IN HIM: WE BELONG

                                                                IN HIM: We Belong

 

Tim Keller shares this illustration on Our Riches In Christ: "Imagine you're a billionaire with three ten-dollar bills in your wallet. You get out of a cab and hand the driver one of the bills for an eight-dollar fare. Later in the day, you look in and find out there's only one ten-dollar bill there, and you say, "Either I dropped a ten-dollar bill somewhere, or I gave the taxi driver two bills." What are you going to do? Are you going to get all upset?

Are you going to the police and demanding that they search the city for the cab driver? No, you are going to shrug. You're a billionaire. You lost ten dollars. So what? You are too rich to be concerned about that kind of loss. This week, somebody criticized you. Something you bought or invested in was less valuable than you thought. Something you wanted to happen didn't go how you wanted it to—these are real losses. But what are you going to do if you're a Christian? Will this setback disrupt your contentment with life?

Will you shake your fist at God? Toss and turn at night? If so, I submit that it's because you don't know how truly rich you are. If you're upset about your status with other people and constantly lashing out at people for hurting your feelings, you might call it a lack of self-control or self-esteem, and it is. But more fundamentally, you have totally lost touch with your identity. As a Christian, you're a spiritual billionaire, and you're wringing your hands over ten dollars."[1]

On Easter, we celebrated our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As commissioned by Jesus, the early followers preached the Good News of the Gospel everywhere. The Gospel reached the farthest regions of the World and changed many lives. In our sermon series called IN HIM, we will study the lives of the believers in an ancient city called Colossae and discover the incredible riches that are in store for all believers in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Eugene Peterson of The Message Bible has this to say in his introduction to Colossians.

"Hardly anyone who hears the full story of Jesus and learns the true facts of his life and teaching, crucifixion and resurrection, walks away with a shrug of the shoulders, dismissing him as unimportant. Of course, people who are ignorant or misinformed about the story regularly dismiss him. But with few exceptions, the others know instinctively that they are dealing with a most remarkable greatness.

But it is quite common for those who consider him truly important to include others who seem to be equally important in his company—Buddha, Moses, Socrates, and Muhammad, for a historical start, along with some personal favorites. For these people, Jesus is important but not central; his prestige is considerable, but he is not preeminent. The Christians in the town of Colosse, or at least some of them, seem to have been taking this line. For them, cosmic forces of one sort or another were getting equal billing with Jesus. Paul writes to them to restore Jesus, the Messiah, to the center of their lives." [2]

 

            How do you consider Jesus Christ? Do you see him as an important person in your life, but add other gods, religious leaders, and prominent personalities along with him? If that is your view of Christ, you must read Colossians to move Jesus from a list of importance to the center of your life. Our study of Colossians would help us keep Jesus at the very center of our lives. Before we study Paul's Epistle to Colossians, what do we know about the Church in Colossae?

            Colossae was a city in Phrygia, in the Roman province of Asia (part of Modern Turkey), about 100 miles east of Ephesus in the region of the seven churches of Rev.1-3.

Although Colossae's population was mainly Gentile, there was a large Jewish settlement. This mixed population of Jews and Gentiles manifested itself both in the composition of the Church and in the heresy that plagued it, containing the elements of both Jewish legalism and pagan mysticism.

            The Church in Colossae began during Paul's three-year ministry at Ephesus. Its founder was Epaphras, who apparently was saved during a visit to Ephesus and likely started the Church in Colossae when he returned home. Paul wrote the letters to Ephesians and Colossians during his imprisonment in Rome, between AD 60 and 62. He sent them by the same messenger, Tychicus. Paul begins his letter by reminding the believers of their threefold belonging. Colossians 1:1-8.

I. IN HIM: We Belong To God.

 Belonging is an essential aspect of human survival. From the time we are born, we have an innate need to belong. None of us likes to be isolated or excluded. We will do anything to overcome that sense of not belonging anywhere. Why is belonging important to people? Studies tell us, "There are several individual benefits of belonging as well. The Belonging Barometer found that in addition to workplace benefits, belonging also leads to better physical and mental health, increased life satisfaction, and decreased pain, stress, and loneliness.

It also leads to better social cohesion, including community involvement. This aspect of social cohesion is especially interesting as it links back to the workplace. In the same study reported by Harvard Business Review, researchers found that feeling excluded causes people to give less team effort. The direct impact on the workplace is that if employees feel excluded, they likely aren't giving their all to the organization."[3]

When there are so many benefits to belonging, how can one truly meet the need for belonging? Who could satisfy the inner longing for belonging and being connected? That was the first thing Paul reminded the Colossian believers. Col 1:1-2a, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To God's holy people in Colossae."

