Do You Love Your Life or Hate It?

There once was a sign hung in a church narthex that read, “If you were on trial for being Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

What does your life say about you? If you were in a conversation with someone on an airplane, what would you talk about? In other words, what does your speech say about you? Would you talk primarily about your children? What about your job or even your retirement? Would you talk about your money and “nest egg”, your investments and your broker? Would you talk about your health? Or would you talk about your last vacation and where you are planning on going this year?

What we talk about the most, is what we are most passionate about. These are the priorities in our lives. These are the things we love the most. But what about Jesus? Jesus comes to us through His sacrificial death on the cross. He comes to us in this way because of our sinfulness. He comes to show us that our priorities are not what they should be, and we end up loving the wrong things in life over an against Him.

What we talk about the most, that is what we are passionate about. these are the priorities in our lives. These are the things we love the most. But what about Jesus? Jesus comes to us through His sacrificial death on the cross. He comes to us in this way because of our sinfulness. He comes to show us that our priorities are not what they should be, and we end up loving the wrong things in life over an against Him.

What we talk about the most, is what we are most passionate about. These are the priorities in our lives. These are the things we love the most. But what about Jesus? Jesus comes to us through His sacrificial death on the cross. He comes to us in this way because of our sinfulness. He comes to show us that our priorities are not what they should be, and we end up loving the wrong things in life over an against Him.

The Gospel text that confronts us today, Jesus is informed by Philip and Andrew about some “Greeks” that want to meet Him. We don’t know about them, and if they even got to meet the Savior. But at this request to meet with some Greeks, Jesus begins to tell them once again of what is about to take place in Jerusalem. That He would die, and through His death, He would draw all people to Himself.

In the midst of Jesus declaring to the disciples His own death and the result of that sacrifice, there are some strange words, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will gain it” (v. 25). These are the words that confront us this morning.

What do you say about your life? What are you the most passionate about? Do you have a love or hate relationship with your life? I do want to make a few things abundantly clear here. To love one’s life is to love it above and against Jesus. This happens when we allow the trappings of this life overtake us. What do you say about your position in life? Are you happy with it, or does it get in the way of your relationship with Jesus? What about your possessions? Do you wish to guard and protect those things over and above your relationship with the Lord? Are you so enamored with the blessings of the Lord that you have turned them into idols? What about your wealth? Do you spend more time reading the stock market pages and worrying over your investments, than you do in prayer and study of God’s Word? In your conversations with others, does the name of our Lord Jesus ever come up being His witness? Or, is He a subject that becomes taboo?

What do you say about your life? What are you most passionate about? Do you have a love or hate relationship with your life? I do want to make a few things abundantly clear here. To love one’s life is to love it above and against Jesus. This happens when we allow the trappings of this life overtake us. What do you say about your position in life? Are you happy with it, or does it get in the way of your relationship with Jesus? What about your possessions? Do you wish to guard and protect those things over and above your relationship with the Lord? Are you so captivated with the blessings of the Lord that you have turned them into idols? What about your wealth? Do you spend more time reading the stock market pages and worrying over your investments, than you do in prayer and study of God’s Word? In your conversations with others, does the name of our Lord Jesus ever come up; our being His witness? Or, is He a subject that becomes taboo? For holding tightly to these things brings us nothing but sin and ultimate death.

What do you say about your life? What are you most passionate about? Do you have a love or hate relationship with your life? I do want to make a few things abundantly clear here. To love one’s life is to love it above and against Jesus. This happens when we allow the trappings of this life overtake us. What do you say about your position in life? Are you happy with it, or does it get in the way of your relationship with Jesus? What about your possessions? Do you wish to guard and protect those things over and above your relationship with the Lord? Are you so captivated with the blessings of the Lord that you have turned them into idols? What about your wealth? Do you spend more time reading the stock market pages and worrying over your investments, than you do in prayer and study of God’s Word? In your conversations with others, does the name of our Lord Jesus ever come up? Or, is He a subject that becomes taboo? For holding tightly to these things brings us nothing but sin and ultimate death.

These are just some of the trappings of this world that we seem to cling to for dear life. Even life itself is something that we cling to. The Old Adam, our sinful nature, is that which clings to life, it is that which loves this life, all its sin, all its honor, health, wealth and things. It manifests itself in our conversations in ways that keep us from being the witnesses of Jesus.

These are just some of the trappings of this world that we seem to cling to for dear life. Even life itself is something that we cling to. The Old Adam, our sinful nature is that which clings to life, it is that which loves this life, all its sin, all its honor, health, wealth and things. It manifests itself in our conversations in ways that keep us from being the witnesses of Jesus. Even I, your pastor, am a victim of the Old Adam.

