CHURCH
LUTHERAN
Our Savior's of Elderon
6TH AFTER PENTECOST 2016 INI COLOSSIANS 1:9-14
What’s the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today? I’m sure some of you would guess that it’s AIDS. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 2.2 million people of every age all over the world have HIV. But what about the Ebola Virus we occasionally hear about on the news? It’s 80-90 % fatal! It’s another horrible and incurable disease. What about cancer? Think of all the people that are afflicted with this horrible disease and how many die from it each year. We could probably list many more horrible diseases as well, many without any cure.
But what if there were a disease which everyone caught from his or her parents so that 100% of the population had it? What if this disease killed millions of people every day? What if there were no human cure for it? Certainly that would be the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today.5
Well, there is such a disease. It’s called, “The Me Syndrome”. Of course that isn’t the technical name for it, but it does accurately describe a disease we all have. We inherited it from our parents the moment we were conceived. Once we were born the symptoms were very evident. Right away we thought the world should revolve around us. That’s why we screamed when we didn’t get our way. That’s also why we screamed when Mom and Dad weren’t fast enough for our liking. That’s why we never had to be taught to grab things away from other kids yelling, “Mine, mine.” That’s why we never had to be taught how to lie, steal or cheat.
In childhood and in our teenage years “this syndrome also refused to go away. We thought our parents and those in authority ought to give in to our wishes. We expected them to give us whatever we wanted. And if we didn’t get what we wanted we would stomp off in a rage yelling that they were old fashioned or unfair.
Unfortunately, our self-centeredness’ also failed to go away as we got older. We resent it when other people or the church butt in on our time. We also don’t like it if family obligations interfere with what we want to do. We wish we had more money in our wallet and in the bank. Usually the reason is that we’re not satisfied with our house we live in, the car we drive, the clothes we have or other things we have or don’t have.
We see stuff on TV and we want to run out and buy it. We like to take the credit when we succeed and blame others when we fail. We love to focus on #1, “Me.”
This is a horrible disease! It’s a disease that hurts other people and our own souls. It’s a disease that dishonors God. A disease that needs a cure. One that by the grace of God Paul provides in his prayers for the Colossian Christians.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Here then is the cure for
“THE ME SYNDROME”
1. Focus on all God has done for you.
The most important ingredient in the cure for “the me syndrome” is found in the last part of our text. Look again at verse 12. Notice that God has; “Qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
What does that mean? Well, let’s start from the beginning. God doesn’t accept anything less than perfect in heaven. You have to be 100% genuinely perfect and holy from conception until death in order to qualify to get into heaven. The reason being that God hates sin and since we are by nature contaminated with sin we can’t stand in his presence.
To illustrate this let’s take a look at the lottery. Let’s say there are 6 sets of numbers that have to match to win the 100 million dollar prize. If even one of those numbers is different or turned around you don’t qualify for the prize, you get nothing. Whether 2 numbers are wrong or if all 12 numbers are wrong you lose because the numbers aren’t perfectly matched. So also if you’re not absolutely perfect, you will never get the inheritance of heaven.
But the good news is, as Paul tells us, God has qualified us for heaven. In other words, in God’s eyes you and I now deserve heaven.
How did that happen? After all we just talked about how selfish and sinful we are even from conception. And since we are by nature so sinful and selfish, how can we qualify to get into heaven? We cannot do anything to qualify for heaven. But the God can!
It’s true that God hates sin. But it’s equally true that God loves each and every one of you. That’s why nearly 2,000 years ago God the Father sent his only Son Jesus, to qualify you for heaven. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life from conception until his death which qualified him for heaven. Then on the cross he gave his qualification for heaven to you and me as he took all our sins, our imperfections on himself. On the cross he suffered and bled and died for our sins while you and I walked away qualified to enter heaven.
