1 Corinthians 12:22-26: We Belong Together/Avengers

We Belong Together
1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Introduction

Near the end of the movie The Avengers, the villain, Loki is facing off against the giant, green monster form of The Hulk. As the Hulk grabs him, Loki yells out, “ENOUGH. You are, all of you, beneath me. I am a god you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by…” at which point The Hulk thwacks him against  the ground thwack…thwack…thwack and mumbles, “Puny god.”

We live in a world which lives in fear to ‘puny gods.” Fear, death, worry and shame stand over us and tell us that we are ‘dull creatures’--and we allow them to control us. But they are impostors. Fear and death and worry and shame are pretenders dressed up in fake divine costume.  As Captain America says, “There is only one God and I don’t think he dresses like that.”

Here is the mystery of the church: it is full of super heroes. We didn’t come out of our mother’s womb as super heroes. Oh, we tried to act like super heroes. But you know and we know that when you pretend to be super heroes, you just get beat up. However, when we were born again, when God gave us his spirit and it transformed us, each of us was given a super power. The Bible calls these super powers karis-ma or gifts. And with those super powers, those karis-ma-ta, we have the very real strength to overcome, to win, to defeat the puny gods.

Why is it that we prefer to live as Clark Kent instead of Superman, as Diana Prince instead of Wonder Woman, as Peter Parker but neglect Spiderman? Is it the costume? Or maybe, we have forgotten who we really are? When the world is at risk, do we honestly long for the cubicle, the classroom, the kitchen and the minivan? Or is there something else.

I have a theory. I suspect that in many cases it’s the other super heroes. We don’t like them. Sometimes Sunday morning just isn’t big enough to hold all of the super egos. So prickly! So sensitive! So bombastic! So self-protecting! Just like with the Avengers. As long as each one held tightly to this high opinion of their strength, their intelligence, their importance, Loki—the enemy--wins.

Just like in the church. When we hold tightly to our opinion of our strength, our gifts, our smarts, our importance, the enemy—the Devil—wins. But when we submit ourselves to the great God and work together, the church is a super power. The world is dying, evil is seducing heart after heart, but we are worried about what so-and-so said to us, whether they listened to what I said, or why they were looking at me strangely.

We are broken and selfish people. We are given super powers. Bringing us together to help save the world seems like a bad idea. What was God thinking? I mean, seriously, look at you…and me.

It is exactly this topic that Paul talks about in a letter he wrote to one of the first churches he started, 1^st Corinthians. In the 11^th and 12^th chapter we find that the people in that church have discovered their super powers after becoming followers of Jesus. But, because they are selfish people, like you and me, they have used their gifts to make themselves look good and important. The gifts have, tragically, become simply sin magnifiers. Same sinful people, bigger explosion.

Now, in the second half of chapter 12, Paul says, in effect, “Children, let’s learn how to play nice with each other.”

We Belong Together Because We Share One Spirit (vs. 12-13)

¹²The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. ¹³For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free —and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

First: These super powers—these gifts—are given. They are not natural or innate. No one is born with super powers, but everyone who is born again has a super power. You don’t plop down a few bennies or your credit card or say a few rosaries or sacrifice your right ear or anything like that to get these super powers or to upgrade to a “better” one. We can’t take any credit for our super power.

Second: These super powers are really a person. It says “we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” But this isn’t like some gamma-radiation-mutagenic-viral-spiritual drink. It is not an “it” it is a “who”. The terrifying part of becoming a follower of Jesus is that you invite God (big-G God) to move-in to your soul, with access to the real you, with permission to re-work your spiritual DNA. By opening the door to the Spirit of God, he unlocks something new. The Bible has several lists of these super powers, sort of like an X-man catalog.

Third: These super powers should create a super team, not just a super hero. According to these verses, it doesn’t matter what bubble fill out in the “ethnic group” survey. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks…”  So, it is not whether Filipino or Chinese or Swedish or Tanzanian blood (lahi).  We stand together in the blood-line of Jesus. And it doesn’t matter what your income or socio-economic condition, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether….slave or free.” Wherever we started, when we become a follower of Jesus, we belong together.

Do you think that the Spirit invested all of that power in you just so you could party harder? No! It was so we could party together, and work together, and cry together, and celebrate together while expanding the kingdom of God. 

We Belong Together Because We Play An Essential Part (vs. 14-20)

Of course, there are some people who try what I call the Iron Man strategy. They say, “I don’t need anybody else and they really don’t need me.”  But we are an essential part in the team. Here’s what Paul said:

¹⁴ Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.”

¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

You may never have heard of tall Yelena Isinbayeva. As a young girl of 5 years old in Russia, she started training as a gymnast, setting her sights on one day going to the Olympics. However, at age 15 she was told she would have to leave the program, because at 5ft 8½ inches she was considered too tall for the sport. If you had stopped her life right there, people would have shaken their heads at tall Yelena, the failed gymnast. Why? Because there was a slot on the Olympic team and she didn’t fit.

But someone else looked at tall Yelena Isinbayeva and didn’t see a failed gymnast. Instead they saw a talented pole-vaulter. Within a year, at age 16, she had won her first competition, the World Youth Games with a vault of over 4 meters. Within five years, she had broken the world record and taken the gold in the Olympics.[1]

Every one of us is a Spirit-enabled gold medalist in something. But sometimes we disqualify ourselves or other people from the ministry by insisting that we fit into the pastor-slot or the missionary-slot or the children’s-worker-slot. 

