Got Spirit…?

Posted by Chris on January 4, 2009 under Sermons

The Indwelling Spirit

Alexander Campbell – “If the Spirit of God has spoken all its arguments in Scripture then the power of the Holy Spirit which can operate on the human mind [in conversion] is spent.”

B.F. Hall – in Heretic Detector, 1837 – “I believe that the Holy Spirit exerts no influence on the heart of sinners over and above the word: that his influences are in the facts he has revealed in the gospel, the evidences by which he has confirmed these facts, and in the motives to obedience presented in the Scriptures of Truth.”

1. Revivalism: Emotional display was a sign of conversion
2. Age of Enlightenment: Facts and reason predominate
3. Spirit = Miraculous power
4. Spirit = Special revelation

Conversion

1. What happens to our worldview and willpower when we are freed from the rule of sin?
2. Is conversion just cognitive or is it also emotional and behavioral?

Vampire Christianity

• The Great Omission by Dallas Willard
• Freedom from sin means living in the Spirit
• Disciples for Jesus are Christ-followers
• Holiness & Sanctification

      “Vampire Christianity” is a shortsighted focus on salvation, on being a Christian, to the neglect of becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. So says Dallas Willard in his recent book, The Great Omission.
      Willard’s point is this: “The individual says to Jesus, in effect, ?I’d like a little of your blood, but I don’t care to be your student ? in fact, won’t you just excuse me while I get on with my life, and I’ll see you in heaven.'”
      In other words, “Thanks for dying on the cross for me, Jesus. I’ll accept your blood shed for my sin. I’ll even remember it through the Communion cup. Just don’t ask me to change my life, give up my sin or live for you.”
      Such a Christian is more interested in the benefits of being a Christian than in becoming a Christ follower. And that’s selfishness at its worst.
      To follow Jesus involves more than just a “confession.” It’s a whole new focus for life.
      (Taken from Christian Becker’s Blog at http://christianbecker.blogspot.com/2008/01/vampire-christianity.html)

Understanding Conversion

• Justification – Right standing, righteousness, conversion as association
• Sanctification – Holiness, spiritual growth, righteousness, conversion as growth and formation

“May the Force be with you!” This is not the Holy Spirit. Spirit is personal presence, not just a power we acquire

Nature of the Spirit

1. Personal
   • “Abba,” Father
2. Empowerment
3. New Relationship
   • no condemnation
4. New Life

Word Made Flesh

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

In the Disney movie “Bedtime Stories,” Adam Sandler discovers that when his nephew and niece tell stories, they come true and change his life. In the movie “Inkheart,” soon to be released, a girl named Meggie learns that when her father reads a story out loud, the stories come to life in the real world.

It’s a well-known theme in books and now movies in which a story comes to life or people from the real world enter into a world of a story. Two recent films, “Bedtime Stories” and “Inkheart,” build on this. Classic films and books like “Never-Ending Story” and “Chronicles of Narnia” are good examples.

We can understand why this genre would be so captivating. We love stories. We live our lives through stories. When this world seems so messed up and confused, who wouldn’t want to jump into the world of story where the villains are conquered, the heroes win, and they live happily ever after.

There’s also something to be said here about the power of stories and words. They can shape reality and form identity. Anyone who believes that a story is just make believe has forgotten how really good stories and really important words can catch our attention and make us better people.

The Bible, after all, is a collection of words, sayings, and stories that have shaped reality. It endures even now and we put a lot of faith into the way the Bible describes the world. It speaks of the past, but also of the future. It describes what is and what has been, but also what will be.

Those films and books that describe how we get caught up in the stories is just somewhat like John’s description of the Word of God becoming flesh – real – and moving into our world. Sort of – but not exactly. The difference is that the author of the story, according to the gospel writer, is God. It’s his Word, not ours.

God’s Word takes up residence in our world. He doesn’t come to carry us off to a world in a book or enlist our aid in a war in another realm. The Word of God is the one who enters into the story-realm and the story-realm is this world. The world of flesh and blood. The Word of God wrote this world – through him all things were made – we are the characters, not Him.

And like John the Baptist, we are witnesses of this unfolding drama. We are witnesses to the entrance of God into this setting and locale. The Word of God is not simply ink on a page. It’s more than a profound slogan etched in stone. It’s even more than a formula of faith whispered and told to others.

The Word of God is God
The Word of God is life
The Word of God is light … and here’s the really interesting part – that word was embodied and he came to dwell among us.

