The Resurrected Life: Victorious Living (2nd Corinthians 4:7-18)
Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC...
The Resurrected Life: Victorious Living (2nd Corinthians 4:7-18)
[Slide] Once upon a time, there was a pirate who never lost a battle...
Hearing of his victorious fame, a new pirate joins the crew to study the
captain. First battle, his ship against
3 others. The pirate calls to his assistant, “Bring me my red pants” [Slide] and fights until
they win.
Second battle is against 5 ships. The captain calls again: "Bring me my
red pants" and then fights until they win. He was fearsome.
The new guy asks, “What's up with the red pants?”
Captain replies, “It's simple, if I’m wounded my crew won't know, so they will
stay motivated as long as I keep fighting.”
Then
the battle horn is heard, to his surprise he is surrounded by 10 ships. The
captain calls to his assistant, [Slide] "BRING ME MY BROWN PANTS."
I
apologize. But would you agree, there are times in life when we need a pair of
brown pants? Life can be frightening; a health crisis, tragic accidents, family
strife, or a job loss.
Today,
we are talking about victorious living. How do we put on our red pants and walk
into the fray? How do we win the day, every day, no matter the enemy or
challenge we face?
[Slide] Victorious living is knowing who
is fighting for you. Moses and the Hebrews were cornered by Pharaoh’s army at
the edge of the Red Sea. They cried out in fear. God told them, [Slide]
The Lord will
fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:14)
Then
God made a path through the sea so that they were able to escape.
The
Lord fights for you sometimes. So sit back, eat popcorn, and wait on the Lord
to open a path for you.
[Slide] During my call to ministry, I was
terrified. I had never trusted God in the way I had to trust God then. I was
out of work. Michele was working part time as a nurse and a full-time mother of
three. They were depending on me, but this crazy idea that God was calling me
to ministry was getting in the way. Before I could fully commit, I had to be
sure God was truly calling. We prayed, “If you can get me into seminary even
though open enrollment is closed, and if you can get me a church with a place
we can afford, even though the appointment season is closed, then I will know
you are truly calling me. Within two weeks of praying that prayer, God made it
happen. We were dumbfounded.
[Slide] Victorious Living is about knowing
who fights with you.
Some
battles we must fight, but we don’t fight them alone. I know of a young man who
was hit by a vehicle while cycling. Kamden Davidson suffered a severe brain
injury. He laid in a coma for a month. Two years later, he sang at a school
talent show. He said that Jesus is his bestest bestie. Jesus was with him
during all that time in the hospital. While seated in a wheelchair, he sang I
Can Only Imagine.
Surrounded
by your glory
What
will my heart feel
Will
I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still? …I can only imagine
[Slide] Reaching the climax of the song, he
stood up in front of his wheelchair, steadied himself with one hand, and raised
the other in honor of Jesus who gave him the strength to fight. Who is fighting
with you? Jesus will give you the victory.
[Slide] The apostle Paul faced intense
threats to his life by those who opposed his teaching about Jesus. Paul wrote
of a riot in Ephesus.
We
were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we
despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of
death. (2Co 1:8-9)
[Slide] Ephesus held one of the 7 wonders
of the world, the temple to Artemis (Diana), a major draw to the city.
[Slide] Silversmiths made a living making small
idols and replicas of the temple for pilgrims. The silversmiths feared that Paul
preaching Christ would end their livelihood. They riled up the whole city
saying that Paul preached against the temple and discredited the name of their
goddess, Artemis.
[Slide] Suddenly the entire city of
Ephesus was in an uproar. They began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the
Ephesians!” They dragged some of Paul’s associates into the stadium. They were
ready to tear them apart in their zeal for Artemis. Paul and his associates
barely escaped with their lives.
Paul
reflected on the riot. [Slide]
This
happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the
dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will
deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to
deliver us. (2nd Corinthians 1:9b-10)
Victorious
living is trusting in God who fights with you. If God defeated death in the
resurrection of Jesus, then God is fully able to help you fight. Trust in God’s
abilities. I may not be able to handle some of life’s challenges, but God can. Set
your hope on Him.
