Partnering For Growth
2 Peter 1:1 – 11
Introduction:
“Partner”. It is a word that we are all familiar with. According to the dictionary, a partner is a person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others. The word is often used in business. We have a kind of business ownership called a partnership where two or more people contribute their assets and skills and are willing to share risks and profits. Some of the great business partnerships include William Procter and James Gamble (consumer products), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ice Cream), Bill Hewlett and David Packard (personal computers and printers), just to name a few. People who are in the legal or accounting profession often form partnerships such as Sycip, Gorres and Velayo (SGV – Accounting firm) or the Chan Robles Law firm. Sometimes, two separate corporations will enter into a partnership agreement in order to enhance both businesses. A good case in point is Apple computers' partnership with Intel Corporation.
The word “partner” is also used when referring to groups or people working together for a common cause. For example, when Evangelical churches in a certain community work together for a common cause, that is called a partnership. When the United Nations work with countries for causes such as poverty alleviation, that is called a partnership. When an aid agency like World Vision invites you to become a child sponsor and you agree to it, it becomes a partnership. When you help build a house for a poor family with Habitat for Humanity, you are considered a partner of that family as well as with Habitat.
What the word “partner” strongly implies is that when two or more people come together for a common cause or goal, they are bound to achieve much more than when they go about it alone. Sometimes, without a partner or a strategic alliance, nothing much can be achieved.
In the spiritual realm, partnership is very important to ensure spiritual growth. If you want to grow spiritually, you cannot do it alone. Jesus has already said it in John 15:5, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” Every true believer and follower of Jesus Christ should desire spiritual growth, and growth comes not solely on our own effort but it comes by partnering, by cooperating with the Triune God, as well as with other believers. Our focus however for this morning will be on partnering with God.
This morning, we will be examining 2 Peter 1:1 – 11. This passage contains so much content that I do not think I can cover everything; however, we will look closely at the partnership between God and us. What does God bring into the relationship that will help us to grow spiritually? What do we bring into the relationship that shows we are serious about spiritual growth?
Let's get right into our study of 2 Peter 1:1 – 11, and my prayer is that, after the message, we will all have a clearer understanding of the dynamics of our partnership with God in spiritual growth, and that we will strive to grow spiritually because that is what God wants for us, and what would be a better time to make a commitment to grow spiritually than now, the very first Sunday of 2011?
As mentioned, the partnership for spiritual growth involves God and each believer. In today's passage, we find that God has already done his share to help us grow spiritually. What exactly did God do? If you look at verses 1 to 4, you will find a particular word that appears five times. It is the preposition “through”. As I looked into the use of this preposition, I find that there are three things that God has given us that enables us to grow spiritually.
God's Work:
(1) Through His Righteousness . . .
In verse 1, we read that we have received a precious faith through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. What this simply means is that we have received the precious gift of salvation, and it was God himself who enabled us to have the faith to receive the gift of salvation. This is consistent with Paul's writing in Ephesians 2:8, 9 where he wrote, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” We received this salvation through His righteousness, meaning, he gives all believers an equally privileged faith. No believer receives more privilege than others; in God's plan, we are all equally privileged with the gift of salvation.
You may be wondering, what does salvation have to do with spiritual growth? Well, it has EVERYTHING to do with spiritual growth! Without salvation, we would all be spiritually dead. Dead people don't need to grow. They just decompose! If we are not regenerated or made alive by the Lord Jesus through His work of salvation, no amount of effort on our part to become better or closer to God will matter because, in God's eyes, we are dead. This is the problem with many people today; they are trying to become better Christians by attending worship service every Sunday, by giving their offerings, by joining every known activity of the church, in the hope that God will find their good works acceptable and that they will be allowed to enter into heaven. Now, I am not saying that these things are unimportant, but we need to be reminded that these things will not give us salvation. Unless we be born again, no amount of effort to do good will yield anything positive. You can't grow if you're dead. Therefore, it is very important that we be saved through Jesus Christ.
If you have already been born again, having experienced the forgiveness of your sins and the newness of life in Christ Jesus, then you have the potential to grow spiritually. It is because you are now alive in Jesus Christ.
(2) Through Our Knowledge of Him . . .
In verse 2, Peter shows us the second aspect of God's work in helping us to grow spiritually. Here, it involves our knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. What exactly is this knowledge? Peter here is looking at a balance of both information knowledge and personal knowledge. Information knowledge is where we objectively know about God through the Word of God, by understanding Bible passages, reading good books that explains the Bible, and by being well taught. However, information knowledge is of no use to anyone if he does not have a personal knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Personal knowledge is that aspect where we don't just know about a person but we truly know him, we have a relationship with him. I can tell you a whole lot about Jesus Christ based on what I've read, but such information is of no use if I do not have a personal relationship with him. Peter is telling us that our knowledge of him should be both information and personal. We must know the Word of God, but we must also know the Author himself through a relationship.
Now, because the readers do have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and they do have understanding of Scripture, then they stand to receive the following from the Lord: Grace, peace and everything needed for life and godliness. What exactly did Peter mean when he mentioned grace here? Grace is a word most often associated with salvation, and that is correct, but that is not the whole picture here. Grace is also manifested by the giving of spiritual gifts which we are to exercise. Grace is the sustaining power that God gives when we go through trials, in order that we can bear them. Through our knowledge of Jesus Christ, God bestows grace abundantly to each of us.
Peace also came about because of our knowledge of Jesus Christ. As a result of our faith in Christ, our sins have been forgiven, and we are no longer enemies of God but instead, we have become his beloved children. We have peace with God and will continue to have peace with Him. We also have the peace of God wherein we can trust God for everything and not worry.
Our knowledge of Christ also becomes the key for God to use his divine power to give us everything we need for life and godliness. Many believers feel that being a disciple of Jesus Christ is difficult, and honestly, it is. Consider the list of virtues from verses 5 to 7; these are difficult to live out. However, the Lord Jesus who calls us to follow Him is the same Lord who equips us thoroughly in order that we can follow Him faithfully. He not only gives but he gives generously to all who belong to Him.
Because we know him, we have God's grace, peace and everything we need for life and godliness. What we need to do is to believe and to confidently ask for his help in our time of need.
(3) Through His Glory and Goodness . . .
Finally, God, through His glory and goodness, gave us his great and precious promises which would enable us to participate in the divine nature and to escape the corruption of the world. That sure sounded long and we probably got lost as to what Peter actually meant. Let's break Peter's statement down so that its easier to understand. First of all, Peter said that it was through God's glory and goodness that we received his great and precious promises. What this simply means is that God revealed his splendor and goodness to us through the work of salvation. That splendor shone brightest when Jesus conquered the grave. His goodness is best seen in how he called unworthy people like you and I to become his children.
Now, what were the promises that he gave us that are great and precious? I believe Peter had in mind the great promise of Christ's return to earth and the promise of deliverance from wrath. We find these ideas in chapter 2. Because Jesus is coming soon to bring us to be with him, we will surely be partakers of the divine nature when we are changed to our glorious bodies. Because Jesus is going to deliver us from wrath, we will surely experience the final escape from the corruption of the world. These promises may seem to be for the future, but they should affect the way we live now. Right now, Jesus has already enabled us to participate somewhat in the divine nature as we are now called children of God and we are now seated with Christ in the heavens. Because we belong to Jesus Christ, we are not condemned people but we have already escaped the wrath of God and will surely escape the final wrath when God judges the world. These should give us confidence in how we live as followers of Jesus Christ.
So, we see God at work. Through His righteousness, we have salvation which makes us alive in Christ and it becomes possible for us to grow spiritually. Through our knowledge of Him, we have grace, peace and everything needed for life and godliness. We do not lack anything at all in order to live a pleasing life for the Lord. Finally, through God's glory and goodness, we have the promise of his second coming as well as the promise of deliverance from wrath, which means we will surely be partakers of the divine nature and we will someday escape completely from this corrupt world. God has truly done so much for us!
However, what I've just presented is God's part in bringing spiritual growth to us. If the apostle Peter had ended here, it would seem as if we need not do anything after trusting in Jesus as Lord and Savior. But that is not the case here. Every believer has his responsibility in growing spiritually. Now, let us look at what we need to do to grow.
Our Work:
According to Peter, what we must do is we must make every effort to add essential Christian virtues to our faith. Faith is our starting point; this is where we came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ; however, we do not end with faith. We are told to build upon that faith, to add to it.
The word “add” in the Greek actually means “to make a rich or lavish provision”. It means that one must make great effort to improve one's spiritual life. It implies zeal and seriousness. You want your spiritual life to grow? Then you have to be committed, you have to serious.
I mentioned that we are to add essential Christian virtues to our faith. We do not have time to look at each of them, but if you look carefully at the list, you will see that spiritual growth is not necessarily determined by how busy you are in ministry or how often you are in church; instead, spiritual growth is best seen in the development of your character. Doing ministry is easy; developing virtue is hard, yet it is virtue that Peter tells us to develop with great zeal and seriousness, ministry is the outflow of the development of these virtues. We learn of these virtues from the Scriptures, thus studying the Bible is important. However, it is equally important that we apply what we know about the virtues in our everyday relationships, in everyday life. Example, how do we show brotherly kindness? We know we're supposed to do it, but who in our life needs it the most right now? How can I show that brotherly kindness to him? Or, let's take self-control. We know the Scriptures teach us about self-control, but we must also look at where we can apply it; what are those areas in my life where I truly need self-control? As we try to build up our faith by adding on these virtues, you will also realize that you need God's help. Thus, not only will you study the Word but you will also express your dependence on God by praying to Him for help. Example, one of the virtues is love. You know that you're supposed to love your enemies, but it is difficult to do. What should you do then? You pray and ask for God's help.
What are the results of enhancing one's faith? Peter mentions three things. First, we will make ourselves effective and productive. It means our lives will cause a positive impact in others. It means God can and will use us mightily for his work. It means God will trust us with bigger responsibilities. Why? It is because we are developing in our Christian character. Second, we will make sure our calling and election. What this simply means is that, as we progress in our spiritual growth, we become more assured of the salvation that we have received at the very start of the our Christian life. Finally, there will be a rich welcome into God's kingdom. When we are growing in our walk with God, it translates to effective and faithful service, which then yields great reward and commendation from Jesus himself, when he welcomes us and says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Conclusion:
This morning, we've learned that every believer should make it their aim to grow spiritually. Thankfully, the call to spiritual growth is not something we do on our own; instead, God supplies with everything we need so that we can grow. What we must do is to play our part, by constantly adding to our faith the Christian virtues.
As we start 2011, I would like to issue this challenge to all of us: Let's grow spiritually. Let us not be content being a Sunday Christian. Instead, let us strive to become like Jesus Christ, by growing in character and virtue, exercising these in our relationships and in ministry.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Level Up - Preached at GGC, Dec. 26, 2010
Level Up
A Yearend Message
Romans 13:11 – 14
Introduction:
I am sure many of the younger generation here understands the meaning of the phrase “level up”. It is a phrase that is often used in video games when a player is allowed to go to the next level because he has met certain requirements in the previous level that he played in. The phrase is also used to describe real-life experiences where one moves up to a higher job or one gains prestige and achievements that sets them on a figurative pedestal, as someone others will look up to. Though many here may not exactly like to use this phrase, nevertheless, you have personally experienced moving on to a higher level, whether its getting that job promotion or that raise in your salary. In reality, many among us want to move on to a higher level of achievement or status because it may mean more perks, benefits as well as sense of fulfillment. Not many would prefer the status quo unless you are the type who shuns or avoids bigger responsibilities and more difficult tasks.
As we are about to end 2010 in a few more days, you will probably become a bit more reflective about all the things that has happened to you as well as how well you've fared against your own expectations and goals. We want to be able to say that we have really leveled up when it comes to our personal achievements, our business goals, our grades, just to name a few. What I wonder though is whether we are leveling up when it comes to our walk with the Lord.
So often, the last thing in our life that levels up is actually our walk with the Lord. We spend so much energy making our businesses more profitable, our school grades much higher, and our career paths more colorful, that we forget that which is important – how is my relationship with the one whom I call and acknowledge as my Lord and my God?
This morning, I would like to challenge us all to level up in the area of our walk with God, because if we think about it, what is really going to matter most in this life and the next? There will come a time when you will no longer be in school, you can no longer engage in business and you'll have to retire because of your age; but your relationship with the Lord goes on forever. From the day you trusted the Lord Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, you began a relationship that goes beyond this life. However, this relationship, like all other relationships, need to be cherished. The relationship needs to be growing.
So, how exactly do we level up in our relationship or walk with God? We will examine a familiar passage found in Romans 13:11 – 14. Here, the apostle Paul gives us three things we need to do if we want to level up in our walk with God. Let's spend the rest of our time checking out these three points, and my prayer is that the Lord will help us, not only to know about these three points, but to able to apply these four points in our lives, in order that we will grow and mature in our faith, that we will move from our current level to the next, higher level. To help us remember all the three points, they are all phrases that end with the word “up”.
Context of the Passage:
Now, before we examine the main points of today's message, let me just briefly talk with you about the context of the passage. In the preceding passage (vv. 8 - 10), the apostle Paul wrote about love. Here, he exhorted the believers to love one another and their neighbors. At the start of verse 11, Paul wrote “and do this, understanding the present time.” Here, Paul was referring to love. In effect, he was telling the believers, that in light of Christ's second coming, they were to show love to one another even more than before. But he also makes a transition from love to the issue of spiritual maturity and growth, again in light of the second coming of Jesus. What this should mean for us is that, because Jesus is coming again soon, we must be careful with the way we live our lives, by striving to mature spiritually and by loving one another.
We are going to deal primarily with the aspect of spiritual maturity and growth. So, let's look at the three points that we can derive from this passage.
I. WAKE UP!
The first “up” that Paul mentioned was for the Roman Christians to “wake up” from their slumber. What exactly were they to wake up from? We do not see an explicit answer but I strongly believe that Paul was referring to the problem of apathy among believers.
Apathy, as described by the dictionary, is the lack of interest, concern or enthusiasm. It is a problem that seems to plague the individual believers as well as entire churches during the time of the New Testament. If you look at the book of Revelation, you find that a couple of churches mentioned by Jesus were guilty of apathy. Consider the Laodicean church which was neither hot nor cold, meaning they were not enthusiastic in loving and serving the Lord. The church in Sardis was described by Jesus as being a dead church. Such descriptions point to the fact that apathy is not something new but it has plagued churches in the past.
But what are the signs that a believer is apathetic? The first sign I see is the believers' unwillingness to be involved in ministry and in witness. Every member of the body of Christ plays a vital part in making the body function fully. Unfortunately, many do not want to function. They just want to come to church, sit back and relax and do nothing. They possess spiritual gifts but they have no intention of using it to serve the Lord and the church. I must admit, I admire many of our elderly sisters who can no longer come to church to worship. Do you know why? It is because many of them spend the time to pray for the church and for the pastors. Although they cannot be present physically, at least they are still doing ministry by praying. At least these sisters aren't apathetic; at least they care for the church. But what about us? We who are strong and young enough to still climb the stairs? Do we truly care for the Lord's church by being an active part of it?
A second sign of apathy in a believer is his failure to maintain a relationship with the Lord through prayer and the Word. They always say they don't have time for it. They're always in a hurry. Yet, when they go on a vacation and have all the time in the world, they're still not spending time with the Lord. It is because they don't think its important. The only thing that is important for them is that they're going to heaven and that God blesses them. The relationship isn't important for them, only the blessing is.
Another sign of apathy is the “I don't care” attitude when he sees others sinning. He does not feel any sadness or grief when he sees people sinning against the Lord. It is probably because his sense of morality has already been affected by the world and he thinks that there's nothing wrong in what another person may be doing. He may also be apathetic because he has the wrong notion that what people do is always their own business, even when they are already committing something wrong against the Lord and against other people.
These are the signs of apathy and they have no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul called on the believers in Rome as well as for all the readers of this epistle to wake up! Don't fall asleep when it comes to your walk with God. Make sure you are progressing forward; make sure you are continually building your intimacy with God by praying and reading his Word. Never become callous when you see yourself or others sinning and condone it, but instead, be moved and grieved just as God is grieved when we sin against him.
II. CLEAN UP!
The second “up” we find in the passage can be characterized by the phrase, “clean up”. We probably heard that phrase quite a few times, when we're being told to clean up our mess or to clean up our rooms. I used this phrase to emphasize the point that, if we really want to level up in our walk with God, we better clean up our act, namely we must deal with sin decisively in our lives.
In verse 12, we read that we are to set aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. The deeds of darkness is another way of saying “sin”. The passage also compared the deeds of darkness to the night time. Why? It is because people generally but not exclusively commit wrongdoings in the cover of the night. We normally do not want people to find out about the wrong things we are doing. Also, the use of darkness as an analogy for sin is because of the contrast between darkness and light. Light is generally used to describe Jesus Christ and his followers. It is also used to describe the Word of God. Therefore, darkness, being the opposite of light, describes Satan and sin.
