Living a Life from Sacrifice

A guy gets up really early in the morning to go ice fishing. 
He goes out onto the ice with his tent, his pick and his fishing rod, and starts to pick at the ice. 
Then he hears a big booming voice: "THERE'S NO FISH UNDER THE ICE" The guy looks around and then starts to pick at the ice again. Then he hears the voice again: "THERE'S NO FISH UNDER THE ICE" 
Now the guy is getting a little edgy. He looks up, "God, is that you?" 
There is no answer, so he starts picking again. "THERE'S NO FISH UNDER THE ICE!!" 
Then the guy yells "God! is that you?" "NO, IT'S THE MANAGER OF THE ICE RINK!!"

Today our stewardship sermon series entitled Christ in us: living a life that shows Jesus, continues with a look at living a life of sacrifice. Last week we introduced this sermon series. Does anyone remember why we are doing this during the season of Epiphany? Because Epiphany is a time where we remember, celebrate, and reflect on how the glory of God is revealed in Jesus. It is also the time to remember, celebrate, and reflect on how Jesus’ love is shown to the world through his people, through the church.

This allows for a great connection to stewardship, because stewardship, when it is rightly understood, is talking about our place in God’s kingdom and mission; and how we live our lives in accordance with this. This means that stewardship is something that covers, impacts, and influences every area and aspect of our lives. It is something that we live out every day of the year. Not just on Sundays. Not just during the stewardship emphasis.

This is really important. If you only get one thing out of this series, I would hope that you get more, but if you only get one thing out of it, let it be this: stewardship is simply understanding our place in God’s kingdom and mission, and living our lives in accordance with that.

Our gospel lesson begins with Jesus preaching. His message is simple. It is easy to remember. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. Now, it is important for us to be aware of how we hear this message. Because the way that we hear it, impacts how we understand it, and how we respond to it.

Do you hear this as a threat? In this case, it is almost like a couple of words are missing at the end. So that what it really should be is, “repent and believe in the gospel, or else.” But what if these words are not coming to us as a warning and a threat? What if these words are coming to us as an invitation to know, understand, and experience life unlike anything that the world has or knows?

This is really good news. The time is fulfilled. You no longer have to wait; because the waiting is now over. The kingdom of God is at hand. This is not a reference to time, but to space. That is, this is not saying that the kingdom of God is almost here, so you better hurry up and get your act together. This is not, “you just wait until your father gets home.” Not that I ever heard that growing up, but I understand others have.

That would be a reference to time. But when Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God is at hand, what he means is that it is right here. It is right now. We are able to know, live, and experience life in it. Knowing, living, and experiencing life lived in God’s kingdom changes everything. It changes our perspective. It changes how we see ourselves, our world, our fellow people, even our God.

When we are told to repent and believe in the gospel, we are being told to change the way we think and act so that we can experience life lived in relationship with God. But this doesn’t just mean that we stop doing bad things, although there are certainly those implications there.

More than that we are able to change how we understand who we are. In God’s kingdom we understand that we are his dearly loved daughters and sons. Our value comes from this identity that we are freely and graciously given because of and for the sake of Jesus. We don’t earn our way into God’s kingdom. But we are brought into it graciously and freely because Jesus accomplished for us what we are unable to accomplish for ourselves.

In God’s kingdom we change the way that we see others and the world. While people are sinful, and life may be hard, this does not mean that the only right understanding of the world and life is a cynical one. In God’s kingdom we understand that God loves the people of the world, just as much as he loves us. And if God can forgive a sinner like me, and indeed he does. Well, then God can forgive anyone. And if God can love someone like me, and indeed he does. Well, then God can love anyone.

In God’s kingdom we see a God who deeply loves his creation and the people of that creation. He goes through great lengths in order to redeem, restore, and bring us back into a right relationship with himself. God does not hate people or the world. That is why he came, so that we would not be separated from him by sin. This does not mean that everything in God’s kingdom becomes a free-for-all. But it does mean that living life in God’s kingdom means that we experience and enjoy a different perspective and understanding and approach to life.

