26 09 11 Filed in:
Sermons | RadicalBig Idea: Jesus is looking for fully-devoted followers, not mere fans.
How Much Is Jesus Worth To You?
Seriously. We’re starting light this morning! Maybe we should be begin with, “How much are you worth to Jesus?” You know that answer, right? Everything! What more could God do for you?
Last week we began our series Radical. We asked the crucial question, “Do you believe the Bible?” As a church, we have concluded that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. It is true. It is truth. All of it. I don’t have the final word around here. In fact, if you ever hear me speak something inconsistent with the Bible, PLEASE call me out! I do my best each week with fear and trembling to present God’s Word, but Scio is not about me, it’s about Jesus and His Word.
If you haven’t bought into the Bible as truth, you’re still in the right place. We are all at various places in our spiritual journey. I believe after thoroughly testing the Bible you will discover, as I have, that it is historically reliable, theologically sound, logically consistent, and best of all it works. It makes sense. It is relevant and reliable.
The Bible is not, however, easy. Last week we looked at Jesus’ challenging words:
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
That sounds radical…because it is!
Luke 14:25-35
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Jesus was attracting large crowds. Human nature often says that bigger is better. Conventional wisdom says that if you have followers, you want to grow your fan base, right? This is true if you are a musician, an author, or a blogger. “Build your brand,” the so-called experts say.
Why were large crowds traveling with Jesus? He was different. His message was fresh. He provide free medical care and sometimes free lunch, too. He was a celebrity.
Rather than building his audience, He seemed to do the opposite. He raises the bar and separates the casual observers from the truly committed.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Give up everything you have, carry a cross, and hate your family. That’s a lot different than admit, believe, confess, and repeat this prayer!
Some of us bought into a lie. We were told that all we need to do is pray a magic prayer, feel good about heaven after you die, and just live like everyone else. Jesus is a free gift to accept and enjoy. It won’t cost you anything.
That’s a lie! Jesus is saying that following Him will cost you everything—but it will be worth it. You cost Him everything! Think about it.
This verse does not, of course, mean that we are to hate—ourselves or anyone. God cannot contradict Himself so when He says to love one another and love our neighbors He’s not making hate an option. Our love and commitment to Jesus should make all of our other desires and affections look like hate in comparison. One’s loyalty to Jesus must come before loyalty to family or even life itself.
I have a good friend who regularly leaves his family to travel the world as a foreign missionary for weeks and even months at a time. I once asked him if he was neglecting his family and he replied, “Soldiers leave their family to serve and fight. I’m a soldier engaged in spiritual warfare, a battle of even greater consequence.” I was deeply humbled by his response.
The expression “carry his cross” is foreign to our culture, but obviously to carry one’s cross meant to prepare to die. It was a public act that declared that the Roman Empire was correct in their death sentence. Carrying our cross is a public display for others that Jesus was correct.
Some of you may remember the classic line in the film The Princess Bride.
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
In a much more serious way, Jesus is telling his audience that if you want to follow Him, you must prepare to die. This was NOT a metaphor. Many of His followers then and now have died as martyrs. In fact, all but one of His twelve disciples were martyrs…and John was boiled alive!
Are you prepared to die? It’s easy to be a Christian in our culture. We are blessed with tremendous freedom and liberty. Although many signs point to our faith being in decline, I doubt any of your lives have ever been in jeopardy while following Jesus in the United States.
Of course, the whole point of Jesus’ message is that we must count the cost. He requires total devotion. Jesus can’t just be your homeboy, your buddy, or even your BFF. Kyle Idleman’s recent book and website say it all.
Video
It’s all or nothing. HE continued…
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
If you’ve ever driven to the state of Ohio, you’ve no doubt seen the house along US 23. What was envisioned as a huge, beautiful home sits as an empty, abandoned structure because someone did not count the cost. To quote Jesus, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Tragic.
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
There we see last Sunday’s verse. We cannot be a disciple of Jesus if we do not count the cost and give up everything we have.
How many of you have ever played on a sports team of any kind? You likely heard the coach say to give 110%. Of course there is no such thing because you cannot give more than 100%, but this is the root of what Jesus is saying. All in or all out. Give 110% of your heart, soul, mind, strength, hopes, dreams, time, talent, treasures, and relationships or go home.
One of my biggest fears is that I put Jesus in a box, I make Him safe, and I keep an arm’s distance away from me. To be honest, sometimes I’m afraid He’ll ask for something I don’t want to surrender so I get real busy, so busy and noisy that I can’t hear His voice.
