Series: You are the Church   Sermon: ŇYou are the Gospel!Ó

 

A few weeks ago I was going to show you a short video.  ItŐs a video in line with what we started talking about before we broke for Easter. What does it mean for us to be the Church, what did Jesus mean when he said, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not stand against it.

 

Although I trust the pastor that made the video & especially his historical accuracyÉ

  -I know that I just showed you the video, youŐd be left with one question

  -who is this guy, and how do I know I can trust what he just said.

  -so I decided that before I talked about this, IŐd go and do the homework (so I did).

    -so I can tell you today, that anything historical I say today, is something you can study

 

Just so you know, What IŐm going to tell you today, is heavily based on the video I was going to show you..

  -and hereŐs the basic question it seeks to answer

  -just celebrated Easter, and everyone wants to know did Jesus really rise from the dead?

  -so hereŐs the question, if youŐre life was all that people had to go by

         -would your life, if youŐre a Christ-follower be a yes to that question.

         -IŐm not asking would you say yes – would your life as a Christ-follower say yes?

         -or maybe question should be, how does your life answer the resurrection quest.?

 

2000 years agoÉ

  -a movement was started by a group of Jews

  -they insisted that their Rabbi, a man named Jesus had risen from the dead

  -after being crucified by the Roman Empire

 

They claimed that after his resurrection they had seen him

  -and that they had had conversations with  him and eaten meals with him

  -and then they said that he had ascended to heaven and someday he would return

 

Okay, this part is the history lessonÉ

The world at this time was ruled by the Roman Empire

  -and the Roman Empire was a giant, military, global superpower

  -who ruled the world from England to India

 

One popular religion at this time centered around the god Mithra

  -you can go on Amazon.com and by books on this religion/cult 60B.C.

  -donŐt know too much about the details of Mithraism because it was a pretty closed cullt

  -but hereŐs what we do knowÉ

  -mithrasŐ followers believed that he had been born of a virgin in a cave

  -that he was a mediator between God and humans

  -and that mithra had ascended to heaven

 

Another popular religion at this time centered around the god Attis

  -followers of Attis believed that he also had been born of a virgin

  -and each spring they gathered to celebrate the resurrection of Attis

 

Which takes us to Roman Emp. Ruled by succession of emperors called Caesars

  -when Julius Caesar (first emperor) died, a comet appeared in the sky

  -and people said, thatŐs Julius Cesar, the son of God

  -ascending to the right hand of the gods in heaven

 

Soon, after this, JuliusŐs adopted son, Caesar Augustus came to power, he believed

  -that he was the son of God

  -sent by the godŐs to earth to bring about a universal reign of peace and prosperity

  -one of his claims

     -no other name under the heavens by which people can be delivered but Caesar

  -Cesar Augustus inaugurated a 12 day celebration of his birth called the advent of Cesar

  -another popular phrase all people had to say in the roman empire at least once a yearÉ

  -Cesar is Lord! To deny this, earned you jail or worst - crucifixion.

         -Pharisees appeal to this when they want Jesus crucified.

 

Point; today, to claim Jesus was born was born of a virgin/died, raised from dead

  -itŐs a unique thing, itŐs something people frown at, nobody believes that kind of stuff

 

But, in first century, the claims of the first Christians werenŐt that unique

  -lots of other people believed their god had risen from the dead

  -other godŐs and their followers, such as mythras, dyonisus, Osiris, Orpheus, Attis all had

   similar claims – some of them hundreds of years before Jesus

  -so what made this Christian God, this Jesus, so special?

  -hereŐs the point, the issue for the early Christians wasnŐt the claims they were making

  -the real issue was how the things they believed caused them to live their lives!!!

 

First Christians believed that JesusŐ resurrec. had implications for entire universe!

  -scriptures/tradition had taught them, people/world are broken & in desp. need of repair

  -and that at some point in the future God was going to put it all back together

 

For them, this future restoration wasnŐt just about leaving this worldÉ

  -they believed in a literal heaven, that is a real place, exists right now

  -a heaven that is a part of GodŐs plan for our future, but they also believed

  -at the heart of the resurrection was the renewing/reclaiming of this world

  -and so they saw, in JesusŐ resurrection, the beginning of this universe wide movement

         -to put it all things back together, beginning right now, right here & into eternity

 

And GodŐs word, points us to that when it saysÉ(read Romans 8:20-25)

  -itŐs easy to be so focused on our redemption, we miss the other central aspect of pass.

  -all creation has been waiting, along with GodŐs children to be redeemed

  -this earth is waiting in pains of childbirth to be made new again

  -and guess what, if God thought it was important to tell us that

  -this world, the one weŐre standing on right now, is part of GodŐs plan for future eternity

  -when God makes all things new as Jesus tells us in Revelation

 

All of a sudden this brings the believers into direct conflict with Roman EmpireÉ

  -Cesar also wants to make a new and better world, but he wants to do itÉ

  -through his power, through his armies, and through his wealth

  -when Caesar conquered/accomplished something, sent an announcem. (ewangellions)

1st Xians believed world was not made better through military power

  -the good news they were living had nothing to do with using political force

  -their gospel/good news was about serving the world (esp. those less privileged)

  -for them it was about serving, not ruling!

