Building Dynamic Faith: Trusting in God Even When You “Mess Up”
Isaiah 43: 1-7
There’s an old saying that there are three sexes- men, women, and preachers. Preachres ought to be able to walk on water, or that they are perfect. We’re not. My purpose for relating this story is to help you grow in your faith, especially if you think that you have lost it, or done something so bad that you cannot get it back again. Friends, the devil would like nothing more than to see you defeated, permanently side-lined on the shelf of effectiveness. Some preachers you hear about get sidelined because of adultery. Some because of wrong financial dealings. Some because of lying and lack of integrity. Mine was because of fear. If you feel after hearing this message you no longer have confidence in me, well- I leave that for you to decide and I’ll just trust God to do what He will. I want to tell you this morning how I went through deep waters, and how Jesus jumped in and rescued me.
I wish that in 1994 I had a church family that was as loving and as understanding as the one I am in now, or I probably never would have done what I did- not that I blame the church, I blame myself, for what had happened. Romans 12:21 says: do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. The church was growing- not phenomenally, but it was reaching out to the professional and international community that God had called us to serve in this Washington D.C. suburb. Blacks, Asians, Africans and others were fellowshipping with us every week. We baptized more people in one year than we had the previous ten. You would have thought the deacons on the board, and many of the other church leaders would have been excited- they weren’t. Instead, they felt threatened. They didn’t like all these. I was also a lot younger than I am now, and I couldn’t understand that. I was getting restless and impatient- probably not waiting on God the way I should have, and that, dear friends, was my undoing. I’ve given it all over to the Lord now, and all of that is under His blood of forgiveness. Our life at church was not very happy in those days. Every action we did was met with malice and suspicion. There was also sin in the church, and no matter how much I protested its existence, I was told to mind my own business- especially about the unusual affection that two of our deacons and their wives seemed to have for one another, and for others in the church. I knew my ministry was on its way out when I stumbled upon a liaison between one of the deacons and another woman in the church. These people were in their early sixties- certainly old enough to know better. When I stopped at a traffic light and looked over and saw this woman getting into our deacon chairman’s van, I slumped down so they would not see me. It was too late. They had seen me before I saw them.
Things began to deteriorate rapidly after that. I felt the pressure to leave the congregation, and my feelings of fear and insecurity began to grow more noticeable. But I was convinced that they had not hired me, but that God had called me there. In spite of the friction that ensued, the church continued to grow. But Satan was also at work, waiting for the right moment to trip me up. That winter, our boys who were five and three and a half at that time, needed a large warm place to play and run off some energy for a while. Their baby sister was laying down for a nap and needed some quiet. I told Robin I’ll take the boys over to the church, since we lived next door. It was in the 20s and icy- I brought over their matchbox cars and they could play in the fellowship hall while I engaged in a short counseling appointment. The boys would not be far away, and they should be alright, I reasoned. They were content to play down there on the waxed tile floor, zooming their cars on the floor. I planned to check on them occasionally to make sure they were alright. A few moments later, my appointment arrived- an unchurched couple that I had been witnessing to, showed up for premarital counseling. I escorted them into my office and left the door open- listening to the sound of my boys playing downstairs. I was scarcely into the opening remarks of our visit when I heard a crash of metal downstairs in the church fellowship hall, followed by a blood-curdling scream. I rushed to the stairway, almost with one bound, when Jared met me at the top of the steps, still sucking on his thumb, trying to tell me that his brother had been hurt. When I saw the sight of what had happened, I nearly passed out. Apparently a match box car toy had become lodged beneath a rolling rack made for portable metal chairs. But the custodian had placed the heavy metal banquet tables on the rack so he could wax the floor a week or so prior to that. When John went to retrieve his car, the tables dislodged, and fell on top of him, and on his little hand, severing one of his fingers and nearly severing two others. The blood from the site was horrendous. The couple who had come in for counseling were horrified, I shot back and said, “this is one of the things you might run into when you have children. Are you sure you want to do this?” They looked at one another and left the building. I never saw them again.
I wrapped John’s bloody hand in a towel, along with the appendage, and carried him up the stairs. My heart was racing so badly I could hardly breath the prayers I was uttering, O God please stop the bleeding. Please don’t let my son bleed to death!” I was so frightened I didn’t know what to do. In what seemed like an hour, but actually it was just a few minutes, the paramedics arrived- not just for him, but also for me. I tried not to look at Robin, for fear she would see the fear in my eyes and get upset. We got to the Suburban Hospital just down the street. A neurosurgeon by the name of Dr. Goldblatt, who just happened to be on call in the emergency room that day, took care of the entire matter. “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’ll have that finger sewed back on and you’ll never know he had been hurt.” Those reassurances were a sign from God that everything was going to be okay. “He might loose some agility in his fingers at first, but he’s only five years old. Give it time. I’ve seen kids go through a lot worse and they’ve grown up to be dentists and concert pianists. He spoke to John and said, “Do you play any instruments?” he asked, “No, not yet. But I think I would like to play the drums!” With thanksgiving to God, those fingers were set and reattached. Just a small scar appears now from the ordeal. But it was nothing to compare with the scar Satan would leave in the weeks following that accident.
The next thing I knew, I learned that the deacon I had witnessed with the extramarital affair, and been talking with others about having social services called in “to take my kids away” as he was quoted, because of child-endangerment. Actually he feared I would sue the church for the custodian’s negligence, but I never had any thoughts to do that. But he feared a confrontation from me about that and his personal indiscretions. All this discussion went on while I was preaching, when he and a couple of others in the church would count the morning offerings and then slip out of the service up to the nursery to count it while I was preaching. One or two others reported the conversation to me. My blood ran cold when I heard what they said. I cannot let such a thing happen. I will make sure that word of this gets established and then the whole church will know what is going on. Surely God would vindicate me, I said. And then I did one of the stupidest, dumbest things I have ever done in my life. I purchased a voice activated cassette recorder, hoping to record more conversation and other goings-on in that church nursery, where my own children were being cared for at that time. I must confess to you I did that out of a fierce combination of fear and stupidity. Fear causes us to do stupid things. A nursery worker- in fact the grown daughter of the man who was conspiring against me, dislodged the cassette recorder from behind a drawer in the diaper cabinet. She discovered it and reported it to her father, who then threatened to have me arrested for wiretapping without a court order, a felony in the state of Maryland. My troubles went from bad to worse in a fleeting moment of fear and anxiety. In just one moment of faithless, lack of trust and dependence upon God, our home, my ministry, our future- was nearly in ashes. I had messed up big time. The legal entanglements that faced me were insurmountable. I thought about hiring a lawyer, not knowing that I needed about $5000 to retain one and that the District Attorney was the deacon’s brother in law I didn’t think I had a defense anyway. I had never felt so alone, so helpless, and so isolated in my entire life at that point.
II. Now I told you this long story to get to the sermon. I read my Bible and probably prayed more during that long winter of 1995 more than I ever had in my entire life. I had several dark nights when I wondered if I would make it to the next day. I had forgotten that I was God’s child. Instead I was orphaned. I was so despondent and my heart was so heavy that, without me even knowing it, my father who worked near by drove down during lunch and took away all my hunting rifles. During those days I read about Job whose story we just read about this morning. No one ever suffered as much as he did- so much more than I did. He didn’t have his children taken away by social services- he lost every one of them through death. He lost his wealth, and his health all in a matter of days. There is much we can learn from him about victory in life after we have suffered some of our most difficult hours. His story is one of the most incredible accounts in Scripture, and it reveals the cosmic spiritual battle that goes on in heaven behind the scenes in this life.
