2011 03 13 Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Psalm 32, Matthew 4:1-11

Here we are.  It is the first Sunday of Lent.  We are already half way through March and on the doorstep of spring.  Although with this year’s weather, I wonder if spring has been postponed a month or two.  But I have a couple of questions for you to think about. First, how is your new year’s resolution coming along?  Do you even remember your new year’s resolution?  I do. I remember that I did not make a new year’s resolution. I knew that it would be the one I am most likely to keep.

But the other question is: How are your Lenten fasts coming along?  I am not asking from what you are fasting.  During your Lenten fast, it is best that you keep it to yourself.

Matthew 6:16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

A fast is not the same as a new year’s resolution in a couple of ways:  A new year’s resolution is something you do for yourself, but a fast is something you do for the Lord.  With a resolution you hope to make changes in your life, but with a fast, you hope to let the Lord change you.  In a fast, the sacrifice of something important calls us to greater devotion, the emptying of ourselves in order that we might be filled in a greater manner with God.

I think that this was what Jesus was trying to do in Matthew 4.  1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

If you think about this, it is really amazing.  Just before this, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  At the end of Matthew chapter 3, Jesus comes up out of the water, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him like a dove.  Verse 17 says, “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’"  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all manifest at the same time. 

Jesus goes forth, led by the Spirit for the sole purpose of being tempted by the enemy of God and man, the devil.  It is a test.  The battle lines are being drawn and drawn early.  The forces of life and death, light and darkness, heaven and hell, will do battle here.  Jesus has been fasting for forty days when the tempter came to him. 

I think that a lot of people don’t think much about this event.  It’s Jesus.  He’s perfect.  He has the big man upstairs on his side, and the Holy Spirit has got his back.  Three temptations , he says no…blah blah blah…what are we having for Sunday dinner? 

It is a big deal, and it is not just the stuff that theologians study or think about.  I don’t know what all you study in Sunday school, but a few years back, the people of my Dad’s Sunday school spent several weeks discussing this.  Could Jesus have actually been tempted?  Better yet, could he have actually succumb to this temptation? A Sunday school class.  There were discussions on both sides.  Yes, he could have.  No, he could not have. 

The funny thing is…my dad and I don’t agree on this question.  He believes that Jesus could NOT have given in to temptation, and I believe that Jesus could have.  He was not led into the desert just for fun.  Jesus is the Son of God.  He is Emmanuel.  Remember that name from our Advent and Christmas lessons?  He is “God with us”.  He is God incarnate…God in the flesh.  Jesus was fully human and fully divine.  Wrap your mind around that phrase for a moment or two.  It is not easy.

I think it is easier for us to remember that he is God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus was there at the beginning.  When the heavens and earth were created, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were present.  But we also cannot ignore that when Jesus came to earth, he also became a man.  He had a human body.  He had a human heart and a human will that was always in tension with his divine will.

OK…maybe this is getting too deep.  Let’s get back to the beginning, it’s a good place to start.   Let’s take a look back at Genesis 2 and 3. Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden.  They had one responsibility…”to work it and take care of it.”  They also had one command: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

That was it.  When humanity was placed on the earth, their responsibilities were simple.  Take care of things…and do NOT, under any circumstances eat from that tree.  But in chapter 3, we see the arrival of the serpent.  It says that the serpent was crafty.  The serpent takes God’s words and…tries to twist them a little.  The serpent tells Adam and Eve that they will not die, but become like God, having the knowledge of good and evil.

This is the first sin.  The serpent got them thinking.  He planted some ideas in their minds…in their hearts.  Being with God was not enough, being created in God’s image was only the beginning.  Now, they wanted to be like him, even if it meant being disobedient, and even if it meant they might die.  This is the sin of self.  Man would no longer be satisfied with God’s presence; they wanted his power as well.

