Sermon for 10/07/07

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Sermon for 10/07/07
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CHRIST ESTEEM: A New Life Through Christ!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: This is the 5th in a series that explores a movement in modern psychology that is infiltrating the church: the concept of self-esteem. Last week we explored how our IDENTITY is found in Christ in the heavenly places. This defines our position with God as righteous and perfect because of our identification with Christ – (we are justified by faith, not our works). The Christian LIFE however can only be lived through Christ who dwells within us by the Holy Spirit. (Sanctification). But experience shows us that our identity and our life do not always match up. We are broken people living in a broken world, and the old Adam and Christ are always at odds with one another. We must learn to identify what is of Adam and what is of Christ. Rather than ignore, or overlook our sinful nature we must accuse and turn from ourselves and look to Christ. When we set our minds on the Spirit, Christ is free to transform us – which makes a major impact on our lives!

1) UNHAPPY CHRISTIAN! Trisha was a middle aged woman who had been raised in a dysfunctional home in which the love and praise of her mother had never been expressed. Every Christmas gift Trisha gave, every nice thing she did for her aging mother did not result in thanks or praise, but in the same old criticism. Her mother would say she paid too much for it, or it was the wrong size or color, or a foolish luxury she would never use! The harder Trisha tried to please her mother, the more hurt and frustrated she became. (…this naturally poured out daily into the lives of Trisha’s own family in negative ways). Trisha was one of the most unhappy Christians I have ever met. Have you ever known any perpetually unhappy Christians? Do you ever catch yourself being that way sometimes?

2) SELF OR CHRIST-ESTEEM! See, her “identity” was in Christ – though her “life” appeared so far away from one “blessed” by God. I got a clue as to “why” God’s benefits and blessings produced so little fruit in her life, when I overheard Trisha comment on a sermon. “If I hear pastor Chuck say that we are ‘broken people living in a broken world’ one more time, I’m going to throw up!” The statement revealed she was a product of a world influenced by modern psychology that proclaimed happiness, peace and contentment appears when we are able to find, build, and maintain a healthy “self-image” – which is dependant on us and others. But her pastor was preaching that happiness, inner peace, and contentment arrives after facing the truth about our sinful nature, sacrificing “self” daily, and turning to Christ! The last thing Trisha wanted to face was the truth about her human condition and brokenness – she wanted to preserve what little “self-esteem” she had, not sacrifice it! Trisha longed to hear what her mother had never told her; how wonderful, how valuable, how good she was. But all her pastor did was talk about how wonderful and good Jesus was! …and that Christ would love us unconditionally despite our brokenness! Instead of “Christ-esteem”, she held out for “self-esteem”; impeding the reception of God’s blessings in her daily life.

3) NEW IDENTITY AND LIFE! Why are so many Christians unhappy? In as much as we gladly receive the new “identity” in Christ, we stumble in finding the new “life” in Christ. And we have to distinguish between the two! Last week scriptures revealed that it is not more “self” that brings us a new identity; God did it, through Christ on the cross! And we saw that God actions alone brought us a “new identity” no longer found on earth, but in ‘heavenly places’. We are God’s children, not because of our works, but only because we are now identified in Christ! Suddenly seeing ourselves through God’s eyes, we discover Christ’s righteousness and perfection is credited to our account! Our identity is in Christ! BUT… you don’t have to be a genius to recognize that our new identity in Christ does not always line up with our life! Why? Because we live in a fallen world! In as much as Trisha wants to be “identified” with Christ, she did not want to look in the mirror honestly to face the truth about the old Adam that lives within her. But to “be convicted” is a prerequisite to “losing self” AND discovering the “new Life” in Jesus!

4) A GOD JOB! See, as long as Trisha fights to preserve her “self-esteem”, she remains self-focused! (Remember – self-centeredness is sin! We’re called to be God and other-centered!) As long as Trisha turns to ‘broken people’ to bring her “new life” by “building her self-esteem”, (like her mother, pastor, and friends), she will remain unhappy! That’s a God job! A happy, purposeful, and joy-filled life comes from “Letting go” of self, and “Letting God” fill and guide you! Why focus on this? Because while our “identity” in Christ came about as a result of an act on the cross that happened “outside” of ourselves, a new “life” occurs as a result of something that happens “within” us! Our “new identity” was based on a God act – whereby we were JUSTIFED! But a “new life”, while still a God job, occurs inside of us as Jesus is permitted to dwell in our hearts. And this takes co-operation. Our new identity’s “Godly blessings and benefits”, come only when we no longer resist Christ’s efforts to evict the old Adam (the old self) on a daily basis! In theological terms, this is called “sanctification”. Our everyday lives are brought more and more in line with Christ’s through His dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit. It’s a God job! But one that the “preservation of self” can impede!

