Got Fruit, part 2

The following is the second message in a study on the Fruit of the Spirit. I preached it on June 12th at MRWC.

ILLUSTRATION- Fred was a landscape contractor. His first job was to remove a huge oak stump from a field. Fred had to use dynamite, but the only problem was he had never used it before.

            He was somewhat nervous about it, especially with the old farmer, (standing right beside him) watching his every move.

So he tried to hide his jitters by carefully determining the size of the stump, the precise amount of dynamite that would be needed, and where it should be placed to get the maximum effect.

            He didn’t want to use too small an amount, and have to do it over, nor did he want to use too much….

            When he was ready to dentate the charge, Fred and the farmer went behind his pickup truck where a wire was running to the detonator.

He looked at the farmer, said a prayer and plunged the detonator. (Needless to say,) it worked… all too well! 

The stump broke loose from the ground, rose through the air in a curving arc and then landed right on the cab of the truck.

            Fred’s heart sank. All he could think about was the ruined cab.

Not the farmer! Slapping Fred on the back he said: “with a little more practice, you’ll get it in the bed of the truck every time” (Wright, 1994, June3)

            One of these two people exhibited a strange quality. One of these two people showed disappointment, while the other showed Joy.

            Joy is the second quality that will be evident in the lives of disciples of Jesus Christ.

            “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23a, NIV)

            Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit, but what does “joy” mean? Where does “joy” come from?

Do we all have “joy?” If not, were do we get “joy”?

            These are just some of the many questions that I have as it relates to the

Fruit of the Spirit called Joy.

There are many more questions that I have about joy that I might never find an answer for, but here’s one thing I know for sure about Joy—if you have a pen you’ll want to write this down—Joy comes from God.

            Listen, again, to our text: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy…” (Gal. 5:22a, NLT2)

            I would have you notice just exactly who is doing the work, and notice who

is on the receiving end of all the work.

            According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit produces, grows, does the work of growing joy in the lives of disciples of Jesus Christ.

            If the Holy Spirit does the work; that means that I am on the receiving end of the work.

            Joy is not something that believers can produce on- or in—their own strength.

            Joy is given to all believers by God’s Holy Spirit and joy expresses itself in the life of the believer.

            If that is true, if joy is something that is grown in our lives only by the power of the Holy Spirit, then why are there so many “joyless Christians” living today?

            You know the kind of people I’m referring to, right? You ask a “joyless Christian” how they are doing and they will respond with something like: “I’m horrible.” “My life stinks”.

ILLUSTRATION- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was a member of the United States Supreme court for 30 years…

            At one point in his life, Justice Holmes explained his choice of career by saying: “I might have entered the ministry if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted so much like an undertaker.” (unknown)

            I’ve met people like this, you’ve met people like this, and perhaps there are even people like this in this room today… Christians looking and acting like undertakers.

            So, I wonder, why are there so many “joyless Christians” in our world? Is the Holy Spirit not working in and on those people?

            I think much of our problem is our lack of understanding. We don’t have a good understanding of this word “Joy”.

            We think that joy means “happy”. Joy and happiness are not the same. Happiness—whatever that truly is—is based on how I feel. Happiness is based on our circumstances, especially if they go our way.

ILLUSTRATION- I am happy when the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Red Sox or the

NY Yankees. I am happy when I am with my wife. 

“Happiness is based on circumstances that go our way.” (H. Norman wright’s devo. 1996, april 8)

            Joy is not based on circumstances, joy is not a feeling.  Joy is a choice, joy is a mindset.

            “Joy does not depend on outer circumstances but on the reality of God.” (John Sanderson as quoted in h.norman wright’s devo. April 8)

            Author H. Norman Wright reminds is that joy is “a realistic optimism, not the absence of hardship. It’s a choice we make to smile, when the stump lands

on our truck cab and we say “it could be worse” (ibid)

            Joy is not a feeling, nor is it based on outside factors. Joy is a mindset that comes from God, because God, by the power of His Holy Spirit, produces joy in the life of every believer.

            D.L. Moody said: I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is caused by things which happen around me and circumstances will mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble;

joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all though persecution and opposition, it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart, a secret spring which the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about.

The Lord gives his people (continuous) joy when they walk in obedience to Him. (Reed. 1996, 169)

            While happiness comes to an end when our circumstances change, joy continues on, even when we face darkness.

            Paul reminded us in Philippians chapter 4 to: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”(4:4, NIV)

            I find those words interesting. Paul wrote those words, not from the mountain top, but from a prison cell.

