“Sacred Moments for Believers”

Scripture: John 1:14-16; Acts 20:32; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

For the past 3 months, we’ve been considering various aspects of our faith as described in the Nicene Creed. We looked at our core beliefs, how they inform us about God and his working in our lives, and what that means for our response to the salvation that we are offered.
Today, we begin a much shorter series that is about one of those responses – that of our participation in the sacraments. United Methodist sacraments include two gifts – the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, and baptism. But the sacraments are part of a greater category of faith expression known as “sacred moments”. These are those times when we specifically and specially experience God’s presence and grace. These are those times when we not only celebrate the event, but also celebrate the Lord in a unique way. These are those times when, by faith in Jesus Christ, we feel the hope and joy and blessing that can only come from God.

These times are, quite simply, God’s grace in action. And it all began when the Lord not only came into our lives, but when he came to the world as Jesus for all of humanity.

Read John 1:14-16

Israel had always struggled with what it meant to have a relationship with their great God Jehovah. They would commit to service in the name of Yahweh, but could never quite follow through in that commitment. (Joshua 24:14-25) During their time in exodus from Egypt, they never seemed to be happy. They even thought that slavery in Egypt was preferable to the promise of a new land and new life with their Lord, that abject subservience to a pagan king was a better option than allegiance and obedience to their loving God. They just didn’t understand what he was all about, and how his desire for their lives would be generous, and not oppressive. And some things never seem to change!

So God would come to earth to reveal his love and grace to an undeserving people. And just so they wouldn’t be frightened away from him, the Lord would appear in a form that they would be comfortable with. Grace usually comes to us in ways we can recognize, even though we can’t quite explain it. And the blessings that it brings are amazing.

The New Interpreters’ Bible tells us “At the heart of the incarnation ... is the reality that the glory [of God] is, indeed, revealed in the [humanity] of Jesus". And the reality of grace is revealed in those “sacred moments” that sometimes seem so common and natural that we can almost miss the Lord’s presence if we aren’t watching for him. And the reference in our text to “grace in place of grace already given” does not imply a replacement of divine grace, but simply an addition to what we have already received. God’s grace has been part of humanity’s existence from the first moment of creation, and the coming of Jesus into our lives is proof that the Lord’s love for us is neverending!

And while this addition to grace is not a new version of divine grace, it is God’s way of showing that the Law of Moses is not all that it’s cracked up to be. If the grace of Christ replaces anything, it’s our dependence on the law and good works to achieve “righteousness” for our lives.

Read Acts 20:32

Paul sees the purpose of Godly grace as a way – a means – of building up all who believe in Christ Jesus. This “building up” is not in a human way of course, but in a spiritual sense, in spiritual growth. This grace is also a revealing of God and his goodness in our life, which Paul tells us is not just a gift, but an inheritance. Gifts can be given to anyone, but inheritance is given to family and loved ones.

But the blessing of “family” comes with a purpose – a mutual purpose that must benefit all parties. Family also brings with it an obligation to remain close and connected. And in that, the Lord sent his Son to close and strengthen our connection with him, and when Christ returned home, the Holy Spirit was sent to be our perpetual reminder of Godly love and presence. And our place in this connection? It is to acknowledge, and appreciate, and celebrate the Lord’s blessings that comes to us every day.

And we achieve that recognition and celebration through our intentional looking for, and expectation that God will be in those “sacred moments” of our life. And what might some of these moments be?

It comes in those times when:
- we consciously admit that we have failed God, that we have sinned, and in those times when we turn back to the Lord’s ways.
- we rejoice in the relationships that the Lord blesses and establishes on our behalf. One of those connections is in marriage. This is one of those unique and special blessings. But the Lord also grants us friendships that extend above and beyond our other acquaintances. Whether in marriage, or in singleness, or in other bonds that we have in friendship, God is glorified when we credit him as the source of our joy, and when we grow those relationships in his way.
- we turn to him in our times of trial and struggle, and seek his resolution and healing for our lives. When we demonstrate our trust and need for his grace, this, too, becomes a sacred time for us.
- we submit to the Lord’s plan for our lives, such as our commitment to the church in membership, and service, and ministry.
- we celebrate the Lord through the sacraments. In baptism, we acknowledge God as the only valid power and presence for our life, and in communion, we rejoice in Christ’s surrender, for our benefit, to the hatred and self-centered ways of earth. In baptism, we submit our repentant hearts, and in communion, we confirm and conform to the Lord’s offer of eternal life.

