The Divine Crash

Today was a different kind of sermon.  We are still examining where the cross is true.  Is the cross some abstract thing that is our ticket out of hell and into heaven, when we die? Or does the cross matter now, today, and in everything we do?

You can hear the entire sermon on ITunes (search for Tanoma) or click here

The first thing we did was have a segment I lovingly called “Cooking with Boots.” A woman from the congregation, nicknamed Boots, came up and made some homemade salsa.

She makes chips and salsa for youth group and her salsa is amazing and her salsa is all homemade.  She grows all her own vegetables in her garden and cans everything herself and wonderful.

The thing is everything in her bowl of wonderful salsa is dead. No matter how good it tastes the vegetables gave up its life for me to enjoy it.

Food has to die in order for me to get life.

“A worm is eaten by a bird, which is eaten by a cat which dies and is eaten by the grandchildren of the first worm.”

For the eco-system to work death must exist.

When you think about 9/11 the most moving part are the firefighters who gave their life so that others could live.  We are moved beyond words because of their sacrifice. Their acts inspire us.

Emotionally someone else’s death gives us life.

God set up the entire universe to function so that death gives life.  But what about the Bible?

1 Thessalonians 4:14 – Jesus died and rose and will come back for those who follow him.

Romans 5:28 – Jesus died for sinners

It appears that Bible writers and early Christians believed that Death giving life was true for salvation too.

Matthew 16:24

Jesus tells His disciples that if you really want to live and have the best life ever then it is about death to your self.

- I would suggest that Jesus is talking about selfishness.

Because those who are selfish are refusing to die. They hold onto their life and it is all about them.

We know these people, they are the ones who never apologize.  They will go down in a ball of flames instead of apologize because it is all about them and they refuse to die.

However, when we apologize we die to having to be right.

Ephesians 5:21 – Submit to each other out of reverence for Jesus’ death

It appears that a defining mark of a Christian group (church) is their willingness to serve, love, and give to each other.  A willingness to die for each other.

Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church by giving His life for her.

A marriage only works when spouses die to themselves because if a marriage is all about Me, me, me then it falls apart, Why?

Because the gospel of Jesus is true in Marriage, cultures, 9/11, the whole universe, and in salsa.

So the Cross is God’s way of saying: “Are you dying to live?” “Are you dying to live a real life, not some shriveled, lame life, but a full life with everything God has intended for you?”

The question for us today is what is it you need to die to so that you can live.  What is it that is killing you?

Sexual immorality? Lust? Greed? Anger? Slander/Gossip? Hatred? All of these things will not give you life and if you die to them you will have real life.

May you die to the things that are actually killing you, and may you live the life God has called you to because that is life to the fullest.

You can hear the entire sermon on ITunes (search for Tanoma) or click here

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Sermon by RevBT