SERMON: THE RISE AND FALL OF HUMPTY DUMPTY

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
26 March 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Daniel 4

29. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
30. he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"
31. The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.
32. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
33. Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.
34. At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"
36. At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
37. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

-- Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall -- Humpty Dumpty had a great fall -- And all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again

-- now in this familiar nursery rhyme, we are introduced to the tragic character of Mr. Dumpty -- we don't know much about Mr. Dumpty, but we do know that he was evidently a very successful man -- he had risen to the top and found himself perched on a wall, overlooking life and all that he had accomplished
-- you know that's how the top businessmen in the world judge if they have truly made it or not, don't you? -- when they have the top office -- the office that is on the top floor with the large window that overlooks the city -- then they know they have arrived -- they know they have it all together -- they know they are truly successful in life
-- we may not have the opportunity to get the top offices in our careers, but we have other measures to let us know if we have made it to the top or not, don't we? -- for teachers, it might mean getting a Master's degree and being recognized as the top teacher in the county for that year -- for businessmen, it might mean reaching a certain milestone in annual profits or a certain number of sales for a given year -- for others, it might be an award given from your peers or from those in authority over you
-- regardless, if we are honest, most of us want to be just like Mr. Dumpty in the start of this story -- we want to be at the top -- looking over life and all it has given us and thinking to ourselves, "I have made it."

-- Mr. Dumpty was there -- he had arrived -- he was at the top -- but his story doesn't end there -- something happened, and Mr. Dumpty was unceremoniously dropped from the top and ended up at the bottom of the wall
-- that happens a lot, doesn't it? -- how many stories have you read of successful men and women who had risen to the pinacle of their career -- to the pinacle of life itself -- only to have something come in and pull the rug out from under them -- sending them crashing from the heights of success to the depths of misery and brokenness
-- we don't know what caused Mr. Dumpty to fall, but we've seen a variety of things take out other leaders in our very own nation -- right now, we have the trial of Ken Lay and his associates at Enron going on -- at one point, Ken Lay was one of the most successful businessmen in the nation -- well-respected -- financially secure -- admired by business leaders and Christians alike -- pointed to as an example of what a Christian businessmen should look like -- in fact, I have a book in my office on how to live out your Christian walk in the work-place, and one chapter uses the example of Ken Lay as a model for us to follow
-- but bad decisions -- unethical decisions -- and, apparently, outright fraud and deceit, caused Ken Lay to tumble from the top of the business world to the bottom, fighting for his freedom in a court of law
-- other leaders have been toppled through sexual immorality -- drug and alcohol addictions -- illegal behavior or ties to corrupt organizations -- there is no end to the list of things that could cause a person to tumble from the top of a wall to the ground below
-- something apparently happened to Mr. Dumpty -- while he was sitting happily on top of his wall, enjoying life -- something came along and knocked him from his perch and sent him falling to the ground
-- but the story doesn't end there -- Mr. Dumpty was not one to stay at the bottom -- he enjoyed the top -- he wanted back on the top -- he wanted to be repaired and fixed and restored back to his previous position on top of the wall
-- so he did like a lot of those who have fallen in their lives -- he looked for help from those around him -- evidently, Mr. Dumpty was of the mindset that the Government had all the answers -- so he went to the government in his day -- he went to the king -- the king sent out his horses -- his workers -- the blue-collar guys -- to see if they could help -- these were the programs and the projects that the government had in place to help people get back on their feet again -- but it obviously didn't work -- Mr. Dumpty was still at the bottom of the wall, broken with no repair in sight
-- so the king sent his men -- the leaders of his day -- the men with connections and power and prestige and resources -- surely these men would be able to help Mr. Dumpty and get him back up on the top of the wall where he belonged
-- but they, too, were unsuccessfull -- nothing that either Mr. Dumpty or the King tried worked -- and in the end, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together again -- he had fallen and couldn't get up

II. The Rise and Fall and Rise of Nebuchadnezzer
-- let's look now at the story of another man who found himself at the top of the world and let's see what happened to him -- this is the story of King Nebuchadnezzer of Babylon -- the ruler of the first world empire
-- before we start looking at this passage in detail, let me give you a little of the context and background of King Nebuchadnezzer
-- in the book of Daniel, we learn about the rise of Nebuchadnezzer -- under his leadership, Babylon had risen to become a major military and financial power in the world -- and Nebuchadnezzer was attacking and conquering all the countries near him

-- because His people had turned away from Him and sought after foreign gods, the Lord God Almighty used Nebuchadnezzer to conquer the nation of Israel as a means of disciplining the Israelites -- after Nebuchadnezzer had conquered Jerusalem and Israel, he carried off the Israelites into captivity for a period of 70 years -- the prophet Daniel, who wrote this book, was one of those carried off into captivity early in Nebuchadnezzer's reign
-- by the time Chapter 4 rolls around, Nebuchadnezzer was at the top of the world -- he had conquered and ruled all of the known world -- he was rich beyond belief -- his capitol city was expansive and recognized as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world -- and spiritually, he wasn't doing too bad, either -- after the incident with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnance, Nebuchadnezzer had professed faith in the God of Israel -- not exclusive faith -- maybe not even saving faith -- but he professed belief and fear and awe at the power of the Lord God Almighty
-- however, God knew Nebuchadnezzer's heart, and so He sent Nebuchadnezzer a dream to warn him of the danger of spiritual pride and to warn him what would happen if he failed to repent of his sins and follow God with all his heart and all his mind and all his strength
-- but, like all men who find themselves sitting on the top of the wall, Nebuchadnezzer didn't listen to God's warning in the dream

-- let's pick up with the story now in verse 27 as Daniel completes his interpretation of the dream and gives God's final warning to Nebuchadnezzer --

27. Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue."

-- what God was telling Nebuchadnezzer was, "You're on the top of the wall -- I placed you there -- and if you want to stay there, you must acknowledge Me and My hand in your life -- you must turn to me with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength -- repenting of your sins and seeking to live in My kingdom and not your own" -- but the king was stubborn, and so Daniel gives us a glimpse of Nebuchadnezzer's rejection of God by offering up this one line of commentary in verse 28

28. All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar.

-- everything that God decreed in the dream of warning that Daniel interpreted was about to come to pass -- let's read on and see what happened to Nebuchadnezzer -- verse 29

29. Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon,
30. he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?"