When we submit our lives to God, when we entrust our hope to his grace, when we place our trust in his plan for our life and salvation, grace and joy abound.

Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17

At first, Paul is encouraging his friend Timothy to persevere in his faith and in all that he has learned from the teachings of Jesus Christ. He is reminding this new pastor that if he is to be effective in ministry, if he is to be true to all that Jesus is, he must pay close attention to everything that he does and proclaims, and to never deviate from the truth of God. He is saying that the word of God comes to us by God’s grace and not by our means, and that it is worthy of our commitment. And even more than that, we are to know that effectiveness in our witness and ministry to the world is dependent on whether we have a servant’s heart or not.

A servant is obedient to, and reliant on their master. Grace is a gift freely given without expectation, but a relationship requires effort. The Lord wants relationship with us, he wants to know that we appreciate his gifts and his grace, he wants us to trust him enough that we too want the same things that he wants for us. Relationship must become an active verb in our life if we want to continue to know his grace.

And this comes in our celebrating the Lord in all that we do, and especially in those times that are of sacred worth. Relationship grows in those times when we take those risky and difficult steps to grow closer, and to live closer, to the Lord’s ways and teaching. We must always be prepared to see God at work whenever we worship, or pray, or serve, or rejoice his goodness. And the sacraments are those very special times when the Lord and we truly come close together, by his grace and through the work of the Holy Spirit.

For the next two weeks, we will be considering the power and purpose of both Communion and Baptism, and why they are not only important for our lives, but why they make sense in our relationship with our Almighty God and Savior.

“I Believe – Alive Forever!”

Scripture: John 5:19-30

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Today we arrive at our 12th and final message regarding the core of Christian belief as outlined in the Nicene Creed. Interestingly, the creed begins with proclaiming the God of Creation, and concludes with the eternal life that only has a beginning in our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Eternal God, and eternal life! And everything that is stated between those two “eternals” points forward and back to both.

In John 11:25-26, while his friend Martha was hurting deeply over the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus told her “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believe in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” The entire creed is given to us to remember this one and most important fact. We were created to know the depth of God’s passion; we were created to live an eternal and glorious life, even though we exist in brokenness; we were created to believe in all that the Son of God taught us and did for us; we were created to not only know God, but to know his will and call for our lives; we were created to trust in the guidance and sustenance of the Holy Spirit. The creed is given to remind us to stay connected to the Lord through the word and nudges and leading that is available to all who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

And the bottom line is that one day, the dead of the world will rise, and by faith in Christ and trust in his word, the faithful will live again and forever.

Read John 5:19-23

As chapter 5 begins, we find Jesus at the pool of Bethesda, which is located by one of the northern gates of the ancient city of Jerusalem. The pool was a place for ritual washing before entering the Temple Mount, and for many, it was also a place for healing. Jesus approaches a man who had been an invalid for 38 years, and asks him “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:1-9) Unfortunately, it was Sabbath, and improving the health situation of anyone was considered work – a sin if done on Sabbath.

Pharisees approached him and chastised him for disregarding the law of Sabbath, and the Lord makes the situation even worse when he replied that his Father and he are always at work, regardless of the day! It had been bad enough to heal the man on Sabbath, but to equate himself with God was just too much – it was blasphemy.

And Jesus’ response to these learned men is our text for today. He lets the Jews know that he has a unique relationship with his Father – that not only can he do nothing without his Father, he can also do all things that the Father does! It isn’t that he is learning from the Father, it isn’t that he is mimicking the Father – the Man Jesus is nothing more than an obedient and dependent Child of God. This relationship is not of Jesus’ own doing any more than the relationship that we have with our parents has anything to do with who or what we are. Jesus’ identity is one that has existed forever, for he is God in Triune existence.

