Pastor Edgar Mayer; Living Grace Community Lutheran Church; Message on James 4:4-10; Date: 4 November 2007

For more sermons and other writings check out pastor’s homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar

Jump Then

A pastor – who was a man of God and whom God used in powerful ways – he writes: “Carol [my wife] and I are a study in opposites when it comes to receiving the things of God. As a general rule, when someone prays for me I do not feel anything. Carol, on the other hand, receives very easily” (John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p87). It happened that whenever he and his wife went to a meeting where the Spirit of God was really moving, Carol would receive the Spirit, often fall down and say: “Oh, what I feel is so wonderful.” But the pastor would ask: “Honey, what do you feel?” She would say: “Oh, it’s so wonderful.” Then, as a husband he would be thrilled for her, yet at the same time he would be aware of his own unfulfilled desire for refreshing.

Friends, the pastor’s predicament is not an uncommon one in many churches – including Living Grace. Some seem to soak up the presence of God in worship easily and cannot get enough while others seem to watch on the sideline – wondering about what is going on – not feeling any refreshment for themselves – hoping that we would not sing still another song.

At one time the pastor from before went to a worship service where all the pastors were asked to come forward. So he came forward as well and was standing in line with the others – a couple hundred of pastors in total – and the visiting evangelist would go from one to the other praying to God: “Fill, fill, fill.”

The pastor chose not to watch anyone else and was just in God’s presence. The evangelist came along to him and said: “Oh Lord, fill this man, come to this man.” He did not push him. The pastor felt that the evangelist honestly tried to impart the Holy Spirit to him, but he felt nothing. When he opened his eyes, he saw that only one other man and he were still standing. Everyone else – hundreds of other pastors – were all overcome by the Spirit of God and lying on the carpet. They experienced something of the Spirit but he felt nothing.

If that happens to you, how should you take this? Is it okay not to feel anything in worship or should you strive to experience more? Is anything wrong with your relationship to God? What’s going on?

First of all – and we better get this foundation right – feelings do not make a Christian. Faith does. If you place your trust and hope in Jesus Christ, if you have faith, if you trust the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins, then God is your heavenly Father and you are forgiven – whether you feel much of his presence or not. The pastor from before writes: “I had to start receiving … by faith instead of by feelings. That’s how I should have received all along (John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p89).

This pastor came to a place where experiencing the manifestations and emotions was not important to him. Everybody could fall – everybody could be moved – except him, and he really did not mind. He was receiving from God, whether he felt he was or not. The Bible says – Galatians 3:11: “ … The righteous will live by faith.” By faith! And then there was evidence of the Spirit in the fruit of his life according to what Jesus said – Matthew 7:16: “By their fruit you will recognize them … “

There was no reason to despair. Another pastor went to a distant church because he also wanted to receive the power of the Spirit in a refreshing new way. He stayed there three to four days and nothing much happened. He phoned home to say he was staying longer. Twenty-three days later he went home discouraged because his perception was that he had not received an anointing or refreshing from God. He had felt or manifested nothing.

Sunday came and this pastor said to himself: “I will pray for the people anyway, as I always used to.” But when he went into prayer time at church, the Holy Spirit hit like a tidal wave. It was incredible. People were strewn all over the floor – some laughing, some crying. It was wonderful but totally unexpected by him. The pastor had felt nothing in that other church for twenty-three days but nevertheless – what became apparent – he had received by faith.

And here in this congregation – over the last few years and especially again this year – we have also received by faith. While not everyone may feel all that much all of the time there have been amazing developments with people coming to faith, a few remarkable healings, infillings with the Holy Spirit, stepping out into the unknown with serving people (e.g.: cooking, finances, mission trips, … ), mothering and fathering people, love and grace among us, growing maturity. There is a servant heart in many of us.

We have received by faith and yet, can I raise the issue again? While feelings are not absolutely necessary for faith and receiving by faith and therefore we do not need to stress too much over the state of our feelings, fact is that we are people with emotions. God has made us in his image and he himself is a God with feelings. Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) and God the Father impressed on us so clearly that it is his intense passion that makes him eternally committed to us. He said – Isaiah 49:15: “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

Over the last few years we have been pursuing more of the Spirit in this congregation. We have studied how we can be filled and refilled with his manifest presence and we have sought to understand what it means to – as it says in Galatians 5:25 – “ … keep in step with the Spirit” – becoming aware of his movements – what quenches him, what allows him free reign, and so on.

