A RADICAL CHANGE

#049                                                                  A RADICAL CHANGE                                                                                         

Scripture  Romans 6:1-23 NIV                                                                                                            Orig. 5-20-62 (6-77)

                                                                                                                                                                     Rewr. 11-9-88 (1-85) 

Passage:  What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. ⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. ¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. ²⁰ When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. ²¹ What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Purpose:  Continuing a series from the Book of Romans, here drawing the contrast between sin’s death and Christ’s life.

Keywords:          Death                    God                       Grace                    Life                         Sin

Series                    Romans                Revival

Introduction

                Finally, the truth has been revealed relative to the “Shroud of Turin.”  For hundreds of years there has been speculation about this simple linen shroud.  It was claimed to be the burial shroud in which Jesus was buried, and was for centuries, Christendom’s most baffling relic.

                The relic is controlled by the Catholic bishop of Turin, and thus its name, although it is owned by Umberto II, a deposed king of Italy who, at last report, lived in Portugal.

                It is just over 4-1/2 meters long, and just under one meter wide.  It has been submitted to extensive scientific analysis, including carbon 14 dating, and computer technology.  Even pollen samples were evaluated.

                The shawl had blood in all the right places.  Even the imprint of a human face.  But the computers could not confirm its validity, and said absolutely nothing about life after death.  It was determined that should this be proved to be the right cloth, then Jesus was 5’10-1/2”, and weighed 175 pounds.

                Well, in fact now we know that it was not the burial shroud of Jesus.  Even the Catholic Church admits that the early history of the cloth cannot be ascertained.

                What if? What if it were the cloth?  Suppose that these tests authenticated the shroud.  We Christians would have a miracle to flaunt.  One of the scientific team members said,

“If Christ was resurrected from the dead, then the gospels are truth, and eternal life—immortality—is offered.” (Ray Rogers—Omni p.95)

                But the possibility of a miracle no longer exists.  We are not yet without hope, however.  The Bible has much to say on the subject, and the apostle here affirms that death, for the believer, will be swallowed up in life.  He speaks of a most “radical change,” and it is that death “hath no more dominion.”

I.             So Radical a Change Acknowledges Death to Sin. V2 “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”  V6 “…Our old man is crucified with him.”

                To begin with, Paul has much to say on the subject of death.  Beside this note of being “crucified” with Christ, death is alluded to fourteen times in these first eleven verses.  It is a subject not given wide circulation in our sophisticated culture. Tabloids on display at check-out lines sensationalize it: “Five Psychics Tell Why They Believe in Life after Death.” The scientific community offers us the name of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross as the most knowledgeable: “Although I do not consider myself a particularly religious woman, I find no conflict between the Christian concept of an after-life, and my own careful studies on death.” 

                But the death here is not just the cessation of bodily function.  Remember the legal ramifications invoked in the Karen Ann Quinlan case.  Who could throw the switch? Someone finally did, and she survived on a tube feeding for nine years.

                Biblically, death is the soulmate of sin, and is viewed judgmentally.  But is God death’s source?  The answer is a resounding “No!” We are emphatically told that the “wages of sin is death.”  Thus, sin, and its corollary, resulted from acts of will.

                So, as death is more than cessation, life is more than breathing and bodily function.  A war correspondent in Vietnam told of interviewing a crusty Marine sergeant.  He was eating cold beans with his bayonet.  “If I could grant one request right now for you what would it be?” “Give me tomorrow!”

                A TV special on “Violence in America” concluded with this evaluation, “Biological life alone is not enough for a rational being.  He, or she, wants participation in the social process.”

                For the believer, death dispels the power of sin to rule and distort lives.  Chapter five dealt with sin and grace.  Sin and death are personified in Adam.  Grace and life are personified in Christ.

                The present chapter moves more to the drum beat of faith (sanctification).  V14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”  Having received Christ as Saviour is being perceived of God as following a new leader.  Satan has lost the battle for your soul.  But he has not lost your address.  Depending totally on the carnality of our faith, he exercises influence.

II.            So Radical a Change Acknowledges that a New Life is Given.  V11. “Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  It is not mentality that separates man from the beasts of the field.  Within limits they have intellect.  Consider pets, zoo animals.

                Nor is it our ability to communicate.  The great whales are said to communicate over hundreds, thousands of miles of ocean.  Diane Fosse studied the great apes.  Her death may be attributed to her affinity.  Brahmans, Hindus, see animals as “brothers with them before God.” (National Geographic, November 1988)

                What separates man from beast is his potential to faith-relationship with God.  Scriptures declare this uniqueness.  Genesis 2:7 “God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  It is that “breath of God” that we know as faith.  It is here that “baptism” enters into Paul’s discussion.  Baptism is the “sign” of that faith.  Not salvation by legalist “rite,” but that baptism is expressive of that faith.  Faith shows itself in many ways. Baptism is one.

                We also have a fairly complete criteria of what that faith-relationship consists of.  First it is dependable.  In V11 we read “reckon”—to us often meaning no more than “suppose.”  Then, it was an accounting term reflecting absolute accuracy.  Secondly, it is free. V20 Enslaved to sin, we are set free to righteousness. V18, 23.  Such faith knows no class distinction.  Lastly, it is eternal.  The word aionios means “eternal,” “endless.”

III.           So Radical a Change Comes Through Jesus Christ. V23 “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  The place of Christ in the equation of salvation is without equal.  We were “baptized” (v3) into Christ Jesus.  Our fleshly being was “crucified”(v6) with Jesus.  “Death” in Christ Jesus is what frees us from sin (v7).  Thus, we come to “live” (v11) through Jesus. And ultimately, eternal life (v23) comes through Him.

                Lay to rest any thought that religion is nothing more than a person’s sincerity.  There are waves of people who are sincerely wrong.  At the abortion clinic, the young pregnant woman advises opponents to keep their “morals off of her body.”  People around Louisiana think that devil worship by teenagers is idle (sic) curiosity.  Sincere people say “God wouldn’t send anyone to hell.” Satan would, and he would gladly use our being “sincerely wrong” to accomplish it.

Conclusion

                An unknown author left a couplet on death.

Some men die by shrapnel, some go down in flames.

But most men perish inch by inch, in play at little games.

                Death comes to all alike.  The method, manner may change, but only Christ makes a difference in dying.  As there is more to life than blood flow, breath, body function, there is more to death than dying.

