I LIKE CHURCH, BUT. #8/8

#1 · June 18, 2007, 8:36 am

Quote from Forum Archives on June 18, 2007, 8:36 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #8/8

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

June 17, 2007

Text: Philippians 3:1-4:1

I was looking through some of my archived articles as I reflected on this mornings Scripture and sermon theme, and I ran across a 1997 article by Michael Medved. He has written as a movie critic for the New York Post; Im not sure if he still writes in that capacity. Medved offers has an amazing moral clarity in his written and spoken reviews, which is surprising for anyone involved in the entertainment industry. He has written at length in opposition to the increasingly pervasive lack of morality within the movie and other entertainment industries. He has also been a frequent speaker at a variety of lecture series hosted by Hillsdale College in Michigan. Referring to a transcript of an address given in 1997, Medved told his audience that America is afflicted with a plague. Take a moment to think about what plague he might be referring to. It is easy for many to come to mind. Drugs? Teen pregnancies? HIV and AIDS? Global warming? Immorality? Such issues are valid concerns, but he did not cite any of them. Instead, he said, America is afflicted with a plague pessimism.

I find that fascinating. Of all the issues he could have dealt with, Medved chose pessimism. He did so with good reason. As a nation, we too often fail to realize the remarkable assets we have. We fail to acknowledge the brilliant capabilities of our citizens. We fail to recognize the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Imagine if he chose to revisit that theme today, ten years later. We have had 9/11 and other terrorist attacks; we are once engaged in military conflicts around the globe; dictators threaten to acquire nuclear weapons; gasoline prices are at record highs; the list goes on seemingly without end. Feeling good by now?

Not even the church has been exempt from pessimistic attitudes. In the last chapter of I Like Church, But..., Dan Lupton contrasts two attitudes: Some church leaders report, What a wonderful time to be in the Lords work. Satan is certainly active, but Gods grace abounds The Spirit of God, like a wind, is touching many lives. Others complain, What a dismal time to be in the Lords work. Immorality and unbelief are societys norm. No one seems interested in spiritual matters I hear it was much easier to witness for Christ in the 1950s. Why was I born too late for the good times? Is there no hope and future for the church? (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 174)

These valid observations written from two quite different sources in the same time period raise a poignant issue for the church to consider: Given the difficulties and challenges of our times, is it realistic, or even constructive, for Christians to express any enthusiastic hope for the future? Should Christians anticipate only a future that appears to be heading our way; one that is filled with increasing immorality and animosity toward Christs Church? Its nice to be optimistic, but is that not a convenience to be discarded in the face of reality? Where are we, the Church, headed? Not unsurprisingly, Gods Word provides the insight we need for such questions. And, also not unsurprisingly, Gods answers differ from our natural human reactions to any given situation.

I read from the entire third chapter and first verse of chapter four of Philippians in order to recapture the complete concept that Paul was sharing with his recipients. Actually, to do that completely, we need to read the entire letter, but Ill leave that exercise for you to accomplish at another time. Make no mistake about it; times were tough for that first century Church. Believers faced persecution from all sides. Jewish leaders sought to demolish this new belief before it got off the ground. Polytheists throughout the provinces did not think too highly of monotheism and were always ready to use Judaism or Christianity as convenient scapegoats. Roman leaders were just plain suspicious of any group who indicated an unwillingness to pledge allegiance to the Emperor.

On top of these cultural challenges, Paul himself had been one of those persecutors of the Christian Church. His attitude and actions are documented in Acts 9, where we read from verses 1-2, Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lords disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Who in any church of that time could have ever conceived that one day that same Paul would be writing a letter to the Philippian church which included, But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ? Im not sure that any believer back then could anticipate such a future for the Church.

Recognize, also, that Paul wrote this letter frequently referred to as his letter of joy while imprisoned for his belief in Christ. Should not Paul engage in the kind of pessimism that Medved mentioned in his speech or that Lupton referred to among some church leaders? Would that not be a more realistic outlook given the circumstances being faced by Paul and his fellow believers? Indeed, given the circumstances we face, would that also not be a more realistic outlook for all of us? Where are we headed?

