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Postings on this page include January 2007. Scroll down to view sermons in this series, week by week. If you wish to view or print these or previous sermons, click Archives to make your selection. Note that the 1/21/2007 sermon is "special" and not part of the current series. It may be found on the bottom of this page, after the "Putting On The Christ" sermon series. This page was last updated 2/1/2007.
Week of: January 7, 2007 Series: Putting On Christ Title: Part 1 ~ What Does It Mean To Be Human? Scripture: Genesis 1: 26-27 Have you ever noticed that the real important questions in life are hard to answer, at least to most people’s satisfaction? Questions like:
· Why are we here?
· What is our purpose in life?
· How did life begin?
· Who is God?
· Is there a God?
· What is love?
· How do we know we are in love?
· Is there life after death?
· How do we achieve peace on Earth?
· How do we keep from destroying ourselves on this tiny little planet called Earth?
Now, as Christians, we feel that the Bible has a lot of answers to these important questions, yet there are times that we are hard pressed to convince other people that we have the answers we claim. In today’s sermon, and the weeks to follow, I would like for us to look at a series of questions about what it means to be a human being; and hopefully come up with some answers that make sense to us and even to some people who might be somewhat skeptical. There are 3 primary interpretations of what is to be a human being... biological, cultural, and religious.
Biological - genes and DNA
We are biologically predetermined by who our mothers and fathers are, by who our grandfathers and grandmothers are, and the host of ancestors that have come before us. We are unique from all other creatures on this planet, but only because who we have evolved to be.
Cultural - we are defined by how we live in relationship with one another.
Human beings have never lived in isolation. We are social creatures that live with and around one another. If we cease to exist some day it will be because we have not learned to live in harmony with one another.
We are religious creatures.
Do you realize that in every culture that has ever been studied, there has been religious activity and religious beliefs? Our secular civilization says it is not religious and sometimes refuses to practice religion in a formal sense like worship, but 94% of all Americans say they believe in some kind of God. Even so called atheists act religious if they are scared enough. As the saying goes, I am sure “that there are no atheists in fox holes.”
Well, what does all of this have to do with our understanding of what it means to be human?
It is obvious that to be a human being there are biological and genetic factors, social and cultural factors. But I also choose to believe that what defines, starts, and finishes our understanding of humanity is religious. So in my understanding of humanity, I first started with God. In fact, not only do Christians believe in God, but they also believe He is the Creator.
It is very interesting that scientists now believe that, for intelligent life such as ours to exist on our tiny little planet, there has to be, lets say, at least 10 different factors. For these factors to accidentally lead to intelligent human life as is on our planet, the odds of that happening are astronomical. So much so those scientists are now saying that in order for intelligent life to occur there must be multiple universes. Not one, but more universes than we could count. It seems to me the more that people understand about our universe and our place in this universe the more creative they have to be to take God out of the picture. Be it aliens from outer space that somehow wanted to seed our tiny little obscure planet with human genome, to people who believe that human beings have been created by an accident that was so unlikely that they theorize an infinite number of universes to explain away that somehow God was Creator. Well, I’ll just choose to believe that God is the Creator. And that makes a lot more sense and is more reasonable to believe than the creative imaginations of people who refuse to acknowledge God.
What about human beings being created by God?
Could it be that God created the universe and left human beings by chance? The Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, once wrote: “that if one really believes in God as the creator of the world, then one is obliged to confess: ‘God created me.’” Not only did God create me, but I believe that he also created me as a unique person. Not as a clone of countless millions before me, but as a representative of the human race who is nevertheless unique. Unique? Yes, if God created me! But, if I am an accident, No, because sooner or later, if there are enough universes out there by chance, there will be another like me or another like you. However, if we’ve been designed by God, no matter how humble a purpose our existence might be, then we are unique. Even identical twins like Mikaela and Miranda are unique in their own ways.
The writer of Jeremiah says of his unique status with God: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 The writer of the Psalms also sees his existence like Jeremiah: “it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalms 139:13
There is not only the uniqueness that helps us celebrate our individuality, but also the conformity that helps us celebrate our humanity.
