Lenten Series #4

Who Are You Looking For?

John 18:1-14

Pastor Barry Kerner

About 10 years ago, there was a sight-seeing tour in Iceland that lost one of its sightseers. She was no where to be found. Panicked, they called in the police and the search began. Hours later (about 3 in the morning) they discovered that the woman they were searching for had been there all the time. Apparently, the woman had left the tourist group to change clothes and when she returned in a different outfit the rest of her tour group did not recognize her. On top of that, when the description of the “missing person” described her as – “An Asian woman, in dark clothing and speaks English well” – the woman seemingly didn’t realize they were describing HER. So she began to assist the others in searching… for herself.

She didn’t know who she was looking for!

If you’ll open your Bibles to John 18 we’ll read together verses 1 through 14.

John 18:1-14

 “When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. 4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” 12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.”

In our text today we’re told that: “Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went (to the Garden) with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’”

WHO ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Jesus asked.

You know, Jesus loved to ask questions. If you search the scriptures you’ll find that Jesus asked at least 135 questions during His ministry: Do you believe that I am able to do this? (Matthew 9:28); Who do you say I am? (Matthew 16:15); What do you want me to do for you? (Mark 10:51); Why are you so afraid? (Mark 4:40); Do you love me? (John 21:17); and perhaps one of the most important of His questions: What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

Jesus always seemed to ask the right question at the right time to challenge people to think about what they were doing. And so, when this band of armed men come to arrest Him, Jesus asked the right question/ at the right time/ to challenge them to think: “Who are you looking for?”

Well WHO were they looking for?

Let’s look at first guy out of the box … Judas. WHO was he looking for? We’re told “JUDAS, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went (to the Garden) with lanterns and torches and weapons.” Judas is leading an armed band to go and arrest Jesus. Judas was LOOKING for Jesus to betray him with a kiss.

At the story of the Last Supper, in Matthew 26:21-25, Jesus said “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me”… Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”

Judas wasn’t a very nice guy and he’s gone down in history as one of the most despised men of all time. He’s become the symbol of betrayal. But why? Why did Judas betray Jesus? Well, he was a man driven by greed. In John 12:6, John described him a thief — he stole money from the money bag that the disciples used to buy stuff.

Judas’ reputation was so blackened by this treachery that in every one of the Gospels, whenever there’s a list of the disciples…he’s always LAST. In fact, one of the other disciples (named Thaddeus) was also called Judas, and in John 14:22 John refers to him as “Judas (not Judas Iscariot)” just make sure no one confused the good Judas with the bad one.

Now, all that said, what’s interesting to me is HOW the Bible talks about Judas beyond that. Did you realize that Jesus never mistreated Judas? In fact, Judas was at the Last Supper… and Jesus even washed Judas’ feet. In addition, aside from the Gospels, Judas is only mentioned just one more time in Acts 1:13-25 and he’s never mentioned ever again in rest of the New Testament. You’d think that one of the most notorious traitors in Scripture would have gotten more press than that. I mean, Benedict Arnold gets worse treatment than that in American History! Why does Judas get this “kid-glove” treatment in the Bible?

Well here’s the deal… the message of Scripture is that ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – every one of us!! In I Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul writes: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” THEY’RE ALL GONNA GO TO HELL!!!!!

But, we’ve all sinned too, and that means we all DESERVE go to hell. But then in 1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul writes: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

The main theme of Scripture is that Jesus came to save the lost. In fact, In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul wrote: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Paul was essentially declaring: whatever you think of Judas… I was worse!

So, I believe Judas, who was someone I would have seen as the worst of sinners, got the “kid glove” treatment because God didn’t want to give us the impression that SOME folks weren’t worth saving. Jesus will save anyone who believes and repents. Jesus came to save the worst of sinners, whether Judas, Paul… or me.

So Judas came looking for Jesus that night – and he was leading a band of armed soldiers. Who were these soldiers looking for? Well, they SAID they were looking for “Jesus of Nazareth” but they didn’t recognize Him. They didn’t really KNOW who He was, so they had no idea WHO they were looking for. You see, this mob knew very little about Jesus except that others hated Him. And because others hated Him they didn’t like Him much either.

There’s a lot of folks out there like that. They don’t know much about Jesus, but the people they hang around don’t like Him, and that tends to make them a little hostile toward Christ. They’ve listened to the wrong people and come to the wrong conclusions. And all they need is someone like Peter, swinging a sword and cutting off people’s ears, to confirm their doubts about our faith.

So how do you deal with folks like this? Well, you definitely don’t swing any swords at them. You don’t get angry, and you don’t attack. You don’t push… because they’ll tend to push back and things can get ugly. Instead, the best thing to do, is what Jesus did. He wasn’t offended. He walked right up them and He told them what they needed to hear.

And what do people need to hear? It all depends. A couple years ago I was in a residential part of town handing out flyers when a couple girls across the street shouted to me. They’d been to some of out Sidewalk Sunday School outreaches in the past and they began to engage in a discussion: “Do you believe homosexuals are going to hell?” Now, if I’d been smart I’d have followed Jesus example and asked them a question in return. Something like “Do you want to go to heaven?” But I wasn’t that smart (atheists and skeptics try to dominate a conversation by keeping us on the defensive – Jesus defused that approach by putting his adversaries on the defensive with His questions). However, I wasn’t quite that smart. I just pointed out that all sinful people who refused to turn their lives over to Jesus and change their behavior would go to hell… not just homosexuals. “Well we’re lesbians. Do you mean that we’re going to hell?” I responded “God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell, no matter what they’ve done. But if people insist on doing things their own way… they’ve already decided they don’t want to go to be with Him.” I don’t know if they were lesbians or not. They could have just been trying to get me aggravated and say harsh things – but I wasn’t going to go there. I simply told them what they needed to hear without being harsh or self-righteous, which is what I think they were hoping to get from me.

But here’s the deal – Jesus wasn’t afraid to tell people what they needed to hear, and we shouldn’t be either.

One problem too many people have is that they are afraid that they don’t know enough to witness to others. Do you realize how Jesus witnessed to that crowd? He asked who they were looking for, and He simply said “I am he” and THAT WAS IT! He didn’t get into a deep theological discussion with them. Sometimes that’s all you have to do… point to Jesus. Don’t point to the church, don’t point to the preacher. Just point to Jesus. You don’t have to get theological, just tell people what Jesus means to you.

