Sermon: Romans 8: 12-17 Children of God

This evening I want you to take a chance on me. I’ll need you to gimme gimme gimme your attention, because knowing me knowing you, this is something you need to hear today. In fact, it’s better than money, money, money, and if you get what this evening’s sermon is all about, then you’ll get on like a dancing queen.

This evening we’re thinking about Abba - but not the Swedish pop group. Instead, we’re thinking about our Abba, and being able to call God Abba, as Paul says in verse 15. ‘And by him we cry, Abba! Father!’

We’re in a short series, as we work our way through Romans 8, and think about living by the Spirit. A fortnight ago, we heard about the wonderful good news that ‘therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ We already know the verdict on the last day; we’re already confident that nothing can condemn us because we are in Christ. Now that is good, and great, and wonderful, but there is even more to the Christian life than just knowing that truth.

Tonight, Paul opens up a bit more of what that means for us, as we are brought into God’s family and receive the inheritance. So let’s dive in at verse 12, as we unpack the glorious riches of Christ.

Verse 12: ‘Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.’ Paul says that we have an obligation, that we owe something to someone. He doesn’t spell it out here, we’ll work it out in a second, but notice that he tells us who we don’t owe anything to.

‘Not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.’ I wonder if you’ve ever changed jobs. You’ve worked hard for your previous employer, but now you work for your new boss. And then your old employer comes round, asking would you do a wee something for them. Could you help out? You would be able to say, I don’t owe you anything. I’ve finished working for you, you don’t control me any more!

That’s what’s going on here. Paul has showed how we have been rescued from living according to the sinful nature, our natural flesh, living according to our own desires. We don’t owe it anything - our time for living by the flesh is finished. But you might still be wondering, well, who do we owe something to, what is our obligation?

Look at the contrast Paul sets out in verse 13: ‘For if you live according to the sinful nature you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.’

These are the only two ways we can live - either by the sinful nature (the path that leads to death), or by the Spirit. So it must be to the Spirit, to God, that we owe everything. We’ve been ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven - everything we have is because of God. So how do we pay our debts? How do we respond to God’s good news?

It’s by the Spirit, as we put to death the misdeeds of the body. Do you see how strong this language is here? It’s not just ‘don’t do those things you used to do’, it’s ‘put to death the misdeeds of the body.’ We’re not to cuddle them, or pet them - we’re to put them to the sword.The Puritan writer John Owen urged his readers to ‘be killing sin or sin will be killing you.’

At the minute we’re seeing the danger of a contagious virus, spreading and causing illness and death, fear and uncertainty, and bare shelves in the supermarkets. And behind the scenes, in labs around the world, scientists and medics are trying to find ways to stop the virus; and hygiene standards have been raised to try to kill the virus. We need to be fighting the threat of sin much as we’re fighting the threat of coronavirus.

But notice that it’s not something we can do by ourselves - it’s ‘by the Spirit’ - we need his power to lead us and change us, to kill off our sins. And it’s an ongoing process, not just a once-for-all event. Sin will spring up again, and needs to be killed again, over and over again.

When you look at the two ways to live, which do you think is the easy one? Living by what pleases you, or killing off your sin and living to please the Spirit? It would be far easier to do what you want. The struggle is to put to death the deeds of the body, because, deep down, we might still want to do those things. But there is encouragement here.

You see, if you’re struggling, if you’re fighting against your sin, then that’s a good sign. As verse 14 continues: ‘because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.’ If you’re struggling with sin, if you’re (by the Spirit) putting it to death, then you’re being led by the Spirit. And if you’re led by the Spirit of God, you are a son of God. (Or a daughter! The language of sonship is because at this time only the sons inherited from their father).

What an encouragement! Perhaps this week you have been discouraged by your weakness; by how easily you’ve slipped again. You know better, you try harder, and still you fall. The fact that you’re frustrated is a good sign! It shows that you’re led by the Spirit, and that you are a child of God.

And it comes through the Holy Spirit, verse 15: ‘For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’

The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to bring fear and slavery. Rather, he is the Spirit of sonship, or adoption. He brings us into God’s family, he makes us into a child of God, and teaches us how to call God our Father. Abba (not the Swedish pop group), Abba is the word for dada, daddy, dad, in Aramaic. It’s by the Spirit that we can call the God of the universe our dad. We who were on the outside are brought in by the sacrifice of Jesus, and the work of the Spirit confirms what has happened in our hearts.

‘The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.’ (16-17)

The Spirit confirms that we really are God’s children, and he also confirms that we are God’s heirs. God’s inheritance is for us, for all who believe, for all who are his children, and the brothers and sisters of Jesus.

What a transformation in a few verses! From owing everything for our very lives in verse 12, to inheriting everything in verse 17. Everything the Father has is ours in Christ. The glory lies ahead, and in the meantime, as children of our Abba Father, we are called to live by the Spirit, and put to death the deeds of the body.

Perhaps as you hear of what the Christian life looks like, you think to yourself, that sounds great, but I’m not there. I just do what I please. I live according to the flesh. Turn around today! Don’t stand around on the outside any longer! Come in, come home, and know the God of the universe as your Abba, your dad.

But maybe you are a Christian. You’re finding things tough. Sin keeps popping up. You keep doing things you don’t want to do. You’re struggling. Be encouraged by the Spirit living in you, leading you to keep fighting as you put your sin to death. You don’t need to live in slavery and fear; you’re adopted as a son, a child of God.

God gives you what you need to live for him - the power of his Holy Spirit dwelling in you. Keep going! Keep fighting!

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 15th March 2020.

Sermon: Acts 2: 1-41 The Poured-out, Promised Spirit gives Power to Proclaim the Prophecied Saviour

What do you think of the Holy Spirit? For many of us, the honest answer might be: ‘not very much.’ Of course, we’ll affirm that we believe in him in the Apostles’ Creed, but beyond that, we might not really think of the Holy Spirit very much. Perhaps it’s easier to relate to the Father, or to Jesus, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t really figure in our thinking or experience.

And that might especially be the case, when some other churches are quite big on the Spirit - the Pentecostal churches who maybe focus more on speaking in tongues and other experiences. And so we’ll affirm the creed and keep ignoring the Spirit we believe in. And each year Pentecost will roll round, and we’ll read Acts 2, and then get on with worship in the Church of Ireland way.

The experience of the early church, though, shows us that we have to get to grips with the Holy Spirit - or rather, that he has to get to grips with us. As we’ve seen in Acts 1, the apostles were given a mission by the risen Lord Jesus. They’re to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. But they need the power of the Holy Spirit to do it. And so Acts 1 was all about waiting for the promise - waiting obediently, prayerfully and practically. In Acts 2, we see the waiting period is finished, as the Holy Spirit is given to the church.

In verses 1-13, we see that the Spirit is poured out on the believers. Can you imagine these events happening this morning? There’s the sound (2) ‘like the blowing of a violent wind’ - not outside, but inside the house. There’s the sight (3) of, like, tongues of fire resting on each of them. And there’s the speech (4) - as they are enabled to speak in other tongues or languages instantly.

Have you ever been somewhere on holiday where they don’t speak English? You might go about trying to be understood, and trying to understand what the locals are saying. And when you’re in that situation, and you suddenly hear someone speaking English, then you naturally tune in, you listen to what they’re saying, because you can understand it? Or, in a similar way, you’re in a big crowd of people, and no matter how many people there are, you’ll be able to pick out the Northern Irish people because of their accent?

That’s what’s happening here. The 120 are suddenly speaking in other languages, and people in Jerusalem are hearing and understanding and tuning in to what they’re saying. You see, Pentecost was one of the three Jewish festivals when everyone would pack up and go to Jerusalem. God-fearing Jews ‘from every nation under heaven’ (5) have gathered in, and the disciples are able to speak in their languages.

The poured out Spirit enables the disciples to ‘declare the wonders of God’ in all of their languages. [As an aside, this is the reversal of the curse of the Tower of Babel, where languages were confused and divided. Now, all peoples are hearing the good news in their own languages.] It is bewildering, and amazing and perplexing all at the same time for the crowd. No wonder they ask: ‘What does this mean?’ even as some make fun, thinking they’ve had too much wine. (12-13).

We see the power of the Holy Spirit as Peter stands up to address the crowd in verse 14. He quickly says that they aren’t drunk - it’s only nine in the morning. It’s not wine or spirits that have caused this scene, but rather it’s the poured out, promised Holy Spirit. He reminds them of what the prophet Joel says in his prophecy: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people...’ (17)

It’s not that the Holy Spirit only came about in Acts, or at the start of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully divine with the Father and the Son. But in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was only given to certain people - prophets, priests and kings. But Joel speaks of a time, the last days, when God would pour out his Spirit on all his people, not just some.

