June 28, 2009 Dr Ron Kratzer

BROKENNESS OR BARENNESS

Mark 14:3-9

No written sermon this week - audio available

Pastor Tim’s Blog

THE LESSON OF A ROTTEN POTATO

I recently had a spiritual epiphany while confronting a smelly mess in our kitchen. I had been disturbed because there was an awful odor coming from the pantry, and I was convinced it was surely something that my wife had discarded in the trash can (that might better have been put through the garbage disposal!). And when the nuances of something smelling bad became more than I could stand, I did what seemed to be the logical thing—I took out the trash…assuming I had resolved the problem. However, the stench didn’t leave, and in an “ah-ha!” moment, I realized that it hadn’t been the trash can at all! I noticed a bag of potatoes on the floor of the pantry, and when I stooped down to examine them, I realized that I had discovered the culprit of the smell—a rotten potato! Even an Idaho potato is nasty when it becomes rotten! I quickly worked to remove the culprit of the smell, used disinfectant to clean up the floor, and rested, knowing that all was well with the world once again!

And then I got to thinking about that rotten potato. How often does a negative attitude or critical spirit or ungodly behavior become a stench within the Church—the Body of Believers, the followers of Jesus Christ. Scripture speaks of “the aroma of Christ”—and it’s what we are to be to the world. But we all know times when “a Christian” has in reality become a stench! It’s like just one rotten potato that stinks up the whole place! It’s ugly. It’s nasty!

And I found myself praying, “Lord, don’t let me be like that rotten potato!…Don’t let my life be a stench to the church or to the world!” There’s an old song we used to sing that voices the prayer, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me…all His wonderful passion and purity…” What a contrast—from a rotten potato to “the beauty of Jesus”!

May God help you and I to never become like the rotten potato—in our attitudes or actions or dispositions! I believe God’s Word not only calls us to something better, but, through the Holy Spirit, our Heavenly Father provides all we need to become “the aroma of Christ.” May our wonderful Lord help each of us on this journey!

June 21, 2009 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
ALL IN A NAME
Deuteronomy 5:11, NLT

I want you all to join me in a little exercise before we move into this sermon on the third of the Ten Commandments. I know that some of you may think you’re too sophisticated for this, but I’m sure you’ll get over it eventually! Last Sunday we had our VBS kids help us learn a little song which listed the Ten Commandments—sung to the tune of a familiar song from The Sound of Music. I want us to sing it again because I’d really like us all to have some tool to learn the Ten Commandments. So…here we go!
One—Don’t worship other gods
Two—No graven images
Three—Don’t take God’s name in vain
Four—The Sabbath is for rest
Five—Obey your mom and dad
Six—Don’t ever, ever kill
Seven—Be faithful to your spouse
(8) And don’t steal, (9) don’t lie, (10) don’t wish for other people’s things!

One of the first duties of parents is to name their children. And like most soon-to-be parents, we studied baby name books and made our lists of favorites. It was a pretty daunting responsibility when you realized that you were giving your child a name that they’d be stuck with the rest of their lives! We wrote down lots of combinations of first and middle names—combined with the last name about which we had no choice! I’m sure about that time my wife Cindy was wishing she’d married a man with a better last name than mine!

We went through the process the first time, choosing both a boy’s name and a girl’s name—back then it was rare to learn the gender of the baby before birth. We had a boy and named him Justin Kendrick. During Cindy’s second pregnancy we went through the whole process once again—a process that became far more complicated two months before delivery when we discovered that the “baby” Cindy was carrying was actually “babies” plural! Then we had to come up with two boys’ names, two girls’ names plus decide what we’d do if we had a boy and a girl! And, as most of you know, we had two girls—26 years ago on Father’s Day, by the way! And we named them Krista Nicole and Kara Danielle. And you know what? The names “Justin”, “Krista” and “Kara” will always be music to our ears. Honestly, those names are in one sense music to their ears too, for everyone loves to hear others acknowledge them by name!

According to the late Dale Carnegie, the sweetest sound a person ever hears is his or her own name. Cindy and I will be headed this week to the General Assembly of the International Church of the Nazarene, an every-four-years event meeting in Orlando this time. For those who have been in the denomination for many years like we have, it’s like a grand reunion time—and it’s hard not to run into people you know about everywhere you turn—many of whom we’re thrilled to get to see—people we’ve known for many years but don’t get to see very often.

You know, it’s one thing to have someone smile and acknowledge your presence as they walk past, indicating that they might think you’re vaguely familiar—but it’s a whole other thing for me to be walking down a corridor and hear someone exclaim with excitement, “Tim Pusey!” They used my name! They know me! Saying my name in such a way expresses significance in me—in who I am!

Our sermon this morning centers on the third of the Ten Commandments—which, in the language of the King James Version of the Bible, instructs us not to take God’s name in vain. We’re looking at this commandment as recorded in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. Would you quote it with me?
Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name (Deuteronomy 5:11, NLT).

The Third Commandment defends the honor of God’s great name. Back at the burning bush, Moses asked for God’s name, and because of His great love for His people, God gave His name to Moses—
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, `The LORD, the God of your fathers–the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob–has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. (Exodus 3:14-15, NIV).

The name God revealed was His personal name “Yahweh”—which in Hebrew consists of just the four consonants YHWH. It is translated “Jehovah” in our language. Literally it means “I am who I am,” or “I will be who I will be.” It speaks of God’s self-existence, self-sufficiency, and supreme sovereignty. And as the events of the Exodus unfolded before Moses and the people of Israel, they learned that the God who revealed His name to Moses is the powerful God who saves!

God’s supreme name was simply Yahweh, the Lord God. This name is much more than a convenient way to address God. It represents God’s identity! For the Hebrew, the name couldn’t be separated from the reality. For that reason, the name couldn’t be treated lightly. We are told not to take the name of God in vain. We are not to use it flippantly. We are not to use the name of God in an unjustified way. The name has to do with the very being, the essence of the One whom it identifies. To know the name is to know the identity and the nature of the one named. Therefore it is wrong to treat the holy name of God in a frivolous manner—because doing so is treating God Himself in a frivolous way!

We normally associate this commandment with profanity or with careless or irreverent use of God’s name. People use God’s name to call down divine damnation on whatever or whoever happens to be a source of irritation to them at the moment. Or they use the name Jesus Christ as a kind of exclamation point. People can’t seem to cuss without using God’s name!—which is interesting when you realize that many of these same people might even deny the very existence of God. To use God’s name in such flippant or vulgar ways is treating God in the same manner—and, according to the commandment, God will not simply turn His head and ignore such a response to Him.

