A Journey of Grace: The Invitation
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Conversations on Holiness
Conversations on Holiness
I read an interesting book a few years ago written by a Christian comedian named Keith Davenport, titled, Conversations on Holiness.
His main point was that conversations among believers about holiness have just … sort of … stopped happening.
Think about it…
16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
When was the last time you talked to someone about what it means to be Holy?
That is not my main point today… My point is this: Holiness is not something we “put on”… it is not an article of clothing… It is a life style!
Holiness is a journey.
It is a journey in which sanctification happens…
Davenport says: “Sanctification is a journey within the journey of salvation, which is one of the journeys of life.” — Keith Davenport, Conversations on Holiness.
Let that sink in for a minute…
“Sanctification is a journey within the journey of salvation, which is one of the journeys of life.”
Have you ever thought of life as a journey?
— advertisers have… we see it everywhere, “Life is a journey, make the most of it!”
But… What about the Christian life?
Have you ever thought about the Christian walk as a journey? As an adventure?
In life, we mark our journey by where we’re going… amen?
— Where we are going to school?
— What degree we’ll earn…
— What career we might have…
When we get older though… it seems to become about our vacations, right?
We don’t often consider our jobs a journey (more like a means to the journey!)
But our vacations… our vacations can be a journey, amen?!
Especially if we have kids!
Have you ever noticed that when people talk about their vacations, we rarely talk about the journey to the destination?
People just don’t talk about the bus ride… the car ride… the plane ride… because… that’s just boring…
But… they love to talk about what they did once they got there!
To me… that is sad, because…
It’s the journey that’s the most exciting part!
The journey is the best part!
— I think bikers understand this best… You do know there is a difference between a rider and a biker right?!?
— for Riders, it’s all about the destination… But for Bikers, it’s all about the journey!
It’s about the anticipation… the excitement… it’s about the wind in our hair… and the things we see and people we meet… It’s about the stupid things that happen along the way…
That’s what makes trips so fun!
Life’s about the journey, not the destination.
Now… Let’s translate that into the Church…
When we talk about salvation, what is almost always the first thing — the main thing — we talk about?
Heaven!
We talk about the destination!
Now, don’t get me wrong… there is nothing better then Heaven!
It’s an indescribable place… filled with the Presence of God!
I can’t imagine anything greater than that!
That’s why Elijah begged God to let him see His face… to experience His presence…
That’s why the Psalmist proclaimed:
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
We know where the journey ends… we long for Heaven… for the day that we will see God face-to-face!
BUT… That’s not where the real adventure is!
The REAL adventure is in the journey to get there!
Salvation is an invitation to join Christ on the journey of life!
It is a journey filled with excitement and adventure!
It is a journey filled with Life and Growth!
It is a journey of Grace!
Look at Abraham…
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
Chapter 12 — he ends up in Egypt…
13 — he separates with Lot because they had both prospered and grown to much…
14 — He has to go rescue Lot in a special forces op…
15 — God promises to make him into a “great nation” — promises Isaac…(he got to sit with God)
16 — he listens to his impatient wife, Sarah… sleeps with her servant, Hagar… and Ishmael is born…
Have you ever noticed that before that point, Abraham had no requirements in the Covenant? He had no physical part to play? But…
17 — Covenant of circumcision — circumcision came after Ishmael (who wasn’t the promised child)…
)Our attitude is everything — Abraham got to experience these things, and he grew through it…)
18-19 — He pleads for Sodom and Gamorrah and witnesses their destruction…
20 — experience with Abimelek (lies about Sarah)
21 — Birth of Isaac… and Ishmael is sent away… (joy and heartache)
22 — he is tested…
23 — he buries Sarah…
24 — gets to see Isaac married…
7 This is the length of Abraham’s life, one hundred seventy-five years.
— And don’t think that he was a weak, feeble old man… Remember… he was about 115 years old when he wrestled that ram out of the bush to sacrifice in place of Isaac!
Abraham was a tough burly man! He was capable of taking care of himself, protecting his family, and defeating his enemies!
There is no doubt that he experienced one heck of an adventure!
It was all because he answered God’s invitation to “Follow Me” with a resounding “YES!”
Think about the most exciting trip you have ever taken?
What do you remember about that trip?
I’m willing to bet that it was something that happened along the way…
It is the Journey that matters!
That is why the Apostle Paul tells us to “Commit to the Journey”.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Paul knew the journey was going to be difficult… he knew unexpected things are going to happen along the way, but he tells us to go anyway!
Why?
Because… People need to see us Joyfully embracing the Journey!
Holiness is found in answering Christ’s invitation to the journey.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
This conversation with the disciples happens after the last supper… after Jesus has told them what must happen… after he has told them He will be betrayed… after He has shared communion with them…
At this point, they have laughed… they have cried… they have drank… they have told stories… they have celebrated… they have worshipped… it has been an amazing night!
