Posts Tagged ‘holiness’

Get Dressed!

Sunday, November 12th, 2006

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INTRODUCTION

When he was a boy growing up in Philadelphia, Tony Campolo and his best friend devised what they considered a brilliant and creative Halloween prank ? one which, by the way, they never carried out. Their plan was to break into the basement of the local five-and-dime store (kind of like a mini-Walmart for those of you to young to remember five-and-dimes). They never planned to rob the store, but had they carried out their idea, it would have been far worse.

Their plan was to get into the store and change the price tags on all the merchandise. They imagined what it would be like the next morning when people came into the store and discovered that radios were marked at a quarter each an the price of hair pins had suddenly been raised to five dollars a package. With a great deal of delight, they wondered what it would be like in the store when no one could figure out what the prices of things really should be.

In recalling his boyhood plan of Halloween mischief, Campolo said that he often thinks that the world in which we live is trying to play that trick on all of us. At times, it appears that somebody has broken into our lives and changed the price tags ? the value ? attached to practically everything.
(quoted in ?Clothe Yourself With Christ? by William Nieporte)

What makes things worse is that so often we play along with this malicious devilment! We have a tendency to treat with great affection those things that have little worth and at the same time make great sacrifices for the things which, in the end, have no real lasting value. Even sadder is the lack of investment in the things that do matter!

Sometimes it seems that we have little notion about how to realistically assess and assign appropriate values to the contents of our lives. More often than not, this comes from a lack of understanding what is truly important.

Who switched the price tags?

In January 1996, Rev. Joe Wright, senior pastor of the 2,500-member Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, was invited to offer the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives. Invited by Rep. Anthony Powell, Rev. Wright composed the prayer, read it at the opening of the legislature on January 23, and departed, unaware of the ruckus he had created until his church secretary called him on his car phone to ask him what he had done.
One Democrat walked out in protest, three others gave speeches critical of Wright’s prayer, and another blasted Wright’s “message of intolerance.” ? Rep. Jim Long, a Democrat from Kansas City, said that Wright “made everyone mad.” ?
Wright appeared on dozens of radio shows, received thousands of calls, and was the subject of numerous TV and print news reports, and his prayer stirred up controversy all over again when it was read by the chaplain coordinator in the Nebraska legislature the following month.

The prayer reads as follows:
Heavenly Father, we come before you to ask your forgiveness. We seek your direction and your guidance. We know your word says, “Woe to those who call evil good.” But that’s what we’ve done.

We’ve lost our spiritual equilibrium. We have inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We’ve exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We’ve neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. In the name of choice, we have killed our unborn. In the name of right to life, we have killed abortionists.

We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it taxes. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, oh, God, and know our hearts today. Try us. Show us any wickedness within us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of the State of Kansas, and that they have been ordained by you to govern this great state.

Grant them your wisdom to rule. May their decisions direct us to the center of your will. And, as we continue our prayer and as we come in out of the fog, give us clear minds to accomplish our goals as we begin this Legislature. For we pray in Jesus’ name,
Amen. (from the website, ?everything2?)

This bold prayer by Rev. Wright highlighted many of the tags that have been switched ? who switched the price tags?

Many people are familiar with the famous quote from John F. Kennedy, former president of the United States. When he was president he challenged his nation with these stirring words,

Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.

Yet today people are looking toward their country, their government, their employers, and civic groups for products and services. Our culture today is plagued with a consumerist attitude and if that weren?t bad enough, people look at the church with the same sort of mentality! Rather than seeing the church as a place to worship God and a place from which to serve the world, people shop for the church that ?meets their and their families needs?!

This consumerist mentality has so infiltrated the church that we evaluate our success (pastors and church leaders are especially guilty of this) in terms of bodies and budgets rather than lives impacted for the cause of the Kingdom!

The sad reality is that somebody has switched the price tags throughout our society ? and too often those of us who are in the church are a reflection of those misplaced values, rather than illustrations of the redemptive transformation of God!

Paul addressed these mixed up values in the Romans 12 and 13. His aim and ambition in writing those words is very simple ? to encourage those whose lives have been redeemed to live as redeemed people! In other words, get dressed! Stop wearing the clothes of your sinful old nature and put on the Kingdom clothing of your redemption!

In Romans 12:1-2 (which was read at the beginning of the service) Paul connected all that he had said in the first eleven chapters of Romans with all that he is saying in the remaining portions of the letter. He began in verse 1 by saying, ?Therefore, in view of God?s mercy?? In other words ? Paul is about to tell us exactly what God wants from us ? but before he does that, he wants to remind us about everything he has been teaching about God?s mercy in the first eleven chapters of Romans. A quick review reveals that those in Christ?

- are DEAD to sin?s power and control and ALIVE in Christ
- are DEAD to the law and ANIMATED by the Holy Spirit
- enjoy all of the blessings associate with NEW LIFE in the Spirit

Then Paul begins Romans 12 that in view of ALL these things (that is in the view of God?s mercy) ? present yourselves as living sacrifices, Holy and pleasing to God. Notice, Paul does NOT say: ?Make yourself HOLY and PLEASING to God!? Paul has already told us that IN CHRIST we are Holy! He has already taught in the first 11 chapters of Romans about how through Christ we are acceptable to God. So in opening Romans 12 with these words Paul is not giving us an admonition to do anything! Rather it is a call to place all that God has given to us back into His hands. It is a call to trust God. It is a call to depend on the Holy Spirit. It is a call to find our power, purpose, and provisions for living in Christ. It is a call to REST in the sufficiency of God?s grace. It?s like this story?

