HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like
sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips
and dip coming. Alan, age 10
No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to
marry. God decides it all way before,
and you get to find out later who you're stuck with. Kristen, age 10
HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the
same kids. Derrick, age 8
WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?
Both don't want any more kids. Lori,
age 8
And the all-time favorite:
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Ricky, age 10 said: Tell your
wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck. [1]
There is a question that nags us about our text. Jesus told Phillip that we would do greater
works than Jesus did; that spawns a whole series of questions about
exactly what Jesus meant by that. The
chief question that we really want to avoid even asking whenever this comes up
is:
If that’s really the case…where are the works; how come we’re not seeing
miracles?
The reason we want to avoid that question is because we’re Methodists, reasonable
people; we’re refined, informed and reformed.
We don’t get too radical in our Christianity; just give me a little
church on Sunday and I’ll be alright.
Don’t stir up too much here.
The problem with answering the question is that it unravels a dirty
little secret in the Christian family that we’d just as soon not talk about…
In the miracles department, we’re a little stunted! We are the runts of the miracle-litter!
Well, painful as it might be to roll around in that mud puddle, allow me
to deal with the question today. Let me
give you the short answer first; then we can deal with how to do something
about the problem.
The
short answer
Why we (that includes anybody in the Christian family) are stunted in
the miracle department is that we have lost sight of what God requires
in order to be spiritually strong. We
have misplaced our spiritual-growth hormone!
We have settled for artificial spiritual steroids like money, influence
and leisure. We prefer the
American dream to Heaven’s standards!
In short…there is so much of the world in the church we could get into a
mud-slinging contest, and not look any different when the day is done!
What are
we going to do about this miserable truth?
I’m glad you asked. The church is
no different today than when Jesus established it two-thousand years ago. Heaven is still sweet, Hell is still hot, Sin
is still wrong, no matter what the world says and does…and the promises of God
are still true, without change or question.
If we are going to deal with the church’s dirtiest little secret in our
own lives, we will have to do it by accepting what the Lord offers as a
remedy. His remedy is peace!
The one thing that sets believers apart (or should) from those who
reject Christ, is genuine, Heaven-sent, soul-cleansing, life-altering
peace! Where I come from, that’s not a
bad little bit of medicine.
Unfortunately, peace is perhaps the best-kept secret of the Christian
family; it is also the least-experienced fruit of the
Spirit. As a rule, most believers do not
experience peace; we do not live in it; we certainly don’t exhibit it to the
world at large. The world doesn’t see us
as peace-filled people; we appear as fighting, condemning, up-tight and sour as
an unripe persimmon.
We’re stunted in God’s miracle department because even though we have
declared ourselves as disciples of the Prince of Peace, it sounds empty when we
say it; dirty little Christian secret, indeed!
Now, it’s not all bad news this
morning. Yes, Virginia, there is an open
door to what Apostle Paul called peace that passes understanding[2]. Let’s use the acrostic “PEACE”
this morning to discover help for growing out of the spiritual “runt” stage,
and becoming strong warriors of the faith, clothed in peaceable fruit.
Let’s keep our Bibles open to John 14 and see what the letters in the
word “peace” tell us to do about growing strong as believers who do the great
works Jesus said He wants us to do…
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father,
and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Have I been with
you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So
why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me? The words I speak are
not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in
the Father and the Father is in me. Or
at least believe because of the work you have seen me do. “I
tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have
done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything
in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything
in my name, and I will do it! John 14:8-14
The word
“believe” shows up four times in these seven verses, strong encouragement to
place your faith in Jesus.
Phillip had a question for the Lord…won’t you please show us the Father? That’s all it will take to satisfy us. On the surface that doesn’t seem like
a bad request. Ol’ Phil just wanted to
have a little vision of God, a “theophany”[3] to bolster up his faith for the tough job ahead. We pray that as babes in Christ, please,
Lord, give me a sign.
Jesus’ answer, Phillip, I’ve been with you all this time,
and you still don’t know me…was a rebuke; it seemed like the Lord was
losing patience. But that’s just the
point…Phillip had a front pew for 31/2 years; he should
have known – he should have had deeper
faith by then! Even the blind
man Jesus healed had more faith to understand that Jesus was Messiah.
Phillip wanted visions and signs; Jesus wanted him to use his
faith. He had the same problem with the
religious leaders:
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him,
“Teacher, we wish to
see a sign from you.” But he answered
them, “An evil and adulterous
generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of
the prophet Jonah. Matthew 12:38-39(NRSVA)
To part with our unbelief means we can’t be like those folks you know
who are always just waiting for the Lord to give them a sign, just
a little miracle, please, so I can do what you want, Lord.
