Experience tells us that if you have two brothers in a family, there will be wrestling matches and the occasional fight.  It is part of human nature.  A competitive spirit or outright envy and jealousy must drive contests and struggles. My brother is four years older than I am, and as kids, we battled.  I would threaten to punch him.  He would tell me that if I did, he would punch me back ten times harder.  I thought it was worth the risk and would punch him.  He was true to his word and would punch back, hard.

            Fighting is part of human nature, and fighting in the Bible is part of our spiritual nature. The Apostle Paul, in the letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, told Timothy to “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a).  The Greek word Paul used for the first use of the word “fight” was agōnizomai (ag-o-nid'-zom-ahee).  The word, a verb, an action word, meaning to contend with, struggle against the difficulties and dangers.  Paul’s point was that Timothy would need to fight especially hard against those who opposed the gospel.  Fight, Paul was saying, for something of such great value.  It is not a fight out of jealousy or envy, but rather a fight out of love.  Paul wanted Timothy to have a fire within him that burned with a passion to push back against the darkness of sinful behavior, to refute those who were distorting the good news of Jesus Christ, and to express the love Christ has for the believer.

            In the translation of Paul’s words, the word “fight” is used a second time in the same sentence, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a).  The Greek word for the second “fight” in this sentence was agōn (ag-one'), a noun, meaning a contest in a figurative sense, as a runner might in a race.  We might think of Paul’s words this way: “Strive hard with great passion in the good contest of faith.”  Paul said in this passionate striving in the contest, Timothy must evidence a pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  Paul’s words here suggest that Timothy’s striving must be done in part by himself, “pursuing righteousness, godliness, and faith, and in part in the community of other believers, with love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11b).  Our life as Christians, Paul said, is one of striving within ourselves in a relationship with God and to strive to have loving relationships with other Christians. 

This is not a new concept.  This concept is as old as the Ten Commandments.  The first set of commandments addressed our individual behavior towards God.  We are commanded to have no other Gods, make no graven images, nor use the Lord’s name in vain, and keep the Sabbath holy.  These commandments address a relationship with God.  The second set of commandments addressed our behaviors with other people.  We are commanded to honor our mother and father, we shall not kill, nor steal, nor commit adultery, nor bear false witness, nor covet that which is not ours. We must strive in our faith individually with God and together in community.  Doing so ties together the command to love God and to love our neighbor. And so Paul said, “Fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a), one which shows evidence of a rightly lived life with God and with other believers.

Our faith is worth passionately striving for because it feeds the core of our identity, meaning, and purpose for being.  And Paul’s words were meant to encourage Timothy to pursue this path.  Paul knew about Timothy’s start in faith and wanted him to go even further beyond it, as a runner would in a race.

What was Timothy’s start in the faith? His faith began with his grandmother and mother. At the same time, Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father.   Timothy had two very strong spiritual women in his life: Lois and Eunice, his grandmother and mother.  Scripture records these words from Paul, “5 I am reminded of your [Timothy’s] sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).  Lois, Timothy’s grandmother, must have heard Paul or another evangelist proclaim the gospel.  She came to believe in Jesus.  Lois was a woman of faith and a mother.  Paul’s presentation of the Scripture suggests that Lois made three decisions upon hearing the gospel.  First, she accepted the gospel and was saved.  Second, she began following Christ’s commands to evidence that her life would honor the living God.  Third, she displayed a maternal character of teaching her children about God’s love and sharing the gospel with her daughter, Eunice.  Lois passed to her daughter the truth that she had given Eunice life through birth and that Jesus would give her eternal life through a second spiritual birth.

Paul tells us that Eunice learned from her mother Lois, as she witnessed her mother living in accordance with God’s will.  We learn so much by watching.  We all should be asking ourselves, “Who is watching me? What are my behavior and words teaching them?  To whom am I leading them toward?  Do the things I say make me popular and witty, or do they enrich the lives of those around me?  We can ask ourselves, “Would someone, like Paul, see me as someone of sincere faith?” We need to ask God to lead us towards the proper answer.

Paul credits both Timothy’s grandmother and mother as having a great influence over him.  Paul saw in those women the progression and transformation of their lives.  They shared the Gospel with Timothy so that he would come to know the truth.  God came in human form as Jesus Christ.  He was crucified, died, was buried, and was resurrected and ascended into heaven.  In knowing and believing in him, we are saved. They nurtured Timothy’s faith.

The story of Timothy, his grandmother, Lois, and his mother, Eunice, teaches that motherhood is not a job.  Motherhood is a ministry.  Motherhood bears the pain of childbirth because all life is precious.  Jesus bore the pain of the cross because all life is eternal.  Motherhood is unconditional love given to nurture life to its fullest.  It gives protection, believes in the truth, lives in faith, shares the Gospel, and leads those under its wings to eternal life. This is what Paul saw happen in Timothy’s life to help prepare him to “Fight the good fight for faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a).  And so this Mother’s Day, we say, “Well done, Lois.  Well done, Eunice.”

            So, as we return to Paul’s central message for Timothy, what, then, does it mean for us to fight the good fight of faith?  I think there are three things Paul points out for us today.  First, Paul told Timothy, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Timothy 6:12b).  What does that mean, and why is that the first step?  To take hold means to grab hold of something tightly in your hands, seeking to use every ounce of your strength, never to let it go.  No matter how much someone might try to distract you or the weather may assault you, your focus never shifts, your arms and hands never waver, you grab hold and hold on.  This is the sort of faith that Paul encouraged Timothy to have and to display, and by extension, Paul encourages us in the same way.  To hold onto eternal life while living a mortal life is to show faith in the power of God to save you.  Paul said, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8a).  Faith in an eternal life frees us from worry in this life. All philosophies and religions claiming our eternity must be earned by our own merit or works, or that there is no eternity.  When we hold onto eternal life, though we experience the inevitable pain in this life, we understand it all as temporary.

            As to the second point, Paul said, “6 Godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  11 But you, man of God, flee from all this” (1 Timothy 6:6-11a).  On the one hand, we must grasp eternal life as an eternal treasure.  On the other hand, we must flee the traps of temptation that earthly treasures bring.  Paul’s thoughts come from Jesus, who said, “24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).  Jesus was, of course, giving application to the first of the Ten Commandments, “3 You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).  Paul’s encouragement to Timothy and to you and me is to be content with godliness, be at peace having enough to eat and clothes to wear, but flee from the temptations of this world, especially the enticement to pursue earthly wealth.

            So, Paul said, hold tightly to eternal life and flee the entrapment of earthly wealth.  And to this, Paul added one final point.  Paul said to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11b).  Pursue those things for your life that are contrary to the world.  Someone shared a little video clip with me this week in which the speaker observed that Jesus never said to his followers, "Change the world.”  As the speaker put it, Jesus told his followers the world “stinks.”   “In this world you will have trouble” (John 6:33b).  The call on Jesus’ followers was not to change the world, but to “Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).  Be moved by the work of God in your life.  Paul said to Timothy, pursue the very things that are of God, not of this world, 'righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11b).  What do Paul’s words mean?

• Righteousness – Be a person of integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting.  Hold fast to the promise of God for eternal life, flee worldliness exemplified by the desire for wealth, be content, and express to others the character of God.
• Godliness – Be a person who shows reverence and respect to God through public worship, personal and public prayer, and diligent study of the Scriptures.
• Faith – Be a person who, in reference to Christ, has "a strong and confident conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God."
• Love – Be a person who demonstrates an affection and willingness to serve other Christians without exception of return.
• Endurance – Be a person who does not waver from their deliberate purpose, loyalty to faith, and love of God, even during the greatest trials and sufferings.
• Gentleness – Be a person who displays meekness, not a weakness, but meekness marked by a quiet and peaceful life.