Paul regards Colossians not from their past sinful background but from their redemptive restoration background. He calls them God's holy people. It doesn't mean they were sinless, but it suggests they were set apart and belonged to God. Not only the Colossians but every believer in Christ now belongs to God. Do only believers belong to God, or do all human beings also belong to God? How would that impact you and your relationships once you know you belong to God?

II. God desires all humans to live with Him forever in Heaven

            In Genesis' second chapter, we read that God created humans, male and female, in His own likeness. He placed them in a beautiful Garden of Eden to work and care for it. Man and Woman enjoyed their relationship with God. God visited them every evening. But Satan, the deceiver, tempted them to sin against God, breaking up that peaceful relationship.

Since then, humans have become restless, searching to return to God and rejoin Him. Man has tried everything to regain his lost relationship with God, but nothing has helped him in his pursuit. In the end, God, in his love for the people he made at the appointed time, sent His begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into the World to bring his lost sons and daughters back home.

III. Jesus' mission is to reconcile people to God.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus clarified several times why he came to the world. Matthew 20:28, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

After bringing salvation to Zacchaeus, a rejected tax collector by society, Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:9

Jesus reconciled the Jews and Gentiles to God. "His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility." Ephesians 2:15-16. Through Christ's death on the Cross, both the Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father.

The most important relationship to be restored is our relationship with God. If you have not been reconciled with God, you can do so by trusting Christ. What are the implications of belonging to God? Our peace and joy are restored. Our purpose and hope are renewed. We can even experience physical healing. But above all, we will live with God forever in Heaven.

 

 

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[1] Tim Keller, The Two Advocates (Encounters with Jesus Series) (Penguin Group, 2014), Kindle Locations 242-244

[2] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message (Numbered Edition, NavPress, 1993), Page 1625 Colossians

[3] https://thediversitymovement.com/what-is-workplace-belonging-why-is-it-important/#:~:text=The%20Belonging%20Barometer%20found%20that,social%20cohesion%2C%20including%20community%20involvement. 

Victory Over Death (Easter Sermon)

                                                 VICTORY OVER DEATH 

In a recent magazine interview, two aging actresses and longtime friends, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, bantered about death. Tomlin recalled a time when she was four years old, visiting her grandmother in rural Kentucky. A little girl had died, and they laid the body out in the house. "Everyone was oohing and aahing over her," said Tomlin. "Death didn't make sense to me then, and it doesn't make any more sense now."

Jane Fonda had a different reaction. "I feel the opposite," she said. "The past few years, I've made a real point of cozying up to death and making it a friend. That's what I always do with things that frighten me. Death is inevitable, so why not make peace with it? I'm not scared of it at all."[1] How do you view death? Are you afraid of it, or should you make it your friend?

 Listening to different views of death, from a biblical viewpoint, neither actress has the whole story, although Tomlin may be closer to the truth. Death is an enemy. It's not our friend. The Bible calls it our "Final Enemy." But Christ has conquered this enemy. Easter's story shows how Jesus got the Victory Over Death by rising from the grave on the third day. That victory is what we celebrate worldwide on this Resurrection Sunday. John 20:11-23

On Easter Sunday, we are supposed to celebrate new life. One wonders, how come I am talking about death? We won't be able to appreciate life and its fullness without considering death because it is very much a part of life. We look at the biblical perspective of natural death, its impact, and how to overcome it, as the Bible calls it, the second or eternal death.

I. Death of Humans is Universal and Inevitable.

            I was scared to death at age eight, hearing my Mom telling me about her colleague's daughter dying of a snake bite in India. I didn't know what to make of death and dying.

Since then, I have seen many of my family and friends die. As a pastor, I have officiated several funerals and consoled the grieving. Yet, death remains a frightening and mysterious subject. If you wonder why people die, the answer is found in God's commandment to Adam and Eve. He said, "But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will surely die." Gen 2:17. They couldn't keep it and violated it.

That resulted in the physical death of all human beings. Paul picks up that theme in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned." The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Our Lord." Romans 6:23

From Adam, all have sinned, and death reigns over all people. We may delay it at most, but eventually, we all succumb to death. Unlike Hinduism's understanding of reincarnation or the seven cycles of life, Christians believe, "Just as people are destined to die once and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." Rom 8:27-28. Jesus' death brought salvation to our souls. By rising from the grave, Jesus defeated death.

 

II. Jesus defeated death by conquering the grave.

Jesus shared with his disciples three times, predicting his death and Resurrection. In Luke 9:22, he says, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."