God told Satan, “Behold, all that he has in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person,” Job 1:12. This text emphasizes a great spiritual truth: Satan has no power over our lives except by the permission of God. So Satan took away all of Job’s possession. Wealth could easily be lost in the ancient, and bandits stole all his sheep and cattle in one day. His herds were devastated and his servants were murdered. Then, before the day was over, all of his children were killed by a desert storm when they house they were in collapsed. Devastated by these personal tragedies, Job simply responded, “Naked I came from my mothers womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21). The Scripture further explains that in all that had happened to Job, he did not sin against God. Later Satan struck Job with a terrible disease. Boils and blisters covered Job’s entire body. He had not only lost what he loved the most- his children- but now he lost his health as well. In the next scene, Job is seen sitting in a pile of ashes, pathetically scraping himself with a broken piece of pottery. He had been reduced to the trash pile of life. Can you even imagine his suffering and pain? Broken and rejected, Job sat there all alone. Job’s friends came to console him, but eventually they ended up accusing him of committing some secret sin. Their consolation turned to condemnation and criticism. Just when Job though things could not be worse, they did…his wife gave up on him. I’m so glad Robin did not give up on me. She was angry at me for what I did- and angrier for not telling her the threat we were under but I wanted to protect her and spare her the grief of hearing all of that. Robin stood right by me in spite of every thing. I don’t know what I would have done had she not done so.
But in all this, Job did not let his faith in God waver. In spite of his personal pain, he learned to keep on living by the grace of God. And because of that faith, God eventually vindicated him and blessed him with ten more children and twice as many possessions as he had originally. Job knew that he could depend on God no matter what went wrong. That is what I had to learn as well.
We too can learn how to handle life’s toughest problems as we come to the realization that when all goes wrong, even when we have messed up so badly, God’s way is always right. He is still moving on our behalf wanting our greatest good to come together for His glory. We must trust God even as we walk in the darkness. The real problem each of us has to ask ourselves is, “How am I doing with my problems?” Has Satan ever bombarded you and gotten you down? Has he ever threatened you like I described, or tried to pull the rug out from under your life and leave you with a pile of ashes? If that is where he has you now, this is no time to throw in the towel. When you do get down, you probably get lonely and start to wallow in self-pity. You feel like no one understands your pains and your problems. You may even think you are the only one suffering in the entire world. That’s when Satan comes along to say, “See you blew it! You are all washed up. No one really cares about you anyway so why not just end it all?” When the devil tries to beat you down, remember Job. In spite of all his troubles, and even the rejection of his wife and friends, Job hung on to his faith. He put his confidence in God and trusted Him with his very existence. Friends I want you to understand, God is always there for us, even when we cannot see Him, He is there.
Job’s greatest source of strength was the promises of God. He knew God could bring him through his troubles. Absolutely nothing can happen in our lives that God has not promised to see us through, who has said in His word in Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
III. When you pass through the fire, how do you rise up out of the ashes? Take a look first of all in your rearview mirror. In my side mirror of my car there is an etching in it a sentence that says, “caution, objects in mirror are closer than they appear.” That is also true of our lives. Many times we might look in that mirror, but all we see is ourselves so we think its okay. We don’t see the devil on our shoulder shouting out the plans to fall into sin or make a wrong decision. You cannot live in the past, so why should you let past failures control your future? But sometimes you need a review mirror to get a total view of the journey ahead. So today get out a piece of pare and list two or three past problems that could have destroyed you. Mine was faithlessness and fear. The real mirror we should be looking at instead is God’s Holy Word that tells us that we have a loving God who wants us to come to Him for cleansing and forgiveness. I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just.. It doesn’t matter if others were wrong, its important to confess the wrong that you did because two wrongs don’t make it right.
Secondly, take your spiritual temperature. Look at your life today to determine what you’ve learned from your past problems. How are you stronger now than you were before all these storms in life hit you. What did God teach you through your troubles. God showed me in the book of Isaiah these words that got me through those tough times: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” Isaiah 43:2. What did you learn about God as you passed through the waters. Maybe you also walked through fire, like I did in those difficult days after I hid the cassette recorder.
Thirdly, look beyond your present troubles. Building dynamic faith is not just about when we succeed, but especially when we mess up. Since God has used past troubles to make you a better person, don’t you think He can do the same thing again? God may have more than one lesson to teach you. Identify what you expect to learn may give you present hope in that dark night. Consider all your issues a faith issue. Why is it that you react the way you do? We ask, “Why is this happening to me? When our whole focus is on ourselves, and on our problems, we lose God’s perspective. But when our focus is on God, He shows up as so magnificently larger than any troubles we may now face.
Friends, since God brings troubles into our lives to make us stronger and better, when you refuse to learn from them, we turn our backs on God. Accept these trials by faith, learn from what God wants you to know, and work through today’s difficulties by following the principles of His word: “And all these, having obtained a good testimony by faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:39-40
Monday, June 2, 2008
What Jesus Does For Losers John 21:15-19
What Jesus Does For Losers John 21:15-19
Reality programs have been all the rage on TV the past few years. It started with Big Brother, then American Chopper, the Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and my personal favorite- Little People, Big World. I think if I had an opportunity to write a script for a reality show it would be American Preacher. And then its spinoff, American Deacon. Or how about- American choir member? There’s a new reality show on television- have you seen it? Its called “The Biggest Loser.” The premise of the show is a parade of severely overweight people and their daily struggle to lose weight. Every time they step on the scale you take a deep breath for them- will their weight go down- or will it go in the other direction? For someone like that, being a loser is a good thing. But we all know that loser has a more common meaning.
The teenagers call a failure by another name- loser. To be called a loser means to be inept, a disgrace, someone who can’t get it together, whose not quite right, who doesn’t fit, someone who has messed up. Let me give you the politically correct term-Someone who is success challenged. What do we do with losers? How do we deal with them? We sideline them, avoid them, and if they do come into our presence, we tolerate them just long enough until somebody we want to be with comes along and we say, Gee- look at time! Gotta run, see ya! We have a hard time dealing with losers in our world. But it was just as hard dealing with them in the first century. Peter, and the rest of the disciples, were expecting something different. They were expecting an overthrow of Rome and a new kind of kingdom. But…the movement failed. He did not conquer Rome. You know, Jesus’ death looked like anything but a success. And when Jesus needed them the most, the disciples scattered. They failed miserably. But what we learn out of this is that…
Jesus Makes Successes out of Losers.. He can take our most miserable failure and make something great out of it. What we need to realize is we are all losers- is what the Bible tells us. For all have sinned. Sin means to lose out on our relationship with God. Today we are going to look into the life of Peter, and how he almost lost out because of his own self-confidence, and how he received forgiveness and most of all restored to a greater place of ministry and service.
I. We often have a self-confidence that is not well-founded. (John 13:36-38; 18:17, 25-27). In a conversation that occurs before Judas’ betrayal, we find this: Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Simply, Peter overestimates his own ability. He is arrogant. He has a certain belief in his own strength.
So much so, even if the rest of the disciples were to fall away, he would not.
He would surpass them all. He was going to stay with Jesus no matter what. And then…the betrayal comes. Judas kisses Jesus and the soldiers move in. Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord’s enemies. All of sudden, it became real hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. And you know what they all did…they ran. They proved…
The thing we do not want to do is the very thing that we do. And the man who said that he would not fall away, did follow Jesus…from a distance. Now listen what happens to him… “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and to drive home his denial, he punctuated the denial with curses, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. Can you imagine what it was like for Peter at this point? He felt like a complete failure- the ultimate loser. Here, he had been a member of Jesus’ inner core group. He had even seen Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, with Moses and Elijah. He had had all the advantages.Yet, when push came to shove, when Jesus needed him most, he denied the Lord.
Peter was devastated by his own inability. And the text tells us that he wept bitterly. It was probably his worst moment ever. It broke his heart, for he had violated the trust of the One he loved the most. He had just promised that when all the others fell away, he would be there. And he was not.
Peter teaches us that most of us don’t know how sinful we are. We think more highly of our abilities than we ought. Romans 12:3 tells teaches us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We love to be identified with success, don’t we? We love to impress people with what we have done- or what we would do in a certain situation. O, I would never do what Peter did- not me..
