Serenity and wholeness in life with God Step 12

Pentecost 22 year B Sermon Deuteronomy 4:9 Matthew 28:16-20  2 Corinthians 1:1-4

On that windy mountain top in Galilee… after the resurrection

Jesus followers are set apart… just as the bread and wine were set apart at the last supper...they’re set apart
by Jesus’ call to go into all the world to

Slide words

make disciples of all nations... teach them to obey everything
I commanded you.

It’s a group task…no one could possibly do it alone…Jesus never sent them out alone…And what’s more… Jesus promised to be with them...and assured them of the empowering of the Holy Spirit…

Blank slide
Obviously the Gospels hadn’t been written yet…so for the next ten years at least… with God’s help…
they’d have to rely on memory
…they’d have to repeat Jesus teaching… and practice Jesus commandments…Jesus way of living and relating to people …until they knew it by heart. Step by step…one day at a time.

The disciples had experienced a spiritual awakening…
in the presence of the risen Christ…
a change of spiritual perspective…
one they couldn’t get their heads around while Jesus was alive…

Now their view of reality is changed completely…
now they possess

Slide words

the wisdom… to recognised the limits of human power…
politically and spiritually…

Once scattered by the fear of being associated with Jesus…
they’d been restored to community…
by breaking bread with the risen Christ…

Having had a spiritual awakening...
they’d surrender their will and their lives to Jesus way…
they’d repent of their doubt and disbelief…their betrayal…
they’d willingly submit …to whatever the Holy Spirit
wanted to do in them…or call them to do… [pause]

Resolving in obedience to Christ… to follow his way…
to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly before God with one another.

They became peace makers…bringers of shalom and wellbeing
and because there was no written Gospel…
they would practise… practise… practise…
this good-news-way-of life…together in community

until they had it down…

And right throughout the process… Jesus disciples never stop changing and growing… in their understanding

Unlike their justification which was accomplished by the incarnate Christ in the person of Jesus…

their conversion never stops…
their sanctification is always progressive …
their setting apart never  just a moment in time…
but a life-long process of transformation…
not self transformation…as Paul reminds us…
slide words
it’s God who works in you… to will and to act…
in order to fulfil God’s good purpose. [pause]

And what else… would result from this transformation
of heart and mind and spirit…what else did Jesus ask of them
there on that mountain top in Galilee? Do you remember?

[pause]

That’s right…having had a spiritual awakening
as a result of the steps they’d taken along Jesus way…

Slide words list again

they were now to carry his message…
to others…to family, friends, neighbours, communities…
even to the ends of the earth…
baptising the whole world in Jesus name.

And having had a spiritual awakening…

they wanted to carry the message…not out of religious duty…
but because their lives had changed so much…

How did Paul put it in our reading today? Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,

slide words

so we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

so we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

12 step slide

And with Jesus first disciples…
we arrive at the final step of twelve steps…
toward serenity and wholeness...in life with God.

twelve spiritual tools…a rule of life modelled on the life and teachings of Jesus…for faithfully following his way.

Over the past twelve weeks…we’ve seen how these steps work …how they build on one another…
one step at a time…to grow us individually and corporately …into a global family… of disciplined disciples…
a Body of Christ followers…who can fulfil our calling
to carry the good news of God’s love…to the ends of the earth.

Reveal list slide

this side of the resurrection When we take step one…
like Jesus’ disciples there on that mountain top…
we can see more clearly…the limits of human power…
So every day we pray for the wisdom to discern
what we can and can’t control.

Reveal restoration
This wisdom we pray for…allows us to accept our brokenness and the brokenness of all humanity…and with the first disciples we pray for ourselves and for the world…
for the restoration to wholeness…only God can bring

reveal surrender

Then…in step three…convinced of our utter dependence
on God…and the superiority of God’s wisdom over our own …we surrender our will and our lives to the care of God
 

reveal reflection

strengthened in faith by this partnership with God…
we can without fear…reflect honestly on our motives and actions…past and present …good and bad.

reveal confession

and taking step five… in holy confession we humbly bring the whole truth about ourselves before God [pause]

reveal willingness and consent together

And in the dazzling light of God’s forgiveness and mercy the willingness is created in us…to take step six…
to submit to every change God wants to make in us. 

