You Must Be Born Again

Part 1 What Happens At The New Birth?

John 3

Pastor Barry Kerner

We have begun a series of messages on the new birth titled You Must Be Born Again. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” He was speaking to all of us when he said that. Nicodemus was not a special case. You and I must be born again, or we will not see the kingdom of God. That means we will not be saved; we will not be part of God’s family, and not go to heaven, but instead we will go to hell.

Nicodemus was one of the Pharisees, the most religious Jewish leaders. Jesus said to them in Matthew 23:15-33, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. . . . You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?”

The new birth is not marginal, it is central to God’s salvation plan.. Eternity hangs in the balance when we are talking about the new birth. Without a doubt, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

I want you to know that the new birth is unsettling. In the first message last week we focused on the reasons for this series and the kinds of questions we would be asking. Today’s question is: What happens in the new birth? Before I try to answer that question, let me mention a very earnest concern that I have about the way these messages will be heard. I am aware that this series of messages will be unsettling to many of you — just like the words of Jesus are unsettling to us again and again if we take them seriously. There are at least three reasons for this.

First, our hopeless condition is unsettling. Jesus’s teaching about the new birth confronts us with our hopeless spiritual, moral and legal condition apart from God’s regenerating grace. Before the new birth happens to us, we are spiritually dead. We are morally selfish and rebellious. And we are legally guilty before God’s law and under his wrath. When Jesus tells us that we must be born again he is telling us that our present condition is hopelessly unresponsive, corrupt, and guilty. Apart from amazing grace in our lives, we don’t like to hear that about ourselves. So it is unsettling when Jesus tells us that we must be born again.

Second, we cannot ourselves cause the new birth. Teaching about the new birth is unsettling because it refers to something that is done to us, not something we do. John 1:13 emphasizes this when it says, the children of God are those “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” 1 Peter 1:3 stresses the same thing, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again.”

We do not cause the new birth. God causes the new birth. Any good thing that we do is a result of the new birth, not a cause of the new birth. This means that the new birth is taken out of our hands. It is not in our control. And so it confronts us with our helplessness and our absolute dependence on someone – God. This is unsettling. We are told that we won’t see the kingdom of God if we’re not born again. And we’re told that we can’t cause ourselves to be born again. This is unsettling.

Third, the reason the new birth is unsettling is it is the will of God. Apart from God, we are spiritually dead in our selfishness and rebellion. Ephesians 2:3 tells us we are by nature children of wrath. 2 Corinthians 4:4 lets us know that our rebellion is so deep that we cannot detect or desire the glory of Christ in the gospel. Therefore, if we are going to be born again, it will rely decisively and ultimately on God the Holy Spirit. His decision to make us alive will not be a response to what we as spiritual corpses do, but what we do will be a response to his making us alive. For most people, at least at first, this is unsettling.

So, as I begin this series, I am aware of how unsettling this teaching on the new birth may be to you. And I am very hopeful that he will do what he says in Ephesians 2:4–5, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved.” God loves to magnify the riches of his life-giving grace where Christ is lifted up in truth. My hope is that this series will not just unsettle but lead to the salvation of some.

Let’s turn now to the question: What happens in the new birth? I will try to put the answer in three statements. The first two we will deal with today, and the third we will deal with  next week. (1) What happens in the new birth is not getting new religion but getting new life. (2) What happens in the new birth is not merely affirming the supernatural in Jesus but experiencing the supernatural in yourself. (3) What happens in the new birth is not the improvement of your old human nature but the creation of a new human nature — a nature that is really you, and is forgiven and cleansed; and a nature that is really new, and is being formed by the indwelling Spirit of God. Let’s take those one at a time.

First, being born again is a new life not a new religion What happens in the new birth is not getting new religion but getting new life. Read with me John 3:1–3: Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John makes sure that we know that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. The Pharisees were the most rigorously religious of all the Jewish groups. To this one, Jesus says in verse 3, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And even more personally in verse 7 he says, “You must be born again.” So one of John’s points is: All of Nicodemus’s religion, all of his amazing Pharisaic study and discipline and law-keeping, cannot replace the need for the new birth. In fact, they may well make more obvious the need for the new birth.

What Nicodemus needs, and what you and I need, is not religion but life. The point of referring to new birth is that birth brings a new life into the world. In one sense, of course, Nicodemus is alive. He is breathing, thinking, feeling, acting. He is human, created in God’s image. But evidently, Jesus thinks he’s dead. There is no spiritual life in Nicodemus. Spiritually, he is unborn. He needs life — not more religious activities or more religious zeal. He has plenty of that.

You recall what Jesus said in Luke 9:60 to the man who wanted to put off following Jesus so he could bury his father? Jesus said, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead.” That means there are physically dead people who need burying. And, there are spiritually dead people who can bury them. In other words, Jesus thought in terms of people who walk around with much apparent life, and are dead. In his parable about the prodigal son in Luke 15:24, the Father says, “This my son was dead, and is alive again.”

Nicodemus did not need religion; he needed life — spiritual life. What happens in the new birth is that life comes into being that was not there before. New life happens at the new birth. This is not religious activity or discipline or decision. This is the coming into being of life. That’s the first way of describing what happens in the new birth.

Second, you experience the supernatural not just affirm it. What happens in the new birth is not merely affirming the supernatural in Jesus but experiencing the supernatural in yourself. In verse 2, Nicodemus says, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” In other words, Nicodemus sees in Jesus a genuine divine activity. He admits that Jesus is from God. Jesus does the works of God. To this, Jesus does not respond by saying, “I wish everyone in Palestine could see the truth that you see about me.” Instead, he says, “You must be born again or you will never see the kingdom of God.”

Seeing signs and wonders, and being amazed at them, and giving the miracle worker credit for them that he is from God, saves nobody. This is one of the great dangers of signs and wonders: You don’t need a new heart to be amazed at them. The old, fallen human nature is all that’s needed to be amazed at signs and wonders. And the old, fallen human nature is willing to say that the miracle worker is from God. We know from Mark 1:24 that the devil himself knows that Jesus is the Son of God and works miracles. No, Jesus tells Nicodemus, seeing me as a miracle worker sent from God is not the key to the kingdom of God. But, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In other words, what matters is not merely affirming the supernatural in Jesus but experiencing the supernatural in yourself. The new birth is supernatural, not natural. It cannot be accounted by things that are already found in this world. Verse 6 emphasizes the supernatural nature of the new birth: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” The flesh is what we are naturally. The Spirit of God is the supernatural Person who brings about the new birth.

Jesus says this again in verse 8: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” The Spirit is not a part of this natural world. He is above nature. He is supernatural. Indeed, he is God. He is the immediate cause of the new birth.

So Nicodemus, Jesus says, what happens in the new birth is not merely affirming the supernatural in me, but experiencing the supernatural in yourself. You must be born again. And not in any metaphorical natural way, but in a supernatural way. God the Holy Spirit must come upon you and bring new life into existence.

We will look next time at the words in verse 5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” Next week we’ll  examine what water and Spirit refer to in that verse? As well as how that helps us to understand what is happening in the new birth?

Today I want to close by making a crucial connection between being born again by the Spirit and having eternal life through faith in Jesus. What we have seen so far is that what happens in the new birth is a supernatural work by the Holy Spirit to bring spiritual life into being where it did not exist. Jesus says it again in John 6:63: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all.”

But the Gospel of John makes something else clear as well: Jesus is the life that the Holy Spirit gives. Or we could say: the spiritual life that he gives, he only gives in connection with Jesus. Union with Jesus is where we experience supernatural, spiritual life. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In John 6:35, he said, “I am the bread of life.” And in John 20:31, John says, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

There is no life apart from Jesus. There is no spiritual life — no eternal life — apart from connection with Jesus and belief in Jesus. We will have lots more to say about the relationship between the new birth and faith in Jesus. But let’s put it this way for now: In the new birth, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ in a living union. Christ is life. Christ is the vine where life flows. From John 15:1-11 we learn that we are the branches of that vine.

