The Nature of Holiness

The nature of Holiness

If there is one concept in the bible that seems to be foreign to us in 2016, almost to the point of incomprehensible is the concept of sacrifice. 

Not the concept of making sacrifices for something or someone, we all do that on a fairly regular basis.  As parents we make sacrifices for our children, we give up things that we could have for ourselves in order to provide them for our kids.  Whether that be in the form of material sacrifice, what you give up so they can have . . . whatever, or in the form of giving up our time for our children.  You might make sacrifices for your career, or for your education there are those here today who are pursuing a degree or upgrading and in order to do that they are making sacrifices, both financially and personally. 

We all make sacrifices, a priority for Angela and I is our annual winter vacation south and so we sacrifice things like birthday gifts and Christmas gifts so we can make that trip each year. 

So we all know what it is to make sacrifices after all we make them on a daily basis in our lives.  The concept that seems foreign to us is the concept of offering something to a deity as a sacrifice.   From movies and novels, we’ve heard of human sacrifices, virgins being thrown into volcanoes or people being buried alive to appease their gods, but that was then and this is now.

In the Old Testament we read about animals and birds being sacrificed in the temple as a form of worship, and we can’t even get our head around it, it seems so wrong.  And part of that is we are looking at it from a 2016 perspective and of course it’s wrong today, but 3000 years ago . . . maybe not so much.

But it’s because we can’t understand the concept of sacrifices being made to God in such an extreme way that we have a hard time with the concept of offering ourselves as a sacrifice.    In our world a sacrifice is something that we voluntarily give but more importantly today a sacrifice is something we can take back, if we decide that we don’t want to keep making that sacrifice anymore.

But in the biblical sense the incense was burnt, the animal was killed, the blood was shed and the sacrifice was made and it was done and it was irretrievable there were no give mes or do-overs or take backs or mulligans.

But that’s exactly what Paul was calling the early Christ followers to become when he wrote Romans 12:1  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  And just in case they didn’t get what he was saying he adds: Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  

Through the month of May we’ve been looking at Holiness.  It all began we we looked into Peter’s first letter where he wrote to be Holy because God is Holy.  That was the call to Holiness, and we discovered there that Holiness was the complete acceptance and obedience to the will of God in our lives.   In week two week peeked into Isaiah 35 and what it meant to walk the Highway of Holiness, the way of Holiness.  And last week we took some time in Romans 6 where Paul tells us that we need to crucify our sinful natures, the price of Holiness.

And today we are going to spend some time looking at the “Nature of Holiness”.

And so the first thing we need to look at is: The What  What was it that Paul was asking these folks to do?  Well the short answer was to become a sacrifice. 

But what does that mean or more importantly because the letter wasn’t written to us originally what did it mean to the people it was being written to 2000 years ago?  When this letter was read aloud to the Christians in the city of Rome, what came to their minds when they heard this phrase?  Historically we are told that there were a plethora of Roman gods and each one required specific sacrifices.  Add to that the fact that each year Roman Citizens had to make a sacrifice to Caesar and declare their loyalty by stating Caesar is lord and I’m sure those reading this letter knew exactly what Paul was trying to convey.

And so it is interesting that Paul doesn’t tell those who worshipped in Rome what to do, he doesn’t command them to make themselves living sacrifices instead he writes “I plead with you”, interesting.   But Paul knew that unless it was done willing it wasn’t a sacrifice, that when you are forced to give a gift it’s not really a gift.

It was Ghandi who said  “The mice which helplessly find themselves between the cats teeth acquire no merit from their enforced sacrifice.”

You know what I’m talking about, there have been times in your life that for whatever reason you were compelled to give a gift.  It wasn’t that you wanted to it was that you had to, for whatever reason you didn’t have a choice.  It may have been a reality or it may simply have been a perception that you had but you were giving the gift out of a sense of obligation.   

And what was Paul pleading with these folks to do?  Well he said Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.

Give your bodies!  That is worthy of note because Grecian thought and philosophy had permeated this area for over four hundreds of years since Alexander the Great had claimed it as part of his empire.  And for the Greeks in general and the Gnostics in particular the body was evil and only the spirit was good.  At its very best the body was seen as a corrupt vessel that held our spirits. 

And because they drew such a clear line of delineation they could separate their physical behaviour and activity from the spiritual side of things.  This is the body and this is the spirit and they really don’t concern each other because ultimately the body will be gone so how can it effect what will live on. 

But for the Christian the body is a part of the total package, after all if God created our bodies how could it be evil?  Remember back in Psalm 139:13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it.  These fragile shells were given to us by God himself crafted by him with love and care.   

Not only that but if God himself, creator of the universe could take on a human body how could it be evil?  And then we are told in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?

