Matthew 9:18-19 -- "While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. "
Matthew 9:23-25 -- "When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. "
What is death? It depends. Death is separation. Physical death -- death as we understand it -- is the separation of the spirit from our body. It is when the immortal part of us, the spark, the essence of life breathed into us through God, leaves the mortal and departs the plane of earth. Spiritual death -- the second death -- is separation of the spirit from God.
In this passage, Jesus is approached by a ruler, probaby the ruler of a synagogue. The ruler kneels before Jesus and tells him that his daughter has just died. He asks that Jesus come and put His hand on her so that she will live again. Jesus goes with the man and enters the home, where a grieving crowd has gathered. Jesus tells the crowd to leave because the girl was not dead but sleeping.
Now, what does Jesus mean by the terms "not dead" and "asleep?" It all goes back to your definition of dead. To Christ, to be asleep is to be physically dead only, to have your immortal spirit separated from your mortal body. We see Jesus using the same term in John 11:11, when He tells His disciples that Lazarus is "asleep," meaning physically dead. To be asleep, means that you can be awoken. It means that Christ can restore your spirit to your body, reviving you and making you physically alive once again.
On the other hand, to be dead is to be dead, spiritually dead, totally and completely removed and separated from the presence of God. This is what is termed as the "Second Death" in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 20:6). To be spiritually dead means that you can't be revived, you can't be made alive again. You have been judged and separated from the presence of God once and for all eternity. As it is written, "It is appointed for all men to die once, and after that to face the judgement" (Hebrews 9:27). If you physically die apart from Christ, then you are immediately in judgement and doomed to face spiritual death.
The little girl in this passage was asleep and not dead. This probably implies that she had faith in Jesus as Messiah or that she was living under the covenant of faith with her parents. We know that her father had faith. When he came to Jesus, he kneeled in worship and requested a miracle that only God could do, the raising of the dead. It was this faith, either held by the father in trust for his daughter or the faith of the daughter, that made her be "asleep" and not "dead" according to Jesus.
To know Christ as Lord and Savior, to trust in Him as the Messiah, results in you falling asleep when you physically die and not being fully, spiritually dead. As Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, God will bring with Jesus those who have "fallen" asleep in Him. It is only those who are "asleep" who are truly alive.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
SERMON: GNATS AND CAMELS
HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN:GNATS AND CAMELS
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
27 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
-- in his book, A Gentle Thunder, (Word, 1995, pp. 139-140) Max Lucado wrote about this man who was going on a trip and saw someone carrying a Bible -- “Are you a believer?” the first man asked the second -- “Yes,” he said excitedly
-- the first man knew you couldn't be too careful -- just because you carry a Bible and say you're a believer doesn't mean it's true -- so he continued to ask probing questions
-- “Virgin birth?” he asked.’ -- “I accept it.”
-- "Deity of Jesus?” -- “No doubt.”
-- “Death of Christ on the cross?” --“Absolutely.”
-- Could it be that he was actually face to face with a Christian? -- Perhaps. -- but, nonetheless, he continued his checklist.
-- “Status of man.” -- “Sinner in need of grace.” -- “ Definition of grace.” -- “God doing for man what man cannot do.
-- “Return of Christ.” -- “Imminent.”
-- “Bible?” -- “Inspired.” -- “The Church?” -- “The body of Christ.”
-- the first man started getting excited. -- “Conservative or liberal?” -- his fellow traveler was getting interested, too. -- “Conservative.” -- his heart began to beat faster.
-- “Heritage?” -- “Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention.” -- the first man was amazed -- that was his own heritage
-- “Branch?” -- “Pre-millennial, post-trib, noncharismatic, King James, one-cup communion.” -- the first man's eyes misted -- he had only one other question. -- “Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?" -- “Fiberglass,” the other man responded.
-- the first man withdrew his hand, stiffened his neck, and hissed back -- “Heretic.”
-- isn't it amazing how much attention we give to the little things that don't even matter? -- in this illustration from Max Lucado, these two men couldn't accept each other as believers just because of the type of pulpit they had in their church -- and while we all know that this illustration is a little far-fetched, it's not really that far-fetched
-- we've all heard about the churches that split over the color of the carpet -- or the people that left a church because someone didn't call when they were sick -- or any of a number of other small things that happen from day to day in the life of a church
-- and while we may laugh and joke about churches breaking up over the color of carpet, the sad thing is that it's true -- that churches do break up over stupid little stuff just like this day in and day out while at the same time they pay no attention to the major things of life
-- this morning we are continuing our series on how to be a bad Christian, using as our source text Matthew 23, where Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the law for various problems in their lives
-- this morning, we find ourselves looking at the fifth way to be a bad Christian -- namely, to make big deals out of small things and to make small deals out of the big things
II. Scripture Lesson (Mt 23:23-24)
-- in these verses, we see Jesus condemning the Pharisees for doing just that -- if you would look back at verse 23 and let's look at these verses in a little more detail
23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
-- keep in mind that when Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and His disciples, the nation of Israel was still following the law that had been handed down to them by God through Moses
-- the law was not the problem -- the law was good because it was given by God -- Paul makes that point clear in the books of Romans and Galatians -- in Romans 2:20, Paul writes that the law was the embodiment of knowledge and truth -- and in Romans 7:12, it says, "the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good" -- but it was not the law that saved
-- the purpose of the law was to point us to the Christ who would provide salvation -- in Romans 3:20, Paul says that it is through the law that we became conscious of sin -- it defined for us what transgression was so that we might recognize the sin in our life -- and it made us aware of our need for a Savior because we realized that we could never live up to the law's righteous demands
-- in Galatians 3:24 we read that this is why the law was given -- it was put in charge of us to lead us to Christ
-- as one scholar put it, the law "convinces us of our own insufficiency and in the end compels us to admit that the only thing that can save us is the grace of God, leading us to the cross and to the grace of Christ" (Barclay, 1976)
-- ever since the nation of Israel was given the law through Moses, it had been looking past the law to the Messiah who would come and fulfill the law -- it had been looking for the One who would enable the people to adhere fully to the righteous demands of the law
-- now the problem with the Pharisees is that they had begun to focus on the law as the means to holiness and righteousness -- they felt that if they could just keep the law and do everything to avoid breaking a command, then they would be considered holy by God
-- that was the reason why they added over 1,500 additional regulations to the law -- not just to burden down the people -- but to help make sure that everyone would keep the law perfectly
-- it was their zeal for the law that caused them to tithe on everything they had -- not only would they tithe on their income -- on the money they earned -- but they even tithed on the herbs that they grew in their garden to season their food
-- Jesus says here that they would literally measure out their spices -- their mint and their dill and their cumin -- and they would give 10% of their spices as an offering to the Lord
-- but, they were so focused on the minute details of the law, that they forgot the purpose and intention of the law -- to lead them to the Savior who would enable them to enter into a relationship with God -- to give them to power to truly love the Lord their God with all of their heart and mind and soul and to love their neighbor as themselves
-- Jesus calls the Pharisees and the teachers of the law "hypocrites" in this verse because they worried more about measuring out their spices than they did on the weightier issues of the law -- namely, justice, mercy, and faithfulness
-- as J. Vernon McGee writes, "it was these weighter matters of the law that would have brought these men to the person of Christ" -- in other words, one reason why the Pharisees and the Saduccees missed seeing Jesus as the Messiah when He came the first time was because they were too busy looking at the trees and missing the forest -- they were looking at the littlest jot and tittle of the law and didn't notice the One it was pointing to
-- Jesus agreed that it was important to tithe -- Malachi 3:8-10 points out that neglecting to tithe and to give from your firstfruits is robbing God -- but He condemned them for paying more attention to some parts of the law and not the others -- especially because they neglected the more important issues of justice and mercy and faithfulness
-- verse 24
24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
-- as another example of how zealous the Pharisees were towards the law, they would strain their wine before drinking it so they would not swallow some insect that the law said was "unclean"
-- Jesus says that they would go to such great lengths as that to avoid breaking the law -- being careful to avoid small faults -- but yet they did not hesitate to commit the greatest sins -- lest we forget, it was the Pharisees who paid Judas to betray Jesus and who condemned an innocent man to death on the cross
-- they would keep the gnats out and swallow camels whole, thinking nothing of the hypocrisy of their actions
-- Jesus points out to them that they should not just focus on getting the small things right -- or the things they like to obey right -- but that they should give equal balance to all matters of the law -- both the small and the large -- both the gnat and the camel
III. Closing: Our Gnats and Camels
-- it sometimes amazes me just how much like the Pharisees we can be in our approach to church and to life as Christians
-- we've already talked about the extremes on this issue -- how some churches have split over matters of no importance -- like the color of carpet -- but do we do the same in our churches and in our lives? -- do we spend more of our time and focus on little things and less than we should on more important issues?
-- when you look at what we are called to do as a people and as the body of Christ -- we have five over-arching purposes -- to worship God -- to evangelize others -- to disciple people -- to minister to people in Christ's name -- and to fellowship with one another
-- do we spend more time in one of these areas than the others? -- for instance, do we spend more time and energy on getting ready for a covered dish dinner than we do on telling people about Christ?
-- a pastor in Florida recently wrote that "if you love potlucks more than Jesus, then you've got a problem" -- by focusing too much on things like this are we telling God that they are more important than Him?
-- do we spend more time and energy preparing a children's program at Christmas than we do in helping others mature in their faith?
-- do we focus too much internally on ourselves and on the church facilities at the expense of reaching out to others?
-- I think the answer is, "Yes" -- I think we all do this from time to time -- I know in my personal devotional life there are times when I get out of balance -- when I focus too much of my energy into one area of my Christian life while neglecting another
-- for instance, right now I have been focusing on my education and getting my assignments completed for Course of Study this summer and I have been neglecting my quiet time with God
-- the question to you this morning is what have we been neglecting in our churches and in our lives? -- what camels have we let slip by us while we've been straining gnats?
-- Jesus' message to the Pharisees in this passage was to live a balanced life -- to seek to be holy in all areas of their lives -- not just in one small area -- and not to focus on just one thing -- but to be holy and obedient in all areas
-- if we don't do this, we can easily end up like the men in our opening illustration -- letting a small thing like the type of material a pulpit is made out of separate us from fellowship with each other -- or like any number of other churches, who split over the color of carpet or vinyl siding versus painting the exterior or any of a thousand other things
-- our call this morning is to be balanced and to keep the important things first and foremost in our lives
-- with that in mind, we are going to join together this morning in Holy Communion -- to come together as one people with one mind and one Lord -- to confess our sins and all of those little things that we have allowed to keep us from living our lives fully for Christ -- and to come before Christ for cleansing and healing and renewing of our bodies and our minds and our spirits
-- I'm going to close in prayer, and then we'll sing the last hymn together as I prepare the table -- if anyone feels led to physically come before the Lord, the altar will be open as always for you to have a special time with Him as we close our service
-- Let us pray
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
27 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
-- in his book, A Gentle Thunder, (Word, 1995, pp. 139-140) Max Lucado wrote about this man who was going on a trip and saw someone carrying a Bible -- “Are you a believer?” the first man asked the second -- “Yes,” he said excitedly
-- the first man knew you couldn't be too careful -- just because you carry a Bible and say you're a believer doesn't mean it's true -- so he continued to ask probing questions
-- “Virgin birth?” he asked.’ -- “I accept it.”
-- "Deity of Jesus?” -- “No doubt.”
-- “Death of Christ on the cross?” --“Absolutely.”
-- Could it be that he was actually face to face with a Christian? -- Perhaps. -- but, nonetheless, he continued his checklist.
-- “Status of man.” -- “Sinner in need of grace.” -- “ Definition of grace.” -- “God doing for man what man cannot do.
-- “Return of Christ.” -- “Imminent.”
-- “Bible?” -- “Inspired.” -- “The Church?” -- “The body of Christ.”
-- the first man started getting excited. -- “Conservative or liberal?” -- his fellow traveler was getting interested, too. -- “Conservative.” -- his heart began to beat faster.
-- “Heritage?” -- “Southern Congregationalist Holy Son of God Dispensationalist Triune Convention.” -- the first man was amazed -- that was his own heritage
-- “Branch?” -- “Pre-millennial, post-trib, noncharismatic, King James, one-cup communion.” -- the first man's eyes misted -- he had only one other question. -- “Is your pulpit wooden or fiberglass?" -- “Fiberglass,” the other man responded.
-- the first man withdrew his hand, stiffened his neck, and hissed back -- “Heretic.”
-- isn't it amazing how much attention we give to the little things that don't even matter? -- in this illustration from Max Lucado, these two men couldn't accept each other as believers just because of the type of pulpit they had in their church -- and while we all know that this illustration is a little far-fetched, it's not really that far-fetched
-- we've all heard about the churches that split over the color of the carpet -- or the people that left a church because someone didn't call when they were sick -- or any of a number of other small things that happen from day to day in the life of a church
-- and while we may laugh and joke about churches breaking up over the color of carpet, the sad thing is that it's true -- that churches do break up over stupid little stuff just like this day in and day out while at the same time they pay no attention to the major things of life
-- this morning we are continuing our series on how to be a bad Christian, using as our source text Matthew 23, where Jesus condemns the Pharisees and the teachers of the law for various problems in their lives
-- this morning, we find ourselves looking at the fifth way to be a bad Christian -- namely, to make big deals out of small things and to make small deals out of the big things
II. Scripture Lesson (Mt 23:23-24)
-- in these verses, we see Jesus condemning the Pharisees for doing just that -- if you would look back at verse 23 and let's look at these verses in a little more detail
23. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
-- keep in mind that when Jesus spoke these words to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law and His disciples, the nation of Israel was still following the law that had been handed down to them by God through Moses
-- the law was not the problem -- the law was good because it was given by God -- Paul makes that point clear in the books of Romans and Galatians -- in Romans 2:20, Paul writes that the law was the embodiment of knowledge and truth -- and in Romans 7:12, it says, "the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good" -- but it was not the law that saved
-- the purpose of the law was to point us to the Christ who would provide salvation -- in Romans 3:20, Paul says that it is through the law that we became conscious of sin -- it defined for us what transgression was so that we might recognize the sin in our life -- and it made us aware of our need for a Savior because we realized that we could never live up to the law's righteous demands
-- in Galatians 3:24 we read that this is why the law was given -- it was put in charge of us to lead us to Christ
-- as one scholar put it, the law "convinces us of our own insufficiency and in the end compels us to admit that the only thing that can save us is the grace of God, leading us to the cross and to the grace of Christ" (Barclay, 1976)
-- ever since the nation of Israel was given the law through Moses, it had been looking past the law to the Messiah who would come and fulfill the law -- it had been looking for the One who would enable the people to adhere fully to the righteous demands of the law
-- now the problem with the Pharisees is that they had begun to focus on the law as the means to holiness and righteousness -- they felt that if they could just keep the law and do everything to avoid breaking a command, then they would be considered holy by God
-- that was the reason why they added over 1,500 additional regulations to the law -- not just to burden down the people -- but to help make sure that everyone would keep the law perfectly
-- it was their zeal for the law that caused them to tithe on everything they had -- not only would they tithe on their income -- on the money they earned -- but they even tithed on the herbs that they grew in their garden to season their food
-- Jesus says here that they would literally measure out their spices -- their mint and their dill and their cumin -- and they would give 10% of their spices as an offering to the Lord
-- but, they were so focused on the minute details of the law, that they forgot the purpose and intention of the law -- to lead them to the Savior who would enable them to enter into a relationship with God -- to give them to power to truly love the Lord their God with all of their heart and mind and soul and to love their neighbor as themselves
-- Jesus calls the Pharisees and the teachers of the law "hypocrites" in this verse because they worried more about measuring out their spices than they did on the weightier issues of the law -- namely, justice, mercy, and faithfulness
-- as J. Vernon McGee writes, "it was these weighter matters of the law that would have brought these men to the person of Christ" -- in other words, one reason why the Pharisees and the Saduccees missed seeing Jesus as the Messiah when He came the first time was because they were too busy looking at the trees and missing the forest -- they were looking at the littlest jot and tittle of the law and didn't notice the One it was pointing to
-- Jesus agreed that it was important to tithe -- Malachi 3:8-10 points out that neglecting to tithe and to give from your firstfruits is robbing God -- but He condemned them for paying more attention to some parts of the law and not the others -- especially because they neglected the more important issues of justice and mercy and faithfulness
-- verse 24
24. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
-- as another example of how zealous the Pharisees were towards the law, they would strain their wine before drinking it so they would not swallow some insect that the law said was "unclean"
-- Jesus says that they would go to such great lengths as that to avoid breaking the law -- being careful to avoid small faults -- but yet they did not hesitate to commit the greatest sins -- lest we forget, it was the Pharisees who paid Judas to betray Jesus and who condemned an innocent man to death on the cross
-- they would keep the gnats out and swallow camels whole, thinking nothing of the hypocrisy of their actions
-- Jesus points out to them that they should not just focus on getting the small things right -- or the things they like to obey right -- but that they should give equal balance to all matters of the law -- both the small and the large -- both the gnat and the camel
III. Closing: Our Gnats and Camels
-- it sometimes amazes me just how much like the Pharisees we can be in our approach to church and to life as Christians
-- we've already talked about the extremes on this issue -- how some churches have split over matters of no importance -- like the color of carpet -- but do we do the same in our churches and in our lives? -- do we spend more of our time and focus on little things and less than we should on more important issues?