The Bible calls it being created in the image of God. Our scripture says: “So God created man in his own image…in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
I’ve told you for sometime now that the image of God is not like a literal image of a man with two arms, head, torso, or legs, toes, and feet. The image of God is something that is deeper, more lasting, and more in tune with the heart of God, than the physical image of God. Numerous reasons… Jesus said that the true form of God was spirit (John 4). Paul fusses at the Corinthians for being overly concerned with the kind of body that they would have at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:35-50). According to him they are not going to have a natural body but a spiritual body. Now what is a spiritual body? I have no idea, but according to Paul, it will be radically different. Whatever it is, it will be perfectly suited to contain the image of God that we were created to be. I believe that it will be an image of will, mind, and spirit that reflects the perfect love of God. I believe that the image of God is an image of divine love. Do you remember what 1 John says of God? That He was and is love. When we love then we reflect the image of our Creator and our God.
The mystery of human nature is caught up in the mystery of divine love. Consider one another... we look at some people as being our friends, family, neighbors, brother and sister in Christ. That is true, but we are also created by God, by His design, in His image to be what He wants us to be. And if we don’t recognize that and comply with our purpose under the heavens, can we ever find peace of mind? Can we ever find true satisfaction? Can we ever find God?
Week of: January 14, 2007
Series: Putting On Christ
Title: Part 2 ~ Tainted By Bad Choices?
Scripture: Genesis 3:1-19 We are studying the nature of what it means to be human and ultimately what it is to be transformed by Christ. Last week we saw that God created mankind in the image of God. Genesis 1:27 says, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We talked last week about some things that that means. This morning I would like for us to consider how the human heart has been affected by sin.
First of all, if you will look at Genesis chapter one, everything that God creates is “good.” Verse 4 tells us the light is “good.” Verses 9 and 10 state that the land, and the sea are created by God and they are “good.” The vegetation; with plants bearing seed according to their kind and trees bearing fruit of its kind is all deemed as “good.” The sun and moon and stars are created on the fourth day and each in turn is “good.” On the fifth day sea creatures, birds, and animals are created and declared “good.” On the sixth day, last but not least, mankind is created and we too are stamped “good.” It is very important to realize that God is good and therefore His creation is good. As a good and loving God, he cannot and does not make things that are bad. If something is bad, it is only bad because it has been used in the wrong way.
Then where does evil and sin come from? The devil. Well, where does the devil come from? What caused him to be bad? Was he created bad? Then who created him bad? If not, how did he get that way? We don’t know. All I know is that sin came into the world by the means of “the serpent” that, according to the scriptures, “was more crafty than any of the wild animals.” It doesn’t say this “serpent” was evil or bad, just crafty and mischievous. The “serpent” put in the mind of Eve that there was another way, another option of acting, behaving, and being, other than simply what God wanted her to be and do. And she chose the other option. Human beings are not perfect, nor were they ever perfect, they were just good. But God, in his infinite wisdom, decided to give them the freedom of will to act in ways that was contrary to what He wanted. And given the freedom of choice, even in a place like paradise, these good and godly creatures made a mistake. Given choices human beings, no matter how good they are, will make mistakes. They will deviate from the will of God. But we know that about ourselves and quite frequently excuse ourselves for it, but we just don’t want to excuse it in others.
But there is something else about this matter that is interesting. Did you know that choices are contagious? Choices are like viruses, for good or evil, they spread. And human beings are very susceptible to choices. Case in point is dummy, Adam. I call him dummy because he doesn’t even have sense enough to ask the questions that Eve did. If the serpent is crafty, and Eve is dumb for believing the serpent, then Adam is dumber because he just takes it and eats it. As human beings, we love to know that there are other ways of doing things, other ways of believing, and other ways of acting even if they are not all ways in our best interest nor of those around us. When that happens we have to pay the consequences. Given Adam and Eve’s choices, they paid the consequences, because God had no choice but to curse them and kick them out of paradise. But once out of paradise, the nature and severity of the bad choices increase, as well as their consequences. Look at Genesis 4:1-16!!! In reading this passage, Cain is given the choice of whether he is to be jealous of his brother Abel. And he is given the choice of whether his anger and jealously was to control him or he would control his anger and jealously. And ultimately, he was given the choice whether he would take his brothers life or not. To which he makes all the wrong choices and his punishment is to be cursed, like his father and mother, to be exiled like them, and to be sent further from the presence of God. The nature of the consequences of bad choices is that human beings can find themselves cursed and separated further and further from the presence of God. Let me sum this up for you: 1) God is good and perfect.
2) His creation is good, but not perfect.
3) We were created not to be gods (the creation cannot be greater than its creator), but created in the image of God. Therefore, we are good, but not perfect.
4) The image of God in us is ultimately designed for us to become like God in love.
5) For love to be realized it must be given the freedom of choice. Without freedom of choice there is no love, pre-determined robots don’t understand what it is to love.
