SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: DILIGENCE

8 March 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Ephesians 6:5-9

Ephesians 6:5-9 (NIV)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

            -- sometimes in my life, I have to question God -- I just have to ask Him why things are so hard -- why is life so difficult -- why do I have to struggle so much just to try and follow Him in this world

            -- we read in the Bible how God miraculously healed the sick -- how Jesus would just touch the leper and they would instantly be clean -- or how He would touch the lame and their twisted and paralyzed limbs would be made whole

            -- and I have to ask, why don't you do that to us? -- when we became Christians, why didn't You just touch us and make us holy and remove from us all those things that were so displeasing to You? -- why didn't you just heal our hearts and our characters in a moment as you did for the sick and the lame?

            -- I read a story one time that I think speaks the reason why -- you see, there was this small farmer whose farm was surrounded by larger and more successful farms -- this farmer wasn't able to hire men to help him put in the crops and harvest them when they got ready like the other farmers, so he made his three sons do the work for him -- these boys would get up before school and help in the field -- and then when they got home, they would change clothes, and go back out again, working until dark alongside their father to keep their farm going

            -- one day, several of the other farmers met with the father and told him that it wasn't necessary to work the boys that hard in order to raise a crop -- the father quietly responded, "I'm not just raising a crop -- I'm also raising boys"

            -- would it have been easier for the farmer to hire men to help him work? -- sure, just as it would be easier for parents to do the small chores around the home rather than asking their children to help -- and just as it would be easier for God to just make us holy as He is holy

            -- but the farmer is not interested in only raising a crop and parents are not just trying to get the household work done -- in the same way, it seems to me that God is not just interested in making us perfect without our participation

            -- it is in the daily grind of life -- it is in the doing -- that we truly learn and grow and become who He has called us to be

            -- as Solomon pointed out in the Old Testament, to be given a fortune is not as meaningful as to make a fortune on our own -- to be given a fortune does not make you appreciate it as much as the one who made their fortune themselves

            -- and, in the same way, to be made holy without any effort on our part would not mean as much to us as learning how to depend on God to help us live life in this world today

            -- this morning we are continuing in our sermon series on the cardinal virtues of the Christian life -- and we are going to be looking at the virtue of diligence -- a virtue that speaks of hard work -- of dedication -- of passion and of perfection

            -- as Alexander Maclaren points out, "Diligence makes faith fruitful -- Diligence makes God's gifts ours."¹

            -- so let's take a few moments today to examine this concept of diligence and think about how we can begin to apply this to all areas of our lives -- to work -- to school -- to faith

II.  What is Diligence?

            -- let's begin by answering the question, what is diligence?

            -- Diligent comes from the Latin diligere, which means "to value highly -- to take delight in" -- in common use today, diligent means to be a hard-worker -- to be conscientious -- to do your best

            -- someone who is diligent doesn't just do the job -- they do the best job in the best way and with the best attitude

            -- one of the best examples I've ever heard of a diligent worker was at a Promise Keeper's conference -- I don't remember who the speaker was, but he was telling the story about his time working construction in Atlanta as a college student -- he said it was hot and it was miserable and no one wanted to be out there and everyone was grumbling and complaining and just trying to make it through another day

            -- while they were out there a truck pulled up to clean out the site's portapotty -- it had been about a week since the potty was cleaned -- and if you've ever been inside one of those portapotties in the summer time, you know what they're like -- they're hot -- they're smelly -- they're nasty -- you just don't want to even touch them, much less be inside of them

            -- so this truck pulls up and the guy gets out of the truck to clean the portapotty -- and as he starts pulling the hose off the truck and hooking it up, he's whistling -- they can hear it all the way up where they're working on the high rise apartment building -- this guy just acts happy -- and so they nudge each other -- just wait -- just wait until he has to go inside that portapotty and suck out all the waste that's accumulated in the July heat over the last week

            -- you know how it is when you're in a bad mood -- you just want to share it -- you just want everyone to suffer like you're suffering -- and they just can't wait to see this guy knocked down and just as miserable working as they are

            -- so the man opens the door and goes inside with the hose -- and he can't just leave it -- he has to stand there and hold it as it sucks out the waste -- so every eye is on him as he goes inside and closes the door -- and they wait -- and they listen

            -- they're expecting him to start cussing -- to start complaining -- they're expecting him to just run out of there retching -- and, sure enough, the man quits whistling -- but, instead, he starts singing a hymn to himself right there inside that portapotty

            -- as he's finishing up, the speaker said he went down to talk to him -- to ask him how he could be so happy while having to do such a horrible task in the July heat -- and the man tells him, "My job isn't to suck out waste -- my job is to make this world a better place for everyone else -- and if I do my job right, then this portapotty will be clean and you won't mind going in and using it -- and if I do my job right, it makes Jesus happy -- and that's why I'm happy and why I can sing when I work"

III.  Scripture Lesson (Ephesians 6:5-9)

            -- look back if you would me at Ephesians 6:5-6

Ephesians 6:5-6 (NIV)

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

            -- Paul addresses his comments in these verses to Roman slaves -- now in order to really understand and appreciate what he's saying here, you have to understand the position of a slave in Roman society

