Pastor Casey’s Blog

I Hate Goodbyes…

The last few weeks a mother killdeer (a bird) has been sitting on a few eggs in a nest just outside the office doors, waiting…

On Monday this week, one of the eggs hatched, on Tuesday the remaining three hatched.

We were so excited to see a little flock of birds running around the church courtyard area. How cool would it be to have a church mascot?

Well, maybe its not really the same thing, but the birds quickly became part of the church family. One Wednesday, the birds already looked like little

Grown up birds, they were running around and by Wednesday evening, were flying in little amounts. These birds are less than 2 days old and flying!

Thursday morning came, and the nest is empty and no birds are in site.

This got me thinking, so I did a little research (you can research Killdeer, or anything else for yourself at our Prodégé website at http://www.vssm.prodege.com)

While the birds grow up so fast, I am reminded of our 6th grade class also growing up.

2 weeks ago, we took the 6th graders on a weekend retreat to Salt Lake City and Lagoon Theme Park to celebrate graduating from the children’s department and to welcome them into the youth group with Pastor Tyler and Carrie Lynn.

These 6th graders were just graduating kindergarten when I began my internship at Valley Shepherd Nazarene.

I have seen them quickly grow and mature over the last 6 years similar to how I saw the killdeer quickly grow in a few days.

In the same way that the birds are too old and big to all be in their nest, our 6th graders have reached the time in their life when they are too old and big to be in the children’s department. While it is hard to say goodbye, I know that great things are in store as they enter into the youth group.

I look forward to seeing how God continues to work in their lives as they grow and mature.

Keep an eye on our kids and teens. They grow up so fast!

May 23, 2010 Pastor Tim Pusey

POWER UP!
Acts 1:1-11
Final in series: “Are You Filled?”
May 23, 2010

How many of you have ever started to use your cell phone only to discover that its battery had gone dead on you? Isn’t that frustrating? I got to thinking this week about the many electronic gadgets that I use every day that have to be recharged on a regular basis: my cell phone, laptop, ipod, blue tooth, digital camera, GPS, electric razor, rechargeable drill and flashlight and mini-vac, cordless phone…and I’m guessing that you can think of more! Isn’t that ridiculous?! And that doesn’t even count all the electrical things that we depend upon that remain plugged in for direct power—like lights, TVs, refrigerators, microwaves, desktop computers, air conditioners, printers, etc!

My! How our lives would be different today if someone hadn’t discovered the power of electricity! I’m sure we all sometimes wonder if life wouldn’t be better, but I don’t think there’s any going back now! While life would be simpler, I’d hate not to be able to communicate with family and friends as we’re able to do today and my day-by-day tasks would be so much harder—even my sermon preparation, which is all done on computer!

Of course, even aside from all the electronic gadgets, we still need power in our lives. And as every follower of Christ has discovered, we need spiritual power in order to live the kind of lives to which God has called us. And in this last sermon in the series, “Are You Filled?” I want to center in on the role the Holy Spirit plays in providing spiritual power in our lives—for we surely need it!

Today is Pentecost Sunday—the day when the Christian church traditionally celebrates the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Early Church. It coincides with the Old Testament commemoration of the Feast of Weeks—which fell on the 50th day after the Feast of the Passover—thus the term “pentecost.” But in New Testament times, Pentecost took on a whole new meaning for the followers of Jesus. Acts chapter 2 describes what happened as the 120 devout followers of Jesus were meeting together for prayer in an upstairs room in Jerusalem, as they had been doing for days since Jesus had ascended into heaven.
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 2:2-4)

Amazingly enough, people who had gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost for the Jewish Feast of Weeks celebration from many different countries heard their own native language coming from the people in that upstairs room. In a never-again-to-be-repeated phenomenon, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the followers of Jesus and they were filled with His Spirit. Peter addressed the excited and bewildered crowd who gathered to try to figure out what was going on. Under the clear anointing of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached a powerful message to them, presenting the Good News of salvation and new life through Jesus Christ—and as a result, 3,000 people were baptized that day and became part of the Early Church. Historians look back on that Pentecost as the birth of the Church!

But now I want to back up one chapter to the beginning of the book of Acts as we go to the scene of Jesus’ last appearance with His followers before the Ascension. Many times Jesus had spoken of the gift of the Holy Spirit. And here He addressed it one last time. Let’s begin reading at Acts 1, verse 1—
[Read Acts 1:1-11, NIV]

The more I got to thinking about the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the more I’ve concluded that to compare it to the power in a cell phone is to terribly understate His power. My mind took me to the ocean—and the many times I have stood beside it, mesmerized by the pounding of the ocean waves on the shore, enthralled by the mighty power of the ocean’s waves. I thought too of standing by Niagara Falls—and even by Shoshone Falls here in Idaho last spring, and being captivated by the tremendous power of the force of water gushing over the falls. Have you ever just stood beside the Payette River in the stretch between Banks and Smiths Ferry where I’m told it’s one of the longest stretches of white water in the nation? I’ve sometimes described it being like Niagara Falls reclining, because it goes on for miles and miles—and the tremendous power in the water’s current and the amount of water rushing through the gorge is just breathtaking!

And yet still, we haven’t captivated the power of the Holy Spirit. It was Lloyd John Ogilvie who said,
The power Jesus Christ offers us in His Holy Spirit is a surging, rushing relentless river of new life! (Lloyd John Ogilvie)
I like that imagery! It doesn’t begin to adequately describe the Holy Spirit’s power, but it’s one of the best analogies our human minds can begin to grasp. You see, once the Lord reigns supreme in a person’s life, a whole new power is unleashed—the very power of God’s Holy Spirit. It’s what was experienced on that notable day of Pentecost described in Acts 2. It’s what Jesus had been preparing His disciples for, and it’s what was absolutely needed in their lives in order for them to be the people God had designed for them to become and in order for them to carry out the overwhelming mission Christ had entrusted to them.

And you and I are no less needy of the power of the Holy Spirit in order to become the people God wants us to become and in order for us to carry out the mission entrusted to us in this day and time. We are desperately in need of the power of the Spirit!—just as the disciples had proven their need for the power of the Holy Spirit in all their faltering ways before Pentecost. Even in this passage from Acts 1, we find them trying to press their agenda onto the Lord once again—
“Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?” (Acts 1:6, The Message)
Jesus essentially told them that such matters weren’t their business—they didn’t need to concern themselves with that. And then He turned their attention to the mission that was theirs—and, more importantly, the power that God would give them through His Holy Spirit in order for them to carry out that mission in every way.

It wasn’t the first time such power had been spoken of—nor the first time such remarkable power was attested to the Holy Spirit. Descriptions of Samson from Judges chapter 14 speak of “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power,” enabling Samson to tear a lion apart, to snap ropes off his arms and to strike down 1000 men!

Samuel the prophet had told the soon-to-be-king named Saul that “the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power…and you will be changed into a different person” (1 Samuel 10:6). And it was exactly what happened. And later it was Samuel who anointed young David “and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13).

And it was the Old Testament prophet Zechariah who voiced the word of the Lord to the people, saying, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit’, says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). In other words, it will not be by our human might or power that God’s ways will be accomplished—it will only be by the power of the Holy Spirit!

Luke’s Gospel (written by the same man who wrote the book of Acts) records the words of Jesus before the Ascension in this way, “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). Jesus had always known that His followers would need divine power in order to truly follow Him and to accomplish the mission God had for them—and the Good News of Acts 2 is that they received exactly what they needed…just as we can receive the Holy Spirit today!