And this is what has happened on the day of Pentecost. The whole band of disciples, all 120 or so of them, have received the Spirit who was promised. Whether they’re sons or daughters, young men or old men, men or women, all have received the Spirit.

Acts 2 shows that the promised Spirit has been poured out. So how would you expect Peter to continue with his speech (or sermon)? Given that it’s the day of Pentecost, and that it’s the Holy Spirit who has come, you would expect that he would continue speaking about the Spirit. But that’s not what he does. Instead, the poured out, promised Spirit gives power to proclaim the prophecied Saviour. Peter preaches on Pentecost about Jesus.

Look at verse 22: ‘Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.’ He’s reminding them of what Jesus did - miracles, wonders and signs - and how God was at work in him and through him. And how did they respond to Jesus?

‘This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.’ (23)They crucified Jesus! But before we think that they’re bad and that we’re better - had we been in their position, we would have done that too. They were there; they had crucified Jesus. That was the end of the story as far as they were concerned. But the story was far from over.

‘But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.’ (24) They had killed Jesus, but God raised him from the dead. It wasn’t that things had turned out badly, unexpectedly, and then God had to step in to bring Jesus back to life as a plan B, try again, kind of strategy. No, this was God’s plan from the beginning.

Jesus had been handed over by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge. He is the Saviour who was prophecied in advance. In verses 25-28, Peter quotes from Psalm 16, a Psalm written by David. But David wasn’t speaking about himself - you see, David died, and was buried, and was in his tomb - which was part of the tourist trail in Jerusalem in the way that you can see the tombs of our kings and queens in Westminster Abbey.

David was speaking about one of his sons, the one who would reign forever, the Christ. The summary is in verse 31: ‘Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.’ David’s tomb is full, but Jesus’ tomb is empty!

And in verses 32-33, we see how everything we’ve seen in Acts so far comes together: ‘God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.’

The poured out, promised Spirit gives power to proclaim the prophecied Saviour. Peter hasn’t preached a message about the Spirit; but rather the Spirit points to and gives power to proclaim the message of the Saviour, Jesus. Just think of the power that Peter would need to proclaim the truth of verse 36. The courage you would need to accuse the crowd of what they had done: ‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’

Jesus is Lord - he is the one ruling over the universe, God in the flesh. Jesus is the Christ - the anointed son of David, king over all. And you crucified him! You put him to death! You cried out those words ‘crucify him!’

The crowd have been listening carefully ever since verse 12 when they asked, ‘What does this mean?’ Now they ask another question, because they are cut to the heart, they feel the weight of the conviction of what they have done, the wrong they have accomplished, and they ask: ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ (37)

How should they respond to the proclamation of the prophecied Saviour, empowered by the poured out, promised Spirit? ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off - for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ (38-39).

They are to turn around, to go the opposite direction (repent), and to be baptised. They will receive forgiveness of their sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. And on that one day, about three thousand accepted the message, were baptised and added to their number. That’s not bad going for one day. Starting with 120 and ending with 3120. An increase of 2500%

How did the disciples do it? They hadn’t dreamt up a new evangelism strategy; or tried a certain musical style; or used or ditched the prayer book. They received power from the Holy Spirit who had been promised and was poured out - to enable them to proclaim the prophecied Saviour. We have the same Holy Spirit, who still gives power to proclaim the Saviour - will we follow his leading, and speak his words, as we share the good news of Jesus?

Perhaps we need to pray that we will have more of the Spirit, that we will indeed follow his lead, and know his power and his poured-outness as we proclaim the Saviour.

And, just as we finish, let me proclaim the Saviour. Do you know Jesus? Have you received the forgiveness of your sins? Or are you still numbered among those who want rid of him, who have called out ‘crucify him!’ The Jesus you crucified is Lord and Christ. He longs to be your Saviour. Won’t you turn to him, by turning away from your sins, and receiving the gift of his Spirit. Perhaps today, the Lord is calling you to himself. Won’t you come? Won’t you draw near? He is Lord and Christ. Is he your Saviour?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 23rd June 2019.

Sermon: Romans 8: 1-11 No Condemnation

I wonder if you can remember the feelings you had when you sat down in the exam hall at school. Maybe you were nervous, trying to remember everything you had learned on that particular subject. Maybe you felt sick, wanting to do well, or hoping you’d get through. How much better would you have felt, if you knew the end result before you sat down, or as you were furiously scribbling your answers down?

Or what about the moment when you drive up to the MOT test centre. How flustered you feel when they ask you to turn on your lights and you can’t think how to do it! How nervous you feel when they do the braking test, or when they lift your car up and give it a good shake. One time, the tester took ages with my car up on the lift, then he called over a colleague, then he disappeared into the office, and then came back, stood for ages before eventually letting me know the car had passed with flying colours! How much better, to already know the verdict before you drive the car in to the centre.

Or maybe Saturday night for you means sitting down to watch Match of the Day. You know your team’s result, and so even if they go down 2 goals in the first half, you know that they’re going to win 3-2. Knowing the end result changes how we feel about the experience. Knowing the final verdict can give us confidence, no matter what might be going on in the meantime.

Now if that would be true of exams, or MOTs, or Match of the Day; then how much more would it be true of life? How amazing to be able to know God’s verdict of our life here and now - without having to wait until we stand before his judgement seat. As we begin looking at Romans 8, this is what Paul tells us is possible, here and now.

Look at what he says in verse 1. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ No condemnation. A ‘not guilty’ verdict. A declaration of innocence is available for us - for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now this verse is the summary of everything Paul has said from chapters 1-7 (and it might be good for you to read them, to see how it has come about).

You see, people may say lots of things about us; they can have their opinion of the things we do or say. Or maybe you have your own opinion about yourself - the shame or guilt for something you have done; the thing you hope no one ever finds out about; you see yourself as sinful, as guilty, as condemned. But the only opinion that really matters is what God thinks of us. It’s his verdict that counts in the end. And his verdict can be known now - no condemnation for those in Christ.

It’s as if we have been set free. The law of sin and death holds each of us - our sin leads to death. But those in Christ are set free, the prison doors opened, the chains removed, as we are declared innocent. But how does this happen? How can we know the verdict in advance?

Verse 3 shows us what God has done for us. He sent his own Son, the Lord Jesus, ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin’. Jesus came in our skin, sharing our human nature, to die for our sins. He condemned sin in the flesh, and has taken away our sins. It’s as if we had a huge debt, and Jesus has paid our debt. He has dealt with our sin. But Paul says Jesus has done even more for us than just paying our debts. Verse 4: ‘In order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.’

Jesus not only takes away our law-breaking. He also gives us the power to obey the law. He helps us to do the things we never could do before, when we walk according to the Spirit.

When you think of it, there are lots of ways we divide people. Men and women. Old and young. Rich and poor. Manchester United fans and ABUs (Anyone But United). But Paul says there are only two types of people - you’re either one, or the other, there is no middle ground, no sitting on the fence. So which are you - do you walk according to the flesh, or according to the Spirit?

From verse 5, Paul helps us to see which group we’re in. ‘For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.’ The way to see which group you’re in is to see where you have set your mind. What is it you think about when you don’t think about anything? What is it that sets your goals, dreams and ambitions? Is it your flesh, your sinful nature, your sinful desires? Or is it the Spirit - to want what he wants? In a few moments, Alex and Esther will declare their choice - as they turn from the world, the flesh and the devil, and turn to Christ, submit to Christ.

It’s one or the other. It’s as if you come to a fork in the road. Two roads lead to very different destinations. ‘For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.’ It’s a matter of life and death, heaven and hell. And your thoughts are a diagnosis of your heart, your desires. To pursue sinful pleasure is to be hostile to God, to love the things God hates, and hate the things God loves, to be unable to please God.

Now, by nature, that’s all of us. We naturally are out for ourselves. It won’t take long for Anna to learn the word ‘mine’. And even if we’ve grown up, and know not to say it out loud, we can still think it, and work towards it: ‘Mine!’

But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are two groups of people in the world - people who live by the flesh, but there are also those who live by the Spirit. Paul says that the Christians in Rome, the people who received the letter, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. And how do you know? How can we tell if we’re in the Spirit? It’s ‘if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.’

If we belong to Christ, if we are in him, and he is in us, then he gives us the Holy Spirit, he gives us the power to change, and the guarantee of the final verdict. Do you see how Paul refers to the Holy Spirit here? He is the Spirit of God. The Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of life. The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead. Each points us to the work of the Spirit, in bringing the power of God to live in us, and in giving us life.