While we are here living life in this world, we also at the same time, experience and live life in God’s kingdom. Now, as good as it is to live life now in God’s kingdom, we do not yet experience it in all of its fullness, glory and splendor. But we will. When Jesus comes back, we will have God’s kingdom in all of its majesty and it will be better than anything we could imagine or expect.

That future reality pulls us toward it. It is what we look to as we seek to answer questions about what God would want us to do, or what God would want us to look like, or to focus on.

When we talk about believing the Gospel, it means that we know and understand that we have forgiveness, salvation and life; not because we have earned it, but because God freely gives it through Jesus Christ. We can be confident of where we stand with God because we are confident of what Jesus has done for us in defeating the powers of sin, death and the devil, and in paying the price for all of our sins.

This is incredible. It is one of those things that you just have to soak in, because it is so deep. It is so beautiful. It is so awesome.

So if living life in God’s kingdom changes everything; and stewardship is understanding our place in God’s kingdom, and mission; then we can better understand and appreciate the response of Simon, Andrew, James and John, when Jesus calls them to follow him. Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of people.

What was their response? How did they react? Did they bargain? Did they negotiate? Did they give a two-weeks-notice? No. They simply left everything. Why? They left everything, because stewardship is about living a life of sacrifice. But here is where the importance of understanding the implications of the kingdom of God and living life in that kingdom comes in…

From the perspective of the world; form a business perspective; from a common sense perspective were the disciples making a wise decision here? No. In fact, I would imagine that it was really bad for their bottom line. But from the kingdom of God perspective did this sacrifice make sense? Yes.

The disciples were not just leaving everything behind for the sake of leaving it behind. They were leaving it behind so that through them, others might be able to enjoy, experience, and live life in God’s kingdom. They were sacrificing so that they could join God in the work that God is doing in the world. And, though I am sure it was hard, it was better than anything they could have imagined. Now they were no longer fishing for fish. They were fishing for people. And the impact of their work was something that had eternal significance. It’s pretty cool when you think about it. Part of the reason why we are here today, is because these folks lived a life of sacrifice.

As God’s people, when we consider that God has given us the opportunity to join him in the work that he is doing in our world, we find that we get to have the same kind of impact as the disciples did. Now we may not write books of the bible, but we can make bibles available to those who do not otherwise have access.

We may not travel across the world starting new churches. But we can understand and know that we are indeed missionaries here in this place. It is enough for us to live our lives in accordance with the place that God has given us in his kingdom, and thus join him in the work that he is doing in our world. We are talking about ministry. There are lots a great ministry opportunities going on in this congregation. But it is something that requires all of us working together in order to make it happen.

Ministry is not something that some do and others watch. But we all work together in order to bring it about and to make it happen. We do not all have the same gifts and abilities, but we do all work together. We do all make a sacrifice to bring this about. From the world’s perspective this sacrifice may not seem like it makes sense.

But when we, like the disciples, understand the sacrifice from the perspective of the kingdom of God, we understand that we are not really making a big sacrifice after all, because we are not fishing for fish, but we are fishing for people and that is something that has eternal significance. And that eternal significance will last much longer than anything we could accumulate or hold onto for ourselves. If you have not already begun to do so, please start praying and asking God to show you how he would have you participate in the ministry of this congregation in this year. You will have a chance to fill out your pledge in a few weeks, but for now, seek God’s will and guidance and direction. How is God calling you to fish this year?

Living this way will not make God love us more, or earn us anything from him. We have forgiveness, salvation, and life from him freely for Jesus’ sake. But living life in this way will allow us to experience life as it was meant to be lived, and it will be better than anything could ask for or imagine for ourselves.

May you always be sure and certain of your place in God’s kingdom and mission. And may living your life in accordance with that always be a great source of joy and blessing to you. Now and always. Amen.