As Christians, we too need to watch our language. All too easily we repeat what we hear, without giving it a thought. Phrases like, “Oh my God!” and “Good Lord!” and “I swear to God” are just polite ways of misusing God’s name. God has called us to be holy people—and we must learn to watch our language and how we treat the name of God.

This commandment is also broken if we use the name of God to substantiate a lie. If we use the name of God in adding credibility to what we’re saying and then do not tell the truth, we are misusing the name of God.

Elton Trueblood said that this is a commandment warning against taking God lightly. He indicated that we break this commandment when we say we believe in God and that we accept the principals of His Kingdom, but we don’t take Him seriously. This happens when we live much of our lives as though God doesn’t matter—even coming to church on Sunday mornings but living the rest of the week any way we choose! I suppose it would be like saying that I love my wife when I’m with her but actually being unfaithful when she isn’t around.

Another serious way in which we break the Third Commandment is by using God’s name to advance our own agenda. There are Christians prone to announce to others: “The Lord told me to do this,” or even worse “The Lord told me to tell you to do such-and-such.” That’s dangerous!—using the name of God to advance our own agenda. I remember a girl in college who believed that God had told her she was going to marry me—and I’ve got to tell you that God never told me anything of the kind!

God’s Word gives us so much of the guidance that we need, and we do believe in the inward leadings of the Holy Spirit beyond that—but the inward leadings should not quickly be labeled as an authoritative word from God—especially when it addresses the actions of others. And certainly we dare not say that God is telling us to do something that violates the principals laid out in His Word! God’s been blamed for a lot of things—adultery, abuse, theft, murder, unkindness. To carelessly attach God’s name to such actions is to violate the Third Commandment.

We also violate this commandment when we attribute activity to God for which He would not assume responsibility. Let me give you an example. Four years ago, just as we were about to head to Indianapolis for the last General Assembly of the Church of the Nazarene, we had a van full of junior high kids and sponsors involved in a serious accident on the highway in Indianapolis, just as they were arriving to participate in a week-long work project in the inner city of Indianapolis. It was terribly frightening! I’ve been reminded of it a lot recently, recalling spending my first several days in Indianapolis in some of the area hospitals and trying to help those who had been traumatized by it all. And in response to such an event, there were undoubtedly well-intentioned people who said, “God must have caused that accident to happen because He wanted to teach those kids some life lessons.”

Let me ask you: What kind of God would do such a thing? I saw those kids and adults within the first 24 hours after the accident happened, and it was an awful thing! The injuries were frightening—and the thought of it all is still disturbing to them! I cannot believe that God would cause that accident in order to teach them some important life lessons. Surely He would not choose to beat those kids and adults up physically and emotionally just as a life lesson! I do believe that God can and has used what happened to help them in their faith walk—but whatever caused the lady driving the other car to lose control and force them off the road, I cannot imagine it to have been the hand of God! God helped them and is continuing to help them all, and we were so grateful that the injuries weren’t more severe than they were. God understands better than any of us the trauma of going through such a thing—and to say that God caused it is, from my perspective, to misuse the name of God.

We violate the Third Commandment when we misinterpret Scripture for our own purposes. It’s so easy to take one idea from Scripture—or even one verse—and lift it out of context, and then use it to support our own personal opinions! We become so certain that God is on our side that we refuse to listen to other believers or to submit to spiritual authority in the church.

Sometimes we use God to endorse our political views, so that He becomes a sort of party mascot. Sometimes people use God to prop up their position—or too flippantly assign God’s stamp of approval on programs and plans in their personal lives or even within the life of the church. But whenever we confuse what we want with what God wants yet try to pass off our plans as God’s plans, we take His name in vain. Most of us have seen this in both sports and politics—as an athlete thanks God after scoring the winning touchdown or a politician thanks God for letting them win. To use God’s name in such ways is presumption and it can easily become a violation of the Third Commandment.

God has revealed His character in His name; and we are not to use that name to support our plans! God is not a genie we summon from a bottle to help us get what we want. He is Lord! He is God! Ray Stedman said,
God does not intervene in our lives to take sides; He comes to take over, so move over! (Ray Stedman)
This Third Commandment strictly prohibits people from attempting to harness God’s power for personal ends or ambitions. Any attempt to manipulate God for our own personal agendas is wrong!

So—is it ever acceptable to use God’s name? Absolutely! The Third Commandment instructs us not to misuse God’s name—but it doesn’t tell us not to use His name. God’s name is to be a sweet and marvelous thing to us—a sacred thing, a holy name. Like the rest of the commandments, there is both a negative and positive statement for us. Instead of taking His name in vain, we are to always treat it in a manner of great honor and esteem. God desires that we treat His name as something holy and sacred—which it is! The Lord’s Prayer begins, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name…” To hallow is to consecrate, to set apart for sacred purpose. And that’s how we are to treat the name of God—to preserve it for the purpose of worship and praise.

There are many ways to use God’s name properly. His name can be praised, honored, blessed and celebrated. Perhaps one of the best places to learn the proper use of God’s name is in the book of the Psalms. Many of the biblical psalms show us how to honor God’s name:
• “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name” (Psa 29:2a and 96:8a).
• “Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious” (Psa 66:2).
• “Praise be to his glorious name forever” (Psa 72:19a).
• “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name” (Psa 103:1).

Elsewhere in the Scriptures we are instructed to:
• Call on the name of the Lord (Gen 4:26),
• Trust in the name of the Lord (Isa 50:10), and
• Revere the glorious and awesome name of the Lord our God (Deut 28:58).

By telling us to honor God’s name, the Third Commandment helps us honor God Himself, giving Him the same reverence and respect that we give to His holy name. The Apostle Paul gave perhaps the fullest, most positive statement of this command in his letter to the Colossians—
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).
In other words, what we do and how we live can bring honor and glory to the name of the Lord—and you and I know that’s true because most of know people whose lives have indeed brought glory to the name of the Lord!

In the book of Acts, we read of the marvelous unfolding of the Early Church—as the followers of Jesus Christ spread out and persistently and relentlessly went about Christ’s mission of bringing salvation to all people. As you recall, it was not without obstacles or problems. One such incident sheds light on the importance of honoring God’s name. It’s found in Acts 19.