The question is not, “What is God’s will?” but “Will I obey His will?”
What if He wants my….
Jesus concludes…
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
What an image! That’s a description of fans rather than followers. Which are you?
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Benefits
You may be thinking, “Why in the world would I surrender everything to Jesus? You don’t understand my life. You don’t know my situation. I don’t want to do anything, uh, radical. Jesus couldn’t have meant everything. What does that leave me?
It leaves us with Jesus.
To everyone wanting a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, stay away from Jesus. The danger in our lives will always increase in proportion to the depth of our relationship with Christ. – David Platt
Before the children's encounter with Aslan in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Lewis has Susan, who is always a bit too concerned with her own well-being, ask Mr. Beaver whether Aslan is safe. "'Course he isn't safe," the Beaver replies. "But he's good."
The reward of the American dream is safety, security, and success found in more comfort, better stuff, and greater prosperity. But the reward of Christ trumps all these things and beckons us to live for an eternal safety, security, and satisfaction that far outweigh everything this world has to offer us. –David Platt
The great songwriter Graham Kendrick wrote in his song Knowing You,
All I once held dear, built my life upon,All this world reveres and wars to own;All I once thought gain I have counted loss,Spent and worthless now compared to this.
Knowing You, Jesus, knowing YouThere is no greater thing.
We do not have time to waste our lives living out a Christian spin on the American Dream. – David Platt
Surrender!
God delights in using ordinary Christians who come to the end of themselves and choose to trust in his extraordinary provision. He stands ready to allocate his power to all who are radically dependent on him and radically devoted to making much of him. –David Platt
We have a mission that involves blessing the nations, changing the world. Seriously? If we are willing to radically sacrifice everything for Jesus, there is no limit to what He can accomplish through us.
I dream of our baptistery filled with new believers proclaiming their devotion to Jesus.
I dream of people being sent from Scio all over the world to bless the nations.
I dream of our youth becoming contagious, dangerous, influential Christ-followers.
There is no limit to what God can do…if we allow Him. If we open our palms, as we said last week, so that He can take away but also give.
Jesus is worth the risk of following Him!
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. (Matthew 16:24-25)
Jesus is supremely loving. Jesus is worthy.Jesus is loyal.Jesus is faithful.Jesus is good.Jesus sacrificed everything for you.Jesus is our reward.
Next week we’re going to get specific about being radical, but this morning I wanted to give the Holy Spirit one more opportunity to reveal to you your next step. What are you clinging to? What you need to surrender in order to be fully available to God’s work?
How much is Jesus worth to you? You are worth everything to Him. Everything. The more radical your sacrifice, the more you will discover that Jesus is a reward worth risking everything to know, experience and enjoy.
Note: David Platt quotes are from his book Radical.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Here’s a bonus:
Followers vs Fansfrom Brad Lomenick by bradlomenick
Follower vs. Fan.Is there a difference?
1. Followers are committed. Fans can be fickle.
2. Followers trust their leader. Fans trust in their leader only when it benefits them.
3. Followers want a vision. Fans want a show.
4. Followers ask “what have i done for you?” lately. Fans ask “what have you done for me lately?”
5. Followers are in for the long term. Fans are in for the short term.
6. Followers have an intrinsic connection; it’s not about wearing a t-shirt. Fans have an extrinsic connection; it’s ALL about wearing a t-shirt.
Are you a follower or a fan?Tags: Luke 1425-35, sacrifice
20 09 11 Filed in:
Sermons | RadicalBig Idea: Jesus demands everything—and He can be trusted.
The Bible
When I was a young boy, we used to sing this song called The B-I-B-L-E. The lyrics were, “The B-I-B-L-E/Yes that’s the book for me/I stand alone on the Word of God/The B-I-B-L-E.”
One of the core values of our tribe, the Christian & Missionary Alliance, states
Knowing and obeying God’s Word is fundamental to all true success. Joshua 1:8
Do you believe this book? It’s so much more than just pages of stories or wisdom. It is God’s precious Word. It is our guide for life. As some have said, it is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
For thousands of years people have been studying the Bible, seeking to know, understand and apply it. As Joshua was preparing to lead the people of Israel following Moses’ death, God told him
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
Did you catch that? It is a command with a promise. I don’t know about you but I don’t like random rules. I want to know why! God promised Joshua prosperity and success if he read and obeyed the written Word.
