Practically Sanctified

If you watched the closing ceremonies of the winter Olympics from Vancouver a few months ago you saw a cross between a circus, a parade, and a stage show all dedicated to the stereotypes of Canada. Rooted in both Big and small RCMP, you saw giant floating moose and beavers, you saw Maple leaves and William Shatner. When things are dedicated you give a nod to the history and worth of the object. In almost every book you can find a dedication to someone or something that the author appreciated and allowed the book to be written. Dedication also means something given over for a specific use. In the Old Testament the utensils and items used in the Jewish temple were dedicated items. A very strict protocol was instituted for both the items and the priests charged with using them. In the IT world they talk of dedicated servers, a computer that has one use and only one use. When we talk of dedication as a point of valor, we are talking about this sense of focus. We are talking about the denial of selfish ambition and the complete surrender of all that we have – body, mind, strength, possessions – to the control of Jesus. Toby Mac in his song Made For You expresses it as “Anything I would give up for you. Everything, I’d give it all away.” That is what Jesus asks. He set the example in the incarnation. Not us, but Him. Not ours, but His.

DEDICATION is a man or women of whole-hearted dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the 7th Point of Valour that ties the previous 6 together. This dedication, this complete surrender of self is the heart of the Gospel. It is part of the story of God. There is the historical story that goes way back to the beginning of time. It involves Creation and a Garden, a snake and a single command; and ends with a death on a cross followed by a resurrection. This is the story of redemption. Then there is your story. It too begins with a creation – your creation by the God who created all around us. It too is a story of redemption, but it is also a story about purpose. You were created with wonderful gifts and strengths. In generations gone past the church has focused on the separation between man and his Creator.  It has focussed more on where you and I have gone wrong rather than the stuff that is good. There’s a truth there about sin that we all have to face at some point, but beyond that is the story of God in the world today. This story talks of a community marked by justice and love and peace and holiness. We live in a fallen world and there is much we can and should do as the people of God. He has called us to live out our faith in ways that reveal who Jesus is, His love and grace.

So what do we do with this? First of all, know that the One to whom you dedicate your life to is your Creator. Let me read you a favourite story of mine from Bonnie’s Your Best You.

The Palmist reminds us in a different way of who we are before our Creator in Psalm 139:1-16 “God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand. I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too— your reassuring presence, coming and going. This is too much, too wonderful— I can’t take it all in!
Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? to be out of your sight? If I climb to the sky, you’re there! If I go underground, you’re there! If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, You’d find me in a minute— you’re already there waiting! Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark! At night I’m immersed in the light!” It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you. Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvellously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.” That’s you! You are loved and known by the creator of the ends of the earth. The One who calls you to follow Him has Love at the heart of His very character. If God is anything, He is love.

To what does the Object of our dedication  ask us to dedicate ourselves too? Some people would try to sell you the Health and Wealth schtick. These are the people at the top, in leadership roles. The reason they do it is so you will give your money to the church so they can have more. They love the things of the world. It is easy for them to say it works because everyone gives money to them. Have you ever thought it odd they don’t live any longer than the next person? If God was really about health, wouldn’t they be the ones to live to 110 or 130? Unfortunately, the love of the Father is not in them. God did not come to make you rich, or keep you healthy. You can’t serve God and money; you can’t serve 2 masters, it just doesn’t work. So if it isn’t health and wealth, what is it?

There are 2 things we dedicate ourselves to. We dedicate ourselves to allowing the Spirit of God to work in our lives, to holiness. Paul put it this way in Romans 8: “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.” Well, that sounds great. You understand though, it is a challenge? How much are you willing to struggle with an addiction? How long will you struggle against anger or gossip or bitterness? The challenge to be like Christ is done in the power of the Spirit, but it takes will and effort to respond to God. Listen to the Romans passage preceding what we just read: “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” We are citizens of two places. We have a heavenly citizenship marked with the seal of the Spirit and we are tied to this Fallen world while in these physical bodies. These bodies age and suffer the results of sin and the Fall from so long ago. But we know we will be changed one day, and see Jesus face to face in glorified bodies, changed into His likeness more completely than we could ever imagine.

The second thing we dedicate ourselves to is kingdom living – God’s kingdom. The command was to love our neighbour. Remember the Sermon on the Mount? Jesus talked of a changed life, a life that is bent to holiness and love. Jesus challenged us in each area of our life to be involved with others. We know this – this has always been the challenge of the Church. In dedication, we renew this commitment to do it in God’s strength and God’s timing. We don’t do it just out of duty, or out of a sense of evangelism, but because we are called to give that gift of cool water to the stranger on a hot day. The Gospel is about holiness and love. We are changed towards holiness before God, and challenged to acts and attitudes of love before others.

