Today, we come to the ninth and final fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, self-control. I hope that you have found this sermon series as fruitful as I have, pun intended.
Now, most of us, I think have a pretty good idea about what self-control is. Even if we don’t have a formal definition of self-control, we have heard stories like the following: During the early years of aviation, a stunt pilot was selling rides in his single engine airplane. One day, he got into an argument with an old farmer who asked to take his wife along for the ride at no extra charge. The pilot finally said, “Fine, I’ll take you both up for the price of one if you promise me not to say one word during the entire flight. If you make even one sound, the price is doubled.” The farmer agreed, and they flew off.
The pilot flew upside down, making twists and turns that would scare most people. However, the farmer didn’t make a sound. The pilot finally landed his plane. As the farmer climbed out, the pilot said, “I made moves up there that frightened even me, but you never said a word! You fear nothing!” The old farmer said, “Well, thank you. But I must admit you almost got me when my wife fell out!”
That, my brothers and sisters, is self-control, but for those of us who like specific definitions, self-control is the ability to have mastery over one’s self to the point that there is no desire that can distract you from your ultimate desire. Again, self-control is the ability to have mastery over one’s self to the point that there is no desire that can distract you from your ultimate desire.
You know, when I first started researching self-control, I was confronted with the early Greek philosophical definition of self-control. It was similar to the one I just gave you, but in one important way: the ancient philosophical definition of self-control was a complete mastery over any desire. In other words, if you had self-control, no desire would impact you at all. You were free from desire and want. Now, believe it or not, there is actually one religion that has this as its basis for belief: Buddhism. Buddhism strives for a complete and total lack of desire. But as I thought about this, and reflected upon things that I have learned and heard, I realized that this is an impossible definition to adhere to. Why? Well, think about it. If you try to practice self-control, you desire to have no desire. Let that sink in for just a minute. :-)
And so, as I reflected on the Christian faith and I thought about how this word is used in the New Testament–it is rarely used, by the way, I came to the conclusion that self-control isn’t simply a lack of desire. Self-control is making sure that nothing distracts us from our ultimate desire. So, let’s contemplate this fruit by seeing how Paul talks about self-control and then by talking about what our ultimate desire is as Christians.
First, let’s look at what St. Paul says about self-control in the book of 1 Corinthians. We have this passage in our second lesson. It’s short, so I will read it again. “24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one. 26So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.”
When I was studying this passage, I found out some very interesting things about what Paul was saying here. You might not find them so interesting, but I really did because they showed how Paul was using the context surrounding this community to bring home his point about self-control in the Christian life. You see, the city of Corinth was a major sponsor of the Isthmian games. These games were one of four major sporting events in Greece, the other three being the Olympics, the Pythian, and the Nemean games. Thousands of people would travel to and through Corinth to go to these games, so they were a very, very big deal.
With this as the background, Paul uses a sports analogy regarding athletes. What he says about athletes then is true of them today as well. “Athletes exercise self-control in all things.” We know this about dedicated athletes. They eat special diets. They train year round. They do all the little things which make them excel at their sport. They do not slack off lest they lose their competitive edge. They walk right past the Coke, Sprite, and Dr. Pepper. They avoid donuts, pizza, and hamburgers. You know, all the stuff that tastes good. They may be tempted. Their mouths may begin to water when they see or smell such goodies, but their discipline kicks in. They remember what they are training for, and they exercise self-control.
And Paul reminds the Corinthians about that. “They do it to receive a perishable garland.” When I heard the background on this one, I actually chuckled a little bit. Do you know what this garland was in the Isthmian games? It was wilted celery shaped into a crown. Yes, you heard right. Wilted celery shaped into a crown. Paul brings home his point by finishing with these words, “But we, an imperishable one.” Sometimes, you find a quote by a biblical scholar that you absolutely have to share, and I thought the following one was priceless. This scholar wrote, St. Paul is basically saying “If these athletes push themselves to the limit in training to win that pathetic crown of withered vegetables, how much more should we maintain self-discipline for the sake of an imperishable crown.” I thought that comment was priceless.
And it makes the point that I was trying to say earlier. Self-control isn’t a freedom of all desire. No. Self-control is the ability to stay laser focused on your ultimate desire so that anything that will distract you or lead you away from it will be left in the dust.
Three pastors went fishing together in northern Canada. As they began to get to know each other better, they shared their innermost thoughts. One confessed certain sins he was guilty of. He named them and then asked the other two to confess their weaknesses. The second pastor confessed his sins in detail. The third pastor, however, remained silent for quite a while. Finally, when asked to reveal his weaknesses, he said, “Friends, I don’t think you want to know my weaknesses, but since you’ve asked, I am going to tell you. I just love to gossip, and I can’t wait to get home!”
I’m sure the other two pastors were tempted to dump that last one in the lake! But I told that joke to ask, “What would self-control entail there? What would the ultimate goal be?” Of course, confidentiality in the confessional. Mutual understanding in helping one another overcome sin. If that is the ultimate goal in building Christian relationships through confession and forgiveness, then this pastor who loved gossip, would not commit it for the sake of his relationships with his friends! Do you see how that works?
And that now brings us to the important question. What is our ultimate goal as Christians? This is not such an easy question to answer because there are a lot, and I mean a lot of important things that Christianity teaches. Christianity teaches that we should love our neighbor. Christianity teaches that we should care for creation. Christianity teaches that we should live a moral and upright life. Christianity teaches that we should be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. Christianity teaches that we should work for peace and justice in the world. Christianity teaches that we should make disciples of all nations. Christianity teaches that we must pass down the faith to another generation. These are all important and worthy goals. But what is the ultimate goal? What is the priority above all priorities?