So what does this mean for us? If we pay attention, I think it means that …

1. It means we see God more clearly. God isn’t far off. The Word of God became flesh in Jesus Christ. He came from the Father and makes the Father known to us. Think about what it means for God to introduce himself to us. He’s no longer just a concept or a presence. Grace and truth are not just concepts. They are an experience of Jesus Christ who came to dwell with us. Not just a visitation, but dwelling. He took up residence, he moved into the neighborhood. And he is still with us.
2. It means that our world and our lives in the flesh count for something. The Word of God doesn’t become flesh to take us to a far off reality. He comes to renovate the world we are in. If we think of Christ as the author of the story, he’s entered into the story to do some major editing and revision. He’s changing the plot. And like a good author, he has a shocking secret to reveal – God has other children. That’s one of the classic moves in literature and now we find out that those who receive the Word made Flesh inherit their rights as the Father’s children. (But of course some just cannot handle that and they reject it). But he’s not taking the children out of the world. No, this world isn’t disposable. He’s not starting over from scratch, but he is affirming this creation and restoring it to the glory that we have lost. After all the word is life and light.
3. It means that we don’t want to be like those who didn’t receive the Word Made Flesh. They are the bookkeepers and critics. They like to fit everything into a category and style that fits their experience. They have little regard for the author (other than a reverence for one who seems far off and unlike them.) Notice how they quiz John the Baptist … Is he Christ? Is he Elijah? He says No and it doesn’t satisfy them. John is faithful and open to what he has seen. He saw heaven opened up. He saw the Spirit of God and heard the voice of the Father. And he stood in the river baptizing the Son – the Word that dwelled among us.
4. Like John we should expand our understanding of the Word. We have more than answers and issues. We have a story to tell about the One. Jesus himself told Nathanael that he would see great things. That he would see “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Now what do you think Nathanael should do after that? He needs to tell that story again and again. Just like us.

So we tell this story of the Word become Flesh over and over again. Not simply because it’s in this book. Not simply because it’s a classic. Not simply because it’s a historical event. Rather we tell it because it is still unfolding and the Word of God has become flesh in our hearing of it today. May God bless us to receive the one who came from the Father and live like His children.

The Solution

Posted by David on January 1, 2009 under Bulletin Articles

What God did for us in Jesus’ death and resurrection defies our imagination! By making His son the Christ and enthroning him at His right hand, God secured the salvation of every person in Christ. God declared to Abraham what He would do through Abraham’s descendants, and He did it! We are saved because God sent Jesus to be the Christ.

God did for us what we could never do for ourselves! He provided us a salvation that is founded on Who He is, not what we are. He is absolutely just and righteous; we are sinners. All humans need God’s solution because all humans are sinners!

God founded our salvation on His character, not on our failure. He gave us Jesus the promised Messiah. He gave us Jesus’ atoning blood. The righteous God sacrificed His son that we might be saved from our sins.

In the one act of Jesus’ death God provided us salvation and proved He was just. For a human to accept this God-given salvation does not begin with some colossal acts to prove the person’s worthiness. There are no initiation rites! Salvation begins with confidence in what God did in Jesus. We trust the fact that God loves us enough to give us redemption and grace in Jesus Christ. We trust that God justifies the individual in Jesus Christ.

It is confidence in what God did in Jesus’ death that moves us to repent. It is trusting the gift of Jesus’ blood that produces our baptism. We understand that in Jesus’ crucifixion, God accepts Jesus’ innocence for our guiltiness as sinners. We are saved through Jesus’ atoning blood. We anticipate resurrection because Jesus was resurrected.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 1 Peter 2:21-24

“Thank You, God, for all You did and continue to do for us in Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ exists to be our Lord and to defeat Your enemies. We exist to serve You. Lead us! Help us be Your people as we serve Your purposes and live by Your values.”

What Do You Do?

