The Work Is Done

(Audio recording of this sermon is not available.)

This is a sermon that was given during a worship service in which the sacrament of communion was celebrated. It is based on the words of Jesus as He hung on the cross, "It is finished." The message focuses on the various things Jesus stated He came into the world to do, and how He completed the tasks He was "assigned."

Written Excerpts:

John 19:30 ^(NKJV) So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Introduction:

I’m sure that I am talking to people who in one form or another have experienced the sheer joy and relief of finishing a difficult project, job or assignment. I remember various kinds of jobs or assignments that initiated huge sighs of relief when I finally finished them.

·     Research papers in college

·     Graduation from college

·     Master’s Thesis

·     Graduation from seminary

·     Building a large deck on our house in Ohio

Some of you are already aware that Kris and I will be traveling to Ohio in two weeks to watch our son Andy graduate from law school. What a relief for us – but how much more relief for him!

What comes to your mind?

In the account of the crucifixion that was read for our Scripture lesson today, we heard the reading of the gospel in which it is recorded, “when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

What was Jesus speaking about when He said, “It is finished.”?

The answer to this question is not really difficult. There are a few different answers that have been proposed, but there seems to be one answer that stands out as the accepted one by most Bible teachers and scholars.

We are told that there is just one word in Greek that is translated, “It is finished.” The word “tetelestai” τετελεσται means to bring to an end or finish.

Jesus is saying that all He came into the world to do and to bear has come to an end, has been accomplished or is finished. There are a number of things that Jesus came into this world to do, and everything has been accomplished. What are the things He finished? Well, the answer can be found by looking at Scriptures where Jesus himself or other writers of Scripture tell why He came.

Listen to these Scriptures in which Jesus talks about what He came to do, and ask yourself if each one has been completed and finished.

Matthew 5:17 ^(NKJV) "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 

Lived a perfect life, thus fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law. Provided Himself as the perfect Lamb of God as a sacrifice for sin.

Matthew 10:34 ^(NKJV) "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 

Matthew 10:35 ^(NKJV) For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 

Luke 12:51 ^(NKJV) Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 

As perfect as Jesus was; as loving and kind as He was; as wise and sensitive as He was; He still became a “polarizing figure.” Not everyone was happy to know Him or to hear His message.

Luke 12:49 ^(NKJV) "I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!  

Luke 5:32 ^(NKJV) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

John 10:10 ^(NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 12:46 ^(NKJV) I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

1 John 3:8b ^(NKJV) For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 

Over and above all that we have said so far, Jesus came to provide eternal redemption for all of mankind. He came to rescue humanity and bring us back into relationship with our heavenly Father.

John 6:38 ^(NKJV) For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 

The will of the Father from before the foundation of the world was the redemption of humanity.

Hebrews 9:12 ^(NKJV) Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 

As Jesus hung there on the cross, there are a number of “assignments” that he could say had been completed, as we have already explained… But, the single-most important assignment given to the Son by the Father was the purchase of humanity by His own blood; His own sacrifice of His own life. This was the plan from before the creation of the world, and now it is finished.

Hebrews 1:3b ^(NKJV) … when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Many Bible scholars have indicated that the “posture” of the Lord indicates His work is done, and He has entered His ministry of reigning in a position of high honor.

Over and over the phrase “once for all” has been used in connection with Christ’s sacrifice. His work of redemption is done, and every person who accepts it by faith for himself or herself is promised the benefits of His sacrifice in forgiveness of sins.

What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Love Your Neighbor

(Audio recording of this message is not available.)

This is a sermon that is based on Matthew 22:39 in which Jesus describes the 2nd greatest commandment as "love your neighbor as yourself." The sermon attempts to explain what it means to love others as ourselves, and how love for God is inevitably linked to our love for others.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 22:39 ^(NKJV) And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Introduction:

I remember reading a joke many years ago that went something like this:

The new pastor in town was walking down the street and happened to meet up with a young boy.

Pastor: “Are you afraid of the devil?”

Boy: “I wouldn’t be afraid of a little devil like me, but I’d be afraid of a big devil like you!”