Perhaps Jesus can give us the answer. For Jesus was once asked which commandment was the most important. Does anyone remember which commandment he said was the most important? Does anyone remember which command Jesus listed above all others? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” That is the most important commandment of all. That is the most important goal of all. Loving God is the ultimate desire we Christians are called to have.
And, of course that love is based upon what Jesus has done for us on the cross. As God incarnate, he lived the blameless life. He was completely righteous and deserved salvation and glory. But instead, he chose the cross. He chose pain and suffering in an act of sheer grace. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but they are now justified by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forward as a sacrifice of atonement effective through faith.” Christ took our sins upon himself and put them to death, and he then gave to us his righteousness. He took our filthy, dirty rags of sin, and gave us garments of pure white. When we are moved by this love; when we encounter this love; we cannot help but long to love Him in return. We cannot help but want to live for him in return. We cry out, “Jesus gave all for me, so I give all to Jesus.”
Ah, but how easy is it for us to get distracted? How easy is it for other wants and desires to encroach upon us? We live in a society that encourages self-indulgence. We live in a society that encourages us to live our lives to the fullest–to experience everything. We hear over and over again that we should push our limits. We should test the boundaries. Our kids these days are over-extended. They have a toe hold in ten activities at once, and we parents are rushing all over the place trying to hold down our jobs, get to our kids’ activities, spend time with our spouses, and have a moment or two of fun along the way. Over extended kids lead to over extended parents. And those of you who are retired aren’t immune either. You know it. Do you know how many times I have heard retirees say, “I’m busier now than when I was working.” Have you heard that too? We feel like we have to do this and we have to do that. We want to do this. We want to do that. And we work ourselves to a frazzle because we want to do everything.
Self-control means we limit ourselves. Self-control means we focus on the main thing, and we orient our lives around the main thing. So, let me ask you this: if God is supposed to be the main thing for Christians, then what would that look like. I mean, let’s push that athletic imagery that most of us are familiar with. If an athlete avoids certain drinks and certain foods to keep his or her health: what things do we need to avoid to keep our spiritual health in shape? If an athlete takes time to train his or her body on a weekly basis: what things do we need to do as Christians to train ourselves to live lives for God? If an athlete studies his or her sport, learning the nuances of his or her position and studying his or her opponent to best find out how to win: what things to we as Christians need to study to learn the nuances of our faith and learn how to live it out in the world? If serious athletes eat, sleep, and breathe their sport, can anyone say that about those of us who are Christians? Can anyone point to us as having such self-control that we are not distracted by all the things of this world and that we focus on our relationship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
My purpose in sharing this is not to put us on any guilt trips. If you are convicted and shown that, like me, you are not exercising the self-control that you should; if you are convicted, like me, that we are way too distracted and that we allow all sorts of other things to draw us away from our ultimate desire; then let me suggest that changing things is not a matter of trying harder. You know what that is like just like I do. If you’ve ever had to lose a few pounds, you know how easy it is to give in and eat that last slice of pizza. You know how easy it is to drink that can of soda. If you’ve ever decided you needed to cut back on your use of curse words, you know how easy they slip off the tongue. If you’ve ever tried to tell yourself you need to attend church more, you know how easy it is to snuggle under the covers or give in when someone close to you says, “Let’s go do this together on Sunday.” Exercising self-control is no easy task. It’s downright impossible at times. This is why it is a fruit of the Spirit.
And like those other fruits, they do not emerge because we try to make them grow. They do not emerge because we say, “I will produce those fruits myself.” They emerge out of our trust in God. They emerge when our hearts are captured by the love of God in Christ Jesus. They emerge when we come to grasp what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross and in his resurrection. If you desire self-control in your life; if you desire an end to the hectic pace; if you desire things to be more simple but you dread saying no; turn to Jesus. Turn to the cross. Ask God to reveal to you the reality of grace. He will, and when He does, you will find yourself longing to love Him more. You will find yourself longing to serve Him more. You will find yourself setting Him as your ultimate desire, and you will produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Amen.
Showing posts with label Love of God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love of God. Show all posts
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Monday, May 8, 2017
Certainty: Romans 8:31-39
I am going to begin my sermon this morning with a confession: I don’t like uncertainty. I like to be able to say firmly and confidently what I believe; what I think will work; what the future holds. I like to think that I have the answers to life’s greatest questions. I like to think that I am an expert in matters of theology and church growth. I like to think that if someone asks me, “Pastor, what do I need to do or say to convince my friend to come to church?” that I have the answer. I like to think that if someone asks me, “Pastor how do I deal with this illness?” that I can give them the techniques. I like to think that when people ask me, “Pastor, can you make sense of the doctrine of the Trinity?” that I can give the perfect explanation. I like to think that when people ask me, “Pastor, what can we do to make the church grow?” that I can give them a perfect step by step plan that will lead to growth. I like to think that I can be certain about such matters. I like to think that I have all the answers. I like to think that if folks just did what I told them to do, then everything would work out. Deep within, there is an arrogant man who wants to think that he has the answers and is certain about them.
But then reality smacks me in the face. Despite my own efforts to ask friends to come to church: they don’t. Despite my efforts to help people through illness, folks are often left wondering why things are happening to them, and sometimes they become depressed and anxious. Despite my efforts to explain the doctrines of the Christian faith and explain the Bible, people are often left scratching their heads. Despite my efforts to lead within two congregations, I have not managed to get them to explode with growth. Even though I have read many books and articles; even though I have prayed many prayers; even though I have written many blogs, newsletter articles, and preached many a sermon, when I look at the evidence, I have to wonder about how certain I can be about being certain. Do I really know what I think I know? It is highly possible that I don’t.