As he faced death, Paul told the believers to rejoice—to rejoice in the Lord for this is where true joy comes from.

            So this leads me to a most obvious question: do you belong to the Lord? Have you surrendered your life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Are you living in the light of His love?

            This is how the Holy Spirit will grow the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy in your life. He will not grow the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy in your life if you don’t belong to Him.

            Jesus said: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned….

8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (John 15:4-6 & 8, NIV)

For disciples of Jesus to have the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy, we must remain connected to Jesus.

If the Holy Spirit produces joy in the lives of believers then to have joy produced in our lives, we must remain connected to God.

ILLUSTRATION- Power failure—the lights dim and then go out. The sounds of machinery, the refrigerator, or air conditioners come to a halt. An eerie silence hangs in the air.

            Usually it happens when there’s an over-short in the system or a transformer wore out.

Sometimes it’s just a simple thing such as tripping over a cord and unplugging it from the wall socket.

            No matter the cause, a power outage is no fun, especially if it goes on for an extended time.

            Consider then two questions—first, who’s your power source? Is it you? Your spouse? Your friends? The Lord?

Some of us go through life connected to a real power source and others run their lives on a portable battery pack of their own doing.

And naturally they run out of juice after a while. But when your source is the Lord, there’s never any lack of power.

            In Acts 2:32-33 we read: “³² “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. ³³ Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us….” (NLT2)

One of the gifts God has given us is the Power of the Holy Spirit.

So the second question to consider is—are you plugged in? An eclectic saw won’t work by running the blade back and forth by hand over wood. It’s got to be connected. (Adapted from h. Norman wright. 1996, April 9)

To receive the Holy Spirit produced fruit of joy we must remain connected to Jesus Christ.

The Bible reminds us that “…the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Neh.8:10, NIV)

            If you are going through life looking more like an undertaker than a follower of Jesus, then maybe you need to ask God to grow in your life the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy.

            Joy is not dismissing the hardships that are in your life, Joy is allowing Jesus to take those hardships and fill you with his Spirit.

            I know that things in this life aren’t perfect. I know that we all face sickness, I know that we all face death, I know that we all battle sin on a regular basis, but I also know that: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31, NIV)

            I know that God is on our side; I know that God is for us; I know that He

wants to produce in our lives the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy.

            The Bible says: “Be joyful always…” (1Th 5:16, NIV)

            Notice the time limit on this command; be joyful…..always. In the good times and in the bad times.

            We can be joyful in the good times and in the bad times because true joy does not come from ourselves, but true joy comes from the Lord.

            The Bible says: “I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? ² My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)

            We are to rejoice in, and find our joy, from God. 

            If you have never experienced this joy that only comes from a Spirit filled life, then can I encourage you to submit to the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ?

He wants to work in your life, He wants to fill you the fruit of the spirit called Love AND joy.

            If you have given your life over to Jesus, ask Him to show you how He wants you to demonstrate this fruit in your life… in the good times and in the bad times.

            The Bible says: “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.” (Romans 14:17-18, NLT2)

Are you filled with the Fruit of the Spirit called Joy?

Got Fruit #1

The following was a message I preached at MRWC on June 5th 2011. It is the first in a 9 part series especially for the summer, called Got Fruit---


Most of us in this room are disciples of Jesus Christ. Most of us are trying to live a surrendered life; most of us are trying to be obedient to what we believe God is telling us to do, and most of us are trying to Step Up and honor the Lord with our time, talent and treasure.

With these things in mind, I wonder, then, if there are visible qualities that should be evident in the life of the disciple of Jesus?

Is it possible to identify some qualities that set disciples of Jesus apart from non-disciples of Jesus?

Is it possible to identify some qualities that set non-disciples of Jesus apart from disciples of Jesus?

The short answer is: there should be.

Someone should be able to look at our lives, someone should be able to look into our priorities and see what, rather, Who we belong to.

Paul, in Galatians 5, gives us such a list. This is not the only place where such a list is found in the Bible, but for the sake of our discussion, we are going to use this list.

Paul begins by drawing a line in the sand:

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,

20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,

21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (Gal. 5:19-21, NLT2)

According to the word of God, the people who do not belong to Christ Jesus produce things that are contrary to the Spirit filled life.

And Paul is quick to point out that “…those who live like this, will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal. 5:21, NIV)

There is no room in God’s Kingdom for people who continue to live the sinful lifestyle.

