"It's All About God"
Text: Colossians 1:13-20
God the Father grant that you
may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, that you may live a life worthy of the Lord: bearing fruit in
every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, and being strengthened with
all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance
and patience. Amen.
Dear Fellow Recipient of God's
unlimited kindness:
Whenever someone in our
secular society offers to help another human being to "gain
direction" in his or her life, what are they almost always talking about?
What are they offering? In other words, if a direction arrow is being drawn, to
whom or to what does that arrow almost always point?
The answer is that such a
"direction arrow" points almost always to "self." It is the
direction of the entire world in which we live, and he hear it advocated in our
music ("you can't please everyone so
you've got to please yourself") by our advertisers, self-help gurus,
screen writers, authors, and poets. All point the big arrow of importance
inward, to self, and justify such selfishness with hollow mantas like "you can't take care of others unless
you take care of yourself first." Obviously, at least on some levels,
there is a germ of truth in that much abused statement; but a careful
examination reveals much more lie than truth.
It is downright silly to try
to argue that we are not a self-centered, narcissistic people and that we are
actually charging madly in the wrong direction. And things are only getting
worse. Our national mantra is: "It's
all about me." Maybe no one advertises as much on their t-shirts, but it
is nonetheless true beyond a shadow of any reasonable doubt. Clearly.
The problem here goes well
beyond bad form or manners. The problem with any "me-first" society
is that it stands in sharp contrast to God's Word and will. That tension
between the direction advocated by man and the direction advocated by God is
one of the key components of our text for this morning, and it is that facet of
our text on which we focus. That text is found recorded in Paul's Epistle to
the Colossians, the First Chapter:
NKJ Colossians 1:13-20 He has delivered us from the
power of darkness and conveyed us into
the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him
all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things
were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all
things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the
body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the
Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by
Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or
things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
These are the verbally inspired words of the Creator of
heaven and earth. What thanksgiving ought to fill our hearts each time we hear
or read what the one true God has preserved and delivered to each one of us,
for by these precious truths we are saved. That our God would so bless each of
us today through the study of these words, so we pray: Sanctify us through your truth, O Lord. Your word is
truth. Amen.
This morning our task is
relatively simple. All that we have to do is to draw two great big arrows in
our minds direction arrows that will guide and direct us in our thoughts and
attitudes. The first relates to our introduction and has to do with our basic
sense of what our lives here on this earth are all about.
That sounds relatively easy,
and, in a sense, it is. Fill in the blank on this one simple statement and draw
your first arrow accordingly: "My
life, as a Christian, is all about _______."
If you are still confused, our
text will help. Listen again to some of the key statements that are found there
that help to enlighten and direct us: "For by Him all things were created that are
in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and
for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things
consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
all things He may have the preeminence."
Not much doubt after rereading these inspired
words, is there? "My
life, as a Christian, is all about my Savior God." The
big arrow points away from me and to my God. Before we discuss the ramification
of this information, it should be noted that this is far from an isolated
passage. This particular truth is established and reestablished throughout the
pages of Holy Writ. 1 Corinthians
10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God." Again in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You
are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body." Over and over, without a single contradictory word or passage,
the Bible draws the line from man to man's God. You and I are not the center of
the universe. God is.
What exactly does this
information do for us? How should it affect how we think, act, speak, and plan?
The ramifications are absolutely all-encompassing. No facet or aspect of our
lives is left out. Every single thing that we think, say, do,
or plan is all supposed to be directed toward the glory, praise, and service of
our God.
I'm not sure that
self-centered human beings can actually assimilate or take in and comprehend
such far-reaching truth in one sitting. As the old car
commercial used to say: This changes
everything. Some examples will undoubtedly prove helpful. This
means, for example, that career choices have little to do with me, and everything
to do with my God. It puts the eraser to all of the old questions and indelibly
writes in new ones. No longer is it "What
makes me happy?" or "What
will result in financial success or prestige for me? Recognizing that the
arrow is supposed to point to my God, the question now becomes, "How can I best serve and glorify my
God with the gifts and talents that he has given me?" In short, our
whole thought process is suddenly and dramatically altered turned on its ear,
as they say.
