The War Within

Romans 7:7 – 25

September 9, 2001

I. Introduction:  What are The Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues? Quiz the audience. (On overhead or PowerPoint place the answers)

“From the website www.deadlysins.com here they are!”

1. Seven Deadly Sins:

1. Pride

2. Envy

3. Gluttony

4. Lust

5. Anger

6. Covetousness

7. Sloth.

1. Seven Heavenly Virtues:

1.Faith – trust.

2. Hope – reliance

3. Charity – mercy

4. Fortitude – courage

5. Justice – fairness

6. Temperance – restraint

7. Prudence – thoughtfulness

Question: As you look at these lists, which sin(s) do you struggle with the most? And which virtue(s), do you wish you consistently practiced in your life?

Transition: Ronald Reagan is quoted as saying that “middle age is when you have two temptations and you choose the one that will get you home by nine.” What would make want to you stay out till nine?

In 1982, Leadership, a journal for pastors and church leaders, published an article entitled, “The War Within: An Anatomy of Lust.” It was the story of an unnamed church leader and his battle with lust.

In telling his story he made this statement “I tell my struggles because they are real, but also to demonstrate that hope exists, that God is alive, and his grace can interrupt the terrible cycle of lust and despair. My primary message is one of hope, although until healing did occur, I had no faith that it ever would.

Scores, maybe hundreds of times I had prayed for deliverance, with no response. The theologians would find some fault in my prayers, or in the faith with which I prayed them. But can any person assume the awful right to judge the prayers of another who writhes in mental torment and an agony of helpless unspirituality? I would certainly never assume the right, not after a decade—long war against lust.”

There is an inner battle that rages within every single human being – a battle to do what is right verses what is wrong and this struggle is highlighted in our study of Romans this morning as we look at chapter 7. Paul’s honest admission of his struggle with sin – of any kind – is one that we all must do because all of us struggle with sin.

II. We struggle with sin as we become aware of right and wrong – Romans 7:9

Paul says in verse 9, “I felt fine when I did not understand what the law demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die.”

1. What did the law demand? In a word, perfection. Absolute perfection. As Paul says in verse 7, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would have never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
2. The truth that Paul learned as described in verse 7 made him aware of the reality of sin – of imperfection in his life – that took advantage of the Law and as we read in verse 8 “aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me!”
3. This awareness made Paul aware of the large and profound struggle that there is a battle raging within him – the battle between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. A battle that all of us face!

Transition: Remember Flip Wilson’s famous line, “The devil made me do it?” Paul says something different. “Sin made me do it!”

III. We struggle with Sin – a powerful, all encompassing spiritual force. Romans 7:22-23

1. What is sin?

1. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, sin is defined as an offense esp. against God 2: fault 3: a weakened state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God.

2. In their Introduction To Christian Theology, Wiley and Culbertson say this about sin: Theologians have defined sin in various ways, but rarely is the fact overlooked that sin exists both as an act and as a state or condition.

3. Paul addresses both aspects of sin in this passage of Romans. He speaks of doing what he does not want to do and of the inner turmoil that he is aware of his heart, mind, and soul that speak to the state of his life.

4. Sin is a reality of life.

1. Notice Paul’s statements regarding the power of sin in his life in verses 14 – 23.
   1. Vs. 14 – The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master.
   2. Vs. 15 – I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead I do the very thing I hate.
   3. Vs. 18 – I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t.
   4. Vs. 21 – It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
   5. Vs. 22/23 – I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
   6. Vs. 24 – Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?
2. How would you describe Paul at this point? Can you relate to him? Have you felt the way Paul is feeling in this passage?
3. Let me point this out – this is Paul talking. And he is talking several years after his conversion experience. He is not a new follower of God. He has been a follower of God for many years now. He is a mature Christian and he is admitting that the struggle to be a pure follower of Christ is still there.

Let me also point this out – chapter 7 does not end with verse 24 does it? IT ENDS WITH VERSE 25!!!

IV. Because of what Jesus Christ did – we are not left to flounder. Sin does not have to have the last word. Romans 7:25

THANK GOD! THE ANSWER IS IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD. SO YOU SEE HOW IT IS: IN MY MIND I REALLY WANT TO OBEY GOD’S LAW, BUT BECAUSE OF MY SINFUL NATURE I AM A SLAVE TO SIN.

A. Paul informs both the Roman believers and us of two things:

1. Through and because of Jesus Christ that we can be freed from a life that is dominated/controlled/directed what ever you want to call it, by sin.
2. We will still struggle because of our sinful nature.

B.  Which statement is true?

1. It is not possible to sin.
2. It is possible not to sin.

Statement number 2 is correct. It is possible not to sin. We can resist temptation and not sin. But, until the day Christ returns or we die and go to the presence of God, the possibility of sin will always be present in our lives.

V. Conclusion: So what does this mean? How do we begin to win and keep winning the war within? Two important ways came to mind during the Promise Keepers gathering in Indianapolis this past Friday and Saturday.

1. Dr. Joe Stovall, president of Moody Bible Institute spoke on the work of the Holy Spirit. As part of his comments he quoted Galatians 5:17 – 18, “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite of from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.” So we need to admit that we are engaged in a battle that is always just around the corner.
2. Then in the program booklet that we received as we entered the field house on Friday night I noticed a tract that made the following statements:
   1. “Give up your ‘I can fix it myself’ isolation”
   2. “Confess your sin and admit your temptations and weaknesses. Ask God to forgive you, and then empower you.”
   3. “Set your sights on God’s standards. Get into a relationship with God and an accountable relationship with other Christians to study and live God’s word.
3. In other words, if we want to gain the upper hand in our struggle to do what is right, if we want to win the war that is within, then we have to make a decision to end our isolation and seek help from God, be honest about our struggles and temptations, and find at least one other Christian that we can be honest with about what really goes on inside of us. Why? Because it breaks down the wall that denial and shame raises and keeps us from having the inner victory to win the war that is within us.

Final thought:

I Corinthians 12:26 “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” Paul is talking about the church, the Body of Christ. And one of the ways that the body suffers is when its members suffer in silence about their struggle with sin. My challenge today is two-fold: 1. That we will go to God in prayer for one another at a new level of support and intercession so that we can be free from the burden of sin! 2. That we will ask God to help us have the honesty and desire to no longer be a slave to sin. Amen.

Stepping Stones to Faith: Forgiveness

(Given on May 18, 2008)

About 10 years ago on a July 4^th I went with the family to a minor league baseball game. We sat in the grassy area of the ballpark down the first base line and during the game a fowl ball game my way.

It was spinning pretty well and I had a tough time getting a hold of the ball. Finally, I got a hold of it… well, I thought that I did.

All of the sudden, there was another hand on the ball and suddenly it was out of my hands. A kid about 12 years old came from out of nowhere and grabbed it out of my hand and took off with it!

I was livid and I was ready to go after that kid! In fact, some of the adults around me said, ‘you should have knocked him down!’ But I did not and I did not go after him either.

It took me a while to calm down but eventually I got over it. But I was very, very angry.

Now for some people they would have shrugged and laughed and not thought any more about it. For others they would have gone after the kid and a messy confrontation probably would have taken place.

Some situations do not bother us at all but they make others very, very angry. Other situations really make us angry and others respond with a look, or a word, that says, ‘What’s your problem?’

(Slide 1) We are concluding our seven week series, ‘Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks to Faith.’ In the past six weeks we have looked at the following stepping stones (Slide 2) and the following stumbling blocks (Slide 3).

Today we take a brief look at a big stumbling block – anger (Slide 4) and an equally big (and very important) (Slide 4a) stepping stone forgiveness. Anger and forgiveness are very much two sides of the same coin because what makes us angry often makes forgiveness difficult. My anger at what had been done to me at the ball park 10 years ago made it difficult for me to forgive that kid… at least for a time.

(Slide 5) Our main text for this morning is Matthew 18:21-22. ‘Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” No!” Jesus replied, “seventy times seven!’

A young girl who was writing a paper for school came to her father and asked, “Dad, what is the difference between anger and exasperation?” The father replied, “It is mostly a matter of degree. Let me show you what I mean.”

With that the father went to the telephone and dialed a number at random. To the man who answered the phone, he said, “Hello, is Melvin there?” The man answered, “There is no one living here named Melvin. Why don’t you learn to look up numbers before you dial?” “See,” said the father to his daughter. “That man was not a bit happy with our call. He was probably very busy with something and we annoyed him.

Now watch….” The father dialed the number again. “Hello, is Melvin there?” asked the father. “Now look here!,” came the heated reply. “You just called this number and I told you that there is no Melvin here! You’ve got lot of guts calling again!” The receiver slammed down hard. The father turned to his daughter and said, “You see, that was anger. Now I’ll show you what exasperation means.”

He dialed the same number, and when a violent voice roared, “Hello!” The father calmly said, “Hello, this is Melvin. Have there been any calls for me?”

In our text for this morning, I would suggest that anger (or at least irritation) at someone is implied in Peter’s question. But forgiveness is also on Peter’s mind. They are very much linked together.

‘How many times do I forgive?’ What was taught back then, according to one of my sources was three times. But Peter speaks of seven, the perfect number, and Jesus goes even further, much further and says seventy times seven.

But there is more to the story than Jesus’ simple answer of ‘seventy times seven.’ He goes on in verses 23 through 35 to illustrate exactly what that means. Let’s hear the story once again:

“For this reason, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn’t pay, so the king ordered that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt. But the man fell down before the king and begged him, ‘Oh, sir, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then the king was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

“But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt could be paid in full.