-- ah, here we see the folly of the man living on top of the world -- or, in this case, walking about on top of the royal palace looking over all of Babylon and all the lands that he possessed
-- notice the arrogance in Nebuchadnezzer's comments as he looked at what he owned -- "I have built" -- "my mighty power" -- "the glory of my majesty" -- I -- me -- mine -- my -- danger words -- words that let you know that you're straying too close to the edge of the wall -- and if you don't pull back and remember how you got up there in the first place, you might just find yourself falling to the bottom

-- and that's exactly what happened -- verse 31

31. The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you.
32. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes."
33. Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

-- just like Humpty Dumpty, Nebuchadnezzer fell -- what God gave, God took away -- his position -- his power -- his finances -- his resources -- even his own sanity -- in one moment, gone -- taken away by God because of Nebuchadnezzer's belief that he had done it on his own and with his own power
-- God told us in the first commandment that we should have no other gods before Him -- and that was exactly what Nebuchadnezzer had done -- he had made an idol out of himself -- maybe not a 90-foot tall golden image like last time -- but an idol none-the-less -- by using words like "I" and "mine," Nebuchadnezzer had put himself in the place of God -- and so God pushed Nebuchadnezzer off the wall
-- God gave Nebuchadnezzer twelve months to repent of his sins and turn to Him -- but Nebuchadnezzer refused -- and in the end, he wound just like Humpty Dumpty -- one moment he's sitting on top of the wall -- the next he finds himself falling
-- when Nebuchadnezzer fell, he hit the bottom -- he became a shell of his former self -- a broken man -- and, unlike Humpty Dumpty, he has no one else on earth on whom he can call -- Humpty called on the king for help -- but in this case, the one who has fallen is the king -- and no one on earth can put Nebuchadnezzer back together again -- there is no one he can even cry out to for help -- his only hope is in the mercy and grace of God

-- verse 34

34. At the end of that time, -- "at the end of that time" refers to the seven year time period of punishment that God had warned Nebuchadnezzer about in his dream -

34. At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?"
36. At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before.
37. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

-- for seven long years, Nebuchadnezzer lay at the bottom of the wall -- broken and battered -- out of his mind -- living in the fields with the animals -- but, finally, he turned his eyes towards the only One who could help -- he looked towards God and, even in the midst of his insanity and his brokenness, called out to God for mercy and grace and restoration
-- and God heard the cry of Nebuchadnezzer's heart and restored all that Nebuchadnezzer had lost -- his sanity -- his position -- his power -- his resources -- his palace
-- God picked Nebuchadnezzer up out of the pit that he had fallen into and placed him back on the top of the wall again -- what all the king's horses and all the king's men could not do, God did
-- but this time, the man on top of the wall was not the same -- he had been changed through the grace of God -- he still had the power and the prestige and the palace -- his kingdom still stretched from the sea to the mighty rivers in Babylon -- in fact he even became greater than he was before -- but the pride and the arrogance and the idolatory were gone -- and, in its place, was humbleness and respect and true worship for the Lord God Almighty
-- the story of Nebuchadnezzer is similar to that of Humpty Dumpty -- but it is not nearly so tragic -- Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall and fell, never to get back up again -- Nebuchadnezzer sat on the wall and fell, too, but he was raised back up through the redeeming grace of God

III. Closing
-- we are constantly surrounded by stories of modern-day Humpty Dumpty's -- men and women who rose to power or prestige and who fell to the bottom again -- our papers and our news stories are filled with their tragic tales -- such is the fate of those who put their hope and faith in themselves and in the things of this earth
-- but we are also surrounded by the stories of modern-day heroes of the faith like Nebuchadnezzer -- men and women who fell, but who put their hope and faith in the living God and who rose again -- perhaps not to the same positions of power -- perhaps not to the same levels of income or prosperity -- but to something better -- to the heights of heaven itself
-- if I had to point to one modern man whose story most closely parallels that of Nebuchadnezzer, I would have to mention Chuck Colson
-- Chuck Colson was one of Richard Nixon's most trusted advisors when he was president of the United States -- Colson had it all -- he had power -- he had prestige -- he had money -- he had the ear of the president of the most powerful nation on earth -- he lived on top of the wall
-- but then Watergate happened -- and Colson made some bad decisions -- some illegal actions -- and went to federal prison -- the mighty man had fallen off the wall and landed in a hole -- but, he didn't stay there
-- during the time he was on trial and later in prison, Colson placed his trust and faith in the saving grace of Christ Jesus -- and, just like Nebuchadnezzer, God restored Colson to his place of prominence
-- only this time, instead of being in the west wing of the white house, it was as the leader of Prison Fellowship Ministries -- a place where Colson could use his new-found faith in Christ to minister to prisoners and give them a hand up to help them make it to the top of the wall, too
-- as I close, let me ask you this question -- what are you putting your faith and trust in? -- do you find yourself saying far too often, "I" and "My" and "Mine?" -- is your faith and trust in God or is it in yourself?
-- the answer to that question is the difference between night and day -- between being Humpty Dumpty or Nebuchadnezzer
-- no matter where you are this morning -- whether on top of the wall or at the bottom of it -- your hope lies only in the redeeming and restoring grace of the Lord Jesus Christ -- if you have never accepted Jesus as Lord, then this morning might be your moment to do so
-- if you have, but you have found yourself drifting away from God -- following your own plans and desires and trusting more in yourself than in the Holy Spirit to lead your life -- then this morning might be the day you need to come back to God by rededicating your life to Him and asking Him to keep you from falling away
-- regardless of where you are, I would invite you to respond to God's Word as you feel led -- as always, the altar is open for any who wish to come forward -- let us pray

WEEKEND WITH THE MAN FROM GERASENES

Luke 8:26-37 (NIV) "They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left."

In the past several years, this passage has taken on special meaning for me. Earlier, I had wondered how the people of Gerasenes could be so afraid of Jesus -- "overcome with fear" -- because of the great miracle that they had seen in their midst. But now, I understand.

A few years ago I was at a spiritual retreat when I was confronted with a demoniac, a man possessed by a demon. Now I know that there are a couple of camps on this issue. First, there are those who say that the Bible is really referring to the mentally insane when it refers to the demon-possessed and that there is no such thing as demon possession. Then, there is the camp that sees a demon behind every tree and a demon in every person who disagrees with them. These are the ones who join in with Flip Wilson and say, "The Devil made me do it," when things go wrong in their life. The rest of us are somewhere in the middle in the gradient between "no demons" and "demons everywhere." I was definitely middle-of-the-road, believing in demon possession in biblical times but not seriously considering it in our modern times. But then I went on this spiritual retreat.