  2 Corinthians 7:1 Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. 

The people that Paul was writing to had already committed their spirits to God, they had done the spiritual thing but they were still struggling with the physical side of the relationship.  But God doesn’t just want a part of you and a part of your life he wants all of you and all of your life.  The inside and the outside.  The temporal as well as the eternal.     

And so Paul is telling those early believers:  I beg of you, do not use that which God has gifted you with for evil, instead present it to God as a whole, and make your entire self a sacrifice.  A living sacrifice, but we all know the problem with living sacrifices right?  Yeah, they keep crawling off the altar.

And Paul continues:  Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.   So here we have The Why  I mean it’s all well and good that we be asked to do something but deep down inside we are really like kids in our relationship with God.  And what do kids ask when we ask them to do something?  Why?  How come?  And the Romans must have been the questioning type because throughout the letter we find Paul answering questions even before they are asked.  So let’s look a that verse again Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God  (and before they can ask why he tells them) because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  (and again he jumps into to answer the why) This is truly the way to worship him.   

So the question has two answers.  The first one is an expanded “because”.  Really as parents isn’t that our favourite response when we are asked “Why?”  “Because” or if we are feeling particularly wordy and feel that our children deserve more of an explanation we sometimes expand it and say: “because I said so.”   

So Paul tells them: Think about it, after all God has done for you, including but not limited to the death of his Son as a sacrifice for you, isn’t this the least you can do for him?  Paul could have been a travel agent, specializing in guilt trips.  But guilt trip or not it is reality.  Without God where would we be?   Without even getting into grace and our salvation, look around at all God has done for you as an individual, your home, your family, your health and a great country to live in.  And before you start with the yeah buts you know that whatever your circumstances you could have it worse.

But it’s not just a matter of obligation because Paul continues and tells his readers  Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.   Our commitment to anyone or anything is ultimately not measured by what we say but by what we do.  We can talk the game but unless we are actually in the game what difference will it really make?  Because it’s not what you say and it’s not what you say you’ll do it’s what you do that counts.   The New King James Version says it this way Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.   Which is your reasonable service, I love that because he is saying “It’s the least you can do.” 

 What is worship?  What is your reasonable service?  Jesus tells us very simply that it is obedience.   John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.

So we have the “what”  Give yourself wholly to God.  And we have the “why” Because.  Let’s keep reading:  Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

So here we have The How  If you have been with us through this series you know that I am going to tell you that it is a choice you have to make.  It seems to be a recurring theme, but not a theme that is real popular in 2016.  And that is the fact that we are all responsible for the choices that we make and that our lives are a result of the choices we made.   Today we want to be able to abdicate our responsibility for where we are in life and who we are in life.  Well not entirely we like to take responsibility for being successful, for being good parents and doing well in school. 

But the other stuff, the part where we blow it and the part where we hurt those we love and don’t measure up, those aren’t our fault.  It is the fault of our parents who did a rotten job parenting us, or of the school system that did a rotten job educating us, or of our friends who led us astray or society, or the the economic downturn or global warming.  You get the picture. 

But the reality is this:  we are the product of choices we make.  You chose whether you’d apply yourself in school when you were a kid, you chose what you’d do after high school, what you would do for a living and who you would marry.  And you will choose how passionately you will serve God.

And the great thing about that is that once you acknowledge that you are responsible for the decisions you made yesterday, whether they were good bad or indifferent than you realize that you are responsible for the decisions you will make today and do you know what that means?

It means that you are in control, that you will determine your future and your destiny. 

When I was growing up I remember one of my Dad’s favourite poems was Invictus by Ernest Henley and in the last verse Henley writes “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

I don’t want to get into all the theological implications of that statement but I do know that too often we abdicate responsibility for our life and our decisions to others. 

And so here is the decision that Paul tells us that we have to make: 

Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. 

By now you should know 2 Corinthians 5:17 by heart, but just in case you don’t here it is: 2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Paul is telling us that “the how” is radical, it’s not just a minor course adjustment this is a dramatic change in direction, he is telling us that we can’t just change our behaviour a little bit instead this is major change, a whole new beginning a whole new direction. 

The New King James says it this way Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  Do you see the difference, conformed is passive, it’s something that happens to you, while transformed is something you do, a choice you make.

You can be squeezed into conformity or you can choice to be transformed. 

I think the church is where it is today because of a couple of choices that have been made over the past fifty years.  And I think those choices have caused problems. 

The first, I think, is that for a while the church has been trying to make the world conform to us.  We have tried to impose Christian values and Christian morals on an unchristian world.  We have been more concerned with the world’s behaviour than the world’s salvation.  You cannot legislate morality.  Does not work.  2000 years the Church existed in a society that was a hedonistic immoral cesspool.  And the church didn’t see their mission to correct that.  The mission of the church wasn’t to change society it was to change people. 

