Jesus, the Bread of Life. Really?

Posted by David on November 20, 2005 under Sermons

Read John 6:22-42.

We see what we want to see. Unfortunately, what we see is commonly determined by our interests at the moment, not by the obvious which stares at us. As a result, we often search for something that is not there, and are completely oblivious to what is in plain view right in front of us.

Let me set a little background for the reading. Jesus took the 12 to the uninhabited side of the sea of Galilee. Mark 6 states Jesus made this trip with the intent of providing all 13 of them with some rest. Jesus had become so popular it was hard for him to find time to eat. The 12 had successfully completed a mission which both elated them and exhausted them

Thousands of people recognized them and went by foot to where Jesus and the 12 went by boat. In Mark, this huge group of people are described as sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus had compassion on these thousands of people. He spent a day planned for rest teaching and healing these thousands.

Late in the day, Jesus told the 12 disciples to fed the group. The 12 were astounded, and replied, “Two hundred days wages would not be enough to buy food for this group!” Jesus then with very little food fed the huge group all they wanted to eat, and he did it in a very orderly manner.

At dusk he told the 12 to go back across the sea of Galilee while he stayed and prayed on the mountain alone. It was that evening Jesus walked on the sea to them in windy, wavy conditions.

1. Now let me focus your attention on what happened in our reading.
   1. The people Jesus fed woke up the next morning knowing the 12 had left by boat but that Jesus had stayed.
      1. Yet, they could not find Jesus, and they were hungry again.
      2. They were totally confused as they tried to understand what had happened.
   2. Around that time small boats began to arrive at this uninhabited area.
      1. Many decided they should take the boats, go to Capernaum, and see if they could find Jesus.
      2. He obviously was not there, so the only option they had was to look for Jesus on the other side.
   3. They found Jesus on the other side.
      1. Their first question, “Rabbi (teacher), what did you get here?”
         1. Jesus’ response: “You look for me for the wrong reason.”
         2. “You are here because you are hungry.”
         3. “You are not here because you understand I have something to teach you about God and eternal life.”
         4. “Do not work for food which rots in a short time; seek eternal life from God.”
      2. Their second question: “What should we do to do God’s work?”
         1. These were people who lived in a religious nation devoted to God their entire lives.
         2. These were people who went to the synagogue every Sabbath (that is what you did on Saturday if you lived in Israel).
         3. These were people who had heard God’s laws discussed since birth.
         4. Yet they asked, “What are we supposed to do?” (Sounds too much like us!)
         5. Jesus’ answer, “Put your faith in God and me–that is God’s work!”
      3. Their third question: “If we are to place our confidence in you, you need to give us a sign. What are you going to do?”
         1. (I smell manipulation coming on!)
         2. They even had the sign they wanted him to do: “Our forefathers ate manna in the wilderness when they left Egypt–Moses gave them bread out of heaven (and gained their confidence).
         3. Jesus replied, “You need to get your facts straight!”
            1. Moses did not give them bread out of heaven.
            2. God gave them bread out of heaven.
            3. When God gives bread, God’s bread gives life.

2. The incident they are trying to use to manipulate Jesus into feeding them is recorded in Exodus 16.
   1. The Israelites spent about 2 months in the wilderness traveling to Sinai where they would receive the Ten Commandments.
      1. They are not to Sinai, but they are quite close.
      2. They begin to complain, “We wish we had died in Egypt where we had meat to eat and could eat bread until we were full. Moses, the only reason you had for bringing us out here in the wilderness was to kill us.”
      3. God said to Moses, “I am going to give them what they want, and I am going to do it in a way to will reveal if they trust me.”
         1. “I am going to send them bread.”
         2. “But Sunday through Thursday they can gather only one day’s supply.”
         3. “On Friday they will gather two days’ supply.”
         4. “If Sunday through Thursday they gather more than one day’s supply, it will rot, stink, and will not be eatable.”
         5. “But the two days’ supply they gather on Friday will not spoil; it will still be good to eat on the Sabbath.”
      4. “I will prove again to them that I am God.”
         1. “At night they will have all the meat they want in the quail I send.”
         2. “In the morning they will have all the bread they want to eat in the manna I send.”
   2. Early in the morning, around the camp, a heavy dew fell.
      1. When the dew dried up, it left a fine flaky substance that looked like frost.
      2. When the sun got hot, it melted the manna.
      3. Note: God provided the manna, but the Israelites had to gather it.
   3. The only description of how it tasted was it was like honey wafers.
      1. Honey wafers was not the common food of slaves!
      2. Yet, Israel was to have honey wafers every morning.
      3. While they were unfamiliar with manna, they knew bread did not come from dew!
         1. The first morning manna appeared, Israelites asked, “What is that?”
         2. Moses replied, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat.”

3. To hear the giving of manna from the perspective of Israelites in John 6, Moses give Israel manna, and Israel exerted little or no effort to eat it.
   1. From their perspective, I hear them trying to manipulate Jesus by saying, “Now it is your turn! If we are to believe in you, show us something!”
      1. “Give us this bread that gives life!”
      2. “We are hungry (physically), and it would be wonderful never to be hungry (physically) again.
   2. Listen carefully to Jesus’ response.
      1. “I am that bread God sent.”
      2. “I am the solution to hunger and thirst.”
      3. “I am the one who can give you life.”
      4. “The problem: you do not believe in me.”
      5. “Everything God will send to people He will send through me.”
      6. “I will not lose those who come to me; I will resurrect them.”
      7. “Eternal life is believing in me and my power to resurrect.”
   3. I want you to pay careful attention to something.
      1. They did not say, “Look at what he did for us; he must be who he says he is.”
      2. “We better listen to him!”
      3. Instead, they grumbled.
         1. “He says he is the bread–that is not what we want!”
         2. “We know who he is and where he came from–how can he possibly say he is from heaven!”
      4. They only saw what they wanted, not what was!

4. Warning: Do not try to manipulate God.
   1. God’s primary purpose is not about the physical but about the eternal.
   2. Do not be so focused on physical expectations and desires that you do not see eternal realities!
   3. Do not be obsessed with what you want; be obsessed with what God wants.

May God grant us the “eyes” to “see” the permanent. May we not seek to manipulate God, but seek to surrender to God and His purposes.

Life on the Vine: Cultivating Goodness

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

Open with the text and story about the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)

What do we know about goodness?

God is distinctly good. Jesus asks and affirms, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” What is Jesus saying about the source of goodness? There is a distinct, unique goodness about God. The goodness of God is total – 100%; not a degree of goodness or the highest grade possible. It is the source of goodness. We regard God as uniquely good not only because of his character, but also because of ours …

Goodness does not characterize our sinful condition. – We are discouraged when it comes to our sinful condition. Perhaps this is why we want to resist acknowledging it. The disciples are discouraged when Jesus tells them that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Camels are big. And no the eye of needle isn’t a small gate. That explanation comes from a 5th century commentary, not history. Jesus would say today that it is easier to shove a cow through a keyhole.) The point is that on own it is impossible to attain the distinct goodness of God. Romans 7:18-21, I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.

Yet, we have potential for good. We have some capacity for good and we cannot deny that since we were created in the image of the good God. Paul very truthfully and accurately described our sinful condition, but he also truthfully and accurately states that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10. We believe that enough that we let this word shape our identity (notice the banner). So how do we reconcile this conflict between our sinful nature and the calling of God to do good works? Is it fair of God to expect us to do good works when we are corrupted by the sinful nature? It is if we accept that …

We depend on God’s Spirit to cultivate goodness.

Who Am I?