A beggar lived near the King’s palace. One day he saw a proclamation posted that invited anyone to come and dine with the King. Yet the beggar looked down at his filthy rags and realized there was no way he could dine with the King. He was just too poorly dressed.
The beggar thought, and went to the servant’s door of the Castle. When the King’s servant answered the door, the beggar blurted out “Do you have any clothes that I can wear? I want to go to the King’s dinner, but I can’t go this way.” The servant smiled and led the beggar into the Castle, to the King’s very chambers.
When the beggar saw the King he was so afraid that he failed to notice the loving compassion in his eyes. In a quavering voice he repeated his request, and the King said “You were wise in coming to see me.” He called the prince and told him, “Take this man and dress him in your finest clothes, get him cleaned up for the great dinner”.
The prince took the beggar off and dressed him in the best the Castle had to offer. When the beggar was fully clothed the prince said, “You can now attend the dinner without fear. And what’s more, these clothes are the best that money can buy. They will last you forever.”
The beggar thanked the prince, but, as he prepared to leave, he began to wonder “What if the prince is wrong? What if these new clothes won’t last forever?”. So the beggar picked up his old rags, put them in a bundle, and carried them with him to the banquet.
The dinner was greater than the beggar had ever imagined, but the beggar couldn’t enjoy himself. He had to hold his old smelly clothes on his lap, and spent so much time watching the old clothes that he missed some of the greater delicacies that were served.
After the dinner the beggar went out, dressed in finery, and continued to carry the rags with him. When people saw the beggar they didn’t see the fine clothes he wore, but they saw the rags that he carried. The beggar became known as “the man with the rags”, and his life was miserable.
Years later the beggar laid dying, and the King came to visit him. The King sadly looked at the bundle of rags, and, as he lay there, the beggar realized that these rags had cost him a lifetime of true royalty. He wept bitterly at his foolishness – and the King wept with him. (source: the message, ?Kingdom Clothing? by D. E. Buffaloe)

As you read the literature of the apostle Paul in the New Testament you?ll notice a pattern in all his writing. First, Paul talks about right beliefs, and then he talks about right behavior. There is this natural progression Paul teaches about his understanding of the Christian life. It starts with an understanding that in Christ we have a new identity and it is because of that new identity that we can live differently. The legalistic mindset of ancient and modern day Pharisees can never understand this aspect of New Testament theology. They are still stuck with the stinking-thinking that has switched the price tags around in such a way that behavior comes before transformation!

?Not so,? says Paul. ?Therefore, in the view of God?s mercy?don?t be conformed to the ways of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will know God?s will for how you ought to live?.

In other words, for your lifestyle to change, your thought-life must change. A sign on the office door of a guidance counselor at a high school had these words,

Be careful about what you think for that will determine your feelings.
Be careful about what you feel for that will determine your attitudes.
Be careful about your attitudes for they will determine your actions.
Be careful about your actions for they will determine your character.
Be careful about your character for with it you will build your lifestyle.
(quoted in ?Clothe Yourself with Christ? by William Nieporte)

I?m pretty sure Paul would agree. The ultimate foundation for how we live is based on what we think. If we think the wrong thoughts it will influence our feelings, attitudes, actions, character, and will ultimately determine our lifestyle. That is what Paul is saying in Romans 12:1-2 as he makes the transition from theology to ethics, knowing what we should believe to knowing how we should behave, identity to lifestyle.

With this thought in mind let?s jump forward to Romans 13:8-14 where Paul writes about what the life of a transformed person looks like. If we are thinking the way Paul is writing about, then it will work itself out in some very practical ways in how we live.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Romans 13:8-14 (NIV)

One of the pictures that Paul paints is the difference between light and darkness. Have you ever been in total darkness? (Have soundperson kill the lights). This is close but even this is not total darkness. Still, our visibility has decreased significantly. I?m sure some of you have kind of a creepy kind of feeling! (bring lights back up)

The darkness is a scary place to be. Paul tells us that based on our new identity in Christ (in the view of God?s mercy, remember) we should put off the deeds of darkness and put on deeds befitting the daylight. In other words, Paul is saying: ?You are not of the darkness, but the light. Live in the daylight and get rid of the deeds of the night!? Get dressed!

What are those deeds? I like what Paul does. He gives a sample list of what we might call ?big bad deeds? and then shares some ?little bad deeds.? Of course, that would be how we?d rank it ? but it?s not the way God does. As far as God is concerned, ?bad deeds are bad deeds.? That said, Paul knows how we think, so he first mentions things like attending orgies and participation in other forms of debauchery. Then, before anyone in the moral majority can get too smug for living such pious lives, Paul includes some other deadly deeds that seem a little less serious to our way of thinking ? things like sowing dissension and jealousy, and even anger!

Paul teaches, ?You are not the same person you once were, your old self was crucified with Christ. Your old nature was buried with Him in death through baptism. In view of this theological truth, allow your mind to be renewed and transformed so that your lifestyle will reveal the light of God, not the darkness of this world.?

You have been changed ? so live like changed people.

You?ve been transformed ? so you are now free to think and act like transformed people.

That?s just one of the pictures Paul paints.

In the other picture, Paul redeems the law from the Old Covenant and gives it a proper place in the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the law was proscriptive ? declaring how a person must live in order to be acceptable and pleasing to God. In the New Covenant the law is descriptive ? declaring what the lifestyle of a person will be like when they are living out of their new identity in Christ.

The prophet Jeremiah described what would happen to the law under the New Covenant, he said,

“The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD. “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NIV)

Jeremiah declares that the law will no longer remain on tablets of stone as an external motivation toward good behavior, but will be etched on our hearts and minds, revealing the internal transformation of the very nature of the individual. The prophet is saying that under the Covenant of Grace, we will be transformed on the inside in such a way that our outside lifestyle can reflect the life of Christ.

Jesus gave His life for us, to put His life in us, to live His life through us!

So what will the life of Christ through us look like? Paul uses a single word in Romans 13 to describe the difference that grace makes in our life. Do you know what that word is?

If you said, ?LOVE!? Give yourself a big pat on the back and say, ?I was paying attention when we were reading the scripture :) ?

Paul then lists just a few of the commandments ? but he says that this truth applies to all of them. For those of us under grace, transformed by Christ, and living out of our identity in Christ, the bottom-line description of our lifestyle will be that of love!

Get dressed! To clothe ourselves in Christ means to be clothed in love! It will mean that our lifestyle is different. How so? It could be in lots of ways ? but I?m going to conclude by mentioning just one. As transformed people who have clothed ourselves in Christ, we will be able to see possibilities when others seen nothing.