And you are thinking, but pastor Jesus called us to be the salt of the earth.  Indeed he did, but remember the salt seasons the soup.  But we were called to be the salt, not the soup.  The teaching of Jesus and the New Testament were meant for believers and for the church, not for society.   And so you never hear Paul or Peter or Jesus for that matter decrying the evils of crucifixion, or even of the sexual behaviour of their society, other than to say that wasn’t acceptable behaviour for those who followed Christ. 

The second mistake we made, is that we have allowed the world to force us into their mold, and instead of the church influencing the morals of the world we have allowed the world to influence the church.  From sexual behaviour to how we view marriage and the sanctity of life from natural conception to natural death we now take our cues from society instead of scripture. 

But everybody believes or the supreme court says has become the mantra of way too many Christians and churches.  We are afraid to be out of step with the world or worse to be labeled “Intolerant”.

We need to heed the warning of Jesus who reminded his followers, Luke 6:26  What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.   

I fear that instead of being the salt that flavours the soup that soon you won’t be able to taste the difference between the salt and the soup.  And that’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  When Jesus was praying for those who would follow him, this is what he said John 17:16-17  They do not belong to this world any more than I do.  Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 

Because when the church allows itself to be shaped by the world this is the end result .  (video of honest pastor)

Never have Paul’s words seemed more relevant than in 2016, Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  If there doesn’t seem to be any difference between what the world watches and what you watch, what the world believes and what you believe, how the world behaves and how you behave, then there probably isn’t a difference. 

But if you have allowed yourself to be transformed into a new person what is the result?  What is this ultimately called?  This, being transformed by the renewing of your mind?  This embracing the things of God instead of the things of the world? 

It is called holiness and it is exactly that, embracing the things of God instead of embracing the things of the world.  I’m surprised, no I’m not surprised but I am dismayed by the trash that Christians watch, read and listen to.  When I first became a Christ follower my dad gave me some profound advice.  He said, “A lot of people will try to tell you what you can and can’t do as a Christian, but just ask yourself “Would I do this with Jesus.” 

And maybe you would invite Jesus over to watch Game of Thrones, but probably not.

And it happens when you allow God to shape you, and that happens when you spend time listening to him, that means reading your bible, talking to him, that means prayer, and spending time with his kids.  That means going to church.

The author of the book of Hebrews writes Hebrews 12:14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 

John Wesley defined holiness this way “Holiness is having the mind that was in Christ and walking as Christ walked.”  And only happens when we’ve been transformed when we become different.   

Which of course leads us to the last part of verse two Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The Result  It was Mother Theresa who said “Holiness is the complete acceptance of the will of God.”

Bottom line is this; you need to sell out to God.  It keeps coming back to that, Holiness means that you’ve given everything to God, your ambition, work, hobbies, house, car, family, pride and everything you are and everything you will be. 

Have you done that?  Have you chosen? Chosen to be transformed into a new person changing the way you think?    Today is the day

Enough with the Selfies

Enough with the selfies.

And you thought that selfies were harmless.  When selfies first came out I thought taking pictures of yourself with a cell phone was a passing fad.  But no, it seems that they are here to stay.  All kinds of people are taking pictures of themselves, from the famous to the unknown. 

And they take their pictures with their new clothes and their old clothes, blue clothes and no clothes.  Sounds like a Dr. Seuss book.  They take their selfies at births, weddings and funerals. There seems to be no limit to where or when someone will take a selfie.  But in case, like me, you thought selfies were a new fad here are Arnold and Ellen Hog using the first selfie stick ever in 1926.

And while they may seem like harmless fun there has recently been a number of studies linking the habit to Narcissism, (that is self-love), addictive personality traits and other mental health issues.

And selfies aren’t new, before you could take a picture of yourself there was always the person who was demanding that you take a picture of them.  If you go back through your prints you will find them, at birthday parties, weddings and family events.  Even though it wasn’t their birthday party, their wedding or their family.

And long before there were camera’s there were selfies, I mentioned the link between selfies and Narcissism.  The term Narcissistic means “love of self” and it comes from a Greek myth about the young hunter Narcissus.  Narcissus was known for his beauty and he was his own biggest fan. 

One day while walking by a pool he saw his own reflection in the water and not realizing that it was just a reflection he fell in love with it.  

Unable to pull himself away from his reflection, Narcissus lost his will to live and he stared at his reflection until he died. 

And the philosophy of selfies goes clear back to the fall of mankind, the idea and question of “What’s in it for me.”   But it doesn’t end there, I read somewhere that Alice Roosevelt once said of her father Theodore, “Father always had to be the centre of attention, when he went to a wedding he wanted to be the bride.  When he went to a funeral, he was sorry he couldn’t be the corpse.”

And well this focus on self has been around forever, it is a philosophy that fits in with the concept of Holiness that we’ve been talking about for the past couple of weeks?

We started by talking about the Call of Holiness and it was there that we discovered that Holiness is being completely sold out to God’s will for our lives.  And last week we looked at the Way of Holiness and peeked into Isaiah 35 where the prophet told about the Highway of Holiness.  And we discovered that when we stayed on the highway of God’s will that we would be safe from the Devil and that it was a way that ultimately led to heaven. 

