Shining Like Stars

Posted by Chris on February 3, 2008 under Sermons

Read Philippians 2:12-16.

Over the last few centuries, the Christian faith has been haunted by the phrase “works-righteousness.” The meaning of this phrase has generally been focused on a religious system of actions or deeds – those works that must be done to count for righteousness. As you can imagine, this “works righteousness” is consider inferior to a “righteousness of faith.” After all, doing works simply because you must isn’t very inspiring or enriching, now is it?

In contrast to this seemingly empty and hypocritical “works righteousness” is the notion of “faith righteousness.” It is a righteousness that is given to us by God and his Spirit. It is a righteousness that we cannot obtain on our own. Now as you can imagine, anything that would seem to interfere with that external gift of righteousness is avoided lest it become a process for manipulating God’s grace. This is why some are concerned that baptism or the Lord’s Supper could be a form of works righteousness. They are concerned that these physical acts are an attempt to put a claim on God and his grace.

Our problem is not a choice between Works Righteousness vs. Faith Righteousness. That is a false choice. Even Martin Luther, who coined these terms, allowed that both types of righteousness were proper and had their place. He was not opposed to one over the other. But here we are almost five centuries past Luther and we seem to operate on polar extremes when it comes to this issue.

1. On one extreme we have an attitude that “getting saved and staying saved” is all up to us. I remember teaching a Bible class on 1 John. I cited 1 John 5:13 – “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” My attempts to encourage and inspire confidence in the class were thwarted by a woman who replied, “I wouldn’t ever want us to get too confident about having eternal life. After all, we are supposed to work out our own salvation.” Her perspective left one believing this to mean that we are on our own when it comes to achieving salvation.
2. On the other extreme we have an attitude that “being saved” is all up to God and we have absolutely no involvement in the process; furthermore we must be careful not to appear as though we are doing anything physical or tangible to hijack God’s work. But extreme positions always lead to extreme action – or in this case inaction. I agree with Fred Craddock who commented that the worry over slipping into works-righteousness “has driven some [Christians] straight to the hammock as the only place where a doctrine of grace can be kept safe.”

I want to suggest that these polar extremes are not helpful and that Paul, in his letter to the Philippian church, is recommending that faith and works are not only compatible, but also vital.
Paul has already commented on the “mind of Christ.” Having the attitude and mindset of Jesus Christ is so very important. He did not avoid humbling himself and bearing shame for the sake of others and out of obedience to God. God exalted Christ. But the example of Christ and action of God demonstrates that this mindset and attitude is more than just mental – it results in action and behavior.

So, Paul follows on the heels of this hymn to call us to “work out our salvation.” This phrase is very confusing to modern English. “Work it out” can mean figure it out. Someone with a problem can be dismissed by another who says “well, just work it out.” It might also be a non-specific promise that we will figure something out. “Don’t know how, but we’ll work it out. It will all work out in the end.” But that’s not what this text is saying. Salvation is not the goal of the work. Salvation is something that God has already begun in us.

• Paul tells the Philippian church that God is working in them and that they already share in the gospel (1:6-7).
• Salvation is a work of God that we live up to. Working out our salvation means living worthily – living like those who are saved by God. (1:27)
• Salvation is not just about the great beyond and the hereafter and the golden streets. Its about the here and now and the concrete streets. We are united with Christ, already. We are comforted by his love even now, we have fellowship with the Spirit now. (2:1-4). Thus we should live like it. We need to put it into action. This is what “work it out” means.

If there’s still any doubt, let verse 13 clear up the confusion … for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

So, having the attitude of Christ is not just a matter of thoughts and beliefs. It also involves deeds and behavior. Of course we could just as accurately rephrase this and say that having the attitude of Christ is not just a matter of deeds and behavior, it also involves thoughts and beliefs. Both are true. There is a harmony here that is so important …

People who have the attitude and behavior of Christ are going to stand out. We are meant to be a contrast to the warped and depraved cultures around us. But this isn’t a reactive stance to the world. We are not to simply do the opposite of the world or reject new fads and technologies because they are worldly. We are to be a contrast in all cultures and ages. How do we do this?

1. We are authentic. Paul wanted the Philippians to work out, or live out, their salvation whether he was there or not. Living out the attitude of Christ demands internal and external authenticity.

2. We are encouraging. It is difficult to live out our salvation if we are complaining and arguing. It’s not just that this type of behavior is antithetical to life in Christ, but we wouldn’t be stars in a dark sky, we wouldn’t stand out at all. The background of our culture is to complain and argue. Encouragement, cheerfulness, sincere optimism and reasonable hope are a stark contrast to the paranoia, cynicism, bickering, and in-fighting that seems to be contagious in our culture. (Jeff Long is the new athletic director at the University of Arkansas. Harry King reported the following about Long in his article yesterday. First, he isn’t interested in hearing about past scandals in the athletic department that have already been settled. He’s not interested in complaining and arguing. Second, he has given all his staff this encouragement: “I detest the ‘woe is me’ attitude, the ‘Here’s all the reasons why we can’t be successful.’ I don’t want to hear that. Let’s focus on all the reasons why we can be successful.”)

Shining like stars means standing out. A people who are a contrast. Holding out the word of Life – Living out our salvation (putting it into action) is evangelism. It is sharing the gospel.

Humbling Circumstances

Posted by Chris on January 27, 2008 under Sermons

Read Philippians 2:5-11.

Let’s return to the worship service in Philippi … Everyone has gathered in the house of Lydia [perhaps] for the worship and communion on the first day of the week. They are listening to the reading of Paul’s letter. All of them who met Paul and worked with him are listening attentively to his message: The jailer and his family, Lydia, Clememt; even Euodia and Syntyche on the opposite sides of the room.

They listen for news and for some revelation, and then they hear something very familiar. Something like an old poem or well-known song. As they come to this part (Phil. 2:5-11) they may have recited the words, familiar words along with the reader.