But the Bible says God made a perfect place for you, in the church. Just like the Avengers, if Iron Man or Thor or The Hulk or Nick Fury backs out, the whole team suffers. I first learned this lesson from my favorite super hero: Curious George. This little monkey was always getting into trouble because of his curiosity. One time the Man with the Yellow Hat was putting together a puzzle and he found that there was a piece missing. Soon after that, Curious George developed a stomach ache and had to be taken to the hospital. They took an X-ray and, sure enough, there was the missing piece. Curious George had eaten it.

It happens to us also. We are the missing piece. When we don’t work together in the church, it is glaringly obvious: there is a piece missing. Like Curious George, it also hurts us when we try to hold it inside and not use it the way it was supposed to. But when all the pieces are working together, it creates a beautiful picture.

We Belong Together Because We Need Each Other. (vs. 21-26)

Let me put this a different way: Outside the church you can never be who God made you to be. We need each other! I am not enough to do what God wants me to do, even with my gifts. I need you and you need me. The Bible says:

²¹The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” … ²⁴ … But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Alex Rodriguez, or A-Rod is one of the highest paid players in major league baseball: $29 million. Baseball insiders know he’s a big star with a career battering average of .301[2] I may be a newb at this baseball thing, but doesn’t it seem extreme to pay so much money for someone who misses 70% of the times he’s at bat. Even Shaq did free-throws better than that!

But baseball is like life. We don’t always get a hit—do it right. Even the stars get it wrong a lot of the time. By myself, I’d have to hit a home run every at bat. But we play as a team so that, if we string some hits together, back-to-back, we start scoring some runs and we can win the game.

It is like hospital gowns. You know hospital gowns, right? They have nice floral prints on the front, but down the back they are completely open to the air. People in  hospital gowns never like to turn their back on anyone because they are exposed. We all have strengths and weaknesses, like the hospital gown. And we keep trying show only our good side, but our back side is showing somewhere. But here's where the church comes is: when two people in hospital gowns trust each other and stand back-to-back, no one's weak point is exposed.

Conclusion

So, what is it that glues a church full of super-power wielding, but flawed, people? Just in the next chapter (chapter 13), Paul reveals what it is: Love. Let me read you the next few verses:

If I speak in the tongues of Nick Fury and have the aim of Hawkeye, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of secrets like Black Widow and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge like Iron Man and if I have the strength of Hulk or Thor to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I have like Colson or sacrifice myself like Captain America but have not love, I gain nothing.  – 1 Cor 13:1-3 paraphrase.

You know what a super hero without love is? Pathetic. When we don’t love, we remain trapped in the control of the puny gods: selfishness and fear. Love is the proof that we are no longer trapped by sin, that we have truly been freed by God.

Maybe this morning, you realize that you’ve never had the thrill of the Spirit’s power flowing through you. Could it be you’ve never let Jesus in close enough to do the radical work he needs to do in your life.  He died on the cross to make it possible for flawed, weak people to be transformed into good guys and good gals.

Maybe you’ve been stressed out by church because you’ve been forcing yourself or other people to be an “eye” or an “ear”. There is a place for you in the church, maybe not what you or anyone else expected, but tailored for who you are and where you are. Maybe its time to start a program of guided experimentation: serving in different capacities for short periods until you find where your super powers click with the amazing mission of God.

Look around you now: this place is filled with super heroes. Every one here. Treat them with respect. Forgive freely, they’re flawed. Apologize frequently, we’re broken. And Love deeply.

---

[1] Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yelena_Isinbayeva, retrieved on August 16, 2012

[2] http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/3115/alex-rodriguez, retrieved on August 16, 2012

Jesus Takes a Detour (Luke 8:26-39)

[This sermon was preached on July 15, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Tim Lewis]

Jesus Takes A Detour

Luke 8:26-39

Introduction

In the movie The Hunger Games, 24 teens are selected to fight to the death, a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts. In District 12, it is the boy Peeta and the girl, Katniss. For me, one of the most compelling scenes, they are discussing what to expect, since one of them must die. Peeta says, “I don’t know how to say it exactly. Only…I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?” … “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not.” – taken from the The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins, chapter 10, page 71.

Peeta was worried that somehow the world, the expectations of those watching and those people running the “games” would be able to manipulate him so that at the end of the process he would not even recognize himself—he would become a “monster” When I heard that, I could sympathize with his fear. There are many people who would want to give me instructions—how to raise my kids, how to raise my tomatoes, how to eat, how to live, how to love, how to laugh. If you stop and think about it, it is really quite invasive. Sometimes they call it a law. Sometimes they call it advice. Sometimes they call it wise. But all around us—just like the audience and game masters—is a world with an opinion about you.

And it is not always outside of us. Some of these voices we have actually invited inside of our heads, a sort of jury box with whom we go over each of our decisions, mentally anticipating their thumbs up or thumbs down. Maybe it is your Mom (like me) who, even though I haven’t lived with her for 25 years, I sometimes mentally look for her thumbs up or thumbs down. Or my grandfather, Waldo, a godly man who has been dead these 15 years. Maybe it is a teacher, or an older classmate, or a boss, or a hero. Each one of us accumulates a jury box who we give mental permission to pass judgment on our plans and mistakes. To some, we look for approval. For others, we are afraid of their negative opinion.

