“Living on the Right Side of the Equation”

Romans 5:9-20 on Jan. 24, 2010 by Pastor David Goudie

Today’s scripture can seem a bit confusing at first.  However, this is a significant passage about understanding the great love and grace of God.  

Now the past few weeks we’ve been looking at stewardship… and stewardship is about how we are challenged to faithfully response to God.  At first we might look at this scripture and wonder what it has to do with stewardship.   It’s a confusing scripture as it is.  So we can wonder what this passage has to do with giving of our tithes or our talents or our time.   

But as we’ve been discovering these past few weeks, before we can respond with our giving we are first encouraged to look at all that God has given to us.   For its only when we’re able to appreciate all the blessings of God and see it all as gift from God, then we are able to gratefully respond as we should, (responding not as the owners, but as stewards).  

And throughout this stewardship focus we have an overall theme of ‘the Mathematics of God’.  A couple weeks ago we looked at the rule of multiplication, and saw how God can use whatever we have and multiply it for His purpose.  And last week we saw how God’s addition principle, adds more people to our fellowship of believers.  

Well as we come to today’s scripture it may not seem like Mathematics would play any role in what St. Paul wrote to the Romans.      

But actually a while back as I looked at this scripture, it was not until I remembered something from my Math class, that I was better able to understand this passage.  Two simple words in this passage jumped out at me, and then something clicked, and the passage made sense to me.  The words were “much more” or in some translations “more than”.  The words are repeated a couple times in the scripture.  “How much more will God save us?  How much more will God’s grace be?” 

 The reason is that in Math, when you look at an equation, there is a big difference between the mathematical signs of “less than”, “equal to” and “greater or more than”.   So when this passage talks about ‘more than” it makes a huge difference.   When we see this passage in light of a Mathematical equation, it impacts our understanding of the tremendous Grace of God.  There is an equation which involves our entire life.  And St. Paul is letting us know that what side of this equation you are living on makes all the difference in the world.    

(Thinking Grace is Less Than)

Now the place most of us begin is by viewing God’s grace as too small.  That grace is not enough to change our lives. 

So the equation we think of usually starts off looking like this

Grace< Sin

That God’s grace is not enough to make up for all that we’ve done in our lives.  

A person might say “you do not know what I have done.  God could not accept me.  I’ve messed up too big”. 

It’s like saying “My sin is just too big of a number”.   When you consider the lies, the bitter words, the gossip, all the junk from my past; add it up and it’s like a million points stacked against me, for all that I’ve done wrong.   Not to mention all the times I should have done something good I just did not do it.  Then it would be an even larger number.

 It can seem overwhelming, especially if we really take to heart the passages of this scripture which address sin.  For when this passage says death entered the world through sin.  Basically it’s saying ‘sin = death’.  Now we can begin to understand the weight of this issue.   We know how serious death is. 

For even if we go in the other direction and try to wrongly minimize our sin.  That is we try to make the number of our sin seem smaller to fit our notion of grace.  We face a problem.  You see, the scripture does not minimize sin.  It equates it with death.  And that’s huge.  Yes our sin number is huge.  No matter who you are.  All of us have sinned.  So you could say the number is over a million. 

And it goes one step further.   It’s not only one person’s sin.  It’s all our sin combined. God’s grace has to cover the cost of the whole world’s sin.  From the very beginning until now, sin and death have reigned in the world.     

Bluefishtv “the weight of the cross”

(Accepting Grace as Equal To)

When we realize the depth of sin, we see how large grace has to be in order to pay the price.

And here is where another problem comes in.   We figure grace has to be costly to us.   Grace has to be difficult.  So we start to think the grace of God spoken of in the scripture is too easy.  There has to be more than simply accepting Jesus gift of salvation.   We need to add something to grace.  We need to go to church so many times.  We need to help in this amount of charities.  We need to do enough good things to make up for all the bad things. 

So we think maybe instead that it’s this equation … “grace + good deeds=sin”

When we understand the enormity of sin, we figure we have to add something to grace to be enough.  If not we figure it’s too cheap. 

It’s like the time when G. Cambell Morgan was once approached by a soldier who said he would give anything to believe that God would forgive sins, but the he went on to say “I cannot believe that He will forgive me if I just turn to him.  It’s too cheap.”  Dr.  Morgan said to him.  “You were working in the mine today.  How did you get out of the pit?”  He answered,  “The away I usually do; I got into the cage and was pulled to the top.”  So Morgan asked him.  “How much did you pay to come out of the pit?”  “I didn’t pay anything.”  “We’re you afraid to trust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?”  the man replied.”  “No! It was cheap for me.  But it cost the company a lot of money to sink that shaft.”  The man then realized something.  God’s son had paid the enormous price for our salvation, it was a greater price than anyone of us could ever pay. 

Grace is costly.  It cost the life of God’s own son.  And because of it the scriptures say we are justified by Christ’s blood.  It means we are made right.  The payment of sin and death has been paid.  (From Illustrations Unlimited)

It is wonderful to finally come to a place where we can see that God’s grace covers our sin.  

This is what it means to be a Christian; to acknowledge our need for grace, to receive Jesus as our savoir, being grateful to God that his Son paid our price with his life.  And so when we accept Jesus into our lives our sin is cancelled.   The penalty is paid and death is defeated. 

We begin to accept this equation “Grace = Sin”

In other words we realize that whatever the sin, God’s grace is sufficient to meet it.  