It is the devil who planted the seeds of sin in Adam and Eve…and watched them grow.  In Matthew 4, he hoped to do the same in Jesus as well.  If only he could help Jesus get in touch with his human side.  The first temptation was a little one. "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."  Come on, Jesus.  Use a little bit of that power of yours.  Break that old fast of yours.  You’ve suffered enough, already.  You’re hungry. Make yourself a little bread, all it takes is just a word.  Maybe if he can get Jesus to be disobedient in such a teeny little trivial thing like bread, then Satan can tempt him in something else.  But Jesus answers him from Deut. 8:3, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Strike one…but the devil keeps on trying.

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  Come on, Jesus.  You won’t get hurt, and you know it. Prove to me and the world who you are.  All of your earthly adversaries will fall in line when they see this. Even the Pharisees will believe and behave.  Wouldn’t that be helpful?   7 Jesus answered him from Deut. 6:16, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test’"    Strike two…but Satan still has a trick up his sleeve.

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Come on, Jesus.  You can be the most powerful man in the history of the world.  Everything will be yours, as far as the eye can see.  Then you can overthrow Rome, save Israel, and be the king of everything.  The problem was…that role has already been taken. 10 Jesus answered him from, Deut. 6:13, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"  Strike three, Satan.  You’re out.

The devil offered Jesus everything.  The problem is it would cost the world everything that he was planning to do.  Because Jesus triumphed over temptation, we can too.  And this is no small moral teaching.  It goes much deeper than this.  Temptation is natural to man.  It is as common as a common cold, but far deadlier.  Temptation leads us to sin.  And sin always leads to death.

Because Jesus overcame his temptations, he was able to go to the cross. Because of the cross, Jesus overcame sin and death.  Every Sunday, we pray the Lord’s Prayer, and I don’t lead us in this because it is something with which we are familiar.  We pray the Lord’s Prayer because it is exactly what we need everyday.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  I may very well be in the minority of people nowadays, but I believe that the devil is real.  He is crafty and wise.  The devil knows exactly which buttons to push…what words to say.  And the temptation to follow his advice is real.  Wouldn’t it be good if…?  Would it be easier if…?  Why don’t you just…? 

Jesus could have had bread, but chose to continue his fast.  Jesus could have demonstrated his power, but chose to remain humble.  Jesus could have become the ruler of the world, but chose to remain the Son of God.  He did not because it was easy or convenient.  He resisted the temptations of the world, because if he couldn’t we would remain trapped in sin. Sin brought down man, but God brought down sin.  Jesus came to deliver us from the evil of this world.

But we have to choose Jesus.  We have to choose him.  There have been times in my life when I have prayed that God would remove the temptations that I face.  It took a lot of years, but finally I realized how foolish I had been.  1 Cor. 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Temptations will always be before us, but every moment of every day, we must choose Jesus Christ, and not our temptations.  He will lead us out of trial, and lead us to victorious living in him.  Thanks be to God.

2011 03 06 The Mountain Top Experience

Exodus 24:12-18, Psalm 99, Matthew 17:1-9

The Mountain Top Experience.  When I first looked at this morning’s scriptures and came up with the title for the sermon, the first thing that came to mind was the movie, The Sound of Music.  In the opening scene, the main character, Maria, is standing out in the middle of a high alpine meadow dancing and singing, “The hills are a live with the sound of music…” 

It is a breathtaking view of hills and mountains.  It is gorgeous and simply awe-inspiring.  It is the sort of thing that makes you want to hop on a plane and go tour through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.  But what’s funny is at the end of movie, the main characters, the Von Trapp family are escaping.  They are running from the Nazi regime that has taken over Austria, and they have set out on foot climbing over and through these same hills and valleys to reach freedom in Switzerland. 

In the final scene, you see the entire family cresting the top of a mountain looking down into the safety of Switzerland as the song plays in the background, “Climb every mountain, ford every stream…”  I won’t do the dishonor of trying to sing any more of that song, but the whole movie has built up to this point of crescendo…this joyful, goose bump-filled, mountain-top experience where good triumphs over evil.

Again, this movie is meant to be inspirational.  You confront the evil of your times, overcome your enemy, and rise up victorious in jubilant song.  There’s a small problem with this ecstatic scene.  You can only go down from there.  The Von Trapp family, although no longer chased by Nazis, would still have to climb safely down from their lofty perch.  They had to find safe passage off the mountain, find shelter and make their way to whatever town was close by.  Then they would need to start their lives over in a new country.  No problem, huh?

