Forgive Us Our Christmases…
Matthew 11: 1 – 19.
I. Introduction.
When I started my doctoral work at Truett Seminary (in Waco, Texas), I was pastor of a church in Mississippi. The doctor of ministry degree is a professional degree designed for pastors who are currently serving in a local church setting. The degree requirements included four doctoral seminars, an extensive reading list of over 50 books and a written project (my project was 265 pages long). I had a “field supervisor” in Mississippi who met with me regularly to guide me and keep me on task. But I only had to be on campus in Waco four times for 14 days at a time.
As you can imagine, it might be expensive to live away from home for 14 days. Some guys stayed in cheap hotels. Others discovered that Baylor would lease apartments for short terms. But, I had a friend. My friend Steve—who was in my doctoral class—has grandparents in Waco. So, we had a free place to stay.
Steve’s grandfather’s name is Tootie. His name is actually Walter, but everyone knows him as Tootie. And as you can imagine, Tootie is quite a character. Lots of jokes and joking…Even a few theories about life.
One of Tooties’ jokes is to suggest the title of our sermon today. Tootie suggests that we should change the words of the Lord’s Prayer to say, “Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us.”
Think about that. Do we need to ask forgiveness for the way we celebrate Christmas? It’s all according to how you “celebrate” Christmas.
I try to tell this story every Advent. Another one of my preacher friends once called me and recited all that he had done for the previous week: worship, meetings, parties, fellowships, etc, etc, etc… He called to say, “Next year, I am not going to ‘celebrate’ Christmas. Next year, I am going to ‘observe’ Christmas.”
What is the difference between “celebrating” Christmas and “observing” Christmas? Celebrating requires a lot of energy. Observing is a passive activity. Rather than hustling and bustling around, we would allow God to do his work, while we sat in observation of what God is doing around us.
Now, there is a lot about Christmas worth celebrating. The angels announced the birth of Jesus with joy and singing. The shepherds ran and jumped and told everyone they could find about this joyous event. The Wise Men brought expensive gifts. But there was something even bigger than a big Christmas party. God himself finally broke into our world and our history to reveal himself. God took an extraordinary step to demonstrate his love for us.
On one hand, we have something to celebrate. On the other hand, if we spend all our time partying and celebrating, we are going to miss something. We might fail to “observe” the extraordinary love of God revealed in his Only Begotten Son.
If all we do is celebrate, we ought to pray, “Forgive us our Christmases…”
The story of the first Christmas, is the story of God’s directing his attention on us. Of all the things God could have focused his attention toward, God chose us. Rather than being all consumed with the grand order of the universe—the planets, the stars, the solar system, the changing climate on earth, or the melting polar ice caps—God fixed his attention on the human beings who inhabit this planet. God turned his attention toward you and me. Where is our attention this morning?
Some of us are, in this very moment, trying to complete our Christmas shopping lists. Others are just now beginning to fret about the gifts we have not even begun to think about. Fathers and mothers, grandmothers and grandfathers are arranging schedules to host the entire family, while balancing the time children spend with their in-laws. We are thinking about Santa Claus, Christmas trees, candy and stockings. All the while ignoring the fact that God focused his full attention on us.
Forgive us our Christmases, indeed. Forgive us, Lord, because we are less concerned about you than you are concerned about us.
Our Scripture today tells us about the true nature of Jesus Christ and why he originally came to this earth. While it does not tell us about angels and shepherds, it does describe the work and purpose Christ had and continues to have today.
Read Matthew 11: 1 – 19.
Matthew re-introduces us to an important man by the name of John. Sometimes, the Bible simply uses the name John. Other times, it uses a brief description to distinguish this John from other John’s in the Bible. This is one of just a few biblical references to John the Baptist.
The Gospel of Luke gives us a little family history of John the Baptist. Luke tells us that John and Jesus were cousins. In fact, when the angel Gabriel told Mary that even though she was a virgin she would give birth to the promised Messiah, Luke tells us that Mary first went to her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth was John’s mother and was expecting John at the time of Mary’s birth. The baby in Elizabeth’s womb recognized the significance of this meeting and leapt in his mother’s womb.
The next time we see John, he is preaching about the coming Kingdom of God. John told the people of Israel that God had finally had enough of their rebellion. The Kingdom was coming. The Kingdom would come when God’s Promised Messiah entered into our space and time. The Messiah would usher in a time of judgment. And the only way to avoid judgment was to repent and be baptized. John said, “I baptize you with water, but the One following me will baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire.” In other words, if you want to escape the fire of God’s judgment, get in the water.
Then Jesus came to John to be baptized. Once again, John recognized something special about Jesus. The first time, he leapt in his mother’s womb. This time, John refused to baptize Jesus, saying that Jesus is the One who should baptize John. Jesus insisted, and immediately the Spirit of God descended and a voice from heaven announced that Jesus is the Son of God.
There is an interesting thing about John the Baptist which I had never given much thought to before this week. In Matthew 4: 12 and 17, we read, “When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee…From that time on Jesus began to preach…”
This tells us a little history and gives us a timeline which is important for our Scripture today. John announced that Jesus was the coming Messiah. John thought that Jesus would usher in the Kingdom of God by bringing down God’s judgment against Israel’s rebellion. BUT, John never witnessed the ministry of Jesus first hand. John never saw any of Jesus’ miracles. John never heard any of Jesus’ sermons. He couldn’t, because John was in prison! The only thing John knew about Jesus’ ministry and preaching was what had been reported to him in prison.
According to Matthew 11, John had a group of followers, or disciples. Disciple is the Greek word for a “student” or a “follower.” We believe that these men—and all disciples were men in the ancient world—studied John’s interpretations of the Hebrew Bible and patterned their lives after John’s life. They studied like John. They preached like John. They might even have dressed like John and eaten the same foods John ate. One thing is certain, they told John everything Jesus did.
II. Expectations.
Matthew 8 and 9 tell the stories about many of the people Jesus healed as a part of his ministry. He healed an unclean leper. He healed the servant of a Gentile soldier. Jesus calmed a storm. He cast out demons. He restored a paralyzed man. He raised a dead girl to life. He touched an unclean woman. Jesus even gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. In short, Jesus performed miracles that only God could perform.
But there was no judgment. On one hand, John might have felt a little embarrassed that he had predicted Jesus would bring the fire of judgment, and now Jesus is doing the exact opposite. Instead of judging sinners, Jesus is calling tax collectors to be his followers. On the other hand, John might feel a little disappointed. He was looking for a different kind of Messiah. John wanted a judgmental Jesus, not a compassionate Christ.