This is where Paul was headed: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:12-14, 20-21) This led up to one inevitable conclusion which Paul then plainly stated for all to read and hear: Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! (Philippians 4:1) Which way are we headed?

When we head Gods way, then we must recognize that we are part of Christs church, and Christs church is victorious. Writing in Romans 8, Paul contrasts life in the flesh, or sinful nature, with life in the spirit. He declares without hesitation in Romans 8:12-17 that we are bestowed with a particular attitude in the Spirit. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We are not to be slaves to fear! No matter how tempting it may be a lot of the time, we are not to cave in to the plague of pessimism. Standing before the same Sanhedrin that condemned and turned Jesus over to the Roman authorities, Peter responded to their questions in Acts 4:8-12, Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and everyone else in Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you completely healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. It doesnt sound here like Peter was giving in to a plague of pessimism. He knew that the rock on which he stood was not merely firm. It is unshakeable.

Lets read Matthew 16:13-19. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Who is building the church? Jesus! The New Testament word for church is ekklesia, meaning an assembly of people called out of the world. We are Christs church. We are Christs holy people. Where is there room for a plague of pessimism?

When we head Gods way, we recognize that we are given an owners role in Christs church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, He told His disciples. Dan Lupton aptly writes, Just as you have a physical key to your house, so you are one of the keys to the future of your church. Family members who hold keys to my home have roles to fill... Your church will have a brighter future when you, along with the rest of your congregation members, say, This is my church. I hold one of the keys to its future. Where shall I serve? The future of the church is dependent upon Christs Easter warranty and your responsible key holding. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 179)

Christ is building his church. Not crystal cathedrals no matter how impressive such architecture is, but ekklesia an assembly of people called out of the world. In the third century, Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, wrote to his friend Donatus: "It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians... and I am one of them." Doesnt this sound like someone headed the way we want to be headed? Of course it does, because Cyprian, like millions of other Christians through the centuries, understood that Christs church has a great future.

This isnt to say that being a Christian is an easy task. I think its more difficult than it was a mere decade ago. As long as satan is roaming this earth, Gods truth will be opposed. We will be opposed by suspicious politicians, ignorant unbelievers, and outspoken atheists. We will be ridiculed, tossed about, and, in some instances, killed for our belief.

But you know something? I like being on the winning side. It wasnt easy to be an Ally in the early days of World War II, but those who chose to resist determined that they would not be subjects of totalitarianism. As a result, we are not ruled today by the governments of Berlin, Rome, or Tokyo. They lost. Satan has likewise lost. Christ is the victor. Christs church is the victor and has a great future.

God wants to know where we are headed. More accurately, He wants to know if we are headed His way. It is, after all, Christs Church, not ours. When any of us are asked where we go to church, I hope that we can reply with all honesty and integrity, I go to the church where Christ goes. Its his Church. I hope that all the other Christians I have fellowship with can say the same thing. Dan Lupton wraps up his book in a manner worthy of repeating: The future of the church is assured in the warranty of Jesus promise to build it, in the hope of revival awakenings for the church, in the coming return of Christ, and in the very personal Easter-style regeneration of individual believers. Its prospects become even brighter as we family members put to use our keys of ownership, as we fast and pray and purify ourselves. That is when the Spirit takes over. We arent required to be the wind that propels the church through the uncharted waters of the future. We just need to stop complaining, put up the sail, catch the breeze of the Spirit, and experience the power of the Resurrection. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 191)

Where are we headed? Toward a plague of pessimism? May God always forbid such a thing.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! (Philippians 3:20-4:1)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

