A Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS 06 June 2010
I’m a Christian; I grew up in a Christian home and I can’t even remember a time when I did not believe in Jesus. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always enjoyed reading my Bible and praying and worshipping God. But I’ve also always struggled with syncretism – trying to live partly by the Bible and partly by the world.
o For instance, I have struggled with being a control freak. I believed that if I let other people get too close to me, they would mess my plans up. In college, I created weekly schedules that were organized by 15 minute increments, and I would fill every 15 minute increment with purposeful work. [Show Graphic of one of those old calendars?] My roommates in college made fun of me for it and chided me that they had to make appointments with me just to hang out. But I was proud of it – how much I controlled of my life. When I got married and started having children and started working with other people in an office, wow, I couldn’t control everything any more!
o I have also struggled with worshipping other people instead of worshipping God. This has taken the form of thinking that other people are always right and doing whatever they say. It has even taken the form of just spending time staring at photographs of people.
o And so often I have tried to find peace through reconciling myself to the people around me rather than being at peace with God and not caring what everybody else thought about me. I still struggle with feelings of panic when I think people think ill of me.
o I suspect that all of you have had similar struggles with beliefs from non-biblical worldviews that nevertheless appeal to our flesh. How do we fight against these fleshly desires? How do we fight syncretism to keep our faith pure?
o Faith is certainly the key word. Faith is not something we exercise only once to become a Christian and then quit doing. Faith in Christ is something which a Christian continuously needs to use and exercise throughout the rest of his life.
o In the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, the verb tense of a command or of a participle could tell whether it was an ongoing activity or just a one-time activity. If it was in the Present tense, it indicated activity that kept on happening over and over again rather than just once. Jesus command in Mark 1:15 to repent and believe is in the Present tense (“keep on repenting and keep on believing”), and the participle in 1 John 5:1 is also in the present tense (“Every one who keeps on believing is born of God”). The scriptures instruct us to keep on believing and to keep on turning away from sin. How can we engage the fight against syncretism and keep on believing in Jesus as our Savior?
Remember the five secular security strategies mentioned earlier? Each one of them provides a concrete example of how to exercise faith if we can turn that security strategy upside down and trust God in that area! Let me explain:
o On the cross, Jesus could have taken control of the situation. He could have called down 100,000 angels, jumped down off the cross, and made ashes of all those Jews and Romans who had put Him up there. The thief called out to Jesus, “Save yourself!” But Jesus didn’t follow that advice. He “entrusted Himself to Him to judges justly and gave Himself, setting an example for us to follow.” (1 Pet. 2:23)
o We must deny ourselves - lose ourselves - to be saved. In Matthew 16:24-25. Jesus said, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me, for whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake, will find it!”
o I am reminded of the wise advice that the abbot gave to Martin Luther to pray the words of Psalm 119:94 “I am Yours; save me” I am Yours, Lord, save me. I am not my own; I belong to You, and I will trust You to save me. I cannot save myself. I am Yours.
o Another sinful way we express self-reliance is by playing God in other people’s lives when it comes to salvation:
§ On the one hand there’s the girl who marries a foolish man thinking she can save him, only to have her life wrecked by his foolishness.
§ And on the other hand, there’s the stereotypical arrogant male, the Superman who finds fulfillment in life by swooping in and fixing other people’s problems.
§ You are not the savior of the world; Jesus is (1 John 4:14).
o It’s fun to be a “Knight in shining armor” but we must be careful about this. We are only knights - not the King. King Jesus is the one who saves. If we have that firmly in mind, it’s OK to be a knight and to help people, as long as long as we take every opportunity to point them to Jesus as the Savior!
o Paul describes this attitude in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20. Instead of using the word “knight” he uses the word “ambassador:” “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!”
