BEHOLD THE MAN

#446                                                                    BEHOLD THE MAN                                                                                           

Scripture  John 19:1-7, NIV                                                                                                             Orig. Date 12/24/1967

                                                                                                                                                                   Rewr. Dates 2/5/1985

Passage: Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”  But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”  7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

Purpose: To examine, through the exclamation of Pilate, the potentials that people see in Christ.

Keywords:                           Christ, Manhood                              Sin                          Revival

Introduction

                An unclear picture fuzzes its way into our minds here.  Jesus has just come through the experience of having been scourged by these Roman soldiers. Yet, Pilate presented him to the multitude as if he were the keynote speaker at some national convocation:  “Behold, the man!”  Most of us would have trouble imagining what Jesus had been through.  He is a beaten, bloody mass of cuts, bruises, and abrasions.  Yet, Pilate says “Behold, the man!”  Over that beaten body, the Romans had placed an old, faded purple robe.  On his head was a crown of thorns, “Behold, the man!”

                It was mockery, of course.  Shock treatment say some.  Pilate’s attempt to rid himself of a politician’s dilemma.  It was his way of saying, “Look at this poor wretch!  You don’t really find him a threat, do you?”

                But seeing the robe, and the crown, they were incensed.  Thus, their answer to Pilate’s exclamation:  “Crucify!  Crucify Him!”

                It is to this vengeful spirit in man that this message is addressed.  “Behold, the man.”  It is to remind us all that there is a quality to the life of Jesus that cannot elsewhere be found.  “Behold, the Man.”  It is to remind us that the man whom we here “Behold” is none other than the same man who “His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. . .” (I Peter 2:24).

I.             It is Here that We See the Vitality of Man at His Best.  V4 “Behold, I bring him forth to you that you may know that I find no fault in him.”

                He was a man admired and  respected by other men.  A man of truth—John 1:14 “. . .We beheld his glory, . . . full of grace and truth.” John 5:33 “Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.”  A man of courage—1/4 of the gospel is from Jesus’ last week, half of that the last 24 hours; the garden better shows courage than cross: Man’s existence began in a garden; his social structure; his sin and separation; his rebirth.  He was a man of vision—a new image of God, a new understanding of God’s way.

                He had the marks of character most admired by women:  Tenderness—don’t confuse with weakness, impotence.  Gentleness set in the rough; it seems that few of us can stand by their guns without pulling the trigger.  Even with the prostitute, the publican, he was kind. Understanding—Hear him with the woman at the well.  Masculine—openness and honesty, showing our true selves.

                Not only was he a man’s man, and a woman’s man, he was God’s man.  He was sinless.  2 Corinthians 5:21 “He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.”  Incorruptible—Corruptibility is a fact of life; it did not exist in Jesus.  Obedience—Compare Simon who when bidden to go and pray with Jesus was too weary.  But too weary to lift his sword though not bidden.

II.            But We See Here also the Victim of Man at His Worst.  V6 “When the chief priests, therefore, and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

                He was victim of a dissolute religion.  Nothing goes sour as fast as bad religion.  The problem was one of interpretation, not with system.  Hebrew religion was man’s noblest.  But it had disintegrated into a soulless ethic.  The Baptist faith was a Holy Ghost faith long before the Pentecostals came into being.  If we die it will be the death of soulless ethic denying the Holy Spirit His rightful place.

                He was victim of a malicious mob.  We know of mobs, but they are not new:  At Lot’s door when he entertained angels;  in Thessalonica threatening Paul and Silas at Jason’s; here at Jesus’ cross.

                A good question to ask today is “Where would I be if such a mob formed in my town?”

                He was victim of a conscienceless civil power.  To Pilate Jesus was an inconvenience.  All he had to do to go free was bend a little. Compromise!  To the soldiers, Jesus was relief for their boredom, an object of amusement.

                He was victim of man in the madness of sin.  Suppose with me for a moment: The religious leaders became reconciled, the unruly mob came to their senses, civil government stood up against injustice.  But one unkempt rowdy yelled “Crucify Him!”

                Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.

III.           Finally, He was the Vehicle, the Visible Embodiment, of God’s Saving Grace.  V7 “The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”

                Clearly, He was that.  John 3:16 “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son.”  I John 4:9 “God sent His only begotten son into the world that we might live through him.”  Hebrews 1:1,2 “God . . . hath in these last days spoken to us by His Son.”

                But not because he made himself to be what he was not.  With courage and truth he declared himself to be what he was.  With tenderness and manhood he declared his link with the Father.  In sinless, incorruptible obedience he was the fulfillment of all that God demanded of Him.

                Thus, he became the instrument (vehicle) of God’s saving power.  Matthew 1:21 “Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sin.”  Romans 1:16, “The gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth.”

Conclusion

                R.G. Lee (T43P114) “No artist can frame a picture large enough to include all the glories of the evening sunset—when human eyes see the glory of God’s robe where the last fires of sunset burn.  So no voice can compass, no pen include, the full statement of Christ’s character. But what he was toward the child and the  mother, to the publican, to the prodigal, the hypocrite, the harlot; toward sinner and disciple, that is God toward all men, in all times, in all places. . . Be not hard to convince, not slow of heart to believe . . . .”

THE OUTRAGE OF MISGUIDED FAITH

#302                                                 THE OUTRAGE OF MISGUIDED FAITH

                                                                        Fleeing from Fickle Fires

Scripture          Mark 14:54, 66-72                                                                                 Orig. Date 8/28/1966 (4/1979)

                            John 21:18                                                                                                             Rewr. Dates 10/10/1985

Passage: Mark 14:54, 66-72; John 21:18, NIV

Mark 14:54, 66-72  54 Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.  66 While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.  “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus,” she said.  68 But he denied it. “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about,” he said, and went out into the entryway.[g]

 69 When the servant girl saw him there, she said again to those standing around, “This fellow is one of them.” 70 Again he denied it.  After a little while, those standing near said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”  71 He began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about.”  72 Immediately the rooster crowed the second time.[h] Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice[i] you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

John 21:18  18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”

Purpose: To remind my people that from time to time we need to re-examine the methods of our faith.

Keywords:                           Denial                   Discipline             Faith

Timeline/Series:               New Testament Church

Introduction

                Just a few short years ago, one of the best loved and most highly respected ministers in America was Peter Marshall.  He briefly held the position of Chaplain of the U.S. Senate.  The story of his  life, from boyhood in Scotland to his death was the subject of a Hollywood film.

                His wife, Catherine, never one to be bashful about her own Christian convictions did not reach prominence until after her husband’s death.  She became an accomplished author writing the happy reflections of two people sustained by the wonderful grace of God, and of the greater sustenance that came to her in his death.  In actual fact, more people have been blessed by the contribution of her writings than could ever have been touched by a Presbyterian minister, even the Chaplain of the Senate.

                In her book, Beyond Ourselves, she includes a personal manifesto.  She writes of her tragedy, and of a greater door that was opened to her through her personal suffering.  It is a personal record of her escape from grief.  Along the way, she advises what is at stake and what the potential cost may be.  She wrote, “Don’t surrender to God unless you mean it, because He may have to take some sizable chunks out of us.” 

                Simon Peter is an example of the outrage of a man’s misguided faith.  Even so, the cost of commitment is likewise outrageous.  Perhaps there is something for us to learn from the experience of Simon Peter.

I.             Physically, We See a Man Following at a Distance.  V54 “But Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest.” 

                A curious man.  It had driven him into the water to walk beside Jesus.  (Matthew 14.)  When Jesus first spoke of death it roused him to rebuke Jesus.  Just before this, he takes sword in hand to defend Jesus.  Now he is torn between love for Jesus, and fear of his enemies.  Curiosity is not uncommon in the faith.  John 4 “Jesus said, ‘Except you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’”  Again, John 12, “They came not for Jesus’ sake only, but to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.”

