I Don’t Want to Go On the Cart! - March 23rd, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

A familiar song, at least from my childhood, was “Ring around the rosy. Pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down”. And at the last line, the circle of kids would drop to the ground giggling and laughing. What I did not know then, and perhaps you did not either, was that this song is based upon the Carters who traveled the streets collecting the bodies of those who died during the Black Plague. The Carters would put flowers in their pockets to drown out the stench of rotting corpses; the “pocket full of posies”. They would haul the cart full of dead people to a mass pit where the dead were burned, hence the “ashes, ashes”. And “We all fall down” was a grim reminder to the Carters that most of them were probably the next to die from the “Black Death”. However, I started wondering if everyone thrown on the cart was really dead. Is it possible that someone was thrown on the cart that was not quite dead? Would they not fight and kick and cling to life, crying out “I don’t want to go on the cart”? Would that not be the most miserable journey imaginable?

It is human nature to cling to life with every ounce of effort. A person who is controlled by their basic human nature will fight death every part of the journey. Oh sure, some who are despondent and without hope will take their own life, but even then the journey to that decision is wrought with agony and suffering. But for the most part, people just simply do not want to die, unless, of course, they believe that something glorious awaits them on the other side of death.

In the same way I wonder if this is why many people seem to resist the death of their sinful human nature. Maybe this is why some people who desire to become a Christian find living as a Christian so difficult. They want heaven, but they refuse to let go of the earth. There are certain things about their former life they will not let die. They want to stand with one foot in glory and one foot on earth. But trying to cling to heaven while holding on to earth will make for a very miserable life; a life that is not fully dead, but not fully alive as well.

Anyway, I started thinking about this as I read the end of Galatians 5 (Read Galatians 5:22-26). Right after Paul talks about the Fruit of the Spirit, he mentions that this “Fruit” is manifested (revealed) in the believer who has “nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (verse 24b). But so often we only nail those passions and desires we are willing to sacrifice. The others; the ones we still want to cling to, remain alive within us. And we become some of the most miserable Christians alive; nether fully dead, but neither fully alive as well. We are, among all the people alive on this earth, the ones to be pitied the most; for we are on a journey with Christ, and all the while the Holy Spirit constantly reminds us that our old nature is not quite dead.

In the list of nine attributes that are found in the person living by the Spirit (verse 25), it’s important to note that Paul calls these the Fruit, not Fruits. Unlike Spiritual Gifts which differ from believer to believer, this Fruit should be evident in all believers. And every part of this Fruit should be manifest (be revealed) within the life of a person who is controlled by the Spirit. We do not have the option of picking and choosing from the list. I cannot choose to be joyful but reject patience and gentleness. It’s all or nothing. To hold on to anything from my old life while trying to grasp parts of the new, I miss out on both ends. I am neither dead nor alive. And consequently I would probably the most miserable person you might meet; for I will live out the rest of my days never finding the love, joy, and peace I desire all because there is something within me that I refuse to let die.

In an ultimate sense, the Spirit is trying to transform us into an image of the Son. (Read 2 Corinthians 3:7-18). Most importantly, Paul says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). This Fruit is, in reality, the very nature of Christ. Becoming Christ-like (Christian) simply means that a person who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has the opportunity to become like Him Spiritually. If this believer will allow the old nature to die, they will become more fully alive than they could possibly imagine; more fully alive than the kind of life the World has to offer. If this believer will allow the old to pass away, then the very character of the Lord is given them through this nine-fold Fruit. But if we never truly die; if we never truly surrender all of our old nature, how then can the Spirit reveal the character of the Lord within us and through us? We are not fully dead, but neither are we truly alive. We are left longing for love, joy and peace, but will never find it or feel it. We are left longing to know gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and kindness, but never to experience them or to see them lived out within us. We will have the desire to overcome but lack the self-control to master the very things in our life that we know are controlling us. We will be miserable because we are not equipped to become someone we are not.