Let’s go back to the lottery ticket that doesn’t match the winning numbers at all. You’re disappointed as you realize that once again you wasted $2. But then the guy next to you says; “Look, all my numbers match.” You’re jaw drops in shock. But before you can say anything the guy shoves the ticket into your hand and says; “here, you take it. I don’t want it.” That’s what Jesus did! Without one thought for himself he handed his ticket to heaven to you. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians when he says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus left the glories of heaven to endure hell in our place so we could qualify for eternal life in heaven.
Just think of all God has done for you. Rejoice in the riches he has given you. Be thankful for them. This is the most important ingredient in the cure for self-centeredness’. Look at Jesus, he didn’t think of himself. He wasn’t worried about his reputation. He was only concerned about you and your eternal welfare. He gave his all so you could have true, meaningful peace now and forever. Jesus wasn’t thinking of himself or his heavenly riches. He thought only of you and your eternal welfare. That’s why he left his throne in heaven and walked upon this miserable, sin filled world for over 3 decades. That’s why he died the most humiliating and most painful death known to man. He did it for you! He did this because he loves you, each and every one of you. What an awesome God we have. In the face of that awesome love, after all God has done for us, how can we even think of ourselves.
2. Look at life as service.
Now for the second part of the cure for “The Me Syndrome.” Look at verse 10: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work.” As Christians who love Jesus and are grateful to him for all he has done for us we will want to thank him and please him with our lives. We will want to produce fruits of faith, good works, in our lives. The Catechism describes good works as whatever a believer does out of faith in and love for God according to his will.
So how do we do this? Paul gives us a quick summary. “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father.” We bear fruit, we show our love for God and our thanks to him, by living lives that are pleasing to him, by doing what he wants us to do, by obeying his Law and by giving thanks to him as we worship him in our daily lives.
Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 12; “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Because of the great mercy God has shown us by qualifying us for heaven, God expects us to show love and mercy to others.
We do this by serving others. As we grow in our knowledge of God we will want to please him by helping other people. We can encourage them, lift them up when they are down, support them when they are struggling, look for them when they are straying, love and forgive them. We can stand up for them when they’re not around. We can bring them meals or cards when they are ill. Out of love and thankfulness to God we will want to look at every situation as an opportunity to serve God’s children in some way. After all, we are fruit trees that exist so God and others may benefit.
Now can you see the cure for “The Me Syndrome.”? The cure comes from being thankful for all things God has given us and done for us through Jesus and looking at life as service to others. We exist because God loved us in Christ and now we exist to serve others. Those two things are what life is all about. Understand that and you have the cure for self-centeredness. But even more important that that is you have the guarantee of Christ’s great love for you. He loved you so much he was willing to give up his place in heaven so it might be yours. Amen.6TH AFTER PENTECOST 2016 INI COLOSSIANS 1:9-14
What’s the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today? I’m sure some of you would guess that it’s AIDS. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 2.2 million people of every age all over the world have HIV. But what about the Ebola Virus we occasionally hear about on the news? It’s 80-90 % fatal! It’s another horrible and incurable disease. What about cancer? Think of all the people that are afflicted with this horrible disease and how many die from it each year. We could probably list many more horrible diseases as well, many without any cure.The Cure for Me, Myself and I
But what if there were a disease which everyone caught from his or her parents so that 100% of the population had it? What if this disease killed millions of people every day? What if there were no human cure for it? Certainly that would be the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today.5
Well, there is such a disease. It’s called, “The Me Syndrome”. Of course that isn’t the technical name for it, but it does accurately describe a disease we all have. We inherited it from our parents the moment we were conceived. Once we were born the symptoms were very evident. Right away we thought the world should revolve around us. That’s why we screamed when we didn’t get our way. That’s also why we screamed when Mom and Dad weren’t fast enough for our liking. That’s why we never had to be taught to grab things away from other kids yelling, “Mine, mine.” That’s why we never had to be taught how to lie, steal or cheat.