The trouble with most people who make those types of statements is that
they don’t even do the basics of what the Lord has been extremely clear
about for everybody…consistent worship, bringing the tithe of our income to the
church, sharing our faith. They say
they want a sign so they can
follow, but they’re just hiding the fact of their own unbelief. They have no intention of following God; it
just sounds
good to say it! If God
really spoke to them they’d faint dead away to actually have a prayer answered!
Phillip wanted a sign because he had little faith? No…he had the opposite of faith
when he told Jesus he would be satisfied with seeing God, just, please,
Jesus, do a little miracle and show me God.
Friends we don’t even do that in the natural world. You obeyed the speed limit when you came here
this morning (hopefully); you pay your taxes and don’t manipulate the stock
market because you’re an American citizen; yet, you’ve never met the President or
Speaker of the House; you just obey the law of the land on faith that the law of the land still works.
I got a nice letter from the government in 1966…it said “Greetings”; and
the next thing I was on a train for an army post in South Carolina. They put green baggy clothes on me, a gun in
my hand and a hard hat on my head. Then
they sent me to Southeast Asia. I went!
I didn’t ask to meet with President Lyndon Johnson to make sure of the
orders. I was an American; I was
drafted, so I went. Christians should be
at least that willing to
exercise faith towards the living God!
If you want to see the kinds of miracles that will bless this world and
turn around our culture for God, part with the unbelief that stunts your faith.
That leads us to the next letter in peace. After the “P” comes…
“If you love me, obey my commandments. John 8:15
To obey in the language of the Bible is “to guard”. It carries the picture of keeping an eye on
something. We have an expression; keep
your eye on the ball. That works
well here. We want to keep our eye on
this ball of Christ’s commandments for more than watching…we want to observe,
perform…OBEY!
There’s a story my daughter, Jennifer shared with me about an old man
who lived in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. His youngest grandson lived with him and was
always imitating his ‘Papa. One day the
boy told him, Papa I read the Bible like you, but I don’t understand; and I can’t
remember the little I do understand.
What’s the use?
The Grandfather gave him an old basket and said, run down to the river and get me
a basket of water. The boy did,
but by the time he got back the water had all leaked out. Try again; and this time, run back. The boy did as told, but the water still
leaked from the basket. He said, Papa,
this won’t work. He went to get
a bucket instead, but the Grandfather said, no…I want a basket
of
water, not a bucket. So, the boy
went again, and again, but each time the water leaked out.
It’s no use, said the boy, the basket leaks. So, you think it is useless? The old man said, Look at the basket. The boy looked at the basket and for the first
time he realized that the basket looked different. Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was
clean. Dipping the basket in the cold
mountain stream so many times had washed away years of coal dust and grit.
Son, that's what happens when you read the Bible. You might not understand or remember
everything, but when you read it, it will change you from the inside out.
A vitally important step in Parting with Unbelief is to
begin to Engage Biblical Obedience. Our lives can be like that coal basket,
filled with all kinds of dirt and stuff.
Living the way Scripture describes is the cure.
Then there is the “A” in peace…
And I will ask the Father, and he will
give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who
leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking
for him and doesn’t recognize him. But
you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:16-17
The Advocate or Comforter is God’s Spirit, the
Holy Spirit – he is the Holy Ghost. When
a person confesses Christ as Savior, the Spirit of God takes up residence in
the life of a believer. The Greek word for
Spirit
is parakletos, which is a compound of two words, para meaning alongside,
and kletos
or called. The Spirit of God is
called to walk with us in our life’s journey.
The picture is one who is destined to be with a person to encourage,
strengthen and help.
This past Friday was Aldersgate Day (May 24th). It is the day more than 250 years ago that
the founder of Methodism, John Wesley records that his heart was strangely
warmed. He was describing
the awakening in his life that God’s Spirit was indeed resident in him. Mr. Wesley insisted that the way of faith in
a believer was only head knowledge until it was validated by that inner
experience of assurance by God’s Spirit.
When we went moved into a parsonage some years back I discovered cable
TV had not ventured all the way out to meet Bethany Church Road. That left the choices of either a satellite
dish or rabbit ears and tinfoil. Now the
rabbit ears are free and would get me 3 channels (sometimes – if the weather
cooperates); the dish costs your right arm and a firstborn child…but brings 6
million channels (of which only 3 are worthwhile!). I chose the dish…go figure.