This is what lay behind the question John’s disciples brought to Jesus: “Are you the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” Jesus was not meeting John’s expectations. But there is only One Jesus. And, when it comes to Jesus, what you see is what you get.
In fact, that is the way Jesus answered their question. He could have very easily answered, “Yes. I am the Promised Messiah.” But he didn’t. Jesus said, “Go and tell John what you have heard and seen. The blind receive sight. The lame walk. …”
John was looking for a Messiah who would bring the “Bad News” of judgment. But Jesus did not come to bring Bad News. Jesus came to bring Good News. And the Good News is that sick people can be healed and sinners can be turned toward God.
III. Incarnation.
Jesus came to bring us the Good News of healing and restored life. But there is a part of Good News that we cannot miss. The miracles Jesus performed were not possible for ordinary people. Jesus did things that only God could do! That is because Jesus is God. He is not God-like. Jesus is God.
God loved us so much that God became a man and dwelt among us. Jesus is God in the flesh—the Incarnation. He brings God closer to us, and he brings us closer to God. God turned his attention toward us and expects us to turn our attention toward God.
This is what John missed. John was expecting God to turn his attention to earth. But, John expected God to look at us with wrath and anger. Jesus shows us that God looked at us through eyes of love. In the person of Jesus, the Good News is that God loves us and wants us in a relationship with himself.
IV. Hear and See.
Notice Jesus’ words to John’s disciples: “Go back and report to John what you HEAR and SEE.” This indicates a progression of the Good News—both in Jesus’ ministry as well as in our lives.
We first HEAR the Good News. Then, we experience it first hand and SEE what Jesus can do in our lives.
It also describes the progression from John the Baptist to Jesus. John came preaching. Jesus came preaching and doing.
And John never got to see for himself all the things Jesus did to demonstrate God’s Good News.
We might feel a bit tempted at this point to criticize John for not understanding the Good News Jesus preached and performed. Or we might shake our heads, because John held different expectations for Jesus. However, Jesus never criticized John. In fact, it was just the opposite. Jesus gave John the greatest compliment we can even imagine. Jesus said that John fulfilled a God given mission to be like Elijah, who was to come before the Messiah. John announced the coming of the Messiah. John was the one who prepared the way.
Exactly how did John “prepare the way” for Jesus? Did he “smooth out” the road so that Jesus’ life and ministry would be easier? Of course not. Jesus did not have an easy life or ministry. He was despised and rejected, even crucified by the political and religious leaders.
John prepared the way by preparing the people to hear and see the Good News. He told the story. John announced that the Kingdom of God was coming. John called for people to repent and believe.
This is what we are supposed to do when God turns his attention toward us.
V. Conclusion.
There is only one thing missing in this story. There is no happy ending. We would like to think that John’s disciples returned to the prison. They told John about the Good News and the lives that had been changed. Then, we want to think John said something like, “Ah. I knew Jesus was the One.” But there’s nothing like that. There is not even a sad ending. There is just no ending. We are left to wonder.
We wonder…What did John do? And we wonder…What would I do?
And what will we do? It is Christmas. God turned his attention on us. God has become a human being. God shows his love to us and calls for us to respond with our love for him. If we are too busy celebrating the things of Christmas, we might just miss what God is doing around us.
If we miss what God is doing…Then, Lord, forgive us our Christmas…
Monday, December 17, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Second Sunday of Advent: Christmas Inside Out
Christmas Inside Out
Romans 15: 1 – 13.
I. Introduction.
A couple of weeks ago, I told a story about Paul “Bear” Bryant in a Sunday morning sermon. You may remember the story. It was about the athletic trainer who accompanied Bear Bryant from Kentucky to Texas A & M to the University of Alabama. The trainer’s name was Charles “Smokey” Harper.
Bear Bryant didn’t have a coaching position for Smokey on the Alabama staff, but gave him an “at large” assignment to travel all over the state of Alabama as an ambassador for the new coach. Smokey went into coffee shops and roadside diners to smoke cigarettes and drink coffee with Alabama fans. Over coffee and cigarettes, Smokey told the people of Alabama that Bear Bryant was the best football coach in America, and by the time Alabama won their first national championship the fans believed Smokey’s story.
Today, we have the same job as Smokey Harper. We want our church to grow and make an impact on our community. And, the only way we are going to see that happen is to get outside these walls and tell the men and women of Lufkin, Texas that we have the very best church in a 50 mile radius. I truly believe that about our church. Do you believe this? Do you tell your friends and neighbors? Do you ever sit down with people and brag about your church? If you don’t, then they will never know why you go to church here.
When I told that story, I made reference to the ESPN TV movie—The Junction Boys—inspired by Bear Bryant’s early days at Texas A & M. I later learned that the author who wrote The Junction Boys (Jim Dent) has a new book that was published in 2007—Twelve Mighty Orphans.
In the late 1800’s the Texas Freemasons established an orphanage on the outskirts of Fort Worth. In 1926, the Mason Home established their first football team by hiring Rusty Russell as their first football coach. Many people thought Russell was committing career suicide by leaving the position of head football coach of the successful Temple Tigers to move to a school which, at the time, did not even own a football.
Throughout Russell’s tenure as the football coach at the Mason Home, he led the Mighty Mites to 127 wins, two Texas Interscholastic League state championship games and one co-championship in 1932. These were remarkable feats since the Mason Home had less than 200 high school students and played nearly every game as underdogs to schools with enrollments around 1000 students. In fact, the orphans were only able to field a team of twelve players and sometimes played against teams with rosters of over fifty players.
Of course, there are a various theories about why the Mason Home always did so well on the football field. Some accused the Home of running a program more like a college program than a high school program, with players living together in dormitories, eating all their meals together in the dining hall and living as a football team 24 / 7. Some might even attribute it to the fact that these orphans had developed a “street toughness” unlike their opponents which had come from more traditional home environments. However, I think it was something else.
I noticed in the book that every orphaned child entered the Mason Home not wanting to live there. For the first several weeks no one called the new kids by name. They were simply addressed as “New Kid.” Then, after several weeks the “New Kid” was given a nick name as a sign of acceptance. And that is when something magical happened. While no child outside of the orphanage ever wanted to know what life was life like inside the orphanage, the orphans didn’t want to live outside the orphanage. Inside the orphanage, life was comfortable and predictable. Outside the orphanage, life seemed dangerous and uncertain. The twelve orphans did not just play football. They were fighting for their identity as orphans. They were proud of their life inside the orphanage, and they did not want to become like the kids on the outside.
