SERMON: THE DAY OF THE LORD

Audio Link

25 August 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 17:20-35

Luke 17:20-35 (NIV)

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,

21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."
22 Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
23 Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them.
24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.
27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
32 Remember Lot's wife!
33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.

            -- over the last several weeks, the topic du jour seemed to center on the state of this world, especially the state of the economy and the war drums beating in Syria, Israel, and Iran -- and when I look back over my journal and the sermons I have preached, as well as the social media postings on Facebook and Twitter, it really seems that there is a concern in the air -- a concern over the state of our country and our world -- and a general despair over the future for ourselves and our families

            -- we've talked about this several times -- both in my messages here at Koinonia and in our Bible studies -- and this morning I find myself led back to this topic once again through our daily Bible readings for this week
            -- I had a guy in my office one time call me the "doom and gloom prophet" because I would pass on news of negative issues that could affect our economy and our jobs -- but it's not just me -- others are sensing this mood in our world today

            -- Listen to this description of the times:

            -- "It is a gloomy moment in the history of our country -- Not in the lifetime of most men has there been so much grave and deep apprehension -- never has the future seemed so incalculable as at this time
            -- "The domestic economic situation is in chaos -- Our dollar is weak throughout the world -- Prices are so high as to be utterly impossible -- The political cauldron seethes and bubbles with uncertainty -- Russia hangs, as usual, like a cloud, dark and silent, upon the horizon -- It is a solemn moment -- Of our troubles no man can see the end."
            -- Interestingly, that quote was not from a recent news article -- that quote actually came from an article that appeared in Harper’s Magazine on October 10, 1847¹

            -- what we are going through now, as difficult as it may seem to us, is not unusual -- times have always been tough -- wars and rumors of war have always occurred -- economic crises have always existed -- doom and gloom and despair in regards to the future have always been common complaints -- it is the nature of man

            -- but this passage points us to a different place -- it provides hope in the midst of hopelessness -- it promises deliverance in the midst of despair as we read the teachings of Jesus on the Kingdom of God and the Day of the Lord
            -- over the past couple of weeks, I've had several discussions about the Day of the Lord --- it came up in Bible study and it came up at our Sunday night services -- so when our daily readings for this week included this passage from Luke on this subject, I thought this would be a good time to take a moment and see what Jesus had to say about the times we live in and the times we long for

            -- more than anything in the world, I do not want to come across as someone who stands on the sideline holding a sign that says, "The End is Near" -- I don't want to be the one who is thought of as nothing but a prophet of doom and gloom -- instead I want to be known as the one who speaks truth into this world and who points out the light to those in darkness -- a shining city on a hill -- a lamp illuminating the path to a better future in Jesus

            -- that is the reason I enjoy teaching prophecy and end times theology -- not so we can just learn more about what is going to happen -- not so we possess knowledge of the future -- that is not the purpose of prophecy -- the prophetic passages in the Bible were not given for us to just learn and retain for ourselves -- they were not given for us to predict the future and sit around and debate over who might be the antichrist
            -- prophecy, such as that found in this passage, was given to spur us to action -- it was given to lead us into wisdom -- so our goal in this passage is not just to learn what will happen in the future, but to know what to do with this knowledge -- to align our lives with the purposes of Christ -- and to share the message of hope and deliverance amidst the prophesied coming wrath and destruction
            -- so with that said, let's turn to this passage in Luke and let's see what Jesus has to say about our day and the promise of the day to come

II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 17:20-35)

            -- look back with me at verse 20 -21

20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation,

21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

            -- Luke tells us the occasion of the teaching from Jesus in this passage occurred when the Pharisees came to Jesus and asked Him about the coming of the Kingdom of God

            -- from the very beginning, the message of Jesus and John the Baptist before Him was "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand" -- and so we see the Pharisees coming and saying, "You've been saying this for some time -- you've been promising the Kingdom of God is coming -- when will it happen? -- why hasn't it happened yet if you are the Messiah?"
            -- don't misunderstand the question from the Pharisees -- it was not a genuine quest for knowledge, but yet another attack on Jesus' authority and teaching
            -- "If this Kingdom is coming through you, then where is it? -- When is this going to happen?"
            -- interestingly, Jesus answers their question of "when" with the answer of "where" -- the Kingdom of God is already here, He says -- it is not a specific time -- it is not a specific place -- it is within you and among you -- the Kingdom of God is where I am
            -- the term Jesus uses here for kingdom is "reign," not "realm" -- it refers to His rule in the life of a believer instead of a definite place -- Jesus is saying we carry the kingdom within us when we let Him rule in our lives
            -- it's like an aircraft carrier -- when we send an aircraft carrier somewhere in the world, it carries with it the presence and power of the United States -- the aircraft carrier becomes the place where the reign and rule of the United States is present -- the power and presence -- the kingdom, if you will -- of the United States of America exists within the sphere of influence of that aircraft carrier, even though it may be distant from our actual shores
            -- so in other to the question, "when is the Kingdom of God coming," Jesus responds by saying, "The Kingdom of God is located where I rule" -- in other words Jesus is saying, "The Kingdom of God is here now, but it's not within you -- it is only within those who believe in Me and trust in My name"
            -- does that describe you? -- does that describe your life and your behavior and your actions? -- can you say that Jesus rules in your life wherever you go?

