“Journey with Jesus”

This sermon series looks at finding our way as we "Journey with Jesus" towards the

Cross. As we experience this journey in this Lenten season, we examine ourselves as we attempt to answer the oft-asked question: "What am I here for?" March 4, 2012 “Journey with Jesus: Who is the Voice of Your Spiritual GPS?” Pastor Joyce Straiton (Pages 2-8)

Part 1 of the series "Journey with Jesus.” In this message, Pastor Joyce, speaks of God as our Guide.

Scripture Reading: John 16:7-15 NIV

March 11, 2012 “Journey with Jesus: What Do You Mean . . . God Loves Me?” Pastor Leigh Straiton (Pages 9-17)

Part 2 of the series " Journey with Jesus.” In this message, Pastor Leigh,

speaks about accepting God's love for you and me. Scripture Reading: Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

March 18, 2012 “Journey with Jesus: Not another Purity Lecture!”” Pastor Joyce Straiton (Pages 18-24)

Part 3 of the series " Journey with Jesus.” In this message, Pastor Joyce, speaks to about accepting a lifestyle of purity.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:8 NIV

March 25, 2012 “Journey with Jesus: Who Is Jesus to You?” Pastor Leigh Straiton (Pages 25-31)

Part 4 of the series " Journey with Jesus.” In this message, Pastor Leigh,

speaks about accepting a lifestyle of enrichment. Scripture Reading: Mark 8:27-38 NIV

“Journey with Jesus: Who is the Voice of Your Spiritual GPS?” Scripture Reading1: John 16:7-15 NIV

7But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

Scripture Text:

“When he, the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. . .” John

16:13a NIV Introduction It has been 30 years now since my mom died – 30 years ago this month! During those last few weeks, I was able to spend a lot of time with her. And in our time together, I wanted to learn more, I wanted to remember her voice, I wanted to study her facial expressions, I wanted to see her just one more time walking about her garden, I wanted to glean just a little bit more of her wisdom. I didn’t want her to leave – and yet I knew that she was dying, that we wouldn’t have much more time together. And it was critical that I spend as much time as I could with her because these last times had to last a life-time. It is the Lenten season! Jesus and his disciples are on the way to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover – the Last Supper that they would spend together. I don’t think the Twelve really understood what was ahead – but Jesus did! He knew he didn’t have much time left. Jesus – and His disciples – are on the way to the Cross. They don’t understand that yet. They have visions of kingdoms and positions of importance in their heads. The twelve disciples have spent three intensive years of training together with Jesus. They have seen miracles performed. They have seen lives changed. They have seen people raised from the dead. They have been witness to minds and bodies being healed. They have seen multitudes fed with just a few loaves and fish.

1 All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984)

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House (a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.

They have experienced the winds and the waves being calmed by as simple and quiet, “Peace, be still!” They have seen the religious leaders seethe with hatred when Jesus challenged their ‘religiosity.’ They have seen crowds gather around Jesus, just wanting to be near. And they have seen many in these same crowds attempt to take His life . . . time is running out! There is so much more that Jesus wants to tell His disciples.

“The world will hate you, but remember, it hated me first. I chose you out of the world. Remember that! People are going to try to persecute you and kill you and ridicule you and mock you, thinking that they are doing God a favour by getting rid of you....I am telling you this now, and I want you to remember what you have been taught. One more thing: I am sending you a Comforter. You see, I have to return to my Father. The Comforter will not come unless I go. I will send Him to you. He will guide you into all Truth. You will never be alone. I will not leave you as orphans. The Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14: 26-27, NIV)

A year or so ago, Leigh purchased a G.P.S.—a Global Positioning System (I think that is what it stands for). This particular device is made by

Now, back in my day, “tom-toms” were a kind of drum used by native aboriginals to communicate with each other – the most important aboriginal instrument was and still is the drum. Different tribes have different traditions about the drum and how to play it, but the basic construction is very similar in most tribes: a wooden frame or a carved and hollowed-out log, with finely tanned animal skin (deer or elk) stretched taut across the opening by sinew thongs. Traditionally Indian drums are played communally by groups of men who stand around them in a circle. (Native American Drums) Such drumming is used for signalling or for religious ceremonies or for communication. It is, in many ways, a communications tool, just as is the GPS. In order to use the GPS, you need to know TWO (2) things:

1. you need to know where you are going – have at least a partial address or some landmark

2. and . . . you need to turn the thing on. Knowing and doing that, for the duration of your journey, a voice will instruct you to turn left in 700 meters or turn right in 500 meters or continue on for endless kilometres. Sometimes the driver may disagree with ‘the Voice’ – and embark on another route instead. The Voice will command: “When you are able, turn around, then turn left onto Highway or County Road whatever and continue . . ., or . . . “recalibrate, recalibrate!” The Voice can sound quite perturbed if you refuse to ‘follow’ directions. A GPS is useful only if you follow the direction of the system.

If you type in a destination, but refuse to follow the course, guidance becomes a waste of time. Ever thought about that from a spiritual perspective? In order to effectively use a GPS device, you need a destination and you need a power source. In this journey called life, where are you going? Who . . . or what is guiding you? Who . . . or what is giving you the power you need? Have you ever considered the role of the Holy Spirit as that of God’s Positioning System? The problem is this: there are lots of Christians out there who are trying to live the Christian life without connecting to or activating the source of Power. It may be possible to get some things done without Power, but the effort and struggle will make most want to quit. Battery life is only so long. The continuing, everlasting power in the life of the Christian is the Holy Spirit! (Lotz, 2000, p. 153) Our Guide and Comforter. Like a flashlight with dead batteries – without a power source, we eventually cease to function effectively as Christians. Life becomes too overwhelming, too hard, too discouraging, too stressful. The power source is gone. We no longer have the energy within ourselves to ‘do’ Christian. We no longer have the will or the ‘drive’ to live holy lives each and every day of the week. We may still be able to put on our ‘Sunday face’, but from Monday to Saturday . . . our actions, our attitudes, our choices do not reflect the image of God. Are you ‘plugged into’ God’s power source? We are living in a new day when society talks about ‘spirit guides’ and ‘life coaches.’ Today, people of influence testify on TV and in magazine articles about their own personal spirit guides. Book stores devote entire shelves to books telling us how to receive direction for life from the spirit world. (Moore, 2005, p. 37) Spirituality or ‘being spiritual’ is the latest answer to spiritual questions. Listen to this modern definition of spirituality:

“Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is "spiritual" when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life." (Fuller, 2011)

There are a multitude of folk today who would describe themselves as ‘spiritual’ but they do not claim power from God; instead, their power is their connectedness to their own inner ‘strength’ – the ‘god’ that is themselves. Nothing bigger. Nothing stronger.

Just . . . well, me! And that is all fine and good as long as life “is just a box of chocolates.” As long as everything maintains an even keel, a right balance. But you and I know that life isn’t like that. Life experiences can be hard. Circumstances can be devastating. Where is your self-made, inner god then? Are you searching for meaning in your life? Do you know that there is a Divine Power Source – the Holy Spirit – who has been sent from God, the Father; a Divine Power Source which represents God, the Son; a Divine Power Source that speaks on their behalf as He directs and guides your life? Do you know that that power source is available for anyone who comes to know Christ in a personal way? Do you know that, even as Jesus drew closer and closer to the end days of His life here on earth, His thoughts were about you . . . and me – providing a Guide for our lives so that we would never have to be spiritually alone, providing a constant Counsellor and Comforter through the Holy Spirit to guide us and empower our lives? Try and place yourself in the position as one of the disciples. Feel the concern as Jesus looks at each one of those gathered around him. He knew that he was not only going to the cross, but after His resurrection, He was going back to His Father in heaven. (John14:2, 12) He knew their hearts would be broken. He knew their grief would be almost unbearable. He knew they would wander like sheep without a shepherd. Had he taught them all they needed to know? Had they learned enough to risk passing the truth on to others? The disciples felt the increasing burden and tension. What did Jesus mean – he was going to the Father? What did he mean he was leaving them – how would they cope? Who would guide them? Teach them? Encourage them? Strengthen them? How could they manage alone? Have you ever felt that way? Have you felt that you are left all alone? Have you ever felt as if you did not really matter to anyone in this great big world? I want you to hear this today: You mean so much to God; you are so dearly loved by Jesus, that, when his time here on earth was almost finished, he asked the Father to send ‘Another One’ – someone who would have the same mind, will, emotion and intellect as Jesus – and He is the Counselor, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. (John

14:16)

He is our Guide, our GPS! As Jesus turned His sights toward the cross, there was already a plan in place so that we would never be left alone. So that we would never have to wander like sheep without a Shepherd. So that we would always have a Guide to lead us through the valleys, up the mountains, along quiet streams, and through the storms of life. The Holy Spirit is God’s Divine gift to His children – all we need to do is ask him to come into our lives, to be our Guide, our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper, our Intercessor, our Advocate, and our Strength. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have someone with those attributes in your life? Have you ever wished Jesus could come here in the flesh and take your hand and guide you and encourage you and listen to your problems and advise you? He is here in the person of the Holy Spirit who makes Christ real to you and me. He is the ‘Spirit of Christ!’ (Lotz, 2000, p. 158) Do you need a guide for your life? Do you feel as if you are wandering around without direction or a goal? Do you want to live a life of purpose in a world where determination and direction seems to be vague and self-centered? On the way to the cross, death, resurrection, and home to His Father – Jesus promised that he would send the Spirit of Truth, who will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13) We need a Guide who will take us into the unknown. We need a Guide who will walk with us each day. We read in the Gospel of John 10:10:

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (NAB) We are called to abundant life living, which means not to settle for little, less. or least in life. The Holy Spirit as our Coach, as our Guide – exhorts each of us, “Give me your best! Your best!” Ralph Waldo Emerson once said,

“Our chief want in life is somebody who can make us do what we can.”

And Tom Landry, former coach of the Dallas Cowboys said, “A coach is someone who makes players do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.”

Listen to that again “. . . someone who makes players do what they don’t want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve.” Such is the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives:

“. . . someone who can make us do what we can. Someone to get our ability and our capacity to meet. Someone who can make us do what we don’t want to do, to achieve what we want to achieve. The Holy Spirit as the Coach for our lives fills us with the power and courage that makes an ordinary man or woman cope gallantly with life.” (Cavanaugh, 2007)

The Holy Spirit is vital in the life of every Christ-follower. It is the Holy Spirit who calls us. It is the Holy Spirit who saves us. It is the Holy Spirit who cleanses us from sin. It is the Holy Spirit who guides us day to day. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us live the Christian life. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to tell others about Jesus and bring them to God. It is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us, makes up for our inadequacies, and presents us as pure before a Holy God. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the assurance of a future home in Heaven. The Holy Spirit is vital to the life of every Christ-follower, from start to finish. Understand this: every believer has all of the Holy Spirit, but you only have the fullness of the Holy Spirit when He has all of you. To be filled with the Spirit you have to be emptied of self. If you want to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit and all the power and purpose and passion that comes with it; then it means you need to trust him and give him full control in your life, allowing him to lead you, to guide you, to change you,

and make you the person you were meant to be. “Without the filling of the Holy Spirit, the Christian life will be reduced to legalism and grinding self-effort which will ultimately be self-defeating. Being Disciples of Christ isn’t just a matter of what we do – it’s a matter of who we are. And the key to that is the fullness of the Holy Spirit in each of our lives . . .” (Greg Hanson, 2009)

On the way to the cross Jesus promised this: “I am asking the Father to send you a Guide, One who will teach, remind, testify, guide, take us and lead us into an experience of God’s truth. This Guide, the Holy Spirit, does not just tell us what to do; He takes us by the hand and leads us in the way everlasting. The power of the Holy Spirit can set us free from the chains of poor choices, destructive habits, inconsistency, fear and doubt. The power of the Holy Spirit can set us free to reflect Jesus as we are transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NIV) (Lotz, 2000, p. 167) Who or what is guiding your life today? Who is you power source? Turn on the power of God’s Positioning System and let the Holy Spirit be your Guide.

