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Remain in His love

We have seen His salvation..
therefore we have become His friends!
What does this mean?
John 15:9-17

† IN JESUS NAME †

May we realize, that because of the grace and mercy of God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we are counted as the Beloved, to the extent that He confides in us!

The Power Strip Redux


I’ve often heard, and even made comments at times, about church and Bible Study being times when people are re-charged, when they come in from the work of the world, and spend time regaining the energy and strength needed to go out into the world and do the work God has called them to do.

There is truth to the fact that this place, this time, like Sunday School and Wednesday nights are times of refreshment. Yet, if we think of church as a recharging time because God is present in our lives now more than on Tuesday in the office, or Thursday in a classroom or Friday evening while we are having a nice Lutheran beverage, we need to step back a moment… and think.

We aren’t like spiritual cellphones, plug them in for a couple hours and go a day without contact to what gives them power. Like Michael preached last week, we are more like… a power strip. If we think Sunday, or 10 minutes in prayer at the beginning of the day is our recharging, we’ve pretty much done this. (plug power strip into itself) Where is the energy now? Where is that which makes the difference in this item’s existence?

Yet, I think for many, that is how they see God, and their relationship to us. The key word last week is heard again at the beginning of the Gospel reading today….

Remain….

Last week, remain in me as I remain in you.. Jesus taught. In the same way today, He encourages and establishes us by telling us we “remain in my love..” and then calls us His friends… or more accurately… His Beloved ones… as we remain… in Him…

The sermon today.. will simply continue to explore what that means… to be His beloved, to remain in His love… as Jesus describes it.

The Love that Envelops us…

As we look at the love Christ would have us remain in, the love He would have surround us, we need to first look at the love that is expressed within in the Trinity itself. For Jesus makes it clear – that He remains in the Father’s love, and that is the very kind of love which envelopes us, as we remain in Christ.

Could we even begin to comprehend the measure of love God the Father has for Jesus, His only begotten Son? Is there a way to measure love of that magnitude? Is there a way to even describe it? Surely we hear the love of God the Father, as He rends open heaven to speak at the baptism of Jesus, and again at the transfiguration.

There is another way to “measure” the love of the Father, and that is to examine the reaction of Jesus to that love. Simply put, the stronger the Father’s love, the more it would impact Jesus, the larger the reaction to it. Or as Jesus says, “I obey the Father’s commandment – because I have remained in His love. We’ve heard these words “obey" and “commandments” before, commandments isn’t talking about one singular command, but all the Father has ordained, all that He commissioned – and obey is actually much more powerful – Jesus treasured and guarded that which the Father revealed to Him….

In treasuring that which the Father commissioned, Christ made it happen – even though it meant suffering in this life, and dieing on the cross – that what the Father desired – to live with us as His people would be accomplished. The value that the Son places on the Father’s love is inestimable – but it is seen as He does that which the Father planned – and saves us…

In doing so, He literally changes our status, as we go from being enslaved to sin and death, to being His friends, or as the Greek puts it – the beloved ones. That was the goal of the Trinity, for us to share in the very love that is shared in their presence….

For as the Son remains in the Father’s love, so we are kept in Christ’s love. We aren’t talking about a moment of prayer – we are talking about constant companionship, constantly remaining in His presence.

The same love – that same incredible love that binds the Trinity, is what courses through us, in us, because that is what it means to remain in Christ, to remain in His love…

To begin to realize this is beyond incredible, it’s astonishing, it is mind blowing and does, as Jesus tells us, when we for a moment can consider how great is God’s love for us, fills us with a level of joy that leaves us speechless.

Joy overflowing, our cup runs over it – as the shepherd wrote – as he considered how he was shepherded by the Lord God…

We are the Beloved, the friends

The Love that Confides in us..
We know that which the Father shared with the son


As we look what it means to remain in Christ’s love – to have the presence of God with us, much as this power strip could have the electrical current coursing through it, it is amazing how much the relationship of the Trinity is reflected in the relationship we are saved to.

Hear an explanation for why Jesus calls us His beloved, His friends.

5 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you

Speaking for myself, it seems beyond belief that reveals to us everything that the Father had revealed to Jesus. God chose us to confide in, to share with us the Big Picture. He reveals to us the Father’s plans, desires, everything. With us, Jesus has shared the very Opus Dei, the incredible work of that the Father commissioned, that the Father sent Jesus to accomplish.

The incredible work of re-creating us, renewing us, enveloping us in His love…

And sharing with us His work, the very Opus Dei, the Missio Dei, that which God crafts and creates – the work of God in this world!

Jesus invites us to not just see the Father’s desire, but to be part of seeing that desire fulfilled. To see intimately into what pleases God, what brings Him the greatest joy, and then Jesus helping us to see that made possible, to see it happen. He confides in us, shows us the big picture, and then encourages us to get it done. He invites us to participate in the establishment of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of heaven… by simply remaining in Him, as He pours His love through us, to a lost, broken and hurting world.

