"Our Access to God for Strength to Endure"          2010

Romans 5:1-5          John 16:1-15

 

Romans  5:1-5 (NRSV)         Results of Justification

5Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we* have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access* to this grace in which we stand; and we* boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we* also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

 

John 16:1-15  (NRSV)          The Work of the Spirit

‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. 2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God. 3And they will do this because they have not known the Father or me. 4But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them.

I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

 

It was the first time that either Kathy or I

            had been through a hurricane along the North Carolina coast.

    The hurricane struck early afternoon in late July.

            It was pretty amazing and wonderfully exciting, at first.

 

But the storm and winds kept building, trees uprooted-toppling over,

            shingles and gutters tearing loose, stuff blowing all around us,

                        and with all the rattling, with all the shaking,

                                    I was wondering if our doors and windows would hold.

 

            So amid the howling and crashing, with candles flickering

                        we waited in the darkened house, hoping for the best,

                                    and thinking maybe we should have gone further inland.

 

But then toward evening the winds and the howling quickly died down,

            the sun was coming out and storm almost at once   began to abate.

                        There was a quiet and eerie feeling, & a heaviness in the air

                                    when we stepped outside to survey all the damage.

 

We could feel a slight & gentle breeze, the sky became clear and blue,

            the sun was shining brightly and even the birds were chirping…

                                    … in a strange, almost unreal contrast to the storm…

 

          … it was the eye of the hurricane passing over.

Then 30 or 40 minutes later, the sky started to darken again,

            and the winds picked up blowing hard in the other direction.

 

                        And now the back of the storm was blasting its way through

                                    again with the crashing noise, power and destruction…

                                                            … but that brief moment of peaceful and calm

                                                                        gave us renewed courage and confidence…

               … there would be more, there would be recovery after the storm.

 

The amazing calm  of the storm's eye was a most remarkable experience.

            The hurricane had been so chaotic, threatening and scary ----

                        the destruction was crashing all around us,

                                    yet that moment, it was so peaceful, even serene

                                                with the storm held back overpowered by the eye.

 

I try, but I can't adequately describe what that was like.             

            But it is one of the ways that I visualize the Holy Spirit,

               the presence, power and place of God in the life of a Christian…

 

… it's that calm assurance, and confident reason to trust

            that God's gracious love and power are real and sure ----

- more real, sure and lasting, than even my troubles, hurts & defeats.

 

This world with all of its craziness, stress and misguidedness,

            swirls and storms all around us;

                        there are terrible things reported in the news every day,

                                    problems, losses and troubles piled high in our lives.

 

We grappled with fear, worries, anxiety, hard losses, disappointment

            and it can all become crushing, overwhelming and deafening…

                                      … and so how do people of faith deal with it all?

 

The first words that M. Scott Peck wrote in his book,

            The Road Less Traveled, are that  "life is difficult."

 

            And by the end of the first page he asserts that:

                                                "Once we truly know that life is difficult,

                                                            once we truly understand and accept it,

                                                                                    then life is no longer difficult."

 

Honestly, I find little hope & absolutely no comfort in those words.

          Somehow just knowing and accepting

                   that life is difficult in this broken worldà

              doesn't do diddly for me when I am hurting, worried or afraid.

 

To say that  indeed, life includes loss, suffering and disappointment

            doesn't add much meaning or purpose to my pain and suffering,

                        or offer any help in getting through life's disasters.

 

So isn't it fortunate that Jesus Christ is way more helpful.

 

Generally we assume that when we have trouble or suffer,

            that someone or something has messed up,

                        or that somehow we have stepped outside of God's will.

 

For some reason

            it is assumed that if we are faithful and obey God,

                        then life ought to work out well and easily,

                                    that blessed by God means that we don't struggle as much

                                                that we're mostly happy and life isn't difficult…

             … but that's not how Jesus sees it.

 

That night of the Last Supper,

            when Jesus was talking with his disciples before his arrest ---

                        he was covering some very important material.

 

I am almost certain that the disciples didn't understand much of it,

            for it was way beyond their comprehension

                        at least until after the resurrection and Pentecost.

 

But then, the Holy Spirit reminded them of what Jesus had said,

            and what it meant, for Jesus had forewarned the disciples

                        about the challenges and persecution of the early church.

 

The idea is that

            seeing Jesus suffer for his faithfulness and obedience to God,

                        those early Christians would understand that persecution

                                    does not mean that they are outside of God's will,

                                                  but really   a sign that they are being faithful.

