When Is God’s Will?
Genesis 50: 20 and Romans 8: 28 – 29.
Introduction.
Last Sunday I preached about “Seeking God’s Will.” If you missed the sermon, you can watch the video on the church website www.fbclufkin.org, or you can read the sermon on my website, www.andypittman.blogspot.com.
I have been preaching about God’s will to prepare us for our 40 Days of Prayer. On Wednesday, March 9, we will begin praying for our church for the next 40 days. We are going to pray for God’s direction for our church as we plan for the future. Who does God want us to be as individuals and as a church? What kind of church is God calling us to become? Does it really matter what kind of church we are?
On one hand, we have a very clear understanding of God’s mission and purpose for our church. God has called us to “make disciples” of Jesus. We are to witness to those who do not know Jesus as Lord of their lives. We are to baptize new believers. We are to provide instruction and worship for Christian men and women, boys and girls to grow closer to Jesus. AND, we are to provide opportunities for all of us to serve Jesus by continuing the work Jesus did during his life on earth. This much we know.
On the other hand, we don’t really know the best methods for making disciples and carrying out Jesus’ ministry in our twenty-first century context. Our mission will never change. It is our methods which need to be examined and possibly changed to become more effective in Lufkin and around the world.
Therefore, we will be praying for God’s will for our church. In fact, I think our prayers ought to reflect the two times Jesus prayed “Let your will be done.” It will be possible for us to try to place OUR will for OUR church ahead of God’s will for HIS church. Did you notice the difference between those two prayers? MY will for MY church versus GOD’S will for GOD’S church. Whose church is this? Who knows what is best for this church?
An interesting thing happens when we talk about God’s will. We usually think of God’s will as something “out there” in the future. It is something better than what we are experiencing right now…It is something we have to pray for and wait for…Surely, this is not God’s will we are experiencing at this moment in time…
I am going to do something unusual today. I am going to tell you the point of the sermon before I preach the sermon. It will be kind of like ruining a good joke by revealing the punch line too soon. Hopefully this won’t actually spoil the sermon… The point is, this IS God’s will.
With all my heart, I believe God has something better in store for Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. But, at the same time, I also believe God is working in us right here and right now. We don’t have to wait for God to work in our church. We don’t have to wait for God’s will to be done. NO. God is at work right here and right now. He is working in us. He is working on us. God is preparing us for the future.
The best example I can think of in Scripture comes from the story of Joseph in the Old Testament…
Read Genesis 50: 20 … You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (NIV)
This profession of faith comes at the very end of the Book of Genesis and at the end of what we know about Joseph. It is important for us to remember where these words come from. This is NOT a statement about an easy Christian life. This is not a man who believes if you trust in God, then God will make you healthy, wealthy and wise. Rather, this is a statement about how God works in both the good circumstances and the bad circumstances of life. No matter what trials you are facing today or have faced in the recent past, God has not stopped working in you and the circumstances of life.
The story of Joseph began with the story of his father Jacob. Jacob fell in love with a girl named Rachel. He offered to work for her father for a period of seven years in exchange for Rachel to become his wife. Rachel’s father tricked Jacob and sent his older daughter Leah to the wedding. At the end of the day, Jacob had married the wrong girl! So, Jacob had to work an additional seven years to marry the girl he loved.
Once Jacob and Rachel were married, they discovered that Rachel could not have children. At the same time, Leah was having many children—and boys at that. After many years of trying, Rachel finally gave birth to her first son, Joseph.
Joseph quickly became his father’s favorite son, since he was born to his father’s favorite wife. Jacob made this favoritism obvious by having a special coat made for Joseph. We learned in children’s Sunday School that this was a “coat of many colors,” but it is possible that it was a coat with “long sleeves.” Either way, Joseph’s coat was not well suited for agricultural work.
This coat made Joseph’s brothers very jealous. While the brothers were out working in the fields, Joseph stayed close to the house, dressed in his ornate clothes. This gave Joseph plenty of time to dream. The brothers were too busy working to dream. But, Joseph spent all his time dreaming. And, Joseph didn’t do himself any favors…Because each time he had a dream, he told his brothers about it.
In one of Joseph’s dreams, he dreamed he had been helping his brothers work in the fields. They were all binding up sheaves. When they finished the work, Joseph’s sheath stood up and all the other sheaves bowed down to him. In another dream, Joseph dreamed that the sun, moon and eleven stars all bowed down to him. These dreams made his brothers even angrier. They were so angry that they began to plot Joseph’s death.
One ordinary day, the brothers were out working in the fields, and Joseph was dreaming close to home. Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. The brothers recognized Joseph from a distance and decided it was time to put their plans into action. They captured Joseph and threw him into a well. (This was Reuben’s idea. Instead of killing Joseph, Reuben wanted to scare him by leaving him in a well and eventually helping him get out.)
Before Reuben could rescue Joseph, the brothers decided to sell him as a slave. They sold him to Midianite slave traders, who sold him to an Egyptian official named Potiphar.
According to Genesis 39, Joseph continued to trust the LORD and was able to rise in the slave ranks to become Potiphar’s personal attendant. Joseph was given charge of everything in Potiphar’s house. Well, he had charge of everything except Potiphar’s food and Potiphar’s wife.
It’s beginning to look like Joseph can make the best of a really bad situation. Yet, one day, Potiphar’s wife approached Joseph while no one else was in the house. She wanted him to have an affair with her. Joseph refused her advances for two reasons. It would be a sin in her husband’s eyes and it would be a sin in God’s eyes. Potiphar’s wife would not take no for an answer. She grabbed Joseph by the coat. At this point, Joseph ran away so fast, he ran out of his clothes…Leaving Potiphar’s wife holding Joseph’s coat. When Potiphar found Joseph’s clothes in the house he threw Joseph into prison.
This is perhaps Joseph’s lowest point. At one time he was his father’s favorite son. He had a very easy life. And, most of us have an easier time trusting God when everything is going our way. But, Joseph moved from being the favorite son to being a slave in a foreign land. He remained faithful in his status as slave and was beginning to have a better life. Then, he was falsely accused and placed in prison. There is no obvious reason for Joseph to trust in the LORD. He was not wealthy. He was not happy. Nothing was going his way. Yet, Joseph defied all odds and continued to trust in the LORD.
In fact, the other prisoners began to look up to Joseph and ask him to interpret their dreams. One of those prisoners was the deposed cupbearer for Pharaoh. Joseph listened to his dream and told him that Pharaoh would restore him to his old position in the palace. The only thing Joseph asked for in return was for the cupbearer to remember Joseph when he was back in Pharaoh’s palace. But, the cupbearer did not remember Joseph.
Then Pharaoh had a dream of his own. He called for all the priests and magicians to come and interpret his strange dream. When no one could interpret for Pharaoh, the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph.
Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream as a warning about a coming famine that would affect the entire Middle East. Egypt needed to prepare for the coming famine so they could provide for their own people and for the other nations.
Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he made him the second in command. Joseph was responsible for gathering food before the famine and for distributing food once the famine hit.
This is the point in the story when Joseph’s dreams begin to come true. He is now an important governmental official in Egypt. AND, when the land of Canaan experienced famine, Joseph’s own brothers came to Egypt to ask Joseph for food. Joseph was reunited with his family. Joseph was the one God used to save the lives of all God’s people.
God Has a Plan.
The story of Joseph is a story of how God often works behind the scenes. God knew that the famine was coming. God knew that his chosen people would die of starvation without God’s direct intervention. So, God placed one of his own people in Egypt to store up enough food to save God’s people.
We know this was God’s plan from the beginning because of Joseph’s dreams. God didn’t lose track of Joseph and then devise a plan once Joseph arrived in Egypt. God was not surprised by what happened to Joseph…And God is not surprised by what is going on in your life today. He knows the future.
In the same way that God knew Joseph’s future before it ever happened, God knows your future and the future of our church. He has a plan to use you and me. We don’t know what that future looks like…But God knows.
God Is at Work.
It is usually easier for us to see the hand of God at work in our lives by looking backward over our lives than it is to see it right here and right now. The only thing Joseph really knew during his time as a slave and a prisoner is the fact that he could not get a break. Just when things seemed like they could not possibly get worse…they did. Every time Joseph thought he was going to get a good break, something or someone ruined it for him.
But, in the end…Joseph was able to profess his faith that God was always at work in his life.
This does not mean that God was the one who threw Joseph in the well; sold him as a slave; threw him into prison; or caused the cupbearer to forget. God does not cause evil and is not the source of evil. But God can and does work in evil circumstances.
How often have you used the expression, “God is at work?” God is at work in my life…God is at work in our church…God is at work in our world… The only time we use those expressions is when something good is taking place. That’s not the case. God is at work in the midst of pain and struggle and even in evil circumstances.
The work of God is not limited to favorable circumstances. That was not the case in Joseph’s story. In fact, the story of Joseph makes a good argument that God actually PREFERS to work in non-pleasant situations. That is when it is completely obvious to us and to non-believers that God is the one responsible. If Joseph had an easy life, we would give Joseph all the credit. But the story demonstrates that Joseph had almost nothing to do with the outcome. It was God.
The same thing is true for us individually and as a church. God did not choose us because we were the smartest and wealthiest and best looking. God can use any circumstances. God can use any person.
God Can Be Trusted.
From a purely human point of view, Joseph had no reason to trust in the LORD. God didn’t make him rich. Joseph didn’t have a really good job. Joseph lived as a slave in a foreign land, where it was impossible for him to worship God.
We know Joseph trusted in God because of the way he spoke about God to others. He told Potiphar’s wife that he could not have an affair with her, because it was a sin in God’s eyes. He gave God all the credit for interpreting the dreams of the cupbearer and of Pharaoh.
You and I could learn a lot from Joseph. Usually, we are quick to thank God for all the good things in our lives. Then, we turn around and blame God when things are not going well. We get very happy when life is good. We get bitter and angry when life is not good. Joseph teaches us to trust God no matter the circumstances.
Conclusion: God Will Be Glorified.
Notice the way Joseph gave God the credit when he and his family were reunited. There is a big temptation for most of us to point our fingers at ourselves and say something like, “You thought you could stop me. But I overcame.” “You thought you were hurting me, but I showed you!! I turned out OK, all by myself.”
Joseph did not take the credit for his new position in Egypt. Joseph did not brag about being the one to save the family. He gave God the credit and all the glory.
There is a similar statement about God’s glory in the New Testament:
Read Romans 8: 28 – 30 … And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (NIV)
These verses do not teach us that Christians will always be healthy, wealthy and wise. In fact, they teach us just the opposite. Despite the circumstances…Even in the midst of pain and struggle…At times when God seems silent…
God has a plan…
God is at work…
God can be trusted…
God will be glorified…
When we read Genesis 50: 20 and Romans 8: 28 – 30, we discover that God’s will is not something we have to wait on. God is at work right here and right now, bringing his plan for our lives to completion.
It is our job to trust God and let him work in us. His plan is better than our plans for ourselves. His plan leads us through good and bad times. His plan shapes us to become more like Jesus.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Seeking God's Will
Seeking God’s Will
1 Kings 22: 1 – 18
I. Introduction.
When I was in seminary, Baylor University sponsored an extensive survey of all preaching professors from every college, university and seminary in English speaking countries. The survey asked these preaching professors to select the Most Effective Preachers in the English language. The final list was known as the Twelve Most Effective Preachers.
Then Baylor invited each of these 12 preachers to come to the school and receive an award, to preach in a special evening service on campus and to preach in the seminary chapel. Most of them accepted the invitation. (As I recall, Billy Graham was the only recipient who could not come. I remember his having health problems at the time.)
Since I was a seminary student at the time of the survey and the invitations to preach in chapel, I had an opportunity to hear 11 of the 12 most effective preachers in the English speaking world. (I only showed up to about half of the sessions—so, I probably hear only six of the twelve.)
The first preacher to accept the invitation to Baylor was Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, retired chaplain of the U. S. Senate and former pastor of a large Presbyterian church in Hollywood, California. In seminary chapel, Dr. Ogilvie talked about the relevancy of preaching. In his talk, he suggested that preaching is relevant when it does two things…
First, preaching must proclaim the Word of God…
Second, preaching must answer the questions people are asking. Answering questions that no one is asking is not relevant.
Dr. Ogilvie used to conduct surveys in his Hollywood congregation. He would ask the church to respond to one question: What is the biggest question in your life right now?
I periodically think about doing the same thing…That is, to ask you to share with me the biggest questions in your life. Maybe you should email them to me. Or, maybe we should put a suggestion box out in the church foyer. I did this with my college students in Waco in 1996. I asked them to write down the biggest question in their lives.
Perhaps it will not surprise you what the college students asked. An overwhelming majority of students who responded (over 80%) asked the same question: What is God’s will for my life? (One student was much more specific: I am graduating from college in two months, what does God want me to do next?)
In some ways, this is a timeless question. After all, we all want to have assurance that God has a plan for our lives, and we want to be obedient to God’s will.
In other ways, this is a timely question for us as a church. We are dreaming about the future. We are coming to terms with the fact that some of our efforts as a church are not as effective today as they were 10, 20 and 50 years ago. We want to do something new, which will help us to be faithful to God’s mission and purpose for our church. We are even going to observe 40 days of prayer for our church during the season of Lent—from Ash Wednesday, March 9 through Easter Sunday, April 24.
We are going to pray for God’s will for our church. But, do we really know how to seek God’s will?
II. Read 1 Kings 22: 1 – 4… For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. The king of Israel had said to his officials, "Don't you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?" So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
Ahab was still king of Israel… Ahab had led Israel in several successful campaigns against the Arameans…But had made one mistake…
After the final defeat of the Aramean army, Ahab allowed the king of Aram to go free… The result of this decision brought an unnamed prophet to the king’s palace to pronounce God’s judgment on Ahab & Jezebel…The dogs would eat them…
Because Ahab did not follow God’s will in utterly destroying the Arameans, the enemy still occupied a stronghold in the land of Israel…Ramoth-Gilead.
Ahab invited the new king of Judah to help in a military campaign against Aram to regain a city that blocked a major trade route into both Israel and Judah…
III. Read Verses 5 – 12… But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD." So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-- about four hundred men-- and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand." But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?" The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that," Jehoshaphat replied. So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once." Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'" All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand."
Jehoshaphat had a good idea…Let’s call on God and ask what his will is.
I want you to notice something significant in verse 5…The word LORD is in all capital letters…This is the way all modern English translations translate the Hebrew word, Yahweh.
There are 2 other Hebrew words which we translate into English as Lord, Baal and Adonai…But these are usually written in lower case or only the “L” is capitalized… The reason is to distinguish between the title “lord” and God’s name, Yahweh.
I find this significant because just a few chapters earlier we read about a confrontation between Elijah and 400 prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. In the end, these 400 prophets were killed, and Baal worship was removed from Israel…
However, Ahab observed a perverted worship of Yahweh… The people were allowed to worship in high places and use idols. Therefore, these 400 prophets are probably corrupt prophets of Yahweh… More than likely they had been trained to tell King Ahab exactly what he wanted to hear…With one exception…There was one faithful prophet named Michaiah.
When Jehoshaphat heard the words of the 400 prophets, he didn’t exactly believe them…Something about their prophecy seemed fishy.
Therefore, he asked for a 2nd opinion…But Ahab didn’t want a 2nd opinion, because he knew it wouldn’t be good.
IV. Read Verses 13 – 18… The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably." But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me." When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand." The king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'" The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?"
When the messengers of Ahab found Micaiah, they coached him a little as to what he was to prophesy…It was as if the messengers said, “Just go along with what 400 other prophets have already said re: this matter.”
I like Micaiah’s response to the suggestion…He said, “I can only say what God says to me.” I must remain faithful…I must be truthful.
I think this is probably one of those Scriptures that is meant to be humorous…We cannot see the humor in it unless we read it in a different tone…Read v. 15 in Sarcastic tone…
The humor comes in 2 ways…
1. Micaiah probably used sarcasm to communicate.
2. Micaiah told Ahab exactly what he asked for, but Ahab did not accept it as the truth…Sometimes we know what the truth is…We just don’t want to listen
Then Micaiah told the truth…And it was exactly what Ahab had expected…It was bad news…
God did want Israel to go into battle…But God did not plan for Israel to win that battle…The battle was for the purpose that the original prophecy re: Ahab could be fulfilled…He would die in battle and dogs would lick up his blood.