SEEKING BETTER THINGS

#045                                                             SEEKING BETTER THINGS                                                                                    

Scripture  Colossians 3:1-4 NIV                                                                                                                        Orig. 4-14-63

                                                                                                                                                                      Rewr. 1-6-74/4-8-79 

Passage:  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your^[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 

Purpose: To speak to my people on the occasion of Easter celebration to call to their minds the need to lift our horizons in the Lord Jesus, and commitment to Him.

Keywords:          New Birth            Easter                   Resurrection                      Christian Living

Introduction

A BAG OF TOOLS

Isn’t it strange that princes and kings,

And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,

And common people like you and me

Are builders for eternity?

Each is given a bag of tools,

A shapeless mass, a book of rules:

And each must make—before life is gone—

A stumbling block or a steppingstone.

                                                                                --R.L. Sharpe--

                We do  not have to look very far to discover people who have committed themselves absolutely to their life priorities.  Jane Goodall is an English primatologist and anthropologist, considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.  Mary Leakey, paleontologist and contributor to National Geographic, was committed to the task of discovering man’s beginnings.  Ralph Nader was a consumer who made news about the dangers of the Corvair and Pinto; a young college student had died.  Nuclear scientists are convinced that one of man’s energy sources is in their field, and they are committed to efficient and safe nuclear power plants; it is too late to turn back because there are already 500 of these plants in the world, either in operation, or in some stage of planning or construction.

                We Christians must come to terms with the need for commitment to our Lord, and to His church, in order that we might be known as people whose energy resources and  reserves are given over unconditionally to our Lord to bring glory to His name.

                Seeking better things is as immanent in the spiritual world as in the material world.

I.             The Natural Beginning Place for Any Improvement is to Accept the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Colossians 3:1 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.“

                Apparently, most of us are looking for some good out of life.  For Adam, it was a rather arrogant goal, to be like God, all wise and eternal.  For Job, it was for an answer to a philosophical question, albeit a very important one (Job 14:14) “If a man die, shall he live again?”

                Thomas, who walked part of life’s trail with Jesus, was one who could not settle for faith, He had to have fact.  “I will believe that He is alive, only under the circumstances of touching the nail holes, and feeling the torn flesh on His side.”

                But regrettably, the goal for most of us is not changed from that day long ago in Babel (Genesis 11:4), “Let us build us a city and a tower. . . , whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name.”

                We are compelled here as Christians to remember that life has a higher, nobler goal.  It begins with the certitude that Christ is alive. Luke 24:3 “And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”  Acts 4:33 “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and great grace was upon them all.”

                It takes on its deepest meaning when we discover through faith that we are alive with Christ.    A.A. Ketchum wrote the hymn on p. 429 in our hymnal, Why Do I Sing About Jesus?

Deep in my heart there’s a gladness; Jesus has saved me from sin!

Praise to His name, what a Saviour! Cleansing without and within!

Why do I sing about Jesus? Why is He precious to me?

He is my Lord and my Saviour; Dying, He set me free!

                Paul is not here appealing for a sham other worldliness where we only contemplate eternity.  He is clearly acknowledging that for the Christian, his new standard of value will be God’s standard of value: Giving more than getting; serving more than ruling; forgiving more than avenging.

                Vance Havner, the contemporary Baptist evangelist, gives practical advice to all of us:  “I would say to today’s young minister, ‘Be not afraid to give much time to solitary walks and meditation.  You can well afford to dispense with many other activities some may think indispensable.  You will be returning to a way of life almost forgotten now, and you may be eyed askance by all runners in the Great Rat Race.  But your chance may come one day to speak your piece on some strategic occasion, when weary humanity has reached saturation and boredom listening to everything else.  On that day,  your quiet walks and lonely vigils will pay off.  If that chance never comes, they will have paid off anyway.’”

II.            Then, Let this Seeking Continue in the Positive Thrust of Christ-Like Living.  V3:2-3 “Set  your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”  The Gnostics believed in hidden wisdom.  The meaning here is obvious.  The believer does not automatically lose worldly desire.  One never loses the potential to sin. 

                Something else did happen, and still does.  Their lives are wrapped up in Christ. The Greeks commonly spoke of a dead relative as being hidden in the earth.  The believer dies a spiritual death in baptism, and is hidden in Christ.  Baptism literally engulfed the early believers in the Lord.  It should be so with us.

                There is another reason why the believer should be so wrapped up in the Lord.  Satan rarely, if ever, gives up on bringing disruptive influences to bear in our lives. 

                Paganini, the great violinist, was in the middle of an important concert when one of the strings on  his violin snapped.  He continued to play as if nothing had happened.  Then, a second broke!  He played yet on without hesitation.  Then,  unbelievably, a third gave way with a sharp crack!  For a brief moment, he paused.  The audience assumed he would quit.  But he calmly raised his famous Stradivarius with one hand and announced, “One string . . . and Paganini!”

                With a tremendous, furious skill and matchless discipline, he finished the selection on a single string.  The audience arose and gave him a thunderous ovation.

                There are times in our lives when things go wrong.  Strings one after the other seem to snap.  It becomes increasingly easier to quit.  But when we are wrapped up in Jesus, going on is the thing to do.  Nothing pleases the prince of darkness more than for the children of the Father to forget who we are and WHOSE we are.  Nothing robs him of power and pleasure in our lives like trusting the Lord the more in difficult times than in good times.

                You see, the Christian life has a final goal of Christlikeness.  The Christian’s life is never more than when it is in the process of becoming.

                There is the new consumer advocacy.  There is genetic engineering.  For the believer, there is that priority that establishes the Lordship of Christ, and my only solution to the sin problem in my life is through Him.

CLOSING

                The three Hebrew children, young men actually, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were threatened with death if they did not accede to the demands of the Babylonians.  They were to worship like Babylonians and act like Babylonians.  “If it be so that our God is able to deliver us, well; but if not, be it known to you, O King, that we will not serve thy gods or worship them”  (Daniel 3).

                When Paul arrived at Miletus, he sent for the elders of the church at Ephesus (Acts 20:17).  He reminded them of the two essentials of the kingdom:  repentance toward God, and faith toward the Lord Jesus.  He, Paul, was not going to be around to help them, but this was the essential message that they were to bear to the people of their city.

                Repentance and faith.  They still are the elemental functions of belief:  Repentance—clearly, we are sinners, and only repentance toward God will ever change that; and Faith—faith that Christ died on a cross as the enabler of repentance and forgiveness, and the better, fuller life that is in Him.

JUSTIFIED FREELY

#044                                                                     JUSTIFIED FREELY                                                                                             

Scripture  Romans 3:19-31 NIV                                                                                                     Orig. 11-12-61 (11-85)

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 10-5-88 

Passage   ¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. ²⁰ Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

²¹ But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness is given through faith in^[a] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,^[b] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— ²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. ²⁹ Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, ³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. ³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Purpose:              Continuing the series from Romans, here defining the message of justification for all mankind.