Read the Text …

Form critics, source critics, text critics – just about all the critics and scholars you can name, believe that this part of the letter is a citation of what may be one of the first Christian hymns. It may have been chanted like a psalm or read out loud like a confession. It is a teaching tool, a simple succinct way of expressing who Christ is and what the gospel is all about.

Paul did not place this text here simply to fill the time with a hymn. He is giving them the resources they will need to do what he has asked them to do … make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

How do they do that? By having the same mindset and attitude of the Lord Jesus … read text

The community in Phillipi would have been very conscious of matters like rank and status. As a Roman colony they had imported Rome’s preoccupation with hierarchies, chains of command, rank, and social status. In the Roman mindset, these sort of things made for good society. Men had their place in society, women had their place. The upper classes had their place and the lower classes, followed by the freemen and the slaves. The key to good society, harmony, and peace was everyone knowing their status and carrying out the duties of their status. Power was not distributed equally, but in the Roman mindset, that was best for everyone. There was some mobility up the ladder (slaves could gain freedom) but moving down the ladder would be dishonorable. It would be humiliating.

This little hymn tells us something about Christ. He held a rank and status that is as high as one can be. Far above the uppermost of the upper-classes, Christ was equal with God. But Christ did not anxiously or selfishly hold onto to his privilege and status. He let go of it. He humbled him. But his humbling circumstances don’t end there. He doesn’t enter into the human race with the status of a king, emperor, chief, or senator. He assumes the status of a slave. He humiliates himself by demonstrating obedience. And it doesn’t end there. He accepts death, but not even a noble, dignified death – instead, he humbles himself to allow his crucifixion – a shameful, dishonoring death that brought shame to the crucified and all those associated with him. This is the mind and attitude of Christ. To empty one self and let go of honor, status, prestige, power, and control.

By “leading” the congregation in this little song, Paul is reminding them of who they worship and serve. Can they let go of their own anxious interests and focus on what’s best for others? Can they practice obedience rather than dominance? Can they humble themselves? They can if they’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in their lives, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to them. (2:1-4)

So, we can see how the church in Philippi had these problems of rank and status in their Roman-influenced culture. Thankfully we don’t have those sort of issues in America where we are all just folk, now do we? I mean we are all just the same in our big melting pot, right?

Why just this morning I drove my rusty old pick-up truck to Starbucks. I parked next to a V8 Jaguar. What a difference. I thought, “Only in America can a fellow like me in a palomino-colored pick-up and a fellow driving a classy British sports car come together and drink the same overpriced coffee!”
But let’s not deceive ourselves. We may not be as intentional and deliberate as the Romans, but we know how to arrange ourselves on the ladder of rank and status …

We’ve been reading this text every Sunday as we meet Christ around the Table. What does it say to us? How do we hear it? I imagine it is very difficult for us in our culture to adopt the mind and attitude of Christ. It goes against the grain …

• Our culture promotes leaders. Leadership is good, it’s something to aspire to. I was part of a group called Leadership Fort Smith. There’s now a group called Young Emerging Leaders. There are numerous books on leadership and success. Have you ever noticed that there are not too many books on followship? There’s no such word even. There’s a lot of effort aimed at inspiring and training people to be leaders, but would anyone be interested in follower training? Are there Seven Habits of Highly Obedient People?
• American culture kicked out the notion of royalty and noble classes. But we found other ways of creating rank and social status. And we’ve found other titles in business and society: Everyone wants to be the big – We may not have dukes, kings, barons – but we have Big Shots, Big Bosses, Big Kahunas, and Big Dogs.
• We also like Chiefs. We have all heard of the Chief Executive Officer or CEO, but there are many more. Chief audit officer (CAO), Chief channel officer (CCO) Chief financial officer (CFO) Chief visionary officer (CVO) Chief operating officer (COO) Chief information officer (CIO) Chief information security officer (CISO) Chief marketing officer (CMO) Chief analytics officer (CAO) Chief administrative officer (CAO) Chief networking officer Chief data officer Chief technical officer or Chief technology officer (CTO) Chief science officer Chief legal officer
• Thankfully we don’t have these problems among ministers – or do we? I am constantly asked if I am the “Senior Pastor” or Senior Minister. I don’t know that I could ever take that role as I have never been a Junior Minister. In fact, in all my experience I have never met anyone with the title of Junior Minister. Perhaps that title is too humiliating?
• When America began sending astronauts into space, the capsule was a one seater. The astronauts were called pilots. But when they became two and three seat craft, new ranks had to be created because everyone wanted to be the pilot.
• We may not have the same highly structured class system that the Romans did, but we do have classes and boundaries that define status. If we wanted to find the poverty line in Fort Smith do you think we’d find it running parallel to certain streets in our towns? Why is it that we seem to know which side of the tracks is the wrong side if we aren’t conscious about status?

All this is simply to say that the mindset and attitude of Christ may be just as difficult for us as it was for the Philippians. Maybe even more so. Humbling ourselves, emptying ourselves, can seem very harmful or unhealthy in a day and age when gaining self-esteem and confidence seems to be so much of an issue. The attitude of Christ is not the basis for self-mortification, self-hatred, or debasement. The hymn is social and spiritual, not psychological. This text is about public and social behavior, not self-image or identity.

Christ knew who he was. He had an accurate self-image. His rightful status was equality with God. But he did not exploit that status. He trusted God to preserve his status, his prestige, his power. Christ let it all go for the sake of others – for their benefit.

And God does exalt Christ. He gives him a name of honor – name above all other names. In doing so, God exalts the humiliating circumstances that bring Christ to the place of honor. Christ is not a success story of personal achievement, he is achieves something for all of us by surrendering himself to God and to others.

How could this attitude change our families and church. How could it change our society and community? What would change if we really empty ourselves? To humble ourselves? To let go of our privilege, our power, our pride, our need to be right and our need to be justified and affirmed and instead trusted all of that to God and sought the interest of others?

We might be a church like Christ. In a culture in which so many are furiously fighting to move up the ladder, we might find that we stand out as a people who are not afraid to move down the ladder for the sake of others. We just might stand out as church that is like Christ.