A work that is done, in the same way it was done to us – through His love, the love the Father shares with Him, and Jesus shares with us, we are to share with each other..

What Jesus commissions us to do, the command at the basis of all commands…remain in my love… love on another… another being anyone created by God…

What about this asking for what we need?


One final thought, as we come to the end of this sermon..

In the beginning of the sermon, I mention that church isn’t the place where we re-charge, to go out and face the world without God. Imagine again the power strip model and the idea of walking away from the source of the power that gives it purpose and meaning. It doesn’t work, and neither do we, if we try to go it alone. We are not deists – we don’t believe God left us alone here…with expecting us to last 165 hours before charges…

Church, Bible Study, Prayer, the Sacraments do refresh us though, in that they call to mind that we live every moment in the presence of God, that we do remain in His love. That was the place He has chosen for us, and for all who He “plugs in” through us, all that He rescues from darkness, as He loves them through us, even as He loves us, even as the Father loves the son. Even as the Son laid done His life, He appoints us, He has crafted us, to lay down our lives – that they too produce others who will remain in His love…

God calls on us to produce fruit that remains, Jesus tells us, just as He has.. in producing us, in saving us. It is what He confides in us for – that we share in His work, But we don’t do it by our own power, we do it walking, remaining, living in His love. Knowing that He will free us from all anxieities, concerns, even the sin which hampers us, as we so treasure what He has commanded – Jesus even promises we can ask for what we need in His name, as we demonstrate that we remain in Christ, as we love each other…

For in love, there is His peace… which goes beyond our understanding, and yet the peace in which we remain, because Christ causes us to remain in Him, to remain in His love… and this is incredible!

AMEN?
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We are high maintenance!

Concordia Lutheran Church
Easter 5, May 6, 2012


We Have seen His salvation,
therefore we are Maintained in Him!
John 15:1-8

† IN JESUS NAME†

Did you check the plug?

It is one of the most embarrassing of moments…especially for someone who is supposed to be an expert in computers.

It happens like this – a friend calls you up, needing assistance as their computer isn’t working. You arrive – with your tools, you diagnostic cd’s, everything you need. They can’t even turn on their computer nothing helps. The lights on the monitor are on, but the computer doesn’t turn on.

You check the cables – they are all plugged in, the monitor into the wall – the computer into a power stripe, all the connections are solid. You take apart the computer, checking the fan, the power supply, everything seems to check out!

After an hour of sitting their puzzled, trying to find out a reason for the malfunction, or more accurately, non-functioning computer, you look over at the power strip and realize… embarrassed.. that the switch is set to..

OFF

Of course the computer can’t work, the power that it requires to operate isn’t there, the current doesn’t remain. But – remove the block, and the computer runs and can accomplish whatever it needs to!

We understand this concept better than the one provided in today’s gospel – about grapevines and braches and fruit, at least I do! But it is similar enough to use – if we remain connected to our source of life; to the power that is provided in Christ, if our focus is on Him, the work gets done and we are fruitful in our labors! – and most important – we bring great glory to out Father in Heaven.


The Secret of Evangelism
It’s not focusing on production
It’s remaining connected to the source of power
It’s being a brach connected to the vine

There is a secret to being a church that is apostolic, evangelical, or missional. To be a church that grows – not just in numbers, but one which genuinely and continually reproduces in others who trust in God’s presence and promises given to us, as He restores our relationship.

The secret is that our focus is that is not about the production, it’s about the power supply and the connection to that power supply. Using our power strip illustration – that’s why churches can have the greatest programs, and the wisest of elders, and the perfect leadership and the smoothest speaking pastor, and instead of growth, they end up going no where, their direction is limited, and they end up in conflict.

And when times are challenged, they fade and break apart – like a home built on the beach, when the winter storms come.

Its also why a church like Concordia can survive and reach out – even as we endure challenge after challenge – for our attention has become less and less on ourselves, or even our programs, and our time is spent connecting to the root - and we are beginning to see a growth in His kingdom, that truly goes beyond our abilities. As we talk about all this easter season – like Simeon, we have seen His salvation and it the light that draws those outside the family of God to Jesus, and it is our glory!

The more we grasp God’s presence, and the way in which the Spirit ministers to us, the more we proclaim His love to a world, and the more fruit that He would produce and nourish through us, even some new life that we aren’t aware of!