V. Conclusion.
I see this story as an important story to us even today…It illustrates, in a negative way, how a godly person should make decisions…The 2 kings in the story BOTH chose incorrect ways to make decisions. So, what is the right way?
I learned some words of wisdom this week, which I had never heard before. “You must learn from the mistakes of others, because you will not live long enough to make every mistake yourself.” I have always heard a similar statement… “Any fool can learn from his own mistakes. It takes a wise man to learn from the mistakes of others.” Let’s look at their mistakes and see what they illustrate. . .
1. Seek God’s will BEFORE you make up your mind (vv. 4 – 5).
Notice how Jehoshaphat answered Ahab’s question BEFORE he sought the LORD’s will…
How many times have we done the same thing? How many times have we prayed, “Lord, this is what I am doing. Let it be your will.” … OR, “Lord, let your will be what I have just done.” … OR, “Lord, bless my decision, because I have already made up my mind.”
2. Seek God’s will in God’s Word.
Modern people are faced with many different views of where and how to seek God’s will: Church Traditions…Priests…Creeds…Feelings…Internal Work of H.S…Human Opinion…Human Authority (political, etc)…
Often these “modern day prophets” are in contradiction to one another…Just as the prophets of Israel were…
How can we discern between true prophets and false prophets? Simply put, God’s will is in God’s Word… Internal witness of Holy Spirit is important, but this cannot be the primary (much less the only) guidance we seek.
John Calvin in his Institutes taught what has become the Landmark teaching re: balance between Holy Spirit and Scripture.
Internal, subjective witness of Holy Spirit is ALWAYS consistent with external, objective witness of Scripture…In other words, the Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you in a direction different from what is found in Scripture.
However, the opposite of this is also true… Scripture is affirmed through the witness of Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart and life… When we read something in the Bible that applies to our circumstances in life, the Holy Spirit will nudge us and whisper, “That part is for you…This is God’s Word and God’s Will for your life.”
If you are not reading God’s Word, how will you know God’s will?
3. When seeking God’s will, we must be prepared for the truth.
Don’t seek God’s will unless you are willing to expose all of your sinfulness and imperfections and allow God to work on you.
Don’t seek God’s will unless you are willing to make some changes in your life.
4. Seeking God’s will is never enough. We must also follow God’s will.
Four frogs were sitting on a log. Three frogs decided to jump into the water. How many frogs are still sitting on the log? FOUR. There is a big difference between deciding and actually doing something.
Every year, people make New Year’s Resolutions to lose 10 pounds. They buy a diet book. They join a health club. They go to the grocery store and buy healthier food. Do they lose the weight? Of course not. Reading books, joining the health club and shopping for healthier foods does not cause us to lose weight.
It’s the difference between the mind and the body.
1 Kings 22: 1 – 18
I. Introduction.
When I was in seminary, Baylor University sponsored an extensive survey of all preaching professors from every college, university and seminary in English speaking countries. The survey asked these preaching professors to select the Most Effective Preachers in the English language. The final list was known as the Twelve Most Effective Preachers.
Then Baylor invited each of these 12 preachers to come to the school and receive an award, to preach in a special evening service on campus and to preach in the seminary chapel. Most of them accepted the invitation. (As I recall, Billy Graham was the only recipient who could not come. I remember his having health problems at the time.)
Since I was a seminary student at the time of the survey and the invitations to preach in chapel, I had an opportunity to hear 11 of the 12 most effective preachers in the English speaking world. (I only showed up to about half of the sessions—so, I probably hear only six of the twelve.)
The first preacher to accept the invitation to Baylor was Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, retired chaplain of the U. S. Senate and former pastor of a large Presbyterian church in Hollywood, California. In seminary chapel, Dr. Ogilvie talked about the relevancy of preaching. In his talk, he suggested that preaching is relevant when it does two things…
First, preaching must proclaim the Word of God…
Second, preaching must answer the questions people are asking. Answering questions that no one is asking is not relevant.
Dr. Ogilvie used to conduct surveys in his Hollywood congregation. He would ask the church to respond to one question: What is the biggest question in your life right now?
I periodically think about doing the same thing…That is, to ask you to share with me the biggest questions in your life. Maybe you should email them to me. Or, maybe we should put a suggestion box out in the church foyer. I did this with my college students in Waco in 1996. I asked them to write down the biggest question in their lives.
Perhaps it will not surprise you what the college students asked. An overwhelming majority of students who responded (over 80%) asked the same question: What is God’s will for my life? (One student was much more specific: I am graduating from college in two months, what does God want me to do next?)
In some ways, this is a timeless question. After all, we all want to have assurance that God has a plan for our lives, and we want to be obedient to God’s will.
In other ways, this is a timely question for us as a church. We are dreaming about the future. We are coming to terms with the fact that some of our efforts as a church are not as effective today as they were 10, 20 and 50 years ago. We want to do something new, which will help us to be faithful to God’s mission and purpose for our church. We are even going to observe 40 days of prayer for our church during the season of Lent—from Ash Wednesday, March 9 through Easter Sunday, April 24.
We are going to pray for God’s will for our church. But, do we really know how to seek God’s will?
II. Read 1 Kings 22: 1 – 4… For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. But in the third year Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to see the king of Israel. The king of Israel had said to his officials, "Don't you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?" So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?" Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
Ahab was still king of Israel… Ahab had led Israel in several successful campaigns against the Arameans…But had made one mistake…
After the final defeat of the Aramean army, Ahab allowed the king of Aram to go free… The result of this decision brought an unnamed prophet to the king’s palace to pronounce God’s judgment on Ahab & Jezebel…The dogs would eat them…
Because Ahab did not follow God’s will in utterly destroying the Arameans, the enemy still occupied a stronghold in the land of Israel…Ramoth-Gilead.
Ahab invited the new king of Judah to help in a military campaign against Aram to regain a city that blocked a major trade route into both Israel and Judah…
III. Read Verses 5 – 12… But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the LORD." So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-- about four hundred men-- and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Go," they answered, "for the Lord will give it into the king's hand." But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?" The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that," Jehoshaphat replied. So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once." Dressed in their royal robes, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed.'" All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. "Attack Ramoth Gilead and be victorious," they said, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand."
Jehoshaphat had a good idea…Let’s call on God and ask what his will is.
I want you to notice something significant in verse 5…The word LORD is in all capital letters…This is the way all modern English translations translate the Hebrew word, Yahweh.
There are 2 other Hebrew words which we translate into English as Lord, Baal and Adonai…But these are usually written in lower case or only the “L” is capitalized… The reason is to distinguish between the title “lord” and God’s name, Yahweh.
I find this significant because just a few chapters earlier we read about a confrontation between Elijah and 400 prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel. In the end, these 400 prophets were killed, and Baal worship was removed from Israel…
However, Ahab observed a perverted worship of Yahweh… The people were allowed to worship in high places and use idols. Therefore, these 400 prophets are probably corrupt prophets of Yahweh… More than likely they had been trained to tell King Ahab exactly what he wanted to hear…With one exception…There was one faithful prophet named Michaiah.
When Jehoshaphat heard the words of the 400 prophets, he didn’t exactly believe them…Something about their prophecy seemed fishy.
Therefore, he asked for a 2nd opinion…But Ahab didn’t want a 2nd opinion, because he knew it wouldn’t be good.
IV. Read Verses 13 – 18… The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, "Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably." But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me." When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand." The king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?" Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'" The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?"
When the messengers of Ahab found Micaiah, they coached him a little as to what he was to prophesy…It was as if the messengers said, “Just go along with what 400 other prophets have already said re: this matter.”
I like Micaiah’s response to the suggestion…He said, “I can only say what God says to me.” I must remain faithful…I must be truthful.
I think this is probably one of those Scriptures that is meant to be humorous…We cannot see the humor in it unless we read it in a different tone…Read v. 15 in Sarcastic tone…
The humor comes in 2 ways…
1. Micaiah probably used sarcasm to communicate.
2. Micaiah told Ahab exactly what he asked for, but Ahab did not accept it as the truth…Sometimes we know what the truth is…We just don’t want to listen
Then Micaiah told the truth…And it was exactly what Ahab had expected…It was bad news…
God did want Israel to go into battle…But God did not plan for Israel to win that battle…The battle was for the purpose that the original prophecy re: Ahab could be fulfilled…He would die in battle and dogs would lick up his blood.
V. Conclusion.
I see this story as an important story to us even today…It illustrates, in a negative way, how a godly person should make decisions…The 2 kings in the story BOTH chose incorrect ways to make decisions. So, what is the right way?
I learned some words of wisdom this week, which I had never heard before. “You must learn from the mistakes of others, because you will not live long enough to make every mistake yourself.” I have always heard a similar statement… “Any fool can learn from his own mistakes. It takes a wise man to learn from the mistakes of others.” Let’s look at their mistakes and see what they illustrate. . .
1. Seek God’s will BEFORE you make up your mind (vv. 4 – 5).
Notice how Jehoshaphat answered Ahab’s question BEFORE he sought the LORD’s will…
How many times have we done the same thing? How many times have we prayed, “Lord, this is what I am doing. Let it be your will.” … OR, “Lord, let your will be what I have just done.” … OR, “Lord, bless my decision, because I have already made up my mind.”
2. Seek God’s will in God’s Word.
Modern people are faced with many different views of where and how to seek God’s will: Church Traditions…Priests…Creeds…Feelings…Internal Work of H.S…Human Opinion…Human Authority (political, etc)…
Often these “modern day prophets” are in contradiction to one another…Just as the prophets of Israel were…
How can we discern between true prophets and false prophets? Simply put, God’s will is in God’s Word… Internal witness of Holy Spirit is important, but this cannot be the primary (much less the only) guidance we seek.
John Calvin in his Institutes taught what has become the Landmark teaching re: balance between Holy Spirit and Scripture.
Internal, subjective witness of Holy Spirit is ALWAYS consistent with external, objective witness of Scripture…In other words, the Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you in a direction different from what is found in Scripture.
However, the opposite of this is also true… Scripture is affirmed through the witness of Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart and life… When we read something in the Bible that applies to our circumstances in life, the Holy Spirit will nudge us and whisper, “That part is for you…This is God’s Word and God’s Will for your life.”
If you are not reading God’s Word, how will you know God’s will?
3. When seeking God’s will, we must be prepared for the truth.
Don’t seek God’s will unless you are willing to expose all of your sinfulness and imperfections and allow God to work on you.
Don’t seek God’s will unless you are willing to make some changes in your life.
4. Seeking God’s will is never enough. We must also follow God’s will.
Four frogs were sitting on a log. Three frogs decided to jump into the water. How many frogs are still sitting on the log? FOUR. There is a big difference between deciding and actually doing something.
Every year, people make New Year’s Resolutions to lose 10 pounds. They buy a diet book. They join a health club. They go to the grocery store and buy healthier food. Do they lose the weight? Of course not. Reading books, joining the health club and shopping for healthier foods does not cause us to lose weight.
It’s the difference between the mind and the body.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Failure Is Not Fatal
Failure Is Not Fatal
John 21: 15 – 25.
What kind of person comes to mind when I say the word “failure?” Do you think of someone who has lost their job? Do you think of a family who has lost their life savings? Or, maybe you think of someone who never really lived up to the expectations people had for them when they were younger or just getting started in their career?
In the current economic climate, there have been lots of people who have lost jobs, lost money and probably feel like their careers are not developing as they had hoped. It would not be fair to judge someone as a failure based on these criteria.
Take Abraham Lincoln as an example… Most people would agree that Abraham Lincoln was either the greatest president our country ever had, or that he ought to be listed among the greatest presidents. However, a few years ago, there was an email circulating about all the failures that Lincoln endured before he was eventually elected President of the United States of America. Some of Lincoln’s failures were overstated in the email, but the website Snopes.com tells us that there is some truth in the email.
· In 1831, Lincoln lost his job as the manager of a general store, when the store’s owner went bankrupt.
· In 1832, Lincoln ran for the Illinois state legislature and lost. He finished eighth out of thirteen candidates.
· In 1833, Lincoln started another general store with a partner. They were unable to make their first loan payment in the following year. All of Lincoln’s assets and possessions were seized by the lender.
· In 1834, Lincoln was finally elected to the state legislature.
· In 1835, Lincoln’s girlfriend died. Some think they were engaged to be married. Most agree this was a grief that affected him for the rest of his life.
· In 1843, Lincoln ran for the Whig Party nomination for U.S. Congress and lost.
· In 1854 and 1858, Lincoln lost his bids to become a U.S. Senator.
· In 1860, Lincoln was elected President of the United States.[1]
On one hand, Abraham Lincoln’s life is characterized by numerous “failures.” On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln is widely recognized as one of the greatest leaders our country has ever known.
How can one person endure so much failure and then go on to become so successful? Perhaps the answer lies in a quotation attributed to Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue which counts.”[2]
From a biblical standpoint, I think we could learn a lot about success and failure from the Apostle Peter.
John 21: 15 – 25.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."
19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?")
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
(NIV)
I think most of us think of Peter as a success. For example, according to Acts 2, Peter preached a sermon in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. This was no ordinary sermon. At the end of the sermon, over 3,000 people became Christians, and the Christian church was born! After Pentecost, Peter was widely recognized as one of the “Pillars” of the early church. Peter preached fearlessly about Jesus and the resurrection. Peter healed the sick. Peter even participated in the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the Gentiles. It is safe to say that you and I would not be Christians today, without Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and Peter’s obedience to preach the Gospel to Gentiles.
However, this was not always Peter’s story. We have the luxury of 2,000 years of biblical history and church tradition to help us understand Peter as a successful disciple. Yet, Peter experienced some devastating failures in his lifetime.
This Scripture is often referred to as “The Reinstatement of Peter.” Peter had failed, and before he could become successful, he needed Jesus to reinstate him.
Can you think of times that Peter failed?
After Jesus fed the crowd of over 5,000 people using only five rolls and two small fish, Jesus sent the disciples across the Lake of Galilee ahead of himself. While the disciples were rowing their boat across the Lake, a storm overtook them. Jesus came to their aid in the storm. Jesus was walking on the top of the water. The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus spoke to them and assured them it was their Lord. Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and took several steps on the top of the water. But, then he became afraid of the storm and started sinking in the water. Peter called to Jesus for help. Jesus answered, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14)
In Matthew 16, Jesus explained to his disciples everything that would happen to him in Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. Jesus told them he would suffer at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Jesus told them he would be killed and would rise again on the third day. Peter immediately rebuked Jesus by saying, "Never Lord! This will never happen to you!” Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter? He said, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
In Mark 9, Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain. He wanted to show them his glory. While Jesus was talking to them, a cloud descended from Heaven. Jesus’ clothes turned a bright white. Then, Moses and Elijah appeared right there with Jesus. The disciples were given an incredible preview of Jesus in all his glory. Of course, there was only one way Jesus could receive this glory. He had to go to the cross. The path to glory led through suffering. Peter did not want to come down from the mountaintop. Peter suggested that they ought to memorialize Jesus’ glory by building three shelters—one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah.
And then there is what Peter did before, during and immediately after Jesus’ crucifixion. When Jesus was arrested, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards (John 18). Perhaps Peter was trying to help Jesus avoid suffering. Or, maybe he thought he could begin a political revolution. Jesus was carried away, and Peter followed from a distance. Then, Peter was given an opportunity to claim Jesus as his Lord. A servant girl asked Peter, “Are you one of Jesus’ disciples?” Peter said No. Then, a group of people warming at a fire asked Peter a second and third time, “Are you one of Jesus’ disciples?” Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.
More than likely, this is what John wants us to remember when we read this story in John 21. Just as Peter had denied knowing Jesus while standing around a fire, here we see Jesus and Peter standing around a fire. He has a chance to be reinstated.