Thankfully, Jesus died so we could be set free from all of these sinful vices. The good news of Jesus Christ is that He can rescue you, no matter how bad you think you are.

Next, Paul lists the traits that will be present in the lives of the people who follow Jesus:

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy,

peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Gal. 5:22-23, NLT2)

The people who belong to Jesus, the people who are following Him on a daily basis, will, by the Power of the Holy Spirit, produce the fruit of the Spirit.

These 9 fruit are the qualities that should be present in your life if you profess to be a disciple of Jesus.

While the Fruit of the Spirit will express themselves in different ways in each of our lives, the fact remains that all 9 fruit will be present in the life of each disciple of Jesus.

Unlike the Gifts of the Spirit, where one individual might receive one particular gift and the other person may not receive the same gift, the Fruit of the Spirit is given to all people who call themselves followers of Jesus.

So I think it’s worth spending a little time on this passage. I think if we take the time to examine the fruit that is to be evident in our life, we might find that there is still work to be done, there is still room to grow, there’s still more that God wants to do in our lives…

So will you let Him? Will you let God speak into your life?

According to Paul, the “chief” fruit that is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of followers of Jesus, is the Fruit of the Spirit called “Love”.

This makes perfect sense, because time and again, the Bible reminds us that things start and stop with love.

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19, NKJV)

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8, NLT2)

Love comes from, and is rooted, in God. The Bible reminds us that “…God is love” (1 John 4:8, NIV)

God showed us love by sending His one and only Son to die on the cross—Jesus paid the ultimate price because He loves us:

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1John 4:9, NIV)

The Love of God is available to anyone and everyone and once we accept the love of God, once this love takes up residence in our lives, it will change us.

It’s as Max Lucado once wrote: “God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way… He wants you to be Just like Jesus” (Lucado, just like Jesus, back cover)

Because God loves you, He will grow love in your life. He will grow in your

life a love for Him and a love for other people.

Jesus said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35, NIV)

According to Jesus, love should be the defining mark that will prove to the world that we belong to God.

ILLUSTRATION- Now, I do not profess to be an English teacher, in fact, English was one of my least favourite subjects in school, but the one thing I do remember from my schooling days was that English is a lazy language.

We have one word for ‘Love’ and we often overuse that one word. Allow me to illustrate what I mean:

I love my wife. I love a good BBQ. I love each of you…..most of the time.

Each of these are statements about something that I love, but I love each of them in a different way.

I don’t love my wife the same way that I love each of you, and I certainly don’t love you the way I love a T-bone steak fresh off the BBQ.

We have one word to describe this word love, but the Bible describes love with many different words.

Take, for example, 1 Peter 1:22: “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.” (NIV)

The word for love in the first part of the verse is Philadelphia. It means brotherly love. I love each of you in a different way than I love my wife. You are my brothers and sisters in the Lord, and I love you in that way.

The word that Peter uses for love in John 21:16 is “phileo” and this means: “To have affection for someone, (to) regard of a very high order”.

Peter loved Jesus—he held Him in high regard.

The word “Love” translated from Hebrews 13:5 is different again. The word in that verse is “aphilargyrus” and it means: “not loving money, free from the love of money, not a lover of money”

I haven’t even mentioned the word the Bible uses for sexual love…. We have one word for Love; but the Bible has many.

When Paul used the word ‘love’ in Galatians 5:22, he was using the most common word for love called Agape.

As. Dr. Wayne E. Caldwell says: “This kind of Love is more than emotion. It is love that gives, that sacrifices, that has compassion. The believer’s will determines and controls the expression of this love.

It is active and wills to love when people deserve it and even when they do not. It builds good relationships and helps, whatever over the outcome.” (Caldwell, 1979, 34)

Agape love is a God love. His love is unconditional, and the love that the Holy Spirit wants to grow in our lives is an unconditional love.

Friends, we are to be known by our love. We are to be known by our love for God and by our love for other people—even the ones that get under our skin. The love that we are to have is an unconditional love.

Paul said in his address to the church in Corinth:

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” (1 Cor. 13:1-3, NLT2)

We can have it all, say it all and do it all, but if we fail to act out of love, then it will all be useless.

Love—unconditional love-- is the currency that we are to be using.

And just so we won’t wonder what this unconditional love actually is, Paul continues on in verse 4:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails.” (1Co 13:4-8a, NIV)

True love, the kind of love that the Holy Spirit of God wants to grow in our lives is unconditional love, for this is the kind of Love that God has for each one of us, and this is the kind of love that we are to have for each other.

