On the Gospel Road Again (Acts 16:1-10) -- 9/23/07

Sunday, September 23, 2007

ON THE GOSPEL ROAD AGAIN
Acts 15:40-16:10

This morning we are coming back to the book of Acts, from which we departed almost two months ago. We were at the end of Acts 15, where Paul and Barnabas had a serious disagreement concerning whether or not John Mark should accompany them. They were in complete agreement that they should go back and visit their brothers and sisters in the churches which they had established. However, while Barnabas insisted that they take Mark with them, Paul was just as insistent that that they should not do so, in light of the fact that he had left them during their previous missionary journey. We read in 15:39, "And the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other." Because of that, Paul chose Silas to be his partner, and they did indeed head out to strengthen the young churches that had been established. Barnabas took Mark with him, and they too engaged in missionary service, sailing for the island of Cyprus.

This morning we want to take up the story in 15:40 and begin to follow the journey of Paul and Silas. Before we do, let me remind you that Silas was a brother from Jerusalem. We know nothing of him until the close of the Jerusalem Conference. After the decision was made to send a letter back to Antioch with the verdict of the Jerusalem leaders, two men were chosen to deliver the letter. Those men were Judas and Silas. After delivering the letters, these two men, who were also prophets, stayed around for a while to "exhort the brethren" (15:32). This is the Silas that Paul chose to be his missionary partner.

Read Acts 15:40-16:10

We can divide this passage into three sections…
1. The Addition of Timothy to the Missionary Team (16:1-3)
2. The Strengthening of the Churches (15:41; 16:4-5)
3. The Expansion to New Fields of Service (16:6-10)

I. The Addition of Timothy to the Missionary Team (16:1-3)

This young man is usually referred to as Timotheus, but sometimes as Timothy. Whichever name we read, I will refer to him simply as Timothy. This is our first introduction to him here in 16:1. We see that he was from Lystra. Now let’s pause for just a minute to consider the route that Paul and Silas traveled.

On the first missionary journey, you will recall that Paul and Barnabas left by boat from the port city of Seleucia and sailed to Cyprus (point this out on the map). From their, they sailed northward and landed in the region of Pamphilia. It was here at Perga that John Mark decided to leave them. From there, they went to Antioch, and to Iconium, to Lystra, and finally to Derbe. After preaching at Derbe, they then retraced their steps, sailing from Attalia directly back to Antioch.

This time they traveled by land and immediately headed north, confirming the churches in Syria and Cilicia (15:41). We will talk more about that in a little while. As they traveled west, they would come to the cities where Paul and Barnabas had established churchess on the previous journey. As you can see (point out on map), the first of these cities they came to was Derbe. That is exactly what we read here in Acts 16:1. Nothing is said about their stay at Derbe. We assume that they encouraged the saints there and then moved on to Lystra. Without doubt, the most significant event of the visit was the addition of Timothy to Paul’s team.

We note from the text of verse 1 that Timothy had a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Furthermore, his mother was one who believed. That is, she had put her trust in the Christ that Paul preached. Though we are not specifically told, it seems almost certain that she and Timothy had been converted when Paul and Barnabas ministered the Word in Lystra, a couple of years before. Though we are not told here, we learn from II Tim. 1:5 that her name was Eunice.

Verse 2 indicates that Timothy was "well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium." It is interesting that Timothy was not only known to the believers in Lystra, but also to those in Iconium, a city about 10 or 15 miles away. Yes, there was fellowship between these two churches which were in different towns. Timothy was a young man whose growth in the Lord could be seen by his brothers and sisters. No wonder Paul would consider taking him with them.

However, there was one problem. His father was a Greek. We say, "So what? What difference does that make?" Apparently, Paul felt it would make a great deal of difference to the Jewish people to whom they would minister. Let’s read verse 3, "Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters; for they knew all that his father was a Greek."

On the surface, this strikes us as rather strange. After all, Paul made a big deal out of refusing to circumcise Titus (Gal. 2:3). It was this same apostle Paul who warned the Galatians not to submit to circumcision. (Most likely Lystra was one of the very churches to whom Paul wrote.) Let’s read it in Gal. 5:1-2, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing." However, there is no contradiction. To understand Paul’s purpose in saying this to the Galatians, let’s read the next verse (5:3), "For I testify again to everyone that is circumcised, that he is debtor to do the whole law." Paul was protesting against being circumcised and thus taking on the obligation of keeping the whole law. He was urging the Galatians not to put their trust in the works of the law. A few verses later he acknowledged that circumcision in itself meant nothing. Gal. 5:6, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

But when Paul had Timothy circumcised, it was not for the purpose of obligating him to keep the law. Rather, Paul’s purpose was a very practical one, as stated in verse 3: "…and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they knew all that his father was a Greek." The people of Lystra and that area were well aware that Timothy’s father was not a Jew. In the eyes of Jews, Timothy was an uncircumcised son of a Greek. No doubt, Gentiles saw him as Jew, because he was raised in the religion of his mother. Paul ended the confusion by having him circumcised. In this case, circumcision was not a religious observance, but rather a physical procedure performed for a practical purpose [Bruce]. This would open the door to a wider ministry. If Timothy remained uncircumcised, he would not be able to speak in the synagogues. This action of Paul squares perfectly with his view of ministry, which is stated in I Corinthians 9. We won’t take time to read the entire context, but let’s read I Cor. 9:19-22…
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21. To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Timothy was a young man whom Paul loved and with whom he worked closely. It is interesting that in all the references to Timothy, we never hear him speak a single word. We know him through Paul and Paul’s love for him. In I Cor. 4:17, Paul refers to Timothy as "my beloved son." In II Tim 1:2, Paul addresses him as "my dearly beloved son." And I Tim. 1:2, he addresses him as "my own son in the faith," strengthening the view that Timothy was converted through Paul’s ministry. Paul came to trust Timothy as a valued fellow-worker, as we see from passages such as Phil. 2:19-23…
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. 20. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. 21. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. 22. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. 23. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me.

II. The Strengthening of the Churches (15:41; 16:4-5)

Now we move on to their ministry in the churches. Remember, that this was the original intent of the trip, as we see in Acts 15:36, "And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." We are not given much detail of this ministry. Rather, Luke treats it in a summary fashion.

First, go back to 15:41, "And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches." When Paul and Silas left Antioch, they immediately passed through these areas, as Antioch itself was a part of Syria (show on the map). Since Paul was a native of Tarsus, we can assume that they went through Tarsus as they traveled.

The word translated "confirm" [episthrizw] is used four times in the New Testament, all here in Acts. It is actually a compound word. The root [sthrizw] is used 13 times in the New Testament and means "to strengthen, to establish." We find it in Luke 22:32, where Jesus said to Peter, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." Also in 1 Pet 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." The compound we find here in Acts 15:41 has a preposition in front of this root, which makes it stronger. It means "to establish besides, to strengthen more, to render more firm, to confirm" [Thayer]. As Paul and Silas visited these churches, they further strengthened them in the Lord, making them even more firm.

