|
“We Call Ourselves Disciples of
Jesus” |
||||
|
“I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and I accept him as my personal Savior and Lord.” Have you ever heard these words before? More likely, you’ve heard this statement with the last three words reversed: “I believe that Jesus in the Christ, the son of the living God, and I accept him as my personal Lord and Savior.” These words, in Christianity, are sometimes called “the good confession.” Jesus once asked his disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” (The Hebrew word is “messiah,” meaning “the Anointed One,” the Greek word here is “Christ”). “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” And Jesus blessed Peter for his spiritual intuition (Matthew 16:15-17). When I was nine years old, on Easter morning, I walked down a church aisle that seemed to be as long as a football field. That aisle was in the sanctuary of the First Christian Church of Alexandria, Louisiana, and my father was my destination in front of the communion table. When the congregation had finished singing the hymn, my father asked me: “Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and do accept him as your personal Lord and Savior?” And I said, “Yes, I do.” We Protestants have lifted this question out of the New Testament scriptures, and it has become the confession we make to proclaim to the world who Jesus is, and then we take on his name as our own: “Christian.” Do you, my friends, believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God? Have you accepted him as your Savior, and made him Lord of your life? If you do, and you have, say, “Amen.” Between now and October 23, you are invited to do a rare and wonderful thing. You have the opportunity to sign the charter of this new congregation, and thus be historically identified as among those who founded it. Last week, my sermon reminded us that to sign the charter is to be in a covenantal relationship with this denomination called the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). If you weren’t here last Sunday, I invite you to go to our Bread of Life website and read it so you will know where our denomination came from and what we believe. But, to sign the charter also means that you enter into a covenantal relationship with Jesus, the one Peter called the “messiah,” the “Anointed One,” the “Christ,” and to acknowledge that Jesus is your Savior, and you are willing to live in a way that expresses that he is Lord of your life. Wow! A signature on a piece of paper sure indicates a heavy responsibility, doesn’t it? There was a man, a Jewish contemporary of Peter, who later, after Jesus’ death, came to understand who Jesus was, and made the decision to follow him. His Jewish name was Saul, but after he became a Christian, he changed his name to Paul. Paul was an avid missionary for the Church of Jesus, and our most prolific New Testament writer. He wrote letters to the people in the churches he established in Italy, Syria, Greece, and Turkey. In Paul’s letter to Christians living in Philippi, Greece, he included a beautiful Christian hymn (or poem). We don’t know if he composed the hymn himself, or whether he just incorporated a known Christian hymn into the letter to make his point. I read it you this morning. “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11). God is God, and when God chooses to act, it is not dependent on any human response. God took the initiative, in the coming of Jesus, to walk among us. God’s Spirit was in Jesus, and Jesus was “God Among Us.” Jesus is the way we came to meet, shake hands with, listen to, eat with, and walk beside God. The message of God’s accessibility and God’s care for the entire human family threatened the whole structure of the conventional religion of his day. In panic, Jewish religious leaders conspired to get Jesus executed as a revolutionary by the Roman government. And they were successful. Jesus was so obedient – his will so subordinate – to God, that he went to his death silently – almost like a lamb led to slaughter. Paul wrote: “he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). If that were the end of the story, we wouldn’t be here, would we? Jesus suffered horribly and died. He was laid in a borrowed tomb because he had no financial resources. On the third day, Jesus’ followers made an incredible discovery. Death did not hold Jesus in the tomb. God gave Jesus – the “Messiah,” the “Anointed One,” the “Christ,” life! God took the most despicable form of execution – a truly evil instrument of death – and made sure that it was not the last statement about God’s love. Oh no! The last statement is that, through God’s love, there is the possibility of a life so rich and full that it even conquers death, as we know it. Love – and the power of God – triumphed over the worst anyone could do to another human being. That’s Jesus’ good news for all of us. In my mind, I can hear the triumph – the soaring, joyful voice of Paul as he wrote the last stanza of the hymn: “Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Dr. Jan Linn, in his book, Reclaiming Evangelism, states: “Confessing Jesus as Savior and Lord … acknowledges that God is free to act in whatever way God chooses, and that we believe God has chosen to give us the gift of salvation in Jesus” (1998, p.23). Dr. Linn goes on to say, “Christians are those who trust Jesus as Lord because we believe that God made him Savior by raising him from the dead, forgiving our sins, and promising always to be in our future” (1998, p.24). I made that long walk down the sanctuary aisle forty-six and a half years ago, so that I could acknowledge the one who claimed me through his death on a cross. At the time, the aisle seemed so long, but now I know that it was only a baby step in my own journey to God. Jesus’ obedience to God and his message of love made it possible for me to recognize him as my Savior, and give him my life so that I might confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Between now and October 23, I hope that you will become a charter member of Bread of Life Christian Church by signing the charter document. If you do, know this: to do so is a renewing of your Christian covenant to follow Jesus as one of his disciples. As a reminder of this covenant that every disciple makes with Christ, I invite you now to reaffirm your faith in him by repeating the “good confession.” Those who wish it, repeat now after me:
God bless you in this reaffirmation of your faith. Amen. Let us pray. What a joy it is to know you, O God, through your Son, Jesus. Today, we are reminded that to be a member of a congregation is really a commitment to proclaim him our Savior and Lord, and then, to serve him with our whole lives. Thank you, for Peter’s good confession, for now, it is also ours. In our Savior and Lord’s name we pray. Amen. |