sermon: Highway of Holiness

“There will be a highway where once was burning sand. A highway called the Holy Road. Not a route for rebels, but a road for the redeemed, those ransomed by the Lord. It’s the road from barrenness to Zion, the road from oblivion to God’s eternal city. It’s a safe and joyful road, and God is walking with us as we travel. Our songs of joy will reach their crescendo when we walk through the gates, into that city where sorrow and sighing are no more.”  – Isaiah 35:8-10 (a synthesized version based on the New International Version, The Message, the New Living Translation and The Living Bible)

Last month my wife and I took a day and went to Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello. We wandered through the back roads of Virginia, and found ourselves on Route 666. Yes! Route 666!

I told Connie, “I hope we’re not on this road for very long!” My friend Paul Athey says I should have turned on the radio. Maybe AC/DC would be playing their song “Highway to Hell.”

But today we’re talking about another route. It’s the Highway of Holiness described by Isaiah the prophet.

We are in Advent season, this month before Christmas. We remember Jesus’ coming to earth the first time as a helpless baby. And we reaffirm our conviction –  that Jesus will come to earth a second time, as Lord of all creation.

Isaiah was a prophet, and Bible Prophecy can be complicated. It often has its fulfilment in three parts. Sometimes the first fulfilment relates to an immediate event in ancient Israel, like a siege of Jerusalem by some foreign army. Often a second fulfillment relates to Jesus coming as Israel’s Messiah. And sometimes a third fulfilment speaks of what God will do at the end of days, when He sets all things right. So it’s complicated.

This morning we’re looking at this Highway of Holiness as a picture of God’s plan for the human race.

The word “Highway” has been used in English for 1000 years. It describes a main road between two cities or towns, available for public use. Historically, it might be paved, but not necessarily.

Ancient Israel had several well-known and well-used routes – the Way of the Sea, the Way of the Patriarchs, and the King’s Highway. Isaiah refers to highways four different times in his book. (35:8; 40:3; 11:16; 62:10)

Let’s look at this scriptural Highway under three Headings:

1 First, The Journey (that is, traveling along the Holy Highway)

2 Second, Our Destination (that is, entering God’s eternal city)

3 Third, The On-Ramp (how we can get started on the Holy Road)

1 The Journey. Verse 8 says this journey is “the Holy Road” or the “Way of Holiness.” It is a road that God has built and set apart to get us from here to the eternal city.

You can’t get to Nirvana on this route. It’s not the Reincarnation Highway. This is the road to Zion, the New Jerusalem.

It’s not a route for those who rebel against God. You can’t walk on this highway and at the same time walk along Sin’s Pathway. You can’t willfully disobey God and at the same time be walking on His Holy Road. How can you be walking on two roads at the same time?  

Our Father calls us to integrity. And a person of integrity does not attempt to walk two roads at once.

Verse 9 says that only the redeemed will walk there. Ultimately, it’s a road for those whose sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus.

The Apostle Peter puts it this way: “…God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with gold or silver [but with] the precious blood of Christ...” (1 Peter 1:18-20)

So this road is for the ransomed, the redeemed – those of us whose lives have been rescued from emptiness and oblivion.

It’s a safe road. Isaiah says, “No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast.” Lions or tigers or bears may threaten from the side of the road, but they can’t get up on the road. 

Let me break away from this metaphor to say that this is the road of Christian living. This is real life. There are sometimes irritating pebbles in our shoes. Our vehicle will need to stop every 300 miles for fuel. Our vehicle will be delayed occasionally for repairs. We may be distracted by the struggles of life.

And you may become fearful on this road, but then you remember that the Road-Maker promises you safe passage to your destination.

It’s a joyful road. God built it. He has traveled down this road to come here to us. And He welcomes us as we begin. He’s traveling with us all the way, until we reach our destination. So there is joy and singing and dancing as we travel along.

I’ve traveled The Pan American Highway in Nicaragua. It runs from Alaska in the north to Chile in the south. In Nicaragua you’ll see: Eighteen-wheelers and Bluebird buses, Mercedes and Yugos, horse-carts and oxcarts, two-wheeled carts pushed or pulled by humans, tricycle taxis and pedestrians. Amazing diversity! 

It’s similar on the Holy Highway. People from every race and nation and language. Traveling together, arm in arm. Homeless persons and millionaire persons, singing together. Democrats and Republicans, dancing together. In the shadow of the cross, we are one tribe. One body – the Body of Christ.

