“We have the mind of Christ.” March 15, 2019 Today is the last message in our current sermon series entitled: “Power for Everyday Living.” This series may end today, but power for everyday living for God’s people from His Holy Spirit continues! Especially right now. Since January, we’ve been encouraged to dream dreams, not to limit God, and to understand the importance of God’s Holy Spirit at work in our lives. We’ve learned about the power of unity. We’ve looked at the blessings of obedience. We’ve been invited to think about where we are on our spiritual journey. We’ve been taught about the importance of forgiveness. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to forgive others, especially when it’s someone we don’t want to forgive! Today, I want us to get a really good hold on the truth of the fact that “we have the mind of Christ!” Talk about empowered living! When you walk on this earth knowing that you belong to God, and you are filled to overflowing with His Holy Spirit, and you even have the very mind of Jesus Christ, there’s no stopping you! Fear doesn’t guide you! Obstacles can’t stop you! And what appears impossible to people becomes very possible with God in your life! This is because “we have the mind of Christ.” Let’s look at 1 Cor. 2:1-16 this very special morning. [I’ve asked three people to read this, in three sections, Pat D 2:1-5; Troy 2:1-10a; Amanda 2:10b-16. Then, Pray.] Throughout the 13 of the 27 New Testament books that Paul wrote, he shows great humility and trust in God’s power through the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ. He begins this section of this letter to the church in Corinth by giving all the credit to Christ. He was a very well educated and gifted speaker. He was a lawyer. He could have used all kinds of persuasive arguments to try to win people over. But he didn’t. Notice how he said he determined to know nothing except “Jesus Christ and Him crucified!” What does this mean? Elsewhere, he says, in Galatians, (one of the letters he wrote from prison), “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;” What does he mean by this? What does it mean for our lives if we say the same? {Let’s practice saying that together. Insert your name in place of the second “I.” Here’s an example, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer Rebecca who lives, but Christ lives in me.” Now, let’s all try it…} This means its not all about us. It means we’ve parked our egos and left our cars to live for Christ. It means we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into everything we do and every thought we think and every word we speak. It means we’ve checked our pride and arrogance into the coat or hat check, (not an analogy we really relate to in Florida or in this era but we can see it in old movies), and we’re leaving it there. It is no longer our ego, arrogance and pride which drives us, but living for Christ. And others. Paul actually admits to the Corinthians that he came to them “in weakness and great fear and trembling.” Talk about vulnerability and transparency! He’s admitting to them he didn’t have it all together. If you remember, he was killing Christians before He had a dramatic and personal encounter with none other than Jesus Christ. So he probably didn’t know what to expect when he came to a new place, either. What kind of reputation had gone before him? Not matter who we are, or what we’ve done, or haven’t done, we can also be “crucified with Christ” and start fresh. In verse 4, Paul says the demonstration of the Spirit’s power is what brought his message home and made it meaningful! In our church, the more we are experiencing more of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, the more others are paying attention and interested in this empowered faith life! The more our church will grow as people see more of God at work among us. Ironically, as I use the word “more” so much in these sentences, I’m reminded the Dove Conference, at the end of April, has a theme entitled, “There’s More.” Yes! There is! And in fact, they’ve always met at the end of March, and yet this year it’s the end of April! How fortuitous! Notice what Paul says after his statement of the importance of the “demonstration of the Spirit’s power.” Immediately following is the purpose statement “so that.” He says the power of the Holy Spirit is seen SO THAT people’s faith won’t rest on human wisdom, “but God’s power.” (2:5) Paul is funny. I can’t wait to meet him someday. The lawyer in him just can’t help it, I’m guessing. Because right after he makes that glorious statement about “God’s power,” he then says, “however…” The next section of this Scripture addresses God’s wisdom. The word “wisdom” is probably resonating within him as he boldly proclaimed that our faith rests not “on human wisdom but on God’s power.” He’s emphasized God’s power. Now he’s going to teach on God’s wisdom. Not human wisdom. God’s wisdom. Paul reminds us that the “wisdom of this age,” and “the rulers of this age,” are coming to nothing. In other words, don’t put your trust in anyone or anything but God! (The first of the 10 commandments, I might add!) Throughout this past week, as the stock market took it’s dramatic roller coaster ride, and coronavirus fear spread, I kept thinking about the verse from Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Paul says if the rulers of his current age had Godly wisdom, they would have never crucified the son of God. Jesus. He also talks about the wisdom of God which had been hidden. It’s time had now come. What he was saying is that the Messiah, and following Christ and believing in God, would not just be for the Jews, but for everyone. Paul then quotes an Old Testament verse from Isaiah. You’ve heard me say it especially when I’m trying to encourage you to dream big. (And it was one of my father’s favorite verses.) “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived - the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” I love this verse. I encourage you to memorize it too. It’s one of the promises of God. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 It’s an exciting verse. It tells us that God has plans for us who love Him that we can’t even imagine! But it’s also referring to God’s offer of salvation to ALL people. This plan was originally unknown to people. But once Jesus rose from the grave, (Ie: Easter celebration!), it became “crystal clear.” (LAB FN 2:7) Jesus’ resurrection proved that He has power over sin and death, and offers us this power as well! Then Paul says in verse 10, “these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.” Then there’s another transition, like earlier. This time, Paul goes into “the deep things of God.” He teaches us that the Holy Spirit “searches all things,” even the deep things of God.” He gives us an example of what he’s talking about next when he says just like no one really knows what anyone else is thinking, expect that person, so it is with God. No one really knows what God is thinking expect the Spirit of God. And he adds that we’ve received that same Holy Spirit! So, therefore, we can actually know what God is thinking sometimes?! When we’re baptized in the Holy Spirit, we may then understand what God has freely given us. When we pray in tongues, our spirits communicate directly with God’s spirit. We can express things in this way that we can’t, otherwise. This, in turn, gives us more of God’s power within us! This, in turn, gives us “power for everyday life.” Paul talks about how only the Spirit can give us understanding of spiritual matters. I also have to remind myself often to ask the Holy Spirit to give me His insight as I read His Word, the Bible. He wrote the book. He inspired the authors. So it only makes sense to ask for His help in understanding it. And it always makes a difference in my reading. Don’t forget to ask Him to guide you as you read the Bible too. After Paul shares this marvelous knowledge of how the Spirit helps us, he also contrasts the person without the Spirit and how they do not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. In fact, they consider it “foolishness.’ You may know someone or many people who judge us in this way right now for choosing to meet for worship in spite of the coronavirus fears. But aside from that, non-believers simply cannot understand God, and the things of God. (That may explain a lot!) They don’t understand that God’s Spirit lives in believers! So don’t expect most people to approve of or understand your decision to follow Christ and seek more of His Holy Spirit. It may all just seem silly to them. Just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate fine music, for the most part, so the person who rejects God cannot understand His beautiful message. With the lines of communication broken, they just can’t hear what God is saying. But we also can’t let this keep us from continuing to try to find ways to meet needs and introduce others to Christ. In fact, this is a great time to do that! As people isolate themselves in fear, it’s a good time to knock on the door of an elderly neighbor and see if they need anything. And don’t forget we’re still in the season of Lent. Set asithose of us with the Holy Spirit make judgements about all things. In other words, we get Godly wisdom! Paul wraps up this section with six simple but powerful words: “But we have the mind of Christ.” In contrast to the foolishness of the world, we have God’s very own thinking! No one can every fully comprehend God, but through His Holy Spirit, and ONLY through His Holy Spirit, we can have insight into some of God’s plans, thoughts and actions. Through the Holy Spirit, we can begin to know God’s thoughts, talk with Him, and expect His answers to our prayers. My goodness… we have the very same mind as Christ! How phenomenal is that?! Spend time with Jesus, and the Bible, in prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit to have His very mind in us! An intimate relationship with Christ comes only from spending time consistently in His Presence and in His Word and in relationship with others who love Him too. We have the mind of Christ. When we are “plugged in” to Him, we are “powered up!” There’s a great opportunity right now for God’s people to demonstrate for others that “we won’t be shaken.” We “are not given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind." We have the mind of Christ. When we are “plugged in” to Him, we are “powered up!” There’s a great opportunity right now for God’s people to demonstrate for others that “we won’t be shaken.” We “are not given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind." In spite of all the fear-pushing and panic-hoarding and all the other unbelievable things we see all around us right now, life is also moving forward as usual. {Example of call to Publix and “two weddings and a funeral.”} It’s also St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday. Let’s celebrate that day as we want with an understanding of how an empowered life looks. I suspect he also had “the mind of Christ.” I suspect he was also filled with the Holy Spirit. How could he not have been when he heard God’s voice and chose to return to Ireland, where he had previously been a slave for six years. How could he not have when he chose to forgive those who had captured him and held him against his will for six years. How could he not have when he chose to love rather than hate, to be “strong and courageous” rather than to fear. And, it’s said, he drove out all the snakes from Ireland. You’d have to have God’s Spirit to accomplish that I’m pretty sure. In this uncertain time, we won’t be foolish. We will be monitoring the spread of this virus. We will take necessary precautions. {Have people list them.} But we will not be shaken. We will not fear. We will pray. And we will walk with God’s power - knowing we have the mind of Christ! Closing Prayer. Transition to Ministry Time…