So…we are shocked when we fall. We prefer to be shocked when someone else falls. Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, “Lord, if I should fail, let me fall into the hands of the lowlifes and the drunkards and the sinners, but Please don’t let me fall into the hands of church people.” Instead of nurturing and restoring the fallen comrades in God’s army, you know what we do with them? We shoot them! Why do we do that? Because we’re afraid? We’re afraid that people know the loser we truly are, so we become judgmental, harsh, critical, mean- which is, in my humble opinion, worse than messing up in the first place. Do you know what you would do if you were in that same situation Peter was in? Truth is, most of us don’t really know what we would do if we were faced with a situation like that. We would like to think what we might do, but what if you were confronted with having to deny your faith? We live in such a materialistic world today I submit to you that I despair to think about what it might take for a so-called Christian to deny his or her faith in Jesus. But the point is does failure have to be permanent?
II. The good news, is that our failing does not have to make us a failure. (Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-17). Jesus has provided for our failings. Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail.For Jesus said…Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” What is wonderful here is that Jesus saw beyond the problem to Peter’s heart. He knew the man behind the loser. And it was because of that loss, Jesus had went to the cross. It was for his sin. It was for his denial.
The great thing about this is that God doesn’t wait until we are cleaned up and acceptable to love us and care for us. There’s a phrase people use around here that describes this, when I talk to them about their need for Christ, and you know what they tell me? “I’ve got to get things righted around!” Got to get things righted around? How are you going to do that? That’s like a lot of women around I have observed around here who hire the cleaning lady to come in to clean their house, but you know what they do the day before? They work like crazy to get their housecleaning done before the cleaning lady comes. Why? They will say, “What will the cleaning lady think of us- she’ll think we’re a bunch of slobs!” That doesn’t make any sense, anymore than to think we can clean up our lives before asking Christ to come in, because we can’t do it. No, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus knew that Peter was going to mess up!. And now he was bringing him back. Jesus wants us to know that there is nothing that can separate us from His love So now it is time for the question, “Peter, do you love me?”
Notice, Jesus is not asking, “Did you distinguish yourself in My service?” Did you get a PHD? Did you go to church?” It is, “Do you love Me?” And Jesus asks it three times. He asks it three times to go along with every denial Peter rendered. . Now, how Jesus asks these questions and Peter’s reply are significant, because they use different words for love.
The two words we see here are agape, which is the most powerful type of love, characterized by self-sacrifice. The other word for love is phileo, which is a deep affection as a love between family and siblings. It is intense, but it is not as powerful as agape. So Jesus’ first question is, “Do you agape me more than these?”
Jesus asks this question, because Peter had said that he would outlast the rest.
But he did not. Rightfully, Peter does not boast anymore. His response to Jesus was, “You know that I phileo you.” “I have a deep affection for You. I like you!” He cannot say anything more or higher within himself. And he was not going to lie. He was not going to say that he had the agape kind of love after he had denied Jesus. He obviously did not have that kind of love for Jesus. He is careful not to promise more than he can deliver.
Peter is right to say that Jesus knows. For Jesus knows the worst about us and still loves us. But what’s more, He knows the best about us when others do not. He knows what we can be. Jesus again asks the question, “Do you agape me?” The reply is the same, “You know that I phileo you.”Peter had to take responsibility for this.. You see, you cannot grow from failures until you acknowledge them, own them and learn from them- not blame other people for it. If you have messed up, you’ve got to take responsibility for it, and repent of it. And Peter is beginning that process. But Jesus isn’t done yet. He has to ask one more time. But the question this time is different. He says, “Peter, do you phileo me?” This is such a wonderful question even though Peter grieves at its asking. For on this third time, Jesus comes down to Peter’s level. You see…
Jesus meets us where we are. Though this question a third time distressed Peter, and probably hurt his feelings, he had to recognize that it was grace. Peter confirms his love for Jesus and now Jesus owns him. There will be no more denial or betrayal. Now is the time for service-its time to get to work. Galatians 6:1- if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
III. We discover this wonderful truth here, that…Jesus frees us from our past and provides new opportunities for us. (John 21:18-19). There is hope for you. We are not beyond recovery! Its true, Peter messed up, and he messed up badly. But Jesus came to call Peter back into the fight. With each question, Peter gets an assignment. He is to be a shepherd in the church. He is to “feed my lambs,” that is, he is to feed the young, immature believers. He is to “take care of my sheep,” that is, he is to shepherd and lead the mature believers. Jesus said, “Keep on following me!” Its not the convenience oriented faith that we see so much of today. He too would someday be led to die, but this time he would make it And the hope of the resurrection would be a true hope for him. He forgave Peter and offered him something even greater than before.
Are you a loser? We all are! Jesus can take your failure and make you a success. He can turn it around for you. If you have failed Him, you do not need to stay in that pattern. You can know His grace. For Jesus can take your old life and give you a new one. Jesus offered Peter Perhaps, you have fallen behind. Jesus is here today to make you a new creation, old things will pass away, all things become new.
You see Jesus is offering you the opportunity to change. He is offering you the opportunity today. He is pursuing you. He is out to rescue you, not to put you down. You do not have to be a loser anymore. No matter how you may have messed up, come to Jesus. He stands ready to turn your failures into successes.
Reality programs have been all the rage on TV the past few years. It started with Big Brother, then American Chopper, the Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, and my personal favorite- Little People, Big World. I think if I had an opportunity to write a script for a reality show it would be American Preacher. And then its spinoff, American Deacon. Or how about- American choir member? There’s a new reality show on television- have you seen it? Its called “The Biggest Loser.” The premise of the show is a parade of severely overweight people and their daily struggle to lose weight. Every time they step on the scale you take a deep breath for them- will their weight go down- or will it go in the other direction? For someone like that, being a loser is a good thing. But we all know that loser has a more common meaning.
The teenagers call a failure by another name- loser. To be called a loser means to be inept, a disgrace, someone who can’t get it together, whose not quite right, who doesn’t fit, someone who has messed up. Let me give you the politically correct term-Someone who is success challenged. What do we do with losers? How do we deal with them? We sideline them, avoid them, and if they do come into our presence, we tolerate them just long enough until somebody we want to be with comes along and we say, Gee- look at time! Gotta run, see ya! We have a hard time dealing with losers in our world. But it was just as hard dealing with them in the first century. Peter, and the rest of the disciples, were expecting something different. They were expecting an overthrow of Rome and a new kind of kingdom. But…the movement failed. He did not conquer Rome. You know, Jesus’ death looked like anything but a success. And when Jesus needed them the most, the disciples scattered. They failed miserably. But what we learn out of this is that…
Jesus Makes Successes out of Losers.. He can take our most miserable failure and make something great out of it. What we need to realize is we are all losers- is what the Bible tells us. For all have sinned. Sin means to lose out on our relationship with God. Today we are going to look into the life of Peter, and how he almost lost out because of his own self-confidence, and how he received forgiveness and most of all restored to a greater place of ministry and service.
I. We often have a self-confidence that is not well-founded. (John 13:36-38; 18:17, 25-27). In a conversation that occurs before Judas’ betrayal, we find this: Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Simply, Peter overestimates his own ability. He is arrogant. He has a certain belief in his own strength.
So much so, even if the rest of the disciples were to fall away, he would not.
He would surpass them all. He was going to stay with Jesus no matter what. And then…the betrayal comes. Judas kisses Jesus and the soldiers move in. Peter found himself surrounded by the Lord’s enemies. All of sudden, it became real hard for him to stand by his earlier boast. And you know what they all did…they ran. They proved…
The thing we do not want to do is the very thing that we do. And the man who said that he would not fall away, did follow Jesus…from a distance. Now listen what happens to him… “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, “I am not.” As Simon Peter stood warming himself, he was asked, “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the olive grove?” Again Peter denied it, and to drive home his denial, he punctuated the denial with curses, and at that moment a rooster began to crow. Can you imagine what it was like for Peter at this point? He felt like a complete failure- the ultimate loser. Here, he had been a member of Jesus’ inner core group. He had even seen Jesus in the glory of the transfiguration, with Moses and Elijah. He had had all the advantages.Yet, when push came to shove, when Jesus needed him most, he denied the Lord.
