Living the Resurrection

“The Christ Way”
Galatians 2:20

Father God
I believe, we believe that You are good, life is short, everyday is a gift, people are more important than things, fame is fleeting, this world is only our temporary home, hard times are meant for our benefit, and we can trust you completely when the details of our lives seem to be spinning out of control. Show us Jesus today.
In His name we pray, amen.

1. I want to begin with 5 experiences from my week…

2. shopping at Haggens – can meet all your fish needs for your Lenten meals – keep us in mind!

3. atheist gives eBay bidders a chance to save his soul

4. swim with a man whose wife went into a deep depression when her German Shepherd dog died. She believes in reincarnation & believed that her dog was her father reincarnated

5. reading latest book by Donald Miller – To Own A Dragon – where he writes God couldn’t make it clearer He wants intimacy.

6. during a weekly appt one of you asked me ‘how much of Jesus do you want? Don’t you want more of Him?’

7. such is the culture we live in & the messages it sends us – some good & some not-so-good. And then all week long I kept coming back to Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20
1. as I’ve studied Galatians 2:20 this week I’ve thought about the core beliefs of Buddhism, Hinduism & Islam (I’ve read about them on the internet). And how none of them have anything close to what lies at the heart of our Christian faith:
* a personal God who creates this world – creation
* who enters this world in the person of his Son Jesus – incarnation
* who dies for what he created as a part of his creation – the cross
* who rises from the dead to live in our lives by his Spirit – Spirit existence
* who calls us, predestines us, to become like his Son Jesus – repentance, change, transformation = sanctification
* who draws us into his very life & enters into ours
* who creates an eternity in which he will fully share his life with us

2. by far, hands down, this is the most amazing story I’ve ever heard or found. Beats reincarnation!

3. Jesus. He is the heart of our Christian faith. And Jesus is what sets our faith apart from every other world religion or belief system. It all comes down to Jesus.

4. now to focus our attention on Galatians 2:20

5. the first word in the sentence is Christ (Greek). Literally, with Christ I have been crucified. Christ defines what this verse is all about.

6. what do we learn about Christ in this single verse?
* 1st he is the Son of God
* 2nd he was crucified
* 3rd he rose from the dead
* 4th he loves us
* 5th he gave his life for us
* 6th we no longer live
* 7th he lives in us
* 8th his life is accessed by faith
You could build a fairly complete theology just from this verse alone!

7. our Christian faith is about something that happened. Something that happened to Jesus. Something that happened through Jesus. And then something that happened to us.

1st Jesus is the Son of God
1. all throughout the New Testament – gospels & epistles – Son of God means Jesus is Divine. He is God’s Son. Don’t call him just an extraordinary teacher – he’s far more! He’s God.

2. this is what got him killed. He claimed to be the Son of God. He claimed to be God. His countrymen couldn’t handle that. They did away with him, thinking they were upholding the way of God.

3. when we deal with Jesus we are dealing with God. When we deal with God we deal with Jesus.

2nd Jesus was crucified
1. he was nailed to a cross, suffered, and died. When you read Matthew Mark Luke & John you discover that the last 1/3 to ¼ of these gospels deal with his death. His death is the point of his life. The cross is revoltingly violent.

2. Jesus’ death on the cross is the most radical indictment of our hopeless condition imaginable. The cross is the historical, public, and open display of our hellish nature.

3. the crucifixion of Jesus communicates that the human race has been seriously damaged by evil. And what it needs isn’t simply better self-knowledge, or better social conditions. But help, rescue, from outside itself.

4. the cross tells me who I am – a loved, highly valued sinner. We are fallen. We are helpless. We are rebellious. We are separated from God. We have gone wrong.

5. if we were perfect. If we had our lives altogether. If we were walking in sync with our Creator. If we lived lives of purity & obedience & selflessness, there would be no need of the crucifixion of Christ.