            -- slaves were the lowest of the low -- they were considered in-human -- they weren't considered people -- in fact, you would get in more trouble for killing someone's livestock than for killing their slave

            -- some Romans suggested that sick slaves not even be given food, because why waste food on someone who wasn't productive -- they encouraged slave owners to just get rid of their elderly slaves and not to take care of them any longer

            -- slaves were worked mercilessly and treated horribly by their owners -- they could be beaten and maimed and killed without any recourse

            -- but many were coming to Christ at the preaching of Paul because of the freedom and the promise of eternal life and a better future through Jesus

            -- and so Paul addresses how these slaves should relate to their masters now that they have come to Christ

            -- look what he tells them here -- obey your masters with respect and fear -- obey them with sincerity of heart -- do what's right, he says, no matter how they treat you -- do what you're asked to do, because this is what Jesus would have you do

            -- don't just obey them when they're watching -- don't just do enough to get by -- but do a good job in the right way, every time

            -- what Paul is asking them to do is to be diligent in their work -- not because their masters deserve it -- but because that is what Christ asks of them

            -- what kind of witness do we give when we refuse to do our best for someone? -- when we don't do a good job or when we have a lousy attitude? -- how does that reflect on Christ?

            -- over the course of my career, I've had to hire a lot of people and a lot of contractors to do work for me on the base -- and I can tell you, some of the worst people I've ever hired were Christians

            -- it's reached the point that when someone tells me up front, "I'm a Christian," it's a red flag -- because they never seem to do a good job -- there's a logger we have used from time-to-time on the base -- and he puts out signs by the highway when he's working that says, "Love Jesus" and "Praise the Lord" and then has his company name on the bottom -- and I hate to have him get the bid on a job because he does such a bad job -- he's absolutely the worst logger I've worked with -- and I shudder to consider what others think about Jesus when they see the job he does

            -- that's what Paul's saying here -- slaves, even though your masters may treat you horribly -- even though you may suffer the worst conditions -- you should strive to do your best -- you should strive to be the best -- because Jesus demands it and your performance is a reflection of His grace and mercy to this world

            -- what we do and how we do it matters

            -- verse 7-8

Ephesians 6:7-8 (NIV)

7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,

8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

            -- serve wholeheartedly -- give it your all -- do the best you can, in the best way you can, with the best attitude you can -- serve your master as if you were serving the Lord Himself, because you are

            -- to serve wholeheartedly is to instill meaning and purpose into life -- to serve wholeheartedly helps us see the importance of what we are doing

            -- I was listening to a podcast this week about finding purpose and meaning in your work -- and the guy was telling the story about his time working oversees in a little hospital mission in Asia

            -- he said every morning he would set his watch for 5:30 am so he could get up and watch the sun rise and remember why he was there -- he got to noticing that every morning when he got up, the dirt path in front of the hospital had been swept clean of leaves and litter -- there was an old guy there in his 80s -- and it wasn't his job -- but every morning he would get up and sweep that path -- so one day, the speaker asked him why he did it

            -- "people come to this clinic to have babies and others come when they are dying -- both those who are coming into this world for the first time and those who are leaving this world deserve a clear path on which to do so"

            -- "You practice diligence by deciding what you can do and then giving it all you have to give -- You treat each action as important and do things carefully, one step at a time -- You don’t rush through things -- You give them your full attention"²

            -- to be diligent you must put meaning into life -- you must approach the tasks of the day as opportunities to serve -- and with the attitude that you're doing this for the Lord and, because of that, you're going to do it the best way you can, regardless of what you're asked to do

            -- Paul counsels the slaves here in verse 8 and says, "Keep your focus -- remember the promises you have in Christ -- do your best -- be diligent in your work -- and know that God will reward you for whatever good you do"

            -- it doesn't matter if your boss sees you do it or not -- it doesn't matter if your teacher notices -- what matters is that Jesus sees it, and it brings Him glory and pleasure

            -- verse 9

Ephesians 6:9 (NIV)

9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

            -- after counseling the slaves on how they are to act, Paul now turns his attention to their masters -- treat your slaves well -- don't be harsh to them -- don't threaten them -- but treat them as you would Jesus

            -- remember that your position on earth is not reflective of your position in eternity -- God shows no favoritism -- God has no favorites -- and you are no better than those beneath you -- you are no better than those God has given you the authority to manage

            -- treat them fairly and trust they will respond in kind

            -- as supervisors or bosses -- as parents -- we need to remember the words of Jesus -- that He came not to be served, but to serve -- that He came to be a slave to the world -- just because we may be in a position of authority doesn't mean we need to act as if we have been crowned king -- we are called to serve those who work for us and to treat them as we would treat Christ

            -- what Paul is saying here is that diligence in the work of supervision has more to do with the way you relate to the people who work for you than in just getting the job done

IV.  Closing

            -- Dr. Harry Ironsides, the noted preacher, once told the story of the time he worked for a Scottish shoemaker named Dan Mackay -- Mr. Mackay was a very serious Christian, and his shop reflected his faith -- Bible verses and pictures decorated the walls -- and people were given Christian tracts and literature when they came in to purchase shoes or have them repaired

            -- Ironsides' job was to pound leather for shoe soles -- A piece of cowhide would be cut to size and then soaked in water -- and Ironsides would pound the soles until they were hard and dry -- it was hard work -- and Ironsides wrote that he often tired of doing it

            -- he noticed the cobbler down the street didn't make shoes the same was as Mr. Mackay -- rather than pounding the soles to make them hard and resistant, he would take them straight from the water and nail them to the uppers while they were still dripping wet -- Ironsides asked this cobbler why he did it this way, and the cobbler replied with a smirk, "They come back all the quicker this way, my boy!"

