I recently attended a concert of my daughters High School choir. Before the start the Choir director reminded the audience that the way to show proper etiquette was to not enter or leave during a song but between songs. He said that the students were preparing for an important competition and getting up during the performance was a distraction. Even though he asked the audience to comply a number of people got up during performances and returned without showing that respect. This reminded me when I was first attending the Church in the mid 1970’s. If you were out of the main hall and someone was performing special music and usher would stand by the doors and keep people out until the performance was over. This we were taught years ago but today we don’t see this as much. This is an example of common courtesy but what about more dramatic examples.

During the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 we lived just an hour outside that city when law and order broke down. Many people rioted out of anger but still others took advantage of the civil unrest and started looting. News crews would interview people coming out of appliance stores after looting electronics and asking them why they are destroying their community. I remember one interview of a lady with her small children in tow and she was asked if she felt what she was doing was wrong? She replied “If it were wrong then they would stop me”. During Hurricane Katrina we saw both heroes and villains and it seems that when tragedy strikes we see it bring out the best in some and the worst in others. Why is that? In 2006 I spoke about the increase of natural disasters as the end time increases. We looked at trends of other disasters and we saw a pattern of ever-increasing waves of disasters that resembled the words of Mark chapter 13:8 NIV Mark 13:8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. As labor progresses so do the severity and frequency of those pains.

Now your Bible might not use the terms birth pains like the New International Version did. Let’s look at the King James Version. KJV Mark 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 5604 odin {o-deen'} Meaning: 1) the pain of childbirth, travail pain, birth pangs 2) intolerable anguish, in reference to the dire calamities precede the advent of the Messiah Usage: AV - sorrow 2, pain 1, travail 1; 4 It seems as though the extent that the average person in the world is able to be an example of citizenship depends on whether things are going well or not. When times get really tough then civilization can completely break down. So as we keep the Feast of Pentecost can you be a living example when times get really tough? The Holy days point toward the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom here on earth. But before that happens we know that there is going to be a really dark time for humanity. That dark time will have untold horrors and trials for this earth and God’s called out ones will be witness to some of it just as we are witnessing tragedy on a daily basis.

The Title of the sermon today is: Being Living Examples Pentecost pictures not only the Holy Spirit coming to the church but the purpose of this event is to help transform us into the first fruits of God’s Kingdom. John 14:16-17 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- 17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. So we have the Holy Spirit that allows Christ to live in us. We can see Him and understand His plan for us. An unless anyone forget that we can know these things and still live our own lives we need to remember: 1 Corinthians 6:20 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. So as we look at Pentecost as first fruits, we need to ask ourselves, “Are we being living examples?” The Disciples had Jesus in the flesh to look at and learn from but what were they doing during the time between His death and the day of Pentecost?

John 20:24-29 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!" 27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." Now history has been really hard on poor Thomas. He is called doubting Thomas to this day. There are a couple of passages that are important to remember when trying to put this event into context.

First, let’s read what happened in the days leading up to this. We go back the eight days before this and Christ has just risen from the grave and the disciples are only just starting to learn that Christ is alive. This would be Sunday Morning before sunrise. Mary Magdalene went to the Tomb before sunrise to check on Jesus’ Body. She found the stone rolled. Luke 24:1-11 NKJ Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 "saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' " 8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. Let’s read John’s account and see why the Apostles thought this was like idle tales.

John 20:11-12 11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." This is reminiscent of the death of Lazarus when his sister Mary , cried so uncontrollable that Jesus wept. This display at the Tomb obviously moved Jesus because He immediately identifies Himself to Her. I remember these two women in their grief and how it moved Jesus each time I am in a huge trial. When we poor out our heart to God, He hears us. 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. So the woman did believe but the rest of the 11 did not according to Luke’s account. Now Thomas was with them when all of the disciples were denouncing this witness but later that evening he was not there when Christ appeared this time to the men as we can read in verse 19.

