1Timothy 1:12-17

1Timothy 1:12-17

God’s Advice For Daily Living: Be Saved By His Grace

Part 2 of God’s Advice For Daily Living series on 1 Timothy

October 21, 2007

Last week we began looking at the Epistle of 1 Timothy – the first of 3 – 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus – “Pastoral Epistles” that Paul wrote to address every day problems the early Christians were facing.  Paul gave some very practical advice for how to live every day as a Christian.  The advice he gave is still great advice – in fact it is God’s advice – to us today. 

God’s advice for daily living.

That’s our theme as we look at 1Timothy. 

            Last week we looked at 1 Timothy 1:1-11 and saw one piece of advice God gives us:   be conformed to Christ instead of conformed to the world.  Today we are going to look at 1Timothy 1:12-17 – and see a second bit of advice God gives us for our daily lives: be saved by His grace. 

            Listen to God’s word in 1Timothy 1:12-17:

            Read Scripture

             Be conformed to Christ

            Be save by God’s grace

            2 pieces of advice God gives us for living our lives – every day – as His people.

 Be saved by God’s grace.

Be saved by God’s grace.           

Some of you may remember how – in 1998 — many proponents of the death penalty stepped out of character momentarily to plead for mercy on behalf of Karla Faye Tucker, a convicted murderer sentenced to be executed by the state of Texas. Karla had committed an unspeakably horrible crime. A drug addict and prostitute, she and 2 others broke into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment and brutally murdered him and another woman. She was found guilty and sentenced to death.

Once in prison, she met Christ and her life changed dramatically.

For 14 years she lived her faith as a model inmate. As the day of her execution approached, the media began to broadcast the story of her life and her complete change once she discovered Christ. She was the subject of stories on ABC New’ Nightline and was a guest on Larry King Live and the 700 Club. Those who saw her on TV had a hard time imagining the cold-blooded murderer she had been. It was clear that her life had been changed by Christ, Those who had known her before she became a Christian talked about how she was a completely changed person.

    Karla petitioned the authorities for a change in her sentence from death to life in prison. Many people advocated Tucker’s cause, standing up for her as character witnesses or sympathizers. They included prison guards, former prosecutors, the detective who arrested her, and the brother of the woman she murdered. The Pope and Pat Robertson also spoke in support of her. Repeatedly, on national TV, she gave credit for the change in her life to Jesus Christ. Her petition, however, was not granted – and she was executed for the crime she committed.

Karla isn’t the first “bad sinner” to change her ways. Other notorious murderers have made the same profession of faith while in prison. While some people suspect the validity of these “jailhouse conversions”, the fact is many times they are real and the changes they produce are permanent.  

Another high-profile criminal conversion in recent history is that of Charles Colson, former staff person of President Richard Nixon. Though he was not guilty of murder, he committed crimes during the Watergate era that earned him a prison sentence. While in prison he met Christ. The change in his life was dramatic, and it cannot be denied that the church (and society as a whole) has reaped the benefits of his conversion. After his release from prison, Colson established Prison Fellowship, a jail ministry that spans the globe, and has become a significant leader and spokesman for the evangelical church.

It’s hard to imagine that a person’s life can move in one direction for decades, and suddenly, miraculously, change its course. But it happens. Some of you here today are living proof of that.  Many of us – and many other Christians – are.       This kind of phenomenon can also be seen in Scripture. There are countless examples—but probably the best known is that of Paul. He was an enemy of the church – and considered it his job to eliminate the threat of Christianity by killing Christians. Then one day, on a trip to Damascus to kill the Christians there, he had a face-to-face encounter with Christ and his life changed forever. Eventually Paul became the most significant person (besides Jesus) in the history of the church.   Granted, these are all extreme examples, but hopefully they remind you of a wonderful truth taught in the Bible:

 It doesn’t matter who you used to be.

No matter how bad you think you are, God can and will forgive you. He can and will give you the strength to change your life.

