Voice of the Nazarene 9-3-23

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene, a week by week venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene, we joined our Pastor Reverend Ray LaSalle, and the voice of the Nazarene I've spoken about evidence to the band's verdict of whether or not your spirit filled, not gifts, but it's the fruit of the Spirit. I think the proof of any tree is whether it's producing its fruit in its own kind. And I'd like to just kind of follow along that line again this morning. And talk to you about helps to holiness. You see, God has not called us unto uncleanness. Unclean living inmoral living, careless lifestyles, not called us uncleanness, but he's called us unto holiness. I want to pick it up in the 12 chapter, the book of Hebrews, and at least twice in the New Testament, the writers are dealing with the issues of conformity. The first is found in Romans chapter 12, verse 2: be not conformed to this world, and all of us on a daily basis face the pressures on our psychic end, and upon our emotions and our values and our thoughts and our attitudes and our actions, always to conform to the world. It's almost like a vise pressing in. And the other is to be conformed into the image of Christ. And that conformity to Christ is the theme our text is addressing.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Here in verse one, the writer tells us to lay aside that sin, that particular problem, that weakness in our life, to lay it to one side, that we fight, maybe with individually. Verse 14, we're told to seek holiness, as an athlete that's pursuing the finish line. And thus the believer is facing two opposing pressures conformed to the world conform to Christ. And the writer indicates the importance.

The issue when he tells us that we failed to live a holy life.

The Bible tells us here that we will not see God. So how can the believer hope to live a holy life in an ungodly world? That's the question. And at the outset, let us establish with certainty it takes the holy living. First and foremost, it takes the Holy Spirit to help us to live a holy life. It's not a self help program. And all the human effort in the world is not enough behind it. And first of all, it takes the Holy Spirit to create that dynamic transformation and change to bring us into a sanctified lifestyle. And that said, even after the divine aspect of the work is completed. I want you to know that the human effort involved is dauntless. It's dauntless. And that's why the writer identifies five helpers that God has given to us. If you want to live a holy life, God has given us five helpers. You better use all of them. For it's going to take all that we have to make heaven. And helper number one is the Scripture. The writer to the Hebrews chapter 12, verse two said, Looking unto Jesus, the author. He's the author. He wrote a book on it.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

The Scripture said he's the alpha the omega and that's the Greek and and the first letter of the alphabet, the last letter he has, first and the last he has the first say, and he will have the last word. You don't need any horoscopes. You don't need any tarrot cards, ouija boards, you don't need to run to a fortune teller. Jesus has the right word he has the answer for your past and for the present and the future. First John 1:14 states The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Everything that God wanted to say to us, he put it in shoe leather and put skin on it. And he sent his Son into our world. Paul goes on.

And he writes to Timothy and here in the 14th verse of that third chapter, he said, continue thou in the things which you've learned, and has been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable, under the doctrine and reproof and correction, for instruction in righteousness That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished, and all good works. Now, if you get into the Word and the Word gets into you, you'll find that you'll begin to conform into the very image of Jesus Christ. The Scripture is our roadmap. If you don't get the book out, you're not gonna know how to get through the day. It's your directions, it's the compass.

And if we'd just turn off Hollywood for a little while, and get tuned into the holy word, I think we'd begin to learn what it means to conform to the image of Christ, the Word of God is powerful. Your first helper, if you want to live holy is the Scripture, your second helper is the Holy Spirit. He's the global positioning system.

By that, I mean he knows where you are. And he knows where you're going. He's that voice in the way and not only our global positioning system, he is our guide. When he is come, He will guide us into all truth.

Sometimes he has to reroute us.

Sometimes he knows that we have made a wrong turn. Sometimes he has to send us back to correct some things. He's the guide, the Holy Spirit. Helper number two, helper number three is the example of the saints. Hebrews 12, and I want to pick it up now where for seeing we also are compassionate about was such a great cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside the sin which does so easily beset us. And let us run with patience the race that assemble looking under Jesus author, finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, set down the right hand of the throne of God for consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind's let us run with patience.

