SERMON: TRAINING UP A CHILD

[Sermon Video Link here]

Mother’s Day Sermon

13 May 2018

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Proverbs 22:6

Start children off on the way they should go,
    and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

            -- a London editor was working on an article about Winston Churchill and wanted to focus on how his teachers had influenced him and transformed him into Great Britain’s most celebrated Prime Minister -- he compiled a list of all the teachers Churchill had in his life and sent it over to him for review -- Churchill returned the list with this comment: “You have omitted to mention the greatest of my teachers -- my mother.”¹

            -- well, in honor of our mothers on this Mother’s Day, I wanted to share with you a few of the things my own mother taught me that have stuck with me to this very day:

            -- My Mother taught me about ANTICIPATION..."Just wait 'til we get home."

            -- My Mother taught me about RECEIVING...."You are going to get it when we get home!"

            -- My Mother taught me LOGIC..."If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

            -- My Mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE..."If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

            -- My Mother taught me HUMOR..."When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me." -- I'll let you think about that one for a minute

            -- My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT..."If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

            -- My Mother taught me about GENETICS..."You're just like your father."

            -- My Mother taught me about my HERITAGE... "Where do you think you were born? In a barn?"

            -- My Mother taught me about the WISDOM OF AGE..."When you get to be my age, you will understand.

            -- And my all-time favorite... my mother taught me about JUSTICE..."One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you....Then you'll see what it's like."

            -- in the familiar proverb that we opened with, we are reminded that if a child is trained in the way they should go -- if they are raised up and started off in the right direction -- then when they are older, they will not turn from it

            -- this verse has been a comfort to parents of wayward children from time immemorial -- it promises that our children who have strayed will come home again -- that no matter how far they have strayed from the fold, they will find their way again -- much as the prodigal son found his way from the pigpen back into the loving arms of his father -- this proverb has given hope to worried and anxious parents since it was first written down

            -- but have you ever considered that this proverb is contingent on an action? -- it doesn’t just happen -- children don’t just miraculously come home because their parents are waiting for them -- no, the proverb says that children must first be trained in the way they should go so they will know the path they should be following -- and, who is responsible for this training? -- for the most part, it is our mothers

            -- I think we all would agree with Winston Churchill that our mothers were a major influence on our lives and on who we are today -- our mothers were our first nurturers -- our comforters -- our protectors -- our providers -- and our teachers

            -- more so than anyone else in the formative years of our lives, our mothers were there with us -- guarding over us and providing us with a foundation of life that continues to this day

            -- so, this morning, on this Mother’s Day, I wanted us to stop and consider the enormous influence that mothers have on their children -- and how you, as mothers and grandmothers and godly women, can continue to influence those around us

II.  Training a Child

            -- have you ever wondered what the writer meant here by the term “training a child” in the way they should go?

            -- the word “train” that is used here is actually a gardening term -- it refers to the practice of taking a plant and shaping it so it grows in the way you want it to -- the easiest way to consider this is to think of grape vines

            -- here in south Georgia, everybody has seen grape vines growing out in the wild -- if you’ve ever walked in the woods down here, I guarantee you that at some point, you have tripped over a grape vine -- in the part of our yard that we are letting grow naturally, we have grape vines growing all over the place -- they cover the ground -- they crawl up the trees -- they cover the bushes -- they get entwined in the branches of our azaleas and shrubbery -- you know what I’m talking about -- you’ve seen that, right?

            -- now, have you ever been to one of the wineries in our local area? -- or have you ever seen pictures of the vineyards in California or France or one of those other places? -- or in someone’s garden where the vines are on a trellis? -- what do the vines look like there?

            -- they’re orderly, right? -- they are growing along the wires and the frames and the trellises -- they’re not on the ground -- they’re not crossing the paths between the rows -- they’re growing where they are supposed to -- and, do you know how that happened? -- because the gardener “trained” them where to grow

            -- when vines began to stray and to grow outside the area where they were supposed to be, the gardener would take that tendril and put it back on the wire or the trellis -- they would wrap it around the wire -- “training” it in how it should grow -- and, over time, that tendril and branch would grow in the right way and in the right form to produce fruit

            -- that’s what the proverb writer is talking about here -- he’s talking about “training” our children in the right way -- and that’s more than just verbal instruction -- that’s practical training and shaping -- that’s walking with them every day -- demonstrating to them the right way to live and to interact with others -- teaching them what it means to live as godly citizens in this community -- and correcting or training them when they go the wrong way -- sometimes that is merely through instruction -- other times through discipline or punishment -- but, the idea is that we continually monitor our children as they grow -- shaping them and training them and keeping them on the right path -- then, the proverb writer says, when they are old, they will not turn from it -- it will have become who they are

            -- that is our calling as Christian parents -- and that is especially the calling of a Christian mother and godly woman

           

III.  Continuing to Train

            -- so, the lesson for today is that when your children are grown, your jobs as mothers is done, right? -- no! -- there is still so much to do -- there are still so many opportunities for you to influence other generations and to train them up in the way they should go

            -- several years ago, there was a phrase going around in politics that you might have heard: “it takes a village to raise a child” -- now, the reason this political party chose to use that phrase was as justification for the Government to have a greater influence in the lives of families -- to the point where the Government would be able to dictate how a child was taught and how they were to be trained