I see a parallel in this story to our story as Christians. We have an identity as Christians—on the inside—that is different from the world outside. We are proud of who we are—children of God, followers of Jesus Christ, Christians. We don’t want to become like people on the outside. Inside the church, we have security. Outside the church, we see a dangerous life that is uncertain at best.
On one hand, this is what God wants for us. God wants the church to be different from the world—a place of safety and security in a dangerous and uncertain world. On the other hand, this view of the church can be misrepresented into something God never intended. Yes, the church is supposed to be different from the world. Yes, we are supposed to find safety and security inside the church. But NO, we are not supposed to retreat from the world, satisfied in what we have, while the world around us goes to Hell. The purpose for the church is to break outside the walls of security and bring others into the same kind of life we have in our salvation through Jesus Christ.
Christmas is a beautiful picture of our purpose to turn the church “Inside Out” in an effort to bring the world to faith in Jesus as Lord.
Read Romans 15: 1 – 13.
This does not quite sound like a Christmas story. There is no mention of angelic messengers or a miraculous virgin birth. There are no shepherds or wise men. However, the purpose of Christmas is apparent.
II. Inside the Church.
Just a few chapters before this, Paul described the church as the Body of Christ. Our human bodies are made up of many different parts. Each part has its own purpose and function within the system. When all parts are functioning as they were created to function, the body can be healthy and effective. But, when just one body part is unhealthy, the entire body suffers from pain, disease and cannot be as effective. There is an intimate relationship between all the parts of our human bodies—when one part suffers, the entire body suffers. There is a division of labor among the parts of our bodies—the eyes depend on the feet to perform their duties and the feet depend on the eyes. In the same way, there should be the same kind of interconnectedness and interdependence among us as members of the Body of Christ.
This is more than just a description of an ideal world. This ought to be the reality we experience. The problem lies in the fact that most churches only experience this periodically. We face several threats to our unity on a daily basis.
In Romans 15, Paul described three threats to unity faced by the church at Rome—and, I believe, threats faced by the church at Lufkin.
A. Sin…(Verse 1)
This is the point Paul made in verse one. As long as we live here on earth, we will be plagued by our own sinful nature. This is true both inside the church and outside the church. Christians are not immune to the temptations of the world. In fact, I would argue that sin is perhaps an even greater struggle for us than for others.
On one hand, we do have God’s forgiveness for our sins. On the other hand, we have God’s conviction through his Holy Spirit in our lives. When a Christian sins, more times than not, he or she knows that what they are doing is actually sin. We usually don’t need our sins pointed out to us by other people. That is one of the roles and functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we face temptation, the Holy Spirit helps us to discern right from wrong. Then, even though we know it is wrong, we go ahead and give in to the temptation at hand. After the fact, the Holy Spirit continues to convict us of our failure in order to bring us to confession and repentance.
How should we deal with sin inside the church? One very popular opinion is that we should constantly be on the “look out” for church members who sin. Then, once we have found a guilty person, we should cast that person out of the church. After all, if we welcome sinners into our fellowship, the world will judge us based on that one sinner.
If you hold to that opinion about sin inside the church, I am going to disappoint you. As I look around the room, I see several hundred men and women, teenagers and children present. If we “kicked out” all the sinners this week, I dare say the room would be empty. Of course, there has to be someone here thinking that they would not have been kicked out this week. If you are thinking that right now, I hope you are willing and prepared to preach on Sunday, because I don’t think we would be able to find a deacon or a minister who passed your “sinless test.”
No, the proper way to deal with sin is to follow the example of Jesus. In another part of the New Testament—Philippians 2—Paul wrote to us about how Jesus “condescended” to be with us. Jesus held the very same nature as God, but he took on the nature of a human being to demonstrate God’s love for us. Jesus was all powerful, but he became a man with limited power and abilities. Jesus was strong, but he became weak. In the same way, we who are strong ought to bear with the failings and failures and sins of our weaker brothers and sisters. We ought to embrace sinners inside the church and outside the church with the forgiveness that God showed us in Jesus Christ. I might also add at this point that there is coming a day when the roles will be reversed. You might be the strong Christian today, helping a weaker brother or sister. But, one day you will be the sinner in need of a stronger brother or sister.
Paul’s encouragement to us: Don’t let sin destroy the unity of the church!
B. Self-Centered Members…(Verse 2)
It would be absurd for a part of our human bodies to begin to think it was the most important part of the body. We might imagine an eye trying to tell a foot that the eye held a more important position. Of course, the foot could reply that the eye can only see things when the foot transports the body into new environments. The heart could challenge the skin that the heart is a vital organ. And the skin could reply that the heart could not survive if it were exposed to the harsh outside world. In the same way, choir members and the preacher would not be as effective if there were not people willing to take care of our babies in the nursery on Sunday mornings.
Once again, Paul presents Jesus as the remedy to this internal problem in the church. We should imitate the love and forgiveness of Jesus when we deal with sin in the church. We should also imitate Jesus as we deal with self-centeredness in the church.
It’s interesting that Paul makes his point here by quoting from the Old Testament. Specifically, he quotes from Psalm 69: 9—“The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Paul interprets this as a reference to the Jewish Messiah. This Jewish Messiah did not come with the glory due him. No, Jesus came as a Messiah who was rejected and despised by all humans.
I would have chosen a different illustration to place here. I would have chosen the story in John 13 about how Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet before the Last Supper. I would have quoted from Mark 10: 45, where Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The very nature of Jesus Christ was to serve others. When faced with the temptation to call down 10,000 angels to rescue him from his crucifixion, Jesus chose to be a servant to you and me by giving his life as a ransom for our eternal salvation.
Again, Paul encouraged us: Don’t let self-centeredness destroy your unity!
C. Persecution…(Verses 4 – 5)
In the first century, Christianity was not accepted in Rome. Christians were accused of being unpatriotic, because they would not pledge their allegiance to the Caesar. Christians were accused of being atheists, because they did not acknowledge the Roman gods. Christians were accused of committing incest, because they recognized each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians were accused of being cannibals, because they ate the flesh and drank the blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.
Christians were killed, imprisoned and beaten for their faith in Jesus. As a result, many were becoming discouraged, and some gave up.
Paul encouraged: Don’t give up, and don’t get discouraged! Our hope is in the Lord. This reminds us of our theme from last week: Jesus is coming back. The wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be vindicated. Don’t give up. And don’t let persecutions destroy your unity!
III. Outside the Church.
Once again, Paul turned his attention to the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Any time you read the word “Scripture” in the New Testament, it is a reference to the Jewish Scriptures that we now recognize as the Old Testament.