            -- verse 22-25

22 Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.

23 Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them.
24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.
25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

            -- after Jesus responds to the Pharisees, He turns to His disciples and speaks to them privately about these things -- it is likely they were confused by His answer to the Pharisees because they, like all Jews of their day, were looking for the coming of the Messiah who would usher in a literal Kingdom of God -- someone who would restore the throne of David and lead Israel back to it's previous power and position as a ruling nation

            -- Jesus tells them to not misunderstand what He was saying -- yes, the Kingdom of God was present within them -- yes, the Kingdom of God was with them -- they were living in the kingdom when they were living in a right relationship with Him -- when they believed and trusted in Him and expressed their faith with all their hearts and mind and strength
            -- but, Jesus said, there will come a day -- a specific day -- when the Kingdom of God will be made manifest -- when all that you dream of will come to pass and I will be established on My throne
            -- it won't come in the way you expect it, so don't listen to people who tell you the Kingdom of God has come -- don't chase after false kingdoms or false kings -- until that day -- until the day of My return -- know the Kingdom of God lives within you
            -- and don't worry -- when I return, it will not be hidden -- you will know -- everyone will know -- every eye will see My return -- when I return, I will be as visible as lightning that flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other
            -- Jesus tells them this day is coming, but not yet -- this day will not come until He suffers and dies -- until He is rejected by this generation -- Jesus must first prepare for His coming through His atoning death on the cross -- but at some point in the future, He will return, and they need to be ready

            -- earlier this week, I looked up how to know for sure how far you are from a lightning strike -- with all the thunderstorms that have been going around, I wanted to make sure that everyone in my office knew what to do when lightning was coming on them
            -- as a kid, I had been taught that every second was one mile, but I knew that wasn't right -- so I went to NOAA's page, and looked it up -- you actually count the seconds between when you see a flash of lightning and hear the thunder and divide that by 5 in order to get the distance in miles
            -- NOAA says you are in danger anytime you see lightning or hear thunder -- they tell you to follow the 30-30 rule if you want to be safe during a thunderstorm -- if you can hear thunder within 30 seconds of a flash of lightning, NOAA says to get indoors -- and then to wait 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning to go back outside
            -- that's really what Jesus is saying here -- you're already in danger -- the thunder of the cross is a warning that the day of My return is near -- and if you wait to see the lightning of My return and you're not ready -- if the Kingdom of God is not within you -- if you are not in a right relationship with Me when the lightning of my return flashes, then it is too late
            -- Scripture calls this day of lightning -- the day of Christ's return -- the "Day of the Lord" -- it is also known as the second coming of Christ or the judgment of Christ -- this phrase, or some reference to this phrase, is found in almost every book of prophecy in the Bible -- this is the culmination of the message of Christ and our blessed hope in Him
            -- Paul and Peter and John all talked about preparing for the Day of the Lord -- Zechariah used this term 17 times in his book of prophecy
            -- the Day of the Lord is the day when Jesus returns to separate the wicked from the just -- to judge the sinners -- and to set up His kingdom forever
    
            -- but when will that day be? -- verse 26-35

26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.

27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
28 "It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.
29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
30 "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
31 On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything.
32 Remember Lot's wife!
33 Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left.
35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.

            -- when Dr. Horatius Bonar, the great Scottish hymn writer, would close his curtains at night to prepare for bed, he would proclaim, "Perhaps tonight, Lord!" -- and then in the morning, when he opened those curtains and looked out on a new day, he would proclaim, "Perhaps today, Lord!" -- that's the same attitude we need

            -- Jesus tells us here that the Day of the Lord will come when no one expects it -- He will return as a thief in the night -- people will be going about their daily lives -- eating, drinking, marrying, being given in marriage -- when all of a sudden, the end will come
            -- He says the timing of the Day of the Lord will be just like that of Noah and Lot -- it will be a time of wickedness and moral depravity -- a time when people live their lives with a total disregard of the Lord -- in Noah and Lot's day, most of the people around them were oblivious to the coming of destruction and deliverance -- even when Noah and Lot warned them, they scoffed at the warning
            -- but Noah and Lot were prepared -- they had the Kingdom of God within their hearts -- they had heard the thunder and were aware of the danger and lived with one eye to the heavens -- and while those around them perished in their unbelief, Noah and Lot were saved
            -- Jesus warned His disciples that some would be left -- that some would be taken to judgment while others were saved through their faith -- two people will be in bed -- one taken and one left -- two women will be grinding grain -- one taken and one left
            -- Jesus says don't let it be you -- be ready -- and watch for His coming -- Jesus' message here is don't give up hope and don't lose heart when it seems as if the times are growing worse -- when it seems as if His return is not going to happen -- Jesus says, "Don't look back -- don't return to your old ways -- don't follow the path of the Pharisees -- but trust in Me and My word -- trust that I will return as I say"