            -- I disagree with that premise and with the assertion that the Government should impose itself directly into your personal lives in this way, but I do agree with the overall concept that it takes a village to raise a child -- I think this is something that we have forgotten in the church and it’s something we need to recapture

            -- when we become a Christians, the Bible tells us that we are born again -- we are born into a new spiritual family -- the family of God -- this means that our allegiances should shift from the old to the new, in much the same way as the allegiances of a newly married couple shift from their parents to each other as their primary relationship -- now, certainly, we are still part of our old, biological families -- but what being born again into a new family means is that we have new relationships with new family members -- and this carries it with it inherent responsibilities

            -- we are no longer just responsible for the well-being of our biological families -- but we are responsible for the well-being of our spiritual families -- the members of our faith communities -- our churches

            -- that means that we are responsible for nurturing and teaching and training the other members in our new spiritual families in the way they should go -- as Jesus put it in the Great Commission from Matthew 28:18-20, we are to make disciples and teach them to obey all the things He has commanded us to do -- we are to train them in the way they should go

            -- so, what does that look like? -- turn over to Titus chapter 2 and we’ll end there

            -- Titus 2:1-5

1 You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4 Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

            -- in this pastoral letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul instructs Titus on how to encourage the members of his church to teach and to train one another -- the older men and women are to train the younger men and women and teach them how to live godly lives in relationship with their spouses, their children, and those around them

            -- specifically, in regards to the older women, Paul says in verses 4-5 that they are to “train the younger women to love their husbands and children” -- to train them “to be self-controlled and pure -- to be busy at home -- to be kind -- to be subject to their husbands” -- so that the word of God would not be maligned or disrespected

            -- what Paul is saying here is that our responsibility to train others in the way they should go does not end when our own children are raised -- but that we are to continually train and teach those in our faith communities and in our churches how to live holy and godly lives

            -- this means that we model for others what a godly woman or man is to look like -- we model for others what a godly marriage relationship is to look like -- we model for others what a godly parental relationship is to look like -- and we mentor and guide and train them when we see them straying from that path

            -- and that includes the children in our churches -- even though a child is not part of your biological family, they are part of your spiritual family -- and it is your calling and your responsibility to speak life into them -- to nurture them and protect them and train them in the way they should go

            -- I would also say this includes other children you come into contact with -- children you may have a relationship with in some fashion -- maybe children in your neighborhood -- or children of friends or coworkers or others

            -- you can be a godly influence on them -- you can help shape their lives, even if just for a moment -- who knows? -- that kind word -- your comforting hug -- your loving smile -- your nugget of wisdom -- may affect them and shape them for the rest of their lives

            -- my goal here this morning is to help you see the enormous power you have as godly women and mothers and grandmothers -- more so than the men here this morning, you have the ability to speak into the lives of children and to shape them and train them for greatness

            -- it has been said that behind every good man is a good woman -- we assume that is referring to his wife, but in reality, it probably speaks more of his mother’s influence than anything

IV.  Closing

            -- I want to close by sharing with you the story of basketball great Richard Jefferson, who played most of his career with the New York Nets²

            -- when Jefferson was born, his mother, Wanda Johnson, was a single mother with two other kids living in Los Angeles -- a high-school drop-out, she didn't have a job and survived on welfare -- and in that neighborhood, with its high crime rate and rampant joblessness, Wanda knew that she was going to have to do something, or her kids would have no hope or future other than what they had known all their life

            -- so, when Jefferson was six years old, Wanda moved her family from Los Angeles to Phoenix because of its lower cost of living and lower incidence of crime and violence -- already a Christian, Wanda became heavily involved in a charismatic church in the area, and began to turn her life around

            -- rather than accepting her condition and allowing her kids to follow her path into poverty, Wanda started turning her life around -- she began trusting that God would provide -- that God wanted more for her and her kids than what they currently had

            -- she got a job and got off welfare -- she remarried -- and went back to school, earning her GED and then going to college -- eventually completing her PhD in English and serving as a member of the teaching faculty at a community college in Phoenix

            -- but, that's not all she did -- at the same time she was clawing her way out of welfare and poverty, she did all she could to serve God -- going on mission trips to Kenya and other countries and becoming a leader in her Phoenix church along with her husband

            -- today, Wanda Johnson is a changed person -- a far cry from the single mother of three on welfare living in the slums in Los Angeles

            -- but, the most remarkable part of her story is the impact that it had on her children -- the power of a mother's life can result in significant changes in the life of their children -- and as Richard Jefferson watched his mother change her situation -- as he watched her start to believe in herself -- he began to believe in himself, too

            -- he quit making excuses -- he started working hard -- and he became one of the best players in high school and college and eventually began playing professional basketball -- if you ask him today, Richard Jefferson is quick to give the credit to his mother's influence in his life -- if not for her, he would not be who he is today -- if not for the power of his mother, he might be just another statistic

            -- because of her example -- because of the influence and her intentional shaping and training -- Richard Jefferson is highly successful and well-respected by all who know him, not only for his playing ability, but also for his behavior and his Godly lifestyle -- and he owes it all to his mother

            -- that's the thing about the ability of a godly woman who lives out her calling to teach and train up her children and grandchildren and those around her -- she can affect lives forever -- even if she does nothing more than serve as a godly role model, her example can influence and change the lives of those around her

           

            -- so, as we leave here today on this Mother’s Day, let me first say, “Thank you,” to my mother and to the mothers in this place -- thank you for your love and for training and shaping us into who are today

