to Christ. This is the role of a servant, to abandon oneself to their master. As we received the spiritual life we so desperately needed, we, in serving others for Christ, lead them to receive Christ as their master.

As we exercise this faith and trust, we get a taste of true life. This true life is experienced here on earth, but even more fully when we get to heaven. In humbling ourselves, we allow God to use us, but also bless us. 1 Peter 5:6 says- “Humble yourselves, therefore under God’s might hand, that He may lift you up in due time.” When we are proud we will be in opposition to God; we will fight against God; we will judge God. When we humble ourselves, God is all the more willing to bring us blessings and comfort and joy.

Isn’t this true with us and our children? When they are demanding of us, the last thing we want to see, is for them get their own selfish ways. But when they are humble and loving and giving, we want to lavish blessings upon them!

Conclusion: In the old comedy show “Everyone Loves Raymond,” there is a scene where he starts to tell some friends about this experience that he and his wife had. But he realizes that as he starts the story, he won’t be able to finish it, because usually when the story gets told, he tells part, and his wife tells part. But since she isn’t there, he doesn’t know the parts of the story she usually tells. It is almost like they have one mind, and apart they struggle.

The goal of Lent season, and Palm Sunday, is to recognize that Jesus is to be both our Savior (the one who saves us from our sin), and Lord (the one who directs our path). The goal of Lent season is for us to seek to develop the same mind as Christ, so that we might think and act more like Christ. Jesus started the journey of His last days on Palm Sunday. He did this so that we could begin our days of serving and following Him. Let us continue our journey to this end, this day, and every day God gives us on this earth. Amen.

"Generosity, Which Produces Thankfulness"

FORGOTTEN VIRTUES SERIES

From series by www.Lifechurch.tv

Luke 17:11-19; Sunday, April 10, 2011

Introduction: This last virtue that we are talking about is one that is almost totally forgotten by our society. Let me give you an example: There was a Boston consultant who was working with these college graduates, and asked them to name the word that describes this emerging generation that is coming into the work force, and he gave them a clue; it starts with the letter “e.” ‘What is the one word that people say describes you?’ he asked. They came up with words like “energetic,” “excellent,” “exceptional.” After they listed all these different words that started with the letter “e,” the consultant then told them that the number one word that was used to describe this generation, as they moved into the workforce, was ENTITLED. The generation that is now moving into the workforce believes that they are entitled, and that everyone owes them more.

Now understand that those of us who are older can’t point the finger, because we have to remember that we have helped to create this feeling of entitlement. How have we done this? Well, it has come in a number of ways, but one main way is that so many people are working far too much, and they love their kids, so because they wanted to show them love, but couldn’t do it by spending time with them, they did it by never saying “no” and by buying them whatever they wanted!

The younger generation has got what is called the “gimmies.” The gimmies is where you are saying “give me, give me, give me.” And because they almost always got what they wanted, they began to feel entitled to whatever they wanted. They didn’t have to work for it, it was just given to them!

The virtue we are talking about is the exact opposite of “entitlement.” It is the forgotten virtue of gratitude. Say it with me: “Gratitude.”

I. Will you be the one?- (Luke 17:11-19)

a. The healing- Let’s start by looking at a story in the Bible, in Luke

17, of some people who looked entitled, and did not stop to show gratitude. We will start in verse 11… “Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Let’s stop for a moment and get some context. Leprosy was a painful disease that included oozing sores, and the disease would also affect their nerves. Now this was the physical pain, but there was also emotional pain. In Leviticus we are told that if you got close to a leper, you had to shout out, “unclean, unclean.” Could you imagine the emotional pain of being called out as unclean? Could you imagine the emotional pain of not being able to be touched or have any kind of physical intimacy? This is what a leper experienced. And here we see that these ten lepers encounter Jesus.

As they see Jesus, they see a man they had heard can heal people. I would imagine that they thought that Jesus was the answer to all their pain. We continue in verse 14: “When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.” Just as they had hoped, their greatest dream was answered; they had been healed! Going on, verses 15-16: “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.” How many came back? Not ten, but only ONE. And this one was so grateful that he threw himself at Jesus’ feet, THEN he thanked Jesus. And the Bible expounds on this by saying that the man was a Samaritan. If you remember, Samaritans and Jews were enemies of each other; they were not to talk to each other. But this Samaritan didn’t care if Jesus was Jewish, because he could only see the great gift Jesus had given him, and HE WAS THANKFUL!!

b. The response- Moving on to verses 17-19: “Jesus asked, ‘Were not

all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?’ ¹⁹ Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” Jesus is asking this man about the other nine. They had almost begged Jesus for a miracle, and Jesus granted them this miracle, and yet only one of the 10 came back to thank Jesus!

