"We Have Been Made Rich in Christ"
Sunday, June 2, 2013: 2 Corinthians 8:9
Mature in Christ Series: Devoted to Joyful Generosity

Introduction: A number of years ago I was going to be moving from Anaheim to Ontario, California. I had gotten a job to do Junior High ministry at a church in Rancho Cucamonga. So I called up a couple of friends and asked if they would help me move. They generously said “yes.” I rented a U-Haul truck and was to pick it up the next morning. That day, the day before I was to move, I was playing racquetball with a friend. I had played hundreds of games of racquetball without ever getting hurt, but this day was different. I was running and stretching after a shot when I felt something pull in my back. I went down to the ground and couldn’t move!! I had compressed a couple of discs in my back. I went to the doctor and he told me that I was to not lift anything over 10 pounds.

            Now fast forward to the next day, my friends show up to help me move, and I can’t lift anything over 10 pounds. My 2 friends were so generous and giving as they proceeded to move all my stuff for me!

            This morning, as we talk about maturing in Christ by being devoted to joyful generosity, I want us to think about what it means to be a giving people. Let’s pray...

I.                   What makes a generous heart?- (1 John 4:8)

a.      What is love?- As you grow up, one of the things you seek to learn is

how to love. At first you think that love is a feeling. So when you have strong feelings for someone you think you love them. Sometimes these strong feelings might lead you to be extra nice to people; extra giving. But the problem with thinking of love as a feeling, is that there will be many times when you don’t feel like you love another person.

            Then as you mature, you realize that love is more than a feeling, it is a commitment that you make to another person. You decide that you want to be committed and connected to someone who becomes special to you. And so love is more secure because it is not just about what you feel, but about what you would do for another. Your love is shown not just in feelings, or words, but in action.

            However, when I became a parent, I understood love in a whole new way. The love I experienced for my children was not just about feelings, but about something much deeper than that. I’m sure I cannot even adequately express the love I have for my children. But I do know that I love them not because of what they do, but because they are a part of my very being. I, along with Tami, created our children.

            In this understanding of love I began to understand God’s love for me so much better. I realized that God created me, and in my being created in His image, His love for me runs deep. It is in this love, the love of God that we see a generous heart. It is from this kind of love that comes a giving spirit. A desire to give from the depths of your being.

            If you were to ask a parent if they would give their life to save the life of a child, I believe most, if not all parents would say “yes.” I don’t think there would even be hesitation there. This is the extreme example of the showing of love.

b.      Generosity- So we think about generosity. What makes a person

generous? I believe it stems from the understanding of love. And we cannot fully understand love without understanding God. As we are told in 1 John 4:8, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” At the core of who God is, He is love.

            It is in God’s love for us that He is generous to us. If you doubt God’s generosity, all you have to do is look around you. God is so generous in how He created this world for us. God is so generous in how He made us in His image. God is so generous in His making us to be relational beings, meant to love and be loved.

            In a Peanut’s comic strip Lucy walks up to Charlie Brown and says: “You know what the whole trouble with you is Charlie Brown?” Charlie Brown answers: “No, and I don’t want to know! Leave me alone.” And Charlie Brown starts to walk away. Undeterred, Lucy responds: “The whole trouble with you is you won’t listen to what the whole trouble with you is!”

            When sin came into the world, it made it difficult for Adam and Eve to receive the love and generosity of God, because they became too caught up in themselves, and forgot what it meant to be giving and generous. They didn’t even want to know what the problem was. They just became self-absorbed in their own sinfulness. And this sinfulness was passed on to generation after generation.

            So, God decided to be generous in a new way…

II.                The Generosity of God in Christ- (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 6:23)

2 Corinthians 8:9- “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that

though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

1. Grace of Jesus Christ- I think it is easy to forget that before God the Son

came to this earth, He resided in heaven. We read in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” The Son of God lived in heaven in the glory of heaven. The Son of God was all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present. He had the angels worshipping Him. He had been involved in creation.

            We are told by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5-8, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Jesus emptied Himself of being in the “form” of God, and took on the “form” of human flesh!