            -- and let me encourage you to continue to love and train and shape those around you -- to speak into their lives -- to model for them what a godly woman and mother and grandmother and wife looks like -- so that they may learn from you and follow the path that God has laid out before them

            -- let us pray

1 Green, Michael P.  1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching, Baker Books

2 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/sports/pro-basketball-nets-jefferson-follows-mother-s-example-succeeds-through-positive.html?pagewanted=1

SERMON: STRIVING FOR HOLINESS

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6 May 2018

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Hebrews 12:14

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

            -- several years ago, a family from the country decided to go to the big city for a vacation -- they had never been off the farm before, and they were just amazed at all the sights and all the technologies of the city

            -- when the father and the son went into the hotel to get a room, they saw the metal doors of the elevator and just couldn’t figure out what its purpose was -- while they were standing there talking about it, an elderly lady came up and pushed the button -- the doors opened -- and they watched as she hobbled inside -- a few minutes later, the doors opened again and a beautiful young woman came walking out

            -- the father looked at the woman and looked at the elevator and told his son, “Quick! Go get your mother!”

            -- this morning, we’re going to talk about transformation -- about transforming from who we are into the beautiful new creations that God wants us to become

            -- of course, we can’t do that by using an elevator -- but we can do that through the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives -- what I’m referring to is the process of sanctification -- of becoming holy as God is holy

            -- as this verse in Hebrews tells us, holiness is something we should be making every effort to obtain in our lives -- I really like the way some other translations render this verse -- they say we should be striving for holiness in our lives -- the word “striving” implies doing everything we can to meet a goal -- fighting the good fight -- giving it all our strength -- making holiness our priority above all else

II.  What is Holiness?

            -- now, if we’re going to talk about holiness and about becoming holy, the first thing we need to do is define our terms -- what do we mean by the word “holy?” -- what does the Bible mean when it talks about becoming holy as God is holy?

            -- holiness is one of those words that is easy to recognize, but hard to define -- if I ask you to define, “holiness,” you’d probably have a hard time coming up with a concise definition

            -- more than likely, you’d probably respond by describing what holiness looks like in a person -- by describing the way a person acts that sets them apart from those around them -- or maybe even referring to people like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa

            -- you’d probably say that someone who was holy was good or did good things or loved everybody -- but, that’s more a description of the effects of holiness than an actual definition of what holiness is

            -- holiness becomes ever harder to define if you try to come up with a definition for the holiness of God, because the holiness of God is transcendent -- it’s above human understanding -- it’s so much more than we can envision -- it’s so much higher than we can actually define or measure -- the holiness of God is not just what He does, but who He is -- all of His attributes are part of His holy being and character

            -- if we turn to the Bible, we see that the root meaning of the Hebrew and Greek terms that we translate as holy is “set apart” or “separated” -- so, to be holy is to be set apart or separated from the world or from the flesh and to be dedicated for service or for the use of God

            -- let me give you an example of what I’m talking about -- I have been reading through the Bible this year, so I’ve spent a lot of time reading through the first five books of the Bible, where God gave the ten commandments and all of the social and cultural laws for the nation of Israel -- what we generally call the Mosaic Law -- the Law that God gave to Moses for the nation of Israel

            -- these laws were very specific -- God told the Israelites they could eat only certain foods -- they were to worship and offer sacrifices only on a certain day of the week -- He told them they had to observe specific feast days, each with different types of sacrifices that had to be made

            -- God even specified what kind of clothes the Israelites could wear -- for instance, their clothes had to be made of one type of -- they couldn't blend two types of material together to make a shirt.

            -- so, why did God give them all these specific rules? -- Why did He make them follow all these strange customs when all of the other nations didn’t have to? -- because God had chosen the nation of Israel as His people -- He had called them out of the world -- He had set them apart and separated them from all the other people in the world

            -- and to help them see that they were different and set apart for Him, He gave them these societal and cultural rules to set them apart from those around them

            -- by setting them apart from the world in this way, the Bible tells us He was making them into a holy nation

            -- let me give you another example -- we’re having holy communion this morning -- you see before you on the altar a loaf of bread and a glass of grape juice -- we recognize these as the elements of a holy sacrament -- a sacred moment with God

            -- but, yesterday, that loaf of bread and that grape juice were on a shelf at the grocery store in town -- they were just ordinary, normal items that anyone might have just picked up and carried home for supper -- but they are there before us as holy elements -- why?

            -- because they were taken out of the world and set apart before God for His use -- they were separated from the world and dedicated to God

            -- in the same way, when we are made holy as He is holy, the process is for us to be taken out of the world and set apart for Him -- to be separated from the world and dedicated to God -- being in that state is what we call “holy” and living in that state is what we call “holiness”

III.  The Two Types of Holiness

            -- in the Bible, we see two separate forms of holiness related to people -- the first holiness is the holiness of the cross -- the holiness of justifying grace -- the holiness that is conferred on us through the atoning death of Jesus in our place

            -- when we believe in Jesus and trust in Him for salvation -- the holiness and righteousness of Jesus is given, or imputed, to us -- this holiness separates us out of the world and sets us apart for God

            -- we may still live in the world physically, but we are not part of the world spiritually any longer -- we now belong to God and live in His Kingdom

            -- that’s why some people call this type of holiness, “positional holiness” -- because our position -- our standing -- in the eyes of God has changed -- when God looks at us, He doesn’t see us as part of the world any longer -- He sees the holiness and righteousness of Christ on us and recognizes us as part of His kingdom