Someone once said: A good witness is like a signpost. Nobody cares if a signpost is ugly or pretty – or if its old or new. All that matters is that the signpost points in the right direction. All that matters is that it easily understood. If we are witnesses for Christ, our job is simply to point to Him.” WE ARE SIGNPOSTS! We point to Jesus and say “This is who I believe in and He’s changed my life”

Now, lastly, there’s one more person I want to focus on this morning, a man named Malchus. Just as a reminder, let’s look again at what John tells us about him in John 18:10-12: “Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’ Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus…”

Malchus was the servant of the High Priest and Peter cut off his ear. That’s all we know about him from Scripture. And yet, we’re told his name: Malchus. Why are we told this man’s name? If you go through the Gospels most of the people mentioned don’t have names. We never find out the names of the Wisemen, the Centurions, or any of those sick and lame and leprous that Jesus healed. These were all people that Jesus encountered throughout His ministry, but they’re all unknown! We don’t know their names.

So, why are we told Malchus’ name? It only shows up this once in all of Scripture. Well, I’m going to go out on a limb here and speculate. I’m giving you my opinion here.

There’s a common agreement among a lot of Biblical scholars that when you read a person’s name in the Gospels it’s probably because he or she had become a Christian and they are well known in the early church! For example, In Mark 15:21, the man who carried Jesus’ cross to Calvary we are told was “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus.”  Alexander and Rufus seem to have been referenced in Acts and Romans. Then there’s Zacchaeus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. There are some scholars who believe all these people became Christians and were well known to the early Christians. I mean, why give a person’s name, if nobody knew them?

So, here we have Malchus. If he DID become a Christian… why would he do that? Why become a Christian? Well, Luke 22:50-51 tells us that: “one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. But Jesus said, ‘No more of this!’ And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.”

Jesus HEALED the guy who came to arrest Him? And He Was The Servant Of One Of Jesus’ Arch-Enemies!!! He worked for the High Priest. And yet, Jesus touched him – and healed him. I suspect Jesus did more for this man than heal his severed ear. I suspect Jesus’ kindness touched a part of the man’s soul and laid the groundwork for conversion.

There is a story about a little girl who proudly wore a shiny cross on a chain around her neck. One day she was approached by a man who said to her, “Little girl, don’t you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn’t beautiful like the one you’re wearing? It was an ugly, wooden thing.” To which the girl replied, “Yes, I know. But they told me in Sunday school that whatever Jesus touches, He changes.”

The way for us to touch people for Jesus is to share how Jesus touched us. There’s an old Gospel song that goes this way:

“Shackled by a heavy burden, ‘Neath a load of guilt and shame. Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same. He touched me, oh, He touched me. And oh, the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know – He touched me and made me whole.”

So how did Jesus “touch” you? What did He do to change YOUR life? Once you focus on that – that is your key way to witness to others.

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Lenten Series #3

Blessings Through The Blood Of Jesus

Ephesians 1:7

Pastor Barry Kerner

How many of you donated your blood at least once to a Blood Bank?

I still remember the first time I donated my blood when I was in my early 20s. I have to admit that I was fearful. After donating my blood for the first time, I felt dizzy and I said to myself that I will never donate my blood again. However, I donated my blood a few more times after that.

Now, what motivated me in donating my blood? One thing that motivated me in donating blood was that someone else’s life will be saved because of my blood. I’m sure you might have seen this written in the hospitals – ‘Donate blood, save a life.’

Leviticus 17:11 says, “the life of a creature is in the blood.” That is what the Word of God declares. Blood is essential to human life. The Bible tells us the most powerful cleansing agent in the world is blood. In fact, God created blood to be a cleansing agent. In your body blood takes oxygen and other supplies to cells and removes waste and impurities from those cells. Blood literally cleans out the filth from your body. That is one of its major responsibilities.

There is no other cleansing agent known to man that can purify our bodily system as well as the blood that courses through our veins. So also, there is no other cleansing agent known to man that can rid your soul of its filth and shame than the blood of Jesus. This evening, I’m going to talk about the blessings that we have through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Would you take God’s Word and turn in your Bibles with me to Ephesians 1:7. Ephesians 1:7 reads, “ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

This is the third message in our Lenten Series looking forward to the Feast of our Salvation and I’ve titled it “Blessings Through The Blood Of Jesus”

Humanity is in a fallen state and all have been born into sin. Romans 3:23 tells us, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Many Christians either don’t know or forget the blessings that we receive through the blood of Christ. We need to remind ourselves of the blessings that we receive through the blood of Christ so that we can enjoy those blessings that God has for us. The following are the blessings that God has graciously granted us through the blood of Jesus Christ:

First. The Blood Of Christ Redeems Us From Sin.

Our verse for today Ephesians 1:7 tells us, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” The price paid for our redemption from bondage to sin was costly beyond measure; it was the very lifeblood of Christ himself, poured out in his death on the Cross. What was foreshadowed in the Levitical system of sacrifices was realized at the Cross when the Son of God laid down his life in death and ransomed us from sin.

I Peter 1:18-19 reminds us, “18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Here Peter reminds his readers of the cost of redemption, based on the value of the Person of the righteous Messiah himself.

The Greek word for “redeem” goes back to the institution of slavery in ancient Rome. Any representative first-century church would have three kinds of members: slaves, freemen, and freedmen. People became slaves in various ways–through war, bankruptcy, sale by themselves, sale by parents, or by birth. Slaves normally could look forward to freedom after a certain period of service and often after the payment of a price. Money to buy one’s freedom could be earned by the slave in his spare time or by doing more than his owner required. Often the price would be provided by someone else, who purchased a person’s freedom from servitude.

A freedman was a person who formerly had been a slave but was now set free. Christians are freedmen who have been redeemed from the “empty” lifestyle of the world.

Verse 19 stresses the value of the purchase price of redemption and at the same time identifies the blood as that of a spotless lamb—Jesus Christ.