Why do we need this power? We need this power for the witness of our words—
“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)
This concept and challenge of witnessing is so prominent in the book of Acts that it is the dominant theme of the book and the prevailing challenge upon both the Early Church and the Church today. I’m told that the word “witness” in its various forms appears 39 times in the book of Acts. When the disciples asked Jesus if He was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel, Jesus stressed in response that they were to leave to God the matters that are God’s concerns and instead take up the things that have been entrusted to them. We also need to let go of what is not our concern and fully embrace the mission Christ has given to us—a mission which is accomplished by the witness coming from our mouths when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit!

We are to be Christ’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In some ways, this phrase provided a basic outline of the whole book of Acts. It outlines how the Gospel was first preached in Jerusalem, beginning in chapter 2 and continuing just into chapter 8. The Gospel then began to spread to Judea and Samaria, as told in chapter 8 and continuing into chapter 12. And the Gospel being taken to the ends of the earth is recorded in Acts 12 to the end of the book in chapter 28, as those proclaiming the Gospel reached the imperial capital city of Rome and began to preach the Good News there.

For us today, it says that we are to be part of Christ’s missional work in our own towns, in the regions surrounding us, and even to the far corners of the world. That’s why, by the way, that we at Valley Shepherd are so heavily committed to the work of world evangelization—taking the Good News today to people groups all around the globe. The Christian church is a missionary church that responds obediently to Jesus’ commission, acting in Jesus’ behalf in the extension of His ministry in our world today.

But without the Holy Spirit, our talk would just be talk. It’s the Holy Spirit Who empowers our testimony. He gives us spiritual power to share with unbelievers the difference it makes when Jesus comes into our lives—and to do so in such a way that others hear the divine truth behind our human words.

The dynamic power of the Holy Spirit is given in constant flow as long as we are engaged in sharing it. Like the irrigation ditches so prevalent in Idaho, we are conduits or channels of the flow of the Spirit—not reservoirs dammed up to simply be giant holding tanks. A river is simply the channel for moving water, while a swamp has only inlets for water and no outflow. They become stagnant. The Dead Sea is often used as an example. Since there is no outflow from the Dead Sea, fish can only live near the inflow from the Jordan River, because otherwise the water is so impure that it kills the fish. Our lives become stagnant and are unfruitful if all we do is take in the inspiration from God’s Word and from worship and from Christian fellowship! The Holy Spirit wants us to be channels for His power and mercy and grace!

I suppose it’s easy to think of being witnesses for Christ when we limit it merely to those who are sent out by Christ and His Church to do missionary work. That’s their work! But we need to be asking ourselves questions like,
• Who has the Lord put in my pathway of life here and now whom I am to love and introduce to Christ?
• Who in my corner of the world hasn’t heard about the difference Christ can make in their lives because to this point I’ve been unwilling to speak of Him?

In sharing with others, we sometimes put ourselves in the strenuous bind of feeling we have to convince and cajole people into accepting Jesus Christ. But the truth is that when there’s a positive response from someone, it’s merely because the Holy Spirit has drawn them to Himself and set them free to hear and receive the truth of the Gospel. It’s not because we’ve been so exceptional in our witnessing! It’s all about His power and His work in and through us and not at all about our phenomenal human endeavor!

The thought that we can run our own lives has triggered people to declare their independence from God and from anyone else—but only to our own demise! Our human will takes charge of our thoughts, and in our independent state, we proceed to make a mess of our lives. But the Holy Spirit continues to work in people’s lives, so often in ways we cannot see—and that, by the way, should be an encouragement to those of you who are carrying a heavy burden for the salvation of family members and friends who to this point seem to be so indifferent to the ways of Christ. Be assured that God’s Spirit is at work even now, drawing unbelievers to Himself—even in those seasons of their lives in which you may think God isn’t responding to your prayers at all!

And the Holy Spirit who draws unbelievers to Him is the same Spirit who is our Source of power when we do come to Him and determine to follow Christ! He is our Power for holy living and for effective witness! The promise of Jesus is that the Holy Spirit would not only be with us, but that He would indeed live in us! The power we receive is not some thing but Someone! It is God Himself living in us! The eternal Word through Whom God created the universe, Who had dwelled among us and Whose glory was seen to be full of grace and truth and love, wants to live in us! And that is the Someone Whom we can expect—God with us! And He empowers our words for effective witness.

But the witness of our words will have little impact if we’re not living God-honoring lives that back up the words that come out of our mouths! The truth is that our lives have likely been far more impacted by the witness of Christlike lives than by the mere words anyone ever spoke to us!

In my elementary years in the Summit Street Church of the Nazarene in Findlay, Ohio (where my dad pastored), I often was instructed by a dear older lady who loved kids. Mrs. Luse taught us Bible stories and coached us in memorizing so much of the Bible. She spent hours with us—and who knows how many hours in preparations for her lessons! She was a phenomenal children’s worker! But even still, it was her life that made such an impact on me! It was her love and compassion and integrity, and the fact that she was Christlike in so many ways, that made such a mark on my young life!

Family dynamics are interesting, aren’t they? No one knows us quite like our family knows us! Of course, that can be good and that can be bad! I know that much of my foundational learning of the ways of the Lord came from my parents, but I can also tell you that what impacted my life the most was watching how they lived life: how they lived out their priorities, how they responded under pressure, how the major decisions in life were guided by the Lord, how we experienced unconditional love from them, how we heard the expression of their hearts in prayer.

As the Lord has discipled me across the years, I’ve studied a lot and heard a lot of sermons and even earned a few more degrees, but I cannot overstate the impact and influence of godly lives upon my life! The testimony of Christlike lives has impacted me more than I can tell you. I’d start to name the people for you, but it would take too long—but what I can tell you is that I have watched the lives of people who were empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in ways that go beyond the goodness of mere human potential. These people lived Christlike lives, even when life wasn’t easy for them—and I am absolutely convinced that when Jesus said that we would be His witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth, that He was referring not just to the words that would come out of our mouths but also the witness and testimony of our very lives!

We must have the power of the Holy Spirit for the effective witness of our words and of our lives! Our lives need to back up our spoken testimony! We dare not hinder the work of the Lord in this world by matching our lives with the words we speak! And yet the challenge is so great!—and so impossible on our own! We can’t pull off that kind of godliness by just trying hard enough to be good—trying to think the right thoughts and say the right words (and not say the wrong ones!) and do the right things (and not do the things that disappoint and grieve the Lord)!

But, thanks be to God!—The power of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon those who yield themselves to Him! He accomplishes in our lives what we are otherwise powerless to do! It is His work within us and His work through us that makes the difference! We can experience the power of Pentecost in our lives today—as we yield ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in and over our lives! God has poured out His Holy Spirit upon His Church—and those who call upon Him today are empowered by the Holy Spirit for godly living and effective witness in our world today!

I was struck this week with a statement from 2 Peter 1:3. It seems to sum up and affirm what we’ve been getting at today—the ever-present resources of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Here’s what it says—
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness…(2 Peter 1:3)
Repeat that with me, would you? That’s the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives—and we’re desperate for it! Oh, but God’s so anxious to pour out His Spirit upon us and empower us for godly living and effective witness in our world. And it’s fitting and right and good for us to call upon the Lord and ask Him to pour out His Spirit upon us in this way, to remove from our hearts and our lives anything that would keep His Spirit from having full control of our lives. I want to encourage you to join me in praying that prayer this morning…

Pastor Paul’s Blog

I’ve always been drawn to study the apostle Paul in the Bible, maybe because he is my namesake. Recently, it’s been his humility that has stood out to me. Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible. In chapter three of that book the apostle Paul begins by telling us of all the reasons that he could put confidence in himself. He lists his pedigree and his accomplishments in verses 4b-6. In verses 7-11 he tells us that all those accomplishments are considered as rubbish to him, “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Then in verses 12-14 he tells us that not only does he consider his churchy pedigree to be a loss, but he is in pursuit of Christ just as an athlete pursues a prize at the end of a race. Did you know that the apostle Paul was in his early to mid 60’s when he wrote this book? He’d already been on numerous missionary journeys. What more was there to pursue? If there was anyone who knew Christ and what the whole “Christian” thing was all about, it was the apostle Paul.