-- when you look at what we are called to do as a people and as the body of Christ -- we have five over-arching purposes -- to worship God -- to evangelize others -- to disciple people -- to minister to people in Christ's name -- and to fellowship with one another
-- do we spend more time in one of these areas than the others? -- for instance, do we spend more time and energy on getting ready for a covered dish dinner than we do on telling people about Christ?
-- a pastor in Florida recently wrote that "if you love potlucks more than Jesus, then you've got a problem" -- by focusing too much on things like this are we telling God that they are more important than Him?
-- do we spend more time and energy preparing a children's program at Christmas than we do in helping others mature in their faith?
-- do we focus too much internally on ourselves and on the church facilities at the expense of reaching out to others?
-- I think the answer is, "Yes" -- I think we all do this from time to time -- I know in my personal devotional life there are times when I get out of balance -- when I focus too much of my energy into one area of my Christian life while neglecting another
-- for instance, right now I have been focusing on my education and getting my assignments completed for Course of Study this summer and I have been neglecting my quiet time with God
-- the question to you this morning is what have we been neglecting in our churches and in our lives? -- what camels have we let slip by us while we've been straining gnats?
-- Jesus' message to the Pharisees in this passage was to live a balanced life -- to seek to be holy in all areas of their lives -- not just in one small area -- and not to focus on just one thing -- but to be holy and obedient in all areas
-- if we don't do this, we can easily end up like the men in our opening illustration -- letting a small thing like the type of material a pulpit is made out of separate us from fellowship with each other -- or like any number of other churches, who split over the color of carpet or vinyl siding versus painting the exterior or any of a thousand other things
-- our call this morning is to be balanced and to keep the important things first and foremost in our lives
-- with that in mind, we are going to join together this morning in Holy Communion -- to come together as one people with one mind and one Lord -- to confess our sins and all of those little things that we have allowed to keep us from living our lives fully for Christ -- and to come before Christ for cleansing and healing and renewing of our bodies and our minds and our spirits
-- I'm going to close in prayer, and then we'll sing the last hymn together as I prepare the table -- if anyone feels led to physically come before the Lord, the altar will be open as always for you to have a special time with Him as we close our service
-- Let us pray
SERMON: THE MAKING OF A PHARISEE
HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN:THE MAKING OF A PHARISEE
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
20 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
-- this morning, we are continuing in our series on how to be a bad Christian -- by the time that we are done, we should be proficient at being able to keep people from really coming to Christ and getting to know the Lord in a close and personal way
-- in this series, we have been working through this passage in Matthew 23 and observing the different failings of the Pharisees that Jesus pointed out to His disciples
-- so far, we have covered three ways to be a bad Christian
-- first, make Christianity burdensome by adding all kinds of rules and traditions and rituals that no one could ever keep -- second, serve others only to be seen -- in other words, make it about you and serve others only so you get the glory and recognition -- third, shut the door of grace to those wanting to come to Christ -- don't let people in who are sinners or who are different from you and keep people from growing more knowledgeable or more committed to the Lord than you
-- this morning, we are looking at the fourth way to be a bad Christian -- namely, by following the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law
-- so, if you would, look down now and follow along or listen as I read vs. 15-22
15. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, `If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18. You also say, `If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.'
19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
-- in her book, "A Practical Guide to Living in Shanghai," Kathleen Lau relates the story about a friend of hers who was traveling around China by train -- one day, her friend finds himself in a remote town in the interior of China -- with his limited Chinese, he goes up to a counter at the train station and asks the clerk, "Do you have a ticket to Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied, "No"
-- in China, there is a law that won't let them sell tickets in advance -- so her friend assumed that all the tickets to Shanghai for that day were sold out -- so the next day, he goes back and asks the clerk, "Do you have a ticket to Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied again, "No" -- so her friend left and came back and the exact same thing happened again on the third day
-- by now, Kathleen's friend realizes that something is wrong, so he asks the clerk, "Why don't you have a ticket for Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied, "They sell tickets to Shanghai at the next window"
-- now, it is obvious to us that when the man went to the window and asked for a ticket to Shanghai, he actually wanted a ticket -- he didn't care who sold it to him or what window he had to go to -- so, why do you think the clerk wasn't more helpful and didn't direct the man to the other window?
-- you see, in China, the Government forces people to follow the letter of the law and to do no more -- Kathleen's friend didn't ask the clerk where he could get a ticket -- he just asked the clerk if he had a ticket to Shanghai -- the clerk followed the letter of the law and only answered the man's question -- that was all that was expected of him and that was all that he was going to do
-- if Kathleen's friend had reported the ticket clerk for bad customer service, he probably would not have even been reprimanded because he had done exactly what his boss had told him to do
-- we understand why Kathleen's friend was upset -- living here in America, we have been taught that the spirit of the law is more important than following the letter of the law -- in other words, it is the intent behind our actions that is more important than the act itself
-- for example, it is illegal for anyone in here to kill or harass or harm a bald eagle -- it is protected by the Endangered Species Act -- but, let's say that on the way home today, we see a car hit a bald eagle and wound it -- it's laying there in the middle of the road, and we know that if another car comes along, it is going to get killed -- so, I imagine that most of us would break the law and pick up the eagle and take it to a vet
-- the letter of the law says you can't pick up a bald eagle -- but the intent of the law -- the reason the law was written -- was to protect the bald eagle from being harmed -- so, even though you might not be following the letter of the law if you pick up the eagle -- you are following the spirit of the law
-- in this passage, Jesus makes the same point to His disciples and the Pharisees -- yes, the Pharisees were totally obeying the letter of the law -- they were doing everything that God required in the commandments and were not failing to do anything that He told them -- but, they were missing the intent of the commandment -- they were missing the heart of God's law
-- they were so concerned with following the letter of the law that they missed the spirit of the law -- the ultimate reason why God gave us the commandment in the first place
-- so, let's spend a few minutes and look at this passage together
II. Scripture Lesson
-- verse 15
15. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
-- Rowland Croucher, an evangelist in Australia, preached a Sunday night service one time to a very small conservative congregation in rural Australia -- he started off by asking them what they knew about the Pharisees
-- now, we all know that Jesus was constantly being berated by the Pharisees for not following the law -- and we know that He saved some of His harshest rebukes for this sect of legalistic Jews -- but Croucher wanted to know whether there was anything good about them -- so he asked the congregation to list out the good things about Pharisees and he wrote them down on a chalkboard at the front of the church
-- this congregation pointed out that the Pharisees knew their Bibles -- they were men who really had studied and memorized the Word of God -- they were disciplined in prayer -- they fasted twice a week -- they did more than tithe, they gave about a third of their income to their church
-- they were moral upstanding people and followed God's law to the letter -- they were the very epitome of holiness -- many had been martyred for their faith -- they attended 'church' regularly -- they were evangelical and orthodox, believing in a literal interpretation of Scripture -- and they were evangelistic -- they were dedicated to sharing their faith with others -- right here in this verse, Jesus said they'd even cross the ocean - a fearful thing for Jews - to win a convert
-- when Croucher finished writing all of that on the board, the people in the church got silent -- he pointed to one of the leaders of the church on the front row and said, "What's wrong?" -- the leader responded, "That's us -- we're Pharisees"
-- Croucher responded, "Then you've got a problem: Jesus said these sorts of people are children of the devil!" -- "What's so wrong with this list of admirable qualities of the Pharisees? -- Short answer: it omits what was most important for Jesus"
-- The Pharisee is concerned about law -- about how they can fulfill the law and do it right --Now on the surface, there's nothing wrong with that as it stands -- Except for one thing: you can keep the law and in the process destroy persons
-- the Pharisees were dedicated and committed, but they were dedicated and committed to the wrong thing -- they worshiped the law and not the One who gave them the law -- and so, when they went out and evangelized -- when they witnessed to other people and converted someone to their sect, Jesus says they made them twice as much a son of Hell as they -- because they weren't teaching them to follow the One who made the law -- but to follow the law to the letter at the expense of a relationship with the Father
-- as one writer put it, "If we teach mere conformity to a Christian cultural standard, rather than allowing God to effect inward conviction and renewing of the mind, then we set people on the path of outward, artificial righteousness"
-- verse 16
16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, `If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18. You also say, `If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.'
-- Jesus gives the Pharisees an example of what they were doing wrong -- in Numbers 30:2, it says, "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." -- in other words, "don't break your oath, but keep the oaths that you made to the Lord"
-- God takes oaths very seriously -- they are binding -- and for that reason, Jesus taught in Matthew 5 that we should not make oaths to God or anything else -- but here, we see that the Pharisees have taken the letter of the law even further -- they began looking for loopholes in the law -- for ways to do exactly what God said while still doing what they wanted
-- not only were they making oaths to God -- they were also allowing people to make oaths to the temple and the altar -- to man-made objects that were intended to point people to God -- not to be worshiped themselves
-- and so they interpreted the letter of the law to make it say that oaths made to the things the Pharisees considered important -- the gold in the treasury of the temple and the gift on the altar -- these oaths were binding, but the others were not
-- so Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for this practice -- verse 19
19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
-- the temple and the altar -- the gold in the treasury and the gift on the altar -- these things were dedicated to the Lord -- they pointed to Him -- so, while the letter of the law allowed loopholes that changed the binding of oaths, Jesus said that the intent of the law -- the spirit of the law -- was that oaths made to the Lord were always binding and should be kept and not broken
-- the Pharisees kept the law, but missed the purpose -- in Matthew 12, we see a passage where this contrast between keeping the letter of the law but missing the spirit and the purpose of the law is brought out sharply -- we don't have time to go into this passage in detail, so let me encourage you to look it up for yourself later this week -- let me just give you a synopsis of what happened
-- one time, Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath -- His disciples were hungry and they began to pick some of the heads of grain and to eat them -- the Pharisees became livid and they approached Jesus -- "Why are you letting your disciples do what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
-- later on, they rebuked Jesus for healing a man whose hand was shriveled on the Sabbath
-- now, we all know that the Sabbath is to be a day of rest and faith -- it is a day when there is to be no work -- in the eyes of the Pharisees -- in keeping with the letter of the law -- the disciples, by picking the grain, were working on the Sabbath and breaking the law -- and Jesus, by healing the man with the shriveled hand, was working on the Sabbath and breaking the law
-- so Jesus points out the heart of the matter -- the purpose of the Sabbath was not to make it a day to be worshiped -- but to make it a day that man could rest from his labors and worship God -- as He said, "The Sabbath was made for man -- not man for the Sabbath"
-- by following the letter of the law, the Pharisees were making the Sabbath day more important than the God who made it
-- I like the way Eugene Peterson translates Jesus' response to the Pharisees about their tendency to worry about the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law -- 'There is far more at stake than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant - "I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual" - you wouldn't be nitpicking like this.'
-- as David wrote in Psalm 51:16-17, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings -- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
-- in other words, it's not so much about doing the right things or following the law to the letter -- but meeting the intent and purpose of the law -- which is always to bring us closer to the heart of God and to share God's love with all we meet
-- so, if you want to be a bad Christian, make sure that you follow the letter of the law exactly and do no more
-- if the law says that you have to be at church on Sunday, don't stop to help a person broken down on the side of the road if it means you'll be late or you might miss the worship service altogether -- and don't even think about skipping Bible study to help the single mother in your neighborhood mow her grass -- that would be wrong
-- if the law says to not be judgemental about others and to love your neighbor as yourself, find a loophole and gossip about someone with the excuse that you are just lifting them up in prayer -- "Now normally, I would never dream of telling you what so-and-so did, but I just want you to pray for them" -- don't consider bearing their burdens with them and lifting them up before God and not man
-- if the law says don't work on the Sabbath, then make sure you don't cook Sunday dinner because that would be working -- but go out to eat instead and then condemn the waitress and the cook in the restaurant for working on Sunday -- and don't give them any more than 15% for a tip, because that's all that's required, even if they are working on Sunday to help support their family
-- if the law says give God your tithes and your firstfruits, spend countless hours trying to calculate 10% of your income and question whether God should get a tithe from your gross or your net -- and never think about giving more than what the law demands
-- and, if the law says that worship is on Sunday and Sunday only, then don't consider doing ministry or having worship services on any other day -- why, that might make it possible for law-breakers to come to church and get to know the Lord
-- as we close now, I am going to ask you to consider ways in your life and in the life of this church that we might be more intent on keeping the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law -- let's pray that we always look at all situations in the light of God's grace and will and purpose and that we do not become modern-day Pharisees in our own right
-- let's pray
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
20 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
-- this morning, we are continuing in our series on how to be a bad Christian -- by the time that we are done, we should be proficient at being able to keep people from really coming to Christ and getting to know the Lord in a close and personal way
-- in this series, we have been working through this passage in Matthew 23 and observing the different failings of the Pharisees that Jesus pointed out to His disciples
-- so far, we have covered three ways to be a bad Christian
-- first, make Christianity burdensome by adding all kinds of rules and traditions and rituals that no one could ever keep -- second, serve others only to be seen -- in other words, make it about you and serve others only so you get the glory and recognition -- third, shut the door of grace to those wanting to come to Christ -- don't let people in who are sinners or who are different from you and keep people from growing more knowledgeable or more committed to the Lord than you
-- this morning, we are looking at the fourth way to be a bad Christian -- namely, by following the letter of the law and not the spirit of the law
-- so, if you would, look down now and follow along or listen as I read vs. 15-22
15. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, `If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18. You also say, `If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.'
19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
-- in her book, "A Practical Guide to Living in Shanghai," Kathleen Lau relates the story about a friend of hers who was traveling around China by train -- one day, her friend finds himself in a remote town in the interior of China -- with his limited Chinese, he goes up to a counter at the train station and asks the clerk, "Do you have a ticket to Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied, "No"
-- in China, there is a law that won't let them sell tickets in advance -- so her friend assumed that all the tickets to Shanghai for that day were sold out -- so the next day, he goes back and asks the clerk, "Do you have a ticket to Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied again, "No" -- so her friend left and came back and the exact same thing happened again on the third day
-- by now, Kathleen's friend realizes that something is wrong, so he asks the clerk, "Why don't you have a ticket for Shanghai?" -- the clerk replied, "They sell tickets to Shanghai at the next window"
-- now, it is obvious to us that when the man went to the window and asked for a ticket to Shanghai, he actually wanted a ticket -- he didn't care who sold it to him or what window he had to go to -- so, why do you think the clerk wasn't more helpful and didn't direct the man to the other window?
-- you see, in China, the Government forces people to follow the letter of the law and to do no more -- Kathleen's friend didn't ask the clerk where he could get a ticket -- he just asked the clerk if he had a ticket to Shanghai -- the clerk followed the letter of the law and only answered the man's question -- that was all that was expected of him and that was all that he was going to do
-- if Kathleen's friend had reported the ticket clerk for bad customer service, he probably would not have even been reprimanded because he had done exactly what his boss had told him to do
-- we understand why Kathleen's friend was upset -- living here in America, we have been taught that the spirit of the law is more important than following the letter of the law -- in other words, it is the intent behind our actions that is more important than the act itself
-- for example, it is illegal for anyone in here to kill or harass or harm a bald eagle -- it is protected by the Endangered Species Act -- but, let's say that on the way home today, we see a car hit a bald eagle and wound it -- it's laying there in the middle of the road, and we know that if another car comes along, it is going to get killed -- so, I imagine that most of us would break the law and pick up the eagle and take it to a vet
-- the letter of the law says you can't pick up a bald eagle -- but the intent of the law -- the reason the law was written -- was to protect the bald eagle from being harmed -- so, even though you might not be following the letter of the law if you pick up the eagle -- you are following the spirit of the law
-- in this passage, Jesus makes the same point to His disciples and the Pharisees -- yes, the Pharisees were totally obeying the letter of the law -- they were doing everything that God required in the commandments and were not failing to do anything that He told them -- but, they were missing the intent of the commandment -- they were missing the heart of God's law
-- they were so concerned with following the letter of the law that they missed the spirit of the law -- the ultimate reason why God gave us the commandment in the first place
-- so, let's spend a few minutes and look at this passage together
II. Scripture Lesson
-- verse 15
15. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.
