GOD’S E. P. A.
1 Jn. 5:8 KJV
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: The Garden of Eden
1. One day in the Garden of Eden, Eve called out to God. "Lord, I have a problem!" "What's the problem, Eve?"
2. "Lord, thank you for creating me and giving me this beautiful garden and all of these wonderful animals, but I'm just not happy."
3. "Why is that, Eve?" came the reply from above. "Lord, I am lonely, and I'm sick to death of apples."
4. "Well Eve, in that case, I have a solution. I shall create a Man for you." "What's a Man, Lord?"
5. "This man will be a flawed creature, with many bad traits. He'll lie and cheat a little, and be very competitive; all in all, he'll give you a hard time. But, he'll be bigger, faster, and will like to hunt and kill things. He will look silly when he's aroused, but since you've been complaining, I'll create him in such a way that he will satisfy your physical needs. At times he’ll do childish things like fighting and kicking a ball about, so he'll also need your advice to think properly."
6. "Sounds great." says Eve, with an ironically raised eyebrow. "But, what's the catch, Lord?" "Well... you can have him on one condition." "What's that, Lord?"
7. "As I said, he's proud and self-admiring... So you'll have to let him believe that I made him first!”
B. GOV’T AGENCY LINGO BINGO
1. The Federal Gov’t has an almost limitless number of agencies, all of which are identified by an abbreviation of their names. See if you can guess the following (just list the abbreviations on a screen):
CIA Central Intelligence Agency
EEOC Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FDIC Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FEC Federal Election Commission
FRS Federal Reserve Service
FTC Federal Trade Commission
GSA General Services Administration
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board
NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission
PC Peace Corps
SEC Securities and Exchange Commission
SBA Small Business Administration
SSA Social Security Administration
TVA Tennessee Valley Authority
USPS U.S. Postal Service
HUD Department of Housing and Urban Development
DOVA Department of Veteran Affairs
DOHS Department of Homeland Security
OMB Office of Management and Budget
2. One of the most hated and maligned agencies is the EPA. It’s frequently cited as an example of a governmental overreach or bureaucracy gone amuck.
3. In reality, it has played a vital part in cleaning up our air, water, and land from pollutants. If you look at the pollution of India or China today, it will make you appreciate the E.P.A.!
4. However, the E.P.A. has taken their mission too far in many areas. This year, 1-4-13, for instance, they tried to get all rainwater runoff declared “pollutants” in order to gain jurisdiction of all streams & waterways in the US!
5. But still, I think a lot of cleaning needs to be done on Planet Earth, and not just physically! Well, the good news is, God has a spiritual version of the E.P.A., but without the excesses.
6. Ever heard of it? Well, let men tell you about it. Man needed to be cleaned up, so God gave us HIS E.P.A.
C. THESIS
1. There are 3 cleaning forces that God has provided. Each have their own methods and sphere of operation.
2. Tonight I’m going to use the acrostic E.P.A. to outline these 3 agencies:
E –“Euaggelion”= the Gospel/ synonymous with the Word.
P – “Pneuma”= the Greek word for ‘Spirit;’
A – “Aima”= the Greek word for ‘Blood.’
3. The title of tonight’s message is, “God’s E.P.A.”
I. E – EUAGGELION/ THE WORD
A. STRUGGLING, FALLING SHORT
1. A lot of people struggle in their Christian life. They find themselves falling short of the Christian life.
2. Like Joe Mazzella. One morning his son got on his nerves and Joe scolded him pretty severely. Joe saw the hurt in his eyes, apologized & told him how much he loved him. But Joe wished he could take back what he’d said.
3. Later that day Joe acted the part of the Good Samaritan, helping an older lady in trouble.
4. Joe asked himself, “How do I reconcile that frustrated Father I was earlier in the day with the smiling, good Samaritan I was later in the afternoon?”
5. Joe answered, “The answer is simple. I am still a work in progress.”
6. Isn’t it great that God gives us the hope of transformation?!
B. SCRIPTURES
THE FIRST CLEANING AGENCY WE’LL LOOK AT IS THE WORD.
1. "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word" Psalm 119:9.
2. "You are already clean because of the Word I have spoken to you" John 15:3.
3. "Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth" John 17:17.
4. "... To make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the Word" Eph. 5: 26.
5. "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth..." 1 Peter 1:22.
C. SPHERE & METHODS OF OPERATION
1. God uses some wonderful terms to describe what the Word of God can do in our lives: purify, clean, sanctify, make holy, & wash.
2. Paul had prayed, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Th. 5:23.
3. This Agency for cleansing begins in the human heart. Hear the Psalmist; “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you” Ps. 119:11.
4. Belief/ faith is generated in the area known as the “heart.” Paul said, “That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved” Rm. 10:9-10.
5. The Word works in the realm of the mind, will and emotions. It purifies out the worldly thinking, and brings the will and emotions under control. It’s a continuous work that goes on throughout our lives.
