Lent Talks 2017 How does God want us to live?

Transcription

1 Lent Talks 2017 How does God want us to live? Summary of series focusing on the person and the work of Jesus Christ Who is Jesus? Saved by (part 1)... How does Jesus save? Saved how and saved from... How does God want us to live? Saved why (part 1)... The Trinity Saved by (part 2)... What happens in the end? Saved why (part 2)... How does God want us to live? Is there a particular way that God wants me to live? Yes! I think there is. 1) General guidelines for all people 2) Specific guidelines for Christians When we come to look at specific guidelines for Christians I'm going to make particular reference to being in community or in relationship (which is why it's good to look at the Trinity next week as we see relationship played out in the divine context. We could even have looked at Trinity this week and followed that up by looking at how we are called in live as a reflection of that... but then the Trinity would have fallen to me and not Jordan and that wouldn't have done at all!! General guidelines for all people If we talk about Jesus and the Scriptures as primary revelations of God then it becomes quickly apparent through what Jesus said and did, and through the Scriptures as a whole, that God gives general guidance as to how we are called to live. Examples might be...? 10 commandments Beatitudes Luke 10 v 27 (asked by an expert in the law about how to inherit eternal life) "He answered, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind ; and, Love your neighbour as yourself.

2 Deuteronomy 30 v 15, 19 & 20 (part of the covenant with Moses) See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity... ; So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him" Micah 6 v 8 "what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Matthew 7 v 1 Judge not, that you be not judged. All of these things could be said to be general guidelines for all people. But the majority of us here would consider ourselves to be Christian and so, bearing in mind what has already been said in weeks 1 and 2 I'm going to spend the rest of the time thinking about how God might want us to live as Christians, as followers, and then specifically look at that in the context of what that means in terms of living in community with God and with each other. Specific guidelines for Christians As we've already said in weeks 1 and 2 Trystan and Jordan focused on the person of Jesus and what it means to be saved. The theological term for that is 'Justification', or God's act of removing the guilt and penalty of 'sin' while at the same time declaring a 'sinner' righteous through Christ's atoning sacrifice. So if Jesus is the gate that we go through to re-establish that relationship with God - lost as Jordan reminded us last week in the Fall of Creation in Genesis - then 'Sanctification' is about how we are called to live with that relationship now back intact. In Christianity, the term can be used to refer to objects which are set apart for special purposes (we think of sacred things for example' but the most common use within Christian theology is in reference to the change brought about by God in a believer, begun at the point of salvation or justification and continuing throughout the life of the believer. Many believe that this process will only be completed in Heaven when believers are also 'Glorified' (more on that in week 5!). In other words we're never going to be perfect in this life but it's good to try and get

3 some practice in ;-). To sanctify is to literally "set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred." Etymologically, or tracing it back, the verb "to sanctify" derives from the Latin verb sanctificare which in turn derives from sanctus "holy" and facere "to make". ** Technical bit for the scholars! So sanctification means to become holy. In the NT the same Greek root HAG ἅγιος underlies 'holy' and 'holiness' as well as 'sanctification'. E.g.: HAGios Adjective - sacred, set apart (e.g. Saint) HAGiasmos Noun - holiness HAGiazo Verb - to sanctify, to consecrate Just to be geeky about it all there's one complicating factor! Theologically we think of sanctification as a process, but in parts of the NT its referred to as an event. E.g.. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul tells the Corinthians 'you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified'. Not it might seem odd that Paul places sanctification before justification, but that is only because he is viewing both (along with washing) as single events that took place upon conversion. Believers are once-andfor-all 'holified' at conversion. They are decisively set apart. The Holy Spirit has now set up residence within them. I guess we think of the ongoing process of becoming holy as how the Holy Spirit changes us once He's taken up residence. For this reason theologians distinguish between (1) Definitive sanctification (2) Progressive sanctification

