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Last week I delivered the first sermon of a series that I am calling the "One to Another Series." I began by telling you that my foundational thesis for this series is a product of things which I have seen, things which I have heard, and things that I have experienced throughout the ministry that God has called me into.

We are living in a world filled with people desperately searching for answers to the problems of life and the sad truth is they are not finding those answers - EVEN in the church.

This search for something deeper than what the world has to offer is nothing new. It had become a serious intellectual and spiritual project in the Mediterranean world even by the fifth century B.C. It is from this search of deeper meaning that the words of Amos come:

"They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it." (Amos 8:12 NRSV)

The human need to know how to live is perennial - eternal. It has never been more desperate than it is today.

Men, women, and children MUST be taught what the Bible has to say about how we are to live in community with one another and how God expects each one of us to order our own lives. It is imperative to our survival! For far too long humankind has attempted to live avoiding the inescapable truths found in God’s Word and NOW we are paying the price!

For the last year we heard a lot about "Getting Ready" for the "Y2K problem." People went and filled their cupboards with canned goods. They filled jugs with water. There was a rush on batteries, flashlights, and generators. My wife and I bought 12 cans of Beenie Weenies and a key ring flashlight. Preachers were even on television and radio claiming the end of the ages and that while the midnight cried Jesus would come!

My wife and I decided to usher in the Millennium by attending an evening of Southern Gospel music at the Charlotte Coliseum with Bill Gaither, The Hoppers, The Gaither Vocal Band, The Happy Goodmans, and more. The MC for the evening even began the event by announcing "Are you READY? Are you Ready for Jesus to come tonight??" To which I said to my wife "Yes I am ready but it won’t be tonight!"

The world is READY. Ready for some real answers to some real issues. Ready for workable solutions to what appears as unworkable problems. Ready for peace of mind and a sense of security in the midst of danger.

When I decided to write this series and deliver it I made a decision to lead us as individuals, and as a church on an intentional journey toward Discipleship. I can assure you of this - you and I can never become the Disciples of Jesus that we are to be unless we are willing to allow God to have absolute control of our lives.

The story is told about a man named Joe Ashball. Joe was an adventurous man who loved to get close to nature by taking hikes up hill and in uncharted territories. As he was enjoying an absolutely gorgeous day of walking he allowed his mind to become overly focused on the beautiful sky above that he failed to pay attention to what was in front of him. In a moment he found himself falling! Realizing quickly that he had stepped off the side of a cliff he reached out and grabbed a thin tree that was growing out of the side of the cliff. He had fallen too far to swing up and it was certain death if he tried to fall.

Joe hung there praying with all of his heart that he wasn’t going to die! "Dear God PLEASE help me! PLEASE send someone my way! I know I haven’t been all that devoted to you but I PROMISE God, if you just get me out of this I’ll even become a missionary!" Joe began to scream for help hoping that by some slim chance someone either above or below would hear his cries.

"HELLLLLLLLLLLLP!! HELLLLLLLLLLLLLP!!! IF ANYONE IS UP THERE OR DOWN THERE PUHLEEEEEEEEEZE HELLLLLLLP ME!!!!!!"

All at once there was a voice!

"I’ll help you!"

"THANK GOD!!"

"You’re welcome!"

"Huh?"

"Joe, I am God and I heard your pleas and I have come in person to help you!"

"Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!"

"Joe I have to ask you one very important question first. Joe do you believe?"

Joe, hanging by the bent little tree looked down - waaaaaaaay down.

"YESSSSSSSSSSS God I believe!!!"

"Great Joe then the solution is very simple. Let go."

"Huh? Wha. . .What did you say God?"

"Joe - Let Go."

There was a loooooooooong dramatic silence until Joe was heard to say:
"IS THERE ANYONE ELSE UP THERE???????"

That’s the hard part for all of us - letting go of the control of our lives and allowing God to have control. That’s the first step we must take to becoming Disciples of Jesus.

Allowing God to have control of our lives is something which requires a transformation in our lives, a new way of thinking and doing.

If you were here last Sunday you will remember that I spoke about the life of a Pharisee. The fundamental mistake of the Pharisee is that of focusing on actions and being intensely self-conscious about doing what is seen as being the right thing and being seen doing the right thing. While a Pharisaic individual gives the appearance of doing all the right things, the inner dimensions of their personality, their heart and character, are left to remain contrary to what God has required.

What does God require? Not giving the appearance of being Holy but actually BEING holy.

In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus gives us a lesson from the perspective of a Dishwasher. "You fine folk," he says to the religiously proper, "are in REAL trouble! Ever so carefully you wipe clean the outside of the cup or dish. But that leaves the inside full of crud! What you need to understand is that if you will first scrub the inside of the cup, the outside becomes clean in the process!" (Matthew 23:25-26 Osborne’s)

It is easy to clean the outside of a cup without washing the inside, but it is hard to wash the inside thoroughly and leave the outside dirty. Washing the inside has as its natural accompaniment the cleansing of the outside.

It is the inner life that we must aim to transform, and then behavior will naturally and easily follow. It is this inner life that God is interested in.

The Bible plainly tells us: "for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7 KJV)

God looks on the heart but how often do we? We go through all the right actions. We come to Sunday morning Bible Study and we sit and listen as we are taught God's Word and its relevance for today. But how often do we study Scripture without being motivated to make any changes in our lives? We go through the process of sitting through a worship service and we hear the reading of Scripture, the prayers, the music, the spoken Word, and how often do we allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate our very being deep into our heart and create newness within our heart? Each year we go through revival experiences and how often are we actually revived? How often are we willing to let down the barriers we erect to protect our egos and to protect ourselves from change and vulnerability.

The modern wonders of medicine have made it possible, as many of you can attest, to take the human heart out, repair it, and place it back where it came from allowing us to enjoy extended lives.

If we will allow Him, God can take our old hearts, perform radical surgery, clean out the valves and arteries that have become cold, indeifferent, calloused, filled with cynicism, sin, and give us more abundant, more productive, more joyful lives!

Jesus says to each of us this morning "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly above and beyond anything you could ever imagine!"

Today God asks you and I are we ready? Are we ready for that kind of life?

Ready to allow God to have control of our lives?

Are we ready to cease going through the motions and actually respond to the nudging, the pushing, and even at times shoving of the Holy Spirit of God?

I wish I could stand here and tell you it’s an easy thing to do. I wish I could promise you that you will never be called upon to walk through fires and valleys. I wish I could stand here and tell you that living that kind of life is easy - but I can’t.

I want to be truthful with you. It’s not an easy life, it’s not a comfortable life, not a life of ease and luxury, but it IS the kind of life that God demands of us and the rewards are out of this world. Are you ready for that kind of life?

The challenge to you and I this morning is to put the fear of change and commitment behind us and the fear of God within us.

Can we do that? Can you do that? Will you do that?

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