o I read the following in a recent issue of the “Transform World” e-zine, and I’d like to share it with you:
Between the evening
news and box office movies touting the end of the world, it’s easy to become
afraid. The “shaking” around us causes our minds to start racing with
questions. What’s going to happen? Will our economy fail? Will terrorists
attack us? Will there be a war, a hurricane, an earthquake, or some other
disaster that hits close to home? Will life as we know it change forever? Will
we and our loved ones be safe? … Just what are we to make of all these events
in our world? For starters, we can look to God’s Word and be confident that He
knows what is going on. Jesus said in Luke 21:11, “And there will be great earthquakes
in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful
sights and great signs from heaven.” But why do you think the Lord told us
these things would come? Was it to cause us to fear? To bring us anxiety and
uncertainty? No! Perhaps the most important part of Jesus’ message is found two
verses later in Luke 21:13: “But it will turn out for you as an occasion for
your testimony.” When we hear about wars and rumors of wars, famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes, we don’t have to be afraid. These are our moments
to rise up and share the good news of the kingdom of God…
God’s intention in lifting us upon His shoulders is not just to give us peace
and comfort. It’s not just to give us a better view of things. God is
infinitely interested in the billions of souls hanging in the balance. He cares
for those who are being shaken and who don’t know that they have a Father who
cares for them. And He is looking for His people to stand in the gap for those
who are perishing. The book of Numbers tells the account of a terrible
earthquake. In Numbers 16, we find out that the sons of Korah rose up against
Moses and Aaron and sinned against the Lord. Because of this, the Lord caused
the ground to shake and to open up. The earth swallowed the sons of Korah and a
plague broke out against the people. Moses and Aaron could have easily stood
back and watched. They could have said, “Well, they’re just getting what they
deserve.” But instead, Moses instructed Aaron to take his censer, which
represents intercession, and to make atonement for the people. Verse 48 tells
us that Aaron “stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.”
When disaster strikes and the earth shakes, how do we respond? Are we a people
who will intercede for those who are perishing? Or do we stand back and say,
“They’re just getting what they deserve.” Psalm 60:2 says, “You have made the
earth tremble. You have broken it. Heal its breaches, for it is shaking.” It is
the Lord who is bringing a shaking to the earth. He is establishing his unshakable
kingdom and bringing judgment to every structure man has built that is not on
the right foundation. But even though the Lord is bringing the shaking, we are
still called to be intercessors standing between the living and the dead. Let
us cry out for those who are perishing: You have made the earth tremble, Lord.
Now heal its breaches! Bring life to those hanging in the balance, whose
foundations have crumbled.[1]
So the first strategy of self-reliance can be turned upside down by faith to deny ourselves, say “I am yours, Lord, save me,” and when we see other people in need, by faith we can pray for them and point them to Christ as the savior.
The second strategy of depending on other people to save can also be turned upside down by faith:
o The prophet Isaiah pointed out to his people in Israel the foolishness of seeking salvation from the encroaching Assyrian army through treaties with Egypt or even pacts with Satan instead of repenting of rebellion against God and trusting Him to save. In Isaiah 28:15ff it ridicules the Jews who said, “We have cut a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made an agreement, so that the overwhelming scourge will pass over; it will not get to us! For we have placed a lie for our refuge, and we are covered through deception.” Therefore, the Lord Jehovah has spoken thus, “Look, I am the one who laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a foundation of foundations. The believer will not hurry. And I will institute justice for a measuring-line and righteousness for a plumb-line, and hail will sweep away the refuge of a lie and water will overwhelm the cover-up, thus your covenant with death will be buried and your agreement with Sheol will not stand up. For the overwhelming scourge will pass over and y’all will become a trampling-place for it. From the abundance of its passings, it will take you, for it will pass over morning by morning, by day and by night, and it will be sheer terror to understand what is heard. For the bed is too short to stretch yourself out, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap yourself in. (cf. Lk 11:22)
§ [Display a doll blanket.] Do you think I could stay warm on a cold night with this blanket? No way! Any alliance with other people will be like a blanket that is too small to wrap up in. Nobody but Jesus has what it takes to save you, so don’t look to them to save you.
o INSTEAD, team up with people to worship God. Think for a moment about the different God-given relationships He has given us:
§ The first one was Marriage (Gen. 2:24). Marriage can be an unhealthy relationship where the husband and wife look to each other to fix everything that’s wrong, or it can be a relationship where two people team up to fulfill God’s will (cf. Mal 2:14-15, Eph. 5:25ff) in the home.
§ And how about Government? Rom 13:4 teaches that a ruler is “a minister of God to you for good” as well as “a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to the one who does evil.” Is there a Biblical place for teaming up with governing authorities to commend righteousness and punish wickedness under God’s authority? Of course.