Here is where we see the “entitled mindset” from the lepers. They probably thought that they hadn’t deserved the disease in the first place, and so they really deserved to be healed. And because they could only focus on the fact that they were healed, and not on how they were healed, or by whom they were healed, their entitlement attitude kept them from telling Jesus “Thank you.”

My question to you is: WILL YOU BE THE ONE?

Truthfully, the odds are stacked against you, in that our society is much like the lepers; when God gives us good things, there are few who stop and give thanks. Will you be the one who daily pauses to give glory and honor to the One who gave you life? Will you be the one who stops, in all the busyness, and gives heartfelt thanks to the One who has redeemed you?

But this question needs to extend beyond God. Will you be the one who is aware of how the people around you bless you and say “thank you” to them? Will you be the one to express your gratitude by giving an encouragement note to those who have helped you? Will you be the one who shows your gratitude to the teacher who has blessed your child, or your grandchild? We’re coming up to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day in the next couple of months. Will you be the one who really shows true gratitude to your parents? Easter is just 2 weeks away: will you be the one who shows God that you are truly thankful by the way you live your life; as a true follower of Christ? Will you be the one?

OR, will you be like so many today who think they have it coming to them; who think they don’t have the time to show their thanks. Most people think of themselves as grateful people. But if we were to really examine our lives, do we act like the 9 and walk away without stopping to really be grateful for all that has been given to us, or will we be like the one?

II. Ungrateful Mindset- (Luke 15:11-12, 29)

a. I want it now- A prime example of this is when we go to a fast food

restaurant. How much time do you expect it to take between when you order your food, and when you receive it? If it takes more than 3 or 4 minutes, do you start to get a little anxious; perturbed? This is because we now feel entitled to have it fast, since it is a “fast food” restaurant! But when we feel this way, we are forgetting that somebody else is making our hamburger, and cooking our fries. They are wrapping it up, putting it on a tray, and bringing it to us.

Not too long ago I preached a series on The Prodigal Son, and in this passage we can see an ungrateful mindset. This son has the attitude of “I want it now.” Let’s read in Luke 15:11-12, “Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.” See how the younger son is wanting it now? Usually you receive your inheritance after someone dies. But not this son. He wants it NOW. He is basically saying to his father: “I want to go live my life away from you, and I want your money to pay for my lifestyle.” And if you remember the story, the father gives him his inheritance, and this younger son goes off and squanders it all away with sinful living. The money that probably took the father decades to earn, the son squanders in a matter of weeks.

We see here several aspects of ungratitude: first, he demanded the money. By doing this he was basically saying to the father that he didn’t care if he lived or died, he just cared about his inheritance. Second, he didn’t use the money wisely, but carelessly and frivolously spent it.

How do we see this in society? We see young adults in their 20’s feeling like they want the same things as their parents, but they want it now. What took their parents years and years to accomplish, they want now. They want the same kind of home, car, job, and vacations. Now, I know there are many young adults in their 20’s who are not like this, but as a whole, this generation has a “I want it now attitude,” and they also don’t want to work that hard for it.

b. The idea of saving- Let’s think back to our grandparents day,

when they were growing up. They had this philosophy that if you wanted something, then you would save up for it until you could afford it, and then once you could afford it, then you bought it! Now this idea of saving sounds crazy to many in today’s generation, because the world has made it so that you can get it now.

How easy is it to get a credit card, charge something, and take it right home? How could this not develop a “I want it now” philosophy? You didn’t have to earn the money before you bought the TV, you just go out and charge it. OR, there are many advertisements that say, buy it now, and you don’t have to pay for it for six months. Again, no money is coming out of your pocket now. You walk in, you say you want it, and YOU GET IT!

Illus. I remember when I got my first full time job when I was about 27. I didn’t have a credit card, and I didn’t want a credit card, because I believed that it would be too big a temptation to just go out and charge things. But at some point I had to get one (so that I could rent movies). So I made a deal with myself, that I wouldn’t charge anything that I couldn’t pay for when the bill came. I was only going to use the credit card as a means to not have to carry a large amount of cash around. And I stuck to this! I remember the first time I really used my credit card was to buy Christmas presents. I had the money in the bank, and so I charged the presents on the card, and then only had to write one check when the bill came.

We need to understand that we have to WAIT. Wait, means that you don’t get it now. You don’t get it until you can afford it. If you are living in debt, unable to pay your bills, spending more than you have, buying more than you need, then you are probably living with the “I want it now” attitude.

c. I deserve more- There is also an attitude seen in the older brother

in the story of The Prodigal Son. It is the attitude of “I deserve more.” The younger brother realizes that he has made a great mistake, and has had a terrible attitude. He humbles himself and returns. The father, who represents God in this story, is there waiting lovingly for his son. He is so happy to see him that he throws a big party, and the older son is incensed by this.

