THE HOLINESS TRADITION and A LIFE THAT WORKS
Sermon by Judy Turner
Sermon by Judy Turner
If this church were to offer a seminar on “holiness”, guaranteeing that anyone who participated would become “holy”, how many people do you think would sign up for it? Even church people probably wouldn’t come. What does holiness have to do with real people and our everyday lives? We’re not even sure we’d want to be “holy”. Who would want to be around us? Wouldn’t holiness just slip into “holier than thou?” But what if the seminar was titled, “The Life that Works?” What if these were the guaranteed results? You will have more joy and less stress in your daily living, there will be more harmony in your relationships with others, you will become more loving and wise, you will have a positive influence on others, you will make progress in fulfilling your God-given purpose. Wow! If people really believed we could deliver on those promises, we’d have people lined up waiting for the doors to open. We might have to turn people away.
Where does the life that works start? It starts when the Spirit of God goes to work inside of us, changing the way we think, what we love and value, how we act, even how we feel. There are “divine infusions of grace”, totally sovereign acts of God that we have nothing to do with. But usually, spiritual growth is an ongoing process where we actively cooperate with what God is doing in our lives. We have a part to play in this “growing in Godliness”. We have work to do. Graciously God invites us to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit through the choices we make and the habits we develop. The holiness stream in Christian history is about developing habits that cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he changes us into Christ-likeness. God’s goal isn’t simply to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us!
When I think of the emphasis on holiness across the centuries of Christian history, the first example that comes to mind is the Wesley brothers and the “holy clubs”. John and Charles Wesley, in the mid 1700’s, while students at Oxford University started regular meetings with fellow Christian students seeking to grow in Christ-likeness. The small groups of Christians met every evening to study and discuss the Greek New Testament and the Classics. They fasted until 3:00 PM two days a week, received Holy Communion once each week, visited the sick and the prisoners, and held each other accountable as they prayed for one another. “Holy Club” was the name given to John and Charles Wesley’s group by their fellow collegians in mockery of their emphasis on devotion to Christ, but these “holy clubs” were the beginning of a great movement that later became known as “Methodism” and still lives in the Methodist Churches. Other denominations and churches have benefitted from the Wesley’s model of intentionality about growth in Godliness, and a “method” for developing holy habits. The Apprentice Groups we had on Wednesday nights through the school year for adults flowed out of the holiness stream. As we practice these 9 ways, we are developing “holy habits”.
A book in the Bible that’s all about holiness is the book of James. James was the brother of Jesus, who perhaps did not believe in him as Messiah or follow Jesus as Lord until after Jesus’ resurrection. But James quickly rose to become a respected leader in the Christian community. He was known as “James the just” and his Godly wisdom often decided the course of events in the early church. He faithfully fulfilled the calling as leader of the Jerusalem church and was willing to die for the Lord He served. He had integrity, purpose, and Godly influence. His was a life that “worked.”
In preparation for this message, I turned to the book of James. The Lord started speaking to me in the first few verses of the letter! He starts with, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds”
And I’m already challenged. Do I do that? A trial comes, and I say to myself, “Ah, here is something beneficial through which I can grow in Godliness. Thank you, Lord.” No, I say, “O no! Why me? Why now? Didn’t I already have enough to deal with? How much more can I take?”
A trial is an unwelcome and unexpected experience. What is your first response to a trial? Whining, complaining, getting mad at whoever you think might be responsible for causing this grief, or raging at your spouse or the dog because they are available? Getting mad at God and pouting, refusing to speak to Him if He is going to let things like this happen to you? It was a new thought to me that how we approach trials is a choice. And those choices, over time, become patterns in our lives, or habits of the mind and spirit. And our particular habits regarding trials that come into our lives can either lead to our growth in Godliness, or lead us away from God. So, let’s explore what James has to say about how disciples of Jesus can learn to go through the junk that comes our way, the daily struggles, the pain, the heartache, even the tragedy. We don’t ask for any of it, we don’t want it, but it comes.
Where does the life that works start? It starts when the Spirit of God goes to work inside of us, changing the way we think, what we love and value, how we act, even how we feel. There are “divine infusions of grace”, totally sovereign acts of God that we have nothing to do with. But usually, spiritual growth is an ongoing process where we actively cooperate with what God is doing in our lives. We have a part to play in this “growing in Godliness”. We have work to do. Graciously God invites us to work in cooperation with the Holy Spirit through the choices we make and the habits we develop. The holiness stream in Christian history is about developing habits that cooperate with the Holy Spirit as he changes us into Christ-likeness. God’s goal isn’t simply to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us!
When I think of the emphasis on holiness across the centuries of Christian history, the first example that comes to mind is the Wesley brothers and the “holy clubs”. John and Charles Wesley, in the mid 1700’s, while students at Oxford University started regular meetings with fellow Christian students seeking to grow in Christ-likeness. The small groups of Christians met every evening to study and discuss the Greek New Testament and the Classics. They fasted until 3:00 PM two days a week, received Holy Communion once each week, visited the sick and the prisoners, and held each other accountable as they prayed for one another. “Holy Club” was the name given to John and Charles Wesley’s group by their fellow collegians in mockery of their emphasis on devotion to Christ, but these “holy clubs” were the beginning of a great movement that later became known as “Methodism” and still lives in the Methodist Churches. Other denominations and churches have benefitted from the Wesley’s model of intentionality about growth in Godliness, and a “method” for developing holy habits. The Apprentice Groups we had on Wednesday nights through the school year for adults flowed out of the holiness stream. As we practice these 9 ways, we are developing “holy habits”.
