Church Sermon - January 22, 2006

THE WORD BRINGS CHANGE!

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

Epistle Lesson; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel Lesson; Mark 1:14-20
Old Testament Lesson; Jonah 3:1-10
Sermon Text; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31

On July 21, 365 AD, (that is 365 years after Christ’s birth), a violent earthquake struck the island of Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea, particularly a city on the island of Cyprus named Kourian. The remains of the people that are in the following picture were killed; crushed to death July 21, 365 AD on the island of Cyprus, in that earthquake. Archeologists can tell us a lot about the people in that picture. Forensic experts can tell us the skeleton that is in the middle of the picture, (the one whose skeleton is intact) is a woman, who was about 19 years old. Again, forensic experts can tell us that the skeletal remains on the right in the picture, (the one with the crushed skull) was a male, about 25 years old. If you look very closely, by the woman’s face, you will see another tiny, little skull. That is a little infant there. So, what archeologists can tell us is that this was a young family - a husband, a wife and their little infant. On July 21^st, 365 AD, their lives all came to an end.

The time was short. The present order of things was passing away for them. And, the question is "Were they ready?"

Again, the question is, "Were they prepared on that day, on July 21^st, 365 AD? Are their souls in Heaven, or are their souls in Hell?"

Our scripture reading says to you and me,

"What I mean, brothers,

is that the time is short.

For this world in its present form

is passing away."

Scripture there wants all of us to understand that just like this young family (a 19 year old, a 25 year old, an infant), the time is very short! Scripture describes our lives as a vapor, as a mist. The time we have in this life is very short. The present order of things is passing away. And, whether the end comes for us today, (and it very well may), or whether the end comes for us 90 years from now, it is but a brief time and then it is gone.

When that day comes, when that day comes, everything in this life will no longer be ours. Husbands will part with wives. Parents will part with children. The desk you sat in at work, someone else will sit in that desk. The machinery you operated at work, someone else will operate that machinery. The pew you sit in here at church, someone else will sit in that pew. The money you had in your wallet, somebody else will have that money. The house you live in, somebody else will live in that house. The bed you sleep in, somebody else will sleep in that bed. The time is short, and the present order of things is passing away.

Let’s think about that young family, again. Were they ready? The young woman had a bronze ring on one of her fingers. The bronze ring was inscribed with the Greek letters Chi, Rho, Alpha, and Omega. And, if you know Greek, Chi Rho are the first two letters of the name Christ. It was a common abbreviation for the name Christ in 365 AD. The letters Alpha and Omega are the very first and the very last letters of the Greek Alphabet. It was Jesus who said, in the book of Revelation, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

This family was a Christian family. This family was a family who professed Christ. This family was a family who professed that Jesus is the first - the Alpha, and the Omega - He is the last.

He has been here since the beginning.

He will bring this world to an end.

They professed their faith in Jesus as their Savior. And, as Christians who believed in Jesus, were ready on July 21^st, 365 AD, when the present order of things passed away for them.

Are you and I ready for that day? Do we, along with this Christian family, (who have been lying in that position for over 1,600 years), do we profess what they professed? Do we profess Christ – Alpha and Omega, Christ, the beginning and the end?

What does it mean that Christ is the beginning and the end? Number one, it means that we profess that He is God.

Do we confess and profess that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega? Do we profess that it is Christ alone, and salvation is found in no one else? He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the only One. It is Christ alone in whom our salvation is found. Do we profess that He is the beginning of my salvation?

He is the end. He will bring it to completion. I cannot complete my salvation. I cannot add to my salvation by my good works or my good deeds. But, Christ alone will complete my salvation. He will keep me through His Word, in faith, until the day I die, whenever that day comes.

Here is a family who confessed Christ, the Alpha and the Omega. They were ready. They are in Heaven. Do you confess Christ, the Alpha and the Omega?

There is another way to look at that little phrase, "Christ, the Alpha and the Omega." Another meaning for that phrase, "Christ, the Alpha and Omega" it is like saying,

That means He is everything. He is EVERYTHING. He is everything to me.

That young woman, with that ring on her finger, (which may have been given to her by her husband), was saying, "Christ is everything. He is everything." That means she was saying, "My husband is not everything. Christ is." She was saying, "My little baby is not everything. Christ is." She was saying, "The house I live in is not everything. Christ is everything." She was saying, "The possessions I have, they are not everything. Christ is everything. Everything!"

Our scripture reading today puts it in stark terms, when it says, "From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them."

I was telling somebody, earlier this week, what I was going to preach on. They asked, "What is the text?"

I told them, "Well, it says, ‘those who have wives should live as if they had none.’"