Peter was devastated by his own inability. And the text tells us that he wept bitterly. It was probably his worst moment ever. It broke his heart, for he had violated the trust of the One he loved the most. He had just promised that when all the others fell away, he would be there. And he was not.
Peter teaches us that most of us don’t know how sinful we are. We think more highly of our abilities than we ought. Romans 12:3 tells teaches us that we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. We love to be identified with success, don’t we? We love to impress people with what we have done- or what we would do in a certain situation. O, I would never do what Peter did- not me..
So…we are shocked when we fall. We prefer to be shocked when someone else falls. Dr. W.A. Criswell once said, “Lord, if I should fail, let me fall into the hands of the lowlifes and the drunkards and the sinners, but Please don’t let me fall into the hands of church people.” Instead of nurturing and restoring the fallen comrades in God’s army, you know what we do with them? We shoot them! Why do we do that? Because we’re afraid? We’re afraid that people know the loser we truly are, so we become judgmental, harsh, critical, mean- which is, in my humble opinion, worse than messing up in the first place. Do you know what you would do if you were in that same situation Peter was in? Truth is, most of us don’t really know what we would do if we were faced with a situation like that. We would like to think what we might do, but what if you were confronted with having to deny your faith? We live in such a materialistic world today I submit to you that I despair to think about what it might take for a so-called Christian to deny his or her faith in Jesus. But the point is does failure have to be permanent?
II. The good news, is that our failing does not have to make us a failure. (Luke 22:31-32; John 21:15-17). Jesus has provided for our failings. Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail.For Jesus said…Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” What is wonderful here is that Jesus saw beyond the problem to Peter’s heart. He knew the man behind the loser. And it was because of that loss, Jesus had went to the cross. It was for his sin. It was for his denial.
The great thing about this is that God doesn’t wait until we are cleaned up and acceptable to love us and care for us. There’s a phrase people use around here that describes this, when I talk to them about their need for Christ, and you know what they tell me? “I’ve got to get things righted around!” Got to get things righted around? How are you going to do that? That’s like a lot of women around I have observed around here who hire the cleaning lady to come in to clean their house, but you know what they do the day before? They work like crazy to get their housecleaning done before the cleaning lady comes. Why? They will say, “What will the cleaning lady think of us- she’ll think we’re a bunch of slobs!” That doesn’t make any sense, anymore than to think we can clean up our lives before asking Christ to come in, because we can’t do it. No, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. Jesus knew that Peter was going to mess up!. And now he was bringing him back. Jesus wants us to know that there is nothing that can separate us from His love So now it is time for the question, “Peter, do you love me?”
Notice, Jesus is not asking, “Did you distinguish yourself in My service?” Did you get a PHD? Did you go to church?” It is, “Do you love Me?” And Jesus asks it three times. He asks it three times to go along with every denial Peter rendered. . Now, how Jesus asks these questions and Peter’s reply are significant, because they use different words for love.
The two words we see here are agape, which is the most powerful type of love, characterized by self-sacrifice. The other word for love is phileo, which is a deep affection as a love between family and siblings. It is intense, but it is not as powerful as agape. So Jesus’ first question is, “Do you agape me more than these?”
Jesus asks this question, because Peter had said that he would outlast the rest.
But he did not. Rightfully, Peter does not boast anymore. His response to Jesus was, “You know that I phileo you.” “I have a deep affection for You. I like you!” He cannot say anything more or higher within himself. And he was not going to lie. He was not going to say that he had the agape kind of love after he had denied Jesus. He obviously did not have that kind of love for Jesus. He is careful not to promise more than he can deliver.
Peter is right to say that Jesus knows. For Jesus knows the worst about us and still loves us. But what’s more, He knows the best about us when others do not. He knows what we can be. Jesus again asks the question, “Do you agape me?” The reply is the same, “You know that I phileo you.”Peter had to take responsibility for this.. You see, you cannot grow from failures until you acknowledge them, own them and learn from them- not blame other people for it. If you have messed up, you’ve got to take responsibility for it, and repent of it. And Peter is beginning that process. But Jesus isn’t done yet. He has to ask one more time. But the question this time is different. He says, “Peter, do you phileo me?” This is such a wonderful question even though Peter grieves at its asking. For on this third time, Jesus comes down to Peter’s level. You see…
Jesus meets us where we are. Though this question a third time distressed Peter, and probably hurt his feelings, he had to recognize that it was grace. Peter confirms his love for Jesus and now Jesus owns him. There will be no more denial or betrayal. Now is the time for service-its time to get to work. Galatians 6:1- if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
III. We discover this wonderful truth here, that…Jesus frees us from our past and provides new opportunities for us. (John 21:18-19). There is hope for you. We are not beyond recovery! Its true, Peter messed up, and he messed up badly. But Jesus came to call Peter back into the fight. With each question, Peter gets an assignment. He is to be a shepherd in the church. He is to “feed my lambs,” that is, he is to feed the young, immature believers. He is to “take care of my sheep,” that is, he is to shepherd and lead the mature believers. Jesus said, “Keep on following me!” Its not the convenience oriented faith that we see so much of today. He too would someday be led to die, but this time he would make it And the hope of the resurrection would be a true hope for him. He forgave Peter and offered him something even greater than before.
Are you a loser? We all are! Jesus can take your failure and make you a success. He can turn it around for you. If you have failed Him, you do not need to stay in that pattern. You can know His grace. For Jesus can take your old life and give you a new one. Jesus offered Peter Perhaps, you have fallen behind. Jesus is here today to make you a new creation, old things will pass away, all things become new.
You see Jesus is offering you the opportunity to change. He is offering you the opportunity today. He is pursuing you. He is out to rescue you, not to put you down. You do not have to be a loser anymore. No matter how you may have messed up, come to Jesus. He stands ready to turn your failures into successes.
What Kind of Neighbor Are You? Luke 10:29-35 04/13/08
What Kind of Neighbor are You? Luke 10:29-35 SBC 04/13/08
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
What Kind of Neighbor Are You? Luke 10:29-35 04/13/08
What Kind of Neighbor are You? Luke 10:29-35 SBC 04/13/08
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
INTRODUCTION: Can you name some FAMOUS NEIGHBORS? Mr. Rogers Neighborhood … sweater, sneakers … “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood … won’t you be my neighbor?” Dennis the Menace … “Helloooo Mr. Wilson!” Ricky & Lucy Ricardo … Fred & Ethel Mertz.. Tim “the Tool Man” Taylor … Wilson- the one you never see but just his forehead above the picket fence. I sincerely hope your neighbors are as good as the neighbors I just mentioned. We hear jokes neighbors. We live in a time when we don’t even know our neighbors anymore. The story this morning is about NEIGHBORS … AND … it has all the elements of a MOVIE. It has: violence … crime … racial discrimination … hatred … neglect … unconcern … love … mercy. Who says the Bible isn’t relevant to the modern world? And it begins with Jesus’ response to a question- who is my neighbor?
I’m preaching a passage that in all honesty I don’t think I’ve ever preached on before. I’m not sure why. I think it might have to do with the fact that it is so familiar we might be tempted to think we know it and don’t need to hear it. The fact is, while this parable is indeed familiar, it is also one of the least understood, and therefore most misapplied passages of Scripture that we know. When we think of who our neighbor is, we automatically assume its somebody that we know. The story does not focus on who our neighbor is in the first place- it focuses on this question, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
The term neighbor is an interesting, if not obscure one in the Greek language. We think of neighbors as people who live in houses across the street or next door neighbor. But the term that Jesus uses is much more general than that, and it doesn’t even involve a house. The word playsios- simply means near, close by, something or someone in proximity. It carries with it no other distinction of age, sex, creed, color, ethnic, or economics. In fact its about as plain vanilla of a word as you can get. It applies to everybody- anybody that you see on a given day- people who are like you, and people who are not. Just plain folks and the upper-crust. By the way upper crust is defined as a bunch of crumbs stuck together by their own dough! But we just think it means doing something nice for somebody- is what defines what a Christian is. I’ve known lots of godless people in my lifetime who have done more nice things in comparison to what Christians do- if you want to put a profile on being nice.