 I am a big believer in setting markers in our lives. As you read through the OT you see again and again a mound of stones raised to commemorate a special event, a time when God stepped out of eternity and acted in time.  In a sense Christianity has a huge one – the cross is a marker of the point of salvation, of the finished work that Jesus did on our behalf. The cross reminds us as does communion, of our relationship with Him. They are markers, and Jesus asked us continue with the Bread and the Cup until He comes back so we will remember. What about your spiritual walk? Do you have markers along your path that you can remember? Can you remember not just the times that God reached down and did a miraculous thing in and around you, but when you made a stand and said this is where I make my commitment? This is my future, He is my all in all. I have talked about how every day we need to wake and make that commitment. We dedicate ourselves to God, to following Jesus with all we got regardless of the cost. There is great value in marking these moments. In our tradition we ask people to come up and kneel at the alter rails and surrender all you are to God. Seek His Perfect Love, His entire sanctification. Every service you can do that as we close, but I also believe strongly this is a decision of the will. It is not made in some emotion, where when the emotion is gone so is the will to follow through. I invite you to take a few minutes in the quietness of your own mind, and dedicate yourself anew to Jesus.  You have been given a card and a pen. Put the date down, May 2, 2010, and write a statement about who you are before God. Are you sold out? Are you surrendered to Him? You can make that decision today, now. Making a mark on that paper is much easier than making a pile of stones to remind yourself, but the challenge is here to make an alter to praise God. Out of the stones of your life, set them down, rough as they are, and raise them up. He can make them holy – He can make you holy. Take that card and put it in the back of your Bible or on your dresser where you will come across it from time to time so you can be reminded of this moment of dedication. Listen to this song as you consider what is before you. We are dismissed when it is done.

John 14:16-27 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

OBEDIENCE: A man who knows how to obey will be better able to lead others. John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” Obedience has a couple elements. You have the voice or command. Then you need to hear the command, and we need to hear God’s voice. We need to know it intimately. We need to let it sink deep into our soul so that His desires become ours. We need to put our faith into action.

I have a bad habit. I tend to change what my children say as if I heard them wrong. They repeat what they said, so I change it to something else. Why I find that funny, I have no idea. “Can we go outside to play?” turns into “You want to eat mice and clay?’ After they repeat it turns into “You want to tan hides today?” This kind of thing doesn’t help my case when Bonnie says I am half deaf. I went for a check-up at a doctors some 15 years ago and they did a hearing test. They found my upper and lower ranges of hearing were fine, but my middle  range was poor for some reason. The problem I have is if there are a lot of other noises going on it can be hard to focus on someone specific. When I was young my dad lost part of his hearing at a large fire when he was a fire fighter. A gas main had blown and the roar of the burning gas was quite loud until they got the main gas valve turned off. Like father like son, we both struggle to hear the quiet sounds.

Hearing is so important. You don’t realize how much you rely on it until you lose some of it. Hearing is important to obedience. How often have you told a child to clean up or do something and when it doesn’t get done the excuse is “I never heard you.” Maybe, once in a blue moon, a spouse has tried this one. One of the reasons you see and hear drill sergeants yelling at the new recruits is so that there are no mistakes – everyone hears the sergeant! Can you imagine the rookie using ear plugs so he doesn’t have to listen? A couple years ago there was a ladies night out in our backyard. It was a lovely time until the plane went over – all conversation stopped because hearing was impossible. We are called to obedience to God, to Jesus, but that is impossible if we can’t hear Him.

There is that picture Jesus shares with us – the one of the Shepherd and His sheep. The sheep hear the Shepherd’s voice and follow, and are safe. They know his voice. So how can we here Jesus? How can we get to know His voice?

Be Quiet: Where was the Lord; in the powerful display of nature? No; God spoke in the gentle blowing.
Elijah 1 KIngs 19:4-15 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.” Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.” So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD ” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
The LORD said to him…

Know the Bible: Life, people, work, the pursuit of pleasure or leisure – all kinds of noise, physical, emotional or spiritual can plug our ears.
Jesus Luke 4:1-14 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”
And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’”
And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’ and, ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”
And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit…
Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.

