Grace Abounds

October 4, 2015 (Sunday) 5:00pm First Chinese Baptist Church, San Gabriel Valley

Scripture: Hosea 11:1-11 Title: “O Love that Will Not Let Us Go!”

Hosea was a prophet that lived the message that he preached from God. He experienced the lived reality of what it means to love in a covenantal relationship. The message of Hosea is that God is abundantly faithful, even when the Israelites were radically unfaithful to him. We see from Hosea the tenderness of God’s love as a Father to his child, and as committed to Israel as a Husband to a prostitute and harlot. Hosea is a book with a narrative and prophecy.

Luke 14:25-35 The Cost of Being a Disciple

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. 34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

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Title: “Salty Salt” Scripture: Luke 14:25-35

Introduction

Luke’s main focus for his Gospel account is that Jesus came to save the least, the last, and the lost. When was the last time you were ask to do something that you really didn’t want to? Or maybe you have resolved that you would go on missions for Jesus or to a faraway land for the Gospel cause. But, it has to have running water, a hot shower, a toilet sit on (not squat), and food that tastes good and is instagram worthy. In our modern North American Christianity, we are comfortable to say the least. We live lives that are largely without persecution and free from real struggles and hardships. Our goal often times is to maintain our comfortability of the Gospel and shy away from the price and the cost of discipleship. Jesus, in today’s passage, challenges the listener to consider our priorities and our things of importance.

Relational Cost of Discipleship (2)

Whoever does not hate father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, even his own life……...cannot be my disciple. (v. 26)

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me.…cannot be my disciple. (v. 27)

Material Cost of Discipleship (1)

Therefore, anyone of you who does not renounce all that he has………. cannot be my disciple. (v. 33)

Two illustrations

Building a tower (v. 28-30)

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

Looking before you Leap

Fighting a war (31-32)

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace.

You MUST Leap

The point is not that we should count the cost and shy away if the task is too daunting. The reality is that we don’t have the means or the solution to our problem. The point is not to gather all we have and see how we squeeze by. The reality is that we couldn’t do it and Jesus did it all. We were helpless, hopeless, and in utter defeat when the Gospel grace met us on calvary’s mountain.

So the question is not the cost, rather is it worth it to follow?

Jesus is the only person in history to ever claim that if you find him you will find yourself.

Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Apostle Paul

Philippians 3:4b-11 If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal,a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had,  I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of  the surpassing worth of  knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

The Gospel isn’t about us, its all about Jesus.

Isn’t this all just the lived reality of faith?

“Gazing of the soul upon a Saving God”- A.W. Tozer

“Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer (Satan) who said ‘I will set my throne above the throne of God.’ Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.”- A.W. Tozer

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Salty Salt….Soy Sauce….

34 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

The whole point of a disciple

You have ONE job

Don’t be worthless and useless

Salt

Seasoning

Preserving

Fertilizing

Scripture: Hebrews 11 Title: "Pilgrims On the Way"

Introduction

I have entitled this morning’s sermon, “Pilgrims On the Way”. And what I mean by that is that we are pilgrims on this journey of faith as we often hear in the Scriptures. When we say pilgrim we often think of these people with funny gold buckled shoes and tall hats and bonnets that we celebrate on Thanksgiving every year. But, in the Bible, one of the many titles that a Christian is considered is a pilgrim.

Full Definition of PILGRIM 1:  one who journeys in foreign lands :  wayfarer 2:  one who travels to a shrine or holy place as a devotee 3 capitalized :  one of the English colonists settling at Plymouth in 1620

So, what I want to preach on this morning is twofold. First, I want to talk about the marks of a pilgrim. In other words, the character of a pilgrim. Second, I want to talk with you about the motivation of a pilgrim. What keeps a pilgrim going and why. I think we often experience or can attest to the reality that being a Christian is not always smooth sailing and at times, we even question what the Christian life is all about.

Marks of a Pilgrim (verse 13-16)

Promise- Hold Fast (verse 13)

What is eternity about? Heaven?

Is heaven just a eternal worship services?

Harps and robes and halos

If heaven was a place with everything we wanted, wished, and hoped for in our prayers, but Jesus was not there, is that heaven?

Life in the trinity

Union vs. Communion

Called into the eternal community of love in the trinity

Anticipation and faithfulness

Strangers- Don’t Belong (verse 13)

Two Greatest Needs: Identity and Community

Temporary...passing by

College apt.  or vacation

Are we there yet?!?

Not of this world. In the world, but not of the world

Eternity- Longing and Seeking (verse 14-15)

Colossians 3:2-3, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God”

You are on the road already, can’t go back!

