Nothing less than perfect obedience - 1 Samuel 15

Let me tell you a story of a man who knew God’s will and yet struggled to implement it into his life.

This man had a house in which he took in stray animals.  He knew that God had called him to care for every stray animal he found along the way. Whether it was a lion, or a puppy, a bird or guinea pig didn’t matter.  His purpose was to take in the stray animals of the world that God brought across his path.  He continued in God’s will for some time, making arrangements, building the pens, setting up the land in order to fulfill his call.  Then the day came when he found his first stray: a dirty, diseased little fox.  A wily little animal, able to sneak out of the pens and intent on harassing the other pets that had already been a part of the family since before the call had gone forth.  This fox, became such a difficult little animal that our animal rescuer started listening to his friends and family who told him to turn this one out.  Let it go.  Send it back to nature and let the wild world determine its fate.  Maybe someone else will be brought by God to save it. And so he did, he released the fox back to the world.

Do you identify?  Do you have a story like that in your life?  Maybe you aren’t called to be an animal rescuer but you are called to do something! Are the various pressures of life stopping you?.  Are you wondering what next, or if obedience makes sense?  Maybe you are guilty, or repentant, or maybe you are just self-justifying in your disobedience.  Let me read you a story from 1 Sam 15 which is just like our ficticious story:

READ 1 Sam 15:1-21

The story is remarkable, if you really think about it.  There are so many points of correlation to our animal rescuer, there are so many blatant details given about “God’s direction for Saul’s life” that we, modern people long for such direct revelation about what God wants from us.  Let’s walk through the text, allowing me to comment as we go.

Samuel, God’s prophet, comes to Saul, the King saying, (1Sam. 15:1) “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.”  Right up front we see that God is the authority behind all authority.  God is the one who sets up the rulers of the earth, and so God is presumably also the one who has the authority to direct their steps.  He has the right to tell them what to do and how to do it.  And that concurs with Rom. 13:1 “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”

Wouldn’t you love to be in Saul’s place right now, to have the very mouthpiece of God, his prophet come and tell you what to do?  I would love for God to tell me exactly how much money to give to retirement, how much money to give to the church, what decision to make in regard to this project of that, wouldn’t you?  This is what God does for Saul, saying, (1Sam. 15:2-3) “I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”

Clearly, concisely, and to the point; God tells Saul exactly what he is suppose to do, he even tells him why he is suppose to do it.  These Amalekites had waylaid the Jews at Rephidim.  If you want the story you can read about it in Exodus 17:8-16.  But let me read the commentary on this from Deut. 25:17-19 “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!”

These folks had terrorized the promised nation of God on their Exodus, acting as foxes picking off the weakest members of the community, terrorizing any who lagged behind the group.  And because of this God commanded early on that they were to be removed from the earth, blotted out of memory, totally destroyed.  Those words totally destroy everything, they mean exactly that totally destroy everything.  Leave nothing, don’t spare a single person, article or animal.  All of them are to be removed from the earth, no vestige of their existence is to be left for posterity, no fragment for a museum collection.  Nothing.  Gone, Gone, Gone. 

You may be asking, what do the cattle, sheep, camels and donkeys have to do with it. And couldn’t the infants at least be saved and raised to know God, are they really under the curse?  To the first, I don’t know why the animals are to be destroyed, seems like a senseless waste of property and to the second, Yes, they are really under the curse.  In short, I don’t understand God’s plan or directions; I am just delivering the message as God delivered it to Saul.

So what does Saul do?  He gathers the army, and sets about preparing for war just like our animal rescuer did in preparing the property and building the pens.  The necessary steps are followed and along the way, the Kenites are asked to move.  They weren’t commanded to be killed and they had been allies of Israel.  (They were the descendants of Moses father in Law; we learn from Judg. 1:16 “The descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.”  But they were also of the line that Jael, the young women who killed Sisera, came from in Judges 4:11-12.  And one final note of prophetic truth about why the Kenites aren’t destroyed now, Balaam had prophesied so in Numbers 24:20-21 “Amalek was first among the nations, but he will come to ruin at last. Then he saw the Kenites and uttered his oracle: “Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock;”  These are friends and allies of Israel, and God wasn’t intent on destroying them.)

Saul takes the necessary steps, attacks and routes the Amalekites and then he spares Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle.  He destroys the bad and weak, but keeps the good and strong and heads off to set up a monument in his own honor (v.12).  Verse 9 says Saul was “unwilling to destroy.” Unwilling, that word is a powerful word.  In the positive sense, or in the sense of being willing to do something, it means that a person consents to an action even if the action is pleasing or not to them personally.  In our context that would mean, Saul is unwilling to consent to the direction of God.  This is the same word used of Pharoah in Exodus 10:27 “But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.”  Saul is taking on the personality of the quintescential man who was unwilling to obey God – Pharoah.

When Samuel approaches the King, Saul immediately states that he has carried out the Lord’s instructions and when his sin is brought forward he blames the soldiers, just like Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent.  Just like our animal rescuer would blame society for putting too much pressure on him from being able to obey God’s command.  But Saul goes even a step further than just blaming folks.  He lies about their intentions, he says it is to sacrifice to God, but Samuel calls out the truth in verse 19 saying, “Why did you pounce on the plunder…” 

Saul wants the world to believe, and probably in his mind has justified it himself and believes he is serving God and improving on the commandment of the Lord.  Not only will these animals be ultimately destroyed, I can use them in an act of worship and get in on some of the plunder myself.  I can have a number of very fine dinners in the presence of the priests with these good animals.  But Samuel sees right thru it.  He choose the word pounce, a term specifically reserved for predatory animals, particularly birds of prey when they swoop in and take their prey for their own consumption.  Samuel sees that this isn’t pious worship; it is a selfish claim to the good things of life, which is going on in the heart of Saul and the people.

Before I go much further, let me expose my own sin, my own Saul likeness, particularly in the area of adoption. Many of you are aware of our intentions to adopt a child or children. What may surprise you is that I have struggled with feeling like Saul. I know the Lord's intentions and his heart for his people, the Church.  It is summed up very succinctly in Mic. 6:6 “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  For our family and for many others, that tangibly means adopting the orphan and widow, at least that is how James saw it (1:27) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

I know how much God desires for his people to be a safe harbor for those in need. I know the call to spend myself on behalf of the poor (Isa 58:10) and yet, there have been times that I don't want to do it. It isn’t always this way, there have been times where I earnestly desired to adopt but there have also been times recently where I haven’t.  The costs associated with an adoption have become large in my mind, large enough to cause me to be wary. (By cost, I mean much more than simply the financial costs, but rather mean the familial and social costs.)  I am the animal rescuer who has listened to the voice of society saying “God will bring someone else to do it.  You already have enough things to worry about, enough responsibility. You needn’t obey here.”

I have contemplated disobedience many times. I have tried to justify it by saying that "Scott you are called to motivate people to adopt, not do it yourself." I have tried to justify my disobedience by saying "another Compassion child would be a sacrifice in keeping with the spirit of God's instruction." And there are countless others thoughts that have run through my mind. Many times the thought has crossed my mind, "Christ died for me, if I disobey, that too will be covered and I will be fine." That thought has been and is a very real thought in my mind, yet my blatant sin, my defiance of God's word and plan for our family, while covered by Christ, is evidence of a heart not in submission to the Lord.

