RUMORS OF REVIVAL

20 March 2016 (Palm Sunday)

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles to John 12:12-19

John 12:12-19 (NIV)

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.

18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"

            -- one Palm Sunday, little 5-year-old Johnny had a sore throat and really didn’t feel like going to church -- so his family let him stay home with a  babysitter -- when they got back to the house, they were carrying several palm branches -- just to let you know, on Palm Sunday a lot of the larger churches actually pass out little palm fronds and let the people wave them during the service as a reminder of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago -- and evidently that’s what Johnny’s church had done

            -- well, when Johnny saw his family come walking in with those palm branches, he wasn’t happy -- Johnny said, "Where did you get the palm branches?  What are they for?” -- Johnny's older brother said, "People held them over Jesus' head as He walked by" -- Johnny looked disgusted and said, "That's just great -- The one Sunday I don't go to church and Jesus shows up!"

            -- well, that’s exactly what this passage in John is all about -- it’s about Jesus showing up -- it’s about God coming to town

            -- today is, of course, Palm Sunday -- it marks the start of Holy Week -- the holiest and most important week of worship in the Christian church

      -- the next important event occurs on Thursday, what many call Maundy Thursday -- we get the term “Maundy” from the Latin term "Dies Mandati" meaning the Day of the Commandment, referring to Jesus' command to us to love our neighbors

      -- this is the day of the Last Supper in the Upper Room -- the Betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane -- followed by the trial of Jesus by Annas and Caiaphas, the high priests of Israel, and the rest of the Sanhedrin, the religious and political leaders of Israel

      -- we remember Jesus being turned over to the Romans by the Jews and Pontius Pilate eventually caving in to political pressure and condemning Jesus to death by crucifixion

      -- Friday of this week is known as Good Friday -- the day of the crucifixion -- the day of Jesus’ death and burial in the empty tomb -- a time of darkness and sadness for Jesus’ disciples as they mourned the death of Jesus

      -- but finally we reach Sunday -- Easter -- the day of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the pronouncement of His victory over sin and death forever

            -- this is such a momentous week, and so much is happening, that it’s sometimes hard to really understand the significance of it all and how it would have been experienced by the people in Jerusalem who lived through those events

            -- to truly understand how they would have received those events -- how they would have interpreted them -- you need to put yourself in their place and understand how the Jews would have viewed themselves during that time

            -- the Israelites recognized themselves as God’s chosen people -- out of all the people in the world, God had chosen the Israelites to be His special people -- and He had established a covenant with their ancestors -- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob -- and promised to be their God and to bless them and all the world through them

            -- but their lives were anything but easy -- they spent 400 years in captivity in Egypt -- slaves in bondage to Pharaoh and the Egyptians -- but when things were at their darkest and the Israelites were wondering if God had finally forgotten His covenant with them -- when the people were ready to receive Him again as their Lord and Savior, He sent Moses to lead His people out of captivity and across the Red Sea

            -- God’s was present with the Israelites in their journeys through the wilderness -- He appeared as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to show them the path they should follow -- God’s grace leading the people to salvation -- speaking to them through Moses and Joshua and the prophets -- giving them His word and His law to guide them as they settled in the promised land

            -- but familiarity breeds contempt -- and the people kept turning from God to follow after foreign gods, worshiping idols and graven images -- and although God would speak to them and call out for them to return, they wouldn’t hear His call and would continue on their path until God disciplined them and allowed them to experience the consequences of their sin

            -- and, just like in Egypt, when it seemed as if all hope was lost and the people’s hearts finally turned toward God again, God would deliver His people and restore them to the land and revive worship in Israel again

            -- this went on time and time again -- this wandering away from God -- this refusal to seek His presence -- to hear His voice -- to follow His commands -- and then, when things got bad, the people cried out again and God would save them by sending His word to the people through a prophet and reviving their faith in Him yet again

            -- the people of Israel had enjoyed their special relationship with God for a long time -- but one day, it seemed like God quit talking -- times had gotten bad again and the people were experiencing difficulty and discipline in their lives, but this time, instead of sending another prophet into the world to warn them and lead them back to Him as in the past, God just quit talking

            -- you see, God had warned the people through the prophet Malachi -- the last prophet in the Old Testament -- and told them to return and to worship Him again with all their hearts and souls and minds and strength because the end was coming -- the great Day of the Lord would soon be at hand when they would be judged for their sins -- and when Malachi wrote down all that God had told him to write and he proclaimed it to the nation of Israel, God stopped talking because the people weren’t listening and weren’t responding

            -- so for the last 460 years, the people of Israel had not heard a word from their God -- God had never left them alone so long before -- even in their sins, God would speak to them and would call them home -- but now, no one heard from God -- there had been no prophets since Malachi for almost 500 years -- and the people were lost

            -- but rather than calling on the Lord with their whole heart and opening their ears to hear from God and responding to His message through Malachi, the people of Israel just went through the motions, like so many of us today

            -- they continued to go to church -- they continued to offer sacrifices -- they continued to follow the law of God -- but it was all lip-service -- it wasn’t real -- it was just an act without heart -- and because the people did not respond to God with their hearts, God was silent -- there was no inspiration -- there was no word from God -- there was no indication that He was near

            -- for 500 years God was silent and the people suffered and wondered and hoped -- until one day, a man dressed in camel hair and wearing a leather belt appeared in the wilderness proclaiming the coming of the Lord and calling people to repent

            -- and, as John baptized people in the Jordan River, the people wondered if this could be the messenger that Malachi told them about in the last book of the Old Testament --- the one who was going to be like the prophet Elijah and who would prepare the way for the return of the Lord

            -- the faith of the people began to catch fire again -- they began to seek the Lord -- to respond to His word -- to chase after Him with their whole hearts

            -- and then Jesus appeared as a great light shining in the darkness -- a man who was more than a man -- a man who spoke with power and authority -- a man who touched the blind and the lame and the sick and they were healed -- a man who knew God and who spoke with God and who seemed to be God -- and the people wondered at this sight in their midst

            -- the nation of Israel flocked to Jesus -- they surrounded Him wherever He went -- some came for the healings -- some came for the bread from heaven -- some came to watch the show -- but others came seeking that which they had lost -- they came looking for God and hoping to hear His voice again

            -- the people began to whisper that God was back -- they began to hope and believe that God had returned -- there were rumors of a revival going on in Israel through the ministry of Jesus as the hearts of the people were turned towards God once again

            -- this is the setting of this passage -- just as in the past, the people are beginning to return to God with their hearts -- they are finally getting ready to receive God into their presence again -- and the time has come for God to return to Jerusalem