Is there enough evidence of the Spirit in your life to demand a verdict from your family and friends? The Holy Spirit empowers us, not just to live for Jesus, but to be like Jesus in every area of our lives. (Lotz, 2000, p. 167) What is hindering you today from turning on the power of God’s GPS – the Holy Spirit – and travelling triumphantly towards eternity with Christ! AMEN Bibliography Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House (The Zondervan Corporation). Cavanaugh, B. (2007, March). The Coach of Our Lives: the Role of the Holy Spirit in the New Millenium. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from AppleSeeds: http://www.appleseeds.org/Coach_Holy-Spirit.htm Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. (n.d.). New American Bible, revised edition © 2012, 1991, 1986, 1970. Retrieved March 3, 2012, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/permissions/ Fuller, R. C. (2011, December 3). Spiritual, But Not Religious. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from beliefnet.com/wikipedia.com: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality Greg Hanson (Sunrisde Wesleyan Church), q. W. (2009, June 14). What the Holy Spirit Produces in Our Lives. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from sunriseonline.ca: www.sunriseonline.ca/sermons/the_holy_spirit_part_3.html Lotz, A. G. (2000). Just Give Me Jesus. Nashville, Tennessee: W. Publishing Group. Moore, F. (2005). The Power to be Free. Kansas city, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Native American Drums. (n.d.). Retrieved February 29, 2012, from Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2011: http://www.native-languages.org/drums.htm

“Journey with Jesus: What Do You Mean . . . God Loves Me?” Scripture Reading2: Matthew 22:36-40 NIV

"36Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

John 13:31-35 NIV 31When he was gone, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. 33"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. 34"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Romans 5:1-10 NIV 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Romans 8:35-39 NIV 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37No, in all these things we are more

2 All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984)

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House (a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.

than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. John 15:9-17 NIV "9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a NCV 1I may speak in different languages of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing if I do not have love. 4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6Love is not happy with evil but is happy with the truth. 7Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always remains strong. 8Love never ends. 13So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love. Galatians 5:22-23 NIV 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 1 John 4:7-12 NIV 7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Luke 6:32-38 NIV "32If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "37Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Scripture Text:

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NCV

Preamble Today is the 3rd Sunday of Lent. The season of Lent is a spiritual pilgrimage that – I am convinced -- we must make one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. During Lent, I have heard the passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 quoted a lot:

". . . if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

A careful study of this passage will reveal that the prayer that is called for here is a penitential prayer for the faith community, for us. It is a call for us, God’s people, to repent. It is our land that needs healed, it is our wicked ways from which we need to turn, it is ourselves who are the ones who need to seek God’s face. (Bratcher, 2011) Last week, we began a Lenten series of messages based on “The Quest”, looking at the question: “How can I live the life I’ve longed for?” Dr. Frank Moore, in his book, “The Power to be Free: Discovering Life in the Spirit of Christ” provides a guide and background for this spiritual journey and journey of discovery.

(Moore, 2005, quoting from forward by Dr. J.K. Warrick)) Last Sunday, Pastor Joyce spoke about ‘Guidance’ – “Who is the Voice of Your G.P.S.?” And today, we are continuing our Quest as we look at the subject of “Love’. Won’t you join this quest and discover the life you have always longed for? In your bulletins, you will find an insert that contains of few of several Scripture references to love – God’s kind of love and how that love works itself out in our day-to-day living..

Introduction Love! We all want it! We all want to love, want to share love, want to be loved. Love! Agape – love that is completely selfless and spiritual; the selfless, sacrificial love felt by Christians for their fellow human beings (Encarta Dictionary). Eros – passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. Pathos – the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression , of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion. Philos -- friendship or affectionate love; a dispassionate virtuous love, includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. Storge -- natural affection, like that felt by parents for offspring. Love! We are very familiar with the word. Just as depicted in the ‘Youth DVD segment” that we watched a few moments earlier, we use it every day to express our feelings, our attitudes, and our preferences about just about anything. Love! It is expressed through cards, and candies, and flowers. It is exhibited through actions, and words, and songs. Love! The use of the word as we understand it in the English language really does not encompass the fullness of its meaning. This morning, I want to take the opportunity to look at the difference between common, special, and sacred objects of our love. I want to thank and acknowledge Pastor David Ward, Minister of Chapel Hill Bible Church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina for submitting this sermon entitled, “What's Love Got To Do With It?” to SermonCentral on January 23, 2006. (Ward, 2006) Do you believe God is a loving God? Some of you have a knee-jerk “yes” response, because that’s what you’ve been taught to believe. But do your actions and attitudes reflect that? Down deep, do you really believe that God is a loving God? And that as a loving God, He loves you? In "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man arrive at the legendary Emerald City to meet with the Wizard.

The Wizard is reputed to hold the power to solve each of the travelers’ problems. But to enter his presence, they must first traverse a long, dimly lit, gothic hallway. The Lion is not alone in his cowardice as they enter the large inner sanctum. They are greeted with an explosion and billows of green smoke. When the smoke finally clears, a giant, menacing, bodiless head shouts,

"I am Oz, the great and terrible! Who are you?" Dorothy attempts a response, but the Wizard booms,

"Silence! The great and powerful Oz knows why you are here! Step forward, Tin Man."