A second piece of advice for daily living that Paul gave to Timothy – and that God gives to us – is:

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul expounds this very principle. He mentions three important truths that underline this fact. First of all…

1. God loves you in spite of your past.

Paul acknowledges that he had a past to live down. He said:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength…even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man… (v. 12-13)

In verse 15 he goes on to say that he was the worst of all sinners.

Now — some of you may be thinking: Paul wouldn’t say that if he knew me! Well, the fact is, God loves you in spite of whatever sins you have committed. There is nothing you can do to keep God from loving you. It doesn’t matter who you used to be – you can be changed – and saved by God’s grace.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

We see this wonderful truth throughout Scripture, especially in the Gospels. Jesus never judged an individual based on their past. When people came to Him who had committed sexual sin, or had dabbled in the occult, or had spent their lives cheating others in business, His message was the same: “I do not condemn you; go and sin no more.” People found love and acceptance in Jesus in spite of what their past had been. You can, also.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

A pastor once shared with me how a woman came into his office and told him that God could never love her; she had committed the worst possible sin. In a fit of rage, she said, because her baby wouldn’t stop crying, she shook him so hard that his brain was permanently damaged. Every day she was reminded of the fact that her own child was forced to live with the consequences of her sin. The guilt was too much for her. She told the pastor that she had no right to be a mother, she had no right to be a Christian, in fact, she had no right to live.

 “God couldn’t possibly love me after what I did,” she said.

My friend said that his response to her was that God loved her, in spite of her past.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

             When I was in Seminary my roommate my Freshman year and good friend for the following years was J Hammet.  J’s father, Jerry, was a Presbyterian minister – the Presbyterian Chaplain at the University of South Carolina for years and pastor at Bethesda Presbyterian in Camden before retiring.  Jerry and his wife Betsy had 2 boys – J and Chris.  They also had a girl.  When the girl was a little over a year old, however, Jerry and Betsy went to play tennis at some courts in Columbia, and had their daughter outside the courts in a playpen.  While they played, someone kidnapped their daughter and killed her.  The murderer was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death.  Jerry, in what I have always seen as one of the truest acts of Christian ministry I have ever known, visited this man who had killed his daughter, and told him that – regardless of what price he had to pay for his crimes – God loved him and offered him forgiveness.

             God loves you in spite of your past.

             Paul’s message to Timothy was:

 Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

           God’s advice to us is :

 Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

Regardless of what you have done, there is nothing you can do that will cause God’s love for you to change. He loves you so much that He could not possibly love you more, and He will never love you less. I am not saying this so you will have an excuse to sin; I am saying this so you will have reason to hope. No matter what you have done, or no matter what has happened in your life, God doesn’t view you as a second-class citizen. He doesn’t consider you a has-been. His love for you is as great as it ever was. It doesn’t matter who you used to be, God loves you in spite of your past.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

             God loves you in spite of your past. 

Paul underlines another truth about God’s grace and love here in 1 Timothy 1:12-17:  

2. God will save you in spite of your past.

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (v. 14)

He goes on to remind us of this basic Biblical truth:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (v. 15)

When I say that God will save you, this is exactly what I mean. First of all, He will forgive you completely and wipe the slate clean. Secondly, He will change you into the type of person he wants you to be. When a person accepts Christ, he or she becomes a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is only the beginning of all that God does in your life. In Philippians 1:6 Paul writes that God will finish the work He began in you; in Romans 8:29 he writes that God will help you become conformed to the image of His son, Jesus Christ. You see — it doesn’t matter who you used to be, God will save you in spite of your past, and He will change you in spite of your past.

Too often we use the past as an excuse: “I’ve always been this way…I’ve always had a problem with my temper…I just don’t have any self-control…I come from a long line of alcoholics…” and on and on. We tell ourselves that this is who we really are and there is nothing that can be done about it. Well, I’m telling you today: there is something that can be done about it. God can do something about it. God can change you. God can part the Red Sea, can make the earth stand still, can hold back the rain for years at a time, can heal the sick, and can raise the dead. And he can change you into a better person.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

God loves you in spite of your past.

God will save you in spite of your past.