-- Rowland Croucher, an evangelist in Australia, preached a Sunday night service one time to a very small conservative congregation in rural Australia -- he started off by asking them what they knew about the Pharisees
-- now, we all know that Jesus was constantly being berated by the Pharisees for not following the law -- and we know that He saved some of His harshest rebukes for this sect of legalistic Jews -- but Croucher wanted to know whether there was anything good about them -- so he asked the congregation to list out the good things about Pharisees and he wrote them down on a chalkboard at the front of the church
-- this congregation pointed out that the Pharisees knew their Bibles -- they were men who really had studied and memorized the Word of God -- they were disciplined in prayer -- they fasted twice a week -- they did more than tithe, they gave about a third of their income to their church
-- they were moral upstanding people and followed God's law to the letter -- they were the very epitome of holiness -- many had been martyred for their faith -- they attended 'church' regularly -- they were evangelical and orthodox, believing in a literal interpretation of Scripture -- and they were evangelistic -- they were dedicated to sharing their faith with others -- right here in this verse, Jesus said they'd even cross the ocean - a fearful thing for Jews - to win a convert
-- when Croucher finished writing all of that on the board, the people in the church got silent -- he pointed to one of the leaders of the church on the front row and said, "What's wrong?" -- the leader responded, "That's us -- we're Pharisees"
-- Croucher responded, "Then you've got a problem: Jesus said these sorts of people are children of the devil!" -- "What's so wrong with this list of admirable qualities of the Pharisees? -- Short answer: it omits what was most important for Jesus"
-- The Pharisee is concerned about law -- about how they can fulfill the law and do it right --Now on the surface, there's nothing wrong with that as it stands -- Except for one thing: you can keep the law and in the process destroy persons
-- the Pharisees were dedicated and committed, but they were dedicated and committed to the wrong thing -- they worshiped the law and not the One who gave them the law -- and so, when they went out and evangelized -- when they witnessed to other people and converted someone to their sect, Jesus says they made them twice as much a son of Hell as they -- because they weren't teaching them to follow the One who made the law -- but to follow the law to the letter at the expense of a relationship with the Father
-- as one writer put it, "If we teach mere conformity to a Christian cultural standard, rather than allowing God to effect inward conviction and renewing of the mind, then we set people on the path of outward, artificial righteousness"
-- verse 16
16. "Woe to you, blind guides! You say, `If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.'
17. You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
18. You also say, `If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.'
-- Jesus gives the Pharisees an example of what they were doing wrong -- in Numbers 30:2, it says, "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." -- in other words, "don't break your oath, but keep the oaths that you made to the Lord"
-- God takes oaths very seriously -- they are binding -- and for that reason, Jesus taught in Matthew 5 that we should not make oaths to God or anything else -- but here, we see that the Pharisees have taken the letter of the law even further -- they began looking for loopholes in the law -- for ways to do exactly what God said while still doing what they wanted
-- not only were they making oaths to God -- they were also allowing people to make oaths to the temple and the altar -- to man-made objects that were intended to point people to God -- not to be worshiped themselves
-- and so they interpreted the letter of the law to make it say that oaths made to the things the Pharisees considered important -- the gold in the treasury of the temple and the gift on the altar -- these oaths were binding, but the others were not
-- so Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for this practice -- verse 19
19. You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
20. Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
21. And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
22. And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.
-- the temple and the altar -- the gold in the treasury and the gift on the altar -- these things were dedicated to the Lord -- they pointed to Him -- so, while the letter of the law allowed loopholes that changed the binding of oaths, Jesus said that the intent of the law -- the spirit of the law -- was that oaths made to the Lord were always binding and should be kept and not broken
-- the Pharisees kept the law, but missed the purpose -- in Matthew 12, we see a passage where this contrast between keeping the letter of the law but missing the spirit and the purpose of the law is brought out sharply -- we don't have time to go into this passage in detail, so let me encourage you to look it up for yourself later this week -- let me just give you a synopsis of what happened
-- one time, Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath -- His disciples were hungry and they began to pick some of the heads of grain and to eat them -- the Pharisees became livid and they approached Jesus -- "Why are you letting your disciples do what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
-- later on, they rebuked Jesus for healing a man whose hand was shriveled on the Sabbath
-- now, we all know that the Sabbath is to be a day of rest and faith -- it is a day when there is to be no work -- in the eyes of the Pharisees -- in keeping with the letter of the law -- the disciples, by picking the grain, were working on the Sabbath and breaking the law -- and Jesus, by healing the man with the shriveled hand, was working on the Sabbath and breaking the law
-- so Jesus points out the heart of the matter -- the purpose of the Sabbath was not to make it a day to be worshiped -- but to make it a day that man could rest from his labors and worship God -- as He said, "The Sabbath was made for man -- not man for the Sabbath"
-- by following the letter of the law, the Pharisees were making the Sabbath day more important than the God who made it
-- I like the way Eugene Peterson translates Jesus' response to the Pharisees about their tendency to worry about the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law -- 'There is far more at stake than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant - "I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual" - you wouldn't be nitpicking like this.'
-- as David wrote in Psalm 51:16-17, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings -- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
-- in other words, it's not so much about doing the right things or following the law to the letter -- but meeting the intent and purpose of the law -- which is always to bring us closer to the heart of God and to share God's love with all we meet
-- so, if you want to be a bad Christian, make sure that you follow the letter of the law exactly and do no more
-- if the law says that you have to be at church on Sunday, don't stop to help a person broken down on the side of the road if it means you'll be late or you might miss the worship service altogether -- and don't even think about skipping Bible study to help the single mother in your neighborhood mow her grass -- that would be wrong
-- if the law says to not be judgemental about others and to love your neighbor as yourself, find a loophole and gossip about someone with the excuse that you are just lifting them up in prayer -- "Now normally, I would never dream of telling you what so-and-so did, but I just want you to pray for them" -- don't consider bearing their burdens with them and lifting them up before God and not man
-- if the law says don't work on the Sabbath, then make sure you don't cook Sunday dinner because that would be working -- but go out to eat instead and then condemn the waitress and the cook in the restaurant for working on Sunday -- and don't give them any more than 15% for a tip, because that's all that's required, even if they are working on Sunday to help support their family
-- if the law says give God your tithes and your firstfruits, spend countless hours trying to calculate 10% of your income and question whether God should get a tithe from your gross or your net -- and never think about giving more than what the law demands
-- and, if the law says that worship is on Sunday and Sunday only, then don't consider doing ministry or having worship services on any other day -- why, that might make it possible for law-breakers to come to church and get to know the Lord
-- as we close now, I am going to ask you to consider ways in your life and in the life of this church that we might be more intent on keeping the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law -- let's pray that we always look at all situations in the light of God's grace and will and purpose and that we do not become modern-day Pharisees in our own right
-- let's pray
SERMON: SHUTTING THE DOOR OF GRACE
HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN: SHUTTING THE DOOR OF GRACE
13 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
-- a few weeks ago, we watched the newest Will Smith movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness" -- the true story about Chris Gardner, a bright and talented young man who was desperately trying to make a living by selling high-end medical devices on his own
-- as the movie opens, things weren't going real well for Chris -- his business was not doing well and he wasn't selling enough machines to pay the rent and the bills -- his wife was taking double shifts down at her job just trying to help the family survive
-- every time Chris tried to get something going, it seemed like fate would just throw it back in his face -- every time he tried to get someone to help, they wouldn't -- his wife left him to raise his son on his own -- his friends deserted him -- everyone told him to accept his fate in life and to just go on -- it seemed like everything and everyone tried to hold him back -- to keep him from reaching his dreams
-- but Chris had hope -- he could see an open door in his future leading to financial security -- and no one was going to hold him back and keep him from going through that door -- at one point in the movie, as he huddled with his son in a bathroom in a subway terminal to spend the night because they had lost their apartment, Chris told him, "Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something -- You got a dream, you gotta protect it -- if you want something, go get it. Period."
-- in a very real sense, the story of Chris Gardner is a perfect analogy of what was going on in Jesus' day in the church -- Jesus had been sent to earth by the Father for one purpose -- to open the door to the kingdom of heaven that had been barred shut since Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden
-- when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they literally fell from grace -- because of their action, sin had entered the world and the path to heaven was effectively blocked -- there was no way for sinful man to come to God and there was no way for sinful man to come into the presence of God in the kingdom of heaven
-- so God promised to Adam and Eve that the Messiah would come -- the One who would strike the head of the serpent and open the path for reconciliation with the Father again -- and in the fullness of time, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, effectively removing the barrier between us and the Father -- opening the door to the kingdom of heaven and making it possible for us to come into His presence again
-- since the beginning of time, mankind had been looking for that door -- they had been trying to find God -- they had been trying to find the path that would lead to heaven through a variety of means -- works -- rituals -- sacrifices -- religion -- in a nutshell, religion is nothing more than man's attempt to find God
-- over time, men like the Pharisees had developed religion into an art form -- they had taken the commandments of God that pointed to the coming Messiah and that offered temporary cleansing of sin -- and they had come up with a list of additional rituals and practices and acts that had to be performed in just the right way in order to make it to heaven
-- it was this legalism that Jesus had condemned the Pharisees for in verses 1-12 of this chapter -- for making a burden out of religion and putting heaven out of the grasp of the people
-- and in the face of this extreme religiousity, Jesus has now come on the scene -- proclaiming the presence of the kingdom of God and telling the people how they could come to the Father through Him -- "I am the way and the truth and the life," He said in John 14:6 -- "I am the narrow gate" -- "I am the door to the sheepfold" -- "if you want to come into the kingdom of heaven, you must come through me -- there is no other way -- you can't work your way to heaven -- you can't be holy enough to get to heaven -- you can't even get there by following all of the rules of the Pharisees -- you can only get there through me"
-- the Pharisees didn't like this teaching of Jesus -- it was a challenge to their religiousity
-- a challenge to their orthodoxy -- a challenge to their basic beliefs -- look back at verse 13 again
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
-- in the first of seven "woes" to the Pharisees and scribes in this chapter, Jesus calls them "hypocrites" -- men who pretended to know and teach the way to heaven but who really didn't know the path themselves or, worse, were trying to keep people from it -- the Pharisees and the scribes didn't believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and they certainly didn't believe that He was the path to heaven -- so they wouldn't follow Him or abide by His teachings -- and not only were they refusing to enter in themselves, but they were actively trying to keep the people away from Jesus, warning those who followed Him to turn away from Jesus and casting some of His followers out of the synagogues
-- isn't that the way of the world? -- you know, every time I think of this verse, I am reminded of crabs -- when I worked on Ossabaw Island, we would occasionally put out crab traps in this tidal creek -- we'd go check it first thing in the morning, and we'd put all the crabs into a bucket -- crabs are funny creatures -- when you threw a crab in, all the crabs that were already in the bucket would attack it -- and they'd all be there with their claws snapping at each other until they finally settled down
-- we didn't have a lid on the bucket -- it was just open -- but the crabs couldn't climb the slick sides, so they really couldn't get out -- but there would always be this one crab who thought he could get out -- he'd sort of climb on the backs of the others and reach up to the top -- and grab hold of the rim -- all he had to do was pull himself up and swing over and he would be free
-- but every single time -- without fail -- when the other crabs saw this one making it to the top of the bucket, they'd grab him and pull him back down with them again
-- I didn't know it at the time, but I guess all of the crabs we caught were Pharisees
-- the Pharisees couldn't abide with someone trying to escape from religion and make their way to heaven though Jesus -- and so when they saw them headed down the narrow path -- when they saw them getting near the open door -- they'd grab them and pull them back down and keep them in bondage to the rules and regulations of the religion of their day
-- this is the third way to be a bad Christian -- to shut the door of grace to other people and prevent them from entering in
-- you know, I hate to say it, but we do this all the time in our churches today in a variety of ways
-- the first way we shut the door of grace to other people is by judging them -- maybe they are sinners -- maybe we know that they are living in sin and not doing right -- we think there is no hope for them -- and so we don't offer them the grace of Christ
-- I'll never forget being in a Bible study in another church one day when the topic of visitation came up -- somebody mentioned that there was a family down the road from the church that someone should go see and invite to come to worship -- one lady in the Bible study said, "No, there's no need to do that -- they are too bad to be saved"
-- or maybe they're not obvious sinners -- maybe they just don't fit in with your congregation or with the people you consider to be Christians -- maybe they're from another race -- or another financial class -- or from the wrong side of the tracks -- maybe they've got tattoos and piercings and come to church in blue jeans and a t-shirt
-- in his testimony, Greg Laurie, a preacher in California -- talks about how Christians treated him before he came to Christ -- Greg was a hippie back in the 60's -- long hair -- unkempt dress -- he says he had perfected a "tough guy" persona to keep people away
-- from time to time, Christians would come to the beach where Greg was, witnessing to others and passing out tracts -- they'd take one look at Greg and throw a tract at him and basically run away without saying a word -- Greg said he wished they would speak to him and tell him about Jesus -- but their fear of someone who was different than them kept the door of grace shut to him -- thankfully, someone finally did witness to Greg and he was saved and called into the ministry as an evangelist and pastor
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, judge people before they come and assume that even Jesus can't save them
-- another way we shut the door of grace to other people is to stop them from growing in their Christian walk -- I had a couple of friends up in Athens who were strong Christians but who went to different churches -- one of these men had been a Christian for decades while the other was a relatively new believer
-- the new believer really was growing in grace -- studying the Bible and doing a lot for the Lord -- so the deacons in his church asked him to become a deacon -- to take on a leadership role in the church -- when he was asked, he went to my other friend and asked him what he thought about it
-- this guy, who had been a Christian for a long time, told the new believer that he was not spiritually ready to be a leader in the church and that he should say "no" -- you see, this guy was not a deacon himself, and he couldn't stand the thought of a person younger in the faith than him being put in a leadership role, so he held him back and stopped him from growing in his Christian walk
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, keep those around you from growing in grace and from growing more knowledgeable and more committed than you
-- I read about this young marine during the Korean War -- a new Christian who was being discipled by a group of Navigators -- he was taught the basics of Christianity -- how to read and study the Bible -- how to pray -- how to share his faith -- over time, this marine showed great promise and it was obvious that he was going to exceed his mentors in faith and in knowledge of spiritual issues
-- but instead of holding him back and not letting him grow to his potential in Christ, these men encouraged the marine to continue to follow Christ where He would lead -- in time, this marine was called into the ministry -- and you can hear him preach on WAFT every day -- his name is Chuck Swindoll -- how many lives would not have been touched by Christ if these men hadn't followed Christ and encouraged Chuck Swindoll?
-- the final way we shut the door of grace to other people is by making church foreign and hostile to people seeking the way to heaven -- by this I mean that we use Christianese -- Christian jargon and slang that we understand but that those who visit might not -- when they come to church, they think we're speaking a different language
-- what do they mean by "born again?" -- what is "justification?" -- what is "sanctification?" -- I know they say that grace is amazing, but what is so amazing about grace? -- what does it mean when they do that ritual? -- why do they take communion?
-- for someone seeking Christ, these words and actions can be confusing and can keep the door of grace shut simply because they don't speak the language
-- or maybe we just make church unfriendly to them -- and that's a big problem we have to watch for in our small churches -- because we are so small -- and because so many of us are actually related to one another -- we become a family -- and when visitors show up, they feel like outsiders -- and they don't come back because they don't think they can ever fit in
-- or maybe we just make church boring -- maybe our lackluster efforts at worship keep the door of grace shut and they never see the Christ we are claiming is always with us -- we need to make sure that we are fully present at worship -- by this I don't mean just showing up -- but showing up with a purpose -- showing up to actually worship Christ and seek His face and His presence through the entire service -- not letting our mind or our focus drift -- but concentrating on the One that we are seeking to introduce to our visitors and friends
-- or maybe we just make church ineffective and non-relevant -- we become too much like the Pharisees and the church becomes the means to the end -- in other words, we come to church just to come to church -- we don't try to live it out in our lives -- we don't try to reach out to those around us -- we just make church about us and those who have joined us
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make the church into an institution of rules and regulations and with its own language and not into a community that welcomes everyone who comes seeking the Father
-- Jesus condemned and rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes for living hypocritical lives -- for being "religious" to the point where they missed the Messiah themselves and then kept others away from Him when He came
-- we have to be careful to not follow their footsteps -- to always put others first and to remember that we are all on this journey together as pilgrims headed for the Promised Land -- it is our duty and our calling to reach out to those not on the path -- to those who haven't received Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- and to call them to join us on our journey
-- in the same way, it is our duty and calling to help those with us on the path to reach their potential in Christ -- to grow in grace and in the fullness of the knowledge of Jesus -- even if that means that they know more about the Bible than us -- even if that means that they are put in roles of leadership above us even though we've been in the church longer or have known Jesus longer -- our job and our duty is to always put others before us and to never bar the door that Jesus opened with His body and His blood on the cross
-- as I close, I want to invite you to consider where you are in your journey and whether you have been a help or a hindrance along the way to others you have met
-- if you would like to respond to God's word by coming to the altar, I would be happy to pray with you
-- let us pray
13 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
-- a few weeks ago, we watched the newest Will Smith movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness" -- the true story about Chris Gardner, a bright and talented young man who was desperately trying to make a living by selling high-end medical devices on his own
-- as the movie opens, things weren't going real well for Chris -- his business was not doing well and he wasn't selling enough machines to pay the rent and the bills -- his wife was taking double shifts down at her job just trying to help the family survive
-- every time Chris tried to get something going, it seemed like fate would just throw it back in his face -- every time he tried to get someone to help, they wouldn't -- his wife left him to raise his son on his own -- his friends deserted him -- everyone told him to accept his fate in life and to just go on -- it seemed like everything and everyone tried to hold him back -- to keep him from reaching his dreams
-- but Chris had hope -- he could see an open door in his future leading to financial security -- and no one was going to hold him back and keep him from going through that door -- at one point in the movie, as he huddled with his son in a bathroom in a subway terminal to spend the night because they had lost their apartment, Chris told him, "Don't ever let somebody tell you you can't do something -- You got a dream, you gotta protect it -- if you want something, go get it. Period."