“When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him what had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid every penny.

“That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters in your heart.”

I want us to notice two things about this passage. The first thing I have already eluded to, Jesus’ illustration of his answer to Peter, is made clear in verse 23 when He says, ‘for this reason the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared…’

Jesus is now going to take the audience, namely Peter, and probably some others as well, to a very deep place. When we read the phrase, ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ please be assured that what Jesus is about to say is very, very, very important.

He is going to reveal something about the Kingdom of Heaven. And the emphasis is not necessarily on heaven but on the kingdom – God’s kingdom where God rules and His way is The way!

In other words, Jesus makes clear that this issue of forgiving one another is a central, no, it is a critical and strategic value of the Kingdom of God. Forgiveness, in God’s reign and rule, is not an option it is a requirement.

What Jesus is talking about is God the Father and us. We are the two servants, God is the king. The debt is the result of our sinful choices and attitudes. Sin is about something that we cannot repay or clear. It is an overwhelming debt that has been paid by what Christ has done for us.

Mercy is involved here because that is what the king demonstrated and that is what He expects to be demonstrated by those in his kingdom. But the first servant was in bondage to anger that was rooted, I believe, in a sense of entitlement.

(Slide 6) Entitlement. It is a word that describes our culture today. We think we are entitled to this, to that, and to the other. Entitlement is another word for ‘rights.’ The rights to do this, or to do that, or to something else and when our rights are blocked… we get angry! How dare you do that to me!

Now, an argument can be made that the first servant was entitled his money. The second servant did owe the first servant some money, as the text indicates.

But what got the servants upset (and they told the king) and then got the king angry was the lack of mercy showed by one who had just received mercy. In this passage did you notice that the king ‘forgave’ the first servant’s debt?

Mercy and forgiveness are tied together. A spirit of mercy includes forgiveness and forgiveness requires mercy.

Wouldn’t you be a little more forgiving and a little more merciful if you had just had a very large debt forgiven?

A word closely to anger is rage. Have you ever seen someone in a rage? Have you ever been in a rage? I think that this first servant was in a rage.

In his book (that I highly recommend) Faces of Rage, David Damico links unresolved loss (and its associated grief) with rage and anger. He identifies eight significant losses that he believes can and does hold people back from experiencing life and freedom that the Lord has for each of us. Here they are:

(Slide 7) Safety, Purpose, Significance

Eligibility, Hope, Dignity, Power

Each of these losses, if left unresolved, says Damico, can lead people to a deep inner rage, sometimes expressed in deep and angry outbursts or also through a deep and profound battle with depression, shame, and self-pity. Some of these losses are rooted in unresolved childhood experiences that we have buried under layers of denial. Other losses have come as teens and as adults.

Some have been in the workplace and some in the classroom. Other losses have been the result of relational damage, including at home.

How do we resolve them? How do we resolve the grief, the rage, and the anger that has been left by them?

Forgiveness… This is the second thing that I want us to notice in this passage… forgiveness was given and withheld.

An issue of Reader’s Digest several years ago contained an article entitled “How Letting Go of Grudges Can Improve Your Health.” It stated that forgiveness is indeed divine, but not necessarily easy.

It also indicated that forgiveness is also very beneficial to physical and mental health. It quoting Frederic Luskin, author of Forgive for Good (HarperCollins, 2002), as saying “People who forgive show less depression, anger and stress and [show] more hopefulness.”

It would have been nice for the first servant to have know this, wouldn’t it?

Jesus’ final statement in the story underscores the importance of forgiveness. “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters in your heart.” What did the King do, he imprisoned the unforgiving servant!

This is something that Jesus repeatedly says throughout the gospel accounts. In Mark 11:25 we read, ‘But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.’

The thought is much, much stronger in Matthew 6:14 and 15, ‘If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.’

Unforgiving is a hindrance of God’s work in our lives. Forgiving is evidence of God’s work in our lives.

Forgiveness, as hard as it is to do at times, frees us and allows us to be open to God’s work within us. It is like the opening up of a wound to clean it out and allow the body’s natural healing work to take place.

It is freedom from anger, rage, hate, and spite. It is the giving up of the right to stay angry, give vent to rage, be hateful and speak with spite. It is the letting go of both irritating wrongs and deep injustices.

It is to wish someone, who has done something wrong to you I once read or heard, to be well…

When I started this sermon series 7 weeks ago, we had just come out of Lent and Easter. During that time period we were challenged to think about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our salvation and forgiveness. It was a costly sacrifice.

I think that ending this series with a look at anger and forgiveness is very appropriate and even very providential. Anger figures prominently in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The leaders who wanted Jesus arrested were angry with Him. In fact, as we read in Mark 15:10 Pilate realized that the ‘leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.’ Anger and envy are closely related to one another.

But what was Jesus’ response? One of forgiveness as we read from Luke 23:34 (Slide 8) “Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.”

(Slide 9) I also want to remind us of what I said a few weeks ago and that is that these are the sins for which Christ died and rose again for us. These are stumbling blocks in our path. They trip us up and cause us to stumble and fall. For some of us, one or two of them are major challenges.

But Christ died for these sins, these flaws, these defects of character. He wants to free us from them! He wants us to overcome them!

This past week, at a meeting I attended at our sister congregation in Rochester, Dr. Guy Brewer a professor at the School of Theology at Anderson University came to speak to us pastors about taking care of ourselves. During his presentation he reminded us of a question that needs to be asked from time to time in our lives and our preaching… SO WHAT?

It is a good question to ask from time to time. So what does all of this have to do with the issues and decisions I have to deal with and make this week?

Everything…. Everything…

In that presentation Dr Brewer gave us a very good big picture of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a disciple, a Christian. It is an answer to the question, ‘So what?’ Here it is…

(Slide 10)

So often in ministry and the church we think in terms of ‘decisions.’ (Have you made a ‘decision for Christ?’) And decisions are important things to make. We need to make the decision to follow Jesus. Our ministry as a church is to help others make their own decision to follow Jesus as well. But there is more to following Christ and being a disciple than just a decision.

We need to incorporate with the Holy Spirit’s help important habits or practices or disciplines like Bible Study, prayer, church attendance, fellowship, and service to help us sustain and deepen our decision to follow the Lord. Good intentions are not enough.

Together making the decision and incorporating the disciplines strengths our relationship with God. But it also does something else that is very, very important.

It allows God to begin to change us at a very deep and profound level. We have to move beyond the level of decisions and practices in our faith. We have to be deeply and profoundly changed by God deep within us. In other words, our dispositions have to change.

(Slide 11) This is where the stepping stones come into play. They are foundational building blocks of a maturing and new nature and drive within us.

The Bible speaks to this issue in places such as 2 Corinthians 5:17 which say, ‘those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!’

(Slide 12) The result is that as our disposition changes, we give glory to God in how we live and act.

These stumbling blocks have been called over the centuries the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ because they are deadly to our souls. And the stepping stones have been called the ‘Seven Cardinal Virtues.’

This series has been a series aimed at our dispositions or our character because the Bible speaks clearly and often to the issue of character in our lives. Why? Because it is our character that is the clearest evidence of whether or not God’s grace is operating in our lives.

This brings me to our graduates this morning.

Please hear me carefully this morning, grads… God is not interested in your success. He is interested in your character and your faithfulness to Him. Success to Him is measured by your faithfulness to Him.

Your character matters more to Him than your income. Your soul matters more to Him than the height that you may rise to in your profession.

Continue to learn and develop the skills and abilities that God has given you, that is being a good disciple. But allow God to work deeply within you and change you into the person that He wants you to be.

We do celebrate with you and thank God for you! Congrads on your important achievement! Now let us honor you this morning.

Stepping Stones to Faith: Diligence

(Preached on Mother’s Day 2008: May 11th)

(Slide 1) Last Sunday during the bridal shower that was held here after worship, I thought that it would be a very helpful thing to have several married men take the groom-to-be out to lunch and share with him some important advice we had learned from our marital experiences.

So we did… four married men and the eight children to which they belonged and this groom-to-be. We went to McDonald’s and surrounded the groom-to-be with our eight children, ages of almost 5 to 15. 4 boys and 4 girls.

Now between the four of us we have been married a total of approximately 62 years. That is average of 15.5 years. Because of such longevity, we felt that we had the right and the duty to share with him some important things about marriage life with the expressed hope of helping him early in life… not to experience the ‘dog house’ situation that many young married men seem to frequently experience.

And being men, we distilled it into some very brief and succinct points. Here they are: (Slide 1a)

‘Yes, dear…’

‘I’m sorry dear…’

‘I should have known (dear)…’

Today is Mother’s Day and it is an important day. Over the eight years I have been here, I have spoken of the history of Mother’s Day, done a couple of ‘Top Ten’ Mother’s Day lists, and told some good Mother’s Day stories. But this morning, I am sharing a brief video clip, worth the money paid for it, that really says it all about Motherhood and being a wife. To set the stage for this clip, all that I am saying is, let’s visit Rob and Laura Petrie as Rob finishes fixing the toaster:

(Slide 2) Sermon spice video clip, ‘She’s Right!’

Today is the sixth sermon of a seven part series, ‘Stepping Stones and Stumbling Blocks to Faith.’ It is also Mother’s Day and… Pentecost Sunday, the day that we remember the coming of the Holy Spirit as recorded in the opening chapters of the New Testament book of Acts. Today, we are focusing on the first two elements and next week I will conclude this series and remind us of the purpose and place of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

(Slide 3)

Our main text for this morning is Galatians 6:9, ‘So don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.’

