Christians under construction Peacemakers 9/1/19 Carroll UMC

Christians under construction

Peacemakers 9/1/19

Carroll UMC

Good morning fixer-uppers.

How is your remodeling coning?

Are you starting to get what Jesus is doing in your hearts? I know it is a lifetime worth of work and someday we’ll come back to the beatitudes.

This week we come to “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of  God”. This is like Jesus’ top 10 list except there are only 8.  By that, I mean that many of Jesus’ other teachings can be listed under one of these top 8. Some have said that there are only 7 beatitudes with persecution being different because it is a likely outcome of the other seven. They further argue that the list is in ascending order. So, it would be like.

 number 7 beatitude: poor in spirit

Number 6: Those who mourn

Number 5: Meek

Number 4: hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Number 3 beatitude: Merciful

Number 2: pure in heart

 And the number one beatitude and goal of the Christian life is (drumroll please?) Datadada! Peacemakers.

Now I don’t know if that was Jesus’ intention, but I do know that Jesus was all about peace. Helping people to make peace with God. Helping people to make peace with others.

Before we address those three areas of peacemaking. Let’s talk about the word peacemakers. Obviously, there are two words here knit together as a compound word: “peace” and “maker.”

  It won’t surprise many of you to know that peace is the Hebrew word is shalom. It is a blessing word used for either coming or going.  It is like “hello” and “goodbye” all rolled into one.  Shalom covers health, prosperity, harmony, and wholeness. Shalom wishes serenity, fulfillment, trouble-free living, and contentment. When a Jew said “Shalom” they were wishing the other person Peace with others (like the family) peace within themselves and peace with God. Now we must be careful because in the bible there is no peace without justice and righteousness.  It goes both ways, you can’t have peace if you don’t have justice and righteousness. And if you have justice and righteousness, you very likely have peace.

 The word “make” in “peacemakers” comes from the Greek verb that means “to do” or “to make.” But it is more than that. It is filled with energy and commitment and it demands action right now. It is filled with passion and urgency.

 “Notice Jesus did not say “Blessed are the peacewishers or the peacehopers or the peacedreamers or the peacelovers or peacetalkers.”  Peace must be made. Peace never happens by chance. We can’t wish, hope, dream or talk peace into existence. It is hard work and takes someone who is committed to getting it started and seeing all the way through. A peacemaker is never passive. They always take the initiative.

The peacemaker, then is one who actively and energetically works toward peace.

They are likely to run TO a conflict rather than away and they may possibly cause more conflict before peace can come and they might become targets themselves.

Jesus calls us all to be peacemakers actively working for a righteous and just peace in every sphere of life.

Peacemakers seek peace in the family, between neighbors, between different cultures, between the police and the public, between different religions, and between nations. You know as well as I do that there is plenty of work to be done.

 You know the song “I’ve got peace like a river?”  When I look at the world around me, I don’t see rivers of peace.

I see rivers of conflict, road rage, bullying and more. I see political parties entrenched stubbornly and unreasonably in a seemingly permanent standoff.  I see rivers of hate between races, classes, competing interests, and competing values.

I see rivers of mistrust and animosity between people and their government (actually I get that), and between nations.  There is so much mistrust and suspicion between so many nations right now China, Russia, Mexico, and North Korea seem to top the list. And that isn’t even taking in to account our epidemic of mass shootings, domestic terrorism and the multiple terrorist cells hiding around the world.

In a world with so many rivers of anger, and hatred, and fear, and mistrust, and extremist hate, and wars and rumors of wars…we are supposed to be peacemakers?

Yes. That is what Jesus says.  And remember peacemakers are by definition “makers” doers, workers… peace will not come if we sit back and wait for it. Peacemakers are those who actively seek a wholistic, comprehensive peace with God and our neighbor. We are peacemakers… and Kent Hughes says, “If we aren’t peacemakers, we are troublemakers.”  No one wants that label.

 So, let’s start with the vertical aspect. Peace with God. We aren’t at war with God. But the sin in us is against God.  And Paul describes the war that robs us of peace when he says, “the evil I do not want to do is what I do. And the good I do want to do is what I don’t do.  It is sin that lives in me.”