Then there are the thoughts about leadership, "How can I lead, if I myself am not willing to be led into this area? Would I be a hypocrite if I knew God's plan and failed to live into it?" Maybe refused would be a better word, more in line with keeping with Samuel’s rebuke of Saul.  And the truth hurts; yes, I would be a hypocrite refusing to obey my God. So I continue to go through the motions with a heart sometimes inside and sometimes outside of God's revealed word. I continue on in obedience to my Lord, but praying all the while for a heart that is changed and returned to a gracious acceptance of God's plans for His people. This, I believe, is the meaning of discipleship.

That brings me to our passage in 1 Samuel this morning. It was this passage that hit me both positively and negatively a few months ago when my rebellion was as its zenith. Specifically it was Samuel’s words, 1Sam. 15:22-23 “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

God desires obedience, complete obedience from His people. He isn't concerned with the heart, and whether or not we think His ways are a good idea, or whether or not we have "better" ways of implementing His purposes. No, God wants, nay, God demands that we obey His will as revealed in His Word. Positively I was comforted, obedience is a just form of submission to God as compared to outright rebellion which assumes that I am in an superior position to God; I am conscious of his will and make the conscious choice to defy it, which is totally unexpected given my God’s amazingly merciful treatment of me in the past.  God had been gracious to Saul, elevating him to the kingship, and now Saul defies the very God who set him in authority.  No wonder rebellion is like the sin of divination and urging one to sin like the evil of idolatry.  Both are a direct affront to the reign of God, Saul rebelled, the soldiers urged so Saul gave in to them.  (The term arrogance is really “urging one to do something”.)

Returning to my story, God desires obedience and so I began to feel a little smug about being an obedient disciple, until my heart was pricked by the fact that Christ's obedience is the only obedience that matters in relation to God. He alone is the only one who has always been obedient to every command of God.  He alone is the only one who has ever been fully led by God’s Spirit in every action and thought of his earthly life.  Christ alone has never broken a commandment, or judged another unjustly.  Christ alone has served the oppressed and set the captives free and proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor.  Christ alone has done all of this, and so Christ alone is the sacrifice that was once and for all, for all times, including every time that my obedience was incomplete or lacking in any way.  And that certainly includes the sin of a heart not joyful to do God's will.

And so we are all cast back upon the cross as our sin is exposed once again.  For who us has always reveled and rejoiced in God’s will for his or her life?  Who of us has known God’s desire for our life and chosen to disobey or improve upon the plan?  Who of us have urged others to not follow the leading of the Spirit in order to justify our own disobedience?  We are all like Saul, for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).

But unlike Saul who was rejected because of his disobedience, I will not be rejected because of my disobedience, and neither will you. Saul's rejection doesn't apply to us as long as we are in Christ.  Praise the Lord.  For the Scriptures go on to proclaim after saying, (Rom. 3:23) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished — 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Christ’s sacrifice of atonement keeps us from the rejection which Saul experienced.  Christ’s obedience, his sinless perfect life culminating in the one act of righteousness the Father asked of him, to die a death engulfed in sin in order to conquer sin, saves us.  Listen to these passages, Rom. 5:18-19 “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Or Phil. 2:8 “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!” Heb. 5:8 “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered."

Christ’s obedience saves us and allows us to be led by a man who was obedient in both heart and action.[1]

Now, a question remains, Are we free from obeying God because Christ obeyed the Lord perfectly? Absolutely not. Nevertheless, in gratitude we are called to obey our Lord even if we don't feel like. But we can always call upon God to change our heart and make it joyful in his will.

As I close, I refer you to contemplate a series of 6 questions included in the bulletin in order to personalize this sermon to your life.

1. Where do you know what God expects but your heart isn't in it?

2. How have you tried to justify your disobedience?

3. Do you desire to obey joyfully?

4. Are you willing to obey even if your heart isn't in it?

5. What steps must you take now to follow God into this new area?

6. Pray for God to change your heart into one that is joyful and exuberant in his will!

---

[1] Philip Wendell Crannell, “OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST” [ISBE] “But just as Jesus' growth in knowledge  (Luke 2:52[1]) was not from error to truth, but from partial knowledge to completer, so His "learning obedience" led Him not from disobedience or debate to submission, but from obedience at the present stage to an obedience at ever deeper and deeper cost. The process was necessary for His complete humanity, in which sense He was "made perfect," complete, by suffering. It was also necessary for His perfection as example and sympathetic High Priest. He must fight the human battles under the human conditions. Having translated obedient aspiration and disposition into obedient action in the face of, and in suffering unto, death, even the death of the cross, He is able to lead the procession of obedient sons of God through every possible trial and surrender.”

Who is worship all about? - Romans 12:1-2

Who is worship all about?  Let me start off by telling you a parable.  I wish I could claim it as my own, but it comes from pastor bc comings, of Mountain View CRC in Lynden.[1]

There was a prince whose massive estates were given to the care of certain stewards during an extended time of frequent absence. He was not always absent. From time to time he would return to visit his estates and the people who worked them. Both the master and his subjects seemed agreed that the visits were all too short.

As time progressed, one of the stewards became concerned with the manner in which the common people presented themselves to their sovereign. He took it upon himself to instruct the people as to when and how and in what demeanor they should address the Prince upon his returns. Instruction in protocol was regularly given and became the focus of his administration. He drew up entire books filled with stately etiquette and greetings of carefully worded grandeur. So effective was his training program that the common folk came to believe that they need only repeat the words written in their books of protocol to maintain good relations with the Prince.

On the given days and at the appointed times, the Prince would return to find the workers of this estate well schooled in their etiquette. With pomp and pageantry they greeted his every visitation. The people came in their finest attire and they read blessings, eulogies, and litanies of great eloquence. The occasion always left the people and their prince with the impression that something lofty, gracious, and beautiful had happened—though perhaps they could not say what it was.

On other of the Prince’s estates, the steward was rather more personal and pragmatic. “I am not so much concerned with show as with reality,” he was heard to say. “Our great Prince deserves rich fruits, not fancy words.”

When the Prince visited this estate, he was greeted warmly and directly by people dressed in working garments. There was no pageantry, no ornate words. In fact, little by way of celebration at all. The work paused only long enough to allow for direct and simple words to be exchanged between the Lord and his people. Once the converse was over, it was back to the work and fruitfulness.

Finally the day arrived on which the Prince came into his kingdom. At his coronation the stewards arrived at the palace, each convinced that his administration of the estate was superior. Each anticipated that the people of his estate would receive the better commendation because of the administration under which they had served. Each secretly looked down a rather self-satisfied nose at the other.

The steward of the regal estates was confident his people were more pleasing to the new King because of the stability, propriety and respect of the words he had composed for them to say. At the same time, he was quite sure that the King would be displeased with the low-brow words and tattered apparel of the workers from the other estate. Certainly, the King of such a rich and influential domain was pleased only by the best of words, ceremonies and apparel.

The steward of the more folksome estates was also confident his people would fare better before the King than those of the other estate. Their words were not lofty, but they were genuine. They had not squandered precious time celebrating the King when he had been a Prince. They had remained at their posts—working the ground and bringing forth fruits for the coronation banquet. None of his people had presumed to read someone else’s greeting to their King. Their words were their own.

But when the King turned to the people of his estates, he gave preference to neither the regal estates nor the common estates. Instead he judged each person concerning matters of the heart.

To one he declared, “Your words were not your own in composition, but you strove diligently to make them your own in significance. They became to you an occasion for raising the level of our discourse to loftier, more noble things. Well done.”