From our studies so far we have learned that two main things happen when we get deeper into the realm of the Spirit and they are both taken up in this one Bible verse – 2 Timothy 1:7 – I read from the Bible: “ . God did . give us … a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Thus, with the Spirit of God we receive above all power and love, and the self-discipline needed to handle so much power and so much love without getting corrupted.

Power and love! Now both are spiritual operations which we do not easily embrace and that is why we may run into so many difficulties with the Holy Spirit. Most of us have not grown up that way. Yet – to talk about power first – Jesus did clearly focus on power when he announced the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. He said to them – as they were getting ready to be his witnesses in all the world – he said to them – Luke 24:49: “ … stay [here] … until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Likewise he said again – Acts 1:8: “ … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you … “ Unless there was power there was no point in engaging in mission work. Unless there was power from God the devil would not be overcome – no converts, no deliverance, nothing.

Yet, how comfortable would you and I feel declaring to another Christian: “I am pursuing the Holy Spirit for power. I want the power of God in my life.” Wouldn’t the other person frown at you saying or thinking: “And who are you? Don’t be so full of yourself.”

We do struggle with the concept of power – it doesn’t sound humble – and then – and here we come back to the main focus of this message – we do struggle with the concept of love. It is all right to say that we receive by faith and therefore emotions are of secondary importance. It is all right not to stress out over emotions. However, the other extreme is that we deny ourselves what God wants to give us – a love relationship with him where we are undone by his love, wrecked and ruined by the flood of divine love washing over us.

Traditional churches have been rather unemotional places of worship – no movement, no sound out of place. [And then in our circles even the way we talk about salvation could be warmer. We talk about “justification by faith” but that is courtroom language – legal concepts – not as warm as other pictures of salvation such as the picture of the love-sick father running towards his child – hugging him – and welcoming the lost son/daughther home.] But at what cost? Can we really understand the cross and what happened there in its fullness before our hearts are impacted – before we weep over the blood of our Saviour which was shed for me – before we get touched and fall in love with the one that gave up everything for us? What breathtaking compassion that flowed from heaven and suffered the wounding of Jesus – for us! Know this! Feel this!

The apostle Paul writes in the Bible and this is for us today – Ephesians 3:16-19: “I pray that … God the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit … so that … you … together with all the saints [together with all Christians] may grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge … “ Oh – how can a love that wide and that long and that high and that deep not touch our emotions and then – according to these Bible verses – this love is a kind of love which surpasses knowledge – that is: surpasses the mind – and therefore – surely – we are invited to know this love also in our hearts – be overcome and undone by another kind of knowing – that is in here (point to the heart) – feelings – devotion to the point of death – feelings such as are described in the Bible book Song of Songs which has always been taken as expressing our love relationship with God. Listen to the words – Song of Songs 8:6-7: “ … love is a strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away … “

Yes – if we are still unsure about this – we can concede that God wants our minds and he wants our minds to stand firmly on the truth and – if you want – in this way our minds oversee our emotions so that we are not being led astray but at the same time God does invite us to be refreshed with love that also touches the heart – emotions and feelings. What happened on the day of Pentecost – the first coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples? The Holy Spirit came and they were released in worship – not preaching but declaring the wonders of God in loving adoration (Acts 2:11).

There did come a time when the pastor, who used to receive by faith only, also received in a more emotional way. At a worship service the Holy Spirit came powerfully upon him and he spiraled down to the ground – yet still being aware of what was going on. Later in the parking lot – at 1am – laughter hit him right there and then. Whenever the ministry team mentioned what happened to him, the same laughter would hit him again, and he laughed and laughed. His mind was saying: “What are you laughing at? What is so funny? There is nothing funny at all.” But he was falling apart with laughter.