Posted by Chris on December 28, 2008 under Sermons

Freewill vs. Sinful Nature

• Pelagius (350-418 A.D.)
  Free Will
• Augustine (354-430 A.D.)
  Sinful Nature

        A full recognition, side by side, of the freedom of the will, the evil consequences of the Fall, and the necessity of divine grace for salvation. Individual writers, or even the several sections of the Church, might exhibit a tendency to throw emphasis on one or another of the elements that made up this deposit of faith that was the common inheritance of all. The East, for instance, laid especial stress on free will: and the West dwelt more pointedly on the ruin of the human race and the absolute need of God’s grace for salvation. But neither did the Eastern theologians forget the universal sinfulness and need of redemption, or the necessity, for the realization of that redemption, of God’s gracious influences; nor did those of the West deny the self-determination or accountability of men. (B. B. Warfield)
        This new heresiarch [“heresy”] came, at the opening of the fifth century, in the person of the British monk, Pelagius. The novelty of the doctrine which he taught is repeatedly asserted by Augustine, and is evident to the historian; but it consisted not in the emphasis that he laid on free will, but rather in the fact that, in emphasizing free will, he denied the ruin of the race and the necessity of grace. This was not only new in Christianity; it was even anti-Christian.
        The controversy began when the British monk, Pelagius, opposed at Rome Augustine’s famous prayer: “Grant what Thou commandest, and command what Thou dost desire.” Pelagius recoiled in horror at the idea that a divine gift (grace) is necessary to perform what God commands. For Pelagius and his followers responsibility always implies ability. If man has the moral responsibility to obey the law of God, he must also have the moral ability to do it.
        Augustine’s view of the Fall was opposed to both Pelagianism and Semi-Pelagianism. He said that mankind is a massa peccati, a “mess of sin,” incapable of raising itself from spiritual death. For Augustine, man can no more move or incline himself to God than an empty glass can fill itself. For Augustine the initial work of divine grace by which the soul is liberated from the bondage of sin is sovereign and operative. To be sure, we cooperate with this grace, but only after the initial divine work of liberation.
        Augustine did not deny that fallen man still has a will and that the will is capable of making choices. He argued that fallen man still has a free will (liberium arbitrium) but has lost his moral liberty (libertas). The state of original sin leaves us in the wretched condition of being unable to refrain from sinning. We still are able to choose what we desire, but our desires remain chained by our evil impulses. He argued that the freedom that remains in the will always leads to sin. Thus in the flesh we are free only to sin, a hollow freedom indeed. It is freedom without liberty, a real moral bondage. True liberty can only come from without, from the work of God on the soul. Therefore we are not only partly dependent upon grace for our conversion but totally dependent upon grace.

Light and Shadow

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Did you hear about the multiple thefts of Baby Jesus figures from church nativities in Ohio, Florida, and even Arkansas. The controversies surrounding nativities led to thefts in 2007 and this year many of the churches have installed GPS locators into the Baby Jesus’ to track them in the event that they are stolen. I am told that in Arkansas they even chained the Baby Jesus to a cinder block.
In Florida, the perp was caught and arrested and the Baby Jesus was returned to his ceramic family. And they will soon be put away into storage until next year.

Alas, Christmas is over. All the decorations, the lights, the nativities, and the 75% off signs will be put away soon. We will quite soon occupy our attention and our energy with other things – because Christmas is over.

In the gospels, however, the birth of Christ is just the beginning. The proclamation of the birth, the dreams of Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and the rage of Herod are just the start. There’s more to come. The child Jesus is growing and Joseph and Mary have much to do. Luke 2 describes an important event in the life of Jesus and his family. They are following the religious mandates by taking the six-week old Jesus to the temple for dedication and they are also arranging for the religious purification of the mother, Mary …

Read Luke 2:22-38 …

Joseph and Mary are going about their business offering up the sacrifice required, or in their case what was allowed for the poor – a lamb would have been offered, but two pigeons were allowed for those who couldn’t afford it. So here they are going about their business, when an old man comes up to them asking to hold their child.

His name is Simeon and he has been waiting to see the Messiah with his own two eyes. He’s seen a lot through those eyes:

• The Roman invasion and subjugation of Judea
• Ever increasing taxation
• Moral decline, beginning with Herod – the king who claimed to be a Jew
• Samaritan attacks and the desecration of the temple.

He’s waiting for a ray of light to pierce the darkness he’s seen with his eyes. The Holy Spirit promised him that this moment would come. All the years of waiting and praying, the recommitment to believe the Spirit’s promise all pays off in this one simple moment – he has seen with his own eyes the salvation of Israel. He holds salvation in his hands. Now Simeon is at peace. His wait is over.

Simeon has spiritual insight. Chalk it up to the power of the Holy Spirit and years of waiting to see what God has promised. Though he is old, Simeon’s spiritual vision is keen and sharp.

He knows that though he has waited for years to see the Lord’s savior and receives this as a blessing, he knows that some will not be so receptive. And so his blessing for Mary and the child speaks of the grand destiny of the child Jesus – yes, Jesus represents hope and salvation, but that which makes Jesus a hope for many also threatens others.

