Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Holiness: Invincible Love

Romans 8:29-39 ESV

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

One of the hardest things is not just understanding God's love, but knowing in our hearts.

God's love Secures our holiness

Anyone who has fought sin knows how hard it is. It seems like an uphill battle. We don't need much for or hearts to wander from God.

But God holds us tightly in His hands. It does not depend on our grip on Him. He holds us securely.

Before we were even born, God loved us. Like a pregnant couple, loving and caring for a baby yet unborn.

God is the one who wants us holy. He always accomplishes what He promises. Our holiness is secure.

God's love Fuels our holiness

Even through big failures and trials, God is working through it all. Knowing this, we can keep going.

Before preaching on sin, there is all this talk of love. Why? They need to know the enormous greatness of the love of Christ.

Threats only work for the short term. Outward conformity does not work. Love is what we need. That is what grows us into holiness like Christ.

Sin struggles and life struggles make us doubt the love of God. We think that because of sin, we are less, we are condemned. But that is a lie. We are not second rate; we are God's chosen. We are bound by the guilt of our sins and struggles. Jesus wants to set us free from them. He paid for those sins.

Trying to assess God's love through our circumstances is how we run into trouble. He loves me, He loves me not. God gave us His most precious treasure, His son. That is how we assess God's love of us. Jesus is the love of God. In His life and death and resurrection, we see the love of God.

God's love Shapes our holiness

Holiness is not the same among all religions. We are to be shaped into Jesus' likeness. His defining work is humbling Himself according to will of the Father for the sake of others. That is holiness. We are called to suffer for the faith, for the will of God. It is not some sort of abstract concept. We are to suffer according to the will of Father for the sake of others. We are not to devote our lives to earthly comfort, rather we are to move towards need. We are secured in God, even when we lose comfort, we suffer.

Changed lives in Luke: From doubt, to dancing, to destiny

Luke 24:36-53 ESV

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, "Peace to you!"  But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?  See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."  And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled."  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,  and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."  Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Deals with their doubt

It was very hard for the disciples to believe that someone would rise from the dead in the middle of history. They were expecting resurrection at the end, not the middle. They were expecting a winning Messiah who would deliver them from the Romans. The disciples couldn't wrap their minds around this idea. The women were confused at finding an empty tomb. The disciples didn't believe the women when they came back and recounted the visit to the tomb.

Jesus had to persuade them. He showed them his wounds. He did this patiently. He even ate some fish to prove that He was bodily risen. He was no ghost. He had physically returned from death. He gave evidence to address doubts. The Christian faith is a reasonable faith. We do not discard reason when we come to faith.

Jesus invites you to investigate the faith.

Gives them a reason to dance

If the resurrection is true, it is the greatest news. It means that we too will rise from the dead. Jesus' resurrection means we also will rise. Not only that, but also in the same manner. We will be bodily and physically returned. There will be much similarity to the current life. Eating, nature, cities, neighbors. But also important differences. No death, pain, or brokenness. Take your perfect day here and multiply out by infinity. It well pale in comparison.

Jesus had planned to suffer and die. That was why he came. In atheistic thinking, suffering has no meaning. Sucks to be you. Just bad luck. But Jesus shows us that suffering has meaning. When Jesus died, the disciples thought they had lost everything. They had wasted their years for nothing. Jesus came back to show them that suffering was for a reason. They and we were saved by Christ's suffering. The joy of heaven will be magnified by the suffering of this life. All the suffering and pain of Jesus plays a part in saving us. When we come to the resurrection, all of our sufferings and pains will make sense. Or joy will be even greater.

Sets them on their destiny

Jesus calls them to share the good news for the rest of their lives. This call is not only for the disciples. It is also for us. This is how we treat good news; we want to share it.

We are called to give up our lives. The truth is that we have everything in Christ. So we can lose status, money, power, respect, even our lives...because we know all the important things are secure in Christ. Even when we lose our lives, God will give it back to us.

Every menial task, when done with the heart and intention of sharing the love of Christ, is a great work. The Holy Spirit empowers all these things. It is not us, but the Spirit working through us.

Good Friday

Luke 7:36-47 ESV

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  And he answered, "Say it, Teacher." "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."  Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.  You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."  And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Rev. Dwight Yoo

This woman of the city is really a prostitute. She was a sinner. She came with expensive perfume and anointed his feet with it. She wiped her feet with her hair and tears.

In breaking this jar, she had committed everything to Jesus. Once the jar is opened by breaking the neck open, you would not be able to save any of it. She came prepared and ready to serve Jesus.

Simon was not. He believed that sinners could taint the righteous. Jesus challenged this. Simon was here to trap and ensnare Jesus. Simon offered no hospitality, no actions of respect. He was there to investigate Jesus.