2 Our Destination. The Apostle Peter says that someday the elements will melt with fervent heat. And God will usher in a new heaven and a new earth. He will set things right. The world we live in has been badly damaged by the effects of sin. But the day will come when God pushes the “Reset” button, and somehow He will bring His redeemed people through that fiery judgment. He will bring us to His eternal city.

Verse 10 says, “We will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown our heads, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” Our journey will be complete when we enter the New City of Jerusalem. 

John the Revelator describes this city in his Book: Revelation, chapters 21 and 22.

This New Jerusalem represents a whole new order of creation. This city shines with God’s glory. This city is laid out as a square, 1400 miles on the north and south sides,1400 miles on the east and west sides. This city needs no sun or moon, for God’s glory illuminates this city. There is no night there. Nothing evil is allowed to enter. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And a river runs through it – the River of Life, clear as crystal. This River flows out from God’s throne. It surges down the center of the main street and irrigates a certain species of tree: the Tree of Life. This tree has not been seen since the Garden of Eden. In Eden there was only one of this species. In the new Jerusalem there will be whole groves of this tree! This Tree of Life bears a fresh crop each month. Its leaves bring healing to the nations.

I want to arrive at this destination, this beautiful city. And by God’s grace I intend to. What about you?

3 The On-Ramp – our personal Starting Point. Verse 1 says that this highway starts in “the desert.” It starts in “the parched land” – “the wilderness.”

For me personally it started when I was twelve years and seven months old. I was just becoming aware of my sinfulness. Theologians call it the age of accountability. I was beginning to feel guilt. I was becoming aware of supernatural evil… the reality of a spiritual enemy. I was becoming aware of my rebellious heart. I was fearful that if I died I was not ready for God’s heaven. I knew I needed help from above.

One October evening, in bed, waiting to fall asleep, I called out to my Creator. I asked for forgiveness, for God to come into my life. Immediately I felt the power of my sins forgiven. Sin’s weight was lifted from my life. I knew my sins were washed away. The blood of Jesus covered my sins and made me clean.

We all have to start somewhere. Perhaps the most quoted sentence of our time comes from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-Tsu. He said, “The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step.” You begin wherever you are today.  

You may have never been to church before, or you may have been a church member for 50 years. But at some point you need to get on the Highway.

There are many on-ramps available to you. And every access point is linked to Jesus the Redeemer. There is no other name under heaven by which humans can be saved. Jesus said, “I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I urge you, if you are still in the desert, looking for a way out – Here is your on-ramp. This morning –  here is your opportunity. Say yes to Jesus. Trust Him as your sin-bearer. Call out to Him! Say, “Jesus, help me. Forgive me. Come into my life. Get me started on this Holy Road.”

He stands waiting to welcome you, ready to embrace you, just as you are. 

Get Up and Go!

(#2 in series: God, a Prophet, and a Whale)

(preached at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, Frederick, Maryland, Nov. 16, 2014)

(Jonah 3:1-10 NIV) ¹ Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

³ Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” ⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. ⁷ This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh:

“By the decree of the king and his nobles:

Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. ⁸ But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. ⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Most of us know about Jonah. He was the prophet who wouldn’t obey God and tried to run away. He boarded a ship in the city of Joppa.

Today that city is called Jaffa. My friend Larry Putman was stationed at Jaffa in 2003. He was in U. S. Army, defending Israel against the threat of SCUD missiles. Saddam Hussein still ruled in Iraq, but his days were numbered.

Larry shared this story with me by email:

“I carry one photo in my Bible that I use as a bookmark. It’s the simple picture of a sunset taken at Jaffa when I was deployed there – a beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean. And in the foreground, a few coils of razor wire. There's a bit of duality going on there, just as there is inside all of us.

“Before I went back into the Army, I did a lot of praying. I felt lost.  My job was monotonous. I was drifting along without any direction. I felt a nudge steering me back into the Army. It was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t shake that feeling. I felt that I had to reenlist. 

“So I sold my house. I dropped my wife and son off in Germany, and was immediately deployed to Israel. The Army sent me to Jaffa, to the top of an old trash dump. I lived in canvas tents for three months. During this time I started attending services that the Chaplain gave every week. I was baptized in the Jordan River, which was a very special experience for me. 