5) DOUBLE LIFE! “Sanctification” would be so easy if it weren’t for one thing: we are living a double life! In this earthy journey, the old Adam raises it’s ugly head up every day! And that life is in conflict with the “new creature” found in Christ! The Apostle Paul refers to this double life as being “the old man” and “the new man”, or flesh (the sinful human nature) and the Spirit (Christ dwelling within). Martin Luther commented on this double life in his Galatian’s Commentary when he wrote “There is a double life: my own which is natural or animate; and an alien life, that of Christ in me.” Christians must face the truth: we are living a double life!

6) CONFLICT! Know this; it is normal for Christians to experience internal conflict! Paul told us in Galatians (5:17) “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Have you ever attempted to become more loving, kind, self-controlled, or considerate on you own? How’d that work out for you? Yeh, me too! It’s a hopeless task! It doesn’t take long to realize that our human nature is NOT likely to cooperate with our desire for self-improvement! No one can avoid the conflict of a double life! Have you been listening lately to the television controversy over a set of letters written by Mother Theresa? I’m not sure why the confessional letters have shocked so many people when they are merely honest examples of the conflict all people experience who live a double life! Saints, preachers, great Christian leaders – there are no exceptions – ALL deal with the conflict of a double life!

7) ALTERNATIVE! If the sinful nature and the Spirit are in conflict with one another – then how are we to respond to this human experience? Well, we’re tempted to do avoid it by letting one of the parties in conflict go. It’s the only way not to have conflict – surrender to self! Simply give our heart’s throne over to our earthly identity in Adam. That way we can give in to our sinful nature, and proclaim, “After all, I’m only human.” If we’re a notorious gossip we write our behavior off as “That’s just the way I am!” And you know what – it’s true! Our assessment of our human nature is accurate, but what we are NOT taking into consideration is that we possess an alternative, alien life through Christ, the “heavenly man” dwelling within us. It’s when we open ourselves back up to this possibility that the conflict between the natural self and the Spirit starts up again. But this NOT a conflict to AVOID, for the alternate, alien life in Christ is the only possibility for experiencing a growing transformation that is truly life-giving! And if we are interested in this alternative, alien life in Christ, just remember; Our desire should never be to “fix ourselves” – “self-improvement” will lead to frustration and failure. No, our desire should be to abide in this alternative life - Jesus Christ dwelling within us!

8) THE ONE YOU FEED! Paul calls this desire to live in Christ (and not according to the old Adam), as “walking in the spirit.” It’s not a hard reality to understand. The “double life” concept is found in the ancient advice given by a Cherokee elder to his grandchildren. He told them, “In every life there is a terrible fight—a fight between two wolves. One is evil: he is fear, anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, and deceit. The other is good: joy, serenity, humility, confidence, generosity, truth, gentleness, and compassion.” A child asked, “Grandfather, which wolf will win?” The elder looked him in the eye. “The one you feed.” You do not get to avoid the conflict between the Old Adam and the Spirit, but you do have something to say about which one you feed!

9) WALK BY THE SPIRIT! Another analogy suggests the conflict is like having a single water spout with both a hot and cold water faucet. What you turn on will be what you get. In Galatians 5:16 Paul told us, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” In other words, let the Holy Spirit “turn on” our new life in Christ, and “turn off” our old life in Adam! Each faucet produces opposing results! The old sinful nature always results in a person who is proud, rebellious, self-centered and an enemy of God. When we turn the sinful faucet on, we inherit worry, fear, discontent, self-pity, anxiety, depression, and all the other consequences of being human. But the new life of Christ is obedient, submissive, kind, loving, gentle and a friend of God! It produces life! And right now, the Holy Spirit is at work in us, urging us to walk by the Spirit! Paul says, “Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him.” (Colossians 2:6) Which faucet will we let the Holy Spirit turn on? Paul says “walk by the Spirit!”