A book in the Bible that’s all about holiness is the book of James. James was the brother of Jesus, who perhaps did not believe in him as Messiah or follow Jesus as Lord until after Jesus’ resurrection. But James quickly rose to become a respected leader in the Christian community. He was known as “James the just” and his Godly wisdom often decided the course of events in the early church. He faithfully fulfilled the calling as leader of the Jerusalem church and was willing to die for the Lord He served. He had integrity, purpose, and Godly influence. His was a life that “worked.”
In preparation for this message, I turned to the book of James. The Lord started speaking to me in the first few verses of the letter! He starts with, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds”
And I’m already challenged. Do I do that? A trial comes, and I say to myself, “Ah, here is something beneficial through which I can grow in Godliness. Thank you, Lord.” No, I say, “O no! Why me? Why now? Didn’t I already have enough to deal with? How much more can I take?”
A trial is an unwelcome and unexpected experience. What is your first response to a trial? Whining, complaining, getting mad at whoever you think might be responsible for causing this grief, or raging at your spouse or the dog because they are available? Getting mad at God and pouting, refusing to speak to Him if He is going to let things like this happen to you? It was a new thought to me that how we approach trials is a choice. And those choices, over time, become patterns in our lives, or habits of the mind and spirit. And our particular habits regarding trials that come into our lives can either lead to our growth in Godliness, or lead us away from God. So, let’s explore what James has to say about how disciples of Jesus can learn to go through the junk that comes our way, the daily struggles, the pain, the heartache, even the tragedy. We don’t ask for any of it, we don’t want it, but it comes.
James 1:2-8
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
“Consider it pure joy” doesn’t mean you have to feel happy about your circumstances. “Consider” is a verb of thought rather than emotion, so James is directing us in how we should think about circumstances. We choose to think something like this, “A good and loving God has allowed this circumstance in my life, and has promised to work for good in ALL things. Even though I can’t see the good that will come or how, I choose to trust God. That state of steady, thankful trust in God is joy.
Our youth pastors, Scott and Amanda Frame, recently shared with us a video of a man named Nick (with an unpronounceable last name) speaking to audiences of children and teens, and they listened spellbound and were deeply moved. Nick was born without arms or legs, but he speaks about how he has found purpose in life, following Jesus, loving and encouraging people. He tells the youth that it doesn’t matter what they look like. What matters is who they are. They are people with a purpose. He says he has struggles every day, and doesn’t always feel happy. But he sees it all in the big picture of God’s purpose for his life. He has learned to count it all joy.
James gives us some practical suggestions for how we pray when we face difficulties:
1. Ask for wisdom, which means ask for insight into God’s purposes and ways. We don’t naturally think like God does, but we can learn more and more how God thinks. We can ask for God’s perspective on the trial. God only allows in our lives that which He can use for our good. God can use trials to get our attention, draw us closer to Himself, and put His own qualities in us,
And even use the trial as a step in giving us our hearts desires. God reminded me of when I was pastoring a conflicted church, which wasn’t any fun. My heart’s desire was to travel around and be a consultant for churches. But for 5 years what God did was give me grace to persevere in that pastorate. I later saw that those years of persevering were necessary before God could grant that desire. God giving you the job of your dreams may be through giving you the grace to persevere in the hard job you have now. God giving you the marriage of your dreams may come through God giving you the grace to persevere with that difficult person you’re married to now!
Ask for wisdom, God’s own way of thinking and seeing things. God is glad to share His wisdom. He’s not like the one that says, “Well, don’t you already know?” God doesn’t expect us to know. He is delighted when we ask. This teaching of James reflects Jesus’ own counsel to ask, seek, and knock.
2. Ask for single-minded focus on the loving goodness of God
When we focus on our circumstances and look to them for our hope, we will be tossed about. One day things will seem better, and we’re all praise. The next day things will seem worse, and we’re all in the dumps again. That is one way of being double-minded. Another way of being double-minded is looking to God for direction one day, and the next day looking to the world, to Oprah, to the guru with the best-selling self-help book, to your friends on Facebook. Your friends may have some wisdom to offer, but only God can set the right direction for your life and get you through the trial in the way that your faith is stronger, your perseverance grows, God’s purposes are accomplished. We all have some doubts that cross our minds, particularly when we’re going through hard times. We can honestly express those doubts to God and to mature Christians and seek their counsel. What God is wanting from us is consistency of purpose and intent, spiritual integrity. Despite our doubts, we’re still moving consistently toward God. We want to love Him with all our heart and soul and strength.
3. Expect to receive the crown of life. In the midst of the trial, think of what God has promised – life with Him forever, which we can start experiencing now, in the present Kingdom of God. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
One day a woman named Charlene heard the most dreaded news. She had incurable cancer. She panicked. She just didn’t know if she had what it took to die of cancer, though she knew she had no choice. She tried to run away from the challenge, even though there was no place to run. Finally her path led to a church where people prayed for healing. She had never asked for that kind of prayer, but she would try anything. She knelt. Christians laid hands on her. She was surprised. They didn’t pray primarily for healing, but for wholeness. They prayed that every day, especially the hard days, she would know God was with her. And when she got up, she had a peace, knowing that whether she lived or died, she would have what it takes. Charlene died within a year. Her pastor said, “She died whole.” During the last months of her life she made a banner. It was bright red with white cancer cells portrayed on it. But over them was a great golden cross. A memorial service was held for Charlene at her church. It was a joyous affair, a celebration of her victory in this life, and her life in the Lord that never ends. While the people sang a great hymn of faith, Charlene’s husband and son carried her banner down the center aisle of the church. “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
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