ILLUSTRATION- J.K. Grider tells of a time when a little girl had spit in the face of his daughter as the two played together in his backyard.

Mr. Grider’s first reaction was to send the little girl home, never to return again, but then he remembered that the little girl came from a broken home and she lived with friends down the street and she needed love.

Instead of scolding her, he talked with her, and walked with her.

She must of sensed, even at her tender age, the love and concern he showed to her, for the very next day, there was a little knock at the door.

When Mr. Grider answered it, the little girl stood alone. Without a word, she placed a handful of crumpled flowers, mostly petals, in his hand. Then she left. (Caldwell, 1979, 34-35)

The Bible reminds us that we are to have, and express unconditional love toward all people; but if we have not received this kind of love, we are unable to extend this kind of love to other people.

This Fruit of the Spirit called Love is produced by the Holy Spirit in the lives of those people who have accepted, and are living for, Jesus.

If your love meter is slightly lower than it should be, then maybe what you need is to encounter—again—the God who is love.

“Only when repentance and reconciliation with God come through faith and obedience can love begin to pour in from God by His Holy Spirit” (IBID)

If you have never experienced the unconditional love of God, today is your day! The Bible says: “…now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:2b, NIV)

If you have never experienced this love that only God can bring, you can run to Him right now, and experience for the first time the unconditional love of

Almighty God. All you must do is receive this Agape love of our Heavenly Father.

If you have already received the love of God, but your love meter is somewhat lower than it should be, you too, can come to the Cross of Jesus.

You can be re-filled with the unconditional love of Almighty God. You too can receive the Fruit of the Spirit of Love and show that love to the people around

you.

If we are true disciples of Jesus Christ, then love will be the defining trait that stands out in our lives. People will know; people will see and people will be drawn to a person who is filled with Love.

So how about it church? Are you filled with the fruit of the Spirit of love? Do you have the unconditional love of Almighty God living in you? Do you show the unconditional love of Almighty God to the people in your life?

ILLUSTRATION- In the late Professor Drummond’s book “The Greatest thing in the World”, he tells of meeting with a primitive tribe in the interior of Africa who remembered David Livingstone, the famous pioneer missionary.

They could not understand a (single) word Livingstone uttered, but they recognized the universal language of love through which he appealed to them.

It had been many years since that Christian hero had passed their way, but the very remembrance of his presence among them would kindle a friendly

smile.

It is this universal language of love, divine, Christ-like love that we must have if we are going to be used of God.

The world does not understand theology or dogma, but it understands love and sympathy, a loving act may be more powerful and far-reaching than the most eloquent sermon.” (1100 illustrations from the writings of D.L. Moody. 1986, 183)

Jesus said: “By this by your love all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35, NIV)

Are you filled with the Fruit of the Spirit of love?

Eye-shades

The one bad part about these longer days is the fact that daylight arrives a little too early each morning.

            The other day, my wife woke me up a little before 6 AM, and it was incredibly light outside. 

            I immediately reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my eye blinders—that wonderful little invention that covers your eyes to make it darker than dark. 

They helped me sleep for a few extra minutes.

            Race Horses also wear eye- blinders. When they are running the Kentucky Derby, horses are forced to look straight ahead, because the blinders inhibit them from looking to the right or left.

            The Bible says: “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.” (Prov. 4:25, NLT2)

            It seems that the writer of Proverbs knew the benefit of fixing your eyes straight ahead.

            The writer of Hebrews said: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith….” (12:2, NIV)

            As disciples of Jesus, we are to keep our eyes fixed in a central locationà on the Son of God.

            We are not to get caught up in looking to the right or to the leftà doing this will lead us down a path that we shouldn’t go down.  It’s our job to fix our eyes on the One who is worth looking at.

As we fix our gaze on Jesus, we will find that, as the song writer said: “the things of this earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

            Do you have your blinders on?  

How to recognize the voice of God

The following Post was my message on Sunday, May 22nd, 2011 at Maple Ridge Wesleyan Church.

            I’m going to stick my neck out this morning. I’m going to say a statement that might be somewhat controversial, but I’m going to say it anyway… I believe that God speaks to me.

            While I have never actually heard the audible voice of God, I believe that God still speaks. I believe that He guides my steps and He shows me what I am to do.

            A verse that I have stuck to my office wall is Psalm 32:8: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (NIV) I believe that God guards and He guides.