            -- this time He comes on the back of donkey

            -- look back at verse 12  

12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

            -- the city of Jerusalem was crowded that day -- faithful believers from all over Israel and beyond had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread -- we know it better as the Passover Feast

            -- this feast celebrated the protection of Israel by God as the angel of death passed over Egypt and slew the first-born children in the land as the final plague on the Egyptian Pharaoh -- only those people who had sacrificed a lamb and placed its blood on the doorposts of their homes were protected and delivered from death on that night

            -- as commanded in the Jewish law, every year people would come to Jerusalem to remember the Passover and to worship in the temple

            -- but this year was different -- this year it seemed as if the celebration was more than just a party -- more than just a mandated gathering required in the law -- this year it seemed as if the people were truly looking for God -- remembering His deliverance in the past and, hoping beyond hope, that He might return to deliver them again

            -- so on that Sunday before the Passover, Jerusalem was filled with people who had truly come to worship God -- it was literally busting at the seams with people -- and all of them had heard of Jesus and were wondering if He was coming or not

            -- verse 13-15

13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!"

14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written,

15 "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt."

            -- when the people heard that Jesus was coming, they ran out to meet Him -- John says here they took palm branches with them and waved them in the air in anticipation of His coming

            -- palm fronds signified victory -- they were waved when a victorious army came back home after winning a battle -- and they were waved when the king returned back to his palace -- through their actions, the people were saying what they truly believed about Jesus -- although they might not have fully understood that Jesus was God -- they knew that God had returned and that He was speaking through Jesus -- and so the people flocked to the road to welcome the voice of God back to Jerusalem after He had been silent for nearly 500 years

            -- one thing to note here is that our actions proclaim what we believe, too -- more so than our words, what we do and how we live our lives tells others what we truly believe about God and about Jesus -- do we go through our lives proclaiming Him for the world to see -- or do we act like we haven’t heard from Him in a long time?

            -- the other three gospel writers tell us that the people also spread their cloaks on the road in front of Jesus as He passed -- this was symbolic of royalty -- it’s kind of like our red carpets that we put out today for celebrities and dignitaries

            -- this was another way for the people to show that they were offering themselves and their possessions to Jesus -- by placing these cloaks in front of Him, they were saying, “We trust you -- we believe in you -- take our lives and take all that we have -- be our King and restore Israel to its former glory”

            -- as Jesus made His way down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, the people shouted at Him and said, “Hosanna! Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

            -- “Hosanna” means “Save” -- it carries with it the idea of God delivering the people just as He had done during the Passover -- it is a cry to God for salvation and deliverance and healing

            -- the phrase “Hosanna” was usually only heard during official worship services as an expression of praise -- but here, the people are shouting it in the streets to Jesus, showing that they recognized Him as worthy of their praise -- as someone who was touched by God -- as someone who might be their long-awaited Messiah -- God returning to Israel

            -- verse 16

16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

            -- isn’t this verse amazing? -- “the disciples did not understand all of this” -- isn’t that the way it always is?

            -- the people closest to someone can’t always see them for who they really are -- sometimes it takes distance and a new look in order to fully see and understand just how special someone is -- let me give you an example of what I’m talking about

            -- a few years back there was a miniseries on television called, “The Kennedys,” about the Kennedy family and their political dynasty, focused primarily on the life of John F. Kennedy

            -- and during this miniseries, the director recreated a scene that you may have seen pictured before -- John F. Kennedy is at his desk in the oval office working, and peeking out of the modesty panel underneath the president’s desk is JFK, Jr.

            -- and what has always struck me about that picture is that JFK, Jr. really has no idea who his father is or how important he is because he’s so close to him -- he doesn’t understand what it means to be that close to the president of the U.S. -- the leader of the free world -- he could only understand later, when he looked at his father’s political career from a distant viewpoint, at just how privileged he was to have been ushered into the presence of the President in such a close and personal way

            -- well, that is what is going on here in this passage -- the disciples were Jesus’ closest friends -- they had come to know Him in a special way -- they had lived with Him for three years -- they had traveled together -- they had shared meals together -- they had seen Him do miracles

            -- but, because they were so close to Him, they just couldn’t see Him for who He truly was -- it was only later -- after the resurrection -- after Jesus’ ascension -- that they finally started to understand who this Jesus was that they had been with for so long and started to see Him as more than just a prophet but God Himself

            -- verse 17-19

17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word.

18 Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him.

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, "See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!"

            -- now here’s what I really want you to see in this passage -- word had spread about Jesus and what He had been doing -- especially after He raised Lazarus from the dead

            -- so, when news that Jesus was coming to town spread, the entire town gathered on the street to praise His name and to wave palm branches and put their cloaks in the road

            -- they had heard the stories of the miracles -- they had heard of the miraculous healings and the bread from heaven -- they had heard of the teachings and all that Jesus did -- and the people came to see for themselves if Jesus was the Messiah

            -- this is always the pattern of God’s work in our world -- when God begins to move, people respond -- when they hear rumors of revival -- the rumors of God showing up in power and presence -- people flock to be with Him and to hear His voice and experience His presence -- let me give you an example

            -- on February 3rd 1970, the students at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, were having their regular morning chapel service -- instead of preaching, the leader that morning gave his testimony and encouraged the students to come forward and talk about their own Christian experiences

            -- one student came -- and then another and another -- the entire altar filled up -- and students began to confess their sins and offer forgiveness to others for wrongs that had been done and offer their lives back to God

            -- this wasn’t a normal chapel service -- everyone could sense that -- everyone knew that God was truly there

            -- the service was supposed to last 50 minutes -- instead, it went on non-stop for 185 hours -- 24 hours a day -- as students and faculty poured into the chapel and turned back to God with their whole hearts

            -- just like on Palm Sunday, word began to spread about what God was doing -- and the revival grew and grew and grew -- people started flocking to tiny Wilmore, Kentucky -- seeking God and His presence in their lives

            -- they knew God was there -- they knew He was doing something special -- and they wanted to be a part of it

            -- by that summer, the revival had spread to more than 130 other colleges and seminaries and scores of churches -- there were reports of revivals occurring from New York to California and even as far away as South America

            -- that’s what happening here in this passage as John tells us about a nationwide revival that took place about 2000 years ago -- a revival that started a fire that has still not been extinguished

            -- the Pharisees, who had been hoping to capture Jesus in secret, looked at the crowd and listened to their voices of praise and said, “The whole world has gone after Him.”

            -- isn’t that the way it is supposed to be? -- why should Palm Sunday just be one day on the Christian calendar? -- why aren’t we expecting our churches and our streets to be filled with people looking for Jesus every Sunday? -- why should this be something that we just read about and not something that we are experiencing?