Being a mother is a very important and challenging role. It is exciting and joyful. There is great reward in watching your children grow up and succeed in different ways.

Being a mother is also, at times, a difficult and even, painful role. There are moments of anxiety and even grief when decisions made by our kids bother us.

This is why our main text for this morning is so important. No matter what the outcomes of our children’s own choices are, we must not ‘get tired of doing what is good.’ We need to be diligent; we need to persevere because there comes a time when a ‘harvest of blessing’ comes our way.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks in life is discouragement especially when it comes to parenting. It sometimes seems that discouragement is always lurking around the corner ready and able to trip us up because the pressures and forces against us as parents are powerful and overwhelming at times.

But we must not give up, we must not get discouraged and quit! Why? Because God is just around the corner as well and He is also beside us and in front of us and behind us as we encounter the often overwhelming challenges of both parenthood and adulthood.

In my study and reading for this series I have read some very helpful things regarding the stumbling blocks and stepping stones to faith that have been shared. They have given me both food for thought as I prepare each week and also for my own personal reflection and review.

One of the most insightful and important things that I read is in regard to this stumbling block that discouragement is tied to – sloth. Now sloth is a word that we don’t often here these days. The word that we often hear these days instead of sloth is ‘lazy.’

But I suggest this morning that there is another word that goes deeper to the heart of this stumbling block than ‘lazy.’ One writer, Donald Capps, uses the word, ‘apathy’ instead of sloth or laziness.

Think with me for a moment about this. (Slide 4)

(Slide 4a)

When get discouraged…

we often give up…

We come to the place where our efforts seem futile and unproductive. No matter how hard we try, we encounter barriers that really make things difficult if not impossible. So we give up.

(Slide 4b)

When we give up…

we often become lazy…

We simply quit trying and do nothing for nothing seems to work these days. What’s the use of continuing to try if nothing I do works?

(Slide 4c)

When we become lazy…

we often ‘don’t care’ anymore

The ‘don’t care’ part is apathy. We have no motivation to get involved and care. We have no desire to get up and do something. We simply quit being involved. We detach, emotionally, behaviorally, and spiritually from God, family, friends, responsibilities, and even ourselves.

Capps ties the word ‘apathy’ to the ancient word acedia. As he discusses what apathy means as to our lives and faith he uses words like ‘indifference,’ ‘disregard,’ ‘lack of interest,’ and ‘stagnant.’ In fact he says that those who do battle with apathy are in danger of being ‘self-absorbed, imprisoned in their own narrow self-indulgence and suffering from boredom and interpersonal impoverishment.’ He calls apathy ‘a spiritual crisis, and the only solution to the crisis is a spiritual renewal through which the spirit of God moves within us and moves us to care again.’

Now men, we are not exempt from this dangerous thing called apathy. We too, are subject to the same challenges of life that our wives are and that tempt us to give up and withdraw.

The stepping stone we need to walk on is ‘diligence.’ (Slide 5) Diligence is another word that we often do not hear these days. It is an older word that perhaps is best understood today as persevere.

Perseverance is spoken of in scripture. One well-known verse that implies perseverance is 2 Timothy 4:7.

(Slide 6) ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.’

Another helpful passage is Hebrews 10:23. (Slide 6a) ‘Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. ‘

(Slide 7) Then there is 2 Peter 1:5-8. ‘A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness.

(Slide 8) Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Notice the important bridge that patient endurance makes between living a life of moral excellence and self-control and becoming a godly (or Christ-like) person who is productive and useful. Patient endurance helps to bridge the gap between these two vital and important sets of qualities and characteristics. The result is that we are able to develop perseverance. But without patient endurance, we fail.

(Slide 9) Patient endurance, remaining faithful, and without wavering… these are very good descriptions of the important stepping stone and building block of diligence or perseverance.

So, how do we stand on this stepping stone? How do we build this foundation block into our lives? How do we begin to avoid the stumbling block of apathy?

(Slide 10) One of the first things we have to do is to identify what or who is our source of hope.

What are people’s sources of hope these days? I can think of several: work, family, marriage, love, power, sports, school, and country.

We need them in our lives. They are valuable and important. But how sturdy are they? Do they keep our hopes up? Do they prove faithful day in and day out? They are important sources of hope in relationships and belonging to a group of people or a goal or a cause larger than ourselves, but they cannot provide the surest source of hope we all need – God.

(Slide 11) In Psalm 25:2 we read, ‘Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.’

We also just read from Hebrews 10:23, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise ‘ We need embrace the Lord as our primary, and in some ways, only source of hope.

(Slide 12) We also need to narrow our commitments if we are to have hope.

Now, you might be saying, ‘Jim how can we hope to persevere by narrowing our commitments?’ A good question! I’m glad you asked!

Too many commitments can stress us out. We can be going in too many directions at once and find ourselves emotionally and spiritual spent.

Granted there are times when we are very busy and involved because life and work require it. However, too much ‘pedal to the medal’ is not good for us. It can cause us to become stressed due to the overwhelming number of commitments and duties we have to do.

As a result we sometimes find ourselves falling behind. Our work may suffer. Our relationships may suffer. Our faith may suffer. Our perseverance may suffer as well.

Mom’s, what might you need to say ‘no’ to, to help you persevere and stand firm? (Dad’s I ask you the same question as well!)

May I respectfully suggest this morning that some of us are doing too much? Some of us need to clean out our calendars, and those of our families as well. We’re doing too much and we are moving toward not just burnout but apathy because we are subject to an exhaustion that will disable our hope and our willingness to care. We cannot afford to get to that place.

(Slide 13) We must also say ‘yes’ to God. Let’s for a moment reflect on the scripture passages we have heard read this morning. I say with strong certainty that each passage strongly implies a yes to God and no to attitudes and commitments that cause us to stumble.

Saying ‘yes’ to the Lord, again and again and again and again, means that we seek to persevere and ask His help in doing so. It means that we take the long view and the faith view that recognizes that with moments of frustration and disappointment, even heartache, there are also moments of joy and hope and progress because we love and serve a God who is faithful and is present with us throughout all of life.

Saying ‘yes’ to God also means that we invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives and allow Him to change us and improve us so that have the inner strength and willingness to persevere.

So mom, don’t give up… on yourselves. Don’t give up on your kids and don’t give up on the Lord.

Let God be your truest and best source of hope. Narrow your commitments to the right ones for the stage of life that you are in at this place in life. Say ‘yes’ to God daily and again and again. Let the Holy Spirit fill you and empower you to do what you cannot do in your own strength.

Mom, ‘don’t get tired of doing what is good. Don’t get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.’

I close again with the excerpt from Max Lucado’s book “When God Whispers Your Name” as I believe that it really illustrates what happens when we stand on the stepping stone of perseverance.

“For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love. No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical, the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace. I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father [and mother] will not come home.

I choose gentleness. Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control. I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will not rule the eternal. I choose self-control.

I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ.

I choose love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.”

As we conclude this morning, I am going to ask all of the mothers here to come forward so that we can pray for you…

Sources: Donald Capps, Deadly Sins and Saving Virtues. Pages 62 and 63. ©1987

Lucado’s quote found at sermoncentral.com

Stepping Stones to Faith: Purity

(Preached on May 4, 2008)

John Rowan Claypool once shared the following story in his…(more) sermon entitled “The Future and Forgetting:’ “Two Buddhist monks were walking in a drenching thunderstorm. They came to a stream, and it was swollen out of its banks.

A beautiful young Japanese woman in a kimono stood there wanting to get to the other side but was afraid of the currents. In characteristic Buddhist compassion, one of the monks said, ‘Can I help you?’ “The woman said, ‘I need to cross this stream.’” The monk picked her up, put her on his shoulder, carried her through the water, and put her down on the other side.

He and his companion went on to the monastery. That night his companion said to him, ‘I have a bone to pick with you. As Buddhist monks, we have taken vows not to look on a woman, much less touch her body. Back there by the river you did both.’

“The first monk said, ‘My brother, I put that woman down on the other side of the river. You’re still carrying her in your mind.’”

Michael Thomas shares that in his book “The Great Divorce,” C.S. Lewis gives an allegorical story about a ghost of a man consumed by lust. And in this story lust is depicted as a red lizard that sits on his shoulder and whispers seductively in his ear.

When the man is bothered by this lizard on his shoulder, an angel volunteers to destroy it for him. But the man is conflicted because he wants to hold on to his lust but also wants the lizard gone. What he is afraid of is that the death of his lust will be the death of him. He offers all these excuses to the angel because he wants to keep the lizard (even though he doesn’t want it).

After much discussion the man finally lets the angel kill the lizard. The angel grabs the lizard, breaks its neck and hurls it to the ground. Now that the spell of lust is broken the man who was once ghostly is wonderfully remade into a real and solid person. And what’s so cool is that instead of dying, the lizard is changed into a spectacular stallion. With great tears of joy and appreciation the man gets on the horse and rides off into the heavens.

(Slide 1) Lust. What comes to mind when you hear the word lust?

Most often we think of the sexual aspects of the word and this aspect is a very important one to consider and the Bible speaks to it throughout the Old and New Testaments. Jesus’ words that are located in Matthew 5:27-30, however, are probably the most pointed words about lust in all of scripture:

“You have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye—even if it is your good eye causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your hand—even if it is your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’

Over 25 years ago, Leadership Journal, a publication for pastors, took the bold step of publishing a story of a pastor who did battle with lust and how he began to take the long journey back to purity and really sanity. I subscribed to the publication back then and I remember the firestorm of controversy that it generated as many felt that it was not right for such a thing to be published and that such a person should not even be in ministry. Five years later, the journal asked the man to update his story of freedom and deliverance, which he graciously did. And we all know that nothing generates negative and skeptical press faster than when a prominent minister is discovered to have committed sexual sin.

