The Chief of Sins, The Chief Shepherd, and His Chief Objective

Second Look: The Chief of Sins, the Chief Shepherd and His Chief Objective

The chief of sins is pride, which is ultimately the root of all that separates us from God and makes us slaves of sin. Jesus is God incarnate, the chief shepherd, who humbled himself to buy us back from our slavery to sin. Now, his chief objective is restoring the world through His church that we might one day enjoy Heaven on earth.

The Chief of Sins

Matthew 18:1-14 (NIV)

1At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. 6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! 8If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

There is a delicate balance between loving God with all of your mind and having the trust to receive instruction like a child. We are commanded to, and commended when, we do both. Pride towards God and others is what gets in the way of this.

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians ever imagine that they are guilty themselves ....The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil; Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind...As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you..." - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Why the analogy of a child?

A child is a trusting soul. However, a child lost in a department store knows when they are lost. They have no trouble acknowledging it because they feel the fear, the anxiety, and the threat of uncertainty. Even if someone tries to help them, they are usually not open to a stranger's help, because they have been trained to be on guard. When they are found, they cling to their parent and won't let them go as long as the memory of that experience remains. This is how you will be when you have a true revelation of God.

Jesus said to cut off that which causes sin in your life. It is often pride when you have been forewarned of the detrimental effects of your sin but you refuse to cut off that which is destructive.

“If you ask me what is the first precept of the Christian religion, I will answer first, second and third, Humility.” – St. Augustine

Is Hell Too Heavy a Price to Pay?

In regards to hell, Jesus used the word Gehenna. Gehenna was a region where trash was taken and burned. When you talk to those who have been exposed to the church and the non-Christian alike, they bring up the idea of "hellfire and brimstone" preaching as if it is a slight on the church and part of why they have, in an enlightened way, opted out of such fear tactics to decide their fate. The popular opinion is that because the mass of our culture has rejected such an idea, it is no longer relevant or true, that it is an antiquated, outmoded, and primitive concept. You can deceive yourself into thinking that because the mass does not embrace it, you have the right, even the intellectually liberated obligation, to throw off such ideas or institutions that promote them. In doing so, you throw off Jesus, who spoke more about hell than any other teacher. The truth is that you will have to wake up to this reality no matter how long you put off the thought.

"Grace doesn't overlook sin, it empowers obedience." -Bill Johnson

It is ironic that those who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus were those who deemed themselves the most religious. They lacked humility and, therefore, missed the grace of God. The apostle Paul was initially no different, yet changed his speech from being a Pharisee without equal to the chief of sinners as he aged.

"Christ sends none away empty but those who are full of themselves." - C.H. Spurgeon

The Chief Shepherd

Why the analogy of the sheep?

We are like sheep, because we forget God's love and truths, wandering continually into the wolf's lair. Thanks be to God that we have a chief shepherd and under shepherds who fight for us!

The chief objective of God the Father expressed through his Son, Jesus Christ, is to reconcile a lost and dying world to Himself. This is the message of the cross where He is on a mission to create an ever growing community of worshipers whom He loves and who love Him! People often get offended about the talk of numbers in the church. Numbers are people, their stories and their lives, none of which are disposable to God. Jesus speaks in these terms and says very specifically as the good shepherd that He will leave the 99 going in search of the lost 1. He declares that there is more joy over the 1 found than the 99 not in need of His salvation. Make no doubt about it: We are here as a church to reach people with the love and gospel of Jesus Christ. He cares even when others do not. He is here to save and change your life today.

His Chief Objective

It is impossible to love Jesus fully without loving his bride, which is the church. It is difficult at times because of the pride in our hearts and the sin in our midst. Nonetheless, Jesus is building his church.

Matthew 18:15-20 (NIV)

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

There is just as much religious, unregenerate behavior in the traditional church as the non-denominational church. They both represent cultures in which people can become comfortable and hide.

Who can be a part of Jesus' church?

Those who have been born again, having repented of their sin and put their trust in Jesus' death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the dead are part of God's church.

There is a difference between calling yourself a Christian and being a part of the church that Jesus is building. Podcast Christianity is not being a part of the church. Nor is sitting home watching your favorite TV minister or gathering together with your Christian buddies. Though these are wonderful outlets for receiving encouragement, they do not encompass Jesus' requirements or purpose for His local body of believers. You must be engaged faithfully as a consistent participant of the church.

There is both a universal expression and a local expression of the church.

Wanderers and vagabonds only identify with the universal church because it is more comfortable. It lacks any type of accountability or pruning capabilities because there is no commitment.

The church is:

1) A house of worship and prayer for all the nations. (Luke 19:19-48; Matt. 18)

2) A family where issues are worked out as we grow together into the image of Christ. (Matt. 18)

3) A place of instruction and teaching from the Bible. (Acts 2)

4) A series of local bodies of government and God-ordained leadership. (Acts 15)

5) A community of repentance and discipline. If you can't be excommunicated, it is a social club, not the church of Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 5)

6) A gathering where the sacraments of baptism, communion, and holy marriage are practiced.

7) A haven of relational encouragement, fellowship, and accountability. (James 5:13-20)

8) A people on mission with Jesus. (Matthew 16)

How do you know where God has joined you?

You begin with prayer, but it does not end there. I did not pray to find out whether I belonged to the Fisher family. I accepted God's providence. I asked myself the question, who is feeding me, clothing me and paying my bills? Who is teaching me to grow into a man and equipping me to survive in the world. That is my family, that is my home. It is the place where you were born (again), where you are known, where you work to make yourself known and have been asked to contribute as a viable member of the household. It is very practical and more obvious than it seems, but all of these ingredients must be working together to find your place.

A selfish Christian looks solely to have the church serve their needs. Though this is a benefit, it does not end there. If that is all that church is to you, you will ironically, in the end, lose the very thing that you were searching for. Jesus repeatedly said if you find your life you will lose it, but if you lose your life for Him and the gospel, you will find it.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. (Philippians 2:19-24 NIV)

Laziness will be a killer in your walk with God. If you are only in the church as long as people keep you there, you will soon be out and find reasons to justify why.

Your love for God will be tested when you don't get your perceived needs met, but instead show up to worship God anyway.

“Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

Don't look for things from people that should only come from God. This includes your security, fulfillment, value, and rest. Don't look for things from God that He has ultimately delegated to people. This includes your spiritual community, your accountability, and your practical outlet for service. You love God by loving His people and the world that He died to reach.

God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6:10 NIV)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:23-25 NIV)

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-21 NIV)

I encourage you to ask the question as to whether you show up to worship God because you feel that you are being entertained in the place that you are. Being a part of the church is about worshiping God the Father, Creator of everything seen and unseen, through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, in the West, with our consumer mentality, we shop for the best experience that will satisfy our whims and desires. Many bring the engrained marketing slogans of our culture into the church and act as if it is a shopping network, rather than a family to which He joins you. We don't choose our family. God chooses it for us.

Offense will expose the true object of your worship. If your church experience is about you, and not the Jesus who is building His church, there will soon be some relational disappointment or rub to give you reason to leave, inevitably worshiping the one you were there for anyway.

There is validity to hurts that have been experienced in the church, i.e. - money or sexual scandals. However, we only get knocked off course when we had the wrong person on the pedestal in the first place. The object of esteem should always be Christ Jesus, the perfect one. It is then that love for His imperfect bride will continue.

Second City Church- Second Look Sermon Series 2013

Transfiguration

Second Look: Transfiguration

Matthew 17:1-8 (NIV)

1After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”5While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”6When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

The gospel is a message where the proof is literally in the pudding. Beginning with the historic life of Jesus, and continuing for thousands of years in the stories of those who would love and obey him, there is no denying the power of Jesus Christ to save and change lives.

The message of Jesus Christ is one of reconciliation and transformation, both of which Jesus exposed on the mount of transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appeared as representations of the Old Testament Law and Prophets that were satisfied fully in Jesus' life, miracles, coming death, burial and resurrection. He was and is the fulfillment of the law, the true bridge to relationship with God, and the ultimate means to fulfillment in life. The voice from heaven rang out, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” as a second audible stamp that He is our past redeemed, our present understood, and our future revealed. Christ's instruction gives purpose to your daily experience, his grace meeting our needs, atoning for our shortcomings, and providing direction for all that is to come.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." ― Leo Tolstoy

As always, Jesus is the consummate example of life in perfect relationship with our Creator God. He reveals His glory on the mount as a reflection of our metaphysical reality, that just as Moses would reflect the glory of God after meeting with Him in the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 34:29-35), Jesus now brings a deeper reality that we would literally be transformed by our relationship and continual interaction with God. It begins when we are born again. It continues through the process of Christ-centered, Holy Spirit empowered, fellowship encouraged sanctification. The more we seek Him, the more we become like Him. The more we stay away from the mount, the more the glory fades.

“The world does not consist of 100 percent Christians and 100 percent non-Christians. There are people (a great many of them) who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name: some of them are clergymen. There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so. ” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Matthew 17:9-21 (NIV)

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”10The disciples asked him, “Why then do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”11Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. 12But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”20He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ”

The point of the revelation of Jesus is not that we would reach some level of maturity or morality as an end unto itself, but that we'd be transformed as individuals and as a people into being the hands and feet of Christ in the world. This is His church, His body doing what He put us on mission to do.

Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth and you will get neither. -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (1952; Harper Collins 2001) 134.

We fail to receive or bring healing at times because we've become so identified with our illness, ailment, or hurt, that we become more comfortable with it than without it (John 5). We appreciate the attention and sympathy that it affords us. We look around in the world and see that these are hard commodities to come by. Therefore, we maintain our corner on the market and settle in to what is debilitating, yet familiar, and, therefore, comfortable.

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” “ ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. (Mark 9:20-27 NIV)

In this scenario, we have become so numb by the traumas that we experience that we can not envision life without the crippling spirit. We have resigned to thinking that it is just the way that things will always be. We pray sincerely, but need Jesus to meet us in our weakness of faith. The good news is that He does upon our renunciation of our sin.

“It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you.” ― Timothy Keller

Jesus told the spirit to come out, and never enter the boy again.

How do we ensure that the house is kept clean? When we repent, we turn away from our self-centered living, and we turn toward Jesus.

How?:

1) Filling your mind with God's word to continually reorient you to the truth.

To understand the Scripture, you should look to:

Memorize the Word (Retain it so that it is available and useful.)

Meditate upon the Word (Discover its meaning and application.)

Manifest the Word (Find a way to put it into action.)

2) Finding time for friends running hard after God to recalibrate your direction

3) Finishing and beginning each day with prayer to reorganize your priorities

Institutionalized Religion

Bad Religion: Institutionalized Religion

Bad religion is when people try to make God and His Church what they want them to be rather than the historic Jesus revealing and explaining to us exactly who they are.

We are bred in a society that despises institutionalism and formalities. Is there any value to it, and, if so, what is God's design for it in regard to the Church?

Matthew 16:13-20 (NIV)

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”14They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

There is no getting past the issue of the identity of Jesus as a starting block. Otherwise, the issue of sin really has no bearing on humanity, because, who is really to define sin? Yet, if Jesus is really the Son of God that He says that He is, everything must follow out of obedience to Him.

This is why so many history channel documentaries, books (ex. Bart Ehrman's), and other commentaries are written about Christ.

A church is not the Church of Jesus Christ if the central element surrounding the Church which Jesus built is not the identity of Jesus, otherwise known as Christology. This is the issue in today's times.

The Church spends so much time focusing on trying to cut off the branches of people's sin, but none of it matters if Jesus is not who the Bible said that He is. This is the root and the way that we must introduce people to the truth of the gospel.

Chalcedonian Creed (451 A.D.)

In 451 AD, this creed was a product of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held at Chalcedon, located in modern day Turkey. It was a response to certain heretical views concerning the nature of Christ. It ratified the orthodox view that Christ has two natures, human and divine, that are unified in one person.

We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.

Timothy Keller commented that Jesus Christ is in the group of the top 10, three most influential persons, if not the most influential person, that the world has ever seen, while claiming that He is divinity. Keller notes that others have made similar claims throughout history but have been unable to convince anyone but a small group of unstable, marginalized, and disenfranchised people.

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:33-39 NIV)

Keller states that most influential people in the history of the world who have been great walked in humility and deflected worship. Jesus was both commanding in His influence receiving worship and humble in His approach. No thoughtful person can walk away from his life without studying it; you better know that He is not God because of the magnitude of His claim.

What makes a church?

It is the place and community where you grow in your love for the subject of all the Scripture: Jesus Christ.

Definition of ekklesia: the assembly, the gathering.

It implies not individual faith, but an active gathering of the believers.

The very definition of what Jesus said that He was building cuts against a sole focus on individualistic spirituality.

If you want to say you are a part of what Jesus is doing, it will be practically building this assembly of worshipers.

Jesus said that He would build His Church on the rock of the revelation of Jesus as the long-awaited savior of the world. Peter was also going to be a rock on whose leadership the mission of the church was advanced. What has your part been, and what does it need to be?

Timothy Keller's explanation of the Apostles' Creed ("Eating With Jesus" message): "I believe in the holy Catholic Church."

It has been said that sometimes it takes more faith to believe in the church, that it can be all that God has called it to be, than to believe in the Christ.

The Apostles' Creed was said at public baptism and was people acknowledging the accountable community of love to which God had called them. There is no sole independence in the nature of a Christian. To be a Christian means to be a part of the body of Christ. It means that you are an invaluable part of a larger whole that has been going somewhere long before you materialized and is dependent on your important contribution to move forward in health.

“The church and the whorehouse arrived in the Far West simultaneously. And each would have been horrified to think it was a different facet of the same thing. But surely they were both intended to accomplish the same thing: the singing, the devotion, the poetry of the churches took a man out of his bleakness for a time, and so did the brothels.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

There are many good things that we get to enjoy and in which we get to participate as the Church:

Service to the widow, orphan, poor and disenfranchised;

The goodness of God expressed through signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit;

Authentic, healing community;

That the Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth in society;

Leadership development;

And a place where people are given a reason for living, a purpose in lif,e and a sense of destiny.

Yet, none of these are enough if they miss the central cause of the gospel of Christ: that He went to the cross to die for sinful humanity's rebellion against God to reconcile a condemned world to the Father through His own life that would be sacrificed on the cross.

Matthew 16:21-28 (NIV)

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

“If you live today, you breath in nihilism ... it's the gas you breathe. If I hadn't had the Church to fight it with or to tell me the necessity of fighting it, I would be the stingiest logical positivist you ever saw right now.” ― Flannery O'Connor

The detrimental and immediate effects of our sinful choices are poignant enough. I would submit that our positive, godly choices are as well. Most people today think that they can live flippantly, apathetically, or lazily without any thought of God's recompense. It is a deception that is fostered by the numbing effects of the media and entertainment culture in which we live. In addition, we see superstars and celebrities make wrecks of their marriages and lives, but go on to their next film or contract with a fresh spouse attached and no report of residual emotional stress or smoke from their burnt relationships.

