How You Can Impact an Overchurched Culture—Pt. 2

          Elaborating on last week's theme, I want to emphasize that one of the most effective ways of reaching an overchurched culture is by serving the poor. I write this for two main reasons:

1. Overchurched (and in some cases, unchurched) people identify this ministry with Jesus—and rightfully so. The Gospel of Luke is a gospel highlighting Jesus’ ministry to the poor. In Matthew 25, Jesus makes serving the poor a salvation issue.
2. When we live by Jesus’ ministry, it authenticates our message. In survey after survey, numerous young adults who have left churches–obvious examples of the overchurched–have stated that they place a high priority on helping the poor. They have revealed that churches that attract their attention in a positive way are those who demonstrate a clear commitment to fulfilling Jesus’ mission of serving the poor.

            The North Main church of Christ in Winters, Texas made a huge impact on their community of overchurched people because of their commitment to serving the poor. When we lived there, people who were “hard on their luck” would occasionally pass through town needing help. After 5 PM and on holidays, some of these people would stop by our house. They had been sent to us by local establishments such as Dairy Queen–all having received a variation of the same message: "If you need help, go see the Church of Christ. They help people."

            I must confess; there were times I was not wildly excited to have my holiday “interrupted.” Having said that, I realized at the time that it was a whole lot better being known as the church who helped people rather than being known as “the church whose members think they are the only ones going to heaven.”

            The servant hearts of those North Main members changed outsiders’ perception of the congregation. (Incidentally, let me emphasize, those Christians were already serving in that way before I moved there. I had nothing to do with forming their faith.)

            Writing this, I think about several of the Christians of Shiloh I have observed over the last few years. A number of them have spent much time ministering to the poor in ways such as partnering with Christians of other churches to feed the homeless of Tyler, working with other Christians in serving the “working poor” at a downtown location, serving people in the fields of health care by offering help as dentists, nurses, and doctors. I have seen Christians become foster parents and adopt children. All of these actions are like deposits accumulating in the “good-will bank accounts” located in the hearts of the overchurched.

            Now, let me emphasize, we need to watch out for the temptation of downplaying opportunities to share our faith. The world is full of organizations that began as beacons of light seeking to serve people and call them to Jesus… only to devolve into do-gooder organizations indistinguishable from secular charities.

            The world is filled with materially affluent people who are spiritually impoverished. We should never be satisfied simply because we helped a person climb out of physical poverty and ascend a materialistic ladder. Rather, our prayer should be that all of these cups of cold water open the doors to many human hearts, so that these might receive the ultimate supplier of human needs: Jesus.

How You Can Impact an Overchurched Culture

            I have shared how I see myself engaging an overchurched culture. What about you? I think there are ways you can do so effectively.

            If you are not on a church staff, you have an advantage over those who are: for instance, those of you who have jobs outside of the congregation have special opportunities to penetrate the overchurched culture’s protective shell.

            To illustrate, let me take you back to the North Main Church of Christ in Winters, Texas–where I preached for seven years. I never saw a congregation where such a high percentage of members sought to take the presence of Jesus to the workplace. One example was found in the field of teaching.

            Teachers would minister to their students who lived in dysfunctional families and in poverty. Indeed, North Main’s greatest ministerial legacy arose out of a teacher’s ministry to three children from the same family, who did not have enough to eat.

            I remember one mother of children who occasionally attended our church. One weekend, she overdosed on drugs. She was hospitalized in Abilene–40 minutes away. I visited her there and found with her a junior high teacher who was a member of our church. The teacher had stayed the night with that frightened and very sick mother.

            Winters was an overchurched community at that time, but let me tell you–it was ministry of members like the teacher, which lent authenticity to their name–Christian.

            Had you asked someone in the community about the congregation during that time, you might have received a response like this, “I am not certain about all that they believe, but they sure love people.”

            To summarize, here’s what you can do:

·      show Christ at work

·      serve people at work

·      search for opportunities to serve people who are in the extended families of those you impact through your work

This will lend authenticity to your message.

            Many people who are overchurched have left their churches because they were disillusioned with people who were in their churches. Observing somebody live a life of Christ-like service often destroys that disillusionment. This in turn will go a long way toward demolishing the hardness of their hearts.

Reflections on Kingdom Work

            In Kingdom work, God is the constant; we are the variable. Read the Bible, and after all is said and done, God is the Hero of the story. We have the opportunity to embrace him and jump on board with his wonderful Kingdom activity.

            I know many of you read out of the version of the Bible called “The Message.” Eugene Peterson translated that. He’s written a lot of good books about God and Scripture. In one of them, CHRIST PLAYS IN 10,000 PLACES, he wrote something that absolutely inspired my imagination.

            In John Mark’s gospel, Peter is the prominent apostle. Peter appears to have the potential to move into place alongside Jesus. Then the wheels come off of Peter’s life. Peter does not become the lead apostle; instead, Mark portrays Peter as the lead sinner.

            Peter stays out of the limelight. That spot is reserved for Jesus alone. In Mark, there is only one hero–and he is Jesus.

            The incredible thing about this is we think we know where John Mark got his material–from Peter, who mentored him. And we think a significant influence on John Mark’s gospel were the sermons he heard Peter preach.

             I am absolutely blown away by that. Peter embraced the fact that Jesus stood alone as the hero, and he had absolutely no problem with us knowing that he was a sinner. Yet, Jesus reached out to Peter; Jesus called him, and Jesus was faithful to him.

            God is such an overwhelming hero in the Bible; he easily overshadows—and overcomes—the weaknesses of the people who follow him. So we do not even have to attempt to be cardboard cutouts of saints. We can simply be ourselves.