What happens in the new birth is the supernatural creation of new spiritual life, and it is created through union with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit brings us into vital connection with Christ who is the way, the truth, and life. That is the objective reality of what happens in the new birth.

And from our side — the way we experience this — is that faith in Jesus is awakened in our hearts. Spiritual life and faith in Jesus come into being together. The new life makes the faith possible, and since spiritual life always awakens faith and expresses itself in faith, there is no life without faith in Jesus. Therefore, we should never separate the new birth from faith in Jesus. From God’s side, we are united to Christ in the new birth. That’s what the Holy Spirit does. From our side, we experience this union by faith in Jesus.

We must never separate the new birth and faith in Jesus Christ. Listen to how John puts them together in 1 John 5:4: “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” Born of God is the the key to victory. Faith initiates the key to victory because faith is the way we experience being born of God.

Or listen to how John says it in 1 John 5:11–12: “This is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Therefore, when Jesus says, in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all,” and when he says, “You must be born of the Spirit” in order to have life, he means this: in the new birth, the Holy Spirit supernaturally gives us new spiritual life by connecting us with Jesus Christ through faith, for Jesus is life.

So I’ll close with this, never separate these two sayings of Jesus in John 3: “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (verse 3) and “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (verse 36).

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You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1-18

Pastor Barry Kerner

Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach at a meeting. He had arrived a little bit early to finish writing a letter for back home. As he finished the letter, he asked a young boy standing on the sidewalk for directions to the town post office. When the boy had given him the directions, Mr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you will come to the Baptist church this evening, you can hear me tell everyone how to get to heaven.” “I don’t think I will be there.” The little boy replied, “You don’t even know your way to the post office, how could you know how to get to heaven.”

If your Bibles are open to John 3, let’s read verses 1 through 18.

 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

In John 3:7 Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.”

What does “being born again” mean? Are you born again? Can you understand or explain how to be born again? If someone should ask you, “What must I do to get to heaven?”, what would you tell them? Would you tell them to stop lying, to stop drinking, to stop smoking, to stop stealing, to stop cursing? Many people speak of a new birth without any definite idea of just what the new birth is. As a result, they are never sure whether they themselves have been born again or not.

The Barna Group is an organization that specializes in religious research and statistics. One of their reports is titled, “Born Again Christians Just As Likely to Divorce As Are Non-Christians.” The same kind of statistics are given by Ron Sider in his book The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?

I want to focus on the term the Barna Group uses, “born again.” The Barna Group, in particular, uses it in reporting their research. Sider uses the term, “evangelicals” when referring to those in the church who call themselves, “born again.”

Research shows that only 9% of evangelicals regularly give to support their church. 60% of those who identify as Christians have been divorced. Of 12,000 teenagers who took the pledge to wait for marriage, 80% had sex outside marriage in the next 7 years. 26% of traditional evangelicals do not think premarital sex is wrong. 44% of those in the church support gay marriage. White evangelicals are more likely than Catholics and mainline Protestants to object to having black neighbors. In other words, the evangelical church as a whole in America is apparently quite like the world. It goes to church on Sunday and has a veneer of religion, but its religion is basically an add-on to the same way of life the world lives, not a radically transforming power.

Now I want to make it clear that when the Barna Group uses term “born again” to describe American church-goers whose lives are indistinguishable from the world, and who sin as much as the world, and sacrifice for others as little as the world, and embrace injustice as readily as the world, and covet things as greedily as the world, and enjoy God-ignoring entertainment as enthusiastically as the world — when the term “born again” is used to describe these professing Christians, the Barna Group is making a profound mistake.

It is using the biblical term “born again” in a way that would make it unrecognizable by Jesus and the biblical writers. Here is the way the researchers defined “born again” in their research: “Born again Christians” were defined in these surveys as people who said they have made “a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today” and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior.

In other words, in this research the term “born again” refers to people who say things. They say, “I have a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. It’s important to me.” They say, “I believe that I will go to heaven when I die. I have confessed my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.” Then the Barna Group takes them at their word, ascribes to them the infinitely important reality of the new birth, and then blasphemes that precious biblical reality by saying that regenerate hearts have no more victory over sin than unregenerate hearts.

The New Testament Moves the Opposite Direction. I’m not saying the Barna Group’s research is wrong. It appears to be appallingly right. I am not saying that the church is not as worldly as they say it is. I am saying that the writers of the New Testament think in exactly the opposite direction about being born again. Instead of moving from a profession of faith, to the label “born again,” to the worldliness of these so-called born again people, to the conclusion that the new birth does not radically change people, the New Testament moves the other direction. It moves from the absolute certainty that the new birth radically changes people, to the observation that many professing Christians are indeed, as the Barna Group says, not radically changed, to the conclusion that they are not born again.

 For example, one of the main points of the first epistle of John is to drive home this very truth that Christians who are truly “born again” have radically changed lives.

• 1 John 2:29: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.”
• 1 John 3:9: “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.”
• 1 John 4:7: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.”
• 1 John 5:4: “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.”
• 1 John 5:18: “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

We will explore texts like these in the weeks to come as this series develops. There are many questions to answer and we will distance ourselves plainly from perfectionism and deal realistically with the failures of genuine Christians. The Barna Group claims that born-again people are morally indistinguishable from the world? The Bible is profoundly aware of such people in the church. That is one reason why 1 John was written. But instead of following the Barna Group, the Bible says that the research is not finding that born-again people are permeated with worldliness; the research is finding that the church is permeated by people who are not born again.

Today’s message will be an introductory overview of where we are going and why. You can already see one of the reasons I want to focus on this issue. The term “born again” is desecrated when it is used the way the Barna Group uses it. And, of course, that kind of misuse of the biblical term is not the only kind. The term in our day simply means that someone or something got a new lease on life.

The term, “born again is used for businesses. The internet says that Cisco Systems, the communications company, has been born again, and the Green Movement has been born again, the Davie Shipyard in Montreal has been born again, the west end in Boston has been born again, Kosher foods for Orthodox Jews have been born again. The list goes on for businesses that have remade themselves into something new. So it’s not surprising that we have to be careful when we read that forty-five percent of Americans say they have been religiously “born again.”

This term “born again” is very precious and very crucial in the Bible. So I hope to make sure that we know what God intends when the Bible uses this language. What does being born again mean?

First, I want you to learn that the term, “born again” speaks of a regeneration.

Today we begin a series of messages about the new birth. What does the Bible teach about being born again? Another word for the event of being born again is “regeneration.” It is helpful to use that word from time to time. Would you be willing to add it to your vocabulary?  Did you know that the word ‘regenerate’ is how you describe somebody who is born again? You say, ‘That person is regenerate.’ That means he’s born again”?

Second,  I want you to know what happened to you when you were born again.

Another reason I am eager to focus on the new birth is to help you know what really happened to you when you were born again. It is far more glorious than you think it is. It is also more glorious than I think it is. It is wonderful beyond all human comprehension. But that mystery is not because there is little about it in the Bible. There is much about it in the Bible. It’s because when all is comprehended there is still more. So I hope that in the next few weeks you’ll come to know more and to know better what happened to you when you were born again.

Third, I want to help people who are not “born again” to be “born again”

Another reason for this series is that there are others that I want to help be born again. I want to show them what must happen to them. And I, with your prayers, would like to be a means of others being born again. The new birth, we will see, is not a work of man. You don’t make the new birth happen, and I don’t make the new birth happen. God makes it happen. It happens to us, not by us.

Being born again always happens through the Gospel. Listen to 1 Peter 1:23, 25: “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. . . . And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” So even though God is the one who begets his children, the seed by which he does it is the word of God, the gospel that we preach. So pray with me that one of the great effects of this series will be that miracle. And bring your friends and family who need to hear about the necessity of the new birth. I will try to explain it clearly and show it from the Bible so people can see it for themselves.

