Material and Spiritual

Title:  Material and Spiritual By Pastor Lohn Johnson

Luke 9:32-33   32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.  33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah"- not knowing what he said.

INTRODUCTION: My dear friends in Christ, Some of you will remember the song, “Material Girl” by Madonna.   Now I’m not a fan of Madonna and I hesitate to even use this example.  The only thing I’ve ever liked that she’s done was “Evita.”  But with this song she does make a point – now I don’t want to go all the way to where she goes – to a crass materialism where the only thing that matters is money, diamonds, etc.  Let’s face it Madonna is cheap, and that’s being kind.  Even her stage name is offensive.  But about being a material girl, she does make a certain point.  We are all material girls and guys.  That’s probably why that song was so popular way back then.

I. We are material—we have material bodies.  Just touch your arm to make sure.

A. God made us material and placed us in a material world.  He said it was all good. But then the Fall came.  Now we get things all confused.

1. Even after the Fall bodies are important.  God made us that way.  We have to eat material food.  We live in a world where we need to earn and use money.

a. Now It’s hard for us to remember all those things need to be kept in proper perspective.  We aren’t supposed to worship bodies, money or food.    b. That’s the direction Madonna would take us.  But being like her is not at all where God wants us to be.  She went where sin would have us go.

2. But we are material girls and guys and because of that we need a material Savior.  I think that one of the things we often attempt to do is to make our Savior someone who operates in the spiritual realm only.

a. It’s like we say “Jesus you’re OK for spiritual things, but I’m a material guy or girl.  So that’s not really your area.  For spiritual things Jesus I need you, but for the material I’m going to go it on my own.  I’ll work; I’ll strive; but in the material world, Lord, I’ll take the reins.”   b. Then we say, “But, Lord, for the spiritual, I’ll depend on you.  If ever that sort of situation arises.” Yes, we tend to separate Jesus out that way and it seems natural to our sin warped minds.

B. But then we could be like Peter seems to be in our text.  He sees Jesus glow like the sun.  He hears the voice of God.  He’s having a spiritual experience and he wants to remain right there and never move on.  He says, “Let’s build a tent and stay right there in the spiritual glow.”

1. People today often say that they are spiritual people.  Maybe they are being a little like Peter.

a. They want a spiritual experience and to stay right there in it.  Or they want continuous spiritual experiences to keep them going.    b. But really what’s happening is that they are separating the spiritual out and looking only to the spiritual.  Since we have very little experience with the spiritual we are often mislead or confused.

2.  Peter is forgetting that he is a material man.  That material man needs a material Savior.

a. And if they had stayed on that mountain then there would be no salvation for any one—no salvation either material or spiritual.   b. And of course Jesus is also our spiritual savior, too.  Really you can’t separate material from spiritual.  God made them together – and what God puts together let not man separate.  I’m stressing the material here because our society seems to slight it so often.

II. Jesus came into this world to be our material savior.  He came from “spiritual” heaven to become a material baby.  He was born of a material mother.  He was placed in a material manger. He was like us in every way, except He had no sin.

A. And that material Savior was aiming to get down off that mountain.

1. He was going to get back to the material world. He would go into the material valley where we all live.

a. He would get back to the material people.  He would touch those material people and be touched by them.  He would take material mud and spit on it and rub it on a blind man’s eyes and bring him to see.  He would walk the material paths of this world.  He would take material bread and fish and feed thousands of material people.    b. He would pray in a garden and sweat material sweat – even to the point where it became blood, real blood.  He was struck with a material fists. He would be beaten with material whips.

2. He would be nailed to a material cross with material nails.  He shed material blood.

a. Now on that cross there is definitely a spiritual aspect.  God punished Jesus for all of our sin.  Jesus suffered hell in our place.  A spiritual battle did take place on that cross that we don’t see with our physical eyes.  But it took place nonetheless.   b. But he earned salvation for us with His material blood.  He cried out with words that were heard with material ears.  People saw him suffer and say, “It is finished.”  What He meant was that all was done to accomplish what God had sent him to complete.  And He died a material death – He was placed in a material tomb, made of rock and dirt.

