Notes from Tuesday Evening's Service

Family Camp 2014: Monday evening service - Pastor Mark Van Valin

The theme of this week's Family Camp is "Holiness: coming home again". At the foundation of our faith as Free Methodists is holiness - a life of holiness which is totally devoted to God. 

Tonight we looked to John 16:5-11; ...but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 

The "Advocate" - that is the Holy Spirit - convicts us of sin just as a good Doctor makes a diagnoses.this conviction of sin is a true gift from God. First the Holy Spirit reveals God's beauty, His holiness, His majesty, and His love. Then the Holy Spirit reveals to us our sin - our desperation from God and from God's beauty, His holiness, His majesty, and His love. 

In all of this, the Holy Spirit speaks to us in specifics. Satan always speaks in generalities - you're not good enough, you're strong enough. But when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, He speaks to is in specifics - of our jealousy, our dishonesty, and our pride.

But first the Holy Spirit reveals God's glory to us. Only after we catch a glimpse of God's glory - and begin to comprehend what God's glory is - can we truly recognize and completely understand that we have sinned against God and His glory. 

Romans 3:23 states; ...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Let us consider four stages of sorrow - grief - over sin. 

First, we grieve over how our sin affects us. Sin can seem okay until there is a consequence to my sin that hurts me personally. This first stage is not a sorrow brought by The Holy Spirit and it does not lead to true repentance. 

Second, we grieve over how our sin affects others. Sin that is hurting - ruining - our relationships may bring about sorrow because we are affecting others that we care about. This stage is the beginning of repentance.

Third, we grieve over how our sin separates us from God. A gap exists between us and God - a gap brought about by sin. As sin in our life increases, the gap - separation - between us and God increases. This third stage is a sorrow over din that is brought about by the Holy Spirit and it will lead us to true repentance. 

Fourth and finally, we grieve over how out sin grieves and dishonors God. Very few followers come to this point of sorrow over sin. However, when we reach this stage, we find true repentance and a desire to please, honor, and glorify God. 

Until you reach this fourth level of grief - of sorrow - you will never reach God's holiness.

Notes from Monday Evening's Service

Family Camp 2014: Monday evening service - Pastor Mark Van Valin

This evening we aimed to grasp a deeper level of holiness - this shall help us all as we continue throughout the week ahead. 

1 John 3:1-6; See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

1 John 4:13-18; This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Picture yourself - your life - life as an island. You are an island and the moment that you are saved in Jesus Christ your island has been invaded. When you accept Christ, you accept His salvation for you, and it is Jesus who has invaded your island. From this moment everything changes - or should change. Your desires, your priorities, your attitude - from the moment you accept Christ's salvation for you, everything changes. 

On the outside we can spot the mark of holiness and unholiness - in ourselves and in others. But the further in the island we go the more difficult it is to spot the marks of sin in our lives. 

Often people are taught - and trained in - the "weed whack" approach to getting rid of sin. Get rid if all din in our life one bit at a time and we will then achieve holiness. However, the more we tool and strain at weeding one portion of our island - our life - the more weeds continue to grow in other areas. See, weeds are - just as sin is - relentless! 

There are four fronts if sin that we must be aware of as we strive for holiness. 

1. Self-promotion - this is a need to be first and to be noticed. Self-promotion asks - begs - "What about me?"

2. Self-protection - this is a need to be safe. Self-protection states "Not me."

3. Self-indulgence - this is a need to seek comfort and pleasure, and to avoid pain. Self-indulgence calls out "Give me!"

4. Self-sufficiency - this is a need to reduce all if life to what I can predict , measure, or control. Self-sufficiency demands "Let me!"

All sin of omission or commission fit into one if these four fronts. Yet a powerful force behind all of sin is one this; FEAR. Fear is the ultimate and primary expression of unbelief. 

Deep in the territory of your life is a flag which represents who it is that rules everything in your life; your desires - your priorities - your attitudes. 

Imagine the game capture the flag where there is a battle for that flag. That flag in your life represents everything! 

Jesus has invaded your island - your life - and He desires to gain access - complete control of your flag. However that flag is not the flag of Satan that Jesus needs to capture, that flag is you. 

The solution is not to "weed wack" your life - your island. At the heart of the "Kingfom of Me" is fear. More specifically the fear of death. 

Matthew 16:24; Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

We all must give up the four fronts of sin, remove the flag to "Your " kingdom, and replace it with Jesus' flag. We must - daily - commit to confronting the four fronts of sin in our lives. 

To self-promotion - 1 Peter 5:6; Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

To self-protection - Exodus 3:12; And God said, “I will be with you.

To self-indulgence - Matthew 6:33; But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

To self-sufficiency - 2 Corinthians 12:9; But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

1 John 4:18; There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear...

The four fronts of a life with Jesus Christ - holiness - are focused on His ways for us. 

Humility rather than self-promotion - John 3:30; He must become greater; I must become less.

Obedience rather than self-protection - Isaiah 6:8; Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Self-denial rather than self-indulgence - 2 Timothy 1:7; For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Trust rather than self-sufficiency - Psalm 130:6; I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.