This Fruit of the Spirit needs the proper soil in which to grow. And if a part of our old nature still needs to die; if we are not fully dead, then we cannot be made fully alive. So how can we nail the passions and desires of our sinful nature to the cross and crucify them there? We do this by honestly searching our heart, and confessing to the Lord that there are certain things in our life that do not belong. We do this by admitting to ourselves and to the Lord that we are indeed miserable. Our life is not as we had hoped or desired. We confess to the Father that we feel no love or joy or peace. We lack patience, kindness, and goodness. We are not faithful or gentle, and certainly lack self-control. We need to admit that we know nothing of the very things we desire within our life. We need to admit that we are not quite dead.

I know that allowing our sinful human nature to die can be a bit frightful. It’s awfully difficult to let go of something; to allow it to die. But I promise you; if you do, you will become more alive than you can possible imagine. You will begin to feel the transformation taking place within you that you have longed for all your life. But, it cannot and will not happen unless you allow the old self to die.

Someone We Could Never Be - March 16th, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

Thursday, January 15, 2009, flight 1549, a regular US Airways trip from La Guardia Airport, took off at 3:26 local time, bound for Charleston, North Carolina. The captain, Chelsey Sullenberger III, known as "Sully," did all the usual checks. Everything was fine in the aircraft. Fine until, two minutes after takeoff, the aircraft ran straight into a flock of Canadian Geese. One goose in a jet engine would be serious; a flock was disastrous. Almost at once both the engines were severely damaged and lost their power. The plane was, at that point, heading north over the Bronx, one of the most densely populated parts of the city.

Captain Sullenberger and his copilot had to make several major decisions instantly if they were going to save the lives of people not only on board but also on the ground. They could see one or two small local airports in the distance, but quickly realized that they couldn't be sure of making it that far. If they attempted it, they well might crash land in a built-up area on the way. Likewise, the option of putting the plane down on the New Jersey Turnpike, a busy road leading in and out of the city, would present huge problems and dangers for the plane and its occupants, let alone for cars and their drivers on the road. That left one option: the Hudson River. It's difficult to crash-land on water: one small mistake-catch the nose or one of the wings in the river, say-and the plane will turn over and over like a gymnast before breaking up and sinking.

In the two or three minutes they had before landing, Sullenberger and his copilot had to do the following vital things (along with plenty of other tasks that we amateurs wouldn't understand). 

1. They had to shut down the engines.

2. They had to set the right speed so that the plane could glide as long as possible without power. (Fortunately, Sullenberger is also a gliding instructor.)

3. They had to get the nose down to maintain speed.

4. They had to disconnect the autopilot and override the flight management system.

5. They had to activate the "ditch" system, which seals vents and valves, to make the plane as waterproof as possible once it hit the water.

6. Most important of all, they had to fly and glide the plane in a fast left-hand turn so that it could come down facing south, going with the flow of the river.

7. And-having already turned off the engines-they had to do this using only the battery-operated systems and the emergency generator.

8. Then they had to straighten the plane up from the tilt of the sharp-left turn so that, on landing, the plane would be exactly level from side to side.

9. Finally, they had to get the nose back up again, but not too far up, and land straight and flat on the water.

And they did it! Everyone got off safely, with Captain Sullenberger himself walking up and down the aisle a couple of times to check that everyone had escaped before leaving himself. Once in the life raft along with the other passengers, he went one better: he took off his shirt, in the freezing January afternoon, and gave it to a passenger who was suffering in the cold.

Many people described the dramatic events as a "miracle." But the really fascinating thing about the whole business is the way it illustrates a vital truth--a truth which many today have either forgotten or never knew in the first place.  Sullenberger had not, of course, been born with the ability to fly a plane, let alone the specific skills he exhibited in those vital three minutes. None of the skills required, and certainly none of the courage, restraint, cool judgment, and concern for others which he displayed, is part of the kit we humans possess from birth.  (Source: N.T. Wright, "After You Believe", p. 18ff.)