Pastor

First Baptist Church

Bunker Hill, Indiana

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

I LIKE CHURCH, BUT #8/8

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

June 17, 2007

Text: Philippians 3:1-4:1

I was looking through some of my archived articles as I reflected on this mornings Scripture and sermon theme, and I ran across a 1997 article by Michael Medved. He has written as a movie critic for the New York Post; Im not sure if he still writes in that capacity. Medved offers has an amazing moral clarity in his written and spoken reviews, which is surprising for anyone involved in the entertainment industry. He has written at length in opposition to the increasingly pervasive lack of morality within the movie and other entertainment industries. He has also been a frequent speaker at a variety of lecture series hosted by Hillsdale College in Michigan. Referring to a transcript of an address given in 1997, Medved told his audience that America is afflicted with a plague. Take a moment to think about what plague he might be referring to. It is easy for many to come to mind. Drugs? Teen pregnancies? HIV and AIDS? Global warming? Immorality? Such issues are valid concerns, but he did not cite any of them. Instead, he said, America is afflicted with a plague pessimism.

I find that fascinating. Of all the issues he could have dealt with, Medved chose pessimism. He did so with good reason. As a nation, we too often fail to realize the remarkable assets we have. We fail to acknowledge the brilliant capabilities of our citizens. We fail to recognize the blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Imagine if he chose to revisit that theme today, ten years later. We have had 9/11 and other terrorist attacks; we are once engaged in military conflicts around the globe; dictators threaten to acquire nuclear weapons; gasoline prices are at record highs; the list goes on seemingly without end. Feeling good by now?

Not even the church has been exempt from pessimistic attitudes. In the last chapter of I Like Church, But..., Dan Lupton contrasts two attitudes: Some church leaders report, What a wonderful time to be in the Lords work. Satan is certainly active, but Gods grace abounds The Spirit of God, like a wind, is touching many lives. Others complain, What a dismal time to be in the Lords work. Immorality and unbelief are societys norm. No one seems interested in spiritual matters I hear it was much easier to witness for Christ in the 1950s. Why was I born too late for the good times? Is there no hope and future for the church? (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 174)

These valid observations written from two quite different sources in the same time period raise a poignant issue for the church to consider: Given the difficulties and challenges of our times, is it realistic, or even constructive, for Christians to express any enthusiastic hope for the future? Should Christians anticipate only a future that appears to be heading our way; one that is filled with increasing immorality and animosity toward Christs Church? Its nice to be optimistic, but is that not a convenience to be discarded in the face of reality? Where are we, the Church, headed? Not unsurprisingly, Gods Word provides the insight we need for such questions. And, also not unsurprisingly, Gods answers differ from our natural human reactions to any given situation.

I read from the entire third chapter and first verse of chapter four of Philippians in order to recapture the complete concept that Paul was sharing with his recipients. Actually, to do that completely, we need to read the entire letter, but Ill leave that exercise for you to accomplish at another time. Make no mistake about it; times were tough for that first century Church. Believers faced persecution from all sides. Jewish leaders sought to demolish this new belief before it got off the ground. Polytheists throughout the provinces did not think too highly of monotheism and were always ready to use Judaism or Christianity as convenient scapegoats. Roman leaders were just plain suspicious of any group who indicated an unwillingness to pledge allegiance to the Emperor.

On top of these cultural challenges, Paul himself had been one of those persecutors of the Christian Church. His attitude and actions are documented in Acts 9, where we read from verses 1-2, Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lords disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. Who in any church of that time could have ever conceived that one day that same Paul would be writing a letter to the Philippian church which included, But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ? Im not sure that any believer back then could anticipate such a future for the Church.

Recognize, also, that Paul wrote this letter frequently referred to as his letter of joy while imprisoned for his belief in Christ. Should not Paul engage in the kind of pessimism that Medved mentioned in his speech or that Lupton referred to among some church leaders? Would that not be a more realistic outlook given the circumstances being faced by Paul and his fellow believers? Indeed, given the circumstances we face, would that also not be a more realistic outlook for all of us? Where are we headed?

This is where Paul was headed: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:12-14, 20-21) This led up to one inevitable conclusion which Paul then plainly stated for all to read and hear: Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! (Philippians 4:1) Which way are we headed?