Keywords:          Bible Study         God, Grace         Man, Lost            Justification        Law

Timeline/Series:               Romans

Introduction

                Although it has been a number of years, many of us will still remember news reports out of the city of Philadelphia, and the Bellevue Stratford Hotel.  It was the summer of 1976.  By some fateful choice, the American Legion was holding its annual meeting in Philadelphia.  Many of the legionnaires were staying at the Bellevue Stratford.

                After the convention was over, and many of the conventioneers had returned home, a strange pall of illness invaded the lives of many of them.  Although they were in hospitals in several parts of the country, their doctors read the symptoms the very same way.  These people had an unknown illness.   For that reason, it became known as “legionnaires” disease.  In the weeks following at least 29 people died as a result of complications from the disease.  These people had either stayed at The Bellevue Stratford Hotel, or had taken meals there.

                Public censure of the hotel began immediately.  Before the end of that year, a period of no more  than six months, the hotel was closed.  What had at one time been one of the proudest of the Philadelphia hotels,   slowly sank into an undeserved oblivion.  The hotel did not cause those deaths.  But its association with them was such that a cautious public would no longer avail itself of these accommodations.

                We have an aversion to that which seems to be a threat to our physical well-being.  We are insisting on more and more safety in every mode of transportation.  We spend huge amounts of money encouraging medical science to protract life.

                We have no aversion,  however, to sin.  We seem willing to take our chances with it even when we know what a threat it is.  Thus, Paul reminds his readers, “All have sinned and fall short of  the glory of God, and are justified by his grace through . . . Christ Jesus.”

I.             First, then, Is the Need for Justification.  V23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Thomas Hobbes wrote, “whatsoever a man does against his conscience, is sin.”  The first three chapters are an extension of this premise.  God has revealed Himself to the gentiles through nature (Romans 1:19-20).  He revealed Himself to the Jews through Law (Romans 2:14-15).  All have rebelled against this revelation (Romans 1:29-32 and 2:1-5).  All will be judged on the basis of truth rejected (Romans 2:9-11).  All are equally guilty (Romans 3:21-23).

                Here will begin (through chapter 8) the supreme workings of faith.  Romans 8:38 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, or angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things past, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                Man, whatever his cultural bias, is the fallen creation of God.  We were created in, and for, holiness.  Acts 17:26f “From one man made He every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth: and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  God did this so that men would seek Him. . . reach out for Him and find Him, though . . . not far from any of us.”

                The first man was created in holiness but voluntarily fallen.  So, each one of us, though touched by that same life force of God, is fallen.  Holiness implanted but not yielded to in our lives, is thus lost.

                We were created to remain  under the just law of God.  The article was somber and sobering.  “Last night while you slept: 15,000 arrests were made, more than 3,000 were committed to mental institutions, there were nearly 100 suicides and 30 murders.”

II.            There is Purpose in This Justification.  V22 “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”  Man had the choice of positive obedience, and of belief about trust in community, too.  It was no impossible alternative.  The only available example is Jesus.  While we have the seed of sin, the choice is our own.

                God chose man to dwell in fellowship.  That purpose has never changed.  It was witnessed by law and prophets.  Isaiah’s “suffering servant” passage (Isaiah 52:13f) confirms.  Isaiah 54:7 “For a brief moment I abandoned  you, but with deep compassion I will bring thee back.”

                The same truth pertains to Jew and Gentile, v22.  “There is no difference.”  V23 “Both have sinned,” or “miss the mark.” Hebrew v. Greek suggest bad aim or powerlessness.

                “Justified freely” (v24) means a judicial decree.  “Redemption” (v24) refers to a slave market, where a price had to be paid.

                I Peter 1:18f “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, . . . but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish.”  This brings us to the very heart of the gospel.  It speaks of the measure of redemption—“freely” (v24).  It speaks of the manner of redemption—"by His grace” (v24).  It speaks of the means of redemption—“through . . . Christ Jesus” (v24). 

                It behooves us to recognize the choice that we are left to make.  Human reason tells us to avoid the implication of guilt.  Matthew Arnold, poet and author of Victorian England, pictured sin “not as a monster but as an infirmity.”  Elsewhere: “an infirmity to get rid of.”  He says not “How”!

                The likely choice is the (word), not human reasoning.  Romans 3:2 “First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.”  Guilt is a factor, and restitution is inevitable.  The workable alternative is faith in Christ as redeemer and sin bearer.

III.           Finally, We See the Example of Justification.  V28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”  Paul’s argument here is not simply justification by faith.  He has already settled that:  V24 “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ.”

                His argument is one for the exclusiveness of that faith justification.  His point is clear.  God does not opt to save some by faith and others by work.  Such inconsistency is the spawn of infidelity.  It is a human trait, not a sovereign one.  If God’s mood allowed such swings, how would we know what is His contemporary exercise?

                So the point is thoroughly made: He is God of both Jew and Gentile.  Jeremiah 10:7 “Who would not fear you, O  you king of the nations?”  “Nations” is reference to non-Jews.  Greek translates ethnos as “nations.”

                Mark 12:29f “Hear O Israel, the Lord is one . . . .  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  For the Jew, the law is the source through which faith flows. (Galatians 3:24, in the King James calls law a “schoolmaster.”)  For the Gentile, grace is the instrument of faith.  But for both, it is the act of believing faith that saves.

                So, Paul reminds  us that sin is the problem.  We are without defense or excuse.  Repentance is the key that activates this faith.  Thomas Fuller, English churchman and historian, said, “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it will be too late.”

Closing

                On our one trip abroad, we stopped briefly in Venice.  On a ride through the canals, we saw the bridge called The Bridge of Sighs.  It is said to lead from a courtroom to a dismal prison.  “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

THE THREE-FOLD GRACE OF GOD

#042                                                     THE THREE-FOLD GRACE OF GOD                                                                            

Scripture Matthew 5:5-13; 26:39 NIV                                                                                Orig. 7-5-64 (10-75) (4-85)

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 4/22/84 

Passage:  V5-13 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
    but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

V26:3939 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Purpose:              Using Jesus’ teaching and example in prayer to remind us of the parameters of God’s grace in our lives today

Keywords:          Commitment                     Grace of God                     Prayer                   Christ Mediator                 Communication

Introduction

Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader of peaceful resolution, gained many of his most significant insights from Christ.  He is quoted as having said that he would have given more serious consideration to having become an avowed follower of Christ had it not been for some of the Christians that he had known.  It is still so, that the greatest hindrance to the Kingdom of God is usually found in the discordant events in the lives of those who are presumably members of the kingdom.