            -- Ironsides thought that if Mr. Mackay started nailing his soles on while they were wet, it would increase their business, so he excitedly went to share the idea with his boss -- Mr. Mackay stopped his work and opened his Bible to the passage that reads, "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

            -- "Harry," he said, "I do not cobble shoes just for the [money] that I get from my customers -- I am doing this for the glory of God -- I expect to see every shoe I have ever repaired in a big pile at the judgment seat of Christ, and I do not want the Lord to say to me in that day, ’Dan, this was a poor job. You did not do your best here.’ I want Him to be able to say, ’Well done, good and faithful servant.’"

            -- Then he went on to explain that just as some men are called to preach, so he was called to fix shoes -- and that only as he did this well would his testimony count for God -- Ironsides wrote, "It was a lesson I have never been able to forget -- Often when I have been tempted to carelessness, and to slipshod effort, I have thought of dear, devoted Dan Mackay, and it has stirred me up to seek to do all as for Him who died to redeem me."³

            -- diligence -- doing a good job in the right way and with the right attitude reflects more on our relationship with Christ than perhaps anything else we do -- for the world sees us -- not as we sit in our seats on Sunday mornings or as we bow our heads in prayer or in the story of God's word -- no, the world sees us as we walk and work -- and the world watches to see how our actions and our attitudes reflect our faith

            -- diligence is more than just a virtue to strive for in our lives -- it is a reflection of who we are in Christ

            -- so as I close in prayer and we leave here to go back to our jobs and to our schools and to our homes at the start of this new week, let's remember the message of this passage and remember to serve wholeheartedly, as if serving the Lord and not men

            -- let us pray

 
1 Alexander Maclaren -- http://biblehub.com/library/maclaren/expositions_of_holy_scripture_ephesians_peter/the_power_of_diligence.htm

2 http://hhes.ccs.k12.nc.us/files/2012/06/Diligence.pdf

3 H. A. Ironside, Illustrations of Bible Truth, Moody Press, 1945, pp. 37-39.

Ten Things That Inhibit Prayer

In my experience, the prayer life of a Christian is always the first aspect of their relationship with Christ that suffers when something is not right.  It is God's early warning system of problems in our spiritual lives, and it lets us know that changes need to be made.  Nothing is more frustrating or worrying than praying to God and feeling our prayers are not being heard, or worse, not even feeling like praying in the first place.

I ran across this list of ten things that can inhibit our prayers and jotted them down in my journal some time back.  These are not original, and I was unable to find the original source.  If anyone knows the source, please let me know through a comment so I can give credit to the author.  Regardless, these are helpful reminders as we seek to grow and move forward in our relationship with God.

TEN THINGS THAT INHIBIT PRAYER
1.  Disregarding God's law -- Proverbs 28:9
2.  A lack of compassion for those in need -- Proverbs 21:13
3.  Pride -- Luke 18:9-14
4.  A sinful lifestyle -- Isaiah 59:1-2
5.  Unconfessed sin -- Psalm 66:16-20
6.  Disobedience -- Deuteronomy 1:45
7.  Wrong motives -- James 4:1-3
8.  Broken Relationships -- 1 Peter 3:7
9.  Unforgiveness -- Mark 11:25
10.  Doubt -- James 1:5-7

SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: SELF-CONTROL

15 February 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

            -- as most of you know, I try to go to the gym and work out on a regular basis -- although to look at me, you might not be able to tell -- but I've been doing this for several years now, and over this time, I've noticed something

            -- all of us are familiar with what happens in gyms in January -- January is the time of New Year's resolutions -- and when you go the gym that first week of January, it is packed -- every machine -- every treadmill -- every weight station -- is being used by someone -- usually by people that those of us who go on a regular basis haven't ever seen before -- it's really hard to get in the gym and do anything in January

            -- but then, towards the end of January, the crowd starts to die down -- you see fewer and fewer people, until you're left with the handful of regulars and just one or two of the new folks who have managed to stick it out -- this is the pattern we see with New Year's resolutions -- and it's true not just in the gym, but with all the resolutions that people take up when a new year starts -- people just can't exert self-control -- they just don't have the willpower to maintain a change in their life and so their resolution goes by the way-side and they give up, usually within the first 21 days

            -- but I've recently noticed a new phenomenon -- I'm sure it's been there the whole time, but it's the first time I've noticed it -- over the past week, the gym has gotten a little more crowded -- a lot of the folks that quit in January are back -- they're in the gym again and all the machines are full and it's hard to find a treadmill

