SERMON: THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE

27 February 2011

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Colossians 1:21-23

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

-- it should be no secret to any of you now that I am somewhat of a movie geek -- I really like movies -- and I think this all goes back to the way I learn things -- I believe I am a visual and auditory learner -- in order for me to learn things, I really have to hear it or see it rather than just read it
-- and I have found in my life that I tend to retain things better when I can see it or when I can hear someone talking about it in a lecture -- I think that’s one reason why I don’t read a lot of nonfiction -- it just doesn’t stick with me the way it does when I watch a documentary or hear a lecture on the subject
-- there’s just something about seeing it on the big screen that brings it all home to me and I really can grasp what’s going on in the big picture -- which, for me, is pretty amazing -- I tend to get hung up on the details, especially when I read, but when I watch movies, I am able to step back and see the whole story as it unfolds and I’m better able to really get what is going on

-- I guess that’s why I really like movies that have a story that is greater than what is on the screen -- movies that have depth and that mean more than just what they’re showing on the surface -- that’s one reason I always look forward to this time of the year when Christianity Today puts out their list of the Top 10 Redeeming Films of the past year
-- every year when this list comes out, the first thing I do is add all of them to my Netflix queue and move them up to the top of the list because I know these are going to be movies that I am really going to get a lot out of
-- a lot of the movies on this list you probably have never heard of, but they all have one thing in common -- every single one of them have an underlying theme of redemption and hope -- in every one of them, you see how the lives of the characters and those around them are redeemed -- how they’re lifted up out of their circumstances and given a hope and a dream that propels them on to new heights and to new adventures and to new lives
-- you know, maybe one reason why I like these movies so well is that I can relate to them -- because, if you stop and think about it, aren’t they really about us? -- aren’t they really about what Jesus has done for us?

II. Scripture Lesson (Colossians 1:21-23)
-- that’s what Paul is saying here in this passage as he writes to the church at Colosse -- a small group of believers that were being led by one of Paul’s disciples -- a man named Epaphras
-- Epaphras had written to Paul and asked for help because some in the church were starting to believe in a false teaching that said that they had to do more to be saved than just receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- this false teaching told them they had to follow certain rituals and call on angels and do other things above and beyond what Jesus had said and what Paul had taught
-- so Paul writes this letter to the church at Colosse to remind the Colossians of the grace and the redemption and the hope that they had in Christ and in Christ alone -- he reminds them of the story of their life -- of who they used to be before Jesus -- of who they were now because of Jesus -- and of who Jesus wanted them to be in the future

-- let’s look back at this passage and see what we can learn about the story of our own lives through Paul’s message to the Colossians

-- look back at verse 21

21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[a] your evil behavior.

-- “once” -- isn’t that the way all good stories begin? -- “once” -- “once upon a time” -- that’s the way Paul says that the story of our lives begin -- “once upon a time there lived a man -- once upon a time there lived a woman -- and their lives were not good”
-- Paul reminds us of who we used to be -- he says that we were alienated -- separated -- cut-off -- from God -- that’s like being cut-off from life itself
-- that’s like a cut flower in a vase -- it looks nice -- it smells nice -- but it’s as dead as dead can be because it is alienated and separated from the source of life -- no matter how much you prop it up -- no matter how much water you add -- eventually, that flower is going to fade and it’s beauty is going to pass away and it’s going to wither and be no more
-- that was us -- that’s who were -- alienated from God -- alienated from life with no hope and no future
-- and, to make it worse, not only were we alienated from God but we were the enemies of God -- we had been deceived by temptation and sin and we liked who we were and we didn’t like the God who came along and offered something better -- we thought we were happy living in our own little pit of despondency and despair and when someone offered a hand to redeem our lives and to pull us up, we slapped it away
-- this, Paul says, is who you were -- remember what your life was like -- remember who you were before Jesus