You might ask, "So where did these churches come from? We are not told specifically, but it seems highly likely that the churches of Syria were founded by Paul and others who worked in Antioch. It would have been natural for them to preach the Word in the surrounding areas, even as would be the case later in Ephesus. But what about the churches in Cilicia, which was a greater distance from Antioch? Let me ask you a question. Where was Paul before he came to Antioch? Go back to chapter 9, where we read about the conversion of Saul (Paul). After a lengthy stay in Arabia, he finally came to Jerusalem. Now let’s read the account in Acts 9:28-30
And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem. 29. And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him. 30. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

Paul was in Tarsus, which is right in the heart of the province of Cilicia. He was there until Barnabas found him and brought him to Antioch, as we read in Acts 11:25-26a, "Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: 26. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch…" It is difficult to know exactly how long Saul was in Tarsus, but all agree that it was several years [F. F. Bruce, in Paul, the Apostle of the Heart Set Free, locates Paul in Tarsus for 11 years; p. 475]. Surely it would have been just like Paul to have evangelized the entire area during this time period. We find this confirmed by Paul’s own testimony in Gal. 1:18-21…
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19. But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. 21. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia;

So after passing through Syria and Cilicia and further strengthening the churches there, they came to Derbe and Lystra, where Paul chose to take Timothy with them. Then we read the statement about their work in these churches, which had been established by Paul and Barnabas during the first missionary journey. Acts 16:4, "And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem." The cities they went through were Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch. No doubt, in all of these cities they further strengthened the churches, as they had done in Syria and Cilicia. They also did something else; they delivered the decree which came out of the deliberations of the Jerusalem Conference. Let’s read the last part of the letter that the apostles and elders (indeed, the entire Jerusalem church) sent to Antioch. Acts 15:25-29…
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26. Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29. That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

It was fitting that Silas should be with Paul, as he was one of the men who had been sent with the letter to Antioch.

Then we read this summary statement in 16:5, "And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily." The word translated "established" means "to make solid, make firm, strengthen." It is used only two other times in the New Testament, both times in the third chapter of Acts, where we are told that feet and ankle bones of the lame man "received strength" (3:7) and that by the name of Jesus he was "made strong" (3:16). As that man was made solid and firm physically, so these churches were made solid and firm spiritually. Not only were they spiritually strengthened, but the number of believers continued to increase every day.

This little summary statement in verse 5 is a characteristic feature in the book of Acts. We find other such statements in 6:7; 9:31: 12:24.

III. The Expansion to New Fields of Service (16:6-10)

So Paul and Silas had completed the carrying out of the original purpose of their trip, which was "to visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do" (15:36). From the text here in chapter 16, it seems clear that they were not content to stop there. After visiting these churches, they would have found themselves in Antioch of Pisidia. By now, they had traveled somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 miles from their starting place (Antioch of Syria). So what would they do now? There is no hint that Paul and Silas even considered turning around and going back home. Beyond Iconium were vast lands full of people who had not heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s read Acts 16:6-8…
Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, 7. After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. 8. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

On this map, we can see the general designations of Phrygia and Galatia. There are different ideas concerning exactly what their route was, when they left Antioch of Pisidia, but it doesn’t make a great deal of difference. What we do know is the Holy Spirit would not allow them to preach the Word in Asia. Now we must understand this term "Asia." We think of "Asia" as one of the seven continents of the world, even the largest of the seven continents. That is not what Luke means, when he uses the term "Asia." Here on the map we can get an idea of where Asia was. Asia was a Roman province and its capital was Ephesus. All of the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 were in Asia. It is likely that Paul was planning to go through this area and finally come to Ephesus. We know that Ephesus would be the center of his ministry during the third missionary journey.

So why didn’t Paul and Silas go to Asia and Ephesus? Because the Holy Spirit forbade them to do so. That leaves us with two big questions: Why? And, how? Had not Jesus made it clear that Paul was His chosen vessel, to bear His name before the Gentiles (Acts 9:15)? Had He not blessed Paul, as he shared the gospel in areas where the good news of Jesus was unknown? So why would the Holy Spirit say "No" to evangelizing Asia? The simple fact is that we don’t know. Later, Paul would go to Asia and preach the gospel in that area for some three years. Why not now? We don’t know, but we can rest assure that Paul’s plan at that time would not have brought as much glory to God as the plan the Lord would reveal.

But how did the Holy Spirit communicate that they were not to preach the Word in Asia? Again, we are not told. Was it an inward prompting? It could have been. Or perhaps in one of the churches (such as Iconium or Antioch) a man prophesied that they were not to go into Asia. Let me read to you about a later incident, where a prophet did that very thing. Acts 21:10-11…
And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

The verb form in verse 6 could be read more accurately, "…and having been forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia." It seems that the Holy Spirit had already spoken to them long before they came close to Asia. Perhaps it was while they were still at Lystra that the Spirit made this clear.

We can assume that when the Holy Spirit said "No" to Asia, they then turned north. Verse 7 begins, "After they were come to Mysia…" Literally, "When they had come against Mysia." Translations will differ, but it seems clear that they had come to the edge of the region of Mysia. Mysia was not a province, but a region that was in the province of Asia. [Show it on the map]. From this point, they attempted to go further north into an area known as Bithynia. This was a highly civilized area, where Paul and Silas would find Greek cities and Jewish colonies. It must have been a promising field for evangelism.

Nevertheless, we read at the end of verse 7, "…but the Spirit suffered them not." As the Holy Spirit wouldn’t allow them to preach the Word in Asia, now that same Spirit barred them from going to Bithynia. Again, we are not told why, nor are we told how He spoke. However the Spirit communicated this refusal, the message was very clear to Paul and Silas. They must not go into Bithynia.

Let’s pause right here for a moment. This could have been very discouraging to Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Perhaps they were indeed discouraged. They might have thought, "Well, the Lord must be telling us to go home. He has closed the door to further evangelism." As we will see, that isn’t what they did. We will also find that the Lord had not closed the door to them sharing the good news of Christ.

Sometimes we talk about open and closed doors. I am not saying that the Lord cannot work in that way, because God is Almighty and He can work as He chooses. However, I do want to sound a warning. Following open and closed doors can be dangerous. If Paul and Silas had done so, they might have turned around and gone back to Antioch. We must remember that we have an enemy who is also capable of opening and closing doors.

Of course, we can probably think of examples of how the Lord used a closed door. I am thinking of Balaam and his donkey. Do you remember the story. The Moabite king Balak sent for Balaam, hoping that Balaam would come and curse the Israelites. Later, Balaam set out to go and see this king Balak, who had sent for him. However, before he had gone very far, the donkey upon which he was riding began to give him trouble. The donkey turned aside and went into a field. Balaam hit the donkey and turned her back into the way. Then the donkey lunged against a stone wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Balaam hit her again and tried to get her to straighten up and continue on. But this time the donkey fell down to the ground. Balaam was so mad that he began to beat his donkey with his staff. That’s when the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey and she said, "What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?" Even more amazing than the talking donkey was the fact that Balaam answered, striking up a conversation with her.