And we say yes…in trust we consent…
praying for God to re-shape us so God’s justice and peace can be worked through us.

Reveal Resolve and Make peace
And like the first disciples… we resolve to do justice …and bring reconciliation…We get right out of human courtrooms all together… and leave judgement of ourselves and others…up to God

Like Paul…we’ve been made right…
we’ve been justified through faith in God’s grace…
grace revealed…announced…and accomplished by Jesus.
We have a new identity in Christ…
we’re no longer defined by others…nor even by ourselves

We renounce judgment and the need for self-defence…
always promptly admitting it when we stray from Jesus’ teaching.

And as he taught us to pray…on another mountain top…
we participate in the reign of God by offering others …
the grace and forgiveness we have received.

All these steps we take in freedom…
all part of a process… of spiritual transformation
as we commit ourselves to these God ordained
disciplines of grace…not just for ourselves but for the salvation of the world

So last week taking Step eleven…in daily prayer…
study and stillness…we listen for God’s guidance, and try to improve our conscious contact with God every day…praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us…
and the power to carry that out.

And in time… with enough practise…we become the kind of person…who naturally and freely expresses…
What Paul calls the fruits of the spirit…love joy peace patience, kindness generosity faithfulness gentleness and self-control.

And when the world is grinding us down with its demands…we don’t abandon our spiritual practise…
we spend even longer in prayer and silence before God.

As we learned last week…these steps become
our rule of life…preparing us for the call of Christ …contained in the twelfth step…
like Jesus first disciples

Slide words

Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps,
we carry this good news to others, and practise these disciplines in all areas of our lives.

We hear again Jesus call…intended for us…all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

With God’s help…I’ve been trying to practise these steps since 1977 when my life was at its lowest ebb. I can testify that they bring serenity and wholeness in life with God…and when I lose it…they bring it back with God’s help…

And I’d like these steps to be fundamental to our life together in this church

World slide

And as I found…we can’t share Jesus’ saving message effectively until we’ve lived it ourselves…one step at a time
…over and over again. and when we are ready and able
to share the freedom and healing we’ve  found…

as we carry the message to others…as we widen the circle around Jesus…then one by one…as our children and our grandchildren
…our friends and our neighbours…our co-workers…
maybe even our community and our nation … join us…
on the path laid down by Jesus…

by his wounds and by the grace of God …
all creation will be saved.

Let us say the Serenity prayer together

Preachers note: Of course these steps have been adapted from the 12 Steps originally developed by the Oxford Group last century and later adapted by Bill Wilson. I myself first encountered them in the fellowship established by Bill's wife Lois. 

Serenity and wholeness in life with God Step 11

Pentecost 21 year B Sermon  1 Kings 19:11-13 Mark 1: 29-35

Title slide

Are you busier than Jesus?

Is your work more important…more urgent…than Jesus’ was?

What about your obligations?

Would you say God’s placing more demands on you
than God placed on Jesus? 

Blank slide

He’s leading a team… showing the way…
God’s way… of peace and wellbeing for all people.
Jesus is preparing his team…to speak the truth
to the powers and principalities that enslave people…
in unjust religious and political systems.

He’s feeding and healing God’s children …
casting out forces contrary to God’s goodness…
rebellious spiritual forces...that oppress people and cripple them emotionally physically and spiritually…
forces that separate people from community.

