Scripture to Meditate On

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger… Ephesians 4.26

Well, I don't remember being taught anything about this back in Sunday school. Be angry? Quite the opposite! But here it is. And it's not just a suggestion. It's a command. The Spirit wants us to be angry. But if you think about it, that makes sense. There is much evil all around us, many ways in which people's lives are being ruined, many ways that Satan is trying to undo the good that Jesus is doing. I think that these are some things for us to be angry about and to respond to, being motivated by that anger. There are times to be nice. But then, there are times to be angry, even very angry.

But the Spirit also reminds us to limit our anger. He gives one example: 'do not let the sun go down on your anger'. We are not to be known as angry people. That's when the anger consumes a person. That's when anger is destructive of the person. We are to avoid that.

But being careful of the dangers, we are to be angry and to use that anger to bring about change in our world.

Large Requests

In our Bible studies we’ve been looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church. In preparing for that, I bumped into a favorite doxology. It connected with a desire of mine to have one more sermon on prayer. Here’s the doxology.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20–21 [NASV]

Obviously, there is a lot going on here. But the thing that I want you to notice is how this doxology starts.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,

Paul is praising God for His power to act, His power to do. And he ties that power to our prayers, our asking. What impresses me here - and what I want to impress you - is that our God is able not just to grant our requests, but to go beyond our requests, to do far more abundantly beyond the things that we ask and even beyond the things that we might even think to ask. This is something worthy of doxology.

Perfect

In our two Bible studies, we are working our way through Ephesians 4. At a recent study, we were looking at this verse.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Ephesians 4:13

Though we have moved on in Ephesians 4 I found myself coming back to one particular word here: mature. And I was thinking, what exactly is that? What is Christian maturity? So, I did some study on this and came up with this morning’s sermon. We’re going to look at what it means to be mature.

The Days Are Evil

The last request of the Lord’s Prayer is, ‘And deliver us from evil’. That seems an especially appropriate prayer these days as we look around us. There is so much that is evil, and it seems that it is becoming even more evil. Just to take one area, consider how much change there has been when it comes to some basic notions like marriage and gender. There has been much change in these things and not for the better.

This morning we’re going to take a look at evil. It’s just a fact that we are going to be confronted more and more by evil. And while that will make life more difficult, it will also give us opportunities to win some over from the evil that has captured them. But in order to do that we need to understand this evil. My goal this morning is to make a little progress in that task.

What Did Paul Pray For?

Once again, we're going to be taking a look at the topic of prayer. This time we're going to look at one of Paul's prayers. Actually, we'll be looking at his description of what he was praying for when it came to the saints in Ephesus. My goal in this is to help you to understand yourselves and your situation a little better and to consider what might be some new things for you to include in your prayers. Listen to what Paul wrote.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23

Words

Over the last while we have made significant progress as a church when it comes to community. Relationships have grown. Bonds of love have developed and been strengthened. And all that is good. Actually, it is very good. Good relationships are a critical part of what it means to be a church. What I'd like to do this morning is to build on that and encourage it. The Scriptures have a lot to say about this. I’m going to read one passage that speaks to it. Notice how it includes many different aspects of what it means to be a church, a group of people who love each other.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4.25-32)

Speaking the Truth in Love

Ephesians 4.11-16

Today, we're going to be looking at Paul's little phrase, 'speaking the truth in love'. There is more than enough here to keep us busy. I'll spend some time pointing out a few details to make sure that what Paul is getting at is clear. Along the way I'll also show you some ways that this little phrase speaks to your life. It's my hope that this will be, on the one hand, a bit challenging. That's important so that you can see some things to be working on. But, on the other hand, I hope that this will also be an encouragement to you to continue to invest effort into growing in faithfulness as a disciple of Jesus. It really is worth it.

So, let's start with this. There is more to this thing 'truth' than what you might at first think. For most folk, the idea of truth is all about accuracy. Did you accurately related the facts? If you did, then you've told the truth, right? A parent finds his child munching on a cookie and asks, 'Did you take that cookie out of the jar of cookies that I set aside for company?' The common assumption is that as long as the child is accurate in his response - he did or did not take that cookie out of the forbidden jar - he has told the truth. But let's test this by the Scriptures. Consider Satan. Jesus has some strong words to say about him. 'You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.' Satan lies. In fact, he always lies. Now, with this in mind let's examine that first temptation back in the Garden. Satan is having a conversation with Eve. After asking a question, Satan makes only two statements. Here's one of them. 'For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' Truth or lie? Well, was that an accurate statement? It was! By eating the fruit she would know good and evil, and in that regard she would be like God. Satan related the facts accurately. But was Satan telling the truth? Remember what Jesus said about him. 'He has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.' Satan was being accurate, and yet he was still lying to Eve. Speaking the truth has to do with more than just accurately relating the facts.