Let?s reflect on this example that shows how Jesus saw other people in the story of the despised tax collector Zaccheus. This guy made his living by cheating everyone (Luke 19:1-10). When Jesus came to town, Zaccheus, being very short, decided to climb a tree for a better look. Jesus noticed him out on a limb. I suppose He wondered what He should do about Zaccheus. Should He try to help him? To change him, perhaps? The townspeople would have thought the possibility of that to be completely outrageous. ?You might as well try to turn stones into bread as to change that man. That?ll never happen,? they would have said.

Therefore, to practically everyone, all the options were quite clear; a) scold Zaccheus publicly for being a scoundrel and sinner; b) ignore Zaccheus because to recognize him in any way gives tacit support to his dishonesty; or, c) laugh at Zaccheus. After all, he is quite a spectacle ? perched up in that old sycamore tree. Nevertheless, Jesus saw another possibility ? one no one else had thought about ? because no one else had the perspective of Jesus.

He asks Zaccheus to come down from the tree and then, invites himself to Zaccheus? house for dinner. The next day the story is flying all over town. ?Did you hear what happened to Zaccheus? He is a changed man. He is not only giving back what he stole. He?s giving back four times more than he stole!

One of the most certain indicators of Jesus? divine nature is not His virgin birth or His ability to perform miracles. The surest sign that He is the Son of God is His ability to see the possibilities no one else sees, to see the resources to which everyone else is blind.

When we clothe ourselves with Christ ? when our thinking is renewed and our minds open to transformation ? when we are living out of our new identity in Christ ? then we will begin to see possibilities when before we saw improbabilities. We will begin to see people?s potential IN CHRIST and that will prompt us to love them the way Jesus loves them!

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Pursuit of Holiness

Friday, October 6th, 2006

“It is time for Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are ‘defeated’ by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well if we stopped using the terms ‘victory’ and ‘defeat’ to describe our progress in holiness. Rather we should use the terms ‘obedience’ and ‘disobedience.’”

- Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

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The Great Divorce

Sunday, October 16th, 2005

Read at beginning of service:

John 15:1-5 (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.

INTRODUCTION

Andras Tamas is the name officials gave a certain man decades ago in a Russian psychiatric hospital. He?d been drafted into the Army, but the authorities had mistaken his native Hungarian language for the gibberish of a lunatic and had him committed.

Then they forgot about him for 53 years!

A few year ago a psychiatrist at the hospital began to realize what had happened and helped Tamas recover the memories of who he was and where he came from. He recently returned home to Budapest as a war hero, “the last prisoner of World War II”.

Not only had this man forgotten his real name, he hadn?t even seen his own face in five decades. So, according to one news account, “For hours, the old man studies his face in a mirror. The deep-set eyes. The gray stubble on the chin. The furrows of the brow. It is his face, but it is a startling revelation.”

(quoted in the message, “The Great Divorce” by Freddy Fritz)

Imagine looking at your own face in a mirror and not recognizing it. James says that is just what people are doing when they listen to God?s word but do not obey it. There, right before their eyes in Scripture, is an accurate reflection of themselves. But they don?t truly see ? with the eyes of their hearts ? what the Bible shows them. So, with that in mind, let?s read James 1:21-27:

James 1:21-27 (NIV)

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. 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.

PRAY

The American novelist William Faulkner toiled for years as an unknown writer in the rural Mississippi town of Oxford before he gained recognition. When he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, his acclaim grew.

When approached later about the literary people and authors with whom he associated, Faulkner shrugged his shoulders and said he didn?t know any famous literary people. He said, “The people I know are other farmers and horse people and hunters, and we talk about horses and dogs and guns and what to do about this hay crop or this cotton crop, not about literature”. (quoted in “The Great Divorce” by Freddy Fritz)

Faulkner befriended real people. Unpretentious people. People who were honest about life rather than those who simply talked about it. The kind of people whose talk was backed up by their walk.

These kinds of people are rare these days. And at the root of it all is the problem of divorce. I?m not talking about the kind of divorce you normally think of, the tragedy that has broken up so many of our homes. I?m talking about an even greater divorce, a divorce that results not in broken homes but broken lives. And that is the divorce between our knowledge and our practice.

Author and Pastor A.W. Tozer once wrote:

“There is an evil which in its effect upon the Christian religion may be more destructive than Communism, Romanism and Liberalism combined?It is the glaring disparity between theology and practice among professing Christians. So wide is this gulf which separates theory from practice in the church that an inquiring stranger who chances upon both would scarcely dream that there was any relation between the two of them. An intelligent observer of the human scene who heard the Sunday morning message and later watched the Sunday afternoon conduct of those who heard it would conclude that he had been examining two distinct and contrary religions. It appears to me that too many Christians want to enjoy the thrill of feeling right but are not willing to endure the inconvenience of being right. And so the divorce between theory and practice becomes permanent in fact. Truth sits forsaken and grieves till her professed followers come home for a brief visit. But she sees them depart again when the bills come due.”

It is because of this problem that James makes a special point in James 1:21-27 to show you how to build a faith that really works, to show you how to overcome this great divorce between your knowledge of God?s Word and your practice of it.

In today?s lesson, James shows you three steps in building a faith that really works.

I. You Need to Have a Prepared Heart (1:21a)

The first step in building a faith that really works is that you need to have a prepared heart. Before you can even receive the word of God into your lives, James tells you that you must “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent?” (1:21a)

The image is that of a farmer who knows that he must first get rid of all the weeds before he plants new seeds. Weeding comes before seeding. Before you can rightly receive God?s word there must be a weeding from your life of those attitudes and actions that choke out the influence of God?s word.

Sin in your life will plug up your spiritual ears. The person who comes under the teaching of God?s word with moral filth and evil in his life will never get the same message that the clean heart will get. That?s the way God has designed it. That?s why you must take time for confession and repentance. You need to repent and turn from your sin. You need to confess all that you have done wrong.

Your preparation needs to be more than the few moments of confession made available in the worship service. You need to take time to do business with God. You need to take time daily in the quiet of your home in order to examine your life and repent and confess your sin to God.