And if you think that the man’s healing was especially powerful, Jesus tells them that even greater things are on the way! And what might these “greater things” be? The first is resurrection to new life, and the second is the right of judgment.

Resurrection to new life can take on two forms. The first is physical, and Jesus would raise several who had died into new breath and circulation, including his friend Lazarus. But the term “dead” can take on an even greater significance – that of being dead through sin. And as we all know, death must always precede new life. In Jesus’ case, resurrection to new life is always his prerogative, and not ours. Note that in the story of the man who was healed, it was Jesus who came to him and asked “Do you want to be healed?” – it was not the other way around,
And this leads to the second “greater thing” – judgment. Judgment is also upon the Lord, and has nothing to do with what we do. No amount of good works, no amount of righteous living, and not even the sinfulness that we have lived can have any impact on whether we pass through the judgment or fail in its absolute nature. It is all about what Jesus has done, and whether we acknowledge and accept his way or not.

These gifts – resurrection to life and judgment – have been given to Jesus, but even he has no authority over them without the Father’s involvement and purpose. And our relationship with the Father is, conversely, dependent on our relationship with the Son.

Read John 5:24-27

So it appears that salvation is not only dependent on hearing the word of God, but it also demands that we believe it. That makes judgment pretty simple – do we truly and fully believe in Christ, or not? Of course, this description also disqualifies every human being, in that our judgment is fallible – truth in us is actually opinion, and seldom reflects truth!

And on that day, when the dead in Christ arise, they will hear the voice of God, and in that hearing, eternal life will be conveyed in their believing. But until that day, it will all be about our faithful life. In Daniel 12:12-13, he offers a prophecy regarding the last days, that during those times of tribulation and trial, it’s crucial that believers never fail to believe. We read “Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of [those] days… [and] at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”
Our life in Christ is just that - whether we live until the day of his return, or not, perseverance in faith is vital. This means that we don’t try to straddle the fence that exists between Christ and the world; it means that we can’t think that the word of God needs to be updated to come into line with societal standards; it means that we can’t believe that Jesus is only one of many ways to eternal life; it means that we can’t accept some of what Jesus stands for and deny the rest.

This life that the faithful will receive, comes from the life that both the Father and the Son already possess. This isn’t one shared life – it is identical but individual in nature. And just as the Son’s return to glorious life came through the Father, ours will come through faith in the Son. And it is Jesus who has both the identity as Judge as well as the authority to judge. And why has he and he alone received this identity and authority? Because the Father has declared it so. Period.

Read John 5:28-30

And the comparison of the relationship between Father and Son, as well as the one between Son and humanity, continues. The time when the voice of God will be heard by all – dead and living alike - is nearly here, but only some will be blessed, while the rest will continue in their condemnation. And the present is also linked with the future – our failure to believe in this life cannot be changed on the day of Christ’s return. And it all hinges on the fact that Jesus knows the truth of our life in the here and now.

Our present life and our eternal judgment will be perfectly related to each other. If we are living the life that Jesus has called us to live – not the one we want to live, not the one we demand that he bless within us, not the one that ignores all that he taught – but the one that reflects his way, the one that strives to bring glory to him, the one that comes from that perfect combination of our repentance and his forgiveness.

Everything is based on the voice of Jesus Christ. It echoed during those 7 days of creation. It echoed in the desert of Exodus. It echoed through the lives of the prophets. It echoed through the hearts of Israel, and it echoes in the lives of the Church. And on that day of resurrection, it will echo in the judgment.

And all that Jesus does within the truth of God, is to the glory and joy of the Father. And what a fitting way to complete this examination of our Creed. This life should never have anything to do with our desires. This life should never be lived to bring honor to ourselves. This life must never be lived to our benefit. This life is all about giving glory to Almighty God, by living in the way that Jesus modeled and taught.

And if anyone ever tells you that a Christ-like life is just too simple to be true, invite them to join you in trying to live and love as Jesus did. And all will soon know.

“I Believe – One Baptism”

Scripture: Mark 10:35-45; Romans 6:1-4

“We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.”