So if the sin is somehow quantified as a sin of 4 than grace is a 4 that covers it

If the sin is quantifies as a 100,000 then grace is 100,000 which covers it

It’s incredible to see that no matter how large the sin.  God’s grace is able to forgive us, to cancel that sin and erase it away.  

Whether or not we are aware of it God’s grace is what we desperately need.  And God’s grace is more incredible than we can imagine. It’s what can truly make the difference in our lives.  And yet so many today just settle for going through the motions, trying to look good enough on the outside, but missing the very thing they need from God.   Take a look at this testimony of a youth whose struggling to find his way …  and think of how God’s grace could really impact his life

Bluefish TV  “The wrong crowd”

He said “I was always told to live the life God always wanted me to live, but I couldn’t see how I was supposed to do that”.  Well today’s scripture gives the answer.  And it’s all about God’s grace. 

But to get there we need to see that this grace is even greater than what we normally can expect or hear about.  

You see, we might hear someone say God’s grace is a free gift and if you accept Jesus as your savoir he will forgive you of your sins.  And we might even be able to believe it.  But the powerful news of the Gospel goes so much further. 

For let’s go back to our previous equation

We think of grace as being = sin… so that no matter what the sin grace will cancel it out. 

But then where are you left?   If grace=sin they cancel each other out and there really no place to go from there. 

(Living in the fact that Grace is More Than)

And this is where many Christian stop.   Many see grace as enough to cancel our sin, but then they are simply left there.  And a problem arises.   For many might hear and accept God’s grace –but then figure – well if God grace will forgive me then why change?    I can just go about what I’ve always done right?   If I go out drinking on Saturday night I can come in on Sunday and be forgiven right?  Grace will just cover it.  In fact, if grace equals the amount of sin I have.  Then the more I sin the more grace I can have we figure.   And if grace increases the more I sin, why not sin more?  That’s the problem with stopping at this equation. 

That’s why Paul addresses this very issue in the next section.   Right after this passage in Chapter 6 the scripture says “Should I sin so that grace may increase…. By No Means!”  And this is where the real equation truly shines, and puts to light what Paul has been saying throughout these scriptures.    

St. Paul is saying grace is greater than our sin it’s not just equal to our sin.   And if you actually put it into the equation it makes a huge difference. 

Grace>Sin (grace is greater than sin)

It makes a difference because it means that sin does not have to increase for grace to be larger. 

Take for instance you tell a lie and your sin = 4 and you then go out drink and smoke sin again so that it’s now an 8.  

Well grace is a larger number than we can think of it’s beyond infinity - but for practical purposes let’s just say it’s 1 million.  Well does going out and sinning again making your sin go from 4 to a 10, does is make grace any larger?   No! Grace is already enough to cover any sin.   Grace does not give us an excuse to sin more.  God’s grace doesn’t become better the more we sin.  God’s grace is already far beyond anything we could ever imagine. 

But the point of the scripture goes even further.   

Paul says we no longer are enslaved to sin.  Why?  Because we live on the other side of the equation. 

We live on the side of God’s grace. 

And over here on this side of the equation, on grace’s side, we have things like life and peace and joy and purpose.  Why would we even want to venture over to the other side?  Over there on that side of the equation is death and sin.  

We no longer live over live over there.   In fact, through Jesus we have died to sin. Our old life has died over there.  There’s no more life on that side.  But now through Jesus resurrection we too have been resurrected on other side of the equation.   And that’s where we are to live.  We are to permanently reside.   

So if we have eternal life and joy and peace and love over on the side of grace and it’s greater than the side of sin and death then grace can cancel out sin and death … and you know what you still have?  You still have more grace.  You still have more life.   You still have more joy and peace. 

Grace does not give us an excuse to sin. Just the opposite grace gives us the power to live in righteousness and new life.   What we struggled and could not do before because of our old life of sin… now by the God’s grace and love we can freely live by.    

For example to better illustrate there was a husband and wife who did not  really love each other. The man was very demanding, so much so that he prepared a list of rules and regulations for his wife to follow. He insisted that she read them over every day and obey them to the letter. Among other things, his "do's and don'ts" indicated such details as what time she had to get up in the morning, when his breakfast should be served, and how the housework should be done. After several long years, the husband died. As time passed, the woman fell in love with another man, one who dearly loved her. Soon they were married. This husband did everything he could to make his new wife happy, continually showering her with tokens of his appreciation. One day as she was cleaning house, she found tucked away in a drawer the list of commands her first husband had drawn up for her. As she looked it over, it dawned on her that even though her present husband hadn't given her any kind of list, she was doing everything her first husband's list required anyway. She realized she was so devoted to this man that her deepest desire was to please him out of love, not obligation. (from Illustrations Unlimited)

In the same way this is how God’s grace transforms us.  We cannot do it on our own strength.  So our old life needs to die with Christ that we can be resurrected on the side of God’s grace and eternal life.  

How can we respond to God’s grace?  Not grudgingly, trying to follow a set of rules.  But through gratitude for the amazing love which changes us.   And this is the heart of stewardship.   Stewardship is about living your life over here on this side of the equation where life and grace and love are experienced.   There is an equation which involves our entire life.  And what side of this equation you live on makes all the difference in the world.   for God’s grace is greater than anything we could ever imagine.  Thanks be to Jesus Christ.  