Have you ever found yourself with such doubts? Have you ever found yourself wondering why things aren’t turning out the way that you envisioned? Have you ever found yourself walking the path that supposedly will lead to success and then finding that instead of moving forward, you were on a treadmill going nowhere? Have you ever had things happen to you that shook you to the core and made you rethink the way you looked at things? Have you ever stopped and thought: what in the world can I count on? What in the world can I be certain about? Is there anything that I can trust?
In a world where things are changing rapidly; where technology is out of date a week after you buy it; where the morals and values we once grew up with are cast aside; where deeply held societal convictions are questioned and shaken; is there something we can rest assured of–something that can never change?
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, the world around us is constantly changing. We are constantly changing. Society is constantly changing. And yet, we need something that is certain. We need something that we can rest upon. We need a firm foundation. Open our hearts and minds and lead us to the unchanging truth that gives us certainty. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our lesson from Romans begins with a question, “What then are we to say about these things?” What are these things? In a word, everything that Paul has just told us about God’s action through Jesus Christ. How we are fallen; how we deserve the wrath of God because of our rebellion against God; how no matter how hard we tried, we have failed to make ourselves right with God; how we have been justified by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forward as a sacrifice of atonement effective through faith; how if we trust in Jesus and His action we are no longer a slave to the fleshy desires of the world but are now in Christ; how when we are in Christ we have changed our allegiance and live for God; how when we live for God the Holy Spirit sets up a base of operations in our hearts to transform us from the inside out; how God uses every single event in our lives to conform us, to mold us, to make us into the image of Jesus. This is an all too brief snapshot of what God has done in Jesus Christ, and it is these things to which Paul is referring to. And he says, given all of these things; given what I have just told you in the first section of this letter, what conclusion can we draw?
His answer first takes us to the court room. There are a series of questions and answers that are full of legal language. And this question and answer series begins preparing the ground and laying the re-bar for and unshakable, unbreakable foundation of certainty.
If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Paul is looking at the person who is in Christ; who trusts in the cross and says, “Do you think that anyone can stand against you? Do you think that your enemy has power over you? Do you think that anyone can put a road block in between you and what God has destined for you? God gave up His Son for us. God gave up Jesus for us. God gave up the second person of the Trinity to death on the cross for us. Would God allow such a sacrifice to go to waste? Would God allow the costliness of grace to be wasted? It doesn’t matter what anyone or anything does to you. It doesn’t matter what kind of things people do to try and lead you astray. It doesn’t matter how often you are ridiculed; hated; persecuted; picked on; or bullied. It doesn’t matter how often you are told that God hates you. If you are in Christ, everything given to Jesus will be given to you. God does not just walk with you through the times of trial and tribulation–when you are in Christ, God is for you, and He will work everything to your good–to your transformation into the image and likeness of Jesus. You can be certain of that!
Verse 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? The answer to that question is: a lot of folks. A lot of charges will actually be brought against us. Those who are not believers in God will charge us with hypocrisy. They will charge us with failing to love one another. They will charge us with being just like everyone else. They will charge us with failing to care for the poor and needy. They will charge us with failing to live up to the expectations of our founder, and they will be right! And Satan Himself will accuse us. I told you this was courtroom language, and on the day of our trial, not only will the accusations of non-believers be brought forth, but Satan will accuse us as well. He will bring the charges of our failure to live according to God’s will and God’s law. Not only does God know the deepest, darkest secrets of our heart, so does Satan, and he will use them against us on that day. He will tell God all of our deepest lusts and secrets that we have tried to keep hidden. He will tell God of our failure to keep our hearts and minds pure. He will point out our failure to worship. He will point out our failure to sing. He will point out our failure to be generous. He will point out our failure to work for justice and peace. He will point out our failure to love one another as Jesus loved us. He will be merciless! And every single word coming out of his mouth will be true! Every. Single. Word. We will stand, convicted. We will know what we deserve.
But, It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. And if we try to justify ourselves, we will get exactly what we deserve. If we stand before God and make excuses. If we try to explain away our behavior. If we try and weasel our way out of Satan’s accusations, we are toast. God will indeed give us up because we are trying to save ourselves. We are acting selfishly. We are arrogant about what we have done. We have no humility. We will hear God say, “Depart from me...” The judgment will be rendered!
But, if we are in Christ, we will acknowledge the truth of the accusations. We will acknowledge our shortcomings. We will acknowledge our sinfulness, and we will turn to Jesus. And Jesus will plead the cause for us. “Dad, everything the accuser says is true. This brother of mine...this sister of mine...is guilty of each and every thing brought forward, but I took that sin upon myself. I paid the price for it. I went to hell for them. I withstood your wrath for them. Those times they were unfaithful to their spouses in word and deed, I paid for it. Those times they did not give their tithes and offerings, I paid for it. Those times they skipped worship to pursue their own wants and desires, I paid for it. Those times they lived in hate instead of love, I paid for it. They know their wrongs, and they have come to me and have found themselves in me. They have no condemnation.”
And the Almighty Judge will render the verdict. “Justified. Not guilty. Enter into my presence.” If you are in Christ. You are justified. You can be certain about that.