The ambition of our work life can have the same blinding effects. Jesus reiterates this point time and again, even in the Sermon on the Mount, but makes it abundantly clear that the decisions that we make today have consequences in eternity. This is the reference to the Kingdom of Heaven. (Pastor Rollan had a relevant Gladiator quote to share.) This is why we unapologetically say that our aim, focus, and goal as a Church is to win people to Jesus Christ and teach then how to live a life of fruitful worship to Him. It gives context to each of our days on the job and in school where God is using places, relationships, and opportunities to cultivate creation and usher in that said Kingdom. At its core, the gospel is not merely one of individual salvation, but that of the Kingdom, which is the rule of God brought through the daily decisions that we make. Each of these will one day be judged with either everlasting reward or unrelenting penalty.

Our Perspective:

We often perceive that we are encouraging God to do the real good when we give suggestions about how our time, relationships, careers, and money should be spent.

There is a difference between our perceived good and God's best. It is ironic that Satan offers what is seemingly good (in your romantic life, how you spend your time and money, etc.), but what saves lives is God's best. How often, with good intentions, have we been like Peter?

Often, what we are doing is trying to find the path of least resistance or the least amount of sacrifice. If we can do good with as little effort as possible, we will still feel good about ourselves and be able to say that we've contributed to the common good. However, what Jesus makes clear is that He wants nothing less than the whole of our lives. Where do we have in mind the things of men rather than the things of God?

His Perfection:

Because Jesus has made His mission plain, the clear answer is to resign to imagining, "If I were actually an avatar for Jesus in my workplace, in my friendship group, in my family, what would He do with the time, opportunities, and relationships that He's given?"

This faith is continually defined as a trust in Jesus, what He has done for you, and the subsequent life of love and obedience that follows through the power of the Holy Spirit in the Christian.

Second City Church- Bad Religion Sermon Series 2013

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Bad Religion: Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

Many people think that religion is all about rules rather than relationship. When this is one's mentality, it is second nature to focus on outward appearances and practices rather than what is developing inwardly. In this way, it is easy to harbor a Pharisaical heart as we think that we have arrived simply because we have jumped through several religious hoops. Rather than continuing to become more godly, we stagnate, spending our time judging, criticizing and making trouble for those who would otherwise be on mission with Christ.

Matthew 15:1-20 (NIV)

1Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!” 3Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 8 “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ ”10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” 12Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?” 13He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Verse 1 makes it clear that bad religion begins when you try to equate the traditions and culture of your previous church or job experience, "the way they did things when and where you were coming up," to the way that things should be done everywhere. There is a difference between the individual practices of Christian households, churches, or businesses, which vary, and the commands of God, which are universal. We are obligated to the commands of God, and we must be discerning to make sure that we have the ability to meet with Christ in any environment, without judgment, regardless of our preferences.

We project our preferences and traditions as law when they are not. This can apply to a style of worship, music, liturgy, order of services, how people dress, whether people drink socially without getting drunk or not, etc. At work, we dislike how co-workers do things and begin to develop cases against them. Jesus makes the washing of the hands a heart issue of the Pharisees who were critical rather than a correction point for the disciples who were ardently pursuing the mission of Christ.

Whether in the workplace or in the church, our first posture should be that of believing the best about others (especially Christians) and remembering love which covers over all wrongs.

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs. (Proverbs 10:12 NIV)

If the situation becomes an issue in your heart or sin is involved, humility and quick, thoughtful discussion are the godly policy when we are unsure about practice (Matthew 5:23-26). Our natural proclivity is to fall into isolation and judgment like the separatist Pharisees when things are in question, but this breeds faction and sin. You must know where and to whom (what group of believers) you belong in the body of Christ that you may go to leadership when questions arise. It is always wiser to begin by going up the chain of age and experience than down the chain of zeal and pride.

Leviticus 19:17,18 (NIV)

17“ ‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. 18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

I Timothy 5:1,2 (NIV)

1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Hebrews 13:7,17 (NIV)

7Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.17Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

These are good practices in the church and in the workplace. Remember Rehoboam's folly in I Kings 13.

These are difficult propositions in our culture, because no one knows where they belong. In our globalized, über-connected, technology saturated society, we feel that we do not have to build relationship with people locally, because we can get what we want, when we want it, extra-locally. In this scenario, people don't know their community or their leaders. The over-indulgence in Skype, G-chats, Facebook, and Twitter can have you neglect the cultivation of relationships locally to which God has called you and through which He will shape your character.

Proverbs 27:10 (NIV)

10Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

“The virtuous man contents himself with dreaming that which the wicked man does in actual life.” ― Sigmund Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams

The challenge is the phenomenon of the frog boiling in the kettle. We don't think certain habits are an issue, because our standards continually shift. Sins become more and more imperceptible as wickedness increases in our environment. We lose our sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, our conscience, and the law of God written upon it. It is like a smell in a room that you no longer detect once you've been immersed in it. You no longer compare yourself to Christ to please God; you instead compare yourself to others who are fallen and are on a downward slope.

A recent Crest White Strips commercial made the claim that, "If you are not whitening, you are yellowing." This is true in our growth in God as well.

Jesus makes it very clear that we can have a good looking outward appearance but have our hearts very removed from Him. Even worse is the deception of thinking that we are in alignment with Him when our actions have missed His heart altogether.

Examples of the sins of the heart Jesus describes: murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, which means abusive speech against someone or something: wounding one's reputation.

The Greek definition of "defiles" is to make common or unclean, pollute.

The real defilement comes when these pollutants which are of great concern to God become commonplace to us. We no longer walk in love with our families, church, or world around us, becoming an agent that tears down rather than builds up. These are the things for which the church is guilty, while we point fingers at more taboo sins.

It is always the proclivity of human beings to elevate one sin over another, but Jesus says they are equally destructive and deserving of judgement.

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. (Proverbs 6:16-19 NIV)

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. (Proverbs 18:8 NIV)

Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts. Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart. Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit. Though their speech is charming, do not believe them, for seven abominations fill their hearts. Their malice may be concealed by deception, but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. (Proverbs 26:20-26 NIV)

How do I know if an issue is legitimate?

Is it sin? If not, it may be simply your preference, tradition, or opinion. In this case, make sure that you have not been deceived and allowed sin into your heart (Romans 14,15).

When we think we know everything and do not follow God's protocol for relationships, we end up in sin refusing to interact as Jesus Himself would. This is where patterns develop as Pharisaical Christians hop from one job or church to another never learning to deal with conflict in a godly, submissive fashion in which believers put the mission of Christ above their own opinions. What we do in one job or church is in our hearts more than the environment and will undoubtedly follow us to the next assembly. People fall prey to the divisive spirit of the enemy (Psalm 2), being irresponsible and destructive with both their words and actions. Rather than resisting the devil in the unseen world, they join into accusation and become a hindrance rather than a help to the gospel. This is where grudges begin as we gossip instead of praying for people. In such instances, we are commanded to repent.

“Our love grows soft if it is not strengthened by truth, and our truth grows hard if it is not softened by love.” ― John R.W. Stott

Bad religion is individual sin centered vs. Christ centered. The good news of the gospel is that through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, as we turn from outward corruption, an ongoing inward cleansing takes place as well. Our hearts are continually softened and transformed as we look to God's Word for direction, remain malleable in prayer, and humbled in our faithful interactions with one another as we pursue God's pleasure and Kingdom together.

Practical:

Find a place where a sin of the heart has taken root in your life and cut it off by bringing it to God with trusted Christian brothers or sisters.

Second City Church- Bad Religion Sermon Series 2013

If It Is Going to Be, It Is Up to Me

Bad Religion: If It's Going To Be, It's Up To Me

The mentalities of bad religion are often relegated to the terrible weight of self sufficiencies. Jesus came to overturn such mindsets to bring us into the embrace of a loving Father.

Matthew 14:1-12 (NIV)

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet. 6On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

“The world does not consist of 100 percent Christians and 100 percent non-Christians. There are people (a great many of them) who are slowly ceasing to be Christians but who still call themselves by that name: some of them are clergymen. There are other people who are slowly becoming Christians though they do not yet call themselves so. ” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

It is not a new concept to suggest that personal spirituality is a more popular position than being subject to a higher reality.

There is a different Herod in power in this passage than the one we read about in Matthew 1 and 2. It is a title like Caesar was to Julius Caesar or Augustus Caesar.

Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great, is now in power in the region in which Jesus is ministering. Though Jewish in religion, much of Herod's life (much like those in the book of Judges) was about him doing what is right in his own eyes, finding his own truth. It results in a phenomenon called syncretism (for which the Herodian family, familiar with Roman mythology, were known), where people begin to blend different religions, cultures, and schools of thought to present a new philosophy to which they will adhere.

This relativistic position does not work if there is a real God. The contradictions of differing doctrines preclude such a reality and results in the fact that either there is no God (the idea which Jesus obliterated), or that not everyone is right. If the latter is the case, then this Father who is making Himself known shows the way to life, because He is the designer of life and will ultimately judge everyone in the end.

The Father heart of God also reveals important lessons from Herod's life:

1) People have no right to choose who is more important to God, to have prejudice against the wealthy or the poor in the church.

Herod, to whom John ministered, received an estimated 5 million dollars annually in tax revenue alone. John also ministered to the less affluent and graduated scale classes of farmers, soldiers, and tax collectors. The issue is that the whole world is bound by sin and needs the gospel.

John's message to this Idumean ruler reiterated the fact that the whole world will be held accountable to God.

2) God wants us to be students and adherents of his Word rather than cultural Christians.

Herod's response to Jesus as a possible resurrected John the Baptist showed a blend of theology, fear, and superstition.

When we view our walk with Jesus as a personal opinion rather than a truth that sheds light on the realities of the world around us, we fall into the same errors.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?"

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:1, 4-6 NIV)

3) It is important who you marry or link with romantically. So much of Herod's latter years were marked by manipulation and intrigue instigated by Herodias.

Herod eventually lost a pivotal battle to his former father-in-law, avenging his deposed daughter. Antipas was also eventually exiled with Herodias to Gaul because at Herodias' request, Antipas came against Heordias' brother, Agrippa I, to his friend Emperor Gaius Caligula.

Why did it come to this?

It was self-sufficiency. As Herod did, we try to get rid of anyone who may tell us the truth, like John the Baptist, who came testifying to Jesus, His law and His historic work.

We, like Herod, often fall prey to a fear of correction and the fear of man.

Many times we'll make the excuse saying, "If someone I trusted, who I know and love came and spoke to me, I would listen." But we don't. Or, we say, if God were really speaking, He'd send a prophet who doesn't know me. The truth is, we always find a reason why people speaking into our lives are unqualified.

If the only input that you receive is from a pastor on the opposite side of the country, who does not know you, via podcast, you will remain isolated and blind.

Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies. Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it. Yet my prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers; their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs, and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken. (Psalms 141:4-6 NIV)

Jesus calls us to a place of strength and safety through a community oriented life.

Matthew 14:13-21 (NIV)

13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” 16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” 17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. 18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

“It is the business of the very few to be independent; it is a privilege of the strong. And whoever attempts it, even with the best right, but without being OBLIGED to do so, proves that he is probably not only strong, but also daring beyond measure. He enters into a labyrinth, he multiplies a thousandfold the dangers which life in itself already brings with it; not the least of which is that no one can see how and where he loses his way, becomes isolated, and is torn piecemeal by some minotaur of conscience. Supposing such a one comes to grief, it is so far from the comprehension of men that they neither feel it, nor sympathize with it. And he cannot any longer go back! He cannot even go back again to the sympathy of men!” ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

God the Father wants to break the the myth of bad religion that our life in Him is individual vs. communal.

Prayerless Christianity is a perpetuation of that mentality.

Psalm 127:1-2 (NIV)

1Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. 2In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

In these moments, we are more concerned about what we don't have than what we do have. The Father's guiding principal in our work, relationships, and ministry is, if we are faithful with little, we will be given much. We need to give all that we have to Jesus as stewards, and allow Him to multiply it.

The boy who gave Jesus the fish and loaves had what was equivalent to a single meal. You think you only have enough for yourself in life, but by giving your resources to God, it can help feed the multitudes. God is a provider, a multiplier, and He enables us as a people (like the disciples working together) to do miracles.

 Second City Church- Bad Religion Sermon Series 2013

It Is All About Me

Bad Religion: It's All About Me

The saying, "It doesn't matter what I do, as long as I believe," is often heard in Christian circles. Bad religion can be equated to a lazy man's philosophy. Though we are offered peace with God through what Jesus has done for us, the daily decisions that we make determine both our present and eternal destiny. To walk in a life worthy of the calling that God has placed upon us, we must understand the way that the kingdom of heaven works and acknowledge why what we do matters.

The Way Things Work

Jesus often taught in parables which were comparisons or similitudes explaining the dynamics of life. Jesus referenced the parable of the sower as of utmost importance (Mark 4:13), because it described the realities of a growing or declining relationship with God.

Matthew 13:1-23 (NIV)

1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 10The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Religion is often thought to be a quick fix rather than a process of growth.

The four examples of responses to the Word of God being preached are different types of heart responses that we can have. The truth is that we determine what type of heart that we will have.

Scenario 1:

When we do not understand the depths of how God's Word should transform our lives, it is because we have not studied. Bad religion has you sit in worship gatherings endlessly, yet perpetually remain the same.

One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet. (Proverbs 27:7 NIV)

If you are humble and hungry, you will find a way to continually find nourishment from and utilize what you have been taught.

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. (Psalm 119:97-100 NIV)

To understand the Scripture, you should look to:

Memorize the Word. (Retain it, so that it is available and useful.)

Meditate upon the Word. (Discover its meaning and application.)

Manifest the Word. (Find a way to put it into action.)

Scenario 2:

People have no root (a private life with God as an anchor), so when opposition or criticism comes because of your Christ-centered convictions, you have no strength from which you can pull.

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:12, 13 NIV)

The Greek word used for persecution literally meant: To harm, do evil to someone, ill-treat, injure; to prejudice, to create a bias against, ill-affect, or create antipathy towards.

The gospel brings adjustment and redefinition to our identity and character. Just because someone is bringing correction to your life does not mean that it is hate speech. In fact, Proverbs 27 continues to state:

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:5, 6, 17 NIV)

Scenario 3:

In the world, people are driven by the strange combination of pleasures and fears.

It is the ploy of the enemy to perpetuate a paralysis in our routines to lead us to ineffective living where we make no impact for the Kingdom of God. It is much like the lion tamer with the chair in his hand pacifying the otherwise ferocious cat by inducing a lack of focus in the beast.