These are just some of the trappings of this world that we seem to cling to for dear life. Even life itself is something that we cling to. The Old Adam, our sinful nature, is that which clings to life, it is that which loves this life, all its sin, all its honor, health, wealth and things. It manifests itself in our conversations in ways that keep us from being the witnesses of Jesus. Even I, your pastor, am a victim of the Old Adam.

Jesus left everything…His home in heaven, perfection in paradise, to be one of us. He is our God with flesh of man, to be tempted in every way that we are. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness to use His diving powers to create bread for His hungering stomach. He was tempted with wealth, possessions, and honor and glory, and was tempted to even test God with His life if He would jump off the highest point of the temple. Hunger, glory and life, these are our struggles too. However, Jesus, rejected all these things for you. He rejected all the trappings of worldliness so that He could be the all atoning sacrifice for all our sins. He hated the things of this world.

Jesus left everything…His home in heaven, perfection in paradise, to be one of us. He is our God with flesh of man, to be tempted in every way that we are. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness to use His diving powers to create bread for His hungering stomach. He was tempted with wealth, possessions, and honor and glory, and was tempted to even test God with His life if he would jump off the highest point of the temple. Hunger, glory and life, these are all of our issues too. However, Jesus, rejected all these things for you. He rejected all the trappings of worldliness so that He would be the all atoning sacrifice for all our sins. He hated the things of this world.

Jesus left everything…His home in heaven, perfection in paradise, to be one of us. He is our God with flesh of man, to be tempted in every way that we are. He was tempted by Satan in the wilderness to use His diving powers to create bread for His hungering stomach. He was tempted with wealth, possessions, and honor and glory, and was tempted to even test God with His life if he would jump off the highest point of the temple. Hunger, glory and life, these are all our issues too. However, Jesus, rejected all these things for you. He rejected all the trappings of worldliness so that He would be the all atoning sacrifice for all our sins. He hated the things of this world.

As we grow and mature in our Christian faith, are we to a point where we, like Paul, begin to count all these things in life as rubbish? Are we willing to let go of the things that bind us, those things that tickle the fancy of the Old Adam? Are we willing to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, despising all those things, considering them as not important at all? To pick up our cross is nothing less than following Jesus in suffering, and even in death for His sake. Would we be willing to lay down our lives for someone else, even to lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus? Are we willing to change our conversations with others so that Jesus predominated the conversation as His witnesses?

As we grow and mature in our Christian faith, are we to a point where we, like Paul, begin to count all these things in life as rubbish? Are we willing to let go of the things that bind us, those things that tickle the fancy of the Old Adam? Are we willing to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, despising all those things, considering them as not important at all? To pick up our cross is nothing less than following Jesus in suffering, and even in death for His sake. Would we be willing to lay down our lives for someone else, even to lay down our lives for the sake of Jesus? Are we willing to change our conversations with others so that Jesus predominated our conversations as His witnesses?

This is hating our lives. When we consider the early Christians, who denied their faith in order to not be fed to the lions saved their lives in this world. But what about their eternal life? As Jesus says, “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (, ESV)

This is hating our lives. When we consider the early Christians who denied their faith in order to not be fed to the lions saved their lives in this world. But what about their eternal life? As Jesus says, “If you deny Me before men, I will deny you before My Father.” However, the martyrs who dared to confess their faith in Christ lost their lives in this world, and indeed, they will keep their eternal life.

We daily lose our lives in this life by the unselfish service to our Lord and Savior. “If anyone serves me, He must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (v 26). That service that we do for Him, comes only through our response to the Gospel. We don’t serve Him in order merit salvation, it is simply the Holy Spirit working in and through us. A life redeemed form the selfishness of the love of wealth, possessions, honor and glory, cannot help but show love toward others. As Dr. Martin Luther said, “God does not need your service, your neighbor does.” This is the same as Jesus tells us to “love our neighbor as He has loved us.” These are ways that we daily hate and lose our lives in this world.

However, the martyrs who dared to confess their faith in Christ lost their lives in this world, and indeed, they will keep their eternal life.

And the Gospel is the greatest thing that ever happened in the course of human history. It is what we are entering into this day, as we celebrate Holy Week. Jesus left His life in paradise, and took on human flesh. God Himself assumes our mortal flesh in order that He would live the perfect life that we cannot due to this ugly disease of Original Sin. He obeyed His Father’s will, all the Law perfectly in thought, word and deed. He begins His ministry and constantly teaches all who would listen the pure and unadulterated Word of God, as He is Himself, that very Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us (). And as we celebrate today, He rides into Jerusalem as its King, who is coming into His kingdom in a very lowly way, riding on a donkey. He knew this was the hour of His glorification.