Notice that Jesus addressed Peter as “Simon, son of John.” I can think of three reasons why Jesus would address him as “Simon, son of John.” First, that’s his name. Second, the name “Peter” is a nickname which means “Rock.” And lately Peter has not been acting much like a “rock.” He failed his Lord, denied knowing Jesus, and abandoned Jesus in his time of need. Third, this is Jesus’ way of showing Peter that he is giving him Another Second Chance.
Keep in mind where we are right now. We are not in Jerusalem anymore. No. We are on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. This is a special place to Peter. It is his hometown, AND this is the place where he first met Jesus. This is the place where Jesus called Peter to follow Jesus, leave his fishing business and become a fisher for people. In other words, Jesus has just taken Peter back to the very beginning of their relationship. This is Another Second Chance.
The conversation between Jesus and Peter revolves around three questions, three answers and three commands. Actually, it’s one question, one answer and one command. It just happened three times. Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Peter answered, “I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The Greek text of John 21 reveals a subtle play on words in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. In Greek, Jesus’ question reads, “Do you agape me?” And Peter’s answer reads, “I philo you.”
I suppose it is possible to build a sermon from the basic meanings of these two Greek words for love. Agape love is selfless and giving love, best defined by Jesus’ self-giving sacrifice on the cross. Phileo love is something akin to friendship.
This is a very attractive interpretation…except for a couple of problems.
If Peter never used the word agape to describe his love for Jesus, then Jesus had to compromise his expectations for Peter. In fact, when we look at the commandments Jesus gave Peter, we would have to say that Jesus gave Peter a divine calling despite his inferior love for Jesus.
The second problem is even more difficult to overcome. More than likely Jesus and Peter did not have this conversation in Greek. They probably spoke in Aramaic. And Aramaic only has one word for “love.” So, there must be another reason for the three questions.
Jesus asked for Peter’s love three times. Does that remind you of anything? Better yet, should the number three remind Peter of anything? Yes. It ought to remind him of the three times he had previously denied knowing Jesus. Remember in John 18, we read that Peter stood by a fire and denied Jesus three times. Now, in John 21, we watch as Peter and Jesus stand by another fire as Peter professes his love for Jesus three times. This is Another Second Chance.
Yes, Peter had failed. He had an opportunity to stand up for his Lord but refused. He denied knowing Jesus. No matter how badly you have failed, you too can have Another Second Chance. Jesus wants to give you Another Second Chance. (I like the way that sounds, “Another Second Chance.” It’s not just a second chance. It’s another second chance!)
But notice how Jesus wanted Peter to use his second chance. Jesus said, “If you love me, feed my lambs; take care of my sheep; and feed my sheep.” Again we find a variety of words, which might lead us to interpret these commands as being separate commands. However, I think they are the same thing, repeated in three similar statements. In fact, Jesus’ commands to Peter only have one word in common: “my.”
Jesus did not hand over his sheep to Peter. The sheep still belong to Jesus. Peter simply has a responsibility to care for Jesus’ sheep.
You and I might not know much about sheep and how to take care of sheep. But Peter knew about sheep. Most every family in the ancient world had their own flock of sheep. The flock of sheep was their primary source of wool, milk, meat and religious sacrifices. Shepherding the flock was a responsibility of every family and was a position traditionally held by the youngest son. When he got older, he could go to work for his father in the family business. But every young man took responsibility for shepherding the flock.
We often talk about sheep as being dependent animals. They need a shepherd to look after them and to take care of their needs. But there is another thing about sheep that we sometimes forget. Sheep are a herd animal. They don’t do well on their own. They stick together. They need each other.
The Old Testament is full of references to sheep and shepherds. Many of these references describe the people of Israel as sheep. The New Testament adopts this same language to describe God’s people—the church—as sheep. So, I believe Jesus was commanding Peter to use Another Second Chance in the church.
You and I are like sheep. We are dependent on our shepherd—Jesus—to take care of our needs. AND, we need to flock together in the church. Christians NEVER do well on our own out in the world.
Conclusion.
On one hand, Peter’s story is a very personal story. It is addressed to each of us individually. Your failure—or your many failures—are not fatal. Just because you think you have failed in business, in finances or even in relationships, God is not through with you. Even if you have failed spiritually—after all, Peter failed spiritually by denying that Jesus was his Lord… Even if you have failed spiritually, your failure is not fatal. God is not through with you. God has a plan for your life. God wants to reinstate you and give you a job to do among God’s sheep, in the church.
On the other hand, Peter’s story is a good story for our church to hear. Yes, we can find a personal and individual message in this Scripture. But, we can also find a message to our church.
In the past several weeks, I have been talking about our Long Range Planning Committee and our upcoming 40 Days of Prayer for our church and the fact that we need to make some changes in the way we do church in the future. BUT, I do not believe our church is a failure. I love this church. I am proud to tell people I am pastor of this church.
Lufkin’s First Baptist Church has a wonderful legacy of worship, ministry and missions. We have been entrusted to carry on that legacy. Today, I do not believe we are living up to our God-given mission…potential…expectations… I suppose we could think of ourselves as failures and just quit right here and now. But, that is not like the story of Peter or like the story of the Gospel. The Gospel tells us that failure is not fatal, God has a plan for us, and Jesus wants to reinstate us for service.
No, this is not the end of Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. It is the beginning of Another Second Chance. The biggest mistake we could make today is to become so afraid of failure that we decide to do nothing.
Friday was the 164th birthday of Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison became famous as an inventor. He still holds the record for the most patents in his name, 1,093! But, all my life I heard the story about how many times Edison failed to invent the light bulb. I don’t know if this is a true story or not, but this is a story of truth. It was said that Edison failed a thousand times before he ever invented the light bulb. But, Edison said, “I didn’t fail. I simply discovered a thousand ways NOT to invent the light bulb.”
Or consider Hank Aaron[3]… Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to acknowledge Barry Bonds as the player with the most home runs in Major League Baseball. Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs in 23 seasons. Do you know how many times he struck out? 1,383 strike outs. He had a career batting average of .305 in 13,940 plate appearances. He made an out in 69% of plate appearances and hit a home run 5%.
If we believe the Gospel, the we also believe failure is not fatal. We have to be willing to try…And we have to be willing to fail sometimes…
[1] http://www.snopes.com/glurge/lincoln.asp
[2] http://www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/280615/winston-churchill/success-is-not-final-failure-is-not-fatal-it-is-the
[3] http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml
John 21: 15 – 25.
What kind of person comes to mind when I say the word “failure?” Do you think of someone who has lost their job? Do you think of a family who has lost their life savings? Or, maybe you think of someone who never really lived up to the expectations people had for them when they were younger or just getting started in their career?
In the current economic climate, there have been lots of people who have lost jobs, lost money and probably feel like their careers are not developing as they had hoped. It would not be fair to judge someone as a failure based on these criteria.
Take Abraham Lincoln as an example… Most people would agree that Abraham Lincoln was either the greatest president our country ever had, or that he ought to be listed among the greatest presidents. However, a few years ago, there was an email circulating about all the failures that Lincoln endured before he was eventually elected President of the United States of America. Some of Lincoln’s failures were overstated in the email, but the website Snopes.com tells us that there is some truth in the email.
· In 1831, Lincoln lost his job as the manager of a general store, when the store’s owner went bankrupt.
· In 1832, Lincoln ran for the Illinois state legislature and lost. He finished eighth out of thirteen candidates.
· In 1833, Lincoln started another general store with a partner. They were unable to make their first loan payment in the following year. All of Lincoln’s assets and possessions were seized by the lender.
· In 1834, Lincoln was finally elected to the state legislature.
· In 1835, Lincoln’s girlfriend died. Some think they were engaged to be married. Most agree this was a grief that affected him for the rest of his life.
· In 1843, Lincoln ran for the Whig Party nomination for U.S. Congress and lost.
· In 1854 and 1858, Lincoln lost his bids to become a U.S. Senator.
· In 1860, Lincoln was elected President of the United States.[1]
On one hand, Abraham Lincoln’s life is characterized by numerous “failures.” On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln is widely recognized as one of the greatest leaders our country has ever known.
How can one person endure so much failure and then go on to become so successful? Perhaps the answer lies in a quotation attributed to Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue which counts.”[2]
From a biblical standpoint, I think we could learn a lot about success and failure from the Apostle Peter.
John 21: 15 – 25.
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16 Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."
19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?")
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"
22 Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?"
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
(NIV)
I think most of us think of Peter as a success. For example, according to Acts 2, Peter preached a sermon in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. This was no ordinary sermon. At the end of the sermon, over 3,000 people became Christians, and the Christian church was born! After Pentecost, Peter was widely recognized as one of the “Pillars” of the early church. Peter preached fearlessly about Jesus and the resurrection. Peter healed the sick. Peter even participated in the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the Gentiles. It is safe to say that you and I would not be Christians today, without Peter’s sermon at Pentecost and Peter’s obedience to preach the Gospel to Gentiles.
However, this was not always Peter’s story. We have the luxury of 2,000 years of biblical history and church tradition to help us understand Peter as a successful disciple. Yet, Peter experienced some devastating failures in his lifetime.
This Scripture is often referred to as “The Reinstatement of Peter.” Peter had failed, and before he could become successful, he needed Jesus to reinstate him.
Can you think of times that Peter failed?
After Jesus fed the crowd of over 5,000 people using only five rolls and two small fish, Jesus sent the disciples across the Lake of Galilee ahead of himself. While the disciples were rowing their boat across the Lake, a storm overtook them. Jesus came to their aid in the storm. Jesus was walking on the top of the water. The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus spoke to them and assured them it was their Lord. Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and took several steps on the top of the water. But, then he became afraid of the storm and started sinking in the water. Peter called to Jesus for help. Jesus answered, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14)
In Matthew 16, Jesus explained to his disciples everything that would happen to him in Jerusalem at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. Jesus told them he would suffer at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law. Jesus told them he would be killed and would rise again on the third day. Peter immediately rebuked Jesus by saying, "Never Lord! This will never happen to you!” Do you remember what Jesus said to Peter? He said, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
In Mark 9, Jesus took Peter, James and John to the top of a mountain. He wanted to show them his glory. While Jesus was talking to them, a cloud descended from Heaven. Jesus’ clothes turned a bright white. Then, Moses and Elijah appeared right there with Jesus. The disciples were given an incredible preview of Jesus in all his glory. Of course, there was only one way Jesus could receive this glory. He had to go to the cross. The path to glory led through suffering. Peter did not want to come down from the mountaintop. Peter suggested that they ought to memorialize Jesus’ glory by building three shelters—one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah.
And then there is what Peter did before, during and immediately after Jesus’ crucifixion. When Jesus was arrested, Peter drew his sword and cut off the ear of one of the guards (John 18). Perhaps Peter was trying to help Jesus avoid suffering. Or, maybe he thought he could begin a political revolution. Jesus was carried away, and Peter followed from a distance. Then, Peter was given an opportunity to claim Jesus as his Lord. A servant girl asked Peter, “Are you one of Jesus’ disciples?” Peter said No. Then, a group of people warming at a fire asked Peter a second and third time, “Are you one of Jesus’ disciples?” Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.
More than likely, this is what John wants us to remember when we read this story in John 21. Just as Peter had denied knowing Jesus while standing around a fire, here we see Jesus and Peter standing around a fire. He has a chance to be reinstated.
Notice that Jesus addressed Peter as “Simon, son of John.” I can think of three reasons why Jesus would address him as “Simon, son of John.” First, that’s his name. Second, the name “Peter” is a nickname which means “Rock.” And lately Peter has not been acting much like a “rock.” He failed his Lord, denied knowing Jesus, and abandoned Jesus in his time of need. Third, this is Jesus’ way of showing Peter that he is giving him Another Second Chance.
Keep in mind where we are right now. We are not in Jerusalem anymore. No. We are on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. This is a special place to Peter. It is his hometown, AND this is the place where he first met Jesus. This is the place where Jesus called Peter to follow Jesus, leave his fishing business and become a fisher for people. In other words, Jesus has just taken Peter back to the very beginning of their relationship. This is Another Second Chance.
The conversation between Jesus and Peter revolves around three questions, three answers and three commands. Actually, it’s one question, one answer and one command. It just happened three times. Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” Peter answered, “I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The Greek text of John 21 reveals a subtle play on words in the conversation between Jesus and Peter. In Greek, Jesus’ question reads, “Do you agape me?” And Peter’s answer reads, “I philo you.”
I suppose it is possible to build a sermon from the basic meanings of these two Greek words for love. Agape love is selfless and giving love, best defined by Jesus’ self-giving sacrifice on the cross. Phileo love is something akin to friendship.
This is a very attractive interpretation…except for a couple of problems.
If Peter never used the word agape to describe his love for Jesus, then Jesus had to compromise his expectations for Peter. In fact, when we look at the commandments Jesus gave Peter, we would have to say that Jesus gave Peter a divine calling despite his inferior love for Jesus.
The second problem is even more difficult to overcome. More than likely Jesus and Peter did not have this conversation in Greek. They probably spoke in Aramaic. And Aramaic only has one word for “love.” So, there must be another reason for the three questions.
Jesus asked for Peter’s love three times. Does that remind you of anything? Better yet, should the number three remind Peter of anything? Yes. It ought to remind him of the three times he had previously denied knowing Jesus. Remember in John 18, we read that Peter stood by a fire and denied Jesus three times. Now, in John 21, we watch as Peter and Jesus stand by another fire as Peter professes his love for Jesus three times. This is Another Second Chance.
Yes, Peter had failed. He had an opportunity to stand up for his Lord but refused. He denied knowing Jesus. No matter how badly you have failed, you too can have Another Second Chance. Jesus wants to give you Another Second Chance. (I like the way that sounds, “Another Second Chance.” It’s not just a second chance. It’s another second chance!)
But notice how Jesus wanted Peter to use his second chance. Jesus said, “If you love me, feed my lambs; take care of my sheep; and feed my sheep.” Again we find a variety of words, which might lead us to interpret these commands as being separate commands. However, I think they are the same thing, repeated in three similar statements. In fact, Jesus’ commands to Peter only have one word in common: “my.”
Jesus did not hand over his sheep to Peter. The sheep still belong to Jesus. Peter simply has a responsibility to care for Jesus’ sheep.
You and I might not know much about sheep and how to take care of sheep. But Peter knew about sheep. Most every family in the ancient world had their own flock of sheep. The flock of sheep was their primary source of wool, milk, meat and religious sacrifices. Shepherding the flock was a responsibility of every family and was a position traditionally held by the youngest son. When he got older, he could go to work for his father in the family business. But every young man took responsibility for shepherding the flock.
We often talk about sheep as being dependent animals. They need a shepherd to look after them and to take care of their needs. But there is another thing about sheep that we sometimes forget. Sheep are a herd animal. They don’t do well on their own. They stick together. They need each other.
The Old Testament is full of references to sheep and shepherds. Many of these references describe the people of Israel as sheep. The New Testament adopts this same language to describe God’s people—the church—as sheep. So, I believe Jesus was commanding Peter to use Another Second Chance in the church.
You and I are like sheep. We are dependent on our shepherd—Jesus—to take care of our needs. AND, we need to flock together in the church. Christians NEVER do well on our own out in the world.
Conclusion.
On one hand, Peter’s story is a very personal story. It is addressed to each of us individually. Your failure—or your many failures—are not fatal. Just because you think you have failed in business, in finances or even in relationships, God is not through with you. Even if you have failed spiritually—after all, Peter failed spiritually by denying that Jesus was his Lord… Even if you have failed spiritually, your failure is not fatal. God is not through with you. God has a plan for your life. God wants to reinstate you and give you a job to do among God’s sheep, in the church.
On the other hand, Peter’s story is a good story for our church to hear. Yes, we can find a personal and individual message in this Scripture. But, we can also find a message to our church.
In the past several weeks, I have been talking about our Long Range Planning Committee and our upcoming 40 Days of Prayer for our church and the fact that we need to make some changes in the way we do church in the future. BUT, I do not believe our church is a failure. I love this church. I am proud to tell people I am pastor of this church.