“Whenever I feel those little God-nudges, I tend to push back. Those nudges are almost always uncomfortable, inconvenient, and tough to swallow. Like Jonah, I sometimes head 180 degrees in the wrong direction. I'm still learning how to surrender and I have to keep doing it (or trying) every day. 

It is a continuous battle, but I hope to be victorious someday. Until then, I'll stay the course (which means I’ll listen carefully) and keep marveling at that beautiful sunset.”

Larry’s story is a strong introduction to today’s message.

Jonah was given a second chance to get it right. He obeyed God and traveled 800 miles to Nineveh. At 20 miles a day, that would be a 40-day walk. Nineveh is just across the river from the Iraqi city of Mosul. Today this area is occupied by radical Islamic fighters – the ISIS.

God often gives us second chances for a better outcome. And at the end of this message I want to share a story about second chances.

But let’s think for a minute about the people of Nineveh. Jonah told them, “In 40 days, Nineveh will be overthrown.” Their first response was alarm. Their second response was repentance. They asked God to forgive them. They turned away from the things they knew to be sin.

And God was moved by their repentance. His heart was softened toward the Ninevites. His compassion was unleashed. And the city of Nineveh was not overthrown after all.

So here’s the truth: Our Repentance Unleashes God’s Compassion.

God is full of truth and holiness and justice. But He is also full of compassion and love and mercy.

Somehow He combines these two different facets perfectly in His divine character.

As the Bible says, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” (Psalm 85:10)

It will do us good to reflect on the beautiful nature of our Heavenly Father. In the essence of Who He is, mercy and truth meet together. In the essence of Who He is, righteousness and peace kiss one another.

Because He is merciful, God calls us to repentance.

The Ninevites were guilty of idolatry. They were guilty of all kinds of sexual sin, just like us. Like us, they were dishonest and stubborn and full of pride.

We are sinful. All of us should say, “Apart from God’s help, my life is a mess.” All of us should say, “Apart from God’s help, I am self-centered and disobedient. I am fallen. I am broken. My life is a mess!”

And this is the daily struggle of the Christian life: How do I say yes to God and no to myself?

Every day, how do I make Jesus again the Master and Commander of my life? Every day, how do I yield my will to God’s will?

I hope you’re saying along with me: “I struggle with this!” Because if you’re not struggling, either you’ve already surrendered to the enemy (and are living in outright sin), or you need to be shaken by the Spirit of God and awakened to the reality of your condition.

It’s easy to be a fan of Jesus, like we’re fans of the Redskins or Ravens. It’s easy to put on our Jesus jerseys and jump up and down every time our fancy is tickled by the latest Christian artist or superstar.

But it’s much more of a struggle to get up every morning, to face the realities and difficulties of our lives, and to say, “I love you, Jesus. I’m choosing again to be devoted to You today.”

 “I’m choosing again to give up the right to myself and I’m saying yes to You as the Director and Boss of my life. You are the Potter and I am the clay. You are the Artist and I am the cheap acrylic paint.

You are the Writer and I am the dull pencil that You are glad to use. How do You want to use me today? How can I further Your agenda?”

This is the struggle that Larry Putman spoke of earlier. Remember, he said, “I'm still learning how to surrender and I have to keep doing it (or trying) every day.  It is a continuous battle...”

So in this struggle of the Christian way, let repentance be your daily tool. Because (just like the Ninevites) when we repent, God’s compassion is released into our lives. And His compassion – His love – changes everything. The beauty of the character of Jesus is released into our lives. And God continues to cleanse us, to sculpt us, to perfect us.

Let’s think for a minute about second chances. Last week Randy Werts shared his second chance story with me:

“On December 7, 2000, while deer hunting. I felt a pain running down my left arm. I thought I'd pulled a muscle. I started walking back to my vehicle. Walking turned to a crawl. Returning to my truck, I drove to Shady Grove Hospital.

“I walked through the doors, holding my arm and chest. Doctors and nurses pushed others aside and I went to the top of the triage list. The pain was now intolerable. A doctor leaned over me and said, ‘Hear that noise? It's your ride.’ A medevac helicopter was landing on the roof.

“The doctor said, ‘It would take 30-40 minutes by ambulance to get you to the Heart Center, but you don't have 30 minutes.’

“I caught my breath.

“He continued. ‘The helicopter can get you there in nine minutes. That may be all the time you have.’ 

“Laying on the gurney, looking up through the glass roof at the blades going around, I thought, ‘I have just nine minutes. What am I going to do with them?’

