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Why should we live a life in the Spirit, what’s in it for me?

On Sunday we looked again at this idea of ‘life in the Spirit’, we moved on from the how we live it and what it looks like to the why question. Why should we live a life in the Spirit, what’s in it for me? 
 
In doing so we read through Romans 8.1-17 – a lengthy passage with a whole lot of gold buried in it, and we considered three really good reasons why:

Freedom

Transformation

Adoption

Freedom. Paul writes to the church at Rome and he says, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. No condemnation – we are free. Free from the natural consequence of the weight of the law – a law that we are incapable of fulfilling, and a law under which we are always condemned. We are found wanting, we are weighed and measured and found to be wanting, We dont measure up, we can’t measure up. We know it. Oh we  might fool ourselves a little and think we are doing ok. But when we stop and think, we know we might be good, but we’re not good enough. If the standard is the law, and we’ve got to live by it, then we have to admit, we can’t. And the consequence of that is condemnation . BUT life in the Spirit says, no anymore. You are not condemned, the law has been fulfilled on your behalf. You are freed from it, and you are empowered by the Spirit to be more than you could ever have been. Freedom, that’s life in the Spirit.
 
Transformation. We are transformed. We are no longer what we were. We are no longer lost, we are found. We are no longer weighed down by the weight of the law, we are lifted up  by the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit, Paul says. We are calibrated. We dont think the way we used to, our minds have been changed, reordered. given new life. Our perspective has changed, the way we look at life has been changed. There is meaning and purpose, and it is the Spirit that does that work for us.
 
Adopted. We have a complete change of identity. We are no longer fighting against God, we belong to him in a whole new way. So tightly are we bound to him, that he calls us his children. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. We become children of God, we are now entitled to all that he has promised. His promises are now for us. Our future is certain. Doubts as to what life is all about are gone. We are made new.
 
Why would we want life in the Spirit? Because we are free, transformed and adopted. We cannot be without it.
 
Let the Spirit of God remind you this week just whose you are, who you belong to and how loved and  precious you are
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Life in the Spirit

“A spiritual life is basically, in the Christian understanding, a life lived from the direction and the power and the motivations and the character of Jesus Christ Himself. It is Christ in you that gives you a spiritual life. And of course with Christ come His two best friends, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.” Quote but I can’t remember where from

In the life of Jesus, we by pass 30 years or so of his life. He’s born, we then see him as a 12 year old in the Temple, at 30 or so, he’s baptised, tempted, busy teaching, healing, reading minds, walking on water, tried, found guilty, crucified and raised, ascended, sends his Spirit

That’s a snap shot. Read the gospels to get the full picture.

The point is this. For the majority of his life, it was ordinary. Yet he walked in the Spirit, filled with Spirit, lived life in the Spirit. An ordinary life.

When we think of the Spirit filled life, we easily jump to the mystical, the visible, the miraculous. We think of prophecy, healing, tongues etc.

But the Spirit filled life is for every one now, a  life lived from the direction and the power and the motivations and the character of Jesus Christ Himself.

How do we know we are living a Sprit filled life?Here’s some thoughts.

Do you love Jesus – really love him, and want a deep relationship with him?

Are you wanting to be obedient to him. Not an expectation of being perfect, but a life that is directed to that, to living the life Jesus wants you to live?

Are you reading the Bible – spending time in it. Valuing it as the word of God that is good for you.

Are praying, really praying heart felt prayers. Prayers for the lost, for the church, for how you can live the life Jesus asks of you?

As a church are we seeing the Spiritual gifts at work? Are we desiring them so that the authenticate the word of God. Seeking them,  not for their own end, but because it will point to Jesus

Are we cultivating a relationship with the Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

Seek a life in the Spirit – to be empowered to be the witness God has called you to be. A life in the Spirit in the midst of the ordinary

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It’s time to go

Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 28  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
GO!! That’s what he says – we’ve prayed together, we’ve done ministry together – now it’s your time GO
 
Church, that is what he says to us – all of us – GO. 
We have been given work to do. We have a purpose – Glorify God by enjoying him (as John Piper paraphrases the Westminster Catechism ) and more – to go and tell others that Jesus has come. That the one who can turn life back to the way it should be, the one who fully understands us, the one who will accomplish all that we long for (that’s if we are looking of love and joy and peace etc) and an eternity of fullness of life, has come and has done everything that needs to be done to put everything right – the whole of the created order to what it is intended to be.
 