            -- so, the first type of holiness is who we are in Christ

            -- the second type of holiness is what we typically think of when we hear the word, “holy” -- this is the holiness of sanctification -- the holiness in how we act because of Christ -- a change in our behavior as a result of God’s sanctifying grace in our lives

            -- through justifying grace we are made holy in the eyes of God -- through sanctifying grace we are made holy in our lives -- in other words, sanctification is the process of becoming more like Jesus in who we are and how we act every day

            -- this is the holiness that Hebrews 12:14 is referring to when it tells us to make every effort to be holy -- to strive after holiness

            -- Peter said something similar in 1 Peter 1:15 -- he commanded us there to “be holy in all you do”

            -- this holiness requires effort on our part in cooperation with the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit

            -- if you would, turn over to Colossians 3 and we’ll finish up there in a passage where the Apostle Paul gives us guidelines on how we are to do this -- how we are to strive after holiness and live holy lives in our world today

            -- Colossians 3:1-4

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

            -- the path of holy living begins after you have been saved -- in order to be sanctified and made holy in your behavior, you must first be made holy in your position and standing before God -- that’s why Paul begins this chapter by saying, “since you have been raised with Christ” -- “since you have been made holy through Christ’s death on the cross” -- now, this is what you should do

            -- first, set your mind on things above, not on earthly things -- you are no longer part of this world -- you have been separated and set apart into God’s kingdom, so live with a kingdom mindset -- so, set your minds on heavenly things -- set your minds on holy things -- and your actions will follow

            -- this is why we talk about becoming holy from the inside out -- as we are changed by God -- as our minds and hearts are changed by God -- our behaviors start to mirror who we have become -- when we are saved, we are made into a new creation -- and when we are sanctified, we start acting like we are a new creation -- and the longer you walk with God, the more holy and righteous your actions will become

            -- so, what does this look like?

            -- verse 5-11

  “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.

“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.”

            -- to strive for holiness -- to make every effort to be holy in our lives means that we consciously make the decision to put aside all the things of the earth -- all the things that God calls sinful

            -- things like sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, idolatry -- Paul says this is the way you used to live -- this is how you used to act when you were part of the world      -- so, get rid of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language -- don’t lie to one another -- don’t discriminate against each other

            -- now that you are separated and set apart from the world and put into God’s kingdom, you need to quit acting like the rest of the world and start acting like you are a member of His kingdom

            -- Paul says that you have taken off your old self with its practices -- that is who you were when you were part of the world -- now you have put on a new self through justifying grace -- and this new self is being renewed and changed and transformed into the image of God through sanctifying grace -- this new self should be striving to become holy as He is holy

            -- verse 12-17

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

            -- so, once we have begun putting to death all of our behaviors and actions that were part of who we were in the world, Paul says that we have to take up a new way of living -- we have to replace the old, sinful acts with new, holy acts

            -- he tells us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience -- to bear with each other -- to forgive one another for all grievances -- to be at peace with one another and strive to live a life of love

            -- as Jesus put it, “to love our neighbor as ourselves” -- and, if we do that, then the word of Christ is truly dwelling within us -- we are becoming holy in our actions as well as in our being

            -- that is what the writer of Hebrews was counseling us to do when he encouraged us to strive after holiness -- to live out our Christian faith everyday -- to be set apart from this world -- not just positionally, but in our behaviors and our actions

            -- one thing to keep in mind is that sanctification is a process -- becoming holy as God is holy -- becoming more like Jesus in our daily lives -- is not going to happen overnight -- it’s going to take time and effort -- that’s why we sometimes call the process of sanctification, “Progressive Holiness”

            -- as you strive for holiness in your life -- as you do the things that Paul encourages us to do in this passage -- putting to death our sinful actions and behaviors and taking up new, godly behaviors -- you should see progress -- you should be able to look back at how you acted a year or 10 years ago and say, “I’m doing better than I did then” -- you may not be where you want to be, but you should at least be able to see some progress in your behaviors and action

            -- also, keep in mind that we don’t have to strive for holiness on our own -- we have the Holy Spirit inside of us, who works in us and through us to transform us into who God wants us to be

            -- where you used to be powerless against sin, now you have power because of the Holy Spirit within you -- where you used to be able to do nothing about anger and rage and malice and all those other sins Paul lists here -- now, you can choose to turn away from those sins because you are empowered by the Holy Spirit

            -- He helps you become holy in your life -- He is the agent of change in progressive holiness and sanctifying grace

IV.  Closing

            -- I want to close this by sharing with you a story about a friend of mine -- he is a Godly man and was instrumental in leading me to faith -- well, he works at the University of Georgia and week he and a group of other Christians gather for lunch to study the Bible and to share their lives with each other -- they talk about where they have done well for God that week, and where they have failed

            -- they didn’t advertise this to anyone -- they would just get together and do this as a means to be accountable -- as a way to strive together for holiness in their lives

            -- my friend said that one day, they were in the room having lunch when someone knocked on the door and came in -- he said, “I don’t know what you are doing in here -- and I don’t know what’s going on with you -- but, there’s something different about you, and I want it”

            -- that’s what we’re talking about -- this guy was not a believer -- he belonged to this world -- but, he recognized that these men who were meeting for lunch were living lives differently than all those around them -- he recognized they were separated from the other people in that work place -- not physically -- but spiritually, as evidenced through their actions

            -- that’s what we should be striving for -- we should be striving to be different than those around us -- to be holy as God is holy -- to live such good and holy lives that those around us can see a difference in who we are and how we act

            -- so, make every effort you can to be holy -- strive for holiness in your life -- put off the ways of this world -- put off the sin that so easily hinders and entangles -- and take up a new life and a new way of living through the power of the Holy Spirit

            -- let us pray

THE BIRDS OF THE AIR

In Genesis 15, we read an interesting account of God’s confirmation of a covenant with Abram.  As you know, God first called Abram out of Ur in Genesis 12, telling him to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household and to step out in faith and go to the land that God would show him.  At that time, God established a covenant with Abram and promised to make him into a great nation through which all peoples on earth would be blessed.