God- Calling and Preparing (verse 16)

A heavenly country

God is preparing and calling

Temples- Presence of God

Garden of Eden

Tabernacle

Temple

Jesus

Us- Holy Spirit

Eternity- Revelation

Motivations of a Pilgrim

FAITH

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1

What is faith in its essence or the philosophy of faith...not just functionally.

“Gazing of the soul upon a Saving God”- A.W. Tozer

“Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer (Satan) who said ‘I will set my throne above the throne of God.’ Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.”- A.W. Tozer

For us…

Hebrews 12:1-3, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Conclusion

As Christians, we often cling so tightly to the world we are in and we don’t “lay aside every weight and sin”. We are pilgrims on the way to a land and country that is far greater than we can ever think or imagine. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul? What would a man give in exchange for his soul? Fix your eyes on Jesus!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised; Believe Him, and all will be well: Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell!

Scripture: Luke 7:36-50

Title: "Great Forgiveness Leads to Great Love"...Much Forgiven, Much Love

Introduction

Recently, I really started thinking about the Christian life and what it means to be a Christian. What does it mean to be Christian? Because, so often it is easy to go through the motions and "live" the Christian life...maybe not THRIVE. We can go about praying, fasting, singing, reading, churching...etc. and everything may seem a-okay. And just fine. "How are you?" Fine. Good. But, on the inside we can totally be dying and suffering and struggling.

It's easy to ACT Christian and to live like we are supposed to. How many of you speak another language? How about Christian-ese?

Grace

Sin

Fellowship

Travel mercies

Etc.

In our culture, we have this obsession of projecting a mask that we are certain way or that we seem certain way and do certain things. Our facebooks and instagrams become not journals of our lives but little shrines built for the god of self and to immortalize us in cyberspace. Tell me this, what are things you post on facebook and instagram. Its always the perfect moments or the moments we want to show off something or someone. It easy to make it look like a great fine and dandy life and totally miss the whole point of the gospel.

Passage

Pharisee

Invited Jesus to dinner at his house

Did not do the customer things that host does to ANYONE that enters...not just a prophet

Judged Jesus' actions and response to the woman

Verse 39- IF this man were a prophet. Doubting he is a prophet. And if he is he should have known better.

Talk about the church and how separate ourselves from the world. Do our own little Christianese

Sinful Woman

Heard about Jesus and what he could do

Came with the intent to meet Jesus, because she was so broken

Stood behind and wept and anointed and wiped

She was so broken and felt so hopeless and just couldn't hold it all in. She just fell open and realized who she really was.

On the one end, we have a pharisee who had it all together, who prayed, fasted, and kept "clean". He was appalled at Jesus' interaction with the sinful women. On the other, the sinful woman was raw and open to what Jesus could do that she could not. She removed the mask and sat at the feet of Jesus in humility and brokenness.

We as a church act like this. If these two people walked down the aisle of this church, we would probably identify with the "holier" one and not the one that is "sinful". We stay in our bomb shelters and hide from the world instead of being the lighthouse that sends us out. We want to have it all together.

Parable

VERSE 41-42, "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Realize we have a great debt.

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Illustration

Realize we are unable to pay the debt.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord"

Illustration- Pool (50 feet of water and 500 feet of water)

Realize that Jesus paid the price of the debt and forgave us.

Romans 5:8 "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

Illustration

In his autobiography, Charles Haddon Spurgeon spends a chapter telling of the five years of soul-agony he went through before he got saved at age 15. Although he was outwardly a Bible-reading, church-going son of a pastor in Victorian England, the Holy Spirit took him deeper and deeper in seeing his own pride, self-righteousness, self-sufficiency, and unbelief. He observes that much of the flimsy piety in his day (his comments are still true) was due to the fact that people professed salvation without any deep conviction of sin. He states, “Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior. He who has stood before his God, convicted and condemned, with the rope about his neck, is the man to weep for joy when he is pardoned, to hate the evil which has been forgiven him, and to live to the honor of the Redeemer by whose blood he has been cleansed” (C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography [Banner of Truth], 1:54). He later remarks that he thought that he loved Christ better and could preach Him better to others because he was led to see the depths of his own sinfulness before he came to salvation (ibid., p. 85).

Closing

It is because of our great debt and utter inability to pay it that God came in the flesh of Jesus. I believe this is what the Beatitudes mean when it says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven". Often times we live the mentality of that famous quote that speaks so clearly of the American Dream, "when you get to the end of your rope...tie a knot and hang on". But, I think the Gospel pleads for something else. It is the realization that we can't do it anymore and we are just tired of trying and pretending its all okay. It is to understand that we have a Savior that refuses to write us off. God's love for us is for us in this moment is the same as it has always been. There is nothing that you can do to get him to love you more or anything you do that will have him love you less. It is always to the fullest that He loves. Take off the mask and cling to the cross of Jesus Christ just as you are let the Gospel do its work in your life.