            -- and what I think is going on is something I've termed, "Resolution Rebounders" -- you see, these are people who didn't keep their New Year's resolution -- and they feel guilty about it -- so they're trying again -- and now, in the middle of February, they're back at the gym, determined this time to follow through on their resolutions and make a difference in their lives -- but, if the pattern holds, most of them are going to fail and they'll be gone by the first of March

II.  Spiritual Resolution Rebounders

            -- we're familiar with this pattern, aren't we? -- a lot of us tend to be Spiritual Resolution Rebounders -- we make a resolution -- we're going to read the Bible more -- we're going to pray more -- we're going to walk away from that nagging sin in our lives -- we're going to spend more time with our family -- we're going to focus on what's truly important in life

            -- and we do good for a little while, but then we lose focus and our will-power and our self-control wavers, and we start to fall away -- and then we feel guilty and we make the decision to start over -- and so we go back at it and then our will-power goes away and we fail again and then we feel guilty and we resolve to do it again and the cycle goes on and on and on

            -- and to make matters worse, we read over and over in the Bible how as Christians we are supposed to be exercising self-control in our spiritual lives -- Jesus told us to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and to follow Him -- Paul lists self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit -- even here in this passage, Paul is exhorting us to go into strict training -- temperance -- self-control -- self-discipline -- in order to win the race

            -- but we don't seem able to do so -- are you with me or is this just something that happens to me? -- am I the only one who has a problem in this area? -- anyone else ever had a problem with making a spiritual resolution but found themselves unable to keep it?

            -- this morning, we're continuing in on our sermon series called "Tested and Approved" on the cardinal virtues of a Christian -- we've looked at wisdom and courage and today, we're looking at the much-needed virtue of self-control

            -- I wanted us to talk about what the Bible really means when it tells us to exercise self-control, so we might be able to break out of this cycle of striving and failing and feeling guilty and doing it all over and over again

           

            -- so let's start at the beginning and define what we mean by self-control -- it seems pretty self-explanatory -- self-control is the control of self

            -- the dictionary defines it as the ability to exercise restraint or control over one’s feelings, emotions, reactions, and behavior -- it means the same thing as restraint or self-discipline or willpower

            -- Self-control is the ability to govern ourselves -- as Plato and the early philosophers talked about this virtue, self-control enables us to control our temper -- regulate our sensual appetites and passions -- and pursue even legitimate pleasures in moderation -- It’s the power to resist temptation -- It enables us to wait and to delay gratification in the service of higher and distant goals.¹

            -- so why can't we seem to do it? -- why is our world today the epitome of self-gratification? -- look around you and you won't see but a handful of people who seem to have the self-control the Bible calls for -- even in our churches, we don't see people controlling sin and restraining themselves -- I see it in my own life -- why does it seem we are incapable of controlling ourselves and walking with God as He wants us to?

            -- let's look at this passage and see if we can gain any insights that might help us

III.  Scripture Lesson (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

            -- remember this letter was written from Paul to the church at Corinth -- and we like to say these were some messed-up people -- they were divided, with some people following this teacher and other people following a different teacher -- there was no unity -- and, as a result, sin was running rampant in their church because everyone was doing what they thought was right -- and even though they were getting spiritual instruction from Paul and Peter and Apollos, they would try it for a while and then fail and try something else -- these are Spiritual Resolution Rebounders of the first century

            -- we tend to think of them as a carnal church -- a messed-up congregation -- but, truthfully, they weren't so different from a lot of our churches today -- it's just that their sins were written down for us to see in the two letters in the Bible while ours is only displayed in our lives

            -- Paul has written this letter to the church to help them sort out their failures and get them on the right track and maybe to get it to stick this time

            -- look with me, if you would, back at verse 24

1 Corinthians 9:24
²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

            -- here we see the first key to making a difference in our spiritual lives -- you have to know where you are going -- you have to know your purpose -- you have to have a clear goal in mind

            -- in this passage, Paul uses the analogy of a race to help us understand what our lives in Christ should look like -- thinking of a race, what's the goal? -- what's the purpose of running a race? -- to cross the finish line? -- NO!

            -- we don't run a race to cross the finish line -- the purpose of running the race is not to finish, but to win -- the purpose of the race is to win the prize -- and that's one reason why so many people fail in their Christian lives -- they don't understand why they're running the race and so they aren't giving it their all

            -- what is the goal of our life? -- what is our purpose in Christ? -- what is it that Christ is calling us to do?