And so this week we are looking at “The Price of Holiness”.    And maybe you are thinking “a price, I thought holiness would be free?”  Well it is free but it’s not cheap. 

Because if living a Holy Life means that God is in control then it means that self has to relinquish control, and that is costly.

Paul was so serious about that concept that he tells us in the scripture that was read this morning Romans 6:6  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.

And that is a metaphor that he uses over and over again in his writing, listen to the words he wrote in the book of Galatians when he says Galatians 2:20  My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Did you catch that?  “Our sinful selves were crucified with Christ and my old self has been crucified with Christ.”  Wow, and in 2016 that statement really doesn’t mean a lot to us, but 2000 years ago it was an incredibly powerful statement because crucifixion was something that everybody was at least somewhat familiar with. 

It's only been in the past hundred years that civilized societies have stopped killing people in public.   As a matter of fact, it’s been almost 150 years since the last public hanging occurred in Canada. And while the last public execution happened in Canada in 1869 and in the US in 1936 public executions still happen in countries around the word and they remain the same type of spectacle that there were 2000 years ago.

When Paul wrote to the Galatians crucifixion was a common form of punishment in the Roman empire and they were done where everyone could see them.  So when Paul told the early believers that they needed to crucify themselves if they wanted to live a holy life they knew exactly what he meant.  But do we?

What does it mean to have crucified your old self?  And how do we do that?

Let’s start with the fact that while It’s Simple, It’s not Easy  Isn’t that the reality of life.  In case you are wondering I have lost right around 60 lbs in the past 15 months. Actually people will often ask how much weight I’ve lost and I tell them a thousand pounds, but recently 60.  I feel like Erma Bombeck who said “In two decades I've lost a total of 789 pounds. I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.”

I have discovered that losing weight is simple, but it’s not easy.  All you have to do to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than your body needs.  That’s simple.  You figure out how many calories your body needs each day to maintain your present weight and then you eat less than that. 

It was celebrity trainer Subodh Gupta who wrote “If you keep on eating unhealthy food than no matter how many weight loss tips you follow, you are likely to retain weight and become obese. If only you start eating healthy food, you will be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to lose weight.”    Sure sounds simple enough.   And so I use the Weight Watcher Plan and use the app on my phone to track what I eat.  Simple, right?

But it’s not easy because I really like food, and the food I like isn’t the food that I can eat lots of.  And sometimes I just feel like eating something that doesn’t fit in my plan, or at least doesn’t fit in my plan at the end of the day.  And while in theory it’s simple, it kind of goes back to what Yogi Berra said “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, in practice there is.”

And so in theory, living a holy life is simple.  You simply do what God wants you to do.  Done.  But what about in practice?

But it’s not easy, and those who say it’s easy lie.  2000 years ago Paul wrote Romans 7:18-19  And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 

Sound familiar?  And if that was all that Paul wrote then we would feel like there is no hope for us.  But Paul goes on to tell us that he found the solution, Romans 8:12-14  Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Did you catch that?  “You have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” 

So, to live a Holy life is Simple, it’s just not easy.  And the bible never says it will be easy, as a matter of fact by describing the process using the metaphor of crucifixion it tells us just how difficult and painful it can be. 

So what else does Paul tells us about the process  Galatians 5:24  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

The next reality here is that It’s Something You Have to Do  In other words nobody else can do it for you and you can’t do it for anyone else.  Our decision to live a life that is obedient to the will of God will be just as personal as our decision to become a Christ follower.

In the same way that while most everybody thought Denn should lose weight, even if you were too polite to mention it, only I could make the decision and do the work of losing weight.

It’s the same with deciding to live a holy life, that is a life that is in the centre of God’s will and obedient to God’s will.   The preacher can’t do it for you and your spouse can’t do it for you and your parents can’t do it for you.

And while God can’t or won’t do it for you, in the sense that he won’t take away your free will and force you to live a holy life, He’s willing to help in the form of the Holy Spirit.    With God’s help you can do it. Do you believe that?  But you have to want to.  And it is a partnership.

Here is the mystery of that partnership.  You can change your mind but you can’t change your heart.  Only God can change a person’s heart. But God can’t, or more correctly, won’t change your mind, that is the free will aspect of the relationship.  And God won’t change your heart until you change your mind.  You have to want to change, you have to want to enter into the relationship.

The scripture that I just read from Galatians is part of a section that begins with the words Galatians 5:16  So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.  