            As a matter of fact, the more real we are with God and with each other, the more he can form us into the image of his Son. We don’t have anything to be afraid of, and we have a lot to look forward to. It is exciting to watch God work in our lives.

            As I process what is next for me in my own life, I recognize the fact that some of you changed majors in college. Some of you graduated with a degree in one field, and God steered you to another. Some of you started in one career, and God led you to another. That is the exciting thing about God… he is always working on us and through us, to carry out his story and his purpose.

            Did you know that some of our greatest discoveries and inventions have occurred as a serendipity of the original intent of the discoverer? Alexander Graham Bell invented an instrument to inform people of the arrival of telegrams. He did not realize it would become the telephone.

            An Italian explorer sailed across the Atlantic Ocean hoping to find a new route to India and enrich himself trading for spices. Christopher Columbus, instead, discovered a new world, which literally led to seismic shifts in geography, world power, and, literally, worldview.

            All of these serve as a nice symbols of the Christian’s walk with God. Whether they are true failures or unplanned directional turns, Scripture teaches us God can work through both. This truth lends an atmosphere of excitement to the Christian journey. As my former colleague, Tim Henderson, put it in one of his blogs, “It is better living to be watching for the unexpected than expecting the living to follow our plan. May you enjoy a life of watching God do more than you can explain or imagine.”

                        

Spiritual Reflection on THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Spoiler Alert! If you have not seen this movie, do not read this article. I might ruin it for you.

            Imagine a story about someone who left a world of unimaginably great riches to go and dwell with a very fallen people-marred by the effects of sin-in a very fallen world. He fights the greatest evil, and apparantly is overwhelmed by it. He descends into a hellish abyss, and is seemingly dead forever.

            Remarkably, after a period of time, he overcomes the evil of that hellhole and rises again. He overcomes the Evil One and all of the evil minions and rescues a very fallen people from the full effect of all that evil. Indeed, he gives them hope for a new life.

            I am of course talking about Jesus and the Gospel story. Although that description, I guess, captures the essential plot of The Dark Knight Rises as well.

            Over and over in great movies and books, I see artists take biblical stories and rework them in a thinly disguised way. I wonder what would happen if God ever decided to sue for plagiarism.

            Maybe God feels complimented because people keep using his material.

            For whatever it is worth, I really liked the movie.

The God Who Feels Our Pain–Heb. 4:14-5.10

There's a Stirring # 6

Betrayal

            One of my heroes from history is General George C. Marshall. He was a general in the United States Army in World War II. He was an interesting fellow. He served as commanding general John Pershing's military aid during World War I.

            After the war, advancement in the Army was very slow. Yet, Marshall anticipated that another great war was coming. Just in case he was able to advance, he decided to keep with him a little black book. In this little black book, he would jot down the names of different men who grabbed his attention. These were names of men whom he saw as potentially great leaders in the Army. Were he to ever maintain a position of leadership, he would be armed with those names, from which he would select those to serve under him.

            As you well know, the United States did enter World War II. By the end, Marshall had offered such impeccable leadership qualities, such an incredible ability to organize, such character and deep integrity, that president Franklin Roosevelt named him to serve in a position we would now call Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In essence, Marshall became Roosevelt's right-hand man.

            As the war was beginning, Marshall looked in his book and selected a man whom he had been watching. This man did not have a very high rank in the United States army. Numerous others held superior ranks. Yet, Marshall identified marvelous qualities in this individual, and so he summoned this man to Washington to help Marshal formulate war plans in the early stages of this massive endeavor.

            This gentleman proved so able, Marshall encouraged Roosevelt, Churchill, and other allied leaders to name him as the commander of all Allied forces in Africa in 1942. The individual named a general, and served well.

            In 1943, it became time to name the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe. The mission of this commander was to organize and lead the forces across the English Channel onto the shores of France for a massive invasion. (Later, this invasion would be called the “D-Day” invasion.) It was well known in leadership circles that whoever was named the supreme commander would definitely be an important figure in history.

            If you are in the army, you can think of nothing higher, no greater honor, than to be named a commander. Early on, it was clear that the best man for this job was General Marshall. Later he would reveal that he had indeed wished to serve in that capacity. Nevertheless, Marshall had so much integrity, he refused to lobby for the position.

            Instead, he decided to remove any influence and allow the president to make his own decision. Marshall seemed slated to fulfill his personal dream, but he had only one problem. He was so good at what he did for President Roosevelt, he became so indispensable, the president could not bear the thought of Marshall leaving him.

            Consequently, Roosevelt did not select Marshall to be the supreme commander. Instead, he selected the man that Marshall had groomed and mentored, one whom Marshall had named in his little black book years before. Roosevelt selected the man whom Marshall had recommended as commander of the forces in Africa—Roosevelt selected Dwight Eisenhower.

            Obviously, this proved to be a wise decision. The Allies were successful in their invasion, and, in early 1945, Germany surrendered. Of course, Eisenhower moved on to bigger and better things. Still, without George Marshall's mentoring and influence, Dwight Eisenhower would have never been elected president of the United States, in November 1952.

            Here is the part of the story I want to emphasize. As he was running for the presidency, Eisenhower had to deal with all sorts of domestic issues that were prevalent in that campaign. One of them was this: a senator from Wisconsin named Joseph McCarthy.

            In 1952, McCarthy was making wild accusations that various people in the United States were communists. These included some who served in the United States military and the United States government. Most charges were false; indeed, McCarthy would ultimately prove to be unscrupulous. Still, the ultimate truth did not deter a number of U.S. citizens from believing McCarthy. (Most U.S. senators publicly supported him, including John F. Kennedy—elected in 1952.)