            -- it's simple -- to know God

            -- the whole purpose of the cross was to restore our relationship with God -- our chief end in life is to know God and to glorify Him -- and we do that by becoming more Christ-like in our lives -- to be holy as He is holy -- and by showing His love to others

            -- our goal is to die to self and to live for Christ -- and what that means -- and why this is important in our discussion on self-control -- is that we first have to get rid of self

            -- in order to win the race, we have to take our eyes off ourselves and off those around us and focus on God and Him alone -- we don't run for ourselves -- we run for Him -- He is our goal -- He is our purpose -- He is our prize

            -- verse 25

1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

            -- Paul tells us that runners who are preparing for a race go into strict training -- the word that is translated in the NIV as "strict training" can also be translated as temperance or self-control or self-discipline

            -- once we know what our goal is, then we can start training for it -- once we know where we are headed, then we can start preparing our bodies and our minds and our spirits so we can run the race and win the prize

            -- we do that, Paul says, through strict training -- through self-control -- by mastering our emotions, impulses, appetites, and desires

            -- and here is where we most of us fail -- this is the realm of the Spiritual Resolution Rebounder -- most of us find we just cannot exert the self-control we need to do this Christian life -- you know why? -- because you can't -- you aren't supposed to

            -- herein lies the rub -- the paradox of biblical self-control -- there is a difference between worldly self-control and the self-control the Bible urges us to wield

            -- as the world defines it, self-control is mastery over self -- it is inherent power over self -- it is us taking our willpower and using it to stop us from doing something or forcing ourselves to take up a new habit -- it is all about self-reliance -- and that is why New Year's resolutions fail and that is why so many people fail in their spiritual lives -- they are trying to do Christianity in their own power

            -- biblical self-control is different -- biblical self-control is based on surrender -- surrender to a higher power

            -- everyone in here agrees that our willpower and our self-control is lacking, right? -- so if we can't do it -- if we don't have the power within us to overcome sin or to walk in holiness or to love the unloveable -- then what do we do?

            -- we turn to God and depend on His power and strength to do what we can't do -- remember, biblical self-control is a fruit of the Spirit -- it is not something we can do on our own -- it is something that comes from the Spirit through us

            -- when the Bible talks about self-control, here is what it means:

            -- first, it means you die to self -- this goes back to our goal and purpose in running the race -- before we became a Christian, we lived for and worried about ourselves -- now, as Christians, our focus should be upwards and outwards -- up towards God and out towards our neighbors

                        -- so we have died to self -- we no longer live for ourselves -- it's not about us -- it's about Him

            -- secondly, we change the direction of our will and our desire -- this where the "control" part of self-control comes in -- rather than letting our self determine what direction we go, we surrender control to God and choose to let Him direct our will and desire -- as Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Yet I want your will to be done, not mine"

            -- and, finally, we rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task -- we realize we can't do it, so we ask Him to do it through us -- and if our goals and our purpose and our will is to know God and to glorify Him, then the Holy Spirit will give us the strength and power to make it happen

            -- self-control in the Bible is about surrendering our self to God -- it's about giving up control, so God can work through us -- when we quit trying to do it on our own and in our own strength, it is then that we start to see success in our Christian life

            -- verse 26

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.
²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

            -- here is why so many people fail when they make New Year's resolutions -- they are well-intentioned, but are running aimlessly -- they have no clear goal in mind

            -- let me give you an example -- the reason why the gym is so full in January is because a lot of people have made a resolution to go to the gym in the new year -- but that's it -- their goal was to go to the gym, which is not a sustainable goal -- they have no plan -- they're not training for a purpose -- and so they fail

            -- the people who make it stick are those whose goal is not to go to the gym -- but those who go with a definite plan -- "I want to lose twenty pounds by summer and this is how I'm going to do it" -- and then they come up with a plan to reach their goal -- I'm going to walk on the treadmill for thirty minutes a day -- I'm going to eat a healthy meal -- I'm going to quit eating fast food

            -- you see the difference? -- knowing the goal -- knowing the real purpose they are there -- let's them develop a plan to meet that goal -- they're not just running around doing this and that, but are following specific steps to win the prize of losing twenty pounds by the summer

            -- Paul says he does not run like a man running aimlessly -- he doesn't fight like a man beating the air -- he has a definite goal in mind and he is aiming for that goal

            -- he has a plan and is controlling himself and his desires -- he is overcoming his own personal desires and wishes and temptations in order to run the race with purpose -- everything he does is for a reason -- to know God and to glorify God in his life

IV.  Closing

            -- I know it seems like a minor point, but it's important -- you have to remember the goal of knowing God and glorifying Him in order to make any lasting change in your life

            -- a few years ago, I made a resolution to read through the Bible in a year -- good, spiritual resolution, right? -- no, it wasn't -- what was the reason I wanted to read through the Bible in a year? -- to fulfill that goal -- to be able to say, even just to myself, I read through the Bible this year

            -- and, do you know what happened? -- it didn't stick -- I started off well -- made it through January and then I started missing days and not having enough time to get it done and I didn't finish -- it's because the goal was about myself and I was trying to do it in my own strength

            -- this year, I decided to read through the New Testament, but I'm doing it for a different reason -- I'm doing it because I realized I haven't been spending time with God on a daily basis like I should -- so I'm not reading through the New Testament just to read through the New Testament -- I'm reading through the New Testament to know God and to spend time with Him

            -- and do you know what's happening? -- not only have I found time to read the New Testament every day, but I've also gotten so excited about spending time with God in God's word that I'm also reading through the Psalms and the Proverbs

            -- because my focus is different -- because my purpose and goal are different -- I am succeeding where I failed before -- this is the difference between biblical self-control and worldly self-control