But, there is yet another level where we give up our own voice. We let go and another dictates our actions and behaviors, maybe to avoid getting hurt, maybe out of desire for something or maybe out of hopelessness. The Bible describes this spiritual condition-a sort of spiritual “loss of willpower” as demonization or (less precisely) demon possession.

Now, in the 8^th chapter of Luke, one of the four biographies of Jesus found in the Bible, we see Jesus encounter a man in this very condition. It is one of the strangest episodes in Jesus life and yet, at the same time, is revealing as to what is at stake when Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, insists on the kingdom of God is coming to earth. This episode will show us what Jesus sees, what drives Jesus and what he expects will happen, not just for one troubled man, but for all of us. Why would Jesus take a detour?

Jesus Takes The Detour…Will You?

Maybe you heard the story this week about Bob Russell. Forty-two years ago, when he was a college student in Philadelphia, he returned home after a date with his then-future to find that his 1967 Austin-Healey sports car had been stolen. Reported to the police, there was no hope. Every time he saw a car that looked like his beloved lost vehicle, he checked closely, hoping he could recover it.

Then recently he was scouring on eBay when he saw one. Sure, the paint was faded, the hard top broken down and the interior worn down, but after comparing the vehicle identification numbers, sure enough, he had found his car. Some work with the car dealer selling it, who had no idea of its history, and after forking over the $600 impound fee he was reunited, 42 years after he lost it. His goal now is to completely restore it to its former glory.[1]

Forty three years ago, Jesus lost one of his children: me. But he didn’t give up on me. Instead he kept looking for me and, when he found me, he had paid the price so that I could be returned to him. Now he is in the process of restoring me to the glory in which he had originally created me.

When Jesus went looking for this man, he really took a detour. In order to rescue this one man, Jesus had to overcome at least six different obstacles. He never gave up. Let’s look at the six.

1.     Comfort Barrier. Jesus’ ministry was doing well. He was drawing crowds everywhere he went. In fact, according to verse 40 of this chapter, when Jesus went back, his whole fan club was there waiting for him. In order for Jesus to rescue this man, he had to set aside what was comfortable and even what was working, to do what God wanted.

2.     Physical Barrier. Jesus had to cross the lake and through a storm to get to this man.

3.     Cultural Barrier. These people were not Jewish. Jesus was Jewish. They raised pigs. Jews thought pigs were dirty. Jesus could have said, “They aren’t like me. They don’t look like me. They don’t talk like me. They don’t eat like me.” Instead he made the first move.

4.     Religious Barrier. In the Jewish religion, you cleaned yourself often. If you touched something or someone that was religiously dirty or “unclean” you became dirty yourself and were excluded from society and even public worship. This man lived in the graveyard. And the “evil” spirit (vs. 29) in the Greek is really “unclean” or dirty. Inside and out, he was defiled. But Jesus reached out to him, in a way no synagogue, church or “religious” person would.

5.     Social Barrier. This guy wasn’t exactly easy to get along with-he runs up to Jesus and starts shouting at him at the top of his voice (vs.28). And he’s naked. And he’s violent. No one in town till deal with him. But Jesus will.

6.      Spiritual Barrier. This man’s problem is a spiritual issue. He has given away his self to not just one demon, but many. The term “legion” typically consisted of 5,000 Roman soldiers.

Jesus took a detour from Galilee and conquered every barrier, even if there was just one man to rescue and believe. My friends, that is exactly what he has done for you. Jesus took a detour for you—from heaven to earth, from glory to the shame of the cross. You didn’t deserve it. He had every reason to turn his back on you, but he didn’t. The Bible says:

⁷Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. ⁸But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:7-8 (NLT)

Jesus overcame every obstacle. Will you cross the street? Will you cross the room? Will you open your mouth? What excuse have we used to explain why we can’t go to the people God has called us to reach.

Jesus Sees The Person…Will You?

But why did he do it? He did it for us because he loved us and he could see us-really see us.

Everyone looked at this man and saw a wreck. Homeless. Out of control. Violent. Unholy. But Jesus saw that inside that rotten man was someone worth saving. From the trash heap of this man’s life, Jesus knew there was someone worth saving. Someone whose life, if redeemed, would change the face of eternity.

C. S. Lewis once said: “It is a serious thing…to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations … There are no 'ordinary' people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilisations -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendours.”[2]

We were all made in the image of God, but it is a failed, distorted image. But Jesus sees that when we are re-made in the image of Christ, we can be the people we were meant to be, not just the be people we have become. He saw that and gave this man hope. Do we see the people around us? Or do we see problems? Or do we see resources?

I think that up to this point, the man had lived in fear of demon. Up until this day, the spirits to whom he had opened the door of his life were the most powerful that he knew. But somewhere inside that naked, violent, vile, out-of-control man was someone desperate for hope—but paralyzed by fear.

Then something happened: the demon was afraid. Twice during the conversation, the demon begged Jesus not to hurt them (vs. 28, 31). The man was afraid of the demon, but the demon was afraid of Jesus. And that Jesus was reaching out to help.

Right now, we are living below our potential in Christ because fears rule us. But think…everything we are afraid of is afraid of Jesus. And fortunately, Jesus is more powerful and more loving that our fears. So replace what you are afraid of with the One who loves you. He doesn’t worry about who you are or what you have done—he worries about where you are going. He knows the heavy burden you bear, but you bear it unnecessarily. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Look around you, Folsom Community Church, at a community bearing the burden of fear, yearning desperately for hope, flailing blindly in the vain hope that the American dream will save them, when only Jesus can. Can you see?