3rd Jesus rose from the dead
1. I know this because Christ lives in me. A dead person doesn’t live unless he or she has been resurrected from the dead.

2. here’s one of the earliest Christian confessions of faith – for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (I Cor 15:3-4).

3. the resurrection of Christ from the dead is what we celebrate at Easter. Our Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Christ. Paul forcefully & clearly tells us in I Corinthians 15 that if Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead then – faith is useless; so is preaching; faith is futile; we are still in our sinful condition; and those who have died are as dead as a doornail. They have no hope, there is no hope.

4. our faith is a living faith because Jesus is a living Savior.
4th Jesus loves us
1. who loved me. I think this is one of most riveting phrases in the entire Bible. Paul takes this grand, cosmic, historical truth of the death & resurrection of Jesus and personalized to himself.

2. it’s not for God so loved the world (John 3:16). It’s for God so loved Paul, me. It’s not for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men (I Tim 2:5-6). It’s there is one God and one mediator between God and me, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for me.

3. Paul gives us permission to take the person & work of Christ for the world and apply it directly, personally to ourselves!

4. Jesus is the Son of God for me! Jesus was crucified for me! Jesus rose from the dead for me! Jesus loves me!

Summary & conclusion
1. let’s stop right here & come back to Galatians 2:20 next week.

2. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus was crucified. Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus loves us.

3. is that what you believe? Is that what you base your life upon? If yes, I hope you want more & more of Jesus in your life. More of his Divine presence. More of his death to free you of what binds you. More of his risen life to empower & change you. More of his love to embrace & keep you.

4. if you don’t believe this, why not? Why not now? Why not say ‘yes’ to Jesus today?

Rising from the Ashes (3)

“GIVING THE JESUS WAY”
John 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:9; 9:15

A Giving Story Like No Other – John 3:16; 2 Cor 8:9; 9:15
1. the Jesus story in the Bible is the greatest giving story the world has ever known. His eternal existence as God, his birth into our world, his life, suffering, death, resurrection & Spirit existence in & with us today.

2. today I want us to think about the ‘giving nature’ of the Jesus story. Read passages. Let’s think about these 4 particulars –

1st, the Jesus story is birthed in a heart of love.
1. for God so LOVED the world. At the heart of the universe lives the Triune God who has eternally existed as Father Son Holy Spirit in a community of love. If you could cut open the Triune God he would bleed love.

2. God decided to create us & enfold us into his circle of love. He sent his Son Jesus to widen his circle of love & draw us inside it. Even while we were sinners, his special creation that rebelled against him.

3. he sent Jesus to get us back. And he sent Jesus because of his LOVE for us – pure, unconditional, unselfish, no-strings-attached.

2nd, the Jesus story necessitates leaving one’s comfort zone.
1. that he GAVE his one and only Son. To give his Son God had to send his Son. Jesus had to take a trip. It meant entering a new & foreign culture. He left everything he had known for all of eternity to know something brand new.

2. think of Jesus leaving his comfort zone in this greatest giving story known to us:
* heaven to earth
* spirit to flesh
* infinity to finiteness
* God to man/human
* perfection to imperfection
* holiness to sinfulness
* peace to violence
* light to darkness
* riches to poverty
* the worship of angels to the rejection of his people

3. has anyone ever given up more out of love & for love?

3rd, the Jesus story is actualized in an act of sacrifice.
1. God GAVE his one and only Son. To give his Son meant that God’s Son was killed. Crucified on a Roman cross as the sacrifice for the world’s sin.

2. if the Jesus story is the greatest giving story known to us – then – we learn that the true nature of giving is sacrifice:
* riches for poverty
* life for death
* his life for the lives of others

3. the question could be asked – is giving really giving if there is no sacrifice involved?

4th, the Jesus story bestows the gift of eternal life.
1. that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Not bios life, biological life. We receive that from the hand of God at birth. But zoe life, spiritual life, the very life of God himself. Life now & life to come.

