THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

26 May 2013

[Audio]

I.  Introduction
            -- turn in Bibles to Galatians 3:1-5

Galatians 3:1-5 (NIV)

1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing?
5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

            -- this morning we are going to talk about "the law" -- one of the things that confuses Christians more than anything else is what to do with "the law," specifically, the Old Testament law of Moses

            -- are we required to follow the Torah, the law of Moses, or are we exempt from the law?
            -- this question comes up time and time again in my discussions with other people -- what do we do with the law? -- do we just ignore it? -- do we follow it? -- both?
            -- so this morning, since a part of our daily Bible readings were from the section of Galatians where Paul addresses the law to the church of Galatia, I thought it might be a good idea to take a moment and talk about this very issue

            -- now know this is going to be more of a Bible study message -- more theology -- than practical application -- but I think it's important for you to know what the law was and why God gave us the law so we can understand what we are to do with the law in our day and our time

            -- so to get us into today's discussion, let me start by sharing with you a short clip of a commercial from the 2010 Superbowl by Audi
 
            -- "In this ad, the problem with the green police is that they are pursuing a good thing—a healthy environment—in an extreme way. They are well meaning, but overzealous."¹
            -- the exact same thing was going on in Galatia and several of the other churches Paul had established or visited during his missionary journey -- you see, the major issue going on in the church at this time was what do with the Gentiles
            -- remember that Jesus and Paul and all of Jesus' disciples were Jewish -- Jesus was the long-awaited for Jewish Messiah -- and the majority of the believers in Jesus at this time were Jewish -- for them to be a Christian was to be a Jew -- and so when the Gentiles began to come into the church, the question arose, "What do we do with the Gentiles?"
            -- the Jewish believers still followed the law -- they were Jewish -- it was what they knew -- it was what they had believed -- and while they understood the ritualistic part of the Torah -- of the law -- with all of its sacrifices and offerings -- pointed to Jesus, their Messiah, they still followed the law
            -- we read of Paul celebrating the Passover and going to the Temple at Pentecost to fulfill a vow he had made to God -- even Paul, who traveled in Gentile areas and preached the gospel to Gentiles, remained a Jew
            -- so the question came up, "What do we do with the Gentiles? -- Do they have to become Jews to follow Jesus? -- Do they have to follow the law to follow Jesus?"
            -- some people, like Paul and Peter, had seen the Holy Spirit come upon Gentile believers and believed strongly in grace through faith alone -- that people are justified and saved apart from the law of Moses -- in other words, they believed the Gentiles did not have to become Jews and be circumcised to be saved

            -- however, another group of Jewish believers known as the Judaizers, believed the Gentiles had to become Jews to be part of the church -- they were insistent the Gentiles had to be circumcised and must follow all the laws of Moses if they were going to be Christians
            -- these Judaizers were kind of like the Green Police in that commercial I showed you -- they were well-meaning -- they were motivated by what they thought was right and were taking it to extremes -- they started visiting the Gentile churches and teaching them that they had to become Jews and follow all the laws of Moses if they wanted to be saved
            -- you can imagine how confusing this was to the Gentile converts -- they didn't know who to believe -- Paul or the Judaizers -- Paul would go back and visit a church he had established and find the Gentiles all living like Jews, following the same Jewish law and all its precepts that had failed to save the Jewish people for two thousand years
            -- this question of what to do with the Gentiles -- what to do with the law -- resulted in the first major conflict in the church and the first church council, which you can read about in Acts 15 if you are so inclined
            -- but for our purposes, just suffice it to say that this letter to the church of Galatia was written because of this very same situation -- Paul had started this church and gotten it off on a good foot, but now he is getting word that the Judaizers had come and corrupted his teachings and the Galatian Christians were now trying to follow the law instead of living on the grace Paul had taught them
            -- so here in this passage, Paul addresses the law and the purpose of the law and lays out very clearly for us what the law does and does not do for Christians

 II.  Bewitched by Bondage

            -- let's look back again briefly at Paul's opening statement to the Galatians on this matter at the start of Chapter 3 and then we'll go over to the passage I wanted us to focus on this morning

            -- look back at verse 1 and let's read this together again

Galatians 3:1-5 (NIV)

1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
4 Have you suffered so much for nothing--if it really was for nothing?
5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

            -- you can clearly see Paul's concern with the effects of the Judaizers on the Galatian church -- he asks them who had bewitched them? -- who had come in and fooled them and led them away from the truth?

            -- he had preached to them Christ crucified -- he had preached to them justification by faith through grace, with nothing else required -- no law -- no works -- no man-made religion
            -- but now the Galatians were trying to put themselves back under the yoke of the law -- by listening to the Judaizers, they are subjecting themselves back into bondage once again -- so Paul goes into a lengthy discussion of the original promise of God to Abraham, the purpose of the law, and the freedom we enjoy through grace in Christ
 
            -- obviously, we don't have time to go into all of this today, but I want to encourage you to go back and read all of Chapter 3 this week to look at what God is telling us about grace and the Promise and the law through Paul's writings
            -- so let's skip down to verse 23 and we'll just look at verses 23 through 29 to synopsize what Paul is teaching in this passage

III.  What it was like under the Law

            -- verse 23-24a

Galatians 3:23-29 (NIV)

23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ
 
            -- in these verses we are reminded of what we were under the law -- in other words this is how the Jews lived before the coming of Jesus as their Messiah
            -- Paul gives us two examples of what it was like under the law:

            -- first, he likens the law to a prison -- he tells us that before faith came, we were held prisoner by the law, locked up until faith and freedom should be revealed -- in other words we were put in prison so we might know we were not free
            -- a lot of people who are not Christians go through this life thinking they are free -- they tell me they don't want to be in a religion where they have to be told what they can and can't do -- "We're free," they say, "We can do whatever we want."