To another he frowned, “You spoke to me with high and lofty phrases but your heart and mind never rose above the pig sty. Thus your words were false to you and odious to me, filled with disdainful complacency. Was it not worth it to you to breathe life and meaning into your wonderful words and pretty turns of speech? You are unfaithful and fit only for my contempt.”

When the servants from the common estates approached the throne, they too found the King interested in deeper things than the manner of address and decorum they practiced.

To one he smiled, and bid him approach the throne, “My dear old friend, how I treasure the memory of our long discussions over the feed trough. You have no idea the good you did me by your forthright respect and ready service. I look forward to feeding and grooming the livestock with you again and again in the royal stables.”

Yet at the sign of another his face fell, “Oh, you,” He muttered. “You took my visits for granted and presumed to speak with me as if we were equals. Your so-called service to me was a wispy veil for your self-serving attitude. You were careless in your thoughts and actions toward me, I shall take very little care over what becomes of you in my kingdom.”

By the time the stewards approached the throne, their confidence had melted away. The steward of the royal estates had acted in good conscience for his attempts to dignify the communion of his people with their Master by lending them order and nobility. But he was suddenly aware that in the doing, he had traded away the honest and reverent intimacy his people might have known with their ruler. The steward of the common estates was glad for his emphasis upon service and fruitful labors, but suddenly felt denuded and inappropriate in the presence of such a magnificent King.

The King read the heart of each in their eyes. He said nothing, but under his gaze the stewards turned one to the other and tearfully grasped hands. “We have much to learn from one another,” they agreed.

As they turned to the King, and bowed low before him, no words were exchanged—only the smile of their Master and the prospect of many happy days setting the balance in the kingdom.

Let’s return to the message of Romans in order to bolster up our concept of what worship is all about.  Romans uses the word therefore 20 times. 19 of them are in reference to some past information that Paul is distilling into a consequence or resulting belief.  Our passage in Romans 12 is the 14^th such occurrence. In order for us to answer the question at hand: What is worship all about?  It is imperative that we follow Paul’s preceding conclusions. Let’s walk through the book of Romans summarily from therefore to therefore, answering the question, What is this therefore, there for?

After opening the letter and discussion humanities stubborn refusal to admit that God is both Lord Almighty and Creator of the Universe (Romans 1:20) and humanity’s refusal to worship God, Paul tells us the result:

Rom. 1:24 ¶ Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

The sin of humanity has brought more sin upon themselves.  These in turn results in more idolatry, sexual perversions, and every form of wicked behavior, even approving of sin in others.  To which Paul says, we are all guilty.  Rom. 2:1 ¶ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. We are all guilty.  Every human being approves of some sin tacitly by considering his or her life acceptable while another’s is unacceptable.  We are condemned, each and every one of us.

And it is because of this reality, that Paul writes, Rom. 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.   This is because none of us can observe the law fully; we all stumble at it in some area, or excuse others and ourselves like us in certain points of adherence.  The law, our actions and obedience to it, cannot save a single sinful human being but because of the atoning life of Christ and the shedding of his blood, salvation is possible but it comes and always has come by faith.  Righteousness was given to Abraham, not for obedience, but for faith in God’s promises.  And so Paul writes, Rom. 4:16  Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

And since this righteousness through faith is available to everyone, since everyone is under the same condemnation in regards to fulfilling the law completely, Paul tells us Rom. 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faith has brought righteousness, which has brought peace and reconciliation with God.  And because of this peace and reconciliation there is the hope of ultimate salvation – redemption from our bodies of sin.  Because of this truth, and its importance, Paul recites the first five chapters in 13 verses beginning at Rom. 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…(Rom 5:21b) so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

In light of this truth, the hope of salvation, Rom. 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If this is indeed true, Paul urges us on in the Christian life saying, Rom. 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  The Christian is called to change the way he lives, no longer in sinfulness and depravity, estranged from God and denying his very power and authority, no those are the things which got humanity into our present predicament.  Instead, we are to acknowledge God’s power and authority and will undoubtedly lead to a new way of living.  A way of living that doesn’t bring judgment upon others, or ourselves for if you recall, the judging of earlier was a means of self-justification. It was a means whereby one condemned another in order to “uphold the law” in themselves.

But now in Christ and in hope, in submission to the authority of God we no longer need to compare ourselves or sustain ourselves, in fact on the contrary, we recognize our complete vulnerability before God in the face of absolute righteousness and so our only concern is this:  Am I obedient to the promptings of God’s authority in my life?  And it is because of this truth that Paul writes, Rom. 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  There is nothing else, no one else who can condemn us, for all are condemned under the law and by the law, but in Christ we have been raised above the search for righteousness in obedience to the law.  And if this is the case, again Paul draws the conclusion Rom. 8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it…but [to be led] by the Spirit…and put to death the misdeeds of the body. 

Our life is now God’s life.  It belongs to him. By recognizing Christ as our righteousness, all believers have essentially allowed God to reverse the original sin, which brought condemnation upon humanity.  We have recognized God’s authority and power and if this is so, we have also recognized the truth of Scripture, which the Heidelberg Catechism succinctly summarizes in its first question and answer.  That truth is “That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.”

Rom. 9:16 It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. If it is true that I am God’s creation and he is my redeemed, then human effort or desire are irrelevant, but everything rests upon the mercy of our Lord.  Rom. 9:18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. And that reality is a hard one for many of us to accept, but it is the natural outworking of every thing that Paul has said until this point.  He goes on to flesh that out in the story of Israel and their rejection of the Messiah while the gentiles accepted him and were grafted into the spiritual Israel.

So Paul says to these grafted in Gentile converts and Jewish believers, Rom. 11:22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. Contemplate God’s mercy to you and his wrath to those who persist in a state of denying God’s power and authority.  Consider it; consider the outcome of those who refuse to acknowledge God as Lord and Creator.  Reflect on the future of those whose lives are lived as their own gods, devoid of any serious acknowledgement of their sin, God’s righteousness and God’s judgment upon those who sin.  Think about it, dwell on it and then reflect on his mercy, his grace, his kindness that allows others and yourself who do acknowledge God’s demands, and God’s provision.  And when your reflection is complete and your acceptance of his Son’s life for you is settled in your mind and heart, then Paul says, here is the natural response, Worship:

Rom. 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So let us worship God, remembering that our needs, wants and desires mean nothing, for we have been bought with a price and our master is calling us to be transformed!  Let’s worship God.

Rom. 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Worship flows out of proper reflection on God, man, sin and judgment.  It flows out of the heart, not the external as the parable expounds.  Our gathering on Sunday morning is but one aspect of the life of worship, but it all flows from recognizing that God alone is master and Lord.  He alone is sovereign and the creator.  And that means that we are creatures.  If he is creator, then we are creatures.  And if this is true then worship isn’t about anything that we like or prefer, whether it is music style or liturgy, whether it is comfortable or uncomfortable for us.  Whether it challenges us or doesn’t challenge us.  Whether we like the pastor or don’t like the pastor.  None of these things matter.  For each and every one of them is a reflection back upon the root sin, which brought God’s condemnation down upon humanity in the first place – the idea that my wants, desires and preferences are what is most important.  Poohey!