Lufkin’s First Baptist Church has a wonderful legacy of worship, ministry and missions. We have been entrusted to carry on that legacy. Today, I do not believe we are living up to our God-given mission…potential…expectations… I suppose we could think of ourselves as failures and just quit right here and now. But, that is not like the story of Peter or like the story of the Gospel. The Gospel tells us that failure is not fatal, God has a plan for us, and Jesus wants to reinstate us for service.
No, this is not the end of Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. It is the beginning of Another Second Chance. The biggest mistake we could make today is to become so afraid of failure that we decide to do nothing.
Friday was the 164th birthday of Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison became famous as an inventor. He still holds the record for the most patents in his name, 1,093! But, all my life I heard the story about how many times Edison failed to invent the light bulb. I don’t know if this is a true story or not, but this is a story of truth. It was said that Edison failed a thousand times before he ever invented the light bulb. But, Edison said, “I didn’t fail. I simply discovered a thousand ways NOT to invent the light bulb.”
Or consider Hank Aaron[3]… Call me old fashioned, but I refuse to acknowledge Barry Bonds as the player with the most home runs in Major League Baseball. Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs in 23 seasons. Do you know how many times he struck out? 1,383 strike outs. He had a career batting average of .305 in 13,940 plate appearances. He made an out in 69% of plate appearances and hit a home run 5%.
If we believe the Gospel, the we also believe failure is not fatal. We have to be willing to try…And we have to be willing to fail sometimes…
[1] http://www.snopes.com/glurge/lincoln.asp
[2] http://www.quotesdaddy.com/quote/280615/winston-churchill/success-is-not-final-failure-is-not-fatal-it-is-the
[3] http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/aaronha01.shtml
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Conflict of Will
Conflict of Will
Galatians 5: 16 – 26.
I. Introduction.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been promising you that we will enter into a period of forty days of prayer for our church. That is still the plan, and the plan is beginning to take some shape. For example, our Long Range Planning Committee met last Sunday to begin praying together and organizing our church-wide prayer emphasis. We are planning to launch our forty days of prayer on Wednesday, March 9. That day is also known as Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Lent is a forty day period of prayer that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.
Many of us have probably never observed Lent. We are Baptists and (for those of us who grew up in Baptist churches) this is not something we are accustomed to. The only reference we have to Lent is that it has something to do with fasting and “giving up something for Lent.” That is part of the story. Lent is a season of repentance and “getting ready” for Easter, just as Advent is a season in which we “get ready” for Christmas. People “give up something for Lent” as a way of participating with Jesus in his forty days of fasting and as a way to remember to pray. If someone gives up meat for Lent, they are supposed to remember to pray every time they think about meat.
What I would like for you to do is to pray for your church during this period of time. Actually, I hope you pray for our church regularly—I know that I could really use the prayers. The difference between asking you to pray for our church regularly and asking you to pray for our church during Lent is the fact that we are going to provide you with a “prayer guide.” This will hopefully mean that we will all pray about the same things.
Several themes surfaced in our Town Hall Meetings that will be placed on our prayer guides for the forty days of prayer. (I know I have said this before, but the best way to communicate an idea is to keep saying it over and over.) Three themes were repeated consistently by many of our church members: Sunday morning worship, the need to do more and better outreach, and the condition of our church buildings. We will definitely pray about these specific topics.
However, there is one theme that I want you to pray about which did not show up on any of our responses. The Culture of Our Church. What kind of church are we?
In my opinion, there are basically three kinds of churches.
First, there is the church that tries to make ME happy. Therefore, this kind of church can only grow by reaching out to more people who are just like me.
Second, there is the church that tries to make EVERYONE happy. I know some people like this. They call themselves “people pleasers.” They have never learned the lesson that it is impossible to make everyone happy. On one hand, there will always be someone unhappy about the things you do as an individual or as a church. On the other hand, if everyone around you is happy with you, then you are probably miserable on the inside. You make everyone else happy only to discover that you have driven yourself insane.
Third, there is the church that tries to make GOD happy. This is the church I want to be a part of. This is the church which functions as the Body of Christ in the world, continuing to do the works that Jesus began and demonstrated in his earthly life and ministry. Preaching the Gospel to the lost and serving people who are in need.
Galatians 5: 16 – 26.
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.(NIV)
The section before this section deals with Christian freedom. True freedom is the freedom that can only come from Jesus. For example, the Old Testament reminds us of God’s expectations for his people. This is what we call the Law. The Law is an impossible standard for us. No one has ever kept the Law perfectly. We all sin and fall short of God’s glory and expectations. Therefore, we are deserving of God’s anger and wrath.
However, Jesus took all of God’s anger and wrath away when he died on the cross. Anyone who places their faith in Jesus does not have to fear God’s anger and wrath. The message of the cross is that anyone who believes has freedom from God’s anger and wrath. God is no longer angry at us, even though we are sinners. God will never be angry at us again.
As a result, Christians are free from God’s anger…free from God’s wrath…free from the Law…free from sin…free from death…free from Satan.
The Galatians were probably a little bit jealous of their neighbors. The pagans had a standard of ethics they lived up to on a daily basis. The Jews tried to fulfill the Old Testament Law. But, what about Christians? How are Christians to measure our conduct? The answer is the Holy Spirit.
The Galatians were in the process of considering to walk away from the freedom that Christ offered on the cross. They wanted to exchange that freedom for the Law. It was a clear, understandable, black and white ethical standard. But, to do this is to return to slavery. This is not how free people are to live. Free people live by the power of the Holy Spirit.
II. Flesh and Spirit.
So, Paul begins this section arguing for the Holy Spirit over the Law. Yet, he begins this argument by contrasting the Spirit and the “sinful nature.” Literally, the “sinful nature” is the Greek word “flesh.” I prefer to use the NIV’s term “sinful nature,” because it is not as confusing. For example, Paul is not trying to tell us that we can divide our nature into two sections: the human spirit and the human flesh.
You do not have a good side and an evil side. It is not like the cartoons with an angel that looks like you on one shoulder and a devil that looks like you on the other shoulder.
Paul’s point is much more complicated than that. Paul says that as long as you live in the “flesh”—or as long as you have an earthly body—you will deal with sin and temptation. There will be a day when you can get rid of your earthly body in exchange for a heavenly body. Only at that time will the victory over sin and temptation be complete. Sin affects our nature as long as we live on earth.
Notice that the word “Spirit” is capitalized. This is an interpretation based on the theology I just explained. The Greek word for spirit can mean either human spirit or the Holy Spirit. The interpreters of the NIV agree with my statement that you and I do not have a good and reliable spirit. However, we do have the Holy Spirit who is both good and reliable.
The only way to avoid sin is to follow the Holy Spirit. God has given each of us what we need to live good and godly lives. It is not the Law. It is not human ethical standards. It is not within us (i.e. human spirit or human goodness). All we need is the direction of the Holy Spirit.
When Paul talks about the “flesh” or the “sinful nature,” he is really talking about what it means to be human. I cannot imagine a life without flesh or a body. In the same way, I cannot imagine a life without a sinful nature. Both “flesh” and “sinful nature” describe who I am. Therefore, the contrast Paul is drawing is not between two forces within me. Paul is describing the conflict between me and God. It is a conflict of doing things my way versus doing things God’s way.
Think of this in terms of the church. There are basically two ways to think about church. Some people think church is a place for perfect people. If this is true, then church is a holy huddle. A place where Christians can hunker down and escape from sinful people and sinful activities. The other view of church is to think of it as a hospital for sinners. This is what I think the church is—or at least ought to be.
What kind of people do you find in a hospital? Sick people! What kind of people do you find in church? Sinners!
Just as sick people go to the hospital to recover from sickness, sinners come to church to recover from sin. The only difference between a hospital and a church is what the hospital does with well people. Once you get well—or even start to get close to well—they kick you out of the hospital. Even people who come to church their entire lives will never get well.
Sin will always be a fact for human beings. We are constantly in a struggle between flesh and Spirit, self and God. But we are not left alone in this struggle.
Where do you go to find help in times of temptation? Do you turn to the Law? Do you turn to ethics? Do you look deep within yourself? Do you read the Bible?
A friend of mine told me this fable about a chicken and a hare. A chicken and a hare were talking one day. The hare asked the chicken, “How do you escape from the fox?” The chicken replied, “I have 42 patterns of flight. Sometimes I run straight and take flight. Other time I run left or right and fly straight up. I have 42 options. What about you? How do you escape from the fox?” The hare answered, “I run left, then right, then left, then right, then left, then right…until the fox is gone.”
One day, the fox came. The hare ran left, then right, then left, then right… The chicken thought, “Which of my 42 patterns of flight will serve me best?” While he was considering this, the fox ate the chicken.
God has not given us 42 options for dealing with temptation. God has given us only one…Be led by the Spirit.
There is a difference between sin and temptation. Everyone faces temptation on a daily basis. Opportunities present themselves for sin. There is lust, greed, anger, hatred, envy, etc… What is there to help you resist daily temptation?
If you try to look at the Law or search the Bible for answers, you might end up like the chicken—overtaken by the fox. But, if you pray for the Holy Spirit to lead, then you can be like the hare—run away from the fox. The Spirit is the only resource we need and the only resource that can help us resist temptation.
The Holy Spirit is the only resource you need as an individual. AND, the Holy Spirit is the only resource we need as a church. The Holy Spirit is IN us and AMONG us.
III. A Church who Pleases Itself.
This passage looks a lot like a typical “catalogue of vices.” Paul uses a catalogue like this in other places of his writings. He lists several sins that are easily recognized as sins. There is no gray area here. Most everyone will read this list and agree that these are sins.
Notice that Paul used the word “acts” to describe these sins. An act is something that you and I do by our own strength, ability or even our will. These are intentional acts. They are things we accomplish for ourselves. Now, compare that to what Paul described as a conflict between flesh and Spirit. If Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit and God…If flesh refers to the sinful nature and human beings in general…Then, this is a list of the things human beings do when left to our own devices. It describes us individually and corporately (as a church).
In the Book of Galatians, Paul is addressing a community of Christians and not individual Christians. I have usually thought of this passage as a warning to individuals. What if Paul is writing about the ethics of the community? What if Paul is writing about the Culture of the Church? Churches have personalities and cultures and ethical standards as well as individuals.
If you look for the word “and” in verses 19 - 21, you will notice that Paul’s list can be organized into four categories. The first three sins are sexual sins. The next two sins are spiritual sins. The next eight sins are social sins within the church. The last two sins are social sins in the community at large. It seems that Paul spends more time focusing on the sins that can bring harm to the church.
Another way to think about this is to say Paul is describing the way a godless and pagan temple would operate. It was common to find sexual sins and idolatry in a pagan temple. Those sins would never appear in a Christian church. However, the sins in the middle of Paul’s list are not exclusive to pagan temples. Some Christian churches are plagues with the same sins. In other words, it is possible for Christian people to sin by allowing our sinful desires to keep us from following the Holy Spirit. AND, it is possible for Christian churches to act like pagan temples!
IV. A Church who Pleases God
Notice that Paul does not refer to the “acts” of the Spirit. He talks about the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is the natural produce found in the agricultural world. Farmers don’t produce fruit. Plants produce fruit. Farmers wait for and harvest fruit. In fact, harvest is another word we can use here. The Harvest of the Spirit. This is what your life will look like when the Spirit does his work in you.
However, what if Paul is addressing this to a church and not to individuals? I think we can make a great case for that by reading the entire book of Galatians. Therefore, Paul is describing what a church ought to look like.
Love… Agape
Joy… From the Spirit, regardless of circumstances
Peace… Peaceful relations with God and each other
Patience… Bearing with one another’s burdens…All are sinners
Kindness… Attitude of the heart
Goodness… Action that results from a kind heart…Generosity
Faithfulness… Could be translated “faith,” but probably refers to our relations with God and one another…Like Peace
Gentleness… Word also translated meekness…Means under control…Probably refers to having emotions under control and thus treating others mildly
Self-Control…Word refers to controlling the animalistic instincts of over eating, indulging in sexual activity…or in general resisting temptations
The end of verse 23 literally reads, “Against such there is no law.” The NIV chooses to interpret “such” as a neuter and thus adds the word “things.” It is possible to interpret “such” as masculine and a reference to people. So, Paul could be saying, “Against such people there is no law.” I choose to think of this as people. Therefore, Paul is saying people and churches who are led by the Holy Spirit have no need for the Law. If we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will live our individual lives and our community lives in ways that are pleasing to God
V. Conclusion.
This is a vivid illustration of two different church cultures...A church which pleases itself versus a church which pleases God.
Galatians 5: 16 – 26.
I. Introduction.
For the past couple of weeks, I have been promising you that we will enter into a period of forty days of prayer for our church. That is still the plan, and the plan is beginning to take some shape. For example, our Long Range Planning Committee met last Sunday to begin praying together and organizing our church-wide prayer emphasis. We are planning to launch our forty days of prayer on Wednesday, March 9. That day is also known as Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Lent is a forty day period of prayer that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday.
Many of us have probably never observed Lent. We are Baptists and (for those of us who grew up in Baptist churches) this is not something we are accustomed to. The only reference we have to Lent is that it has something to do with fasting and “giving up something for Lent.” That is part of the story. Lent is a season of repentance and “getting ready” for Easter, just as Advent is a season in which we “get ready” for Christmas. People “give up something for Lent” as a way of participating with Jesus in his forty days of fasting and as a way to remember to pray. If someone gives up meat for Lent, they are supposed to remember to pray every time they think about meat.
What I would like for you to do is to pray for your church during this period of time. Actually, I hope you pray for our church regularly—I know that I could really use the prayers. The difference between asking you to pray for our church regularly and asking you to pray for our church during Lent is the fact that we are going to provide you with a “prayer guide.” This will hopefully mean that we will all pray about the same things.
Several themes surfaced in our Town Hall Meetings that will be placed on our prayer guides for the forty days of prayer. (I know I have said this before, but the best way to communicate an idea is to keep saying it over and over.) Three themes were repeated consistently by many of our church members: Sunday morning worship, the need to do more and better outreach, and the condition of our church buildings. We will definitely pray about these specific topics.
However, there is one theme that I want you to pray about which did not show up on any of our responses. The Culture of Our Church. What kind of church are we?
In my opinion, there are basically three kinds of churches.
First, there is the church that tries to make ME happy. Therefore, this kind of church can only grow by reaching out to more people who are just like me.
Second, there is the church that tries to make EVERYONE happy. I know some people like this. They call themselves “people pleasers.” They have never learned the lesson that it is impossible to make everyone happy. On one hand, there will always be someone unhappy about the things you do as an individual or as a church. On the other hand, if everyone around you is happy with you, then you are probably miserable on the inside. You make everyone else happy only to discover that you have driven yourself insane.
Third, there is the church that tries to make GOD happy. This is the church I want to be a part of. This is the church which functions as the Body of Christ in the world, continuing to do the works that Jesus began and demonstrated in his earthly life and ministry. Preaching the Gospel to the lost and serving people who are in need.
Galatians 5: 16 – 26.
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.(NIV)
The section before this section deals with Christian freedom. True freedom is the freedom that can only come from Jesus. For example, the Old Testament reminds us of God’s expectations for his people. This is what we call the Law. The Law is an impossible standard for us. No one has ever kept the Law perfectly. We all sin and fall short of God’s glory and expectations. Therefore, we are deserving of God’s anger and wrath.
However, Jesus took all of God’s anger and wrath away when he died on the cross. Anyone who places their faith in Jesus does not have to fear God’s anger and wrath. The message of the cross is that anyone who believes has freedom from God’s anger and wrath. God is no longer angry at us, even though we are sinners. God will never be angry at us again.
As a result, Christians are free from God’s anger…free from God’s wrath…free from the Law…free from sin…free from death…free from Satan.
The Galatians were probably a little bit jealous of their neighbors. The pagans had a standard of ethics they lived up to on a daily basis. The Jews tried to fulfill the Old Testament Law. But, what about Christians? How are Christians to measure our conduct? The answer is the Holy Spirit.
