Isn't this Joseph's son?

“They were all speaking well of Him and were amazed by the gracious words that came from His mouth, yet they said, "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

~Luke 4:22 HCSB

Jesus was starting his ministry.  He has been baptized, we has survived the wilderness and the temptations of the accuser, Satan.  He enters Nazareth where he grew up.  As was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.  He stood and read from the prophet Isaiah and he read:  

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”  (Luke 4:18-19 HCSB)

He rolled the scroll up and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.  Everyone was watching him, waiting to see what he would say.  He said to them all, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Up to this point they were all speaking well of him and were amazed by him and then someone asked the question, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” From that point on the conversation and opinion of the crowd took a turn.  Jesus goes on to tell them of the days of Elijah when there was a famine and two Gentiles where taken care of but not Israel.  He was telling them they had reject him just like they had rejected the prophets and salvation would go to the Gentiles.  This enraged the crowd and they drove him out of the synagogue, out of the town, to a cliff where they wanted to throw him over, but he turned and faced the crowd and walked on through them and went on his way. 

I read this story and realize the power of Jesus and the impact he has on people who are listening.  The people heard Jesus and were amazed, but as soon as he proclaimed to them who he was, they questioned him.  They connected him with Joseph, they remembered his family.  They reminded themselves of his past.  I’m sure there were rumors of Jesus, who was his ‘real’ father anyway?  Besides they were a common family, a poor family, what is he doing in here telling us about anything!  When Jesus is spoken into people’s lives he causes such a reaction today.  He is just a moral teacher, he didn’t exist at all, he was just a man.  Jesus is so much more! He is the Son of God.  He came to set the captives free, free from sin and spiritual blindness!  He came to free those oppressed by weight of guilt and shame, he is the good news and he was sent for us! 

Lord thank you for your Son Jesus who came to set us free from sin so we can follow you with our whole hearts.  Hearts freed to worship you, free to know you, free from this world and it’s ways!  Lord thank you, who are we without you!  Amen

Repent and Turn to the Lord

Still, the LORD warned Israel and Judah through every prophet and every seer, saying, "Turn from your evil ways and keep My commands and statutes according to all the law I commanded your ancestors and sent to you through My servants the prophets." ~2 Kings 17:13 HCSB

King after king of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.  The people turned from God to worthless idols and thus became worthless themselves.  They would not listen to the prophets and their hearts became hard.  They refused to listen to the Lord’s prophets whom He sent to warn the people.  Year after year they devoted themselves to doing evil and abandoned God.  The Lord became very angry and removed them from his presence.  

Assyria invaded Israel and the people were removed.  The people were exiled from the land.  Despite the evil of the people the Lord sent prophets to warn them to turn from their evil ways.  Time after time, prophet after prophet the Lord pleaded with them to turn and they refused.  This pattern is repeated throughout the Old Testament.  Because of people’s refusal to follow God commands and statutes, God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to live the sinless life we could not.  He went to the cross and nailed our sin on it.  He received on himself the punishment we all deserved.  

By putting our faith in what Christ did in our behalf we are justified before God and are forgiven of all sin.  We can stand in His presence and we are no longer exiled.  By putting our faith in Christ, we repent of our sin and turn to Christ.  “Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” (Acts 3:19 HCSB)  We turn from sin and turn towards Christ our sins are wiped out and a season of refreshing comes from being in the presence of the Lord.  We can come before the Lord with boldness, with clean hands and clean hearts.  The burden of sin is relieved and we can rejoice in the glory of the Lord.  So today, repent of your sins, confess them to Christ and trust in His faithfulness to forgive and renew. 

Lord we repent of our sins!  We turn from sin in our lives and we turn to You.  We pray you will forgive us and renew our hearts.  Lord thank you for Your forgiveness, thank you for Your Son who makes this possible.  Praise the Lord for He too wonderful for those who love Him!  Amen

The Lord is Faithful

“LORD God of Hosts, who is strong like You, LORD? Your faithfulness surrounds You.” ~Psalms 89:8 HCSB

I don’t know about you but there are times when I feel very weak.  I feel the weight of the world around me.  Maybe you’re going through something no one knows about and you are carrying the burden.  Maybe your health isn’t as good as it once was and you feel hopeless or even trapped in your body.  Perhaps it’s a relationship you’re in, it is draining and you have nowhere to turn to.  There are just a few things we carry and they can ware us down.  So where do we turn to?  The Psalmist knew the answer and he turned to the only one who could really help him.  