            I think that you believe this as well. Why else would you be here?  You wouldn’t waste your time if you didn’t think that God couldn’t speak to you…

So, what we have in this room right now, are people who believe that God speaks.

            It seems that we are not the only ones who believe that God speaks. ILLUSTRATION- According to a recent publication, “God told me to…” elicited 2.9 million responses from an online search engine.

            Some of the responders claimed, and I quote, “God ordered me to kill

her”; “God told me to beat the kids”; “God told me to skin you alive”; God told me to leave my spouse for my secretary” (Vista, May 1, 2011)

            Many people claim that God has told them to do a lot of things, and most of the time it’s a way to excuse their behaviour.

            I want to try and set the record straight this morning.

I want to give you a few indicators that you can use to see if what you are hearing is actually God speaking; or that bean burrito that you ate for supper the previous night.

            I must say right up front that there is a major condition/qualifier to hearing from God… if you have a pen; you’re going to want to write this down, because this simple truth will solve a lot of problems…

            God Speaks through the Son, by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

            Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." (John 10:1-5, NIV)

In verse 7 we read: “Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.

9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 7-10, NIV)

Jesus reminds us that those who belong to Him, will hear—and know—His voice.

Jesus leads His sheep; He provides for His sheep. He protects His sheep; and they know His voice. They do not recognize, and will run away from, a voice they do not know.

Sheep recognise their master’s voice and to hear our Master’s voice, you must enter in the right way.

"I am the door.” Jesus said, “If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9 NKJV)

"I am the Way," replied Jesus, "and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, Weymouth’s NT)

To know and hear the voice of God; you must know Jesus Christ.

The Bible says: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,

2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” (Hebrews 1:1-2 NIV)

While God used a variety of ways to speak to the people of old; if you want to hear God speak to you today, you must know Jesus Christ.

Knowing Jesus personally is the only way to hear God speak; so, if you know Jesus, how can you recognize His voice?

#1- To hear God speak, you must know what He has written!

I firmly believe that God will not give you—or me—some new revelation. God will not ask you to leave your spouse for someone else, God will not tell you that it’s ok to lust, cheat, still, or kill, because these are all things that He has spoken out against.

Satan will twist God’s Word; God will never twist God’s Word. God will never ask you to do something that is contrary to His Written Word.

And if you want to hear God speaking, you must know the Word.

The Bible says: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:105, NIV) God’s Word illuminates our way; it shows us the way to God.

David said: “Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me. Make your way plain for me to follow.” (Psalm 5:8 NLT2)

A little bit later, he asked: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word…. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:9, 11, NIV)

Verse 133 says: “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” (Psalm 119:133, NIV)

ILLUTSRATION- There is an unwritten, but often spoken, rule at my house. Beth does all the homework with the kids.

So, the other day, I was working in the basement and I overheard some reciting going on.

I assumed that Beth was helping Emma with her homework, but, as I listened closer, I heard that they were memorizing scripture.

            I immediately stopped what I was doing and came upstairs to assist with the effort. All four of us began to memorize scripture as we were waiting for

supper to finish cooking…

            Dear friends, if we want to hear God speak to us, we must know His Word, for the Word is the primary way that God does His talking.

            So be intentional about your Scripture reading. Don’t jump around, read one book of the Bible at a timeà don’t worry about how long it takes you to read that book, just read it.

God will speak to you IF you are reading His Word.

            #2, The second way to recognize God’s voice is BE QUIET!

            Jesus said in Matthew 6: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6, NIV)

John Ortberg reminds us that: “In Jesus’ day almost no homes had private bedrooms. The ‘room’ He refers to… might be a supply room where they kept feed and tools or a few small animals.

That would be the only place where there might be a door. It would be

the most humble room in a humble home. What is your room?” (the Me I want to be. 172)

ILLUSTRATION- My “room” is my office. I spend time with Jesus each morning when I come to work.

Before I turn on the computer, before I turn on the radio, before I talk on the phone, I spend quiet time in the Word with Jesus.

            The Bible says: “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Ps. 46:10a, NIV)

When God revealed Himself to Elijah, He did so in a “… gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12, NIV)

            If you want to plug into God; you’ll have to unplug from the world around you.

You will have to get away and spend some one-on-one time with Jesus. You’ll actually have to turn off to tune in… It can be difficult, but believe me, it’s worth it!! 

            I believe that God speaks, and He does so as we withdraw from the busy-ness of everyday life.