One of the great Puritans, William Gurnall, wrote these words:

“Pray not only against the power of sin, but for the power of holiness also. A haughty heart may pray against his sins, not out of any inward enmity to them, or love to holiness, but because they are troublesome guests to his conscience. His zeal is false that seems hot against sin, but is key-cold to holiness. A city is rebellious that keeps their rightful Prince out, though it receives not his enemy in.”

If you are not taking time to confess and repent, that could be one of the reasons why God?s word seems to be having such little impact on your life these days, why there is such a great divorce between what you hear and what you do.

So, the first step in building a faith that really works is that you need to have a prepared heart.

II. You Need to Have a Receptive Heart (1:21b)

The second step in building a faith that really works is that you need to have a receptive heart. In verse 21b James goes on to say: “And humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

The Greek word translated “accept” is the same word that was used of a woman welcoming her husband back from war. The soldier had been off fighting in a Roman Legion for months. There was very little mail service in those days. She had not heard from him in a long time. Now Ronnie (or Romulus!) finally comes marching home. When she sees him from a distance she can hardly contain herself. She runs toward him and accepts him with open-armed enthusiasm. That is how James is saying you ought to accept the word of God.

This word “accept” was also used of people who listened to the reading of a will. What a difference it would make in many churches when the people arrive to hear the message if they would listen that way. Imagine that a wealthy member of our church died. This person left a fortune, and each church member was going to receive a large amount of money. It would be different for each person, depending on their relationship to the now-deceased member. And let?s suppose that, on next Sunday, instead of a sermon, the will was to be read telling you what was to be yours. How do you think you would listen that day? I guarantee that no one would drift off to sleep. No unnecessary trips to the bathroom. You would listen with rapt attention to se what was yours.

James says that is how you should listen to the word of God. You ought to listen like a person who listens to the reading of a will who has vested interest in the disbursement of that will.

The word translated “humbly” is a word that means “with gentleness.” The idea is that of having a teachable spirit. It is the person who says, “Lord, help me to be teachable. Regardless of who is teaching, I am ready to accept it, to receive it.”

Christians say things like, “Oh, I don?t? like that. I don?t? like the way he says, ?God.? Or, he doesn?t talk loud enough for me. Or, short enough. Or, long enough (that?s rare!). Or, he doesn?t tell enough stories. Or, he tells too many stories. Or, he doesn?t tell me enough of what the Hebrew or Greek really means. Or, I wish he wouldn?t talk about the Hebrew and the Greek so much.”

Why are you to give God?s word the proper response? James answers that at the end of verse 21. There he tells you it is because that word is the word “which can save you.” That word can save you not only from sin?s penalty but from sin?s damaging power as well.

The world in which you live is like a minefield. There are dangers on every side. God?s word is like a map to guide you through it safely. If you will live in humble submission to God?s word, you will be delivered from the damaging power of sin.

So, in order to build a faith that really works you need to have a prepared heart, and, second, a receptive heart.

III. You need to Have an Obedient Heart (1:22-27)

The third step in building a faith that really works is that you need to have an obedient heart. This is the most important of the three. For this process doesn?t end once the word has been implanted. Verses 22-27 talk about the proper response once you have accepted the word. James gives you a command, an illustration, and an application.

A. The Command (1:22)

James says in verse 22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

The best way to communicate the meaning of “merely listen” is to liken it to the activity of an academic auditor. An academic auditor is one who “audits” a course in a university or college. If you have ever audited a class, you know that you are the most relaxed one there. Why? Because all an auditor does is take notes. They don?t do any assignments. They aren?t required to do any homework. Take any tests. An auditor is just there to take in information.

Perhaps there are some of you here today who are auditors. Some of you have notebooks full of notes. Or Bibles full of little writings in the margins BUT you would be hard-pressed to show God, or your closest friend, any real significant change in your life since you first started as a Christian. This isn?t to say that notebooks full of notes or Bibles full of writings in the margins is not good but that?s just the first step?don?t just listen but do what it says!

James says that if you really want to prove yourself, then prove yourself not as one who merely audits the course but one who is a doer.

B. The Illustration (1:23-25)

In verse 23-24 James illustrates the forgetful hearer: “Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

This is the picture of a man who looks into the Scriptures, and after having been exposed to the truth, closes it and goes his way, quickly forgetting what God has said.

Now, verse 25 illustrates the effective doer: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it ? he will be blessed in what he does.”

Dr. Howard Hendricks, professor and author, once responded to the question of whether makeup was really proper for a Christian woman to wear. His response was simply, “Lady, now don?t overdo it, but for heaven?s sake, if the barn needs painting, paint it!” (quoted in “The Great Divorce” by Freddy Fritz)

When you look into a mirror, it doesn?t play any games with you. What you see is what you are, like it or not. When you fight that early morning battle of mind over mattress, stumble into that bathroom, go over to the mirror and take a look. That?s you!

Men, those nubs sticking out of your chin, that?s you, every last nub.

Women, those hair rollers that make you look like you?re trying to get a message from outer space ? that?s you!

What kind of person would get up in the morning, turn the bathroom light on, go over to the mirror and say, “Oh no!” and then turn off the light and leave for church? That?s absurd!

But some of you do that spiritually, don?t you? You open the word. You say, “What a magnificent truth. How profound. How powerful and moving. How true! Boy, I really need to be like that or do that?” And then it makes no difference in your life.

James is saying that the Bible is like a mirror. It shows you who and what you really are. And when you look in that mirror and are unhappy with what you see, you have just a few options. You can smash the mirror. Many today who attack the Bible are doing just that. Or you can just ignore the mirror. Or, as James suggests, you can use it to make some much-needed corrections.

Notice God?s promise at the end of verse 25 to those who choose this last option. He writes that such a man “will be blessed in what he does”

For some years now I have been listening to people?s comments about my sermons after the Sunday worship service. It?s always encouraging to hear people tell me that the message was a blessing to their lives. And yet, when I think about it, I?m not so sure whether you can know that soon whether a message you have just heard was truly a blessing to you or not. James says that it is not until you do what the word of God says that you can know if it has been a blessing to you. It is not a blessing until you actually practice it!