Can I just say for a moment, this is a marathon. This is not a sprint. This is not the Speedo. This is to those who want to run patiently the race.

Every day, I'm in the race. I'm in a race. I'm in a race against time. I'm in a race against sin. I'm in a rescue race trying to make my way to heaven. Ground Zero for a holy living is the dethronement of self. Fact of the matter when self is the center of a person's orbit, holy living is just a myth to them. But the cleansing work of the spirits the starting point. But how can we retrain our minds? Well, the help we need is the example of others.

While I believe the devil is trying to bring the wrong people into our life, I believe that God is bringing the right people into our lives. Churchman people that know how to live right. And when I'm weak, I can look to them and I can learn from them.

I leaned over the bed of a dear man that is fighting for his life. And I told him, I said, I'm glad that you met some people that took you under their wing and made you the churchman that you've been across the years. Some of us we just kind of get into church. And we need the example of others to make us churchmen to know what it means to attend faithfully the house of God, what it means to give our financial support to kingdom building, what it means to get involved in the ministry and the work of changing the lives of others.

I believe the natural tendency is to believe that nobody else ever had it as bad as we do. And when we yield to that temptation, the pity party begins, thus the writer points us to a great cloud of witnesses. And he, he saying to us, hey, they made it, and you couldn't make it. And he begins to point him out here in chapter 11, verse one, and if you'll take time to review the circumstances of those people in that list, and compare the world in which they lived, to the world that you live in, and he talks about Noah. It says, By faith, Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet move with fear, prepared than ark to the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith, they mocked him, but

5, they call him a preacher of righteousness. They admit he was right. He was a preacher on the right side, thank God for Noah, he may not have had many converts, but he survived the flood. Then he brings up Abraham who left his country and went into destination, not knowing for sure where he was going, but being led of God by faith. And it said, By faith, Abraham, when he was called to go out verse eight of chapter 11, into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed and went out not knowing rather he'd went, it talks about Moses, and how he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God and the pleasures of sin for a season. It's difficult as all these people had, notice in verse 39, and all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, they ran a race, they never realized the prize. Well, maybe not yet, but they will. But here's the most remarkable example of all Jesus, Himself. And so in verse two, the writer said, looking unto Jesus, he's the author, the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, is set down the right hand of the throne of God. And we need to consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest we be wearied and faint in our minds. And the text tells us what Jesus could have had without the cross. But the choice that he made, think of the words of Lanny Wolfe, I don't know if you ever heard the song, multiply the impact, and you have the life of Christ, take the dearest things to me, if that's how it must be, to draw me closer to you. Let the disappointments come, lonely days without the sun. If in sorrow more like you, I'll become. So the writer, he lines up all these Old Testament saints, like a great group of witnesses. And while we're running on this marathon, and we're trying to stay on course, they line both sides, and they're cheering for us. They're showing us their scars, and they're expressing joy. They're high fiving. And they were saying, we made it and you can make it, you look at their lives. They that was some weaknesses. But they made it.

There was a failure in the life of old Noah, got drunk once. But it didn't die that way. Moses killed a man fled for his life he hid for 40 years. But he got together and found the will of God again, and he said, I made it. You may have been out of the will of God for a while, but get back in the race. And they're cheering us on from the sidelines. holy living requires taking our focus off of ourselves. And that's where our helper number three comes into play. Learning what God has done in the life of others, ought to be a tremendous boost for all of us in our pursuit of holiness.