            Jesus was generous by being humble. Jesus was generous by coming to this earth. Jesus was generous by being born into the world. How? Because Jesus came to die on the cross for you and me. Jesus came to be generous to take away our sin by His death. Jesus was generous because He knew that His sacrifice would give us the gift of forgiveness from our sin. Jesus was generous because through His death we were able to be made righteous through faith in Him!

            Jesus understood that by emptying Himself of His God form, and coming to live on this earth, He would be able to give us a gift that is beyond anything we could imagine. As we are told in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Our sin leads us to death. Jesus’ amazing and generous gift gives us eternal life.

2. By His poverty- Let’s look at this another way. By His poverty we become

rich. We usually think that the sacrifice that Christ made for us was on the cross. And while this is true, it is even more than this. For the Apostle Paul, we see that Jesus’ sacrifice for us didn’t begin at the cross, it didn’t even begin at His birth. Jesus’ sacrifice began in heaven when He laid aside His glory and consented to come to the earth.

            In a little while we will take communion together. I want us to understand that when we partake of communion, this is an act of receiving the generosity of God. We must not take for granted what Jesus has done for us. We must not lessen the act of Christ on the cross. We must open ourselves up to how Christ so generously paid the penalty for us.

            We hear the words of institution, the words that explain to us that Jesus gave us this meal to not only remind us of what He has done, but to show the power of what He has done. This power of forgiveness and new life is given to us. When we eat of the bread and drink of the cup we not only proclaim the name of Jesus Christ, but we receive the benefit of Christ into our lives. We receive the generous gift of Christ.

            And so the poverty of Christ, taking on flesh, being beaten, and crucified, led to our richness. We are rich in that we are heirs of Christ. We are rich in that our sin is not held against us. We are rich in that we have gone from sinner, to saint, cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ!

 

III.             The Power of Generosity- (Romans 5:8)

a.      While we were sinners- As we think about the generosity of God we

must also consider Romans 5:8, which tells us: “For God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What matters is not so much that I know God, but that God knows me, and still loves me. God knows me as the sinner that I am, and still chose to die for me!

            God’s generosity is shown all the more in that He is patient with me: God gives me second and third chances. God is kind to me. He often gives me gifts that I don’t deserve. God believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself.

            Story of an incident that happened in the life of T. E. Lawrence:

In 1915 he was journeying across the desert with some Arabs. Things were desperate. Food was almost done and water was at its last drop. Their hoods were over their heads to shelter them from the wind, which was like a flame and full of the stinging sand of the sandstorm. Suddenly they realized that one of their party, a man named Jasmin was missing. “Who is Jasmin,” one asked? Then another remembered him to be the one who killed a Turkish tax-collector. In remembering this the man said: “What does it matter? Jasmin was not worth ten pence.” With this the Arabs rode on.

But Lawrence turned and rode back to find him. For an hour and a half, alone and at risk to himself, he rode against the sand and the heat. Then he saw a movement and discovered that it was Jasmin. By this point Jasmin was mad with the heat. Lawrence lifted him up on his camel, gave him some drink and made his way back to the Arabs.

When they saw Lawrence with Jasmin they said: “Jasmin, not worth ten pence, saved at his own risk by Lawrence, our Lord.”

            It was not good men and women Christ died to save, but sinners. We are those sinners who have received this amazing and wonderful gift.

b.      The desire in us- Next week Pastor Mike will talk more about how we,

as God’s people are called to be generous. But let me just prime the pump a little today. As God gives to us in Christ, it leads us to desire to be generous as well. As God has loved us, so we must love one another.

            Example- Illus. Unlimited, “We’re All Presents,” p. 230, #2. There is a story of a little 3 year old girl, who on Christmas morning was examining the presents. She noticed a bow had fallen off one of the presents, and in a moment of inspiration, placed it on her head and shouted: “Look at me, Daddy! I’m a present!”

            This is an important point. Christ died for us so that we could be in that place, free from our sin, to give of ourselves to others. At the heart of it all is the fact that we are to be a present to others. Because of who we are in Christ we can give to others of ourselves.