Eventually he got in the car, started the motor, and it all hit him again. His mind did not understand what was going on. He went into McDonald’s, and it hit him again, but by now it was great fun. He was aware of God’s presence and peace. He writes in his book: “This presence and fellowship of the Holy Spirit is for everybody” (John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p100). Holy laughter melted something inside him. This is not how it has to happen for everybody but God – most assuredly – wants to touch our hearts also.

On reflection the pastor discerned that he had struggled to feel and sense the love of God because he wanted to stay in control. He wanted to analyze what was happening. He writes in his book: “I asked Carol why I didn’t receive, and she told me that I was trying to stay in control. I argued with her, but she was more convincing: ‘You will not surrender; you will not give yourself to God.’ I was trying to surrender with everything that was within me, but I became aware that often my mind was on things other than loving the Lord” (John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p125).

For instance, this pastor realized that he was continuously monitoring his balance. Since he had been pushed before, he was saying to himself: “I am not going anywhere unless this is really God.” He would think: “I feel like I’m waving a little bit. Why? Is it because I have been standing so long? Or is God actually touching me?” He was unconsciously taking control and analyzing the entire process.

On further reflection he traced these tendencies back to his upbringing where he had to become self-reliant at an early age. His dad was seldom around, made promises that he would not keep and therefore from an early age the pastor found it hard to let himself go in trusting dependency on anyone else – and be it God.

However, God did find a way to break through to the pastor’s heart and overcome his control and that is what he wants to do with each and everyone of us here as well. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of love. If we have been struggling with sensing and enjoying his presence, if what the Bible calls – Philippians 2:1 – “communion with the Spirit” and his love, tenderness and compassion have remained a more theoretical concept, how can the break-through happen with us? How can we learn to receive with the heart also and make this practical?

I read from the Bible – James 4:4-10: “Adulterers! You are like unfaithful wives, flirting with the glamour of this world, and never realising that to be the world’s lover means becoming the enemy of God … And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that ‘he’s a fiercely jealous lover’. And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Be humble then before God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Realize that you have sinned and get your hands clean again. Realize that you have been disloyal and get your hearts made true once more. As you come close to God you should be deeply sorry, you should be grieved, you should even be in tears … Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (using J.B. Philipps and the Message paraphrasing of the Bible).

Two brief observations and then the main point. Just as we are not willing to share our husbands with other women and our wives with other men, so God is not willing to share us with the world. Notice the intense love language in this Bible reading and many others. God is said to be a “fiercely jealous lover” and he calls us unfaithful – adulterers – when we are flirting with the glamour and lusts of this world. God desires us with the desire of a lover and therefore he demands absolute loyalty and absolute commitment to him – nothing but him – which may sound a little radical to the casual church-goer but – at the same time – is it not worth repenting and returning to such a God who is overflowing with passion and feelings for us? When we repent, we can expect a lover’s embrace from God – a lovers’ union – which also affects our hearts.

Thus, if you want to be practical in receiving love from God, then refrain from flirting with the world. Stop your drinking, stop your shopping, stop your ambitions – if these things have taken over your life. God is not willing to share you. Then – and this is the other brief observation – the Bible reading says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” We are not to be surprised when God attacks our pride. God is the kind of lover that is even jealous of our self-love – which can be immense – our boundless pride – our control. How do you think that God will break down your pride? He will and we let him.

However, here is the main observation – the main practical point – from the Bible reading and – again – it may be a difficult one for us because a few verses seemingly contradict our theology (the learning of our upbringing). It may have already been confronting to hear about a Spirit of power and of love – and to include emotions in that – but now this one Bible verse says – I read it again: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Shouldn’t the Bible reading rather have said: “God comes near to you and therefore you come near to him.” We love to stress that God is always taking the first initiative – that everything is by grace – that everything we receive is by the unprovoked kindness of God to sinners.

As a result there is this popular understanding that if God wants me – for instance – to have the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues or the spiritual gift of hospitality or the spiritual gift of healing, then he will one day do so – take the initiative and simply give it to me. If God wants me to be overcome with emotions and feelings of love – if I am ever to have an experience of the heart – then it will happen. I don’t have to do anything. I simply wait for it.