One day John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, was riding on horseback through the English countryside when he was stopped by a man who  said, “Your money or your life.” As the man took Wesley’s money, Wesley said, “Sir, you may someday regret this sort of life you are living. If you do, remember, the blood of Jesus cleanses you from all sin.” Many years later, at the close of a Sunday evening service in which Wesley had just preached, a man approached him, begging for the opportunity to speak to him. It was the same man who had robbed Wesley years before. Now he was a successful businessman and a faithful Christian. The words Wesley had spoken to him proved to be life-changing. The man said to Wesley, “I owe it all to you.” Wesley said, “No, not to me, but to the precious blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin.”

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

God loves you in spite of your past.

God will save you in spite of your past.

God can save you and he can change you—no matter what kind of past you’ve had. For some people this change is immediate — for others it is a lengthy process – but for everyone, it is a promise that we can cling to: It doesn’t matter who you used to be, God will change you in spite of your past.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

God loves you in spite of your past.

God will save you in spite of your past.

There’s a third truth about God’s love and grace Paul underlines here in 1 Timothy 1:12-17:

3. God can use you in spite of your past.

Paul writes:

[Christ] considered me faithful, appointing me to his service…I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. (v. 12, 16)

If any man could have been written off as being a “has been” it would be Jim Bakker. When the scandal of his personal life and PTL hit in the 1980’s he became the object of world-wide ridicule.  He lost the enormous PTL empire, was sent to prison, and hit absolute rock-bottom. Most people said that he would never work in the ministry again. While Bakker was in prison he read the Gospels again and made an amazing discovery: much of what he had preached during the PTL heyday was not biblical. While in prison he committed his life again to knowing and serving God. He served his prison term, and now works in a church in South Central Los Angeles. Gone are the Armani Suits, the cars, the jewelry, the “air-conditioned dog-houses”, and all the other symbols of excess that characterized his PTL years. He is now a support-staff member in an inner-city church, telling people about Jesus.  He is being used by God to change people’s lives. Friends — if God can use Jim Bakker after the mess that he went through, he can use you, too.

Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

God loves you in spite of your past.

God will save you in spite of your past.

God can use you in spite of your past.

Look at some examples from Scripture. Moses was a great man of God; God used him after he committed murder. David was Israel’s greatest ruler; God used him after he committed murder and adultery. Paul was the most significant figure in the days of the early church; God used him after he committed murder. Peter was a primary leader of the early church; God used him after he denied Christ. John-Mark was Paul’s traveling companion; God used him even after he quit and abandoned the ministry.

As long as you have breath…as long as you have a life that you can surrender to God, He can use you. It doesn’t matter who you used to be.

An important piece of advice God gives us for daily living is:

 Be saved by God’s grace.

            Be saved by God’s grace.

God loves you in spite of your past.

God will save you in spite of your past.

God can use you in spite of your past. 

It comes down to this. You can forget the past, because God has forgotten the past.  He is concerned with who you’re becoming, rather than who you’ve been. If there are mistakes you made years ago, or months ago—or even days ago—I want you to know that God is willing to put it behind you and give you a chance to start over. You may have to live with the consequences of your mistakes, but you don’t have to live with the guilt or the shame. He will set you free from all of it, and he will give you a chance to start again. It doesn’t matter who you used to be. In spite of your past, God loves you, he will change you, and he will use you—if you open your heart to him.

This is indeed a piece of advice God gives us for daily living.  Amen.

1 Timohty 1:1-11

1 Timothy 1:1-11

God’s Advice For Daily Living: Conform To Christ

October 14, 2007

Part 1 of “God’s Advice For Daily Living” Series

Do you read the “Advice” columns in the newspaper?

You know – the columns like Ann Landers and “Dear Abbey”?

Even if you don’t read these columns I’m sure you are familiar with them. People write in for advice with their problems – and the advice is given.

I don’t read these columns very often, but when I do I find that sometimes the advice is very good and I agree with it – and then again sometimes I feel that the advice is not worth the paper it was printed on and I begin thinking about what advice I would give in the situation described. Then there are times I am tempted to write and question the advice given.