We know why the donkey wouldn’t go any further. The angel of the Lord was standing in the way with a sword, ready to kill Balaam. The Lord allowed the donkey to see the angel, but Balaam could not. It wasn’t until after the conversation with the donkey that the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and allowed him to see the angel. Now we might say that the Lord closed the door. Surely the Lord made it crystal clear that he was not supposed to go to the king of Moab. Is not this a picture of how the Lord closes doors in order to give us direction? He might not send His angel, but He does the same thing through circumstances. We need to be very careful. We must remember the rest of the story. When the messengers of Balak first came, Balaam told them to spend the night, while he found out what the Lord wanted him to do. So Balaam went before the Lord and laid out the situation before Him. Now listen to what the Lord said to Balaam in Num. 22:12, "And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed." The Lord made His will absolutely clear from the start. Balaam’s brush with death, as he tried to force the donkey to pass the angel, was totally unnecessary. If he had not been greedy for money and disobeyed the clear instructions of the Lord, this incident would have never happened.

We will come back to this idea in a few minutes, but let’s get back to Paul, Silas, and Timothy. The Spirit refused to let them preach in Asia or Bithynia. So what were they to do now? Verse 8, "And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas." In order to travel to Troas, they had to go through Mysia, this region which lay within Asia. That means that they actually went through part of Asia. So what does Luke mean, when he says that they "passed by Mysia"? Surely he is saying that though they went through Mysia, they didn’t preach there. As far as preaching the gospel was concerned, they passed it by.

"Troas" was the name of both a region and a city. It was a Roman colony. Here it seems to be city of Troas that Luke has in mind. While Troas is mentioned six times in the New Testament, it is what happens here in verse 9 that sticks in the minds of biblical students. Verse 9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Cover over into Macedonia and help us." The Greek verb tenses indicate that this was continuing action. The Williams Translation renders it, "a man from Macedonia kept standing and pleading with him."

Don’t you know that Paul was excited! The negative prohibitions of the Spirit had now given way to a positive guidance through the vision. Paul knew it was from the Lord and wasted no time responding. Verse 10, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them." Paul recognized this as the divine summons to action. Troas was a busy port through which traffic flowed between Macedonia and Asia. It was from Troas that they would depart for Macedonia, the Roman colony in what we now know as Greece. Now the gospel was going to Europe.

By the way, did you notice the word "we" in verse 10? What does this mean? It means that Luke, the author of Acts, is now a part of the action. He has joined the missionary team. Some believe that he was Paul’s personal physician, but we are not told that. Though we know he was (or had been) a doctor (Col. 4:14), we do not know that he was traveling with them in a medical capacity.

Conclusion

Let’s conclude this morning by thinking a bit more about the guidance that Paul and Silas received from the Lord. I want to point out one particular truth and leave it with us this morning.

Notice that Paul wasn’t sitting around waiting for direction from the Lord. He was certain that the Lord had sent Him to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. Because of that certainly, he made it his practice to do just that. We have already seen this truth, as we studied the first missionary journey in chapters 13 and 14. However, the Spirit of the Lord stopped him from going to certain places and preaching the gospel there. We saw that the Spirit would not allow them to preach in Asia and then He didn’t permit them to go into Bithynia. After that, it was at Troas that the Lord gave them clear direction to go to Macedonia.

Now let me ask you a question. In the vision of the man from Macedonia, was there anything about preaching the gospel? Nothing. The man only said, "Come over into Macedonia and help us." He didn’t say what kind of help he needed. Do you think maybe he needed housing assistance? Or do you think maybe his family was short on food? Best we can tell, Paul didn’t investigate to see. He headed out, "assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto them" (10). Read it any translation you choose – "concluding," "confidently inferring," "being assured." Whatever words we use, it is clear that Paul had no question what the need was. The need was for the good news of Jesus Christ.

Brothers and sisters, do we need the guidance of the Spirit. Indeed we do. We need to be sensitive to the Spirit, even as Paul was. But we must understand the role of the Spirit in evangelism. Paul’s understanding was that the Lord wanted him to share the gospel with people. He did not wait for the Spirit to tell him to proclaim Jesus. When the Spirit wouldn’t allow him to go into Bithynia, he didn’t for one minute consider the possibility that the Spirit was telling him not to preach the gospel. It was only a matter of where and when, not a matter of whether or not he was going to preach it. When he couldn’t go into Bithynia, he and his companions moved on. They had confidence that there was plenty more evangelism to be done, and surely the Lord would show them where.

Let us hear that message. No, we are not Paul and Silas, but we have been sent to proclaim the gospel. Is God still on the throne? Is Jesus still Lord and Savior? Are there still lost people around us? Nothing has changed; the need for the good news of Jesus is as great today as it ever was. We read it Wednesday evening; let’s read it again… (Rom. 10:13-15)
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Concerning the propagation of the gospel, the Lord has already revealed His will abundantly. Concerning exactly where and when we are to share it, we must be sensitive to His Spirit. Warning: If we are not sharing the gospel on a regular basis, then either we are not hearing the Lord accurately, or we are simply refusing to obey. Praise God that the same Spirit who would not permit Paul to preach in Asia or Bithynia is the Spirit who empowered him to proclaim the gospel effectively and to say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth – to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Rom. 1:16). That same Spirit will empower us to effectively share that same gospel in our world for the Lord’s glory.

The Beauty of Age -- 9/16/07

Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007

THE BEAUTY OF AGE

I want to read to you a little Proverb this morning. It probably isn’t one of the ones you have memorized. It isn’t as well known as "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding…" Nevertheless, it is a part of God’s Word. If you would like to turn to it, it is Prov. 20:29, "The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the grey head." If you will allow me to do so, I want to take just a bit of liberty with this verse this morning. If that is true of men, surely it is also true of women. As a matter of fact, most of us feel a bit more comfortable associating beauty with women than with men. So surely the beauty of old women is the grey head. Perhaps we should think of it as "older women," rather than "old women," since that word "old" is a very relative term.

I was about 27 years old at the time and had not been here at the church very long. Rhonda and I were riding somewhere with another couple. In the course of the conversation, the lady said, "Did you read about that man that was killed at the gravel pit?" After discussing it for a minute or two, she then said, "And he was just a young man." I quickly corrected her, "No, he was 56." It was a classic case of "foot-in-mouth disease." She was a bit indignant as she said, "Ron, I’m 56." As a matter of fact, 56 doesn’t seem old at all any more. I am very close to someone who just turned 56 this week. Like I say, "old" is a relative term. So I believe we could hear this Proverb saying that the beauty of older women is the gray head.

Now look around. Juanita, I believe you may have the most beautiful head here this morning. If gray portrays beauty, what can we say about "white"? Juanita’s beauty has eclipsed gray and moved on to beauty beyond beauty. On the 18th, Juanita will be 85 years old. She isn’t ashamed of it. I even asked her if I could mention it this morning.

