Archive for April, 2006

Gifting: Discovering Your Potential

Sunday, April 30th, 2006

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This entry is part 2 of 7 in the series The Coach in Your Corner

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Opening Scripture: Acts 6:8-15

Scripture Reading: Romans 12:3-8

Last week Pastor Darren introduced the series “The Coach In Your Corner” with a message which reminded us that as believers we are a team of players hand-picked by God – chosen by Him for a very special purpose – part of His great, eternal plan.

God?s “Coach”, the Holy Spirit has been watching us, drafting us and training us since before we were even born. He teaches us what we need to know, shows us what needs work, and what we can become, but best of all he affirms our potential.

Now, I don?t know about you, but I find that encouraging. You see, so often we don?t reach our full potential. We go through life in maintenance mode because it might be uncomfortable to be stretched to our full potential. It might cost us some extra effort!

I have a package at home which my Dad gave me several years ago. In this package are all my report cards from the day I started school until the day I left.

At the side of too many of the subjects which I studied the teacher?s comments are the words – “Nancy could do better!” As I look back at these reports and comments my conclusion is that if the teachers thought I could do better, then I probably wasn?t working to my full potential.

Then I make excuses for myself as to why I didn?t reach my full potential. How many of us can relate to that. We all do it don?t we! Maybe if I had been given some encouragement, some tools to assist me in this, maybe I could have done better – maybe then I would have reached my full potential.

Today we are going to take a look at how we can not only discover our potential, but also reach it, with the help of our “Coach”, the Holy Spirit and the tools and encouragement he gives.

We all love to hear stories of people who have overcome great handicaps to realize their ambitions. They are always inspiring aren?t they – possibly because it helps us to realize that if that person could do such wonderful things with such an incredible handicap then there?s hope for us.

So often we tend to live mediocre lives, not achieving anything outstanding, full of excuses about why we?re not “making it”, not fulfilling our destiny in Christ.

Marla Runyon is a person who overcame her handicap to achieve great things. In spite of the fact that Marla was diagnosed with Stargardt?s Disease as a child and has been legally blind for more than 20 years, she is a five time Paralympic gold medallist.

In the year 2000 she became the first legally blind runner to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team. She ran the 1500 metre race at the Sydney Summer Olympics, finishing 8th in the world,

while becoming the first Paralympian to compete in the Olympics.

In the 2002 New York City Marathon, Marla finished 5th among the fastest runners in the world. Amazing achievements for somebody who is blind. Marla is one of those people who inspire us to greater things – one of those people whom we look upon as a hero.

The dictionary describes a hero as “someone known for exceptional courage and fortitude.” I want to take a look at a hero from the Bible today, someone who certainly had exceptional courage and fortitude – the first Christian martyr – Stephen.

Stephen was an exceptional young man and amongst those who were chosen to be the first deacons. The list of those chosen begins with Stephen?s name. In Acts 6:5 he is described as “a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.”

This was no ordinary young man. In verse 8, Luke, the writer of the book of Acts calls him “a man full of God?s grace and power, [who] did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.”

However, everything wasn?t all sunshine and roses for Stephen. In verse 9 we read that “Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) – Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”

You see, Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit who gave him boldness to preach the gospel with no reservations. Stephen was performing miracles and people were getting saved.

However, as was the norm when Jesus spoke, the leaders of the synagogue were there and they were not happy with what they saw happening. They argued with Stephen about what he was saying – the religious leaders of that day were great debaters, they would want to give him a good run for his money.

But the Bible tells us that they didn?t just debate, they argued with Stephen, but because he was empowered by the Holy Spirit “they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.”

Now, we might say that Stephen was working with a handicap, although it wasn?t the kind of handicap with which Marla Runyon contends.

To understand the handicap which Stephen was under we also need to understand that, again according to the dictionary, “handicap” means – ?a condition or barrier imposed by society, the environment, or one?s own self.?

Stephen was handicapped by his society, by the culture and societal structure of his day. You see, Stephen was a Hellenist – a Jew with a Greek background. 600 years earlier Jews had made their home in the Greek speaking world and many generations had been raised there.

Some had returned to Jerusalem and Stephen was one of them. He probably had an accent, he had different cultural habits, he ate different foods.

In a nutshell, to the purebred Hebraic Jews who had been born in the promised land, he was a second-class Jew and his brand of Judaism, his religion was looked at questionably.

You see, there was discrimination present in the early church and this is evident as we read Acts 6:1 – “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.”

In view of all this then, you can begin to imagine people?s reactions when this foreigner, Stephen, began telling people about Jesus and how the Jews had crucified their own Messiah. Just who did this guy think he was trying to tell them about their own religion?

Yes, Stephen is one of the heroes of the Bible, the first Christian martyr. A person who overcame a genuine handicap to reach his full potential under the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

But you know, God can take handicaps and turn them upside down and use them for his purposes. Remember Joseph way back in the Old Testament? He certainly worked under a handicap. Sold into slavery by his brothers, unjustly accused of messing around with Potiphar?s wife and thrown into prison.

Yet Joseph remained faithful to God and rose to the second highest position in the land. When his brothers came to him for help and he revealed his identity to them they were afraid. In Genesis 50:19,20 we read the words which Joseph said to them, “Don?t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

And in Romans 8:28 the well-known words of Paul repeat this sentiment – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Harvard Medical School neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone observed, “Disabilities are not always disabilities. They may be assets in another realm.” With this statement I believe

Livingstone is intimating that when God takes a hold of what to us seems to be a handicap, it can actually become a success story.

Look at Rembrandt, the 17th century Dutch painter for example. Rembrandt is best

known for his profound use of light and darkness. It would appear from studies of his self portraits that Rembrandt suffered from an eye condition known as strabismus, where one eye is misaligned so that it points outward from the face.

This handicap may have actually contributed to Rembrandt?s success. The loss of depth perception caused by his eye condition gave him “an advantage in the task of translating three-dimensional scenes into two-dimensional paintings.”

Handicaps can become handles in God?s hands. So let me ask you, what?s your handicap? What?s holding you back from giving your all and accomplishing God?s purpose for your life?

What excuses do we make for not rising to our full potential? We all have excuses don?t we! Maybe you say your handicap is a problem you have with anger. Give it to God, he can turn your anger into righteous indignation, a burning desire for justice for the oppressed.

Maybe you?re struggling with problems in your marriage or family. Give it to God, he may turn it into a genuine concern for healthy relationships so that you can help other people who are struggling with the same problems – Disabilities and handicaps can become assets in other realms.

Now it appears that Stephen had a special ability to speak and to communicate his message to the crowd in such a way that they understood and accepted what he was telling them.

In our society today we tend assume that everyone who achieves is especially gifted. We have gifted programs in schools for children who appear to have special abilities. When we hear a talented pianist or singer we are quick to say, “Wow, that person really has a gift!”

But maybe we need to redefine our ideas of giftedness. Talk to the pianist or the singer and he or she will tell you that it?s not necessarily just natural talent or giftedness as the world knows it, but that it took grueling hours of practice to become proficient.

People might read the story of Stephen, of how he performed miracles and put it down to natural ability or talent, while in actual fact there is something else to consider here.

What was it which gave Stephen such composure as he endured the stoning? What was it that gave him the courage to face this ordeal so calmly, which prompted him to say, “Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God,” And then with his dying breath, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit.”

Stephen drew his strength from the Holy Spirit with whom he had an ongoing relationship. We can have this same stamina and courage as we too develop a relationship with the third person of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit.

Certainly Stephen had natural abilities which made him a successful communicator, but what made him spiritually compelling and what accomplished eternal benefit in his ministry wasn?t due to his natural talents, it was due rather to his spiritual potential.

This is why it is so important that we too make ourselves available, body, soul and spirit to the Holy Spirit. Because anything that is of eternal value comes from Him.

If we want our lives and the work which we do for the Lord to count for eternity, we too must develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit, because He is the one who equips us for the work by means of the spiritual gifts which He gives to each one of us.

Spiritual gifts are not so much about natural ability as they are about supernatural ability, connected to divine purpose. We need to put ourselves in the centre of God?s purpose and plan. When we make ourselves available to Him anything can happen.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

The first thing which we need to recognize is that these are spiritual gifts. They?re not just talents that we improve with practice, they are gifts given directly by the Holy Spirit to us.

Secondly we need to realize that these gifts are available to every believer. You may not be in the position yet where you know what your spiritual gifts are, but that doesn?t mean to say that you don?t have any. It?s up to each of us to discover what our gifts are.