Dr. R.G. Lee entitled one of his favorite sermons, “The Menace of Mediocrity.”  In it he writes “Mediocrity is somebody with diamond and ruby talents, worth as little to God’s cause through the church as a punctured Japanese nickel is worth at a Chinese bazaar.”  In that message, he mentions another sermon entitled “Bantam Baptists.”  Dr. Lee said he could have preached the same message to any gathering.  He would only have had to change the name: “Midget Methodists, Peewee Presbyterians, Lilliputian Lutherans, Puny Pentecostals, Miniature Mennonites, or Diminutive Disciples.”

Too many of us as Christians seem content to go through life with some such spiritual mediocrity as that mentioned in the child’s verse that many of us read to our children.

                “Solomon Grundy

Born on Monday,

Christened on Tuesday,

Married on Wednesday,

Taken ill on Thursday,

Worse on Friday,

Died on Saturday,

Buried on Sunday.

And that was the end of Solomon Grundy.”

I.             Grace is First Considered in Communication with the Father.  V6 “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place.”

It acknowledges the practiced humility.  It means to practice prayer.  It means that we are to do so even though we are not advantaged in the world’s eyes.

Charles Schultz has cartoon books for teens. Girl to Sunday School classmates: “I had to give up my secret closet of prayer.  Every time I went in there, all those cashmere sweaters made me feel guilty.”  Think how many of the world’s problems could be resolved if more of us were willing to be disadvantaged.  Ireland could become a land of religious harmony.  Central America could offer struggling third world nations a chance to be free and economically secure.  South Africa could resolve racial hostility.

It acknowledges practical meditation.  Clearly, we are to search for answers.  We are to do so with resolve in what the Father already knows. V8 “Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask.” 

Jesus not only taught us so to pray, he exercised this option to the fullest.  Recourse to this grace is extended to each of us.  Job 13:15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”  II Chronicles 32:8 “With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us.”  We seem to want Him removed out of our politics and government, out of our schools and homes. All that will be left is churches.  All that will be left is some social stigma, or worse, against believers.

Mediocrity is but a step away when we fail to be in touch with God’s grace through prayer.  It is to claim other resources than God.  It is to claim dependence on our own wit and charm. Luke 18:11 In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, [I thank Thee that I am me.]”

II.            Grace Extends to Companionship in the Father.  V8 “Be ye not therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.”  It pertains to a day-by-day awareness of God, and His help.  Norman Vincent Peale: “Millions of men and women are creeping through life on their hands and knees merely because they refuse to rely on any power but self.”  Too many of us are too distracted by the myriads of things in our lives.  V7 Admonishes us “not to use vain repetition as the heathen do.”  It is to put the Lord first, and to know where we stand with Him. 

Remember the old radio ad of the dog sitting before an old timey speaker.  The caption says it all: “His master’s voice.”  It is to be obedient to Him.  “Too many Christians spend six days sowing wild oats, and the seventh praying for a crop failure.” 

Such companionship offers not only daily help, but also delivering help.  V13 “Deliver us from the evil one.”  People who are insensitive to Satan’s zeal, tend to discount his power.  It is amazing how many people respond to exercise, diet programs.  They eat the right foods.  They work out strenuously.  But these same people give no consideration to spiritual needs.  James 1:4 “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed.”

The promise of God’s help is in accord with the practice of faith.  I Corinthians 10:13 “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able.”

Daily help, delivering help, becomes determined help.  V10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  We don’t come into the kingdom grown.  We grow in the pursuit of God’s will as we nourish our interest in it.  Our Daily Bread told of a tribal chief where missionaries were working.  “If you become better men and women by being Christians, you may remain so; if not, I forbid you to be Christians at all.”

III.           Beyond Communication and Companionship, there is Commitment.  Matthew 26:39: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

No person ever wanted to live, or had reason to live, like Jesus did.  “Let this cup pass.”  He thought of needs: hunger, disease, injustice. He thought of meaningless religion: unbelief, cynicism, error. He thought of misguided zealots: Jewish and pagan.  He thought of the disciples and their wavering faith: Judas’ rejection, Peter’s denial.

Jesus wanted to live.  “Let this cup pass from me.”  But greater than His desire to live was His determination to do God’s will.  Thus, grace is given: Grace opening to us the door to communing with the Father; Grace enabling us to experience companionship in the Father; Grace motivating us for commitment in the Father.

Conclusion

                The French painter, Emile Ranouf, has depicted on canvas what he calls, “The Helping Hand.”  It is of an elderly man in fishing gear, rowing a boat with a small girl at his side.  Obviously, there is great love between them.  Her small hands are also on oars.  He looks at her fondly.  The child has desire, but the strength is the grandfather’s.  Thus is a renewable parable of our relation to God.

FAITH MADE PERFECT

#036                                                                FAITH MADE PERFECT                                                                                       

Scripture  James 2:19-26 NIV                                                                                                                         Orig. 10-14-62

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 10-8-87 

Passage:  ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  ²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[a]? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[b] and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.  ²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Purpose:   Beginning the new church year with an emphasis on faith and church organization in conjunction with the Lord’s Supper

Keywords:          Church                  Activity                 Faith                      Ordinance                           Lord’s Supper

Introduction

                Tomorrow is a special milestone in our great Baptist Heritage.  It represents a very special anniversary for Louisiana Baptists.

                On October 12^th, in 1812, the first Baptist work was begun in our state.  That was the date, in Washington Parish, on the Bogue Chitto River, that the Half Moon Bluff Church was organized.

                For 175 years, the gospel has been proudly proclaimed by Baptists of Louisiana.  Those earliest believers, because of their location in extreme southeastern Louisiana, were for some years affiliated with Mississippi Baptists, but they were, nonetheless, the forebears of Louisiana work.

                It was the same year, by the way, that Adoniram Judson left to go to Burma as a missionary.  If you recall the story, you recall that he changed to his life-long Baptist faith on the ship that took him to a land that knew nothing of Christianity.  He went, then, without support.  His former denomination withdrew support.  And it was before we Baptists were known for our missionary vision.  These struggling churches, not unlike Half Moon Bluff, in the early Nineteenth Century, supported what missionaries that there were, on butter and egg money, by the women of the Ladies Aid Society, the forerunner of our Women’s Missionary Union.