BUT wait, there’s more, and Jesus has come so we can know the Triune God in all his fullness, Father Son and Holy Spirit. He has done it.
 
The time has come for us to GO – why? Because it is urgent!!! The world needs to hear the news about Jesus. It needs to. Our friends need to, our neighbours need to, our work colleagues need to, and our family need to. Life in all its vitality and wonder and joy is best with Jesus. Without him, we live a shadow of a life.
 
How? Well he said he’s with us. He hasn’t left us. He has given us his Spirit to give us creativity, and boldness, and wisdom. We’re not alone. We can do it – and it’s for all of us.
 
How? Being a friend is great. Being helpful is wonderful. Being kind is marvellous – BUT we need to speak. It’s daunting. Don’t be put off – pray, pray really hard. Be specific. Lord I want so and so to know you, please help me to be your witness. Lord please give me an opportunity to share your good news today. Lord – give me wisdom and the right words at the right time.
 
Spend time with Jesus, and with people. Especially if it’s possible, those you’d love to know Him.
Be patient – but look for opportunities.
Listen – really listen. What are people saying? What is happening in their lives. What worries do they have? What is it that scares them and frustrates them.
 
Ask questions, be interested in them. 
 
Be brave – ask if they have ever been to church. If they are married, were they married in a church? Have they been back to church? What do they think of church.
Do the like reading? Have the ever read the Bible (consistently the best selling book in the world). If not why not. If so what did they think?
Do the believe in God? If so what does God mean to them, what does God look like to them.
 
Be prepared to give answers – think about your own testimony. What was life like before you met Jesus, how has it been after, what have you learned about yourself and God. How has it helped you knowing Jesus.
 
Be prepared. Be prepared for God to do way more than you could ever have imagined. Be bold and GO
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Keep on Trusting God

Matthew 4:1, ‘Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.’
On Sunday we looked at the temptation of Jesus, probably better referred to as the testing of Jesus. Jesus is led into the uncomfortable, dangerous desert after his Baptism. Jesus is baptise, the Holy Spirit descends on him, his father speaks of his love and delight in him – his ministry is about to start, but he is taken by the Spirit into the desert. He isn’t taken to a place of comfort, he isn’t prevented from suffering, he isn’t taken into the central city and declared the Son of God – he is taken to a desert.
He is led by the Spirit into the desert, he is taken out of the desert in power by the Spirit. The Spirit is his constant companion – working in him and with him to enable him to meet the demands that will be placed on him. The devil isn’t in control, God is!
We will all have desert experiences – your desert might be financial concerns, it might be a sickness, it might be getting old, it might be worrying about children, it might be relationships that are teetering, it might be worry about your children.  Whatever your desert might be, you are not alone. The Bible never says that we won’t have trouble. It says the opposite – but it says we are never alone, and that Jesus has overcome – he is the victor, he is the mighty warrior that has conquered the devil.
His testing in the desert proves it – in everything that the devil did to get between Jesus and the will of his Father, he failed.
The lessons for us in this are that we must keep on trusting God – recognise that in the desert times, you may feel distant from God, but at the same time, draw closest to him. Are you seeking the company of the Holy Spirit? Are you trusting in him to hold you, teach, guide and lead you? Are you submitting to him? Are you reading your Bible, allowing God to speak to you? Are you spending time in prayer with God – are building your relationship with the Spirit so that his work in you can be seen by others?
Dont give up – recognise you desert times as growth times – trust in God – lean on him and allow him to carry you through.
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You Will Be Saved