Living as a Christian can be frustrating. You know what you should be doing, but you don’t always do it. You want to change, but you stumble and fall into sin. You feel the power of sin, the pull of death, as you do that thing you hate once again. But look at what God gives us. He gives us his Holy Spirit - the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead to dwell in us. He will do the very same in our lives.

He gives us life. Satan may try to condemn you. He might try to bring you down with the weight of guilt. How could God really love you after you did that? But the Holy Spirit whispers into our soul that we already know the verdict of the last day - not guilty. No condemnation. Life and peace, because we stand in Christ’s righteousness, as we live by the Spirit, and follow his leading. It’s as if we can open our exam results before we’ve sat the exam. We already know the final result, as we trust in Christ, and live by the power of his Holy Spirit.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 23rd October 2016.

Sermon Audio: 1 Corinthians 12: 4-20

On Sunday evening we hosted a Commissioning Service for members of the Select Vestries* in our Rural Deanery** of Clogher. Sadly our visiting speaker wasn't able to join us, so I preached on God's gifts for ministry from 1 Corinthians 12. You can listen in here.

(Explanations for my non-Anglican friends:
* Church committee charged with the running of the parish, particularly the 'Three F's' of fabric, furnishings, and finance.
** A clump of local parishes together under the leadership of the Rural Dean. Ours includes the parishes of Aghavea, Tempo & Clabby, Colebrooke & Cooneen with Mullaghfad, Fivemiletown with Kiltermon, and the Clogher Cathedral group (Clogher, Augher, Errigal Portclare and Newtownsaville). )

Pentecost Sermon: John 14: 15-21 Who is the Holy Spirit?

Saying goodbye is never easy, and yet it comes all the time. Whether it's P7s preparing to change schools, saying goodbye to teachers and dinner ladies, or friends who are going to different schools; or if your best friend moves away to another country. It's not easy to say goodbye.

The Bible reading today is from the night before Jesus was crucified. He has told his disciples that he is going away - back to the Father, back to heaven - and he's not going to be on the earth with his disciples any more. The disciples are sad. They've had three years with Jesus, seeing the miracles he has done; hearing the teaching he has given; all those amazing things. But they've also just been with Jesus - eating, joking, spending time talking as they walk along.

All that was coming to an end. Saying goodbye. The disciples are sad. And we would be too - imagine if we got to be with Jesus here, in person, here and now, and then he says that he is leaving. We wouldn't like it either.

But Jesus gives them a promise: the disciples won't be on their own. Jesus says: 'I will ask the Father and he will give you...' the AA. Now, does anyone know what the AA is? Well, if you are out in the car, and it stops, it won't go any more, then you might need to ring the AA, the Automobile Association. They'll come and help. They'll come and do what they can. And Jesus promises the AA - but not the car breakdown service.

Jesus promises this AA: Another Advocate. Now what do those words mean?

Another - it's a second, just like the first. If you have one bike, and you get another bike, then you'll have two bikes. That's another.

Advocate - now imagine you're in court. You are facing the judge and the jury. But you don't stand alone. You have someone standing with you - your barrister / solicitor, who is beside you, speaking for you, arguing your case.

Another Advocate is someone who is just like Jesus - up to now, Jesus had been the Advocate of the disciples. He was with them, he was their helper, their advisor, their counsellor. But now another advocate is coming: the Spirit of truth, also known as the Holy Spirit.

So what does the Holy Spirit do? Jesus says 'he will be in you.' So here's a glove. A nice leather glove. I'll set it on the lectern. Now, can that glove do anything? Can it lift a glass of water? Can it wave? Can it open the door? No, no, no. The glove just sits there. No matter how much we ask it, or tell it, it can't do anything by itself. But with my hand in it, the glove can do lots of things. It can lift things, wave, open things. The Holy Spirit is like that - he comes into us to help us to live for Jesus, to do the things we can't do by ourselves. He is the Spirit of Jesus - Jesus living in us.

I've got a question for you. Who is the best footballer in the world? Messi? Now I'm not great at football. Anyone who plays on a Thursday evening will tell you that. Now imagine that Messi could control me. If he could control my legs to run to the right place each time, or my feet to kick the ball and score goals, or control my brain, my thinking. I'd be brilliant! I could play like him. Well, Jesus comes into our life by his Holy Spirit, not to make us better footballers, but to help us to live like him.

And a big part of living like Jesus is to love him and keep his commands, to do what he wants us to do. But it's not just demands and commands - Jesus gives us the help, power, and desire to do what he wants.

Saying goodbye isn't easy. Over in John 16, later on this same evening, Jesus says that it's better that he's going away. How could that be? Well, think how the disciples met with Jesus. He could only be in one place at a time. If Jesus was in Jerusalem, then you had to be in Jerusalem to be with Jesus. If you were anywhere else, you weren't with him. But now that Jesus has gone back to heaven, and has sent his Spirit to be with us and in us - now we can have Jesus with us where we are!

Whenever the car breaks down and won't go any further, then you call the AA. You only need them when something goes wrong. But every Christian always has their AA with them. Another Advocate, the one who is like Jesus, who stands with us, and is in us, to help us, and guide us. Let's pray.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service on Pentecost Sunday 15th May 2016 in Aghavea Parish Church.

Sermon Audio: Ezekiel 37:1-14

On the evening of Pentecost I was preaching in the Brooke Memorial Hall from Ezekiel 37, where the prophet Ezekiel is brought to the valley of dry bones. What will it take to raise the dead? Is our hope completely perished? Here we find a promise of the Holy Spirit for the people of God.

Book Review: Forgotten God

Christians believe in the Trinitarian God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yet according to Pastor Francis Chan, the Holy Spirit has been forgotten, a problem he addresses in his book Forgotten God. As he says: 'the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence I'm willing to bet there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have been experienced His presence of action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can.' (p. 15)

As he surveys the contemporary scene, he asks the reader to imagine living on a desert island for twenty years, having only the Bible to read, becoming convinced of the important (even essential) part the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the believer. Then returning to the average church, and being disappointed at the lack of the Spirit's power and influence.

The solution, he maintains, is not 'seeking a "healthy balance" of the Holy Spirit', because he has 'yet to meet anyone with too much Holy Spirit.' (p. 20). Rather, 'when believers live in the power of the Spirit, the evidence in their lives is supernatural. The church cannot help but be different, and the world cannot help but notice.' (p. 17).

Chan continues to advance the book with helpful chapters addressing some attendant fears that people may encounter when they explore the Spirit. These include what others will think (in relation to our theological 'camp'), that God won't answer our prayers; or that God will answer our prayers, and take us where we don't want to go. As Chan acknowledges: 'The truth is that the Spirit of the living God is guaranteed to ask you to go somewhere or do something you wouldn't normally want or choose to do. The Spirit will lead you to the way of the cross... and that is definitely not a safe or pretty or comfortable place to be.' (p. 50)

This is an important point that I think is often missed by many as they think about the Holy Spirit - that the Spirit is not a separate entity, but is rather part of the Trinity, who together are working in our lives. The connection between the Spirit and the way of the cross was well made, as again later: 'The Spirit is meant to lead us toward holiness. The Spirit is here with us to accomplish God's purposes, not ours.' (p. 93)

I was slightly puzzled by the chapter exploring the Biblical survey of the Spirit's person and work, though. The starting point is in Acts, rather than the Old Testament (or even the Gospels), 'when the Spirit descended and began to indwell the disciples.' (p. 67). There doesn't appear to be an explanation for this starting point, so the reader may need to consult other books for a fuller biblical background (e.g. 'Knowing the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament' by Chris Wright).

As Chan continues to explore the impact of the Spirit on the life of the believer, he addresses a popular (and often misconceived) topic - that of God's will for my life, and the Spirit's guidance for the Christian. The problem with such thinking, so popularly expressed, is that 'it's safer to commit to following Him someday instead of this day.' (p. 120) Indeed, 'I think a lot of us need to forget about God's will for my life. God cares more about our response to His Spirit's leading today, in this moment, than about what we intend to do next year. In fact, the decisions we make next year will be profoundly affected by the degree to which we submit to the Spirit right now, in today's decisions.' (p. 120).

The book's aim is not primarily imparting knowledge, but rather it is sent forth with a powerful prayer: 'So while hopefully you will learn something new about the Holy Spirit in this book, my prayer is that it will draw you into deeper communion with the Spirit and greater experience of His power and presence in your life.' (p. 36). It appears that Chan's prayer will be answered, in this great little book.