"It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." - C.S. Lewis (Weight of Glory and Other Addresses)

Scenario 4:

Jesus is clearly looking for a return on His investment in us. A life that produces a crop 100, 60, and 30 times of what is sown into it, means that, through the commands of Scripture, our life is marked by the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fellowship, tithing and offering our finances, evangelism, discipleship, and service to faithfully, steadily, advance the gospel. This brings increase to the Kingdom of God through His church, which is to be the pillar and foundation of the truth in any society.

Why What We Do Matters

Matthew 13:24-43 (NIV)

24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” 31He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 33He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough. 34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” 36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The religious life is also often seen as a "good idea" rather than an assignment as you follow Christ. First, we can see that what we do counts, because, on the day of judgment, Jesus will have His angels separate the wicked from the righteous. The wicked will be cast into eternal torment while the righteous inherit the Kingdom of God. It is only through Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection that we are made righteous, played out through the obedience that follows our trust in him.

The church is to be the quintessential combination of both wisdom for the world's ills and virtue to provide manpower towards these solutions.

"Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought the most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since that Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth ‘thrown in’: aim at earth, and you will get neither." - CS Lewis, Mere Christianity, Part 44 (1952; Harper Collins 2001) 134.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 speaks of the importance of cities as centers of intellectual thought, power and commerce. The formulation of ideas in these centers shape society as a whole. Metropolitan areas were the focus of Paul's missionary journeys.

Have a vision to be more than transient in this city. The habits that you develop now are the ones that you will have later under more strenuous circumstances, only exacerbated. The disciplines that you develop in the rigors of the city can mark your life.

“The local church is the hope of the world, and its future rests primarily in the hands of its leaders.” -Bill Hybels

The rule of God is presented as a far better option in which to live all areas of life.

Matthew 13:44-52 (NIV)

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. 47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked. “Yes,” they replied. 52He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Bad religion is that which is compartmentalized rather than a life-shaping revelation.

A half-hearted approach to your faith was never an option in God's mind. We are to be on mission with Jesus Christ to redeem the world through his gospel, which is the only meta-assignment that will truly satisfy.

At the crossroads of calling, when you are trying to decide what to do with your life and time, a good question to ask is: "What will I look back and say that my life has meant in God - the only thing that lasts eternally?"

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death..." - C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

Practical:

- Find one way this week to throw your lot deeper into Christ's Kingdom to produce a crop 100, 60, or 30 times what has been invested in you.

Second City Church- Bad Religion Sermon Series 2013

Bondage

Bad Religion: Bondage

Bad religion presents to us the idea that to follow God is to introduce us to a life of bondage rather than freedom. Nothing could be farther from the truth. To walk in the true freedom that Jesus Christ provides, we need to expose the deception of false freedoms, embrace the price of freedom, and fill ourselves with the fuel for our freedom.

The Deception of False Freedoms

If we are to be mothered, mother must know best. . . . In every age the men who want us under their thumb, if they have any sense, will put forward the particular pretension which the hopes and fears of that age render most potent. They ‘cash in.’ It has been magic, it has been Christianity. Now it will certainly be science. . . . Let us not be deceived by phrases about ‘Man taking charge of his own destiny.’ All that can really happen is that some men will take charge of the destiny of others. . . . The more completely we are planned, the more powerful they will be...

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. They may be more likely to go to Heaven yet at the same time likelier to make a Hell of earth. Their very kindness stings with intolerable insult. To be ‘cured’ against one’s will and cured of states which we may not regard as disease is to be put on a level of those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals. —C. S. Lewis, God in the Dock

Matthew 12:22-32 (NIV)

22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Our present culture is bent on the idea of bolstering the mentality that whatever seems best to you is what actually equates to true freedom. Religion as a whole, and Jesus in particular, have been demonized, because it is thought that they interrupt our postmodern inalienable right for each individual to decide what is best for them. The problem is, that in reality, this is not how any viable relationship, household, or society functions. A lack of constraint by individuals strips us of our true freedoms as we move further and further away from imago dei, the image of God.

"The great church father Augustine taught that true freedom is not choice or lack of constraint, but being what you are meant to be. Humans were created in the image of God. True freedom, then, is not found in moving away from that image but only in living it out. The closer we conform to the true image of God, Jesus Christ, the freer we become. The farther we drift from it, the more our freedom shrinks." -http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/october/bonds-of-freedom.html

What people don't realize is that by throwing off the law, they are really demonstrating their slavery. Their bondage to lust, sexual immorality, drunkenness, perversity, hatred, discord, envy, unforgiveness, selfish ambition and all types of passions they cannot contain. The man who lives without the law has become mastered by the very things he was hoping to own and enjoy (Galatians 5).

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. (Proverbs 14:12 NIV)

The Price of Freedom

"The price of pleasure is pain. Legit pleasure comes after the price of pain. Illegitimate pleasure causes pain afterward." -Ravi Zacharias

The perfect law of God gives freedom: freedom to love, freedom from guilt, condemnation, and shame, freedom to obey, freedom to live a life full of purpose, significance, satisfaction, and peace, freedom to be who you were created to be. It is a false notion to believe that the law solely constrains you. As it does, it constrains a man from harm and walking to his death (Romans 3:23).

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:15-17 NIV)

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25 NIV)

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:10-13 NIV)

Only the man who lives in perfect volition, in submission to the law, as an act of continued self-control and as a fruit of the Holy Spirit of God, can truly say he is free (Luke 4).

The Fuel for Our Freedom

“In religion, as in war and everything else, comfort is the one thing you cannot get by looking for it. If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth -- only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Matthew 12:33-37 (NIV)

33Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. 34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

To properly interpret and store up the good things in the Bible (a discipline called hermeneutics), ask these four questions as you read:

1) What does the Scripture say in its context? (A good commentary can help with understanding the culture and circumstances surrounding the text.) 2) What does the Scripture say about God? (This is what forms the foundation of your relationship with God through proper theology.) 3) What does the Scripture say about me? (This is what fosters proper identity.) 4) What does the Scripture say about the world around me? (This is what creates a worldview.)

Practicals:

1) Develop a daily time of reading and meditating upon the Scripture. 2) Join a community group through which you can identify areas of bondage. 3) Within the community, find the freedom of God as you tie up the strong man together in prayer.

Second City Church- Bad Religion Sermon Series 2013

Restored Hearts

Passion of the Christ: Restored Hearts

Jesus is passionate about restoring our hearts and relationships. To truly walk with Christ we must allow Him to reorient our perspective about the image of God and allow Him to establish a depth of relationship for us within the family of God.

The Image of God

“If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.” ―Corrie ten Boom

Matthew 12:9-14 (NIV)

9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

The world as we know it is out of balance because of the sin that has entered into it. The dysfunction hits no closer to home than in our relationships. However, it has not always been this way. The original design for love, life, and happiness was found in the relationship that mankind originally maintained with God, and is the one to which He wants to restore us. Though God cares for all of His creation, humanity has a unique place within it because we were made in the image and likeness of God. The perfect model of harmonious relationship is found in the Trinity, where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exemplify the life of fruitfulness to which He calls us as a product of our love for one another.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Genesis 1:26-28 NIV)

The Family of God

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." -Antoine de Sainte-Exupery

Matthew 12:46-50 (NIV)

46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Church is to be a spiritual family.

What does authentic spiritual family look like?

There is a difference between your nuclear family and the distant cousins that no one talks about and you only see every few years at reunions. There is a different level of familiarity, intimacy, and commitment to a common cause. Though the family at large may feel bad when a distant relative falls on hard times, it is a very different responsibility that the mother, father, brothers and sisters have to help out (I Timothy 5). It is the same spiritually. We often want to be so non-committal that we ourselves belong solely to the universal body of Christ. While this is true, it plays itself out very differently than the unattached and unaccountable mentalities with which we want to live.

The Israelite nation was subdivided into tribes, clans, families, and individuals through which they received their inheritance. The reason so many of us feel like spiritual wanderers is because there is no attachment that we have to people that we call spiritual family. We like this though, because there is no church government when we sin (I Cor. 5), no personal accountability, and really no responsibility. We are free agents who are able to live as independently and selfishly as we want while really making no lasting, sustainable impact for the Kingdom. It's the American way. All over the world, people outside of the West take great honor and shame from what is derived from their family line. We remain infants (I Cor. 13) in our character, capabilities, and calling, because we do not realize that God works all of these things out in a family context (i.e. - mom and dad telling you what you are good at, brothers and sisters provoking you to excel). We are spiritual orphans who live like illegitimate children. Much of this comes because many of us have not seen healthy family dynamics, and we perpetuate the cycle of dysfunction spiritually and relationally.

What are some of the challenges to living like a family?

Managing expectations is the key to healthy, godly relationships. No one should live with a sense of entitlement, but one of thankfulness. No one is obligated to fulfill all of your desires, only God's (Romans 14, 15). When we live with this mentality, it helps us to live free of offense, with gratitude. It is then that commitment becomes a joy, not a burden.

If you are living without authentic, transparent relationship with other believers, you are living in a delusion that can inevitably lead to destruction.

Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. (Proverbs 17:19 NIV)

I know that I've spoken to many of you about this before, but, in the church, offense so often comes from unmet expectations. People today are in a prolonged college mentality and are disappointed, because they are used to a developed campus life where relationships were handed to them. We remain lonely as we pursue solo careers rather than marriage, independence rather than sharing life decisions or the spotlight with anyone else. As you get older, you must embrace the fact that you have to fight for relationship. You are able to go where you want, when you want, to do what you want when you are a child. When you have responsibility, you must plan what is important to you. Spontaneity can be an idol. The idea of things being "organic" can create a happenstance attitude towards the relationships that you cherish.

B and I plan family time and date nights, because it is a priority to us. The church is God's family, and we schedule times together, not because they are merely contractual relationships, but because they are a priority to us. We want to live alone to have our space but then suffer the effects of isolation as we come home at night. Offense in the Christian community comes when desires for relationship aren't met, but the truth is we need to renew our minds. At no other time in history have people lived such isolated and independent lives. In no other place in society do we have the freedom to schedule our lives as we do in college, with the mentality of putting in the minimal amount of effort while getting maximized results in return. You reap what you sow, and sowing is work.

Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:18, 19 NIV)

For those of us who think we can do without the priority of God ordained relationships within the church, this is what the Bible has to say:

An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment. (Proverbs 18:1 NIV)

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. (Proverbs 18:1 NKJV)

How much time is literally stolen in offense, wasted time talking about the time that you don't have together, rather than enjoying the time that you are staring at one another face to face. (Rollan shared insights from his and B's early dates). It produces a cycle to which we are literally blind and perpetuates a rejection mentality. It is the same in relationships in the church.

Where can I build that family?

People say that I don't have relationship with others who I only see at church activities. I say this sensitively, but we are missing the point of these family gatherings. In God's eyes, church and small groups are the place to build intentional and deep relationships with other believers that continue to spill over into everyday life. This is the very definition of biblical fellowship, a shared life. We need to reorient our thinking, which has become subversive to any type of organization, and is. at its heart, anti-institutional. One of the greatest places to build the family unit is over the organized dinner table each night. It fosters stability, love, and an expectation of unity; that though we go our separate ways during the week, there is always a place where we come to worship God together and call home.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 NIV)

It is the independent and self-centered spirit of our culture that resists groups. Jesus taught, discipled, and trained his followers to turn the world upside down in groups. Even the Sermon on the Mount was like a Sunday sermon or small group where people came to be trained. That was discipleship. Any time Jesus spoke was discipleship. It wasn't just a personal counseling session. This is an American, not a historic Christian mentality. We must recognize the difference. Relationship should build as a continuation of these corporate gatherings, not in place of them or at the exclusion of the overflow. We must renew our minds about the gathering of the brethren to fully experience God and His people once we leave those moments.

“Any religious person who says he does not really need human friends because God is his Friend is calling God a liar because He's the One Who says we also need human friends." ― Mark Driscoll, Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship & Life Together

He has founded his city on the holy mountain. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, city of God: (Psalm 87:1-3 NIV)

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. (Hebrews 3:12-14 NIV)

As far as God is concerned, it means something when we gather together as the church. As far as B and I are concerned, when we show up at church, it is a highlight, because our life is the church. We love the people God has joined us with, and it is never simply obligatory or time wasted. It is time for us to see those that we love and for those we love to form bonds to go deeper with one another. We are to be the church.

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27, 28 NIV)

The truth is that life is going to get busier, not less as you grow, have different responsibilities, and transition into different seasons of life like grad school, marriage, children, job promotions, eventual empty nesting, and retirement. God's Word and priorities are to be an anchor to your soul, keeping the ship at bay and remaining consistent throughout each of these seasons.

(Rollan shared an analogy concerning the maintenance of a car in the midst of changing seasons in Chicago: You may need to winterize the car, but you never stop putting in fuel, changing the oil and filter, or balancing and rotating the tires. They are universal principles that take you through all seasons of life.)

Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. Your laws endure to this day, for all things serve you. (Psalm 119:89-91 NIV)

Practical: 1) Set apart time each day this week to study the nature of God so that you might emulate it in your church community. A good resource is the book, Shared Life, by Donald Macleod. 2) There are so many opportunities over the summer for us to enjoy the city together at festivals, the beach, etc. Find one person within the church with whom you will connect on a deeper level over lunch, dinner or coffee. 3) Join in Jesus' common purpose and invite a friend to next week's service so that they too may experience this shared life.

Second City Church- Passion of the Christ Sermon Series 2013

Hearts at Rest

Passion of the Christ: Hearts at Rest

(Pastor Rollan shared about the September 9, 2013 hard launch vision after Labor Day (September 2).)

Though being the eternal God, who is the source of love, hope, and happiness, Jesus was often misunderstood and His ways mistrusted. What we choose to believe about God and His heart for us in the midst of an estranged culture effects everything about who we are and what we will become.

Jesus passionately invites us into His life by exposing the source of our discontent, encouraging us to recognize the signposts for godly decisions, and leading us to the rest for which our souls so desperately yearn.

The Source of Our Discontent

Matthew 11:1-19 (NIV)

1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. 2When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” 7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. 9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written: “ ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15 Whoever has ears, let them hear. 16 “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: 17 “ ‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

“The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder.” ― Saint Augustine of Hippo, Confessions

It feels like we have too many choices in life, and no choice ever becomes the right one.

The question of Jesus Christ's identity and the subsequent life decisions that follow are defining our generation. Our inability to settle the weighty matters of life affect everything from our career pursuits, to our romantic relationships, to how we use our finances and time.

How Can I Be Sure About Jesus?

"Are you the one to come or should we expect someone else?"