                A complex man.  He was another with much to offer.  Under controlled circumstances he would give completely.  It is said by some that his death was the death of crucifixion in Rome.  Like many of us he needed simple answers to complex questions.  He heard the answer to John’s question (Luke 7) “Are you the One that was to come, or do we look for another?”  Though Jesus answered affirmatively, faith in that response would come ever so slowly.

                A concerned man.  He knew the anguish of the people around him.   He had seen Jesus confront pseudoreligion, and draw believable pictures of God.  He wanted to believe, but how long would it take to convince him?  Gene Bartlett’s hymn tells the story needed by Simon and most of us.  “Set my soul afire, Lord, for Thy holy word.  Burn it deep within me, let Thy voice be heard. Millions grope in darkness, in this day and hour, I will be a witness, fill me with Thy power.  Set my soul afire, Lord, set my soul afire.  Make my life a witness of Thy saving power. Millions grope in darkness waiting for Thy word, set my soul afire Lord, set my soul afire.”

II.            But Socially, Simon’s Witness was Degraded by Denial.  V67 “You also were with Jesus of Nazareth.”  V68 “But he denied it, saying. . . .” V70 “But he denied it again.”  V71 “I do not know this man.”

                Simon is  here accused of being a Christian.  He is honest in his denial in that he is open about it.  How often do we do the same and hide it? Faith is something to put on on Sunday, a mask to paint over our real feelings.  We grow satisfied with the bleachers of faith because the participants look uncomfortable and overworked.   

                I sometimes have genuine pity for folks who find excuses to stay away from church.  Some may be believers.  They are going to feel so out of place in Heaven, if they make it.  They  will be on edge all the time fearing that someone made a mistake and they are going to be kicked out.  And when the heavenly chorus starts to sing Amazing Grace, they are not even going to know the words.

                It is one thing to deny by word.  That can be quickly changed. We can deny our denial.  We can prove our fealty by our faith.

                But it’s a terrible thing when denial becomes so ingrained it’s worn like a badge of honor.  Jesus makes it clear that we are not free to deny Him.  He refuted the comfortable “logic” that we are free to do as we please.  Matthew 7:26 “Everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon sand.”

                It is evidently clear that there is light enough and we are responsible for denials.  John 3:19 “And this is the condemnation, that  light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light . . . deeds are evil.”  Misquote “better than light” division of loyalty for “rather than light” error in value judgment.

III.           Third Denial is Purgative.  Psychologically, We See a Man Disarmed by Defection.  V72 “And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him ‘Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.’”  Matthew and Luke “wept bitterly.”

                It is when the soul is desperate that we can best encounter God.  The prodigal.  Isaiah—“Woe is me, I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. . . .”  David—“Restore unto me the joy of my salvation.”

                Such desperation is the enabler of faith.  Some need such an encounter to experience forgiveness and faith.  Others grow up believing.  They can’t imagine not believing.  The occasion deepens faith and widens horizons of Christian living.

                For Simon, the experience broke him free from the traditions that bound him.  Distance would become directness.  Simon becomes a new man in Christ.  His denial becomes discipleship.  Still many  hurdles to surpass.  John 21:18 “Another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not go.”  His defection becomes death to self and life in Christ.  Singly, and in  single stages we are brought into the kingdom.  Isaiah 27:12 “You shall be gathered one by one.”  Luke 15:7 “Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” –Jesus’ parable of one lost sheep.  Barabbas released (John 18:39). Cornelius dazzling in Acts 10.  There is a right thing, a right way, a right time, and a right purpose.

Conclusion

                In my first pastorate another preacher suggested to me one day that I ought to get a tent.  In my youthful enthusiasm, I thought he was complimenting me and suggesting  that I share my ministry on a wider scale.

                In a later, saner moment of spiritual crisis, the Lord convicted me that the tone of my ministry was a bit too formal and I needed to break out of it.  That may have been what my friend had been trying to tell me all the time.  From time to time, we need to take a good look at our faith and allow the Lord to take some of those “chunks” (C. Marshall) out of us.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

#584                        THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT                                                                              

Scripture  John 16:7-16 NIV                                                                                           Orig. Date 9/17/1972

                                                                                                                                     Rewr. Dates 10/20/1974

Passage: 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

16 Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”

Keywords:           Holy Spirit                            Fruits of the  Spirit

Introduction

                A pastor went calling one Monday morning, and came finally to the home of a member of the church.  He knocked upon the door, and it was opened by the lady of the house in her cleaning clothes and with mop in hand.  He recognized that it was an inconvenient time, and made excuses to leave.

                The housewife graciously encouraged him to stay and visit.  She said, “I have wanted to tell you how much your sermon yesterday helped me.” 

                The pastor, of course, was immediately interested.  He replied, “I am glad to hear that.  But tell me please what it was I said that helped you so much.”

                The lady then said that she did not remember exactly what had been said, but that it had helped her.

                The preacher then, with a little of his vanity showing said, “How can the message have possibly helped you if you cannot even remember what was said?”

                The housewife then preached a sermon in few words to her pastor.  She said, “Bro. Pastor, I don’t keep the water my clothes are washing in, but it sure does help while it is going through.”

                The work of the Holy Spirit is to take the mundane  as well as the ennobling events of our lives and to give them spiritual clarity and meaning.

I.             The Holy Spirit is at Work in the World to Lift Up the Name of Jesus.  John 16:13-14 “he (the Spirit) shall not speak of  himself; . . . he shall glorify me.”

                This is the most important function of the Holy Spirit for at least three reasons.

                If we would truly honor and praise God, then we must honor Him through His Son.  Luke 2:12-14 declares a sign to men, “You will find the baby . . . in a manger.”  Then there came a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God and peace among men.

                Luke 19:37-40 When Jesus entered Jerusalem the disciples began to shout their praise of God through what they had seen in Jesus.  The Pharisees wanted Jesus to rebuke them.  If they are quiet, the stones will cry out.

                It is through the name of Jesus that people are being saved.  Jesus is the deed of God.  Jesus takes religion out of the ethereal and makes it personal.  Jesus came and taught man the language which God speaks.

                Acts 4:12 There is none other name under heaven given among men  whereby ye must be saved.

                The unity of mankind is served in exact measure as the Holy Spirit magnifies the work of Jesus. 

                The problems in Palestine are a case in point.

                                Arabs – Ishmael – Abraham

                                Jews – Isaac – Abraham

                And let it be known that the burden of world peace is upon the Christian.  If we say that we have what they need and must have, then our lives must show the glow of it.

                All of the new and encouraging emphasis upon the Holy Spirit in the lives of followers of Jesus, teaches us that what unites us as Christians is far more important that what divides us.

II.            The Holy Spirit is at Work in the World to Implant Truth.  John 16:13, When the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you to all truth.

                Man has returned to an agnostic dilemma in his pursuit of truth.  Jesus said to Pilate “I am  here to bring truth to the world.”  Pilate said “What is truth?”  And man today is saying “How can I be sure about anything?”

                How can you be sure of anything that really matters?  How can you be sure of air and sunshine and rain and breath and sight and hearing and love? 

                (The 1982-1983 El Niño)

                It is in the area of the working  of the Holy Spirit in our lives that the ability to get the most out of every magnificent minute [rests].

                But truth in the simple terms of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is none other than trust.  Hebrews 6:12 “be . . . followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

                In the book God’s Smuggler, the authors tell the story of Brother Andrew and a faith in God that knew no bounds.  Chapter 6 is entitled “The Game of the Royal Way.”  It tells how, as a  young man, God provided his needs against near impossible odds: the expired visa and a shilling going to the gutter; the man from the mission; the postman and thirty shillings.