And just before Paul writes about our sinful nature’s being crucified he had written about what the acts of the sinful nature looked like and warned the early church in vs. 21 Galatians 5:21  . . . Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

And then he goes on to talk about the type of life we will live and the characteristics we will exhibit if we crucify the sinful nature and allow the Holy Spirit to have control.  And those characteristics are called the Fruit of the spirit and they are supposed to be evidenced in all areas of our lives.  And even though I’m sure that you are all intimately familiar with the fruit of the Spirit here they are again.  Galatians 5:22-23  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Charles Spurgeon was the preacher at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London in the late 1800’s it was a mega-church before anyone knew what a mega-church was, and Spurgeon wrote,

“Faith (Holiness) is not a piece of confectionery to be put upon drawing-room tables, or a garment to be worn on Sundays; it is a working principle, to be used in the barn and in the field, in the shop and on the exchange; it is a grace for the housewife and the servant; it is for the House of Commons and for the poorest workshop.”   And the person who will make that decision to live an obedient and holy life will be you.

But it wasn’t only Paul who used the cross and crucifixion as a metaphor for living obediently as a Christ follower.  One day when Jesus was preaching to the crowds he told them.   Luke 9:23  Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  How often did Jesus say we’d have to take up our cross and follow him?  Daily.   So choosing to live a holy obedient life isn’t something that’s done once, It’s Something You Have to Do Everyday

Since I started with the weight loss analogy and it’s something that most people can identify with, let’s stay there for a little while longer.  I have decided to lose weight more times than I can count, and I have started to lose weight more times than I can count.  But fifteen months ago I made a decision to make it a daily commitment. 

I track my meals every day, and if there are days that I don’t do well, then I learn from it and put it behind me and move on to the next day.  But if I stop working at losing weight then I stop losing weight.  The commitment 15 months ago would be worthless if it didn’t translate into daily action.   

Jesus knew that if our Christian life was going to be successful then it need to be an ongoing commitment.  And it starts each day when you give your day to God and reaffirm your commitment to live in obedience to His will for your life.

And that isn’t a long list of rules.  One day an expert in the religious law asked Jesus what the most important commandment was.    And Jesus replied by saying Matthew 22:37-40  Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

In his book “A Plain Account of Christian Perfection”, John Wesley wrote “Yea, we do believe that He will in this world so 'cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit, that we shall perfectly love Him, and worthily magnify His holy name.'”

So, what is our commitment as Christians?  Love God, love others.  And you do that by obeying his teaching.  And you know what his teachings are by reading his book.  And most days you will be presented with the choice to obey God or not to obey God.  

One person described it like two dogs fighting inside of him, one representing evil and wickedness and one representing goodness and purity.  Someone asked him, “Well which one wins?” And his response was “Whichever one I say ‘sic him’ to”  Which one will you say “sic him” to?

Earlier in the message I referenced Romans 7 where Paul talked about doing the wrong things that he didn’t want to do and not being able to do the right things that he wanted to do.  And most of us know what that feels like from time to time in our Christian walk.  But then we turned the page and read in Romans 8 that Paul was able to win the battle that he was talking about, and he continues by writing in Romans 8:37  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.   Not just victory, but overwhelming victory.

The Result is Victory  You can win, you can have the victory, you don’t have to live in defeat.  Do you believe that?

The Corinthian church had all kinds of problems and in his letters Paul addresses many of those issues but he reminds the believers again and again of the truth and the promise of victory.  Listen to his words in 1 Corinthians 15:57  But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle John wrote to the early church and told them  1 John 4:16-17  We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.  And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.

Those promises weren’t just for Christ followers 2000 years ago they are for us today.  As we live in God, our love grows more perfect.  And maybe you’re thinking “But Denn it’s hard, it’s not easy.”    Exactly, it’s the hard that makes it great.  If it was easy everybody would be doing it, if it was easy Paul wouldn’t have referred to it as crucifixion. Instead he would have said it was like baking a cake or falling off a log or as easy as pie.    

But remember the end result, the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control.  That’s the victory.

And we don’t always get it right, sometimes we blow it, we say something or do something we regret and we know is wrong.  Sometimes on my weight loss journey I blow it, and often like when we blow it in our spiritual lives it is often intentional. 

I know I shouldn’t do it, I know that eating The Sydelle Fries at Sydells on Rocky Lake Drive probably isn’t the wisest thing to do.  Sydell fries are home cut fries topped with Montreal Style Smoke Meat, gravy and Cheese.  And I have never accidental ate them thinking they were a salad.

But if that happens, I have two choices.  I can say “Wow I blew it; I guess I’ll never get this weight loss thing” and give up and pretty soon I’ll weigh what I used to weigh.  Sound familiar?

Or I can say “Wow, I blew it, tomorrow I’m going to do better.”

The bible tells us in 1 John 2:1-2  My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

God’s desire is that you not sin.  I assume that is your desire as well.  But the promise is there, note that John writes “If” you sin, not “when” you sin.  But if you sin, Jesus is there, he wants to pick you up and brush you off and forgive you.  He’s extending his hand, but you have to take it.  He won’t pick you up unless you want to be picked up, The choice is yours.