Jesus answered the question by giving a résumé of HIS historic fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies (Isaiah 26:18,19; 29:18,19; 35:5,6; 53:4; 61:1). In the same way, God's Word gives us a clear description of what we are truly looking for in His design for life, love, and happiness. He said to study the Scripture to see the heart of this loving God, compare it to the freedom being produced in and around us through his Word, and contend to trust Him during life's challenging moments. After demonstrating his devotion to God, showing faithfulness throughout the entirety of his life, this is exactly what John the Baptist had to do during his time of testing in prison.

"What did you go out... to see? A reed swayed by the wind?"

Commentaries note that Jesus is here broaching the subject of instability and vacillation. Just as the reeds swayed with the wind by the Jordan, so we have a proclivity to lose our Christ-centered focus and resolve with every wind of opportunity or ideological challenge that comes our way. This is often the product of coveting people, positions, and things that we think will make us happier than what we already have, or what God has prescribed, as is referenced in Jesus' mention of fine clothes and king's palaces. We are deceived into thinking that there is always someone or something better, and it is the thing that we do not presently have.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:17 NIV)

The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God. Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Regard it as vile and utterly detest it, for it is set apart for destruction. (Deuteronomy 7:25, 26 NIV)

Coveting is the source of so much discontent in the world. Sociological studies have shown that people in the West deal on a whole with more unhappiness than those in less affluent nations because of the number of choices that they have. It is the psychosis intrinsic to the fear of missed opportunity that has us refuse to commit to anything because something better may come along. This is true, for example, in romantic relationships where people refuse to settle on their present options, while picking apart every viable suitor that they may have, and, in the end, miss a life of love and happiness that could have been theirs. It is also true of churches where people look to give as much criticism as they can while contributing as little as they can, and, ironically, end up doing very little to aid in Jesus' cause to heal and save a broken world. The result is that people lose the ability to be fully engaged or make a lasting impact on anything.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/money-changes-everything.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/your-money/27shortcuts.html

(All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John. Luke 7:29, 30 NIV)

Can you imagine John the Baptist's thoughts in prison on the eve of his execution?

If it was only a matter of whether his trust in Jesus was "working for him" rather than the truth of who Jesus is, John would have abandoned His trust in God. The culture today has told us the most important thing to remember is that it is all about us and our life experiences. A recent birth control commercial artistically promotes a trip to Paris and having the freedom to indulge in extravagant getaways as far superior to a life-time commitment of parenting. We long for, yet lack, the joys that only relational and Kingdom commitments can bring: i.e. - marriage, children, seeing lives saved and transformed, beginning a movement that will transform a city.

How do we make godly decisions?

The Signposts to Godly Decisions

Matthew 11:20-24 (NIV)

20Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

It is evident when our life is transforming for the good, when we are experiencing encouragement based on truth, healing based on love, and hope based on God's eternal promises. Though the people of the cities where Jesus ministered were in direct contact with the author and source of life, they deliberately rejected the signposts that would lead them to eternal life. We need to be careful not to do the same.

John's questioning of Jesus' identity came at a time of trial and discouragement. This is never the time to reevaluate God's character or identity. We need to instead find a place of sobriety by following Christ's example of quantifying the many ways that He has been working miracles in your life to bring you to Himself, His people, and the positive life transformation that proceeds from these. These are the signposts that point you in the direction of trusting His goodness in its fullness, even when we don't understand His ways or circumstances that He allows.

Why does this all matter? What we resign to believe affects how we think, how we live, and to what things we give ourselves.

What Jesus is calling for is a spiritual discernment that must become a quality that is valued in our day.

The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps. The wise fear the Lord and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. (Proverbs 14:15-18 NIV)

Most people express preferences about God rather than making statements of truth. People feel today that truth can be defined by their preferences. It is the "Build-a-God" mentality. Truth does have bearing on and consequences for our lives whether we like it or not (i.e. - gravity, aging). This is how we must relate to Jesus because of His audacious claims. We must ask whether there is veracity to His teaching and self-proclaimed identity.

“It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because you don’t like something, it is empirically not good. I don’t like Chinese food, but I don’t write articles trying to prove it doesn’t exist.” ― Tina Fey, Bossypants

This is never more pertinent than when our wills or ideologies are crossed by the God who made us and loves us. We tend to desire to reconstruct the identity and existence of God when He does not fit into our cultural or philosophical paradigms (i.e. - issues of family, marriage, parenting, finances, and sexuality). It is here that, while reasoning with the facts, we are tested to respond to God based on our trust of His goodness, rather than our emotional reactions to His desire to reestablish our identity in the eternal Christ in lieu of lesser, changing, and degenerative things. The quality of His definitions are far superior in grand scale wisdom, for both individuals' and humanity's flourishing.

Rest for Your Souls

Matthew 11:25-30 (NIV)

25At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

“I have read in Plato and Cicero sayings that are wise and very beautiful; but I have never read in either of them: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.” ― Saint Augustine of Hippo

We want to walk in the divine tension that Jesus did, having hearts that are disturbed (with a desire to grow and see His Kingdom come) while being undisturbed (by the past, present or future. Romans 8. We can relinquish control, because we don't have it anyway. What we can do is walk with God as long as it is called today with His sure promise of eternal life for those who please Him.)

Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. He longs to show you the goodness of God, which can only be fully realized through a trust walk with Him, because everything that belongs to the Father has been entrusted to Christ.

Having the ability to take Jesus' yoke of teaching, the subsequent obedience in life and activities that follow will provide rest for your souls. Because of Jesus' life, sacrifice on the cross, death, burial and resurrection, it is no longer about what we can do to work for approval or God's love. The matter is settled, and it is all about what He has done for us.

Practically: 1) Identify the sources of discontent in your life and come to repentance where you find covetous tendencies. 2) Make a decision today to do something that will contribute to the eternal Kingdom of God through our local church. 3) Find rest for your souls by coming into agreement with Jesus Christ's values and pursuing them as your own.

Second City Church- Passion of the Christ Sermon Series 2013

Compassionate Hearts

Passion of the Christ: Compassionate Hearts - Guest Speaker Cole Parleir

Revelation: God is a compassionate and good shepherd who helps His people.

Application: Have you received this help and freely given it away? (Two types of people are here today: those who have a good shepherd and those who don’t.)

Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV)

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Matthew 9:35-37, 10:1-8 (NIV)

35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

God is compassionate. Some Greek dictionaries say that the Greek word for compassion means “to have the bowels yearn,” to be moved with sympathy in your inmost being. This is God’s character. He doesn’t just feel compassion for people; God IS compassionate. This deep yearning characterizes the passion we so frequently hear and read about in reference to Jesus. We see God’s compassion in four ways:

The four P’s of Godly compassion:

1) Presence—He is with us. 2) Perception—He sees our plight. 3) Power—He heals us. 4) Pursuit—He empowers others to be His healing agents.

God’s Presence

The first aspect of God’s compassion is simply His being present. As we see in Genesis 3, Exodus 34, and Matthew 9-10 God is present with His people. He’s not impersonal and aloof. He is “in the mix” with us. He is in the Kool-aid, and He knows the flavor! He knows if its sugar free! He doesn’t just sympathize; He has empathy because of His presence.

“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” –Psalm 16:11 (NIV)

Many times we accuse God of being distant, faceless, and out of touch, like a father who has abandoned his children and left them to fend for themselves. This just isn’t true. God has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to us. Ultimately, in the man Jesus Christ, but even for those who haven’t heard the name Jesus Christ, the book of Romans tells us that it is evident in nature that God exists, but we have repressed His voice (and His presence) through our persistent sinful lifestyles. A divine intervention is needed.

If we go back to the account of creation in Genesis, He’s present.

In the time of Moses, God proves Himself to be a compassionate shepherd as well. In the account of God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He gives a sermon about Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai after Moses cries out to him to see His glory. The account reads:

4So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:4-7 (NIV)

Have you recognized the ever present God described in Psalm 139:7-8:

7Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Today, God is inviting you into His presence like He did Moses and the disciples so that He can reveal himself to you and begin the process of redemption. As Moses brought blank stone tablets (this was round two because Moses broke the first ones in his anger) for God to write on, have you brought an accepting heart to Jesus for Him to write His self-revelation? If not, today is the day.

God’s Perception

The second aspect of God’s compassion is His perception, or understanding, of he dire situation of His creation.

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

When Jesus is on the scene, He is keenly aware, like a good doctor. He sees behind the scenes of the apparent distress all the way to the root of our problems. He sees the spiritual warfare in our lives like no one else does. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. God is moved with compassion to help us, because He sees us.

One of my favorite Old Testament accounts is of Hagar, Sarah’s maid servant whom she gave to Abraham in her frustration of bareness. After Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s first born son, Sarah harassed Hagar out of jealousy causing Hagar to flee. When Hagar fled, she took her son to the desert, but God showed up and saw her dismal situation. He had compassion on her. He went to her, and He heard her and blessed her with dignity and prophesied of the future of her child Ishmael giving her hope. She then said, “You are the God who sees me,” knowing the she was seen and understood. This caused her to dig a well that future generations would drink from and remember the compassion of God.

Today, know that God is not only present with you in your affliction, but He perceives and understands your harassment. Do you know this? If you do know this, have you shared this compassion with others, like the many who were healed by Jesus? Have you dug a metaphorical well of remembrance that future generations can drink from?

God’s Power

God, in His compassion, is not impotent today; on the contrary, He is omnipotent. God is here, God perceives, and He wants to fix what is broken.

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” Matthew 9:35 (NIV)

God the Father sent Jesus Christ to seek and save the lost as well as destroy the works of the devil. What are the works of the devil? The devil has been sinning since the beginning, 1 John 3 says. His mission is to kill, steal, and destroy, but Jesus says, “I have come to bring life, abundant life. I have come to forgive sin. I have come to set the captives of Satan and sin free. I have come to protect the harassed, to help the helpless, to bind up broken hearts, to preach good news to the poor, to heal every sickness and disease, to cast out demons, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. I have not come to condemn the world, but to save the world. I make all things new. I am called the Christ, because I am His anointed one with power and authority to bring the Father's will to pass.”

God does not tease us. I will say it again, “GOD DOES NOT TEASE US”! When he says He came to do all these things, He means it.

Today, God is here in power to give you a second life. Have you received forgiveness of sins and began to live a new life lead by this Jesus? Have you received healing in your body? Have you received grace to forgive your abusers like God has forgiven you? Today is your day of freedom and healing.

God’s Pursuit

Compassion is not content with the ninety-nine in the flock if there is one who is lost. Jesus is God in the flesh, the Christ, the perfect image of the invisible God. One thing He is not, is omnipresent in His human nature. He traveled all throughout the towns and villages, but the world is so ravaged and distorted by sin and its consequences that His compassion drove him to ask those who love him to help him and delegate His authority.

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:37-38 (NIV)

1Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:1-8 (NIV)

The disciples had been with Jesus and seen Him having compassion on people. Compassion is contagious. When we spend time with Jesus, not only in the secret place of our prayer closets, but also in His work place, the world, we begin to catch His heart. These disciples had been approached by Jesus and called to follow Him. God found them. Now Jesus, with the impetus of His asking for help being His compassion, asks the disciples to pray for God to send out workers to preach good news, find the lost, heal the sick, and free the demon oppressed. This is very funny to me because Jesus is essentially saying, “Ask me to send you out into my field”. The disciples left their fields, their careers, and became laborers in the Lord’s field.

We must not say to ourselves, “This authority that was delegated was only for the 12 apostles and not for me.” Luke 10:1-21 (NIV) says:

1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. 16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

God loves delegating power and authority. He will continue to do so until Jesus returns and completely realizes God’s Kingdom and all the elect are brought under the head shepherd Jesus.

Practical Application

1) Who’s your shepherd? (Because we’re all sheep.) 2) Have you freely received? (Do you need forgiveness, healing, or hope?) 3) Have you freely given? (What have you received that you can give?) 4) Who have you been sent two-by-two with? (It’s a team sport.)

Second City Church- Passion of the Christ Sermon Series 2013

Faith-Filled Hearts

Passion of the Christ: Faith-Filled Hearts

Matthew 9:18-34 (NIV)

18While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. 23When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26News of this spread through all that region. 27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. 32While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." 34But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

As we've unpacked Matthew's biography of Jesus, we see that it has been organized thematically to highlight express emphases of Jesus' ministry. This segment has clearly shown that Jesus is passionate about reaching lost people who do not know Him and healing the broken through His supernatural power. As we continue with the narrative, Jesus is ministering from His base of operations in Capernaum, where we find that He takes multiple moments to emphasize His passion for faith-filled hearts. The Bible provokes us to understand that Jesus is ready to work miracles as we endeavor to understand Biblical faith, learn how to create atmospheres of faith, and position ourselves to allow Jesus to meet us according to our faith.

Understanding Faith

Because of the stresses of life, the changing economy, and the mortality of human beings, we will all hit walls in our lives where we will come to the end of ourselves. People generally turn to either despondency or faith when they reach the emotional limits of their time, talents, and reasoning.

“Life, as we find it, is too hard for us; it brings us too many pains, disappointments and impossible tasks. In order to bear it we cannot dispense with palliative measures... There are perhaps three such measures: powerful deflections, which cause us to make light of our misery; substitutive satisfactions, which diminish it; and intoxicating substances, which make us insensible to it.” ― Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

At any point on your journey, you may find yourself like one of the four groups of people who encountered Jesus in need of a miracle:

-You may be like the man who came on behalf of his dead daughter - "I feel like something towards life inside of my family member or friend has just died - they've lost the will to live."

-Or the woman who came to Jesus by herself on behalf of herself - "I've gone to all of the best therapists, support groups, and doctors, but instead of getting better, it seems like I've gotten worse."

-You and a co-worker may be like the two blind men, possibly friends who came together - "We have no real direction in life. We don't know where we are going or why we even do the things we do each day."

-Or you may be like the friend who brought the demon-possessed man to the assembly - "My friend is literally oppressed in life. The trauma of life, seemingly otherworldly, has stolen their ability to connect with the world around them. It seems like they've lost both their voice and the capacity to relate to people in a healthy manner."

The good news is that Jesus is the living God who can meet us before, during, and after we hit these challenging times. When we see the people approaching Jesus, these are ultimately prayers synonymous to the manner in which we can relate to Him today. Imbedded in the encounters with Jesus was a recurring expectation of faith which moved the heart of God to intervene on behalf of those who would seek Him.

What is the faith to which Jesus responds?

Biblical faith is not just wishful thinking. Though believing in yourself or having a positive attitude is a far better posture than walking around hopeless, not every fantasy that we have, or even the hard work that springs from it, can produce a miracle.