                As there are those who trust to receive, there are also those who trust to share.  In Bro. Andrew’s need there as a prayer group at a place where he was formerly employed.  There are different kinds of needs in our lives.  For some of us the need is to share.

III.           The Scripture has Much More to Say About the Work of the Holy Spirit.

                The Holy Spirit gives to men the gifts of God’s choosing.

                Ephesians 4:11-12, Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others he has given the ability to be able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God.  Why?  To equip us to better serve Him.

                I Corinthians 12:4, God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.

                (Go into this in greater depth next week.)

                The Holy Spirit brings conviction to men.  See John 16:8:  KJ-reprove/LB-convince/NEB-confute/___-convict. 1) conviction of sin; 2) conviction of righteousness; 3) conviction of judgment.

                The Holy Spirit is the Resource through whom we may know that we are children of God.  Romans 8:16, The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit.  1 John 5:6, 10, 6 This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because

                Spirit is the truth. . . .  10 Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

Closing

                And time does not here permit us to [speak] of the fruits of the Spirit of God in our lives.  Of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

                But time does permit us to say that the Holy Spirit is the crowning gift of God to His people to enable us in following the example and the teaching of Christ.  And like any other gift, we do not ask for it, we just receive it from the hand of a friend.  What we ask for is wisdom and knowledge in using this gift as the Friend intended.

THE WAY—VITAL SIGNS FOR LIFE

#708ab                                                 THE WAY--VITAL SIGNS FOR LIFE

Scripture  John 14:6/Acts 16:31, NIV                                                                                      Orig. 5/31/1978

                                                                                                                                                 Rewr. 8/24/1987

Passage:               John 14:6             6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

                                Acts 16:31            31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Purpose:              To call attention to the vital signs of salvation so that we may know the way that God has opened for us.

Keywords:           Christ as Saviour               Lostness              New Birth            Promise               Repentance       Revival

Introduction

                We had been in New Orleans only a few short weeks.  A day or so after I had come to the assistance of some travelers I had a most disconcerting experience. 

                During the early weeks, my most common occurrence was asking someone else for directions.  This time, however, I was the askee, rather than the asker.

                It was Friday evening, and I was gassing up at the old Shell station.  A car pulled up, the driver stepped out, came over to me, informed me that he was on the way to a wedding and needed to know how to get to LaBarre Road. Any time one is standing on a service station apron, he is assumed to know directions to anywhere.

                But I digress…

                Well, as it worked out, we had a family living on LaBarre Road, and I could direct him.  Though it has been fifteen years, I still remember the precise directions given.  Go down Jefferson Highway, thru Harahan to the traffic circle at the bridge, follow it around to the north, away from the bridge.  You will be on Clearview. Continue north to Airline Highway.  Turn right, go about one mile, looking for the street sign for your street.  I added, “You can’t miss it.”  He returned to his car, and drove away.

                As his tail lights disappeared, I recalled having seen no church in that area, and he had mentioned a church.  But I shrugged it off and went back to filling my tank.

                A few days later I was in the Jefferson area, near Ochsner Hospital, and discovered an extension of LaBarre Road.  I couldn’t resist looking for the church, and, there it was.

                A young couple, on their way to a wedding, didn’t know the way, and compounded their problem by asking someone for help who also didn’t know, but he didn’t know that he didn’t know.  Well, if you are confused, so were they.  I just hope that they were not in the wedding party.  I never did go back to that Shell station on a Friday night.

                It is important that if we claim to be heaven bound, we be able to tell those who are searching, “the way.”

I.             Finding the Way Requires an Admission of Lostness.

                Romans 3:23, “ For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  I Corinthians 2:14, “The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him.”

                Recall the  number of times you have sought help while on a journey.  Visitor centers offer intermediate help.  Major gas companies offer the service of trip planning.  Most of us, at one time or the other, used AAA “Trip-Tik.”   These are simple admissions of fallibility.

                Often we have had to call on someone else when faced by some unfamiliar struggle.  Problem with a child/family member.  Student needing help with an assignment.  Facing some medical emergency.  The expression “I am lost” is a not uncommon declaration.

                Some extra help with algebra would be nice.  Second opinions mean a great deal if surgery is in the offing.  But if it’s just a matter of going to heaven, I’ll take my chances.

                Do we somehow perceive that we can make the journey God-ward without any outside assistance?  If driving to New Orleans, I want a co-pilot.  Jean Middendorf once said to Ann, “I don’t merge.  You look and I’ll go [hands over head, eyes squeezed shut].” On a journey God-ward, admit at some point your lostness.

                Psalm 53:2f, “See if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.  . . . Not even one.”  Romans 3:11, “There is none that understand, none that seek God.  All have turned away. . . .” 

II.            Finding the Way Starts at the Altar of Repentance/The Initial Act in Conquering Lostness is Repentance.  Acts 3:19, “Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”  Let me be sure you understand my use of altar.  I’m not suggesting that the only place that you can repent is in church.  I am saying that repentance is a spiritual experience.  I’m saying that it has to do with your relationship with God.  I’m saying that one must recognize the  reality of wrong choices and of need for reconciliation.

                The Greek word for repent means “I have taken the wrong road.”  The very nature of repentance is the nature of change.  Having taken the wrong road, I must find the right way.  Seeing where I am, and that danger lurks, I must act.  Turning from, I must also turn to.  In the Old Testament, repentance is national, cultural.  But by the time of Jesus, it clearly has become an individual, personal need.  Matthew 4:17/Mark 1:15 agree that the first proclaimed message of Jesus was exhortation to repent.

                Equally important in the exhilaration of turning from something is the consideration of what we turn to.  Jesus’ story of the unclean spirit driven out, but not replaced becomes a case in point to help us understand.  Matthew 12:44-45 tells of a man cleansed of an impure spirit and seven devils took its place.  “And the final condition  of that person is worse than the first.”

III.           Finding the Way Compels a Commitment of Will/After Repentance, We can Address Ourselves to the “Way.”  I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins, and purify us from all wrongdoing.”  GNV

                Think back to the last time you remember having taken a wrong road.  Every time I go to Dallas I try to take I20 SL rather than getting on I30 thru.   Remember the pleasant sensation of recovery and return to road of choice.  So  you lost an  hour, big deal.  You went 70 miles out of your way, could be, even this was fortuitous.

                What made the difference was a determination to continue.  Commitment of will is a major thrust of personality in all experiences.  In relation to God, it is vital.  Seeing that it is my sin that has separated us, it is my acknowledgement of faith that restores.  If I were preaching on grace, I’d say it differently.  I am a conditional Calvinist confident that without God, my will would never be evoked.  But my will is my own, and response of will figures mightily.

                I must get all the way to faith: 1) Admission, 2) Repentance, 3) Commitment.

IV.          Finally, on the Way, I See the Need for Perseverance/Turning to “The Way” in Confession and Confidence Demands that Other Ways Be Forsaken.  Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteousness man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.”

                Too many of us come into the kingdom thinking that our options are unchanged.  We purchase a ticket on the glory train just in case.  The church is often guilty of leaving the notion that all we want is their money.  Especially churches  hurting financially.  Remind you again of Paul’s admonition to Corinthians (II Corinthians 12:14), “I seek not yours but you.”

                Another mistake is in thinking that involvement in good causes earns God’s approval.  We are to involve ourselves thusly.  It is the Christian’s new nature.  It is what should have sent more to the poll to reject the local option.  Now we must go through the rigors of removal.  But right causes earn nothing but the sense of right choice.  Romans 6:4, “. . . Just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

                Our faith in Christ should dispel the convenience/pleasure of wrong.  Ezekiel 36:26, “A new  heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:  and I will take away the stony heart.”

