Rev. Dustin ParkerThe Sum of our Summer Series
Concordia Lutheran Church
Pentecost 10, August 21, 2011
“With Eyes Wide Open…and Amazed”
Romans 11:33 – 12:8
† IN CHRIST’S NAME †
“May you be aware of the effect of God’s amazing, unfathomable, loving ways upon all around you, including yourself.”
The Sum of the Summer…
It is time to bloom!
God has nourished, fed, pruned,
This sermon, is the sum of the summer series. Each sermon has built on the preceding sermon, helping us to realize the work God has put into His vineyard, waiting for it to bloom, as He enjoys the growth in us He has caused, as He has looked for to this growth, even though He knows it would stretch us, and cause us to be challenged.
He has cleansed us, and reminding us of the cleansing in the waters of Baptism. He has fed us, on the word that proclaims His incredible love, and the mercy that pours out on us from the alter, healing us, even when healing means breaking us away from false gods, from the things which we are attached to more than we depend and rely on Him.
This is His work, the result of which Paul so clearly describes in verse 36,
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Like Paul desired for the church in Rome as they read his letter, I desire that this message comes alongside you, wherever you are, and assists you in living in as He has created you, as He has crafted you, as He, despite your sin renewed you and for which He has given you a new way of thinking, and living.
The Challenge of Playing God
We want it our way, on our time table (understand)
For Christians, we want to be like Him in everything…by our strength and power. (counselor and sacrifice
From the very first sin in the garden, the biggest challenge of humanity is wanting to be God. Not like Him, Nor would we settle for being made in His image, but to be able to wield all His power and authority, and sometimes we thing we have His level of knowledge, and perhaps – we are as wise as He.
The apostle Paul takes us down a notch, when God directed him to write,
33 Frankly, I stand amazed at the unfathomable complexity of God's wisdom and God's knowledge. How could man ever understand his reasons for action, or explain his methods of working? For: 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counsellor?' 'Or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him?'
There is a temptation, even among those who have been Christian for decades to play God, or at least to try an act as His advisor, giving Him guidance because we “know” the true situation, and if God was here, He might see our wisdom in how to best deal with the situation. Except of course, we forget in such moments that He is here, and that His wisdom is beyond our comprehension.
Often times, we try to play God, not to benefit ourselves, but others who we care for, to fix the situations they are in, before they are ready to acknowledge their need for God’s grace and mercy. We see the consequence of their actions, and in love want to call out STOP! Or RUN! as if we can, on the flip of a dime, by our own actions, fix them.
Paul is calling us to “be still, and know that God is God!”
As we do, the amazement begins, the awe overwhelms and we realize that His plan is for our good, not evil.
It isn’t easy, it is challenging, for outside of God, where we sometimes think we live, such grace is unknown, and the shadows of it, disappoint.
It’s about Grace
But that is how we bloom, when we relax, and see how God envelops us in Himself. When we realize what verse 35 means
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.
The grace that saves us from sin and death, from the games of this world, from the times where we think we should be in control, where we should be able to play God. Paul isn’t just calling the church to action in this passage, He is calling the church to first be still and know we are in Christ – that is what the “eyes wide open to the mercies of God” is talking about – our focus is there – on what it means to be living in Christ, to be as Paul would write to another church, “in Him we live and move and have our being”
One of the reasons I used this old British paraphrase to take our reading from, is the clarity of the verbs, as to who is doing the action. In other translations, the change sounds almost like it is ours – “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” as if the verbs are imperative commands, calling us to action. The Phillips New Testament (aka The New Testament in Modern English) does far more justice to the Greek. It begs us,
“Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within…”
The world will easily pressure you into its own mold, but the important thing is that the answer to it is not your own work, but to simply be passive and let God do the molding – to let Him be the potter, seeing what He does with your life, how He directs it.
It starts with the very grace that required Christ to die, the grace which cleanses you of sin and guilt as you are united with Christ in baptism. It is there, that as we die with Christ, the Holy Spirit quickens us, and the trust begins to grow, as we realize God’s love for us. And as we realize that love, as we realize the extent to which God has gone to make us His, to bring us into Him, as we keep our eyes open, we begin to live sacrificially – we begin to see where God can use us in His plan, in accomplishing calling the world, not just to repentance, but to life.
That is how God molds us, and then we begin to use our time and talents, sharing with others our wondrous God. Some in preaching, some in music, some in leadership, some in showing extraordinary mercy or in teaching, some in interceding in prayers for others, and some, doing all the little things behind the scenes that need to get done. Realizing that each has a place, realizing that God has called us to be one body,
But mostly realizing that because Jesus died for us, and was buried, and rose from the dead, we live in Him, through Him, and focused on His. And in Him we bloom, to the point of the final harvest – even as our growth results in the planting and growth of others.
To Him be glory forever
That He would be glorified, that He we would react to His work, to His presence in praise,
So stand amazed at the unfathomable complexity of God’s wisdom and knowledge, even as you realize His plans, and His methods, have a goal – to make you, and the other people He has created – to be His people, even as He is our God.