And, now Paul shifts the scene. We are no longer in the courtroom. We are now in Christ. We are now in this world faced with life before we are put on that final trial. We are faced with all the things in life that come our way. Remember, in the ancient world the prevailing thought was that if you were going through hardship, then God had cursed you. If things were going wrong, God had removed His love from you. Paul says “NO!!”
“35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’” I want to stop here just a moment to explain this little snippet. I’ve read this text for years, oftentimes at funerals, and I could never make heads or tails of this sheep being slaughtered quote. It’s actually a quote from Psalm 44. In that Psalm, the people of God are being persecuted–being killed all day long even though they had been faithful! Paul is showing that even in the Psalms, in the Old Testament, tragedy befell God’s people even in their faithfulness. God wasn’t turning His back on them then, and He was certainly not turning His back on them now. “37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing. We can be certain about that.
And with that, the concrete is poured. The foundation is set. The unmovable rock is in place. Nothing will be able to shake it. Nothing.
It has taken me a long time to arrive at this point in my own life. Time and again, I have been disappointed in people. Time and again, I have been disappointed in technology. Time and again, I have been disappointed by knowledge. Time and again I have been disappointed in the church. Time and again I have been disappointed in myself. Time and again, I have been disappointed in the Dallas Cowboys. Okay, I had to lighten the mood a little bit, but the point is the same. All of these things did not bring any certainty. All of these things were flawed in some fashion. Pick anything else, and it will disappoint you as well. None of them bring certainty. We cannot find it anywhere except in God. We cannot find it anywhere except in Jesus.
If you want certainty in your life; if you want a foundation that cannot be moved that you can trust; if you want to ensure that nothing can rattle the entire way you look at the world; put your trust in Jesus. Nothing can be against you. No one can charge you. No one can condemn you. Nothing can ever separate you from God’s love in Jesus Christ. Nothing at all. He bought you with a great price when He stretched out his arms and died for you. And he will not let you go. This is certainly good news.
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, you have showed your love through the cross where Jesus redeemed us. Despite our sinfulness, despite our rebellion, you loved us enough to die for us, and now you have shown us that when we put our trust in Jesus, you will never let us go. You will never let anything drive your love away. May the Spirit implant this truth deep in our hearts so that we can live with a sure and certain foundation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
But then reality smacks me in the face. Despite my own efforts to ask friends to come to church: they don’t. Despite my efforts to help people through illness, folks are often left wondering why things are happening to them, and sometimes they become depressed and anxious. Despite my efforts to explain the doctrines of the Christian faith and explain the Bible, people are often left scratching their heads. Despite my efforts to lead within two congregations, I have not managed to get them to explode with growth. Even though I have read many books and articles; even though I have prayed many prayers; even though I have written many blogs, newsletter articles, and preached many a sermon, when I look at the evidence, I have to wonder about how certain I can be about being certain. Do I really know what I think I know? It is highly possible that I don’t.
Have you ever found yourself with such doubts? Have you ever found yourself wondering why things aren’t turning out the way that you envisioned? Have you ever found yourself walking the path that supposedly will lead to success and then finding that instead of moving forward, you were on a treadmill going nowhere? Have you ever had things happen to you that shook you to the core and made you rethink the way you looked at things? Have you ever stopped and thought: what in the world can I count on? What in the world can I be certain about? Is there anything that I can trust?
In a world where things are changing rapidly; where technology is out of date a week after you buy it; where the morals and values we once grew up with are cast aside; where deeply held societal convictions are questioned and shaken; is there something we can rest assured of–something that can never change?
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, the world around us is constantly changing. We are constantly changing. Society is constantly changing. And yet, we need something that is certain. We need something that we can rest upon. We need a firm foundation. Open our hearts and minds and lead us to the unchanging truth that gives us certainty. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Our lesson from Romans begins with a question, “What then are we to say about these things?” What are these things? In a word, everything that Paul has just told us about God’s action through Jesus Christ. How we are fallen; how we deserve the wrath of God because of our rebellion against God; how no matter how hard we tried, we have failed to make ourselves right with God; how we have been justified by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God set forward as a sacrifice of atonement effective through faith; how if we trust in Jesus and His action we are no longer a slave to the fleshy desires of the world but are now in Christ; how when we are in Christ we have changed our allegiance and live for God; how when we live for God the Holy Spirit sets up a base of operations in our hearts to transform us from the inside out; how God uses every single event in our lives to conform us, to mold us, to make us into the image of Jesus. This is an all too brief snapshot of what God has done in Jesus Christ, and it is these things to which Paul is referring to. And he says, given all of these things; given what I have just told you in the first section of this letter, what conclusion can we draw?
His answer first takes us to the court room. There are a series of questions and answers that are full of legal language. And this question and answer series begins preparing the ground and laying the re-bar for and unshakable, unbreakable foundation of certainty.
If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Paul is looking at the person who is in Christ; who trusts in the cross and says, “Do you think that anyone can stand against you? Do you think that your enemy has power over you? Do you think that anyone can put a road block in between you and what God has destined for you? God gave up His Son for us. God gave up Jesus for us. God gave up the second person of the Trinity to death on the cross for us. Would God allow such a sacrifice to go to waste? Would God allow the costliness of grace to be wasted? It doesn’t matter what anyone or anything does to you. It doesn’t matter what kind of things people do to try and lead you astray. It doesn’t matter how often you are ridiculed; hated; persecuted; picked on; or bullied. It doesn’t matter how often you are told that God hates you. If you are in Christ, everything given to Jesus will be given to you. God does not just walk with you through the times of trial and tribulation–when you are in Christ, God is for you, and He will work everything to your good–to your transformation into the image and likeness of Jesus. You can be certain of that!