Jesus is travelling… preaching teaching and
demonstrating the power of love…founding a movement…
a new covenant movement…which will spread throughout the Roman Empire and throughout the world…
to the ends of the earth…to Aotearoa New Zealand

Jesus is carrying with him…the tension that every time he opens his mouth…he digs a deeper holewith the religious authorities who are judging him and want him dead…
He’s a fragile…breakable…fully human vessel …called to reveal the will of God…in the face of resistance rejection …and ridicule [pause]
And how does Jesus cope… how does he deal with all this? What did our reading say this morning…

Slide words

Very early in the morning…while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Did he have to be facing death to do this……..no

Did he have to be at the end of his tether to do this…no

Scripture tells us…Jesus did this because it was his practise to do it… his discipline…the rule of his life! [pause]

12 step slide

In our latest preaching series...that’s precisely what we’ve been learning…a rule of life… modelled on the life and teaching of Jesus… exploring twelve steps…twelve spiritual tools… toward serenity and wholeness...in life with God.

And we see how they work…one step at a time…to build us… individually and corporately…into a global family
of disciplined disciples… who can fulfil our calling…
to be bearers of the good news of God’s love to all people.

Reveal wisdom

Taking the first step we seek wisdom…to discern what we can and cannot control.

Reveal restoration
taking the second we pray for restoration to wholeness…
only God can bring
reveal surrender

Then…we surrender our will and our lives to the care of God

reveal reflection

strengthened in faith in this way…we can reflect honestly and fearlessly…on our own motives and actions…past and present …good and bad.
reveal confession

In Confession…we bring the whole unvarnished truth about ourselves before God [pause]

reveal willingness and consent together

Cleansed and forgiven…we gain the willingness…
to submit to every change…God wants to make in us. 
And humbly consent to this…asking God to re-shape us
so God’s justice and peace can be worked through us.

After steps six and seven… we’re ready to take eight and nine

Reveal Resolve and Make peace
and we resolve to do justice and work for peace within our families…our community and the world. To be Gospel bearers …to do whatever it takes…to bring about God’s Shalom.

In doing this we list everyone we’ve harmed and become willing…to make amends to all of them. And we do this

where ever possible except when it would produce more harm.

Coster slide

And last Sunday…from the lips of our new Moderator…
I brought you the best message I’ve ever heard...on
our reasons for taking step ten…recalling how Paul tells the wayward church in Corinth he doesn’t care if they judge him…or if any human court judges him…
he doesn’t even care how he judges himself…

Paul knows he’s not innocent…but his only judge is God.
He’s been made right…justified…
through faith in God’s grace … revealed…announced…
and accomplished by Jesus Christ.

As so last week we owned that freedom from judgment

for ourselves…through Jesus we learn God loves and accepts us…we don’t have to do things to please God. Our identity’s given us in Jesus…not defined by other people or even ourselves

We don’t have to do things to make ourselves look good. 
We can love…from a place of wholeness…
We can serve others just for the joy of doing it…
Our identity in Christ… takes us out of the courtroom forever. The trial is over. We neither prosecute nor defend…

and we participate in the reign of God by offering others…
the grace to step out of the courtroom of condemnation…
and when we do this… the flame burns brighter and the church moves forward… in mission, in love and service to all creation.

Step 10 slide

And in the freedom that comes from Grace…because we are justified by faith…we take last week’s step…
and we continue to take inventory… and every time
we fall short of Christ’s teaching… we promptly admit it.

What better way… to stay out of the courtroom!

These steps…all part of a process…a practise…a spiritual discipline…of making ourselves ready and willing to allow God to shape us…into his children…into peacemakers…
into the likeness of Christ... [pause]

Blank slide
Whew…what a spiritual journey…and it’s not over…
it’s never over in this life…because we continue to be fragile and fallible. So we start asking… what disciplines… what practises… will keep us to this path… and we’re ready to take… the eleventh step?

Step eleven slide

In daily prayer study and stillness…we listen for God’s guidance…and try to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.

Who is our model? [ask]

Jesus slide

Yes…Jesus…the revelation of God… the Word made flesh.