            One of the men that McCarthy accused of being a communist was George C. Marshall. He denounced Marshall for “betraying” the United States during his mission to China after the Second World War. In retrospect, McCarthy’s charges were heresy—totally untrue.

            (Later, McCarthy’s flawed character would destroy his life; he would die in disgrace in 1957. Even before his death, he would be totally discredited and would become an outcast to his peers. But that was still come.)

            Like some Americans in 1952, Eisenhower was irate at McCarthy's charges. As a candidate, Eisenhower decided to rebut McCarthy’s accusation of his mentor-General Marshall-in McCarthy's home state of Wisconsin, with McCarthy present on the dais.            

            Eisenhower wrote a defense of Marshall into his speech. Eisenhower's advisers saw the speech and grew alarmed. They secretly met together. Afterwards, meeting with Eisenhower, they, in effect, told him, “Listen, you are in Joseph McCarthy's home state of Wisconsin. McCarthy will be there. Wisconsin is a critical state in this election. If you lose Wisconsin, it could unleash an avalanche of events that could cost you the presidency. You cannot say these words with McCarthy present. This would be a public embarrassment to him.”

            Eisenhower had a decision to make. He thought about it long and hard. On the one hand, he wanted to defend his mentor. Indeed, he wished to defend the man who more than anyone else, was responsible for his being in such an envied position. On the other hand, he wanted to win the election. He knew that if he defended the one who helped him so much, he might not become president. Consequently, Eisenhower decided to remove the passage that was potentially offensive to McCarthy.

            Eisenhower would go on to win the 1952 presidential election. He would serve two terms as president. However, years later, he would write that one of his most personally disappointing acts was the removal of his defense of Marshall from his 1952 Milwaukee speech. He regretted betraying a friend who had meant so much to him.

Betraying the Mentor--Jesus

            I tell that story because in this book of Hebrews, you have Christians, who have been saved by Jesus, mentored by Jesus, and blessed by Jesus. In a moment when these Christians can stand by Jesus Christ and defend Him against the charges made by their culture, they hesitate.

            They begin considering all they could potentially lose if they defend Jesus. They could lose their jobs, maybe some relationships, maybe property, and maybe even their own lives. So, they betray Him.

            Now, whether it be the case of Dwight Eisenhower, or the case of the Christians in Hebrews, it is easy to stand back as a third party and say, “How awful!”

            We don't like betrayal, especially the betrayal of mentor and benefactor. We don’t like to watch people betray others who have blessed their lives. That is one reason why Hebrews challenges us so.

            This preacher is preaching a sermon to these Christians and he is pleading, “Gang, what you are doing is unthinkable. You don't need to run away from Jesus; you need to run toward Jesus. You should be publicly defending Him… and standing up for Him. You certainly need not be giving up.”

Last week, we talk about how this Preacher tried to motivate the Christians by talking about the Heavenly Father and his word. The preacher was strong with them. He said to them, human beings will face God in one of two ways:

1. Guilty of unfaithfulness before God the Judge (Heb. 4:12-13) or . . .

            2. With confidence because of Jesus serving as helper and mediator (4:14-16).

            He's saying, “Jesus has been our mediator, our helper; he has run alongside of us.”

            Look over to Hebrews chapter two. As we have previously seen, verse 17 tells us, 17 For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could die in their place to take away their sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted. NCV

            So you have this God-figure who is so holy, and he is remote. You also have another God-figure who is infinitely approachable. He has been tempted in every way that we have, yet he has not sinned. Note this, 14We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! (Heb. 4:14-15.) CEV

            This preacher picks up on the earlier theme and builds on it—Jesus is the great high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. I think Jesus faced every basic temptation that we have faced.

            Now, because of the context, what I think the Preacher is talking about here is the temptation to leave the community. Jesus knows what it is like to try to follow God, and have everybody around you (even his own family—see Mark chapter 3:21) tell you that you're crazy. Jesus knows what it is to have people persecute you. Jesus knows what it is to be marginalized—placed by the “in-group” over to the side. Jesus knows the temptation to betray God’s community and bail out on God’s people.

            Consequently, … whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help (Heb. 4:16.) CEV

            If you wish to live like the majority, be afraid on the “in-group’s” judgment. However, if you wish to live like Jesus, you receive the privilege of entering into the throne room of God—with confidence.

            Anytime we pray, we are proceeding into the throne room of God. However, the Preacher here is not talking about individual prayer. You know whom he is talking about? Those in the Christian assembly. He's talking to people who do not want to assemble. He uses these very same phrases in Heb. 10:19, when he talks about the Christians assembling together. He refers to the throne room of God again in chapter twelve when he talks about the assembly of Christians.

            Know this: whenever God's people assemble together, they can pray with confidence because of Jesus Christ. Together, collectively, they are going into the throne room of God. That is why it is a big deal when Christians pray together.

            When I'm by myself, it is easy for me to pray, because I'm going to express things important to me. It is a lot harder for me in an assembly to listen to pray in our behalf. I am so self-centered. When you start mentioning your Aunt Bertha in prayer, I have no clue who she is; therefore, in my flesh, my mind starts to wander.

            This preacher from Hebrews tells me, “Mark, watch out about that; when someone is going before the Father in prayer, all of your into the throne room of God. This person is praying for all of you—through Jesus. Hence, I cannot take these communal prayers for granted.

            The incarnation has consequences. Public prayer is a holy event.           

            I have this mentor, this friend whom I am called to honor. Because of this friend, I, individually, and, I, along with you, am offered the chance to go into the presence of the awesome Heavenly Father.

