Souls of Silver

Introduction

Many of you are aware that I have been working on getting myself into shape lately. I started by addressing my weight which had gotten out of control in the last few years. I’ve got a host of really good excuses as to why that has taken place, all of which places the blame squarely on someone or something else other than myself. However, I finally came to the realization that, in reality, my weight is my responsibility and I am ultimately the one responsible for taking control of my life in this manner.

It actually hit me back a few months ago when I went to my doctor with an unusual problem. Suddenly, I was having serious blood pressure issues. I mean, it was off the charts. The doctor ended up putting me on four different blood pressure medications to get it down into the normal range. They did some blood work and in a couple of days they called to tell me that I had some cholesterol issues and was pre-diabetic. I had never had any of these problems. They wanted to put me on additional medicine to address these issues. That is when I told the nurse that I was not ready to go on those other medicines. Give me a little while to work on my diet and let me see what I can do. So, around the first of September I began an intentional effort to get my life under control. As of today, I have lost 60+ pounds, dropped four shirts sizes and coat sizes, three pant sizes. The blood pressure medicine is now down to a very small 1/2 tablet a day and I am no longer pre-diabetic and my cholesterol is great.

Now, I’m sure you are going through a bit of confusion this morning trying to figure out what my story and the way the staff is dressed today along with this rather ambitious looking barbell have to do with this morning’s text. Well, significant weight loss is not the only transformation that I’ve been going through. It has occurred to me that my lack of discipline in my personal life also had a negative impact on my Christian Witness and my ability to lead this church. For that I deeply apologize to you and ask your forgiveness. I’ve already confessed that to God and asked God’s forgiveness. During this journey I have realized that, in order for me to lead a congregation into a year of alignment, I need to align myself to God’s Will as a disciple of Jesus. So, I stand before you today to let you know that I am committed to that cause and the cause of leading our church to becoming an alive and vibrant body of Christ.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that I have not fully arrived at where I need to be. For instance, when I went to see the doctor about three weeks ago he congratulated me on my weight loss but then he added, “Now I think it’s time you rolled in some exercise to your regimen.” So, that is what I am attempting to do. Now I may not be able to lift a barbell that weighs as much as this one looks like it weighs but I’m just getting started. It’ll take some time to do it. But I’m committed to it.

That is the same way we grow spiritually. Aligning ourselves to God’s Will isn’t a momentary adjustment that we make to our lives and the things around us. It is a life-long process of growth and surrender.

Our text today tells the story of the beginning of the process. The story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch is a powerful story about how the Holy Spirit used Philip to convert the Eunuch to faith. As an indication of that faith he made a fresh start by asking Philip to baptize him. On this first Sunday of the New Year, we’re going to do a similar thing today. In just a little while we will participate in a baptism renewal service as we begin this journey through 2018. However, I don’t want us to just stop there. I want us to “go deep” with God this year.

To help us with this I want to paint a visual for you this morning that has meant a lot to me over the past couple of months. In his book, Every Body Matters, Gary Thomas says, “We often hear that a person has a heart of God meaning that they are really good people and will do anything that they can for you. But I want to add another image for us because I think that we all need ‘Souls of Silver.’ Silver can take much hotter heat than any other metal and is stronger than gold. That means that it will hold its shape better.” What Thomas is saying in his book is simply this. We are all created by God for the same purpose, to worship and serve God by bringing honor to God. Now, that doesn’t mean that we are all to serve God the same way. We are all gifted by God in different ways. Paul speaks to this in one of his letters to young Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:20–21 NRSV

In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work.

2 Timothy 2:20-21

Now I need to tell you that I firmly believe, way down deep in each of our hearts this morning, one thing that we all want is to know that we are living in God’s Will and we are fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. If that is indeed the case, then what Paul says here to Timothy is that God has a purpose for each of us. As a matter of fact, Paul’s whole analogy of the church being like a body, which we will get into over the course of the next several weeks, illustrates this very point. So, if it is true that we all want honor God, souls of silver is one way to describe the process we need to enter into in order to do so.

One of the most familiar passages from Scripture that deals with the image of silver is found in which reads, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” The image here is of a silver smith who patiently sits, ladle in hand, removing all of the impurities from the ore until the silver is pure. Its important to grasp a couple of things out of this analogy. First, the silversmith does not create the silver. The silver is there from the beginning. What the silversmith does is refine the ore that he/she begins with. The second thing to consider is the fact that, before the silver can reach its full potential, the dross must be removed.

In many ways this is the way in which God works within each of our lives. God takes us as we are and molds us into what God needs us to be. You see, we are created by God and given certain gifts for the ministry of the church. To become a refined soul, we don’t have to do anything but make ourselves available to God just as we are.

Secondly, the silversmith knows that, before he/she can finish the refining process all of the dross must be removed from the silver or it will not be fully usable. it is a process of taking something lesser from something greater. Let me ask you a question this morning, when you look deep down into your soul, what dross do you find there. What are the impurities that you need to remove from your life to become as fully useful as God intended you to be? What is there that you need to address so that you can fully align yourself with God’s Will in your life?

First, the silversmith does not create the silver. The silver is there from the beginning. Secondly, it is a process of taking something lesser from something greater.

There are a number of scriptures that use this analogy. The most obvious one is Malichi 3:3 which reads, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

Consider what this means for us in our faith. We are created by God and given certain gifts for the ministry of the church. However, as the Silversmith can tell how ready the silver is to being useful, so God can tell how our spiritual lives fare in serving God.

Now this is an important question to ask ourselves because, before we can align our church to the vision that God has for our church, we need to make sure that we have aligned ourselves to the vision that God has for us.

Finally, the silversmith knows when he/she has completed the process when he/she can see his/her reflection in the silver. While you are looking deep into your soul this morning, whose reflection does your soul project? How clear is the image that your life bears?

We come to this place today and we launch out into a series on getting into shape. It is not unlike most New Year’s Resolutions that you would expect to make. Getting into shape is not about attaining some perfect body shape. Its about having souls of silver. Its about having the kind of souls that reflect the very image of God.

This is the though part for us today. What is the dross in your life that must be removed in order for you to reach your full potential as a disciple of Jesus?

Today, I want us to be clear. This is not mere resolution that I’m talking about. This is a deliberate and intentional change of life. We begin by making a new start, a new beginning if you will. Aligning ourselves to God’s will starts remember who we are and to whom we belong.

Refined souls - hearts of Gold. Start speaking of souls of silver. Silver possesses the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. God will treat our souls the way that a silversmith treats the silver. He puts it thorough the fire. He doesn’t mesage it into place. The reason I want to get in shape is not to impress anyone. It is to become instruments of special purpose and prepared to do any good work. It means to set our bodies apart to glorify God.

Dross: Just as our bodies can be weighted down with extra baggage so can our souls are encrusted with dross. it is the waste that has to be removed.

8

We need a passionate desire to get rid of the dross from our souls. “Everyone who competes in the game competes for a prize.”

Titus 2:11–13 NRSV

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11-13

The true Christian life is one in which holiness is a serious pursuit.

Tarnished: Getting into shape is not about attaining some perfect body shape. It is about having souls of silver, The kind of souls that reflect the very image of God.