Some of us are like a man who has built up a huge debt and can’t pay it. The man’s wealthy boss comes along and pays the bill without telling his employee — then calls him in to give him the good news. The man sits down, is handed a large pile of papers. He flips through the pages to see the list of bills he has accumulated. He thinks, “I’ll never be able to pay all this. They’re going to throw me in jail!” When the Boss sees the man’s fearful countenance, he is perplexed. He says, “Excuse me — did you look at page one?” The man flips back to the first page, which reads: “Paid in full.”

Many Christians are just like this man: They don’t know their sin has been covered, paid in full! We have to enter into that knowledge by faith in order to have the benefit — which is peace with God!

Jesus’ blood has purchased the whole church of God. Acts 20:28 tells Pastors and Church Elders,  “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

The Church has been blood-bought for eternity! Since Christ redeemed us from sin, we need turn away from the empty form of life.

Second, The Blood Of Christ Sanctifies Us.

1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”  The blood of Jesus keeps on cleansing us from every defilement due to sin. Without Christ’s ongoing cleansing, enduring fellowship would be impossible, for the guilt resulting from sin destroys fellowship.

This ought to put a big faith-smile on your face. You are sanctified — sprinkled clean!This is a continuing work of the Spirit. We clean a lot of things regularly. We need to clean our lives through the precious blood of Christ regularly. Sanctification is possible because of the blood of Christ. Submit to the Holy Spirit to sanctify you!

Third, The Blood Of Christ Gives Us Bold Access To God In Worship And Prayer.

Hebrews 10:19 says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus”  Christians approach God confidently, completely at home in the situation created by Christ’s saving work. They enter “the Most Holy Place,” which, of course, is no physical sanctuary but is, in truth, the presence of God. And they enter it “by the blood of Jesus,” on the basis of his saving death. We are to come to our Father boldly — without fear! The Blood of Christ gives us access to God.

The blood of Christ brings us near to God. Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”

The blood of Jesus Christ is so precious because the blood of Jesus Christ gives us peace with God. Colossians 1:19-20 tells us, “19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

For by it, we who had been at war with God on Satan’s side, are granted not only peace with God–but also the peace of God. We are no longer under condemnation or fear!

A lot of people have been redeemed and justified by the blood — but they don’t know it because they live in fear and condemnation. We are given this great privilege of entering into God’s presence with boldness. Let’s enter into the presence of God knowing that He accepts us because of the blood of Jesus.

Fourth, The Blood Of Christ Cleanses Our Consciousness.

Hebrews 9:14 declares, “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

Christ offered himself in sacrifice, the aim being “to cleanse our consciences.” His saving work operates on quite a different level from that of the Levitical sacrifices. These latter were external and material, as the author repeatedly emphasizes. But Christ was concerned with the sins that trouble the human conscience. Thus, his sacrifice was directed to cleansing the conscience, something that the Old Testament sacrifices could never do.

This cleansing is “from acts that lead to death,” and the final result of those purified by Christ is that they “serve the living God”. The Christian way is positive, not negative.

Do you want to put your head on the pillow at night without any feeling of guilt? Only the blood of Christ can do that. Jesus Christ paid for ALL of our sins. False religions tell us to serve God in hopes that our conscience will be clean. Christ, on the other hand, clears up our conscience so we can and also want to serve Him.

There is a story that one night Martin Luther went to sleep troubled about his sin. In a dream, he saw an angel standing by a blackboard and at the top of the board was Luther’s name. The angel, chalk in hand, was listing all of Luther’s sins, and the list filled the blackboard. Luther shuddered in despair, feeling that his sins were so many that he could never be forgiven. But suddenly in his dream, he saw a pierced hand writing above the list these words: “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. As Luther gazed in amazement, the blood flowed from the wounded hand and washed the record clean.

We don’t have to bear a guilty conscience. If you have sinned, immediately confess your sin before the Lord and repent of your sin. The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience.

Fifth, The Blood Of Christ Helps Us To Overcome Satan.

Revelation 12:10-11 reads, “10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

In times past, Satan’s chief role as the adversary was directed toward accusing God’s people of disobedience to God. The justice of these accusations was recognized by God, and therefore Satan’s presence in heaven was tolerated.

But now the presence of the crucified Savior in God’s presence provides the required satisfaction of God’s justice regarding our sins 1 John 2:1-2 reminds us, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Thus, Satan’s accusations are no longer valid and he is cast out. What strong consolation this provides for God’s faltering people! Any attempt in entering the arena of conflict with our mortal foe without the power of the blood is not only foolish but useless. We often sing of its power in our songs, but live so much of our lives without that power.

Sixth, The Blood Of Christ Breaks Down All Walls.

Ephesians 2:13-14 says, “13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,”

At Delphi Falls United Church we come from different places and different backgrounds. But, we are all one in Christ — a blood-sprinkled church. Indeed, those who are blood-sprinkled no longer have any walls. They’ve all come down! The blood of Christ breaks all the barriers among people.

Finally, The Blood Of Christ Saves Us From The Wrath To Come.

Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

Because we have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ we are to put sin out of our lives. 1 Corinthians 5:7 says, “Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

Even as the Old Testament picture of deliverance to the Jews in bondage to Egypt, Christ became our Paschal Lamb (who was slain before the foundation of the world) so that by applying His blood to our hearts, we, too, shall escape the wrath to come.

God’s wrath will be poured upon the unbelievers. But the blood of Jesus saves us from the wrath of God!

God has graciously granted us several blessings through the blood of our Jesus Christ.

I challenge you to put the Word of God into practice by ceasing to live a sinful life.

You are redeemed not to go back to your old, sinful lifestyle but to live a life which brings glory to God!

Let’s be grateful for the Lord’s awesome sacrifice.

There is wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb!

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Lenten Series #2 Whose Idea Was This?

John 14:1-7

Pastor Barry Kerner

It’s been said that, “With God, our lives are an open book.” Sometimes, however, we may find ourselves in the middle of the book and still asking, “Whose bright idea was this anyway? It sure wasn’t mine!”

We like to think of ourselves as the authors of our own lives, and in many ways we are. But what we often fail to consider are all the variables over which we have no control. They can be minor inconveniences or absolute train wrecks, but we’re certain they weren’t our idea. Unfortunately, though, they can play havoc with all our other plans. You can be half-way through writing your own book, certain that it’s going to be a best-seller, when suddenly the whole plot changes … and YOU weren’t even asked! What’s with that? Not really a surprising response from an ambitious author.

