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Last week the tragedies of Tallmansville, West VA give us countless lessons. One of the lessons from it is to realize our life is very short and death is always at the door. One of the miners wrote before he died, “Tell all I will see them on the other side,” while another person wrote, “It was not bad, I just want to sleep. I love you Jr.” They wrote what really important for them. The last words for them indicated what kind of life they lived and their goals.
Last Sunday we talked about New Year’s resolution. In the New Year’s Resolution God wants us to live Christ-centered life. Then Christians’ goal can be found in the life of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We Christians want to be like Jesus. UMH 402 says, “Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart in my heart, Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart. In my heart, in my heart, Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart.” In order to be like Jesus, we seek to be one with Christ. So we have to understand how Christ lived, for what and where he spent his life.
1. Do will of God John 6:38, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but will of him who sent me.”
a. Salvation (2 Peter 3:9) “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”
b. Everlasting life (John 6:39-40) “This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.”
c. Thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18) “Give thanks in all circumstances this is the will of God in Jesus Christ.”
d. Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3) this is the will of God, your sanctification. That you abstain from fornicating, that each one of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor, not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God, that no one wrong or exploit a brother and sister in this matter because the lord is an avenger in all these things.”
To think holy and to live holy and to be holy are a long process. In order to be holy spiritual sensitivities are necessary. They do not come into quickly for many of us. In other words, sanctification is on going process.
Jesus was sent by God to fulfill the history of salvation. That is why Jesus lived by the will of God and lived with the will of God, and lived on the will of God.
When we confess that Jesus is my Lord, don’t we live by the example of Jesus Christ?
2. Salvation Luke 19:10, “The Son of Man came to seek out and to save sinners.”
a. Came to call (Luke 5:32) “we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life, he was lost and has been found.” Jesus never ever leaves alone sinners, but call you and I to accept him.
b. Received them (Luke 15:1-2) “Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying this follow welcomes sinners and eat with them.”
Would you like to know how much you follow Jesus? Think about your friends and the people with whom you spend time, then you know how much you follow Jesus. If you love to spend time with looking nice and supplicated people, then you may be like Pharisees and the scribes. But you reach out to the “marginalized” people, then you follow Jesus.
We know Jesus spent lots of time with sinners and average people. Then when he comes back with power and glory, he will give rewards to the people, who spend time with them too.
c. Endured hospitality from them (Hebrew 12:3) “Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.”
d. Was Friend (Luke 7:34) “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”
3. Give Life John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
a. Material things
b. Spiritual things
c. Spiritual fruits Gal 5:22
d. Spiritual gifts 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
To be like Jesus means to give what you have. To begin with you give your money to God. Offer your tithe to God. John Wesley said that if your wallet does not repent, you never repent. Then you give your time and energy to God with your spiritual gifts. Finally, you give your life to God. Spurgen when he was a little boy, his mother gave him monthly allowance and Sunday offering. One Sunday he put all in the offering plate. The following Saturday he asked his mother Sunday offering. His mother did not give him offering to teach him how to manage his money. During the offering time, as the offering plate came to him, he put his head into the offering plate. He gave his life to Jesus. To give our life to Jesus is the climax of our spirituality because he gave his life for us. To give our life to Jesus is not an easy task. Before you give your life to Jesus, you may ask yourself, “Do I truly believe in Christ? Do I experience the living Jesus?” Here is a story about accept Jesus.
A wealthy man and his son loved to
collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso
to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very
courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was
notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift." The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later.
There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $1 00, $200?" Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back
of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10
for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10,
who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is
the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want
the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their
collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for
$10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted,
"Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm
sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I
was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the
will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the
painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever
bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the
paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Like the son did in Vietminh war, Jesus saved you and he died for you while you are a sinner. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything. You cannot be one with Christ without take the Son in your heart. In order to be one with Christ you take the Son in your heart. Who will take the Son? Is here anyone who wants to take the Son, then you get everything. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen
Philippians 2:5-11
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death —
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. NIV
38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him
who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none
of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my
Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall
have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."
41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread
that came down from heaven." NIV
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