Of Heroes and Hobbits

Posted by Chris on January 20, 2008 under Sermons

Heroes and the Heroic:

1. We are Cynical:
   1. Before 9/11 we despaired that there were any true heroes.
   2. We were too sophisticated for heroes. It is too romantic
   3. 9/11 changed that and we began to rethink the heroic. But now our faith in that which is heroic is fading again. The world just seems too complicated.
2. We are Fascinated With Heroes:
   1. Best Movies are about Bigger-than-life heroes
   2. Heroes are great when they are someone else …
3. The Hobbit:
   1. Do not care for adventure
   2. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things
   3. Make you late for dinner
   4. Hobbit society frowns on adventures and adventurers
      1. Adventurers do unexpected things and bring in trouble
      2. They inspire silly ideas in people

   “Perhaps we are more like Hobbits than we care to admit …”

4. Even in the Church
   1. He/she who dares to spend him/herself in heroic efforts may suffer the rebuke or ridicule of fellow “hobbits” – We don’t want trouble makers coming around and stirring up adventure.
   2. So it can be tempting to give up – or to at least sit back and do nothing
   3. The best way to avoid criticism and hard work is to become comfortably and peacefully meaningless
   4. Timothy was tempted to quit …

Timothy:

1. An Encouraging Letter from His Mentor (Background to 2 Timothy)
   1. Timothy was Paul’s troubleshooter and representative (1 Corinthians 4:17; 16:10-11; Philippians 2:19-23; 1 Thessalonians 3:2)
   2. At work in Ephesus
   3. Paul is in prison, facing death.
   4. Members of the church are opposing him, he is disrespected.
   5. Rival teachers, who are teaching garbage, are having more success than he is.
   6. Timothy is strongly considering a career change.
      1. Thus, Paul’s letter
2. The Essence of the Message: “This is no time for Wimps!” (1:7)
   1. Paul Gives Examples Timothy would know:
      1. Phugelus and Hermogenes (1:15) – deserters
      2. Humenaeus and Philetus (2:17-18) – false teachers (for selfish reasons no doubt)
      3. Demas – deserter, “he loved the world”
   2. The Timid are Deserters:
      1. This is Military Language, why?
      2. More is at stake than in any war ever fought.
      3. Deserters are not the enemy (4:16), but the contribute to his cause
3. Paul charges Timothy to:
   • Continue in what he knows is true (3:14)
   • Get back in the fight! It is your calling!
   • He gives three examples:
     1. Soldier (Courage) Fear says “Be safe, neutral, run”
     2. Athlete (Endurance) Comfort, avoid trouble and conflict. But there is no risk-free Christianity
     3. Farmer (Patience) Self-Gratification says “what do I get from putting up with these people?”

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

Beowulf

• A story that college freshmen have to agonize thru … English Literature, etc.
• Beowulf rules the kingdom in peace and comfort for 50 winters
• Until the dragon:
  • burns homes
  • stirs up fear and despair
  • makes threats
• The King leaves his comfortable throne, dons his armor, sharpens his sword to go and do battle with this arrogant serpent
• He risks his life, and though he kills the dragon, he is also killed.
• He could just as easily sent others, made a treaty, or deserted his duty

Can we have a Heroic Faith?
Back to Tolkien (Gandalf’s remark):
“I tried to find [a hero or a warrior]; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighborhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. Swords in these parts are blunt, and axes are used for trees, and shields as cradles or dish-covers; and dragons are comfortably far-off (and therefore legendary).”

Gandalf is right and wrong

• Swords are blunt and warriors are often fighting one another
• But dragons are NOT comfortably far off even though we do think them legendary

There is a dragon loose and he is burning homes, stirring up fear and despair and anxiety, he is making threats.
He is a desperate foe. (Our King has wounded him, but he is not powerless – yet.)
You either stand against the dragon, or give up. The Dragon does not respect innocent bystanders.

Are we “hobbits,” or heroes? God calls us into a grand adventure.

2 Timothy 2:11-13
If we died with him, we will also live with him (baptism)
If we endure, we will also reign with him (dedication)
If we disown him, he will also disown us (so don’t)
If we are faithless, he will remain faithful …(grace and repentance)

Give invitation, then Pause and have everyone stand and pay attention …
“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus …
Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you …
for God did not give us a spirit of timidity,
but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Dedicate your life to Him today and live heroically!

Life’s Worth Living …

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Read Philippians 1:27-30.

If you live in Fort Smith for any time at all, you’ll learn a very proud phrase popularized by our Mayor, Ray Baker. “Life’s Worth Living … in Fort Smith, Arkansas!” What impresses me about the way the Mayor uses the phrase is the way he can slip it in to almost any talk on any occasion. And it really does seem to fit most occasions. And people join in shouting it along with the mayor. The slogan has caught on. It creates unity. And it’s always appropriate to consider life worth living. I think that Paul the apostle would appreciate our city’s slogan. He might add that life is worth living – especially when you live it worthily.

When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he appealed to their sense of civic pride too. As citizens of Philippi, they were proud of being a civilized outpost of Roman culture in the wild frontier of the Empire. Many of its citizens were veterans of the Roman army, retired politicians, transplanted Romans. They were patriots, loyalists and proud of their status as a Roman colony. Being a citizen meant certain privileges, but with those privileges came responsibilities. And they had to live it out.

Paul is counting on the Christians there having this attitude about being good citizens. He want to encourage them to understand how their life in the city and their life in Christ overlap. Paul’s no dualist – he won’t allow them to break up their lives into compartments. Whether he is there or not, they are to be people who live life worthy of the gospel of Christ. Whether they are conducting life in the city or in the church, it is all life in Christ. For the Philippian Christians, being good citizens means being good disciples. They will fulfill their duty to be good members of the community if they will live their lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. Life’s worth living in Philippi when you live in Christ.