The Tin Man approaches this ominous-looking figure with great trepidation, only to hear the Wizard say,

"You dare come to me for a heart, you clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous junk?"

The other travelers are met with similar greetings. To the Scarecrow, he shouts,

"You have the effrontery to ask for a brain, you billowing bale of bovine fodder?" To the Cowardly Lion, Oz shouts,

"And you, Lion?" The poor Lion is overcome with fear and faints. This, unfortunately, is similar to the unflattering caricature summoned up by many when they think about God. The Wizard puts on a false show of power and majesty, but there is no love, no grace, no mercy. Is that your image of God . . . deep down? Or do you really believe God is a loving God? In several places, the Bible gives an awesome picture of the holiness of God and the reverence he rightly inspires. To Moses as well as in visions given to Isaiah and Ezekiel, God manifests himself with fire and smoke and authority. That is one of the visible demonstrations of who God is. But God is also loving and compassionate and good. There’s a verse in John that makes this case neatly and succinctly. It is John 3:16.

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NCV

1. God Cannot Love You More Than That (16a)

The Greek construction behind the first part of this verse, “. . . loved so much, that He gave . . .” emphasizes the intensity of the love. The words “his one and only Son” stresses the greatness of the gift. The Father gave His best – his unique and beloved Son. In 1989, 96 fans were crushed to death in a soccer stadium in Sheffield, England, and another 200 were injured.

At one of the hospitals where victims were taken, an attending surgeon spoke to the parents who had come to find out the fate of their children. The surgeon read the names of those killed and expressed his sympathy. He said that he believed that God understood the parents’ grief and was with them in their time of need. One father bitterly responded: "What does God know about losing a son?" The "world" in John’s Gospel is a symbol for all that is in rebellion against God, all that is loveless and disobedient, all that is selfish and sinful. So when we read in John 3:16 that “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son . . ." (NCV) we are not to think that God’s love is being praised – not by referring to the world’s bigness, but referring to its badness. This ugly, sinful, rebellious world, this sewer of infidelity, this glut of endless selfishness, this habitation of cruelty, this lover of violence, this promoter of greed, this maker of idols – this world God loved . . . and loved so much that he sent his Son to save us. The mother of a nine-year-old boy named Mark received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. It was the teacher from her son’s school.

"Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your son’s third grade class. Your son did something that surprised me so much that I thought you should know about immediately."

The mother began to grow worried. The teacher continued,

"Nothing like this has happened in all my years of teaching. This morning I was teaching a lesson on creative writing. And as I always do, I tell the story of the ant and the grasshopper: "The ant works hard all summer and stores up plenty of food. But the grasshopper plays all summer and does no work. "Then winter comes. The grasshopper begins to starve because he has no food. So he begins to beg, ’Please Mr. Ant, you have much food. Please let me eat, too.’" Then I said, "Boys and girls, your job is to write the ending to the story." "Your son, Mark, raised his hand. ’Teacher, may I draw a picture?’ "’Well, yes, Mark, if you like, you may draw a picture. But first you must write the ending to the story.’ "As in all the years past, most of the students said the ant shared his food through the winter, and both the ant and the grasshopper lived. A few children wrote, ’No, Mr. Grasshopper. You should have worked in the summer. Now, I have just enough food for myself.’ So the ant lived and the grasshopper died. "But your son ended the story in a way different from any other child, ever. He wrote, ’So the ant gave all of his food to the grasshopper; the grasshopper lived

through the winter. But the ant died.’ "And the picture? At the bottom of the page, Mark had drawn three crosses."

God cannot love you more than that. And he does so because He is a loving God,

2. God Will Not Love You Less Than That (16b)

Our Lenten Quest is a journey to the cross. No, let me re-phrase that – it is a journey through the cross to his victory in the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus was a hidden event. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead to prove to those who had crucified him that they had made a mistake, or confound his opponents. Nor did he rise to impress the rulers of his time or to force anyone to believe. Jesus’ resurrection was the full affirmation of his Father’s love. You know the story. Jesus has been crucified, and his body has been taken down off the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb. It was the Sabbath so the burial was a rushed affair. But early in the morning – after the Sabbath was over – women went to the tomb to prepare the body of their Lord for proper burial. But they found the stone rolled away, an angel telling them that Jesus had risen, and to go and tell his disciples. Jesus only showed himself to those who knew about this love. He made himself known as the risen Lord, only to a handful of his close friends. There is probably no event in human history that has had such importance, while remaining, at the same time, so unspectacular. The world didn’t notice it; only those few to whom Jesus had chosen to show himself, and whom he wanted to send out to announce God’s love to the world just as he had done. Billy Graham has stated:

“When we preach atonement, it is atonement planned by love, provided by love, given by love, finished by love, necessitated because of love. When we preach the resurrection of Christ, we are preaching the miracle of love. When we preach the return of Christ, we are preaching the fulfillment of love.”

Now what? God cannot love more and will not love less – so what do you and I do with that?

3. What Do We Do with God’s Love?

It is simple. Receive God’s love by believing in Christ. At the height of his stardom, Mel Gibson realized he was empty. He had achieved everything he ever hoped for – except a sense of purpose. Gibson felt he was drowning in fame, wealth,

drink, and despair. This led the one-time "Sexiest Man Alive" to his knees and back to God. In a Reader’s Digest interview, Gibson says,

“There was a time in my life when I was really searching. I was asking all those Shakespearean Hamlet questions: "What’s on the other side? Why am I here?" I might have looked like I’m living the high life, making movies and jetting around the world, but true happiness resides within. I was spiritually bankrupt, and when that happens, it’s like a spiritual cancer afflicts you. It starts to eat its way through, and if you don’t do something, it’s going to take you. So I simply had to draw a line in the sand.”