Now let’s be honest. This isn’t the way most people think, is it? Most people are ashamed of gray hair. Both men and women look for ways to cover up their gray hair. Why is that? Is it not because most people in our day do not want to be perceived as old. For 17 or 18 years most people want others to see them as older, but shortly thereafter they want to be perceived as younger. Understand that this attitude does not come from God and His Word.

Listen to Prov. 16:31, "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness." My dictionary defines "hoary" as "gray or white with age." As a person is in the way of the Lord’s righteousness, the gray and white hairs serve as a glorious crown. We live in a world that tries to turn the Lord’s truth upside down.

From time to time, I see a need for us to talk about age, about the old things, and I believe the occasion of Juanita’s 85th birthday is an appropriate occasion to do so.
I want to be honest with you and tell you from the start that this message is intended to be an aid to parents who are raising children. How children view age and antiquity will have a great influence on the kind of lives they will live. I believe that truth will become apparent as we proceed.

I. Old Age -- Respect It

Please turn to Leviticus and let’s read Lev. 19:32, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD." In other words, when an older person comes into your presence, stand up as a way of showing respect. As you think about those words, let me point out three things about this verse.
First of all, notice some of the context. Leviticus is all about holiness before the Lord. Running throughout Leviticus is the theme of being set apart. Now let me read you some of the verses before and after verse 32. I am going to read this out of the New King James. Lev. 19:29-33 (NKJV)…
Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness. You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God. You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God; I am the Lord. And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him

When we first read that we should rise up before the aged person, we might get the idea that this is just an isolated command that isn’t very important. But notice the context. This little command is in the midst of some very serious things. Failing to honor the elderly keeps company with some terrible forms of wickedness, with prostitution and witchcraft, among others. Surely that ought to tell us that this is very important.

Secondly, notice the little phrase "and fear thy God." This command to show respect to the elderly is coupled ever so closely with the fear of God. I don’t believe this reference to the fear of God is just thrown in here to fill space. Surely he is saying that when we show respect to the aged, we are indeed showing that we have great reverence for the Lord Himself. If a person doesn’t respect the elderly, he doesn’t fear God. The two go together.

And finally, notice how this verse closes: "I am the LORD." Lest anyone think this bit of instruction can be thrown aside because it doesn’t fit in with our ideas, remember who is speaking. It is the LORD Himself who is saying this. The Lord must have known that we would need this clear word to remind us that this is very important.

Someone is sure to ask, "Should we take this literally? In our day, should we literally stand up when an aged person comes into our presence?" I do not have a definitive answer for that. What I do know is the Lord takes this matter very seriously. He expects us to do more than have respect in our hearts for the elderly; He commands us to show that respect outwardly. I don’t think the Lord will penalize anyone who feels he should literally rise in the presence of the aged. On the other hand, there may be other ways of effectively showing such respect.

Now if some of you are disappointed that I do not emphasize a literal adherence to this command, let me ask you a question: "Do you greet all your brothers and sisters with a holy kiss, as the apostle Paul tells us to do." It seems in our day that we prefer the "right hand of fellowship," which the same Paul mentions in Gal. 2:9.

Here is the problem we often face. We find that a certain thing doesn’t fit in with our customs, so we decide that we will simply obey the spirit of the command. But what often happens is that we end up ignoring the command altogether. It isn’t intentional, but that is what happens.
Parents, I encourage you to teach your children to show respect in very specific ways. We desperately need to hear this. Let me tell you why. It is because the attitude of the world is chipping away at this principle of respect for the elderly. And don’t get hung up on how old is elderly. If we are going to err, let us err on the side of generously considering many people as deserving of respect. If you have younger children at home, teach them to treat all adults with this kind of respect, especially those who are old enough to be their grandparents. After all, I have been told that even I have some gray hair.

Watch your children. When an adult speaks to your child, does he give the adult his undivided attention? Does he look at that adult? Does he stop what he is doing? These are signs of respect. If she just keeps on doing what she was doing and speaks a disinterested word to that adult, you can be sure that your child needs some attention in this area. I love you dearly, but I see that this is a problem with some of our children. You may say, "Well, why aren’t you talking to my children? They are downstairs." I don’t need to talk to them; I need to talk to us. We parents are the ones who will have an impact on our children. This is not something that can be done in one easy session; this is training that must take place day by day and throughout the day.

When I was growing up, a common way to show this respect was by saying, "Yes, sir," "No, sir," "Yes, maam," "No, maam." We did it with our kids. You may think that is too old fashioned. I still like it, but I don’t demand that you adopt it, as I can’t show you in scripture where those forms of address are required. But if we aren’t careful, we will abandon the outward show of respect and just hope the attitude is there. If the attitude is there, it will express itself outwardly.

Parents, our world will encourage you to be a friend to your kids. The world tries to tell us that we must bridge the generation gap by building a buddy-buddy relationship between the generations. It will tell us that enforcing standards which require an outward showing of respect will alienate the younger generation. Of course, both principle and experience tell us the exact opposite. The buddy-buddy relationship destroys respect, and respect is a part of the very fabric of godliness.

When I was in high school, I had a teacher for whom I had high respect. But then my teacher introduced me to ornithology. You didn’t know I was an ornithologist, did you? Mr. Oakley took me bird watching one Saturday. We spent the entire day identifying 42 different species of birds. Of course, our relationship was never the same after that. When I walked into Mr. Oakley’s biology class the following Monday, I walked up to the front of the class, put my arm around him, and said, "How’s it going, Leonard? I guess I’ll see you for lunch in the teacher’s lounge." No, it wasn’t like that. Though we spent the day watching birds, he was still the teacher and I was still the student. I still worked hard to please my teacher, because I respected him. I would have been afraid to get out of line, because he would have dealt with me just like any of the rest of the students.

Old age – respect it, for the glory of God!

II. Old Ways -- Hang on to them!

"Old" has value that goes beyond age. Let’s read from Matt. 11:28-30, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Don’t you love those words of Jesus, especially that part about finding rest for our souls. Sometimes our bodies need rest, but our souls long for that rest even more. So much pressure squeezing us; just give us a little rest. Jesus offers that rest. But do you know where those words come from? Did you know that Jesus took those words from the Old Testament? Let’s read it in Jer. 6:6-16…
For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her. 7. As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds. 8. Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited. 9. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets. 10. To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. 11. Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days. 12. And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD. 13. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely. 14. They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace. 15. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. 16. Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

We find the same thing in Jer. 18. Though here the term is "ancient paths" instead of "old paths," the Hebrew word is exactly the same. Jer. 18:14-15…
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15. Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up;

Jerusalem was an absolute mess. Even its older citizens had forsaken the Lord to do their old thing. They had gray hair, but they weren’t found in the way of righteousness. And the supposedly spiritual leaders were guilty of healing the people slightly, by saying, "Peace, peace," when there was no peace. And to top it all off, they were not the least bit ashamed for their actions and attitudes. The Lord said that they would fall, when He visited them with judgment. Nevertheless, He had one last plea for anyone would listen. Let’s read it again in verse 16, "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls…" Listen to it from the Amplified Version: "Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads, and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Ask for the old paths. What do you think of that? I wonder if the Lord might be speaking those same words to our religious culture today? Is not religion in our day as bankrupt as the religion of Jerusalem? Can you hear the Lord saying, "Ask for the old paths, and walk in them, and you will find rest for your souls"?

