Compassion Hope Community

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Christ the Center”

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:00:31 -0400

2 Corinthians 5 17 “Christ the Center” preached 6/29/08 by Ron Smith
Today’s scripture verse is: “Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!” (from The Message)
Thomas Jefferson used birthing terminology to diplomatically declare 13 colonies independent from the British crown 238 years ago. We still celebrate that birth of a new nation as if it just happened. And this helps you and me to understand what our Bible verse is about. Our nations forefathers wanted a fresh start, creating a nation new – under God indivisible – with liberty and justice for all. All God's children are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Let's drop back to the personal declaration of independence that Paul is talking about in today's passage. Each one of us come from a biological physical family of origin. And God wants to bring us back to His family of “true origin.” God wants to bring you and me back to be united as one of His chosen children. And Jesus the Christ is the way God gives us a fresh start, growing in His love and forgiveness. But first we have to understand our messed-up-ness a little bit.
Imagine trying to start a family all your married life and getting so fed up with not having any children that you and your spouse try all sorts of special fertilization procedures that might be available. Still nothing works. Out of desperation – since you are quite wealthy and have another woman willing to be the surrogate mother for your child – you both arrange in vitro fertilization. But after bearing the son for you, she reneges on her promise and starts claiming full entitlement as a second wife in your otherwise monogamous marriage.
Sounds like a soap opera plot or at least a inside page story from the National Inquirer. But Abraham, Sarah and Hagar had an even more dramatic love triangle in Genesis chapters 21-22, which I toned down and modernized for young ears or the frail at heart. The plot thickens with Sarah finally bears a child (Isaac) and insists that Hagar (the surrogate mother) leave with her and Abraham's son Ishmael in the middle of a wasteland desert. Then, God asks Abraham to give up Isaac too! Abraham had already given up the comfort of familiarity with his homeland, his family, and his friends to journey with God. His past was gone; and now his future looked cloudy.
Many people have told me family stories that are no less tragic or silly. Some of us ache with anxiety, because of being geographically or emotionally separated from a child or grandchild. Some of you are in that situation because of a divorce. Some of us are children from such broken families or you cradle the secret of an extramarital birth in your bosom. Perhaps you remember the many ways that parents invest hope or encouragement in one child more than another.

I'm here to tell you that God's surprising grace invites you to be united with the love, comfort and acceptance of a real person who knows those same disappointments and is ready to give you a fresh start – to make you a new creation.
You can take the baton of His love and forgiveness and move on. When you are united with the Messiah – the chosen one of God – Jesus Christ then your life's journey will be the best it could possibly be. But you must give your best hopes and dreams to God, who will lovingly pour them back on you as a gift of love. Nothing Withheld! In one definition, idolatry is anything that we hold closer to us than God. Seen in this light, many of us stand in danger of breaking the commandments! The story of the sacrifice of Isaac is a call to reflect upon the effect that people, things, and places have upon our walk with God.

Jesus wants to unite with you so that you will have a new life that is so much better than your old one. Think of the ancient aqueducts like the one in this picture, which archeologist assure us once carried fresh water to Jesus and His disciples in Caesarea. But that ruin represents the old life that no longer can sustain life. Jesus offers you a fresh start with living water like He offered an abandoned and rejected woman at the well of Jacob (Abraham's once estranged grandson).
You can have Eternal Security instead of just partial Homeland Security in this world. The nature of real salvation is that it is God initiated (Titus 3:3-4), God accomplished (Titus 3:5), Not by works (Titus 3:5; Romans 4:5), FREE (Romans 3:24; 5:15,16), Before time began (2 Tim. 1:9), Eternal (John 5:24), Satisfactory (1 John 2:2) and Comprehensive (Colossians 2:13-14).
The prophet Isaiah knew what Paul meant with the change from the old life into a new one: “… the former troubles are forgotten… they are hidden from My sight! For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:16-17).

Peter experienced it too: “…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). When you are united with Christ, then you are Justified before God – even if you have made a total mess of your life up to this point (Romans 3:21-26; 6:3-8). Then your new life will blossom and burgeon with things always getting better instead of getting worse (1 Corinthians 1:2; 6:11). Then you are becoming transformed into a citizen of Christ’s Kingdom (Colossians 1:13).
The nature of a saved person who is no longer unchurched or a marginal Christian is that you are assured that you are reconciled before God, because you are United in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16-19), Sealed by His redeeming blood (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30), and Regenerated to a pure and holy condition: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
If you will store the treasures of God in your heart like these assurances of His salvation through Jesus Christ, then you have stored God's promises, which only God can keep (Hebrews 7:25; 10:10-14; Jn 10:27-29).