Nor does this just mean that
every Christian must enter the public teaching or preaching ministry. The Bible
tells us that It was God himself "who gave some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors
and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up." (Ephesians
4:11-12) Note that God
gave "some"
to fill these positions, not all. God also gave some to be work-at-home moms,
engineers, truck drivers, nurses, doctors, store clerks, soldiers, sailors,
pilots, IT experts, farmers, printers, painters, artists, carpenters, plumbers,
scientists, craftsmen, and all other manner of workers. The fact remains that
every single one of these occupations is supposed to point to God, and to give
all glory to him, no matter how you spend your workday.
It also means that that arrow
is not supposed to be reversed at retirement. The Bible lists no statute of
limitations on how much of our time of grace is supposed to be dedicated to his
glory and his service. In fact just the opposite is true. Extra free-time is
supposed to be regarded as extra time to serve the God who has created and
sustained you for a lifetime.
It
become immediately apparent that God's view of things stands in stark
contradiction to man's self-centered ideas. Our
young people today tend to struggle with career choices for the most part
because they have been counseled not to seek the glory of God and his service
in whatever they do, but to investigate the deep recesses of their own yearnings
and desires and to pursue whatever makes them truly happy. If that is the
criteria, what are our young people going to come up with? If
playing video games gives you joy, then try to find a job where you can play
video games all day long. If you like to hunt or fish, maybe you can
find some sponsors and do that for a living. Are you seeing the problem here?
Point the arrow back to yourself and God is generally left out of the picture.
The great challenge, of
course, is not so much identifying what you might be good at; it is figuring
out how to glorify God in all that you do. The fact is when you focus on your
God and his glory and service, he always makes the
other things in life fall into place. Always.
But this brings us to yet
another challenge, another rather unique twist in our struggle to live our
lives directed toward the glory of our God. This particular challenge comes
from a most unique quarter because we still have to draw our second arrow. We
still have one of our two questions left to answer, and in answering you will
immediately see the problem. The second arrow you have to draw this morning is
accomplished by filling in the blank on this statement: When it comes to Jesus Christ and his work of salvation, it is all
about __________.
The answer, of course, is "me." When it comes to Jesus Christ and his work of salvation, it is all
about me.
Again, you see the problem
immediately, don't you? Here the arrow points from Christ to me. Christmas,
Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter are really not all about Christ, are
they? They are all about you and me. Jesus didn't come to earth to save
himself; he came to save me. He didn't suffer and die to pay for his own sins;
he suffered and died to pay for my
sins. Jesus didn't leave heaven because he lacked something; he left because we lacked something. The arrow points right to you, and it is underscored each time you
commune and hear those comforting, personal words: "Given and shed for you
for the remission of sins."
In this we recognize again the
mystery of the gospel itself. Philippians
2:5-8: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being
found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--
even death on a cross!" The very one who according to our text, created all things that are
in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers," the very one who "is
before all things, and in Him all things consist" that is the
one who decided to draw the arrow to you and me and to say, "My life is all about you and your
salvation." The amazing result, again in the words of our text, is
that "He
has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His
love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins."
Because God determined that his Son "in
whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" would be all
about us, now our entire time of grace here on earth is to be all about him.
Far from burdensome or oppressive, this is our great joy and privilege. Turn
then, dear Christian, away from the world's selfish, self-serving ambitions and
desires and be true men and women of God which is nothing more than our
reasonable service. Jesus was all about our business; let us be all about his. Amen.
Scripture
Readings and Sunday Bulletin for November 25, 2007
NKJ Jeremiah 23:2-6 Therefore thus says the
LORD God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My
people: "You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended
to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings," says
the LORD. 3 "But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and
bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. 4
"I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear
no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the LORD.