Verse 33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? The answer to that question is: a lot of folks. A lot of charges will actually be brought against us. Those who are not believers in God will charge us with hypocrisy. They will charge us with failing to love one another. They will charge us with being just like everyone else. They will charge us with failing to care for the poor and needy. They will charge us with failing to live up to the expectations of our founder, and they will be right! And Satan Himself will accuse us. I told you this was courtroom language, and on the day of our trial, not only will the accusations of non-believers be brought forth, but Satan will accuse us as well. He will bring the charges of our failure to live according to God’s will and God’s law. Not only does God know the deepest, darkest secrets of our heart, so does Satan, and he will use them against us on that day. He will tell God all of our deepest lusts and secrets that we have tried to keep hidden. He will tell God of our failure to keep our hearts and minds pure. He will point out our failure to worship. He will point out our failure to sing. He will point out our failure to be generous. He will point out our failure to work for justice and peace. He will point out our failure to love one another as Jesus loved us. He will be merciless! And every single word coming out of his mouth will be true! Every. Single. Word. We will stand, convicted. We will know what we deserve.
But, It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. And if we try to justify ourselves, we will get exactly what we deserve. If we stand before God and make excuses. If we try to explain away our behavior. If we try and weasel our way out of Satan’s accusations, we are toast. God will indeed give us up because we are trying to save ourselves. We are acting selfishly. We are arrogant about what we have done. We have no humility. We will hear God say, “Depart from me...” The judgment will be rendered!
But, if we are in Christ, we will acknowledge the truth of the accusations. We will acknowledge our shortcomings. We will acknowledge our sinfulness, and we will turn to Jesus. And Jesus will plead the cause for us. “Dad, everything the accuser says is true. This brother of mine...this sister of mine...is guilty of each and every thing brought forward, but I took that sin upon myself. I paid the price for it. I went to hell for them. I withstood your wrath for them. Those times they were unfaithful to their spouses in word and deed, I paid for it. Those times they did not give their tithes and offerings, I paid for it. Those times they skipped worship to pursue their own wants and desires, I paid for it. Those times they lived in hate instead of love, I paid for it. They know their wrongs, and they have come to me and have found themselves in me. They have no condemnation.”
And the Almighty Judge will render the verdict. “Justified. Not guilty. Enter into my presence.” If you are in Christ. You are justified. You can be certain about that.
And, now Paul shifts the scene. We are no longer in the courtroom. We are now in Christ. We are now in this world faced with life before we are put on that final trial. We are faced with all the things in life that come our way. Remember, in the ancient world the prevailing thought was that if you were going through hardship, then God had cursed you. If things were going wrong, God had removed His love from you. Paul says “NO!!”
“35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’” I want to stop here just a moment to explain this little snippet. I’ve read this text for years, oftentimes at funerals, and I could never make heads or tails of this sheep being slaughtered quote. It’s actually a quote from Psalm 44. In that Psalm, the people of God are being persecuted–being killed all day long even though they had been faithful! Paul is showing that even in the Psalms, in the Old Testament, tragedy befell God’s people even in their faithfulness. God wasn’t turning His back on them then, and He was certainly not turning His back on them now. “37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing. We can be certain about that.
And with that, the concrete is poured. The foundation is set. The unmovable rock is in place. Nothing will be able to shake it. Nothing.
It has taken me a long time to arrive at this point in my own life. Time and again, I have been disappointed in people. Time and again, I have been disappointed in technology. Time and again, I have been disappointed by knowledge. Time and again I have been disappointed in the church. Time and again I have been disappointed in myself. Time and again, I have been disappointed in the Dallas Cowboys. Okay, I had to lighten the mood a little bit, but the point is the same. All of these things did not bring any certainty. All of these things were flawed in some fashion. Pick anything else, and it will disappoint you as well. None of them bring certainty. We cannot find it anywhere except in God. We cannot find it anywhere except in Jesus.
If you want certainty in your life; if you want a foundation that cannot be moved that you can trust; if you want to ensure that nothing can rattle the entire way you look at the world; put your trust in Jesus. Nothing can be against you. No one can charge you. No one can condemn you. Nothing can ever separate you from God’s love in Jesus Christ. Nothing at all. He bought you with a great price when He stretched out his arms and died for you. And he will not let you go. This is certainly good news.
Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, you have showed your love through the cross where Jesus redeemed us. Despite our sinfulness, despite our rebellion, you loved us enough to die for us, and now you have shown us that when we put our trust in Jesus, you will never let us go. You will never let anything drive your love away. May the Spirit implant this truth deep in our hearts so that we can live with a sure and certain foundation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Monday, January 9, 2017
When You Suffer, Do You Boast?: Romans 5:1-5
When I was about eleven, my family and I had gone over to a great aunt’s house on a Sunday after church. We bar-b-qued hamburgers and sat around watching football. Of course, my Dallas Cowboys were playing. I remember this stuff vividly. They were playing the late game, and they played the Los Angeles Rams. I was rooting whole-heartedly for my ‘boys, and I was convinced they were going to win. How convinced? My dad told me, “The Cowboys are going to lose.” I said, “No way. They are going to win!”
Dad said, “I’ll bet you.”
I rose to the challenge, “Deal.”
Dad said, “How much?”
I thought for a moment before responding, “A quarter.”
Now, before you laugh too much, you have to realize just how much a quarter meant to me. You see, I loved playing video games. That quarter wasn’t just a quarter. It was a game of Pac-Man or whatever arcade game I could come across the next time my family and I went out. I took great joy and pleasure in playing those games–even though I wasn’t particularly good at them. To bet a quarter was a big deal.