No doubt most of us can relate to this scenario. We plan; we plot; we aspire, but we don’t get to write the final chapter … or do we?

READ JOHN 14:1-7

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “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. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

At a Rotary Club meeting, a minister once introduced himself as belonging to “a global enterprise with branches in every country in the world.” He said, “We specialize in motivation and behavior alteration. We’re also into life insurance and fire insurance, and our clients range from birth to death. You might say that our specialty is in spiritual heart transplants, and our product is free for the asking.’’

“Our CEO owns all the real estate on earth plus a wide assortment of galaxies and constellations. He grew up in a small town, apprenticed as a carpenter, but never owned his own house, was misunderstood by his family and hated by his enemies, walked on water, applied medicine without a license, was condemned to death and arose from the dead. And he’s never too busy to talk with you. Jesus Christ is our CEO, and even though he lets us make some of our own decisions, chart some of our courses, and occasionally have a say in things, He’s still in charge. Yet, He still leaves the most important decision of our entire life entirely to us … to make Jesus Christ our CEO … or not.”

Yes, God is in charge, and frankly, I find that reassuring, but I haven’t always felt that way. Maybe you know the feeling? It’s the one where your best plans meet the train-wreck you didn’t see coming. That’s when we’re reminded who’s really writing our story – and no matter what we may think or others may say – God’s love and His plans trump everything.

In Isaiah 55:3, God invites us. He says,“Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.”

Today, I’d like to reflect on How God is in Control, and how His ways are so different and so much better than our own.

For one thing, God is always positive, and never negative. In Isaiah 55:11, God says, “My word will never return to me empty.” His Word is His love, and ultimately, it always works. He doesn’t make mistakes. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he says, “This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior … especially of those who believe.” (4:9-10)

You may not like the way your story is going at the moment, but don’t lose faith in who’s writing it. Only, God knows the whole story… how it began and how it’s going to end. He has, however, given us some assurances. For one thing, Paul has told us, “…in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Our hope is not in our ability to write, but in God’s promise to publish our story for our peace and His glory.

Even from the cross, Jesus reminds us, God never says never — nothing is impossible with God. The angel who appeared to the Virgin Mary told her, “Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age . . . for nothing is impossible with God.” Faith sustains us throughout the story – especially when things seem darkest. But our current circumstances don’t have to control our lives if we let go and trust God.

One of the problems in our lives is lack of application. If we don’t apply sunscreen we’ll get burned. If we don’t apply faith, we’ll see only the sorrow and not the hope.

Second, something else we should keep in mind-whatever the current darkness, it’s not the end of the story. In verse 11, Isaiah writes, “Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper, and instead of the briars, the myrtle will grow.”

Many times we feel that things are out of control, but when we call on Jesus, all things are possible. When we stop looking at our situation through eyes of pain – when we see it, instead, through the lens of the Holy Spirit – then we realize God is still in control. We may be disappointed in ourselves, but like the bumper sticker says, “God-doesn’t-make-no-junk”. If you’re worried and afraid, then you haven’t let go yet. You’re still suffering under the illusion that the final say in matters will come from this world.

Romans 12:2 says, “. . . be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Remember, God specializes in motivation and behavior modification. Mistakes are something we frequently make, but by God’s grace, we don’t have to live with them forever. God has bigger plans for you and me, and God’s plans for your life are secure. You’re in good hands with the C.E.O. of Heaven & earth. He overlooks nothing, and nothing is out of His control.

Third, God isn’t going to do things your way. He’s going to do them His way. In Isaiah 55:8, God declares, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.” So many times we try to tell God what’s best for us, but God knows better than we do what is best.

Have you ever devised a plan – maybe a business plan, or a plan for your crops, or even a plan for your family – and along the way things started going wrong?

Then suddenly some good fortune saved your enterprise from collapse. Did you think to thank God, or did you foolishly believe you had just made the right choices? It’s part of our nature to want the credit when things turn out right. It’s also common to blame others – even God – when they don’t. It takes intelligence to plan ahead, but it takes wisdom to know who has the final say. Remember, God wrote the ending, and the glory is His.

There’s a story about Rev. John Osteen. He was about to purchase property for what seemed to be the best deal in town. The church elders all agreed, but just when they were supposed to sign the papers, the pastor declared that the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, “Not now.” When John told the elders, they were shocked. But John was adamant, and so the elders accepted his leadership.

One week later, the city council of Houston did a major rezoning which included the property in question. The sellers contacted Pastor Osteen, and the church got the property for half the original price. John later related this divine enterprise to a gathering of pastors, and he concluded with Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways.”

True stories such as this are actually more plentiful than many realize. So why don’t more people experience them? Personally, I suspect it’s because some aren’t really listening to God. They’re too busy with their own plans; too wrapped up in their own thoughts; too busy talking to themselves.

Here’s a short list of WHY you need to place your life in the care of JESUS CHRIST, the real C.E.O.

First, He knows every detail of your life, from start to finish, from the foundation of the world. He can go into your tomorrows before you arrive, and have a way of escape already charted for you.

Second, He secured your victory before you had the battle. As it says in 1 John, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” As we know from God’s bestselling novel, in the end, we win.

Thirdly, Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. When someone is seated, it means that it’s finished. Death, hell, sin, and every other foe in your life is defeated. You have only to claim the promise of God. Jesus told you, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Way, then prove it. Profess it to others.

And Fourth, Jesus is here now and in every tomorrow. In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever —the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. Anyone who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

In this world, there’s lots of struggling people, and for some, it may seem over-whelming. If this sounds like where you are, then let me encourage you to give fully to Jesus Christ. He can make a way even when there seems to be none.

The world will tell you that some things can’t happen. Scientists may claim it can’t happen, and doctors may say it’s impossible, but “God’s ways are not our ways. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, are God’s ways above our ways.”

Back in the 3rd-century, a pagan named Celsus said to a Christian named Origen, “When most teachers go forth to teach, they cry, ‘Come to me, you who are clean and worthy,’ and they are followed by the highest caliber of people. But your silly master cries, ‘Come to me, you who are down and beaten by life,’ and so he gathers the rag-tag and bob-tail of humanity.”

