Pastor Rob Henderson
Shelby Wesleyan Church
48 ferry
shelby, MI 49455
231-861-5375
https://www.angelfire.com/mi2/robhenderson/
robnaomi@oceana.net
June 11, 2000 am
Acts 1:4-5
I love to party! And during this time of the year their are lots of parties. Open houses celebrating the graduations, receptions that celebrate the weddings, and family reunions that celebrate families.
When I was a boy growing up on Isabella Avenue in Muskegon there was a party on the corner. A big party. My brother, sister and I went down there and there was a massive number of people, lots of food, and loud Mexican music. Wow! A Mexican party. No one knows how to party like our Mexican neighbors. I was impressed. A guy came up and got us plates and we ate. He showed us the cake and we had cake. I went over and started getting some punch and he ran over “No, no, no. Not this. You drink this.” And he pointed out a different bowl. I had no idea what the party was for but we had fun.
Today is Pentecost Sunday. For the Jews this is the Feast of First Fruits. The end of the harvest season and a day of celebrating God’s provision. For Christians this is the birthday of the Church and a day of celebrating God’s provision. Today we commemerate not only Christ’s ascension to the right hand of the Father but we remember something very important and special that makes Christianity different from religion.
During the first century an interesting move was made by the Jewish people, very likely instigated by the Pharisees. The Feast of First Fruits became a time of remembering the giving of the law on Mt. Sinai. When Moses received the Ten Commandments. Rather than just giving God the first fruits of provisions they began to celebrate the receiving of the law from God. For the Pharisees especially, the law is what brought eternal life. That is why the Pharisees were so rigid in their teaching but in their zeal to be perfect they lost the message of God’s grace. Their foolish hearts were darkened and even to the point of committing atroicious sins because they had so nit-picked the law. For the Jews the giving of the law was the apex of their religion.
But what do the rules and regulations of the Old Testament accomplish? They simply point out the shortcomings in our own lives and make us realize that we are not perfect. In fact Paul writes in Romans 3:20- “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin.”
The law wakes us up to our short comings and our sin. When we read the Old Testament and especially the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, we see the challenges that face mankind in his quest to be perfect.
ACHEIVING THE UNATTAINABLE: RIGHTEOUSNESS
Around our world there are all kinds of belief systems that cause their believers to pursue perfection. There are the Seven Laws of Enlightenment that a Buddhist must follow. Within the Islam religion, there are standard practices that the Moslems follow such as praying towards Mecca and at some point in their life they need to go to Mecca. Even the athiest and agnostic seek to live the righteous life by not being encumbered with rules and yet they create their own definition of believing and end up having a list of guidelines just like any other religion. Various cults of Christianity erect rules to clarify themselves from the world. These and other beliefs are trying to achieve the unattainable: righteousness.
The Jewish people were just like any other people: they wanted to please God and be counted as righteous. And it was the law that made them that way. They obeyed the laws, observed the festivals and gave sacrifices. To them, obedience to the law was equal to righteousness. All their efforts were put into serving God through obedience to the law. And what endangered Christianity was this very issue: Does the law save or the cross of Christ? It seems that early Christians were just as prone to blurring the lines of salvation as we are today. And in the first century the Pharisees had risen as strong proponents of the law. The more you knew and obeyed the law the better chance you had for eternal life.
Paul responded to this with these words of challenge. He says in 2 Corinthians 3:9- “If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, [that is, this glorious obedience to the law] how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!”
The Pharisees saw the law as their redemption. The Christian sees the law as condemnation. The Pharisees saw the law as glorious. The Christian sees the cross as even more glorious.
BELIEVING THE UNBELIEVABLE: THE CROSS
How do we do this? How can we, as Christian believers, trust the cross and find that place of righteousness?
How about where you live? How do you live a life of holiness? What are you supposed to do to be counted worthy for the kingdom of God? What makes the difference between Christianity and the rest of the world? Despite your hurts and pains what really matters most to us?
So many of us are in pain. Arthritus, debilitating injuries, progressive diseases, and much more. We pray for healing, we pray for comfort through our trial, we ask God for help. But what matters most in your life? What is the most important thing in your heart?
How about Jesus Christ? “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” To know Christ and to understand His resurrection means for me to be willing to lay aside everything that I have and all that I am. It’s not the things that I do or don’t do that helps me to understand Christ better but its walking in the Spirit.
The Bible says, “Be holy as I am holy.” Our holiness is not grounded in our obedience to the law but is based on the ministry of the Holy Spirit. John Wesley preached this: “[Holiness is] is not a bare external religion... a round of outward duties... No: Gospel holiness is no less than the image of Christ Jesus stamped upon the heart...” Holiness begins with the new birth. When you choose to follow Christ the assurance of that choice is when the Holy Spirit enters your heart. And when that happens your new life in Christ begins. You cannnot live the Christian life of perfect love without the Holy Spirit.