Over the past 50 years or so, baptism has lost its significance for many people. It is no longer seen as a sacred commitment to follow in the way of our Precious Lord. It is no longer a plea that he would forgive us for the sinful lives we lead. It has been relegated to simply something that Mom or Grandma expects us to do for our newborn, and for some, they even think that by going through the ceremony – never mind what the vows we take are all about – that baptism itself, somehow, ensures our salvation. We have lost all sense of spirituality in this “washing” of sin, and the sacrament has become, for many, just something that we do.

Baptism is not a completion, it is not the accomplishing of some imagined set of requirements – in truth, baptism is a beginning, it is the first step in our journey toward eternity. Baptism is not something that we do by ourselves – it is experienced within the community of God, and this Christian community commits to being part with us throughout this life. Remember that the line in the creed that immediately precedes is one is “We believe in one holy, catholic and apostolic church.” The church is, and we are to become part with it.

Read Mark 10:35-39a

James and John wanted to receive the honor of sitting on either side of Jesus in eternity. This would be a sign that they were faithful above all others, and that they must be shown great respect by the entire assembly of heaven. But what had they done to deserve that honor? What had God done to offer them that honor? The answer to both questions is the same – nothing. Their request came, in all likelihood, out of their human pride, and out of a misplaced expectation of undeserved acknowledgment.

And Jesus asks them if they had really thought about their request. It would appear that not only hadn’t they thought about it, but that they didn’t actually understand what it signified! The Lord asks them “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” They think so, but what is this cup, and what is this baptism for??

The “cup” represents the blood that will be shed at Calvary, as well as all that Christ will have to endure leading up to, and including, his crucifixion. Remember that during his prayer time in the garden, he asked the Father to remove this “cup” from his life. (Luke 22:42-43) The cup represents all of the suffering, all of the oppression, all of the opposition that will come against him because of the passion that he felt for the people of earth. And regardless of the pain – physical as well as emotional – he never turned away. He knew that his acceptance of all the hatred, and all the wrath of earth was worth all that his life could bring to his beloved creation.

So if Jesus has accomplished all that needs to be done, why would his followers need to do the same? How could we possibly contribute to the salvation that the Lord has gained for us? It’s because our faith can never be sedate and inactive! James 2:26 tells us that we need both – faith and a well lived existence, that even though a disciple of Jesus Christ is called to live the same life that Jesus did, the world will always be trying to end the Lord’s ministry. They hate the message that Jesus calls us to share with others; they hate the people who bring his message of hope and life; they will always hate the church. And followers of the Lord must endure the same hatred and the same suffering, and the same opposition that our Master did,or we will be the cause of losing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And what about this baptism that he mentioned? Isn’t our water baptism already like the one that Jesus received? Or does he mean something different?
Part of our baptismal vows proclaim that we repent of our sins, and accept the freedom and power that comes from Christ, to resist sin and to endure the oppression that the world forces upon us. In other words, we need to release the hold that we have on worldly ways – those things that defy and deny God – and allow Spiritual power to enable us to stand against all that is not of the Lord.
But did Jesus really need to repent? Certainly not of his own sin, for he had none, but remember that he would one day take on your and my sin, as well as all the sin of the entire world, and the hold that it had on us would be destroyed. Jesus had to be baptized in forgiveness so that our sin would be broken forever.

Can we drink of his cup, and can we be baptized in his baptism?

We must if we are to truly be his disciple.

Read Mark 10:39b-45

Jesus confirms the fact that both John and James will, indeed, live a Christ-like life, and experience the world’s animosity, just as they said that they would. And Jesus’ word would be prophecy. James would be martyred at the hand of Herod Agrippa, the last of the Herodian monarchs to rule over Judea, and his brother John, as tradition tells us, would be banished to the isle of Patmos, never to return to his home. Suffering because of the world’s self-centeredness? You’d better believe it. And attacks on Christians and the Christian church will never end until the day of Christ’s return! And we must never think that we – any of us - will be exempt from having to accept the “cup” of Christ, or to be released from living within his baptism.

