Automatic or Charismatic
(Sermons, List 6)
Text: John 14:16-17. “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him or knows Him; but you know Him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.
Sooner or
later every Christian arrives, if only temporarily, at the point of despair -
realizing he will never be able to satisfy God’s demands for holiness. (1st Peter 1:15-16). Most of us are
not good enough to brag about. And no matter how good we may become, we will
always remain short of God’s glory. (Romans
3:23). However, when that
feeling of despair bothers you, remember this: God did not save you because you
were worthy of salvation, and He does not keep you because you have become
worthy. As Titus 3:5-7 says: “Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”
whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that
having been justified by his grace we should become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.”
Try anyway
Even
though Christians are imperfect they are obligated to live as best they can. So
all of us would be wise to try very hard to do so. (1st Peter
1:13-16). However, we were saved “according to His mercy,” being “justified
by His grace,” and we are “heirs” of “eternal life.” With
His blood, Jesus bought us an
“eternal redemption” that provides for an “eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:11-15).
The English word “grace,” in Titus 3:7, came from the Greek word
“charis.” One meaning of “charis” is “gift.” So the “grace” by which we were
justified is God’s gift to us. That gift, by which we were both saved and
justified, resulted from God’s mercy through Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself. We did not deserve it and we cannot earn the
right to keep it.
As Paul said in another place, “God “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.” (Titus
2:14). So, if we ever
attain the status of “a peculiar people, zealous of good works,” we must credit God -
Who “gave himself for us,”
and now works in us toward that end.
Some Christians refer to themselves as “charismatic” due to the spiritual gifts they have that seem dependent on receiving Christ’s Baptism in the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8 & 1st Corinthians 12:1-10). The baptism should affect the personality of the baptized one, making him at least appear more charismatic, an appearance related directly to his cooperation with the empowering Spirit.
The results of the Holy Spirit baptism have been known to
enable people to preach the word effectively and to see the word confirmed with
“signs following,” as Mark 16:20 promised. In fact, when Peter preached his
first recorded sermon, almost immediately after his Acts 2:4 experience, he
preached boldly to hostile Jews and three thousand came to Christ. Considering
Jesus’ advice to the original Apostles, everyone who aspires to doing the work
of an apostle should seek Him until they, too, receive the “the promise of my Father”
and are “endued with
power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). As someone
else said, “Christ’s Holy Spirit Baptism does not give us more of the Spirit;
it gives Him more of us.” And that’s necessary if He is to minister any of the
nine spiritual gifts through us. (1st Corinthians 12:1-11).
More
Salvation from sin was not the end of God’s contribution to our eternal welfare. He did not leave us to fight the battle against sin alone. Although the use of the word “charismatic” is correct as I described it, there is more to the story. Every born-again believer in Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit at the time of his conversion. Ephesians 1:1-14 calls that receipt the “earnest of our inheritance.”
As Romans 8:9 indicates, anyone who is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit does not belong to Christ. The original Apostles received The Holy Spirit on the evening of the day Jesus arose from the dead. (John 20:22). The spiritual gifts He promised came fifty days later at Pentecost.
Your helper
If you have been born-again, the “comforter” is at work in you
to help you on your way to your inheritance in glory. His work began with your “washing of regeneration.”
(Titus 3:5). But the “renewing of your mind”
is an ongoing process in which you must cooperate if it to be as successful as
God desires. (Romans 12:1-2).
Note: Titus 2:14 says God “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works.” Ephesians
5:25-26 emphasizes the fact that God does the heavy work. “Christ also loved the
church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it
with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to
himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but
that it should be holy and without blemish.
Born-again
Christians who cooperate, by denying self, feeding on God’s word, and allowing
the Holy Spirit to apply it to their lives and life-styles, should eventually
be able to say, with the Apostle Paul: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).
Helper
required
Paul was not bragging
here. He had absolutely no confidence in self. His trust was in the One who
saved him despite his claim of being the
“chief” of sinners. (1st
Timothy 1:15). He said,
of himself, “For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform
what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but
the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do,
it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.” (Romans 7:18-20).
No Christian is perfect; we are all only forgiven. Each of us experiences failures in performance at least as bad as Paul’s were. Although God created a change in us when we were saved He did not do away with our sinful natures. Our flesh is not improved by salvation; it remains unredeemable. Paul could not improve his behavior in his own power. His flesh was as unruly as ours. He trusted Christ, who would eventually “deliver” him (and us) “from the body of death.” (Romans 7:34-25).
Paul’s trust was the kind espoused in Hebrews Three and Four. He had entered into God’s rest, where he could rely on the righteousness of Christ for his salvation. But he did not quit trying to please the One who saved him. Note: Our deliverance from the “body of death” will be complete only after our unredeemable bodies are either destroyed by death or transfigured at the resurrection. (Genesis 3:19 & 1st Corinthians 15:50-57).
Charismatic power
Something more than
self-motivation is required for pleasing God. A life-style that satisfies Him
must employ the God-given power residing within us. That power is “charis,” the
gift Strong’s Concordance describes as “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.”
Note the importance of
cooperating with The Holy Spirit as He attempts to influence your heart. The
results of His efforts, and your cooperation, are reflected in the way you
live.
It’s charismatic
As Jesus described Him, the
Holy Spirit is the “paraclete” who would be both with us and in us. (John 14:16, 17 & 26). He is the source of our
power to live godly lives. That power is charismatic, or God directed.
It is not automatic. We must cooperate as the Paraclete entreats and
exhorts us to serve Christ rather than self.
The word “charismatic” can be used to describe the only way to live a successful Christian life. It depends on a power source we cannot control and it demands complete trust in the Provider. God wants us to serve Him out of a heartfelt desire to please Him above all else. (Exodus 20:3 and Matthew 22:37). Pleasing Him requires us to obey His commandments. (John 14:15). It also requires us to respect Him in a way that involves awe of Him, causing us to avoid even the “appearance of evil.” (1st Thessalonians 5:22, KJV).
I repeat: Compliance with those requirements is so difficult as to be
impossible for fallen human beings. So, thank God for the charis that encourages
charismatic living. Charismatic living is “grace-moving” as opposed to “self-moving.” It is
“charismatic” in that it results from a miracle - where God’s grace operates in
us to perform His will through us.
Not automatic
Although God’s grace comes to us automatically because we are His, the results of His grace in our lives is dependent on how we allow it to operate. It’s sort of like the current that flows in an electrical circuit, being affected directly by the voltage applied and the resistance it encounters.
Ohm’s Law says it like this: I = E/R where “I” is work (expressed as amperes); “E” is power applied (expressed as voltage); and “R” is opposition to the power (expressed as resistance). Try to relate that formula to your self, noting that God’s Holy Spirit is the power source, His expressed will represents work to be accomplished through you. And your resistance hinders production.
No condemnation
Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Condemnation is akin to the heat produced by resistance; it makes us uncomfortable.
Don’t resist God; He took the penalty of your sin on Himself to free you from both guilt and condemnation. Consider this Proverb: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Don’t misunderstand. The two verses in Proverbs Three do not represent a license to steal (and neither does anything else I’ve said here). Although grace is free it comes with obligations. God did take the penalty of your sin on Himself. But remaining free from guilt and condemnation requires trust in the Savior that generates submission to His leading. We must “heed” his words “earnestly “lest we drift away.” We cannot afford to “neglect so great a salvation” since disobedience earns a “just reward.” (See Hebrews 2:1-3).
How to cooperate
The passage in Proverbs, Chapter Three,
continues: “Do
not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be
health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” (Proverbs 3:7-8).
Obeying God helps to free us
from the distractions of Satan and his helpers, making us able to enjoy life
“more abundantly” in Christ.
(John
10:10).
Charis again
The Apostle Peter used the word “charis,” in his Second Epistle,
as he outlined ways in which we should try to please our Savior. Those ways
require cooperation with the helper Jesus sent - to aid us in receiving the
full measure of God’s grace and peace.
Peter said, “Grace
and peace be multiplied to you in
the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us
all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who
called us to glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But
also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to
virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to
perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who
lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that
he was purged from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to
make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never
stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2
Peter 1:2-11).
Don’t be either blind from shortsightedness or
barren from lack of obedience. Cling to the Vine, Christ Jesus, and become
fruitful as He commanded. (John 14:4-5). Learn to know the
LORD, discover His will for you, and work at obeying Him. His power gift does
not operate automatically. In fact, it cannot help you much without your
cooperation. You need not concern yourself with initiating monumental tasks in
His name. Simply submit to Him, allowing Him to do His will in and through you
as He directs.
Remember: The vehicle of Christian living is
powered charismatically but it is not geared to run automatically. You must
decide whether yours moves forward, or backward, or simply stands still. One
good way to help insure a forward movement consists of giving God more of you
through submission to Christ’s Holy Spirit Baptism.
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David E. Beneze, 17 September 2001, 1006
Fairview Ave., Canon City, CO 81212. Latest revision 15 March 2007.
Page last updated 2:22 PM 5/23/2007