            Without Jesus’ giving to us, we could not hope to be in a place to give to others. It is by the freedom we receive from Christ that allows us to rise above our sinful, selfish ways, and desire to give of ourselves to another. But it is also in the gifts that God gives to us, that helps us to give. God gives us His peace, we can pass this on to those who are anxious. God gives us His love, we can share this with those who need to be loved. God gives us the knowledge of the saving act of Christ, we must share this gift with those who are lost!

Conclusion: We find the depth of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. As we say here often at CPC, God loves us as we are, but loves us too much to keep us that way. God knows that we battle with sin. God knows that we struggle to love well. So He sent His Son for us, to die for us, so that we could become so much more. God desires for us to be like Christ, and to be generous in how we love. But we must understand what love is before we can love.

            Communion reminds us of the cross of Christ. So think for a moment that you are in the upper room. Jesus is standing before you, and shares with you that He is about to be arrested, beaten, and crucified. Your first reaction is: Why? Then as you partake of the bread and the cup, and relate it to how you are lost in your sin, it begins to make sense.

            It ultimately makes sense in this wonderful verse: “For God so LOVED the world, that He GAVE His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not PERISH, but have eternal life.” AMEN.

"With Unveiled Faces"
2 Corinthians 3:18
Sunday, May 26, 2013

Introduction: There is a story of a young boy who was sitting at the kitchen table, drawing. His mother was interested in what he was doing, so she asked: “Honey, what are you drawing?” The boy answered: “I’m drawing a picture of God.” His mom then said: “How can you do that, no one knows what God looks like?” Then the boy responded: “They will when I get done!”

            As we continue in our series of growing mature in Christ, we look today at being devoted to Christ-likeness. While we may not know what God looks like physically, we have seen in Christ who God is. We are told in John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus has shown to us the glory of God, the grace of God, the love of God, the presence of God, the likeness of God.

            We are called as children of God to be Christ-like: in our behavior and actions, our love and our very being! As we are told in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

I.                   Unveiled Faces- (Exodus 34; 2 Corinthians 3:18)

I want you to imagine that you are taking a trip on a plane. What will make this a good trip? Not too long of a line at the airport? Having the plane leave on time? A calm flight with little turbulence? Arriving at your destination on time, or maybe even a little early?

But what would make it a great trip? Maybe getting to meet the pilot? What if the stewardess came up to your seat and said: “Excuse me, but you have been chosen to come to the cockpit and meet the pilot!? That would definitely be exciting. That would make your trip go from good to great.

We can look at life the same way. A good life is one that doesn’t have too many problems, that allows us to experience some fun, and gets us to the end having done what we were supposed to do. But what makes a great life is when we get to meet the pilot, GOD Himself! When God can take these experiences, problems, and fun and bring great meaning and purpose to them! If and when we meet God, then our whole life is changed; transformed. We go from just being here, to understanding that we are created in the image of God to be like God and to have purpose for God.

Go back with me in history for a moment and think about Moses. Think about his encounter with God at Mt. Sinai. He was there to get some rules that would help him govern God’s people; the Ten Commandments. After spending time in God’s presence Moses’ face shone so brightly that he had to put a veil over his face when he talked with his people. We read in Exodus 34:34-35….

Exodus 34:34-35, “Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, ³⁵ the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

      Because Moses had spent time in the presence of God, his face shone with the glory of God. Moses was changed by spending time with God, not just spiritually, but physically. Because of who we are as the people of God, our lives should shine the glory of Christ. Because we spend time in prayer, we should be different people. Because we spend time in the word of God, we should be more like Christ!

I know that when I have concentrated times of prayer, or worship, or fellowship, I leave that time feeling glorified by God’s presence. I know that I am not the same person when I leave as when I came. I even feel like my face is glowing. I’m sure it is not, but it feels that way. Although there have been times when people have told me that during my preaching, they have seen an aura of God’s presence around me. Whether this is true or not, I know that the presence of God comes upon me more profoundly when I am fully committed to Him.

Listen again to the first part of 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord…” This phrase “unveiled faces” is referring to us being like Christ and not only beholding the glory of God, but showing this glory through our lives; through our very being.

