Spirit Full Or Foul?
Sermon
WRESTLINGS, WONDERS AND WANDERERS!
Sermons For Pentecost (First Third)
Today is Pentecost, the celebration of the gift of God's Spirit to the church and to us. And the question we must ask ourselves and the church is this: Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul? In other words, is God's gift to the Hebrews and to the early Christian church a gift we have received or rejected, nurtured or ignored? Is the Spirit of God in us?
In many ways the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost is not an entirely new act of God. The gift of the Spirit is not exclusively a New Testament occurrence. In the book of Isaiah we find the promise of the Spirit, a promise that was fulfilled in part in Old Testament times but came into full bloom on the day of Pentecost.
Today I invite you on a journey through time, a journey that begins with the ancient days of Isaiah's prophecy. It is a journey tracing the movements of the Spirit as it blows through the community of faith and empowers God's people to be the persons God has created them to be.
We begin with the promise of the Spirit found in Isaiah 44:3b: "I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring." The outpouring of the Spirit is thus promised for the future. But indeed the Spirit of God is denied to no person and at no time. Earlier in Isaiah it is made clear that God, the Creator, has always had an intimate relationship with his creation. His Spirit has always been offered to them. Isaiah 44:2 reads: "Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you."
So, what Isaiah is promising is neither a first encounter with the Spirit of God nor the last one. He is promising a special outpouring of the Spirit that will empower his people to flourish and to be a blessing to others. This gift of the Spirit is not to make the people "feel good" or to set them apart as special or elite. The thrust of this passage does not seem to be a private religious experience but an evangelistic outreach that will cause many to call upon the God of Jacob, and many to proclaim that indeed there is only one God.
It is not enough that hearts are warmed but rather that they be set on fire with a message and a mission: to declare the marvelous works of God and to profess him only as Lord of the universe. The text from Isaiah suggests not a minimal encounter with the Spirit but an overwhelming juncture of Creator and creature, an empowering that sends forth the people of God to proclaim God's sovereignty and power. So what does this passage have to do with the day of Pentecost? How does Isaiah's day overlap with the day of the Spirit's empowering of the Jerusalem gathering?
Of course, we worship the same God and the same Spirit. Now, however, this Spirit takes its form not only from the identity of the God of Creation but also from the God who was in Christ, the Spirit of the risen Lord. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was in fact a manifestation of the Spirit to what Isaiah called "the descendants of Jacob." The words of Isaiah 44 were fulfilled in part with the coming of the mighty winds of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And the results of Pentecost were parallel to those in Isaiah: namely that many would call upon the name of the Lord, many would become a part of the community of faith, many now would be able to affirm the claim of the Divine: "I am the first and the last; besides me there is no god."
The message of Isaiah 44 is about an outpouring of the Spirit. The message of Pentecost is precisely the same. Both speak of the importance of God's interaction with the individual. Both speak of the community of faith. Both portray God as the one who empowers us. Both commission us to spread the word concerning the God we worship. Both send us forth not as the blessed elite but as ambassadors and evangelists for the sake of all people.
My question remains: Who are we in this day and age in light of our two texts? Are we Spirit-filled Christians? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul? Are we Pentecost Christians or ones who have neither gathered to receive the Spirit nor worked to share it? Are we ones who embody the Spirit or ones who impugn it? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul?
The gathered church has the promise of the Spirit's presence and power. Christ's Spirit is present where two or more are gathered in his name. So, to become a part of the church is to admit to self and others that we need God, we need the nurture of fellow Christians, we need the power of God in order to be who he calls us to be. If that sounds like childhood dependency, then so be it. Whether we are 12 or 70, we need God and others. If we don't believe that, then we are not ready to be a part of God's church. And we are not ready for the Spirit of God.
The church is more than a human institution. The one special ingredient it has is the Spirit. The Spirit has been given to the church. It is there for all who would receive it. Indeed the Spirit is present throughout our world, throughout the universe. Perhaps we need to take a look at the difference between Spirit full and Spirit foul. Which are we? How would we characterize our church?
Several years ago a lady visited the church I was serving. She announced before entering the sanctuary that she had come to see if the Spirit were present in our church. Did I just imagine that her nose was higher than her eyes? Was she herself full of the Spirit or just full of herself?