Now, what were the sins mentioned by Paul here? We have sins of intemperance or the sin of excessive consumption of alcohol, sins of sexual misconduct, and then the sins of contention and quarreling. This list is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, but it is a fair sampling of what the deeds of darkness are.
When we became Christians, there is the promise that our sins have and will be forgiven; however, there is no promise that we become sinless. As long as we are in the world, we have to deal with sin and temptation. The good news is that we can be victorious over sin through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. What it will require though is for us to make the resolution that we will no longer allow sin to dominate us.
We can start cleaning up by confessing our sins to God and claiming the forgiveness made available by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we must make up our minds, proclaiming that we will no longer allow ourselves to become slaves to sin but we will now allow God to renew us. Again, it all boils down to spending time praying and reading the Word of God. By spending time with God, we are weaning ourselves away from the grip and power of sin and allowing our thoughts to be renewed and our subsequent actions to be judged by the Word.
We can also start cleaning up by removing those things that cause us to fall into sin. There is usually a vehicle that brings temptation to our doorstep. Is it the internet? Do you visit websites that you're not supposed to be looking at? Maybe its time you install an internet filter and ask a friend to do the password, so that when you are tempted to visit those sites, at least you will be blocked. Is it the TV programs or movies that you watch? Are they affecting how you think or are they taking up too much of your time? It's time you put a limit on how much TV or movie you watch. Better yet, get rid of the TV from your room. Is there a place that you frequent that is a source of temptation, like a bar where you end up getting drunk or some venue where your eyes keep on wandering, looking at scantily dressed women or men with huge muscles? It's time you go to somewhere else where there is clean fun. Why not take up a productive hobby or sport? Cleaning up means giving up the things that will become vehicles of temptation. Are you willing to give these up and become clean? Cleaning up also means focusing your mind on the right things, as commanded by Paul in Philippians 4:8.
Do you want to level up in your walk with God? Then it's time that you clean up. Don't allow sin to take a foothold in your life. Instead, confess your sins to God, start doing the things that will renew your mind (reading the Word, praying), and remove the things that will cause you to fall very easily into sin and replace them with things that will make you more productive and fruitful. Start focusing your mind on the right things.
III. Spruce Up
The last “up” we can find in the passage is characterized by the phrase, “spruce up”. Now, this term is often used when we refer to putting decorations on the Christmas tree. A Christmas tree without the Christmas balls and lights looks drab and boring. However, a tree that has trimmings, the star on top and the lights is surely a beautiful sight to behold.
I believe the same is true for us in terms of our outward appearance. We generally want to look good. That is why, aside from nice clothes, we accessorize. Women put on make-up. We spruce up ourselves in order to look more attractive.
In Romans 13:14, we are told to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. According to a Bible scholar, clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus actually meant the deliberate and conscious acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a decision that is done not just once, when we were converted, but is a lifelong process. Submission to Jesus Christ is an ongoing decision that we all need to make every day.
Now, what is the relation between everyday submission to Jesus Christ and to our becoming attractive? Well, our submission to Jesus Christ in every area of our lives can become something attractive because will see us being consistent in both our walk and our talk. They will not find contradictions between what we say and what we do. Also, a surrendered life can become attractive because people will see more of the Lord Jesus Christ through us. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 15, Christians are described as being fragrant aroma who exudes the fragrance of Jesus Christ. However, the fragrance comes when we are in total submission and obedience to Jesus Christ. If we are not submissive to the rule of Jesus Christ, then it will show in our behavior and in our speech. People will take notice and will be turned off by the Christianity that we profess to believe in.
It takes total commitment and obedience on our part to become a fragrant aroma that will bring glory and pleasure to God; but when we willingly do these things, we are sprucing our lives to become so attractive that people will be drawn to Jesus Christ, through our witness and our deeds.
Conclusion:
Level up! That is the challenge for all of us as we face 2011. Let us not grow contented with where we are now spiritually, but let us exert every effort to grow in our relationship with God. Let us wake up from our apathy and begin to care about our relationship with God. Let us clean up our act through repentance and a firm resolution to live a holy life. Finally, let us spruce up our lives by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ – submitting to his lordship every day and every moment.
In closing, I would like for us to silently pray for a minute or two. Why not make a commitment right now to the Lord, that you want to grow in your relationship with Him? Why not surrender to His lordship right now and give Him full control of your life? Why not ask for the Lord's cleansing and forgiveness and for Him to give you a fresh start?
A Yearend Message
Romans 13:11 – 14
Introduction:
I am sure many of the younger generation here understands the meaning of the phrase “level up”. It is a phrase that is often used in video games when a player is allowed to go to the next level because he has met certain requirements in the previous level that he played in. The phrase is also used to describe real-life experiences where one moves up to a higher job or one gains prestige and achievements that sets them on a figurative pedestal, as someone others will look up to. Though many here may not exactly like to use this phrase, nevertheless, you have personally experienced moving on to a higher level, whether its getting that job promotion or that raise in your salary. In reality, many among us want to move on to a higher level of achievement or status because it may mean more perks, benefits as well as sense of fulfillment. Not many would prefer the status quo unless you are the type who shuns or avoids bigger responsibilities and more difficult tasks.
As we are about to end 2010 in a few more days, you will probably become a bit more reflective about all the things that has happened to you as well as how well you've fared against your own expectations and goals. We want to be able to say that we have really leveled up when it comes to our personal achievements, our business goals, our grades, just to name a few. What I wonder though is whether we are leveling up when it comes to our walk with the Lord.
So often, the last thing in our life that levels up is actually our walk with the Lord. We spend so much energy making our businesses more profitable, our school grades much higher, and our career paths more colorful, that we forget that which is important – how is my relationship with the one whom I call and acknowledge as my Lord and my God?
This morning, I would like to challenge us all to level up in the area of our walk with God, because if we think about it, what is really going to matter most in this life and the next? There will come a time when you will no longer be in school, you can no longer engage in business and you'll have to retire because of your age; but your relationship with the Lord goes on forever. From the day you trusted the Lord Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, you began a relationship that goes beyond this life. However, this relationship, like all other relationships, need to be cherished. The relationship needs to be growing.
So, how exactly do we level up in our relationship or walk with God? We will examine a familiar passage found in Romans 13:11 – 14. Here, the apostle Paul gives us three things we need to do if we want to level up in our walk with God. Let's spend the rest of our time checking out these three points, and my prayer is that the Lord will help us, not only to know about these three points, but to able to apply these four points in our lives, in order that we will grow and mature in our faith, that we will move from our current level to the next, higher level. To help us remember all the three points, they are all phrases that end with the word “up”.
Context of the Passage:
Now, before we examine the main points of today's message, let me just briefly talk with you about the context of the passage. In the preceding passage (vv. 8 - 10), the apostle Paul wrote about love. Here, he exhorted the believers to love one another and their neighbors. At the start of verse 11, Paul wrote “and do this, understanding the present time.” Here, Paul was referring to love. In effect, he was telling the believers, that in light of Christ's second coming, they were to show love to one another even more than before. But he also makes a transition from love to the issue of spiritual maturity and growth, again in light of the second coming of Jesus. What this should mean for us is that, because Jesus is coming again soon, we must be careful with the way we live our lives, by striving to mature spiritually and by loving one another.
We are going to deal primarily with the aspect of spiritual maturity and growth. So, let's look at the three points that we can derive from this passage.
I. WAKE UP!
The first “up” that Paul mentioned was for the Roman Christians to “wake up” from their slumber. What exactly were they to wake up from? We do not see an explicit answer but I strongly believe that Paul was referring to the problem of apathy among believers.
Apathy, as described by the dictionary, is the lack of interest, concern or enthusiasm. It is a problem that seems to plague the individual believers as well as entire churches during the time of the New Testament. If you look at the book of Revelation, you find that a couple of churches mentioned by Jesus were guilty of apathy. Consider the Laodicean church which was neither hot nor cold, meaning they were not enthusiastic in loving and serving the Lord. The church in Sardis was described by Jesus as being a dead church. Such descriptions point to the fact that apathy is not something new but it has plagued churches in the past.
But what are the signs that a believer is apathetic? The first sign I see is the believers' unwillingness to be involved in ministry and in witness. Every member of the body of Christ plays a vital part in making the body function fully. Unfortunately, many do not want to function. They just want to come to church, sit back and relax and do nothing. They possess spiritual gifts but they have no intention of using it to serve the Lord and the church. I must admit, I admire many of our elderly sisters who can no longer come to church to worship. Do you know why? It is because many of them spend the time to pray for the church and for the pastors. Although they cannot be present physically, at least they are still doing ministry by praying. At least these sisters aren't apathetic; at least they care for the church. But what about us? We who are strong and young enough to still climb the stairs? Do we truly care for the Lord's church by being an active part of it?
A second sign of apathy in a believer is his failure to maintain a relationship with the Lord through prayer and the Word. They always say they don't have time for it. They're always in a hurry. Yet, when they go on a vacation and have all the time in the world, they're still not spending time with the Lord. It is because they don't think its important. The only thing that is important for them is that they're going to heaven and that God blesses them. The relationship isn't important for them, only the blessing is.
Another sign of apathy is the “I don't care” attitude when he sees others sinning. He does not feel any sadness or grief when he sees people sinning against the Lord. It is probably because his sense of morality has already been affected by the world and he thinks that there's nothing wrong in what another person may be doing. He may also be apathetic because he has the wrong notion that what people do is always their own business, even when they are already committing something wrong against the Lord and against other people.
These are the signs of apathy and they have no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul called on the believers in Rome as well as for all the readers of this epistle to wake up! Don't fall asleep when it comes to your walk with God. Make sure you are progressing forward; make sure you are continually building your intimacy with God by praying and reading his Word. Never become callous when you see yourself or others sinning and condone it, but instead, be moved and grieved just as God is grieved when we sin against him.
II. CLEAN UP!
The second “up” we find in the passage can be characterized by the phrase, “clean up”. We probably heard that phrase quite a few times, when we're being told to clean up our mess or to clean up our rooms. I used this phrase to emphasize the point that, if we really want to level up in our walk with God, we better clean up our act, namely we must deal with sin decisively in our lives.
In verse 12, we read that we are to set aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. The deeds of darkness is another way of saying “sin”. The passage also compared the deeds of darkness to the night time. Why? It is because people generally but not exclusively commit wrongdoings in the cover of the night. We normally do not want people to find out about the wrong things we are doing. Also, the use of darkness as an analogy for sin is because of the contrast between darkness and light. Light is generally used to describe Jesus Christ and his followers. It is also used to describe the Word of God. Therefore, darkness, being the opposite of light, describes Satan and sin.
Now, what were the sins mentioned by Paul here? We have sins of intemperance or the sin of excessive consumption of alcohol, sins of sexual misconduct, and then the sins of contention and quarreling. This list is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, but it is a fair sampling of what the deeds of darkness are.
When we became Christians, there is the promise that our sins have and will be forgiven; however, there is no promise that we become sinless. As long as we are in the world, we have to deal with sin and temptation. The good news is that we can be victorious over sin through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit. What it will require though is for us to make the resolution that we will no longer allow sin to dominate us.
We can start cleaning up by confessing our sins to God and claiming the forgiveness made available by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we must make up our minds, proclaiming that we will no longer allow ourselves to become slaves to sin but we will now allow God to renew us. Again, it all boils down to spending time praying and reading the Word of God. By spending time with God, we are weaning ourselves away from the grip and power of sin and allowing our thoughts to be renewed and our subsequent actions to be judged by the Word.
We can also start cleaning up by removing those things that cause us to fall into sin. There is usually a vehicle that brings temptation to our doorstep. Is it the internet? Do you visit websites that you're not supposed to be looking at? Maybe its time you install an internet filter and ask a friend to do the password, so that when you are tempted to visit those sites, at least you will be blocked. Is it the TV programs or movies that you watch? Are they affecting how you think or are they taking up too much of your time? It's time you put a limit on how much TV or movie you watch. Better yet, get rid of the TV from your room. Is there a place that you frequent that is a source of temptation, like a bar where you end up getting drunk or some venue where your eyes keep on wandering, looking at scantily dressed women or men with huge muscles? It's time you go to somewhere else where there is clean fun. Why not take up a productive hobby or sport? Cleaning up means giving up the things that will become vehicles of temptation. Are you willing to give these up and become clean? Cleaning up also means focusing your mind on the right things, as commanded by Paul in Philippians 4:8.
Do you want to level up in your walk with God? Then it's time that you clean up. Don't allow sin to take a foothold in your life. Instead, confess your sins to God, start doing the things that will renew your mind (reading the Word, praying), and remove the things that will cause you to fall very easily into sin and replace them with things that will make you more productive and fruitful. Start focusing your mind on the right things.
III. Spruce Up
The last “up” we can find in the passage is characterized by the phrase, “spruce up”. Now, this term is often used when we refer to putting decorations on the Christmas tree. A Christmas tree without the Christmas balls and lights looks drab and boring. However, a tree that has trimmings, the star on top and the lights is surely a beautiful sight to behold.
I believe the same is true for us in terms of our outward appearance. We generally want to look good. That is why, aside from nice clothes, we accessorize. Women put on make-up. We spruce up ourselves in order to look more attractive.
In Romans 13:14, we are told to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. According to a Bible scholar, clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus actually meant the deliberate and conscious acceptance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a decision that is done not just once, when we were converted, but is a lifelong process. Submission to Jesus Christ is an ongoing decision that we all need to make every day.
Now, what is the relation between everyday submission to Jesus Christ and to our becoming attractive? Well, our submission to Jesus Christ in every area of our lives can become something attractive because will see us being consistent in both our walk and our talk. They will not find contradictions between what we say and what we do. Also, a surrendered life can become attractive because people will see more of the Lord Jesus Christ through us. In 2 Corinthians 2:14 – 15, Christians are described as being fragrant aroma who exudes the fragrance of Jesus Christ. However, the fragrance comes when we are in total submission and obedience to Jesus Christ. If we are not submissive to the rule of Jesus Christ, then it will show in our behavior and in our speech. People will take notice and will be turned off by the Christianity that we profess to believe in.
It takes total commitment and obedience on our part to become a fragrant aroma that will bring glory and pleasure to God; but when we willingly do these things, we are sprucing our lives to become so attractive that people will be drawn to Jesus Christ, through our witness and our deeds.
Conclusion:
Level up! That is the challenge for all of us as we face 2011. Let us not grow contented with where we are now spiritually, but let us exert every effort to grow in our relationship with God. Let us wake up from our apathy and begin to care about our relationship with God. Let us clean up our act through repentance and a firm resolution to live a holy life. Finally, let us spruce up our lives by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ – submitting to his lordship every day and every moment.
In closing, I would like for us to silently pray for a minute or two. Why not make a commitment right now to the Lord, that you want to grow in your relationship with Him? Why not surrender to His lordship right now and give Him full control of your life? Why not ask for the Lord's cleansing and forgiveness and for Him to give you a fresh start?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Watch Out For The Lion! - preached at GGC 12/05/10
WATCH OUT FOR THE LION!
1 PETER 5:8 – 13
Introduction:
I am sure most of us have seen a lion before, if not in a zoo, at least on TV or in the movies or even in the circus. Lions are huge creatures, with some weighing as much as 250 kgs. or 500 lbs. Lions spend as much as 18 to 20 hours sleeping and do much of their hunting at night, usually done as a team effort and not individually. Lions are also creatures where the male and the female can be readily distinguished, with the male lions possessing a beautiful mane which is notably absent in lionesses. We view lions as majestic creatures, thanks in part to the description of the lion as being the “king of the jungle” by many, as well as biblical imagery which portrays Jesus as being both lion and lamb. Even the animated movie and the musical “The Lion King” has made lions look very appealing. Also, the C.S. Lewis book series, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, features a lion named Aslan who is representative of the Lord Jesus.
While we may find a lion to be a beautiful creature, I'm sure we will not deny the fact that a lion is also a very dangerous predator. Because of their size, they cannot pursue a prey for a long distance; thus, they are known to stealthily go near a flock of animals and then scatter the flock while looking for the weakest or slowest animal among the flock. Once they have locked in on and captured their intended target, they will use their huge mouths to bite their necks, crushing it and killing it almost instantly. While I may admire the beauty of this creature, I will not make the mistake of jumping inside a lion's enclosure in the zoo just to take a closer look or to pet him. I will just admire him from a safe distance, behind the bars of the enclosure. The same would be true for other creatures such as crocodiles, tigers and bears. They may look beautiful but I know they're dangerous and I wouldn't unnecessarily risk my life by getting too near them.
In this morning's passage, we are warned by the apostle Peter that there is a lion roaming out there who wants to attack and devour us. This lion roars loudly in order to intimidate us and make us shudder in fear. This lion however is not out to threaten our physical lives, but rather, it is out to wreak havoc on our souls. This lion is none other than Satan, also known as the devil. What should we be aware of when we are dealing with this enemy of ours? There are three things we should remember when we are in conflict with Satan so that when he attacks us, we will not be caught unaware, but rather, we will be ready for his attacks. To help us remember these three points, all of them starts with the letter “R”.
