Sermon for 04/27/08

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Sermon for 04/27/08
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Easter Wk 6, Where The Holy Spirit Lives And Works,
John 14:15-21

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: Jesus left this earth so that the Holy Spirit would come to dwell within us. Is He? How would we know? The Holy Spirit gives us Love, Peace, Power, Spiritual Gifts, and the ability to grow in God’s Grace. But all of this is given for one purpose that we may continue the saving work of Jesus Christ to the lost. Easter is incomplete unless the HS is living in and controlling your life. You are where the Holy Spirit lives and works.

1) HOLY SPIRIT? Is the Holy Spirit dwelling within you? (I’m going to be so bold, as to ask you to raise your hands, if you believe without a doubt that the Holy Spirit dwells within you. Keep your hands down if you aren’t sure. Interesting…) Now why would I ask such a question during the season of Easter. Because Jesus’ death and resurrection was to lead to one specific goal: The Holy Spirit living and working within your hearts. It’s right there in the Gospel lesson today. Jesus explains that it’s always been a part of the divine plan that He must leave, that the Holy Spirit can come and continue within our hearts the salvific work He has begun. Fear not, we will not be alone. And with the Spirit dwelling with us, we shall now become His hands, feet, and voice to the lost. Well, that’s the theory. But… is the Holy Spirit actually living and working within you and me?

2) TEMPLE? In 1 Corinthians 6:19 – Paul says to us: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” Hmmm, is it? Having the Holy Spirit as a roommate is an interesting concept. Most of us see our bodies, our beings, ourselves as belonging to us. The “deed” of ownership to our temple has our name on it as the owner, doesn’t it? But should it? If someone were to knock on the door of your temple and inquire as to the where-abouts of the Holy Spirit, it’s been suggested that there are five different ways of answering:

1) HS? Never heard of Him! He doesn’t live here! (That

needs no more explanation!)

2) HS? He doesn’t live here, but He visits occasionally.

3) HS? Yeh, He rents the attic apartment.

4) HS? Sure He shares this house with me – we’re equal roommates.

5) HS? Yeh, this is His house, I am His temple; I signed the deed over to Him long ago. He runs it, He fills it, controls it, and provides for it!

3) FILLED = CONTROLLED. It’s been said, “If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are controlled by the Holy Spirit.” What do you think about that statement? If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are controlled by the Holy Spirit. Of those 5 possibilities (above), which of those answers reflects God’s divine relational goal? Certainly not number 1, 2, or 3 – it’s obvious who is in control of that dwelling, that temple: US! Number 4 is a great start – taking the Holy Spirit on as an equal partner reflects a changing heart, but it still indicates a need to retain some control of our lives! Only number 5 reflects a heart filled with awe, reverence, obedience, and passionate trust and thanksgiving. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means you are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

4) OUTSIDER! Now for some folks that is a scary thought! ...handing our life over to an outsider! Instinctively, we love our freedom, we love our independence, we thrive on doing what we want to do, when we want to do it! We’re born self-centered, so it’s not surprising to find us so busy chasing down the illusive and slippery goals of our own man-made concepts of happiness and joy, that the idea of trusting our future, our lives, our very existence to an outsider, (Especially the Holy Spirit), is …well, almost incomprehensible.

5) GIVING UP CONTROL? Can we even get close to the idea of giving up control of our lives? Well, I guess for some of us, “knowing about God”, and accepting the idea of a divine creator – that’s OK,… Accepting that “Christ Loves me”,… that’s very cool! (We all hunger to be loved!) Even to see and accept how He died sacrificially for me on the cross, so that my sins are forgiven, and that I am freed from the powers of sin, Satan, and death,… well that’s fabulous! I’ll take it! But… wow,…giving up control of your heart, mind, and soul to God’s Holy Spirit; giving up control, voluntarily signing over the ownership deed to the Holy Spirit – are you and I ready for that?

6) CONTROLLED! Well, that depends, (right?): what would a life controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? What blessings can come from surrendering control of our hearts, minds, and souls to the Holy Spirit? Why would I not only want to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but be controlled by the Spirit?

7) FRUIT! Let’s begin by taking a look at Galatians 5:22: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Imagine – all the things you want to be, all the things you strive for on your own and never seem to find – they’re actually available through the Holy Spirit. It’s the spiritual fruit our hearts long for. See…

* The stubborn and selfish heart that need transformation,

…needs the Holy Spirit.

* the emptiness inside that only love can fill,

…needs the Holy Spirit.

* the inner turmoil and struggles that longs for peace, …needs the Holy Spirit.

* the restless and unhappy cries for immediate gratification (that might be tamed by the gift of patience),

…needs the Holy Spirit.

* those fears and anxieties that haunt us, that plead instead for the faith and trust that all will work out…

…need the Holy Spirit.

Over time, we see that the life giving fruit we seek; is the exclusive product of the Holy Spirit.