The Sound of Music is based on a true story. The real-life, Trapp family did leave their home, possessions, and wealth in Austria, and all they had was what they brought with them.  Although many events were exaggerated for the sake of drama, it really does show that the mountain top is not the end of the journey, but really only the beginning. 

Our Old Testament and New Testament passages each illustrate a different mountain-top experience.  In Exodus, we have Moses, and in Matthew we have Peter, James, and John.

Exodus 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

God had just given the Israelites the ten Commandments and the laws to go with them.  God had commanded the Israelites to sacrifice bulls, and blood from these bulls would be sprinkled on the people.  The Lord was making a covenant…a sacred, binding, and eternal agreement with the people.  In the spilling and sprinkling of blood, the sins of the people were “covered”.   The people were consecrated made holy and able to stand in the LORD’s presence.

Now God wants Moses to come up the mountain.  He has something to give Moses.  Moses sets out with his faithful helper, Joshua, and they climb the mountain of God.

Exodus 24:15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

The Lord has come near his people.  He has delivered his people out of Egypt, and he desires to stay with his people.  Never again will he be far from them.  He wants the people to build the Tabernacle…a place where his presence can remain near his people.  Remember…God is holy.  Any place where the presence of God can remain must be holy, set apart, special.  So the LORD has very specific instructions that the Israelites must follow. 

Moses remained on top of the mountain in smoke, in flames…in the presence of the Lord.  God and his chosen leader were together, in communion…for forty days.  This was the mountain top experience for Moses and the people of God.  Unfortunately, it could only go downhill from there. 

Because Moses was atop the mountain for so long, what happened?  The Golden Calf (Exodus 32).  The people lost their focus.  The fire was still burning on the mountain.  The presence of the Lord was still before them, but they lost track of who they were, and what they were supposed to be doing.  Their impatience led them to an almost unforgiveable sin.  And only through Moses intercession were the people of Israel allowed to live.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus, he has focused his teachings on 12 men, his closest friends and followers, who would later be known as the Apostles.  But within that close-knit group of 12, Jesus chose 3 who would receive even closer attention…Peter, James, and John.

Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.  This would be another one of those mountain-top experiences.  2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Moses, who had entered the presence of God, and Elijah who had been called to heaven on a chariot of fire were suddenly in the presence of a transfigured Jesus and three very puzzled disciples.  Peter, the go-getter, suggests some shelter for Jesus and his guests.  . 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

James, John, and especially Peter were in danger of missing the point.  Jesus was demonstrating to his three closest followers who he was.  In Matthew 16:16, Peter had only recently declared,  "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."  Yet just a few verses later (16:22), Peter rebuked Jesus for saying that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Although Peter knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, he really doesn’t understand who Jesus is or what he came to accomplish in earth.  For all of his time with and knowledge about Jesus, Peter is still just as lost as he ever was.  Jesus brings Peter and the others to the mountain top to show the, once and for all who he is…and Peter’s mind is elsewhere as he wants to build shelters.

17:5 While (Peter) was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid." 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

God the Father spoke from heaven, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" Listen to him!  LISTEN TO HIM!  Peter, James, and John hit the ground at the sound of God’s voice.  But as Jesus touched them, their fears were gone and they saw they were alone with Jesus.  It really was downhill from there. 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

It really is all downhill from there.  It is supposed to be. Moses, Peter, James, and John were all given the same mission.  Through them, God would be made know to man.  Through Moses, the love of God was made know to the Israelites.  Through Peter, James, and John, the grace of God would be made to all humanity. 

I think that this is why we all have our own little mountain-top experiences with God.  They are not to show us how much God loves us when things are great.  The mountain-top experiences with God show us how much God still loves us when it is all downhill from there. 

Are any of you like Peter?  Not paying attention to God’s blessings, faith, power, and love in your life?  Then when times get tough, we forget those things and wander off…away from the God who loves us.  It is easy to be distracted.