So again I ask do you believe this book? Maybe you’re still not sure it’s trustworthy. After all, it’s thousands of years old and surely it’s been changed over time, right? The science of textual criticism evaluates manuscripts based upon their written date, the time span from the earliest copies, and the number of copies. No ancient book is even close to the Bible in terms of its preservation and authenticity.
The Bible is true. It can be trusted. There is nothing like it on the planet. Don’t take my word for it, though. Billions of people for generations have not only studied and obeyed it, many have given their lives to preserve and share it.
The All-Important Question is do we believe this Book?
If the answer is yes, the next several weeks will be challenging. See if you don’t believe it, you can ignore what it says and comfortably enjoy our weekly family reunions together. Belief, however, demands action.
A few weeks ago I told the story of the Great Blondin - the man who invented the high wire act. He crossed Niagara Falls again and again; blindfolded, carrying a stove, in chains, and on a bicycle. Just as he was about to begin yet another crossing— this time pushing a wheelbarrow—he turned to the crowd and shouted, "Who trusts that I can cross pushing this wheelbarrow?" Every hand in the crowd went up. Blondin pointed at one man:
"Do you trust that I can do it?" he asked."Yes, I trust you can." said the man."Are you certain that you trust me?" said Blondin."Yes" said the man."Absolute trust? Absolutely certain?""Yes, absolute trust, with absolute certainty.""Thank you," said Blondin, "please get into the wheelbarrow."
True faith requires action.
Do we believe this book? Do we believe what it says about the church? The cross? Mission? Decisions? The lost? The poor?
Our passage for this morning is very short. Jesus said to His followers
In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)
You can look at the original Greek, examine the context, and do whatever you want to twist it, but you can’t really change the message: following Jesus requires giving up everything. No buts. No excuses.
That’s radical! He demands total devotion.
My wife demands total devotion. An occasional affair is unacceptable! Should God demand any less?
David Platt notes
Even his simple call in Matthew 4 to his disciples—“Follow me”—contained radical implications for their lives. Jesus was calling them to abandon their comforts, all that was familiar to them and natural for them. He was calling them to abandon their careers. They were reorienting their entire life’s work around discipleship to Jesus. Their plans and dreams were now being swallowed up in his. Jesus was calling them to abandon their possessions. “Drop your nets and your trades as successful fishermen,” he was saying in effect. Jesus was calling them to abandon their family and their friends. When James and John left their father, we see Jesus’ words in Luke 14 coming alive. Ultimately, Jesus was calling them to abandon themselves. They were leaving certainty for uncertainty, safety for danger, self-preservation for self-denunciation.
When we gather in our comfortable church building to worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead we may be worshiping ourselves.
Video
Is it all about you? When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…so he can truly live.
Francis Chan illustrated this idea of comfortable Christianity like this. He said, If I ask my daughter to do something (“Rach, clean your room”), I am not satisfied if she come back later and says that she has memorized what I said, or that she got her friends together to discuss what my request means or what it would look like if she cleaned her room, or that she made a poster or needlepoint with my command on it.” Commands are to be obeyed.
John Stumbo of the Alliance writes,
Have you wondered why the Church in places like China and Vietnam has grown rapidly and vibrantly, even in the face of terrible persecution, while many churches in America struggle just to maintain the status quo? In China and Vietnam believers have few resources and even fewer trained pastors. Most congregations have no facilities, and members often are persecuted by hostile government officials. There are not even enough Bibles for every Christian. Yet the Church moves triumphantly forward.
In the West it is a different story. We do not lack resources. There are millions of dollars available to build spacious buildings and to fund evangelism and discipleship training. Bible colleges and seminaries train thousands of students every year, and many congregations have two or more well- trained pastors. There is no dearth of Christian literature, and every Christian home contains not one, but many, Bibles.
I am firmly convinced that the reason for our spiritual impotence in the midst of material affluence is simple. We have been discipled toward knowledge, believing that a mature Christian is one who knows a lot about Christ and the Bible. Christians in places like China and Vietnam have been discipled toward obedience. In their paradigm, a mature Christian is one who obeys all that he or she has learned of God’s Word and of Christ.
Are you pursuing the American Dream of Jesus’ dream for your life?
What do you have? Do you really have it?Does it have you?
Pearls
This is a very heavy message. Who wants to give up everything? It all begins with our understanding of God. He is not out to ruin your life, but instead He wants you to experience the most abundant, exciting, joy-filled life imaginable. Really.
The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. "Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?" Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.