Lately I’ve begun to understand more and more of what the apostle Paul was experiencing and feeling. I think one of the main contributing factors is that Kim and I now have two teens living in our house. If anyone knows who they belong to please call . . . . (just kidding, we love all of our children).

I used to think that I had a pretty good handle on what being a Christian was all about, but more and more in my journey I’m realizing that I really know very little. Fortunately, I’ve also realized that it’s not about what I know, but it’s all about Who I know (Philippians 3:10-11). When I think back over my journey with Christ, it’s been in those moments when I felt completely lacking and had no confidence in my abilities that, through my obedience, Christ was able to use me, and through His grace, he made something beautiful out of what I thought would be a train wreck. I’m learning more and more to see the circumstances of life through the lenses of Christ’s love and grace and the possibilities of what He can do. My prayer for you today is that you would be able to relax from the worry and stress of feeling like you need to have all the answers or possess all the ability to fix the problems you face. I pray that you would rest in the knowledge that your simple obedience is all that is required and you will be able to “. . . do everything through (Christ) who gives (you) strength.” Philippians 4:13.

Pastor Paul

May 16, 2010 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE ULTIMATE CHARACTER BUILDER
Galatians 5:13-26
Sixth in series: “Are You Filled?”
May 16, 2010

Many of you are aware that some of us were involved in what is called our District Assembly this week in Nampa. It’s an annual gathering of the 50+ churches that comprise the Intermountain District of the Church of the Nazarene. And if it were just meetings, there wouldn’t be much inspiration to it, but what I find most encouraging are what some people call “the God stories” that we get to hear—of how Christ has transformed people’s lives across our district this year.

Wednesday evening we heard and saw some of the testimonies of people in the Nampa area who have found Christ and found new hope and new freedom through a ministry called Celebrate Recovery. Like the cardboard testimonies we had at Valley Shepherd on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, there was quite a parade of cardboard testimonies shared—where people would walk to the front and center of the sanctuary and display for all to see a cardboard sign that proclaimed how things once were, and then turn the simple piece of cardboard around to show how Christ had changed them. And their broad smiles as they proudly displayed the simple truth of how Jesus Christ had changed their lives was a wonderful thing to witness! We saw simple testimonies like:
• Hopelessly addicted to drugs—Now I’m free!
• Lonely and depressed—I am loved!
• Unfaithful—Restored
All the while we were hearing a Celebrate Recovery worship band playing and singing the song “I Am Free!” I turned to Marge Carman, who was sitting next to me, and mused, “This is the revised version of the old song ‘Hallelujah! I Am Free!’”

And if there were an overall theme in that part of the service it was the wonderful theme of “freedom”—freedom from the chains of our past, freedom from the demons within that seem to torture so many, and most important, freedom from sin that destroys! And if you had missed the messages on the cardboard signs, what you couldn’t miss was the glowing countenance of the people who came to share their silent testimony in simple words that evening—and what you could see in their faces is that Christ had set them free!

This morning we’re continuing in our series of sermons called, “Are You Filled?” on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Look with me at Galatians 5, beginning at verse 13—
[Read Galatians 5:13-26, TNIV]
And may I simply go back to the beginning of this passage again and remind you of Paul’s words—“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free.”

There are those who think that freedom is the right to do whatever you want to do—with no judgment and no condemnation for the choices you make. But I’d dare to say that those who had found life-changing help through Celebrate Recovery programs would dare to differ with you on that. Their license to do whatever they wanted to do, complicated by the license others also took to do whatever they wanted to do, had only brought bondage into the lives of the people sharing their testimonies! There’s no freedom in addictions! There’s no freedom in life when the wounds and hurts of our pasts are still eating us up on the inside! There’s no freedom in life when sin has control of us! And part of the problem is that the ramifications of sin are always destructive. And if you think that you can dabble with just a little bit of sin and not have it impact you, understand that sin will always take you further than you want to go!

But the Good News of the Gospel is that God has something better for every one of us! He wants to set us free! He wants to set us free from the sins of our past! He wants to set us free from guilt and shame and despair and hopelessness! He wants to set us free to live each day with confidence and hope and joy!

But as this passage makes clear, there is an enemy to this freedom—and it’s an enemy we need to face. There’s a conflict here—a major conflict! Paul is presenting a problem that has to be dealt with. It’s like the line from the movie “Apollo 13”—“Houston, we have a problem.” And the problem is that there is a battle going on within each of us for domination of our lives. We’re being pulled in two different directions at the same time—two opposing directions! And the question which we each have to face is this: Will we allow our sinful nature to dominate our lives or will we allow the Holy Spirit to dominate our lives? And what this passage from Galatians makes clear is that we can’t go both directions at the same time—any more than you can drive up Meridian highway and get to Highway 84 and head to Nampa and to Boise at the same time. You’ve got to decide which way you’re going to point your car, and whichever way you point your car, that will determine where you end up!

Now, please understand that this verse is not a description of equal forces combating each other, with no assurance of which can overpower the other. While our temptation to sin will continue to peck away at us, the Apostle Paul has no doubts at all about the fact that the Spirit of God has the upper hand! Paul is certain who will emerge triumphant—and we too can be certain if we “walk in the Spirit”! We don’t have to let our sinful nature control us—but we can only go a different direction if we live our lives under the authority and under the power of the Holy Spirit. And when we are in fellowship with God’s Holy Spirit, He continues to shape us into the kind of persons who overcome and rise above the sinful desires which—without God in our lives—will lead us down a path of destruction.

But the struggle is an ongoing one. Contrary to how we’ve sometimes painted the Spirit-filled life, the battle is not won overnight. Though we may win the victory in an initial, genuine and complete commitment of our lives to Christ, the war continues because we are still living our lives in human bodies and are exposed to the kingdom of darkness and sin every day. We’re tempted—and the Enemy is trying to defeat us!

Paul says that we are called to be free—every person is called to live a life of freedom in Jesus Christ. But he also says that we need to make sure that we don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever we want to do—that would destroy our freedom! Kids, you may at times wish you could get free from your parents’ control over your lives and from people telling you what to do! It’s part of our human nature to want to do our own thing—but the lie of the Enemy of our souls is that that’s the way to be free. But I’m guessing that if the people who shared their brief testimonies on Wednesday were here to sit down and talk with us, we’d learn that the freedom to do whatever we want to do at the moment is what led them into terrible bondage! And it’s the untold truth about sin—it never produces what it promises! And it never produces what it promises because Satan is a liar! He’s not out to bring meaning and significance and purpose and joy into our lives; he’s out to destroy us—and that’s exactly what sins does. It destroys our lives.

So Paul begins a little catalog of the sinful desires that destroy us. It’s not meant to be an exhaustive list, but it paints the broad picture of the battle going on. He wrote,
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21, TNIV)
If we allow our lives to be dominated by our own sinful desires, this is what will be produced in our lives!

