"Out with the Old, In with the New"

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-9
Preacher: Rev. Ross Purdy
Date: January 15, 2006

During the first few months of this New Year, we're going to be looking at the Kingdom of God. This series actually began, I believe, last week when Dr. Keith Phillips from World Impact read to us the sermon of Jesus in His own home town of Nazareth.   Jesus spoke about His role in the proclamation of the Kingdom.   He said:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.   He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)

This was the ministry of Jesus, the purpose for His coming.   He would do these things in His lifetime.   It would be the full realization of the Kingdom of God...and it would be done through power.

It is appropriate that Dr. Phillips spoke about the poor receiving the Good News.   It was appropriate, last week, that we began a series on the Kingdom, specifically mentioning these forgotten, yet numerous children of God.   When the Kingdom is realized the poor are transformed.   I believe the widows and orphans are taken care of as the very first sign that the Kingdom has come.   When the people in Israel's history were crying out to God for powerful things to happen, God often spoke through the prophets and said - no.   You feed the widows.   You take care of the orphans.   You love the poor, then you'll see the heavens opened...but, first things first.   The poor need to be fed, clothed and loved.   Jesus mentioned them first as His mission in life.

During the course of our theme on the Kingdom of God, we will be addressing many topics of that Kingdom.   Next week we'll be looking at the way in which we approach the Kingdom and the one requirement for experiencing the power of God in our lives.   The following week we will be addressing the call and claim of God on our lives.   Then we'll experience the power and authority we have as followers of Christ.   Next, we'll look specifically at signs and wonders, then healing, and then many more topics.   Our text will be the Gospel of Mark.   Read Mark and follow along.   Come prepared each week...and, if you to commit yourself to a little more than just sitting and experiencing the series each Sunday, pick up a schedule of the Scriptures I'll be using.   They're on our church's website.   We'll make them available on paper to anyone who wants to read ahead.

But as we go through this series, I want to make it clear that our examination of the Kingdom of God is ineffective if we don't experience it.   This will not be a sermon series where we intellectually learn about this ethereal, ghostly, supernatural realm.   This will be an experience of the living, powerful and transformational reality of the Kingdom of God.   I expect much to happen these next few weeks.   I'd like for you to expect things to happen these next few weeks.   The Kingdom of God is powerful.   Things happen when it is proclaimed.

Paul wrote to the people in Corinth that the Kingdom of God is not "talk".   The Kingdom of God is about power (I Corinthians 4:20).   To those same people, Paul said that his ministry to them was not done with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power (I Corinthians 2:4).   The proof of Christianity, for Paul, was the transformation of lives following the signs and miracles through the power of the Spirit (Romans15:19).   In other words, if the power of God is not made available through the message of the Gospel, then the message is just another set of philosophical ideas.

In the same way, Paul's experience was the same for the early church.   More miracles and signs happened one century later than it did during Jesus' ministry.

Justin Martyr and Ireneaus spoke about healings that took place in the society around them by followers of Christ.   They talked about people even being raised from the dead.   Tertullian and Cyprian spoke about the prophecy that was occurring in their time; about the healings they had witnessed and the exorcisms in their area of northern Africa.   The great philosopher, Origen, in the third century witnessed the cures that Christians experienced among even sickly populations.   During the fourth and fifth centuries, the stories of the power of the Kingdom of God grew.   Then, sometime after the fifth and sixth century, we don't hear much but of a moralistic religion.   When the Protestant Reformation came around, much seemed to center on the power of theology, but not so much on the power of the Kingdom when it comes around and breaks into society in supernatural ways.   Now the Reformation necessarily had to center on intellectual thinking to snuff out the rampant heresies and foolish myths.   For some, however, that would lead to "throwing out the baby with the bathwater".   Signs and wonders, healings and power would be relegated to second priority.

But even people such as John Wesley would record miracles.   And, even John Wesley, when he prayed, expected healings to occur.   He didn't pause to offer up prayers as a religious thing he should do as a minister.   He expected prayers to work.   He expected people to be healed.   He expected that the power of God would transform lives and shatter darkness and sin.   He knew the Kingdom of God was near; the Kingdom of God was here; and the Kingdom of God was for all who would receive.

Do you want to receive the power of the Kingdom this morning?

This morning we'll be addressing the second Sunday of our series so let's start with our topic this morning.   I am going to speak about attitudes.   I believe that the actualization of the Kingdom of God; the experience of the presence of God and heaven around us, is often limited because of our attitude. We all need a change of attitudes.   It's time for us to do a little cleaning. Let's throw the old attitudes away before we allow the new ones to come in.

Over the past two months my wife and I have been cleaning out our garage.   What we thought would be a full day's project has now turned into two months.   A week ago I was going through boxes and shredding old documents.   I knew I had some things that needed to go, but I'm a pack rat.   It's hard for me to let go.   The very first box of papers I opened had some old receipts, bank deposit receipts and paycheck stubs from 1981.   I laughed when I held up a paycheck stub noting my pay scale as $3.35 cents per hour.   Then, as I held that very first paper over the shredder, I had a thought rush through my mind... "wait a minute.   What if I need this?   Maybe I shouldn't shred it."   For a moment I paused and tried, with all my might, to find justification for having a receipt from 1981.   Then, with sweat on my brow, I lowered it to the teeth on the machine. The paper grabbed...and then I began pulling it back until the shredder won.   The next papers were not so difficult.   By the end of the first load of the shredded paper, I found a freedom that excited me.   I was like a monster ready to shred everything in sight.   It felt good.   Out with the old!   I really don't need this stuff.   The weight's been dropped. The children and, my wife, I think we're actually staying away from me with my new-found excitement.   "Something's wrong with dad.   Start hiding your books!"