The Galatians were in the process of considering to walk away from the freedom that Christ offered on the cross. They wanted to exchange that freedom for the Law. It was a clear, understandable, black and white ethical standard. But, to do this is to return to slavery. This is not how free people are to live. Free people live by the power of the Holy Spirit.
II. Flesh and Spirit.
So, Paul begins this section arguing for the Holy Spirit over the Law. Yet, he begins this argument by contrasting the Spirit and the “sinful nature.” Literally, the “sinful nature” is the Greek word “flesh.” I prefer to use the NIV’s term “sinful nature,” because it is not as confusing. For example, Paul is not trying to tell us that we can divide our nature into two sections: the human spirit and the human flesh.
You do not have a good side and an evil side. It is not like the cartoons with an angel that looks like you on one shoulder and a devil that looks like you on the other shoulder.
Paul’s point is much more complicated than that. Paul says that as long as you live in the “flesh”—or as long as you have an earthly body—you will deal with sin and temptation. There will be a day when you can get rid of your earthly body in exchange for a heavenly body. Only at that time will the victory over sin and temptation be complete. Sin affects our nature as long as we live on earth.
Notice that the word “Spirit” is capitalized. This is an interpretation based on the theology I just explained. The Greek word for spirit can mean either human spirit or the Holy Spirit. The interpreters of the NIV agree with my statement that you and I do not have a good and reliable spirit. However, we do have the Holy Spirit who is both good and reliable.
The only way to avoid sin is to follow the Holy Spirit. God has given each of us what we need to live good and godly lives. It is not the Law. It is not human ethical standards. It is not within us (i.e. human spirit or human goodness). All we need is the direction of the Holy Spirit.
When Paul talks about the “flesh” or the “sinful nature,” he is really talking about what it means to be human. I cannot imagine a life without flesh or a body. In the same way, I cannot imagine a life without a sinful nature. Both “flesh” and “sinful nature” describe who I am. Therefore, the contrast Paul is drawing is not between two forces within me. Paul is describing the conflict between me and God. It is a conflict of doing things my way versus doing things God’s way.
Think of this in terms of the church. There are basically two ways to think about church. Some people think church is a place for perfect people. If this is true, then church is a holy huddle. A place where Christians can hunker down and escape from sinful people and sinful activities. The other view of church is to think of it as a hospital for sinners. This is what I think the church is—or at least ought to be.
What kind of people do you find in a hospital? Sick people! What kind of people do you find in church? Sinners!
Just as sick people go to the hospital to recover from sickness, sinners come to church to recover from sin. The only difference between a hospital and a church is what the hospital does with well people. Once you get well—or even start to get close to well—they kick you out of the hospital. Even people who come to church their entire lives will never get well.
Sin will always be a fact for human beings. We are constantly in a struggle between flesh and Spirit, self and God. But we are not left alone in this struggle.
Where do you go to find help in times of temptation? Do you turn to the Law? Do you turn to ethics? Do you look deep within yourself? Do you read the Bible?
A friend of mine told me this fable about a chicken and a hare. A chicken and a hare were talking one day. The hare asked the chicken, “How do you escape from the fox?” The chicken replied, “I have 42 patterns of flight. Sometimes I run straight and take flight. Other time I run left or right and fly straight up. I have 42 options. What about you? How do you escape from the fox?” The hare answered, “I run left, then right, then left, then right, then left, then right…until the fox is gone.”
One day, the fox came. The hare ran left, then right, then left, then right… The chicken thought, “Which of my 42 patterns of flight will serve me best?” While he was considering this, the fox ate the chicken.
God has not given us 42 options for dealing with temptation. God has given us only one…Be led by the Spirit.
There is a difference between sin and temptation. Everyone faces temptation on a daily basis. Opportunities present themselves for sin. There is lust, greed, anger, hatred, envy, etc… What is there to help you resist daily temptation?
If you try to look at the Law or search the Bible for answers, you might end up like the chicken—overtaken by the fox. But, if you pray for the Holy Spirit to lead, then you can be like the hare—run away from the fox. The Spirit is the only resource we need and the only resource that can help us resist temptation.
The Holy Spirit is the only resource you need as an individual. AND, the Holy Spirit is the only resource we need as a church. The Holy Spirit is IN us and AMONG us.
III. A Church who Pleases Itself.
This passage looks a lot like a typical “catalogue of vices.” Paul uses a catalogue like this in other places of his writings. He lists several sins that are easily recognized as sins. There is no gray area here. Most everyone will read this list and agree that these are sins.
Notice that Paul used the word “acts” to describe these sins. An act is something that you and I do by our own strength, ability or even our will. These are intentional acts. They are things we accomplish for ourselves. Now, compare that to what Paul described as a conflict between flesh and Spirit. If Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit and God…If flesh refers to the sinful nature and human beings in general…Then, this is a list of the things human beings do when left to our own devices. It describes us individually and corporately (as a church).
In the Book of Galatians, Paul is addressing a community of Christians and not individual Christians. I have usually thought of this passage as a warning to individuals. What if Paul is writing about the ethics of the community? What if Paul is writing about the Culture of the Church? Churches have personalities and cultures and ethical standards as well as individuals.
If you look for the word “and” in verses 19 - 21, you will notice that Paul’s list can be organized into four categories. The first three sins are sexual sins. The next two sins are spiritual sins. The next eight sins are social sins within the church. The last two sins are social sins in the community at large. It seems that Paul spends more time focusing on the sins that can bring harm to the church.
Another way to think about this is to say Paul is describing the way a godless and pagan temple would operate. It was common to find sexual sins and idolatry in a pagan temple. Those sins would never appear in a Christian church. However, the sins in the middle of Paul’s list are not exclusive to pagan temples. Some Christian churches are plagues with the same sins. In other words, it is possible for Christian people to sin by allowing our sinful desires to keep us from following the Holy Spirit. AND, it is possible for Christian churches to act like pagan temples!
IV. A Church who Pleases God
Notice that Paul does not refer to the “acts” of the Spirit. He talks about the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit is the natural produce found in the agricultural world. Farmers don’t produce fruit. Plants produce fruit. Farmers wait for and harvest fruit. In fact, harvest is another word we can use here. The Harvest of the Spirit. This is what your life will look like when the Spirit does his work in you.
However, what if Paul is addressing this to a church and not to individuals? I think we can make a great case for that by reading the entire book of Galatians. Therefore, Paul is describing what a church ought to look like.
Love… Agape
Joy… From the Spirit, regardless of circumstances
Peace… Peaceful relations with God and each other
Patience… Bearing with one another’s burdens…All are sinners
Kindness… Attitude of the heart
Goodness… Action that results from a kind heart…Generosity
Faithfulness… Could be translated “faith,” but probably refers to our relations with God and one another…Like Peace
Gentleness… Word also translated meekness…Means under control…Probably refers to having emotions under control and thus treating others mildly
Self-Control…Word refers to controlling the animalistic instincts of over eating, indulging in sexual activity…or in general resisting temptations
The end of verse 23 literally reads, “Against such there is no law.” The NIV chooses to interpret “such” as a neuter and thus adds the word “things.” It is possible to interpret “such” as masculine and a reference to people. So, Paul could be saying, “Against such people there is no law.” I choose to think of this as people. Therefore, Paul is saying people and churches who are led by the Holy Spirit have no need for the Law. If we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we will live our individual lives and our community lives in ways that are pleasing to God
V. Conclusion.
This is a vivid illustration of two different church cultures...A church which pleases itself versus a church which pleases God.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thy Will Be Done
Thy Will Be Done
Matthew 6: 9 – 13 AND James 4: 1 – 3
I. Introduction.
Last Sunday, I announced my intention to lead our church in 40 days of prayer. I will have my first meeting with our Long Range Planning Committee this afternoon to begin preparing for these 40 days of prayer. We are going to provide our church with a list of things to pray for and some suggestions for how we can pray together for 40 days.
In short, we are not ready to begin the 40 days of prayer. BUT…Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to begin praying right now. I think we will be ready to present something to the church in about two or three weeks. That means, if you begin praying right now…you can actually pray for 54 to 61 days! That can’t hurt anything!
Perhaps it will be a good idea to pray for the Long Range Planning Committee as we work to organize and prepare for 40 days of prayer.
For the past two weeks, the Long Range Planning Committee has been looking back over all the comments made by our church members during our two Town Hall Meetings. We are organizing those comments into groups, or categories. For example, we received many comments about Sunday morning worship, our need to do outreach, and the physical condition of our aging buildings. I anticipate that these will be three of the categories we will pray about in our 40 days of prayer.
Some of the categories we will ask the church to pray about will be very “touchy” subjects. When I say “touchy,” I’m trying to avoid using words like “emotional” and “controversial.”
Music is a very emotional issue. There are many different opinions about music in our congregation.
The condition of our buildings can be a controversial issue. Our oldest building has been here since 1927. It has been the location for thousands of baptisms and hundreds of weddings. Doing something with the building where someone’s parents were baptized and married can stir up controversy.
This is the reason why we need to pray. Ultimately, I am asking you as a church to change. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we will keep getting what we’ve been getting. Are you comfortable with the results we’ve been getting as a church?
The church we are today is a smaller church than the church we were just ten years ago. We actually grew as a church in my first two years as pastor. We stopped the decline. We experienced a brief period in which new members were joining every Sunday and people were being baptized. We even had to create a new Sunday School department for all the young adults joining our church. Then, our community started losing jobs to layoffs, plant closure and jobs transferred out of town. That happened in 2008, and we have never regained our momentum.
I am of the opinion that we need to change something. But, I don’t know what. I mean that in all sincerity. I do not have the answer. But, I know who does have the answer. I do not know what the future holds. But, I know who holds the future.
This is why we need to pray. God has a plan for our church. We may not know what that plan is, but God is willing to show it to us. Therefore, we need to pray. It may seem impossible to us to navigate the emotion and controversy of change. But, it is not impossible for God. Nothing is impossible for God.
As I think about praying for the future, I am reminded of a phrase that Jesus used in his prayers… “Thy will be done.”
Matthew 6: 9 – 13.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'(NIV)
II. The Model Prayer.
Some people like to split theological hairs and say this ought to be called the Model Prayer and John 17 ought to be called the Lord’s Prayer. They prefer to call this the Model Prayer, because this is one of two places where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the Model Prayer is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s Gospel, it appears in a completely different context.
In Luke, the disciples watch as Jesus gets up early in the morning to go off by himself to pray. The disciples know how to pray. After all, they probably grew up in good Jewish families and learned how to pray from their parents and from their synagogues. But, there is something special about the way Jesus prays… And the disciples notice that.
So, the disciples come to Jesus and ask him how to pray, “Lord, teach us how to pray like you do…” And Jesus gives them a model for their prayers.
I find it significant that Jesus gives his disciples the Model Prayer in both contexts—the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and the answer to the disciples’ request in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus did not give his disciples a series of lectures on prayer. Jesus did not do a thirteen week Bible study on prayer from the Old Testament. Instead, Jesus gave them an example.
This tells me that the very best way to learn how to pray is to begin praying. We don’t learn how to pray by studying prayer. We should not try to discover exactly how prayer works. (Does prayer change God’s mind? Does prayer cause God’s plans for us and the world around us to change? Does God already have the events of the future set?)
It also tells me that Jesus wants us to pray. Jesus demonstrated a life of prayer. His disciples saw him go off to pray alone with God. His disciples heard him pray in public settings. AND, Jesus gave them a simple model for how they (and we) ought to approach God. Prayer is an important part of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus expects his disciples to be men and women of prayer.
I don’t want to pretend that I have all the answers about prayer and the way prayer works. In fact, it is just the opposite. I do not know how prayer works. But, I don’t know how my truck works either. I know that it needs gas to run. I know that I am supposed to get the oil changed. I don’t know how it works…And that does not stop me from driving. I don’t know how medicine works. I have to take allergy medicine every day in order to live comfortably in East Texas. I take the medicine and am thankful that it works, even if I don’t know exactly how or why.
In the Model Prayer, Jesus gives us a demonstration of how to pray and not an explanation of how prayer works.
Jesus teaches us to approach God as our Father. And just as an earthly father wants to give good gifts to his earthly children, so our Heavenly Father wants to bless us with good gifts. If God is our Father, then we don’t have to beg him to do the right thing. We don’t have to plead with him to do what is in our best interest. God, our Father, plans to do the right things and the best things in our lives.
Jesus teaches us to ask for things. Specifically, we are to ask for both the big things and the little things.
For example, our prayers are to be concerned with the big things in life like the coming Kingdom of God. There is nothing bigger and better than the Kingdom of God. This is the rule and reign of God as the King. The world we live in is in constant rebellion against God’s rule. We can’t establish God’s Kingdom for him. All we can do is submit ourselves to God’s rule and pray that the rest of the world will do the same.
In the same way we pray for the big things, we are also supposed to pray for the little things. Even things as small as the daily bread we need to give us life and sustenance. Just as there is nothing too big for God…There is nothing too small for God. God is concerned about every aspect of our lives. We can pray about our jobs, our relationships, the money we make and the food we eat. Again, God is our Heavenly Father who earnestly desires to meet every need for his children.
The Model Prayer demonstrates how we are to approach God in prayer, and it demonstrates what we are to ask of God. We can pray for the really nig things, like the Kingdom of God, and we can pray for the little things, like the food we eat. However, all our requests are to be governed by the will of God. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy will be done (on earth as it is in Heaven).”
III. Jesus as Model.
The Model Prayer is not the only time Jesus demonstrated that our lives and our prayers are to be governed by the will of God.
Jesus modeled this for us when he faced Satanic temptations in the desert. Each of the three temptations Jesus faced presented him with an occasion to substitute his human will for the will of God.
When Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread, Jesus was struggling with the human need for food. He had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was hungry. (This is one of the biggest understatements of the entire Bible.) Jesus could use his God-given ability to perform miracles to serve himself… Yet, he resisted. He used his miraculous powers to heal the sick, to cast out demons, and to serve other people…rather than himself.
When Satan told Jesus to throw himself off the top of the Temple, he presented Jesus with an opportunity to do something spectacular to catch the attention of all the people at one time. Jesus could have gained a lot of glory for himself by performing such an impressive feat. Yet, this was not God’s plan for Jesus’ life and ministry. The miracles Jesus performed were not attention seeking miracles. They were caring for the least among the people. They were meaningful and spectacular for one person at a time. This is the way God’s Kingdom grows…One person at a time, and not everyone at once.
When Satan told Jesus to bow down and worship Satan in order to receive power and authority over all the nations of the world, he presented Jesus an opportunity to become Lord of the earth without going to the cross. Again, this was not God’s plan. God’s plan involved suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus could only become Lord over all the earth if he obeyed his Father’s will. He had to go to the cross in order to defeat Satan and to rightfully claim this world as his own.
IV. Why Some Prayers Go Unanswered.
Perhaps this was not the only time Jesus faced such a temptation… Remember the way Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed. He knew he would be convicted of blasphemy. He knew he would be beaten and crucified by the Romans. Yet, on the night before he went to the cross, Jesus prayed in the Garden. He prayed three times. Each prayer began with Jesus’ asking God if there could be any other way. Is there was a way to redeem the world without suffering? Each prayer ended in the same way… Yet, not my will but Thy Will Be Done.
There is an interesting thing about God’s will. We love God’s will. We want to do God’s will. We find joy and fulfillment in God’s will. Yes, we will even fight for God’s will. That is…As long as there is no conflict between God’s will and our will.
James 4: 1 – 3.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.(NIV)
These are the words of James, the brother of Jesus. They help us to understand why some of our prayers seem to go unanswered. We are praying for “My Will Be Done” instead of “Thy Will Be Done.”
If we believe that Jesus was both fully human AND fully divine, then we must admit that Jesus found himself in conflict with God’s will when he was praying in the Garden. Jesus prayed an honest pray but ultimately submitted himself to God’s will instead of his human desires. Jesus demonstrates how we are to pray and submit to God’s will.
To pray like Jesus prayed… We will tell God exactly what we are feeling and thinking. We will search for every available option. Then, we will give our feeling and thoughts over to God. After all, God knows better than we do and his will is better than ours.