                Admission/Repentance/Commitment/Perseverance.  It is the means of finding the way.  It will enable us to help others also.

Conclusion

                While on the State BSU Advisory Committee, I had to fly from New Orleans to Shreveport.  Driving to the airport, I was oblivious of cloud cover.  But quickly airborne, we became aware.  It covered Louisiana like a blanket all the way.  Then I heard the announcement of preparation for landing.  We were above the clouds, the sky a beautiful blue.  The clouds like cotton.  As the plane descended, we moved into that blanket, so thick that not even the wings could be seen.  We were a blip on a radar screen.  Nothing more.  Within  minutes we were safe on the ground, at the ramp.

THREE LORDLY TRUTHS

#755                                                               THREE LORDLY TRUTHS

Scripture  John 14:1-20, NIV                                                                                                                          Orig. 9/7/1979

                                                                                                                                                                               Rewr. 2/3/1989

Passage:               “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12 Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

Purpose: To encourage my people with the three supreme truths that Jesus has come, He has emptied His Holy Spirit, and He is coming again.

Keywords:           Christ the Lord                   Holy Spirit                            Revival                  Christ the Messiah                          

                                Incarnation                         Second Coming                 Faith in Christ                    Faith in Heaven

                                Faith in Christ’s Return

Timeline/Series:               none

Introduction

                The body was picked up off of the side of the road, cold and stiff.  Apparently, the man, somewhat older, was hit by a car or truck as he walked the dimly lit road.  Whether the driver stopped, nobody knows.  Cursory examinations were made.  No sign of heartbeat, obviously dead.  So, the supposed corpse wound up in the morgue.

                All the proper formalities were followed.  The death notice was signed, next of kin notified.  He would shortly be released to the undertakers for burial.

                It was presumed to be a simple case of hit and run.  Simple that is to everyone but the victim.  Tire marks, and location of the body told investigators how far the body had been thrown, and therefore, some idea of the speed of the vehicle.  The chances were good that damage to the car/truck, with a little public awareness help, might locate the driver.

                But a strange thing happened in the morgue.  Although the body had been checked as closely as circumstances would seem to dictate, a morgue attendant noticed what appeared to be a tear, and then another.

                In the report I read (B92p9), the oversight was caused by “a strange, Hitchcock-style affliction triggered by the impact” masking a faint, and almost undiscovered heartbeat.

                There are morgue attendants out there who are ready to bury the church.  Some are nominal Christians, or worse, nominal church members.  They are thinking in terms of burial, and “The sooner, the better.”  I want to tell you this morning, brethren, that the church isn’t dead.  In fact, there are 3 lordly truths that manifest that the church can’t die.

I.             Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come As Messiah and Lord.  V1, “Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me.”  V9 “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?”

                Jesus had, at this time, invaded the Hebrew world as Messiah.  They were debating who He was, but His presence was undeniable.  In Genesis 12-17, Abraham is repeatedly promised that Messiah will come through him.  A millennium later David was assured that his “throne” would be established.  II Samuel 7:16 “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee: thy throne will be established forever.”

                Believers today have no difficulty whatever relating Jesus to all predictions.  Matthew 1 contains 17 verses of the genealogy of Jesus as David’s son.  Scripture and early church affirm the virgin birth prophesied.  Luke 3 even contains Jesus’ kingly genealogy through His mother, that He is descendant of Abraham and David.  Isaiah 7:13f “And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

                It is not through the traditions of our faith, but the trustworthiness of scripture that proclaims Jesus, Lord.  New Testament writings make much of the term “Lord.”  A term denoting deity.  Paul, legally and religiously trained, would not have used “Lord” had he any doubt about Jesus.

                Revelation background helps us to understand the change of Rome to Christianity.  Yearly, citizens “burned pinch of incense and say ‘Caesar is Lord.’” J4p419.  Believers refused.  “Jesus is Lord!”

II.            The Second Truth Is of His Sustained Spiritual Presence with the Believing Fellowship.  V15f “If ye love  me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”  Jesus knew that at times in history faith would dim.  He knows the limitations of our humanity.  Exodus 29:46, “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them.”

                Heartbeat almost undetected.  Perhaps, only our tears, would give us away.  At least 9 Old Testament books  mention such.  In the New Testament, they are tears of affirmation.  II Timothy 1:4 “Recalling  your tears, I long to see you so that I might be filled with joy.”  Revelation 7:17, 21:4 “wipe away every tear.”

                It is through this sustained Spirit that Christ’s presence is marked today.  Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession from them.”

                Thus Jesus promised and the Holy Spirit has come to manifest that promise.  Being a church member is not what distinguishes believers.  It’s easier to join than the country club.  Less demand upon the average church member than on non-resident Rotarian.  Percentage support is minimal.  40-50% attend one or both Sunday school and worship.  20-25% attend church training or prayer meeting.  10-20% pay 70-80% of the bills.

                But a believer showing evidence of protracted Spirit presence, all rejoice to call friend.  Every believer was baptized into the body of Christ at Pentecost.  It is pointless to beg for what was provided by prior arrangement. 

                Seek instead a deeper application of the Spirit’s presence in your life.  Discover your spiritual gifts.  Find opportunities to share your faith with others.  Study to show yourself approved.  Find  ways to improve prayer time.  Seek Spirit’s help to forgive.

III.           The Final Truth Is That Jesus is Coming Again as King and Righteous Judge.  V20 “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”  John 16:16, “Jesus went on to say, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while  you will see me.’”  John 16:22, “So with  you:  Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and  you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”  John 16:28, “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

                John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Do not be confused about the return of Jesus.  Remember that the most honest person who ever lived forecast this.  Christians throughout history have not only believed it, they have expected it.  John 14:3, “I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am ye may be also.”

                His coming will address the inequities that continue in this world.  Abused children will be no more for the abusers will be gone.  AIDS will disappear because sexual promiscuity will be removed.  Racial strife will cease because hate cannot exist where Christ is.  War will become a non-entity because the Prince of Peace reigns.  Every imaginable inequity and horror shall have ceased to be.

                One final word is that we must remember that He comes as righteous judge.  Jeremiah 23:5 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I shall raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the earth.”

Conclusion

                Dwight L. Moody tells of a young woman in one of his crusades.  She was near the front, listening with great interest to everything that was said.  He commented, “It is precious to preach to people like that.  They generally get good even if the sermon is poor.”

                After the service he spoke to her.  She was not a Christian, but wanted to be.  Dr. Moody asked her of belief.  She responded, “I have been trying to believe for three years.  I am sick of the word.”  Moody pointed out that something was wrong.  It doesn’t take an anxious sinner three years to find an anxious Saviour.”  He changed belief to trust.  “I do trust, but I still don’t feel any better.”  “You’ve been looking for feelings instead of for Jesus.”

THE WORD MADE CLEAR

#195                                                             THE WORD MADE CLEAR

Scripture  John 10:22-42, NIV                                                                                                                     Orig. 3/28/1971

                                                                                                                                                               Rewr. 5/1977, 2/3/1985

Passage: ²² Then came the Festival of Dedication^[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” ²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all^[b]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, ³² but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” ³³ “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’^[c]? ³⁵ If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— ³⁶ what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷ Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. ³⁸ But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” ³⁹ Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹ and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Purpose: To make clear the authority of God’s Word as the instrument through which the message of salvation is made known to all people.