In childhood and in our teenage years “this syndrome also refused to go away. We thought our parents and those in authority ought to give in to our wishes. We expected them to give us whatever we wanted. And if we didn’t get what we wanted we would stomp off in a rage yelling that they were old fashioned or unfair.
Unfortunately, our self-centeredness’ also failed to go away as we got older. We resent it when other people or the church butt in on our time. We also don’t like it if family obligations interfere with what we want to do. We wish we had more money in our wallet and in the bank. Usually the reason is that we’re not satisfied with our house we live in, the car we drive, the clothes we have or other things we have or don’t have.
We see stuff on TV and we want to run out and buy it. We like to take the credit when we succeed and blame others when we fail. We love to focus on #1, “Me.”
This is a horrible disease! It’s a disease that hurts other people and our own souls. It’s a disease that dishonors God. A disease that needs a cure. One that by the grace of God Paul provides in his prayers for the Colossian Christians.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Here then is the cure for
“THE ME SYNDROME”
1. Focus on all God has done for you.
The most important ingredient in the cure for “the me syndrome” is found in the last part of our text. Look again at verse 12. Notice that God has; “Qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
What does that mean? Well, let’s start from the beginning. God doesn’t accept anything less than perfect in heaven. You have to be 100% genuinely perfect and holy from conception until death in order to qualify to get into heaven. The reason being that God hates sin and since we are by nature contaminated with sin we can’t stand in his presence.
To illustrate this let’s take a look at the lottery. Let’s say there are 6 sets of numbers that have to match to win the 100 million dollar prize. If even one of those numbers is different or turned around you don’t qualify for the prize, you get nothing. Whether 2 numbers are wrong or if all 12 numbers are wrong you lose because the numbers aren’t perfectly matched. So also if you’re not absolutely perfect, you will never get the inheritance of heaven.
But the good news is, as Paul tells us, God has qualified us for heaven. In other words, in God’s eyes you and I now deserve heaven.
How did that happen? After all we just talked about how selfish and sinful we are even from conception. And since we are by nature so sinful and selfish, how can we qualify to get into heaven? We cannot do anything to qualify for heaven. But the God can!
It’s true that God hates sin. But it’s equally true that God loves each and every one of you. That’s why nearly 2,000 years ago God the Father sent his only Son Jesus, to qualify you for heaven. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life from conception until his death which qualified him for heaven. Then on the cross he gave his qualification for heaven to you and me as he took all our sins, our imperfections on himself. On the cross he suffered and bled and died for our sins while you and I walked away qualified to enter heaven.
Let’s go back to the lottery ticket that doesn’t match the winning numbers at all. You’re disappointed as you realize that once again you wasted $2. But then the guy next to you says; “Look, all my numbers match.” You’re jaw drops in shock. But before you can say anything the guy shoves the ticket into your hand and says; “here, you take it. I don’t want it.” That’s what Jesus did! Without one thought for himself he handed his ticket to heaven to you. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians when he says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus left the glories of heaven to endure hell in our place so we could qualify for eternal life in heaven.
Just think of all God has done for you. Rejoice in the riches he has given you. Be thankful for them. This is the most important ingredient in the cure for self-centeredness’. Look at Jesus, he didn’t think of himself. He wasn’t worried about his reputation. He was only concerned about you and your eternal welfare. He gave his all so you could have true, meaningful peace now and forever. Jesus wasn’t thinking of himself or his heavenly riches. He thought only of you and your eternal welfare. That’s why he left his throne in heaven and walked upon this miserable, sin filled world for over 3 decades. That’s why he died the most humiliating and most painful death known to man. He did it for you! He did this because he loves you, each and every one of you. What an awesome God we have. In the face of that awesome love, after all God has done for us, how can we even think of ourselves.
2. Look at life as service.
Now for the second part of the cure for “The Me Syndrome.” Look at verse 10: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work.” As Christians who love Jesus and are grateful to him for all he has done for us we will want to thank him and please him with our lives. We will want to produce fruits of faith, good works, in our lives. The Catechism describes good works as whatever a believer does out of faith in and love for God according to his will.