If we are coming on Sunday mornings with any of those thoughts or ideas, we must take time to return to the first 11 chapters of Romans and settle the message in our mind and contemplate that message seriously in our life and if we believe that our savior has truly redeemed us, and we are not our own but have been bought with a price, then the question we must come to worship with is – What is worship all about?  Or better yet “Who is worship all about?” 

It is about God, it is all about God.  It is about offering ourselves to him in service and obedience to the Holy Spirit he has placed within our very soul.  It is about living a life out of the reflection that God has chosen men, women and children to be saved, and I am one of them.  Therefore, I, we, come not with our own agenda, our own desires, our own preferences, but we come with thankfulness and gratefulness to our Lord each and every day, including Sunday morning.

The world says gather with like minded people, get your needs met, plug into a church where your preferences are the preferences of the majority.  But the gospel says, Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.   The world says, worship is about an emotional response carried out at the end of the service.  The world tells us that worship is for Sunday morning but come Monday, faith and life don’t mix.  The world tells us that my faith need not affect my work ethic, or my politics and definitely not my economics. But the gospel says, Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  This is your spiritual act of worship…

The world says we need to fill the dying churches with more up to date music, better instruments, nicer, more comfortable décor and this will in turn fill the church with greater numbers of people. But the gospel says, Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The task is not to populate public meetings with greater numbers of people, but with greater numbers of worshipers[2] who recognize that it isn’t about their preferences, desires, or even their heart felt plans and ideas about evangelism and making the Gospel message comfortable.  The challenge for every Christian in all of life, including Sunday morning worship, to abandon himself or herself as a slave to the hand of God.

The world says bring a comfortable message to the people so that they will accept it and join the church.  In fact many church-goers believe that worship is to be comfortable for them.  We have enough stress in regular life, they say.  We have enough demands, enough uncertainty, enough surprises, enough people telling us what to do, that we just want to come on Sunday morning and relax, enjoy the service and not have anyone bring more surprises, demands or tension to our lives.  We like the words, “Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” But it never quite occurs to us that when Jesus speaks of rest it is in terms of His yoke of service—for Jesus continued, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Worship is challenging, it is submission to the leading of the Master and Creator. For the gospel says, Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Quit thinking that we have any part of directing even our Sunday morning gatherings; they are God’s time for training his people, for receiving their praise and for enjoying His family.  It is not about us, it is all about him.  The promise was never for a comfortable message, it was for a message of Comfort – you aren’t in charge of your life any longer, That is what got you in trouble, but I, God, am in charge of your life, the Father says, and so your ills are no longer, follow me while I lead you out of them.  This is the transforming of the mind.[3]

That is a hard reality to come to grips with.  I have struggled with it and continue to struggle with it. Picture yourself, sitting in a small hut with 50 smelling bodies, 100-degree heat and no windows.  The music is going to be sung to beats you are unfamiliar with and the people are going to dance and jump and bounce so that the 50 smelly bodies are going to become 50 smelly, sweaty bodies and you will be squashed 8 people onto a bench made for 4.  The speaker is going to talk in a language you don’t understand, the message is going to be translated and the doctrine will be bordering on heresy and the next 4 hours are going to be spent in this gathering, only then to be followed by a eating a meal you don’t like while the men of the gathering ask you questions about every conceivable topic from money to sex to politics.  Would you go each week?  Would you consider that worship?  What if you could go another village over and be part of a body that had fans blowing and plenty of space, and the teaching was sounder?  Which gathering would you choose?  That is the life of most missionaries.  It was our life.

When we returned to the states we attended a church that was for most practical purposes the same for us, the veneers were different but the foreignness was the same.  I had never sung hymns, until coming to the CRC, instead of 50 smelling bodies with a lot of movement and cramped quarters, there were 150 scented bodies with plenty of space but absolute stoic resolve not to move one square inch.  The message was doctrinally strong at times but there was little to no fellowship, no gathering for a meal afterward, and no discussion of money, sex, and politics.  Would you go each week?  Would you consider one worship and the other not?   How about if a new gathering started up and they were playing your favorite music?  Would you leave?  Or better yet, if the church you had been a part of was exactly what you wanted and then it started to change?  Would the new worship be better than the old, or worse?  Would it be more worshipful? 

Do you see, everything we are discussing is surface level?  It is a matter of opinion, it is focused on ourselves.  But the gospel says, Rom. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Don’t view your wants, wishes and desires – come to see worship as occurring anytime, anywhere your mind is set upon God and his rule, his kingdom and his pushing forth into the world. 

Sunday worship, or all worship for that matter, is not about you or me or even the unbeliever we want to know Christ.  It is about the God who saves us and so has a right to direct our lives.  It is about the God who paid the price for our redemption, and so it is about the God who creates freedom and therefore can tell his people how to live.  It is about the God who is gracious and merciful and so it is about the people who recognize His grace and mercy, and understand his right to condemn all men but see his surpassing kindness in their election.  It is about God Almighty who alone dictates truth.  And so worship is the all-encompassing recognition of God’s power and authority, his creative skill and generosity as it is displayed in every act of living in a redeemed person’s life. 

So let us worship God, following where he is leading.  Amen!

---

[1] Cumings, Waterways of Worship, pg. 226.

[2] BC Cumings, pg. 203.

[3] Cumings, pg. 207.

Sermon from 11/8/09

There will not be a text posted for the sermon this week, since the delivery differed substantially from what was on my manuscript.  And thank God for that, for on Saturday night I was still struggling with what I had written, but God graciously showed up and edited my words on the fly.  You can pick up an audio copy of the sermon at www.hopeinchristchurch.org

Praying for those who struggle - Romans 15:30-31 and Eph 3:14-21

When people are struggling what is it that we pray for?  We pray for the struggle to be removed, we pray for their rescue and for their return to great prosperity.  Is that not the case?  Consider the marriage, which is in trouble, we pray for the item causing the struggle to be lifted, whether that is financial trouble or an addiction or a cantankerous spirit.  We pray for redemption.  Or Consider the illness plaguing another, even ourselves, we pray for the disease, the infection or the virus to be taken from us.  When difficult people are in our lives we pray for them to be removed from our sphere of interaction.  And rightly so, for we all know what happens when you pray for patience in the midst of dealing with difficult people.  They come around more often and we get to interact with them more, all while wondering why God isn’t giving us what we asked for – yet not recognizing that he is giving us precisely what we asked for, the opportunity to exercise patience and grow in it. 

Is it wrong to pray such prayers?  Is it wrong to request relief from the discomforts of life, the difficult people and the broken relationships?  It would be easy after all these weeks to say, one should never pray these kinds of prayers, but our text this morning would testify to the contrary.  There is a place to pray for relief. 

Paul begs his fellow believers in Rome to pray for him, to join with him in calling out to God for relief.  He says, “I urge you brothers…to join me in my struggle…that I may be rescued.”  He is using forceful language here, it is as if he is saying, “If Christ is really God, If you have tasted him, if you have experienced him, If he is your king and his will is central to your life, then pray for me and my ministry.  Pray that the obstacles and the struggles will be removed and lifted.  Pray that I may be saved. 