If you feel like you've failed, look at those who have, but still got back up and got into the race. And then helper number four submitting. And the writer is speaking here of discipline it's talking about yielding to the supervision of God. And I want to pick it up in verse four, and while it may not be the highlight of the message or in your mind, it's still where we're at. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And you've forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, Nor faint when thou art rebuked

For whom the Lord loveth he chastenth, and scourgeth every son who may receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; but for that son, for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous;: nevertheless afterward it yeildeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Understanding what the writer meant by discipline in this passage is critical. Loving parental actions are used as an example. But many children have only experienced the anger of selfish parents. And for them, the meaning is rather distorted.

But the text does not say that God intentionally hurts us for violating his standards. God's desire is not to hurt us, but it's to improve us. Do you need improved? God knows I do. And don't stand up and shout right now. God's discipline of his children may take on different forms. I've experienced several, I imagine you have. One of those is what I call preparation. I don't like preparation, but it's a sports term. And it means you're sitting over there in the bench, and the game is on and you're wanting to play and you have to ride the bench. And everybody else is starring and the clock is ticking and whens my opportunity? And there you sat waiting and waiting. But the coach is waiting for the right moment when you're really ready to get into the game. Moses set for 40 years on the backside of a desert, probably the most overqualified shepherd in the world. And no doubt was very despondent. Jacob fell in love with Rachael. He wanted her so bad that he was willing to work for her father for seven years.

And the old boy changed the rules in the game. He gave him old, ugly Leah. And he had to work another seven years, patiently. Elisha followed Elijah around for 10 years, pouring water on his hands, why won't the old prophet die, so I can be the preacher? Why don't we just push him out of the way, 10 years for preparation. But when his time came, he doubled the amount of miracles that Elijah had ever had, he definitely had a double portion.

So I'm just simply saying, sometimes the waiting period may seem long, but God alone knows when we're ready. I've thought about Jesus, the 30 years and hardly anything is said about him. And all he did was work in a carpenter's shop. Manual labor prepared him for that moment when he would step out and for three years stun the world with his preaching. But I think of another form of disciplines prevention. Sometimes God does not allow us to do what others do. I've had God convict me of some things that doesn't seem to bother anybody else. But you know something, God knows where our weaknesses are. And he knows where we'd be tempted and where we would fail and it may not bother others, but it bothers us and God uses prevention. Helper number five striving. Verse four, you have not yet resistant in the blood, striving against sin. Striving.

Now way back there, I'm supposed to be submitting to discipline.

But now he's telling me to strive. He said strive to enter into the straight gate. For many I say you shall seek to enter in and shall not be able, you gotta strive. What are you talking about? I'm talking about it takes personal effort. If you intend to get to heaven, if you want your life lived holy, you're gonna have to put your heart in it. You're gonna have to put your shoulder into it, you're gonna have to lean into it. Every day you make decisions. Today, I'm choosing to live for God. Today, I'm going to be holy. Today, I'm going to pray. Today, I'm going to read the word. Today, I'm going to be in God and not conforming and getting ingested into the world. Effort. So he said, Let us lay aside that's effort, every sin or ever weight rather, and the sin which thus so easily beset us, and let us run some effort involved. This is the point of the whole book, endure, persevere, fight, run, be alert, be strengthen. Don't drift, don't neglect and don't coast. You can't win a race, weighed down with all kinds of incumbrances. What I'm saying things that consume our time, our attention, our energies, our affections, our attitudes, we gotta run, don't stroll, don't meander, don't wonder about aimlessly, get involved. And I'm simply saying to this ministry we need the Scripture, we need the Spirit. We need other saints around us. We need to submit to the will of God. But we need to strive to enter in a race needs to be run with a finish line in sight. Now I want to read verse 12: Wherefore lift up your hands which hang down, on the feeble knees. You ever feel that way?

Ever feel so tired that you can't hardly raise your hands and can hardly put a foot in front of the other. and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man

looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled, lest there be any fornicator, or profane persons, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected.

Christians sometimes question God, what do you want me to do?

And I'm going to look at this passage just for a quick minute and show you what God wants you to do. Number one, focus upon the goal rather than your weaknesses. He said in verse 12, wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees. When you feel like you can't run you can't go any farther, quit focusing on your weaknesses and focus on the goal. It's heaven. It'll be worthwhile. Just another step.

