Advent One- God Comes to Us and We Come to God Through Communication

 

“Praying and Listening”  11-29-20 1^st advent   LMPC Ben Sloan John 15:1-9 Advent, as you know, means “coming.”  This advent, my sermons will be on “Coming to God, and How He comes to us.”  In many ways- Jesus came to us that we might come to God.  He teaches that we can come to God and that God loves us and wants us to love Him in return.  Today we will talk about communicating with God and how important that is to coming to Him.  Isla Glaiser was a 4 year old who called 911 when her mother fell down and she calmly gave directions to police, while watching over her three younger siblings.  It was important that she stayed on the phone and listened and that she talked to those who could help her on the phone.  Doctors say she saved her mother’s life.  When something bad happens, it is important to call out.  In our 2020 time it is important to stay on the line with God- listen and talk. 
    In our passage in John, Jesus speaks about abiding, remaining, staying, in Him like a branch stays in a vine.  During our pandemic time- this is especially important.  We are in many ways alienated from each other- with no large inside gatherings, masks and social distancing- all important in our day.  Because of that it takes extra focus and effort to remain in Him.  The monks, who practice isolation for the most part- had a rule that isolation without devotion is empty loneliness.  It is the same with us today. 
Jesus focused specifically about listening and praying as a part of our devotion to God. 
    LISTENING- There are two parts of listening to God that are dependent on each other.  One part is the experiential listening- experiencing God’s presence in your life.  There are special times when God comes to us.  These are special and not ordinary experiences.  Many testify that this comes when in worship or reading scripture.  It is like that verse is meant for you, or God speaks to you through that song sung or sermon. 
     But the second kind of listening is more mundane- it is simply heeding what God has already said.  The less we heed God, the more we are deaf to Him, and the less He wants to talk to us.  If you are in a conversation with someone and they turn their back on you, or immediately look down and start texting, it keeps you from wanting to continue the conversation.  The reason Bible study and Sunday School, and personal quiet times are important is that we believe God has something to say to you in the Scripture.  We call the scripture “The Word of God” not because it is static, but it is a living word for us.  The Situation in Life (German “Sitz Im Leben”) is not simply what it meant back when it was written- but what the scripture means in our situation in life.  The scriptures speak to our every day decisions, morals, ability to love.  As you learn and listen to scripture, it becomes a part of who you are- so that you know the right way, the right way to act- discerning the evil from the good.  If I am asking God to help me make a decision, for example, I don’t have to ask about whether I should steal or cheat or not.  I don’t have to ask about whether I should covet or lie or disrespect my parents. 
    If you want to experience God’s guidance, you must look to be guided by Him in what He has already said.  Jesus said it like this, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord but do not do what I say.’”
    Years ago, when I was working on my doctorate, I went to the Monastery in Monk’s Corner.  I studied there and worshiped with them.  One of the main characteristics of the Trappist monks there is that they do not talk at all except for reading the Bible and praising God in confession and song.  It was really different being there.  But I did appreciate that sometimes talking too much can get you into trouble or can be hurtful to others.  While God has designed us to communicate with others, we would do well sometimes to control our words.  When they did speak scripture or worship- there was an enthusiasm of expression that was inspirational. 
     PRAYER  is the second way we communicate to God.  Someone said, “How do you define prayer.”  Basically, you can say, “Prayer is talking to God.”  But even in talking to God there is listening because sometimes we don’t have the right words and we just need to sit in silence.  It is in those times that God speaks to us.  If you really respect someone (Maybe someone like a professor a grandparent), you may want to say something to them, but in respect you hang on every word they say. 
    But if you abide in Him- you can ask Him whatever.  If you remain in Him, you have this relationship of love that gives you confidence to approach the throne of grace in prayer knowing He came for us and died for us and loves us. You don’t have to have perfect words or grammar. Just communicate. 
    I think a lot of people are numb to all the stress of this pandemic and are just kind of coasting through life- almost closed down.  But I want to say, God is trying to say something to you.  I believe God tries to reach every one of us- regularly.  He cares about us.  That is the message of advent.  When we are in a dire situation- instead of going numb, we would do well to heighten our listening and prayer.  
     John and Helen Collins were flying in their Cessna when John had a heart attack.  His 80 year old wife, who had never flown, grabbed the controls, called a tower, and they talked her down to land in an emergency landing.  Now she could have panicked.  She could have gone into shock and numbness and not heard anything.  But instead she listened very carefully, followed instructions, communicated properly and saved her life.  God is dealing with you.  He wants you to listen to Him, talk to Him, and let Him lead you safely through this tough time. 