Let’s talk about these. To give you another glimpse at the overall picture, let me read this passage as it is paraphrased in The Message:
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or to be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lop-sided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. (Galatians 5:19-21, The Message)

The picture certainly isn’t pretty, is it? Paul pretty well described what is wrong in our world, didn’t he?—
• the perversion of sex and the way such perversion destroys lives,
• the undisciplined lifestyle of serving self and all of our selfish desires,
• allowing things to take the place of God in our lives,
• the human effort to control God, to try to make God fit into our plan and to do what we want Him to do,
• relationships gone ugly because people are consumed with self-centeredness and don’t know how to love
• lives wrecked and homes destroyed by the effects of alcohol and carousing.
And Paul minces no words in concluding that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Clearly, if we choose to allow our lives to be dominated by our sinful desires—by our temptations, by what are sometimes called the desires of our human nature—we will reap the results of messed-up lives. And, unfortunately, because of the way sin works, we’ll mess up other people’s lives along the way, too. If we use the freedom God gives to us to pursue our sinful desires, the messed-up lives described for us in these verses is exactly what our lives will look like! And the picture is never pretty—and it does not lead to heaven—on earth or beyond this world. Living a life of sin takes us a totally different direction.

But thanks to the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it doesn’t have to be that way! That’s where our freedom comes in! The people whose testimonies we heard this past week had discovered new freedom from all the bondage of sin. Through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the life of the follower of Jesus, we can be set free from the train-wrecks of sin. If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, God’s Holy Spirit has already come to you—and now He wants to teach you how to live “in the Spirit”! The Holy Spirit is at work in our lives to help us not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk! And what the Spirit of God produces in our lives is so much better than what our sinful nature will produce if we allow it to dominate us.

Paul described it as “the fruit of the Spirit”—and then he goes on to give a listing of what that looks like and what kind of character traits are produced in our lives if we walk in fellowship with God’s Holy Spirit. Make no mistake about it: it’s not the fruit of our own goodness, nor what we produce if we simply try hard enough. These virtues can only be produced in our lives if we are allowing the Holy Spirit to have full control of our lives—to have full reign in shaping us to be who God designed for us to be and desires for us to become!

I like the concept of it being “fruit” of the Spirit. I can understand that—even though I don’t understand a lot about the science of how fruit is produced. Last week I had some fun in talking about my older brothers—who loved to tease me when we were all younger by trying to convince me that I was adopted, and went on to say that it was surely because my brothers could tell from my stellar good looks that we weren’t genetically related! But if you were here, you heard someone speak out, saying “No! You and Larry look too much alike!” I hadn’t met Fred Slonaker before, but he knows my brother Larry well—they’ve been prayer partners for several years in Wenatchee, Washington. I met Fred after the service and laughed with him, telling him that the middle brother Steve and I have mused that our oldest brother Larry has always been the best looking of us all and that, disgustingly enough, he looks younger than either Steve or me. Steve and I contend that it’s because Larry, who is a plant pathologist by profession, has spent his life dealing with first peaches and now apples—while Steve and I have spent our lives dealing with people!

My brother Larry could explain more to us than most of us could comprehend about the whole fruit industry. It’s really amazing! He’s a brilliant guy! But my knowledge of fruit is good enough for this conversation, because in all my academic pursuits, I have learned the great truth that apple trees produce apples and peach trees produce peaches. Aren’t you impressed with my knowledge?!

And Paul is saying that letting our sinful nature control our lives produces messed up, sinful, self-serving, people-destroying, God-dishonoring lives. But…the life controlled by the Holy Spirit produces something altogether different and, oh so wonderful! The product of the Presence and control of the Holy Spirit in our lives cultivates some beautiful and fascinating character traits called the The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control. Just as fruit appear in an orchard, the Holy Spirit brings gifts into our lives—things like a Christlike compassion for others, an exuberance about life that supercedes our circumstances, and a peace and serenity despite the sometimes harsh realities of life. The Spirit also cultivates within us a willingness to stick with things, a graciousness in responding to people’s needs and an integrity of heart which offers comfort to those afflicted by the pain and heartaches of life. The fruit of the Spirit fosters loyalty in commitments, a gentleness in not needing to force our way in life, and the ability to direct and channel our energies and resources wisely. The Fruit of the Spirit are the outward expressions of Christ dwelling within us.
Powerfully and surely the Spirit works—sometimes dramatically; sometimes slowly, almost imperceptibly—in our lives to repeat the miracle of a new creation in Christ Jesus. (Maxie D. Dunnam)

And it is a miracle, isn’t it? Because left to our devises and resources, we’re pretty much helpless not to go the way of our sinful nature—messing up our lives and the lives of others, and, most significantly, turning our backs on the very One who is equipped to help us and wants us to experience a better way! But with the power of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, He creates in us that which we could never produce on our own! And it’s awesome!

This week we heard a video testimony of Sherri—a lady in Nampa whose life had been radically transformed and redeemed. And then Sherri was introduced to the crowd, and as she came to the front, I was struck with the reality that Sherri looked so much younger now! I remember my friend John who was saved quite a few years ago now. He was my age, but looked so much older back then because of the wear and tear of sin in his life. But as the years unfolded, he started looking younger and younger, as the Holy Spirit produced His fruit in John’s life!

The Apostle Paul said about the Fruit of the Spirit—“Against such things there is no law.” In other words, legalism is helpless in bringing about the Fruit of the Spirit. Legalism just gets in the way! We can’t just legislate to ourselves or to others the character of Christ reflected in the Fruit of the Spirit—but neither are we to use our freedom as an excuse to do whatever we want to do! We can’t just force ourselves to become like Christ in character. Someone is needed to help us—and that Someone is the Holy Spirit! And the best news of the day is that the Holy Spirit is as anxious to work in our lives as we are desperate for Him to do so!

Which catalog of character traits in this Galatians passage describes the person you want to become? Which listing—the acts of the sinful nature or the Fruit of the Spirit—describe the journey of life which you want to be on? I hope it’s the Fruit of the Spirit. And how are you going to get there? Not on your own, that’s for sure! You’re going to need the Holy Spirit to be in control of your life—or you’ll go the way of the sinful nature! You’re going to need to allow the Spirit of God to be front and center in your life. You’re going to need what He alone can do in you and for you. The Fruit of the Spirit is not the fruit of human potential—it’s the fruit of God’s Spirit in the driver’s seat in our hearts and lives.

Are you filled? Are you allowing the Holy Spirit control of your life? Have you let go of the steering wheel of your life and are you letting Him work in you? If not, why not? And if not, why not turn that over to Him this morning? We need what only He can offer—and He’s anxious to give it to us!

May 9, 2010 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE FAMILY BLESSING
Romans 8:14-17
May 9, 2010
Fifth in Series: “Are You Filled?”

It’s Mother’s Day, and my mind quickly turns to think of a lady who’s been known, when asked her name, to smile this bright, winsome smile and say, “My name’s Lucy Pusey.” And while that’s the name she’s had for nearly 60 years now, I’ve just always preferred to call her “Mom.” A long time ago I saw a card that said something like, “My dad would give you the shirt off his back, and my mom would iron it for you!” That pretty well paints the picture of my parents—and the older I get the more blessed I have come to realize that I am to have parents like that.

And while I know it isn’t the case with every family, I can tell you that I have never seriously questioned my sense of belonging within our family. Never have I had to question whether my parents loved me. I don’t think I can qualify in any responsible sense of how they fostered within me that sense of belonging, but I can certainly tell you that they did. I haven’t lived at their home for 37 years now—I went to college at the age of 17 and never had occasion to live at home thereafter for any longer than weeks at a time. But if I were to step into their house in Elizabethtown, Kentucky this afternoon, I can tell you that I’d feel at home—because I belong! They’ve made my wife and my children feel at home—and in a couple of months they’ll welcome my grandchildren too! There’s just this sense that we’re family—and when you’re family, you belong.