[Slide] Make it your mantra: I can’t,
but He can!
Are
you facing cancer or some other life-threatening illness?
I
can’t, but He can!
Are
you without work, and feeling lost?
I
can’t, but He can!
Is
your marriage in trouble? Is your family falling apart?
I
can’t, but He can!
[Slide] In 2nd Corinthians, Paul
isn’t facing prison or peril. He is facing bad press. The Corinthians had
turned away from Paul. Even though Paul helped to plant and nurture the church
in Corinth, a few so-called super apostles claimed Paul was no real apostle. Paul
is trying to win back their love and support.
Paul
reminds the church what God has done in Jesus.
For
God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in
our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed
in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show
that [Slide] this
all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2nd
Corinthians 4:6-7) In other words, Paul’s powerful preaching is from God’s
amazing grace.
God
illuminates our hearts and gives us all-surpassing power. All-surpassing power;
that sounds like the stuff of victory. You can stand firm in the face of every
trial with the all-surpassing grace of Jesus Christ. Victorious living is
knowing who is at work in you!
[Slide] Jesus told his disciples, “If you
really know me, then you will know my Father.” (John 14:7)
I
know a few things about Jesus. He was born in Bethlehem. His parents were Mary
and Joseph. They lived in Nazareth. Jesus healed people. He connected people to
God. He gave them hope. He was crucified. These are facts about Jesus.
But
knowing Jesus is more about a personal relationship with Jesus. He lives and
reigns in our hearts. Victorious living is knowing Jesus lives in you,
supplying you with grace. Whatever you face, Jesus will give you grace to
overcome.
[Slide] Paul prayed to the Lord to relieve
him of a thorn in his flesh. We don’t know what that was. It could’ve been a
physical ailment or a temptation to sin that bothered the apostle. But Jesus
told Paul,
[Slide] “My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2nd
Corinthians 12:9a)
Paul
responded to this word from the Lord by saying,
“I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may
rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,
in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when
I am weak, then I am strong.” (2nd Corinthians 12:9b-10)
[Slide] Victorious living is knowing the
all-sufficient grace of Christ is at work in you. His amazing grace will give
you the power to persevere through every trial. Our weakness gives His divine
strength a chance to shine.
[Slide] “I can’t, but He can!” becomes a
mantra that glorifies Jesus. Admitting our limitations, and acknowledging the
power of Christ at work in you, will lead you to victory.
[Slide] I read a few inspiring Mother’s
Day stories while preparing this sermon. They reminded me of the incredible
women I know raising children with special needs. They felt pain at the
horrifying realization of the challenges they would face together. But they
loved their child all the more. They overcame every obstacle. One mother became
a firebrand advocate for Down’s Syndrome.
These
mothers learned to surrender control and let God fight for them. They submitted
to reality. Their prayers changed from asking God to change the situation, to
asking God to change their own hearts.
[Slide] Mary was probably a teenager when
the angel Gabriel announced she would bear the Son of God. She couldn’t
understand how it could happen. She’d never been with a man. The angel simply
said, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary submitted. She said, “I
am the Lord’s servant. May it be with me according to your word.”
[Slide] A man told a story of his great
grandmother, who he had never met. When his grandfather was born, he got very
sick. His great grandmother prayed for her child. “If it is your will to take
my son, then so be it. But if you save him, he will grow up to become a
preacher.” Within days, the baby was fully healed! From that point on his
mother would introduce her son saying, “He’s gonna be a preacher someday.” He
became a lawyer. But in this 30s, his mother’s congregation lost their pastor.
They asked if he would preach. He told his mother, “I’m a lawyer. I know
nothing about preaching.” His mother asked, “Let’s pray about it for two weeks
and you try it.” He reluctantly agreed to preach for two Sundays only. After
two Sundays, he kept preaching. He kept preaching for 30 years. His three sons
became preachers and their sons became preachers. Can you imagine the lives
that have been blessed by this family all because a mother surrendered to the
Lord?
[Slide] Are you ready to put on your red
pants?
[Slide] I can’t, but He can!
[Slide] Thanks be to God who gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1st Corinthains 15:57)
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