III.  Closing

            -- several years ago, National Geographic Magazine had an article that showed the devastation of the explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. -- the article had photographs and drawings that vividly demonstrated how swift the destruction fell on the people in the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum
            -- the explosion of the volcano was so sudden, the residents of those towns were killed while they were going about their normal routines -- men and women were at the market -- the rich in their luxurious baths -- the slaves working in the fields and in their master's homes -- and all of them died in an instant amidst volcanic ash and superheated gasses -- you can just imagine the panic and chaos of that day -- the hopelessness those people felt in the moments before their deaths when they realized it was too late
            -- the saddest part is these people did not have to die -- scientists confirm what the ancient Roman writers recorded -- weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion -- there was an ominous plume of smoke clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption -- but no one paid any attention
            -- if the people of Pompeii had only heeded the warning signs -- if they had only gotten ready and prepared for the impending disaster, many would not have lost their lives

            -- that is the purpose of prophecy -- God gave us passages such as this in the Book of Luke to make us aware of the impending danger for us and those around us -- we hear the thunder of warning every day -- war and rumors of war -- earthquakes -- floods -- natural disasters -- economic woes -- the breakdown of the family and moral standards -- apostasy in the pews

            -- and while these have been with us since before the time of Christ, the extent and magnitude of these rumblings grow ever and ever more violent and frequent -- we need to be ready -- and we need to pass on the word of God to others to warn them
            -- the Day of the Lord is coming -- it might be today -- it might be tomorrow -- it might be a century from now -- we don't know -- but Jesus tells us to be prepared and to tell others about the danger as well -- God promises an escape from judgment and a life in His kingdom to those who turn to Him for salvation
            -- so as we close, let's take a moment to reflect on our lives and where we are with Christ -- I believe everyone here knows Jesus, but where is your gaze? -- are you looking forward to Him or are you looking back like Lot's wife?
            -- and let's think about those around us who are oblivious to the danger -- even if we come across as prophets of doom and gloom, let's pass the word to them and let's pray for them -- that they  might come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and be rescued from the impending judgment on the Day of the Lord

            -- let us pray

¹Pastor Steven Cole, "The Present and Future Kingdom," http://www.fcfonline.org/content/1/sermons/102499m.pdf

SERMON: GUARD YOUR HEARTS

Audio Link

18 August 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Proverbs 4:20-27

Proverbs 4:20-27 (NIV)

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

            -- one of the surprise hit TV shows over the past couple of years is the ABC show "Once Upon a Time" -- it is a clever retelling of the fairy tales we all grew up with...with a twist -- in this retelling, all of the fairy tale characters are transported to our world as a result of a curse and live in a town in Maine without knowing who they really are -- the show bounces back and forth between their past lives in Fairy Tale Land and their current life in Storybrooke, Maine, to show how the two are intertwined as the characters seek to break the curse and return to their homes and former lives

            -- the main story revolves around the relationship between Snow White and Prince Charming and Snow's stepmother Regina, the evil queen who used her magical powers to enact the curse on Fairy Tale Land in the first place -- as the show started, the main question was why would Regina curse this land? -- what happened to make her such a spiteful person that she would enact her evil on an entire kingdom? -- well, as the tale has evolved over the past couple of years, we learned that Regina was not always evil, and we watched how the acts of one person actually changed her from a loving, caring person into a revengeful witch
            -- it all begins with Regina's mother -- you see, Regina's mother was the daughter of a miller -- a poor girl who was tired of being hurt by the rich and powerful because she was poor and not up to their standards -- so she made an alliance with evil to gain power and prestige and eventually ended up becoming queen of the land where she lived -- but this was not without a cost
            -- in order to become queen -- in order to reach the point where she could never be hurt again by anyone -- Regina's mother took a drastic step -- she used evil magic to actually remove her heart from her chest -- locking it up and storing it in a safe place where no one could ever find it -- her thought was that by locking up and guarding her heart, she could never be hurt again -- and it worked, but it changed her -- she lost the capacity to love and became the source of hurt and pain in the lives of many others -- eventually infecting her daughter Regina with her hatred and leading to the curse on the entire kingdom -- all because she wanted to guard her heart from hurt

            -- the concept of guarding your heart is a biblical concept -- we see it right here in this proverb from Solomon -- but what does that look like in the life of a Christian? -- are we to lock up our hearts and guard them like Regina? -- or is God referring to something entirely different? -- let's find out as we look at this passage together

II.  Scripture Lesson (Proverbs 4:20-27)

            -- verse 20-22

20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words.

21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.

            -- as we look at the opening verses in this passage, we are really given a glimpse into the mind and purposes of Solomon as he penned the words, not only of these verses, but of the Book of Proverbs as a whole -- this book was written for instruction -- as a means of sharing words of wisdom with another generation

            -- Solomon wanted to pass on a legacy of the insights he had learned through experience to his children, so they might walk in the path of God and not make the same mistakes he had made in his own life
            -- in fact, that's exactly what the Hebrew view of a father's role was in the Old Testament -- In those days, the father was the head of the house -- he was the dominant family member -- and he and his wife were to be honored and respected by all in their household -- their children -- their servants -- their guests

            -- the father was responsible for the well-being of the family unit and for its discipline -- he provided for them -- he kept them safe -- he protected them

            -- but the primary goal of a father in the Old Testament days was to pass on a legacy -- to bring up children who would choose to follow the holy life that the Israelites were called to by God -- in other words, the father was to be the family priest and the teacher of the faith -- he was to pass on his way of life to the next generation through intentionally sharing his wisdom, his faith, and his understanding of life with his children
            -- as Christians our role has been expanded -- not only are we to pass on our spiritual heritage and legacy to our children, but we are called to pass on our legacy of faith to those around us -- to those we disciple -- we are to train others in the way of life -- to teach them -- to pass on all we have learned about walking with Christ so they may follow our example and grow in grace as they walk with Him, too