Paul said to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness because they are the very essence of the life of Christ and therefore contrast starkly with the world.

      What then are the markers for our lives as followers of Christ?  Hold on tightly to eternal life and run toward it as though you were a runner with the finish line in sight.  Flee the temptations of life that distract you from the prize you have in Christ. And all the while pursue the very essence of the being of Christ with righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.  So let us hold, flee, and pursue the life of contentment and peace in Jesus Christ. Amen and Amen.

            When I worked for the federal government, I participated in a leadership training program at the University of Notre Dame.  It is a 16-hour-a-day, 6-day program to expand the attendees' understanding of leadership and executive decision-making.   It was a good course.

            A man named Melvin opened the course.  He asked us to call him Mel.  Mel had written extensively about leadership, although I was never quite sure if he had been a leader himself.  Mel put forth the proposition that each person is defined by their strengths measured across five areas.  Mel said people have physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual strengths. He then went on to say that among these strengths, one determined a leader's overall success.  Mel said a person’s success was determined by their emotional strength.  Mel believed that an emotionally balanced leader could make sound executive decisions even if they lacked strengths in the other dimensions.  When Mel paused his presentation to take questions or comments, I told him I did not agree with his conclusion that emotional strength was the controlling dimension of success.  I told him I thought spiritual strength would ultimately determine a person’s success.  We exchanged our respective views, and Mel proceeded with his next point.  I would not be the last time Mel and I would differ.

            If Mel were here today, he would hate this sermon.  Why did I differ from Mel, and why do I still today?  I disagreed with Mel because he wanted to treat the five dimensions of a person as independent.  He wanted us to believe that people develop and exercise their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual strengths separately.  Meaning, he thought of our emotional strength independent of our physical or spiritual condition.  My thought is that all these strengths are interrelated.  Many people report that their emotional well-being is much better when they exercise than when they do not, which suggests that physical and emotional health are interdependent rather than independent. If our strengths are interdependent rather than independent, one of those strengths would be the prime influencer over the others.  This was the point I made to Mel.  I believed then, and I believe now, that our spiritual strength most influences the overall strength of our being.

            I did not know at the time of my discussion with Mel that the Apostle Paul had concluded spiritual strength was the prime influencer over our lives.  Paul, in writing to his spiritual son, Timothy, said, “7b Train yourself to be godly.  8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).  Godliness, as we discussed last week, is a deep reverence and respect for God.  It is an attitude that we express and strengthen through worship, study of the scriptures, and prayers to God, both prayers of gratitude and of petition.  Paul’s point was that while physical training is good for our bodies and likely will improve our emotional wellness, it is our spiritual development that will influence all aspects of our life now and our life to come.

            Now, Paul’s comparison of physical training and spiritual training is not accidental.  Timothy was Paul’s spiritual son, not Paul’s biological son.  Timothy’s biological father was Greek.  The Greeks and the Romans put a premium on physical conditioning.  There were gymnasiums in most major cities, including Ephesus, where Timothy was called to attend.  Likely under the influence of his Greek father, Timothy would have engaged in extensive physical training.  Paul, now seeking to educate his spiritual son, encouraged Timothy to train himself to be godly, that is, to pursue spiritual training even more vigorously than he did with physical training.

            What does it mean to train yourself to be godly, and why did Paul consider it so necessary?  Let’s take the second part of that question first: why did Paul consider spiritual training for a devoted Christian so necessary? We see the necessity in the opening verse of Chapter 4: “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1a).  Paul, Timothy, you, and I have a lot in common.  Our faith is always under continual assault.  The assault on the faith of our children and grandchildren is even more pronounced than on adults.  Every day, a barrage of weapons is hurled at Christians collectively and individually, looking to wound someone’s faith in any way possible. Marxists call Christianity an opium for its people, rendering faith as a comforting, illusory force that eases the pain of oppression.  Atheists, those who do not believe in God, believe Christianity is anti-intellectual. Some have gone so far as to claim Christianity is a childhood indoctrination system that prevents critical thinking, viewing faith as a "non-physical form of brain damage.” Even those within Christianity itself attack Christianity by making all sorts of claims against God, Jesus, and salvation.  Even some within Christianity believe that all religions are basically the same. They all believe in love and goodness. They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.  Paul said to Timothy, “1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2a Such teachings come through hypocritical liars” (1 Timothy 4:1-2a).  People abandon their faith because they listen to liars.

            Some people, like Mel, believe they can achieve their personal goals of success by working on other characteristics, such as physical, social, or intellectual strengths. Each one of these characteristics, while important, is not equal to spiritual strength.  People forego spiritual growth training to participate in sports and recreational activities.  They have well-toned bodies, which Paul called our physical bodies tents. Paul was skilled at making tents. All tents, Paul said, no matter how well-toned on earth, will be destroyed.  Then what?  Eternity. As some have said, eternity is like real estate.  It is all about three things: location, location, location!  Some people will be well-toned on earth and in misery for eternity.

            Others give their lives over to making social connections, whether in person or, increasingly, through virtual means such as social media platforms.  They develop powerful networks of friends but remain, as Paul said, an enemy of God.  Someday, those connections will go dark.  Then what? Same answer.  Eternity.  They will have foregone the opportunity to use the original wireless service, praying to God.  They will then ask, “Can you hear me now?”  And they will receive the reply, “Away from me, I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:22-23).

            Paul counseled Timothy to be “6b nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God” (1 Timothy 4:6b-10a).  Train in the ways of spiritual growth in godliness because the more we do, the greater hope we have, no matter what else is occurring in our lives.  The more we train in godliness, the stronger we become emotionally, intellectually, and socially.  The more we train in godliness, the better able we are to understand that our body is but a tent, a temporary structure, that will need care and mending while on earth, but will be subject to changes and frailties we cannot prevent.

            Let me give you an example of what Paul was talking about.  Some years ago, I began providing pastoral counseling to an individual following the death of a loved one.  That counseling eventually expanded to helping with family relationships, employment, and emotional growth.  All through-out I encourage, above all, spiritual development.  The person made commitments to pursue spiritual development but never did so in any serious way.  Even though they were able to keep appointments with doctors, therapists, and businesses, there was always one reason after another for not attending church, Bible study, community meal, or ministry opportunity.  One day, I met with this individual at their request to talk about the latest set of emotional and social issues.  At this meeting, I said that I no longer saw the point in meeting because they refused to follow any of my advice toward spiritual growth, and that all their other issues in life were only getting worse as a result. I said either what I offer in counsel is not going to work, or I do not possess the skills this person needs.

We kept in touch, but the counseling ended.  Recently, I had to speak to this person on the phone.  Their life is more difficult in every regard than it was the last time we met in person.  And, yes, there was still no effort at spiritual growth.  They complained to me that I should not have dropped them as a counselor, and they found that it was very hurtful.  I did not want to argue with them about how they feel; there is no point in that.  But my counsel was the same, and now I can say more authoritatively and eloquently by quoting Paul, “7b train yourself to be godly…8b godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b, 8b). 

I think the proof of God’s Word here was evident, as most dimensions of this person’s life are melting because they refuse to train in godliness.  We should not be confused into thinking that God is punishing this person for failing to pursue Him.  The punishment, if you will, is the self-inflicted consequence of refusing to pursue God.