 

The point was to connect   that the way of faithfulness is difficult,

            that obedience to God  is at odds with this world …   therefore:

Jesus promises,    vs. 14:26. 16:1, 13

            But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling.  When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

 

Jesus is saying,

            don't let your faith be shaken  or persecution lead to doubt;

                        and don't expect bliss in this world,

                                    for the way of faithfulness is difficult …

                                                                        … just watch, and learn to follow me.

 

Faithful obedience to God meant that Jesus suffered and died for us.

            In John's time,

                        the followers of Jesus were expelled from the synagogue.

 

They were excluded from Jewish communities as outcasts & heretics

            by their non-Christian family members, friends and neighbors;

                   suffering for following Jesus in faithful obedience to God.

                       

But Jesus promises,  I will send the Holy Spirit to you –

            that calm presence, a peace that is at the eye of life's storm …

                        … who will guide you, comfort you, stand with you,

                                    and is your access to God who strengthens you to endure.      

 

The promise is, that even amid tribulation and storm,

            we are never alone or abandoned,

                 because always God is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit;

              and we can let that presence and promise

                        be our certain   peaceful, hopeful and calm place of God.

 

And that is not just a promise relevant for the ancient church,

            it's not just for when someone is persecuted for their faith,

                                    but it's for every trial, difficulty, hurt and loss.

It's the assurance of God's grace, hope and compassion with us,

            and the power of God to make good, even from our worst disaster.

 

The problem is, that sometimes when storms of life's hurricanes

            are whipping up all around us, we may hear & see the howling wind

                        more than we feel the presence and peace of God's promise,

                                    and so we huddle alone in fear, in worry and trembling.

 

But as a church, we are a family

            we are called to remember and remind one another -----

                        that the Holy Spirit sent by Jesus is with us, sustaining us.

 

Frankly, that a huge part of praying with someone in the hospital,

            and our prayer chain is largely a reminder that we are not alone,

                        but  that no matter what, we are always loved and precious

                                    to our powerful God who never quits or gets tired.

           

That promise and access to God is our strength to endure;

          for the Christian,

                   when we know we are in God and the Holy Spirit is in us,

                             then we know we can and will endure,

                                      even when life's storm is breaking all around us.

 

In Romans 5, the Apostle Paul takes this truth even a step further;

            beyond mere endurance, and surviving life's storms,

                        Paul describes a gracious blessing and gift in the struggle…

                                                … for God has much more, and way higher purpose

                                                          than just our immediate comfort and ease.

           

In the earlier chapters of Romans, Paul has described how God

            reaches down to us           with saving grace through Jesus Christ.

 

In this passage, Paul lists

        the results of that grace, our blessings and advantages from God:

                        l justified by faith,   l peace with God,   l access to God,

                                    l hope and glory of God,   l God's love in our hearts,

                                         l and the Holy Spirit given to guide and comfort us.          

 

Paul's point is, that amid the challenges of life's realities,

            don't let the details and stresses of this life

                        and distract us from God's gracious and abiding truth,

                                    the full joy, hope and peace that God intends for us.

 

Here's the challenge:

            we say that the Bible has authority in our lives,

                        but when was the last time

                                    we changed a belief, our behavior or our priorities

                                                because of something we read in Scripture?

 

            In the last six months,

                   how have we grown in faith, generosity, service, compassion,

                                    or in our relationship with God and other Christians?

 

That is also the stuff, of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

            And according to Paul, the stuff and the storms we endure,

                        are intended to serve a higher and more godly purpose.

vs. 3-5

            And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

  

Actually the events and struggles of our lives

            are about much more than just this mortal passing life,

                        for they are also our preparation

                                    for God's eternal and gracious blessings and glory.

 

 

One time a man spent the morning watching a stone mason at work

            some distance from the others working on building a cathedral.

The mason was off away by himself, and clearly in no rush

            as he spent hours carefully chipping away on just one stone.

 

It was so slow, and for no apparent purpose,

            for it seemed to have nothing to do with building the cathedral.

 

Others were working together,

            and he could see what they were accomplishing,

                        but that one stone he was working on  seemed à

                                    to have no  connection with anything else going on.

            Finally the man watching went over the stone mason and asked,

                        "I've been watching you chipping away at that stone,

                                    but why, what are you doing?"

 

The mason stopped and thought for a moment, and said,

      as he pointed to an open space up high near the top of the steeple,

                        "I'm working on it down here,

                                    because I'm shaping it so that it will fit up there."

 

 

So too, that is the work of the Holy Spirit,

          as we are being slowly & carefully shaped down here in this life,

                   so that we will fit,  up there…   … in the Kingdom of God.

 

Paul writes:          2 Corinthians 4:16-17, 5:5

            So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

            For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. 

            He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.