Posted by David on November 13, 2005 under Sermons

Matthew 26:57-68 Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?”

I personally think one of the most difficult things in our American lives is correctly to honor persons who deserve recognition. I am aware of Paul’s admonition to Christians in the city of Rome in Romans 13:7
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

In context, Paul was encouraging Christians in Rome to recognize appropriate authority and show proper respect. That is much more easily said than done. In context, Paul was telling Christians that they should recognize the right of authorities to charge taxes when the authorities were idolaters and did not know the living God. He even said respect people who have little or no respect for you.

That is hard to do! In this society with all our emphasis on individual rights, our tendency is to say, “If you will not do things the way I want them done, I will not listen to you or do what you want done. If you do not know who I am and do not respect me, I will not acknowledge you or respect you!”

One of my many embarrassing moments in the past occurred at the death of someone I knew. I had gone for the visitation prior to the funeral, as had the most prominent man in the community. He was quite wealthy, a very successful businessman, and quite influential in local politics.

I had and have a tendency to get completely caught up in my own responsibilities and can be quite oblivious to everything else. My problem was this: I had never met the man, and I had no recognition of his name. Me being me, I introduced myself to him. Trying to associate his name with something I would remember, I said, “Do you live here?”

A short time later as we were leaving, Joyce said to me, “Do you know who that man was?” Obviously, I did not. So she explained it to me! ‘Open mouth, insert foot to your knee cap!’

1. Jesus truly “messed with Israel’s minds” because he just was not what they expected God’s Messiah to be.
   1. They expected God’s promised Messiah to be a prominent man in Israelite society.
      1. Jesus was not that man–he did not even move in the right social circles.
      2. He had the wrong background.
      3. He did not have the training of a prominent person.
      4. He spent much of his time with the wrong people.
      5. He spent much of his time going to the wrong places and being unashamed to be seen in those places.
   2. That is why so many people who were a part of first century Jewish upper society gave Jesus so much grief.
      1. That is why Jesus asked the 12, “Who are people saying I am?” in Matthew 16.
      2. That is why the Pharisees often followed Jesus to launch intentional criticisms.
      3. That is why Jesus was slammed for eating with the wrong people–tax collectors and sinners
   3. What was the objective of such things?
      1. Jesus’ critics said in essence, “You know God’s promised Messiah would not act like that!”
      2. “You know God’s Messiah would not come from his background!”
      3. “You know God’s Messiah would not associate with those people!”
      4. “You know God’s Messiah would not go ‘to those places’!”
      5. “You know God’s Messiah would not move in those social circles!”
   4. Yet, here was Jesus displaying incredible power almost every day.
      1. He cast out demons demonstrating power over evil.
      2. He healed the sick and calmed storms demonstrating control of the physical.
      3. He raised the dead demonstrating power over death.
      4. He fed thousands of people with almost nothing demonstrating power over physical need.
      5. All that power had to be explained!
         1. How did people explain who Jesus was?
         2. The official explanation was, “Whoever he is, he certainly is not God’s Messiah! That cannot be the explanation!”
         3. “We cannot tell you who he is, but we can certainly tell you who he is not!”

2. This debate continued right up to the last night of Jesus’ earthly life!
   1. In fact, his identity was used to convict Jesus of a death offense by Jewish law.
      1. Because of the circumstances, it was necessary for Jesus to be guilty of an offense that would carry the death penalty in Israel by Jewish law and the death penalty in the Roman Empire by Roman law.
         1. The offense worthy of death by the standards of Jewish law was blasphemy.
         2. The offense worthy of death by the standards or Roman law was rejection of the authority of Caesar.
      2. Look for a moment at the situation.
         1. Jesus was arrested at Gethsemane and escorted as a prisoner back to Jerusalem.
         2. When the arrest was completed, his 12 disciples fled into the night.
         3. Jesus was taken to the house of Caiaphas [the high priest] where the Jerusalem Sanhedrin was assembled to conduct the Jewish trial.
         4. Peter had slipped back to the proceedings to observe the outcome of the arrest and trial.
         5. The Jerusalem Sanhedrin [the highest court in Israel] welcomed perjury in their attempt to find false testimony against Jesus that carried a death penalty.
            1. This effort was unsuccessful.
            2. Finally someone said he declared he would destroy God’s temple and rebuilt it in three days.
         6. An exasperated high priest asked Jesus if he was not going to defend himself.
            1. Then the high priest administered the oath of the Jewish court [“I adjure you by the living God…] and asked him if he was the Christ, the son of God.
            2. Jesus responded, as the law required, that he was.
            3. The high priest tore his robes [as required by Jewish law when blasphemy was heard by the court] and declared Jesus was guilty of blasphemy.
         7. After conviction of blasphemy, Jesus was slapped and asked to identify the one who slapped him–the Christ should know that!
      3. Let me comment on the charges against Jesus.
         1. The accusation that he would destroy the temple was a very serious charge in Judaism.
            1. The temple was at the core of Jewish religion.
            2. A threat again the temple was a threat against Judaism [the Jewish religion].
            3. It was also a threat against God.
            4. This charge was a highly emotional accusation.
         2. The acknowledgment Jesus was the Christ was not as emotional
            1. Many claimed to be the Christ before Jesus.
            2. However, it would be understood much better by the Romans than would a threat against the temple.
   2. I want you to focus carefully.
      1. The key issue was Jesus’ identity.
      2. Only one who was the Christ could tare the temple down and rebuild it in 3 days! After all, the temple complex had been under construction for years!
      3. The highest court in the land was certain that Jesus was not the Christ!
      4. They were equally certain that the man was a serious threat to Jerusalem’s power structure and to the well being of Israel as a nation (John 11:47-50).
      5. Thus the issue was relatively simple: Who is Jesus?

3. I want to suggest to us that nothing has really changed.
   1. The key issue for each of us is still Jesus’ identity.
      1. Who is he?
      2. Is he just a good man who lived a long time ago?
      3. Is he an admirable man who deserves our attention when everything is going okay?
      4. Is he God’s son who declares who we are and what God’s purpose in this world is?
      5. How each of us answers that question is extremely critical!
         1. It will determine how we live.
         2. It will determine how we act.
         3. It will determine the purpose of our lives.
   2. Let me get very specific.
      1. Every family goes through times of stress and crisis it never envisioned.
         1. Is the issue, “How do I feel in this situation?”
         2. Or, is the issue, “To me, right now, in my life, who is Jesus?”
      2. Every person goes through financial crisis.
         1. Is the issue, “Is money the answer to all my problems?”
         2. Or, is the issue, “Who is Jesus in my life right now?”
      3. Every person goes through moments when he or she tries to decide what is the right thing to do.
         1. Is the issue, “What seems to be the easy way out right now?”
         2. Or, is the issue, “Who is Jesus as I seek to decide right from wrong?”
      4. Every person has moments when he or she is powerfully tempted to do things that he or she knows to be evil.
         1. Is the issue self-gratification?
         2. Or, in my life is the issue the Lordship of Jesus as the Christ?

The basic understanding in Christian existence is this: Jesus is God’s son, the Christ. A second basic understanding in Christian existence is this: The resurrection of Jesus is God’s guarantee to me that my death is not my end, but my beginning.

We have much more than a religion. We have a Savior. His name is Jesus. He is the Christ who lives this very moment at the right hand of God’s throne.

Life on the Vine: Cultivating Kindness

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

What is the kindest thing someone has done for you lately? Have you tried to do something kind for someone? What is it? What do usually think about when we think about kindness? Opening the door for others. Being nice to the cashier at the store. Leaving a generous tip for the waiter. Sending a card of thanks. What do you think of when you think of kindness?