The woman was a hooker and always looked down. All the religious officials would have said that she had no way to be acceptable before God. Constant shame and condemnation was her lot and when she died, she could expect nothing other than rejection by God. The gospel of free grace was very costly to Christ. She sees this at this dinner. Jesus hangs out with sinners and so, these religious authorities could not accept him. Jesus had to bear under the scorn and disrespect of these men. The woman got a glimpse of this. And she breaks out in tears. Not a little, but a torrent of years. Simon did not wash His feet. He certainly wouldn't offer a towel. So she lets down her hair to wipe Jesus' feet. This would have been shocking to people of this day and age. A woman only let down her hair for her husband. So when she let down her hair, she was saying that Jesus was deserving of everything. And seeing that Christ got no kiss of greeting, she kissed his feet in reverence. This perfume was probably the most expensive thing in her life. And she poured it out on his feet.

Jesus lays it out. He points out Simon lack of hospitality. He shares a parable of debtors. God is owed everything, but we are guilty of ignoring God. This is everyone. Even the religious owe God, but they think they can take care of their own debts. But in the parable, Jesus lets us know that neither of them can repay. So even if the debts are different, both of them are bankrupt! The amount makes no difference! The difference in amount is purely technical, it makes no practical difference. Both moral and immoral, religious and irreligious cannot repay the debt. Jesus pays the debt with His life. Simon thinks he can repay, so he doesn't care. This woman knows she cannot repay! She is in need of a savior and so she is forgiven.

Those who think little of sin, think little of Jesus. This is Simon. Those who think much of sin, think the world of Jesus. This is the woman.

Who are you?

Do you examine Jesus from afar? Is it just a somber attitude or is there something more? Or do you think of Jesus and find yourself overwhelmed by tears of joy? Is your life filled with comfort or are you willing to bear rejection/pain for Christ? Are you struck by your great indebtedness and the greatness of God's forgiveness? Do we have "acceptable sins" that we think acceptable before God and men? Anger, discontent, & complacency all point to how we have forgotten God. Jesus points to this prostitute as one who can teach us a right attitude before God. We who have been forgiven much, the remembrance of it, brings us back to love the one who paid the debt for us.

Changed lives in Luke: a small man changed in a Big way

Luke 19:1-10 ESV

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Zacchaeus is our changed man. His name meant "pure and just." He lived in Jericho, a place of riches and of great trade importance.

Before Jesus

Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. We don't see tax men favorably even today. But they were greatly reviled as basically extortionists. They were scum. They collected as much taxes as possible and gave just the required amount to the Romans. They kept the difference. As chief tax collector, he was top scum. Scripture said he was seeking out Jesus. Maybe he found all the riches insufficient. Maybe he was lonely. He was an outcast among his own people. The word doesn't say why, but those are very possible.

He climbed a tree. We fly through that verse. But men, upper class men don't run. They certainly don't climb trees. They try to look dignified all the time. This is a ridiculous scene. He is a short hated man. He must've been mocked for his actions. Going up that tree was lowering himself, letting go of his pride, his sense of dignity.

If we are to seek Jesus, we may also need to lower ourselves. Letting go of our pride, our self-respect. We can find that in order to meet Jesus, we may need to humble ourselves.

Meeting Jesus

Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus' house. This little man up a tree is not looking for attention. But he climbs down and gladly accepts Jesus.

Jesus does this often. He walked onto a fisherman's boat. Jesus knows exactly what He is doing. He is doing the same for this tax collector. He walks up to that tree and calls him by name.

Jesus is saying I am extending friendship to you. That is what it means to say he must stay at His house. Jesus doesn't accuse or tell him to change first. Jesus calls this scum, friend. This is why the crowd murmured. We believe that we need to clean ourselves before coming to God. Jesus is saying something about this. We cannot clean ourselves. Jesus comes in first, then cleansing. Not the other way around!
When Zacchaeus accepted this offer of friendship with Christ, salvation came. Jesus said so. How? Because climbed a different tree, the tree of Calvary.

Aftermath

Zacchaeus is changed. He starts to live up to his name.

How do we recognize this change?

They call Jesus, LORD.

Jesus is boss over our entire life. Time, money, and every aspect of their life.

They turn from a lifestyle of serving ourselves to serving others.

They turn from just being about ourselves to caring for others. It is not just turning from one sin. It is turning from destructive self-centered living to loving growing humble living.

A willingness to give up what we used to live for especially to serve others.

Zacchaeus gives half of what he owns to the poor. That is considered imprudent by those days. Twenty percent was considered the most. Legal restitution for extortion was twenty percent. Zacchaeus said he would give back three hundred percent. It was crazy for a man who lived for money to do this. It means something. He is giving up what his life used to center on. Surrender, utterly and completely on that idol which our life was built upon. Zacchaeus used to do anything for money. Now, he is willing to do anything for Christ.

This holds true for not only money, but other things. People's approval for instance. Instead of doing things for people's opinions, we should confront people in sin. We should be able to love people by confronting sin, even if they may hate us for that. We are able to leave comfort to serve others. Because Christ left the comforts of heaven for us. Those of us living for worldly status will see a Jesus who became nobody for us, he became a servant. They can give up status and recognition with joy.