"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. James if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere - Sunday School, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls." "Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess - the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night."
And he brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls." "Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure.
Jenny's father is like our heavenly Father. He also is waiting for us to give up our dime store stuff and seek Him first ... so He can fling open the windows of Heaven and pour us out such a blessing that we will not have room enough to hold it.
Next week we’ll look at the context of this radical verse and see that Jesus literally wants us to give up everything.
TreasuresTimeTalentsFutureRelationships
What do you most fear right now? What can’t you surrender? There’s a good chance that it is an idol in your life. God wants it, not because He wants to rob you of your joy, but so that He can BE your joy.
Take My Life
The word “consecrate” means to solemnly dedicate to God or sanctify.
Frances Havergal, at age 36, received a book called, "All for Jesus", which stresses the importance of making Christ Lord over every dimension of one's life. On Advent Sunday, Dec. 2, 1873, she saw the blessedness of consecration and made a full surrender of her all to Christ. Not long after she was visiting ten people in a house, of which she writes: "I went for a little visit of five days (to Areley House.) There were ten persons in the house, some unconverted and long prayed for, some converted, but not rejoicing Christians. He gave me the prayer, 'Lord, give me all in this house!' And He did just that. Before I left the house every one had got a blessing. The last night of my visit after I had retired, the governess asked me to go to the two daughters. They were crying; then and there both of them trusted and rejoiced; it was nearly midnight. I was too happy to sleep, and passed most of the night in praise and renewal of my own consecration; and these little couplets formed themselves, and chimed in my heart one after another till they finished wit h'Ever, Only ALL for Thee!'" (Havergal Manuscripts)
Chris Tomlin said of the hymn “Take My Life,” “This hymn sums up what we all want to say to God: Take everything about me…take all I am and all I own—it’s yours Lord. Louie and I penned these simple four lines of refrain to amplify what we felt the writer was wanting to communicate, and to give us the chance to step back from the numerous lines of the song and voice our all to the Father.”
As we sing, I want to challenge you with two things. First, I invite you to lift your open hands in front of you, offering everything to God. Second, pour out your heart to God. Tell Him your hopes and dreams. He’s not out to get you. He’s out to bless you, but when we are clinging to what we have, there’s no way He can give us anything. When we surrender, we lose, but we also gain. Like baptism last week, we must die in order to be resurrected. He gives and takes away.
Conclusion
This week I challenge you to ask God to reveal to you whatever is holding you back from being completely surrendered to Jesus, a fully-devoted disciple.
I also challenge you this week to get into the Word. Read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)
We all want to prosper and be successful. Let’s get into the Word and discover all that He has for us.Tags: Luke 14:33, surrender, sacrifice, devotion, Radical
14 09 11 Filed in:
SermonsBig Idea: God has given us a mission and it is radical.
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers had a most interesting beginning to pre-season training. All the players knew that at the first team meeting, the coach would waste no time getting straight to the point. Many of the men, half Lombardi’s age and twice his size, were openly fearful, dreading the encounter. The coach did not disappoint them, and, in fact, delivered his message in one of the great one-liners of all time. Football in hand, Lombardi walked to the front of the room, took several seconds to look over the assemblage in silence, held out the pigskin in front of him, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” In only five words, Lombardi communicated his point: We’re going to start with the basics and make sure we’re executing all the fundamentals.
My very first words as your pastor were, “Why are you here?” It doesn’t get any more basic than that! Last week we said that we exist to glorify God, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism.
We have also talked about the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.
The Great Commission summarizes Jesus’ final words to His followers some 2000 years ago.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
The Great Commandment was Jesus’ response to the question of the greatest commandment.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)
Sometime in the early 1900s our church was planted. Although we’ve been unable to uncover details of the once-new church, it was undoubtedly launched to fulfill the Great Commission and follow the Great Commandment.
- Make disciples.- Love God.- Love people.
Last month the elders gathered together to prayerfully consider where God was leading us. There were two exercises that were especially valuable:
1. We began to develop a mission statement. Mission statements do not achieve the mission, but they define it in order to make it achievable. I had spent months trying to find our mission statement and each person I asked gave me a different answer! If we had one, it was not clear or memorable.
Many churches take the Great Commission from Matthew 28 and form a generic mission statement such as…
“We exist to know God and make Him known” or“We exist to make disciples and glorify God.”
Those are fine, but they are so broad that every church should adopt them. In fact, if they couldn’t agree to those statements, I would question whether or not they are a biblical church!