10) ADAM’S OR GOD’S? Of course this is easier said than done, right? After all, the concept of “living the Christian life” is quite simple; the difficulty arises when we attempt daily to identify what is of Adam, and what is of God! See, what Trisha was fighting to avoid was the need to distinguish our old dead sinful nature from the new life in Christ. If we can’t tell the difference between the two, we will not know when to repent. How can we turn away from the old Adam if we can’t identify him? If we don’t know who our ‘daily behavior’ belongs to, how do we know which faucet to turn off or on? If we refuse to learn what the evil wolf looks like, how do know if we’re feeding the right one? Trisha refusal to admit she was a “broken person living in a broken world” resulted in her fight to feed the wolf called “self”, …and sadly, unhappiness continues to characterize her life. An alternative life in Christ awaits to be ‘turned on’, but she’s still focused on fixing herself through daily attempts to please her mother and others around her – hoping against hope that yesterday’s failing formula with somehow result in a different outcome today. Refusing to identify what is of God and what is of Adam, she’s feeding the wrong wolf!

11) NOTHING HAS CHANGED! Sometimes our obsession to hang on to “self”, means we will disguise it, or dress it up hoping no one will recognize “the dark wolf” for who it is. The old Adam prefers to hide when possible. We try to camouflage him behind a spiritual veneer. So a person who by nature has a bad temper speaks of himself as having “righteous anger.” But nothing has really changed. The person who is extremely critical of others is now “practicing discernment.” But nothing has really changed. A pushy, controlling person is merely “zealous for the Lord.” But you know what – despite the spiritual paint job, nothing has really changed in their lives. As Little Red Ridinghood found out, an evil wolf “dressed up” to look like grandma is still an evil wolf. The old Adam in us does not need to be camouflaged, he needs to be turned off! Or nothing has changed!

12) THE RESULTS! So how do we know which “wolf” we’re feeding? How do we know if our actions belong to Adam or to Christ? If you want to know who is in control of our daily lives, the Bible says look at the results! Paul says in Galatians (5:19-20) “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” But on the other hand, (5:22-23) “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” See, it doesn’t matter how many church activities you attend, or how religious you look, the acts of the ‘sinful nature’ are just plain obvious. It doesn’t take a stranger long in watching us to know whether we have been feeding the sinful wolf called “self” or the good wolf called God! Given time, even a child can sense which faucet we have intentionally turned on – the cold one called “the flesh” or the warm one called the “Spirit”. We identify which one is in control by the results.

13) THE SOLUTION! The scriptures declare this truth: The failure to identify the Old Adam in us greatly hinders our Christian growth. Though Christ obtained a “new identity” for us that’s “forever ours”, we’ll miss out on the “new life” He so eagerly wants us to experience if we cannot distinguish between what belongs to the old person in Adam, and what belongs to the new person in Christ! Fact is, Adam will raise his ugly head up everyday, and if we cannot separate what is of “self” and what is of Christ – we will discover our peace, joy, and contentment being painfully destroyed. And our unhappiness will tempt us to seek solutions in secular psychology rather than in repentance. “The solution” is not found in receiving some warm fuzzies from a self-focused counselor. Now don’t get me wrong – I’m not against counseling – as long as it is solid Christian counseling that points out that “The Solution” is not found obtaining more “self-esteem”. That is a sin against God! The real “Solution” is found when the Holy Spirit frees us to separate from “self”, and cling instead to Jesus! Christ is always the solution!

14) WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SIN? Question; whatever happened to sin? Sure, we react shocked when “gross sins” appear among us – such as murder, or rape! But look at this list up on the board; (depression, loneliness, fear, anxiety, hurt feelings, critical spirit, negativity, discontent, confusion, gossip, impatience, being moody, unfriendly and inconsiderate, dishonesty, grumbling, stubbornness) Are any of these manifestations of our old sinful nature? Sure, we may not consider them “gross sins” – but why are we so quick to dismiss them? Why do we overlook the old Adam characteristics that exist in our own lives and the life of the church? Whatever happened to sin? Are we so busy trying to feel good about ourselves that we end up feeding the evil wolf? Or will we let the Spirit loose to identify and reject the “old Adam” within us that so greatly hampers our Christian growth?

15) ALTERNATIVE LIFE! See, believers in Christ are not locked into living in this fashion! God has granted us a way of escape! Our Christ provides an alternative life. That is why we must never, never, never be afraid to be unmerciful towards the “old Adam”! What a blessing to throw away the excuses and face reality! The reality that, no, you weren’t grumpy this morning because you “got up on the wrong side of the bed”! You were grumpy because your old sinful nature was in control! The reality is, getting the “dirt” on your neighbors isn’t because you have “an inquiring mind”! It means you are not abiding in Christ! The reality is, you don’t blow your cool because you have “a short fuse” – you simply have a weak connection to Christ! We can admit this now, because we have an alternative life available to us! And that alternate life comes to us in Christ!