The story is told of a man who was late for worship one Sunday. He wanted to make it at least in time to heart he preaching of God?s word. But at the very moment he arrived, the pastor finished his message. Huffing and puffing he ran into the church building and asked the usher, “Is the sermon done?”

The wise usher responded, “No my friend, the sermon still has to be done!”

(quoted in “The Great Divorce” by Freddy Fritz)

It is in obeying the word of God that blessing is received.

C. The Application

What then are some specific examples of truly authentic Christianity? James says, “I?m glad you asked. I have three here on the tip of my pen.” We will close with a brief look at these.

In verse 26-27 James pictures a man who thinks he is religious. He is sure of it. But James says the real test of faith that really works is not found in the fact that he goes to church or acts religious, but in three areas of his life.

First in his words. In verse 26 James makes clear that if there is no divorce between the truth and your tongue, you?ve got the genuine item. James writes, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”

Second, in his acts of kindness. There is no divorce between the truth and the needs of others. James writes in verse 27, “Religion that our God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..”

The phrase “orphans and widows” is almost a technical term in the scriptures for those who are destitute. And the phrase “to look after” means “to get personally involved.” James says if you are doers of the word, you see evidence not only in the way you talk but in acts of kindness you do. And the thing that marks your acts of kindness is that you are kind to those who cannot pay you back; people like orphans and widows.

This is not some sort of social gospel! This is real Christianity. It?s saying that you don?t mind becoming involved in not only words but in real deeds meeting real needs.

Third, in what marks him. At the end of verse 27 James writes, “and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” As a Christian you are to be a marked person. You are to be marked not by the world but by the word.

In John 15:3 Jesus said, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” In Romans 12:2 the apostle Paul says to “not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” Paul knew that for you to have a transforming influence on your world for Christ, you must first have your mind cleansed and transformed by the living word of God.

Consider the difference between a strong and a weak cup of tea. The same ingredients of water and tea are used for both. The difference is that the strong cup of tea is the result of the tea leaves being immersed in the water longer, allowing the tea more time to get into the water. The longer the steeping process, the stronger the cup of tea.

In the same way, James is saying that the length of time, you spend in hearing and applying God?s word to your life will determine how deeply you (1) get into the word, and (2) how deeply the word gets into you.

CONCLUSION

Remember this principle found here: Just like the tea, the longer you are in the word, the “stronger” you will become, and the weaker will be that great divorce between your knowledge and your practice.

God uses a three-step process to help you develop a faith that really works.

First, you need to have a prepared heart.

Second, you need to have a receptive heart.

Third, you need to have an obedient heart.

May God help us all build a faith that really works. Amen.

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God’s Grace is Abundant

Sunday, May 4th, 2003
This entry is part 1 of 4 in the series Eternal Truths You Can Depend On

Read at beginning of message:

Titus 3:3-8 (NIV)

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

INTRODUCTION

– How many of you have ever bought something from a TV infomercial?

I?ve never done this. In fact I don?t really like watching TV ?infomercials? and I usually never had to worry about seeing them. But an interesting thing happened when my son Zachary was born. There were a few times when I found myself watching TV infomercials at 3 in the morning.

Have you noticed how creative they?ve become in making these 30 minute commercials? Most of them used to be boring and predictable, but now some of them are actually quite exciting and effective as they present some innovating new idea or revolutionary product that you just have to have?

There are a few things that every infomercial has in common:

- an amazing product or service to sell;

- an energetic / well-known host / hostess and an enthusiastic crowd;

- first-hand reports of people who have used the product and have found it to be amazing;

- a special limited-time offer — usually a discount on the normal price, and special bonuses (ie. if you buy now, you will also receive…).

Now let me ask you this: what is it that really seems to lure you in / convince you to buy?

- product is brand new / easy to use / proven effective by others.

- remarkable claims made by the host / manufacturer.

- there?s a little voice inside of us saying “I just have to have that item!”

Now, if that is the case, Why is it that many, if not most of us, generally don?t buy things very often from TV commercials?

- too expensive, trendy.

- ?seems too good to be true.?

I expect, however, that the greatest reason we don?t make these purchases is that all of us have been burned at one time or another or we?ve heard of someone else who has had a bad experience. Most of us have had the experience of buying a product (from a commercial or a store), and we?re really excited. But then we get it home and find that it really wasn?t as easy, effective, or as durable as they claimed it was. How did that make you feel?

How does it feel…

- when you buy a car and less than a month later something breaks down on it?

- when the person you voted for reneges on their campaign promises?

- when you buy tickets to see a ?blockbuster? movie and it turns out the only busting it does is your pocketbook?

- when someone gives you a check, and it bounces?

How do you feel? Upset, frustrated, betrayed, disappointed. People who have this happen to them a lot become cynical, lose faith in people, don?t trust others easily.

Unfortunately, I think that some people have been disappointed too often by products and others and have become extremely cynical. To the point that not only do they fear disappointment, they expect it. As a result, many of us have learned not to trust — not to trust our neighbors, our government, our schools, institutions, etc. Unfortunately, a further result is that many people have become very cynical about GOD / spiritual things. They?re afraid to place their trust in the church and the Bible because they don?t want to be disappointed again — so they stay away / keep them at arm?s length.

This affects us as Christians as well. Knowing that people are watching us, and judging Christ by what they see in us, many of us as Christians have become fearful of saying or doing anything for God in case we mess up and turn someone off. We?ve lost confidence in ourselves, and at times, even in spiritual truths.

How do we change this? How can we rebuild our confidence as Christians? How can we earn the trust of others around us so that they will listen to us and not write us off as ?too good to be true??

I believe that we as Christians need to become convinced of the truth of God?s Word and the claims it makes for our lives. We need to find our confidence and security in God, so that we can boldly offer what we have found to others. We need to become the kind of people that others will believe.

These are the same challenges that Christians have faced for centuries. And the good news is that we can look to the same place for our answers — God?s Word.

The Apostle Paul amazes me ? you know, the great evangelist and church planter. In the midst of his work, he was also a prolific writer. He wrote many letters to his followers — some to churches / Christians in various towns & cities; others to individuals — specifically leaders that he had developed, equipped, and placed in key ministry positions. These letters, in particular, have a different flavor — more personal in nature. They were written to encourage and help these leaders in the work that God had given to them — Pastoral Epistles.