It is a good thing for us that God is the God of peace.  Isaiah predicts the coming messiah using the title “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). At the Nativity, the angels sing “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!” (Luke 2:14). Jesus’ often told sinners and those whom he had healed to go in peace.  And his last will and testament included the words, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful” (John 14:27). After the resurrection, Jesus’ first word to the disciples was “Shalom.” "Peace to you!" We could follow the theme of peace through all the new testament because it is a very prominent theme.

Instead, let's talk about what it means in real practical terms.  Paul writes about the work, of Jesus, “Through Christ, God was pleased . . . to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20).

So, the truth is that from God’s perspective, Christ has already given us the gift of peace with God.  He gave himself up for the sake of removing the barrier of sin that separated us from God. With the simple gift of faith, we can have peace with God.

Do you feel that peace? … Do you feel the forgiveness flowing through you from all sides as Jesus’ peace washes over you as though you are standing under a big waterfall?  Grace is everywhere. It is on us, in us, around us, it flows through us, it fills us… Grace is everywhere. Does your heart feel the peace that comes from God? If not, ask and you will receive. So, I want each of you to think of someone you know who needs God’s peace. Maybe it is you maybe a friend. And let’s pray.

God, there are so many people in this world who do not know your peace. There are probably some in this room who really struggle with trusting in the peace you made by the blood of the cross. There is a whole company of names we lift in prayer right now. We offer them to you and pray that they would come to know and accept your peace.  We claim for them the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Draw them close to you and grant them your peace AMEN

Se we seek peace with God for ourselves and those around us.

That is vertical peace. 

 Now the horizontal peace.

For most of us, it starts at home. Working for peace in the family, with neighbors and with each other. Peace with our bosses, coworkers, and those who report to us. Peace with the cable guy, the food server who is more than a little slow, or the clerk at Casey’s. Those are the things we can control. We can be peacemakers in all those situations. Remember, however, there is no peace without righteousness and justice. Without being in right relationship with God and making sure that everyone is being treated justly, there can be no peace.  Can you think of one your relationships into which you could put some energy and time to work toward peace?  I can, so I’ll bet most of you can.

Let’s pray right now.

God, it is hard to have peace in our hearts when we have broken relationships all around us. We want to be peacemakers. We want to take the initiative, we want to be the makers of shalom.  Fill us up with peace to overflowing. Give us courage to face problems we would rather not face and give us the humility to admit where we may be part of the problem. Walk with us, O God, as we work for peace with the people around us. AMEN

In this same horizontal making of peace in relationships, we also run into situations much bigger than ourselves. The lack of peace between police and the public, for instance, or between racial groups, socioeconomic classes, political parties, and nations.

We can’t individually solve those problems. We are too small to make a difference. It is like David standing up to Goliath… wait who won that battle? … Right. The little guy who was too small to make a difference... Paul has an important point in Romans 12:18 “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  If possible, and as far as it depends on you. These issues seem so big we don’t know where to start.  But get your sling and a stone and go after those goliaths. Do what you CAN do.  Join a protest, sign a petition, use the power of your vote, write letters, boycott, take a stand, be the Rosie parks or, Itzhak Rabin or, like one of the untold hundreds or thousands who died in Tiananmen Square.

It takes all the preparation of the other Beatitudes like a pure heart, and mercy and humility, but we can do it.

So, one more time chose a situation that needs the peace that seems out of reach.  And let us pray.

God, you call us to be peacemakers. Sometimes we don’t want to, but usually, we just feel inadequate. Help us each to find a way. Even a small way, to be makers of peace in this world. Draw us to the right people, the right organizations, give us the right words for our letters and strengthen us as we stand to face those who block peace.

God, we truly want to be peacemakers: we desperately seek peace with you, peace with each other, and peace in our world.  God make us instruments of your peace.

AMEN and AMEN

Christians under construction: blessed are the pure in heart.

Carroll FUMC August 24 and 25, 2019

  Good morning fixer uppers. Back to work on the rehab project today.  Which means back to work on ourselves.  We are God’s rehab projects and remolding your heart is God’s favorite job.

We have talked about 5 of the beatitudes and you can almost see them as a process.

 The first beatitude tells us that we have to admit that we are poor in spirit, which means knowing deep inside that we are empty, powerless, and completely unable to save ourselves.

The second beatitude challenges us to begin to regret or mourn the ways we have hurt God and the people around us.

Meekness, which is the third beatitude, means that we voluntarily give up our right to direct our own lives in favor of God directing us.