This is mostly wrong. We are to cooperate with God. It is true that God is always taking the first initiative in saving us – making first contact – and it is also true that God is sovereign and that he can bestow whatever he wants on whomever he wants regardless of circumstances. However, it is wrong to remain passive Christians when one of the key practical principles of the Christian life is precisely this: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” Make a move, stir yourself into action, pursue and persist in your search for God and God will come near to you.

For instance, many a time I come to the prayer meeting on Sunday morning at 6.30am and I am still a little sleepy. But I don’t wait for God to wake me up and I don’t wait for him to make me excited about worship. I come because he called us to prayer and I come because he is pleased with our sacrifice of praise and I come because he has given me this faith in my heart – he’s worked all of that understanding in me beforehand – and therefore I stir myself up when I come. I shake off sleepiness. I raise my hands. I wave a banner. I walk around. I sing aloud and while – at first – this seems very much like a human effort, there comes a time when God draws near and fills this time with his presence and confirms the promise: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

One pastor said that faith is spelled r-i-s-k and it is true. Faith means stepping out into the unknown and risking that the promises of God are true. We make a move – come near to God – and then find out whether he does come near to us. For instance, unless we take the risk and come near to God with our finances – handing control of them over to him – we will not know whether he will come near to us with his provisions.

Another example is that when we pray to receive the Spirit, he will often be very gentle, almost so that one may wonder: “Am I imagining this or is this really you, Lord?” This is when the step of faith is required. At this point we can either resist or submit. This is the time to get out of the boat and walk on water in childlike trust (John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p89). “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

I may add that this basic principle is very pronounced when it comes to the gift of speaking in tongues. You receive prayer and then at one point you have to take the risk – open your mouth and give sound to whatever God wants to give you. It may be human babble at first and it may not come straight away – persistence may be needed – but – especially with this common (as it is called in the Alpha course) beginner’s gift – many have experienced that when they’ve come near to God, God has come near to them with this gift.

Then – to stay with spiritual gifts – the Bible frequently encourages us – 1 Corinthians 12:31: “Eagerly desire the greater gifts.” 1 Corinthians 14:1: “ … eagerly desire spiritual gifts especially the gift of prophecy.” Desire, make a move, pray, stir yourself up, be bold, ask for much, expect much, … “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

This is such an important principle. A Christian book – an old classic – says: “The primary cause of deception and possession in surrendered believers may be condensed into one word, passivity; that is, a cessation of the active exercise of the will in control over spirit, soul and body, or either, as may be the case … The believer who surrenders his ‘members’ – or faculties – to God, and ceases to use them himself, thereby falls into ‘passivity’ which enables evil spirits to deceive, and possess any part of his being which has become passive” (Jessie Penn-Lewis: War On The Saints). This means – in a very practical way – that when deceptions come from the devil – like angry thoughts about the Holy Spirit – his power and his love – a hostile reaction to emotions – then do not remain passive. Attack the deceiving thoughts with the truth of the Bible. Read the Bible. Submit to its teaching. Tell the devil that you are not going to believe his lies – no matter what he makes you think and feel. The principle will hold true: “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” As our Bible reading also says – James 4:7: “ … Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Do not remain passive.

I close with a story which instructs us further. This is again from the pastor and his wife Carol. He writes: “Years ago, Carol and I attended a church where they sang, ‘If you want joy you must sing for it; you must shout for it; you must jump for it.’ I used to hate that song, but Carol really got into it. As they sang, ‘you must jump for it,’ she jumped way up in the air, as high as she could jump – and I stood there watching her. One day I said to her, half teasing but half serious too, ‘Honey, do you know what? It is really not cool to jump.’ She was shocked. She was in the presence of the Lord, and I had just poured a bucket of ice water over her. But she responded, ‘What? Well, I don’t care. I want joy!’ You know, that smote my heart as if a sword went into me all the way to the hilt. I responded, ‘But wait a minute! I want joy, too.’ She looked at me with one eyebrow up and said, ‘Well … jump then. Get free. You’re too concerned about what others might think.’ … “(John Arnott: The Father’s Blessing, Lake Mary: Creation House 1996, p122).

You and I – jump then. Get free. God gives grace to the humble. He is a fiercely jealous lover. Come near to him and he will come near to you – loving you. Amen.