Now, before we go the main point of today's message, let's examine who our enemy, the devil, really is. When Peter referred to our enemy as being the devil, no doubt he had in mind the person of Satan. However, in our passage, Peter doesn't specifically use the name “Satan” but the Greek word, “diabolos”, which means accuser or slanderer. The word, “diabolos”, is a description of what Satan is doing against believers. He is doing everything within his power to make us fall, and when we do fall, he then proceeds to accuse us before the presence of God. Now, Satan doesn't just accuse us. He is also responsible for giving us wrong ideas about God. For example, when something goes terribly wrong in your life at this very moment, you will probably hear a voice saying something like “God doesn't care.” We all know God's promises of care and love for his people but Satan will do what he can to lead us astray and to give up on God. Satan operates by using lies and accusations. That is how he goes about causing us to sin.
With this information in mind, let's look at the three main points of this morning's message.
I. Respect The Enemy
The first thing we must do in dealing with our enemy is to actually respect him. Now, when I use the word “respect”, I do not mean that we admire and adore the devil. Instead, respect means awareness on our part of Satan's character and schemes such that we don't take him for granted but instead, we prepare for his attacks.
Many of the men here play or have played basketball. In a formal tournament, a team has twelve players. Usually a coach will use around 8 to 9 players heavily while the remaining 3 to 4 players will probably come in when the game is safely won already and they're in the game just for what is known as “garbage time”. Very often, we pay more attention and respect to the top 5 to 8 players of the opponent, but when they send in the guy who usually sits at the end of the bench, we probably wouldn't guard him that tightly. We probably would even let him take a shot from afar, thinking that he'll surely miss. We have the notion that players at the end of the bench are usually poor shooters, poor rebounders or poor defenders. We would probably be laughing on the inside, thinking why your opponent would send a bench player and you're imagining that he'll mess up his team's chances of winning. Now, imagine the surprise on our faces when that bench player all of a sudden goes on a shooting rampage, making key baskets, pulling down crucial rebounds and making good defensive plays. We never expected that the opponent's bench player could do that. We took them for granted. In fact, we failed to give respect to that player by thinking that he can't contribute to his team's efforts.
So often, we do that to the enemy of our souls, Satan. Somehow, we don't respect him enough to know that he is dangerous. Scripture describes him to be a dangerous foe; one who is cunning, has great power and intelligence. We must never ignore him or underestimate his ability nor should we joke about him.
How do we underestimate his ability? We underestimate him when we think that we are able to stand firm and we say to ourselves that we can't fall to a certain sin that Satan then intensifies his attack using numerous other means until we eventually yield to temptation. I am sure many among you have heard of the sad stories of prominent Christian leaders who have fallen into sexual temptations. How many among them felt that they were invincible to the attacks of Satan because they were Christian leaders? How many among them thought that they would surely not fall? If any among us were to feel that way when facing a temptation, I tell you, we will surely fall because we are underestimating Satan's ability to make us fall.
We make light of our enemy also by how we portray him. I'm sure many here know who Casper the Friendly Ghost is. But did you know that he had a friend who is a devil? His friend's name is Hot Stuff and he looks like the stereotype portrayal of what a devil looks like – red in color, horns on the head and pitchfork in hand. We know Casper as being the Friendly Ghost; Hot Stuff, on the other hand, is more like the mischievous kid who likes to play pranks on people. Also, there was a character that appeared in two movies who goes by the name of Hellboy. Hellboy is a devil who was found by the Americans during World War 2 as an infant in the hands of the Nazis. He was then raised up by a scientist like any normal boy. He did not behave like what we expect a devil would. Instead, he goes around saving the world. These are just a few examples of how the world portrays the enemy, making light of him. If we are not careful, we may just buy in to the ideas that the world is telling us about Satan and we end up admiring him.
On the opposite extreme, we sometimes give Satan too much credit. How do we give too much credit to Satan? It's when we blame him for everything bad that happens to us. We have a headache, we say there is a “spirit of headache” that is afflicting us. We have a fever, we automatically think that there its Satan causing us to be sick. While it is true that Satan can bring about illness, how can we know that every disease we have is caused directly by Satan?
You want to be ready when Satan comes to tempt and attack you? Begin by respecting him. Be aware of his character and his schemes. If you don't respect him and choose instead to underestimate him or even joke about him, you will surely lose to him when he attacks.
II. Recognize Your Enemy's Tactics
The second thing we need to remember as we fight the devil is to recognize his tactics for causing us to fall or fail. It is sad to see believers like you and myself yielding into temptation, and do you know why we often fall or fail? It is because we don't recognize the means or the tactics our enemy is using against us.
In the previous verses of 1 Peter 5, Peter cited two issues that the believers were prone to fall into. The first was the issue of pride. Let's admit it, we are anything but humble people. We are proud of our accomplishments, we are proud of what we have and we are more than willing to show it. Often times our pride inflates our ego so much that we end up relying more on ourselves rather than relying on God. When we begin to rely more on ourselves and less on God, we are actually falling into the same trap Adam and Eve fell into – the desire to become like God. Pride dictates that we do things our way, that we do things with our resources. It is in opposition to God's way and God's promise of provisions. Peter had to remind the believers that God opposes the proud but shows favor to those who are humble. Humble people are those who easily recognize and realize that apart from God's help and guidance, they cannot do much.
The second issue mentioned by Peter is anxiety. Satan loves to attack us using this particular tactic. He wants us to worry about anything and everything that comes our way. Why? It is because anxiety is a sure sign that we are not trusting God enough. We face situations wherein our faith is tested and we sometimes respond by not believing that God cares enough to help us. When we don't believe that God cares for us, then it is easy for us to panic and to want to do damage control our way. Thus Peter reminds us that we must cast all our anxieties on God because he cares for us. The apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:6-7, commands us not to be anxious about anything but instead, we should commit everything to God in prayer, and God will give us peace.
Now, a third tactic not mentioned in today's passage but was the context of the believers during that time was persecution. As we all know, persecution was done in order to force people to renounce and abandon their faith in Jesus Christ. Using physical pain, psychological and mental anguish, this particular tactic is meant to cause so much hardship that a person may want to escape by complying to the persecutor's demand. When a believer gives in because of the pain and renounces Jesus Christ, this brings great pleasure to our enemy. Christians during Peter's time were thrown in prison, tortured, made to face lions in the arena, just to name a few. Peter encouraged the believers to stand firm in their faith. In standing firm for Jesus Christ, the enemy's tactic will have failed and we bring greater glory to our Lord Jesus.
Peter only mentioned a few of the tactics that Satan uses. If you were to examine the whole of Scripture, you will see that there are many schemes Satan will use in order to make us fall and even for us to renounce and abandon Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we want to fight victoriously for our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to realize the enemy's tactics. The whole of Scripture will inform us of how the enemy works. We only need to pick this book up and read it carefully and we will be able to see clearly Satan's schemes. As we become familiar with God's Word, we will be able to see then how the enemy is at work today in our culture, the media (TV, music, internet), and our philosophies, and we will be able, by the grace of God, to stand up to these tactics.
III. Resist the Enemy Violently
The third and final thing we need to remember when we are in conflict with Satan is for us to resist the enemy; when I say “resist”, I am not talking about peaceful and passive resistance but I am referring instead to a “violent” resistance of Satan's attacks.
I am sure most of us have witnessed the scenes from the first People Power revolution that took place along EDSA. That revolution has become a model for how civilians can peacefully topple a dictatorial regime, like standing in front of a huge armored vehicle and giving flowers to the driver of the vehicle, softening the resistance. It may work for a country like the Philippines but try doing that against Satan and I will assure you that you will surely endanger yourself. You can't resist him peacefully or passively. Instead, picture the scene from World War 2 when Filipino and American soldiers valiantly fought against the Japanese invaders in Bataan. The Japanese Army thought that it would be easy for them to conquer the Philippines but it took them around four months before they defeated the joint Filipino and American forces when the latter finally surrendered to the Japanese, but not without first inflicting heavy casualty on the Japanese Army and delaying Japan's movement in Southeast Asia, giving the Americans enough time to rebuild their military capabilities. That is the kind of resistance we must have when we are being tempted or attacked by Satan. When Satan attacks us, we fight back actively.
Now, how exactly do we resist Satan? Well, we do what Jesus did when he was being tempted in the wilderness – he had an answer to every temptation that Satan threw upon him because he knew how to use the Word of God. His familiarity with the Word of God is not just about knowing the facts recorded in the Bible but it is all about putting into practice what he knew regarding the Word of God. The Word of God is a powerful weapon when resisting Satan's attacks. Jesus simply pointed to the Word and said “it is written” to all three recorded temptations and it silenced Satan. When we face temptation, we need to refer back to the Word of God and answer the tempter by saying to him, “it is written”, while at the same time, making a strong commitment to obey God's Word. By reminding Satan of the Word of God and your commitment to obey the Word of God, you would have shown active and violent resistance against him.
Another weapon we should use liberally when we are resisting Satan is the weapon of prayer. Prayer is not just communication with God, prayer is about relying completely on God's resources and strength. Prayer is all about aligning ourselves with God's will. Remember the story where the disciples of Jesus couldn't cast out the demon from a boy? When they asked Jesus why they couldn't cast the demon out, Jesus answered that the demon could only be cast out by praying. (Wow!) That is a great testament to the power of prayer when resisting the enemy. When we pray, we are asking the God of the Universe, the God who sent his own son to the cross to die for us, to deliver us, and surely, God will deliver us when we pray. How can Satan stand up to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray and boldly ask for their help and deliverance?
Another important weapon we can use is to remind the enemy that we have been bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, thus we are no longer under condemnation. No matter what accusations the devil may bring against us – saying that we are no-good, that we have committed these or those sins – they will not stand before the Lord, because we have already received forgiveness when we believed in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross. Revelation 1:5b states clearly that Jesus loves us and that he has freed us from our sins by his blood. In 1 John 1:7, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all our sins. How can we use this third weapon? Whenever Satan attacks us with accusations, condemning us for our sins, we just simply rebuke him by saying with authority and confidence that, because we have already trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have experienced forgiveness for our sins and we will continue to receive forgiveness whenever we sin because we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, for this weapon to work powerfully, we must be sure to keep ourselves clean spiritually by constantly examining ourselves, confessing our sins and claiming forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers us.
Conclusion:
Our enemy, Satan, is like a roaring lion out to frighten and attack us. He knows his time to work is short, thus, he will do whatever it takes to make us fall into temptation, to make us turn our backs on the Lord Jesus, to make us doubt our salvation and our relationship with God. This morning, we learn the three Rs that we need to remember and apply as we will surely be attacked by Satan and his minions. First, we must learn to respect the enemy, that he isn't someone we should take lightly even though he has already been defeated by Jesus on the cross. He can still cause significant damage to our spiritual lives if we take him lightly and don't prepare for battle against him. Second, we must learn to recognize our enemy's tactics. Satan has a lot of tricks up his sleeves; we need to know what his strategies are so that we will not be caught by surprise. The Word of God records for us how Satan attacks us, subtly or overtly. Therefore, spend time to study the Word of God so that you will be aware and can prepare better for his attacks. Finally, we must resist the enemy violently. This means we must fight back by using the Word of God, prayer and by claiming the forgiveness and cleansing that comes from the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Satan wants to destroy us all, but we can thank God that he is a defeated enemy and we have all the resources available to live a victorious Christian life. I pray that we will use these resources and proclaim victory for ourselves through Christ Jesus. Let us also help others find that victory through Jesus as we lead people to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus and as we counsel and guide fellow Christians in claiming their victory in Jesus Christ.
1 PETER 5:8 – 13
Introduction:
I am sure most of us have seen a lion before, if not in a zoo, at least on TV or in the movies or even in the circus. Lions are huge creatures, with some weighing as much as 250 kgs. or 500 lbs. Lions spend as much as 18 to 20 hours sleeping and do much of their hunting at night, usually done as a team effort and not individually. Lions are also creatures where the male and the female can be readily distinguished, with the male lions possessing a beautiful mane which is notably absent in lionesses. We view lions as majestic creatures, thanks in part to the description of the lion as being the “king of the jungle” by many, as well as biblical imagery which portrays Jesus as being both lion and lamb. Even the animated movie and the musical “The Lion King” has made lions look very appealing. Also, the C.S. Lewis book series, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, features a lion named Aslan who is representative of the Lord Jesus.
While we may find a lion to be a beautiful creature, I'm sure we will not deny the fact that a lion is also a very dangerous predator. Because of their size, they cannot pursue a prey for a long distance; thus, they are known to stealthily go near a flock of animals and then scatter the flock while looking for the weakest or slowest animal among the flock. Once they have locked in on and captured their intended target, they will use their huge mouths to bite their necks, crushing it and killing it almost instantly. While I may admire the beauty of this creature, I will not make the mistake of jumping inside a lion's enclosure in the zoo just to take a closer look or to pet him. I will just admire him from a safe distance, behind the bars of the enclosure. The same would be true for other creatures such as crocodiles, tigers and bears. They may look beautiful but I know they're dangerous and I wouldn't unnecessarily risk my life by getting too near them.
In this morning's passage, we are warned by the apostle Peter that there is a lion roaming out there who wants to attack and devour us. This lion roars loudly in order to intimidate us and make us shudder in fear. This lion however is not out to threaten our physical lives, but rather, it is out to wreak havoc on our souls. This lion is none other than Satan, also known as the devil. What should we be aware of when we are dealing with this enemy of ours? There are three things we should remember when we are in conflict with Satan so that when he attacks us, we will not be caught unaware, but rather, we will be ready for his attacks. To help us remember these three points, all of them starts with the letter “R”.
Now, before we go the main point of today's message, let's examine who our enemy, the devil, really is. When Peter referred to our enemy as being the devil, no doubt he had in mind the person of Satan. However, in our passage, Peter doesn't specifically use the name “Satan” but the Greek word, “diabolos”, which means accuser or slanderer. The word, “diabolos”, is a description of what Satan is doing against believers. He is doing everything within his power to make us fall, and when we do fall, he then proceeds to accuse us before the presence of God. Now, Satan doesn't just accuse us. He is also responsible for giving us wrong ideas about God. For example, when something goes terribly wrong in your life at this very moment, you will probably hear a voice saying something like “God doesn't care.” We all know God's promises of care and love for his people but Satan will do what he can to lead us astray and to give up on God. Satan operates by using lies and accusations. That is how he goes about causing us to sin.
With this information in mind, let's look at the three main points of this morning's message.
I. Respect The Enemy
The first thing we must do in dealing with our enemy is to actually respect him. Now, when I use the word “respect”, I do not mean that we admire and adore the devil. Instead, respect means awareness on our part of Satan's character and schemes such that we don't take him for granted but instead, we prepare for his attacks.
Many of the men here play or have played basketball. In a formal tournament, a team has twelve players. Usually a coach will use around 8 to 9 players heavily while the remaining 3 to 4 players will probably come in when the game is safely won already and they're in the game just for what is known as “garbage time”. Very often, we pay more attention and respect to the top 5 to 8 players of the opponent, but when they send in the guy who usually sits at the end of the bench, we probably wouldn't guard him that tightly. We probably would even let him take a shot from afar, thinking that he'll surely miss. We have the notion that players at the end of the bench are usually poor shooters, poor rebounders or poor defenders. We would probably be laughing on the inside, thinking why your opponent would send a bench player and you're imagining that he'll mess up his team's chances of winning. Now, imagine the surprise on our faces when that bench player all of a sudden goes on a shooting rampage, making key baskets, pulling down crucial rebounds and making good defensive plays. We never expected that the opponent's bench player could do that. We took them for granted. In fact, we failed to give respect to that player by thinking that he can't contribute to his team's efforts.
So often, we do that to the enemy of our souls, Satan. Somehow, we don't respect him enough to know that he is dangerous. Scripture describes him to be a dangerous foe; one who is cunning, has great power and intelligence. We must never ignore him or underestimate his ability nor should we joke about him.
How do we underestimate his ability? We underestimate him when we think that we are able to stand firm and we say to ourselves that we can't fall to a certain sin that Satan then intensifies his attack using numerous other means until we eventually yield to temptation. I am sure many among you have heard of the sad stories of prominent Christian leaders who have fallen into sexual temptations. How many among them felt that they were invincible to the attacks of Satan because they were Christian leaders? How many among them thought that they would surely not fall? If any among us were to feel that way when facing a temptation, I tell you, we will surely fall because we are underestimating Satan's ability to make us fall.
We make light of our enemy also by how we portray him. I'm sure many here know who Casper the Friendly Ghost is. But did you know that he had a friend who is a devil? His friend's name is Hot Stuff and he looks like the stereotype portrayal of what a devil looks like – red in color, horns on the head and pitchfork in hand. We know Casper as being the Friendly Ghost; Hot Stuff, on the other hand, is more like the mischievous kid who likes to play pranks on people. Also, there was a character that appeared in two movies who goes by the name of Hellboy. Hellboy is a devil who was found by the Americans during World War 2 as an infant in the hands of the Nazis. He was then raised up by a scientist like any normal boy. He did not behave like what we expect a devil would. Instead, he goes around saving the world. These are just a few examples of how the world portrays the enemy, making light of him. If we are not careful, we may just buy in to the ideas that the world is telling us about Satan and we end up admiring him.
