Untitled Sermon

3 paintings. 

Paint your spouse. Trying to give an accurate representation, a true reflection of the image I’m trying to paint. 

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Mona Lisa - true representation. 

Fernando Bortega - distortion of the image. Something is not right. 

Picasso - distorted, 

Mirrors - reflect what they receive. 

Paintings reflect a message. Reflect the intention of the painter. Communicate depth and beauty and a message. 

Carvaggio - Taking of Christ. 

Message 3 – “Receive Again: Christ Gave Himself for You”

📖 Main Texts: Ephesians 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:4-9, 1 Corinthians 13:12

Opening / Introduction: Looking into the Mirror

Imagine standing in front of a mirror. It reflects back what it sees, but not exactly as it is—it flips the image. Things appear reversed, sometimes distorted.

We’ve been talking all weekend about reflection—receiving God’s love and reflecting it back.

Tonight, I want to focus on receiving again—because we can only reflect what we have truly received.

Illustration: The True Image

In the early 1500s, Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. What many don’t know is that he painted it using a method called “sfumato,” which allowed subtle transitions between light and shadow—creating an image that almost seemed alive.

Now, imagine if you only saw that painting through a cracked or dirty mirror. Would you really see it as it was meant to be?

The same is true of how we see ourselves and God’s love. If we are spiritually blind or broken, we won’t see Him clearly.

💡 Key Idea: We can only reflect what we have truly received—Jesus gave Himself for you, but have you received Him?

I. Seeing Ephesians 5:2 in the Mirror (Walking Through it Backward)

Let’s look at Ephesians 5:2 in a mirror—phrase by phrase, starting at the end:

1. A Fragrant Offering and Sacrifice to God (The Cost of Love)

Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice—but why?

The Old Testament Background: The Sacrificial System

The aroma of the burnt offering was described as a “sweet-smelling savor” to God.

Genesis 8:20-21 - And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

Scapegoat. Sacrifice. Substitute. For sins. 

Leviticus & The Day of Atonement – The High Priest would sacrifice a spotless lamb for the sins of the people.

Lev. 16:20-22

Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice—the fulfillment of every lamb that was ever slain.

How is he referred to by John the Baptist. Behold, here is the LAMB OF GOD WHO TAKES AWAY THE SINS OF THE WORLD! 

Quite a statement! 

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross an eternal sacrifice. One of lasting pleasing aroma. One made once for all. Hebrews tells us this. It’s not a sacrifice made and need be repeated. But an eternal sacrifice for our behalf to give glory to God and to please him and bring atonement forever! 

The sweet smell of a price-paid wafts up to God on high, even now for you and for me. 

Illustration: The Smell of a Price Paid

Vietnam memorial. Wash DC. Memorials. Arlington Cemetary. I got to visit Jerusalem. Men and women died on this very field. Gettysburg. 9/11 memorial in NYC. Just last week, I was downtown Boston, and was near the sight of the Boston Marathon Bombing. 

If you don’t fly by these sites, and you pause to consider, the great sacrifice that was made. You can almost feel it in certain places. The feeling of running through a cemetery. Versus, walking in a cemetery, knowing every stone you see, was a person, a soul, a life. Arlington. 

Have you ever walked past a battlefield monument? The echoes of war still seem to linger in the air.

The sacrifices of soldiers leave behind a lasting imprint, a reminder that freedom was bought at a cost.

Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t just a moment in history—it was a payment that echoes for eternity.

Jesus’ sacrifice, death and resurrection, echos. A sacrifice upon an altar that still burns, still provides worship to God as a sweet smelling savor atoning for our sin and covering us making us white as snow. 

Though our sins were as scarlett red, He has made us white as snow. 

2. For Us (The Unworthy Recipients)

Who is the “us” in this verse? Who did Christ die for?

Ephesians 2:1-3 describes us:

Spiritually dead.

Living for selfish desires.

Following Satan instead of God.

Under God’s wrath.

Illustration: The Walking Dead

Ever seen a zombie movie? The dead walking around, looking alive but completely empty inside?

That was us—walking in disobedience, unaware of our spiritual death.

Ephesians 5:3-6 – A list of what marks those who reject God: sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry.

These people have nothing waiting for them in the Kingdom of God. Instead, they face the wrath of a holy God.

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Psalm 143:2 – “No one living is righteous before you.”