Life in God is not reduced to motivational speaking. It is only the intervention of God that can restore sight to the blind, raise the dead, and even free us from our sins. Biblical faith is defined as trust - nothing more, nothing less. It means that you have believed not only in the testimony of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, but that you continue to entrust yourself to the person of Jesus as He works in and through your life today. This begins as we submit to obeying his commands and continues as we make relational requests as we walk with Jesus.

If you are going to pray, you have to know the disposition and character of the one to whom you are praying. In this manner, the woman with the issue of bleeding was able to take a stand of faith, and Jesus rewarded her resolve. To persist in prayer and accompanying action, we need to offer at least three answers to the troubling question:

What happens when we have faith for something and it does not happen?

1) It may be a matter of fully comprehending the big picture of God's will (Jesus at Gethsemane).

God's plan is always redemptive as we maintain the posture, "Not my will, by your will be done." i.e. - Could it be that in your years of singleness, God needed your undivided attention to form your character and have your devoted time for the greatest amount of Kingdom advance?

Atmospheres of Faith

Seeing as He Sees

“We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus' miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming.” ― Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

Our best decisions are never our first response decisions. We need to get before the face and in the counsel of God.

Nothing creates an atmosphere of faith more than a functioning discipline of worship and prayer. It is here that you are not limited to your immediate and limited assessment of a relationship, financial state, or area of health, which more often than not is negative. Instead, prayer brings you into the counsel of Jesus by first discovering the will of God through His Word.

You will always have people around who are "professional wailers," those who are ready to mourn over why things are the way that they are. These are the people who will mock and laugh when you say that God can work a miracle in your situation. They laughed at Jesus before He raised the dead girl, but Jesus put them out of the room to create an atmosphere of faith. Whose voice do you need to sequester in your life because it does not align with God's written word of hope that He is offering you?

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (Psalm 1:1-6 NIV)

What happens when we have faith for something and it does not happen?

2) It may be a matter of repentance from sin so that you might not gain the desired thing but lose your soul.

The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. (Proverbs 15:8 NIV)

We only have so much emotional energy and space, so much time in a day. The things of God take focus and investment if they are going to be a completed work. (Rollan referenced the half-completed structures throughout the city as an example.)

The sin of coveting can steal the focus necessary to have a transforming faith.

Some of us need to disassociate with those who are dragging us down in sin. If they're not willing to come now, put them out of the room for a while until you have life and strength enough to be a witness to them. This is what the parents did. They didn't get rid of the family members and wailers forever, but they did have to create an atmosphere to strengthen their trust in Jesus to see their daughter raised from the dead. Practically, bar hopping may not be the after hour activity of choice for a while.

According to Your Faith

"Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness." - Martin Luther

What happens when we have faith for something and it does not happen?

3) It may be a matter of timing (i.e. the blind men and Joseph in Genesis 37-50).

Faith can be a process, as we see with the two blind men who did not get immediate answers. The result of faith is not a determination of how spiritual or not you are, it is rather a matter of the privileged decision and intervention of a loving Father who works out all things for the good of those who love Him. Some healings come immediately. Some come gradually. Christian counseling can be a fantastic way to have the Word of God appropriately applied to wounded areas, allowing us to unravel knotted emotions, relieve trauma, and apply the balm of right thinking. God has also obviously allowed medicine to provide relief from pain, help balance body chemistry, and treat symptoms. We always want to allow God to work through the various means that He will to bring us to a place of health and peace, while avoiding addictions that will strip them from us.

We go to either one extreme or the other: We either reduce our faith to a self-help program without real relationship with Christ, or we try to make it an independent study where we forsake the process of healing which includes other relationships in the church. Make sure they are the right relationships.

There are periods when it seems that Jesus is not answering, like the blind men who had no word from Jesus until He went indoors.

During that time of perceived silence, our speech needs to come in alignment with the word of God.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (Romans 10:17 NIV)

From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward. (Proverbs 12:14 NIV)

You can only imagine that the two blind men were reminding each other of how Jesus had healed others as they continued to follow Him in his silence, into the house. The persistence of their faith allowed them to gain an audience with Jesus and be healed. In the case of the mute who was delivered, the religious pundits proceed to give their opinion.

And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.” (Matthew 9:33, 34 NIV)

Once again, it was the religious Pharisees, with their lack of exposure to and understanding of the spiritual realm, who began to denounce Jesus and call the very work of God something as having its origins in the devil. The same happens today and we must beware.

Take note that this was the ruler coming on behalf of the dead daughter, yet Jesus chose to resurrect the daughter. There is no mention of the daughter's request, the one who actually needed the resuscitation. This is a clear picture of our intercession which is expressed through prayers and ministry of the Word of God to others. Jesus is good to respond and work with you in the midst of your faith for another person. That faith can be used by Jesus to prepare the way for God's healing when your loved one does not have faith for himself or herself. In the other instances the people had faith of their own. In either case, we need to pray with tireless faith, giving Jesus the opportunity to move, and do so with community who will hold us up until we see the goodness of God.

“The great people of the earth today are the people who pray! I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor those who explain prayer; but I mean those who actually take the time to pray. They have not time. It must be taken from something else. That something else is important, very important and pressing, but still, less important and pressing than prayer. There are people who put prayer first, and group the other items in life's schedule around and after prayer. These are the people today who are doing the most for God in winning souls, in solving problems, in awakening churches, in supplying both men and money for mission posts, in keeping fresh and strong their lives far off in sacrificial service on the foreign field, where the thickest fighting is going on, and in keeping the old earth sweet a little while longer.” -S.D. Gordon

Practically:

1) Identify which areas of life you need to take a stand of faith to see Jesus work a miracle on behalf of yourself or another. 2) Find a way to replace the professional wailers with a community that will create atmospheres of faith for your miracle. 3) Establish a consistent time of meditation on God's Word and prayer so that Jesus can grow and meet you according to your faith.

Second City Church- Passion of the Christ Sermon Series 2013

Hungry Hearts

The Passion of the Christ: Hungry Hearts

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8 NIV)

As Jesus looked to validate the fact that He was the God incarnate Messiah, the Savior of the world, he made sure to mark His ministry with the miraculous. As he lives today, He is still in the miracle working business. Whether it be through a restored body or a transformed heart, Jesus is passionate to have us taste and see that the God of the universe is in fact good. To experience this goodness we must have a hunger for change, desire to dine with God, and determine when to eat or not to eat.

Hunger for Change

Matthew 9:1-8 (NIV)

1Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!” 4Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” 7Then the man got up and went home. 8When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.

All of us in this life have dealt with the consequences of living in a fallen world. Different forms of struggle are a natural product of this which Jesus makes clear are not always the result of an individual's personal faults. In many cases the challenges that we face are are the product of another's sin, like infidelity, neglect, or abuse. There are also circumstances where lives have been forever altered by situations like the bombings that recently took place in Boston.

Though being upwardly mobile in your education, career or station in life, the things that challenge us can turn into things that immobilize us on deeper levels, and will take the God of miracles to change.

Sin can paralyze us in multiple ways. For example:

In relationships, having seen things like broken marriages, we fear vulnerability to develop healthy relationships ourselves.

In pursuits, when finding worth in a godless measure of success, we limit our efforts because of a fear of failure.

In devotion to Christ, having seen hypocrisy, we emulate empty religion and never really walk with God.

In giving, having seen those to whom kindness has been shown be ungrateful or take advantage of us, we want to withhold our generosity.

Our own choices and sin can also be the root of our suffering.

A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord. (Proverbs 19:3 NIV)

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison.” ― Nelson Mandela

This desire for change is the type of response that Jesus commends and the one to which He responds in the case of the paralytic.

What are the obstacles to a hunger for change?

A critical attitude towards those aspiring to bring about change is one of the greatest deterrents to seeing God remain active in a person's life. It was the religious people who made it difficult for the paralytic to get to Jesus (Luke 5), the Pharisees coming to judge and criticize rather than to help. They were more concerned about trying to catch Jesus in something that He said than the man's well being.

(This was my experience with a religious man last weekend who wanted to spend more time grilling me about what I thought about the Bible than helping me pass them out to those who needed them.)

The same is many times true for the irreligious. As we discussed last week, in the midst of the Gentile community where the demoniacs were healed, the people were more concerned about the income stream that they lost in the pigs rather than the men who were placed in their right minds.

Jesus, however, was passionate when He saw the faith of the friends. We should all have friends that will help us get to the feet of Jesus. This friendship wasn't instantaneous. It had more than likely developed over the course of time to the extent that the friends were willing to go to great lengths and take great risks for the immobile man. This is what your church community is to provide.

Dining with God

Matthew 9:9-13 (NIV)

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus works physical miracles today, but the greatest miracle is that of a truly transformed heart as someone chooses to leave a life of sin to follow Jesus. Jesus showed His passion for this in His very first miracle changing water into wine (John 2). It would be a seemingly insignificant display of power, except for the fact that He was demonstrating His ability to change the very inward composition of an individual, like that of the wine.

“Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of His goodness and of His truth, as much a proof of His faithfulness and veracity, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before? We do our Lord an injustice when we suppose that He wrought all His mighty acts, and showed Himself strong for those in the early time, but doth not perform wonders or lay bare His arm for the saints who are now upon the earth.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

In this case we see the doctrine of election working as Matthew does not come looking for God, but God comes looking for him. Jesus approaches the rich, influential, despised man in love, calling him to leave his life and occupation of sin. (Pastor Rollan spoke regarding tax collectors in Jesus' day.)

It can not be overlooked that Matthew here made a career choice to follow Jesus. What we can learn is that our course can change when Jesus is calling us. Dining with God today means that we can practically hear His voice through the Word, prayer, and godly counsel. To keep in step with God, we need to build our lives around the eternal thing that we see Jesus doing in our lives through the community of faith to which he's called us, not just in response to the latest, coolest opportunity that we have.

How does our change affect our relationships?

In reconciling the hated tax collector to Himself, Jesus also reconciles Matthew to the people of God. He becomes one of Jesus' prominent disciples amidst men like Peter, James, and John, who He more than likely used to exploit. Matthew also immediately recognizes that if Jesus is passionate about him, He is also passionate about those who know Matthew, so he throws a party. In essence, he begins a community group for others to meet Jesus.

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:31, 32 NIV)

At the party, Jesus validates this effort when He says, to the surprise of the religious, that the very reason He came is to call those who do not follow God and the sick to repentance and health. We have all been a part of a lifestyle separate from the life of God and know others who now are. How can we, following Matthew's example, help bring them back? Organizing parties where individuals can connect with the people of God is a fantastic way to introduce people to the life and person of Christ.

The Jewish culture was rich in celebrations that commemorated God's goodness and allowed the people to spend concentrated time with one other building community resulting in greater worship of God. Our outings, fun gatherings, and meals should do the same.

To Eat or Not To Eat

Matthew 9:14-17 (NIV)

14Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?” 15Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. 16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

As we throw these reconciling parties like Matthew, Jesus shows us that we can and should prepare the way for His work with fasting.

Fasting is not:

1) Dieting - It is not the god-ordained way to get your bikini body for the summer.

2) A Requirement for your Salvation - It does not put you in a better standing before God. Only Jesus' shed blood makes us clean before God.

3) A Command - God will at times call His people to fast, but Jesus relates to it here more like a free will offering as you desire to go deeper in God or express your desperation to see him move.

Fasting is:

1) A Manner in Which We Humble Ourselves Before God - It is here that we acknowledge our own limitations and express our need for God to move on our behalf or on behalf of others.

2) A Sanctifying Agent - Combined with prayer, the focus of this time prepares a new wine skin in our hearts that allows us to have clarity of direction and grace for greater responsibilities.

3) A Sacrifice -

“Seven Deadly Sins"

Wealth without work

Pleasure without conscience

Science without humanity

Knowledge without character

Politics without principle

Commerce without morality

Worship without sacrifice."

― Mahatma Gandhi

Sacrifice is what Jesus clearly exemplified giving us 100% of Himself. It is self-denial that breaks the strangle hold that greed and our daily felt needs have over us. It helps to put things in their proper order and place. This is from whence the practice of Lent comes, but was never meant to be limited to that season.

Jesus fasted in the desert before the start of his earthly ministry to return in the power of the Holy Spirit to be a miracle worker on behalf of the people (Luke 4). As we change the way we offer the practical sacrifices of our time, talent, and treasure to build the Kingdom of God, we will be set free in our own hearts to see Jesus release His passion and power in the same manner today.

Practically:

1) Identify the areas of paralysis in your life and develop friendships that can help bring you to the feet of Jesus to experience the miraculous. 2) Throw a Matthew party with some friends with the goal of building relationships that will introduce people to Jesus. 3) Ask how you can sacrifice to bring breakthrough in the spiritual community in which you find yourself.

Second City Church- Passion of the Christ Sermon Series 2013

Chasing the Lion

Man on a Mission: Chasing the Lion

We are all looking for peace in our lives. Whether through money, relationships, or success, we often look in the wrong places and end up embattled in our souls rather than at rest. When God calls us to walk with Him, it is a call to that peace. What we think of God and how He intervenes in our lives will be challenged along the way as we chase this King who also describes Himself as a lion. To find the peace for which we ultimately long, we must understand the cost, embrace the paradox of peace, and through this, enjoy the spoils of the Lion.

Matthew 8:18-22 (NIV)

18When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. 19Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  21Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

The Cost

It's been fun. I've had people asking me the cost of admittance to our Sunday service as we've been meeting in the theater.

To follow and continually relate to Jesus is to know peace, yet, like anything else in life, there is a cost to the tranquility that we desire.

Some of the "drivers" in our lives that can have more of an influence over us than Jesus are relationships, money, and the need for success or approval. They are legitimate desires, but become merciless dictators when they are not submitted to Jesus who orders all things properly. All of these are what Jesus challenged as He spoke of the cost of discipleship, because He knew that they would be tyrannical taskmasters rather than the benevolent King that He wishes to be.

To thrive in life is to first understand who God is, and then understand who we are as we walk in the environments in which He has placed us. One of the greatest challenges to this is the daily judgments that we experience. It is a challenge in this city, because, as we saw in Jesus' own temptation in the desert, the eroding of our souls comes when we are tired, deprived of basic needs and isolated.

People treat following Jesus like an extracurricular activity or a hobby. It is something you do when you "feel" like you can make time or you have the energy. Our service to God, translating into the practical building of His Kingdom, is not a priority, or that around which we build our lives. We do what He commands when it is convenient or clearly emotionally advantageous for us; we refrain and justify the reasons why when it seems less expedient. We treat it like a matter of special interest, but this is not the paradigm with which God relates to us.

“Jesus has now many lovers of the heavenly kingdom but few bearers of His cross.” ― Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation Of Christ

Time management and priorities are revealed when you see that for which you do and do not have time. We are all busy. We all have responsibilities and free time. When you do not have time for the things of God because you have spent your free time in excessive entertainments, that was a poor practice of time management and prioritization. Finding your part in building God's Kingdom through the local church needs to be a priority if you are going to be a disciple of Jesus.