We daily lose our lives in this life by the unselfish service to our Lord and Savior. “If anyone serves me, He must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (v 26). That service that we do for Him, comes only through our response to the Gospel. We don’t serve Him in order merit salvation, it is simply the Holy Spirit working in and through us. A life redeemed from the selfishness of the love of wealth, possessions, honor and glory; therefore, cannot help but show love toward others. As Dr. Martin Luther said, “God does not need your service, your neighbor does.” This is the same as Jesus tells us to “love our neighbor as He has loved us.” These are ways that we daily hate and lose our lives in this world.

We daily lose our lives in this life by the unselfish service to our Lord and Savior. “If anyone serves me, He must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him” (v 26). That service that we do for Him, comes only through our response to the Gospel. We don’t serve Him in order merit salvation, it is simply the Holy Spirit working in and through us. A life redeemed form the selfishness of the love of wealth, possessions, honor and glory, cannot help but show love toward others. As Dr. Martin Luther said, “God does not need your service, your neighbor does.” This is the same as Jesus tells us to “love our neighbor as He has loved us.” These are ways that we daily hate and lose our lives in this world.

And the Gospel is the greatest thing that ever happened in the course of human history. It is what we are entering into this day, as we celebrate Holy Week. Jesus left His life in paradise, and took on human flesh. God Himself assumes our mortal flesh in order that He would live the perfect life that we cannot due to this ugly disease of Original Sin. He obeyed His Father’s will, all the Law perfectly in thought, word and deed. He begins His ministry and constantly teaches all who would listen to the pure and unadulterated Word of God, as He is Himself is that very Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us (). And as we celebrate today, He rides into Jerusalem as its King, who is coming into His kingdom in a very lowly way, riding on a donkey. He knew this was the hour of His glorification.

Not that just he riding into Jerusalem was His hour of glory, but this began His glorification in ways that are contrary to our human thinking of glory. Lowly He rides in, later in the week, He is arrested, convicted on trumped up charges validated by paid false witnesses, was brought to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, tortured, almost whipped to death, mocked, with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, then led out to Golgotha carrying His cross, which He was stripped naked, nailed to, and lifted up to die. The God of Heaven and Earth, the Word that was spoken to create all we see and explore, the Perfect One exchanges His perfect life for our sinful lives. In His last dying breaths He receives the sour wine, of which He had told His disciples the night before that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He enters His Kingdom, and His final words “It is finished” completes the Father’s plan for our salvation. He dies, entering His Kingdom, which gives to you forgiveness of sins, the right to become God’s sons and daughters through Holy Baptism, and we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness, bound by our selfishness and sin, to the Kingdom of His marvelous light! There on the cross He conquers our enemies of sin and the power of the devil in our lives. On the third day, He rises from the dead, conquering our final foe, death itself. Now all who believe in His name will never taste death, that second and eternal death in the lake of fire which burns for all eternity, where those who don’t believe in Him are cast into with the devil and his angels for the rest of eternity.

Not that just his riding into Jerusalem was His hour of glory, but this began His glorification in ways that are contrary to our human thinking of glory. Lowly He rides in, later in the week, He is arrested, convicted on trumped up charges validated by paid false witnesses, was brought to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, tortured, almost whipped to death, mocked, with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, then led out to Golgotha carrying His cross, which He was stripped naked, nailed to, and lifted up to die. The God of Heaven and Earth, the Word that was spoken to create all we see and explore, the Perfect One exchanges His perfect life for our sinful life. In His last dying breaths He receives the sour wine, of which He had told His disciples the night before that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He enters His Kingdom, and His final words “It is finished” completes the Father’s plan for our salvation. He dies, entering His Kingdom, which gives to you forgiveness of sins, the right to become God’s sons and daughters through Holy Baptism, and we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness, bound by our selfishness and sin, to the Kingdom of His marvelous light! There on the cross He conquers our enemies of sin and the power of the devil in our lives. On the third day, He rises from the dead, conquering our final foe, death itself. Now all who believe in His name will never taste death, that second and eternal death in the lake of fire which burns for all eternity, where those who don’t believe in Him are cast into with the devil and his angels for the rest of eternity.

