|
You
are in the mall parking lot getting ready to pull into a parking space
when, suddenly, some guy in a BMW intentionally swings in the space you
were looking to pull into. You get out of your car and prepare to yell
at something. Should you call him an idiot or a moron?
Perhaps
you are thinking what’s the difference? Does it really matter what you
call him? He deserves whatever you call him.
Should
this ever happen to you in a parking lot, let me first say getting out
of your car to yell is probably not a good idea, but if you simply call
out “Hey!” You will know by his response if he is an idiot or moron.
Knowing
subtle differences such as this isn’t very important in life, yet there
are some subtle differences that are important to know.
For
instance, when Maya wakes Doug and Vanessa up in the middle of the night
it is important to know whether she is hungry or her diaper is wet. What
about knowing the difference between Father, Son and Holy Spirit? How
important is it to differentiate between the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit?
Explaining
the doctrine of the Trinity is definitely a challenge. We believe in one
God yet it sounds like three Gods, not one.
My
personal favorite in explaining the Trinity is a lesson I learned as a
child. The Trinity is like water (H2O) which can be either a gas, solid
or liquid. Regardless of which state it is in it is still H20. There are
other examples such as the egg which is shell, white and yoke or an
apple which is skin, meat and core.
In
truth trying to explain the Trinity is like trying to nail Jell-o to a
tree. The most important truth you need to know about the Trinity is
that the purpose of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is to bring humans, you
and me back into relationship with God. Our connection with the Triune
God is not to be a head trip but a heartfelt relationship that is made
through the Holy Spirit.
“If you live
according to the sinful nature, you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of
the body, you will live, because those who are led by
the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not
receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,
but you received the Spirit of sonship.”
If
we are going to benefit at all by the Holy Spirit in our lives we must
use the Holy Spirit.
It
is like when you tell your children to wash their hands because dinner
is ready. When they sit down you look at his hands and they appear not
to be very clean. You ask, “Did you wash your hands?” Your children
respond, “Yes!” Then you ask, “Did you use soap?”
A
good question to ask yourself is, Did you use the Holy Spirit today?
How
often do you ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit? When was the last
time you asked God for the Holy Spirit’s fruits of love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? How long
has it been that you asked the Holy Spirit to put away sin from your
life? How often do you feel anxious and insecure and turned to the Holy
Spirit for strength and assurance?
A
great deal of attention is being paid to security since September 11,
2001 but long before then our security has been an issue in different
areas. Every time we are rejected by someone our security, our
confidence, our wellbeing is called into question. Rejection is all too
common in our world. Divorce rates indicate that one out of every two
couples will reject the other. News reports of abused and neglected
children reveal parents rejecting children. Children disrespecting and
disobeying their parents shows children rejecting their parents.
You
can go to any school today and you will find students being rejected by
other students. I doubt there is a single person here this morning that
hasn’t felt the pain of rejection? I am sure that there has been a time
in our life when we desperately wanted to be part of the in group in
school?
Regardless
of anything else I am telling you this morning that you and everyone who
believes in Jesus, belongs to the ultimate IN CROWD GROUP. You never
have to worry about being rejected. You may feel at times that God has
abandoned you, as Jesus did as He hung on the cross. But God said
through Jesus,
“I will never
abandon you or forsake you.”
This
Good News is affirmed by Paul’s words,
“Now if we are
children,
then we are heirs –
heirs of God and
co heirs with Christ.”
I
would expect that such Good News would cause anyone to break out in
amazed thanksgiving and praise. Yet it seems every Sunday, whether I am
leading worship or sitting in the pew I see people with glum looks on
their faces. I was concerned at first until it dawned on me the reason
for such facial expressions. The majority of worshippers are so
overwhelmed by the awesome goodness of God that they are in a state of
shock.
Please
don’t be offended I am merely trying to point out that our adoption into
the household of God, that
“we are heirs –
heirs of God and
co heirs with Christ.”
Should
bring at least as much joy into our life as the birth of Maya brought
joy to Dave and Vanessa’s families.
We
have no problem getting excited when we go to a sporting event to watch
our favorite team or athlete play. We stand up and cheer for them.
If we are at home watching the TV we yell at the TV. We would not
have a problem getting excited if we found out we are heirs to Donald
Trump or Bill Gates.
I
guess thinking of so many areas of life that we get so excited about I
struggle to understand why we don’t get so excited about our
relationship with God.
I
don’t understand adults taking children to the playground like they were
being led to a torture chamber. I loved watching and playing with my
grandson a couple of weeks. His enthusiasm and his joy were contagious.
He got every second out of every minute. He made emptying the water out
of his Uncle Greg’s water bottle exciting. His enthusiasm convinced his
grandmother who hates the heat and sweating to play baseball with him on
the hottest day of the year.
“We are heirs –
heirs of God and
co heirs with Christ.”
We
have been adopted into the household of faith. We have ultimate security
in the loving arm of God. That in itself is reason enough for you and me
to consciously choose everyday to center our lives on God, to use the
Bible to discover God’s guidelines, to use the Holy Spirit to help us
act as Christ directs, to help us pray, to help us find help with our
daily problems, to help us be empowered to serve God and His will.
“We are heirs –
heirs of God and
co heirs with Christ.”
What
difference does it make?
All the
difference in the this world and the next.
|
|
Amen |
|
|