“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Simeon’s blessing has a shadow in it. Some will fall and some will rise. Some will accept the sign and others will speak out against it. Why? Because the inner thoughts and motives of all will be revealed …

1. Rejection: Simeon knows that the sign to be opposed and rejected threatens what is already there. Everything is not a-okay until Christ arrives and makes it difficult. No, the pain and disease is under the surface and eating away on humanity and the world. The light of Christ simply uncovers it all and makes it known. When you turn on the light, it creates shadows. Some things reject the light.

2. Renewal: Change and renewal are not always embraced. The experience can be painful and demand sacrifice and even loss. Resurrection follows a death. This is why we must reflect and count the cost of discipleship. There is an investment – a costly one. When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die. Hope is made possible but only through sacrifice. But some would rather remain in the cold shadows than risk the challenge of renewal. They would rather deny than decide.

3. Simeon and Anna stand apart from those who reject Christ because they realize that the very old promises of God can be kept in new and unexpected ways. They receive the child rather than reject him. And they are renewed! This Child is the light of the world!
   • What sets them apart? How is Simeon able to see this poor family with a newborn and conclude that this is the agent of God’s salvation?
   • According to Luke, they are filled with the Holy Spirit. What does that mean?
     1. A mind and heart open to God. A relationship rather than a contract.
     2. Simeon and Anna had open eyes and open ears.
     3. Beulah.

It’s been centuries since old Simeon and Anna saw the Light come into the world. Simeon died in peace. Like all righteous men, he longed to see God’s work done on earth. When he saw Jesus, he had all the hope he needed. But it’s not over, it’s just beginning …

If you’ve just had enough darkness and are looking to see a ray of light; if you want peace in your heart thus having no fear of death or darkness, then you are Simeon. You are Anna. Don’t get angry or frustrated, get to praying, start praising! Ask God to open you eyes to see and open your ears to hear.

Since the time of Simeon and Anna, Christ has promised that he will return again. Wouldn’t it be great to see that before you die? We could see God’s work of salvation among us.

Can we wait as faithfully as Simeon and Anna to see God working his salvation in this world?
Can we be confident and not grow anxious when shadows are cast and when some reject the light?
Can we have the spiritual vision of God’s Holy Spirit so that we can see that God’s old promises may be kept in unexpected ways?

Keep watch! Keep praying! You will see the Light of the World shine forth ever brighter in your lifetime!

Don’t You Know?

Posted by Chris on December 21, 2008 under Sermons

ADAM and CHRIST

Getting a Grip on Grace

1. We dare not cheapen it
2. We dare not limit it
3. We dare not qualify it
4. Let’s dare to brag about it

Questions About Grace

1. Should we keep on sinning so that God’s grace increases? (6:1)
2. Since God set us free from law, does that mean we can go on sinning? (6:15)

Response to First Question
Should we keep on sinning so that God’s grace increases?

• We died to sin, so we cannot keep living in it.
• Experience of baptism

It’s a matter of life and death

Response to Second Question
Since God set us free from law, does that mean we can go on sinning?

• We are slaves to what we obey
• Sin leads to death
• Obedience to God leads to holiness

Till Death Do We Part

1. Situation 1
   • A woman is “joined” to a man who isn’t her (living) husband.
   • Conclusion = Adultery
2. Situation 2
   • A woman is “joined” to a man who isn’t her (dead) husband.
   • Conclusion = Not Adultery

Sanctification

• Baptism and Grace move us into a different system of righteousness
• Law can name sin, but cannot create righteousness
• Holiness – Knowing Christ

The Need

Posted by David on December 18, 2008 under Bulletin Articles

We need forgiveness! This forgiveness must not be a “one time” event but a continuing state. Stated simply, we cannot “be good” in the sense that God is good. We “goofed”! We repeatedly “goofed”! If God wiped our slates clean but once, we would sin again. None of us are even aware of all our sins! We sin “ignorantly” constantly!

Long ago it was commonly believed that God forgave once-at baptism. Once God forgave, He forgave no more. There arose the practices of (1) guessing when you would die and (2) postponing baptism until anticipated “death time.” Why? So the person might receive God’s forgiveness when he had little time to sin and did not wish to sin. The problems: (1) People delayed baptism too long by dying sooner than expected, (2) God was completely misunderstood, and (3) Sin was completely misunderstood. The result: people lived and died in anxiety, not the peace Jesus came to bring.

