09/23/2024
Experiencing religion, and the dichotomy of man, will be our topic of study today. We will explore who we are, and those moments of religious experience that are so important and life changing for us. Moments like our new birth in Christ, baptism, communion, Christening, marriage, foot washing, receiving the Holy Spirit, and all the other experiences of faith that form our lives, as well as our faith, and worship.
As we go through our spiritual maturing, and seek out our salvation, the events which are important to our faith become those same things by which we measure our lives. We come to realize that both our faith and earthly lives are so intertwined that they can never be separated. Let’s read this in Paul’s letter to the Philippians... listen.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13 ESV
God takes pleasure in us; He takes pleasure in our physical being as well as our spiritual selves. He has created us body, and spirit for His purpose and pleasure.
“then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Genesis 2:7
As much as the atheists would like to discount the existence of God, the agnostics separate themselves from God, and the sinful wish to believe that their sins are hidden from God; they can't escape His presence because it is built into the very fiber of their being.
The events in our spiritual lives of faith are part and parcel of earthly lives. From the moment a child is born and its mother and father witness the spark of life in its eyes, they know that God is present in that life. From that moment forward there are choices to be made, both physical and spiritual, but one can't be made without impacting the other. We exist in two worlds that are so closely connected that it is impossible to sever them. Our spirit, and body are as close to one another as the heart is to its beat.
So we celebrate the physical manifestations of our spiritual growth and happenings. Each step in our lives is joined unmistakably to God and even those people who strive to disavow that truth find themselves trapped in their physical bodies with their spirits, which are just as real as each breath that fills their lungs.
We celebrate birthdays and deaths; marriages, reunions, the comings, and yes, the goings away. We celebrate the Christenings, baptisms, and Ordinations; we celebrate the birth of Jesus and His crucifixion and resurrection. We celebrate in this world all these things that stand with one foot in heaven and one foot on earth. These are the events that mark the time in our lives. These are the celebrations of family, faith, and God Himself.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-7 ESV
This morning I pray that we acknowledge the completeness of ourselves. I pray that we each see the inseparable nature of body, and spirit as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. I pray that all those who are attempting to hold God at arm's length will realize that God inhabits the very arm they are extending to repel Him. I pray that each of our lives are filled with celebration... the moments of faith made full in our physical lives. I pray that we see heaven in even the most unlikely places, and in all those among us who deny it.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for both our body and our spirit, which come together to form our being… our soul. We thank you Lord for how one perfects the other as we kneel before you in prayer. We thank you for how the pain and suffering of our bodies increases the faith and righteousness of our spirits, and how the heartbreak of our spirits is soothed, blessed, and made bearable, by the sighs and loves of our earthly bodies and its existence. Help us Father to see the blessings we receive by being dichotomous beings of both body and spirit. Help us to see how you use both of these branches to complete us, and to make us unique in all of creation. You are spirit, and then gave birth to Jesus Christ, and by so doing gave Him a body. Thank you for Him, and for your joining with us in this way. He abides in us and we in Him just as He abides in you, and you in Him… body and spirit united as one soul. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who sent your Son Jesus Christ to redeem us, and through whom we must pass to come to you, our Heavenly Father. Merciful and full of grace are you Lord for redeeming us, and loving us as you do. Amazing are you, who being Spirit, can both create, and make a way for the physical in us. Hear our prayers Lord, and know that we love you with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Hear us as we ask that your will be done, not ours, and we confess our sins and ask your forgiveness for them. Hear our praise and worship for you Father, and know that we honor and give you the glory for everything in our lives... physical and spiritual. This is the day that you have made, and we rejoice and are glad in it. In this, and all days, we thank you for your presence, and your Son Jesus Christ in whose name we pray, and through whom we come to you.
Hallelujah, and Amen!
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 ESV
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 ESV
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.””
John 4:23-26 ESV
“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.”
Colossians 2:8-10 ESV
Rich Forbes