If you’ve been here for the last several weeks, you know we are looking at what it means to be Wesleyan. Adam Crooks asked this question, “Can you give your life for the Cause?” That Cause is building Christ’s Kingdom here in Preston, Martinsville/Henry County and throughout the world. If you were here the last few weeks, you could think that The Wesleyan Church is simply about social issues such as; slavery, human trafficking, taking care of the down and out, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. But if we go back to those beginning years, back in 1843, when Orange Scott and his comrades split from the Methodist Episcopal Church that was just part of the story. Orange Scott was a True Wesleyan. He even had a paper called the True Wesleyan. What was a true Wesleyan in Scott’s eyes? They were drawn by their passion for social justice in the name of Jesus Christ. Scott said, “We are anti-slavery, anti-intemperance (anti-alcohol), and anti-everything wrong” believing as Peter once said, “We must obey God rather than men.” It’s interesting to note that these men had no intentions of starting a new denomination. In fact at the close of the Civil War, many Wesleyan leaders returned to Methodism. Why? Because slavery had been abolished and they saw no reason for the continued existence of the denomination.
But there was one man, a man whose name you’ve heard before. His name was Adam Crooks. Many Wesleyan Methodists had become concerned with the direction of the mother church (Methodist Episcopal.) They had started drifting away from the teachings of their founder , John Wesley. Crooks and other like-minded men and women, saw this as an opportunity. They would raise up this little denomination (and the time was right) on the platform of preaching biblical holiness. In fact, Wesleyan Methodists were the first denomination to have a separate article of religion specifically on entire sanctification. And we still have an article on sanctification in our discipline. How does it read?
236. We believe that sanctification is that work of the Holy Spirit by which the child of God is separated from sin unto God and is enabled to love God with all the heart and to walk in all His holy commandments blameless. Sanctification is initiated at the moment of justification and regeneration. From that moment there is a gradual or progressive sanctification as the believer walks with God and daily grows in grace and in a more perfect obedience to God. This prepares for the crisis of entire sanctification which is wrought instantaneously when believers present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, being effected by the baptism with the Holy Spirit who cleanses the heart from all inbred sin. The crisis of entire sanctification perfects the believer in love and empowers that person for effective service. It is followed by lifelong growth in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The life of holiness continues through faith in the sanctifying blood of Christ and evidences itself by loving obedience to God’s revealed will.
Not only was this new denomination passionate about social issues in the name of Christ, but they were passionate about believers living a holy life. They knew that believers who knew Christ should look and act differently than those who didn’t know Christ. In our Discipline there are several texts to back up those claims, but I want to go to Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, chapter 5. His letter gets to the heart of what it means to be separated from sin and separated to God.
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have the light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead and Christ will give you light.”
So be careful how you live. Don’t’ live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Whew! Let’s go back and try to unpack this in these few moments. The scriptures tell us to imitate God. So many times when we think of imitations, we think of cheap knock-offs like imitation leather or a cubic zirconium. Who in their right mind would want a cubic zirconium when you could have a real diamond? Who would want fake leather when you can have the real thing? See where this is going? Who wants to have a imitation Christian life, when you could have the real thing? God is the real deal. Christ is the real deal and the scriptures say that if we want to please God and build his Kingdom we must imitate God. About the best way I can describe this is through that old gospel song that says, “O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer; Gladly I’ll forfeit all of Earth’s treasures, Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear. Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art! Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness; Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
Can you imagine what our lives would be like if Christ’s image were stamped on ours…That we would be a perfect reflection of Christ? So many say that it’s a pipe dream, to be able to live a life the way Christ has called us to live. Can I dare ask the question, “Why would Christ call us to live something that was impossible to do?” Why would Christ want us to live in that frustration? I can imagine a God that would call us to live a holy life and then not give us the resources to live it. Paul says, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse sin.” Some would say that we sin in thought, word, and deed every day.” Paul goes on to say, “Live as people of light, not of the darkness. That is your former life, not the one you live now.” He says to carefully determine what pleases the Lord.
I also believe that the scripture teaches that we don’t have to do it alone. Paul tells us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is why we don’t have to go it alone. Matter-of-fact, to try to live the Christian life without the guidance of the Holy Spirit IS and exercise in futility. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our life we will be sexually immoral; we will be impure; we will be greedy; we will want to laugh at dirty or off-color jokes; we will want to tell obscene stories and there are a hundred other things that we will do when are lives are not filled with the Holy Spirit.
As Wesleyans we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to help us live the holy life that Christ has called us to live. It is not a pipe dream. God is calling us. As we prepare for communion this morning, here’s what I want you to do. It is always a good thing to examine ourselves before the Lord before taking communion. In just a few moments, we are going to have a time of silent mediation to do that. I want you to ask God to show you places in your life where the Holy Spirit needs to work on you and ask Him to do that. Then as you come to receive communion, give that to God and ask Him to transform you this week in that area. Try me on this, God is faithful and He will keep his promise to help you win the victory.