This morning we looked together at the concluding comments on the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:13- 23. It was great to hear so many engaging with this text that is challenging.
There were three parts to it that we looked at:
1. Matthew 7:13-14  
 ‘Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’
Here is a stark contrast – destruction or life. There is no middle ground. There are only two roads. Christianity makes this difficult and offensive truth claim that there is only one way to God – John 14:6 Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life – no one come to the Father except through me. Here is the truth proclaimed by Jesus that there are no alternate ways to God. There are not a number of paths to God of which Jesus is one – He is the only way. Pluralism doesn’t like this – it doesn’t like an idea that there is a monopoly on truth. So many will look at Christianity as exclusive an intolerant. BUT any argument against Christianity is an argument for an alternate truth – and that is in itself exclusive. Not also the gates – Wide – it’s inviting and easy – the go with the flow, drifting without thought. We are told that in order to find life we have to turn away and find the alternate path. The only other option – and it is a difficult one, and few will find it.
2. Matthew 7:15  
‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.’
The warning for the church to all of us is that there are those who will pretend to in. Who claims to know the way, but are leading people astray. The scripture both Old Testament and New Testament are full of warning against these people who distort the truth – and of the harm, they can do to the life and the health of the Church. So we are called to be discerning – to check what is been said against the Scriptures – and to look at the lives that these people are living, And that includes your church leaders – check what is been said. Test it challenge it if you believe that it is not in accordance with the word of God.
3. Matthew 7:21-23 
‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?”  Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
This is a scary one isn’t it – those who think they are in who all the marks of being a true Christian – they know who Jesus is, they are involved in his service – they are enthusiastic in their proclaiming who Jesus is, they seem to have the gifts of the Spirit. BUT despite this, Jesus says ‘I never knew you.’ These are those who to all appearances appear to be our brothers and sisters in Christ – but Jesus says they are not. What is missing? Maybe it is self-examination. Although we say Jesus is Lord, is he really? Have we really surrendered to his will, and live in obedience to him? NOT perfection, not someone who seems to live the moral life, but the person who is teachable, the person who knows that Jesus is the only way, and that salvation has nothing to do with what that person can do to earn it, but an acknowledgement that Jesus has done it all – we cannot save our selves, Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast”. Look out for pride and conceit – look for humility and teachability. Those who know Jesus has demonstrated his love and grace for them – and their life is one of thankfulness for that truth. It’s not where people are at, it is where people have come from and the change in them and the knowledge God is continuing to change them. And an active pursuit to build that life with Jesus
Have you felt troubled or are you trouble about where you stand? Here are some verses to rely on – I’ve mentioned on, Ephesians 2:8-9, but hold on to these truths too – John 10:27-28 ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:I give them (you)  eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand’ Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’ Acts 2:21 “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” John 3:16-18 (a)  ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, …’ 1 John1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
 
You are dearly loved – you are valuable to God, he gave his Son to die for you and when you “ you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Friends keep working at your relationship with Jesus – read the Bible, pray, listen, take time to be quiet and press into him.
God  has promised he will never leave you or forsake you.  Deuteronomy 31:6
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God is patient

God is patient. That sounds a bit silly, we know he’s patient. But do we know what that patience means?

Do we realise that God demonstrates his love through his patience?

God is patient with us. We who make so many mistakes. Either because we are excited, or because we are inexperienced, or because we are careless or indifferent.

On Sunday we looked at fishing, and how someone fishing can get themselves into a reel tangle (pun intended) with excitement of inexperience. A fishing line, a tangled one specially, is a frustration. And those who are excited or inexperienced will get themselves more tangled than others and can make a mess. In church the same thing can happen, and we need to be patient. We dont want to put people off fishing,  we want them to love it, the whole experience of it and to keep coming back to it. And it means dealing with and coping with the mess.

In  we read these words: 1 Peter 3:20 ‘God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was built.’
Here’s Noah who has been told to build an ark – and does so over years and years and years. Was God patient with Noah? I think the patience is with those who were rebelling against God and refusing to see what was coming – the flood – God gave them years and years and opportunity after opportunity to turn to him.

And he shows that same patience to us – he doesn’t just destroy us. He gives us time and opportunity to turn to him – that’s patience that’s love. God allows us freedom to be who we want to be, but longing for us to be the people he has created us to be, and the true freedom that comes with that.