Origen replied: “Yes, they are the rag-tag and bobtail of humanity. But Jesus does not leave them that way. Out of material you would have thrown away as useless, he fashions people, giving them back their self-respect, enabling them to stand on their feet and look God in the eyes. They were cowed, cringing, broken things. But the Son has set them free.”

In Jesus Christ is the message of transformation; the message that transforms us from who we are into who God wants us to be. Isaiah 54:10 declares from God, “though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”

In the words of Paul to the Corinthians, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”

By faith in God’s promise, it’s time to let God be the author of the rest of your story and to let go of your fears. In the name of Jesus Christ, let it be so.

PLEASE PRAY WITH ME THIS PRAYER OF FAITH:

Heavenly Father, I thank You that I have been delivered from the power of darkness and transformed in the Kingdom of Your Son Jesus Christ. I surrender my fears and worries to You – for the power of Your Spirit has freed me from the law of sin and death. You care for me affectionately and care about me watchfully. You sustain me and cast out my fears so that Your power and grace will glow within me, and those I touch will find strength in You.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for keeping that which I have committed to You. By the blood of Jesus Christ, I am free to walk in that peace which passes all understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord, I pray. Amen.

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Lent A Season of Repentance.

Luke 18:9-14

Pastor Barry Kerner

We disciples of Jesus are celebrating our communal Lenten pilgrimage, a 40 day spiritual journey that will hopefully enable us to better appreciate and celebrate the life giving death and eternal resurrection of our Lord and Savior, the very feast of our salvation. These forty days of Lent should be both a grace filled periods of self discovery as well as a spiritual journey that will enhance our relationship with the Jesus Christ. The evangelical call of the Lenten season is very simple: recognize our sinfulness repent and believe the good news.

This period of preparation for the feast of our salvation should be a time of humility, sincere repentance, and conversion. Saints and scholars throughout the centuries have emphasized that humility is the portal to holiness. Humility should not be too challenging for us here at Delphi Falls United Church. Let me explain that statement. I am so grateful to be part of this fellowship for so many different reasons. One reason is that this particular gathering of believers is a very clear reminder that God in his infinite wisdom chooses Who He wills to carry out His Mysterious plan of salvation. Any study of salvation history will clearly illustrate that God has persistently used eccentric characters with a wide variety of personality quirks, idiosyncrasies and moral blemishes to carry out His divine will. We in this sacred congregation certainly are no exceptions.

Every disciple of Jesus Christ must remain cognizant of the undeniable fact that whatever proficiency, experience or charisma we possess is an unmerited gift from our gracious God. The words of Paul should resonate in the ears, hearts and minds of every disciple. What do we have that we have not received? 1 Corinthians 4:7 asks us “For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?”

During this season of lent as well as every day of our life we must be perpetually aware of the simple reality that we are nothing and the Savior is everything In this age of entitlement where self fulfillment and self actualization has been deified, such an insight may be very challenging to accept, process or internalize but it is nonetheless an undeniable reality.

We are all invited to develop a childlike recognition of our utter nothingness and our total dependence upon the Father of Mercies. Experience has clearly demonstrated that when our blessed Redeemer perceives us as integrally convinced of our nothingness, He takes us into his arms so that we can become strong and secure in his tender and compassionate embrace. It is my firm conviction that all of who bear the precious name of Christian must seek the grace to imitate our savior Jesus Christ. We must use all of our God given resources, capabilities and charisma so that the status and message of the One Who Set Us Free will increase while our sense of importance and need for self- fulfillment will diminish.

Now some of the wisest and most spiritual individuals I know are those who work a 12 step recovery program. I have come to realize that these programs are for those who actually want what they have to offer and not for those who simply need it. If it was for those who needed recovery, they would have to hold their meetings in stadiums and not the basement of churches. An integral part of this program is that those who are seeking recovery are required to consistently take a moral self inventory which will reinforce their awareness of their ongoing need for recovery, fellowship and abstinence.

We Christians must also conduct frequent realistic moral self-inventory. 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us,  Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? An authentic self examination will enable one to recognize those capabilities, personality attributes and life experiences that can be utilized to invite others to Jesus. Once these gifts have been identified than he must give thanks for them and than seek the grace that will enable us to enhance those particular assets. However, we must also have the courage to identify those shortcomings, flaws and personal issues that have the potential to alienate others from Him who is their one and only hope for eternal salvation. Once we ascertain the identity of these problematic behaviors and attitudes than we must seek the guidance and grace to monitor and eradicate them from our lives.

The healthy and mature disciple of Jesus Christ will have a realistic self- image. He knows that on his most altruistic, orthodox and compliant day he remains a sinner with a desperate need of the Savior’s guidance and grace. All Christians have a perpetual need for community, ministry and reconciliation. Once a disciple denies that he is a sinner, he ignores his need for a savior.

During this season of lent, let us make a special effort to examine our life on a daily basis. Are you walking the walk with the One who has redeemed you? Have you sought His grace today that will enable you to follow his example and gospel of love, forgiveness and justice? Have you disappointed your loving Father? Have you ignored the invitation of the Savior to imitate Him? Have you turned your back on the sanctifying and convicting voice of the Spirit? Socrates once said that the unexamined life is not worth living. This philosophical pearl of wisdom is also applicable to us disciples of the Jesus Christ. Today examine your life. Now I know that the temptation to monitor the behaviors, sins and weaknesses of our siblings is always a great temptation. But do not worry about others. Place the spotlight of the gospel upon yourself. I am certain that if we take a grace inspired moral inventory we will verify the words of Paul found in Romans 3:10, “there is none righteous no not one.”

I wish to look at the passage from Luke’s gospel that illustrates the way each of us should approach the All Holy God of Mercy and Justice.

Luke 19:9-14 9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else,Jesus told this parable:10“Two men went up to the temple to pray,one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

In this passage, two men approach God. One was filled with self reliance and the other was filled with his desperate need for a Redeemer. The prayer of the tax collector should be the essence of our interactions with the Lord God and that is very simply: God have mercy on me a sinner.