-- in a very real sense, the story of Chris Gardner is a perfect analogy of what was going on in Jesus' day in the church -- Jesus had been sent to earth by the Father for one purpose -- to open the door to the kingdom of heaven that had been barred shut since Adam and Eve's fall in the Garden of Eden
-- when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they literally fell from grace -- because of their action, sin had entered the world and the path to heaven was effectively blocked -- there was no way for sinful man to come to God and there was no way for sinful man to come into the presence of God in the kingdom of heaven
-- so God promised to Adam and Eve that the Messiah would come -- the One who would strike the head of the serpent and open the path for reconciliation with the Father again -- and in the fullness of time, He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, effectively removing the barrier between us and the Father -- opening the door to the kingdom of heaven and making it possible for us to come into His presence again
-- since the beginning of time, mankind had been looking for that door -- they had been trying to find God -- they had been trying to find the path that would lead to heaven through a variety of means -- works -- rituals -- sacrifices -- religion -- in a nutshell, religion is nothing more than man's attempt to find God
-- over time, men like the Pharisees had developed religion into an art form -- they had taken the commandments of God that pointed to the coming Messiah and that offered temporary cleansing of sin -- and they had come up with a list of additional rituals and practices and acts that had to be performed in just the right way in order to make it to heaven
-- it was this legalism that Jesus had condemned the Pharisees for in verses 1-12 of this chapter -- for making a burden out of religion and putting heaven out of the grasp of the people
-- and in the face of this extreme religiousity, Jesus has now come on the scene -- proclaiming the presence of the kingdom of God and telling the people how they could come to the Father through Him -- "I am the way and the truth and the life," He said in John 14:6 -- "I am the narrow gate" -- "I am the door to the sheepfold" -- "if you want to come into the kingdom of heaven, you must come through me -- there is no other way -- you can't work your way to heaven -- you can't be holy enough to get to heaven -- you can't even get there by following all of the rules of the Pharisees -- you can only get there through me"
-- the Pharisees didn't like this teaching of Jesus -- it was a challenge to their religiousity
-- a challenge to their orthodoxy -- a challenge to their basic beliefs -- look back at verse 13 again
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
-- in the first of seven "woes" to the Pharisees and scribes in this chapter, Jesus calls them "hypocrites" -- men who pretended to know and teach the way to heaven but who really didn't know the path themselves or, worse, were trying to keep people from it -- the Pharisees and the scribes didn't believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah and they certainly didn't believe that He was the path to heaven -- so they wouldn't follow Him or abide by His teachings -- and not only were they refusing to enter in themselves, but they were actively trying to keep the people away from Jesus, warning those who followed Him to turn away from Jesus and casting some of His followers out of the synagogues
-- isn't that the way of the world? -- you know, every time I think of this verse, I am reminded of crabs -- when I worked on Ossabaw Island, we would occasionally put out crab traps in this tidal creek -- we'd go check it first thing in the morning, and we'd put all the crabs into a bucket -- crabs are funny creatures -- when you threw a crab in, all the crabs that were already in the bucket would attack it -- and they'd all be there with their claws snapping at each other until they finally settled down
-- we didn't have a lid on the bucket -- it was just open -- but the crabs couldn't climb the slick sides, so they really couldn't get out -- but there would always be this one crab who thought he could get out -- he'd sort of climb on the backs of the others and reach up to the top -- and grab hold of the rim -- all he had to do was pull himself up and swing over and he would be free
-- but every single time -- without fail -- when the other crabs saw this one making it to the top of the bucket, they'd grab him and pull him back down with them again
-- I didn't know it at the time, but I guess all of the crabs we caught were Pharisees
-- the Pharisees couldn't abide with someone trying to escape from religion and make their way to heaven though Jesus -- and so when they saw them headed down the narrow path -- when they saw them getting near the open door -- they'd grab them and pull them back down and keep them in bondage to the rules and regulations of the religion of their day
-- this is the third way to be a bad Christian -- to shut the door of grace to other people and prevent them from entering in
-- you know, I hate to say it, but we do this all the time in our churches today in a variety of ways
-- the first way we shut the door of grace to other people is by judging them -- maybe they are sinners -- maybe we know that they are living in sin and not doing right -- we think there is no hope for them -- and so we don't offer them the grace of Christ
-- I'll never forget being in a Bible study in another church one day when the topic of visitation came up -- somebody mentioned that there was a family down the road from the church that someone should go see and invite to come to worship -- one lady in the Bible study said, "No, there's no need to do that -- they are too bad to be saved"
-- or maybe they're not obvious sinners -- maybe they just don't fit in with your congregation or with the people you consider to be Christians -- maybe they're from another race -- or another financial class -- or from the wrong side of the tracks -- maybe they've got tattoos and piercings and come to church in blue jeans and a t-shirt
-- in his testimony, Greg Laurie, a preacher in California -- talks about how Christians treated him before he came to Christ -- Greg was a hippie back in the 60's -- long hair -- unkempt dress -- he says he had perfected a "tough guy" persona to keep people away
-- from time to time, Christians would come to the beach where Greg was, witnessing to others and passing out tracts -- they'd take one look at Greg and throw a tract at him and basically run away without saying a word -- Greg said he wished they would speak to him and tell him about Jesus -- but their fear of someone who was different than them kept the door of grace shut to him -- thankfully, someone finally did witness to Greg and he was saved and called into the ministry as an evangelist and pastor
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, judge people before they come and assume that even Jesus can't save them
-- another way we shut the door of grace to other people is to stop them from growing in their Christian walk -- I had a couple of friends up in Athens who were strong Christians but who went to different churches -- one of these men had been a Christian for decades while the other was a relatively new believer
-- the new believer really was growing in grace -- studying the Bible and doing a lot for the Lord -- so the deacons in his church asked him to become a deacon -- to take on a leadership role in the church -- when he was asked, he went to my other friend and asked him what he thought about it
-- this guy, who had been a Christian for a long time, told the new believer that he was not spiritually ready to be a leader in the church and that he should say "no" -- you see, this guy was not a deacon himself, and he couldn't stand the thought of a person younger in the faith than him being put in a leadership role, so he held him back and stopped him from growing in his Christian walk
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, keep those around you from growing in grace and from growing more knowledgeable and more committed than you
-- I read about this young marine during the Korean War -- a new Christian who was being discipled by a group of Navigators -- he was taught the basics of Christianity -- how to read and study the Bible -- how to pray -- how to share his faith -- over time, this marine showed great promise and it was obvious that he was going to exceed his mentors in faith and in knowledge of spiritual issues
-- but instead of holding him back and not letting him grow to his potential in Christ, these men encouraged the marine to continue to follow Christ where He would lead -- in time, this marine was called into the ministry -- and you can hear him preach on WAFT every day -- his name is Chuck Swindoll -- how many lives would not have been touched by Christ if these men hadn't followed Christ and encouraged Chuck Swindoll?
-- the final way we shut the door of grace to other people is by making church foreign and hostile to people seeking the way to heaven -- by this I mean that we use Christianese -- Christian jargon and slang that we understand but that those who visit might not -- when they come to church, they think we're speaking a different language
-- what do they mean by "born again?" -- what is "justification?" -- what is "sanctification?" -- I know they say that grace is amazing, but what is so amazing about grace? -- what does it mean when they do that ritual? -- why do they take communion?
-- for someone seeking Christ, these words and actions can be confusing and can keep the door of grace shut simply because they don't speak the language
-- or maybe we just make church unfriendly to them -- and that's a big problem we have to watch for in our small churches -- because we are so small -- and because so many of us are actually related to one another -- we become a family -- and when visitors show up, they feel like outsiders -- and they don't come back because they don't think they can ever fit in
-- or maybe we just make church boring -- maybe our lackluster efforts at worship keep the door of grace shut and they never see the Christ we are claiming is always with us -- we need to make sure that we are fully present at worship -- by this I don't mean just showing up -- but showing up with a purpose -- showing up to actually worship Christ and seek His face and His presence through the entire service -- not letting our mind or our focus drift -- but concentrating on the One that we are seeking to introduce to our visitors and friends
-- or maybe we just make church ineffective and non-relevant -- we become too much like the Pharisees and the church becomes the means to the end -- in other words, we come to church just to come to church -- we don't try to live it out in our lives -- we don't try to reach out to those around us -- we just make church about us and those who have joined us
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make the church into an institution of rules and regulations and with its own language and not into a community that welcomes everyone who comes seeking the Father
-- Jesus condemned and rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes for living hypocritical lives -- for being "religious" to the point where they missed the Messiah themselves and then kept others away from Him when He came
-- we have to be careful to not follow their footsteps -- to always put others first and to remember that we are all on this journey together as pilgrims headed for the Promised Land -- it is our duty and our calling to reach out to those not on the path -- to those who haven't received Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- and to call them to join us on our journey
-- in the same way, it is our duty and calling to help those with us on the path to reach their potential in Christ -- to grow in grace and in the fullness of the knowledge of Jesus -- even if that means that they know more about the Bible than us -- even if that means that they are put in roles of leadership above us even though we've been in the church longer or have known Jesus longer -- our job and our duty is to always put others before us and to never bar the door that Jesus opened with His body and His blood on the cross
-- as I close, I want to invite you to consider where you are in your journey and whether you have been a help or a hindrance along the way to others you have met
-- if you would like to respond to God's word by coming to the altar, I would be happy to pray with you
-- let us pray
Saturday, May 12, 2007
RANDOM THOUGHTS OF WAR AND PEACE
To date, I have not blogged at all on the war. However, recent events have led me to put into writing some of my thoughts on the war on terror and the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan:
1. On September 11th, hope seemed lost. Our country had been attacked. We were in shock as a nation. And no one knew what was going on. Competent and capable leadership, from President Bush and Mayor Guiliani and others, saved the day. Speaking from the ashes of the attacks, these leaders pointed towards hope and salvation and spurred a massive outpouring of unity among the nation.
Now, it seems like everyone has turned against these leaders. Last year, when my Georgia Bulldogs had lost three football games in a row and the alumni and fans were screaming for firings of the assistant coaches, Coach Mark Richt made a profound statement. He said that these were the same men who had coached this team to five consecutive 10-win seasons, including two SEC championships and five straight bowl games. "They haven't forgotten what they're doing," he said, and they ultimately turned the season around going 9-4 for the year. Could it be that the leaders who were so competent on September 11th have forgotten what they're doing? Could it be that they've forgotten how to lead? No, of course not. To quote Sherman, "War is Hell." And sometimes in war, you have ups and downs. Sometimes in war it looks like you are coasting to an easy victory and then all hell breaks loose. And sometimes in war you see victory in the face of what seems like certain defeat. I trust President Bush to lead us through this war, and I thank God that he was in the White House on September 11th when this country needed him. I think it's time for the political pundits and candidates to back off and let this man do his job.
2. Why Iraq? Why not? In my mind, the case for going into Iraq was actually stronger than that of going into Afghanistan. The Taliban certainly were not the ones who attacked us on September 11th, and while they might have been harboring Al Quaida within their borders, you could stand in that part of the world and have a hard time pointing at a country that wasn't. We still see Al Quaida in other countries in the middle east and on into Muslim-dominated Africa. That's a given when fighting a terrorist organization not linked to a single country. They infiltrate and can be everywhere, from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Iraq to Somalia and the Sudan. Small tumors popping up throughout the world, all indicative of a greater cancer that we are seemingly incapable of stopping. Take out one tumor and the cancer metastisizes and pops up in another place, such as Fort Dix, New Jersey.
One thing is certain about Iraq, though. Whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction or not, whether he got them out of the country before we attacked (we certainly gave him sufficient time to do so) or whether they didn't exist or not, the fact remains that Saddam was a sworn enemy of the United States. He may not have been directly threatening us at the moment, but he certainly was sympathetic, if not downright supportive, of those terrorist groups that were attacking us. He was a loose wheel, a dangerous dictator, and more and more the terrorists were using Iraq as a central base of operations, especially after their defeat in Afghanistan.
I strongly supported the attack on Iraq and I continue to support the war efforts over there now. If I were in a different place (and better physicaly condition), I would probably volunteer to go to Iraq to serve. That is how strongly I feel about our efforts over there. And despite the political ramblings of the democrats, the U.S. won the war in Iraq. We defeated Saddam Hussein. We liberated Iraq from a fascist dictator. We won liberties and freedoms for minority groups and have pointed them towards a democratic future.
The conflict we are currently engaged in in Iraq is not part of the original war in that country. We aren't in the middle of a civil war or an insurgency. The battle there is not for the governance of Iraq. It is the new front in the war on terror being waged by Al Quaida and other similar groups.
3. Did we fail in Iraq? Yes and no. No, in the sense that we did win the war and accomplish our objective of removing Saddam Hussein from power. Yes, in the sense that we were not able to get a strong federal government re-established in time to allow us to pull out and engage the terrorists in another place. As a result, we are now getting bogged down chasing shadows and ghosts throughout the cities and streets of Baghdad and Iraq. But, from a more global perspective, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I just finished re-reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway. This is the classic tale of the Spanish Civil War, fought in the 1930's by two opposing ideologies -- fascism versus the republic (and, yes, I know that communists were supporting the republic side, but we fought with Russia against Hitler, too.). The story is told from the perspective of Robert Jordan, an American who is working with a guerilla Republican group to blow up a bridge during a Republic offensive. In this book, Jordan makes a profound statement concerning their overall efforts in the war that relate to the current conflict in Iraq: "But remember this -- that as long as we can hold them here we keep the fascists tied up. They can't attack any other country until they finish with us and they can never finish with us...No, you must not expect victory here, not for several years maybe. This is just a holding attack...Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today."
The current war in Iraq is exactly like that. The terrorists can't reasonably expect to attack us in our own country like on September 11th because we are keeping them tied up in Iraq. They are expending their time and focus in that conflict,and while American lives are being lost, the numbers pale in comparison to the damage that Al Quaida could do to civilians in a terrorist attack in our own country. What we do in Iraq, what happens in Iraq, will affect all the other days to come.
We need to recognize what this war is and what it is not. We need to recognize that the mission was accomplished, but a different war has cropped up, a war that will not end any time soon, and a war that is best fought on foreign soil than on our own.
4. The Nay-Sayers. Watching the news and the political jockeying of candidates dancing around this war make me long for the days immediately after September 11th. Yes, it looked hopeless. Yes, we were shocked and in grief. But we showed the true heart of America in the days following September 11th. There was no political wrangling. There were no calls for inquiries and investigations. There was a country -- one country -- coming together to heal and to grieve and to unite as one in a show of solidarity and defiance. There was a t.v. commercial shortly after September 11th I still remember vividly. It showed a normal suburban residential street, row after row of houses, and the voice-over said, "On September 11th, the terrorists thought they could change America. They were right." And the scene switches to the same street and the same houses, but each one flew an American flag. For the first time in my life, I felt like we were one nation, one people again.
Do you remember how you felt in the days after September 11th? Alan Jackson, in his masterful song commemorating the event, "Where were you when the world stopped turning", put it this way:
"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry
Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day"
I wish we could take that song to heart and remember it and where we were on that day when the news about Iraq comes on. I wish we could remember how we felt on September 11th when we hear the political candidates say they were sorry for voting to support the war. I wish we could remember how this nation came together on that day when we hear the derision of our leaders who bravely stood in the gap for our country against the very face of evil. I wish we could remember the day when politics disappeared and when we actually loved this country enough to defend it.
1. On September 11th, hope seemed lost. Our country had been attacked. We were in shock as a nation. And no one knew what was going on. Competent and capable leadership, from President Bush and Mayor Guiliani and others, saved the day. Speaking from the ashes of the attacks, these leaders pointed towards hope and salvation and spurred a massive outpouring of unity among the nation.
Now, it seems like everyone has turned against these leaders. Last year, when my Georgia Bulldogs had lost three football games in a row and the alumni and fans were screaming for firings of the assistant coaches, Coach Mark Richt made a profound statement. He said that these were the same men who had coached this team to five consecutive 10-win seasons, including two SEC championships and five straight bowl games. "They haven't forgotten what they're doing," he said, and they ultimately turned the season around going 9-4 for the year. Could it be that the leaders who were so competent on September 11th have forgotten what they're doing? Could it be that they've forgotten how to lead? No, of course not. To quote Sherman, "War is Hell." And sometimes in war, you have ups and downs. Sometimes in war it looks like you are coasting to an easy victory and then all hell breaks loose. And sometimes in war you see victory in the face of what seems like certain defeat. I trust President Bush to lead us through this war, and I thank God that he was in the White House on September 11th when this country needed him. I think it's time for the political pundits and candidates to back off and let this man do his job.
2. Why Iraq? Why not? In my mind, the case for going into Iraq was actually stronger than that of going into Afghanistan. The Taliban certainly were not the ones who attacked us on September 11th, and while they might have been harboring Al Quaida within their borders, you could stand in that part of the world and have a hard time pointing at a country that wasn't. We still see Al Quaida in other countries in the middle east and on into Muslim-dominated Africa. That's a given when fighting a terrorist organization not linked to a single country. They infiltrate and can be everywhere, from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Iraq to Somalia and the Sudan. Small tumors popping up throughout the world, all indicative of a greater cancer that we are seemingly incapable of stopping. Take out one tumor and the cancer metastisizes and pops up in another place, such as Fort Dix, New Jersey.