I remember one letter from a member of a church where the minister made visiting members of his congregation a priority – but apparently stayed too long when he visited and visited at inconvenient times. The advice given was to politely tell the minister to call before visiting – and to tell the minister if it does not suit for him to come by at that time. I agreed with the advice – but then Ann – or Abbey – I can’t remember which column it was that the letter appeared in – proceeded to call on all ministers to not attempt to visit members of their congregations. At that point I thought her advice was wrong – and came close to writing her to tell her so. Sure – there are some ministers who fail to show common courtesies when it comes to visiting members of their churches – but that does not mean that visiting in the homes of the members is a bad thing.

Everyone is familiar with advice columns such as these in newspapers.

Some people follow the advice given and some don’t.

I wonder — what would it be like if God had an advice column in the daily papers?

What kind of answers would God give to the questions that would be sent to Him?

What advice would God give to help us live our daily lives?

The truth is that God has written advice for how to live our daily lives.

God has given us a book filled with advice on how to live our lives every day.

That book is the Bible.

For the next 5 weeks we’re going to look at one place in scripture where we can find God’s advice for daily living – the book of 1Timothy.

1 Timothy is what we call one of the “Pastoral Epistles” – a letter that – along with 2 Timothy and Titus – dealt with every day problems that the first Christians were facing. In 1 and 2 Timothy Paul (some scholars argue against the Pauline authorship of the Pastoral Epistles – and while I am aware of these arguments I am also aware of the fact that they are very inconclusive – so I’m going to take the easy way out and say that Paul wrote them) is writing to Timothy – a young man who traveled with him on occasion – and giving him advice on how to live as a Christian. I’m calling this series of sermons “God’s Advice For Daily Living” – and believe that, as we see Paul’s advice to Timothy, we’ll also discover God’s advice to us as we strive to live our lives every day in the ways God would have us live them.

We’re beginning at a good place to begin a series of sermons on 1Timothy – 1 Timothy 1:1-11. As we look at Paul’s advice to Timothy to be conformed to Christ instead of conformed to the world, I believe we’ll see God’s advice to us – don’t be conformed to the world, but be conformed to Christ.

Listen to God’s word to us here in 1Timothy 1:1-11:

Read Passage

How should be live our lives?

What advice would God give us for living our lives every day?

Here is 1Timothy 1:1-11 Paul is urging Timothy to not be conformed to the world, but to be conformed to the glories of Jesus Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God –

Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

One piece of advice God gives us for daily living is:

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

An ad in a London Newspaper read:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”

Would you believe there were thousands of men who responded to this?

I wonder what kind of ad Jesus would place in a newspaper if He were calling for people to follow Him.

It might read something like:

“Men and women wanted for the task of helping to build my church. You will often be misunderstood, even by those working with you. You will face constant attack from an invisible enemy. You may not see the results of your labor, and your full reward will not come until all your work is completed. It may cost you your home, your family, your friends, even your life.”

Who would respond to such an ad?

Well, Timothy was one who took this calling of Christ seriously. He took on some of the toughest assignments in churches Paul had founded. He faced times of discouragement – and in his letters to Timothy Paul tried to encourage Timothy for his task. He gave him advice on how to live the life of Christ in an environment that was not conducive to living in Christ’s ways.

Here is 1Timothy 1:1-11 Paul is urging Timothy to not be conformed to the world, but to be conformed to the glories of Jesus Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God –

Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

One piece of advice God gives us for daily living is:

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Don’t let the world conform you to it’s principles – let Christ conform you to His principles.

Don’t be conformed to the world – be conformed to Christ.

Don’t do what others want you to do – do what Christ wants you to do.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

These are good words – it is indeed good advice.

But – the question is – how do we put them into action?

How does this good advice become a way of life for us?

How can we be conformed to Christ?

How can we be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ?

How can we keep from being conformed to the world?

How can we keep from following the ways of the world?

How can we keep from doing the tings others are doing?

How can we keep[ from doing the things others want us to be doing?

How can we make sure that we are conformed to Christ – conformed to the ways of God – conformed to the things Christ would have us to be doing?

How can we be conformed to Christ?

Paul gives us several steps to take in these 11 verses that can help us be conformed to Christ and not to the world.

First — spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

3As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer 4nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. (1 Timothy 1:3)

People may try to tell us that many things are ok to be doing that really are not. We might not find the “myths and genealogies” that Paul and Timothy had to deal with in Ephesus to be a problem – but there are many things people might try to get us to do that might look innocent – but are not what God would have us to be doing, and as innocent as they may appear to be are not innocent at all. Some things that we might think are innocent activities – or that others might try to tell us are innocent activities and not a problem – are not what God would have spend our times doing – and might turn out to be real problems for us.

To the ancient Greeks things like myths and genealogies might have seemed to be innocent ways to spend time. It was fun to indulge in these things – it took their minds off the stresses of their lives. And – while it may have appeared that these things were completely innocent and not a problem – Paul knew better. Paul knew that these things took the minds of Timothy and other Christians away from what God wanted them to be thinking about – and kept them from doing the things God wanted them to be doing.

Television constantly bombards us with messages that things that are not ok or innocent or not right for us to be spending our time watching – things God does not want us to have anything to do with — are ok and innocent and even right – and that God doesn’t care.

Books — magazines – even newspapers constantly bombard us with messages that things that are not ok or innocent or right for us to be spending our time reading – things God does not want us to fill our minds with — are ok and innocent and even right – and that God doesn’t care.

There are things on the internet that might seem to be ok or innocent or even right for us to be spending our time looking at – things that we might think God doesn’t care if we look at – but that aren’t the things God wants us to be viewing.

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God –

Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

What’s the answer?

Not watch TV – ever?

Not read – anything?

Not use the internet – at all?

Well, that could be an answer – but I want to suggest another one.

Think about what you watch on TV.

Think about what you spend your time reading.

Think about what you spend your time on the internet viewing.

Ask yourself –

“Is what I’m watching – what I’m reading – what I’m looking at – what God would have me watch – read – or look at?”

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God –

Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

One piece of advice God gives us for daily living is:

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

One of the problem with watching things on TV that might not be exactly what God wants you to look at – or reading things that are not what God would have you to be reading – or looking at things on the internet that God would not have to be looking at – is that you run the danger of being shaped by these things – of believing that they are right – instead of being shaped by God’s things – and what God thinks is right.

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

There are a lot of good things on TV – things that help build your character – things that can educate you. There are a lot of good things to read – not only the Bible but books that teach morals have good messages and educate us. There are a lot of good things on the internet – things that help you become more the person God wants you to be or learn more about opportunities God gives you or learn more about the workd. These are the things God wants you to be looking at – the things God wants you to reading.

pend your time doing what God wants you to do.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God –

Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

One piece of advice God gives us for daily living is:

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to Christ.

The first step Paul tells Timothy to take to help him become conformed to Christ is:

Spend time doing what God wants you to do.

There’s a second step Paul gives:

2. Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with.

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with.

8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law^[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

This is a list of those who do not live lives that are conformed to Christ.

This is also a list of folks that Paul wanted Timothy to avoid.

This is also a list of folks that God wants us to avoid.

If we are going to be conformed to Christ, we are going to have to avoid people who might try to conform us to other ways.

Paul gives a quite a list of folks here:

Unholy, sinful, irreligious, murderers, adulterers, perverts, liars – just to name of few of them.

These were the types of people Timothy might meet every day in the large, cosmopolitan, pagan, Greek city of Ephesus. These were the types of people who – Paul knew – could lead Timothy down the wrong path – get him doing wrong things – and keep him from being conformed to Christ – so Paul warns Timothy to avoid them.

Unfortunately, we can relate to spending time with these types of folks easier than we can relate to spending time in “myths and genealogies” that Paul worns Timothy against. We still have to try to avoid these types of folks — folks who are:

Unholy, sinful, irreligious, murderers, adulterers, perverts, liars –

And many other types of folks can be added to the list.

Folks who are not living in the ways God wants us to live. Folks who might try to persuade us to join them in living in ways God does not want us to live – or doing things God does not want us to do. Folks who might try to persuade us that doing things that we really know better than doing is not all that bad. Folks who might get us to try something – just once – that we might regret. Folks who might laugh at us because we don’t do what they do.