Have you ever been on a journey? This morning you took one to get from home to worship. You went from point A to point B. Sometimes we refer to our spiritual life as a journey. “Thinking of the Christian life as a journey … offers us a vivid and helpful way of visualizing the life of faith. It reminds us that we are going somewhere.” “The journey is itself a process, which enables us to grow and develop as we press on to our goal.” Remember Paul’s words from Philippians 3:14? “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Where are you on your journey? Are you “pressing on?” Are you working on growing spiritually? If you’ve taken a break and are just resting on the side, the rest of the travelers invite you to get back on the road. There’s a place for you. There’s purpose for you. And as you move forward on this journey, you’ll discover more personal growth as well. This will, in turn, bring more peace and more joy. “To travel is certainly about finally achieving journey’s end, with all the joy and delight that this will bring - but it is also about experiencing and encouraging personal and spiritual growth within us as we travel. Journeying is a process which helps our development as people and as believers.” Right now we’re on a 40 day journey to what is known as “Holy Week,” when we go from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and then onto Easter morning. During this 40-day period we call “Lent,” we’re encouraged to pick up a new spiritual discipline, or drop something that pulls us away from God and/or others, so that by the time we reach this journey’s end, we’ll be closer to Christ as we celebrate His glorious victory over death. Also known as Resurrection. During this special period we’re exercising more self-control, whether it’s pulling something from our pantry and putting it into a bag to bring in for food for the homeless each week, or working on being more fully present, or reading the Bible more; maybe it’s limiting the use of our electronics, refraining from complaining, or changing our diets. There are a vast number of different things to try to enhance our spiritual lives on this 40 day journey. {Resources available…} Hopefully, by the end of this special time, we will have grown in some way and never be the same. We will have drawn closer to Christ and have more reason to celebrate our Savior’s love than ever before! Today we’ll learn that as we quit comparing ourselves with others, we’re set free to be more empowered to move forward with more confidence. God’s plan to give us free will, and the way different people come to faith at different times, and in different ways, has always been intriguing. But we all need to understand that our God is a fair God and a God of justice and grace whether we’ve followed Jesus all of our lives, or just started this week. We are all at different places on the journey, and God honors it all. Jesus taught a parable about this very thing. He didn’t want anyone to get too self-righteous if they had been a part of God’s Kingdom for a long time, and He didn’t want any newer believers to feel inferior in comparison. Let’s look at “the parable of the workers” in Matthew 20:1-16. We’ll pick up the story at verse 8… [Read] [Pray] The original hearers of this parable must have been shocked! They were used to following the world’s values that are similar to ours’ today. The most powerful and well-known people in the world didn’t get to where they were by being humble, self-effacing, and gentle. And so Jesus is teaching them that the Kingdom of God doesn’t look at things the same way the world does. And in fact it’s also upside down. What we may consider first, will, actually, be last. And visa versa. So it is with when we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ - a gift from God. No matter how “late in the day” it is when we finally choose to believe, we still get to be in the Kingdom as much as the person who’s faithfully lived for God their whole lives. When we read this parable we think it isn’t fair! We are not too unlike the disgruntled workers at the end of the day who had been there all day, and yet were paid the same as the ones who came in at 5pm. That’s not fair! Ah, but God. God says, “Are you upset that I’m being generous? Do you secretly wish that other person who came in so late wasn’t here at all? Don’t you know I want everyone to come home to Me, no matter how long it takes them?” (2 Peter 3:9 reminds us God doesn’t want anyone to perish!) God says, “Aren’t you glad I’m generous? Weren’t you glad when I forgave you and received you into My Kingdom? Now come on in and get to work. I’ve got plans for you. And don’t feel inferior to those others who may know how to talk to, and listen to Me better. Or know more of My Word. They’ve just had more practice. And don’t you others who have been here for a while even begin to think for just a minute that you’re any better than the one who just came in!” It’s interesting this teaching from Matthew only occurs in this book, as compared to the other gospels - the stories of Jesus’ life. Matthew was a Jew and wanted the Jews to know all about the kingdom of God through Jesus. He begins this story with the words “For the kingdom of God is like…” If you haven’t already, go through the Gospels and look for this opening line. Find out for yourselves what the kingdom of God is really like. Matthew was clarifying for his readers that in this kingdom, entrance is by God’s grace alone. We don’t have to earn His love or seek anyone else’s approval. In this parable, God is the landowner and believers are the workers. It speaks especially to new believers as reassurance of God’s grace. This parable is not about rewards but about salvation. It is a strong teaching about grace. Do not compare yourself to others. God doesn’t! Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence! To come boldly into God’s presence! Throughout the book of Hebrews, the author writes about how we change as we move forward on our spiritual journeys. We begin to make more mature choices as we change with personal growth. You may have heard something like, “Its not the end of the journey that shapes us, but the journey itself.” It’s true. None of us want difficult times or to experience pain, but it is in persevering through these difficult times and the pain of life that we draw closer to God and begin to get to know His character and see how He keeps His promises. As we grow spiritually, along the journey, we begin to want to teach others, instead of just always wanting to be taught. We begin to develop a deeper understanding of spiritual matters, rather than just always struggling with the basics. We begin to engage in self-evaluation, which we’ve been doing since Ash Wednesday, instead of self-criticism. Let me invite you to quit being so hard on yourself during this special 40-day period, then perhaps you’ll leave it behind forever. We work for unity, (as we’ve learned from the book of Ephesians recently), instead of promoting disunity. We actually welcome spiritual challenges, knowing God is at work and we can trust Him as we go through something difficult, rather than just seeking entertainment. We choose to walk in confidence, rather than fear. We were in the book of Ephesians some for some of our recent messages. Now we’re looking into the book of Philippians. Both of these important books of the Bible were written by Paul from prison. The Philippians had first heard the gospel, (the good news of Jesus Christ), from Paul and his companions about ten years earlier. This was when they had visited Philippi during Paul’s second missionary journey. The church was founded at that time. You may recall we mentioned the verse Phil 1:6 earlier about how “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” The God who began a good work in us continues it throughout our lifetime, and will finish it when we meet Him face-to-face. Can you imagine what that scene will look like?! Anyway, God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. Don’t compare your spiritual journey to anyone else’s. Do you sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, unlike many of us, He completes it! As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until He has completed His work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work He has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ, or keep you from growing closer to Him.
In the Bible, in the Old Testament, there are stories of the kings of Israel and Judah - our Jewish ancestors through Christ. They are found in 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles. (The “chronicles of the kings.”) {Perhaps for a spiritual exercise over the season of Lent… beginning this Wednesday… leading up to Easter… we can work on memorizing the names of the books of the Bible in order! In case we don’t know them already. Or forgot…} Some of the kings lived for God. Some of them did not. ‘Not so different from many people today. These books also tell the stories of God’s prophets, (men and women), who spoke God’s message to the people and their leaders. Two of the most famous were Elijah and Elisha. As Elijah neared the end of his earthly ministry, Elisha asked for a double portion of his beloved mentor’s spirit. Soon after, Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha then became God’s spokesperson to the northern kingdom. Elisha walked in God’s power, just as Elijah did. We are currently in a sermon series entitled “God’s power for everyday life.” We, too, have access to God’s power in our lives. Do you need power to overcome fear? Or unforgiveness? Perhaps laziness, or just doing the right thing? When we draw nearer to God, He draws nearer to us. When we ask Him to fill us to overflowing with His Holy Spirit, He will. We just have to give Him more access to more of us. We just have to make time with Him, and His Word, and His people, a priority. {Perhaps that’s the spiritual exercise to practice over this season of Lent - focusing on God more often. More prayer. More personal worship. More reading and studying of His word, personally. More reading of classic Christian writings which draw on experiences of people who came before us and went deeper… and were never the same again. (Hold up various books!) If you struggle with reading, you can get audiotapes. If you struggle with multiple distractions, you can start with a few minutes more each week…} We need more of God, and God’s power through the Holy Spirit, to successfully live this Christian life. We also need to practice obedience. With it comes blessing. And power. God’s power. Elisha was filled with that power. His life included signs, proclamations, warnings, and miracles. Three of the most memorable were mentioned by John Smith a few weeks ago when he brought us a word from God which was, “Don’t Limit Me.” (How would it look if we didn’t limit God anymore? What is it we’re doing to limit Him? What is it we’re not doing to limit Him? These might be some good questions, with forthcoming answers, to write down somewhere and meditate on for the next forty days starting on Wednesday, too! Then apply the needed action, or lack of action, to also move forward spiritually!) I encourage you to read the stories of Elijah and Elisha in the Bible over the next few weeks. They are breathtaking. They actually occurred. And they might even inspire us! The three most memorable John Smith shared with us, in not limiting God, included: the floating axhead (2 Kings 6:1-7), the flowing oil (4:1-7), and the healing of the widow’s son (4:8-37). The fourth one is found in 2 Kings 5 and involves the healing of Naaman’s leprosy. Let’s look at 2 Kings 5:9-14 this morning. [Read] [Pray] This story occurs approximately in the 800’s BC. Aram was an increasingly powerful neighbor to the north of Israel. They had paid tribute to Israel under King David, but they were becoming increasingly hostile. The two nations were not on friendly terms. Aram frequently conducted raids on Israel. Israel captives would often then be taken back to Aram after a successful raid. Naaman, (Nah am ahn), or Nayman… (:-)), was a great hero of the Aramian nation. He was commander of the entire army! He was used to getting