In this parable that Jesus taught He brings out three philosophies of life that were prevalent in His day and are just as prevalent in our own. What’s yours is mine, what mine is mine, and what’s mine is yours.
I. What’s Your’s is Mine- (v.30) Its not too difficult to identify who these culprits are in Jesus’ story. They are the robbers who find the traveling man on his way to Jericho and beat him, take all of his cash, strip him of his clothes, and then beat him till he’s nearly dead. Traveling was extremely dangerous alone in those days. Most people, sensible people never attempted it alone, but traveled with caravans escorted by Roman soldiers or private security armies. We don’t know why the man was alone- possibly he decided to risk the journey and didn’t want to pay the fee for the armed escort, we’re not certain. But more’s the point. Many people are just like this Jew who risked the journey- they think they can “go it alone.” They feel very self-sufficient and don’t feel they need God. They don’t need the church-they can get by very much by themselves. After all, they’ve succeeded very well so far, so why do they need religion, ignoring the plea of the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 10:12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. Just as the presumptuous are easy pickings for highwaymen and robbers, they are easy pickings for Satan.
The point of their beating of course is hurt him so badly that he will not pursue them, or if he dies he would not be able to identify them should the robbers be apprehended. The way most robbers defeated their victims was through deception by instilling false confidence or trust in the robber. A second way was through ambush, but this was very dangerous for the robber because even though he had the element of surprise, it was difficult to estimate the strength of his victim. By earning their victims trust they could learn if they had any friends, how much money they carried, where they were from and would anybody come looking for him if they did away with him. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as a hurt victim along the road. Sometimes they would look like a traveler in need- please help me my ox cart got a flat and I’ve got to get to town. And as they approached him, they said, “What’s your’s is Mine, is ours.” I’m going to get what you’ve got and not going to stop till I get it.” They’ve always got their hand out. They don’t care how long it took you to earn that cash or the sacrifices you made to get to where you are- with one fail swoop they will bleed you dry in their quest to take what rightfully belongs to you. That’s the feeling I get every time I drive up to the gas pump, but that’s not the culprit I’m thinking of. I’m thinking of Satan. Jesus says in John 8:44 He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.. In Isaiah, he was called Lucifer, son of the morning, and he led a rebellion saying, “I will be like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14 He dared to think he could take anything from God, but he knows he can take anything you’ve got if he can only make it good enough, sound good enough, look attractive enough, appear sophisticated enough or flatter you enough. You’ll fall for it. IF you’ve got money- if he can get his hands on it, he will. If Satan can steal your character, he will. Young people, If you have your virginity, he’s out to take it from you. He’s out to take away your innocence and your self-esteem. Parents- Satan is out to take away your sanity. Old folks, Satan is out to steal your mind if he can, and leave you addled and confused. He is the enemy of our souls. Thousands upon thousands are being lost to Satan’s philosophy every day. Everything of value is being stolen away from them, leaving them in pain and suffering- every day!
II. Then there are those who think, what’s mine is mine. (31-32)Now in a way, based upon what I just told you, you really can’t blame the priest and the Levite for looking the other way when they see the injured, robbery victim. After all, whose to say he might just be disguising himself, waiting to attack them. What Jesus doesn’t tell us, is that these guys, these so-called religious workers, are out by themselves also. They have no covering or protection, and they know it. That is why they are so fearful? And why? Because they have no faith. And so when they see the badly injured man, they don’t want to get involved for fear that 1) they might just come into contact with a dead person, and if they did that they would become ceremonially unclean. 2) they were fearful that, as I said before, this might be a trap. Robbers count on religious folks to have a heart for someone as badly injured as this man, and as soon as their back is turned, they could swoop down on them. We have nothing to fear friends if we are doing God’s work. We shouldn’t be foolhardy, but neither should we be faithless.
3) But the main reason why they didn’t do anything? It was just too inconvenient.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard lame excuses from so-called church folk, even ministers, when presented with a concern to help someone they say, “well, we don’t want to get involved with them- they’re not the right kind of people. We like to skirt around our responsibilities the way the Levite and the priest did. We make lame excuses- well I don’t want to embarrass them, etc. The Levite and Priest represent the Christians today. We wonder why it is that our faith is not meeting the needs of the world like it once did, its because Christianity has become a big disappointment to many. I realize some of it is unfair, but much of it is. They will evangelize and help others just as long as it is convenient. Just as long as they don’t get their hands dirty. But they forget about what Christ taught us in Matthew 16:24-25 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Christ calls us to ask ourselves every day, is our faith in Him real, or is it simply a “fair-weather” faith. Friends I will tell you something- I don’t think I have ever found it convenient to do the Lord’s work- especially to help people who are in need. Matthew 25:29 "For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. It never just falls into your lap. And so the priest and the Levite mosey on back to Jericho, feeling bad about leaving the wounded man there, but not badly enough to do something about it because their desire to keep what they’ve got is greater than their desire to say what’s mine is yours.
III. And that is the desire and attitude of the hero of our story, the Samaritan. (33-35) He comes along just in time, before the man has expired. As he blazing hot sun showers down upon him, he picks up the man (mind you, he’s bloody, he’s dirty, he probably stinks by this time) messing up the Samaritan’s clothes. The Samaritan is an unlikely prospect to come alongside to help this Jewish man on his way to Jericho. If it had been the Samaritan that had been hurt, and the Jewish man who had found him, do you think he would have stopped to help? Probably not. Jews and Samaritans despised one another with a racial hatred that equals what we have in our own country between different races of people. Judea and Samaria were adjoining provinces, but that didn’t mean they were neighbors to one another. The Samaritan brushed aside all these reasons why not to stop. Instead God’s compassion in his heart was stronger than his desire to keep what he had. He took him to an inn- probably out of his way, bandaging his wounds, taking money out of his own pocket- two denarii, which is two-days wages to pay for the lodging and the medical care the Jewish man needed. Then he offered to come back to the innkeeper and settle his bill when he got better. Such outpouring of compassion. He had no trouble with the attitude “What’s mine is yours!”
That’s the attitude of love bound up in the heart of Christ when He went to the Cross. He not only says what’s mine is yours, He says “I have redeemed you and have called you by name- you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 He is our ultimate neighbor, and He comes along side of us not just to have pity on us, but to claim us as His own. Whom can we be a neighbor? Anyone who is near us who has a need. We may need to go out of our way, and it might be inconvenient, but we are never more like Christ when we do it. We have a tremendous opportunity to be that neighbor this coming Saturday for Operation Inasmuch. We have a sign up list on the board for those of you whom the Spirit of God has affected to help those who are in need. They need your compassion. They need to see Jesus in You. In the mean time, what kind of neighbor are you? What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is mine, or what’s mine is yours? You be the judge of that as we have our hymn of invitation.
Monday, February 18, 2008
The University of Hard Knocks 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
The University of Hard Knocks 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
This past week, universities have been in the news with the sad shooting rampage of yet another crazed student at Northern Illinois University. After what happened here and at Virginia Tech, we wonder just what we are instilling into our young people to make institutions like these almost irrelevant. But we’re grateful to have so many institutions of higher learning, especially in our state. We have of course the rivals NC State and UNC Chapel Hill. We have
Paul received his degree from the
Paul prayed, “O father, remove this thorn from my flesh.” Did God do that? No, God doesn’t always answer our prayers exactly as we ask. He did say in effect, “No, Paul, I am not going to take away the thorn, but I’m going to give you more grace and power so that you can bear it.” And Paul, great man that he was, said, “Thank You, Lord. I’d rather have the thorn with Your added grace than to be without the thorn and not have Your grace.”