Actually, speaking the truth has less to do with what you say than with where you're going with what you say. Speaking the truth is about the pursuit of what is good and right. It's about bringing honor to Jesus. Speaking the truth is to be a reflection of His character. Satan's goal in the Garden had nothing to do with what is good and right. And instead of honoring Jesus, he was trying to stir up rebellion. He was pursuing the destruction of all that is good and right. And being able to be accurate in his words just made it a better plan. That made it possible for him to be able to hide his scheming intentions a little bit better. Even though his words were accurate, he was lying. So, back to the cookie and that parent's question of his child. Remember the question. 'Did you take that cookie out of the jar of cookies that I set aside for company?' The child answers with a clear, 'No'. And it's a fact that he didn't take the cookie out of that jar. His sister did. He just happened to be there when she was getting one for herself. He just asked her to give him one, too. So, was he speaking the truth? No, he was lying. It's just that, like Satan, he was able to hide what really was going on behind a statement that was quite accurate.

So, here's the first point. Speaking the truth is about more than just accurately relating the facts. It's about where you're going with what you're saying. It's about pursuing what is good and right. It's about not hiding what should be revealed. It's about honoring Jesus. I think that it's fair to say that we lie lots more than what we might think.

Now, Paul adds to this phrase. He writes, '... speaking the truth in love...' In a way, the first part of the phrase, 'speaking the truth', looks more at Jesus. What will move things toward what is good and right as He defines that? How can I bring Him honor by my words? How can I choose to imitate His character, to live like He does, in the words that I speak? The second part, 'in love', leans more toward considering the person to whom you are speaking. What are his needs? What is he able to deal with? How can I help him to pursue what is good and right? How can I help him to honor Jesus? So, loving speech is about more than refusing to use harsh and cutting words. Loving the other person means that I am to serve him when I conversing with him. My words are to be a way of doing what is good and right to that person. This doesn't mean that all our conversations need to be serious and heavy. You can do much good by sharing a joke. The basic idea of love is that it looks to the benefit of the other. And that affects our conversations. So, you see, it's not so much about what we might be saying, but rather about the attitude behind what we're saying. Satan certainly didn't love Eve. He wanted her to join him in his rebellion, something that resulted in her death. But he didn't care about Eve. He was only thinking about himself. We are not to be anything like that. And because of Jesus we don't have to be anything like that. Instead, because of what He has done we can speak the truth in love.

Do you see, then, what Paul is getting at in his little phrase? He pointing to goals and attitudes. Where are you going in what you say? Are you pursuing what is good and right, as Jesus defines that? Are you working to honor and imitate Him with your words? Are you looking to serve the person you're talking to? All of this is included in that phrase, speaking the truth in love.

Putting this into practice is going to be hard. How many conversations are filled with words that have nothing to do with truth or love? 'Hi! How're you doing?' 'Oh, I'm fine. How about you?' 'Can't complain.' Now, did anyone actually say anything in that conversation? Was there any truth? Was there love? There might have been. You can't really tell by the words alone. It's the attitude that makes the difference. But there are lots of conversations that really are as empty as that one sounded. And you and I have been a party to some of them. The solution isn't to try to force change on the next person you talk to. How is that loving? The first step is to deal with your own soul. Remember we've been talking about attitudes. Is your heart working at pursuing what is good and right, at honoring Jesus with your words, at imitating Him? Evaluate yourself. Then see how you can help others to embrace the same qualities. Ultimately, this is something that requires the work of the Spirit, so that makes it something that you'll need to pray about.

