SERMON—
How Christ Can be Formed in Us—How we can grow in Christ (Dallas Willard, p. 85ff)
VIM—Vision, Intention, Means
Vision: Vision of the Kingdom. Have a mind and heart that have a picture and clear understanding of what it means to be a member of God’s Kingdom. Focusing on God’s Kingdom at work, and its effects on us (like Matthew 5, 6, 7)
1. How much time do you spend on the kingdom of God?
2. Do you fix your gaze on things above?
3. Are you motivated by how life with God can be different?
4. Are you tired of doing things your way—at least the outcome that it brings, and want God to rule in you?
5. Are you encouraged that “the Kingdom has come” as Jesus said, and that it is “in your hearts?”
It is about knowing who we are in Christ, about believing and seeing that he is doing something new in us, and what that is: a person who is patient, who is a forgiver and not a bitter hanger on of wrongs past, in control of our daily activities, led by the Spirit, sharers in the good news of salvation in Jesus, both here and now. Etc.
Intention: Having a great picture of who we are—and can be—in Christ is fine, but it is worthless unless we actually plan to do something about it. We have to intend to go after that life, and actually make a decision, to be different, to live differently. Otherwise, we can be fairly labeled: an impractical dreamer (at best) or a pretend Christian (at worst).
Means: But ultimately the intention and decision actually have to have a credible means to bring about transformation. There has to be a way to actually DO what you intend. You won’t get to some warm vacation spot in the middle of January just by dreaming about it and deciding you are going to go there. Let’s be more specific: say you decide to drive there: you need a car, gas, map/GPS, license, provisions, etc. These are the means. We have means at our disposal to be formed in Christ: prayer, HS, Bible, solitude, service, etc.
VIM—mnemonic device. “cute” “is it biblical?” “i never learned about this in SS”
All three parts can be demonstrated to have their roots in scripture. You might find that you would come up with a different acronym like “WHIM” or “SPAM” or “FAHRVERGUEGEN” and when you do, I invite you to preach your own sermon.
Last week we considered that Jesus declared that the kingdom had come, that it was “among us,” and that life in the kingdom was a life with God in charge, who leads us to live a fulfilling—though not easy—life, and we find us living in the way in which God originally designed us: we actually “work better” and are more fulfilled living his way.
Today we are going to focus on the second letter, the “I”. Intend.
Do we really intend to be different? To live a life with God? To enjoy his blessings?
The writer to the Hebrews was concerned that his recipients were in danger of misunderstanding or giving up on how awesome Jesus and his salvation for us who believe was. They might be tempted to return to their old religion of sacrifices, temple worship, and all.
Greater than the angels. Greater than Moses—all kind of “foreign” to us but not them
Oprah, Dr. Laura, yes, bigger even than golden microphone at the EIB INSTITUTE for advanced . . . ,
His message was one that is actually timely for the New Year:
thinking about change
have we given up already?
Wait until next year to try again?
How DO we get it right with God and WHEN?
Read: Hebrews 3:7-13
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the desert,
9 where your fathers tested and tried me
and for forty years saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
Thesis: The Only day to get our hearts—and lives—right with God is Today.
We really only have one day to get it right with God.
Our whole sermon text is really Hebrews 3 and 4, and in them, just as in the shorter section we just read, are three words that keep on popping up over and over again:
Today—vv. 7, 13, 15, 4:7 (2x) and thematically referred to elsewhere
Heart—vv. 8, 10, 12, 13 (implied), 15, 4:7 and implied elsewhere
Rest—vv. 11,18, 4:1, 3, 3, 5, 6, 11 and implied elsewhere
Around these three, the main thoughts of our message today are built. Is it true that we only have one day to get it right with God? How do we get it right?
Transition: We might like to think that we have all the time in the world to change who we are, but the Word of God is clear in it’s warning that we should:
1. Make Today The Day We Take Hold of God’s Heart
Our text today flies right into the face of a poster I referred to a while back:
“Procrastination: Hard Work pays off . . . “
We like to think we have all the time in the world, but look again what God’s word says:
“Today if you HEAR HIS VOICE”
God is at work in the world, using a variety of means to get our attention. In fact, after a spat of hurricanes that went through Florida last year, one observant passerby noticed this billboard:
WE NEED TO TALK. God.
Maybe God did use that.
Maybe he used the sermon that Larry Carter preached at our area church mtg.
Maybe he used your Bible Study in 1 Thess.
Maybe he spoke through the words of a friend who had timely Biblical advice for your life.
Maybe His Spirit has been prompting you over what you know to be true in the scriptures but you haven’t applied it yet.
Maybe you have not made a commitment to put your life in Jesus hands, by confessing him as the one who will direct your life and be your savior from sins—but you have been having this nagging feeling for weeks that you should.
Well, our scripture is clear: TODAY, if you hear his voice . . .
Don’t get hung up on the fact that our text was written in the time of David 3,000 ago. Or that it is even older, referring back to the time of the Wanderings in the Desert. Or that this whole book was written 2000 years ago.
We have TIME, we might be tempted to think. (if this God thing is even true)
Keep in mind that 2 Peter tells us that “our Lord’s patience means salvation”
Keep in mind that Jesus says his return will come like a thief in the night: we might not be ready
a. God’s Word Calls Us to a Decision of the Heart
As we found out earlier, our heart is important in this text and to God. We can put on shows for other people, but God and His word cut right through our show:
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Pradis CD-ROM:Heb 4:12.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
It follows that we can harbor one of two hearts:
i. The Heart of the Rebel
ii. The Heart of Christ
The Heart of the Rebel is found in the hearts of the people used by our writer as a warning to us: The Israelites who wandered in the desert.
Hebrews writer warns his readers to not fall into this trap 4:1 EVEN TELLS US TO FEAR THIS STATE. It is a seirous thing to fall outside of the grace of God. All that is left to say about them is to compare them as poster boys, people of another anti-successories poster I saw that read:
(www.despair.com)
Mistakes: It could be that the purpose of your loife is only toserve as a warning to others.
Illustrations of
John B ???
Jack Welch (I think it was on losing his mother, from preaching today.com
Martin Luther. Don’t remember the illustration
Instead of the rebellious:
We need to have the Heart of the Christ.
About king David. After God’s own heart. A bit on what the heart meant: and that David was seen by God who strived to please him.
The perfect example was Jesus:
Heb 3:1
The Bible says he was faithful to the point of death on the crow At every temptation he chose what was the will of the Father. Trusteing God’s way.
When the Father Spoke: he listened (Today . . . . if you hear . . . .)
b. God’s People Help Us Stick To Our Decision to take Hold of God’s Heart
Communal responsibility that will help us achieve our task. Duty of Every Christan, not just leaders.
i. Love effort
Rom 12:9
Not easy, blended families rarely are a piece of cake.
[What follows were some more outline thoughts that can be expanded on, but you won’t use these for this sermon]
ii. Daily effort
iii. Practical effort
2. Make Today the Day We Take Hold of God’s Rest
a. The Promise of God’s Rest
i. Rooted in Creation (work-rest)
ii. Reinforced in the Sabbath
iii. Reached for in the Promised Land
iv. Realized in Christ
1. now
2. not yet
b. The Process to Enter God’s Rest
v. Stand Firm in our Decision
vi. Stand Firm on the Promise
vii. Stand Firm in Christ