  And then we develop a desperate hunger for God and God’s righteousness in the fourth beatitude.

Once we have been filled with God’s righteousness, the beatitudes start turning outward and talking about our faith in action like giving and receiving mercy.

  And today we come to purity of heart. Let’s say todays beatitude together. “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD.”

  Pure in heart… Let’s start with heart and we’ll come back to purity. 

The heart is a very powerful organ.

Physicists tell us that in one hour the heart works hard enough to lift a 150-pound man to the top of a 3-story building. In 12 hours enough to lift a 65-ton tank off the ground 1 foot. And in 70 years, a common life span, the heart has done enough work to lift the world's biggest battleship right out of the ocean. I defy you to create a machine that can work continuously 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year after year that does not need lubricating, adjusting, and does not even need to be tinkered with over the course of a lifetime.

Our heart is amazing. Of course, Jesus wants us to take care of it.  He is advocating a little cardio, good food and regular checkups, right? Was Jesus really ahead of his time with a degree in cardiology?  I don’t think so.

  When Jesus refers to the heart he is not talking in modern anatomical terms. He is using the ancient conception that the heart is the center of our being. The heart in biblical thought is the center of passions and emotions, thought and reflection, decision and will. It is the whole of our inner being from which come all our ideas, thoughts, feelings, desires, and decisions.  We might think of it as our REAL character. Jesus said in Matthew 15:18-20 that the heart is the source of the things that defile a person. 'But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a person'.

But wait… good things come from the heart too. What about good thoughts, generosity, faithfulness, truth, and praise? Yes, they come from the heart, but only a heart that is pure.  Only when our true character is not concealed by sin.  The selfish desires, the jealousy, all the hate, all the fear obstructs our view of life and God. … Only as our true character is cleansed from all these impurities, does goodness begin to seep out and then we can see God more clearly.

  So, let’s talk about purity for a minute.

The Greek word Jesus uses for purity is 'CA-THI-ROS'  Ca-thi-ros was used to describe clean drinking water, threshed grain, metals that were 100% a single metal. From it we get the words catharsis, catheter, and cathartic. Each one has to do with getting rid of stuff we don’t need.

Our hearts are like well water… it is indeed water but there are all kinds of minerals and solubles in it. You might like that the taste, but if you want pure water, someone has to filter it and distill it so there is nothing but H2O in your glass.  This is the essence of 'cathiros' is to subtract the bad stuff until there is only one thing left. To subtract all the minerals  from water until is 100% H2O. It is to chip away all the stuff in our heart that was not put there by God at our conception until our hearts are 100% the image of God.

What does it mean to be pure of heart then? 

Does it mean that we are sinless?

Does it mean that we are perfect?

Does it mean that we never doubt?

 No, it doesn’t. The emphasis here is not on PURE but on HEART. Let me explain.

You know that over and over again Jesus gets into trouble with the pharisees. There is a good reason for that.  The pharisees were most concerned about right action in order to stay ritually pure.  Therefore, they avoided pigs and dead bodies and a thousand other things. They ate only approved foods. They washed and bathed in ritual ways to make sure that they were ritually pure, and they thought that being ritually pure made them right with God.

These are the people Jesus called “whitewashed tombs,” pretty on the outside but dead on the inside. These are the people whom Jesus called a “brood of vipers” and asked “How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.” (Matthew 12:34)

It isn’t that the pharisees were really evil, but they wore their religion on the outside.

For Jesus, religion had to start on the inside. When Jesus says blessed are the pure in heart, he was pointing out that wearing your faith on the outside is not enough. It has to get inside you. Jesus wants to push us beyond outward religion to examine what is in the inside.

•         A good pharisee would never commit murder. But Jesus says murder grows out of hate, which starts in the heart.

•         A good pharisee would never commit adultery. But Jesus says, the sin doesn’t happen when you act on it, you have to trace it all the way back to the first lustful thought.  Who has never had a lustful thought?

•         The pharisee would say, “I am pure because I am very careful to ritually wash my hands or even my whole body whenever it is necessary.” Jesus says, “fine, but no soap can get to the source of your uncleanliness. God looks at what is in the heart.”

Notice that Jesus is not emphasizing purity …the pharisees made a science of ritual purity.  He is emphasizing purity of heart over purity of the hands. Not purity in keeping the law but purity in loving, serving and forgiving.