This 12-year pilgrimage led Gibson to the Gospels and the passion of Christ. He was able to realize what Jesus did on the cross. “Believe” involves more than intellect – it is a relationship. We need to stop demanding that God prove His love in other ways. The sins we commit and Christ’s righteousness have transferred accounts. We need to stop trying to justify ourselves to God Steven Curtis Chapman has said:

“In the gospel, we discover we are far worse off than we thought, and far more loved than we ever dreamed.”

Conclusion When Steve Henning of Huntley, Illinois, was two years old, he contracted spinal meningitis. It was the winter of 1943, and because of World War II, doctors had a shortage of penicillin and could not provide Steve the treatment he needed. Sadly, he lost his hearing. For 57 years, Steve could not hear music, laughter, or human speech. Even though he lived a full life, he still longed to hear the voices of those he loved. In the winter of 2001, he learned of a surgical procedure that would allow sound waves to bypass the non-functioning part of his ear and travel directly to the auditory nerve. On January 30th of 2002, he was operated on. Because the implanted device could not be activated until the swelling in the ear decreased, the doctors . . . and Steve didn’t know if the operation was successful for six weeks. The day of reckoning came on a blustery spring day. Steve nervously wondered if the procedure had been in vain. As the audiologist programmed the cochlear implant, he invited Steve’s wife to say something. Pat Henning leaned toward her husband and gently said, "I love you." Able to hear for the first time in six decades, Steve’s face broke into a smile. The first words he heard were of love. When a person comes to know Christ, the Lord opens spiritual ears that have previously been unable to hear. The apostle Paul describes this transformation to the Corinthians this way:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

That includes the ability to hear God saying, "I love you!" Max Lucado wrote:

"If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen."

Bibliography The Holy Bible, New Century Version (NCV)®. (1987, 1988, 1991). Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House (The Zondervan Corporation). Bratcher, D. (2011, November 11). The Season of Lent. Retrieved March 10, 2012, from CRI/Voice, Institute Copyright © 2011: http://www.crivoice.org/cylent.html Encarta Dictionary. (n.d.). Agape. Encarta Dictionary: English (North American). Moore, F. (2005). The Power to be Free. Kansas city, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Ward, D. (2006, January 23). What's Love Got To Do With It? Retrieved March 10, 2012, from SermonCentral.com: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/whats-love-got-to-do-with-it-david-ward-sermon-on-promises-of-god-87610.asp

“Journey with Jesus: Not another Purity Lecture!”

Scripture Reading3: Matthew 5:8 NIV. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

Introduction We are on a journey to the cross, or, as Pastor Leigh said last week, ‘we are on a journey through the cross, a journey which takes us to Resurrection Sunday; a journey which takes us through each and every day we are given; a journey which challenges us to live lives which demonstrate God’s love for ourselves and others. But we can only do that if we depend upon the Holy Spirit as our Guide. We can only do that if our lives are pure, cleansed from all that distracts us from focusing completely on Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Redeemer and Friend. And so, on our quest to discover abundant life in the Spirit of Christ, we draw our attention to purity.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

I know, as soon as we hear that word: “purity” we assume that we are going to hear another lecture about:

‘You can’t go here’

‘You can’t do that.’

‘Don’t watch this.’

‘Don’t drink or use that.’

‘Go to church more.’

‘Watch your attitude.’

‘Develop good habits.’

‘Make good choices.’

‘Cultivate healthy relationships.’ All of these things will be influenced by your daily spiritual relationship with Christ. But this is not a sermon about ‘thou shalt not . . .’ North Americans are ever more anxious about purity. We want to breathe pure air; we want to eat purer foods that are chemical-free; and we want to drink pure water. I have with me a box of instant chocolate pudding mix – new, improved, creamier taste. Let’s check out the ingredients:

sugar (the first ingredient is the greatest quanity)

modified corn starch

cocoa

sodium phosphates

mono - and diglycerides

salt

hydrogenated cottonseed and soybean oils

3 All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984)

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House (a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.

colour (contains tartrazine)

corn syrup solids

modified milk ingredients

sodium silicoaluminate. Sounds delicious, right? In ½ cup of prepared pudding, there are 467 mg. of sodium! That’s 1/5 teaspoon of salt—or ¾ teaspoon of salt for the entire box If you read the ingredients on many packages, you may wonder what exactly it is that you are eating! There is an ad on TV which boasts that its milk product is so pure it has a shelf life which lasts up to two weeks longer than the closest competition. And there is a bread product which boasts the same long shelf life. There is a young lad who drools as he watches his friends eat hot dogs. The kid can’t eat a hot dog until he is given a pure product, void of additives. Veggies are injected with ‘stuff’ which helps to maintain their shelf life, because they may be shipped from somewhere half-way around the world. But this is not a sermon about pure foods, either. Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure in heart. . .” (Matthew 5:8) The word ‘pure’ in its simplest form means ‘clean, without defect or blemish.’ If you have read the Book of Leviticus, starting at about chapter 10, you will read many different purification rituals which must be performed, for various, ceremonial reasons. In Jesus’ day the primary use of the word had to do with ceremonial purity. This idea determined that purity was a matter of ritual obedience to a set of regulations. For example: Before a Jew could sit down to eat, he not only had to wash his hands but he had to cleanse them in a certain way. Not in the interests of hygiene, but in the interests of ceremonial purity. William Barclay describes this ritual:

"First of all a person had to hold each hand with the fingers pointing upwards, and pour water over the hands until it reached the wrist; then he had to cleanse each palm by rubbing it with the fist of the other hand; then he had to hold the hands with the fingers pointing downwards, and pour water from the wrist so that it ran down the hand and off the fingers." (Barclay, 1956, revised edition 1976)