All of these are good things. Typically, kindness is equated with being polite or nice. Some years ago a movement started that called people to practice random acts of kindness. In other words, be nice and be polite. I am not sure if the goal was to make people feel better about themselves or to make the world a better place. Either way, both are good things. Now think of the fruit of the spirit, among which is kindness, and ask yourself, is kindness just being nice and polite, or is there even more to it?
Kindness in scripture is more often equated with love. The word for kindness in Hebrew and Greek is interchangeable with mercy, goodness, loyalty, faithfulness, but most of all steadfast love. Kindness is the visible action of love directed toward others. God is praised for being kind – for showing his steadfast love in so many ways. There is an example in the Bible of a mortal like you and me putting the kindness of God into practice. Read from 2 Samuel 9.

There’s more in this story than politeness. Here is kindness with long lasting implications that spanned generations. What does this tell us about the character of God and the kindness of God? It shows that kindness is the fruit of the spirit that holds us together. It is love directed toward others for their sake and not just our own. Talk about life on the vine – kindness is like a ground covering vine or ivy that binds the earth so that it doesn’t erode away. It is the raw material of the social fiber.

Knowing what the kindness of God is, we can understand why it is hard to cultivate kindness in our culture. Our culture is hostile to kindness because …

1. Our culture tolerates rude, angry, unkind, and violent behavior. No one really likes this, but they have become so commonplace that we have just accepted it. Talk shows and sports thrive on a culture of conflict in which it is more important to be tough and take no “guff” from anybody. We mentioned random acts of kindness – recall that this is a take off on the phrase random acts of violence. Maybe we crave something as refreshing as nice and polite because we have suffered enough from the RAV.
   1. Even in church it is possible to accept and tolerate crude and unkind behavior. One of the reasons we find it difficult to debate and discuss serious and controversial matters is because there has been too many occasions of attacking the person rather than the argument. One of my delights in Restoration History was being in class with a man who had lived ministry in the 20th century. When the class began discussing one well known “debating minister,” this man chuckled and told us how he had seen that minister debate many times. He described how he would turn red, sweat, call his opponents names and ridicule them. “Nobody bought the man’s argument,” said our wise classmate, “but it was a sight to see him get mad.” We all appreciated our classmate’s humor but his wisdom also reminded us that many people and many churches are hurt by such behavior.
2. But this sort of behavior is a symptom of the deeper problem. The rude behavior we see is the product of radical independence and self-sufficiency. Why is there road rage? Because people act and drive as if they are the only ones who matter. Why do people get rude at restaurants? Because they hold their satisfaction in higher esteem than the person who waits on them. Our culture promotes radical independence and self-sufficiency.
   1. Technology has enabled us to be radically independent. Remember when phones operated on a party line? Now you and every member of your family can have your own mobile phone. Against the experience of the public concert or radio broadcast is the iPod or MP3 player which allows you to have your own personal concert with every song you can ever imagine. [Have you seen the MP3 commercial of people going about their lives stoically while their reflections enjoy their own private party?]
   2. But technology is not the cause; it is just the enabler. For many generations now we have praised the self-made man and the pioneer spirit. We have acclaimed the rugged individual who pulls himself up by his own bootstraps. We learned from Shakespeare that we should “neither a borrower or a lender be, but to thine ownself be true.” Many people in our culture assume that the old maxim “God helps those who help themselves” is really in the Bible.
   3. I love to watch when two fiercely strong-willed and independent individuals fight over who will pick up the check at a restaurant. They will even trick one another out of paying and bribe waiters and waitresses. A few even threaten the friendship if the other pays the bill. Why? Why would someone risk a friendship over an act of kindness? Well even those of us who aren’t quite in that league still understand the awkward feeling of obligation and dependence. We would rather be the giver than the recipient because receiving erodes our feeling of self-sufficiency.

Knowing the disease is the first step to taking the cure. Isn’t it wonderful when medical science affirms that something very simple might be a solution to some of the worst problems we know? Recently studies showed that blueberries have a greater effect at reducing the development of cancer than any other fruit. You can prevent cancer by eating blueberries! It is that simple.
Likewise, cultivating kindness will overcome so many of the problems we suffer from as a culture. It is that simple. If David could demonstrate the kindness of God then I believe we can too with the help of the Holy Spirit. I believe there are some ways we can begin to cultivate true kindness – the kindness of God …

1. Start by listening to others. If kindness is love directed to others for their sake, then we need to start paying attention to others. Genuine kindness doesn’t simply give someone something they don’t really need just so the giver feels better about himself or herself. For kindness to really blossom among us we need to listen carefully to one another. Just giving our time and attention to others for their sake is kindness.
2. Intentionally cultivate connections with others. Kindness is not a virtue that can be developed in isolation. Kindness is all about the quality of our relationships with one another. In our fragmented, self-sufficient culture we will need to intentionally create connections. This is why we have started a “Connections Ministry.” This is why we have Care Groups and LIFE Groups. They are intentional, deliberate means of forming connections. (I myself have been skeptical of the role and need for such groups and ministries. Back at Winslow we didn’t have to create groups and ministries to form connections. Then I realized that Winslow was a small group. Such ministries are just an intentional way of doing what is natural in a smaller church.)
3. Imitate God’s loving kindness. This is what David did. This is what Paul urges us to do (Eph. 4:31-32) Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of malicious behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. [Notice the description of kindness].

The Kind Ones:It is said that in the ancient world the early Christians were sometimes called the Kind Ones rather than Christians. This is due in part to the fact that there is just one letter of difference in the word for Christ (christos) and the word for kindness (chrēstos). People were confused about the name.

It Is Time To Be Humble (part 3)

Posted by David on November 6, 2005 under Sermons

It is extremely difficult to try to teach or provide insights to individuals who “just do not get it.” When I was supposed to be learning fractions, I simply did not “get” the concept. My failure to grasp the concept of fractions was about to be a serious problem in school. So my tireless, very capable Mom took on the task my teacher could not solve. My Mom decided she would teach me fractions.

She tried and tried, without success, to show me the concept. Finally in what she thought was a way to “get” through to me, she said, “David, if five birds light on the fence, and three of them fly away, what is left?” I proudly said, “Two!”

She immediately asked me, “Two what?’

Filled with the confidence of successful subtraction, I replied, “Two birds!”

At that pointed she almost decided it was a hopeless task, but she persisted, and I finally “got it.”

Much of the life of a church leader (in any capacity) is devoted to helping people “get it.” Conversion is primarily about leading individuals to an understanding that allows them to “get it.” Loving God with all your being is about “getting it.” Loving your neighbor as yourself is about “getting it.” Spiritually maturing is primarily about “getting it.” Being good husbands to our wives, good wives to our husbands, good parents to our children, and good children to our parents is primarily about “getting it.”

Teaching others how to “get it” is a scary undertaking. (a) It means you correctly “get it” so you are qualified to help someone else “get it.” (b) It means it is correct for someone else to trust you to help them “get it,” and if that means his or her turning life around, that is truly okay. I find that responsibility a scary thought. It is even scarier when I invoke God to underscore that I correctly “get it.”

“Getting it” is a very responsible undertaking. It is a lifetime pursuit, a commitment. It requires admitting I am wrong when I am wrong. It requires being responsible when I am responsible. It requires redirecting when I need to redirect. Those are heavy challenges.

This evening I want to call your attention to a scripture most of you know well. I want you to pay close attention to who does not “get it” and the enormous effort made to help these people “get it.”