So how do we do this? Paul gives us a quick summary. “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father.” We bear fruit, we show our love for God and our thanks to him, by living lives that are pleasing to him, by doing what he wants us to do, by obeying his Law and by giving thanks to him as we worship him in our daily lives.
Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 12; “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Because of the great mercy God has shown us by qualifying us for heaven, God expects us to show love and mercy to others.
We do this by serving others. As we grow in our knowledge of God we will want to please him by helping other people. We can encourage them, lift them up when they are down, support them when they are struggling, look for them when they are straying, love and forgive them. We can stand up for them when they’re not around. We can bring them meals or cards when they are ill. Out of love and thankfulness to God we will want to look at every situation as an opportunity to serve God’s children in some way. After all, we are fruit trees that exist so God and others may benefit.
Now can you see the cure for “The Me Syndrome.”? The cure comes from being thankful for all things God has given us and done for us through Jesus and looking at life as service to others. We exist because God loved us in Christ and now we exist to serve others. Those two things are what life is all about. Understand that and you have the cure for self-centeredness. But even more important that that is you have the guarantee of Christ’s great love for you. He loved you so much he was willing to give up his place in heaven so it might be yours. Amen.6TH AFTER PENTECOST 2016 INI COLOSSIANS 1:9-14
What’s the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today? I’m sure some of you would guess that it’s AIDS. The Center for Disease Control estimates that 2.2 million people of every age all over the world have HIV. But what about the Ebola Virus we occasionally hear about on the news? It’s 80-90 % fatal! It’s another horrible and incurable disease. What about cancer? Think of all the people that are afflicted with this horrible disease and how many die from it each year. We could probably list many more horrible diseases as well, many without any cure.
But what if there were a disease which everyone caught from his or her parents so that 100% of the population had it? What if this disease killed millions of people every day? What if there were no human cure for it? Certainly that would be the most deadly and widespread disease in the world today.5
Well, there is such a disease. It’s called, “The Me Syndrome”. Of course that isn’t the technical name for it, but it does accurately describe a disease we all have. We inherited it from our parents the moment we were conceived. Once we were born the symptoms were very evident. Right away we thought the world should revolve around us. That’s why we screamed when we didn’t get our way. That’s also why we screamed when Mom and Dad weren’t fast enough for our liking. That’s why we never had to be taught to grab things away from other kids yelling, “Mine, mine.” That’s why we never had to be taught how to lie, steal or cheat.
In childhood and in our teenage years “this syndrome also refused to go away. We thought our parents and those in authority ought to give in to our wishes. We expected them to give us whatever we wanted. And if we didn’t get what we wanted we would stomp off in a rage yelling that they were old fashioned or unfair.
Unfortunately, our self-centeredness’ also failed to go away as we got older. We resent it when other people or the church butt in on our time. We also don’t like it if family obligations interfere with what we want to do. We wish we had more money in our wallet and in the bank. Usually the reason is that we’re not satisfied with our house we live in, the car we drive, the clothes we have or other things we have or don’t have.
We see stuff on TV and we want to run out and buy it. We like to take the credit when we succeed and blame others when we fail. We love to focus on #1, “Me.”
This is a horrible disease! It’s a disease that hurts other people and our own souls. It’s a disease that dishonors God. A disease that needs a cure. One that by the grace of God Paul provides in his prayers for the Colossian Christians.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Here then is the cure for
“THE ME SYNDROME”
1. Focus on all God has done for you.
The most important ingredient in the cure for “the me syndrome” is found in the last part of our text. Look again at verse 12. Notice that God has; “Qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.”
What does that mean? Well, let’s start from the beginning. God doesn’t accept anything less than perfect in heaven. You have to be 100% genuinely perfect and holy from conception until death in order to qualify to get into heaven. The reason being that God hates sin and since we are by nature contaminated with sin we can’t stand in his presence.
