Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

1 Corinthians 2:11-16; John 3:1-8

“Poured In and Poured Out”

Rev. Meagan M. Boozer

When you come into my daughter Katy’s house, you can either go directly into their living room, or you can take a quick right and go up the stairs. If you go up the stairs, you will find at the top of the stairs a room to your left and a room to your right. If you go into the room on the left, you will find yourself in a pink & purple princess land. There are pretend dress- up clothes hanging on little dragonfly hooks. There is a pretend kitchen in the other corner, dolls that were part of Katy’s childhood world on the shelves, and stuffed animals galore. When you walk into that room, you feel like sitting on the floor and having a tea party. It is a room for a little girl, our granddaughter Riley, who is without a doubt, a girly girl.

However, if you decide to turn to the right at the top of the stairs, you will walk into sports land. With walls painted blue, miniature sports pennants on the walls, sheets and blankets with sports logos, a mobile with different kinds of balls, and little blue jogging suits in the closet, this room speaks of action and adventure. Even before our little grandson, “Luke Thomas Dortenzo” has been born (he is due on June 28^th), his parents have made a significant investment in what he will be surrounded by once he comes home from the hospital. Will these things influence him? You bet.

Riley and I play a little game when she comes to my house. It’s called the stomp game. In my living room I have an area rug with designs on it. Riley likes to stomp her foot in the middle of one of the designs, and when she stomps, I play a loud low note on the piano. We will do this, getting faster and faster, until I break into a quick little running song. When I do that she squeals and starts running around to the music. This past Monday, we were playing the stomp game. Katy, at 7 ½ months pregnant, was across the room, sitting in a chair, resting her feet. All of a sudden Katy said, “I don’t believe this.” “What?” I asked. “Every time you hit a note, this baby is kicking his foot out.” We tried it some more. Every time he responded. Oh my! It was such a vivid reminder of the level of influence we have on these little ones, even when we don’t think they are paying attention!

Children are born of the flesh. We all understand this. Sometimes in the midst of labor and delivery, mothers wish babies weren’t born this way, but this is the way it is. All of us were born of the flesh. This is one thing we have in common: We were born from a woman, into the flesh. There’s no getting around it: Every single one of us has a mother who gave birth to us in the flesh. Is there anyone here who would dispute this? I didn’t think so.

Now, with this undisputable truth in our minds, let’s listen to our Scriptures for today (from The Message by Eugene Peterson):

John 3:1-8, “There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.” Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to- to God’s kingdom.” “How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?” Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to the original creation- the ‘wind hovering over the water’ creation, the invisible moving the invisible, a baptism into a new life- it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch- the Spirit- and becomes a living spirit. So, don’t be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’- out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God.”

1 Cor. 2:11-16, “For what human being know what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now, we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom buy taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual. Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”

It’s like this: If you speak only English and people around you are speaking only Spanish, there’s no way you can understand what people are saying unless you have an interpreter- someone who knows both languages and who can translate the Spanish into English.

As people born of the flesh, we are already full of sin from the moment we are born. As sinners, there is no way we can understand what a holy, sinless God is saying, unless we have an interpreter- someone who know what God is saying- and can translate it to us in a language we can understand.

The Holy Spirit of god is the Interpreter who comes and lights that pilot light inside of us the very moment we claim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit comes to us and brings new birth of the Spirit, which is then added to our first birth of the flesh. Listen to these words form the Scots Confession, written in 1560, “By the transgression of conspiring against the sovereign majesty of God, generally know as original sin, the image of God was utterly defaced in man, and he and his children became by nature hostile to God, slaves to Satan, and servants to sin. And thus everlasting death has had, and shall have, power and dominion over all who have not been, are not, or shall not be reborn from above. The rebirth is wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost creating in the hearts of God’s chosen ones an assured faith in the promise of God revealed to us in his Word; by this faith we grasp Christ Jesus with the graces and blessings promised in him.” (3.03, Book of Confessions)

Until we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the primary work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to convince us that we are full of sin (conspiring against the sovereign majesty of God, which is choosing our own way and will over God’s way and will). Before we come to faith, the Holy Spirit works to convince us of our need for Jesus Christ, to convince us of the truth, and to enable us to put our faith in him. (John 16:7-15) The work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the unbeliever is an outside work.

But, the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is an inside work. Once that pilot light has been lit, what was once bathed in darkness is now bathed in light; what was once difficult to understand, becomes more understandable. “Sin” becomes a real struggle for us as Christians, whereas before we had the Holy Spirit within us, we just did whatever we wanted without guilt or concern of whether it was right or wrong. Now many of you probably don’t remember ever feeling that way because many, if not most of you, grew up in the church, knowing Jesus as your Lord. But let me say out loud what we already know: There are more and more adults, and therefore more and more teenagers and children outside these walls who have no idea who God is, no idea who they are as people created in the image of God, and no idea what kind of life God desires for them. Sin means no more to them than a sentence in Spanish would mean to most of us.