Do you remember your Old Testament history? What happened to the kingdom after Solomon died? Yes, the kingdom split in two. Instead of one nation made up of God’s people, now there were two – Judah in the south and Israel in the north. What a tragedy that God’s people were divided. Let me remind you of how it happened. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became king, when Solomon died. But the ten northern tribes, led by Jeroboam, came to him with a request. They begged him to be easier on them than his father Solomon. Rehoboam told them to come back in three days for his answer. He first went to seek counsel from the old men, those who had served his father. They told him something like this, "If you will be a servant to these people and serve them and speak kind words to them, then they will be your servants from now on." But Solomon didn’t like what the old men told him, so he went to his younger contemporaries. They told him: "Rehoboam, you tell them this: ‘If you think my father was hard on you, you ain’t seen nothing yet. My little finger will be thicker than my father’s waste. My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.’" Rehoboam listened to those younger men and answered the northern tribes accordingly. When they heard his harsh answer, they rebelled and made Jeroboam their king. Rehoboam would have nothing to do with the old paths.

But wait a minute. Are the old ways always better? No, absolutely not. Let me give you an example. Many years after Rehoboam’s foolish actions, there was another descendant of David who sat on the throne of Judah. His name was Hezekiah. Hezekiah was a very godly man and began to seek the Lord with all his heart. Let’s read it from II Chron. 29:1-10…
Hezekiah began to reign when he was five and twenty years old, and he reigned nine and twenty years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done. 3. He in the first year of his reign, in the first month, opened the doors of the house of the LORD, and repaired them. 4. And he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them together into the east street, 5. And said unto them, Hear me, ye Levites, sanctify now yourselves, and sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place. 6. For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. 7. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. 8. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes. 9. For, lo, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10. Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the LORD God of Israel, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.

Hezekiah stated clearly that their fathers (and grandfathers) had forsaken the Lord. Later, Hezekiah sent out letters, telling the people they were going to celebrate the Passover. Now you have to understand that it had been many, many years since they had celebrated the Passover. Just as they had failed to keep up the temple, they had failed to obey the Lord with respect to the Passover. Hezekiah was so zealous about this that he did not restrict himself to the nation of Judah, over which he was king. He also sent letters to the northern kingdom as well. Now let’s read it in II Chron. 30:5-9…
So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written. 6. So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria. 7. And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see. 8. Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you. 9. For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.

Did you hear that? Hezekiah said very bluntly, "Don’t be like your fathers, because they sinned against the Lord. They were stiffnecked (stubborn, unyielding)."

So does that mean that he was telling them to forsake the old paths? No. What were the old paths in this passage? "Now be not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the Lord, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified forever; and serve the Lord your God…" (vs. 8). These are the old paths. He told them not to be like their fathers, because their fathers had clearly forsaken the old paths.

When we talk about the old paths, we’re not really talking about what I call "the old time religion." I had some relatives who had the old time religion. They loved to gather and sing the old songs, talk about the times when they used to get together at the old tabernacle. But they were not in the old paths, because there wasn’t a present fellowship with the Lord. The old paths do not consist of a sentimental review of the good ole days. The old paths are simply the ways of the Lord, which He has established from of old.
J
ust listen to a few verses which speak of the old paths…
Ps. 119:52, "I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD; and have comforted myself."
Ps. 119:152, "Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever."
Is. 25:1, "O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

Listen to what Paul said to Timothy in II Tim. 4:2-4…
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

We see it all around us. The tendency is to always be looking for something new and different, something that will tickle our ears. But here again we are confronted by the old paths. "The time will come when they will not endure the old paths (sound teaching)… And they shall turn away their ears from the old paths (the truth), and shall be turned unto fables."

III. The Everlasting God -- Honor and Fear Him

With a certain reservation, I recommend to you the "old God." Now I certainly do not mean that God grows old, as a man does, for that is not true. The Lord God is as fresh today as He was forty billion years ago. In that sense, He has not aged one bit. He is "the old God" in the sense that He is not some new thing. To put it another way, He has not changed. When Moses prayed, He was praying to the exact same God I pray to this very day. We read of the Lord Jesus Christ in Heb. 13:8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

That is not good news for people who are looking for some new thing. The trend in our day is for man to create a new God, made in his own image. We don’t like a God who executes judgment and wrath, so we will worship a God who is pure love and nothing else. We don’t like a God who has absolute standards, so we will worship a God who gives man the freedom to set his own boundaries. Do you think that strikes fear into the heart of our God? Not at all.
Ps. 2:1-5…
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

If there is going to be a common meeting place between God and man, who will have to change? Understand that God will not change. Quoting from the Psalmist, the writer of Hebrews says… Heb. 1:10-12
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11. They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12. And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Listen to the Word of God…
Ps. 74:12, "For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth."
Ps. 77:11, "I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old."
Ps. 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."
Ps. 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting."
Is. 9:6, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Is. 46:9, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
Is. 63:16, "Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting."

Listen to how Jesus is described in the prophecy of Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

Three times in the seventh chapter of Daniel we find the Lord God referred to as "the Ancient of Days." That is not a derogatory name; that is a name of honor and majesty. Before the universe was formed, the Lord God was there. After it has been burned up, He will still be there. Perhaps there is no more powerful statement about His eternal presence than the first four words of the Bible, "In the beginning, God…"

So how do we respond to the Everlasting God? Fear Him. Honor Him. Live every moment in light of the fact that He sees and knows. Make every decision in light of the fact that you will give account to Him. And always remember that this everlasting God has poured out His love upon you. That love is nowhere better described than in I John 4:8-10…
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

To embrace that love is to live in His presence, to constantly give reverence to our Creator and Redeemer. To reject that love by living as you want to live is to invite the judgment of Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28).

Conclusion

So we see that respect for old age is rooted in the old paths, the very commandments of our God. And those old paths have been established by the everlasting God. No wonder we can sing…
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Hath been laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.

But what about those of us who are old, who have the gray hair? What if we realize a great deal of failure in our lives, understanding that we can’t go back and recapture the days of our youth? Please allow me to remind you of a couple of precious promises. Is. 46:3-4, "Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: 4. And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you." That promise was first given to the Israelites, but it is applicable to anyone who is willing to rest in the Lord through faith and obedience. And listen to Ps. 92:12-15…
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. 14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; 15. To show that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

By the way, the word "fat" is used here to speak of prosperity in the Lord. The Lord still has work for His children, regardless of age. But don’t forget why He will bless us. Verse 15, "To show that the Lord is upright." All things for His glory, for He deserves all glory.
And finally, may God give us grace to embrace these words from Ps. 71:16-18…
I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only. 17. O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18. Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

It is not uncommon for the aged to cry out, "O God, forsake me not," but the prayer we find here now is not for the preservation of man, but for the glory of God. Why doesn’t he want God to forsake him? Because he still wants the privilege of communicating the greatness of his God to those around him. May this be our prayer, increasing in intensity as we grow older.