Now, Paul's application of this principle is pretty obvious in our text. He applies it to the Church and how we are to relate to each other. We are to speak the truth in love. That is, we are to pursue what is good and right, things that bring Jesus honor, and we are to be thoughtful of the others to whom we speak. That is clear. There is one thing, however, that may not be as clear. According to Paul, this 'speaking the truth in love' is a means to an important goal. Let me re-read verses 14 and 15 to you. Listen for the contrast in what Paul wrote. '...so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...' On the one side is weakness and instability, because of Satan's deceitful schemes. On the other side is maturity in Christ. And what's in the middle? What protects us from the one and changes us into the other? Speaking the truth in love. If we want to mature as Christians and if we want our church to mature as an assembly of saints, then we need to work at all that Paul's little phrase is about. Maturity comes through Godly relationships. That's what the Church is about. The assumption of so many Christians these days is that they can grow adequately well on their own. Developing real friendships with others in the Church might be a nice plus, but it's not necessary. But isn't this just another lie of Satan? And as usual, he takes a bit of truth - accuracy - but uses it for evil ends. It is a fact that if someone is going to grow as a Christian there is much that he needs to do by himself. And yet, the Spirit is clear in our text. If that person is going to mature as a believer he also needs to develop good relationships with others in the Church. He needs relationships where the truth is spoken in love. Maturity comes through Godly relationships. This also speaks to those Christians who, though they agree they need the Church, see it only as a lecture hall. They come on Sundays for more Bible information. They are interested in the information but not in the relationships. These are also buying into a lie of Satan. There certainly is much to be learned through the ministry of the Church. But maturity is not just a matter of information. We all need the relationships of the saints that lies at the heart of what it means to be a Church. Once again we see Scripture point to how the Church is indispensable.

I would like to apply our phrase to one other area, another relationship. It may sound odd but our prayers can be rooted in truth or in lies. It's a sad fact that there are many who pray lies. That's not to say that they are fibbing to God. What they say may very well be quite accurate. But it's not really the truth. What they tell God isn't really how they feel. The point of their prayers isn't about the pursuit of what is good and right in their relationship with the Father. Rather, to use Jesus' words, it's a lot of vain repetition. It's a bunch of church words strung together. There is no truth there. And since these are words of mere habit, uttered without thought for the Person to whom they are spoken, they are also words uttered without love. What good is that kind of prayer? The people who pray like this don't understand what prayer is about. First and foremost, prayer is about enjoying God. It's about enjoying who we are to Him and enjoying who He is to us. Prayer is about a relationship. That's where it all starts. And that kind of relationship grows as we speak the truth in love to our God. Isn't that what He always does with us? Truth and love. Here is something to meditate on. And I hope that the fruit of your meditations will encourage you as you work at your prayers. Learning how to be truthful with God can be difficult. But it really is worth the effort.

All of this gives us another vantage point from which we can understand the Gospel. Jesus has come so that we can be freed from Satan's lies. He has come so that we can grow as Christians, that is, so that we can develop as whole people and do that together. He has come so that we can enjoy God. Toward that end the Spirit calls us to work on what we say to others. The Spirit calls us to speak the truth in love to each other in our church and to our God in our prayers. Remember this is a matter of grace. He will give us whatever we need to do that. So pray for grace and strive to obey. As you do that, you will be blessed.

Jesus' Advent: The Beauty of the Church

Ephesians 5.25-33

Once again we are looking at Jesus' advent, His coming. We do this with the same goal in mind as last week's sermon, to find out why. Why did Jesus come? It's important that we do this because the great need of the day is a Church that is mature in the ways of God. Paul writes, 'Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.' If we are going to change the world with the Gospel, we need to understand that Gospel well. And so we ask questions like, 'Why did Jesus come?', and then we look for good answers. And the Bible is filled with words and pictures that answer that question.

So, we see that Jesus came as the holy warrior to bind the satanic strong man and thus free those who had been enslaved to do his will. Jesus came as the true Joseph who suffered the depths only to be exalted to the heights, and thus, as Lord over the nations, to rescue all from the famine that destroys souls. Jesus came as the Good Shepherd who leads the flock through the valley of the shadow of death so that it may dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Jesus came to be the propitiation for our sins, completely absorbing in Himself the wrath of God which we so justly deserve so that we might enjoy the Father, walk with the Son and be filled with the Spirit, now and forever. And Jesus came as the gentle and lowly Lord to offer rest to weary souls. The Bible is filled with different ways to answer the question, 'Why did Jesus come?' None of the answers it gives are superfluous. Each one fills in, for our sake, the picture of the Gospel. And all of them help us to enjoy Jesus more. We need to grasp as much of the picture of the Gospel as we can so that we can touch the lives of the many around us who are being crushed by sin and Satan and death. Not everyone is going to be gripped by a quotation of John 3.16. Some, however, will be moved by the image of a holy warrior doing battle for the sake of their souls. For these and other reasons, we do well to search out and work at understanding all of the different answers - all the words and the pictures - the Bible provides for our question. We will not complete this task any time soon. But that's okay. We have an eternity to do that. And I suspect that it will take us that long to finish the task.