God chooses to keep His promises, because God loves you more than anyone else possibly can or will (John 6:39-40, 44, 54). Pray the scripture with me, please:
Dear Heavenly Father, I look inside and what I see is that I am bcoming united with the Messiah. And that means that I'm getting a fresh start. I'm being created new. My old life is gone and a new life burgeons and grows. I'm looking at it right now! In the name of Jesus Christ – the chosen Messiah, Amen.

Matthew 9:35 - 10:8 “God’s Spiritual Market Target” preached by Ron Smith

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:00:33 -0400

Matthew 9:35 – 10:8 “God’s Spiritual Market Target” preached 6/15/08 at Dexter Ave. UMC (ending a pastoral ministry there) & 6/22/08 at Hand Memorial UMC (beginning a new pastoral ministry there) by Ron Smith
Do you poop out at parties? Has your get up done got up and went? Where is your whim, wigger and why-tally-tea? Can we treat our spiritual well-being the same way as Lucille Ball's wonder tonic? What does God really want from us? Micah says to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our Lord. Jesus came to shepherd and befriend each one of us, in spite of our failure to be just, merciful and humble. It's not about me. It's about You, God! In post-modern advertising lingo that's God's spiritual market target.
God wants to be much more than a mere commodity for spiritual vitality. He wants to take the lead as your friend – to be the “You focus” of your life, even though the world's marketing strategy tries to keep you “me focused.” God is still targeting the world with His love (John 3:16). His Holy Spirit continues to work through the church as God goes everywhere preaching and teaching and healing. And crowds of people are still gathering with great need (although not always inside church walls). Like Jesus we are called to have compassion for them, because people around the world are still harassed and helpless (Matthew 9:36). We are called to surrender our love to God and to others.
The harvest is plentiful, but there are not enough people to do the work (or at least we're not as peppy as we could be). The mission of Jesus was (and still is) carried out by His disciples who were given authority to act in Jesus' name (Matthew 10:1, 5-8). In order to be His disciples we should encourage and support each other in the community of Christ to live a “You” life in a “Me” world. Three Simple Rules of John Wesley provide one place to start: Do no harm. Do good, Stay in love with God. But this is not an invitation to return to legalism.
God has placed in front of us a constant choice of Life and Good or Death and Evil. Love God, your God. Walk in His ways. Keep His commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live - live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God (Deuteronomy 30:15-16). But like the apostle Paul, I keep failing to keep all the rules and please God. If you're like me, then you'll have to quit being a “law man,” in order to be God’s man and God's woman. Christ’s life shows us how and enables us to do it. We must identify completely with Him. We must be crucified with Christ. Ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that you and I appear righteous before each other or that we carry the best opinion about each other. And we are no longer driven to impress God, either. Christ lives in you and Christ lives in me. Our lives are not “our own,” but we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and me and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:19-20).
When we give up our life for Christ's sake, God promises to free us from the bondage of the law. The love of Christ enables us to do this, because through Him – once God became human, He stayed with us in human form. He humbled Himself even unto death - like us. He didn’t claim special privileges. He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - by the worst kind of death – crucifixion. And because of that obedience, God lifted Christ high and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth - even those long ago dead and buried - will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that He is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father (Philippians 2:8-11). How will you show Him your love and devotion in the future?
Here’s what I want to do, and what God promises to help each of us to do: We should take our everyday, ordinary life - our sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and our walk-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Let's embrace what God is doing for you and me as the best thing we can do for Him. Let's not become well-adjusted to our culture (conformed to this world) so as to automatically fit into it. But instead, let's target our individual attention on God. Then you and I will be changed from the inside out. We have to keep recognizing what God wants from you and me so that we can quickly respond to it. Don't let worldly circumstances drag us down to its level of immaturity. Let God bring the best out of each one of us (Romans 12:1-2) – Amen!
We are tempted to live for ourselves and forget the source of all things—including ourselves. We “do harm” when we conform to a “Me” world and forget that the most important thing is to live for the Divine “You”. God is ready to renew our minds in a polluted “me” world by “doing good” and living out our personal sacrifices instead of allowing the world to squeeze us into its mold. God doesn't just want our generosity. God wants our whole selves. God wants our love and our lives. Jesus wants us to be so devoted in love that our response to Him daily is “as you wish”.
Let us join the angels at God’s throne and praise the Lord with Psalm 150 as obedient instruments to the glory of God - in true worship to the One who wants to be the “You” focus of our lives.