Dare To Be

Dare To Be!

Text Ephesians 5: 8-20

Introduction:

Gen

adam (9a); from an unused word; man, mankind:—any man (2), anyone (4),
anyone’s (1), being (1), common sort (1), human (19), infantry (1), low degree
(1), low (1), man (363), man’s (20), man (1), mankind (9), men (104), men of
low degree (1), men’s (3), men (4), mortal (1), one (3), people (1), person (5),
person (1), persons (3), population (1), someone (1).

From Isaiah 6:5 Woe is me for I am ruined or Undone.

damah (198c); a prim root; to cease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy:—
cease (1), completely cut off (1), cut off (2), destroy (1), destroyed (1), perish (2),
ruined (5), silenced (1), unceasingly *(1).

What God has caused to be, sin has made unbecoming.

Hamlet's to be, or not to be.

I. Be Careful.

A. To live as light

The Guiding Light Beamed By A Boy

If we would only be as faithful in our religious life as many are in their earthly and business life, fewer souls would be stranded on the reefs of eternity. One night the keeper of the lighthouse on a rocky coast was taken ill and was unable to attend the light. The machinery became disordered and the light failed to revolve. A storm swept the dangerous coast and the keeper’s boy, a mere lad, climbed up to the lamp and during all the long hours of the stormy night turned with his own hands the lantern. In the morning, it was learned that two vessels with seven hundred souls on board had been able to make the harbor by the aid of the revolving light that had been kept in motion by the often tired, but ever vigilant boy. Unconsciously, the faithful boy had been the means of saving hundreds of lives, and all because he kept the light where it could be seen.—Topical Illustrations

Poking Holes In The Darkness

Robert Lewis Stevenson, best known for his adventure story Treasure Island, was in poor health during much of his childhood and youth. One night his nurse found him with his nose pressed against the frosty pane of his bedroom window. “Child, come away from there. You’ll catch you death of cold,” she fussed.

But young Robert wouldn’t budge. He sat, mesmerized, as he watched an old lamplighter slowly working his way through the black night, lighting each street lamp along his route. Pointing, Robert exclaimed, “See; look there; there’s a man poking holes in the darkness.”

Peter James Flemming, Preaching, November, December, 1994 p. 53

B. To Expose Darkness

"Woe is me." Isa. 6:5 Horatius Bonar says: "A new view of God's

holiness gives a deeper view of our sinfulness. The more we realize a

God of glory, the more we feel our unholiness and cry out in fear."

Dan. 10:8, Rev. 1:17 Conviction must precede cleansing.

The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence.

Marianne Moore~

C. To Bear Fruit

How to Plant a Garden

Submitted by: Bud Brown (gleaned from Proclaim)

budman@ispchannel.com

Plant three rows of peas:

Peace of mind

Peace of heart

Peace of soul.

Plant four rows of squash:

Squash gossip

Squash indifference

Squash grumbling

Squash selfishness.

Plant four rows of lettuce:

Lettuce be faithful

Lettuce be kind

Lettuce be obedient

Lettuce really love one another.

No garden is without turnips:

Turnip for meetings

Turnip for service

Turnip to help one another.

Water freely with patience and

cultivate with love.

There is much fruit in your garden

Because you reap what you sow.

To conclude our garden we must have thyme:

Thyme for reflection

Thyme for study

Thyme for prayer

II. Be Wise

A. As to the will of God

Carnality Is Stronger Than Will Power

Strong will power is no guarantee of getting a thing done. The trouble with our common worship of will power is that we leave out of account another factor that is even stronger. It is like the predicament of an old man who was wrestling with a balky mule. Concerning why he had not conquered the mule, He was asked, “Where’s your will power?” “My will power’s all right,” came the reply, “but you ought to come out here and see this here animal’s won’t power.” There is in all of us a “won’t power” that is more powerful than the strongest will power any human being ever had. Its name is sin.—Sunday School Times

Got What He Wanted

The carriage was being driven along the road. The mother sat on the front seat and the maid, caring for the spoiled baby, on the back

seat. The child began screaming for something. The mother impatiently said, “Why don’t you let him have what he wants?” The nurse let him have it. What he was crying for was a wasp on the window. Then he screamed vociferously when he felt the terrible sting of the wasp. The mother then called out to ask, “What is the matter with him now?” The maid quietly replied, “He got what he wanted.” How often have we seen this! It is better to seek the will of God first.