4 but for today I'm going to just refer to sanctification as the process whereby we as Christians understand how God wants us to live and strive to be changed by him. So... ready to continue? HOLINESS For many people when we talk about "holiness" it conjures up musty images of and stern prohibitions against drinking, dancing, and playing cards. Holiness is often associated with ethics and moral behaviour. But as children of God we can't get away from this call to holiness (and I say COG deliberately here as opposed to saying Christian because you find it both in the OT and the NT)... to be holy. You can find it in the OT and the NT alike. Leviticus 11 v 44 "Be holy because I am holy" 1 Peter 1 v 15 & 16 "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written 'be holy, because I am holy.' But to be holy doesn't mean first and foremost to live by a certain moral code. It doesn't strictly mean 'be pure' in that way. Instead, the most basic meaning of the word is to be "set apart" or "dedicated" to God - to belong to God. "I will be your God, and you will be my people," says God (Leviticus 26 v 12 & Heb. 8 v 10). Thus, prior to any consideration of morality, biblical holiness describes a unique relationship that God has established and desires with his people. This relationship has moral ramifications, but it precedes moral behaviour. Before we are ever called to be good, we are called to be holy. Now... where does Jesus fit into this I hear you ask?

5 Well if we re-assert what Trystan said in week 1 that Jesus is a unique and primary revelation of God (literally God made flesh) it is through Jesus that this relationship resonates. Those who have responded in faith to the revelation of God in Jesus Christ have been united with Christ. To be a Christian means far more than merely to believe in God as if the Christian faith were reducible to a system of beliefs. Rather, it means to be united with Jesus in and through the Holy Spirit. "I have been crucified with Christ," says Paul, "and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2 v 20). Elsewhere, Paul tells us that our lives are "hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3 v 3) and that we have been "seated with [God] in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2 v 6). Passages like these convey the mysterious, yet utterly real fact that, by virtue of our union with Jesus, we participate in the life of God. He dwells in us, and we dwell in him. And his plea with us is that we become like him. It's in response to Christ's mercy and grace that Paul appeals to Christ's followers in Romans 12 he says: "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" But what does holiness look like? What does it mean 'to be holy.. or to be sanctified'. What does that look like in our everyday lives? Well again there is no shortage of specific guidelines when it comes to this either from Jesus or from elsewhere in the NT teachers. THE GOSPELS Littered with Jesus being very specific about how we are to live and what he expects of us. He talked a lot about the Kingdom of God and the cost of following him. To follow Jesus meant there were sacrifices to make in the way people lived and how they related to God and to one another.

6 He said very uncomfortable things like 'The last shall be first and the first shall be last' and he talked a lot about love and specifically about loving the unlovely, and the marginalised. And people as a rule didn't like loving the marginalised. They were on the margins for a reason.. out of the way where they didn't interfere with people's lives. They lurked in the shadows where people felt they belonged. But Jesus told his followers they were to live in the light... in fact to be lights in the darkness for others. That's a very inconvenient religion to follow! "I'm the light of the world" Jesus said in John 8... if you want to follow me then you need to live like me. Let's look at literally just a couple of examples: Repent "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Matthew 4 v 17). Don't Lust "You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell." (Matthew 5 v 27-30). Love and pray for your enemies "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?" (Matthew 5 v 44-46) Seek God's Kingdom first

7 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6 v 33). Don't Judge "Do not judge so that you will not be judged." (Matthew 7 v 1). Treat people as you want to be treated In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7 v 12). Confront brothers in private first "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother." (Matthew 18 v 15 17). Forgive Seven times Seventy "Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" (Matthew 18 v 21 22). Make Disciples "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28 v 19-20). Preach the Gospel "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation." (Mark 16 v 15). Don't' be greedy "Then He said to them, Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions. (Luke 12 v 15). Be generous to the poor "And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return

8 and that will be your repayment. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." (Luke 14 v 12-14). Love God "And He said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22 v 37-38).... And love one another "This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15 v 17). THE NEW TESTAMENT So no lack of specific teaching on how God wants us to live from Jesus... and the same can be true of the NT writers also. For me I just tend to look at Galatians 5 where St Paul is saying that if the Spirit dwells in you (and think back to what we said about justification and sanctification earlier) then we ought to see the fruits of that. In other words if you're saying you're a Christian and the Spirit of God lives in you lets be seeing the evidence. proof of the pudding and all that. And Paul said the fruits of the Spirit look like this: "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" So in a nutshell if we're asking ourselves the question of how God wants us to live our lives... you could argue that if we aim to be people who are loving; joyful; peaceful; kind; good; faithful; gentle and self controlled we won't go far wrong. The argument being that if we can get that right the rest of the stuff will pretty much take care of itself:

9 THE CALL TO LIVE IN COMMUNITY One particular aspect to living as God wishes us to live as Christians surrounds this idea of living in community. Now I'm not going to second guess what Jordan will have to say on the Trinity but I imagine it'll touch on the fact that God is relational and that the Trinity represents a model for that to a greater or lesser extent. And this idea of living in community has been hugely influential throughout the history of the Christian church, and is still being used as a model for church communities today. The Apostle Paul, author of so much of the NT as we know it, was a great advocate of Christian community. Throughout Paul s writings in 1 Corinthians and Galatians, Paul s vision of community is essentially founded upon the central themes of love and unity, which in turn facilitate other aspects of community such a compassion, christocentrism, and perseverance in the face of adversity and struggle. But Paul seems to divide community into 3 distinct strands: 1. Community between the believer and Jesus Christ 2. Community between fellow believers 3. Community between believers and the wider world. 1. Community between the believer and Jesus Christ I'm not going to go back over this but again we need to be mindful of what Trystan and Jordan have already said in terms of who Jesus is and how and why Jesus saves. But Paul, certainly in writing to the churches in Galatia and Corinth, says that once someone has committed to follow Christ (i.e. is saved and brought into relationship with God) the individual s dedication and loyalty to Christ should be total and unwavering. In 1 Cor 10 for example who says that Christians should be in κοινωνία (Koinonia) communion with Christ, and with Christ alone. There's no room for compromise. 2. Community between fellow believers

10 But as well as emphasising primary allegiance to Christ, and the call to live in community with him, Paul also stresses the importance of living in harmony and community with one another. In this context the word that gets banded around is 'Fellowship' but I'm not sure what comes to mind when we say 'Fellowship' really gets to the communion we're called to share with one another. 'Fellowship' to me sums up images of Christians eating quiche and wearing chunky jumpers. But Koinonia is a key aspect of how we're called to live and it appears 20 times in the NT. There's no single English word really that adequately translates it I don't think. Fellowship is probably as good as any.. but Koinonia is a complex, rich, and thoroughly fascinating Greek approach to building community or teamwork. Koinonia embraced a strong commitment inner virtue and an outer commitment to forge social relationships. The meaning of koinonia holds the idea of joint participation in something with someone, such as in a community, or team or an alliance or joint venture. It's not a passive word but implies an intentionality for action. The first occurrence of koinonia in the NT is in Acts 2 v 42, They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship / koinonia, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Christian community is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia. Philippians 2:1-2 declares, If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ. First John 1:6-7 says, If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. A powerful example of what koinonia should look like can be found in a

11 study of the phrase one another in the Bible which pretty much commands Christians to be devoted to one another (Romans 12 v 10), honour one another (Romans 12 v :10), live in harmony with one another (Romans 12 v 16), accept one another (Romans 15 v 7), serve one another in love (Galatians 5 v13), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4 v 32), admonish one another (Colossians 3 v 16), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5 v 11) spur one another on toward good deeds (Hebrews 10 v 24), offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4 v 9), love one another (1 Peter 1 v 22 & 1 John 3 v 11) So there would seem to be a clear tie up here between our fellowship with God - if I could dip back into that word for a moment and our relationship with one another. They do not exist mutually exclusively. For example take Matthew 5 v Here it says that when coming to worship God we are first to reconcile ourselves with our brothers and sister. If brother something against you, make it right first For those of us familiar with the structure of the Eucharist we begin with confession putting ourselves right with God but before receiving communion through the exchanging of the peace we are called to put ourselves right with one another. Exchanging the peace is not simply a nice, token Anglican thing to do. It s in the liturgy for a reason. You cannot truly be right with God and wrong with your brother at the same time. It s pulling you in opposite directions. I mentioned the theologian David Hall earlier and he also says the essence of the body of Christ, is interdependence. There's another by the name of Tom Wright who says that the Apostle Paul had recognised that "there can be no outer circle and inner circle within the grace of God 3. Community between believers and the wider world. the final thing to say about how we're called to live is that it appears from Scripture that we're not asked to live in holy huddles oblivious to the world around us. The Christian it seems is called to be in koinonia with

12 Christ, koinonia with one another and to seek through that to create a sense of koinonia with those in their surrounding communities. The wonderfully named theologian Yung Suk Kim says that the very existence of the community [of believers] is for the sake of others [outsiders]. How does God want us to live? We are all mere beggars showing other beggars where to find bread. Martin Luther

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