2. eternal life comes to us as:
* spiritual life instead of spiritual death
* reconciliation with God instead of estrangement
* pardon instead of judgment
* eternal life instead of eternal death (separation from God in Hell)
* Jesus in us now lighting up our life instead of self in us now messing up our life

3. these are 4 particulars of the Jesus story, the Triune God giving story in Jesus.

Giving the Jesus way
1st, our giving is best given out of love.
1. As we give to God, to our families, to our friends, to the church, to the world around us.

2. is your giving fueled by love? For God? Your family? Friends? Church? Others?

2nd, our giving is best given out of trust.
1. it takes trust to leave one’s comfort zone. Trust that everything will be alright, will be taken care of.

2. what defines your comfort zone? God or your financial holdings? If our trust is in our bank account, we will have a hard time giving. If our trust is in our God account, we will find a way to give.

3. to give away money is to transfer your trust from dollars to God. From the things of creation to the Creator himself.

3rd, our giving is best given out of sacrifice.
1. to give with sacrifice is to give like God. The universe has never seen a greater sacrifice than that of God giving away his Son to us.

2. part of what it means to become like Christ is to learn how to sacrifice – not just our money, but our time, talents, possessions – all that we have & all that we are.

Buildings are tools to help people meet Jesus & grow in Jesus
1. our church building is simply a tool to be used to help people meet Jesus & grow in Jesus. Nothing more & nothing less.

2. this defines the nursery-toddler rooms. The children’s classrooms. The youth area downstairs. The adult classrooms. The coffee bar & connecting space. The worship area. Even the janitor closets & bathrooms. The kitchen. The parking lot. The sound-light-audio/visual booth. Office space. Food panty.

3. Tools, all of them, given by God, held in our hands, for bringing people to this Jesus I have been talking about this morning. Meet him & grow closer to him in love, adoration, obedience & service.

4. let me share with you how I ‘see’ this tool being used –

5. children’s area:
* (Kayla Nelson) – grade school girl, brought from grandparents, connects with teachers & friends, comes to love Christ, wants to be baptized & was last spring
* places for kids to be loved, taught, prayed with, prayed for, make friends, learn their Bibles, say ‘yes’ to Jesus + party time
* MOM’S group meets here – CH article Mom’s To Get The Straight Talk on Meth – last Thursday, Clackamas County Sr. Deputy District Attorney Dave Paul – team of CAC people to assist MOM’s with event = greet, go-fers, refreshments, lend a hand with kids

6. food panty: relief to relationships to real life change
* story of JThorton’s niece & 2 sons coming to Christ
on Ash Wednesday – party being planned!
* woman angry at God for ‘taking her husband’ – has started attending Los Hechos church
* feeding the hungry in the name of Jesus = we care because God cares

7. youth area:
* place for our youth to meet Jesus & grow in Jesus
* Andra Booze/Williams – CHS student, invited to a youth retreat, exposed to Jesus, accepted Christ, became a part of the youth group, invited her parents who started coming, dad made a commitment to Christ before dying in a plane crash that took his life & the life of his son, largest memorial service our church has seen, worship center full, old sanctuary/overflow/balcony full, people standing & sitting in the foyer, now married to Julene & Jim Trigg’s son, Darin & serving Christ

8. classrooms:
* bible studies, theology classes, parenting classes
where Jesus & his way are learned
* place for our exciting women’s ministry –
Monday nights = dinner + story + Knitting or card-making + where friends from the community can be invited to hear how Jesus is making a difference in someone’s life

9. God wants us to use this ‘tool’ to impact our
community, 1 life at a time.

10. as you prayerfully seek God’s face for the amount of your pledge ask yourself & God 3 questions:
* how much can you give from what you have?
* how much can you sacrifice?
* how much can you trust God to supply?

11. Ray Pritchard story – pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Chicago – church raising $2.6 million for renovations – asking for Faith Promise Pledges to pay for it – he & his wife pledged 3xs amount they gave to church in year – didn’t no where the money was coming from – God supplied it all & more!

