Life, liberty, and the pursuit of holiness: calling the pursued to pursue change

Romans 3:21-24;5:1-11

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Is there a real hope for change?

Most of us would say yes. Emphatically. But in our own lives, we don't know it practically and how it works. We have addictions for a long time.

We have "respectable" sins. Laziness, unthankfulness, materialism... And we count them as personality or just how things are. But there is nothing in your life that is unreachable by the gospel. We can all change to become more like Christ.

Have you given up? Has it been years our even decades of addiction? Have you made countless commitments to God to give up this sin, this addiction?  You are discouraged and tired.

Or maybe you aren't there. Maybe you don't care. You are comfortable with what you are doing now. And you have no heart to submit and follow God. To those, beware. Slavery is where your idols will take you. Life is only found in dying to yourself and living for God. You are short-changing yourself.

Change comes by faith. Not by works. God gives motivation, strength, and lasting change.

The doctrine of justification. Even though we have rejected God, we still have a touch of the divine. We are separated from God by sin. Regardless of whether we are religious or immoral, we are not righteous. We cannot reach God by ourselves, our own righteousness is insufficient. The grace of God in Jesus who lived the righteous life and died for us is the only way to be justified. By faith in Christ, we become perfectly acceptable in the presence of God credited with the righteousness of the life lived by Jesus and Christ takes the punishment on our behalf. That is justification. Sanctification is when God changes us to become what Jesus is, perfect. How are they related? Sanctification is powered by our justification.

1. Justification fuels our desire for sanctification.

Christ died for us, the ungodly, while we were still His enemies. We were pursued when we least deserved it. This is our motivation for change. Not fear, but love for Christ... Our hearts will then change, because of the sacrificial love of Christ. This is how God turns our hearts to Him from our idols.

2. Justification fuels us in our failures.

The accuser, satan, comes at us when we fail. Guilt and shame racks us. Then what happens? We run and hide from God. Justification says that God sees us as if we had not sinned. God fully accepts us in Christ. We can boldly approach God in the aftermath of sin.

3. Looking back at our justification, we can be encouraged that God will complete the task. We will persevere.

Jesus suffered much to save us. He will definitely finish the job. All that suffering and pursuit of us, will result in God's will, our salvation & sanctification. It is as good as done.

I am the vine

John 15:1-8

This is usually the time for resolutions. But not by our own power rather to seel to grow by God's grace and faithfulness.

The priority and promise of fruitfulness

Jesus calls himself the true vine. This is in comparison to Israel. The people are supposed to bear fruit for God. Psalm 80:8-9 talks about it. A vine is only good for fruit. If it does not, it cannot be used for building. It is a term of judgement.

Jesus lives the fruitful life we could not live. He dies the death we deserve, as a seed does, so that we would have life.

This promise of fruitfulness is not prosperity. It is not just getting what we want. It is spiritual fruit. We would grow in godly character. We would have greater joy in Christ. And finally, we would have influence on those around us.

Grape without the vowels.

Gazing at Jesus with love and awe
Renewed character
Pointing others to Christ

John 15:2;6 says that there are no unfruitful christians. All christians are fruitful. So those who do not bear fruit are probably not saved. If you have not changed since you've made a profession of faith, then you don't know Christ. It is not about the quantity of fruit. But all christians will bear fruit. God is not happy with just giving us a foot in heaven.

The power of fruitfulness

In order to bear fruit, we need to abide in Christ. There are two senses of abiding. In one sense, all christians are grafted into Christ when we place our faith in Christ. In another sense there is a conditional abiding. Communion is the word for this. In that way, we can choose to abide in him or we can choose to avoid him. This explains the difference among Christians. Those who seek out Christ actively are very different. They talk differently, they have an intimacy with God. We even see this within our lives. Past times of deep abiding in Christ seem like faint memories.

As a side note, spiritual fruit is not always visible. It is not always obvious. It is not about just activity.