Paul invites them into a life of wrestling in prayer, a life of sharing in the struggle of prayer.  Join me in what is on my mind, my heart, and my burden.  Wrestle with me.  Those words, join me in my struggle are all one word in the Greek. It is the word used in Col. 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”

Isn’t it true that some prayers are wrestling matches?  Some prayers feel like great matches with God trying to understand his purposes and plans in our lives, why hardship or pain is upon our loved ones and us.  Some prayers feel like we are going at it with Mr. T or Hulk Hogan.  Are there any wrestlers here?  I wrestled in High School.  I was pitiful, never won a match, but after high school, I remember ending up in a wrestling match as part of an IV student conference, where I the little 150# guy was put up against a 230# guy for the students to watch.  Amazingly enough all those wrestling moves I learned came back to me and the two of us spent 15 minutes in total gridlock, neither one able to move the other, every muscle straining, sweat spilling and the feeling running through both of our minds, “I can’t loose, but this has to end.” 

That is what Paul is talking about here, praying with such fervent appeal, such struggle that everything we have is being used up and we need reinforcements, we need partners and we need relief from the trial and tribulation.  Join me, Paul pleads.  Join me.  So what is it that you need rescue from, what is it that is eating up your energy, your time, your prayer life?  Will you plead with others to join you in those prayers; will you invite others into your wrestling match with God?  The goal isn’t to win, or twist God around, but to come to terms with his will for you.  That may mean that some of your prayers, some of your struggles will not be answered, and others will.

Paul prayed two requests: 1) to be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and 2) that his service in Jerusalem would be acceptable.  The first one, we know didn’t happen.  His struggle was answered but only in an ultimate sense as he stood trial ultimately in Rome and according to church tradition died a martyr there begin beheaded by Nero.  He wrestled and so did many wrestle for him to be released, they struggled with God to understand his plans and purposes and yet their prayer wasn’t answered as they expected, but they prayed it nevertheless. 

The second prayer was a struggle that his service in Jerusalem be acceptable.  Paul was carrying the Macedonian offering to the poor of Jerusalem.  Imagine the scene if you will, Jews, a proud race, God’s elect people needing to be helped by Gentiles and Greeks.  Would they accept this gift of hospitality and family love?  Would they be able to see God’s provision in the midst of their xenophobia?  We might be able to understand Paul’s apprehension about his ministry but we can probably get a good idea of why he was wrestling if we take ourselves back to the 1860’s.

Imagine if you will the plight of the average southern white family in 1870.  They weren’t landed, they had fought a brutal war where 18% of the males age 18-43 died, Every family lost at least one loved one in the war, many lost 2 or more and those who did return, a lot of them were maimed.  Now imagine a Northern black church in Chicago hearing about their struggling brothers and sisters in Mississippi and choosing to take a collection to send to their white brothers in Christ in the south.  Now imagine that you are the white man from the North sent to deliver this offering of mercy.  Do you get the picture?  Do you understand why Paul is struggling in prayer?  This was a huge task and one that could very easily fail for lack of God’s intervention.  He struggled; he wanted to be rescued from those who could derail the process.  And praise God, this prayer was answered.

So as we struggle through our prayers and call out for rescue from our trials, what can we pray for which God is pleased to answer in addition to our normal requests for mercy and deliverance?  For that let’s turn to Ephesians 3:14-21.  Let me read it to you:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Here Paul gives us a great lesson in how to pray for those who struggle, or what to pray for anyone we desire freedom for.  There are two prayers here.  The first one is for a strengthening with power and second one is for the power to grasp the love of Christ.  Aren’t these two requests really at the root of our struggles with God in prayer, aren’t we really uneasy with our apparent powerlessness and don’t we question the love of God in the midst of the foreboding danger?

If you agree with me in these two premises, then what follows will be an encouragement to you.  Paul begins his prayer by hearkening backwards in the letter, for this reason – for what reason?  To find out we need to return to the first 2 chapters of the letter.  Because God has made one body, reconciling Jew and Gentile to the Father in Christ, Paul is able to pray for others in their struggles and difficulties, even in their life in general.

His prayer is founded on God’s indescribable wealth, his unimaginable riches. And based on God’s bounty and gigantic storehouse of all good things, he prays for strengthening.  But not just any kind of strengthening, a strengthening with power, but not any kind of power, a strengthening with power through his Spirit.   Paul isn’t asking for worldly power, or for that matter worldly relief, he is asking for spiritual power to persevere and he wants this power to be evident not in the external life but in the inner being.  He wants God to strengthen those in need with an internal fortitude, which makes applesauce out of rotten apples. 

Paul wants the inner man to be renewed in the midst of the outward decay, which is going on.  That would be like in our initial passage, when the situation is bad and trouble is around the corner, or the possibility of it, Pray for God’s strengthening in your inner life and the life of those around you.  In fact that is exactly how Paul says it in 2Cor. 4:16-18

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

He asks this so that Christ may take us permanent residence in our lives.  But you say, Christ already resides there.  True enough, true enough.  But imagine with me again, an old house in need of repair, the walls are covered with gaudy floral wallpaper, the countertops are chipped and worn, the carpet is stained, the roof has leaks.  But you buy the house and move in.  Sure you reside there, but is it your dwelling?  In one sense it is, in another sense it isn’t, for the demeanor and décor is that of the previous residents.  Now fast forward 25 years, you have redecorated, the landscaping is distinctly yours; the colors and flooring have been updated.  Now it is truly your home, not to mention the fact that the mortgage is paid off as well. 

So it is in this passage.  Paul is praying for an indwelling, for a transforming in the inner being so that the struggles of life aren’t our struggles any longer, for we are looking to God and blind to the assaults around us and we are in love with the God who loves us.  He is praying for the power to be at work in us so that we are formed into Christ, inhabited by Christ, and that will take some real power, just like the renovation in our fictitious house took some real power to bring about.  Send the Spirit Paul says.  Do the renovation, he cries.

But his second prayer is equally as powerful, He prays that as we are renovated and our foundation and footing is established, as our roots are set interiorly, we will hold onto the Love of Christ.  He wants us to know that which surpasses knowing.  That is an oxymoron, if I may say so, but Paul is praying that our knowledge surpasses mere knowledge.  He wants his people to know and experience the Love of God fully and completely, from length and breadth to depth and height. 

For truly these two things are the prayers that the one who struggles truly needs – a reorienting and reordering of the house so that our eyes are fixed on Jesus, and a growing, experiential knowledge of the love of God in Christ for his people.  For as these grow, the struggle will fade away and not seem so large.  For truly we serve a God who is Eph. 3:20-21 able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

A Short Course in Praying for Spiritual Maturity - 2 Thes 3:1-5

We have been looking at Paul's prayer life for 10 weeks now and today we get to ask the question, what did Paul need prayer for?  What did the great missionary apostle ask others to pray for in his life?  There are three requests that Paul specifically made of the Thessalonians, followed by 2 prayers he prayed for them and one overarching motivational reason for all this prayer.  I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried, 3-2-1.  This is like a basic short course in prayer.

 

So what are the 3 requests for prayer that Paul asks?  First, he wants them to pray that the message of the Lord runs in our life and the life of others.  Those words, spread rapidly, are the words of the Olympic races.  They are the words used of athletes running in the stadium before the crowd for the prize.  Paul needs, wants and desires their prayer for his and his companions' Christian marathon.  Let us speed onward to Christ-likeness.  Pray that we run as though running a 100m dash, giving everything we have and allowing the gospel to spread throughout our lives and the lives of those we minister too.  Pray that the Gospel is extraordinarily successful.

 

In fact this continues to be Paul's prayer and instruction up to the end of his life.  In Acts as he is headed towards Rome, he says,

 

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

 

The author of Hebrews instructs us all to let the message to spread rapidly in our life

 

Heb. 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

 

And it is not until the end of his life, when the verdict is clear and death is imminent that Paul changes his request to a statement that I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2Tim. 4:7).