6) Freedom of choice is risky business because it can lead to bad decisions (called sin) and terrible consequences.
7) The nature of choices is that often bad choices (sin) will lead to more bad choices.
8) Bad choices (sin) are like viruses. They spread in their nature and severity from person to person, generation to generation.
9) Each person and each generation can find themselves farther and farther from God, facing the terrible consequences of their bad choices (sin).
Well, why don’t we just make better choices? Amen. Of course, that would be wonderful and sometimes we learn and we do!! But it is not as easy as that!!! For one thing, bad choices and their consequences are passed on from one generation to the next generation. Palestine has been called the “culture of death.” As one suicide bomber dies another takes his place until, with the murdering of innocent people by the taking of one’s own life becomes the norm. The terrible thing is that it will not stop with this generation when they die out, but continue with next. Choices, whether they are bad or good, are passed on from one generation to the next. Children, if they are not taught and model what is right, will have to overcome the bad choices and the consequences of their parents. That is simply the nature of things.
And, as if it doesn’t need to be more difficult, by nature we as human beings often become the sum of our experiences. We make all these decisions in our lives that lead to a variety of good and bad experiences and it changes us. It makes us into different people, depending on the choices and experiences, for better or for worse. But the reason that we cannot always just make better decisions is that we’ve been changed. We are different people than when we were young and naïve. And, we've not always been changed for the better. In fact, for some people, their experiences of life and the roads they have traveled on have led them down some dark paths that they cannot get away from. The apostle Paul calls that being a slave to sin. He says in Romans 7:13 “We know that law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Sounds familiar doesn’t it? He goes on to say… “What a wretched man I am? Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
Who will help me make the decisions I need to make? All of this sounds rather fatalistic and depressing doesn’t it? Well, listen to Romans 8:3 “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son…” Through this long and difficult process of human beings growing up and learning to make better decisions, God has been present, and now He has given us the help we need by giving us His own Son. The hope of humanity, the hope that we have as human beings is depending on us receiving the help that our gracious God has given us.
Week of: January 28, 2007
Series: Putting On Christ
Title: Part 3 ~ A Matter of Death and Life
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:35-49
For some people, the terms and language of Christianity are rather confusing. For example, many people don’t understand what we mean by being saved or being lost. They don’t understand what we mean by sin, or even what we mean by God. Sometimes we use terms like "slaves to sin", "natural bodies" and "spiritual bodies", heaven, and hell and they either misunderstand us, or look at us like we are crazy.
Today I would like to try explaining what we mean by death and life in the Christian faith. What brings death and what brings life and how death must come before we have life?
When we think of death and life, we think of a physical death and physical life. In our scripture today Paul uses the term, “natural body.” The natural body is our physical body which is, as 1 Corinthians 15:47 says, “of the dust.”
“The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:47 NIV.
I am reminded of talking to someone years ago who was in charge of exhuming bodies for the Tennessee Valley Authority as they dug up family graves for Tellico Dam to be built. The federal government was buying up land and farms that would someday be taken by the back waters of the dam, and as part of the agreement graves had to be moved. This individual expected to find bones and skeletons in these hundred-year-old graves, but literally just found dust. Literally from dust to dust they went. This is the natural body. This is the natural body that dies and returns to dust. Some people would say that is all there is to a human being. That we are like any other animal on this planet, that death results us returning to the dust and nothing else. But religious people, especially Christians, say that is not true.
There is in each of us a divine spark, something made in the image of God that makes us different and unique from all the other creatures on this planet. Therefore, we are alive in more ways than one. We are alive in our natural bodies, but we also are alive as far as our spirit or the divine spark is concerned. And even though this physical body will die someday, there is something of me that will survive and live on in one form or an other. Now as Christians, we believe that God made us and gave us life. We also believe that He gives us life in more ways than one. He gives us life for our natural bodies to live, and He gives us life for our divine spark or the spirit to live. In other words, we need to be alive on the outside and we need to be alive on the inside. It is to the inner person in each of us, that Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV In other words, Jesus came to make us fully alive.
In 1968, George Romero made a low budget independent film called “Night of the Living Dead.” This film popularized “zombies,” dead people whose bodies came to life. Zombies, in this folklore, are walking bodies which are void of a human soul. Now I am not saying that “lost” people, non-Christians, are zombies, but I am saying that before we met Jesus we were sick or dying, maybe even dead inside. To one degree or an other, in one way or an other, we were spiritual zombies. There was a spiritual sickness that was infecting our lives that was sucking the life out of us, leaving us as the walking spiritual dead.