            -- but that's not really true -- they live under a facade of freedom -- in reality, they are bound up with heavy chains
            -- it is this type of freedom that leads to the moral declines we've seen in our country over the last several decades -- it is this type of freedom that results in promiscuity and sexual immorality -- it is this type of freedom that results in addictions to drugs and alcohol and material things -- it is this type of freedom that results in slavery to the desires and impulses that control them
            -- so Paul tells us the law was put in place to make us aware of the prison we were in -- the law was given to show us the chains that held us and to make us long for the freedom that comes through faith -- to make us hope for the promise God gave to Abraham of a new and better life with Him
            -- it's like C.S. Lewis said -- people have to be taught they are sinners before they can repent of their sins and turn to Christ -- the law was put in place to show Israel their need for a Savior

            -- the second example of what it was like under the law is found in verse 24 -- Paul tells us the "law was put in charge to lead us to Christ" -- the term Paul uses here to describe the law being put in charge is the Greek word paidagogos -- this is the word we get our English word pedagogue -- another name for school teacher -- from

            -- in Paul's day a paidagogos was an old and trusted slave who was given responsibility for the guardianship and moral and social development of a minor  -- one of the primary tasks of the paidagogos was to take the child to a teacher for daily instruction and then to usher him back home again at the end of the day -- guarding him and protecting him and putting bounds on his behavior until he could lead him safely back home again -- the paidagogos was like a chaperone who made sure the child followed the rules until he was old enough and mature enough to step into the freedom of adulthood
            -- in both cases the purpose of the law was to protect the Israelites -- to guard them with velvet chains and to point them to the future redemption and freedom promised by God to Abraham
            -- but still, Paul argued, the law was bondage -- the law was not the point -- following the law was not the point -- the ultimate purpose of God was for man to become mature in his knowledge of God and to step into the grace of justification and redemption through faith in Jesus' atoning death and resurrection
            -- and if this is the case, why would you willingly put yourself back into chains? -- if you have tasted freedom, why would you return to the cage?

IV.  Who we are in Grace

            -- look back at the second part of verse 24b-29

24b. That we might be justified by faith.

25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

            -- having established what we used to be under the law, Paul now reminds the Galatians of who we are in Christ by listing out six aspects of our freedom from the law

            1.  We are justified by faith

            -- justification through faith and not by works is a central tenet of Paul and the foundation of Christianity -- the law could not save -- it could only point to the need for salvation -- it could only keep us within the bounds of God's grace until the cross
            -- but now that the cross has come --  now that Jesus has died for our sins and risen on the third day, we are saved by grace through faith in Him
            -- to be justified means the law has been fulfilled -- this is a legal term implying a complete acquittal from charges in a court of law -- through faith we are declared righteous and stand acquitted of every charge that might be brought against us
            -- it's like the old saying, to be justified is to be just as if I never sinned

            2.  No longer under the supervision of the law

            -- no longer bound by the law -- either as a prisoner or as a student protected by our paidagogos -- instead we are freed by grace and led by Christ
            -- we no longer look to the law to tell us what to do and what not to do -- instead we are led by our relationship with Jesus -- as we grow in grace and become more like Jesus -- as we listen to the Holy Spirit as He speaks through the Bible and through prayer, circumstances, and the church, we learn to follow His guidance and His direction apart from any written law
            -- where formerly the Jews had the Torah -- the written law of God given to Moses -- we now have the law of God written on our hearts
            -- we are directed by Christ and not the law

            3.  Sons of God or, if you like, the sons and daughters of God

            -- some translations of the Bible render verse 26 as "the children of God" instead of the "sons of God" -- but there's a reason Paul used the word "sons" in this passage
            -- the word son refers to the relationship we have with the Father -- it refers to the protection and guidance of a member of the family until the child matures and accepts their responsibilities as members of that family
            -- there's a difference between chaperoning a child and chaperoning a son -- with a son, there is a vested interest in the eventual outcome -- with a child or with many children, your goals are different -- you just want to get them home safely
            -- yesterday my mother was talking about chaperoning children on school trips and how she would stay up all night and roam the hallways of the motel to make sure the kids were following rules and staying in their rooms and not straying from the written law
            -- but I can tell you, I have been on trips with her as the chaperone, and the way she chaperoned me was different from the way she chaperoned the others -- while she was responsible for the safety of all the children, she had a vested interest in the way I acted because it reflected on the family and on who I would become as an adult
            -- Paul is trying to point out here that God put the law in place as our paidagogos -- not just to keep us safe -- but to ensure we were raised right -- to point us to freedom and to the promised redemption through Jesus

            4.  Clothed with Christ through baptism

            -- the term baptism in verse 27 refers to our union with Christ -- when we come to Christ in faith it results in the death of our old self and our birth as a new creation -- when Paul talks about baptism here, he is referring to the internal renewal of our spirits through grace rather than the outward act of water baptism
            -- think about what Paul is arguing in this passage in Galatians -- he is arguing against works -- against the law -- and for the grace and freedom that comes through a relationship with Jesus
            -- to promote the external act of baptism as the means of grace would have made Paul guilty of the same thing he was condemning the Judaizers for, namely adding works and the law to salvation
            -- Paul is trying to make the point that we are saved inwardly when we receive the baptism of our hearts through faith rather than following man-made rituals