On the opposite extreme, we sometimes give Satan too much credit. How do we give too much credit to Satan? It's when we blame him for everything bad that happens to us. We have a headache, we say there is a “spirit of headache” that is afflicting us. We have a fever, we automatically think that there its Satan causing us to be sick. While it is true that Satan can bring about illness, how can we know that every disease we have is caused directly by Satan?
You want to be ready when Satan comes to tempt and attack you? Begin by respecting him. Be aware of his character and his schemes. If you don't respect him and choose instead to underestimate him or even joke about him, you will surely lose to him when he attacks.
II. Recognize Your Enemy's Tactics
The second thing we need to remember as we fight the devil is to recognize his tactics for causing us to fall or fail. It is sad to see believers like you and myself yielding into temptation, and do you know why we often fall or fail? It is because we don't recognize the means or the tactics our enemy is using against us.
In the previous verses of 1 Peter 5, Peter cited two issues that the believers were prone to fall into. The first was the issue of pride. Let's admit it, we are anything but humble people. We are proud of our accomplishments, we are proud of what we have and we are more than willing to show it. Often times our pride inflates our ego so much that we end up relying more on ourselves rather than relying on God. When we begin to rely more on ourselves and less on God, we are actually falling into the same trap Adam and Eve fell into – the desire to become like God. Pride dictates that we do things our way, that we do things with our resources. It is in opposition to God's way and God's promise of provisions. Peter had to remind the believers that God opposes the proud but shows favor to those who are humble. Humble people are those who easily recognize and realize that apart from God's help and guidance, they cannot do much.
The second issue mentioned by Peter is anxiety. Satan loves to attack us using this particular tactic. He wants us to worry about anything and everything that comes our way. Why? It is because anxiety is a sure sign that we are not trusting God enough. We face situations wherein our faith is tested and we sometimes respond by not believing that God cares enough to help us. When we don't believe that God cares for us, then it is easy for us to panic and to want to do damage control our way. Thus Peter reminds us that we must cast all our anxieties on God because he cares for us. The apostle Paul, in Philippians 4:6-7, commands us not to be anxious about anything but instead, we should commit everything to God in prayer, and God will give us peace.
Now, a third tactic not mentioned in today's passage but was the context of the believers during that time was persecution. As we all know, persecution was done in order to force people to renounce and abandon their faith in Jesus Christ. Using physical pain, psychological and mental anguish, this particular tactic is meant to cause so much hardship that a person may want to escape by complying to the persecutor's demand. When a believer gives in because of the pain and renounces Jesus Christ, this brings great pleasure to our enemy. Christians during Peter's time were thrown in prison, tortured, made to face lions in the arena, just to name a few. Peter encouraged the believers to stand firm in their faith. In standing firm for Jesus Christ, the enemy's tactic will have failed and we bring greater glory to our Lord Jesus.
Peter only mentioned a few of the tactics that Satan uses. If you were to examine the whole of Scripture, you will see that there are many schemes Satan will use in order to make us fall and even for us to renounce and abandon Jesus Christ. Therefore, if we want to fight victoriously for our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to realize the enemy's tactics. The whole of Scripture will inform us of how the enemy works. We only need to pick this book up and read it carefully and we will be able to see clearly Satan's schemes. As we become familiar with God's Word, we will be able to see then how the enemy is at work today in our culture, the media (TV, music, internet), and our philosophies, and we will be able, by the grace of God, to stand up to these tactics.
III. Resist the Enemy Violently
The third and final thing we need to remember when we are in conflict with Satan is for us to resist the enemy; when I say “resist”, I am not talking about peaceful and passive resistance but I am referring instead to a “violent” resistance of Satan's attacks.
I am sure most of us have witnessed the scenes from the first People Power revolution that took place along EDSA. That revolution has become a model for how civilians can peacefully topple a dictatorial regime, like standing in front of a huge armored vehicle and giving flowers to the driver of the vehicle, softening the resistance. It may work for a country like the Philippines but try doing that against Satan and I will assure you that you will surely endanger yourself. You can't resist him peacefully or passively. Instead, picture the scene from World War 2 when Filipino and American soldiers valiantly fought against the Japanese invaders in Bataan. The Japanese Army thought that it would be easy for them to conquer the Philippines but it took them around four months before they defeated the joint Filipino and American forces when the latter finally surrendered to the Japanese, but not without first inflicting heavy casualty on the Japanese Army and delaying Japan's movement in Southeast Asia, giving the Americans enough time to rebuild their military capabilities. That is the kind of resistance we must have when we are being tempted or attacked by Satan. When Satan attacks us, we fight back actively.
Now, how exactly do we resist Satan? Well, we do what Jesus did when he was being tempted in the wilderness – he had an answer to every temptation that Satan threw upon him because he knew how to use the Word of God. His familiarity with the Word of God is not just about knowing the facts recorded in the Bible but it is all about putting into practice what he knew regarding the Word of God. The Word of God is a powerful weapon when resisting Satan's attacks. Jesus simply pointed to the Word and said “it is written” to all three recorded temptations and it silenced Satan. When we face temptation, we need to refer back to the Word of God and answer the tempter by saying to him, “it is written”, while at the same time, making a strong commitment to obey God's Word. By reminding Satan of the Word of God and your commitment to obey the Word of God, you would have shown active and violent resistance against him.
Another weapon we should use liberally when we are resisting Satan is the weapon of prayer. Prayer is not just communication with God, prayer is about relying completely on God's resources and strength. Prayer is all about aligning ourselves with God's will. Remember the story where the disciples of Jesus couldn't cast out the demon from a boy? When they asked Jesus why they couldn't cast the demon out, Jesus answered that the demon could only be cast out by praying. (Wow!) That is a great testament to the power of prayer when resisting the enemy. When we pray, we are asking the God of the Universe, the God who sent his own son to the cross to die for us, to deliver us, and surely, God will deliver us when we pray. How can Satan stand up to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray and boldly ask for their help and deliverance?
Another important weapon we can use is to remind the enemy that we have been bought with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus, thus we are no longer under condemnation. No matter what accusations the devil may bring against us – saying that we are no-good, that we have committed these or those sins – they will not stand before the Lord, because we have already received forgiveness when we believed in Jesus Christ and what he did for us on the cross. Revelation 1:5b states clearly that Jesus loves us and that he has freed us from our sins by his blood. In 1 John 1:7, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us from all our sins. How can we use this third weapon? Whenever Satan attacks us with accusations, condemning us for our sins, we just simply rebuke him by saying with authority and confidence that, because we have already trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have experienced forgiveness for our sins and we will continue to receive forgiveness whenever we sin because we are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, for this weapon to work powerfully, we must be sure to keep ourselves clean spiritually by constantly examining ourselves, confessing our sins and claiming forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers us.
Conclusion:
Our enemy, Satan, is like a roaring lion out to frighten and attack us. He knows his time to work is short, thus, he will do whatever it takes to make us fall into temptation, to make us turn our backs on the Lord Jesus, to make us doubt our salvation and our relationship with God. This morning, we learn the three Rs that we need to remember and apply as we will surely be attacked by Satan and his minions. First, we must learn to respect the enemy, that he isn't someone we should take lightly even though he has already been defeated by Jesus on the cross. He can still cause significant damage to our spiritual lives if we take him lightly and don't prepare for battle against him. Second, we must learn to recognize our enemy's tactics. Satan has a lot of tricks up his sleeves; we need to know what his strategies are so that we will not be caught by surprise. The Word of God records for us how Satan attacks us, subtly or overtly. Therefore, spend time to study the Word of God so that you will be aware and can prepare better for his attacks. Finally, we must resist the enemy violently. This means we must fight back by using the Word of God, prayer and by claiming the forgiveness and cleansing that comes from the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Satan wants to destroy us all, but we can thank God that he is a defeated enemy and we have all the resources available to live a victorious Christian life. I pray that we will use these resources and proclaim victory for ourselves through Christ Jesus. Let us also help others find that victory through Jesus as we lead people to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus and as we counsel and guide fellow Christians in claiming their victory in Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Make Your Marriage Work - Preached 10/17/2010 at GGC
Make Your Marriage Work
1 Peter 3:1 – 7
Introduction:
Who among you know what is the percentage of marriages in the U.S. that end in divorce? Who says its 50%? 60%? 70%? Actually, the answer is a bit complicated. Often, we hear that the divorce rate in the U.S. is 50% and the answer is somewhat correct but you will be shocked at what I am going to share with you right now regarding that statistic. In a first-time marriage, the divorce rate is 41%; in a second marriage, meaning there was a previous divorce that has taken place, the rate went up to 60%; then for those who get into a third marriage, the rate went up even further to 73%. This does not account for those who got divorced and never married but are now cohabiting with others. Thus, a figure of 50%
While divorce is not allowed in the Philippines, the government does allow for annulment where a marriage is declared as non-existent under certain conditions. Prior to 2006, the number of cases filed did not exceed 7000 per year. By 2006, the number of cases breached the 7000 mark for the first time with 7,138 cases. The number increased significantly in 2007 with 7,753 cases. I don't have figures for 2008 and 2009 but I believe that the numbers may even be higher.
Why are we seeing such a high rate of divorce in the U.S. as well as a growing number of annulment in the Philippines? According to a study, there are around ten reasons why a marriage heads toward divorce or annulment. What are these reasons? In the interest of time, I will not discuss these reasons but just read through them as they are self-explanatory.
(1) The other partner's infidelity
(2) Non-commitment to the marriage
(3) Lack of communication
(4) Abuse (physical, emotional & substance)
(5) Inability to handle conflicts
(6) Difference of goals
(7) Money problems
(8) Intellectual incompatibility
(9) Mental illness
(10) Differences/clashes in lifestyle, religion and culture
Why did I bring up all these statistics and reasons as to why so many marriages are heading for divorce or annulment? It is because, sadly, many people enter into marriage without the expressed goal and intention of making their marriage work. Many enter into marriage simply because they're physically attracted to each other or because of the pressures of society and parents or because of some material benefit they can get from the marriage. They don't enter into a marriage thinking of it as a commitment and with a strong desire to make it work. They don't think much about pouring in the effort to making a marriage that will last.
This morning, we continue our study on the book of 1 Peter. While Peter wasn't talking about divorce, he was talking about how husbands and wives were to treat each other. His teaching on the matter would, no doubt, strengthen a marriage and even avert a divorce or annulment from happening. So, let's dive into our study of today's passage and learn how a couple can make their marriage work. For those who are single here, today's passage should be of help to you as you will, sooner or later, ponder about marriage and what it takes to make a marriage work.
Context:
You may have noticed that Peter's instruction for the men was only a single verse while for the women it was six verses long. It was because married women in those days were at a great disadvantage. You see, women back then were viewed as a thing, an object, a property that was at the disposal of either the father or the husband. Women back then had no rights whatsoever. Furthermore, Peter was addressing women who had become believers after their marriage to their non-believing husbands. This was an even more complicated matter because, as I said, a woman back then had no rights, even the right to decide, and thus, her decision to become a believer in Jesus Christ ran counter to the culture of those days. Now, if a husband had become a believer, it would have been easier because he could bring the whole family to church, but because the women were the ones being converted first, how then could they win their husbands to Christ? I believe this is very much an issue in Chinese-Filipino families as the wives are usually the first to come to Christ.
Now, what Peter laid out for the married women to do back then still applies today. Here he taught the married women who had non-believing husbands what they can do to win their husbands to Christ. However, what Peter taught is not just applicable for wives with non-believing husbands, but they apply also when the husband is a believer. The command for the husband is likewise applicable up to today. However, as I studied on the passage, I found that the commands given to the wives can very well apply to husbands and they should take note of these. Therefore, what I have done is to classify the commands for both husbands and wives to three general commands that we all need to pay attention to as well as put them to action.
Before I get to the main points of today's message, I would like for us to look at a phrase that occurs in both verse 1 and verse 7. That phrase is “in the same way.” What is the significance of this phrase such that it is used to introduce the commands for both husbands and wives? The phrase is actually a reference to the last portion of Chapter 2 where Peter wrote about Jesus Christ and how he was humble, how he refused to retaliate against those who wronged Him, and how he trusted God completely throughout his suffering. Peter was saying to both husbands and wives that they were to have the same humility as what Jesus had, they were to never think of getting even when their spouses wrong them, and they were to completely trust the Lord as the one who can make their marriages work out. So, let's look now at what Peter commanded both husbands and wives to do and learn how we who are married can apply these commands, and for the singles, how you can properly prepare for married life someday.
For a marriage to work there must be . . .
I. Respect for Each Other
There needs to be respect flowing freely between husbands and wives if they want their marriage to work. However, the manifestation of respect from husband to wife and vice versa are different. For a wife, the way to show respect to her husband is actually to submit to the husband. This is very much in line with what Paul taught in Ephesians and Colossians. Now, submission should be taken to mean blind obedience nor should it mean that the wife becomes inferior; instead, submission is, in the words of a Bible commentator, “voluntary selflessness.” The wife puts to death whatever pride she may have in her achievements and even her intellectual superiority and instead chooses to serve and be under the leadership of her husband. It is a submission grounded, not in fear, but in love.
When these wives became believers, I am sure they have heard the teaching that, in Christ, there is no difference whether male or female, whether slave or free. This was a radical teaching for a society where the male figure was deemed as being superior over the female, where the slave is subject to the mercy of the master. They were probably tempted to assert their rights, their newfound freedom in Christ. However, any such attempt to voice out this radical truth about freedom in Christ would surely cause violent reactions amongst the husbands and would bring about a rejection of the Gospel truth as well as probable punishment of the wife for defying him. While it is true that all in Christ are equal, God has still set in place that the husband be the head of the family and everyone in it is to support him and follow his lead. It is not a question of equality but a question of authority, that the husband is ordained by God as having leadership over the family. Therefore, the wife must submit to the husband, but she must do so because she chooses to and not simply because she is forced to. Peter's command to the wives apply not only to non-believing husbands but also, and all the more, to believing husbands.
Now, this submission on the part of the wives actually has a powerful influence on the unbelieving husbands as they see their wives behaving in such a way that they are affirmed as men and that they are accorded the respect that they need. Let's face it men, we need affirmation and respect, and when our wives give it to us without reservation, this somehow lifts us up. Even if a wife is more intelligent and probably more capable as a leader than her husband, if she willingly gives the husband the respect due him as the leader of the family, then this gives her husband a lot of affirmation and averts any feeling of resentment.
Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, cited that her mother, who was a believer, won her husband to the Lord primarily through her good conduct. Of course, by all means, believing wives should mention the Gospel to their non-believing husbands, but let your action speak louder. Maybe there are some here whose husbands do not yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you want so badly for them to become believers; well, Peter makes clear that we can win them to Christ by submitting to them, by giving them the affirmation and respect that is rightly due them, by our good conduct. I hope you will submit out of love to your husbands.
Now, respect needs to be shown also by husbands to their wives. In verse 7 Peter instructed the husbands to be considerate towards their wives and to treat them with respect since they are the weaker partner. Why were wives called the weaker partner? It is because women generally are physically weaker compared to men. They are also considered weaker because of how women are unfairly accorded a lower status by society.
What did Peter mean when he instructed the husbands to be considerate towards their wives? The word, as defined by the dictionary, means that one must be careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to another person. In a more practical light, what it means is that the husband must treat their wives gently and must be sensitive to their feelings. Back during Peter's time, some husbands were anything but gentle towards their wives. According to Cato, a typical ancient Roman, he wrote: “If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial.” Egnatius beat his wife to death when he found her drinking wine. Sulpicius Gallus dismissed his wife because she had once appeared in the streets without a veil. Publius Sempronius Sophus divorced his wife because she went to watch the public games. This was how men treated their wives. It was their “privilege” and they were not expected to live up to any particular responsibility towards their wives. However, the Christian ethic does not operate in such a way but places an obligation upon the husband to be considerate. In Ephesians, Paul commanded husbands to love their wives with sacrificial love. For Peter, he doesn't use the word “love” but his thoughts are the same as those of Paul. To be considerate means that he must be understanding, chivalrous, and remember that she is very much equal with him in the sight of God.
So, do you want a marriage that works? Begin by exercising respect for each other. Wives, submit to the leadership of your husbands. Husbands, be considerate towards your wives.
II. Purity of Life
For a marriage to work, there needs to be purity of life found in both husband and wife. Although this phrase was used by Peter specifically for the wives, I believe that this should apply to both, considering that we live in an age where people have become more perverse; where both husbands and wives can get entangled in forbidden affairs; where there is so much trash circulating not only in print and on TV and movies but also in the virtual world of the internet.