Thirdly it?s important to know that these gifts are not given for the individual. One of the reasons some people have a hard time discovering their gifts is because they rarely put themselves in a position where they are serving others.

Yet we know as Paul says that “to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given”. Each person is given different gifts, they all come from the same Spirit and they are given for the benefit of all believers.

Spiritual gifts then are given by the Holy Spirit, available to every believer and for the benefit of others. We all work together with our varying gifts to help build up the Kingdom. The church couldn?t function without each person?s gifts being in operation. We need each other.

Take a look around here this morning. We have people who are gifted with musical abilities who can lead us in worship. We have people who are gifted in teaching, those with the gift of hospitality who can help with our fellowship times, people who have the gift of evangelism who find it easy to talk to others about Jesus and his love.

Together, with the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to us, we work for the common good, for the benefit of all believers.

Let?s consider for a moment the variety of gifts that are available. There are at least three types of gifts listed in the New Testament. First, there are those gifts which we consider to be more supernatural.

These would be gifts such as the ?working of miracles,? ?gifts of healing,? ?various kinds of tongues? which is speaking in a language the individual has never learned, or the gift of interpretation whereby individuals are given the ability to interpret that language.

These gifts are manifestations that we couldn?t possibly create on our own, they?re something which the Holy Spirit does through us.

1 Corinthians 12:11 tells us, “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”

The Holy Spirit releases these gifts to us as they are needed. As we make ourselves available to Him he will release these gifts to bring a solution, healing or miracle for a certain time and place for the glory of God.

Stephen, a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” was given a gift for working miracles from that same Spirit who gives spiritual gifts to all believers.

Secondly, in Romans 12, the passage I read at the beginning of this message we find another list of spiritual gifts.

In verses 6,7 Paul says, “We have different gifts according to the grace given us. If a man?s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”

At first glance these may appear to be simply the natural inclination of the character of the individual. Well, yes they are natural inclinations, but God gave them to us when he gave us life. It is God who gives various talents and abilities to each person, what we do with them is what makes the difference.

When we give these natural abilities back to God they become supernaturally charged. It?s all about our availability and submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Stephen?s speech to the Sanhedrin recorded for us in Acts 7 touched on themes close to the hearts of the ruling parties of the Jews. He referred to the promised land, the law of Moses, the temple, the coming of Christ and His crucifixion, and showed Israel?s failures at each point.

The natural ability for teaching which Stephen already had, when submitted to the Holy Spirit brought many people to the place of conversion. This wasn?t just Stephen?s talents at work, rather it was an example of the Holy Spirit at work in and through Stephen.

Thirdly, there?s one more important gift list to consider in Ephesians 4. These are gifts (or ministries) which are resident in the body of Christ, the church.

This is what we read in Ephesians 4:11-14, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God?s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Paul lists five spiritual gifts or ministries here which have a very specific function, they are for the building up of the church. These gifts include the ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers.

We all fit together and work together through the power of the Holy Spirit as we make ourselves available to him, to build up the body, the church and help it to become mature and to attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

By now, if you don?t already know what your spiritual gifting is, you are probably wondering just how you can find out. You may be wondering just what potential you really have for being used by God.

First of all we need to recognize that our potential is activated by the Holy Spirit. The potential is already inside of us, the Holy Spirit releases it. At the beginning of Acts 6 we read about a problem the fledgling church was facing – the fair distribution of food to the widows.

The apostles, realizing that they couldn?t both teach and take care of these needs appointed seven men to look after the work – Stephen was one of them. Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

Anybody with a modicum of organizational skills could have done the job, but it needed men filled with the Holy Spirit to restore peace and love where there had been division and discrimination.

Secondly, spiritual gifts are demonstrated by stepping up to the plate. The apostles decided to delegate the work to others because, as we find recorded in chapter 6:2-4, they told the people, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you…We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the word.”

What do you suppose would have happened if Stephen had said, “Sorry I can?t do that, it?s not my gift,” or, “Sorry, but I don?t want to be in a serving position, I want to be a teacher,” as some people might be tempted to do? But he didn?t – he stepped up to the plate and took his place serving people.

As Stephen interacted with the people, as he served them and showed the love of God to them, people began finding new life in Jesus, and miracles took place. Amazing things happened because Stephen was willing to step up to the plate.

Thirdly power is liberated by taking a swing. Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” Stephen began to take some shots and the power of God was liberated, released in his life and ministry.

Acts 6:9b-10 tells us, “These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.” This wisdom was the manifestation of the power of God at work in Stephen as he made himself available to God.

If you?ve ever watched kids play baseball I?m sure you?ve seen the ones who get up there and when the pitcher sends the ball flying at them they swing, and they miss, again and again.

There?s potential there though. That child who doesn?t give up, who keeps getting back up there and swinging will eventually make a hit, may even become quite proficient at making hits.

The point I am making is, that if we don?t ever try anything because we don?t think we can do it, then we never will know what we can do. We never will reach out full potential. One thing?s for sure, we?ll miss 100% of the balls we never swing at, and just maybe, if we have enough courage to swing the bat a few more times, we?d get a few more hits.

In closing, I want to read a quote from Rick Warren?s book, The Purpose Driven Life.”

“Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was co-dependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service. He will use you, too, if you stop making excuses.”

What?s stopping you today from reaching your full potential? Remember first of all that our potential is activated by the Holy Spirit, then step up to the plate and take a swing at the ball. If we never try anything we will never know what we can do.

Just last week we had people who offered to step up to the plate as nursery workers and take a swing at it. Praise the Lord!

Someone has said, “Between the great things we can?t do and the little things we won?t do, the danger is we shall do nothing at all.”

The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to every believer. It is the responsibility of the individual to discover what his or her gifts are.

Sometimes that happens simply by trying our hand at different things, taking a swing at the ball – and when we have discovered what our gifts are, it is up to us to use them to our full potential, as the Holy Spirit directs and empowers - not for our personal benefit but for the “common good”; “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ.”

I want to ask you this morning – do you know what your spiritual gifts are? If you do, are you using those gifts for the Lord? Have you given your all your full potential, to the Holy Spirit to be used by him, for his purposes?

If you answered “No” to any of these questions I want to ask you another question. Why not? What?s your excuse? Will that excuse carry any weight when you stand before Almighty God and he asks you what you have done with what he gave you?

I challenge you today to give all of your potential to the Holy Spirit and see what he will do with it when you submit to him.

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Recruitment: Scouted by the Coach

Sunday, April 23rd, 2006

Podcast: Download

This entry is part 1 of 7 in the series The Coach in Your Corner

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Read at beginning of service:

Ephesians 1:3-12 (NIV)

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will– 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

INTRODUCTION

For last five years the field of ?personal coaching? has seen phenomenal growth. Today there are life coaches who specialize in everything from finance and career to creativity and spirituality to family and personal relationships. At the highest levels of corporate management, coaches can make a tidy living helping “cash-rich” and “time-poor” professionals, charging as much as $500 per half hour.

Most of us at one time or another have had a coach urging, encouraging, shouting or whispering, showing or growing us to be the best we can be on the field, court, track or ice. Hopefully, we?ve all had the experience of having someone in sports, in personal relationships, or at the workplace, who has guided and mentored us, a coach who has taught us some skill or imparted wisdom to improve our performance as mothers or managers, at fishing or flying or just plain living life.

The good news today is that we have access to the services of the most effective coach there ever was. If you?re a Christ-follower you don?t need to hire a coach for $500 a half-hour, sign up for some course, or join a team to benefit from this mentor. There?s a Coach living inside of each believer. He?s the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the living God, the third Person of the Trinity.

If any of those terms seem shadowy or spooky to you, or if you have come to think of God?s Spirit as an ?it,? an impersonal force at work only in very mystical, mysterious ways, this series will introduce you to the Coach who lives inside you. The Holy Spirit, like any other coach, wants to hone your skills, inspire your attitude, and improve your performance in the game of life. He does this in a very personal and powerful way. In fact, today I hope to help you to discover how He?s been watching you from before eternity began, and scouting you for the big leagues.

The dramatic, true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team is one not easily forgotten. What a Cinderella team ? not only did they surprise the world by defeating the unbeatable Russians, they went on to win the gold medal at the Lake Placid games. The story orbits around the team’s coach Herb Brooks and his commitment to release the potential in the young men he mentors. With a proven record as the University of Minnesota’s hockey coach, Brooks was selected to recruit and coach the Olympic team. During the summer of 1979 amateur hockey players from throughout the nation were invited to fly to Colorado Springs for a week long tryout. After the first day of observation, Brooks identified the 26 players he wanted on his team. While those selected were ecstatic, those cut were sent packing. In one clip, the coach is seen walking towards his car in the parking lot of the National Hockey Center. Just as he?s about to get into his car, Walter, the chairman of the committee that recruited Herb, flags him down.