The same can be said about the Fruit of the Spirit (which, by the way is singular). It is not something found within a person, nor is it something that can be manufactured by a person. Even a Christian cannot manufacture this fruit. This “Fruit” is something that is planted within the heart of a believer, grows and develops, and then bears fruit (something that is seen).

In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul is contrasting Deeds (verse 19) with Fruit (verse 22). The point is that you and I cannot manufacture within ourselves this nine-fold fruit. Only the Holy Spirit can plant this within us. Only the Holy Spirit can give birth to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Consider the fruit of love. This love, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 13, is a love beyond our natural abilities. Not one of us could possibly love in this way. But that’s the whole point. Paul describes a contrast between what we do and who we are. And who we are makes all the difference in the world. Building Christian character must take precedence over displaying special abilities. The gifts of the Spirit focus on service, whereas fruit (in this case love) focuses on character.

If this Christian character is beyond our ability to manufacture within ourselves; if love, as Paul described here, is impossible to achieve, then how do we learn to love like this? That’s the whole point. This kind of love is not learned. This kind of love is not manufactured. It must become a seed planted within us from the one who does love like this; the One who can create within us this kind of supernatural love.

A few weeks ago I spoke about forgiveness, which for some of us is something difficult to achieve. Some of us find it difficult to be patient and kind. Some of us cannot muster this kind of love. Part of our problem is that we are trying to manufacture these Christian attributes with our own will and determination. And we are frustrated because it simply is not happening. We are frustrated because we are going about it the wrong way. When we hear about this “Fruit” we have a natural tendency to think effort or work or developed skill. We think that forgiveness is a character we must develop. But in reality this “fruit” is something we need to allow grow. In order for the Fruit to develop in our lives we must learn to stop working and start surrendering.

As believers we should not be asking God to help us become more loving or patient or kind. God doesn’t take our natural ability to love or be forgiving and enhance it. No, He transforms it. The “old” passes away and something “new” is reborn within us. Yes, there are certain abilities we can learn (like flying) and certain skills we can enhance. But we simply cannot become someone we are not. It will not happen on our own. However, if we will allow Him, if we surrender to Him, God will plant a seed within us that transforms us into someone we could never be.

Fruit of the Spirit - March 9th, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

The pastor was telling the children a story one Sunday morning. He asked the kids, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?” “No!” the children all answered. “If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?” Again, the answer was, “No!” “Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?” Again, they all answered, “No!” “Well,” he continued,” then how can I get into Heaven?” A 5 year old boy shouted, “You gotta be dead!”

The kid’s got a point there, but perhaps not in the way most people would think. See, it is not necessary to physically die in order to get to Heaven. O sure, up until now just about everyone has died, but the Bible speaks of a day when the church will be taken away, and those who are still alive at the time of the rapture will be transformed. “But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

No, a person does not need to be physically dead in order to get to heaven, but they do need to be dead in another way.

Let me take you back to a passage we studied not too long ago. Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship”. In other words, something needs to die. But if it is not our body, then what? The answer is, of course, our sinful human nature. As Jesus teaches us, to inherit eternal life we must be “born again” (John 3:3).

This is one of the central truths proclaimed in scripture. The Bible teaches us that there must be a rebirth; a transformation. The old must pass away. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, what confuses many of us is just what that transformation looks like. We know we are to be born again. But what does a born again person look like? If we “gotta be dead”, then some things about our character must no longer exist. If so, then how should we act? If the old nature is to have died in order to be reborn, what exactly does reborn look like? This is what I want to spend time talking about the next few weeks; exploring what the Bible says about being a new creature; what it means to be born again.

Let me begin first by pointing out some common mistakes we make in determining whether we are born again or not. Often we look for evidence through a supernatural display of Spiritual Gifts. We turn to certain scriptures (especially in the book of Acts) and look at the way the Spirit worked then and assume He will do the same today. Some Christians actually claim that unless you are gifted to speak in an unknown language, you are not born again. That is not true. A careful read of Acts will show you that some were gifted in this way while others were not. As a matter of fact, the ability to speak in an unknown language was the exception, not the norm. Very few received this ability. So we simply cannot use this as a sign of rebirth.