The cause of this spiritual deadness is sin. Paul says in Ephesians, “you were dead in your transgressions and sins.” Ephesians 2:1 NIV In Colossians he writes: “When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ.” Colossians 2:13 NIV “Dead inside made alive by Christ,” could very well be our Christian motto. The deadness inside is caused by sin. If you will remember two Sundays ago, I presented a sermon entitled, “Tainted by Bad Choices.” In which, I reminded you that:
1. We were created by God in the image of God.
2. Everything God created was and is good. Therefore, human beings were and are never perfect just basically good.
3. Because we are not perfect, we make mistakes or bad choices.
4. The bad choices can be sinful and can lead to more bad and sinful choices. Therefore, sin is the thing that makes us spiritual dead inside and ultimately destroys our lives.
The spiritual death and decay comes because our bad choices cut us off from our source of spiritual life. We become separated from God. The reason is God, by His very nature, is Holy and cannot stand our sin even though He loves us. This is death. Some people experience this spiritual death in various ways and to various degrees. I’ve met, and I am sure you’ve met, people who are just miserable. They hate their lives. They hate their jobs. They have very few friends. Seemly very caught up in themselves, and because they have been so miserable, it has become easy for them to escape into drugs, alcohol, or other self-destructive behavior. If you can get them talking, they will admit that they are empty, lonely, and miserable. Most of the time, these people are ripe for Jesus and a caring church to love them and give them a fresh start on life.
Other people are equally lost, they just don’t realize it. In fact, their lives are largely successful. They have friends and generally have what it takes to be happy in our society. They are sinners, it is just harder for them to realize it and to admit it. In fact, the sins or the shortcomings, as they want to call them, are seemly mild and seem to be nowhere as destructive as these other people. They gossip, occasionally tell lies and have been known to cheat. However, they only remember stealing once and that was while they were in high school. Been drunk only a couple of times, smoked a little pot and that was while they were in college. Had multiple sex partners while they were in college, but have been faithful to their spouses for the most part, except for that brief encounter with the person a work. Had the good sense to break it off when other people begin to learn about it. They’ve been a decent parent, can only remember getting angry enough to strike the kids once with their fist. They’ve been good neighbors, but thank God for fences. Yet, lately they’ve been asking if maybe there shouldn’t be more to life. They don’t want to admit it but lately they’ve been feeling awful self-centered and selfish. Surely there is more to life than this. They are having a hard time sleeping lately, and they just can’t seem to get up out of bed in the morning. Dragging to work lately, can’t wait to get home, but then just so restless, and depressed when there. Surely there is more to life than this, feeling so lifeless inside.
Two distinct kinds of people, with different lifestyles, one looked down in our society as a failure, and one seemly successful as far our society goes. But both equally dead in their sins and both lost without Jesus. What saves us from this death is the person who has conquered both death and life.
Our sin is the disease and Jesus is the cure. Jesus, as Baptists are fond of saying, “saves us.” Saves us from what? From our sins which are keeping us from God. He actually becomes the means by which God can and does over look the wrong choices that we’ve made. Our trust and faith in Him somehow breaks the power of sin and spiritual death in our lives and therefore sets us free. It becomes the conduit by which the power of God flows. Faith throws the switch that allows the saving grace of God to flow into our lives.
The power of God, the saving grace that comes from God, is the spirit of God. The spirit of God is what the Bible calls the Holy Spirit. It flows to us, as we try to live our lives by faith. It is the means by faith that God seeks to save us through Jesus Christ, His son. Paul writes in Titus 3:5 NIV, “he saved us not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Spirit,” Paul uses the term dead in our sins. Sin causes this spiritual zombieism
What is the cure? Where there is death, what gives life? The Spirit………………….
Week of: January 21, 2007
Special: Basketball Sunday
Title: "Why Christian
Scripture: 1 Peter 2:4-7
People often blame the problems in America on the atheists. When in actuality, atheists are rather few and far between, with more than 96% of Americans saying that they believe in God. The only problem is what kind of God do you believe in and what you mean by believing in God. After all, James says in his tiny epistle: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder.” So the questions I would like to ask you today are, “What kind of God do you believe in?” and “How far do you take that belief?” And then I would also like you to consider, “Why Christian?” Why are you or why would you even consider becoming a Christian?
Well what is a Christian anyway?