William Moses Tidwell, Pointed Illustrations ~

B. As to the evil times

Beautiful Hell

One memorable night, a young lad and an old Scotchman, being in Paris together, found themselves in front of one of the dens of infamy. The fragrance of the spices of Araby seemed to float in the air, and the sounds of music and dancing broke upon the ear. The glitter and dazzle of fairyland was at the door. The Scotch boy said, “What is that?” The body of the friend to whom he spoke now molders in the dust. The voice that answered is now singing praises to God on high; but the hand of that Scotchman came like a vise to the wrist of the lad who was with him and the voice hardened to a tone that he never forgot, as he said, “Man, that is hell!” What? It was a new idea to the country lad—Hell, with an entrance like that?--with all the colors of the rainbow; with all the flowers, beauty, and delightful scenery and attractions? He had thought hell was ugly.

*Think of Pinnochio. He too thought that he was in fine company as the offer to satisfy all his desires was presented. Heaven was what he thought until he saw the face of a donkey mirrored in the water as he stooped to drink.

C. As to opportunities presented

Wolves O’ Plenty

An organization in Montana offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. Two hunters named Sam and Jed decided to head for the hills and make some money capturing wolves. Day and night they scoured the mountains and forests searching for their valuable prey. Exhausted after three days of hunting without any success, they both fell asleep.

During the night, Sam suddenly woke up to find that he and Jed were surrounded by a pack of fifty wolves, with flaming red eyes and bared teeth, snarling at the two hunters and preparing to pounce.

Sam nudged Jed and said, “Hey, wake up! We’re gonna be rich!”

Sometimes when we are surrounded by what appears to be many difficulties, we may in fact be surrounded by many opportunities. The Chinese symbol for the word “crisis” actually combines the two words “danger” and “opportunity.” When a crisis occurs, we can choose to be frightened and cowardly, or strong and courageous. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Next time you find yourself in a jam, remember: “You’re gonna be rich!” You have the opportunity to learn and grow, and to experience the grace and power of God in that situation. Situations like that don’t come along every day!

III. Be Filled

A. A holy dwelling

Be filled with the Spirit.

ðíå™ìá

pneuma; from G4154; wind, spirit:—breath (3), Spirit (239), spirit (103),
spirits (32), spiritual (1), wind (1), winds (1).

As god breathed life into Adam, he desires you to be alive through the Spirit.

B. A habitual filling

It is a call to continual filling. Be being filled is the way the verb translates into English exactly. It is a constant exercise.

Do you know that you can resist the Spirit?

Acts 7:51 (NIV)

51“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!

The command to be filled presupposes the possibility to resist the filling, otherwise there would be no need for the command: Be Filled.

*If you fill a clay pot with a gallon of water and carry it on

your head it will soon grow heavy. However, when you swim

underwater you have many gallons of water on top of your head and the weight is not nearly as burdensome. Why the difference? The environment that you are in. When you are in an environment of air water is hard to carry. When you are in the environment of water it is easier.

So it is in the spirit. If you are in the environment of the

flesh, then God’s command are extremely burdensome. If you are in the environment of the Spirit they are much easier.

C. A harmonic joining

Notice the singing to one another, and the making music to God. There is a relationship that extends both horizontally and vertically as a result of being filled. Consider the command to love God and the one like it, to love your neighbor. Both are made possible through the Spirit.

*A teenager came home from choir practice early one evening. His father was incredulous. The boy had never come home early from anything. Looking over his paper he asked, “What brings you back so soon?” “We had to call off choir practice for this week,” the youth replied. “The organist and the choir director got in a terrible argument about how to sing ‘Love Divine,’ so we quit for tonight.”

Conclusion:

God created Adam, breathing the breath of life into him and making him a holy being. Sin marred the holy image so that we hear Isaiah say, "I am undone." The work of God among men has been to restore his creation to holiness again. We need the breath of God again to make us holy. Without it, we become undone, we perish. Dare to be holy. Dare to be who God created you to be.