When it comes to “loving our neighbor,” most of us, if we’re honest, would admit that it is pretty easy to love a neighbor like me, but not necessarily a neighbor like you!

Last Sunday I spoke to you from a previous verse in Matt. 22, regarding the “greatest commandment” – love God with all your heart, your soul, and your mind. That statement was the answer Jesus gave to the question, “What is the greatest commandment of all?” Jesus did not stop after giving the greatest commandment, however. He continues to give the inquirers the 2^nd greatest commandment – love your neighbor as yourself.

(Lenski NT Commentary) – The point in quoting this commandment in addition to the other is in this instance not the fact that love to God includes love to our neighbor, which is true enough; but that the quality and the high character of both commandments are "alike." 

Lit. – “like to this;” in quality it is like the love we have toward God. (Lenski)

The Scripture reading provided a short time ago was taken from the Gospel of Luke and it addresses the same question, but from a little different perspective. In this account in Luke, Jesus gives the story of the “Good Samaritan” in order to answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?” The story has many excellent teaching points in it, but overall, Jesus uses the illustration to show that being a true neighbor means helping out anyone that is in need.

There have various times over the past several years that I’ve come to this conclusion: There really isn’t a difficult answer to the question, “How does God want me to reach others for him?” The simple answer is: “Show them the love of Christ.”

That is not always easy for a couple of reasons:

1) People are often not very likeable and therefore it’s not easy to offer them love.

2) Sometimes it is not easy to determine what course of action is the best way to demonstrate genuine love.

This morning I want to speak to you about the Lord’s expectation of His children to “love their neighbors.”

I.      Our love for others should match our love for self.

Jesus is quoting the OT passage and reminds us that we must give the same love, respect, care and concern for others as we would give ourselves. This was readily understood by many Jews to be fitting for those who were your friends or those who did the same for you, but…

Jesus, expands the meaning in other passages by saying: “Love your enemies.” Why? Well, partly because your enemy still qualifies as your “neighbor.”

Self-centeredness is an obstacle to loving your neighbor, but…

Self-interest is necessary in order to love your neighbor.

When we are instructed to love our neighbor as ourselves, it is understood and assumed that we actually do love ourselves.

Ephesians 5:28-29 ^(NKJV) So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.

(Wm. Klein, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – A basic, human self-love is a given; it is understandable, and it is valid. Self-hatred is a pathology; healthy people do not hate themselves. Paul states that no one does.

It is not that self-hatred does not occur, but it is not normal. Paul’s statement here is speaking of the norm. So, there is a sense in which we must love ourselves in order to love others properly. That is, we must see ourselves as products of God’s divine love, design and purpose, not some cosmic mistake that evolved from slime billions of years ago. We must see ourselves as individuals created in the image of God and thus able to see our neighbors in the same light.

If we understand that we deserve love and respect, then so does our “neighbor.”

II.    Our love for others is inseparably tied to our love for God.

I quoted Lenski a little earlier who said, the quality and the high character of both commandments are "alike."

The Apostle John clearly declares that it is not possible to love God and not love one another or “our brother.”

1 John 4:7 ^(NKJV) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

1 John 4:11 ^(NKJV) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

1 John 4:20 ^(NKJV) If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 

As I already alluded to a few moments ago, we must love others, because every one of them are created in God’s image. No matter how marred and scarred the “image” may be, they are still made in the image of God. You can’t really, genuinely love God with all of your being and yet have disdain for God’s highest creation.

In addition,

According to Scripture, our love for God is the motivation for “doing all we do for the glory of God.” When we love Him, we want to exalt Him and glorify Him. We want God to be applauded. We want our lives and actions to draw attention to Him. It naturally follows that we would want other humans that were created with the same purpose to also be involved in glorifying God. Part of loving God means doing whatever we can to enlist more and more people into giving glory to God.

III.   Our love for others is not primarily a feeling.

The Greek word used for love in these commands is not the word that conveys feelings of admiration, or affection. Rather, it is the word that conveys intelligence and purpose (Lenski), along with commitment and sacrifice.