Paul was in the city of Ephesus, where he spent several years teaching and baptizing people in the name of the Lord Jesus and being the instrument through whom the Holy Spirit was poured out on these new believers. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul—and so some of the Jews who observed Paul tried to use the name of Jesus to help those who were demon-possessed. These were not believers in Christ—only those wanting to manipulate the name of the Lord for their own purposes and recognition. One day, when they were doing this, an evil spirit cried out, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered all who were trying to use the name of the Lord for their own purposes. The man with the evil spirit beat them severely and they ran out of the place naked and bleeding.

Listen now to what happened after that:
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly…In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. (Acts 19:17-20)
When God’s name is honored, His Kingdom grows. His work in the lives of people flourishes when His name is honored!—but it’s a dangerous thing to manipulate or use the name of God for our own agendas! When the name of Jesus the Lord is lifted up and exalted, people come to Him for salvation. People discover a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and their lives are transformed! So, as followers of Jesus Christ, we must do everything we can to always honor the name of the Lord!

The Bible tells us that Jesus obeyed God even to the point of death on the Cross, where He paid for all our violations of God’s law. Then we read in Philippians, chapter 2—
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

And the Lord deserves such honor from us today, doesn’t He? Just as I don’t expect those who truly love me to abuse my name and my reputation, God expects us to handle His name with respect and care too. It’s a vital part of our covenant relationship with Him—and it is our privilege to give such honor to His Holy Name.

May the Lord help us to do just that in the words we speak and the way we live our lives. May my life and yours and may our life together as a church bring honor and glory to the holy name of the Lord!

Rev. Roland’s Blog

A few of us staff members here at Valley Shepherd are in for some big changes in the near future. Pastor Tom is moving all the way over to Portland, Maine, with his wife Shannon. I am moving half of that distance to Kansas City to start going to seminary. I must say that generally I do quite well with worry. In fact, I generally am able to go with the flow and not really think about worry at all. But today, after a phone call with my parents, I realized that I am actually quite worried about the future. In two months or so, I will be moving to a state far from here. I will be living in a place I have never lived. I will be starting an education that is much more challenging than anything that I have experienced yet. I also must find a place to live and a place to work. This is not going to be easy, and as I think about it all, it feels like a huge weight is upon my shoulders. What am I supposed to do?
It is indeed a very scary time. But there is something that can help me, and can help you as well when you are faced with difficult times and decisions. God has told us that he will walk with us through everything we face. He has told us that he will love us no matter what. No, this doesn’t mean that we can just sit back and watch everything fall into place. We have to be willing to take action for our lives to succeed on the journey with God. But what it does mean is that God is there for us to walk with and to talk to along the journey. A passage of scripture that has become very dear to me over the last few years is that of Psalm 46. It states the following in the New Living Translation:

“1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! 4 A river brings joy to the city of our God, the sacred home of the Most High. 5 God dwells in that city; it cannot be destroyed. From the very break of day, God will protect it. 6 The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble! God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! 7 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. 8 Come, see the glorious works of the LORD: See how he brings destruction upon the world. 9 He causes wars to end throughout the earth. He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” 11 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.”

This passage of scripture is so comforting to me, because firstly, it makes me realize that my problems, concerns, and/or worries are really nothing in comparison to the “earthquakes” which occur and when “mountains crumble into the sea” like it mentions in verse two. It also comforts me because I know that the God who is our refuge and strength during such catastrophes is also our refuge and strength during the times when we enter a new chapter in life like moving to Kansas City to start seminary. So take heart Valley Shepherd, and lean upon the strength of our God and King; be still and know that He is God!

Reverend Roland
Pastoral Intern

June 14, 2009 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
WORSHIP THE RIGHT GOD THE RIGHT WAY
Deuteronomy 5:8-10

“This is a time when we choose any religion that fits our personality, but deny the God who gave us one…We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values…We have fancier houses, but broken homes…Under the magnificence of a starry night, we applaud the design but ignore the Designer.” This is the essence of idolatry!

Turn with me now to read the second of the Ten Commandments, from Deuteronomy chapter 5.
[Deuteronomy 5:8-10, NLT]

While the first commandment forbids the worship of any god but the true God, the second commandment given by God forbids the worship of any representation of Him. Here is a call, not only not to worship any other god, but not to worship the true God in the wrong way. We are called to worship the right God in the right way!

To best understand this commandment, we first need to see it against the background of the world in which it was given, a world that believed that gods could reside in wood or stone images and that these gods could be controlled to work on behalf of those who worshiped them. Rituals were extremely important, because these rituals and repeated incantations were the means by which the worshiper controlled his god. And the God of Israel made it clear that He would not be contained in wood or stone or gold and that He could not be contained in any one location. Nor could He be controlled by rituals or words.

The word of God to the people of Israel through Moses was that they were to have but one God—the one truly living God—and that they were to worship Him alone and follow all His ways. On the other hand, Israel’s ancient neighbors believed there were many gods. They worshiped whatever god they felt was necessary at a given time. And the notion was that the objects they made to worship were actually the gods themselves. That’s why God’s Word to the Israelites forbids the making of such images to worship—because the images receive the worship that God jealously reserves for Himself—“applauding the design and ignoring the Designer.”

Idolatry in those ancient times took many forms. Perhaps the earliest reference in the Bible to idols is the “household idols” that Rachel stole from her father Laban (Gen. 31:34). The most noteworthy instance of idolatry was Aaron’s making of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai just before Moses descended with the Ten Commandments. Many years later, Joshua gave the impassionate plea to the people:
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)

While idolatry seemed to be held in check during David and Solomon’s time, it sprung up again like an unwanted weed later. And in the years that followed, invariably the sin of the people involved idolatry.

While there is virtually nothing mentioned about idolatry in the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament gives frequent warnings against idolatry. The Christians were living in a world filled with idols. Both the Romans and the Greeks used them. But it seems that the term “idolatry” began to be used as an intellectual concept. Idolatry became not just bowing down before a statue but the replacement of God in the mind of the worshiper. To the Christians in Colosse, Paul warned, “Put to death…covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col 3:5). And I suppose that’s where we come from today in our challenge to be obedient to this Second Commandment, as we try to understand the vicious nature of idolatry. While we may not make or bow down to a statue, we must be constantly on guard that we are not allowing anything to come between us and God. Because if anything does come between us and God, that thing becomes an idol.