great respect. He was “a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded.” He was also married. After one of their successful raids in Israel, Naaman brought back an Israelite girl, a “young girl,” to serve his wife. Naaman also had leprosy. In the time this occurred, leprosy was a dreaded skin disease. (It’s known as Hanson’s disease today and can be treated with appropriate medication.) But during Naaman’s time, It was contagious and there was no medical cure for it. This makes me think of the current “coronavirus” scare. No one would want to be anywhere close to anyone with this virus right now. Naaman’s leprosy, however, must have been mild, because he still held his post. Perhaps it was just in the beginning stages. It was serious, though, and would eventually shorten his life. So. The servant girl knew about Naaman’s illness and she knew about Elisha. She mentioned him to her mistress. The wife, in turn, told the husband, and he began to have hope for healing. So then Naaman went to his king for permission to go to the king of Israel to get treatment from this known man of God, Elisha. We fast forward to where we began to read. Naaman shows up at Elisha’s door in all his glory with all his horses and chariots! But Elisha doesn’t open the door personally. He sends a servant. The servant has a message from Elisha and directions for Naaman to go wash himself seven times in the Jordan river. He then promises Naaman’s flesh will be restored and he will be cleansed. Naaman goes quickly and with great gratitude and anticipation! No! His ego is affronted! He goes away angry! Notice at this point, the contrast between the servant girl and the military leader. The servant girl had every right to be angry too. But, instead, she humbly offered a solution to her mistress’s husband from a serious disease. In contrast, Naaman goes away from Elisha’s servant with an attitude. He not only goes away angry, but “disses” the instructions for his healing. With arrogance. He thinks he knows better than God! And come on, the small and dirty Jordan river? Instead of the great rivers of his land? But his servants don’t give up on him. They go to him and reason with him. So he goes. Finally, he obeys. And with his obedience comes blessing. Great blessing. Life-saving, soul-cleansing blessing. So he humbles himself and obeys Elisha’s commands in order to be healed. He dips himself seven times (always a significant number in the Bible) in the Jordan river. And as he does, his flesh becomes transformed. It is restored. His skin becomes as pure and unaltered as that of a young boy. Seven is symbolic of completion, or perfection. And that is what his skin becomes after he is obedient. He almost missed his blessing, though, through disobedience. What if he had given in to his ego and pride and stubbornness with doing things “his way,” rather than God’s way. What blessings might we be missing because of stubbornness and pride and ego and insisting on doing it “our way,” instead of God’s way? {Pause and pray, as led, for the HS to show us if there’s something we’re missing...} This is such an important story of obedience. And humility. Obedience to God begins with humility. If we want more of God’s power in our lives, we have to start with believing that His way is better than our own. We may not always understand His ways of working, but by humbly obeying, we will receive His blessings! Is it true that God wants our obedience more than anything else? Think about parents, or grandparents, and children. If the children are obedient, then everything runs smoothly and there is peace and joy. When there is disobedience, there is chaos and no peace and no joy. This is just one of many reasons, no doubt, that Paul wrote to the Ephesians in what we call the sixth chapter of the book, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother - which is the first commandment with a promise - so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.” Oh yeah. The ten commandments. Number five. The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5, are all about relationships, and obedience. When we keep them, or are obedient, we experience rich blessing. When we don’t keep them, or are disobedient, we do not. The first four are about relationship with God. The second six are about relationship with others. {That’s another possible Lenten exercise. Learn, and practice, the 10 commandments.) Love God. Love others. God told Israel if they kept His commandments, out of all the nations, they would be His “treasured possession.” (Exodus 19:5) He gives us that same invitation today. Also, when our love of God and faith in Christ is real, it will usually prove itself at home, in our relationships with those who know us best. Children and parents have a responsibility to each other. And we have a responsibility to God. Children need to honor their parents. Parents need to care gently for their children. Ideally, of course, we’ll relate to each other with thoughtfulness and love. This happens best when we put the other’s interests above our own. In many cultures around the world the love of Christ and the practice of obedience is personified in honoring our elders. We could grow in this practice too with respect their life experience, and paying attention to their comfort and happiness. Where elders are respected, long life is a blessing, not a burden. After Naaman humbled himself then he became obedient and he was healed. He was looking for the big things, but instead, He found God in the small things. The servant girl. The Jordan river rather than the larger, grander rivers of his country. And the simple act of dipping himself seven times into the water. Elijah, the mentor of Elisha, found God in the small thing too, if you recall. In I Kings 19:9-12, the Lord was not in the “great and powerful wind,” the earthquake, or the fire. He waAs we grow closer to God and learn to listen for His voice, we experience more of His presence and His power. We also joyfully discover the more often we’re obedient to