You see there are God ordained means…
to the life of Grace we seek…the life of serenity and wholeness not just for ourselves… but for the world…

In his book, Life with God…Richard Foster writes…
these means of grace…involve us in an intentional process
of ‘training in godliness’… as it says in first Timothy.
Have nothing to do with godless myths and meaningless fables; rather, train yourselves to be godly.

This regime…these spiritual disciplines…
crop up all the time in Scripture… as the way God’s people
are trained by God toward godliness …prayer and fasting …meditation on the Word… service to others…confession and worship…contemplation and silence…simplicity…
thrift and celebration.

The psalmist sings of the meditations of the People of God
‘My eyes are awake before each watch of the night…
that I may meditate on your promise.’ Daniel turns to God with prayer, supplication, fasting and confession.

Jesus goes out early in the morning… to a deserted place.

The purpose of these God ordained disciplines…
is to bring us all the more fully into life with God…
in doing them…we bring what Foster calls ‘our unique power adapter…our very body… before God
to be recharged by God’s love.

By these means of grace…by practising the spiritual disciplines …in time we become the kind of person…
who naturally and freely expresses…What Paul calls

Slide words

the fruits of the spirit…
love joy peace patience, kindness generosity faithfulness gentleness and self-control.

Our church library is full of wonderful stories about
how people practise the spiritual disciplines
in order to grow in grace. In much the way Graham and Jenni’s boy is training for the Olympics…
we adopt the spiritual disciplines so we can become the athletes of God. The early Christians called this a ‘rule of life’ – the way you live your day. [pause]

Sunset slide

And through all this we’re never ever fearful.
Because we aren’t left to our own devices. God is with us. Christ is our ever-living teacher. The Holy Spirit will guide and direct us. Wise Christian counsel can be found among loving and mature friends. And when we’re open to it…
God will teach us which discipline is right for us and when.

Our task…is to listen and obey for as scripture reveals…
God is relentless… in pursuit of us. [pause]

Were I not practising… my own rule of life
every day without fail…I’d go under very quickly.
Without a daily practise of listening for God’s living Word
in Scripture, and consenting to God’s work in me…in silent contemplation…and praying for knowledge of God’s will for me… and the power to carry it out…

I simply couldn’t survive the emotional…physical and spiritual demands of ministry. I had a tough week this week …my diary was already chocka before the week began …then

somehow I had to find the extra time and energy to create a memorial service for a long term resident of Elmslie House
so her fragile aging friends and staff could honour her. Then came the unexpected news of Anne Tompkin’s sudden death.

Did I abandon my spiritual disciplines to make time for these unplanned and demanding tasks? Not on your life.

Every morning Reg and I break open the word of God together after breakfast. We read some inspiration from the life of other Christian and we share Holy Communion. Yes we do…

And then…I spend half an hour in consenting to God
in silence and solitude. It is the place my life is saved…
it’s where my spiritual battery is recharged…it’s where
I’m redeemed… over and over again… for a life of discipleship and service.

Now I’ve practised this rule of life for decades and it hasn’t always been easy…before my daughter started school…I just did the best I could…but without this conscious time in the presence of God I could never have made it through to this ministry here beneath these mountains and beside these lakes.

As you take step eleven…what will you adopt
as your rule of life…to keep you on the path
marked out by Jesus? Will you practise with him in prayer and silence? Will you keep yourself fit and ready
for the discipled…the disciplined life?

Oh, there’s lots to practise as we already know…
and only step four of the twelve…where we take inventory of our lives…is a once and for all spiritual step…all the others require practise and discipline…especially today’s step…
step eleven.

Slide words

In daily prayer and stillness we listen for God’s guidance
and try to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.