“The Addition Principle”

Acts 2:42-47 on January 17, 2010 by Pastor David Goudie

What an incredible vision of the church this passage of scripture gives us!  In Acts we see an early church which was truly blessed by God.   They were blessed by God’s teaching.  They were blessed by fellowship with other believers.  They were blessed by praying with each other and having communion together.  They were blessed by sharing what they had been given with each other.   And because of these blessings, it says the Lord also blessed them (even more) by adding to their number daily those who were being saved.  

It was not only the early church though which had received so much, God desires for us today is to also receive these same blessings.  So as we look at this scripture it gives us the vision of what the church today is to be, and how grateful we should be for what God has given us. 

And this is the heart of stewardship.  It’s what commitment Sunday which is coming up on Feb 14 is about. Commitment Sunday gives us the opportunity to respond in gratitude for all that God has given us.   For when we’re grateful for God’s blessings, we see the privilege of sharing those blessings with others in need, and you know what happens then, we become even more blessed as the Lord adds more people to our fellowship of believers.      

So I want you to take notice of one particular word in this passage of scripture.  (It’s a simple word but an important one.)   The word is ‘added’.  Because for the next few weeks will be looking at the theme of ‘the Mathematics of God’.  And one of the first things we learn in mathematics is addition.  Now for those of you who are like me and enjoy Mathematics, this series is especially for you.  However, even if you dislike Math, do not worry, because God’s Mathematics can be different than what we’re used to.  You see, God’s mathematics go far beyond just numbers, they go to the heart of people and impact our lives.   So when we talk about addition.  It’s not just about getting more things.  In fact, in God’s mathematics sometimes having less actually means more.   As the early church discovered, the less we keep only for ourselves and the more we share with each other, the more we can experience the grace and blessings of God.  So today the addition we’re talking about relates to people, the ways Christ can add joy to our lives. 

(The problem of isolation “mine”)

For instance for those who can remember a little algebra.  There’s something called the addition principle. 

The point is basically to isolate the equation so that it’s in its simplest form. In other words so that what you are solving for is all alone.   Take the equation x-2 = 4.  You add 2 to both sides and you get x=6.   So that X is all alone by itself.  Now that’s a good thing for regular mathematics.  Because then you know the answer.  But in God’s mathematics isolation does not give you the answer.  Actually it creates a harder problem.  You see in the scripture the addition principle we are talking about does not want us to be alone or isolated.  Instead it wants us to be together and share with each other. 

Now for those who are not big on Math though, let’s look at a more practical situation.  The children and parents probably can especially relate to it.  This past vacation I went to Disney World.  And one of the attractions at Epcot connects to the movie ‘Finding Nemo’.  For as you go into the ride there are the seagulls from the movie there.  And what do they constantly say?   ….. “mine, mine, mine”. 

The problem though is that we may not only hear that from the seagulls but from children on occasion too. Right?   After all, you don’t have to be a parent to have heard the dreaded words from a child “That’s mine..”    So you talk to them about sharing.  Because most of us can see from the outside that sharing is more often fun.  Just think if they play a game with each other, or throwing the ball around to each other, it’s better than just keeping it for themselves.  Still, there are those times when the child just wants to go off alone by themselves to be miserable…  just as long as no one else gets their ball or toy.   Isolated and alone, it can be a real problem.  So we try to teach the children to share. As adults, we see it right?  Sharing is more fun.  It’s a greater blessing.  But do we really see it?   We should ask ourselves how well do we share with each other.  

We may not keep saying “mine, mine, mine” like those seagulls in Finding Nemo.  But sometimes we can still give that impression. My house, my car, my money.  We view those things as ours to do with as we please.   But this passage in scripture challenges us to see them as gifts from God and to see the blessing of sharing together.   That being alone and isolated is actually a great problem. In fact it’s a sin we all struggle with.   

So in God’s mathematics the addition principle encourages us to see how blessed it is to be added together.  The scripture says “All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods they gave to anyone as he had need.”  In other words they shared freely.  No one said,  “that’s mine; you can’t have it.”  What a tremendous picture of sharing. Understand because of what Jesus had done in their lives they were able to see past their own interests and desires.  They saw the needs of others and wanted them to also experience the blessing of God. 

It is similar to an older rich man who was depressed and so went to visit a rabbi.  The rabbi led the rich man to a window. And said "Look out there.”  The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi. "I see men, women, and children," answered the rich man. The rabbi then led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?"  "I see myself," replied the rich man.  Then the rabbi said, "In the window there is glass, and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver, and no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, but you see only yourself."  

God wants to bless us in the same way, to look past ourselves to see through the glass.   For when we focus upon our possessions we see only ourselves and our wealth. However, when we focus upon Jesus our eyes are opened and we realize something very important. We realize that our possessions are really not ours but God’s. It is God who shares with us so that we can share with others.

For instance someone in our congregation, Sally Sateford, shared with me a wonderful quote from a poem by Roberta Porter which says …  If I see a gift as mine alone to give, I might give hesitantly, even grudgingly, considering my options, then giving from a sense of ought. If I see the gift as God's who allows me to use it for a time, then the gift can flow more freely, as I join with others to be a channel for God's love and mercy. - Roberta Porter, from her poem, "Grace in Giving"

Instead of saying “mine, mine” we’re free to see it as it truly is, a blessing from God which can be freely shared with others.   That’s the way these early disciples of Jesus saw it.  They saw that it was God’s money to be shared with all in need.  