If it’s true for Philippi, then it’s no less true for us. We have an opportunity to be a people who enhance and bless this region. Our lives are not compartments. We ought to call upon and encourage one another to live lives worthy of the gospel of Christ. So, whatever you do and however you serve in the cities of this region, do it in such a way that it honors Christ. Life’s worth living in Fort Smith, Arkansas – and Van Buren, and Greenwood, and Alma, and Barling, and Poteau, and Roland, and Cedarville, and Rudy (who did I forget?) … and what makes life worth living is living worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Here’s what it means …

1. Standing Firm – [Military Image] – Paul and the Philippians would have been familiar with the ultimate example of standing firm in battle: The phalanx was a standard feature of Greek and Roman military combat. The Macedonian phalanx used by Alexander the Great, was developed by his father Philip – the city of Philippi was named for him. The phalanx was made of 256 soldiers arranged in a perfect 16 by 16 block armed with shields and 14 ft spears held by more than one rank. The key to making it work was disciplining the troops to hold a line which created a nearly impenetrable forest of points to the front. If the ranks of the phalanx do not work together or if any of the soldiers become frightened, then the whole formation falls.
   The weakness of the phalanx was fear, disunity, and uneven terrain. Our enemy will shake us up in order to upset or unity and divide our ranks. Let us stand as firm and let us stand as one …

2. Contending as One Person – [Athletics Image] – How many of us remember the most famous Hockey Game in US history? It’s been called the Miracle on Ice. It was February of 1980 during a peak of Cold War tension between the US and the Soviet Union. As always, the Soviets were the odds-on favorites to win the Gold in hockey. The Soviets always won, for though they were technically classed as amateurs, they were in fact professionals but the Soviet Union gave them other job classifications. No one really believed that the true amateurs of the US Hockey Team could win. But they played as one and all America rallied behind them. They defeated the Soviets and went on to win the Gold. At the medal ceremony, the podium was only meant for one player who represented the team, but the captain of the team motioned for all his teammates to join him on the podium.
   Paul urges us to work together as a team, acting as one, as we live a life worthy of the faith of the gospel …

3. Having One Spirit and Soul – Like a coach or a commander, Paul is appealing to the church in Philippi to stand firm and work together. ¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Armies and sports teams are good examples of what it means to struggle together and be unified. Why can’t the church be the greatest example to all the world of this? It makes sense – aren’t we united in Christ? Aren’t we all comforted by his love? Aren’t we all in fellowship with the spirit? Aren’t we called to tenderness and compassion? Of course! The answer to all these is yes! So, we ought to be the best sign, the best example of what unity and community is all about. Because of Christ and the gospel, people should see in us a life that worth living!

A faith of opposition vs a faith of courage — God did not call us to be a fearful, timid community of believers reacting anxiously to that which seems improper. God did not give us a spirit of fear and weakness, he gave us a spirit of power and called us to love. He didn’t call us to lash out, he called us to stand and live a live worth living. If we are a united group, if we are those who are disciplined and consistently live out of the gospel of Christ then we will be a sign of God’s intended future – a colony of heaven on earth! Those who would oppose God’s future will notice it. And those who welcome God’s future will notice it.
This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved-and that by God.
The focus for the church is on how to live. We cannot concern ourselves with how God will deal with opponents. That’s God’s business, not ours. We can preoccupy ourselves with the failings of others, or we can focus on our own integrity. Paul is encouraging citizens of Christ’s community to live a worthy life – that means focus on our own character and integrity – even if that means struggling and suffering. God will address that which does not conform to his kingdom. We must dedicate ourselves to living in step with God’s kingdom community. If we know what we are for, then what we are against is evident.

Conclusion – Live your life worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Can You Imagine?

Posted by Chris on January 13, 2008 under Sermons

Read Text Philippians 1:12-26.

Imagine what it would have been like: The Praetorian Guard, the elite soldiers who serve the Roman emperor have seen it all – or so they think. They have served Caesar on campaigns to the furthest reaches of the empire. They have been involved in the highest matters of Imperial Government. They have risked their lives for Rome and the emperor, they have seen their fellows die nobly for Rome. Since they alone among military troops have the privilege to enter the imperial city, they have dealt with all classes of people. They have dealt with all cultures. They have dealt with people at all ranks. You would think that nothing would astonish a member of the Praetorian Guard.

But it is also his attitude about death. He isn’t afraid of death. He isn’t worried about his impending judgment. This isn’t the first time he’s been imprisoned or attacked for what he believes. And yet he remains committed to it. The guards respect that nobility; yet they see in this man and his guests from Philippi and other places a commitment that goes beyond their dedication to Rome and the Emperor. This man has a confidence that in life or death, his God-Man Lord named Jesus will save him. Some of the guards have been very interested in this. And some have spent many hours and days listening to the teaching of this man. But all of them know that he is there because of this Son of God that he calls the Christ.

Can you imagine it? These Scriptures inspire us to imagine what it would have been like for Paul. But it also inspires us to develop a Christian imagination about the way our lives can be if we are bound to Christ.

Imagination gets a bad rap in an age of enlightenment. I wish it weren’t the case. Imagination is not always fanciful flights of reality. Many of the realities that we enjoy have come about because someone imagined what could be. Our lives can become better because we have the capacity to first imagine that it can be better. Without imagination we might just accept the world as it is and accept other people as they are and not believe how different it really is because of God.

These Scriptures inspire us to imagine that what seems like a setback or failure might actually be progress. Who could have imagined that the crucifixion of Jesus would result in new life? Jesus imagined it. God made it reality. The eyewitnesses of Jesus’ resurrection urged other to imagine that the cross of the Romans was not the end of the story. And their lives embodied that imagination. When we start there, it isn’t hard to imagine that the circumstances that appear to be setbacks or failures are actually opportunities for God to work. If we lack a Christian imagination then we won’t see it. We may even lose hope and give up. Because there are setbacks in this world that can make us so anxious we’ll trust in our own anxious notions of security. Paul was able to view his imprisonment and impending judgment as progress, not failure. He shared Christ’s good news with the Imperial Guards. There is no way that could have happened unless he was arrested. Can we have that same optimism? We can if we have a Christ-centered imagination rather than self-protective pragmatism.