God never promised to bless your plans. Yet, this is what our prayers often sound like. Lord, I need a better job, and I know exactly which job you need to get for me. Lord, I am faced with a decision. I don’t really want to know which choice you think will be better for me, because I already know what I plan to do. All I need you to do is make this work for me. Lord, my pastor needs to make some changes. Help him to see things my way.
This is especially true when we are praying for the future of our church… God knows better than we do about the future of our church and which direction we should go. After all, it is God’s church and not our church.
V. Conclusion.
I made a mistake in my first church and learned a very important lesson. I preached a sermon with one person in mind.
After business meeting one Wednesday night, a woman came to me “hopping mad.” Things had not turned out the way she wanted them to turn out, and she wanted me to know she was mad. She said, “This is my church! I have been in this church my whole life. My parents were in this church their whole lives. This is my church! I am not going to let these newcomers come into MY church and tell me what to do.” (The newcomers she referred to had been members of the church for 21 years.)
I thought about this woman all week long as I selected the Scripture—Matthew 16, where Jesus said, “On this rock I will build MY church.” I thought about this woman while I was writing the sermon—the church belongs to Jesus and not to us. When I preached the sermon on Sunday morning, I looked around the congregation to make sure she was there. Then, I preached to her. I made sure that I wasn’t looking at her too often. I didn’t want to be too obvious.
When the service was over, I went to the back door and waited for her to come by. Sure enough, she waited around at the back of the sanctuary until everyone had left. She was the last one to speak to me. She took me by the hand and said, “That was a really good sermon. You really told THEM.”
With that in mind… I am not preaching to THEM this morning. I am preaching to YOU. Every person in this sanctuary needs to hear this message. Every person in this church needs to pray for our church by praying, “Not my will…Thy Will Be Done.”
Some of us will need to spend time praying about the things we don’t want to change about our church. Perhaps it is the music of the church or the buildings of the church. We need to talk to God about what we feel and what we think. Then, we need to turn it over to God, Thy Will Be Done.
Some of us will need to spend time praying about the things we want to see changed. Perhaps it is the music of the church or the buildings of the church. (It might even be the pastor of the church.) We need to talk to God about what we feel and what we think. We need to tell God how much better the church would be if the leadership would just do things the way we think things ought to be done. Then, we need to turn it over to God, Thy Will Be Done.
Matthew 6: 9 – 13 AND James 4: 1 – 3
I. Introduction.
Last Sunday, I announced my intention to lead our church in 40 days of prayer. I will have my first meeting with our Long Range Planning Committee this afternoon to begin preparing for these 40 days of prayer. We are going to provide our church with a list of things to pray for and some suggestions for how we can pray together for 40 days.
In short, we are not ready to begin the 40 days of prayer. BUT…Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to begin praying right now. I think we will be ready to present something to the church in about two or three weeks. That means, if you begin praying right now…you can actually pray for 54 to 61 days! That can’t hurt anything!
Perhaps it will be a good idea to pray for the Long Range Planning Committee as we work to organize and prepare for 40 days of prayer.
For the past two weeks, the Long Range Planning Committee has been looking back over all the comments made by our church members during our two Town Hall Meetings. We are organizing those comments into groups, or categories. For example, we received many comments about Sunday morning worship, our need to do outreach, and the physical condition of our aging buildings. I anticipate that these will be three of the categories we will pray about in our 40 days of prayer.
Some of the categories we will ask the church to pray about will be very “touchy” subjects. When I say “touchy,” I’m trying to avoid using words like “emotional” and “controversial.”
Music is a very emotional issue. There are many different opinions about music in our congregation.
The condition of our buildings can be a controversial issue. Our oldest building has been here since 1927. It has been the location for thousands of baptisms and hundreds of weddings. Doing something with the building where someone’s parents were baptized and married can stir up controversy.
This is the reason why we need to pray. Ultimately, I am asking you as a church to change. If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we will keep getting what we’ve been getting. Are you comfortable with the results we’ve been getting as a church?
The church we are today is a smaller church than the church we were just ten years ago. We actually grew as a church in my first two years as pastor. We stopped the decline. We experienced a brief period in which new members were joining every Sunday and people were being baptized. We even had to create a new Sunday School department for all the young adults joining our church. Then, our community started losing jobs to layoffs, plant closure and jobs transferred out of town. That happened in 2008, and we have never regained our momentum.
I am of the opinion that we need to change something. But, I don’t know what. I mean that in all sincerity. I do not have the answer. But, I know who does have the answer. I do not know what the future holds. But, I know who holds the future.
This is why we need to pray. God has a plan for our church. We may not know what that plan is, but God is willing to show it to us. Therefore, we need to pray. It may seem impossible to us to navigate the emotion and controversy of change. But, it is not impossible for God. Nothing is impossible for God.
As I think about praying for the future, I am reminded of a phrase that Jesus used in his prayers… “Thy will be done.”
Matthew 6: 9 – 13.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'(NIV)
II. The Model Prayer.
Some people like to split theological hairs and say this ought to be called the Model Prayer and John 17 ought to be called the Lord’s Prayer. They prefer to call this the Model Prayer, because this is one of two places where Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.
In Matthew’s Gospel, the Model Prayer is a part of the Sermon on the Mount. In Luke’s Gospel, it appears in a completely different context.
In Luke, the disciples watch as Jesus gets up early in the morning to go off by himself to pray. The disciples know how to pray. After all, they probably grew up in good Jewish families and learned how to pray from their parents and from their synagogues. But, there is something special about the way Jesus prays… And the disciples notice that.
So, the disciples come to Jesus and ask him how to pray, “Lord, teach us how to pray like you do…” And Jesus gives them a model for their prayers.
I find it significant that Jesus gives his disciples the Model Prayer in both contexts—the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel and the answer to the disciples’ request in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus did not give his disciples a series of lectures on prayer. Jesus did not do a thirteen week Bible study on prayer from the Old Testament. Instead, Jesus gave them an example.
This tells me that the very best way to learn how to pray is to begin praying. We don’t learn how to pray by studying prayer. We should not try to discover exactly how prayer works. (Does prayer change God’s mind? Does prayer cause God’s plans for us and the world around us to change? Does God already have the events of the future set?)
It also tells me that Jesus wants us to pray. Jesus demonstrated a life of prayer. His disciples saw him go off to pray alone with God. His disciples heard him pray in public settings. AND, Jesus gave them a simple model for how they (and we) ought to approach God. Prayer is an important part of what it means to be a Christian. Jesus expects his disciples to be men and women of prayer.
I don’t want to pretend that I have all the answers about prayer and the way prayer works. In fact, it is just the opposite. I do not know how prayer works. But, I don’t know how my truck works either. I know that it needs gas to run. I know that I am supposed to get the oil changed. I don’t know how it works…And that does not stop me from driving. I don’t know how medicine works. I have to take allergy medicine every day in order to live comfortably in East Texas. I take the medicine and am thankful that it works, even if I don’t know exactly how or why.
In the Model Prayer, Jesus gives us a demonstration of how to pray and not an explanation of how prayer works.
Jesus teaches us to approach God as our Father. And just as an earthly father wants to give good gifts to his earthly children, so our Heavenly Father wants to bless us with good gifts. If God is our Father, then we don’t have to beg him to do the right thing. We don’t have to plead with him to do what is in our best interest. God, our Father, plans to do the right things and the best things in our lives.
Jesus teaches us to ask for things. Specifically, we are to ask for both the big things and the little things.
For example, our prayers are to be concerned with the big things in life like the coming Kingdom of God. There is nothing bigger and better than the Kingdom of God. This is the rule and reign of God as the King. The world we live in is in constant rebellion against God’s rule. We can’t establish God’s Kingdom for him. All we can do is submit ourselves to God’s rule and pray that the rest of the world will do the same.
In the same way we pray for the big things, we are also supposed to pray for the little things. Even things as small as the daily bread we need to give us life and sustenance. Just as there is nothing too big for God…There is nothing too small for God. God is concerned about every aspect of our lives. We can pray about our jobs, our relationships, the money we make and the food we eat. Again, God is our Heavenly Father who earnestly desires to meet every need for his children.
The Model Prayer demonstrates how we are to approach God in prayer, and it demonstrates what we are to ask of God. We can pray for the really nig things, like the Kingdom of God, and we can pray for the little things, like the food we eat. However, all our requests are to be governed by the will of God. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Thy will be done (on earth as it is in Heaven).”
III. Jesus as Model.
The Model Prayer is not the only time Jesus demonstrated that our lives and our prayers are to be governed by the will of God.
Jesus modeled this for us when he faced Satanic temptations in the desert. Each of the three temptations Jesus faced presented him with an occasion to substitute his human will for the will of God.
When Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread, Jesus was struggling with the human need for food. He had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, and he was hungry. (This is one of the biggest understatements of the entire Bible.) Jesus could use his God-given ability to perform miracles to serve himself… Yet, he resisted. He used his miraculous powers to heal the sick, to cast out demons, and to serve other people…rather than himself.
When Satan told Jesus to throw himself off the top of the Temple, he presented Jesus with an opportunity to do something spectacular to catch the attention of all the people at one time. Jesus could have gained a lot of glory for himself by performing such an impressive feat. Yet, this was not God’s plan for Jesus’ life and ministry. The miracles Jesus performed were not attention seeking miracles. They were caring for the least among the people. They were meaningful and spectacular for one person at a time. This is the way God’s Kingdom grows…One person at a time, and not everyone at once.
When Satan told Jesus to bow down and worship Satan in order to receive power and authority over all the nations of the world, he presented Jesus an opportunity to become Lord of the earth without going to the cross. Again, this was not God’s plan. God’s plan involved suffering, crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus could only become Lord over all the earth if he obeyed his Father’s will. He had to go to the cross in order to defeat Satan and to rightfully claim this world as his own.
IV. Why Some Prayers Go Unanswered.
Perhaps this was not the only time Jesus faced such a temptation… Remember the way Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew he was going to be betrayed. He knew he would be convicted of blasphemy. He knew he would be beaten and crucified by the Romans. Yet, on the night before he went to the cross, Jesus prayed in the Garden. He prayed three times. Each prayer began with Jesus’ asking God if there could be any other way. Is there was a way to redeem the world without suffering? Each prayer ended in the same way… Yet, not my will but Thy Will Be Done.
There is an interesting thing about God’s will. We love God’s will. We want to do God’s will. We find joy and fulfillment in God’s will. Yes, we will even fight for God’s will. That is…As long as there is no conflict between God’s will and our will.
James 4: 1 – 3.
1 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.(NIV)
These are the words of James, the brother of Jesus. They help us to understand why some of our prayers seem to go unanswered. We are praying for “My Will Be Done” instead of “Thy Will Be Done.”
If we believe that Jesus was both fully human AND fully divine, then we must admit that Jesus found himself in conflict with God’s will when he was praying in the Garden. Jesus prayed an honest pray but ultimately submitted himself to God’s will instead of his human desires. Jesus demonstrates how we are to pray and submit to God’s will.
To pray like Jesus prayed… We will tell God exactly what we are feeling and thinking. We will search for every available option. Then, we will give our feeling and thoughts over to God. After all, God knows better than we do and his will is better than ours.
God never promised to bless your plans. Yet, this is what our prayers often sound like. Lord, I need a better job, and I know exactly which job you need to get for me. Lord, I am faced with a decision. I don’t really want to know which choice you think will be better for me, because I already know what I plan to do. All I need you to do is make this work for me. Lord, my pastor needs to make some changes. Help him to see things my way.
This is especially true when we are praying for the future of our church… God knows better than we do about the future of our church and which direction we should go. After all, it is God’s church and not our church.
V. Conclusion.
I made a mistake in my first church and learned a very important lesson. I preached a sermon with one person in mind.
After business meeting one Wednesday night, a woman came to me “hopping mad.” Things had not turned out the way she wanted them to turn out, and she wanted me to know she was mad. She said, “This is my church! I have been in this church my whole life. My parents were in this church their whole lives. This is my church! I am not going to let these newcomers come into MY church and tell me what to do.” (The newcomers she referred to had been members of the church for 21 years.)
I thought about this woman all week long as I selected the Scripture—Matthew 16, where Jesus said, “On this rock I will build MY church.” I thought about this woman while I was writing the sermon—the church belongs to Jesus and not to us. When I preached the sermon on Sunday morning, I looked around the congregation to make sure she was there. Then, I preached to her. I made sure that I wasn’t looking at her too often. I didn’t want to be too obvious.
When the service was over, I went to the back door and waited for her to come by. Sure enough, she waited around at the back of the sanctuary until everyone had left. She was the last one to speak to me. She took me by the hand and said, “That was a really good sermon. You really told THEM.”
With that in mind… I am not preaching to THEM this morning. I am preaching to YOU. Every person in this sanctuary needs to hear this message. Every person in this church needs to pray for our church by praying, “Not my will…Thy Will Be Done.”
Some of us will need to spend time praying about the things we don’t want to change about our church. Perhaps it is the music of the church or the buildings of the church. We need to talk to God about what we feel and what we think. Then, we need to turn it over to God, Thy Will Be Done.
Some of us will need to spend time praying about the things we want to see changed. Perhaps it is the music of the church or the buildings of the church. (It might even be the pastor of the church.) We need to talk to God about what we feel and what we think. We need to tell God how much better the church would be if the leadership would just do things the way we think things ought to be done. Then, we need to turn it over to God, Thy Will Be Done.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
What Drives Your Church?
What Drives First Baptist Church?
Exodus 6: 1 – 9; Matthew 28: 18 – 20.
I. Introduction
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Town Hall Meetings over the past two Sunday nights. If you were not able to attend, let me share with you what happened.
We had about 150 people present each night—in spite of the cold and rainy weather both nights. We began each meeting with a presentation from our Long Range Planning Committee.
Their first presentation reviewed statistics from the most recent ten year history of First Baptist Church. Over the past ten years, our church has received an average of 28 new members per year by transfer from other churches and 13 new members per year by baptism. That is an average of 41 new members every year. However, during the same ten-year period of time we have lost an average of 20 members to death every year and an average of 29 members to transfer to another church. That is an average of 49 members lost each year. (Do the math in your head…41 new members gained minus 49 members lost…We are experiencing a slow decline.)
The second presentation from the Long Range Planning Committee offered some information the committee discovered by reading a book, Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All Generations (Edward H. Hammett and James R. Pearce: Chalice Press, 2007).
This truly describes what we want for our church. We want to be a multi-generational church, consisting of senior adults, median adults, young adults, youth and children. However, we have a problem… These different generations have different characteristics. The differences are obvious when you look at the way the generations dress or listen to their styles of music. Yet, there are other differences which are less noticeable—like the ways the generations learn and communicate.
I think I can illustrate the differences in communication. There was a day when most people communicated by sitting down to write a letter. People would sit down with pen and paper to compose a letter; seal it in an envelope; go to the Post Office to buy a stamp; and mail the letter. Then, they would wait four or five days to receive a reply. Then, people began to use telephones. I can remember having a rotary phone in our kitchen when I was a child. If someone was talking on the phone, other people calling us would hear a “busy signal.” Then, my family got a “push button” phone with call waiting—if I planned it right, I could talk to two people at the same time. As an adult, I got my first cell phone. It was shaped like a brick, with a rubber antenna sticking out the top. Now, I have a cell phone that I carry with me most of the time…But, I rarely use it to talk…I send and receive text messages and email…I even use it to check facebook!
Over the years, communication have changed from letter writing to phone calls to emails to text messaging. None of these forms of communication is the right way or even the wrong way to communicate. They are simply different. AND, they are merely the FORM of communication…The form of communication does not change the message. The same message can be delivered in many different forms.
So, how can we become a church for all generations? The letter writers, the phone talkers, the emailers, the text messagers, the facebookers, and whatever comes next?
After meeting with the Long Range Planning Committee for over a year… After holding two Town Hall Meetings to receive input from the church body… After compiling every written and spoken comment… I have the answer! The answer is… I don’t know.
But, I think I have a good idea of how to find out.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Long Range Planning Committee will compile all the responses and suggestions from the church. We will begin to organize the suggestions into categories. For example, some of the suggestions dealt with Sunday morning worship, the condition of our buildings, the youth ministry and children’s ministry of our church.