19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you." 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. There are two points to ponder here about Thomas, first of all he felt the same as the other 10 about doubting as we read by the fact that after confirmation the others were glad they saw him. Second of all, when Thomas was meeting Christ for the first time since the resurrection he did not have the Holy Spirit as the others did who were there earlier. So Thomas has been saddled with the label as the one who doubted when we find the other disciples preceded him in this same act. The Thomas incident serves as an example that Jesus used to teach the principle on faith. Regardless of who these disciples were when they were first called, it is clear that they became very different people and they began to grow. You and I also have been called to become a different person.

We have been called to become a living example of the Kingdom of God. What those Disciples went through with the death of Christ was a very traumatic time for them. One question that we have to ask ourselves is, “are we prepared to be a light in the darkness that is to follow. When the Hurricane Katrina was hitting our shores we had a recent history of Global disasters. On December 26th 2003 an earthquake in Bam Iran killed over 25,000 people. Exactly 1 year later, on December 26th 2004 there was another Earthquake in the Indian Ocean. This 9.1 Magnitude Quake was the third largest since 1900 and the resulting Tsunami killed over 230,000 people. One year later was a Magnitude 8.8 in the same area that claimed another 1300 lives. In this country we had witnessed a record year of Hurricanes in 2004 but 2005 turned out to break that record by over double culminating in the Katrina Disaster. I remember being asked at work by a few people if I thought this has biblical significance. I said the Bible does mention that these things will happen but did not press it too much because I knew these were only birth pangs of what is to come. I thought that if I started to tell people about bible prophecy then things would get quiet and then they would not worry anymore and then I would be discredited. Have you ever been in that situation?

Where someone asks you about the Bible and we hold back because we don’t want to deal with the aftermath? Currently it seems that we are in another one of those cycles. Although the Hurricanes are not in the news like they were six years ago, earthquakes and volcanoes are. The Pacific ring of fire is a horseshoe shaped area that travels around the coastlines of the pacific from New Zealand on one side up through the Philippines, Japan, Russia, then over the top to Alaska and down the pacific coast of North America ending in South America. Last year at the end of February there was a 8.8 magnitude Quake recorded off the coast of Chile in South America. At the time it was the fifth largest Quake since 1900. A year later we see on the other side of the pacific we see Earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. Japan’s 9.0 earth quake is now the number 4 largest quake and holds another distinction, the world’s most costly disaster. Add to that the unrest in the Middle east that is due in large part by rising food prices and economic hardship and we see the passage we read earlier in Mark 13:8 NIV Mark 13:8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. So what is next? And what will we say and do about our living example? When times get tough will we debase our character like those in Ancient Israel?

Or will we rise to the occasion like the people of Japan are doing right now? One thing that has struck me during the aftermath of the Quake, Tsunami and then nuclear crisis is the incredible living examples the Japanese people are giving to the entire world. So many in Northern Japan have suffered the obliteration of their entire society. Towns completely gone. Half a million living in shelters with limited food or shelter, nowhere to escape and yet there is order among the people. There is no looting. There is nothing but cooperation. I saw a video of some people in a public theater when the quake hit. In our country most people would have fled the theater and gone home. But here they stayed and helped clean up. Reporters interviewed hundreds of people in long lines of 3-5 hours of waiting for food, water, and fuel and when they asked if they are angry the people said; no we are all in the same position. I wondered how I would do in that situation. I wonder if I could be that calm when my world is torn apart. Could you brethren? The vast majority of Japanese are not Christian. The most prominent religion in Japan is a blend between Buddhism and Shintoism although it is not a part of the average Japanese lifestyle. Most that do practice their religion focus on the spirit of dead relatives trying to gain favor by honoring them.

Religion generally only plays a part in customs and rituals surrounding ceremonies and special events like birthdays, funerals, and religious Holidays. They, like many in the US, only give lip service to religion. Religious preference is listed on birth certificates, wedding licenses, and death certificates but not practiced in any regular way. So how is it they are such living examples to the rest of the world? The Japanese people are taught as part of their culture to respect one another and to live in harmony. To respect the family you came from a bring honor to that family. In other words, they learn to be living examples. They show us that it is possible to learn to live in harmony even in tough times. One very obvious lesson we can draw from these perilous times is that we are being judged now and before the great tribulation starts we will need to ready ourselves for the road ahead. In 2 Corinthians 7 - Paul is admonishing a congregation that was corrupted by the world around them. The Church in Corinth had many problems but he reminds them that God has promised redemption and he then urges them: 2 Corinthians 7:1 NKJ Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Paul is telling people in the church that no matter what we are suffering from we can overcome this world. Later he tells Timothy that his days are coming to an end but he states in: 2 Timothy 4:6-7 6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Paul was a living example to all of us on how to stay the course, to stay close to God, to grow in grace and knowledge, and finish the race in the flesh.