Jesus Breaks Down Barriers…Will You?

Strangely enough, in this story, there is one obstacle that Jesus himself could not overcome.

The demons rush out at Jesus command into the herd of pigs nearby and the pigs promptly commit suicide of the edge of a cliff into the Sea of Galilee. The people from the town hear about it and come out to see for themselves the pig mass-murderer. One man. Thousand dead pigs. There’s the former naked wild man, dressed and sane. But the pigs! Sure the guy seems ok. But the pigs! Sayang ang lechon! So they ask Jesus to leave (kind of like the reaction of the demons). Jesus was too scary for them.

Jesus could reach the man, but Jesus could not reach them.

But watch what happens next:

³⁸The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus could not reach them, but that man could. And Jesus can’t reach Folsom, but we can. We can proclaim throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for us. I’m guessing he’s done something for you, or else you wouldn’t be using up your Sunday afternoon.

Jesus told his followers this same lesson shortly before he died, when he said:

¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. – John 14:12

 I’m sorry, but Jesus couldn’t be here in Folsom today. Instead he left Mary, Max, Brian, Tito, Vergie, John and the rest of us to do his work because he knew that, with some help, we could do the job, even a better job. Look what Jesus said next:

¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth…

Conclusion

Maybe you’ve heard the proverb: “Give a man a fish, feed a man for a day. Teach a man to fish feed him for the rest of his life.” But there’s another one: “Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”[3]

You may laugh, but there is some truth to this. God doesn’t just want to build us a fire, he wants to light us on fire for him—ablaze for the rest of our eternal life. Because our life was not designed to be maintained, our life was designed to be spent for God.

²⁴Those who want to save [preserve/maintain] their lives will give up true life. But those who give up [spend] their lives for me will have true life – Luke 9:24

Jesus saw the man. He cared. He moved. Can we see? I can’t.

 [Picture 1]: All of Folsom. I know, in my mind, that the 400,000 people within 25 miles of this spot are hurting and crying and dying without Jesus. But somehow, I can’t see it. But that picture is made up of so many individual lives  [Picture 2]: One house (Beardsen Ct.)

I drive here almost every day. Why don’t I care? Why don’t I move? Am I the only one? Next Saturday, 10:30am I will be up here at the water tank on top of this hill to pray. It is as close as I can get to the view that God has of Folsom. And I am going to beg him to let me have his heart for people here. Frankly, I am afraid of what I will see and feel and have to do. https://maps.google.com/?ll=38.652346,-121.105932&spn=0.005698,0.012392&t=h&z=17

Jesus crushed every barrier. No excuses. My excuses are for my convenience, but convenience is not in God’s vocabulary when it comes to rescuing people’s souls for eternity. There are people I don’t talk to because I don’t like them, or they aren’t my type of person. How about you? Am I the only one?

Jesus sees the future for you. He has put you in this time and place. We could spend all of our time wishing we could leave (just like the man) or wishing our circumstances are different. And, in doing so, we miss seeing the reason God put us here. I am not here by accident. I am not with you by accident.  Can we commit to find out what that reason is, together?

Jesus took a detour for you. Maybe today, fear is holding you back. But God is bigger than your fears, and certainly Jesus is more living.

Jesus took a detour for you. Now, will you take a detour with him for others? He was a gate-crasher, a detour-taker, a barrier breaker, a risk-mismanagement-through-the-storm, take-on-your-cross sort of guy. Will you be one, too?

No excuses.

---

[1] Texas Man Finds Stolen Car 42 Years Later, ALON HARISH, ABC News (Jul 11, 2012), retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/texas-man-finds-stolen-car-42-years-later-203003133--abc-news-topstories.html on July 12, 2012

[2] C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

[3] Terry Pratchett, Jingo (1997), p. 181

Are We There Yet? (Luke 8:22-25)

[This sermon was preached on June 17, 2012 at Folsom Community Church by Tim Lewis]
Are We There Yet?
Luke 8:22-25

Introduction
During the winter of 1777, General George Washington needed to find a secure place for his troops to camp and selected Valley Forge, some 25 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The poorly supplied soldiers had to build their own cabins, many times find their own food, mend their own uniforms and melt lead for their own bullets. On the site today there is a national park and my family went to see the visitor’s center with numerous artifacts, the recreated cramped cabins where the soldiers lived and the monuments dedicated to their memory. But do you think my family remembers anything about Valley Forge and the sacrifice of the brave men who died their? No! They remember one thing: the shortcut. Valley Forge is a large site, my kids were smaller and we had walked for miles. My map clearly showed a service road which would get us back to the visitor’s center and on to the bus that would take us back to our hotel. But they were tired and starting to complain. So, when I saw a path that led through the grassy fields in the right general direction, I told my family to take the path. But little did I know that clinging to the end of each of the grassy stems was a little hitchhiker determined to claim a ride. Ticks. In the hotel, whole body inspections revealed ticks in along the hairline and in various crevices in our body. So when someone mentions Valley Forge to my family, do they think of the great historical significance of the site? No! They remember that Daddy said they should take the shortcut.