I had hung out with this guy over the course of the weekend. Nice guy. Good, faithful church-goer. Real friendly. Nothing out of the ordinary with him at all. But then, in the middle of one service, as we were encouraged to go to the altar and make a public confession of a sin or habit that we were going to give to the Lord, something happened as he started to move. From the first step he took, the thought popped in my head, "There's a demon controlling him." It was like he could not move on his own accord. His movements were labored, jerky, and like he was picking up hundreds of pounds of weight with every movement of his legs and arms. A grimace crossed his face. And as he knelt at the altar, the most unearthly scream was released as he jumped up, whirled around, and strode defiantly out of the sanctuary. I found myself standing and moving towards him, not really knowing what I was doing or why I was doing it. Then he looked at me, and in his eyes I saw such a malevolent expression of evil and hatred that I was stopped cold. He left the sanctuary and outside, he was stopped and the men there laid hands on him and prayed for him and the demon left him. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at that moment and has been living a transformed life ever since.

Two things happened on that weekend. First, I became a believer in the unseen spiritual world. I now knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that demons were real, and that scared me more than it should have. But, it also affirmed that the other side was real too, and that angels were in our world serving and ministering to us as described in Hebrews.

Secondly, I became a Gerasene. Rather than rejoicing over the fact that a tormented life has been set free, I became afraid of being around this man. I avoided him the rest of the weekend, and hoped that things would get back to normal. But, every now and then, I would run into him in our area and we would smile and nod at each other and I'd make a direct beeline away from him. It unnerved me being in his presence. It shouldn't, but like I said, I became a Gerasene. I witnessed something extremely frightening and became very fearful.

Well, to end a long story, just a couple of weeks ago I had the occasion to spend the weekend with this guy at another spiritual retreat. I was very apprehensive, to say the least, but through the weekend I witnessed the power of God working in his life as he ministered to the other men in that place. It was humbling to see a life so sold out and transformed for Christ. But, I still found myself feeling rather nervous in his presence, which is not what I should be doing. I should be rejoicing that his life was changed through the power of God.

So, since this last weekend, I am trying to change my interpretation of the events of that day in the sanctuary a few years ago. My focus has been on the presence of the demon in that place. It was scary. It was evil. It shook me and my beliefs to the core. But, I was wrong. My focus should have been on Christ. On the One who overpowered the demon in this man's life and who set him free. On the One who has all the authority on heaven and on earth and on Him who is greater than he who is in the world.

For the few who are still reading at this point, let me share with you this thought. Whether you believe in demon possession or not, let me ask you how you react to someone whose life has been drastically changed through the presence of God. Say a notorious sinner comes into your sanctuary, bound up in their sin. Someone you would not want to associate with or sit next to or even be seen in the company of. Someone that you might have been scared to be around if you had met them in any other place. Let's say they go to the altar and have a life-changing experience and are freed of their sins through the power of the Holy Spirit. Are you able to look at them with new eyes? Are you able to look at them with a fresh perspective? Or are you allowing their past to keep you from loving them as your new Christian brother or sister?

I have, for years, opined that the church is not doing a good job at making disciples. We do o.k. at getting people to the altar and getting them to the point of justification. But we don't do so good at picking them up from the altar and walking with them as they grow in maturity in Christ. Perhaps we are too much like the Gerasenes, letting the past keep us from helping our new brothers and sisters in Christ grow in grace. The first step, I think, is in recognizing and admitting our problem.

My name is Greg, and I'm a Gerasene....

SERMON: YOU CAN'T DO IT ALONE

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
19 March 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Luke 18

18. A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
19. "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.
20. You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.' "
21. "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
22. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
23. When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
24. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
25. Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26. Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
27. Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
28. Peter said to him, "We have left all we had to follow you!"
29. "I tell you the truth," Jesus said to them, "no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God
30. will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life."

-- it's only been about a month ago that the 2006 Winter Olympics came to an end -- in case you didn't know, I am a big fan of the winter games -- I don't care that much for the summer games -- but I do enjoy watching the winter olympics
-- and while my favorite event is the short-track speed skating, I was interested in watching to see how Bodie Miller was going to do in the skiing events this year -- in the 2002 games in Salt Lake City, Bodie Miller won two gold medals -- and everyone expected him to do really well in Torino this year -- in fact, several experts in the sport predicted that, not only would Bodie Miller do just as well as he did in Salt Lake City, but that he might do the impossible -- he might win a gold medal in each of the five events that he was entered in this year
-- but, if you watched the Olympics or if you followed some of the coverage after it ended, you probably are aware that Bodie Miller didn't win a single gold medal during the Olympics -- in fact, Bodie didn't win any medal at all -- not gold -- not silver -- not even bronze -- he didn't even qualify in a couple of the events that he competed in -- falling down during one downhill run and straddling a gate during another
-- in an editorial about the games, H.B. London put it quite bluntly, "[Bodie Miller] didn't live up to all the hype that surrounded him -- he failed to live up to the expectations of others and, most likely, his own"

-- what happened to Bodie in this year's olympics? -- why didn't he do as good as expected?
-- I think it comes down to one thing -- he trusted too much in himself and his own ability -- as the media reported after the fact, Bodie just didn't seem to take these olympics seriously -- he didn't train as hard as he did before the Salt Lake City games -- he wasn't as disciplined in his training regime and he spent quite a bit of time partying and having a good time instead of getting serious about getting ready to compete against the other world class athletes who he would be going up against
-- Bodie has never come out and said this, but I get the impression that he really felt like he was so good that he would win by just showing up

II. What is your trust in?
-- in this familiar passage in Luke 18, we read about another young man who felt like he had it all together on his own -- the rich young ruler
-- just to give you a little of the context of this passage, Jesus has been teaching His disciples and the crowds that were following Him about the kingdom of God -- John the Baptist had preached in the desert, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is near" -- and now Jesus was trying to do two things
-- first, he was trying to help His followers understand that the kingdom of God had arrived -- as He said in Luke 17:21, the kingdom of God was within those who believed in Him
-- secondly, He was trying to get them to see the difference between God's kingdom and the kingdom of the world that they were living in
-- the main point of His teaching in this part of the Gospel of Luke can be summed up in Luke 18:14, where Jesus says, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted"
-- in other words, those who exalt themselves -- those who trust in themselves and their own abilities and their own things -- those who are self-righteous -- will miss out on the kingdom of God -- while those who humble themselves and depend, not on themselves, but on God -- will find themselves exalted into eternal life with God Himself

-- such is the case with the rich young ruler in this passage -- as the story opens, the rich young ruler -- probably the leader of the local synagogue -- comes to Jesus with a question that shows the true nature of his heart
-- look back at verse 18

18. A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

-- note how the rich young ruler opens his conversation with Jesus -- "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" -- this young man was sure of himself -- he trusted in himself and in his own abilities and in his wealth to save him -- it seems obvious from his question that he thought he had already obtained eternal life -- he simply wanted assurance of his salvation from Jesus
-- but Jesus knew his heart and so, instead of answering him right away, He started out by rebuking him -- look at verse 19

19. "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good--except God alone.