§ Business also presents opportunities to team up with people to worship God through honest labor. Paul teamed up with Aquila and Priscilla to make tents in Corinth (Acts 18:3) and exhorted others to work so that they could have income to share with the poor (Eph 4:28). Work is a way to honor God: Col 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.”
§ The community of the Church is another way to team up with other people - not to solve all our problems through group therapy but to worship God and to spur one another on to love and good works. Hebrews 10:19-25 says, “Brothers, since you have boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus… and having a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water, let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not... And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the day drawing near.”
§ And when we do ministry projects, teamwork is encouraged by God. Consider the exemplary teamwork of Barnabas and Paul in Acts 11 and Jesus’ own pattern when he sent out the seventy on their mission trip “two by two.” (Luke 10:1)
So let us forsake safety in numbers and instead pursue worship and ministry in numbers!
o Now listen to these scary words: “God will destroy you for ever; He will pick you up, and yank you out of your tent, and uproot you out of the land of the living…” Do you know to whom that threat is directed? Psalm 52:5 says, “This is what will happen to the man who didn’t made God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.” If you don’t want God to pluck you out of your place and kick you out of the land of the living, then don’t trust in the abundance of riches!
o In Mark 10, the encounter between Jesus and a rich young ruler is recorded:
§ The ruler comes up to Jesus and asks what he must do to be saved.
§ Jesus can see into his soul and recognizes that this man is not looking to God as the standard of goodness. He also sees that this man loved his money more than anything else.
§ Based upon this assessment, Jesus challenges him with the fact that no one is good but God Himself and that if he wants to be saved, he must give up his wealth and follow Jesus.
§ The man wasn’t willing to switch allegiance from himself and his money to God and Jesus, so he leaves.
§ Then Jesus comments to His disciples: “Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:24b)
§ Note that Jesus did not say it is impossible to change allegiance, for He said, “With God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).
§ Some people have taken this passage to mean that you must take a vow of poverty in order to be a Christian. That’s not what Jesus was teaching here; the principle is that to be a Christian, we must acknowledge that Jesus is God, not us, and that whatever wealth we have is at His disposal.
o Another version of relying on material wealth for salvation that combines with the strategy of trusting other people is using debt as a life-solution. If you have a problem or even just a desire for something you don’t have, the popular American way is to borrow money from other people to solve the problem!
§ In his book, Collateral Damaged, economist Charles Geisst questions the wisdom of running pell-mell into debt like this, “Approximately $2.5 trillion in consumer debt (excluding mortgages) amounts to $8,000 per person, in addition to the $10 trillion government debt (another $40,000 per person). The odious nature of debt has been forgotten… and this will prove to be the most egregious error of modern culture… If credit cards were called debt cards, the point would be more striking… More than a billion cards are in use in the U.S. – 3 credit cards for every person.” [2]
§ Don’t get me wrong. Although I believe it’s ideal to avoid debt (Rom. 13:8, 1 Cor. 7:21), I’m not preaching against credit cards; what I am preaching against is the greed and discontentment with God’s provision that leads us down the wrong path into debt.
§ While under house-arrest in Rome, Paul wrote Philippians 4:12-13, which says, “I know how to be poor, and I know also how to have plenty. All in all, I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
o But isn’t money kinda important? How do we deal with the anxieties we face when we cannot rely upon money? In his book, Fields of Gold, Andy Stanley addresses this problem:
“Any fear associated with giving to God's kingdom is irrational. It's on a par with a farmer who, out of fear of losing his seed, refuses to plant his fields… Under the mounting weight of uncertainty, it's easy to slowly become irrational about our possessions. We lose sight of who really owns them… Fear and faith often go hand in hand. When you pursue faith, you increase your exposure to fear… When you begin to view your wealth from God's perspective, you'll see that the thing to fear isn't giving away too much, but sowing too little. Fear is not something to be avoided but something to be leveraged. When it comes to money, what should you fear most? … Not having enough, or not having the involvement of your heavenly Father? … The crowning achievement of overcoming the fear of giving is the moment you begin to experience the joy of giving.”[3]
o So INSTEAD of hoarding wealth to increase your security, use material resources as means to save others, both physically and spiritually:
§ In Luke 16, Jesus told the parable of the shrewd servant who was about to get fired, so he cancelled large amounts of the debts that people owed to his master before he got fired so that those people would take care of him once his master sacked him. Jesus’ comment on the story was, “Make yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that, whenever it happens to fail, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Jesus used the word “mammon” to allude to the Chaldean god of money. We could probably retain the same sense if we translated the passage, “Make yourselves friends by means of the almighty dollar, so that whenever it fails, you will have ‘treasure in heaven’” (Mt. 6:20). Sure, many people worship money, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use money as a means for bringing people to Christ!