Following this, God affirmed His covenant with Abram/Abraham at least twice more, including the affirmation recorded in this passage in Genesis 15.  After Abram met Melchizedek and offered a tithe to him following the battle of the kings, God appeared to Abram in a vision and confirmed the original covenant made with him in Genesis 12.  He had Abram bring a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon, as a covenantal offering.  “Abram brought all these to Him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half” (Genesis 15:10).  When the sun set that night and darkness had fallen, “a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces” (Genesis 15:17).  This was God’s acceptance of the sacrifices and His affirmation of the covenant.

But, what really caught my attention in this passage was verse 11.  After Abram had brought all the animals before the Lord and prepared them as a covenantal sacrifice, “birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.”  What this verse describes is not just a natural event, but a supernatural happening and a spiritual attack by the forces of evil on Abram and his offering of a sacrifice.

In Scripture, we see Satan’s emissaries described as birds or flocks of birds on multiple occasions, including here in Genesis 15:11.  Think about the parable of the sower that Jesus told to His disciples in Matthew 13:1-9 and His explanation in Matthew 13:18-23.  In this parable, Jesus told of a sower scattering seed, which represents the word of God.  Some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came in and ate it up.  Jesus explained in Matthew 13:19 that this represents the person who “hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it” and that “the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” 

The principle to glean from these passages is to be wary of the schemes of the devil when we begin to grow in our relationship with God.  Whenever we come before God to renew our relationship with Him or to offer ourselves or our resources before Him, Satan always intervenes.  He comes in to snatch up our offering and to take our blessing away, just as the birds of prey attempted to foul Abram’s sacrifice and snatched away the word of God planted in the hearts of the unbeliever.  Satan always tries to interject himself between us and God and to hinder our spiritual growth and our effectiveness in the kingdom.  Satan does not want us to grow closer to God or to do great things for God, and he will do whatever he can to thwart these efforts.

As Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, we need to be aware of the devil’s schemes so we can take steps to stand against him.  Truth begets power, and if we know the devil is going to step in and try to snatch away our joy and our blessings, we can prepare ourselves and our churches to withstand him.

SERMON: A "LET US" SHORTAGE

29 April 2018

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Hebrews 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

            -- after work the other day, I went to pick up some lettuce for supper -- and, when I went to the produce section to get it, I was surprised -- there was none on the shelf -- the sign was there -- it had the price on it and everything -- but, there was no lettuce to be found

            -- I found out later that the reason was because Romaine lettuce had been recalled because of an E Coli scare -- and, apparently, there was a run on the rest of the lettuce -- I couldn’t find any lettuce at any of the stores I went to

            -- so, you can imagine my surprise when I began studying for this week’s message and I found the pages of Scripture filled with lettuce -- albeit, not the leafy, green kind, but the “let us” encouragements from the writer of Hebrews

            -- we just finished up the sermon series on the five purposes for churches and Christians, where we looked at our calling and what we were supposed to do -- just to remind you, the five purposes were worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship

            -- it’s one thing to know them -- it’s entirely a different thing to apply them -- we live in what is known as the “information age” -- we have more information at our fingertips than any generation that has ever lived before -- we have more computing power and more knowledge right here in our smart phones than NASA had when they put a man on the moon -- but, what are we doing with this information? -- are we just acquiring information, or are we actively putting it to work?

            -- that’s a concern I have -- there’s a lot of people who read the Bible daily -- who know God’s word -- who go to Bible study and have pages and pages of notes about the Bible -- but who aren’t doing anything with what they have learned

            -- it’s not enough to know about Jesus or to know His word -- we must apply it to our lives -- it’s like living in a house filled with electricity, and never plugging anything into the socket to make use of that electricity -- we need more than knowledge -- we need wisdom -- the application of knowledge in our lives -- doing something with what we have learned

II.  Scripture Lesson (Hebrews 10:19-25)

            -- this morning, we’re going to look at a passage here in Hebrews where the writer encourages us to do just that -- to boldly step out in faith in action based on our knowledge and understanding of Jesus and the Scriptures

           

            -- look back at Hebrews 10:19-21

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God

            -- notice that verse 19 begins with the word, “therefore” -- and, just to remind you, when you see the word “therefore” in Scripture, the first thing you should ask yourself is “what is ‘therefore’ there for?” -- in other words, what is it referring to?