Reflect to O Christe Domine Jesu

Serenity and wholeness in life with God Step 10

Pentecost 20 year B Sermon  1 Corinthians 4:1-13

How on earth do we achieve the heights of serenity and wholeness in life with God…that Paul shows us…in this letter to the Corinthians. Hear his words again…

Word slide

I care very little if I’m judged by you… or by any human court; indeed I don’t even judge myself. My conscience is clear,
but that doesn’t make me innocent. It’s the Lord who judges me.

Title slide again
In our latest preaching series...that’s precisely the level of spiritual maturity we’re striving for...as we explore twelve steps toward serenity and wholeness...in life with God. Twelve…spiritual tools which come from the life and teaching of Jesus…
and as Paul reminds us so bluntly today…
God is the only judge of how we’re doing.

And as we take these steps of faith… one after the other...

Reveal wisdom

first we seek wisdom…to discern what we can and cannot control.

Reveal restoration
next we seek… restoration to wholeness… only God can bring
reveal surrender

in step three we surrender our will and our lives to the care of God

reveal reflection

Taking step four…we reflect honestly and fearlessly…on our own motives and actions…past and present…good and bad.
reveal confession

And then we make our Confession…bringing the whole unvarnished truth about ourselves before God

reveal willingness and consent together

Cleansed and forgiven…we move on to steps six and seven…
with the willingness…to submit to every change…God wants to make in us.  And humbly consent…asking God to re-shape us
so God’s will can be done in us and by us.

On the road to serenity and wholeness in life with God
there still more growing to do…and two weeks ago…
because we already made an honest inventory of our lives
we discovered our readiness to take steps eight and nine and

Reveal Resolve and Make peace
resolve to do justice and work for peace within our family
our community and the world. We resolved to be Gospel bearers …to do whatever it takes…to bring about God’s Shalom.

Slide words Step 8
We decide to make a list of every single person we’d harmed…
and we become willing… to make amends to them all.

And when we are willing

Slide words step 9

then in step nine…We make direct amends wherever possible
except when to do so would produce more harm.

Blank slide

These steps…all part of a process…a practise…a spiritual discipline…of making ourselves ready and willing to allow God to shape us…into his children…into peacemakers…into the likeness of Christ... [pause]

Nine steps already out of twelve. And today we’re ready for step 10.  And you know…I’ve never preached anyone else’s sermon
in these past  ten years…but today I will…and that’s because last Sunday…the new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church
gave the best message…the best rationale…for taking step ten
I’ve ever heard.
Reg shared it with me when he got home from Assembly…and it’s based on our reading today…where Paul tells the wayward church in Corinth…he cares very little if he’s judged by them… or any human court…Paul doesn’t even judge himself. His conscience is clear, but that doesn’t mean he’s innocent. Paul’s only judge is God.

Ray slide

Here’s how the Right Reverend Ray Coster unpacked it in Rotorua.

A few years back Ray begins…I was climbing Mount Ngauruhoe  And this beautiful day was spoiled by one silly thing…I wasn’t wearing proper tramping boots, only a pair of running shoes. 

On the way down I kicked my left foot into a solid rock. 
My big toe came off second best… the rock wasn’t damaged at all. 

It wasn’t too long before the pain subsided enough to keep walking.  But the pain is still there to this day. I damaged the joint on my big toe and now it’s arthritic. And now every time I walk… my toe demands attention – it lets me know it’s hurting.

Have you ever noticed we aren’t aware of our body parts
till they hurt. You never think about your teeth till they have pain and then you can’t think about anything else. You never think about your knees or hips till they’re in pain…
and then they demand attention all the time.

And it’s the same with our ego, or self-esteem, or identity. 
When it gets hurt…it calls attention to itself.
And for most of us, that’s every day. 

In [his letter to the Corinthians] Paul talks about the wounded ego [or wounded pride… in contrast to] a Kingdom identity or a resurrection mind-set…an attitude or way of thinking…
that comes through understanding our identity in Jesus…the
risen, living Lord.  It’s the transformed sense of self that happens when we’re in Christ.This is the liberating good news of the gospel

The natural human ego…is painful and draws attention to itself. 
It’s also empty, busy and fragile. Whereas the ego transformed in Christ…is at peace and outwardly focused.