And the reason I want you to know what happened to you in your new birth and others to know what must yet happen to them is threefold.

(1) When you are truly born again and grow in the grace and knowledge of what the Lord has done for you, your fellowship with God will be sweet, and your assurance that he is your Father will be deep. I want that for you.

(2) If God would be pleased to bring this kind of awakening to his church, then the world will get the real deal of radical love and sacrifice and courage from the church and not all these fake Christians that live just like the world.

(3) If you know what really happened to you in your new birth, you will treasure God and his Spirit and his Son and his word more highly than you ever have. And he will be glorified. So those are some of the reasons why we are focusing on the new birth.

There are several crucial questions we will be asking over the next few weeks. One is: What is the new birth? That is, what actually happens? What is it like? What changes? What comes into being that wasn’t there before?

Another question is: How does it relate to other things that the Bible says God does to bring us to himself and save us? For example, how does being born again relate to

• God’s effectual calling (“Those whom he called he justified” [Romans 8:30]),
• The new creation (“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” [2 Corinthians 5:17]),
• God’s drawing us to Christ (“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” [John 6:44]),
• God’s giving people to his Son (“All that the Father gives me will come to me” [John 6:37]),
• God’s opening our hearts (“The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” [Acts 16:14]),
• God’s illumining our hearts (“God . . . has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” [2 Corinthians 4:6]),
• God’s taking the heart of stone out and giving us a heart of flesh (“I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” [Ezekiel 36:26]),
• God’s making us alive (“even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ” [Ephesians 2:5]),
• God’s adopting us into his family (“You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” [Romans 8:15]).

How does God’s act of regeneration relate to all these wonderful ways of describing what happened to us when God saved us?

Another question we will ask is: Why is the new birth necessary? Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:7, “You must be born again.” Not, “I suggest it,” or, “Your life would improve if you added this experience.” Why does John 3:3 tell us that, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God?” This is one of the great reasons for dealing with this. Until we realize that we must be born again, and why we must be born again, we probably will not realize what our condition really is without salvation.

Most people do not know what is really wrong with them. One way to help them make a true and terrible and hopeful diagnosis is to show them the kind of remedy God has provided, namely, the new birth. If you have a sore on your ankle and after the doctor does his test, he comes in and says, “I have hard news: We have to take your leg off just below the knee,” that remedy would tell you more about the sore than many fancy words. So it is with the remedy “you must be born again.”

Another question we will tackle is how the new birth happens. If it is the work of God, which it is, how do I experience it? Is there anything I can do to make it happen?

And a final question we must deal with is: What are the effects of being born again? What changes? What is it like to live as a born-again person?

Let me tell you that millions in the church are not “born again.” Which brings us back to where we started, namely, the claim that “born again” Christians have lifestyles of worldliness and sin that are indistinguishable from the unregenerate. I don’t think so.

First John 5:4 says, “Everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” But my conviction is not rosy news for the church. It implies that there are millions of church attenders who are not born again.

Would those of you who are born again, and have the Holy Spirit in you, and love God and care about lost people, pray with me that the effect of these messages will be to awaken the spiritually dead — both the ones who never go to church, and those who have been there all their lives?

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Memorial Day

Daniel 5:1-31

Pastor Barry Kerner

Memorial Day is a time each year when we pause to remember those who laid down their lives for family, friends and freedom. One week after the Pearl Harbor attack President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Those who long enjoy such privileges that we enjoy forget in time that others have died to win them.” Freedom is never really free; it’s almost always bought with the blood of patriots.

The biggest battle we, as Americans, are facing today is the battle for the very soul of our nation. We see it all around us every day. The erosion of our society has been a slow process, but we’ve seen it accelerate rapidly in the just the past few years. It really doesn’t matter whether there’s a Democrat or a Republican sitting in the Oval Office, this nation that we’ve all come to know and love continues to erode. The position we’re in today is because of what we tolerated yesterday. And, the position we’ll be in tomorrow will be because of what we tolerate today.

Well, history has a way of repeating itself down through the centuries. In Daniel’s day, he saw a lot of what we’re seeing today. But, his situation was much worse. The fifth chapter of Daniel describes the collapse of a culture. They became so comfortable and secure within the confines of their strong walls, but they crumbled from within. They way I see it, Babylon made four huge mistakes. They lost all sense of remembrance. They lost all sense of reality. They lost all sense of restraint. And, they lost all sense of respect. On this Memorial Day, my prayer is that we would be challenged to be a people of repentance and that we would acknowledge that anything we do is vanity without the presence of the Holy Spirit.

If your Bibles are open to Daniel 5 we’ll read verses 1 through 31.

5King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.2While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.3So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.4As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

5Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.6His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

7The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 8Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.9So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

10The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale!11There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.12He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

13So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?14I have heard that the spirit of the godsis in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.15The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.16Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck,and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

17Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

18“Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.19Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.20But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.21He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.

22“But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this.23Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways.24Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

25“This is the inscription that was written:

mene, mene, tekel, parsin

26“Here is what these words mean:

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

27Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

28Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

29Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

30That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain,31and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Today our nation is in danger of losing three things:

First, We Have The Danger of Losing All Sense of Remembrance (Daniel 5:18-23)

Belshazzar’s problem was the same many people have today. He had forgotten some of the valuable lessons from the past. Lessons like his predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar, had learned the hard way. Lessons like, “Those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (Daniel 4:37).

In most cases, pride always comes before destruction. Daniel gives us an important insight when he challenges the king with the accusation that “you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of Heaven.” That’s what Belshazzar was doing, boasting about himself. He picked up right where King Nebuchadnezzar left off, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty (Daniel 4:30)?”

Pride always leads to a fall. It’s right up there at the top of the list of those things which God despises. If you don’t want to take my word for it, just ask Satan. Ask Adam and Eve. Ask King David. Ask Simon Peter. Yes, “Those who walk in pride He is able to put down” (Daniel 4:37).

America used to honor God unashamedly and openly. It’s etched in numerous monuments all over the nation’s capital. It’s carved in granite on many of the government buildings we hold dear. It’s printed on our currency. There was a time when we credited Him with our blessings and our successes and turned to Him in our trials and our losses. But today, like Babylon, we seem to have lost a sense of remembrance. President Woodrow Wilson said it best, “A nation that does not remember what it was yesterday does not know what it is today, or what it is trying to do. We are about a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.”

In many ways, we’ve forgotten our past. What was it about America that made us so great and caused men and women from nations all around the world to risk their lives and fortunes to come here? Is there something about America that distinguishes us from our neighbors to the north and south? Canada was settled by French explorers who were looking for gold. Mexico was settled by Spanish explorers who were also looking for gold. America was settled by men and women who came here primarily looking for God. They came searching for a home where God could be exalted and worshiped in spirit, freedom and truth.

We’ve fallen a long way from where we once were. We’ve gotten so far off our founders’ path that it’s not uncommon to see the federal courts repeatedly doing things such as restricting manger scenes from city squares and removing ten commandment displays from government buildings.

Unfortunately, there are some sobering similarities between ancient Babylon and modern day America. And just like Babylon, there’s an expensive price to pay when a nation loses all sense of remembrance of who they are and where they’ve come from.

Second, We Have The Danger of Losing All Sense of Reality (Daniel 5:1)

In order to understand how the king had lost all sense of reality around him, we need to remember that outside the city walls of Babylon, the Medes and the Persians surrounded the city. But inside, Belshazzar is partying. The Babylonians thought that because of their history of dominance and their strong walls they were invincible and indestructible. Those walls stretched for sixty miles in circumference. But everywhere you looked beyond them you could see the enemy surrounding the city. But, no problem, they thought. After all, the walls were so high and thick they were impossible to penetrate and a twenty-year supply of rations lay inside.

So, what did Belshazzar do? He lost all sense of reality. He threw a big party and invited thousands of guests when destruction was at his door. When we begin to feel secure in our own strength, danger is just on the other side of the wall. Many people today think that just because they got away with something before, they’ll get away with it again. This king was too blind and drunk on his own success to realize that the strength of a kingdom, or an individual, is never on the outside but on the inside. Babylon soon fell because they had become corrupt on the inside with no more sense of remembrance or reality.