Don’t give up: How long will you wait? What is more important in your schedule than hearing from your Creator?
James 5:16  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Hebrews 11:39-12:2 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Matthew 26:36-45 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinner.”

Surrender: You will not hear if you don’t turn your ear towards the One speaking.
Matthew 26:39 My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.
Romans 12:1  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Romans 6:22-23 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Colossians 3:1-5 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
Ephesians 4:17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind

Be Rea:l God wants authenticity above all else. Bring who you are and He will speak.
Not like the Pharisees, more like the disciples – ordinary men and women
Peter – fisherman, quick tempered, impulsive, emotional, loyal
John – fisherman, ambition, temper, intolerant
Andrew – fisherman, brings others to Jesus, 2nd banana
Thomas – courage, bewildered, doubter, devotion
Matthew – tax collector,

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

I was reading a blog a couple weeks ago. The topic was holiness, and all the comments from people were how hard it was to not sin. They said they were lucky if they went 10 minutes without sinning. The kids were home, life was busy… but how ridiculous is that? They either had a great misunderstanding of sin, or they were embracing it with their whole heart. Their sense of loyalty to their Savior seemed somewhat missing. They moaned how hard it was, but gave no credence to any effort they put forward.

Team Hoyt is a video about loyalty. The father did whatever he could over the almost 5 decades of his sons life to give him a life, to allow Rick to experience as much as he could. Dick wasn’t just loyal in racing with his son, but from the beginning sought to provide everything possible that other kids of his age had. Loyalty is a mark of character that takes a lot of time, but it is also recognized quite easily when it exists.

We have talked about Honour, Courage, Chivalry and Purity. We have also just finished the Easter season and now fittingly talk about Loyalty. Were Jesus’ disciples loyal to their Rabbi? Did they live lives of Valour before their fellow men? I have been talking to my dad a bit about death lately. His cousin died last year and his sister this past January. When you talk of death your thoughts tend to run to, “What am I leaving behind? What is my legacy? Will I be known as a man who stood for something, for loyalty?”

True Loyalty precludes a clear understanding of the truth. We have all heard stories of soldier just following their superiors’ orders without a thought. Some people call that loyalty when in reality it is just blind obedience. True loyalty knows the truth. There are a lot of scams and people selling stuff out there. Most recently on Facebook is gift card for IKEA worth $1,000. When you read the fine print, you have to sign up for 13 other programs you pay for, and IKEA is not even involved in the promotion. This is the third time they have distanced themselves from a hard sell company that has done this. If something is too good to be true, it invariably is. In our materialistic society, it takes money to live, money to make things happen. People try so many ways to take advantage of others. Dig down deep. Seek the truth about things. Do your homework, especially about the things and people you get involved with.

What about your spirituality? How much have you investigated it? Take the time to read the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 sometime this week. When you see the context you get what Paul is saying. People were saying the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t real – it didn’t happen. Paul responds, “…if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” We would have no hope. We would have wasted our time. So who goes to church but doesn’t really believe? Does it make any sense? You cannot really be loyal to Jesus if you don’t believe the history involved: the incarnation, the birth, the miracles, the crucifixion and the resurrection, and the ascension. You have to understand the truth that we are in a spiritual battle, that Satan and his minions try to disrupt our lives individually and communally. You have to believe that prayer is effective, that God hears and answers. You have to believe that holiness is possible, that God is powerful enough to do a work in us leading to Christ-likeness. Know what you believe in. It will see you through good times and dark times.
True Loyalty starts each day with a choice. Even when you know the truth you have to commit to it. Life doesn’t just happen. You want to be loyal? You have to live intentionally. Many in Saskatchewan love their CFL football team. They call us the Rider Nation. There’s this guy who is part of that. He has never seen a Roughrider game, on TV or in real life. He doesn’t know any of the players’ names because he never bothered to look it up. He knows enough to wear green, but even though he considers himself part of the fan base, he is not loyal in any real sense of the word. He thinks it will just happen, that he doesn’t  have to put any effort or work into it. Consider the 3rd generation business owner. His grandfather started the business and his dad consolidated it. His turn comes up and he assumes almost everything. He has no history of the struggles in the past, but because he has the same last name, he feels it is his right to do as he pleases. The third generation leader has one of the highest incidences of company failure, simply because that loyalty to the guiding principles of the company is assumed.