            -- in this case, the writer is referring back to the earlier verses from Hebrews 10, where he expanded on the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross -- he pointed out that Jesus’ death atoned for our sins once for all time -- how by the one sacrifice Jesus has made us perfect forever through His imputed righteousness

            -- this sacrifice of Jesus was not like the sacrifices offered up by the Jewish priests, who could only offer up temporary sacrifices that had to be repeated over and over again -- in fact, the writer says that those sacrifices were just annual reminders of our sins, because it was impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin -- and they served merely to point us to the One who would come and be our true and final sacrifice, Jesus

            -- therefore -- because of this -- we have confidence -- the KJV says that we have “boldness” -- to enter into the Most Holy Place because Jesus has opened for us a new and living way to come before God through His own blood -- and, the writer goes on, because we have Jesus as our great priest over the house of God -- we are compelled to action -- we have no fear -- we can boldly go where no man has gone before and do great things for God because we are empowered with His Holy Spirit

            -- the writer goes on to give us five exhortations in this passage -- the "Let us" passages -- which show us our purpose as Christians and move us forward in Christian maturity as we apply our knowledge to real life

            -- one thing we need to recognize before we being looking at these is the author’s use of the term, “let us” -- in other places in Scripture, God’s word is a command from Him directly to us -- He tells us individually what to do -- but, here, the writer says “let us” -- this is recognition that we are one together in Christ -- one body with one purpose -- one body who works together as Christ’s hands and feet on earth -- this isn’t someone standing up telling you what you should or shouldn’t do -- but someone who says, “come join me and let us do this”

            -- that’s something we should consider in all our spiritual endeavors -- we’ve got too many people who want to tell others how to live -- rather than telling someone what they should do, show them through your actions -- rather than telling someone to go to church, we should bring them to church with us -- rather than trying to live this Christian life alone, we should be living it together -- Christianity is meant to be lived out in relationship -- and the author makes that clear when he includes himself in these exhortations by saying, “let us,” and not, “you go do this”

            -- so, let us look at these exhortations together now

            A.  Let Us Draw Near to God

            -- verse 22

Hebrews 10:22 -- “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

            -- the first exhortation in this passage is to "Let us draw near to God"

            -- the first thing we need to do to actively live out our faith and grow in grace is to draw near to God -- to seek His faith -- to come before His presence boldly and with confidence

            -- this is a privilege that we so often take for granted -- to come before the Lord God Almighty was not something that was granted to many people before Jesus -- to come into God’s presence unprepared meant certain death

            -- throughout the Old Testament, we read of how the patriarchs and the prophets were in fear for their lives when they realized they were in the presence of God -- in the Book of Judges, when Gideon realized he had been speaking to the Angel of the Lord -- a term for the preincarnate appearance of Jesus -- he exclaimed in Judges 6:22, “I’m doomed”

            -- when Isaiah appeared in a vision before the throne of God, he cried out in Isaiah 6:5, “Woe to me! I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty”

            -- to come before God in our sins was to invite certain death -- that’s why the Jewish priests could only come into the Most Holy Place once per year, after they had been prepared to do so -- even then, the priests would wear a robe with bells at the bottom and with a rope around his leg leading out of the Most Holy Place -- so that if the other priests quit hearing the bells, they would know the High Priest had done something wrong in the presence of God and had been killed, they would be able to pull his body out of the Most Holy Place for burial

            -- yet here, the author tells us that we should eagerly draw near to God with sincere hearts -- that we can do so without fear -- confidently and boldly -- because we have the full assurance of our faith -- our hearts have been sprinkled with the very blood of Jesus and have been cleansed -- the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us -- so we can come before the presence of God as holy and righteous saints

            -- this is a high and mighty privilege, and we shouldn’t take it lightly -- we need to keep this in mind every time we call upon God -- whether it’s in prayer or in our devotions -- in Scripture reading or in our worship

            B.  Let us hold unswervingly to our hope

            -- verse 23

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

            -- probably like most of you, I had to study Greek and Roman mythology when I was in school -- and I have forgotten most of the stories I learned -- but there is one story that has always stuck with me -- the story of Pandora's box -- do you remember that?

            -- Pandora had been given a box as a wedding present but had been told to never open it -- one day curiosity got the best of her, and Pandora opened this box and released evil into the world -- out of the box flew the spirits of sickness and disease -- hate and envy -- and all the bad things people had never known -- Pandora slammed the box shut, but it was too late -- the evil had gotten out

            -- in tears she told her husband what she had done -- the evil she had unknowingly released -- and as she opened the box again to demonstrate her actions, she found that one thing remained -- the spirit of hope was in the bottom of the box -- and Pandora and her husband watched as hope entered into a world gone wrong

            -- hope is the basis of our faith -- as it says in Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" -- what is it that keeps a single mother going through the hard times? -- what is it that keeps a terminal cancer patient's spirits up? -- what is it that sustains us through the storms of life? -- hope -- the hope of a promise -- the hope of eternity

            -- for those who have been sprinkled with the shed blood of Christ -- who have drawn near to God -- we are told, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess" -- what is that hope? -- it is the hope of eternal life with Christ -- it is the hope of salvation -- the hope of sanctification -- it is the promise that no matter how bad things might be here -- no matter how good things might be here -- better things await

            -- for those who hope in Christ the things of this earth hold no power -- for those who hope in Christ the storms of life cannot buffet -- for those who hope in Christ no evil can condemn -- that is why the author tells us to hold on to the hope we have in Him

            C.  Let us spur one another on in love and good deeds

            -- verse 24

Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds

            -- Robert Schuller tells a story about a banker who always tossed a coin in the cup of a legless beggar who sat on the street outside the bank -- But, unlike most people, the banker would always insist on getting one of the pencils the man had beside him. -- "You are a merchant," the banker would say, "and I always expect to receive good value from merchants I do business with."