On the day the “dish-man” hooked things up he put the receiver on the
roof, and inside there were wires and boxes everywhere. (I had to beg my grandson to teach me how to
use it.) The connection with spiritual
life is illustrated by the fact that, when I turned the TV on it didn’t work. I
tried all the channels and got nothing.
Then I asked the “dish-guy” for help.
He tuned the receiver to the satellite in the sky, and Barney and
Friends appeared!
Jesus told Phillip the Holy Spirit would guide him and all the other
believers, but those who preferred worldly ways would never understand. They would have no reception – no signal from
above. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus
came
to his own, but his own received Him not.[4] There was no signal…no
recognition. They couldn’t see him then,
and the world doesn’t have any better reception of Jesus now…in a world of
incredible technology, they still have spiritual rabbit-ears.
But, for anyone who will, if we stay tuned-in to God’s signal by parting
with unbelief…placing our faith in Jesus, and engaging obedience to the Word,
the Spirit of God will continually fill and guide us in daily living. Every day you become more like Christ, more a
vessel of God’s hand, doing works, and even greater works as Jesus predicted.
P – part with unbelief, E – engage Biblical obedience, A – Accept the
Filling of the Spirit, and….
I am telling you these things now while I
am still with you. But
when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy
Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have
told you. John 14:25-26
Cultivating spiritual understanding is a matter of cooperating with
God’s Spirit by taking in His instruction.
We do that by reading His word and studying it! We do it by what Mr. Wesley called holy
conversation. This is
sharing in the things of Christ with other believers.
Sunday School, small group studies and meetings are indispensable for
knocking the rough edges off your spiritual tuning. Just like a satellite dish can lose its
frequency because of a storm, power outage, or improper grounding….there are
things in this life that work against reception of God’s instruction and
understanding.
The question is still….do you want to remain stunted in the area of
doing great things for God? Do you want
your church to have spiritual runts or giants?
There remains only one letter…
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of
mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t
be troubled or afraid. John 14:27
Troubled is a word that describes the agitation of a worried soul. Jesus ends this chapter the way it
started…don’t be troubled in your heart, or afraid. In it he covers the two biggest fears man
knows, an unknown future and death itself.
The word fear has its etymology in a word we translate as timid. It is the word that describes a void or
emptiness when faith has departed.
Timidity is the opposite of faith.
Faith is the courage to do something despite the timidity that would
creep into our lives.
Consider what Jesus is saying; don’t be timid or troubled. Don’t let the unknown future unhinge you - or
death; I give you peace to conquer anything you’ll face.
Compare what the world offers today with what Jesus has always offered.
·
The world offers material things, physical powers, and political
solutions…Jesus
offers forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
·
The world offers warrantees on material things to protect for five, ten
or twenty years against mechanical failure and defects…insurance for paying
hospital bills, and Government protections from the bad guys… Jesus offers
eternal life without spot or wrinkle.
·
The world offers freedom to do it your way, and space to go it alone… Jesus offers his
unending love and friendship…his own Spirit dwelling in your soul, peace that
passes all understanding.
In short, the world offers all the best it has that you can do in your
own strength, and all the best wishes to help you keep what you’ve amassed to
yourself… Jesus offers you Himself.
If we’ve become stunted in the miracle department it’s because we’ve
chosen the world over Jesus. And it
leads to an absence of peace, a rise in Valium and Prozac. We’ve chosen our own strength and we’ve put
aside His power.
The secret to peace is to embrace spiritual courage to place it all at
the foot of the cross…to trust Jesus with our lives; not just a little church
on Sunday, but a genuine transferring of the helm of our life’s ship over to
the Lord as captain. It’s a daily
surrender….
Here are
my choices – Biblical choices that lead me to peace that passes understanding!
·
Parting with unbelief…living in faith for me!
·
Engaging obedience to his Word…Biblical authority for me!
·
Accepting the filling of His Spirit…that strange warmth for me!
·
Cultivating Spiritual Understanding…learning His way for me!
·
Embracing Spiritual Courage…stepping out into His strength for me!
On the peace meter that’s inside of you, what’s your rating
this morning? Does it pass all
understanding?
Are you a person of real genuine peace?
Or are there some changes that need to happen? Placing your faith in Jesus is the beginning
place; will you begin?
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; Let the church say
“Amen”!
[1] Bible Illustrator, (Parsons Technology,
Hiawatha, Ia)
[3] Physical
manifestation of the Divine
[i] All Scripture quoted is from The
New Living Translation (unless otherwise stated) Title Image:
Pixabay.com