Not just that his riding into Jerusalem was His hour of glory, but this began His glorification in ways that are contrary to our human thinking of glory. Lowly He rides in, later in the week, He is arrested, convicted on trumped up charges validated by paid false witnesses, was brought to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, tortured, almost whipped to death, mocked, with a crown of thorns and a purple robe, then led out to Golgotha carrying His cross, which He was stripped naked, nailed to, and lifted up to die. The God of Heaven and Earth, the Word that was spoken to create all we see and explore, the Perfect One exchanges His perfect life for our sinful life. In His last dying breaths He receives the sour wine, of which He had told His disciples the night before that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He enters His Kingdom, and His final words “It is finished” completes the Father’s plan for our salvation. He dies, entering His Kingdom, which gives to you forgiveness of sins, the right to become God’s sons and daughters through Holy Baptism, and we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness, bound by our selfishness and sin, to the Kingdom of His marvelous light! There on the cross He conquers our enemies of sin and the power of the devil in our lives. On the third day, He rises from the dead, conquering our final foe, death itself. Now all who believe in His name will never taste death, that second and eternal death in the lake of fire which burns for all eternity, where those who refuse to believe in Him are cast into with the devil and his angels for the rest of eternity.

Faith in this Gospel, that Jesus is the true Son of God, that He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for our sinful and selfish lives, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third day, is what pours into our hearts this living love for our Lord and for our neighbor. It is just a natural thing that happens.

Faith in the fact that Jesus is the true Son of God, that He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for our sinful and selfish life, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third day, is what pours into our hearts this living love for our Lord and for our neighbor. It is just a natural thing that happens.

Faith in this Gospel, that Jesus is the true Son of God, that He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for our sinful and selfish life, and that God raised Him from the dead on the third day, is what pours into our hearts this living love for our Lord and for our neighbor. It is just a natural thing that happens.

And we eventually can find ourselves confessing with the Apostle Paul “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” ().

Yes, Paul “suffered the loss of all things.” However, what he found was far more priceless than any amount of money, any wealth of possessions, any personal pride, honor or glory. In his loss, He found Christ. Paul lost his live in this world, but in that loss he found something even more precious than life itself; eternal salvation through his Lord and Savior.

And we eventually can find ourselves confessing with the Apostle Paul “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” ().

Yes, Paul “suffered the loss of all things.” However, what he found was far more priceless than any amount of money, any wealth of possessions, any personal pride, honor or glory. In his loss, Paul found Christ. Paul lost his life in this world, but in that loss he found something even more precious than life itself; eternal salvation through his Lord and Savior.

Can we find ourselves with Paul? I know it is a struggle, as Satan makes everything in this life seem so important and necessary for daily life. But Christ Jesus gives us all we need, His own righteousness, is now ours through faith. And His Father daily and richly gives us all we need for daily life of body and soul. His Holy Spirit also keeps us grounded in the true faith as we consistently seek our Lord where He may be found; namely in Word and Sacrament. And He keeps us steadfast in that true faith unto life everlasting. We already have all we need. And so we find ourselves content with what He brings us richly and daily, and the rest, well, we begin to count as rubbish, because it is all a hindrance and distraction from He who rode into His kingdom, lowly, through donkey, innocent suffering and death and His ultimate gory of rising from the dead that first Easter morning.

Can we find ourselves with Paul? I know it is a struggle, as Satan makes everything in this life seem so important and necessary for daily living. But Christ Jesus gives us all we need, His own righteousness, is now ours through faith. And His Father daily and richly gives us all we need for daily life of body and soul. His Holy Spirit also keeps us grounded in the true faith as we consistently seek our Lord where He may be found; namely in Word and Sacrament. And He keeps us steadfast in that true faith unto life everlasting. Realizing that we already have all we need, we find ourselves content with what He brings us richly and daily, and the rest, well, we begin to count as rubbish, because it is all a hindrance and distraction from He who rode into His kingdom, lowly, through donkey, innocent suffering and death and His ultimate glory of rising from the dead that first Easter morning.

In His name and for His glory! Amen!

Can we find ourselves with Paul? I know it is a struggle, as Satan makes everything in this life seem so important and necessary for daily living. But Christ Jesus gives us all we need, His own righteousness, is now ours through faith. And His Father daily and richly gives us all we need for daily life of body and soul. His Holy Spirit also keeps us grounded in the true faith as we consistently seek our Lord where He may be found; namely in Word and Sacrament. And He keeps us steadfast in that true faith unto life everlasting. Realizing that we already have all we need, we find ourselves content with what He brings us richly and daily, and the rest, well, we begin to count as rubbish, because it is all a hindrance and distraction from He who rode into His kingdom, lowly, through donkey, innocent suffering and death and His ultimate glory of rising from the dead that first Easter morning.

In His name and for His glory! Amen!