So what does that mean?
Has God to pruned and purified you?
Are you producing fruit?
Are you aware of what God is providing you?
Correlation between realizing provision, and being fruitful

Speaking about growth we are unaware of, I imagine the apostles heard these words of Jesus, in much the same way…. And based on verse 3, he knew their minds went to the same place ours do, as we think, “Gosh, I haven’t produced any fruit – does that mean I am about to be ‘cut off’? I can imagine Peter trying to find a way to justify his own activities, even as he realize… I’ll get around to telling my neighbor about Jesus next week, I’ll go help out that person… yeah – that one weekend in June, and you know – I want to help out that missionary… but its so far to Papua New Guinea, or the Sudan, or.. well

Jesus words cut that kinda of questioning to the quick, “3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.”

And then, he gets back on course – remain in Me, stay connected to your source, look to me – as Paul encouraged the church in Corinth:

3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

Jesus assures His disciples of His work in them, cleansing them, and the pruning of that which would distract them from His love, and the life He pours through them. The effect, one of the results of that work of Christ, is that we are fruitful,

It is important, critically important to realize that God has cleansed us, pruned us – clearing away all the sin, all the guilt and shame, all the unrighteousness that the world and satan try to clutter our lives with – trying to convince us that the power is shut off, as we look at all the spiritual death that clutters our lives.

We’ve been cleansed, the very power of God that has saved us, courses through our lives, refreshing us, maturing us, helping us to realize our connection, our relationship to our Lord. We are talking about the Holy Spirit here, promised us in our baptism, changing us daily, as we see our Lord in our lives…. Gloriously in our lives!

Bringing Glory to the Father
Its evidence of the Son’s impression on us…
As we bear fruit as He bore fruit

Verse 8 talks of something that is incredible – beyond my capability to comprehend. The idea that as the disciples of Jesus, as we reflect the glory of God, we bring Him great glory.

That amazes me, that what we do, as His people here in Cerritos, or over in Artesia, or brings God glory. But that is simply a testimony to the FACT that we live in Christ – for even as Jesus brings the Father incredible glory, if we remain in Him, He will glorify the Father through us, causing our lives to bear fruit – to creat new life in those around us.

This, like all of what we so often hear as imperative commands, is a description of who we have become in Christ, as He has cleansed us, purifying us as He unites us to His death and His resurrection in Baptism. It is because He lives in us, not for any other reason that we reproduce – because we remain in Him.

You want to worship Him, to glorify the Father out there, in the midst of a world – spend time here, where He gathers us to remind us that He remains in us, that He provides us all the nourishment we need, as we realize His promises never fail, never are weak. Even as we rest in His holiness, as we relax knowing His mercy, that too will motivate us far more than any program – as we see those who are like we once were, unaware of such love, such peace.

The peace that we have flowing through us, the peace they need….

A peace that only comes from remaining in Jesus, for in Him our hearts and minds are kept, safeguarded by Him, as we abide with Him in the unsurpassable peace of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN?

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We know His love..

We have seen His salvation
therefore we know His love and…
1 John 3:16-24

† IN JESUS NAME †

May the grace and peace of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ overwhelm you, and may the change in your life be evident as you love those for whom you lay down your life!

That old familiar feeling…
Who do we trust???

One of the blessings of being in a liturgical church is that we don’t deal with Easter for one week. The church father’s talked of every Sunday being an Easter, as we travel with Christ from the incarnation’s Gloria to the Last Supper, and the joyous recognition that we have indeed seen His salvation.

Even more than that – we take the six weeks following Easter to celebrate the fact that He has risen! And to stop, and realize the changes that makes in our life. For one can realize in a second that the Resurrection is something incredible, but it can also take a lifetime to realize as Paul wrote,

3:17 (And I) ask him (Jesus) that with both feet planted firmly on love, 18 you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! 19 Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19 (MSG)

And so we dedicate these 7 weeks of Easter to “take in” the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love… for you, and as you do so, that your life will become a reflection of that love, as you lay down your lives for those around you…

St John deals with one of the biggest challenges we have, to “taking in” how great the love of God is for us, the fact that we stand condemned – no, not in God’s eyes, and perhaps not even in the world’s eyes. We often stand condemned…

By ourselves.

And we aren’t the first – otherwise St. John wouldn’t have written…

19 This will be the proof that we belong to the truth, and it will convince us in his presence, 20 even if our own feelings condemn us, that God is greater than our feelings and knows all things. 21 My dear friends, if our own feelings do not (cannot ) condemn us, we can be fearless before God,

Because God has shown His love in us, because Christ laid down His life for us, we begin to reflect that love, and His love is proof that we are not condemned – that we are His people, that He can and does work through us, ordering our lives – and as we realize that – we begin to treasure it even more!

We can try “justify ourselves”

Have you ever wondered how much time could be saved, how much intellectual and emotional energy could be put to other use, and how much anxiety could be avoided, if people tried to stop justifying their own actions? From our governmental leaders, to sports figures, to little children, it seems like everyone has a “reason” for what they’ve done, a way to make it seem right.

It’s almost like they start trying to justify their actions, the moment they did what they knew was wrong – so that when we challenge them, their excus…err justifications seem natural and logical!