                                         

Mother's Day

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Mother’s Days for Elizabeth

It is a familiar story and one that fits with Mother’s Day.  A woman who wasn’t supposed to be a mother becomes a mother.   It is one of the most familiar stories in the Bible but a story that is over shadowed by another story and so it gets lost.  We are all familiar with the first couple of Chapters of Luke, it is the Christmas story.    

But the Christmas story didn’t start when the Angel appeared to Mary, no the story began half a year earlier and 100 kms away. 

Before the angel appeared to Mary and Joseph he had already appeared in Jerusalem to a man named Zechariah to announce the birth of a boy who would be named John and who would be a cousin to Jesus.

And the story of John, or more important the story of Elizabeth is a story that should resonate with most of the women who are here today. 

So let’s begin our journey where our Journey should begin, at the beginning.  Historically we are at the end of four hundred years of silence in the Story of Israel.  The last recorded words from one of God’s prophets had been written in the book of Malachi and the people of Israel have been waiting to be delivered from the various occupiers of their country.  

So let’s start with a little background about Elizabeth. 

We know who she was, because it is recorded in Luke’s Gospel, Luke 1:5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  

So she was a descendent of Aaron, who was Moses’ brother.  And it was from Aaron that the Jewish priesthood was descended. 

And then we read in Luke 1:6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.   Not only was Elizabeth from a religious family, but she herself was righteous and was careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.  She was good people. 

Interestingly enough the Elizabeth who is mentioned here is actually a relative of Mary, Jesus mother.  Earlier I called John a cousin because I didn’t know what else to call him.  And that’s what he would have been called in those extended families, when you can’t think of anything else to call someone who is kin you call them your cousin.  You know if they aren’t your brother or sister, niece or nephew then they have to be your cousin.

When Gabriel appeared to Mary at beginning of the Christmas story he reveals this to her,  Luke 1:36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age!

In the King James Version it calls Elizabeth Mary’s cousin but the word in the original Greek was much broader than that and simply meant someone who was related to you, somehow.  And she may have been her cousin, we just don’t know.  What we do know is that Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron and we are told that Mary was a descendant of David’s so whatever relationship was on their Mother’s side of the family tree. 

However I think if you had of talked to Elizabeth she wouldn’t have defined herself by her family background or her behaviour, instead in her private moments I think she would have defined herself with the next statement in this scripture which says, Luke 1:7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.   

Now we really don’t know how old she was.  Obviously She was old enough for it to be mentioned, but perhaps because it was in relation to her child bearing years it was just relative.  After all, in that day and culture when women were married and began their families when they were in the teens, if you had been married for twenty years and hadn’t had a child it might be assumed that the baby wagon had passed you by. 

When we were in Truro we had two ladies who had children the same time that our daughter Deborah was born, and in 1987 we thought they were old, they were in their mid-thirties, which twenty nine years ago seemed old to be having babies.  So we don’t know how old Elizabeth was. 

But we do know that she experienced the heart ache of not having a child while all of her peers were.

Elizabeth Knew the Heartache of Being Childless  Now understand, not everyone wants kids.  Sometimes we meet couples who are childless and we jump to the conclusion that they are unable to have children.   But that isn’t always the case, and as a boss of mine used to tell me: The only thing you get from jumping to conclusions are sore feet.  Some couples choose to not have children for a variety of different reasons, and that is fine, that is there decision, it doesn’t make them less as people and when a woman chooses not to have children, that doesn’t make her less of a woman.  And I understand that, some people choose not to own a cat, that I don’t understand.   But I digress. 

But that was not the case with Zechariah and Elizabeth.  We are told that they were unable to have children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, as we progress in the story we discover that this had been a heartache for them.  And it was a matter of prayer, they had not only done their part in trying to make a baby they had asked God to do his part, to no avail. 

For people who are trying to start a family and it’s not working there is an incredible amount of stress and frustration and eventually heartache.  Often times children have been part of the dream and the plan since the first doll was held.  For many couples and even more women it has always been assumed that children would be part of the equation, and then they aren’t. 

Add to that the cultural demand, even today, on having children, most couples have been there the endless questions about when it’s going to happen, throw perspective grandparents into the mix and the pressure is immense.  And to Zechariah and Elizabeth there was the responsibility to have a son who would carry on the priestly lineage of their families.

But it wasn’t working, and Elizabeth was taking the blame.  Remember the scriptures tell us that she was unable to conceive.  But seriously, they wouldn’t have known that, what they knew was that “They were unable to conceive” but it ended up in her lap and “they” became “She”. 

I would suspect in that time and culture if a man married three different women and none of them had children everybody would say that he was unlucky to have married three barren women, but really?

If there had of been a Mother’s Day 2000 years ago it would have been Elizabeth’s least favorite day, it would have been a reminder of what she wasn’t.  And I’m sure that there are those who worship at Cornerstone who have either skipped the service today or wish they had of skipped the service today for the same reason as Elizabeth, it is a reminder of what they aren’t but wished they were.