The slightest deviation from that process rendered a person unclean. Can you imagine trying to get your kids to wash their hands before a meal that way? You’re just glad they wash them at all. There were hundreds of regulations that a Jewish person must keep in order to be pure. For them, purity was completely externalized. Purity was a matter of observing certain ceremonies. Jesus challenged the Law when He said that: “You must be pure . . . in heart.” He used the word, not as it applied to outer ceremony of the body but as it applied to inward examination of the heart. A person might have within his heart arrogance, malice, pride, thoughts of lust

or bitterness . . . but . . . as long as he was scrupulous about following outward rituals of cleansing and purification, he was considered to be pure. But from Jesus’ perspective, even if a person’s outward actions were impeccable; even if he observed every detail of the ceremonial law with meticulous devotion, he might still be utterly impure. This was simply because the thoughts and motives of his inner self were not true. (Smith, 2006) That’s why Jesus said to the hypocritical religious leaders of His day:

"You are like whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity!"(Matthew 23:27 NLT)

Today, we have become so influenced by culture that the Biblical meaning of purity loses its strength. Without realizing it, we have lowered our expectations of people and lifestyle choices. You know the excuses. You have likely used them yourself. ‘Nobody’s perfect.’ ‘Kids will be kids.’ ‘What do you expect; her/his parents are . . .’ and you fill in the blanks with a negative adjective. ‘It can’t be that bad, everybody does it.’ ‘Everybody tells a little white lie once in a while.’ I’m too . . . (sick, tired, anxious, depressed) . . . that list is endless – to (do, go, be) . . . you finish the sentence.’ Over a period of time, we have unconsciously lowered our expectations until we lose sight of God’s intentions for us, His children. The roar of excuses dulls our hearing and affects our sensitivity to sound so that we quit expecting as much as we once did. (Moore, 2005, pp. 92-93) However, -- like the need for a spiritual guide and our hunger for love, -- deep down, our hearts tell us that God has something more than the world want us to believe we should expect. The bottom line is this:

“God expects us to live a life of purity in this sin-soaked world.” (Moore, 2005, p. 93) Peter says it this way:

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers [and sisters], love one another deeply, from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22)

We are purified by obeying the truth which is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit, and . . . if we are purified, our love for God will translate into love for others. So, what does that mean for our activities of daily living? What should ‘purity’ look like, or act like, or be like? Purity is a call to obey God’s Truth. It is not so much performance-based as it is untainted intentions and undivided loyalties. A large part of today’s society – Christians and non-Christians alike, suffer with fractured intentions and divided loyalties. (Moore, 2005, p. 95) We may have nice homes

or good jobs or manicured lawns or new vehicles or . . . not that any of that is not satisfying or even essential, it’s just that material ‘stuff’ or the desire for ‘more’ or ‘better’ may become the driving force, the focus of one’s life. Add church and responsibilities and committee meetings and ministry events and . . . life becomes a series of “have to’s” or “should’ve’s” or “expected to’s” which adds up to a whole lot of clutter in one’s life and mind and heart. Which adds up to divided loyalties – too many things; too many responsibilities; too much stress. And so, our lives become over-burdened and fractured with too much to do; too many centres of attention; too many demands. And often, God’s demand for holy living, His demand for a pure and blameless walk, is shoved to the side until we have more time, and better resources, or less demands on our lives. So we diminish our expectations of our Christian walk and cause our heavenly Father to grieve because of our spiritual unfaithfulness. Remember the story of Abraham. Check out Genesis 12 and following. God chose him for a special purpose, not because he was perfect. Abraham’s focus was always on God’s direction for his life. He followed God’s leading to a foreign land, far away from home. He followed God’s direction in faithful obedience when he demonstrated that he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, -- the son of promise, for whom he had waited decades. In spite of trials and hardships, relational challenges, land disputes, and the aging process –Abraham responded to God’s command to “walk before Me and be blameless” (Genesis 17:1) and you will be blessed down through the generations of time. Blameless does not imply a perfect performance. It pictures a person who is wholeheartedly seeking to do God’s will. It is an undiluted desire to do what God want me to do. God finds such unmixed desire acceptable and characterizes a life that is blameless. Purity sometimes means simply willing one thing: God’s will instead of mine. (Moore, 2005, p. 98) We have grave concerns regarding our environment:

global warming

fossil fuels

endangered wild life species

toxic emission levels from industry

safe, clean water

pure fruits and veggies

the list goes on . . .

Do we have the same grave concerns regarding the care and protection of our spiritual environment? Our hearts and lives? Are we as careful about our spiritual consumption of questionable links on the internet, crude and coarse language, the books we read, the movies we watch, our habits, our excuses, our gossip, our choices. Are we as careful about the purity of our spiritual lives as we are about the purity of the water we drink and the food we eat? As we travel this road toward the cross, we are reminded of God’s gift of salvation. We cannot earn it. We do not deserve it. It simply IS because of God’s great love for us. The thing is this, we get to choose whether we will accept or reject this gift. It’s that simple. But it is this very issue of free will which sometimes causes so much distress. We can will to live lives that are pure, but sometimes the will is weak. We need something more – God’s refining fire applied to our hearts. Check out Isaiah 6. On one hand, Isaiah experienced the glory of God, which filled the temple. On the other hand, that encounter with God forced Isaiah to look inward.

“I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the Lord Almighty.” (Isaiah 6:5)

Then an angel touched his mouth with a live coal from the altar and declared: “. . . your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” And the voice of the Lord said: “. . . whom will I send to minister to my people. Who will go for me?” And Isaiah responded: “Here am I. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:6-8) Or consider the prayer of David in Psalm 51:

“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:2, 10)

Herein lies the heart of the matter God’s forgiveness of our sins is essential, but . . . it is not enough. We must allow God to deal with the ‘ME and MINE’ factor, the sinful nature. Our desire for control. Our lust for power. In order to live a pure, single-minded, blameless life, we must experience a ‘divine washing of our inner, human nature.” (Moore,

2005, p. 106) Like us, the apostle Paul struggled with his inner, human nature.