Then what should our attitude toward training in godliness be, as Paul commended to Timothy?  For today, I only want to make one point.  We must set the right example for ourselves.  Paul told Timothy to set an example for his congregation, presumably because Paul had modeled it for him.  Paul once wrote, “8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9).  Paul highlighted that training in godliness should show evidence of truth, nobility, righteousness, purity of motive, pleasant behavior, and conduct that is admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy.  Paul said to his church, whenever you see this behavior in me, copy it. Why?  Because Paul would also say, “ 1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).  Paul set Christ as the example to imitate in training for godliness, and so should we.

A few years ago, there was some popularity among Christians of wearing a wristband with the initials WWJD, “What Would Jesus Do.”  It was a reminder to Christians to guide their daily decisions and ethical behavior based on the life of Jesus.  This has some merit.  But.  But the problem with a WWJD wristband is that if you do not first pursue Jesus and what Jesus did, WDJD, “What Did Jesus Do,” you cannot possibly answer the question, “What Would Jesus Do.”  You cannot imitate what you do not know.  Training in godliness begins with Jesus and what He did, so that we know what to imitate.

Paul’s example to Timothy was expressed this way, “12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14).  To know the fullness of Christ is about continually following Him. Our training never ends.  Our worship, our study of what Jesus did, and our reverence for Him should intensify with time, not slack off because of what we did in the past.

A major part of physical training is eating the right foods. In an analogous way, Jesus used food and drink to remind us of our pursuit of godliness.  He did so through the Lord’s Supper.  Today, we have the occasion to do some spiritual growing by remembering what Jesus did in giving of his body and his blood, His tent. Coming to Jesus has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.  Amen and Amen. 

            I know that what I am about to say will be hard for some to believe, but some churches have experienced conflicts among their members.  These conflicts and disagreements have led to hurt feelings and, in some cases, to people leaving the church.  Hard to believe, isn’t it?

            I know this because on a few occasions, churches experiencing conflict have asked me to come and see if I could mediate.  A few years ago, I underwent training as a church mediator.  As a mediator, I am to be neutral, taking no side for or against any party.  The mediator is there to listen and help people calmly discuss their concerns. Then, hopefully, help the parties work out mutually acceptable agreements.  This is a very typical role for all mediators, whether working with churches, other organizations, or individuals in conflict.

            In our reading today from the Apostle Paul’s letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, Paul used the term "mediator" and ascribed it to Jesus.  Paul wrote, “5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:5-6a).  Right away, we see massive differences between Paul’s use of the term "mediator" and our contemporary understanding of the word.

            Jesus, Paul said, is a mediator because He is between the two parties that are separated and in conflict. Jesus is between God and the people. What is the conflict? Paul wrote elsewhere, in the Book of Romans, the conflict was that the people were sinners and thus enemies of God (Romans 5:8).  The conflict between God and the people was the Holiness of God, the very essence of Light, and the sin of the people, the very essence of Darkness.  Paul said Jesus stands between the two as a mediator. Paul once asked, “Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14b).  Paul’s question is rhetorical.  Light and darkness can have nothing to do with each other because holiness and sin can have nothing to do with each other.  But Paul said, Jesus stands as a mediator between holiness and sin, between light and darkness.  Jesus seems to be given an apparently impossible mediation assignment, as we understand mediation.

            But, unlike today’s mediators, Jesus was different.  Jesus did not stand apart from either party, God and the people.  Jesus was God, and as Paul reminded Timothy, Jesus was a man. Jesus was not a neutral mediator. Jesus was part of each party, God and humanity.  But Paul said that though Jesus was a man, he was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21a). Jesus, though he came into the darkness of a sinful humanity and became a man, always remained as holy and as light.  So, we see that Jesus is a very different sort of mediator because he is a member of both parties, without losing his godliness or his humanness.

            I want to pause there for a moment and let us take in what Paul's words have meant so far. Jesus is divine, he is light, and he is human, and he is a mediator.  When we take that in and consider the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, we can see clearly the work Jesus was doing as a mediator.  Jesus was always the light, revealing the holiness and goodness of God and God's desire to be reconciled to his people.  When Jesus’ miracles and teachings were not sufficient to show his role as a man seeking to reconcile the people to God, Jesus said it directly.  Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). That was Jesus revealing himself as of God. Jesus then said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).  That was Jesus revealing that he was acting as a mediator to bring people out of the darkness of sin and into the light of God by following him.  But he was not pulling God toward the people while pulling the people toward God.  He was revealing the one true God so that God's power and attractiveness would draw people toward a restored relationship with God.

            But there remained a problem.  God’s holiness does attract people, just as humans are naturally drawn to light over darkness.  And yet, the people were soiled with the darkness of sin, which must be removed before being reconciled to God.  The people had no power, no ability, to remove that sin. To complete the reconciliation, Jesus, the mediator, Paul said, “gave himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6a).  Through the death of the man, Jesus, the mediator, on the cross, the sin of the people could be forgiven and reconciliation made complete.  Paul wrote elsewhere, ”6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…10 For while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:6-8, 10a). The reconciliation of God and the sinner required the ultimate expression of love, and that was the mediator to die for the sinner.  This is who Jesus is as our mediator to God.  This is why Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6b).

            It is with this understanding of Jesus as our mediator, who reveals God to us, who draws us toward the goodness and holiness of God, and bridges the gap by giving his life, that Paul encourages Timothy in prayer and worship.  Paul wrote, “1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:1-4).  In this instruction to Timothy, Paul lays out the type of life people reconciled to God through the mediator, Jesus Christ, ought to live. Paul said a Christian’s life ought to be marked by peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

            What does it mean to live a peaceful and quiet life?  In Greek, a peaceful life is one lived free from external disturbances.  In Greek, a quiet life is one lived with inner calm. Paul was describing a life marked by external and internal maturity, demonstrating great respect for others and for oneself.  Paul encouraged Timothy to pray for this type of life and to live it out as a witness to others that God was indeed sovereign over the life of a Christian.  This sort of life should be separated from political rancor, excesses of any kind, and having a gentle disposition.  I think about some of the contemporary churches these days with elaborate worship services complete with pyrotechnical displays, and I think, how can this be reflective of a peaceful and quiet life? That seems to be a display of worldliness with its rancor and noise.  I see preachers in the pulpit screaming about politics, and I cannot imagine how that helps people live a calm inner life.  We need to guard ourselves so that we can live a peaceful and quiet life, both externally and inwardly.

From a peaceful and quiet life, Paul moved on and said we should be marked by godliness.  What is godliness?  In the original meaning, godliness is a “piety toward God.”  Piety means reverence.  To live a life of godliness is to be reverent toward God, one who shows a deep respect for God.  How do we show reverence, respect for God?  We revere God in worship.  We approach worship with excitement of desire, not dread of obligation.  We want to start our week singing to God, praying for one another, soaking up knowledge and understanding of God’s Word, believing that doing so weaves God throughout the entire fabric of our lives.  Another way we revere God is by respecting the Scriptures.  We treat the Word of God with respect, gathering wisdom and learning its truth. God’s Word is attractive to us because it reveals more of God's light.  A third way we show reverence is by expressing gratitude to God.  Something as simple as expressing our thankfulness for the food we eat every time we eat is a way to show reverence to God.  So, in acknowledgment of Jesus as our mediator, who secures us to God, we ought to live godly lives, showing reverence for God and respect for Him.

To godliness, Paul adds that Christian lives ought to be expressed in holiness.  What does it mean to live a life that shows holiness?  It begins by living a life that is within the world but set apart from it. To be set apart is to live not according to the standards of contemporary culture but to live as an imitator of Christ.  We show holiness in being good, just, and humble toward others.  In doing so, we will be in the world and apart from it.