                It has been people of vision, working together organizationally, who have reared up this great Baptist heritage. It seems that some of us are satisfied to let some parts of it die.  In the name of our Lord, and in His covenant with us in his own blood, I challenge you to be a strong arm of influence in our town and Parish, for our Lord, and for His church.

I.             Faith Demands an Effort Put Forth.  V22 “…by works was faith made perfect.”  Make no mistake, they were not saved by works.  Abraham faithed God. God imputed (deposited to his account). Those with children away at school have to impute solvency so that these young people will appear secure. That depositing of worth expects a response of concern.  In other words, the works don’t save, but they prove the faith.

                Our faith calls us to organize our concern.  We organize a Bible teaching program called Sunday School for the teaching of the Word of God.   A Church Training emphasis was organized years ago to personalize youth involvement and growth.  Today it provides opportunity for growth in Christ, in Bible study, in ability, for all.  Missions organization is just that, a means to share with all the prospect of service to the needs of humankind.

                The 2^nd Sunday in October represents World Hunger Day.  Are you aware that 730 million people remain hungry every day?  The wafer and juice we consume is more than many will have all day.  In Ethiopia, 5-10 million may starve this year.  In America, there may be as many as 3 million homeless.  People working full-time at minimum wage are $1800 below the poverty line for a family of three.

                Thus, faith is an instrument in our lives for good.  Faith is belief.  But it is belief to train, to work, to serve.  And we begin where we are.  Too many Christians assume that they are excused from such service.  No person in this room is little qualified to serve Christ, none too old, or too feeble.

                Rahab (v25) served, simply by becoming a relocation agent for God’s people passing through.

II.            Faith Made Perfect is a Process Through Which We Grow in Our Understanding of God’s Will and Way.  V26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  As a believer, I have a responsibility: To stay as close to the Lord as I can through Bible study, service activities, and mission involvement (Camp Harris), and to walk by faith—to  live by faith—to work by faith.

                As a believer, I have a responsibility to share.  We share readily with those we love.  When will our hearts be open to love those less fortunates for whom Christ died?  We have been successful in the Georgia Barnette State Mission Offering. We will soon endeavor to opportunize the Lottie Moon Foreign Missions Offering.  What can we do for hungry people?

Conclusion

                Let me remind you as we turn our attention to the Lord’s Supper, that stewardship is a faith venture also. In the great text of II Samuel 24:24 about David and Araunah the Jebusite, Araunah was prepared to give whatever it might take in the King’s name.  David’s reply is a classic.  “Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer . . .  offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”

                What better time, than now, can we offer to our Lord, that which comes of dedication and even sacrifice?

THE IMAGE OF THE CHURCH

#029                                                          THE IMAGE OF THE CHURCH                                                                                 

Scripture  I John 1:1-10 NIV                                                                                                                            Orig. 10-18-64

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 10/7/86 

Passage:  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our[a] joy complete.

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[b] sin.  8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Purpose:  Lead my people in the observance of the Lord’s Supper with a brief message about our image as God’s people.

Keywords:                          Church, Image                   Lord’s Supper                    Ordinance

Introduction

                I am not sure any longer what  happened to it, but I used to have a book in my library entitled Games People Play.  The author, Eric Berne, simply describes some of the ways that people pretend to be different than they really are.  They imagine the kind of person they wish to be, or what they perceive others expect of  them, and then they pretend to actualize that concept.

                Children grow up playacting.  In fact, it is one of the strong ways they have of perceiving the adult world of choices.  Perhaps many have gone into chosen professions, including church vocations,  who first playacted their way through some rainy day activity.

                This fantasy world stops being a game when deception is being practiced.  And remember, there are two kinds of deception: one, the kind when we deceive others; the second is the kind when we deceive ourselves.

                Churches have to be careful also.  We have a true image in our community.  We want to be sure that the image being portrayed to our community is accurate, and that it is Christ-honoring.

I.             The Church’s Image Is Seen in Her Fellowship.  V3 “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us.” 

Is it the image of compassion or compensation?  Who stands to benefit most?

Is it dependable or demoralizing?  Someone asked me recently, “Have you ever had a friend really let you down?”  “Yes!”

Is it indispensable or insensitive?  Do we really look for opportunities to share our faith through acts of ministry?

Is it peace-making or pageantry?  We by our attention, or lack of it, determine what our image is.

                Someone has suggested that the church has become a babysitter for delinquent parents, and organizer of discreet partying.  Even if that is accurate, we are not wrong if we continue other image functions that enable us to portray ourselves as the people of God.  Psalm 119:63 “I am companion of all them that fear Thee, and of them that keep Thy precepts.”  Ecclesiastes 11-12 is a treatise about human activity, and ends, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

II.            The Church’s Image Is Seen in Her Spirituality.  V6 “If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.”  Of what does the constituency of the church consist?  Is it socially prominent?  Is it wealthy?  Are its members educated?  Are they baptized Baptists?  Remember that our church covenant requires that shared baptismal encounter.  Is it a mecca of variant entities from throughout the community?

                What the church should reflect: Those led by the Spirit of God to receive Jesus as Saviour; those who have publicly professed their faith in Christ; and those who declare their faith through worship and witness and ministry.

                Regrettably, some speak of “The church within the church.”  This is a divisive concept.  Paul Tillich has defined faith as “ultimate concern:”  Concern for self; concern for others; and concern for the output of our lives in association with others.1

III.           The Church’s Image Is Seen in Her Purpose.  V7 “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.”

                This is not one upmanship—It is a worthy walk of faith.  It is Christ supreme in our lives that He might be perceived as supreme in all things.  It is to give expression to the transcendence of God.

Conclusion

                Someone tells the story of a new family that moved into the small town.  Needing groceries, the housewife called a local merchant and discovered that he delivered.  She placed her order, and soon a young delivery boy was at her door.  While there she inquired about his name.  “Humphrey Bogart,” he replied.  “Why, that’s a very famous name,” said the wife.  “It ought to be,” came the immediate reply, “I’ve been delivering groceries around here for years.”

                Our image needs to be true, it needs to be our own, and it needs to reflect a servant mentality.

1 Tillich, Paul. 1964. Theology of Culture. London: Oxford University Press. p. 6-7

CHANGES IN THE WIND

#023                                                               CHANGES IN THE WIND                                                                                      

Scripture  I Corinthians 15:35-58 NIV                                                                                                            Orig. 8-18-63

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 3-29-89 

Passage:  ³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” ³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”^[a]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we^[b] bear the image of the heavenly man.

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^[c]

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”^[d]

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Purpose:   Continuing a study for Prayer Meeting out of the epistle to the Corinthians.

