Calvary Baptist Church

We'll have the same sermon title for about 12 weeks.  Not because I'm lazy or lacking in creativity but because I want us to face that question every time we open our Bibles to study Ecclesiastes.  The first commandment (Exodus 20:3) is that we should have no other gods before or in addition to the true and living God.  We may not think we are prone to idolatry like those "pagans of old" but any time we believe we need something else OR more than God to have life, we are committing idolatry.  Idolatry is a heart problem, it means we have put something or someone before Him.  God's self-image is not the problem here...our well being is the issue!  God tells us to not have other gods because worshipping a god that is not a god is not good for us.  God doesn't need us to put Him first to be God.  He is God whether or not anyone worships Him as such.  However, when we put some cheap imitation in His place it is bad for us.  It's amazing how many things can be idols.  Our study of Solomon's epic fail as recorded by the Preacher in Ecclesiastes, is a review of all the things that can take God's place if we are not careful.  Solomon pursued all manner of things "under the sun", that is without a Divine reference point and what he learned was that all of it was fleeting, frustrating and enigmatic apart from transcendent revelation and the Person of God Himself. 

I have used the A.W. Tozer quote in another context but here it is again to help us answer the question of the title with a resounding YES!  "God is so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful that He can, without anything other than Himself, meet and overflow the deepest demands of our total nature."  AMEN!

Since the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ people have been trying to dismiss either the reality or the importance of this historical event.  Does it really matter?  Jesus was a good role model so why should we really care if He actually rose from the dead or not?  Can't we just say, "Let's allow the spirit of Jesus' teachings to permeate all we do and say..." and let it go at that?  Does it really matter if He is dead and His body is hidden some place and turned to dust?  Of course there were plenty of people in the first century who scoffed at the idea of a literal resurrection.  (Read Acts 17).  On this Easter Sunday we'll be looking at the Holy Spirit's response to these questions and doubts through the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth.  False teachers were attempting to minimize the importance of the gospel and specifically the resurrection.  Paul's response makes it abundantly clear that rejecting the resurrection takes away the very foundation of the gospel message and makes us "of all people, most pitable."  If you'd like to read ahead, check out 1 Corinthians 15 in your Bible.  Read it Sunday morning before you come to church and let's celebrate with joy the great news that the story is not over!

Do you think you have someone figured out?  Do you ever tell them how predictable they are after they have done what you thought they might do?  Of course if you told them before hand they would not do it just to prove that they were not as predictable as you said they were!  This weekend is Palm Sunday and while it is a big deal to have the Lord come through the Eastern Gate to the cheering throngs, it is easy to forget what Jesus said and did while on the Mt of Olives before He entered the city.  He wept.  God's people (and they are reflective of all people) have a rather predictable pattern of choosing the second best option.  What the people wanted on Palm Sunday was a Deliverer...from Roman oppression.  What they needed was a Savior to deliver them from sin.  In God's amazing grace even their rejection of Him as Savior provided what mankind really needed...but most of the ones present that day missed it.  At least one of the big lessons for Palm Sunday is that God sometimes gives us what we want instead of what we need...and sometimes in spite of what we need.  Let's trust Him to describe what we need...and receive what He has provided for our need.

When I read those words in Mark 10:45 I am amazed that I would ever wonder if there is value in serving others.  Selfishness, egocentrism, I, me, mine... yuck.  That is the stuff we fight as regularly as flies in the summertime.  God designed the universe for humble interdependence not for selfish individualism.  Just imagine what the world would be like if everyone did what was right in his/her own eyes.  Oh, wait, there's a whole book of the Bible that describes that; (if your stomach is not already upset read Judges.)  The world will simply not work if we are selfish.  Let's bring it down from the macro "world" to church and home.  Our homes will not work, our church will not work if we are all about "me."  The consumer mentality may drive an economy but the bottom line in the economy is the bottom line. The money makes it work.  Who will serve if no money is involved?  Who will see the worth of serving others because of the value of others?  Who will be content with the smile of the Father and the prospect of "Well done good and faithful servant?" If people do not set aside their own agenda and think of others more highly than themselves the wheels will come off our little car in a hurry.  I'm preaching a short sermon this week.  This concept doesn't need a lot of explanation.  Let's celebrate and thank those who serve.  Let's provoke one another to love and good works.  As we think of one another in the context of service, let's say with Paul, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you!"