Five times in these letters, Paul used a phrase that set a specific principle or truth apart from the rest. ?This is a TRUSTWORTHY saying…? By using this phrase, Paul declared to his readers: “what I have just said, or am about to say is an important truth; it is a principle you can depend on.”

Paul knew what it was like to have doubts from time to time, and how a follower of Christ (even a leader) can have moments when they question their own faith / ability to serve God. It was at that time when they needed something firm to stand on. Five times, he said ?this is TRUSTWORTHY? — ?this you can believe. If nothing else seems true and dependable, you can count on these principles — so build your life on them.?

In these five statements, Paul gave us FOUR ETERNAL TRUTHS that we can depend on.

This morning I?m beginning a four-part series looking closely at these four truths ? hoping that you?ll discover some foundational principles that you can build your life on.

1 Timothy 1:12-19a (NIV)

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 18 Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience.

The first foundational truth that Paul shared with these two leaders was ?GOD?S GRACE IS ABUNDANT.? This truth was so important that Paul emphasized it in two places (Here in 1 Timothy and also in the passage I read this morning ? in Titus 3:8). And if we are going to progress in our lives as Christians, and have anything to offer to our neighbors and families, we have to begin with a proper understanding of God?s Grace. In order for this to happen, we must…

I. UNDERSTAND WHAT WE WERE BEFORE CHRIST.

In Titus 3:3, Paul left no room for misunderstanding in regards to our condition before receiving God?s grace. ?At one time, we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.?

Paul didn?t mince words, did he? He was very direct in describing what all of us were before Christ.

– We were ?FOOLISH? — lacked spiritual understanding and discernment; this speaks of our inner attitudes and motivations.

– We were ?DISOBEDIENT? — willfully disregarding authority, refusing to obey God?s law, and God?s desires.

– We were ?DECEIVED? — actively strayed from the true course by following false teachers, and false ideas.

– We were ?ENSLAVED? — by aligning our conduct with that which was false, we became entangled and ensnared by passion and pleasure.

– The RESULT? We opposed God, and treated others with malice / hatred.

Why was Paul so direct and so negative? I believe that he understood that we have an inner tendency to deny or diminish our own sinfulness, by comparing it to others around us. We look at murderers, thieves, abusers, addicts, and the like, and we think ?I?m not like them. I can?t be as bad as they are.? That leads to the next thought: “How can God treat me the same as those people? I?m basically a good person, aren?t I?”

That?s where the problem begins — when we puff ourselves up, we deny the gravity of our sinful condition. When we do that, we begin (at least in our own minds) to lessen our need for God?s grace — tell ourselves we deserved it.

In one broad stroke, Paul shattered those attitudes and assumptions, saying that ?at one time, we too were just like they are?. Paul was echoing the same sentiment he wrote in Ephesians 2:1-3


Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV)

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

He was saying, in no uncertain terms: ?The lives of our non-Christians neighbors are just like each of us were before Christ — if not in action, then in attitude — inner nature.? And just to make sure that we knew he wasn?t excusing himself, Paul described himself to Timothy as ?the worst of sinners?. Now that would shock some people because they knew him only as a godly evangelist and teacher. But Paul knew the truth — he had once been a blasphemer, persecutor, a violent man. He knew and understood the gravity of his sinful condition before he received God?s grace.

I?ve noticed that this tendency is found in those who are closest to the Lord. Some of the people whom I respect the most are those who humbly speak of who they were before God forgave them. And, by the way, they also are the ones who continue to recognize their deep need for God?s help to remain faithful.

A nominal church member had lived for years with the philosphy that his good works would be more than enough to get him into heaven. One night, he had a dream (more of a nightmare) in which he pictured that he was standing right behind Mother Teresa at the time of judgment. This church member was horrified as this saintly nun took her place before God, and the Lord said: ?Teresa, I was really expecting alot more out of you.? (quoted in the message “The Certainty of God’s Grace”" by Mark Thornton)

If we want to be certain of God?s grace, we must begin by really understanding who we were before Christ. That leads us to the next step.

II. UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD DID FOR US.

Notice Paul?s words In Titus 3:4


Titus 3:4 (NIV)

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,

Add to that 1 Timothy 1:14 ?


1 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)

14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

This was immediately followed up by v.15 ?


1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst.

While we were still in that helpless condition, God the Father sent His own Son, Jesus Christ into the world — with one purpose: to save sinners. Knowing that we could do nothing to save ourselves, Jesus took the initiative, and he died to pay the penalty for our sin — because of His mercy and his love.

What was the result? (Titus 3:5ff) ?He SAVED us through the…?

- ?washing? — cleansing from the defilement of sin.

- ?of rebirth and renewal? — our lives were regenerated from the inside out, resulting in a change of attitude and nature.

- ?by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ.? — all of this is done by the Holy Spirit, who comes to dwell in us at the moment of our conversion.

- ?so that, having been justified by his grace? — when we receive Christ, we are declared righteous, and given a standing of acceptance before God.

- ?we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.? — as members of his family, we can look forward to spending eternity with God in heaven.

That?s what God?s grace is all about — that through Jesus Christ, we can avoid what we did deserve (death), so that we might receive something we don?t deserve (forgiveness and eternal life). As Christ?s followers, it is imperative that we truly understand what God has done for us — foundation of our faith. We must be convinced in our heart that God did what we could not do ourselves, to make it possible for us to enjoy a relationship with Him — both now and for eternity. Why? Because He loved us.

III. UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD DESIRES FROM US.

What is an appropriate / expected response to God?s Grace?

1) EXPERIENCE His Grace.

- Paul was writing this letter to a person / people who were already Christians; they had already received and accepted God?s love. That is the first and most essential step.