            5.  One with Christ and with each other

            -- the Judaizers were making a big deal about being Jewish, to the point where they were telling Gentiles they had to become Jews in order to be saved
            -- Paul says, "not true" -- when you are a Christian, there is no race -- there is no Jew or Greek -- in fact all distinctions fade -- there are no distinctions between race or rank or gender -- we are all one in Christ and one with each other
            -- the Jew is no better than the Gentile -- the owner is no better than his slave -- a man is no better than a woman -- we are all the same, redeemed by grace and members of God's family

            6.  Heirs of  the promise

            -- here Paul goes back to his original point -- it's not about the law -- it's about the promise -- the promise God made to Abraham 430 years before Moses was given the law at Mount Sinai
            -- God made a promise to Abraham and to his descendants that was based on faith and not law
            -- we couldn't come into this promise -- we couldn't receive our inheritance or our righteousness -- through the law
            -- we only receive the promise through faith as Abraham's descendants in the faith
            -- in other words Paul finishes up this passage by saying the law can't deliver on the promise of God -- all it can do is point to the promise and to the need of a Savior
            -- faith -- the same faith Abraham had when he trusted and believed in God -- is what makes us one with Christ and heirs of the promise

V.  Closing

            -- I have recently become a fan of Duck Dynasty and I've been watching a lot of old shows trying to catch up on the series -- the last episode I watched focused on teaching Willie's daughter Sadie how to drive
            -- and as I watched the show, I realized it was an excellent example of what Paul was trying to show us in this passage about the law     
            -- think for a minute about driving -- when it comes to driving, there are rules in place -- there are laws that we have to follow -- these laws, for example speed limits, were put in place, not to punish us, but to keep us safe from others and to modify our behavior behind the wheel so we might not be a danger to others
            -- well, Willie wanted to teach his daughter Sadie how to drive and, of course, because this is a TV show, everyone had to get involved and each of them had a different idea how to reach the goal of Sadie learning how to drive
 
           -- it started off with Willie -- Willie put Sadie in his truck in the parking lot and had her try to parallel park and drive through an obstacle course -- but rather than just teach her to drive, he was also telling her she had to follow all the laws -- she had to use blinkers and put on her seatbelt and every little thing that goes along with driving -- rather than show her how to drive, Willie focused on the rules represented the law
            -- Willie represented the Torah -- the Law -- he was just like the judaizers -- he was trying to get Sadie to follow the letter of the law -- he even added laws to the laws -- at one point, while they were driving around the parking lot, he told Sadie she was doing good and to text her mother to let her know how good she was doing -- when she reached for her phone, he yelled, "No, that was a trap -- never text while you are driving"
            -- Uncle Si took over and immediately left the parking lot with Sadie to show her what driving was really like -- while he was showing her, he was driving really fast and not paying attention -- when Sadie pointed out the speed limit was 35 and he was driving 55, he told her that the speed limit was just a suggestion -- as Paul points out in this passage in Galatians, one of the purposes of the law was to make us aware of our transgressions -- to show us when we were straying from God's word -- by driving haphazardly -- by not being careful and by showing Sadie the danger of now following the rules, Si actually made her aware of the law but couldn't give her the solution
            -- Finally, Willie's brother Jase took Sadie out to the woods and put her in a Polaris off-road vehicle -- he told her to not worry about the rules -- to just trust her instincts -- she asked him about putting her hands at 10 and 2 and he said out here in the woods, there are no written rules -- only freedom
            -- but even though they weren't following the written driving rules, as Sadie was driving he would caution her to slow down or watch out for trees and to stay out of the ditch -- Jase represented grace
            -- grace does not do away with the law, but fulfills the law through Christ which is exactly the point Paul was making in this passage

            -- it comes down to this -- as a Christian we are not bound by the written laws of the Old Testament -- we don't have to follow all the ritualistic and moral laws -- we don't have to get home each night and pull out our law book and check to make sure that we've not crossed the line and broken any of the laws of Moses

            -- however, just because we are a Christian does not mean we have the ability to flaunt our nose at God's commands -- this doesn't mean we aren't supposed to do what is right and stay away from what is wrong
            -- the difference is that instead of following a written law, we follow the law of grace that is written on our hearts
            -- instead of worrying about whether we tithe 10% of our gross or 10% of our net, we instead look to our hearts and give an offering with thankfulness because of what Jesus has done for us
            -- instead of checking the written law to see what it says in a given situation, we ask ourselves, "What would Jesus do?" and we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and trust in grace without the fear of condemnation because our sins have been forgiven
            -- as Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them"
            -- the law was fulfilled on the cross -- the chains were broken -- and we are no longer bound by the written Torah
 
            -- so what do we do with the Law? -- if you would, turn over to Matthew 22:37 and we'll answer that question there as we close

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

            -- what do we do with the law? -- this is what we do -- as Christians, redeemed by grace and justified through faith, we follow the law of our heart and the two commandments Christ gave us in this passage and nothing more

            -- let us pray

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¹Craig Brian Larson, editor, PreachingToday.com

 

SERMON: SHAPED BY THE SPIRIT

[Audio File]

18 May 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to John 14:16-26

John 14:16-26 (NIV)

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--

17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

            -- a few weeks ago I was sitting in the living room doing some work on the computer when I heard this little tapping on a window near me -- it just kept on and on, and at first I thought maybe it was the wind blowing a limb against the house -- but then Brooke's cat heard it and climbed up on the back of the couch to listen and I could tell there was something there by the way she was acting