And my ‘boys lost!!! I still remember going into my room and digging around for a quarter to hand to my dad. –No, he didn’t let me off. I had to pay up!!
Do you know, to this day, I have never bet on another football game or sporting event? Lesson learned. There is a risk on betting on an unknown future. You can easily lose.
But, let’s turn the tables for just a moment. What if you knew the future? What if you knew what was going to happen at a particular game–who was going to win? What if you knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt? I tell you what I would do. I’d be booking it to Las Vegas, and I would be a whole lot wealthier, that’s for sure! Knowing the future gives you confidence in the present.
But there is a problem. We don’t know the future. We have the capability to think about the future. We have the capability of figuring out what will probably happen in the next few moments; hours; or even days. But all it takes is one little surprise; one little change in some variable, and all our preparations are null and void. Therefore, we always seem to be a bit concerned about what will happen next. We always seem to be a bit antsy about what might be just around the corner. What will the future hold? Sometimes we are excited about it. Oftentimes we are fearful of it. And in our culture today, fear dominates. We tend to be afraid to bet; to risk; to take that chance lest we lose.
Christians take a bit of a different view toward the future. In fact, we face the future with confidence–with hope. St. Paul begins laying this out in the book of Romans chapter 5. Just a quick recap from before we took our break from this book because of Christmas: Romans chapters one through most of three were spent laying out humanity’s failure to live up to God’s expectations and the reasons we were under the wrath of God. At the end of chapter 3, Paul shared the good news that God’s justice and God’s mercy had combined in the work of Jesus who became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Christ’s actions have justified us, and we are now right with God. We are saved when we trust in Jesus’ actions instead of our own. Paul then used chapter four to show how this justification by grace through faith was consistent with God’s action toward the founder of the Jewish faith: Abraham. Paul now moves forward to share the consequences of God’s action in Jesus Christ.
We begin with verse one: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We must read this carefully because Paul says here that we have peace WITH God–not the peace OF God. The peace of God is a sense of calm that comes over us in the midst of various situations in life. Sometimes we sense that peace. Other times, we don’t. Such peace is an important part of the Christian life and deserves its just due, but this is not what Paul is talking about here. Paul is speaking of the peace that comes after two sides are reconciled. No longer is there animosity. No longer is there anger that divides. No longer is there separation. There is peace because our sins are no longer a cause of hostility. God no longer bears his righteous anger against us. We are at peace.
Secondly, verse two begins with these words: 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand. Through Jesus we now have access–the way is opened with no obstacles to the grace of God. Think of it this way: in ancient times, in order to have access to a king, you first needed grace–worthiness imparted to you by the king so that he would meet with you. Through Jesus, we have such access with God. No longer are there any barriers between you and God. Folks sometimes ask me to pray for them with the words, “Because you have a direct line to the big Guy up stairs.” I humorously try to say, “Well, you do too. We share the same access.” Through Christ this has been given to ALL of us. No one has any advantage.
Finally, Paul says, “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Earlier in chapter 3, Paul spoke about how boasting was excluded by the grace of God; however, it is important to note that Paul wants us to realize that we cannot boast in ourselves and what we do. Boasting in what God has done, is doing, and will do is certainly allowed. In fact, it’s sort of what we do as a church when we worship! We loudly and boldly proclaim our God! We loudly and boldly speak of what God does! We loudly and boldly tell others that God has saved us; that God provides for us; and that God will secure our future. We boldly boast of how God has prepared a place for those who trust Him and how He will raise us to eternal life–just like He raised Jesus to eternal life. We boast in God’s goodness!!!
However, Paul suddenly broaches a different subject. Right after saying that we boast in the glory of God–we boast in God’s goodness, Paul says, “3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings.” Some scholars believe that Paul is heading off a criticism that is often brought forth. A criticism that says: you boast about the goodness of God, but look at the trials and tribulations you go through. Look at all the evil that is still in the world. Look at the sickness that some of you have. Look at the persecution that others are bringing upon you. Why would you boast in God with all of these things happening? Paul does not shy away from this question, and rather than offer excuses for such matters, Paul says something that many of us frankly have a difficult time doing. Paul says that we boast in our sufferings. I mean, really, think about this. How many of us say, "Hey, I got diagnosed with cancer, woo hoo!"? How many of us brag about having frozen pipes this morning? How many of us jump up and down when we lose a job? No. We don't do this at all. We become despondent. We want sympathy. We want compassion. We never boast. Yet, Paul says, "We boast in our sufferings."
Now, let me be quick to point out that this does not mean that we celebrate the fact that we suffer. As Timothy Keller said, “That would be masochism.” We aren’t sadistic. We don’t rejoice that we suffer. But we can boast in the midst of it. How? How in the world can we boast in our sufferings?
Paul continues: knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Let’s go through these step by step. Paul first says that suffering produces endurance. The word endurance here carries a sense of steadfastness–meaning you don’t waver. You are focused. Suffering strips away all of the unnecessary distractions so that we know where and what to stand on. Suffering helps us to see what we can really count on–what is lasting. And when we find what we can stand upon–what is strong; what endures, then character is formed. The Greek here gives us a sense of “testedness” or “genuineness”. When all is stripped away, and you are left with what is lasting, you are tested–genuine. Your true nature is revealed. And what is a Christian’s true nature? If we know we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ–what does our heart show? It shows that we are full of hope.