12. here’s the email he sent me this week:

Yes, God did provide in an amazing way. The funny thing is the goal seemed impossible. But the money just started to come in from all these unexpected sources. It was as if God said, “Okay, since you’re giving the money to my work, I’m going to open the doors of heaven.” It was a little bit here, an unforeseen check there, an extra gift here, and we ended up giving the entire three extra years with six months or so to spare. We ended up giving a fourth year to the campaign as God blessed us.

In a way, I think our story is typical in that we didn’t have anyone die and leave us big amounts of money, and when we made the pledge, neither Marlene or I had any idea how we would do that much giving. But God provided, we paid all our bills, and took care of us along the way. To me it reaffirmed the crucial importance of leaders setting the pace. Our example seemed to motivate lots of others to step up to the plate.

I know that $800,000 sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but the first step is for you to determine how you want to lead the way. There are lots of ways you can do it as long as the people know you are “all in” along with them. Tell them that they don’t have to know where the money will come from. If they knew, they wouldn’t need very much faith. Challenge them to trust God and leave the details in his hands.

This could be a huge turning point for your congregation that will lift it to a whole new plateau. I am praying toward that end.

Let me know how it goes.
Cordially,
Ray Pritchard

13. my prayer is that through our building endeavor God will shape our hearts to be more like the heart of his son Jesus – that we would give out of love, out of trust in God, and in sacrifice!

“THE PRODIGAL IN THE VINEYARD AT 3:00AM”

Luke 15:11-32 & Matthew 20:1-16

1. my youngest daughter Elizabeth attends 7th grade at North Clackamas Christian School. Tuesday her Bible teacher, Mrs. Lindroos gave the class a huge assignment, much bigger than usual. Wednesday morning she asked for a show of hands from all the kids who Didn’t do their homework – about 4-5 kids raised their hands. Then she told them she was going to give them 100% on the assignment anyways. In fact, she was going to give 100% to everyone in the class. Then she taught on the parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20.

2. today I want to share with you two of Jesus’ parables – the workers in the vineyard and the prodigal son. And how my family and my brother Tom have been living in those two parables since he was diagnosed with cancer on January 21 & since he said “yes” to Jesus on January 29.

a beginning
1. my brother Tom, 6 years older than I, has done life his way for as long as I can remember.

2. school was a challenge – he didn’t finish high school. He joined the Marines & was sent to Viet Nam during the war. He was wounded in battle. I still remember the day my mom looked out the front window of our home & saw a man dressed in a Marine uniform getting out of the car. She burst into tears, thinking that Tom had been killed. Thankfully, he had only been wounded.

3. later he received a dishonorable discharge from the service for drug use. He came home. He drifted from place to place. Struggled to hold down a job. Abused alcohol & drugs.

4. he returned to Boise about 10 years ago. The last 4 years he has lived on an island in the Boise River & held up a sign asking for money on the corner of Glenwood & State St, if you know where that is.

5. for the past 30 years Tom has been more or less estranged from us. Efforts were made to change that but nothing worked.

6. he & I were never close. I grew up fearing him because he was so mean to me as his little brother. In a fit of rage he once threw a dart at me & hit me in my left knee – I had to pull it out (he ruined my NBA career!). He left home for good when I was 11-12.

cancer & ‘yes’ to Jesus
1. on the afternoon of January 21st I received a phone call from my younger brother telling me that Tom had checked himself into the hospital & had a brain tumor that was cancer.

2. 3 days later I was on a plane to Boise. I met with his doctors – there was nothing they could do with the cancer, it was too far advanced. They gave him 1 – 2 months to live.

3. I spent as much time with Tom as I could that week. I cherished the evening hours after dinner. He & I would talk after the hospital quieted down. About his life, our growing up years, what he was thinking & feeling, and about his imminent death. I’d never felt closer to him.