            There are blessings to having Jesus as a high priest. His ministry is truly one of mentoring, and I would even describe it as friendship.

            The website SHAREFAITH tells the story of Irish born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896), who was twenty five years old, in love and engaged to be married. The day before his wedding, his fiancé died in a tragic drowning accident.             Heartbroken, moved to Canada to start a new life. Working as a teacher, he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche. Once again, Joseph's hopes and dreams were shattered when Eliza became ill and died before the wedding.

            I am sure these events greatly distressed Joseph; however, his faith in God sustained him. We know this because during the period of Eliza’s death, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

            Later, a tune was added to this poem. Many of us have sung the hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus.

            Now, I cannot prove this, but I believe this to be true; when the Joseph Scriven wrote his poem to his mother, he was thinking of Hebrews 4:14-16.

            How do you properly fear the Heavenly Father?

            Last week, we talked about how the author of Hebrews amplified a statement of Jesus. To paraphrase Jesus’ statement, “If you must fear someone, fear God.” Let me show you how our passage today clarifies Jesus’ statement even more.

            Years ago, I heard Tom Nelson talk about what our prayer lives would be like without Jesus. He pointed to the Wizard of Oz for an illustration.

            Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, and the Tin Woodsman wanted to see the Wizard. They make it to the Emerald City and what is the Wizard’s initial response? Is it a warm welcome? No, the Wizard is a remote figure. He says things like, “Get out of here! We don't want you round here!” Finally, the heroic quartet enters into the Great One’s presence.

            The Wizard has his flame going, and he is very intimidating, “What do you want!”

            They're all scared. The Scarecrow can hardly stand. The Cowardly Lion jumps out the window. It is a terrible thing to be in the presence of the great Oz.

            Nelson offers that story as a symbol of what prayer would be like before this God of consuming fire—were it not for Jesus. However, with God becoming human, we can go into the presence of the Heavenly Father—with confidence.

Look to Jesus for Cues on How to Fear the Father

How did the Son of God fear the Heavenly Father. Check out chapter five of Hebrews: 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:7-10.) ESV

            Did you notice the word “reverence” in verse seven? That is the same word you find in Heb. 12:28, except there we typically translate it as the word “fear”: 28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. 29 For our God is a devouring fire. NLT

            I can take it by faith that there is a man who knows everything we know, a God who became a human being, who understood the tension of fearing God. He knew how to treat this spiritual Being who is holy and set apart—the Heavenly Father. Yet he is someone who deserves our love and deserves us to live for him. That person is Jesus Christ.

1.What does it mean that Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered?

            Two questions surface in Heb. 5:7-10. Did you notice it says Jesus learned obedience? What does that mean? I'm not sure, but I think it means Jesus knew what it was to grow and mature as a man. It is a hard thing to mature as a man, especially mature spiritually. It is really hard to be God in Heaven and then become a human being on earth.

            Imagine transitioning from having spiritual beings worshipping you to having human beings despising you. Verse seven offers us a real key here: 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

            I think here he's talking of Gethsemane. We tend to think Jesus knew exactly everything that was going to happen–every detail. Every part of the cross was programmed. However, as one has preached, Jesus was not following a completely revealed script. Jesus never says, “Okay this is Act three, scene two. Let’s get on with it and go to glory.”

2. What does it mean that Jesus was made perfect?

            There was something Jesus had to experience from a human standpoint, and he did. It was the process of learning to obey his Heavenly Father.

            Now, what does it mean that Jesus was made perfect? Normally this word means, “complete” or “mature.” Jesus completed the maturation process at age thirty-three. Then he was ready to complete his mission.

            I believe this is the call of the Holy Spirit to these Christians in Hebrews: “You guys need to withstand the hostility. You need to put up with people who say, ‘Get away from us.’ You put up with that. You need to keep on believing. I know it hurts, but you can trust your life with Jesus.”

            His illustration is… Jesus, because Jesus entrusted his life to the Heavenly Father. He stayed in his relationship with the Father even though people were trying to marginalize him. Even though there were people acting hostile toward him, he endured in his relationship with his Heavenly Father. Jesus stayed faithful.

            Probably a lot of people in Hebrews thought the same as we do when everything seems to go wrong. When things go well, it is easy to believe that God is pleased with us. But when things go badly, we tend to wonder, “Have I done something wrong?”

            What God was trying to tell them, and what God is trying to tell us, is: “If you are trying to follow me, and things go south, that does not mean you are living the wrong way. Things went south for Jesus, and Jesus was living the perfect life before me. You can trust me even in the midst of bad situations.”

            It’s as if God the Father had a graduation ceremony for God the Son, and the Father said to the Son, “Congratulations, you graduated with a perfect 4.0.” And with that, Jesus became our High Priest.

            Let me end by pointing this out, we have a lot of things to go wrong in our lives, and we always will. Sometimes, life is not fair. I

            I saw an episode of NIGHTLINE a few years ago. It was about this kid named Dillon, who had this illness called “Fragile X” disease. This is a disease where a gene goes bad, and basically a child suffers a mental retardation. He looks normal, but he is mentally impaired. Dillon, as you might imagine, had trouble fitting in school.

            Kids can be so cruel. One boy flippantly told Dillon, “Hey I want to come see you.” Dillon’s parents told him not to get excited, but he could not help himself.

            The boy was to arrive at Dillon’s home at three o’clock. At one o’clock, Dillon goes to the window and stands, near the front door. It is two hours until arrival, yet Dillon is standing and waiting; he is so excited. Three o’clock arrives, and his friend has not come. Time slowly passes. Five o'clock. Six o'clock. Darkness arrives. The day is basically over, and Dillon is still standing at the window. The little boy never shows up.