An idol is something we ourselves make into a god and it certainly doesn’t have to be a statue! It can be our houses or our cars or the things you might collect—it might be something someone else has (thus the reason why Paul called coveting something “idolatry”). It may be a hobby, a sport, or some form of recreation. Idols can also be popular heroes or those whom we love. It may be a habit that has an unhealthy grip on our lives—such as pornography or alcohol or drugs. Lots of drives or passions can become idols for us: like seeking notoriety, pride, our work, certain relationships and even actions done in the name of the Lord. It can be a position we hold—even in the church. We could make an idol out of this building—by refusing to use it as the Lord leads us because we take so much pride in what we’ve built! We can make a god out of our traditions—as fine as they might be—and even out of worship preferences, as much as we’re convinced that we are worshiping the “right way.”

We live in a visual age. Everywhere we go we see images on screens. That has an impact even in our worship—and it can be a powerful thing today! People are far more visual in communication now—and in communicating the Gospel we must be more visual than ever before. And yet we must be careful that we do not so focus on the image that it distracts us from hearing the Lord through His Word, for we can never adequately represent God through any image.

Idolatry is a dangerous and deceitful sin! No wonder prophets preached boldly against it so often! The sin of idolatry can be so subtle and yet so insidious! It can be cloaked in that which is good—but if our commitment to it becomes in any way the center of our worship, then it has become an idol to us!

My heart goes out to persons who struggle with mental health issues. I think the challenging thing is that such health issues are so hard to define and so hard for people to understand. When we deal with most physical illnesses, the symptoms are much easier to see in some way—they’re far more tangible than mental health issues and it’s far more comfortable to talk about such things and thus for such persons to receive support and encouragement from others! And I suppose that in much the same way the idols of our day are more subtle than the tangible idols of wood or stone or gold worshiped in the Old Testament times. But please understand me clearly—they are no less dangerous to our well-being!

One clarification I might make is this: The Second Commandment was not meant to stifle artistic talent in any way—only to stay clearly away from the improper substitutes that might become the objects of our worship. You might recall the details God gave regarding the ornate decorations of the Temple. God has never been against art or craftsmanship—but He stands boldly opposed to any of those objects receiving our worship in any way, shape or form!

The problem with idolatry is that it creates a false image of God that is an inadequate representation of His deity and majesty! An idol makes
• The infinite God finite
• The invisible God visible
• The omnipotent God impotent
• The all-present God localized
• The living God dead
• And the spiritual God material.
In short, an idol makes God the exact opposite of what He actually is! An idol distorts the true image of God!

An older man lay in the hospital on the verge of death. As he floated on the edge of consciousness for two weeks, his faithful wife sat in a chair by him every moment. When he finally became lucid enough to speak, he whispered, “Honey, you have been with me through all the bad times. When I got fired, you were there to support me. When we lost the house, you never left my side. You were there when I lost the business, and when my health started failing.”

“Yes, dear,” she answered, smiling.

“You know what?” he said.

“What, dear?” she asked.

“You’re bad luck!”

We laugh, because such a conclusion is ridiculous! Such a thought makes this dear, faithful wife the exact opposite of what she truly is. And in much the same way, an idol makes God the exact opposite of what He actually is. The whole idea of idolatry rests on the absurdity of human beings trying to make a true image of God. An idol is not the truth. An idol is a lie. It is a god who cannot see, know, act, love or save.

If we do not stay fully devoted to God alone, we find ourselves fashioning God in our image. We reshape God until he is safely under our control—because we like being in control, don’t we?! I know some of us are control freaks, but the human tendency apart from God is to want to be in control!

We make an idol whenever we turn God into something that we can manipulate. That was the whole point of pagan idolatry. And people are always looking for a more user-friendly god, a god who can be adapted to suit their purposes. They say, “If I do this, then God will do that.” “If I fulfill my vow, then God will make me rich.” “If I say the right prayer every day, He’ll have to bless me in the way I want Him to.” That approach to God is always guided by the determination to get what we want—but God will not be manipulated!
When He commands us not to make idols, He is saying that He “will not be captured, contained, assigned or managed by anyone or anything, for any purpose” (Walter Brueggemann).
God wants us to trust Him and obey Him—not use Him!

We’re making an idol whenever we choose to worship God for some of His attributes but not others, when we emphasize the things about God that we like and minimize the rest, when we advocate a deity who thinks more the way we do, a god who fits into our manner of thinking and into our social value system—as opposed to one who challenges our manner of thinking and who challenges our social value system. Such theologies are really forms of idolatry. When people say, “I like to think of God as…” they are remaking God the way they want Him to me! And we too are tempted to worship God the way we want Him to be, rather than the way he actually is.

How can we worship God the right way? What can save us from our own private idolatries? The answer is simple: Rather than remaking God into our image, we need to be remade into His image. God does that by bringing us into a personal saving relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.

There’s a deep mystery here. As we think about this matter of the image of God, has it hit you that when God first created the world, He made men and women “in his image” (Gen 1:26-27). We were made to be like God, to reflect His glory. We are created according God’s image. God has intended that His likeness appear in us—though certainly not for the sake of worshiping ourselves! We are not allowed to make God’s image, but only to be God’s image.

But sin in our lives has damaged God’s image in us, hasn’t it? The image of God in us has been defaced, like graffiti written all over a wall. And in our sinful selves, we are not reflecting God’s glory at all! But God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to repair His image in us. Jesus is the true image of the invisible God, the exact imprint of His nature. That’s why Jesus could say that anyone who sees Him has seen God. In order to come to God in true worship, we don’t need to make some kind of idol—all we need to do is come to Him through Jesus Christ. And when we come to Him through Jesus Christ, then God lives in us through His Holy Spirit and he works in us to repair His image so that our lives somehow point to the glory of God.

It wouldn’t be good for us to study this commandment if we ignored the strong word attached to this commandment about the consequences of disobeying it or the blessing of obeying it—and how future generations will be impacted by how we live. We do well to hear this strong word from the Lord—so that the generations that follow us will be blessed by the choices we make!

God said,
I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations. (Deut. 5:9-10)
Surely this does not mean that innocent, unborn generations are going to be punished for the sins of their fathers! The doctrine of individual responsibility is stated too many times throughout the Old and New Testaments for that to be the intended meaning! However, it does mean that future generations will suffer the consequences of their predecessors or they will be blessed by the godliness of their predecessors. Alcoholism affects not only the ones who are drinking but also their families and even beyond their families. Immoral behavior works the same way. It doesn’t end with itself. It spreads out to invade the lives of those within its circle. Not only does it invade, it oftentimes destroys or at least maims, bringing sorrow and sadness and pain.

None of us dare think that we can do whatever we want because our sin won’t hurt anyone else. It simply doesn’t work that way. Sin always impacts others. Sin is like the pebble thrown into a lake, rippling it with concentric circles that move out to affect more and more of the surface of the lake.