I heartily recommend it, for any and every sort and type of Christian, to both learn more about the Holy Spirit, but more importantly, to walk with the Spirit and know His power in your walk. I managed to download this free from Amazon when the publisher made all Chan's books free on the Kindle store one day, but even for a couple of pounds it's well worth reading. Available from Amazon Kindle store and your local Christian bookshop.

Sermon: Romans 8: 9-17 Children of God

If you had just one word, how would you describe God? Would it be a word like ‘creator’? Perhaps you’d be more likely to use the word distant, or fearsome, or judge. You might even jump in with a completely different type of word - non-existent; or (if it was Richard Dawkins) delusion?

How you think about God, how you describe him, probably says a lot about what you think of him, but also, reveals your relationship to him. If we were able to take the time and go around the church, you might have lots of words. Would you come up with this one? Daddy, or dad.

That way of speaking might seem shocking; it may seem overly familiar; even presumptuous, yet that’s exactly what the Bible tells us is possible - to call God our dad. In another part of the Bible, John says this: ‘See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God.’ (1 John 3:1). In the Bible reading we heard today, the apostle Paul expands on that thought, and shows us that we too can call God father or dad.

It doesn’t come naturally, though. It’s not something we can presume to do by ourselves. You see, as we follow our own way, as we ‘live according to the flesh’ (13), we are separated from God; cut off from relationship with him; we face the due penalty for our sins. We say no to God, we do whatever pleases us, but it leads in the end to death. Left to ourselves, this is the course that each one of us is following.

But the good news is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven to live and die on this earth. As he hung on the cross, he took the death that we deserved; dying in our place. If you’ve been watching the Euro 2012 matches, Jesus is like the substitute who comes on in place of another - he took our place.

A Christian is someone who has heard this good news, and believes it. They accept the substitution; they recognise that Jesus took their place, and they live for him. You see, Jesus didn’t stay dead - he was raised to life by the Holy Spirit. As we trust in Jesus, we are given the Holy Spirit to live in us, to give us life, and to help us to live for him.

If you’ve ever been on Facebook, you’ll have seen the personality quizzes - what type of person are you? Which star wars character are you? (or which Twilight character are you?) There are lots of possibilities. But according to Paul, there are only two types of people. Only two categories of people in the whole world - those who live according to the flesh; and those who live by the Spirit.

But what does it mean to live by the Spirit, to have the Holy Spirit in your life? In verse 14, Paul says: ‘For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.’ To have the Holy Spirit is to be a child of God.

Our relationship to God has changed. At Primary School, one of our dinner ladies ruled the playground with an iron fist. Any mischief was quickly spotted and stopped. Her threats were enough: ‘“I’ll take you to the Master.” We were in fear of the principal. He was so much older and bigger and more fearsome (even if he wasn’t allowed to cane us - I’m not that old!). But is that how his children related to him at home? Not at all - he was their dad. They say him in a completely different light.

It’s the same with us and God - as we come to believe the good news, we receive the Spirit - not a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have received a spirit of adoption (or the Spirit of adoption). We who were on the outside have now been brought inside. We have been made to feel welcome, and been declared to be members of the family, at home with God.

It was with great joy that we heard of N’s adoption being declared - she is now at home with T and J; she has a new family. And because of that, things will never be the same again. She has new relationships, and a new inheritance.

You see, T and J are now legally and fully and finally dad and mum. It’s a cry they probably hear lots of times: Dad! Mum! and they scurry to see what’s happening, what N is up to!

It’s a picture of how each of us, as we believe in Jesus, are adopted into God’s family. When we’re in the family, we can call God ‘dad’. It’s the way that Jesus addresses God as he is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:36). He was the only one who really could call God dad, yet the wonder of it all is that Jesus endured the cross to enable us to call God dad. When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, what is it he tells them to say? ‘Our Father.’

‘When we cry Abba! Father! it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.’ The God who made the whole universe is not distant; instead, he is (or can be) your dad - the one who hears your cry, the one who confirms that you are his child by the presence of his Holy Spirit, helping us as we cry out in prayer.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there is still more. You see, if we are children of God, then that means that we are heirs of God. I don’t know if T and J have much of an inheritance to pass on - but some day it will all be N’s. As we become part of the family, we become not only children, but also heirs.

We are joint-heirs with Christ - all that he inherits and receives from the father will also be ours, we will share it with him. As Jesus takes his place on the throne and rules over the universe, so we will share with him in the new heavens and the new earth.

As we look forward to sharing in the inheritance, Paul reminds us of the pattern that Jesus followed, which also lies before us: ‘if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.’ The suffering of Christ is finished - perfect; nothing can be added to his sacrifice to make us more acceptable to God; we are his children.

Yet we’re not home yet - we need to be putting to death the deeds of the body; fighting against our natural desires; saying no to temptation, in order to be led by the Spirit. We simply couldn’t do it on our own - but we’re not on our own! We’re in the family of God, given the Spirit of God who helps us, and enables us to call God our dad.

As we baptise N today, we call out to God on her behalf; we make promises for her, until she is of the age to make them for herself. It’s as if we’re writing a cheque, which one day she will have to cash in, to claim the promises of God for herself.

For the rest of us, the door is wide open; the invitation is there - come in to the family, make yourself at home. You too can be a forgiven, welcomed child of God. You too can call God your Abba Father, daddy.

Sermon: Ephesians 5: 1-20 Filled with the Spirit

A few years ago, we were moving into the Curatage in Dundonald, and we were looking after our niece, who was about three. She was very keen to help in any way at all. It was as if I had a shadow the whole day - if I sat on a camping chair, she wanted to sit on one; if I leant against the window sill, there she would be propped as well!

It’s funny how children seem to learn by copying - as they move from eating with their hands to eating with a knife and fork; as they learn to tie their shoelaces; as they hear and copy words - as a friend is quickly learning to his cost! Those little mild outbursts are being echoed back to him!

If it’s true in our human families - and I’m sure you have some funny stories of when you or your kids were growing up - we’re being urged to do the very same in the family of God. As we’ve been working our way through Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he has been reminding them and us of how we have been brought into God’s family. We didn’t deserve it, it’s a free gift of God’s grace because of God’s love - which we receive as we believe the promise of God.

Last week, if you were with us, you’ll remember the horrible, dirty T-shirt. Paul says in 4:22 to put off the old self and to put on the new self. Because we have already been changed (through the sacrifice of Christ v2), we must change what we do. And how do we learn what the new self is like? We have been made into God’s children; we should take our lead from God.

Imagine a little boy living on the streets; pickpocketing; dirty; homeless and helpless. What a change it would be if he was adopted by Prince Charles and Camilla. No longer would he be running around dirty; no longer would he be pickpocketing the visitors to the palace. He would have to change his ways, learning from his new parents; and looking up to how his new brothers, William and Harry, live.

It’s the same with us. Verse 1: ‘Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us...’ We are already beloved children - we are certain of God’s love for us, displayed in the cross; and so we copy our heavenly Father, wanting to do the same things as him; wanting to walk in his ways; wanting to turn from those things that displease him.

So what will it look like to be children of God? In verses 3-5, Paul says that we will be pure. While the world might run after fornication and impurity and greed, celebrating these things, the Christian is called to be different. It can be hard to avoid such things - in TV, internet, movies, but we’re not even to mention such things. Why? Well because obscene talk, silly talk, and vulgar talk have no place among the saints.

Now when you hear that word, what do you think of? Your mind might race to stained glass window pictures of saints; or you might think of especially holy dead people who wrote parts of the Bible. If you have your Bible open (and it’s normally helpful), flick back to the very first verse of Ephesians. Paul writes to the saints who are in Ephesus - he’s not writing to dead people. He’s writing to the gathered church. You and I - we’re the saints who are in Aghavea. The saints in the New Testament are God’s holy ones, his children, the church.

Paul says that if we are God’s people and we are holy people, then there’s no place for gossip or impurity among us. It’s not even proper to dwell on the juicy gossip of others. Just as with last week - as we put off things, there is something else to put on. If we’re doing away with obscene, silly and vulgar talk, then we’re called instead to put on thanksgiving. Rather than greed (which is idolatry), we’re called to be thankful with what we have.

But more than that, we’re reminded that the end of the two ways is very different - ‘Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person... has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.’ And as Paul goes on, some will try to deceive us with empty words. Don’t be worrying about morality - everyone is doing it. Don’t worry about the consequences - if it feels good, do it. There are no consequences - you will surely not die.

