7/30/2023: Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
DEFINE CHRISTIAN
Ask ten different people to define Christian and you may get ten different answers. One might say, “A Christian is someone who believes in Jesus.” Okay. But the demons believe that Jesus exists and is the Son of God. So is that definition adequate? Another person might have a more negative view. He says, “A Christian is someone who believes he is better than others.” Is that completely false? And if you aren’t humble, does that mean you aren’t Christian?
In our worship series Christ himself defines the term Christian and describes what Christians do. We will be struck by how often we do not do all those things. There likely are times when people could look at our behavior and assume we were unbelievers. Yet throughout this series Jesus will demonstrate that ultimately a Christian is one who runs to Christ for forgiveness precisely because he has failed to live like what he is—a Christian. As we receive the mercy of Christ, it moves us to strive with all our being to better fit Christ’s beautiful definition, doing all the things Jesus says that Christians do. Our worship follows this path:
The Christian Loves God above All
The Christian Finds Rest in Jesus
The Christian Is Planted by the Word
The Christian Lives as Wheat among Weeds
The Christian Seeks Spiritual Wealth
The Christian Trusts God to Provide
The Christian Answers Doubt with Faith
THE CHRISTIAN SEEKS SPIRITUAL WEALTH
What do you consider your life’s priorities? If you made a list, what would be near the top? Faith, family, and friends would probably head the lists of many. Financial security and health would be right up there. Reputation and recreation would likely make the cut. But perhaps a more interesting question than “What do you consider your life’s priorities?” is “Which of the items on that list would you be willing to sacrifice to save your top priority?” What if you had to give up the whole list—family, friends, finances, health, reputation, recreation—to save just one priority: faith?
This week we are given an honest assessment of what really matters in life. The kingdom is worth everything. Worldly wealth can buy the things of this world, the type of things that rust and decay, things that will not last. True wealth is spiritual wealth. It can be found only in God and his eternal blessings for us in Christ. The Christian seeks first spiritual wealth and will sacrifice anything to obtain it.
God bless your worship.
Vicar Micah Otto will preach on Matthew 13:44-52
View or download the service folder.
Watch the livestream.