Some of you have similar experiences, I am sure. My kids learned long ago not to ask me, “How much longer?” because I would always respond: “About 99 hours” “That’s what you said last time!” “Yes, and we’re still a long way away.” Dads get really grumpy. “Are you there yet?” “Is the car stopped?” “Then, no. Be quiet”

When it comes to our life journey, sometimes we ask the same thing from God. “Are we there yet?” It seems like we are dealing with the same issue for so long, and we aren’t getting any better—any closer. We look at our marriages, we look at our kids, we look at our work, we look at ourselves-and it seems like we’re dealing with the same issues over and over again. It’s like that poem, “Footsteps” except the reason that there are two sets of footsteps is because we’re going in circles and we found our own a second time.

Jesus once took his disciples on a road trip-or rather, a boat trip. We’ve been following Jesus through the Luke, one of the four biographies of Jesus found in the Bible. In the 8^th chapter, starting at verse 22, we read:

²²One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. ²³As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

²⁴The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

Sometimes our lives resemble their boat trip. We start out expecting smooth sailing, but then the storms come, the boat is sinking and we look around and wonder what happened.

Certainly, as a father, this can be true. God sks fathers to set the tone, the spiritual climate for their families. And Jesus is willing to make us into the men—the husbands, the workers, the fathers—that he intended for us to me. But the way to level up as a man isn’t always clear and as much as we like to claim we are strong, we are disciplined, we are macho, when it comes to faith, we can be real wimps. 

Jesus puts us in situation where our spiritual wimpiness is visible outwardly. Why? Because we lie to ourselves. We put on a show for others. Jesus knows the real story, he sees our hearts. But he proves it to us in those impossible, painful, stressful situations and then he asks us “Where is your faith?” At that point, the gap between us and God is never more apparent. We are not there yet—but God will get us there.

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6

Let’s look how this process works.

1. Jesus Will Ask Us to Go Where We Wouldn’t Go

Our natural tendency is not to go where Jesus wants us to go. The first law of spiritual inertia says, “A person at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside spiritual force--Jesus” We need Jesus to get going. And we need Jesus to go in the right direction. Because the second long of spiritual thermodynamics says, “A person in motion will continue in the wrong direction unless acted on by an outside spiritual force—Jesus.” We go astray. Therefore, the third law: “A person will end up in the wrong place unless acted upon by an outside spiritual force—Jesus.” And they won’t stop and ask for directions.

We have a limited perspective, so it is not always clear to us why we would ever consider going some of the places that Jesus would have us go. Like a GPS with some of the coordinates missing. This is true in our relationship with Jesus, and also in our relationships, our careers. Why would I spend time with that person? Why would I take that job? Why would I choose unemployment? I wouldn’t. But Jesus will sometimes ask us to.

Look again at what Jesus said, in verse 22:

²²One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out.

Boat Trip! Everyone piled in. Grabbed a few tinapa and some pan-de-sal. They started rowing or sailing. “Where are we going, Jesus?” “Oh, to visit the Gadarenes.” Now why would Jesus want to go there?

Well, the good thing is they didn’t argue, they trusted. They trusted even though they knew what-or more specifically, who--was on the other side of the lake: a bunch of pig-loving non-Jews. If they made any comment, the Bible doesn’t record it. But I think some of them were thinking: “What’s wrong with the beaches on our side of the lake?”

Let’s wander in Jesus’ direction. Maybe Jesus is prompting you to walk across a room and start up a conversation. Maybe Jesus is asking you, “Let’s go over across the street.” Maybe Jesus is telling you to try the next cubicle, or the next house, or the next job, or even try the next country. I am very good at excuses. “I don’t know them.” “I haven’t taken a shower yet.” “I’m never going to see them again anyway.” “Who are they? Not my type of people.” But Jesus says “Let’s go.”

2. Jesus Will Push Us Beyond What We Would Endure

²³As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. ²⁴The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

As I have gotten older as a father, I have found that kids are a crisis just waiting to happen.  There is no better alarm clock in the world for waking you out of a deep sleep than a sobbing child. Teens can really just push all your buttons that cause your blood pressure to rise…or at least, so I’m told. “Kids have this way of taking you right up to the edge of what you can endure, and then they push.”[1] Why do kids do that??? Let me tell you, God puts you with your family because your family is the training ground God uses to become like Jesus. They are the perfect training ground precisely because they can push you. And the place where they push you is uncharted territory. And the uncharted territory is where you trust God in a new and fresh way.

For at least four of the disciples, working the lake as fishermen was their job. They were probably traveling in their boats[2]. This was their lake. The Sea of Galilee was not very big: 13 miles long by 8 miles wide[3], about 1/3 the size of Lake Tahoe[4].  This was their home turf, so when the violent storm came off the cliffs, they knew what it meant: they were going to die. This was not an unknown destination, it was a well-known destination: death. This storm was beyond the ability to cope.

How we respond in very good times and very bad times shows who we really are.

My friend Tom was a professional controller at a manufacturing firm. He was a professional controller, 20 years experience, president of the local division of his professional organization. He walked into his boss’ office one day, expecting a promotion, and instead was told that his services were no longer needed. He assumed, with so much experience, he could easily find another position. Nothing. No one wanted to hire him. In the area where he was the strongest, God was showing him that it wasn’t enough. And Tom will tell you through the story of his own failure that he was able to find Jesus.

3. Jesus Will Save Us in A Way We Would Not Expect

…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ²⁵“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

What exactly were the disciples expecting Jesus was going to do? It is strange that these disciples were willing to follow Jesus into the boat, they were willing to trust him with the destination, they were willing to let him go to sleep, but they were worried that they would not get across the lake. Why?