Another mistake we often make is using miracles and power over demons as evidence of rebirth. However Christ Himself warned, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matthew 7:22-23). That’s a pretty striking statement. You would think that someone with those abilities would certainly be identified with the reborn. But Jesus says no. They are not reborn, just deceived. These people think that eternal life is found in what they did. But Christ has taught that eternal life is found through faith in Him.

Nowhere in scripture do we read that a new believer must display certain abilities in order to confirm their rebirth. Some believers were gifted with the ability to perform miracles. Some were gifted with the ability to speak a word of knowledge. Some were able to speak a prophetic word, some could cast out demons. But none of these gifts were used as a test to determine whether a person was born again. As a matter of fact, Paul scolds the Corinthian church for elevating certain gifts above others. But in reality, these gifts were given as a sign to unbelievers, not as a confirmation of being born again.

What is surprising for many is that evidence of rebirth (of being born again) is an inward change, not some sort of display of power. Paul says evidence of rebirth can be heard in what a person says. “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). But the best evidence for rebirth can be seen in a transformation of our character, our attitudes, and our outlook on life. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul says evidence of being born again is seen by the Fruit of the Spirit; the old passing away (dying) and something new taking its place.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Paul says these nine attributes of the Spirit should be displayed through the person who is born again. These characteristics of Christ should be seen in the person who has surrendered themselves to God. This is what it looks like when the old passes away and has been replaced with the new.

Do you want to know what has to die? Paul tells us in Galatians 5:19-21. And only when we allow the old person to die can a new person be reborn. This is what it means to be born again. To be born again is to allow ourselves to be transformed into a believer who displays the Fruit of the Spirit. This is the evidence we should be looking for.

Evidence of rebirth is not seen in the sensational or in charismatic displays of power, but in the quiet surrender of a heart that has allowed the old to pass away so that Christ can make it something new. As King Solomon has wisely observed, “Better to be patient than powerful; better to have self-control than to conquer a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

Why We Must forgive - March 2, 2014 sermon

By Pastor Greg

In the Feb 23, 2001 edition of the Financial Post, a man took out an ad seeking employment. As I read the ad to you this morning, I want you to think about this question: “Would you hire this man?”

The headline of the ad said, “Employment Wanted, Former Marijuana Smuggler.” Here’s the text: “Having successfully completed a ten-year sentence, incident-free, for importing 75-tons of marijuana into the United States, I am now seeking a legal and legitimate means to support myself and family. Under “Business Experience,” the man wrote: “Owned and operated a successful fishing business, multi-vessel, one airplane, one island and processing facility. Simultaneously owned and operated a fleet of tractor-trailer trucks conducting business in the Western United States. During this time, I also co-owned and participated in the executive level management of 120 people world-wide in a successful pot smuggling venture with revenues in excess of 100 million annually. I took responsibility for my actions and received a ten-year sentence in the United States, while others walked free for their cooperation.” Here are the “Attributes” he claimed: “I am an expert in all levels of security. I have extensive computer skills, am personable, outgoing, well educated, reliable, clean and sober. I have spoken in schools, to thousands of kids and parent groups over the past ten years on “The consequences of choice” and received public recognition for community service. I am well-traveled and speak English, French and Spanish. References available from friends, family, the U.S. District Attorney, etc.”

Now honestly, would you hire this man? I don’t know about you, but I have mixed emotions when I read the ad. On one hand, he has paid his debt to society and should be given another chance. On the other hand, to be totally honest, I’m not sure if I would offer him a job if I had one available. Would you? If you wouldn’t, why wouldn’t you? For me, it is that hiring him would involve a large element of risk. On the surface, I ask questions like, “would he use my assets to conduct illegal activity? Has he really changed? Has he really paid “his debt to society? Would he really be an asset to us?” But when I go deeper. When I dive into my soul for answers, I’m not left asking questions about him, but about me. Am I able to forgive people like Christ would want me to? Forget about this guy for now, I’m not specifically talking about him anymore. In general, am I a forgiving person?