It is easy to focus exclusively on the sexual aspect of lust, and it is probably the most prominent type of lust. But, there is more to lust than just the sexual issue. In 1 John 2:15-17 we read, ‘Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. (Slide 2) For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.’

The three phrases of this verse provide us with a very important broader view of lust than just sexual.

(Slide 3) The first phrase is ‘the lust for physical pleasure.’ This certainly includes sexual lust but it can also mean eating and drinking too much. Addiction, to anything, is rooted in our lust, our consuming desire, for physical pleasure.

In Philippians 3:18 and 19 Paul, with great emotion makes this important point, ‘For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Their future is eternal destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and all they think about is this life here on earth.’

‘Their god is their appetite… a very pointed and profound thing to say. By the statements that follow this one we get a sense that what Paul refers to is more than just our normal and healthy appetite for food but our appetite for anything that provides some type of physical pleasure. By deifying our appetites we worship them, they become our god(s).

This is an issue which Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians… twice, when he says, (10:23) ‘You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.’

We have the freedom to live how we want and do what we want. But, there are consequences to our choices, some right away and some pop up years later. And if we are followers of Christ the Bible makes very clear that certain things, such as lust and sexual sin, are wrong, and we are called to live a life of purity – which we will examine a moment.

(Slide 4) The next phrase is, ’the lust for everything we see.’ Again there are sexual connotations in this phrase but I think that we can also call this kind of lust, ‘greed.’

And I would suggest that we go no farther than the final commandment about coveting (which is envy based) to understand this aspect of lust. In fact, one dictionary definition of lust is ‘covetousness.’

Lust is, according to the same dictionary entry, a yearning, a desire, an itch, a hunger, and a thirst for something. As I think about this definition of lust, I recall hearing many times over the years that addiction is not about a substance or even a behavior but about the lack of something in our lives and about covering the pain that lack of something creates. As I think about this it makes me ask, ‘Is what we are after really what we are looking for?’

(Slide 5) The final phrase is ‘pride in our possessions.’

We addressed pride at the beginning of this series and the key verse for that sermon was Proverbs 11:2, ‘Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.’

Now, how might pride and lust be tied together? Well, there is a proper sense of pride that I think we all should have in a job well done. And there is an appropriate sense of pride that we have in the accomplishments of kids, family, and friends.

But it takes very little for us to cross a boundary which causes pride to become a self-centered attitude that turns to bragging and worse instead of an appropriate self-satisfaction (and humility as well). Lust operates here because gross pride has ‘an itch’ for greater accomplishment and recognition that becomes increasingly hard to satisfy.

When we have this kind of pride in our possessions, such as the Rich Young Ruler who walked away from Jesus’ invitation to ‘sell all your possessions and give to the poor, then come and follow me,’ when they begin to define who we are and what we have to have more and more and more.

Lust is a problem in our time and age. It always has been. But with the advent of the Internet, we have ability to anonymously feed all of our lusts in the comfort of our own homes.

To get the red lizard off our shoulder and become true human beings again, God has to build into us and, to continue the analogy of our sermon series, help us to stand on, the stepping stone and foundational block of purity. (Slide 6)

In Psalm 86:11 we read, ‘

Teach me your ways, O Lord,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

that I may honor you.’

We have heard much about impurities in our food, drugs, water, and home in recent times. Impurities place our health at risk and even our very life in danger.

But we are also very much aware of our social impurities these days as well. The result is our social and spiritual health is at risk as well as being in danger of death. Broken homes, abuse, addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases are all evidence of the lack of purity these days.

Purity is laughed at these days. I recently read an article on the internet about the recent reports and views expressed before a key Congressional Committee on abstinence only programs and their perceived failures.

Some who testified thought they should be done away with while others thought that both abstinence and safe-sex practices should be taught together. Then others said, ‘no so fast, there are abstinence only programs that do work.’

We are justifiably concerned about our environmental purity and its effects on our food, air, and water. But we must be more concerned about the moral and emotional purity of our day as well.

How do we stand on purity these days and allow the Lord to build into our lives this vital foundational value? The Psalmist gives us two vital suggestions:

(Slide 7)

Teach me your ways, O Lord

The first way to allow the Lord to build this vital building block into our lives is to allow Him ‘to teach us his ways.’

Now, I have taught in the church and community settings long enough to realize that not everyone that you have in an educational setting wants to be there! Receptivity is a key factor in learning. If you don’t want to learn, you won’t!

If we want then, purity to be a part of our life, then we must be open and receptive to God’s work in our lives. We must be open and receptive to God’s teaching His ways to us!

In the teaching of His ways, God uses His word, the Bible, circumstances, the Holy Spirit, prayer, and others to help us learn His ways. Some of the ‘teachers’ teach us the value of God’s ways; some of the ‘teachers’ teach us the cost of not learning God’s ways.

And in learning God’s ways, we learn what pleases and honors Him and what does not please and honor Him. But, teaching and learning His ways are vital to the development of these stepping stones we are currently examining.

The second way that Psalmist suggests purity becomes a part of our lives is to request it!

(Slide 7a) Grant me purity of heart…

To grant something it has to be asked for first. We are familiar with the fairy tales that speak of wishes and the granting of them. I don’t recall any fairy tales in which the one granting just goes ahead and grants a wish with out first asking for one to be made.

I am finding these days that ‘intentionality’ is very, very important in living for the Lord. If I want to live for Him and be a growing and going disciple (and I do) then I have to ask Him to grant me those things that I need to have to become that disciple. How often do we read in scripture to ‘ask?’ Just as there has to be intentionality in allowing God to teach us then has to be intentionality in asking God to grant us purity of heart.

As I ponder this I am reminded of a lesson that has been a very important and powerful one for me. It came last fall in Pastor’s meeting that I attended and to which I have referred in the past.

It was the lesson of ‘what do you say ‘yes’ to God to so that you can learn to say ‘no’ to the things that you want (and need) to.’ This is a lesson that I think applies in this context this morning.

For if we want God to grant us purity of heart, it something that we must request from God to grant and it must be something that we keep pursuing even when we have trouble with the stumbling block of lust.

Furthermore, our resolve to ask and practice and live pure is strengthened as we continue to practice the first half of this verse – being taught by God. As we continue to learn from Him, it helps us continue to say ‘yes’ to him and ‘no’ to what we truly need to say ‘no’ to.

As we move toward communion this morning, I conclude again with some thoughts from Max Lucado out of his book ‘When God Whispers Your Name.’ ‘I choose faithfulness. Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.’

Jesus was faithful even though He had the power and ability to turn on His critics and His captors. He said ‘yes’ to God and ‘no’ to a personal agenda. He said ‘yes’ to purity and ‘no’ to lust.

Never forget the truth of two key passages when you battle lust and strive for purity in your life and the lives of those you love.

(Slide 8) But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.

I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

(Slide 9) This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NLT)

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross, these two passages of scripture tell of what is possible as we seek to avoid the stepping stones of lust, envy, greed, gluttony, and pride and built, with God’s power and help, the foundational blocks of humility, love, self-control, kindness, and purity.

(Slide 10) As we come to communion let us take time to pray and both confess and give thanks to God for what He has done for us and what He wants to continue to do for us as well. Amen.

Sources: Reynolds’ illustration is from sermoncentral.com and contains the following source note as well: [SOURCE: --John Rowan Claypool, “The Future and Forgetting,” Preaching Today, Tape No. 109.]

CS Lewis passage is found at sermoncentral.com

Congressional committee report is found at religionandsocialpolicy.org under the title, ‘Congress Debates No-Sex Education For Teens’

Lucado quote was found at sermoncentral.com

Stepping Stones to Faith: Kindness

(Given on April 30, 2008)

(Slide 1) When I was a few months from graduation from seminary, the church I had attended during college had a position open and I was very interested in it. The pastor had become a spiritual mentor to me and I was hopeful for the opportunity to work with him.

When we met to discuss the position and situation, he said to me, (and I am paraphrasing after 23 years!) ‘I have talked to so and so (the pastor with whom I would end up working) and you are more a youth man while we need a Christian Education person. So, I am looking at other people.’

Along with the anger and the disappointment came a major stumbling block for me (and for many people) – envy. My major was in Christian Education! What made it harder was that the person who ended up taking the position was both a seminary classmate and a High School classmate of mine as well!

A few weeks ago as a ministerial colleague talked to me about a situation that he was dealing with, I prayed for him. As I prayed, I was convicted of envy of him and several other colleagues because of their successes. It was hard to admit to in his presence and seek the forgiveness of God for.

I have heard jealousy (and probably envy as well) called the ‘green eyed monster.’ It is a common stumbling block. No one, preachers including, are exempt from its placement in our path.

I would even suggest this morning that envy took root in Eve’s soul when the Serpent pointed out that she and Adam would become like God if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His question in Genesis 3:1 I think created not just doubt but envy: “Really?” he asked the woman. “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”

Can you begin to sense how envy of God may have entered her heart and soul? God had this great power and ability to see and understand good and evil and the Serpent’s temptation. ‘You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil,’ added fuel to the fire.

Can’t you see the look on Eve’s face change, “Humm…I can become like God? Yeah… I can have His power and His ability! I can know the difference between good and evil! Why shouldn’t Adam and I have this ability?” Envy of God’s power and knowledge takes root and the rest is history.