Jesus deliberately chooses an offensive comparison to point out how extreme our heart devotion needs to be if we are truly to be found pleasing and consecrated in His sight. We will always functionally fall short of complete obedience if we are not found in this place, because there will always be something else weighty competing in our minds to countermand our attention.

Why? It is because the storms of life will always come in this fallen world to challenge our faith and test our commitment.

The Paradox of Peace

Matthew 8:23-27 (NIV)

23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” 

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you." ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

It is a surprising thing that to follow the Prince of Peace is to many times follow him into the storms of life.

On the job, in the midst of tremendous strain, treacherous dealings, or unethical practices is where you can meet Jesus asking Him to calm the storms.

(Rollan spoke to the storms that can come in marriage.)

Our obedience to the commands and ways of God show us how much we really believe that He exists. If we were standing before Him, being able to clearly see, touch, and audibly hear God, would we spend our time the way that we do, use our money the way that we do, relate to people in the manner that we seem so comfortable, have the attitude toward disappointments that we generally have, or as professing Christians excuse the bitterness that we allow to fester in our hearts?

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. (Hebrews 12:15 NIV)

I would think not.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)

Like the disciples, we act as if He is not there, or lacks the ability to work out everything for His glory, for the good of those who love Him.

The Spoils of the Lion

Matthew 8:28-34 (NIV)

28When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” 30Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

People often speak about their demons as if they are a family member or close friend. At the very least, they are the things with which they identify themselves, whether it be their anger, sexuality, or personality type.

“If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels.” ― Tennessee Williams, Conversations with Tennessee Williams

“Demons were said to be cruel, but a demon would never have been so brutal as this. A demon merely called you by name, threw his arms around you, whispered his plight, understood yours, then took you for his own.” ― Alice Hoffman, The Story Sisters (author of Practical Magic made into 1998 movie)

 “Be careful when you cast out your demons that you don’t throw away the best of yourself.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. (Mark 5:6-9, 14, 15 NIV)

Demons are not our friends. They are unclean spirits who come to limit and take life from us as was seen in the example of the pigs who were driven off of the cliffs under the influence of the demons. When Jesus, or others as agents of Christ, are coming to help and provide Christ's deliverance, we can be fearful and resist, thinking people are attempting to torment us rather than set us free. When our ideologies, self-perceptions, or patterns of behavior are touched with the truth of God, may we experience the same freedom as the two demonized men and not fear as the villagers did.

(Rollan shared commentary on the Boston bombing that happened this week. He shared about how the Holy Spirit tells us to love and serve our enemies versus drive a person or persons to blow up other people. He referenced John 10:10 from the NIV: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.")

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” (Mark 5:6-9 NIV)

Though these markers are the things that come to take life from us, Jesus, as the conquering lion, comes for His spoils by setting our hearts, minds, and houses in order. It is here that we finally know the peace for which we have always been searching.

There are times that you will be taken out of the herd with which you used to run, and placed in a new body of believers, like the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. However, in this case, there were two demonized men living in the tombs together. Sinners of a feather flock together. Jesus also delivers groups of people at a time. It was Andrew who called his brother Peter to meet Jesus. It was Moses who had his brother Aaron to help lead the people out of their slavery in Egypt. Your old friendship group that you used to run with or a group to whom you are reaching out may be the very people who will walk out the new life in Jesus together.

When we come to God, it is not so much that people are wondering what a church service is like as much as they are asking what it means when they leave this place. The point of the church is that you would come to learn about the omnipotent, sovereign God who made you, draw near to honor His Son who saves you, build relationships and the Kingdom with his body who strengthens you, and grow as you walk together through the storms of life that will face you.

I myself am convinced, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another. (Romans 15:14 NIV)

Practically:

1) Identify the "drivers" in your life that have had more sway over you than Jesus. 2) Practice going to Jesus and His word first in the midst of daily trials to see Him calm the storms. 3) Commit to at least one relationship building moment in addition to Sunday church to build life in Jesus with people in the congregation.

Second City Church- Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2013

Approaching the King

Man on a Mission: Approaching the King

There is no way around it. When we come to church, it is for the express purpose of worshiping the God who made us, loves us, and came to save us. The Bible reveals Jesus as the Creator King of the universe who ultimately gives us His word to understand who He is and how to have relationship with Him. As we do so, we begin to discover how to approach the King, ways to amaze the King, and finally, how to avail ourselves to being used by the King.

Matthew 8:5-17 (NIV)

5When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly. 7Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”8The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”10When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.14When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases."

What was a centurion?

The centurions formed the backbone of the leadership of the Roman legions and were usually tasked with the responsibility of enforcing discipline. They received much higher pay and up to fifteen times more share of the spoils than other soldiers. It is like a police captain, partner at a firm, or an upwardly mobile account manager.

Approaching the King

“Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities, the political, the religious, the educational authorities who attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself.” ― Timothy Leary (Richard Nixon once called "the most dangerous man in America")

Though this is how many people in our modern culture approach life and reality, they ultimately end up spiritual wanderers and emotional vagabonds. Because they do not allow the self-revelatory God to show them who He is, and ultimately, who they are to be, there is no true context to the realities of the world in which we live, or way to navigate it successfully, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. Only relating to God as he is found in Jesus gives us this comprehensive picture and approach.

What can we learn from the centurion?

The centurion, though a Gentile, showed sensitivity to the Jewish populace knowing that asking the Jewish rabbi to enter the Gentile home would make him ceremonially unclean. Though he stood in awe of God, He still engaged him. Do not stand immobilized at a distance, theorizing through tradition that we are unworthy to see Christ move through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives because of our uncleanness. It is the cleanness that He gives us through faith in His word that enables us to receive and be used by Him.

Amazing the King

The faith of this simple man is what amazed the King, moving the King to honor the centurion's request.

The centurion had enough wisdom to realize that as you go up the chain, every boss has someone else to whom he or she must answer. Even the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company has their stockholders to whom they need to answer. The ceiling of all authority is the benevolent God, who not only made all things, but, thus, has the ability to manipulate all things created, for our good.

In our society, the arrogance of people causes them to think that we are on level ground with the uncreated, eternal God, and therefore have the right to judge the judge. This is the pride that God resists, giving His grace to the humble, and why many will receive nothing from His hand. The centurion, however, understood his place, acknowledged the authority of Christ as the cosmic King, and was able to benefit from His word.

Allowing the King to Use You

How did Peter's mother-in-law respond to the word of the King?

When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother‑in‑law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. (Matthew 8:14, 15 NIV)

Many people go on a quest to discover more and more broken areas as an end unto itself. However, Jesus makes us whole so that we can rise up in strength and serve alongside of Him. That is His purpose in healing. He is preparing us to know Him fully so that we might one day, in submission to His authority, rule and reign with Him. As we've come to know His healing in relationships, psychologically, or in our physical bodies, He commissions us as vice-regents to be agents of healing for others. Many exclude themselves from the healings when they do not see this resultant service as the ultimate goal - they prefer to stay right where they are, always the recipients.

The man who was used of God to initiate the healing was not in occupational ministry. The centurion was in the marketplace as many of you need to be and believe to do it well for the sake of godly influence. The Bible is full of people who are called to their profession as missionaries and find a way to do the most good that they can there for the kingdom of God.

The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and heal His servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with Him, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” So Jesus went with them. (Luke 7:3-6a NIV)

The centurion was discerning enough to realize that though his influence could be global through the Italian regiment, his impact should first be felt for the Kingdom locally through the synagogue. This is the modern church family to which He has joined you.

“Think globally, act locally.” ― Paul McCartney

You should ask yourself the question, what are the ways that I can excel in my profession and bring the most glory to God through my local family of believers?

The joy that you are looking for in life comes from being found, loved, and accepted in Christ, joined to His community, and empowered to serve those around you. Dealing with the weight of responsibilities is a daunting experience if it is not contextualized in this paradigm.

Last week we saw the leper come on behalf of himself. This is always an option with our loving God who cares for our lives. This week, however, we see a transition, where the centurion comes on behalf of someone else. This is at the heart of the gospel, that when we see God as He truly is and are healed, ministry results where we begin to live outside of ourselves in an effort to serve others.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV)

The centurion could have been content with his place in society. His living conditions. His rise from being a plebeian, a commoner, through societal ranks. Yet, he was concerned about his servant who was valuable to him. Who is valuable to you? In this city, in your workplace, in your family? Last week we talked about the leper who came on his own behalf. This week we see the centurion who comes on behalf of his friend (the mentality of the Roman Empire towards the weak, sickly and dying - mirroring Chicago/America). What will it take to make this Kingdom more than about your personal wholeness, achievement, or success?

Practically:

1) Like the centurion, excel in your profession and do all of the good that you can for the Kingdom, and, specifically, through the church. 2) Spend time studying the reports of God's goodness shown to others in the Bible and in Christian testimony. 3) Begin to come into agreement with the authority of Christ, making requests for yourself and others.

Second City Church - Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2013

If You Are Willing

Man on a Mission: If You Are Willing...

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Matthew 8:1-4 (NIV) 

1 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Completing the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has already verified himself as an unparalleled moral teacher within the annals of men. However, He is not content to simply be known as a sage or another spiritual guru. Matthew now begins to record the miracles of Jesus, which authenticate His divine origin and subsequent mission. In doing so, Jesus addresses the stumbling block of suffering, validates our need for healing, and clearly ratifies the inclination of God toward our condition.

The Stumbling Block of Suffering

Our response to God isn't always so much an intellectual one as it is an emotional one, trying to comprehend and process the realities of life that we endure. This, undoubtedly, includes suffering of various types that we see around us, including, but not limited to, the incessant weight of physical or emotional distress.

This leprosy was not the man's choice.

We often get trapped in the discussion of why suffering exists in the first place. We enter into the philosophical debate, which either says that, "If God is good and unable to heal, then He is not all powerful," or, "if God is all powerful and does not heal, He is not good." What Jesus came to demonstrate is that God is both omnipotent and benevolent. Over and over Jesus demonstrates that there is a meta narrative far beyond our reasoning capacities, and God will not resign to fitting into a box of the cursory interpretation of life's circumstances.

What we can not say is that God enjoys suffering, because He entered into human suffering to put an end to it. He asked to be relieved of it in Gethsemane.

What we can not say is that He is a god who does not care or understand, because He promises a now present and coming kingdom where He destroys death, suffering, and pain.

Then I saw "a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4 NIV)

Our Need For Healing

“One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside.” ― John Lennon

The lepers in Jesus' day

The word used for leprosy was one that referred to a variety of skin diseases. Many of the skin disorders were considered highly contagious and made it necessary for those suffering from the illness to be examined by the priests. According to Levitical law (Leviticus 13-14), for the protection of the rest of the community, if found leprous, the infected individual would be isolated from the community, be required to wear torn clothes, cover the lower half of their face, and be forced to cry, "Unclean, unclean!"

The form of leprosy with which we are most familiar is Hansen's disease found most often in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Pacific Islands. It results in skin sores, nerve damage, and muscle weakness that escalates over the course of time. It was most debilitating, because, with this illness, because of the internal nerve damage, you could not tell when you were being hurt or burned. This led to injuries which would get infected over the course of time and lead to the loss of parts of the body. What a parallel this is to our spiritual condition.

“Nobody can tell what I suffer! But it is always so. Those who do not complain are never pitied.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

This is not so with Jesus, because He sees it all.

Many of us are good at hiding our suffering, yet the things that drive us in life are many times not only our ambitions, but our pains. Many of these were picked up along the way and play themselves out as insecurities, an inability to find peace in the quiet of our own company, or an inability to relate without a co-dependent manner with the world around us. Whether we admit it or not, we are in need of healing, much like the leper. More often than we'd like, we wear our need on our sleeves. Whether we like it or not, we show our deficiencies. These things do not make you altogether weak, they make you human and in need of a savior. Jesus reaching out to touch the man after years of isolation and disgrace shows His ardent pursuit of each one of us and His heart to touch both our bodies and emotions. As in the case of AA, you have to admit there is a problem before you can get help.

When we are honest with ourselves, we know that we are, or at least the world is, in need, and we want there to be a god who can help. At this point, it is not simply about theories or philosophy; we need a real encounter with a living god who can save. Yet the question still remains with us, "Is He willing to help?"

The Inclination of God

Many of us have become so used to the unhealthy or crippled state in which we find ourselves that we dare not approach God for a change. Some of us realize our brokenness and, like the leper, cry out "Unclean, unclean!" not because we want to get well, but because of the attention that it garners us. Others of us are unaware of our disease, but see all of the indicators of it by the way that others treat us. Instead of always blaming someone else for your condition, it may be time to take ownership and responsibility, and come to Jesus to be made whole. The leper had enough of the isolation.

The word that Jesus uses for "willing" in the Greek was transliterated "Thelo," which means to wish or desire, implying an active volition and purpose. It means endeavoring in love, to be inclined towards something, what one chooses, likes and presses on to perform.

Eventually we must understand that it is not a matter of whether or not Jesus is willing to heal, but whether or not we are willing to approach and believe Him for a miracle, if YOU are willing.

There is an interesting parallel in John 5:1-15:

To verify the healing, the leper would have had to show up in a place that was potentially loaded with traumatic memories and pain. It is possible that the last time that he was vulnerable enough to go to the temple was the same time that he was turned away, diagnosed as unclean, and sent into isolation. Last time, he only met the servant of God, but this time, he has met Jesus, the healer, and He tells him to go back and reengage that which previously put him on the outside, because now he has been pronounced clean by Him.

Jesus, in saying "I am willing," is communicating His place in the aforementioned narrative. This is not a self-help program, rather it is the living God who comes to restore you in relationship to Himself and has supernatural power to heal.

One thing that can not be overlooked is that Jesus sends the leper immediately back into the community of believers as a part of his healing. Many of us are used to isolation or the sin of radical individualism, but, it is time, if you are going to be a part of Jesus' story, to let that go. You see it as a constant theme in Scripture that to walk with God is to walk with His people: to know and to be known.

After the healing, Jesus commands that the man go offer the gift prescribed by the law as a testament to the healing. To re-enter society, the priests had to confirm that the healing took place and would offer thanks to God from whom the healing came. His desire is the same for us today in a three-fold manner. We are to know that God wants His work in our life to be tested and verified, whether physically, emotionally, or relationally. He does a real and complete work. Secondly, he wants us to offer our gifts in a response of thanks for all that He has done to restore our lives. Finally, we are to reengage community through which we walk out our healed life while giving testimony to others that God can have mercy on them as well. The Christian is an envoy of this message, because they have first experienced this reality.