            So do you take the necessary time—and that’s different for every one of us--- but do you take the time to spend time with Jesus?

If you want to hear God speaking to you, you must be quiet.

            #3 To recognize God’s voice we must slow down.

ILLUSTRATION- How many of us have ever seen an infomercial? Those are the annoying commercials that make you believe that you need the very thing that they are selling.

            To entice you to buy what they are selling, they will often add, as a special gift, another one of those things that you really don’t need, or they will offer the first thing at a discounted price, but only if you call within the next twenty minutes.

            Contrary to popular belief, God is not an infomercial. He will never ask you to do something in a hurry-it-up kind of way. God is not pushy.

            Now, this is not to say that we can hold on to what God might be asking us to give up, for the Bible reminds us that: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…” (Ps 66:18a, NIV)

            God calls us to move forward in faith; and if He wants us to give something up it’s because it is harmful to our spiritual health, but God will rarely ask you to make a decision in a hurry-it-up kind of way.

Some of us need to slow down and allow God to guide our steps. If we slow down, we might find that we are able to hear God somewhat better than before.

#4 The fourth way to recognize the voice of God is: Seek Godly Counsel. 

ILLUSTRATION- There are a few people whom I have allowed to speak into my

life. Some of these people are in the ministry, some are not.

            These people help me figure things out. I run my thoughts by them, I share my deepest secrets with them; I share my concerns with them. These individuals help me become a better follower of Jesus Christ.

            I have saved myself a world of hurt because I have asked these Godly people their advice before proceeding.

            The Bible reminds us that: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecc. 4:9-12, NIV) 

We are not called to be secret followers of Jesus; we need each other and having a few key spiritual leaders to speak into our lives will help us understand what God might be trying to say.

The Bible says: “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” (Proverbs 25:11, NLT2)

Do you have someone who can speak into your life? Do you have someone

who can help you understand what you think God might be telling you?

While He will not tell that person His plans for your life, He will certainly confirm—or deny—those plans with the help of a Godly mentor.

If you don’t have someone like this in your life, seek someone out… you might find that God will speak to you that way.

I believe that God still speaks. He speaks to those who:

~ Belong to Him

~ He speaks to those who know His Word;

~ He speaks to those who pray;

            ~ He speaks to those who go slow;

            ~ He speaks through Godly counsel.

            If you are unable to hear God clearly, chances are pretty good that one, two, or all of these indicators are absent in your life.

            Can I encourage you to do what needs to be done to be in the place where you can, once again, hear the voice of God?

It might mean confessing the sin in your life; it might mean turning off the television for 20 minutes.

Whatever it might be in your life, the truth is that God wants to speak to His children; God wants to guide His children, it’s up to tune in to what He has to

say.

ILLUSTRATION- I have a picture above the door in my office. It’s actually a picture and a Scripture verse. Each time I walk in or out of my office, I am waking under this verse:

“Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3, NIV)

God’s name is on the line. It’s up to us—His representatives—to be sure that we are hearing Him properly.

Cling to God

The following Post is a sermon I preached at MRWC in May of 2011.. I enjoyed it, and I wanted to share it with you, here:

The Wesleyan Church declared 2006 to be the Year of the Bible. The purpose of that declaration was to ask each person who attended a Wesleyan Church to read though the Bible in one year.

              To help assist with the effort, special Bibles were made available, and these Bibles were divided into daily readings, with sections from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Psalms and Proverbs.

              I’m proud to say that I accomplished that feat then, and have been seeking to read the Bible in its entirety ever since.

              I started reading thought the Old Testament in January of 2007 and as of last night; I am in the 32^nd chapter of Ezekiel.

              As you can tell, I’m not enrolled in a “read fast through the Bible competition”, but I am seeking to understand what it is that I am reading.

              It has been an enjoyable, and sometimes difficult, process. To just sit and read with no help from any commentaries is slightly difficult, but I am seeking to let God’s word penetrate into my life. 

During my read-thru-the Bible, I have come across some interesting selections of Scripture, one of them being the one I would like to share with you

this morning. It’s taken from the book of Jeremiah.

              Jeremiah was a “major prophet during the decline and fall of the southern kingdom of Judah. He prophesied during the reigns of the last 5 kings of Judah.” (NIBD)

              The book of Jeremiah is not a particularly happy book. Jeremiah “was destined from the very beginning to be a prophet of doom”

“All of Jeremiah’s life was wrapped up in the knowledge that God was about to bring an end to the holy city and cast off His Covenant people”

The book of Jeremiah is extremely difficult to follow and understand. “Most of the other prophetic books have a chronological arrangement (to them) but not the book of Jeremiah.