-- now, why did Jesus say this?
-- Jesus did that for a couple of reasons
-- first, Jesus wanted the young man to understand who he was talking to -- Jesus was good because He was God -- and if the young man was calling Him good, then Jesus wanted Him to make sure and understand that this was no teacher he was coming to for answers -- it was God Himself -- perhaps that is why Mark tells us in his account of this event that this rich young ruler fell to his knees before Jesus
-- secondly, Jesus wanted to make sure the young man understood that no human was good -- only God was good -- the Bible says in Romans 3:23, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" -- Jesus knew that this young man's real problem was that he thought he was good enough as he was -- he saw no need for a savior
-- verse 20

20. You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.' "
21. "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

-- since the young man felt like he could earn his way into heaven, Jesus pointed him to the law of God -- in essence, He was telling the rich young ruler, "if you are going to depend on yourself and no one else, then you are going to have to follow the law completely at every point -- if you break one of God's laws at one single point, then you cannot redeem yourself"
-- but the young man claimed to have followed all of these commandments since he was a boy -- he still didn't see his need for a Savior -- for anyone else to step in and help him receive eternal life -- so Jesus pointed him to the one commandment that was his stumbling block -- verse 22

22. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
23. When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

-- the rich young ruler had failed to follow the first commandment -- "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me."
-- the rich young ruler had made a god out of his money -- he depended on his money -- he assumed with his money and his talent and skill that he could handle any problem that came his way, even the problem of inheriting eternal life
-- when Jesus told him to sell all of his material possessions and give them to the poor, He was trying to get the rich young ruler to see that he had been putting his trust and faith in his money and not in God -- and that the only way to inherit eternal life -- the only way to live in the kingdom of God -- was through faith in the mercy and grace of God

III. What should we be trusting in?
-- there are two problems with this approach to life -- first, we can end up going through life just like this rich young ruler and just like Bodie Miller -- we end up putting ourselves or our talent or our things on a pedestal and we start relying on them instead of God -- we start thinking that we can do things that only God can do
-- the rich young ruler thought that he could earn eternal life all on his own -- he trusted so completely in himself and in his money that he asked Jesus, "What do I have to do?" -- he didn't come before Christ in humility seeking forgiveness of his sins -- he assumed that he had within himself all that it took to be saved
-- Bodie Miller did something similar this year in the olympics -- he refused to admit that he needed more training and coaching in order to win -- he felt like he had enough raw talent and skill to win without any help from anyone else
-- despite what the rich young ruler thought, Jesus pointed out quite clearly that you can't earn a trip to heaven by yourself -- you can't depend on yourself or your talents or your possessions to gain you what is possible only through God -- you can't put your trust in yourself and still live in God's kingdom -- look at verse 24

24. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
25. Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26. Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

-- by "rich," Jesus meant those who exalt themselves or their possessions and who trust in themselves rather than in God

-- the second problem with trying to live life in our own strength and not in God's strength is that we end up walking by sight and not by faith -- instead of being like Bodie Miller and the rich young ruler, we end up thinking that we can never accomplish anything for God apart from what we know that we can do for Him
-- in other words, we put our trust in the things that we know we can accomplish in our own power and with our own talents and skills and possessions -- we exalt who we are and what we have and we depend on this to get us through our days here on earth
-- the big problem with this approach to life is that it limits what you can do for God and what God can do through you -- when you strive only for what is possible through your own strength, then that is all you get -- that is why we see such an impotent church in America these days -- we have quit trusting God to empower us to do His work in this land and we're trying to do church based on our own power and with our own possessions
-- we're not stepping out in faith and attempting to do something that is impossible in the eyes of the world -- we're not living out the kingdom principles in our churches or in our lives -- we're not trusting God to work in us and through us to help us do the impossible
-- but that's not the message of the Bible -- the message of the Bible is summed up in verse 27

27. Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

-- when is the last time that you tried to do something that the world said was impossible? -- when is the last time that this church tried to do something that the world said was impossible?

-- in Philippians 4:13, Paul writes, "I can do all things through Him that strengthens me" -- God tells us that through Him all things are possible, even those things that the world tells us can't be done
-- the world tells us that addictions and abuse can't be cured -- but every day, God proves that He can cure addiction and abuse
-- the world tells us that people with terminal cancer and other illnesses can't be healed -- but every day, God proves that He can heal them
-- no matter what the world calls "impossible," God proves He can do it through His Spirit working in us and through us -- through the power of God in our lives, we can do all things -- through Him, we are more than conquerors

IV. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you the story of another olympic athlete -- one who, unlike Bodie Miller, acknowledged that his talents and skills came solely from God and who trusted in the power of God to help him do the impossible
-- Eric Liddell was a Scottish sprinter in the early part of the 20th century -- he had qualified for the Olympics by winning the AAA Championships in London in 1923 running the 100 yard and the 220 yard races -- setting a time in the 100 yard dash that remained unbroken in London for 35 years
-- coming off that great victory, he prepared for the 1924 summer olympics in Paris -- when he got there, he waited excitedly for the qualifying heats for the 100 meter sprint and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, his best events -- but then he found out that the qualifying heats would be held on a Sunday -- Liddell refused to compete because he felt that the Lord's Day was sacred and should be kept holy -- instead, while the rest of his competitors were racing in the qualifying heats, Liddell preached in a church in Paris
-- so, since he couldn't compete in his best events, Liddell started training for the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash -- with his unorthodox style of running, Liddell was not expected to even be competitive against the world's elite runners in these events -- you can imagine how shocked the world was when -- three days later -- he finished third in the 200-meter dash, taking the bronze medal
-- he quietly made his way through the heats for the 400-meter dash, but still was not expected to win -- he took his place at the starting line and took off with the rest of the runners -- and, when he crossed the finish line, he was a good five meters ahead of the second place finisher -- Liddell had won a gold medal and set a world record in an event that no one expected him to even qualify in -- by trusting in God and giving Him all the glory for what Liddell accomplished -- Liddell did what the world said was impossible and wrote his name into the Olympic record book

-- let me ask you this morning -- what are we putting our trust and faith in? -- is it in ourself? -- is it in our talents and our gifts and our skills and our education -- are we trusting in our possessions and only attempting to do that which we know is possible?