But there was something refreshing about throwing out the old.   Now notice that I'm not talking about the things of value.   I'm talking about the junk in our lives.   I would bet this morning that each of us have things that are just clutter; old receipts, old letters, old objects that could be thrown away.  

Drop it!   Shred it!   Throw it away because the clutter is heavy and it's keeping you from the good that could come.   Go light!   Last Wednesday at the Bible Study, I heard myself saying something that I knew God was speaking to me.   It came from my mouth, but it was for me.   I spoke about our journey to the eternal city.   The journey can be tough so get rid of all the clutter.   Sometimes we're holding onto things that weigh us down such as a lack of forgiveness toward another person.   Don't you know it's getting in the way of you being free?   Are you carrying a grudge?   Drop it - Go light!   There's not enough room on your shoulders to hold it and run to that eternal city.   What do you need?   Go light!  

Here's the rule of thumb, I find: when it comes to stuff, if I haven't used it in six months or a year, I don't need it.   It's an object.

Here's the rule of thumb when it comes to other matters of life: will it matter one hundred years from now?   That grudge you have toward another will be forgotten.   So take the time to remove it now.   Maybe you need to give it back to them and say, "Look, I've been holding onto this.   I don't want it, can we both move on?   I've a journey to make.   I'm not looking back.   I'm looking forward.   Will you come with me?"

"But that person owes me!" - - drop it!   It's a weight on your shoulder that will keep you from running to the eternal city.   In the meantime, the weight upon you will keep you from experiencing the power of God and the fullness of the Kingdom.

Jesus told His disciples to go light.   He told the seventy-two to go into town and work the miracles of the Kingdom.   But, before they went, He told them not to take anything with them.   "Get rid of the things you have.   You're representing the Kingdom of God. Don't take bags - you don't need them" (Luke 10:4ff).   They didn't.   They adopted a new understanding of the Kingdom and they saw things happen.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Philippi.   He didn't give them a suggestion of how they should live.   He told them the attitude of the Kingdom.   He said,

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

That's the new attitude to replace the old.   How important is attitude?   It's everything.   It represents a positive "Can Do" attitude.  

A little boy went out to play baseball by himself one day.   As he picked up the bat and ball he said to himself, "I am the greatest hitter in the world!"   He threw the ball high into the air and when it come down to earth he swung the bat as hard as he could.   He missed the ball.   He picked the ball up again and said at the top of his lungs, "I am the greatest hitter the world has ever seen."   He threw the ball up into the air a second time.   As it fell toward the ground he swung the bat with all his might, but missed the ball again.   He picked up the ball a third time and said with confidence and authority, "I am the greatest hitter there ever was."   He threw the ball up yet again.   This time as the ball dropped downward, he put all his energy and muscle into hitting the ball...but he missed a third time and yelled, "strike three, you're out."

"Wow, the boy said, "I must be the greatest pitcher who ever lived to strike out the greatest batter there ever was!"

That's a "can do" attitude.   That's the attitude we all need to experience the great things God wants us to do in the Kingdom.  

Reader's Digest just had an article this month about attitude.   It is specifically about confidence.   It had an interesting statement on how powerful words can be in the process.   Negative feedback, it says, undermines anyone's belief in his or her ability to succeed.   Forty competitive tennis players were shown digital images of balls coming their way.   Just before each ball appeared, the players saw or heard comments like "Good shot" or "Bad shot".   The reaction times of players hearing negative remarks were measurably slower.   And these were athletes who trained frequently to play a consistent game and not make unforced errors (see Reader's Digest, February 2006, pp. 173-174).

I want to be your encourager.   You can do all things in Christ.   You need to know this in order to fully live the Kingdom.   Are you encouraged?   How can I help you realize your full potential of gifts and purpose?

I want to end with one final comment on the Kingdom of God and our plan to fully experience it.   God wants us to experience the Kingdom this year more than we ever have.   I can speak on God's behalf when I say it because the whole Bible is an invitation to it.

Our friend, Dr. James Garlow, told us a story a few years ago when he came for the leadership conference.   It is a story that he has personally recounted to me again.   It is one that I believe speaks of the level of attitude we must have if we're really serious about wanting great things to happen here.

On his way to church early one morning, Jim was preparing his mind for the message.   He preaches to six thousand people who come to the Skyline Wesleyan Church every Sunday morning.   On his way to the church he stopped to get gas at a station.   As he was pumping gas, a man in a pick-up truck pulled up to him to use the next pump.   This man jumped out of the car and spoke to Jim.   He said, "hey, you've got to come to my church this morning.   God is there."   Jim smiled and said, "I can't do that.   I'm on my way to my church."   The man said, "It doesn't matter.   You have to come to my church. God is there."   Jim smiled again and said, "No, I appreciate your invitation, but I'm a pastor and I'm preaching this morning."   "It doesn't matter," the man said, "you've got to come to my church.   God is there."   Jim chuckled to himself and blessed the brother before going on his way.

"But," Jim said as he drove down the road to go to his church, he felt an inward passion because, "I wanted to go to this man's church.   God was there."

Get ready.   Do you really know that God is here?   The Kingdom of God is here!   It's time that we experience all the reality of its power.   Are you ready?

Amen.