 Have you ever really listened to the first two vows in the baptism of confirmation service… DO YOU RENOUNCE THE SPIRITUAL POWERS OF WICKNESS, REJECT EVIL POWERS OF THIS WORLD AND REPENT OF YOUR SIN? Wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy?  But we know from the first beatitude that we can’t do it ourselves  so the second question is DO YOU ACCEPT THE FREEDOM AND POWER GOD GIVES YOU TO RESIST EVIL INJUSTICE AND OPPRESSION. Do you accept God’s help to have a pure heart?

You might say, I am “pretty pure”… I mean I would never murder, or cheat on my spouse, or steal, or any other obviously wicked behavior.  Sure, I might have a vengeful thought, or a judgmental attitude, or misdirected anger.  But I am almost pure.

If that’s what you are thinking you might be a little like the 10 year old boy who wanted to see an R rated movie.  His mom said, “No.”  The kid said, “Oh, there’s not a lot of bad stuff in it. There’s just a little bit of bad stuff.”  The mom said, “Fine.  First, I’m going to make you brownies.”  The kid was pumped. 

She went out in the yard, got a little spoonful of dog poop, mixed them in the brownies, made the brownies, and said, “Here you go.  But before you eat them, you need to know there’s just a little bit of poop in the brownies.”

“I’m not eating that.  That’s gross that’s gross.” She said, “No, no, no.  There’s just a little bit of poop in the brownies, just like there’s a little bit of bad stuff in your movie.”

Would you eat the brownies if they were “almost” pure?  Then why would you be satisfied with a heart that is “almost” pure.

 We’re back to  subtraction aren’t we?

Are you OK with your brownies being almost pure?

Are you satisfied with just a little bit of racism in your heart?  If not, you and God need to purify your heart.

Are you satisfied with just a little bit of greed, or hate, or anger in your heart? If not, you and God need to purify your heart.

Are you OK with having just a little bit of unforgiveness in your heart? If not, you and God need to purify your heart.

When I was in youth ministry, I used to tell the girls don’t wear a swimsuit if you would be embarrassed to show it off to your grandpa. Purity of heart is kind of like that. If there is anything that you wouldn’t brag about to God (or your grandma) maybe it needs to be subtracted.

Purity of heart doesn’t happen all at once… at least not for most of us.  It is a lifetime of searching out the stuff that isn’t brownie in the corners of our hearts and giving it to God. The traditional word for it is “sanctification.”

You can start right now. Close your eyes and imagine… Think about the last 24 hours of your life.  Or ,,,if you have a purer heart than I do the last week… and hold it up  to God.  Is there anything you would prefer God didn’t see?  Is there anything that makes you at least a little uncomfortable?

Now, sort out just that part of your heart that is not brownie, just the part you would prefer not God didn’t see.

Do you have it? Now… offer it to God.

Remember you are poor in spirit you can’t do this by yourself.

Hand the impurity to God.  And pray out loud after me.

“God, I give this to you. And I never want it back. Purify my heart so I never do that again. Purify my real character and help me to fill that spot with your joy, or your goodness, or your love.  Free the people sitting around me from their impurities so that together we will see you more clearly.  Thank you for freeing us.  Thank you for purifying us. Thank you for loving us. In the powerful name of Jesus, I pray… AMEN”

Christians under construction Hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Carroll UMC 8/10 and 11, 2019

Christians under construction

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness.

Carroll UMC 8/10 and 11, 2019

Our fixer upper project will be half done today.

How are you feeling? Someone told me the other day that this series had been very “interesting.” I told them interesting is not enough. We need to move these beatitudes from our heads to our hearts so that we will be truly changed.

The question is NOT do you understand the beatitudes we have covered: poor in spirit, mourning, and meekness. The question is do you have them deep down inside.

 Do you feel your emptiness, your powerlessness, your weakness, your poverty of spirit before God? Do you feel like a hole in the bottom of a bucket? … not even the bucket, just the hole. Do you really feel your nothingness and know that nothing you do can ever fill you up? Do you really feel your poverty of spirit?

Do you grieve? Do you feel real pain over the things you have done or not done that have hurt others and God? I am not talking about “oops, sorry.” I am talking about feeling hopelessly heartbroken over the hurt you have caused and desperately wanting to do better. Grieving our brokenness. Do you feel like the bucket with the hole in the bottom? We can never extinguish the fires we have set because we leak out faster than we can be filled up. Do you mourn your sin?