Allow me to give you a brief example from my life about standing apart.  One time, I was at the Department of Motor Vehicles.  Can you think of a place more inclined to bring out the worldliness in people than DMV?  I have never been there without seeing someone angry and upset.  As I arrived, there was a line, a long line, of course. I arrived to join the line about the same time as two other men.  I stepped back and let the two others go ahead of me—clearly, not a worldly thing to do. The two men then got into a heated argument as to who would be next in line.  Angry words were expressed, name-calling ensued, and threats were made. This is the way of the world. Neither man showed evidence of a peaceful and quiet life marked by godliness and holiness.  Finally, one man, whom we will call Bruce, took the next spot, leaving the second man, whom we will call Joe, to take the position behind Bruce.  Joe was not a happy man.  Several minutes passed, and the line inched forward, and many more people filled in behind me.  It was then that I looked down and found Bruce’s license at my feet.  It had fallen on the floor in the jousting to get next in line.  I picked up Bruce’s license and thought how frustrating it would be for him to finally reach the DMV agent, only to realize he no longer had it.  So, I knew I should return the license to Bruce.  But.  There is always a but.  But then it occurred to me that it might be better for Joe to return Bruce’s license. My thought was that learning to show and receive grace might be good for all of us.  So, I handed Bruce’s license to Joe, still angry at Bruce for taking the next spot.  I suggested to Joe that it would be a good idea for him to give the license to Bruce. Joe paused for a moment.  I wasn’t sure if he would throw it on the floor or do as I suggested.  With relief, Joe gave Bruce the license and let him know he had dropped it.  Bruce looked shocked at Joe’s act of kindness. He thanked Joe and then offered for Joe to go ahead of him.  The lesson here is that when we stand apart from the world with its anger, envy, and pride, we can see things more clearly and can use that posture of holiness to move others towards godly behavior.  Paul said Christians need to display holiness by standing apart from culture and showing and teaching that God is at the center of our lives, not human competitiveness. We should seek to threaten no one.

Paul’s instruction to Timothy was that, by leading by example, he must lead the church to understand that Jesus is the mediator of life with God, made complete through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.  From that posture of understanding, then Christians should show godliness and holiness in the way they live.  Doing so reflects that our greatest need or greatest conflict in life has been resolved for us.  Our mediator has resolved the conflict between a Holy God and our sinful nature, and we have fellowship with God.  Everything else in life then is small in comparison.  Let’s live those peaceful lives, insulating us from the world's external noise while living quiet lives, calm within, secure in the knowledge of God’s love for us.  Then add to that godliness and reverence for God, and we can show holiness by living in this world, but apart from it.  Amen and Amen.

I want to begin our time by giving you a lot to think about. There is a risk we will lose each other along the way, or that I will give you a headache.  But if we can think through the beginning of the message, we will indeed learn together something exceptionally important to our lives as Christians and to the church.  So, I think it is worth the risk. 

I want to begin talking about our conscience.  Everyone has a conscience.  Our conscience is not a visible thing.  It is within us but cannot be found by medical examination. Though invisible and unlocatable, our conscience is always at work.  Our conscience serves as a translator between what we believe and what we say and do. It listens very carefully to what we believe and then sends guidance to our mouth about what we should say and to our limbs about what we should do.  Oftentimes, usually in cartoons, a character is depicted as having a good conscience and a bad conscience.  The cartoon character is then left to listen to both and decides which conscience to follow. This is cartoonish for sure, as we do not possess two consciences but only one.  Humans are the only earthly beings that have a conscience.  Animals do not.  Likewise, only humans have beliefs that inform our conscience. Animals do not have beliefs.

So we return to the question: what, then, is our conscience? Our conscience was once a blank slate, which was then shaped by our beliefs to guide us every day, in every moment. Our beliefs inform our conscience, writing upon it what has been learned and experienced in the past to guide words and deeds in the future.  Our natural conscience is neither good nor bad.  It is just an instrument tuned by our beliefs to guide our behaviors.  Our conscience is not random; it is deliberate. It keeps a check on our emotions to make sure that our words and actions are consistent with our beliefs.  When our emotions want to drive our response, our conscience checks in with our beliefs.  Our beliefs set the path for our conscience to follow, and our conscience keeps checking our beliefs when our emotions want to change our direction. Hopefully, we are all still together.

Why all this discussion on beliefs, conscience, and emotion?  We ventured this way because the Apostle Paul gave his spiritual son, Timothy, instructions for the Christian faith and for leading a church.  In a letter that we call 1 Timothy, Paul said, “18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, 19 holding on to faith [beliefs] and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” (1 Timothy 1:18-19).  Paul linked beliefs and a good conscience as necessary for a proper Christian life, and for Timothy in leading the church in Ephesus.  Paul said that, absent faith, taken here to mean a belief in Christ, and a good conscience, the inevitable result would be a shipwrecked life.  To be shipwrecked is to have run ourselves into rocks and now find ourselves floating in the water, alone, drifting not in any direction we desire but as the will of the waves and winds surrounding us would have us go.  We probably know some people who are living shipwrecked lives.  Being shipwrecked is a dreadful place to be.  We should therefore try to understand what Paul meant when he told Timothy that his life must be based on faith and a good conscience.

Paul began his instruction to Timothy this way, “3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work, which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm” (1 Timothy 1:3-7). Paul began reminding Timothy that he must begin his work at the church in Ephesus by commanding certain people to stop teaching false doctrines.  Paul went on to say that these people want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they are so confident about.  Paul was describing a serious condition in the church.  Some people did not know what they were talking about, yet they were confident in what they said.  Just because someone speaks confidently does not mean they are saying something true.  This is the very meaning of the term “con man,” or “confidence man.”  It refers to a person who speaks with great confidence but with deceptive information and intent. 

What were these teachers teaching that was such a concern? Paul alludes to the fact that they were teaching myths, endless genealogies, and meaningless talk.  We would read elsewhere that some were teaching that the final resurrection had already occurred.  We still have people claiming Christ who teach similar false things.

• Jehovah's Witnesses teach that there is no hell, Jesus was just an angel, and that he returned in 1914, although His return was invisible.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Mormons, teaches that faithful members can become exalted, becoming like God the Father, exalted as gods in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. They also believe the Book of Mormon is another testament of God’s Word, along with the Old and New Testaments.
• Members of the Unitarian Universalist Church believe that it does not really matter what you believe about God, or even if you believe in God, as everyone will receive salvation, even though they don’t believe in hell.

Sadly, many of these false teachings are creeping into mainline Protestant denominations through Progressive Christianity.  If you listen to these Protestant pastors and teachers, they speak confidently that there is no hell, that Satan does not exist, that Jesus did not rise from the dead, that Jesus was an unenlightened chauvinist toward women, and on and on. All of what they teach, Paul would say, is false and should be stopped because such false teachings or unsound doctrine lead to false beliefs among the people.  And false beliefs lead to the development of an unsound conscience.

            If Paul was concerned about unsound doctrine, what did Paul consider sound doctrine?  I think one of the earliest statements of sound Christian doctrine was captured by Paul in his letter to the Colossians.  In the middle of the first chapter, Paul stopped speaking and recited a very early Christian hymn that offered a concise, sound statement of doctrine.  The hymn said:

“15 The Son [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20).

The truth, the sound doctrine, was that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, and through Him we are reconciled to God.  How did Jesus reconcile us?  By shedding his blood upon the cross.  This sound doctrine was and remains the basis of Christian beliefs. The acceptance of these beliefs in Jesus was and remains the basis of our salvation.  To believe in this doctrine is a matter of faith.  Faith is a trust in God, His Word, and His power to make true all that He has said.