            -- verse 23

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

 

            -- Solomon counsels us here to guard our hearts "above all else" -- in other words, there is nothing more important in our lives than our hearts -- our hearts are who we are
            -- they are the source of our emotions and our actions -- it is the vision of our hearts that directs our path -- it is the state of our heart that determines our eternal destination
            -- Jesus said it is from the heart that either evil or good comes -- it is from the heart that we believe and love and live
            -- as the heart goes, so goes our lives -- so goes our eternity -- and so Solomon cautions us here to guard our hearts above all else -- it is our most valuable possession

            -- Solomon tells his son that the heart is the wellspring of life -- that's a curious phrase, isn't it? -- the wellspring of life -- the KJV sheds a little more light on Solomon's meaning when it translates this passage to read that the "issues of life" come out of the heart

      -- when I read these words and consider what Solomon means about our hearts being a wellspring, I can't help but think about the first backpacking trip I ever took -- we had gone to DeSota Falls in north Georgia -- and it was the first time I had ever seen a clear river -- I grew up down here with our black water rivers and creeks -- but up there, the river flowed clear and you just had a feeling it was pure and clean and good
      -- I remember walking along that river and just gazing into it -- seeing how all the life in that valley was centered around that little stream -- we followed the river up past a large waterfall, and it grew narrower and narrower until it finally stopped at a spring probably no bigger around than a five-gallon bucket -- pure, clear water bubbling up and flowing from a crack in the rocks of that mountain
      -- when you think about it, that mountain's very life -- the trout and birds and insects and everything else in that area that depended on that river were only there because of that spring -- that spring brought life to that mountain because it was pure and clean
      -- but if that spring had been polluted -- if it had been poisoned and contaminated by the world, nothing would have been able to live -- that mountain valley would have been desolate

      -- that's the picture Solomon's bringing to mind here when he talks about our hearts -- our hearts are the source of our lives -- they are our wellsprings because they define who and what we are -- our character -- our being -- our life -- all we are is born from the state of our heart -- for whatever is in our hearts is what our lives consist of

            -- if your heart is good -- if your heart is filled with the life that flows from the spring of God's love -- then your life and your character and your being are good
            -- but if your heart becomes polluted by the things of this world, then our lives and our characters and our being will be polluted as well
      -- that is why Solomon cautions us here to guard our hearts above all else -- to keep our springs of life flowing clear and pure as God intended
            -- but how do we do that?

            -- verse 24-27

24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

            -- when I read these verses, I couldn't help but think of the statue of the three wise monkeys with their hands covering their eyes, their ears, and their mouths -- "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" -- that's the same thing Solomon's telling us here

            -- to guard our hearts means we stay away from evil -- we shield ourselves from the presence of evil and darkness so our thoughts and our actions and our speech might not be corrupted by evil -- we don't allow sin to creep into our vision, our hearing, or our hearts

            -- in Mt 26:41, Jesus told His disciples to "watch and pray" so that they would not fall into temptation -- note that Jesus didn't say to watch and pray so that they would not fall into sin, but temptation -- He said the same thing in the Lord's prayer -- Jesus taught us to pray, "lead us not into temptation"

            -- as Christians -- especially as Christians -- we need to keep our eyes open for temptations that might come our way and pray that we might not be led into temptation

            -- sometimes we get tempted to think that we are above temptation -- sometimes we think that because we're Christians, we don't have to worry about temptation -- we let our guard down and we don't protect our hearts and our lives from temptations that might lead to sin
            -- 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" -- we should never consider ourselves above temptation -- but we should protect and guard our hearts by watching and praying that we don't fall into temptation as Jesus commanded
            -- this may mean making some changes in your life and in the places you go -- there are some places that I just don't go, because I know that temptations lurk there in the shadows -- there are certain movies that I just don't watch -- and there's some music that I just won't listen to -- because I know that there are temptations there

            -- one good way to avoid temptation and sin is to remind yourself daily of the damaging consequences of moral failure -- all you have to do is pick up your morning paper or watch the news to see examples of homes ripped apart -- of families broken and destroyed -- of lives being shattered -- all because someone didn't guard their heart and opened the door for temptation and sin

            -- your heart and your life and your family are too valuable to not watch for and avoid temptation every single day -- remember what Paul told Timothy, "Flee the evil desires of youth -- flee the temptations of life"
       
            -- but it's not enough to just flee temptation -- we have to know where we're going -- Solomon counsels us to look straight ahead -- to gaze at the path before us -- to walk the path we are on without veering to either side -- in other words, Solomon is telling us to fix our eyes of Jesus -- to walk the straight and narrow and to not be diverted by anything else
            -- to guard our hearts we must not only flee the temptations and pollutions of this world, but we must fill our hearts with good -- we must immerse ourselves in the presence of Jesus through His word and His ways -- we have to spend time with Him -- getting to know Him -- so our lives and our hearts reflect His character and not our own
           -- so the key to guarding our heart is two-fold:  avoid evil and darkness and embrace the light of Christ