How does this happen? I have dealt with such matters repeatedly with folks who go through suffering. By the time all is said and done, you can tell the difference between folks who put their trust in God and those who have trusted other things. Let me use the scenario of someone who was diagnosed with cancer. The folks who have trusted other things go through having their endurance tested, and their character is revealed. When money did not bring about a cure; when doctors failed to stem the cancer; when family and friends could not make them better; when all of these things were stripped away and there was nothing left, folks who had no trust in God generally became bitter and angry and depressed. They were defeated. However, when the same things happened to those whose trust was in God, they too found that money couldn’t cure; doctors couldn’t stem the tide; that family and friends couldn’t make them better, but instead of becoming bitter and angry and depressed–they trusted that God would care for them. They trusted that even though they might die, that God would bring them unto Himself. They had hope. It radiated from them.
Paul finishes with these words, “5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” A better translation would be “and hope does not shame us.” Hope does not shame us. This is important on two counts. First, as I hinted at in my example above, if you put your hope in anything except God, it will disappoint you. It will bring you shame. Only God will not disappoint you. Only God will not shame you. If your hope is in God you will never be let down. You can be confident. And that is the second point of what Paul leads us to. We can have absolute confidence in what God will accomplish. This is the meaning of hope in Christian terms. Most of us when we talk about hope, we think about wish fulfillment. “I hope I win the lottery.” “I hope it rains.” “I hope gas prices don’t go up.” We can’t be confident of any of these things. Hope is a guessing game, and if what we hope for doesn’t come to pass–we are disappointed. In fact, my mother-in-law is fond of saying, "Spit in one hand, wish in the other, and see which one fills up faster."
Christian hope doesn’t say that. Christian hope says, “I believe that God will provide exactly what I need when I need it.” And that is not a hope that will disappoint. That is not a hope that will bring us shame. That is a hope rooted and grounded in who God has shown Himself to be. It is a hope rooted and grounded in the love that He Himself has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is a hope rooted and grounded in the fact that God did not withhold His own Son, but sent Him into the world to die for us. It is a hope rooted in the God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
This is the promise that we hold in our hearts. This is the work of God that we stay focused upon. We know that He loved us enough to die for us. We know that He raised Jesus from the dead giving us a vision of what we will experience when we trust in Him. We know that the future rests in His hands. Our future is taken care of. We know what to expect. And if you know what the future entails, then you can live with confidence. You can face suffering with confidence. For suffering produces endurance–it helps you see what you can count on. When you see what you can truly count on, your character is revealed–everyone can see what is truly in your heart. And if you understand what God has done–hope reigns supreme. And that is something to boast in!! Amen.
Dad said, “I’ll bet you.”
I rose to the challenge, “Deal.”
Dad said, “How much?”
I thought for a moment before responding, “A quarter.”
Now, before you laugh too much, you have to realize just how much a quarter meant to me. You see, I loved playing video games. That quarter wasn’t just a quarter. It was a game of Pac-Man or whatever arcade game I could come across the next time my family and I went out. I took great joy and pleasure in playing those games–even though I wasn’t particularly good at them. To bet a quarter was a big deal.
And my ‘boys lost!!! I still remember going into my room and digging around for a quarter to hand to my dad. –No, he didn’t let me off. I had to pay up!!
Do you know, to this day, I have never bet on another football game or sporting event? Lesson learned. There is a risk on betting on an unknown future. You can easily lose.
But, let’s turn the tables for just a moment. What if you knew the future? What if you knew what was going to happen at a particular game–who was going to win? What if you knew it beyond the shadow of a doubt? I tell you what I would do. I’d be booking it to Las Vegas, and I would be a whole lot wealthier, that’s for sure! Knowing the future gives you confidence in the present.
But there is a problem. We don’t know the future. We have the capability to think about the future. We have the capability of figuring out what will probably happen in the next few moments; hours; or even days. But all it takes is one little surprise; one little change in some variable, and all our preparations are null and void. Therefore, we always seem to be a bit concerned about what will happen next. We always seem to be a bit antsy about what might be just around the corner. What will the future hold? Sometimes we are excited about it. Oftentimes we are fearful of it. And in our culture today, fear dominates. We tend to be afraid to bet; to risk; to take that chance lest we lose.
Christians take a bit of a different view toward the future. In fact, we face the future with confidence–with hope. St. Paul begins laying this out in the book of Romans chapter 5. Just a quick recap from before we took our break from this book because of Christmas: Romans chapters one through most of three were spent laying out humanity’s failure to live up to God’s expectations and the reasons we were under the wrath of God. At the end of chapter 3, Paul shared the good news that God’s justice and God’s mercy had combined in the work of Jesus who became the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Christ’s actions have justified us, and we are now right with God. We are saved when we trust in Jesus’ actions instead of our own. Paul then used chapter four to show how this justification by grace through faith was consistent with God’s action toward the founder of the Jewish faith: Abraham. Paul now moves forward to share the consequences of God’s action in Jesus Christ.
We begin with verse one: Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We must read this carefully because Paul says here that we have peace WITH God–not the peace OF God. The peace of God is a sense of calm that comes over us in the midst of various situations in life. Sometimes we sense that peace. Other times, we don’t. Such peace is an important part of the Christian life and deserves its just due, but this is not what Paul is talking about here. Paul is speaking of the peace that comes after two sides are reconciled. No longer is there animosity. No longer is there anger that divides. No longer is there separation. There is peace because our sins are no longer a cause of hostility. God no longer bears his righteous anger against us. We are at peace.