I remember long ago listening to a sermon from a man named Fred Nickels.  His sermon was about how we put our faith in God’s faithfulness.  I have leaned on this ever sense.  God is faithful.  He does what He says He will do.  We can trust His promises.  So when God says I will protect you, we can know He will protect us.  We can trust Him and He will see us through to the end.  He never says He will take away our suffering, but He does promise to be with us till we are called home.  There is no one like our Lord we can put our confidence in Him.  

So where do need to trust the Lord?  What area of your life have you been holding back from the Lord?  I now many of you reading this have areas of your life you have never handed over to God.  He is waiting for you to trust Him and wants to show you His blessing on all of your life.  “Happy are the people who know the joyful shout; Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your presence.”  Trust the Lord today.

Lord help us to trust in You and You alone.  Lord surround us with you faithfulness so that we might shout with joy in our Lord.  Amen! 

Swell Our Hearts

 “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” ~1 Peter 1:3-4 HCSB

Peter had walked with the Lord.  As a fishermen he had a hard life, he was dependent on what water could provide.  Jesus came along and said, “Follow me” and Peter did.  He left everything to followed Jesus, we was now dependent on Christ and Christ alone.  He was there when Jesus feed the five thousand.  He was there for the Sermon on the Mount, was there through it all.  He was the healing, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Peter saw them with his own eyes.  Peter was the one to identify Jesus as the Messiah and was told the church would be built upon him.  Yet when Jesus was arrested Peter openly denied him.  In fact before the rooster crowed he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus told him he would do.  

Years later Peter wrote this letter, I’m sure every morning the rooster crowed Peter was reminded of that night of denial.  But Peter had wept and repented.  He was now filled with the Holy Spirit and a leader in the young Christian church.  He wrote this letter to encourage those who were suffering for the name of Christ.  He knew what it meant to suffer for Christ.  Peter penned these words of joy from a heart that was thankful to God.  He was thankful to the Father for the Son.  He knew through Christ he has a new birth into a living hope.  

This new hope is alive!  Because Christ is alive!  Christ died but on the third day rose again, because of that Peter says we have a living hope, because we are in Christ.  This living hope is awaiting us, it will never spoil, it can never be corrupted by sin, and it is unfading, it is God and His glory.  It is awaiting you!  This is hope!  This is what you woke up to under the grace of God today. It is what will carry you when life hits you hard.  This hope is what we cling to with our entire God given might.  This is amazing love, this is what we praise, and this is our God!  

Lord thank you for today!  Thank you for Father for your Son and thank you for the living hope I have in Him.  Lord swell this hope in my heart until it burst for joy for you and let everyone see it happen!!  Amen   

Approach the Throne

“LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out before You day and night.  May my prayer reach Your presence; listen to my cry.” Psalms 88:1-2 HCSB 

The psalmist is crying out to God.  He recognizes the Lord is his salvation. He is the only one who can help him.  He brings his prayer to the Lord and hopes it will reach His presence.  And then with one finial plea, he simply says listen to my cry.  He is in a desperate situation and he is longing to hear from the Lord.  It seems to the psalmist the Lord isn’t listening.  It seems as if heaven has closed its doors and no one is answering the door.

I don’t know if you have ever been in this situation.  Many times in life I have felt this way and I can become overwhelmed with what I am facing.  Maybe you’re facing something that is overwhelming and there seems to be no hope for you.  Maybe it’s a long term illness, a broken relationship, or maybe you have lost someone very close to you.  In looking at our situation it is very easy to lose sight or to lose our focus.  In Matthew 14 Jesus was walking on the water and Peter asked if he could join Him, Jesus said come.  Peter walked on the water until he lost his focus.  He took his eyes off of Jesus and started to look at the waves and water and begun to sink and Jesus had to rescue him.  But the lesson is, Peter took his eyes off of Christ.  