Him, the more blessing we experience! It takes practice. Just start with one thing at a time, if you need to. Get up a few minutes earlier to carve out alone time with Him, perhaps. Or ask someone in the church out for coffee. Get to know them better. In Revelation 14:12, we’re told the secret to enduring in faithfulness to God, in spite of whatever else may be happening, is trust and obedience. John wrote, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep His commands and remain faithful to Him.” Jesus told us in John 14:15 and 15:14 that if we love Him, we’ll keep His commands. And if we do what He commands, in other words if we’re obedient, He even considers us His friends! (Also, Henry Blackabee and EG: “love problem...”) I don’t know about you, but I want to be counted as a friend of Jesus! In 2 John 1:6, John equated obedience with love. He said, “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that we walk in love.” {So there’s another Lenten spiritual exercise possibility. To grow in walking in love. Perhaps we can start with someone we know we don’t love, and ask God to help us love them…} Many of us have heard the Scripture from I Samuel 15:22 where Samuel declares to Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” No matter what we offer to God that we think is our best, or is sacrificial on our part, it’s still not as good as simple obedience to Him and His ways. Obedience is better than sacrifice because we are letting God be God, and staying in our proper place with Him, the place of dependence and surrender to His goodness.
In 2019 God accomplished many new things through this church: (As I go through this list give a “woohoo” if u were a part of it...) We compiled a thorough, updated Day School Employee Policy and Procedures Handbook. We held our first ever VBS! We did our first ever, Creekside Middle School outdoors planting of 65 flowers and plants in a previously barren-for-15-years courtyard planter! We began the Benton house ministry. We began the Friday night Youth Group. We began Firestarters and a successful model for Wednesday night Life Groups. We painted the office. We got our best website ever! We also got our first ever, new, smart phone app! And we had our best ever Christmas Eve service. God has also continued to work through us in many other ways, of course. Worship, including teaching and preaching. Missions. Prayer. Day School. Chapel. Community Hot Meal Program. Office. Elders. Leaders. SetUp. Easter. And going deeper in relationship with God and each other. When we stop to look at what God has accomplished through this body of Christ, Cross Creek Community Church, in just one year, it is astounding. And yet, we know, there is even more to come! As we work together as a body of Christ, we become a growing and stronger force of nature with which to contend. We have oneness of purpose. We are working together towards a common goal. The vision of Cross Creek Community Church is to create a community of fully devoted followers of Christ impacting communities for God. We are in service, together. We do all this through the power of the Holy Spirit, and in unity. Unity is important. Unity is essential. Unity is, in fact, worth fighting for! We’ve been going through a sermon series entitled “Power for everyday life.” We’ve also been learning more about God’s power through the Holy Spirit on Wednesday nights. Through all of this, we’ve also been studying the book of Ephesians as well. Today I’d like us to look at Ephesians 4:1-5. [Read] [Pray] Paul tells the Ephesians, and us, that he is a prisoner. And, as a prisoner, he’s saying, please, let this give me some additional privilege with you in urging you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received! The language originally used is extremely interesting with this opening sentence! It uses the word “exhort,” instead of “urge,” which is another definition of this Greek word. The actual word used is “parakaleo.” It’s interesting because it actually means “offering up evidence that stands up in God’s court!” Paul says I’m “exhorting,” or “urging,” or “beseeching” you to live a life worthy of the calling you’ve received to such a point that your life will stand up in God’s court because of all the evidence your life will demonstrate! When the word “calling,” is used, it doesn’t just mean those who are “called” to be “apostles,” or “prophets,” or “evangelists,” or pastors and teachers. It’s all of us who belong to Christ! It’s all of us who share in the awesome privilege of being called Christ’s very own. And it’s not that we earn our way to Heaven by our good deeds, but, rather, good deeds flow from our relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. James, the brother of Jesus, and leader of the Jerusalem church, (after Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension), tells us about authentic faith and how evidence of the calling looks in our lives. In James 2:18, it says, from the Message: “You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.” “Live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” In case we’re not sure what this looks like, Paul spells it out in Ephesians 4:2,3 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” The Greek word for “unity” is “henotes.” (hen ot ace) It means “oneness,” and “harmony from sharing the likeness of nature with the Lord.” ! As we grow in relationship with Him, and with each other, do we begin to look more like Him? There was a sitcom in this country which aired from 1982 to 1990 entitled “Newhart.” On this show were three brothers named “Larry, Darryl and Darryl.” They were deadpan comedy funny. And they looked alike, acted alike, and shared the likeness of nature of each other. While we will never look like Larry, Darryl and Darryl, we do need to look more like Jesus Christ the longer we are in relationship with Him. We are to “be completely humble and gentle,” patient, and “bearing with one another in love.” The three brothers mentioned above didn’t always get it right. And Larry was their