Now, acceptance by faith that Jesus is above all and is the guarantor of our salvation is not just a mental agreement.  When we accept Jesus as above all, that is Lord over our lives, and as our Savior, the one granting salvation, by the forgiveness of sin, Jesus changes us.  He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us.  The Holy Spirit, Jesus said, will teach us all things and remind us of the things Jesus has said.  Why? So that we can say and do those things in imitation of Jesus (John 14:26).  What is it that guides what humans say and do?  It is their conscience.  So when we believe in Christ, our faith is set on sound doctrine; we become a new person; and our conscience, swept clean by the Holy Spirit, is transformed into a good conscience.  We can now see the connection Paul made in his opening words to Timothy: Timothy and each member of the church must have a life based on “19 holding on to faith [beliefs] and a good conscience” (1 Timothy 1:19a).  The same holds for us today.  Our lives as Christians must be based upon faith and a good conscience.  Faith in Christ and a conscience that guides our words and deeds are made good by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

How then do Paul’s words of instruction apply to us today? There are two ways.

First, we, individually and as a church, must be believers of sound doctrine.  Not a doctrine that sounds good to us because the person presenting it does so confidently. But sound doctrine derived directly from the Scriptures.  Paul said in 1 Thessalonians, “19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-21).  Our faith beliefs must be based upon Scripture.

Balthasar Hübmaier, a former Roman Catholic priest who would become a 17th-century Anabaptist theologian, said, “Searching the Scriptures does not take place with unspiritual chatter about innovations, nor with wordy warfare fighting until one is hoarse, but rather by illuminating the darker text of Scripture with the clearer.”  Our beliefs, our faith, must be based upon God’s Word.  Hübmaier went a step further and said, ““If they [my beliefs] should not be right and Christian, I beg you all through Jesus Christ our only Savior, I plead and admonish you by reason of the last judgment, please correct me in a brotherly and Christian way with Scripture; for I may err, I am a human being; but a heretic I cannot be.”  We should welcome being corrected by Scripture when our doctrine or beliefs are found to be inconsistent with it.  We must be of sound doctrine.

Second, we must cooperate with the Holy Spirit to follow our good conscience.  Paul, in his letter to the church in Galatia, observed the difference between a conscience developed by human experience and a good conscience made good by the Holy Spirit. Paul said some members of the church, before coming to Christ, acted in accordance with their human conscience with acts of the flesh, “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19b-21).  But having been transformed by Christ and having the Holy Spirit living within them, the good conscience should guide people to speak and act in “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).  Having accepted Jesus, we ought to act with a good conscience.

So, let’s admit it as the Apostle Paul did.  “15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15).  What happens when we do not follow our beliefs and our good conscience?  Are we not new creations in Christ, seeking the fruit of the Spirit, yet we act like our old selves, moved by envy, jealousy, anger, bitterness, and pride? What happens to us?

There are usually one of two things that happen to us.  First, the truth is our old self died, and we become a new creation in Christ.  But we also know that there is not a person in our life who was an important part of our life who has died who is not also part of our memories.  I remember my mother and father well, even though they have both died.  Sometimes I will say something and think, “Wow, my mother or father used to say the same thing.  I have become my parents.”  Similarly, I still remember the person I was who died to Christ.  Those memories will always remain with me.  Sometimes, I will say the very thing I do not wish to say and think, “Wow, that is the way I used to speak.”  Sometimes, we allow the emotions and desires from our sinful past to run ahead of our good conscience.  In those moments, we must allow our good conscience to convict us to seek forgiveness.  There is no shame in seeking forgiveness.  It is an act of living out our beliefs and following our good conscience.

The second thing that can happen that causes us to behave in a manner different from our beliefs and good conscience is that we have given Satan a seat at our table.  Here is how I want you to visualize this point.  Psalm 23, one that we have all heard and recited numerous times, says this, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5a).  Let’s take one enemy here, Satan.  “You [God] prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemy [Satan] (Psalm 23:5). Note that God set the table for you and did not include a seat at the table for Satan.  You are invited to eat and enjoy the richest of fare, while Satan is left to watch.  But Satan is not silenced.  He can still speak while we eat, and he will.  Satan is the ultimate confidence man, telling us unsound doctrine, puffing us up, and tearing us down with comparisons to others.  All of Satan’s chatter is intended for us to do one thing: for us to invite him to sit down at the table the Lord has set for us.  So when we act in ungracious ways, in ways that conflict with our good conscience, check and see if you invited Satan to sit down at your table.  Are you believing some lie or a half-truth?  Has pride entered your thinking?  Then Satan is sitting at the table meant for you and you alone.  Kick him out. God did not intend for him to dine with you.  Use this image to see if the enemy is poking holes in your good conscience.

Today, we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  It is a table set for you and me.  It is a table that represents the sound doctrine of faith and is given to refresh and nourish our good conscience.  Let us come together now in faith and good conscience and eat in the presence of our enemy, who has no place at the table.  Amen and Amen.

Grief to Desperation

It was early morning.  It was dark.  This is how the Gospel writer John opens the journey to the tomb by a woman named Mary, Mary Magdalene, or better said, Mary from the town of Magdala.  Mary was a woman who demons had possessed.  Seven of them, to be exact.  She was swept clean of those demons by the man from Galilee, Jesus of the town of Nazareth.  By the words of Jesus, Mary’s life and her destiny were changed from misery to joy. Rather than stay in the town of Magdala, Mary traveled along with Jesus, providing support and help in Jesus’ ministry.

Mary was with Jesus just days ago when he was beaten, crucified, and died upon the cross.  She watched over Jesus until his body was placed and sealed in a garden tomb.  When sundown came on that day Jesus died, she left his tomb to stay with others as the Sabbath had come.  Mary rested, if you can call it rest, because her mind could not turn off the horror of Jesus nailed to the cross.  Mary could not stop seeing the image of his lifeless body being carried into the tomb, and sealed from view by a stone and guarded by a detachment of soldiers.  The raw grief Mary experienced would not allow her to rest, and because it was the Sabbath, the religious authorities would not allow her to travel from her residence to be near Jesus at the tomb.  So, Mary waited in agony and grief.  The minutes passed.  Slowly, those minutes became hours.  Finally, the Sabbath was over when the sun went down the next day.  Still, Mary had to wait until there was barely enough light to retrace her steps back to Jesus’ tomb.

The Apostle John described Mary’s return to the tomb.  Other women likely accompanied Mary.  But throughout John’s account of Jesus’ life, John preferred to share the story through the point of view of just one person.  John wrote, “1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance” (John 20:1). At seeing the stone removed from the tomb’s entrance, Mary’s grief of these past days was now coupled with desperation. All Mary could imagine was that Jesus' body had been removed from the tomb.  Grave robbers, religious authorities, or the Romans had taken her beloved Lord’s body from its grave.  Mary’s grief was now overwhelmed by panic.  John wrote, “2 So she [Mary] came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’” (John 20:2).

Mary was overcome by chaos.  She no longer felt happiness.  There was nothing to look forward to.  John described Mary’s circumstances by relating them to the time of day she traveled to the tomb.  John wrote that Mary went to the tomb when it was “dark.”  In theological terms, "dark" in the Bible means spiritual blindness or a lack of understanding.  Grief was shouting darkly into Mary’s mind, telling her that her life was once again chaotic, lacking happiness, and without a future.  Mary could not hear Jesus’ words of light and life, “1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

An open tomb meant only one thing – Jesus’ body was gone, and there was no telling where his body could be now.  Grief at the loss of Jesus’ life and now at the loss of his body exploded within Mary.  This was a terrible moment in Mary’s preparation for the joy of the resurrection. And that transformation from grief to joy would all take place in a single word.