§ The New Testament church in Philippi did this very thing for the Apostle Paul. Paul was a prisoner in Rome, so the church took up a collection and sent the money over to Paul to help him pay for rent and food and whatever he needed. The eternal value of this monetary gift is enshrined in Philippians 4:18 where Paul assures them that their financial sacrifice was “well-pleasing to God.” Through Paul’s witness in Rome, funded by the Philippian church, people in Caesar’s army and household were being converted left and right (1:13, 4:21)!
Don’t let money become a god that you run to for security. Turn it around and use your wealth toward the conversion and discipleship of the world!
o Most people think that they deserve heaven because they have been good people. Meaning that they haven’t robbed any banks or killed anybody or stolen lollipops from little children. And meaning that they probably have done some nice things for other people.
o Jesus told a story about people like that in Luke 18:9ff. It’s known as the parable of the two men in the temple – the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector. Luke prefaces the story by saying that Jesus told this story “to those who were persuaded within themselves that they were righteous, and made the rest out to be nothing.” “The Pharisee stood and prayed…, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax-collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax-collector, standing far away, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ [Jesus said,] ‘This man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” What the God of the Bible wants is repentance and faith, not self-reliant people who look good.
o Like the Pharisee in the parable, we tend to make up our own sliding rules that make us feel that we are better than other people in some way or other so that we can feel that we are morally O.K. And if we are acceptable to ourselves, we figure that should be good enough for God.
o Once again, this is stepping into the place of God to decide what is good enough. God demands perfection, (“Be perfect” Lev. 22:21; Deu. 18:13; 1Ki. 8:61; Job 9:20; Mat. 5:48). He doesn’t grade on the curve, so it’s impossible to be good enough for Him.
o In fact, God says in Isa. 64:6 that when you try to do good things, it looks like a dirty diaper to Him! (BRING DIRTY DIAPER FOR ILLUSTRATION)
o In fact, “doing good” often ends up hurting people, as Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert point out in their book, When Helping Hurts. They describe mismatches between what wealthy Westerners think poor people in the majority world need as “devastating. [4]” Take, for instance, the infant formula sent to African nations that got all the mothers using the free milk for just long enough for their natural milk supply to dry up and leave their babies starving when the foreign donations of formula got used up. God looks at our silly attempts to impress Him with good deeds and just shakes His head.
o INSTEAD: Turn “do-good-ism” on his head by doing good things that God commands us to do, not for ourselves, but for God’s reputation, to validate the Gospel and demonstrate God’s goodness to others.
o Peter talks about this in his first epistle: “Maintain appropriate behavior among the Gentiles, so that, in whatever they accuse you of as evil-doers, they may glorify God in His day of visitation because of your good works which they observe” (1 Pet. 2:12).
o One of the ways we hide our problems is to deny that we have done anything wrong.
§ The Apostle John addresses this at the beginning of his first epistle: “If we are saying that we are in fellowship with Him, yet we walk in the darkness, we are deceiving ourselves and do not [practice] the truth. But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we are having fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus His Son is cleansing us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we lead ourselves astray and the truth is not in us. If we are confessing our sins, He is faithful and righteous in order to send away from us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we are making Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:6-10).
§ So denying that we have sinned is not an option for a Christian. Instead a Christian hands over his sin to Jesus by confessing it and receiving forgiveness from Him.
o Another way we hide from problems is withdrawing in fear.
§ But this is also not an option for a Christian, for God commands us not to fear but rather to hand over our anxieties to Him and trust in Him to deliver us.