Speaking for myself, probably my greatest mountain-top experience was the time I spent in seminary.  Great people, great professors, great worship, great environment…and a great God bringing it all together.  I remember on many a day or night, worrying of whining about all the work I had to do…papers, projects, readings, and work.  And I think that I missed out on some of those great and miraculous experiences that were going on around me.  Things I needed when I left the mountain. 

I am not saying that my time here is a valley…far from it.  But because at times, I, like Peter, lost my focus of what God was doing or trying to do through me.  He was shaping, strengthening, and growing me to be a blessing to others to minister to your needs and to grow you into a powerful people of faith, hope, and love.

I guess that is part of the problem with mountain-top experiences.  Like, Peter, we don’t what we had…until it’s gone.  What are your mountain-top experiences?  Where are the times, places, and circumstances in which you have felt the closest to God?  Looking back, how have those moments shaped your faith and prepared you to minister to the needs of others? 

I think that some people are addicted to the mountain-top experience.  Their faith is defined by their spiritual high points, and not by how God carries in our low ones.  This is a shallow faith..a weak faith.  Like extreme sports enthusiasts, they simply want to live off that spiritual high and reproduce it as often as they can .  They want to go from mountain-top to mountain-top, and that just can’t happen.

But there are others, who never even have those mountain-top moments.  They are afraid. They are afraid of what God might do with them.  They are afraid of the smoke and fire on the mountain-top and how it might burn them up, hurt them, damage them…change them.  The refining fire of faith might burn too hot for their liking, and they might not recognize themselves when they come back down. So they stay in the relative safety of the valley.

Seek the mountain-top.  When God calls, go up and look for him there.  When he sends you back down, continue to seek him.  Remember that his loving presence is with us wherever his path may lead us. Psalm 23:3b He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Mountain-top, valley, or plain…God is always with those who seek his face.

2011 02 27 What, Me Worry?

Isaiah 49:8-16 , Psalm 34:4-10, Matthew 6:24-34

Have you ever heard of the butterfly effect?  The butterfly effect is part of modern chaos theory which hypothesized that something as trivial as a butterfly flapping its wings in say Asia could lead to a tornado forming in Oklahoma.  A small event in combination with number of other small events and taking place in the right combination of meteorological circumstances could create a large-scale natural disaster. 

The idea is that something seemingly small and inconsequential can lead to something large and potentially disastrous.  I am not a real big believer in chaos theory, and I am sure that I have left much information out concerning the butterfly effect.  However, many of us see how connected we are as a planet and as people.  We realize just how things that happen in far off places can have an effect on us.

I used to joke that every time a Saudi prince sneezed, our gas prices would go up a nickel.  In the last week, as Libya has seen large political demonstrations and military responses from its leadership, our gas prices have gone up…and by more than a nickel.  On Tuesday, I paid $3.00/gallon (actually $3.00.9/gallon) for gas.  That afternoon it was $3.39.  Almost forty cents a gallon in a 24 hour time span. Gas prices affect the cost of farming (amen?) and the cost of transporting grain and animals.  It affects the cost of making and transporting the food that eventually gets to our tables. Political unrest in Libya is hitting us in the pocketbooks in middle America.

There has been enough political unrest in America as well.  There have been large demonstrations in Wisconsin and Ohio concerning labor legislation.  The Health Care Bill passed late last year is still divisive.  Lack of food, jobs, and health care is a serious threat to the lives of many people.  I know this because I have been through it myself, and not so long ago either.

As I have mentioned to many of you, as a pastor, I am technically self-employed.  As such, I cannot have group health insurance.  The churches pay into a common fund and an administrator pays bills out of that fund.  In 2003, right about the time, that Jen was diagnosed with cancer, the denomination I was with switched its self-funded plan.  A company offering something called "The Church Plan" was hired to take care of our pastors' health insurance needs.  We were excited because we would have better coverage and everything would be great.