            -- I think it comes down to the condition of the heart -- looking at the history of the Jewish people, it was only when their hearts were right and they actively sought the Lord were they able to hear His voice and experience His presence

            -- when the people went their own way and tried to live life in their own power and their own strength -- when they refused to follow God’s word or listen for His voice in their lives -- it was as if God didn’t exist -- and that didn’t turn out so well for them

            -- the true message of Palm Sunday is of a God who loves to save and deliver His people -- when the people turn to Him and cry out for His deliverance, God responds -- when the people begin to seek God with their whole hearts, they begin to hear His voice again

            -- the word revival means to bring one’s faith back to life again -- it means to return -- to repent -- to remember God -- to seek Him and to trust that He is there -- to rely on Him and know that He will save

            -- this is more than just lip-service -- this is more than just going through the motions and showing up to church on Sunday mornings -- revival only comes through a change of heart

            -- in this passage about Palm Sunday, we see a change of heart in the people of Jerusalem, and the nation of Israel experienced the presence of God returning to their land

            -- as we begin this Holy Week together, let our first prayer be that our hearts might be changed through the power and presence of God -- that He would revive our hearts and renew our lives and restore our faith in Him -- that we would truly seek His presence in our lives and in this church and in this land

            -- let us pray

SERMON: OVERCOMING FEAR

13 March 2016

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Timothy 1:3-10

2 Timothy 1:3-10 (NIV)

3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

            -- last night we were watching The Amazing Race, one of my most favorite TV shoes of all time -- I really enjoy following the teams as they travel around the world and face the various challenges in each country -- it is very interesting watching the teams have to navigate through foreign lands and foreign customs and then face challenges that test the very limits of their strength and internal fortitude -- it’s really interesting watching the different people have to confront their fears as they faced these challenges

            -- this week’s episode required the teams to go up to the top of an 11,000 foot mountain in the French Alps on a cable car, and traverse a knife’s-edge mountain summit to deliver supplies to an avalanche crew -- and, as seems always the case, the team member who was selected to do this challenge was the one that has a fear of heights -- several of the people literally broke down and were sobbing because they were scared to death of what they were being asked to do -- it was only because of the encouragement of their team members, the lure of the $1 Million prize, and knowing millions of people at home were watching and judging them that enabled them to overcome their fear and complete the challenge

            -- that’s one reason why I like The Amazing Race -- because you get to see people face their greatest fears and overcome them, and it causes you to think about your own fears and what it would take for you to overcome them -- last night as we were watching this episode and saw them taking that cable car 11,000 feet up the side of that mountain on that little wire, Kim said, “There’s no way I would do that” -- and I understand

            -- As most of you know, I’m heading out of town tomorrow to go to Pittsburgh for a conference -- I usually go to one of these conferences every year, and when I do I always face one of the greatest fears in my life -- fear of flying

            -- I have always been somewhat scared of flying -- even though planes don’t really crash that often, when the plane starts rolling down the runway, it’s always there in the back of your mind -- you worry about crashes and accidents, and not just in a general way -- you worry that you’re going to be in a crash or accident -- that the plane that you are on is going to have an accident

            -- you’re already in an uncomfortable situation -- you’ve already been poked and prodded and x-rayed like you’re a terrorist hiding something -- I feel guilty every time I go through the TSA checkpoint even though I’m doing nothing wrong -- and when you finally get to the gate and board the plane, they put you in a tight little cramped up seat with absolutely no leg room

            -- and, as they get the plane ready to take off, you don’t really know what’s going on -- as the plane takes off and gets into the air, it lurches and jerks -- you hear motors whine and then pieces clicking into place and you don’t know if that’s supposed to happen or if there’s a problem -- and sometimes the plane takes an immediate hard bank as it turns sharply to the left or the right, and you just don’t know whether it’s doing that on purpose or if there is a problem and you’re about to crash

            -- it’s a very scary time for someone who isn’t used to flying, and I’m not -- I only fly one time a year, so I’ve never gotten comfortable with flying -- thinking about it rationally, I think one of the reasons I fear flying is the lack of control -- I don’t know what’s going on, and because I’m not in control of the situation and I have to trust someone else that I don’t know, it adds an extra level of worry and fear as I head into the unknown

            -- one time several years ago, I got to listen to the air crew go through their checklist as we took off -- I had plugged in my headphones into the plane sound system so I could listen to music and drown out the noise of the airplane as we were getting ready to take off, and I found a channel on their sound system that actually let you listen in on the pilot and his crew -- and listening to the crew go through their checks, and hearing them explain what all the different lurches and bumps were as they talked to one another, removed the fear because I knew we were in control -- someone was watching out for us who knew exactly what was going on and what was going to happen

            -- fear is one of our primal emotions -- it’s something that we’ve had with us since the Garden of Eden -- fear is a deep-seated anxiousness and worry about the unknown -- we all have fears in our lives, and it takes different forms depending on who you are -- fear of being alone -- fear of getting married -- fear of driving -- fear of getting hurt -- fear of heights -- fear of spiders and snakes and tigers and bears, oh my -- fear is common to all people everywhere

            -- perhaps that's why the Bible talks about fear so much -- the most common command in the Bible is not one of the Ten Commandments -- the most common command in the Bible is not even "Love one another" -- no, the most common command in the Bible is "fear not"

            -- 366 times, in one form or the other, we are told by God, "Fear not" -- from the beginning of man in the Garden of Eden to our end in the Book of Revelation, over and over God has repeatedly told us, "Do not be afraid -- trust in Me -- Believe in Me -- Have Faith in Me"

            -- when God came to Abram to establish a covenant with him, His first words were "Do not be afraid"

            -- when the Israelites faced enemies on their way to the Promised Land, God told Moses, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you"

            -- when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant and thought of divorcing her, God told him, "Do not be afraid of taking Mary to be your wife"

            -- and when the women first encountered Jesus after His resurrection, the first words He said to them were, "Do not be afraid"

            -- Jesus had earlier taught His disciples in Luke Chapter 12 to not fear the world -- He told them in verses 4-6, "Don't be afraid of those who can kill the body but do no more -- not a single sparrow is forgotten by God -- so don't be afraid -- you are worth more than many sparrows"

            -- God knew that this was a scary world -- He knew that there were times when our mortal frames would quake in fear and when our hearts would be in our throats -- He knew that there were going to be times that we would be terrified with life and with the future -- and, for that reason, He tells us time and time again in His word, "Do not be afraid"

            -- fear is part of life -- but so is conquering fear -- that’s the message that Paul is giving Timothy in this passage -- fear should not control you

            -- so let’s look at this passage together again and see what we can learn about fear from Paul’s instructions to Timothy

            -- we’re probably all pretty familiar with 2 Timothy 1:7 -- “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity -- [or fear, as the KJV puts it] -- but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline” -- but usually we hear that verse out of context, so this morning I wanted us to look at it and consider it in context with Paul’s whole message to Timothy in this passage, using verse 7 as the hinge for what comes before and after

            -- let’s look back at verse 3-7

2 Timothy 1:3-7 (NIV)

3 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.