I must confess that I was as quick to judge her as she was to judge us. I did not think she would find the Spirit among us -- not because the Spirit was not there, but because her motive seemed to be simply to identify the Spirit (and by her standards) not to "walk in the Spirit" or to embody the Spirit.
I suggest that a church is Spirit full not by signs of its worship, not by its behavior in the pew, but by its witness to the Spirit. Consider the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians: "… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…." Does our church display these characteristics? Do we as individuals demonstrate these qualities? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul?
One of the things that irritates me about people who judge my spirituality is that they give me a painful reminder that I am truly lacking in spiritual depth and perfection. The fact that they may be hypocrites and self-righteous snobs does not negate the truth of their criticisms. Don't you just hate it when someone you dislike is right about your weaknesses?
When someone calls the church or me "Spirit foul" rather than "Spirit full," I know there is some truth to their assessment. But I also know that these self-appointed spiritualists will be judged by God and not by themselves. I doubt that they themselves are either Spirit full or open to the Spirit blowing in their midst.
What does it mean to be Spirit full? What does it mean to be one of the descendants of Jacob upon whom the Spirit of God has rested? Let me give you an example.
Several years ago a member of the church where I was the youth director told me the story of one of the members there. Her husband had gone to a football game. On his way back he was killed instantly when a drunk driver swerved into his lane and hit him head-on. The drunk driver was not seriously hurt but was hospitalized for observation.
The next morning the widow of the man killed visited the room of the man who had caused her husband's death. She came but for one purpose: to tell him that she did not hold ill feelings towards him. She told him she forgave him and hoped he would be able to forgive himself as well. This saintly lady was Spirit full. She embodied the Spirit of the one who said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
What is the difference between people who are Spirit full and Spirit foul? You probably can tell by the prayers they pray. Remember the prayer of the tax collector: "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner?" That was a Spirit-full prayer.
I also remember a youth who seemed to think of herself as being very spiritual as she told us about the power of God working in her life. She told how during drill-team practice she suddenly realized that she had a piece of chicken in between her two front teeth. Since she was at full attention and could not move, she called upon her God to help her. She prayed that God would loosen the piece of chicken. As more a testimony of her piety than of God's power, she related to us that the piece of chicken dislodged and she was spared the embarrassment upon inspection by the first lieutenant.
Now, what do you think? Was she Spirit full or Spirit foul? Is not God more than dental floss?
If we are waiting upon perfection before we can be Spirit full, then none of us will make it. But we can move toward deeper spirituality. We can pray more often. We can gather for worship like those people of Pentecost and be open to the blowing of the Spirit. But we also can be active in those ministries that the Spirit calls us to perform. As we minister in God's name, we will have the Spirit's power with us.
Isaiah spoke of the outpouring of the Spirit. Those gathered at Pentecost experienced the power of God's Spirit in their midst. It was like water to a thirsty land, like words of salvation to a guilt-ridden people, like a commission to spread the truth of the gospel, like a calling to heal and love God's people.
So, have you now decided? Are we a Spirit-full church or a Spirit-foul church? Are we walking in the Spirit ourselves? Do we show the fruit of the Spirit?
If I see that lady coming again to pass judgment, I do not want to greet her. I know that this church has not yet arrived. I also know that I have not obtained spiritual maturity. But how grateful I am that my God does not approach me as though trying to catch me being inadequate! My God approaches me as a loving Father ready to share his Spirit and power.
My suspicion is that you are somewhere between Spirit full and Spirit foul. My suspicion is that we all could use a strong dose of God's Spirit blowing among us. Am I right?
May I suggest we believe the words of Isaiah, that God does empower us and help us? May I suggest that we wait like those faithful Jews in Jerusalem, that we gather expecting the Spirit to come to us? May I suggest that we daily invite the Spirit of the risen Lord to help us embody the fruits of the Spirit?
The Spirit comes to us by its own power, but it always comes if we invite it. So, if we want to be Spirit full we must learn to pray, we must learn to gather and we must learn to invite.
Those who are open then to the Spirit, will you now make this prayer your own.
Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins, kindling my heart with the flame of thy love.
Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there.
For thou alone art my King and my Lord. Amen.1
In many ways the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost is not an entirely new act of God. The gift of the Spirit is not exclusively a New Testament occurrence. In the book of Isaiah we find the promise of the Spirit, a promise that was fulfilled in part in Old Testament times but came into full bloom on the day of Pentecost.
Today I invite you on a journey through time, a journey that begins with the ancient days of Isaiah's prophecy. It is a journey tracing the movements of the Spirit as it blows through the community of faith and empowers God's people to be the persons God has created them to be.
We begin with the promise of the Spirit found in Isaiah 44:3b: "I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring." The outpouring of the Spirit is thus promised for the future. But indeed the Spirit of God is denied to no person and at no time. Earlier in Isaiah it is made clear that God, the Creator, has always had an intimate relationship with his creation. His Spirit has always been offered to them. Isaiah 44:2 reads: "Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you."
So, what Isaiah is promising is neither a first encounter with the Spirit of God nor the last one. He is promising a special outpouring of the Spirit that will empower his people to flourish and to be a blessing to others. This gift of the Spirit is not to make the people "feel good" or to set them apart as special or elite. The thrust of this passage does not seem to be a private religious experience but an evangelistic outreach that will cause many to call upon the God of Jacob, and many to proclaim that indeed there is only one God.
It is not enough that hearts are warmed but rather that they be set on fire with a message and a mission: to declare the marvelous works of God and to profess him only as Lord of the universe. The text from Isaiah suggests not a minimal encounter with the Spirit but an overwhelming juncture of Creator and creature, an empowering that sends forth the people of God to proclaim God's sovereignty and power. So what does this passage have to do with the day of Pentecost? How does Isaiah's day overlap with the day of the Spirit's empowering of the Jerusalem gathering?
Of course, we worship the same God and the same Spirit. Now, however, this Spirit takes its form not only from the identity of the God of Creation but also from the God who was in Christ, the Spirit of the risen Lord. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost was in fact a manifestation of the Spirit to what Isaiah called "the descendants of Jacob." The words of Isaiah 44 were fulfilled in part with the coming of the mighty winds of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And the results of Pentecost were parallel to those in Isaiah: namely that many would call upon the name of the Lord, many would become a part of the community of faith, many now would be able to affirm the claim of the Divine: "I am the first and the last; besides me there is no god."
The message of Isaiah 44 is about an outpouring of the Spirit. The message of Pentecost is precisely the same. Both speak of the importance of God's interaction with the individual. Both speak of the community of faith. Both portray God as the one who empowers us. Both commission us to spread the word concerning the God we worship. Both send us forth not as the blessed elite but as ambassadors and evangelists for the sake of all people.
My question remains: Who are we in this day and age in light of our two texts? Are we Spirit-filled Christians? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul? Are we Pentecost Christians or ones who have neither gathered to receive the Spirit nor worked to share it? Are we ones who embody the Spirit or ones who impugn it? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul?
The gathered church has the promise of the Spirit's presence and power. Christ's Spirit is present where two or more are gathered in his name. So, to become a part of the church is to admit to self and others that we need God, we need the nurture of fellow Christians, we need the power of God in order to be who he calls us to be. If that sounds like childhood dependency, then so be it. Whether we are 12 or 70, we need God and others. If we don't believe that, then we are not ready to be a part of God's church. And we are not ready for the Spirit of God.
The church is more than a human institution. The one special ingredient it has is the Spirit. The Spirit has been given to the church. It is there for all who would receive it. Indeed the Spirit is present throughout our world, throughout the universe. Perhaps we need to take a look at the difference between Spirit full and Spirit foul. Which are we? How would we characterize our church?
Several years ago a lady visited the church I was serving. She announced before entering the sanctuary that she had come to see if the Spirit were present in our church. Did I just imagine that her nose was higher than her eyes? Was she herself full of the Spirit or just full of herself?
I must confess that I was as quick to judge her as she was to judge us. I did not think she would find the Spirit among us -- not because the Spirit was not there, but because her motive seemed to be simply to identify the Spirit (and by her standards) not to "walk in the Spirit" or to embody the Spirit.