Have you given up fixing yourself and are you ready to give up your own efforts to rely on God? Are you willing to give up the attitudes that cause pain in order to be filled with the mind of Christ? Are you ready to give up your self-sufficiency in order to feel that only God is enough? Are you willing to set aside your plans to be part of God’s plans? Are you willing to place your hopes under God’s hope for the kingdom which is both present and promised? For whom are you living? You or God?

When and only when we are keenly aware of our emptiness, deeply mourn the hurts our sin causes, and when we are wholly willing to trust our lives to God… then and only then are we ready for the next step, or the next beatitude.

  Let’s read this week’s beatitude together “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

 Let’s start with something we all know. (Or we think we know.) Being hungry and thirsty. We all know the stomach growl that comes along with being late for a meal. We all know the cotton tongue when we can’t find water fast enough! Is that hungering and thirsting?... not quite. Most of us, thank God, will never experience real physical hunger. When people get really hungry, they are willing to eat out of a garbage can or off the streets. When people get really thirsty, they want to take a straw to suck the ocean dry. That is Getting closer to the hunger and thirst Jesus is talking about. Hungry enough to walk 10 miles (uphill both directions) for some food? What about drinking out of a water bottle you find on the street I hope you never have to. But Jesus point is if we get hungry and thirsty enough, we will do things we never thought possible.

Now translate that to our need for God. Translate that to a hunger for God. A passionate desperation for God to fill us. A deep loneliness that can only be filled by God. Jesus is talking about the strongest craving you have ever had. An insatiable need for something to more to eat or drink. The lifegiving sustenance of God.

 What is it that Jesus says we should hunger and thirst for? Righteousness. When people think of righteousness the only thing they tend to think of self-righteousness. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for self-righteousness several times calling them a “wicked and perverse generation” and a “brood of vipers.”

Jesus is not promoting SELF-righteousness. If we are paying attention it is exactly the opposite. We are spiritually poor, mourning, meekly trusting in God’s righteousness. Self-righteousness is a misnomer. There is no righteousness in us, but only in God.

Righteousness is being in line, being in the right place, living the right way. being in the right relationship with God.

 They say, "You are what you eat." Nutritionists tell us that our appetites determine our diet, our diet determines our intake, and our intake determines our health.

"You are what you eat" applies in the spiritual realm as well. Jesus challenges us to look at our spiritual appetite with the penetrating words of the fourth Beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6).

In this simple sentence, Jesus tells us that our hunger determines our spiritual health. In order to grasp its meaning for us, we need to explore two types of righteousness.

 First, there is the free gift of righteousness. I take that phrase from Romans 5:17. The passage reads

16 And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Paul basically says if we are judged on our own merits we are domed. But if we hunger for the free gift of righteousness in Christ, Jesus offers us his own righteousness, like putting a beautiful coat over our rag tag sinful life. So, when God sees us, he does not see our dirty old sinful rags. What he sees is Jesus’ beautiful righteous coat. This all happens by faith alone, which still amazes me.

It is a FREE gift, no strings attached, no gimmick, no tricks, just a free gift that comes by faith.

Colin Smith in his book about the beatitudes called Momentum,  says eople who come to Christ in penitent faith realize that they don’t have what it takes before God. (That is the point of beatitudes 1-3) That is why we come, and when we do, we receive the marvelous gift of Christ’s perfect righteousness, draped over us and counted by God as if it were our own.

              Righteousness is God’s free gift that works on our hearts molding them and shaping them into exactly what God wants us to be.

ON THE OTHER HAND…

On the one hand is the free gift of righteousness. On the other hand, there is the life of righteousness. Free righteousness changes us from the inside, shapes and molds our hearts. The life of righteousness grows out of our changed hearts.

Let’s look at the other places in Matthew in which the term righteousness is used.

Righteousness starts in the heart and changes a person from the inside out

Let’s start with the passage we read today, Jesus said, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). The Pharisees had created a religious system built around attendance at the temple. It included hundreds of rules intended to keep people away from sin. While staying away from sin might create the illusion of righteousness, it does not make for righteous living. It was like wearing cheap perfume splashed on to cover up the truth that was in the heart. True righteousness starts in the heart and changes a person from the inside out.

Lived righteousness makes us different.