8) IMAGINE? EXPERIENCE! Wouldn’t life be wonderful if you could just experience these things; these fruits?!!! Imagine your life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Christ is suggesting today that it’s time to STOP “imagining” these things and start “experiencing” them, more and more each day. They are not pipe dreams, they are not pie-in-sky concepts, they are not fairytale possibilities. These fruits are God’s gifts to you… they begin arriving when you consent to the Holy Spirit living and working within you! Not visiting, not renting the garage apartment, but dwelling, filling, and controlling your life! Someone tell me what the world has to offer that compares? Someone show me one person who in their self-focused independence has every experienced all these fruits because of their own doing! Christ says it’s time to stop imagining and start experiencing the abundant life this spiritual fruit can provide.

9) LOVE SWEET LOVE! If, as the old song suggests “What the world needs now is love sweet love” – where’s it gonna come from? Listen to Romans 5:5 “…God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” True love comes to you through the Holy Spirit! But if He isn’t filling you and controlling you – you will miss out on that love-sweet-love, which is the last thing He wants. And yet, He will not force you to sign over the deed to your heart, mind and soul – He just keeps whispering God’s love into your ear until you invite Him in… to stay… to rule… to bring you what the world desires: love-sweet-love.

10) WHERE’S THE POWER? How many of us here this morning are struggling with something in our life? How many of us have no idea how it will work out, or if it will work out? How many of us wish we had the power to make everything all right? But let’s be honest, we don’t have the power do we?! Or we would have fixed the problem right away. No, we are broken people in a broken world. And far too often we feel helpless, powerless – like a boat without a rudder or engine, being tossed about by the storms of life. But listen to the words of God in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when… (pause) what do you think is coming? …you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you!” See, the Holy Spirit becomes the rudder and engine for your life. You won’t find the power you seek in a business suit, or in a diploma, or being a CEO of a major company! You receive “true power” when the Holy Spirit comes upon you! When He dwells in you, fills you, and directs your life. Spiritual fruit, love-sweet-love, and power – wow! They are the abundant by-products of letting the Holy Spirit live and work within us!

11) RESIST? WHY? Friends, would you like to experience the power of God, the peace of God, the love of God? He stands at the door knocking – loving you – and hoping you will invite Him in (not to visit) but to stay,… to dwell there,… to fill every corner of your life with the fruits of the Spirit. Power, peace, love… it makes you wonder “why?”… why, if you and I desire these things so much, would we even begin to resist the Holy Spirit coming into our lives? Perhaps the answer is found in the rest of Acts 1:8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!” Maybe that’s why we resist?

12) THE PURPOSE OF EASTER. Someone remind me: what was the purpose of Easter? Why did Jesus come and do what He did? (Wait for answer) Right – He came to save us! (From Sin, Satan, and death, and to enable God’s children to be once again reconciled to their Heavenly Father!) And why did He send the Holy Spirit to take His place? To start something new? … or continue the mission, the purpose of Easter; saving the lost children of the world? What was it we read and celebrate in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that who ever believes in Him will not die but have everlasting life!” Jesus came to save us! So tell me, if the Holy Spirit is here to continue the rescue mission that Jesus began – and if the Holy Spirit longs to dwell in you – What do you think the Holy Spirit wants you to do? Could it be He’s here to bless us with Spiritual Gifts and power and love in order to continue the rescue mission?! …to fulfill the purpose of Easter?!

13) OPPOSITION! Now can you see why there is often so much opposition to letting the Holy Spirit into our hearts?! Can you see why we’d rather have Him renting the attic apartment than living within us? Can you see why we are petrified to sign over the “deed” to our hearts, minds, and souls to Him? Some times our reasoning is conscious, and other times it’s sub-conscious, but the conclusions are often the same; “Hey, it’s one thing to be saved by grace, but it’s quite another to make God’s priorities our own! It’s one thing to have Jesus as our Savior, but to dedicate our being, our life to His Saving Work… well that’s something quite… different! Getting personal “heaven insurance” – that’s desirable! But building the Kingdom – why would we want to do that?” It is that kind of self-centered, or sinful reasoning, that perpetuates the internal opposition to letting the Holy Spirit truly live in and work in our lives!

14) LOVE! For 13 years, I have stood at this pulpit and on behalf of Jesus Christ I have been excited to share with you just how much He loves you, AND… I have shared how much the Holy Spirit longs to dwell within you – to bring you the fruits of the Spirit – to use you to take His love to empty hearts …to introduce the source of love to your neighbors, family, friends, co-workers, fellow students, and so forth, …to invite them to come and be a part of His Family and to receive the same fruits of the Spirit! Hasn’t God made it clear to us - that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to continue to love in order to save the lost children of God? Is there a greater cause to dedicate your life to than this one? It seems to me that if He is living within us – we too will dedicate ourselves to His cause? We will respond to His amazing love by sharing that awesome love with others! So… how are you doing? And how are we doing as a church family? Is there evidence in our daily lives that the Holy Spirit is living and working within us? Christ says the fields are ripe for harvesting, but there are so few harvesters. Are you and I allowing the Spirit control – to lead us into the fields and empower us to harvest through love?