Here Paul did a very interesting thing. He quoted from every section of the Old Testament…Not every book, but every section. Jewish people generally recognize three divisions within the Old Testament: Torah, Prophets and the Writings. The Torah includes the first five books of the Bible. The Prophets includes the books which were attributed to the words of a prophet, or a spokesman for God. The Writings includes the poetry and wisdom literature.
Verse 9 is a quote from David found in both 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18…
Verse 10 is a quote from Deuteronomy 32…
Verse 11 is a quote from Psalm 117…
Verse 12 is a quote from Isaiah 11.
Do you notice anything these verses from the Old Testament have in common? All of these quotes describe God’s plan to show Grace, Mercy and Salvation to the Gentiles. God never intended that Israel and the Jews would be the only ones saved. God has always had a plan to extend salvation to every nation and every people of the earth. Israel just rejected God’s plan and preferred to think of herself as God’s only people. Israel was God’s chosen people, but Israel was never God’s only people.
IV. Conclusion: Inside Out.
This is where our Scripture intersects with the story of Christmas. When God first revealed himself to Abraham, it was for the purpose of beginning with Abraham’s descendents and extending salvation to all people. Israel rejected God’s purpose, because they never turned God’s revelation inside out. They just kept it inside.
God sent his Son Jesus for the same purpose. Jesus was born into Jewish heritage, but Jesus finally turned God’s purpose inside out.
Now, we face a choice. Christmas is a wonderful time of year inside the church. But that is not enough. We must turn Christmas inside out, so that all the world can experience God’s purpose for sending his Son.
Romans 15: 1 – 13.
I. Introduction.
A couple of weeks ago, I told a story about Paul “Bear” Bryant in a Sunday morning sermon. You may remember the story. It was about the athletic trainer who accompanied Bear Bryant from Kentucky to Texas A & M to the University of Alabama. The trainer’s name was Charles “Smokey” Harper.
Bear Bryant didn’t have a coaching position for Smokey on the Alabama staff, but gave him an “at large” assignment to travel all over the state of Alabama as an ambassador for the new coach. Smokey went into coffee shops and roadside diners to smoke cigarettes and drink coffee with Alabama fans. Over coffee and cigarettes, Smokey told the people of Alabama that Bear Bryant was the best football coach in America, and by the time Alabama won their first national championship the fans believed Smokey’s story.
Today, we have the same job as Smokey Harper. We want our church to grow and make an impact on our community. And, the only way we are going to see that happen is to get outside these walls and tell the men and women of Lufkin, Texas that we have the very best church in a 50 mile radius. I truly believe that about our church. Do you believe this? Do you tell your friends and neighbors? Do you ever sit down with people and brag about your church? If you don’t, then they will never know why you go to church here.
When I told that story, I made reference to the ESPN TV movie—The Junction Boys—inspired by Bear Bryant’s early days at Texas A & M. I later learned that the author who wrote The Junction Boys (Jim Dent) has a new book that was published in 2007—Twelve Mighty Orphans.
In the late 1800’s the Texas Freemasons established an orphanage on the outskirts of Fort Worth. In 1926, the Mason Home established their first football team by hiring Rusty Russell as their first football coach. Many people thought Russell was committing career suicide by leaving the position of head football coach of the successful Temple Tigers to move to a school which, at the time, did not even own a football.
Throughout Russell’s tenure as the football coach at the Mason Home, he led the Mighty Mites to 127 wins, two Texas Interscholastic League state championship games and one co-championship in 1932. These were remarkable feats since the Mason Home had less than 200 high school students and played nearly every game as underdogs to schools with enrollments around 1000 students. In fact, the orphans were only able to field a team of twelve players and sometimes played against teams with rosters of over fifty players.
Of course, there are a various theories about why the Mason Home always did so well on the football field. Some accused the Home of running a program more like a college program than a high school program, with players living together in dormitories, eating all their meals together in the dining hall and living as a football team 24 / 7. Some might even attribute it to the fact that these orphans had developed a “street toughness” unlike their opponents which had come from more traditional home environments. However, I think it was something else.
I noticed in the book that every orphaned child entered the Mason Home not wanting to live there. For the first several weeks no one called the new kids by name. They were simply addressed as “New Kid.” Then, after several weeks the “New Kid” was given a nick name as a sign of acceptance. And that is when something magical happened. While no child outside of the orphanage ever wanted to know what life was life like inside the orphanage, the orphans didn’t want to live outside the orphanage. Inside the orphanage, life was comfortable and predictable. Outside the orphanage, life seemed dangerous and uncertain. The twelve orphans did not just play football. They were fighting for their identity as orphans. They were proud of their life inside the orphanage, and they did not want to become like the kids on the outside.
I see a parallel in this story to our story as Christians. We have an identity as Christians—on the inside—that is different from the world outside. We are proud of who we are—children of God, followers of Jesus Christ, Christians. We don’t want to become like people on the outside. Inside the church, we have security. Outside the church, we see a dangerous life that is uncertain at best.
On one hand, this is what God wants for us. God wants the church to be different from the world—a place of safety and security in a dangerous and uncertain world. On the other hand, this view of the church can be misrepresented into something God never intended. Yes, the church is supposed to be different from the world. Yes, we are supposed to find safety and security inside the church. But NO, we are not supposed to retreat from the world, satisfied in what we have, while the world around us goes to Hell. The purpose for the church is to break outside the walls of security and bring others into the same kind of life we have in our salvation through Jesus Christ.
Christmas is a beautiful picture of our purpose to turn the church “Inside Out” in an effort to bring the world to faith in Jesus as Lord.
Read Romans 15: 1 – 13.
This does not quite sound like a Christmas story. There is no mention of angelic messengers or a miraculous virgin birth. There are no shepherds or wise men. However, the purpose of Christmas is apparent.
II. Inside the Church.
Just a few chapters before this, Paul described the church as the Body of Christ. Our human bodies are made up of many different parts. Each part has its own purpose and function within the system. When all parts are functioning as they were created to function, the body can be healthy and effective. But, when just one body part is unhealthy, the entire body suffers from pain, disease and cannot be as effective. There is an intimate relationship between all the parts of our human bodies—when one part suffers, the entire body suffers. There is a division of labor among the parts of our bodies—the eyes depend on the feet to perform their duties and the feet depend on the eyes. In the same way, there should be the same kind of interconnectedness and interdependence among us as members of the Body of Christ.
This is more than just a description of an ideal world. This ought to be the reality we experience. The problem lies in the fact that most churches only experience this periodically. We face several threats to our unity on a daily basis.