Each day, each morning you and I should wake up and pray, “God, I surrender this day to you. Help me to go through it with you at my side. Help my decisions and actions reflect the fact that I am your disciple. Help to me to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow you.” Again and again we see that any change that happens in a Christians’ life is based upon that concept of commitment, that point of dedication, that choice, that decision. Do you think you could pray that prayer, and then go chasing after the things that distract us from Jesus and not be affected by it? In that prayer you are giving God permission to speak to you when you are veering off course. You are giving the Spirit permission to speak into your soul conviction and correction. As you pray that prayer, you are looking at each new day as a blank slate upon which you can write your testimony, so that at the end of the day as you fall asleep you can say, “God, thank-you for using me. Thank-you for giving me the opportunities I had to day to share my faith. Thank-you for helping me to grow, and staying by my side.”

A habit that you have a hard time breaking doesn’t make you any less a true disciple than without it if you continually turn to God for help. You have a choice to listen to the voices that say you are not good enough, or you can listen to the voice of Jesus that says, “You don’t have to be good enough, because I am.” True loyalty means you are committed to being committed. You will do the hard work of making the right choices.

True loyalty is lived out in the long term. The CFL is a passing game for the most part, but consider the running game. Have you ever thought what it must be like to be an offensive linesman? Each play you crouch, and when the ball is moved you bump into the guy in front of you, pushing him one way or another. You have made maybe three steps in the play, and the ball was moved a couple or 3 yards. The next play you crouch, and when the ball is lifted you ram your body again into the guy in front of you. Again and again you do that. Sometimes you move down the field, sometimes you don’t. 60 minutes of playing time runs out and then it is over. You look ahead to the next game where you get to do it all over again: crouch, wait, bump; crouch, wait, bump. What makes a man do that? There is a loyalty to the long term goal. There is the hope of the playoffs, and a Grey Cup ring at the end. The men on the line have to do their part if the team is going to get there. He has to be loyal play by play. The one play he decides to go easy and not bump, is the play the quarterback gets sacked. He understands that the other team is made up of guys just as determined as he is, except they want to get to the quarterback, the ball. Sometimes an injury sidelines you for a spell. Sometimes you take a spell on the bench for a rest, but loyalty demands that you are in it for the long haul.

We talked about the parable of the Sower in our men’s study a couple weeks ago. Remember the story where some seed fell on the path and in the rocks, and it died out quickly. Then there was the seed that grew up but got choked out by thorns. None of those seeds produced any fruit. It was only the seed in the soil that stayed for the long term that produced a hundred fold.  One of the hardest things is to get up after you have made a mistake, and continue on. We want to wallow in our self-pity. We struggle with self-esteem. God comes in and wants to heal and teach, but shame and guilt can often push Him away.

Understand this: Loyalty is not perfection; it is getting up each time you are knocked down and starting again. Loyalty is the hard work of the 7 points of valour. LOYALTY is a man of faithfulness, devotion, and allegiance. Life is not a series of quick fixes. It is largely the task of 3 steps forward, two steps back. It is the rushing game on the gridiron. We need to plug in for the long term, but be open to the vision, not just the method. Loyalty for the Christian is not to the institution, but to Jesus and His people, the body. Sometimes we confuse our loyalty. God is doing some neat things in Saskatoon. He is doing some different things, and the challenge will always be to be loyal in following Jesus.

Romans 6:6-14 “Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.
That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.” (The Message)

PURITY To be clean in heart, mind, speech, and body is to be strong. Psalm 119:9 Our materialistic society is a breeding ground for idols and temptations. All of who we are needs to ring true to the Good News.

Consider food colouring. You have a large pitcher of cool, clear water. What happens when you put a couple drops of food colouring in it? The food colouring spreads out and tints the whole pitcher, not just one little part. How easy is it to get all the colour back out of that jug – quite difficult. Consider the kid playing with white gloves in the mud. Do the gloves get muddy, or does the mud get glovey? Sin is all pervasive. They say a little leaven leavens the whole loaf. As we focus on purity, let us start by looking at what wrecks purity – sin.