The Comfort in this Truth

If you realize that salvation isn’t in your hands, that’s actually good news.

God has provided a way. A way of salvation. A way of rescue. He pronounces his kingdom has come and invites you to join him in the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. 

God has given you a choice—continue in sin, or turn to Christ in repentance. 

See the funny thing about repentance is that you have to admit you were wrong about something. 

Not only admit but you have to turn and go around in the opposite direction. 

The other day, I was driving with my wife in downtown Boston again, going to a Celtics game. And we got turned around in Boston traffic. Not fun. I had to admit, and suck it up, that I had made a wrong turn. In times like this, you have to repent from the direction you were going, humble yourself, and turn around. 

3. Gave Himself Up (The Ultimate Act of Love)

Sacrificial Love: True love gives itself up for another.

Illustrations of Sacrificial Love:

A soldier jumps on a grenade to save his comrades.

A mother sacrifices her career to care for her children.

A father gives up his time and comfort to work long hours and provide for his family.

In all of these, there is suffering, loss, and pain—but also meaning, purpose, and love.

Illustration: The Cost of Heroism

Every great story has sacrifice at its core:

Iron Man in Endgame—willing to lay down his life to save the world.

Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman—flies a plane full of deadly gas away from the city, knowing it will kill him.

Captain America crashes the plane to stop the enemy, accepting his fate.

Why do these stories resonate? Because deep down, we know that true love is proven through sacrifice.

Jesus is the ultimate hero—He gave Himself up to save you.

4. Christ Loved Us (The Motivation Behind His Sacrifice)

Why did Jesus give Himself up? Because of love.

Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

Galatians 2:20 – “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

This is the Gospel:

Jesus saw you in your sin, rebellion, and brokenness.

He did not leave you there.

He came down into the sin and into our brokenness. 

He gave Himself up so that you could be saved.

He became the scapegoat. But the perfect spotless lamb of God. The holy one. Our Messiah. 

We beat him. Whipped him. We hung him on a cross. 

He said, father forgive them for they dont’ know what they are doing. 

He loved us still. 

He died. He was buried. And he rose victorious over the grave. 

He is coming again. 

II. Why Did He Do This? (The Invitation to Respond)

Ephesians 2:4-9 – Because of God’s Great Love

You were dead in sin, but God made you alive.

By grace you are saved—not by works!

This is a gift—you must receive it.

Illustration:  

The Taking of Christ by Carvaggio from the beginning of the 17th century. Remember this? 

The armor as a mirror. Reflecting back to us, a level of introspection. Considering our own place in this painting. Who are we? Where are we. Carvaggio is believed to have painted a self portrait of himself on the right holding a lantern. Looking in. Seeing the Christ being taken. Hauled off to be crucified. Our sin put him there. When we look into this painting, we can see ourselves. But we should also see our willing savior. For though we see dimily into this reflection… one day we will see him face to face, and then and only then may we truly know as he has truly known us. 

Are you ready for that day? 

1 Corinthians 13:12 – The Mirror and the Final Reality

📖 “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”

Right now, our understanding of God’s love is partial, like a dim reflection in a mirror.

In the ancient world, mirrors weren’t like today’s glass—they were polished metal, often blurry and imperfect.

We only see glimpses of eternity, glimpses of God’s love, glimpses of the full picture.

But one day, when Christ returns, we won’t see dimly anymore—we will see Him face to face.

Nothing is Hidden—We Are Fully Known

Maybe you feel like you have to hide from God—like Adam and Eve covering themselves in the garden.

But the truth is, He already knows you fully.

Your sin, your struggles, your failures—nothing is hidden from Him.

And yet, He still loved you and gave Himself for you.

💡 Key Idea: One day, we won’t have to wonder. We will see Jesus face to face. We will know Him fully—just as He already fully knows us.

Illustration: The Tarnished and Forgotten Painting Now Restored and  Reflection

Imagine, if you will, a masterpiece by one of the greatest artists of all time, Caravaggio, thought to be lost to history, hanging quietly on a wall in a Dublin Jesuit dining room. This painting, "The Taking of Christ," was not just any artwork; it was a profound depiction of the moment Judas betrayed Jesus, a scene charged with drama, betrayal, and divine purpose.