As such, it isn’t about “warm, fuzzy feelings.” It has more to do with actions that convey concern, empathy, and demonstration of God’s love for them. It has often been said, “Love is a verb.” Meaning it is more often about what you do than what you feel.

If we had time, there are plenty of stories we could share about ways people have demonstrated love for others. “Loving our neighbor” isn’t always about doing really big things. Sometimes it is being sensitive enough and willing to just pause and do the little things. I don’t know where this event happened, but I read about it several months ago.

Here is a story I read on the internet several months ago: After her grandson's tennis lesson, Joyce took her grandson to Rita's Italian Ice for a treat. As they were about to leave, she noticed a sweet family all enjoying ice cream together and she stopped. "Something urged me to ask them if I could take their picture, which they did not hesitate to agree," she shared on Facebook. "I took this picture and then handed my phone to the young daughter and told her to go ahead and text the picture to their cell phone."

On their way home, Joyce explained to her grandson that this isn't the first time she's offered to capture a sweet family moment for complete strangers so that they can have a special memory. Days later, she looked at her phone and noticed a text message from an unsaved number:

Dear Madam, you took our picture in front of Rita's on June 8th. My wife has passed away yesterday and this is the last picture we have together as a family. Please accept my deepest gratitude for your kindness, it means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Joyce continued texting the father and learned that his wife had been sick for the past year. "Never underestimate a simple act of random kindness," she wrote. "My heart is heavy for this sweet family that I don't even know and the tremendous gift that was left to them because I listened to my gut that day. I'm in awe!"

Conclusion:

You might have already guessed that I have brought this message today for a specific reason – We’re getting ready to start an outreach into our neighborhood. I want us to not only be prepared mentally and spiritually in our hearts with the right motives, but I want you to be praying and asking God what part you are going to share.

Here are some of the jobs that will need to be done:

·     People to prepare the packets we’re going to distribute.

·     People to visit the homes on all of the surrounding roads in our general neighborhood.

·     People who will be committed to pray for the people and the literature going out.

·     People who will be willing to follow-up on possible needs we might be able to fill.

·     People who will be willing to be on call to serve needs we discover through our outreach.

o Sit with the lonely

o Transport folk to appointments

o Prepare a meal/clean a house

o Basic home repairs/lawn repair, etc.

So you see, loving our neighbor is more than just saying it. It is more than likely going to require work and sacrifice.

James 2:15-16 ^(NKJV) If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

Closing song: The Servant Song  

Loving God

(Audio recording of this sermon is not available.)

This message is based on Matthew 22:37-38 in which Jesus defines the "Greatest Commandment." The sermon attempts to describe what all is involved in truly loving God and the remedy for any obstacles that hinder such love.

Written Excerpts:

Matthew 22:37-38 ^(NKJV) Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment.

Introduction:

If I asked you to think of a phrase that people use all the time but you get the impression that it has really lost its true meaning for them. You can pretty much tell that they’re just saying it because everyone says it. What would you give as an example?

How about:

“Come and see me sometime.” Or “We need to get together more often.”

“You’re looking good.”

“It’s good to see you!” 

“That was a good sermon!”

I’m sure we can think of many other phrases that people frequently use because they’re so common, but they have really lost their meaning. I hope I don’t offend anyone, because I’m really not thinking of anyone in particular and I don’t even remember if anyone here typically says this, but how about this phrase… “I love the Lord with all my heart.” I’m sure that many people say this phrase with a great deal of sincerity, but I’m also quite sure there are people who may not truly mean it, or even understand its true meaning.

It seems that some people simply learn how to repeat phrases they hear in church without truly having a personal experience of what they say. I have often come to the conclusion that there are many people in our churches these days who have never truly had a genuine conversion through the Holy Spirit, but they’ve learned a fairly sizeable religious vocabulary that allows them to say the “right things” without really experiencing the transforming grace of God in their hearts and lives.

This is why I believe there are those who say they love God with all their hearts, but really do not understand what that means. 