When people look at your life, do they see Christ? If you answer yes to that question, how is it that they see Christ? If you answer no, then why don’t they? What is it in your life that is not like Christ? The truth is, you can, and are called to be like Christ. When people see your behavior, it should be Christ-like. When people experience your love, it should be Christ-like. When people listen to your talking, it should be Christ-like!

To be Christ-like is really a lifelong process. It is not something that you will attain today, or even by the end of the year. The secret of becoming Christ-like is to seek after it each day. You must make this a goal in your life. You must know what the word of God says so that you can follow it. You must seek to put the teaching of God into practice in your life each and every day.

We are currently going through the book of Proverbs in our Daily Bible Readings. The book of Proverbs tells us to commit ourselves to instruction and knowledge. The instruction and knowledge that is being talked about is that which is from God. Every day we have a choice: we can get our instruction from the internet and TV, or from God and God’s word. If we want to be Christ-like, then we better seek after it by seeking after Christ.

If we are going to be like Christ then we must see who He truly is. As we understand more and more about Jesus, then we can change to be more like Him. But this is not an easy change.

Think for amount about Mt. Rushmore. The sculptor was faced with a large rock wall. He was then asked to change this rock wall into the faces of 4 presidents. It took a little over 14 years for this task to be completed. If you have ever seen it in person, you know that it is quite an accomplishment.

God has an even bigger task when it comes to you and me, but God is up to the task. God can, and will transform us if we allow Him to; if we give ourselves completely over to Him. But we must put ourselves in those places that will lead us to this change. God changes our faces through worship. God changes our faces through prayer. God changes our faces through service. God changes our faces through the applying of His word to our lives! But it is God who does the changing; the transforming.

II.                Transformed into the same image- (2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17; Jn. 5:19)

Hearing again from 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with

unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another…” The truth is, for us to become Christ-like, we have to be transformed from who we were as our sinful self, and become the Christ followers we were meant to be.

            A little later in this letter the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are transformed from what we were, to the new creation we can become in Christ. In Christ this can happen. Because of Christ this change is made. By what Christ has done on the cross, and through His resurrection power, He transforms us.

            Illustration (a butterfly)- If you think about the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly, it is amazing how a chrysalis is formed around the caterpillar. Although the chrysalis appears to be motionless, inside tremendous activity is taking place. The caterpillar anatomy is being chemically disassembled and reconstructed into the adult butterfly. This is one of the most dramatic transformations that takes place.

            A caterpillar becomes a new creation. In fact, it takes on a new name: from caterpillar, to butterfly. It wasn’t uncommon for new Christians to take on new names to show the new creation they had become; Cephas became Peter and Saul became Paul!

            We must think about becoming Christ-like as a transformation that we make. We are transformed into a new person. We are transformed into the glory of Christ. We are transformed into the character of Christ. We are transformed into the gifted people God created us to be. We are transformed to bear fruit for the Lord. We are transformed to fight the spiritual battle that is before us.

            This becomes a mental change as well. We stop thinking about working for ourselves, and we start to think about living for God. We, like Christ should say: “I have work to do that my Father has given me.” As we work with God we realize that God’s presence is ever with us. Ever with us to work through us. Ever with us to guide us. Ever with us to empower us to be Christ-like.

            EX. When I was 15 years old I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. This was an important moment in my life; probably the most important moment of my life. But it was actually just the start of the life God had for me. I knew as a Christian God had a plan and purpose for my life. God wanted me to be like Christ in my living. But the challenge was to be in a place where I could sense His presence and His guidance so that I could live this way.
            Maybe you can relate. Each day of our lives we are filled with distractions and temptations and challenges. We wonder where God is in all of it. We struggle to feel God's presence in our lives. We struggle to live as Christ would have us to live. And consequently, we make many decisions without God's guidance. We live in unChrist-like ways.
            A couple of years after I became a Christian, I was introduced to a book that helped to change my life even more. The book is called "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence. Brother Lawrence was a cook at a monastery who learned important lessons through his daily chores. He discovered that he could practice being aware of God's presence in his life in a way that is continuous. By doing this he was able to receive God's loving presence more regularly in his life, and could live more like Christ.
            Most often we think that great insight and wisdom comes from those with high degrees and theological training. These thoughts of Brother Lawrence showed me that an average Christian who seeks God, can find God and commune deeply with God. Through this book I learned how to be more aware of God's presence in my life, and train myself to be in constant communication with God. I learned how to think as Christ would think.
            We are told in John 5:19, “The Son can do nothing on His own, but only what He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.” If Jesus needed to look to the Father to be guided in what He was to do, shouldn’t you and I, all the more, look to Christ to do what we are to do? This is what it means to be Christ-like: to see what Christ does, and to do it ourselves. To do nothing on our own, but only what we see Christ doing.