(show clip from the movie Miracle [2004]. Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. Written by Eric Guggenheim and directed by Gavin O?Connor)

God knows who He needs on His team. From eternity past and for all of your life, His Spirit has already been scouting, and drafting you. He?s been watching you and knows you intimately. He?s been at work with you long before you ever have been aware of Him.

The making of a first-round draft pick

We find him at the top of his game. He?s a performer, he seems to be the kind of guy who?s going to make Most Valuable Player. He executes the play, makes the goal and wins the game.

It?s the story of Peter. It?s the Day of Pentecost. A group of people who?ve never really heard of Jesus have gathered around, and he preaches a transforming sermon.


“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd” (Acts 2:14).”?about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:41b).

Now if you know anything about Peter?s story, the big question is where did this guy come from? How do you explain Peter?s phenomenal success?

How to explain Peter?s phenomenal success

Here?s a man who denied Jesus three times, refused to let Jesus wash his feet, and had the nerve to tell Jesus what He could and couldn?t do, and what He would and wouldn?t do when He predicted He would go to the cross. When you look at Peter?s stats, there?s no reason to imagine that he?d ever succeed. When you consider the crucial nature of the position he was being drafted for, you?ve got to wonder what God was up to. He was impatient, belligerent, a know-it-all big-mouth who loved to bluster but couldn?t produce in the clutch situation.

Something transformative happened to Peter that explains it all. The story is in Acts 2. The disciples, 120 of them, have been meeting, praying and waiting for 10 days for something Jesus had promised before He ascended to heaven. On one of the great Jewish Feast days, the Holy Spirit came upon them all and,

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4) [The Day of Pentecost].

How do you account for Peter?s phenomenal performance? He wasn?t a talented communicator, or impressive leader. It wasn?t because of his moral perfection or spiritual excellence, but the power of the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, filled Him and made him effective. The omni-competent Coach chose Simon Peter, a man of great strengths and glaring weaknesses, to lead His fledgling church.
Now here?s the punch line: one of the incredible benefits of this story being recorded in the Bible is to tell us that if God could do that with Peter, He can do it with you! It?s not about how wonderful you think you are, but about how powerful the Holy Spirit is. It?s not about you, it?s about Him.

Here?s what you need to know. The Holy Spirit has been scouting you since conception. He knows your strengths and weaknesses, and where you fit in His incredible plan.

The scouting work of the Holy Spirit

Since the ?great one,? Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux began re-writing NHL records 20 years ago, hockey pundits and fans have been looking out for ?the next one?. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins certainly has the hype. The native of Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia took the Rimouski Oceanic and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League by storm for two amazing seasons and was picked first overall by Pittsburgh at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Scouts have compared his style of play to hall of famer Marcel Dionne. It’s too early to tell if he will reach those great heights, but if stats count he?s got the right stuff, and it?s the scouts who?ve been watching, and assessing.

Did you know God?s Spirit has been watching you ever since you were in your mother?s womb?

God?s Spirit has been WATCHING you.

There are no accidents, no mistakes. You?re unique. God has planned your entrance into this world and prepared a plan for you. God has been watching you. Unlike the hockey scouts though, He knows exactly what you can accomplish because He made you for a purpose. Take a look at Jeremiah 1:5. God knew about Jeremiah long before he was ever born.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

Consider the apostle Paul. He?s telling the Galatians about his calling as an apostle. He doesn?t start his story on the road to Damascus where he became a believer. He doesn?t start it when he was a boy being taught by one of Israel?s greatest rabbis, Gamaliel. Listen to what he says:

“?God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace?” (Galatians 1:15).

You say, well I can believe that about great Old Testament prophets, or powerful New Testament apostles, but I?m not so sure about how relevant it is to me. Take a moment to consider something the apostle Peter wrote to ordinary-joe, garden variety, utility-Christians like you and me. He claims that you were

“chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit” (1 Peter 1:2).

The Holy Spirit has been setting you apart, weaving the strands of your life to bring you to the moment of connection with the God who loves you. It?s one of the reasons why here at HPC we believe that we are ordinary people who are part of an extraordinary plan!

Did you ever think about the fact that you are so valuable to God that He chose you early ? with enthusiasm.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4).

God?s Spirit has been watching you, but He?s been also drafting you?wooing you, calling you to Himself and enlisting you to be on God?s team.

God?s Spirit has been DRAFTING you.

We often miss this point when we contemplate how people become Christians. We imagine that people make a personal decision after having heard the evidence. Once we hear about Jesus and who He is and what He?s done, we then decide, perhaps because it seems reasonable to us, or right to us, or because we recognize the need, to become a Christ-follower, as though the entire matter rested on ourselves. Listen to what Paul says to the Corinthians,

“?no one can say, ?Jesus is Lord,? except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3).

The only way that anybody can truthfully say that Jesus Christ is Lord of his/her life is because of the Holy Spirit. There?s no such thing as just making a decision. Sometimes we think if that?s the way it happens, it means that one day a light goes on, and ?click? we?re believers. The drafting work of the Spirit is more subtle than that. James Engel wrote a book several years ago called What?s Gone Wrong with the Harvest In it, he suggested that most people need more than one encounter with the gospel to make the decision to follow Christ. On average North Americans need to have five to seven genuine encounters with the gospel before they?re ready to receive God?s love in Christ.

That means most people need to see Jesus credibly lived out in the lives of others. They need to hear the music of the gospel before they?re ready to hear the words. People come to Christ step by step. That?s a great relief for everybody. If you?re someone who?s checking out Christianity, don?t let anybody force you into a decision as though they were selling you a used car. Instead, it?s okay for it to be a process. If you?re a person trying to share Christ, it?s also a relief to know it?s not all on your shoulders. All you need is to encourage the process. Move people one step closer to Jesus, that?s all.

It was certainly true for Peter. We can read the gospels and think each one gives us a different account of Peter?s conversion. In fact what we find in the gospels is step by step encounters with Jesus that eventually resulted in Peter becoming a Christ-follower. Let?s look at three steps in Peter?s process of coming to Christ.

Three steps in Peter?s PROCESS

1. He shows you not what you ARE, but what you can BECOME!

In John 1 we read about Andrew spending a day with Jesus and discovering that He?s the long-awaited Messiah. At the end of that day Andrew rushes to find his brother Simon, and tells him, “Simon, you?ll never believe who I?ve met!”

“And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, ?You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas? (which, when translated, is Peter)” (John 1:42).

With one look Jesus sizes Peter up, and says, “You may be Simon son of John, but I see a rock ? someone solid on whom I will build the future.”

Consider the transforming power of a new name. You may have labelled yourself ?loser,? ?failure,? or ?sinner,? but God has given you a new name. He?s made you a part of His family, and shows you what you can become. That?s the Holy Spirit?s work.

After that encounter with Jesus, we don?t know what happens to Peter. One morning, however, Peter is cleaning his nets after a long profitless night of fishing. He?s not in a good mood when Jesus shows up. Jesus has a crowd with him, and wants to use the natural amphitheatre made by the mountainside slipping down to the lake. He notices Peter and asks him if He can use his boat. Peter is dog-tired, but he welcomes Him aboard. Jesus teaches the multitudes, and then He turns to Peter and tells him to let down his nets. Peter is a fishing pro. He knows that when he comes home with no fish it?s because there?s no fish to be had, but just to humour Him, he puts out into the deep, and lowers the net. What do you know? He?s soon got a load of fish so huge it?s bursting the net and takes two boats to bring it in! Take a look at Peter?s reaction as he?s pulling in the fish?

“When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ?Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!??Then Jesus said to Simon, ?Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men?” (Luke 5:8, 10).

You may be thinking you don?t know who you?re dealing with Jesus. I?m not the kind of person you obviously think I am. Go away! But Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” You see the Holy Spirit not only shows you what needs work, but He lets you know what He can do, too.