I suggest that a church is Spirit full not by signs of its worship, not by its behavior in the pew, but by its witness to the Spirit. Consider the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians: "… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…." Does our church display these characteristics? Do we as individuals demonstrate these qualities? Are we Spirit full or Spirit foul?
One of the things that irritates me about people who judge my spirituality is that they give me a painful reminder that I am truly lacking in spiritual depth and perfection. The fact that they may be hypocrites and self-righteous snobs does not negate the truth of their criticisms. Don't you just hate it when someone you dislike is right about your weaknesses?
When someone calls the church or me "Spirit foul" rather than "Spirit full," I know there is some truth to their assessment. But I also know that these self-appointed spiritualists will be judged by God and not by themselves. I doubt that they themselves are either Spirit full or open to the Spirit blowing in their midst.
What does it mean to be Spirit full? What does it mean to be one of the descendants of Jacob upon whom the Spirit of God has rested? Let me give you an example.
Several years ago a member of the church where I was the youth director told me the story of one of the members there. Her husband had gone to a football game. On his way back he was killed instantly when a drunk driver swerved into his lane and hit him head-on. The drunk driver was not seriously hurt but was hospitalized for observation.
The next morning the widow of the man killed visited the room of the man who had caused her husband's death. She came but for one purpose: to tell him that she did not hold ill feelings towards him. She told him she forgave him and hoped he would be able to forgive himself as well. This saintly lady was Spirit full. She embodied the Spirit of the one who said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
What is the difference between people who are Spirit full and Spirit foul? You probably can tell by the prayers they pray. Remember the prayer of the tax collector: "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner?" That was a Spirit-full prayer.
I also remember a youth who seemed to think of herself as being very spiritual as she told us about the power of God working in her life. She told how during drill-team practice she suddenly realized that she had a piece of chicken in between her two front teeth. Since she was at full attention and could not move, she called upon her God to help her. She prayed that God would loosen the piece of chicken. As more a testimony of her piety than of God's power, she related to us that the piece of chicken dislodged and she was spared the embarrassment upon inspection by the first lieutenant.
Now, what do you think? Was she Spirit full or Spirit foul? Is not God more than dental floss?
If we are waiting upon perfection before we can be Spirit full, then none of us will make it. But we can move toward deeper spirituality. We can pray more often. We can gather for worship like those people of Pentecost and be open to the blowing of the Spirit. But we also can be active in those ministries that the Spirit calls us to perform. As we minister in God's name, we will have the Spirit's power with us.
Isaiah spoke of the outpouring of the Spirit. Those gathered at Pentecost experienced the power of God's Spirit in their midst. It was like water to a thirsty land, like words of salvation to a guilt-ridden people, like a commission to spread the truth of the gospel, like a calling to heal and love God's people.
So, have you now decided? Are we a Spirit-full church or a Spirit-foul church? Are we walking in the Spirit ourselves? Do we show the fruit of the Spirit?
If I see that lady coming again to pass judgment, I do not want to greet her. I know that this church has not yet arrived. I also know that I have not obtained spiritual maturity. But how grateful I am that my God does not approach me as though trying to catch me being inadequate! My God approaches me as a loving Father ready to share his Spirit and power.
My suspicion is that you are somewhere between Spirit full and Spirit foul. My suspicion is that we all could use a strong dose of God's Spirit blowing among us. Am I right?
May I suggest we believe the words of Isaiah, that God does empower us and help us? May I suggest that we wait like those faithful Jews in Jerusalem, that we gather expecting the Spirit to come to us? May I suggest that we daily invite the Spirit of the risen Lord to help us embody the fruits of the Spirit?
The Spirit comes to us by its own power, but it always comes if we invite it. So, if we want to be Spirit full we must learn to pray, we must learn to gather and we must learn to invite.
Those who are open then to the Spirit, will you now make this prayer your own.
Come, my Light, and illumine my darkness.
Come, my Life, and revive me from death.
Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.
Come, Flame of divine love, and burn up the thorns of my sins, kindling my heart with the flame of thy love.
Come, my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there.
For thou alone art my King and my Lord. Amen.1