His patient isn’t inactivity. God in his patience sent his Son Jesus to die for us so that we would be saved. Like the ark that was built, Jesus is an expression of God’s loving patience for us to turn to him.

The question isn’t, is God patient? The question is, how will you respond to his patience?
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Follow me

“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’” John 1:43

‘Follow me’, simple words. Nothing complicated. Short and sweet. No explanation as to why. No golden promises of wealth, comfort and fame. It sounds like a command, but in reality more an invitation. This is Jesus coming and standing and asking. We can be so busy pursuing what we think will give us meaning and purpose and happiness. What ever that might be – the perfect job, the perfect income, the perfect girlfriend or boyfriend. The fitness, the lifestyle . Chasing it, looking for it, desiring it – we can spend times searching for God or God’s . For a spiritual experience, a cosmic reality that will some how define for us what we are meant to be. 

But here as we read it, there is a deep truth. God finds us – the gospel is about God’s pursuit of us. Jesus came and said – follow me. The question is not are we looking in the right places, it’s are we paying attention. Are we listening, do we hear that call – follow me.

Do we understand what it means? It’s a call to a change of priority. A radical call to life transformation. To follow Jesus means to be fully committed to him. It’s not a half way and that’s ok. It’s to be heart and soul devoted to him.

Jesus calls us where we are.  He isn’t looking for us to get our lives in order. If you look at the disciples, they had some serious issues to work through. But that’s ok – he just wants us – he wants us to be with him and for him.

He wants us to be a part of his life, and he wants us to be a part of his. It’s profound. His call, and the change in us should be too. It looks different for everyone, but there are things we share in common. We love Jesus and we love others. Our love for him and for others is so deep that we can’t help but tell others about him.

When that is what motivates you more than anything else, your love for him, your love for others, your desire to share what he has done, then you know you’ve met the real Jesus.

Follow him. That’s all he asks of you. What that will look like? We’ll that’s his business – but you will alway know you are loved, and the questions of life, the where did I come from, the why am I here, , the how am I supposed to live, and where and I going – over time that will become clearer too.

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Good teacher

‘Good teacher’, he asked, ‘What should I do to inherit the life of the Age to Come?’ (Mark 10:17b)
A young, rich, influential man asks Jesus, how do I get eternal life? Not what he doesn’t ask. He doesn’t ask how he can get wealthy, how he can get powerful, how he can get healthy. All of this he has – and he’s desperate to retain them.
Jesus tells him what he has to do – ‘don’t kill, dont commit adultery, dont steal honour your mother and father’,  and the young man says,’ I’ve done all of that’ But Jesus says, ‘one more thing -sell everything that you have and give it to the poor’.
This the young man couldn’t do. He turned and walked away. What he wanted was eternal life, but what he didn’t want was to pay the price for it. As far as he was concerned he had done all he needed. He had been good and respectable.
Jesus says, ‘listen only God is good’. Dont kid yourself, Jesus says, no one is good enough, or respectable enough to get to heaven, to earn eternal life.
It can’t be earned he says, it’s a gift from God. Jesus says in effect, ‘if you want eternal life, here’s what you have to do –  you have to live a life of radical sacrificial generosity. You might have done all the have not’s but there’s this big you must do that you haven’t done’, what is it? You haven’t followed the first commandment – ‘there shall be no other God’s before me’.
This rich young man hadn’t put God first in his life. He wanted his life to go on as it was without interruption. When he was confronted with a cost, evidence that he could put God first, he couldn’t do it.
Can we? What are we holding on to tightly that we will not give up? What is it that we couldn’t bear to lose to follow Jesus? What is it that demonstrates God isn’t first and foremost in our lives?
Are we focussed on money? Enjoying it and what it can buy, and wanting to hold on to it? Do we have attitudes that we know aren’t right, but we enjoy them. Are we envious, or proud. Have we got habits that we don’t want to give up? Are we harbouring unforgiveness and enjoying it? Struggling with anger?
Are there aspects of our world view, or ethics, our morality that this story challenges?
The problem for us if that’s true (and hey we all struggle somewhere) is that it indicates our comfort, our security, our trust lies somewhere other than with Jesus. We can’t get it into our minds that nothing compares to what Jesus has in-store for us, so we hold tightly to things that will no last.