3. But that’s not the end of the story.  Like this: A story is heard about a pastor not dressed in clergy attire who was in an art museum one day.  He was standing in front of a picture of the crucifixion.  As this pastor was reflecting on the picture, a little boy, who appeared to have wandered away from his parents, walked up and was staring for a long time at the picture as well.  The pastor leaned over to ask the boy, “Do you know who that is?”  Because of the pastor’s casual dress, the boy did not know it was a pastor who asked him that question.  Without hesitation, the boy said, “Sure, that’s Jesus, and they’re putting him to death.  And those guys standing around the bottom are the soldiers. And that lady in the middle who’s crying is his mother.”  Without a “good-bye” or “See you later, mister,” the boy walked away to find his parents.  The pastor stood there a little while longer smiling over the fact that the boy knew Jesus.  However, a few minutes later, the boy returned to the picture of the crucifixion and said to the pastor still standing there, “Hey, mister, I forgot to tell you the most important part.”  Pointing to the picture, he said, “You see, this isn’t the way it ends.  Jesus didn’t stay dead.  He came back to life again, and he’s alive still today.”

a. And that resurrection was material, too.   b. After the resurrection Jesus walked the paths of the material world.  He ate material food.  He was touched by material people.

B. And His resurrection points us to our material resurrection.

1. We will not be spirits floating on clouds in heaven.  We will have a material resurrection too.    2. We will have material bodies – but without the effect of sin.  [no more pain, no more illnesses, no more tears, etc.]   We will live for eternity with material bodies in a material heaven and earth.

III. Now in the meantime we live in a material world.  Yes, we are material girls and guys.  And God continues to take that into consideration as He comes to us today.

A. He continues to come to us materially to give us His gifts.

1. He gives us his gifts through His Word, a material book, words on a page or the spoken word that comes to our material ears.  These words create faith in God’s material girls and guys.    2. He brings us into His family through the washing with water and the word of Baptism.  He uses material water to convey His gifts.   3. And now He feeds His family with the bread and wine and the Word of the Lord’s Supper.  Jesus Himself comes to us – His body and His blood – He comes materially in this Supper.  His church grows only through these material means.

B. And once we are made part of his family we are incorporated into God’s way of working.  He makes us part of His plan to grow His family.   He blesses others through us, through what we do as his family.

1. Think of it like this: The farmer plants and harvests, the miller mills, the baker bakes, the trucker delivers bread and the store sells it to the consumer.  Through all these vocations God works to give the blessing of bread to the world.  Likewise God works in all of our vocations in the material world to give out His gifts both material and spiritual.  And as we work in all those vocations we meet trials and challenges as we do what we need to do to bring God’s gifts to others.   2.  So we are called to serve even in our everyday work. And maybe we can look at our call like this: In the late 1500’s the great explorer, Sir Francis Drake, was attempting to recruit a number of young men for an upcoming exploration. He gathered them around and told the group that if they came with him they would see some of the most marvelous things their eyes could ever behold. Sandy white beaches, juicy fruits, foreign peoples, priceless treasures, and gorgeous landscapes. And he told them that this wild adventure could be theirs if they came with him. Not one of them enlisted for the journey. The next day a different group came out. Drake told them that if they came with him they would encounter storms that would terrify them into tears. Tiger winds would hammer them and blow them off course for months. Water would frequently be scarce. At times they will be so thirsty that their very souls would cry out for simply one drop of water. In short, danger would always be their constant companion. Drake concluded by declaring that if they could handle these things, the joys of exploration would exceed their wildest dreams. Every single one of them in the group joined Sir Francis Drake that day, some did not even go home to say goodbye to their families, they just boarded the boat eager for the journey. What made the difference in these two groups? Why did the first group turn down the mission and the second jump at the chance? It is not the men who had changed; it was the message. The first spoke of rewards; the second spoke of challenges. The first offered comfort; the second promised suffering. I like to think that Sir Francis Drake discovered what Jesus knew.  The paths that are offered to us must promise to shape us, build our character, if they are to have appeal to us. If we are presented with a challenge, we will be eager for the journey.  Christian life is to be lived and presented like that second presentation, but with the picture of heaven there too. That will draw people to God’s gifts.

CONCLUSION: Yes, you and I live in a material world – we are material girls and guys.  The Fall created all sorts of problems in that material world – caused by sin.  God gave us a material Savior and sent Him into this material world.  He paid a material price for our sin and won salvation for all men.  Now God gives out the salvation He won through material means.  Now we are called into service and we face material problems as we serve.  But at the end of it all we will receive eternal life to be experienced with perfect material bodies in a new material heaven and earth.  Amen.