These are empty words because: ‘the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.’ So don’t go there. Don’t be associated with them! Remember whose you are - God’s holy people; remember who you are - light in the Lord. Paul is saying to remember what God has done in you, and to live in the light of the change. ‘For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light...’

Once again, we’re called to copy our heavenly Father. You might recall how you used to live - and shudder - but as you trust in Christ, you have been rescued, your past is gone, and you have been made clean. But in case we’re wondering what it means to live as children of light, Paul gives us the answer: ‘for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.’ That’s a very simple test for any of our thoughts and words and actions: is what I’m doing good? Is it right? Is it true?

Rather than taking part in the unfruitful works of darkness, we are to expose them. A long time ago, before I was married, I was sleeping, and was woken by this rustling noise. I had a packet of rolos sitting on my bedside table, and when I turned on the light, I discovered a mouse, trying to get into the sweets! As soon as the light turned on, it fled, exposed in its dark deeds. It’s a simple matter of turning on the light. You see, if we’re children of light then the way we live will be like a light, exposing the darkness of others, bringing their wickedness into sight.

I wonder if you’ve any trouble sleeping with these bright mornings? The sun hits our windows very early, stirring us to waken. This is what Christ is doing through us, to stir and waken those in darkness, and to bring them into the light as well.

In the last verses, Paul says that as well as being children of purity and children of light, we’re also to be wise. The days are evil - our time is short. We want to make the maximum impact as we shine and obey the Lord. So don’t waste your time getting drunk with wine - don’t be filled with wine; instead, Paul says: be filled with the Spirit.

On this day of Pentecost, as we remember the Holy Spirit being given to the first disciples gathered in that upper room, we need to remember that we too have the gift of the Holy Spirit, living in us, helping us and empowering us to live as God’s children in a wicked and hostile world.

He is the one who creates in us the family likeness, helping us to put off the old self and to put on the new self, as he helps us to sing psalms hymns and spiritual songs; as we give thanks to God the Father every time for every thing.

When I was a child, I was with my granny in a shop one day. We didn’t know the shopkeeper at all, but he was able to say for certainty who my mother was because I looked so much like her whole family. Let’s pray that each of us will become more like the image of God as we copy our Father in all we do this week.

This sermon was preached on the Day of Pentecost, 27th May 2012 in Aghavea Parish Church.

Powerless

The wee card arrived through the post just before Christmas, but it didn't contain any festive references, no pictures of nativity scenes or Santas. Instead, it advised us that there would be essential maintenance work on the power grid around Brookeborough, and therefore we would have no electricity between 9am and 5pm on the 10th January.

The day finally came (the second such day in the four and a bit months we've lived here!), and at 9.30am, our electricity was turned off. And it was in that moment that our reliance on power was exposed.

Beep - beep - beep went the house alarm, cut off from power it starts to suspect something is up, and makes sure any line-cutting intruders are scared off.

With no electricity, the central heating system wouldn't work, so the house gradually got colder, and the noise of the alarm was a bit annoying - perhaps I'll make a cup of tea. No, the kettle won't work. Well, what about some toast? Again, the cooker and the toaster won't run on air.

Maybe I could check my emails to distract myself? But there's no internet as the router is down, and mobile signal is patchy at the best of times (if we're actually still on O2UK and haven't caught the O2IE signal from across the border instead). At least the fully charged laptop was working, but then I went to print something, before realising the futility of the attempt!

It's a good job I was still able to read books, and work on my sermon prep for Sunday with pen and ink, otherwise I would have been lost for something to do. Around lunchtime I headed out for some messages and calls, and when I got home again the power was reconnected, allowing me to begin cooking the evening meal and doing all those other things I couldn't do earlier in the day!

Yesterday was a little reminder for me that we can be so dependent on something we take for granted. Unseen electricity enables us to do so much, but without it we're lost, truly powerless. In Acts, Jesus ascends into heaven, leaving his disciples to carry on the work of proclaiming the gospel, but he doesn't leave them powerless. It doesn't depend on their strength alone. Instead, he empowers them:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The Holy Spirit is given to all Christians so that we can live and work and witness to the Lord Jesus. Unseen, perhaps forgotten, but indispensable in the Christian life.

Picture by jnyemb, displayed under a Creative Commons licence.

Sermon: John 14:15-17 I Believe in the Holy Spirit

I wonder what you think of when you hear of the Holy Spirit. We have declared that we believe in the Holy Spirit, but that might just be about all we know or think of him. For many, there could be something mysterious, even spooky about the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit.

That may be even more so when you look around at some other churches which almost seem to have gone overboard on the Holy Spirit, perhaps neglecting the Father and the Son as they focus on speaking in tongues and experiences and feeling the Spirit move.

So who is the Holy Spirit? What does he do? And why does it matter for us? The first thing it’s important to say is that the Holy Spirit is personal, a ‘he’ rather than an ‘it’, and the Holy Spirit is God. In just the same way as the Father is God and the Son is God, so the Spirit is God - all together the one God, the Holy Trinity.

Right back at the start of the Bible, we find the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters (Gen 1:2). The Spirit is connected to life, to creation. If you were to follow through the Old Testament, you’ll find the Spirit empowering certain individuals for certain tasks. Bezalel is ‘filled with the Spirit of God’ in Exodus 35 to build the ark of the covenant after Israel comes out of Egypt. King David is empowered for kingship. The prophets ‘spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Peter 1:21). But it’s still just particular people for particular purposes.

Yet the sense of anticipation is rising. We heard it from our first reading, where Joel declares: ‘Then afterwards I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy’ etc... (Joel 2:28). When Jerusalem is destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, Ezekiel the prophet is with the exiles in Babylon. He too points forward to a new day: ‘I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you... I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.’ (Ezek 36:25-27). In the very next chapter, Ezekiel tells us of the vision of the valley of bones. It’s a picture of Israel: dead, dry, without hope. As Ezekiel declares God’s word the bones come back together, flesh comes on them, and finally breath comes in them - there is new hope for the people of God with God’s breath - God’s Spirit - giving them life.

These are the promises, yet nothing seems to happen for a long time, until the Spirit-filled Man appears on the scene. The Lord Jesus was ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38) And the night before Jesus died, he spends time with his disciples, preparing them for what will come after, when Jesus is no longer on earth.

Last week, if you remember, we thought about Jesus being in heaven, not being physically present with the disciples or with us. We thought about how it would be nice to have Jesus with us - but the way in which Jesus describes the Holy Spirit from our reading shows that what we have is so much better than Jesus standing here with us. Look at John 14:16, at the bottom of p 105. The Spirit is ‘another Advocate, to be with you forever.’ That word advocate is someone who stands beside - if you were up in court, you would have an advocate, someone who was with you, speaking for you. Other versions translate is as another helper. Did you notice - it’s another helper, another advocate - the Spirit continues to do what Jesus did for the disciples.

He is the presence of Jesus with them, he helps them come to faith (1 Cor 12:3), pray (Rom 8), grow in the likeness of the Lord Jesus (Eph 3:16), as well as convicting the world of sin. The Holy Spirit is given to us to bring us to faith, and keep us in faith, by dwelling inside us. What was promised in the Old Testament is now, through Jesus, given to us in the new covenant. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit, who helps them live for Jesus.

It’s not just the super-spiritual Christians, not just the keen Christians who have the Spirit. You might look at some people as if they’re a Premier League Man United type spiritual experience, while you’re just a ‘Dromore Amateurs’ kind of Christian. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit - without any need for special experiences, extra baptisms in the Spirit, or speaking in tongues or whatever.

The Holy Spirit helps us to live for Jesus, because he helps us to become like Jesus. In verse 17, there’s another name for the Spirit - the Spirit of truth. The Spirit is God, and as such cannot lie, so therefore he is the Spirit of truth - he witnesses to the truth, speaks the truth, indeed is the truth. Yet there are many in the church who are seeking to hijack the Holy Spirit and claim his sanction for things which are manifestly untrue. Worse still, they use Jesus’ words to justify it: ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth...’ (John 16:12-13). There are those who argue that the Spirit is continuing to lead us into all truth, new truth, so that we should accept homosexual marriage and ordination in the church. Is that really what Jesus is saying here?

Remember where Jesus is, and who he is speaking to. He’s in the upper room with the disciples. The disciples were slow at catching on what Jesus was saying - think of all the times they misunderstand when Jesus says he is the Messiah. But the next day, Jesus will be crucified, will rise from the dead on Easter Sunday, be ascended into heaven, and then on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is given to the first disciples - it’s these first disciples the Spirit leads into all truth, so that they can understand Jesus’ death and what it all means. The Spirit helps them proclaim the gospel, the good news as they preach across the world, as they write the gospels and the pastoral letters to churches and individuals.

