Sermon: Jesus is Lord Summary: Jesus is God and came from Heaven as the Son of God in the flesh to earth in order to demonstrate the will of God and to die for our sins and be raised so that we can be reunited with God. This is not merely about what he does for us, but is also a model for us to follow in all we do. We are to flesh out the word of God by being living sacrifices, carrying out the mission of God. Know: Jesus' identity and pattern of life are not just bare academic facts, but our model to learn from and follow Feel: The need to study and imitate Christ Do: Identify characteristics of Christ and his significant actions, and reflect on personal implications and ways we are to imitate him. Text: Phil 2:3-8 Scripture Reading: Phil 2:3-8 Intro: 1. What is the most encouraging book in the Bible to you? For me it's Revelation a. Isn't there all kinds of trouble for God's people there? - Plagues, famine, destruction, persecution, death, etc. - Shows us that we have all kinds of enemies, dragons, beasts the multiple heads, and…frogs - How can this be encouraging? b. No matter what happens, God is watching over his people - He is always on the throne, no matter the setbacks - The lamb, though slain, stands in victory and judges enemies - Victory belongs to God and his people c. When things get bad, I am reminded that the eyes of the lamb are everywhere, he is still Lord, and God is always on the throne, and I am on his side 2. It doesn't matter what kind of setbacks or trouble you have a. Whether it is persecution, disloyalty from a friend, getting fired b. Jesus said I will build my church, gates of Hades not prevail against it c. If God be for us, who can be against us? 3. Revelation reminds us that Jesus brings the victory a. Jesus is at the center of our faith b. He is the foundation 4. Q: Who is this Jesus, and what does his identity have to do with me? a. Last time we looked at characteristics of God and how it affects how we are to live our lives b. Today we will look at some characteristics of Jesus I. Jesus is Lord A. Most common designation for early Christians - Jesus is Lord 1. Goes back to Exodus 3 - God revealed his name, "Yahweh" 2. Hebrews never pronounced the name, it was too holy a. They would read it only with their mind b. They would pronounce the word, "Adonai" in its place c. Adonai means, "Lord" d. Tradition continues in English Bibles - In Old Testament, "Yahweh" is rendered "LORD" - In all caps, with the ord scaled down 3. In the Greek Old Testament, which most Jews read in 1st century, Adonai is translated "Kurios" a. Kurios is Greek for Lord b. Hellenistic Jews referred to Yahweh as "Kurios" 4. The New Testament says Jesus is "Kurios" a. What does that mean? b. Jesus is God, he is Master, he is ruler c. He is Lord Jesus, he is God B. (Col 1:13-19) - This passage reminds us of this 1. Jesus is the creator of all things a. The sky, sun, rain, animals, mountains, bugs, stars, man b. Jesus is the designer and creator of it all 2. Jesus is the sustainer of all things a. Scientists can tell you how things work down to cellular level b. They can't tell you why -- without God's explanation c. In him all things hold together 3. Implications of this are clear a. He is head of the body - He calls the shots b. All things created by him and for him - The sunrise, the seasons, our bodies, it is all for him c. All the fullness dwells in him - This means it is not about me - It is all about him 4. Goes against the grain of our culture a. Culture says it is all about me b. How culture determine what to do? - Consequences, if it hurts you, don't do it - If it hurt someone else, don't do it because if everyone hurt others, would be bad place for you - If it hurts no one, it is okay - It is MY right, MY freedom c. Comes out in many ways - Personalized license plates, monogram clothes - Ridiculous number of lawsuits every year - Getting ahead over loyalties - Arguments, contentions, fights, despicable behavior all in order to get what I want C. ILL: Had a friend down the street growing up named Tom Black 1. Wanted to camp out in my back yard, his Dad told him no 2. Tom threw himself down on the floor, crying, weeping, sobbing a. He started wailing - You never let me have any friends! b. I never get to do anything, you don’t care about me at all! c. This went on for some time 3. His Dad finally gave in and told him he could come 4. After his Dad left the room, Tom calmed down immediately a. He said, "That usually works when I want something" b. He told me he wasn't really crying, that if he does this loud enough, his Dad will give him what he wants D. But it is not about what I want, we exist for Christ in his mission 1. We don't get to vote 2. We don't get to filibuster until we get what we want 3. We don't get to throw a fit, argue, and contend until we get our way 4. How should we act then? Brings us to the next point… II. Jesus is God in the flesh A. Not only is he God, he is God in the flesh B. Several ways the Bible expresses this 1. (Col 1:15) - Jesus is the image of the invisible God a. Not an idol, not the creation of man's hands b. A perfect flesh and blood human being c. Want to know what God is like? Consider Jesus 2. (Heb 1:1-3) - Jesus is God's final message a. He is also creator, like we saw in previous text b. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory - God's nature radiates, shines in Jesus - Can see brightly and clearly what God is like c. Jesus is the exact representation of his nature - Jesus in the flesh a human representation of God - Want to know what God is like? Look to Jesus 3. John 1:1-3, 14 a. Word was with God and was God b. All things came into being by him c. Word became flesh, and we "saw" him 4. What about the designation, "Son of God" Jn 1:34; Lk 22:70 a. Not God's son in the exact same way that I am Dad's son b. It is what theologians call "anthropomorphism" - Analogy, attributing human characteristics to make him more intelligible to us in our context - Other examples are God's right hand, him inclining his ear, God smelling a soothing aroma, etc. c. In Gospel of John, Jesus repeatedly refers to the intimate relationship between him and the Father - Jn 5:19 - Whatever the son sees the father doing, this is what the son does. - Jn 14:9 Jesus said if you have seen me, you have seen the Father d. Son of God bears the image