(Gratefully sharing adds to our witness)

And because of it they were blessed by God to have even more people share in those blessings.   For as they gave to all those in need, it was a powerful witness to everyone around them.  The crowd was able to see in a practical way how Jesus had made a difference in their lives.  Well in the same way, how we provide for the needs of each other is a testimony to Jesus.  How we view and spend money is a powerful witness to others about our faith in Jesus Christ. Because where you spend your money often indicates what is important to you.

Godfrey Davis, who wrote a biography about the Duke of Willington, said, "I found an old account ledger that showed how the Duke spent his money. It was a far better clue to what he thought was really important than the reading of his letters or speeches." How we handle our money reveals much about the depth of our commitment to Christ. That's why Jesus often talked about money. One-sixth of the gospels, including one out of every three parables, addresses issue about money. 

So let’s think for a moment where we spend most of our money. Most Americans spend 23% of their budget on shelter, 21% on Transportation and 15 % on food.  People give about  2.5% to charity if they are churchgoers, 1% if they are not.  So how does where you spend your money shows what is most important to you? Well if you spend a lot on your house, chances are you care about it. If you spend a lot on car, chances are it is important to you.  Now what about the people around you?   Are they important to you?   Helping to supply for someone’s needs is a strong witness of how much you truly care.   

In this passage we see what was important to the disciples.  We find in just these short passages what the essential practices of the Christian church were.  What was important?  Following the teaching of the apostles.   Having true fellowship with each other.  Breaking bread with each other in communion.  And being grounded in prayer.  

All of these combined with an active love and care for one another, showed the people around them what was most important.  Jesus had changed their lives and it showed in their generosity towards one another.  There fellowship with one another was a living testimony to everyone of what mattered most in their lives.   

So when talk about stewardship we need to see that it’s a matter of faith.  It’s a tangible way to say thank you God for what Christ has done in our lives.  So our financial commitment goes far beyond any civic duty.  It strikes at the heart of our priorities.  

For just think of all the ways we might respond to being asked to give.  As this video indicates the offering plate can bring about all sorts of reactions…

Bluefish TV Video  The offering plate

People can have all sorts of views about giving.  But what this scripture shows us is that giving is actually a privilege extended to us.  It’s a blessing to be able to respond in gratitude and love to God for what we have been given.  And it allows others to tangible see what difference faith makes in our lives.   So it’s about faithfully witnessing to what is truly important to us.  If we understand that what we have is a gift from God, not ours to be hoarded over but to be shared, then that is our testimony we shine brightly in this world.  

You see, money can be helpful when it is used in service for others. However it can be disastrous when it takes control of you. Therefore, like the disciples if we are able to see property and wealth as means to help those around us, it actually frees us up.  Because, money is a good servant but a poor master. 

Many small additions can make a big difference

Today, we should ask ourselves what is our view of money?  Is it something we just seek after want more and more for ourselves?  Is it something that we give just so we feel a little less guilty?   Or do we see it as a blessing that can be shared with those in need?  For unless we see it as God’s. and that God gives it to us to bless others, we’ll get trapped.  We’ll be stuck in feeling as though if I just could add a little more only then would I be ok.   We can think we cannot really make a difference until we get enough. 

For instance there was a survey I had heard about a while back, where people were asked how much money would be enough.  It was interesting that no matter how much they made, most people responded if only they could have 20% more of their current income then they would be happy.  But it showed that if they got into the next higher income bracket, they still want just another 20%.  

Well, we can act that way in our giving.  Often we think when I get enough then I can be generous.

Yet as we look at the early disciples we see that they were not wealthy people who had lots to spare.  And still people’s needs were taken care of, because they freely gave what they had been given. 

And it demonstrates that we do not have to have it all, or even a lot to be able to share with each other. 

And that’s the power behind God’s addition principle.  Many people giving makes for a lot.     If you take a million people giving just $100 it’s adds up to be greater than 10 people each giving a million dollars. Many small additions can make a big difference!

That’s what our United Methodist Connectional system is to be about.   You see we give a portion of our giving to the greater church.  Why?  So that the overall structure is supported enough to do greater things.   For instance our local church here at Grace can do many projects.  But we cannot do it all alone. We can see this more clearly this past week.  As we have seen the horrible devastation that Haiti faced.  As one person we may wonder what can I do?   We realize the majority of us cannot just hop on a plane this week and go down there to help.  In fact even if we could physically go most of us probably do not have the training or expertise to know what to do.  And yet the fact is we still have an important ministry there.  For when we work together to support those who are there and others who have training to go down and help, we do make a difference.  In fact, even before the tragedy struck, our previous giving makes it possible for emergency assistance to already be there.  Our apportionments to the overall church make it possible that whatever we give now today to UMCOR – which is the mission outreach of our church, for the needs of Haiti, it means that 100% of our gifts goes directly to that need.  That’s the blessing of small sums adding up to make a big difference. 

And it reminds us of the power of God to use whatever we have been given to really make a huge impact around the world. 

There’s a wonderful true story which helps to illustrate how a small gift can make a big difference. 

One day a sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded.”

“I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class.

The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind-hearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.”  For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do.

Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building. But the story does not end there!

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000.00–a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividend.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, “Acres of Diamonds”

Amazing what God can do with 57 cents.