III.             Comes from the Spirit- (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

There is great news. We are not called to do this alone. Even though the transformation is personal, for you and me, it is done often times in community. What I mean by this is that God uses the body of Christ, the church, to help us grow and transform.

            We read in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

            When we walk in Christ together we are encouraged by the growth that is happening in the lives of those around us. Their growth spurs in us a desire to grow. Their growth impacts our growth. When others share with us what they are learning, we too learn. That is why it is important that you make sure you are talking with others about what God is teaching you.

            This can happen even more in a small group. We are hoping to start some new small groups soon. This is one of my roles here at the church. A small group is good for learning the Bible together, but it is also a place where we can share our lives together. When you are in a small group, you are praying for others, and they are praying for you. You are talking about your challenges and struggles, your temptations and failures. In this you can be supported, encouraged, and challenged to live a life of fullness in Christ!

            There are our times of prayer together on Saturday night. I hope that you will put it in your schedule to come some Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and pray with me and Pastor Mike and others. While prayer is important for the calling of God to be with us in all that we are doing, it is also for spiritual maturity. You cannot become a mature person in Christ if you do not pray. When you pray with others, you remember that the body of Christ is more than just about you. When you with others when they pray, you are uplifted by their prayers. Even more, the presence of God is with us in a more profound way when we join together as God’s people, than when we are alone.

            God has also provided for us what is called the spiritual disciplines. The disciplines we are familiar with is Bible reading and prayer. But there are some other important disciplines such as simplicity, service, worship, and celebration. These disciplines are best done with others.

It is hard to live a life of simplicity, but if others around us are doing it, then we too can do it. Simplicity is about not seeking after things, but seeking after using the things we do have for the blessing of ourselves and others. Simplicity breaks in us an attitude of needing to have lots of things.

Service is important because it again takes us away from the focus of self and into the focus of the body of Christ. When we serve, we serve with others. When we serve, we do it to bless others. When we serve, we do it with an attitude of humility, that we are not better than anyone else.

Worship is something we do every week. Hopefully it is your goal to be here most every week. We come to worship not so that we can feel better, or be lifted up after a hard week, but so that we can give praise to God for who He is. We come to worship so that we are brought closer to God and to each other. Worship helps us to fulfill the two great commands: love God with all your mind, soul, body and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. When we join together in corporate worship, we do indeed grow in our maturity in Christ together.

Celebration is not a term we are that familiar with in regards to Christian growth. Celebration brings joy to life. If you have ever celebrated something, you know that it is something you want to share with others. Celebration is never meant to be done alone. As Christians we need to celebrate many things. We celebrate birthdays because they are about God bringing that person into the world. We celebrate personal achievement as a way to give thanks to God for the gifts and talents that He has given to us that allowed us to gain that achievement. We celebrate anniversaries because we praise God for commitment and love in marriage. And on and on it goes. We celebrate to give praise to God, and to grow stronger in our trust and faithfulness to God!!!

Conclusion: So, we have spent two weeks in talking about being devoted to Christlikeness. Let us be a people who are giving ourselves over to God to transform us each and every day. Let us be a people who not only experience the grace and truth of God, but show this grace and truth to others. Let us be a people who are shining the light of Christ by the way we live. Let us be a people who seek to not do anything on our own, but who do what we see Christ doing.

Let me give you a couple of closing questions: How can you show the grace and truth of Christ more in your life? How can you put yourself more in places where you are growing with other Christians? How does Christ need to transform you? Give yourself over to this each and every day. Amen.