15) LOVE AND SAVE! Friends, listen to the good news: Once again, on behalf of Christ, I proclaim to you how much He loves you – enough to die for you on the cross, to save you by taking your sins upon His shoulders and paying the ultimate penalty for you! Oh, how He loves you! But also on His behalf I also ask you if you have thoroughly consented to the Holy Spirit coming in and staying, to transform, to rule. On His behalf, I ask you - has His purpose become your purpose? How many of those He has placed around you have you introduced Him to? How many folks have you invited here to worship Him and receive His blessings? What sacrifices of time, talent, and treasures have you dedicated to the heart-transforming ministries of this, His beloved church family? Isn’t it clear? …the Father’s purpose is to love and save! Jesus’ purpose is to love and save. And therefore, the Holy Spirit longs to dwell within you… in order to love and save. And “IF” He is dwelling within you – then is not your number one priority to love and save?

16) SAVED YOU FROM AND FOR SOMETHING! Friends, the purpose of Easter was not simply to save you from something, (sin, Satan, and death), the complete purpose of Easter was to also save you for something! What an awesome God, that He would not only love, forgive, and save you, but that He would also choose to dwell in your heart and empower you to share Him with the world. …to continue the greatest cause in the Universe, …to dedicate yourself to the continuing purpose of Easter! If you are not quite there yet, relax, none of us fully are! The Holy Spirit transforms us gradually and it is a continual progressive work. But He is here today knocking, asking to be let in, …to stay, ...to lead and guide, …to live in and work in your Holy Temple! He is not here to demand change, He is here to proclaim and remind you of Christ’s love, …and offers to change what you cannot change yourself. He offers to bless you with power, peace and love, and all the rest of the fruits of the Spirit. And He points to the lost, struggling, lonely souls around you and assures you that reaching out to them will bring you the greatest joy. For you have not just been saved from something, but saved for something – something HOLY! After all, the Father’s, Son’s, and Spirit’s purpose is to love and save. And if the Spirit is living and working in you, shouldn’t it be your purpose too? …to love AND to save?! Praise God AMEN!

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that if we were to sincerely ask your Holy Spirit to dwell within us more and more each day, our lives would be different. Forgive us for claiming our lives as our own. Forgive us for not surrendering our heart, mind, body and soul to you. Forgive us, and provide the power, peace, love we so desperately long for. Help us Holy Spirit, to open the door, invite you in, and sign over the deeds to our temples, that you may fill us and lead us in the ways of Christ.

Lord, forgive for wanting to be saved and loved, but not wanting to love and save others. Forgive us for claiming you as our greatest friend and Savior, but then not introducing you to those we are called to love and care for. Forgive for not wanting you to guide and control us! Help us to see that bringing others into a loving relationship with you is our life’s greatest purpose. So come. Come and dwell within us. Fill us. Change us! Transform us. Cause us to love you more and more each day, so that our hearts overflow into the lives of those around us.

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and made anew.

(Silence)

Lord, your early church grew not because of what they did, but because of what you did in them and through them. Do the same with us. Fill us as individuals, and as a congregation. Help us to be a family that transmits your love to a broken world. And through us, let your family grow! AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who longs to fill you and dwell within you, has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. May “self” continue to decrease, as the Holy Spirit increases in your life, and may the Father’s, Son’s, and Holy Spirit’s purpose – to love and save God’s children – always be yours! Amen

Opening prayer: Easter 6, Where The Holy Spirit Lives And Works,
John 14:15-21,

Dear Heavenly Father, we gather here this morning because we have been loved into this place. We have been loved into faith. We have been loved in this family. We have been loved into a new and exciting identity and purpose. But too often, our brokenness and the brokenness of the world distracts us from the promises and calling of Easter. This week has been no different. We have struggled to be faithful. We have been wounded by others. We have fallen to temptation, and we have not served and loved you and your children as you have loved us. Never-the-less, we enter your house assured that this is where we will find forgiveness and the power to forgive. Here we find love and peace, and the power to give power and peace to others. Here our wounds are healed that we might be empowered to heal others. Here Lord, we can fill or re-fill our empty hearts and lives with your Holy Spirit. As we praise you and worship you, we ask that you would transform us, and send us out, and use us to bring your power, peace, and love to a hurting and broken world. In Jesus Name we Pray! AMEN

First Lesson: Acts 17:22-31

The Apostle Paul is in Athens, Greece, which was the city of Greco-Roman Culture… also a place where Christ was not known. Unlike talking to Jewish people, who had expectations of the Christ coming someday, Paul needed to find a starting place to bring people with dozens of Gods into the gospel conversation. Very diplomatically, he eases into the conversation by way of a statue to the unknown God. In other words, he accepted them where they were, and brought them the good news without compromising it, even calling them to repentance. As we read this lesson, let us see if this example of wise and gentle witnessing, does not also have something to teach us today about sharing our faith.

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