2. We did a SWOT analysis. Some of you are probably imagining a mosquito infestation while others recognize it as a review of our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The one striking thing to me was the item viewed as our greatest weakness—geography.
There are two things that are striking: a) many live far from our building and b) most live far from one another.
We pondered the question, “What if our greatest weakness became our greatest strength?”
We all agreed that we did not merely want to be a distributor of religious goods and services. We also agreed that God has a unique mission for our church that can complement neighboring churches as we partner together.
Furthermore, we agreed that we have been on something of a treadmill for a while, engaging in good activity but not having a clear direction. It’s better to be on a treadmill than to go the wrong way!
So this morning I’d like to present to you our mission statement…
We exist to fulfill the Great Commission and follow the Great Commandment by
- serving our communities- sharing our story- sending disciples to bless the nations
so that God is glorified.
These words are not magic. They don’t accomplish anything on their own. They do define our purpose and set direction for our present and future. Now I’d like to take some time and unpack it for you.
Make disciples. That’s our primary objective. Why? Those are our marching orders given to us by our Senior Pastor, Jesus Christ. He didn’t tell us to build buildings, gather on Sundays, sing songs, preach sermons, or have potlucks, though they can be part of the process. He said to make disciples. By doing so, we will glorify God since that is what He has called us to do.
Love God and people. Again, this is very broad and generic, yet meaningful. It should be the benchmark for everything we do.
Serving our communities. The most important part of this phrase is the plurality of the word community. As much as we may want to focus our efforts on Scio Township, there are two major obstacles to doing so. First, few of us live in Scio Township. Our greatest sphere of influence will naturally be our neighbors. Second, even if we all lived in Scio Township, Scio has no clear identity. It is a hunk of land between Dexter and Ann Arbor.
In some ways, our building reminds me of the Detroit Lions’ football stadium Ford Field in Detroit, a destination where people from surrounding areas gather on Sundays for a few hours only to scatter and return to their communities until next Sunday.
We will continue to gather on Sundays, but our focus is to equip and empower you to love and serve your neighbors in your respective communities. Rather than trying to get people to come to church, we want to take the church to the people across Washtenaw County and beyond. God has placed us in a very strategic region that causes ripples around the world.
People often analyze the teaching of Jesus. Even atheists and agnostics glean from His wise words, viewing Him as something of a sage. It wasn’t merely His words that attracted people, however. It was the way He served people. He spent time with children. He fed the crowds. He healed the sick. He gave away His life in every conceivable way. He commands us to do likewise.
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. We are committed to loving and serving our communities. How? We will present some church-wide opportunities such as serving at the Ann Arbor-Dexter Run or supporting our ministry partner Hope Clinic in Ypsilanti. The rest is ultimately up to you. Most of us can’t even begin to serve our neighbors because we don’t know our neighbors. We’re going to encourage you to throw parties, have barbecues, volunteer in your communities, and be missionaries to your neighborhoods.
Sharing our story. Once people earn our trust, they will be willing to listen to our story. One of the great problems with street preachers on soapboxes is the absence of relationships. We have a story. We shared some earlier this year during 2WordStory and the EACH campaign. It’s ultimately not our story but His. We are about both works and words.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15b)
Your story coupled with your service are more powerful than any sermon, revival meeting, or crusade. You have a personal story but we also have a common story. Each Christ-follower can testify that “I once was lost/but now I’m found/Was blind but now I see.”
Our world is dying to hear our story—literally. Every day I read the tragic stories of people who have breathed their last breath, many unaware of the God who so loved them that He gave His only Son for them.
Sending disciples to bless the nations. The ultimate result of our deeds and words will be disciples, fully-devoted followers of Jesus, people that know Jesus, love Jesus, and look like Jesus. The real test of our effectiveness is not merely how good the band sounds, how much fun the kids have, or how many people like the sermon. The question is are we making disciples and blessing the world.
Jesus said to make disciples “of all nations” and we can do this through relationships with internationals in our communities, through the Internet, and through short and long-term mission trips. One of the greatest things about our denomination—our tribe—the Christian & Missionary Alliance—is their passion for the nations. Missions is not something to be done one week each fall, but 24/7/365. Some of you may never need a passport, but many of you—especially our youth—are being prepared to GO. Jesus’ commission literally means to make disciples of all nations “as you are going” and that will often require travel. One dream of mine is to have a group next year travel to Peru to partner with Great Commission Air, our church’s global missions partner.