“I did a lot of thinking in those nine minutes, mostly about Dana and two kids at home and what it would be like for them if I didn't make it.

“I thought about what I would do differently, if I had a second chance. I would give up partying, quit smoking, concentrate more on family, more on church. A peace came over me.

“I took those minutes to prioritize my life. I thought, ‘If I do make it, these are the things I’ll change.’

“At Washington Heart Center an attempt was made (by angioplasty) to clear two mostly blocked arteries. They were able to clear one. The other remains completely blocked to this day. Some damage occurred to my heart muscle, and I live with that today. My heart was stopped and restarted a couple of times to return it to a normal rhythm. A stent and defibrillator were implanted in my chest.

“God wasn't done with me yet. I was given a second chance.I gave up those vices and turned my life around. 

“Our lives here on earth could be over today or tomorrow – we never know.”

At this point in our lives, most of us are well beyond a second chance. We are well beyond Plan B.

But we have this day. Today is the day to choose to follow Jesus with all your might. You have life. You have breath. You have the opportunity today to thank God for these blessings. You have time to praise your Maker. And you have time to make Jesus the Master of your life.

Repentance releases God’s compassion into our lives.

This morning, do you need to repent of your sin? Do you need to recommit yourself to the daily struggle of faithful Christian living? I urge you, become more than a Jesus fan. Become more than a churchgoer. Become more than a nice guy or gal. Become a follower of Jesus. Become a struggler. Become the one who wrestles with God and will not let Him go.

And welcome to the struggle!

Breaking Free (Addictions)

(Sermon #2 in the series: The Bible On Real Life Issues)

(Brook Hill United Methodist Church, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014)

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (The Voice) – Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling. Some of you used to live in these ways, but you are different now; you have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God.

This morning’s subject is “BREAKING FREE OF ADDICTIONS.” Some of you will immediately say, “I’m not an addict, so this message is not for me.” But it is.

Because some of us struggle with compulsive behavior. Some of us think that enabling others is a virtue. Some of us need help with anger management. In a recent poll, 70% of Christian men and 30% of Christian women said they struggle with Internet pornography.

I’m coming to the conclusion that almost everyone has some kind of dysfunctional issue. (And if you think you don’t, it probably means you do.)

So how many of you would turn to your neighbor and say, “I MAY HAVE ISSUES”?

This morning, let’s think about Addiction under four headings:

1) an Image  2) an Action  3) a Person   4) a Process.

1. AN IMAGE. That image is the image of God within us.

When God created the world (Genesis 1:26-27), He said: “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.” So God created people – both male and female – in his own image.

We are made in the image of God. None of us fully understands what this means, but it does mean that we are cherished by Him. It means that we are created with a deep longing for God.

And addictions are connected to that God-image in us. We’re reaching out for something that only God can satisfy. We hunger for something more, and that hunger is there because we have been created in God’s image.

A Christian writer by the name of A. W. Tozer said:

“The yearning to know what cannot be known, to comprehend the incomprehensible, to touch and taste the unapproachable, arises from the image of God in the nature of man. Deep calleth unto deep… the soul senses its origin and longs to return to its source.” 

So, there is a Connection between Addictions and the Image of God in which we were created.

2. AN ACTION. And that action was an act of disobedience to God.

The Bible says that Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. They sinned. They knew God’s command. But they chose to disobey… with terrible consequences.  God’s image in us became fractured and scarred.

We still have something of God’s image in us, but our relationship with Him has been broken. We are damaged by the effects of sin. God’s original creation has become corrupted. Humanity is dislocated. The world in general has become alienated from God. Death came into the world as a result of humanity’s sin. Almost everything we know about has become flawed or skewed because of humanity’s waywardness and disobedience.

And addictions are a result of this alienation from our Creator. Whether it’s alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive eating disorders, gambling addiction, computer- and cellphone-related addictions, sexual addiction and perversion – All of these flow from human sin and the resulting damage to our spirits and souls and bodies.

The Bible says “…you are a slave to whatever controls you.” (2 Peter 2:19b New Living Translation)

Listen to Dictionary.com’s definition of “addiction”: “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice… that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, …to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

And Dictionary.com defines “compulsion” as: “a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will.”

Now the Bible has much to say about being in bondage to “things.” Addiction is a certain kind of bondage. Compulsions are a certain kind of slavery.

The Bible says “you are a slave to whatever controls you.”