            -- so I quietly made my way over to the window and peaked over the edge of the couch -- and sitting there on the window sill was a Carolina wren -- Brooke's cat had torn the screen on the window one day when we left it open, and this wren had found the opening and was in the process of building a nest between the screen and the glass of the window

            -- a few days later I snuck around outside to peek in the nest and the mother bird flew away, letting me see the four eggs she had laid in the nest -- we left the nest undisturbed until the young fledged and flew away
            -- I really like birds -- I like to watch them and to hear them singing in the trees -- I know Brooke's cat felt differently about it, but it made me feel special that this wren decided to move into our home and share her life with us -- to be a small part of our family, if just for a little while
            -- that's really what today is all about -- God sharing His life with us through the Holy Spirit

            -- as you probably know, today is the Day of Pentecost -- the last day of the Easter Season in the church -- the day when we celebrate the giving of the Holy Spirit to the church of Christ following His ascension

            -- it was on the Day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit moved in to our bodily homes so that He might share His life and His power and His presence with us -- and if the mere presence of a small bird nesting on the window sill of my home brought me such pleasure, how much more pleasure should I feel knowing the Holy Spirit has taken up residence within me?

            -- as I'm sure you all remember from Acts 2, after Jesus left the disciples and ascended up to heaven, the disciples were all gathered together in one place praying and studying God's word
            -- all of a sudden the room where they were at was filled with the sound of a rushing wind and what seemed like tongues of fire came in and fell on each of them -- immediately, they were indwelt with the Holy Spirit and they began to express the power of God through prophecy and the speaking of tongues
            -- they rushed out into the street -- Peter preached his first public sermon and over three thousand people were convicted of their sins and turned to Jesus for salvation
            -- what made the difference in the lives of these disciples? -- what changed them from just being followers of Jesus to becoming people that the Romans said were turning the world upside down? -- what led them to abandon all for the sake of Christ? -- to endure persecution and hardships -- to experience joys and fruitfulness in their ministries -- to walk hard paths and experience everything from the valley of discouragement to the mountaintop of success?

            -- there can only be one answer -- on that day in Jerusalem -- the first day of Pentecost following the ascension of Jesus -- something happened -- Someone happened

            -- they were filled with the Spirit and forever shaped by Holy Wind into something abnormal -- people who didn't look or act or believe like those around them but who marched to a different beat and followed a different drummer
            -- we shouldn't be surprised at this -- because this is just what Jesus promised His disciples here in this passage from John 14
            -- before the cross -- before the arrest in Gethsemane -- before the beatings and the persecution and Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send Someone to be with them forever -- Someone who would dwell with them and in them and who would shape them through His power and presence into the people that God wanted them to be

II.  Scripture Lesson (John 14:16-26)

            -- let's take a moment and look back at this passage again as we celebrate this Day of Pentecost together

            -- turn back to John 14:16-17a

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--

17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

            -- this passage takes place in the context of the upper room on the night that Jesus was betrayed -- Jesus has already shared the Last Supper with His disciples and washed their feet -- Judas has left to go to the temple to betray Him -- and Jesus is sharing a few final thoughts with His disciples before they leave the upper room to go to the Garden of Gethsemane

            -- Jesus knows exactly what is fixing to happen -- He knows this will be the last time that He will be with His disciples before the resurrection -- He knows that after His arrest and death that they will be scattered and frightened and feel like they have been left all alone -- so He comforts them in the passage and tells them He will not leave them alone -- He will send His Holy Spirit to live with them and in them
 
            -- the word that Jesus uses here to describe the Holy Spirit is the Greek word, "parakletos" -- our Bibles translate this as counselor, comforter, advocate, or even as paraclete
            -- Jesus' use of this word here gives us an insight into the purpose and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives -- in His day, someone called a paraclete would do one of three things, all of which the Holy Spirit does for us

            -- first, a paraclete was a legal advocate for someone -- they were the counsel for defense -- in other words, a paraclete was the person who stood by another person's side and defended them in a court of law

            -- when Satan accuses us and tries to condemn us before God -- it is the Holy Spirit who stands up and defends us
            -- when the devil whispers words of guilt and discouragement and doubt into our minds, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks to our hearts and tells us the truth -- it is the Spirit who reminds us that we are forgiven -- that the price has been paid and that we are redeemed through the blood of Christ -- it is the Spirit who tells us we are loved with an everlasting love -- it is the Spirit who tells us the truth when the world whispers lies
            -- the Holy Spirit advocates on our behalf -- He defends us from the attacks of this world and the evil one

            -- second, a paraclete could be an intercessor -- someone who intercedes or who speaks on behalf of someone else

            -- we normally think of prayer when we hear the word intercessor, but the true definition refers to anyone who speaks on behalf of another person -- of course, in this case, it refers to the Spirit speaking to the Father on our behalf
            -- in Romans 8:26-27, Paul wrote that the Spirit intercedes for us in accordance with God's will -- he says that the Spirit helps us in our weakness -- that when we don't even have the words -- when we don't even know what to pray -- the Spirit prays for us with groans that words cannot even express

            -- finally, a paraclete could be a general term for a helper -- for someone who stood in and assisted another person -- usually not in the role of a servant -- but in the role of a peer who was willing to give of their time and energy to help another person in their life

            -- we are told in the Bible that God has gifted all of with at least one spiritual gift -- if you read these passages in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, or 1 Peter 4 -- you will quickly see that these are not talents that God gives us, but rather, these are the actual manifestations of the Spirit within us
            -- in other words, we're not the ones doing anything -- it is the Spirit within us who helps us to manifest the power of God in our lives -- the best way to think of spiritual gifts in a person is to think of a glove -- a glove is powerless on its own -- it can't do anything -- until you put a hand in it -- we are the glove and the Holy Spirit is the hand -- and it is only through Him working through us that we ever accomplish anything for God

            -- now, if you were to take all of these definitions and roll them together, you would begin to see the overall picture of ministry that the Holy Spirit takes in our life -- He is Counselor and Comforter and Advocate -- He is the One who shapes the church and gives life and power to it

            -- look back at the second part of Verse 17

17b. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

            -- so, who is this Spirit of truth Jesus speaks of here in this passage?