2. He shows you what needs WORK.

I love the story of three-year-old Matthew Stowell. He went to the Woodfield Mall near Chicago with his parents and grandparents for some last minute Christmas shopping. The family divided up so they could buy some secret gifts. They decided to meet back at a designated spot in one hour. Sixty minutes later the family gathered. It was only at that moment that Joseph Stowell, the three-year-old?s father, and president of Moody Bible Institute, discovered that Matthew was missing. Each family member thought that Matthew was with someone else. Panic swept through the Stowells. Everyone imagined the worst. Everyone was assigned a different part of the mall to look for Matthew. It was Matthew?s grandfather who found him. He reported to the family that he was fine. He said, “Matthew didn?t even know that he was lost. I found him outside the candy store with his nose pressed up against the glass. We are in far worse shape than he is.”

Like so many of us, Matthew was lost but never knew it. What a parable of life that is. We don?t even know we?re lost. We don?t even know how deeply sin-scarred we are until we get close to God. When we do, that?s when we get a clear sense of what needs work in our lives, and what God can do for us. But the Spirit does even more?

3. He affirms your POTENTIAL.

Affirmation is the mark of great coaching, isn?t it? The Holy Spirit, as Coach of your life, shows you what needs work, but He also shows you the way forward. He encourages you to reach your potential. He says, “Yes, you can be a champion!” Each time He encountered Peter, Jesus showed him the future, the possibilities, and his potential until finally he got up and followed Him for good.

“You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (John 1:42).

“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men” (Luke 5:10).

“?Come, follow me,? Jesus said, ?and I will make you fishers of men.? At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:19-20).

God?s Spirit has been scouting you. He?s been drafting you, and more than that He has been training you.

God?s Spirit has been TRAINING you.

Sometimes we find it easy to take credit for a good idea. Have you ever helped someone to an insight, only to find out they thought it was his/her own insight? That?s how it is with spiritual truth. We come up with deep, challenging insights, only to discover they came from the Spirit all along. Look at what the Bible says. Jesus was telling His followers what would happen when He left them after the cross.

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all 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. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you” (John 16:13-14).

Have you ever wondered why some people just “get it” spiritually and others don?t? Jesus said unless a man is born again, He cannot even see the kingdom of God.

Only He can teach you what you NEED TO KNOW.

Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He is. They came up with a variety of answers. Then He asked them who they thought He is. Without a moment?s hesitation, Peter spouted,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

Jesus replied,


“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven” (v. 17).

Jesus called Peter Simon son of Jonah here, but notice how He changed Peter?s name in Matthew 16:18.


“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

Peter was on a spiritual mountaintop here. He was the hero! How did he get there? It was the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Look what happens next. Jesus began to predict the cross that was waiting for Him and the death He would face. Peter got another flash of inspiration and said, “This will never happen to you!” In an instant, he learned the lesson we all need to learn ? with Him, all things are possible, but without Him we can do nothing.

Without Him?OOOPS!


“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men” (Matthew 16:23).

The distance from hero to zero is no farther than a choice. Who are you going to depend on? Where will you get your insight? Even Peter could shrink back from God?s Spirit and so can you.

CONCLUSION

Maybe you?ve been exploring God, checking out spiritual stuff. You?ve felt some inklings that there?s more to it than myth, and you?re wondering if you should make a decision to go the distance. Let me tell you that God has been scouting you for a lifetime. He?s drafting you right now. He?s got a position for you to play, and a spot for you on His team. All you need to do is take the step. Respond. Reach out. He?s there to receive you when you do.

In 1994, Wayne Gretzky broke the last meaningful record of his career, scoring goal number 802 in a March 23rd game against the Vancouver Canucks. That same year, he went on to win his 10th scoring title and his fourth of five ?Most Sportsmanlike? awards. In 1996, Wayne was traded to the St. Louise Blues and the following year he played for the New York Rangers. In April of 1999, Gretzky announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NHL. He finished his career with countless NHL records and trophies.

Did you know the NHL scouted Wayne when he was nine years old? At age six, his father, Walter, built a rink in the family?s backyard. It was there that Wayne skated for hours on end every day, practicing his skating, shooting and stick handling and learning everything about the game from his dad. “It was for self-preservation,” Walter admitted, “I got sick of taking him to the park and sitting there for hours freezing to death.”

From the time he was six, Wayne played many leagues above his age. He scored only one goal in his first year when he was playing with 10-year-olds. Each season his skills increased dramatically and he soon set scoring records that seemed preposterous, most notably a 378-goal season in his last year in pee wee in Brantford, ON.

What would have happened if Walter had never put skates on his son? What would have happened if the scouts hadn?t watched him? What would have become of hockey, let alone Wayne Gretzky, if he?d never been drafted? Imagine what would have happened if Wayne had told Walter he?d rather be a ballet dancer.

What might happen to you, if you cooperate with the Coach who?s been scouting, drafting and training you to make an eternal difference?

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Easter: More than it Seems

Sunday, April 16th, 2006

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Read at beginning of service:

John 20:1-18 (NIV)

INTRODUCTION

(show Easter “man on the street” video)

On the surface, for most people Easter is just another “holiday” ? one that has many different interpretations of how to celebrate it that come out of different traditions and customs in different cultures through history. Some of you may be familiar with some of these traditions such as the one that includes an Easter “bunny” and decorated eggs. That particular tradition can be traced back to Ancient Saxons (in the area now known as Great Britain) and their worship of the Saxon version of the Germanic lunar goddess Ostara who Saxons named Eostre. I?m not going to spend much time going through all these traditions but I encourage you ? if you have internet access to take an opportunity to investigate some of these traditions/customs that are followed. You may be surprised by some of the history. Whatever it?s roots and however it got started, at some point in history Easter became significant to Christians as the time of year when we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resurrection of Christ is a historical fact; it wasn?t done in secret. The whole city of Jerusalem and the whole Roman Empire knew about it. It was news! There are at least 15 historical references to Jesus meeting people, touching people, and talking with people after he had been crucified. On one occasion he cooked breakfast for some people. Another time he spoke to nearly 500 folks after He had risen from the dead. There were numerous witnesses to His resurrection.

Friends, Jesus rose from the dead, He is who He said He was, He has the power He said He had, and He keeps the promises He makes. So what? Why does the resurrection matter? What difference does it make? Why is it something that we return to every year at Easter to talk about? (perhaps show cartoon) Well, today, my hope is that by the end of this message I?ll be able to show you that the resurrection isn?t just about what Jesus did 2000+ years ago ? He didn?t just display his power to kick start the early church and get people excited about their leader. Yes, His resurrection is a declaration of victory over death and sin but the beautiful implications of His resurrection have direct application to our lives today and remind us that God has a plan. You see, Easter is more than it seems!

Read Matthew 27:62-28:20

Matthew 27:62-28:20 (NIV)

62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” 11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If there?s anything that the Resurrection demonstrates ? it?s?

1. God hasn?t left the scene ? he?s making an even bigger one!

The followers of Christ had experienced a great tragedy on Friday, Jesus had been brutally betrayed, put through a mockery of a trial and finally tortured and crucified. The incredible journey they had been through with this charismatic person came to an abrupt end ? one that Jesus? had regularly mentioned was coming ? but nevertheless one that still seemed to catch His followers off guard. In many ways it looked like God had vacated the scene.

I wonder what the women who went and visited Jesus? tomb expected to find?

A dead body

There was no doubt about it. When Jesus was taken down from the cross ? He was dead. The same women on their way to the tomb had witnessed His death on the cross. The apostle John records that the soldiers found Him already dead when they went to break the legs of those who had been crucified to speed up their death. One of the soldiers even pierced the side of Jesus just to make sure. Mark records that when the Roman Governor, Pilate, heard about Jesus? death he was surprised that He had died so quickly and summoned a Roman soldier to verify the news. Then Pilate gave permission to a follower of Christ named Joseph of Arimathea to take the body of Jesus and lay Him in a burial tomb. Everyone who was involved in the events of that day knew Jesus was dead. And so this was something the women expected they?d find when they were on their way to the tomb.

Hopelessness

Something shared by all Jesus? followers was an overwhelming sense of hopelessness with the crucifixion of Christ. No doubt as the women (and later other disciples) made the journey to the tomb they were expecting a new wave of this despair to hit them again and again.

His death was a blow to faith

It just didn?t make sense, Jesus was the Messiah ? the promised one of God ? the hope of the world, the one who would make wrong right and forgives sins and heal infirmities. Certainly they believed in Him ? yet, He?s dead.

His death was a blow to their hope for freedom.

Dashed to pieces were any thoughts of Israel?s return to her former glory when Jesus? dealt with the foreign people occupying God?s land. What about freedom from their seeming purposeless lives? When Jesus walked and talked among them He breathed fresh news of purpose and value in the eyes of God for those who believed. What about freedom from oppressive religion? Jesus, was a source of encouragement for those who had been shackled by the chains of sin and failure imposed by the religious leaders of His day. Jesus gave people a sense of belonging and hope that somehow the mistakes of their past could be forgiven by God. Then He died.