            -- One day the legless man was not on the sidewalk -- Time passed and the banker forgot about him, until he walked into a public building and there in the concessions stand sat the former beggar -- He was obviously the owner of his own small business now.

            -- "I have always hoped you might come by someday," the man said. -- "You are largely responsible for me being here. -- You kept telling me that I was a ’merchant’. -- I started thinking of myself that way, instead of a beggar receiving gifts -- I started selling pencils -- lots of them -- You gave me self-respect -- you caused me to look at myself differently."

            -- this third exhortation to spur one another on towards love and good deeds is a call to discipleship and accountability -- it is a call to push people towards their God-given purpose in life

            -- when Kim and I started going to Morven Methodist Church, we have been Christians for some time, and we had a pretty good foundation in the Scriptures -- we had both been involved in Bible Study Fellowship -- we had grown in our faith -- and we were comfortable in our walk with Christ -- we went to church every Sunday morning and evening and then again for mid-week Bible study

            -- but, thankfully, our pastor knew this verse -- I could have spent the rest of my Christian life just sitting in a pew doing what I had been doing, but my pastor pushed me out of my comfort zone -- this verse says to "spur" one another on towards love and good deeds -- the Greek word for "spur" can actually mean "provoke" -- and my pastor spurred and provoked me into teaching a Sunday School class -- I had never done that before -- I had no desire to do that before -- and, truthfully, I just did it to get her off my back -- but it's just what I needed -- she saw a calling in my life that I didn't see and she spurred me on to start living out that calling

            -- that is our responsibility as Christians -- not only are we to pick up and grow in our own faith -- to do the things Christ has called us to do -- but we are to disciple those around us -- to spur them on -- to provoke them -- into doing what we see God is calling them to do -- it might be the only way some people ever realize their true potential in Christ, much as the beggar in Robert Schuller's story would never have realized his true potential apart from the provoking by the banker

            D.  Let us not give up meeting together

            -- verse 25

Hebrews 10:25a -- “Let us not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing”

            -- this fourth exhortation really hits home for me -- I can't tell you the number of times I've heard this same excuse for why people don't go to church -- "You don't have to go to church to be saved"

            -- I've sat in men's living rooms and listened to them time and time again tell me, "I can worship God just as good from my deer stand as I can in a church pew" -- and I tell them the same thing every time, although most don't listen -- "you don't have to go to church to be saved, but you can't be a Christian if you don't go to church"

            -- the heart of Christianity is relationship -- relationship with God -- as in "Draw near to God" -- and relationship with others -- Christianity is about living love, and love can only be lived and experienced in a relationship with someone else

            -- I read a fantastic book one time called, "Love Does," by Bob Goff -- and I think this statement from Donald Miller in the introduction sums up what the author of Hebrews is trying to get across to us here -- Miller wrote, "The reason Bob has impacted my life is because he loves me."

            -- you can't love another person from a deer stand -- you can't love a fellow believer if you aren't with them -- you can't be impacted by another person unless you put yourself in a position to be loved by them

            -- no, you don't need church to be saved -- the thief on the cross showed us that -- but you do need church to live out the love we have in Christ -- it is in church we experience our truest selves -- it is in church we come to know and to be known -- to love and to be loved -- the deepest relationships I have in my life, other than with my family, revolve around people I know from church

            -- we need the church -- not the building -- not the music -- not the preaching -- we need the people -- we need the church -- we need the deep relationships and love and trust and accountability we receive from other Christians if we are to succeed in our Christian lives

            -- there's a sermon illustration that has been used so often it's become a cliché -- but the things about clichés is that they are that because they are so true

            -- a pastor went to visit a church member who hadn't been to church in quite a long time -- when he got to the house, he found the man sitting in front of a fire in a rocking chair, so he took the chair next to him, not saying a word

            -- after a few moments, the pastor picked up the fire tongs and reached in the fire and pulled out a glowing coal -- he set upon the hearth and the men watched as the glowing ember cooled and turned dark and cold -- the pastor then reached out with the tongs and put the ember back in the fire -- within seconds, it became alive again -- red and glowing and flaming up

            -- without a word the pastor got up to leave -- the man spoke out as the pastor left, "Thank you for your fiery sermon -- I'll see you at church on Sunday"

            E.  Let us encourage one another

            -- look at the second part of verse 25

Hebrews 10:25b -- “but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

            -- Keith Miller, in his book Passionate People, which he co-authored with Bruce Larson, describes two kinds of people -- "basement people" and "balcony people."

            -- "Basement people" are the discouragers in our lives -- They may be people from our past, or present, but their words go with us everywhere we go -- They are the negative influences in our lives and their words go something like this -- "You can't do that." -- "That's a stupid thing to do." -- "When are you going to get it right?"

            -- Basement people divert us from our hopes and dreams -- they constantly point out what is wrong, rather than what is right with us -- Basement people cause a room to light up when they leave.

            -- In contrast to them are the "Balcony People." -- They are people who are full of love and cheer us on.  -- they encourage us to be loving, courageous followers of Christ. -- They sit in the balcony of our lives like a heavenly cheering section, saying, "You can do it." -- "We believe in you." -- "You are special to us." -- Balcony people are the great encouragers in our lives and we all need them!