One thing is certain about Iraq, though. Whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction or not, whether he got them out of the country before we attacked (we certainly gave him sufficient time to do so) or whether they didn't exist or not, the fact remains that Saddam was a sworn enemy of the United States. He may not have been directly threatening us at the moment, but he certainly was sympathetic, if not downright supportive, of those terrorist groups that were attacking us. He was a loose wheel, a dangerous dictator, and more and more the terrorists were using Iraq as a central base of operations, especially after their defeat in Afghanistan.
I strongly supported the attack on Iraq and I continue to support the war efforts over there now. If I were in a different place (and better physicaly condition), I would probably volunteer to go to Iraq to serve. That is how strongly I feel about our efforts over there. And despite the political ramblings of the democrats, the U.S. won the war in Iraq. We defeated Saddam Hussein. We liberated Iraq from a fascist dictator. We won liberties and freedoms for minority groups and have pointed them towards a democratic future.
The conflict we are currently engaged in in Iraq is not part of the original war in that country. We aren't in the middle of a civil war or an insurgency. The battle there is not for the governance of Iraq. It is the new front in the war on terror being waged by Al Quaida and other similar groups.
3. Did we fail in Iraq? Yes and no. No, in the sense that we did win the war and accomplish our objective of removing Saddam Hussein from power. Yes, in the sense that we were not able to get a strong federal government re-established in time to allow us to pull out and engage the terrorists in another place. As a result, we are now getting bogged down chasing shadows and ghosts throughout the cities and streets of Baghdad and Iraq. But, from a more global perspective, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I just finished re-reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway. This is the classic tale of the Spanish Civil War, fought in the 1930's by two opposing ideologies -- fascism versus the republic (and, yes, I know that communists were supporting the republic side, but we fought with Russia against Hitler, too.). The story is told from the perspective of Robert Jordan, an American who is working with a guerilla Republican group to blow up a bridge during a Republic offensive. In this book, Jordan makes a profound statement concerning their overall efforts in the war that relate to the current conflict in Iraq: "But remember this -- that as long as we can hold them here we keep the fascists tied up. They can't attack any other country until they finish with us and they can never finish with us...No, you must not expect victory here, not for several years maybe. This is just a holding attack...Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today."
The current war in Iraq is exactly like that. The terrorists can't reasonably expect to attack us in our own country like on September 11th because we are keeping them tied up in Iraq. They are expending their time and focus in that conflict,and while American lives are being lost, the numbers pale in comparison to the damage that Al Quaida could do to civilians in a terrorist attack in our own country. What we do in Iraq, what happens in Iraq, will affect all the other days to come.
We need to recognize what this war is and what it is not. We need to recognize that the mission was accomplished, but a different war has cropped up, a war that will not end any time soon, and a war that is best fought on foreign soil than on our own.
4. The Nay-Sayers. Watching the news and the political jockeying of candidates dancing around this war make me long for the days immediately after September 11th. Yes, it looked hopeless. Yes, we were shocked and in grief. But we showed the true heart of America in the days following September 11th. There was no political wrangling. There were no calls for inquiries and investigations. There was a country -- one country -- coming together to heal and to grieve and to unite as one in a show of solidarity and defiance. There was a t.v. commercial shortly after September 11th I still remember vividly. It showed a normal suburban residential street, row after row of houses, and the voice-over said, "On September 11th, the terrorists thought they could change America. They were right." And the scene switches to the same street and the same houses, but each one flew an American flag. For the first time in my life, I felt like we were one nation, one people again.
Do you remember how you felt in the days after September 11th? Alan Jackson, in his masterful song commemorating the event, "Where were you when the world stopped turning", put it this way:
"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry
Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day"
I wish we could take that song to heart and remember it and where we were on that day when the news about Iraq comes on. I wish we could remember how we felt on September 11th when we hear the political candidates say they were sorry for voting to support the war. I wish we could remember how this nation came together on that day when we hear the derision of our leaders who bravely stood in the gap for our country against the very face of evil. I wish we could remember the day when politics disappeared and when we actually loved this country enough to defend it.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
SERMON: HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN, PART 2
HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN: SERVE TO BE SEEN
6 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Matthew 23
1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7. they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them `Rabbi.'
8. "But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9. And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10. Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
11. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
-- I'd like to share with you a true story that was written by Wesley Willis
-- several years ago, there were these two brothers who grew up with a father that taught them the meaning of hard work. -- He owned his own business, and as far back as they could remember, Johnny and Jim worked with him. -- They knew what it felt like to be too tired to sleep at the end of the day -- but they also learned to value the perks that come to the ones in charge
-- Both of the brothers had short fuses and violent tempers -- They were known as the “terrors of the neighborhood.” -- But they were very good workers -- and their father came to rely upon his sons to maintain and develop the family business
-- Then one day, just as Johnny and Jim were finishing up a major project with their father, they abandoned him -- they walked away from their father's business without a word and without looking back
-- you see, a new young leader who was building a new organization had just arrived in town -- He had heard of Johnny and Jim and he came to where they were and he handpicked them to join his elite group -- Johnny and Jim saw their chance to hit it big -- Abruptly they turned their back on their commitment, their plans, and their father’s dreams to jump at what they thought was the chance of a lifetime.
-- Almost immediately, Johnny and Jim ran into problems -- They viewed life differently from their boss -- He was patient and methodical -- they were anxious and impetuous -- He believed in serving people -- they wanted to use people.
-- Worse, the two brothers had failed to recognize the implications of being little fish in a big pond -- you see, in the family business, they were the only ones next to the man in charge -- they were the leaders -- and they had all the rights and privileges that goes with being in charge
-- but here, they were simply two members of a large executive team that had no pecking order -- all were equal in the sight of their young leader -- and Johnny and Jim were worried because others on the team were smarter and more aggressive than they were -- they were afraid that others would be promoted ahead of them
-- so, Johnny and Jim conspired to get an edge on the others -- when they were alone with the boss, the brothers suggested that when he was ready to go public with his formal organization -- that they should be His top men -- in charge of all the others -- and, just in case their suggestions weren’t enough, they arranged for a close relative to plead their case.
-- But their plot could not be concealed for long, and when the news leaked out to the rest of the team, the brothers were ostracized -- Their peers and team-members -- their friends -- plotted countermoves to protect their own rights -- everyone wanted to be in charge of the others
-- Naturally the boss caught rumors of unrest and insurrection and called an executive committee meeting -- Sorrowfully he informed his team that they had totally missed the purpose of his training sessions -- He explained that his organization was built on giving, not getting—on service rather than privilege -- It was a hard lesson for Johnny and Jim and the others to learn because it ran so counter to the prevailing culture -- it went against everything they had been taught in life and in business1
II. How to be a bad Christian: Part 2
-- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on "How To Be a Bad Christian" -- this series is built around the passage of Matthew 23, where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their actions and warns His disciples not to follow their ways
-- in verse 3, Jesus tells His disciples that they are to follow the teachings of the Pharisees from the Holy Scriptures -- but they are not to follow the additional teachings or to imitate the actions of the Pharisees
-- Last time, we looked at the first example of how to be a bad Christian -- which was to make Christianity a burden on others -- and we talked about how the Pharisees had added to God's original law by imposing a burden of over 1,500 additional rules and rituals and regulations on the people -- burdens that they could never follow and that were keeping them from fully entering into a relationship with God
-- and then we talked about how we do the same thing in our churches today -- by having unwritten rules for people to follow that makes Christianity a burden on them -- rules such as requiring people to come to all church events and making them feel bad if they don't show up -- rules such as making people read their Bible or pray or participate in worship as a duty and not because of a desire to grow closer to Jesus
-- this morning, we are going to be looking at the second way to be a bad Christian -- which is to "serve in order to be seen"
-- as the story of Johnny and Jim shows -- perhaps you know them better as the Apostles James and John -- we are all born with this innate desire for affirmation -- it was placed there by God, and in a perfect world, we are to seek our affirmation -- our self-worth -- from Him
-- but, because of our fallen human natures, we tend to find our self-worth, not in the eyes of God -- but in the eyes of man -- and, as a result, we either tend to think of ourselves more highly or more lowly than we ought -- and we want to be recognized for what we are doing and to be praised by others because of our actions
-- time and time again, we see Jesus rebuking His disciples for this tendency in their lives -- for their pride and for their desire to be placed higher in the kingdom -- as my opening illustration reminded us, James and John had their mother go to Jesus and ask that they be given the positions on His right and left hand -- and Peter was always getting in trouble for trying to place himself higher than the other disciples -- and Jesus had to rebuke them for their actions
-- but this was what they knew -- this was what the world taught them -- and this was what they saw lived out in the lives of the Pharisees -- so in this passage, Jesus specifically draws their attention to the ways of the Pharisees and tells them that they should not do as the Pharisees do -- but that they should live differently
III. Serving to Be Seen
-- if you would, look back now at verse 5, and let's see what Jesus had to say about this subject --
5. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7. they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them `Rabbi.'
-- "everything they do is done done for men to see" -- lest we forget, the Pharisees were men of God -- the teachers of the law and the leaders of the synagogue -- but Jesus tells us that their service was not for God, but for themselves
-- everything they did was to win the praise of men and not of God -- Jesus tells us that the Pharisees would make their phylacteries wide so that everyone could see them -- phylacteries were small boxes that held scriptures -- they would be fixed to a ribbon and tied around the hands or foreheads of the men as reminders of God's law
-- in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, God told the Israelites that His commandments were to be on their hearts -- that they were to teach them to their children -- to write them on the doorframes of their houses and gates -- and to tie them as symbols on their hands and their foreheads
-- so the Pharisees took these symbols of God's law and made them very large and very wide so that everyone they passed would see them and recognize what good works these men were doing
-- likewise, Jesus said that they made the tassels on their garments long -- all Jewish men wore prayer shawls that had tassels that hung from them -- Jesus wore one Himself -- that is what the woman who had an issue of blood reached for in the crowd for healing
-- but the Pharisees made special prayer shawls -- they would make their tassels long and obvious so they would call attention to themselves and let the whole world know just how holy they were
-- we do the same today -- why do you people carry those big Bibles with them when they go out in public? -- so that people will see them and recognize how holy they must be -- why do some people make a production about praying in a restaurant? -- so people will see them and see how holy they are
-- just last week in Albany, a teenager stood up in a local restaurant and called for the attention of everyone in the place -- and then he asked all of them to join him in prayer -- why did he do that? -- because he felt led to pray? -- no, because he wanted them to see how holy he was
-- Jesus says these Pharisees always looked for honor and glory for themselves -- they took the best seats in the synagogue -- those up near the front where the symbolic ark was at and the scrolls of scriptures stored -- they loved to be greeted in the marketplace and hailed as "Rabbi" and for the attention to be on them
-- so Jesus says to His disciples and to us, "Don't be like them" -- this was not the first time His disciples had heard these instructions -- hold your place here and flip over to Matthew 6:1
1. "Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4. so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-- it all comes down to this question -- where do you find your worth and identity? -- do you find it in the praise and recognition of men, as the Pharisees did? -- Jesus says that that is the wrong place
-- as Christians our trust and our identity is in Christ -- as we place our trust in Him, God identifies us through Christ -- His righteousness becomes our righteousness -- and He is the source of our true identity and our true self-worth
-- the Pharisees were seeking their self-worth through their works and service -- in essence, they were seeking affirmation of who they were -- but instead of seeking it from God, they were seeking it from the recognition of others
-- look back at Matthew 23:8
8. "But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9. And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10. Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
-- even though we're not supposed to -- even though we all know that in God's eyes a sin is a sin is a sin -- we have this scale of sins that we recognize -- killing someone is obviously a lot worse than telling a white lie to us -- even though God says otherwise
-- in the same way, we have a scale of works and of positions in the church -- we regard and recognize people based on what their position is and what they are doing in the church
-- the Pharisees loved to be recognized in the marketplace and around town and called "Rabbi" and "Teacher" and "Father" -- they loved for people to give them honor and glory and praise because of what they were doing and for the positions they held in the church
-- but Jesus told His disciples and us, "Don't do it -- Don't command recognition and praise in this way" -- He was pointing out that there's nothing wrong with titles in the church when they are used as terms of respect or to indicate certain duties or responsibilities -- but He was condemning the attitude that sought out such recognition because they were seeking their affirmation from men rather than from God
-- as I was working on this I was reminded of Mark Twain -- Twain used to tour the country speaking to various groups -- and he once said that he preferred to introduce himself, so as to make sure he got in all the facts
-- that's exactly what the Pharisees were doing -- they wanted to make sure that everyone got in all the facts and knew that they were the most important people in the temple or the synagogue -- Jesus was warning against this prideful seeking of public praise as shown by the Pharisees' desire for places of prominence, for titles signifying superiority, and for their superior "holier-than-thou" attitudes
-- instead, Jesus said, you should follow my example -- you should seek to be a servant and to serve -- that was the role that Jesus took upon Himself when He came to earth -- He chose to be a servant first and foremost
-- just think about the Last Supper -- when none of His disciples offered to wash the feet of the others because that was the job of a slave or lowly servant -- Jesus got a towel and a basin and He washed their feet -- the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords -- the Creator of the Universe -- took on the role of a slave and served His disciples
-- and He says that is the way we are to approach life -- look at verse 11
11. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
-- "If you want to be great in My kingdom, you must be a servant to others -- If you want to be recognized by the King, you must be humble and seek your approval from Him and not the world"
-- it all comes down to motive -- why are you doing the things that you are doing? -- is it for God or for men? -- whose eye are you trying to catch? -- whose recognition are you seeking?
-- one commentator summed it up this way -- "The Pharisees paraded their piety in public to win public praise"
-- Jesus paraded His piety in private to win the praise of His Father -- and He calls for us to do the same -- Don Simpson says that the best therapy for our self-image is to abandon self by genuinely loving other people, meeting their needs, encouraging them, and praying God's best for them -- to serve them wholeheartedly and to consider others better than yourselves2
-- that is the way of the servant -- that is the way of the cross -- that is the way of Christ
IV. CLOSING
-- last weekend, the NFL held their pro football draft -- the third person selected in this year's draft was Joe Thomas from the University of Wisconsin -- this will probably be the last time you will ever hear his name, because Joe Thomas isn't a quarterback -- he isn't a running back or a wide receiver -- he's not a starting linebacker or a strong safety -- he's an offensive tackle
-- and this year, when the quarterback for the Lions rolls back to his left and sends a perfect strike to the end zone, finding his receiver in the closing moments to win the game, Joe Thomas' name won't be mentioned
-- and when the running back sees a hole in the opponent's defensive line and bursts through to the endzone -- Joe Thomas' name won't be mentioned -- but, that's not why he plays -- men like Joe Thomas don't play to receive the acclaim of the crowd or the recognition of the media -- they play to bring glory to the team -- to do all they can and to serve others so that the team can succeed
-- I doubt that anyone in here has ever heard the names Ryan Diem, Jeff Saturday, Jake Scott, Ryan Lilja, or Tarik Glenn -- but it was their service on the offensive line that led the Indianapolis Colts to the victory in the Superbowl this year
-- and it may be that no one here on earth will ever know your name -- it may be that no one on earth will ever know the name of this church -- it may be that the world will never recognize what we are doing here -- but that's o.k.
-- because there is One who sees -- there is One who knows -- and He tells us that it is more important to serve Him -- to find our self-worth and our affirmation through Him -- than to receive all the glory and admiration of the world
-- let us never forget that we are not called for glory but to glory
-- there is a song by Ray Bolz that I think captures the message of Jesus in this passage -- Troy Lehman sang it at the National Day of Prayer service in Statenville last Thursday -- and I'm going to pray and then we'll close by listening to this song
-- as this song is playing, the altar is open for any who wish to respond to God's word
-- let us pray
References:
1Wesley Willis, "Full Service Christians in a Self-Serve World," Discipleship Journal, Volume 53, Sept/Oct, 1989.
2Don Simpson, "From Self to Servanthood", Discipleship Journal, Volume 1, Jan/Feb 1981
6 May 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in your Bibles to Matthew 23
1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7. they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them `Rabbi.'
8. "But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9. And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10. Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
11. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
-- I'd like to share with you a true story that was written by Wesley Willis
-- several years ago, there were these two brothers who grew up with a father that taught them the meaning of hard work. -- He owned his own business, and as far back as they could remember, Johnny and Jim worked with him. -- They knew what it felt like to be too tired to sleep at the end of the day -- but they also learned to value the perks that come to the ones in charge
-- Both of the brothers had short fuses and violent tempers -- They were known as the “terrors of the neighborhood.” -- But they were very good workers -- and their father came to rely upon his sons to maintain and develop the family business
-- Then one day, just as Johnny and Jim were finishing up a major project with their father, they abandoned him -- they walked away from their father's business without a word and without looking back
-- you see, a new young leader who was building a new organization had just arrived in town -- He had heard of Johnny and Jim and he came to where they were and he handpicked them to join his elite group -- Johnny and Jim saw their chance to hit it big -- Abruptly they turned their back on their commitment, their plans, and their father’s dreams to jump at what they thought was the chance of a lifetime.