In Romans 15, Paul described three threats to unity faced by the church at Rome—and, I believe, threats faced by the church at Lufkin.
A. Sin…(Verse 1)
This is the point Paul made in verse one. As long as we live here on earth, we will be plagued by our own sinful nature. This is true both inside the church and outside the church. Christians are not immune to the temptations of the world. In fact, I would argue that sin is perhaps an even greater struggle for us than for others.
On one hand, we do have God’s forgiveness for our sins. On the other hand, we have God’s conviction through his Holy Spirit in our lives. When a Christian sins, more times than not, he or she knows that what they are doing is actually sin. We usually don’t need our sins pointed out to us by other people. That is one of the roles and functions of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we face temptation, the Holy Spirit helps us to discern right from wrong. Then, even though we know it is wrong, we go ahead and give in to the temptation at hand. After the fact, the Holy Spirit continues to convict us of our failure in order to bring us to confession and repentance.
How should we deal with sin inside the church? One very popular opinion is that we should constantly be on the “look out” for church members who sin. Then, once we have found a guilty person, we should cast that person out of the church. After all, if we welcome sinners into our fellowship, the world will judge us based on that one sinner.
If you hold to that opinion about sin inside the church, I am going to disappoint you. As I look around the room, I see several hundred men and women, teenagers and children present. If we “kicked out” all the sinners this week, I dare say the room would be empty. Of course, there has to be someone here thinking that they would not have been kicked out this week. If you are thinking that right now, I hope you are willing and prepared to preach on Sunday, because I don’t think we would be able to find a deacon or a minister who passed your “sinless test.”
No, the proper way to deal with sin is to follow the example of Jesus. In another part of the New Testament—Philippians 2—Paul wrote to us about how Jesus “condescended” to be with us. Jesus held the very same nature as God, but he took on the nature of a human being to demonstrate God’s love for us. Jesus was all powerful, but he became a man with limited power and abilities. Jesus was strong, but he became weak. In the same way, we who are strong ought to bear with the failings and failures and sins of our weaker brothers and sisters. We ought to embrace sinners inside the church and outside the church with the forgiveness that God showed us in Jesus Christ. I might also add at this point that there is coming a day when the roles will be reversed. You might be the strong Christian today, helping a weaker brother or sister. But, one day you will be the sinner in need of a stronger brother or sister.
Paul’s encouragement to us: Don’t let sin destroy the unity of the church!
B. Self-Centered Members…(Verse 2)
It would be absurd for a part of our human bodies to begin to think it was the most important part of the body. We might imagine an eye trying to tell a foot that the eye held a more important position. Of course, the foot could reply that the eye can only see things when the foot transports the body into new environments. The heart could challenge the skin that the heart is a vital organ. And the skin could reply that the heart could not survive if it were exposed to the harsh outside world. In the same way, choir members and the preacher would not be as effective if there were not people willing to take care of our babies in the nursery on Sunday mornings.
Once again, Paul presents Jesus as the remedy to this internal problem in the church. We should imitate the love and forgiveness of Jesus when we deal with sin in the church. We should also imitate Jesus as we deal with self-centeredness in the church.
It’s interesting that Paul makes his point here by quoting from the Old Testament. Specifically, he quotes from Psalm 69: 9—“The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” Paul interprets this as a reference to the Jewish Messiah. This Jewish Messiah did not come with the glory due him. No, Jesus came as a Messiah who was rejected and despised by all humans.
I would have chosen a different illustration to place here. I would have chosen the story in John 13 about how Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet before the Last Supper. I would have quoted from Mark 10: 45, where Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The very nature of Jesus Christ was to serve others. When faced with the temptation to call down 10,000 angels to rescue him from his crucifixion, Jesus chose to be a servant to you and me by giving his life as a ransom for our eternal salvation.
Again, Paul encouraged us: Don’t let self-centeredness destroy your unity!
C. Persecution…(Verses 4 – 5)
In the first century, Christianity was not accepted in Rome. Christians were accused of being unpatriotic, because they would not pledge their allegiance to the Caesar. Christians were accused of being atheists, because they did not acknowledge the Roman gods. Christians were accused of committing incest, because they recognized each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Christians were accused of being cannibals, because they ate the flesh and drank the blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.
Christians were killed, imprisoned and beaten for their faith in Jesus. As a result, many were becoming discouraged, and some gave up.
Paul encouraged: Don’t give up, and don’t get discouraged! Our hope is in the Lord. This reminds us of our theme from last week: Jesus is coming back. The wicked will be punished, and the righteous will be vindicated. Don’t give up. And don’t let persecutions destroy your unity!
III. Outside the Church.
Once again, Paul turned his attention to the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Any time you read the word “Scripture” in the New Testament, it is a reference to the Jewish Scriptures that we now recognize as the Old Testament.
Here Paul did a very interesting thing. He quoted from every section of the Old Testament…Not every book, but every section. Jewish people generally recognize three divisions within the Old Testament: Torah, Prophets and the Writings. The Torah includes the first five books of the Bible. The Prophets includes the books which were attributed to the words of a prophet, or a spokesman for God. The Writings includes the poetry and wisdom literature.
Verse 9 is a quote from David found in both 2 Samuel 22 and Psalm 18…
Verse 10 is a quote from Deuteronomy 32…
Verse 11 is a quote from Psalm 117…
Verse 12 is a quote from Isaiah 11.
Do you notice anything these verses from the Old Testament have in common? All of these quotes describe God’s plan to show Grace, Mercy and Salvation to the Gentiles. God never intended that Israel and the Jews would be the only ones saved. God has always had a plan to extend salvation to every nation and every people of the earth. Israel just rejected God’s plan and preferred to think of herself as God’s only people. Israel was God’s chosen people, but Israel was never God’s only people.
IV. Conclusion: Inside Out.
This is where our Scripture intersects with the story of Christmas. When God first revealed himself to Abraham, it was for the purpose of beginning with Abraham’s descendents and extending salvation to all people. Israel rejected God’s purpose, because they never turned God’s revelation inside out. They just kept it inside.
God sent his Son Jesus for the same purpose. Jesus was born into Jewish heritage, but Jesus finally turned God’s purpose inside out.
Now, we face a choice. Christmas is a wonderful time of year inside the church. But that is not enough. We must turn Christmas inside out, so that all the world can experience God’s purpose for sending his Son.
Monday, December 03, 2007
First Sunday of Advent: Jesus Is Coming in Time
Jesus Is Coming in Time
Romans 13: 8 – 14
I. Introduction.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season of the year in which we prepare ourselves for the “Coming of Christ.” In fact, that is what the word “Advent” means: “Coming.”