But the blessings upon our kids and countless generations that will follow work the same way—in fact the reach of generations blessed by the godliness of a parent or grandparent far exceeds the reach of generations hurt by the sin of another. The influence and the blessing of persons committed to God continues for countless generations!

What a powerful word to us—to guard the influence we have upon those who follow us by guarding our own lives! Parents, may I remind you that your life—and specifically your commitment to follow the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength—has the capacity to bless many generations that will follow you! But you also need to know that, if you disregard God’s ways, future generations will be impacted in a negative way. Be fully aware that how you live your life will determine the legacy you leave behind—and that legacy is shaped by
• How you treat other people
• The kind of steward you are of money and the value you place in material things
• The words that come out of your mouth
• Your daily priorities
• The purity of your heart and mind—or the lack thereof as evidenced in your habits and lifestyle
• The place that God and His mission have in your life.
All these things will determine the legacy you leave for future generations!

I suppose that God’s warning in this Second Commandment might seem discouraging to someone who comes from a family that doesn’t honor God. But I want you to know that God’s blessing triumphs over the curse—and God often powerfully intervenes in the history of a family to turn their hearts toward Him. And the words aren’t so much for generations already passed as generations now living who have the opportunity to shape their response to the commandments of God—like each of you do today!

I am today reaping the blessing of the godliness of Eldon and Ada Britton and A.E. and Dorothy Pusey—my grandparents. I’m even reaping the blessing of the godliness of some of their parents, my great-grandparents—the young couple by the name of Jacob and Maggie Gookin who helped start the Nazarene church in Chariton, Iowa and a lady with the funny first name of “Fanny”—Fanny Eaton—who in Lancaster, Ohio became a woman of deep faith. And I want to leave such a legacy to my children and their children and even their grandchildren.

And that challenge brings to my mind again the words Joshua declared to the people of Israel, the words I now leave with you—
Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)

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June 7, 2009 Pastor Tim

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS:
LET GOD BE GOD
Deuteronomy 5:1-7

Some things are meant to never be forgotten. I suppose that’s why for generations people have traditionally placed marble or granite markers called tombstones at the gravesites of those they love—so those persons will never be forgotten.

We had a large cemetery near our house for the six years we lived in the small town of Galion, Ohio. Since there weren’t sidewalks in our housing development, the cemetery actually became a great place for our kids to learn to ride bikes! The roads were reasonably wide and paved, there was virtually no traffic, and the people around there didn’t bother us much at all! It was beautiful and quiet, and, of course, there were hundreds of marble markers—lovingly placed so that people wouldn’t be forgotten.

God’s laws were lovingly written on stone so that they might never be forgotten. They were set up so that we might never forget the importance of certain things. We keep coming back to them, for they speak to us of eternal truths and values.

Many of you recall how God had met with Moses on Mount Sinai. You can read about it in the 20th chapter of Exodus. Moses descended from the mountain having been entrusted with the Ten Words or Ten Commandments from God—a framework for the covenant relationship God had established between Himself and His people—the people of Israel.

Many years had passed and much had taken place in the context of this relationship between God and His people by the time the scene unfolded as described in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. The now elderly Moses was giving his farewell address as he prepared to turn the leadership of the people over to Joshua. Again the Ten Commandments were proclaimed to the people. And it is from that text that I would like to read this morning—and we’ll be continuing week by week throughout the summer months on the Ten Commandments in a series I’ve called, “Back to the Basics.”
[Deuteronomy 5:1-7, NLT]

In their book The Day America Told the Truth, James Patterson and Peter Kim lay down the law for postmodern times. They observe that today there is “absolutely no moral consensus at all…Everyone is making up their own personal moral codes—their own Ten Commandments.” These new commandments are based on moral relativism, the belief that we are free to make up our own rules, based on our own personal preferences. The law is not something that comes from God, but something we come up with on our own. And, incidentally, laws made apart from God are usually in conflict with God’s laws.

We might hope to find the situation somewhat better in the church. Surely God’s own people honor the permanent, objective standard of God’s law! And yet the church is full of worshipers who don’t even know the Ten Commandments, let alone how to keep them! And so, while churches all across America have lots of people gathering together in them every week, there is a simultaneous decline in morality that’s not so hard to observe!

And that doesn’t make any sense at all! How can people be interested in God and at the same time be less willing to do what He says? The only explanation I can think of is that they do not know the God of the Ten Commandments—the God who extends to us the privilege of a covenant relationship with Him. And if we can begin to see the Ten Commandments through the eyes and through the heart of this covenant God, it just might change our whole perspective of the Ten Commandments as well as how we respond to them!

Deep inside the temple of God, in the Holy of Holies where the high priest would come before the Presence of God, there was the Ark of the Covenant, and inside that Ark were the stone tablets of the Law. Isn’t it intriguing that the Law of God is kept in the most sacred place of God’s very presence? You see, when God spoke from Mount Sinai and gave the Israelites the Law, He was not presenting them with rules to be followed as much as He was revealing Himself to them. He was revealing His character, His nature, and His will for them. This God whom Israel was called to follow, and whom we are called to follow today, is the Holy One. The Law of God reflects His holy nature, and we can’t adequately study the Ten Commandments and get around that!

You see, laws tell us something about the body who established them. The building codes which enforce standards of accessibility for people with physical disabilities reveal a government that cares about the needs of handicap people. When an elementary school sets playground rules, it says that the administration cares about the safety and well-being of children. When you set reasonable curfews for your teenagers of when they are to be home at night, contrary to what your teenager might think at the time, you are revealing yourself to be a wise and caring parent who wants only the best for your kids! When God revealed His laws to his people, it told us much about Him—and that’s what we want to learn! And while there’s not time to go through all the Commandments this morning, suffice it to say that the Ten Commandments display the character of God. They reveal His sovereignty, jealousy, justice, holiness, honor, faithfulness, providence, truthfulness, and, most significantly, His love. They express His will for our lives as they reveal His character.

And as we begin this journey together, I want you to see the Commandments as an invitation to a covenant relationship. That’s really what’s at the heart of the first commandment: “Do not worship any other gods besides me.”

One of the first lessons parents try to teach their children is how to share. Our son probably had a harder time learning this than did our twin daughters—for they literally started out sharing most everything! But it’s an important lesson for every child to learn.