And this is what Pentecost Sunday is all about: The Holy Spirit.
Moses may have come down from Mt. Sinai with the Ten Commandments, but the Holy Spirit comes down as a mighty rushing wind, blowing away the chaff of our heart and sanctifying us holy.
My righteousness comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit not from the rules I follow. My perfection is because I am regarded as holy because of the death of Christ on the cross. When I approach God in prayer I am entering into the Holy of Holies. And I am safe from God’s wrath on sin. God hates sin. But because of the cross, because of Jesus Christ, I can enter into His presence.
In the Old Testament sacrifices were given that brought a certain kind of righteousness to the people. We also learn from the Old Testament that disobedience to God reaped punishment. However, all of the obedience and sacrifices did not grant salvation and righteousness to the people. They were looking ahead to the promise of the coming Messiah. And most of them did not understand but yet they had faith.
God did not find their sacrifices fulfilling enough to cover their sin. And were we to observe the same it would not be enough. Our sin is such an abomination before God that our faith in those sacrifical offerings could not gain us one tiny bit of eternity in heaven. In fact, our obedience to every single law in the Old Testament could not save us. There was a point in the Old Testament where God found the smell of the sacrifices as offensive.
The bottom line: Only Jesus Christ can save us from our sin.
And that is what Matthew tells us in his opening chapter: “You will call him Jesus for he will save his people from their sin.”
Only our faith in Jesus Christ will save us FROM our sin. Not of our sin but from our sin.
Jesus fulfilled the law. Our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior upholds the whole law; not because of our obediences to God’s ordinances but because of our faith in Jesus Christ. Those sacrifices and offerings are fulfilled through the cross of Christ. Jesus took the Law with him to the cross and it was nailed there. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead not only showed his power over sin and death but also provides us with the power over sin and to live a life of perfect love.
RECEIVING THE IMPLAUSIBLE: THE HOLY SPIRIT
Where does this power come from? How can we walk in perfect love with God and with our neighbor?
God promised in Zechariah 12:10- “I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem thge spirit of grace and supplications.” God also promised in Joel 2:28 “That I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. Upon your sons and daughters and your old men will dream dreams and your young men will see visions.” Jesus Christ talked about that power when he told the disciples to “stay in Jerusalem you are endued with the power from on high.”
The power that Christ promised comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Where is you life at right now? Do you find yourself weak in the face of temptation? You need the power of the Holy Spirit to fill you completely. Maybe there is a sin you are struggling with in your life. You keep trying to overcome but seem powerless. It tears you down and controls your life. Maybe there is a wrong relationship going on between you and your spouse. Whatever the struggle with sin the power does not come from your effort to be holy but comes from the Holy Spirit.
To be a follower of Jesus Christ calls for us to surrender everything to God. To let go of all that we count as valuable and give it to Him.
Jesus promised in the book of John that a Comforter would come. This Comforter would bring strength and power. This Comforter would bring a revival.
We talk so much about our nation needing a revival. Our society is in moral decay. But let’s be real: if the church was being the church then maybe our nation wouldn’t be where it is today. I believe that the Church needs revival. I believe that this church- Shelby Wesleyan Chruch needs a revival. We need a fresh blowing wind from the Holy Spirit. We need to have the flame of the Holy Spirit to purge our hearts.
Revival calls for you and me to become vulnerable. Each of us must be willing to quit playing games with God and ourselves. It’s easy to feel secure in our faith when we are not being challenged. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to sift through the pages of our life and see if there is any wicked way. Letting the finger of God point our our sin.
There are countless books on revival. The Asuza Street revival, the Wales revival, the Great Awakening. Wonderful. How about a book someday that reminds those who follow behind us about the Shelby revival when men and women fell on their faces before God and cried out to know God even better? How about looking back and seeing the hand of God reaching into our community and family and changing the course of history? How about looking back and seeing how we gave up everything to know who God is?
Are you thirsting for more of God in your life? Is the ground of your heart dry and thirsting for a touch from God. Are there family situations that have discouraged your heart? God gave this wonderful promise in Isaiah 44:3- He says “For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing will be on your descendents.”
Revival starts with us being willing to be vulnerable to the Holy Spirit.
As I sat with a college and career class one of the statements they made to me is that they do not see the Spirit move like they used to. And if I were to ask you here this morning if God moves in our services like He used to you would likely respond that He doesn’t. Why? Could it be that we aren’t willing to fall on our faces before God in humility and brokenness?
Where are you right now? Where is your heart? Are you willing to put all of your trust and faith in God? Are you ready to run to the cross? Do you need a fresh touch from God? Do you need to renew your commitment to Him? Come, Holy Spirit, we need you.