His death was a blow to their hope for a good future.

His followers dreamed of the coming Kingdom of God and their place in this kingdom. They dreamed of a world set right and full of joy. Their time spent with Him had been a glimpse at the wonders of God?s kingdom with the many miracles of Christ. But now Jesus? followers are in hiding ? they are scattered. The popularity of Christ has dissipated and His followers are hunted, harried, and humiliated. Afraid for their lives they begin to wonder what kind of future they have now? Will they return to their former trades and places of work? Is everything they?ve experienced just a dream? Their hopes for the future have been left at the cross that Jesus hung on.

Not only were the women experiencing and expecting a wave of hopelessness and despair to hit them as they approached the tomb. But also,

Difficulty

How would they roll away the stone in front of the tomb?

What about the soldiers guarding the tomb?

Then there was just the plain difficulty of working through their grief and sorrow on the way to the tomb and the same expected long journey back again.

But here?s what Jesus? followers didn?t expect!

No body in the tomb!

Jesus wasn?t dead, he was alive.

To have their hope restored

As the angel shared the good news and when they encountered Jesus face to face multiple times?

The followers of Christ had their faith in God and in Christ restored.

The followers of Christ had their hope for freedom reestablished.

The followers of Christ had their hope for good future reinstated.

To be running back with incredible joy.

The resurrection demonstrated to the followers of Christ on that day that God hadn?t left the scene ? He was just making a bigger one.

Friends, I don?t know how many of you have felt like God has left the scene in your life. Maybe you have situations, or circumstances in your experience where you find death or expect it, where you face hopelessness, or where things have just gotten incredibly difficult. I don?t know how many of you can describe your relationships that way, your marriage, your feelings with yourself or your children, or your parents, or your family. Maybe there?s something that?s happened in the your past that keeps giving off that ugly stench of death. Abuse, failure, dashed dreams or a broken heart. Maybe you?re going through a time of indecision in your life, you?re between jobs, in a job you don?t like, about to start a career you?re not sure of. Maybe there?s been an illness in your life or in someone you love and it?s crippled and sucked the joy out of living. Or perhaps when you look at the world around you there are so many overwhelming awful things happening, lawlessness, poverty, hunger, aids, the avian-flu, terrorism that it makes your future look scary.

Are there times where it looks like God has left the scene? Do you feel that way right now? Well the resurrection demonstrates that God hasn?t left the scene ? he?s about to make an even bigger one! You see?if there?s anything the resurrection demonstrates it?s that?

2. God has a plan!

God never planned for all the suffering and despair, and pain in the world today. He never planned that His creation would go through so much junk. He never wanted that for us. In the story of creation we learn how death, suffering, and pain entered into the world through the bad choice of our ancestors Adam and Eve. Sin, and rebellion against God has the natural consequence of all the evil and bad we experience in the world today. Everything from a Category 5 hurricane to a broken heart is the result of the world run amok because of sin. God didn?t want Adam and Eve to sin ? but He has a plan to make it right. He has a plan to deal with their mistake. He has a plan to correct their failure. He has a plan to restore things the way they should be. The crucifixion and the resurrection is the stamp that seals that plan forever. Brothers and sisters, God has a plan for your life?

He has a plan?

?to take despair and give hope

?to take a lost cause and make it a cause worth fighting for.

?to take the foolish and make them wise

?to take the defeated and make them conquerors

?to take the doubters and make them believers.

?to take failures and make them winners

?to take our deepest hurts and make them our greatest helps

?to take death and create life.

No matter what consequence of sin you live with in your life, God has a plan.

His plan includes?

Forgiving your past

Have you ever been halfway through a project and wished you could start over? A lot of times people feel that way about life. They get halfway through and wish they could start over. We have all done things we wish we hadn?t done, said things we wish we hadn?t said, and thought things we wish we hadn?t thought. We all have regrets. We all feel bad about things. We all have guilt.

There are a lot of people who can?t get on with the present and the future because they?re stuck in the past. Some guilt or regret has tied them down.

Here?s the good news,

Colossians 2:14 (NIV)

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

This is God?s pardon program. Jesus nailed it all to the cross. He paid for my guilt. That means I don?t have to pay for it. He wants to forgive your past. He wants to cancel every debt you owe ? emotional debts, relational debts, sins. All cancelled. His plan includes?

Grappling with your present problems

The number one complaint most people have today is this: “My life is out of control.” Have you ever heard these statements (or made them yourself)?

I feel powerless to change the situation?

I feel powerless to break a bad habit?

I feel powerless to save a relationship?

I feel powerless to get out of debt?

I feel powerless to manage my schedule?

What you need is a power greater than yourself. You were never meant to live this life on your own power. God wants to have a relationship with you. And here?s the good news,

Ephesians 1:18-20 (NIV)

18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

The same power that enabled Jesus to rise from the dead will help you rise above your problems. The same power God used at the Resurrection 2000 years ago can be used in Your life right now. You don?t know what the future holds ? neither do I. But it doesn?t matter, because even though it?s out of my control, it?s not out of God?s. He has a plan. He will give me the power to face it.

Philippians 4:13 (NIV)

13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

No problem is too big for God. No situation is hopeless if you?ll turn it over to him. “I am ready for anything through the power of positive thinking?” No, it doesn?t say that. “I am ready for anything because I psyched myself up?” No. “I am ready for anything through the strength of Christ, who lives in me.

God hasn?t left the scene?he?s about to make a bigger one. God has a plan! But most importantly, if there?s anything the resurrection demonstrates it?s?

3. Our choice what happens with God?s plan in our lives

Matthew records that the religious leaders were concerned about the disciples taking the dead body of Christ and create a hoax about Him coming back to life. So they made their own plans and had soldiers seal the tomb and guard it. No doubt they expected that the sealed tomb and posted guards would prevent any false claims of Jesus? resurrection. There?s one thing they hadn?t counted on ? that the real thing would occur!

They probably expected that in the morning the guards would report either an uneventful evening ? where there was just the usual mourning taking place ? or a confrontation with ? where they prevented the stealing of a body. Either way, they were sure the “Jesus” problem was dealt with. They thought that this claim Jesus made of rising again would be exposed for the lie it was. But they hadn?t accounted for God?s plan. What?s incredibly sad is that when the soldiers shared this astonishing tale of God?s plan in motion the leaders chose to ignore the reality of God at work and began to make their own plans to cover-up the truth.

Matthew 28:12-15 (NIV)

12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day

You see, even though God has a plan it?s our choice whether we embrace it for our lives.

We can choose to believe or choose to reject,

We can choose to confess or choose to cover-up

We can choose to give-in or give-up

We can choose to die to live or live to die

We can choose to be found or choose to be lost

We can choose to be healed or choose to be hurt

CONCLUSION

Oh, there?s so much more to Easter than it seems. What will your choice be this morning with the truth of the resurrection of Christ staring at you in the face? Now some of you may be saying ? I want to believe God hasn?t left the scene, I want to trust that God has a plan, I want to choose His plan for my life, my marriage, my family, my job, my hurts, my failings, my mess-ups, my mistakes, my problems?but pastor what?s next? What happens outside of this service, after I?ve gone home and face all these things. How do I translate those choices into actions in my life? How do I discover His plan and do my part?

Isn?t the “how” a major question that that needs to be dealt with? It?s one thing to know that God has a plan, it?s nice to talk about the difference he can make in my life. It?s important to make a decision to believe this and embrace it. But all I?ve talked about this morning is in very general terms. Each of us have our own “how?” question that deals with the specific circumstance of our individual lives. Well the ?how? of Easter and everything I?ve said is deeply tied to something Jesus said after his resurrection and just before His ascension,

Luke 24:46-49 (NIV)

46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The astounding facts of the gospel are all the more astonishing because they were prophesied hundreds of years earlier, and all the more wondrous because the disciples experienced them. Perhaps what makes them absolutely awe-inspiring is that we too are witnesses of these things today when we experience the resurrected Lord and Saviour.