It seems that Jesus would have gone from the upper room, straight to the Garden of Gethesemane to pray… after all, He still had a lot to face…
But instead…
John 14:31 (NIV)
31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me. “Come now; let us leave.
John tells us that Jesus takes a walk with them… and along the way, on the journey to the Garden, Jesus shared this parable with them.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.
2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.
Jesus presents us with 2 types of Christians here: the unfruitful, and the fruitful.
I. The Unfruitful Christian — the Carnal Christian.
— This is the dead branch, which is cut off and discarded.
(plant example)
In gardening, we keep a plant healthy by cutting out the dead or dying parts… we prune them… so that they do not hinder the growth of the entire plant.
(Grandma’s roses)
Jesus is describing the same method at work in the Kingdom.
— God - the Gardener - will prune out anything that hinders growth, both in our lives, and in the Kingdom!
The Carnal Christian will be pruned out…
But… What is the Carnal Christian?
— The Carnal Christian is complacent and comfortable… They may come to church every Sunday, and even come to Sunday School or Bible Study, but… they just “fill a seat.”
— They’re comfortable with just being fed…, and when the church stops catering to them… they leave.
Now, don’t hear me wrong… a complacent Christian may do some work… they may help out around the church, but only if it doesn’t inconvenience them… and only if it benefits them.
— That is not to say that they can’t do good works, even a non-believer can do good works…, but their works are unfruitful in the Kingdom… People can see where their focus really is…
Carnal Christians are the “lukewarm” Christians spoken of in Rev. 3:16, who are “neither hot nor cold” and so Jesus says that He will “spew them out of His mouth.”
Christ does not desire uncommitted Christians!
Christ desires Christians who are committed to accepting His invitation to walk with Him on the Journey of Life.
II. The Fruitful Christian — the Spiritual Christian.
This is the Christian who is on the journey.
This is the person who has heard Christ say, “Follow me,” and has answered with a resounding “YES!”
— This is the person who is walking DAILY in a dynamic, personal relationship with Christ.
— These are believers who, James says, are “abiding in Christ.”
What does “abiding” mean?
(Greek) Meno — “to remain in one place, at a given time, or with someone… Generally, it is concerned with the existence or continued validity of something.”
To abide in Christ, gives our life validity, because we remain in a relationship with Christ.
3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
Jesus is very clear, they (we) have been cleansed by the Word they have heard… They haven’t had to do anything except listen and believe…
Grace has been poured out on them!
What is Grace?
It is “unmerited favor”… It is what Christ pours out on us when we don’t deserve it… It is the lack of the consequences for the acts (sins) that we HAVE committed!
It is the Joy that comes from having a relationship with Christ, when we KNOW that we don’t deserve it!
Grace is the GREATEST gift God can give us!
But… It is only received through a relationship with Him!
It is the journey with Christ that SANCTIFIES the believer… as His Word is made ALIVE in us!
That is what changes us!
That is what transforms our lives!
It is not anything we do… It is what He does!
It is a gift of Grace!
Christ’s invitation to journey with Him… is an invitation to experience and share the Grace that He pours into our lives!
John 15:5 (NIV)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
This is not a suggestion… It is a command!
We cannot be who Christ called us to be outside of Him.
But… The very invitation is an extension of Grace!
There is a choice to be made!
Will you remain in complacency and death, or will you choose to accept the invitation to “Follow Me”?
The professor of my “Spiritual Formation” class in Bible College described this invitation:
“The Trinity is an eternal dance between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Salvation is our invitation, not to watch the dance, but to PARTICIPATE in it.”
The invitation is to join the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in their eternal dance…
It is an invitation to experience the True Relationship of the restored image of God in our lives!
Weirsbe states that the main point of this passage in John is “fellowship, not sonship.”
The Beacon Bible commentary says: “Jesus no longer makes a free offer, the ‘if/then’ is a requirement, an invitation to walk with Him through life.”
We can call ourselves “children of God” all day long, but… if we are not walking with Him through life, then we are missing out....
Salvation is a response to Christ’s invitation.
It is a response to His invitation to join Him on the Cross… it is an invitation to begin a new life… a new fellowship with him… it is an invitation to journey with Him on an adventure that will take a lifetime!
It is a journey of Grace!
G.S. David Busic states: “Jesus invites us to a journey. “Come, follow me.” It is a simple invitation to go on an adventure with a beloved friend. The Christian life is more than right belief. It is more than intellectual assent. It is an invitation to a journey with Jesus.”
Have you accepted that invitation?
1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
(altar call/prayer)
(Communion)
The Greek “aorist” tense is a word tense that refers to something that happened in the past, but continues to happen and affect the future…
Salvation isn’t “once and done”…
True Salvation is an initial and continuous response to Christ’s invitation to the journey.
23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.
and
27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Communion is our commitment to answering Christ’s invitation with a resounding “YES!”
(receive the elements)