 

So our first prayer request of others, if we are to learn from Paul would be to ask others to pray that the gospel takes us over like a racer bearing down on the finish line or a semi bearing down on your bumper.  And then ask them to pray that it overtakes you so that it overtakes others.  Ask for men and women and children to pray for the Gospel to spread rapidly.

 

Secondly, Paul requests that the Gospel be honored.  He asks for others to pray that the message of Christ may spread and be worshipped or glorified.  In fact, glorified would be a better translation of the word in our present day usage because honor is a word we use for showing esteem towards someone or something but we generally don't use it in the sense of exalting something, or lifting it up to the highest position.  But that is exactly what Paul is asking, pray that the message not only spreads in my life and the lives of others, but that as it spreads, it is also lifted up and exalted, that it is worshipped as good news.  Not only does Paul need prayers to hear the message and speak it but he also asks for prayers to receive it and have it received favorably. 

 

Paul had already thanked God for the Thessalonians acceptance of the message in his first letter to them:

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13).  Not only had the gospel truth spread to them, but also they had honored it by properly receiving it as God's truth to humanity.  He wants this reality to continue in his own life and the life of those to whom he will minister. 

 

Thirdly, Paul requests prayers for deliverance from those who would hinder the rapid spread of the gospel.  Paul recognized that there is a war going on around the gospel.  That is why he uses a military term, deliverance.  Princes delivered cities under siege or in bondage.  It is the story of God's people and his revelation to be under siege.  Recall Daniel and the Lion's den, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Remember the Exodus, Noah and Lot – all men under attack for the Word of God, and all men in need of deliverance. 

 

This is a battle we are living.  There are those with faith and those without, Paul makes it clear and those without are opposed to the rapid spread and honoring of the gospel.  It is clear, there is no middle ground in the Scriptural world, and we are either for Christ or against.  And those against us, we need to pray for deliverance from their evil plans.  And that necessarily means we need to pray for their deliverance, for we were once opponents of the Gospel too – intent on doing life our own way and refusing to see the message honored and exalted in our lives.  In fact, some of us may still have such tendencies.  Seek men and women to pray for you, ask them to pray these three requests of Paul: 1) for the gospel to take over your life, 2)for the gospel to be exalted and glorified in your life and 3)for any area of your life that is under siege, whether internally or externally, to be delivered.

 

I want to make an observation about reformed church-persons, our tradition tells us that we can approach God directly through Christ and therefore we have no need of sharing our personal lives with others, especially not in prayer.  But that is false, sure my prayer is no more effective than yours, his prayer no more effective than hers, we all approach Christ equally and evenly, but there is necessity to share our lives with one another and seek God's control over every area of our lives corporately, one for another.  When I am weak in prayer, I need others praying for me and when you are weak in prayer you need others praying for you too.  If Paul needed prayer for the Gospel to race in his life and his ministry and to be honored, If Paul needed prayer for deliverance from the evil forces coming against him, then you and I need the same kind of prayers and we need to ask for them and pray them for others.

 

So we have seen the 3 requests of Paul: Gospel to spread rapidly, Message to be received appropriately and for the deliverance of those obstacles standing in the way of the first two.  Now we can turn our attention to the 2 prayers Paul pray for his brothers and sisters.  First he prays for the Lord to direct their hearts into God's love, and Secondly for the Lord to direct their hearts into Christ's perseverance.  The first is a prayer for their internal life to be directed to "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things" (Philippians 4:8). 

 

If the heart, if the inside of a person is directed to the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable and praiseworthy things, then they are directed to love for God and his created world and everything in it.  This is a large overarching prayer for those same things he has asked for himself and his traveling troupe.  But he takes it a step further and also asks for their heart to be directed to Christ's perseverance, not just perseverance but Christ's perseverance.  A perseverance, which goes to the bitter end and completes all that the Father requires.  A perseverance that never sways, or gives up, a perseverance that accomplishes all that the gospel demands – total, unconditional surrender to the victorious King. 

 

Why would Paul pray this for the Church of Thessalonica?  The gospel demands a radical break with all idolatry and sinful action in society.  This would mean stopping worshipping in the temples of Zeus, Apollo and Aphrodite in the cities, it would mean avoiding the cultic sacrifices of the trade unions, it would mean integrity in sexuality, very uncommon in the Roman period.  But that gospel also demands that believers testify to the Lord Jesus Christ in life and deed, and live a life of dependence upon the Father caring for family and friends, and the outcasts of society.  But in Thessalonica, the people have been persecuted and the natural human proclivity is to flee persecution and seek the easier life of compromise and luke-warm Christianity.  We wouldn't know anything about that in our society would we? 

 

But Paul prays for them to persevere amidst the hardship, persevere and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1Pet. 5:4); that is how Peter puts it.  James says it another way, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).  Paul recognizes the dangers inherent in their context and life and he prays for their ability to sustain the trials and tribulations of life, so that the Gospel will have spread rapidly and been honored fully in their life.

 

3 requests, 2 prayers echoing those requests, and finally, 1 reason for all of them The Lord is faithful.  The Lord is faithful – he strengthens his people, he protects his people, he delivers his people.  He is faithful never to abandon his people or forsake them. Jesus promises in John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 

 

In fact this is a promise God has been making to his people since the beginning of the Scriptures.  In Gen. 28:15 He tells Jacob, "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

 

God is faithful,

1Cor. 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

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

 

And what has he promised us?  He has promised to deliver us from sin and death, he has promised to make us his brothers and sisters in Christ.  He has promised to feed us and clothe us and provide for us.  He has promised us eternal life, to dwell in a city without sin, tears and opposition to the rule of God.  He has promised us forgiveness in Christ.  He has promised to sustain us under trial and give us words to speak during persecution.  In short God has promised us everything – just listen

 

 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4:19 NIV-G/K)

 

And it gets even better, when we are obedient to the words of God – to care for the poor and distressed, then  "then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:10-11 NIV-G/K)

 

""If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the Lord has spoken." (Isaiah 58:13-14 NIV-G/K)

 

People of God, the Lord is faithful, he has provided all we need in Christ – from obedience to the Law to acceptance before the throne to the giving of the holy Spirit to empower us to obedience in this present life, that is why we pray to him for all we need and for all he desires:  The overpowering of the Gospel in this world.  So let us stand and pray as a corporate body for the 3-2-1's of Paul's prayer life:

 

Requests

1. God Runs in our life and the life of others
2. Gospel is received and accepted and exalted
3. Deliverance from all which seeks to stop 1 and 2 above

 

Pray

1. God to direct our hearts in love
2. God to direct our hearts in perseverance

 

Thank God

1. God is faithful
1. Strengthens his people
2. Protects his people

 

BENEDICTION

 

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, may the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace…

 

"…at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."  (2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV-G/K)

Praying for a Holy Life - 2 Corinthians 13:7-14

Caesarius of Arles, a 6^th century bishop in Gaul, wrote "Pious souls of the Lord, what the Lord admonishes us is not to be considered merely in passing, for he says, "Be holy because I am holy." This is a staggering statement, this is a call to action. "For agios is the Greek for "holy," … (SERMON 1.19.25)" while qadosh is the Hebrew.  But both have the understanding of devotion, dedication and setting aside for worship.  If we are not to merely consider this in passing, but are to take it actively into our minds, "What is holiness?  How are we going to be holy?  Can we make ourselves holy?"  No, but, we can pray for God to make us holy!