It is amazing what God can do.  In this scripture we see the powerful blessings of God upon the early church.  And it opens our eyes up to God’s blessings upon us today.  God’s addition principle moves us out of our isolation to be joined together.  And when we are added together our witness becomes greater and greater.  So that the contribution of even 57 cents added over and over again, shows just how blessed we are.  And our grateful response shows how blessed we are to share what God has so freely given to us. 

Thank God It’s Not Over

Rev 4: 6b-11 on Nov 22, 2009 by Pastor David Goudie

There is a poem by George Herbert which states

O Lord. Thou hast given much to me,

Give one thing more– a grateful heart.

Not thankful when it pleases me,

As if Thy blessings had spare days,

But such a heart,

whose pulse may be Thy praise. 

In this passage in Revelation we see what it means to have a heart whose pulse is the praise of the Lord.  John gives us a spectacular vision of what it will be like to praise and worship the Lord when we are in heaven.  While it’s an incredible vision of heaven, this passage is not only about what we have to look forward to in the future, it’s also how we should respond this day.  We are invited to worship and praise the Lord today. 

Now since October we’ve been focusing upon what means to have joyful worship.  So if you’ve been here you’ve heard a number of sermons on the subject of praise and joy.  Some of you therefore, may be wondering when we will get to another topic.  Well this is the last of this series, and while a number of you have commented positively about these sermons, still with how long we’ve been on this focus, there may be some who say ‘thank God it’s over, Let’s move on to something else”. 

And yet, while this is the last of the sermons in this series, it does not mean our praise should end.  In fact in this scripture we see praising God will never end.  We have all of eternity to worship

You see, the scripture invites us to experience today what we will be doing for all eternity.  It invites us into the joy of worshiping in heaven.  And if we accept this invitation we’ll see how truly incredible this praise is, and we’ll respond “Thank God we can continue to praise God forever.  Thank God it’s not over!  So let’s look closer at this heavenly worship service, and see how it leads us to praise today. 

1) Invitation to Enter into Holiness

First as we begin this section of scripture we are introduced to the Cherubim.  Now the Cherubim are not something we usually hear a lot about.  They probably seem rather complex and strange to us.  But if you examine the role of the cherubim throughout the scripture they actually have a lot to say about what worship is about.    

For here are a few of the aspects of the Cherubim

-         In the Old Testament there were two cherubim seated on the lid on the Ark of the Covenant which was called the mercy seat of God … the ark represented the presence of God going with the people of Israel, so they watched over the Ark. 

-         In fact God is often seen as sitting between two of the cherubim. 

-         Likewise in the temple there was a place called the holy of holies, it was the most sacred of places and it was separated by a veil, well on this veil were images of the cherubim  

-         It would make sense because if you backed all the way up to Genesis and the Garden of Eden you would see the Cherubim were the ones who guard the way to Eden after Adam and Eve were banished because of their disobedience

The main point of all of these is that they are heavenly beings whose role is to guard the throne of God and their place is next to the presence of God. 

In addition the four faces of the cherubim the lion, the ox, the eagle and the man, stand for everything that is noblest, strongest, wisest, and swiftest.  They represent all the greatness strength and beauty of nature. 

So when we see them constantly praising God, it shows us that all of nature is subject to God.  And as the elders and the cherubim praise together it shows us both nature and humans will join together in constant state of praise and adoration of God. 

But let’s back up for moment, remember the cherubim guarded the holy of holies, the place where the presence of God was so powerful one a few were allowed in.  And they also guarded the Garden of Eden, the place of paradise where Adam and Eve were thrown out of because of sin. 

Well it brings to light a problem we face when worshiping, it’s called sin.  And what sin does is it separates us from God.  For God is holy.  In fact holiness means to be set apart.  So the Cherubim are servants of God guarding the gate to paradise, heaven, and the very presence of God, they’re there to keep all the sin out.  And yet though our disobedience all of us are sinful.  So we cannot enter in.   The holiness of God and our sin make us unable to enter into God’s presence and thus unable to worship. 

So that’s the problem.  But notice in this passage humans and cherubim are worshiping together.  So how is that possible?  Well, something needed to be done in order to cleanse us and make us holy so we could enter in.  And that’s the good news of Jesus Christ.  You see, when Jesus, God’s son comes to us, it means God’s presence is no longer just in the Ark or somewhere distant, but God now comes to us. And when Jesus dies upon the cross for our sins, the veil of the temple is torn in two – by his blood we can enter the holy of holies.  And when Jesus rises from the dead, we receive eternal life in him; we can now enter into paradise, a new Garden of Eden.   

Through the saving grace of Jesus Christ we can actually join with the Cherubim in singing “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty”.   For God’s holiness is no longer a barrier to worship, God’s holiness in fact is what cleanses us from sin. 

So when we worship we are invited to enter into the most sacred of all places. 

When we worship we enter into the very presence of God. 

When we worship the gates of heaven stand open.  

This is God’s invitation to us.  And what is simply required to accept that invitation is for us to lay our lives at the feet of Jesus and worship the Lord.   Through Jesus the door to heaven stands wide open for us if we will only come.    So when we come to worship today, we get a foretaste of what heaven is about.  Actually, our worship today helps prepare us for what eternity is to be.

And yet it’s interesting many people will say they want to go to heaven, but when it comes to worship which will be the main activity in heaven, many don’t want to put any time in now.   

For instance, a Gallup poll in 1991 showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. However, many of them hardly ever pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They admit that they live to please themselves instead of God.  The wirter of Daily Bread said …  I wonder why these people would want to go to heaven.  Unless our attitudes toward the Lord and our appreciation of Him change greatly, heaven may be more of a shock than a glory."  Daily Bread, July 31, 1992.