leader. But they were certainly humble, and mostly gentle, and by the end of the show, always worked everything out. When we show up for court in the Heavenlies, will there be enough evidence to convict us? Of belonging to Christ? Will we have evidence of being humble, gentle, patient, understanding and peaceful? With whatever area we may be struggling, we can ask God’s Holy Spirit for help. Many of these characteristics, you may have noticed, are also fruit of God’s Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Gentleness, Faith, Meekness and Self-Control. As we begin to head into a season of invited self-examination for increased spiritual growth, also known as Lent, perhaps we can ask God to reveal to us which one of these attributes of Christ we need to work on. Perhaps we can choose one, and practice it more often, more intentionally during this upcoming 40 day period beginning Wednesday, February 26. Paul also mentions these important characteristics because they are necessary for UNITY. And unity is so important in the kingdom of God!
Last week we experienced something a bit different in the life of our church during the time of prayer and ministry after the message. One of our longtime, quiet church members stood up and boldly spoke in tongues. This is one of the gifts of the Spirit. There was an interpretation afterwards, (another gift), and it was all done, from God, for the edification of the church. John and Marty Smith and I will address this, together, towards the end of this message, this morning. Ironically, the title for this message today, which has been on my mind for many weeks, is, "The Importance of the Spirit." In our Christian lives, there is simply nothing more important than communing with, being directed by, and having our hearts attuned to God's Holy Spirit. This is the opposite of putting our energy, instead, into pride, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness. Jesus hated it when people who were supposed to be full of God were, instead, full of themselves. Here's a simple grammar lesson for us this morning, and yes, grammar matters! I had to relearn English gramma when I took Greek, in order to learn the language! It was an excruciating, eye-opening experience. But well worth it. So here we go... Whenever you see a word ending in"ous", it is a suffix meaning "full of". It turns a noun (person, place or thing), into an adjective, ( a word describing a noun). Here's an example of a sentence, with a word with "ous" ending, in it: "The person was contemptuous towards the other person." With what we've just learned, we would now understand one person was "full of contempt" for the other. I'm going to list some other "ous" words. See if you can guess what they mean: fortuitous (full of fortune); ingenuous (full of ingenuity); blasphemous (full of blasphemy); odiferous (full of odor), and efficacious (full of efficiency). So therefor, the word "self-righteous" would mean full of "self-right" ness. And when the suffix "ness" is added to an adjective, ( a word describing a person, place, or thing), it becomes a noun (a person, place, or thing) again, itself! Hence, the phrase "They are self-righteous" tells us they think they're full of thinking themselves always right. But, "they have a lot of self-righteousness," tells us they have a lot of always think themselves always right! In the book of John, the author, John, wants us to know how important it was for Jesus to draw people into relationship with Him and our Heavenly Father, and be filled with His Holy Spirit, and turn away from too much, unhealthy, damaging, focus on self! We certainly need some divine help on this matter. And so in the book of John, John tells us Jesus is God. He can help us turn away from our worst selves and turn towards Him to become our best selves! He offers us the gift of His Holy Spirit. The first of the book of John tells us how God became fully God and fully human in His one and only son, Jesus Christ. It takes our eyes off our earthly confines as we read words like “light” and “His dwelling among us” and “His glory,” “grace” and “truth.” And so in the book of John, John tells us Jesus is God. He can help us turn away from our worst selves and turn towards Him to become our best selves! He offers us the gift of His Holy Spirit. The first of the book of John tells us how God became fully God and fully human in His one and only son, Jesus Christ. It takes our eyes off our earthly confines as we read words like “light” and “His dwelling among us” and “His glory,” “grace” and “truth.” Then John shares with us the story of John the Baptizer, Jesus’ cousin, who pointed the way to the Savior of the world. Next, John records the first miracle of Jesus. He met a need for a family at a wedding who were about to run out of wine. Jesus stepped in, and saved them from disaster. He miraculously turned water into wine. And it was very good wine. Then, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. He became furious with temple market merchants taking advantage of the Jewish pilgrims coming to the temple, and selling them needed sacrificial animals for outrageous prices! The original “price-gouging!” He made a whip out of cords, and showed some “zeal for His Father’s house.” He drove the animals out. He overturned some tables too. Some people saw signs He was performing, and believed in His name. Then John 2:24,25 says a curious thing, “But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people. He did not needJohn sets us up for what comes next. He knows that as human beings, we want to be in control. We want to do what we think is best for us. In our self-focus, and self-righteousness, we might even be arrogant, harsh, impatient and divisive. Which is also why Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:1-3 “…live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” We need divine help. We need the Spirit. We can’t be humble and gentle and patient and loving and peaceful without God’s Spirit dwelling within, and directing us. And so, John, skillfully