of the Father - See God through him C. ILL: Johnna Duke, Harding Student, went to Africa on a mission trip, and wrote about it 1. Some sort of pagan ritual going on in the distance at night while she slept in a hut on straw mat a. Strange language, food, customs, bugs in the hut b. The noise of the chanting and everything else made her feel uneasy, a little scared and anxious c. She had spent time learning language and customs as much as possible, even try food, so she could related 2. Wondered if this is how it might have been for Jesus a. Jesus left Heaven and came to strange place b. Natives were restless, and there was danger lurking 3. Jesus went out of his comfort zone, ate strange food, spoke strange language, lived like us, etc. a. Word became flesh - He took on our characteristics so we could take on his b. He identified with us, in a way became one of us c. Jn 20:21 - Said, as the Father sent, me, I also send you D. Implication is for us to do ministry in the same way 1. God did what he could to relate: Modern day analogies a. God delivered me by flexing his muscle (not right arm) b. God has a cell phone, can call him anywhere c. That is what the anthropomorphisms do 2. Then there was the Word become flesh. Equivalent for us? a. Understand the world around us b. Like Paul in 1 Cor 9:19-23 - Become like them, not of them - Not to fit in, but to win them to Christ c. Means going to where people are and engaging them on their level, live alongside them and relate d. Means the unchanging Gospel might have new cultural dress, same gospel in different shaped clay vessel 3. Examples: a. Get involved in life around you b. Join civic organization, team, club c. Learn how they think, how they speak, bring them to Christ 4. When you do this, they will see Christ who is intelligible to them III. Jesus died for our sins and rose A. Central message of salvation is the Gospel 1. Rom 1:16 - Power of salvation to everyone who believes 2. 1 Cor 15:1-4 - Death for our sin, burial, and resurrection a. Isa 59:1 - Sin separate us from God, death took it away b. Jas 1:15 - Sin caused death, resurrection took it away 3. We often get so self centered, we don't see the full implication a. Usually think of the benefits - forgiveness, salvation, etc. b. But there is more than this B. Gospel a model and pattern for us 1. (Mark 8:34-38) - The cross is a model for us a. Lose our life to Christ b. Don't selfishly save it for myself, but give for others 2. (Phil 2:3-8) - Paul reminds us that this is a model for us a. Do nothing from selfishness - Not about me b. In humility, consider others more than self c. Jesus emptied himself, poured self out. d. This is our model 3. Problem comes when we don't do this a. We refused to pour self out b. We are full of ourselves c. If full of selves, can't be full of Christ 4. It is not about me and what I want a. I need to be obedient even to the point of death b. Goes against the grain of our being C. ILL: People who lay down their lives regularly, often behind the scenes 1. Examples: a. Once in awhile we get encouragement cards or calls b. Bill and Kathy, took us to Dinner when Stacey gone c. Tommy and Bonnie, there to support us always d. Life Group Leaders - Could do something else, but put themselves out there 2. Results a. Wanda Bach always shows me the box of cards she gets from us - She says she knows she is not forgotten b. Sue enjoys being able to sing and worship with a group that goes out to worship with her weekly c. Groups are adopting other shut ins 3. Then there is discipling and mentoring that has gone on behind the scenes a. Some of you are investing in relationships with others b. Very low key, no need to recognition - not about us D. It is not that complicated 1. Goes against grain of our being a. We don't want to sacrifice ourselves completely b. Can sacrifice a little, but not all c. Yet Jesus gave it all for me d. He gave up his home, comfort, money, carpentry career, family, friends, and his life for us 2. But it is not all that complicated 3. It is a model for me a. Not about what makes me comfortable b. Not about what I want c. It is about what God wants d. Some of us still haven't figured this out 4. If Jesus gave, Surely I can be positive and selfless Concl: 1. Jesus' identity is not merely an academic fact, but a way of life too a. Jesus is Lord, he became flesh, and he died for us and rose b. Wanted to reconcile us to God 2. Reconciliation is so that we can serve his mission 3. It is not about me, but about him ========================== Small Group Notes: Jesus is Lord Summary: Jesus is God and came from Heaven as the Son of God in the flesh to earth in order to demonstrate the will of God and to die for our sins and be raised so that we can be reunited with God. This is not merely about what he does for us, but is also a model for us to follow in all we do. We are to flesh out the word of God by being living sacrifices, carrying out the mission of God (Optional - From Last Week: Briefly share with the group how your specific commitment to being more godly last week has been going. What can the group do for you in your commitment?) Open - How do you picture Jesus looking like when you think of him? Explore: 1. Read: Col 1:13-19. Discuss what this reveals about who Jesus is 2. If you were to make up some titles that sum up the things this passage reveals about who Jesus is or what he does, what titles would work? Come up with many as possible. 3. What part did/does Jesus play in all creation? What is the purpose of the universe? What is the purpose of the church? 4. Read: Phil 2:3-8. Describe the impact the death, burial and resurrection of Christ should have on your life. 5. Read: 1 Cor 9:19-23. Does Paul appear to follow Jesus' example in this passage? In what way? Apply: 6. How does all of this affect who you are and what your daily purpose in life is? 7. What is most challenging to you? 8. Based on this study, reflect on how you might state a personal mission statement for yourself. Spend some time reflecting and sharing with the group some possible mission statements for your life. You can start it with something like, "( your name ) exists to/for…." Prayer: Pray for those absent from your group Pray for shut-ins you have adopted and send them a card, phone call, or visit this week Pray for our Leadership Pray for the Open Chair