Because they expected that with Jesus asleep in the boat, it was going to be an easy ride, smooth sailing. No problems. But what they got was the storm, the wind, the waves, the boat filling with water. What Jesus told them didn’t match what they were seeing. They expected something different. Maybe they thought it would be like Jonah, they would have to toss Jesus overboard! I don’t know.       

Then Jesus does something amazing. He stands up and tells the world to shut up. And it does. The wind stops. The waves vanish. And their journey continues to the other side of the lake, just like Jesus said it should. Jesus turns to his disciples and asks, “Where is your faith?”

‘What did you expect?’ There was a lingering fear that this time God had really blown it this time. There was an element of doubt in their hearts about whether God had, perhaps, abandoned them. But Jesus doesn’t do that. He doesn’t bring us this far to leave us. You are never stranded with Jesus.

The same Jesus who started with you is the same Jesus who is with you now and is the same Jesus who will finish it with you. “Behold I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) If God lets you into this mess, God will lead you out.

And he will do it in a way that is uniquely God. “Wow, I never saw that one coming.” Creation itself is brought to a stand-still like a well-trained dog. Like Mary’s dog in front of a plate of food. No move without permission from the master.  

They might have expected Jesus to pray. They might have expected him to guide them to land, or help them row back to shore, or for help to appear in the form of another boat. They might have expected even for him to walk on water (been there, done that). Jesus seldom answers our call for help in the same way twice. He is creative, and delights in defying our expectations while at the same time, keeping his promises. (hidden from the wise and revealed to the simple).

God pushes us beyond what we can endure, what we can accomplish, what we can perceive so that when an answer comes, there is no mistake that it is from God.

My daughter, Shannon, had to take basic Physics at the university. She found the class easy, because it covered much of what she had done in her advanced class in high school. But when she came to the final exam, she found that there was one problem she didn't know how to do. No matter how smart she was, no matter how many years experience, she was stumped. So she stopped in the middle of her final exam and prayed. Then, she said when she opened her eyes, "Bam! Epiphany!" God showed her the path and she finished with no problems.



4. Jesus Will Reveal Himself In A Way We Would Not Have Seen

The end result is not just that we get to where Jesus was pointing us, but that we see Jesus in a new way. Look at what happens next, in verse 25:

…In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

“Who is this?” Now that’s a good question. In fact, the disciples are showing remarkable spiritual insight: first, they get in the boat without complaining. Good move. Then when the storm comes, they go to Jesus. Good move. Then, when Jesus does the remarkable, the incredible, they ask the right question. Who is this?

The answers they might have given to this point won’t work anymore. Carpenter. Rabbi. Prophet. Master. None of these titles would cover what they have just seen. Maybe you missed it: Jesus didn’t appeal to heaven for authority over the storm, he was the authority. He spoke. The waves listened.

“Where is your faith?” Jesus asks because only faith makes sense of the evidence of their senses. The creator was right there in the boat. The kingdom of heaven was overtaking the kingdom of this world in the person of Jesus, the king.

Your God is too small. My God is too small. God pulls back the curtain to give us a glimpse of his full glory, just a hint of how much bigger he is than us.  That little bit we do see blows our mind.

And that is the point: we get to see God how he really is. In the “road trip” God lets us see him better, know him better and work with him more closely.

And like Moses, God can speak to us as he speaks to a friend. And our life glows, the way that Moses face glowed when he came down the mountain. And we are changed into the rock-solid people that he needs to crack the hard shell of the world’s indifference to the savior who was broken on their behalf.

Conclusion

The problems we face may seem so big, but that is because we forgotten how big God is.

One of the popular ads for the 2011 Super Bowl was a Volkswagen commercial that pictures a child dressed in a Darth Vader costume attempting to use "the force" around the house.

With the familiar Star Wars music associated with Darth Vader playing in the background, the boy marches down the hallway and then raises his hands dramatically toward the treadmill.

Next the young Darth points his hands at the family dog lying on the floor. The dog looks up quizzically—but again nothing happens.

Darth does not give up. Now in the bedroom, he raises his hands forcefully toward a doll seated on the bed. The doll stares back blankly without budging an inch. Darth's arms drop to his sides in frustration, and he slumps in discouragement.

In the kitchen, still in costume, he now stands dejectedly at the counter with his black-helmeted head on his hand. His mom has to push the sandwich when his “force” powers fail to draw it to him.

Then his father pulls into the driveway, and Darth runs out to the car as his father walks into the house. He hasn't given up! One more time he raises his hands and points them dramatically at the auto. He waits, hands upraised. Suddenly the car's yellow turn signals light up and the engine starts!

The startled child stumbles backward. We see that the playful father had started the car from the kitchen using a push-button ignition. The amazed child whirls to look toward the house, then back again toward the car.[5]

“Where is your faith?” That is a fair question. So many people want the guidance and power of God, but they don’t want a relationship with God. The power is in the relationship. One little push from God is worth more than all the “force” you can muster.

The disciples thought they knew Jesus. Then they saw who Jesus was, for a moment. And it says, “…in fear and amazement they asked each other” (v. 25) In fear and amazement.

God wants to show himself to you. Are you willing to do what it takes? Frankly, that’s scary. It’s scary to me, because I am afraid of what it will take for God to teach me. Of what will have to be stripped away, torn down, burnt off, to leave behind the purified man of God. It’s scary because I must put myself wholly in God hands. I sure hope he likes me. I admit it. I don’t like pain. I am a wimp.