This morning's text is simply another of the answers that the Bible gives to our question. And the heart of the answer is a picture. Jesus has come for His bride, the Church. Paul's using Jesus' relationship to the Church as a pattern for husbands make sense because Jesus really is a husband and the Church really is His bride. This fits in with an important theme of the Scriptures. It's a theme that begins in the Garden of Eden. Even in our text, Paul reminds us that the relationship of Adam and Eve was a picture of Christ and His Church. Then there is the Song of Solomon where the King relishes the beauty of his bride. And all of this looks to the future, the goal of it all. From the book of Revelation - and as you read this, think 'bridal processional': 'And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.' Jesus has come for the sake of His bride, the Church.

But the picture I've described thus far is incomplete. The bride that Jesus has come for is not a pure woman. Quite the opposite. His Church is filled with sinners. And that is not a little thing. How could a holy man marry and live with an immoral woman? Remember that Joseph, whom the Scriptures label a righteous man, was going to end his engagement to Mary when he learned that she was pregnant. That the Church is, in fact, an immoral woman should end all talk of a wedding day. But not for Jesus. Having come for His bride, He will not be deterred. Jesus deals with the immorality. In our text Paul tells us that Jesus is in the process of restoring the beauty of holiness to His betrothed so that there would be no 'spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish'. The Bible reveals Jesus as the impassioned husband-to-be, loving His intended bride, the Church, and cleansing her so that she might be ready for the great wedding day. So, that picture from Revelation of the bridal procession from heaven is a picture of a once-foul but now purified bride finally ready to be joined to her husband. Because of His love for her, Jesus is busy creating a glorious Church, a beautiful Church, to present to Himself as His bride.

This simple picture explains a lot. For one thing, it explains sin. If you were asked, 'What is sin?' you could say that sin is breaking God's law. And in the right situation, that would be the perfect thing to say. John does exactly that in his first epistle. But, because of our text, you could also say that sin is whatever makes you ugly. It is a blemish, something that mars the beauty of a person. Thursday I cooked the main course for our dinner group. In the process I splattered myself with some spaghetti sauce. I'm hoping that some stain remover will deal with it. Fortunately, it was just a plain everyday shirt. But what if it wasn't some everyday shirt? What if you had on something special, something that you really liked, something you used only at certain occasions? And one evening, after going out for a very nice dinner, you notice the stain. And instead of plain cotton like my shirt, it's made of some material that stains just cling to. However dim the stain may get, you'll always know that it's there. This special something is now blemished. It may be usable, but it's not the same. It's ruined. It s beauty has been marred. Sin. It's a blemish, a stain on your soul. Instead of that pure beauty God intended for you, there is now this bit of ugly. And just as some decide that this once special item is beyond restoring, only worthy of the trash, there are those who think of their lives as beyond restoring, only worthy of the trash. But Jesus has come. And He has come to take blemished sinners and make them into a beautiful Church. He has come to remove every spot and every stain. He has come to restore to original beauty. Some are not moved by the language of lawbreaking and forgiveness. They just don't get that. But the image of ugly stains being removed until all that is left is beauty is something that can speak in a powerful way to many. Jesus has come to beautify His Church.

Paul goes on to describe how He does this. Jesus will '...cleanse her with the washing of water by the word...' How does Jesus make a beautiful Church? By word and sacrament. Jesus applies the Word of the Gospel to hearts by preaching and by the sacraments of baptism - 'the washing of water' - and communion. It is in this way that His bride is changed. This helps us to understand what we are doing on Sundays. We gather, in part, so that Jesus can continue the process of removing the stains of our sin. He is, at this moment, in the process of making us beautiful. It's not just us here, getting together for our weekly meeting. Jesus is here, by His Spirit, and He is busy. On Sundays, and other times when we gather for worship, Jesus deals with His Church in a special way. This gives a little context for our expectations of Sunday worship. Last week I told you that each Sunday Jesus calls to us so that we might enjoy more of His rest. My point today is that Jesus is meeting with us, here, in this place, to make us beautiful. That, after all, is one reason that He has come.