            You listen to that story, and it's easy to think “Oh God. Why do you let that happen?” Especially to someone like this child; why would God let him be hurt?

            But our Lord says, “You know what, I know what it's like to be betrayed by friends. In the most vulnerable moment in my life, my friends left me. I had to die basically alone.”

            You may be sitting there thinking, “I love God, and I like the church; I like going to church, but I got people around me who are always trying to get me to do something else. Try to convince me to be with them. They try making me feel different.”

            Jesus says, “I understand. When I was here on this earth, people hurled insults at me because they did not like what I was about. And some of them spit at me. I know what you're going through.”

            Someone else may be thinking, “Boy God, I got cancer, and the pain just wiping me out. I cannot deal with the pain anymore here.”

            Jesus says, “I understand. When the Romans tried to figure out how to execute criminals, they wanted to find the most painful way possible. They tried burning people alive and that didn't work because people died too quickly; they tried boiling people in oil, and that didn’t work like they wanted. Finally, they decided, ‘If we nail somebody to a tree, we can inflict upon them the optimal amount of physical pain. We can torture them because they will not die instantly. This will prolong the agony.’ So they crucified me. I know; pain is bad.”

            What we need to understand is no matter how bad our experiences are for us, our Lord's experience trumps ours.

            Tom Nelson, again, spoke about C. S. Lewis. Lewis served in World War I. He never liked it when one of his commanders would be a sitting behind a barricade, sipping tea, and issuing the order, “Go get them boys.”

            No, the commanders who inspired were the ones who crawled out of foxholes and said, “Follow me, men.”

            Jesus Christ never said, “Go get them, church.” No, Jesus Christ has always said, “Follow me.” 

How NOT to Catch the Drift

            Do you like to fish? I do, and I have found that if you use a boat, you can fish trying various strategies.

            You can lower an anchor and sit down. I have done that before, fishing for crappie or catfish.

            Another method is fish using artificial lures for bass. In the past, I have often enjoyed pulling up the anchor and moving my boat a few yards from the bank. I would then cast toward the bank.

           I cannot tell you how many times I would cast… and cast… and cast… and, all of a sudden, notice that I had drifted. Sometimes, my boat would have moved as much as a quarter of a mile. I would think to myself, “How did this happen?” The reason, of course, was that it had happened so slowly, it was imperceptible. The way the wind was blowing, the way the current was running, all of the elements conspired together to cause me to drift.

If you don’t want to read this post, here it is summarized in six words:

Don’t drift.

Focus on the Son.

           

            About a month ago I was taking my son Timothy duck hunting; we were on land that we had never been on before. It was the afternoon, and since this was land with which I was not familiar, I was concerned about being out after dark. I did not want to get lost.

            I had a compass with me, but something was wrong. I don't know the reason, but somehow my compass was not functioning properly, and it got us off course. We were supposed to be headed toward the pickup, but I could sense that we were drifting off course.

            I was not surprised, because I knew how easy it is to get off course in the forest. If you're at point A, and point B is two miles away, all you have to do is walk one foot off course for every ten feet forward, and by the time you have walked two miles, you will arrive at a place very distant from point B. You will find yourself way off course.

            That can happen in life too. I have noticed that when I mess up, it is rarely because I wake up one day thinking to myself, “I want to mess up today.” It is because, little by little, I drift off course, spiritually. Often times it is because I am distracted; I am not focused on the right things.

            I have seen this in the lives of others. When they really messed up, it is because they have been distracted and they have gotten off course. This is particularly true with catastrophic events.

            The secretary, who runs away with her boss and leaves behind her husband and children, did not simply wake up one morning saying, “I think I'll sabotage my family.” What happened was, she lost her focus, and, little by little, she drifted off course.

            This is what is happening in the book of Hebrews. As a matter of fact, the preacher uses a nautical term in chapter two pertaining to drifting, but more on that later.

            He is talking to a church that is distracted. Little by little they are drifting off course. He is trying to call them back again before it is too late.

            In Chapter one of Hebrews, the preacher is trying to remind them of whom the focus should be on.

THE ONE WORD (Heb. 1:1-4)

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. NIV 1984

            In Hebrews 1:1-4, you have the story of Jesus told in three stages. And through that telling you see how He impacts us:

1. Maker-Jesus Made the Universe (Heb. 1:2)

            The writer of Hebrews, the Preacher, wants his audience to remember that Jesus made everything in creation. This is a point the Apostle John emphasized as well.

            In John chapter 1, John tells us that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Furthermore, John says, the Word, Jesus, was the chief agent who created the universe. Everything that we know that has been made, has been made by Him.

2. Redeemer-Jesus’ work took care of removing our sins.

            Any Jew that heard of Jesus sitting down at the right hand of God would have perked up his ears at that phrase. A writer from long ago, Arthur Pink, noted that the Old Testament records the High Priests always standing up to offer sacrifices. They could never sit down because their work was never finished.

            Jesus came to Earth, performed his saving work, and He sat down. The Preacher is going to emphasize this over and over again: Jesus sat down.

3. Ruler-Our Lord rules this world

            Where did Jesus sit down? At the right hand of God.

            What does this signify? He is ruling!

            This just in… we live in a fallen world. There are things that we dread; there are things that we fear; and it is all because we live in a fallen world.

            This reality can affect a lot of areas. What's going happen to the economy? What is going to happen in the world of terrorism? What is going to happen to my family? What is going to happen to me?