Read with me John 13:1-17. Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

1. If anyone understood God’s purposes, Jesus did.
   1. Listen to Jesus’ statements in the same gospel of John:
      1. John 12:49,50 “For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.”
      2. John 8:28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.”
      3. John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”
      4. John 14:10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”
   2. Can you imagine how frustrating it was for Jesus to spend his last night on earth as a physical man and know his 12 closest friends did not “get it?”
      1. They accepted as fact that their expectations for God’s kingdom in physical Israel were about to happen.
      2. They were certain that Jesus was physically invincible–the man could do anything!
      3. Perhaps they dreamed of their personal roles in Jesus’ administration when he took physical charge of Israel.
      4. Whatever their focus, they were so far from “getting it” it must have been discouraging–and Jesus knew they did not “get it!”
   3. All that had to be on Jesus’ mind as he made one last attempt to help the 12 “get it.”
      1. He knew in just a matter of hours he would be betrayed by one of his closest friends.
      2. He knew in the process of the betrayal his disciples would be scattered.
      3. He knew one of his three best friends would deny him.
      4. He knew he would be crucified as he endured enormous pain.
      5. He knew he would die.
      6. He knew all of God’s efforts and plans since evil invaded human life at the garden were focused on this single event.
      7. Wouldn’t you have a lot on your mind if you were in those circumstances?

2. To try to help his 12 disciples “get it” (one more time), he did something so unexpected, so dramatic that I guarantee you those 12 men never forgot what Jesus did.
   1. He did the lowest, most menial servant task that existed.
      1. He washed their dirty feet.
      2. He took his robes off, took a towel and put the towel around his waist, he poured water in a basin, and he washed and dried these 12 men’s feet.
      3. It was a strikingly inappropriate act–and Simon Peter knew it!
      4. Jesus even washed the feet of the man he knew would betray him!
   2. After this shocking event was over, Jesus’ put on his robes again and sat back down with them.
      1. He asked, “Do you know what I have done?”
         1. Of course they knew he had just washed their feet–they had just endured that shame and humiliation!
         2. The force of his question was this: “Do you understand the significance of what I have done?”
      2. Then he explained the significance of the act.
         1. “You honor me as your teacher and Lord, and that is appropriate.”
         2. “If I could humble myself to serve you in this lowly capacity, you should humble yourselves to serve each other in lowly capacities.”
         3. “This is an example (to you)–remember and follow my example.”
         4. “You are not too good to follow my example–you are not more important than me.”
         5. “Remember the blessing is in practicing, not in just knowing.”
      3. The 12 still did not “get it” at that moment, but they “got it” in about a couple of months.

3. As both congregations and as individuals, I am fearful that too often we still do not “get it.”
   1. First, think with me for a moment from the perspective of a congregation.
      1. When we give serious thought to John 13:1-17 and the “foot washing” incident, what are we most likely to discuss as a congregation?
      2. “Is this a binding example?”
      3. “Where should foot washing fit in our theological list?”
      4. “What should we think and how should we react to congregations that have a ‘foot washing ceremony’?”
   2. It is possible to have a serious discussion of John 13:1-17 in a congregation and NEVER:
      1. Discuss humility.
      2. Discuss the role of service in being God’s people.
      3. If we do not discuss humility and service when studying this incident, we simply do not “get it.”
      4. God’s kingdom is all about humility and service, not about the technicalities of judgment.
   3. As individuals, we stress the importance of many things.
      1. We talk about God’s blessings on ME.
      2. We talk about MY salvation.
      3. We talk about MY hope of heaven.
      4. We talk about MY commitment to understanding and doing what is right.
      5. We may even talk about what happens to US after WE die.
   4. Yet, it is amazing what we do not talk about.
      1. Rarely do we discuss God’s purposes and objectives for the world.
      2. Rarely do we discuss the fact that God can and does work through human disappointment and suffering.
      3. Rarely do we discuss humility and service as being God’s great priorities in being a godly person.

4. If people listen to what we discussed in private moments, they might conclude that the primary objective of salvation is human desires rather than God’s objectives.
   1. Too often we fail to see that what God has done and continues to do is focused on Who He is and not on what we want.
      1. It is not about us!
      2. It is about God!
      3. The issue is not what we think is most important to God.
      4. The issue is what God says is most important to Him.
   2. What is primary to God in Christian existence is humility and service.
      1. If we fail to understand that, we are like to 12–we just don’t “get it.”
      2. Just look at how many people think they are good, godly people, but rarely give any consideration to humility or service.

When we “get it,” it will affect the way we behave and the way we treat other people. And “getting it” will be very obvious in our own homes.

The Mission’s Church

Posted by Chris on under Sermons

For the last three weeks I have been immersed in discussions about the mission of God: the Gospel and Our Culture Network(GOCN) conference, Dr. Farrar spoke to us last Sunday, and yesterday morning a group gathered at the Wilsons’ home to pray about the mission and then many of us enjoyed a time of worship and fellowship at the Canfields’ house last evening. One theme runs through all of this – God is doing wondrous things in this world and we are sent to witness it.

Read Luke 10.After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.
… Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Traditional View: The church has a mission. That statement seems so simple and unsurprising. Of course the church has a mission. And what is that mission? Well, we think of the Great Commission. Evangelism must be the mission of the church. But the Great Commission also involves teaching, so the mission of the church is evangelizing and teaching. But what about good works? Of course we need to do good works, so we should also affirm that the mission of the church is to do good works. Evangelism, education, service – these are the mission of the church. But what about fellowship and edification? You know, just spending time with one another and encouraging one another? Do we have to feel guilty about that because it isn’t really mission? Does that really fit into the church’s mission or is it a secondary activity? Well, I suppose they could fit into mission. Jesus certainly wouldn’t want his disciples to be strangers to one another. He did say, “People will know you are My disciples if you love one another.” So, the mission of the church is evangelism, education, service, fellowship, and edification. Have we left anything out? …

This is why it is difficult to write a mission statement. We want to cover everything the church needs to do. And when you start considering how we are going to fund activities, plan programs, and build buildings then it gets even more intimidating and complex. I don’t want to seem alarming or cynical (and I am certainly not being critical of so much good that has been done for generations and is being done even now), but sometimes when we think and talk about “the mission of the church” we have the whole matter turned upside down. We have the cart before the horse. I say this to be hopeful because we will be less discouraged and more inspired when we realize that the church doesn’t have a mission. Rather, the mission has a church!

What do I mean by this? I simply mean that the biblical view of the church is not that of a static organization that determines its own mission. Rather, God has a mission in this world and God is about His mission; He is calling and sending people caught up in that mission and they are the church.

Think of the comparison like this, when we say the church has a mission, we tend to view the church as a sort of machine that comes in a kit, and when we assemble it properly according to the instructions and turn on the power, it goes to work.
But the Bible never pictures the church as an independent institution that churns out a product or repeats a task under its own power. The biblical view of the church is active: The mission of God is a tidal wave breaking onto the shores of earth and the church is caught up in it. In the Bible, the followers of Christ are called “The Way.” [Not “The Where” or “The Place.”] The church is the transformation of the old humanity into the new humanity. The church is the result of God’s Activity – we are the fish caught up in the dragnet, we are the sheaves of wheat gathered in harvest, we are the mustard tree sown by the sower, we are persecuted believers on the run who tell the story that changes the world. The church is like a pile of leaves or a drift of snow gathered up by the wind. We are the visible evidence of God’s invisible activity in the world. The mission of God has a church!

When the mission has a church, then we are no longer tempted to shape the mission into whatever we want, instead we are shaped and formed according to God’s mission in this world. We see this clearly in Luke 10 when Jesus sends the 70.