The Bible contains several references to envy and as I studied them this week two passages stood out to me.

The first is found in Ecclesiastes 4:4, ‘Then I observed that most people are motivated to success by their envy of their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind.’

This verse comes at perhaps one of the bleakest places in the book. The writer (who many believe was Solomon) had been lamenting the lack of purpose in life and that all of the striving and effort that people do to find meaning and happiness was proving to be futile.

But, his statement about envy of one’s neighbor as motivation for success is one that is reflected in both an honest assessment of our own life and in the fact that the final commandment is ‘do not covet your neighbor’s house’ and everything that is a part of it: wife, possessions, animals, etc.

Dr. Gary Collins has written, ‘To envy is to want something which belongs to another person.’ I envied my classmate who got the position that I wanted.

I would suggest this morning that the constant pursuit of many things because of both envy and jealousy leaves us, as the Preacher of Ecclesiastes would say, ‘chasing the wind.’ And as we chase the wind of this product or that product or this opportunity or that opportunity or this relationship or that relationship it does leave us breathless and soulless at times.

(Slide 2) Let me suggest this morning that one way we avoid the stumbling block of envy is to learn to be content with who we are and what we have.

In 1 Timothy 6:6 and following we read, ‘true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn’t bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.’

Envy is never satisfied but if we can become content with what we have and who we are (while still growing and maturing in our faith and life as followers of Christ) then envy’s power and influence is limited.

A second passage is found in Mark 7:20-23 when, in the context of a discussion about what makes a person unclean, Jesus said, “It is the thought-life that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, eagerness for lustful pleasure, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you and make you unacceptable to God.”

Envy comes out of minds and souls that are affected by our fallenness, our warpedness, our sin. Envy comes out of our ‘unclean’ disposition. It comes out of the ‘I want what you have’ desire because of our self-centeredness. In fact, James Stalker says, ‘it is the selfish element which is the poisonous ingredient in envy-the sense that we are affronted because another rises, or that we reap benefit and gratification from another’s humiliation.’

(Slide 2a) Let me suggest a second way that we deal with envy and that is by performing a good spiritual house cleaning, i.e., confession and repentance.

Jesus’ constant reminder about the need for an inner change of our disposition and choice to turn to God is the most important way to render envy powerless in our lives. But what I have discovered (and so have many others) is that when we confess and repent of our sins, there is an empty space that needs to be filled so that envy, or any of the stumbling blocks that we have examined so far, does not have a place to come back.

Jesus talks about this dynamic in very graphic terms in Luke 11:24-26 he says this, ‘When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. As he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless your mother—the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!” He replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.”

What Jesus is saying is that our tendency is to slip back into our old ways, such as envy, unless we make the intentional choice to hear the word of God and put it into practice.” How do we do that? How do we clean house and keep the demons at bay?

(Slide 2b) Let the Holy Spirit develop kindness as part of your character and life.

(Slide 3) In Proverbs 3:3-4 we read, ‘Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you! Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation.’

These two verses are composed of three sentences. Let’s look at each one of them for a moment.

(Slide 4) Never let loyalty and kindness get away from you!

Kindness is an antidote to envy. How can we be truly kind to someone and envy them at the same time. We really, really, really can’t! There is no room in our hearts and souls for both!

‘Kindness, wrote Alexander Maclaren, ‘makes a person attractive. If you would win the world, melt it. Do not hammer it.’

Envy is a hammer that ends up doing more harm than good primarily to us. It hammers us, using Stalker’s words, ‘into depression and despair.’

Notice the use of the word ‘never’ in this sentence. It means, ‘there are to be no exceptions!’ The emphatic ness of the writer makes it clear that he is telling his young audience (and it has been suggested that the initial audience of Proverbs were the young ‘emergent’ leaders of ancient Israel) that kindness is a critical and essential character trait that one cannot afford to let go of but hang onto for dear life.

There is also the additional attribute of ‘loyalty.’ To be loyal to someone; spouse, kids, friends, co-workers, is to support them, encourage them, even challenge them and hold them accountable for their choices in a caring way. But envy cannot exist where loyalty is present as well.

Now I know that there have been many tragic episodes of ‘blind’ loyalty down through the years. And company loyalty is a thing of the past. But loyalty, like kindness, is a key stepping stone; a key building block in life.

If we don’t have the Lord’s help in building kindness into our lives then we will struggle with envy. If we don’t have the Lord’s help in building loyalty into our lives; we will struggle with loneliness, and, I believe, in a back door way, cynicism that will keep us from developing meaningful relationships and trust with others and the Lord.

The next sentence says, (Slide 4a) Wear them like a necklace; write them deep within your heart.

When a woman wears a necklace it is easily seen. It enhances what she wears. It complements her in someway. Kindness and loyalty do the same thing. They enhance our lives. They complement (and complete) our other character qualities.

But the writer also says that we are to write kindness and loyalty deep within our hearts. What does this mean?

The word write means many things. One way the word ‘write’ is used is as a transitive verb. This means to reveal or exhibit something clearly as in, ‘He had joy written all over his face.’ To ‘write’ kindness and loyalty in our hearts is to reveal or exhibit it in our lives.

In doing so, they lead us to the results stated in the third sentence of this passage. (Slide 4b) Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will gain a good reputation.’

Who here this morning wants a bad reputation? Who here this morning does not want to find favor with God and people?

Kindness and loyalty make it happen. Positive favor and a good reputation is not built on being mean spirited and disloyal. Dore Schary wrote, ‘A person who calls himself frank and candid can very easily find himself becoming tactless and cruel.’

A survey done about five years ago by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago finds that those who attend church weekly and take part in other religious activities perform an average of 128 acts of kindness a year versus 96 such acts by people who never attend church. Is this true of us?

William Barclay once said, “More people have been brought into the church by the kindness of real Christian love than by all the theological arguments in the world.”

I know that kindness is very hard to express at times. We get rushed and others get rushed and our schedules get filled up and we have to be in three places at once and work gets harried, and family issues wash over us at breakneck speed and …. Well, kindness takes a back seat.

How do we then avoid the stumbling block of envy and stand on the stepping stone of kindness? We choose to do so. We will to do so.

Last week I read a portion of Max Lucado’s book, When God Whispers Your Name, as it related to self-control. Let me share with you what he says about kindness (and about goodness as well)

‘I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.”

Let us choose today to embrace kindness and let go of envy. Let us build our lives, with God’s help, on the foundation of kindness. Amen.

Translation used is generally New Living Translation. Collins, Shary, Barcley, and Lucado quotes and NORC research note are found at sermoncentral.com

Stepping Stones to Faith: Self-Control

(Delivered on April 20, 2008)

(Slide 1)

I begin this morning with a riddle, or, at least what I hope is a riddle. (Or maybe a pseudo-riddle).

The riddle is a common experience several of us have had over the years. Here it is: ‘Some of us have had to do it more than once. It something that we know is for our own good but is sure very difficult to do for the length of time we have to do it and the fact that others don’t have to do it while we have to, is sometimes very frustrating.’

What I am talking about it; what am I describing?

It is ‘fasting before surgery.’

Think about it for a moment. We have to not eat or drink anything for what sometimes ends up to be 10 or so hours before surgery. We know that we are abstaining for our own good as we trust and pray that our surgery is successful (and necessary). But it is very, very hard to not eat or drink and especially not to get grumpy about it when everyone around us has been able to.

Fasting is something that we do only when we have to. It is not something that most of us do voluntarily. But when we fast we become aware of just how important food and drink is to us.

As I think about fasting I also think about dieting and as I think about dieting… I think about food, and as I think about food, especially… chocolate… I get hungry!

Andy Rooney once said, ‘The biggest seller is cookbooks and the second is diet books – how not to eat what you’ve just learned how to cook.’ In at least the past year, much has been written, several actions have been taken at various levels of government, and many school districts have adopted new polices, on diet and exercise. They are aimed at getting our kids to be more active, eat healthier, and not become obese. Let’s spend a moment with a couple of familiar faces at the local drive-in as their discussion turns to food and diet and temptation.

(Slide 2) Bluefish TV clip ‘Drive In – Temptation’

At the wonderful Valentine dinner some of us went to in Shipshewana back in February, there was a wonderful ventriloquist whose dummy indicated that one of the audience participants was a balanced person. When asked by the ventriloquist what he meant he said, ‘his bubble is in the middle.’

This reminds me of what Margaret Halsey once said, ‘He must have had a magnificent build before his stomach went in for a career of its own.’ ‘Food,’ wrote Fran Lebowitz, ‘is an important part of a balanced diet.’ Then there is Ed Koch who said, ‘The best way to lose weight is to close your mouth – something very difficult for a politician. Or watch your food – just watch it, don’t eat it.’

Food and drink is a necessity for us. They are not options. We need them to survive. But they are everyday reminders of a stumbling block that is one we spend millions and billons of dollars to overcome – gluttony.

Now we don’t call it gluttony we call it, overeating or going on a diet or losing weight.

But what is it about gluttony that makes it a tough thing to deal with in our lives?

In Mark 9 we read about an episode of demonic possession and the inability of the disciples, who ended up in a shouting match with a group of religious leaders while a crowd gathered to watch the fireworks, to free a young boy from this possession. Now, from what I read in the text, it was one of those in the crowd whose son who was possessed and the father was upset that the disciples could not do it.

Jesus was able to cast out the demon and the frustrated and probably mystified disciples asked Him why they could not do it. His response as we read in our main text for this morning was “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”

Now, in other versions of scripture the phrase, ‘and fasting,’ is added onto the end of this sentence. And it is fasting I want to speak briefly of this morning as one way that the Lord uses self-control as a stepping stone to a better and stronger faith and a key foundational block in our lives.