The ?how? of Easter is connected to the promise Jesus made as recorded by Luke. How do we experience Jesus today? How do we discover the meaning and significance of the gospel? How do we see God?s plan carried out in our individual circumstances and worked out in our lives? Just like those first disciples, we too are called to witness to this life-giving reality to all nations. Jesus says, “Wait. Don?t do it! Stay here until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

What power was He talking about? Whatever it is, it?s the kind of power that will propel the proclamation of the gospel and carry out God?s plan. In the parallel passage in Acts 1:8, Jesus says just that:

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

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

It?s the Holy Spirit who makes the witness effective. It?s the Holy Spirit who supplies the ?how? and ?so-what? for the gospel. It?s the Holy Spirit who reveals and works out God?s plan in our lives. Our broken human minds are darkened, our hearts are hardened (Ephesians 4:18); our eyes are blinded (2 Corinthians 4:4) until the Holy Spirit opens them, enlightens us and gives us life.

In fact, a lot of the ?so-what? and ?how? stuff of God?s plan only begins to make sense when the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives. Taking the miracle of the resurrection and making it alive in our hearts, taking the power of the gospel and making it effective in our lives, taking the wisdom of Scripture and causing God?s Word to become alive in us: these are all the work of the Holy Spirit.

Are you looking for the answers to your own “how” questions? Are you hungry for the difference God can make in your life? All the guidance, direction, and purpose you need for your life is found in the Holy Spirit.

Next week we?re going to begin exploring this mysterious member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, in a hands-on, down-to-earth series called The Coach in Your Corner. God has a plan and has sent us a personal Coach to help us live it out. I hope you?ll welcome the opportunity to discover with us for the next seven weeks how God has designed a plan to help you fulfill His purpose for your life!

Today I?ve shown you that Easter isn?t all it seems to be. Certainly, the people in Jesus? day experienced this. And we can experience this in our own life. God hasn?t left the scene ? He?s about to make a bigger one. God has a plan. And it?s your choice what happens with God?s plan in your life.

(Show video, God has a plan)

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Redefining Sacred Space

Sunday, April 9th, 2006
This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Revolt Against Religion

Read at beginning of service:


1 Peter 2:4-9 (NIV)

4 As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

INTRODUCTION

Today I?m going to be sharing the last message in the series I?ve been preaching called, “Revolt against Religion”. I hope you?ve noticed as I?ve shared this series how Jesus set in motion the end to religion. When Jesus came to earth and still today he offers people a non-institutional, deeply relational approach to spirituality.

He modeled in His life and spoke about how if love guides our hearts, rules become redundant. How, if you love God and you love your neighbour the resulting inward change will take care of everything else in your relationship with God and your relationships with others!

Jesus also pointed out the dangerous place tradition and customs had been elevated to in Jewish “religion”. Without minimizing the value of traditions and customs as spiritual tools He simply modeled that it?s okay to break those that had become “sacred cows”. When traditions and customs become “sacred cows” they create a wall preventing intimacy with God, make faith a lifeless ritual, and blind people to the truth. Hopefully, you?ve had an opportunity to examine traditions/customs in your own life and from your experience growing up and evaluated whether they have become “sacred cows”!

Jesus also spent a great deal of His time exposing and coming against the exclusive “club” mentality of the religious leaders and religion in the days of His ministry. Jesus shared the message of God?s love that was radically inclusive in a world where religions were anything but! He offered an incredible reorientation of family values ? opposing the idea that birth, blood, and biology defines true family. Instead, he stressed that our unity with God and one another comes through shared faith and common purpose. In Christ?s Kingdom, ethnicity, social status, or gender identity are no longer important categories of distinction. Instead, all members of this Kingdom are unified as one family, with God as our shared Father and Abraham as our shared ancestor.

Therefore, so far we?ve looked at how Jesus has exposed three characteristics of religion and religious people.

  1. Begin righteous is more important than being right.
  2. Traditions and customs are “sacred cows”
  3. Religious people belong to an “exclusive club”.

Today we?re going to wrap up this series by looking at what Jesus had to say towards the persistent perspective of religion and religious people where in their thinking, The “Holy of Holies” still exists.

You see, Jesus lived and taught in a world that views life in terms of concentric circles of sacred space. (show diagram on powerpoint). There was the understanding that all the world belonged to God but the land of Israel was a particularly holy land ? Jerusalem is a particularly holy city in the holy land, and the Temple was a particularly Holy building in the holy city, of the holy land, and finally, the epicenter of sacredness was the Holy of Holies in the Holy building, in the Holy city, of the Holy land. It was in this place, the Holy of Holies, where God?s presence was said to be most manifest. The religion of Jesus? day, and religions around the world today base much of its approach to life on strong distinctions between the sacred and the profane, the holy and the mundane. First, there is the creation of distinctions between the two ? in other words, defining what is holy and what is profane. Then second, religion offers systematic ways for people to move from one realm to the other. This process includes pilgrimages to “holy” sites or attending special services in sacred spaces ? usually special buildings that represent the institution. The idea is that in order to connect with God there is a particular location you have to be in. The idea that there are certain spaces in life where God is accessible and spaces where He is not.

Contrary to the religious norm of His day, Jesus taught a form of spirituality that erased the lines of distinction between sacred space and mundane space.

HOW DID HE DO THIS?

  2. He spoke of His own body as the Temple.

Jesus upset the status quo of His day by speaking of His own body as the Temple or Sanctuary of God (the place where the Divine and Human meet).

In John 2:13-22 we find a story where Jesus makes a dramatic statement in the “sacred space” of religion.

John 2:13-22 (NIV)

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Two things happened in this “Temple incident” (see also Matt. 21:12-14; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48)

  1. Jesus turned over the tables and released all of the sacrificial animals that were used for the forgiveness ceremonies.
  2. Redefined His own body as the temple! (and at the same time prophesied about the resurrection)

Notice that the Jewish religious people demanded of Jesus in verse 18 to show a miraculous sign to prove His authority to enter the temple and do what He did. It was a common thought among the religious people during this time because wherever Jesus went He acted as thought the Divine presence was fully with Him and not just back in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Many times Jesus scandalized the religious leaders by personally offering people God?s forgiveness for their sins. The religion of first-century Israel taught that people received God?s forgiveness in a specific way ? through the animal sacrificial system of the Temple in Jerusalem. One would purchase a goat or a dove from a vendor (conveniently located in the Temple courts) and then present it to a priest for sacrifice. Only a priest of the Temple could then conduct the ceremony and offer worshippers forgiveness of sins on behalf of God. It was all quite simple, quite predictable, and quite institutional. So think of how the religious leaders reacted when Jesus did things like this;

Luke 7:36-50 (NIV)

36 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, 38 and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is–that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. 41 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

(see also Matthew 9:1-13 and the forgiveness [and healing] of the paralytic man)

When Jesus would say to the people, “Your sins are forgiven” he was not just being a kind source of encouragement to hurting people but making a decidedly irreligious statement to his culture. He was completely bypassing the religious system of His day and helping people connect with God?s grace, mercy, and forgiveness directly through Himself.

2. He established and pointed to a new “organic” Temple.

Jesus also taught his followers to expect his own continuing presence to dwell, not within special buildings called “churches”, but within their relationships. He said that wherever two or three people gather together in his name he would be there with them (Matthew 18:20)

Jesus poured His life into 12 men that he chose to accompany Him and called to follow Him. It was these men who would provide the leadership for the early movement of Jesus? followers and become living stones of the new Temple Jesus was building.

Matthew 16:13-19 (NIV)

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus also used the illustration of the vine and branches to teach the organic nature of this new temple He was building. In this poignant description we see the wonderful picture of the interconnecting relationships between Jesus and each of his followers.

John 15:1-8 (NIV)

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS REDEFINITION OF SACRED SPACE?

1. Sacred space is now defined by relational connection rather than physical location.

Certainly when you read about the early church you discover that they saw themselves as living stones, built together into this organic Temple, made up of the people of God. They believed that the Spirit of God dwelled within this relational Temple, this Sanctuary-as-Community.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV)

16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV)

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

In other words, because of Jesus, they understood that all of life is holy and every godly relationship is sacred. Truly, there is no holier ground that the space between you and me as we connect in honest, vulnerable, forgiving relationship. That is why the early Christian movement felt no need to hold their meetings in special buildings For about the first 300 years, Christ-followers met primarily in people?s homes (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; Philemon 1:2)

2. Reaffirms the value of every member in the body of Christ (the “organic” living temple).

There are no pointless “bricks” in this temple. An image that the apostle Paul used to remind the early church of this implication is that of a body;

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 (NIV)

12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body–whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

3. It underscores the incredible work of grace God has wrought through Christ.

This is a mind-boggling implication when you think about it. Jesus declared and the early church understood that from the cross forward it was possible for people to host and manifest His Spirit. There is only one way that this could take place and that?s through the shed blood of Christ, the impartation of God?s grace, and the believing faith of its recipient. When God looks at us who believe in Christ, He doesn?t see our sin, our failings, our faults and our fumblings. He sees us as His child and part of His family and worthy of His presence. The incredible reality that Jesus wants us to embrace is that it is possible for believers to connect with God independent of location and regardless of “status” in His church. In fact, the idea of constructing special holy buildings called “churches”, where priests would steward God?s grace to the people, would have been a very foreign idea to the early Christians. Instead the early Church considered every believer representing God to each other as a kingdom of priests (see 1 Peter 2:4-9 as read this morning)

1 Peter 2:4-9 (NIV)

4 As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, 8 and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message–which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

4. Presents the challenge of how we live in the world. (Romans 12:1)

This is probably one of the more practical implications of this redefinition of sacred space. Realizing that you are a “temple” of the Holy Spirit should create a consciousness of how we treat this “temple” and how we live.