So what controls YOU? What has mastered YOU? Are you a glutton like me? Gluttony is a sin, and I am too often guilty (74% of American men are overweight or obese). I have a history of being a late-night binger, and I know what it is to feel out-of-control with my eating.

Perhaps you are an alcoholic or a “problem drinker” or even a drug addict. (Theoretically, in a church the size of Brook Hill, there may be 50-100 people who fall into these categories.)

Or are you distracted throughout the day by a smart phone that signals every new status update or tweet?

Do you spend several hours a day on YouTube or Facebook?

Are you a compulsive gambler?

A compulsive liar?

Is your mind filled with pornographic images that will not go away?

When we get trapped in any kind of compulsive behavior, we can think of it as a kind of bondage or slavery. We feel unable to control ourselves.

The Bible says “you are a slave to whatever controls you.” 

We need to reflect long and hard about the terrible consequences of man’s sin. If you don’t have questions, you’re not thinking deeply enough.

3. A PERSON. And that person is Jesus Christ.

Through Jesus, God has provided a way out of our prison. The good news is that we can be released from the bondage of addictions and compulsions.

The good news is … JESUS Himself. God’s only begotten Son has become our sin-bearer, our bondage-breaker. He redeems us and releases us from the treadmill of destructive behavior.

And Jesus reveals to us the true nature of our Father God. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus, and you’ll see.

When Jesus died on the cross, God laid all the sins of the world on His shoulders. All the disobedience. All the scars of sin. All the addictions and compulsions were laid on Him, and in some way we don’t fully understand, He suffered in our place for our brokenness.

Then He rose from the dead on the third day. He triumphed over sin. Over bondage. Over shame.

This is the good news of Jesus. It’s good news for the good person who can never be perfect. And it’s good news for the worst person in the world. It’s good news for the saint. It’s good news for the serial killer. It’s good news for Democrats and Republicans.

It’s good news for you and me, struggling and suffering with addictions and compulsions.

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

I urge you today:Turn to Jesus Christ as your Sin Bearer! Trust in Jesus Christ as the One who breaks your bondage and sets you free! Turn from religiosity. Turn from churchianity. Turn from every mask and façade and dig down deep into your relationship with Jesus. Let your friendship with Jesus be authentic and whole-hearted.

4. A PROCESS. And that process is Restoration.

God is in the process of redeeming and restoring the world, and one day everything will be set right. The Bible says that one day the very elements of this creation will melt with fervent heat. The day is coming when God will usher in a new heaven and a new earth and all of God’s redeemed children will live with Him there.

But in the meantime, we deal with the complexities of life. We deal with the every-day temptations and challenges of a world that is still busted and crippled. There are still incidents like the Sandy Hook tragedy. Child abuse. War and suffering.

And every day we are faced with a decision: Will I return to my addictive behavior? Will I repeat these compulsive actions that control my life?

The scripture which we read at the beginning can help us here (1 Corinthians 6:9-11):

A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God’s coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling.

But notice what verse 11 says: Some of you used to live in these ways (past tense). But you are different now – Christ has made a change in your life. You have been washed clean – that’s what the blood of Jesus will do. You have been set apart – God has separated us from those whose hearts are set on disobedience. He has placed us in a different family. You have been restored – to a living relationship with God. You have been set on the right path.

Yes, temptations may still rise up to challenge us. But as we cultivate our relationship with God, as we devote ourselves to Jesus Christ, we will break free from the bondage of addictive behavior.

In telling his story, Michael Mossburg said that he’s blessed to have tools to help him maintain his sobriety. One such tool is the 12-Step Program. You’ll find the 12 Steps listed in today’s bulletin, each step with a corresponding scripture verse.

ARISE! Charles Wesley Sings the Good News

(based on the hymn “Arise, My Soul, Arise!)

Preached by Gary Hicks on July 20, 2014 at Brook Hill United Methodist Church, Frederick, MD.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death… For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. (Romans 8:1-2, 14-16)

Sometimes things from long ago are better than new things. In the category of “Love poetry” would you prefer William Shakespeare or Justin Bieber? In the “Art” category, would you prefer Marie Cassatt or contemporary Spanish painter José Merello? In the “Grab Bag” category, would it be King Solomon or Weird Al Yankovic?

Charles Wesley is a man from long ago. He was born in 1707, three hundred years ago, more or less. And he is a hymn-writer whose good old hymns are likely to be sung for centuries to come.