            I don't know all that is going to happen, but I do know that our Lord is in charge of this world. And nothing is going to happen unless our Lord allows it to happen. Our Lord rules this world.

            I don't understand the decision-making process of the Lord, why He sometimes chooses to act in this world, and why sometimes he chooses to abstain from action, but I know our Jesus rules this world.

            This preacher is not finished pointing to Jesus:  

THE ONE SON (Back to the Bible...Heb. 1:5-13)

5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:

   “You are my Son. 
Today I have become your Father.”

   God also said,

   “I will be his Father, 
and he will be my Son.”

 6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said,

   “Let all of God’s angels worship him.”

 7 Regarding the angels, he says,

   “He sends his angels like the winds, 
his servants like flames of fire.”

 8 But to the Son he says,

   “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. 
 9 You love justice and hate evil. 
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, 
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”

 10 He also says to the Son,

   “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth 
and made the heavens with your hands. 
 11 They will perish, but you remain forever. They will wear out like old clothing. 
 12 You will fold them up like a cloak 
and discard them like old clothing. 
   But you are always the same; 
 you will live forever.”

 13 And God never said to any of the angels,

   “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 
 until I humble your enemies, 
 making them a footstool under your feet.”

Jesus is better than angels (v. 5-7):

            The Preacher in Hebrews is holding up the one Son, Jesus, above the angels. We must remember that before Jesus came upon the scene, the biggest thing that could happen to a human being was to have an encounter with an angel–a messenger of God. That was a big deal; humans of the late first century needed to change their understanding—Jesus is greater than the Angels.

            As you read, the Preacher in Hebrews decides to do something interesting; he decides to use a lot of poetry to express his ideas (for example, he draws deeply from the Psalms.) This is not unusual; many writers in the Bible used poetry to express great truth. Poetry is often the vehicle through which great ideals are conveyed.

            We are familiar with this concept from history. For example, when Thomas Jefferson and others were crafting the Declaration of Independence, they did not sit down and write, “The guys and I have been doing a lot of thinking, and we have come to this conclusion–we are right and you were wrong.” No, they put words such as these down on paper, “… We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” That sounds a lot better, doesn't it?

            When Abraham Lincoln began his crucial Gettysburg address, he did not commence with a joke and then follow up with the words, “87 years ago….” No, he began, “Four score and seven years ago….”             
            When CBS invited the world to compare and contrast the respective values of rural life and city life, the network did not announce it in that way. Instead, CBS broadcasted it like this, “Come listen to a story about a man named Jed, the poor mountaineer barely kept his family fed, and then one day he was shooting for some food, and up through the ground came a rumbling crude….” I could go on and on with that beautiful portrait, but I think you get the idea.

       This writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is communicating wonderful ideals and he's doing it concisely. He takes these passages from the Old Testament and uses them to demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God.

            One of his preferred verses is Psalm 2:7. (Incidentally, this is the second most quoted verse from the Old Testament.) He deploys the psalm to illustrate how the angels recognize Jesus' unique status.

            Next, he compares to Jesus with the Angels. We live in a time when many people are fascinated once again with angels. People in the day of the Christians of Hebrews were fascinated with angels as well. Nothing was more awesome for them than the infiltration of angels from the spiritual world into our tangible, physical world. As awesome as that was, this writer wants them to know that the angels are nothing compared to Jesus. Jesus is greater than the Angels.

           

            This writer gives four facts, four demonstrations, four ways, or four statements illustrating how Jesus is greater than the Angels.

1. His throne is forever and ever (1:8).

            This is a quote taken from Psalm Ps. 45:6-7 and the writer was originally talking about the Heavenly Father. The concept is the Heavenly Father puts His arm around the Heavenly Son and says, “Our family business is the universe. Son, I am going to turn it over to you.” It is a beautiful word picture of the Father the Son walking through the scripture having and this conversation.

2. He stands above the world’s change and decay (1:10-11)

            The creation is decaying. The Israelites understood this to a limited extent, and the New Testament writings added more to the Christian understanding.

            We are all demonstrations of this. All of us are getting older. That is a nice way of saying we are decaying. But Jesus is above that. Jesus is unaffected by the decay of a fallen creation.

3. The universe will be destroyed, he will remain. (1:11)

            Some of your translations here say, “he will abide.” I like that. We have a song that is written in reflection of this: “Abide with Me.” We desire to connect with some kind of spiritual being, who is all-powerful, and who will stay with us. And we want this being to be someone whom circumstances and time cannot affect.

4. Even though the universe changes, he remains the same (1:12)

            Jesus is not going to change. The Preacher affirms this in Heb. 7:24; he had talked about how the priesthood of the Old Testament had wound down. It went out of business. But, in 7:24 we read, 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. NLT (Consider also Heb. 13:8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ESV)

            I think that is pretty good news.

            Now, having said all of this, if Jesus stands above all else, if Jesus stands above everyone else, why would one turn to anyone else or anything else for salvation? Yet, there are plenty of people who are guilty of this; as a matter of fact, the majority of the world is guilty of this. The majority of the world turns to someone else or something else for salvation.

            Some turn to pop psychology. A lot of the new recruits in the New Age movement come because they are looking for something else in their lives.

            Some people get discouraged in their Christianity and turn to politics for salvation. Others, in their discouragement, turn to moralism for salvation. Part of this is because politics and morality are more tangible. You can see the results much sooner. This is why you will see Christians sacrifice and slave for hours and hours and hours doing things that no one likes to do-such as knocking doors and talking to strangers-for political or moral causes.