2) Invitation to exalt the One who is beyond description

Worship prepares us to enter into the holy place and experience the very presence of God.  After all, what’s central to heaven is God is there.  

It’s interesting when Revelation begins talking about future things, the first thing it focuses on is God. 

When we think of heaven we might think of golden streets, and pearly gates.  The book of Revelation brings to mind all sorts of images … the end of the world … the battle between good and evil, heaven and hell, but the central part of this vision is not all that stuff – but God alone.   Instead of all the other images that people often associate with Revelation, we first find ourselves in God’s throne room witnessing an awesome worship service.  What is most important to heaven is the Lord’s presence. 

After all, if we are invited to enter into the holy of holies, well who is who is holy?  It’s the Lord God Almighty.   

And the Lord is worthy of our praise.  For no matter how long we worship God… we will never be able to exhaust the praise our Lord is due. 

We will never be able to fully describe God’s divine glory. Words only get a portion of the full picture.  They only scratch the surface.  Throughout this chapter in Revelation John uses words “resembles, appearance, like” Those words indicate that even though John sees it all it’s impossible for him to explain the full glory of what he sees.  Likewise we can use words like Almighty, Magnificent, Glorious, Awesome, Incredible, but they only scratch the surface of how it really is.  That’s why Real worship should exceed mere words.  The one we worship exceeds all description.  Sometimes all we can do is fall on our faces before the throne of God.  

So worship is an invitation to exalt the Lord with more than just our words. 

Now it’s hard to imagine all that heaven will encompass, but what’s most important is that the Lord will be there.   

As the writer Richard Baxter expressed:

My knowledge of that life is small,

The eye of faith is dim,

But it's enough that Christ knows all,

And I shall be with him.

James Packer, Your Father Loves You,  Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986

So how we prepare for heaven is by getting to know more and love the Lord today.    For instance in the Jr. and Sr. High Sunday school last week one youth had a good question… how will we recognize Jesus in heaven?  And I mentioned that if our best friend walked in the room we could easily recognize them right?  Well the way we will recognize Jesus is then be developing that friendship with him today.  Listening to his voice in prayer and reading his Word.  Learning more about his character and preparing by worshiping today. 

As one author wrote I do not know what we are in this world for unless it is to apprentice us for heaven. Life on earth is a bewilderment unless we are being trained here for a nobler work which lies beyond the grave.  Alexander Maclaren in Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 153ff.

As we look at this worship scene in heaven it prepares us to worship the way we ought to today. 

In this passage we see that God is worshiped by everything in Heaven and on Earth, everything in all of creation sings the praise of God.  And that includes you and me.  We are invited to join in this worship.  With the cherubim and Elders we sing the praise of the Almighty.  Now we looked at the cherubim.  But what about the 24 elders?  Who are they?  Well there were 12 tribes from Israel in the Old Testament and there were 12 apostles in the New Testament.  So most likely they represent all the redeemed of God for all time (both before and after Jesus’ death and resurrection).  They symbolize all those- both Jews and Gentiles – who because of the sacrifice of Jesus are now part of the God’s family. 

So if these 24 elders are the redeemed of God then how they worship shows us how we are to worship.  The 24 elders cast their crowns before His throne and sing this praise:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
So how are we to worship?  We worship by laying our lives at the throne of God.  We declare God is holy, and that God is so much greater than we are.  Like the elders we fall down and cast cast our crowns at the foot of God’s throne.  You see when a person cast down there crowns – it was a sign of complete submission and surrender.  It means as the church we are surrendered to our Lord.  Like the elders we come to fall on our faces in worship.  When we see who God was, and who God is, and who God will forever be our only reaction is to bow down before the Lord.

As we’ve looked at what it means to worship today … I’ve asked a couple questions of someone in our church Shirley Bradford, one of those questions was What does it mean for you to worship God?    

video of Shirley Bradford

3) Invitation to an Eternity of Praise

To be invited to worship is a blessing from God.   And it’s a blessing we will be able to enjoy for all time.  It’s about unbroken praise.   For notice in this passage that they worshiped night and day. 

And notice how they praise God. 

They praise God for His Holiness “Holy Holy Holy”

They Praise God for His power “Is the Lord God Almighty”

And they praise God for His everlastingness-

“who was, and is, and is to come”.

It means empires come and go, but God has always been and God will always be.  God lasts forever. 

So not only are we invited to enter into the holy of holies.

Not only are we invited to exalt the indescribable Lord

But we are also invited to an eternity of praise.  

We can thank God it’s not over.  This worship is eternal. 

Now s we look at this passage, we can actually see many of the concepts we’ve seen past weeks  united together.   It’s a worship of surrender.  All creation praises the Lord.  It’s a worship beyond just once a week.   It’s the worship of the healed and redeemed.  …It could go on and on … for worship of God is never-ending. 

Revelation reminds us that we will be worshiping God for ever.  Our praise continues on. The rejoicing and the festivities have only begun.