Charles Wesley was John Wesley’s younger brother. Most of us know that John and Charles started the Methodist movement. John was the leader and organizer. Charles was the poet. Methodists sang his hymns each week when they came together.

He wrote more than 6000 hymns. (By writing 3 hymns a week, you too could write 6000 hymns – in 38 years!) Millions of Christians sing Charles’s hymns today. They are full of good theology. Our Methodist hymnal includes 59 of them.

Today we’re focusing on “Arise, My Soul, Arise” – my favorite Wesley hymn. Growing up in Canada, we didn’t sing it in my church, but Dad sang it as he prepared sermons.

Read this hymn together with me...

Arise, my soul, arise! Shake off thy guilty fears.

The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears.

Before the throne my Surety stands;

My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above for me to intercede,

His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.

His blood atoned for all our race

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears, received on Calvary.

They pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for me.

“Forgive him, O, forgive,” they cry,

“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears Him pray, His dear Anointed One;

He cannot turn away The presence of His Son.

His Spirit answers to the blood,

And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear.

He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear.

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Today this hymn is our framework to retell the good news of Jesus.

First I want to make one observation, and then share two truths with you.

My observation is that THIS HYMN EMPHASIZES THE BLOOD OF JESUS. This hymn sees the blood of Christ as God’s remedy for our sin.

The Bible tells us that, in the Old Testament, “almost everything was cleansed by sprinkling it with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22 – Living Bible).

And Wesley uses several strong phrases to describe the blood of Jesus: “the bleeding sacrifice”; “His precious blood”; “Five bleeding wounds”. One phrase hits me hardest: “My name is written on His hands.”

When we partake of the Lord’s Table, the grape juice reminds us of the blood sacrifice. We say, “the blood of Christ, shed for you.”

We don’t fully understand why God gave blood sacrifice such an important place in ancient worship. Maybe part of it was to help us understand how distasteful sin is to Him.

But blood sacrifices ended with the death of Jesus. He was the perfect, final sacrifice. I thank God for His perfect sacrifice for my sins!

Now let’s look at the two important truths emphasized by Wesley:

1. GOD WANTS TO PARDON US, NOT CONDEMN US. The scripture we read says: “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1) And John 3:17 tells us that: “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

God’s plan is not condemnation, but restoration.

Listen to these strong phrases from Wesley’s hymn:

“The bleeding sacrifice in MY behalf appears” (Note the personal pronoun “my”). “He ever lives above for ME to intercede.” “Five bleeding wounds… pour effectual prayers, They strongly plead for ME.”

Friends, God is on OUR side! The Father treasures us. The Son died and rose again for us.The Spirit fills us with divine love. God is on our side!

Here’s the scene that Charles Wesley seems to set up: Imagine yourself as the accused, on trial in a great courtroom. God the Father is the judge. Satan is the prosecuting attorney. And Jesus is your defense attorney.

All the charges against you are listed: perhaps 50 pages full of accusations. Satan brings many witnesses against you. The charges are obviously true – you are guilty. Finally the prosecution rests its case.

Now your defense attorney stands – Jesus of Nazareth. All eyes are on Him. He steps from behind the defendant’s table. We notice that his hands have been pierced through. We see that His feet have been badly wounded. We see a deep wound in His side, where a spear has torn the flesh.

Jesus says, “Yes, Your Honor, the defendant is guilty. But she is my sister. I have already taken her guilt upon me, I have suffered in the defendant’s place. Let her go free.”

Now all eyes are on the judge – God the Father. And quickly He says, “Oh, yes, set her free! Someone else has paid her penalty. My Son has suffered in her place.”

It’s a powerful scene. But the Bible never says that such an event ever takes place. The courtroom drama may help us understand the power of Christ’s wounds, but it could also give us a false picture.

If we think that the Son loves us more than the Father, we’re mistaken. If we think that the Father is out for justice but the Son wants mercy, then this imaginary scene has gone too far. God is One. He does not want to condemn us. His agenda is pardon. When it comes to our salvation, the Creator of the universe is on our side!

2. WHEN WE’RE BORN OF GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT TELLS US SO. Sometimes we call this the “assurance of salvation.” It makes sense that if God forgives our sins, He wants us to know without any doubt that we are forgiven.

In their early years, John and Charles Wesley were both hindered by the mistaken idea that we cannot know for sure if God has saved us from our sins. This false theology says that, in this life, we cannot know for sure whether we are bound for heaven or hell.