At first, bills were being paid rather well.  "The Church Plan" had hired Aetna to administer the plan, and we were fairly happy.  Unfortunately, "The Church Plan" "misrepresented” themselves.  Thus, all the pastors in our plan were pretty much booted from Aetna.  Another company Consumer Health Solutions, was hired to administer the fund.  Our church was paying a little over $1,000/month for this new plan.  Jen was now pregnant with Ben.  So we needed this coverage, and we needed it to work. 

Only, it didn’t .  To this day, no one is quite sure what Consumer Health Solutions did with the money that was paid to them, but it certainly was not going to our doctors.  Again, the church would pay $1,000/month, but our bills were not being paid.  The company would pick up a $10 charge here or maybe a $14 charge there, but ignore everything else.  Jen had received radiation treatments at the beginning of this coverage. A year later, none of them had been paid.  The hospital and doctors who delivered Ben never saw a penny.

This was all happening, when my superintendent told me that I would not have a church in about 3 months.  No “work”, no functioning health insurance and $23K in medical bills that would never going be paid…let just say that this was a bit of a concern for me.  OK…I won’t lie to you.  I was worried!

We have all been worried about one thing or another: jobs, homes, health, finances, children, grandchildren, etc.  But why?  Most of us know that the past is behind us and there is usually little we can do about the future. But why do we worry?  We do not trust in the future.  We do not trust in the people, places, or circumstances that lie ahead unbeknownst to us.  It is natural for us to worry because we have to trust in our natural surroundings.

But sadly, we worry because we do not trust God.  We may put our hope in our natural abilities instead of putting our trust in his supernatural abilities.  From the early days of Adam and Eve to our present time, we do not trust God…or we do not trust him fully.  Looking at the passage from Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching the disciples and the crowds about worry.

24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

We will love one and hate the other.  We will serve one, and use the other.  We will put our full trust in one, and the other will be a distant second place.  Our hearts have room for only one.  You can have God, who will allow to use money, or you will have money, which will allow you to use God.  This may be the point that Jesus is trying to make throughout his ministry.  It is the rich who come giving large gifts trying to buy favor with God, but it is the poor that we see as humble…poor in spirit as well as finances.  “You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Once Jesus gets that huge, gigantic, universal piece of truth out there, the rest of this passage falls into place. 25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

The Lord takes care of his creation.  Birds, animals, flowers, and grass…he takes care of them.  Aren’t we more important than these?  Of course.  Does God love us more than these?  Of course.  Can worrying make our situations any easier?  Can worrying make our lives any better?  Can worrying make our lives any longer?  No, no, and no. Jesus tells the people not to worry about the things of this earth.  Our heavenly father knows us, and he knows what we need.

33 But seek first his kingdom and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Our worry is a lack of trust.  Our worry is a lack of trust in God. We believe in God but we do not always believe HIM to be who he claims to be.  First, we do not trust in God’s:

Sovereignty.  We do not believe that he is THE KING. We do not believe that he alone is God and is in control of the universe and our lives. We put our faith in destiny, fate, or karma.  We try to put ourselves in his throne because we think that we can trust in our own abilities, gifts, or possessions.  We do not believe that we will stand before the Lord in the final…or any…judgment.  When we do not trust in his sovereignty, we make ourselves idolaters because we have made ourselves…king.

Second, we do not trust in God’s Ability.  Many in the world view evil as proof that God does not exist.  Either he cannot rid the world of it…or he does not want rid the world of it.  Either way, God comes off as powerless or perhaps even as evil himself.  But in reality, there are many people in the Church even today who do not believe in God’s supernatural power.  Many read of God’s miracles in the Bible and write it off as myth or fairy tale. 

But I believe.  I believe in God’s supernatural power.  I believe in God’s ability to recreate, redeem, and renew.  I know it because I have experienced his grace in my heart.  God’s power to create the universe is small when compared to the loving and grace filled manner in which he saves us.  The power of God to transform the world was demonstrated on the cross at Calvary and is known in the hearts of believers everywhere.

Third, we do not trust in God’s Will.  There are too many people out there who feel that God does not want to save them.  Too far gone, too sinful, and too far beyond any possible help….God does not want to help me.  Not only can he save all…but he will save all who come to him in faith.  Worry be damned.  The world can and will fall down around our heads on a daily basis.  Our sins may seem darker than anyone else’s.  Christ’s sacrifice was made once…FOR ALL. 

