Wednesday - RISE
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I want to welcome you tonight to our Wednesday Nigh prayer meeting.
What’s coming up - The Circle Maker
Tonight we are going to finish out our Easter focus as we look back Sunday’s passage.
If you weren’t with us Sunday, we talked about the consequences of putting our faith in Jesus. And when I say consequences, I’m talking about consequences that on the surface may seem negative, but if considered Biblically are quite positive.
We saw this consequence play out in the life of a man named Stephen. A man who, when it came to his faith in Jesus, stood his ground, and in the end, lost his life.
And while that may sound like a rather negative consequence, as we learned Sunday, it was quite the opposite. The positive being, that while Stephen lost his life, by taking a stand for Jesus, he was actually living to RISE.
So, what does that mean? What does it mean to “live to RISE”?
Well, as we learned from Stephen’s circumstance, it has three meanings:
First, because of our faith in Jesus, we can now live with a new perspective. A perspective that now allows us to view life form a vertical perspective versus a horizontal perspective.
Because now, instead of viewing life through the lens of the world, we now view life with our eyes on Jesus. And that’s an entirely different perspective. And much of that perspective comes as a result of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The apostle Paul puts it like this:
18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Pauls says, when a person puts their faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins the work of regeneration and transformation. Regeneration as He rewrites our spiritual DNA, and transformation as He begins to shape us more and more into the image of Jesus.
So, in a nutshell, that’s what it means to live vertically. To live with our eyes on Jesus as the Holy Spirit transforms us into His image.
And as a result, we now live life differently. We know live life through a heavenly versus earthly perspective.
Second, because of our faith in Jesus, we now live without a fear of death. The fact of the matter is, when you put your faith in Jesus, when you die, you don’t die. Paul puts it like this:
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
And that’s good news for a couple of reasons:
Paul says, for the Christian, to be absent from the body is to be home with the Lord. And that’s good news for a couple of reasons:
Number 1 - It’s good news because it should remove the fear of what somebody might do to you because of your faith. Which in our culture has become a growing concern as the world works to try and silence Christians. Which has caused many Christians to live in fear of voicing the truth.
But because we know death isn’t the end for us, what somebody says, threatens, or does to us really isn’t a concern any longer. Because not only are we living with a new perspective, we are also living with a confidence even if they kill us, we will be with the Lord. And that my friends is a powerful force. It’s what can make a Christian dangerous. Because if you’re a Christian who has a heavenly perspective, you can live with a confidence and boldness that the world can only silence if they take your life. And if they do that, then it’s actually a bonus for you, because now you’re with the Lord.
Number 2 - It allows us to now live with a confidence for not only happens in this life, but the next. In other words, we can now live life knowing our eternal security is set in place. We can now live and die in peace. Paul puts it like this:
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Paul says because of our new perspective and because of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we should strive to live at peace with others, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven us.
I don’t know about you, but that’s the way I want to go. To go having made peace in my heart with those who have harmed me, and knowing that I have peace with God through my faith in Jesus. The person that lives like that not only lives in peace, but dies in peace.
So, those are the consequences of putting your faith in Jesus. And yes, it’s going to cost you something that on the surface may seem negative, but when considered biblically, it’s a consequence that has positive consequences that impact us for eternity.
So, that’s all good information to know. But knowing and doing are two different things. So, what I want to do tonight is go back to our passage from Sunday, and ask this question:
“In order for a person to live to RISE, what does it take?” In other words, how do you practically live to RISE?
And what I want to suggest to you tonight is, that in order for a person to live to RISE, they have to be fully committed to the first consequence. They have to be committed to living with a new perspective. A perspective that comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Now, you might be thinking, “Pastor, how do you know it’s all dependent on that?” I know because that’s what Stephen points to when it comes to the religious leaders who were opposing him. Because their problem wasn’t that they didn’t believe in God. Their problem wasn’t that they didn’t believe what the Bible had to say. Their problem was they were living with the wrong perspective. And for them, it was a religious perspective. A perspective that in order to be right with God, they had to work their way into God’s good graces.