When one talks of purity, two ideas should come to mind. The first is chastity. Chastity, simply defined, is to refrain from engaging in extramarital affair for a married person, or in immorality, in the case of single people. In Hebrews 13:4 we read “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.” Sex is good when it is exercised within the proper boundary of marriage; but outside that boundary, sex becomes an affair or immorality. Now, chastity is not just about refraining from engagement in sex outside of marriage, it is also about keeping one's mind free from the things in the world that pollutes our minds and would surely affect our marriage and how we view our spouses and people in general. I'm not just talking about pornography but I'm also referring to what we watch in TV and in movies, what we read in magazines and books as well as browse on the internet. Many materials are not classified as pornography but they treat sex as something people can casually engage in without consequence. Jesus warned that if we look at a person and begin thinking of lustful thoughts, we are already committing adultery (Matthew 5:27 – 30). Brothers and sisters, let us keep ourselves chaste. Its true, we live in a time when many are saying “everyone's doing it” and “it feels right”, but our God is a holy God and he expects us to live holy lives, nothing less.
The second aspect of purity is fidelity. What it simply means is “be faithful” or to “be devoted to one”. In a marriage, it means you must put your spouse as first and foremost in the order of all your human relationships. You must never allow anyone else or anything to come in the way of your marriage relationship. Some spouses will, never in their lifetime, commit adultery against their partners, but they will be unfaithful to them by paying more attention to their careers, their hobbies, their sports, more than their spouses. They want to spend more time being with their friends rather than with their spouses. They spend too much time in the office and the house becomes nothing more than a hotel where they come home to sleep, eat breakfast and then be gone for the rest of the day, not returning until its late in the evening. If you want to make your marriage work, you have to focus on your relationship with each other as being top priority, second only to your relationship with God. Set time to be with each other, do things together.
Purity, that is what is so badly needed in marriage. There has to be chastity as well as faithfulness. Without purity, a marriage will never last long.
III. Focus on Inner Beauty
Finally, if we want to make our marriage work, we have to learn to focus on the inner beauty of our spouses rather than dwelling on their outward appearances. Peter was talking to the wives when he told them not to become preoccupied with making themselves outwardly beautiful. Why were the wives spending so much time and money making themselves outwardly attractive? According to a scholar, it was because in the ancient world women had no part in public life, they had nothing to pass their time. For that reason, it was sometimes argued that the women must be allowed to indulge in dress and adornment. They needed to make themselves beautiful so that their husbands would love them and keep them.
What was the extent of beautification of ancient women? Check out Isaiah 3:18-24 and you will be surprised at what women in the past wore. In the Greek and Roman world, women were known for sporting different hairstyles, wearing wigs, putting on hairbands, pins and combs made of ivory, tortoise shell and gold studded with gems. Some women wore expensive pearl earrings such as the wife of Julius Caesar, whose pearl earrings were estimated to be worth £ 65,250, or the wife of Caligula wore a dress covered with pearls and emeralds costing £ 450,000. Even Christian women were guilty of focusing too much on outward beauty because archaeologists found blonde wigs inside Christian catacombs, an indication that some of the worshippers were extravagant in adorning themselves with the most expensive of fashion.
The same is true today. A lot of wives who have the means will spend so much time and money making themselves look attractive so that their husbands will love them. This explains why businesses like high-end salons, clothing stores, jewelry shops and beauty enhancement centers make tons of money. Now, the husbands aren't exactly that better. Some husbands may insist on buying the most expensive clothes, accessories and even visit a skin care doctor and center and say that its an “investment” that will ensure grabbing that high-paying job or make sure that their wives will still love them. Others will buy that expensive car or watch thinking that it makes him cool and attractive. As followers of Jesus Christ, what is more important is what's inside of us. Do we manifest the Fruit of the Holy Spirit? Can people say that they see Jesus Christ through us? Now, Peter is not saying that we should neglect our physical appearance nor are we prohibited from buying an expensive car or watch, but what he is saying is that physical beauty should take a backseat to inner beauty. Physical beauty fades because we're going to get wrinkles, we're going to wear bifocals, we're going to lose our teeth and what have you, but inner beauty will last.
So, we should first of all cultivate in our lives those things that make us beautiful inside – the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Then we should look at other people in the same light. We look at what is inside them. When both husband and wife are working on their inner beauty, can you just imagine how wonderful and lasting that marriage is going to be? The same should be true for those who are planning to enter into an exclusive relationship; don't fall in love just because the other person is beautiful physically, but look at the inner beauty of the person, their character, their desire and striving to be like the Lord Jesus. Inner beauty, according to Peter, was the element that would win an unbelieving husband to Christ. Its the same thing that will make a marriage work. You want a marriage that will last? Then be beautiful inside and look for that same beauty in your spouse.
Conclusion:
At the start of my message, I talked about the high rate of divorce in the States. What I did not mention was that even Christians in the States were divorcing at the same rate. 50% of Christian marriages are ending in divorce. This is a painful statistic. If only Christian couples can learn to respect each other, live pure lives for each other, and focus on building their inner beauty and looking at the inner beauty of their partners, then I am sure that there would way lesser divorces taking place.
To all the couples here, my prayer for us all is that we will heed Peter's word and give our best effort to make our marriages work. To all the singles here, one day you will most likely consider marriage and even before that day comes, I hope you will all commit that when you do get married, you will follow Peter's teachings on making marriage work. God wants marriages to last, not end in divorce and separation. Let's make marriage work so that we fulfill God's original intention for marriage and bring glory to Him.
1 Peter 3:1 – 7
Introduction:
Who among you know what is the percentage of marriages in the U.S. that end in divorce? Who says its 50%? 60%? 70%? Actually, the answer is a bit complicated. Often, we hear that the divorce rate in the U.S. is 50% and the answer is somewhat correct but you will be shocked at what I am going to share with you right now regarding that statistic. In a first-time marriage, the divorce rate is 41%; in a second marriage, meaning there was a previous divorce that has taken place, the rate went up to 60%; then for those who get into a third marriage, the rate went up even further to 73%. This does not account for those who got divorced and never married but are now cohabiting with others. Thus, a figure of 50%
While divorce is not allowed in the Philippines, the government does allow for annulment where a marriage is declared as non-existent under certain conditions. Prior to 2006, the number of cases filed did not exceed 7000 per year. By 2006, the number of cases breached the 7000 mark for the first time with 7,138 cases. The number increased significantly in 2007 with 7,753 cases. I don't have figures for 2008 and 2009 but I believe that the numbers may even be higher.
Why are we seeing such a high rate of divorce in the U.S. as well as a growing number of annulment in the Philippines? According to a study, there are around ten reasons why a marriage heads toward divorce or annulment. What are these reasons? In the interest of time, I will not discuss these reasons but just read through them as they are self-explanatory.
(1) The other partner's infidelity
(2) Non-commitment to the marriage
(3) Lack of communication
(4) Abuse (physical, emotional & substance)
(5) Inability to handle conflicts
(6) Difference of goals
(7) Money problems
(8) Intellectual incompatibility
(9) Mental illness
(10) Differences/clashes in lifestyle, religion and culture
Why did I bring up all these statistics and reasons as to why so many marriages are heading for divorce or annulment? It is because, sadly, many people enter into marriage without the expressed goal and intention of making their marriage work. Many enter into marriage simply because they're physically attracted to each other or because of the pressures of society and parents or because of some material benefit they can get from the marriage. They don't enter into a marriage thinking of it as a commitment and with a strong desire to make it work. They don't think much about pouring in the effort to making a marriage that will last.
This morning, we continue our study on the book of 1 Peter. While Peter wasn't talking about divorce, he was talking about how husbands and wives were to treat each other. His teaching on the matter would, no doubt, strengthen a marriage and even avert a divorce or annulment from happening. So, let's dive into our study of today's passage and learn how a couple can make their marriage work. For those who are single here, today's passage should be of help to you as you will, sooner or later, ponder about marriage and what it takes to make a marriage work.
Context:
You may have noticed that Peter's instruction for the men was only a single verse while for the women it was six verses long. It was because married women in those days were at a great disadvantage. You see, women back then were viewed as a thing, an object, a property that was at the disposal of either the father or the husband. Women back then had no rights whatsoever. Furthermore, Peter was addressing women who had become believers after their marriage to their non-believing husbands. This was an even more complicated matter because, as I said, a woman back then had no rights, even the right to decide, and thus, her decision to become a believer in Jesus Christ ran counter to the culture of those days. Now, if a husband had become a believer, it would have been easier because he could bring the whole family to church, but because the women were the ones being converted first, how then could they win their husbands to Christ? I believe this is very much an issue in Chinese-Filipino families as the wives are usually the first to come to Christ.
Now, what Peter laid out for the married women to do back then still applies today. Here he taught the married women who had non-believing husbands what they can do to win their husbands to Christ. However, what Peter taught is not just applicable for wives with non-believing husbands, but they apply also when the husband is a believer. The command for the husband is likewise applicable up to today. However, as I studied on the passage, I found that the commands given to the wives can very well apply to husbands and they should take note of these. Therefore, what I have done is to classify the commands for both husbands and wives to three general commands that we all need to pay attention to as well as put them to action.
Before I get to the main points of today's message, I would like for us to look at a phrase that occurs in both verse 1 and verse 7. That phrase is “in the same way.” What is the significance of this phrase such that it is used to introduce the commands for both husbands and wives? The phrase is actually a reference to the last portion of Chapter 2 where Peter wrote about Jesus Christ and how he was humble, how he refused to retaliate against those who wronged Him, and how he trusted God completely throughout his suffering. Peter was saying to both husbands and wives that they were to have the same humility as what Jesus had, they were to never think of getting even when their spouses wrong them, and they were to completely trust the Lord as the one who can make their marriages work out. So, let's look now at what Peter commanded both husbands and wives to do and learn how we who are married can apply these commands, and for the singles, how you can properly prepare for married life someday.
For a marriage to work there must be . . .
I. Respect for Each Other
There needs to be respect flowing freely between husbands and wives if they want their marriage to work. However, the manifestation of respect from husband to wife and vice versa are different. For a wife, the way to show respect to her husband is actually to submit to the husband. This is very much in line with what Paul taught in Ephesians and Colossians. Now, submission should be taken to mean blind obedience nor should it mean that the wife becomes inferior; instead, submission is, in the words of a Bible commentator, “voluntary selflessness.” The wife puts to death whatever pride she may have in her achievements and even her intellectual superiority and instead chooses to serve and be under the leadership of her husband. It is a submission grounded, not in fear, but in love.
When these wives became believers, I am sure they have heard the teaching that, in Christ, there is no difference whether male or female, whether slave or free. This was a radical teaching for a society where the male figure was deemed as being superior over the female, where the slave is subject to the mercy of the master. They were probably tempted to assert their rights, their newfound freedom in Christ. However, any such attempt to voice out this radical truth about freedom in Christ would surely cause violent reactions amongst the husbands and would bring about a rejection of the Gospel truth as well as probable punishment of the wife for defying him. While it is true that all in Christ are equal, God has still set in place that the husband be the head of the family and everyone in it is to support him and follow his lead. It is not a question of equality but a question of authority, that the husband is ordained by God as having leadership over the family. Therefore, the wife must submit to the husband, but she must do so because she chooses to and not simply because she is forced to. Peter's command to the wives apply not only to non-believing husbands but also, and all the more, to believing husbands.
Now, this submission on the part of the wives actually has a powerful influence on the unbelieving husbands as they see their wives behaving in such a way that they are affirmed as men and that they are accorded the respect that they need. Let's face it men, we need affirmation and respect, and when our wives give it to us without reservation, this somehow lifts us up. Even if a wife is more intelligent and probably more capable as a leader than her husband, if she willingly gives the husband the respect due him as the leader of the family, then this gives her husband a lot of affirmation and averts any feeling of resentment.
Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, cited that her mother, who was a believer, won her husband to the Lord primarily through her good conduct. Of course, by all means, believing wives should mention the Gospel to their non-believing husbands, but let your action speak louder. Maybe there are some here whose husbands do not yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you want so badly for them to become believers; well, Peter makes clear that we can win them to Christ by submitting to them, by giving them the affirmation and respect that is rightly due them, by our good conduct. I hope you will submit out of love to your husbands.
Now, respect needs to be shown also by husbands to their wives. In verse 7 Peter instructed the husbands to be considerate towards their wives and to treat them with respect since they are the weaker partner. Why were wives called the weaker partner? It is because women generally are physically weaker compared to men. They are also considered weaker because of how women are unfairly accorded a lower status by society.
What did Peter mean when he instructed the husbands to be considerate towards their wives? The word, as defined by the dictionary, means that one must be careful not to cause inconvenience or hurt to another person. In a more practical light, what it means is that the husband must treat their wives gently and must be sensitive to their feelings. Back during Peter's time, some husbands were anything but gentle towards their wives. According to Cato, a typical ancient Roman, he wrote: “If you were to catch your wife in an act of infidelity, you can kill her with impunity without a trial.” Egnatius beat his wife to death when he found her drinking wine. Sulpicius Gallus dismissed his wife because she had once appeared in the streets without a veil. Publius Sempronius Sophus divorced his wife because she went to watch the public games. This was how men treated their wives. It was their “privilege” and they were not expected to live up to any particular responsibility towards their wives. However, the Christian ethic does not operate in such a way but places an obligation upon the husband to be considerate. In Ephesians, Paul commanded husbands to love their wives with sacrificial love. For Peter, he doesn't use the word “love” but his thoughts are the same as those of Paul. To be considerate means that he must be understanding, chivalrous, and remember that she is very much equal with him in the sight of God.
So, do you want a marriage that works? Begin by exercising respect for each other. Wives, submit to the leadership of your husbands. Husbands, be considerate towards your wives.
II. Purity of Life
For a marriage to work, there needs to be purity of life found in both husband and wife. Although this phrase was used by Peter specifically for the wives, I believe that this should apply to both, considering that we live in an age where people have become more perverse; where both husbands and wives can get entangled in forbidden affairs; where there is so much trash circulating not only in print and on TV and movies but also in the virtual world of the internet.
When one talks of purity, two ideas should come to mind. The first is chastity. Chastity, simply defined, is to refrain from engaging in extramarital affair for a married person, or in immorality, in the case of single people. In Hebrews 13:4 we read “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled.” Sex is good when it is exercised within the proper boundary of marriage; but outside that boundary, sex becomes an affair or immorality. Now, chastity is not just about refraining from engagement in sex outside of marriage, it is also about keeping one's mind free from the things in the world that pollutes our minds and would surely affect our marriage and how we view our spouses and people in general. I'm not just talking about pornography but I'm also referring to what we watch in TV and in movies, what we read in magazines and books as well as browse on the internet. Many materials are not classified as pornography but they treat sex as something people can casually engage in without consequence. Jesus warned that if we look at a person and begin thinking of lustful thoughts, we are already committing adultery (Matthew 5:27 – 30). Brothers and sisters, let us keep ourselves chaste. Its true, we live in a time when many are saying “everyone's doing it” and “it feels right”, but our God is a holy God and he expects us to live holy lives, nothing less.
The second aspect of purity is fidelity. What it simply means is “be faithful” or to “be devoted to one”. In a marriage, it means you must put your spouse as first and foremost in the order of all your human relationships. You must never allow anyone else or anything to come in the way of your marriage relationship. Some spouses will, never in their lifetime, commit adultery against their partners, but they will be unfaithful to them by paying more attention to their careers, their hobbies, their sports, more than their spouses. They want to spend more time being with their friends rather than with their spouses. They spend too much time in the office and the house becomes nothing more than a hotel where they come home to sleep, eat breakfast and then be gone for the rest of the day, not returning until its late in the evening. If you want to make your marriage work, you have to focus on your relationship with each other as being top priority, second only to your relationship with God. Set time to be with each other, do things together.
Purity, that is what is so badly needed in marriage. There has to be chastity as well as faithfulness. Without purity, a marriage will never last long.
III. Focus on Inner Beauty
Finally, if we want to make our marriage work, we have to learn to focus on the inner beauty of our spouses rather than dwelling on their outward appearances. Peter was talking to the wives when he told them not to become preoccupied with making themselves outwardly beautiful. Why were the wives spending so much time and money making themselves outwardly attractive? According to a scholar, it was because in the ancient world women had no part in public life, they had nothing to pass their time. For that reason, it was sometimes argued that the women must be allowed to indulge in dress and adornment. They needed to make themselves beautiful so that their husbands would love them and keep them.
What was the extent of beautification of ancient women? Check out Isaiah 3:18-24 and you will be surprised at what women in the past wore. In the Greek and Roman world, women were known for sporting different hairstyles, wearing wigs, putting on hairbands, pins and combs made of ivory, tortoise shell and gold studded with gems. Some women wore expensive pearl earrings such as the wife of Julius Caesar, whose pearl earrings were estimated to be worth £ 65,250, or the wife of Caligula wore a dress covered with pearls and emeralds costing £ 450,000. Even Christian women were guilty of focusing too much on outward beauty because archaeologists found blonde wigs inside Christian catacombs, an indication that some of the worshippers were extravagant in adorning themselves with the most expensive of fashion.