But never think that their confession on that day was their final word on faith. What were they doing while Jesus was praying at Gethsemane? Sleeping. (Matthew 26:36-41) Where were they after the crucifixion and while Christ was lying in the stillness of the tomb? Hiding. (John 20:1-3) And even after Peter and John examined the empty tomb, they still didn’t completely understand. But as we continue to read of their faith through the Book of Acts, we discover that they were drinking from Jesus’ cup, and were walking in his baptism.

But back to that day before Christ’s journey to Jerusalem. James and John’s request to be seated at the right and left of Jesus in glory implied that they believed that they were more worthy of that honor than anyone else was. The other disciples, however, disagreed – they weren’t all that sure that the brothers were that worthy! After all, the other 10 had been following Jesus, just as the brothers had been; they had been learning from Jesus’ teaching, just as the brothers did; they had given up their former lives to accept this new one with the Lord, just as the brothers did. Why weren’t they just as worthy?

And Jesus’ response? “You’re acting just like all the rest! Where is your humble heart? Where is your servanthood? If you really want to be great in the eyes of the Father, you need to first live as a servant for others! When are you going to begin living the lessons that I’ve been sharing with you for the past 3 years?”

The disciples were being prepared to pick up the ministry that Jesus had begun, and they would fail miserably if their hearts and attitudes didn’t change. The Lord would soon give his life to free the world from the destruction that sin brings, and the message would only be believed if the messengers lived and acted and spoke in a Christ-like way. The way of sin can only lead to destruction, and it has to be exposed for the lie that it is (Romans 6:23).

Read Romans 6:1-4

Shall our life continue to be based in the world’s standards so that the Lord’s grace can work within us? Grace is the power that comes against sin, but that fact should never be understood to mean that we should rejoice in sin so that God can work!
Paul writes that this thought is nothing short of ludicrous! Being baptized into the life of Jesus is a commitment to live and love as he did, not to continue to live in opposition to his teachings! Yes, that means that we may very well suffer at the hand of earth, and that if we continue in the ways of earth that they will, most likely, never come against us again. But that also means that the satisfaction of this life will only last during this lifetime, and that the Judgment will not go well for us!

Jesus went to the grave as a sign that our sin was buried with him, and that when he rose into the newness of eternal life, sin was left behind in death, never to imprison us again. But our temptation to sin will always be with us. What can we do? It seems that we just can’t win!

If Jesus caused the hold that sin has on us to die through his death at Calvary, then our death to the ways of this life, and our rising to a new life in Christ, must be our answer, too. On that night when Nicodemus came to Jesus under the cover of darkness, and Jesus told him that if he ever wished to see the Kingdom of God, he must first be born again. (John 3:3) New birth, that which leads us into a new life, can only come when the old is no longer in us, when our old self is dead. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19)

Glory only returned to Jesus Christ when he rose in new life, and so it will be for all who live in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

“I Believe – the Church”

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47; Acts 11:19-30

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

As we continue to reflect on our statement of faith and what it should mean for our lives, and specifically today, in what the church must be for and in us, we need to first consider the significance of three important words in this portion of the creed, and how they apply to the concept of “Church”.

The first word is “holy”. The church is holy in that it is made sacred through the Lord’s creative desire. It is consecrated, it is blessed, it is righteous, because it exists by and through our Almighty God.
Next, the word “catholic”. This is not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church, of course. “Catholic” means that the Church is universal in nature. It is wide ranging and wide reaching. Within our “catholic” church, all are invited, and all are welcome, and no one who comes to her must ever be turned away.
The third word – “apostolic” – comes from the same root word as “apostle”. The church is called to “mission”, as every apostle is. The church is called to live and serve in conformity to the teachings of the apostles in the days of the early church, and is to never change those teachings to suit their own desires.

The church, our creed reminds us, is to be Godly, universally inviting and welcoming, missional, and a faithful assembly of those who love and serve in the way of Jesus Christ.

So how are we to actually live out that charge?