I did not grow up in a church that recognized Advent, so when I first encountered a Baptist church observing the season of Advent, I thought they were doing something that wasn’t really Baptist. And you may be wondering the same thing. Of course, Lufkin’s First Baptist has observed Advent for many years, but most of us did not grow up at Lufkin’s First Baptist. So, for those of you wondering if Advent is Baptist or not, I have an answer. No. Advent is not Baptist. Advent is Christian.
Two times during the course of a calendar year, we pause to celebrate the highest and holiest Christian holidays. I know most of you think I am going to say Easter and Mother’s Day. No. Easter and Mother’s Day are our highest attended days of the year. Our highest holy days are Easter and Christmas. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. When we celebrate these two significant events in the life of Jesus, we unite with Christians of all denominations from every people of the world. We are not just Baptists, we are Baptist Christians; and we unite with all Christians to worship the same Lord Jesus Christ.
By observing the first Sunday of Advent, we are beginning our Christmas worship 23 days before Christmas. This means we are extending our Christmas worship to something more than just one worship service. It also means we are creating a sense of anticipation, perhaps even giving ourselves an opportunity to prepare ourselves. We anticipate and we prepare for the “Coming” of Jesus.
There are two ways we can think of the “Coming” of Jesus. On one hand, we will light candles in anticipation and prepare our hearts for December 25. On the other hand, the hope of our faith is based on Jesus’ promise that he will one day return to this earth. So, I want to direct your thoughts this Advent season to both the First Coming of Jesus when he was born in a Bethlehem stable and the Second Coming of Jesus when he will return to bring judgment to the world and vindication to the righteous.
It was two millennia ago—in the fullness of time—that God fulfilled his promise to Israel by sending his Only Begotten Son as the Promised Messiah. God had originally called Abraham and established Abraham’s descendants as God’s own people. Then God sent Moses to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt; to lead them through the desert; and to establish God’s Law and covenant with these people. God’s people continually rebelled against God’s Law and covenant, so God sent the prophets to call God’s people to repentance and faithfulness. When the time was right—hundreds of years after the prophets fell silent—the God broke into the space and time of our world in a new way. God became flesh and dwelt among us so we could see God and know God like never before.
The birth of Jesus was the beginning of a new time. It was the beginning of the end. Today, we live in expectation of Jesus’ Second Coming. His first Coming was simple. He was born of a virgin. He had no place to call home. No one really suspected that this simple baby was the Son of God. But when Jesus returns, he will return as the righteous judge. It has not yet happened, but it will. This is another promise God has made. And we have a Bible filled with God’s promises, each of which was fulfilled exactly as promised.
Read Romans 13: 8 – 14.
This Scripture appears in a context in which Paul describes how Christians are supposed to live in the world as we wait for the Second Coming of Jesus. He writes about our relationship with the government, our relationships within the church and our relationships with non-Christians. In a nutshell, Paul told us to obey the law and pay our taxes. Then, he turns his attention to the daily relationships of life.
II. Love One Another (v. 8).
Paul starts out with some practical advice. Well, it’s practical advice to you and me. But in the ancient world, this was not so much advice as it was a common assumption. We live in a world of easy credit and high balance credit cards. In the 21st Century, there are people who make millions of dollars hosting radio programs to give out advice like this. In the ancient world, people did not carry a debt load like we are accustomed to. In fact, most people lived like our grandparents. If they didn’t have the money, they didn’t buy it. They didn’t borrow money for houses, transportation, Christmas presents. They just knew how to live without. So, Paul states the obvious: “Do not owe anyone anything.” Then, Paul introduces an acceptable debt for all Christians: the continuing debt to love one another.
There is something unusual about this debt of love. First, this is a continuing debt, which will never be paid off. As long as we live, we will always owe love to others. Secondly, this is a debt we owe, not to the people around us, but to God. God loved us and sent his Only Son who died for our sins. This is a continuous debt we can never pay off. God does not expect us to pay him back: He expects us to love each other.
III. Love Fulfills the Law (vv. 9 – 10).
Two times in this passage, Paul mentions love. The first time, he said we should “Love one another.” The second time, he quotes from Leviticus 19 and from the teaching of Jesus by saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
There is a very subtle difference between these two commands to love other people. The first reference is to “Love one another.” This is a refrain which we find in the teachings of Jesus, the Apostle John and here in the writings of Paul. I would make an argument here to say that this is a command for Christians to love other Christians. In other words, church people are supposed to get along.
The second reference is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is a teaching that comes directly from the Old Testament book of Leviticus (19: 18). Most of the Jewish people interpreted this to mean they should love other Jews. However, Jesus gives us a fresh, new interpretation of “Love your neighbor” by telling us the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable, Jesus presented a Samaritan man as the hero—the one who demonstrated love for his neighbor. Therefore, I believe this is a reference to love people who are outsiders and do not look like us. People who are like the Samaritans—different from us in race and religion.
When we love the people who look like us and dress like us and smell like us, we are no different from the people of the world. BUT…When we love people who are different…When we love every person God has placed on this earth, we separate ourselves from the world and demonstrate that we are God’s people. We are God’s people who fulfill God’s original purpose for his people Israel. But let me ask a question. If loving each other inside the church and loving people outside the church is the way we fulfill God’s purpose, then what does it mean when Christians do not love other Christians?
Since Paul is making such a big deal about loving other people, perhaps we should ask what it means to love others. Well, if you are reading verse 10, you don’t have to wonder. Paul says that we love others when we choose not to do harm to them.
This may sound like a strange definition of love, but it is one that has been around for many years. In fact, it sounds a lot like what we refer to as the “Silver Rule.” I know you have heard of the “Golden Rule,” but have you heard of the “Silver Rule?” We believe it originated in the teachings of a Jewish Rabbi, named Hillel. Hillel was noted for teaching his disciples: “Whatever you hate, do not do that to others.”
Of course, this leaves open the possibility that it is OK for us to do nothing and feel good about not doing harmful things to others. I believe Jesus would have been aware of such a teaching about withholding evil from others and chose to set a higher standard for his followers.
Therefore, Jesus gave us an entirely positive definition of loving others by teaching us: “Do to others as you want them to do to you.”
This is love. Withholding evil and doing good to others.
IV. The Hour Has Come (vv. 11 – 12).
Here Paul begins to express his urgency in commanding us to love each other and to love the world. We should love; because the time is right…We are running out of time to do the right things.