These Scriptures inspire us to imagine that we really can let go of bitterness and worry about any who would take advantage of our misfortune. There were some people, maybe Paul’s disciples even, who saw his imprisonment as an opportunity to advance their own agenda. Paul’s imprisonment left open a “position of leadership” in the churches. These people, fellow Christians, had the nerve to take advantage of Paul’s misfortune for self-promotion. They are envious and competitive – they think that the only way they can be assured of control, influence, and benefit is to deny others. Some are even stirring up trouble against Paul to make his imprisonment even harder. Maybe they hope to keep him there forever.

We wouldn’t have a problem if Paul decided to put these ambitious agitators in their place would we? We might even welcome it. We might cheer him on. But Paul has a Christ-like imagination. He can see what isn’t apparent at first glance. Even if their motives are wrong, they are preaching Christ. “So what does it matter?” says Paul. Can he really be so content? Yes he can, because his Christian imagination allows him to see the bigger picture …

These Scriptures inspire us to see the bigger picture. We see how life in Christ reverses the world as we know it. What may seem shameful by worldly standards, can be honor by Christian values. What may seem like loss is actually gain. What may seem like death is actually life. And Paul can even see his own Christian expectations in reverse. It seems like a reverse for a man with a Christian imagination to say “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain!” That would be enough, but he can even reverse that and say, “Although it would be better for me personally to die and be with Christ, it is better for you if I remain. I may suffer and struggle but I will serve you in the name of Christ even though I may seem powerless.”

A Christian imagination comes about through having a changed mind – the mind of Christ. When we see the world as Christ does we think of others and not just ourselves.

I want us to really incorporate this teaching. I want us to really imagine how our lives and our life together can be different and then live it out – even when that is difficult – just as Paul did. So I want to close with a story about another Paul, also a missionary. He’s a friend, a student, and his mission field is in San Francisco. The story he recently told me convicted me that these Scriptures and the capacity to imagine the world as Christ sees it is for real.

Story of mission in San Francisco …

The Paul I know can really truly say like “the Paul” — what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. Do you imagine that we can say that? Do you imagine that you could say that?

God Will Finish What He Started

Posted by Chris on January 6, 2008 under Sermons

What Will We Be Like?

Posted by Chris on December 30, 2007 under Sermons

What Kind of Person Will You Be In Ten Years?

1. Ten Years Ago:
   1. World and Nation in 1997:
      • Princess Di and Mother Teresa died
      • Hale-Bopp Comet and Heaven’s Gate Cult
      • O.J. Simpson loses civil case
      • Nintendo 64 was the latest in video game systems
      • Dolly the sheep was cloned
      • Hong Kong returns to China
      • The first Harry Potter book was published
      • The term weblog or blog is invented
   2. Personally: I had just moved to Lake Jackson and began my first full time preaching job. Left Russellville and nearly 4 years of campus ministry. Ethan was not yet born (Sept. 1998). We had only been married for nine years. We had one child.

2. What will the world be like in 2017? [Ten Years From Now]
   1. What will the River Valley be like?
   2. What will you be like?
      1. The most significant changes in this church, community, county will be in the type of people we become in the next decade.
      2. It’s important that we undergo that change collectively and individually. Both important.

3. What will the world be like in 2008? [Next Year]
   1. What will the River Valley be like?
   2. What will you be like?
      1. The most significant changes in this church, community, county will be in the type of people we become in the next decade.
      2. It’s important that we undergo that change collectively and individually. Both important.

   Jeremiah 29 – RFC Banquet

4. The Story of Joseph:

   1. The Time:
      1. There are about 2 decades from the time Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and the time he met them again.
      2. But there was a little over one decade during which God changed Joseph’s life dramatically. (17 -30)

   2. Dreaming:
      1. Genesis 37:2-11. It all begins with a dream from God.
         1. Joseph may have been na?ve, but he cannot deny the dream.
         2. The dream is not Joseph’s, but he sees the blessing of God in this dream.
         3. What dreams do we have? Are those God-given dreams? Would God be part of those dreams? Have you asked yourself what God could do with you in ten years?
      2. Dreaming the dreams of God may not be popular. Dreamers are not always well received. They fill people’s minds with adventurous ideas and cause discomfort.
         1. Yet despite the opposition and persecution of others, if the dream is of God, it cannot be stopped.

   3. Devotion:
      1. Genesis 39:1-23. Faithfulness to what is right no matter the circumstances.
         1. 39:9 – Joseph believed that adultery with Potiphar’s wife was not just disrespect toward Potiphar, but also God.
         2. But what had God done for Joseph? What harm if Potiphar never knew? If Joseph had been a bit cleverer, maybe he could have avoided being put in prison. Maybe if he had somehow appeased Potiphar’s wife without actually comitting adultery?
      2. Doing what is right may not always be rewarded, but unrighteousness makes us useless to God.
         1. Not because God is a wimp and a prude and faints before sin.
         2. Sin chokes out our spiritual nature. We become burdened and smothered by our guilt and selfishness and pride. We no longer become pliable in God’s hands.

   4. Diligence:
      1. Genesis 40:1-23. Waiting on the Lord with patience.
         1. How difficult it must have been for Joseph to be forgotten (v. 23).
         2. Although for Joseph it may have seemed par for the course.
            • hated by his brothers
            • sold into slavery
            • lied about and denied justice
            • thrown into prison
            • forgotten by one he helped.
         3. Joseph could have demanded special consideration for what he had been through. His past was really bad. He could have held all of this against Pharaoh, Potiphar, his brothers, even God.
            • and we might actually forgive him if he had!
            • but Jospeh never let his experience give him an exception clause.
            • Joseph saw the work of God in all that was happening and he remained dilligent. He persevered!
            • We will persevere for athletics, academics, and finances – why not for God’s purposes?