The ego hurts because there’s something wrong with it.
[It demands] we think about… how we look and how we feel and how we’re being treated by others. People sometimes say their feelings are hurt. But feelings can’t hurt. It’s the ego that hurts – my sense of self, my identity. It’s hard to get through a day without feeling snubbed or ignored or feeling stupid or
getting down on ourselves. 

The natural ego is empty and needs to be filled…so Paul says we keep busy– comparing and boasting. And do you notice there’s no full stop after the word pride here. Paul doesn’t say if you’re in Christ…‘you won’t take pride.’ He says, ‘you won’t take pride in one person over against… another.’ 

the natural human ego… tries to fill its emptiness and
relieve its discomfort…by comparing itself to other people.

in his famous chapter on pride in Mere Christianity… CS Lewis says, ‘Pride gets no pleasure out of having something,
only having more of it than the next person. We say people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they’re not.  They’re proud of being rich-er, or clever-er, or better-looking than others. If everyone became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking
there’d be nothing to be proud about.’

Pride destroys the pleasure that’s intrinsic to something good.
[Pride over inflates our ego!] [So] it’s fragile…[because] anything over inflated is always in danger of being…de-flated.
And when that happens we begin to hate ourselves. I wonder if you ever said those words inwardly, ‘I hate myself.’

But now the good news of the gospel. The good news I’d love to bless [this] city and its citizens and all the people of Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Jesus transforms the ego by giving us a new identity that brings righteousness, peace and joy. Listen to what Paul says,
‘I care very little if I’m judged by you, or any human court.’

The word judge [here] really means a verdict.  So Paul’s saying, I don’t really care if I have your stamp of approval or not.

He’s not putting them down by saying their opinion is worthless.  All he’s saying is…he’s not looking to the Corinthians or any human court…to know that he is somebody. His identity isn’t tied in any way… to their verdict or evaluation of him.

How do we ever get to the point… when we’re not controlled by what other people think about us? You may’ve heard the saying: I’m not who I think I am. I’m not who you think I am. I am
who I think you think I am.

And that is true for most people, but not Paul. Their identity’s often determined by what they think other people think about them. Paul would totally disagree with that phrase.
His identity…his view of himself...isn’t determined by what
he thinks other people think of him.

Anyone who’s been a parent…knows children get hurt by what other people say about them.
The advice of parents and most counsellors is the same
when we get hurt by others. They tell us it doesn’t matter what others think about us. When we allow that to happen we become their slaves. We give them power over our mind. The only thing that matters is what I think about me…and what those who love me and are closest to me …think about me.

in our world we only seem to have one way to deal with low
self-esteem. Fix it…with high self-esteem. We tell people how great they are, what wonderful things they do and have accomplished. And that is important and helpful advice. 

But… the person’s view of themselves and their identity [are] still being determined by other people. It just depends which group of people. The ones who criticise… or the ones [who] praise.

Paul’s approach couldn’t be more different. He cares very little if he’s judged by the Corinthians or any human court. But Paul goes one step further and this is so radical. He won’t even judge himself

He says…I don’t care what you think…I don’t even care
what I think. I have a very low opinion of your opinion of me…
but I also have… a very low opinion of my opinion of me!
Wow… that’s amazing and radical.

What Paul would say to those who set their own standards is…
‘it’s a trap…don’t go down that path.’ Boosting our self-esteem by living up to our own standards or someone else’s…may sound great…but it doesn’t deliver. 

[And Ray shared about his own life…] I couldn’t always live up to my parents ideals and that made me feel terrible. I let them down and disappointed them often. I can’t live up to the standards I think you have of me as your moderator. Most of us as ministers will sometimes feel like a disappointment to people.
and if I try to live up to my own standards I feel even worse. 
The only thing would be to set lower standards for myself,
and I don’t want to do that. So I disappoint myself. 