Now some might think that eternally praising God would not seem that fun. One reason why some may reject the idea of heaven is that they can think of it as just lying around in the clouds playing harp music.  Or you  might object saying “you’re telling me we have to be in a church service for all time?” And you might think is sounds more like (hell)the other place instead of heaven 

Well a friend of mine was commenting along those lines.  He said “to be honest eternally praising God sounds rather boring”.  Would we get tired of it after a while?   But a few weeks later something happened which changed his mind.   You see we were in a small group just spending some time in prayer and worship.  And the presence of God came upon us in that place so powerfully you could feel it.  The Holy Spirit was so powerfully present that there was an overwhelming feeling of joy.  It was so great we lost track of time.  We just spent the entire time just in praise.   Later my friend mentioned to me, “you know what I was wrong, I would never get tire of that, and all who were there agreed.  Now we only had a taste of what the eternal praise of God was like but that taste was enough to know that an eternity of praise would be wonderful. 

It’s similar to what James Packer  once wrote in his book … “As I get older, I find that I appreciate God and people and good and lovely and noble things more and more intensely; so it is pure delight to think that this enjoyment will continue and increase in some form (what form, God knows, and I am content to wait and see), literally forever.

What shall we do in heaven? Not lounge around but worship, work, think, and communicate, enjoying activity, beauty, people, and God. First and foremost, however, we shall see and love Jesus, our Savior, Master, and Friend”.   James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.

Heaven will not be just lazing around on the clouds.  No will, be actively worship and praising God.  So if that’s going to be the case in eternity, we should get ready for it now.   

We shall forever praise the Lord.  So let us join in praise with the Cherubim and the Elders

For today we are invited to enter in the holy place.

Today we are invited to exalt the Lord God Almighty

Today we are invited to begin that eternal praise. 

Thank God It’s Not Over! 

Raising the White Flag

Romans 12:1-3  on Nov 15, 2009 by Pastor David Goudie

A number of people have heard me talk this past week about the problems I’ve been having with my car.  That even though we only bought it about 4 months ago, we’ve had three major problems with it (a blown gasket, the transmission and the whole axel needing to be replaced) and one of those problems is not able to fixed in by local mechanics.

I mention it because in all honesty, my wife and I felt like throwing up our hands, and just giving up on the car.  With the amount of frustration we just wanted to raise the white flag and say “I’m done, we’re trading in the car and getting something else”. 

I also bring this up because most of us have faced similar frustrating situations in our daily lives.  But even more than that, I know there are those here today who are going through much worse, not just general frustration, but real hard ache and pain.  We’ve been praying for family members and individuals who’ve had major health concerns. And sometimes when those kinds of situations arise we may want to give up. 

Whether it’s simply a constant car problem or it’s a serious health issue, we may be tempted to raise the white flag.    

Well, in a way today’s scripture in Romans actually does call us to give up.  But not in the way we usual think of.   We are to raise the white flag, but we do so by giving over our problems to God.  This passage is about us giving over control of that situation and in fact giving up control of our whole life.  It’s about trusting God in everyday matters.  So it’s not just about doing this once.  It’s each day each day when wake up need to hand it back over to God. 

For as I think back to the car situation, I’ll admit it’s easy to get conformed to the worlds thinking and get upset about it.  We can each let those frustrations get the best of us.  That’s why daily we each need to hand over thoughts to God.  Daily we need to be transformed and renewed by the presence of God. 

So while we usually think of raising the white flag as saying “I’m done”.  As we take a closer look at this scripture we see it differently.  The white flag in this passage is about surrendering and giving over to God our lives.   

For St. Paul begins this passage saying “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” 

First notice it says we are to present our bodies.  Now we might expect it to actually say “present yourself or to offer your souls as a spiritual act.”   But to offer our bodies sounds strange.  And to the Roman audience Paul was first writing to this would also strike them as unusual.  They would have focused upon the soul as spiritual worship.  And they viewed the body and soul as two very separate things.

So when this passage says to present our bodies, it’s pointing out that our body belongs to God just as much as soul does.  For sometimes we can get the ideas that can separate things into ‘spiritual matters’ and ‘everyday matters’.  In other words we think that spiritual worship has nothing to do with the normal everyday stuff we face.   

But we are to give over everything to God.  Not just the stuff we think is spiritual but everyday life.  As one commentary put it  “take your body; take all the tasks that you have to do every day; take the ordinary work of the shop, the factory the shipyard the mine; and offer all of it as an act of worship to God.” (Barclay Commentary on Romans)

So worship not only includes our Spirit, but also all the encounters we face.  When we raise the white flag it means giving over our bodies to Jesus.  We give over our eyes … what we choose to watch.  We give over our ears … what we choose to listen to.  We give over our mouths … what we choose to speak.   All of those everyday matters we face are actually a part of our worship of God. 

Now for these past 2 months we have been focusing on what worship is about … that the joy of the Lord comes when we worship the Lord.  Well this passage is also about joyful worship.  And as we have seen these past weeks worship is not just a once a week thing.  In this scripture we see a practical and daily kind of worship.   

That’s also why it says we are to be living sacrifices.  Take note of the word living. We are not a dead sacrifice but a living one.  Now the Romans would have been familiar with dead sacrifices. Presenting an animal as a sacrifice was common part of worship in their surrounding culture.  But instead it says we are to be living sacrifices.  There’s a big difference here.  The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar.  So if we are to be living sacrifices, it means that each day we face a decision to follow Jesus.  The difference between a living sacrifice and a dead sacrifice is that it involves an everyday commitment. If it’s a dead sacrifice it’s once and done.  But not so with a living sacrifice.   