5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

            -- I think the easiest way to sum up what Paul is saying in these verses to Timothy is that, because we know God, we should have no fear in our lives

            -- Paul begins with the statement that he is a servant of God -- that his conscience is clear -- in other words, the fear of guilt and shame and sin and death have all been overcome through the presence of God in his life -- his eternity is certain -- his faith is sure -- his future is set -- so what does the man or woman who knows God truly have to fear? -- what threat can this world offer up that is not already overcome through God?

            -- Paul makes the case here that faith trumps fear -- he reminds Timothy of the faith of his grandmother and mother -- he reminds Timothy that he shares this same faith in the promise of God so fear should have no part in his life

            -- the message here is clear -- God didn’t give us a spirit of timidity or fear -- this is not the way He intended us to live -- to overcome our fears, He gave us a spirit of power -- a spirit of love -- a spirit of self-discipline -- that is activated through faith

            -- without God, you cannot leave a fearless life -- without God, you are still bound by fear’s dread power -- the key to living fearless lives is knowing and trusting God and standing on the promises He has given

            -- verse 8

8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

            -- in this verse Paul points out to us the two areas of fear that we all share -- even though we are Christians, even though God has given us a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline -- even though He promises power over fear -- too many of us continue to live our lives defeated by fear -- we cower in our sanctuaries and never see the gifts of God fanned into flame in our lives -- we never experience the power of God in our lives because we remain gripped by fear of the immediate -- we don’t trust God enough to leave fear behind

            -- in this verse Paul says our fear takes two forms -- spiritual and temporal

            -- the first one he talks about is spiritual -- look at what Paul tells Timothy here -- “don’t be ashamed to testify about our Lord” -- if you were to ask Christians what their number one fear is, it would be telling others about Jesus -- in the Great Commission, Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all the things He commanded -- and the church is failing to do this for one reason:  fear

            -- we fear sharing the gospel with others -- we fear being mocked as Christians -- we fear we don’t know enough or we’ll say the wrong things -- and we let this fear keep us from doing what God has commanded

            -- although called to be pastor, Timothy apparently had a problem with witnessing to other people and telling them about Jesus -- I can relate to that -- that’s a fear in my life, too

            -- Paul tells Timothy here to stop it -- he writes, “Stop being scared of testifying about the Lord -- stop being ashamed of telling others what Jesus has done for you -- remember, Timothy,” Paul says, “God has not given you a spirit of fear -- He has given you a spirit of power -- so go forth and testify in His name”

            -- if we are to live the lives Christ has called us to live -- if we are to be His servants and fulfill the Great Commission as He commanded -- then we are going to have to depend on God’s power to help us overcome the fear of testifying to the gospel of Christ -- and that means testifying with our lips as we share the good news of Christ, but that also means testifying with our lives as we live out Christ’s commands and do what He says as we go about our daily lives

            -- now Paul talks about our temporal fears -- he mentions how he has personally suffered for the gospel -- why? -- why does he bring this up? -- because this is the other great fear of Christians, and it obviously was a fear of Timothy -- we worry that we are going to suffer for our faith -- that we are going to be persecuted because we are Christians -- we worry about being hurt by this world -- we worry about accidents and crime and violence and sickness and death -- we worry about the temporal -- about what is going to happen us here and now

            -- my fear of flying is a temporal fear -- the fear of heights that I saw so clearly portrayed on The Amazing Race? -- a temporal fear -- in both cases this is a fear of getting hurt -- a fear of being killed

            -- but Paul tells Timothy here to not worry about sufferings or temporal fears -- he tells him to join with him in his suffering -- to find joy in the midst of it -- and then he goes on to tell Timothy why

            -- verse 9-10

9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

            -- why do temporal fears hold no power over us? -- because of Christ and His grace in our lives

            -- think about it like this -- what is the worst thing that can happen to me when I fly? -- let’s say the plane does crash -- what’s the worst thing that could happen? -- I could die, right? -- what’s the worst thing that could have happened to one of the teams on The Amazing Race if they had fallen from the top of that mountain? -- they could have died, right?

            -- but here’s where faith comes in -- death holds no fear for the Christian -- Philippians 1:21 says, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” -- and Paul wrote over in 2 Corinthians 5:8, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”

            -- the worst thing the world can throw your way -- death and the fear of death -- has already been defeated by the cross of Christ -- as Paul says in verse 10, Christ Jesus has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel

            -- Paul’s point in this message to Timothy is that there is no fear in death because of Jesus -- there is no fear in suffering, because these are light and temporary afflictions -- there is no fear in this world, because Christ has overcome the world

            -- fear has no part with the Christian because the gospel has conquered fear

III.  Closing

            -- when God tells us in His word, "Do not be afraid," He is not telling us that we will never face fearsome things -- when He tells us, "Do not be afraid," He is not telling us that we will be able to conquer giants on our own -- that is not the message of the Bible

            -- no, what God is saying when He says, "Do not be afraid" is "Trust Me -- have faith in Me -- allow Me to take care of this problem for you"

            -- I like what the editors of the Thompson Chain Bible put together to summarize God’s reasons why Christians should not fear -- they call this list the “Fear Nots”

1.  Christians should not fear because God blesses us as we follow Him -- Genesis 26:24

2.  Christians should not fear because God supplies our needs -- 1 Kings 17:13

3.  Christians should not fear because God protects us in our peril --2 Kings 6:16

4.  Christians should not fear because God provides strength in our weakness -- Isaiah 41:10

5.  Christians should not fear because God is our ever present help in trials -- Isaiah 43:1-3

6.  Christians should not fear because God provides constant care -- Matthew 10:30-31

7.  Christians should not fear because God provides victory over death -- Revelation 1:17-18

            -- no matter what the situation is that you are facing -- no matter how hopeless it might seem -- no matter how big or fearsome it might look, God says, "You don't have to face it on your own -- don't fear -- I will take care of it for you"

            -- how do you conquer fear? -- you conquer fear through faith -- through trusting God and standing on His promises -- John tells us in 1 John 4:18, "perfect love drives out fear" -- God is love -- and His perfect love drives out our fear

            -- we know we don't have to fear the future, because God will take care of it for us -- He has promised to never leave us or forsake us -- and no matter how big the obstacle may seem -- no matter how scary the future may look -- God says, "Do not be afraid -- trust in me"

            -- Let us pray

SERMON: UNFINISHED BUSINESS

6 March 2016

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 16:6-10

Acts 16:6-10 (NIV)

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.