-- God calls us to trust in Him and Him alone -- He calls us to not depend on ourselves or our possessions or any other worldly thing -- but to trust in Him for salvation and to accomplish the tasks that He has called us to
-- through God, we can do all things -- through God we can inherit eternal life -- and through God, we can see this church revived and lives changed
-- do you want to see God do the impossible in your life and in this church? -- then trust in Him and allow Him to work in you and through you to do just that
-- let us pray

BACK AND BLOGGING

After a rather hectic winter season, I may finally be winding down a few things and will be able to get back to regular blogging by the end of March. I am in the last days of the short-term Disciple Bible Study, Invitation to the New Testament, and I just got back from serving on an Emmaus weekend with fellow blogger, Tony Atkinson, from "Just as I Am." Tony has posted a picture of the two of us, physically tired but spiritually revived, as we were leaving the Camp Tygart grounds.

Anyway, one more quick trip out of town next week to Columbus, OH, for a business meeting, and then I have completed my hectic winter schedule. Lessons were learned and I won't be taking on so much again at one time. My family has been helping me learn to say the word, "No!" over and over again. Been reading a book by Terry Tekyll called the "Presence Based Church" that has helped refocus me on what is important in my ministry -- not trying to do and be all for all people, but trying to focus on God and what He is saying and letting my ministry overflow from His cup.

SERMON: FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
5 March 2006

-- turn in Bibles to 2 Timothy 3

1. But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3. without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
4. treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--
5. having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

-- for the past week, I kept hearing the same message from God -- it started with the message that Terry Tekyll presented at the District Rally last Sunday -- and if I heard it once this week, I heard it 100 times this week
-- it's not a new message -- it's not a fresh insight -- it's something that you've heard me preach before -- it's something that you've heard others preach before
-- it is the same message that Jeremiah cried out in Judah -- it is the same message that Isaiah cried out in Israel -- it is the same message that John the Baptist proclaimed in the desert -- and it is the same message that Christ carried with Him to the cross
-- we need the presence of God in our lives -- we need the manifest presence and power of the Lord God Almighty to be made real in our lives -- we need the Holy Spirit to be living in our lives in such a way that we live each day with God's power leading us and directing us into His will
-- Dr. Tekyll pointed out in a powerful way that our churches are devoid of power -- just as Paul warned Timothy the passage that we read from 2 Timothy 3 -- in those verses, Paul warned that in the last days there would be terrible times -- he said that people would be lovers of themselves -- lovers of money -- boastful -- proud -- abusive
-- he said that they would be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- having a form of godliness but denying its power
-- I fear that this may have been a word for our times -- I believe this is the message that God has laid upon me this morning
-- by and large, our churches in America are devoid of the power of God -- our focus is not on Him -- it is not on His presence -- it is not on realizing His manifest power in us and through us to affect a nation -- instead it is on people -- it is on programs -- it is on money

-- Dr. Tekyll echoed a comment last Sunday that I have said before -- if the Holy Spirit was missing from our churches, would we even know? -- if the power of God was to be taken from us -- if His hand was to pull back and take away His blessing and His divine favor and presence -- would we even know? -- or would our churches continue to function without any hiccup?
-- I worry about that a lot -- I worry that we are claiming the name of Christ without having Him in our midst -- I worry that we are calling ourself a church without having the presence of God in our midst -- I worry that I am trying to live my life in my own power and not in the power of God
-- we have a form of godliness -- we look like a church -- we talk like a church -- we act like a church -- but we deny the power of God -- this doesn't mean that we deny God is powerful -- this doesn't mean that we don't believe that God can work in us and through us to affect a nation -- but it does mean that we don't allow Him to do that -- we don't allow the power of God to be made manifest in us -- when God comes to us and says, "I want you to do this for Me," we politely say, "Thanks, but no thanks -- we're happy with what we've been doing"
-- by and large, the church in America is a hollow church -- an empty body -- having the form of a church but without the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us to make us into the true body of Christ

-- in the Book of Leviticus, as God was calling on Moses to prepare the Tabernacle -- He told Moses to bake twelve loaves of bread -- one for each tribe of Israel -- and He told Moses to make sure that this bread remained on the table in the Tent of Meeting -- in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle -- at all times
-- this bread represented the presence of God in the people of Israel -- this bread reminded the people of the manna that God was sent to them in the desert wilderness -- it reminded them of His power and His presence and His grace in their lives on a daily basis -- of their need for Him in their daily lives

-- in John 6:50-51, Jesus said, "Here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die -- I am the living bread that came down from heaven -- if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever -- this bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world"

-- last night we were in a store and we saw the most wonderful display of freshly baked bread -- it was glistening in the light -- you could almost smell it from where we were standing -- and even though we had just eaten, it made my mouth water -- I walked over and picked up a loaf -- and it was fake -- it was plastic -- it was imitation
-- it looked real -- sitting on that rack it looked like fresh baked bread -- but it wasn't -- and I commented to Kim that this was a lot like our churches nowadays
-- have we substituted the bread of life in our churches for an imitation baked by the world? -- if we are doing church on our own power and with our own strength, then that is exactly what we have done -- if we are living life on our own power and in our own strength, then that is exactly what we are doing -- if we merely have the form of God and none of His power, that is exactly what we are doing

-- I believe that God is calling us today to turn back to Him -- to seek His face and His presence in our lives, because what we are doing is not what He called us to do -- God created His church for a reason -- He created His body and placed in it His very presence in the form of the Holy Spirit for a purpose -- and if we are going to fulfill God's purpose and will in our lives and in our churches, then we have to take the fake bread off the table in God's house -- the bread of man's power and wisdom and strength -- and replace it with the Living Bread -- the manna from Heaven -- that fills us with His power and His wisdom and His strength to accomplish His purposes

-- flip over to the Old Testament to the Book of Jeremiah -- Jeremiah Chapter 1 -- here we see the calling of Jeremiah to be a prophet of God -- while this was written for Jeremiah, I think it stands as a promise for the church as well -- look at verse 4 in this passage