-- verse 22

22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—

-- but just when things seemed their darkest -- just when it seemed like all hope was lost -- just when we realized the mess that we had made of our lives and understood that we couldn’t get out of this pit on our own -- the Savior came riding into the story like a hero on a white horse
-- Paul says that Jesus reconciled us -- He brought us back into a relationship with the Father -- by offering His own body on the cross at Calvary -- through His death -- through the shedding of His blood -- Jesus atoned for our sins and paid the price to redeem us from sin and death and to bring us once more into fellowship with God
-- Romans 5:8 says while we were yet sinners -- while we were yet in that pit of sin and despair -- Jesus died for us
-- this, Paul says, is who you are now -- once upon a time you lived in a pit -- but now, through the death of the Savior, you have been made holy in the sight of God -- without blemish -- free from accusation and guilt -- spotless before your God and your King
-- Paul is reminding the church at Colosse of who they were at that very moment -- there was nothing else that needed to be done -- there was nothing else that needed to be added -- the blood of Christ had redeemed them and washed them clean so they stood before God holy and blameless in His sight
-- they didn’t need to add unnecessary rituals and traditions -- they didn’t need to call on any other spiritual beings -- they didn’t have to do anything more -- all they had to do was accept the gift of grace that Jesus offered through His own body and blood and to live the new life that He had given
-- in verse 21 Paul said, “This is who you were” -- and here in verse 22 he tells them, “This is who you are”

-- but Paul doesn’t leave it there -- look down at verse 23

23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

-- “This is who you are to become”
-- just like your story did not end in the pit of sin and death -- your story doesn’t end at the cross -- your story is just beginning
-- Paul urges the Colossians to “continue” in their faith -- the Greek word he uses here literally means to “persevere” or to press on
-- Paul says “continue” in your faith and press on to take hold of the hope that you have in Christ -- do more than just settle at the cross and wait for death to take you -- continue to write the story of your life

-- this is what I call a “now what?” moment -- these are times in your life when something has changed -- something big and dramatic that demands a response
-- you graduate from school -- you get married -- you get a job -- you lose a job -- something happens -- a new chapter begins -- and you think to yourself, “now what?” -- and then you realize, “I have to do something”
-- that’s what Paul is saying here to these Christian believers in Colosse -- remember who you were -- remember what you used to be and how you used to live before Jesus came along
-- look at who you are now -- look at what Jesus has done for you -- look at how your life has started over -- how you have been made holy and righteous and blameless before God
-- and then, by urging them to continue on in their faith, he asks them, “now what are going to do with what you have been given?”
-- the Spiderman movie of a few years ago made this quote famous -- “with great power comes great responsibility” -- that’s what Paul is saying here to this church -- you have a responsibility now to do something with the redemption you have been given
-- he goes on to say, “this is the gospel that you heard -- this is the gospel that has been proclaimed and that I am the servant of” -- and the implication is there -- follow my example -- do something with your life -- continue in your faith and write your story in the lives of others

III. Closing
-- in the paraphrase, The Message, we read the following in 1 Cor 1:9, "God, who got you started on this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of His Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."
-- we can’t forget that we ARE in the midst of a great spiritual adventure -- an adventure that is being written out in our lives every single day -- God called us from the life that we used to be living -- He rescued us from the miry clay and the pit that we were living in and He washed us clean through the blood of Jesus so that we might start this new adventure -- that we might begin a new story with Him -- that we might continue in our faith

-- the question I want to leave you with this morning is what is your story going to look like? -- at the end of your life, when others gather around to remember who you were and how you touched their lives, what are they going to say about you? -- will they remember a life filled with hope -- a life lived with faith -- a life that cared enough about others to get up and make a difference in this world? -- or will they struggle for words to describe and for remembrances of the past?
-- we have been given a great opportunity -- Christ Himself has delivered us from sin and death and put our feet on a new path -- He has given us a blank page to write the story of our life on -- so what will you write? -- what will you say? -- what will you do?

-- with those thoughts in mind, I want us to close today by sharing together the sacrament of Holy Communion -- because through the sharing in the body and blood of Christ we are reminded of what He has done for us -- we are challenged to live up to the calling that He has placed on our lives -- and we are reassured that He is with us as we write into the story and lives of others
-- so, as Seth leads us in our last song, let’s prepare our hearts and our souls to receive Holy Communion
-- let us pray