And then another step. And secondly, he's saying here, remove the obstacles from your way that could cause you trouble. He said, Make straight paths for your feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Remove the obstacles.

And number three, promote peace in your relationships with others. Don't always be rubbing everybody the wrong way. Don't be so uncouth as to be saying things that just are offensive.

Don't be proud of how many enemies you've got, get along with people. Follow peace with all men, he says in holiness.

Peacemakers sometimes gets shot from both sides. I always have.

But Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 blessed are the peacemakers. And then fourthly, guard against bitterness let any root of bitterness lest any root of bitterness spring in trouble you and thereby many be defiled guard against it. The Bible tells us that at times Christians should be angry. So what's the difference between anger and bitterness? Well, anger is a temporary guest bitterness is the long haul passenger. Anger retained I don't care if you feel like you can justify it. If it hangs around long enough, it turns to bitterness and bitterness results will we don't give all the injustices to God. God's promised to avenge every wrong.

Matthew 5:9

Problem is he just didn't tell us when. And if you want to be holy, avoid bitterness, you will need to let God do his work and then you do yours. Being holy in a wicked world is not easy, but it's necessary. And it's God's standard of conduct for every person who wants to enter heaven. Holiness is not an option. The standard is high, but God's helpers are adequate.

The Scripture is adequate. I want you to know this morning, the Holy Spirit is adequate. God has placed people in your life saints. And if you look at their lives, when you feel like you're going to fail, and you're going to quit, and you see they didn't quit. They made life work. And then submit to the disciplines of God and strive to maximize your efforts. Some people seem to be determined to do everything on their own. They think it shows weaknesses, if they accept any helpers, Christians find that they need to be wise, they need help. Now I just want to return to a little passage. I alluded to it awhile ago, it's Romans, chapter 12. Look at verse one, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Be not conformed to this world, but catch this, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Don't be conformed to the world but be transformed, transformed. That's the word the writer uses. Now the electric companies that furnish electricity and power to our homes and to our businesses, to our churches. What they do they've hung up, and strung up lines, power lines that go from one telephone pole to another electric pole, light poles, and all the way down, you'll see that wire. And the top wire, you talk about extreme power, the top wire sometimes runs around 12,000 volts of electricity, at the very least from the substations would come around 7,200 volts. You get where it's traveling long distances, like 300 miles from substations, those power lines on those grids will send a 155,000 to 765,000 volts of electricity. The power is so extreme, if that power came into your house, at that level, it would blow the panel clear off the wall, it would burn up every appliance and probably burn your house down.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

The power is too great. It's so great that it has to be stepped down to a usable level. Here's all that power flowing by. But if they don't hang a transformer that will step all of that power down to a usable range, it'll destroy us. And so they transform it and bring it down to 240 volts of electricity. So it's at a usable range. Can you imagine the great power of God seated on the eternal chairs of heaven. And we're down here at the very bottom of the ladder of total depravity and God's wanting to reach us. If he just reached us with all of his power, it blow us apart, it'd destroy us. It'd be without mercy. I'm on a human level, God's on a divine level. How in the world can God reach one man.

They were told never to touch the Ark of the Covenant because in it was the presence of God.

They put rings on it, they'd run toes through those rings, and men would stand way back from that arc and they would pick it up by the polls. And they stumbled once and a man reached out to keep it from falling, thinking he was doing the right thing, he was struck dead in a moment of time. That power out there on those power lines, couple men were putting up one of those old fashioned television antennas, the wind whipped that antenna, and it went over and crossed all those wires and the power flowed down and burnt that one man to a crisp at a moment. So how in the world can a God of great power somehow share that power on a level that is usable a range that effects me where I am? God had to hang a transformer on a pole called Calvary and that transformer was Jesus Christ.