7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

            -- yesterday I left Kim in tears -- you see, we went up to Adel to work on the bus, and things didn’t go as planned -- but they kind of went as expected

            -- after patiently waiting for several weeks for me to buy locks to replace the broken lock on the door of the bus, Kim took it upon herself to go to a locksmith in town to find the right lock -- he gave her two locks that he said would work on the door -- and so we went up to Adel with the high hopes of finally getting the door fixed so she could head up to Perry with the bus for the dog show in April

            -- Long story short, the locks on the bus still are not fixed -- and now the starter has been broken, the cables have been disconnected from the battery and need to be replaced -- the air suspension system has been taken apart -- the shower assembly in the bathroom is laying in the back of the van -- and the bus is in worse shape than it was when I started

            -- and that really wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Kim knows who I am -- I am the king of unfinished projects -- left to my own devices, none of these things will be fixed and the bus will not be ready to go to Perry by April

            -- I tend to not complete things -- last weekend, we finally put together the new bed that we bought -- the mattress had been laying in the dining room in a box for several weeks and the bedframe we bought to go with it was still in its box out on the porch where it had been sitting ever since it got delivered -- Kim finally said it’s time, and so we worked all weekend on getting the bedroom ready and moving furniture around so the new bed would fit

            -- in the process, we discovered a bunch of half-completed projects that I had started and set aside for a later date -- I wanted to keep them -- I told Kim, “I’m going to finish that one day” -- but she convinced me that maybe it was time to donate these parts and pieces to a thrift store so someone might actually be able to complete the vision I had

            -- maybe some of you are like that, too -- I think this seems to be more common in men than it is in women, but I would like to think it’s a common malady and not just unique to me

            -- a lot of people have half-written novels in their drawers or on their computers -- a lot of people have written bucket lists, but completed nothing on the list -- a lot of people have a vision of reading through the Bible in a year, but it’s still covered in dust on their coffee table -- but I contend this is common -- we start off every new year with good intentions and solid resolutions for change, but never get around to finishing them -- our lives are paved with the good intentions of unfinished business and unclaimed vision

            -- this happens a lot in the church, too, and that’s what I want to talk about today -- the message of the Bible is clear -- God didn’t quit speaking when the canon of scripture was closed -- God still speaks to us today and He still gives us visions that He wants us to go forth and complete

            -- but all too often, we never move or act on the visions He gives -- instead, we stay content and comfortable in our regular church services and programs and never step out into the unknown of a vision-directed future with Him -- or, if we do begin, we never see it to completion -- rather than living with an attic full of half-completed projects or wasting time and resources on church programs just for the sake of activity, how can we start living out the visions and the callings of God in our lives today?

II.  Scripture Lesson (Acts 16:6-10)

            -- in this passage from the Book of Acts, we read of the Apostle Paul and his companions on Paul’s second missionary journey -- Paul has been in ministry for quite a while by this time, and he and his team are a well-oiled machine -- he has been systematically going through the provinces and out-lying cities of Rome -- Pisidian Antioch -- Lyconium -- Lystra and Derbe -- and now we see him in Phrygia and Galatia

            -- Paul and his ministry team has this down to a science -- they stroll into a town, head straight for the synagogue, preach to the Jews -- and when the Jews reject them, as they always do, then he carries the message of Christ to the Gentiles -- this is Paul’s modus operandi -- and here’s what I want you to see -- Paul has a plan and vision and he is systematically going out and accomplishing his ministry in a logical way -- next on the agenda: Asia by way of Mysia and Bithynia -- but look what happens

            -- verse 6-8

Acts 16:6-8

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.

7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

            -- God said, “No” -- God said, “Stop -- I don’t want you to go into Asia right now”

            -- and there’s a couple things we need to see in these verses -- first, notice that Paul heard God when He spoke -- notice that when the Spirit of Jesus prevented them from going into Bithynia, Paul recognized it was God who was keeping them from preaching to the people of Asia -- so Paul went past Mysia and went down to the city of Troas

            -- the principle we learn from this is that we are to be open to the vision -- we are to be open to God’s voice in our lives -- we have to believe and trust in the fact that God still speaks and still directs His people -- and, most importantly, we have to be listening for God when He does speak

            -- spend some time in the Old Testament this week and just look at how many times you read in the prophetic books, “the word of the Lord came to ‘so-and-so’” -- or “at this time and place I had a vision”

            -- what’s the difference between these prophets and most of us today? -- as they were going about their normal lives, they did so with their ears and their eyes tuned to Heaven -- and when God spoke, they heard -- when God moved, they saw -- we need to be like them and like Paul in this passage -- open to the truth that God is speaking to each of us -- listening for His voice -- looking for His presence -- and ready to receive His message when it comes

            -- the second principle we see in this passage is that we have to be willing to accept change and to stop what we’ve been doing if God so directs -- sometimes God calls us to quit what we have been doing all along, so that we will be ready for what He has next

            -- when I started pastoring at Wright’s Chapel and Naylor Methodist churches, one of the big events they had at both of these churches were their annual revivals -- these had been going on for years -- it was just something they did -- it was an established part of their ministry

            -- but after just a couple of years, I realize that this service was not really accomplishing its purposes -- it was only reaching the 10 or 15 people who were the regular churchgoers at both of these congregation -- the revivals were not reaching out to the community nor bringing in the unsaved to hear the gospel -- it had become a program that we were doing simply because it was what we had always done -- and I felt it was time to end it

            -- so we did away with the revival, to the consternation of churches, so that we could move forward in the vision that God had given me -- we started a joint service called “Fifth Sunday Revivals” that were held during regular church services on Sunday mornings, not during the week as a revival normally is -- and we made an emphasis on inviting friends to church on that Sunday -- instead of just reaching the 10 to 15 regular members, we started ministering to 80 people during these special Sunday services, with about half of them from outside the church

            -- sometimes God calls us to quit what we have been doing and to put aside our vision and our plans, so that we can move forward to what He has prepared us for

            -- Paul wanted to go into Asia -- he tried a couple of times, but when God said, “no,” Paul got the message and cancelled his plans for revival in Asia so he could be ready for what God had next

            -- verse 9-10

9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

            -- as soon as Paul was obedient to God’s direction to not go into Asia, God spoke again -- and that’s the third principle we need to absorb -- God rarely gives us the whole picture of what He is doing or what He wants us to do for us -- when God speaks, He usually only tells us a little part of His plan and then He waits for our response -- if we move forward and do what He says, then He gives us the next part -- if we don’t, God either gives us the vision again or He stops speaking until we respond