Obedience does not earn salvation. It says, “Thank you!” to God for what He did for us in Jesus Christ. No human act places God in debt. We cannot earn anything. We serve God wholeheartedly because we deeply appreciate what God did for all in Christ through Jesus’ death. The more we see our need for forgiveness, the more appreciative we are of God’s gift. The more we fail to see our sinfulness, the more arrogant we become.

We needed an enduring solution that worked. In Christ we find God’s enduring solution that works-regardless of who we are, what we did, and how much we need to grow.

One Man Did Make a Difference

Posted by Chris on December 14, 2008 under Sermons

Structure of Romans

• Thesis – 1:16-17
• Antithesis – 2:1-3:20
• Restatement – 3:21-31
• Abraham – 4:1-25
• Conclusions – 5:1-11
• Comparison – 5:12-21

Conclusions (5:1-11)

    Since we’ve been made right:

1. Peace (5:1-2)
   • Because of trusting
2. Patience (5:3-4)
   • Because of love of God
3. Hope (5:5)
   • Because of Holy Spirit

God is not a hidden policeman trying to catch us breaking the law.

Faith and Confidence

• Christ died for us when we were sinners
  – That’s love!
  – Count on Salvation
• Friendship with God

How Much More

• 5:9, 5:10, 5:15, 5:17
• If this is true, then how much more true with God?
• Lesser to Greater

Life and Death

• If reconciled to God by his death …
• How much more are we saved by his life?
• Friends not Enemies
• RECONCILIATION

Boasting and Bragging

• Where’s our confidence?
• 5:2 and 5:11
• Abraham could not boast before God (He trusted = faith)
• We boast in the reconciliation we’ve received from God

ADAM and CHRIST

Grace Outdoes Sin

• Law intrudes into the story
• Law names the sinfulness, even makes it worse
• Sin magnifies the problem
• Grace is even more magnified
• Do we preach Adam or Christ?

Getting a Grip on Grace

1. We dare not cheapen it
2. We dare not limit it
3. We dare not qualify it
4. Let’s dare to brag about it

The Spirit of the Lord

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

[Reading: Psalm 126:1-6]

Read Luke 4:14-30
(Isaiah 61)

One day, Jesus returned to his hometown. The local boy who had become a Rabbi came home for a visit. They’ve heard the stories about his ministry and miracles. They simply have to have him read Scripture in the synagogue. They came today for a good study and Scripture reading. Read the scroll young Jesus and make us proud.

So he reads this text from Isaiah 61. Jesus is claiming this text. He’s claiming the Spirit of the Lord. He’s here to announce freedom for captive, justice for the oppressed, healing for the sick, good news for the poor. Jesus is reading this ancient text and saying, “That’s me. That’s my agenda. That’s what I’m all about.”

The synagogue doesn’t take to this too well. They’re not buying it. They whisper, “Hey, he’s the carpenter’s boy, right? His folks live down the street you know. When did he get to be such a big deal?” They’re not listening. They’re not listening to the Scripture because they have it all figured out – so they think. They’ve heard it before, but it has no impact on them.

They’re not listening to the Scripture – but a few of them might be waiting to see a miracle. Maybe Jesus can bring some of that magic back to his hometown. They sort of deserve it after all. They made him who he is today. Don’t forget where you came from Jesus!

So Jesus says …
“You will no doubt quote me this proverb: ?Physician, heal yourself’-meaning, ?Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.
“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner-a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

Now they’re listening. They heard that. They heard that God can do as much and maybe more with outsiders than he can do with insiders. They heard that God favors those on the margin. They heard that those who think they are privileged and important really aren’t. Jesus didn’t make this up. It’s Bible. He just claimed it and applied it. And his hometown crowd doesn’t like it. They are so offended that they try to throw him off a cliff.

Why is it so difficult for that synagogue to hear Jesus read these words and apply them? Why is the announcement about God’s grace and his plan to expand the kingdom so offensive?Why is it so hard for them to accept the teaching of the bible? Their very own bible that they have heard read to them for generations?

If our answer is – “well they are just hardhearted and stiff necked,” then stop and think – are they really that different than us? How many times have heard Scriptures read, preached, proclaimed and we haven’t really listened? How often have we just made up our minds and we simply want a good reading, a nice prayer and a sermon that affirms what we already know.