All of this also has something to say about how we should understand ourselves. For one thing, this is intended to humble us all. Jesus has come because we are all blemished with sin. In fact, before He converted us, there was almost no beauty at all. In this way, every sinner is the same. There is much ugliness to be dealt with in each of us. I've been a Christian for more than forty years, but there is a long way to go before I will enjoy the full beauty Jesus intends for me. So, it's a good thing that Jesus comes weekly to continue His work. I know that I need it.

There is, also, the flip side to this. And this is so encouraging. Because of what we have seen in this text, we can all say, 'As blemished as I am, Jesus still loves me. He sees the ugliness better than anyone, but He still likes me.' Amazing! I think it's fair to say that a great desire of every person is to know that he or she is loved. But who loves what is ugly? That's why we hide from others. What if they knew the ugliness? Jesus knows the ugliness - and He still loves us. That's the Gospel - and it is almost too good to be true.

On top of this, there is hope. We can all say, 'Jesus is making me beautiful. He's busy right now doing that. And He won't stop until He's done.' Jesus is the knight-errant determined to rescue the fair maiden. Nothing, not the ancient dragon, not even death itself, will be able to stop Him. He will win His bride. He won't stop until He makes you into a true beauty, ready for marriage. So, when your sin seems especially ugly or especially difficult, remember that Jesus is determined to change that. And He will change it. He promises that.

One last thought, and this is quite significant. For whom is Jesus doing all that I've described? What does our text say? 'Jesus loved the Church ...' Paul looks at what Jesus is doing very differently in Galatians where he writes, '... the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.' There, Paul emphasizes the individual. 'Jesus loved me!' But in our text, he tells us that Jesus loved the Church. Here, the emphasis is not on the individual but on the group. And that makes sense in this context. So much of Paul's letter to the Ephesians is about the Church. It's here that Paul talks about the unity of the Church and how each part of the Church needs to fulfill its role and how Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church and more. Jesus loves His Church. One thing that this means is that this 'being made beautiful' is something that we do together. Jesus is dealing with us as a church, as Faith Reformed Church. There are times when the emphasis needs to be on the individual. But there are times when it needs to be on the group. Which happens when is, at times, difficult to discern. The balance is not easy to achieve. But this much is clear. The one side of the coin cannot exist without the other. It's not one or the other but both together. So here's a good question to ask, though I'm not going to pursue it today. What does it look like when a church is becoming beautiful together?

Jesus has come, advent. He has come because He loves His Church. He has come because He loves Faith Reformed Church. And because of that love He will make His Church beautiful.

Piety: The Church

Ephesians 4.1-16

Today, we'll continue on with the theme that we've been looking at for the last several weeks, piety. Let me remind you of our working definition. Piety is knowing Jesus and working hard to follow Him. For the past two weeks we've been looking at the tools that the Spirit uses to develop piety in us. The two we've considered were prayer and the Bible. I hope that you can see what we've been doing as we looked at these two tools. All we've done is step back a bit so that we can see these two in the context of the bigger picture. I doubt that I've told you anything radically new over the last weeks. That wasn't my goal. What I've wanted to do is to talk about these things in a slightly different way than what you're used to. I've done this in the hope that you would be able to see the familiar in a fresh way so that you could enjoy the Gospel a bit more. Today, we'll be looking at another tool that the Spirit uses. Today, we'll be looking at the Church. And again I'll try to help you to step back and see it from a slightly different point of view.

Our text doesn't use the words 'piety' or 'church', but it's clear that the Spirit is talking about the church and its relation to the development of piety. So, at the beginning of our text Paul talks about walking worthy of our calling, the eagerness that we are to have to maintain the unity of the Spirit, and such things. What are these but different expressions of piety, knowing Jesus and working hard to follow Him. And then, at the end of our text we find Paul telling us that there is one body, the body of Christ, which is just another way of talking about the Church. So, our text, at beginning and end, is dealing with the Church and its relation to piety. So, what do we find in the middle? Paul, there, tells us that Jesus gave gifts and quotes a Psalm as a proof text. But the gifts of this passage are different from those, say, in 1 Corinthians, where Paul talks about tongues, the ability to heal and the like. These are Jesus' gifts given to individuals. In our text, the gifts of Jesus are gifts that He gives to the Church as a group. 'And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers...' These are Jesus' gifts to the Church so that we might develop piety. These are tools that the Spirit uses in the life of His Church, in your life.