            -- we see this pattern throughout Scripture -- when God called Abram out of Ur, God didn’t tell Abram that He was going to settle Abraham in the Promised Land and create a great people from his lineage that would bring forth the Messiah and be the keepers of God’s Holy Word -- no, God simply told Abram, “Get up and go to the land that I will show you” -- God didn’t even tell Abram where to go -- God just said, “Get up and move, and then I’ll tell you where I want you to go”

            -- when God spoke to Jonah and Jonah ran away, God kept giving Jonah the same message, “Go to Ninevah and preach against them,” until Jonah finally got the point and went to Ninevah

            -- we see the same thing here -- God told Paul to stop what he was doing -- to not go forward with his plans to evangelize in Asia -- and Paul didn’t hear anything else until he acted on God’s word -- and when Paul heard God and turned around and bypassed Asia, God sent him a vision in the night with the next step in the plan

            -- and notice that even then, Paul wasn’t given the whole picture -- he wasn’t told what would happen in Macedonia or what he was supposed to do when he got there -- he was simply given the vision of the man from Macedonia begging him to come and help them

            -- which brings us to our next principle -- we have to act on the vision that we are given -- Habakkuk 2:2 says, “write the vision, and make it plain on tablets, so that a herald may run with it”

            -- as one person blogged, “The first part of accomplishing any vision is to take it from the unseen world and bring it into the natural world.  This can be accomplished by simply writing down the vision.  Articulating the vision on paper pulls a dream that is in your spirit into the visible world so that others capture it in their own hearts.” [http://jesusculture.com/posts/1450-the-power-of-a-vision/]

            -- Paul received the vision from God and told others about it and then Luke wrote it down and shared it with us in this passage

            -- when you receive a vision from God -- when God speaks to you -- you need to capture it -- you need to write it down so you won’t forget it -- you need to put it in front of you and look at it and meditate on it and remember it so you can act on it

            -- too many times I have great ideas -- I’ll be riding along and I’ll have this epiphany -- this great idea for a ministry or for some other project -- and, before I know it, I get distracted and the idea is lost

            -- that’s why I’ve started doing what John Maxwell advised -- I carry a notebook in my pocket and when I have thoughts and ideas and visions from God, I stop and write them down -- or, lately, if I’m driving, I just take my phone and record the idea into my phone -- most phones have recorders now, so you can do that  -- same principle

            -- the point is that we have to capture the vision so we can act on it, which is the final point -- when God has given you a vision, it’s time to step out in faith with the vision

            -- if you look back at verse 10, you’ll notice that it’s actually written a little out of order -- if you read what is there, you’ll see the next step in the process of completing the vision from God

            -- Luke tells us that after Paul received the vision, he shared it with his team and they got ready at once to go to Macedonia, after they concluded God was calling them to preach to the people there -- and that’s an important step we need to consider

            -- when God shares a vision for ministry with a person, usually the vision is not just for one person, but for the whole community -- it is a vision for the church to act on -- we see that here in this passage

            -- God didn’t call Paul to go into Macedonia by himself, but He was calling the entire group of people with Paul to go into Macedonia to share the gospel -- when Paul received the vision, he shared it with the group and asked for confirmation -- the group heard the vision, considered the situation -- I’m sure they prayed about it -- and together they concluded with Paul it was clear direction from God and they should proceed with God’s plan

            -- when you have a vision for ministry, you need to share it with others -- both for confirmation that it is a true calling from God and to allow them to be part of the ministry -- Luke says they got ready at once to leave for Macedonia in obedience to God’s vision and call

            -- when we get a vision from God, we need to capture, we need to confirm it, and we need to commit to completing it

III.  Closing

-- Let me close by giving you a modern-day example of someone who got a vision from God and went forth in His name to do all that

-- In 1998, Sagen Woolpert was an 8-year old girl from Warner Robins who had a vision -- She listened in church as the pastor challenged the congregation to go forth in Christ's name to the world around them -- but she did something that most of the adults around her didn't do -- where they just heard the message and commented on it at the end of the service, she took it to heart and did something about it

-- she left there inspired and went home and asked God to give her a vision to reach out to others -- in her own words, she wanted "to do something during the week that would carry the message to the community." -- So, she prayed and God gave her a concern -- He put a burden on her heart -- He gave her a vision and a task that was greater than her

-- One day God drew her attention to the kids in her school at lunch -- She saw that a lot of the kids received free lunches during the school year because they couldn't afford to buy lunches for themselves, and she wondered, "Now that school is over for the summer, what do they eat?  If they couldn't afford lunch for nine months of the year, what did they do the other three months?" -- she decided that God was calling her to do something about it

-- she stood up in church and told them about this vision that God had given her -- this vision to feed kids during the summer -- she visited other churches in the community and asked them for their support -- and in 1998, she started what she called, a "Kid's Kitchen Lunch Program," based out of the Warner Robins First United Methodist Church

-- this program consists solely of children volunteers who make sack lunches for needy kids in their community -- the adults help by providing transportation and moving supplies, but the work is totally done by kids under the age of 13 -- during the first two years of operation, they served 600 lunches each Wednesday during the summer to needy kids -- If you do the math, that comes out to over 7,500 lunches provided free of charge -- God gave Sagen, an 8-year-old girl, a vision on how to reach out to His people and show them Christ during the week -- reflecting on her experience, Sagen offered this advice, "If you have a dream, just pursue it, and if you want it bad enough you can change your world by helping someone else."

            -- Helen Keller once said, "The saddest thing is for people to have sight but no vision."

-- we are called to have a vision -- we are called to be more than we are -- to do more than we can do -- we are called to serve God by sharing His love and His message to a field full of lost souls -- to open our eyes and see what God wants us to do and then to go out and do it

-- the difference between most of us and Sagan Woolpert and the Apostle Paul is what we do with the vision we’re given -- do we step forward and complete the vision? -- do we act on what God has told us to do? -- do we capture, confirm, and complete the visions or are these visions just cluttering up our attics as half-finished projects?