Keywords:           Bible                      Christ the Son of God                     Word of God                      Salvation

Introduction

                Have you ever been so over-whelmed with words that they somehow lost their meaning?  Perhaps a doctor’s explanation of some serious illness suddenly confused you with too much information.  Or, an agent’s identification of certain clauses in some important financial contract, and the harder you tried, the less you understood.  Maybe some matter involving pending litigation, and the lawyer is trying to cover some potential traps and uncertainty surrounds you.

                If you have not already, you will soon take tax forms in hand.  You were referred from Form 1040 to Form 2950SE.  Then to 3903 and 2120.  Then you noted that there were exclusions of 2950SE that you had over-looked, and you suddenly realize that the best tax deduction is that paid to a consultant.  You are reeling under the load of annuities, exemptions, tax write-offs, casualty losses, reimbursed expenses, and percentile exclusions.  You glance at your watch and discover that it is April 16^th.  “Words!  Words!  Words!” (Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2).

                Many people treat the Bible this way.  They let themselves get lost in words.  A second grader could apply what he has learned and tell you that there are 66 books in the Bible.  Two  or three years later, he has learned enough to add the chapters of these books and amass a total 1189.  By the time he is a freshman in high school, with a little luck and … [text lost]… are 773,692 words.  He may know certain facts about the Bible: The longest chapter is Psalm 119; the shortest Psalm 117; the longest verse is Esther 8:9; the shortest John 11:35.  He may know facts, or words, and be totally ignorant about the message contained within.

I.             There Is the Establishment of Authority.  V36 “Do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”  V35 reminds us “The scripture cannot be broken.”

                William Tyndale was a man used of God to bring His word to the language of men.  Burned at the stake, betrayed by a friend.  Most persistent enemy—the church.  Engraving of William Tyndale standing before a burning stake with a Bible tied.  Out of the fire numberless Bibles take wing to the ends of the earth.

                Jesus came to bear witness to the Word of God.  Isaiah 55:11 “So shall  my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please. . . .”

                Jesus came as the redemptive agent of God.  V27f “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  And I give them eternal life.”  So many people lack assurance of salvation.  Tyndale opposed the 16^th Century church that was selling indulgences.  Do you have assurance of salvation?  I Samuel 12:22 “The Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake.”  V29, “No man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hands.”

                Jesus came to assert His right in every life as personal Lord.  V37f, “If I do the works of the Father, though you don’t believe me, believe the works:  that you may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in Him.”

                Early in the 20^th Century, Albert Einstein, a lifetime pacifist, spoke to a convocation of scientists.  He wrote E=MC², energy is proportional to mass: the first stumbling steps toward atomic fission.  Twenty centuries ago “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

II.            There Is the Anticipation of Response.  Regrettably, the first clear response was a negative one.  V33 “The Jews answered him saying, for a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man,  makest thyself God.”  They were the people of the book, yet they understood not.  Shakespeare somewhere said “words without thoughts never to heaven go.”  Too often we try to blame our sin on failure of the word to attest, rather than failure to believe.

                The needed response is one of faith and acquiescence.  Do we genuinely seek to know the will of God?  Romans 12:2, “That you may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect, will of God.”  Ephesians 5:17 “Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  And knowing God’s will are we content to live accordingly?

                Wilbur Rees has a piece entitled “$3.00 worth of God.”  “I’d like to buy $3.-00 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine.  I don’t want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.  I want ecstasy not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth.  I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack.  I’d like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please.”  I58p29.

                In other words, simple words, having learned the truth, to act upon it.  What do you say of him?  Few words—“He blasphemeth.”  Many words that tout truth, but do not testify of it.  Or, “He is the Son of God,” then to treat myself to faith, and others to forgiveness.

III.           The Word Makes Clear the Assertion of Salvation.  V28 “I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish.”

                The first essence of belief is in the reality of God.  Many of these “believers” are Deists.  They believe that God made and wound-up the world, as a watchmaker would a clock.  Then He went off, and to sleep, to let it wind down of its own accord.

                But the essential essence of belief is in a God of contemporary relationship.  He is not off somewhere asleep.  Clearly, He doesn’t always take my need as His first consideration.  But His activity is that of caring and loving parent.

                Salvation teaches us this belief.  It teaches of relationship.  It teaches of security.  It teaches of belonging.

Conclusion

                My family was involved in an auto accident several years ago just north of Alexandria.  Ann and both girls were hospitalized.    Ann was in bed for 8 weeks.  Two had injuries serious enough that they could not be moved.  The back half of my car was on the highway.  As I tried to comfort them and await the ambulance, I was unaware of a transport truck that had stopped, blocking the lane.  Should I have accosted him to determine the contents of his truck?  I may not want such protecting my family.  How many times I have wished for just the name of the company.

                God offers  you eternal life.  You are quibbling over word meanings.  You reject

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

THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

#582                                                     THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Scripture  John 14:15-31, NIV                                                                                                                     Orig. 9/10/1972

                                                                                                                                                                             Rewr. 5/28/1987

Passage: ¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?” ²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. ²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

²⁸ “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. ³⁰ I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, ³¹ but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.

Purpose:  Continuing a Sunday evening series on the Holy Spirit, here sharing scripture relative to His personality.

Keywords:                           Communication                Person of the Holy Spirit

Timeline/Series:               Holy Spirit

Introduction

                August 9^th finally rolled around that distant year and I was glad of it.  That day meant that VBS was about over, and vacation was about to begin.  In fact, we were to leave immediately after Parents’ Night, for the first leg of a nearly five thousand mile journey.

                The afternoon was spent with some final VBS details, and visiting some people who needed to know about the extensions of our plans.  It was a busy day.   At 7:15p.m., just before Parents’ Night was to begin, a knock was heard at my door.  It was an alcoholic needing help.  Fortunately, I knew where that help could be found, placed the phone call, found my  A.A. friend at home.

                That busy day passed successfully, in large measure, because I felt God’s presence.  I knew that the Holy Spirit had succeeded, where I, alone, would have failed.  I knew that He was not with me alone.

                Half way around the world, a friend was experiencing another kind of day.  His day was not being spent in happy pastoral experiences and preparation for vacation.  An Indonesian missionary, John Ingouf, spent that same August 9^th at the bedside of his 11-year old daughter, who was dying of lymphosarcoma.  In a letter written five days later, John wrote, “Praise the Lord for His grace.  Pray that He will continue to be glorified in Ann’s illness and home-going.  We are convinced already that much good has come from  this experience.

                The same Holy Spirit who undergirded my work that happy day, ministered to my friend in sadness 12,000 miles away.  I can only do one thing at a time, but the Holy Spirit graces our lives in that He is without limitation.  Wherever we are, whatever our need, He reaches out to us through our companionship with Christ

I.             The Holy Spirit as Transmitter of the Voice of God.  V26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

                This is not to say that before Pentecost God had no voice.  He spoke to Israel in the wilderness. They built a tabernacle as outward display of God’s glory and presence.  Exodus 40:34-35, “³⁴ Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”  It followed specific directions.

                Centuries later a beautiful temple was erected. David disallowed/Solomon instructed.  I Kings 8:10-11, “glory of the Lord filled.”  A common link: Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness was temporary, Solomon’s temple in the city was temporary.  The promise was of a new, permanent confine for God’s indwelling.

                John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.”  John 2:19, Jesus: “Destroy this temple, and in three days, I will raise it  up.”

                Paul perceived this transition to completion. I Corinthians 6:19, “What? Know ye  not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you?”

                It is thus, in the Holy Spirit, that God’s purpose of direct communication.  There are inherent dangers,  Men are careless with their brand of truth.  It is that of which liberals are made.  It is also the ground of fundamentalism.  But the good that can come of it prescribes it. 