George Wilson was sentenced to hang after he was convicted of killing a guard while robbing a federal payroll from a train. Public sentiment against capital punishment led to an eventual pardon by President Andrew Jackson. Unbelievably, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. Now the courts had never experienced this, and were naturally confused as to what should happen. Eventually the Supreme Court was called to make a ruling. Chief Justice John Marshall delivered the following verdict: ?A pardon is a parchment whose only value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon. It has no value apart from that which the receiver gives it. George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon. We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, George Wilson must die.? – Consequently, Wilson was later hanged. (quoted in the message “The Certainty of God’s Grace”" by Mark Thornton)

The truth is that we stand in a similar position before God. Through Christ, He offers us forgiveness and pardon from sin, but it is only effective as we accept it and make it our own / experience His grace personally in our lives.

2) EXERCISE God?s Grace Through Godly Living.

Read Titus 2:11 – 14.

Titus 2:11-14 (NIV)

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Titus 3:8 (NIV)

8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

When we have received God?s grace, the next step is to live in obedience to God?s desires — to live a life of holiness and love. To do otherwise is to thumb our noses at God?s grace.

3) EXTEND God?s Grace To Others By Becoming A Grace-Giver.

Once Paul had received God?s grace, he immediately saw the importance of extending that grace to others.


1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV)

16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

How do you become a grace-giver?

– By openly talking about how God has forgiven you & changed you.

– By living in accordance with God?s will and desires.

– By treating others with grace & mercy, not judgment & hostility. Christians sometimes run into the danger of becoming judgmental of people — “this is right and this is wrong. If you do what is right, I like you. If you do what is wrong, I condemn you.”

How many of us react to someone doing wrong / hurting us by immediately jumping in and judging them? When someone hurts us or breaks a law, we want to “tar & feather them, ride ?em out on a rail.”

Do you disagree with that assessment? Let me ask you this question:

– Q. How many of you cheered when the US invaded Iraq and initiated the war to liberate Iraq?s people? How many of you laughed at the ridiculous comments made by Iraq?s information minister during the war when reporting on the advancing US troops? How many of you said in your hearts, ?It serves him right? when the news bulletin was announced of the bombing attack on Saddam and his sons where they think they successfully killed them?

– I know, you?ll say as I said ?but that?s different — that?s justice / law and order.?

Ok, then let me ask you this: Whether you believe in the need for that war or not, how many of you have PRAYED for Saddam Hussein — that the Holy Spirit would melt his heart, and draw him to Christ? How many of us have prayed that somehow he would hear the gospel message and be saved? (or are we satisfied that he deserves not only death now, but an eternal death in hell). How many of us would be willing to speak to him ourselves / share God?s grace?

That?s what it means to be a grace-giver — seeing a person not as everyone else sees them, but as God sees them. And to do so with a heart that remembers and appreciates what God has done for us, being willing to pass that grace on to others.

4) EXPRESS APPRECIATION For God?s Grace Through Worship.

Notice Paul?s closing word:


1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

For Paul, it was a spontaneous expression of appreciation for God?s grace to bow down and give honor and glory to God. And if we truly understand God?s grace, it should be our response as well.

CONCLUSION

Many of us have faced moments of doubt and disillusionment that have caused us to question our faith — in fact, I expect that some of you are facing one of those moments right now. It is during those moments of uncertainty that we need to hold onto something that is firm and unchanging.

Paul has given us the first of four eternal spiritual truths that we can depend on ? God?s Grace is Abundant

I believe that before we move on to the next truth (before we leave here today) it is absolutely essential that we understand what God?s grace is all about. Have you experienced God?s grace for yourself? Do you really understand what God has done for you and have you made it a part of your life? Are you exercising God?s grace in the way you live? Are you extending God?s grace to those around you? Have you recently expressed your appreciation to God for the grace that He has poured out in your life?

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Who Moved?

Sunday, October 15th, 2000

READ AT BEGINNING OF SERVICE:

James 4:8 (NIV)

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

INTRODUCTION

Hosea 6:1-3 (NIV)

1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. 3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”

Before we even begin to look at the text for this morning?s message I think it would be appropriate if we first of all look a little bit into the background of the man who wrote it and the context of what he wrote.

Hosea was a prophet who ministered to the nation of Israel in a time when Israel had reached the furthest boundaries since King Solomon?s reign. He was a prophet to Israel and Judah at the time Israel was a separate nation from Judah and it was living in affluence ? buildings were going up all over the place and the land was producing ? a time of economic and political prosperity.

Hosea?s name is equivalent to Joshua and the Greek form of his name is Jesus. His name means salvation. Some of the things Hosea speaks against in his ministry were:

Israel?s flagrant disregard for the Law (4:6)

Hypocrisy (4:7)

There was no priestly direction (4:7)

Pride (Amos 760BC) (5:5)

Calf worship at Bethel and Dan (2:8;10:15;11:2)

Sacred Prostitution (4:10-12)

In fact, if you look carefully at the writing of Hosea you?ll discover that the word used frequently to describe Israel?s sins is prostitution. But this carries much more significance than what first comes to mind.

Hosea?s writing can be divided into two main parts:

Hosea?s marriage to an Adulterous Wife (1-3)

Hosea?s message to an Adulterous Nation (4-14)

Threading through what Hosea has recorded can be found two reoccurring themes:

The nations? violation will cost Israel her national integrity.

God?s loving mercy solicits repentance.

It is interesting to note that the account of Hosea begins with the Lord telling Hosea to, “Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness?” (Hosea 1:2). I know if I had of been in Hosea?s shoes I probably would have said, “Huh? Am I hearing right from you Lord?” I mean, marrying someone who is unfaithful doesn?t isn?t fit the bill of a “good” wife for a prophet! Can you picture Hosea looking for a wife to fit that description?

“Uh, Hi ? the names Hosea. Um, do you know of a woman in this town who sleeps around?” “Aren?t you a prophet?” “Uh, well, yes ? but God told me to marry an adulterous woman.”

Eventually Hosea found and married Gomer ? and as it is recorded she fit the bill perfectly. Not only was she adulterous and sold herself as a prostitute but she also bore three children conceived by her relationships with other men! Ouch! Hosea?s personal life and his relationship with his wife read a little bit like a soap opera and if it had happened today would have been grounds for divorce and bitter separation. Gomer ran away from Hosea in her adulterous affairs but then the scripture records in Hosea 3:1 God telling Hosea to go and be reconciled to his wife and Love her. Ouch again! I don?t think I could have put up with what Hosea went through!