Keywords:          Bible study          Resurrection

Timeline/Series:               I Corinthians

Introduction

                Twice a year we notice instantly the changes taking place all around us.  Last Winter we observed the deterioration of nature.  Where there had been beautiful flowers, only spindly stalks remained.  Where vegetable gardens had produced food for our tables, only a few sparse weeds staked their claims under the diminishing sun.  Where trees had spontaneously graced our lives with shade, all that remained was leaf litter to be gathered and burned.  But change had occurred.

                Change has come once more.  From the lifelessness of Winter there is beginning to emerge the incandescent beauty of Spring.  Dogwood, azaleas, tulips abound, and share their joy all around.

                Change is natural.  But something beyond the natural is God’s gift to the redeemed.  Paul is determined to share the uplift of this victory.

I.             Raising Some Oft Asked Questions.  V35 “How are the dead raised? And with what manner of body do they come?”  The Jews deliberated such questions.  They are questions about the resurrection body.  The rabbis windily debated these.

                The  Greeks did not believe in a bodily resurrection.  They believed in the immortality of the soul.  The body of flesh was the house of sin. 

                The text exemplifies the resurrection body.  Such debating is foolish.  Death is the natural corridor through which such life begins.  Not speaking as a botanist, but a plant dies and produces seed, which germinates to form life.  There are variances throughout creation:  The flesh of man as beast leads to the glory of bodies terrestrial and celestial.

                Thus, resurrection is the ultimate hope. There are four antitheses:

a) The perishable vs. the imperishable—Romans 8:21 “The creature . . . shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

b) Humiliation vs. glory—Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body. . . .”

c) Weakness vs. power—II Corinthians 12:9, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

d) Physical vs. spiritual—There are two supreme thoughts here:  that the physical body belongs to all, and that the spiritual body belongs to the redeemed.

II.            A  Vital Difference Between the Two Adams.  V45 “The first man Adam became a living soul, the last Adam a life-giving spirit.” 

                The first Adam is a man of dust, destined to return to the ground, and with a nature that guarantees only a grave.  Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.  PBS’s Nova ran a story about the concentration, highest in the world, of Huntington’s Disease in villages along the shores of Lake Maracaibo. This neurological disease is always fatal, and the program was called “The Killer Gene.”

                Christ is not a man of such nature, but a man of heaven.  Spiritual bodies are for those who share His nature.  Romans 8:29 “to be conformed to the image of His Son.” 

III.           The Mystery of the End-Time.  V51 “Behold I tell you a mystery.  We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”  There is a mystery to be declared. It has a different connotation from I Corinthians 14:2, which is about the mystery of speaking in tongues.  There the idea is secretiveness.  Here one thinks of unveiling.

                Here it involves immortality. In Greek, athanasia means to deny death, euthanasia means “easy death.”  Man’s immortality is not natural, but by grace.  Hosea 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.”

                Christ is the One in whom is victory.

A HOPE THAT IS WONDERFUL

#021                                                        A  HOPE THAT IS WONDERFUL                                                                               

Scripture  Romans 8:18-39 NIV                                                                                                                       Orig. 7-15-62

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 3-21-85 

Passage:  ¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that^[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. ²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[b] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”^[c]

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[d] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Purpose:  Continuing a series from Romans, define for my people that wonderful hope that is in Christ.

Keywords:          God       Sovereignty       Hope    Holy Spirit

Timeline/Series:               Romans

Introduction

                I read recently the story of a young writer who believed that he had composed the classic short story.  He was persuaded that it was the best that he could do.  Though the plot was not original, the young man felt that it was a masterpiece of realism.

                One day he was introduced to a famous author, and to his delight, the old man asked his new friend to come to his study and read his manuscript to him.

                The story was about the only son of a poor widow living in a cottage nesting in a Pennsylvania valley.  The boy decided to go to the city to seek his fortune.  The  mother, in true motherly form, saw him off saying, “Now remember son, if you ever get into trouble,  no matter how bad it is, you set off home and as you come over the hill, you’ll always find a light burning in this window—and I’ll be waiting to welcome you.”

                As the young author read his manuscript he told the young man’s story.  It was one of decline and fall into debauchery and crime.  After a time in prison, and after his release, he decided it was time to return to the old home place.  He came finally to the only hill that remained between himself and his home.  As he walked over the crest and looked down, there was the outline of the old cottage in the evening gloom, but no light burning in the window.

                The old author, who had listened intently all the while, leaped quickly to his feet and cried: “You young devil, put that light back.”  That light represented hope.   As long as it remained, then the remoteness of the story did not matter.

I.             A Hope that is Wonderful Defines the Human Struggle.  V22f “For we know that the whole creation groans in labor pains together until now.  And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit.”  We must first link with the prior message.  V16 The Holy Spirit confirms human spirit.  We are therefore God’s children—heirs. Heirship is fulfilled only at death.  As another thread in the tapestry of eternity, death becomes less frightening. In 1939 Lou Gehrig said of his illness:  "Fans, for the past two weeks, you've been reading about a bad break. Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” In 2 Corinthians 10:15 Paul wrote “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

Oneness with Christ is ours.

In this sense, Paul confirms human suffering.  Whatever the struggle, it is less overpowering beholding what is to be.  All of us know someone in the throes of some deep agony.  How much easier when there is a supportive family.  What a difference friends can make.

Paul says (V19) “creation” will be better off for man’s struggle to redemption.  Natural man brings nature to the brink.  PBS, in “Passion to Protect,” reported than 1 in 1000 animal species becomes extinct through a natural event, once a month through a man-made event.

Misuse of chemicals are creating a far-ranging problem. An article published 3-20-85 reported that it was a pesticide chemical that caused the death of 2,000 people in Bhopal, India. 

Man’s spiritual redemption, cosmos out of chaos, is nature’s hope also.  Hope (v20) is not God’s hope.  It is man’s hope, nature’s hope.  With God there can be nothing less than absolute certainly.  The struggle is of divine ordination.  The world may be in its birth pains, V22—tsunami, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, etc.  Man is in his coming to oneness with God.

II.            A Hope that is Wonderful Describes the Spirit’s Intercession. (V26-27).  V26 “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us.”  It is intercession in prayer.  He doesn't do our praying for us.  When burdens stymie prayer, He comes to our rescue.  It is not intercession when we are not praying, but when we can’t pray. 

It is intercession in weakness. We are trying to impress others with our strengths. But “when I am weak, then I am strong.” The Holy Spirit comes in our weakness. Helps (V26)—sunantilambanomai, “to take hold of with another.”  Ever tried to pick up a wheelbarrow by the handles?  Even if a friend takes one of the handles?  We need a helper who understands the problem.  For instance, the best marriages are often those where weaknesses are known, understood, and accepted.  It is intercession seeking compliance with the will of God.  “According to [the will of] God” V27 is surely the sense of the verse: 2 Corinthians 10:15: “Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly.”