            -- Balcony people try to lift people up to where they are, but basement people try to drag people down where they are.

(From a sermon by David Owens, Encourage One Another, 11/3/2009 -- Illustration downloaded from Sermon Central: http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/scripture/illustrations-on-hebrews-10+23-25.asp]

            -- if there is one thing I would like to be known for it would be that I encouraged others -- I can think of no higher calling -- when I read of Barnabas in the Book of Acts and see that he was known as the "son of encouragement," it just makes me want to be like him

            -- all of us in here have someone in the past who encouraged us -- someone who was a balcony person in our lives -- a teacher -- a pastor -- a parent -- a friend -- someone who spoke life into us and told us we could do it -- they believed in us

            -- the author of Hebrews tells us here that we should be balcony people -- we should encourage one another -- we should applaud baby steps of faith and spur people on to greater things in Christ

            -- people need encouragement -- they need someone who can bring out the best in them -- right now we're in the middle of college football season -- think about the job of a coach -- what is it the coach does? -- he looks at the gifts and talents of his players -- he looks at what they are doing -- and then he challenges them and encourages them to reach out and do even more -- this is what we are called to do as Christians

            -- too many Christians are negative -- we don't like the music -- we didn't like the preaching -- we don't like the way that person sings or dresses or whatever -- we speak negativity into their lives

            -- but our calling is to be encouragers -- to speak life and love and purpose into the lives of others, especially as we see the Day -- the end of the age -- approaching

            -- people want to know they are loved and appreciated -- and that is our job as the church

III.  CLOSING

            -- to summarize, the writer of Hebrews has exhorted us to join together to do five things:

            -- let us draw near to God

            -- let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess

            -- let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds

            -- let us not give up meeting together

            -- and, let us encourage one another

            -- this five exhortations are practical steps of faith that help us to live out the purposes to which we have been called -- they encompass our worship of God -- ministry to others -- evangelism, fellowship, and discipleship

            -- if we would just join together with each other and the writer of this book and do what he has encouraged us to do, our lives would be enriched and we would see others around us transformed and changed by the very power of God

            -- we may be small in number, but big things have small beginnings

            -- through one man -- Moses -- God led the nation of Israel out of Egypt

            -- through one man -- Joshua -- God led the Israelites into the Promised Land

            -- through one man -- David -- God established His kingdom

            -- through one man -- John the Baptist -- God prepared the world for the coming of His Son

            -- and, through One Man -- Jesus -- our sins were atoned for and we were reconciled to the Father

            -- one small step of faith can result in great things -- by trusting in Jesus -- by relying on His Holy Spirit -- by doing what He has called us to do -- let us begin to do great things together today -- let us change this world through Him

            -- let us pray

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TRUE DEVOTION

When I was studying for a recent sermon message, I picked up the Spirit-Filled Life Bible to get a different perspective on the text.  This Bible had a footnote to the passage I was studying that offered the following definition of devotion:

“Devotion is concentration on a particular pursuit, purpose or course.”

That definition caused me to stop what I was doing, because I quickly realized how deficient my devotional time truly was.  We talk a lot in our spiritual communities about having a “quiet time” with God, about setting aside time each day for a “devotional period” with Him.  And I realized recently that I had not been very good at doing that in my own personal life.  When I turned to the Scriptures, it tended to be solely for the purpose of studying for a message for Sunday morning. 

So, I decided to make a change.  I purchased a One-Year Through the Bible book and began reading through the Bible using this as my guide.  And, since we all know we need a devotional, I purchased a devotional just put out by Craig Groeschel, the pastor of Life Church.  With these two resources in hand, I began the new year ready to grow closer to God.

And, I’ve done a good job, from a worldly standard.  I have kept up with my daily Bible study readings and am on track to read through the whole Bible this year.  And, every morning without fail, I have turned to Groeschel’s book and read the two page devotional.  Then, I’d check off my “Had Quiet Time with God” box on my internal daily checklist and go about my day, as happy and satisfied with my religious life as a Pharisee of old.

Is our devotion time a checkmark or quality time spent with God?

But when I read the definition of what true devotion should be -- “concentration on a particular pursuit, purpose, or cause” -- I realized I had not been having a devotional time as I thought.  Instead, I had merely been going through the motions and accomplishing a task without concentrating on the reason I was doing it.  I was studying the Bible without connecting with the God who was speaking these words over me and into me.  I was reading a devotional each day, without truly concentrating and reflecting on what God was saying in that reading and what He wanted me to do with it.

Reading that definition of devotion, I was reminded of Natalie Grant’s song, “More than Anything,” that points out what we should be seeking in our devotional times with God.  Let me share with you the chorus of this song:

“Help me want the Healer more than the healing

Help me want the Savior more than the saving

Help me want the Giver more than the giving

Help me want you Jesus more than anything

Help me want you Jesus more than anything”

I had been seeking the satisfaction of completion rather than seeking the presence of God.  Rather than drawing near to God during this time, I was just trying to rush through the daily readings to check a box.

In a true devotional time with God, we should be studying His word and spending time with Him.  We should be striving to overcome our fleshly tendencies to perform religious acts and trying to avoid the worldly distractions that cause us to miss His presence and His voice in our lives.  As the Spirit-Filled Life Bible says, devotion time should “shape [our] thinking as we devote time to prayer, to waiting on the Lord, and to praise and Thanksgiving.”

My devotional time needs some work.  How about yours?