            A lot of churches today are concerned about losing the crowds. So what they do now is lick their fingers to hold them up to the wind, and try to figure where the cultural winds are blowing. They will literally do a market survey to see what the average pagan is thinking and then construct a worship service to try to appeal to this modern pagan.

            (I am certainly all for studying the culture. I am in favor of finding points of intersection with the lines of non-Christians. However, to apply Hebrews, we use that information to bring a focus on Jesus, not humanity.)

            A lot of people understand they need salvation. Our job, according to this letter, is to help them understand that salvation will only be found in Jesus. And we commit to Him and live a life that exemplifies Christ. That is what we need, that is what our churches need, that is what our cities need, that is what our countries need, and that is what our world needs.

            Do you member where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001? Do you remember how you felt when you watched the Twin Towers fall? We thought they would stand forever, but they fell. That is a great symbol of the fact that everything in this world we think will stand, will ultimately fall. However, Jesus will never fall.

The Application:

Pay careful attention. Focus! On Jesus

            How do you keep from drifting? The writer of Hebrews has preached a little sermon in chapter one, and as he moves into chapter two, he basically offers his application. Look at chapter two and verse one, We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away (Heb. 2:1.) NIV 1984

            Do you hear what he is saying? Here is this Jesus; here is this elevated Christ; here is this King; He has a Kingdom; focus on him. Focus on the Son. Focus on Jesus.

            Don't get distracted. Don't lose your focus. If you do, you will drift away.            

            The idea of drifting away is a nautical image; they used it back then to describe a boat or ship moving slowly off course.            

            “Focus!” he says.

         Sometimes, it is amazing how we can become distracted from what is important. The DALLAS MORNING NEWS’ columnist, Kevin Sherrington, wrote about 10 years ago about three guys, who were fishing off the coast of Florida.

            They noticed something floating in the water, approaching their boat. Upon further review, they observed that it was a human head. They scooped the head up with a net, put it on ice in a bucket and… fished on for two more hours!

            When they finally arrived to shore, someone asked them about why they had not immediately returned after finding the head. One of the fisherman answered, “We figured there was nothing we could do anyway, two more hours would not hurt. So we kept on fishing.”

            How in the world could these fishermen be so blasé about another human being so obviously victimized in such an inhumane way? My guess is that they had become desensitized by the violence of our society, and they had become distracted from what was important.

            Finding a human head floating in the water is a tragedy of awesome proportions. Unfortunately, humans can be desensitized to the awesome, especially when the awesome is God.

            The fishermen got so distracted, they lost focus as to what was important. The Preacher of Hebrews says, “Do not lose focus!”

            Last week, we read about some of the evil things they culture was doing to the Christians in Hebrews. These were tempting the Christians to lose focus.

            This week I want to assert that the Christians were receiving some data from the society around them that, in itself, was good; after all, the Roman Empire had some good things to offer. Sadly, even good things could get Christians off God’s course, and that was happening to some of these Hebrew Christians. So, whether it was a good reason or sinful reason, they were drifting. They were headed in a bad direction. This preacher is trying to get them to stop. He tells them, “Focus on the Son.”

ONE ASSERTION (Heb. 2:1-4) Salvation has consequences!

            If you read my blog last week, you might remember we talked about how the Christians had begun bailing out on Jesus. They had been persecuted, or insulted, or ostracized; consequently, they were making decisions to leave Jesus. We also talked about where the parallels lie in our own Christian lives.

            It is Jesus to whom we look to for salvation, but this salvation has consequences. Whether they are negative or positive, there are consequences.

            2The message spoken by angels proved to be true, and all who disobeyed or rejected it were punished as they deserved.

3So if we refuse this great way of being saved, how can we hope to escape? The Lord himself was the first to tell about it, and people who heard the message proved to us that it was true. 4God himself showed that his message was true by working all kinds of powerful miracles and wonders. He also gave his Holy Spirit to anyone he chose to. CEV 

            Hebrews is filled with concepts of reward and punishment. As we read, 2:2 speaks of two punishments in the Old Testament. Meanwhile, chapter eleven inspires the Christians as the Preacher refers to the faithful of God in the Old Testament who sought their reward. Finally, in Heb. 2:3, the Preacher is emphasizing--don’t ignore this message!

            Think about today. You go into any bookstore and the biggest section is the self-help section. While these books are not inherently wrong, they can lead us to lose our focus.

            Ever had a week where you daily read out of your favorite self-help book but not out of your Bible? It is just a little step, but the little steps get us off track and even into a catastrophe.

            According to Hebrews, the biggest catastrophe is a break in our relationship with God; second on the list is a break in our relationship with the community of God.

              With great salvation comes great opportunities, and great consequences. The stories of the Old Testament illustrates this principle. In chapters three and four, he will be discussing how God’s people got off course, and they received punishment from God. Later in Hebrews, you see where God is described as a father, who sometimes must discipline his kids. To the Preacher, this is important stuff.

            You may be sitting there reading this thinking, “I don't know Mark. I don't think I like all this talk about sin, rewards, and punishment.” Remember, this is God's Word we are talking about. Keep in mind also, the church that is receiving this letter is a church that needs to be revived. These people need to be refreshed. They have gotten complacent, they have gotten stale, and they are drifting off course.

            If you notice in Scripture, typically when God’s people experienced a revival, it came after they recognize the sin in their lives. They recognize the need to confess that sin. They recognize the need to repent of that sin. Furthermore, throughout history when you see great revival, that is the place it always starts: people recognizing sin, confessing sin and repenting of sin.

            It does not begin with people who say, “Wow, I've got a great life, but Christianity will make it a little bit better.” No, it begins with brokenness.