We’re knee-deep in a sermon series I’ve called, “Are You Filled?”—focusing on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Today we’re going to look at a passage in Romans, chapter 8—and the fact that it’s a family day like Mother’s Day just helps to make the point better, because what this passage tells us is that the Holy Spirit confirms our role in God’s family as His sons and daughters. Just as my parents affirmed me for my role in the family as a cherished son, so the Holy Spirit affirms for every child of God our role in His family. It’s a significant role of the Holy Spirit—and something that becomes incredibly significant to each of us—to know that we belong in God’s family.

Look with me at Romans 8:14—
[Read Romans 8:14-17, TNIV]

The Holy Spirit confirms for the believer the reality of our position as a son or daughter of God—and it’s based on our adoption into the heavenly family. The Apostle Paul is speaking of us here as God’s children—sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father. He describes us as “heirs.” He encourages us to call out to our Heavenly Father in a familial way—“Abba, Father”—which translated into today’s English would be like us praying to God and calling Him “Daddy.” It’s clear that when Paul thinks of believers in Jesus Christ, he is thinking of the life of the believer in terms of the divine family relationship. God sees us as His children—His kids! And He wants us to enjoy being in His presence and He wants us to feel secure in His resources—just like a good parent wants their children to feel confident of their role in the family and secure that the parents will provide for them.

But this can all seem so abstract, can’t it? So unreal! So intangible! So mysterious! That’s exactly why our Heavenly Father comes to us through His Holy Spirit and reassures us of our role in His family. He knows how important it is for us to feel secure in that relationship. The Holy Spirit bears witness to our hearts that we are God’s children—it’s a significant role of the Holy Spirit in our lives! And like we talked about last week in regards to hearing the Spirit’s words of guidance and direction, it’s not often an audible voice we hear affirming our role in God’s family. It’s more of an inner witness—heart to heart.

Paul says we’ve been adopted into God’s family. That’s kind of an interesting way to put it, isn’t it? I suppose when we honestly consider our sinful selves, we can easily see that we don’t naturally bear a family resemblance to the Holy God! But according to Scripture, God has chosen to adopt us into His family—with all the rights and privileges and blessings of being natural-born children. When we accept the forgiveness that God offers to us, He cleanses us from our sins and makes us new creatures in Christ. Sometimes that’s been described as our lives being “redeemed.” Another way that it’s described is that we’re “adopted” into God’s family.

As the youngest of three boys, I remember times when my older brothers would tease me and try to convince me that I was adopted. I’m sure it was a matter that they looked in the mirror and looked at me and somehow knew that there could be no genetic connection between my stellar good looks and the likes of them! (Oh, you don’t think that’s how it was, huh?!) It probably had a lot more to do with the fact that they’re both more quiet and reserved and they weren’t always sure what to do with their loud-mouthed little brother!

But when I think back to that boyhood teasing, I have to admit that “adoption” had negative overtones to it—and I’ve come to see the real beauty in adoption. There were a few families in our congregation in Kansas City who lived out a real passion for adopting orphaned children—and “bringing them home,” as they loved to say. It became a real ministry in that church—and we watched as several families embraced little ones from far corners of the world and enfolded them into the love and care of their homes. It was really a cool thing to see!

Some of you may have gotten to meet the couple who sang at Krista and Josh’s wedding last summer—Roger and Joy Allen. Roger was on our pastoral staff in Kansas City and he and his wife Joy and their kids have been treasured friends of ours. Roger and Joy have two very blond, fair-skinned girls and then a couple of years ago added to their family a very dark-haired, brown-skinned little guy from Viet Nam. And if you had a chance to watch them, it would be apparent that little Camdahn is every bit as loved as his big sisters! He may have been adopted, but he’s every bit as much a part of that family as Kaleigh and Emma!

God has embraced us with such a familial love. When He forgives our sins and redeems our lives, He fully adopts us into His love and care. There is absolutely no need and no reason for any one of us to ever feel somehow “second-class” in the eyes of God! And it doesn’t matter at all what we may have done before coming to Christ or how we had lived our lives! Once adopted, we’re His sons and daughters—and we’re to rest assured and to be confident in that relationship! And it’s the Holy Spirit that comes alongside us to give us that assurance.

And to be honest, I can’t adequately explain how the Holy Spirit accomplishes that any more than I can adequately explain how my parents have made me feel loved and secured within the context of my relationship to them as a son. But I can speak of it just as confidently! I am a child of God! I belong to Him! I am at home with Him!

I’m told that in the first century in which Paul wrote these words, the term “adoption” was actually reflective of a position of great status and privilege. It didn’t hint at all of a somehow inferior relational position! The one who was adopted was so honored because of the choice of the adopting parents—so that the adopted son or daughter didn’t feel inferior in any way, but saw themselves as highly privileged. Some adoptive parents have expressed this same dynamic to their adopted children in explaining that while their other children were born to them, they chose the adopted child.

I suppose that how this spiritual adoption process works and exactly how the Holy Spirit confirms our role as sons and daughters of God is a mystery we’ll never comprehend this side of heaven. But we dare not miss out on the wonder of the relationship just because the mechanics of it may be beyond our comprehension. I enjoy using my computer all the time—but those who know me well know that I understand precious little about what makes it work! We dare not discount the significance of our role as God’s children, adopted into His family, just because we can’t fully comprehend the mechanics of how that takes place!

In our brief passage from Romans this morning, the Apostle Paul used another analogy to help us understand the marvelous relationship every believer can enjoy with our Heavenly Father. This analogy is one of contrasts—making it clear that we are not slaves, but rather sons and daughters.

Slaves live in fear—it’s an awful thing, with dynamics we don’t ever want to experience…and it’s something we want all people to be free from! I saw a really disturbing movie awhile back which put the treatment of slaves back in the 1800’s in such a horrific light that I still shudder to think of it! It’s hard for me to even imagine the kind of fear with which they lived—especially when they were herded away from their families and their villages like animals and shipped across the ocean under such inhumane conditions. And once sold, many lived in fear of their masters for the rest of their lives.

Paul said,
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15, TNIV)
“Abba, Father” is an affectionate expression—like us calling God, “Daddy,” as I said before. Jesus Himself used the word in His agonizing prayer to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane, as He anticipated His arrest and crucifixion. We certainly don’t question Jesus’ right to call His Heavenly Father by such a term, but Paul is saying that as children of the Heavenly Father, we can call out to Him in such a way too! We do not need to cower from our Heavenly Father! We can run to Him!

There is a big difference between the experience of the person who acts out of fear and the experience of the person who responds as a son who knows that he’s loved. Fear fosters all kinds of phobias and paranoia—let alone the anger it incites.

But in contrast, a son who embraces his role as a son dearly loved and cherished, does not need to live in fear! Because he’s loved and because of the relationship in which he is secure, he gladly accepts the role of a son—even the responsibilities that come with it and the submission to authority which is necessary in the parent/child relationship. You see, the truth is that there is great freedom for the son or daughter who understands fully that they are loved and cherished and are confident of their relationship with their Father. And part of the significance of that freedom is the freedom from fear! The son who is confident of his position in the family as a cherished son does not spend his days cowering in fear, but rather moves about freely, carrying out that role with a great sense of freedom.

I’ve always loved the words that Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter to him—
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
(2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)
Paul didn’t specify in his letter to the Romans the fears to which they were susceptible, but they were no doubt similar to those which Timothy had experienced. Timothy’s natural inclination to timidity, his hesitancy to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ boldly, and his temptation to disassociate himself from Paul the prisoner were all products of his natural fears—which kept him bound by his own chains!—chains from which the Holy Spirit wanted to release Timothy! And, like us, Timothy was being forced to decide whether his life would be ruled by his fears or whether his fears would be overruled by his response to the Spirit’s leading. Clearly, the Holy Spirit wanted to set Timothy free in order that He might thrive in the ministry being entrusted to Him by the Heavenly Father.