But against that weakness, is a desire. A desire, a thirst, a longing to know God, to be saturated with the presence of God, to feel his grace at work in the world and join with him.

…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. – Philippians 2:12b-13

But against that weakness is a longing to be strong enough to face the storm with Jesus.

“Where is your faith?” (follower:continued trust, non-follower:relationship)

Thinking back to Valley Forge, maybe the ticks were the point of the story.

---

[1] Taken from a story told by Steve Bell

[2] Likely five (Andrew, James the Elder, John, Peter and Philip) were fishermen, although only four (all but Philip) are identified as such.

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee, retrieved on June 14, 2012

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tahoe, retrieved on June 14, 2012

[5] Craig Brian Larson, editor of PreachingToday.com, from the ad “The Force” by Volkswagen, February 2, 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R55e-uHQna0, viewed on June 16, 2012

What's The Good Word (Luke 8:16-18)

[This sermon was preached at Folsom Community Church on April 29, 2012 by Tim Lewis]

What’s The Good Word?
Luke 8:16-18

Introduction

There once was a poor rice farmer. Each year his crop was poor, and as planting season was approaching, he had no hope that this year would be any different. Still he rode his tractor—his kuliglig-to the rice field he worked. When got there, he was amazed to find it was already planted, the healthy, seedling rice plants perfectly laid out in rows. He tried to figure out what had happened, but couldn’t figure out who had planted in his field.

He could not believe his good fortune. The crop was healthy, and his harvest yielded more kilos per hectare than any rice crop he’d ever seen or heard of. But what to do with this big crop? If his neighbors, or worse yet, his in-laws knew about his good fortune, they would certainly be coming to ask, ask, ask from him. So he determined to not tell anyone, and threshed it at night, and stored it in jars and baskets under his house. For once in his life, there was no pressure. He had enough bigas (rice) for two harvests! So he slept in, sneaking rice from his hiding places when he thought no one was looking, growing plump and enjoying his hammock through the next season. But then he noticed a problem. The weevils and mice were enjoying his rice, too. By the end of the season, so much was rotten, moldy or eaten that he had to borrow money for his daily food. He dreamed of another big crop, but at planting time he went to the field and found it dry and empty. So because he squandered his blessing selfishly, the blessings dried up. What will you do with God’s ‘good news’ towards you?

Is God’s word good? And, if it is good, then how good is it? We’ve been studying the life of Jesus as it is recorded in the Bible. In chapter 8 of the book of Luke, one of the four biographies of Jesus in the Bible, it records a new period in Jesus’ ministry:

¹After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,

The ministry consists of the message: the ‘good news of the kingdom of God’ which included both his miracles and his sermons, the Messiah: Jesus, and the community: the twelve disciples and others who traveled with them. 

When people asked him about this ‘good news’ he often told stories to describe what the he meant. And last time, we learned how the good news means that we can change; that we can be new and improved when we are humble and welcome God’s word.

¹⁵But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

God can change us. God does change us. He changes out attitudes. He changes our habits. He changes our want-to. He changes what we hope for. He changes what we dream about. He changes our relationships. He produces love, joy, peace and patience in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23)

But what is the change for? Why did he change you? Now some of you think this is a trick question. Jesus died on the cross to fix me, to remove the sin which he hates and which corrupts every decision I make, so that I can be truly “healthy”. And that’s true. But why did he do that?

In the next few verses-verses 16-18-of Luke chapter 8, Jesus explains further using a different picture. But even though we are not talking about ‘seeds’ and ‘crops’ we are still talking about the same topic. We are still talking about the change that results from God’s word active in our life. Let’s read together:

¹⁶“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. ¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. ¹⁸Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

We Are God’s Projectors

In order to get his point across, Jesus uses a sort of ridiculous picture. Look at it again, in verse 16.

¹⁶“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.”

He says “Can you imagine?” Can you imagine lighting your candle, but then sticking it in a pot or a stuffing it under the mattress. How ridiculous? So what do you think about God? Did he make a mistake with you? “That Tim, he’s wet wood. A lot of smoke. A lot of sputtering. But no fire!” No way. He has set the spark in your life to start your world on fire.

Did you see? “He puts it on a stand” He is going to put you out there, where the new and improved you can shine the brightest. We don’t need the flashlight in here. Why do Christians end up in the worst and most difficult situations? Because the light shines brightest where the darkness is deepest. Because the light shines to greatest effect to those who are lost in that darkness.

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. – Ephesians 5:8-9

You know, you are like this projector. The cable on the back of the projector, that’s where the signal comes in. The cable carries the message. But there is something in the projector, the light, the bulb which gets combined with the message to show it large. The projector is a message amplifier.

And we are God’s message amplifiers. He gives us the signal, and he lights us up and we shine his message around us.  Some of us are content to show off in well-lit Sunday churches. Frankly, if we all just sit around and point our lights at each other, we never see what God wants to say and we just blind each other.

We are God’s projectors in dark world.

We Are God’s Reflectors

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. Listen to what he says next:

¹⁷For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Do you remember what Jesus was doing? Back in verse 1 says Jesus was going around proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The good news is not about me. Incredible! Hey, the good news is not about you, either. Impossible? No…the good news is about God! It is his kingdom.