As the Spirit guided the disciples into all the truth they completed the writing of the New Testament, what Jude calls ‘the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.’ What Scripture says is what the Spirit says - and the Spirit of truth will not lie, will not contradict himself twenty centuries later. That’s why we must be careful to stand for truth as the Church of Ireland faces crisis. Will we listen to the Spirit in his word, or will we listen to the spirit of the age, what culture and godless society deems acceptable?

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is given to Christians to help us live for Jesus. He helps us live for Jesus by transforming us to become more like Jesus. As you know, we recently moved house. At the start, there were boxes everywhere, the painted walls were bare, the new carpets were fluffy. Over time, the rectory has been reflecting our personality - the furniture, the pictures on the wall. It’s the very same thing the Spirit does to a new Christian - things might be a mess, dark and dingy, but he brings us to faith, and continues to change us to reflect his personality, transforming us through the word of Christ to be more like Jesus. It is his desire for every Christian, and for every person. Are you listening to the Holy Spirit today?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 30th October 2011.

Sermon: I Believe in the Holy Spirit - John 14,16

For many in the church today, it might seem as if the Holy Spirit is the forgotten person of the Trinity. We’re comfortable thinking about and talking about God the Father, and also God the Son, the Lord Jesus. We’re much less sure when it comes to the Spirit. Perhaps it’s because we used to speak of him as the Holy Ghost, which added to the mystery, the spookiness.

Of course, others have gone overboard on the Holy Spirit, so much focusing on him that they almost completely neglect or ignore the Father and the Son. For them it’s all about tongues and experiences and feeling the Spirit move.

Tonight we’re going to survey the Bible quickly, before focusing in on the two closely connected passages from John’s Gospel, as we seek to discover (or re-learn) who the Holy Spirit is, and what he does.

Firstly, it’s important to state that the Holy Spirit is God. He is God in the same way the Father is and the Son is - fully God, as together, they are God. It’s not that the Spirit is less than God or even a lesser God. So we find the first reference to the Holy Spirit in the second verse of the Bible - Genesis 1:2. ‘The spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.’ At creation, God the Holy Spirit is intimately involved, brooding over the waters. He is connected to life.

More than that, through the Old Testament, we find that the Spirit comes upon, or empowers, certain individuals for certain tasks. We saw that from 2 Peter where the prophets ‘spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.’ (2 Pet 1:21) It’s also the case with Bezalel (Ex 35) who is ‘filled with the Spirit of God’ in order to build the ark of the covenant, and later King David, who is empowered for kingship. But it’s still just particular people, not every person.

Yet the sense of anticipation is rising, with Joel’s prophecy that ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy etc...’ (Joel 2:28-29). It will come afterward - after the day of the Lord, and so God’s people are looking forward to this day, waiting for it. All the more so when Ezekiel ministers to the people at the time of the exile.

This morning we were reminded of how we can’t meet God’s law, we can’t do what pleases him by ourselves, and the city of Jerusalem was the Exhibit A of that. God’s city, the place he had chosen to dwell amongst his people, where he had established his temple, it all lies in ruins, because the people failed to keep to the covenant. They rebelled, disobeyed, and so the people go into exile. And when they’re sitting in Babylon, remembering home, they’re wondering - is there any hope for the future? Can things be different?

Here’s what God says through Ezekiel: ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.’ (Ezek 36:25-27). As if that wasn’t enough, in the next chapter, he’s given a vision of the valley of bones. It’s a picture of Israel, dead, dry, without hope. The bones come together, flesh comes on them, and the breath comes in them - ‘And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land.’ (Exek 37:14).

They’re looking forward to this, but nothing happens for a long time. Then, at just the right time, the Spirit-filled Man appears on the scene. The Lord Jesus was ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.’ (Acts 10:38). That brings us to our readings from tonight. In them, Jesus is in the upper room with his disciples. It’s a matter of hours before he is arrested and crucified, and he’s preparing the disciples for this time, and also afterwards.

So who is the Spirit, and what does he do? The two answers are really connected, and virtually the same - because the way Jesus speaks of the Spirit tells us who he is and what he does. He is the Spirit of Truth (14:17) - just as the Father and the Son, he is the truth, there is no falsehood, no lies from the Spirit. He is also ‘another Helper’. It’s not that he’s the first Helper - he is another Helper. So what Jesus has already been doing with the disciples, this is what the Spirit will do.

He is the presence of Jesus with them, he helps them to come to faith (1 Cor 12:3), pray (Rom 8), to grow in the likeness of the Lord Jesus (Eph 3:16), as well as convicting the world of sin. So you see, the Holy Spirit is given to us to bring us to faith, and keep us in faith, by dwelling with us and in us. What has been promised in the Old Testament is now, through Jesus, given to us in the New Covenant. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit, ever since Pentecost, when the Spirit came in power to help the first apostles declare and proclaim the good news in Jerusalem.

Sometimes people think that it’s only the spiritual Christians or the keen Christians who have the Spirit. It’s as if they’re in the Premier League of spiritual experience while I’m just a ‘Dromore Amateurs’ kind of Christian. You may have met someone who says that you need an extra baptism in the Spirit, or some particular experience, or speak in tongues or somesuch. That’s not what the Bible says. If you are a Christian, you have the Spirit living in you. It is possible to grieve the Spirit, but you have him nonetheless.

Now you might have noticed near the end of the second passage something that is bandied about fairly often, particularly in the controversies and debates at the present time. Jesus says: ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.’

So it is commonly argued that the Spirit is continuing to lead us into all truth and new truth, so we should accept homosexual ‘marriage’ and ordination in every instance, as the Spirit leads us on. Is this really what Jesus was saying?

Remember where Jesus is, and who he is speaking to. He’s in the upper room, with his disciples. It’s well known that the disciples were slow at catching on to what Jesus was teaching - just think of their inability to understand him as Messiah. Jesus will be crucified, and after forty days with them, will be ascended. The Holy Spirit is given to the first disciples to lead them into all truth, which they can better understand after Jesus is crucified and risen, as they’re helped by the Spirit.

As they are helped by the Spirit, they proclaim the apostolic message, as they preach across the world, as they write the gospels, and as they write those pastoral letters to churches and individuals. The Holy Spirit guiding the first disciples into all truth has been completed when the canon of the New Testament is finished - what Jude calls ‘the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.’ (Jude 3). What the Scripture says is what the Spirit is saying - the one who wrote the Old Testament by speaking through the prophets does the same through the apostles to give us the New Testament.

If this is what the Spirit has said (the Spirit of Truth, who illuminates the Scripture and helps us understand what it says), then he is not going to contradict himself now, twenty centuries later. What the Spirit has said, he continues to say. As an example, just think of the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, which Trevor preached recently in the mornings. In each of them, Jesus says ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

As most of you probably know by now, we’re shortly moving on. Come the middle of August, we’ll be moving into our new house. There’ll be boxes everywhere! But over time, we’ll be unpacking those boxes, cleaning up any messes, fixing any leaky taps, and making the rectory our own. It’ll reflect our personality and likes, in the furniture and decor, ornaments and pictures.

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Christ, is also involved in renovations. He moves into our hearts when they are dark and dingy, with mess everywhere. He brings us to faith, and continues to change us to reflect his personality, transforming us through the word of Christ, to be people who are becoming more like Jesus. It is his desire for every Christian - and every person. Are you listening to the Holy Spirit today?

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 10th July 2011

Nearer, but Further Away

I've noticed something slightly odd on my travels recently. While you're getting nearer to a place, you're actually further away. Allow me to explain.

When you're leaving the village of Augher on the A4 heading east, there's a signpost which declares Belfast to be 56 miles away. Drive a mile or so closer to Belfast, and the next signpost declares Belfast to be 57 miles away! You're going in a Belfast direction, but you've still further to go.


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Sounds strange, doesn't it? It's all down to the recent roadworks, and the extension of the A4 dual carriageway from Dungannon to Ballygawley. The 56 miles to Belfast sign is from the pre-dual carriageway days, along the old A4 through Killeshil, Cabragh etc. The closer to Belfast but further away sign was installed when the new road was built - which doesn't follow the path of the old A4, but loops further south, slightly closer to Aughnacloy. In effect, Augher and Enniskillen are now further from Belfast, thanks to the course of the new road.

You think you're getting somewhere, only to find you're not as far as you thought you were. The believer's sanctfication is a bit like that. You've come to faith in Jesus, your sins are forgiven, you're free to love and serve the Lord, and you're ready to go places, thinking that you're going to be just like Jesus tomorrow.