And if according to Paul …[those standards are traps anyway]
where do we find our true sense of identity, [our] true sense of self? 

Remember what Paul says elsewhere? Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief.  [He doesn’t say]…
I was the chief, but I am the chief…I am… the worst. 

We’re not used to people who can be totally honest…totally aware of all their moral flaws…yet still possess incredible poise and confidence.

Do you know why we can’t do that – because we judge ourselves, which Paul refuses to do.  He knows about his sins, but he doesn’t connect them… to his identity. Paul refuses to play that game. 

He doesn’t see a sin and let it destroy his identity.
Nor does he see an accomplishment… and congratulate himself. Even though Paul knows he’s a sinner…the chief sinner…he won’t let that stop him… doing what’s right…what he’s called to do.
He won’t stop his mission. If we want to be a missional church, we [have to] first understand our identity.

[Paul’s] ego isn’t puffed up, it’s filled up. He’s saying
he’s reached a place where his ego draws no more attention to itself…than any other part of his body.  He has reached a place where he isn’t thinking about himself anymore…

True gospel-humility means…I stop connecting every experience, every conversation…with myself. This is the freedom
of self-forgetfulness…which brings true rest. This is the full outcome…of living with a resurrection mind-set.

[And this humility] enables us to go out from here to serve and to minister.

So how does Paul get this, and how do we get it? 

The clue is when he says ‘I don’t care what you think and I don’t care what I think. My conscience is clear but that doesn’t make me innocent.

The [Greek word] translated as innocent… is the same word as justify. Paul is saying…even if his conscience is clear…
that doesn’t justify him. Hitler may have had a clear conscience, but he wasn’t innocent. What Paul is looking for
is the ultimate verdict. 

the problem…whether we have high or low self-esteem…Paul reasons…is that every single day we’re in the courtroom…
we’re on trial. This is the way everyone’s identity works. In the human world…there is a prosecution and a defence. Some days we feel we’re winning… and some days we feel we’re losing.

[But] Paul says for him the trial is over. He’s out of the courtroom because the final verdict is in…[it’s] been announced by the judge.  Paul says...it’s the Lord who judges me – not you Corinthians,
nor any human court, or even myself.  It’s the Lord. 
It’s only God’s opinion that counts or matters.

Do you know it’s only in the Christian faith…the gospel of Jesus that you get the verdict before the performance.
In all other situations of life…performance leads to the verdict…

Because God loves and accepts me I don’t have to do things to please him. My identity isn’t in other people or even in me,
it’s in Jesus. I don’t have to do things to make me look good. 
I can do them just for the joy of doing them.
I can help people… not so I feel better about myself
or to fill up some emptiness. I do it simply for the joy of doing it.

True Christian identity…operates totally differently
than all other forms of identity. A true Christian identity takes you out of the courtroom. The trial is over. The verdict is in.
[We are justified through faith in Jesus Christ.]

Ray went on to say…I walked the Christian life for many years before I really understood this and found true inner freedom.
But what joy when I did. Many days I feel like I’m being sucked back into the courtroom. And at those times…I have to stand on the truth…that I shouldn’t be there. I don’t need to be there.
I walk out freely…knowing I’m free.

When we enable one more person…to live with a resurrection mind-set…the freedom to step out of the courtroom of condemnation the flame burns brighter and the church moves forward in mission, love and service.’ And that was the end of Ray’s sermon…And we’re back to our step ten…

Step 10 slide
because we have been justified through faith in Jesus…it is his standard…his teaching…his Gospel…by which we are judged…

And taking step ten…in the freedom that comes from Grace…
we continue to take our inventory and when we fall short of Christ’s teaching … we promptly admit it.
What better way to stay out of the courtroom!

Let us say the Serenity Prayer together