Of course, we never do such things – do we?

Are we more often trying to justify ourselves to others, or to ourselves?

St. John gives us a great example, something he probably learned the hard way from a parable of Jesus:

“17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?”

Time for honesty – upon hearing that – how many of you wanted to ask – “but who is my brother or sister?” Or came up with a “what about them?” type question? Or we think of someone who asked for help this week… and didn’t

Like the lawyer asking Jesus, “who is my neighbor”, or even going back farther to Cain asking “Am I responsible for my brother?” our minds attempt to justify our actions.. or inaction.
These verses, when taken out of the context of God loving us first, have the habit of crushing us with guilt, don’t they? What we this is our conscious tells us we aren’t deserving of God’s love, of God’s forgiveness, We render judgment on ourselves – and then can even use that judgment as an excuse -

God can’t use me – to help someone else know Him – because I am such a horrible rotten sinner… so it must be up to someone else!

At the same time.. wondering how we can ever measure up to His standard, when we can’t measure up to our own!

The point is that He loves you – get there first

I love St. John’s answer to our self-condemnation – EVEN IF OUR OWN FEELINGS CONDEMN US, GOD IS GREATER THAN OUR FEELINGS AND KNOWS ALL THINGS! (AND) IF OUR OWN FEELINGS DO NOT CONDEMN US, WE CAN BE FEARLESS BEFORE GOD!

Our feelings can’t condemn us – because He hasn’t, and our own feelings are by no means, more accurate than ours are. Our evaluation of ourselves as to whether we are worthy of His love cannot be as accurate as His decision to invest the very life of Jesus, that we could become His! I love how one of the books I make deacon candidates (like Chuck) states it:

I want to help you catch a vision of a very different kind of father, the eternal Father who never fails to fulfill his word. No matter what obstacles arise, he never loses sight of his goal: to form and fashion a human family to share in the infinite love of the Trinity. As we consider what the Scripture tells us about how God has fathered his people over the ages, we should realize more fully just how great is God’s personal love for each and every one of us, as members of his covenant family. (S Hahn FWKHP p )

This is what we witnessed last week, as we watched two moms rejoice as their daughters were made part of that promise, as God cleansed them in baptism, as He added the girls to our family.

We didn’t do it, the parents didn’t – God did. He declared them cleansed, righteous, He justified them as He poured out His promises on them – the most significant – that they, like us, are His children.

And realizing that Satan and the world will try to make them forget that – to listen to their own minds accusing, or excusing their behavior – we give them things – and we are to remember them in prayer!

We’ve got to realize more full just how great is God’s personal love for each and everyone of us… and how He has made us His family…

Or as St John said it:

“. 23 His commandment is this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we should love one another as he commanded us.”

For as we realize how much we can trust the son at His promises, the more we grasp his incredible love for each of us, the more we look to His giving up His life for us – from the cross to the time He dwells with each of us… the more incredible we realize that, the more we love

Treasuring His commands…


As we hear that “keep his commandments” as so many translations put it – we need to see the Greek word pictures – that I have mentioned before – that we are to keep as in guard, as in treasure, as to protect as if it is our most valuable treasure these words of God.

For the word translated commandment – is not just talking about the do this and don’t do that in scripture – though those are included! It is talking about what God commissioned – the masterpiece of our lives, cleansed and renewed and created in Christ Jesus. It’s more than the terms of a deal, when the new testament talks about commandment – it’s talking about the very way of life God has planned for us, our place as individuals, our place as a church…

As the people He loves, that Jesus proved to us, by laying down His life for us….

and the more we realize the depth of that love, the more we find ourselves doing the same – not by choice as much as it simply happens.. for nothing else makes sense..

For dwelling in His care, for treasuring the love that He has revealed to us, we find a peace that cannot be effected by the things of this world, a peace that goes beyond all understanding, a peace commanded and commissioned by God, a peace in which Christ guards us.. His brothers and sisters, whom He and the Father loves…

AMEN?
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A Time of refreshment

We have seen His salvation
- therefore we abide refreshed in peace!
Acts 3:11-21


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We have seen His salvation therefore we have life

We have seen His salvation – therefore we have life
John 20:19-31

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Easter 2012 We Have Seen His Salvation

Nunc DImitis - We Have Seen His Salvation!
Isaiah 25:6-9 & Luke 2:29-32

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The Hour Has Come

The Hour Has Come, for Foolish(?) Glory
John 12:20-45


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The "lost" sermon

Concordia Lutheran Church
Fourth Week of Lent 4 March 18,2012

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Look up and be healed

Concordia Lutheran Church
Fourth Week of Lent 4 March 18,2012

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Gloria

The Promise of the Journey:
Glory to God, for there is Peace!

Luke 2:8-15 and John 1:10-14

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