The Greek city of Ephesus – being a mainly pagan city – was filled with folks like that. Our community – or world – is still filled with folks like that. Paul told Timothy to avoid these kinds of folks – and God still wants us to avoid folks like that.

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God – Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing

There’s a real problem with spending too much time with people who are doing things God does not want you to be doing. They can easily make you think that what they are doing is right – or that it doesn’t make that big a difference – or that you won’t get caught – or that God doesn’t care.

The problem is that if you have questions that what they are doing is right – or if you know it’s not right – then it’s wrong – and not what God wants you to be doing – no matter how good it feels to do it or whoever else is doing it or if “everybody’s doing it” – if you question whether it’s right, it’s probably not. But – if you hang around people who continue to do the wrong thing, before long you’ll be doing it with them.

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God – Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing

So – what’s the answer?

Go into your house – lock the doors – and don’t ever associate with anyone?

Well – that might help you keep from doing the things God does not want you to be doing – but I am not at all sure it will help you be conformed to Christ – or be like Christ. Christ didn’t seclude Himself from others – in fact Christ was criticized because He spent time with people who were less than perfect. If we are going to be like Christ — conformed to Christ – we have to spend time with other people – but we have to be careful that they are the people God would have us spend time with.

Yes – we can be God’s witnesses to those who are not doing the right things – but first of all we might need to spend time with those who are – those who are doing God’s will – those who are busy serving God and learning more about God.

There are a lot of people who in the world who are doing wrong things – but there are also a lot of people in the world who are doing right things.

There are a lot of people in the world who – if we spend too much time with them – can lead us down the wrong paths – but there are also a lot of people who – if we spend enough time with them – can lead us down the right ones.

There are a lot of people who might try to conform us to their image – but there are also a lot of people who can help us be conformed to Christ’s image.

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with.

Be conformed to Christ.

Be conformed to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

Don’t be conformed to the world –

Don’t follow the ways of the world –

Don’t do the tings others are doing –

Don’t do the things others want you to be doing –

Unless you are – first and foremost — conformed to Christ –

Conformed to the ways of God – Conformed to the things Christ would have you to be doing.

God’s advice for daily living.

God’s advice for how to live our lives.

The first piece of advice we have here in 1 Timothy is – be conformed to Christ.

Two steps we can take in being conformed to Christ are:

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

and

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with

Spend your time doing what God wants you to do.

Spend your time with the people God wants you to spend your time with

Be conformed to Christ.

That’s God’s advice for daily living. Amen.

Acts 2:42-47, John 13:1-17

Acts 2:42-47

John 13:1-17

“Let’s Be A Church That Serves”

October 7, 2007 (Communion Meditation)

Part 5 (Final sermon) of “Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be” series

For the month of September we looked at how we can be the very best Church we can be – or how we can be the Church God wants us to be.

We began by noting that we can’t just gather our ideas about what we need to be doing as a Church – or our ideas about what we can do to make Hopewell the very best Church it can be – without first looking to God and seeking what God’s ideas are about what we need to be doing here at Hopewell – and what God thinks we need to be doing to make Hopewell the very best Church it can be.

The point is that we all want to make Hopewell the best Church it can be – and we may have many ideas and plans for how to make it that way. That’s a good thing — I count it as a blessing that Hopewell is a Church where the members care about the Church and want to make it the best it can be. But – we need to also take a look at what God may be calling us to be doing – and what God may feel we need to be doing to be the very best Church we can be. It’s great to have ideas and get input from each other about how we can make Hopewell the very best Church it can be. We certainly need to share ideas and plans for actions we can take – as well as participate in the things we are doing. But – first of all – we don’t need to look at our ideas about what we need to be doing as a Church – but we need to – first of all – look at what God feels we need to be doing to be the very best Church we can be.

The questions we need to consider are not:

What do you think we need to be doing as a Church?

Or

What are some things you think we need to do to be the best Church we can be?

But – they are:

What does God want us to be doing as a Church?

What are the things God wants us to do so we can be the Church God wants us to be?

What does God want us to be doing as a Church?