I. How We Grow Through Hard Knocks v.7
Two couples marry. One couple has everything they need without ever having to work for it. The other couple has a hard time climbing up the ladder of life. The couple who has the hard time will have the greater chance of a successful marriage. Their hard knocks will bring them closer together and make them strong. Our country became the great nation it is because of the hard knocks. When the early settlers arrived, they did not find an easy life. They had many hardships and struggles. It was a constant battle just to exist. 2 Tim 2:3 Paul says: You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
God’s servants grow in the same way. Often the growing process nearly kills us, but it always turns out to be for our good. If our early churches had started as magnificent temples like some of the megachurches we have today, they would have perished. But the early Christians had to hide in caves and secret places of the earth. They were hounded by their enemies, and many of them died for their faith. But they grew stronger and more faithful because of these hardships.
Our church is strong today because of the bitter experiences through which they have passed. It takes these things to make us. Perhaps we would not want to go through them. But we are stronger in our faith and our commitment to Christ because we have gone through them. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Prov 17:17
II. The Curriculum of Hard Knocks v.9
1. There is the hard knock of failure 101. Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. Job 5:7 I’ve heard people say, “There are so many things I wanted and planned to do. But I am an old man now and it is too late. I feel that my life has been a failure.” But sometimes these failures bring success. It is said that
2. There in the hard knock of Disappointment 201. Moses had a dream. God had appointed him to lead the children of
A tree toad loved a she-toad That lived up in a tree. He was a two-toed tree toad.
While a three-toed toad was she. The he-toad tree toad tried to gain the she-toad’s friendly nod. For the two-toed tree toad loved the ground the three-toed tree toad trod,
The he-toad tree toad tried in vain to gain her friendship, But from her tree toad bower
With her she-toad power The three-toed toad Vetoed him.
Its not easy being green, is it? But its not that we have suffered from disappointment that matters, but in how we respond to it that shows us whether we have passed this course or not. The Christian life can sometimes feel like a roller coaster ride when strong hope and faith collide with an unexpected reality. When our prayers aren't answered as we desired and our dreams become shattered, disappointment is the natural result. We're like Peter, who tried to remind Jesus, "We have left everything to follow you." (Mark 10:28). Maybe we haven't left everything, but we have made some painful sacrifices. Doesn't that count for something? Shouldn't that give us a free pass when it comes to disappointment? You already know the answer to that. As we’re each struggling with our own private setbacks, godless people seem to be thriving. We wonder why they’re doing so well and we’re not. We fight our way through loss and disappointment and wonder what’s going on. But your life will begin to change when you start asking God, "What would you have me do now, Lord?" Oh sure, you’ll still feel angry or disheartened by disappointments, but you’ll also discover that God is eager to show you what he wants you to do next. Not only that, but he’ll equip you with everything you need to do it.
3. There is the hard knock of Bad Health 501. Some of you are going for your masters in this one. When God made man, He gave him a wonderful body; but man fell into sin, then disease and sickness set their hold upon him. When Jesus comes back we will have no sickness and He will give us a perfect body, but now bad health seems a part of our education. In sickness we often learn the lessons of patience, sympathy, faith, and courage. Some of the finest Christians in the world have grown spiritually because of bad health. Fanny Crosby, who wrote more hymns in our hymnal than any other writer, was blind and in constant ill health. Yet out of her hardness comes the sweetest words we have ever heard sung. They would never have had the influence for God they had if they had not lost their health. It brought them closer to Him. We need to remember what the Scriptures tell us in I Corinthians 15:51-53 (read)
4. There is the hard knock of Persecution 301. Here is a woman who wants to go to church and serve the Lord, but her husband ridicules her and even forbids her to go to God’s house. Or here is a man whose wife is worldly and who nags him about the work he tries to do for the Lord. He does his best, but he is always handicapped at home. Some people are persecuted by friends.
III.The Lessons We Learn from the University of Hard Knocks? V10. “Glory in Weakesses” All of us are going to the
1. These Hard Knocks Toughen Us. They train us not to be so thin-skinned. The way to ruin a child’s future is to shield him from every danger. Soon he goes out into the world and life knocks him down. The person who gets a few hard knocks when he is young is better able to cope with life. "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son" Revelation 21:7. James 1:3 says Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
2. These Hard Knocks Teach Us. There is no hope for a man who goes through the troubles of life and learns nothing from them. Some of the biggest men in life were once failures. Its only when we are confronted with our pride and to give that to God can we ever hope to succeed in the
We Christian men can be like that: too proud to ask for help. Except it’s not the relief office we’re afraid to go to. It’s God. Somewhere along the way we got the idea that it’s wrong to ask for help, that it’s something no real man should do. Experience is the greatest teacher in the world, but her lessons are the hardest.
3. These Hard Knocks Tenderize Us. Selfishness and pride must be knocked out before we can help others. We must be tenderized. Hard knocks make us grateful and fit us to sympathize with others. Pride is a funny thing. Psalm 10:4 (NIV) tells us: "In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God." The psalmist recognized this shortcoming in men thousands of years ago. It hasn’t gotten any better since. God, the source of all wisdom, is eager to give us the direction we need, yet we’ll take one dead end after another rather than ask him for help. Jesus was different from us. He constantly sought his Father’s leading. His character was flawless, free from the pride we display. Instead of trying to make it on his own, he depended heavily on the Father and the Holy Spirit.
IV. Some Distinquished Alumi of the UHK.
We always measure schools by their famous alumni. 1. Job lost his property, his children, his health. But he said, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” And he came out a bigger and better man. 2. David’s life was full of persecution and his enemies often tried to kill him. But through it all he could say, “The Lord is my shepherd.” And he became a great king. 3. Daniel had the courage to say no. He kept on praying and was finally thrown to the lions, but he came out victorious. 4. Paul was thrown out by his fellow Pharisees after his conversion. He was beaten, stoned, left for dead, even shipwrecked. 5. John Bunyan preached Christ and was put in jail for 12 years. But he wrote Pilgrim’s Progress that has taken its place next to the Bible in influence. 6. Of course there is Jesus, the greatest of them all. He was despised and ridiculed. He was beaten, cursed, and crucified. But He came through it all and today has a “name that is above every name.”
Monday, February 4, 2008
“As For Me and My House” Joshua 24: 14-28
"As For Me and My House" Joshua 24: 14-28
Life is filled with choices. We must choose when to go to bed and when to get up. What to eat and what not to eat. What to wear and what not to wear. We choose what to do with our time. We choose where we'll go to work and where we'll go out to eat. Life is filled with choices. Some choices are easy to make. Some are difficult.You and I are who we are today because of the choices we made yesterday, The choices we make today have an impact on the decisions we will be making tomorrow. They establish a pattern and a foundation for our life. But some may say, "But pastor, I haven't always made the right choices!" You and I may never be able to undo the choices we made yesterday, But I have good news for you. Who we have tomorrow, is determined by the choices we make today! Today I want to focus on the right choices we make with respect to our families in Joshua 24. We spend many years with our children teaching them about life, about God, about what is right and what is wrong, and someday they will be on their own and will have to make their own choices. And we just hope and pray they make the right decisions.
Joshua I am sure in many ways felt like he was the father of these people. The bond he felt may have been stronger than even the bond Moses had with these people.
Joshua had been with these people longer, his entire life, where Moses spent the first third of his life living in Egypt, but in pharaohs household, the next forty years he spent in the wilderness and it was only the final 40 years that he lived with the Israelites. Joshua on the other hand lived with them in
And in chapters 23 and 24 Joshua shares with his people some final words of exhortation. Joshua knows that they will have to make a choice now, and that they will make many more in the future.