Paul said to the Corinthian church,

1 Corinthian 6:19-20 (NIV)

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

The early Christian church believed that their entire lives were altars upon which to offer sacrificial love to God and others. Witness the instructions given to the Roman church,

Romans 12:1 (NIV)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.

Certainly as we become aware of this incredible privilege of divine visitation and presence in our lives. The idea that sacredness is not confined to a particular location but instead spread throughout the organic temple of Christ?s body, the church and indeed in your own life as a believer. Then, it gives us good reason to seek to honor God with how we live ? not because we have to ? but in appreciation and love for Him!

CONCLUSION

As we draw to a close in this series. I want to highlight one more significant event in the history of Jesus. It centers around probably the most monumental event not only in His own life here on earth but also in all of history ? and that is the crucifixion of Christ. On the surface, the picture of Jesus hanging on the cross looks like a photographic negative: the dark is light, death is life, and a Jewish prisoner of Rome is offering everyone else freedom. However, in looking at this event through the glory of the resurrection, the first followers of Jesus were convinced that this event, the death of their leader, was the doorway into a whole new world, a world without religion, where all people could access God?s grace and experience his presence directly, just as the most holy of priests and prophets had done.

In the gospel account of Jesus death, something happened that would forever signal the end of the religious system (you can read about this in Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45). In the Temple in Jerusalem was a large heavy curtain, a veil that separated the rest of the Temple from the most holy place, the “Holy of Holies,” where God?s presence was believed to dwell in all His majesty and glory. For a time, it was also the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept ? but since invaders had carried it away, nothing remained but an empty space, a space made holy by God?s glorious presence. No one ever went into the Holy of Holies except the High Priest, and he only did that once a year to make atonement for the sins of Israel. Nothing could better symbolize the dividing line between the sacred and the profane, the holy and the mundane, than the veil of the Temple. It was like a line drawn in the sand, with God on one side and everyone else on the other.

However, at the moment of Jesus? death, the Bible records that this veil was torn from top to bottom. It seemed as if God the Father himself stepped into the picture and confirmed the message and mission of Jesus through his own act of irreligious desecration. The dividing wall between those who are “in” and those who are “out” was finally done away with. In this definitive act it was if God was saying, it?s time for me to leave the building ? it?s time to move along ? it?s time to get close to my creation again.

As we?ve looked at the life of Jesus and what He had to say about religion you may be ready to conclude, as many have, that this world would be a far better place without religion ? I believe your right. However, with nothing to fill the void left by its absence, the result of doing away with religion would hardly be an improvement.

Friends, the human soul was created for a purpose. To be fully authentic, to become what it was made to be, the human soul needs more than the absence of something; it needs the presence of Someone. We were designed to live within the context of a relationship with our Divine Creator ? the person of God. This concept of intimate and interactive relationship with God, a relationship of naked intimacy, delight, and passion, was at the core of Jesus? teaching and abundantly evident in His own life. Experiencing God as Father, Mother, Husband, Lover, Friend, Counselor, and Guide are ways Jesus describes this relationship and the goal He leads us toward.

If we are really going to follow Jesus we need to lose the trappings of religion, drop the pursuit of systems, and dive into our connection with God through the relationship He offers with Him and through our relationship with others in His family!

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Family Values

Sunday, April 2nd, 2006
This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Revolt Against Religion

Read at beginning of service:

Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV)

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)– 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

INTRODUCTION

Today, I?m continuing the series I?ve been preaching on called “Revolt against Religion”. I?m convinced that when you look at the original teachings of the historical Jesus in the Bible, you discover a person who sets in motion the end to religion. He offers people a non-institutional, deeply relational approach to spirituality ? a way of living that god originally intended for us to know.

So far we?ve looked at what Jesus had to say to religious people and their adherence to rules, regulations, and routine at the expense of the transforming work of love. Jesus lived by a simple philosophy: if love guides our hearts, rules become redundant. It?s not that they don?t serve a purpose ? the commands and rules we read about in the Bible are important in their purpose to expose sin. But obedience to these rules apart from heart change is meaningless. In other words, if you love God and you love your neighbour the resulting inward change will take care of everything else in your relationship with God and your relationship with others! Simply remove rules and you are left with anarchy. Transcend rules with love, and you?re beginning to live like Jesus!

Last week I spent some time highlighting Jesus? message to the religious leaders and the religion of His day about their attachment to certain traditions and customs. The danger of tradition is that it can be elevated to a place of authority equal to the place of Scripture and becomes what I call a “Sacred Cow”. A common saying of religions people is, “This is the way it?s always been done ? so this is the way it always should be done!”

Jesus made it absolutely clear in His ministry and in His various confrontations with religious tradition that tradition must take a back-seat to the Scripture it claims to be based on. This doesn?t mean that traditions can never be helpful spiritual tools ? but we must always be ready to evaluate whether a tradition or custom has become a ?sacred cow? because if it gets to that point then it ceases to be helpful and becomes harmful. Last week I shared with you some questions that you can ask that can help you in determining whether there are any traditions or customs that you follow that might be ?sacred cows? in your life.

The problem Jesus had with the traditions and customs of the religion in His day was that they had created a wall preventing intimacy with God, made faith a lifeless ritual, and blinded people to the truth. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy with the “Tradition of the Elders” in the religious people and we desperately need this same hypocrisy exposed and dealt with today!

This morning I want to take a few minutes to share with you the next characteristic of religions/religious people that Jesus debunked. Jesus? message of God?s love was radically inclusive in a world where religions were anything but. He came with a strong rebuke against the way the religious people of His day had lost touch with the universal focus of their faith.

God had always intended for His chosen people to be the vehicle through which His glory would be displayed to the whole world. Certainly, when taken as a whole, the historical account of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people and all the events they went through and the instructions God gave them were recorded in the Bible not just to preserve a genealogical or narrative record for future generations. Rather, the Holy Spirit divinely inspired and initiated everything towards the singular purpose of the revealing of God?s answer to the sin problem that plagued the world from the fall of Adam ? an answer that was planned because of His love for the human race. Interwoven throughout the entire scriptures are many references to a person coming who would be a messiah, a savior, who would restore once and for all God?s people to completeness. Truly, this messiah was the hope of the Jewish nation. Yet, the cool thing ? God never intended this Savior to only save the Israelites but through Him the entire world. Listen to the prophetic words of Isaiah as God spoke through Him?

Isaiah 42:6 (NIV)

6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,

Isaiah 49:6 (NIV)

6 he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Isaiah was talking about the coming Messiah and how He would not only restore Israel to glory an righteousness but would be a light for the Gentiles and bring salvation to the ends of the earth. What?s this mean? Two quick definitions: Gentile = non-Jewish person; Salvation = Rescuing from the consequence, penalty, and curse of sin (death). Put simply, God is saying through His servant Isaiah that through the Messiah sin will be dealt with and everyone will have the opportunity to be saved from the curse of sin. It seems though that for the most part ? the Jewish religious people had forgotten about this prophecy of the coming Messiah. In fact the religious people of Jesus? day had become incredibly exclusive in their religiosity. So much so that when Jesus was speaking to His disciples and a crowd of Jewish people who had gathered around Him one day He made a point of drawing a connection between what they were hearing, seeing, and experiencing and their responsibility. Listen to His words?


Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Even though Jesus made many statements indicating that He was sent first to help the Jewish people get on course ? for example?


Matthew 10:5-6 (NIV)

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.

Matthew 15:24 (NIV)

24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

?his message and mission intentionally extended God?s offer of loving relationship beyond the ethnic boundaries of Jewish religion. Through Jesus, Gentiles (non-Jews) were invited to become equal citizens in God?s Kingdom alongside Jewish brothers and sisters.