Some people today foolishly think that somehow God needs America to carry out His plan on earth. After all, we’ve won all the world wars, the cold war is over, and we seem to be the only real superpower still standing in the world today. But, I believe God is saying to us today, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he also fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Like those in ancient Babylon, we too, think that we’re invincible. But remember, there was a time when Israel was the world’s only superpower. They were one nation under God. Their motto was “In God we trust.”

Three thousand years later, God gave birth to another nation. God gave America a law built and based on Israel’s ancient commandments. Why should we think we are invincible? I think that now, more than ever, it’s time for us to remember who we are where we’ve come from. I think it’s time for us to look at the reality of what’s going around us and truly pray, “God forgive us and God bless America”.

Third, We Have The Danger of Losing all Sense of Restraint (Daniel 5:2)

When a nation, or an individual, loses all sense of remembrance and reality, they also lose all sense of restraint. The Babylonians were too blind to see any connection between moral decay and national decline. Sound familiar? This verse describes what the Old Testament politely calls “concubines.” These were women who were kept for the king’s pleasure for the purpose of sexual gratification and additional procreation. Our nation, like Babylon, has been virtually given over to sexual permissiveness and perversions of all types.

I don’t have enough time here this morning to describe all the various forms of sexual perversion that bombard our society through movies, television, media and the Internet. Men have stopped leading their families in spiritual and moral development. They’ve neglected their wives and children in pursuit of material wealth and power. They’ve become so busy with their jobs that they ignore their wives and become involved with other women outside the home. As a result, their wives begin to seek their own worth and value outside the home. Then, because male and female role models are no longer prominent in the home, children are developing identity problems of their own. Many of them are neglected and, for the most part, undisciplined. I don’t believe I need to go any further with application at this point. Much like the Babylonians, we’ve lost all sense of restraint.

Fourth, We Have The Danger of Losing All Sense of Respect (Daniel 5:3-4)

Here we see the crumbling culture of Babylon. Nothing was sacred to them anymore. They had abandoned all absolutes, there were no more restraints and now there is no respect for anything that is sacred. It was party time in Babylon.

Then an amazing thing happens. “The fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lamp stand on the plaster of the wall” (Daniel 5:5). The king sobered up. His “knees knocked against each other” (Daniel 5:7). Into the party hall comes Daniel (Daniel 5:13). Now He wasn’t at the party. Most people don’t want the man of God around when the liquor is flowing and the women are present. But, when the writing is on the wall, when the crisis comes, they no longer want their immoral friends and drinking buddies, they’re looking for someone who can tell them what this means.

As Daniel looked around, the shouting and drinking and sex had come to a stop. A strange silence filled the banquet hall. People looked as if they were frozen in time. The sacred vessels were scattered around the tables. Daniel was the only one in the room who was calm. Then he did what every preacher should do. He took God’s word, and without fear or favor simply revealed to them what God said.

Listen to Daniel as he stands before them. Before he interpreted the handwriting on the wall, he preached a sermon to them with three points. First, there was a word about power. Daniel reminded Belshazzar that King Nebuchadnezzar’s power came from God (Daniel 5:18-19). Second, there was a word about pride. Daniel reminded the king that Nebuchadnezzar lost his kingdom because of pride (Daniel 5:20). Third, there was a word about punishment (Daniel 5:21). King Nebuchadnezzar was punished until he came to realize that the “Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses”(Daniel 4:32).

Next, Daniel applied the text. “You have not humbled yourself, although you knew all this” (Daniel 5:22). He said, “King Belshazzar, you knew about the power, the pride, and the punishment. But, sadly, you’ve lost all sense of remembrance, reality, restraint and respect.”

When we forget these things, we become blind to the fact that, like Babylon, our problems are not primarily political, economic or social. The decline of any nation stems from spiritual factors. Everything else is just symptomatic.

Back to the banquet. The hall is silent. Daniel now reveals the handwriting on the wall. “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” (Daniel 5:25). These words reveal the three elements involved in the sinner’s destruction. Numbered. Weighed. Separated. In other words: Your days are numbered numbered, judgment is coming, you will be separated from God for eternity.

Now the ballroom is a scene of fright and terror, but there was one person who stood peacefully. He wasn’t scared; he wasn’t concerned about his destiny because he knew the One who had written on the wall.

The fifth chapter of Daniel concludes with these words, “That very night Belshazzar…was slain and Darius, the Mede, received the kingdom” (Daniel 5:30-31). “That very night.” While Babylon had partied with no sense of restraint or remembrance, the armies of the Medes and the Persians diverted the Euphrates into swampland and they marched right into the city through the dry river bed that ran under the city walls and took the city.

God’s judgment is certain. There’s not a wall high enough or thick enough to prevent a person, or a nation, from falling when God writes, “Mene, Tekel, Upharsin” on the wall.

Who knows how close we might be to our number being called? Who knows how close we might be to facing God’s judgment? One thing we can know for sure is which side we will be on when He separates the sheep from the goats.

Very few nations have had a history like America. For over two hundred years we’ve been a shining light to the world around us. We’ve been a launch pad to take the gospel literally to the very ends of the earth. We often hear people say, “God is our only hope.” But, I wonder if God might not be our biggest threat! What is it about America that offers us the exemption that neither Babylon or Israel were given?

There’s a last night for every nation, and for every individual. In light of eternity, what is the kingdom of Babylon or any other nation compared to the kingdom that is forfeited by men and women without Christ? Our days are indeed numbered, we need to have a sense of urgency in exchanging our own righteousness for the righteousness of Christ through the new birth that is only offered through salvation.

On this Memorial Day, as we remember those who gave so much for the freedoms we enjoy today, may we be reminded that, in the words of Daniel, “The Most High still rules over the affairs of men” (Daniel 4:32). And, may we humble ourselves before Him…and may God bless America!

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Be Filled With The Spirit

Ephesians 5:1-20

Pastor Barry Kerner

The Tower of Babel was a structure built in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) some time after the Flood. The story of its construction, given in Genesis 11:1–9, explains the existence of diverse human languages. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves so they came together to build a mighty city and a tower“with its top in the heavens.” God disrupted the work by so confusing the language of the workers that they could no longer understand one another. The city was never completed, and the people were dispersed over the face of the earth.

There are similarities between Babel and Pentecost. At Babel the people all came to one place to build a tower in order to reach the heavens. At Pentecost, the Bible says, “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place” (Acts 2:1), and their purpose was to reach God. At Babel they all spoke one language, and God caused them to speak many languages. At Pentecost they all spoke one language (Aramaic with a Galilean dialect), but God caused them to speak many languages. At Babel God came down to the people, and at Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon the people. At both Babel and Pentecost the people were scattered — but with totally different purposes. At Babel the people scattered in hostility and chaos, at Pentecost they scattered with a new love and purpose in their hearts. They wanted to spread the good news.

That is the purpose of Pentecost: To give us the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit so that we can learn to love God and live for God. To give new purpose. To change chaos and confusion into understanding. To turn us from rebellion to love and obedience through the power of the Holy Spirit. To turn despair into hope. To bring a new love into our hearts that wants to reach out to God and others. This Pentecost Sunday brings the invitation to receive the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now, suppose someone asked, “Are you filled with the Spirit?” what would you say? It’s not easy to answer and therefore makes us uneasy as we think about it.

In his preface to The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer wrote, In this hour of all-but-universal darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing numbers of person who religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with correct “interpretations” of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water and filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

One of the greatest preachers of the 19th century, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, said, “The grand thing the church needs in this time is God’s Holy Spirit.” More than anything else, we need to rediscover the Holy Spirit and learn anew to depend on him.

In John 4:13-14 we read, “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.””