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes ^a so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

2/7/15- The Difference Maker

6For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

7The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.  (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:16,17)

Thoughts: God is a God who does not stay away from us- transcendent, holy other, and distant.  He maintains His holiness but reveals Himself.  Part of what makes Him holy is His love.  His love is also a good and holy love.  God, however, chooses those to whom He reveals Himself.  This is the scandal of particularity and election.  Often we ask the question why does God not reveal Himself to all of us- picking us all or none.  We would claim it is unfair for God to pick any to save.  Perhaps we would rather that God left us all alone and saved none?  The truth is absolutely none of us deserve salvation.  Noah did not deserve to be saved from the flood. He showed that afterwards.  Rather Noah found grace- undeserved favor- in the eyes of the Lord.  Lot did not deserve to be saved from Sodom.  David did not deserve to be chosen as king.  None of the disciples deserved to be chosen- they all denied, betrayed, or ran away from the Lord.  Why would Jesus choose to reveal Himself to these twelve?  It is the scandal of grace and love.  No one deserves love, but when one is chosen to be loved it is a beautiful thing.  We are dust but God chooses to make some dust life.  We are clay and God has the right as the potter to mold the clay as He wills- choosing some to make a beautiful pot. Jesus did not heal everyone when He was on earth.  But He healed some.
     When God chose Israel it was not that they deserved it.  When the Lord Jesus chose the disciples it was not that they deserved it or chose Him first.  When God chooses to open our eyes- and make His revelation in scripture real to us- it is a gift that we do not deserve, and we should not squander it.  God is the difference maker.  He culls us out- to make a difference in our lives that we might make a difference in the world for good.
      It is God's differentiation of us that makes us different and holy (meaning separate).  Not all faiths are the same.  To not be able to differentiate between the faith of someone who worships a piece of wood, or someone whose worship inspires terrorism, and the Christian way of love is naiive at best.  The one who wishes to disavow themselves from all religion because of the abuse of religion by others, loses the gift that faith gives of adding value, purpose, hope, and love to simple atoms and chemicals.  The great experiments of the last century of disavowing from faith killed themselves by the cruelty of the Gulags, the killing fields, or Mao's cultural revolution along with the clear selfishness of their leaders.  Everyone lives by some system or lack thereof in life.  It is important to be able to distinguish between beliefs that are good for society and those that are not.  If we cannot do this, we cannot truly distinguish between right and wrong.  Who your God is defines your ethics.  If your god is tolerance of all- then no belief or behavior should matter.  In this passage in Deuteronomy 7 the people of God are called to be holy- to be different because the God who chose them is holy and different from the world. Certainly a part of that holiness is love even for those who differ from us.  

Prayer: Lord, in your holiness you make choices.  Keep me from doubting your choices or fairness, for you define what is right because you made all that is seen.  Keep me from squandering the choice you have made by unbelief or failing to make a difference in this life.  

3-29-14 Persecution for Faith

18“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.20Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^b If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ (John 15:18-25)

Thoughts: A couple of weeks ago an Air Force Academy Cadet was severely pressured to take down a scripture verse he had on a whiteboard outside of his room.  In the name of pluralism, freedom of religion and freedom of speech were squelched.  Read the comments online on most articles of religion on CNN.com or the NY Times website, and you will find deep hatred for those who believe. There are lawsuits to take down memorial crosses for fallen soldiers, though put up decades ago, in the name of not "offending" anyone. Doubtless Jesus was crucified in order to not offend the Pharisees with His narrow claims or the Romans with His Kingship.
     Though Christianity is the strongest religion in America and has fostered a world of good with care for the hungry, the poor, starting schools, colleges, hospitals, homes for the elderly and homes for orphaned or abused children, it is being attacked on many fronts.  Christians are being displaced in Iraq, the Sudan, Palestine, and now the very place where Christians were first called "Christian"- Syria.  Open Doors estimates 100 million persecuted Christians today.  It is curious why people get so upset at Christians- even if they differ from them- but they do.  But we should not be surprised, Jesus said.  If the world hates our Lord, it probably will hate others who stand for a combination of truth and love together.  