The thing I admire about Hosea is that he obeyed what God told Him to do even though it probably cost him great personal pain. Talk about commitment! But there was a reason for God telling Hosea what He did. Hosea?s life was to be prophetic of the relationship between God and Israel. For in the same way that Gomer was unfaithful to her husband was Israel unfaithful to God. In the same way that Gomer prostituted herself to other men ? Israel had prostituted themselves to other gods. Hosea?s marriage to Gomer gave conviction to his words to Israel because he was able to identify with what God was feeling towards Israel.

Today I?d like to focus on just a portion of Hosea?s message that is almost smack dab in the middle of the book. I believe that Hosea?s message is not only pertinent to the nation of Israel but also to the church of Christ. For the same imagery is used later on in the New Testament to describe the Church of Christ as the Bride of Christ and I think there are some parallels that can be made with Hosea?s message to the Israelites and what Christ would say to His church. I?d like to focus on four things Hosea says in the text for this morning but before we begin, let?s pray.

PRAY

“come, let us return to the Lord” (6:1)

Hosea begins with an urgent request to the nation of Israel to return to the Lord. In this time of affluence and prosperity Israel had become a little slack in their relationship with God and had moved away from Him.

There?s a story of a couple who were traveling in a car and one day the wife said to her husband who was driving, “Honey, do you remember how we used to sit close to one another in the car? Why don?t we sit that way anymore?” As he drove on his response in a loving and joking manner was, “Who moved?“

Sometimes Christians and churches may find themselves wondering and crying out to God ? where have you gone? I miss the good old days when everything was fresh and new and exciting. If you feel that way, you need to ask yourself this question, “who moved?”

Hosea, a prophet of God having a wife who left him, cries out for a return. His wife had become a harlot (modern day prostitute) in the world. Now we might think that to compare ourselves to the likes of Gomer, a prostitute, is a bit harsh. However, it is not our assessment of our lives that really counts. It is God who looks at the heart and declares? “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4).

Israel, as a nation, had lost their first love ? they had “prostituted” themselves to other gods. Are there any “gods” in your life that have caused you to move away from your first love? Money, Sin, Career, Popularity, School, Friends, Popularity?

“Let us return to the Lord.” How might we return to the Lord? Through prayer, the Word, worship, service and actions. We might be tempted to say like the rich ruler said to Jesus, “All these things I have done.” But the essence of the matter is, are we praying to return? Too much of prayer is asking what we want. Are we reading the Word as a map to return to God? Is our worship ritual or a means to return? Do our actions to others give evidence of our return to the Lord?

Hosea 5:4 (NIV)

4 “Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD.

“He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us” (6:1)

Difficult times are on the horizon for the nation, family, or individual, who moves away from God. Hosea was making obvious reference to the tearing away of Israel from Judah and the splitting of the nation in two. He was speaking also prophetically of the nations dispersement as a result of God?s judgement on them. Times of tearing and wounding fell upon the nation of Israel and times of tearing and wounding will fall upon those who move away from God. But bear in mind that these times are for the purpose of our return to God. God wants people to return to Him daily.

The beautiful thing is He will bandage, heal and raise us up as we return to Him.

Jeremiah 3:22a (NIV)

22 “Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding.”

The return is not to be with slumped shoulders and hanging head. Our return is for the purpose of life.

Hosea 6:2c (NIV)

that we may live in his presence.

That we may live in his presence! When we try to live apart from God life is not as it is meant to be. But when we return to the Lord and give Him the first place in our hearts we may live in His presence which is life at its best. That is why David cried,

Psalm 51:11-12 (NIV)

11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

“let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him.”

Hosea speaks words of challenge and encouragement? “let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.” Hosea uses the Hebrew word yada for “know”. Essentially this word means: (1) to know by observing and reflecting (thinking), and (2) to know by experiencing. To “know” God is to have an intimate experiential knowledge of Him. Hosea is urging the Israelites not to be satisfied with being acquainted with God but to press on to know Him.

Many people in our world today have an acquaintance with God or know about Him. They have some vague idea that God exists ? but they don?t know Him. The sin of Hosea?s day was a lack of knowledge,

Hosea 4:6a (NIV)

6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.

Lack of knowledge of what?

Hosea 4:1-2 (NIV)

1 Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. 2 There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

This lack and destruction continue today because people don?t know God. Hosea?s voice cries out today, “Let us know!” Know what? Let us be challenged to move away from our smug attitudes of indifference. Let us know that we have moved away and prostituted ourselves to the other gods in this world of?time, money, work, and pleasure. Let us know that confession and repentance are required.

Let us be encouraged to press on to know the Lord once again in intimacy. Press on to forgiveness! The certainty of God must confront us and draw us back, the certainty of His grace and mercy must confront us and draw us back, the certainty of His holiness must confront us and draw us back.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

“He will come to us” (6:3)

Hosea speaks to the Israelites of God coming to them like the winter and spring rains which water and nourish the earth. They bring nourishment for new life and abundant fruit of the land. Everything Hosea is saying is also a prophetic description of the joy that Christ brings to those who return to Him. The beautiful truth about this word picture is that God desires to bring life into our lives. He will come to those who return to Him. He promised it to the Israelites and it is His promise to sinners ?

James 4:8 (NIV)

8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

At the beginning of the message I asked the question, “Who moved?” Hosea?s cry to return is voiced in the certainty and trustworthiness of our God. God said through the prophet Malachi “I am the LORD, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Who has moved in your life? Folks God does not move away from us ? we move away from Him. But the hope we can have ? the joy of the Christian life is founded on the grace that when we move to Him ? HE actually moves to us!!

CONCLUSION

Look at your life this morning. Have you wondered where God went? Have you wondered where the excitement, the joy, the life of Christianity went in your life? I want you to know that God hasn?t moved. Hear the cry of Hosea, “Let us return”, “Let us know, let us press on to know God” and rest in the knowledge that as you return to Him ? He moves to you!!

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