In John 10:10 Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

If you have your Bibles open to Ephesians 5 let’s read verses 1 through 20.

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[a] 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
    rise from the dead,
    and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ll ask you, “Is the state of your heart: Empty or Full? Is it Carnal or Spiritual?”

In 1 Corinthians the Scriptures distinguish between the “spiritual” and the “carnal;” In Galatians 5:16, those who “walk in the Spirit,” and those who walk “according to the flesh;” In Romans 6:4, those who walk “in newness of life,” and those who do not; In John 15, those who “abide in Christ,” and those who do not; and in Colossians 1:10, those who walk “worthy of the Lord,” and those who “walk as men.” God wants us to live a Holy Spirit filled life and to walk in that life.

Notice Ephesians 5:14: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead.” This verse is often spoken to sinners, but it was not written to sinners. It was a call to one of the best churches in the New Testament at Ephesus. Some of the Ephesians were in a somnolent condition; that is, they were morally good but unenlightened. They were religious but un-anointed. It is perfectly possible for a good, faithful, loyal church member to be spiritually asleep.

When you go to sleep tonight, the fact that you are unconscious and out of the running for a while is not bothering you. You know that normally you will wake up again. You are not dead, but you are cut off from your environment, all but that which is reflex—breathing and a few other things. Likewise it is possible to be a Christian, to be in the church and yet be asleep spiritually.

Paul goes on in verse 18 to contrast between being filled with wine and being filled with the Spirit. A person under the influence of wine experiences altered behavior. He may say or do things he would not ordinarily do. Emotions may be heightened for a brief period, causing the person to experience anger followed quickly by elation followed quickly by depression. If the person drinks enough wine, his mental processes will be affected and his decision making ability will be radically altered—almost always with a negative result.

Likewise, the filling of the Holy Spirit produces a change in behavior. In the Book of Acts, once timid disciples became flaming evangelists for Jesus Christ. They were accused of being drunk.

Peter, quoting Joel 2:28, told the crowd, “These men are not drunk as you suppose. ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people.” They weren’t under the influence of wine. They were under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 5:15-21 Paul mentions five practical things related to the filling of the Spirit:

In verses 16-16 we’re told that being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us Wisdom for living in this evil age;

In verse 17, Understanding of God’s will;

In verse 19, A joyful heart filled with singing to the Lord;

In verse 21, A heart filled with thanksgiving;

And, in verse 21 we’re told that being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us An attitude of mutual submission.

True submission is vitally important because it touches our need to be in control in every situation. When we submit from the heart, we are saying, “I don’t have to have my way all the time.” Only a heart touched by the Holy Spirit can maintain such an attitude in every relationship of life.

First, the phrase in verse 18, “be filled with the Holy Spirit” is a command. In the Greek language this verb is in the imperative mode. This means the filling of the Spirit isn’t an optional part of the Christian life. Every Christian is to be filled with the Spirit all of the time. If you aren’t, you are out of God’s will.

Second, it is in the present tense.

You keep on doing something. It’s not a one-time event. We could legitimately translate this verse this way: “Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.” The filling of the Spirit is supposed to be the normal way of life for the Christian.

Third, it is in the passive voice. This is a nuance many people would miss. In Greek as in English commands can be either active or passive. However, we’re much more used to active commands: “Go to the store and pick up some milk, please.” That’s an active command. If I say, “Fill that hole with dirt”, that’s also in the active voice. But Ephesians 5:18 is in the passive voice. He doesn’t say, “Fill yourself with the Spirit” but rather “be filled with the Spirit.” To be “be filled” means that the filling of the Spirit is a work of God, not man.

Two things to remember, the Holy Spirit lives within us and is willing to fill us at any moment and we must get out of the way.

John the Baptist says in Chapter 3 verses 29–30, “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” When Jesus becomes greater in the world and I become lesser in the world, my joy increases. And when this is the purpose and plan of Jesus himself

Fourth, it is a plural command. It’s not just for Pastors, or evangelists or Sunday school teachers, or those serving in ministry. Paul is saying, “Let each and every one of you be filled with the Spirit.” On one hand, that means the command is for every Christian. God intends—and desires—that all his children be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Fifth, it’s also a corporate command. The church as a church is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That is, the filling of the Spirit is not something for my own personal edification. God’s Spirit imparts life-giving power that transforms the church from a social club or a religious gathering into a living body of Christ. We can see that clearly in the verses that follow. We are to be Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (verse 19) and Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (verse 21).

I am to be filled with the Spirit—but I am not to be filled alone. As we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us one by one, our corporate life will be forever transformed. Perhaps this one factor accounts for the difference between a church that is “alive” and a church that is “dead.” Both churches have the same Bible, the same rituals, they may sing the same songs, they may even have the same programs and the same schedule of services. Outwardly they may look very much alike. But, one is alive while the other is dead. What makes the difference? The Holy Spirit! We need the filling of the Spirit not simply for ourselves but for the reformation and revival of local churches everywhere.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is an issue of control.

Go back to the contrast between wine and the Spirit. Drunken and Spirit-filled people have one thing in common. They are both controlled people. Their lives and their behavior are radically changed by that which fills them.

–If a person is filled with anger, then anger controls his life.

–If a person is filled with greed, then greed dominates his life.

–If a person is filled with love, then love influences all he does.

When the Holy Spirit fills you, he will have the controlling interest in your life.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean I have more of the Spirit, it means the Spirit has more of me.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is also an issue of Cooperation

Every Christian is filled with the Spirit from the moment of the new birth. The Holy Spirit indwells us from the moment we are saved. New believers often have so much joy and walk so closely with the Lord. For them, it’s the natural thing to do.

That means the central issue is one of cooperation. Am I going to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and let him lead me or I am going to keep on trying to do things my own way?

So many of us struggle at precisely this point. We fight the Lord because we want to do things our way.

Jesus’ words to Saul on the road to Damascus: “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

“It is hard for you to kick against the goads” was a Greek proverb, but it was also familiar to the Jews and anyone who made a living in agriculture. An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing. The farmer would prick the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the prick, and this would result in the prick being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered.

The conversion of Saul is quite significant as it was the turning point in his life. Paul later wrote nearly half of the books of the New Testament.

Jesus took control of Paul and let him know his rebellion against God was a losing battle. Paul’s actions were as senseless as an ox kicking “against the goads.” Paul had passion and sincerity in his fight against Christianity, but he was not heading in the direction God wanted him to go. Jesus was going to goad (“direct” or “steer”) Paul in the right direction.

There is a powerful lesson in the ancient Greek proverb. We, too, find it hard to kick against the goads. Solomon wrote, “Stern discipline awaits him who leaves the path” (Proverbs 15:10). When we choose to disobey God, we become like the rebellious ox—driving the goad deeper and deeper. Proverbs 13:15 tells us, “The way of the unfaithful is hard.” How much better to heed God’s voice, to listen to the pangs of conscience! By resisting God’s authority we are only punishing ourselves.

And, being filled with the Holy Spirit is an issue of Repentance

If you allow weeds unattended in your garden the weeds will soon take over the garden. Similarly if you allow sin unattended in your life, sin will eventually take over your life. Whatever you water will grow.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit takes emptiness and openness

Imagine trying to fill up a jar that is already full of something else. You can’t fill what is already full. Or imagine an empty jar with the lid screwed on tight. You can’t fill that jar either.

-Some Christians are so full of themselves, they have no room for the Holy Spirit.

-Some Christians have simply closed their heart to the work of the Holy Spirit.

One woman said that that perfectly described her husband. By all outward standards, he was a success. “But,” she said, “ he is so full of himself that he is closed to anything that God might want to do in his life.” She did not say that with anger but with tears. I wonder if that would not describe many of us.

In a sense being filled with the Spirit is an impossibility—at least as far as it depends on us. Only God’s Spirit can fill us. We need two things—emptiness and openness. You can’t fill a jar that’s already full, and you can’t fill a jar that is not open.