§ The Apostle Paul, for instance, wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but rather in everything by prayer and by petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known before God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
§ And the Apostle Peter wrote: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time; casting all your anxiety upon Him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, cf. 1 Pet. 3:14-15). Cast your cares on Him because He cares for you.
o At the heart of this hiding strategy is despair – the realization that we and our little array of gods are not powerful enough to deal with the problems we see. The result is despair that anything can be done to fix the problem and depression because we believe that nothing can change. In his article, “Praise God for Easter Monday!” Glenn Hoburg wrote the following words of hope for all who struggle with depression:
“At the deepest part
of our ‘Mondayness’ is the hidden belief that nothing can change. We believe it
about ourselves, one another, our jobs, and the causes to which we are devoted.
It is the cloud that hangs over our relationships: ‘He’ll never change.’ ‘She
always does this…’ Treating someone with that sort of pessimism shows that we
don’t live by grace ourselves, and really underestimates the resurrection power
of Jesus. Here’s how it plays out: We live lives that require very little of
God’s supernatural power, and so when we find ourselves in need of it, we get
depressed and give up. Christians should know that real change happens
supernaturally, that the gospel is all about God doing things for us that we
can’t do for ourselves… so we begin to expect newness in every area of life.
This is what Paul rolls out in the latter part of Ephesians: new words, new
convictions about the truth, new sex lives, new marriages, new work ethics. Did
you once use the truth on people in a way that left them emotionally doubled
over? Christ spoke the truth in love, and now you can. Did you once treat your
marriage as a drive-through for your needs? Christ gave Himself, and now you
can. Did you once work hard when the boss was looking? Now you work hard
because your Lord is looking on approvingly.”
“So this is what Paul affirms: ‘I toil, struggling with all His energy
that He powerfully works within me’ (Colossians). Toiling with
expectation—because the resurrected Jesus lives in him. We need to take the
fact of the Resurrection to the very area in our lives where we feel most
hopeless, and ask God to display His power. Is it an addiction to alcohol,
food, or pornography? Family relationships, marriage, our wayward kids, our relationship
to parents? Or are your problems bigger—neighborhood, city, country, world?
Jesus didn’t rise from the dead to a place of passivity. He is advancing His kingdom,
and that means renewal.[5]”
Do you see now why the non-Christian Thessalonians said that the Christians have “turned the world upside down”? (Acts 17:6)
o “Seek Jehovah while He is to be found, call Him while He is to be near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and a man of iniquity his thoughts, and let him turn to Jehovah and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will be great to pardon. For y’all’s thoughts are not my thoughts, and my way is not y’all’s way, declares Jehovah” (Isa. 55:6-8).
o “…Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:10b). Amen!
Order of Worship – Bible texts from NASB
|
Date |
June 6 |
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Call2Worship |
Rev 15:3-4 And they sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, "Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED." |
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AscentPsalm |
Psalm 128b (ensemble) |
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Creed |
Apostles' |
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PrayerAdore |
Mark |
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ConfessionText |
Psalm 51:1-12 A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin… (11) Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit. |
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PrayerConfess |
Nate |
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ForgivenessSong |
Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It! RT 701 |
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OT Text |
Eze 36:25-30 - regeneration |
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Lector |
Carl Fisher |
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NT Text |
Romans 8:12-32 |
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SermonSong |
Man of Sorrows! What a Name RT 246 |
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SermonText |
The Functions of Deity: Soteriology 4 |
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PrayerSupplication/Lord's Prayer |
Chip |
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CommPrepSong |
Shout to the Lord |
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CommunionText |
Mark 14:22-26 While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I say to you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. |
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CommunionSong |
Just as I am (RT501) a cappella |
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Benediction |
Acts 20:32 "And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. |
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ClosingSong |
Gloria Patri (a cappella) |
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What things do you need to be saved from? |
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How will you go about turning secular security strategies on their head? |
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In what areas of hopelessness do you need to trust God to make breakthroughs? |
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What occasions do you have for sharing your testimony of how God saved you? |
[1] Doug Stringer, http://transform-world.net/newsletters/2010/Thewholeearth.pdf, May 2010
[2] Geisst, Collateral Damaged, pp. 4-5, 16, 110-111
[3] Stanley, Andy. Fields of Gold. Tyndale, 2004. pp. 5, 13, 14, 16, 17, 108.
[4] Corbett & Fikkert, When Helping Hurts, p.53
[5] “Praise God for Easter Monday!” by Glenn Hoburg, reprinted from ByFaithOnline April 2010