5. Conclusion:
   1. The rest of the story: Genesis 45:1-11.
      1. God sent Joseph through his trials to save lives. (That’s the way of Christ!)
      2. Joseph saw the hand of God in those 22 years since his enslavement.
      3. It was all for the good of God’s people – It was for our good.
   2. Questions:
      1. What if Joseph had shut up about his dream? What if he had remained silent about the will of God?
      2. What if Joseph had submitted to Potiphar’s wife?
      3. What if Joseph had forsaken God while in prison? What if he had denied the gift God had given him to interpret dreams? (It got him into trouble, why bother?)
   3. The kind of people we are in ten years depends on dreams, devotion, and diligence.
      1. But don’t think it is simply up to us to make it happen.
      2. It is up to us to ask God to use us, to respond to his initiative, to trust him, to remain faithful.
      3. In ten years I pray we are God’s people.

A Bright Future

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Read Luke 2:21-40.

How long had old Simeon been waiting to see the Messiah? When he heard the Holy Spirit’s promise that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Anointed One, what did he expect?

• Perhaps he expected that in his lifetime he would see the triumphant warrior-king of God take over the throne of Israel and restore the glory of David’s kingdom.
• Perhaps he thought that he might serve the king as a faithful son of Israel in his prime.
• But as the years rolled on and there was no sign of a Messiah, Simeon must have had moments of doubt.

Anna waits too. She’s a godly woman. She is well-respected and comes to the Temple daily – often she stays from sunrise to sunset. She has the gift of prophecy and that is exceptional. In a society where women are not given much respect, it is astounding when a woman claims to speak for the Lord God. Anna’s manner of life is above reproach and that lends to her credibility.

Anna’s from the North country, but she and Simeon have a lot in common, these two aged Israelites. They are both quite old and their lives span almost a century. During that century they have seen dark days …

• The Roman invasion and subjugation of Judea
• Ever increasing taxation
• Moral decline, beginning with Herod – the king who claimed to be a Jew
• Samaritan attacks and the desecration of the temple.

Simeon hopes for the day that Israel can be comforted.
Anna has taught her students that despite all the difficulties of the age, God will keep the promises he made to Abraham and rescue Israel – he will make this declining nation into something wonderful.
Simeon and Anna are waiting for a ray of God’s light to pierce the darkness.

So, when the aged Simeon with his wrinkled, crippled hands holds this six-week old child his hope is fulfilled. All the years of waiting and praying, the recommitment to believe the Spirit’s promise all pays off in this one simple moment – he has seen with his own eyes the salvation of Israel. Now Simeon is at peace. His wait is over.

Simeon has spiritual insight. Chalk it up to the power of the Holy Spirit and years of waiting to see what God has promised. Though he is old, Simeon’s spiritual vision is keen and sharp. He knows that though he has waited for years to see the Lord’s savior and receives this as a blessing, he knows that some will not be so receptive. And so his blessing for Mary and the child speaks of the grand destiny of the child Jesus – yes, Jesus represents hope and salvation, but that which makes Jesus a hope for many also threatens others.

“This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Simeon’s ray of light casts a shadow. Some will fall and some will rise. Some will accept the sign and others will speak out against it. Why? Because the inner thoughts and motives of all will be revealed …

1. Rejection: Simeon knows that the sign to be opposed and rejected threatens what is already there. Everything is not a-okay until Christ arrives and makes it difficult. No, the pain and disease is under the surface and eating away on humanity and the world. The light of Christ simply uncovers it all and makes it known. When you turn on the light, it creates shadows. Some things reject the light.
   Illustration: Thomas Kincade’s portraits. Shadows are absent. We may try to connect Jesus only to that which is positive and cheerful, but there is a bitter assumption for the good news. Jesus is a savior and needing a savior assumes that there are people who need saving.

2. Renewal: Change and renewal are not always embraced. The experience can be painful and demand sacrifice and even loss. Resurrection follows a death. This is why we must reflect and count the cost of discipleship. There is an investment – a costly one. When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die. Hope is made possible but only through sacrifice. But some would rather remain in the cold shadows than risk the challenge of renewal. They would rather deny than decide.

3. Decision: Jesus will bring the truth to light – and that is risky. Revealing the truth calls those who confront truth into a crisis of decision! You have to decide. You cannot remain unaffected. You can reject, but you cannot be unimpressed if you really understand what Jesus’ presence and mission really is!

4. Simeon and Anna stand apart from those who reject Christ because they realize that the very old promises of God can be kept in new and unexpected ways. They decide to receive the child rather than reject him. And they are renewed!

After Simeon’s blessing, Anna steps up and places a hand on Mary’s shoulder. She smiles and looks at the child. Her students have gathered around and she tells them though she is not certain if she will live to see it, that many of them will see with their own eyes God’s redemption of Jerusalem. They will see the rule of God spread out from Jerusalem and into the far reaches of the earth. This child is the light of the world!

It’s been centuries since old Simeon and Anna saw the Light of the World come into the world. Simeon died in peace. Like all righteous men, he longed to see God’s work done on earth. When he saw Jesus, he had all the hope he needed.

Since the time of Simeon and Anna, the great battle was won too. The enemy is defeated, but he has not conceded. He will never concede until Jesus brings his light into the world once more. Wouldn’t it be great to see that before you die?

You don’t have to be old to be like Simeon and Anna. If you’ve just had enough darkness and are looking to see a ray of light. If you want peace in your heart – having no fear of death or darkness. Then you are Simeon. You are Anna.

Depending on how old you are, you’ve seen many dark days … 9-11, Columbine, Jonesboro, the OKC bombing, the start of the first Gulf War, the assassination of a President, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Those are just the big ticket items. Every one of us has a day or two (or more) that we can circle on a calendar as a dark day. Maybe it’s the day tragedy invaded. Maybe it’s the day we made a mistake we find hard to forget and impossible to undo. Maybe it’s a season of stress and worry that we just find difficult to name.

God is still keeping his promises. Even if you have seen as much as Simeon and Anna; keep your eyes open for a new ray of light. Keep your ears open for a word of good news. Let us pray for that day to come!

Keep watch! Keep praying! You may yet see the Light of the World shine forth ever brighter in your lifetime!

The Gospel According to Joseph

Posted by Chris on December 23, 2007 under Sermons

Opening thought: Dec. 22, 2007, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Christie Storm was doing an article on angels. My point was that angels are a symbol of the season sort of like snowflakes, bells, bows, and stars. But do we really understand what they mean?