One of the things about being adopted was the assurance of being in line for an inheritance. Paul describes us as God’s sons and daughters, “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.” We’re in line to receive a full share of the heavenly inheritance—all the blessings that God has in store for His children!

Cindy and I are in the process of updating our wills. We were prompted to this by the Legacy workshops held here recently by Bob Crew, who is with the Church of the Nazarene Foundation. If you’ve not yet acted on this, I hope you’ll commit to doing so—it really is a matter of being faithful stewards of all God provides for us! I know that many don’t ever want to talk about such things, but the as Christians we don’t need to be afraid of death! And when you consider that 70% of people die without any kind of estate plan and that the resources they’ve gathered throughout their lives will be dispersed in a manner determined not by themselves but by the government, I would think that Christians would recognize that it’s just wise to take care of such things. And I’d sure be glad to put you in touch with someone who can help you get going on this if you’re interested.

Listen again to verse 17—
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17, TNIV)
In redoing our will and our estate planning, Cindy and I have looked primarily at financial assets. My sense is that when Paul is speaking of us being heirs of God that He’s speaking of something far more significant. Peter, in 1 Peter 1:4, spoke of “an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.” It supercedes any kind of tangible inheritance we may leave our children or others. We are partakers now, to some degree, in all of the vast resources of our Heavenly Father—and when this life is over, we’ll receive the fullness of such blessings! It’s the kind of inheritance on which you cannot put a price tag!

While it’s true that earthly parents eventually die and may have resources to leave to their children, it’s certainly true that God will never die!—so there is some limit to the analogy Paul is using here. But I think he made his point well!

Someone asked me this week what it means that we are “co-heirs with Christ”—“joint heirs with Jesus,” as the gospel song put it. While we might struggle to understand how we are heirs to God, we don’t have as much confusion about how Jesus is an heir to the Heavenly Father. Scripture declares that Jesus will be clothed with the glory that was His before the worlds were created. And so if we’re “co-heirs,” it means that in some way we will not only see Christ’s glory but also share in it too—of course, not by our own merit, but by God’s grace! And isn’t that the reality of any inheritance—it’s not earned, but rather it’s a gift of sorts. And so it is with God’s marvelous grace!

How do we share in Christ’s sufferings? We know that throughout the ages, many Christians have been severely persecuted for their faith—and it’s happening in different corners of our world today. In some lesser ways, we experience it when we feel shunned by those who do not understand our faith or why we live the way we do. But there is no doubt resistance experienced out in our everyday world when we fully embrace Jesus Christ. It’s not our personal glory that’s the issue or the real irritator of the world—but rather the glory of Jesus Christ. And it might not be too far off to relate the dynamics to that of what is suddenly brought about in a seemingly average person’s life when they marry a famous celebrity—they find themselves under constant spotlight and scrutiny as well. But whatever the price we must pay, it is not without reward, for all of God’s blessings are poured out upon our lives—now and forevermore! It’s the promise He makes for every one of His sons and daughters!

I’m wondering this morning if the Holy Spirit has affirmed for you your role as a child of the Heavenly Father. I’m wondering if there might be those who need to hear it again today. I believe that He delights in ministering to us in this way—and I want to pray this morning that every believer in this room would have the assurance before you leave today that you belong to God’s family.

Pastor Tim’s Blog

A LIFE WELL LIVED

Cindy and I and our kids have been reflecting recently on the impact of a dear and cherished friend upon our lives—her name is Pat. She went to be with Jesus several weeks ago now, and while it’s been quite a while since we’ve been able to be with her, we somehow miss her terribly these days! While we’re saddened by her death, our spirits are brightened by the reality that she’s in a much better place now and that someday we’ll share laughter with her once again.

Bill and Pat welcomed our family into their home and into their hearts as family. We laughed together a lot—and shared tears too. They somehow broke past the barrier of seeing us merely as their “pastor and wife” and chose to embrace us as “Tim and Cindy”—loving us and caring for us as friends. They warmed our hearts and encouraged us. Sometimes I think Pat carried the weight of our burdens heavier than we did—for Pat was one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever known!

Their home was a place of love. Coming out of rather dysfunctional families, Bill and Pat were clearly deeply committed to their family and to making their home different than what they’d known growing up—and it was! But they also knew how to enfold others into the warmth of their home.

During our eleven years serving the wonderful people of the Bedford Church, we spent nearly every Christmas Eve at Bill and Pat’s home—along with several other families. It was a cherished tradition for every member of our family. Pat just knew how to make people feel comfortable in her home—and I can still see her face beaming with joy just in seeing that others were so much enjoying being together. The party wouldn’t begin until after we’d had one or two Christmas Eve services—and by the time we’d leave their home it would be late on Christmas Eve—but it was for all those years one of our favorite and most cherished traditions, evenings we never wanted to have end—a tradition that we sorely missed in the years after we left Bedford.

I particularly remember the way Pat’s compassion compelled her to provide love and care for some of the elderly people of the church—particularly those who had no one else who could offer such care for them. I wish I had a dollar for every time Pat transported someone to a doctor’s office! Over the ten or eleven years that the need existed, she and Bill provided transportation hundreds of times (maybe thousands!) for Hazel Congalton to make her daily trek to the nursing home to see her husband John. When Roselyn Sherman needed 24-hour care late in her life, it was Pat who took Roselyn into her home and cared for her as a loving daughter would treat her mother. Pat did the same with Patty Wise—and those who knew the three ladies I just mentioned would kindly but honestly admit that each one could be particularly challenging in her own way! Who else but Pat would do such a thing for others?! And even before Pat took a couple of them into her home, when there were physical crises that prompted a late night trip to the ER and I’d go to the hospital first thing in the morning to check on them, invariably Pat would be sitting in a chair next to the bed, not wanting them to wake up and think they were alone. She’d do this without complaint, even though she was often dealing with her own physical pain. Her deep sense of compassion for others was at one time her greatest personal strength and that which brought more pain into her life—because she cared so deeply and so much wanted others to feel loved.

Pat had a thing for angels. She and I had some personal fun with a beautiful gold cherub that sat in her home early in our years at Bedford. I teased her about having a naked angel in her house, so before we left that time, I gave it some discreet covering (with toilet paper, to be specific!). On some occasion thereafter, I received as an “anonymous” gift the gold cherub in another state of creative dress. It began to make its rounds—and was eventually returned to our family upon our farewell at Bedford. It sits in our dining room today (fully unclothed!) and is a constant reminder to Cindy and me of one with whom we shared such wonderful love and delightful laughter!

Pat was a crafty sort of person—in that she enjoyed making things with her hands! And it seemed to be an annual tradition for her to decorate her Christmas tree with angels she had made. And every year she made a different kind of angel and asked every person—young and old—who came to their home Christmas Eve to take one of her newly made angels home with them. So it would be no surprise to you that our Christmas tree every year has lots of angels on it to remind us of one who was such an angel to us in so many ways.

It’s no secret that Pat struggled in recent years in ways that baffled those of us who knew her best. When I last saw her four years ago, it broke my heart that the sparkle was no longer in her eyes. I knew that something we could not explain had stolen the Pat we knew and loved. But I have confidence that the sparkle is back in her eyes today—that she is healthy and whole! And I somehow see her waiting near the gates of heaven to give us each a warm embrace and a glass of lemonade when we finally make our way there too. It’ll be good to see you, again, Pat!