The Fact of sin. There is a standard. Whether you believe it or not, it exists. This standard is universal, applies to everyone. A popular children’s toy is a plastic ball with 8 or 10 different shapes cut out of the sides of it; a circle, a square, a rectangle, a cross, a star – you get the picture. You also have a separate shape that exactly matches each hole. The one shape will only fit in the corresponding hole and nowhere else. The child learns over time how to match the shapes with the proper holes. This standard that is out there is like this plastic ball with a cross cut out of it. Though we were originally created in the shape of a cross, our shape got marred and no we look more like a square. Try as we might, we can’t fit ourselves into that spot.That is sin at work. Sin is falling short of that standard, of not fitting that one spot. It is like the archer aiming for the bulls-eye, the target that is down the field. I spent several summers at camp and graduated through several ranks of the archery program. As you start, you know all the right stuff, how to set the arrow up on the bow, how to hold it so when you pull back the arrow doesn’t go flinging off sideways; how to protect the inside of your forearm from the string hurting it.Unfortunately it is easy to miss the target. It takes no practice to miss. Right out of the gate you miss. Add in practice, discipline, time, and a teacher and you can begin to hit the target consistently. The Bible says, “We all have fallen short” of the mark, or the target, but what does that mean? What sometimes happens is we get confused about where this standard comes from. What is the target to which we align ourselves? The target is the character of God, the image of Jesus. The whole Old testament and its Laws is all about revealing to us that character. All the Laws and rules in the Old Testament simply are trying to show us that shape to which we need to conform. Sin, then, is anything that goes against the character of God. At its most simplest definition sin is selfishness. It is doing stuff for our own image. The heart of sin is not the rule that’s broken, but the intent behind it. Let me explain this further, but understand that, as the passage we read earlier says, we are not under the rule of sin. In other words you have a choice. It is a God given choice, and is only presented as we follow Jesus. That choice, to say, “No” to sin is what purity is all about. To understand purity, is to understand sin and how it works in our lives.

Consider the Process of sin. James 1:13-15 says “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” See where sin starts from? It starts from here in our hearts, and here in our minds. We have these desires and wants that are focused on us. These can be very natural things like the need for love or food. But if we allow these natural desires to become the controlling factor in our lives, they get pulled out of proportion and we no longer look like that standard we just talked about. Salvation and Christianity, then, is not so much about the rules and stopping the bad stuff as it is about pursuing the good stuff; the stuff that relates to that image of Jesus. Did you notice the clothes of the athletes during the Olympics? With the exception of figure skating and snowboarding, it was all about speed; and in their pursuit of speed they dropped all the stuff that held them back because they were pursuing the best way to get to the finish line the fastest. They weren’t concerned about making a fashion statement. They weren’t concerned about wearing stuff just because it made them look like an athlete or made them look fast. They focused on their race and did their best to avoid all the obstacles that would trip them up and slow them down. At points in following Jesus, you have choices to make. Do you do what is selfish and just for you, or do you live out of love. Do you allow yourself to be tripped up by the obstacles of life and get your eyes off of the race. Do you allow your desires to take you out of the race? Purity is the act of keeping your eyes on the finish line and pursuing that to the end.

The Power of sin. What gives sin such power? Why does it have such control over us? Sometimes we are so caught up in issues of holiness that we give power to sin by pushing the Law; the rules. The power of sin is the selfish intent. There is a thinking that we can do it all ourselves. We can be good enough in following Jesus on our own strength, so we don’t even need His help. Unfortunately that is pride, and the downfall of countless people, and of Satan himself. Believe it or not, you have a choice in this. Have you ever ticked someone off? Have you ever apologized but they keep coming after you? They keep blaming you for all their problems and they work hard to make you miserable – and you let them. You give power to them when you let them control your emotions, your life. Guilt and shame are 2 key controllers we use on each other, and that Satan uses on us. You don’t have to give in to them. In the power of the Spirit you can find release and peace from those things, because you are no longer slaves to sin. That is what freedom in Jesus is about. When you walk in the love and forgiveness of God you walk in purity.

The End of sin. Listen to Romans 8:1-8 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Do you see the choice here, the decision you have to make? Where is your mind set today? Each day you have to ask yourself that question. There are countless men and women who feel called by God. They start out on the road to be all they can be but they don’t finish. The simple reason is that they love the world. If you pursue the things of this world you can’t please God. The things of this world are all about how you feel, what you want. There is no room in that for God. Purity is about walking in step with the Spirit – giving these temporary things away so that you may gain eternal things.