But the Wesleys had Christian friends (the Moravians) who convinced them otherwise.   

The scripture we read says: “the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by [that same Spirit] we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit… testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Rom. 8:15-16)

“Abba” is an Aramaic word that means “Daddy” (or “Papa.”) It’s a term of endearment, an intimate word. If you’ve ever wondered if God is a personal God, you should ponder this word ABBA.

The Father wants us to feel an intimacy with Him. He is not some faraway deity running the world by remote control. He is our PAPA, our DADDY. Somehow DADDY sounds too familiar, too irreverent. But God yearns for that kind of relationship with us!

Here’s how the scripture we read is translated in The Message: “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children.”

When we believe in Jesus we are adopted into God’s family. And the Holy Spirit goes to work. He speaks with our spirits and assures us that we are God’s children.

Say (if you believe it): “God speaks to me.” “When I am forgiven, God tells me so.”

When we have been redeemed, an inner voice will speak peace and assurance to our spirits.

Charles Wesley was 30 before he felt the inner witness and knew that he was forgiven. Christianity.com says that he was sick with pleurisy and a bad toothache. He was staying at a friend’s house in London, England. On Pentecost Sunday morning, 1738, Charles asked God to give him an assurance of salvation.

At one point he heard a friend's voice saying, "In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, arise, and believe, and you shall be healed of all your infirmities."

Charles whispered, "I believe, I believe." That day he received the witness of the Spirit within himself. He was assured that his sins were forgiven. His life was changed. (http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/charles-wesley-lacked-holy-spirit-no-more-11630225.html)

Charles had been a seeker after God, a doer of good deeds. But that day was a turning point.

Now he was confident of God’s forgiveness. He was to become a much more effective worker for Jesus.

What about you? Do you have an inner witness from the Spirit that your sins are forgiven? Are you confident that, if you were absent from your body, you would be present with the Lord?

God wants to assure you of your salvation. Ask Him to give you that inner witness. I know that He will!

Speak with a Christian friend and pray together that God will help you know without a doubt that your sins are forgiven. Or I would be glad to meet with you and we can pray together.

And it might be that you are in need of the Holy Spirit’s help in strengthening your faith, or reaffirming your Christian convictions. Let’s do business with God this morning, while He’s speaking to us!

Be Filled With the Spirit (sermon)

(preached at Brook Hill UMC, June 22, 2014)

Ephesians 5:15-20 (v.18 “…be filled with the Spirit”)

Francis Chan is a well-known Asian-American speaker and author. He was a pastor for many years. In 2009 he wrote a book called: Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. Hear these words from his book:

“From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically rejected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten… Millions of churchgoers across America.. cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many… do not believe they can…

Success in church services has become more about attendance than the movement of the Holy Spirit. The ‘entertainment model’ of the church was largely adopted in the 1980s and ‘90s, and… it filled our churches with self-focused consumers rather than self-sacrificing servants attuned to the Holy Spirit…

If I were Satan… one of my main strategies would be to get churchgoers to ignore the Holy Spirit. The degree to which this has happened… is directly connected to the dissatisfaction most of us feel with… the church. We understand something very important is missing… This missing something is actually a missing Someone – namely, the Holy Spirit. Without Him, people operate in their own strength and only accomplish human-size results… But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice…

I can’t think of anything more essential for God’s church everywhere, and especially in the western hemisphere where it seems that the Holy Spirit is all but missing from most of our churches… I know that the body of Christ is vibrant and growing … on continents like Africa, South America, and Asia… I also believe that the Spirit is more obviously active in places where people are desperate for Him, humbled before Him, and not distracted by their pursuit of wealth or comforts (like we are).”

These are sobering words.

In one minute or one year I can’t school you in what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit. But here is a short summary:

The Holy Spirit is very God of very God. Together with God the Father and Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity – one God in three Persons.

Though he is called “the breath of God” and symbolized as a dove, He is not merely a metaphor or symbol. He is not some impersonal force.

He is neither male nor female in any human sense of the word, but since my brain and language are limited, let me use the pronoun “He” when I speak of the Holy Spirit this morning. 

He is all-powerful. All-knowing. Present in every place and every situation. He is eternal and holy. He has His own mind and will, and His own desires. He prays for us.

He has emotions, and He grieves when we walk away from God to go our own way.