1. The mission has a church because Jesus sends his disciples with intention. He sent them to the towns and places where he intended to go.
2. The mission has a church because God supplies the laborers for the mission. Jesus tells us that our first work in mission is to pray — to ask the Lord of the harvest for workers.
3. The mission has a church because (and this one is so difficult) we are sent out like lambs among wolves. We are not conquerors establishing our rule; we are heralds announcing the rule of God: we proclaim that “the kingdom of God has come near you.”
4. The mission has a church and so we needn’t get distracted and worried with the many things we assume necessary for that mission: purse, bag, sandals – buildings, programs, personnel, influential contacts, or even well-crafted mission statements!

Do not suppose that I have just dismissed the hard work and thought of those who labored to put up these lovely banners. I am not. The proper way to read these statements is not as if the church gave life to the words, but to always know that these words give life to the church! These statements did not originate in Fort Smith. The mission to Southeast Asia, Africa, France, and Guyana [etc.] did not originate in Fort Smith. The mission to all parts of the earth originates from the Lord who sends us out …

The Mission Report: (The Return of the 70)
I truly had a sense of this yesterday when some of us gathered to talk about and pray for our partners in mission here and around the world. We prayed and gave reports on the mission in New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, France, Guyana, and even Fort Smith. The common theme to all of these was recognition of what God was doing. That’s a true mission report – to report on what God has done.

Traditionally, we have thought of the mission report as a status report from “our” missionaries? Consider the assumptions: Why do we think missionaries have to give “us” a report? Is it because we expect it? Is it because we regard ourselves as investors who fund the mission? Again these are assumptions that must be tested if we are to be the church shaped by God’s mission rather than another agenda. With the traditional view, we expect reports from our missionaries but we don’t have anything to report ourselves. We assume that we are the senders and they are the sent. That is not the mission’s church: Our missionaries should expect reports from us as much as we want reports from them. We all need encouragement of what God is doing among us. We should send them good news of what God is doing and invite the same of them (and many of them are doing so).
I am inspired by the stories being told about God’s mission around the world. Last Sunday, Dr. Henry Farrar encouraged us with a lifetime of stories of God’s work in Nigeria. Because of God he has keen eyes and steady hands and through him God is healing sickness and disease. The mission has a church in Nigeria.
I think of our missionaries who are working subversively for God in Laos. The mission’s church works in secret, but the kingdom reign of God over Laos will not always be a secret. It is no secret to us! God continues his mission there.
Likewise, our missionary in Vietnam and his wife are the mission’s church in a place where the mission of God encounters hostility. But he has encouraged us by reminding us that it doesn’t matter if the church is legal or illegal in Vietnam, because God’s mission continues regardless. We should be emboldened by their refusal to submit to powers of lesser authority than God. Let that strengthen us as we enter into the kingdom of God in this place.
Every time John Paul and Ruby Lee Hundley are visiting with us they share stories about people they love in France. The mission has a church there and it has created a family of believers.
I have always been encouraged by Steve DeLoach‘s reports – better to call them “stories” – because Steve makes it clear that God is doing amazing things. The mission has a church in Guyana – a church made up of believers in Guyana and many other nations who come and participate in what God is doing there.

I am convicted that we can tell stories just like this about Fort Smith and how God is working through West-Ark. I am convicted that we too are the mission’s church. There is no reason for us to believe that God works differently around the world than he does across the street or right here in this assembly. Mission reports and mission stories are not just reports for missionaries to give to us. We need to give our mission reports, too. Let us tell what God is doing through the Iglesia de Cristo, the Laotian Church, CURE, the Outreach Service Center downtown, and Overcomers Outreach. But let’s not stop there – God is also working through the ministries we often consider “internal” (but I tell you that they are mission if God is working through them!). Let us report on what God is doing through FLOCK, GATEWAY, the Youth Ministry, Lions for Christ, Kids for Christ, Connections, and just the everyday fact of being disciples for Jesus eager to serve others.

Like the 70 who were sent, we need to give our reports, too – and we give them to Jesus. Later in Luke 10, you will notice that the 70 returned with fascinating news of what God was doing to overthrow evil. “Even the demons submitted to us!” they report to Jesus. And notice very carefully Jesus’ response: He rejoices in the Holy Spirit. That’s why I want to be the mission’s church. Don’t you want to cause Jesus to rejoice?! Don’t you want to hear him say: “I saw Satan fall like lightning!”?

Conclusion
Earlier I invited you to contribute your money to supporting those who are involved in the mission in other places. Now I invite you to give yourself. The mission’s church is caught up in the tidal wave of God’s mission on earth, but if you want to be part of it you have to get into the water. The kingdom of God isn’t something we build. God is building it. We enter into it and receive it. The mission of God goes on and it shapes a church out of people like Steve, John Paul and Ruby Lee, Thomas, Oscar, and you. The mission of God is not simply the work of a few invested and interested individuals. The mission is the calling of all immersed individuals who are the church shaped by the mission. The church doesn’t have a mission – the mission of God has a church. Let’s be that church.

It Is Time To Be Humble (part 2)

Posted by David on October 23, 2005 under Sermons

It is so difficult to escape from the influences of arrogance and pride when we are impressed with our accomplishments! When we are impressed with what we have done, we feel quite significant. We may tell others about how important we are, or we just may internalize the thought, “I am really something!”

Nothing elevates our sense of importance quite like having someone else tell us how significant something we did was. When other people tell us how important something we did was, our personal sense of significance can really grow.

That is when humility becomes a matter of personal control and not an attitude. For example, it is not humble to talk about it. It is very inappropriate to say to others, “Look at what I did! I am very important!” A Christian simply should not do that! However, it is quite okay to feel it as long as we don’t say it.

To me, a powerful and quite insightful statement about Jesus is found in Philippians 2:3-7.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus is the true example of humility. Can you imagine being in the form of God and not hanging on to that state? Can you imagine going from being in the form of God to being a human? Can you image being in the form of God and becoming a human servant?

This evening I want to focus on a story in Jesus and Peter’s life that most of you know quite well. I want you to notice how easy it is for someone close to Jesus to become arrogant. Read with me Matthew 16:13-28.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

1. Jesus and the 12 were in an area just north of the Jewish territory of Palestine.
   1. In our words, Jesus asked, “How are people explaining who I am and what I am doing?”
      1. The first thing to note is that Jewish people who came into contact with the results of Jesus’ work or with Jesus himself had to explain who he was.
         1. I am confident that a person’s explanations were consistent with his or her personal understanding of how God works–is that not what you do?
         2. I can just hear the people — “Is he from God? Is he a prophet? Is he a past great personality who has been resurrected?”
         3. I can hear some say, “That is not the way God works!”
         4. I can hear others say, “God must be at work in Jesus–there is no other explanation!”
         5. What I want you to especially note is this: “If you came into contact with Jesus’ work or with Jesus himself, you had to explain him!”
      2. That truth has not changed.
         1. It is so easy to get distracted so that we never have to explain Jesus–we focus on all other kinds of religious things but Jesus.
         2. It is possible to be “a good little Christian” today in the church and never, never think about Jesus or discuss Jesus.
         3. The primary consideration in being a Christian is this: “What do you think about Jesus and what God did through him?”
         4. What you think about Jesus will change who you are and how you live.
   2. Then Jesus turned to the 12 and asked, “What about you? Who do you think I am?”
      1. These are the men who have been with him everyday!
      2. They had seen everything–the crowds, the acclamations, the attacks, the incredible deeds.
      3. They had heard everything–the sermons, the private teachings, the parables, the explanations.
      4. With the personal experiences they had, how did they explain him?
   3. Peter said, “This is simple–you are God’s promised Christ.”
      1. What Jesus did and what most people in Israel expected in God’s promised Christ were not the same thing.
      2. People might explain Jesus in many ways, but very few of them would explain who he was by saying he was the Christ.
      3. As incredible as Jesus’ deeds were, he simply did not fit most Jewish expectations regarding the Christ.
      4. That simply could not be the explanation for who Jesus was!