And there is nothing I can say today that will ease your hurt or make you feel any better about today.    But let me pray for you. 

It seemed that just when Zechariah and Elizabeth had grown used to the fact that they would grow old together without children God interrupts their plans. 

Luke 1:11-13 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

By this time in history there were more priests than there were jobs for priests, so they took turns working in the temple, good work if you can find it.  And Zechariah’s turn came up and he was chosen to enter into the temple and offer the sacrifices and while he was in there the strangest thing happened. 

He’s doing the things he supposed to be doing, preparing the sacrifice, getting it ready to be offered, preparing his prayers and the scriptures he will read as part of the ceremony and God interrupts him, with an Angel.  I don’t know what angels look like but they always start off their introductions with the words “Don’t be afraid”. 

And Zechariah was a little spooked; actually he was a lot spooked.  After all he was supposed to be alone in the altar area, there were no windows just lit by flickering torches, maybe he’s whistling as he worked.  And all of a sudden he’s no longer alone.  I don’t think he was spooked because there was an angel there, I think he was spooked because there was anyone there.

And if we read through the conversation the Angel, who identifies himself as Gabriel tells Zechariah that his and Elizabeth’s prayers will be answered and that they will be parents and that their son will do great things for God. 

And after the angel drops this bombshell, I mean good news on Zechariah he gets this response; “What?”  Actually that was a rough translation his actually words were Luke 1:18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

My wife is well along in years, that charitable, love how it is put in the King James Version  Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.   Guys here’s a Mother’s Day hint, I don’t think that “well stricken in years” is the most appropriate way to describe your wife’s age.

You got to love this, for years Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a son, They had been praying so long it had become route and I don’t think they really expected it would be answered and had never stopped to consider what would happen if it was answered, there would be diapers to buy, a house to be baby proofed and they’d have to get a baby seat for the camel.

Presumably they knew what caused babies and presumably they had been trying that particular technique without success so the assumption would have to be that there would have to be something miraculous about this.

And to be fair, it may not have been disbelief as much as curiosity that caused his reaction, he knew the other way wasn’t working so what was going to change?

If you don’t know the rest of the story it would appear that Gabriel was a little sensitive about not being believed because he responds by saying in  Luke 1:19-20 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Boy, do you know where I’d be if folks still lost their voices when they didn’t believe the promises of God?  Yeah, preaching to a very quiet church.

And the story continues. 

Luke 1:14-17 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

Without commentary don’t you find it interesting how those thoughts are joined? 1) Great in the eyes of the Lord 2) filled with the Holy Spirit 3) must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks, just saying.

Luke 1:57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son.

Elizabeth Knew the Joy of Being a Mother  At her age I’m sure that she felt the exhaustion of being a mother and at times the frustration of being a mother but that’s not where we are going today.   And if Elizabeth was like most parents she probably dreamed dreams of what her child would do and what he would be when he grew up. 

Probably because of his divine announcement John’s mother probably pictured him of doing great things for God, maybe someday being the high priest. 

If you were to ask Elizabeth to predict the future of her son it probably would have had to do with the priesthood.  It was John’s lineage, his father was a priest and his mother was the daughter of a priest.  And I’m pretty sure that in Zechariah’s mind that if his son was going to have an impact for God it would be through the religious establishment that the family was familiar with.  After all why wouldn’t it be? 

My father was a sea captain as was his father and his father, and there was a natural assumption that I would be as well.  The entire Denn getting seasick on wet grass didn’t seem to factor in at all. 

The bible doesn’t tell us anything about John’s childhood, but if he was like most children he was loved and doted on.  I’m sure that Elizabeth showed him off at every chance, and probably wasn’t the least bit sensitive when she was around women who were childless. 

But when John had grown up we read that he went into the wilderness and when the time was right he appears preaching repentance, baptising people and telling them that the messiah was soon going to appear.  Both Matthew and Mark give us the same description of John.  Mark tells us in Mark 1:6 His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

And I’m sure that regardless of the fact that Elizabeth probably didn’t understand what John was doing, nobody in their family had ever done anything like that before, that she was one hundred percent behind him.  She probably bragged to her neighbors about John and all the people that he baptized. 

We know nothing about John’s childhood and how his parents raised him and loved him, what we do know is that Elizabeth and Zechariah were chosen by God to raise John, and God doesn’t do anything without a reason.  So we need to assume that it was because of the way that his parents raised him that John was who he was.  Remember that earlier in the story that John’s parents were described as Luke 1:6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.  Our children will follow God or not follow God, that will be a decision that they need to make.  However we have a responsibility to lay the foundation that they will need to follow God. 

