Christ: Our Strength, Death-Peace, & Hope

The past several sermons have dealt with the difficulty Christian's have in our relationships with one-another. We deserve punishment and separation from God, but Christ has taken our place and given us life. We need to consider this in our interactions with others. How often do we meditate on the suffering of Christ? How often do we consider what we deserve and what we enjoy. These truths should and must direct the way we deal with those around us. Our desire for the Church to thrive must be stronger than our desire to enjoy creation and have pleasure. Christ laid His life down. He is our example and we must follow this example if we want to see the Kingdom of God thrive, a much higher goal than simply to have a life of peace, comfort, and personal joy. Dying to our own desires is painful and unpleasant, however it gives us hope to remember that Christ didn't stay in the tomb. As Christ is our example, when we willingly die to self, although it is painful, this action in the end leads to life and that ultimately more satisfying, in that it is pleasing to God.