In the New International Version I read, there is a word missing in verse 11. It may seem like a small word, but I think it changes the way we interpret this. The word is “already.” Paul did not write, “The hour has come.” Instead, Paul wrote, “The hour has ALREADY come.”
The difference is like when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. On a regular morning, the alarm goes off, and we wake up—The hour has come. But then there are some mornings when we are not quite ready to wake up when the alarm goes off. We turn the alarm off and think we can sleep for just another five minutes. Then, 30 minutes later we wake up in a panic—The hour has ALREADY come.
This is the kind of desperation Paul is communicating. Every day we live is one day closer to the Second Coming of Jesus.
Again, if you want to play with my image of the alarm clock, we can think in terms of the dawn—night is coming to an end, daylight is beginning to break. Yet, this daylight is different from the daylight of dawn. It is different, first, because it is symbolic. It is different, second, because this daylight is not recognized to everyone.
If you want to think in terms of what Jesus taught us, we can think about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God was the primary theme in the teachings and preaching of Jesus. After his baptism, Jesus began telling his followers that the Kingdom of God was at hand. When you and I place our faith in Jesus, we enter into his Kingdom by allowing Jesus to become the King of our lives. Yet, we continue to live in a world that does not acknowledge Jesus as King. Therefore, we live as citizens of two different worlds. We are ultimately citizens of God’s Kingdom, but we are forced to live in a world filled with evil, death and pain.
This is the image of light and darkness. When Jesus came into our space and time, dawn was beginning to break. Everyone who places faith in Jesus as Lord and King lives in the light that Jesus brings. However, we are surrounded by a world of darkness. Yet, this will not always be the case. When Jesus comes to our space and time in his future Coming, the light will break forth throughout all the earth. There will be no more darkness, only light—for the dawn will have come.
The church should be like that one house in the neighborhood that has Christmas lights everywhere. You know the house I’m talking about. Everyone in the neighborhood has modest decorations and a few lights on the house. But there is always one house that is so bright that the Houston airport has to divert air traffic away from it to keep pilots from trying to land in their front yard.
V. Clothe Yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 14).
There are two ways we can interpret this verse. The first way—and this is what I thought it was at the beginning of the week—is to interpret this as a baptism formula. The new convert would wear an old set of clothes to be baptized in. Then, after baptism he or she would change clothes and put on a brand new set of clothes. This was a visible representation of the spiritual change in the person’s life—Taking off the old way of life and putting on a new life with Christ.
The second interpretation is to return to Paul’s charge that it is time to wake up. What do you normally do when you wake up in the morning? I eat breakfast, I shave, and I get dressed for the day.
The hour has come. We have slept too long. It is time to wake up and get dressed. But what am I going to wear?
VI. Conclusion.
I remember when I was a child, we always went to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. We always dressed up on Sunday mornings. But as soon as I got home, I started changing clothes. I wanted to put on my “play clothes.” It’s hard to have fun while wearing your Sunday clothes.
Different clothes serve different purposes. We have work clothes, dress clothes, school uniforms, etc… No one would try to work in the yard while wearing their dress clothes! There are just some things you can’t do while wearing your best clothes.
When Paul commands us to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,” he is making the same point. As long as you are clothed in Jesus, there are some things you just cannot do. But there is one thing we can do—Love.
Romans 13: 8 – 14
I. Introduction.
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season of the year in which we prepare ourselves for the “Coming of Christ.” In fact, that is what the word “Advent” means: “Coming.”
I did not grow up in a church that recognized Advent, so when I first encountered a Baptist church observing the season of Advent, I thought they were doing something that wasn’t really Baptist. And you may be wondering the same thing. Of course, Lufkin’s First Baptist has observed Advent for many years, but most of us did not grow up at Lufkin’s First Baptist. So, for those of you wondering if Advent is Baptist or not, I have an answer. No. Advent is not Baptist. Advent is Christian.
Two times during the course of a calendar year, we pause to celebrate the highest and holiest Christian holidays. I know most of you think I am going to say Easter and Mother’s Day. No. Easter and Mother’s Day are our highest attended days of the year. Our highest holy days are Easter and Christmas. Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. When we celebrate these two significant events in the life of Jesus, we unite with Christians of all denominations from every people of the world. We are not just Baptists, we are Baptist Christians; and we unite with all Christians to worship the same Lord Jesus Christ.
By observing the first Sunday of Advent, we are beginning our Christmas worship 23 days before Christmas. This means we are extending our Christmas worship to something more than just one worship service. It also means we are creating a sense of anticipation, perhaps even giving ourselves an opportunity to prepare ourselves. We anticipate and we prepare for the “Coming” of Jesus.
There are two ways we can think of the “Coming” of Jesus. On one hand, we will light candles in anticipation and prepare our hearts for December 25. On the other hand, the hope of our faith is based on Jesus’ promise that he will one day return to this earth. So, I want to direct your thoughts this Advent season to both the First Coming of Jesus when he was born in a Bethlehem stable and the Second Coming of Jesus when he will return to bring judgment to the world and vindication to the righteous.
It was two millennia ago—in the fullness of time—that God fulfilled his promise to Israel by sending his Only Begotten Son as the Promised Messiah. God had originally called Abraham and established Abraham’s descendants as God’s own people. Then God sent Moses to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt; to lead them through the desert; and to establish God’s Law and covenant with these people. God’s people continually rebelled against God’s Law and covenant, so God sent the prophets to call God’s people to repentance and faithfulness. When the time was right—hundreds of years after the prophets fell silent—the God broke into the space and time of our world in a new way. God became flesh and dwelt among us so we could see God and know God like never before.
The birth of Jesus was the beginning of a new time. It was the beginning of the end. Today, we live in expectation of Jesus’ Second Coming. His first Coming was simple. He was born of a virgin. He had no place to call home. No one really suspected that this simple baby was the Son of God. But when Jesus returns, he will return as the righteous judge. It has not yet happened, but it will. This is another promise God has made. And we have a Bible filled with God’s promises, each of which was fulfilled exactly as promised.
Read Romans 13: 8 – 14.
This Scripture appears in a context in which Paul describes how Christians are supposed to live in the world as we wait for the Second Coming of Jesus. He writes about our relationship with the government, our relationships within the church and our relationships with non-Christians. In a nutshell, Paul told us to obey the law and pay our taxes. Then, he turns his attention to the daily relationships of life.