So that God is glorified. We end where we began, with God. We are His Church. We are His people. It’s all about Him.
That is our mission: serve our communities, share our story, and send disciples.
So what’s our theme for the year? It’s all about fulfilling our mission and it is simply called Radical. Over the next few weeks and throughout this ministry year we’re going to look at some of the most challenging teachings of Jesus and analyzing what it means to be a Christian in USAmerica.
Blessed Assurance. In 1873, blind composer Fanny Crosby wrote the words to the popular hymn, Blessed Assurance. As we sing about our story, praise our awesome God for allowing us to be a part of His story and giving us a mission to serve, share, and send.
A note about youth. God has blessed with a uniquely gifted leader in Karl Koenig. I have been mentoring him weekly for several months and will continue to invest heavily in his life and ministry. He is taking a long-term approach to developing a dynamic youth group that will not merely entertain students but will challenge them to live their lives for something that matters, not the American dream but fulfilling God’s dream.
We are serious about not only making adult disciples but also disciples of our children and youth. A lock-in and retreat this fall are just the beginning of a comprehensive commitment to develop the next generation of leaders.
Baptism. I’m very excited about these five young people. Each of them desires to be fully-devoted followers of Christ. They want to be disciples and unlike a child dedication or baptism, we practice believer’s baptism where today they publicly declare their faith in Jesus.
Just as a wedding ring doesn’t make a person married but declares their commitment to their spouse, so baptism itself doesn’t make a person a disciple of Jesus but declares their commitment to Christ.
As we saw in the Great Commission, Jesus commands us to baptize disciples. The symbolism of baptism by immersion is rich. It depicts a water grave where we enter the water, die of ourselves and our sins, and come out of the water resurrected through new life in Christ.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Romans 6:3-4)
David Platt writes, “Baptism is the clear, public, symbolic picture of the new life we have in Christ. As illustrated in baptism, we have died with Christ—died to our sin and died to ourselves—and we have been raised to life with him. Baptism also pictures our identification with one another in the church. Baptism unites us as brothers and sisters who share the life of Christ with one another. Disciple making involves inviting people into a larger community of faith where they will see the life of Christ in action and experience the love of Christ in person.”
You can listen to the podcast here.Tags: Annual Theme, Mission, Vision
Big Idea: We can pridefully boast about ourselves or be humble and let God lift us up.
Have you ever been in a fight? I don’t mean a little argument, but a physical fight. There’s an old saying that someone went to a fight and a hockey game broke out! People love the excitement of a fight. For years boxing was hugely popular and then wresting. Now Ultimate Fight Club and MMA are all of the rage—literally! I was in a fight—once. I believe it was seventh grade. Recess. I’m not sure how it happened, but I found myself hitting this classmate on the playground—my best friend in the class! It didn’t take long for a crowd to grow around us, most of them cheering for me because of the two of us unpopular kids, I was slightly more popular, I guess. It was a bizarre experience to discover my fists hitting the body of my friend.
We are continuing our series on the book of James, a letter written by Jesus' half brother to people around the world who were among the first followers of Jesus. We have spent many weeks looking at the first three chapters which brings us to chapter four.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. (1-2a)
Often fights break out because someone wants something that the other person has, be it a car, a loved one, money, or even freedom. We quarrel over the dumbest things sometimes, don’t we?
One of the fundamental problems we have is trusting God. We have a desire and then we take matters into our own hands to get that desire met.
We love to be in control...so much so that we accuse people being control...freaks. As Frank Sinatra famously sang, he wanted to do things “my way.”
If you think that fighting and quarreling and selfishness and greed are mere products of our USAmerican culture, think again. They have been going on for thousands of years.
James continues
You do not have because you do not ask God. (2b)
Think about that for a moment. You do not have because you do not ask God. Have you ever done this?
Sometimes I get so frustrated because after trying to fix my headache with Advil I realize I never even gave God a chance to heal me through prayer.
Instead of waiting for direction about a decision, I love to charge ahead and then ask God to bail me out when I realize the stupidity of my choice.
What’s the point here? It says pretty clearly that we do not have because we do not ask God.
What do you want? Pray about it right now.
Before you print and frame James 4:2 and hang it on your wall and post it on Facebook, let’s continue to read…
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. (3)
Does this need an explanation? The question is not merely what do you want, but why? Is it to bless others? Is it to glorify God? Or is it merely for your own pleasure.