The Holy Spirit was present and active when the world was created. He was active in a limited way in the Old Testament.

And (if you believe the Scriptures, as I do) He is active in a much more prominent way over the last 2000 years. During these two millenia, He lives within the followers of Jesus. If we give Him access to the hidden corners of our lives, He directs us, He speaks to us, He promotes the life and work and person of Jesus. In fact, we could call Him the Spirit of Jesus. He is God at work in the world today.

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian. From 1942 to 1944 she hid Jews in her home as they tried to escape the Nazi Holocaust. In 1944 she was caught and sent to Ravensbruck prison camp. After her liberation she traveled throughout the world with a powerful message of hope and forgiveness.

Corrie ten Boom wrote these words: “Trying to do the Lord's work in your own strength is the most confusing, exhausting, and tedious of all work. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, then the ministry of Jesus just flows out of you.” 

I believe that every true follower of Christ longs for the ministry of Jesus to flow out from their lives.

What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit?” Nine times in the Book of Acts, the followers of Jesus are described as “filled with the Spirit” or “full of the Spirit”.

And here in the scripture which was read (Ephesians 5) we are encouraged or instructed or commanded or urged to be “filled with the Spirit.”

One translation puts it this way: “let the Spirit fill your life.”

The Amplified Bible says “ever be filled… with the Holy Spirit.”(or “be being filled”: an ongoing action)

A third translator says: “Don’t get your stimulus from wine…, but let the Spirit stimulate your souls.

The Message translation says: “Don’t drink too much wine, (but) Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.”

The Living Bible says: “be filled… with the Holy Spirit and controlled by him.”

To be full of the Holy Spirit means at least that we are controlled or governed by the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:6 tells us that “the mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 

What does it mean to be “filled with the Spirit?” And how does a follower of Jesus become “filled with the Spirit’? And then, how does a Christian continue in an ongoing state of being “full of the Spirit” – filled again and again, day after day?

And how does a person like me – with all of my personal baggage and bruises, who has been seeking to follow Jesus for almost 50 years – how can I live a life that is “full of the Spirit”?

Well, what is my soul full of today? What is my mind full of? What occupies my time and attention and interest? To what have I devoted myself for years and years?

(My story) I asked Jesus to come into my life in October of 1966. I was in seventh grade. I had come to believe in the reality of hell, and I didn’t want to go there. One night in my bed I asked God to forgive my sins and come into my life, and help me live a life pleasing to Him. There was a definite change in my life. God was in my life, but He didn’t have control of my life.

Like most teenage boys I was full of myself – full of pride and ambition and insecurity. Full of chess and music and a love of the ocean. Once I lied to someone, and wouldn’t ‘fess up for a year or two. I eventually came to see that there could be only one Master of my life. It could be Jesus, or it could be me. Most of the time, it was me.

Then in 1972, when I was 18, I had a great wrestling match with God that went on for days. I was facing the most important decision in life: would I be the boss of my life, or would I turn over the reins of my life to Jesus and let Him be my Master?

I remember the day in July when I fully surrendered everything to God. When I said yes it felt like God took a giant vacuum cleaner to my life and sucked out all the sin. For several hours I was in a daze, realizing that this was a major turning-point. That was the day I first settled the Lordship question.

(When you surrender everything to Jesus, you may not have the “vacuum cleaner experience”.)

Well, it’s been 42 years, and I’ve messed up many times. Almost every day I come back to God. I ask Him to forgive my sins. I ask Him to cleanse my nature so that I’m less inclined to sin.

And I’ve never regretted that decision I made as a teenager. God has blessed me and made a way for me. He gave me a wife who has a similar passion for Jesus. He’s given me two godly daughters, and grandchildren to love. If I die today, God has cheated me out of nothing.

Dwight L. Moody was a great evangelist of the 1800s. With regard to being filled with the Holy Spirit, he wrote: “The moment our hearts are emptied of selfishness and ambition and self-seeking and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will come and fill every corner of our hearts; but if we are full of pride and conceit, ambition and self-seeking…, there is no room for the Spirit of God… Many a man is praying to God to fill him, when he is full already with something else. Before we pray that God would fill us, …we ought to pray that He would empty us. There must be an emptying before there can be a filling; …and everything that is contrary to God is turned out, then the Spirit will come...” 

Where are you in your journey with Christ today? Ask God to empty you of your self-centeredness, and be filled with the Spirit of God.