But what Stephen is suggesting is an entirely new perspective. A perspective that involved a relationship with a savior. A perspective that required them to quit trying to earn their salvation and accept the free gift that God had provided through His Son.
So, a good question might be, “What was blinding them from seeing the truth? What was causing them to miss out on the gift of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus?”
Stephen tells us what the problem is. He actually sums it up in one verse and one statement. The statement is found in verse 51, just prior to the religious leaders stoning him to death. Listen to what Stephen says:
Which leads us to the final consequence for faith in Jesus.
Third - Because to live to RISE also means we can live and die in peace. Meaning, we can live in peace with others and die knowing that we are not only right with God, but we are right in our relationships with man.
Meaning, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we can now live with a different perspective, a certain confidence, and greater peace in our live.
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, 53 you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.”
Acts 7:51-
51 “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
What I want you to notice is in this one statement, Stephen pin points their entire problem when it comes to Jesus. And the problem is, “They are resisting the Holy Spirit”.
In other words, they are refusing to listen to what God is trying to tell them and show them about Jesus. And as a result, their resistance is preventing them from rising. Their resistance is keeping them from a vertical perspective.
In fact, the word for resist here actually means to prevent. Meaning, because of their resistance to the Holy Spirit, they are preventing themselves from seeing the truth.
54 Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. 58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
So, what’s this saying to us?
What it’s saying is, if you want to stunt your spiritual growth, if you don’t want to RISE, then resisting the Holy Spirit is the key to doing that.
Now, you might be thinking, “Well that’s good to know Pastor, but I would never do that?”
The fact is, we are all guilty of doing that from time to time. If fact, I would say the reason a lot of Christians get stuck in a rut and lose sight of God’s work in their life is because at some point they started resisting the Holy Spirit.
How did it happen? Paul gives us some great insight into how it happens in . Listen to what he says happens when a person fails to listen to or resists the Holy Spirit:
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Galatians 5:16
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-
Paul says when we begin to gratify the flesh, in that moment we begin the process of resistance. We know this because Paul says, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (ESV)
The word here for “against” means to be in opposition to. To resist.
And when that happens, our ability to RISE is diminished. Our ability to gain a new perspective is dampened. As we move our eyes from a vertical view and put them back on the horizontal. As we begin to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Think of it like this, “Have you ever been talking to somebody, and at first their looking at you, but then you notice they begin to glance behind you or to the side of you, like something else has caught their attention. And the next thing you realize is they aren’t really paying attention to you or even looking at you, because their focused on something else.”
That’s what we do to God in our walk. We’re looking at Him, and then something catches our attention that distracts us. Something that causes us to take our eyes off of Jesus and focus somewhere else.
That’s what the desires of the flesh do. They capture our attention and before we know it, we’re focused on something other than Jesus.
So, good question might be, “What are the desires of the flesh? What causes us to resist the Holy Spirit and move to a horizontal view?” Paul tells us. Listen to what he says:
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:18-
Paul says the works of the flesh are evident. Meaning they are easy to spot, and what they are shouldn’t surprise us.
The first on the list is sexual immorality. This is the idea of engaging in any type of sexual activity outside of marriage. It would include such things as extra marital affairs, prostitution, poronagraphy, casual sex, oral sex, really anything you can attach the idea of sex to would be listed under this. So, Paul says, this is something that works against the Spirit and gratifies the flesh.
The second is impurity. Again, this is a word that related to sexual immorality, but has more to do with the moral impurity that comes from sexual sin. In other words, this is the result of sexual immorality. It’s the residue of sexual immorality in our lives. It’s the mark of sinful behavior.
And this is why Paul makes such a big deal about sexual sin. Because it makes us impure. And here’s why. Listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians:
18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
1 cor 6:18-29
Paul says flee from it. Why? Because of all sins it does the most damage to your walk. And that doesn’t mean it’s a worse sin than other sins. A sin is a sin. What it means is it holds greater consequences for the person who engages in it.