                He is the teacher of the teachable, not molder of organized mind, not maker of instant intellect, not maintainer of structured creed.  Acts 1:8 “. . . Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be [empowered to perform as followers of Jesus].”

                He is likewise the toucher of the untouchable.  Jesus exercised this touch. Leper/Gentile/woman with issue of blood.  The Holy Spirit confirms and exercises through us.  Men make themselves untouchable.  John 3:18, “This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light.”

II.            The Holy Spirit is the Amplifier of the Deeds of Christ.  John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the  Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me.  The word “testify” is significant.  It is the word of martyrs’ witness, they who honored the truth by paying with their lives. The Holy Spirit communicates absolutely.

                His singular purpose is to magnify Christ.  John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you to all truth.”  Romans 8:16, “The Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”  I Corinthians 12:7, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.”

                As someone correctly observes, the Holy Spirit is not interested in magnifying the Holy Spirit.  Those who do so are manifesting their own spiritual value system.  Their values may not be wrong.  They may be good.  But the Holy Spirit magnifies Christ, not Himself.

                We can likewise be sure of this.  When the  human spirit seeks the spiritual nurture to faith and understanding, then the Holy Spirit and the human spirit are going to get together. 

                History’s most significant event was Calvary.  We are in a time slot to magnify the Constitution.  Called “greatest single accomplishment of the mind of man.”  Seated in Philadelphia in May 1787. No doubt, the source of America’s uniqueness.  What the Constitution is to liberty, to time, and to America, Calvary is to soul liberty, to eternity, and to the world.

                God didn’t love any more because of Calvary.  It did not change God.  It changed our perception of God.  At Calvary, we begin to see what God is really like.  There was an Old Testament Spirit.  But He had an Old Testament man to communicate to.

                John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word” . . . v14 “and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” 

                God is not changed, nor the Holy Spirit, but what happened at Calvary changes us, praise God.  The Holy Spirit is the person and is the instrument of amplification.

III.           The Holy Spirit is Many Things.  We Assess One Thing More.  He is the Receiver of Man’s Spiritual Comprehension.  John 14:16f, “I will pray the Father and He will give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever.  Even the spirit of truth whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”               John 14:26, “. . . He shall teach you all things, . . . whatsoever I have said unto you.”

                A major problem for most of us seems that we bore ourselves with simplicity.  The more complicated life is, the better.  A new thing to try, a new toy to entertain.  Drugs and alcohol, are, in reality, an attempt at personality adjustment.  The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to aid in determining what we ought to be, and to bring contentment (peace) in the choice.  John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”

                We don’t have to be plagued with this dissatisfaction with singleness.  How often have we watched a sporting event, and heard filtered tones of some other event.  We watched Russian gymnasts in New Orleans, and a spectator brought a radio to listen to LSU.  What would happen, do you suppose, if a coach found playoff participant listening to a hockey game?  John 14:16f “. . . He shall give you another Comforter, . . . even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him.”

                Humanly speaking Solomon sensed the problem.  Ecclesiastes 1:8, “The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

                Thus, the Holy Spirit may communicate, and likewise close out all peripheral disturbances.  Job 42:5, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee.”

Conclusion

                The name of RG LeTourneau was synonymous with oilfield machinery for a  half century.  He who knew machinery so well pointed out often that friction was the chiefest enemy, could rob a machine of half its power.  As a Christian, he would likewise point out the danger of friction to people.  The Holy Spirit is the person of God in the life of the believer to minimize inward, as well as outward, friction.

THE IMMEDIACY OF “NOW”: How Important is “Now”?

#466b                            THE IMMEDIACY OF “NOW”:  How Important is “Now”?

Scripture  John 9:4                                                                                                                     Orig. 2/25/1968; 5/4/1974

                                                                                                                                                                             Rewr. 2/10/1989

Passage: As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Purpose: To speak to my people about commitment that does not measure up to God’s expectations.

Keywords:           Commitment                     Discernment                      Resolution          Covenant

Timeline/Series:               Before Easter

Introduction

                Unresolved commitment is no new thing.  Our problems are not in knowing what to do, but rather in the stick-to-it-iveness to do what we know what we ought to do.  Unfortunately, irresolution and commitment do fit in the same sentence.  They don’t buck away at each other like the opposing poles of two refrigerator magnets.  They won’t stick to one another, but they will sit there side-by-side.

                You remember the children’s tale of the “little boy who cried ‘wolf.’”  He was supposed to be a shepherd, but he found a game that he could play to be more exciting.

                Occasionally, the father had other work to do and the lad would be sent out into the hills to tend the sheep.  When he became bored, and wanted to see some other human shape, he cried “Wolf”!  When there was some sound that he did not recognize and he wanted companionship, he cried “Wolf”!  If he became afraid of some shadow in the dusk, he cried “Wolf”!

                The bond of the shepherds in the hills was strong.  If anyone needed help, all who heard the cry of alarm went to his aid.  But arriving to the sound of the little shepherd’s plaintive cry, they never found any sign of the wolf.  The shepherds were leaving their own sheep in danger to answer the supposed need of the little shepherd boy who was more interested in games than he was in being a shepherd.

                So one day, the wolf really came..  The lad saw him as big as life.  He knew his sheep were in danger. So he called, and called, and called, but no one came.  Our text this morning is a short one, but it addresses our commitment.  Are we Christians in deed, or just in word?  Are we interested in making our faith easy on ourselves, or do we really want to follow the teachings of Jesus?

I.             Jesus Begins the Lesson Reminding Us that We All have Assigned Tasks.  “It behooves us to work the works of the one who sent me.”  Make sure we read what the verse says. The King James catches the spirit of Jesus’ own commitment.  “I must work.”  The NIV catches the plural:  “As long as it is day, we must do the work.”  The New King James adds a footnote: “We.”  Another [the Living Bible] says “All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned.”

                This helps us in not expecting too little of ourselves, and too much of others.  We really are overly protective of us.  And genuinely judgmental of others.  Proverbs 26:20 “Where no wood is, . . . the fire goeth out.  Where there is no tale bearer, the strife ceases.”  Need I remind you that the last two of the “Ten Commandments” were so directed?  “Thou shalt not bear false witness” [and] “Thou shalt not covet.”-

                Be honest with yourselves, and others.  What it boils down to, is that IF we spend our effort energizing our own commitment we will let others energize their own.  Nehemiah 8:10,”for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

                The joyous task of each of us ought to be in seeking God’s will. We do so in serious Bible study.  We do so in engaging prayer.  To avoid these is to avoid the search.  Unresolved commitment is where we wind up, or,  perhaps, “wind down.”

                It was Becky Thatcher, I believe, telling Tom Sawyer of her plans to be a missionary.  Tom’s interest was the river, and all the exciting places one could go.  So, he asked where.  To China, Africa, other places then discussed.  “I might even go to New Orleans.”  Might our, your, New Orleans be a small part of Union Parish where people need Jesus?

                A small word should be said about the required translation “must,” or “behooved.”  “Dei” in the Greek dictionary means “moral obligation.”  Found in Luke 24:26 “Did not the Christ have to suffer these things?” John 4:4 “And he must needs go through Samaria.”  Revelation 1:1 “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass.”

                “Ought we not to work the works of the One who sent Jesus?”

II.            The Lesson Continues with a Call for Response.  “You must quickly carry out the tasks assigned.”  Isn’t that what Jesus meant?  Working the work of God while it is day? Get on with the business at hand while we have the wherewithal to do it?

                It is response born of faith.  It is getting ourselves ready for the opportunities with which God will confront us.  If you think the time of opportunity has passed, then you’re dead already.  You’re just occupying a living body.