Disbelief to Confusion

            Mary gave the news to Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.  “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” (John 20:2).  Jesus’ disciples knew Mary; they knew her story of being possessed and having been cleansed by Jesus, and her devotion to Jesus.  But in the moment, all they could see was a tired, overwrought woman, consumed with grief, not a person who could be relied upon to get the facts right.  They thought Mary was mistaken.

            John wrote that Jesus’ apostles, Peter and John, ran to Jesus’ tomb with John arriving first and observing from outside the tomb that linen strips used to wrap Jesus’ body were in the tomb.  Peter then arrived and went into the tomb, saw those linens and the cloth that had been over Jesus’ face.  The apostles' disbelief at Mary’s report gave way to confusion. Had Jesus’ body been stolen or moved elsewhere?  It did not make sense.  Anyone moving a body would not have unwrapped a dead body.  If anything, they would have wrapped more material around Jesus’ already-covered body.  Jesus’ body was indeed no longer in the tomb.

The Gospel of John said that John saw and believed.  But what did John believe? We are not told.  Did John believe Jesus rose from the dead?  It does not seem likely, as John’s gospel added, John believed, but “9 They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9).  Did John believe Jesus’ body was gone? Oh, yes, he did. At that, Peter and John went back to where they were staying.

Although not mentioned in this account, it appears that Mary had followed Peter and John to the tomb.  Mary saw John and Peter enter the tomb.  The apostles' response confirmed Mary’s fears: Jesus' body was gone.  The only thing Mary looked forward to doing was caring for Jesus’ body, and that dream was now gone, too. Mary’s life felt very hollow.  But the hollowness Mary felt in her life would soon be filled and overflowing with joy by one word. 

Weeping to Despair

As we return to the story, the point of view remains on Mary. John, our gospel writer, intended for us to see and feel Mary’s experience of grief, desperation, confusion, and now total despair.  John wrote, “11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  13 They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’  ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him’” (John 20:11-13).  Mary, consumed with grief and confusion, encountered two angels within Jesus’ tomb.  We experience two reactions from Mary.

The first reaction is that Mary was calm and expressed no fear at encountering the angels.  Throughout the gospels, whenever someone encountered an angel, the angel began their conversation with “Fear not,” because the people in the angel's presence were terrified and deeply disturbed.  Mary expressed no fear of seeing the angels.  Why was that?  Mary did not show fear because, for her, the worst possible thing had already happened. Jesus had been killed, and his body was missing.  Mary’s lack of fear gives us insight into the depth of her grief.  For Mary, to die now would be preferred to living.

The second reaction of Mary we experienced was a consuming chaos within her mind.  She had encountered two beings, which she rightly identified as angels, and she made no effort to seek God’s wisdom from them.  Despite the presence of angels, Mary could not feel God’s presence.

Our gospel writer, John, was painting a very specific picture for his readers.  It was a picture of hell.  Not hell of Dante’s Inferno.  It is, however, hell.  Mary was grieving deeply at her separation from Jesus, God in the flesh.  In her separation, Mary ran from one place to the next, saying she was separated from God.  But that brought her no comfort.  Mary was experiencing chaos and despair.  In her existence without any semblance of God, Mary was weeping and gnashing her teeth.  She could not recall anything comforting God ever said.  Even in the presence of messengers from God, she could only describe her condition and could not ask for encouragement from God.  Mary was in hell, a total separation from God.  This was the picture John painted.

What Mary did not know was that her release from hell would be soon. The key to freeing her was only one word away.

Despair to Rejoicing with One Word

            Mary was bent down near the ground, looking into Jesus’ tomb, empty except for his grave clothes and two angelic visitors dressed in brilliant white clothing.  Mary was experiencing hell, a separation from God with all the emotions that hell brings: chaos, hopelessness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, confusion, despair, darkness, and loneliness.  Mary had experienced hell before when seven demons possessed her, and she was experiencing it yet again.  Only this time, she no longer held out belief that someone might save her from it.

            Then she felt as though there was someone behind her, near to her.  “14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.  15 He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’  Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’  16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’ (John 20:14-16a). When the woman from Magdala heard her name come from the lips of her risen Savior, all the emotions of chaos, hopelessness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, confusion, despair, darkness, and loneliness, yes hell, were cast from her, and she was filled with an overwhelming joy.  “She turned toward Jesus and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (John 20:16b). With one word from Jesus, “Mary,” the woman from Magdala, Mary, once possessed, and twice in hell on earth, was made free.  Mary’s life would never again approach hell.  The power of the joy in having been called by name by the man who embodied life and the resurrection was too strong for any other force to overcome.  The power of death, the gates of hell, and the forces of evil were no match for the uncontainable trust and faith Mary had in God through Jesus Christ.

            Now filled with inexpressible joy, Jesus commissioned Mary to be the first evangelist of the resurrection.  Jesus said to Mary, “Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’  18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her” (John 20:17b-18).  Mary had joy and a divine purpose for her life.  She would never taste hell again.

            The story of Jesus’ resurrection, as presented by the Apostle John from Mary's point of view, is a story for each of us.  Mary showed us that life separated from God is one that leads to hell, a state of chaos, hopelessness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, confusion, despair, darkness, and loneliness.  Some who are separated from God in this life will experience hell twice.  Once in this life and eternally after death.  All who are separated from God will experience hell eternally after death.  But life now and eternally need not be that way.  Jesus came, lived, and died upon the cross so that we would never taste hell. The resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate today demonstrated the power of God to save us from hell, not once but twice.  This is the good news of Jesus Christ. 

And the good news is that the transformation from hell to joy, purpose, and life can be expressed in a single word, a word you and I know well. That one word for the woman from Magdala was her name, “Mary.”  When Jesus called her by her name, hell was broken for Mary.  The same is true for you and me.  When Jesus speaks to us, he will do so with but one word.  He will call you by your name, so that in that calling, you and I may be with him. 

I have heard Jesus call me by name, and I have answered him. Hell is no longer a concern for me, either on earth or eternally, because I know my place is with God. 

Many of you have heard Jesus call your name, and you have answered him.  Hell is no longer a concern for you either because you have the joy of the Lord. 

Some of you have heard Jesus call your name; you have answered him, but you are still holding on to the past pains of this world and denying yourself the full joy of the Lord.  This is resurrection Sunday.  Jesus has risen.  The tomb is empty.  Fill that tomb with the things of your past that keep you from having the fullness of the joy of the Lord.

A few of you have heard Jesus call you by name, but you have not answered him.  You are still looking into the empty tomb, wondering what it all means.  You are wondering whether Jesus was truly resurrected or if Jesus’ resurrection is just a myth.  The longer you wait, pondering, the more likely you are to do nothing to accept the truth about Jesus, and the closer you come to tasting hell.  Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25b-26).  This day, know that Jesus has called you by name, and asks that you believe in Him that you too may be saved.  You can trust the words of a man who died for you.

This is Resurrection Day.  Let us rejoice for the power of death, the gates of hell, and forces of evil have been defeated once, for all, for you and for me, by a single word, as it was for a woman from Magdala, as Jesus said to her that morning 2,000 years ago, “Mary.”  Amen and Amen.

            Every day, we speak a great many words.  It is remarkable just how many words we will say in our lifetime.  Studies suggest that in our lifetime we will speak somewhere between 100 and 150 million words.  Statistically, women will speak about 20% more words than men.  I’m just reporting the facts here.  Most words we speak have no lasting meaning.  Likely, none of the words any of us speak will be preserved for history.

            By contrast, the four gospels of the New Testament record some of Jesus’ words for us.  By one count, the Bible contains 31,426 words spoken by Jesus.  Many times, I find myself wishing the gospel writers had recorded more of what Jesus said.