May the Lord inspire us to love others as Pat did. May we be a blessing to others as she so often was to our family! May we see the hurting and the lonely as she did, and find ways to address their needs. May we learn to give of ourselves—even inconveniencing ourselves!—in order to respond to the needs of people around us. Somehow, it seems to me that this is exactly what Jesus would do…

On the journey with you,

Pastor Tim

May 2, 2010 Pastor Tim Pusey

THE PERSONAL VOICE OF GOD
Isaiah 61:1-3
Fourth in series: “Are You Filled?”
May 2, 2010

[Call children up for Children’s Sermon]

One of my favorite stories from the Old Testament comes from the 3rd chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. Samuel became a great leader that God used in tremendous ways, and it all began when he was a boy. He had been a miracle baby—born to a woman who had been unable to have a child. His mother Hannah was so grateful to God for her son that she committed to God that her son Samuel would serve the Lord all the days of his life. Her way of carrying that out was for Samuel to grow up at their center of worship—the temple, offering assistance to the priests day by day even when he was a child.

Eli was the priest in charge, and he was getting up in years. One night, when little Samuel was lying in his bed, the Lord called out to him. Samuel assumed Eli was calling him, so he went to where Eli was and said, “I heard you call—here I am!” Eli responded, “I did not call you, Samuel—go back to bed!” Again, Samuel heard the Lord call out to him, but he still hadn’t figured out that it was God speaking to him, so he went again to Eli, saying, “I heard you call—here I am!” But again Eli said, “I did not call you, son—now please go back to bed!” But a third time Samuel heard the Lord call out to him, and again, assuming it was Eli, he went a third time to Eli’s bedside saying, “I heard you call—here I am!”

Now we have a granddaughter who stays over at our house sometimes—and helping her learn to stay in her bed has been a real trick! And at first glance, you’d think that Eli was probably getting pretty perturbed by little Samuel’s middle-of-the-night interruptions, but that wasn’t what happened. Instead, it suddenly hit Eli that maybe God was calling out to the boy. And so he told Samuel to go back to bed, but if he heard someone calling out to him again, to simply stay there and say, “Speak, Lord, for I’m your servant and I’m ready to listen.” Samuel went back to bed, and, sure enough, he heard someone calling out to him again—“Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel did as Eli had told him, and said, “Speak, Lord, for I’m your servant and I’m ready to listen.” And it was then that the Lord began for the first time to spell out some things for Samuel—things that he was to share with others, things that would have a big impact not only on Samuel’s life, but on the lives of others. This was the beginning of Samuel’s ministry as a leader—and it would have huge impact upon many people as Samuel continued to listen to the Lord!

There have been lots of people who have somehow sensed God calling out to them—and a lot of them first heard God calling out to them when they were children. This morning we’re going to be talking about how God sometimes speaks to us personally through His Holy Spirit—and how each of us needs to learn to listen. Oh, I think few people have heard an audible voice, like you’re hearing my voice right now, but it’s almost as clear. And if and when that happens to you, don’t be afraid of God’s voice to you, and don’t hesitate to do what God asks you to do. Samuel’s response wouldn’t be a bad one for each of us—to simply say to the Lord something like, “Speak, Lord, for I’m your servant and I’m ready to listen.”

[Prayer for the kids; then have them sit with parents]

This is the fourth Sunday now in our sermon series, “Are You Filled?” on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Today we’re going to look at another Old Testament passage—this time from the book of Isaiah, chapter 61. The book of Isaiah is one of the books of the prophets—one of the means by which God spoke to His people many years ago. In this particular book, the writer proclaims that God is sick and tired of the people’s hypocrisy. It was clearly a message of correction! In a stinging rebuke, God reveals their fate, but the latter part of the book turns the corner and declares that God will hear the cries of His people and proclaims that there will eventually be a brighter future—and Isaiah begins to speak of the Savior Who will be sent to them—the Messiah.

Let’s read Isaiah 61:1-3—
[Read Isaiah 61:1-3, NIV]

Let’s talk about this passage. What does it mean? Who is speaking? Was it about himself that Isaiah said, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me”?

In most of Isaiah’s prophecies, as is the case in most Old Testament books of prophecy, there is a primary and a secondary meaning. Another way of saying this is that there is something far off spoken of that is illustrated by something that is near to them, taking place before them, in their place and time. In this case, the prophet is speaking of God’s personal call upon him—to proclaim good news of hope and encouragement that God will eventually turn the tables on the circumstances of the Israelites. God has not forgotten them and He will redeem them from their captivity in Babylon and return them to the land they love.

But if we fast-forward several centuries, it becomes apparent that in an even greater sense, Isaiah was looking ahead to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In fact, it’s evident from Luke 4:18 that Jesus identified Himself with these exact words. When Jesus preached His first sermon in Nazareth, the text He read was the first couple of verses of Isaiah chapter 61! He went into the synagogue, chose this passage of scripture and began to read it out loud—
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)
Then Jesus rolled up the scroll and began to speak to them, saying, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus certainly believed that this passage was ultimately about Him. He saw in these words His calling and His purpose—the mission entrusted to Him, the mission for which He was anointed by the Holy Spirit. So while the original speaker may have been Isaiah, in another sense Isaiah was looking ahead to Jesus, who would bring Good News to the people. Our passage from Isaiah 61 was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus.

But the more I have studied this passage, the more convinced I am that it goes even further than that. If this describes the Spirit-anointed mission of Jesus, would it not also describe the Spirit-anointed mission entrusted to every follower of Jesus Christ? If these words define the mission of Jesus Christ and if Christ’s Church is devoted to following Jesus, then these words define our mission. And if I am personally devoted to following Jesus, this becomes my personal calling in life too, right? And I might note that our local church’s mission statement isn’t a bad summary of this: Passion for God—Compassion for People.

And in the same sense that it was “the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord”—the Holy Spirit—Who compelled Isaiah and Who defined Christ’s mission, so it is the Holy Spirit Who guides us and keeps us on task with our mission! And it is His anointing that we seek as we endeavor to carry it out. Does that make sense? That’s why Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to the Early Church as Jesus anticipated His ascension into heaven and His Church being launched to carry out His work in this world. Jesus knew that His Church would need the anointing of the Holy Spirit if they would have any hope of carrying out His mission in this world. So the question I want to get to this morning is this: What might it mean for you and me to have the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord upon us?

In many ways, we experience the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord upon us as the thumb of God in our backs, prompting our service and our ministry to others. Whereas last week we talked about the disturbing role of the Holy Spirit in our lives, convicting us of sin, this is the personal voice of God sending us out on the mission God has for us. In this way, the Holy Spirit commissions us for our work and guides us in carrying it out.

It’s like the scene from Acts chapter 9, where we read of the Lord speaking to a follower of Christ named Ananias. And like Samuel learned to do years before, Ananias recognized that it was the Lord speaking to him and simply said, “Yes, Lord!” The Lord had a special assignment for Ananias—one that wouldn’t make sense initially to Ananias and likely wouldn’t make sense to a lot of other people either, at least not at first!

The Lord directs Ananias to go to a specific house where he will find the man named Saul. Ananias knew about Saul—he had become the ringleader of those who were persecuting the men and women of the Early Church, imprisoning many and aiming to have them put to death. But Ananias was to go to Saul and pray for him—for his sight to be restored but even more for Saul to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Ananias was understandably hesitant to confront Saul—even when the Lord Himself had called out to Ananias in a vision! I’m guessing most followers of Christ were simply trying to stay out of Saul’s way in those days! But what Ananias didn’t know was that the Lord had miraculously and dramatically gotten Saul’s attention, and the Lord had in mind that this man named Saul would become the great leader of the Early Church we know as Paul! God was about to transform Saul’s life—and Ananias was going to have a significant role in that happening!