Pentecost 10, August 21, 2011
“With Eyes Wide Open…and Amazed”
Romans 11:33 – 12:8
† IN CHRIST’S NAME †
“May you be aware of the effect of God’s amazing, unfathomable, loving ways upon all around you, including yourself.”
The Sum of the Summer…
It is time to bloom!
God has nourished, fed, pruned,
This sermon, is the sum of the summer series. Each sermon has built on the preceding sermon, helping us to realize the work God has put into His vineyard, waiting for it to bloom, as He enjoys the growth in us He has caused, as He has looked for to this growth, even though He knows it would stretch us, and cause us to be challenged.
He has cleansed us, and reminding us of the cleansing in the waters of Baptism. He has fed us, on the word that proclaims His incredible love, and the mercy that pours out on us from the alter, healing us, even when healing means breaking us away from false gods, from the things which we are attached to more than we depend and rely on Him.
This is His work, the result of which Paul so clearly describes in verse 36,
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Like Paul desired for the church in Rome as they read his letter, I desire that this message comes alongside you, wherever you are, and assists you in living in as He has created you, as He has crafted you, as He, despite your sin renewed you and for which He has given you a new way of thinking, and living.
The Challenge of Playing God
We want it our way, on our time table (understand)
For Christians, we want to be like Him in everything…by our strength and power. (counselor and sacrifice
From the very first sin in the garden, the biggest challenge of humanity is wanting to be God. Not like Him, Nor would we settle for being made in His image, but to be able to wield all His power and authority, and sometimes we thing we have His level of knowledge, and perhaps – we are as wise as He.
The apostle Paul takes us down a notch, when God directed him to write,
33 Frankly, I stand amazed at the unfathomable complexity of God's wisdom and God's knowledge. How could man ever understand his reasons for action, or explain his methods of working? For: 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his counsellor?' 'Or who has first given to him and it shall be repaid to him?'
There is a temptation, even among those who have been Christian for decades to play God, or at least to try an act as His advisor, giving Him guidance because we “know” the true situation, and if God was here, He might see our wisdom in how to best deal with the situation. Except of course, we forget in such moments that He is here, and that His wisdom is beyond our comprehension.
Often times, we try to play God, not to benefit ourselves, but others who we care for, to fix the situations they are in, before they are ready to acknowledge their need for God’s grace and mercy. We see the consequence of their actions, and in love want to call out STOP! Or RUN! as if we can, on the flip of a dime, by our own actions, fix them.
Paul is calling us to “be still, and know that God is God!”
As we do, the amazement begins, the awe overwhelms and we realize that His plan is for our good, not evil.
It isn’t easy, it is challenging, for outside of God, where we sometimes think we live, such grace is unknown, and the shadows of it, disappoint.
It’s about Grace
But that is how we bloom, when we relax, and see how God envelops us in Himself. When we realize what verse 35 means
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.
The grace that saves us from sin and death, from the games of this world, from the times where we think we should be in control, where we should be able to play God. Paul isn’t just calling the church to action in this passage, He is calling the church to first be still and know we are in Christ – that is what the “eyes wide open to the mercies of God” is talking about – our focus is there – on what it means to be living in Christ, to be as Paul would write to another church, “in Him we live and move and have our being”
One of the reasons I used this old British paraphrase to take our reading from, is the clarity of the verbs, as to who is doing the action. In other translations, the change sounds almost like it is ours – “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” as if the verbs are imperative commands, calling us to action. The Phillips New Testament (aka The New Testament in Modern English) does far more justice to the Greek. It begs us,
“Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within…”
The world will easily pressure you into its own mold, but the important thing is that the answer to it is not your own work, but to simply be passive and let God do the molding – to let Him be the potter, seeing what He does with your life, how He directs it.
It starts with the very grace that required Christ to die, the grace which cleanses you of sin and guilt as you are united with Christ in baptism. It is there, that as we die with Christ, the Holy Spirit quickens us, and the trust begins to grow, as we realize God’s love for us. And as we realize that love, as we realize the extent to which God has gone to make us His, to bring us into Him, as we keep our eyes open, we begin to live sacrificially – we begin to see where God can use us in His plan, in accomplishing calling the world, not just to repentance, but to life.
That is how God molds us, and then we begin to use our time and talents, sharing with others our wondrous God. Some in preaching, some in music, some in leadership, some in showing extraordinary mercy or in teaching, some in interceding in prayers for others, and some, doing all the little things behind the scenes that need to get done. Realizing that each has a place, realizing that God has called us to be one body,
But mostly realizing that because Jesus died for us, and was buried, and rose from the dead, we live in Him, through Him, and focused on His. And in Him we bloom, to the point of the final harvest – even as our growth results in the planting and growth of others.
To Him be glory forever
That He would be glorified, that He we would react to His work, to His presence in praise,
So stand amazed at the unfathomable complexity of God’s wisdom and knowledge, even as you realize His plans, and His methods, have a goal – to make you, and the other people He has created – to be His people, even as He is our God.