Kind of, in a small way like the final words a parent shares, before their child leaves to go off to college. Some of you are going through this with your own children. We're doing this with ours and I can tell you, its frightening. Reminding them of the things they should already know and encouraging them to do what's right, and wondering if as a parent you have forgotten anything or left anything out. Once Joshua has had his say, verse 28 of chapter 24 says, "THEN JOSHUA SENT THE PEOPLE AWAY EACH TO HIS OWN INHERITANCE", the people would now be on their own and would have to make their own decisions, their own choices
Then Joshua also says, "as for me and my house." Joshua declares, as he sends his people out, fully knowing that he cannot make the choices for them that they need to make, that they ought to make, makes the declaration of where he stands. Its like Joshua is saying, "I can't tell you what to do, all I am going to tell you is what I am going to do, and what my household is going to do." We're going to serve the Lord! I heard this story about a young man who was being very helpful to a sweet little old lady. He saw her in the supermarket and helped her with her groceries as they were being loaded into her car. After ward, she turned to tip the young college student and he refused, she said, "Your parents must really be proud of you. You are such a nice young man. How I wish there were more young people like you." The boy blushed and then he said, "Well ma'am, this might surprise you but at one time in my life I had a drug problem." The lady looked at him and asked incredulously, "A drug problem? How could such a nice young man like you have a drug problem?" The boy replied, "Because when I was a kid everytime the doors were open, I was drug to church for Sunday School, for church, for Sunday night church, for Wednesday night church, etc!"
Maybe you have a "drug problem" in your attitude about coming to church. You say, "I don't want my kids to have to endure what I had to endure. We were in church every time the doors were open." I contend that what you said was not the real problem. Here's the real issue behind the so-called "drug problem." Most people when I talk with them. What they didn't like was how their parents looked and how they acted at church versus how they really looked and acted at home.
You gotta be real. V. 14 serve God in sincerity and truth. James 1:8 says A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. The world will tell you you have to put on your game face, have to make them think you have more money than you have or more spiritual than you are, etc. We need to understand that if we are going to make a generational impact, if we are going to leave a generational legacy like Joshua was going to leave to our children and to our sons and daughters and to our granddaughters and grandsons- we gotta be real. One of the reasons why this generation is being lost is because they have seen so much insincerity, and inauthentic Christianity- they are utterly fed up with people who act like they are somebody they are not.
When I was in college, I stayed in a friends house who was in the navy. He was deployed for a 6 month cruise. He asked me to drive his 1967 VW Beetle to keep up the carberator. Which was good because when I went out the door I discovered that my 1970 Ford Maverick didn't have any gas in it. Now let me tell you something. When you drive a VW Beetle, what you see is what you get. If you don't see the heater, its because they didn't make one. Same for the radio. Did a little research on this little car and found out that Ferdinand Porsche was commissed by Hitler to build an affordable, practical car for the German people. 22 million Volkswagens built from 1937-2003. They created it, made it what it was, and they didn't try to make it into something it wasn't. They never changed the design, because it worked. If you want to go off road four wheeling, this is not the car you'd want to drive. If you want to go across country with your family- this is probably not the car I would pick to drive, either. Get real. . Why am I telling you this story? Because iF you want to make a difference with your kids, with your families- get real with them! Let them see who you are, because they are going to see it anyway. If you try to put on a false front they will see right through it. Our kids today are far brighter, far more intelligent these days than when we grew up. And if there is anything kids today cannot stand- it's a fraud, a phoney! We could be fooled back then, but today's kids can't be fooled. If you are trying to be something that your'e not your kids will be able to see right through it! They will understand you're a fraud and here's what they will learn- they will learn its okay to be a fraud. And my friends, we shouldn't let our kids see us being frauds. Philippians 4:9- The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you." In other words, say the right things, teach the right things, but most of all be the right things. Then we will make the generational impact like Joshua left his people.
II. Be honest. In truth. We've got to shoot straight with our families. We've got to shoot straight with our kids. We've got to let our children know that we're not perfect. We don't have the answers. Because when you teach your children that you don't have all the answers and that you don't have it all together, that you are just learning right along with them about what this relationship with God is all about. When we are honest, this is something that is going to carry over, this is something we are going to be able to pass on. Job 31:6 Let me be weighed on honest scales, That God may know my integrity Proverbs 12:17. He who speaks truth declares righteousness, But a false witness, deceit. Prov 14:5, A faithful witness does not lie,.Prov 19:5 a false witness will not go unpunished, but he who speaks lies will not escape." What is that punishment? What is that false witness will receive? I think in your family, if you allow your family to see someone who is not what he professes or claims to be, who does not have honesty inside him, integrity inside him- here is the punishment you will get- you will teach your children to live exactly the same way. How many of you would like to raise a generation of liars, raise your hands? No. We want to raise a generation of children who understand what it means to be honest, don't we?
A few years ago one of my children called me up on the phone "Dad, don't get mad! (that automatically tells me that someone is going to say something that is going to make me mad- so I was trying my best to stay calm) But John blew up the pickup!" You don't want to hear the words blown up and car or house in the same sentence, much less in the same breath. A lot of other kids would have gotten scared and ran into their room and hid or when confronted about it, lie about it, etc. Now I wasn't happy about it, but I got to thinking, praise God. At least he had the courage to come to me and be honest about it. I much rather him call me than the police, or the fire department, etc. You let them know that no matter what happens you will love them no matter what, that they can be honest with you- any situation that has happened that you can be there for them. That is the fruit of what it means to be honest because if you are honest with them, they will be honest with you. Joshua is clearly calling his people to make an honest choice, an honest commitment. Because faith is not something that can be compelled or rammed down somebody's throat and they had better like it. Faith is something that is caught, rather than taught. It is taught by our example. Joshua knew in his heart that if he gave his people a choice they would probably serve the Lord, because they had seen what happens to people who serve other gods- those other gods didn't do anything for them. He saw what happened to people who road the fence.
III. We need to be committed- "choose you this day." 15 committed to God, committed to the family. The world is going to tell you everything but that. If you want to make sure you want to make an impact on your families, then you always always, always make sure that they understand that there is no one else you would rather be with than them. Everything is after your relationship with your children. Make sure you tell them that there is nothing else more important than them. Sometimes we got to turn that computer off or turn that game off, or get away from the things we enjoy doing and spend time with them
Be connected to God, be real, be honest, be committed. There is nothing that you can do that will make a difference, but only Christ through you can you hope to make that impact, and get your children to love the Lord the way you love Him. Understand that you have got to be connected to God. Jeremiah 31:3-4 They shall be my people, I have loved you with an ever lasting love…you shall be rebuilt.
A couple of years ago David, my VW owning friend, called us up to wish us a happy thanksgiving. We had not heard from him in several years. I asked David, "Do you still have that VW Beetle?" He said, "Yes- its got over 500,000 miles on it. I was going to get rid of it, but our daughter needed a car she could drive to high school and college. So I rebuilt it, and it now runs better than it ever did!"
This is what God wants to do in your life as well. If you haven't been real, or authentic, and you still want to transform your family, your life into what it should be, the way that God intended it- here's how you do it. Understand that you can't- understand that only God can. This is the simple design that simply works What happens if you make those mistakes in your life, or if you are not honest, not real, not committed, not connected. Jeremiah 31 says, "You will be rebuilt." When you make a mistake, I will love you with an everlasting love. I will rebuild you. You make a mistake with your spouse, your children, or what ever, you make a mistake with them God says I will rebuild you.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Yet Not I But Christ Habbakuk 2:1-3, Galatians 2:20
Yet Not I But Christ Habbakuk 2:1-3, Galatians 2:20
Have you ever had a moment where an idea, a sense of reality, or the awareness of something just jumped out at you? Its like a light bulb just comes on. Sometimes for me its what I call a “Duh” moment. Some of you never have a “DUH” moment. But I have a lot of those. Those are the times when I am staring at something obvious. It might make sense to others, but not to me- I guess I’m a little slow like that. I’m the kind of guy that when somebody cracks a joke, I might not get it at first and then later on, after the joke teller has moved on to something else, I start snickering and giggling because I finally understood what it meant. This week I had one of those “Duh” moments. As I was in my devotional time this week, a Scripture leaped off the page and very nearly hit me right between the eyes. I mean, it wasn’t one of those obscure passages like you would find in Zephaniah, etc. It was in Galatians 2:20 where I was reading “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives within me.” Look at the last phrase of what I just read to you: “Yet not I, but Christ.”