We long to hear the words, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace".

A recent message I preached for REACh New Year's Rally on January 9, 2015. 

Romans 12:1-2  English Standard Version (ESV)

A Living Sacrifice

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Gospel Flips Our World

Where do you find worth? What do you worship in your life? What are the most recent trends and fashions that we cling to and pursue? Is it the fact of finding value and self-worth in the number of likes on facebook or likes on instagram? For some its in the latest fashion or trends or the best and newest gadgets.

When something big happens in your life you are changed, whether be for the better or for the worse. When someone saves your life, you view that person differently or act differently or even give your life to the service of them. What do you believe in in? What is the bedrock and foundation of why and how you do things? When the storms of life come, what do you cling to and hold dear? If all is lost what must you have? In desperation, who do you call out to?

Our Beliefs Should Impact Our Behavior. Our beliefs need to impact and shape how we behave and do things.

A Call to Commitment: Offer your bodies Verse 1

Worship with your All. Offer your BODIES as a living sacrifice.

Worshipin Response. In view of God's mercy or by the mercies of God. In reaction to the gospel. Reasonable act of worship, true and proper worship. LOGICAL worship --> Suppose to do it, it makes sense, its common sense. DUH.

Holy and Pleasing. Modifiers of how we worship, what the sacrifice is like.

OT Explanation for animal sacrifices.

OT you worshipped to gain God's mercy. NT you worship because of God's mercy!

Jesus CHANGES and REDEEMS worship.

A Call to Change (to be changed): Renew your mind Verse 2

Transformation comes from Nonconformity. Molds and patterns. Squished into a shape or a way of living. Rather than being defined by the world or this age, be defined as the identity of being a child of God and nothing else. Live in response to the mercies of God.

Renewing Your Mind.Christ-minded. Jesus thinking. Be transformed by renewing your mind. This enables us to test and approve, see and understand what God's will is. To replace a bad habit, gain a new one. To be transformed by God we must let him! Seek him in word and in prayer. A renewed life looks like the rest of the chapter.

God redeems and restores His creation by his sovereign plan to renew the minds and to conform us to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. Offer your body. Renew your mind.

As Chuck Swindoll put it, a person has two important days in their life. The first being the day they were born, their birthday. And the second, the day that they discover the reason for which they were born. In other words, the first is the when we are born and the second is the why we were born. 

Often times we go about our lives trying to discover the meaning and the purpose we have here on earth. For some, they look for answers in the world around them. This could be in the pleasures and treasures of life or the fame and status. Others look for answers and meaning in the emotional and tangibles, like relationships and community. On the opposite end, others ignore this question entirely and simply place the existence of oneself and the entire humankind in mere biological coincidence. However, for many we are forced to face this persistent question in our lives because of the pain and suffering one may experience simply from existing. Life comes with sickness and death, heartaches and brokenness. 

Why am I here? What am I created for?

At every stage in life, these questions come up over and over again. Whether it be the transition into college and higher education and being forced to “major” in something or the transition into finding work, we are plastered with thoughts on these questions. We begin to look into our passions and likings to discover what we would enjoy doing. Then we start looking into our talents and skills and figure out what we are good at doing. However, the question comes up in every person’s life, at every stage in life…what does God want me to do? What is his will?

Whether it is explicit or revealed that is another fact, but God has a pre-ordained will and predestined reign over everyone’s life. This is true, whether you believe in Him or not. God, in His grace, has set out a plan for the salvation of all who believe in Jesus and the perfect work He accomplished on the cross and through the grave. From grace to glory, God has one dominant goal and that is to make us like Jesus and to conform us to his likeness. However, in this hanging balance of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, the nagging questions still comes up. What is God’s will for my life? If we are to trust that we are truly God’s workmanship created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), then we are to understand we were created with a purpose. 

How blessed is that day that we discover why were born! At this point in the post, I wish I had an answer or a method or simply a formula to figure all that out. But the reality is this, everyone’s path is different and everyone’s story is unique. Although all of our themes are the same, that being God sanctifying us, the means in which He does it is different. I wish there was a way to succinctly discover what God’s will is for each of us, but the blessed truth is that there is not one way. 

The encouragement, however, is to pray for God to do his work. That in our prayers we are not trying to conform or change the will of God, rather he is conforming our hearts to what He has in store. So, keep looking and testing and approving to discover if it is truly the will of God (Romans 12:2). Hold your plans against the perfect word of God in the Scriptures and see it either crumble or multiply. And may we all come to find that second important day in our lives. 

There is one notion, however, and that is where our passions and talents intersect with the will of God, it will bring the greatest joy to us  and the greatest glory to God. May God himself reveal that point in our lives!