Brethren, are we living examples of Gods plan? Is God using you to show others how it’s done? Being chosen by God to teach someone His awesome truth is an incredible honor and at the same time so difficult especially when times are tough. NKJ Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Does this apply to adults or just children? Consider Hebrews 12:7 NLT Hebrews 12:7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Whoever heard of a child who was never disciplined? We are children to God and therefore we need to be trained. I think of the time my wife and spent training our children when they were very young. Now that they are older we deal with them differently but when they were very young you had to show them everything. When nap time came we made them lie down and close their eyes and then we would sit there and every time they opened their eyes we would be there and they would be told to close your eyes again. We would sit there as long as it took for it to work. But we understood that this took less and less time until they were in a habit of going in and closing their eyes and going to sleep. We are taught that if you do something with enough repetition it will become habit. I rarely lose my keys or wallet so long as I follow my routine.

Much of the order I have in my life comes from the modeled behavior that I have learned or taught myself. Now we see modeled behavior every day. For instance, when the boss or teacher walks by everyone starts working harder. Each of us has probably done this that when we are driving and we notice a police car behind us we drive differently. Even if you are not a speeder we still model our behavior around them. Think about removing the leaven from our houses. We do this physical act to help us to model our behavior. What does it teach us? It teaches us that we can seek out and find elements that are unwanted and remove them from our lives. It teaches s that we can remove sin from our lives. We will never be perfect in the flesh but we can learn to be living examples like we read in Ephesians 4. Here is a passage we read talking about using the Spiritual Gifts that God give His people. When we use these gifts we can learn to become living examples.

Ephesians 4:17 - 5:1 17 With the Lord's authority let me say this: Live no longer as the ungodly do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their closed minds are full of darkness; they are far away from the life of God because they have shut their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They don't care anymore about right and wrong, and they have given themselves over to immoral ways. Their lives are filled with all kinds of impurity and greed. 20 But that isn't what you were taught when you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, 22 throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24 You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God's likeness-- righteous, holy, and true. 25 So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth" because we belong to each other. 26 And "don't sin by letting anger gain control over you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. 28 If you are a thief, stop stealing. Begin using your hands for honest work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 30 And do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he is the one who has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

1 Peter 2:21 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: Philippians 3:17 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. Brethren, do you believe that it is possible to live a new life not bogged down with the sin that constantly separates us from God? It is possible if we follow the recipe that we hear and read each week. It is possible to break the bonds of addiction, to literally become someone else. The person God saw in us when we were called. The process starts when we accept the fact that it is possible. Then we have to submit ourselves to God to do His will. Usually we don’t fully give ourselves to God. We hold back from unconditional surrender. If we are slaves of Christ, and if we fully submit to God, then, and only then can we begin that transformation. When I was a teen I was in the local church choir and we sang a song called Come unto me. It was based on Matthew 11:28-30. Matthew 11:28-30 28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." The words are both beautiful and powerful at the same time. Remember that a yoke on oxen is what binds the team together. Two working together to pull the same load. Jesus is also saying he is doing most of the work and you will find His load easier than the burden we carry. So we can see here that part of being yoked together means dropping our own burdens.

Just as it says in Matthew 6. Matthew 6:24-34 24 " No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 " Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. We can become living examples if we allow ourselves to be transformed by God, If we give ourselves completely to His will and cast off the burdens we carry. The road ahead we know and its not pretty. We don’t want to travel it alone. But if we are to travel it yoked to Jesus Christ then we are following His lead. When we have trials we need to have faith that they are for our growth and stay focused on the City on the Hill and not what we are going to do tomorrow. When we walk by faith then God reveals the path as we travel. We won’t see it any other way. So let’s remember that the Feast of Pentecost pictures the living Christ in Us so that we can become living examples of the soon coming Kingdom of God.