Read Acts 2:42-47

This is what the church should be like – together, not only in presence, but in fellowship, in service and, especially, in faith. The 1st century church spent time learning lessons together, they spent personal time together, they ate meals together, and they served the community around them together. The 21st century church has, seemingly, lost that zeal. Our decline all began with the infusion of secularism into the church’s belief and mission, and it was compounded through the advent of separation and the development of many denominations. Our own Methodist church has suffered those same divisive issues.
In the 19th century, several splits occurred in American Methodism over the issue of slavery and racial inequality. In the early 1800s, the black church broke away to form the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) churches. By the mid-1800s, the southern side of the church broke away to form the Methodist Episcopal Church South (MECS). And while there were other breaks during those years, it was only the southern cousins that were restored to their northern relatives about 100 years later.

And why did these divisions occur? The black churches left because the denomination was reluctant to live out the way of Christ that we read of in Galatians 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The northern/southern split was based on the conflict of whether the enslaving of one segment of society by a different and more powerful one was acceptable or not. The truth is that if we are all living and serving in Christ, as well as in the ways he taught, our human differences will never and can never cause any divisiveness in our faith. And yet, it always seems to happen.

The church is to work together, spend time together, study the scriptures and learn together, serve our community and the world together, love each other, praise God together, and be one in Christ - together. This is what Koinonia – Christian community - is all about, and our text today tells us that when we do, “the Lord will add to our numbers daily those who are saved”.

But do we?

Read Acts 11:19-21

Luke moves to the need and blessing that comes from sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with the world, or in other words, to become involved in evangelism. During the earliest days of the church, it was believed that Jesus Messiah had come for Israel, and only Israel, and that others were unworthy to become part of his ministry and life. But some understood that the Lord had come for all, and not just a select few, and that sharing in his teaching could not – MUST not – be restricted to just one segment of humanity. And again, the Lord blessed their efforts by rewarding them through the phenomenal growth of believers.

Of course, this huge change in direction carried with it a comparable risk. The establishment – the Jerusalem Council – wasn’t very supportive at first. Change is seldom a comfortable situation to find yourself in. It usually brings with it uncertainty, a major adjustment in your way of thinking, new people who you may not be comfortable with, new leaders who need to be trained, training that needs to address the new situations, and so on. Change is not only difficult to implement, it involves a fairly significant chance of failure!

But the one thing that those “rebel” evangelists had going for them is that they were stepping out in the will and way of Christ. And that always guarantees success. Even though they may have been fairly new to sharing Christ with the Gentile community, the Holy Spirit will always pick up the slack. Many of you have heard me use the term “the ministry of showing up”! The Lord seldom prepares us, or even expects us, to know all that is necessary in mission and ministry. He doesn’t need us to plan and prepare for all that is required in sharing his word with new people – he only needs us to do what we are asked to do, and sometimes that is simply “showing up” to allow the Spirit to work through us.

Most of us have participated in some form of team activity. Maybe on a sports team, in scouting, in Vacation Bible School, in military or government service, or in many other types of team work. In each instance, none of us needs to be able to do everything that the effort requires – we only need to do what our individual call requires. And so it is with the church. And the truth is that when we do try to do it all, we steal the opportunity for others to participate and serve, and that will never work to grow and improve the team – whether in sports, or military, or church – and it will not please the Lord. And in our ministry and missional work, the Holy Spirit is a vital part of the team – leading, and teaching, and coordinating, and working with and through us, and to exclude him, or even limit him, is a guarantee of failure. And that is never a good thing!

Read Acts 11:22-24

The Council was concerned about this new approach in ministry, so they sent Barnabas to investigate. In all likelihood, they weren’t happy about this new direction that began outside of their influence, and their emissary would have been charged with verifying that the teaching was faithful, that it was being offered in a Christ-like way, that it was bearing “good fruit” and if anything was amiss, he was to bring their efforts to a screeching halt. The Council, obviously, didn’t know that this new effort was being led by the Spirit, but Barnabas very soon discovered that it was, and rejoiced in all that was being accomplished.

The teaching was faithful, the growth in believers was Spirit inspired, the truth and life of Jesus was being spread to an entirely new people, and Christ was being glorified. And after all, isn’t that what the Church should be about?