Prayer: Lord, we pray for those who are persecuted for their faith.  Thank you for your love and grace that faces hatred with sacrifice and love.  

3-28-14 Bearing Fruit

8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other.  (John 15:8-17)

Thoughts: We are created to bear fruit for Him.  If we do not bear fruit, we will be pruned away as dead weight to the body of Christ (the church).  There are at least three different kinds of fruit talked about in the New Testament.  1) The fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5)- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 2) The fruit of a well lived- life.  Romans and James talk about persevering and hope producing maturity- a fruitful Christian life.  3) The fruit of reproducing faith in others.  Fruit is how a tree reproduces itself, and there is a sense when we share our faith and people respond to the Good News we are reproducing ourselves and Christ in us- in others.  Our faith is not simply in order to help us be more fulfilled and happy.  Such a faith is not fruit-bearing, but becomes self-centered.  If we abide in Christ, we are being nourished so that we might bear fruit- not that we might be bloated with nourishment.  Our passage says (vs. 16) we were "chosen" to bear fruit.  We were not created to simply be fulfilled.  We were created to bear fruit.
     The best of the fruit is love.  It is the first of the fruit of the Spirit.  It is the greatest of the Spiritual gifts.  It is the greatest commandment and the command that Jesus is focusing on right before His death.  Jesus says the greatest love is shown in sacrifice.  His "new command" is not to love neighbor as self, but to love others as He loved us- in unconditional sacrifice.  The greatest fruit is love, and the greatest love is like Christ's sacrifice.

Prayer: Lord, May my life bear fruit for you.

3/27/14- Abide in Christ

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^a so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.(John 15:1-5)

Thoughts: Jesus is the vine from whom we are nourished and live.  Cut off from Him, we cannot glorify God, and our work for God is just going through the motions. On our own, we cannot produce the kind of fruit that God desires.  So our worship, our prayers, our preaching, our teaching, our helping the needy, our caring for the sick apart from Him is nothing.  We do not have life in ourselves, and we cannot glorify God apart from abiding in God.  The person who abides in sin without repentance and humility cannot glorify God- for sin separates us from the Holy God (Ps. 5:4,5; 66:18).
          The first step in fruit bearing is simply remaining in Him (Maneo- abiding, staying, living in).  The Navigators (Dawson Trottman) came up with the wheel illustration based on John 15.  it involves putting Christ in the center of our lives as the Hub; having spokes of the Word, prayer, Fellowship, and witnessing; and obedience as where the rubber meets the road (see below).  We might add the sacraments in here too.  The point is, our main task is to abide in Him and let Him work through us. 

2/2/13- Need for God

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)

Thoughts: In this parable it is clear that the gardener doesn't need the vine as much as the branches need the vine and the gardener.  God desires us- and made us for a reason, but we desperately need His care and tending.  In Jesus Christ the owner of the vineyard has come down to show His great and particular care.  He does not stay aloof, simply letting stewards care for His creation.  Christ came that we may know of His care and that we might have fruitful lives. Christ says apart from Him we can do nothing- but with Him we come alive and bear fruit- and nothing is impossible with Him!

Prayer: Lord, may I see my need to rely and depend on you.  

God has no need of anyone or anything beyond Himself. Yet in grace this Triune God is the one Creator of all things. The ongoing act of creation is further manifested in God’s gracious sovereignty and providence, maintaining the existence of the world and all living creatures for the sake of His own glory.  He is the Holy One, the ground of all being, whose glory is so great that for us to see Him is to die. Yet He has made the creation to reflect His glory, and He has made human beings in His own image, with a unique desire to know Him and a capacity for relationship with Him. Since our God is a consuming fire whom we in our sin cannot safely approach, He has approached us by entering into our humanity in Jesus Christ.