 

And so, they took the Roman term ŇgospelÓ and used it to describeÉ

  -GodŐs good news to this broken world, and the broken people in it

  -GodŐs good news is Jesus, GodŐs good news is also JesusŐ new Kingdom

  -& they were to be the vessels through these good news flow/ this Kingdom gets built

  -read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

 

because the early believers saw X alive in/working through themÉ

ThatŐs why when you hear accounts of the early church you readÉ.

  -they shared all their possessions, fed the hungry, carried each others burdens

  -the gospel for them was about a way of life – not a once a week church service

  -it was about making a whole new Kingdom/world right in the midst of this one

  -through everything that they did – especially through the way they loved & served

  -and they committed themselves to this – even when it was hard / costŐem their livesÉ

 

Their life, more than their claims raised all sorts of questŐs to those around themÉ

  -theyŐd heard others claim the same sort of thingsÉ

  -what they hadnŐt seen was those claims lead to the kind of lives these X-followers lived

  -their lives asked a question - who do you believe is making a better kingdom?

  -Caesar, who thinks that you make a better world is made

     -through his brute, political & military power who rules by forcing obedience

  -or X who invites you to make a new/better world by loving acts of compassion/generosity

  -Cesar who killed those who refused to follow?

  -or God who died for sinners and offers all people the choice of new life?

  -whose way do you think is better, who do you think is Lord?

  -Jesus or Caesar, whose kingdom do you find more compelling

 

For them, the Gospel was an invitation to a whole new way of life

  -they knew a relationship with Jesus

  -must impact all their decisions and all their relationships, and so they let itÉ

  -they called themselves the body of Christ

  -and they believed that in their communitiesÉ

         -in these loving, compassionate, generous, peace-loving communities

         -Jesus was present in a way that went beyond words

 

So, theyŐd invite people to join them, not just for a Sunday morning serviceÉ

  -but, to eat/celebrate/suffer w/them

  -and then theyŐd ask them, after theyŐd seen hungry fed, the lonely loved, poor honored

  -who do you think is Lord, whoŐs making a better world, Cesar or Jesus?

    

They believed they were called to be a display of new world God was bringing about

  -right here, right now and all the way into eternity (maybe getting sick of me saying it, but)

  -can you see how that isnŐt something you can see just by a Sunday morning Xianity

  -this is something that can only truly be witnessed as people do life together

  -as we eat together, celebrate together, suffer together, serve together and so onÉ

 

And even today, when youŐre around people like this, you have the senseÉ

  -that in some way you have been around Jesus and that is church

  -this group of people, by their compassion/generosity/grace they extend to others

  -help you believe, when youŐre with them, that God hasnŐt given up on the world

  -thatŐs GodŐs good news says – God hasnŐt given up on us

  -the tomb is empty and a giant resurrection rescue is under way

  -and you and I are invited not just to make sure weŐre saved so we can get to heaven

  -you and I are invited to get involved in GodŐs giant resurrection rescue of people/world

 

This has a deeply personal dimension to it (and I think we get this part)É

  -Jesus is saving me from my sins/mistakes/pride/indifference to suffering of world/despair

  -heŐs rescuing me/us moment by moment, day by day

  -Ever since humanity fell, GodŐs been putting it all back together, you/me/whole world

  -and so he starts deep inside each of us with our awareness that we need

         -help/saving/ and we need rescuing

 

And then he begins to show us, step by step, what it looks like,

  -to put our flesh and blood on his gospel

  -and hereŐs the beautiful part, as heŐs putting us back together he invites usÉ

  -broken, flawed, vulnerable people, to be the hands & feet & mouth & heartÉ

  -of a Jesus who loves people exactly as they are, and yetÉ

  -loves us way too much to let us stay that way

 

ThatŐs why Christianity exploded in the first centuryÉ

  -not because it was bringing some new claims to this world

  -on the contrary, claims such as the central claims of Xtianity were made by other

  pagan religions & cults for hundreds of years (maybe thatŐs a new fact for you this AM)

  -But Christianity exploded because these first followers gave up everything to live out the

   claims they were making.

 

And for that reason I can say, and hopefully we can say, we believe!

we believe that Jesus was the Son of God. we believe he was conceived of the H.S.
we believe that he was born of the virgin Mary in the humblest of places
we believe he lived on this earth and experienced everything we experience.
we believe that he suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried.
and we believe that he rose again on the third day.
we believe that he ascended into heaven and will return again one day to judge the living and the dead and put it all things back together and make them new once and for all.

And we believe this and more, not just because I can prove it all beyond belief
  -not just because I can give you ten verses to support each claim
  -I believe it because I see the resurrection all around me in people who choose to do    
  GodŐs will instead of their own, even, and especially, when itŐs hard.

HereŐs the question this morning, itŐs a question we should ask ourselves dailyÉ

  -when people are faced with the question, did Jesus really rise from the dead

  -if the only proof they have is how you and I, how we, the Church, live our lives

-after observing our lives, how would they answer?

 

 

If youŐre a Christ-follower here todayÉ

 

If youŐre not a Christ-follower É