At one point or other in our lives, we have been blessed with someone who poured spiritual care into us. Whether that person was a mother or father, a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a sibling, a neighbor, a Sunday school teacher, etc. God brought someone into our lives to help us come to know him or we wouldn’t be here today. Even those people in our lives who have caused us trouble and distress, if we came closer to the Lord in the midst of that trouble, then we can say that God used even those people to pour into us what we needed so that we could get where we are today.

Other than God himself, who is it you most credit for your spiritual birth? If it was your biological mother, what a great day to thank God for her faithfulness. If it was a different woman in your life, then this is also a great day to thank God for providing you with both a biological and a spiritual mother. Whoever it was (or is), if he/she is still living, I want to encourage you today to take time to thank this person for their influence in your life. Even if you’re sitting right beside them and see them practically every day, please stop for a moment and tell them thank you for pouring spiritual care into you so that you could be born from above. If the person is no longer living, let’s take time to thank God right now for what they did for you.

It is one of our greatest joys and responsibilities as the Body of Christ, to help raise children up to know God, know God’s Word, and love & serve God through the ministry of the Church. Children who come to Sunday school and worship together with their parents over the school years are 81% more likely to remain in the church throughout their lives. Those children and teenagers who don’t come with their parents are only 36% more likely to remain in the church, as they grow older. We’re talking about the importance of the influence of mothers and fathers here- mothers and fathers who set before their children an example of faithfulness to God first and foremost above all else.

Doesn’t the Holy Spirit convict us of our job as biological mothers and fathers, AND spiritual mothers and fathers? Doesn’t the Holy Spirit pour into us so that we can pour back into others? What happens when there is a source of water running into a pool, but no outlet? The water stagnates. It needs to move. It needs to flow in order to stay life-giving and fresh.

Folks, we need to recognize the presence and draw on the power of the Holy Spirit within us; we need to let the Holy Spirit pour more power into us, and then, we need to pour out into the lives of others, but most especially our children and our youth- because if the Holy Spirit is not born in them, what hope do we have for the generation next in line? (And I’m not talking about the survival of the church, I’m talking about the saving of souls!)

On this Mother’s Day, I have two pleas:

Parents- PLEASE make nurturing your child(ren) in the matters of faith your TOP priority. Not sports, not grades, not popularity, not clothes, not making money at work that keeps them away from church. Make nurturing their faith The Top priority. They may not like it. I remember having to force medicine down the throats of my kids when they were too little to understand why they needed it. So, as parents we may have to use a little parental pressure. But, if you believe that knowing the Lord and his Word is the ultimate healing medicine for the sin sick life, then a little pressure is worth the effort, isn’t it? Your children will eventually thank you for pouring into them and not taking the easy way out.
Please, all of us, let’s take our role as spiritual mothers and fathers of the children among us seriously. If you have a gift that could help children learn to know God better, step up and volunteer to use that gift instead of guarding your time like its all yours. Our time is God’s time. We’re all here because we’re not in heaven yet. Our time here is meant to be used to get more people to heaven, not make a piece of heaven for ourselves here on earth. All that we have has been poured into us. We have to start pouring back out. In my office is a preview box from Pioneer Club. This program is usually an after school or evening time for kids that teaches them how to use their gifts and talents in a way that honors God and honors others and honors their own abilities. This church had a pioneer club for many years. Maybe its time we invested ourselves in the children and families around us by offering Pioneer Clubs again. As I said, the box is in my office. If you want to take a look at the materials, just let me know you’re going to pick that box up and take it home for a couple of days. Of course, there’s always a need for qualified, spirit-filled Sunday school teachers for our children (if the parents would bring them). Our nursery care during worship struggles some because come Sunday morning, we all want to be together over here, not over there. Come on, grandpas, grandmas, anyone- take a Sunday and go play and read to the children. Pour out as you have been poured into. Bible school is coming up from August 6-10^th. We want to put a float in the Path Valley Picnic this year based on our OK Corral Theme. How can you pour out so our kids know how much you and God love and care about them?

I started out this morning talking about a stairway. At the top of Katy’s staircase are two rooms for our grandchildren: Little Riley and Luke Thomas will be mighty influenced by all that surrounds them in those rooms.

Now, try this image in your mind’s eye: One day we will all be going up the stairway to heaven. At the top of those stairs will be one of two ways we will go based on whether we have been born only of the flesh or born of the flesh and the Spirit. It is my prayer (and I hope you make it yours) that the influence we choose to make together as the family of God on the children and youth among us, will deliver a multitude of souls into the open arms of God. Amen.

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

5-14-2006