I. Its Been an Exciting Year: “Yet Not I, But Christ” Galatians 2:20
Alright, let me bring you up to speed. I had been reflecting upon what God did in our church this past year. It was a fantastic year. You already saw some of the highlights in the slide presentation, and I know I can’t highlight everything. But for starters, God enabled us to baptized 19 people as a result of our VBS. We’ve been averaging in the 90s for Sunday School the last couple of months, God prepared us to do something great during the revival in September, and one person surrendered to the ministry. Then, the first part of November, this church launched off in one of the greatest acts of faith this church has done in probably 50 years. Build a new living quarters for your pastor, and then raise $50,000 (about $30 of that has already come in) on top of that- we surpassed the Lottie Moon Offering goal. Now here is where the Duh part comes in- who do you think did this? Did we do this? No- Christ did it. Yet not us, but Christ. That’s the point. Now friends when you think about it, all the church growth people said that what happened in the past year couldn’t happen. Think about it- we’re off a back road, 12 miles from any major population center- we are not even on a road where anyone else is going because it’s a dead end. Only God can do this. Now, God has showed us this for a reason. To show us that we had better fasten our seatbelts because I believe He is going to do something even greater in the next year. What if instead of 19 people saved, 40 or 50 people got saved? What would you think if instead of 95 in Sunday School, we started averaging 130? What if instead of 110 in worship it was 150? What if instead of $1500 it was $3000? Last year, we had 1 surrender to full time ministry. What if we had 5 do that this year? You say, that’s impossible. You are right, it would be impossible if we were doing it, but like Paul said before, yet not I, but Christ. Which is a theme I would like to propose as a theme for this calendar year. You see what is happening here is that God is multiplying His church.
First of all, let me say that I know there will always be those who do not like growth in the church. They may drive up and there’s no place to park except across the street. They come in and there’s no where to sit- at least not in the back where they like to sit. They try to get to the restroom between Sunday School and church and well, lets just say that they should have booked reservations! That’s because they treat the church as their church. They say, “This is my church!” I don’t think so. Last time I looked in Matthew 16, Jesus said, “And upon this rock I will build MY church.” Whose church is this anyway? We won’t have room for all these people- where are we going to put them? My friends, if this is Christ’s church, that’s up to Him where to put them. Ephesians 4 says that God has placed every member of the body into the church just as it has pleased Him. Acts 4:47 says “And the Lord added daily those who were being saved.” You have the idea. Philippians 4 tells us “It is God which works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” You know this. He just tells us, if you get them here, I’ll find a place for them. Now I don’t know if by this time next year we have 40-50 saved- but if we saw half that amount it is still Christ doing it and not us. But at the same time, we must be available for God to use us and work in us. In other words, even though I said that it is Christ which works in us, that doesn’t mean that all we have to do is just show up here at church its all going to be done for us. That is the attitude of a lot of churches and then they wonder why their churches are crippled up and dying? Do you realize 30 out of 66 churches in this association did not baptize a single soul all last year? And many of those haven’t baptized anybody in several years. I actually went to a church a few months ago where they were using their baptistery to put fake flowers in! I didn’t say this, but I thought- if you fill this thing up with water instead of fake flowers you might get somebody in here.” And here we are, we don’t have the luxury of a baptistery and look what God is doing.
NOT I, BUT CHRIST! Those are powerful words that are going to guide our steps in this new year, focused us in our ministry endeavors, strengthened us when we felt like we couldn’t go on, and gave us hope when things seemed impossible. Those four simple words, from Galatians 2:20, are the words that will serve as our church motto. They will serve as rally cry as we seek to reach this community and the world with the Gospel.
A movie that came out about ten years ago illustrates my point. It was called Field of Dreams. The main character, played by actor Kevin Costner, decided to buy a farm way out in the middle of
When we give the Lord our best and act in faith, He will show up. He will come when we lift Him up. That’s why we don’t settle for being comfortable, because the more we do that, the more we lose our edge. We become complacent. We quit visiting, we stop witnessing, we let work and a thousand other things crowd out our service. Before long, we become mediocre- just rolling through the motions. And when we roll through the motions in our worship, it will reflect itself in the quality of our service to the Lord. When we don’t show people the Lord in our worship, and do not glorify Him, and don’t show a lot of enthusiasm to find Him- just get in, get through it, and get out fast, our worship becomes about as appetizing to Christ as a bucket of lukewarm saliva. That’s right. I know that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but that’s what Jesus said about a certain church in Revelation “I would that you were either cold or hot…I will spew thee out of my mouth!” Rev. 3:16
Friends let me tell you what, when we make it about Him, and not us, why its like moths drawn to a flame. It creates a passion, a burning fire within us! There is something about fire that gets people’s attention. If there’s a house burning down, or a field on fire, you will have more people there than the fire department, I can tell you that! People are curious. They want to know where’s the fire and who did it happen to? Now that’s not usually a nice thing to happen to somebody. But friends, when we are full of the fire of Jesus Christ, full of the fire of the holy spirit, full of the fire of God- people are going to come out to find out what’s going on! What’s more, they’re going to come out to watch us burn! fan into flame the gift of God that is in you" II Timothy 1:6. God has ignited a spark here in this church caused by His Holy Spirit. But its up to us to fan that spark into a flame of passion and enthusiasm. Passion is important. Do you have Christ’s passion in your blood, pulsing through your veins and coursing from your heart? You don’t have to be jumping over the pews and speaking in tongues to demonstrate that kind of passion, but on the other hand its not going to happen sitting there like a bump on a log, either. Vance Havner used to say that it would amaze him how the same bunch of people could go to a ball game on a Saturday and scream like a bunch of banshee Indians and then come to church on Sunday and sit like a bunch of wooden Indians!
However, the difficult route, the difficult choice, would have been to strengthen our resolve and decide that God is not done with us yet. To stand up, shoulder to shoulder, claiming the promises of Scripture and the protection of the Savior and march forward. That was the difficult choice, but it was the right choice, and it’s the one we all chose.
Not I, But Christ! Four words that have galvanized our spirits and have helped us to see the impact that each of us could make when we put our total dependence in Christ. That’s who is, that’s who we are, and that’s who we will continue to be in the years to come.
III. How to Start the Fire Hab. 2:1 -3 (read) In other words, these things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. IT will come, and in the coming year God will show us greater and more wonderful things than we have known in years past if we will keep focusing on Christ- keep Him the main thing. A fire doesn’t just happen. When you build a fire, one that you want to last a while you got to start out slowly. Because the quicker you build it, the quicker it will go out. When I was a teenager my grandmother asked to take her trash to the burn barrel and set fire to it, and dispose of it. The problem was, the barrel and some of the old trash in it was damp from rainfall the night. So I poured about 3 gallons of gasoline on it, stood back, and lit a match. The fumes from the gas ignited as soon as I touched off the flame, resulting in a huge explosion that caused the contents of the burn barrel to go roaring and flaming up to about 50 feet in the air. I don’t know how I kept from getting hurt. My baseball cap that I wore also went up in the torrent when the blast knocked me on my behind. And, almost as quickly, the fire was out, at least in the barrel. I was lucky nothing else caught fire. That’s not how to build a fire, friends. You build it a stick at a time, and then throw logs on and then bigger ones, etc.
We have an exciting year ahead of us. Let’s add to the fire God has sparked in us. We can’t add too much or we’ll burn it out, but we don’t want to douse it out with a bucket of water, either. Let’s continue to lift up and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s continue to remember ultimately that it is not us who is doing it, but Christ. God has sparked a flame here at
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