When he compares the tax collector and the Pharisee, to illustrate this point, Christ utilizes the two extremes of the first century Palestinian spectrum of social acceptability. It would be equivalent to a contemporary parable about a priest and a pimp, a deacon and a drunk or an evangelist and a national traitor.

At the time of Jesus there were approximately 6000 Pharisees. The term means the separated one. They were acknowledged for the strict observance of the law. They were good upstanding citizens and pillars of their community. They knew how to conduct themselves at worship services. I am certain that they dressed properly when they went to the temple. The Pharisee in this parable probably perceived himself as a hard working, God fearing, descent and religious person. In all probability many would have agreed with his self assessment.

Now let me emphasize that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being God fearing, pious, ethical or moral. These are all commendable goals. However a false sense of self sufficiency is always lethal to our spiritual development and welfare. There is no room for self sufficiency when it comes to eternal salvation. Our only hope is in God and his infinite mercy. When I trust in my own merit, I am setting myself up to reject the grace, compassion and mercy of our Loving Savior. When our spiritual ego is so inflated that we are unable to see our own shortcomings and sins than we fail to recognize our need for the liberating and healing grace of our Blessed Savior. Nothing is more dangerous to our spiritual well being than loosing sight of our need for Jesus.

The Pharisee’s prayer in Luke’s gospels illustrates that self-centeredness has the high potential to generate spiritual snobbery, hypocrisy and narrow mindedness, where we will judge our siblings in the Lord. I can always find someone whose sins and shortcomings are more evident than mine. I can very easily fall into he trap of focusing on the splinter in the eyes of my siblings while I ignore the beam in my own eye.

Let us take a look at the tax collector in the parable. It is safe to assume that few if any cherishes the IRS agents who have a necessary but unpopular job. In the time of Jesus, the tax collectors were despised and hated. They had the apparent well earned reputation of being extortionists and predators but even more so they were collaborators with the hated oppressors, the Roman occupiers. The Tax collector in the parable might be equated with those American citizens who joined forces with the Taliban or Alquida. He may have been a thief, a liar, a seducer, a hedonist or perhaps even a murderer. Like many in this sacred congregation, he made choices in his life that has set him apart from the social norm. But when he approaches the Omnipotent God, he holds no delusions about whom or what he is, he makes no excuses, he does not try to negotiate with the God of Justice, he simply asked for mercy. He understood that God loves us not because we are good but because He, God, is good.

Because of this grace inspired awareness and endeavor he left the temple changed. Now there are thousand upon thousand who persistently leave a worship service the same way they arrived. Today I invite you to imitate the Tax collector. Be authentic with yourself. Like John the Baptist admit that you may have questions. Like the apostle Thomas admit that you have doubts but above all admit that you are a sinner and that you are in desperate need of the saving and healing grace of Jesus the Liberator of mankind. Imitate the tax collector and go home today justified and forgiven. The Scriptures makes it perfectly clear that God will never turn his back on a humble broken heart. In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul put is this was, 15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

A humble realistic self assessment is the first step in true repentance. However it is never sufficient to merely recognize that we are sinners. Each of us must also seek the grace of our blessed Savior to change so that we can better imitate Him in the ways of obedience, service, justice and love. True repentance has nothing to do with negotiating a deal with the Judge of the living and the dead. Authentic repentance does not look for loop holes, extenuating circumstances or explanations for our behaviors.

Let me present an illustration of true repentance, Dr. Bernard Nathanson was one of the busiest abortionists in the nation. He performed over 75 thousand abortions. He was convinced that he was practicing his profession in a dignified and ethical manner. However once the ultrasound was invented and he was able to see the beating hearts of the prenatal child, he had a grace inspired moral conversion and he came to realize that the children he had been exterminating were not merely masses of tissue but precious human lives made in the image of the triune God. He stopped performing abortions and became active in both the right to life movement as well as his own Faith community. This is authentic repentance. It is not simply an emotional reaction of guilt and shame, not the mere verbalization of regret. Repentance always involves a conscious, grace inspired decision to change certain behaviors so that we can follow the sacred example and liberating gospel of  Jesus Christ.

None of us can change the past. But so long as there is breath in your lungs and blood pumping through your veins, there is still time to repent and believe the good news that salvation is available.

Tradition says that his name was Dismas. The Penitent Thief hanging next to Jesus on the cross. The Gospel of Luke describes him repenting and asking Jesus to, “remember him when Jesus arrives at his kingdom.” The other, as the impenitent thief, challenges Jesus to save himself and both of them to prove that he is the Messiah.

Here this day, no matter what you have done, ask your Redeemer for the grace to humbly repent from your sins, verbalize your contrition, make amends when it is feasible and make a conscious deliberate decision to follow our Blessed Savior’s example and liberating gospel.. When you are forgiven much you will fall in love with Jesus. There is grace, mercy, forgiveness and hope for anyone who humbly repents and simply asks for the grace of conversion. Remember Jesus Christ came to save that which was lost.

During this sacred season of Lent, each of us is invited to look upon the face of God. And when we turn toward God, we will find a Father full of compassion, a Savior rich in mercy and a Sanctifier anxious to assist us.

Today Jesus invites us to make this Lenten season a time of repentance, holiness and charity. Take extra time each day to enhance your relationship with the Living God. Increase the frequency and duration of your prayer. Make time to read the scriptures especially the passion narratives. Find the time to read Psalm 51 which begins,  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

Let it be an inconvenience. Intensify your efforts to be more compliant with the demands of the gospel especially acts of charity and generosity but do them in secret. During these upcoming days, make a substantial effort to be reconciled with someone with whom you are angry or who has done you an injustice. Reach out to one brother or sister who has left the faith or who does not know the Suffering Messiah. What a beautiful way for any of us to celebrate Easter this year, knowing that because of our gesture and example a fallen sibling has returned to the Living Lord.

To Jesus are all honors, praise and glory both now and forevermore.

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In Christ #6—I Have Abundant Life!

1 John 5:11–12

Pastor Barry Kerner

In Christ, we live.  I think most people hunger for a better life, a richer life, a fuller life.  Jesus said in John 10:10, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. We’re going to unpack this idea—the idea that Jesus came to bring life to the full, abundant life, both now and forever.  In Christ, we have abundant life.