WHY? Because the older son felt like he deserved MORE than the younger brother. Listen to what he says in Luke 15:29, “But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.” First of all, the older brother feels entitled because he has stayed with the father and continues to work for him. In fact, the brother expresses it this way: “All these years I have been slaving for you…” Interesting. He feels that someone owes him. He hasn’t worked for the father out of love or duty, but he has been SLAVING for the father. Second, he is upset that the father hasn’t thrown a party for his faithfulness. He feels that since he has been faithful, that deserves a celebration. He should be celebrated for living how he should be living.

All the time we live with the “I deserve more” mentality. I deserve a better job. I deserve more respect. I deserve more money. My kids, at ages 11 and 14 want cell phones. They think they deserve it, because all of their friends have them. We tell them that they will get a cell phone when they NEED a cell phone. I ask them all the time: “Who is going to pay for the cell phone?” Me, of course, not them. I deserve it without having to pay for it; without having to earn it.

EX. Not too long ago Tyler wanted a router in the house so that he could connect to the internet with his Iphone, which he paid for, by the way. I told him that I wasn’t going to pay for it. In the end, we found a good router, and we bought it. I knew I was going to use it a little, but it was primarily for him. So we made a deal that he would wash our cars, at $5 per car wash, and earn off the money it cost. We wanted him to earn what he received!

III. Exposing our ungratefulness- (Philippians 4:11; Proverbs 15:15-16)

Let’s finish by taking some time to expose any ungratefulness that we might

have. Let’s ask God in these last few minutes to help us see how we might be like the 9 lepers who went away without saying “thank you” to Jesus.

a. Expose our material and financial ungratefulness- First, let’s ask God to

expose any material and financial ungratefulness we might have. Maybe you think that you are dissatisfied because you don’t have a plasma TV. OR, maybe you are like me, and you walk into your closet, and look at your clothes, and say, “I’ve got nothing to…….WEAR.” Isn’t this a funny statement? Your closet is full, but you have nothing to wear. Who picked them out? But what we are really saying is that we don’t like what we have, we’ve grown tired of it, we want something better. I’ve been to places where people really have nothing to wear! Shame on us for being ungrateful in this way.

We can see this in our wishing for a better place to live, a better job, a better car, being able to provide better gifts for our kids. The point is, we are not satisfied with what we have, and so we are ungrateful.

b. Relational and circumstancial ungratefulness- The second area is our

relational and circumstancial ungratefulness. We can be ungrateful in our relationships in several areas. Maybe you wish your friends were more attentive. Maybe you wish your spouse was more giving. Maybe you wish your friends were richer, and would buy you nice gifts. Maybe you wish you had more friends. Maybe you wish your kids would be more respectful to you. I wish my wife would cook better. It is the “I wish he was…I wish she was” syndrome.

Or maybe you wish that you had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Or you wish that you were married. The point is, we can be ungrateful in our relationships. And if we are, we need to be honest about it.

OR, we can be ungrateful is in our circumstances. I don’t like the

circumstances I find myself in. I don’t like my job. I don’t like my hair, or my lack of hair. I don’t seem to get the breaks. The point here is that you don’t like your circumstances. We need to be honest with where we might be ungrateful, so that we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

c. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude – You cannot be grateful as long as you

harbor these feelings of ungratitude. How do we go from being entitled, to being grateful? BY DECIDING THAT EVERY BLESSING THAT

COMES TO ME, I WILL TURN INTO PRAISE.

Why do we need to do this? Because every blessing that we don’t turn into praise TURNS INTO PRIDE. If we don’t praise God for it, then we begin to feel entitled to it. When we praise God, we understand that all that we have has been given to us by God. It is not something we deserved, but rather something THAT WAS GIVEN TO US. And for this we are grateful. It is having the same attitude as the apostle Paul , who said in Philippians 4:11, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

It is something that we learn. By nature we are selfish. By nature we are not

content. We have to learn how to be content. Whether we have plenty, or don’t feel that we have enough, we learn to be content with what you have. Because if we can’t be content with what we have and where we are at, then it DOESN’T MATTER WHAT COMES INTO OUR LIVE,S WE WILL NEVER BE CONTENT!!

Conclusion: Proverbs 15:15-16 tells us, “All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. ¹⁶ Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil.” When you have a cheerful heart, even the smallest things can be wonderful. I can honestly tell you that time spent with my family doing nothing, is better than being on the greatest vacation alone. It is all about perspective.

I want to leave you with one bit of important advice: LEARN TO BE A GIVER. When you learn how to give, you are no longer concerned with what you have or don’t have; you are grateful for the smallest of things, and you are thankful for all that you have, and you will move from entitlement, to thankfulness! Amen.