What are the things God wants us to do so we can be the Church God wants us to be?

These are the questions we started considering two weeks ago and will continue to consider for the next two weeks.

How can we be the Church God wants us to be?

How can we be the Church God wants us to be?

We’ve looked at how the book of Acts describes the early church to find answers to that question. The last few verses of Acts 2 says that there were certain things the members of the early church committed themselves to – things like:

1. telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ

2. worshipping and exalting God

3. working together for God’s glory

4. growing in Christ

5. serving God and others

and it says God blessed them and “added to their number” because they were seeking and following His will for their church.

We’ve looked at these things that the members of the early church committed themselves to so could cam get a vision for how we can take steps to commit ourselves to these things, and do our part towards making Hopewell the Church God wants Hopewell to be.

Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be.

That’s been the theme for our month of September – and we will look at this one more time today.

Four weeks ago we looked at Acts 2:42-47 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20 – and saw how a Church with a great commitment to the Great Commission is a great Church. We saw how we need to commit ourselves to being a Church that tells Good News!

Three weeks ago week we added a second step to the process as we look at Acts 2: 42-47 and Ephesians 5:1-20 – and discovered that we need t be a Church that exalts God.

Two weeks ago we added a third step as we looked at Acts 2:42-47 and 1 Corinthians 12 – and saw how we need to be a Church that works together.

Last week we looked at Colossians 1:3-14 – and see how God wants us to be Church that grows in Christ.

So – we have 4 steps to how we can become the Church God wants us to be:

1. telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ

2. worshipping and exalting God

3. working together for God’s glory

4. growing in Christ

We’re going to add one more step to this today as we look at Acts 2:42-47 and John 13:1-17 – and see how God wants us to be a Church that serves.

Listen to God’s Word. (Read passages)

Let’s Be The Church God Wants Us To Be!

Let’s be a Church that tells the Good News!

Let’s be a Church that exalts God!

Let’s be a Church that works together!

Let’s be a Church that grows in Christ!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

We have already noted that — when you look at the description of the early church that Acts 2:42-47 gives us — you get the sense that this was not a church that people joined just because it would look good on their resume or because they thought it would help them make influential friends or help their standing in the community. No – this was a group of individuals whose lives had been changed by God, and who were committed to living a life that showed others the difference God had made in their lives. This was a group of people who were committed to sharing with others the life changing news that God had come into the world through Jesus Christ – people who wanted to exalt and glorify God and reflect the glory of God in their worship and in the way they lived their lives — people who wanted to work together for the glory of God in the world – people who were committed to growing in their relationships with Christ.

This was also a group of people who were committed to serving each other and others.

You could tell they were committed to these things from the way they worshipped:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42)

and the way they lived as they:

gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:45-47)

They wanted to tell others about God — exalt and glorify God – live lives that showed God’s glory to the world – work together to show God to the world through their worship and their actions – grow in Christ – and serve each other and others. And – God blessed them and added to their numbers daily.

They were the Church God wanted them to be – telling the Good News of God, exalting God, working together for the glory of God, growing in Christ, and serving each other and others in need.

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that tells the Good News!

Let’s be a Church that exalts God!

Let’s be a Church that works together!

Let’s be a Church that grows in Christ!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

Some of you know your Bible pretty well and know what the customs and traditions of Biblical times were. Some of you know that the washing of feet that our passage from John 13 describes was a common custom in Jesus’ day. You see — the roads of Palestine were dirt. In dry weather, they were inches deep in dust, and in wet weather, they were liquid mud. Since the shoes ordinary people wore were sandals, their feet would become extremely dusty or muddy as they walked along. There were always great water pots at the door of a house, and a servant would be at the door with a pitcher and a towel to wash the soiled feet of the guests as they came in.

The only thing was that Jesus’ little company of friends had no servants. The duties which servants would carry out in wealthier circles had to be shared among each other. They would take turns doing things like serving each other or washing each others feet at the end of a long day of travel.

But not on this night.