There are two basic questions I want us to ponder this morning:

1.   What does it mean to say, “I love God with all my heart, soul, and mind”?

2.   What are the primary things that prevent us from loving God so supremely?

So let us consider what the Bible has to offer as answers to these questions.

1.   What does it mean to say, “I love God with all my heart, soul and mind”?

Many people have tried to dissect this statement made by Jesus and they emphasize the difference between loving God with the heart vs. the soul or vs. the mind. Some theologians and Bible scholars do not believe that such distinctions are necessary for properly understanding this verse. Rather, it is a common way for referring to the “whole person.” They are not exclusive of each other. For example, the mind might refer more to the intellectual commitment, but the heart also is viewed as having this capacity – “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

In his commentary, D.A. Carson says these are overlapping categories that together emphasize our love for God with our “whole person, our every faculty, and capacity.” (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised)

To love God in this way can mean nothing less than what we mean when we profess to love our spouse or our children with our whole being. It is to passionately desire their greatest good and pleasure, to be totally committed to their joy and happiness, and to be undivided in loyalty and devotion. It includes the keeping of God’s commands (1 Jn. 5:3-This is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.) 

But it is much, much more than mere performance of a lawful duty.

“whole” – the repetition of the word “whole” is purposely used to show great emphasis. “God will have no mere part, allow no division or subtraction.” (Lenski)

Some people believe and preach that it is not possible to love God in this way, because we are flawed human beings. I know as well as anyone how flawed I am and how flawed all of us are. But, how cruel would it be for the Lord to lay this out as our main duty and priority if it isn’t possible? 

As I have said in previous sermons, it may not be possible to be perfect in our performance, but it certainly is possible to be filled with a heart of love for God. The problem we face is the fact that there are too many other obstacles that tend to obstruct our love from being what it ought to be.

2. What are the primary obstacles to loving God in such a manner?

Self – self-will; self-centeredness; self-interest…

Our main problem is that “Self” wants to be on the throne and in control. “Self” wants to be pampered and catered to. We want what we want and when we want it.

It is impossible to serve two masters, Jesus said. It is impossible to love God with all there is in us if self-will and self-centeredness has not been dealt with.

(D.A. Carson, Expositor's Bible Commentary, Revised) – Love in the truest sense demands abandonment of self to God, and God alone is the adequate incentive for such abandonment.

In other words, “we can’t truly, genuinely love God the way we should unless we abandon ourselves to God, and the good news is, God alone is worthy of that kind of surrender.”

The world

1 John 2:15 ^(NKJV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

World – κόσμος, kósmos, properly "order," with the suggestion of beauty; thence the material universe, as the great example of such order; then the moral universe, the total system of intelligent creatures, perhaps sometimes including angels (1 Cor. 4:9), but as a rule human beings only; then, in view of the fact of universal human failure, humanity in its sinful aspect, the spirit and forces of fallen humanity regarded as antagonistic to God and to good, "all around us which does not love God." (The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

Kosmos is frequently used by John. Paul often uses the word, “aion,” “age” “indefinite time” “with frequent connotations of the content of time, its influences and powers…” Cf. Romans 12:2 – “Be not conformed to this world…”

In John’s context it seems to be emphasizing the placing of affections on all that is material and temporal. In Paul’s usage, it seems to be emphasizing a philosophical way of looking at life. That is, the value system of this age without God or salvation. In either case, it is placing value on things that man values vs. the things that God values. It is allowing our affections and our devotion to be divided and directed toward something other than God.

To view this in light of the Old Testament message, it is truly nothing else but idolatry.

Notice that John says if we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us. He is not allowing for the possibility that we can love God a lot and we can still reserve some love for the world. No, he is saying that when we allow our affections to be attached to this world, then the true love of God is not even in us.

Conclusion:

What is the remedy for the heart, soul and mind that is not truly loving God?

It is the cleansing of the Holy Spirit.

It is the filling of the Holy Spirit.

It is the hot pursuit of the Lord and a complete surrender of self.

God is deserving of all our love. He deserves nothing less.

Let us give ourselves completely and totally to Him.

Stand and sing with me the closing hymn: Something for Thee