            -- a lot of people are confused by the Holy Spirit -- they just don't understand Him -- a lot of people just kind of ignore Him -- we talk about God the Father and we talk Jesus -- but we really don't talk a lot about the Spirit -- for that reason Francis Chan calls Him, "The Forgotten God"
            -- but, Jesus explains who the Spirit is right here in these verses -- the Spirit is nothing else but the Spirit of the living God within us -- the third person of the Trinity -- God Himself dwelling with us

            -- you see, when Jesus was on earth, He was fully God and fully man -- He allowed Himself to be bound in human flesh -- and, in a very real sense, this limited His power on earth -- Paul says in Philippians 2 that Jesus willingly laid aside His power and His glory, taking the form of a man and the nature of a servant, and came to earth on our behalf

            -- as a man, Jesus had the same limitations as us -- He was bound in one place at one time -- He couldn't be in multiple places -- He couldn't heal everyone -- He couldn't speak to everyone who needed Him -- not because He didn't have the ability -- but because as a man He was limited in what He could do
            -- Jesus knew we needed Him with us -- but He also knew that we needed someone who could be with all of us, all the time -- someone who could be everywhere, at every place -- and so, He chose to come back and indwell us as the Holy Spirit -- not bound by human flesh -- but with the ability and the power to change the world by touching many people at the same time

            -- verse 18

18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

            -- can you imagine the heartbreak and confusion of the disciples as they heard Jesus' words in this passage? -- for three years they had been as close with Jesus as anyone in that day could -- for three years they had lived with Him, day and night, sharing His meals, listening to His teachings, watching His ministry unfold -- most of them believed Him to be their Messiah, even if they misunderstood what the Messiah's true role was to be -- He had become their all in all -- their world -- their life

            -- and now Jesus is telling them He is going away -- He is going to physically leave them and the world would not be able to see Him any longer -- but He tells them they would see Him through His Spirit within them -- that even though He has left, He is going to come to them again -- He is going to show Himself to them and when He returns as the Spirit, they will be one with Him as He is one with the Father
            -- this reminds me of the story of the great Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen -- Amundsen was the first to discover the South Pole and the magnetic meridian of the North Pole -- on one of his trips Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him -- when he finally reached the top of the world, he released the pigeon and sent it back home to Norway
            -- imagine the delight of Amundsen's wife back in Norway when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling overhead -- no doubt the first thought in her mind was, "He's alive!"
            -- that's what Jesus is telling the disciples here -- I am leaving you --you won't be able to see me in the normal way, but you will see me through My Holy Spirit and you will know I am with you
            -- just as the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus as a dove when He was baptized, the Spirit would descend on His disciples through a physical manifestation -- with a mighty rushing wind and in tongues of fire --so they might exclaim to the world, "He's alive!"

            -- one more thing I want to point out here -- notice in verse 18 that Jesus says "I will come to you" -- the Holy Spirit is Jesus -- just not in human form -- as He implies in verse 20, all three persons of the Trinity -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- are all interconnected -- they are three in one -- and they dwell within us to empower us and shape us and form us in this life

            -- verse 21-26

21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"

23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

            -- how do you know if you have the Holy Spirit within you? -- the answer is clear -- if you obey God -- if you follow His commands -- then you have the Spirit within you

            -- Henry Blackaby points out that "obedience is the outward expression of your love for God" and that if you have an obedience problem, you really have a relationship problem -- if you don't obey God and do His will, it is an indication you don't have a relationship with the Father

            -- the Holy Spirit is evidence of our faith -- He is proof that we belong to the Father

            -- in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Paul tells us that God put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit -- as a seal of our inheritance
            -- if you have been saved -- if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior -- the moment you receive Him you are indwelt with His presence as the Holy Spirit
            -- and it is the Holy Spirit within you who enables you to obey God's commands and to truly love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength
            -- that doesn't mean that Christians don't sin -- we all sin -- but it means that now, we have Someone within us who can lead us to obedience when we are tempted if we just follow His teaching and do what He tells us to do
            -- Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey Him -- the only way we can do that is through the power of the Spirit within us -- the Spirit gives us the power to choose obedience rather than disobedience -- to choose to turn away from temptation and sin rather than to blindly give in to the evil desires of our hearts
            -- it is the Spirit who teaches us to follow Christ -- it is the Spirit who reminds us of the Word of God and what we should do when we are tempted -- and it is the Spirit within us who walks alongside us -- who forms us and shapes us through His power and presence and transforms us into new creations as we follow seek to follow Jesus

