Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2004 : September 19, 2004
Why We Do What We Do
1 John 2:2, Matthew 22:37-39, Romans 10:14-15
Pentecost 16
Celebrating Living Word's 1st Anniversary
It seems strange that it's been a year already of holding public services. But time flies when you're having fun. Time also flies in another circumstance. Let me ask you: What would you rather do -- go into work where you just sit around all day with nothing to do but watch the clock, or go into work where you're busy the whole time and you don't have time to watch the clock? I'd pick the latter, as I'm sure you would also. The reason -- otherwise the day takes forever. That's a good way to describe what we've been doing at Living Word. A whole year is past already because we've been busy. The Lord has had work for us to do, and there's still much work to be done.
That's where our Vision comes in. We have spent the last half year as a congregation developing a statement to tell others the reason why we exist and where we are going. The sermon text today is taken from the preamble to that Vision, the three passages that were chosen as a summary statement that explains Why We Do What We Do.
How many of you have experienced true love? (Married people, you better raise your hands for this one or you'll be experiencing a very long next year!) For those of you who have, you know how you feel -- you're lighter than air, your heart is too small to keep the joy you have inside so you feel you are about to burst with happiness. Life is great. Even if life throws you some tough times, you can stroll right over them, taking them in stride like walking over little pebbles strewn in your path -- because you're in love. You just want to be with that person all the time. You can't wait to see that person, talk and listen to him or her. There's only one thing that can break that feeling into pieces -- when they don't love you back, or especially when they outright reject you. Then suddenly everything in life seems to be without joy, miserable, meaningless.
God always wanted to be our true love, the love of our life. But the devil had other plans. He tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and ever since then we have been separated from our God. But it wasn't because he rejected us -- it was because we rejected him. Our second Scripture passage from Matthew describes what God demands of us in order for us to be his true love -- perfection. " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Even as Christians, we might be able to love God and our neighbor from time to time, and show that in how we live. But we can't do it continually. It shows that we have drifted away from God. We rejected him, our true love. That's why those verses often make us uncomfortable, because we can't love God with all our heart, all of our soul and all of our mind. We now drift off and love other things more than God, other people more than God. It shows in how we treat others. And that should make us very afraid because God tells us that we have sinned if we don't love him completely, and that the wages of sin is death.
Can you think of a time when you were very afraid? I just remember a few days ago when I was outside at night. It was very foggy, so I had a flashlight with me. Everything was quiet, a little too quiet, if you know what I mean. The outside light was on trying to cut through the fog as I walked in the backyard. When I was about to go back inside, I noticed something moving -- it looked like the shape of a person in the darkness in the tall grass of the field behind the house. When I stopped, it stopped. He must have seen me watching him. So I didn't move a muscle, straining my eyes to see the shadowy figure. After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, holding my breath, I decided to move again, and the shadowy figure moved too! I can tell you that I was a little frightened. Until I realized that I was looking at my own shadow. I felt a little silly; in fact, I looked around to make sure no one was watching. Then I went back inside, and of course said nothing to my wife.
In that instance I realized that I was afraid of nothing. But we all should be more afraid of some that is very much real -- our sins. They go with us everywhere we go, just like a shadow. No matter how much we try to please God, our sins are right there with us to show that we have broken God's law; we have rejected our true love even though he has only shown love to us. And as a result we deserve only his punishment forever. We should have a good healthy fear of our sins.
But when we do, we can also look at the first passage: "Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2:2) Jesus took God's wrath that stood against us and paid for it entirely. Jesus took all God's anger against our lack of loving him, and suffered and died for it on the cross of Calvary. He was the sacrifice that was needed to make us right with God. Jesus' death has given us new life. Jesus death has repaired the broken relationship we had with God. Now God is our true love once again because when God looks at us all he sees is the perfect love Jesus had for him and everyone else when he lived on this earth -- and that perfect love has been transferred to our account through faith in Jesus. But notice that Jesus didn't just repair our fallen relationship with God -- "Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." Jesus repaired everyone's relationship with God. Every sin has been paid for. Every sin covered. Heaven is open to all.
But many have not heard that message completely or at all. So we have our final passage: "...And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!' " (Romans 10:14-15) Usually we don't think feet are all that beautiful. But the feet in these verses are exceedingly beautiful. They describe the feet of a messenger who is running back from a huge battle with news of victory. From far off, you can already tell what kind of message the messenger brings by how he runs. You can see he doesn't run stumbling or out of breath. He runs in strength and confidence, assured that the one fighting for us has won the victory. The One fighting for us is Jesus. His victory is complete. He has conquered sin, death and hell. Heaven is our inheritance through faith. And even right now we know that we live in a loving relationship with God because Jesus has become our Savior.
We know the message -- it has been told to us. Others need to know it as well. I recently heard about a businessman in Ohio who would always put something in his pocket every day to give away to someone. One day it might be something as simple as a pen or trinket; another day it might be a $10 bill. He just always wanted to brighten somebody's day for someone who would really appreciate what he could give to them. In the process, he would have a great day himself.
As believers we carry something with us everyday that everyone needs -- the message of Jesus Christ crucified and risen assuring us that our sins have been paid for, forgiven in full. What joy it brings to those we share the message with! What purpose it gives to our very existence -- sharing the message of Jesus to the world!
That is why we do what we do at Living Word -- because Jesus died for our sins and sins of the whole world, we strive to love God above all things and love our neighbor as ourselves. Our love for God and others shows itself as we share the message of forgiveness in Jesus with everyone. May our loving God continue to bless us so that we can do that very thing as we continue into our second year of existence at Living Word. Amen.