To illustrate this let’s take a look at the lottery. Let’s say there are 6 sets of numbers that have to match to win the 100 million dollar prize. If even one of those numbers is different or turned around you don’t qualify for the prize, you get nothing. Whether 2 numbers are wrong or if all 12 numbers are wrong you lose because the numbers aren’t perfectly matched. So also if you’re not absolutely perfect, you will never get the inheritance of heaven.
But the good news is, as Paul tells us, God has qualified us for heaven. In other words, in God’s eyes you and I now deserve heaven.
How did that happen? After all we just talked about how selfish and sinful we are even from conception. And since we are by nature so sinful and selfish, how can we qualify to get into heaven? We cannot do anything to qualify for heaven. But the God can!
It’s true that God hates sin. But it’s equally true that God loves each and every one of you. That’s why nearly 2,000 years ago God the Father sent his only Son Jesus, to qualify you for heaven. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life from conception until his death which qualified him for heaven. Then on the cross he gave his qualification for heaven to you and me as he took all our sins, our imperfections on himself. On the cross he suffered and bled and died for our sins while you and I walked away qualified to enter heaven.
Let’s go back to the lottery ticket that doesn’t match the winning numbers at all. You’re disappointed as you realize that once again you wasted $2. But then the guy next to you says; “Look, all my numbers match.” You’re jaw drops in shock. But before you can say anything the guy shoves the ticket into your hand and says; “here, you take it. I don’t want it.” That’s what Jesus did! Without one thought for himself he handed his ticket to heaven to you. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians when he says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty might become rich.” Jesus left the glories of heaven to endure hell in our place so we could qualify for eternal life in heaven.
Just think of all God has done for you. Rejoice in the riches he has given you. Be thankful for them. This is the most important ingredient in the cure for self-centeredness’. Look at Jesus, he didn’t think of himself. He wasn’t worried about his reputation. He was only concerned about you and your eternal welfare. He gave his all so you could have true, meaningful peace now and forever. Jesus wasn’t thinking of himself or his heavenly riches. He thought only of you and your eternal welfare. That’s why he left his throne in heaven and walked upon this miserable, sin filled world for over 3 decades. That’s why he died the most humiliating and most painful death known to man. He did it for you! He did this because he loves you, each and every one of you. What an awesome God we have. In the face of that awesome love, after all God has done for us, how can we even think of ourselves.
2. Look at life as service.
Now for the second part of the cure for “The Me Syndrome.” Look at verse 10: “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work.” As Christians who love Jesus and are grateful to him for all he has done for us we will want to thank him and please him with our lives. We will want to produce fruits of faith, good works, in our lives. The Catechism describes good works as whatever a believer does out of faith in and love for God according to his will.
So how do we do this? Paul gives us a quick summary. “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father.” We bear fruit, we show our love for God and our thanks to him, by living lives that are pleasing to him, by doing what he wants us to do, by obeying his Law and by giving thanks to him as we worship him in our daily lives.
Paul also tells us in Romans chapter 12; “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Because of the great mercy God has shown us by qualifying us for heaven, God expects us to show love and mercy to others.
We do this by serving others. As we grow in our knowledge of God we will want to please him by helping other people. We can encourage them, lift them up when they are down, support them when they are struggling, look for them when they are straying, love and forgive them. We can stand up for them when they’re not around. We can bring them meals or cards when they are ill. Out of love and thankfulness to God we will want to look at every situation as an opportunity to serve God’s children in some way. After all, we are fruit trees that exist so God and others may benefit.
Now can you see the cure for “The Me Syndrome.”? The cure comes from being thankful for all things God has given us and done for us through Jesus and looking at life as service to others. We exist because God loved us in Christ and now we exist to serve others. Those two things are what life is all about. Understand that and you have the cure for self-centeredness. But even more important that that is you have the guarantee of Christ’s great love for you. He loved you so much he was willing to give up his place in heaven so it might be yours. Amen.
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