Once we have a list of categories, we are going to ask you to join us in 40 days of prayer. Moses spent 40 days with God on the top of Mount Sinai. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. And, Rick Warren wrote a book about 40 days… If 40 days is good enough for Moses, Jesus and Rick Warren, then it’s good enough for us.
In the meantime, we need to ask ourselves, “What drives First Baptist Church?”
I ask this question this morning, because I have an answer in mind that I hope will become the driving force behind all we do in the future…
Read Exodus 6: 1 – 9.
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.
4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.(NIV)
Exodus 6 is one of two stories in the book of Exodus about the “Call of Moses”…
God’s first call to Moses happened at the burning bush in Exodus 3. Moses was working as a shepherd in the desert. Since sheep eat grass, being a shepherd in the desert is very difficult work. He had to lead his flock of sheep all over the desert looking for water. Where there is water, there is grass. Then, when the grass is gone, he had to lead his sheep to find more water and grass. One day, Moses saw a burning bush. While the bush was burning, it was not consumed by the fire.
God spoke to Moses from the bush and told him that God had a plan for Moses’ life. God wanted Moses to go to Egypt and lead God’s people out of slavery. You would think that Moses would be excited to know God had a plan for his life. But he wasn’t. He argued with God and gave him three excuses for why Moses was not the right man for the job. God won the argument. God has a way of doing that… So, Moses went to Egypt.
In Egypt, things didn’t go as smoothly as Moses had hoped. First, Moses talked to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. He told him that God had sent Moses to let God’s people go. But, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let God’s people go.
Then, Moses spoke to the Hebrew people. They didn’t listen to Moses either. They turned a deaf ear to Moses, because Moses was actually making their lives more difficult. When Pharaoh hardened his heart, he increased the workload for the Hebrew slaves. Their lives were more difficult after Moses came around… They didn’t want to listen to anything Moses had to say.
So, God came to Moses a second time in Exodus 6 to reinforce God’s calling and purpose for Moses’ life. Exodus 6 is like God is saying, “I know things haven’t worked out exactly the way you had planned. I know that the work is harder than you expected. BUT… I have called you to these people, to this place and for this purpose.”
Perhaps that is God’s word to each of us this morning as well. Things have not turned out exactly the way we wanted them to. The work of the church is more difficult than we ever imagined. But, God has called us to this people, to this place and for this purpose.”
If you look up the word “Drive” in the dictionary, you will find a definition that says something like, “to guide, control or direct.” For example, when you drive your car, you guide, control and direct your car home from church. When you drive a nail, you guide, control and direct that nail into a board. And when you drive a golf ball, you HOPE to guide, control and direct the ball straight down the middle of the fairway.
A couple of years ago, I read a book that has been highly influential on my understanding of the church…The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (Zondervan, 1995)…Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Mission Viejo, CA…The largest and the fastest growing Baptist church in history…Now don’t let that bother you…I do not intend for FBC to become anything like Saddleback…That is the mistake many pastors have made in the past 5 – 10 years…Many ego-centered pastors—thinking God has called them to pastor the largest and fastest growing church—have tried to take what works in Orange County, CA and transplant it to East Texas only to be solely disappointed…Don’t worry…I don’t plan to build an outdoor baptistery on the front steps of the church…I don’t plan to wear a Hawaiian shirt to preach in on Sunday mornings…But I do want to become familiar with and to introduce you to some of the universal & biblical concepts I have learned from Warren’s book…
On page 37 of The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren acknowledges that our church (First Baptist Church, Lufkin, Texas) was one of the first churches to believe in his vision to plant a new church in California. We sponsored him financially for the first five years, and we sent mission teams for several summers to help them get started.
The book also shares Warren’s extensive research and personal experience at Saddleback…Warren’s research involved the careful study of several churches in America that demonstrated phenomenal growth…This study led him to make a very interesting discovery…Every single church he studied had one thing in common…Each church operated out of a clear sense that God had called them to fulfill a specific purpose…In other words, they were Purpose Driven churches…
Then, Warren followed up this research by studying other churches…Some that were barely growing…Some that were plateaued…Others that were dying…And Warren made another discovery…Every church is driven by something…Not necessarily driven by purpose…But driven by something…
Don’t you think the same thing happens in churches today? Not in our church, of course, but perhaps another church…
What keeps us from being Purpose Driven? … Let me offer a few suggestions…
II. The Past?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by their Past…By Tradition… “We’ve never done it that way before.”
Their only goal is to perpetuate the past…The way things used to be...And the way things have always been…
Methodist minister, Richard J. Fairchild tells a story of one of his early pastorates…Every year the church had a Turkey Supper around Thanksgiving…One year a major church dispute broke out over the Turkey Supper…The dispute was so bad that one long time membership family actually left the church…Why? Because the wife of a new family in town convinced the rest of the women that it would be more efficient to place the pies on the counter top beside the sink instead of the counter top beside the refrigerator…The woman who left the church commented, “It’s just not the right way to do it. We’ve never done it that way before, and I am not about to do it that way now. Those new people are going to ruin this church. They aren’t even from around here.”
The same thing happened to Moses…It wasn’t about pies, it was about Manna…A group within the church began to complain about the Manna…We used to eat so much better than this…We had all the meat we could stand…We were better off in Egypt!
The church driven by the past sees any kind of change as negative…It’s just not right!…
Maintaining the Status Quo is the most important thing…Everything else, including God’s will, is secondary to “remaining stable.”
III. Personality?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by Personality…Either an authoritarian Pastor, a powerful layperson, or an influential family controls everything the church does…
This church doesn’t say, “We’ve never done it that way before.”…This church says, “What does the leader want to do?” …Or, “What does the Tom Sawyer Family want to do?”
My observation about Personality Driven churches…They are only one funeral away from failure…If the pastor leaves or the key layperson dies there is no one to carry on the work of the church…The church would simply wander around aimlessly until a new leader can be found…
Moses faced the same kind of distraction…In Exodus 32, Moses had been on Mt. Sinai for 40 days…The people were unhappy with the way things were going, so they asked Aaron to be the new leader…I am sure they thought that a new personality would provide a new vision, a new driving force in the church…
IV. Programs?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by Programs…Focus is placed on maintaining and continuing the same programs that have been in place for generations…
There are 2 mistakes in this situation…(1) Program driven churches have made a compromise…People are no longer the most important priority of the church…Positions are the most important…No one wants to take the job, but we have to find someone to fill the position, or we won’t have anything for the children to do on Wednesday nights…(2) Program driven churches cannot let go of dead or dying ideas…Folks, if a program needs to be propped up, we need to let it go…If a program of the church is already on life-support, we ought to go on and pull the plug and let it die!
Or as a friend of mine says…When the horse dies, GET OFF!…Can you think of any dead horses that we need to quit riding?!
Moses faced the same problem in his church…In Exodus 32, when the people made Aaron their leader, they created an idol (a golden calf) that the people worshipped…They also credited that idol with rescuing them from Egyptian slavery…
Program driven churches have done the same thing…They worship an idol, or a pantheon of false gods.
V. Purpose?
Some churches are Purpose Driven because they recognize their God given purpose and mission…
In the business world, there is a lot of talk about mission statements and the importance of organizing business practices to reflect the vision and values of the mission statement. Eventually, churches adopted this same practice. We have a mission statement as a church. One of our former pastors organized a committee of members to write our mission statement. But, we also have a mission statement that was not written by a former pastor or a committee of church members. It was spoken by Jesus himself.
Matthew 28: 18 – 20…
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""(NIV)
This is our purpose as a church…to Make Disciples.
If we want to be a Purpose Driven Church, then we have to be willing to do two things…(1) To look at everything we do through the lens of what the NT describes as our purpose—Great Commission: to go throughout the world God has given us and MAKE DISCIPLES, that includes evangelizing the lost and nurturing young believers…(2) We need a Plan! How are we supposed to accomplish our God-Given purpose? I believe that our Purpose is the same in 2011 as it was in 1883! But our Plan HAS to change. We do not live in the same world as the first members of this church lived in 1883…And we shouldn’t live in the same church either!
The starting point for every ministry and activity of this church ought to be the simple question… Why do we exist?
VI. Conclusion
William Barclay once said…There are two important days in every person’s life, the day you were born, and the day you discover why… For Christians, this is the day we were born and the day we discovered that God wants us to be his disciples.
I think the same can be said for churches…There are two important days in the life of a church, the day we were founded, and the day we discover why…
Why were we founded? What is our purpose? What is the driving force behind all we do and say?
It reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland…Alice met the cat on the road and asked, “Which road should I take?” The cat replied, “That all depends on where you are going.” Alice said, “I don’t know.” The cat, “Then it doesn’t matter which road.”
Exodus 6: 1 – 9; Matthew 28: 18 – 20.
I. Introduction
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Town Hall Meetings over the past two Sunday nights. If you were not able to attend, let me share with you what happened.
We had about 150 people present each night—in spite of the cold and rainy weather both nights. We began each meeting with a presentation from our Long Range Planning Committee.
Their first presentation reviewed statistics from the most recent ten year history of First Baptist Church. Over the past ten years, our church has received an average of 28 new members per year by transfer from other churches and 13 new members per year by baptism. That is an average of 41 new members every year. However, during the same ten-year period of time we have lost an average of 20 members to death every year and an average of 29 members to transfer to another church. That is an average of 49 members lost each year. (Do the math in your head…41 new members gained minus 49 members lost…We are experiencing a slow decline.)
The second presentation from the Long Range Planning Committee offered some information the committee discovered by reading a book, Reaching People Under 40 While Keeping People Over 60: Being Church for All Generations (Edward H. Hammett and James R. Pearce: Chalice Press, 2007).
This truly describes what we want for our church. We want to be a multi-generational church, consisting of senior adults, median adults, young adults, youth and children. However, we have a problem… These different generations have different characteristics. The differences are obvious when you look at the way the generations dress or listen to their styles of music. Yet, there are other differences which are less noticeable—like the ways the generations learn and communicate.
I think I can illustrate the differences in communication. There was a day when most people communicated by sitting down to write a letter. People would sit down with pen and paper to compose a letter; seal it in an envelope; go to the Post Office to buy a stamp; and mail the letter. Then, they would wait four or five days to receive a reply. Then, people began to use telephones. I can remember having a rotary phone in our kitchen when I was a child. If someone was talking on the phone, other people calling us would hear a “busy signal.” Then, my family got a “push button” phone with call waiting—if I planned it right, I could talk to two people at the same time. As an adult, I got my first cell phone. It was shaped like a brick, with a rubber antenna sticking out the top. Now, I have a cell phone that I carry with me most of the time…But, I rarely use it to talk…I send and receive text messages and email…I even use it to check facebook!
Over the years, communication have changed from letter writing to phone calls to emails to text messaging. None of these forms of communication is the right way or even the wrong way to communicate. They are simply different. AND, they are merely the FORM of communication…The form of communication does not change the message. The same message can be delivered in many different forms.
So, how can we become a church for all generations? The letter writers, the phone talkers, the emailers, the text messagers, the facebookers, and whatever comes next?
After meeting with the Long Range Planning Committee for over a year… After holding two Town Hall Meetings to receive input from the church body… After compiling every written and spoken comment… I have the answer! The answer is… I don’t know.
But, I think I have a good idea of how to find out.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Long Range Planning Committee will compile all the responses and suggestions from the church. We will begin to organize the suggestions into categories. For example, some of the suggestions dealt with Sunday morning worship, the condition of our buildings, the youth ministry and children’s ministry of our church.
Once we have a list of categories, we are going to ask you to join us in 40 days of prayer. Moses spent 40 days with God on the top of Mount Sinai. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert. And, Rick Warren wrote a book about 40 days… If 40 days is good enough for Moses, Jesus and Rick Warren, then it’s good enough for us.
In the meantime, we need to ask ourselves, “What drives First Baptist Church?”
I ask this question this morning, because I have an answer in mind that I hope will become the driving force behind all we do in the future…
Read Exodus 6: 1 – 9.
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.
4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.(NIV)
Exodus 6 is one of two stories in the book of Exodus about the “Call of Moses”…
God’s first call to Moses happened at the burning bush in Exodus 3. Moses was working as a shepherd in the desert. Since sheep eat grass, being a shepherd in the desert is very difficult work. He had to lead his flock of sheep all over the desert looking for water. Where there is water, there is grass. Then, when the grass is gone, he had to lead his sheep to find more water and grass. One day, Moses saw a burning bush. While the bush was burning, it was not consumed by the fire.
God spoke to Moses from the bush and told him that God had a plan for Moses’ life. God wanted Moses to go to Egypt and lead God’s people out of slavery. You would think that Moses would be excited to know God had a plan for his life. But he wasn’t. He argued with God and gave him three excuses for why Moses was not the right man for the job. God won the argument. God has a way of doing that… So, Moses went to Egypt.
In Egypt, things didn’t go as smoothly as Moses had hoped. First, Moses talked to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt. He told him that God had sent Moses to let God’s people go. But, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to let God’s people go.
Then, Moses spoke to the Hebrew people. They didn’t listen to Moses either. They turned a deaf ear to Moses, because Moses was actually making their lives more difficult. When Pharaoh hardened his heart, he increased the workload for the Hebrew slaves. Their lives were more difficult after Moses came around… They didn’t want to listen to anything Moses had to say.
So, God came to Moses a second time in Exodus 6 to reinforce God’s calling and purpose for Moses’ life. Exodus 6 is like God is saying, “I know things haven’t worked out exactly the way you had planned. I know that the work is harder than you expected. BUT… I have called you to these people, to this place and for this purpose.”
Perhaps that is God’s word to each of us this morning as well. Things have not turned out exactly the way we wanted them to. The work of the church is more difficult than we ever imagined. But, God has called us to this people, to this place and for this purpose.”
If you look up the word “Drive” in the dictionary, you will find a definition that says something like, “to guide, control or direct.” For example, when you drive your car, you guide, control and direct your car home from church. When you drive a nail, you guide, control and direct that nail into a board. And when you drive a golf ball, you HOPE to guide, control and direct the ball straight down the middle of the fairway.
A couple of years ago, I read a book that has been highly influential on my understanding of the church…The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (Zondervan, 1995)…Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Mission Viejo, CA…The largest and the fastest growing Baptist church in history…Now don’t let that bother you…I do not intend for FBC to become anything like Saddleback…That is the mistake many pastors have made in the past 5 – 10 years…Many ego-centered pastors—thinking God has called them to pastor the largest and fastest growing church—have tried to take what works in Orange County, CA and transplant it to East Texas only to be solely disappointed…Don’t worry…I don’t plan to build an outdoor baptistery on the front steps of the church…I don’t plan to wear a Hawaiian shirt to preach in on Sunday mornings…But I do want to become familiar with and to introduce you to some of the universal & biblical concepts I have learned from Warren’s book…
On page 37 of The Purpose Driven Church, Rick Warren acknowledges that our church (First Baptist Church, Lufkin, Texas) was one of the first churches to believe in his vision to plant a new church in California. We sponsored him financially for the first five years, and we sent mission teams for several summers to help them get started.
The book also shares Warren’s extensive research and personal experience at Saddleback…Warren’s research involved the careful study of several churches in America that demonstrated phenomenal growth…This study led him to make a very interesting discovery…Every single church he studied had one thing in common…Each church operated out of a clear sense that God had called them to fulfill a specific purpose…In other words, they were Purpose Driven churches…
Then, Warren followed up this research by studying other churches…Some that were barely growing…Some that were plateaued…Others that were dying…And Warren made another discovery…Every church is driven by something…Not necessarily driven by purpose…But driven by something…
Don’t you think the same thing happens in churches today? Not in our church, of course, but perhaps another church…
What keeps us from being Purpose Driven? … Let me offer a few suggestions…
II. The Past?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by their Past…By Tradition… “We’ve never done it that way before.”