            -- the virtue of self-control -- the fruit of self-control -- is not exerting control over yourself but giving yourself up, surrendering yourself to God, and seeking to glorify Him with your life

            -- as I close, I want you to take a moment and just think about an area of your life where you need to exert self-control -- maybe your body -- your mind -- your emotions -- your time -- your finances -- your tongue -- your relationships

            -- think about a part of your life that is not right -- a part of your life that you need to give back to God -- and then I want you to begin doing that right now -- by surrendering that part of your life to Him

            -- not because you want victory over that sin or over that bad habit -- but because you want to glorify God in that area of your life

            -- and then ask the Holy Spirit to give you the power to make a change there

            -- the key to self-control is in defining the goal -- and for the Christian, that goal should always be to know and to glorify God -- not for any selfish desire -- but for His kingdom alone

            -- let us pray

 -------------------------------------

1 Ten Essential Virtues -- https://www2.cortland.edu/dotAsset/299043.pdf

SERMON: TESTED AND APPROVED: JUSTICE

1 March 2015

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Nehemiah 5:1-13

Nehemiah 5:1-13 (NIV)
¹ Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.
² Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
³ Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
⁴ Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
⁵ Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
⁸ and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
⁹ So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
¹¹ Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
¹² "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
¹³ I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series called "Tested and Approved" on the cardinal virtues of the Christian life -- so far we have looked at the virtues of wisdom, courage, and self-control -- this morning, we are going to look at the virtue of justice

            -- unlike the other virtues we have discussed, the virtue of justice is not merely a change we make in ourselves -- it is a change we make in the world -- it is not just about us becoming better people -- it is about us taking up the  mantle of responsibility as Christians in this world to make it a better place

            -- to define what we mean by justice is difficult -- the best description I found was related to the Jewish word "shalom" -- typically, we think of shalom as meaning peace, but it means much more than that -- shalom speaks to serenity and harmony and restoration of the whole -- it means to put things right -- to do what is right -- to restore a right balance within and without

            -- when we think of justice in these terms, we see the justice of God portrayed through the cross of Christ -- when sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, what was good became corrupted -- and it took God's justice through Christ to make it whole again -- to make things right

            -- so the virtue of justice can be thought of as the restoration of life to God's holiness and righteousness -- and this can be internal -- as we seek to make our lives reflect the righteousness of Christ -- to be holy as He is holy -- and it can be external -- as we seek to employ the will of God around us to change this world and the lives of those around us

            -- so what does this mean to us as Christians today? -- what does justice look like in a world that has become shaded with grey rather than black and white values?

            -- a few years ago, the ABC Primetime News Show "What Would You Do?" did a compelling episode on public displays of rage, with angry boyfriends verbally abusing their girlfriends in a public park

            -- in the first segment, the woman was a petite African-American who was sitting on a bench next to a jogging trail while her boyfriend, a tall white man, was screaming at her, "Sit down!  What do you mean I'm scaring you? Sit down!"

            -- several people witnessed the scene -- a few stopped and watched -- one man stopped and raised his hand like he was going to say something, but the boyfriend turned to him and said, "Stay out of it!" and he turned away

            -- finally, one lady heard the screams and turned to the couple -- "What's going on?" she asked -- when the boyfriend said, "Ma'am, mind your own business.  We're having a...," she cut him off and said, "I'm not going to mind my own business when I see you abusing her."

            -- in another segment of the show, the producers changed the dynamic of the couple, with the boyfriend being an African-American and the girlfriend being a white woman -- in this situation, the boyfriend was trying to drag the girl off the bench while onlookers watched -- most didn't react

            -- but as a male jogger passed by, the boyfriend kicked the girl and the jogger immediately went into action -- he yelled, "Hey, leave her alone!" and when the boyfriend turned to confront he jogger, he didn't back down but stood up to him -- "In no situation do you kick a girl!" he said -- before the situation escalated any further, the producers stepped in to end the segment and let the jogger know what was going on¹

            -- getting back to the premise of the show, what would you have done? -- how would you have reacted? -- how would Jesus have reacted?

II.  Scripture Lesson on Justice (Nehemiah 5:1-13)

            -- I want us to take a moment and look at this passage from Nehemiah, one of my favorite books in the Bible, and see what we can learn about the virtue of justice from his example       

            -- to give you the background for this passage, Nehemiah was the royal cup-bearer for the Persian emperor King Artaxerxes, whose empire included Judah and the city of Jerusalem -- Nehemiah was Jewish, part of the descendants of the Israelites who had been captured and brought to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar and subsequently put under the rule of the Media-Persian Empire when Babylon was defeated

            -- Nehemiah heard of the condition of Jerusalem -- how the city and the temple had fallen into disrepair and how the wall that surrounded the city had been broken down during the various sieges and battles that had taken place -- in his days, the life of a city depended on the security of the wall around them -- when raiders or attackers came against the people, they would retreat inside the security of their wall for protection -- it would also let them safely defend themselves from attacks that came from the outside

            -- the broken walls of Jerusalem meant that the people there lived in fear, poverty, and insecurity -- they were not protected from those who sought to harm them and they would never grow in wealth or power because others would always have the ability to just come in and take what they owned

            -- so God put it on Nehemiah's heart to go to Jerusalem to repair the walls and to restore the city to its former glory -- as this passage opens, we see Nehemiah in Jerusalem overseeing the repairs -- the Jews had already faced down the opposition from the Gentiles in the land as they began the project -- but now the Jews were facing difficulty from another source

            -- look with me here at Nehemiah 5, starting in verse 1

Nehemiah 5:1-5 (NIV)

1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.