Now, I want to make clear that I am not making a link between gluttony and demon possession, okay? As I prepared for today I thought to myself as I wrote, ‘they may think that I am making a case that if you wrestle with gluttony you are possessed! That is not what I am saying!

But for some people food is an addiction. (Slide 3) Food is used not to just nourish our bodies but also to stuff our feelings. We eat when we are happy, we eat when we are bored, we eat when we are stressed, and we eat when we are angry! Gluttony is a stumbling block for some people and affects their health and their relationships with God and people.

(Slide 4) But what is gluttony? Donald Capps has written, ‘basically, gluttony is an excessive, seemingly insatiable desire for food and drink.’ But he goes on to state that he believes that the attitudes and the dispositions behind a glutton’s behavior ‘reflects a careless attitude toward life and beauty’ because ‘gluttony does not find pleasure in the taste of food and drink but only cares about the amount of it…it does not savor, it devours.’ And what can be said about a glutton’s attitude toward food can also be said about a glutton’s attitude toward drink as well.

But I also believe that gluttony is not just a food issue but it can be financial issue, a sexual issue, a relational issue. We can devour money, our sexual drive and appetite can get out of control, and we can ‘devour,’ or overwhelm someone with our demands and needs in a relationship.

How do we combat, how do we overcome this stumbling block because that is what the Lord wants to help us do!

We overcome: we become successful and effective with self-control as we surrender this area of life and ask for the Holy Spirit to help us! (Do you believe that this morning?)

(Slide 5) We are in the third of a seven part series that I am calling ‘Stepping Stones to Faith.’ Let’s spend a moment and review what we have examined so far. Two weeks ago we examined the stepping stone of humility and the stumbling block of pride. Last week we examined the stepping stone of love and the stumbling block of greed.

Now, I will admit this morning that these are very heavy topics to discuss and that most of us (including me) would probably like to hear something light and fun rather than these things. But I also admit to something that no one I truly know wants to admit to… and that is we deal with these stumbling blocks and stepping stones on a daily basis. And we sometimes are on the losing end of the battle.

I also think that the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit comes as we confess, as we admit the truth to, that these stumbling blocks have caused us problems and that we need to have God’s help in standing secure and confident on the stepping stones that He has give us to stand on (and the strength and power to stand through the work and help of the Holy Spirit.)

We do not have to look far for the results of the lack of self-control and the abundance of gluttony. We see the challenges and temptations everywhere.

Pastor Brent Zastrow saw in it a story that he had heard about a man who stopped at grocery store on the way home from work to pick up a few things. As he made his way through the store he noticed that he would encounter in just about every aisle, another father shopping with an uncooperative 3 year old.

Says Zastrow, ‘The first time they passed, the three year old was asking over and over for a candy bar. Our observer couldn’t hear the entire conversation. He just heard Dad say, “Now, Billy, this won’t take long.” As they passed in the next aisle, the three year old’s pleas had increased several octaves. Now Dad was quietly saying, “Billy, just calm down. We will be done in a minute.”

When they passed near the dairy case, the kid was screaming uncontrollably. Dad was still
keeping his cool. In a very low voice he was saying, “Billy, settle down. We are almost
out of here.”

The Dad and his son reached the check out counter just ahead of our observer. He still gave no evidence of loosing control. The boy was screaming and kicking. Dad was very calming saying over and over, “Billy, we will be in the car in just a minute and then everything will be OK.” The bystander was impressed beyond words.

After paying for his groceries, he
hurried to catch up with this amazing example of patience and self-control just in time to
hear him say again, “Billy, we’re done. It’s going to be OK.” He tapped the patient father
on the shoulder and said, “Sir, I couldn’t help but watch how you handled little Billy. You
were amazing.” Dad replied, “You don’t get it, do you?” I’m Billy!”

Self-control is spoken of in scripture in both the Old and New Testaments. (Slide 6) In the book of Proverbs we read in chapter 16 and verse 32 ‘It is better to be patient than powerful; it is better to have self-control than to conquer a city.’

(Slide 7) In Proverbs 25:28 we read, ‘A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken-down walls.’

(Slide 8) In the New Testament we read that self-control is a key quality for church leadership that is stated in places such as I Timothy 3:2 which says, ‘For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation.’

(Slide 9) It is also part of list of character traits that have been preached on and discussed over the centuries, ‘The Fruits of the Spirit,’ that we read in Galatians 5:22 and 23, ‘But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.’

I have suggested before that self-control is at the end of the list for good reason. And that is that when you allow the Lord to cultivate the other qualities listed before self-control in your heart and life, then self-control is the cumulative result. However, it must also be noticed that self-control is listed as a separate trait and that it is a highly regarded Christian virtue.

Self-control was listed centuries ago as one of the most important Christian virtues. Back then it was called ‘temperance.’

Today we identify ‘temperance’ as abstinence from alcohol. In fact the movement that led to the passing of the constitutional amendment banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol nearly 90 years ago was called ‘The Temperance Movement.’ But temperance and self-control are broader in their focus than just about alcohol, even tobacco and illicit drugs.

The two Proverb verses point out the profound implications for the lack of self-control. Now, I want to remind us this morning that very often in Hebrew poetry the use of parallel thoughts was done to illustrate a single point.

In 16:32, the writer links patience and self-control to make the point that they are more valuable and more important than power and the ability to use such power to powerful ends like conquering a city. In 25:28, the use of a simile, (using ‘like’ or ‘as’ to make a point) underscores the necessity of self-control as being an important defense like the walls of a city. If self-control is present, then there is protection from attack. If self-control is not present, the one is very, very vulnerable to attack.

Gluttony is one of those things that can invade if self-control is not in place. So can lust, so can pride, so can greed, and so can many other things invade us.

How then do we stand on the stepping stones of self-control? How do we avoid and overcome the stumbling block of gluttony?

Max Lucado gives us a great answer in his book, When God Whispers Your Name: ‘I choose self-control … I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.’

Remember what I said at the beginning of this series? I said, ‘Make the choice to switch paths and build your life on the right foundation which is Jesus Christ. Confess the sin that keeps you tumbling over the stumbling blocks. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.’

I think that this is what Lucado is getting at. We must choose self-control and allow the Lord to fill us with the Spirit to help us be self-controlled.

As we move toward our conclusion and our time of prayer, I would have us think about what Pastor Richard Francis said about Self-Control and the rest of The Fruits of the Spirit:

(Slide 10) He first said, ‘understand that you’re a target for the enemy and protect yourself with God’s Word and prayer.

(Slide 10a) Then he says, ‘get angry with sin – don’t put up with it: ’…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…’ (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)

(Slide 10c) Next, he says, ‘be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Without it, you lose every time.’

(Slide 10d) Finally, he notes, ‘stand in God’s strength, not your own. How? By exercising your choice to obey Him rather than going for the easy option.’

I conclude this morning with a poem written by Edgar Guest, a transplanted Englishman who became the State of Michigan’s Poet Laureate. It is entitled, ‘Sermon’s We See.’

I’d rather see a sermon
than hear one any day;
I’d rather one should walk with me
than merely tell the way.

The eye’s a better pupil
and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing,
but example’s always clear;

And the best of all the preachers
are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action
is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it
if you’ll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action,
but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lecture you deliver
may be very wise and true,
But I’d rather get my lessons
by observing what you do;

For I might misunderstand you
and the high advice you give,
But there’s no misunderstanding
how you act and how you live.

When I see a deed of kindness,
I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles
and a strong man stays behind

Just to see if he can help him,
then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful
as I know that friend to be.

And all travelers can witness
that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them,
but the one who shows the way.

One good man teaches many,
men believe what they behold;
One deed of kindness noticed
is worth forty that are told.

Who stands with men of honor
learns to hold his honor dear,
For right living speaks a language
which to every one is clear.

Though an able speaker charms me
with his eloquence, I say,
I’d rather see a sermon
than to hear one, any day.

One of the most important questions that we ask from time to time, is ‘Why?’

And in the context of this morning’s message and this current series, I simply offer an answer to this important one word question, Why this sermon? Why this sermon series? Because the world needs to see a good sermon everyday is the reason why.

And a good sermon is based on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ who builds into us, humility, love, self-control, and four other qualities that we will study over the next four weeks. So as we move into prayer, I would have us spend a few moments to think about the kind of sermon that our life has written and will write in the week ahead, as God wills. Talk to the Lord and say ‘yes’ to Him and His direction regarding self-control….

Sources: doctorfunnywoman.com and sermoncentral.com

Stepping Stones to Faith: Love

(Delivered on April 13, 2008)

(Slide 1) If you could ask Jesus one question what would it be? If you were able to have 10 minutes face-to-face with Jesus, alone, what would you ask Him?

In the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John there were many people who asked Jesus questions. But there were two men who asked Jesus two important questions and the questions are very much related to one another and one underscores our next stepping stone to faith that we examine this morning – the stepping stone of love. Not only are the two questions related, the two men who asked them had much in common: power, influence, culture, and wealth.

The first question was asked by a very learned man who was probably wealthy to some degree. The second question was asked by a very wealthy man who had great religious knowledge and practice.

The first question is found Mark 12:28-34.

‘One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, (Slide 2) “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.”

Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.

To love God is the most important commandment. Jesus makes that very clear.

In talking about love, we can talk for a while about this major subject. I did a search of the word ‘love’ in the Bible software that I use and it identified over 600 Bible verses!