2. Jesus confirmed that Peter understood something no one else realized.
   1. More than that, Jesus said you know this because God Himself revealed this to you!
      1. That is pretty heady stuff!
         1. “You realize something the other 11 men here have not yet understood.”
         2. “You realize this because God Himself gave you a special revelation.”
      2. Because you realize this, there are some special benefits that accompany this awareness.
         1. First, I want you to understand that on this realization I am going to build my “called out” people.
         2. Second, I want you to understand not even death can keep me from doing what I intend to do.
         3. Third, I want you to understand I am giving you the keys to the kingdom I will rule.
      3. For many of us, that is an invitation to arrogance.
         1. You understand something no one has yet realized!
         2. You understand it because God enabled you to understand it!
         3. You will be in charge of opening my kingdom to others!
      4. At that moment Peter had no idea of what this awareness would cost him.
         1. He was just impressed with how important he was!
         2. Those are the kinds of things that can go to the head of a take-charge person!

3. The fact the Jesus was the Christ meant among other things that Jesus had to die.
   1. Jesus began to explain to the 12 that he would die in Jerusalem.
      1. The disciples were not to tell others that Jesus was the Christ.
      2. They were just to understand that Jesus would suffer, he would be killed, and he would be resurrected.
   2. That simply did not fit with Peter’s expectations!
      1. Peter was right about who Jesus was.
      2. Peter was wrong about what he expected to happen.
   3. So Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Jesus for saying such things.
      1. The force of what Peter said was, “God will never let this happen!”
      2. “We will not let this happen!”
      3. “You simply must not talk this way.”
   4. Without realizing it, Peter was powerfully tempting Jesus.
      1. So the man who received a special revelation from God was called Satan.
      2. The man powerfully used by God was being used by Satan!
      3. Jesus was quite clear!
         1. “You are being major trouble to me! You are now acting in Satan’s interest, not in God’s interest.”
         2. “You are not interested in what God had in mind.”
         3. “You are only interested in human desires and expectations.”

4. Then Jesus told all the 12.
   1. Following me means self-denial and a cross.
   2. Do not think you can avoid these two things.
      1. If you try to avoid them you will lose something more valuable than physical life.
      2. God will know what you have done.
      3. God will deal with you on the basis of what you have done rather than the basis of who you say you are.
   3. You will live to see the reality of my kingdom.
      1. Jesus would not physically live to see it.
      2. However, the 12 would live to see it.

All I want you to see is how easy it is for a person devoted to God to become a very arrogant person. All it takes are two things: ignorance of God’s purposes and substituting your plans for God’s purposes.

Fruit of the Spirit

Posted by David on under Sermons

It was early October. The first frost had not yet come, but the mornings were cool and the evenings were hot. It was that unique time of the year when you shivered in the morning and sweated in the afternoon.

A 25 year-old man who grew up on a local farm got off work on Fridays at noon. He decided he would take his .22 rifle and roam the hollows of the family farm squirrel hunting. By 4 p.m. he had not seen one squirrel, so he headed for his truck. The afternoon was hot as the sunshine beamed down, and he began to sweat heavily.

About half way to the truck, he crossed an old watermelon patch. The good melons were taken to market over a month before. All that was left were the culls that came from the late blooms.

At the edge of the patch was a large white oak tree. On impulse, he decided to lean his gun against the tree, gather 3 or 4 cull watermelons, and quench his thirst by eating the hearts out of the small melons. And that is what he did.

As he sat under the tree, he took his hunting knife, split the melons, and began to eat the sweet center out of each melon. Just as he started eating, a white oak acorn fell on his head. He looked up among the branches of the tree at its acorns, and then he looked across the watermelon patch. He immediately had two thoughts. The first thought: “I sure am glad watermelons do not grow up in trees.” The second thought: “God sure knew what He was doing when He put acorns in trees and watermelons on vines.”

I want to ask you a question: how often do you say to yourself, “God sure knew what he was doing?”

Have you ever read the fruit of the Spirit and said to yourself, “God sure knew what He was doing!”

Listen: Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

How often have you read these two verses and said, “God sure knew what He was doing!”

1. I want you to note some things about the context.
   1. Paul made this statement in his letter to the Christians in Galatia because they were not treating each other right!
      1. Some of these Christian were using their freedom in Christ to hurt other Christians.
      2. These people caused problems in Christian-Christian relationships, and then cried out, “I have the right to Christian freedom!” to escape the responsibility or the consequences of their acts.
      3. Paul declared they had freedom, the freedom to love each other–in Christ Jews could love gentiles and gentiles could love Jews.
      4. While they had the freedom to love each other, they did not have the freedom to be selfish.
      5. So they were not to use their freedom in Christ as an excuse to do ungodlike things to other people.
      6. Pay special attention to a significant contrast.
         1. It was the contrast between the values and acts of idol worshippers and the values and acts of God worshippers.
         2. Paul classified the acts of idol worshippers as “deeds of the flesh.”
         3. He classified the acts of God worshippers as “fruit of the Spirit.”
      7. It is amazing to note how many of the “deeds of the flesh” focused on selfish indulgence.
      8. It is equally amazing to note that all of the expressions of the “fruit of the Spirit” focus on the unselfishness of godly relationships.
   2. Paul made it quite clear to those Christians that the person who converted to God through Christ by personal choice did not think or feel like people who do not belong to God.
      1. People who belong to God through Christ want a lifestyle led by the Spirit.
      2. The lifestyle of people who are led by God’s Spirit are at war in their lives with the desires that oppose God.
         1. The two do not mix!
         2. Each is dedicated to the death of the other!
         3. Both forces actively oppose each other in a person’s life.
      3. The Christian by choice wants a life led by God’s Spirit, not a life controlled by physical desire and physical focus.
      4. The Christian who deceives himself into a conviction that he or she at the same moment can adopt the lifestyle of a God led person and the lifestyle of a person controlled by physical desire will likely make both lifestyles impossible.
         1. He or she will either totally deceive himself or herself about being a godly person and become a hypocrite as physical desires prevail and justify their expressions.
         2. Or, he or she will live under the constant burden of guilt as he or she violates his or her conscience.
      5. The person who wishes to be led by God in his or her lifestyle deliberately kills the forces in his or her life that fight against a God-led lifestyle.
         1. Even if it is painful, he or she kills anything in his or her personal life that opposes God.
         2. Even if it is a slow death, he or she kills anything in his or her personal life that opposes God.
      6. “Why would a person do that?” Because he or she wants to be led by God, and he or she will not tolerate any influence in his or her self that opposes God’s control of life.