However, as important as it is to learn to share, it is also important to realize that some things are not meant to be shared. Chewing gum, for example—I’m happy not to have you share yours with me! A bite-sized candy bar isn’t meant to be shared either, is it? Nor is a jelly bean—even those good Jelly Belly ones! A unicycle isn’t meant to be shared—that would be a bit too cozy! Neither is a piece of confidential information to be shared—nor the answers to a test. Or, to cite an even more serious example, the sexual love between a husband and wife is not meant to be shared with others. These things were never intended to be shared with someone else. In order to be used properly at all, they have to be kept exclusive.

If some things were never meant to be shared, then it is not surprising to learn that there are times when even God refuses to share. He is a loving and merciful God who loves to pour out His mercy and grace on His people. But there are some things that He will not share. And He will not share us with any other god of any sort! He will not share His glory with any other god. He will not share His sovereignty with any other god. So He has given us this command: “Do not worship any other gods besides me!”

As God began to reveal Himself more and more to people, He unfolded an invitation to a pretty spectacular covenant with them. It was a covenant of love—not too much unlike the covenant of love and commitment expressed in the typical wedding ceremony.

Most of you know by now that our family is getting ready for a wedding in August—August 15th. Since Krista’s engagement early in March to Josh Patten, we’ve been scrambling to have everything ready! But whether we have all the details ready or not, on August 15th our daughter Krista will become Mrs. Josh Patten. They’ll get married right here in this sanctuary—a beautiful place for a sacred occasion like a wedding. It’ll be an “open church” wedding, meaning that any of you who want to come are welcomed and encouraged to do so. And there will be friends and family gathering for this special occasion from all over the map. It’ll be a great day!

And I will not only do my duty of giving her away, but I’ll also have the lead role in performing their ceremony—something I have been privileged to do for each of our three children in recent years. And in that role, Krista and Josh will both be asked a similar question relating to the covenant they are about to make. For Josh, it will go something like this,
Josh, will you take Krista to be your wife? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live? If so, say “I do.”

I’ve asked that question to well over a hundred grooms by now (maybe 200), but it certainly takes on new meaning once again when those words are said to a young man who wants to marry my daughter! “…Forsaking all others, will you be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?” It’s the moment when a good daddy of the bride is thinking, “Buddy, you better really mean it when you commit to this!” Why? Because marriage is a covenant relationship that is absolutely exclusive in nature! Josh is to love Krista as he loves no other woman and Krista is to love Josh as she loves no other man! It’s a covenant relationship of love! Such things are not meant to be shared!

And in the same way, God will not share our devotion with any other! In that sense, He is indeed a jealous God. The point is that when it comes to worshiping God, it’s all or nothing. That’s the way it has always been!
• It was this way on Mount Sinai…when God first gave Moses the law.
• It was this way when Joshua renewed the covenant…and said, “Put away the gods that your fathers served…in Egypt, and serve the Lord…Choose this day whom you will serve” (John 24:14-15a).
• This is the way it was on Mount Carmel…when Elijah liberated the Israelites from their bondage to Baal. He said, “If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is god, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).
• And it is the same way with Jesus Christ, who says, “No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and money” (Matt. 6:24).
God’s people have always faced a choice. Religious pluralism is not a recent development. There have always been plenty of other gods clamoring for our attention, and yet God has always demanded our exclusive loyalty.

When God commands us to reject false gods, he is also commanding us to choose Him as the true God, enthroning Him as our only Lord. The very beginning of the Ten Commandments establishes and reinforces this relationship—
I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt. Do not worship any other gods besides me (Deut. 5:6-7).
This is not a prohibition kind of statement, friends—this is a wonderful blessing kind of statement! A tremendous invitation to fellowship and relationship and covenant—He is the Lord who has rescued us too! He has reached out to us and lifts us up in order that we might become all that He has intended for us to become!

And so the command tells us whom to worship as well as whom not to worship! It is both positive and negative in scope. And in the positive realm, I want us to consider the wonderful possibility of a covenant love relationship with the Creator of the universe—the God who made you, who gave you breath, but who also put the sun in the sky and placed the stars in their places throughout this universe and keeps the earth rotating on its axis!

The stormy conditions we’ve had this week have reminded me of severe storms we experienced far more often living in the Midwest. I am always reminded of the power of God when the earth is shaken by thunder and quickly illuminated by lightning and drenched by heavy rain. Living now in a desert area, I’ve come to welcome rain as never before. And on those rare occasions when the rain is pounding down in its force I have sometimes thought, “Who of us could tell God to stop the rain? Who of us could demand that God turn down the volume of the thunder?” Not one of us could—because He alone is God! And this One true living God invites us to a covenant relationship with Him—letting God be God in and over our lives.

And it’s certainly not inconsistent with Scripture to use the word “love” to describe this relationship. The first commandment solidifies the covenant love relationship between God and His people. Think of the creed most Israelites recited every day—often called “The Shema”—
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut 6:4-5).

There is a sense in which this first commandment is the greatest, because it gives the motivating power for all the rest. The rest of the commandments mean little or nothing unless our commitment to God compels us to obey Him.

I’m guessing that few people would actually admit to breaking this commandment—at least not those sitting in this sanctuary this morning. But as we allow the Lord to examine our lives in light of this commandment, we might contemplate Martin Luther’s word:
Whatever thy heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly thy God. (Martin Luther)
Security, position, power, social prestige, love of country, love of family, profession, job, self-centeredness—it is not uncommon for any of these to replace God as our first commitment. Jesus put the matter plainly when He named the greatest commandment,
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
And on the basis of that commandment, Jesus told us how to live:
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt 6:33)

I am keenly aware that most people only consider the negative expression of some of the commandments and that Christianity—and particularly churches like ours—are often thought of as restrictive and trying to take all the fun out of life (and maybe we’ve been guilty of that in our past!) And yet moral law is always double-sided. It commands and prohibits, for every moral act is at the same time also a refraining from a contrary action that could have been taken! In other words, this commandment and all the others is more than not doing something; it calls us to do that which is good and that which is in keeping with God’s will for us and that which is the most appropriate response to who God is.

And so I also want us to consider the blessing of this commandment. In this covenant relationship we become aware that God is a personal God, available to take care of our needs! The Scripture is filled with that proclamation and we love to cling to these promises!
• “I cried out to the Lord…and He answered me!” (Jonah 2:2).
• The Apostle Paul said, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory…” (Phil 4:19).
• King David of the Old Testament prayed, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me” (Ps 23:4).
• The prophet Isaiah declared, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isa 40:31).
• Isaiah went on to proclaim the word of the Lord, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you…” (Isa 41:10)
The blessings are great for those who walk with God in this covenant relationship! We are blessed people! That’s the foundation of the Ten Commandments!