Purity is a result of something else, not something to be pursued on its own. The pursuit of holiness is the pursuit of the Law. We make a list of all the don’ts, and try not to do them. We make a list of all the do’s, and try to do those things. All we are doing is trying to change our behavior on our own strength and as Romans 7 indicates, it doesn’t work. Purity is about what God is doing in us. It is about that process of the Holy Spirit leading and guiding and transforming us. We make the decision to follow Jesus with all we have.  The outworking of that choice, that commitment is holiness, or purity. Consider sin as darkness. A big empty room, but full of darkness. What happens when you bring a light in? Does the darkness overcome the light? Impossible. The Light goes straight to every corner, every space and brings illumination. Stay close to the Light. Stay close to Jesus, and you will be a person of purity.

Make the commitment today to be different, to be chivalrous in your approach to people and situations. Stand up for what is right, and strengthen your arm with the Spirit as you go forth in the power of God to proclaim the freedom Jesus brings to our lives today.

Joshua 1:1-9 “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

What is courage? What does courage look like?

Team Hoyt has many applications. Today we take the lesson of courage from the father and son team. They have run over 1,000 races together including 234 triathlons (6 of them were Ironman competitions and 7 Half Ironman) and 67 marathons (27 of them the Boston Marathon) over the last 33 years. Their best time in a marathon is 2 hours and 40 minutes, their best time in an Ironman is 13 hours and 43 minutes.They have 2 half marathons this year before they do the Boston marathon in April – it is Rick’s favorite race. His dad, Dick, will be 69 this year, his son will be 48. They did a 3,735 mile journey in 1992, running across the U.S. The courage of the father to attempt whatever he could for his son is inspiring.

There is the soldier on the battlefield. He is in his early 20’s and nothing prepared him for the reality and horror that is war; but he does whatever it takes to get the job done. There’s the young mother left alone with a child by an absent father. She works three jobs and lives on little sleep so that her child may have a good start in life. She also does whatever it takes so her family has what it needs. Then there is the person diagnosed with terminal cancer. It comes suddenly and shocks, bringing emotions and feelings deep and dark. Like Job, though, the response is “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” Three situations, and perhaps stereo-typical in the messiness of life, but all illustrating courage and inner strength.

Courage is about working in the present. So often it is the fear of the future or the unknown that holds us back in life; but courage deals with today’s problems. Jesus Himself said to work in today for tomorrow has its own issues.

Courage expresses itself in many ways, but if you want to be all you can be in Jesus, courage has to be a part of your life. What’s the antithesis of courage? Is it fear, is it apathy? It is whatever that prevents you from action, from “doing” something. Quite a few years ago I was in a bookstore in a large mall. I walked around the corner of a bookcase on the wall opposite the cash register. Just as I turned the corner a huge man was putting a book under his coat. He turned and in a few strides was out of the store and gone in the crowd. I didn’t yell, or even move. I was shocked – shocked at witnessing a crime, and I choked. I stood frozen and unable to respond to what was happening at hand. It was one of my more pathetic moments and I still remember today that I did nothing. If it happened today I believe I am in a better frame of mind and would act quicker. At the very least I would call out from the safety of another book case; but then I failed to act.

So, how do we apply courage today? How can we become men and women marked by courage, the ability to act in the face of opposition? The process of change has 3 elements that I know of. There is a commitment, a moment of surrender and dedication. There is then the throwing off of the negative stuff and behavior and a throwing on of the good stuff. Romans 12:1-2 illustrates this when it says “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” “Present”, “do not be”, and then “be”. That is the pattern we see again and again in the New Testament, and it is the process of God working in our life. Let me leave you with 3 commitments, or decisions you and I need to make if we are going to be courageous.

Consider David. We think of Goliath or the lion he killed as examples of courage. We could also think of his reign as king and the military exploits he had; but consider something else – David had the courage to be open and honest with himself about who he was; about his life before God and the people. He knew who he was. How many men do you know could stand up in front of a group and recite poetry, much less write it? Real men – poetry, they don’t usually go hand in hand, but David didn’t care. He loved to sing praises before God and to dance before Him, even though he would be considered foolish for doing so. When the prophet Nathan confronted David with his sins of adultery and murder, he didn’t make excuses or hum and haw; he “fessed” up and said “Before God I have sinned.” When confronted with his fallenness he pled guilty before God and accepted the consequences of his sins.

It takes courage to be real, to be authentic in community. It takes courage to show the “not so polished” sides of our lives. This church is your community and you and I need the courage to be vulnerable and make ourselves accountable to each other. There is power, incredible power when we open up ourselves to one another in the Spirit. I was talking to a lady yesterday about the Your Best You conferences. Her comment was the correlation between how “churched” women are and how closed they are. The more “churched” the women are, the more closed relationally they are. That’s the exact opposite of where we should be. Take courage, and let us all to be real.