We must keep our eye on Christ and know who we are in Christ.  We are children of God and with this birthrate come privileges.  The writer Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. (Hebrews 4:15-16) 

Firstly we must understand we have a savior who knows what it means to suffer, to feel abandoned, to feel betrayed, and to suffer.  Because of Him and through Him we can have the confidence and approach the throne of grace with boldness with the confidence God hears us.  Not only does He hear us but He will help us.  So whatever it is you are facing know God is listening and He will help you, and His timing will be perfect!

Lord thank you for your incredible grace.  Thank you Jesus for living a life in which you are able to sympathize with us.  Through you’re sacrifice we can enter the throne room of grace with confidence.  You paid the price for our entrance and we are assured God hears us and will help His child!  Thank you Lord. 

    

Tear Your Hearts!

“Even now-- this is the LORD's declaration-- turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning.  Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. For He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, and He relents from sending disaster.” 

~Joel 2:12-14 HCSB 

Joel was pleading with the people of Judah after a series of disasters, locust and drought.  The nation was suffering and Joel was warning the people to turn back to the Lord, that it wasn’t too late.  The people had abandoned God and had turned to false gods and idols.  Joel believed the plague and drought was God disciplining the people.  It’s hard not to see parallels in our own country.  We like to dismiss disasters and say a loving God would never allow such a thing, but is that true?  

Our nation has been the greatest nation on earth.  We have experienced unquestioned military might.  We have the most powerful force to ever walk the planet.  Our nation has been blessed with incredible wealth and economic prosperity.  No one comes close to what we have.  Americans pride themselves for being free and independent.  Americans work hard and are industrious as a nation.  We built this nation around a belief in God.  We acknowledged Him in our constitutions, both the national and states.  People lived lives with God in mind and regardless if you believed in God or not you followed biblical principles because a majority of the people around you followed them.  Charity, forgiveness, doing right, keeping your word, caring for others, doing your best, and blessing others with your blessings was the way most people lived. People lived in a spirit of thanksgiving, in fact we created a national holiday for it!   

But something has happened in our nation.  People have turned and have gone their own way.  We are so focused now on ourselves and our own wants we have forgotten our needs.  We have abandoned our elderly to the state.  We have turned abortion, the killing of innocent life into an industry for profit.  We enroll our kids in sports leagues instead of church and are surprised our children are committing suicide at alarming rates because of depression.  We have lost our way in our idols of greed, gluttony, addictions and self.  I could go on but I think you can see my point.  Why wouldn’t God allow disaster happen in the hopes of this people would turn back to Him?  Would a loving God allow a people to continue to destroy themselves?  Or would He allow disaster to happen in the hopes of people realizing they have abandoned their God and turn back to Him and repent of their sin.  We need to weep for what we have become, we need to tear our hearts and ask a compassionate God to forgive us and to restore us.  

Lord forgive us!  Lord I weep for our nation and for what has happened to us.  I pray for your spirit to pour out on us and we would turn to you with our whole hearts.  Please Lord, come quickly!  Amen

What Are You Here For?

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" ~1 Kings 19:9 HCSB

Elijah killed the prophets Baal after proving to the people Yahweh is Lord, in a fiery show.  Once word reached the ear of Jezebel of what Elijah did she ordered him to be killed.  Elijah became afraid and ran for his life!  Even after the incredible display of power by God, Elijah lost confidence and he wanted to die. So God directed to Elijah to mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  

On the mountain God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  Elijah tells the Lord the people have turned from Him and he is the only prophet left and now they are looking to take his life.  God tells him to go stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.  A mighty wind tore through the mountains, but the Lord wasn’t in the mighty wind.  Next was an earthquake, but the Lord wasn’t in an earthquake.  After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord wasn’t in the fire either.  After the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face and stood at the entrance of the cave.  

Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  Elijah answered Him and God told Elijah what he needed to do next.  God had restored his confidence.  This story reminds us of the calling we all have.  God is asking you, “What are you doing here?” He has a plan and a purpose for all of us and we know we are to make His Son Jesus known to the world.  How are you doing that?  Or are you like Elijah and letting the world stop you from doing what God has called you to do?  The way you find out is prayer, to seek a quiet place and to listen for the voice of the Lord.  He still speaks, God is not silent.  The voice will not come in some earth shattering way, but it will come in the form of a small still voice, you will know it in your heart and it will never contradict the His word.  What are you doing here?  How are you making Christ know?  Seek the Lord today and ask Him to use you for the glory of Christ.  