2. It is precisely at this point that individual Christians or congregations get themselves into difficulty with spiritual priorities.
   1. We decide what God wants without consulting God.
      1. “How do we do that?”
      2. We can do that in several ways.
         1. We can make scripture say and emphasize what we want scripture to say and emphasize.
            1. We make God’s word mean what we want God’s word to mean.
            2. We decide what is important, and we use verses to justify our conclusions.
            3. Or, we justify our actions, and we use verses to try to confuse the matter.
         2. Or, we are so ignorant of the Bible that we use the little Bible we know out of context to make our choices okay.
            1. For example, we say, “You know God wants me to be happy,” and use that personal conviction to justify everything from adultery, to addiction, to dishonesty.
            2. Or, we say, “Everyone knows there is nothing wrong with that.”
            3. Or, we say, “God is not concerned with such matters.”
         3. Or, we assume God’s purposes and make our assumptions the foundation of our behavior.
            1. For example, “What God really wants is for me to have that boat (or house, or car, or whatever)–as if God’s greatest purpose is focused on my wealth.
            2. Or, “What God really wants is for me to be healthy–as if God’s greatest purpose is focused on my physical well being.
   2. It comes as quite a shock to realize that God’s purposes are not defined by my physical well being.
      1. God’s purposes were not defined by Jesus’ physical life–else Jesus would not have died.
      2. God’s purposes were not defined by Paul’s physical life–else God would have removed Paul’s thorn in the flesh.
      3. God’s purposes were not defined by Stephen’s physical life–else he would not have been a Christian martyr.

3. What is important to God in a Christian lifestyle is the way we treat other people–wives, husbands, children, workers, neighbors, business opportunities, strangers.
   1. I ask you to note something in the fruit of the Spirit.
      1. Where are theological issues? Absent! They are important but they are not number one, with God.
      2. Where is passing judgment? Absent! Recognizing evil correctly is important, but it is not number one, with God.
      3. Where is division? Absent!
      4. Where is negative behavior and outlook? Absent!
      5. Where is criticism? Absent!
   2. Notice three things about the fruit of the Spirit.
      1. All expressions are positive.
      2. All expressions are unselfish.
      3. All expressions are relationship focused.

That leaves each of us with one question to ask self. “Is my lifestyle based on selfish indulgence or on unselfish relationships?”

Asked in another way, “Is my life all about me, or am I allowing Jesus teach me how to be a servant?”

God knows what He wants and is doing. Do I know what God wants and is doing?

Life on the Vine: Cultivating Patience

Posted by Chris on October 16, 2005 under Sermons

And so there’s Moses watching the people of God disgrace themselves. God had saved them from slavery by humbling the mighty king of Egypt. They were free and God was putting the finishing touches on the covenant agreement between him and his people. And how do they use that freedom? By becoming slaves to idolatry and disgracing themselves in ways that even their enemies would consider wicked.
God and Moses were mapping out a bright future for these people and the world, but once God heard them debasing themselves and acting like their oppressors, he thought about incinerating them and starting over with Moses, but Moses reminded him of his covenant and how it had lasted for centuries. Of course, God remained faithful.
And so there’s Moses who has just stood up for the people. He is holding the symbol of their covenant with God (the stone tablets). These people have spit in God’s face and challenged Moses’ leadership. No wonder Moses loses his temper and smashes the symbol of covenant. It was already broken before he left the mountaintop.
But the story doesn’t end there. Moses returns to the mountaintop. There’s going to be a second chance at covenant. And just so no one will assume that God isn’t present among his people, he agrees to draw even closer to Moses. God will reveal his glory to Moses. Moses will not see God’s face, but he will see his back as he passes by. And he does. And God draws even closer by telling Moses his name; and it isn’t so much as single name as it is a declaration of who God is …
“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

Patience is Rooted in the Character of God
How does Exodus 34 describe God? This is the covenant name of God that is remembered throughout the generations by God’s people. It describes God’s character especially in those moments when we, his people, shame him by disgracing ourselves with sin. This “name of God” that recalls how God is compassionate, gracious, and slow to anger is repeated many times in the Bible. The Psalmists sing in Psalms 86, 103, and 145 that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Prophets like Joel and Jonah affirm that God is compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. For leaders like Nehemiah and Ezra this was the cornerstone of their faith. In our wickedness, God did not abandon us! Why? “Because the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
This is another way of saying “The Lord, the Lord is patient.” And as much as it comforts us to know that about God, it challenges us when we know that we too must be patient as God is patient. The fruit of the Spirit is rooted in the character of God, and that is so true of patience. Bearing Fruit of the Spirit means adopting the character of God. How well are we wearing the name of God? If we are to be patient like God, then that means being compassionate and gracious-how are you doing on those?-slow to anger-how’s that going?-abounding in love and faithfulness – well, how’s that going? This is what it means to be patient …

Why are we so impatient? (Why is it difficult to cultivate patience?)
It’s difficult to be patient isn’t in an environment that is more suited to cultivating impatience than patience.

1. We are a culture of the quick fix rather than the long haul. We are the product of 200 years of the modern scientific age. A lot of good has come from that. But we have picked up some bad habits too. One of the most unfortunate results of the modern age is arrogance. We have assumed that we can solves any problem and along with advances in industrialization and transportation we assume that we can fix anything now. (If anything good is coming of post-modernism, it is that the consequences of our arrogance are now convicting us to be a bit more humble).

   In every area of our lives we are often committed to the quick fix. Politics: “Why haven’t we rebuilt the Gulf Coast? It’s been weeks! Why haven’t we won the war on terror? It’s been years!” Health: “Do you want to lose weight instantly? Here’s the solution …” People seek out doctors to get the quick fix for what’s wrong with them, but they don’t realize that health is often the result of how they have been caring for themselves over the long haul. Faith: “I want to grow as a Christian and I want to do it now!” God saves us instantly, but salvation lasts for eternity. Some of us want to cultivate the fruit of the spirit right now, or at the end of this season. But cultivation is a lifelong process and in an impatient culture that is intimidating, but that’s the way the world really is. When we cultivate patience we learn that the best things take time. Olive tree farmers know that. An olive tree will only start to bear fruit in its 5th or 6th year, and doesn’t reach maximum yield until it is 30 or 40 years old. When the olive growers in the Middle East plant an olive tree, they say a prayer: “God protect it and make it grow so that my children’s grandchildren will benefit from its abundance.” Once I heard a story that an olive tree farmer said that he harvests the trees his father planted and he plants the trees his son will harvest. That is patience.

2. We are obsessed with speed and productivity. Because of that obsession, some olive trees have been forced to yield maximum harvest in 5 to 6 years. Now think, is that so we can have better olives or is it to make more profit more quickly? Our obsession with speed and productivity is rooted in greed which is the antithesis to patience.

   A few weeks ago I was in Silver Dollar City watching the knifesmith. He described our culture as a throwaway culture. That’s why his trade (which is really just a hobby for him) is no more. The way he makes knives is just for collectors and hobbyists, but it used to be for everday work. The knife smith worked in an inefficient and slow way to make a knife that would last for generations. But now knives are pressed on a machine that can turn out thousands in the time it takes the knife smith to make one. That makes the knives cheaper and easily replaceable. But are they better knives? Are they items that can be passed on to your children and maybe even grandchildren?
   Our obsession with speed and productivity has put even our faith on the clock. We want to attend to all of our spiritual needs in one hour a week. And God help us the church has sometimes catered to this fixation with productivity. A church in Orange County, California has a slogan “Give us 90 minutes of your time and we will change your life.” Well, that is a step better than Jesus who asks us to take up our cross and follow him for the rest of our lives. But then we are so much more advanced than Jesus was back in the first century, yes?

3. We regard time as a commodity rather than a gift. One of the advancements since Jesus is the clock. (The concept of the “second” wasn’t invented until the 1700’s). People have always had means for gauging time, but the mechanical clock allowed us to standardize time. And now we feel that what started as a tool has become a master. We are now a tool of the tool. This is toxic to patience because Our lives have become ordered by an unnatural rhythm instead of the rhythms of God’s created order. God made the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Do you see how God built patience into the natural rhythm of the created order. He gave us the lights in the heavens to order the times and seasons. But we have invented artificial light and weather so that we can order time our way! And we are more impatient and stressed out than ever. Think about it, what is the most common response you get to the question “How are you doing?” – BUSY!

