Embracing the Arena: Living Inspired by the Spirit

i want to tell you some of the most inspiring words i know this is from a speech by teddy roosevelt long after he had been wounded and scarred as the president in a speech he gave at the sarbane it's not the critic who counts it's not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done better rather the credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood who strives valiantly who errs and comes short again and again for there is no striving without error and shortcoming but who does actually strive to do the deed who knows the great enthusiasms the devotions who spends his life in a worthy cause and who in the end at the best knows the triumph of high achievement and who if he fails at the worst at least fails while daring greatly so that his place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat i love those words i want to be one who is in the arena [00:14:96]

the arena is the place of risk the place of danger the place where there is a contest going on and i think of many people that i know many of you whom i admire so much right now somebody who i talked to this morning who is in the place of great struggle that's the arena the arena was the place where romans killed followers of jesus the word arena itself comes from a latin word harina which was a fine-grained sand that was able to absorb blood with which they would cover the floor of the arena it was the place where blood was shed and of all the heroes in human history jesus was above all else the man in the arena [00:93:20]

he faced danger throughout his entire life how did he do it how did he live in the arena well he was above all else a man of the spirit what jesus did he did by the spirit we talked yesterday how the spirit of god came from god's very first breath in genesis 2 7 into adam and the word pneuma in the old testament means both spirit and breath and wind and god wants you and me to live an inspired life and jesus did and so the second breath of god came when that little child was born he came out of his mother's body and she was there and like any mom will do hears rejoices over the very first breath [00:142:959]

jesus did what he did he lived the way that he lived because he was more than we've ever seen before the man of the spirit every breath in it is a gift from the father i breathe out all of my worries all of my fears all of my concerns all of my needs i breathe in strength power wisdom guidance this is life in the spirit jesus showed us what it means to live in the spirit but now this is real important we tend to think about the spirit or inspiration as something positive that leads you from one success to another and a life that is quite easy and quite effortless and struggle free no no no where did the spirit lead jesus the spirit led jesus into the arena [00:203:68]

and so his birth not in a palace not on a home of great beauty into a splintery manger into a mangy life he was the mangy messiah and then at his baptism he is baptized with the spirit we'll look at this more later on in this advent series but the first thing that the spirit does is to drive marxist jesus into the desert into the place no one wanted to go into the place of temptation into the arena the place of finely grained sand that could absorb blood and then jesus in luke 4 begins his ministry and he goes to the synagogue and he reads the words the spirit of the lord is upon me for he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor [00:252:879]

but now that sermon does not go well when jesus quotes from that passage in isaiah the spirit of the lord is upon me jack notes that he talks about these wonderful things he's been anointed to do to proclaim good news to the poor release for the captives freedom for the oppressed he leaves out one line back in isaiah the passage talks about bringing comfort to binding up the brokenhearted jesus leaves that out because he knows that his ministry will pierce the hearts of many and most particularly him and when he is finished with that sermon it was not a great motivational talk where everybody gives him a standing ovation it was a talk where by the end of it they all sought to kill him [00:306:72]

the spirit leads him into the arena into the place of trial and testing and what the greeks called agon agony throughout his life it's not the critic who counts whoever had more critics than jesus who is it in jesus life that did not end up being disappointed by and criticizing him from religious leaders to the roman hierarchy to his family that thought he was crazy to his own disciples who denied and betrayed him not the critic who counts and this goes on all the way to the cross where in the gospel of luke when it's telling the story of the crucifixion at the very end says that jesus said to his father into your hands i commend my spirit my pneuma and then he breathed his last [00:350:4]

every breath in human life comes in pairs we breathe in life strength joy power from god and we breathe out that which is toxic fear death every breath comes in pairs except for the very first breath and the very last breath it's amazing thing i was with my dad when he exhaled for the last time it did not inhale against a sobering thing breath is a gift from god and you might think that breath on the cross was jesus last breath but you would be wrong god's final breath doesn't happen there in the gospel of john after the resurrection we find the last reference to the breath of jesus he is with his disciples and they are living now in a spirit of fear in a spirit of terror they do not want to go into the arena they're in a room where the doors are locked and he's with them and he says peace be with you and then he breathes on them and says receive the holy spirit [00:404:88]

it's a vulnerable thing to breathe on somebody they may not like my breath i remember the first time i ever tried to kiss nancy i was going for her mouth and she averted her face so i ended up kissing the side of her cheek and i was quite hurt by this we had been married a number of years by then and i thought it was time for mouth kissing um when when you're around somebody we're quite concerned about how our breath is what's ironic is sometimes we will take more care about our physical breath than we will our spiritual breath and spiritually you breathe on people that is the spirit that is in my heart will make its way out of me will breathe onto other people and jesus does that [00:465:68]

and of course now this in john chapter 20 verses 20 and 21 is a little echo is reminiscent of is recapitulating but furthering now that wonderful verse in genesis chapter 2 verse 7 when god breathes into the man and the man becomes a living being only now god breathes once more jesus breathes and says receive the holy spirit and they do and now that's the opportunity that lies before you today to live an inspired day this day which doesn't mean at all that your life will be easy or calm or that you'll go from one great triumph to the next doesn't mean that you will not have critics it just means it's not the critics who count [00:512:159]

god doesn't send us into a world of peace he sends us into a world of danger with the spirit of peace jesus says to his followers in that upper room as my father sent me so i send you so now jesus breathes on you every breath you take is the spirit breath the rock of god take a deep breath remember it's not the critic that counts the credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena jesus the great man in the arena is also the man of the spirit and the spirit bringer and that was and remains unprecedented so go into the arena i'll see you here tomorrow [00:561:04]