II. Love One Another (v. 8).
Paul starts out with some practical advice. Well, it’s practical advice to you and me. But in the ancient world, this was not so much advice as it was a common assumption. We live in a world of easy credit and high balance credit cards. In the 21st Century, there are people who make millions of dollars hosting radio programs to give out advice like this. In the ancient world, people did not carry a debt load like we are accustomed to. In fact, most people lived like our grandparents. If they didn’t have the money, they didn’t buy it. They didn’t borrow money for houses, transportation, Christmas presents. They just knew how to live without. So, Paul states the obvious: “Do not owe anyone anything.” Then, Paul introduces an acceptable debt for all Christians: the continuing debt to love one another.
There is something unusual about this debt of love. First, this is a continuing debt, which will never be paid off. As long as we live, we will always owe love to others. Secondly, this is a debt we owe, not to the people around us, but to God. God loved us and sent his Only Son who died for our sins. This is a continuous debt we can never pay off. God does not expect us to pay him back: He expects us to love each other.
III. Love Fulfills the Law (vv. 9 – 10).
Two times in this passage, Paul mentions love. The first time, he said we should “Love one another.” The second time, he quotes from Leviticus 19 and from the teaching of Jesus by saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
There is a very subtle difference between these two commands to love other people. The first reference is to “Love one another.” This is a refrain which we find in the teachings of Jesus, the Apostle John and here in the writings of Paul. I would make an argument here to say that this is a command for Christians to love other Christians. In other words, church people are supposed to get along.
The second reference is to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is a teaching that comes directly from the Old Testament book of Leviticus (19: 18). Most of the Jewish people interpreted this to mean they should love other Jews. However, Jesus gives us a fresh, new interpretation of “Love your neighbor” by telling us the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the parable, Jesus presented a Samaritan man as the hero—the one who demonstrated love for his neighbor. Therefore, I believe this is a reference to love people who are outsiders and do not look like us. People who are like the Samaritans—different from us in race and religion.
When we love the people who look like us and dress like us and smell like us, we are no different from the people of the world. BUT…When we love people who are different…When we love every person God has placed on this earth, we separate ourselves from the world and demonstrate that we are God’s people. We are God’s people who fulfill God’s original purpose for his people Israel. But let me ask a question. If loving each other inside the church and loving people outside the church is the way we fulfill God’s purpose, then what does it mean when Christians do not love other Christians?
Since Paul is making such a big deal about loving other people, perhaps we should ask what it means to love others. Well, if you are reading verse 10, you don’t have to wonder. Paul says that we love others when we choose not to do harm to them.
This may sound like a strange definition of love, but it is one that has been around for many years. In fact, it sounds a lot like what we refer to as the “Silver Rule.” I know you have heard of the “Golden Rule,” but have you heard of the “Silver Rule?” We believe it originated in the teachings of a Jewish Rabbi, named Hillel. Hillel was noted for teaching his disciples: “Whatever you hate, do not do that to others.”
Of course, this leaves open the possibility that it is OK for us to do nothing and feel good about not doing harmful things to others. I believe Jesus would have been aware of such a teaching about withholding evil from others and chose to set a higher standard for his followers.
Therefore, Jesus gave us an entirely positive definition of loving others by teaching us: “Do to others as you want them to do to you.”
This is love. Withholding evil and doing good to others.
IV. The Hour Has Come (vv. 11 – 12).
Here Paul begins to express his urgency in commanding us to love each other and to love the world. We should love; because the time is right…We are running out of time to do the right things.
In the New International Version I read, there is a word missing in verse 11. It may seem like a small word, but I think it changes the way we interpret this. The word is “already.” Paul did not write, “The hour has come.” Instead, Paul wrote, “The hour has ALREADY come.”
The difference is like when the alarm clock goes off in the morning. On a regular morning, the alarm goes off, and we wake up—The hour has come. But then there are some mornings when we are not quite ready to wake up when the alarm goes off. We turn the alarm off and think we can sleep for just another five minutes. Then, 30 minutes later we wake up in a panic—The hour has ALREADY come.
This is the kind of desperation Paul is communicating. Every day we live is one day closer to the Second Coming of Jesus.
Again, if you want to play with my image of the alarm clock, we can think in terms of the dawn—night is coming to an end, daylight is beginning to break. Yet, this daylight is different from the daylight of dawn. It is different, first, because it is symbolic. It is different, second, because this daylight is not recognized to everyone.
If you want to think in terms of what Jesus taught us, we can think about the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God was the primary theme in the teachings and preaching of Jesus. After his baptism, Jesus began telling his followers that the Kingdom of God was at hand. When you and I place our faith in Jesus, we enter into his Kingdom by allowing Jesus to become the King of our lives. Yet, we continue to live in a world that does not acknowledge Jesus as King. Therefore, we live as citizens of two different worlds. We are ultimately citizens of God’s Kingdom, but we are forced to live in a world filled with evil, death and pain.
This is the image of light and darkness. When Jesus came into our space and time, dawn was beginning to break. Everyone who places faith in Jesus as Lord and King lives in the light that Jesus brings. However, we are surrounded by a world of darkness. Yet, this will not always be the case. When Jesus comes to our space and time in his future Coming, the light will break forth throughout all the earth. There will be no more darkness, only light—for the dawn will have come.
The church should be like that one house in the neighborhood that has Christmas lights everywhere. You know the house I’m talking about. Everyone in the neighborhood has modest decorations and a few lights on the house. But there is always one house that is so bright that the Houston airport has to divert air traffic away from it to keep pilots from trying to land in their front yard.
V. Clothe Yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 14).
There are two ways we can interpret this verse. The first way—and this is what I thought it was at the beginning of the week—is to interpret this as a baptism formula. The new convert would wear an old set of clothes to be baptized in. Then, after baptism he or she would change clothes and put on a brand new set of clothes. This was a visible representation of the spiritual change in the person’s life—Taking off the old way of life and putting on a new life with Christ.
The second interpretation is to return to Paul’s charge that it is time to wake up. What do you normally do when you wake up in the morning? I eat breakfast, I shave, and I get dressed for the day.
The hour has come. We have slept too long. It is time to wake up and get dressed. But what am I going to wear?
VI. Conclusion.
I remember when I was a child, we always went to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. We always dressed up on Sunday mornings. But as soon as I got home, I started changing clothes. I wanted to put on my “play clothes.” It’s hard to have fun while wearing your Sunday clothes.
Different clothes serve different purposes. We have work clothes, dress clothes, school uniforms, etc… No one would try to work in the yard while wearing their dress clothes! There are just some things you can’t do while wearing your best clothes.
When Paul commands us to “clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,” he is making the same point. As long as you are clothed in Jesus, there are some things you just cannot do. But there is one thing we can do—Love.
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