When we head Gods way, then we must recognize that we are part of Christs church, and Christs church is victorious. Writing in Romans 8, Paul contrasts life in the flesh, or sinful nature, with life in the spirit. He declares without hesitation in Romans 8:12-17 that we are bestowed with a particular attitude in the Spirit. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

We are not to be slaves to fear! No matter how tempting it may be a lot of the time, we are not to cave in to the plague of pessimism. Standing before the same Sanhedrin that condemned and turned Jesus over to the Roman authorities, Peter responded to their questions in Acts 4:8-12, Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and everyone else in Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you completely healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. It doesnt sound here like Peter was giving in to a plague of pessimism. He knew that the rock on which he stood was not merely firm. It is unshakeable.

Lets read Matthew 16:13-19. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, Who do people say the Son of Man is? They replied, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But what about you? he asked. Who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Who is building the church? Jesus! The New Testament word for church is ekklesia, meaning an assembly of people called out of the world. We are Christs church. We are Christs holy people. Where is there room for a plague of pessimism?

When we head Gods way, we recognize that we are given an owners role in Christs church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, He told His disciples. Dan Lupton aptly writes, Just as you have a physical key to your house, so you are one of the keys to the future of your church. Family members who hold keys to my home have roles to fill... Your church will have a brighter future when you, along with the rest of your congregation members, say, This is my church. I hold one of the keys to its future. Where shall I serve? The future of the church is dependent upon Christs Easter warranty and your responsible key holding. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 179)

Christ is building his church. Not crystal cathedrals no matter how impressive such architecture is, but ekklesia an assembly of people called out of the world. In the third century, Cyprian, the Bishop of Carthage, wrote to his friend Donatus: "It is a bad world, Donatus, an incredibly bad world. But I have discovered in the midst of it a quiet and good people who have learned the great secret of life. They have found a joy and wisdom which is a thousand times better than any of the pleasures of our sinful life. They are despised and persecuted, but they care not. They are masters of their souls. They have overcome the world. These people, Donatus, are Christians... and I am one of them." Doesnt this sound like someone headed the way we want to be headed? Of course it does, because Cyprian, like millions of other Christians through the centuries, understood that Christs church has a great future.

This isnt to say that being a Christian is an easy task. I think its more difficult than it was a mere decade ago. As long as satan is roaming this earth, Gods truth will be opposed. We will be opposed by suspicious politicians, ignorant unbelievers, and outspoken atheists. We will be ridiculed, tossed about, and, in some instances, killed for our belief.

But you know something? I like being on the winning side. It wasnt easy to be an Ally in the early days of World War II, but those who chose to resist determined that they would not be subjects of totalitarianism. As a result, we are not ruled today by the governments of Berlin, Rome, or Tokyo. They lost. Satan has likewise lost. Christ is the victor. Christs church is the victor and has a great future.

God wants to know where we are headed. More accurately, He wants to know if we are headed His way. It is, after all, Christs Church, not ours. When any of us are asked where we go to church, I hope that we can reply with all honesty and integrity, I go to the church where Christ goes. Its his Church. I hope that all the other Christians I have fellowship with can say the same thing. Dan Lupton wraps up his book in a manner worthy of repeating: The future of the church is assured in the warranty of Jesus promise to build it, in the hope of revival awakenings for the church, in the coming return of Christ, and in the very personal Easter-style regeneration of individual believers. Its prospects become even brighter as we family members put to use our keys of ownership, as we fast and pray and purify ourselves. That is when the Spirit takes over. We arent required to be the wind that propels the church through the uncharted waters of the future. We just need to stop complaining, put up the sail, catch the breeze of the Spirit, and experience the power of the Resurrection. (Dan Lupton, I Like Church, But, Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image Publishers, 1996, p. 191)

Where are we headed? Toward a plague of pessimism? May God always forbid such a thing.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! (Philippians 3:20-4:1)

Rev. Charles A. Layne

Pastor

First Baptist Church

Bunker Hill, Indiana

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org