"The Inadequacy of Instant Christianity" -- 9/9/07

Sunday, September 9, 2007

THE INADEQUACY OF INSTANT CHRISTIANITY
[ * Title borrowed from A. W. Tozer ]

*** This morning I didn’t preach the sermon I had prepared. Jody shared some about a couple of messages he had heard during the week. One was a tape entitled "Worldliness in the Church." The other was an essay by A. W. Tozer, "The Inadequacy of ‘Instant Christianity.’" I shared a little bit along those lines.

So today basically what you will find posted is the essay by Tozer and the scriptures that we read…

The Inadequacy of "Instant Christianity"
By A. W. Tozer

It is hardly a matter of wonder that the country that gave the world instant tea and instant coffee should be the one to give it instant Christianity. If these two beverages were not actually invented in the United States it was certainly here that they received the advertising impetus that has made them known to most of the civilized world. And it cannot be denied that it was American Fundamentalism that brought instant Christianity to the gospel churches.
Ignoring for the moment Romanism, and Liberalism in its various disguises, and focusing our attention upon the great body of evangelical believers, we see at once how deeply the religion of Christ has suffered in the house of its friends. The American genius for getting things done quickly and easily with little concern for quality or permanence has bred a virus that has infected the whole evangelical church in the United States and, through our literature, our evangelists and our missionaries, has spread all over the world.
Instant Christianity came in with the machine age. Men invented machines for two purposes. They wanted to get important work done more quickly and easily than they could do it by hand, and they wanted to get the work over with so they could give their time to pursuits more to their liking, such as loafing or enjoying the pleasures of the world. Instant Christianity now serves the same purposes in religion. It disposes of the past, guarantees the future and sets the Christian free to follow the more refined lusts of the flesh in all good conscience and with a minimum of restraint.
By "instant Christianity" I mean the kind found almost everywhere in gospel circles and which is born of the notion that we may discharge our total obligation to our own souls by one act of faith, or at most by two, and be relieved thereafter of all anxiety about our spiritual condition We are saints by calling, our teachers keep telling us, and we are permitted to infer from this that there is no reason to seek to be saints by character. An automatic, once-for-all quality is present here that is completely out of mode with the faith of the New Testament.
In this error, as in most others, there lies a certain amount of truth imperfectly understood. It is true that conversion to Christ may be and often is sudden. Where the burden of sin has been heavy the sense of forgiveness is usually clear and joyful. The delight experienced in forgiveness is equal to the degree of moral repugnance felt in repentance. The true Christian has met God. He knows he has eternal life and he is likely to know where and when he received it. And those also who have been filled with the Holy Spirit subsequent to their regeneration have a clear-cut experience of being filled. The Spirit is self-announcing, and the renewed heart has no difficulty identifying His presence as He floods in over the soul.
But the trouble is that we tend to put our trust in our experiences and as a consequence misread the entire New Testament. We are constantly being exhorted to make the decision, to settle the matter now, to get the whole thing taken care of at once—and those who exhort us are right in doing so. There are decisions that can be and should be made once and for all. There are personal matters that can be settled instantaneously by a determined act of the will in response to Bible-grounded faith. No one would want to deny this; certainly not I.
The question before us is, Just how much can be accomplished in that one act of faith? How much yet remains to be done and how far can a single decision take us?
Instant Christianity tends to make the faith act terminal and so smothers the desire for spiritual advance. It fails to understand the true nature of the Christian life, which is not static but dynamic and expanding. It overlooks the fact that a new Christian is a living organism as certainly as a new baby is, and must have nourishment and exercise to assure normal growth. It does not consider that the act of faith in Christ sets up a personal relationship between two intelligent moral beings, God and the reconciled man, and no single encounter between God and a creature made in His image could ever be sufficient to establish an intimate friendship between them.
By trying to pack all of salvation into one experience, or two, the advocates of instant Christianity flaunt the law of development which runs through all nature. They ignore the sanctifying effects of suffering, cross carrying and practical obedience. They pass by the need for spiritual training, the necessity of forming right religious habits, and the need to wrestle against the world, the devil and the flesh.
Undue preoccupation with the initial act of believing has created in some a psychology of contentment, or at least of non-expectation. To many it has imparted a mood of disappointment with the Christian faith. God seems too far away, the world is too near, and the flesh too powerful to resist. Others are glad to accept the assurance of automatic blessedness. It relieves them of the need to watch and fight and pray, and sets them free to enjoy this world while waiting for the next.
Instant Christianity is twentieth century orthodoxy. I wonder whether the man who wrote Philippians 3:7-16 would recognize it as the faith for which he finally died. I am afraid he would not.

Phil. 3:7-21… "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19. Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20. For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21. Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

Gal. 6:7-8… "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."


Psalm 1… "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

Jer. 17:5-9… "Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. 6. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. 7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. 9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

Rom. 8:28-29… "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

2 Pet. 1:1-12… "Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 12. Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth."

Matt. 7:13-27… "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

I believe it would accurate to say that to a large extent we have worldliness in the church because we have subscribed to "instant Christianity."

The overemphasis on a past experience is a curse in our day. How many thousands are on their way to hell, while claiming assurance of salvation as a result of some "decision" in the past?
May our Lord bless us with a great longing to be conformed to the image of His Son!

Endeavoring to Guard the Unity of the Spirit -- 9/2/07 (The Lord's Church)

Sunday, September 2, 2007

ENDEAVORING TO GUARD THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT
Eph. 4:3-6

Some 25 years ago I preached a message on unity from John 17. When I finished the message, a very elderly man slowly walked up to the front. I don’t remember his exact words, but he urged us to take to heart what we had heard. It’s hard to explain, but the Spirit of God was moving in a powerful way. We had an unusual sense of the Lord’s presence. Then a young lady said, "Let’s sing ‘They Will Know We Are Christians by our Love,’" a popular song at the time. We sang the song, but we lost something in doing so. The words of the song are nice. They talk about Christian unity, but they didn’t produce or promote true Christian unity.

What is your concept of unity within the body of Christ? Is there some magical formula for attaining that unity? How important is unity?

Let’s read Eph. 4:1-7 again this morning…
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

We looked intently at the first two verses a few weeks ago. The key command of Ephesians is Paul’s urgent plea that we should walk worthy of the calling with which we are called. And that worthy walk begins with the attitude described in these verses. The one who walks worthy of this calling will live with humility, meekness, longsuffering, and will bear with others in love. Now in verse 3 we find the words, "Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." While we might describe this as part of the same worthy attitude, we can see that now Paul goes beyond attitude. Though this too begins with attitude, there is also action involved in keeping this unity of the Spirit.