16) ALTERNATIVE OR SELF! I feel sorry for people who have no alternative life in Christ Jesus, because it means they must preserve self at all costs! They must avoid accepting blame and responsibility! This is the only human response to the human condition! Even those given a new identity in Christ, like Trisha, sadly fall victim to the voice of secular psychology to “Preserve self!” It is sad because, as believers in Jesus, we do not have to settle for life controlled by self - we have an alternative life available to us! No doubt the early church forgot this as often as we do. Because conflict and division defined the church in Corinth, Paul asked them, “For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere human beings?” (1^st Cor. 3:3) It was important for the Spirit to open their eyes to their sinful condition. Until we turn away from self, the Spirit cannot help us to turn more fully to Christ – our alternative life!

17) JESUS! Friends, the Holy Spirit calls us today to this truth; the more willing we are to accuse ourselves and identify our sinful nature, the greater the reason we will have for looking to Jesus! For once we recognize our “double life” and ask the Holy Spirit to help us stop feeding the old evil wolf within; the greater the chance the good wolf (the Spirit of Christ) will triumph! Because of our alternative life in Christ, we no longer need to worry about preserving our human dignity, and “self”. God has granted us a much better life in Jesus Christ! Sure, it means dealing with constant internal conflicts, but it also means we will no longer have to put up with or accept our broken and “human characteristics”. In the midst of our conflicts we can eagerly and confidently look to Jesus! Jesus is our victory over the old Adam within us! And it is this alternative life in Christ that produces love, joy, and peace! This is an alternative life that frees us to turn away from self and look to Christ! Truly it is an amazing blessing to be given a new identity outside of ourselves in Christ, but it is an even more amazing to be given a new life as Jesus dwells within us! Praise God! AMEN!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, after hearing your word, we must confess that we have not always been living as though we had an new and alternative life available to us in Christ. We have too often fought to preserve “self” instead of recognizing and asking your Spirit to reject the Old Adam within us! Too often we seek a new identity and happiness in worldly things or through other broken people, instead of opening our hearts to you! Forgive us, and give to us what we cannot find in “self” – a new life-giving alternative in Christ!

Lord, we confess we we’re not always eager or proud to admit we live a double life. And we’re not always eager to deal with the conflict the old and new person within us brings! Help us to now to welcome this conflict if it opens the door to walking in the Spirit! Empower us to be quicker and more willing to identify our sinful nature, so that we may turn all the sooner to our alternative life in you! Teach us to starve the sinful wolf “self” and feed the good wolf (the Spirit) – that we may experience and share the peace, love and joy that comes from walking with you!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, we are awed to discover you not only want us to have a new identity, but also a new life! Remove from us this morning and every day, all the selfish roadblocks that prevent us from traveling this joyful journey in Christ! May “self” decline, as You increase within us! It is in Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who brings you a glorious new alternate life, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and claim not just your new identity, but also your new life! Let the Holy Spirit turn you away from self and towards the true giver of peace, joy, and love: Jesus Christ! AMEN

Opening prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, as we contemplate the perfect human life in the past, BEFORE the fall in the Garden of Eden, and then reflect upon the promise of perfection in the eternal life to come – our hearts are uplifted and blessed to grasp and appreciate your original design for our lives – filled with peace, purpose, joy and love! But here in the present, we are still plagued by our broken condition and the sinful world around us! So while we await our reunion with you, bring to us today a foretaste of the feast to come! Take our wounded hearts, minds, and spirits, and renew us. Take our tired hands, feet, and bodies and strengthen us for tomorrow’s journey! Wash away the sins that burden us, and free us to focus on your will for our lives! Drown once again, the old Adam within us that keeps raising it’s ugly head up every day, and come dwell with our hearts! Help us to focus more and more upon the things that matter: you and one another! Teach this church family how to so love one another, that others will want to join us! Come do within us what we cannot do on our own – live a new life that reflects your love, purpose, and power to those still lost in a self-centered world. May our united hearts, praise, and prayers rise again to bring you glory this morning! In Jesus name we pray, AMEN!

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