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (4)
Ouch! God has been challenging me and many of us that we are to live radical lives, holy lives, set apart lives, lives different than our world. James states it pretty clearly here. You can be a friend of God or a friend of the world. You can serve God or yourself. It’s all about God…or all about you. The amazing thing is that we get to choose!
Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." (5-6)
Where does it say that?
The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous. He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:33-34)
Why does God oppose the proud?
It all goes back to the meaning of life? The Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it this way:
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
The meaning of life is to glorify God. It’s to honor God. That’s what the Bible is all about—God! Some people will say it’s all about God loving us, but that’s not it. God does love us, but He loves us so that we will love and glorify Him.
Have you heard about Cat & Dog Theology? It goes something like this:
Cats see their owner feeding them and caring for them and conclude that they must be god.
Dogs see their owner feeding them and caring for them and conclude that their owner must be god.
It’s no accident that the first of the Ten Commandments was no other gods. I used to think it strange that the second one was similar—no idols—yet God wanted to be abundantly clear: He is God and we are not. If that weren’t enough, what’s the third commandment? Do not misuse God’s Name. Who does He think He is?
God opposes the proud because they have violated the first two or three commandments. It’s all about you, or it’s all about God. It’s all about the world, or it’s all about God.
James then gives ten instructions, his own ten commandments:
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (7-10)
Did you catch all ten?
Submit yourselves to God.Resist the devil.Come near to God.Wash your hands.Purify your hearts.Grieve. Mourn.Wail.Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves.
This is not exactly the pathway to the American Dream, is it? Several of those commands have probably made you uncomfortable. They make me uncomfortable! It’s not that we are to be depressed, but we are to treat our sin seriously as God does. God wants us to worship and follow and glorify Him and to pursue our own agendas is satanic! Yes! The only way to resist the devil is to draw near to God. You can’t have it both ways.
What I love about this passage is the ending. James doesn’t leave us filled with sorrow. He says
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (10)
This doesn’t mean we’ll all be rock stars, but it does mean that as we glorify God, He will bless us. We can either exalt ourselves or let God exalt us.
Do you remember verse six:
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." (6)
It’s counter-intuitive. It’s counter-cultural. Pride is deadly. It declares that I am god rather than allowing God to be God.
Earlier we sang about “our God.” Our God is awesome, our God is greater, our God is stronger..than who? Than me. Than you!
The prophet Jeremiah wrote:
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
King David, perhaps the greatest and most powerful man on the planet, wrote
My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. (Psalm 34:2)
…words echoed twice by the Apostle Paul, the most prolific writer of the New Testament…
Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:31)
But, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 10:17)
It’s all about you…or God. Your choice.
You can listen to the podcast here.Tags: Pride, Boasting, Fighting, Conflict, James 4:1-10
Big Idea: Human knowledge can’t begin to compare to the perfect wisdom of God.
We live in the second most-educated city in the nation (Boulder, CO). Nearly 100,000 college students will soon begin the new school year in search of knowledge that will propel their careers. For years, Google has been busy digitizing the entire University of Michigan library, one of the greatest collections of books on the planet. In addition to all of the degrees that hang on walls throughout our communities, the Internet now makes immeasurably more information available at our fingertips.
Unfortunately, knowledge does not guarantee success, happiness, or even joy. Like money, information can be used…and abused. It can become an idol, an addiction, a source of pride, …or a useful tool. What we really need is wisdom, the ability to apply our knowledge and resources.
Last week Bill talked about taming the tongue as we continued our series PrACTical Christianity—A Study of the Book of James. Just to review and understand our context, James wrote
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (3:7-8)
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (3:9-12)
My favorite verse(s) in the Bible is Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
It reminds me of the choice that I have throughout every day to “have it my way” or submit to God. As we all know, it can be very difficult to “seek first the Kingdom of God” rather than seeking after that which brings us the greatest safety, comfort, control, and happiness. Making it even more challenging are the 3000 messages the average person encounters each day that are trying to woo us into buying their product or service because we deserve it. It’s all about you, right?
James 3 contrasts wisdom and selfish ambition. One is from above and leads to peace while the other earthly one leads to disorder.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (3:13)
Wisdom is not demonstrated by the number of university degrees. It’s not demonstrated by our job title or position. James says it can only be shown by our good live, our deeds, and our humility. We saw previously that faith without works is…dead. Our lives demonstrate our beliefs. If God is truly our LORD, our deeds will be done in humility, seeking to give God the credit for the good in our lives.