The 8th beatitude, which we will study in a few weeks, uses the word righteousness. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness" (Matt. 5:10).

Those who hunger and thirst to be right with God live righteous lives that make us obviously different from others around us. Which can draw criticism and even persecution.

The question is do we hunger and thirst for God enough to be different? Do we hunger and thirst to do the thing that is right before God, so much that you are willing to be criticized for it or even persecuted? Lived righteousness makes us different.

Righteousness is not for showing off how religious we are, but rather to honor God.

In the third use of this word in Matthew, Jesus said: "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven" (Matt. 6:1). The Pharisees loved to pray in public - loudly! They loved to dress up in fancy clothes and make a show of their offering. They would do anything to get attention and praise. The key words here are “to be seen by them.” It was like smoke. It could be seen but there was nothing to hold on to. The purpose of living righteousness is not to show off, but to honor the changes God has made in our hearts. True disciples don’t care what others think, they only care that they honor God.

 Righteousness causes us to seek to honor God above everything else

The fourth occurrence might be the best known: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you" (Matthew 6:33). This passage pushes us to consider the priorities of life. Are we seeking approval from others, wealth, security, respect, happiness? Those are all OK, but they should not be our number one priority. Or do you seek above all things to honor God. Seeking the kingdom of God means being willing to be different because we are shaped by God’s righteousness in our hearts. It means that we don’t behave differently in order to get attention, but only to honor God above everything else.

 Put these four passages together and what do you have? Righteousness is being changed from the inside out to live a truly Christian lifestyle, not in order to please the preacher, or show up your neighbor, or prove your goodness, but only… only… only to honor God.

In short, Righteousness is being changed from the inside out to live a life that honors God.

 You can live this life. In fact, Jesus plainly says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” That means anyone who wants more than anything else in the world to live the good life of the kingdom of God will be blessed. Anyone who wants more than anything else in the world to live the good life of the kingdom of God will be filled.

Filled With what? Food? No. Money? No. Long life? No. Promotion? No. Happiness? No. A perfect family? No. A trouble-free life? No. What then?

You will be filled with God’s self.

In spirituality, if you want it enough, if you hunger and thirst for it… God wants to give it to you.

You want a deeper spiritual life, you can have it.

 If you want to be more like Jesus, you can.

The truth is that most of us are about as close to God to now as we want to be.

For the most part, you are where you are right now because that's where you want to be.

If you want to badly enough, you can do God's will.

If you want to badly enough, you can grow spiritually.

If you want to badly enough, you can change deeply-ingrained habits.

If you want to badly enough, you can break destructive patterns of behavior.

If you want to badly enough, you can have a close walk with God.

If you were hungry for something better God wants you to have it.

What do you want more than anything?

May your hunger lead to being blessed by God.

May your thirst lead you to being filled with God.

Christians Under Construction Humility and trust FUM Carroll 8/4/19 Saturday evening sermon

Christians Under Construction

Humility and trust

FUM Carroll 8/4/19

Jack from the video has some work to do on himself, doesn’t he? He’s got quite an attitude, but at least Tom has him thinking.

To be honest, I guess I have a lot of work to do on myself too. Maybe you do too.

That’s OK though. For these 8 weeks, we are a construction zone. I don’t mean like you had here two years ago. The beautiful remodel of the church was nothing compared to the remodeling we need in our hearts and lives.

We could just go slap some paint on our attitudes or throw some cold patch in the potholes of our hearts or prop up our precariously leaning love for others. But God is not in the patch it up, cover it up, prop it up --business. God is in the life makeover business of making us new creatures in Christ. Paul writes, “So if anyone is in Christ, (if anyone is a Christian) they are a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

Hear that? Everything has become new. We are God’s fixer-uppers.

The problem is that we are a mess. Years of neglect and decay have taken their toll. The bad news is that Chip and Joanna Gaines will not be here to help us. So, God has some heavy construction to do. Let’s strap your tool belts on and let’s get to work.

2 First, let’s build the foundation. A “beatitude” is a literary form that was used in other ancient documents. These 8 beatitudes are original to Jesus, but they rely heavily on the Old Testament which Jesus and his hearers knew inside out.

“Beatitude” means blessing. Some Bibles translate the beatitudes using the word “happy.” Happiness, however, is based on outward prosperity or comfort and therefore is temporary. Some have suggested the word “lucky” … That is an unfortunate translation because luck has a certain randomness to it. There is nothing random about God’s blessing. No, blessedness is an inward and lasting joy or contentment in our relationship with God.