Practically promoting fruitfulness

John 15:7 tells us that prayer and the bible is how we abide. When we are constantly in the word, we realize our need for Christ's power. It drives us to the cross and prayer.

Finally, God uses pain. He prunes. God will use pain and suffering to make us even more fruitful. He cuts off perfectly good branches and fruit, so that we would bear even more fruit. God will take away success, money, health, friends...soo that we would seek Him. So that we would depend on God. This is done in love. God's desire is not the same as ours.

I am the way, the truth, and the life

John 14:6

The Truth

Jesus is utterly other-centered and loving. Before He was to be betrayed and die a humiliating & painful death, He told his disciples not to be troubled. He is the truth about God. He is God in flesh. Perfectly loving. During troubled times, we usually search for reasons. God comes to us in humble love.

The Way

Jesus is the way for the wayward. We can barely keep New Years resolutions till March. But our faith is not dependent upon us. We have sinful hearts. We cannot live the life required by God. So Jesus lived this perfect life for us... And then died for us. He didn't show a way. He became the path to the Father.

Life

Jesus speaks of making place for His disciples. He will take the disciples into a house with many rooms. A place where we would be with Jesus and the Father. Eternal life without God would be meaningless. Security, joy, love, fulfillment, meaning, and hope is ours forever... In Him.

I am the Light of the World

John 8:12

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Rev. David Skinner

We use time. We don't like to take the time to read things that aren't immediately clear. Like poetry, which takes several readings to understand before the light comes on and we understand it. 

A brass bowl by Wendell Berry

It talks of the life of Saul/Paul of Tarsus.

Philippians 3:4-8 speaks of personal glory. The point is not our own credentials, but being empty so God's glory can fill us. That is glorious.

Answering God by Eugene Peterson

Following Jesus is not about another item to put onto our agenda. Discard the agenda, be filled with the Spirit, and simply walk.
Resting in the Lord is simply laying down in the Father's arms. Surrender to God and wait for Jesus to meet you there.

The application is not now to go out and evangelize to the world. I don't want you to even try. I know that sounds stark but there is a reason for that. Jesus, the light, has come into the world.  He had lived the life righteously that we could not live. Then He gave it to us. The Israelites saw the face of Moses through a veil. We don't have to contend with a veil. We see Christ directly. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 says so. He will make our faces shine.

I am the Bread of Life

John 6:25-35

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, iyou are seeking me, not because you saw jsigns, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which mthe Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing pthe works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, qthat you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Pastor Won Ho Kim

Jesus as giver
This view sees Jesus as the one who provides what we want. He is an means to an end. We ask for things from God just so we can get what we want. We follow Jesus to get what we want... But here's the catch. We are not submitted. Our own desires are top priority. Follow Jesus this way and we won't last, we will end up deserting Jesus. God is not king, our desires are.

Jesus as miracle worker

Miracles are a sign. They are not simply what we need. They are supposed to point to something. We aren't supposed to desire the sign, we are supposed to desire the reality that these miracles point to.

Is our faith based on signs? Are we going to be shaken when a miracle does not happen? Will we doubt God's presence when the miracles stop?

Jesus as bread

To both these, Jesus offers himself. He offers Himself, God incarnate. A frail human yet god. He is a person with whom we can relate. Jesus does not offer a business relationship or contract. It is not that we pray and study the bible and obey Jesus, so that He will give success, friends, career does, power, and riches. It is not tit for tat.

Eternal life is more than just for heaven...it is also for the here and now. Knowing Jesus is life. Believing in Jesus is the work of God.

Bread is used in the following way. It is broken, chewed, and digested. That is Christ. He became our bread. He was broken for us. When we find the hunger for things overwhelming us, we need to come to Christ. We need him continually.

I am the Good Shepherd

John 10:1-18

Rev. Dan Whang

Jesus is making incredible claims.

He came during a time where Israel was lost. They were under Roman rule. They were being judged for not following God. There were people who were supposed to shepherd the people. But they cared only themselves. Ezekiel 34:11-12;15-16 speaks of the shepherd of God. The true shepherd.