As we read the accounts of John’s preaching it is evident that the foundation of his faith was well laid.  It was Abraham Lincoln who said “All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”  We can only assume that John the Baptist would have said the same thing about his mother.

If there had of been a Mother’s Day 2000 years ago it would have been one of Elizabeth’s favorite days. 

For those of you who are raising children, and it doesn’t matter if they are one or a hundred and one Mother’s never stop raising their children, I would like to pray for you today. 

But ultimately it would have been the thing that would have brought Elizabeth her greatest joy, that her son was serving God, that would cause her greatest pain.

Maybe you know the story of John and maybe you don’t either way let me bring you up to speed. You will recall that John had been preaching repentance throughout the country and part of that was confronting people about their behaviour.  After all unless a person feels a sense of wrong over their behaviour they won’t feel compelled to repent.  One of the people that John called out was King Herod, this wasn’t the same King Herod from the Christmas story, instead it was his son, the King Herod from the Easter story. 

Apparently Herod’s younger brother, Phillip, had married a woman by the name of Herodias and somehow she ended up married to Herod.  The assumption is that she left the younger brother for the older brother.  And John began to publically take issue with the morality of the entire situation.  I’m not sure that it bothered Herod that much, he was probably used to people criticizing him, after all he wasn’t the most lovable tyrant.  But it was getting to Herodias and we are told that Herod had John imprisoned as a favour to Herodias.  Here was John who had spent so much of his adult life in the wide open spaces of the wilderness now confined to a prison cell.  Must have been tough but it would get tougher.  

But listen to this little snippet in Mark 6:19-20 So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him.

Now maybe you know how the story ends for John, you hear people talk about how immoral our society is, how far we’ve fallen but this account reveals what life was like 2000 years ago in the society that John and Jesus were called to confront.

Herod throws this big party for everybody who was anybody and part of the festivities was a dance performed by his step- daughter.  When the dance was over Herod applauded and told her “that was awesome, I will give you anything you desire, right up to half my Kingdom.”  Not sure how the Romans would have felt about that, but I would suspect that Herod had been in the bubbly. 

So the girl went over to her mother and had a little girl talk and she came back and we pick up the story in Matthew 14:8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!”

Now that seems a little extreme, and I’m sure that everyone knew that it was the booze talking but we read in   Matthew 14:9-10 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders.   So John was beheaded in the prison.

Elizabeth Knew the Pain of Losing a Child  and I understand that this is speculation, that because John was born in Elizabeth’s old age that she had probably already passed away when John was killed.  But we don’t know that.  We don’t know how old “Old” was in the case of Elizabeth.  So for the sake of the sermon let’s assume that she was still alive.  I can think of no greatest tragedy for a parent than to lose a child, regardless of the age of that child.  Parent’s aren’t supposed to bury their children; children are to bury their parents.  But from the beginning of time this type of tragedy has happened.  If you are familiar with the book of genesis you will remember that the first funeral wasn’t for Adam or Eve, it was for their son Abel. 

There is a pain that will never go away and a hole that can never be filled.  I don’t know every story at Cornerstone but I do know that are mothers at Cornerstone who have lost children who were in their twenties and thirties and forties. And there may very well be those here who lost children who never grew to adulthood.   And I know that there are mothers in our church family who lost children before they were born, and that loss is just as real and just as heartbreaking.

The second funeral that I ever performed was for a little girl who never breathed air and never looked into the eyes of the two people who loved her more than they could ever say. 

If we believe what we say we believe about when life begins then they are children and their mothers are mothers and when we invite the mother’s to come forward at the end of the service to receive their treats they have the same right to be here as any other mother. 

And there are those here today who have lost a child who is still alive, because of strains in relationships and circumstances that can never be explained there are sometimes chasms between parents and children that can never be bridged and the heartache is always there for lost children and grandchildren.  

If there had of been a Mother’s Day 2000 years ago it would have been a painful day for Elizabeth, a reminder of all that she lost.

Here is what we do know, we know that Elizabeth loved and served God, and we know that John loved and served God so we know that regardless of the present heartache that there came a time that mother and son were reunited.

And I wish that I could speak words of healing into your lives and tell you that someday you wouldn’t grieve for the child that you have lost.  You will always miss your child, and your will always cherish their memory.  It was another Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth who said “Grief is the price we pay for love.”

But there is a hope, a promise that transcends death.   Early this week friends of ours lost their daughter after a six-month battle with Cancer, she was 36 years old.  The morning following her death her father wrote of their loss and here is a part of what Don wrote:

“She (Lindsay)  is with Jesus. And we have a massive hole in our hearts. Oh how we miss her already! But that aching void will be filled again, for we will see her ourselves someday in the presence of Christ. "Therefore 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." We love you Lindsay! And we will see you later!”

If you have lost a child let me pray for you this morning.

Today we celebrate mothers not because mothers are better people or better women than those who have never been mothers but because each of us owes something to our mothers, even if it is only life.