Presence makes a difference. Over the last few weeks we have been looking at the difference the presence of Christ makes in our lives. We are assured of His presence because of the resurrection. It is the resurrection that makes the difference for us –all the difference. Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church “If Christ has not been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (I Cor. 15:14)
Notice the wording of this verse for a moment. If Christ has not been raised form the dead then our preaching is useless. This word for preaching is not the normal word used or the word most often used with is “euangelion”-the act of proclaiming good news. Rather it is the word “kerugma” which carries a meaning of substance. In other words, the good news we proclaim has no substance-it is empty, it has no power, no truth, it is empty. And that is emphasized by the next word “kenon” or usless in the NIV.
The good news of Jesus Christ coming to this earth is meaningless and empty of He has not been raised from the dead. That is a powerful statement Paul is making. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead our words are empty, our good news worthless, our preaching about Jesus useless. But even more, we read in I Corinthians 15, so is your faith! Not only are our words meaningless but so is your faith in Jesus. Paul goes on to say in verse 17 that if Jesus has not been raised from the dead then your faith is futile, null, empty. He uses the same word when he speaks to the people in Lystra in Acts 14: 15, “We are bringing you good news telling you to turn from these (worship of Zeus and Hermes) worthless things to the living God.”
But, Paul goes on to say in I Corinthians 15, “Christ has been raised form the dead…” (verse 20). Therefore, our words are meaningful, they are good news, they are worthy, your faith is not useless or empty or futile. Why, Because Jesus is raised from the dead –the resurrection changes everything!
And because he is raised form the dead he can and does keep his promise to be present –“Where two or three gather in my name I am in the midst.” I am there! And last week we looked at how this impacts our worship. When we come together and gather in his name, when we come to worship or pray or celebrate Jesus has made it a promise that he is there –he is here. How does His presence, how does the realization of his presence, affect your worship?
But even more than our worship, when Jesus says, “where two of more of you are gathered, in my name I am there,” it also affects our fellowship, our meetings, our service together, our marriages, our connecting times.
The realization and the reality of his presence makes a difference in our lives –in our relationships. We know relationships can be tough. We know this from observation and from experience.
When I was growing up my brother and I got along terrifically. We never fought, argued, bothered each other or had any kind of picking on each other –we got along perfectly –while we were apart. But when together… You know what it is like! When we had a fight my dad would come along and that quieted us down. His presence made a difference. If we fought he would make us stop, shake hands and tell us to get along and stop fighting. And we did –as long as he was there. But when he was gone and we were together… His presence made a difference.
We see this in all kinds of relationships even within the church can be tough as well. Even though the church should be and could be a place where unit and love and peace should reign, after all didn’t Jesus tell us too! But we find often it is not. And the Bible gives us a lot of directives about how we are to live with each other –the commands to love, forgive, submit, serve. We have heard these sermons, read them, and possibly even tried to live them. Some of you may already be tuning out with the –“Yeah I’ve heard this before,” attitude. We’ve tried it and failed, or found it a struggle, or, let’s be honest, we haven’t really tried. We are too get along, to live in unity, but we find it difficult.
I have heard and used the phrase, imagine if Jesus were here, what would it be like. I think we would all, outwardly get along much better if Jesus were present –physically standing here telling us to get along. Much like my dad we would be influenced by his presence –shakes hands and get along, but inwardly still harbor resentment, anger, jealousy, or whatever other emotion is there. We still have difficulty getting along –living in unity.
I think it is because we miss something essential, something vital in this –Immanuel –God with us. Just as His being present when we come to worship Him impacts how we worship, our relationships are impacted by His presence. But even more than his presence in our midst is his presence in our very lives. THAT makes a BIG difference –His presence in us!
I want to stop at this point and bring in two key scripture passages for us today. One from Jesus and the other from Paul. Listen to the impact of Jesus’ words in John 17. We need to take careful note here that these are amoung the last words of Jesus before he went to the cross and they reflect His heart for us, His church. Secondly they are offered in prayer –He is asking, laying before the Father this desire for us. Listen carefully to these familiar words (John 17:20-23). This morning take note of verse 23 “I in them and you in me.” He is speaking to us, His church, His people who have come to trust in Him as Savior and declare Him as Lord –we who have placed our hope in Him as the way to heaven. He who is Christ crucified and risen. “I in them and you in me.” Now listen to Paul’s testimony in Galatians 2:20.