For years, this painting was overlooked, misidentified, and covered in layers of grime, its true nature obscured. It was just another piece of decor in a place where priests dined, its value unrecognized, much like how we often view ourselves or others in our daily lives—lost, overlooked, perhaps even tarnished by the world's judgments or our own sins.

But one day, in 1990, Father Noel Barber, a Jesuit priest, had an epiphany. He looked at this painting, which had been in their possession since the 1930s, and saw something others had missed. He recognized the genius of Caravaggio in the brush strokes, the dramatic use of light and shadow, the raw emotion of betrayal and acceptance all captured in that moment. Here was a masterpiece, hidden in plain sight, a painting that once adorned the collection of a Roman nobleman, now found in the most unexpected of places.

This painting, once restored, revealed not just Caravaggio's mastery but also a profound spiritual truth. Look closely at the armor of the soldier in the painting. It acts as a mirror, reflecting not just the light of Caravaggio's studio but potentially reflecting you, the viewer. In that reflection, there's an invitation to see oneself not just as one is but as one could be—redeemed, restored, and loved by God.

Just as this painting was restored from obscurity to glory, each of us, God's masterpieces, can experience restoration through Christ. We might feel lost, bruised by life, broken by our choices, or tattered by sin, but the story of this painting tells us something beautiful: what was lost can be found, what was broken can be mended, and what was obscured can shine brightly once more.

The restoration of "The Taking of Christ" symbolizes our own journey. Through Christ, we are sanctified, our sins forgiven, our lives transformed. The painting, once restored, not only regained its historical and artistic value but also became a beacon of hope, a reminder of resurrection and redemption, themes central to our faith.

This is the message of the Gospel: that no matter how far we've strayed, how damaged we might feel, Christ sees us, knows us, and through His grace, restores us. Just as the painting reflects the viewer, inviting them to see their Savior, Christ invites us to see ourselves through His eyes—beloved, redeemed, and made new.

So, when you think of your life, remember this painting. Remember that you are not beyond restoration, that your story isn't over, and that through Christ, you can become a masterpiece once more, reflecting His love and grace to the world.

This narrative aims to engage your audience by not only telling a fascinating story of discovery and art but by weaving it with spiritual truths about redemption, identity, and God's unfailing love for us.

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Imagine looking this lost forgotten, marred, and dirty paiting—you see it but it’s fractured, distorted.

That’s what sin does—it distorts our reflection of God.

But when we receive Christ, He begins restoring that image. 

And one day, when we stand before Him, the mirror will be gone.

We won’t need a reflection—we will see Him face to face.

Revelation 22:1-5  -- Vision for the new earth and what is still yet to come. “They will see his face…. And his name will be on their foreheads.” This is the statement of ownership and relational connectedness. We will see his face. His name will be upon us. 

Meaning… we will fully know him as we are already fully known by him. 

LOVE OF GOD… shines deeply and exposes the darkness… and his love does not end… 

God knows me. 

God knows you. 

God fully knows me… 

Right now, I am fully known by God… 

My wife knows me. My mother knows me. You know me. 

But no one knows me like my God and heavenly Father knows me. 

And if God, who knows me, the recesses of the evil lurking inside me,there are no secrets hidden from him… if God can love me, knowing all of that… why can’t he love you???

God's love knows us completely, yet loves us unconditionally. 

God’s love never runs dry. Never runs out. Never fails or falls flat. 

God’s love never ends. 

God’s love casts out all fear… 

So we can stand forgiven, healed and whole, and one day completely perfected in his sight… so we can see him face to face just like he sees us face to face… 

We will known him fully, just as he fully knows us. 

The greatest and eternally lasting gift ever given is God’s love given to us through Jesus Christ. This is Christmas. This is the gospel. 

The Love of God has come down at Christmas, and it comes to you today. 

Yes, I’m talking to you today. 

God is talking to you today. He wants you to know him…because he already knows you! 

III. Final Call: Have You Truly Received Christ?

You can’t reflect what you haven’t received.

If you’ve never repented of your sin and trusted in Christ, tonight is the night.

Jesus gave Himself up for you. Have you received Him?

One day, you will see Him face to face. Will you be ready?

🙌 Closing Challenge & Prayer

Response Time:

If you have never truly received Christ, tonight is your moment.

If you have been living in sin, God is calling you back.

If you have been trying to reflect God’s love without first receiving it, let Him restore you.

Pray for those who want to repent and receive Christ tonight.