III. CLOSING

            -- I heard the story about two guys from south Georgia who were traveling together on vacation -- they had decided to see each of the great natural wonders in the United States and were headed to Niagara Falls
            -- as they got out of the car following the beautiful drive from Lake Erie to the falls, they were filled with awe at the size and power of the Niagara River -- it was so much larger and so much more impressive than anything we have down here
            -- they were really impressed with the rapids just above the falls and the massive mist cloud that always hangs over the drop-off -- and the roaring thunder of the falls as they hit the rocks below
            -- one of the men said, "Just look at that -- That has to be the greatest unused power in the world"
            -- the other guy replied, "No, I think you're wrong -- the greatest unused power in the world is the Holy Spirit of the living God"

            -- in the Christian life, we are not called to be passive responders to the presence of God -- but rather, we are called to be active participants -- the Bible tells us that we are to be holy as God is holy -- but this implies a responsibility on our part

            -- Albert Einstein once wrote that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing every time but expecting different results
            -- if we want to see the same power that God expressed through Peter and the disciples on that first Day of Pentecost -- if we want to see this world turned upside down for God -- if we want to see our lives and the lives of those around us changed for the better -- then we can't keep doing what we've been doing -- we have to do something different -- we have to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us

            -- the Holy Spirit is the great power in our lives -- but we have to connect to Him -- we have to open ourselves up to His presence -- we have to listen when He speaks -- we have to do what He says -- or nothing will ever change in our lives or in this world

            -- so, this morning, as we close in prayer -- I want to ask you to respond to God's word -- to open yourself up to the Holy Spirit who is within you -- ask Him to fill you with His presence -- ask Him to give you His wisdom and understanding -- ask Him to speak truth in your life -- and ask Him to empower you so that you might be all you can for Christ

            -- let us pray

THE BENEFITS OF KNOWING GOD

                                                                        12 May 2013
[Audio Link:  http://www.churchcloud.com/koinonia/sermon/the-benefits-of-knowing-god/]

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Psalm 103:1-5

 Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV)

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

            -- I was reading a book by Anne Lamott this week and ran across a story that really hit home -- Anne said she was driving by a carpet store and noticed a bin of remnants outside -- one of the remnants was the exact color they had been looking for to put in her children's Sunday school room -- so she went in and paid the owner $50 for the rug and dropped it off at the church

            -- the next day she got a call from a lady at the church -- the remnant had a moldy area in the middle and they didn't want to risk having it in the Sunday school room with asthmatic children so they went ahead and returned it to the store
            -- Anne asked if they had gotten her money back, and the woman said the owner couldn't refund their money because his bookkeeper wasn't there at the time -- so Anne said she would drop by and pick up the money
            -- when she got there and told the owner she needed to get her money back, the owner said someone had already picked it up, which Anne knew was not true -- Anne left and called several people and they all affirmed they hadn't received the money, but still the owner refused to refund the money, despite making several trips back to the store
            -- to make a long story short, Anne got mad -- it wasn't fair -- here she was doing this for her church and this man was cheating her and lying to her -- she just kept getting angrier and angrier until she lashed out verbally at the man -- still he refused to give her the money
            -- and as she left the store, ashamed at her behavior and what this man's actions had driven her to do, she had a momentary thought about Jesus -- what was Jesus doing while she railed at the carpet owner? -- was He standing there beside her, "embarrassed to tears, like when your kid has a tantrum in public"?¹

            -- I thought a lot about that story this week, because I've been there and done that, too -- I've thrown my own little hissy fit in a store when things weren't going my way -- when I was either being cheated or being lied to or not being served the way I felt like I should -- I don't know -- maybe you've never done that -- but I certainly have

            -- and it never crossed my mind at the time as to how Jesus saw it -- that maybe He was standing there -- watching me -- disappointed in me and how I was acting -- embarrassed that one of His kids would act that way
            -- as I was thinking about all of this this week, I had to ask myself, "Why? -- Why would a grown adult -- a grown Christian adult -- act like this? -- especially in public -- especially in front of people who may not be Christians?"
            -- I think it comes down to being spoiled -- to thinking I deserved things done in my way and my time and when it didn't happen like I thought it should, then I was justified in throwing my little fit
            -- I think ultimately it comes down to forgetting who I am in the whole scheme of things and where my blessings come from
            -- to be honest, we have a problem in our American churches today -- we've become so accustomed to living the good life that we've forgotten the source of our blessings -- we just take them for granted, and forget that all that we have and all that we are come from the Lord God Almighty
            -- and when that happens, we forget God -- we still have Him with us -- we carry Him like a spare tire in the trunk and pull Him out when we need Him -- but we just take His blessings for granted -- acting like these blessings were given because we deserved them -- and then getting upset when the rest of the world doesn't afford us the same distinction

II.  Scripture Lesson (Psalm 103:1-5)

            -- King David was certainly a man who understood exactly what I'm talking about -- he had been blessed in his life beyond comprehension -- he had gone from being a shepherd boy -- the smallest and least significant member of his family -- to being the leader of the entire nation of Israel
            -- but, just like Anne -- just like me -- David started taking these blessings for granted -- he felt they were deserved and that he should be able to get anything he wanted at any time, no matter whether it was right or not
            -- I believe it was this feeling of superiority -- I believe it was because David became spoiled -- that he did what he did with Bathsheba -- taking another man's wife simply because he saw her and wanted her and felt like he deserved her
            -- and the consequences of that sin resulted in David's kingdom being shaken and David losing position and prestige and power -- it was only later, after David repented and turned back to God, that he was restored to his position as king of Israel
            -- and in this Psalm, I see the outpouring of a changed and repentant heart -- a man who used to take for granted the blessings of God as his own right but who now recognizes that all that he has comes from the hand of God and he praises God here for all that He has done
            -- so, I wanted to take a moment to look at the beginning of this Psalm to remind us of the blessings of God on our lives -- to remember that these blessings flow from His grace and not from ours -- that, as Rick Warren pointed out in his book, "The Purpose Driven Life," "it's not about us" -- it's about God