Back in verse 16, what was supposed to shine? What was not supposed to be hidden? It was the word of God. It was the good news. It was God himself. But now look at verse 17: there is nothing that is hidden that will not be disclosed, there is nothing concealed that will not be known.

You can’t hide God. He’s too big. You try to stuff him down, hide him, squeeze him, he starts bulging out and showing up in expected places, in unexpected ways. Sort of like those boxes people ship back to the Philippines, the balikbayan boxes. The manufacturer’s specification says they are 18x18x18, but I swear duck tape and desperation adds an extra 100 cubic bulging inches to their dimensions. I worry that they are like mines—one touch and that box will explode with gifts all over.

That’s the gospel: just waiting to explode. And the primary path of detonation is your life.  He is too big to hide!

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. – 1 Thessalonians 3:12

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

It is natural for the good news to overflow. Compassion and truth should be the natural result, because that is what is being poured into us.

Starting at 5:15pm on May 20^th of this year, Sacramento will get a front row seat to an unusual event for nearly 2 hours. During that period, instead of white and glowing, the moon will appear black. Normally, because the moon is relatively shiny and high in the sky, it collects the sun’s light and reflects it down to the surface of the Earth where we can see it. But, for these few hours, the moon appears black because, during that period, it will stand directly between the sun and the Earth. That shouldn’t be a big deal, right? I mean, the moon is 64 million times smaller than the sun.[1] But given the right placement, it blocks 87% of the sun’s light. 87%.

We are designed to be sun reflectors. We don’t give off light of our own, but when properly positioned we reflect God’s light, his compassion and truth, to the world. But when we are out of position, we block or deflect people’s vision. We are mirrors for God. We are the moon, to His sun. We are reflectors.

God’s Neglectors

We’ve already looked at how God wants us to be projectors, and reflectors. But what if we don’t? What if we do eclipse God? What if we are God’s neglectors? What happens? Look at verse 18:

¹⁸Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

What happens when the moon blocks the sun? The moon gets moved.

If you have a pen or a pencil, find those words “consider carefully” and circle them. When Jesus tells you to ‘consider carefully’-to pay attention, you’d better sit up straight, because it means that He is about to say something important. Consider carefully how you listen.

At work, when the boss tells an employee to do something, and that employee doesn’t do it, or isn’t careful about the instructions, what does the boss do? The first step is bypass. The boss stops talking to him, and starts telling someone else to do it. During this period, the employee either notices he or she is out of the loop, and talks to the boss. Or the employee says: life is good, my job is easy and I still get paid. If they do that, then the boss takes the second step: bye-bye. Now the employee is un-employed.

Now look at what Jesus said: if the good news you are hearing is stopping with you, do you think God is going to let your deaf-ness stop the gospel? No, of course not! The good news must get through. So maybe he bypasses you, and gives the good listener more good news. Or maybe he says bye-bye and stops telling you the good news. It’s like the farmer and the field. If the field stops producing a crop, why waste more good seed?

So how can I be a better listener?

1.       Get used to the sound of God’s voice. A lot of people have strange ideas about what God really sounds like and what he would do. (John 10:4b) But God left us thousands of pages of recordings so that we can get used to his style. So that when he does give you directions, his voice cuts through the noise. (Acts 17:11)

2.       Get alone where you can hear him. 10 minutes, 15 minutes alone, no cell phone, no TV, no distracting voices. Precious minutes that provide enough space for God to say something through his Spirit. Talk to God in prayer, but then silence is ok.

3.       So, God’s Projector, God’s Reflector or God’s Neglecter. Jesus says you have to get serious about the good news.

Conclusion           

The seed and the spark, they are both from God.

You know, sometimes I hate sermons like this one. Why? God has been good to me, and my family. Normally, that would be a good thing. But Jesus tells me that God’s goodness is supposed to have a result. I am God’s projector. I am not allowed to be a God’s black hole, sucking the light in! I am God’s reflector. I am not allowed to be God’s superstar. He is the star. I am the shiny rock.

But I am the shiny rock through which flows the brilliance of the love of God:

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. – Romans 5:5

I hate sermons like this one because I am a coward. Sometimes, I prefer the bland, mediocre life, because no one notices whether I am good or bad or irrelevant. But I know the truth: God is real, his kingdom is expanding, Jesus is the rescuer of the world and my life is irrevocably changed by his grace. Because I don’t like the wishy-washy part of myself, so I wrote some resolutions for myself, just for this week. Paul did this also, when he started a church:

²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. – 1 Cor. 2:2

I share them with you, because I am determined that the good news, in all its forms, should not stop with me this week. And you can help me. And you can join me. And we can rejoice together.

Resolution #1: I resolve that the when someone asks what I did this weekend, I will talk about my time at church.

Resolution #2: I resolve that someone will find out I’m a Christian this week, who doesn’t know.

Resolution #3: I resolve that when someone has an expected need this week, I will help meet it without drawing attention to myself.

Resolution #4: I resolve that when I hear about big news in someone else’s life, good or bad, I will offer to pray about it. [Elden Shepherd’s job]

Resolution #5: _________________________________

Be a God projector. Be God reflector. Not a God neglector.

---

[1] The sun is 1.409 x 10¹⁸km³. The moon is 2.1958 x 10¹⁰ km³. That’s 64,167,957 times smaller. http://www.smartconversion.com/otherInfo/Volume_of_planets_and_the_Sun.aspx, retrieved on April 28, 2012