 

In answer to the first question, "What is holiness?" we need to look to God's Word.  The very first thing in Scripture to be declared holy is the Sabbath in Gen 2:3 where "And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy…"  In fact it is this idea, which has to be taken very seriously, God determines what is holy and what is not.  Throughout Scripture, it is God who marks things out as holy, who marks people out as holy, who sets aside those created things and people for devotion and acts of worship. "Regard them [priests] as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy — I who make you holy" (Leviticus 21:8).  Holiness is not an inherent quality some things possess and others don't, it is something God determines and instills, it is something he bestows on parts of his creation.

 

And holy people, specifically, are to act holy; there is a way of life that God expects in response to his designation of the holy person.  For instance, the women of the priesthood were only to marry other priests; they were to perform certain functions for society, to abstain from certain kinds of behavior and to model a life of dependence on God. "Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who makes you holy" (Leviticus 22:32).  God very clearly articulates this to Moses when punishing him for striking the rock instead of calling forth water.  Listen to these words of the Lord, "But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (Numbers 20:12).

 

Trust, obedience, right actions are the required actions of the holy people. In short, holiness for the created order means being set apart by God for acts of worship; it doesn't matter whether it is the silver bowl, the bronze stake, the wooden post or the sea cow hide of the tabernacle, the ox, lamb or goat of the sacrifice, the incense for the smoke, the clothes of the priest, the priest himself or the people, each thing, each person, each article is set apart for worshipping the Lord.  Each is holy.

 

Paul, repeatedly declared the Christian believer as one who is holy - "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7).  The very word saints, literally is holy ones.  But Paul also declares that believers are to be holy:

• 1Cor. 1:2 To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ — their Lord and ours:
• Eph. 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
• Heb. 12:14 Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

 

You are holy.  I am holy.  We are holy because God has declared us holy.  He has imputed to his people by nature of his electing grace the inherent quality of holiness.  From this, he then calls them, us, to exercise, or work out this holiness in the world through appropriate actions of worship.  So to answer the 2^nd question, How are we going to be holy? We are going to pray for a holy life.  We are going to pray for a life consistent with his declaration.  But what does this mean as far as a prayer goes?

 

That is where our prayer from Paul sheds the first insight for us today.  Paul is praying that the Corinthians "will not do anything wrong."  To pray for holiness in our lives or the lives of others, is first and foremost to pray that we will not do what is wrong, or sinful.  To pray for holiness is first to pray that we will abstain from what is evil.  But secondly, to pray for holiness would be to go beyond merely praying that we avoid evil behavior, and would begin asking God that we adopt good behavior, behavior consistent with the life of Christ.  Actions of godliness.  holiness, after being declared by God, must usher forth in a lifestyle commensurate with worship, both avoiding the negative and engaging the positive, in order to not bringing profanity upon the name of the Lord, but instead to glorify God.  Remember that 3^rd commandment not to misuse the name of the Lord, literally not to "hold it up to nothingness," not to say one thing and do another.  To pray for holiness is to pray for the 3^rd commandment to be made real in someone's life.

 

Now why is Paul praying this prayer?  Why is he praying for the Corinthians in this way?  From a strictly external perspective, it just makes good sense that God's people would pray for God' people to be holy and right in their actions in the world.  So I offer up that motive. But the text presents another motive: Paul is praying this so that they may do what is right.  So that they may be acceptable and blameless sacrifices (1 Pt 2:1-5) as they are created to be in Christ. 

 

Paul desires their perfection according to verse 9.  But perfection must be understood here not as ultimate salvation, total glorification, that would have been a different word. What Paul is praying for here is more akin to restoration. In math, the Greeks used the term, perfection, to describe what it straight, right or even, as in balanced while in medicine it is the term used of setting a broken bone, restoring it to right health.  Thus Paul is praying for their brokenness to be restored to health, for their broken relationship with God due to unrepentant sin – for it to be healed; for their broken relationship with him due to a failure to accept his authority, for it to be healed; for their broken relationship with one another to be healed as well.  He is praying for that which is hindering their maturity to be removed.

 

Restore them God; build them up into your body.  Equip them again, for as he wrote to the Ephesians, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up" (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Paul's desire is for a house of Christ to exist, for the body of Christ to exist.

 

How many of our prayers are so poignant to the point of even telling people that we are praying for their obedience in the faith, for their holiness? Our appeal is to God for their restoration, for their unity, for their peaceful coexistence, for the Love of God and devotion to him to permeate the church, and their lives, so that holiness is the norm and not the exception.

 

Do you know why we can pray such a prayer?  We can pray it because it is the same kind of prayer that Jesus himself prayed and is praying when he says, Sanctify them by the truth…May they be in us (John 17:17, 21).  Jesus is praying for our holiness, he is praying for our complete restoration to the Father and he desires that our lives match the atoning work he performed on the cross for you and I.  So we pray for holiness because he prays for our holiness. 

 

In conclusion, holiness is the declaration of God that as his people, we are set apart for a life of worshipful adoration of the King Almighty.  And since we are unable to make ourselves holy and conform our lives to His holy decrees, we pray that he will both strengthen us to avoid evil behaviors but will also empower us to perform those actions and think those thoughts consistent with our restored relationship with the Father.  And finally we can pray this because our Lord Jesus Christ himself is praying for our sanctification (holiness) and union with the Father as well. So let me close by saying, "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14), for this God is the key to living a holy life.

Interceding for Spiritual Growth - Ephesians 1:17-19

Interceding for Spiritual Growth

Eph 1:17-21, Col 1:9-11, Phil 1:9-11, Col 4:12

Now that we have a foundation on what the majority of our prayer life could be if we modeled our prayers upon the prayers of Paul.  What one word would summarize Paul’s idea of the Christian call to prayer?  Thanksgiving!  That is right, Christians are called to thank our Heavenly Father for his gracious provisions for his children – their salvation, their growth in salvation, their ministry partners, their opportunities to share the gospel.  They are to be thankful when others accept the gospel.  We are to be a people of thanks.

We have seen one request we are to pray a few weeks ago from Ephesians 6.  Can anyone remember what the first prayer request of Paul was?  For the opportunity to share the gospel – for God to bridle his tongue and control it in the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should” (Ephesians 6:19-20).

Mark Ruiter began praying this prayer in May and had 3 opportunities within the first 3 weeks to share with his workers.  God answers this kind of request.  He does.  Doesn’t he Mark?  There was the driver in your office, the driver you brought to the campout dinner, and Friday night and your friend, Al.

Today we will see what else God desires us to pray about.  Today we will see that God desires his people to ask for the spiritual growth of others, and presumably ourselves.  There are a number of passages from the letters that all parallel this theme.  We read Ephesians 1:17-21 this morning, but Col 1:9-11, Col 4:12, and Phil 1:9-11 all echo similar items.

READ ALL 3 other Passages!

 I will follow Ephesians primarily but will augment that with information from the other letters as well.

Paul, a spiritual father to the Ephesians is praying for them to know God better.  That is the foundational truth of this prayer.  I keep asking…the glorious Father…that you may know him better.  Paul’s prayer for these Ephesians is that they know God better.  That they grow in their relationship with the Father.  He wants them to have a more intimate relationship today than they had yesterday.  He wants them to learn more about God today and for that to affect their way of life.  Imagine with me for a moment – the beau who is enamored with the dame. He is constantly on the lookout for ways to comprehend her.  He is asking others about her, he is seeking to learn more about her.  When her birthday comes, he has been talking with others, determining her favorite things, what she likes and he doesn’t just accumulate all that information, he gathers it in order to act upon it, to give her a present, which will blow her socks off. 