   This busy-ness has changed the way we view time. It is a commodity, not a gift from God. We hoard it and sell it. The language we use with time is unique to our culture. We “spend” time. We “invest” time. We “waste” time. We “steal” time and “take-up” time. We have invented the concept of quality time as an excuse to spend less time with people. We are apologetic of intruding on one’s time and we are disturbed sometimes when others want to take some of our time. Why? Because we all have the sense that there is precious little time – but more because we regard time as “my time, my day.” It is mine! Now how does that make us patient? How does that help us cultivate the spirit among us that is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

How shall we cultivate patience? If we want to cultivate patience we must actively resist the powers that make us impatient.

1. Give away time in worship, fellowship and service. – Time is a gift from God. We are destined for an eternity, so time isn’t something scarce. Spend time with God in worship. Worship with others and let’s come to the table as if we are coming to a banquet not fast-food carry out. Let’s spend time with one another for no other reason than to know one another. (What I appreciate about our Care Groups and LIFE groups is that so many in our groups, especially our new ones, have said that they want to give up their “personal time” to spend it with others. They realize that there is a power of selfishness and impatience that needs to be challenged.) If we spend time in service with others, do it just to serve others not to be more productive.
2. Appreciate the journey as much as the destination. – Our impatient culture wants to convince us that the end product or the destination is all that matters. The quicker you arrive there or produce it the better. In 2001 my family took a trip in an RV to New York, my father’s home. The journey is as much a part of that trip as the destination. In some ways even more so. How will our children remember our faith? By the destination or the journey. When we read the stories of the patriarchs, we see that the journey is even more important than the destination, because the goals weren’t always achieved in one generation.
3. Trust the future to God. – Much of our impatience is rooted in the fact that we do not trust the future to God. We have forgotten the stories. God doesn’t abandon us. He doesn’t leave us with a set of Tinkertoys and Lego’s and say build it yourself. He is working in the details to accomplish all things in his own time and his own way.
4. Forgive others. (See Matthew 18:23-35) – If we truly want to be patient, then we need to be as patient with others as God is with us. This is the point of Jesus vivid parable about the unforgiving servant. You have been forgiven of so much by a God who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. How dare you not be forgiving of others. “But you don’t understand they did …!” This isn’t about them. It’s about God. It is about cultivating patience. It’s about being like God.

Life on the Vine: Cultivating Peace

Posted by Chris on October 9, 2005 under Sermons

Star Fruit, Carambola – Origin unknown, but probably native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern China. The star fruit has never been located in the wild.

The Rare Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
When we strive for the fruit of the spirit that is love and joy we strive for the wonderful, God-grown variety. We accept no substitutes and we are aware that there are cheapened, weakened, less wholesome varieties of love and joy that are not produced by the Holy Spirit.
However, peace is different. Peace is just simply a rare fruit. We are not accustomed to its taste or its presence. When we see it, it seems so strange and out of place. But when we taste it we know that it is good. And when we cultivate it in our life together we realize that the fruit of the spirit that is peace is truly a gift from God because it doesn’t grow naturally or “wild” in the soil of our world.

We tend to define peace as the absence of something: The absence of war, conflict, stress, fear, noise. Consider why we do that: Because we are not used to the alternative that peace is actually something positive and war, conflict, stress, fear, and noise are actually the absence of peace. But peace is more than absence of negative elements. It is the presences of something very good. It may be more accurate to say that the negative elements are the absence of peace. In the Hebrew, this present peace is known as shalom. It is something real and it involves relationships. We see it at the creation … Creation – “It was good and very good” – But in a corrupted world we don’t recognize the “shalom of God” …
Christ’s mission is to restore that shalom … The world vs. Christ – John 14 – Christ gives peace, but the world gives …
Why is it difficult to cultivate peace? [What does the world give?]

Our world and culture are fragmented: We are fragmented in so many ways.

• In order to live with one another we require rules and boundaries. “Good fences make good neighbors.” Our politics assume fragmentation and conflict. We accept so easily the reality of “us and them.” We are comfortable with “our kind of people” but concerned or fearful of “those kind of people.” So we maintain boundaries (some subtle and some obvious) that keep all kinds of people apart – we say it is to avoid conflict. The rules and boundaries we live with do not create peace – but they do limit chaos and conflict.
• We divide our lives into public and private worlds. It seems so second-nature and it is understandable that there must be boundaries to respect privacy, but what happens when these two worlds and two selves are at odds? The greater the difference between our private self and our public self, the less peace we enjoy.
• We divide our world into the religious and the secular. And we make absolutely certain that they do not overlap. Now if we believe that peace is a gift of God, and God is contained to the religious world, then how much peace will there be in the secular? Faith is privatized so we make many private choices, but we do not realize how they are connected to community or to the rule of God.

This is the way of the world -but the world cannot give us peace (John 14)

Our world and culture and polarized:
Our culture wants to force us to take extreme positions. Examples: Red States vs. Blue States. Liberal vs. Conservative. There are absolutes, but these do not demand that we are polarized from others. We are in the world though not of the world.

Our world and culture are compartmentalized:Our world and culture compartmentalizes life by setting up different expectations in different settings. This calls for different rules. One set of rules and expectations at home. One set of rules and expectations at work/school. One set of rules and expectations in church. This confusion keeps us from peace which is a result of submitting to the rule of God.
Can we recognize the problem? A compartmentalized life challenges our allegiances. Strangely, we only know peace when we are so devoted to God that our allegiance is undivided. No compromises are made in any other area of our lives.
Through history, the martyrs have peace because their allegiance is not divided. The ethics of our culture would have advised persecuted Christians in the late first century to go ahead and make an offering to the altar of the emperor. After all, it is just politics and isn’t really your faith. But they didn’t compartmentalize their lives like we do. And so many who would not worship the emperor and call him “Lord and God” where executed. Foolish? Perhaps by the standards of our culture, but that devotion was built on peace given by the true Lord and God and the martyrs gave witness to a faith that outlasted their persecutors.

How to Cultivate Peace

1. Live Under the Rule of God. Shalom, the real Peace of God is something positive not just an absence. It is more than an attitude. Shalom/peace is a way of life. Well-being, wholeness and harmony that characterizes all relationships: with one another, with the world and with God. Shalom is what we can expect when we live under the Rule of God. Because Christ is our Lord, we ought to review our structures of power (Mark 10) – We do not lord it over one another

2. Pursue peace with one another – Philippians 4:8-9. Remember that what God wants above all is for his people to live together in whole healthy relationships. We are instruments of his peace.

3. Practice Forgiveness and Accountability
   When we admonish one another and forgive one another it is not about exacting authority over them; it is about promoting well being and wholeness. When we pursue forgiveness and accountability, conflict can lead to peace!
   Accountability must always follow forgiveness. The accountability is an accountability to live worthy of our salvation and not cheapen it. All of us are both debtors and lenders in the kingdom that is what it means to be a kingdom of priests. So we are holding one another accountable. Here’s a suggestion on how we proceed with accountability: Since it is just not practical for us to go around forcing others to be accountable to us, let us give others permission to examine our lives. Let’s make ourselves accountable.

4. Remember your Baptism (Romans 6:3-6) – Added to Body of Christ – we are not fragmented! We are given a foretaste of shalom in the body of Christ (Acts).