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. (3:14-16)
If we are truly in control of our lives—or thinking we are—a completely different result occurs.
Our world is full of envy and selfish ambition. Unfortunately, my life is full of envy and selfish ambition. It’s not a pretty picture.
Let me give you an example. Last night I was listening to my son play guitar. He amazes me! I watch and listen to him play and marvel at his musical ability. I confessed to him last night that I envy his guitar skills and it’s not a good thing. I don’t obsess about it, but imagine what would happen to our relationship if my envy grew and was never acknowledged. We would eventually both end up miserable.
Selfish ambition can be just as bad. Have you ever met someone that acted as if no one else mattered—or even existed?! It doesn’t take long for their list of friends to shrink, though if they have enough fame or fortune they may think they have a lot of friends!
Many people—especially in our community—think they are “all of that and a bag of chips” because they have a lot of initials after their name or six or seven figures in their salary. I learned first-hand that many M.D.s at a certain nearby hospital act as if they are G-O-D! Scientists work overtime trying to find ways to explain the mysteries of the universe apart from a Creator. James says this is from satan! Pride, envy, selfish ambition, self-reliance, and self-worship are from the pit of hell.
I can’t stress enough how simple yet powerful this is to understand. The first two commandments are “no other gods” and “no idols.” This sounds so basic, yet I am daily reminded of how often I worship the guy in the mirror. That scares me. It’s no wonder that Jesus told us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. The temptation to make it all about me seems to never end.
James continues
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (3:17)
Don’t you like this list better?
In many ways, this list of characteristics is similar to the Fruit of the Spirit.
Pure. We don’t talk much about purity in our culture. In fact, I often hear people almost boasting in their sin. “Nobody’s perfect” has become a mantra of pride rather than a humbling confession. We want others to be pure but are quick to rationalize our own failures. In fact, if you’re like me, you want grace for yourself and justice for everyone else.
This happens a lot to me when I’m driving. When I’m in a hurry, I get irritated when someone in front of me is taking a leisurely drive similar to the one I did the day before. The next moment I judge the driver that passes me on the expressway as going too fast.
The word pure also means “innocent,” something that even young children seem to be losing so early in life. It describes sincere moral and spiritual integrity. This is the key to all of the following qualities. Are you pure?
Peace-loving. Ann Arbor is full of pacifists, but peace-loving is more than a “No War” sign in your yard. It seeks win-win. It views both sides of an argument. It strives for resolution rather than avoiding conflict. The Hebrew word shalom reflects this, not only well being but ultimately salvation. The peace-lover not only prefers peace but spreads it.
Considerate. The Greek for this word also means gentle or humane. It describes a person who is fair and generous rather than rigid and unreasonable.
Submissive. Huh? This is the only time this word is used in the New Testament. Some have interpreted it to mean “yielding to persuasion.” Obedient and compliant are related words. The term is used both of military discipline and legal obedience. We are to submit to authorities, be they our boss or police or other authority. Jesus submitted to the will of the Father.
Full of mercy and good fruit. This is all-embracing mercy to all, not just the rich or powerful. Good fruit benefits and blesses others.
Impartial and sincere. One English translation says, “undivided in mind” while another says “untainted by hypocrisy.” Much of James’ writings have talked about focus, not wavering, and treating everyone with dignity and respect, not just the rich or powerful.
Peacemakers. The passage concludes
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. (3:18)
…or fruit or crop of what is right, in agreement with God’s standards, in proper relationship with God.
Ultimately we can pursue the so-called wisdom of the world or pursue heavenly wisdom. As Paul said in Galatians, we will reap what we sow.
What Now?
So how do we get this heavenly wisdom? If you recall, we looked at wisdom a few weeks ago in chapter one where Jesus’ half-brother wrote
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. (1:5-8)
Conclusion
We said there are two parts to being filled with the Spirit—exhaling by confessing our sins and inhaling by inviting the Holy Spirit to fill us and change us. It happens when we quit asking God to be our co-pilot, hand him the keys, ask Him to be our pilot, and jump in the back seat—or the trunk!
Where are you? Has it been all about you? Are you selfishly pursuing your happiness or God’s glory? We get to choose every day and experience the consequences. It all begins with our relationship with God, time in the Word, and time in prayer. Do you know Him? He knows more than any professor, doctor, or scientist—and He wants nothing more than a deeper relationship with you to share His perfect wisdom.
You can listen to the podcast here.Tags: Wisdom, James 3:13-18