As you noticed, I'm on that list. As pastor of Faith Reformed, I am a tool that the Spirit uses to develop piety in your life. As I thought about that it led me to this question: How am I supposed to be this tool for your good? What does that look like? What does it mean that I'm your pastor? I debated how personal to make this. I could have simply talked about how the office of pastor relates to the life of a church. Saying it this way has some advantages. For one thing, it sounds more humble. But it's just a fact that when it comes to your experience of being a church there is no 'office of pastor'. In your experience there is me. And so it seemed good to set aside the vague and theoretical and make this personal. 'How am I supposed to be this tool for your good?' It sounds less humble, but it's much more practical and, hopefully much more helpful. So, that's how I'll approach today's topic; not in sterile, academic terms, though that would be safer for me, but in personal terms which hopefully will be better for you.

So, where do we start? Let's start with the label that Paul uses: pastor. It's funny what a little study will turn up. Every other place in the New Testament where this word translated 'pastor' pops up, it's never translated 'pastor'. In every other place, it's always translated 'shepherd'. Sometimes it's referring to literal shepherds, like those terrified and ecstatic men that the angels sang to when Jesus was born. Other times it's used figuratively as in when Jesus says, 'I am the good shepherd.' I think that we would be helped in answering our question if we read this word in our text as 'shepherd'. I am your shepherd. In fact, the newest edition of the English Standard Version, which I use, does in fact translate it in this way. 'And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers...' I am called to be your shepherd.

That helps. And it helps because it naturally leads to this next question: 'What do shepherds do?' That's a question that the Bible answers. So, to start, let's consider parts of John 10, where Jesus describes a true shepherd. This is where He says, 'I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me...' And then there's this. 'But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.' A good shepherd knows his sheep. He knows them by name. He knows each one as an individual and not merely a member in good standing of the group. He knows what makes this sheep different from that one. He knows the sheep. This kind of knowledge is important because a shepherd cannot care for his sheep if he does not know them. How can the shepherd meet their needs if he does not know what they are? A good shepherd knows his sheep.

Jesus also makes a contrast. 'He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.' The hired hand doesn't really care. It's just a job with a paycheck. At some point he will decide that the paycheck isn't good enough, and so he abandons the sheep. A real shepherd will not do such a thing. In fact, as Jesus says, a real shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. Being a shepherd costs. But a true shepherd pays the price. And he does that because he cares.

Let's move on to Psalm 23 to see more of what it means to be a shepherd. The shepherd leads his sheep. He leads them to green pastures, beside still waters, into paths of right living. In this way he meets the needs of the sheep so that they shall not be in want. The shepherd guides and protects the sheep with his rod and staff. With the one he keeps the wolves away, and with the other he keeps the flock together on the right path. There are other places where the Bible talks about the calling of a shepherd, but this will do for now.

I've given you a thumbnail sketch of what Jesus has called me to do. But there is one more aspect that I need to add. All of what I do with you is tied to the Gospel. My caring for you and caring about you, my leading you, my protecting you, all that I do is tied to the Gospel. As your shepherd, I am called to bring the Gospel to bear on your lives. And I do that basically in two ways. First, I teach you the Gospel. I do that in sermons, in Bible studies, in one on one discipleship, formal counseling, and by chatting with you here and there. In these different ways I work to relate the riches of the Gospel to the different aspects of your life. Just as an unbeliever cannot be converted without a basic knowledge of the Gospel, a Christian cannot develop piety without a growing knowledge of the Gospel. I need to work at getting the truths of the Gospel into your minds so that the Spirit can get them into your hearts and thus change your lives.

That leads to the second way that I am called to bring the Gospel to bear on your lives. I once said that I thought it would have been better if God had chosen angels to be the shepherds of the flock. At the time it made a lot of sense to me. I have, from time to time, reflected on my calling to be a shepherd. As I have done that, I have reviewed my years here at Faith Reformed. Whenever I do that, one word almost always makes its presence felt: 'failure'. I recall the times when what I have done or have failed to do not just resulted in missed opportunities to do good, but, worse, it hurt the people I was called to care for. I am in the process of learning how to deal with that, to see this as part of the process of growth. But the harmful effects of what I did remain. So, it made sense for me to think of angels. God's angels do not fail. But, oddly enough, I've changed my mind, and that because my understanding of my calling has deepened. It's not enough for me to tell you the Gospel. I also need to show it to you. The Gospel does not touch angels. To be sure, they are interested in it, but only as observers. Angels are not saved by the Gospel. But shepherds are. A shepherd's interest in the Gospel is nothing like that of a mere observer. So, along with teaching the Gospel, a shepherd needs to show the Gospel. He needs to show his own wrestling with sin and repentance of it, his own growing wonder at what God does in his soul, his own longing to get to the end of the story so that the best part of the story can begin. Or to translate some of that from church words: a shepherd needs to show the Gospel by how he deals with his own failures by believing that Jesus will accept him anyway, and in the hope that one day there will be no more failures. Angels can't do that. Only redeemed sinners can do that. So, that is also something that I need to do. And as I work to fulfill my calling - this calling to be your shepherd - the Spirit will do what He does so well. He will surprise us all by how He will develop piety in you and in me.

