Archive for the ‘Gospel’ Category
Sermon: With “Three-Dom” Comes One Great “Response-Ability”, Part B
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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In this second and last part of this message, Pastor Tim helps us see how we are literally hard wired even in our biological make-up to respond to others with compassion and mercy! This means that giving ourselves away for others is not only possible because of Jesus but easier than we think because of how we are already fearfully and wonderfully made!
Sermon: The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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The Transfiguration of Jesus is a revelation of God’s glory and our place in the glorious life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Sermon: With “Three-Dom” Comes One Great “Response-Ability”, Part A
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, Perichoresis, Relationships, Trinity |
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Our world is enamored with the kind of “freedom” (bondage!) that says “I want to do what I want, when and how I want” but God’s Freedom is countercultural! It is a Freedom where God, in Jesus, gives up His Life for another in Self-sacrificing love! In Jesus and His shared humanity there is a new way and response ability given to us of the Father, Son and Spirit to exercise freedom in our relationships! We are now free FOR others in self-giving love, and especially toward the weak, rather than simply free from sin or other things.
Lazarus, the Rich Man, and the Prodigal Son
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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Here’s a modern conflation of two parables: “Lazarus and the Rich Man” and “The Prodigal Son”. I mean to evoke the sense of surprise that I think Jesus’ audiences would have experienced when they first heard these stories. I think we have lost that sense of surprise because we’ve heard them so many times that we don’t get the punch line as they did.
Once upon a time there was a job-creating millionaire who only used legal tax loopholes and went to a church that really preached the Bible and had great worship music. Down the road from him lived a gay social worker named Lazarus who was raised Catholic but hadn’t been to church in years. The social worker’s heart went out to his clients because he never had enough resources to help them – but times were tough and the job-creating Bible-believer didn’t want his taxes being given to food stamp recipients by gay bureaucrats.
The time came when the lapsed Catholic died and was carried off to heaven. The job-creator also died and was buried. When the millionaire saw that Lazarus had been welcomed into the celebration of heaven, with a ring on his finger and a robe around his shoulders, he became angry and refused to go in. He found himself outside the party, so angry and resentful that he felt like he was burning alive.
So Jesus came to him, in the Father’s name and the power of the Holy Spirit, to plead with him to be reconciled, but he answered “all my life I followed all the rules in the Bible that I agreed with and never once did you give me a yacht so that I could party with my friends – but when this lazy, sinful, thief shows up you tell me I have to share heaven with him.”
Jesus replied, “you are both the beloved children of my Father, reconciled in my life, death, resurrection, and ascension – and all the life of heaven belongs to you and him together.”
To which the millionaire replied, “Forget you! and forget him too! I don’t have to share anything with anyone – but if he’s so wonderful and righteous, tell him to share a bit of heaven with me and bring me some bottled water.”
“Sorry,” Jesus said, “but you need to spend some time experiencing the pain that comes from kicking against the life of the Trinity. Remember, in your lifetime you were an insider, who thought God loved you more than Lazarus, and you had everything your way. But Lazarus always felt excluded and he was forced to throw his lot in with all the other “losers” that you thought were cursed by my Father. As a result you have grown up to be a self-centered jackass but Lazarus has grown up to understand the true meaning of gracious acceptance and the communion of the Holy Spirit.”
“Great Scott!” the millionaire exclaimed, “everything about God seems to be the exact opposite of what I thought. You know, I’ve got a lot of friends and family who don’t have a clue about this stuff – maybe you could send Lazarus to warn them.”
“Brother, please,” Jesus laughed, “if they haven’t been convinced by the Son of God returning from the dead then they sure won’t be convinced by the resurrection of a gay social worker.”
~ Jonathan Stepp
Sermon: The Restoration of Humanity
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Evangelism, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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Jesus’ healing of the leper speaks to us about the depths to which God will go in order to restore humanity and bring us into his life as Father, Son, and Spirit.
Sermon: Jesus, the Holy One of God
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Evangelism, Gospel, Ministry, Perichoresis, Prayer, Trinity |
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Exorcism was a major part of Jesus’ ministry. What does this tell us about our lives and the gospel?
Sermon: Speak, Lord, For Your Servant is Listening, Part A
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Church, Gospel, Relationships, Trinity |
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This message is a proclamation of God’s Good News set in the Old Testament Book of Samuel. It also includes a brief but powerful sex education class rooted in our life with each other in the Trinity.
Can One Really Fall From Grace?
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, Ministry, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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Recently, I read an article about a pastor who, because of his indiscretions, stepped down from his pulpit, at least temporarily. The headline read “[Pastor’s name] Falls From Grace”. Of course, implied in this headline is the idea that if a pastor can fall from Grace then anyone and everyone can fall from grace IF we sin too!
The humiliation and circumstances surrounding the pastor and sometimes ourselves certainly seems to indicate that we have fallen from grace, but have we? Is it true? Did the pastor fall from grace? Can you REALLY fall from grace?
