Connect to Christ#1
RUMC July 11, 2010
Tell me what would my arm be if it were not connected to my head? <>
Tell me what would an engine be if it were not connected to a gas tank? <>
Tell me, what would a computer or TV be if it were not connected to electricity? <>
Listen to this. “He is the head of the body, the church.” Christ is the head of the body. So what does that make those who are not connected to Christ? I don’t think I would be unkind enough to call them spiritual Junk, but spiritually speaking they are not much different from any of the other creatures God created. Those who are not connected to Christ cannot be living up to the image of God in which they were created.
They are like a surgeon’s scalpel with no hand to guide it.
They are like a violin with no musician to bring it to life.
They are like a book with no words, or a cell phone with no signal.
Be careful. I don’t want you to get all proud that you are connected to Christ because you come to church, or because you belong to the church. Sitting next to the brain does not make the piece of meat an arm, nor does being sprinkled with gasoline make the hunk of metal into an engine, and being in the same room with the maestro does not make the violin sing.
In this series that I am starting today, I want use Paul’s letter to the Colossians to help us understand what it means to be connected to Christ and to see how we can be better connected to Christ in our lives.
Paul was writing to a church he did not start. He had never visited them. He had never met most of them. A man named Epaphras brought the gospel to the people in Colossae, which was located in what is now Turkey. Paul is writing them because there are people among them who are teaching things contrary to the Gospel message taught my Epaphras and Paul. They are teaching for instance that Jesus was just human and therefore could not bring salvation. They were teaching that to be truly spiritual one needed to be circumcised, and worship at certain moon festivals, worship angels, and to deny the importance of (and even care for) one’s body.
After thoroughly kissing up to the Colossians in the early part of Chapter 1 Paul launches into one of the 2 or 3 most beautifully soaring descriptions of Christ in the Bible. Paul says,
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
In these lofty words, Paul is establishing that Christ is really all there is. There is nothing greater, nothing more important, and nothing more fundamental in all of creation than Christ. It is impossible to exaggerate the glory or wonder or power of Christ.
He is the source of all that is: all things were created by him and for him.
He is the glue or network that holds the fabric of creation together: 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
He is the goal of all history: 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,
Christ is all that was, all that is, and all that will be. Christ is the first, the middle and the last. What more is there? Christ is all there is and he is all we need.
· In Christ, there is new life for creatures that have failed to be what they were created to be.
· In Christ, there is love for those who deserve nothing but judgment.
· In Christ, there is hope for the weakest, the ugliest, the filthiest, and the most sinful among us.
· In Christ, there is life- a life that saves us from eternal death.
To know Christ means that we know, that we know, that we know that Christ is indeed the image of the invisible God. It means that we know it is from Christ that we came and to Christ we shall return. Christ is the very source of life and the only source of salvation. And Christ wants us to be part of that. We CAN be part of the wonderful and glorious life. . . IF.
If. . . if we connect to him. Paul says: 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.
In other words if . . . if we get connected to Christ, and stay connected to Christ.
Being connected to Christ is more than showing up once in a while, or even every Sunday.
Being connected to Christ is more than memorizing Bible verses or owning the biggest Bible you can find.
Being connected to Christ is more than doing good deeds or treating others well.
Being connected to Christ is more than praying to God and not cussing at the person that cuts you off.
We must know in our heads all the things I just said about Christ being all there is. But then we must connect to Christ by faith by relying on him fully as our lifeline.
When I was a carpenter, I led a scaffolding crew. That’s all we did is assemble and disassemble scaffolding at a 3M plant. Like most government rules, OSHA’s rules for scaffold building are probably overkill. If you are 3 feet off the ground for instance, you have to be tied off with a lifeline. And if you are more than 10 feet off the ground you have to practice 100% tie off which means you have to wear two Lanyards so one is connected to something at all times. We always considered it a pretty big nuisance, but I have to admit there was a certain amount of comfort there: knowing that if I became overconfident, or if one of my scaffold knuckles wasn’t tight that I would not go crashing onto the decking below.
Knowing these rules, though, didn’t keep us one iota safer. It only worked when we connected one end the lanyard to our harnesses and the other to a secure object.
Knowing about Christ is one thing. That’s easy. But salvation is offered only to those who by faith connect their lives to the only sure and certain savior God has ever offered. Being connected to Christ is even better than 100% tie off. To live connected to Christ is to have a 1000% guarantee that we are safe and secure in the hands of the one creator and savior Jesus Christ.
The remainder of this series we will talk about how we stay connected to Christ. We’ll talk about study, repentance, community, worship, prayer, and serving. Traditionally these are referred to as means of grace.
But for today, I want you to know that Baptism for infants (or profession of faith and Baptism for adults) is that first connection. Our Baptism is often the very first connection to Christ. Even before Brenner is aware. Even before he can express it. He is connected. Connected to Christ so securely that he is absolutely safe in the arms of Jesus.
It seemed especially appropriate to me that I introduce this series about connecting to Christ on Brenner’s baptism Sunday. For baptism is all about connecting to Christ. In bringing Brenner for baptism, Nathan and Lisa are taking the first step- the first of many steps- in helping him to connect to Christ. They and we are promising to help him learn about Christ and connect with Christ as he grows.
The Greek word Baptisimo is used to describe the action of a sinking ship. That made me think of this story.
You may have heard about a devout Christian on a sinking ship. Everyone was in a panic getting to lifeboats but he sat confidently on the highest point of the ship. The captain said, here you go take this life jacket and get into the lifeboat there is a seat for you right there. The man said, "No thank you God will save me." The captain got in the lifeboat and rowed away.
The man sat there waiting for God, and a helicopter came by. The helicopter sent down a rope and the man replied, no thanks, God will save me.
Finally, a rescue ship came by and threw him a life preserver. Here grab this and we will pull you to safety. "No thanks" the man said, "God will save me."
Pretty quick, the ship sank the man drowned and he went to heaven.
When he got to heaven, he asked God. I had faith in you, why didn’t you save me?
Why didn’t I save you? God asked incredulously, "I sent a life boat, a helicopter and a rescue ship, what more did you want?"
My friends, we are on a sinking ship. Without Christ, we are as doomed as the titanic. Get connected to Christ. Grab on- Grab and hold on as if your life depends on it, because quite honestly, it does.
Rev. Terry Plocher
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