“Prophecies delivered in the final years of his ministry may appear at any point in the book, followed by messages that belong in other periods of his life.” (NIBD p.644)

The Book can be confusing, but there is a central message to the book—the impending destruction of Judah. 

Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet”, because he wept openly for the sins of the nation. (see Jer. 9:1).

At times Jeremiah was depressed because of the lack of “progress”. The

more he preached against the people, the less things happened to the people.

In fact, the more Jeremiah preached, the more things happened to him... the people put him in a cistern, they threatened him with death, they put him in jail, and the king burnt what the prophet wrote….

Eventually, Jeremiah words came true, and in 586, the nation of Judah fell to the nation of Babylon. Judah was punished because of its sin and disobedience.

While that’s a small reader’s digest overview of the Book of Jeremiah, there is one chapter in particular that I would like for us to look at this morning.

It’s an unusual parable, but I believe it has an important lesson. Our text is Jeremiah chapter 13.

“This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it on, but do not wash it.” 2 So I bought the loincloth as the Lord directed me, and I put it on.

 3 Then the Lord gave me another message: 4 “Take the linen loincloth you are wearing, and go to the Euphrates River. Hide it there in a hole in the rocks.”

5 So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord had instructed me.

6 A long time afterward the Lord said to me, “Go back to the Euphrates and get the loincloth I told you to hide there.”

7 So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was rotting and falling apart. The loincloth was good for nothing.

8 Then I received this message from the Lord: 9 “This is what the Lord says: This shows how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem.

10 These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing!

11 As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.” (NLT2)

Interesting passage this is…. And I believe that there is an important lesson for us to learn… but before we learn that lesson, we need to understand what is taking place.

God had instructed Jeremiah to go and purchase a “linen belt” (NIV) a “linen loincloth” (NLT2) a “linen sash” (NKJV) and put it on, but not let it touch the water.

God then instructed Jeremiah to take his Fruit of the Looms—or Haines—Underwear-- and take them some 400 miles to the Euphrates and dig a hole and hide them.

After a good long time, God asked Jeremiah to return to the Euphrates and dig up the undergarment, and upon his arrival, Jeremiah found that this garment was unbearable. 

It had rotted away; it “…was good for nothing” (Jer. 15:7, NLT2)

Naturally, God spoke to Jeremiah and told him that this garment represented Judah.

God had created her and she belonged to Him. Judah was God’s pride, His joy. She was created to “cling to God”.

“As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me, says the Lord. They were to be my people, my pride, my glory—an honor to my name….” (Jeremiah 13:11a, NLT2)

God had created His people to cling to Him, to be close to Him, to find life in Himà they were to follow His ways, they were to depend upon Him for their very life.

“But they would not listen to me.” (Jer. 13:11b, NLT2)

Judah and Israel allowed themselves to be influenced by the people around them. They polluted themselves, and became like the nations around them.

One Bible commentary states: “They rejected worship of the one true God and turned to pagan gods instead. Immorality, injustice…and corruption prevailed throughout the land.” (NIBD.p646)

These people, at one time, were close to the Lord, but now they found themselves on the outside looking in.

Judah allowed herself to be polluted by idolatry, and “instead of clinging to her God in faith and love, she destroyed herself” (Zon. Com. Pg.1185)

Judah and Israel were created to cling to God. This was the reason God made a Covenant with them. They were God’s chosen people.

You know dear friends, if you profess to be a disciple of Jesus Christ; it’s your job to cling to Him. To be so close to Him that you are covered with His dust.

Biblical scholar Ray van der Laan, notes that first-century Jews had a blessing that beautifully expressed the commitment of a disciple to stay in the presence of the one he followed: “may you always be covered by the dust of your rabbi”

              That is (to say) “may you follow him so closely that the dust his feet kicks up is what cakes your clothing and lines your face.”

              Like a baby duckling whose image of its mother has been imprinted on its brain, disciples never wanted to let the rabbi out of their sight.

              What mattered was not so much the particular activity they were doing. What mattered was being with their rabbi whatever was going on.

Every activity was an opportunity to learn from the rabbi how to be like the rabbi.” (John Ortberg GICTYT, 54)

              John Ortberg reminds us that “The decision that makes us disciples is choosing to be always with Jesus so we can learn continually from Jesus how to be fully like Him.”