Next on the list is sensuality. Again this is related to sexual immorality, but it’s the idea of a person who has given themselves a license to engage in sexual misconduct. In other words, it’s not just one time act of, “Oops, I looked at some porn one time.” At this point. It has become a lifestyle.
Next is idolatry. This is the idea of making something an idol in your life that shouldn’t be. To be honest, a lot of American Christians are guilty of this. We have a lot of idols. From social media, to our phones, to sports, too hobbies, to material possessions. We give ourselves more than we should to what the world says deserves worship.
Sorcery is next. It might surprise you to know, this isn’t just talking about witchcraft and Harry Potter movies. This can also be used to describe a person who has given themselves to drug use. The word used here in the greek is “pharmakeia”. So this would apply to the overuse or abuse of any drug from Alcohol to perspcription drugs, to Marajanua, to nicotine, and the list goes on.
Enmity - This is the idea of hatred toward someone or seeing someone as an enemy.
Strife - This has to do with rivalry and discord. This is you or me trying to one up somebody or cause disunity in a relationship.
Jealousy - This is the idea of holding strong resentment towards someone because you want what they have or you feel threatened by what they have.
fits of anger - This is the feeling of anger demonstrated through violent outbursts whether verbal or physical.
Rivalries - This is the idea of ambition gone sideways as you jealously try to outdo somebody.
Dissensions - This goes along with selfish ambition and a desire to create division or disunity within a group or a relationship.
Divisions - this is the idea of not only to cause division, but so spear head it and take control of a group you have persuaded to cause the division with.
envy - is the of the jealousy of the good fortune of others. It’s you getting upset when something good happens to somebody.
Drunkenness - This is the idea of being an alcoholic. Somebody that is controlled by drink.
Orgies - This is the idea of engaging in unrestrained indulgence of alcohol that leads to bad immoral behavior.
So, there’s the list. And Paul says it doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “…and things like these...”
Paul says these are the things that take our eyes off Jesus. This is what stops us from RISING and going vertical. This is want keeps us horizontal.
So, here’s the question for you and I, “Do any of these apply to your life? From this list, is there anything that you would say you’ve given your attention to. Something that has taken your eyes off of Jesus?
Somethign that’s stopping you from RISING and keeping you horizontal.
The truth is, I hear a lot of Christians say, “I just don’t feel like I’m growing.” Here’s my question for you, “Are you sure your eyes aren’t looking where they shouldn’t be? Could it be that a desire of the flesh has caught your eye, it’s caused you to take your eyes off Jesus, and now instead of moving up, you’re moving horizontal.”
The truth is, if we’re all honest,
What’s that for you?
Heres’ why it’s so important you identify it and stop looking at it. Because Paul goes on to say:
21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:21-
Paul basically says, “You can’t say you’re going vertical if your life is full of vertical focus.
He goes on to say:
24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
1 cor 5:24
Paul says, if you’re a Christian, you should be crucifying these desires, not entertaining them. And crucify is a strong word. It means to expose it and publically execute it. And that doesn’t mean you have to air your sin. It means you need to make sure you identify it and put it to death.
Because if you don’t, you’re going to be guilty of resisting the Holy Spirit. Because the Spirit is opposed to such things. And at the end of the day, one is going to win out. The Apostle Peter states it like this:
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Peter says to abstain form the passions of the flesh, which war against your soul.
This is a battle folks. And you win the battle by keeping your eyes on Jesus and off the flesh.
Prayer Time
Where are you resisting the HS?
What desire of the flesh has caught your eye?
What do you need to stop looking at?
What attitude needs to change?
What behavior needs to be readjusted?
What idol needs to be smashed?
What television show do you need to stop watching?
What relationship needs to end?
What app needs to be deleted on your phone?
What relationship needs mended?
What apology needs to be made?
What do you need to do to get your eyes back on Jesus?
Against - In opposition to. In resistance too. A marker of opposition, with the possible implication of antagonism against, in opposition to, in conflict with.
Opposed - set or placed in opposition. To confront, then to be opposed or hostile to.