What is Jesus saying?

This is the most personal statement. He is claiming that He is a personal God. He is also claiming us as his sheep. Shepherds are not ranchers or pet owners. Sheep are their life and dictate their lifestyle. Jesus was telling the people that he is knowable and loving.

Why is the claim meaningful?

He knows us perfectly, we cannot hide anything from him. The shepherd knows everything about his shepherd.

Sheep are not the brightest animals. It is a bit of an insult. They cannot defend themselves. They follow other sheep, but they don't know how to get home. This is how Christ sees us. Isiah 53:6 tells us how we are. At the best of times, we see how stupid we've been...but only on hindsight. God sees us in the present as sheep.

He is telling us that he will lay down his life for us. He is not seeing sheep as wealth. He is not a hired hand. He loves and cares for his sheep more than his own life.

Shepherds never leave or abandon their sheep. Jesus will seek us out even when we stray. He will find the lost sheep and bring us back.

How should we respond?

Lay your idols aside and follow your Shepherd in everything.  We all have our idols. None of us are innocent of this.

Follow the shepherd through good times and bad. God leads us through good times and bad. We may find ourselves in the valley of death, but God is still with us. Psalm 23 talks of this.

Lets point people outside of our flock to the Good shepherd. Jesus is seeking the lost sheep. We should follow Jesus in this as well.

We should worship and adore him.

Mercy and Justice: The call to serve our city

Luke 10:25-37 - The parable of the good Samaritan

Rev. Dwight Yoo

The immense need in the city could fill an entire sermon. Alot of my thoughts and views are from a book... In alot of my sermon, you will find echos of this book.

Ministries of mercy - Tim Keller

The necessity of mercy

The law of God can be summed in two things: loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. There are two kinds of responses. One is okay,i follow the law... I don't murder, steal, etc. The other is...utterly hopeless. We fail to fully love God as we ought. We fail to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are left humbled. The teacher of the law tries to justify himself... He asks Jesus to clarify the law, to try to whittle down the law of God to something manageable and doable. But this is not what Jesus does. Instead he tells a parable. The story of one who risks his life, provides for his needs, and gives sacrificially.

What is the point of this?
It is the way to salvation. To provide for tangible needs, that is how we know that we are saved. It does not save us, but it shows that we are saved...it is the fruit of the Spirit. This is a mark of genuine faith. It is not optional. It is not solely for those with a gift of mercy. It is for all christians.

The nature of mercy

We usually try to limit the scope of mercy. There are three ways we try to do this.

Who: we try to avoid people who are different. Class, race, social, economic, etc. We are called to love even those we hate.

When: we feel like we should not give mercy to those who don't deserve it. Those who made poor choices... This is not dismissing wisdom, but we should remember that we are undeserving of God's mercy.

How much: The Samaritan shows us how much. He risks his life. He gets dirty, tired, and poorer to love his neighbor. He takes on the sorrow of his neighbor. It takes sacrifice.

Motivation of mercy

How are we supposed to do this?
Guilt is not enough. How about obligation? That is ultimately not enough. The law cannot provide us the motivation. It only tells us that we should. We don't have the power to do it. We are not generous enough to show mercy like that. We can only be this radically merciful when we see that we were the one who was bloodied, beaten, and dying hopeless...lying on that road. And Jesus came and saved us in all those ways.

Method of mercy

Practical thoughts

First we need to see. We cannot just walk by it. We have to see it and engage. We cannot just see it and walk by like the priest and the Levite.

We are not called to help everything and everyone. We need to be wise about it. We need to do it in community. Evangelism should be done in community; same for mercy. We should provide mercy in a targeted, deliberate, and organized way.

We should work with churches. It would be arrogant to think we can serve the city as individual churches. We should make strategic partnerships with other churches who are already providing mercy. Our name does not need to be on it. We are doing this for the kingdom, not so that our church would be known.

Serve in mercy not because of guilt or obligation, but because of God's mercy.