            -- now more than likely, you have heard this command to guard your hearts given in the context of relationships -- we like to use this verse when we counsel our children about romantic relationships -- "Guard your heart," we say. "Don't just give it away to the first person that comes along -- if you do so, you might get hurt."
            -- have you ever heard that teaching? -- sure you have -- but as you can see from the context, that is not what Solomon is saying here -- that is not the intent of this passage
            -- the command to guard your heart refers to guarding yourself from the presence of evil and darkness -- it is given to protect us from temptation and sin -- these words were not given to keep us from getting hurt when we love
            -- think about the overall message of the Bible -- we tell people it is a love letter from God -- that the story of the Bible is the story of a God who loves us so much He never gives up on us, even to the point of dying on a cross to pay for our sins and transgressions against Him
            -- if anything, the message of the Bible is to love extravagantly -- to love with our whole hearts -- regardless of the cost

            -- the one real victim of the Fall in the Garden of Eden was love -- for when Adam and Eve gave into temptation and disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they corrupted love and responded to God's perfect love with betrayal and hurt

            -- we see that pattern played out throughout Scripture, as God's chosen people -- beloved by the Father -- time and time again rejected His love and hurt His heart as they turned away from Him and chased after their own paths and after idols of their own making
            -- we see the heartache of Eden following relationships from the Old Testament to the New, as we see Jesus betrayed by one of His chosen disciples -- as we see Paul hurt by a trusted follower who turned against him and slandered him before Rome
            -- because of Eden, the risk of hurt and heartache follows the capacity to love -- and we know this -- there's no one in this room who hasn't experienced the ache of a broken heart
            -- and our tendency is to apply Solomon's command to "guard our hearts" in these situations in order to protect ourselves from being hurt again -- that's exactly what Regina's mother tried in my opening illustration from the TV show, "Once Upon a Time" -- and by locking up and guarding her heart from others, she ended up filling that void with hatred and distrust and evil

            -- C.S. Lewis recognized the danger of guarding one's heart in this way -- in his book, "The Four Loves," Lewis wrote:

"To love at all is to be vulnerable -- Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken -- If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.

"Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. -- Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness -- But in that casket -- safe -- dark -- motionless -- airless -- it will change.

 "It will not be broken -- it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. -- To love is to be vulnerable -- The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."

            -- I know exactly what C.S. Lewis is talking about -- I know what a heart guarded like this looks like -- I live with it daily -- this is not what Solomon was counseling us to do in this passage -- this is not who we are to be as Christians

            -- as Alex Harmening writes, "Being afraid of wounds from other people might cause us to forfeit the capacity to love -- The enemy would like nothing better than to carry Christians to the extreme of isolating ourselves from the world and chaining us with the fears of pain and exposure -- Too often, we cling to the “Guard your heart” message because it becomes a means of defending ourselves from the possibility of hurt or mistakes -- [but] this behavior may make us stingy with our empathy and love.   [Alex Harmening, "What Guard Your Heart Really Means", Relevant Magazine, http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/what-guarding-your-heart-actually-means]
            -- to guard our heart does not mean to not love -- to guard our heart means to protect ourselves from evil and sin while still loving extravagantly and allowing God's peace and love and presence to guard us and heal us when our hearts are broken

III.  Closing

            -- In 1848 London was stricken with a devastating cholera epidemic -- people were literally dying in the streets, and no one knew why -- doctors in that time could not determine the cause of the disease and panic was widespread
            -- people would try to lock themselves away in their homes and avoid others, but still they would get sick -- still they would die
            -- Dr. John Snow studied the deaths of 89 people in one week in a certain district of the city in an attempt to figure out the cause of the disease -- he realized that all but two of these people drank from a well on Broad Street -- during an emergency meeting of concerned leaders in London, Dr. Snow was asked what might be done to stop the epidemic -- he told them, "Take the handle off the Broad Street pump."  -- it was done and the epidemic in that quarter of the city ceased.
            -- But removing the pump handle didn't solve the fundamental problem -- sewage was seeping into the well, poisoning it -- although removing the pump handle removed the immediate danger, it didn't correct the problem -- the only solution to the problem was to stop the sewage from getting into the well so it might run clean and pure once again

             -- this is what Solomon counsels us to do in this passage -- "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." -- sewage in the heart of a person poisons the whole life -- it affects our speech, our thoughts, our actions, our lives

            -- all of us have a heart problem like this to some extent -- all of us have hearts that have been polluted just because we have walked through this world -- but the Bible shows us how to do more than just remove the pump handle -- it shows us how to cleanse our heart once and for all through the blood of Christ and the forgiveness of our sins
            -- and once it is clean, Solomon tells us to guard it and protect it -- to keep ourselves holy by avoiding evil and sin and fixing our gaze on the light of Christ -- and as we follow His path and His example -- as we listen to Him and let Him guide our paths -- our wellspring of life flows pure and clean

            -- let us pray

SERMON: THE ENEMY WITHIN

Audio Link

4 August 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Luke 13:10-21

Luke 13:10-21 (NIV)

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."
15 The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
18 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?
19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

            -- in 1998 wildlife biologists started to get really worried about something they didn't understand -- you see, there were several ponds in Great Britain that had healthy frog populations -- they were growing bigger and bigger and everyone thought everything was going just fine -- but then one day the biologists got a call from a concerned landowner -- he had gone out to check on the ponds, and all the frogs were gone -- disappeared -- vanished without a trace