So here is the question – is this what our church is all about? Is our teaching and celebration in accordance with scripture, or do we have a tendency to put ourselves into the driver’s seat of faith? If we aren’t praying and listening and studying before we set out on new endeavors, we have excluded the most important member of our “team”. If we tend to be content in doing the same things we have always done, and in the same ways that have been our way in the past, we, again, are failing to truly be the church of Jesus Christ. And if we think that we need to have all the answers before stepping out in faith, we will never be able to move, never be able to accomplish anything, never bring glory to our precious Lord, to never truly be the Church.

Our creed says that our church is to be “holy, catholic, and apostolic”. That means that each and every person who claims to be part of Christ’s Church must also accept that same call on their personal lives.
To be holy means that we commit to following the way of Christ – not just on Sunday morning, but during every moment of every day that we live.
To be catholic, means that we are not only welcoming of everyone, but are reaching out to everyone, whether we know them or not, or are comfortable with them or not, or even like them or not.
To be apostolic means that we are teaching and learning and living as scripture calls us to, and not as the world would.

Are we truly one in this church, celebrating each other, helping each other, praying with each other, serving with each other, feasting and loving and rejoicing in each other?

Maybe it’s time we started.

“I Believe – The Holy Spirit, II”

Due to my being out of the country on a mission trip to Mexico a week ago, I haven't preached for the past two Sundays. But now we're back on track with our study of the Nicene Creed. Blessings. Pastor Bill.

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:1-8

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

“We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,… who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Within the 3 Persons of the Trinity, the Spirit is as much of God as the Father and Son are. He is Lord, and as such, the Spirit is of the entirety of God, and the way of God, the purpose of God, the call of God, the commands of God are one and the same for each of the Holy Persons. And just as Jesus taught those things that came from the Father, the Spirit reminds us of all that has come to us from the Son. None of them will ever, nor can ever, give us anything that is not consistent with the complete truth that is in the others. (John 16:13-15)

When Jesus returned to his glorious home, the Spirit could then begin his work in the lives of humanity – not a new work, but a fulfillment of Christ’s work for each of us. But the power of the Spirit’s work is fulfilled in only those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ – in his life, his teaching, his way. (John 14:17)

Read Romans 5:1-5

By faith in Jesus, and through the working of the Holy Spirit, we not only have the Lord’s divine peace, but we receive God’s grace. His peace isn’t necessarily that which comes as security or safety, at least not in a worldly sense – it is a confidence that all that God has given, and all that Christ has taught, is true and trustworthy, including the salvation that comes by faith in him. And in this confidence, grace comes to reassure us, to assist us, as we grow in our faith and trust of Christ.

Neither divine peace nor Godly grace are normally seen as power, but that is exactly what they are. They come through the Lord’s spiritual anointing, and by the Spirit’s power, they enable us to not only do “all that Jesus did”, but to do even greater things. (John 14:12-14) That’s the power of the Spirit at work in us - it comes simply by faith.

Paul also writes that the Spirit will bring us hope in the glory of God. And rejoicing in that hope will be the least of it! After all, hope in anything that comes from faith in the Lord isn’t just a desire – it’s a certainty! Think about it – God does it all, from his encouraging and calling us to faith, to our accepting the salvation that he won for us through the shedding of his blood, to his resurrection to eternal life, to the sending of his Spirit to help us to stay on track with his teaching!

Have you ever had the feeling that you are supposed to do something without ever knowing why? But you go and do it just the same, and when you do, you discover that it was the Spirit’s urging within the Lord God’s plan, and in your following his urging, the joy of God comes over you in a powerful and wonderful way. It wasn’t a random opportunity to serve Almighty God – it was for a specific purpose and in someone else’s specific need. You had, without actually knowing it, become a servant of our Most High God, you had seen and felt the Lord’s pleasure, glory filled your heart and you knew that you had been walking in the Lord’s way and will, and that is the greatest reason for rejoicing that will ever be.

By the Spirit’s leading, we will be rejoicing in God’s glory by his holy grace.