            -- look back with me now at Psalm 103, verse 1

Psalm 103:1-2 (NIV)

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--

            -- I heard about this man who had gone to see the horses run at the race track -- as he was watching the horses come out, a Catholic priest stopped one of the jockeys and sprinkled water on the head of the horse -- when the race started, that horse took off like greased lightning and won the race hands down

            -- so the man waited to place his bet on the next race till he saw what the priest was going to do -- the priest came out and sprinkled water on horse number six, so the man went and bet all he had on that horse
            -- the race started, and horse number six barely made it out of the gate before the other horses had finished the race
            -- the man was very upset and went down to see the priest and find out what had happened -- the priest heard his complaint and said, "You must be a protestant" -- the man replied, "Well, I am, but what does that have to do with anything?" -- the priest explained, "You don't understand Catholic worship -- That's why you didn't know I blessed the first horse with speed and grace, but I was giving the second horse his last rites"

            -- I wonder if people came into our churches today if they would be able to tell whether we were blessing the Lord in our service or giving the last rites -- in other words, are we truly praising God when we come to church or are simply going through the motions?

            -- David had been in a place where he had simply gone through the motions -- the vibrant relationship he had with God had been replaced with a stale religion -- and although it looked on the surface like he was still praising God -- his heart was far away
            -- but now, as he pours out his heart in this Psalm, we see a David who is worshiping and praising God with his whole being -- David cries out, "Praise the Lord, O my soul and all that is within -- Praise the Lord, O my soul"
            -- David has remembered what God has done for him and he no longer takes his blessings for granted -- he cries out to the Lord in true thankfulness and praise and gives God the glory and the honor and the blessing for who He is and for all that He has done
            -- and David reminds himself -- and us -- don't forget all His benefits -- don't forget what God has done -- don't forget how He has blessed you -- not because you deserved it -- but because our God is a good and loving God who wants to bless us and who literally moves heaven and earth on our behalf
            -- remember what God has done and praise Him for it

            -- verse 3

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

            -- starting here in verse 3, David goes over some of the benefits of knowing God -- a list of the blessings that pour out from the throne of God into our lives that we should praise God for each and every day

            -- the first thing David tells us is to praise God for forgiving all your sins

            -- when's the last time you thanked God for your salvation -- when's the last time you thanked God for the cross -- for forgiving you of your sins?
            -- I hate to say this, but as Christians, especially as Christians who have been saved for several years, we tend to take our forgiveness for granted -- we tend to look at it as an act of the past
            -- we might go to God and ask Him to forgive sins we committed today -- we might go to Him in confession and repentance because of something we recently did -- but how often do we take time to go to God and say, "God, thank you for saving me from my sins -- thank you for the cross -- thank you for forgiving me"
            -- David reminds us here to praise God daily for our forgiveness -- it is a reminder of what God has done and continues to do for us -- David tells us here that God has forgiven "all" our sins -- not just the sins of the past -- but those sins we are going to commit today -- tomorrow -- next week
            -- those sins are already covered by the blood of Jesus -- already forgiven -- already forgotten -- look down at verse 12

Psalm 103:12 (NIV)

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

            -- all our transgression -- all our sins -- have been removed from us and forgiven through the grace of God

            -- next David tells us to praise God because He heals all our diseases -- emotional, physical, spiritual

            -- this verse does not mean that God heals of all sickness -- no where in the Bible are we told that God always heals sickness -- remember that God's focus is on eternity and on shaping your character and nature and spirit to live in His kingdom forever
            -- this blessing is tied to the previous blessing of the forgiveness  of all our sins -- God's healing is part of that forgiveness and often involves the consequences of those sins
           -- sometimes that means He allows us to suffer the consequences of physical illness to grow us in grace and reinforce our repentance, much as the physical discipline of our children is meant to reinforce their obedience
            -- sometimes God's healing is merely internal, as we learn to release the bitterness of sin and anger and unforgiveness and experience the life-cleansing flow of peace and healing from God's grace
            -- sometimes our healing is freedom from sin and the filling of our lives with His presence -- whatever the need -- whatever the real need -- God touches us there and blesses us with healing for eternity

            -- verse 4

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

            -- David continues his list by telling us to praise God because He redeems our lives from the pit

            -- the pit means the grave, so this verse literally means we are redeemed from the bondage of death -- we tend to forget the cross of Calvary resulted in two great expressions of God's grace in our life
            -- first, we were forgiven of our sins as Jesus paid the price for them through His own suffering and death -- through His atoning death on the cross He paid the penalty that was due us because of our disobedience to God -- as the Bible puts it, He who knew no sin became sin for us
            -- but, second, as this verse points out, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day as a promise of eternal life for us -- not only was the penalty for sin paid, but the chains of death that bound us were shattered and our lives were redeemed from the pit
            -- no more does death hold us in chains -- no more do we have to fear what happens when we die -- no more do we have to grieve as the world does at the loss of a loved one -- instead we can praise God because of His redeeming grace