Let’s look for a moment at that word "endeavoring." Different translations will render it in various ways. As a matter of fact, the King James itself will translated this word in the following ways… endeavor (3), be forward (1), study (1), labor (1), be diligent or give diligence (5). A couple of the passages in which it is used are very familiar to many of us. II Tim. 2:15, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." I’m not sure why the King James translators rendered it "study," except that the person who diligently endeavors to show himself approved unto God with regard to the Word will have to study. Also Heb. 4:11, "Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest…" "Labor" is an interesting translation in light of the fact that in the previous verse we read, "For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his." How can we labor to enter into rest? The idea is, "Be diligent to enter into that rest. Make it your first endeavor to enter into that rest. Make haste to enter into that rest." This word combines the idea of haste, eagerness, and zeal (Vaughan, Ephesians, p. 89).

So regardless of how we translate this particular word, it is clear that the keeping or guarding of this unity is to be a priority. This is not a fringe activity. The guarding of the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is a vital part of walking worthy of our calling. To put it another way, it is impossible for a Christian to walk worthy of his calling, if he does not give diligence to guarding the unity of the Spirit.

Now we must ask again the big question: What is the unity of the Spirit? It is essentially the unity which the Holy Spirit produces. This is not the unity we must somehow achieve. Rather, it is the unity which the Spirit has already obtained for us. This is very important. We are not striving for unity, but only to guard that unity.

We have taken a good look at how this unity was achieved. Remember that when Jesus was praying to His Father in the presence of His apostles, He said: "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" (Jn. 17:20-21). As we verified from the scripture itself, the Father answered that prayer. The apostle Paul could say to the Galatian churches without qualification, "…For ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:28). In Romans 12 and I Corinthians 12 that same apostle Paul emphasizes that though we who belong to the Lord are many members, we are one body. He paints a picture of great diversity within this Spirit-produced unity.

Please hear me. This unity is not an ideal that Jesus sets forth and then men strive to live up to it. How hard would we have to try in order to become one, even as Jesus and the Father are one? That is an impossibility. This unity came through the cross, through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Jesus prayed this prayer, and He knew full well that the Father would answer His prayer. But Jesus also knew what would be involved in bringing the answer to His prayer; it would mean His own death on the cross. Yes, Jesus’ death would be the answer to His own prayer. Having ascended back to the right hand of the Father, He then sent the Spirit into the lives of those who truly put their trust in Him. So, we see that this is indeed "the unity of the Spirit." Everyone who possesses the Spirit is a part of this unity. No one who fails to possess the Spirit can be a part of it.

Do you see it? This is the unity of the Spirit. The reason all true believers are one is because they all have the Spirit. If a person does not have the Spirit, then he doesn’t belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9). Believers are unified because they share the same life, the life of the Spirit of Christ. How is it possible? Only through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Jesus died and rose in order that we might share His life.

The Basis for Unity (Eph. 4:4-7)

Now let’s come back to our passage here in Ephesians 4. After telling us to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul then describes the nature of that unity in verses 4-6 ,"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." In these verses, Paul uses the word "one" seven times, emphasizing the unity of all believers.
All believers are united in one body. We will read about that a little big later in Ephesians 2. All believers share one life through the one Holy Spirit. Notice how these two "ones" are also linked in I Cor. 12:12-14…
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. 14. For the body is not one member, but many.

One body and one Spirit. These are vitally connected. All believers are a part of one body because they share the life of the one Spirit.

In the same way, we are all called in one hope of our calling. This hope is related closely to the concepts of one body and one Spirit. Surely our ultimate hope is to share the glory of God. Rom. 5:1-2, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." I John 3:2, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." In that same prayer, where Jesus prayed that we all might be one, He also made this request: "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:24). That is the one hope we share.

Now verse 5, where we have another trio of "ones," "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." Make no mistake about it, there is only one Lord. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. True Christians recognize that truth and rejoice in it. The time will come when all of creation will recognize this truth. "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name; That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). While the world recognizes many gods and many "lords" (I Cor. 8:5), we know that there is one Lord, and we joyfully submit to His lordship.

One faith. The term "faith" is used in different ways in the New Testament. Sometimes it is used to speak objectively of the beliefs which make up Christianity. However, it is most often used to speak of a personal and active trust in the Lord Himself. I take it to be used in the latter sense here. We all come to the Lord in exactly the same way – through faith. There are no exceptions. The emphasis is not upon the quality or quantity of our faith, but upon the sufficiency of the Lord in whom we trust.

One baptism. While there are those who take this to refer to "Spirit baptism," of which we have already read in I Cor. 12:13, it seems best to take this as a reference to water baptism, which is the norm in the New Testament. There is one baptism, baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The pattern in the book of Acts is seen on the day of Pentecost. "Then they that glady received his word were baptized…" (Acts 2:41). Put this in the context of the one Lord and one faith. "…There is one Lord who is to be obeyed and adored; one believing experience that brings people into saving union with that Lord; and one outward, visible ceremony by which believers confess their faith and are openly incorporated into the fellowship of God’s people" (Vaughan, p. 90). Remember that in the New Testament, baptism is not an option. The New Testament cannot conceive of an unbaptized believer, and this passage further emphasizes that truth.

Finally, "One God and Father of all." He is the ultimate source of all unity. Let’s read all of verse 6, "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." This is the climax, as this is where everything begins. "In the beginning, God…" (Gen. 1:1). All true believers acknowledge only one God. Not only is He our God, but He is also our Father. When His disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He responded, "When ye pray, say, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name" (Matt. 6:9).

We must make it absolutely clear what Paul means, when he says, "One God and Father of all." If you take it out of context, you might conclude that God is the Father of all human beings. However, the rest of the scripture makes it clear that this is not the case. Those who do not have eternal life in Jesus Christ are the enemies of God (Rom. 5:10), not the children of God. Those who come to genuine faith in Christ are adopted into the family of God. Before that, they are without God (Eph. 2:12; more literally, "apart from God"). God is the Father of all believers. That is a vital part of the unity Paul is describing.

Paul goes on to say that this God and Father of all is above all, and through all, and in you all. We have little trouble understanding that He is above all. God is sovereign over all creation. This is affirmed throughout the Bible. For example, Ps. 96:3-8…
Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. 6. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. 7. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. 8. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.

He is also "through all." Paul seems to be emphasizing that God is not a Creator who is absent from His creation. It’s not like God created this universe and then retired to watch it run. He not only created, but He also sustains. We see Him throughout His creation. He is active in His world. His presence pervades everything.

Notice that Paul does not say that God is "in all." Rather, after stating that He is through all, he then says He is "in you all." It is common in our world for even professing Christians to think that God is in everything. He is in the trees and the clouds and in every person. That is pantheism, and it is far from the truth. God is through all, but He is not in all. On the other hand, He is "in you all." In other words, God is in all those who belong to Him by virtue of faith in Christ. How can the Creator of the universe be in us? By His Spirit. He has put His Spirit within every one of His children. What a basis for unity. We share the life of the Creator! That thought is almost too wonderful to be true, and yet the scripture affirms it. And this brings us back to where we started – the unity of the Spirit (4:3).