-There must be a sense of need—“Lord, I’m empty and I need to be filled by your Spirit.”

-There must be a willingness—“Lord, I’m open to you. Let your Spirit fill me now.”

Let me end by putting this matter in a larger perspective. The Holy Spirit is never given merely for our own personal enjoyment. God sends his Spirit to enable us to live for Christ in the world.

The famous quotation by Mark Twain is an entertaining reminder that those who, “Toot their own horn,” are often those who lack the very thing they’re bragging about. It’s not the people “out there” that need to be revived by God’s Spirit. It’s you and it’s me.

The Christian life is not difficult, but it is impossible without the Holy Spirit. The human spirit fails unless the Holy Spirit fills. We are commanded to be awake and to continually yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, both as individual persons and as the Body of Christ.

Let us close with this prayer that Paul wrote to the Ephesians but which is appropriate for us here this morning.

Ephesians 3:14-21  

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

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The Ascension Of Christ

Acts 1:1-11

Pastor Barry Kerner

In one of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, Calvin and Hobbes are lying under the shade of a tree on a hot summer day. Calvin, the hyperactive little boy, asks, “What if there is no heaven? What if this is all we get?” Hobbes, the tiger answers, “Well, if this is all we get I guess we’ll just have to accept it.” Calvin replies, “Yeah, but if I’m not going to be rewarded for my good deeds, I want to know it now.”

Life after death—immortality—seems to be on everyone’s mind these days. If I were picking a religion today, I would want one that spoke with clarity and authority about life beyond the grave.

Ironically, if you were to take a few months and study the writings of other religions, you would discover that the history of their founders stops abruptly with their death. Like everyone else their bodies wasted away in the grave. What are Confucius, Mohammad (Islam), and Krishna (Hindus) doing now? What are their plans for the future? Not even their most devoted followers know for sure!

The Christian faith is different. The written record of God’s Word and countless eyewitnesses confirm that Jesus Christ was God’s Son. He died on the cross for the sin of the entire human race. God raised Jesus from the dead bodily. These are the facts that set Him apart from every other religious leader in the world. The question remains—can He speak with clarity about life after death? Where is Jesus right now and what is He doing?

A bank in Binghamton, New York sent a floral arrangement to a business that had recently moved into a new building. There was a mix up at the florist, and the card sent with the arrangement read, “With our deepest sympathy.” The florist apologized, but became even more embarrassed when he learned that the floral arrangement sent to a funeral home read, “Congratulations on your new location.”

I have good news for you today. After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He moved to a new location. He ascended to heaven! Furthermore, the Bible records what Jesus is doing now and what His plans are for the future.

Today, we are going to consider the ascension of Jesus Christ and its relevance for our present life and for eternity. Turn in your Bible to Acts 1 and beginning with verse 1 let’s look at the text together:

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.”

6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The disciples of Jesus visibly saw Him rise from the ground. The Lord, clothed in His resurrected body, moved from this material world into the spiritual world. His followers were stunned. Two angels appeared to them and told them that Jesus had been taken up into heaven. Life would go on for these disciples, but they would never be the same. The ascension of Jesus Christ changed everything for them and us. Let’s look first at…

1. THE MAJESTY OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST

Have you ever considered what it must have been like when Jesus entered heaven after His death, burial, and resurrection? John’ gospel chapter 17 verses 4 and 5 records a prayer Jesus prayed before He died. Here’s what Jesus prayed, “I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which Thou hast given Me to do. And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”

Jesus Christ is eternal; He was never created. So, before He came to earth, He existed in spirit form with all the glory of God’s eternal Son. When Jesus was clothed in human flesh, He laid aside His glory in heaven. Now, He would come back to receive His glory!

I want you to get the picture here. In Ephesians 4:8 Paul tells us, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.”  I believe that Jesus was like a victorious general returning from battle with every Old Testament saint forming His royal entourage. Through the spirit realm, this glorious march made its way to heaven.

David gives us an idea of how heaven prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Psalm 24:7-10 he wrote, “Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.”

Angels fell to their faces as Jesus entered through the gates in royal procession. The Old Testament saints of God gasped at the beauty and glory of heaven. They too must have joined the angels in thunderous praise and worship. The glory that had belonged to Jesus for all of eternity engulfed Him like the royal garment of a king.

Jesus Christ has crossed over death into life. This is the Bible’s report of His majesty in heaven. Is this not the kind of God you would want to serve and love? Let’s look secondly at…

1. THE MASTERY OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST

The Bible is clear about what happened when Jesus arrived in heaven. The description of the writer of Hebrews is breathtaking. Listen to his words in Hebrews 1:3, “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”  In Mark 16:19 we’re told, “So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”

The right hand of God is significant. It is the place of power and preeminence. Jesus who humbled Himself like no one who has ever lived now has been exalted like no other person. In Ephesians 1:19-23 Paul’s words give insight, “These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Jesus, in His glorified human body, now occupies the throne. He is Lord!

This is the word from the other side of the grave. Jesus Christ has no rival to His power in this world or in the spirit world. He is eternally triumphant and He will reign forever more! Don’t you want to believe in an all-powerful God who is the undisputed King of Kings?

There is one more thing I want you to see. Look at…

III. THE MINISTRY OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST

Okay, we have examined the majesty and the mastery of the ascended Christ. But, the question is, does He have a continuing ministry? During Jesus’ three-year ministry on earth, His geographical earthly dimension limited him. But, after His ascension to the right hand of the Father, His universal heavenly dimension expanded His ministry. So, exactly what is Jesus doing now?

Jesus closed sin’s account. The writer of Hebrews observes, “And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” [Hebrews10:11-14] If you have believed in Jesus, your sin account has been closed forever! Quit beating yourself up. You have received the righteousness of Christ!

Jesus represents you as a believer before the Father. You might be thinking, “How can I be saved if I continue to sin? Doesn’t sin disqualify my salvation? John spoke to this when He wrote, “My little children, I am writing these to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate before the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world.” [1 John 2:1-2] When you and I sin, the Lord Jesus presents His blood marks as the payment for our sin. That’s why the writer of Hebrews says, “…He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” [Hebrews 7:25] True salvation cannot be lost because of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and continuing ministry before the Father!

Jesus prays for you. Do you ever feel as if life has caved in on you? You don’t know what to do or what to pray. Listen to what Paul wrote, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” [Romans 8:34] Stop and think about this. Jesus Christ, who has all authority in heaven and on earth, is praying for you. He wants you to be a successful. He wants you to finish the race that is set before you. What a prayer partner! This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.” [Hebrews 4:16] We have access to the Father. He cares for us and Jesus prays for us. What more could you ask?

Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to live within the believer. Jesus told His disciples, “But now I am going to Him who sent Me….But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” [John 16:5,7] If you are a believer, your body has become the temple of the Holy Spirit. He has unlimited power to grant victory, success, freedom, and abundant spiritual fruit to you. What potential you have as a result of this special gift from the ascended Christ.

Finally, Jesus is preparing a place in heaven for you. He told His heartbroken disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.” [John 14:1-2] Can you imagine what our Lord is preparing for us? That’s how much He loves you!

Don’t you want to serve a God who still loves you and ministers to you eternally? Don’t you want to give your heart to a God who has supreme authority and power and wants to make your life better? Friend, that God’s name is Jesus!

CONCLUSION

This life is not all there is. Jesus Christ has spoken with clarity and authority about life after death. He ascended into heaven. He stepped from this world into the next world. Today, we have seen the majesty, the mastery, and the ministry of the ascended Christ.

In the first century, His disciples were changed forever. We should be radically changed ourselves as we:

¨First, Respond to the Lordship of Jesus with submission, reverence, and awe. Take into consideration His majesty and mastery as you live your life as a believer. Live for Jesus!

Second, Recognize who you are as a believer. You are a joint heir with Him, and you are seated with Him in heavenly places. You mean everything to Jesus. Look at how His ministry in heaven is geared to you experiencing abundant life. Quit beating yourself up. Lift up your head and live like a child of the King!

