Sunday, March 22, 2009 
Scripture Reading: Ephesians, 2nd Chapter
2You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ*—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
11 So then, remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth,* called ‘the uncircumcision’ by those who are called ‘the circumcision’—a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— 12remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. 15He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, so that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, 16and might reconcile both groups to God in one body* through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it.* 17So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, 20built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.* 21In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22in whom you also are built together spiritually* into a dwelling-place for God.
Sermon Title: "WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HUMAN NATURE?" Sunday, March 22, 2009
PASTOR HUDSON: In this Lenten reading, Paul
describes people who are living to fulfill and gratify
the sinful cravings of their own fallen nature and are
just existing.
Many times our world simply settles for
existence. What we attempt to do is discover a new
way to make that existence more comfortable rather
than accepting the possibility that we are not, in
fact, living, but merely existing. Paul invites us to
go a step further. We have been created in Christ
Jesus for the purpose of doing something really
wonderful with our life.
Paul understood God's response to human
nature is not simply to let it run its course with all
of its excesses and self-defeating realities, but
through his redemptive process in Jesus Christ he said
I'm going to make the way for there to be an
alternative. Jesus said, “ I have come that you might
have life and that more abundantly.”
I believe over time we build a mind-set that
causes us not to evolve in our understanding of what
we ought to be as the people of God rather we simply find it
easier and more comfortable just to go with the flow.
Sometimes we're confused as to what Lent really
ought to be. You have people saying I'm going to give
up this for lent. In itself, not a bad practice.
We could benefit from giving up a few things.
However, consider an alternative --
This lenten season add something
that challenges us to cooperate with the work of God
that is by grace in our life. For 40 days we're
simply going to focus upon those things that God can
do within our hearts and our life. What if for 40
days we're going to add a different style of life, a
life niche focus upon the word of God.
In the New Testament it is understood we are
given freedom. We celebrate the fact freedom is an
immeasurable treasure. It's freedom from guilt,
condemnation, we've all been down that road, but we're
also free for certain things. We're now free through
the power of the Holy Spirit to achieve our dreams and
accomplish things to live a quality life.
I'm talking about something radically different
than what our culture would describe as quality. It's
the kind of quality of life where we feel every day a
contentment, a peace, that we are truly getting better
with the Lord. It's an inner-spiritual reality
working within you that even when your 401 has eroded
by 50 percent you can say, hey, it's just money, and
really mean it. I think that's really what Paul is
talking about in this particular text.
The question for you is how and to what degree
are you living in that new community? Is it affecting
the daily choices of life and the spirit with which
you embrace life?
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit, Amen.