            -- the biologists were perplexed -- they had never seen anything like this happen before -- and then they got reports of other ponds where frogs had been doing good -- the populations were growing -- but all of a sudden, there were no more frogs
            -- so they started investigating and doing studies to try to find out what might be happening to their frogs -- what was causing the frogs in these ponds to just suddenly disappear?
            -- after several years of study, they found the culprit -- it turns out that some people in Britain had visited the United States and really taken a liking to our American bullfrog -- so, when they got back to Britain, they ordered some tadpoles for their kids so their kids could watch the tadpoles grow and change into adult frogs -- eventually, the kids got tired of the frogs and so the family took the frogs and turned them loose in the local pond

            -- the only problem was that these frogs from America were harboring an invisible enemy -- a disease that did not occur naturally in Britain -- so when these bullfrogs were released at the pond, things went on pretty much like normal for some time -- it looked like everything was fine -- the frog population was growing -- and with the addition of these bullfrogs there were more frogs being added to the pond every day -- the frogs were still going about doing their job of eating insects and reproducing and calling out to each other every night -- for all intents and purposes, these were the perfect ponds

            -- but while all of this was going on, their invisible enemy was hard at work -- this exotic disease was quietly infecting the native frogs -- and one day it struck without notice, and within two weeks, all the frogs were dead, along with a large number of other amphibians and fish

            -- so why am I telling you a story about frogs this morning? -- it's because that's exactly what this passage from Luke is all about -- not frogs, per se -- but invisible enemies who wreak havoc without warning

            -- maybe it would be easier to understand if I was to take my story about the frogs and change it into a modern-day parable about the church in America today

            -- there was once this church that was doing quite well -- it had started a few years ago with a handful of members, but over time it began attracting new people -- the church started to grow and its membership rolls expanded -- the people in the church responded to God's call to ministry and were quite active in the community -- reaching out and serving people and sharing with them the love of Christ in tangible ways

            -- and as the church continued to impact their community, more and more people were drawn to join them -- eventually, the church began to fill their sanctuary and it became obvious that they needed a new place to worship -- and so the church moved to a bigger building while continuing to minister for the Lord
            -- again the church grew and grew until it became obvious they needed a new place again -- but this time, as discussions began about building a larger church, disagreements started -- arguments began -- and tempers began to flare
            -- people took sides, with some wanting to stay where they were -- with others wanting to move out into the suburbs -- and still others arguing about the size of the new building -- the arguments got worse and worse -- the ministry suffered -- the church could no longer reach out to the community and serve them the way they used to because their attention was divided -- their focus was internal rather than external

            -- eventually, the arguments reached the point where people turned on one another -- and groups left the church in anger, splintering off and vowing to start another church, a better church -- when these people left, they took their resources and their support -- the remaining members were not able to pay for the building they now owned -- they couldn't fund the original ministries and outreach -- they couldn't pay the salaries of their pastor and his staff -- so one night at a board meeting, the decision was made to close the church -- and the next Sunday, a visitor showed up to find the sanctuary empty and a "For Sale" sign on the front lawn

            -- this, in a nutshell, is the theme of this chapter of Luke -- Luke 13 is a warning to the church of Christ to be on our guard against the enemies of the church -- not the enemies outside the church -- but the enemies inside the church -- and that's what we're going to talk about today

            -- but before I begin, I have to tell you, I struggled with this passage this week -- I just don't understand how it applies to our little church and what we are about -- I wrestled with God about this all week -- I tried to change the message -- I tried to go to another passage of Scripture -- but God kept leading me back to this passage
            -- and, as His word says, His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways -- so who am I to argue with God?

            -- perhaps He has led us here in preparation -- perhaps He is getting ready to grow our church, and He wants us to be prepared and to be aware of the dangers in growth -- I don't know -- so let's turn to the Scriptures now and let's ask Him to speak to us -- to show us His message -- to give us wisdom and understanding and insight -- so we might get out of this exactly what it is He wants us to see and that we might be like the sons of Issachar, that we might understand the times and know what needs to be done

            -- so if you would, let's pray again -- let's a take a moment before we get into the meat of this passage just to ask God for guidance [pray]

 II.  Scripture Lesson (Luke 13:10-21)

            -- verse 10-13

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,

11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

            -- as Luke opens up this passage for us, we read that on a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the many synagogues in Israel -- and I want to stop there to just make a point -- notice that Luke says it was "a" Sabbath -- it wasn't a special day -- it wasn't a special time in the Jewish calendar -- there was nothing to make this particular Sabbath stand out from any other -- it was just another ordinary Sabbath day, but something extraordinary is about to happen for one lady in that place

            -- what this tells me is that Jesus shows up in the ordinary -- He makes the ordinary extraordinary -- what started out as just another Sabbath day out of the 18 years of ordinary Sabbath days this woman had experienced since the onset of her affliction would be the day her life was changed
            -- God can do the same in our lives, too -- He doesn't wait for special occasions -- for dates on the calendar -- for anniversaries of special events -- God shows up in the midst of an ordinary day and changes lives forever -- how did you approach this morning? -- as just another Sunday or as the day Jesus might show up?