“I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; the evil I do not want to do---this is what I keep on doing!” (Romans 7:19-20)

Is that your story today? Paul realized that living a life that insists on having its own way is a way of life that always puts self first and centres everything else around ME! It manifests itself in self-will, self-love, self-centredness, self-pity, or self-righteous . . . to list just a few. It seeks pleasure, power, position and whatever else it wants . . . for ME! It places its own needs and desires over that of everyone else, because I am the most important person in life. The problem with such a life is that it ultimately damages and destroys relationships. It short-circuits concern for others. It creates dissension and tension. It ultimately results in loneliness and leaves a wake of evil and corruption. Such a life has little purpose or fulfillment. (Moore, 2005, p. 111) On our quest for purity, we have to look deep inside at the sin problem. Sometimes things are buried so deep that we fail to recognize ‘it’ – that hindrance, that blockage, that obstacle which prevents us from walking ‘blamelessly before God’. Paul’s solution is this:

“Count yourself dead to sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:11)

Nicodemus asked Christ what he must do to ‘enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus replied:

“You must be born again – reborn – born of the Spirit, . . .” (John 3:3-8) The ‘sin principle’ always brings with it a spiritual hindrance. You must declare your self-centred nature DOA – dead on arrival – when you bring this to God and ask for His help. (Moore, 2005, p. 111) Do you need to deal decisively with this inner struggle to ‘do good’ but continue to ‘do evil’ instead? In order to be pure in heart, we must remove all stumbling blocks that stand between us and fellowship with God and His will for our lives. We must keep a light touch on our possession, desires, ambitions and goals in life. We must adopt God’s perspective for self-denial. Everything we have is at the disposal of God and His direction. (Moore, 2005, p. 114) Stumbling blocks make us weak and ineffective Christians. They divide our focus and attention and commitment. Stumbling blocks prevent us from living life well in the midst of whatever is thrown our way. Stumbling blocks cut off our power source from the Spirit of Truth.

We become like a stick on the waves, . . . “blown and tossed by the wind, double-minded and unstable in all that we do.” (James 1:7-8)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

The pure in heart will see God in their lives daily. Those with undivided hearts are continually conscious and amazed at His presence in their everyday living. They see Him as they look at creation, they see Him as they see others, and they see Him even in adversity. And those with undivided hearts see God everyday as they seek their approval only from Him.

(Smith, 2006) The pure in heart are also confident that they will see God in the future, when our life here on earth is finished.

“And now, dear friends, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1

John 2:28-3: 3) If you have not allowed God to search your heart, to do a ‘divine washing of your heart” . . . this is the day to invite Him to do so. Let Him purify your heart through faith. Let Him have your entire life . . . the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let Him purify and transform you, from the inside out. When your heart is pure, you see God – now and later! Bibliography Barclay, W. (1956, revised edition 1976). The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 (Chapter 1-10) Revised Edition. Toronto,

Ontario: G. R. Welch Co. Ltd. Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing

House (The Zondervan Corporation). Moore, F. (2005). The Power to be Free. Kansas city, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City. Smith, T. (2006, July). The Heart that Sees; taken from "Shift: Expect the Unexpected" Sermon Series. Retrieved March 13, 2012, from

SermonCentral.com: http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-heart-that-sees-timothy-smith-sermon-on-sermon-on-the-mount-93410.asp

Tyndale House Publishers. (2005). Holy Bible, The New Living Translation (NLT). Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale house Publishers, Inc.

“Journey with Jesus: Who Is Jesus to You?” Scripture Reading4: Mark 8:27-38 NIV

“27Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" 28They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." 29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." 30Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Philippians 2:1-11 NIV “1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Scripture Text:

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NCV

4 All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV 1984)

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House (a division of The Zondervan Corporation). All rights reserved.

29"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Mark 8:29, 34-37 NIV

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:5-8 NIV

Preamble Today is the 5th Sunday of Lent. The season of Lent – and I am completely convinced of this – is a spiritual pilgrimage that each one of us must make one way or the other for genuine spiritual renewal to come. And in this Lenten journey we are drawing ever closer to the cross. We started our Lenten quest by talking about Guidance. Pastor Joyce asked the question: who is the voice of your spiritual GPS? Who . . . or what do we listen to in our ‘quest’ to discover how you and I can live a life of purpose and meaning? That was followed in the second week of Lent by looking at Love – Divine love – love that is expressed in its most pure and simplest form. We learned that God cannot love you more than what He already does, He will not love you less than what he already does, and then asked ourselves this question: what do we do with God’s love? Last week, Pastor Joyce spoke about living lives of purity. She stated that, just as we all like the need for a spiritual guide and our hunger for love, -- deep down, our hearts tell us that God has something more than the world want us to believe we should expect. The bottom line is this:

“God expects us to live a life of purity in this sin-soaked world.” (Moore, 2005, p. 93) And so, we continue our ‘quest’ towards Resurrection Sunday with a look at the Person we are journeying with – Jesus! In doing so, I ask this question: “Who Is Jesus to You?” Introduction We are coming closer to – what most Christians believe – the most important event in the life of the believer, in the life of the church. We are approaching that highlight event, that pivotal point in the life of Jesus, that one, unique occasion where . . . I think Bill and Gloria Gaither said it best:

There’s a line that's been drawn through the ages; on that line stands an old rugged cross.

On that cross a battle is raging for the gain of man's soul or his loss.

On one side march the forces of evil, all the demons and devils of hell. On the other, the angels of glory, and they meet on Golgotha's hill. (Gaither & Gaither,

1976)

The cross! I am totally overwhelmed by it. It scares the daylights out of me! It goes way beyond my understanding. I don’t know what to do with it. I can’t comprehend it. Yet it is there – for every man, every woman, every boy and girl, -- past, present and future – for all the world to see. The cross! We can’t miss it. We can’t escape it. We can’t pretend it is not there. It stands before us historically, geographically, personally, eternally. It shakes me to my core. It weakens me. It threatens the very person I am. The cross! It brings me up short. It bares my soul. It lays me wide open to scrutiny. It confronts me with my inadequacies, with my failures, with my failures – with my SIN!