Secondly, verse two begins with these words: 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand. Through Jesus we now have access–the way is opened with no obstacles to the grace of God. Think of it this way: in ancient times, in order to have access to a king, you first needed grace–worthiness imparted to you by the king so that he would meet with you. Through Jesus, we have such access with God. No longer are there any barriers between you and God. Folks sometimes ask me to pray for them with the words, “Because you have a direct line to the big Guy up stairs.” I humorously try to say, “Well, you do too. We share the same access.” Through Christ this has been given to ALL of us. No one has any advantage.
Finally, Paul says, “we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.” Earlier in chapter 3, Paul spoke about how boasting was excluded by the grace of God; however, it is important to note that Paul wants us to realize that we cannot boast in ourselves and what we do. Boasting in what God has done, is doing, and will do is certainly allowed. In fact, it’s sort of what we do as a church when we worship! We loudly and boldly proclaim our God! We loudly and boldly speak of what God does! We loudly and boldly tell others that God has saved us; that God provides for us; and that God will secure our future. We boldly boast of how God has prepared a place for those who trust Him and how He will raise us to eternal life–just like He raised Jesus to eternal life. We boast in God’s goodness!!!
However, Paul suddenly broaches a different subject. Right after saying that we boast in the glory of God–we boast in God’s goodness, Paul says, “3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings.” Some scholars believe that Paul is heading off a criticism that is often brought forth. A criticism that says: you boast about the goodness of God, but look at the trials and tribulations you go through. Look at all the evil that is still in the world. Look at the sickness that some of you have. Look at the persecution that others are bringing upon you. Why would you boast in God with all of these things happening? Paul does not shy away from this question, and rather than offer excuses for such matters, Paul says something that many of us frankly have a difficult time doing. Paul says that we boast in our sufferings. I mean, really, think about this. How many of us say, "Hey, I got diagnosed with cancer, woo hoo!"? How many of us brag about having frozen pipes this morning? How many of us jump up and down when we lose a job? No. We don't do this at all. We become despondent. We want sympathy. We want compassion. We never boast. Yet, Paul says, "We boast in our sufferings."
Now, let me be quick to point out that this does not mean that we celebrate the fact that we suffer. As Timothy Keller said, “That would be masochism.” We aren’t sadistic. We don’t rejoice that we suffer. But we can boast in the midst of it. How? How in the world can we boast in our sufferings?
Paul continues: knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Let’s go through these step by step. Paul first says that suffering produces endurance. The word endurance here carries a sense of steadfastness–meaning you don’t waver. You are focused. Suffering strips away all of the unnecessary distractions so that we know where and what to stand on. Suffering helps us to see what we can really count on–what is lasting. And when we find what we can stand upon–what is strong; what endures, then character is formed. The Greek here gives us a sense of “testedness” or “genuineness”. When all is stripped away, and you are left with what is lasting, you are tested–genuine. Your true nature is revealed. And what is a Christian’s true nature? If we know we are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ–what does our heart show? It shows that we are full of hope.
How does this happen? I have dealt with such matters repeatedly with folks who go through suffering. By the time all is said and done, you can tell the difference between folks who put their trust in God and those who have trusted other things. Let me use the scenario of someone who was diagnosed with cancer. The folks who have trusted other things go through having their endurance tested, and their character is revealed. When money did not bring about a cure; when doctors failed to stem the cancer; when family and friends could not make them better; when all of these things were stripped away and there was nothing left, folks who had no trust in God generally became bitter and angry and depressed. They were defeated. However, when the same things happened to those whose trust was in God, they too found that money couldn’t cure; doctors couldn’t stem the tide; that family and friends couldn’t make them better, but instead of becoming bitter and angry and depressed–they trusted that God would care for them. They trusted that even though they might die, that God would bring them unto Himself. They had hope. It radiated from them.
Paul finishes with these words, “5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” A better translation would be “and hope does not shame us.” Hope does not shame us. This is important on two counts. First, as I hinted at in my example above, if you put your hope in anything except God, it will disappoint you. It will bring you shame. Only God will not disappoint you. Only God will not shame you. If your hope is in God you will never be let down. You can be confident. And that is the second point of what Paul leads us to. We can have absolute confidence in what God will accomplish. This is the meaning of hope in Christian terms. Most of us when we talk about hope, we think about wish fulfillment. “I hope I win the lottery.” “I hope it rains.” “I hope gas prices don’t go up.” We can’t be confident of any of these things. Hope is a guessing game, and if what we hope for doesn’t come to pass–we are disappointed. In fact, my mother-in-law is fond of saying, "Spit in one hand, wish in the other, and see which one fills up faster."
Christian hope doesn’t say that. Christian hope says, “I believe that God will provide exactly what I need when I need it.” And that is not a hope that will disappoint. That is not a hope that will bring us shame. That is a hope rooted and grounded in who God has shown Himself to be. It is a hope rooted and grounded in the love that He Himself has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. It is a hope rooted and grounded in the fact that God did not withhold His own Son, but sent Him into the world to die for us. It is a hope rooted in the God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
This is the promise that we hold in our hearts. This is the work of God that we stay focused upon. We know that He loved us enough to die for us. We know that He raised Jesus from the dead giving us a vision of what we will experience when we trust in Him. We know that the future rests in His hands. Our future is taken care of. We know what to expect. And if you know what the future entails, then you can live with confidence. You can face suffering with confidence. For suffering produces endurance–it helps you see what you can count on. When you see what you can truly count on, your character is revealed–everyone can see what is truly in your heart. And if you understand what God has done–hope reigns supreme. And that is something to boast in!! Amen.
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