Most of you are also aware that John’s gospel is only one account of the Last Supper. We find parallel descriptions in the other gospels, each of them giving details of events of this night that particularly interest them Luke records in Luke 22 (Luke 22:24- 27) that an argument had sprung up among them that night as to who would be regarded as “the greatest.” Well, that may well have resulted in ruffled feathers and sore feelings — such sore feelings that the disciples may have trooped into the upper room like a bunch of kids sulking and pouting – no one willing to see the pitcher and basin and towel set there for their use — despite the fact that they normally would have taken turns with the task of washing each other’s feet and thought nothing about it. On this particular night all of them sat stubbornly in their places and would have nothing to do with the menial duty of washing the feet of the others.

Well, Jesus’ response was one of thinly veiled disgust at the behavior of the disciples. No doubt, the fact that He took the servant role they were unwilling to take was a visible parable of what He expected of His followers.

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say that this lesson Jesus gave the disciples of serving others and serving each other is one that we have taken to heart – and one that we live out every day?

It would be great to be able to say that — but would it be honest?

The world is full of people who are standing on their dignity when they ought to be kneeling at the feet of their others. The church is filled with such people also. In every sphere of life, the desire for prominence and the unwillingness to take a subordinate place wrecks the scheme of things. In sports, a player may be omitted from the team one day and then refuse to play any more. In politics, an aspiring politician may passed over for some office to which he thought he had a right and then refuse to accept any “lesser” office. In life it may happen that someone is given a quite unintentional slight and either explodes in anger or broods in sulkiness for days afterwards.

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

When we are tempted to think of our dignity, our prestige, or our rights, we need to look again at Jesus — the Son of God — a towel wrapped around Him — kneeling at his disciples’ feet – serving.

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

During World War II, England needed to increase its production of coal to generate power for the factories and businesses that kept the war effort going. Winston Churchill called together labor leaders to enlist their support in this. At the end of his presentation he asked them to picture in their minds a parade – a parade he knew would be held in Piccadilly Circus after the war:

“First,” he said, “would come the sailors who had kept the vital sea lanes open. Then would come the soldiers who had come home from Dunkirk and then gone on to defeat Rommel in Africa. Then would come the pilots who had driven the Luftwaffe from the sky. “Last of all,” he said, “would come a long line of sweat-stained, soot-streaked men in miner’s caps. Someone would cry from the crowd, “And where were you during the critical days of our struggle?” And from ten thousand throats would come the answer, “We were deep in the earth with our faces to the coal.”

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

Not all the work that needs to be done in the world or in the Church is glorious or glamorous. But it is often the people with their “faces to the coal” – as Churchill said — or, in the case of the lesson Jesus was trying to teach His followers –”faces to the feet” – who get the job done.

Yea –the people who are willing to serve – it’s the people who willing to put their “faces to the feet” and serve others – who get the job done. These are the people who are truly serving Christ – and it’s a church that is filled with these kinds of folks that is the church God wants it to be!

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

An admirer once asked the late, great orchestra conductor Leonard Bernstein what was the most difficult instrument to play. He responded :

“Second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find one who plays second violin with as much enthusiasm or second french horn or second flute, now that’s a problem. And yet if no one plays second, we have no harmony.”

If no one is willing to “play second” – if no one is willing to take the role of the servant – if no one is willing to serve others – there is no harmony – and we can not be the Church God wants us to be.

Let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Let’s be a Church that serves!

John records Jesus’ words after He had washed the feet of the disciples:

12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus served the disciples.

Jesus called them to serve each other – and others.

Jesus calls us – as His disciples – as His Church — to serve.

As we have looked at Acts 2:42-47 we have seen that the early church strove to be the church God wanted them to be by:

1. telling others the Good News of Jesus Christ

2. worshipping and exalting God

3. working together for God’s glory

4. growing in Christ

5. serving God and others

Friends – earlier in this service we came around God’s table and celebrated the Sacrament of Communion. Let’s let this be an act of commitment for us – an act of committing ourselves here at Hopewell to being the Church God wants us to be – a Church that:

1. tells others the Good News of Jesus Christ

2. worships and exalts God

3. works together for God’s glory

4. grows in Christ

5. serves God and others

Yea – let’s be the Church God wants us to be!

Amen