The angels show up in full glory in Luke. The Chief of Staff, Gabriel, shows up to talk to Mary. The Armies of Heaven appear to the working class shepherds. That’s Luke. But in Matthew, there’s only one angel. An angel who doesn’t have a name or title. An angel who doesn’t frighten shepherds. This angel whispers to Joseph in dreams …

Read Matthew 1

• Joseph – He is sort of the forgotten presence. When you see him in a nativity scene he is sort of out of place. What is he doing there? Where is he to be posed? Beside Mary, greeting the wise men, sorting out the gifts, tending to the sheep. What useful thing is he supposed to be doing?

• I think there is a tendency to ignore Joseph because his perspective on the birth of Christ reminds us of the darker realities attending the birth of the Savior. When Luke writes his gospel it seems sure that he told the story of Christ’s birth from Mary, and she kept many of these memories in her heart.

• For Joseph, Mary’s betrothed husband, the story of the birth is not about things he kept in his heart, but of things he struggled with in his soul. For Joseph, the focus is not on gifts and visits. It is on the trial of it all – on what appeared to be infidelity and his thoughts of a quiet divorce, the weight of the law, the shame of sin and a fear for his family. And though it is a much rougher, shadowy account of things, it is still very much a story of good news – perhaps one very appropriate for us because it is a testimony of the gospel light breaking into the darkness.

The Feeling of Shame and Scandal

Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. It is supposed to be a blessed time as the two prepare for life together. There is already a sacred covenant between them and before the community they have promised themselves only to one another. They are not yet married and the rules about their interaction are guided by the community. Joseph is soon to begin his career with his father’s approval and begin a family with his wife. Joseph and Mary are bound to one another, but Joseph will not take her home to live with him until after the wedding.

However, this time of ordinary happiness is spoiled by scandal. Mary is pregnant. It would be bad enough if Joseph were the father and they had shamed the expectations of marriage, but all Joseph knows at this point is that he is not the father. He is in turmoil. If he ignores what has happened, he will be ignoring God’s law, and the law is very clear –
If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death, the young woman because she did not cry for help in the town and the man because he violated his neighbor’s wife. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24)

Joseph is a righteous man, but he is also a compassionate man. He loves God and God’s law, but he also loves Mary. He does not want to humiliate and expose her as a sinful woman, she would be rejected by the village and it would shame her and her father and she is so young. But worst of all it could lead to the death penalty. If the people were outraged, they could be brutal.

But he cannot marry her either. Joseph cannot simply forgive her and marry her anyway – that’s very storybook and soap opera romantic, but it is not reality in first-century Palestine – certainly not for Joseph. The law demands that he annul the marriage. This is how he shows his love of God and the people of Israel.

Joseph is seeking a way through his dilemma. Since he learned of the pregnancy he has been trying to figure a way out. He is righteous, but he is merciful. His best option – to fulfill his obligations to God and to Mary – is to give her a “quiet divorce.” He can send her away to her relatives down in the hill country of Judea. She can go down there until the child is born and Joseph will prepare the divorce with a few trusted officials. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is the best that he can do – nothing else is possible.

The Dream of a New Possibility
While Joseph is trying to figure it all out, he has a dream. This dream is gospel – that is, good news.

• Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife – the child is born of the Holy Spirit
• Name him Jesus – for he will save his people from their sins

Now Joseph has a possibility that wasn’t there when he was trying to figure it out on his own. Matthew says that this fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 7) that the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son and he will be named Immanuel – God is with us.

For Joseph, the dream is truly a gospel – good news. It means that more is possible than he would have ever imagined. It means the burden of the law has been lifted.

Later, as the child grows, Joseph finds himself caught up in what God is doing in the world. The presence of Immanuel stirs up the fear and power Herod. The armies of the evil one will not go down without a fight.

This humble carpenter, this simple God-fearing fellow didn’t bargain for all this. He didn’t expect to be caught up in the politics of his age. He certainly didn’t imagine that anyone would put him and his family in their sights.

But that angel comes to him again. This time Joseph is told to cross the border into Egypt. Joseph didn’t expect to be a fugitive either, but he has learned to listen to God’s angel.

As the years in Egypt went by, Joseph probably wondered if he would ever see him hometown again. He must have wondered if someone would track them to Egypt. Did he rest comfortably in those days?

Yet again, Joseph has a dream. This time the angel tells him that it is safe to go home.

For Joseph, the dream is truly a gospel – good news. It means that more is possible than he would have ever imagined. It means that God doesn’t forget.

A New Possibility – “God is With Us”

O, how we need Immanuel – God is with us. How we need Jesus! He will save! Joseph receives the word of God in this dream as good news. He welcomes the possibility that this child is the Messiah – the Son of God. Yes, there will be scandal – not because of Joseph and Mary’s sinfulness but because of the sinfulness of humankind – but the possibility of the gospel that Joseph receives means that he and Mary and all their people will be saved.

God With Us means that God protects and watches over us. Even though it may be hard to believe at the time. God With Us means that God doesn’t forget us. What others intend for harm, God can use for good.

At this time of year I tend to reflect on the birth of Christ. But I am always fascinated by the struggle and dreams of a humble carpenter. He’s just a man trying to do what God calls him to do. He’s just a man who cares for a family. A family he loves – and a child that will bring about the salvation of the world. He becomes God’s agent. He becomes God’s man.

Joseph listened to God. He relied on God and trusted in God even when it seemed difficult, risky, impossible or questionable.

So when you see Joseph in a nativity scene, regard him as a man who trusts in God, see him as a man who paid attention to the whisper of the angel. See a man whose dreams came true.