The same is true today. A lot of wives who have the means will spend so much time and money making themselves look attractive so that their husbands will love them. This explains why businesses like high-end salons, clothing stores, jewelry shops and beauty enhancement centers make tons of money. Now, the husbands aren't exactly that better. Some husbands may insist on buying the most expensive clothes, accessories and even visit a skin care doctor and center and say that its an “investment” that will ensure grabbing that high-paying job or make sure that their wives will still love them. Others will buy that expensive car or watch thinking that it makes him cool and attractive. As followers of Jesus Christ, what is more important is what's inside of us. Do we manifest the Fruit of the Holy Spirit? Can people say that they see Jesus Christ through us? Now, Peter is not saying that we should neglect our physical appearance nor are we prohibited from buying an expensive car or watch, but what he is saying is that physical beauty should take a backseat to inner beauty. Physical beauty fades because we're going to get wrinkles, we're going to wear bifocals, we're going to lose our teeth and what have you, but inner beauty will last.
So, we should first of all cultivate in our lives those things that make us beautiful inside – the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. Then we should look at other people in the same light. We look at what is inside them. When both husband and wife are working on their inner beauty, can you just imagine how wonderful and lasting that marriage is going to be? The same should be true for those who are planning to enter into an exclusive relationship; don't fall in love just because the other person is beautiful physically, but look at the inner beauty of the person, their character, their desire and striving to be like the Lord Jesus. Inner beauty, according to Peter, was the element that would win an unbelieving husband to Christ. Its the same thing that will make a marriage work. You want a marriage that will last? Then be beautiful inside and look for that same beauty in your spouse.
Conclusion:
At the start of my message, I talked about the high rate of divorce in the States. What I did not mention was that even Christians in the States were divorcing at the same rate. 50% of Christian marriages are ending in divorce. This is a painful statistic. If only Christian couples can learn to respect each other, live pure lives for each other, and focus on building their inner beauty and looking at the inner beauty of their partners, then I am sure that there would way lesser divorces taking place.
To all the couples here, my prayer for us all is that we will heed Peter's word and give our best effort to make our marriages work. To all the singles here, one day you will most likely consider marriage and even before that day comes, I hope you will all commit that when you do get married, you will follow Peter's teachings on making marriage work. God wants marriages to last, not end in divorce and separation. Let's make marriage work so that we fulfill God's original intention for marriage and bring glory to Him.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Absolute Standard - GGC, September 12, 2010
The Absolute Standard
1 Peter 1:13 – 2:3
Introduction:
I am sure that many of you have noticed business and educational establishments putting up signs saying that they are “ISO certified”. We may wonder, what does that mean? Well, ISO is actually an organization, the International Organization for Standardization, and it is composed of 163 countries, of which the Philippines is part of. This non-profit organization design standards for virtually every known industry and processes. At present, there are 18,000 international standards that covers areas like manufacturing, construction, information and communication technologies as well as good management practices. But why spend so much time studying and designing standards for different industries? It is because set standards ensure high quality, the sharing of innovation among those belonging to the same industry as well as providing solutions to common problems encountered within a given industry by referring to manuals furnished by the organization. For the consumers, like most of us, it means that products designed and manufactured by an ISO certified company will be safer, reliable and of high quality as well as being environmentally friendly. When industries do not comply to set international standards and do things their own way, we, as consumers, suffer the most. If companies like Nokia and Samsung, makers of cellular phones, did not conform to the standards set by ISO, our phones would probably have high radiation, there would probably be poisonous components leaking out. If car companies like Toyota and Honda do not conform to the international standards for safety, there would probably be no safety devices installed and we would have to drive at our own risk. If there is no standardization for street signs, then if I were to drive in another country, I would never be able to understand the street sign and I would get into an accident.
Aside from ISO certification, our country also has other standards set in order to protect the consumers. For example, when we buy purified water from a refilling station, you will see posted in front of the refilling station a document attesting that the water has been tested and found to be within the allowable limits for coliform. This limit is set by the government to ensure that the water we buy and consume from a refilling station is clean enough to drink. When we buy a light bulb, we find a seal printed in front ensuring that the bulb conforms to government standards for safety and quality, meaning it won't break in just a few hours of use nor will it become a cause of electrical fire. Certain organizations also have their internal standards such as the computer softwares that is to be used by everyone; schools require students to submit their term papers according to set margins as well as to the size of the paper itself. Even in our own families, we have certain standards that are set such as the allowable amount of time a child can watch TV or play computer games or the curfew set for one to be home by night time. In competitive sports, the coach sets a high standard because the goal is to win the gold medal during competitions. Standards are important; without them, people will just live life anyway they want, companies will cut a lot of corners to make more money at the expense of our safety and health.
The same is true for us as followers of Jesus Christ. There is a set standard that we are all supposed to follow and conform to. What exactly is this standard? I believe it is very clear to us not only in this passage but throughout the Bible that the set standard for believers of Christ is nothing less than holiness. It is the absolute standard and there can be no compromise in this area. This morning, as we continue our study on 1 Peter, we will look at the Christian's rightful response to the awesomeness of God's saving work which we've learned last Sunday from Rev. Go's clear exposition. We will examine Peter's rationale for why we should be holy as well as his practical suggestions for keeping ourselves holy.
Now, what exactly is holiness? Sadly, many people have wrong ideas about holiness. When they hear the word “holiness” or “holy”, they think of stained-glass windows or they think of hymn books and church pews as against Praise and Worship songs and individual chairs. When they hear the word “holiness” or “holy”, they think of people who come to church well-dressed and clutching in their arms a big Bible, who never enter inside a theatre or cinema, who spend so much time in church, being swamped in church activities, being a member in almost every church and para-church board. Holiness is not about the objects or things inside the church sanctuary, although these things would be classified as “holy” because they are dedicated to the Lord's use; holiness is not about external religiosity, whether a person is carrying a huge Bible or is using a cellphone Bible, or about entering a cinema or refraining from doing so. Holiness has little to do with being a member of a church or para-church board. So, what exactly is holiness? Simply defined, holiness is all about conformity to God's standards in terms of our thought, morality and conduct, as well as the living of a dedicated life, where we are loyal to God alone and we do not allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of the world and by sin.
Now that we have a working definition of holiness, let's examine today's passage more closely and we will answer two questions. The first question that we will answer is “Why be holy?”, while the second question is more practical, “How can we be holy?”. Both questions are actually answered by the apostle Peter in today's passage.
WHY BE HOLY?
If you still remember last Sunday's message, Rev. Go spoke about the awesomeness of salvation. We know that our salvation was in God's plan even before the world was created. We learned that our salvation was not simply the work of the Lord Jesus but it was the work of the Trinity. We also learned that the Lord Jesus paid for our salvation through the shedding of his blood. It is in light of this great and awesome salvation that we possess by grace that Peter now exhorts us to be holy. We find this continuity in the very first word of verse 13 – the word therefore.
Peter cites four reasons why we must be holy. What are these reasons? Let's look at each of them. I have arranged them, not according to the order of the verses, but according to what I believe to be of top priority.
Reason # 1: We Must Be Holy Because Our God Is Holy (1:15-16)
The first, and we could say, the foremost reason why we must be holy is because our God is a holy God. In 1 Peter 1:15-16, Peter quotes an Old Testament passage that was often repeated by the Lord himself. The Lord God commanded the people of Israel, “Be holy, because I am holy.” These words were recorded in Leviticus 11:44 – 45, 19:2 and 20:7 and they are words that came from the mouth of God himself.
In essence, Peter is reminding us that holiness is an essential aspect of God's character. He is not alone in testifying about the holiness of God. If you searched for the word “holy” throughout the Bible, you will find that this word is often attributed to God himself. The warrior-leader Joshua, before his death, mentioned to the people that the Lord is a holy God (Joshua 24:19). When Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord's service, she mentioned in her prayer that there is none holy like the Lord (1 Samuel 2:2). David, in Psalm 71:22, calls God the Holy One of Israel. When Isaiah had a vision of the throne of God, he heard the angels declaring God as holy (Isaiah 6:3). There are so many verses in the Bible that mention God as being holy, too many in fact to mention in our short time together; but it should leave us beyond a shadow of a doubt that holiness is a key aspect of God's character, one that should never be taken lightly.
If we claim that the Lord is indeed our God, our master, our king, and our Father, then we who say that we are his children, those whom God has called unto salvation by grace through faith, must be like Him. God's people must be characterized by what God is like. God's children must behave like the Father. God's servants must do the bidding of the Master. He is calling us to be holy. If He is truly our God, our master, our king and our Heavenly Father, we must then be like Him, especially in the aspect of holiness. Now, God's expectation for us to become holy doesn't mean that we become sinless for the rest of our lives, because that is an impossibility; however, his command for holiness does mean that we should do what we can to live a holy life, and that is what we will look closely into later when we answer the second question, “How can we be holy?”
Reason # 2: We Must Be Holy Because Jesus Paid A Costly Price To Save Us (1:18-21)
The second reason why we must be holy should be because of our gratitude for what the Lord Jesus did for us just to save us. In verses 18 to 21, Peter wrote that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This stands in contrast to two precious metals mentioned: gold and silver. We all know that both these metals are precious in terms of monetary value. I checked with CNNMoney.com to see how much these two metals are worth nowadays and I discovered that one troy ounce or 31.1 grams of gold is currently worth US$ 1,257.30, while silver is worth US$ 19.88 per troy ounce. To make this easier to understand, let us use one kilogram as our basis of computation. There are 32.15 troy ounces in one kilogram. This means a kilo of gold is currently worth US$ 40,422.19 while a kilo of silver is worth US$ 639.14. Now, how much gold and silver do you think does the world have? We are probably talking about US$ 5 Trillion worth of gold and US$ 4 Billion worth of silver. That is a lot of money but they are nothing compared to the worth of the shed blood of Jesus Christ! In fact, you could take everything that has worth in this world – oil, diamonds, gems, natural resources and money – and they will still be nothing compared to the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Why? It is because Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the co-Creator of this world. It is God himself in the person of Jesus who shed his own blood in order to redeem us. All the silver and gold, all the precious material resources that we now possess are merely his creations. They are of no worth in comparison to the Creator himself.
Because Jesus paid very dearly in order to redeem us from sin and give us new life, don't you think that we need to respond with thankfulness not only in our words and in our worship but also by choosing to live a holy life? He deserves nothing less than our very best. That very best is our willingness to live the holy life every day.
Reason # 3: We Must Be Holy Because We Have Already Been Transformed (1:14)
Thirdly, we must be holy because we have already been transformed. In 1:14, Peter described his readers as being “obedient children”. According to the apostle Paul, in his letter to Titus, prior to our being saved by God, we were disobedient (Titus 3:3). I believe Peter, when he addressed his readers as being obedient, recognized that a transformation has already taken place in them. Those who have been saved by God's grace through faith in Christ have gone through a transformation, from sinner to saint, from ungodly to righteous, from profane to holy, from disobedient to obedient. Therefore, since every true believer has already been transformed, then it is but fitting that they should behave according to their new position. We should not contradict what is true or real about us by doing that which goes against our nature. Since God has called us holy, then we must strive to live the holy life, in keeping with our new nature. I will not elaborate too much on this reason as this has often been preached and reiterated – that our behavior and speech must be consistent with our identity in Jesus Christ.
Reason # 4: We Must Be Holy Because We Will Be Judged By God (1:17)
The fourth reason why we should be holy is because we will face judgment for how we live out our Christian conviction. We find this thought in verse 17 where Peter states that the Heavenly Father will judge each person's work impartially, thus we are all to live with reverent fear towards God.
Whether we like it or not, we will stand before the Judgment Seat. While every true Christian need not fear condemnation, this does not mean that we will escape judgment. We will still be judged based on what we have done for the Lord and given appropriate rewards. If we live with holiness in mind, we will be repaid back by the Lord accordingly. If we live our lives on earth recklessly, then we will be repaid back according to what we have done. If we read 1 Corinthians 3, we will find that Christians will be judged for how they built their lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. If they use poor materials, meaning if they did not live their lives in order to please God fully, then it will be consumed by fires of judgment. We will still be saved but we will be like one who barely escaped from the flames. Our God is not just our Heavenly Father; He is also the Righteous Judge. We should respect and fear Him by doing what He wants, so that we will not be judged harshly on the Judgment Day.
HOW CAN WE BE HOLY?
Peter has just cited four reasons why we must be holy. Thankfully, he doesn't end merely with reasons for holiness but he also gave some practical ways in which we can be holy. I see four ways we can exercise holiness in our given passage. In the interest of time, we will not elaborate too much on each point but I hope we can the see practicality of Peter's letter for us in the area of holiness.
A. We Can Be Holy Through What We Think (1:13)
At the very start of today's passage, Peter commanded the believers to be holy through what they they think. First, he instructed the believers to prepare their minds for action. In other words, they must use their God-given faculty of thinking and even imagination, not for self-indulgence and lustful thoughts, but for thinking of what they can do to please God. He also commanded the believers to be self-controlled. Self-control is very much a function of one's mind. We are not helpless victims of circumstances but we can choose to do that which is right rather than yield to sin. Holiness can come about through our thinking and the corresponding action that comes from our sanctified thinking.
B. We Can Be Holy Through Obedience To The Truth (1:22)
The second way in which we can be holy is through our obedience of the Word of God. The Word of God is not just a book containing facts about God; it is a book with instructions and commands to be obeyed. The Bible is not a book of useless facts but it is the book that contains practical truths that will help us become holy. When Jesus was about to be betrayed, he spent time praying for his disciples. In his prayer, he asked the Father to sanctify or to make holy the disciples by the truth (John 17:17). This becomes possible when the disciples are ever obeying the truth. You see, the more we obey what Scripture says, the more we are agreeing that the Scripture is true; this makes us conform to the truth, resulting in our becoming holy. Holiness comes about when we seriously obey God's Word, and the highest gauge of holiness is how we treat or love one another. When we sincerely love one another, we will not do anything that would harm others or cause them to stumble.
C. We Can Be Holy By Getting Rid of Sinful Desires (2:1)
The third way in which we can be holy is to get rid of our sinful desires. Peter specifically mentioned five sinful desires – Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy and Slander. All of these have to do with our inner motives when dealing with other people. All these things surface through our actions. So, how can we get rid of these? Again, our inner self is purified by obedience to the truth and by sincerely loving one another. Think well of others and do not allow your selfishness to get the better of you.
D. We Can Be Holy By Craving for Spiritual Nourishment (2:2 – 3)
Finally, we can be holy by an ever growing desire for the Word of God. The Word of God here is described by Peter as being pure spiritual milk. When we continuously saturate our minds with the Word of God, through reading, studying, memorizing and meditating, we will find that our thinking and our actions will be guided by the Word of God, thus causing spiritual maturity and holiness. This fourth way is actually the foundation for all the other ways listed above. By saturating ourselves with the Word, it will affect the way we think; it will tell us what is the truth and that we should obey it; and it will be a mirror for us to check if we are effectively getting rid of our sinful desires.
CONCLUSION:
Holiness – this is the absolute standard of God. This is what He expects from us. We know the reasons why we have to be holy. We have also received practical instructions on how to exercise holiness. My prayer for all of us is that we will pursue God's standard for our lives. Stop comparing yourself with others and think that you're doing well spiritually; instead, start looking at God and His Word and see where you've fallen short and then start aiming to be holy. We will never be perfectly holy in our actions and speech but God wants us to keep aiming for holiness. It is not perfection that He expects from us, but faithfulness. So, let us faithfully aim to be holy.
1 Peter 1:13 – 2:3
Introduction:
I am sure that many of you have noticed business and educational establishments putting up signs saying that they are “ISO certified”. We may wonder, what does that mean? Well, ISO is actually an organization, the International Organization for Standardization, and it is composed of 163 countries, of which the Philippines is part of. This non-profit organization design standards for virtually every known industry and processes. At present, there are 18,000 international standards that covers areas like manufacturing, construction, information and communication technologies as well as good management practices. But why spend so much time studying and designing standards for different industries? It is because set standards ensure high quality, the sharing of innovation among those belonging to the same industry as well as providing solutions to common problems encountered within a given industry by referring to manuals furnished by the organization. For the consumers, like most of us, it means that products designed and manufactured by an ISO certified company will be safer, reliable and of high quality as well as being environmentally friendly. When industries do not comply to set international standards and do things their own way, we, as consumers, suffer the most. If companies like Nokia and Samsung, makers of cellular phones, did not conform to the standards set by ISO, our phones would probably have high radiation, there would probably be poisonous components leaking out. If car companies like Toyota and Honda do not conform to the international standards for safety, there would probably be no safety devices installed and we would have to drive at our own risk. If there is no standardization for street signs, then if I were to drive in another country, I would never be able to understand the street sign and I would get into an accident.
Aside from ISO certification, our country also has other standards set in order to protect the consumers. For example, when we buy purified water from a refilling station, you will see posted in front of the refilling station a document attesting that the water has been tested and found to be within the allowable limits for coliform. This limit is set by the government to ensure that the water we buy and consume from a refilling station is clean enough to drink. When we buy a light bulb, we find a seal printed in front ensuring that the bulb conforms to government standards for safety and quality, meaning it won't break in just a few hours of use nor will it become a cause of electrical fire. Certain organizations also have their internal standards such as the computer softwares that is to be used by everyone; schools require students to submit their term papers according to set margins as well as to the size of the paper itself. Even in our own families, we have certain standards that are set such as the allowable amount of time a child can watch TV or play computer games or the curfew set for one to be home by night time. In competitive sports, the coach sets a high standard because the goal is to win the gold medal during competitions. Standards are important; without them, people will just live life anyway they want, companies will cut a lot of corners to make more money at the expense of our safety and health.