Jesus' words are considered uniquely important because we believe them to be the authoritative, divine revelation of God in the flesh, offering eternal life and serving as the ultimate standard for truth, morality, and final judgment. Jesus’ words are regarded as living, powerful, and enduring, providing foundational principles for Christian life and shaping human history, values, and thought.  Many Bibles print Jesus’ words in red to make them easily identifiable and to highlight their importance.  The red ink symbolizes the blood of Christ, linking his words to his sacrifice.

            Some of the most loved words Jesus ever spoke were:

• “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  (Matthew 7:12)
• “Love your neighbors as yourself.”  (Mark 12:31)
• “With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
• “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

I am sure you could easily add to the list of Jesus' loved words.

            While these are among the most loved words of Jesus, they may not be the most important.  For those words, we would have to include:

• "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6).
• "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10)
• “Repent and believe in the good news.” Mark 1:15
• "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me" (John 14:1).

Again, I am sure you could easily add to the list of Jesus’ powerful words.

            But among the most powerful words must be those translated in English as “I am He.”  We heard that phrase uttered by Jesus in our Scripture reading today.  From the Gospel of John, we read this account in the Garden of Gethsemane.  “1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side, there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.  2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.  4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’ 5 ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied.  ‘I am he,’ Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, ‘I am he,’ they drew back and fell to the ground” (John 18:1-6).

            Of the words Jesus had spoken up to this time, none had a greater physical impact on more people than “I am he.”  Jesus spoke words, and an individual was healed.  Those words had a great physical impact on the person healed.  Jesus spoke, and people were fed, but the impact on them was to look to Jesus for the next meal.  Jesus spoke, and insight was given.  But never had Jesus spoken words, and men, trained warriors, armed for battle, recoiled as a group and fell to the ground.  “I am he.”  In Greek, these words translate to “egō eimi,” (ago ahme) or most simply, “I am.”

            Jesus’ pursuers were overcome and debilitated by Jesus words.  They became confused and weakened, falling to the ground.  John, the narrator of the story, does not say why these troops acted in this manner.  It seems, therefore, likely that John’s readers did not need an explanation for the troops’ reaction.  John’s readers would have understood without being told.

            We might ask, “Why do people recoil and shrink away after Jesus said, ‘I am he’?”  People spontaneously recoil when they encounter something or hear something exceptionally unexpected.  In this case, what was said was shocking, creating an instinctive emotional reaction among the troops who instantly wanted to shrink away from Jesus and get smaller by falling to the ground.  Jesus’ words seemed dangerous, almost a warning that an unbeatable warrior stood before them.  And so they recoiled, fell to the ground, in a submissive posture before a much superior combatant.  What was it about Jesus’ words that shocked those who had come to arrest him?

            Again, if we wish to understand Jesus’ words of the Gospel and their significance to the people who first heard them, we must go to the Old Testament for insight.  The term “I am he,” or “egō eimi,” is found in the Hebrew scriptures.  And when we consider the person of Jesus, we turn most often to the prophecies and words of Isaiah.

            Isaiah Chapter 41 opens with a question as to who is sovereign over all the people.  The answer in verse 4 is, “I, the Lord, with the first of them and with the last—I am he.” (Isaiah 41:4b)  “I am he” means the Lord himself is over all people.

            Isaiah Chapter 43 reads, “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me” (Isaiah 43:10).  “I am he,” signifies that there are none before me and there shall be none after me.

Still further in the same chapter of Isaiah 43, we would read, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25).  The Lord speaks, “I am he,” who can forgive sins.  The Jewish people understood well that only God could forgive sin.

            To hear Jesus say, “I am he,” “egō eimi,” was as if the troops heard the voice of God.  The inherent response of sinful people in the presence of a holy God is to shrink and fall.  In God’s holy presence, Isaiah fell trembling, believing he was doomed. Peter fell when he first met Jesus and begged Jesus to depart from him, a sinner.  Moses veiled his face before God.  The disciples fell facedown when Jesus was transfigured, and they beheld his holiness.  The natural response of a sinner being in the presence of holiness is to shrink back and fall.

            The troops in the garden of Gethsemane recoiled and fell, as sinners who had heard the voice of God. The reaction of the troops who had come to arrest Jesus was so severe that Jesus needed to prompt them into activity and completion of their plan, his plan, by asking them a question.  “7 Again he asked them, ‘Who is it you want?’ ‘Jesus of Nazareth,’ they said.  8 Jesus answered, ‘I told you that I am he” (John 18:7-8b).  Jesus’ prompting of the troops was sufficient to help them regain their composure.

            After a brief scuffle with one of Jesus’ disciples, “12 The detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people” (John 18:12-14).  The troops had overcome their instinctive shock at hearing Jesus say, “I am he,” and their training and discipline to follow orders kicked in.  They arrested and bound Jesus so that he could stand trial.

At that, we must pause for a moment and consider the picture. Jesus, the Son of God, the “I am” of the Hebrew Scriptures, was arrested by sinful men, who had at first recoiled and fallen from him.  Sinful men had bound the hands of Jesus, a holy man.  A Holy God was bound by sinful men.  This situation appeared so upside down.  It was a paradox, a situation that seems self-contradictory, absurd, or illogical, yet may contain a deeper truth or reveal flaws in human reasoning.  The religious authorities, with their detachment of troops, thought that they had the power and would now be in control of Jesus’ destiny.  They acted as though arresting Jesus and putting him on trial was doing God’s will to rout out a traitor.  What they did not realize was that they were doing God’s will, but not to rout out a traitor.  They were never in control, even though they were unwittingly part of God’s plan to redeem humanity.

It is the paradox of this scene that reveals the deepest truth about redemption and faith itself.  The Apostle Paul recognized the paradox and said of it, “18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).  Said most simply, “The idea that Jesus, “I am he,” would allow himself to be bound and then kill by sinful men is ridiculous to those who do not believe.  But to those who have believed in Jesus, it makes sense that God would use his power to save those who have faith.”

Paul said, “19 For it is written: ‘I [I am he] will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ 20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:19-24).  God would invert the wisdom of humanity and use a paradox to draw out the perfection of salvation in the completed work of Jesus, bound and crucified.

In Jesus' saying, “I am He,” to his betrayer and tormentors, Jesus was clarifying all the other times He said to His disciples, “egō eimi.” Jesus said:

• "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35, 48, 51): Jesus sustains spiritual life just as bread sustains physical life.
• "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12): Jesus provides guidance and truth in a world of darkness.
• "I am the door/gate of the sheep" (John 10:7, 9): Jesus is the only way to safety, protection, and salvation.
• "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11, 14): Jesus sacrificially cares for, protects, and knows his followers.
• "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25): Jesus offers eternal life and overcomes death.
• "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6): Jesus is the only access to God the Father.
• "I am the true vine" (John 15:1, 5): Jesus is the source of spiritual life; believers must abide in him to bear fruit.

Jesus likely spoke millions of words.  We have about 30,000 of them.  But three words revealed everything about him and they are three words that change lives.  Jesus said, “I am He.”  The writer of our opening song said it well that for you and me, Jesus is the “I am He.” “I am He, He said. It is I you seek. I'm the one you want.  I am He. You have found me now.  I am the one.  You have come for me. I am He.”  Jesus is the answer to the desires of our hearts.

You and I are like the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus.  We are sinners who stand in the presence of the holiness of God.  We both shrink and fall in the presence of holiness.  And when Jesus speaks, we will either rise and seek to bind him, control him, and lead him away, so that he is no longer part of our lives.  This is the path of the unbeliever.  Or, we will rise and seek to follow Jesus, so that we are never apart from His life.  Jesus leaves us to make the choice.  Who will you be to Jesus as he says to you, “I am He.”  Amen and Amen.