According to the Revelation of God in Jesus Christ (the Word of God), and in another word, no! No, in one instance, because grace simply wouldn’t be grace if you had to do anything worthy of it, or earn it or deserve it! I am sure you’ve heard that before, and it is true. But there is an even greater and more firm confirmation revealed in the Gospel!
You see, grace, just like the words “gospel” or “Good News” is not primarily a concept or a word, but a Person – specifically the Person of Jesus Christ! (Titus 1:3, 2:11) In His very Person, and in His being God Incarnate (literally, “in flesh”) as man, Jesus is forever, HIMSELF, the favor and salvation of all humanity. In other words, Jesus is not just God the Father, Son and Spirit’s plan for Adopting mankind into His relationship (Eph 1:3-5), He is also, at one and the same time, mankind’s and the world’s perpetual Salvation. (John 3:16)
The importance of seeing things this way is in seeing that God’s saving us is not an afterthought. It’s not like we fell from God’s grace when we sinned and then He scrambled furiously deciding he would send Jesus to save us with the proviso that we decide to get and do things right! Hitting more at home, it’s not like you fall from the Father’s grace when you (or the pastor!) sin, and God scrambles, promising to save you in Jesus if you get and do things right!
Under that kind of “plan of salvation” no one would be saved by grace, they would be saved by works, or faith, or something other than or in addition to Jesus Himself. (Eph 2:4) That would certainly not make Jesus THE Savior of the world (John 4:42) but only a partial one. And a partial Savior is simply not something the Gospel or scriptures speak about. (Eph 1:18-23)
No! God’s favor toward us in Jesus is a FORETHOUGHT! At one and the same time, and in one and the same Jesus, God decided not only to include us in His Life (adoption) but also to uphold us in Jesus from before the foundation of the world (salvation). Astoundingly, at the same time we were created in Christ Jesus from before the foundation of the world, all of humanity, and every part of our humanity, was also saved in Him!
For us, for YOU, God the Father, Son and Spirit had only one plan – Creation & Redemption in the One Man Jesus! In the truest sense, not only can you or anyone not fall from Grace, because of Who Jesus is and who all people are in Him, you can only fall into grace and more grace! HaHa! (Romans 5:18-21)
Finally, I would like to add that, in the light of the pastor I referred to at the beginning of this article, I do believe it is possible to fall because of preaching grace AND to fall because you haven’t preached grace! Grace is quite the scandal in the minds of a works-oriented culture and can sometimes lead to a pastor being ousted from his or her congregation. Jesus told a parable about this very scandal and it still is one! (Matt 20:1-16) People who think they have earned more than others can hate God the Father for being gracious and sharing Jesus with and for us all.
On the other hand, if a preacher preaches everything but the true Gospel of God’s grace they will often fall from their position as pastor too. This is what I think happened to the pastor I am referring to. This happens because people tend to judge you the way you judge them. If you only preach law or morality as the Gospel then, when you inevitably break the law and get caught, people judge you by what you preached – law and morality – and condemn you accordingly! However, if you preach God’s Gospel of grace, people will tend to judge you in the same way and not condemn you, accordingly…….at least a few of them will judge you graciously! HaHa! (Matt 7:1-2)
Regardless, there is no condemnation to any of us who are in Jesus Christ (all of Humanity! Rom. 8:1) and regardless of how pleasurable or painful we might have to experience it depending on our hard-headedness, there is only grace and more grace to fall into! Be encouraged!
~ Timothy J. Brassell
Sermon: Everything Has Been Baptized in Jesus’ Baptism
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Church, Evangelism, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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This Message shares the Good News of God the Father, Son and Spirit by giving clarity and insight on what Jesus’ Baptism means for Everyone and Everything, and therefore, what our distinct participation in baptism REALLY is a sign of. It especially explores the issue of why Jesus was baptized.
You and Me
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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The gospel isn’t just about you. And the gospel isn’t just about me. It’s about you and me, together, included in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We live in a world that likes to divide people up: insiders and outsiders, good and evil, friend and enemy. Against the fallen system of this world Jesus speaks of one, new, undivided humanity (Eph. 2:15) in which everyone is reconciled (Col. 1:20) and everyone is included in Jesus’ redeeming work (Rom 5:18).
Jesus speaks a very strong word to us about this new humanity that exists in him. He says we should love our enemies (Matt. 5:44) give to those who ask for our help (Matt. 5:42) and take care of those who are strangers among us (Heb. 13:2). When we understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is about all of us – you and me together – we can no longer participate in this world’s system of division, exclusion, and hatefulness.
Here in the United States we are entering into a year of political debate as we prepare to elect new leaders. As you listen to our politicians over the coming year I challenge you to pay attention to who is talking about life as we know it to be in Jesus. Who is talking about inclusion? Who is talking about helping those in need and caring for the strangers among us? Who is calling our society to be a place of unity, inclusion, and care for others? Those are the politicians we should be supporting because they are the ones who are speaking out of the truth of who we all are in Christ.
We should support them because life itself, lived out in human society in the light of the gospel of Christ, is not just about you and what’s good for you. And it’s not just about me and what’s good for me. Life is about you and me, together, included in the life of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
~ Jonathan Stepp