‘Human eyes have never seen, human ears have never heard, it’s never entered into human hearts: all that God has prepared for those who truly love him.’ 1 Corinthians 2:9

This week, if you have to, get on your knees, seek Jesus and say Lord help me to put you first, show me what I need to change, and give me the grace to change it.
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Ascension Sunday

‘Let not your heart be troubled..’

When we looked at this verse on Sunday, we asked the question, ‘Why did Jesus say this?’. To find out why we went back a chapter to chapter 13 of John’s Gospel and found that the context was Jesus telling his disciples that he was leaving them.

In their confusion and fear, summarised by Peter’s, ‘Where are you going?’ Jesus comforts them with these words – ‘don’t worry, I’m going away to do what I need to do, but I’ll be coming back.’

Like many of us though, in the heat of the moment, when emotions are raw and close to the surface these words probably weren’t heard, and, if they were, not understood.  The only reality they heard was that Jesus was leaving them. Imagine the betrayal. These men had grown close to Jesus over a long period of intimate companionship. They had learned to trust him, had seen what he could do, drew a sense of comfort and security from him. They had left comfort and security to follow him as he had asked them too, and now he’s going away.

I guess we can relate to their initial feelings. Those moments of confusion when news we have heard, circumstances we have encountered have left us speechless – the questions that we are left with. What am I going to do? What happens now? How will I cope? Why me?

Not too many weeks pass, and we have Jesus leaving his followers again. This time he is taken up to heaven before their eyes – what we call the ascension – and the response this time is radically different. Luke records it like this:

Luke 24:50-53 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.  And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Sorrow and confusion is turned into joy. The reality of what Jesus has said sinks home. The bodily resurrection of Jesus is consummated by his return to his kingdom, his throne, the place of his glory. His humiliation is over, his glorious reign continues in new and powerful and wonderful ways.

He is now the resurrected and the ascended King of Kings – his role as ruler of all creation has been made clear to his followers. The reality of heaven and life eternal is beyond doubt, his promise has been made clear. He is at work preparing a place for his followers, and the beauty of that place is to enjoy his eternal company.

He hasn’t left his followers alone – he has sent the Holy Spirit to be with us wherever we are. Jesus is not limited by space and time. History isn’t his captive.

That’s the joy – have you experienced it? He longs for you to know him and enjoy him and to take comfort from him that no matter what you are going through, ‘Let not your heart be troubled’.
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Redemption

Joshua 6:22-23 “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.”

We were really blessed this morning with the service taken by our university and young professional home group. Focussing on the story of Rahab out of the book of Joshua we were reminded of God’s amazing love and the power of faith.

God sees what we don’t see, and he sees who often we don’t want to see. The service brought this home to us; as a church who would we welcome to be among us? Who might find it difficult to come into our service and be a part of who we are?

Kezia pointed out the wonderful story how God used Rahab, a woman on the outside – her occupation (prostitute) and we are reminded often of what she did, her gender, her location for living on the very outside of the city. And yet how she is named as a hero of the faith in the book of Hebrews, and named in the genealogy of Jesus.

The story focussed on Rahab hiding and saving Israelite spies sent to check out the city of Jericho. She asked in turn for the Israelites to save her and all her family. The said they would, as long as she had a scarlet cord hanging from her window when they came to the city. Rahab did and she and her family were saved.

Here is what Kezia had to say:

“Rahab didn’t know very much about God but her act of faith not only saved her but saved her family too. Isn’t that encouraging? It shows that we shouldn’t discount people because of their social status, their actions or their past.

Loving someone doesn’t mean that you have to support and agree with everything they do. It means that you won’t give up on them no matter how often they make mistakes.

So I want to leave you with a final thought. What is your lifeline? And who are you saving with it?”

Isn’t that a confronting and challenging thought to take into this week. Who is God calling you to love? How well are you doing it?

And for us as church, who are we inviting in and allowing to be with us while God does his work in their lives?