The person had kind of a troubled look on their face. That does not sound very pleasant, does it? But, Paul goes on and explains what he means. A few verses later he says,

"What I mean brothers is this,

we should live in the right way,

fully devoted to the Lord."

Paul means that we should not have divided devotion. We should be like this woman, who said Christ is Alpha and Omega. He is the A to Z.

In our lives, knowing that the time is short, knowing that the present order of things is about to pass away, changed by the Word, we should live as if Christ alone is everything and we are fully devoted to Him. Our husband is not everything. Our wife is not everything. Our children are not everything. Our possessions are not everything.

Does that mean if you live as if Christ is everything, instead of the people in your family, you will be a worse husband? Or a worse wife? Or a worse parent? Or a worse child? Or worse with your emotions? Or worse with your possessions?

Take a look at that picture, once again.

There is a lady, a 19-year mother, who said Christ is everything. What kind of a parent was she? Look at what she did. As a parent, she took that little child that belonged to her, and she wrapped that child in her arms. And with her body she gave her own life to protect her little child, because Christ was everything. She was fully devoted to Christ. She knew Christ. She knew the love of Christ. She knew that Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this; that he lay down his life for his friends." She knew that Jesus had done that for her and that changed her. Here we see her fully devoted to Christ. Did that make her a bad parent? No, it made her an excellent parent, an excellent parent in death. And, we would assume an excellent parent in life.

Did it make her a worse wife, because she said, "My husband is not everything, Christ is everything." Well, what you can’t see very well in this picture is that the husband has his left arm over the top of his wife and the wife, with her right hand, is holding her husband’s hand. You can imagine the brief conversation that happened, as the walls began to shake. The husband grabbed his wife and said, "Honey, get down. I am going to be on top of you. Hold my hand." He was saying, "I am going to protect you. I am going to keep you safe."

She was a woman who said, "Christ is Alpha and Omega. Christ is everything."

In scripture the Bible says, "Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the LORD."

Here is a woman, for whom Christ was everything. In her life she submitted to the LORD. She trusted Jesus, for her protection and her safety. She knew scripture said, "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the LORD." And in her devotion to Christ, she permitted her husband to put his protecting arm over her.

Did it make her a worse wife, that she was fully devoted to her Savior? It made her an excellent wife, in death. And we would assume, and excellent wife, in life.

What about the man, a man whose family professed Christ is everything? Christ is Alpha and Omega. In other words, he was saying, "I am fully devoted to Christ. Christ is everything, not my wife, not my child. Christ is everything."

Look at what he is doing. With his body, he threw his arm and shoulder over his wife and child. He threw his leg over his wife and his child. And, it is his skull that got crushed. He is a man who said, "Christ is everything (fully devoted to Christ)."

What does the book of Ephesians say? It says, "Husbands, love your wives, just like Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her."

Here is a man who was devoted to Christ. He understood that Christ had loved him. Christ gave Himself up, for this man and that changed this man. And now, as a husband in death, he loved his wife and child, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her – fully devoted to Christ.

Did that make him a worse husband? No, it made him an excellent husband in death. And we would assume, an excellent husband in life.

The point is this, when we, as believers in Christ, say Christ is Alpha and Omega we are saying Christ is everything - not my wife, not my child, not my possessions, but Christ.

That makes the best husband. That makes the best wife. That makes the best mother, or the best father, the best son, the best daughter.

When our emotions take us in certain directions, the Bible says, "Those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not." Someone who is fully devoted to Christ says, "Christ is everything." The things that bring us grief, in the end, are not everything, are they? Nor, are the things that bring us happiness, everything. Christ is everything. We focus on Christ.

And, if there is something that brings me grief, as one who is fully devoted to Christ, I trust Him. I trust Him to see me through. I trust Him to watch over me. I trust that one day He will deliver me from this world of trouble. He is everything.

And, if there is something that brings me happiness in this life, that is great! But, it is not everything. It will come to an end someday. And, I stay focused on Christ. He is everything. Those fully devoted to Christ, hearts changed by the Gospel, can best deal with the emotions that life throws us.

The Bible says, "Those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of this world, as if not engrossed in them." When Christ is Alpha and Omega, Christ is everything. Not the things I buy. Not the house I live in. Not the things I own. They are not everything. They will pass away. I only have them for a time. Christ is everything.

And then, we use those things, in this life, in service to our Savior. Those who live changed lives, as if Christ is everything, best know how to deal with earthly possessions in this life.

As I look at that picture, I think, "That is just an awesome picture. The days are short. The present order of things is passing away."

It is a day we want to be ready for. We are ready for it by faith in Christ. And so, we want to live as people who live changed lives, as if Christ is everything.

Amen.

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