III.           A Hope that is Wonderful Explains God’s Sovereignty V26-28.  V28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who are called according to his purpose.”  Not some pantheism by which we are elected if all goes well with us.  Not some theistic “chance.”  2 Samuel 7:28 “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.” It is God active in the framework of history.  Acts 17:24-28 at Mars Hill: “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (V26).  God guides that history by those who cooperate with His purpose, just as we must seek to pray for the Spirit to intercede.

As we “faith” events around us, we are “working together” with God.  “Purpose” translates “a placing before.”  It is to establish priorities.  V. 29-30 contain God’s loving purpose for the Christian.  “Foreknew”—to know before hand; “predestinate”—horizon—to set a limit, “confirmed to the image of His Son”; “called”—all are called,  those who respond are certified; “justified”—legal and formal acquittal; “glorified”—bring to a promised place of honor.

IV.          A Hope that is Wonderful Exemplifies Christ’s Substitution (VV 31-39).  V32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also freely give us all things?"  We are redeemed by this substitutionary work of Christ.  In Him we are God’s own dear children.  He doesn’t love others less.  His love is personalized by response as John was “the Disciple whom Jesus loved.”  To be in Christ is to be uncondemned (V34).  To be in Christ is forever (V39).

Closing

                We had a couple of pianos tuned recently.  Did you ever wonder how they do it in big chuches where they have lots of pianos?  How would it be to tune the first, and then to tune each succeeding one to the one just finished?  Would the twenty be in harmony with the first? No, in no way!

                Our two were tuned with a tuning fork.  If one had two hundred to be tuned, they would all require tuning with the same tuning fork. 

                This wonderful hope, of which we have spoken, is “in Christ.”  It is up to each of us to rest in Him to have this hope.

SUBJECT TO HIGHER POWERS

#020                                                         SUBJECT TO HIGHER POWERS                                                                                

Scripture  Romans 13:1-14 NIV                                                                                                       Orig. 11-11-62 (8-85)

                                                                                                                                                                                  Rewr. 5-18-88 

Passage:  Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”^[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.^[c]

Purpose: To speak to my people during Religious Liberty Week on the need to subject ourselves to the social as well as spiritual needs around us.

Keywords:          Citizenship          Law        Duty      Love

Timeline/Series:               Romans

Introduction

                Among sermons in my library is one preached more than a century ago by Robert William Dale, a Congregational pastor in Birmingham, England.  He raises, and speaks to a question pertinent to Religious Liberty Week.  He quotes John 6:15:

“Jesus therefore perceiving that they were about to come and take Him by force, to make Him king, withdrew.”

                He then asks, “Did not our Lord miss a great chance when he refused the position which they offered Him? . . . .  Why did He not consent to reign?” He then answers his own question.  “It was the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, . . . that provoked the popular enthusiasm.  No doubt the people thought that if He were their king all their material wants . . . would receive satisfaction.  Ah!  But it is not Christ’s first object to secure . . . outward conditions favorable to universal ease and comfort.  That was clearly not His object in the creation of the material universe which He has built for our home.  Men have to live by the sweat of their brow, and in most parts of the world, they have to work hard in order to live.  There are fogs and floods, harvests are blighted; there is intolerable heat, . . .  cold; men are disciplined to endurance by physical discomfort; their intellectual life is provoked to strenuous activity by the hardships and difficulties of their condition.  The proverbial garden of the sluggard is not a reproach to Providence but to the sluggard.  It was God’s will that he should have not only a garden bright with flowers, but that he should have the physical vigor, the industry, the intelligence that would come from cultivating it.  God cares more for the man than for the garden. . . .  Government is a divine institution, but it is through human virtue, . . . self-sacrifice, . . . patience, . . . sagacity, that the material blessings which are possible through the social condition are to be actually won. . . .  It was impossible that Christ should accept power on the terms upon which He knew that it had been offered to Him.”

                It would be left up to us to secure the kind of government that we deserve.  That’s what Religious Liberty Week is all about.

I.             Subject to Higher Powers Means Duties to the State.  V1 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God.”  This acknowledges the sovereignty of God, and abused authority is answerable to Him.  Governing authorities are put in place.  Even in a police state such authority is responsible.

                The will of God includes government within a social system.  The dark ages were marked by a serious challenge to state and church.  Henry the Eighth is easily recognized for this period.

                Paul, who knew no pope, seems to have made room for no such power vested in the church. 

                Ann and I served on a Jefferson Parish jury years ago.  A man from our neighborhood was in the jury pool with us; a Jehovah’s Witness, he asked to be excused.

                I Peter 2:13f:  “. . . submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, or to those sent by him. . . .”

                We are fortunate indeed to live within an open system.  Agitation for better government is allowed and expected.  The system, with all its faults, advocates teaching to improve.  We should all be good students of history.  Obey the law, but be prepared to work to improve the system as needed.

                Does being “subject” mean respecting leaders?  It is a military term.  It acknowledges a chain of command.  I remember my own military experience.  We were admonished to salute the rank. 

In 1977, the little Strode boy in Marion, North Carolina, and his parents were far off base; it is reprehensible for parents to allow their son to say the things he said about teachers and administrators.

I remember a First Sergeant whom I did not, could not, respect, but I was subject to him.

II.            Subject to Higher Powers Means Duties to Citizens of the State.  V8 “Owe no one anything  except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  He is speaking outside of the purview of the church:  “Owe no man.”  Do not be obligated to another.  Don’t let others control your destiny.

                He uses the civic term “neighbor” rather than “brother”:  “’Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor.” 

                Some see contradiction with Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.”  Our relation to God is spiritual (Romans 6:14).  Our relation to the world is legal (Romans 13:8f).

                James Stifler (E13p219), The Epistle to the Romans—“God demands much more of the believer than the state asks.  The latter says ‘Thou shalt not injure thy neighbor.’ God says, ‘Thou shalt love him as thyself.’”

                The goal, then, for the Christian, is to care about other people.  It extends beyond other “believers.”

  It is an obligation to pay our own way and our just debts.  Love teaches us not only what good to do,  it teaches what ungood to avoid.  Love restrains us from: (v9) adultery, murder, theft, false witness, covetousness; all else is “comprehended” in “love.”