            -- this verse continues with the command to praise God because He crowns us with love and compassion
            -- what does it mean to be crowned with love? -- it means that as we experience God's agape love in our lives, we pour it out to those around us -- Jesus said the world would know us -- not because we put a sign up above our door and call ourselves a church -- not because we put little Jesus fish on the back of our car and wear Christian t-shirts -- not because we come to church on Sunday -- no, Jesus said the world would know us because of our love
            -- we love because He first loved us -- and it is His love that enables us to love the unloveable -- to love our neighbors as ourselves -- to have compassion on those who are mistreated -- to pour out God's grace to the widows and the orphans and the least of these
            -- to be crowned with love and compassion means we love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength and we love our neighbors as ourselves -- it means we are known because of our love -- that when people see us they see the love of Christ flowing through us to them

            -- verse 5

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

            -- David tells us to praise God because He satisfies our desires with good things

            -- God wants to bless us -- God wants us to be happy -- God wants us to enjoy life -- as Jesus said in John 10:10, "I have come that you might have life and have it to the full"
            -- a lot of people look at God and think all He wants to do is take away our fun -- all He wants to do is tell us what we can't do -- but they never consider the fact that God enjoys blessing us with good things
            -- remember that the desires you have all originate from God because He loves us and wants us to be blessed -- it is only when we seek to meet these desires in ungodly ways that sin enters our lives
            -- James tells us that every good and perfect thing comes down to us from the Father of light -- everything you have that you enjoy is a blessing from God -- whether that's material things or whether we are talking about your family or your health or your skills or talents -- all that you have -- all that you possess -- is a blessing from God and we should always go to God and praise Him for all that He has done for us

            -- finally, David tells us to praise God because He has renewed our youth like the eagle's

            -- I guess it's a symptom of growing older, but several times over the past few weeks I've made the statement that I wish I was in my twenties again, knowing what I know now -- as some have said, "youth is wasted on the young" -- and we spend a lot of lives trying to recapture our youth
            -- think about Ponce de Leon -- he came to Florida in the 1500's because he was searching for the mythical spring called "the Fountain of Youth" -- this spring supposedly restored youth to whoever drank or bathed in its waters
            -- Ponce de Leon came to Florida hoping to find this spring and regain his youth, but he ended up dying as a result of a battle with the native Americans -- Ponce de Leon was searching for something that he couldn't find on his own -- David tells us here the only way our youth can be renewed is through the grace of God
            -- God's unfailing love renews our youth -- maybe not our physical youth -- but our spiritual youth -- I read one time that all of man's searches were a longing for a return to Eden -- to the relationship we once enjoyed there with the Father and of the innocence of youth that was lost as a result of sin

            -- it is a fact of life that we lose our youth as we grow older -- and not just physically, but spiritually -- we've got two new graduates in our family -- my niece Cortney just graduated from college and my niece Alisa is graduating from high school this week -- and it's always so refreshing to see the hope they have for the future -- their whole life is before them -- so many roads -- so many directions they could travel -- so many adventures await -- you look at them and you remember what it was like when you were young like them

            -- but, over time, our hearts get calloused -- they get hardened by life -- by walking through this fallen world -- and we forget what it felt like to have our entire futures ahead -- to know what it is like to walk afresh with our Lord down new paths, growing in our relationship daily with Him
            -- in one of his songs, Keith Green sang about how he missed his heart -- how he longed to have a new heart -- a heart that was young again -- a heart with baby skin -- he cried out for God to renew his youth and lead him back to Eden
            -- David gives us the antidote for a hardened heart here in this verse -- by walking daily with the Lord and praising Him for all that He has done, our hearts will be renewed -- our youth will be renewed -- and we will mount up on wings like eagles
 

III.  Closing

            -- in her book. "The Gift of Thanks," Margaret Visser  points out that gratitude doesn't come naturally to us -- she cites a study which observed how parents teach their children to say "hi," "thanks," and good-bye." -- The children in the study spontaneously said "hi" 27 percent of the time, "good-bye" 25 percent of the time, and "thanks" only 7 percent of the time -- parents actually had to prompt their children to say "thank you" 51 percent of the time in response to some action like receiving a gift or other item

            -- in other words, children had a much more difficult time learning to say "thank

 you" -- Most children actually learn to say "thank you" before they even know what it means -- it is only later, as they mature, that they come to understand the emotions behind the words
            -- "In our culture thanksgiving is believed to be, for most children, the very last of basic social graces they acquire … .Children have to be 'brought up' to say they are grateful -- the verb is passive: they are brought up, they do not bring themselves."      
            -- in other words, we have to be taught to be thankful -- we have to be taught to be grateful -- as Visser points out, "The words come first, the feelings later."²

            -- a lot of us have forgotten how to praise -- we have forgotten how to thank God for the blessings we enjoy -- we have begun to take them for granted -- and our hearts have gotten calloused and our ways have gotten harder

            -- David reminds us here in this Psalm of the need to praise -- he reminds us that we need to turn to God on a daily basis and thank Him and praise Him from our inmost being for all that He is and all that He does and all that He has given us
            -- we need to remember that praise is a state of being -- not an event on a calendar

            -- as we close, I want to encourage you to go back to this Psalm this week -- we only looked at the first part of it -- go back and read the whole Psalm -- pray through this Psalm and praise God for His blessings in your life

            -- let me give you a suggestion on how you might do that with these first five verses -- replace the word "your" with "my" and make these thoughts of David your own as you go to God and praise Him
            -- for instance as you pray through verse 3, you might say, "Lord, I praise you for forgiving "my" sins -- I praise you for healing all "my" diseases"
            -- try to really think about what God has done and how He has blessed you and praise Him this week

            -- let us pray

 

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¹Anne Lamott, Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith

²Margaret Visser, The Gift of Thanks (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009), pp. 8-15