5 " Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD,
"That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign
and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in
the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell
safely; Now this is His name by which He will
be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
NKJ Luke 23:35-43 And
the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying,
"He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of
God." 36 The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him
sour wine, 37 and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews,
save Yourself." 38 And an inscription also was written over Him
in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 39
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." 40
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God,
seeing you are under the same condemnation? 41 "And we indeed
justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done
nothing wrong." 42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember
me when You come into Your kingdom." 43
And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
NKJ Colossians 1:13-20 He has delivered us from
the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His
love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created
that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him
all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the
Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him
to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things
in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
ST. PAUL
Bismarck, ND
58501 (701) 223-4885 Cell: (701)
226-8510
Mr. Mark
Johnson, President (222-1855)
Mrs. Eileen McEnroe, Organist
Michael
Roehl, Pastor mjroehl@bis.midco.net
Last Sunday of the Church Year November 25, 2007
|
The
Opening Prayer by the Pastor
The Opening Hymn ‑#340- (Verses 1-4 & 8) (Red Hymnal)
"Awake My Soul to Joyful Lays"
The
Service of Word and Sacrament
Brown Hymnal page 12.
The Scripture Lessons: (Printed on the back page of
this bulletin)
The Old Testament Lesson: (Jeremiah
23:2-6) Our first Scripture reading contains some
well-known prophecies concerning the Promised Messiah. It is altogether
fitting, on this Last Sunday of the Church Year, to realign our hearts in much
the same way that the Children of Israel had to align their hearts. Many are
the distractions that vie for our attention. As the old year now comes to a
close, we are to remain committed to those things that are truly lasting.
The Psalm of the Day Psalm 100 (Supplement page 35)
The New Testament Lesson:
(Luke 23:35-43) This is the account of the penitent thief on the cross
perhaps the clearest and most comforting source of proof that it is never too
late for a sinner to be turned from his wicked ways and live. We note here
especially how clearly the idea of work righteousness is excluded, since the
malefactor certainly had no way of earning forgiveness for an entire lifetime
of sin. Surely we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus.
The
Confession of Faith ‑
The
Nicene Creed (Brown Hymnal page 5)
The
Pre‑Sermon Hymn ‑#433- (Red Hymnal)
"Jesus
My Truth My Way"
The
Sermon Text: Colossians 1:13-20 (Printed on the back page of this bulletin)
"Man to God: 'It's All About You'"
"Create
In Me" (The Offertory)
Brown Hymnal page 16 (insert)
The Offering, followed by the Prayers
The
Post Sermon Hymn -#324 (Verses 1-2, 5-6) (Red Hymnal)
"Jesus Sinners Doth Receive"
The
Preparation for Holy Communion (Brown Hymnal page 17)
The
Distribution -Hymn #305- (Red Hymnal)
The
Nunc Dimittis and Thanksgiving (Brown Hymnal page 20)
The Benediction
The
Closing Hymn ‑#52- (Red Hymnal)
"Almighty
Father Bless the Word"
Silent
Prayer
Attendance ‑
Last Sunday (56) 2007 Average (56) Wednesday (43)
This
Week at
Today -10:00 a.m. Worship Service
w/Communion
-11:15 a.m. Fellowship Hour
Monday -10:00
a.m. Pastoral Study Conference in Jamestown
Wednesday -6:00
p.m. Confirmation and Bible History
-7:00 p.m.
Midweek Bible Study
Next Sunday -8:45 a.m. Sunday School and Bible Class
-10:00
a.m. Worship
Service
-11:00
a.m. Fellowship
Hour
Pastoral
Study Conference Pastor Roehl is
scheduled to attend meetings with other area CLC pastors in Jamestown tomorrow,
returning tomorrow evening.
Church Council Notes The Church Council met on November
20th. Four Council members, plus the Pastor, were present. The
Treasurer's Report showed an end-of-the-month checkbook balance of $2,089.
Strong offerings through the end of the year should leave us in good shape to
begin 2008. The additional mailboxes, constructed and finished by Aaron Rash
and Myron Schiermeister, have now been installed. Five new folding tables have
been donated/purchased for church use and repairs to
the church computer have now been completed. $300 has been added to the
proposed 2008 budget to be used for outreach expenses, and Council Members were
given Tacoma Outreach "menus" that list a variety of outreach ideas
currently under consideration. The Council reviewed the suggestion from the
recent Voters' Meeting to consider signing a portion of our CEF notes over to
the Synod. The Council has adopted a wait and see attitude to gauge both synod
and congregational financial positions closer to the end of the fiscal year. Several
library books and old Sunday School materials will be
donated to the CLC missions in East Africa. The next Council meeting is
scheduled for December 11, and the Annual Voters' Meeting is scheduled for December
16.