-- the Bible tells us that without a vision, we perish -- what that really means is that if we are going to be the people that God wants us to be -- the church that He wants us to be -- then we need to make a commitment to act on and complete the visions He gives

-- as I close this message this morning, I have an assignment for you -- this week, I want you to get a sheet of paper and a pen -- and I want you to get your Bible -- and I want you to sit before God in a time of prayer and study

-- I want you to ask Him to open your eyes and to open your ears and to open your heart and to give you a vision for what we can do for Him this week -- this month -- this year -- both individually and as a church 

-- and I want you to capture that vision -- to write down what God tells you -- and I want you to share it with us next Sunday for confirmation and commitment

-- vision is the key to ministry -- vision is the key to life -- and we must take the visions from God and capture them and confirm them and complete them -- this is how we make a difference in our world today -- this is how we do what God wants us to do and be who God wants us to be

-- let us pray

SERMON: AVOIDING SIN

28 February 2016

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Proverbs 4:13-15

Proverbs 4:13-15 (NIV)

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

            -- since the start of this new year, we have not really been following a sermon series per se, but we have been on somewhat of a sermon trajectory discussing sin in our lives and how we might be victorious over sin in this new year -- it wasn’t even intentional on my part, but looking back, that’s exactly what has happened

            -- we started off the new year by talking about the hand on the table -- referencing Jesus’ comment in the Upper Room to His disciples that the one who would betray Him was the one who had their hand on the table with Him -- calling to mind that all of us are prone to temptation and sin -- as the hymn, “Come Thou Fount,” says, all of us are “prone to wonder” and “prone to leave the Lord I love”

            -- we followed up this message with a discussion on original sin and the sin nature with which we are all born -- it was this sin nature that Jesus came to destroy on the cross -- He didn’t die just to offer us forgiveness for the sins we had already committed, but He destroyed the power of that sin nature in our lives so that we might be able to actually overcome temptation and sin for the first time

            -- then we looked at 1 John 2:1, which points out that sin is a choice in the life of a Christian -- and that we are no longer condemned to give in to temptation and sin -- just as Jesus told the adulterous woman to “go and sin no more,” we now have the ability to choose to do the same

            -- we talked about how the power to choose not to sin was solely dependent on the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives -- as we read in Jude 24, God has the power to keep us from falling -- that means that choosing to not sin is an act of faith in God’s power and ability to overcome our natural bent to sin

            -- apart from the work of Christ in our lives, we have no power over temptation or sin, but it is by grace, through faith, relying on His power and His alone, that we begin to see victory over sin

            -- last week we talked about how we can begin to incorporate the power of the Holy Spirit into our lives by being broken and poured out -- just as Christ was broken and poured out for us on the cross, He commands us through the sacrament of Holy Communion to go forth and do likewise -- to be broken and poured out for Him

            -- to be broken before God means admitting that we cannot take care of our sin on our own -- that we need more than just to have our sins forgiven -- that we need Him to give us the power to overcome temptation and sin in our lives once and for all -- it is at that point that we are broken before him, surrendered and submitted to him, and available to be poured out in his name for this world.

            -- so the progression of belief that is necessary in order to overcome temptation and sin in our lives is as follows:

            1.  Admit that you are capable of sin and that the natural direction in our lives is not towards God, but away from God

            2.  Recognize the source of sin in your life is your sin nature -- the original sin you were born with -- everyone has this -- it is common to all mankind

            3.  Believe that the power of our sin nature -- our flesh -- our “old man” -- has been destroyed by Christ on the cross and now we can choose to not sin through Him

            4.  Be broken before God by submitting to His sanctifying power in our lives -- stop trying to overcome sin through our own strength and will-power -- instead, recognize that we are still powerless before sin, and the only way we can overcome sin is through God’s power in our lives

II.  Scripture Lesson

            -- This morning we’re going to talk about application -- about putting all this together and applying it in our lives -- in other words, how can we put our faith into practice to better overcome temptation and sin?

            -- which brings us to the Book of Proverbs and the passage we opened up with -- Proverbs 4:13-15 -- in this passage, we see some very practical tips on dealing with temptation and sin in our lives -- let’s look back at this passage again

            -- verse 13

13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

            -- “hold on to instruction” -- what instruction is Solomon referring to in this verse? -- primarily, of course, he’s talking about the word of God

            -- in order to overcome temptation and sin, we first have to know what sin is -- and we find that primarily in God’s word -- it is in the Bible that we learn what God wants us to do and what He does not want us to do

            -- several times over in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul gave us lists of what to avoid and what to choose -- for instance, over in Colossians Chapter 3, Paul tells us, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry” and to clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

            -- the Bible is filled with this type of instruction -- that’s a good place to start -- which brings up an important point -- you have to be in the Bible -- you have to actually read God’s word -- to know what God’s word says -- I can’t emphasize that enough -- it is not enough to just hear the Bible read on Sunday morning -- you have to make it part of your life if you want to get serious about defeating sin

            -- Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” -- we need to hide God’s word in our heart -- Solomon calls it “holding on to instruction” in this verse -- that means you have to be reading God’s word daily -- immerse yourself into it and hold on to its teachings

            -- the thing to remember, though, is that the Bible gives us the principles of God -- it won’t cover every situation -- but by knowing the types of things God tells us to get rid of, it provides guidance to help us make right choices in this modern age

            -- and, of course, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us -- giving us His power and His counsel and guidance in situations -- as you submit to Him and trust through faith in His power working within you, you will come to know and hear His voice guiding you and instructing you in what is right and what is not -- Isaiah 30:21 says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “this is the way; walk in it.”

            -- power over temptation and sin begins with knowing what is right and what is not and holding on to this knowledge in your life -- hiding it deep in your heart so you will not sin against God

            -- verse 14

14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.

            -- in other words, be careful with whom you associate -- don’t follow the pattern of other people who are not walking with God

            -- it has been said that you are the sum of your five closest friends -- in other words, you will begin to look like the people you surround yourself with -- in action and attitude and belief

            -- if you spend all your time with people who aren’t following God’s word or trying to choose not to sin, then you’re going to start acting like them -- as the Life Application Bible says, “even friends can make you fall” -- it’s just too easy to go with the crowd and begin doing what they are doing, often without you even knowing it

            -- I’ve seen this lived out in real life at my work place -- a few years ago, we got a new commander who cussed a lot, even in meetings -- honestly, I think he did it because he thought it would make him look tough and manly -- and, it wasn’t long after he got there that I noticed that a lot of the younger military men and women began using the same language -- because their boss was doing it, they began to do it -- you’d hear them cussing in conversations in the hall or around water cooler or out on the jobsite

            -- but when this commander was replaced with another commander who was more professional in his choice of words in meetings and conversation, the overall communication in the squadron improved -- people stopped cussing like sailors in the hallway and in meetings and they started acting more respectful to those around them

            -- it points out what Solomon is saying here -- friends can make you fall, because you will start acting like they act

            -- this is especially hard for young people, who are subjected to so much peer pressure and who are around a lot of people who are not godly individuals -- it’s hard for someone in that situation to confront or criticize their friends because they’re doing wrong things -- and it can be hard to choose to do the right thing and walk away when everyone else is doing something wrong -- that’s where you have to make a hard choice and really depend on the Holy Spirit to give you His power and strength