(Slide 3) I did an internet search of the word ‘love’ on two major sites, Google and Yahoo. (Slide 3a) The Google search revealed this number 1,900,000,000 – how much is that? It is 1.9 billion entries! (Slide 3b) The Yahoo search revealed this number 3,560,000,000 – how much is that? 3.6 billion entries!

Love is a major issue (and a major search topic) for us humans! And I would remind us this morning that the there are two key verses in the Bible, in addition to Jesus’ statement in verse 29, that remind us of the strategic centrality of love in the heart and character of God and thus our faith:

(Slide 4)

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

I John 4:8 But anyone who does not love does not know God—for God is love.

Without love what good are we? Without love what good is God? Without love why bother with faith and church? Without love why care?

Last week I referred to the writing of James Stalker, a pastor/preacher of another generation, in regards to the stepping stone of humility and the stumbling block of pride. He also has some things to say about love and another stumbling block – greed.

After writing about the various aspects of human love, he makes a very penetrating point regarding the love of God that we need to seriously consider and reflect upon. ‘The essential question is not,’ he says, ‘how love began, but whether it is growing.’ (Slide 5)

Let’s think about this for a moment… How is your love for your spouse these days? Is your love for him/her stronger and deeper than when you first met and married?

What about love for your kids? In spite of what has happened (or not happened) is your caring and respect for them stronger and deeper than it was a year ago?

What about your love for God? Is more alive and rooted than it was the day you first believed?

What about your love for this church? Do you care more for those who sit in front and behind you than you did when you first came here? Do you care about the condition of their souls? Do you care about the condition of those who visit or those who have left and you know they don’t go anywhere?

God is love. God loves us deeply and profoundly. Love is a vital and necessary foundational piece to our faith and life.

The man who asked the question, ‘What is the greatest commandment?’ may have had mixed motives when he asked it and yet when he responded to Jesus’ answer, he indicated a potential for the right kind of a relationship with God, the kind of relationship Jesus was looking for and the kind that He would enable with His death and resurrection. But the key word here is ‘potential.’

We have had it said of us and we have said it of others, especially younger people, ‘s/he has great potential.’ I think we have potential throughout our lives not just when we are younger.

I believe that one of the revolutions taking place today is that, despite the economic slowdown, social security concerns, and health care challenges, adults are doing some amazing things in the second half of life. (Just read AARP magazine!) Potential is not just a word that describes younger people it is applicable to all of us because we are created in God’s image.

Are we using our potential, our God-given potential, to serve God no matter what age we are? Jesus had some things to say about that in, for example, the parable of the three servants in Matthew 25. If we love Jesus then one of the ways we show that love is by developing, with the help and power of the Holy Spirit, what we have been given to develop.

Now there is one other thing that I want us to examine in this passage before we move to examine a very large stumbling block to love. In fact, it ties in to the second passage.

Notice that Jesus begins His answer to the question of what is the greatest commandment with a very historical statement, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.

I think that we tend to skip over this statement and focus on the love part. But this statement, mentioned, in two other places, Deuteronomy 6:4 and 9:1, was an ancient call that would have caused the questioner and the audience to ‘sit up and listen.’ It is a ‘listen to what I have to say’ statement and it is a reminder that there is only one God and no other. And this one God is the God that is to be loved and worship above everything and everyone else. Nothing can supersede this love if we are claiming to follow God.

But as we know, there are many competitors to our love for God. In fact, as we examine each of the stumbling blocks we must remember that they are all competition to love. This is the situation that the second person who asks Jesus a very important question has to contend with.

The second question is recorded in what we now call Matthew 19:16-26

During Lent we spent some time with this text and I want to read it again but with our focus in a different direction. Now to help us focus our focus, I want us to think about the motives and priorities of the man who seeks a personally satisfactory answer to his one question (Slide 6) “Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?”

‘Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “Only God is good. But to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked.

And Jesus replied: “‘Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

But when the young man heard this, he went sadly away because he had many possessions.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. I say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.’

There is a major stumbling block here that tripped up this very good man. Notice his responses to Jesus’ queries and to his response to Jesus’ queries back again: (Slide 7)

‘I’ve obeyed all… What else must I do?’

If you want to be perfect… go sell all you have and give to the poor…then come and follow me.

This man was a good man. He was religiously devout. He was focused on doing ‘good things.’ In fact this focus on doing good things was what prompted the question.

‘Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?’

Jesus’ response is very pointed when you stop to really consider what He said, ‘why ask me about what is good?’ ‘Only God is good.’

The man is focused on actions that will give him eternal life. Jesus is focused on the character quality of ‘good’ and says that only God is ‘good.’

But, as Jesus goes on to say, ‘to answer your question, you can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments.’ And in response to which commandments he needed to keep, Jesus indicates six commandments, all of which are part of what we call the Ten Commandments today. Hum, there are Ten Commandments and Jesus notes six of them. Don’t you think that He would state all of them? Hum…Which four are missing?

Here all are quoting from Exodus 20:

Do not worship any other gods besides me.

Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish.

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God.

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

Honor your father and mother.

Do not murder.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.

Do not covet your neighbor’s house.

One of the sources I consulted this week indicated that these six commandments were ones focused on God-honoring relationships with others. But what is left out of Jesus’ list?

Do not worship any other gods besides me.

Do make idols of any kind.

Do not covet your neighbor’s house.

Observe the Sabbath day…

Two of these deal with idolatry, one with observing the Sabbath, and one… with possessions.

Three of the four not mentioned by Jesus also deal with the issue of what we worship and desire. Anything and everything can become an idol, a substitute for God and when you add the last commandment to the mix, regarding possessions and things of wealth, one word comes to my mind – GREED! (Slide 8)

2 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Donald Capps has defined greed in three ways. The first way he defines greed is avariciousness which ‘stresses greed for money or riches, and often implies miserliness’ (or stinginess).

The second way is acquisitiveness, ‘which suggests’ notes Capps, ‘an excessive effort in acquiring or accumulating wealth or material possessions.’ The third way is ‘covetousness’ which ‘implies greed for something that another person rightfully possesses.’

Now, is there anything wrong with saving money and not engaging in frivolous spending? No. In fact, many of us would probably feel better about finances these days if we did save more and spend less given prices today. But, when we hold back from legitimately helping others and even hold back from what is rightfully the Lord’s, are we doing what is right?

Is there anything wrong with having things, like clothes, cars, furniture, etc? No! We need some of those things. But how much is too much?

Is it wrong to say to some one, ‘nice car,’ ‘nice promotion,’ or ‘nice house?’ No! But, when jealousy or envy enters our heart, are we endanger of crossing a line?

In Colossians 3:5 we read ‘Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.’ Greed is the worship of things and money that, as we are all too aware, can, and has, crowded out legitimate needs and enjoyments; crowded out family; and crowded out God.

Jesus’ questioner had a problem here and Jesus knew it and He went straight to the heart of the matter. , “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The man wanted to be perfect, he want to do the right things to be acceptable to God. But he had a problem and it was his desire for wealth, probably at any cost, that was the problem. He loved his money and his possessions and it was keeping him from fully experiencing God’s grace and power in his life.

Jesus’ prescription is radical and hard and life changing: sell it all, give the proceeds to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me.

Jesus said several things about treasure in heaven; He said a lot about money; and He said a lot about the problem of following God verses following money. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’

The young man was a good man, many would say, but he loved his money and his possessions more than he loved God. This brings us toward our conclusion this morning and the challenge of how to love God and use our wealth in the right way.

How do you see money? Is it a necessary evil? Is it a pain in the neck? Is it an addiction?

Jesus said something very interesting in Luke 16:9, ‘I tell you, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.’ Now He says this in the context of telling another parable or story about a very shrewd manager who turned a serious business situation into a personal win. Jesus then goes on to make the point with verse 9 of using our ‘worldly resources’ (our money and our possessions) as investments in people and more important as investments in God’s kingdom.

It is a very, very good suggestion.

We cannot live with out money. It is the way that we ‘do business’ and provide for our legitimate needs and those we are responsible for at home and at work. It is also one of the ways that we do God’s work here on earth.

The problem is our inner attitude toward money and this is where love and greed come in contact with one another. Greed is about love of money and possession to the exclusion of everything (and everyone) else. It is a big stumbling block.

We cannot serve God and money. It is one or the other. Put another way, ‘we cannot worship God and money.’ There is only one place in our heart for one or the other.

I conclude with some very helpful and insightful comments from James Stalker. He calls them ‘three convictions’ that need to be ‘sunk deeply in our minds.’

(Slide 9) The first conviction is ‘there are things that are better than money.’ He names ‘good health, a cultivated intelligence, a clear conscience, and a sympathetic heart.’ He goes on to say, ‘There are some things that we can do without, and one of these is wealth. But there are some things we cannot do without, such as a clean conscience and a useful life, and if we choose between the money and these, we forgo the money.’

(Slide 9a) The second conviction is ‘Money is not an end in itself, but only to a means to an end.’ He notes, ‘Ought it not to put new energy into our fingers and help us to sing as we toil, when we reflect that we are earning money to assist the cause for which the Savior died?’

(Slide 9b) The third and final principle that Stalker would have us fix in our hearts is ‘it cannot be kept forever.’ He concludes his remarks about greed by contrasting the legacy of a good life with one that was motivated by avarice or greed and his final sentence gives us perspective that we need to seriously reflect upon this morning. ‘The influence, on the other hand, of a benevolent and useful life goes on after death and reproduces itself in those whom it awakens to aspiration and imitation.’