Are you worrying today?  Do you believe in Jesus Christ with all your heart?  Do you believe that he can and will save us from our sins?  Do you believe that God will provide us with everything we need? Not want…but need?  I said that we worry because too often we do not trust in God’s Sovereignty, Ability, and Will.  But I want you to repeat something after me.

He Is…He Can...He Will.

Remember the struggles with health insurance, I told you about earlier?  With the future uncertain, our family joined the United Methodist Church where a ministry opportunity was offered to us.  What a blessing! In our first year there, I received word that our former denomination would pay our unpaid medical bills...all $23K of them!

My worries, fears, and concerns did not deliver us out of those situations...God did.  He IS the king.  He can deliver us from our trials.  He will save us, if and when we call out to him.  But it is up to you.

2011 02 20 KILLER BE – Be Holy – Be Perfect

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, Psalm 119:33-40, Matthew 5:38-48

I remember still being a fairly young Christian when I took my first position as an associate minister. That was about the time when I really started asking questions about God and theology.  Who is God, and what is our relationship with Him supposed to look like?  Now I know that this seems a little backwards, becoming a pastor then learning about theology.  But I have realized that Christians must start with faith.  That is the sole requirement for salvation.

We believe. We believe that Jesus rose from the dead.  We ask him to forgive us our sins.  We ask him to make our life new and to be our Lord forever.  This is that epiphany moment that we have in our lives.  There is more to life than what we have been living.  There is something very wrong in our hearts, and it is killing us.  For perhaps the first time in our lives, we realize that sin is real, and there is nothing we can do to save ourselves.  It is that moment in our lives that we finally figure out that there really is a God, and we’re are not him.

So that moment of realization…that moment of understanding leads us to call out to God in faith.  We embrace the one whom we have never seen.  Our faith leads us to Christ, to forgiveness, to new life, a new hope, and a new beginning.  This new beginning is similar to what the people of Israel were experiencing in the book of Leviticus. 

The Lord had brought the Israelites out of slavery and out of Egypt.  He was making them into a special group of people.  They would be set apart from all the peoples, all the tribes, all the nations of the world.  They would have to be.  The Lord, the God of their forefathers was no ordinary god.  God was showing himself to be the one true god.  At the time of the book of Leviticus, God was demonstrating himself to be real.  God was there at the tabernacle as a cloud by day and fire at night.

As God was set apart from all the false gods and deities, his people must be set apart from the ideals and values of the world.  God loved his people, but he knew that they could be easily led astray.  They could not allow their faith in the Lord to be compromised…to be contaminated with beliefs and practices of pagan gods.  The Israelites must be set apart from these influences that might bring evil into their lives and jeopardize their relationship with God.  This being “set apart” is what we know as being “holy”.

The threat of being led astray to worship false gods was so real, that the book of Leviticus was written as guidelines and rules of live and love and worship, to insure that this did not happen. Leviticus may not be what most Christians find to be an easy or even interesting read.  However, it points repeatedly to how much God cared about his people.  God wanted nothing to come between his people and himself.

1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

This was not the first, last, or only instruction for the people of Israel to be holy.  At times, the people were to consecrate themselves, to remove whatever dirt or filth that might exclude them from worshipping their perfect, powerful, and holy God.  You see, the unholy cannot stand in the presence of the holy.  To enter into the presence of the Lord in an irreverent or unworthy could bring judgment and death on the person. 

But there is more to holiness than following a bunch of rules or being ceremonially set apart for worship.  If being spiritual is a matter of the heart, holiness is the other side of that same coin.  Holiness also begins in the heart.  Let’s take a look in our bulletins at the Call to Worship this morning.

Psalm 119:33-40 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.

You see, even in this Old Testament relationship with God, the people weren’t just supposed to understand these laws and agree to follow them with their minds. (Sure, Lord..why not.) The people were supposed to wrap their hearts around them.  The Laws were not only set up as fences around the Israelites, they were instruments of love through which the people of God could love God, their families, and the people around them. 