4. I talked to him about saying ‘yes’ to Jesus as his Savior. He told me he believed but was going to wait to the end. I told him he may not get that chance because he might quickly slip into a coma & not wake up. He told me he was going to take his chances. Before leaving I’d grab his hand, hold it and pray for him.

5. Saturday night, January 28th I headed up to the hospital. My plane left the next day. I knew this would be my last chance to talk to him about Jesus. I didn’t know what else I could say or do. I was frustrated.

6. I slipped into the prayer chapel of St. Alphonsus hospital. I looked up at a large crucifix hanging on the wall, Jesus hanging on the cross. I felt overwhelmed by what I saw – the suffering of Jesus & that suffering was personalized for Tom. I saw how much Jesus loved Tom. How much Jesus had done for Tom, if he would just say yes.

7. I started talking to Jesus hanging there on the cross. I told him my frustrations. And I asked him what to do. I didn’t hear any voices but I heard something – go up & read Tom the story of the prodigal son. And I did.

Luke 15:11-32
1. I read the story out of Tom’s Recovery Bible that I bought for him earlier in the week. We began to talk. I told him there was nothing he had to do, to change, to say ‘yes’ to Jesus. The Father was waiting for him with open arms. I kept emphasizing that he had to ‘come to his senses.’ He agreed with everything I said.

2. I asked him if he was ready & he said ‘no, I’m going to wait to the end.’ ‘Tom, what if you don’t get a chance?’ ‘I’ll take my chances.’

3. we held hands, I prayed with him, and committed him to God’s keeping. It was a lonely walk out to the parking lot.

4. I went back up to visit him Sunday afternoon before going to the airport. He told me he had something to tell me. ‘You know what we have been talking about? I did it last night at 3am!’ ‘You mean you said yes to Jesus?’ He told all of us he had!

5. my Dad immediately started crying. My brother Brent gave Tom a double thumbs up with a huge smile. My mom sat in her wheel chair stunned. I went over & gave him a huge, long hug, told him I loved him, and told him the week was worth it just for this!

6. Dad & Mom’s lost son had been found. My brother Tom had come home. Though he’s dying & will die, he’s living and will be alive forever more.

Transformation in the final hour
1. this is the most wonderful thing that has happened in our family in a long, long time. We feared Tom would die of a drug overdose, or just disappear never to be seen again, or be killed on the streets.

2. he’s our captive audience, first at the hospital and now in the Capitol Care nursing home. We get to love him like we’ve always wanted.

3. the most amazing thing to me is the change I’ve seen in his life. Saying ‘yes’ to Jesus has made a difference even as he’s slipping closer & closer to death.

4. he tells us he loves us. While he could still talk I’d call him on the phone just to hear him tell me he loved me. He lets us hug him & he hugs us in return. I asked him if he was a peace and he told me ‘yea, and that’s the best part of all this.’ He has peace & joy like he’s never had before.

5. he’s gone to church the last 2 Sundays with my parents. He’s wanted to go. That’s proof enough of the change of his heart.

6. one night on the phone I told him ‘I’m praying for you’ & for the first time in my life he told me ‘I’m praying for you too!’ Tears welled up in my eyes.

7. while he was in the hospital he told me more than once that he was so lucky to have a family like he did. That he loved all of us visiting him. And that he was surprised that people wanted to come & see him but he was glad they did.

Matthew 20:1-16 – the workers in the vineyard
1. the week after I came back home from visiting Tom my thoughts moved from the prodigal son to the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Tom was not only the prodigal son come home – he was the 11th hour hire in the vineyard who got paid as much as those who worked all day.

2. the last shall be first and the first shall be last. I have seen this with my own eyes. I have heard it with my own ears. I have felt it with my own body. 6 weeks ago my brother Tom slipped in under the wire. Into his heavenly inheritance.