tells the story of Nicodemus and “the woman at the well.” With both stories he tells of Jesus teaching on the importance of the Spirit.” John takes two examples of people in society at that time who are polar opposites on the spectrum of humanity: Nicodemus, the respected Pharisee who is a member of the ruling Jewish council, and the Samaritan “woman at the well.” She was of a mixed race and area most good Jews would avoid, and go well out of their way to travel around, when going from a northern city like Nazareth to a southern one like Jerusalem. This woman in particular was also looked down on by the other people of her village. She went to the town well to get her water for the day at twelve noon, instead of early morning when the rest of them went. Also, as Jesus pointed out to her, as only He could know, she had had five husbands, and was with a man at this point who was not her husband. Nicodemus came at night to see Jesus for himself. He came personally, though he could have sent an assistant. It occurred to me while typing out this message that Jesus, or Nicodemus, must have shared this story with John. They were the only two there that night. Nicodemus greeted Jesus with respect and said “… we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with Him.” (3:2) Jesus responds with getting right to the point. He knows the hearts of people, we already read. He knew what Nic was searching for. And He knows what we’re searching for too. Let’s read John 3:3-8. [Read] [Pray] [The teaching on “Very truly I tell you… or “Truly, Truly I tell you,” etc.] Important teaching #1 “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of Gd unless they are born again.” The original language says “born from above.” In other words, when we begin relationship with God, when we choose to believe in Jesus Christ, it must be a personal thing between us and Him. Nic knew about the kingdom of God from Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus was telling him it would be available to everyone, and that it couldn’t be entered without a personal experience of being born again. Spiritually. It was a Spirit thing. Nic didn’t understand quite yet. He responded, of course, with a perfectly logical question. How can someone be born when they’re older and were already born once to their mother? Jesus gave him another “Very truly I tell you” and then said, “no once can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” Where He just said “born again” earlier, this time He unpacked it more by adding “water and the Spirit.” Titus was a man Paul entrusted to oversee the churches on the island of Crete. He wrote a letter to him in between imprisonments in Rome. In Titus 3:4-6 he says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior…” God does not save us because of “good things” we do, or because we’re “good people.” It has nothing to do with us. It is purely from Him. That’s why its a gift! And the Holy Spirit is a great gift. I hope you want Him in your life, and more of Him as we continue to grow spiritually. Conversely, more of Him helps us grow spiritually! Jesus helped Nic understand this more when He gave the analogy of the wind. (Which, by the way, is what they felt they heard in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost!) The Message puts it in a way we can understand: Jesus said “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation - the wind-hovering-over-the-water creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life - it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom.” Here’s more illumination: “When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch - the Spirit - and becomes a living spirit.” “So don’t be surprised when I tell you you have to be “born from above” - out of this world, so to speak.” “You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone “born from above” by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.” This is why it is so important that we communicate with God spirit-to-Spirit. This is why John made sure that in both narratives with people from entirely different walks of life, the same point was made. Jesus was having a theological discussion with an outcast woman at high noon. He had been waiting for her. Jesus cut through their back and forth conversation and said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23, 24.) Wow. This is so powerful and important. That’s why Jesus repeats it. That’s why discussion of spirit, and the Spirit, is in both scenarios. God doesn’t want a bunch of self-righteous, acts and deeds-counting followers. He wants people who hunger and yearn for Him. He wants us to be honest with Him. He already knows what we think, anyway. He wants to fill us to overflowing with His Spirit, which then connects with our spirits, and we become more attuned to God. With the Holy Spirit, we become more like God. There is no doubt in my mind the Spirit is guiding me when I ask Him to and prepare messages with Scriptures from God’s Word, the Bible. He always puts in things I was not planning to. And He also eliminates other things I thought I would use. It has been very cool to me to see how many of the messages last fall echoed what we were learning in Firestarters. This year, too, the same thing is happening. We heard teachings Wednesday night that echo the words of this morning. And one thing we heard which has stayed in my mind all week is that God is transforming us to look more like Him. It’s ongoing. And He does it with His Spirit… We want to be sensitive to the Spirit. We don’t want to limit God, as John shared last week. John did ask us to ask the Holy Spirit speak to us as he began his message. And spiritual gifts flow from people living in the Spirit...
Scripture: Proverbs 13:12, Romans 15:4, Ephesians 3:12, I Corinthians 2:9 Additional Resources:
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Scripture: I Corinthians 6:19, Romans 12:1, Psalm 51:10, Ephesians 2:19-22, I Peter 2, Psalm 127:1, Proverbs 14:1, Exodus 33:7-11, Acts 20:32 Additional Resources:
