I. The Men's Retreat 00:01
Lord Jesus, we do make that our prayer this morning, Lord: that you would reveal yourself to us, that we might move in love to those around us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
So as all of you have probably heard or experienced, we had a great men’s retreat over the weekend. It was awesome. There’s something about that moment when you say, “No, I’m not doing anything else. I’m just going to the mountains and meeting God with my brothers.” That is so powerful. It was particularly special this year, as we celebrated Bishop Chris Moran’s first men’s retreat, and he brought a lot of the diocese and clergy, and they brought other people, so we got to connect across our wider body. God is really moving on the bishop’s heart to bring us as a diocese together as one body in Christ, rather than islands, little churches where we’re doing our thing and they’re doing… No, we’re all a part of this project God is doing in the Diocese of the West, in our wider communion, the Charismatic Episcopal Church. And it was really present there at that retreat: the unity among brothers. It was even brought up in the Psalms: how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity (Ps 133.1).
II. God Is Imparting Vision 01:12
Let me just say the number one thing I want you to know is the gratitude we have for what God is doing in our men, at this church and in our diocese. There are a couple of other things that were talked about that are very relevant for this Advent season.
Number one: God is imparting new vision this season. Advent, as we always talk about, is the beginning of the church year. It’s a new year. And you think about how secular people celebrate the new year. You’ve got your New Year’s resolution: new year, new you. You’re going to remake yourself in your own image. You’ve got this whole idea: “I’m going to make myself so beautiful. I’m going to lose 100 pounds.” People get crazy with these things. “I’m going to run a marathon. I’m going to love everybody so much better this year.” And then two days in they’re like, “Well, that was a really good dream I had on New Year’s Eve.”
That’s not the Christian version of New Year. The Christian version of New Year is that you get to die, just like always. You get to die to yourself. That was one of the great messages from our men’s retreat: the problem with following God is the man in the mirror. It’s you. Or, as Jim House said, “My problem with following God is Jim House. He gets in the way. He always wants to take over.” It’s exactly how we all feel. And that’s what happens when you make those New Year’s resolutions. You think it’s going to be a new me, new you, but then you wake up again and it’s you. The only new you is the one God makes in you by his Spirit.
And so when we start the Christian New Year, it’s, “I’m going to lay down my life and trust God and look for his coming.” There’s anticipation, there’s patience, there’s redemption, and guess what, I guarantee you there’s failure. The Christian New Year is not naive. We know that humans fail. But God is giving new vision right now, not so that you can be perfect today, but so that you can grow into the likeness of Christ tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day after that.
So he’s imparting vision, and he’s calling us to make a decision. Because every ideal, every vision, is also a judge. Because when you set up what you know you’re called to be, you have to look at yourself and realize, “I’m not that guy. I’m not that woman,” whoever you are. Not yet. That’s exactly the hope of Advent: not yet. I’m not there yet. And it calls you out of who you are into who God’s making you to be.
And so in Advent, when we talk about repentance, people get so twisted around this: “The judgment! Oh, I just feel the judgment of God on me. I just feel so sorrowful.” Yes, absolutely, sorrow for your sins. But don’t stay there. That’s the first part: you recognize how far you are from where God’s taking you. But then you repent, and God himself comes alongside you and lifts you out of the darkness and into the light. Not by your own strength, not by the new training program you’re doing. Those things can be helpful, but they’re not going to save you. God is.
III. God Breaks Down Walls 04:41
And so what we are talking about is how God himself is breaking down the walls you run into when you try to be who you’re called to be. Think about money, finances, influence, sin, relationships. All of these things can be walls in your life that you encounter, and you say, “I just can’t figure this out. My boss hates me.” Or, “I’m just not getting along with my wife.” Or, “My kids are out of control.” Or, “I can’t figure out how to break through the financial burden. Everything’s so expensive. You make more money, then things cost more, but you need more money.” You can get into a place where it feels like the challenges you’re facing in your life are insurmountable. But we serve a God who breaks down walls.
I mean, think about the story of Jericho. You’ve got this puny little tribe that’s been wandering the desert, and they come over and find this militarized fortress city, and God says, “Yeah, that’s your new home. Pick out your house.” And they’re looking at it and they’re going, “Okay, what do we do?” But God gave them the plan: “You’re going to walk around and sing some songs and play some musical instruments.” “We’re going to do what? Hold on, let’s reverse that. God, let me just confirm: you want us to walk around ringing bells, blowing trumpets and singing songs? That’s your plan?” And God says, “Yeah, do it. Not once; seven times.”
VeggieTales does a good job of this. They’re walking around the wall, and they’ve got these little green peas that represent the Jericho people, which is funny, because they’re supposed to be giants. And the whole thing is, they’re throwing slushies at them, and they’re making fun of them: “Look at these puny Israelites. Keep walking, you won’t knock down our wall.” I won’t sing. But they’re doing this thing, and the Israelites are getting discouraged. They’re like, “What are we doing?” But imagine in real life: they’re not throwing slushies. Rocks, arrows, whatever: they’re finding a way to discourage these dumb people who are walking around the wall as though that’s going to make a difference.
But what God was teaching them in that moment was: your yes to me brings down the walls. Because what happened? The walls of Jericho fell (Josh 6.20). On the seventh time they blow the trumpets, and the walls come crashing down. Why? Because they walked around and made a particular sound frequency with the trumpet that interacted with the wall? No. Because they were willing to be foolish for God. They were willing to just do what he said, and then he took care of the wall.
So you’re starting all these things. God’s imparting this vision. He’s calling you to make a decision, to say yes to him. And then you encounter these walls in your life, and you go, “Oh, it’s just this thing again. I just can’t break through.” Well, ask God what to do, and then say yes. I want to continue to emphasize: it’s not by your own power but by his Spirit that these things are going to change in your life. And he’ll make you powerful. That’s what he wants to do. He wants to make you ruling and reigning with him. He wants to give you all of the power to accomplish the things in your life. But the pathway to that power is through the cross, through giving it all to him, through laying down your life, through your simple yes.
IV. It's a New Year 07:55
And in the midst of talking about this, what’s God going to do? He gives vision and he breaks down walls. He’s going to create mature Christian leaders who are going to change the world. That’s what we were talking about at our clergy conference and our men’s retreat. We’re talking about the fact that God is raising people up. Everyone in this building has a calling in their life to change the world. But you can’t do it the way you are. You’re just not good enough. Praise God. If he thought he could do it with me… No, we have to change. He’s calling us to transformation. He’s calling us to more, better. He’s calling us to joy. He’s calling us to power: power to love one another, power to impact, through him, with him.
And finally, to wrap up, a summary of what was said at the men’s retreat (and you’ll see this is exactly what we’re talking about anyway): it’s a new year. The word is, “It’s a new year.” And we don’t just mean it’s just another year, just another day, have a party, celebrate the new year. No, God has made the world different today. That’s what he does: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21.5). But we’re in a particular season, in our culture and in the world and in our church, where God has made a new thing. And whatever steps you’ve taken before, the important step today is your next step. God is inviting everyone here to take the next step on the journey. It’s a new day. Things that once crippled you, you’re going to find, “Oh, God’s solved that problem for me. God gave me the courage. God gave me the plan. God gave me the faith to walk this out.”
There are things God does where he’s like a flowing river, and you’re standing on the banks, and you’re like, “Man, I can’t make it down there,” and you’re trudging along. And then God says, “No, just jump in.” And you jump in, and it just supercharges your journey. Why? Because you said yes to him. And that’s the invitation in Advent. You’ve been trudging along (and sometimes we jump in, sometimes we get out), and God says, “No, no, no, just come along for the ride. Let’s go. I have a place for you.” And it ends in the revelation of the Son of God coming as a baby to change and save the world. It’s just so good. The invitation is to get on board. It’s a new year.
V. Save, O Lord 10:22
And when we read Psalm 12, it’s this great, wonderful psalm to describe the way we can see the world today. You’ll recognize these people. In Psalm 12 it says:
1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man. Ps 12.1
How many times have you looked around at the celebrities and the leaders and been like, “Where are the godly people? They’re all evil. They’re all deceitful.” You look at the Epstein list and you’re like, “Who is holy? Not one.” I mean, I’m joking a little bit, but there is this despair that can set in as you see again and again people choosing destruction and corruption, and you could feel disillusioned, like the psalmist: “There’s not one godly person.” I’m looking at a whole room of godly people. But the reality is true that in our culture we can see the faithful have vanished from the children of men. We can see that. We can see the areas where things have gone to such a level of corruption that it seems like there’s no light out there.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. Ps 12.2
I mean, have you been on social media? “I know the truth. I’m going to tweet, and people are going to follow.” It just seems obvious to me that this psalmist would really relate to some of the stuff we see in the world.
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” Ps 12.4
How many liars are online, leading people to destruction, completely disregarding God, the Lord of all? They’re their own masters: “I tell people what to think and do.” Mainstream media, anybody? Not just the mainstream. I mean, let’s talk about… what’s that guy? Andrew Tate. What an idiot. If any of you listen to Andrew Tate, stop, and talk to me after; we’ve got some work to do. No, I’m just kidding. But the point is, everyone is trying to convince you that they know what’s up, and that if you just follow them, you’ll be saved. Well, we know that’s not true, because there’s only one person you have to follow: Jesus Christ. Anybody who tells you, “If you follow me, you’ll be saved,” is lying. If you follow him, you’ll be saved. That’s it. It’s very simple. But there are many people out there thinking they can prevail because they’re good at talking. It’s nothing. It’s lies. It’s wind.
VI. I Will Now Arise 13:45
Verse 5:
5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” Ps 12.5
“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan.” Man, you can feel that in our culture. You can feel a despair from the people who just can’t seem to make it, and they look around and see the wealthy getting wealthier, and they see the people online saying, “Oh, just do this,” and then it just fails, and they don’t know where to go.
I’ve got good news if you’re poor today: “I will now arise,” says the Lord. Who is the defender of the poor? God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth. Praise God: if you’re poor, you’ve got the best defender there is. And the word for Advent is: God’s arising. God looks at the world, he sees the brokenness, and he says, “I will arise, and I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
How many of you are out there feeling that insecurity, “I don’t know if I can make it,” and all you want is… maybe you’ve thought of it this way: “All I want is that feeling when I was a kid and I was home and I had no worries or cares.” What you’re longing for is the safety found in the embrace of your Father God. What you’re longing for is the peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil 4.7), which only comes by the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Turn to him. He will arise, and he will place you in the safety for which you long. And then it says:
6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. Ps 12.6
The words of the Lord that he just spoke are true and good. He didn’t make an error. There’s nothing mixed in there. It’s pure and good. But furthermore, we are the words of the Lord. All the language in Scripture in Advent about refining fire, and how he’s going to cleanse and purify (“Purify my heart, O God”): all of those words are because you are meant and called to be the word of the Lord, to bring the light to those who sit in darkness, in the shadow of death. We’re the body of Christ. And who is Christ but the Word of the Lord made flesh?
Did you know that when Jesus left, he said, “Church, continue to do what I’ve been doing. Go out and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28.19). I made disciples of twelve; you make disciples of the whole world, baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Bring the light.” Everywhere Jesus went, people were healed, people were set free, people who were in darkness could see. That’s our job. That’s Advent: become purified so that you can be the reality of Christ in the world. And what is God’s promise? God says (or the psalmist says to God):
7 You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. 8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man. Ps 12.7–8
“You, O Lord, will keep them”: that’s us. You don’t have to look far to see vileness being exalted among the children of men. But you also don’t have to be afraid, because God will keep us.
VII. The Messenger of the Covenant 17:26
So into that world, that world that struggles with doubt, with fear, with evil, with those lying tongues, with all of the stuff the psalmist is complaining about, God gives a promise in Malachi to us. He says:
1 Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Mal 3.1
Christmas is coming. God is going to show up in an instant, suddenly. I mean, of course Malachi is talking about John the Baptist, in our Gospel reading, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” preparing the way for Jesus to enter in, of course. But he’s also talking about the work of the Holy Spirit. Always, the Holy Spirit is the messenger who goes before the Lord, preparing the way. And where is he preparing the way? In the hearts of men. What is he doing to you today? He’s preparing you to receive the fullness of God.
VIII. Fire Night 18:46
I’ll talk about the retreat a little more. The Holy Spirit really fell at that retreat. We had a fire night (many of you have gone to our worship and prayer nights), and one story, just to encourage you that God is moving: A lot of people were receiving the power of the Holy Spirit in their life, praying in tongues, and God was really moving. And we were surrounding one guy. (I’ll just ask everyone to put this lady, Sheila, on your prayer list. She’s struggling with cancer, and that’s this guy’s wife, and things are not looking good.) And in his humility he came to the men’s retreat while his wife is struggling with a life-ending illness. He came, and he was willing to come forward. I had prayed with him previously, and he just said, “I don’t know what to do, but I trust God.” And I was like, “Hallelujah, what faith.”
And he came and stood in the middle, and we surrounded him, and there were a couple of guys between us, so I went up and put my hand on somebody who was praying for him, this guy Johnny. And later on he told me, as we were praying for him: “You know, when I became a Christian, I thought all that Holy Spirit gift stuff was nonsense, especially praying in tongues. That one’s really weird, and I did not like it.” And he goes, “But you walked up and put your hand on me while I was praying for Dan, and out of my mouth I just started speaking in tongues. I didn’t know what I was doing.” He was being empowered by the Holy Spirit. God wanted to do that. And I was there putting my hand on him, and he [God] goes, “Okay, Jesse, I’ll use you.” It’s not because I have some special gift. I don’t know that I’ve ever imparted the Holy Spirit before. I wasn’t even intending to impart the Holy Spirit. But God will use you if you say yes. You do the thing.
God is moving. He’s sending his messenger, the Holy Spirit, to prepare the way of the Lord in your hearts. If you’ve never felt like you’ve interacted with the Holy Spirit, come get prayed for today, because he is real, and you received him at your baptism. And you know what? Christianity is not about the words we say. It’s about the power God gives. The words we say are very important. But if it was just about the words we say, then go watch the best TED Talk you’ve ever seen, and you’ll get some really great words. I’ll collect a playlist and give it to you. You want the words without the power? I’ll give them to you. But what we do when we come on Sunday morning is look to encounter the living God, and we trust that he works through the words that are spoken, the words he’s given us, and he will transform us. And I love that line: “the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight.” You should delight in God. You should delight in the Holy Spirit within you.
IX. A Refiner's Fire 20:43
Okay, verse 2:
2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord. Mal 3.2–3
If you needed confirmation that God wants to purify you through the power of the Holy Spirit, there it is. It is what he does. And who are the sons of Levi? The priesthood. Well, when Jesus came, we entered into the new priesthood, the priesthood he is a part of, the order of Melchizedek. We don’t have to explain it all, but you are part of the priesthood of all believers. So who is he purifying today? You. Who’s going to spread the message to those who are dying in the shadow of death? You.
God has a job for you to do. He has a vision for you. And maybe it’s building a beautiful business. I mean, think about everything Jim House has done just by having a construction business. Imagine the thousands of people who have been impacted because he’s been faithful in his business. I know we call him out a lot, and so maybe he doesn’t want to be praised all that much from the pulpit, but he’s an amazing man. Or think about Deacon Johnson, the principal of our school. Think of the hundreds of children he has impacted, because he’s just been faithful. He’s just said yes to what God called him to do. I’m not saying your vision has to be “start an orphanage.” Maybe it is; praise God. But maybe it’s just “be the best grocery store manager you’ve ever seen,” by the power of the Holy Spirit. And then there are broken people who come into your grocery store who encounter the light of Christ, because you said yes. God will do it. He will.
X. Prepare the Way 22:56
Okay, the last scripture we’ll read today. In our Gospel we talk about John and the baptism for repentance and forgiveness of sins. And what was the prophecy about John? He would be:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3.4–6
We haven’t seen the fullness of that prophecy yet. We are still living in the age where we’re looking for when all flesh sees the salvation of God. Jesus absolutely fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets. He fulfilled all the prophecies. And we get to live out that fulfillment in our life. He’s still fulfilling through you.
Now, you talk about every valley and mountain: you imagine the landscape, with mountains and valleys and crooked places and rough places, and it’s like, yeah, the human heart is deceitful and wicked, and no one could know it (Jer 17.9). So when you look at what God is calling you to do today, and you get this vision, he’s calling you to let him make your heart new. If you have an external problem, you’ve got to look internal first. Let me tell you: God wants to write what’s on the inside here, and you can trust him with what’s on the outside there. He will make you the person who has the answer to your problem, by his power.
Maybe you’re struggling in your work, and you’re like, “Man, I have this project, and it’s just not going. Everything I do is just falling apart.” Well, rather than banging your head against the wall trying to fix that, ask God to help you become the man who has the answer for that. I want to be the person who, when somebody comes with a problem, it’s not my words they hear, but I’m able to help them see what the Holy Spirit is doing through them.
God is moving in a new and powerful way, and I just want everybody to pay attention to what he’s doing this season. It’s one of those things we say a lot: “Pay attention! Wake up! God is on the move!” There’s a reason we say it all the time. Because there are two magnetic poles in our life. There’s God, who is constantly wooing us, saying, “Come join me. Come on the path. Change. Repent.” But then there’s the enemy, and there are our own fleshly desires, which say, “Go this way. Don’t do that. Do whatever you want to do.” And so every Sunday morning, when you hear the words of the Scripture, the words of the liturgy, the words of the speaker, when you encounter God at the table, every Sunday morning is an opportunity for you to turn toward him again. And that’s the journey we’re on. The only secret to Christianity is: never give up. Just keep dying. Just keep repenting. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done; just turn to him again. He is so good. He is so good, and he has so much for you. Turn to the Lord and watch him work wonders in your life, again and again and again, till the day you die. And then you’ll see him, and you will be like him, for you’ll see him as he is (1 John 3.2). Praise God for that.
As we end, I’m just going to end with Paul’s prayer from the New Testament:
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Phil 1.9–11
I really don’t care how good you are at following the rules. If you have the love of God in you, you won’t need to be told what to do. Love will compel you. If you’re shaped by the love of God, you will be compelled to love others. That’s the whole journey: all the external rules are meant to be a part of you. They come into you so that you can love people well. That’s what he’s saying here. He wants your love to abound, not just the feeling, but with knowledge and discernment. You’ve got to love people well.
I mean, our world is so bad at this. It’s like, “unconditional positive regard.” That is not love. I don’t just unconditionally say, “Yes, you’re wonderful,” no matter who you are or where you are. If I go to my brother and I say, “Yeah, man, I’ve just been stealing from work, just $100 here and there. They make a lot of money over there at House Construction; $100 is not going to make a difference,” and my brother goes, “Oh man, cool, great,” is my brother loving me at that moment? No, he should sock me in the face: “Who are you? Turn away from that way, because it leads to death.” I’m just marching on the road to death, and my brother goes, “Keep going”? No. That’s unconditional positive regard.
No, it’s: “I will never stop fighting for the part of you that’s aiming toward him. And I’m going to beat up the guy who tries to convince you to steal from your boss, or cheat on your wife, or indulge your own fantasies or your own alcoholism. I’m not letting that guy live, because Jesus is killing him. I’m on Jesus’ side, killing the old man and raising you to new life.” Get some brothers around you in this season who will love you with knowledge and discernment. I’ll tell you, man, I know the people here in this church love me, because I get a lot of correction. Let me tell you, they love me so well, with knowledge and discernment. I learned it first from my dad, but it has continued.
Why? “So that you may approve what is excellent.” Don’t you want excellent in your life? I’m sick of okay, adequate, “it’ll do.” I want excellent. “And so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” December 25th: can we be pure and blameless for December 25th? It seems like a tall order. Start today. It never ends. God will continue to make you pure and blameless, “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
The fruit of righteousness: your vision of where God wants to take you, the fruit, the result of that vision, will be through the righteousness God imparts in you. The reason Jim has such a great company is that he let God beat the everliving badness out of him, over and over, humbly. The other person I called out, Phil: I mean, he gets beat up all the time. God will not let us go. He just makes us who he’s called us to be. And you can see it. I know it because of all the fruit of righteousness in his life. God is making you good, for his glory and your goodness.
So this Advent, seek the Lord. He may be found. Prepare the way; it’s a new day. Be bold; people are listening. And love one another with an abounding love. Amen.