            -- we read this woman had been afflicted with a crippling spirit for eighteen years -- from the text we are led to understand this was a supernatural condition -- this woman had been afflicted by an evil spirit and had been unable to stand up straight for eighteen years -- she was bound by Satan -- not all sicknesses and not all ailments are caused by evil spirits, but this passage reminds us that some can be -- especially sickness in the body of Christ

            -- as Jesus was teaching, He saw this woman -- He saw her need -- and He called her to Him -- He laid His hands on her and proclaimed, "Woman, you are set free" -- the King James version says, "Woman, thou art loosed" -- this is another indication this was a supernatural affliction and not merely a physical ailment -- Jesus didn't speak healing to this woman -- He set her free from satanic bondage
            -- as she was freed from this afflicting spirit and found herself able to stand for the first time in eighteen years, the woman raised up and praised God for her deliverance
            -- can you imagine the commotion in that place? -- a miracle has just been wrought in their presence -- Satan's chains had been broken and he had been cast out -- I'm sure all were excited and amazed at what had just happened -- well, at least most of them were

            -- verse 14

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."

            -- you would have expected the synagogue leader to be excited about a miracle of God occurring in the midst of just another ordinary Sabbath day -- but instead, we read the synagogue owner was indignant -- angry -- displeased -- at what just happened

            -- instead of rejoicing with this woman and praising God with the others, the synagogue ruler stands up and says, "Don't come for a healing on the Sabbath -- that's not why we're here -- you've got six other days -- come on one of those if you want to be healed"
            -- you know what the problem was? -- this miracle wasn't on the bulletin -- it messed up the order of service -- and he was probably worried that others were going to come up and ask Jesus to heal them, too, and that would just make things even worse -- "you can't do that -- we don't have that on the schedule for this morning -- you'll make us late for Sunday dinner at the restaurant"
            -- what's more important? -- freeing a woman from a spiritual affliction or making sure you follow the rules and regulations of the Sabbath worship at the synagogue? -- Jesus didn't follow the rules, and that made the synagogue ruler angry
            -- what if this woman had come back the next day to be healed? -- would this synagogue ruler have been able to heal her? -- the text leads us to understand she had been coming to worship at the synagogue for the past eighteen years and she hadn't been healed in all that time -- why rebuke her for coming to Jesus in the moment of her need?
            -- the point is obvious here -- people -- even church people -- are often opposed to good being done because it is not done in their way and in their timing and because they don't get the credit

            -- look at how Jesus responded -- verse 15-17

15 The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

            -- Jesus called them hypocrites -- people who say one thing and do another -- people who profess to be Christians and then oppose the work of Christ -- they were considering the trappings of religion -- their forms and tradition and laws -- more important than the needs of the people -- they were burdening the people with rules and laws and were binding them just as securely as Satan had bound this woman

            -- they had rules to allow people to take care of animals on the Sabbath without that being a breaking of the law, but they complained when God's chosen people were healed on the Sabbath -- what was more important? -- what was the purpose of the church in the first place if not to meet the needs of the people? -- Jesus' point is obvious -- the church is to be a hospital for the saints -- not a court of judgment or a prison of rules
       
            -- I think it's telling that Luke says Jesus' opponents were humiliated -- Jesus was "opposed" -- there were those within the church and religious structure who actively fought against Jesus and His ministry -- who took a stand against what He was doing and what He was saying
            -- this is a danger inherent in the church -- we are warned about this throughout Scripture -- not everyone who sits in the pews is a believer -- our pews are sometimes filled with pretenders -- with those who oppose the true work of God
            -- we have to be on our guard against there are those who are more concerned about propriety and authority and power -- who put more stock in religion and the form of religion than on seeing God move in their midst through physical and spiritual healing
            -- as the old saying goes, "not all that glitters is gold," and not all who proclaim the name of Christ are Christians
            -- let me give you a principle that I have tried to follow since I was called into pastoral ministry -- always err on the side of Jesus -- put Jesus above any rule or law or tradition that man has put in place

            -- vs. 18-21

18 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?

19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
20 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?
21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

            -- immediately after Jesus' rebuke of the synagogue ruler and those who stood in opposition to His ministry and His message, Jesus gave two parables

            -- these are very familiar parables -- you've heard them before -- but know this -- these parables are usually given out of context, which leads to an erroneous understanding of what Jesus was actually saying when He shared these parables in the synagogue that day
            -- as Dave Guzik points out, "the standard interpretation of these parables is that they describe the growth and spreading influence of the church" -- that's how we know these parables -- that's the way they have been taught to us
            -- but think about the context of these parables -- don't look at them alone -- look at them in the context and setting in which they were given

            -- what just happened? -- Jesus has freed a woman from a spiritual affliction and been rebuked by the leaders of the synagogue for healing on the Sabbath

            -- Jesus immediately turns to them and proclaims them hypocrites -- liars -- people who were opposed to God's work -- who were in the church but not of the church -- who proclaimed to be representing God but who actively were opposing God -- and then He gives these two parables
            -- looking at these parables in that setting and in that context and knowing they were given as an indictment against these hypocritical leaders in the church, you have to understand these parables are not about the growth and spreading influence of the church but instead about the corruption of the church by false religion and by an unseen evil within
            -- Jesus is warning the people, and us, to be on our guard against those who proclaim to be Christians on one hand while actively opposing His work and promoting their own interests on the other hand and He is warning us to be careful we don't do the same
            -- so let's look at these parables in that light and with that understanding

            Parable of the Mustard Seed

            -- the first parable is the parable of the mustard seed -- look back at verse 19

19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."