2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."

3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."

4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."

            -- under Nehemiah's leadership, the people of Jerusalem had undertaken the repair of the walls of the city above all else --Nehemiah had helped them to see that their lives would never truly prosper -- that things would never be made right -- until the walls were rebuilt

            -- and, keep in mind, this was a spiritual rebuilding as well as a physical rebuilding -- the walls they were building were made of stone and wood and mortar -- but they represented the kingdom of God in the lives of the people of Israel -- for decades, the people had chosen to live outside the walls of God's protection -- apart from His promises -- apart from His righteousness -- and now Nehemiah is urging them to restore their spiritual lives by rebuilding their reliance on the promise of God in their lives

            -- he understood how important this was -- so he had the people working on the walls and on their relationship with God night and day -- but the problem we see in these verses is that the people did not have the resources to live and make ends meet without working in the fields and getting grain for their families

            -- so to provide for their families, some had mortgaged their farms and their vineyards and their homes -- others had to borrow money from wealthier Jews -- and as the lenders demanded payment and excessive interest on the loans, the people were suffering to the point where they were literally having to sell their sons and daughters into slavery to pay their debts

            -- without a doubt, this was a grave injustice in the land -- the lending practices and the harsh demands for repayment actually went against God's law -- the term we see in this passage of Scripture is usury -- usury is the act of charging excessive interest -- there is nothing wrong with lending people money -- there is nothing wrong with asking people to pay back a reasonable amount -- but to charge them excessively in their need is wrong -- it's usury -- it's condemned in the Bible as evil

            -- so the people brought the issue to Nehemiah -- the question is what to do about it?

            -- verse 6

Nehemiah 5:6 (NIV)
⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

            -- if injustice doesn't make you angry, then you need to evaluate your relationship with the Lord -- we see Jesus become angry many times in the gospels -- always in response to injustice -- He became angry in the temple as the money-changers were cheating the people and turning God's temple from a sanctuary and house of prayer to a den for thieves -- He became angry at the apathy of the Pharisees and their adherence to the law while men and woman remained crippled by disease on the Sabbath -- He became angry when the storms of life came against the people and the priests and the leaders did nothing to help

            -- injustice should make us angry -- injustice should awaken within us a desire for restoration and healing -- injustice should make us want to take action

            -- last night, Kim and I went to see the "American Sniper" movie -- and at the start of the movie, you see a scene from Chris Kyle's childhood where his father is teaching his two sons about finding their place in this world -- he borrowed an illustration from Lt Col Dave Grossman, the author of "On Killing"

            -- Grossman said there are three kinds of people in life -- first, there are the sheep -- "kind, gentle, productive creatures who only hurt one another by accident" -- next, there are the wolves -- "and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy" -- as Grossman puts it, "There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds"

            -- but, finally, there are the sheep dogs who live to " protect the flock and confront the wolves"² -- in the movie, Chris Kyle's father encouraged his sons to be sheep dogs -- and you see this thread of responsible protection throughout the life of Chris Kyle as portrayed in the movie

            -- we see Christians in the Bible referred to as sheep, but I think we have misunderstood what Jesus and the Holy Spirit meant when He called us this -- Jesus called for us to be sheep in the sense that we were to be unified as one flock -- one people -- under His protection and Lordship -- we were to look to Him for restoration and redemption and healing and not to ourselves

            -- but I don't believe He meant us to live as sheep in a world of wolves -- I think the calling of Christians in the Bible carries with it the responsibility to make wrong things right -- to stand up for the poor and the orphan and the widow -- to speak out against what is wrong -- to be the sheep dogs who protect the sheep and lead them to the Father

            -- go back to verse 6 again

Nehemiah 5:6-13 (NIV)

⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
⁸ and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
⁹ So I continued, "What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?
¹⁰ I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
¹¹ Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
¹² "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
¹³ I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.

            -- in these verses we see Nehemiah's response to injustice -- and the actions he takes can be considered a framework for our own response to injustice today

            -- first, I want you to see that Nehemiah took action -- he didn't just get angry -- he didn't just fire off a letter to the editor or post something on Twitter or Facebook of Instagram -- he did something about it -- he took action

            -- studies have shown people who post about an injustice or a cause on twitter or any of the social media are less likely to actually get involved. -- Just putting a bumper sticker on your car is not an act of justice

            -- it takes determination and commitment to make a difference in the face of evil and injustice in our world today -- apathy is the biggest supporter of injustice in our world today -- as Nehemiah shows us in this passage, you must get involved

            -- next, Nehemiah went to the source of the conflict -- to right a wrong you must first identify the wrong -- in this case, Nehemiah went to the nobles and officials and accused them of doing wrong by their brothers by exacting usury from them