This series of seven "one’s" gives us a strong basis for unity. Obviously, if we can’t agree on these seven things, there can be no unity. In reality, these beliefs are a part of every true believer. We need to make much of these. There will always be areas of disagreement among believers. That is very difficult for us. We wish it weren’t true. Why is this? Because we are have been messed up by sin. Also, because our understanding is imperfect. The creatures do not see things as clearly as the Creator. We can expect the Lord to continue to give us more light on His Word. However, we do not have to agree on all issues in order to walk together in unity.

This Unity as Seen in Ephesians

The truth of this unity of the Spirit is attacked by the individualism of our present society. Without even realizing it, as 21st century Americans, we tend to look at the world through the glasses of individualism. We find this to be true of our interpretation of scripture. For example, look back to Ephesians 3. Many times we have gone through the great prayer of Paul in verses 14-21. Let’s read it again… (Eph. 3:14-21)
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16. That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18. May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Would you note especially verses 18-19, "[That you] may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ…" We have a tendency to ignore those words "with all saints." Literally, "together with all the saints" (don’t know why KJV omits the article, as it appears to be in all Greek texts). Paul included those words in his prayer for a reason. I will never be able to fully comprehend the love of Christ, unless I do it together with all the saints. "All" must be taken in the context, as Paul is speaking to the church in Ephesus. When you stop and think about it, it is absolute foolishness to think I can comprehend the love of Christ as an individual. Remember, "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (I Jn. 4:20). We can’t even begin to conceive of the Lord’s love, unless we include all the brothers and sisters. Love is a body thing, not an individual thing.

And then look at the end of verse 19, "…and that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." Again, we routinely interpret that individually. In other words, "that I might be filled with all the fulness of God." How can I live in such a way, that I will be filled with all the fulness of God? I suggest to you that in so doing, we are doing great violence to this scripture. Surely in light of what we just read in the previous words and in light of what Paul says almost immediately after about guarding the unity of the Spirit, he is speaking about the body of Christ being filled with all the fulness of God. Let’s go back and read what he says at the end of chapter 1. Eph. 1:22-23, "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23. Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."

Now let’s come to chapter 2. In general, I would have to say that most Christians know the first half of the chapter much better than the last half. Verses 1-10 describe what we were, as opposed to who we are in Jesus Christ. The dividing line is in verse 4, where we read those words, "But God…" The rest of 4-7 tell how God has made us alive in Christ, raised us up in Christ, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ. Then we read the most familiar words of the chapter in verses 8-10, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9. Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Certainly you as an individual can look to this passage as a record of how God has delivered you out of darkness and has translated you into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:13).

But notice that chapter 2 does not end with verse 10. Verses 11-22 expand upon the theme of verses 1-10. Just in case anyone should get the idea that God’s salvation is a private experience, God destroys that concept in the last half of the chapter. Let’s read it again… (Eph. 2:11-22) [Note the emphases below]
Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12. That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15. Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

We could go to other passages in Ephesians, but this is enough to plant this concept in our minds and hearts. May God give us grace to read His Word with "body-colored glasses." A great part of guarding the unity of the Spirit is reminding one another that we are one, that Jesus died to make us one.

We guard the unity of the Spirit when we celebrate our unity in Jesus Christ. But how do we celebrate our unity in Christ? By spending time with one another. If I don’t want to be around my brothers and sisters, I am not endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. When I pray for my brothers and sisters regularly and fervently, I am guarding the unity of the Spirit. Suppose I am offended by a brother. I feel he has wronged me. When I obey the scripture and go to him in love, I am guarding the unity of the Spirit.

On the other hand, when I guard myself, not letting my brothers and sisters know where I am, I am hindering the unity of the Spirit. When I refuse to submit to brothers and sisters in the body, I am hindering the unity of the Spirit. When I gossip about my brothers and sisters, I am siding with the enemy, helping him obscure the unity for which Jesus died and rose.
I’ll let you complete the list of things that guard the unity of the Spirit and the things that hinder than unity.

Conclusion

So as we have been talking about the Lord’s church, why this emphasis on unity in the body of Christ? If you recall, we departed from Acts 15, where we were confronted with the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas about taking Mark with them on a follow-up missionary trip. You will remember that they couldn’t resolve their differences at that time. Paul took Silas with him, and Barnabas took Mark with him. However, later in Paul’s letters, we see that the differences have been resolved. The time came when Mark was a valuable asset to Paul.

This issue of unity is vital in understanding what is the Lord’s church. I have been hinting at this for the last few weeks. Perhaps sometimes I have done more than hint, in saying that there is a great difference between the professing church and the true church of Jesus Christ. We can never hope to have unity among all those who profess Jesus as Lord. This unity is a reality only among those who are true children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

As many of you know, we have been in a transition period here at La Luz for a number of years.
Who is a part of this church? We aren’t sure. Years ago, we had a very official church membership. It was very typical of Southern Baptist churches. A person who is a member of a Baptist church in one locality moves to a different town. He finds a Southern Baptist church and joins that church. That is, he tells the church that he was a member of another Southern Baptist church and he is accepted as a member. Traditionally, it is called "moving your letter."

We chose to move away from that model, primarily because it was what I call "paper membership." It didn’t mean anything. Nothing was required of the person joining the church. He could come once or twice, join the church, never come again, and still remain a member of the church. What good is that? Membership was a formality without reality. So for many years, the situation has been like this: Some people who come officially join the church. Others do not. While some might say, "That is more like the New Testament, because they didn’t have membership rolls." While that is true, we are finding that our present stance has lead to quite a bit of confusion.

The best way I know to illustrate this confusion is by bringing up another biblical issue. What about church discipline? We are finding that it is very difficult to practice church discipline, when we don’t know who is really a part of the church. Of course, discipline begins with teaching, with discipling those who are a part. However, the New Testament is very clear that there will be times when the negative side of discipline must be exercised. In these extreme situations, people who are part of the church are to be excluded. And this is where we encounter the problem. How do we exclude people, if they were never included in the first place?

These difficulties are causing us to ask lots of questions about what it means to be a part of this local church. I believe the concept of unity must be a vital part of where the Lord leads us concerning membership in the church. A church that does not guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace will not be a strong church used greatly for the glory of the Lord.
I don’t have all the answers to the questions we are facing, but our Lord does. On the one hand, a person may say, "The crucial thing is that the individual has a relationship with Jesus Christ." While there is much truth in that statement, the New Testament has no concept of an individual having a relationship with Christ and not a relationship with the body of Christ. Though our religious world doesn’t like to hear that, we must face that biblical truth. Perhaps no book in the New Testament emphasizes this truth more than Ephesians.

So what are we to do with this message this morning? What should come out of it?

1. Meditate on this concept of unity and "endeavoring to guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."
2. Pray about how the Lord wants us to live out this unity in the La Luz body
3. Ask this question: "What am I doing to contribute to the guarding of the unity of the Spirit?"
4. Ask the Lord to show us how to practically define the "membership" of this body
5. Above all, may our prayer be, "Father, glorify thy name."