Consider Abraham. Here he is cruising through life, successful at what he does when God says, “Move!” Say what? Where, why? “Just move!” So up come the roots and off he goes. Abraham heard God and was obedient to the call on his life. He took the initiative God asked of him and left the familiar and comfort. He had the courage to surrender all he has and was, and to step out, to break new ground, to believe God when He said, “Go” knowing God would provide. So, Abraham goes and gets to a wonderful land that God says will be his and his descendents. Then God says, “Offer you son as a sacrifice to me.” Abraham lived in a time when that was not uncommon. The land he came from practiced that, and Abraham thought the God he served was different. So, trusting in God again, with the courage of his faith, he was just about to follow through on God’s command when God intervened. And Abraham’s courage was counted to him as righteousness – his belief in God’s deliverance pleased God. The Psalmist tells us God is not interested in sacrifice, but in the broken and contrite heart that pursues Him. Do you have the courage to pursue God or is something holding you back? Have you dedicated your family and your money and all you have and are to Him? That is what God asks – everything. Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but Thine.” Give up your small ambitions and pursue God. Again and again we see followers of Jesus throwing away careers and money and all the stuff this world holds dear, just so they can do what God created them for. They have the courage to surrender all and follow Jesus. Have the courage to take up your cross daily and follow Jesus.

Consider Daniel. Here he is as a captive in a foreign land, but finding favour with God and moving up in the ranks of government. And there are people who are against him, and jealous and they devise a plan to do him in. He is faced with a challenge – turn away from God or die. He has the courage to stand up for his faith. He had the courage to do what is right regardless of the consequences. Think of this: you have a son or daughter. They have grown up and are now in the exact place of Daniel’s friends Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. How would you want teenage son or daughter to respond to the challenge of bow down or be thrown in the furnace? God does not call us all to stand on a street corner and proclaim the day of the Lord. He does not call us all to sell all our stuff and give it to the poor and live a monastic lifestyle. But He does call all of us to holiness and a life changed by His Spirit. What IS God calling you to do and be. Most often God’s will has to do with being, with who we are in Him and how we live our life before men. Sometimes it is about location and task. Are you up for it? Are you ready for the challenge? Join your brothers and sisters in community and let us make the decision to follow Jesus whatever the cost.

Philippians 4:4-13 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Exodus 20:12 “honour your father and mother…” Respect for position, place of trust
John 19:9 Honor is inherent to each of us for we are made in the image of Christ- we can give it up!
Matthew 13:57 Honorable jobs – prophet
Romans 9:21 Compares something made for honorable use rather than just common use – think of the items found in the Old Testament temple made of gold.

Honor: The man of honour is the man whose word is true. Psalm 15:1, 2 “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.”  The challenge is to not just know the right stuff, but to apply it. Integrity of words and life are the foundation of our testimony, our witness. If people around us are to see Jesus in us, our word must be true. This is honor.

The narrator had a choice. We need to find our own way, and often the common road or easy road is a cop-out. If this metaphor speaks to destination I would have chosen a different metaphor myself, because I like driving down easy roads. I just want to get to where I am going. Give me the 4 lane highway rather than the slower 2 lane country road, especially the gravel ones. I avoid roads that are difficult to travel on, yet we often miss interesting things that are only on the back roads. On the other hand, when this metaphor speaks to the journey it is better understood. The road to honor is less traveled and rough. Who wants to go down the hard road? But the destination is not the same. Integrity takes time and sacrifice. It is going to cost you in many different ways. The road to common compromise is wide and easy, and most people follow the crowd.

Honor is the higher calling. For the 15 year old hockey player it is the call of Junior A and the NHL – to reach that dream career of professional hockey. For the author it might be writing that bestselling novel, or the literary work that will stand the test of time. It takes effort and discipline, time, and more. I was talking to one father this past week whose 15 year old son has a shot at the big leagues. He gets invited to the next level up, most of the others being 16 and 17 year olds. One of the boys takes the initiative and says to the group, what’s your name, your age and something about yourself. Half the boys say they like to party. Drinking and smoking dope is common place for these guys. But this young man wants to move on. He keeps his body clean and works hard at his game instead. He knows that to have that one in a million chance he has to pay the price, take the road less traveled. He also declared in front of his peers that he is a Christian. I look forward to seeing how God will use that young guy.

