Bulletin Insert for April 3rd:

 

Sermon Notes:

 

I.          What does it mean to be an enemy of the Cross?

 

II.        Paul’s letter to the Philippians: Knowing Jesus Christ is the greatest treasure in Paul’s life.

               

            A.        Pastor: Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ has made me His                                   own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.

                        All: But one thing I do: forgetting what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ                          Jesus.

 

            B.        And then Paul goes on (verse 15-18)

                        Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we                       must hold on to the progress we have made.

 

                        Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before,                and I say it again with tears in my eyes.

 

                        All: But there are many whose conduct show they are really enemies of the Cross.

 

            C.        May I ask you again, what does it mean for you or me to be an enemy of the Cross?

 

            D.        For me, I become an enemy of the Cross when I begin to forget that I am the greatest sinner I personally know and when I refuse to                                    forgive others and myself, as Jesus forgives us on His Cross. And furthermore, I have come to realize that in all my relationships, from                     the closest ones like family to the most distant of relationships, if we do not agree that we need Jesus our Lord to show us what is right                and how to forgive, we will end up in constant conflict and disunity, which is the opposite of what Jesus desires for us by His death on                       the Cross.

 

III.       Two special friends will share what Paul’s letter to the Philippians means to them.

 

            A.        From Wanda, who leads our home church’s marriage ministry with her husband Chris:

 

                        “Forgiveness is a perfect theme for married couples to learn and understand. Unfortunately for me, my self-righteousness and need for                     justification does not serve me well being married to Christopher. Pastor Ray’s wisdom is always appreciated, and with a humble heart I                       am learning to yield the need to be right to lean into Christopher’s explanation of “his side of the story”. Pastor Ray has reiterated that as                      a married couple, we need to know that each spouse is a sinner which in turn means we will always need to seek forgiveness from each               other. God, in His infinite wisdom and grace, gave us Jesus so that our sins would not be counted against us when we truly repent and                             have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Giving me a husband has allowed me to practice forgiveness a “few thousand times”.

 

                        Leading up to Philippians 3:17-4:1, we must reflect on verse 14 which is one of the many goals for marriage: “I press on toward the goal                   for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paraphrased (by Dorothy Hughes) to know, serve, and love God which takes                                 intentionality and work which is not passive. Time must be spent every day to seek Christ through scripture and quiet time alone with                            God. The call to holy matrimony is not for the faint at heart. It is a tough assignment, one in which has challenged me too many times to                         count and I have an awesome husband! As I study scripture and as Jesus reminds me to die to myself, I am humbled and convicted of my                      sinful nature which creates a chasm between Christopher and me.

 

                        Verse 15 states, “All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too                  God will make clear.” These critical verses prepare us for the thought process needed which is that Christian maturity requires us to act on the guidance that we have received without making excuses that we still have much to learn. We, especially me, have lived as enemies of the Cross of Christ in our marriages. This is referenced in verse 18. As painful as it is to state this truth, my mind has been on earthly things. WE are reminded in verse 20 that our citizenship is in heaven. I can and have made excuses for my poor choices in behaving less than holy in my marriage, however, as I am held accountable by Christian sisters, I turn towards Christopher, seek forgiveness, and do my best to move towards Christlike words and actions to honor the sacrament of holy matrimony as my marriage may be the only Bible that a witness may read.”

 

                        1.         All: Forgiveness is a perfect theme for married couples to learn and understand.

 

                        2.         All: Unfortunately for me, my self-righteousness does not serve me well being married to                                          Christopher.

 

                        3.         Ever have a friend or family member say to you, “why do you think you are always right?”!

 

                        4.         The devil wins:

 

                                    a.         when any one of us thinks we can know what is right and wrong, apart from God.

 

                                    b.         when we do not go to Jesus to forgive each other as He forgives us.

 

                        5.         Jesus is victorious, and the devil loses:

 

                                    a.         when we do what we read in Proverbs 3:5.

                                                All: Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not lean upon your own understanding.

 

                                    b.         when we do as we read in Ephesians 4:32.

                                                All: Be kind to each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God                                                     through Christ has forgiven us.

 

                        6.         We are living as enemies of the Cross in our marriages when we become the focus and not our                                                 Lord God!

 

                        7.         How do we deal with our constant struggle to be holy in our family and in our relationships with                                            each other? Here is a list of help:

 

                                    a.         spending time each day seeking Christ in the scriptures and quiet time with God.

 

                                    b.         being held accountable by Christian sisters.

 

                        8.         Here at St. Matthew, whose faithfulness in marriage has left you a witness to Christ that has                                           grounded this church family in our Lord.

 

            B.        What about Christopher:

 

                        On our wedding invitations, my wife and I inscribed: “This day I will marry my friend…”. I like to think                 of my wife as my friend. We enjoy each other’s company, and we have great conversations, however,                                 marriage is much more than a friendship. The one thing that makes it deeper than a friendship is that we                           stood before God and our families, and we made a commitment. If a friendship does not work out it is                          relatively easy to break off that relationship. Because of our commitment to each other we have decided to                        stick together and work it out. This is where the struggle for righteousness begins. Each of us has an                         expectation for how our spouse behaves in the relationship. First off, what is right? If my wife and I have                   our own standards for righteousness and we are not seeking God’s righteousness together it can create an                  insurmountable wall between us. It HAS created walls between us! There are times I have done things                                     that have been hurtful to my wife, where I have not lived up to her expectations and standards of                                         acceptance. It is when we seek God’s righteousness together that our relationship can flourish.

 

                        I am very thankful that my wife committed to our vows and realize that we, not one of us, is righteous,                                and we fall short of God’s glory. Because of the time we have spent together reading God’s Word, we                                 understand that our spouse is not our enemy and that we need to work together as a team first to                                              understand God’s righteousness and then to follow it as best we can. This requires not just forgiveness on                      each of our parts, but a real effort at repentance and to work on our shortcomings.

 

                        What can we learn from our brother in Christ?:

 

                        1.         Because we stood before God and our families, we make a commitment to stick it out and work it                              out. And this is where the struggle for righteousness begins.

 

                        2.         In a friendship, we can move apart if we do not agree in what is right and wrong!

 

                        3.         But in a marriage and all true relationships, apart from going to God to determine what is right and                              wrong, we will be divided!

 

                        4.         Chris writes…If my wife and I have our own standards for righteousness and we are not seeking                                          God’s righteousness together, it can create an insurmountable wall between us.

 

                        5.         It has created walls between us.

 

                        6.         But…all read: It is when we seek God’s righteousness together that our relationship can                                             flourish.

 

                        7.         And the secret to their relationship as Chris puts it is this:

 

                                    a.         I am very thankful that my wife is committed to our vows.

 

                                    b.         because we spend time together reading God’s Word, we understand that our spouse is not                                       our enemy.

 

                                    c.         but that we need to work together as a team first to understand God!

 

                        8.         This requires not just forgiveness on each of our parts, but a real effort at repentance and to work                             on our shortcomings!