What are you in love with? How you answer that question determines the course and direction of your life. We can love people, our pets, our jobs, our country, and our friends, but there is only place in our hearts and souls for one key love and Jesus said, it is either God or money.

As we go to prayer, each of us must this morning let the Holy Spirit look honestly and seriously into our hearts and souls and we must listen to Him on this matter.

I believe that the Holy Spirit is already speaking to us about our love and our greed. What is He saying to you this morning?

What changes do you need to make? Maybe you need to start investing your money and your wealth in God’s kingdom. Determine to do that today.

Maybe you battle with accumulation of possessions. Ask your self this question, ‘With all that I have collected, do I want to have my family burdened with getting rid of it after my funeral?’ I also would have you ask yourself, ‘What am I trying to compensate for with all of this collecting?’

Finally, I think that we need to really ask ourselves, ‘Am I content with what I have and own? Do I really need another ___________?’

I pray God’s blessing you on this day and week. Let us pray….

Sources: James Stalker, ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ and ‘The Seven Cardinal Virtues.’ Navpress Edition 1998; Donald Capps, ‘Deadly Sins and Saving Virtues.’ Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1987.

A Stepping Stone to Faith: Humility

(This was the first of series that I did from after Easter through the Sunday before Memorial Day and was preached on April 6, 2008. There are 7 sermons in all.)

I begin this morning with a couple of questions that I am asking you to reflect on: (Slide 1) Who is the most humble person you know and what makes them that way? Is humility a weakness or a strength?

What is humility anyway?

A man prayed this for his son, ‘Build me a son, O Lord,

who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,

and brave enough to face him self when he is afraid;

one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,

and humble and gentle in victory.’

Toward then end of the prayer he says,

Give him humility, so that he may always remember

the simplicity of true greatness,

the open mind of true wisdom,

the meekness of true strength.

It is interesting to note that the man who is credited with this prayer was General Douglas MacArthur considered by many of his day as anything but humble! In fact he closes his prayer with

‘Then I, his father, will dare to whisper,

“I have not lived in vain.”
But it is a moving prayer and it is a good prayer because humility is a very essential characteristic of a God honoring life.

(Slide 2) One of the sources that I consulted for today said that humility is ‘a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well pleasing to God; it preserves the soul in tranquility, and makes us patient under trials.’

(I thought that patience makes us patient!)

For the next seven weeks, we are going to examine seven important qualities that I am calling ‘Stepping Stones’ to faith. Here they are… (Slide 3)

Humility

Love

Self-control

Kindness

Purity

Diligence (which will be on Mother’s Day)

Forgiveness

These are important qualities that the Holy Spirit wants to develop in our lives and I also believe that these were the qualities on Jesus’ mind when He addressed the disciples in John 15 through 17 in the Upper Room. They are very much rooted in love and obedience, are they not? (As well as being characteristics of a humble person.)

Our friend there in the upper left corner of the slide illustrates the challenges we have of walking on stepping stones amidst some very big stumbling blocks in our way. And the Bible alludes to these stepping stones and stumbling blocks directly and indirectly.

In Matthew 18 Jesus said, ‘But if anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts in me to lose faith, it would be better for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around the neck.’ The children mattered to Jesus (and they still do) and we matter to God as well. His warning about being a stumbling block is one that we need to take seriously.

But these stepping stones (and the stumbling blocks as well) are metaphors for our character and the choices we make that makes or breaks our character and which also makes or breaks our faith. The Bible clearly teaches that our character and our faith must be built on Christ and what He has done for us.

One of the most important passages about the foundations of our life is found in Luke 6:46 through 49 (Slide 4) “So why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me.

(Slide 5) It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.

(Slide 6) But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins.”

Many times on television we have seen the destruction of someone’s home when the foundation collapses because of heavy rains and saturated ground. Notice how Jesus ties in the issue of obedience to Him to the kind of foundation that is selected. Stepping stones create a foundation that is based on obedience. Stumbling blocks, which are constant challenges to us and at times, seem overwhelming, create a flawed life foundation.

One of the stepping stones God wants us to stand on and to build our life upon is ‘humility.’ (Slide 7)

Our main text for this morning is Proverbs 11:2 which says (Slide 8) Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

The contrast created by the results of the two different characters is very sharp. We have seen, and experienced in one form or another, disgrace because of our pride. We have also experience the life enriching power and warmth of wisdom as we humble ourselves before God.

Throughout the Bible we read of the importance of ‘humbling ourselves.’ One such place is 1 Peter 5:6 which says, ‘So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.’

What does this mean? How do we humble ourselves before God?

A pastor-preacher of another generation, James Stalker, says that wisdom is ‘partially an intellectual virtue, but it consists much less in knowing than in doing’ as it, ‘slowly accumulates by experience’ and is also ‘learned through imitation.’ He also points out that it is also learned by precept which includes meditating on God’s word.

(Slide 9) How then does wisdom become one of our stepping stones? Here are a couple of suggestions to make it one of our stepping stones (and foundational building blocks as well).

In keeping with Stalker’s words we must have a Biblical and balanced view of oneself. The Bible reminds us that we are flawed through the disobedient actions and attitudes of sin. But the Bible also notes that we are also capable of doing great and wonderful things as well and that Jesus Christ died for our sins because He loved us (and still does). Meditating upon the important truths of scripture helps us develop this character quality.

(Slide 9a) Humility is also an attitude that is cultivated through an intentional and on-going surrender of our will to God. Proverbs 15:33 says, ‘Fear of the Lord teaches a person to be wise;’ The fear of God is better understood as respecting and obeying the Lord instead of quaking in your boots (although that is sometimes a good thing to do as well.) As we fear God humility develops within us so that we are neither proud nor boastful but not groveling and hopeless either.

I also remind us this morning that it is our will that must be surrendered to God. And our will is that part of us that decides what we are going to do and who we are going to follow. It is an on-going decision, a daily decision; even sometimes a moment by moment decision.

Now if the stepping stone we need to stand on; the foundational block we need to build (and allow the Lord to build into) the foundation of our life, then the sand; the stumbling block is pride. Our main text says, ‘Pride leads to disgrace.’ Why and how does this happen?

(Slide 10) In fact, what is pride? Stalker says ‘it may not seem obvious that pride is the primary sin’ and that the ‘essence of sin in selfishness; and pride is the inordinate assertion of self.’ A little further he reminds his readers that ‘spiritual pride renders spiritual progress impossible’ because it ‘frustrates the grace of God’ as ‘God cannot save a person who is not aware of the need for salvation.’

I believe that it is safe to say that pride was embedded in the serpent’s question and assertions to Eve, “Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?” You won’t die! You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.”

How do we know then when pride is at work? It is a subtle thing and hard to detect.

Leighton Ford, in his book Good News Is For Sharing, provides us a check list of questions that can assist us in determining whether or not pride is operating within us:

He says, ‘When I am conscious of the fear of failure holding me back, I go through a kind of personal checklist: (Slide 11)

1. Does this fear come basically from pride, a fear that I will not live up to my own expectations or to those of others?

2. Do I remember that God has called me first to faithfulness, then to efficiency?

(Slide 12)
3. Do I trust that the Holy Spirit is working before me, with me, and through me?

4. Do I remember that I am called to be neither more nor less successful than Jesus Christ was?

(Slide 13)
5. Do I remember that God does his greatest work when I seem to be weakest? Isn’t that, after all, the mystery of the cross?

How would pride answer these questions? Perhaps pride wouldn’t answer these questions because they would expose her weaknesses and one of the things that pride does is to cover our weaknesses and the fear… and shame… those weaknesses produce.

Pride says, ‘you have to do it all. You have to look good. You cannot lose it. You cannot look bad. You cannot be seen as weak!’

Pride creates a false front that may seem strong but is very weak. It is like a windowless house that allows no light to shine in. Pride lives for and in the darkness of fear and even anger and rage.

One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, in my opinion, and the opinion of others, was Roger Staubach. He was the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys in the late 60’s and early 70’s. He led them to several Super Bowls and a 1971 Super Bowl win.

Staubach is also an outstanding follower of Jesus who admitted to dealing with frustration born out of professional pride as it related to who called the plays, the late Tom Laundry or Staubach. In this regard, someone has written ‘Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!).

Even though Roger considered coach Landry to have a “genius mind” when it came to football strategy, pride said that he should be able to run his own team.

Roger later said, “I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.”

Who runs your life? How you answer that indicates the foundation upon which you are building your life.

It is a matter of obedience as regarding humility and pride. Humility says, ‘God directs my life.’ Pride says, ‘I run my life.’

As we move through this series I would have each of us keep in mind this question:

(Slide 14)

How do we avoid the stumbling blocks and walk on the stepping stones? Here are a couple of suggestions: (Slide 14a) Make the choice to switch paths and build your life on the right foundation which is Jesus Christ. Confess the sin that keeps you tumbling over the stumbling blocks. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

As we move toward communion, I would remind us that as tempted as Jesus was, (and I believe that He was powerfully and profoundly tempted, to make the choice to avoid arrest and crucifixion), His uttering ‘Your will not my will be done’ indicated the foundation upon which He had built His life and ministry on earth. It was, as Paul would write in Philippians 2, ‘in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.’ His humble action and attitude has given us forgiveness and a second chance! Amen? Amen!

Sources:

Entry on ‘humility.’

Quickverse Life Application Bible Software.

MacArthur prayer and Staubach story is from http://www.Sermoncentral.com ©

Stalker quotes are from his book ‘The Seven Deadly Sins’ and ‘The Seven Cardinal Virtues.’ Navpress Edition 1998