-- Almost immediately, Johnny and Jim ran into problems -- They viewed life differently from their boss -- He was patient and methodical -- they were anxious and impetuous -- He believed in serving people -- they wanted to use people.
-- Worse, the two brothers had failed to recognize the implications of being little fish in a big pond -- you see, in the family business, they were the only ones next to the man in charge -- they were the leaders -- and they had all the rights and privileges that goes with being in charge
-- but here, they were simply two members of a large executive team that had no pecking order -- all were equal in the sight of their young leader -- and Johnny and Jim were worried because others on the team were smarter and more aggressive than they were -- they were afraid that others would be promoted ahead of them
-- so, Johnny and Jim conspired to get an edge on the others -- when they were alone with the boss, the brothers suggested that when he was ready to go public with his formal organization -- that they should be His top men -- in charge of all the others -- and, just in case their suggestions weren’t enough, they arranged for a close relative to plead their case.
-- But their plot could not be concealed for long, and when the news leaked out to the rest of the team, the brothers were ostracized -- Their peers and team-members -- their friends -- plotted countermoves to protect their own rights -- everyone wanted to be in charge of the others
-- Naturally the boss caught rumors of unrest and insurrection and called an executive committee meeting -- Sorrowfully he informed his team that they had totally missed the purpose of his training sessions -- He explained that his organization was built on giving, not getting—on service rather than privilege -- It was a hard lesson for Johnny and Jim and the others to learn because it ran so counter to the prevailing culture -- it went against everything they had been taught in life and in business1
II. How to be a bad Christian: Part 2
-- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series on "How To Be a Bad Christian" -- this series is built around the passage of Matthew 23, where Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their actions and warns His disciples not to follow their ways
-- in verse 3, Jesus tells His disciples that they are to follow the teachings of the Pharisees from the Holy Scriptures -- but they are not to follow the additional teachings or to imitate the actions of the Pharisees
-- Last time, we looked at the first example of how to be a bad Christian -- which was to make Christianity a burden on others -- and we talked about how the Pharisees had added to God's original law by imposing a burden of over 1,500 additional rules and rituals and regulations on the people -- burdens that they could never follow and that were keeping them from fully entering into a relationship with God
-- and then we talked about how we do the same thing in our churches today -- by having unwritten rules for people to follow that makes Christianity a burden on them -- rules such as requiring people to come to all church events and making them feel bad if they don't show up -- rules such as making people read their Bible or pray or participate in worship as a duty and not because of a desire to grow closer to Jesus
-- this morning, we are going to be looking at the second way to be a bad Christian -- which is to "serve in order to be seen"
-- as the story of Johnny and Jim shows -- perhaps you know them better as the Apostles James and John -- we are all born with this innate desire for affirmation -- it was placed there by God, and in a perfect world, we are to seek our affirmation -- our self-worth -- from Him
-- but, because of our fallen human natures, we tend to find our self-worth, not in the eyes of God -- but in the eyes of man -- and, as a result, we either tend to think of ourselves more highly or more lowly than we ought -- and we want to be recognized for what we are doing and to be praised by others because of our actions
-- time and time again, we see Jesus rebuking His disciples for this tendency in their lives -- for their pride and for their desire to be placed higher in the kingdom -- as my opening illustration reminded us, James and John had their mother go to Jesus and ask that they be given the positions on His right and left hand -- and Peter was always getting in trouble for trying to place himself higher than the other disciples -- and Jesus had to rebuke them for their actions
-- but this was what they knew -- this was what the world taught them -- and this was what they saw lived out in the lives of the Pharisees -- so in this passage, Jesus specifically draws their attention to the ways of the Pharisees and tells them that they should not do as the Pharisees do -- but that they should live differently
III. Serving to Be Seen
-- if you would, look back now at verse 5, and let's see what Jesus had to say about this subject --
5. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6. they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7. they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them `Rabbi.'
-- "everything they do is done done for men to see" -- lest we forget, the Pharisees were men of God -- the teachers of the law and the leaders of the synagogue -- but Jesus tells us that their service was not for God, but for themselves
-- everything they did was to win the praise of men and not of God -- Jesus tells us that the Pharisees would make their phylacteries wide so that everyone could see them -- phylacteries were small boxes that held scriptures -- they would be fixed to a ribbon and tied around the hands or foreheads of the men as reminders of God's law
-- in Deuteronomy 6:6-9, God told the Israelites that His commandments were to be on their hearts -- that they were to teach them to their children -- to write them on the doorframes of their houses and gates -- and to tie them as symbols on their hands and their foreheads
-- so the Pharisees took these symbols of God's law and made them very large and very wide so that everyone they passed would see them and recognize what good works these men were doing
-- likewise, Jesus said that they made the tassels on their garments long -- all Jewish men wore prayer shawls that had tassels that hung from them -- Jesus wore one Himself -- that is what the woman who had an issue of blood reached for in the crowd for healing
-- but the Pharisees made special prayer shawls -- they would make their tassels long and obvious so they would call attention to themselves and let the whole world know just how holy they were
-- we do the same today -- why do you people carry those big Bibles with them when they go out in public? -- so that people will see them and recognize how holy they must be -- why do some people make a production about praying in a restaurant? -- so people will see them and see how holy they are
-- just last week in Albany, a teenager stood up in a local restaurant and called for the attention of everyone in the place -- and then he asked all of them to join him in prayer -- why did he do that? -- because he felt led to pray? -- no, because he wanted them to see how holy he was
-- Jesus says these Pharisees always looked for honor and glory for themselves -- they took the best seats in the synagogue -- those up near the front where the symbolic ark was at and the scrolls of scriptures stored -- they loved to be greeted in the marketplace and hailed as "Rabbi" and for the attention to be on them
-- so Jesus says to His disciples and to us, "Don't be like them" -- this was not the first time His disciples had heard these instructions -- hold your place here and flip over to Matthew 6:1
1. "Be careful not to do your `acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2. "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
3. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4. so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
-- it all comes down to this question -- where do you find your worth and identity? -- do you find it in the praise and recognition of men, as the Pharisees did? -- Jesus says that that is the wrong place
-- as Christians our trust and our identity is in Christ -- as we place our trust in Him, God identifies us through Christ -- His righteousness becomes our righteousness -- and He is the source of our true identity and our true self-worth
-- the Pharisees were seeking their self-worth through their works and service -- in essence, they were seeking affirmation of who they were -- but instead of seeking it from God, they were seeking it from the recognition of others
-- look back at Matthew 23:8
8. "But you are not to be called `Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9. And do not call anyone on earth `father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10. Nor are you to be called `teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
-- even though we're not supposed to -- even though we all know that in God's eyes a sin is a sin is a sin -- we have this scale of sins that we recognize -- killing someone is obviously a lot worse than telling a white lie to us -- even though God says otherwise
-- in the same way, we have a scale of works and of positions in the church -- we regard and recognize people based on what their position is and what they are doing in the church
-- the Pharisees loved to be recognized in the marketplace and around town and called "Rabbi" and "Teacher" and "Father" -- they loved for people to give them honor and glory and praise because of what they were doing and for the positions they held in the church
-- but Jesus told His disciples and us, "Don't do it -- Don't command recognition and praise in this way" -- He was pointing out that there's nothing wrong with titles in the church when they are used as terms of respect or to indicate certain duties or responsibilities -- but He was condemning the attitude that sought out such recognition because they were seeking their affirmation from men rather than from God
-- as I was working on this I was reminded of Mark Twain -- Twain used to tour the country speaking to various groups -- and he once said that he preferred to introduce himself, so as to make sure he got in all the facts
-- that's exactly what the Pharisees were doing -- they wanted to make sure that everyone got in all the facts and knew that they were the most important people in the temple or the synagogue -- Jesus was warning against this prideful seeking of public praise as shown by the Pharisees' desire for places of prominence, for titles signifying superiority, and for their superior "holier-than-thou" attitudes
-- instead, Jesus said, you should follow my example -- you should seek to be a servant and to serve -- that was the role that Jesus took upon Himself when He came to earth -- He chose to be a servant first and foremost
-- just think about the Last Supper -- when none of His disciples offered to wash the feet of the others because that was the job of a slave or lowly servant -- Jesus got a towel and a basin and He washed their feet -- the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords -- the Creator of the Universe -- took on the role of a slave and served His disciples
-- and He says that is the way we are to approach life -- look at verse 11
11. The greatest among you will be your servant.
12. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
-- "If you want to be great in My kingdom, you must be a servant to others -- If you want to be recognized by the King, you must be humble and seek your approval from Him and not the world"
-- it all comes down to motive -- why are you doing the things that you are doing? -- is it for God or for men? -- whose eye are you trying to catch? -- whose recognition are you seeking?
-- one commentator summed it up this way -- "The Pharisees paraded their piety in public to win public praise"
-- Jesus paraded His piety in private to win the praise of His Father -- and He calls for us to do the same -- Don Simpson says that the best therapy for our self-image is to abandon self by genuinely loving other people, meeting their needs, encouraging them, and praying God's best for them -- to serve them wholeheartedly and to consider others better than yourselves2
-- that is the way of the servant -- that is the way of the cross -- that is the way of Christ
IV. CLOSING
-- last weekend, the NFL held their pro football draft -- the third person selected in this year's draft was Joe Thomas from the University of Wisconsin -- this will probably be the last time you will ever hear his name, because Joe Thomas isn't a quarterback -- he isn't a running back or a wide receiver -- he's not a starting linebacker or a strong safety -- he's an offensive tackle
-- and this year, when the quarterback for the Lions rolls back to his left and sends a perfect strike to the end zone, finding his receiver in the closing moments to win the game, Joe Thomas' name won't be mentioned
-- and when the running back sees a hole in the opponent's defensive line and bursts through to the endzone -- Joe Thomas' name won't be mentioned -- but, that's not why he plays -- men like Joe Thomas don't play to receive the acclaim of the crowd or the recognition of the media -- they play to bring glory to the team -- to do all they can and to serve others so that the team can succeed
-- I doubt that anyone in here has ever heard the names Ryan Diem, Jeff Saturday, Jake Scott, Ryan Lilja, or Tarik Glenn -- but it was their service on the offensive line that led the Indianapolis Colts to the victory in the Superbowl this year
-- and it may be that no one here on earth will ever know your name -- it may be that no one on earth will ever know the name of this church -- it may be that the world will never recognize what we are doing here -- but that's o.k.
-- because there is One who sees -- there is One who knows -- and He tells us that it is more important to serve Him -- to find our self-worth and our affirmation through Him -- than to receive all the glory and admiration of the world
-- let us never forget that we are not called for glory but to glory
-- there is a song by Ray Bolz that I think captures the message of Jesus in this passage -- Troy Lehman sang it at the National Day of Prayer service in Statenville last Thursday -- and I'm going to pray and then we'll close by listening to this song
-- as this song is playing, the altar is open for any who wish to respond to God's word
-- let us pray
References:
1Wesley Willis, "Full Service Christians in a Self-Serve World," Discipleship Journal, Volume 53, Sept/Oct, 1989.
2Don Simpson, "From Self to Servanthood", Discipleship Journal, Volume 1, Jan/Feb 1981
SERMON: HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN, PART 1
HOW TO BE A BAD CHRISTIAN: MAKE CHRISTIANITY A BURDEN ON OTHERS
15 April 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
-- the story is told about this teenager who was playing basketball in his driveway when he lost a contact lens -- he got down on his hands and knees and he searched all over the driveway for it -- he couldn't find it anywhere, so he went inside and told his mother that he had lost it
-- undaunted, his mother went outside and in a few minutes came back into the house with the contact lens in her hand -- "How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the teenager asked -- "We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied -- "You were looking for a small piece of glass -- I was looking for $150"
-- before we turn to the text this morning, I want to look again at something that some of you at the sunrise service last week heard -- which was, namely, Christ's charge to His disciples on the day that He ascended
-- as you remember, after Christ rose from the dead, He stayed with His disciples for a period of 40 days -- teaching them from the scriptures and diligently explaining to them the meaning of the cross and the resurrection
-- and just before He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, Christ told the disciples that they were about to be empowered by the Holy Spirit and that they were to go forth in His name and be His witnesses to Judea and Samaria and to all the ends of the earth
-- Matthew records these final words of Christ as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
18. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-- now when these passages are taught, they are generally taught from our perspective -- that is, the perspective of man -- in other words, when we hear these words, we understand them to be a command to us -- the charge of the church -- what we are called to do as Christians
-- but, I think there is another perspective on these passages that we are missing -- namely, the perspective of Christ -- this was not only a command that Jesus gave to us, but it was Christ's vision of the church
-- through His body and His blood -- through His death and resurrection -- Jesus had instituted this new body -- the church -- comprised of all those who had believed in Him and trusted in His name and His salvation
-- and this was Christ's vision of the church -- that we should be a people -- called by His name -- empowered and indwelled by His Spirit -- that we should be a holy army of Christians -- a royal priesthood -- who would go forth in His name and His power to bring the people to Him
-- this Great Commission was also given to us to be our Great Vision -- motivating and driving us to be more than we are -- to do more than we do -- to be God's people -- doing God's work -- and growing His church
-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" -- people wonder why our mainline denominations, such as the United Methodist Church, continue to lose members every year despite the fact that our country is growing in numbers almost exponentially
-- people wonder why the churches in our communities -- even this church -- show absolutely no growth despite the fact that the population in this county grew by more than 12% last year alone
-- I think it comes down to this -- I think it comes down to a lack of vision -- I think we have lost the vision of Christ for our churches -- I think we have forgotten what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be part of the body of Christ
-- Christ did not envision us hiding in our sanctuaries while the world around us went to Hell -- He envisioned us as His hands and feet -- carrying His message to the ends of the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit
-- the problem is just like in my illustration about the contact lens -- we are spending our time looking for a piece of glass while we should be looking for something of greater value
-- we need to catch a new vision of church -- we need to catch a new vision of Christ -- and we need to catch a new vision of ourselves
-- Adrian Rogers once said, "The me I see is the me I'll be" -- our problem is that we have been limiting what Christ can do through us because we refuse to see who we are and who we can be in Him
-- You are the people of God -- you are the people who Christ died for -- you are His church -- His hands and feet -- called and gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth
-- you need to claim the vision -- you need to live the vision -- you need to believe in the vision
-- you need to start seeing yourself through the eyes of faith -- at the end of the service, I am going to pass out some pictures for you -- just black blobs on a paper -- I want you to take this and keep it with you until Pentecost and I want you to follow the instructions on the bottom of the paper
-- I want this to be a physical reminder to you that if you look at life -- if you look at yourself -- with the eyes of faith rather than the eyes of the world -- that you will see the Christ who is there with you -- leading you and empowering you to be His people -- to be His Christians
II. Those Burdensome Pharisees
-- now, as we try to work together to recapture Christ's vision for us as His church and His people -- I want us to look at what we should be and what we should not be -- along those lines, I am starting a message this morning on "How to be a Bad Christian" to give you something to compare yourself to
-- in this passage in Matthew, Jesus gives us seven examples of how to be a bad Christian -- so, if you would, please look with me now at Matthew 23:1 and let's look at the first way to be a bad Christian
-- verse 1
1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
-- when we read of the Pharisees in the Bible, we always tend to make them out to be the bad guys -- the guys with the wrong doctrines and the wrong teachings who were always arguing with Jesus
-- but, truth be told, Jesus did not have a problem with the doctrines of the Pharisees -- in fact, He was closer to the Pharisees than the Sadducees -- the Pharisees believed in an after-life -- they believed in the Messiah who was coming -- they believed in angels -- they believed in a bodily resurrection at the last days -- in fact, a lot of their teachings were the same that we hold in this church
-- in this passage, Jesus points out to His disciples that they should listen to the Pharisees -- the Pharisees were the teachers of the law -- they sat in Moses' seat -- with the responsibility to teach the people the Holy Scriptures and the commandments of God -- Jesus said that the disciples should follow and do everything that the Pharisees told them from the Scriptures
-- Jesus had no problem with that at all -- He found disagreement with them in only two areas -- first, of course, they refused to accept Him as the Messiah -- as the Christ who had come to take away the sins of the world
-- but, secondly, he faulted them for not practicing what they preached and for putting heavy burdens on themselves and their followers -- you see, the Pharisees added to the Scriptures -- originally, there were 613 commandments given from God to the Israelites -- but the Pharisees added hundreds of laws, requirements, and so-called "godly" ordinances upon the people -- over 1,500 additional requirements -- that they made up to help the people be holy -- and there was no way the people could ever live up to these extra burdens that the Pharisees put on them
-- lots of these burdensome rules were just absurd -- for instance, the Pharisees said that it was a sin to spit in the dirt on the Sabbath -- here's where they got this -- we all know that one of the ten commandments says that we are to remember the sabbath and keep it holy -- to do no work on this day
-- well, farming is considered work -- and when you spit into dry dusty soil, the surface of the dirt is disturbed and a crater is formed with a raised rim -- like when a meteor hits the moon -- the Pharisees saw this as creating a furrow -- furrows are part of plowing which is a part of farming -- farming is work -- work was forbidden on the sabbath -- therefore, spitting in the dirt on the sabbath was forbidden [illustration borrowed from Kesha Klarensovich]
-- all of these extra rules and requirements and ordinances put a burden on the people that they just couldn't bear -- and so Christ condemned the Pharisees for this in these verses
III. How to Be a Bad Christian: #1 -- Make Christianity a Burden on Others
-- so from this example of the Pharisees, we learn the first way to be a bad Christian -- namely, to make Christianity a burden to others
-- we no longer live under the law as the Pharisees did -- we are no longer bound to follow all of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament to the letter -- we live under the grace of God that came through Christ
-- however, we have a tendency to add our own set of rules and laws and requirements to God's grace that end up being a burden to others -- now most of the time, these aren't written rules, although a few churches and few denominations have made them church law
-- let me give you a few examples of burdens that we place on others in our churches today
1. The Burden of Appearance