Christ in me, Christ in me, Christ in me; the King of Glory! Christ in us –Father, I in them as you are in me! And this makes all the difference in our unity, in our togetherness. More often than not, I believe, we try to do the unity thing on our own strength, our own terms. And we fail. I have to love this person because Jesus said too. I have to forgive this person because Jesus said too. I have to serve this person, help this person. God give me strength. The emphasis on “me!” And we fail.
Paul follows his statement in Galatians 2:20 of Christ in me with this startling declaration, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness, living right, living out the commands, could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” If I can do these things on my own, if I can live the godly life, and live in unity and peace and love and forgiveness on my own –Christ died for nothing! I fall short, I cannot do it, I like Paul and saved by grace, not works, I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live! If I try to live this out on my won –I fail! And even more, Paul says it here and I have to take it seriously, If I seek to live by my strength, by the law, Christ died for nothing!
But the resurrection changes everything –For Christ did die and my sins are forgiven and he rose from the dead and gives me hope. And because he rose he is Immanuel –God with us and I no longer live but Christ lives in me and the life I live I life by faith in the son of God Who loved me and gave himself for me.
And all that he asks, all that he directs me to do in living in unity with others comes by Him and through Him. Everything that Jesus asks us to do, to live out in unity, he did in his life here on earth. Love one another –He has loved us and has given us his love. Be at peace –He is the prince of peace and gives us His peace. Serve one another –he became a servant and even knelt to wash our feat! But more he became a servant even to death on the cross. Forgive one another –He forgave us our sins and even some of the very words he spoke on the cross –Father forgive them! Accept one another, just as Christ accepts us in order to bring praise to God. Teach one another –he has taught us and even gives us His Spirit to remind us and continue to teach us. You go through the list of all He asks us to do in order to live in unity –He did!
And now go back to Galatians 2:20. I no longer live but Christ lives in me! I am not talking about a universal presence of Christ or a new age belief of Christ in all of us or we are Christ. We cannot confuse what Paul is saying here of what I intend. It is only when we accept the gift of life given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that He comes and is in us.
Further, we do not become Christ, we have him simply and profoundly in us through His Spirit. Paul outlines this for us throughout his letter to the church in Rome. Let me read part of this for you, Romans 8:5-11. It is in this power, this presence, this Immanuel, that we then can live in unity. As we surrender ourselves, and let Him rule in our hearts, our lives, as His presence fills us w can know and do what he has asked. Let me read again from Romans a more familiar passage, Romans 12:1-2, 9-21. How can we do this? How can we live this way? Not by our own strength, Paul has already made this clear earlier in Romans –there is nothing righteous in us, nothing good. The law and living by the law fails. It is by His Spirit at work in us, His presence in us.
And this unity, this living in His presence has an ultimate goal –not that we all simply get along, but that the world may first know we are His, believe in the Father, that Christ has been sent as a sacrifice and atonement and hope, and that others will come to the Father. And even more, ultimately as Jesus said earlier in His prayer –to bring glory to the Father.
Paul echoes this in Romans in a powerful way. Romans 14:5-6.
His presence makes a difference –I no longer live but Christ lives in me. His Spirit at work in me in order to love, forgive, serve, be at peace with one another. Yes, where two or three gather he is there, but even more –he is in us working to bring unity that others will know the Father, come to salvation and that God will be glorified! His presence makes all the difference!
Thought/reflection: are you struggling to be at peace with someone –to forgive, to live in unity and harmony? Realize first that as a believer in Christ Jesus, as one who has accepted the gift of life through his death and resurrection, that you have His Spirit in you. Know that as you let Him work as you, like Paul says, that you no longer live, but Christ lives in you. That He is seeking to work in and through you to live in unity, love and forgiveness. And his purpose is to bring others to himself and to glorify the Father.
His presence makes all the difference in our living together as Jesus prayed –in unity that the world will believe that the Father sent the Son and loves us. Read John 15:25-26.
Close with #8 To God be the Glory!
Read in benediction Romans 15:13, 25-27.
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