            The Broadway musical Jekyll and Hyde features a song by the character Dr. Henry Jekyll called “This Is the Moment.”  It is a song that speaks of the pivotal moment in Dr. Jekyll’s life, where he believes the sum of all he has ever worked on will be shown.  He sings, in part, “This is the moment.  This is the time when the momentum and the moment are in rhyme!  Give me this moment.  This precious chance!  I'll gather up my past.  And make some sense at last!”  It is the moment for which Dr. Jekyll believed he was born.

            Perhaps you have experienced such a moment in your life.  It was that moment in which the trajectory of your life was set, and everything you would do from that point forward was to fulfill your life’s purpose. I have had such a moment, and I hope you have or will as well.  I will speak about that moment a bit later.

            For now, I would like us to consider that Jesus had a pivotal moment in his life.  He did not call a pivotal moment.  Instead, he called it by a single word.  That word was hora, ὥρα, ho'-rah, meaning a point in time, often translated into English as the word “hour.”

The idea of Jesus’ hour first emerges most clearly in the Gospel of John.  “1 On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’  4 ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come’” (John 2:1-4).  The precise meaning of "hour" is not fully clear here, but it appears Jesus was speaking of some future event that would reveal his identity and destiny.

            Later, John would reveal more about Jesus’ hour when he wrote, “25 At that point, some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, 'Isn’t this the man they [the religious leaders] are trying to kill? 26 Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 27 But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’  28 Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‘Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, 29, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.’  30 At this, they [the religious leaders] tried to seize him [Jesus], but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come” (John 7:25-30).  Here, we get the sense that the religious leaders laying their hands on Jesus would have something to do with Jesus’ hour.

            We come to the final example of the word "hour" in the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus was with his disciples, praying in the garden. Jesus came back to his sleeping disciples for a third time.  Mark wrote, “41 Returning the third time, he [Jesus] said to them [his disciples], ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!’” (Mark 14:41-42).  Now, we understand the defining moment, the hour, for Jesus was not his birth, not his baptism, not his miracles or teachings, or cleansing of the Temple. Jesus’ pivotal moment, his life and destiny, would be found in his being taken into the hands of his tormentors and killed.  Jesus’ death was his hour.

            The four Gospel writers came to recognize Jesus’ hour.  In their gospels, each one slowed down their accounts of Jesus’ activities. They no longer wrote about what happened in a day or a week of Jesus’ life.  Instead, they began writing about what happened minute by minute.  Nearly one of every eight verses of the gospels is devoted to describing Jesus’ hour.  Nearly 500 verses describe Jesus’ arrest, trials, crucifixion, and resurrection. When it comes to the New Testament letters of Paul and Peter, the references to Jesus’ death and resurrection exploded with dozens and dozens of statements.  Here are just a few verses from the New Testament letters:

• Romans 5:8–10: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son."
• 1 Corinthians 15:3–4: "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures… he was buried… he was raised on the third day.”
• Philippians 2:8: "He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross."
• Hebrews 10:10: "We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

The hour has come meant it was time for Jesus to give of his life. The hour has come meant that Jesus’ life purpose had reached its “This is the moment” event.  When we realize what the words, “The hour has come,” meant, we realize as well that it is the very moment that most men and women dread to contemplate about themselves.  Jesus’ hour meant Jesus’ death.  We don’t like to contemplate our own death.  But the death of Jesus was the moment upon which everything would come to depend.  It would be, as the songwriter said, that time in which the past would be gathered up and make sense.

            Why did Jesus' hour, his purpose, involve his death?  Again, if we want to understand Jesus of the New Testament, we must go to the Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah.  We spoke about some of these passages last week, with those from Isaiah 53 being the clearest on this point.

• Isaiah 53:4–6: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows... he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed... the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."
• Isaiah 53:7–9: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter... he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people... although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth."
• Isaiah 53:10–12: "Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him... when his soul makes an offering for guilt... he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors."

            What then happened in this hour, and what was its significance?  First, we learn in unmistakable terms who Jesus was.  In preparation for this hour, the Chief Priest asks Jesus, “‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’  62 ‘I am,’ said Jesus” (Mark 14:61b-62a). The hour had come for Jesus to speak plainly about his identity.  Second, we learn from the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, that Jesus was a king, but not of this world.  Third, to fulfill scripture, Jesus had to be delivered into the hands of sinners.  Fourth, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

            Understanding Jesus’ identity and purpose brings clarity to the encounters Jesus had in his ministry. We come to understand that Jesus presented the defining moment of people’s lives.  Let’s look at two examples of men who shared striking similarities and stark differences and see how they handled their pivotal moment in the presence of Jesus.  One man was named Zacchaeus.  We do not know the other man’s name.  Both men were very wealthy and had no physical needs.  Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and, by his own admission, cheated people.  The other man said he followed the Ten Commandments when dealing with people. Both men sought out an opportunity to be with Jesus.

            Let’s look at Zacchaeus first.  Luke shared Zacchaeus’ story with us.  “1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.  5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:1-10).

            The hour had come for Zacchaeus.  He had the opportunity to see the Lord and be saved.  In that moment, Zacchaeus gathered up his past and gave it all away to be with the Lord from this point in his life and forever.  In giving his life and his past, Zacchaeus received salvation.

            Now let’s look at the second man.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke provide a similar account of this second man.  We will use Mark’s account today.  Jesus was in Judea.  Mark wrote, “17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”  22 At this, the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.  23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23).

            The hour had come for this rich man.  He had the opportunity to see the Lord and be saved.  In that moment, Jesus told the man to gather up the riches of his past and gave it all away to be with the Lord from that point on, forever.  But the man could not do as Jesus asked because he loved money and the good life more than he loved God and the eternal life. The hour had come for this rich man, and he walked away from it.

            “The hour has come.” Jesus’ words were the defining moment of his life, as he would yield his life for the sake of all who would call upon his name.  “The hour has come,” was the defining moment for Zacchaeus and the rich man.  They each choose different paths.  “The hour has come,” was the defining moment for my life as I came to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.  In accepting Christ, being baptized in his name, joining him in his death, burial, and resurrection, I can now fulfill my life’s purpose in bringing glory to God.  The trajectory of my life was forever changed.

“The hour has come,” applies to your life as well.  Each person here has been invited by Jesus to follow him.  If you have seen Jesus' invitation as the defining moment in your life and you have accepted him, then know salvation has come to you.  But if you are not sure you have recognized Jesus’ invitation as the hour that has come, do not be uncertain.  Know for sure which path you are on.  Make sure you have gathered up your past and given it over to Christ so that your future makes sense.  If you are uncertain, let’s talk.

            I want to close with a story of illustration.  One day, a man died.  He arrived at the gates of heaven.  An angel met him at the gates.  The angel said to the man, “Do you know that you are at the gates of heaven?”  The man said, “Yes.”  The angel asked, “Well, in life, did you give money to the poor?” The man said, “No.”  The angel asked, “Well, in life, did you live out the Ten Commandments?”  The man said, “No.”  The angel asked, “Well, in life, did you faithfully go to worship services?”  The man said, “No.”  The angel asked, “Well, then, friend, why do you think you can come to heaven?”  The man said, “The man on the middle cross said I could come.”

            The man on the middle cross said you can come because the hour had come for the man on the middle cross, Jesus.  It is Jesus who qualifies you and me to share in the inheritance of eternal life.  “The hour has come.”  Do not miss it.  Amen and Amen.