His
One
Purpose is our
Elevation.
A philosopher of last century, Bertrand Russell was an outspoken atheist. He even wrote a book called Why I Am Not A Christian. When Russell was 81 years old, he was interviewed on a British Broadcasting Corporation radio talk show. The interviewer asked him what he had to hang onto when death was obviously so close. Russell responded, "I have nothing to hang onto but grim, unyielding despair." What an honest yet hopeless response. You see, when you live only for this life, when you invest your life in the flesh, when you think that this is all there is, you can’t help but live in despair.
(sermon central.)
The Christian though is not like this
There is cause for hope for the follower of Jesus Christ.
But we live in an era of flabby Christianity – The middle age spread of token Christianity has robbed millions of the opportunity to hear the gospel while those caught in the current of token faith are haunted by a mood of low hope.
But there is no need for this and we in the Riversdale – Waikaia Presbyterian Church can together find cause for hope.
This morning I want to show you three reasons why, a Christian Church caught in the secular tide of the early 21st century, can nevertheless find great reason for hope.
This Morning I would like to look at Ezekiel chapter 37 verses 1 – 10.
EZE 37:1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"
I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
This is a hopeless situation. We have a valley full of dry bones and yet God asks the Prophet “Son of man can these bones live?”
The answer of the Prophet is a profound answer for those of us who are looking for hope – He says:-
"O Sovereign LORD, you alone know."
You see if we want to know the truth of a situation we would need to acknowledge that it is better to get God’s view of it rather than our own.
Charles L. Allen (1913- ) - When you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.
His
Overall
Purpose is our
Elevation.
The main source of hope for the Christian should be the fact that God is on our side – He wants us to succeed.
There are bible verses that can encourage us to that end.
In our Bible verse this morning we read of Israel being rescued from, beyond death by God.
But God’s heart is bigger than Israel.
In John’s Gospel chapter 3 and verse 16 we read – For God so loved the world – He loves the whole world and what is more you are part of the world and he loves you!!!
PS 139:13 says:-For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
PS 139:14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
PS 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
PS 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Further to that when we commit our lives to Jesus Christ we join God’s team.
John chapter 3 and verse 16: Quote.
When we are born again we take on a whole new life We pass from death to life!:-
EZE 37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
When we get on God’s team all of heaven celebrates.
If you understand that God created you and that you are important to him it will release hope into your heart.
God wants you to know that He loves you!!!
Secondly – Allow the spirit of God to breath life into you.
In the reading from Ezekial we read:-
EZE 37:9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ " 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.
When we allow the Spirit of God to enter us we move into life and usefulness. And there is nothing like feeling useful to produce life in you. The spirit allows that – He provides for it.
Look what happens to the church after Acts chapter two when it receives the Holy Spirit!!!
And how did D.L.Moody the great revival Preacher feel and act when the Spirit came upon him?
“I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit;. Well, one day, in the city of New York--- oh, what a day! – I can not describe it. I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. I can only say that God revealed himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths; and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world – it would be as the small dust of the balance.*
*The life of Dwight L Moody by his son, W.R.Moody p149.
Charles Finney comments on this same experience. “I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost without any expectation of it, withour ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I had ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me body and soul. No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love.*
· Autobiography of Charles E Finney, chapter 2.
RO 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
The point is when the Spirit of God is living in you, then you have hope.
The third point is for us to live the promises of God.
We are not saved and filled with the spirit of God to live in the way of the world –
As it says in EZE 37:11 Then he said to me: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, `Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy and say to them: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’ "
There hope was dried up – they were in the grave but now they live for God.
There is a passage in Hebrews that helps with this:-
HEB 6:9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
He says:- “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.”
What diligence????
Well according to Hebrews chapter 6 we read:- verse nine:- things that accompany salvation. Then we read God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
The evidence of salvation is a forward movement of love towards others and towards the work of God.
Nothing can replace the work of God and the love of God as an agent of hope in the Christians life:-
TIT 3: 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
It is true that we are not saved by works but when we have Christ in our lives the evidence of that is seen in what we do with our lives.
Eph chapter 2: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
There are millions of examples of lives wonderfully lived like this – your own might be one of them.
From the life of Corrie ten Boom comes a story from World war two when her family were helping the Jews to avoid capture by the Germans.
A pastor came into the ten Booms shop.
“Good morning Pastor,” I said I have something I want to confess.”
The Pastors eyes clouded, “Confess?”
I took him up the stairs to the dining room.
“I confess that I am looking for you to be willing to take a Jewish mother and her baby into your home? They will almost certainly be arrested otherwise.”
Colour drained from the man’s face. He took a step back from me. “Miss ten Boom! I do hope you’re not involved with any of this illegal concealment and undercover business. It’s just not safe! Think of your Father! And your sister – she’s never been that strong!”
On impulse I ran out of the room and borrowed the infant and bought it into the room.
Back in the dining room I pulled back the cover from the baby’s face.
There was a long silence. The man bent forward, his hand in spite of himself reaching for the tiny fist curled round the blanket. For a moment I saw fear and compassion struggle in his face. Then he straightened. “No, Definitely not! We could lose our lives for that Jewish child!”
Unseen by either of us, Father had appeared in the doorway. “Give the child to me, Corrie,” he said.
Father held the baby close, his white beard brushing its cheek, looking into the little face with eyes as blue and innocent as the baby’sw own. At last he looked up at the pastor. “You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honour that could come to my family.”
The pastor turned sharply on his heels aqnd walked out of the room.
This family risked everything for the sake of others and for the sake of Christ. Eventually captured the Father and sister did die but the ministry of this family went on for many years through corrie ten Boom.
We too need to be active looking for opportunities to serve Christ i
in love and works.
As we do this Hope will rise.
Can I please summarise.
His
Overall
Purpose is our
Elevation.
1.God loves us!
2.Offers his Holy Spirit.(he will be with you.)
3.Diligence – Doin’ God’s stuff lifts hope!!!
Feel free to contact us:
jgullick@xtra.co.nz