4. The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5. "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."

-- before we were formed -- before you or I were ever conceived -- God knew us -- He knew us intimately -- He decided where and when we would be born -- who our parents would be -- where we would grow up -- and He did this for a reason
-- God tells Jeremiah here that He set Him apart for a purpose -- He planned Jeremiah's life and Jeremiah's calling with a purpose in mind -- Jeremiah was appointed to be a prophet to the nations -- to call God's people to repentance -- to proclaim the presence of God in their midst and to help the people feast on the living bread of life
-- Jeremiah's call is no different from ours -- we may not all be called to be prophets or pastors -- but we are all called to proclaim the message of God to this world -- the Bible tells us that we are all ministers of reconciliation -- Peter calls us a royal priesthood of believers -- men and women who are filled with the power of God through the Holy Spirit who are called to go forth in His name to proclaim His name to the world
-- but we have forgotten this, haven't we? -- we can get so caught up in plans and programs and paying apportionments that we forget our calling as Christians -- we forget our purpose as a church
-- we look around at our empty pews and we think, "What can we do to reach the people? -- what programs can we start to draw people in? -- what can we change about the worship service so that people will be attracted to our church?" -- I've done it -- you've done it -- we've all done that
-- we've forgotten our purpose -- we've forgotten our focus -- we've taken our eyes off our Creator -- off the One who called us and appointed us to go and proclaim His presence -- and we've focused on people and programs instead of Him -- it's time that we turn back to our calling and seek God rather than people

-- verse 6

6. "Ah, Sovereign LORD," I said, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child."
7. But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, `I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.

-- when God speaks to Jeremiah, Jeremiah starts to come up with excuses -- "I don't know how to speak" -- "I am only a child" -- that sounds like us, doesn't it? -- when it comes to doing something in church -- when it comes to speaking to someone about Christ -- when it comes to doing something for God -- we throw up excuses
-- I can't do that -- I don't know how to do that -- I don't see how that is possible -- surely you can't mean me?
-- and so we resort back to what we do know and what we can do -- instead of stepping out in faith in the area that God is calling us, we try to do what we can for Him in our own power and in our own strength -- we don't refuse to go, but we say through our actions that God has it wrong -- He didn't realize that there was no way for us to do that -- He forgot that we are only a small church -- He forgot that we don't have much money in the bank -- He didn't really mean for us to go out and reach people in that way -- we'll do this instead -- this is something that we know that we can do -- this is something that we're good at -- and so we arm our churches with lots of programs and projects and ministries that are good, but safe -- things that we can do in our own strength and in our own way
-- but that is not what God wants -- look at what God says in response to Jeremiah's protests here -- God rebukes him and says, "Don't say that you are only a child, but go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you" -- now there's something important there that you can miss if you're not careful
-- God did not deny that Jeremiah was only a child -- He didn't deny that Jeremiah couldn't speak -- He didn't rebuke Jeremiah for what he was and what he couldn't do -- He rebuked him for allowing himself to be limited in that way
-- in the eyes of the world, Jeremiah was only a child -- in the eyes of the world, Jeremiah couldn't speak -- but we're not talking about the world -- we're not talking about the power of the world -- we're talking about the calling of God -- we're talking about the presence of God -- we're talking about the power of God

-- look at verse 8

8. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD.
9. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now, I have put my words in your mouth.
10. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant."

-- here we see it all coming together -- God knew Jeremiah was a child -- He knew that Jeremiah could not speak well in his own power -- but He told Jeremiah -- "do not be afraid, for I am with you" -- and that is the key to this whole passage -- that is the key to our predicament as the church
-- God was with Jeremiah -- the presence of God in his life enabled him to speak to nations the Word of God with power -- the presence of God in his life gave him the power to uproot and tear down the things of the world -- to destroy and overthrow the things of man -- and to build and plant the kingdom of God in the hearts of the people of his day
-- apart from God, Jeremiah was just a child -- apart from God, Jeremiah could not speak -- but with God -- with the Living Bread in his life -- with the power of God filling him from the inside out -- Jeremiah was able to go forth and preach a message of repentance and restoration to the nation of Judah

-- in John 15:4-5, Jesus said, 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. -- "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. "

-- I think that for too long, the church of Christ in America has been separated from Him -- I think we have been trying to live out our own purposes in our own strength -- and, as a result, accomplishing little or nothing for the cause of Christ
-- we have the form of godliness -- we are staying busy doing church -- we are staying busy doing programs and planning worship events and coming up with ways to bring people into the church -- we are staying busy doing Bible studies and Sunday School and planning outreaches to the community, but we seem to be doing it in our own strength -- focusing on people rather than on God -- trusting in the ways of the world rather than in the power of God

-- when God calls you to do something -- whether it's as an individual or as a church -- then it will be something that is bigger than yourself -- it will be something that you cannot do on your own -- it will be something that if you tried to do it apart from Him, you would fail and fall flat on your face
-- when God calls us to do something, it will be something that we can do only through Him -- through His power -- we may be a child -- we may be unable to speak -- but when God's power and presence falls in our life, then God will empower a child to change the world -- He will empower a child to speak with power and elegance -- when God is involved, whatever He calls us to do will be accomplished -- it will be done -- not through our power or our strength or our programs -- but through His power alone

-- I have shared this illustration with you before, but I think we need to consider it again this morning, because it speaks to the heart of this message -- as you all know, D.L. Moody was one of the greatest evangelists in the 19th century -- he preached to hundreds of thousands of people and sparked revivals in churches in America and in England -- but that is not how his ministry started
-- Moody was moderately successful in Chicago, preaching to a couple of thousand people each Sunday and starting Sunday School classes throughout the country
-- but, despite Moody's success in the ministry, he felt a pressing need to know more of the Holy Spirit's empowerment -- he felt like he needed more in his life -- more power -- more focus -- than what he currently had
-- one Sunday while he was there preaching, two godly women were present in the congreation -- Moody said that he could tell by the expression o their faces that they were praying for him -- at the end of the service, they came up and said, "we have been praying for you" -- he said, "Why don't you pray for the people?" -- they answered, "You need power"
-- Moody said that stopped him cold -- "I need power -- why? -- I thought I had power"
The second involved two godly women who attended Moody's services in Chicago.
-- after the Chicago fire destroyed Moody's meeting place, he traveled to New York to raise funds to rebuild his church -- but God had something else in mind -- Moody said that his heart was not in the work of begging -- he couldn't appeal to people for money to fund his programs and his building project -- he began to cry out that God would fill him with His Spirit -- and God responded -- Moody wrote, "Oh, what a day! I cannot describe it -- I seldom refer to it -- it is almost too sacred an experience to name -- I can only say that God revealed Himself to me and I had such an experience of His loe that I had to ask Him to stay His hand"
-- Moody started preaching again -- the sermons were not different -- he said that he didn't present any new truths, yet hundreds were converted -- he wrote, "I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world -- it would be as dust in the balance"