The gift of the Holy Spirit, though, highlights our sinfulness, bringing things to light which must be dealt with, repented of, abandoned. We're making progress to be more like Jesus, but these can seem like setbacks. The closer we get to God, the more we're aware of our sinfulness.

This isn't a bad thing - it's the way it's meant to be. Just think of Isaiah, who was pottering along, then he had that vision of the Lord in his holiness, and Isaiah is ruined (Isaiah 6).

It might seem like you're further away, but you're going the right way. Keep going!

Book Review: Supernatural Living for Natural People

Last month we were away on holiday for a week, and I managed to get through eight books. But before I could start reviewing them, I had to deal with the couple of books I had read but not reviewed before I went away. So now we're into the holiday reviews, and this was a book long overdue of being read.

Ray Ortlund was the morning Bible Reading speaker at last year's New Horizon in Coleraine. We had bought the book, but then I never managed to get reading it, until now. I'm sorry that I waited so long. Supernatural Living for Natural People is a brilliant book which unpacks and expounds the glorious riches of Romans 8. Romans 8 has been described as the Everest of the Bible, the peak of the New Testament, and there is no better mountain guide than Ray Ortlund.

Ortlund faithfully explains Romans 8, not just systematically, but also in the context of the whole letter to the Romans, showing how and why the apostle Paul says what he does in the way he does - and what it means for us, sinners 'fighting, but too often failing.' Almost each verse yields a gem of a statement from Ortlund's pen and pastor's heart:

'that declaration [Romans 8:1 no condemnation] has a remarkable effect upon the people of God... they rejoice in the certainty of their final triumph and are energised to fight on.' (p. 17)

'We do not need more frightening punishments and more withering scoldings. We need the all-sufficiency of Jesus applied in rich measure to our deepest points of personal need. And that is what the Holy Spirit does.' (p. 18)

'The new life in Christ is not a superior religion. It is God's alternative to human religion.' (p. 33)

'We see the heart-lifting power of hope.' (p. 93)

'The future God has promised us is cosmic in shape and royal in elevation.' (p. 106)

'The biblical confidence in the Providence of God is a faith so bold, so demanding, so unapologetic, that we cannot believe it half-way. Either all things work together for our good, or nothing makes sense.' (p. 137)

'All around us every day are potential evangelists... we know them as our non-Christian friends. And God has positioned us in the midst of our storms to show them the practical difference that Jesus makes.' (p. 138)

'Certainty in the love of God is how the gospel makes heroes out of ordinary sinners.' (p. 168)

You can probably see, from that quick selection of quotes, that Ortlund is pastoral, practical, and passionate for the glory of God and the upbuilding of God's people through the proclamation of God's word. I can think of no better book to guide you through Romans 8 that I have read; buy this book, read it, and your heart will be warmed, strengthened and encouraged in the gospel.

The Ordination

Last night was my ordination to the office of Presbyter (elder), also known as Priest, alongside Adrian Green. Willowfield Parish Church seemed to be right and full, a huge congregation, with great singing, although it made for a very warm evening, especially under a cassock and surplice.

Harold Miller, The Bishop of Down and Dromore led the service, and Craig Cooney, the Curate Assistant of Shankill Church, Lurgan was the preacher. I was encouraged to see so many other Presbyters who took part in the ordination prayer and laying on of hands, both old friends and new.

Also, in the congregation I noticed many friends, with a big contingent from my home parish of Dromore Cathedral, and another big crowd from my current parish of St Elizabeth's Dundonald. Plenty of family and friends were also scattered throughout the building, bringing good wishes and prayers.

Craig preached from the Old Testament reading, which was Isaiah 61:1-3, and specifically its use as a text for Jesus' sermon in Nazareth from Luke 4. We have a Spirit-empowered mission; a Jesus-centred mission; and a transforming mission. So be it!

When Deacons are ordained, it is only the Bishop who lays hands on the ordinand. With Presbyters, all the other Presbyters present have a share in laying hands, so it's a good job I'm not claustrophobic, with a group of about 20 Presbyters gathered around laying hands. A great sense of the togetherness of the mission we are engaged in, and a mighty time of prayer and encouragement.

At the end of the service, when we received the final charge from the Bishop, we were surrounded by representatives of the parish and diocese, before being led out into the world for mission and service by the Bishop, accompanied by the Church.

A special night, which will long stick in my memory. I haven't got any photos yet, but will post some and link to them when I see what other people have got on their cameras.

Sermon Audio: 1 Corinthians 14: 1-12

Here's the sermon audio mp3 file from Sunday morning's sermon, Building up the Church from 1 Corinthians 14. Listen out for the horn in the middle of it!




090531am 1 Corinthians 14 1-12 Gary McMurray.mp3

Sermon: 1 Corinthians 14: 1-12

This morning, our theme is building up the church. Maybe when you hear that, you think of the building project, the bricks and mortar, and the church building. But Paul’s not talking about a physical church building - he wouldn’t have known of these things - the church met in people’s homes. Rather, when Paul speaks of building up the church, he is talking about the people - building up the Christians in the church.

So how do we do that? How do we build up the church? We;re continuing our series in 1 Corinthians, and Paul is dealing with the issue of spiritual gifts - special abilities or talents given by the Holy Spirit to believers. As with most things, the church in Corinth was divided because people had different gifts, and some thought that they were more important than others.

Through chapters 12 - 14, Paul seeks to correct their ideas on gifts, first by pointing to the unity of the church, because the same God gives the variety of gifts, then pointing to the unity of the church as seen in the picture of the church as the body of Christ. At the heart of the church, and in each believer, the most important thing is love - as we saw last week - we can have gifts without love, but then we gain nothing. Here, in chapter 14, Paul addresses the specific gift that was causing the trouble in Corinth - speaking in tongues. This can mean either being able to speak in another human language (for example on the day of Pentecost, where everyone could hear the apostles speak in their own language), or in an unknown language.

The Corinthian church was big into tongues - they thought that it was the be-all and end-all of spiritual gifts, and wanted to make everyone have it. But Paul points out that when the church gathers together, it’s more important to build up the church. He does this by comparing tongues with the gift of prophecy.

When he speaks of prophecy, he’s referring to the equivalent of the sermon, declaring God’s word and applying it to the hearer. Prophecy is therefore better, because it helps to build the church, through being understood.

Our guiding principle in all that we do is to build up the believers as a congregation. We aim to strengthen people, to help them become mature as a Christian, not as individuals, but as part of the church. We don’t just do things that I like doing, or that we’ve always done for the sake of it - our guiding principle is the benefit and good of the whole church together as we grow together.

As we look at the passage, we’ll see this principle, in the audience (verses 1 to 5), and the benefit of prophecy (verses 6 to 12).

In some ways, prophecy and tongues might be similar - both involve speech, and both are spiritual gifts, spiritual activities. But it’s here that the similarities end. Look at verse 2. ‘For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understand him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.’ When some of the Corinthians were speaking in tongues, speaking in a language they didn’t know, they were only speaking to God - it was as if no one else was involved.

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if we came to our prayers later and everyone started speaking, in languages no one else could understand? The individual might feel very spiritual, and may even be encouraged and built up, but the rest of the congregation will be confused and cut off.

But verse 3 goes on to say that prophesying is for the congregation. Look at it - the audience is the congregation - the people gathered together. The declaration of God’s word in a language the people can understand is much better, precisely because they can understand it!

This was a key feature of the Reformation. Up to the 1540’s, services in the Church were performed in Latin - the readings, the sermons, the whole service was in Latin. But the people couldn’t understand what was being said! The minister would go through the service, and the people would gather and not understand any of it. But with the Reformation in England, the services of the Church were translated into English by Archbishop Cranmer, and the Bible was translated into English, so that everyone could hear and understand what was being said.

Why was this? At the start of the Prayer Book, there’s a section titled ‘General Directions for Publick Worship’ which says that the services are ‘set forth to be said and sung in the English tongue, to the end that the Congregation may thereby be edified.’ That being edified is the same idea of being built up (like an edifice, a building). Our services are in English so that everyone can hear and understand, and be built up.

Back to verse 3 - prophecy is better because it is addressed to people ‘for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.’ The gift of prophecy, the ability to teach is vital so that Christians are strengthened, encouraged and comforted. None of this will happen if we’re all out for ourselves.

As we move to the benefit of prophecy, we see that again, Paul’s concern is for the church to be built up. In verse 6, Paul looks forward to the next time that he arrives in Corinth and meets with the church. Imagine, says Paul, what would happen if he only spoke in tongues when he came to meet with the church.

