"Examples of Spiritual People (OT)"

Let's see what it means to be spiritual by examining the lives of spiritual people in the Bible. This week we will examine some spiritual people in the Old Testament. We will focus on Noah, Moses, Daniel, and Josiah.

Examples of Spiritual People (OT)

(Gen. 6:1-10)

Introduction:

A.   We live in a society that works hard at not taking personal responsibilities.  Why does a person do some evil action or turn to some type of addiction?  People are blaming heredity, environment, chemical imbalance, job pressures, poverty, prejudices, abuse and anything else they can think of for their actions today.

B.  As a society, we have become adept at blaming others. And that can even happen in the church. We begin to fall away from the Lord, and we say, “It’s not my fault. I’m not to blame. It’s the church’s fault. They aren’t friendly enough, or the church didn’t meet my needs, or it’s the elders’ fault. But it’s not my fault.”

C.  When we listen to this opening passage in Gen. 6 we read how God saw the wickedness on the earth and how every inclination and thought in man’s heart was evil all the time.  Think about how God felt.  We were created in the image of God.  We were created for the purpose of living out God’s glory, but we turned from our created spiritual nature to a sinful nature and God was grieved.  He hurt because of our sin.  Listen to Jesus in Matthew 24:37, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

D.  After the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, God sent another comforter to mankind, the Holy Spirit.  God’s Spirit no longer was going to be limited to only a few for a specific time or only to a temple made with hands, but now God was going to pour out his Holy Spirit to all who would come to him through Jesus.  Listen as Peter reminds us Christians of who we are:  1 Pet. 2:9-12.

I.  Noah

A.  When we read about Noah in our text we are told that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  Isn’t that what all of us as spiritual people desire?  We want to find grace in God’s eyes.  In a world where sin is everywhere, we want the grace that only God can give.  But what was it about Noah that God noticed?  We are told of three qualities in verse 9:  Righteous, Blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.  Those are the qualities of a spiritual person.  We have seen them in our study already.

B.  The story of Noah is one that calls to us.  Here is a man who could have been just like everyone else, but he wasn’t.  Here was a man who could have had the same marriage, the same way of raising his sons, and the same relationship as others, but his wasn’t.  In the darkness of the world, Noah was a light.  A preacher of righteousness.  The righteousness of Noah is mentioned several times in the Old and New Testament.  Spiritual people are called to live holy lives in an unholy world.  You can do this because the Spirit of God is in you.  You can walk in the pathways of righteousness because God is with you.  You can run and not grow weary, walk and not faint because Spiritual people don’t quit.

C.  Noah was a man who blameless among the people of that day.  It is not so much that God is seeking to compare our righteousness with that of others, but that Noah stood out among the people of that day because he was dedicated to God.  The last statement given is that he walked with God.  Can you find a better idea of what it means to be spiritual than simply this phrase?  Walking with God is what happen in the Garden of Eden before they sinned.  Walking with God is about relationship and intimacy in a manner that most have not discovered.  The story of Noah can you your story also.  But let’s keep looking at some spiritual men.

II.  Moses

A.  The Jews look to a few men in the Old Testament with great reverence.  They look to Abraham the father of faith and their nation, but they also look to Moses, the great Law Giver.  As I examine the spiritual life of Moses I see a man who, like Jesus, understood humility.  I want to be spiritual, and part of the problem is the more spiritual I become outward, the more self-righteous I can become inwardly.

B.  What I love about the story of Moses is that this was a man who had it all.  Saved when he should have been killed, raised as the grandson of Pharaoh, given all the pleasures this world has to offer, and what we see is a man who only wanted to serve.  In his leadership he was a heart a servant.  God took part of the Spirit that was upon him and gave it to the 70 that would help him judge the people.  When two others also began to prophesy, Joshua was angry, but Moses wished all could prophesy.

C.  Spiritual people like Moses understand that greatness is not in having wonderful gifts from the Spirit, but in using them in the service to others and the honor of God.  If God would write your epitaph would you want it any different than what he has to say about Moses?  Listen to Deut. 34:10-12.  He knew the Lord face to face.  That is what it means to be spiritual.  It is to be connected to God.

III.  Daniel

A.  It was a great pleasure to read and study the book of Daniel over the winter with my Sunday morning Bible class.  From the time he was taken captive into Babylon as a probably a teenager until the time of the exile when was about 90, Daniel teaches us what it means to be spiritual.

B.  Nebuchadnezzar was not a follower of God and did many things that were ungodly.  But as a great king he saw something in Daniel that he did not see in his other wise men.  On a couple of occasions it says that the spirit of the holy gods was upon him.  They did not recognize Jehovah as God, but saw that he was special.  That some how the gods that they understood marked Daniel as special.

C.  But what made Daniel spiritual?  Let’s start with him as a teenager in chapter 1.  Daniel and three of his friends were set apart to become part of the “wise men” of Babylon.  They were to be given choice food and wine from the king’s table as they were trained.  But look what this young man decided when the lap of luxury was placed before him.  Daniel 1:8.  A spiritual person is a person who resolves not to defile himself.  When we have the Spirit of God within us we can defile ourselves with sin.  Spiritual people resolve not to walk down that path, but to keep in step with the Spirit and yield our will.

D.  As you come to the close of his life and the this book we believe Daniel to be about 90 years old.  When the angel of God appears to him he addresses Daniel several times as “highly esteemed” by God.  God noticed the spiritual character of whole-hearted dedication that Daniel had and that we also should possess.

IV.  Josiah

A.  The last example from the OT that I want us to see is that of Josiah.  Here was a person who became king at age 8.  Listen as God speaks about him in 2 Kings 23:21-25.

B.  Spiritual?  Absolutely.  We took can be like Josiah.  We can renew the covenant we have made to God and keep his commands.  We too can help people to see that the wicked ways of the past only bring us harm in our relationship to God.  We too can celebrate worship to God in a way that is filled with our whole being.  We too can turn the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength.  That is what being spiritual is all about.

Conclusion:

A.  What lessons do we take away from the lives of Noah, Moses, Daniel and Josiah?  First, a deep covenant relationship with God is necessary in order to live a spiritual life.  Without a relationship nothing else matters.  It is all words.  Second, we see that traits like righteousness, humility, resolve and renewal all help us to keep in step with Spirit.

B.  We have talked about being spiritual, but it really becomes a choice.  Do you want to give yourself over to God and live the life he has chosen for you or not?  Are you ready to let go of your own desires and desire nothing but him?  Will you follow through on the things he has outlined for you to do or will you kick against the goads of God?  It is  a choice.

C.  Choose this day whom you will serve.  The gods of the land in which live – money, power, prestige – the God who gives life for all who obey him?  Joshua would conclude, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  If you are ready to dedicate your life to serving the Lord and being led by his Spirit, then come.  If you are ready to rededicate your covenant with God and turn to him with all your heart, soul and strength, then come.  If you are need of support as you examine your life and desire to change, then come as we stand and sing.