-- God wants us to experience exactly what Moody experienced that day in New York -- He wants us to experience what Jeremiah experienced as he stood before the kings of his day preaching the word of God
-- God wants us to stop focusing on our projects and our plans and our activities and turn our eyes back on Him -- to focus on Him and His ways -- and to pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives
-- if the church is going to do what God has called us to do, then we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit -- we need to seek His face and seek His power in our lives -- we need to earnestly pray for His power and His Spirit to fall afresh on us, empowering us to do more than we ever thought possible

SERMON: SACRED MOMENTS WITH GOD

Preached by Gregory W. Lee
26 February 2006

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Samuel 3

1. The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2. One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4. Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am."
5. And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.
6. Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."
7. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8. The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
9. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

-- the other day I was doing some research and I was reading about the reproductive habits of the Mexican free-tailed bat -- these are common bats in our area -- a lot of people find them roosting in their attics or in their walls or in trees in the forests -- and you can see them during warm summer nights flying around under the lights catching insects
-- as I doing my research, I found out that these bats form large maternal colonies -- huge groups of adult females that gather together in one place to give birth and raise their young -- these colonies stay together until the babies are weaned and are ready to go out and hunt for food on their own
-- these maternal colonies can have up to 100,000 adult female bats in one location -- and they typically all give birth around the same time -- usually sometime in June
-- now, once the baby is born and is safely clinging to the side of the cave or tree or where ever they are roosting, the mother leaves and goes out to forage for food
-- but, when she comes back to the cave, she has a monumental task to accomplish -- there can be up to 100,000 little baby bats in that cave -- and she has to find her own baby in the midst of the thousands of baby bats clinging to the side of the cave -- to us, that would seem to be an impossible task
-- let me just give you an example -- in an area about the size of this piece of paper, there could be as many as 400 baby bats all clustered together
-- but, when the mother bat comes back into the cave, it usually takes her less than 30 seconds to find her baby in the midst of that mass of confusion
-- how does she do it? -- well, it turns out that the mothers and their babies can recognize each other's unique voices from a distance of at least three feet away -- and when the mother bat comes back into the cave and gets near the place where she left her baby, she begins calling -- and her baby begins calling back -- and despite the fact that there are thousands of other bats calling at the same time -- the mother hears the voice of her baby and goes right back to where her baby is anxiously waiting for her

II. Hearing the Voice of God
-- when I read that, I started thinking about us and our spiritual lives -- you know, we live in a world filled with cacophany and noise -- it is almost impossible to go somewhere and find solitude -- it seems like no matter where we go, there are always other voices calling or other types of distractions that catch our attention -- especially now with cell phones and ipods being so prominent it is almost impossible to get away from the chaos of the world
-- but in the midst of that chaos -- in the midst of all that noise and activity and the distractions that we face on a daily basis -- there is one special voice that is always calling out to us -- the voice of God
-- the only problem is, the Bible tells us that God speaks to us in a whisper -- His voice is a small quiet voice -- and if we're not tuned in to His voice -- if we're not actively listening for it -- then it can quickly get drowned out in all the chaos and noise of the world
-- but, as Christians, we are called to hear God when He speaks to us -- to be listening for His voice and to be prepared to respond when He speaks
-- in this passage that we opened with, we read about the boy Samuel, who was ministering in the temple under the priest Eli -- now Samuel had been dedicated to God by his mother Hannah, and he was learning what it meant to serve God at the feet of Eli
-- one night, after Eli and Samuel had fallen asleep, Samuel got woken up by the sound of a voice calling his name -- he thought it was Eli, so he ran to Eli and asked him what he wanted -- but Eli said that he hadn't called him and to go back to sleep
-- so Samuel went back to sleep and it happened again -- he heard his name being called and so he ran in to Eli once again -- this time, Eli figured out what was going on -- he realized that God was calling to Samuel -- so he sent Samuel back in to the temple with the instruction to listen for the voice and to respond when he heard the voice calling again
-- so Samuel went back and did just as Eli told him -- and this time when he heard the voice calling his name again, he responded to the voice of the Lord -- look back at verse 9

9. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10. The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

-- now I think there are a couple of important lessons that we can learn about hearing the voice of God from this story about Samuel
-- first, notice that Samuel was in a place where he could hear the voice of the Lord calling -- he wasn't out in the town square -- he wasn't down at the market -- he wasn't sitting in his room surfing the internet or watching t.v. or listening to his ipod -- he wasn't even talking on his cellphone
-- he was by himself -- he had isolated himself away from the noise and the hustle and bustle of the city and he was in a quiet place where he could hear the Lord if the Lord spoke
-- and that's a very important point -- if we're going to hear God, then we're going to have to get in a place where we can hear His voice calling to us -- we're going to have to isolate ourself from the world -- from the noise and the chaos and the distractions and everything else that keeps us from hearing that still quiet voice of the Lord calling
-- that is the pattern of Jesus that we see in the New Testament -- throughout the gospels, we read about Jesus going off by Himself -- getting away from His disciples and from the crowds -- and going to a place of solitude to pray all night -- to talk to His Father and to listen as His Father spoke to Him
-- the first instance of Jesus going off by Himself in such a way occurs right after His baptism by John in the Jordan River -- the Bible tells us that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness and He spent 40 days in the solitude of the desert -- fasting and praying and listening for the voice of the Father
-- in fact, the season of the church that we are about to enter on Wednesday commemorates this event in Christ's life

II. Lenten Season
-- this Wednesday is Ash Wednesday -- it marks the start of the 40-day church season known as Lent -- Lent is a season of penitence, reflection, prayer and worship -- it is a time when we reflect on our mortality -- our sinfulness -- and our need for the Savior who suffered and died so that we might be forgiven of our sins and gain eternal life with Him
-- Lent was started in the early days of the church as a remembrance of Christ's time in the wilderness and as a time for Christian converts to be prepared for baptism, which traditionally took place on Easter morning -- during this time they would be instructed in the faith -- they would undergo catechism and would receive intensive lessons on who Christ was, what it meant to follow Christ and on the ultimate sacrifice that He made for us on the cross of Calvary
-- for those who were already Christians, Lent was a time of reflection on their lives and their Christian walks in preparation for the rededication of their lives to Christ on Easter morning