In Leviticus 19:9-18, there were statutes that would allow for the feeding of the poor.  There were laws providing justice for all, no favoritism toward the poor or the rich, and no place for hatred toward others. 18 "'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.'".  The people were to dedicate their hearts to the Lord.  In doing so, they would help their fellow Israelites.

Yes, these passages are all wrapped up in chapter after chapter of how to do this or how not to do that.  But the key to God’s relationship with man is holiness, and the key to holiness is love.  The passage from Leviticus 19:18 seems to lead right into what Jesus was teaching in Matthew 5:38.

38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

It is in Exodus 21:24, that we first hear of “eye for an eye”, but that law “lex talionis” was not established to set the standard of the law, but to prevent people from overzealously seeking revenge.  “If you kill one of my sheep, I’m gonna kill two of yours.”  Although sometimes it did mean death, “eye for an eye” sought for just means of repaying someone for their loss. 

By the time of Jesus, people were using that law as means of revenge.  In his teaching, Jesus tells us to surrender our right to anger and retribution.  They hit you on the right cheek, let them hit your left too.  They want to sue for your tunic, let them have you cloak too.  If someone asks you or forces you to walk a mile with them, be willing to walk an extra one.  Why?  Because anger does not own you. God does.  Because vengeance does not hold your heart captive.  Love does.

I am reminded of Matthew 10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."  If someone harms you twice, takes what does not rightfully belong to them, or makes you work twice as hard.  So what?  Life is not a series of boring, painful, experiences of suffering that we are to endure.  Life is our relationship with God, period.  If you endured suffering without reason or loss without compensation…if you lived a miserable life here on earth, but held onto your love for God and for others, there is still an immeasurable reward ahead of you.  We cannot allow anger, jealousy, or vengeance here on earth to jeopardize our reward in eternity.  That is why we must love even those who harm us.

43 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Anyone can love people who love us back.  Pagan, Christian, atheist…we can all give what we get.  That’s easy.  "Love me?  I’ll love you.  Hate me?  Right back at you, pal!"  But that is not Christian, and it most certainly is NOT holiness. If holiness is being different than the rest of the world…set apart from everyone else, then hatred can have no place in us. Love must reign in the hearts of God’s holy people…and that love must continue to grow.

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

In John Wesley’s writings, Wesley described the total surrender of heart, mind, and soul as “entire sanctification”.  Sanctification is the process by which we are made more like Christ, more humble, more loving, more pure, more forgiving…more holy. This view of holiness is a complete contrast to what the world would like us to be.  The world would like Christians to be more vengeful, more angry, and more bitter.  The world wants the church to be just like it is.  But God has called us to holiness…to perfect love.

1 John 4:7-8 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love

In order to be holy, we must love.  In order to love, we need God.  In order to love perfectly, we must surrender ourselves.  We must empty ourselves completely and let God’s Holy Spirit fill us with love, new love, and more love than the day before. So what’s the hold up?  Why aren’t we all perfect?  Why don’t we all have this perfect love within us?  It’s us.  The problem is you, and the problem is me.

Because we live in this world, we let the world into our lives.  We let all the anger, bitterness, jealousy, rage, bitterness, and vengeance in our hearts.  Earlier I said that the unholy cannot stand in the presence of the holy.  It’s like pouring water into a bowl full of oil. Eventually, we allow these things to displace our love for God and our love for others.  And many times, our souls are in worse shape than they ever were because now we know that we are created to be holy…but we are not.

How is it with your souls today?  Are they humble or hateful?  Are they holy or hellish?  If you want to stop living a life full of garbage, you need to ask God to pull you out of the trash can.  Let God do the work that you cannot possibly do.  Surrender.  Throw your hands up in the air.  "You’re under arrest!"  Too many people want to go down fighting, but they usually wind up hurting themselves.  Surrender every aspect of your life to the Lord and let him fill you with his holy and perfect love.

Be holy…set apart different from the rest.  Be perfect...filled completely with the gift of God's love to be shared with others.