 Lord we seek you today, Lord direct us in the way you want us to make your Son Jesus known to the world.  Lord what can I do today to share Christ with someone.  Lord how do you want me to live my life in such a way that will bring glory to You and make Christ known to others.     

Consuming Fire

“When all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!" ~1 Kings 18:39 HCSB

Elijah has been in hiding after announcing a drought because of king Ahab sin.   At the end of three years Elijah comes out and the land is suffering terrible famine.  For years now King Ahab and his wife Jezebel have led the people of Israel in worship of Baal and Asherah.  Ahab has killed the prophets of God and done more evil than any king before him.  When Ahab saw Elijah he called him the “destroyer of Israel” and never thought he was the cause of the drought and famine.  Elijah challenges the 450 prophets of Baal’s in front of all the people to find out whose God is really God. 

The challenge was simple each would build an alter and place a bull on top of the wood but would not light a fire and the God who answered with fire is God.  The prophets of Baal went first.  They called out to the name of Baal, but nothing happen.  There was no sound, no answer.  The prophets danced and shouted louder and began to cut themselves for hours.  Elijah began to mock them, "Shout loudly, for he's a god! Maybe he's thinking it over; maybe he has wandered away; or maybe he's on the road. Perhaps he's sleeping and will wake up!" (1 Kings 18:27) At the end of the day nothing had happened. 

Elijah then built an alter and placed the wood and the bull on top of it.  He dug a trench around the alter and drenched everything in water, not once but three times.  He then prayed God would make Himself known so the people would know He is Yahweh and turn back to Him.  Yahweh’s fire fell from the sky and consumed everything and when all the people saw it, they fell facedown and said, "Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!  Yahweh is God and He is alive!  We serve the one true God who wants to be known, wants to be real in your life.  He sent His Son Jesus Christ so that we might know His glorious grace.  In Him we have life, turn to Him today!

Lord you are the one true God!  There is no one like you and I pray You would make Yourself known in our lives today.  Thank you for Jesus Christ who makes this possible, may we live for His glory! 

       

Oil and Water

So she proceeded to do according to the word of Elijah. Then the woman, Elijah, and her household ate for many days. The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the LORD He had spoken through Elijah. ~1 Kings 17:15-16 HCSB

There was a great famine in the land because of the people’s sin.  A widow was collecting sticks to build a fire to cook the last of the flour and oil she had.  She was at the end, her and her son expected to die afterwards.  Elijah led by the Lord is told to look for her and she would provide for him.  Elijah tells her to give him some water and something to eat.  Imagine the thought going through the widow’s mind, this is all I have Lord and you are asking me to give it away to a man I do not know!  Elijah assures her and she does what he asks.  To her amazement the jar of flour and jug of oil didn’t go dry and they ate for many days!  

Have you ever been in a place when you have given all you have and God ask you for little more.  Many times in life we will reach our limits, finances, relationships, our jobs, or our teenagers will push us to the brink.  It is during these times God uses the opportunity to build our faith.  God will never waste an opportunity to grow those who are in Him.  He will ask more to push you into a position of dependence on Him alone.  Submitting our lives to a God we cannot see, takes great faith, especially with a situation that is extremely personal.  God wants us to rely on Him, to trust Him with every situation.  

The widow was expecting to die, not only was she going to lose her life but her son’s life.  She was expecting to watch her son die.  I cannot think of a more desperate position for a parent.  God knew this and asked her to give what little comfort she had left only to build her faith.  She could not take the credit for the miracle.  Elijah could not take credit for the flour and oil not running out.  Neither expected God to provide the way He did.  Both could only praise God and give Him all the glory!!    

Lord build our faith!  Use every opportunity to build our trust in you.  Help us to follow you wholeheartly in everything we do.  Lord use us to encourage those around us to trust you with everything.  Lord may you be glorified in everything we do!! Amen.    

Sermon: A Life Submitted: Christ’s Example Part I (1 Peter 2:18-21)

 Message can be heard here.