So it is with you and I as followers of Jesus. We aspire to be men and women of God – to be all we can be, to reach our potential for which we were created. Are we willing to pay the price? Honor is about respect, respect because of integrity, and when we are called to be honorable, or set apart from the common we are pursuing a sense of the divine calling. It has been suggested that honor is being true to your word. He is an honorable man because he says something and does it. For the child of God, for the man of God, we make a public confession to following Jesus Christ. We get baptized because we want people to know that this is where we make our stand. This faith is who I am. So often the complaint of the non Christian is that what that Christian says in church isn’t translated into what they see in his life. He is no different from the next guy. How many people have been hurt by someone else in the church? This disconnect between the image of our faith and reality of our life is what honor speaks to. So what does Honor look like? There are 3 arenas of life where we live. There is the private place of our thoughts and attitudes, of our opinions and intellect. The second is our speech, the words that proceed out of our mouth. The third arena we live out our life in is our actions – the places we go, the things we put our hands to. What would honor look like in each of these arenas?

Honorable thoughts
Philippians 4:8 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” How organized are you? If you look at my bookshelves I like to organize books by height. It makes it easier to put loose papers on top of the books, but that is another story. I also like to put like things side by side. I have all my woodworking magazines in one spot, genealogy books in another, and so on. It helps to group like things together. Look at this list in Philippians and see what honorable thoughts are grouped with: Truth, right things, purity, lovely things, and integrity – anything worthy of praise or anything of excellence. That is pretty good company! We tend to speak and act out of who we are. Where we spend time with our head and mind is going to reflect in our words and actions. It is also in the mind that we form our opinions and allow the filters of life to develop.
As we go through life many things cross our path. King David was looking out of his palace and saw a beautiful woman. He allowed that to draw him away. Joseph, on the other hand, ran as fast as he could in the other direction when confronted with the same thing. We have a choice on what we will focus on. Where are your boundaries? I try set mine well in from the danger zones, while others foolishly see how close they can get to the fire. They end up getting burned. I recognize my humanness, my fallen-ness. Victory as a child of God is not running around crazy in our liberty in Christ, but recognizing that we live within grace.
So what will you let your mind dwell on? Be proactive. Grab some good books, listen to uplifting music, and let the Word of God seep into you through reading and memorizing and meditating on it. Many men can tell you the stats of their favorite hockey team, or who has signed or not signed back with the rough riders. But who can quote 1 Corinthians 10:13, Psalm 119:11 or Matthew 22:37?

Honorable Words
Proverbs 25:11 “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” There are some things I wish I was, but I “ain’t”. I wish I was quicker with my wit. I am one of those guys that an opportunity presents itself, there’s a pause, then it is gone and THEN I come up with the funny or the tidbit of wisdom. Maybe that’s why I like preaching – I can have it all thought out beforehand. There have also been times when I was as surprised as the next guy by what came out of my mouth. We all know, though, when we are the recipients of that word in the right circumstance. It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent. Sometimes it is as simple as, “I will pray for you.” Just make sure you do pray. Maybe a simple “I missed you!”
Our words can be used for great good or great harm. When we thoughtfully respond to somebody out of the honesty of our heart, we can’t do it wrong. Someone asks us about Jesus. We try to think about what is important, but we get flustered and feel like we failed. As long as we just respond out of what God has done for us He will use us. God looks at the heart, so don’t not say anything just because you feel inadequate. Just be real and let God do the rest. He promised He would if our words come out of who we are in him.

Honorable Acts
Have you ever met someone who said one thing but did another? This is where that metaphor of the two roads come in. A lot of people talk about that road less travelled. They have the right words and know the right people and read the right books, but when the rubber hits the road, they are not at all where they thought or said they were. Honor is about integrity, and we have precious little people of integrity. Another fallen pastor after 30 years of marriage. Another person leaving a church because someone abused them spiritually, or just because they got upset about a paint color. A guy pursuing the pastorate as well as a promiscuous  lifestyle. A church elder abusing his daughters. There is a lot of talk from a lot of people, but when you take away all the layers you see truth in how you treat and relate to others. Men – how do you treat women? Are you honorable in how you relate, or do you take advantage of them at vulnerable times. If we don’t have honor among the men of our church, where else will we find it? Honor is not passive, it is active. What are you doing to lift our sisters in Christ up?
Justice and ministry to the single ladies and orphans top lists in the Old and New Testaments. How are we doing today with integrity, with acting honorably? Does our life live up to our words?