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as 'God on the cross.' In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross that symbolizes divine suffering. 'The cross of Christ ... is God’s only self-justification in such a world” as ours....' 'The other gods were strong; but thou wast weak; they rode, but thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but thou alone.” ― John R.W. Stott, Cross

Second  City Church- Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

He Has Come!

Coming Soon: He Has Come!

The History of Second City Church

(Pastor Rollan gave an overview of the history of Second City Church which can also be explored on the church's website.)

Easter is observed worldwide to commemorate the life, miracles, teachings, and, ultimately, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. To fully celebrate the beauty and power of Easter, we need to be open to looking at what we've always heard differently, acknowledge the struggles of humanity, and embrace the Savior who has come.

(Pastor Rollan read the passage from Isaiah below without making a quote reference.)

I once asked a man on a plane to listen to this description without knowing who I was, what I did for a living, or about whom the passage was speaking. I am asking you to do the same this morning and see what we can discover about the subject and the author from these statements.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 (NIV)

13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. 14 Just as there were many who were appalled at him—his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness— 15 so he will sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. 1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

The man's answer on the plane next to me, who had grown up culturally Jewish and was amazed at the location of the passage, said without hesitation that it referred to the historical Jesus Christ.

Seeing Things Differently

“The snake which cannot cast its skin has to die. As well the minds which are prevented from changing their opinions; they cease to be minds.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Historic evidences for the resurrection will be discussed later. This Easter we will focus on the God who created an address in space, time, and history to bring the prophesied Messiah, the Savior of the world. Think about how many prophecies were fulfilled in Christ and the astronomical statistical improbability.

The author is God, who 700 years before the birth and ministry of Jesus, was giving, through the prophet Isaiah, a URL address of what the promised Messiah, the Savior of both the Jewish and Gentile world, would look like when He came.

Second Look

At Second City Church, part of our motto is that we hope that you will take a second look at Jesus of Nazareth, to rediscover, beyond the tidal waves of misinformed aversion in popular culture, why He in fact is good and alone is worthy of our worship.

"Throughout the New Testament the apostles appealed to two areas of the life of Jesus of Nazareth to establish his messiahship. One was the resurrection and the other was fulfilled messianic prophecy. The Old Testament, written over a one-thousand year period, contains nearly three hundred references to the coming Messiah. All of these were fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and they establish a solid confirmation of His credentials as Messiah." -Josh McDowell, Evidence for Christianity

"Isaiah revealed the manner of the Messiah's birth (of a virgin); Micah pinpointed the place of his birth (Bethlehem); Genesis and Jeremiah specified his ancestry (a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from the tribe of Judah, the house of David); the Psalms foretold his betrayal, his accusation by false witnesses, his manner of death (pierced in hands and feet, although crucifixion hadn't been invented yet), and his resurrection (he would not decay but would ascend on high); and on and on." -Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ

Just as there were many who were appalled at him— his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness— so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him. For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand. (Isaiah 52:14, 15 NIV)

The Struggles of Humanity

“Stepping onto a brand-new path is difficult, but not more difficult than remaining in a situation, which is not nurturing to the whole woman.” ― Maya Angelou

The point of all of this is that God sees and God knows. God knew in advance the family in which you would grow up and the experiences, both good and bad that would shape you. He saw every triumph, every hurt, every disappointment, and every success. In the midst of all of your triumphs and pains, God has brought you to this moment and has determined to be the Savior who would both carry and heal your pain. He offers you His grace taking on the punishments that we rightly deserve for decisions we have made. The self-inflicted trauma He has taken upon Himself.

Huston Smith in The World's Religions said there are only two people in human history about whom people marveled to the extent that they didn't just ask who are you, but what are you? The first was Jesus Christ, and the second was Buddha. The difference, however, is the diametrically opposed responses that they gave of themselves. In both instances, people wanted to worship them because they had never seen such integrity, beauty, wisdom, and compassion. Buddha said absolutely not, look to my Darhma, my teaching, I am not a god. Jesus, on the other hand, when He was worshiped, unequivocally took it (Paraphrased from Timothy Keller's Who is This Jesus? podcast 8:20-9:30).

The Savior Who Has Come

A friend of mine and my wife's recently spoke of sleeping with other women's husbands throughout the years, but feeling no sense that justice should be paid. God, she thinks, would never call those former deeds to account and send her to hell. The wives would think differently.

What is God's nature?

He is gracious, and, therefore, this is a message of God's own benevolence resulting in our being the beneficiaries. It is good news, because there was bad news first. The bad news for us, that we were destroying our lives by our own decisions and those that were thrust upon us, was absorbed fully in the sacrifice of this servant. Despite our cultural, familial, or chosen ignorance of His person, God continues in loving pursuit of His Creation. To those who do not know, He makes Himself known and rescues us from the product of sin in our lives. This salvation is without merit on our part and is available to all.

Maybe you are truly seeing Jesus for the first time. If that is the case, your love for Him can be every bit as real starting today as if you had accepted Him all of your life. All it takes is a change of mind, a change of heart, a willingness to submit and receive what He has done for you as the suffering King.

“The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only.” ― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

He has come, and He has promised to make a return, so we must be ready.

Second City Church- Coming Soon Sermon Series 2013

The Road Less Traveled

Man on a Mission: The Road Less Traveled

The Road Not Taken BY ROBERT FROST Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

The easier road will always be the more attractive road. Whether you are talking about putting the minimal amount of effort into your work, academics, relationship with family members or church community, the road that leads to God's best where people are fully prospering in life is an atypical one. To walk in the purposes of God, you must discover the road less travelled, be able to identify the right paths by their fruit, and build your life upon the rock of God's Word.

Matthew 7:13-29 (NIV) 

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The Road Less Traveled

When Jesus speaks of the wide road, it is what others in scripture will identify with the nomenclature, "the world." The apostle John wrote:

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17 NIV)

What this should practically tell us is that the manner in which the majority of people live around us should be at the very least evaluated in relationship to the precepts of God. If only a few find the way to life, it should be an indicator that I am not going to stumble upon it through the supporting cries of the proud and riotous masses that bellow for moral autonomy while raging against a God who ironically gives His law to set people free from their bondage to destructive appetites. These appetites include our lust for power, unrestrained sexual gratification, and the approval of others at the cost of our convictions and dignity.

It takes less effort to go with what is handed to you, but, "If it were easy, everyone would be doing it."

A Tree and its Fruit

“Unless there is within us that which is above us, we shall soon yield to that which is about us.” ― P.T. Forsyth

The description of sheep and wolves is important when thinking about the natural enmity that exists between them. Wolves look to devour sheep just like false prophets can ultimately kill the relationship that you maintain with God.

Old Testament prophets were known for speaking on behalf of God and having a predictive element to their ministry. False prophets were also known for several things: 1) They turned the people away from the only true God to follow false gods. 2) They predicted things that did not come true, because their predictions were not authored by God (i.e. - Ponzi schemes). 3) They encouraged people with an illegitimate peace when the people were making war against God with their behavior.

We need to surround ourselves with people who will speak the truth of God's Word to us, not just what we want to hear. The Bible applies to all areas of life, including our relationships, our business practices, our finances, and how we spend our time.

If I am to beware of false prophets, how can I truly know that I am saved?

John the apostle wrote to the church: I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13 NIV)

Jesus is making it very clear that the sad reality is that many people who call themselves Christians and think that they have peace with God will be judged as evildoers. This is primarily because of the lifestyles in which they persist while convincing themselves that they are spiritual.

The danger is that we can be our own false prophets. We speak with self-appeasing, empty affirmations with thoughts such as: "I can just be a good person. I don't have to accept Jesus as God to be good."

The problem with this mentality is that it starts with the premise that we are good enough to be accepted by a perfect God. What begins to happen when we realize that according to His standards, we are not righteous, is that we begin to engineer our own standards of what is good enough and gravitate towards the false prophets that will agree to such terms. The gospel is good news, because we realize that only through the substitutionary sacrifice of an unblemished Savior can we ever truly be brought into friendship with a Holy God. When we come into relationship with Him, our entire nature changes, and we no longer have to live justifying things that fall terribly short of his standard. This is why Jesus says unless you are born again, you can not see or enter the Kingdom of God because you will intrinsically be a bad tree bearing bad fruit. Jesus gives us a new root, a new heart, and a transforming relationship with the living God.

The Rock in the Storm

“Are you letting culture, not scripture, determine your sexuality, how you date, how you present yourself, how you engage in certain relationships with members of the opposite sex? We need to be very clear that the way we do life is different than the rest of the world.” ―Mark Driscoll

As a carpenter's son, Jesus shows familiarity with proper building patterns of his day. The analogy that He uses is one of alluvial sand which makes up the banks of the Sea of Galilee. Alluvial sand is by definition loose and unconsolidated sediment which has been eroded and reshaped by the water around it. It is usually comprised of a mixture of fine particles like silt and clay combined with larger particles of sand and gravel. Expert builders in Galilee knew not to be fooled by the hard surface of the alluvial sand during warm summer months. Instead, they realized that with the winter rains overflowing the banks of the Jordan river flowing into the sea, the alluvial sand would be sifted and anything built upon it would crack at its foundation. To counteract this, wise builders would dig many feet deep, sometimes ten feet below the surface to the bedrock below, to establish a firm foundation for homes.

The picture of building a house upon sand reflects the sad state of modern Christianity which many times seems flaky at best and insincere at worst. The alluvial sand is similar to the maxims that are circulated in our culture from a variety of sources to make a menagerie of philosophical towers in which people hide their lives. They are eclectic, sounding enlightened, yet follow the pattern of the seasonal behaviors of the sand in environments like the one Jesus was describing. Without a proper understanding of who God clearly identifies Himself to be in His Word, we are left beaten and crumbling under the circumstances of life. However, through His Word, God's self-revelation provides stable theology and true doctrine which are the elements of an authentic relationship with God:

Orthodoxy Orthopraxy Orthopathos.

Jesus makes it clear that it is not if, but when the storms come that we will need to have this foundation on the bedrock established.

The Bible is to be that foundational bedrock through which all other philosophies, pursuits, agendas and relationships are weighed, filtered, and judged for long-term success. Anything else will, either in the short-term, or at the latest in eternity, lead to the destruction of what you have attempted to build with the quick and easy path. This is why it is important during the inconvenient seasons to make the things of God a priority, because they will keep you both during the calm and the storm.

The law of entropy following the second law of thermodynamics says that things naturally go from a state of order to disorder. Whatever you don't put effort into will eventually die. Building this type of life on the Word of God takes a time, relational, and resource investment that many are unwilling to make. It is no wonder that they become self-fulfilling prophecies with their worlds coming down with a crash. This is the constant struggle between people's perceptions of communities where there is predominantly a surface Christianity steeped in hypocrisy vs. those with an authentic love for Jesus, His people, and His purposes.

As we prepare to move into the theater, we encourage people to find time to work through and meditate upon the Scriptures found in The Purple Book with a small group.

Second City Church – Man On A Mission Sermon Series 2013

Judgments and the Judge

Man on a Mission: Judgments and the Judge

Matthew 7:1-12 (NIV)

1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

We constantly live under the palpable pressure of judgments. Judgments at work, judgments in the home, judgment from family members and judgment from neighbors drive our daily thinking and activity more than we'd like to admit. To fully embrace the life of God, we must acknowledge the pressure of judgments, identify improper judgments, and find freedom with Jesus the benevolent judge. We will study these by reflecting on common adages that we hear in regards to judgments and why they don't work.

The Pressure of Judgments

1) "Only God can judge me."

The truth is that in this life, you will not escape judgments. Whether you are directing an account at a firm that will eventually be audited, a mother who has to consistently discipline your children to prepare them for society, a teacher in a school who will be graded on the test scores of your pupils, or a man working out trying to catch the eye of a lovely young woman in the city, there will be a reckoning for the manner in which you live your life.

“I shall tell you a great secret my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day.” ― Albert Camus (Nobel Prize winning Absurdist author of The Plague)

How do we usually respond to the pressure?

We usually react by finding some way to show ourselves superior and another inferior to give us some relief from our own feelings of inadequacy. We live under the constant weight of condemnation feeling like we are not doing enough to please our bosses, parents, spouses or friends. A reaction to this in our secular culture is to try to control the one thing that we think we can in discarding the idea of God who will be one less person to whom we have to give an account. The sad thing is that those who say that they couldn't care less about what others think of them are often trying the hardest to prove it and sit in disdain towards those who live without their abandon.

Jesus first addresses this mentality. Our proclivity, while sitting under others' judgments will be to judge. Yet he is saying that the bar that you set for others will ultimately measure you. The irony is that we are often crushed under the weight of our own expectations. If you want people to show you understanding and mercy, stop looking down your nose at others. Find the times where you are tempted to most freely voice your criticisms, and put a turnicate on it.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” ― Mother Teresa

Improper Judgments

2) "I don't have to pay attention to this, because Christians are just judgmental."

Are you known as critical and judgmental? Here are some reasons why you may be. The dual side of the coin of insecurity and pride usually accompany judgments.

The reason we make so many improper judgments is because we never deal with our own stuff. The Bible speaks of people as sinners over 300 times. That includes you and me. When you become a follower of Jesus, because of his sinless life and the exchange that he made with you on the cross, he changes your primary identity to a saint. However, if you have not turned from your autocratic, self-sufficient and self-satisfied lifestyle, you still walk before God as a rebel who will be judged. In this, there will be a rude awakening as your sins will not be treated lightly. Instead, you will receive the only reasonable thing, being separated from the one who made and rules everything in his kindness, without an ability to taste his goodness. This is the perpetual torment the Bible calls Hell.

When we have the intellectual honesty combined with the humility to acknowledge the reality of God's existence and the superiority of his prescribed ways, we are saved from the self-destruct button that exists within us all. When we escape this trap it is our moral duty to introduce others to the liberator who will also, by his grace, give them the opportunity to turn.

Jesus said to take the plank out of your own eye first because we usually go to two extremes when we see fault in others. Either we water down our counsel to justify our own shortcomings offering them no help whatever or we, like the Pharisees, sit on a pedestal merely condemning them.

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord , I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart. I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil. Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure. My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me. (Psalms 101:1-6 NIV)

It is so unpleasant to be around someone with a critical, judging attitude, because they are not trying to help you, only point out your faults.

“Yes, if truth is not undergirded by love, it makes the possessor of that truth obnoxious and the truth repulsive.” ― Ravi Zacharias

Does this mean that we are not to judge between right and wrong at all?

Some Christians try so hard to be non-judgmental that they don't even stand for the truth of God.

Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” (John 7:24 NIV)

God is no respecter of persons, but of their wills. The description of dogs and pigs in Jesus' Jewish hearers context would not be overlooked. Dogs were not the groomed, domesticated family pets that they are today, but were filthy scavengers who would even eat human carcasses when starving. Similarly, pigs were categorized as unclean animals who were omnivorous and would often eat decaying flesh as they searched for food. What a profound parallel this is for those in our communities who are feeding on the scraps of sexual trysts or are willing to satisfy their appetites with the relationships and entertainment that are disease ridden to their souls. Jesus said we must identify his Kingdom message as having the great worth of pearls that we invite people to enjoy but never trample in their judgments. Too often Christians are deterred through insecurity from living the life that others are longing for and hoping exists, but feel is only a dream.

The reason that people feel like we are judging them is because they feel like we are on the outside pointing our fingers rather than being in the struggle with them trying to help. If people feel like we are in it together, they are more likely to open up and help. This is the example of the incarnation of Jesus.

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death–that is, the devil– and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18 NIV)

God the Benevolent Judge

3) "God knows my heart, it doesn't matter what I do."

There is only one ultimate lawgiver and judge in moral and eternal matters. His name is Jesus and He is good. Strive for his approval alone, but know that he does expect you to please him.

Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. Whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him. (John 5:22, 23 NIV)

Make no doubt about it, this was revolutionary that Jesus was describing God in very intimate, paternal terms. In ancient, pagan cultures, and even in various religions today, gods are described as distant, unknowable and to be feared for their irrational moods and behaviors. The manner in which people live in response are often an effort to garner favor and appease their erratic whims. Jesus here describes God the Father, the first member of the Trinity, as very relational, personal and kindhearted motivated to give good things to those he calls his own.

This is where rest from the judgments come. It is in the good news that Jesus offered that I am no longer defined by my possessions, titles or achievements. Instead, I am inspired and free to emulate the one who came to pay my debts, counting my record as clean. Because he is a giver, I am free and motivated to posture my heart in like manner, because in the end, my accounts have been settled, and I live to honor the one who has saved me.

Because my own soul is at rest because of what Jesus has done for me in his death, burial and resurrection, I have nothing left to prove. I am approved and accepted through the victory of my King who came to serve and lift me rather than treat me as my sins deserve. Therefore I am liberated to treat others in the same manner. My motivation is not simply to compete with and best them, but as I remove the plank from my own eye, see clearly how I might serve them for their good. I am free to love as I have been loved.

We consider someone a friend if they accept us as we are and think that we have finally found a person with whom our soul can rest. This is exactly what the church is to be - a place full of people learning the truths of the gospel who find the freedom to love, stand with and encourage one another because they themselves have been liberated by Jesus Christ. Let's be that type of people and find someone to encourage this week, rather than judge.

“We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they have traveled from the point where they started." ― Henry Ward Beecher

Second City Church- Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2013

My Precious Possessions

Man on a Mission: My Precious Possessions

In unpacking the Sermon on the Mount, we are ultimately reevaluating our priorities so that we can resolve to live lives that are pleasing to God.  The thought of priorities touches no closer to home than when we talk about how we make money and what we do with it.  We will discover what Jesus says about possessions by identifying two competing masters, clarifying what the Bible says to do with money and finally how to seek the Kingdom of God as a priority.

Matthew 6:19-34 (NIV)

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Two Masters

People in this city succumb to the pressure of their pursuits, living just to hoard their wealth, pay bills or revel in fleeting pleasures.  Jesus shows us a better and more lasting way.

Do not be misled - you will always have to make a choice in your pursuits.  It is not an issue of success vs. failure, enjoying life vs. asceticism, rather it is a question of the foundation on which your life is built.  For many in this city, the maxim "He who dies with the most toys wins" is what drives people.  In the church it is harrowing because we know that to have such motivations is improper, so we instead find as much temporary reliefs as we can in how we burn through our money on our pleasures.  You then begin serving whatever master you think will enable you to acheive the most.

Some of the most wealthy in the world financially, but always discontent. They never have enough.  There is nothing more frustrating than pouring your blood sweat and tears into something, only to see it lost or squandered through foolish mistakes or circumstances beyond your control.

Pastor Rollan shared about:

My dad's recountings of his colleagues

Jimmy John's parable, "How Much is Enough?"

No "Joie de Vie" in people

“Bilbo almost stopped breathing, and went stiff himself. He was desperate. He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart: a glimpse of endless unmarked days without light or hope of betterment, hard stone, cold fish, sneaking and whispering.”  ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

What to Do with Money

 

Most of you are in a place now where you are in a station of upward mobility, where your income and resources in life will be increasing substantially.  The question is what to do with it?  Do I increase my lifestyle and standard of living with every pay raise increase and follow the trend of debt precipitated by our American consumerism or is there another purpose for the blessing?  Do I sit on it and try to accumulate as much of it as possible to build a sense of impenetrable security?  The Abrahamic covenant said that we are blessed to be a blessing and this is where we develop the mentality to sow into eternal things.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall. Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame. (Proverbs 18:11-13 NIV)

You can either hoard your wealth, squander it or devote it to the things of God with an eternal return. The proper balance is employing the latter with the wisdom of proverbs.  Getting this in order when you do not have a substantial income will pave the way for money not controlling you when you do.  You develop proper disciplines when you are in humble circumstances, and then you never miss it.

Eternal Accounts

This is the point of tithes and offerings when they are taken during our worship moments. It is the exercise of demonstrating your trust in God, thanking him for his provision and bringing your heart into submission by prioritizing his Kingdom first.  As our financial planners can appreciate, he promises that it also comes with an eternal reward, as you deposit money into your heavenly account that can not be affected by market fluctuations or suffer diminish through withdrawals through our lack of discipline in impulse purchasing.  This is better than putting it under a mattress where theives break in and steal or investment properties that end up under water when the market crashes.  Take time to think about it.  This deposit has a guaranteed return and like the new nature when you are born again is imperishable.  It has immediate results in paying for things like facility rentals so that we can have a place to gather, worship and see people come to Jesus.  It has a heavenly return that you will be able to reap for all time.

Where should my money be utilized if it is not being stored up?

The most practical way to begin obeying this command is the tithe.

What is purpose of the tithe?

Develop our acknowledgement of God as our source.  Trust him with the thing we must depend on to live.  It is an outward sign of our total life trust, just as baptism is an outward and public demonstration of our pledge of a good conscience towards God.

If you've never given before, start with something, each time that you get paid to honor the Lord, that your heart might demonstrably be with Him.  He will show himself faithful as you do.

Seeking the Kingdom First

Living for work so never any time to live.

The danger with always putting off what you know God expects you to do until a more convenient time is that the perfect hour never comes.  Our hearts become hard and we become comfortable with ignoring his voice.  This is true in any pursuit of the Kingdom.  It is a deception to think that when you think you have more money, that is when you will begin to tithe, or that once you get through the demands of school or a few years of work under your belt, then you will make church and the pursuit of God's purposes with his people a priority.  We are chronic procrastinators as a race and the more that we travel resistanceless paths, the easier it is to become used to not putting forth effort and taking the way that is easiest. This will inevitably lead to our spiritual demise.  You build faith now, as long as it is called today, which gives you the strength and acumen for tomorrow's tests.  It is foolishness to think that a lack of faithfulness today will spontaneously translate into the necessary faith tomorrow.  Your life is a testimony to be built as you trust God with each progressive life opportunity.

Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. (Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIVUK)

It is good to evaluate our ambitions in life.  Are our dreams worldly and self-derived, or are they Holy Spirit inspired and eternal in nature?

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 NIV84)

We absolutely believe that God will promote His people to places of wealth and influence within our culture, arenas where they can make a difference for the Kingdom just like the men and women of Scripture.  At the same time, along the way, we must continually ask ourselves important self-evaluating questions.  Is our pursuit of power in our company or in the community for the purpose of God ordained service to others?  Is the continual acquisition of money as an ambition a derivative of our greed or being blessed to be a blessing?

When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive. Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:1-5 NIV)

You must be very clear that the things upon which you are spending the lion's share of your life will be commended by God at the judgement.  Everything else will be burned.  Ask yourself the question, if work is to be worship, how am I utilizing my career to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing all of the rewards of work will be added to me as I seek this first?

Second City Church- Man on a Mission Sermon Series 2013

The Secret Service

Man on a Mission: The Secret Service

For the past several weeks, we have been unpacking the meat of the sermon on the mount. It was a beautiful way for Matthew to begin summarizing Jesus' teaching and a powerful way for us to begin our year. In reevaluating our priorities this month, we are resolving to be on mission with God. Jesus focuses on three key areas in these passages which are our relationships, our service, and our money. Two Sundays ago we talked about Jesus' exhortation to show grace to those who would otherwise be our enemies. Today we will focus on our service.

Matthew 6:1-18 (NIV):

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Hidden Motivators

Good deeds are a fundamental part of the Christian ethic. Much of what we know of the benevolence that is often taken for granted in Western civilization has been precipitated by this ethos. In the midst of these good deeds, however, there can be a lingering, repugnant smell if the motivation behind these deeds is self-serving rather than others focused.

Jesus repeatedly says that those who live to showcase their deeds have already received their reward. I hope that you are ok with what people say to you on the internet, because if you are advertising each of your good deeds, Jesus says that people's praise will be the extent of your reward.

So often after healing someone, Jesus would tell the recipient not to tell anyone who had performed the healing, but to go and offer the prescribed sacrifices as a testimony of God's goodness to the people. Jesus said that the church is to be the light of the world so that people may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. This should be our motivation.

How can I tell if I have ulterior motives?

You might have unhealthy motives if you spend more time talking about God on facebook than you actually do talking to Him in your prayer closet. You might need to check your foundation if the majority of your testimonies about seeing God move are tweeted rather than followed up and discipled. You might need a heart check if you measure the amount that you give to the church in proportion to how much time someone has personally spent with you. You should make adjustments in your life if the only time that you are dissecting the Word of God is in the company of those whose who tell you how amazing you are for being there. Your service might have been about you more than others if you are always waiting to hear your name and are quick to get upset every time you are overlooked during a roll call of honor.

Being driven by a desperate need for validation will leave you perpetually dissatisfied and very difficult to get along with. You will be poor in your parenting, work, and relationships because you are more concerned with appearances than the quality of these endeavors. You will lack focus, because it is always about the next big thing to provide you with a sense of significance. However, the Kingdom of God is built on service in the secret place.

The following is a quote from Counterfeit Gods:

“Not long before the film director Sydney Pollack died, there was an article written about his inability to slow down and enjoy his final years with his loved ones. Though he was unwell, and the grueling process of filmmaking was wearing him down, ‘he couldn’t justify his existence if he stopped.’ He explained, ‘Every time I finish a picture, I feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to do in the sense that I’ve earned my stay for another year or so.’ But then he had to start over.” (p.73)

The truth is that in giving these exhortations, Jesus is offering to liberate us from the unseen taskmasters in our lives that make all of our interactions unpleasant and dripping with strife, because they are filled with selfish ambition. Those who live with selfish ambition will ultimately not inherit the Kingdom, because they are full of compromise and idolatry while they attempt to build their own empires rather than Christ's. You can tell that someone is driven by selfish ambition when they see everyone as a number or a pawn in their personal scheme to rise to power and prestige. You see them continually giving themselves back-door compliments or speaking of their personal achievements. When someone seems like their opinions need to be heard, regardless of the good direction in which a team at work or elsewhere is headed, this is the sound of a cry from a desperate heart.

The Tyranny of Vanity

"You're nobody until you're talked about." - Gossip Girl tag line

The need to be noticed. This may push you ahead in your career, but it will ultimately hamstring your ability to be a servant leader in the workplace and leave you lacking contentment in your personal life. People who are uncomfortable with obscurity will be perpetually frustrated with their jobs, children, as mothers and fathers having to change diapers, etc. There will always be a time when you have to take the back seat or have to do things faithfully while being imperceptible for things to succeed.

Comparisons are deadly

What drives us to that incessant need for validation?

It may be in your career, where you were always told that you were going to be somebody and do something great with your life, and now you are being driven by an incessant voice that tells you that you are a failure if you don't reach a particular pinnacle of worldly success. To do so, you must be seen and you must be known. Or, it may be the case that you were told by parents or friends that you have only arrived if you can be seen in a particular type of car, have a certain kind of man or woman on your arm, live in a particular neighborhood, or dress in a certain manner of clothing. These are all the things that burn, but they are the things that we chase to be justified in the eyes of others. The problem with this quest is that it is like a sugar rush. Since you know that in your heart of hearts these things are empty, you receive a temporary high, then work that much harder to maintain or acheive the next level. There is never real success. You never really arrive. And one day you will stand before God who says:

Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing. (Proverbs 11:4-7 NIV)

The ability to lovingly serve in obscurity, with consistency and without strife, demonstrates the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. It dons you with the splendor of godliness as you reflect the nobility of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The God Who Sees Me

And now in one hour's time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I? - Harold M. Abrahams

The truth is that God sees you and he knows every sacrifice that you make. Whether it be your obedience giving the first 10% of your income to fund the Kingdom, the prayers that you offer every night for your co-worker to come to Jesus, or the way that you fast each week asking God to see revival in the city, He sees it all and promises to reward you. In this instance, we ultimately reap what we sow. What we do faithfully, without fanfare in the secret place, builds our character, true godliness, and a love for Jesus that will not be shaken. Giving, praying, and sacrificing without fanfare is the clearest way in which you will build your enduring love for God. When you see Him openly reward us with Kingdom advance because of your giving (i.e. - we'll be in the theater with more space to see a community of people coming to Jesus built) accompanied with answered prayers and breakthroughs because of our fasting, this is when He becomes the rock for your soul.

The fortitude of your heart is built in hidden service. We should be quick to express gratitude in the home, in the workplace and in our daily interactions with others. Yet each time that you choose to humbly serve without accolades or vocal appreciation, you are flexing the muscle of pure motivation. God sees everything and our focus should be on building an eternal reward with Him. His present rewards are the things that people cannot take away, like:  You will be able to be free in your own heart to give love to others without an expectation of return. Your life will not be reduced to transactional relationships which inevitably leave people feeling used and insecure. Instead you will be able to be like God, a giver and not merely a taker.

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” ― John Wooden

How should we respond?

Many of us have grown up so culturally religious that there is no love for God outside of the social aspects that it provides. This results in a powerless behavior where people know that you do not live like Jesus. If this is you, you must repent of your hypocrisy today. For those who have been driven by the need for people's approval, embrace the gospel today, and take confidence in the fact that you are valuable because of the one to whom you belong and not what you do. Determine for your service to be quiet and faithful, because, by it, you are becoming like your Savior who liberates you from the tyrannical need in your soul to be noticed. Strive for His validation and no one else's. For those who have been serving God faithfully thinking that no one notices, please know that we are thankful, God sees you and will reward you both now and ultimately in the age to come. Set your heart on this.

Second City Church- Man on A Mission Sermon Series 2013