A Sign That God Is With Us

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

2700 years ago, the Middle East was a troubled place … [See 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, Isaiah 7-9]

• People were fearful and worried in the nation of Judah in the 8th century BC. Judah was not nearly what it had been in the old days. In the golden age when Israel and Judah were one nation they were known around the world. But not in the 8th century …
• The big Superpower to the North was Assyria. Every nation was afraid of Assyria. No nation could match them. But what if the smaller nations could combine forces?
• King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah of Israel had a plan. They would force Judah to join them in their campaign against Assyria.
• Ahaz was the king of Judah. And if he would not join the other nations, they would place their own man on the throne to complete their coalition against Assyria.
• So Ahaz’s has a no-win scenario – does he fight Aram and Israel and suffer defeat, or join them and go up against Assyria and get really suffer defeat? What should he do?
• Ahaz is not the greatest leader. His father and grandfather were not the greatest of rulers either. Ahaz had committed his people to war against the northern tribes of Israel and suffered horrible losses. He lost 120,000 in one battle and 200,000 women and children were taken captive. Ahaz didn’t seem to learn from these losses. He seemed indifferent to the loss of life. He was willing to compromise anything to achieve his own goals. He even sacrificed his children to evil gods to ensure their favor.
• Worse yet, Ahaz is contemplating a counter-alliance. If an alliance with Aram and Israel won’t work, what about an alliance with Assyria? He could turn the tables on Aram and Israel. It sounds logical, but it is a deal with the devil …

It’s in the midst of this Middle East Crisis that the name Immanuel is first spoken …

• Ahaz is king in Jerusalem. Jerusalem has a special place in God’s heart because of his promises to David. God promised David that his throne would endure, so God isn’t real fond of this talk about a puppet ruler taking over.
• So God sends his man Isaiah to encourage Ahaz. God’s word, his news, for Ahaz is this: “Don’t worry about Aram and Israel. I know the future and those kings aren’t going to be around much longer. Their days are numbered. But don’t cozy up to Assyria. Trust in me to take care of you. I am in control of Assyria and my plans don’t include an alliance between Judah and Assyria.”
• To build up Ahaz’s trust in God (which has not been that great) God has approved a sign. God invites Ahaz to put him to the test. (Not the proper thing to do, but God is God). Go ahead, what do you want Ahaz? Even something impossible?
• But Ahaz (out of character) chooses to do the proper thing and not test God (besides negotiations with Assyria were coming up and it was looking good). Isaiah encourages Ahaz to take the offer, but Ahaz still refuses.
• Fine! God will pick his own sign – and it’s the Immanuel sign. A young woman (a virgin at the moment) right there in Ahaz’s court will have a child and before this child is old enough to eat table food and before he can choose what he wants and doesn’t want (i.e. in just two or three years) Aram and Israel will be history.
  • And that son will be named “God with us” as a witness to Ahaz that God is keeping his promise to David and there will be hope for the future, but in Ahaz’s rule there will be hard times with Assyria, because Ahaz’s decision was faithless and he would have rather have Assyria with him than have God with him.

700 years after Ahaz, the Middle East was still a troubled region … [See Matthew 1-2]

• The king in Jerusalem is Herod. Like Ahaz, he has made a deal with the super-power to the north – in this case Rome. Like Ahaz, Herod is a man who will compromise to accomplish his own purposes. Like Ahaz, Herod is worried and fearful. He is so afraid of losing his family’s claim to the throne that when he hears of a rival king being born he orders the annihilation of all male children.
• How many children died because of the orders of a fearful, arrogant ruler? How many mothers grieved because the powers-that-be loved power and control more than life and justice?
• The actions of Herod threaten the well-being of a humble man and his betrothed wife. Their names are Joseph and Mary. Joseph is troubled. But God has approved a sign. He is sending a messenger to Joseph through a dream. Like Ahaz, Joseph was invited by God to take a step of faith. And once again, the name of Immanuel is spoken. This child is going to be born of a virgin – begotten of God. He is going to be the fullest expression of God’s solidarity and love for us. He will truly be God with us!

Immanuel … God is With Us. He lives with us, yet the presence of God With Us – God in this world – changes the way we live in this world.

Immanuel means we fear God rather than the crisis of the day …
The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. – Isaiah 8

Immanuel means that a new age of justice is breaking into our unjust and cruel world …
“He will break the yoke of slavery” – slavery? Is there slavery in the world? God help us there is. Some 20 million in the world, many of them children, are forced into slavery. The economics and sexual perversions of a troubled world have forged their chains.

“But Immanuel will lift the heavy burden from their shoulders and break the oppressor’s rod.” May God help us that we are not their oppressors, or we will find ourselves at odds with Immanuel!

Immanuel means that a new age of peace is breaking into our hostile world …
“The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.” His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” – Isaiah 9

2000 years after the name Immanuel was spoken to Joseph and Mary, the Middle East is still a troubled place. But in the 21st century, that means the world is a troubled place.

• Aircraft carriers patrol the Persian Gulf.
• The governments of Iran and Iraq could be moving toward alliance.
• The governments of the United States and Iran are not.
• Regardless of our political views, we know that our friends and loved ones are away from us in a troubled land – and what happens over there matters over here.
• And people we do not know, people who live in other countries are just as concerned as we are about what may happen in our troubled times.

But God is With Us. He is with all of us. God is for us. Pay attention, I am not saying that God is with us – and not with them, whoever them is. For the arrival of Immanuel means that things are radically different [Isaiah 11]:

Under the flag of Immanuel, natural enemies live in peace. That’s not possible under any other banner. That’s not possible with any other treaty or alliance. No army on earth can secure this peace. Only the commitment of the the Lord who command Heaven’s Armies can secure this peace.

When all hope is lost, when we are afraid and troubled – that’s when God gives us a sign. Immanuel is that sign. God with us is that sign. We see in our baptism – God is with us. We see it in our communion – God is With Us. We see it in our love and service – God is with us.

God is with us. Immanuel. Jesus Christ born of a virgin. He showed us the glory of God. He bore the shame of the cross. God raised Him and established His rule over all time and space. Do you know Him?

Let us pray and hope for that day when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord. That’s the day when swords become plowshares. That’s the day we receive justice. That’s the day we stop harming one another. Let’s live like that day is today for in Jesus Christ God is with us. Do you know Him?