-- this burden addresses how you dress and how you should look when you come to church -- some churches have gone so far as to say that women cannot wear pants and must wear dresses at all times -- some have said that women must have long hair and must keep it bound and not let it be loose
-- other churches have an unwritten dress code -- you have to wear your best to church -- if you show up wearing jeans or a t-shirt or anything similar, you will be frowned upon
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make a point about what a person looks like or what they wear and look down on those who don't dress like you when you come to church
2. The Burden of Proper Worship
-- this burden addresses how you should act while you are in church -- some churches frown on people who speak in tongues or who raise their hands during the service -- some churches wouldn't dare to let anyone speak out and say "Amen" during a sermon -- some churches say you can't have praise songs -- or instruments -- or that you have to use a certain hymnal and that only
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, set rules on how you can act in church -- limit what people can do and don't let them do anything that makes you uncomfortable
3. The Burden of Works
-- this burden adds to grace by making works a part of the Christian experience -- it's not good enough to only be saved through grace in faith -- you have to do something, too -- you have to read the Bible -- not because you want to -- but because you are expected to -- you have to pray daily and take communion and do acts of service -- not because of any desire on your part -- but because it is expected that all members of the church will do that
-- some expect people to attend every service and function and activity at the church -- and if they don't show up, then they get a sense of disapproval
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make every spiritual discipline a chore and a duty rather than an act of worship -- hold people accountable for being at every function whether they want to or not, and make them feel bad if they don't come
4. The Burden of Holiness
-- this burden relates to how a person lives their lives -- it gives them a standard that they must follow and that they must adhere to or they are not really Christians -- it doesn't matter if God considers it a sin -- if you do it, then you're out
-- for instance, some churches have unofficial lists of banned books and movies and other forms of entertainment -- you can only go to "G" rated movies -- you can't read that popular new book that's out because it is of the world -- you can't go to that restaurant with your friends after work because they serve alcohol there
-- some people look down on those who smoke and drink occasional and go dancing at night clubs -- some look down on those who go to the race on Sunday or the game on Saturday because that's not a Christian activity -- some look down on those who buy lottery tickets on Saturday night
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make yourself holier than others and look down on anyone who does anything you don't consider Godly -- whether it's actually in Scripture or not, if you don't think it looks good for a Christian to do, then make them know that you disapprove of them
IV. Closing
-- as Christians, we are called to be gracious and to extend the grace of Christ to all -- not to tolerate sin, of course, but not to call that which is not a sin, a sin
-- as Dr. Frederick Wilson once said, we don't want to be the kind of people that are intolerant and intolerable toward others -- or that add to Christianity by putting unbiblical burdens on others -- simply because we have become Pharisees in heart -- assuming that we are more pious or more holy or better than others because we are Christians
-- Christ shows us in these verses what the difference is between a good Christian and a bad Christian -- a bad Christian adds to Scripture and judges others based upon these added burdens -- a good Christian uses the Bible as their source and the Holy Spirit as their guide -- responding to others with a gracious and inviting heart
-- Christ's vision was for us to be His representatives -- for us to reflect His goodness and His holiness and His appearance to the people of this world -- to be His hand and His feet in this world as we serve and invite others to come with us to the cross
-- as we close this morning, I want to invite you to consider the ways that we can avoid making Christianity a burden to others but instead show people God's grace as we strive to live out the vision of Christ in this community
-- as always, the altar is open for all who wish to respond to God's word -- and I will be happy to pray with you if you want
-- let us pray
15 April 2007
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 23
-- the story is told about this teenager who was playing basketball in his driveway when he lost a contact lens -- he got down on his hands and knees and he searched all over the driveway for it -- he couldn't find it anywhere, so he went inside and told his mother that he had lost it
-- undaunted, his mother went outside and in a few minutes came back into the house with the contact lens in her hand -- "How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the teenager asked -- "We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied -- "You were looking for a small piece of glass -- I was looking for $150"
-- before we turn to the text this morning, I want to look again at something that some of you at the sunrise service last week heard -- which was, namely, Christ's charge to His disciples on the day that He ascended
-- as you remember, after Christ rose from the dead, He stayed with His disciples for a period of 40 days -- teaching them from the scriptures and diligently explaining to them the meaning of the cross and the resurrection
-- and just before He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, Christ told the disciples that they were about to be empowered by the Holy Spirit and that they were to go forth in His name and be His witnesses to Judea and Samaria and to all the ends of the earth
-- Matthew records these final words of Christ as the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20
18. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-- now when these passages are taught, they are generally taught from our perspective -- that is, the perspective of man -- in other words, when we hear these words, we understand them to be a command to us -- the charge of the church -- what we are called to do as Christians
-- but, I think there is another perspective on these passages that we are missing -- namely, the perspective of Christ -- this was not only a command that Jesus gave to us, but it was Christ's vision of the church
-- through His body and His blood -- through His death and resurrection -- Jesus had instituted this new body -- the church -- comprised of all those who had believed in Him and trusted in His name and His salvation
-- and this was Christ's vision of the church -- that we should be a people -- called by His name -- empowered and indwelled by His Spirit -- that we should be a holy army of Christians -- a royal priesthood -- who would go forth in His name and His power to bring the people to Him
-- this Great Commission was also given to us to be our Great Vision -- motivating and driving us to be more than we are -- to do more than we do -- to be God's people -- doing God's work -- and growing His church
-- Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" -- people wonder why our mainline denominations, such as the United Methodist Church, continue to lose members every year despite the fact that our country is growing in numbers almost exponentially
-- people wonder why the churches in our communities -- even this church -- show absolutely no growth despite the fact that the population in this county grew by more than 12% last year alone
-- I think it comes down to this -- I think it comes down to a lack of vision -- I think we have lost the vision of Christ for our churches -- I think we have forgotten what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be part of the body of Christ
-- Christ did not envision us hiding in our sanctuaries while the world around us went to Hell -- He envisioned us as His hands and feet -- carrying His message to the ends of the earth through the power of the Holy Spirit
-- the problem is just like in my illustration about the contact lens -- we are spending our time looking for a piece of glass while we should be looking for something of greater value
-- we need to catch a new vision of church -- we need to catch a new vision of Christ -- and we need to catch a new vision of ourselves
-- Adrian Rogers once said, "The me I see is the me I'll be" -- our problem is that we have been limiting what Christ can do through us because we refuse to see who we are and who we can be in Him
-- You are the people of God -- you are the people who Christ died for -- you are His church -- His hands and feet -- called and gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth
-- you need to claim the vision -- you need to live the vision -- you need to believe in the vision
-- you need to start seeing yourself through the eyes of faith -- at the end of the service, I am going to pass out some pictures for you -- just black blobs on a paper -- I want you to take this and keep it with you until Pentecost and I want you to follow the instructions on the bottom of the paper
-- I want this to be a physical reminder to you that if you look at life -- if you look at yourself -- with the eyes of faith rather than the eyes of the world -- that you will see the Christ who is there with you -- leading you and empowering you to be His people -- to be His Christians
II. Those Burdensome Pharisees
-- now, as we try to work together to recapture Christ's vision for us as His church and His people -- I want us to look at what we should be and what we should not be -- along those lines, I am starting a message this morning on "How to be a Bad Christian" to give you something to compare yourself to
-- in this passage in Matthew, Jesus gives us seven examples of how to be a bad Christian -- so, if you would, please look with me now at Matthew 23:1 and let's look at the first way to be a bad Christian
-- verse 1
1. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2. "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
-- when we read of the Pharisees in the Bible, we always tend to make them out to be the bad guys -- the guys with the wrong doctrines and the wrong teachings who were always arguing with Jesus
-- but, truth be told, Jesus did not have a problem with the doctrines of the Pharisees -- in fact, He was closer to the Pharisees than the Sadducees -- the Pharisees believed in an after-life -- they believed in the Messiah who was coming -- they believed in angels -- they believed in a bodily resurrection at the last days -- in fact, a lot of their teachings were the same that we hold in this church
-- in this passage, Jesus points out to His disciples that they should listen to the Pharisees -- the Pharisees were the teachers of the law -- they sat in Moses' seat -- with the responsibility to teach the people the Holy Scriptures and the commandments of God -- Jesus said that the disciples should follow and do everything that the Pharisees told them from the Scriptures
-- Jesus had no problem with that at all -- He found disagreement with them in only two areas -- first, of course, they refused to accept Him as the Messiah -- as the Christ who had come to take away the sins of the world
-- but, secondly, he faulted them for not practicing what they preached and for putting heavy burdens on themselves and their followers -- you see, the Pharisees added to the Scriptures -- originally, there were 613 commandments given from God to the Israelites -- but the Pharisees added hundreds of laws, requirements, and so-called "godly" ordinances upon the people -- over 1,500 additional requirements -- that they made up to help the people be holy -- and there was no way the people could ever live up to these extra burdens that the Pharisees put on them
-- lots of these burdensome rules were just absurd -- for instance, the Pharisees said that it was a sin to spit in the dirt on the Sabbath -- here's where they got this -- we all know that one of the ten commandments says that we are to remember the sabbath and keep it holy -- to do no work on this day
-- well, farming is considered work -- and when you spit into dry dusty soil, the surface of the dirt is disturbed and a crater is formed with a raised rim -- like when a meteor hits the moon -- the Pharisees saw this as creating a furrow -- furrows are part of plowing which is a part of farming -- farming is work -- work was forbidden on the sabbath -- therefore, spitting in the dirt on the sabbath was forbidden [illustration borrowed from Kesha Klarensovich]
-- all of these extra rules and requirements and ordinances put a burden on the people that they just couldn't bear -- and so Christ condemned the Pharisees for this in these verses
III. How to Be a Bad Christian: #1 -- Make Christianity a Burden on Others
-- so from this example of the Pharisees, we learn the first way to be a bad Christian -- namely, to make Christianity a burden to others
-- we no longer live under the law as the Pharisees did -- we are no longer bound to follow all of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament to the letter -- we live under the grace of God that came through Christ
-- however, we have a tendency to add our own set of rules and laws and requirements to God's grace that end up being a burden to others -- now most of the time, these aren't written rules, although a few churches and few denominations have made them church law
-- let me give you a few examples of burdens that we place on others in our churches today
1. The Burden of Appearance
-- this burden addresses how you dress and how you should look when you come to church -- some churches have gone so far as to say that women cannot wear pants and must wear dresses at all times -- some have said that women must have long hair and must keep it bound and not let it be loose
-- other churches have an unwritten dress code -- you have to wear your best to church -- if you show up wearing jeans or a t-shirt or anything similar, you will be frowned upon
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make a point about what a person looks like or what they wear and look down on those who don't dress like you when you come to church
2. The Burden of Proper Worship
-- this burden addresses how you should act while you are in church -- some churches frown on people who speak in tongues or who raise their hands during the service -- some churches wouldn't dare to let anyone speak out and say "Amen" during a sermon -- some churches say you can't have praise songs -- or instruments -- or that you have to use a certain hymnal and that only
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, set rules on how you can act in church -- limit what people can do and don't let them do anything that makes you uncomfortable
3. The Burden of Works
-- this burden adds to grace by making works a part of the Christian experience -- it's not good enough to only be saved through grace in faith -- you have to do something, too -- you have to read the Bible -- not because you want to -- but because you are expected to -- you have to pray daily and take communion and do acts of service -- not because of any desire on your part -- but because it is expected that all members of the church will do that
-- some expect people to attend every service and function and activity at the church -- and if they don't show up, then they get a sense of disapproval
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make every spiritual discipline a chore and a duty rather than an act of worship -- hold people accountable for being at every function whether they want to or not, and make them feel bad if they don't come
4. The Burden of Holiness
-- this burden relates to how a person lives their lives -- it gives them a standard that they must follow and that they must adhere to or they are not really Christians -- it doesn't matter if God considers it a sin -- if you do it, then you're out
-- for instance, some churches have unofficial lists of banned books and movies and other forms of entertainment -- you can only go to "G" rated movies -- you can't read that popular new book that's out because it is of the world -- you can't go to that restaurant with your friends after work because they serve alcohol there
-- some people look down on those who smoke and drink occasional and go dancing at night clubs -- some look down on those who go to the race on Sunday or the game on Saturday because that's not a Christian activity -- some look down on those who buy lottery tickets on Saturday night
-- if you want to be a bad Christian, make yourself holier than others and look down on anyone who does anything you don't consider Godly -- whether it's actually in Scripture or not, if you don't think it looks good for a Christian to do, then make them know that you disapprove of them
IV. Closing
-- as Christians, we are called to be gracious and to extend the grace of Christ to all -- not to tolerate sin, of course, but not to call that which is not a sin, a sin
-- as Dr. Frederick Wilson once said, we don't want to be the kind of people that are intolerant and intolerable toward others -- or that add to Christianity by putting unbiblical burdens on others -- simply because we have become Pharisees in heart -- assuming that we are more pious or more holy or better than others because we are Christians
-- Christ shows us in these verses what the difference is between a good Christian and a bad Christian -- a bad Christian adds to Scripture and judges others based upon these added burdens -- a good Christian uses the Bible as their source and the Holy Spirit as their guide -- responding to others with a gracious and inviting heart
-- Christ's vision was for us to be His representatives -- for us to reflect His goodness and His holiness and His appearance to the people of this world -- to be His hand and His feet in this world as we serve and invite others to come with us to the cross
-- as we close this morning, I want to invite you to consider the ways that we can avoid making Christianity a burden to others but instead show people God's grace as we strive to live out the vision of Christ in this community
-- as always, the altar is open for all who wish to respond to God's word -- and I will be happy to pray with you if you want
-- let us pray
SERMON: THE LITTLE CHURCH THAT COULD
Preached by Gregory W. Lee
29 April 2007 (Naylor UMC Only)
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 4 -- because of the Fifth Sunday Revival at Wright's Chapel this morning, we are going to postpone our series on "How to Be a Bad Christian" for one more week -- next week we'll pick up on the second way to be a bad Christian
-- this week we are going to continue along the overall theme of our sermon series, though -- which is, "How to Recapture a Vision for our Church" -- and I want us to do so by looking at this passage from 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 -- if you would, join me right now and follow along as I read this whole chapter to start with
1. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9. persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
10. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
12. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14. because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
15. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
-- once upon a time, there was a little railroad engine who worked in the station yard -- it only did the tasks that it was built for, such as pulling a few cars on and off the switches -- one morning, while it was waiting for its next call to work -- a long train of freight cars was in the station yard and needed to be moved
-- the train of freight-cars asked a large engine in the roundhouse to take them over the hill -- "I can't do that -- that is too much of a pull for me," the great engine that was built for such work said
-- Then the train asked another engine -- and then another -- only to hear excuses and be refused each time -- no one was willing to help the train or to do what they were made to do
-- At last in desperation the train asked the little engine if it could draw it up the grade and over the hill and then down the other side -- "I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train -- As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
-- Then as it drew near the top of the grade that had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly, but the little engine still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." -- It reached deep within itself -- and found a strength that it didn't know it had -- and it made it to the top of the hill by dint of brave effort and then , as it went on down the other side, it congratulated itself for a job well done, puffing out proudly, "I thought I could, I thought I could."
-- there's a lot of truth wrapped up in this familiar old children's story -- and there's a lot we can learn from this story -- you know, I imagine that most of us in here have heard this story before -- maybe you had it read to you as a child -- or maybe you read it to your own children or grandchildren -- but I doubt that there's anyone in here who has never heard this story and its great message that belief in self can overcome any adversity
-- that's why I am so disheartened with so many people that I meet nowadays -- they whine and complain about their station in life -- there's nothing they can do about it -- it's too big of a problem -- it's not their fault -- they just can't make it -- they think to themselves, "I know I can't -- I know I can't" -- and so they don't
-- and that's why I am so disheartened with the shape of the church in America today -- I know that I keep talking about this from the pulpit and in our Bible studies -- but I think this is the ministry that God gave me -- to help the church -- meaning the people sitting in the pews and the entire body of Christ -- to help the church reclaim the vision and the ministry that God gave them to do
-- too many of our churches go from week to week with nothing much going on in the light of eternity -- and when they get faced with a challenge or a call to a ministry, they come up with excuses -- that problem's too big -- there's nothing we can do about that -- or, we're already doing this and that and so we can't possibly do anything else -- or, we're really here trying to serve our members and can't really reach out at the moment
-- I can't tell you how many times I've heard people from small churches use their size as an excuse for not doing anything -- we're too small -- we don't have any children -- we don't have any teachers -- we don't have a big enough building -- we don't have enough money -- "We don't -- we don't -- we don't -- We can't -- we can't -- we can't"
-- but the lesson from the story of "The Little Engine Who Could" is just the opposite of that -- the lesson from this story is that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to -- and that's the key -- we are not really limited by our environment or our situation -- we are limited by ourselves and, more importantly, how we see ourselves
-- and that is especially true for Christians and for the body of Christ -- because unlike unbelievers, we have a power within us that can accomplish anything -- as it says in Philippians 4:13, " I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-- so, what is going on with the church in America? -- what is going on with this church? -- why aren't we growing? -- why aren't we going? -- we aren't we being more effective in this community for God?