I want us to think of blessedness as “divine assurance.” Maybe we could call it “holy confidence” in God. It is an assurance in God’s provision, God’s goodness, God’s love, God’s grace, and that God is enough. Biblically we can see this kind of assurance in Romans 8. “When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.”  It is by the blessing of the holy spirit in our lives, that we can have full confidence in God. To be blessed is to know …that we know… that we know that God is… and that God is enough.

Fanny Crosby says it better than I could ever say it.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

0 what a foretaste of glory Divine!

Heir to salvation, purchase of God

Born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood. —

Blessed Assurance is foundational to all the beatitudes. They all start with “Blessed are.” So, as I studied each beatitude, I was looking for the quality that Jesus was lifting up that would help us to experience contentment or assurance that God is enough for us and we are enough for God.

 Let’s say the first beatitude it together… “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We know that those who are poor in spirit will receive “blessed assurance.” So, what is “poor in spirit? Like any fixer-upper project, we have to start with demolition. We have to start by getting rid of the stuff that keeps us from experiencing blessed assurance. That’s why I have the sledgehammer and crowbar. To be Poor in spirit we have to get rid of the illusion that we are rich in spirit.

Our culture says

'Blessed are those who are always right.

Blessed are those who are strong.

Blessed is the popular person'.

Blessed are those who get what they want at any cost.

 In order to be poor in spirit, we have to knock down our stubborn self-reliance.

We must pry lose the “I am my own boss” attitude.

We must rip out our need to always be right.

To be poor in spirit, we must smash the illusion that we are strong enough.

We must blow up our need to get what we want at any cost.

It all comes down to, “we have to get over yourselves!”

It is only in getting over ourselves and acknowledging our spiritual poverty that we can receive the blessed assurance from God.

Obviously, in order to get over ourselves, we may have to tear out some walls, pull up the carpet and maybe even get all the way back to the framing of our lives.

The engineering problem with that is we may have to take out some load-bearing walls. If we take out load-bearing walls the weight of the roof and the upper stories will come crashing down on top of us.

  We need to be very careful not to prop up our house of faith with the sane kind self-reliance which has held us back for so long. Fortunately, the beatitude for this week does just that. Read with me, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Meekness may be the exact opposite of what you think.

We think of meekness as weakness. We think of meekness and being a doormat. We think of meekness as gullibility.

Not so! Meekness is being strong enough to set aside our own rights for the benefit of someone else. Notice I said “strong enough” … being strong enough to set aside our own rights for the benefit of someone else.

That takes real strength, real faith, real trust, to be meek in a culture based on our individual rights, in a nation that has a history of protecting the rights of the individual.

In our every day lives, we might see meekness as we set aside our plans for the day to help our spouse or children with what they need to do. We might see it in business if you work for an organization that says the customer is always right. You might see it in the church when we make a change in order to make some group comfortable even though we really liked the way we were doing it.

Spiritually, of course, what Jesus is talking about is meekness before God. Once we humbly acknowledge that we are “poor in spirit” or empty and powerless, we set aside our own lives for the benefit of the kingdom of God. We set aside our own plans for God’s plans. We set aside our own needs for the needs of the least of these. We set aside our own concerns to care for the hurting and hopeless in our community.

 That takes real trust! Spiritual meekness is demolishing the wall protecting our rights which limits our willingness to serve God and replacing it with a wall built entirely out of trust in God. We trust God to set the boundaries We trust God to set the direction. We trust God to set the priorities. We trust God to set the agenda for the day.

I believe it was the famous pastor Eugene Peterson who taught that ministry is found not so much in our plans but un the interruptions to our plans. I think that is true for all of us. A life lived for God is found not so much in our plans as it is in accepting the surprises God has in store for us. If we are too fixated on our own plans and rights. We will miss those surprises.

To be meek means to trust God in all things and place your, rights, plans, hopes dreams, and life entirely in God’s hands.

Perhaps meekness is best expressed in John Wesley’s covenant prayer that we prayed a few months ago. I invite you to pray it together.

  “I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

 I freely and heartily yield all things

to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.”

 Blessed are the poor who understand needing God --and blessed are the meek who are willing to trust the leading of God.