God in bodily form, touched at all points like as we are, he came with skin on and shoe leather on and came into our world on a level that I can understand that God cares and God loves me. And he wants to change my life. And that power on a level of forgiveness and love from him. Not only does that power, transform me, and he wants us transformed. But as I'm transformed by that power, that power flows through me and I've become a transformer. And I bring somebody to church and the lights begin to come on as God transforms their lives. And they bring two or three people they're working with and the power transforms them and on through them and touches others until a whole town is lit up with the gospel of Christ. And we're like a city on a hill. The people out in the darkness can see by the light, why God hung a transformer at Calvary. I'm glad it's more than just conforming to Christ. He so transforms us, that it brings us into the very image of Christ. Has that power changed your life yet? Has it changed your thoughts? Has it turned you around has it took the curse words out of your mouth? The evil thoughts out of your mind and put your feet on the right path. Does it got your hands doing the right things?

Are you living a peaceful, holy life? God's call, not to uncleanness, and his pursuit for us is to follow holiness, Call unto holiness, Church of the Lamb. Do you hear that call? Do you feel that pull? Have you been transformed? Has the power gone through you? And is it touching others? I'm glad that power came to our home. I'm glad mom and dad's lives were changed. I'm glad the lights came on. Mom and dad got saved that night at that altar in that little little Nazarene church in Brazil, Indiana. Neither one had ever been in a holiness church before. Neither one of them were looking for God that night but God was looking for them. Dad said those people get excited sometimes they even shout out loud. I guess we could just go and watch him but we can't hang around very long or they'll put us under a spell. Dad at the close of that service leaned over to mom and said we need to get out of here, she said it's too late. I'm under the spell.

And I don't know about you but I'm gone down front and see if I can find what makes this crowd happy. So full of joy she got saved that night. And guess what mama did? It'd blow you Germans to Germany nearly. She started shouting like they talked about other people. She floated down the aisle just shouting God just saved Maudy Violet. She stepped outside and just said to those saints all out there on that little patio said, You hear those leaves? They're clapping their hands together saying Glory to God Maudy Violet just got saved. Don't you hear him? I don't think they did. But she did. Then she said to Dad, I'm not sleepy. I don't want to go to bed yet tonight. Let's go to your folks house. Dad said, Oh please. No, she said I want to go to your folks house. You got to understand my dad that raised me my stepdad was he was the first divorced person in that entire family tree and disgraced them all they all felt. They were God fearing farmers. They were good people. They lived good deeds. Dad was a disgrace to them. He was the only child of the LaSalle's. They drove over to that street old Walnut Avenue in Brazil, Indiana. Mama got out of the car she went in shouting again Glory to God up the steps and she began to hammer on the door and dad's trying to quiet her down trying to silence her. And by this time lights begin to pop on on that house and up the street another light popped on and porch light on another house and the door open and there was little grandma and great big old grandpa. And grandma said what in the world, Are you drunk? But dad said to Grandma no he said, We got saved tonight down at the Nazarene church. What kind of church, Nazarene church, said them holiness folk. I want to tell you something. There was a time when nearly every denomination preached holiness.

We came out of the Methodist, that's where the Nazarene's originated from. They preached holiness, Christian perfection, John Wesley preached it everywhere went. Demanded that our lifestyles be holy. And Mama said, God, just forgive me all of my sins. I don't know whether you all want to but God did and I'm a Christian. She just began to clap her hands and shout and grandma looked up and down the street and doors were opening old people were sticking their heads out and grandma said, I'll tell you what. Why don't you come she said I want to invite you to church they said we'll come if you just get her out of here. And the next night coming down the aisle was my little grandmother, and Grandpa LaSalle. They got under the spell too. And never quit seeking after the holiness of God.

Father, thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene.

Visit us every Sunday at 9am with BNC's pastor Ray LaSalle.

For more information regarding BNC, visit Bucyrus nazarene.org.