So when we look at everyday life, things like our work and school, relationships in marriage and friends, it’s not merely doing one act of bravery or sacrifice.  It’s about daily giving your life for others.  And that’s what our worship of God should be.  Real worship is the offering of everyday life to God.   

Therefore, worship is not just done in church.  It’s lived out in the real world. 

Just take for instance we might hear a person say “I’m going to church to worship”. But in this passage it’s like we are encouraged to say “I’m going to the office to worship”.  “I’m going home to worship.”  “I’m going to school to worship.”  Now don’t get me wrong, coming to church to worship on Sunday with other Christians is a very important part of our Christian walk.  We need that time of Christian discipleship.  But what this passage is getting at is that even when we are going to the grocery store, even there how we behave and think is actually a part of our worship of God. 

We are a living sacrifice, so it’s not just offering some thing, or going through some ritual, it’s about giving God everything… as a poet once stated  

Laid on thine alter O my Lord Devine

Accept my gift this day, for Jesus sake;

I have no Jewels to adorn thy shine

No world fames sacrifice to make ;

And here I bring within my trembling hands

This will of mine this thing which seemth small;

Yet thou alone canst understand

That when I yield thee This, I yield it all

(Poem title “My Sacrifice”)

Daily we can worship the Lord as a living sacrifice.  For as we are reminded of God’s mercy, as we look at the sacrifice Jesus made upon the cross for you and me, we are to respond by giving God our lives.  But even further, as Jesus has risen from the dead and is alive, each day we can be renewed.  The very presence of Christ, allows us to be a living sacrifice for the Lord, and God’s living word can change and transform our minds daily. 

The scripture goes on to say “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

Notice we are to be transformed not conformed.    The word conformed here is an interesting one, especially in light of the hunting season upon us.  For the original word suschematizo { soos-khay-mat-id’-zo}involved fashioning one’s self, one’s mind, one’s character to another’s pattern.  Being conformed means making your appearance look like everybody else.  So the word brings to mind something like a hunter or soldier being dressed in camouflage. 

The purpose is to go unnoticed.  One simply wants to blend in to their surroundings. Now it can be helpful if you are hunting or in the military, but for the Christian it’s dangerous. 

For this passage points out being conformed to the world’s image is like behaving like a Chameleon.  We are urged not to let the world determine what we are to be like.  We all face that daily temptation to allow our surrounding culture decide for us what is right and wrong. 

For example some years back a psychologist Ruth W. Berenda and her associates carried out an interesting experiment designed to show how a person handled group pressure. The plan was simple. They brought groups of ten into a room for a test. Subsequently, each group of ten was instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three separate charts. What one person in the group did not know was that nine of the others in the room had been instructed ahead of time to vote for the second-longest line. Regardless of the instructions they heard, once they were all together in the group, the nine were not to vote for the longest line, but rather vote for the next to the longest line. The experiment began with nine teen-agers voting for the wrong line. The stooge would typically glance around, frown in confusion, and slip his hand up with the group. The instructions were repeated and the next card was raised. Time after time, the self-conscious stooge would sit there saying a short line is longer than a long line, simply because he lacked the courage to challenge the group. This remarkable conformity occurred in about 75% of the cases, and was true of small children and high-school students as well. Berenda concluded that, "Some people had rather be president than right," which is certainly an accurate assessment. C. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, p. 225.

As this passage calls us to raise the white flag then, it does not mean just to give up and just go along with the crowd and do what everyone else does.  That’s being conformed.  Instead we are called to be transformed.  There’s a tremendous difference.  The word transformed comes from the word metamorphosis.  It’s like a caterpillar which has been completely changed into a new butterfly.  So Being transformed is about having God change our very being.   We are not only changed in appearance but our very nature is changed. 

And this transformation only comes when we daily surrender our lives to the will of God. 

So practically speaking what does this transformation look like in someone’s daily life? … Well take a look at this testimony about the change that can take place

Bluefish TV Video “Surrendering to Christ”

When we surrender our lives to Christ, when we raise that white flag… it means allowing Jesus to take control of every aspect of our lives.  For to surrender means to yield ownership, to relinquish control over what we consider ours.    It includes how we spend our time, the thoughts we fill our minds with, the words we speak when we are outside the church building.   As one Christian writer put it “When we surrender to God, we accept that what we may think of as our "own" actually belongs to God… that all we have is a gift from God.  And we are responsible to care for what God has given u.  By surrendering to God we admit that God is ultimately in control of everything, including our present circumstances. Surrendering to God helps us to let go of whatever has been holding us back from God's best for our lives. By surrendering to God, we let go of whatever has kept us from wanting God's ways first.”  (source from www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/surrender-to-god.htm)

The scripture speaks of surrender as laying aside our own pride and rights.  That we should keep in mind the whole body of Christ, and not just our own interests.  In fact, we should longer consider our bodies, our minds, ourselves, as something we can do with as we please.  There’s no room for selfishness.   We were bought with a price and so we are no longer our own. 

As John Wesley the leader of the Methodist movement put it so well in this prayer…

The Covenant Prayer of John Wesley (1703–1791)

I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.

Therefore, ‘Raising the White Flag’ of surrender means to give over our whole selves.  Everything we are and everything we will become is put in the hands of Christ. 

So this week even in the face of those frustrating everyday issues, let us still worship the Lord.

Instead of giving up, we give over to God everything… so that we might be transformed day by day more into the likeness of His Son.  Let us come raise the white flag and surrender our lives to the Lord.