And Third, Fully receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Can you think of anyone anywhere who is more qualified to be your God? Go ahead today and turn from your sins and place your faith in Him alone. You won’t be sorry you did, because He will forgive you and launch a ministry on your behalf before the Father.

Let us pray.

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A Suitable Helper

Ezer Kenegdo

Genesis 2

2 Timothy 1:1-14

Pastor Barry Kerner

Here is a list of inventions by women that you may not have been aware. Where would we be without them?

Circular Saw

Computer

Dishwasher

Life Raft

Fire Escape

Medical Syringe

The First Monopoly Game

Windshield Wipers

Ice Cream Maker

Car Heater

Ironing Board

Coffee Filters

Electric Refrigerator

Wireless Transmission Technology that made WiFi, GPS and Smart Phones able

Disposable Diapers

The list goes on and on.

We’ll today’s Mother’s Day. Mother’s Day sermons are notoriously awful., sentimental tripe that leaves some women feeling smugly self-satisfied, while others leave licking their wounds.

Usually one of three types of sermons is preached on Mother’s Day.

The first is one in celebration of Mother’s. You know, “Mothers are awesome! God loves Mothers! Look at Mary! Way to Go Mary! Way to Go Mothers!”

The second one tells Mother’s how to be better Mothers. “Be like Mary or Hannah or Be a Proverbs 31 Woman” “Happy Mother’s Day…now here is how to be awesome as a mother.”

The third sermon we sometimes hear on Mother’s Day is one that has nothing to do with Mothers. Honor the Mothers…wait – all the women in the congregation, give all the woman a small gift a token of appreciation, and then preach on whatever you would have preached on if it were not Mother’s Day.

The fact is that mothers are serious business.  Nobody is loved like a mother.  One of the pleasures of being a mother is for a woman to one day hear her daughter ruefully admit that in something she has become exactly like her mother.  That girls imitate their mothers is not unusual since mothers are normally their most steady influence.  A book on successful marriages should encourage a young men  who want a happy life to find a woman twice his age whom he really liked and then marry her daughter.

Mothers also play a pivotal role in their son’s lives. Mothers help their sons to learn how to communicate verbally, to express his emotions, and to share their feelings – things he’s not as likely to learn from his father. Mothers are also the primary women who will demonstrate how their son should treat other women – with love, strength, kindness, and character. Finally, as their sons begin to mature in their mid-teens, others are the ones most able to instill in them the confidence they’ll need to build a successful career and to become a strong husband and father.

A young woman contemplating marriage would find it beneficial to examine the relationship of her fiancee and his mother to get an inkling as to how she may expected to be treated in the marriage.

Mothers read the Bible differently. They consider how it would feel to be unable to feed their children, like Elijah’s widow, the pain Ishmael’s mother Hagar must have felt when her son, Abraham’s first born, was rejected, passed over and along with her, forced out of the family home. Or how difficult it must have been for the mother of Moses, Jochebed, to place her son in a basket, set it adrift, hoping he would live. It’s hard for a mother not to be enraged when Lot offers his daughters to be raped or when David didn’t react to the rape of his daughter Tamar.

Every mother knows the meaning of “Mary pondered these things in her heart.” I believe that the women around Jesus were some of his earliest followers to comprehend His words, and to serve him well. As He died, Jesus made sure His grieving mother would be cared for by a follower. The Church would do well to follow His example.

For the first chapter and a half of the Bible. We see God busy at work; creating the place we call Earth and all that is a part of it. And at every step of the way, God declares his creation “good.” Then it all changes. Halfway through chapter 2, God is busy helping the human, Ha’adam he is called in Hebrew, get acclimated to this new environment. You can eat your fill here in the garden, God tells Adam, just “don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” But as God is interacting with the human, God discerns that there may be something about creation that is not good. The man has no companion, no counterpart. “It’s not good that the human is alone, I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” This expression, “helper that is perfect,” in Hebrew does not imply subordination or inferior rank. So it is that none of the animals seems to satisfy the companion that God has envisioned. Because what God seeks for the man is a helper like himself (ezer-kenegdo); something very special, a perfect fit. So God puts Ha’adam into a deep sleep, pulls a rib from his body and fashions a woman.

The first words the Torah quotes Adam as saying appear right after his wife was created. He gives her a name, but also mentions a connection between his name and hers. Genesis 2:23 reads, Then the man said, “This one at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called Woman (isha) for from man (ish) she was taken”.

The Bible tells us that both the man and the woman are created in God’s image and with a specific purpose to fulfill; they are to be helpers to one another as they serve God in the world. And so, like most good stories, this one begins with both a hero and a heroine.

If you’ll open your Bibles to 2 Timothy chapter 1 we’ll be reading verses 1 through 14 today.

There’s no indication in the Bible that Paul’s protege Timothy was married. Most scholars believe Timothy to have been a single young man. In this passage, the Apostle Paul, describes Timothy’s faith as, “sincere faith.” We know it to be the faith through which Timothy was saved. Paul also reminds Timothy that his faith was rooted in the faith of his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois.

It’s interesting that the woman is not named Eve until after the fall and they are both driven from the garden. Today I want to celebrate women. I know it’s Mother’s Day, and therefore mothers are included in this, but I want to go beyond mothers. I want to speak to the enormous value of all women – a value that world history has never grasped, but one the Bible affirms with absolute conviction!

This morning I would like to look at Ishsha. The woman God created before the fall and whom God calls all women to be in Christ. Today I would like to look at woman as suitable helpers instead of women as mothers. And, in doing so, dispel some misconceptions that a false world view has led us to believe about women.

Earlier I quoted some verses from the Old Testament, Genesis 2:18-20.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” – Genesis 2:18-20 

The Hebrew words translated, “a helper suitable” are “Ezer Kenegdo.” Everyone say them, “Ezer Kenegdo.” I want you to remember those two words, “Ezer Kenegdo.”

When we hear the word “helper” we generally think of it in terms of a subordinate role. As if the one who bears the title is functioning at a lesser level and must serve the one who is higher up. However, when it comes to the biblical notion of “helper,” nothing could be farther from the truth.

In Hebrew, the word for “helper” used in Genesis 2:18 and 20 is ezer (pronounced “ay-zer”),

God could have given any number of labels to the woman. but He choose Ezer.

 In the Old Testament Ezer is always used in the context of vitally important and powerful acts of rescue and support.

It carries the idea of doing for another what they cannot do for themselves. Ezer is most often used in the Scriptures in connection with what God does for His people. God is the ultimate Ezer. Ezer is not a word that means subordination or lesser than. It is a strong, edifying, praiseworthy word that connotes the indispensability of the individual who bears the title. In the case of this Genesis passage, it’s the woman!

The word ezer is used twenty-one times in the Old Testament. Twice it is used in the context of the first woman. Three times it is used of people helping (or failing to help) in life-threatening situations. Sixteen times it is used in reference to God as a helper.

Exodus 18:4 And the other [son of Moses and Zipporah] was named Eliezer, for he said “The God of my father was my HELP, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Deuteronomy 33:7 [Moses’ blessing to Judah] And this regarding Judah, so he said “Hear O Lord the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people. With his hand she contended for them, and mayest Thou be a HELP against his adversaries.”

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun [Israel] Who rides the heavens to your HELP, and through the skies in His majesty.

Deuteronomy 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, Who is the shield of your HELP, and the sword of your majesty!

Psalms 33:20 Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our HELP and our shield.

Psalms 70:5 But I am afflicted and needy; hasten to me, O God! Thou art my HELP and my deliverer; ”

Psalms 115:9-11 O Israel, trust in the Lord. He is their HELP and their shield. 10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord He is their HELP and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their HELP and their shield.

Psalms 121:1-2 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my HELP come? 2 My HELP comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 124:8 Our HELP is in the name of the Lord; Who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 146:5 How blessed is he whose HELP is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God;

Hebrews 13:6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my HELPER, I will not be afraid. What shall man do to me?