II. Turning Your "I Can't" into "God Can"
-- this passage from 2 Corinthians 4 gives us the keys to church growth -- it gives us the keys to seeing ourselves as we truly are -- and it give us the keys to turn an "I can't" attitude into an "I can" attitude -- or, more correctly, into a "God can" attitude
-- so, let's look at this passage again -- look back at verse 1
1. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
-- the first step in church growth -- the first step at getting back to a "God can" attitude, is to have a sure conviction of what the purpose of the church is -- in other words, what it it that we are called to do
-- Paul tells us in verse 1 that "through God's mercy we have this ministry" -- and then in verse 5 he tells us what that ministry is -- it is preaching Jesus Christ as Lord and it is serving others in His name
-- we exist as a church for two main reasons -- first, we exist to bring glory to God through our actions and through our worship -- and, secondly, we exist to bring the message of God to our neighbors -- to share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and to incorporate them into the body of believers -- into Jesus' church
-- thinking back on the illustration of the little engine who could, this is our train of freight-cars -- this is the task that has been given us -- we are being called to hook up this train -- to the message and service of Christ -- and to carry it to those who need it
-- now, no one said that this is going to be easy -- Paul makes that point several times in this chapter -- we're not just pulling a train on a level grade -- we've got obstacles in the way -- we've got a hill we've got to climb before we can get to our goal
-- Paul says here that one of the obstacles in our path is the work of Satan -- first, he says, Satan has been working in our very churches themselves -- putting his people in places of leadership and encouraging them to twist the word of God -- to promote all kinds of false teachings and false attitudes and "We can't do that" theologies -- to cause division in the body of Christ to distract us from our mission
-- and, not only has he been working inside our churches, but he has been working in the world -- Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers to the truth of the gospel -- they can't respond to the good news of the gospel because they can't see or hear God or His truth -- a veil has been put over their eyes and their ears and their hearts
-- this brings us to the second step in church growth -- namely, recognize your obstacles for what they are
-- I talk with a lot of pastors, and when they come to me and start complaining about all the problems in their churches, I look at them and say, "Praise God! That means that you are doing something right! You've got Satan worried and he's trying to fight back."
-- Bruce Wilkinson related the story one time from when he was in seminary -- he said one of his classmates bragged to the professor, "Since I've come to seminary, things have been going perfectly -- we're having no problems in our life or in our ministry or in our church" -- the professor looked back at him and said, "That is the worst possible thing you could have told me -- that means that Satan doesn't consider you a threat and that you aren't doing anything to cause him enough concern to get his dander up against you and your church"
-- obstacles are a fact of life -- but the lack of obstacles -- the lack of trials and tribulation and affliction -- tells you more about what you are doing for God than anything else
-- look at verse 6
6. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9. persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
-- here we see the third key to church growth -- Paul admits that trials and tribulations and obstacles are going to come up in your life and in your ministry -- but the key to overcoming them is to rely on a power greater than yourself
-- I want everyone to look outside for a second -- now look back at me -- the same power that created that light -- the same power that created the sun and the moon and the stars and all creation -- that same power is in your hearts in the presence of Christ
-- in the midst of the darkness -- in the midst of the storm clouds and the trials and the tribulations -- God speaks with power and says, "Let there be light"
-- we may be jars of clay -- we may be fragile, perishable items -- we may be in temporary bodies and limited by our strength and our intelligence -- our size and our money and any number of things -- but Paul points out that we have this treasure within
-- we have this all-surpassing power within us that gives us the power -- not only to overcome obstacles and hills in our paths -- but to go forth and hook up to that train -- and to carry the message of God to those in Naylor -- to serve them and to be Christ's hands and feet in this place -- ripping that veil off their minds through our action and our service and our love and our prays to God
-- notice that Paul says that this is an "all-surpassing" power -- do you know what that means? -- that means that there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- that can keep you from doing what God called you to do if you will simply get up and go and do it
-- we might be one of the smallest churches in the Valdosta District, but we have an all-surpassing power within us
-- we aren't limited by our size -- God is omnipresent -- He is everywhere and goes before us
-- we aren't limited by our money -- God owns it all -- He owns the cattle on a thousand hills -- and He will make sure we have the money we need to do what He has called us to do
-- we aren't limited by our abilities -- God is omipotent -- He is all powerful and He can do all and He has gifted us with just the right ability and talent in this church to do what He is calling us to do
-- when a church says, "We can't" -- what they are saying is, "God can't" -- when a church says, "We can" they are saying, "We may be jars of clay, but the light and the power of the living Lord is within us and we can do all things through Him that strengthens us"
-- skip down to verse 13 and let's close there
13. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14. because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
-- your actions are the voice of your beliefs -- what you do -- as a Christian and as a church -- tells you and others what you truly believe about God and yourself
-- do you believe that God is all-powerful and can do all things through you or not? -- if you believe that, then you have reached the fourth key to church growth -- namely, to go -- to get up and go forth in faith and to accomplish that which God has called you to do
-- belief without action is meaningless -- belief without action is actually non-belief -- if you believe, then you have to go
-- if you believe, then you have to hook up to that train of freight-cars, set your eyes past your obstacles and on the goal, and trust in the power that God has placed within you that will enable you to complete your journey
III. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you a quote from Rose Sims about churches who have forgotten these keys to growing and having a "can do" attitude
-- "nobody ever intends to kill a country church -- like good marriages gone bad, they die from neglect, apathy, lack of vision, and well-intentioned mismanagement
-- "they die silently, one more every day across Methodism -- nobody hears the door bang shut on the faithful few
-- "sometimes they die yelling -- sometimes weeping -- sometimes almost without a whimper -- it happens so gradually [they never even notice]
-- "first the youth and the children are gone -- then nobody gets appointed at conference -- [and the church stands empty] -- someone goes over to dust when it seems fitting to bury an old pilgrim in the church of his childhood -- then everyone at the funeral sits there and remembers Christmas programs and the pieces they spoke -- [and] the old altar where so many found Christ and the men of God whose combined ministries consumed a lifetime"
-- is this to be the fate of Naylor United Methodist Church? -- are we going to look at that train of freight-cars -- and look at our church -- and say, "I can't?" -- are we going to be yet one more statistic in the death of Methodism?
-- or are we going to refuse to be daunted? -- are we going to insist on saying, not, "I think I can" -- but, "I know I can through Christ?" -- are we going to rise up and be who God called us to be -- to do what God called us to do?
-- Jesus told His disciples that there was work to be done and that the fields were ripe for the harvest -- I think He's telling us the same thing today about Naylor -- the question is, are we going to set our eyes to the harvest and do the hard work to get there or are we going to do nothing?
-- let us pray
29 April 2007 (Naylor UMC Only)
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 2 Corinthians 4 -- because of the Fifth Sunday Revival at Wright's Chapel this morning, we are going to postpone our series on "How to Be a Bad Christian" for one more week -- next week we'll pick up on the second way to be a bad Christian
-- this week we are going to continue along the overall theme of our sermon series, though -- which is, "How to Recapture a Vision for our Church" -- and I want us to do so by looking at this passage from 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 -- if you would, join me right now and follow along as I read this whole chapter to start with
1. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9. persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
10. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
12. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14. because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
15. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
-- once upon a time, there was a little railroad engine who worked in the station yard -- it only did the tasks that it was built for, such as pulling a few cars on and off the switches -- one morning, while it was waiting for its next call to work -- a long train of freight cars was in the station yard and needed to be moved
-- the train of freight-cars asked a large engine in the roundhouse to take them over the hill -- "I can't do that -- that is too much of a pull for me," the great engine that was built for such work said
-- Then the train asked another engine -- and then another -- only to hear excuses and be refused each time -- no one was willing to help the train or to do what they were made to do
-- At last in desperation the train asked the little engine if it could draw it up the grade and over the hill and then down the other side -- "I think I can," puffed the little locomotive, and put itself in front of the great heavy train -- As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
-- Then as it drew near the top of the grade that had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly, but the little engine still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." -- It reached deep within itself -- and found a strength that it didn't know it had -- and it made it to the top of the hill by dint of brave effort and then , as it went on down the other side, it congratulated itself for a job well done, puffing out proudly, "I thought I could, I thought I could."
-- there's a lot of truth wrapped up in this familiar old children's story -- and there's a lot we can learn from this story -- you know, I imagine that most of us in here have heard this story before -- maybe you had it read to you as a child -- or maybe you read it to your own children or grandchildren -- but I doubt that there's anyone in here who has never heard this story and its great message that belief in self can overcome any adversity
-- that's why I am so disheartened with so many people that I meet nowadays -- they whine and complain about their station in life -- there's nothing they can do about it -- it's too big of a problem -- it's not their fault -- they just can't make it -- they think to themselves, "I know I can't -- I know I can't" -- and so they don't
-- and that's why I am so disheartened with the shape of the church in America today -- I know that I keep talking about this from the pulpit and in our Bible studies -- but I think this is the ministry that God gave me -- to help the church -- meaning the people sitting in the pews and the entire body of Christ -- to help the church reclaim the vision and the ministry that God gave them to do
-- too many of our churches go from week to week with nothing much going on in the light of eternity -- and when they get faced with a challenge or a call to a ministry, they come up with excuses -- that problem's too big -- there's nothing we can do about that -- or, we're already doing this and that and so we can't possibly do anything else -- or, we're really here trying to serve our members and can't really reach out at the moment
-- I can't tell you how many times I've heard people from small churches use their size as an excuse for not doing anything -- we're too small -- we don't have any children -- we don't have any teachers -- we don't have a big enough building -- we don't have enough money -- "We don't -- we don't -- we don't -- We can't -- we can't -- we can't"
-- but the lesson from the story of "The Little Engine Who Could" is just the opposite of that -- the lesson from this story is that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to -- and that's the key -- we are not really limited by our environment or our situation -- we are limited by ourselves and, more importantly, how we see ourselves
-- and that is especially true for Christians and for the body of Christ -- because unlike unbelievers, we have a power within us that can accomplish anything -- as it says in Philippians 4:13, " I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
-- so, what is going on with the church in America? -- what is going on with this church? -- why aren't we growing? -- why aren't we going? -- we aren't we being more effective in this community for God?
II. Turning Your "I Can't" into "God Can"
-- this passage from 2 Corinthians 4 gives us the keys to church growth -- it gives us the keys to seeing ourselves as we truly are -- and it give us the keys to turn an "I can't" attitude into an "I can" attitude -- or, more correctly, into a "God can" attitude
-- so, let's look at this passage again -- look back at verse 1
1. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
-- the first step in church growth -- the first step at getting back to a "God can" attitude, is to have a sure conviction of what the purpose of the church is -- in other words, what it it that we are called to do
-- Paul tells us in verse 1 that "through God's mercy we have this ministry" -- and then in verse 5 he tells us what that ministry is -- it is preaching Jesus Christ as Lord and it is serving others in His name
-- we exist as a church for two main reasons -- first, we exist to bring glory to God through our actions and through our worship -- and, secondly, we exist to bring the message of God to our neighbors -- to share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and to incorporate them into the body of believers -- into Jesus' church
-- thinking back on the illustration of the little engine who could, this is our train of freight-cars -- this is the task that has been given us -- we are being called to hook up this train -- to the message and service of Christ -- and to carry it to those who need it
-- now, no one said that this is going to be easy -- Paul makes that point several times in this chapter -- we're not just pulling a train on a level grade -- we've got obstacles in the way -- we've got a hill we've got to climb before we can get to our goal
-- Paul says here that one of the obstacles in our path is the work of Satan -- first, he says, Satan has been working in our very churches themselves -- putting his people in places of leadership and encouraging them to twist the word of God -- to promote all kinds of false teachings and false attitudes and "We can't do that" theologies -- to cause division in the body of Christ to distract us from our mission
-- and, not only has he been working inside our churches, but he has been working in the world -- Paul tells us that Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers to the truth of the gospel -- they can't respond to the good news of the gospel because they can't see or hear God or His truth -- a veil has been put over their eyes and their ears and their hearts
-- this brings us to the second step in church growth -- namely, recognize your obstacles for what they are
-- I talk with a lot of pastors, and when they come to me and start complaining about all the problems in their churches, I look at them and say, "Praise God! That means that you are doing something right! You've got Satan worried and he's trying to fight back."
-- Bruce Wilkinson related the story one time from when he was in seminary -- he said one of his classmates bragged to the professor, "Since I've come to seminary, things have been going perfectly -- we're having no problems in our life or in our ministry or in our church" -- the professor looked back at him and said, "That is the worst possible thing you could have told me -- that means that Satan doesn't consider you a threat and that you aren't doing anything to cause him enough concern to get his dander up against you and your church"
-- obstacles are a fact of life -- but the lack of obstacles -- the lack of trials and tribulation and affliction -- tells you more about what you are doing for God than anything else
-- look at verse 6
6. For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
8. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
9. persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
-- here we see the third key to church growth -- Paul admits that trials and tribulations and obstacles are going to come up in your life and in your ministry -- but the key to overcoming them is to rely on a power greater than yourself
-- I want everyone to look outside for a second -- now look back at me -- the same power that created that light -- the same power that created the sun and the moon and the stars and all creation -- that same power is in your hearts in the presence of Christ
-- in the midst of the darkness -- in the midst of the storm clouds and the trials and the tribulations -- God speaks with power and says, "Let there be light"
-- we may be jars of clay -- we may be fragile, perishable items -- we may be in temporary bodies and limited by our strength and our intelligence -- our size and our money and any number of things -- but Paul points out that we have this treasure within
-- we have this all-surpassing power within us that gives us the power -- not only to overcome obstacles and hills in our paths -- but to go forth and hook up to that train -- and to carry the message of God to those in Naylor -- to serve them and to be Christ's hands and feet in this place -- ripping that veil off their minds through our action and our service and our love and our prays to God
-- notice that Paul says that this is an "all-surpassing" power -- do you know what that means? -- that means that there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- that can keep you from doing what God called you to do if you will simply get up and go and do it
-- we might be one of the smallest churches in the Valdosta District, but we have an all-surpassing power within us
-- we aren't limited by our size -- God is omnipresent -- He is everywhere and goes before us
-- we aren't limited by our money -- God owns it all -- He owns the cattle on a thousand hills -- and He will make sure we have the money we need to do what He has called us to do
-- we aren't limited by our abilities -- God is omipotent -- He is all powerful and He can do all and He has gifted us with just the right ability and talent in this church to do what He is calling us to do
-- when a church says, "We can't" -- what they are saying is, "God can't" -- when a church says, "We can" they are saying, "We may be jars of clay, but the light and the power of the living Lord is within us and we can do all things through Him that strengthens us"
-- skip down to verse 13 and let's close there
13. It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,
14. because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
-- your actions are the voice of your beliefs -- what you do -- as a Christian and as a church -- tells you and others what you truly believe about God and yourself
-- do you believe that God is all-powerful and can do all things through you or not? -- if you believe that, then you have reached the fourth key to church growth -- namely, to go -- to get up and go forth in faith and to accomplish that which God has called you to do
-- belief without action is meaningless -- belief without action is actually non-belief -- if you believe, then you have to go
-- if you believe, then you have to hook up to that train of freight-cars, set your eyes past your obstacles and on the goal, and trust in the power that God has placed within you that will enable you to complete your journey
III. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you a quote from Rose Sims about churches who have forgotten these keys to growing and having a "can do" attitude
-- "nobody ever intends to kill a country church -- like good marriages gone bad, they die from neglect, apathy, lack of vision, and well-intentioned mismanagement
-- "they die silently, one more every day across Methodism -- nobody hears the door bang shut on the faithful few
-- "sometimes they die yelling -- sometimes weeping -- sometimes almost without a whimper -- it happens so gradually [they never even notice]
-- "first the youth and the children are gone -- then nobody gets appointed at conference -- [and the church stands empty] -- someone goes over to dust when it seems fitting to bury an old pilgrim in the church of his childhood -- then everyone at the funeral sits there and remembers Christmas programs and the pieces they spoke -- [and] the old altar where so many found Christ and the men of God whose combined ministries consumed a lifetime"
-- is this to be the fate of Naylor United Methodist Church? -- are we going to look at that train of freight-cars -- and look at our church -- and say, "I can't?" -- are we going to be yet one more statistic in the death of Methodism?
-- or are we going to refuse to be daunted? -- are we going to insist on saying, not, "I think I can" -- but, "I know I can through Christ?" -- are we going to rise up and be who God called us to be -- to do what God called us to do?
-- Jesus told His disciples that there was work to be done and that the fields were ripe for the harvest -- I think He's telling us the same thing today about Naylor -- the question is, are we going to set our eyes to the harvest and do the hard work to get there or are we going to do nothing?
-- let us pray
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