The question is not only whether we believe in Him in our heads or even acknowledge Him from time to time, but whether we worship him continually and commit ourselves to Him in this covenant relationship, holding nothing back—worshiping Him alone! It’s not just a matter of accepting the reality of His Presence, but rather it’s the question of whether or not we have entered into a covenant relationship with Him.

I suppose that every time we gather for worship, it is an opportunity for each one of us to renew our covenant relationship with Him. As Christians, we understand that God has opened the door to fellowship wider than it had ever been before when God sent His Son Jesus to be our Savior, to give His life in order that our sins could be forgiven and we could be accepted into His family and welcomed into His Presence for all eternity. It’s the blessing of this covenant relationship with our Heavenly Father. But the foundation of this relationship has not changed. The Lord invites each of us to once again renew our covenant with Him, as He proclaims to us,
I am the Lord your God, who rescued you…do not worship any other gods besides me.

Dr Ron Kratzer Blog

May 31, 2009 Pastor Tim

YOU’VE GOT THE POWER!

Luke 24:36-53

 

Good morning!  We’ve come to the last sermon in my series on “Looking at the Cross through Resurrection Eyes.”  Next Sunday I’ll start into a summer series on the Ten Commandments called “Back to the Basics.”  It’ll be a great opportunity for us to go back to the foundational aspects of God’s covenant with us.  But for this morning, we’re looking at a scene from the ending of the Gospel of Luke—chapter 24.  It hadn’t been long since Jesus had been crucified.  This passage is the second Resurrection appearance of Jesus recorded in Luke’s Gospel—the first being to the two on the Road to Emmaus after the women and then Peter had discovered the empty tomb.  And while the passage takes place after the event of the Cross, the disciples of Jesus were still very much trying to process the meaning of the Cross through newly-discovered Resurrection eyes, foggy though they were at this point.  Jesus, in His response to them, is helping them to see the Cross through Resurrection eyes…and they were beginning to catch on!

 

By the way, our belief in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead separates Christianity from all other religions.  No other religion claims that its leader and founder was bodily raised from the dead and that his spirit is now present with those who worship and serve him.  But beyond an intellectual acceptance of the Resurrection, there is the element of faith that is carved out in the experience of real life.  It’s the matter of learning to truly trust the Lord throughout our real life experiences and challenges.  And that’s the level at which the disciples were learning to carve out their faith.

 

Let’s pick up the Biblical account now from Luke, chapter 24, beginning at verse 36—

[Luke 24:36-53, NIV]

 

 

We need the power, don’t we?  The key verse that I want us to examine this morning is verse 49—

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

What is this power?  Why do we need it?  Jesus doesn’t spell it all out for us right here, but the rest of the New Testament—particularly Acts and beyond—tell the story and paint the picture for us.

 

It certainly comes into greater focus on the Day of Pentecost, described in Acts chapter 2.  Did you know that Luke was the author of the Book of Acts, too, and that he essentially continues the account that he began in what we know as the Gospel of Luke?  The Gospel of Luke tells of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, while the Acts of the Apostles tells how the life and ministry of Christ were lived out through the Early Church after Jesus had ascended into heaven.

 

Acts 2 describes a dramatic and pivotal scene—when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Early Church just as Jesus had promised.  They were “clothed with power from on high”!  Pentecost by title was not a New Testament phenomenon.  It marked one of the Old Testament holy festivals—the Jewish “Feast of Weeks” or sometimes called the Feast of the Harvest.  It fell 50 days after the Feast of the Passover—thus the title Pentecost, derived from the Greek for “the 50^th day.”  But Pentecost took on new meaning to the followers of Christ after the Acts 2 experience—and we celebrate Pentecost this Sunday along with believers around the world.

 

After Jesus had ascended into heaven, His followers stayed in the city of Jerusalem just as He had instructed.  Acts 2 begins—

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4)

It was spectacular and undeniable!  There was the loud sound of a violent wind that seemed to fill the whole house where they were gathered.  Then they saw the bursts of flames that seemed to rest upon each person there.  And then they began to speak in other languages.  Jews who had spread out to the farthest corners of the world had gathered in their Holy City for the Feast of Weeks.  And though they spoke many different languages, by God’s ordained miracle for that event, they began to hear their own languages coming from the mouths of those who did not normally speak their language.  The wonder of the phenomenon spread like wildfire in the city, as people were drawn by the music of their native tongue, and heard the wonders of God proclaimed in words they could understand.

 

For me the miracle didn’t end with those signs.  For me the miracle continued as Peter stood to address the huge crowd that seemed to swarm them, and the one who had just weeks before denied under pressure that he even knew Jesus, now preached boldly and convincingly the redemptive message of the Cross of Christ.  And if you doubt the power of God’s anointing on Peter that day, catch the words of verse 41—

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (Acts 2:41)

It was nothing less than amazing!

 

Now fast-forward nearly 2000 years.  We’re living in Treasure Valley, Idaho.  (Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m living in Idaho…but still having a wonderful time!)  We’re in what many are calling a “post-modern” era.  All the rules seem to be changing in American life today—much of it frightening and some of it heart-breaking to serious followers of Jesus Christ.  Most of us live with great pressures and demands.  The commitment to marriage and the family is not what it once was.  Temptation is all around us.  Relativity has convinced most that there are no moral absolutes, nothing that can be banked upon, nothing that is always clearly right or wrong.  Some of us have grown up in the church, and we’ve seen the swing from fervent legalism to casual Christianity.  Children and teens in the church have often gotten mixed signals from their parents—hearing or saying one thing but living out something totally different.  And what seems to be lacking in too many of our lives is spiritual power.

 

And what Jesus promised is power—through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit—power to equip us to live holy lives.  Make no mistake about it: we can’t live holy lives on our own steam.  So many have tried.  Many have even convinced themselves that they could do it, but others could see through the mirage.  You and I can never live the holy lives we’ve been called to live without the abiding, empowering, consuming presence of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Jesus spoke of a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins, and He knew that such a life could never be maintained in any way without God’s own touch upon our lives.  And God’s way of putting His mark on us every day is through the Holy Spirit, who abides with us and who lives in us, as scripture declares.  The Holy Spirit is this “power from on high” that Jesus spoke about it.  The Holy Spirit is the promised power.