Household slaves, submit with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. For it brings favor if, mindful of God's will, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. (1 Peter 2:18-21 HCSB)

What is the key to a life submitted?  What does it look like, where do we even start?  This question is what we will attempt to answer this morning and we’ll look at what living submitted should look like played out in real life and its impact.  One thing Peter has been driving at in this letter is we are to be different.  We are not like other people.  We have been set apart for a reason to make the Christ known.

When I survey Peter’s letter I am overwhelmed by the work of Christ.  He shed his blood for us so that we would have a new birth and a living hope in him.  The entire bible points to Christ’s coming and his coming again.  The reality of him suffering for my sin, for your sin, for the sins of the world is very heavy. We are redeemed by his precious blood, we are bought at a great price.  When I place this weight of this on my heart, when I examine my own sin, when I realize it was my sin that placed Christ on the cross, my heart shatters under the stress.  I cannot look at myself the same, I am broken and humbled.  

It is in this broken state, humbled that Christ can fully be realized.  “The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.” (Psalms 51:17 HCSB)  We are to be a humble people, living with hearts humbled by the greatness of God and his grace, humbled by our own sin.  Humbled by the fact that our salvation rest not in what we DO, but in what he DID!  I have a poem I wrote a few years ago that I would like to share that

Standing behind her father the shy
buries her head in safe places
She peeks out with one eye open
a smile you can see only slightly

Who is this you are seeking, is she easily
obtained or understood?
Can one so shy be easily embraced or
even known in conversation

Yet without her the Father is not known
without her one is lost forever
She has to be approached ever so slightly
to know her is to be broken before the King

She will comfort those who morn, whose heart
are shattered
But to speak her name or to boast to
have held her will push her back away.

What is the name you seek?
The name you cannot whisper or speak
Humility is what you seek and is the name you
cannot speak

Humility is not something you can say you possess.  I have watched people try and project a false humility, but you can see it’s false.  They are not humble at all, they are only trying to make themselves look humble and thus they stumble and fall.  Humility has to come from a broken heart, humility is living in a state of ‘thankfulness’  for what Christ has done for us, in light of our sin.  Humility is key to living a life submitted.  

A Life Submitted

Peter has spent chapter two of this letter to remind us to live holy lives, desire to grow by focusing on Christ.  To remember he was chosen and valuable to God and we were chosen in him and we too are valuable to God.  We are his people, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his possession.  We are to go out into a dying and lost world and be his ambassadors.  

          -To Whom

So firstly we are to be submitted to Christ.  He has to be the focus of our lives.  He is the one who has bought us, he is the one who saves us, he is the one who empowers us and he is the one who gives us life.  We are to live submitted to Christ authority, we are to seek and do his will in our lives and in the world.  This is foundational to our entire way of life for the Christian.  Your life is not your own, “for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

(1 Corinthians 6:20 HCSB) You are no longer slaves to sin, but have been set free.  You have been liberated to be slaves to righteousness and bear fruit for God.  To make Christ known to the glory of the Father, Paul explains it further in Romans 6:17-23

“But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. I am using a human analogy because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you offered the parts of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness. So what fruit was produced then from the things you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God, you have your fruit, which results in sanctification--and the end is eternal life! For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:17-23 HCSB)

We are to live a life submitted to Christ firstly.  From that position we are to go into the world, living a life humbly submitted to authority. 

          -Authority

We are to live our lives in obedience in civil authorities, understanding we are temporary strangers. (v.11) We are to live good quiet lives in submission to bring glory to God.  Understanding God is the one who establishes nations and authorities.  He uses them to bid his will and through our “good” works so as to silence the ignorant and foolish people.  Remembering people are ignorant of God and foolish in their thinking because of sin.  God uses us expose their sin through our actions and changes their hearts.  Which brings us to masters.  

-Masters

Slaves were a vital part of the Roman Empire. Peter was writing to people who were slaves themselves or were slaves once.  In verse 18, Peter is talking about household slaves, who took care of an entire house.  Slaves who cared for the children, cooked meals, cleaned and did what was needed to provide and maintain the house.  Peter reminds them they are to live a life submitted.  

They were to live humbly submitted to their master weather they was good or evil.  They were to always live knowing who they represented and how God would use them to make himself known.  If they suffered for Christ sake, for doing good, God would be pleased.  And through their actions, God would silence the ignorant and foolish.  Which brings us to a question about suffering, why does a loving God allow suffering?  There is no way I can answer this in one message, but these verses do give us a glimpse into the why. 