No one in human history, except Jesus, accurately predicted the manner of their death and the time of their Resurrection from the dead.

Jesus' disciples had difficulty understanding and believing this. The Pharisees and the chief priests took Jesus' words seriously and went to Pilate with an unusual request. Sir, "we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said,

 After three days, I will rise again.' So, give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. "Take a guard," Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you can. So, they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard." Matt 27:63-66 Approximately sixteen armed guards guarded a sealed tomb.

No one could break away that security ring, break the seal, roll the stone away, and steal the body of Jesus, as the elders suspected that would happen. But none of that could keep Jesus in the tomb for more than three days. As he predicted, Jesus conquered death on the third day, defeating his final enemy. A day will come, and He will annihilate death forever.

Who witnessed Jesus' Resurrection from the dead for the very first time? Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb, weeping, and bent over intently, looking into it. Two angels appeared and asked Mary Why are you crying? Mary responded, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him. At that time, she saw the risen Lord Jesus but couldn't recognize Him due to His glorified body.

Jesus asked her, "Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Mary sure looked determined to get Jesus' body back. Then Jesus must have called her name tenderly, "Mary." She turned and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher). This tells me that Jesus not only knows but also remembers our names.

Mary Magdalene became the first witness to Jesus' Resurrection. She was sent back to the doubting eleven disciples with a message that Jesus was returning to the Father. Mary returned to the disciples with the news, "I have seen the Lord! No one could discount that personal experience of her seeing the risen Lord. What is your experience like this Easter Sunday morning? Have you experienced the Risen Lord changing you and granting you eternal life?

III. Because of Jesus' Resurrection, we, too, can have victory over death

            What does Jesus' Resurrection mean for us today? How does it impact our lives? The Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ are two core doctrines of our Christian faith. From Jesus' time to today, many have tried and are still trying to discredit these truths.

For those who doubt Jesus' Resurrection, the Apostle Paul has something to say, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the Resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." I Corinthians 15:17-22

As Prophet Isaiah predicted, when Jesus rose from the grave, "Death has been swallowed up in victory." Isaiah 25:8. Hosea prophesied, saying, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where,  O death, is your sting? Hosea 13:14. Because of Jesus' Resurrection, we, too, can have victory over death. It doesn't mean we will not die. The natural death due to sin is something no one can escape, but we can have victory over the second death, as recorded in the book of Revelation.

Listen to the words of the one who conquered death and ascended to heaven. "To the thirsty, I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Rev 21:5-8

On this Resurrection Sunday, the message is clear: Jesus says, "I am the Resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die, and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this? You have to decide whether to believe in Jesus or not today. If you do, you, too, will have Victory Over the Second Death.

 

 

 

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[1] https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2017/january/8012317.html

A Man Of Sorrows (Good Friday Message)

                                                             A MAN OF SORROWS

If you live long enough, you will suffer; all you have to do is live long enough. You may get through much of life relatively scot-free, but eventually, the machinery wears out; you start losing your teeth, your hair will turn gray, and you may lose it, memory declines, etc. If you live long enough, you'll experience bereavement. You may lose your siblings, spouse, children, and friends. However long we may live, we will experience some form of sorrow and pain.

The General Social Survey asks people to rate their level of happiness. Between 1990 and 2018, the share of Americans who placed themselves in the lowest happiness category increased by more than 50 percent, before the pandemic. Gallup surveys roughly 150,000 people in over 140 countries yearly about their emotional lives. Experiences of negative emotions related to stress, sadness, anger, worry, and physical pain hit a record high in 2021.[1]

The CDC's bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2023) showed that most teen girls (57%) now say that they experience persistent sadness or hopelessness (up from 36% in 2011), and 30% of teen girls now say that they have seriously considered suicide (up from 19% in 2011). The boys are doing badly, too. What are the causes behind this concerning trend? It's complex, but in a thorough overview of hundreds of studies, researcher Jon Haidt summarizes the data: There is one giant, obvious, international, and gendered cause: Social media.[2]

That is the assessment of the World regarding sorrow and unhappiness. What does the Bible have to say about human suffering? When we hear about these rising teen suicide deaths, what hope do we have? Who could turn our sadness into joy and permanently wipe away all our tears? The answers are found in A Man Of Sorrows, in the prophecy in Isaiah 53:1-12.