Their only goal is to perpetuate the past…The way things used to be...And the way things have always been…
Methodist minister, Richard J. Fairchild tells a story of one of his early pastorates…Every year the church had a Turkey Supper around Thanksgiving…One year a major church dispute broke out over the Turkey Supper…The dispute was so bad that one long time membership family actually left the church…Why? Because the wife of a new family in town convinced the rest of the women that it would be more efficient to place the pies on the counter top beside the sink instead of the counter top beside the refrigerator…The woman who left the church commented, “It’s just not the right way to do it. We’ve never done it that way before, and I am not about to do it that way now. Those new people are going to ruin this church. They aren’t even from around here.”
The same thing happened to Moses…It wasn’t about pies, it was about Manna…A group within the church began to complain about the Manna…We used to eat so much better than this…We had all the meat we could stand…We were better off in Egypt!
The church driven by the past sees any kind of change as negative…It’s just not right!…
Maintaining the Status Quo is the most important thing…Everything else, including God’s will, is secondary to “remaining stable.”
III. Personality?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by Personality…Either an authoritarian Pastor, a powerful layperson, or an influential family controls everything the church does…
This church doesn’t say, “We’ve never done it that way before.”…This church says, “What does the leader want to do?” …Or, “What does the Tom Sawyer Family want to do?”
My observation about Personality Driven churches…They are only one funeral away from failure…If the pastor leaves or the key layperson dies there is no one to carry on the work of the church…The church would simply wander around aimlessly until a new leader can be found…
Moses faced the same kind of distraction…In Exodus 32, Moses had been on Mt. Sinai for 40 days…The people were unhappy with the way things were going, so they asked Aaron to be the new leader…I am sure they thought that a new personality would provide a new vision, a new driving force in the church…
IV. Programs?
Some churches are not Purpose Driven because they are driven by Programs…Focus is placed on maintaining and continuing the same programs that have been in place for generations…
There are 2 mistakes in this situation…(1) Program driven churches have made a compromise…People are no longer the most important priority of the church…Positions are the most important…No one wants to take the job, but we have to find someone to fill the position, or we won’t have anything for the children to do on Wednesday nights…(2) Program driven churches cannot let go of dead or dying ideas…Folks, if a program needs to be propped up, we need to let it go…If a program of the church is already on life-support, we ought to go on and pull the plug and let it die!
Or as a friend of mine says…When the horse dies, GET OFF!…Can you think of any dead horses that we need to quit riding?!
Moses faced the same problem in his church…In Exodus 32, when the people made Aaron their leader, they created an idol (a golden calf) that the people worshipped…They also credited that idol with rescuing them from Egyptian slavery…
Program driven churches have done the same thing…They worship an idol, or a pantheon of false gods.
V. Purpose?
Some churches are Purpose Driven because they recognize their God given purpose and mission…
In the business world, there is a lot of talk about mission statements and the importance of organizing business practices to reflect the vision and values of the mission statement. Eventually, churches adopted this same practice. We have a mission statement as a church. One of our former pastors organized a committee of members to write our mission statement. But, we also have a mission statement that was not written by a former pastor or a committee of church members. It was spoken by Jesus himself.
Matthew 28: 18 – 20…
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.""(NIV)
This is our purpose as a church…to Make Disciples.
If we want to be a Purpose Driven Church, then we have to be willing to do two things…(1) To look at everything we do through the lens of what the NT describes as our purpose—Great Commission: to go throughout the world God has given us and MAKE DISCIPLES, that includes evangelizing the lost and nurturing young believers…(2) We need a Plan! How are we supposed to accomplish our God-Given purpose? I believe that our Purpose is the same in 2011 as it was in 1883! But our Plan HAS to change. We do not live in the same world as the first members of this church lived in 1883…And we shouldn’t live in the same church either!
The starting point for every ministry and activity of this church ought to be the simple question… Why do we exist?
VI. Conclusion
William Barclay once said…There are two important days in every person’s life, the day you were born, and the day you discover why… For Christians, this is the day we were born and the day we discovered that God wants us to be his disciples.
I think the same can be said for churches…There are two important days in the life of a church, the day we were founded, and the day we discover why…
Why were we founded? What is our purpose? What is the driving force behind all we do and say?
It reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland…Alice met the cat on the road and asked, “Which road should I take?” The cat replied, “That all depends on where you are going.” Alice said, “I don’t know.” The cat, “Then it doesn’t matter which road.”
Sunday, January 16, 2011
God Loves You Just the Way You Are...
God Loves You Just the Way You Are
Romans 5: 8 and Galatians 2: 20.
I. Introduction.
II. God Loves You Just Like You Are.
Romans 5: 8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
I cannot think of anyone greater than the Apostle Paul to write these words. Paul had a story just like your story and my story…He thought he needed to “Clean Up His Act” for God…
And he worked hard at it…He had a pedigree that most Jewish young men would have loved to have had for themselves…He was born into a good Jewish family, Hebrew of Hebrews, Hebrew ancestry and Paul even spoke Hebrew…His family obeyed the law and taught Paul to love and obey the law as a child…When Paul grew up, he took on the highest religious rank available to a Jewish man, he became a Pharisee…As a Pharisee, Paul out performed all the other Pharisees his age…Every religious man in town wished he could be as religious as Paul was…
But one day Paul discovered that none of these things mattered…Because as much as he might try to be good or righteous or holy or like God, Paul could never be as good as God is…He could never become righteous, because even if his actions were good his motives were questionable…Paul discovered that it is possible for a person to sin even while they are keeping the law…It is possible to do the right thing so other people will notice you and brag about how spiritual and religious you are, and that is sin…It is the sin of pride…
Paul realized that he was caught in a trap that he could never get out of…As a human being, Paul was sinful and could not stand in the presence of a holy God…
Did you know that? If you have sin in your life, you cannot be in the same place with God. Another way to say that is to say, God cannot allow you into Heaven if you have sin in your life. It doesn’t matter how big or small you perceive your sins to be. Sin deserves death and Hell…Eternal separation from God.
And that is where we encounter the Good News about Jesus Christ…God loved you so much that he sent his only begotten Son to live here on the earth and to die for your sins…Jesus died for sinners…Jesus did not die for good people…Jesus did not die for saved people…Jesus died for sinners…
As a good Jewish man, Paul understood the death of Jesus in terms of Jewish religion…He thought of it as a sacrifice…Jewish religion taught Paul that if he had sin in his life he would have to go to the synagogue and offer sacrifice to God…Sacrifices were offered on behalf of sinners, not for the righteous…
There is Good News today…You do not have to “Clean Up Your Act” for God to love you…God loved sinners, and he demonstrated it in the death of Jesus…
Jesus taught this to his disciples…One day he ate lunch (in broad daylight) with a man who was known in the community as a bad sinner…And the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this…And do you know what Jesus said?...“Healthy people do not need doctors. Sick people need doctors. And sinners need a Savior.”
This is HALF of the Gospel...
God loves you just like you are…A sinner who needs a Savior…
III. But, God Loves You too Much to Leave You Like You Are.
If God loves me just like I am, does that give me a license to live any way I want to live? No! There is a second part of this Good News!
Remember the story of Easter. Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect and sinless life. He performed miracles, and he taught the people about the Kingdom of God. Eventually, the religious leaders had all they could take of Jesus’ ministry. One of his own disciples betrayed Jesus and handed him over to the religious and political leaders. They put Jesus on trial and found him guilty of blasphemy—claiming to be equal to God himself. They sentenced Jesus to the death penalty on a Roman cross.
However, the crucifixion of Jesus was not the end of Jesus’ story. Jesus literally and physically died on the cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But Jesus did not stay in the grave. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a testimony that Jesus has conquered death and Hell…That Jesus really is the Son of God…That there is something for us to look forward to if we put our faith in Jesus…
But the Resurrection is also the beginning of a new kind of life for Jesus…No longer is Jesus confined to his human existence…While Jesus lived on the earth, he was limited in time and space…As a human with a literal and actual body, Jesus could not be in two places at the same time…Now, however, these limitations have been lifted…Jesus can be in all places at all times…
And do you know where Jesus lives? He lives in me!
Galatians 2: 20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
There are 2 things in this verse that I want you to notice…The first I have already pointed out…Because Jesus Christ has been Resurrected, he lives in me…
But there is a second point here…It can be found in the answer to the question, “In whom does Jesus live?” Does Jesus live in every person on the face of the earth? No!
Look at the second line of that verse…The life I live in the body, I live by FAITH in the Son of God…That is the key…Jesus lives in those who have placed their FAITH in him.
When Jesus lives in you it will be noticeable…Remember, Jesus Christ is fully divine, he is God…Remember, God is holy and perfect…Remember, a holy God cannot stand in the presence of sin…Therefore, if Jesus is in you and you are a sinner, there will be a conflict…Conflict between righteousness and sinfulness…
Who will win that conflict? Righteousness…Jesus Christ will prevail…That means, when Jesus Christ comes into your life, some noticeable changes will take place…
1. Sin is no longer comfortable…Conviction of Holy Spirit
2. Your desires begin to change…Rather than pleasing yourself, you want to do what is pleasing to God…
3. Your character begins to change…When Jesus is in you, he works to mold you and to shape you into his own image and likeness…The best way to think of this is to think of family resemblance…Just as a child looks like his or her father, your life will begin to resemble the holiness of God.
Yes, God loves you just the way you are—a sinner in need of a savior. BUT, God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. If you will place your faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected Son of God, Jesus will live inside you. When Jesus is inside you, he will begin to change your life.
Too many people think they can change their own lives. The truth is we cannot change ourselves. We need help. Only Jesus can change your life.
IV. Conclusion.
Today I want to declare the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was Crucified so that you might be saved. Jesus Christ was Resurrected so that you might be changed into his image and his likeness.
This is the whole Gospel:
God loves you just like you are…But God loves you too much to leave you like you are.
Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God?
Romans 10: 9, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This verse tells us that a person must do two things in order to be saved. You must BELIEVE that Jesus died and was resurrected for you. And you must confess (tell the truth) that Jesus is your Lord. This makes it personal.
Salvation is a Free Gift from God. But, there is an interesting thing about a Free Gift. You cannot do anything to earn a free gift. No one deserves to be saved. But, everyone needs to receive God’s Free Gift.
God has offered you a gift today. Will you receive it?
Romans 5: 8 and Galatians 2: 20.
I. Introduction.
II. God Loves You Just Like You Are.
Romans 5: 8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
I cannot think of anyone greater than the Apostle Paul to write these words. Paul had a story just like your story and my story…He thought he needed to “Clean Up His Act” for God…
And he worked hard at it…He had a pedigree that most Jewish young men would have loved to have had for themselves…He was born into a good Jewish family, Hebrew of Hebrews, Hebrew ancestry and Paul even spoke Hebrew…His family obeyed the law and taught Paul to love and obey the law as a child…When Paul grew up, he took on the highest religious rank available to a Jewish man, he became a Pharisee…As a Pharisee, Paul out performed all the other Pharisees his age…Every religious man in town wished he could be as religious as Paul was…
But one day Paul discovered that none of these things mattered…Because as much as he might try to be good or righteous or holy or like God, Paul could never be as good as God is…He could never become righteous, because even if his actions were good his motives were questionable…Paul discovered that it is possible for a person to sin even while they are keeping the law…It is possible to do the right thing so other people will notice you and brag about how spiritual and religious you are, and that is sin…It is the sin of pride…
Paul realized that he was caught in a trap that he could never get out of…As a human being, Paul was sinful and could not stand in the presence of a holy God…
Did you know that? If you have sin in your life, you cannot be in the same place with God. Another way to say that is to say, God cannot allow you into Heaven if you have sin in your life. It doesn’t matter how big or small you perceive your sins to be. Sin deserves death and Hell…Eternal separation from God.
And that is where we encounter the Good News about Jesus Christ…God loved you so much that he sent his only begotten Son to live here on the earth and to die for your sins…Jesus died for sinners…Jesus did not die for good people…Jesus did not die for saved people…Jesus died for sinners…
As a good Jewish man, Paul understood the death of Jesus in terms of Jewish religion…He thought of it as a sacrifice…Jewish religion taught Paul that if he had sin in his life he would have to go to the synagogue and offer sacrifice to God…Sacrifices were offered on behalf of sinners, not for the righteous…
There is Good News today…You do not have to “Clean Up Your Act” for God to love you…God loved sinners, and he demonstrated it in the death of Jesus…
Jesus taught this to his disciples…One day he ate lunch (in broad daylight) with a man who was known in the community as a bad sinner…And the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this…And do you know what Jesus said?...“Healthy people do not need doctors. Sick people need doctors. And sinners need a Savior.”
This is HALF of the Gospel...
God loves you just like you are…A sinner who needs a Savior…
III. But, God Loves You too Much to Leave You Like You Are.
If God loves me just like I am, does that give me a license to live any way I want to live? No! There is a second part of this Good News!
Remember the story of Easter. Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God. He was born of a virgin. He lived a perfect and sinless life. He performed miracles, and he taught the people about the Kingdom of God. Eventually, the religious leaders had all they could take of Jesus’ ministry. One of his own disciples betrayed Jesus and handed him over to the religious and political leaders. They put Jesus on trial and found him guilty of blasphemy—claiming to be equal to God himself. They sentenced Jesus to the death penalty on a Roman cross.
However, the crucifixion of Jesus was not the end of Jesus’ story. Jesus literally and physically died on the cross. He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But Jesus did not stay in the grave. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a testimony that Jesus has conquered death and Hell…That Jesus really is the Son of God…That there is something for us to look forward to if we put our faith in Jesus…
But the Resurrection is also the beginning of a new kind of life for Jesus…No longer is Jesus confined to his human existence…While Jesus lived on the earth, he was limited in time and space…As a human with a literal and actual body, Jesus could not be in two places at the same time…Now, however, these limitations have been lifted…Jesus can be in all places at all times…
And do you know where Jesus lives? He lives in me!
Galatians 2: 20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
There are 2 things in this verse that I want you to notice…The first I have already pointed out…Because Jesus Christ has been Resurrected, he lives in me…
But there is a second point here…It can be found in the answer to the question, “In whom does Jesus live?” Does Jesus live in every person on the face of the earth? No!
Look at the second line of that verse…The life I live in the body, I live by FAITH in the Son of God…That is the key…Jesus lives in those who have placed their FAITH in him.
When Jesus lives in you it will be noticeable…Remember, Jesus Christ is fully divine, he is God…Remember, God is holy and perfect…Remember, a holy God cannot stand in the presence of sin…Therefore, if Jesus is in you and you are a sinner, there will be a conflict…Conflict between righteousness and sinfulness…
Who will win that conflict? Righteousness…Jesus Christ will prevail…That means, when Jesus Christ comes into your life, some noticeable changes will take place…
1. Sin is no longer comfortable…Conviction of Holy Spirit
2. Your desires begin to change…Rather than pleasing yourself, you want to do what is pleasing to God…
3. Your character begins to change…When Jesus is in you, he works to mold you and to shape you into his own image and likeness…The best way to think of this is to think of family resemblance…Just as a child looks like his or her father, your life will begin to resemble the holiness of God.
Yes, God loves you just the way you are—a sinner in need of a savior. BUT, God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. If you will place your faith in Jesus Christ, the crucified and resurrected Son of God, Jesus will live inside you. When Jesus is inside you, he will begin to change your life.
Too many people think they can change their own lives. The truth is we cannot change ourselves. We need help. Only Jesus can change your life.
IV. Conclusion.
Today I want to declare the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was Crucified so that you might be saved. Jesus Christ was Resurrected so that you might be changed into his image and his likeness.
This is the whole Gospel:
God loves you just like you are…But God loves you too much to leave you like you are.
Have you placed your faith in Jesus Christ the Son of God?
Romans 10: 9, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
This verse tells us that a person must do two things in order to be saved. You must BELIEVE that Jesus died and was resurrected for you. And you must confess (tell the truth) that Jesus is your Lord. This makes it personal.
Salvation is a Free Gift from God. But, there is an interesting thing about a Free Gift. You cannot do anything to earn a free gift. No one deserves to be saved. But, everyone needs to receive God’s Free Gift.
God has offered you a gift today. Will you receive it?
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