There’s a group of men who meet most every Wednesday night to study the Bible and pray for one another.  Guys, you’re all welcomed to meet with us—in room 160 (The University Ministry Room) at 6:45.  Anyway, we’ve just started a new study on the Sermon on the Mount.  Last week Phil Weeks was leading us in a study of the Beatitudes which are at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (in Matthew 5).  The more we spoke about it, the more I think we all became aware of our own inadequacy to live such a life without the help of the Holy Spirit!  Perhaps the deeper you go into the Beatitudes, the more you know we can’t do it on our own!  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…blessed are the merciful…blessed are the pure in the heart…blessed are the peacemakers…blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me…”

 

My mind drifted off to what Paul referred to as “the fruit of the Spirit” in Galatians chapter 5.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

And I think, “My goodness, has God ever set the bar high for us!  How in the world does He think we can ever live up to that?!”  And yet, God has not only set the bar high, but He has graciously provided the help and strength we need every day to achieve it through the abiding presence of His Holy Spirit.  I don’t know that it’s quite as simple as the guy on the video said, “It’s like you’re a car with no gas, dude; the Holy Spirit’s the fuel.”  But that’s not so far off!  Without the Holy Spirit in control of our lives, we run out of power, and we fall flat on our faces!  We need power!  And with the Holy Spirit, you’ve got the power!

 

I believe that Jesus is promising power to persevere—to stick with Him for the long haul of life, regardless of what comes our way.

 

(Pull out your cell phone.)  I carry this with me most everywhere I go—though normally I don’t have it in my pocket when I’m preaching on Sunday morning!  I don’t want to risk having my phone start ringing during my sermon!  This little thing is my cell phone, my calendar, my contact list.  I have the entire Bible on it.  I even have a little game on it for those moments when I need some light diversion.  It’s a camera.  It’s a calculator.  If I was willing to pay for the service to do so, I could access the internet with it and check my email!  I’ve got more on it than I know how to use!

 

But it’s all dependent upon keeping the battery charged.  When the screen goes blank, I know I’m in trouble.  I hate it when I have neglected to recharge it and I feel like I need it, but don’t have enough battery power left for it to function!

 

Some people make a great start in the Christian life…but they seem to lose focus and steam as times goes by.  And we all will, if we don’t learn how to lean more and more on the Lord as we get into the thick of life!  The truth is that we find we need more and more of His strength and grace and wisdom as we go along in life.  We need His power!  And He provides that for us through His Holy Spirit.  It’s power to stick to it, to make it for the long haul.

 

Last March I taught a class for pastors at Mount Vernon Nazarene University in a far-away land called Ohio.  I think I’ve taught the class four times now—about every 2½ years.  The title of the class is “The Pastor as a Person.”  We examine the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of the pastor, and coach health in each of these areas—so that we can persevere and be faithful to our calling for the long haul.  I certainly believe that the will of God does not take us where the grace of God cannot keep us—but, as most of us have learned from experience, we cannot persevere without the abiding presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  We lean on Him—more and more—for counsel, for guidance, for strength, for perspective, for anointing.

 

And so it really is in all of our lives!  I might ask you the question: What are you doing today to help you stay true to the Lord for the long haul?

 

I was struck to realize that when Jesus appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection, He once again addressed their fears.

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see…” (Luke 24:36-39)

Luke’s Gospel had opened with a terrified Zechariah in the unexpected presence of an angel.  Now, near its end, Luke tells of Jesus addressing the fear of the disciples as He was trying to help them see things through a new set of lenses—through the eyes of the Resurrection. 

 

So often in scripture, we read of the Lord addressing the fears of men and women—and so it is in our lives today.  If we’re going to make it for the long haul in our walk with the Lord, we’re going to need to let Him address our fears along the way, and learn to trust Him even more completely as we go along.  And it’s the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, day after day, that sustains us and gives us such power.

 

I suppose if I stopped at this point, we might falsely conclude that the Spirit-filled life is just a life of personal survival and personal holiness—without recognizing the greater purpose for which God empowers our lives.  Let me take you again to Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, where Luke records more of what Jesus said about the coming of the Holy Spirit upon each of them—

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

 

Jesus promised power for us to be fruitful in living effective Christ-like lives that are all about the mission and purpose of Christ in our world.  And I think again of our church’s mission: Passion for God…Compassion for People.  When we fully embrace a passion for God, we are called to a life of personal holiness, but we’re also called into a life of service and ministry to others, so that they too can experience the cleansing of forgiveness and the new life found in Jesus Christ.

 

This power for effective and fruitful witness is clearly seen in the impact the Early Church had upon the many who came to faith in Jesus Christ and who became part of this worldwide mission of sharing this Good News with all people—to people of all languages, to people all around the world.  And the power with which the Early Church carried out her mission is clearly indicative that something supernatural was happening in the lives of these simple followers of Christ!  Only the power of the Holy Spirit explains this!

 

You and I need the power of the Holy Spirit not only to live Christ-like lives now and for the long haul of life, but also so that we will become effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.  One way I’ve come to express that is that I want my life to make a difference—I want my life to make a difference for the cause of Jesus Christ in this world.  But I am so keenly aware that my life—and yours—cannot be effective witnesses for Christ without the empowering of the Holy Spirit.  I just don’t have what it takes on my own.  But what I’ve experienced is that God can and has done far greater things with my life than I could ever have imagined as the Holy Spirit has empowered me.

 

So, how do we receive the Holy Spirit and the power that He gives for effective Christian living?  In Luke 11:13 we read the words of Jesus—

“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

God wants to give the Holy Spirit to His followers!  Jesus said that all we must do is ask!

 

But I’ve also come to understand that the Holy Spirit can only abide in our lives if we make room for Him.  Scripture speaks of yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit, submitting to Him, giving Him control.  As much as God wants to fill our lives with His Presence, He won’t fight for His turf…He waits for us to yield it to Him.  The truth is that the Lord  wants full control of our lives, and the power which we seek and the power which we know we need and the power for which we long—especially when we become woefully aware of our lack of power—that power only comes to us when we resign from fighting for our own kingship over our lives and willingly submit to God’s Lordship in and over our lives.  That’s when He’s able to fill us with His Holy Spirit and the power from on high!

 

Most of us know what it’s like to suddenly wonder if our battery power is going to be adequate for our cell phones or cameras or whatever.  Do you also wonder about your battery power for Christian living?  Do you have what it takes?  Do you have what it takes to persevere for the long haul?  Do you have what it takes for your life to be part of Christ’s great mission in our world, to really make a difference for the cause of Christ?!  You can.  You can be sure.  Christ has promised to give to those who truly seek Him the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s power for all those things.