-- now we should always be listening for the voice of God calling to us -- but Lent is a special time in the Christian calendar when we do all that we can to isolate ourselves from the distractions of the world so that we can earnestly listen for that special voice of God calling out our name -- for that still small voice that calls out to us in our daily lives
-- during Lent, we need to try and copy the pattern of Samuel and Jesus -- we need to do whatever we can to find a place of solitude -- a place away from the noise and the chaos and the activity of the world -- a place where we can hear the voice of God and respond to His voice

IV. Sacred Moments
-- getting back to Samuel, the other thing that we see in this passage is that when we hear and respond to the voice of the Lord, then we are actually in the very presence of the Lord God Almighty
-- verse 10 tells us that the Lord came and stood there as Samuel sought His voice -- Samuel entered the presence of God through his active listening and response to the Lord's call
-- now I know the scriptures tell us that God is always present with us -- Jesus Himself said that He would never leave us or forsake us -- and we know that if we Christians -- if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior -- then we have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit within us
-- but, there are moments in our life where the presence of God becomes so tangible -- so real -- so powerful -- that they stand out as special moments of time -- we call these "sacred moments" -- times when we are ushered into the very presence of God -- when we clearly hear His voice and are led to respond -- and when His grace and love and mercy pour down around us
-- when the Lord came and stood there in the temple and called Samuel and he responded, that was a sacred moment -- when Moses stood in the desert listening to the voice of God call from a burning bush, that was a sacred moment -- and when you listen and respond to the voice of God and you sense His grace and His presence in your life, that is your sacred moment

-- Lent should be a season of sacred moments for us -- Lent should be a time when we draw near to God and He draws near to us -- when we intentionally seek His face and His presence in our lives
-- there are two different ways that we intentionally seek sacred moments during the season of Lent -- the first is through fasting and prayer -- the second is through participation in the sacraments of the church -- I want to spend just a few moments and talk about each of these as we prepare ourself for this Lenten season that we are about to enter

A. Fasting and Prayer
-- first, let's talk about fasting and prayer -- when you think of Lent, probably one of the first things you think about is fasting -- this is the traditional practice of willingly giving up something during Lent to draw you closer to God
-- Jesus expected us to fast -- when He taught on these subjects to His disciples, He didn't say, "If you choose to fast, do this" -- He said, "When you fast, this is what you should do" -- in other words, this is something that Jesus expected you and me to do -- this is something that we need to do -- in order to enter into a sacred moment with our God
-- when we think of fasting, we usually think of giving up some type of food -- early Christians usually abstained from eating meat during Lent -- but fasting can also mean giving up something else in your life that is distracting you from hearing the voice of God
-- this might be food -- you might choose to give up meat or to abstain from drinking coffee or coke or something else during Lent -- but if might be something else -- for you, it might mean turning your cellphone off when you get home to your family at night -- it might mean giving up your television or your music or something else that you really enjoy, but that you know is using up time that you could spend listening for the voice of God
-- and when you fast, you want to use that time to listen for God's voice -- to meditate on His word and to pray to Him -- so that you might experience a sacred moment in your own life and so you might prepare yourself for baptism or for rededication of your life on Easter

B. Sacraments
-- the other way to intentionally seek a sacred moment with God is to participate in the sacraments of the church -- these are sacred moments that the church has traditionally recognized as being times when God's presence is realized and recognized and when His grace pours out on us
-- in our church, we recognize two sacraments -- baptism and the Lord's Supper
-- I think we're fairly familiar with both of these sacraments in the church , so I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking about them in detail this morning -- if you want to know something more about them, please come see me and we can talk about them in detail
-- like I said earlier, Lent ends on Easter -- and it was on that day that new converts were baptized -- when the presented themselves before the Lord and before their brothers and sisters in Christ to publicly declare their faith in Christ and to receive God's grace through this sacred act

-- also, during this day, the church would traditionally participate in the Lord's Supper -- in fact, the early church celebrated the Lord's Supper -- or Holy Communion -- or the Eucharist -- whatever you want to call it -- every single Sunday -- a lot of congregations in the Methodist church are going back to that practice as they recognize the importance of these sacred moments in the life of the church
-- when we participate in the Lord's Supper -- when we break the bread and eat it -- and when we take the juice -- we are identifying with Christ's words at the Last Supper on the night He was betrayed -- the bread is symbolic of His body, which was given for us and which was broken for us on the cross -- and the juice is symbolic of His blood, which was shed for us on the cross as payment for our sins
-- communion is a sacred moment -- a sacred meal -- in which the community of faith, in the simple act of eating bread and drinking wine, proclaims and participates in all that God has done -- all that God is doing -- and all that God will continue to do for us in Christ
-- through communion, we remember Christ's life and His death and resurrection -- we are united with Christ and with our fellow believers -- and we are nourished with the transforming grace of God
-- in the Methodist Church, we recognize this as the Lord's table -- and it is our understanding that the Lord allows all who will come to feast at His table -- for that reason, no one is excluded from participating in communion in our churches -- all who wish to enter into this sacred moment with God are invited to come

IV. Closing
-- in closing, I just want to make sure that you understand what the overall purpose of the season of Lent is -- it is a time for us to get away from the world -- to get away from the noise and the chaos and the activities and the distraction of the world -- so that we can hear God's still small voice and so that we can enjoy a sacred moment with Him
-- it is a time for us to reflect on our own mortality and sinfulness and the grace of God that has come to us through His Son, Jesus Christ
-- the official start of Lent is this Wednesday -- we are going to have a short Ash Wednesday service here on Wednesday night to mark the start of the season of Lent -- to mark the start of the time that we are going to intentionally seek to hear the voice of God and enter into sacred moments with Him
-- in preparation for the season of Lent, we are going to do two things this morning -- first, I am going to pass out some cards for you to keep with you -- these cards say, "Because Jesus sacrificed so much for me, for the 40 days of Lent I am going to ..." -- and the rest of the card is blank for you to fill in what sacrifice you are going to make for Him this season -- whether that is fasting from food or fasting from television or radio or something else -- you might choose to read through the Psalms or to read through the gospels -- it doesn't matter -- but I strongly urge you to do something to help you hear God's voice during this next 40 days
-- the second thing we're going to do is share the Lord's table together -- as I said before, the Lord's Table is open to all who wish to partake of His body and His blood -- His life and His death was for all -- so all are invited to come and share in this sacred moment
-- I am going to close in prayer and then we'll share communion
-- Let us pray