In the broadest sense a Christian is a follower of Jesus, especially the Jesus that the Holy Bible presents Him to be.
Is Christianity a religion?
Yes it is… I know people who are very fond of saying that Christianity is not a religion. But I would challenge them to show me where Christianity doesn’t fit the definition of being a religion. It is a religion, but also I believe as many of you do, that it is more. Because God according to the Bible hates us just being religious: Amos 5:21-24 says “I hate, I despise your (religious) feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies (your religious assemblies). Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings (your sacrifices) I will not accept them… take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters….” The children of Israel were religious in a general and outward sort of a way; they just didn’t understand what true religion was about.
Now some people also believe that being religious and being a Christian is just about being good. Their motto is “be good and you’ll be ok.” But being good by whose standards, and being good for how long and in what way is the real question? I am sure you’ve met people whom you’ve thought were self-righteous. Meaning someone whose own standard of goodness originates from their own convenience, and their wishy-washy understanding of what is right and wrong. To such a person, lying and cheating is not wrong as long as they feel like it is justified. To such a person revenge is sweet and good as long as it is them who is doing the revenging. Forgiveness is good and Christ-like as long as they do not have to forgive. Mercy and love are grand and wonderful characteristics as long someone else has to practice it with their enemies. Mercy and Love is outdated and very impractical when it concerns their enemies. I know a lot of people who are good people, but I do not know a single person whose own solitary goodness could stand before God on judgment day.
Let me quickly name some other misconceptions I’ve heard about either becoming a Christian or being a Christian that people believe.
1) Christians are perfect. Never! The only perfect person I know of is Jesus. The rest of us are sinners. In fact, there are only two kinds of people in world; lost sinners and saved sinners. Which one are you?
2) Christians are hypocrites. Just some of us, not all of us, most of us are trying real hard to be like Jesus, it is just that we are not perfect.
3) Christianity is just about do’s and don’ts. No. Christianity is about following Jesus in faith, hope, and love. Faith, love, and hope are primary, the do’s and don’t are secondary.
4) Christians are not supposed to have fun. That’s furthest from the truth; we love to laugh, cut up, and carry on. Joy is a fruit of the spirit of God, that’s what we want to have. It is just that as we become mature in the faith, what we laugh about changes.
5) Christianity is a crutch that will keep you weak. No way. Jesus is not a crutch, in fact Jesus will set you free. Jesus will make you strong; he’ll give you the strength to stand tall when everything else has tried to take you down.
6) Becoming a Christian will solve all your problems. I wish it we true, but sometimes being a Christian creates problems. But there is not a problem that you and Christ cannot solve together.
7) Bad things don’t happen to good people, especially committed Christians. Not so; suffering is a part of the human condition and as long as you live bad things, regardless of how close to God you are, can happen to you. In fact, I truly believe that God leaves suffering and tragedy in our lives to show the world and us that it is possible to love God even though bad things happen to good people.
I have to admit one reason that I am Christian is that I was raised in a Christian home and I was taken to Church as a young person until I got old enough to want to go myself. Furthermore, I realize that I am not an expert on other religions and I can only speak from my religious experiences. But I do believe Christianity has the greatest and most accurate understanding of whom and what God is. In addition, as I stand to meet my God and my Lord on judgment day, I would only want to have one word on my lips and in my heart and that is “Jesus.” Why? For a lack of a better way of saying it, “I am betting my soul on the fact that God is infinite Love and Jesus more than any other person in the history of humanity reflects that love. If God is not love, if Jesus is not God and love, then I am truly lost and a person to be most pitied. Yet I believe that He is love and I am a Christian because I truly believe that God is love and in Jesus Christ God’s love has been fully revealed.
Let me quickly give you six things to consider in becoming a Christian. They are not misconceptions and are very vital to becoming a Christian.
1) A Christian is someone who believes not only in God but also Jesus.
2) A Christian is someone who depends on God’s forgiveness.
3) A Christian is someone who rejects their own goodness.
4) A Christian is someone who trusts their life to Jesus.
5) A Christian is someone who follows Jesus. I don’t care how many churches you are members of and how many times you’ve been baptized you are not a Christian until you follow Jesus.
6) Finally, and I believe most importantly, a Christian is someone who learns to love Jesus. In other words, a Christian is someone who has a very personal relationship with the Jesus of the Holy Scriptures.
I hope that we’ve cleared up some things this morning. If there has been some distance between you and God, this morning I hope that you’ve moved closer to understanding what it means to be a Christian.
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