But Paul doesn’t stop there – he wants us to understand the difference between God’s peace, and the brand that the world wants us to work toward. He wants us to know that a life in the Lord isn’t all roses and sunshine, and he challenges us to appreciate what rejoicing in the hope of God is all about. He begins with explaining how Godly hope can grow, even in adversity. We rejoice, he says, even when we are suffering for the gospel. The world doesn’t want the gospel to succeed, but if we never let our faith weaken, never let our struggle bring a halt to our walk with the Lord, not only can the Spirit continue to work his heavenly plan through us, but we will grow in our relationship with God. His hope will never let us down, and hope will be emboldened, hope will be empowered – by our becoming stronger in faith and trust in the life that Jesus has called us to.

When we follow his leading, God’s hope, his promise for our life, will become a blessing beyond all that we can ever know. For by faith, God’s hope, his peace, his grace, his love will be poured out “into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”.

Read Romans 8:1-4

But is hope, and love, and grace, and peace all that the Spirit brings to our life? Paul certainly believes that there is much more!

He writes that the Holy Spirit is the power that leads us to Christ, so that we might know his salvation. The condemnation that sin produces in our lives has been defeated by the cross of Jesus Christ. He wants us to know that it is the “Spirit of life” who brings a new way and a new truth to us, and that it is based in Christ Jesus.
But how would we know of Jesus’ love if it wasn’t for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? How would we know that the old law, the law that required perfection on our part, the law that spelled out every step, every action, every thought that we must have if we wanted God to be pleased with us – that this law is nothing more than a deception that the world has put together?
Paul writes that this second “law” is one that only brings sin and death, while the one that the Spirit produces in us is one of righteousness and life.

Jesus came to earth in the image of sinful man – not to be our condemnation, but to condemn the sin that lives within us. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”! But are we truly prepared to accept the freedom and forgiveness that Jesus offers? That freedom doesn’t just rest on everyone – we have to believe that Christ truly matters to us, and that he is the source of all righteousness for earth, and that he is who he says he is – Lord and Savior!
Without him, there is no hope or peace, without him, condemnation wins.

Read Romans 8:5-8

We’re being reminded that wherever our heart’s focus is, that is where our life is centered. But even when the Spirit calls us to focus our lives on Jesus, we still get to make the final decision – if we are set on the glitter and neon of earth, that is where we will be. But when we come to the realization that earth’s ways just aren’t working out for us, our hearts begin to soften, allowing the Spirit to begin working Godly ways for us.

And Paul again speaks about who and what we allow to control our lives. And just in case any of us thinks that nothing controls our lives except our own mind, think about that day when Paul was on his way to Damascus to continue his efforts in persecution of the church. He was under the impression that he was in control, while the truth of the matter is that he had allowed the “law of sin and death” to control his life, until the Spirit took hold of him, and Jesus began to speak to and through him. (Acts 9:1-22)
Or in the opposite situation, when Peter and the others were out on the lake, and Jesus came toward them, walking through the night, safely on the surface of the stormy water. Peter began to go to Jesus, also stepping securely on the waters, focused on his Lord, when suddenly, and for some unknown reason, he let the wind and storms redirect his focus, and he began to sink into the dark waters. (Matthew 14:22-33) Peter had focus on Jesus, but then the storms of earth distracted him, and he sank.

It’s all about where we put our hope and life – on earth, which can only give us sin, condemnation, and death, or on Christ, who brings righteousness, freedom, and life? The Spirit wants us to know truth and life, the world would have us submit to sin and death.

This Holy Spirit works in so many ways – he teaches us the ways of God, he reveals the love and power of Christ in ways we seldom understand, he enables us to become servants of God, and to serve and proclaim him throughout the world, he encourages us in faith, to grow and thrive and live in Christ, to reach out to the lost and lonely, and to love them as only the love of Jesus can.

How does all of this work? I haven’t got a clue, but I know that the Spirit has worked in my life any number of times, and I know that he has worked in each of you. But we will never recognize those times if we aren’t open and prepared to see him work.

Let him work within you today, and know his grace, and peace, and hope, and life. Never doubt, and never look back, because only the world would love us if we did.