Or consider two marriages of 5o years.  In the first marriage, the husband and the wife each come home at the end of the day, take their seat in the chair and never utter another word for the night, they know each other’s favorite colors, they know each other’s favorite foods.  They know what bothers the other and what will please the other, but they never talk and they don’t learn anything new about the other, while the second marriage is quite different.  They may not talk either, but each spouse is constantly on the lookout for the other, studying their person, noticing the little changes, the subtle shifts in posture, etc.  And the husband rises to get his wife a glass of water because of her need, or the wife saddles up beside her honey to rub his shoulder, which has started hurting, and some words are exchanged.  There is not a lot of apparent difference, but the subtleties are huge.  The attentiveness is gigantic. 

Now these are poor illustrations, but they will serve the point?  Do you know God enough?  Which relationship with the Father do you have – are you sitting in the chair ignorant of any changes in the other, or are you saddling up to your Lord serving him and being served by him?

Paul’s prayer life says, I know the proclivity we humans have, to become complacent, but I am praying for you, I am praying for you to know the Father better than you know him now.  I am praying for the Father to reveal himself to you and I am praying for it very specifically.  I am praying that he give you the Spirit of Wisdom and revelation.  I am praying that God continue to reveal himself to you, to make himself know to you and that you will act on that.  For that is really what wisdom is, not the western notion of good cognition but the eastern notion of right action based on good cognition.  I am praying that you will live better, that your lifestyle will come more into alignment with what the Father desires.

All we have to do is look through the book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom, to see quickly that the author was more interested in action than in knowledge.  The author was more interested in a way of life that was sound than in a way of thinking devoid of a corresponding lifestyle. “For attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair;” (Proverbs 1:2-3). “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions”” (Matthew 11:19).

So the first point we can learn about interceding for others is to  1) pray that they know God better and live into the knowledge they have.  And this is similar to Paul’s prayer in Colossians where he asks for God to “fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,” (Colossians 1:9-10).  Do you see, wisdom and understanding, wisdom and revelation are to usher forth in a way of life, a Christian life of discernment and intimacy with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ?  And Colossians adds an interesting phrase, which is worth exploring for a moment in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way.  A life which knows God and lives according to that growing intimacy is pleasing to God, and the converse is true, a life bereft of intimacy and bereft of growth and change in Christian discipleship is not pleasing to God.

The church, the evangelical churches, of which the reformed churches have taken many cues from for the past 70 years or so, have not taught this doctrine very well.  People have been allowed to wallow in their sin and articulate it on the surface as unpleasing to God, but the church hasn’t called believers to grow out of their sin and so please the Lord in their lifestyle.  We have opted for too long to focus on evangelism and “saving souls” without the corresponding focus on discipleship and Christian maturity.  But Paul’s prayers tie both.  He thanks God for their salvation in both letters, we saw that last week, but then he moves on to pray for their continued discipleship, for their fruit bearing.  As the Scriptures say, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). 

Knowledge and life are tied, we never have enough knowledge of God, but we also never have enough lifestyle to match our knowledge of God.  We need both.  We need to pray for our children to know him better in mind and body.  We need to pray for our church members to know him better in him and body.  We need to pray for ourselves to know him better in mind and body.  And then we need to act on those Words of the Lord we are given. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:5-8).  To fail to act is to be double minded and tossed.  Christian discipleship is imperative to pray for and act upon. 

In addition to praying that others know God better and live into the knowledge they have. The second point in interceding for others is to prays for the “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18).  Paul desires that our heart, the seat of our conviction and assurance may be opened that we know the hope to which we are called.  The hope of Glory, the hope of being God’s inheritance, the hope of being God’s possession.  His prayer isn’t just a prayer to kick them in the rump and get them moving in their spiritual lives; it is also a prayer for God to assure them of their salvation, to assure them of the truth of the Gospel.  God is theirs and they are God’s.  Listen to these other passages where the glorious inheritance is described:

Deuteronomy 10:9  - “That is why the Levites have no share or inheritance among their brothers; the Lord is their inheritance, as the Lord your God told them.

Matthew 25:34 - ““Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”

Matthew 19:29  - “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

Hebrews 1:14  - “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

1 Peter 1:4  -  “and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you,”

1 Peter 3:9 - “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

Eternal life, kingdom from ages past, salvation, imperishable, blessing, the Lord – this is the wealth God owns which he makes available to us and which we are incorporated into.  Have you prayed for this to be dwelled deep into your life, and the lives of those you know and don’t know?  But it gets even better than this, Paul prays that they be assured of God’s incomparably great power for those who believe, then he illustrates that power’s power by saying it raised Christ from the dead.  That power seated Christ in the heavenly realms at God’s right hand.  That power placed all things under Christ’s rule.  That is the power Paul wants to assure these Ephesian brothers that is at work in their life.  If it worked in Christ, then I am praying that same power to be at work in you, convicting you, growing you, changing you, assuring you and Colossians 1:11-12 goes on to say, when we are strengthened with this kind of power, this kind of glorious might, then we will have great endurance, and great patience and joyful thanks.  That is the third point in interceding for others, 1) pray that they know God better and live into the knowledge they have; 2) pray that hearts are enlightened and assured of the Gospel; 3) pray that the power of God would be at work in their life!

Philippians 1:10 says, we will be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless while Colossians 4:12 uses the words so that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.  These are intercessions for spiritual growth, for discipleship, for Christian stature.

Going back to Phil 1:10, did you notice, these prayers for growth are oriented towards discerning how best to live?  We all know that there are good and bad choices in the world, and we strive to make the good choices, but Paul sees another level of distinction, one between good and best and making those choices requires spiritual discernment, spiritual growth, spiritual insight and transformation and that comes from prayer and life.  Do you want the best God has in Christian discipleship?  Pray for spiritual growth.  Do you want the best for your children, your friends, your pastor, your elders and deacons, the converts in Africa and Asia and Latin America, and the rest of the world – pray, intercede, don’t stop asking for God to Grow their understanding of gospel and the assurance that comes with it and the fortitude to live into it.

This is the kind of prayer God desires.  This is the kind of prayer God answers.  So the next time someone asks you to pray for his or her illness, fine, pray for it, but go beyond it and pray for his or her spiritual growth in the midst of it.  And keep praying for it to see what God does.  The next time you pray for a blessing upon someone, great, but go beyond it and pray for the gospel to reign in their life and for them to know it.  The next time you pray for your child’s spouse, pray that spouse and your child are given wisdom and revelation in order to know God better and to be assured of God’s work in their life so that they can discern what is best.  The next time you pray for your pastor to grow up, or not be a jerk or to be strong in the faith, go beyond that and pray that I will know God more and my life will be conformed to the image of Christ in Christian discipleship.  Pray that I would be obedient to the knowledge I have and pray that my obedience would be the ground for God to give me more knowledge. 

In short, what I am saying, what Paul is saying, what God is saying through all of us, is pray.  Pray for the church to be built up to the measure and stature of Christ.  For that is Christ’s prayer for us, which I will close with from John 17:20-21:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us [may they intimately know us!] so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Will we pray that we may know the Father better?  Jesus is!