Would they get any benefit from him being there? No! Would you get any benefit if I had stood up this morning and preached in German, or French, or Greek? (I’m not saying I could do that though!)

They will only benefit from Paul’s visit if he speaks so that they understand. For them to benefit, Paul must speak God’s word to them, through a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching. By speaking to them in the language they understand, they can hear God’s word clearly, and be blessed, encouraged and built up. Otherwise, what’s the point?

To illustrate, Paul gives us two word pictures, both from musical instruments. First of all, if you’re listening music for pleasure, then you need to hear all the notes separately, as they combine together. Imagine you’re listening to the Ulster Orchestra (by the way, I’m not getting paid to advertise them...), and everyone played one note, or it was all jumbled - would you be able to recognise a tune? The notes have to be distinct. It’s the difference between meaningless tinkling and performing a tune.

The second picture comes from the military. If the bugle is mumbled or unclear, then no one will line up for the battle. But if there is a clear sound which is understood, then the soldiers hear and obey the call.

In the same way, if the Corinthians were consumed with the gift of tongues, then no one could understand or be built up. The call to obey the Lord may be there, but no one could hear and obey. A response can only come when God’s word is proclaimed in a way that can be understood. Otherwise, as Paul says, ‘you will be speaking in the air.’

So what do we do with this passage? How do we apply it, both individually, and as a congregation seeking to build each other up? Firstly, we need to recognise the purpose of our meetings and life together - we don’t meet for a good time, and we’re not a social club. When we gather together, our purpose is to encourage each other, and strengthen each other, both in the formal service, and in the coffee time. Why not today, stay on and encourage someone else with something you’ve learnt in your Bible reading this week?

Pray for the congregation, as individuals and together, that we will grow stronger as Christians, and serve each other for the common good.

And pray for those who teach God’s word in the congregation - Explorer leaders, Mark and the SET team, Fellowship Group leaders, those on the preaching rota, Clive, Tim and myself - for clarity, and the wisdom to say the things that will help build the church.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 31st May 2009.

Sermon Audio: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11

On Sunday morning I was speaking on spiritual gifts from 1 Corinthians 12. Here's the sermon audio:




Download this sermon

Sermon: 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11

Through the week, I celebrated a birthday. One of the great things about birthdays is presents - those closest to you give you gifts to show their love and affection. I can’t show you what I got, as it was an iTunes voucher and some money! But more important than the presents and cards, was the people they came from.

In our passage this morning, Paul is beginning a new section in his letter to the Corinthians. You might like to have it open as we think about it. As we’ve seen, he has already discussed marriage (7:1), food offered to idols (8:1), and now he comes to spiritual gifts.

I don’t know what that means to you - maybe it’s something you’ve never thought of before, or maybe it’s something you’ve heard a lot about. This morning we’ll begin to look at what Paul says about spiritual gifts, although the whole section goes on until the end of chapter 14.

Sometimes when we think about spiritual gifts, we immediately jump to ourselves, and what gifts we have. This was certainly the case in the church in Corinth. If you’ve been with us through our series you’ll have seen that the Corinthian Christians were full of pride - think of how they divided into groups behind ‘their’ leader, or even from last week, how they were putting themselves first in how they ate the fellowship meal of the Lord’s Supper.

What this meant when it came to spiritual gifts in Corinth was that some were wanting to have and use the more ‘showy’ gifts - the stand out from the crowd, loud and upfront gifts that people would notice. In our passage, and in the whole section, we’ll find tongues being referred to. This is the ability to speak in other languages, unknown to the speaker. Some had this gift in Corinth, and so others were wanting it too - it was something special!

But rather than focussing on the recipients, or even on the gifts themselves, our passage this morning calls us to focus on the one who gives the spiritual gifts. We’ll see three things about God. First, God is the speaking God. Second, God is the one God. And third, God is the giving God. Or if you want a summary, Our God is one, who both speaks and gives for his glory.

As Paul begins to address the issue of spiritual gifts, he reminds the believers that they’re not exactly newcomers to spiritual things. Previously, they were pagans, with demonic spirits being very present in such religions. And yet, at the very heart of their paganism, were ‘mute idols’ - things worshipped which could not speak.

In contrast, though, we find that God is a speaking God - who enables his people to speak as well. In particular, we find that ‘no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.’ Now obviously, anyone could say those three words together, but what Paul means is that no one can truly say them, unless they are a believer. To declare Jesus is Lord in Corinth was to say ‘Caesar is not Lord’. It was to stand for Jesus, naming him Lord over every part of your life - which is a dangerous thing to do! None of us can do it by ourselves - we need the Holy Spirit to enable us and help us to say Jesus is Lord, both every day and for the rest of our days.

Mute idols look so promising, yet they can’t deliver any promises. In which camp are you - with the mute idols, or saying Jesus is Lord? Jesus is King over all I am and all I have - can you say this today?

God is the speaking God. He also helps us to speak out, to declare our faith. But more than that, God is the one God. Let’s read verses 4-6. I want you to look out for the two key words which appear in each verse.

‘Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.’

What were the two words? Varieties, and the same. Do you see what Paul is saying here? There is one God, yet he loves variety! It’s not that there is just one spiritual gift that is available, there are many! It’s not that there is just one type of service that is available, there are many! It’s not that there is just one type of activity (working with God’s energy), there are many!

Do you remember Henry Ford’s words when the Model T was first launched? You can have any colour, so long as it’s black. There was no diversity, or variety there! But God doesn’t work on a mass production line - he shapes us and makes us individually - no two of us are the same!

If you were following closely during the reading, you might have spotted a clue to why this variety is available. It actually goes to the heart of God’s nature and being. Look again at those verses - what are the same’s? Varieties ... but the same Spirit; varieties ... but the same Lord; varieties ... but the same God. Paul shows that God is, in his very nature, variety in unity - three ‘persons’ in the one God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Just as the three are totally united in purpose and love, so God showers his gifts on his people.

Which brings us to our third point. God is the speaking God. God is one God. And now, God is the giving God. Scan your eye down through verses 8 to 10. Paul outlines a list of some of the spiritual gifts that God has given to the congregation in Corinth. Again, we see the variety - utterance of wisdom, utterance of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, kinds of tongues, and their interpretation.

It might be useful to highlight some of these to explain what’s going on. Faith here is not the saving faith that all of us need (not just some) - rather it is a special gift of faith to step out for God, and to encourage others to come along - for example, in a building project, or in beginning a new venture. Gifts of healing and miracles relate to people, relationships or situations where conflict occurs and healing is needed, bringing people together. When we think of prophecy, it’s normally fore-telling - speaking about the future. But here it’s more usually forth-telling - proclaiming God’s word.

If you look later at Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:7-11, and 1 Peter 4:7-11, you’ll see some similar and some other spiritual gifts. And where do they come from?

Verse 11 gives us the clear answer. ‘All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.’ Each one has some spiritual gift, received from the Holy Spirit, who gives us these gifts.

And why are we given these gifts? Look back at verse 7. ‘To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.’

The Corinthians wanted to have the showy gifts like tongues to put themselves forward, to steal the limelight. Did you notice that in the list of gifts, tongues came down at the bottom? Rather than being something to boost the individual believer, spiritual gifts are given to build up other believers - for the common good. So if the Spirit has enabled you to sing or play a musical instrument, you don’t do it to put yourself up at the front, but to encourage and build up others. Or through hospitality, or welcoming people, or by spending hours in prayer, or teaching - working with God’s power for the common good of giving glory to God and helping other believers grow.

This was something the Corinthians still had to learn - next week we’ll see how Paul develops this theme as he describes the church as the body of Christ and what this means for the use of spiritual gifts.

As I said at the start, it was my birthday through the week. I was away at a conference, and some of the other guys remembered it, and organised a cake for lunchtime. Out it came, and I had to blow out the candles - it was nearly a fire risk! Now, I could have tried to eat it all by myself, and got very sick in the process. But that’s not what you do - it was a gift to me, but it was really for everyone who was there. What was given to me benefited everyone. God’s gifts to the individual are for the whole body.

Maybe this talk of spiritual gifts has sparked your interest. What is it that God has given you to contribute to the body? How are you encouraging those around you? These are useful questions to be asking.

But if you know what your gifts are, if you know how God has blessed you, then are you using your gifts? Are you using them to promote yourself, to make a show of yourself? Or are you using the things God has given you for the common good, to help and support others?

Let’s thank God now for his gifts, and ask him to help us use them for his glory.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's, Dundonald on Sunday 3rd May 2009.