                Some remember the “Old” days when every Baptist church in the state had a posted copy  of the “Church Covenant.”  To strive for advancement in knowledge, holiness, comfort.”  I don’t know a church anywhere that has not striven for “comfort.”  We had a “flap” in our seminary church because $1M had been spent on a worship center.  More than spent on buildings by Lottie Moon gifts that year.

                Do we strive as well for knowledge?  Parents faithful to school. On third snow day: “WE are going to be there demanding they open.”

                But  how faithful to Sunday School?  I was at College Place.  Darryl W. was  on his way to St. Francis Medical Center to visit a man who, the next Sunday, would miss the first Sunday in 58 years.  First Baptist Church-Bernice must return to that quest for knowledge of God.

                We’ve not yet said a word about striving for  holiness.  Do you have any scars from that kind of battle?  All that most of us can say about “holiness” is that we’ve heard of such people.  Missionaries.  Ancients.  It just isn’t “today,” we conclude. 

                Does not the work of Jesus compel us to response today?

III.           Finally, There is a Lesson on Candidness.  “The night is coming when no one can work,”  It is here that now takes on the burden of immediacy.  In spiritual honesty we are to be ourselves.  You remember the show Candid Camera?  Their byline was “People caught in the act of being themselves.”  The very last threshold for pretense ought to be in the dimension of spirit.  God has promised His Holy Spirit to all who are in Christ.  The key, then, is to be “in Christ.”

                It is through the Holy Spirit that we have a word for the world based on the WORD.  Our Wednesday night study in I Corinthians 14:9 “Except ye utter by the tongue, words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken?”  We rightly presume that [Paul] addressed charismatics.  Intellectual snobbery as well.  And a reluctance to communicate because we  just don’t care.  I Corinthians 14:12 “Since you want distinction, seek the kind that builds up the church.”

                We are too much like ancient Israel.  Deuteronomy 6:10, “When you reach the promised land, you will find cities which you did not build,  houses full which you did not fill, cisterns hewn which  you did not hew, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant; when you  eat and are full, take heed lest you forget the Lord.”

                Assurance for the believer is “doing the work of the one who sent us” in  Jesus’ name.  It means “now.”  Job’s “now mine eye seeth thee,” Job 42:5.  David’s “Now, Lord, what wait I for?” Psalm 39:7.  Isaiah’s “Now, O Lord, thou art our Father, . . . we are . . .  the work of thy hand,” Isaiah 64:8.  Malachi’s “prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven,” Malachi 3:10.

Conclusion

                Metaphor: Years ago a scientific journal was placed in my hands.  It was “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist.”  The cover carried a picture of a clock.  The caption read, “The Doomsday Clock.”  It was twelve minutes to midnight. Some of [the] twelve have passed.

THE IMMEDIACY OF “NOW”

#466a                                                        THE IMMEDIACY OF “NOW”

Scripture  John 9:4, II Corinthians 5                                                                                                          Orig. 2/25/1968

                                                                                                                                                                                    Rewr. 9/1969

Passage: As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Purpose: To speak to my people about commitment that does not measure up to God’s expectations.

Keywords:           Commitment                     Discernment                      Resolution

Timeline/Series:               Before Easter                     Covenant

Introduction

                Three days ago we celebrated the birthday of George Washington.  At least we acknowledge that it was a different day in many respects. 

                Around our town and every other one large enough to own a calendar the birthday was observed with Hatchet Sales, Cherry Tree Specials, and George Washington’s Day Spectaculars.  I suppose that the reason behind this type of commercialization is to inspire trust.

                In the Halls of Congress on that day every year, Washington’s Farewell Address is read.  In recent years we are told that only a handful of our nation’s spokesmen have aspired to be present for the occasion,

                The second portion of the Church Covenant speaks directly to the urgency of Christian service.  It is pointed toward the immediacy of now  For Washington, the secure establishment of a nation depended upon his dedicated leadership.  Only the future can tell what awaits your dedication and mine.

CHURCH COVENANT We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love;  to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and spread of the gospel through all nations.

                The key words are verbs and the reason for John 9:4. 

I.             Now is the Time for Unity. The love of Christ constrains us (2 Corinthians 5:14) to walk together in Christian love.  It decries judgment attitude toward others.

                How often we hear Christians criticize other churches.  “You hear about so-and-so’s church?  I know that wouldn’t work.”  Bro. Plauché told of his  conversion without berating the Catholic religion.  Jess Moody tells about the man who, when he talks about other people’s sins, his talk is nine part true! 

                Proverbs 26:20 “Where no wood is there, the fire goeth out; where there is no tale bearer, the strife ceases.”  An Eleventh Commandment:  “Thou shalt mind thine own business and no one else’s.”  Nine and Ten mention neighbor—Thou shalt neither lie nor covet. 

II.            Now is the Time for Discernment, to strive for advancement in knowledge, holiness, comfort.

2 Corinthians 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”  Be susceptible to changing society.

                Advancement in knowledge.  In this day of heart transplants and space probes, who would doubt the validity of the Kingdom of Heaven?  Our children are learning in 2^nd and 3^rd grade what we learned in 6^th and 7^th. Some we are not happy about.  We know less and less about the Bible.

                Advancement in holiness.  Not a holiness that makes pretenses about itself ((Pharisees (1)shoulder; (2)wait-a-little; (3)bruised)) but a holiness that acknowledges personal unworthiness and God’s charitableness. (ref. G30p191). 

                Advancement in comfort.  We need no covenant to appreciate material and physical comfort.  But there remains the comfort of forgiven sins and dislodged guilt.

III.           Now is the Time for Candidness, to promote prosperity and spirituality—II Corinthians 5:17, “old things are passed away”—determining what is spiritually profitable.

                Being ourselves:  One of the most appealing characteristics of Candid Camera was its honesty.  Quiz shows [were] rigged—We felt duped.  Even so, pretense in religious belief leaves people with a bad taste. I was in school with young men more interested in mimicking Billy Graham than discerning their own potential.  If there seems to be an experience beyond yours then search in prayer and scripture but don’t pretend. 

                Speaking an understandable word to the age in which we live:  John 16:25, “The time cometh when I will use parables no more, but I will speak to you in plain words about the Father.”  Corinthians is classic Bible teaching on tongues: words easy to be understood, [yet] how shall it be known what is spoken?  To the Pentecostal—the unknown tongue; to the Baptist—lofty phrases without meaning.

                Promoting the spiritually profitable: I Corinthians 14:12, “Since you are eager to have the gifts of the spirit, above everything else, you must try to make greater use of those which will build up the church.”

IV.          Now is the Time for Resolution, to sustain worship, ordinances, discipline.  II Corinthians 5:18 “All things are of God.”

                These things are sustained through personal involvement.  Israel’s greatest danger: Deuteronomy 6:10ff “cities you did not build, houses full which you did not fill, cisterns hewn out which you did not hew, vineyards and olive trees you did not plant; when you eat and are full take heed lest you forget the Lord.”

                Someone has wisely noted that in the faith of Jesus there are no grandchildren.  In the Hebrews’ faith great store was  laid in children, grandchildren, and their children.  They were Hebrews regardless. But in Christ there must be a personal experience for each believer.

                The things we sustain:

• Worship—a periodic, communal encounter with God and others
• Ordinances—a continuation of basic expressions of Christ’s death for sin and our death to sin
• Discipline—a standard to hold men to the claims of the gospel
• Doctrine—a statement of belief
• Covenant—a statement of policy

V.            Now is the Time for Scrutiny, to contribute cheerfully and regularly—ministry, church, poor, gospel. II Corinthians 5: 19 “…he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”  To search carefully for a program of outreach for a church. 