6. To please God, we must obey the Word. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
7. Your part is to read, memorize, and obey the Word. When you do, it WILL transform you!
II. P – PNEUMA/ THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. SCRIPTURES
1. The next Agency of the E.P.A. is the Greek word, “Pneuma” which is the word for the Holy Spirit. Listen to theses verses:
2. “…God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth” 2 Thess. 2:13.
3. “…who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit” 1 Pet. 1:2.
B. ILLUSTRATION: God’s Transforming Power
1. Jack Patrick was just one of the usual tough, uncouth, tough boys of our neighborhood. He had a command of bad language and his share of bad habits.
2. But Jesus found him and the change was quite evident. He became a different person.
3. Once grown, he bought a used Harley Davidson motorcycle. But the throttle grip on the right handlebar was messed up and wouldn’t accelerate correctly.
4. For days, Jack put a lot of money and effort into rebuilding the grip, painstakingly adapting his materials. When he was all done, the grip peeled off and fell on the ground.
5. The Jack of by-gone days would have let off a long string of expletives, but instead, he lifted his face to heaven and sang, "Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul!"
6. This was a shocker to his many friends who were present. That’s what the Lord can do in a person’s life. (Anton Stander)
C. REALM & METHOD OF CLEANSING OPERATION
1. The Holy Spirit works in both the realm of the human spirit and the soul in His cleansing work. One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to “remind you of everything I (Jesus) have said to you” (John 14:26). That’s how He reproves us when we go astray.
2. A second job is to convict or “convince the world of its guilt in regard to sin,” John 16:8. The Holy Spirit holds trial in our hearts. He holds up the righteous standard of God’s Law next to our wrongful deeds, and proves us guilty of sin.
5. This is His method of bringing us to repentance. If we respond positively over time by relinquishing sinful actions and walking in a more holy manner, it has the effect of “sanctifying” us, or making us (more) holy in daily practice.
III. A – AIMA, THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
Greek word αἷμα (haima) for "blood", from which we get our prefix, “hemo.” THE BLOOD OF JESUS HAS POWER IN EVERY REALM. THERE IS NO PLACE WE COULD EVER GO WHERE THE BLOOD OF JESUS DOES NOT HOLD SWAY!
A. IT HAS POWER IN HEAVEN
1. It has power in heaven. The Blood of Jesus is there now on the Mercy Seat. It is still speaking. “To Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” Heb. 12:24. The blood of Jesus is still speaking!
2. Think how powerful the Blood is, it can constrain God Himself to take action or not to take action. For us who believe, it turns aside His wrath and instead gives to us the fullest favor and love God can bestow!
B. IT HAS POWER IN HELL
1. The devil and demon forces, when the blood of Jesus is mentioned, they tremble. Why? They remember the day Jesus tasted our death and took our curse and was buried and went into Satan’s kingdom and pulled the crown off of his head and took the keys from his hand and rose victorious!
2. So, when Satan hears you say: “THE BLOOD OF JESUS,” he trembles and is struck with confusion that even in His greatest weakness, the Son of God could overthrow all his strength!
3. Jesus says: “I am He that liveth and was dead and behold I’m alive forever more and I have the keys of death and hell!”
C. IT HAS POWER IN THE SOULS OF MEN
1. Heb 9:14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
2. That blood has the present ministry of cleansing our consciences. That blood has power within us to wash away sin and give pardon to our consciences.
3. LISTEN TO THE WORD:
a. “…the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" 1 John 1:7.
b. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” – Isa. 1:18.
4. All the saints of heaven have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb Rev. 1:5; 7:14).
5. Thank God for the precious blood of Christ!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. The ancient Scottish hero, Robert the Bruce, was once hiding in a mountain glen from King Edward's soldiers.
2. Suddenly he heard the baying of hounds upon the scent, and he recognized them as his own pack which the English had loosed and set upon their Master's trail.
3. Though worn with sleepless nights and foodless days, Bruce struggled to his feet and ran as fast as his weary limbs could carry him, with the hounds hot on his track.
4. Nearer and nearer came the sound of baying, and the royal fugitive was almost in despair when he suddenly heard the trickling of a mountain stream.
5. He raced on and leaped into the stream and obscured his scent by the cleansing waters. His own hounds were unable to track his and he escaped capture.
6. So it is when the hounds of our own sins are pursuing us; we have need only to jump into the cleansing that God provided to erase our sins and make us acceptable to God – the Word, the Spirit, & the Blood!
B. THE CALL
1. Let’s go first to the stream of blood that flows from Calvary's Cross, next to the Word which continually washes away the world’s stench from us, and lastly to the gentle leadership of the Holy Spirit who guides us in the ways of Jesus our Lord.
2. Prayer.
[Idea from Gerald Flurry]