3. God showed him grace not law. He snubbed his nose at God for 56 years in a hugely painful & dramatic fashion. He squandered away his Christian upbringing and the love of my parents & our family. But at the 11th hour he said ‘yes’ to Jesus & picked up his kingdom paycheck.

the party
1. after reading Tom the story of the prodigal son Saturday night I told him that when he said ‘yes’ to Jesus we would through him a ‘prodigal son comes home’ party like in the story. He smiled & said ‘cool.’

2. so we did a week later. The 4 of us were able to fly back to Boise because of your generosity – thanks so much for providing the money. What a special gift you gave our family.

3. the party was simple. In the game room of the nursing home that Tom has moved into. About 20-25 family & friends. We bought balloons. We took pictures. We celebrated Tom’s life. And Tom seemed to enjoy every minute of it.



4. I asked people to share memories of Tom. His friend Rocky, he, too, a Viet Nam vet, shared how Tom saved his life after Viet Nam. Rocky had already been through 2 marriages. He had lost all reason for living. He had no self-esteem. He was bouncing off the bottom.

5. and Tom spoke hope into his life. Told him not to give up. To believe in himself. To keep going. And he did. Rocky sat there & told us all that Tom saved his life!

6. Dee Friesen shared. The Friesen’s lived across the street from us when we were kids. Dee shared how she & her husband were awakened in the middle of the night to pray for Tom’s safety in Viet Nam. Dee specifically felt led to pray for safety from shrapnel.

That was the night Tom was wounded. When he heard her story he lifted up the sleeve of his shirt & showed us all his shrapnel wounds.

7. my mom chimed in with another story. That same night my Uncle Jr. was awakened to pray for Tom’s safety. Here’s my 19 year old brother in the midst of a battle with the Viet Cong & 3 people on the other side of the world were woken in the middle of the night to pray for him. I felt Holiness come near when those stories were shared.

8. next family members read Scripture promises to Tom that they wanted to share with him.

9. and then I had the delight of baptizing Tom with a pitcher of water and a basin. He gave a short confession of his faith in Jesus and I poured water over his head in the name of the Father Son Holy Spirit. In my wildest dreams I never dreamed that I would ever baptize my prodigal brother.

the waiting Father & the generous Owner of the vineyard
1. this isn’t a story about Tom. This is a story about the waiting Father & the generous Owner of the vineyard. This is a story about God!

2. each one of us in our own ways are the prodigal child gone astray & the 11th hour hire in the vineyard.

3. each one of us are totally dependent upon God for our salvation. We can’t earn it. We can’t buy it. We can’t be good or powerful or rich or poor or successful or good-looking enough to force God’s hand.

4. ours is to come to our senses, admit our need, and come home to waiting Father where he will see us a long way off & coming running to us. He’ll give order to kill the fattened calf & strike up the band because it’s dancing & party time!

5. what would you think that if every time we hear of someone saying ‘yes’ to Jesus through the ministry of our church that we throw them a party! Who will be the first?

6. God does this because he’s a generous God. He breaks all the rules on hiring & paying his help. He gives us what we don’t deserve. He extends grace & mercy to us when we deserve judgment.

7. what would it mean for our community if we became known as the church of the waiting, running & party-throwing Fathers & Mothers? What would it mean for our community if we became known as the church of the work 1 hour & get paid for 12 Generous Supporter?

8. I don’t see a new building rising from the ashes. I see a place for God’s people to encounter the waiting Father & the Generous vineyard owner in life-change experiences. And I see a place in which others can do that – our children, our teenagers, our single adults, our young married couples, adults of all ages, and those running the last lap of their lives.

9. I see those who were lost but now found, those who were dead but now alive – being partied in the children’s area, the youth center downstairs, the coffee area that will tie the 2 buildings together, and in the worship center with all that natural light coming into the room to stamp out the darkness of our sin & of our world.

10. Tom’s story is a wonderful story. Thank-you for your prayers. Thank-you for loving me & my family for so long. And thanks be to God for being the waiting Father & the Generous vineyard owner. Amen.