The same is true for us as followers of Jesus Christ. There is a set standard that we are all supposed to follow and conform to. What exactly is this standard? I believe it is very clear to us not only in this passage but throughout the Bible that the set standard for believers of Christ is nothing less than holiness. It is the absolute standard and there can be no compromise in this area. This morning, as we continue our study on 1 Peter, we will look at the Christian's rightful response to the awesomeness of God's saving work which we've learned last Sunday from Rev. Go's clear exposition. We will examine Peter's rationale for why we should be holy as well as his practical suggestions for keeping ourselves holy.
Now, what exactly is holiness? Sadly, many people have wrong ideas about holiness. When they hear the word “holiness” or “holy”, they think of stained-glass windows or they think of hymn books and church pews as against Praise and Worship songs and individual chairs. When they hear the word “holiness” or “holy”, they think of people who come to church well-dressed and clutching in their arms a big Bible, who never enter inside a theatre or cinema, who spend so much time in church, being swamped in church activities, being a member in almost every church and para-church board. Holiness is not about the objects or things inside the church sanctuary, although these things would be classified as “holy” because they are dedicated to the Lord's use; holiness is not about external religiosity, whether a person is carrying a huge Bible or is using a cellphone Bible, or about entering a cinema or refraining from doing so. Holiness has little to do with being a member of a church or para-church board. So, what exactly is holiness? Simply defined, holiness is all about conformity to God's standards in terms of our thought, morality and conduct, as well as the living of a dedicated life, where we are loyal to God alone and we do not allow ourselves to be distracted by the things of the world and by sin.
Now that we have a working definition of holiness, let's examine today's passage more closely and we will answer two questions. The first question that we will answer is “Why be holy?”, while the second question is more practical, “How can we be holy?”. Both questions are actually answered by the apostle Peter in today's passage.
WHY BE HOLY?
If you still remember last Sunday's message, Rev. Go spoke about the awesomeness of salvation. We know that our salvation was in God's plan even before the world was created. We learned that our salvation was not simply the work of the Lord Jesus but it was the work of the Trinity. We also learned that the Lord Jesus paid for our salvation through the shedding of his blood. It is in light of this great and awesome salvation that we possess by grace that Peter now exhorts us to be holy. We find this continuity in the very first word of verse 13 – the word therefore.
Peter cites four reasons why we must be holy. What are these reasons? Let's look at each of them. I have arranged them, not according to the order of the verses, but according to what I believe to be of top priority.
Reason # 1: We Must Be Holy Because Our God Is Holy (1:15-16)
The first, and we could say, the foremost reason why we must be holy is because our God is a holy God. In 1 Peter 1:15-16, Peter quotes an Old Testament passage that was often repeated by the Lord himself. The Lord God commanded the people of Israel, “Be holy, because I am holy.” These words were recorded in Leviticus 11:44 – 45, 19:2 and 20:7 and they are words that came from the mouth of God himself.
In essence, Peter is reminding us that holiness is an essential aspect of God's character. He is not alone in testifying about the holiness of God. If you searched for the word “holy” throughout the Bible, you will find that this word is often attributed to God himself. The warrior-leader Joshua, before his death, mentioned to the people that the Lord is a holy God (Joshua 24:19). When Hannah dedicated Samuel to the Lord's service, she mentioned in her prayer that there is none holy like the Lord (1 Samuel 2:2). David, in Psalm 71:22, calls God the Holy One of Israel. When Isaiah had a vision of the throne of God, he heard the angels declaring God as holy (Isaiah 6:3). There are so many verses in the Bible that mention God as being holy, too many in fact to mention in our short time together; but it should leave us beyond a shadow of a doubt that holiness is a key aspect of God's character, one that should never be taken lightly.
If we claim that the Lord is indeed our God, our master, our king, and our Father, then we who say that we are his children, those whom God has called unto salvation by grace through faith, must be like Him. God's people must be characterized by what God is like. God's children must behave like the Father. God's servants must do the bidding of the Master. He is calling us to be holy. If He is truly our God, our master, our king and our Heavenly Father, we must then be like Him, especially in the aspect of holiness. Now, God's expectation for us to become holy doesn't mean that we become sinless for the rest of our lives, because that is an impossibility; however, his command for holiness does mean that we should do what we can to live a holy life, and that is what we will look closely into later when we answer the second question, “How can we be holy?”
Reason # 2: We Must Be Holy Because Jesus Paid A Costly Price To Save Us (1:18-21)
The second reason why we must be holy should be because of our gratitude for what the Lord Jesus did for us just to save us. In verses 18 to 21, Peter wrote that we were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This stands in contrast to two precious metals mentioned: gold and silver. We all know that both these metals are precious in terms of monetary value. I checked with CNNMoney.com to see how much these two metals are worth nowadays and I discovered that one troy ounce or 31.1 grams of gold is currently worth US$ 1,257.30, while silver is worth US$ 19.88 per troy ounce. To make this easier to understand, let us use one kilogram as our basis of computation. There are 32.15 troy ounces in one kilogram. This means a kilo of gold is currently worth US$ 40,422.19 while a kilo of silver is worth US$ 639.14. Now, how much gold and silver do you think does the world have? We are probably talking about US$ 5 Trillion worth of gold and US$ 4 Billion worth of silver. That is a lot of money but they are nothing compared to the worth of the shed blood of Jesus Christ! In fact, you could take everything that has worth in this world – oil, diamonds, gems, natural resources and money – and they will still be nothing compared to the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Why? It is because Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, the co-Creator of this world. It is God himself in the person of Jesus who shed his own blood in order to redeem us. All the silver and gold, all the precious material resources that we now possess are merely his creations. They are of no worth in comparison to the Creator himself.
Because Jesus paid very dearly in order to redeem us from sin and give us new life, don't you think that we need to respond with thankfulness not only in our words and in our worship but also by choosing to live a holy life? He deserves nothing less than our very best. That very best is our willingness to live the holy life every day.
Reason # 3: We Must Be Holy Because We Have Already Been Transformed (1:14)
Thirdly, we must be holy because we have already been transformed. In 1:14, Peter described his readers as being “obedient children”. According to the apostle Paul, in his letter to Titus, prior to our being saved by God, we were disobedient (Titus 3:3). I believe Peter, when he addressed his readers as being obedient, recognized that a transformation has already taken place in them. Those who have been saved by God's grace through faith in Christ have gone through a transformation, from sinner to saint, from ungodly to righteous, from profane to holy, from disobedient to obedient. Therefore, since every true believer has already been transformed, then it is but fitting that they should behave according to their new position. We should not contradict what is true or real about us by doing that which goes against our nature. Since God has called us holy, then we must strive to live the holy life, in keeping with our new nature. I will not elaborate too much on this reason as this has often been preached and reiterated – that our behavior and speech must be consistent with our identity in Jesus Christ.
Reason # 4: We Must Be Holy Because We Will Be Judged By God (1:17)
The fourth reason why we should be holy is because we will face judgment for how we live out our Christian conviction. We find this thought in verse 17 where Peter states that the Heavenly Father will judge each person's work impartially, thus we are all to live with reverent fear towards God.
Whether we like it or not, we will stand before the Judgment Seat. While every true Christian need not fear condemnation, this does not mean that we will escape judgment. We will still be judged based on what we have done for the Lord and given appropriate rewards. If we live with holiness in mind, we will be repaid back by the Lord accordingly. If we live our lives on earth recklessly, then we will be repaid back according to what we have done. If we read 1 Corinthians 3, we will find that Christians will be judged for how they built their lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. If they use poor materials, meaning if they did not live their lives in order to please God fully, then it will be consumed by fires of judgment. We will still be saved but we will be like one who barely escaped from the flames. Our God is not just our Heavenly Father; He is also the Righteous Judge. We should respect and fear Him by doing what He wants, so that we will not be judged harshly on the Judgment Day.
HOW CAN WE BE HOLY?
Peter has just cited four reasons why we must be holy. Thankfully, he doesn't end merely with reasons for holiness but he also gave some practical ways in which we can be holy. I see four ways we can exercise holiness in our given passage. In the interest of time, we will not elaborate too much on each point but I hope we can the see practicality of Peter's letter for us in the area of holiness.
A. We Can Be Holy Through What We Think (1:13)
At the very start of today's passage, Peter commanded the believers to be holy through what they they think. First, he instructed the believers to prepare their minds for action. In other words, they must use their God-given faculty of thinking and even imagination, not for self-indulgence and lustful thoughts, but for thinking of what they can do to please God. He also commanded the believers to be self-controlled. Self-control is very much a function of one's mind. We are not helpless victims of circumstances but we can choose to do that which is right rather than yield to sin. Holiness can come about through our thinking and the corresponding action that comes from our sanctified thinking.
B. We Can Be Holy Through Obedience To The Truth (1:22)
The second way in which we can be holy is through our obedience of the Word of God. The Word of God is not just a book containing facts about God; it is a book with instructions and commands to be obeyed. The Bible is not a book of useless facts but it is the book that contains practical truths that will help us become holy. When Jesus was about to be betrayed, he spent time praying for his disciples. In his prayer, he asked the Father to sanctify or to make holy the disciples by the truth (John 17:17). This becomes possible when the disciples are ever obeying the truth. You see, the more we obey what Scripture says, the more we are agreeing that the Scripture is true; this makes us conform to the truth, resulting in our becoming holy. Holiness comes about when we seriously obey God's Word, and the highest gauge of holiness is how we treat or love one another. When we sincerely love one another, we will not do anything that would harm others or cause them to stumble.
C. We Can Be Holy By Getting Rid of Sinful Desires (2:1)
The third way in which we can be holy is to get rid of our sinful desires. Peter specifically mentioned five sinful desires – Malice, Deceit, Hypocrisy, Envy and Slander. All of these have to do with our inner motives when dealing with other people. All these things surface through our actions. So, how can we get rid of these? Again, our inner self is purified by obedience to the truth and by sincerely loving one another. Think well of others and do not allow your selfishness to get the better of you.
D. We Can Be Holy By Craving for Spiritual Nourishment (2:2 – 3)
Finally, we can be holy by an ever growing desire for the Word of God. The Word of God here is described by Peter as being pure spiritual milk. When we continuously saturate our minds with the Word of God, through reading, studying, memorizing and meditating, we will find that our thinking and our actions will be guided by the Word of God, thus causing spiritual maturity and holiness. This fourth way is actually the foundation for all the other ways listed above. By saturating ourselves with the Word, it will affect the way we think; it will tell us what is the truth and that we should obey it; and it will be a mirror for us to check if we are effectively getting rid of our sinful desires.
CONCLUSION:
Holiness – this is the absolute standard of God. This is what He expects from us. We know the reasons why we have to be holy. We have also received practical instructions on how to exercise holiness. My prayer for all of us is that we will pursue God's standard for our lives. Stop comparing yourself with others and think that you're doing well spiritually; instead, start looking at God and His Word and see where you've fallen short and then start aiming to be holy. We will never be perfectly holy in our actions and speech but God wants us to keep aiming for holiness. It is not perfection that He expects from us, but faithfulness. So, let us faithfully aim to be holy.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Difference Maker - Preached at GGC, August 15, 2010
The Difference Maker
Romans 8:1 – 17
Introduction:
How often have you heard of the phrase, “difference maker” used in everyday life? I'm sure this is a phrase we are all familiar with. In fact, we often hear this phrase when it is used to describe a person who has done something that brought about a certain outcome. I'm sure also that we know of people from history or even people who are our contemporaries who are making a solid impact on our society or to whatever sphere we may belong to, be it the business world or in our schools. The term is even used in sports when a player or a certain circumstance affects the outcome of the game.
One difference maker that I was impressed with is a man named Illac Diaz. During our MBA class in marketing, my professor invited Illac Diaz to come share about his work. I was impressed with what he was doing to help the poor communities in the Philippines. His invention, the pedal-powered peanut shelling machine, is being used by poor rural communities to uplift their livelihood. Normally, when the women, children and the elderly are tasked to peel peanuts, they can only do a kilo an hour. However, Illac's machine enabled the people to peel from 27 to 50 kilos in an hour! The machine costs only PHP 3,000.00, making it an attractive and viable equipment for small peanut farmers. He has also invented a pedal-powered washing machine and dryer which can be used by the poor in urban communities for engaging in the laundry business.
Illac is also engaged in studying ways to build houses and school buildings using non-conventional methods (hollow blocks, G.I. Sheets). Thus far, he has built 25 three-room school building in Siargao using the Earthbag Construction System, costing only PHP 150,000.00 to complete each school building. He is also experimenting with PET bottles as a building material for low cost school buildings.
Another difference maker is the winner of the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida who is providing free education for poor children living in trash dumps and cemeteries using unconventional means, namely, through a pushcart. As a child, Efren experienced poverty, having lived in the slum areas of Cavite. He could have ended up like many children who live in the slums – hopeless, becoming a member of a street gang. However, he was chosen by World Vision as one of their sponsored children and this led him to achieve academic excellence as well as instill in him a desire to help the poor of Cavite by providing them with free education.
Efren Peñaflorida's work is slowly bearing fruit as former drug pushers and petty thieves have been reformed through their projects and now serve as volunteers of Efren's organization. Former scavengers of trash are now enrolled in schools. Some children who remain unschooled were able to learn how to read and write through the pushcart classrooms. Thousands of children have been reached and helped by his work.
For me, Illac Diaz and Efren Peñaflorida are difference-makers, because they are making a positive impact in the lives of many poor people.
Most likely, there is someone who has made a difference in your life, too. Your life may have been going on a tailspin when someone came around and helped you get up on your feet. You may have felt that there was no way out of your situation or dilemma when someone came and pointed the way out for you. That person may have been a family member or a close friend or someone here in church. I'm sure you would call that person a difference maker in your life.
There is someone who is making a difference in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Without him, there can be no success or victory in the Christian life. Who am I talking about? I am not talking about the pastor or the leaders of the church. I am not talking about the Sunday School teacher or the leader of your discipleship group. These people may have contributed something to your spiritual development but they are not the people who ultimately makes the difference in your walk with Christ. The one who makes the difference in your Christian life is none other than the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, the one whom Jesus has called as the Counselor. He is the difference maker in the life of the Christian. How is the Holy Spirit the difference maker in our lives? This morning, as we examine Romans 8:1 – 17, we will find areas in our lives where the Holy Spirit's presence has made all the difference; without him, there would be no way for us to be victorious over sin and live a life that is pleasing to God. But before we continue, we need to understand a few things about the Holy Spirit. Now, we are not entering a formal theology class where the discussion will leave you saying, “huh?”, and your fingers scratching your head. Instead, I will do my best to introduce the Holy Spirit to you in a simple, down-to-earth manner.
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, like in the Star Wars movie where people keep saying “May the Force Be With You”, and where he could be either good or evil – good when used by Luke Skywalker or evil when used by Darth Vader. He is not, as the King James Bible unfortunately calls him, a “ghost” like Casper the Friendly Ghost. Instead, as we've mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity God; he is equal with God but subordinate in terms of function. He is called the Counselor, the one who will teach us and remind us of the teachings of Jesus. The disciples of Jesus were promised power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them in order that they may be effective in spreading the Gospel of Christ. Throughout the Book of Acts, we find the disciples of Christ preaching powerfully and fearlessly through the power of the Holy Spirit. They were able to perform miracles and cast out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. More importantly, the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer, which explains why Paul said that we are the temple or the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and He serves as the mark of God's ownership over our lives.
Well, that's our short theology class on the person of the Holy Spirit. Now, let's see how the Holy Spirit makes a difference in the life of a believer from today's passage.
I. Our Condition
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives means that there is a change in our condition. Check out verses 1 & 2. Here it says, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Because we are in Christ Jesus and we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have already been set free from the power of sin and death. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that forgiveness for our sins is readily available, that we no longer stand as condemned people awaiting the judgment due to sinners. No matter how much the enemy, Satan, may accuse us, we are no longer condemned people. Why? It is because the forgiveness available through the death of Jesus Christ is available for all true believers, as evidenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within Him. This is a lifetime guarantee! Up till the day I die, I stand forgiven before the Lord. I am no longer a sinner condemned to hell, but I am now a Child of God who is loved and cherished by God. The Holy Spirit's presence in my life is the proof that there has already been a change in my condition, from condemnation to righteousness, from sinner to saint.
Our being “in Christ” and having the Holy Spirit in us also means that we are free from the grip of death. Before we trusted in Jesus Christ, death was a reality that haunted us physically, spiritually and eternally. We were figuratively, dead men walking. However, when we came to faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us, we have been freed from the power and grip of death. We are now alive in Christ Jesus. Spiritually, we are now in a right relationship with God. Eternally, we will no longer face condemnation. Physically, we will experience death but this will merely be temporary as we will follow Jesus Christ through the path of resurrection.