Without exception, these biblical texts are talking about a vital, powerful kind of help.

Ezer is used consistently in a military context. When Israel seeks military aid from her neighbors instead of trusting in the Lord they are rebuked. God is His people’s “shield and defense,” scripture tells us that God is “better than chariots and horses,” and standing “sentry watch over His people.”

Remarkably, even Eden fits this pattern, for although some may balk at the thought, it is fair to say that even the idyllic garden of Eden was a war zone. The command to rule and subdue put God’s image bearers on high alert that fierce resistance lay ahead. God commanded the man to keep, or guard, the garden by using the same military language later used for the cherubim who guarded the garden with a flaming sword — a primeval light saber — after Adam and Eve are evicted (Genesis 3:24). The reason, of course, is that a powerful Enemy is already plotting an attack.

Putting the facts together, isn’t it obvious that the ezer is a warrior? And don’t we already know this in our bones? God created His daughters to be ezer-warriors with our brothers. He deploys the ezer to break the man’s loneliness by soldiering with him wholeheartedly and at full strength for God’s gracious kingdom. Men and the world need everything a woman brings to their global mission.

The strength God brings as ezer to His people should be sufficient to convince us that as ezers we must be strong, resourceful, alert to the cries of the needy and oppressed, and proactive too. Support for the ezer-warrior comes from other Bible passages that use military language for women. Both Ruth and the Proverbs 31 woman are called women of valor (hayil). Paul rallies believers, both men and women, to “put on all of God’s armor” (Ephesians 6:10-17) in preparation to do battle with the Evil One, reminding us that our battle is “not… against flesh-and-blood enemies” (Ephesians 6:12). Thinking of the ezer as a warrior is entirely consistent with how Scripture views us.

In biblical times men’s names contained the word Ezer. Eli-ezer, Abi-ezer, and just plain Ezer are just a few.  They were given the name containing Ezer to inspire them.

Like men, women are also God’s creative masterpiece — a work of genius and a marvel to behold — for she is fearfully and wonderful made. The ezer never sheds her image-bearer identity. Not here. Not ever. God defines who she is and how she is to live in His world. That never changes. The image-bearer responsibilities to reflect God to the world and to rule and subdue on His behalf still rest on her shoulders too.

As with “helper,” the word translated as “suitable” doesn’t accurately convey the nature of the Hebrew word. “Suitable” is the Hebrew word kenegdo. Kenegdo is a bit tricky to translate because it is a fusion of three Hebrew words. However, when understood in its proper context, kenegdo means “one who stands in front of or opposite to.” It’s the idea of someone who stands before you, facing you, opposing you, not simply allowing you to go whichever direction you choose. It’s a word picture for how one is to relate to another. In more practical terms, we could say a kenegdo is someone who questions, confronts, challenges, and holds another accountable.

Together, an ezer kenegdo is someone who questions, confronts, challenges, and holds another accountable, in love, for the purpose of aiding and strengthening the collective whole so together they move forward in a healthy and growing relationship, doing for each other what they’re unable to do alone. Talk about a strong, life-giving, and beautiful partnership! And because of the nature and functionality of ezer kenegdo in connection with man

Genesis 2:18 wasn’t intended to establish hierarchy. It was intended to establish partnership.

The woman is created for man as his ezer kenegdo—or as many translations have it, his “help meet” or “helper.” Doesn’t sound like much, does it? It may make some to think of Hamburger Helper but it means something far more powerful than just “helper”; it means “lifesaver.” The phrase is only used elsewhere of God, when you need him to come through for you desperately. “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you” (Deut. 33:26). The woman is a life giver; she is  the man’s ally.  It takes both men and women to sustain life. Women are to be men’s strongest ally in pursing God’s purposes and his first roadblock when they veers off course.

Here are Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 7:21-25 (New Living Translation):

I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:1 NLT)

No condemnation! Let these words sink in. If you are a woman, and you belong to Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation! This is grace, pure grace!!! It is my prayer for every woman to realize that in Christ they can find their true identity as one wonderfully and fearfully hand-made by the Creator Himself.

Let us take a moment and pray for the women of our church.

My earnest challenge and prayer for you is . . .

. . . That all of your life—in whatever calling—be devoted to the glory of God.

. . . That the promises of Christ be trusted so fully that peace and joy and strength fill your soul to overflowing.

. . . That this fullness of God overflow in daily acts of love so that people might see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in Heaven.

. . . That you be women of the Book, who love and study and obey the Bible in every area of its teaching; that meditation on biblical truth be the source of hope and faith; that you continue to grow in understanding through all the chapters of your life, never thinking that study and growth are only for others.

. . . That you be women of prayer, so that the Word of God will be opened to you, and so the power of faith and holiness will descend upon you; that your spiritual influence may increase at home and at church and in the world.

. . . That you be women who have a deep grasp of the sovereign grace of God which undergirds all these spiritual processes; and that you be deep thinkers about the doctrines of grace, and even deeper lovers of these things.

. . . That you be totally committed to ministry, whatever your specific calling; that you not fritter away your time on soaps or women’s magazines or unimportant hobbies or shopping; that you redeem the time for Christ and his Kingdom.

. . . That, if you are single, you use your singleness to the full in devotion to God (the way Jesus and Paul and Mary Slessor and Amy Carmichael did) and not be paralyzed by the desire to be married.

. . . That, if you are married, you creatively and intelligently and sincerely support the leadership of your husband as deeply as obedience to Christ will allow; that you encourage him in his God-appointed role as head; that you influence him spiritually primarily through your fearless tranquility and holiness and prayer.

. . . That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord—children who hope in the triumph of God—sharing with your husband the teaching and discipline they need, and giving them the special attention they crave from you, as well as that special nurturing touch and care that you alone are fitted to give.

. . . That you not assume that secular employment is a greater challenge or a better use of your life than the countless opportunities of service and witness in the home, the neighborhood, the community, the church, and the world; that you not only pose the question: career or full-time homemaker?, but that you ask just as seriously: full-time career or freedom for ministry? That you ask: Which would be greater for the Kingdom—to work for someone who tells you what to do to make his or her business prosper, or to be God’s free agent dreaming your own dream about how your time and your home and your creativity could make God’s business prosper? And that in all this you make your choices not on the basis of secular trends or upward lifestyle expectations, but on the basis of what will strengthen the faith of the family and advance the cause of Christ.

. . . That you step back and (with your husband, if you are married) plan the various forms of your life’s ministry in chapters. Chapters are divided by various things—age, strength, singleness, marriage, employment, children at home, children in college, grandchildren, retirement, etc. No chapter has all the joys. Finite life is a series of tradeoffs. Finding God’s will, and living for the glory of Christ to the full in every chapter is what makes it a success, not whether it reads like somebody else’s chapter or whether it has in it what only another chapter will bring.

. . . That you develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle; that you never forget that life is short, that billions of people hang in the balance of heaven and hell every day, that the love of money is spiritual suicide, that the goals of upward mobility (nicer clothes, cars, houses, vacations, food, hobbies) are a poor and dangerous substitute for the goals of living for Christ with all your might and maximizing your joy in ministry to people’s needs.

. . . That in all your relationships with men (not just in marriage) you seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in applying the biblical vision of manhood and womanhood; that you develop a style and demeanor that does justice to the unique role God has given to man to feel responsible for gracious leadership in relation to women—a leadership which involves elements of protection and provision and a pattern of initiative; that you think creatively and with cultural sensitivity (just as he must do) in shaping the style and setting the tone of your interaction with men.

. . . That you see the biblical guidelines for what is appropriate and inappropriate for men and women not as arbitrary constraints on freedom, but as wise and gracious prescriptions for how to discover the true freedom of God’s ideal of being complementary; that you not measure your potential by the few roles withheld, but by the countless roles offered; that you look to the loving God of Scripture and dream about the possibilities of your service to him.

We ask this all in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen

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