This is part 6 of our series, “In Christ.”  Paul uses this phrase or some variation of it about 170 times in his 13 letters.  To be “in Christ” refers to our position—we use the word “in” to describe the relation of one thing to another. We use terms such as: the ball is in the cup, the check is in the mail, and she is in the kitchen.  To be “in Christ” also refers to our relationship: we are united with Christ, living in Him and following Him.  And as we live in relationship with Jesus, all that is true of us because of our position begins to work its way into our practice and becomes part of who we are.

The Big Idea of this In Christ series is: When I live in Christ, all that is true of Him changes what is true of me.  In Christ, I live—now and forever! My premise today is that God gives us eternal life in Christ, and that life begins the moment you start following Jesus.

1 John 5:11–12 says, And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Notice the verb tenses. God has given us eternal life—past tense: God has given eternal life to us, so we already have it.  And this life is in his Son.  If you are in Christ, you have eternal life, right now.  If you have Jesus, present tense, you have eternal life, present tense.  Eternal life starts now, and it’s not only a quantity of life that goes on forever, but a quality of life that is extraordinary!

Let’s start with now. First, In Christ, I live life to the full now. Remember what we read a few moments ago, John 10:10 says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Some translations say, “have it abundantly.”  The Greek word is perissos, and it means, “extraordinary, a remarkable amount, abundant, going beyond what is necessary, more than enough.”  Jesus came so that you would have an extraordinary life, a remarkable life, a life so abundant, so full that you would have more than enough life for yourself and some to give away.  Jesus came to bring us extraordinary life, remarkable life, abundant life, life to the full.

If you had asked me to describe being a Born Again Christian before I was one, I would have used one word: BORING!  I thought Born Again Christians lived a boring life.  Basically, if it was fun, Born Again Christians couldn’t do it.  They had all these rules that said “no” to anything fun!  Plus, you had to go to church a lot and that was MAJOR BORING!  My experience of church was that everyone dressed up like they were going to a funeral.  Everyone was very somber; no one smiled or laughed.  I wondered who died, and then the pastor said it was God!  Or God’s Son…It was hard to figure it out.  I just knew it was really boring.

Jesus didn’t say, “I have come that you may have life, a really dull, boring life.”  He said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”  Following Jesus is anything but boring and dull.  It’d the adventure of a lifetime. It is the adventure of losing your life to find it.  It is not life to the dull, but life to the full, extraordinary life, or as Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:19, you have “the life that is truly life.”  

Paul tells us that this life is in Christ, and how it begins. Colossians 2:13-14 reads, When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

“When you were dead in your sins.”  Paul is describing our condition before Christ.  We were dead in our sins.  What does Paul mean?  Obviously, we were alive physically—I was alive for 30 some years before I met Jesus, but for those 30 odd years, I was dead spiritually.  I was far from God, not interested in God, dead or unresponsive to God because of my sin.

To understand this, let’s go back to the beginning of the story.  God created the first humans, placed them in paradise and gave them only one restriction. God told them, “Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” And in Genesis 2:17 he told them the consequence if they eat:  “for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” 

Of course, you know what happened.  Adam and Eve disobeyed, ate the forbidden fruit, and dropped over dead instantly, and it was the end of the human race. Not quite.  They ate the forbidden fruit…and kept on living.  They didn’t die!  Was God mistaken?

They didn’t die physically immediately, but they did die spiritually. Their relationship with God was broken, and they were driven from paradise.  Rather than enjoying face-to-face friendship with God every day, they were driven from His presence and lived alone, estranged, separated from God.  This estrangement immediately affected their relationships with each other—it wasn’t long before the first murder, when Cain killed his brother Abel.  And of course, eventually they all died physically too.  In reality, they had started dying the moment they disobeyed God.

In Romans 6:23 Paul wrote,  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The wages of sin is death.  This is our story.  We sin—we rebel against God, we declare our independence—and we die.  We die physically, and we die spiritually.  And it’s true of all of us.

In Romans 3:10–12 he wrote, As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” And in Romans 3:23,  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

This is our story.  We sinned, and we died.  We created a culture of death.  We were dead in our sin—separated from God and unresponsive to Him.

Enter Jesus.  Our verse from Colossians tells us, “When we were dead in our sin, God made us alive with Christ.” For those who are In Christ, God has made us alive again.  In Christ, God defeats death, raising Jesus from the dead. And in Christ, God defeats sin, the cause of our death.  Notice the rest of the verse: Colossians 2:13-14 God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

He made you alive in Christ, by forgiving all your sins, by taking the thing that killed us and killing it, nailing it to the cross. In Christ, sin is paid for and forgiven.  In Christ, death dies and life is restored. In Christ you are made alive.  You come alive to God.  You become responsive to God.  You begin to follow Jesus, to listen for the Holy Spirit’s whisper.  You become fully alive.

Irenaeus, a second century pastor in what is now Lyons, France, said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” I love that.  The glory of God is a man or woman fully alive. In Christ, we come alive—fully alive both physically and spiritually.  This is what Jesus promised: life to the full, that we would be fully alive.

Let’s not make the mistake of confusing abundant life in Christ with the American dream.  Jesus didn’t promise that we’d be wealthy, that we’d get everything we wished for, or that life would always be easy.  To the contrary, he calls us to take up our cross and follow Him.  He promised it would be hard.  But he also promised that when we lose our life for Him, we find it.  We find life to the full.

After living as a quadriplegic for 45 years, Joni Eareckson Tada reflected on the diving accident that changed her life. As a teenager, Joni had embraced Jesus as her savior, but in her words she had “confused the abundant Christian life with the great American dream.” Joni said: I was a Christian. (My plan was that I) would lose weight, get good grades, get voted captain of the hockey team, go to college, marry a wonderful man who made $250,000 a year, and we’d have 2.5 children. It was me focused: What can God do for me? I almost thought that I had done God a great big favor by accepting Jesus.

(My boyfriend and I) were doing some things together that were wrong.  In April 1967, I came home from a sordid Friday night date and cried, “Oh God, I’m staining your reputation by saying I’m a Christian, yet doing one thing Friday night and another Sunday morning. I’m a hypocrite. I want you to change my life. Please do something in my life that will jerk it right side up because I’m making a mess of the Christian faith in my life and I don’t want that. I want to glorify you.” Then I had the diving accident about three months later.