                The support of the ministry.  This is a sore spot for some people but usually they are the ones looking for justification not to give as they should.  People should be growing in giving potential. A good message.  You can be sure that this preacher has earned what he has been paid.  Two things of which you can be sure:

• Busy about church matters
• I am available to you

By the way, I am one of the golfing preachers.

                The expenses of the church.  We have learned how important it is to have a budget, and to live within it.

• Utilities—100 years ago wood-burning stoves and kerosene lanterns
• Literature—an aid and incentive to learn
• Insurance—sawmill donate lumber
• Building—not to exceed ¼ of budget.

                The relief of the poor.  Our government has taken over.  But there are still needs.  Help them to sense that the church is an ally.  Help them to help themselves.  There are others who desperately need Peace Corps, US-2 Missions, Agricultural and Industrial Missions.

                The spread of the Gospel was evangelical, now educational and medical, soon technical.

Conclusion

                Why so much stress on now?  The answer is simple.

                On the corner of the January issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist, the clock was set at 12 minutes to midnight. Now it is 7 minutes.

                We don’t need the Bulletin  to verify this.  The Bible warns of a greater doom in God’s judgment on sin.  Now the church must move.

WHAT’S RIGHT WITH FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

#626                                         WHAT’S RIGHT WITH FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

Scripture  John 14:1-12, NIV                                                                                                                        Orig. 3/20/1976

                                                                                                                                                                             Rewr. 2/15/1987

Passage: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” ⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Purpose: To remind my people of the nature of our well-being as a Christian family and our reason to trust our heritage.

Keywords:           Christ the Lord                   Mission                Salvation                              Mission of the Church

Introduction

                Haiti, a small island nation in the Caribbean, has drawn great attention to itself over the past years because of its political struggles.  It was in the news again a few months ago.  National Geographic carried an article some time ago, in which appeared events out of her history.  Christophe, the island’s first  dictator, was mentioned.

                When Christophe came to power, he rallied the people of this poverty stricken land to his cause.  To do so, he convinced them that they faced imminent danger of attack from others.  His plan included a fortress, up in the highlands, a view, and control over the harbor through which the attack would likely come.

                For 15 years, Christophe kept his people laboring for this cause.  Haiti was free. Haiti was independent.  And Christophe intended to keep it that way at any cost.  Finally, the fortress was complete.  It was in every way impregnable.  The best of available artillery was put in place.  No unfriendly vessel would ever dare to enter this  harbor.  So, the dictator convinced these oppressed people.

                The price of such defense was high.  During the years of construction,  of cutting and hauling such stone over these forbidding trails, of struggling against such odds to bring heavy cannon to this place, a terrible life toll was paid.  20,000 people died, building what proved to be only a monument to a dictator.  100,000 suffered all the hardships of privation.  To this day, Christophe’s guns have never been fired.

                What has this to do with us?  The institutional church faces a critical question.  Are we to acknowledge other hardships to be faced, and therefore, turn our energies in upon ourselves?  Or, are we to acknowledge that Christ is Lord, and He has commanded us to direct our energies toward a world beyond, desperately in need?  Perhaps self-examination holds the key that will give us direction.

I.             The First Thing Right about Our Church Is the Right Lord.  Thomas:  “How can we know the way?”  Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me.”  Phillip: “Show us the Father.”  Jesus: “Have I been so long a time with you, Phillip, and yet ye have not known me?  He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father.”

                Interest here is not at all in suggesting to others that they have the wrong Lord.  Some denominational interests insist that they only are right.  Scriptures such as Acts 2:38 are used not to admonish to truth, but to support position.  Advocates, such as [illegible], win converts to a cause presenting Christ as son of the Father.  Little more than as I am son of my father. 

                Christ is Lord, and He is Lord of our church.  We must honor what this means.  The Baptist, scriptural position, on the Lordship of Christ is correct.  Many others share it with us.

                Time will not allow all that is right about our Lord.  He is right because of submissiveness to the Father.  V13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the  Son.”  Hannah Hurnard in Hinds’ Feet on High Places uses the expression “down into Egypt” to suggest adversity.  God spoke to Jacob in such place: Genesis 46:3 “Fear not to go down into Egypt.”  As Jesus expressed such submissiveness, so must we.

                Additionally, what’s right about Jesus is His love.  John 14:21 “I will love him and manifest myself to him.”  John 14:23 “We will come unto him, and make our abode with  him.”  John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, . . . not as the world giveth.

                So are we, then, to give evidence of our love. V23 “If [one] loves me, he will keep my words.”  We sing it: “You can tell that they are Christians by their love.”  Do we mean it?  Celebrate Life:  “He is alive and I love Him.” (Crescendo of conclusion.)  “Jesus is All the World to Me.”

II.            What’s Right about Our Church Is that We Are Saved at the Right Price.  V2f “In my Father’s house are many mansions: . . . I go to prepare a place for you, . . . I will come again . . . (for) you.”

                You see, we are saved at the price of His blood.  Here, the highest expression of sacrifice.  Here, the spiritual equation: "In Christ’s death, I also die; to be reborn for eternity.  Mark 4:26f: Farmer plants a seed. He does not understand the means, only that the see must itself die if it is to truly live.

                It’s that time again.  We will plant the seed and impatiently wait.  There is the temptation to dig it up to ascertain its co-operation.  Disciples suckled on Malachi 3:1 “Who can endure the day of his coming?”  When does it start?  That happens to us as well.  We want God to prove Himself to us.  By what right?  Our venture is one of faith. 

                Our salvation is at the price of God’s promise.  Matthew 18:20 “Where two or three are gathered” asks not who we are,  or by what name, not even how we are defined doctrinally.  It asks if we agree in seeking the will and the promise of God through His Son.

III.           The Final Right Thing about Our  Church Is the Right Sense of Mission.  V12 “Verily, verily I say  unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” 

                We are beginning another in the series of our support programs, the Home Mission emphasis.  Not for First Baptist Church directly, but we do, in accession to will of God.

                Do you know why we Southern Baptists have a Home Missions Board?  To minister to the Aboriginals of these United States; to minister to minority populations; to minister in the strange city of New Orleans.

                It is not ability that is the church’s goal, it is availability.  Old Coliseum Place in New Orleans is in subsidence.  Even First Baptist Church New Orleans to a degree.  Others are rising to prominence.

In Flanders fields the poppies grow Between the crosses, row on row,         That mark our place; and in the sky         The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.  We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,         Loved and were loved, and now we lie,                 In Flanders fields.  Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw         The torch; be yours to hold it high.         If ye break faith with those who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow                 In Flanders fields.          John McCrae, 1915

                As the church on mission reaches out to its community, it also reaches beyond, to a lost world.

• 15%--to world mission
• 2-1/2 more to association
• Various causes on purpose
• To whatever degree, it is through individual commitment.

                Years ago I listened to the interview when Hank Stram became the New Orleans Saints’ coach.  “What can Saints fans expect in the way of something new?” “You don’t win football games with programs. People win football game.  People with discipline and hard work.”

                No better time to pray  than now.  Pray that the hand of subsidence will be removed.  Pray that His hand of growth will be felt.  Pray that those will be lifted up, young men and women, to take the place of those taken from us.

Conclusion

                The last time we were at Glorieta, I took a walk up the mountain one day.  Somewhere near the top, I came upon a small pool of water.  As I looked into the pool, I saw what appeared to be a large hair, the length of a pencil, but not as thick as the lead.  Suddenly, it began to move.  I looked to see if there was current, but detected none.  A few days later, I asked my veterinarian brother-in-law about such a biological form.  He identified it as a Horse Hair Worm.

                How wonderful it would be if all of us more closely resemble what we claim to be in the Lord.