So, what do we do now? Where do we go from here? One of my goals for today's sermon is to help you step back and look at this thing 'Church' from a bit of a different perspective. For that goal to be achieved you will have to digest what I've said. One way or other, that will result in a call for adjustments in how you live. That's true of any sermon. So, here's one thing to digest. Every aspect of what I am called to do presupposes something about you. You have needs to be met by what I am called to do. Do you see that? Will you let me help you? Will you let the Spirit use me to meet those needs?

Also, if this is going to work, I need to get to know you and you need to get to know me. As I thought about this during the week, one thing became clear. I am a very private person. My walls are pretty high. I am an introvert which means that I focus on what's happening on the inside more than what's happening on the outside. And it also means that I am reluctant to let you know what's happening on the inside. I have walls. And you have walls too. That's not good. We need to get to know each other. How can I be a faithful shepherd to you if there are walls between us? I'm going to work at lower my walls. I'm asking you to do the same.

Making changes in these areas is not just hard. It's beyond us. We cannot change our hearts. But the Spirit can. So, we need to ask Him to do just that. If we are going to do better at being what a church is called to be, if we are going to grow in piety, it will only come about because of what the Spirit will do. So, let's ask him to work on us, to fill us with His power and love and wisdom. Our God loves to answer prayer. I know that He will answer this one.

Grieving the Spirit

Ephesians 4.30

We are continuing to explore our relationship with the Spirit. I hope you understand why I do this. The Spirit is key to our success as Christians and as a church. It is crucial for us to see that clearly. As we get to know Him better, we will be changed and we will be doing things for the kingdom that we would never have expected.

Our text is short which makes it easier to see some things. For example, the word 'grieve' stands out. What we do can grieve the Spirit. Let's examine this a bit. Grieving means making a person feel sad or distressed. To grieve someone is to cause that person pain. In speaking of our relationship with the Spirit in this way Paul makes clear that the Spirit is a person. He is not an 'it' or a thing. He is a person. And that means that He thinks, feels and does other things that a person would do, like respond to others. The Spirit responds to you. He responds emotionally to you. What you do either makes the Spirit sad or it makes Him glad. He responds to you. That means nothing if the Spirit is some stranger. But it means a great deal if you and He are close.

My teacher back in 7th grade English class was Mr. Test. (Yes, that is his real name.) He was one of the very best teachers that I have ever had. One day, he announced that there would be a vocabulary test on the next day. He was going to be out for the day, but a substitute teacher would be there to hand out the tests. The next day we entered the class expecting this test. The substitute handed them out and then told us to take out our dictionaries and fill in the answers. She evidently thought that it was just to be some worksheet. One of my fellow students told her that it was intended to be a test, but she told us not to worry about that. 'Get out your dictionaries and fill in the answers.' So, we did. The next day Mr. Test discovered what had happened. When we got to class he was very angry with us. He didn't yell. He took our work from the day before and threw it all into the trash. We let him know that that we told the sub that it was to be a test. 'That sub didn't know what she was doing. She will never sub in my class again. But you! I expected better of you. I don't care what you do for the rest of the period.' I was stunned. Most of my classmates pulled out a book to read or did something else, but I could not. Here is someone with whom I had a very good relationship. He was someone I respected and looked up to. I had grieved someone who was important to me and it really bothered me. That's what Paul is getting at when he writes, 'Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.'

It is easy to fall into the temptation of thinking that our religion boils down to following some rules. The Bible is filled with good rules, and I can understand it if it bothers someone when he breaks one of them. But that's a far cry from knowing that you have grieved someone with whom you have a very good relationship, someone you look up to, someone who is important to you. That's a whole different thing. 'Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.'