The earth shakes with the force of the conflict and the sun refuses to shine; For there hangs God's Son in the balance -- and then through the darkness He

cries:

"It is finished!" the battle is over. "It is finished!" there'll be no more war. "It is finished!" the end of the conflict. "It is finished!" and Jesus is Lord! (Gaither & Gaither, 1976)

So, “who is Jesus to You?”

1. He is the Passionate Christ In our Wednesday Bible Studies, we have been looking at some of the events leading up to Easter – events that changed the world. And in those last FOUR (4) days that Jesus spent with his disciples, just prior to his death, we see his humanity displayed most profoundly. Especially when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane.

You know the story. Mark, in the 14th chapter of his gospel, tells it this way:

“32Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, "Sit here while I pray." 33Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be very sad and troubled. 34He said to them, "My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch." 35After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. 36He prayed, "Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want." 37Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake with me for one hour? 38Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak." 39Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing. 40Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him. 41After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? That's enough. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people. 42Get up, we must go. Look, here comes the man who has turned against me."

It is here in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus is confronted with the difficulties of being human. He was still a young man – 33 years of age. There was still a lot of life to live. There was still a lot he could do. But here he is – alone – abandoned by his disciples as they slept, weary after such a long and tiresome day. Here he is – in pain – agonising about what is to come, stressed out to the ‘max’ – so much so that his sweat is now bloody. Here he is – totally aware that in the next few hours he is going to be betrayed by a close friend, roughly arrested, wrongfully accused, tortured, beaten, and executed in the most cruelest way possible – by slow, suffocation as he is crucified on a cross. Here he is – pleading with his heavenly Father for any other way, but this . . . YET accepting the will of the Father. Here he is – passionately giving up his own life – his blameless, innocent life so that you and I would be able to become free from the hold that sin and eternal death had on humanity. Remember the words of Jesus, himself:

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NCV

And the words of the apostle Paul to the church at Rome?

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! 10For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:6-10 NIV)

Jesus knew what his role and responsibility as Savior of the world was to be. Jesus knew that, as God`s Son, he had the power to call thousands of angels to set him free and take him away from all of the pain and agony of the crucifixion. Yet . . . he knew that this was the only way that God`s plan of salvation could be realized and completed. Jesus had told his disciples on an earlier occasion:

“I came to give life - life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10 NCV) There is no doubt about it – Jesus was passionate about his role as Savior and Redeemer. He is the passionate Christ.

2. He is the Perfect Champion Again, I am forced to look at the cross. I can’t help it. And all I can see is my sin. All I am aware of is my separation from God. I am reminded that:

“All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory.” (Romans 3:23 NCV) You and I were created to live in a strong relationship with God. But, because of my own stubborn will – my desire to put ME first – I chose to go my own independent way. That relationship was broken. And this self-driven desire to do things my way is characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference. There is a great gulf between God, who is holy and you and I who are sinful. And nothing – absolutely nothing we do can bridge that gulf. We can’t earn enough to get to heaven. We can’t work hard enough to get into heaven. We can’t be successful enough; we can’t live in the right part of the city, country, or world; we can’t move in the right circles . . . nothing we ever do will enable us to get into heaven. As hard as we might try – living a good, spiritual life; the right philosophy, the right religion – all these attempts fail.

Yet in my heart the battle was raging, not all pris'ners of war have come home. They were battlefields of my own making, I didn't know that the war had been won. (Gaither

& Gaither, 1976) We are without hope. Except . . . except there is Jesus. He is the one,

he is the perfect champion of our cause who brings us to the Father. He is the only way to God.

“Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.” (John 14:6 NCV)

The cross! That should be me hanging there. I am the one who has sinned. I am the one who is not good enough for God`s glory. But it is Jesus. He took my place . . . and your place.

“But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NCV)

3. He is our Personal Savior

Jesus, our Passionate Christ, our Perfect Champion – he is the ONE who our entrance once again into heaven. But each one of us must individually receive Jesus as our own personal Savior. It is only then that you and I can know and experience – positively, absolutely, without any doubt whatsoever – God`s love and plan for our lives.

“But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NCV)

Jesus says,

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and (be) with you.” (Revelation 3:20 NCV)

Jesus comes into our lives through faith.

“You have been saved by grace through believing (faith). You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NCV)

Conclusion The cross!

“And I love that old cross where the dearest and best, for a world of lost sinners was slain.” (Bennard)

The cross . . . and Jesus!

Then I heard that the King of the ages had fought all the battle for me, And vict'ry was mine for the claiming and now, praise His name, I am free!

"It is finished!" the battle is over. "It is finished!" there'll be no more war. "It is finished!" the end of the conflict. "It is finished!" and Jesus is Lord! (Gaither & Gaither, 1976)

So, who is Jesus to you? What place does he have in your life? Is he just a name to use as a swear word? Or is he the Lord of your life?

He wants to be – he is passionate in his desire to draw you back into relationship with the heavenly Father. He is the perfect champion for you to bridge that gulf that separates you from God. Is he your personal Savior, this morning? Make him yours. AMEN Bibliography The Holy Bible, New Century Version (NCV)®. (1987, 1988, 1991). Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc. Bennard, G. (n.d.). The Old Rugged Cross. Public Domain. Biblica. (1973, 1978, 1984). HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® (NIV 1984). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House (The Zondervan Corporation). Gaither, G., & Gaither, W. J. (1976). It Is Finished. William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management. Moore, F. (2005). The Power to be Free. Kansas city, Missouri: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City.