John 3:16 (NIV)

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. “

It was a message and teaching clearly understood and modeled by leaders in the early Christian church as evidenced in their letters?

(see also Romans 2:17-29; Romans 4:9-18)

Romans 9:6 (NIV)

6 It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

Romans 10:11-13 (NIV)

11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:11-22 (NIV) ? read this morning

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Here?s the important point of Jesus revolt against religion here: Jesus challenged the strong kinship based identity of first-century Israel by offering a radical reorientation of family values. One time, Jesus had gone to a house ? probably for a bite to eat and a time of rest ? but scriptures record in Mark 3:20 that crowds began to gather again and Jesus and His disciples didn?t get a chance to eat. In the midst of this, Jesus counters some accusations from the religious leaders declaring that Jesus gained His power from being possessed by Satan. Jesus further shares a strong warning against rejecting and dishonoring the work of the Holy Spirit by attributing His work to the work of evil spirits. In the midst of all this, something interesting happens?

Mark 3:31-35 (NIV)

31 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Through these words, Jesus opposed the idea that birth, blood, and biology defines true family. Instead, he stressed that our unity with God and one another comes through shared faith and common purpose. In this way, Jesus invited his followers to become part of a worldwide, trans-national, multi-ethnic family of faith. And so, it is to his Jewish friends that Jesus said once,

John 10:16 (NIV)

16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

The apostle Paul described the inclusive reality of the Kingdom this way:

Galatians 3:28-29 (NIV)

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Colossians 3:11 (NIV)

11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

In Christ?s Kingdom, ethnicity, social status, or gender identity are no longer important categories of distinction. Instead, all members of this Kingdom are unified as one family, with God as our shared Father and Abraham as our shared ancestor.

Jesus came against the characteristic where Religious people belong to an exclusive “club”. The religious people in Jesus day had a religious “club” that was defined by family ties and birth. I would venture to say this morning that today there exists a similar manifestation of this characteristic in the Christian church. It?s a bit harder to pick up on this characteristic because it is a little bit more subtle than the others and is harder to recognize sometimes because of it?s nature. However, I want to quickly give a few clues that will help us to discern and recognize it?s presence when we come across it.

How can we recognize this characteristic today?

When evangelism is something “someone else” will do.

A recognizable feature of this religious characteristic is the lack of care for those who are lost. At the extreme it manifests in a protectionist policy whenever someone “new” or “different” comes to church on a Sunday and there is fear they upset the status quo. “Aww man, someone has sat in my seat!”, “I wish that person wouldn?t come ? they really need a shower.” “Did you see what she?s wearing!”. Or it will manifest in the hiding of one?s “religion” when out in the big, bad “world” because it?s dangerous out there. Well I don?t dispute that our society is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity I would venture to say it?s more because all Canadians are being exposed to is the Christian “religion” ? rather than the transforming presence of God in His relationship with individuals sold out to Him!

Friends, to counter this mindset we need to regain an understanding of exactly what Jesus has rescued us from and gain a compassion for those still lost! Every single one of us has a sphere of influence where we have an opportunity to demonstrate the difference Christ makes in our life. Pastor Nancy shared a message two weeks ago on evangelism I hope you heard ? and if you didn?t get a tape! We need to be reminded constantly that evangelism is not something that “someone else” will do but is something every one of us can do!

A significant event in the life of any family is the addition of a new family member. I?ve got news for you?God WANTS His family to grow! And it will grow when we allow the light of Christ to shine in our lives in acts of compassion, works of grace, gifts of generosity, and words of LIFE! He wants all of us to be like a “city on a hill”!

When some sins are worse than others?

Another extreme manifestation of this mindset of course is the idea that there are certain sins worse than others. This leads to all sorts of discrimination in who “deserves” to hear the gospel message. What barriers have been erected by religious people today for ministry to people serving time in prisons for murder, or homosexuals, or prostitutes, because of the nature of their sin? What prejudices are those in our lives that need to be exposed? A good indicator that we have these prejudices is when we consider certain sins worse than others.

We must not forget Jesus drew no distinction between degree of sinfulness but highlighted the depravity of anyone outside of God?s grace! In fact in a very pointed story Jesus indicates the danger of this kind of thinking to your own salvation!

Luke 18:9-14 (NIV)

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

When fellowship is just a Sunday buffet.

How can this be an indicator of a “club” mentality in religion? Now don?t get me wrong ? I love the times when we come together as a church family and have fun together and eat together. There?s nothing wrong with that ? and it should be something we do often. However, fellowship as understood in the biblical context is so much more than just having a meal with a group of people. Acts 2:42 contains a picture of the early church and introduces the kind of fellowship that Jesus promotes,

Acts 2:42 (NIV)

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

The Greek word for fellowship used in this verse is “Koinonia” (see also 2 Cor. 6:14; 13:13-14; Phil. 3:10; 1 John 1:3) and carries with it the idea of partnership and sharing together in a cause and sharing with each other. There is this incredible sense associated with the word fellowship of not just being a “part” of something but actually belonging to and investing in it. The idea that in the family of God, we belong to each other! What are the practical implications of this? When you read further about the early church in Acts you discover in verses 44-47 the demonstration of biblical fellowship,

Acts 2:44-47 (NLT)

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord?s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity ? all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Wow! Truly, every-time I read that I realize that we come pretty close to this biblical idea of fellowship but in some ways we?re still quite a ways away from it.

When fellowship is just a Sunday Buffet in the mindset of the religious person it?s usually because they really don?t understand what it means to really belong to God?s family. It?s not being a part of a social club, or a people with like interests, or spiritual tea party ? viewed with this perspective Christianity becomes very exclusive and religious. Whereas when a person embraces the biblical understanding of fellowship and incorporates this incredible sense of belonging to a family then there is a sense of other-focused sharing in every area of life. And it?s interesting that the more this healthy understanding of biblical fellowship is embraced ? the more inclusive we become of those new to the family who might be a little different than us ? because we are family!

CONCLUSION

I?ve just shared with you three indicators that can help us discern when – either collectively as a church body or individually – we wade into the thinking of Religious people where we?re a part of an exclusive club. Just to be clear, these aren?t the only indicators! There are more, but for the sake of time I?ve decided to share these three today (for example another one is when the church is defined as a building rather than a body). The point is this ? Jesus stressed that our unity with God and one another comes through shared faith and common purpose. Jesus invited His followers to become part of and belong to an incredible diverse group of people united in Him as God?s family.

As we look at what Jesus has to say to religion and the religious people of His day and today it?s important that I draw your attention to one passage in the New Testament that, on first read, seems to have something positive to say about “religion”. I?m going to share it as I close this message because it?s related to this whole idea of family in God?s kingdom. The focus of this passage is on the lifestyle that should characterize people who follow Jesus. James (the brother of Jesus) dedicated his entire letter to the early followers of Christ to reminding them of what their “religion” should look like.

James 1:26-27 (NIV)

26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

This verse is the only positive use of the word “religion” in the Bible. James did not place the emphasis on ritual, but rather on practical, other-centered behaviour. To summarize James said Christians should be:

  2. constructive rather than destructive in our words
  4. compassionate in practical ways toward people in distress;
  6. counter-cultural in our daily life, refusing to simply follow the accepted norms of the majority (the “world”) when those norms do not lead to a loving lifestyle.

In other words the only “religion” that God approves of is faith (a trusting relationship with the Person of God) expressing itself in practical loving action. James goes on to describe this more fully in the remainder of his letter. For people who want to follow Jesus, the emphasis on ritual should be replaced with other-centered relationship. Period. That?s a description of good religion in a nutshell, which in the end has little to do with what many people mean when they use the word religion today.

Notice, however, what James did not say in his letter to Christ followers. He did not say that the only religion God approves of involves:

  • saying certain prayers a specified number of times each day,
  • participating in the proper rituals,
  • meditating in the right position,
  • believing the right doctrines,
  • attending the specified services,
  • reading the appropriate books,
  • memorizing the right texts,
  • celebrating the right holidays and so on.

What people usually think of when they look at the topic of “religion” ? the rules, rituals, and routines ? are completely absent in James letter. Instead, he teaches that God wants us to experience and intimate relationship with himself and then express that through a holistic lifestyle of compassion for others.

Is it any wonder then, that in one of his letters to the early Christian community, the Apostle Paul wrestled with the same issue of following the way of relationship or religion. Paul?s conclusion?

Galatians 5:6 (NIV)

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

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