            -- I heard an interview on Focus on the Family one time with a young man who had started a Bible club at his school -- the person interviewing him asked him how he handled the peer pressure -- how was he able to continue to do what was right while everyone else was pressuring him to do wrong? -- and I loved his response -- he told the interviewer, “In my school, I am the peer pressure” -- in other words, rather than letting the world influence him, he was actively influencing them to the point where they were choosing to follow his lead rather than vice versa -- choose who you are going to be and don’t let anyone negatively influence you

            -- Solomon’s recommendation here is that if your friends are causing you to walk down wicked paths or are causing you to make wrong choices, you need to get away from them and find better friends -- and that goes for all of us

            -- if you are so influenced by the people you are surrounded with, then you need to be very careful who you allow into your life -- you don’t want just anybody to influence you -- and that goes for your attitudes and beliefs, as well as for the things you do

            -- Verse 15

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

            -- avoid temptation, avoid sin -- turn away from it in your life and don’t go near it

            -- here’s a question for you -- do you learn from your sins? -- Are you learning how to avoid sins, so the next time you’re tempted, you are better able to overcome it?

            -- sin is going to happen -- it just is -- but are you learning from your experience?

            -- thinking about this reminded me of the movie, “Groundhog Day” -- I assume if you haven’t seen the movie, at least you’re familiar with the plot -- Bill Murray gets trapped in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on Groundhog Day and he ends up living the same day over and over again -- it’s only when he starts learning from his mistakes and starts improving himself and his life that he’s finally able to get out of this time loop

            -- that’s how we need to approach sin in our lives -- we should look at sin as more than just failure -- we should look at it as an opportunity to grow and move on -- to learn from our mistakes

            -- when you sin, think about what happened -- what were the circumstances? -- what were the particulars that led you to that temptation and that caused you to give into that sin? -- and then think about how you might avoid that situation or that feeling or that action the next time

            -- let me give you an example -- let’s say you’re walking around in your yard today and you fall in a hole -- how are you going to avoid falling in that same hole again? -- you’d probably mark it, so you would be able to walk around it, right? -- or you’d fill it in so it’s not there anymore

            -- same principle with sin -- learn from your mistakes so you can avoid that temptation and sin in the future -- and if what you tried this time didn’t work, try something else

            -- remember the quote from Einstein: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing in the same way and expecting different results” -- if what you’re doing is not working, then change what you are doing

            -- I remember when I was at ABAC, we were in a class on spraying herbicides and pesticides -- the instructor was going over safety principles we should follow to avoid getting the chemicals on us -- he asked if anyone had ever gotten contaminated with chemicals before -- one kid raised his hand and said, “Yeah, every year I end up getting chemicals all over me” -- the teacher said, “That’s just stupid -- why don’t you learn how to do it right so you won’t do it again this year?”

            -- we should learn from our mistakes -- learn from our sins -- If you know an area where you were weak, or if you know something that causes you to stumble or fall, avoid that -- Solomon says, “turn from it and go the other way” -- learn to avoid the temptations in your life

            -- I know I’ve mentioned this guy before, but it’s just such an obvious thing I have to mention it again -- I was counseling a guy who was having a problem with alcohol -- he had lost his job -- he had lost his wife -- and he spent all day drinking -- and his mother asked me to come and talk with him -- so I did and I kept dropping by and checking on him

            -- one day, he was so excited because he had found a job -- guess where? -- a liquor store -- if you have a problem with alcohol, you probably need to avoid liquor stores

            -- whatever sin is hindering you -- whatever sin and temptation in your life that is tripping you up, you need to identify it and avoid it -- the best way to stay out of trouble is to not go where trouble is in the first place

            -- trust the Holy Spirit -- He’ll guide you -- He’ll point out where you’re weak and the conditions that got you in trouble -- and trust that He’ll show you the way out

            -- 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. -- But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

            -- when you are tempted, look for the exit -- avoid the situation -- choose to follow God and the promptings of the Holy Spirit rather than giving in to temptation and sin one more time

III.  Closing

            -- I want to close by sharing with you a story about Rich Mullins -- a lot of you are familiar with the name -- Mullins was a very famous and admired Christian musician and songwriter -- he died in 1997 in a car wreck at the age of 41

            -- Mullins once confessed in a concert that he struggled with watching pornography while traveling alone -- One of his spiritual mentors told him, "It's not that you're so bad, it's just that you're not supposed to go out by yourself."

            -- So Mullins took a friend along with him on a trip to Amsterdam near its famous red-light district -- he said he was hoping his friend would fall fast asleep and start snoring so, as Mullins put it, "I thought, 'Maybe it would be fun to just take a walk and be tempted.'"

            -- so Mullins sat up all night -- he waited until 5:00 in the morning for his friend to start snoring, but he never did -- and while he was waiting -- in the midst of his temptation -- Mullins picked up a notebook and wrote the words to one of his more popular songs, 'Hold Me, Jesus':

    “And I wake up in the night and feel the dark

    It's so hot inside my soul

    I swear there must be blisters on my heart

    So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a leaf

    You have been King of my glory

    Won't You be my Prince of Peace"

[Source: Luke Gilkerson, "'Hold Me Jesus': A Prayer for Porn Addiction," Covenant Eyes, June 17, 2010.]

            -- you see, temptation comes on us all -- that darkness that Mullins spoke of in that song is in each of us -- from the newborn babe in Christ -- the new believer -- all the way to the mature saint and the Christian leader -- there is in all of us this natural bent to disobey God and give in to temptation and sin

            -- but the good news of the Bible is that because of Christ’s death on the cross, we are no longer bound by sin, but we have the ability to choose God over temptation and sin -- before we were Christians, we didn’t have a choice -- sin held sway in our lives -- but now, through the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us, sin has lost its grasp and we no longer have to listen to it or give into temptation and sin -- because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we can choose to do what is right

            -- Solomon gave us some practical tips in this passage to help us do just that:

                        -- hold onto the instruction of the word of God

                        -- be careful who you let influence your life

                        -- and avoid the situations and the conditions that cause you to give into temptation and sin -- as Paul put it to Timothy, “flee from these things”

           

            -- as I close, I want you to know who are you now -- you are the people of God -- you have within you the power of the risen Christ -- you are no longer a person who has no choice but to sin -- instead, Christ has given you the power to choose a better way -- a better path

            -- but it’s something you’ll have to do -- trust in the Holy Spirit’s power within you and avoid the people and places and things that cause you to stumble -- and you’ll find yourself victorious over sin more and more in your life

            -- you don’t have to sin any longer -- freedom is there -- but you have to believe and you have to choose

            -- let us pray