And when God clarified His instructions to Ananias, Ananias headed toward where Saul would be found, determined to carry out his Spirit-given mission. God’s thumb was clearly in his back! Despite the risks that appeared on the surface, Ananias trusted the Spirit of the Lord and stepped out to do what the Lord was instructing him to do.

Not long after Saul’s dramatic conversion, Peter experienced a vision from the Lord. Up to this time, they had devoted their attention to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ only with the Jews. But Peter’s vision from the Lord was clear: the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all people, and the work of the Early Church was to be broadened to include all people. If you understood the special relationship that the Jewish people felt they had with God, you’d understand how the Spirit’s words to Peter seemed to defy all their expectations! However, Peter was obedient to the Spirit’s prompting—and it helped the Early Church turn a significant corner for the fulfillment of God’s plan for them to reach all people with the life-changing message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Have you ever sensed God was speaking to you about something? Many of us have experienced “the Spirit of the Lord upon us” as He has prompted us to serve others as Jesus did, to go where others do not want to go, to bring hope and joy to those who seem to have neither. We’ve experienced it when the Spirit has prompted us to give money out of our wallet to help someone in need; or when we’ve been pressed to go out of our way to call someone or email them or go see them when they were needing a word of encouragement; or when we’ve taken on the challenge that others thought we were idiots to do—but we have done it because we somehow knew that God’s thumb was in our backs! It’s a missional call—to reach others, to serve others, to love others in the name of Christ.

Sometimes in our humanness we resist the personal voice of God to us—because sometimes what He asks us to do doesn’t seem pleasant and may certainly not be the easy road. But as a friend of mine expressed to me recently as he shared the challenge the Lord had laid before him—
“Why not me?” he said. In other words, “Someone’s needed in this challenging role! Why shouldn’t it be me that does it?” In talking with him, it was clear to me that God was calling him to this task.

We experience God’s personal voice and His calling in different ways. For me, and for many others, it’s been a vocational calling. Early in my life, God called me into ministry. I was 14 years old—a freshman in high school. I didn’t hear the audible voice of God, but I knew that He was calling out to me—as surely as if His voice had been audible—and I knew that He was calling me into ministry. I wasn’t sure all of what that would mean—but I knew that it would be the central focus of my life. For several years I thought that my calling would be lived out leading music in a church part-time as I made my living as a school teacher. Gradually I came to understand that His calling upon my life was to be my primary vocation. It was still years later before God revealed that my ministry was to include preaching—but when He made it clear, I determined to be obedient to His calling.

His vocational calling upon my life has taken me to places on the map and to situations I would never have imagined! I must tell you that God has far exceeded any expectations I had upon my life! And through it all, I have sensed that “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” There are some in this room who have been “called” into ministry in a similar manner. Some are in the early stages of that calling, trying to discern how and where and when…others can now look back at the unfolding of God’s plan in their lives and see His hand as you’ve sought to fulfill that call. Some of you may be feeling a bit like Samuel right now…not sure of what you’re hearing. And let me encourage you—if that’s where you are right now—to simply say “Yes” and let Him fill you in on the details along the way! Just keep saying “Yes”!

The truth is that I have sensed a clear calling from the Spirit of the Lord for every church I’ve pastored, including Valley Shepherd. I’ve gone to a couple of churches that seemed in my humanness to be pretty risky ventures! I’ll never forget what a pastor friend said to me once, upon hearing about the pastoral assignment I had just accepted—he said, “You’re an idiot! What do you think you’re doing?!” And he was right—on the surface of things—I was an idiot for accepting it, but there was clearly something deeper going on, for I felt the God’s thumb in my back and I knew it was what I must do! Once I even had already developed a burden for the church to which I was to be called—before anyone ever spoke with me about the possibility of me becoming their pastor. God was graciously preparing me for what was ahead.

And while for a few of us, the Spirit of the Lord being upon us has meant a vocational calling, for even more of us, it’s the reality that as part of the Church of Jesus Christ, we must respond to His mission! We must carry out our part in Christ’s work in this world! It’s our calling! We’re His Church! We’re His people! His mission is to be woven into every facet of our lives—being ambassadors for Christ wherever we go and in whatever we’re doing. The Spirit of the Living God has anointed us to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent us to comfort the brokenhearted, to share with them words of hope! He has called us to be His Hands and His Feet out in this messy world of ours—daring to believe that God can and will redeem lives; assuring them that God trades in hopeless, dead-end lives for those that are set free on open highways that will take them where they’d never dreamed they could go!

I do want to caution us all though to make sure that God is the One calling us when we step out into unchartered territory. The wise follower of Christ will seek assurance that it is God speaking to him or her before they launch out to do what they think God may be calling them to do. First and foremost, be assured that God will never call us to do something that contradicts His Word—the Bible. If you think God’s telling you to do something that His rules and principles for Christian living forbid, then you can be pretty sure it isn’t God speaking to you—and you need to ignore the voice!

We also need to make sure that we’re not somehow trying to impose our own ambitions and desires upon the will of God. The best example I can give you is that of a girl that I knew in college. We weren’t close personal friends, but I was always kind to her. I learned later that she kept my picture in her room, and had told some of her friends that God had told her that she was going to marry me. Now I have to tell you that God had never told me anything of the kind!—and she was not the woman that I later married! I believe that we do well to ask those who are spiritually wiser than ourselves to discretely help us filter out what is God’s voice and what are simply our efforts to spiritualize our human desires.

I also know that there are times when God speaks to us that we need to allow it the test of time. I’m reminded of the birth of Christ, and what Mary had been told before His birth, and how the shepherds came to the stable all abuzz about what the angels had proclaimed about this newborn baby, and then how Luke tells us simply, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19).

I told you a few moments ago that the Lord had given me a burden for one of the churches I would pastor before anyone ever spoke with me about the possibility of me becoming their pastor. It was the Bedford Church in the Cleveland, Ohio area—and Cindy and I ended up serving that congregation for 11 years. And it wasn’t that I was vying for the position! I didn’t want to go there. The church was in turmoil and had recently voted out their last pastor. We didn’t really want to take our three young children into a church like that! But through several means, God was slowly revealing to me that this was where we were going.

Now it would have been incredibly foolish for me, in the interview process, to have proclaimed to their church board when we were in the interviewing process that “God has told me that I’m going to become your new pastor.” They would have kindly but quickly shown us the door! But God’s direction and promptings and calling deep within my heart gave us assurance that the Lord was leading in this—we just needed to wait for Him to orchestrate His perfect timing. And that confirmation from the Spirit gave us great encouragement throughout the first few years of that pastorate that were less than easy!

I’m thinking again of young Samuel, who was learning to discern the voice of God—and how every follower of Christ needs to learn to listen for the voice of the Spirit in our lives. We need to learn discernment between His voice and all the other voices that will likely scream out to us. But when God speaks, we simply need to listen and then obey. It’s the way of blessing—it’s always been that way; and it always will be!

So what might the Holy Spirit be trying to say to you these days? Are you listening? Will you obey? There’s a wonderful old hymn that I’d like to sing for you in closing this morning—“Holy Spirit, Be My Guide.” I want you to make it your heart’s cry. Feel free to join me on the chorus if you’d like. Feel free to slip out to our altars if that would help you today. Let’s make this our prayer to the Lord…

Holy Spirit, my heart yearns for Thee;
Holy Spirit, abide in me.
Make me clean; O make me pure.
I must know the double cure.

Holy Spirit, be my Guide;
Holy Spirit, my heart’s open wide.
Make me to know Thy will divine;
Holy Spirit, be Thou mine.

Never my trust will be in vain,
Naught to lose and all to gain.
Take my life, my self, my soul;
Burn the chaff and make me whole.

(repeat chorus)