              What God created us for, what God created us to do is to “Know Christ and to Make Him known.”

To be so close to Him that His dust covers us; to cling to Him “As a loincloth clings to a man’s waist….” (Jer. 13:11a, NLT2)

              We are to be like that loincloth… to cling tightly to Godà we’re the ones that need salvation, we’re the ones that need redemption, we’re the ones that need sanctification, we need all this and more… and we can only get these things if we cling to God.

The Bible reminds us that “…you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1Pe 2:9, NIV)

Jesus said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last…” (John 15:16, NIV)

We are God’s chosen people. We are His Plan “A”…

It’s our job as disciples of Jesus Christ to cling to Him, to let Him transform us. We did not choose God, He chose us, and because He chose us, we find life by clinging to Him.

              So I ask all of us to consider our relationship with God… are we like the first linen loincloth—undefiled, or are we like the loincloth that has been defiled by the environment?

              If we are not spending time “near the cross of Jesus…” (John 19:25, NIV) then we will be unable to hear what God wants from us.

God said that the people of Judah would be cast away because they refused to listen to His words… “These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship other gods. Therefore, they will become like this loincloth—good for nothing! (Jer. 13:10, NLT2)

The constant refusal to listen to the Lord is what caused God’s people to be sent into exile. 

ILLUSTRATION- I read recently about a group of dolphins that got stranded on a beach near Boston, several years ago. 

Scientists felt that they may have run aground because of a hearing problem.

              The animals, which use sound waves to judge depths, were found to have

worms clogging their sinus cavities and inner ears, possibly making them hard of hearing.

              Those beached dolphins may have something to teach us… there are some of us who are not functioning properly, because we are unable to hear properly.

              The problem of beached Christians may be similar to the problem of the beached dolphins; we may be hard of hearing.

              Jeremiah said in verse 15: “Hear and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken.” (Jer. 13:15, NIV)

              The dolphins were unable to gauge the depth of water in which they were swimming, they thought they were in deep water, but found themselves stranded on the beach.

              This is one of the results of being hard of hearing. There are those who think that things are fine, but if you refuse to hear and listen to what God is saying, you will be beached.

The only cure of course, is to dig out the worms. To remove the obstacles that may be hindering you from hearing the Lord.”(Adapted from the prairie overcomer, 1974, Binders)

              The prophet Jeremiah was sent to the people of Judah to remind them that they were created to cling to God, but they wouldn’t listen.

              May you, may we, not find ourselves in the same position. May we choose to cling to God. May we choose to be so close to The Rabbi that we are covered with His dust.

              Know dear friends if you are not where God intends for you to be, you can always come back.

You can always find your way back into the arms of Jesus, but it will involve you surrendering, it will involve you coming to the Cross of Jesus and admitting that you are not doing what you were created to do. 

              Jeremiah 15:19 reminds us that “…If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.” (NIV)

              God is always ready to welcome you back into His family. He is always ready to cleanse you and have you cling to Him…

              We were created to cling to God, the only question is: are we?

It's the law

the other day I was driving to Fredericton when I looked down and saw that I was speeding.

 I  don’t remember the exact speed, but I know it was well above the posted speed limit (If you are in law enforcement and you’re reading this, I live at 24 Sussex Drive, Ottawa Ontario, Canada, if you’re not with law enforcement, keep reading…)

            I began to slow down….momentarily, a short while later though, I was speeding again.

            No matter how you slice it, speeding is wrong. The posted limit is the posted limit. They are the laws to be adhered to, not suggestions to take into consideration.

            A lot of people think God’s laws are suggestions. Surely God doesn’t mean “don’t kill, don’t hate, don’t lust…” Many people think that God’s laws apply to everyone else, but not me, because there’s an exception to every rule, and I’m it.

            The seed limits are posted for us to follow. If we break them, there will be consequences. Though Christians live under Grace, there are still rules and regulations that we must adhere to.

            Romans 6:1-2 says: “…should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (NLT2)

            Grace is not a free pass to sin. Grace is there to cover us should we sin; it’s not to be taken advantage of.

            The Bible says: “(The grace of God) teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age….” (Titus 2:12, NIV)

            The Grace of God will help us live the disciplined, Christ-centered life.

            As we draw closer to Jesus, we will rely less and less on ourselves and rely more on His Holy Spirit to remind us that we might be going a little bit too fast.