We would do well to remember that the state can only administer by the sword.  If it administers wrongly, grievous injustice can and does result.  The church, however, is to administer through love.  Even if we are wrong, what injustice is there in love?  V9: “. . . All is summed up (kephelaion) in this saying, namely, Thou  shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

III.           Subject to Higher Powers Means Enforcement of Civil Duties.  V13 “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.”

                What we do, do it because of the time.  V11 “Knowing  the time.”  There is too much tendency to sleep, moreso, to fail to see moral and cultural deprivations.  Biblical advice is that it is time to awaken out of stupor; time to grasp the meaning of ineptitude; time to perceive that we can make a difference. On May 14, 1988, while Monroe, Louisiana, bar owners were celebrating their school’s 2a.m. victory, a customer of Kentucky bars was turning into the wrong lane of the freeway, and killed 27 people.

                The true significance of this passage is in its relationship to Christ.  First, the “night” of Christ’s away, V12; second, the “day” of His reappearing.  They were to put off the works of darkness, put on the works of light.  Ephesians 6:13 “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” 

You see, when we have taken Christ, we have done all we can, or need to do.  Hebrews 10:37, “For yet a little while, and he who is coming will come, and will not tarry.”

                Simple honesty demands that we be in daily living what we claim to be in profession.  V13 “Let us walk honestly.”  It means “becomingly, decently.”  Paul uses the same word in I Thessalonians 4:12, “Walk honestly toward them who are outsiders.”  We who are believers do have moral, as well as spiritual obligations to others.  Not many “drunken” or “perverted orgies,” or even “jealous strife.”  But the text reminds us (v10) “Love worketh no ill to one’s neighbor,” remembering Christ’s definition.

                The summation of all is that we are to “put on” Christ.  Romans 6:3 “As many as are baptized in Jesus, are baptized in  His death.”  Galatians 3:27 “For as many as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.”

                There is obedience. There is disposition.   There is hope.

***THE CONCLUSION OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***

WHEN GOD BECAME MAN

#012                                                           WHEN GOD BECAME MAN

Scripture Matthew 2:1-6                                                                                                                                 Orig. 12-19-71

                                                                                                                                                                                Rewr. 12-14-76 

Passage:  After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Introduction

                To contemplate the birth of Jesus, one must also consider that earlier birth of a planet, and birth of the generic man upon that planet.  Back in the day when pollution was unknown, and ecology was unnecessary, man lived in what was a veritable Garden of Eden.

                Of the little that we do know about that place, there is this fact about man’s beginnings.  Around him were many trees.  Of two of these we know the names—the tree of life, and the tree of knowledge.  Imagination tells us what might have been names of other trees—virtue, strength, love, faith, obedience, trust, fidelity, honor.  It was the tree of knowledge that man was disallowed any access.

                You must be aware that there is a suitable recourse to knowledge when life is adequately lived.  By having life, man can achieve knowledge.  To have knowledge, however, is never any guarantee for life.

                Thus, when man chose knowledge and rejected life, a rerouting of man’s priority became necessary.  That rerouting ordered by God is declared in the story of the birth of Jesus.  “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin.”

                And in His birth it is again declared—“I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.”

                The birth of Jesus, then, was not an historical declarative, but a contemporary imperative. And it was more.  It was when God became man.

I.             When God Became Man, There was Submission to the Limitations of the Flesh. He experienced extreme physical privation.  A prince born in a cattle stall—the wise men honored a king; the priests looked for a king; The Word foretold a king.  But even earthly kings are not so treated.  I remember the birth of England’s Prince.  The throngs waited amid regal glories for the natal hour.  I remember when the College of Cardinals elected a Pope.  I remember election night 1968.  I remember last evening, when the winning democrat pictured himself elected.

                Was such privation necessary for the “Tiny King?”  You remember, I am sure, that Satan promised Jesus the kingdoms of this world if Jesus would worship him.  But you must remember that this is a betrayal of trust.  The kingdoms of which he spoke were those of the King of Kings, and not Lord of Lords.  This KING, and no tiny king is HE, came to help man find His way back to God.  The king must be One with the subject who will honor Him.  Hebrews 4:15: “We have a high priest who feels our infirmities.”  His life and His ministry were to make it easier for man to believe—to reroute his priorities.

                This privation experience is necessary for us as well. We must die to the flesh, live unto God. Matthew 18:3 “Except you become as little children, you shall in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven.”

II.            When God Became Man, There was Surrender of All of the Divine Attributes.  The power of God did not cease to be operative in the universe.  But in Jesus, God Himself, became the deliverer, the sin bearer, the rerouter of man’s priorities.

                Let’s be sure about our concept of a deliverer.  Television and movies have given us what is a poor substitute for the real thing.  There is always the same plot.  The father can’t or won’t pay the rent, the damsel won’t agree to the landlord’s proposal (it used to be one of marriage), so he ties her to the railroad track to await the hero sweeping in to deliver.  May I call your attention to the Biblical concept—He was wounded for our transgressions.  He was bruised for our iniquity.  The chastisement of our peace was upon Him.  With His stripes we are healed.  Even with His manliness, there was no compromise with purity and virtue. Hebrews 4:15 In all points He was tempted as we are, yet without sin.

III.           When God Became Man, There was Subordination to the Holy Spirit.  It was as Jesus accepted the fact of God’s Will that He was empowered to accomplish it.  The hard fact of Jesus’ life was that He was willing to pay whatever price necessary to honor His heavenly Father—not human parents;  not national heritage, not unborn multitudes; certainly not the human blood suckers who demand that we be like they are or a little worse.  It is in the context of our willingness to honor our heavenly Father that we may be empowered for our task.  May. May. May… The doubt is not in God’s ability, but in our will.  John 14:12 “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these because I go to the Father.”

Conclusion

                I read recently an account of a lady in the frontier days of the old west who came to the attitude of dependence upon the Holy Spirit.  She lived with her husband in a mining town when gold fever was very high. 

                Someone told of an old prospector who lived alone in a shack back of town in the hills.  He was dying.  But about such a mean and vile man, no one cared.  She went to him when no one would even go with her.  He cursed her for coming.  At the mention of mother, he cursed her.  At mention of wife, he cursed her.  After several visits she despaired to go again.  Her little boy said “You didn’t pray.  Have you given up? Has God given up?” She spent a night agonizing in prayer.  She started visiting with a neighbor and her daughter.  The little girl’s laugh became the key to the old man’s heart.

                Our trouble is that we get bleary eyed and beatific over the birth of Bethlehem’s babe.  Then after Christmas, we just revert to our old thinking about living among all of those agnostics and we are afraid to let them know that Christ is out of the manger and in our hearts.