The word that Jesus read requires a certain kind of humility to hear it properly. We have to be humble enough to serve and get outside of self.

We have to be humble enough to confess our sinfulness. We have to be humble enough and attentive enough to confess the ways we’ve contributed to captivity, blindness, and oppression. For if we participate in those evils, then we certainly cannot welcome the good news that comes from the Spirit of the Lord, yes?

But if we are humble enough to listen and confess then we will stand alongside those who experience the comfort of God’s good favor. We can stand with Jesus and also be anointed with the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord.

Can we accept that? What would you think if I said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News!” Would you listen or just chalk it up as biblical talk?What if I said that “The Spirit of the Lord is upon you, for he has anointed you to bring Good News?”

Are we claiming too much? Is this text just about Jesus? Just think – someone claimed this text before Jesus. The prophet (Isaiah) who shared this good news with the exiles in Babylon. Shouldn’t Jesus’ disciples claim this after him if they are going to follow him? Why is it good enough for Jesus, but not for us?

Just think – this proclamation is the announcement of the Year of Jubilee. Since the time of Moses, God has desired for his people to practice what the Spirit of the Lord proclaims. Why is it good enough for them, but not for us?

The synagogue in Nazareth could have witnessed miracles if they had paid attention to the Spirit of the Lord. Instead they just left worship angry.

We could see this text fulfilled among us if we take it to heart — if we claim it like Jesus.

And let’s not think for a moment that God needs us. Let’s not think we have it all figured out and that Jesus owes us and that we’re the only ones he can rely on. If we read the bible like Jesus, we will know that if we don’t have the Spirit of the Lord and God cannot proclaim his good news and announce his good favor through the people here, then he can get people out there quite easily. He’s done it before and can do it again.

Will this text be fulfilled among us today?
Will we welcome freedom for captives, sight for the blind and justice for the oppressed? Will we welcome the anointed one?
… Or will we take the Son of God and the Spirit of the Lord and throw them off a cliff?

Let us have the courage to confess our sins. Let us know the comfort of being in Christ. If you’ve been baptized into Christ, then you’ve received the Spirit of the Lord – as a gift. Don’t quench that spirit! Rather, let us proclaim the Lord’s favor!

The Problem

Posted by David on December 11, 2008 under Bulletin Articles

Paul, in documenting the global need for God’s help, gave a composite view from written scripture (only what we call the Old Testament was in writing then) to declare “everyone needs God’s help.” In that way, some people then were like some people today. These people were certain they (1) understood God, (2) understood God’s teachings, (3) did nothing wrong, and (4) were primarily to teach-they did not need to know anything else. They had the “let me tell you what you need to do” mentality. They saw themselves as God’s “finished product,” God’s righteous people. They were certain they were spiritually okay. Their deeds made them okay! What they perceived as obedient acts was the foundation of their confidence, not their faith in God and what He did in Jesus.

In Paul’s composite statement of our problem, he used thoughts from Psalms 14:1-3; 53:1-3; 5:9; 140:3; 10:7; 36:1; and Isaiah 59:7-8. Basically, scripture says, “People are evil. None of them are righteous!” What we want to do is to scream, “I am not evil! I do nothing wrong! Look at my acts, and it is obvious I am righteous!”

First, consider a statement made by this same Paul. It is found in 1 Corinthians 4:1-4 with emphasis on verse 4. Basically, Paul said, “I am God’s servant. What I do in God’s service is not made better or worse by your opinion of me. Even if I know nothing bad about me, that does not make me good. The only person whose opinion counts is the Lord.”

Second, have you considered all the EVIL God sees daily-all the hate, murders, acts of lust, adulteries, fornications, stealing, greed, injustices, exploitations, and indifference/unconcern He sees? Add to that He knows all the contributing motivations to every evil act. Do each of us realize that something we said, did, or shared contributed to another person’s evil in some way (even when we did our best)? That says nothing of the evil we commit without even being aware of the evil. That gives rise to an incredible question: “How can a God in whom there is not even the slightest speck of evil stand to look at a humanity that does not even know what complete purity looks like?”

There is no person, male or female, who is not in desperate need of God’s help. Not one human can stand on the foundation of his (her) acts or motives. None of us of ourselves are righteous! Every one of us would wither in the presence of God’s total righteousness. All of us can only plead for God’s help. We are a mess, and we need to know it! The failure to realize our personal “mess” is the height of arrogance before God! Without God’s intervention we are helpless. We are not the answer! God is!