            -- he pointed out to them exactly what they were doing wrong in hopes they would repent of their actions on their own

            -- when that didn't work, Nehemiah brought the issue before the entire community -- he lays out the wrongness of their actions in light of God's redemptive purposes -- he tells them, "God has redeemed us from bondage -- He has led us to buy back our brothers who were sold into slavery to the Gentiles -- and now you are putting them back into bondage again"

            -- he appeals to the Law of God and tells them, "What you are doing is not right!" -- God's law -- God's word -- is the standard that we must follow in our lives -- as the people of God, the Israelites were to follow God's word and to seek His will and to be obedient to His commandments -- the problem was not in the lending to the Jews in need -- the problem was in the usury -- these nobles and officials were violating God's commands in regards to usury and were putting their fellow Jews into bondage

            -- Nehemiah appeals to the law of God and says, "You are wrong in what you are doing"

            -- and, finally, Nehemiah calls them to repent -- to turn from their evil ways and to make restitution to the Jews for their wrong actions against them -- "return to them all that you have stolen through usury -- release them from their chains -- remember your witness before God and before your countrymen and before the Gentiles"

            -- in verse 13, when Nehemiah shook out the folds of his clothes and said, "May God shake out of His house and His possessions every man who does not keep his promise" -- this is actually speaking a curse onto those who refused to repent or who went back to perpetuating injustice on the people again

III.  Responding to Injustice Today

            -- as Chris Surber points out, all too often when we see injustice today, we tend to turn a blind eye towards it -- we do nothing to correct the wrong -- we do nothing to speak God's word and will into the situation

            -- Surber says that believers often default into one of three basic categories when injustice is perceived: 

            (1) "We say that “this will all be fixed when Jesus returns.”" -- we just watch and wait and do nothing

            (2) "We resign ourselves to the notion that “since God is sovereign, all of this must be a part of His plan.”" -- we just shrug our shoulders and say, "this is the way God wants it -- if He wanted to change it, He would" -- this is the karmic response to evil and injustice

            (3) "We say simply, often in honest exasperation, “what can I do? I can’t do anything about it. I’ve got my own problems.”"³

            -- none of these responses are right -- the message of the Bible is that God cares for the poor and oppressed -- God calls us to take action against injustice -- it is our duty to provide for and protect those in need as best we can, regardless of the personal cost -- apathy and ignorance are no excuse -- we will be judged based on how we treat those around us

            -- when we see injustice, we must take action -- we must do something

            -- as we see in this passage from Nehemiah, there are several steps we are to follow when we see an injustice taking place:

            -- first, take immediate action -- step in to alleviate the immediate injustice and harm you see occurring -- this can mean stepping in to meet the physical needs of a person -- to give them food and clothes and shelter -- this can mean stopping violence -- this can mean removing a person from a harmful situation -- whatever form injustice takes, we must take action against it

            -- secondly, we need to identify the source of the injustice and appeal to the source for relief -- perhaps those who are inflicting an injustice on someone are unaware of their actions -- perhaps they don't understand the harm they are doing -- perhaps they just need to be shown the wrongness of their action

                        -- injustice cannot be solved by simply treating the symptoms -- the injustice must be resolved by getting to the root of the problem -- and we do this by identifying the source and trying to make a change at this point

            -- third, if we are unable to effect change on our own or if the party of the injustice is unwilling, then we need to appeal to the community as a whole -- this is part of the function of government -- God has given authority and responsibility to the government to take care of the people -- and we can appeal to the government for redress and assistance in righting wrongs at their source in order to remove injustice in the land

            -- finally, we need to speak the word of God into situations of injustice -- we need to hold up God's law as our guide and show the perpetuators of injustice that what they are doing is not just wrong, it is evil -- we need to appeal to their spirits and pray that God will lead them to repentance -- this implies that we know God's word ourselves -- that we are striving to become moral and just and holy in our own lives and that we are seeking to reflect God's justice to the world around us

            -- moral wrong cannot be corrected through legal actions -- you can only fix the morals of a person or a country through a change in heart and spirit -- and we do so by telling others of the word of God and praying for the Holy Spirit to soften and change their hearts and lead them to a place of repentance

IV.  Closing

            -- let me close by sharing with you a story that Erwin Lutzer retells in his book "When a Nation Forgets God" -- one Christian's story of living in Hitler's Germany. The man wrote:

            -- "I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because what could anyone do to stop it?

            -- "A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!

            -- "week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.

            -- "We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.

            -- "years have passed, and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene."⁴

            -- let us pray

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1 Public Displays of Rage: What Would You Do? March 11, 2008 By CLEM TAYLOR and NATALIE D. JAQUEZ http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/WhatWouldYouDo/Story?id=4076903&page=1

2 On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs - Dave Grossman http://mwkworks.com/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html

3 Chris Surber, Sermon: At War with Injustice, http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/at-war-with-injsutice-chris-surber-sermon-on-faith-143256.asp?page=0

4 Erwin W. Lutzer, When a Nation Forgets God (Moody Press, 2010), p. 22.