            -- now as I was preparing for this message, I read a lot of commentaries -- I read a lot of sermons -- and I've got tell you something -- every single one of them was wrong

            -- these commentaries like to tell you that the mustard seed is the smallest seed in the garden, which is true -- and then they tell you that this plant grows so large that birds roost in its branches -- this represents the kingdom of God, they say -- it starts off small like a mustard seed and grows so big that birds can roost on its branches
            -- I grew up farming -- we used to grow mustard -- and mustard plants do not grow into trees, despite what the commentaries tell you and despite what you might have heard from other preachers -- mustard plants do not grow big enough for birds to roost in their branches
            -- this is an unnatural plant -- a plant that has grown into something it should not be -- this is not a parable about God's kingdom growing bigger and bigger, but a parable about what happens when hypocrites take root in the kingdom -- it's a parable about how evil corrupts and expands even within the church

            -- another point about this -- think about the birds that Jesus says roosts in the branches of this unnatural plant -- when birds are mentioned in Scripture, they are generally symbolic of evil -- they are representatives of Satan's activity -- think of the birds who took the seed sown by the farmer in Jesus' other parable -- Jesus said the birds were the evil one who took away the word of God from the people who desired it

            -- He also points out these are the birds of the air -- in Ephesians 2:2, we are told that Satan is the prince of the power of the air -- these are unnatural birds on an unnatural plant -- as Adrian Rogers said, "these are Satan's dirty birds"
            -- what Jesus is describing here is what happens when evil goes unchecked in the house of God -- it becomes a roosting place for evil

            Parable of the Yeast

            -- let's look at the next parable -- the parable of the yeast -- verse 20-21

20 Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to?

21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

            -- we find yeast referred to 98 times in the Bible, and every time it is used, it represents sin or evil -- I find it hard to believe that in this case, Jesus is using yeast in a good way to represent His desire for the church -- I believe He is using yeast to symbolize evil just as it is used the other 97 times throughout scripture

            -- along those lines, Jesus makes the point that it is a woman who took the yeast and put it in the dough -- many times in scripture we see false religion portrayed as a woman -- as some commentators have pointed out, the feminine in Hebrew writing is used to symbolize false religion or false prophets -- and we see Jezebel named in Revelation 2:20 as a false prophetess

            -- this is not a parable about God's word permeating all of the culture but a parable warning against the yeast of sin and evil -- the yeast of the Pharisees and hypocrites -- the yeast of false religion -- permeating the kingdom of God
            -- just because someone is in the church doesn't mean they have God's interests in mind -- just because someone claims the name of Christ doesn't mean they are Christians -- and just like one bad apple spoils a barrel, one bad Christian spoils a church

            -- we have to be on our guard against those who oppose Jesus, just as the synagogue ruler did -- we have to be on our guard against those who actively work to halt Jesus' ministry and the Kingdom of God through their rules and their action (or inaction)

            -- Jesus' point here is that if we don't root out the evil and false religion in our midst, it will grow and influence the whole church, much as the synagogue ruler was doing in this location

III.  Closing

            -- Jesus knew what He was talking about -- not only because He was God -- but because was experiencing it in His own ministry -- think about Jesus' first followers -- the twelve disciples -- those He named His apostles -- out of the twelve, one was not real -- out of the twelve, one was a hidden evil -- out of the twelve, one would betray Him to the Jewish leaders
            -- Jesus' point throughout this whole passage -- actually all of Chapter 13 -- is that there are those in the church who are not of God -- people who claim to know Him, but who do not -- people who are motivated by religion and religious rules rather than Christian love

            -- I read a story one time about a seminary class studying the story of the good Samaritan -- at the end of the class, they were supposed to give an oral presentation about what they learned that would count for over 50% of their grade for the course

            -- each student was given an appointment to come and present their report to the professor -- but what they didn't know was the whole thing was a set up -- outside the building where they students were supposed to go, the professor hired an actor to sit in a doorway in an adjacent alley and moan and cough as they passed by -- he wanted to see how the students would respond -- would they stop to help the man, even though they would miss their appointment and potentially fail the class, or would they continue on to their appointment?
            -- over half of the students hurried past the man without stopping to help -- several had to literally step over him in order to get into the building -- and these were seminary students who had been studying Jesus' command to minister to our neighbors in need

            -- any of us can become hindrances to God's ministry in the same way if we are not careful -- any of us can become so self-concerned we lose our concern for others -- any of us can become the yeast that permeates the dough

            -- as Jesus pointed out to His listeners in the synagogue that day, we must always be on our guard against the evil within -- but, at the same time, we must always stop and check our own motives -- we have to ask ourselves if we are allowing ourselves to be used by Satan to stop the work of Christ

            -- this passage forces us to ask and answer some important questions:

            -- do we really know Jesus ourselves?
            -- are we working for the kingdom or against it?
            -- do we support God or do we oppose God?
            -- are we concerned for the needs of others or would we let "religion" get in the way?

            -- I don't know why God gave us this message today -- I don't know where He is leading us -- but we need to hear His word and we need to act on His word and we need to ask for His wisdom and guidance as we seek to be His church in this place

            -- let us pray