The Christians in Peter’s time were suffering for their faith and would continue to suffer.  Why does God allow Christians to suffer?  Let me give you something to think about.  We see suffering all over the world and many in the West, living comfortable lives see this and rage against God.  Atheist will point out suffering and tell us God doesn’t care.  But what about the people suffering what do they think?  In Randy Alcorn’s book “If God is Good” he tells this story:

A family in Milwaukee lost six of their children in a vehicle accident.  A driver of a truck, who was unskilled and managed to get his license through bribery, dropped a large object in the road and it struck the couples gas tank and caused an explosion killing their children.  Here is what Scott Willis said,he depth of our pain is indescribable.  However, the Bible expresses our feelings that we sorrow, but not as those without hope.  What gives us our firm foundation for hope are the words of God found in Scripture….Ben, Joe, Sam, Hank, Elisabeth and Peter are all with Jesus Christ.  We know where they are.  Our Strength rests in God’s Word.

Fourteen years after the event during an interview Janet said, “Today I have a far greater understanding of the goodness of God than I did before the accident.” Scott Willis finished the interview with this comment, ‘I have a stronger view of God’s sovereignty than ever before’.   

It was God who got them through this terrible event and their faith was strengthened by it.   Time and time again we see God using suffering to make himself known, people who survive have a deeper understanding of God or believe in God as a result of suffering. We must always remember and we cannot lose sight of who we are.  

You are called

God has called you.  If you are here today,  it isn’t an accident, God is moving in your life,  if you are a Christian, God is working in your life.  He has a plan and a purpose for you. 

         

-Purpose

You were called and set apart for obedience to Christ, who has given you a new birth and a living hope through the shedding of his blood.  You are called to be holy, as God is holy.  We are chosen, to be a royal priesthood to proclaim Christ to those who are ignorant to him, to intercede for them on their behalf to the living and loving God.  To offer prayers for them, to model a holy life for them, which is used by the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sin and make known judgment and righteousness that points them to Christ who alone can save them.  That is your purpose, that is what you are called to and that is what you will bring you the most satisfaction in your life, because in this God is most glorified.     

  

          -By God

I can hear some of you now saying, “that is a huge responsibility!”  That is a very heavy to load to carry, I can’t do that!  Your right you cannot do that without help.  Peter tells us in his second letter, His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. (2 Peter 1:3-10 HCSB)

 We are to focus our lives on Christ and what he did for us on the cross.  We are to remember it was God who called us according to his foreknowledge,

For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:4-6 HCSB)

Christ’s Example

What I love about Christianity is God always takes the imitative.  There is nothing in the Christian faith that doesn’t find its origin in God.  We love because he first loved us, we forgive because he forgave us.  We live humbly and submitted lives because Christ lived humbly and submitted to the Fathers will.  Christ suffered so we could have life through him and he sets the example for us to follow.  For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps. (1 Peter 2:21 HCSB)

We are called to a life submitted to Christ, following his example for us.  It is not an easy life, but it is a rewarding life, with a great benefit plan!  It’s worth living! 

We started with this question, “What is the key to a life submitted?  What does it look like, where do we even start?”  Everything starts and ends in Christ.  We are to come before him and confess our sin and repent of them.  Humbled by the cleansing of our sin we thankfully submit our lives to him, to live for him, to follow his steps wherever they may lead.  For this end we are called, to this we grow in Christ, in this we find our strength and purpose.  We live this life of submission in front of others, so they may see Christ in us.  So that they may know Christ, so that they may be called out of the darkness of ignorance and foolishness and brought into his wonderful light that brings life.

This morning I pray God has touched your heart.  If you’re a believer I pray you have found comfort and strength of purpose to live a life submitted.  Humility is the key.  If you are here this morning and you are not a believer, I pled with you this morning to give your life to Christ.  I pray he would come into your heart and break it for his sake and replace with a heart that beats for him.  If you are convicted of the sin in your life confess it this morning, confess to God who alone can remove it.  Repent and turn to Christ, for his burden is light and his yoke is easy.  Don’t leave this morning without answering the call he has placed upon you!