Immediately after the accident, Joni told God, “I’ll never trust You with another of my prayers.” But after struggling with anguish and anger Joni said, “I prayed one short prayer that changed my life: ‘Oh God, if I can’t die, show me how to live.’ That was probably the most powerful prayer I had ever prayed.” “Show me how to live.”  Since praying that prayer, Joni has become a celebrated artist who paints with a brush she holds between her teeth; she has written 48 books, recorded several albums, including a song that was nominated for an Academy Award this year, hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, has spoken all over the world, and founded Joni and Friends, an organization that advocates for the disabled. All from a wheelchair, without the use of her arms or legs.

“God, show me how to live.”  The abundant life, life to the full, isn’t about me, as Joni discovered.  It’s about losing me to find Him; it’s about losing my life to become fully alive in Christ.

Colossians 2:6–7 says, So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Live your life in Christ, and you’ll live abundantly.  Life to full.  You’ll be fully alive, in Christ, regardless of your circumstances.

Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, reflected on his visit to a church in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti nearly a year after the devastating earthquake in 2010. The church’s building consisted of a tent made from white tarps and duct tape, pitched in the midst of a sprawling camp for thousands of people still homeless from the earthquake. This is how he describes the church and the lesson he learned in Haiti: In the front row sat six amputees ranging in age from 6 to 60. They were clapping and smiling as they sang song after song and lifted their prayers to God. The worship was full of hope and thanksgiving to the Lord. No one was singing louder or praying more fervently than Demosi Louphine, a 32-year-old unemployed single mother of two. During the earthquake, a collapsed building crushed her right arm and left leg. After four days both limbs had to be amputated.

Demosi was leading the choir, leading prayers, standing on her prosthesis and lifting her one hand high in praise to God. Following the service, I met Demosi’s two daughters, ages eight and ten. The three of them now live in a tent five feet tall and perhaps eight feet wide. Despite losing her job, her home, and two limbs, she is deeply grateful because God spared her life.  “He brought me back like Lazarus, giving me the gift of life,” says Demosi, who believes she survived the devastating quake for two reasons: to raise her girls and to serve her Lord for a few more years.

It makes no sense to me as an “entitled American” who grouses at the smallest inconveniences—a clogged drain or a slow wi-fi connection in my home. Yet here in this place, many people who had lost everything expressed nothing but praise. I find my own sense of charity for people like Demosi inadequate. They have so much more to offer me than I to them. I feel pity and sadness for them, but it is they who might better pity me for the shallowness of my own walk with Christ.

So who has abundant life: a double amputee who can joyfully praise God, or someone like you and me with all our limbs who grumbles about slow internet?  It’s not about me.  It’s not about getting everything I want.  It’s about being filled with Jesus and living a new kind of life that’s full of love, joy and peace, regardless of what’s going on around you. In Christ, I live life to the full now.

Second, In Christ, I live eternally. Romans 6:23 reminds us, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. I said that eternal life is both a quantity of life that goes on forever, and a quality of life that is full and rich and deep.  In Christ, I have abundant life now and eternal life forever.

What happens when we die?  There are two primary opinions among Christians.

First, we immediately go to be with Jesus.  We fall asleep here and immediately wake up in God’s presence. Paul said in Philippians 1:21–24, For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Paul believed that when he “departed,” when he died, he would “be with Christ, which is better by far.”

In 2 Corinthians 5:1–8 Paul wrote, For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Paul believed that when he died, he would immediately be “at home with the Lord.”  He would move from “this earthly tent” to “an eternal house in heaven.”  And “what is mortal would be swallowed up by life.”  I love that picture.  It’s not that death overwhelms life, but that life overwhelms death! So this is the first view of what happens when we die: we go immediately to be with the Lord.

The second view is sometimes called soul sleeping.  The idea is that we go to sleep and we awake at the resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 says, Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

This sounds like we fall asleep when we die and wake up at the final resurrection when Jesus returns.

Many theologians attempt to reconcile these two views.  Did you notice that it said in 1 Thessalonians 4:14 that God will “bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”  That sounds like those who have died were already with Jesus and return with Him for the resurrection. Here’s the thing.  I personally believe that when we die we immediately enter into the presence of Jesus but either way, whether your soul sleeps or you go immediately to be with Jesus, you die and wake up in His presence.

When I had neck surgery in 2005, I was under the anesthesia for several hours.  When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Cheryl’s face.  It seemed to me that I went to sleep in one room looking at her, and woke up instantly in another room looking at her—even though several hours had passed.  It seemed instantaneous to me. I think that when we die, we are immediately with the Lord.  But if those who believe in soul sleep are right, it won’t make a difference.  It will still feel like I wake up immediately and see the face of Jesus.

Paul says, “to depart and be with Christ is better by far.”  To live is Christ: to live is abundant life, life to the full in Christ.  And to die is gain—it’s better still.  It’s to be at home with the Lord.  This is why Christians don’t fear death.  It’s not the end of abundant life; it’s taking it to next level!  The best is yet to come!

In conclusion, Life In Christ is abundant life. When we rely on Jesus, we do not need to worry about material needs (Matthew 6:25–32), but if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”, then “all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). In Philippians 4:19, we are promised that “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” If we focus on our relationship with God, He will meet all our needs. If that includes earthly treasure, we should praise God. If it doesn’t, we should praise God.

Abundant life is eternal life. In John 17:3, Jesus defined eternal life when He said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” When we think of eternal life in earthly terms, we think only of it lasting forever. But from a heavenly perspective, eternal life is knowing God the Father and Jesus, His Son. Thus, since abundant life is eternal life, it is knowing God. First John 5:12 says, “Whoever has the Son has life,” so Christians have this eternal life from the moment of salvation.

Lastly, abundant life is a continual process. Like salvation, we are given abundant life at the moment of salvation, but we will grow into it. Philippians 3:12 says, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Paul recognized that though he had the abundant life, he had to “press on” to make it his own.

When we have a truly heavenly perspective, we will see a definition of abundant life that goes well beyond material things. We can say with Paul, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:12–13).

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