Let's go a little further with this. It's important that you understand why the Spirit grieves over your sin. There are those who will say that they understand that their sin grieves the Spirit, but they are still thinking in terms of rule keeping. They think that Spirit is upset because they have broken one of His rules. That's what His grief is about. Or so they tell you. But that is just wrong. The Spirit grieves not for Himself but for you, for your sake. He wants you to flourish. And your sin is an obstacle to that. So, when you sin He is saddened because an opportunity for you to flourish a little more has been lost. What made Mr. Test such a favorite of mine is that it was clear to me that he wanted me to flourish, to do well, not just as a student but as a person. He is a small illustration of the Spirit's desires for you. To be sure, your sin is a great affront to God. It is an expression of rebellion and for that reason it should be hated. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Sin also does great damage to you. You are meant for great things, and your sin is an obstacle to that occurring. When the Spirit sees another obstacle raised, it grieves Him.

Let's look at our text from a different perspective. When Paul wrote, 'Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God', he was warning us about our sin and its effects. Did he have some specific sin in mind? Was there some particular application that he was working on? At the beginning of the sermon I told you that our text was short. It is only one sentence. But think about it. When you write a letter you don't just throw down some disconnected sentences. They all fit together to make one main thought, a paragraph. It was the same with Paul. Listen to the paragraph that Paul wrote around our one-sentence text. 'Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.'

The paragraph gives a context to what Paul is writing about in our text. What's the paragraph about? The paragraph is about body life, our life together, our being a church. It's in that context that Paul writes, 'Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.' Paul is thinking about relationships within the church, a topic that is a key theme in this letter. Notice how he instructs the Ephesians on this here. He writes a list of actions and attitudes that affect our life together as the church, and he gives both sides of the coin. Don't lie, but speak the truth. Don't steal but work so that you can share with others. Don't let corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but rather what will build up. Don't harbor a spirit of bitterness and slander but express a spirit of kindness and tenderness. Paul offers a list of things to avoid and a matching list of things to pursue in the context of being the church. And like all of Paul's lists this one isn't exhaustive nor is it intended to be. It's a list of examples. And it's supposed to give you a good idea of what he is thinking about.

Here's the point. One way that we grieve the Spirit is by our sins against the other Christians in this room, our sins against the body of Christ, the sins that reflect our failure to live together as a church. And these are sins against both sides of Paul's list. It's not good enough if someone says, 'Well, I don't express any bitterness against anyone here.' That's good, but remember Paul's companion thought. Do you express the spirit of kindness and tenderheartedness and forgiveness? It's good if no corrupting words come out of your mouth, but do you speak words that will build up and encourage the other people in this room? Neglecting to do what is good and right is as grievous to the Spirit as doing what is wrong. But bear in mind that the flip side is also true. When you say those words of grace or share what you've earned or when you do any of a multitude of other good things, you make the Spirit glad. The Spirit responds to us emotionally in light of how we live together as a church.

I want to take this one step further. When someone sins, whether its saying something harsh or failing to give some away some of what he has earned, these actions are just symptoms of a deeper problem. The deeper issue is the attitude of the heart. Remember, Adam and Eve sinned long before they reached for that apple. This is also true when someone sins against the body. One kind of attitude that is often behind the sins that Paul is pointing to goes something like this: 'I don't need you. You don't need me. We all can make it adequately well on our own.' Out of that kind of attitude come all sorts of sins against the life of the church. And it is that kind of attitude that grieves the Spirit because He knows that if we are going to succeed as Christians, if we are going to succeed as a church, we need each other. So the right attitude goes something like this: 'Each of us is needed by the rest. Each of us needs the rest. If we are going to make it, we're going to make it together.' Refusal to believe this and then to act upon that unbelief grieves the Spirit. 'Each of us is needed by the rest. Each of us needs the rest. If we are going to make it, we're going to make it together.' That's Gospel truth. And that's why we have things like luncheons and Bible studies and all the rest.

I have one last area to look at. I've been talking to you about grieving the Spirit, and the fact is that not a one of us has failed to do this. This is something that we do all too often. But remember the Gospel. As soon as your heart takes the first step toward repentance, before even one word of confession has formed on your lips, the Spirit rejoices. He rejoices and He forgives. Your sins are gone. The Spirit has forgotten all about them. You can too. And bear in mind that your repentance is a sign that you are working on these things. Your repentance shows that you are seeing the difference between what is and what should be. And that's really good. That you can see the difference is one sign that you are on the way to flourishing greatly. The Spirit is at work. He is moving you ahead. He rejoices in the change He sees in you. And you should too.