That is the first difference the Holy Spirit has brought about in our lives when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior – there is a change in our condition. What this should mean for us is that we should live according to what has been made new in our lives. No longer should we think that we are helpless pawns who would be easily defeated by sin nor should we be afraid of death, because the Holy Spirit has changed our condition.
II. Our Concentration
The second difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives is the change in our concentration. Check out verse 5. Here we read, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desire.” Before we came to Christ, our minds were held captive by our sinful nature and we think only of those things that would please our sinful nature. Now, what benefit did that bring us? It brought us nothing! In fact, when our minds were still held captive by the sinful nature, it resulted in futility and our being trapped in the deadly pattern of sin. It gave more fodder or fuel for the fires of judgment.
However, when we came to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit came and live inside us, our minds are no longer held captive by the sinful nature and we are given the power by the Holy Spirit to set our minds on things above, on things that are good, on things that please God. Every true believer of Jesus Christ possesses the Holy Spirit and we have the capability to think of good and to do that which is good through the Spirit's power.
While the Spirit dwells in us and gives us the capability to set our minds on what He desires, we do need to play our part. You see, the Holy Spirit, while he lives in us, doesn't want to make us mindless robots who does his bidding blindly. He wants us to submit to his leading. He wants us to deliberately and mindfully do the things that will please God. This is the reason why Paul, in Galatians 5:25, tells us to keep in step with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul instructs us to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is done by thinking about God, worshipping and giving thanks to Him.
Even after becoming believers and having received the Holy Spirit, we often go back to some of our old patterns of sinful thought and action. It isn't because the Holy Spirit is powerless or ineffective. It is simply because we have not focus our minds on what the Spirit wants to do in us; we have not set ourselves firmly on the new area of concentration the Spirit has in mind for us. It is because we are, at times, very lazy when it comes to the things that cause our inner spirits to grow. The Spirit will help us to think of thoughts that will please God, but we must participate in the process by filling our minds with the Word of God and by keeping ourselves filled with thoughts about God and his kingdom. We also participate by intentionally praying that God's Spirit will help us to focus on the things of the Spirit.
III. Our Confidence
The third difference the Holy Spirit makes in the life of the believer is the confidence He gives us. Now, what aspect of confidence are we talking about here in this passage? The confidence the Holy Spirit gives us in with regards to our relationship with God.
Before coming to faith in Jesus Christ, we were enemies of God because of our sinfulness. We were the objects of His wrath. However, when we trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, our relationship with God changed. We were given a total makeover. From his enemies, we became His beloved children. From eternal separation, we are now eternally united with God through Christ. How can we be sure of this change? Well, it is none other than the Holy Spirit's in our lives that guarantees we are the children of God.
Check out Romans 8:14. Here we read that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Furthermore, in verse 15, we read that we have received a Spirit of sonship, which leads us to cry “Abba, Father;” then in verse 16, we read that the Spirit himself testifies that we are God's children. The Holy Spirit gives us confidence when it comes to our relationship with God. He also enables us to call God our Father in an intimate manner and not as a distant being.
What does this confidence through the Holy Spirit mean for us? It means we can approach God in prayer, knowing that we are addressing our loving Father who cares about us. We can also feel safe about our relationship with God, that we will never be separated from God because we have the Holy Spirit within us. Because we are accepted by God as His children, we do not need to feel inferior in comparison to others. God's acceptance of us as His children means more than what people may think about us. Even if others do not accept us, as long as God accepts us, that is more than enough.
IV. Our Conciliator
Finally, the Holy Spirit is the difference-maker in our lives because He is our conciliator. Now, this is a word that we probably don't hear that much but I am sure you will be familiar with its synonym. The synonym for the word conciliator is the word intercessor. The Holy Spirit is described in our passage as being the one who intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (v. 26). In verse 27, he is described as the one who intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
There comes moments in our lives when we just don't know what we ought to be praying for, when we are uncertain what would be God's best for us. Well, even if we don't know what to pray for, since the Holy Spirit is living in us, He will help us by interceding for us, by lifting up our unvoiced concerns and cries to God the Father. We don't need to worry if the Holy Spirit is praying the right thing for us or not, because verse 27 tells us that he intercedes for us in accordance with God's will. What it means is that the Holy Spirit prays for us with God's will in mind. He will always pray for the right and best thing for us.
The thought that the Holy Spirit is interceding on my behalf brings comfort and peace to me because I know that He understands me and He never ceases to do this work for as long as I have breath. It is also reassuring to know that His prayer is in line with God's plan for me. So, even though I may have my personal agenda or plans, if they don't jive with God's will, the Holy Spirit will make sure to pray in accordance with God's will and not my plans. The Spirit will also eventually reveal God's will for us. What we must do is to obey and follow God's will once it is clearly revealed.
Conclusion:
The Holy Spirit, He is the difference-maker when it comes to living the victorious Christian life. It is because His presence in us indicates a change in our condition; His presence enables us to change our concentration from a sin-filled life to a God-centered life; His presence gives us confidence with regards to our relationship with God, assuring us that we are accepted by God with great love; finally, his presence in us means He is our conciliator, the one who intercedes for us when we don't know how to pray in accordance to the will of God.
For everyone here who have already trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit already dwells in you and He is in you so that He can make a difference in your life. However, as I've mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit does not intend to make us mindless robots. What God wants for us to do is to prepare our minds daily for the working of the Holy Spirit by reading and meditating on His Word, by praying and worshipping God. He also wants us to yield ourselves to Him, to surrender our lives everyday to God's leading, to learn to trust Him rather than depend on our own abilities and strengths. When we are consciously doing these things, the Holy Spirit will then do His work mightily in us and through us. We who believe in Christ have the Spirit in us, but have we allowed Him to have full possession of our lives?
Romans 8:1 – 17
Introduction:
How often have you heard of the phrase, “difference maker” used in everyday life? I'm sure this is a phrase we are all familiar with. In fact, we often hear this phrase when it is used to describe a person who has done something that brought about a certain outcome. I'm sure also that we know of people from history or even people who are our contemporaries who are making a solid impact on our society or to whatever sphere we may belong to, be it the business world or in our schools. The term is even used in sports when a player or a certain circumstance affects the outcome of the game.
One difference maker that I was impressed with is a man named Illac Diaz. During our MBA class in marketing, my professor invited Illac Diaz to come share about his work. I was impressed with what he was doing to help the poor communities in the Philippines. His invention, the pedal-powered peanut shelling machine, is being used by poor rural communities to uplift their livelihood. Normally, when the women, children and the elderly are tasked to peel peanuts, they can only do a kilo an hour. However, Illac's machine enabled the people to peel from 27 to 50 kilos in an hour! The machine costs only PHP 3,000.00, making it an attractive and viable equipment for small peanut farmers. He has also invented a pedal-powered washing machine and dryer which can be used by the poor in urban communities for engaging in the laundry business.
Illac is also engaged in studying ways to build houses and school buildings using non-conventional methods (hollow blocks, G.I. Sheets). Thus far, he has built 25 three-room school building in Siargao using the Earthbag Construction System, costing only PHP 150,000.00 to complete each school building. He is also experimenting with PET bottles as a building material for low cost school buildings.
Another difference maker is the winner of the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida who is providing free education for poor children living in trash dumps and cemeteries using unconventional means, namely, through a pushcart. As a child, Efren experienced poverty, having lived in the slum areas of Cavite. He could have ended up like many children who live in the slums – hopeless, becoming a member of a street gang. However, he was chosen by World Vision as one of their sponsored children and this led him to achieve academic excellence as well as instill in him a desire to help the poor of Cavite by providing them with free education.
Efren Peñaflorida's work is slowly bearing fruit as former drug pushers and petty thieves have been reformed through their projects and now serve as volunteers of Efren's organization. Former scavengers of trash are now enrolled in schools. Some children who remain unschooled were able to learn how to read and write through the pushcart classrooms. Thousands of children have been reached and helped by his work.
For me, Illac Diaz and Efren Peñaflorida are difference-makers, because they are making a positive impact in the lives of many poor people.
Most likely, there is someone who has made a difference in your life, too. Your life may have been going on a tailspin when someone came around and helped you get up on your feet. You may have felt that there was no way out of your situation or dilemma when someone came and pointed the way out for you. That person may have been a family member or a close friend or someone here in church. I'm sure you would call that person a difference maker in your life.
There is someone who is making a difference in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. Without him, there can be no success or victory in the Christian life. Who am I talking about? I am not talking about the pastor or the leaders of the church. I am not talking about the Sunday School teacher or the leader of your discipleship group. These people may have contributed something to your spiritual development but they are not the people who ultimately makes the difference in your walk with Christ. The one who makes the difference in your Christian life is none other than the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, the one whom Jesus has called as the Counselor. He is the difference maker in the life of the Christian. How is the Holy Spirit the difference maker in our lives? This morning, as we examine Romans 8:1 – 17, we will find areas in our lives where the Holy Spirit's presence has made all the difference; without him, there would be no way for us to be victorious over sin and live a life that is pleasing to God. But before we continue, we need to understand a few things about the Holy Spirit. Now, we are not entering a formal theology class where the discussion will leave you saying, “huh?”, and your fingers scratching your head. Instead, I will do my best to introduce the Holy Spirit to you in a simple, down-to-earth manner.
The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, like in the Star Wars movie where people keep saying “May the Force Be With You”, and where he could be either good or evil – good when used by Luke Skywalker or evil when used by Darth Vader. He is not, as the King James Bible unfortunately calls him, a “ghost” like Casper the Friendly Ghost. Instead, as we've mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity God; he is equal with God but subordinate in terms of function. He is called the Counselor, the one who will teach us and remind us of the teachings of Jesus. The disciples of Jesus were promised power when the Holy Spirit would come upon them in order that they may be effective in spreading the Gospel of Christ. Throughout the Book of Acts, we find the disciples of Christ preaching powerfully and fearlessly through the power of the Holy Spirit. They were able to perform miracles and cast out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. More importantly, the Holy Spirit dwells within the believer, which explains why Paul said that we are the temple or the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and He serves as the mark of God's ownership over our lives.
Well, that's our short theology class on the person of the Holy Spirit. Now, let's see how the Holy Spirit makes a difference in the life of a believer from today's passage.
I. Our Condition
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives means that there is a change in our condition. Check out verses 1 & 2. Here it says, “Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Because we are in Christ Jesus and we have the Holy Spirit in us, we have already been set free from the power of sin and death. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that forgiveness for our sins is readily available, that we no longer stand as condemned people awaiting the judgment due to sinners. No matter how much the enemy, Satan, may accuse us, we are no longer condemned people. Why? It is because the forgiveness available through the death of Jesus Christ is available for all true believers, as evidenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within Him. This is a lifetime guarantee! Up till the day I die, I stand forgiven before the Lord. I am no longer a sinner condemned to hell, but I am now a Child of God who is loved and cherished by God. The Holy Spirit's presence in my life is the proof that there has already been a change in my condition, from condemnation to righteousness, from sinner to saint.
Our being “in Christ” and having the Holy Spirit in us also means that we are free from the grip of death. Before we trusted in Jesus Christ, death was a reality that haunted us physically, spiritually and eternally. We were figuratively, dead men walking. However, when we came to faith in Christ and the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us, we have been freed from the power and grip of death. We are now alive in Christ Jesus. Spiritually, we are now in a right relationship with God. Eternally, we will no longer face condemnation. Physically, we will experience death but this will merely be temporary as we will follow Jesus Christ through the path of resurrection.
That is the first difference the Holy Spirit has brought about in our lives when we received Jesus as Lord and Savior – there is a change in our condition. What this should mean for us is that we should live according to what has been made new in our lives. No longer should we think that we are helpless pawns who would be easily defeated by sin nor should we be afraid of death, because the Holy Spirit has changed our condition.
II. Our Concentration
The second difference the Holy Spirit makes in our lives is the change in our concentration. Check out verse 5. Here we read, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desire.” Before we came to Christ, our minds were held captive by our sinful nature and we think only of those things that would please our sinful nature. Now, what benefit did that bring us? It brought us nothing! In fact, when our minds were still held captive by the sinful nature, it resulted in futility and our being trapped in the deadly pattern of sin. It gave more fodder or fuel for the fires of judgment.
However, when we came to Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit came and live inside us, our minds are no longer held captive by the sinful nature and we are given the power by the Holy Spirit to set our minds on things above, on things that are good, on things that please God. Every true believer of Jesus Christ possesses the Holy Spirit and we have the capability to think of good and to do that which is good through the Spirit's power.
While the Spirit dwells in us and gives us the capability to set our minds on what He desires, we do need to play our part. You see, the Holy Spirit, while he lives in us, doesn't want to make us mindless robots who does his bidding blindly. He wants us to submit to his leading. He wants us to deliberately and mindfully do the things that will please God. This is the reason why Paul, in Galatians 5:25, tells us to keep in step with the Spirit. In Ephesians 5:18, Paul instructs us to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is done by thinking about God, worshipping and giving thanks to Him.
Even after becoming believers and having received the Holy Spirit, we often go back to some of our old patterns of sinful thought and action. It isn't because the Holy Spirit is powerless or ineffective. It is simply because we have not focus our minds on what the Spirit wants to do in us; we have not set ourselves firmly on the new area of concentration the Spirit has in mind for us. It is because we are, at times, very lazy when it comes to the things that cause our inner spirits to grow. The Spirit will help us to think of thoughts that will please God, but we must participate in the process by filling our minds with the Word of God and by keeping ourselves filled with thoughts about God and his kingdom. We also participate by intentionally praying that God's Spirit will help us to focus on the things of the Spirit.
III. Our Confidence
The third difference the Holy Spirit makes in the life of the believer is the confidence He gives us. Now, what aspect of confidence are we talking about here in this passage? The confidence the Holy Spirit gives us in with regards to our relationship with God.
Before coming to faith in Jesus Christ, we were enemies of God because of our sinfulness. We were the objects of His wrath. However, when we trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, our relationship with God changed. We were given a total makeover. From his enemies, we became His beloved children. From eternal separation, we are now eternally united with God through Christ. How can we be sure of this change? Well, it is none other than the Holy Spirit's in our lives that guarantees we are the children of God.
Check out Romans 8:14. Here we read that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Furthermore, in verse 15, we read that we have received a Spirit of sonship, which leads us to cry “Abba, Father;” then in verse 16, we read that the Spirit himself testifies that we are God's children. The Holy Spirit gives us confidence when it comes to our relationship with God. He also enables us to call God our Father in an intimate manner and not as a distant being.
What does this confidence through the Holy Spirit mean for us? It means we can approach God in prayer, knowing that we are addressing our loving Father who cares about us. We can also feel safe about our relationship with God, that we will never be separated from God because we have the Holy Spirit within us. Because we are accepted by God as His children, we do not need to feel inferior in comparison to others. God's acceptance of us as His children means more than what people may think about us. Even if others do not accept us, as long as God accepts us, that is more than enough.
IV. Our Conciliator
Finally, the Holy Spirit is the difference-maker in our lives because He is our conciliator. Now, this is a word that we probably don't hear that much but I am sure you will be familiar with its synonym. The synonym for the word conciliator is the word intercessor. The Holy Spirit is described in our passage as being the one who intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express (v. 26). In verse 27, he is described as the one who intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
There comes moments in our lives when we just don't know what we ought to be praying for, when we are uncertain what would be God's best for us. Well, even if we don't know what to pray for, since the Holy Spirit is living in us, He will help us by interceding for us, by lifting up our unvoiced concerns and cries to God the Father. We don't need to worry if the Holy Spirit is praying the right thing for us or not, because verse 27 tells us that he intercedes for us in accordance with God's will. What it means is that the Holy Spirit prays for us with God's will in mind. He will always pray for the right and best thing for us.
The thought that the Holy Spirit is interceding on my behalf brings comfort and peace to me because I know that He understands me and He never ceases to do this work for as long as I have breath. It is also reassuring to know that His prayer is in line with God's plan for me. So, even though I may have my personal agenda or plans, if they don't jive with God's will, the Holy Spirit will make sure to pray in accordance with God's will and not my plans. The Spirit will also eventually reveal God's will for us. What we must do is to obey and follow God's will once it is clearly revealed.
Conclusion:
The Holy Spirit, He is the difference-maker when it comes to living the victorious Christian life. It is because His presence in us indicates a change in our condition; His presence enables us to change our concentration from a sin-filled life to a God-centered life; His presence gives us confidence with regards to our relationship with God, assuring us that we are accepted by God with great love; finally, his presence in us means He is our conciliator, the one who intercedes for us when we don't know how to pray in accordance to the will of God.
For everyone here who have already trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit already dwells in you and He is in you so that He can make a difference in your life. However, as I've mentioned earlier, the Holy Spirit does not intend to make us mindless robots. What God wants for us to do is to prepare our minds daily for the working of the Holy Spirit by reading and meditating on His Word, by praying and worshipping God. He also wants us to yield ourselves to Him, to surrender our lives everyday to God's leading, to learn to trust Him rather than depend on our own abilities and strengths. When we are consciously doing these things, the Holy Spirit will then do His work mightily in us and through us. We who believe in Christ have the Spirit in us, but have we allowed Him to have full possession of our lives?
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