The sixth-century B.C prophecy in Isaiah 53 helps us understand some gory events during the Crucifixion. It also gives us the proper perspective on human suffering. Anyone who reads and understands the prophecy knows it is about Jesus, the Messiah. Many Jewish people don't read it, let alone understand it. "Long ago, the rabbis used to read Isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused arguments and great confusion, the rabbis decided that the simplest thing would be to just take that prophecy out of the Haftarah readings in synagogues."[3]

Another tragic reason why Jews didn't understand it is that the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the future messiah would not come as a military commander. Instead, he would come as a suffering servant. Let's see how this suffering servant will accomplish his mission.

I. Why did Jesus have to suffer and die on the Cross?

Before examining Christ's suffering on the Cross, let's first understand why Jesus had to suffer and die on it. As we look back into the Garden of Eden through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the World, and along with that also came suffering, pain, fear, and physical death. God planned to redeem and restore humanity, offering them eternal life through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His sacrificial death.

Romans 5:6-8, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." According to the Law, the high priest offers yearly animal sacrifices for his and the people's sins.

In contrast, Christ became the perfect, sinless sacrificial lamb by offering Himself on the Cross once and for all people. The blood he shed on the Cross two thousand years ago is still powerful enough to cleanse us from all our sins.

II. A Man Of Sorrows, Acquainted With Grief.

            If we read the whole chapter, we will see that it talks about the birth, work, death, resurrection, and future coming of Jesus Christ. It has the salvation message in it. Whoever believes it will be saved. For that reason, the devil would not want people to understand it.

Vs. 3, "He was despised and rejected a man of sorrows, (pains NASB) acquainted with grief (sickness)." In NIV, it reads "familiar" with pain. The Hebrew word used here is yada, which has a much deeper meaning than mere familiarity. In this context, the Man of Sorrows, Jesus, had a firsthand and intimate experience with pain and grief. He was not just taking note of our pain and suffering. God, in Christ, actually experienced our pain.

            The Good News is that whatever pain and grief we go through in this life, Christ has tasted it before while on earth. He understands our pain and comes to our aid to ease it and alleviate our suffering through the power of His Holy Spirit. On several occasions when Jesus experienced human pain, suffering, and grief, he moved into action and relieved the afflicted out of compassion.

            On three occasions, he moved with compassion and fed the hungry crowds (Mark 6:34; Mark 8:2; Matthew 15:32). Out of compassion, he reached out to a leper and healed him. (Mk 1:41). When he saw a grieving widow in a village called Nain, his heart overflowed with compassion, and he told the woman, "Don't cry, then raised the dead young Man to life. Lk 7:14.

            Before being crucified, he went to the home of his dear friends, Martha and Mary. Seeing their grief of losing their brother Lazarus, his dear friend Jesus wept. Then, he performed one of the greatest miracles by raising Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four days. John 11

            Jesus knew what it was to endure emotional and mental abuse. His own people rejected him. He was called derogatory names such as drunkard, glutton, deceiver, and demon-possessed. His own family did not believe in him and thought he was crazy. The leaders hated his courage.

            The crowds he healed, delivered from demons, and fed turned against him and tried to stone him to death. One of his friends betrayed him and handed him over to the authorities to be crucified. One of his closest friends denied him three times, and all his disciples abandoned him when he needed them the most. Only a few faithful women stood by him until the end.

            Add to this emotional and mental agony, Isaiah graphically describes the physical torture this Man of Sorrow endured in Isaiah 53. Here is a list of his painful suffering: He was despised, rejected, pierced, weighed down with grief, crushed, whipped, beaten, oppressed, treated harshly, struck down, buried like a criminal, etc. The Gospel writers recorded the following torture:

Jesus was stripped, a crown of thorns was placed on his head, and the guards mocked him, pulled his beard, spat upon him, and repeatedly hit him on the head with a stick. His hands and feet were nailed to the Cross. A spear was thrust into his side to determine whether he was dead or still alive. This Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, understands our suffering and comes to our aid to alleviate our pain. What should be our response then to pain and suffering?

III. How should we approach human suffering?

            We need a fresh understanding of the theology of suffering. Some Christians have a false sense of suffering. They think if you follow Christ, you should never get sick, suffer, or experience any pain. God wants you to be healed and be prosperous. We have several examples in the Bible where the righteous people suffered. We have examples of God-fearing people among us who are going through physical, emotional, and mental agony, yet they still love God.

God bless these suffering saints. In our suffering, remember that we have a high priest who understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There, we will find grace to help us when we need it most." Heb 4:15-16. May this Man of Sorrows be your source of comfort.

 

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[1] https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2023/may/surveys-show-stress-sadness-worry-on-rise.html

[2] https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2023/september/social-media-is-linked-to-rise-in-teen-sadness.html 

[3] https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/inescapable-truth-isaiah-53/