            You find the call for conviction over and over again the Hebrews. Look at 10:26, “Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins” (Heb. 10:26) NLT Sin is serious business.

            Incidentally, you know what 10:26 follows, don't you? In Heb. 10:25–he says, in effect, “Guys, you need to be meeting together every Sunday. You've got to be gathering around the table. You've got to program into your mind what is critical--what is essential. You’ve got to focus together on Jesus and encouraging each other.”

            He is saying this because somebody in this church is saying, “You know, they killed my aunt Gertrude. I don't think I want to go to church because I may die.”            

            To which the preacher responds, “And?”

            Keep in mind, he is not saying this so that they can punch a time clock for God; he's talking about a view that elevates Jesus as King over everything. He’s admonishing them, “I want to organize my life around King Jesus; I want to be part of a community that organizes its life around this reality. That is what will drive our lives. Whether the data around us is good or bad, at some point it will take us away from the King, if the King is not over everything, and if His Kingdom is not over everything.”

            If you are part of the Kingdom of Satan, you see the power of this prioritizing, which the preacher is proclaiming. But if you are part of any other organization on the planet, even those that are good, it is harder to recognize this. They can distract us. We forget that at some point, every organization on earth, outside of the Kingdom community, breaks off from the agenda of the King and his Kingdom.

            Harding University is a great place. ACU is a great place. I went to ACU. But at some point, their agenda breaks off from the King and the Kingdom.            

            Hopefully, they submit themselves to the King in the Kingdom, but the mission of Harding and ACU ultimately is to academically graduate people. Granted, they wish to graduate them with a Christian worldview, but there is still an academic element to the mission. People will go to heaven without college degrees.

            The Lions Club is a great group, but it is not the kingdom.

            Homeschooling is a great thing, but at some point its mission breaks off from the King and the Kingdom.

            Your work may be terrific and meaningful, but at some point there is a deviation from the King to the Kingdom. All focus has to be on the King and His Kingdom.

            Hebrews 1-2 tells us—watch the Son, and watch His Kingdom. Keep your eyes on the Son.

            Remember, Satan wants to take you away, and he does not have to use the Church of Satan to do so. If you're not focused on Jesus, any good thing can take you off the King and the Kingdom.

            Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, you have to be careful and watch the King and His Kingdom.

            Extraordinary salvation–extraordinary consequences. If you and I submit to Jesus and watch the Son, we can influence a lot of people to become part of the Kingdom of God and live with Him forever. But, if we get eyes off of Him, we can hurt people.

            What is the most dangerous group of people in America? You may be thinking terrorists, or you may be thinking teenage boys. I would vote for middle-aged men. I have watched this a lot through the years.

            A teenage boy can make a bad decision and wreck his car, and that will wreck his car. A middle-aged man can make a bad decision, and it will wreck his career.

            A teenage boy can do something stupid, and fracture his fibula. A middle-aged man can do something stupid, and fracture his family.

            Whether it is a teenage boy, a middle-aged man, the event is precipitated by a distraction, a loss of focus, and drifting. The ending can be a shattering event; the beginning is typically slow and subtle. But gradually, an individual gets off course.

            We live in a world that offers us a lot of data. We have smart phones, Internet, TV, radio, papers, magazines, and billboards—all offering us input. Typically, this information encourages us to maintain the attitude of a consumer that can get us off course.

            Living in a materialistic culture creates and forms people who treat the Kingdom in a consumerist way. You then have the church filled with consumers. That’s not good.

            If you discover in your church a Christian who's living a sexually immoral lifestyle, it is not difficult to discipline that individual. But if you have someone in your church who is maintaining consumer mentality, the implications or more ambiguous, and that's why this mentality is dangerous.

            Typically these steps in the consumer mentality are so tiny they are imperceptible, yet they take us away from God. Ultimately, those steps take the consumer way off course. God did not call us to be consumers, he called us to be Christ followers. Disciples stay focused on the Son.

            A young man told me about a song from the Christian group Casting Crowns. The lyrics are powerful. The song is called “Slow Fade.”

            Some who have been Christians for a long time will remember a song from Vacation Bible School with words like, “Be careful little feet where you go” and “Be careful little hands what you do.”

            The lyrics of “Slow Fade” evoke those memories. The video is very powerful (here's a link– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk) and here are the lyrics to the song:

"Slow Fade"

Be careful little eyes what you see

It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings

Be careful little feet where you go

For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

            It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

            Be careful little ears what you hear

When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near

Be careful little lips what you say

For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

            It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

                        The journey from your mind to your hands

Is shorter than you're thinking

Be careful if you think you stand

You just might be sinking

            It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

Daddies never crumble in a day

Families never crumble in a day

                        Oh be careful little eyes what see

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

For the Father up above is looking down in love

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

            The writer of “Slow Fade” is saying, “Don't drift off course. Pay attention; keep your eyes on the Son.” That is what the writer of Hebrews is saying as well.

            As I wrote earlier, I was duck hunting with my son, Timothy, and we were on land with which I was not familiar. I had a compass with me, and for some reason, it did not work correctly.

            I sensed we were getting off course. Something did not seem right.

            I was receiving input from the compass, yet I looked up at the sun and became worried. As I looked back at my compass, I asked myself this profound question, "When did the sun start setting in the East?"

            I knew that winter did crazy things to the solstice, but this? I then faced a difficult decision: do I follow my compass-seemingly the best data that the world has to offer-or do I follow the sun?

            I chose to follow the sun, and Timothy and I made it home.

            You and I must make a decision today and every day. Will we choose to follow the best data that this world has to offer, or will we follow the Son? The preacher of Hebrews says, “Follow the Son, and you will make it home.”