Ephesians 4:32 says “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” To the church in Colossae, Paul writes, “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:12-13). These are important words, and I’m afraid few of us realize just how deeply unforgiveness has penetrated our heart.

How are you at forgiving? What does forgiveness look like? First of all, let me point out what forgiveness is not. ¹Forgiveness is not a feeling. If you wait to feel like forgiving it will never happen. ²Forgiveness is not pretending you were not hurt. You can’t ignore the fact that what was said or done really hurt. ³Forgiveness is not saying what the other person did was okay. What they did was wrong, and will continue to be wrong even after you forgive. ⁴Forgiveness does not mean you have to trust that person again. Forgiveness is a separate issue from trust. Experience will teach you whether or not a person can be trusted. But forgiveness merely releases you from the hurt and pain from their untrustworthy actions. ⁵Forgiveness is not relieving other people of their responsibility. Forgiving does not mean they will go free. It is not letting them “off the hook”.

What then is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a choice; a decision we make to obey God. Forgiveness is getting your own heart right with God; focusing on the Lord, not the hurt or the one who hurt us. In her book, An Invitation to Healing, Lynda Elliot writes about a struggle she had with a neighbor when she was in her twenties. “For months, I replayed the hurtful scene in my mind,” she writes, “talking about it often with a friend. As I expressed my feelings over and over, my pain became deeper and more invasive. It was becoming a part of me.”

One day as Lynda relived the scene again, her friend asked, “Do you know we become like the people we think about most?” Lynda heard her friend’s voice and God’s voice at the same time. She says, “I had a choice to make. If I choose to behold Jesus, to focus on Him, I could be transformed into His image. Likewise, if I continued to behold the image of my neighbor, I could be transformed into her image. In fact, that was already happening.” Lynda had a choice to make. She could grow into the image of her neighbor and reflect her evil, or she could grow into the image of Christ and reflect His grace.

Tim Keller says, “At the very least, forgiveness prevents me from becoming as evil as the other party.” Think about it for a moment. If you don’t forgive, you will become as the person who wronged you. The transformation may be slow, but before long, you will become bitter and angry and consumed by the wrong.

Forgiveness is the only way to keep the people that harmed you from turning you into them. The only way to break their control over you and what you think about is to forgive. Is it risky? Yes. Will they wrong you again? Probably. Jesus taught us, “And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent, ‘forgive him.” (Luke 17:4)

Why should you forgive those that harm you? One answer is so you can be obedient to Christ who commanded you to do it. Another is because it will help you physically, emotionally and spiritually. But the big answer is because, as a sinner, you need forgiveness too. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14–15).

Forgiveness is a lifestyle of taking our rightful place in God and saying to the person who continues to hurt us, “I’m sorry you feel the way you do about me, but I’m not going to respond back to you in the same way.” Taking this stand puts our emotional health and our life into the Lord’s hands instead of letting the person who’s giving us the problem rule our emotional life.

The bottom line is this: if you refuse to forgive (or say you can’t), what you are saying is that holding on to your hurt is more important to you than going on with God. It’s that simple. The Word of God says that if you don’t forgive, your spiritual life will stay where it is until you are able to forgive.

I want to encourage you right now to ask the Lord to reveal any unforgiveness that might still be lurking in your heart. Allow Him to show you specific individuals that you need to forgive. Chose today to no longer be controlled by an event from your past or by words that had been spoken out of anger. You will find that through forgiveness, you are no longer held in bondage; for any resentment or bitterness you may feel toward another person does not hold them captive. The one held captive by unforgiveness is you.

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[2] Ownership for much of what has been said today about forgiveness belongs to a man named Doug Easterday. He is one of the counselors used by the DivorceCare ministry that was offered a few years ago. Doug has an excellent pamphlet entitled Restoration Through Forgiveness, and a few copies are available on the bulletin board shelf. What Doug teaches is something both you and I need to learn.