PERSEVERE

 

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.  Keep on seeking, and you will find.  Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

There is nothing about the Gospel which is simple or easy; especially Jesus’ call that we take up our cross and follow Him.^[1]  Living your life in response to that call is dangerous.  Following Jesus can be dangerous to your popularity; you must make decisions that sometimes run counter-culture.  Following Jesus is dangerous to your health or even your life, because in some places Christians are still persecuted.

The previous six challenges we’ve considered in this series validate how hard it is to live the Christian life, particularly in 21^st century America.  Review those challenges with me:

1.     Believe – having faith in Jesus Christ means trusting Him, not yourself…counter-culture

2.     Prayer – also counter-culture – we are a nation of action!

3.     Forgive – is not only counter-culture, it’s counter-intuitive in human nature!

4.     Give – is counter-cultural in a world that lives and breathes “getting”.

5.     Minister – is ultra-counter-cultural in a world which never puts others first.

6.     Prosper – is overwhelmingly counter-cultural when nearly every TV commercial promotes self-centeredness over soul maturity.

Today we are going to consider the last of eight challenges to “embrace the grace of God”.  I’ve labeled these the 7 most important things I’ve learned over the past half-century about following Jesus.  Our word today is “persevere”. 

Perseverance brings forth images of epic struggles.  And there is a type of perseverance like that.  In Chinese mythology Jingwei is the daughter of emperor Yandi.  Still young, she drowns in the East Sea.  According to the myth, after her death she chose being a bird to exact revenge upon the sea by bringing stones and small twigs from the mountains to fill it up.  In a short dialogue the sea mocks the princess, claiming that in a million years she couldn’t fill up the sea; Jingwei retorts that she would then take ten million, even a hundred million years – whatever it takes, so that others would not have to perish as she. 

From this myth comes the Chinese expression, Jingwei filling the sea, meaning a dogged determination and perseverance in the face of seemingly impossible odds.^[2]

While the Sermon on the Mount is hardly to be compared with mythology, commitment to a mission that is fierce, and has as its object the good of others, seems to be a pretty good description of the kind of asking, seeking and knocking Jesus told his disciples they needed to consider.

First United Methodist Church in Gastonia looks much the same as many of the “red brick and steeple” churches you’ve seen.  One year I attended a conference there and noticed that the main entryway has a bit of landscape shrubbery in an unintended place.  A tiny weed grows out of a sea of brick and mortar; it’s not supposed to be there, but it is!  The weed probably must fight for every bit of nutrient and moisture, but, despite the conditions, that weed perseveres.  When I first saw it, I immediately thought, if ever a sermon on perseverance had a ready-made centerpiece, there it is; and so it is (our centerpiece of perseverance this morning)!

What kind of asking, seeking, and knocking is the weed doing?

The key to every part of this series is contained in these three little words (ask, seek, knock), but they are overshadowed by one other word – disciple.  It is the follower of Jesus who is pictured here.  The way the world looks at us, we are the weeds growing on a brick building…persistent, somewhat annoying, always surprising.

At the end of this passage Jesus talks about narrow gates guarding the way of life.  It’s one of His metaphors for being in right relationship with God.  In short, Jesus says only those who are serious about being His followers need ask, seek, or knock.

Let’s unpack the nature of this progression of asking, seeking, and knocking:

Ask

Asking is natural; we begin life that way.  An infant child asks for food with a wail.  A baby chick opens its’ little beak with a screech and the mother sets aside her own appetite and feeds.  A baby lamb’s bleating cry not only brings Mom to the rescue, but it also causes the milk in her udder to begin secreting.  The cry of a child brings the response of the parent.  Jesus was showing us just how ready our heavenly Father stands to answer when we ask.

Seek

The Psalms writer gives us an important principle of seeking; it is an inside job:

Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High.  Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”  Psalm 50:14-15

Generally, after “asking” God, we begin seeking for stuff to meet our needs.  But here the seeking is an internal search for anything that stands between us and God’s response.  What exactly is it for which you seek?  Well, what is it that your heart condemns?  Are there promises you’ve neglected?  Is there a bad attitude?  Are you insincere?  Get your heart right before you seek for answers.

We should also seek for what is truly the desire of our heart.  At times we receive an answer we didn’t expect because God is speaking to our heart, and our selfishness gets in the way. 

St. Augustine's mother prayed that God would keep her son with her until she could win him to Christ.  But the boy left and went to Rome.  It seemed like God hadn't listened.  But while in Rome Augustine met Ambrose, an eloquent preacher, and was converted, and became an important instrument in God's hand.  What Augustine's mother REALLY desired in her heart, was given by a most gracious Father.

Knock

Action must always follow the search.  This is where the rubber of prayer meets the road of faith.  The apostle James^[3] tells us that merely talking or wishing is not what comprises real faith.  You must somewhere along the line INVOLVE yourself with what God wants to do.  In prayer, a step of faith is:

·       finding something you can be totally dependent upon God for (ASKING)

·       banishing selfishness from the matter (SEEKING)

·       finding something connected with the matter and helping-out until God reveals His heart in the thing.  (KNOCKING)

A man feels unhappy with his career.  He is a Christian and desires to honor God with what he does for a living.  So he ASKS , Father, I give this job situation to You. Because I think I need another job, one where I can be used better in Your kingdom.  

He SEEKS, Lord, help me to know the reality of my desire.  Is it just that I can't stand Horace who works in accounting?  Am I money hungry; is there some kind of selfish thing driving my prayer?  Father, what’s going on INSIDE ME that’s not in-sync with YOU?  Search my heart, Lord; see if there’s anything unholy in what I’m asking.^[4]

And he begins to KNOCK.  The next day he asks Horace about his spiritual condition and makes up his mind to witness to him for a while before he makes any final decision about a new job.

It ain’t over till it’s over

Yankee baseball legend Yogi Berra often said about a ball game that it ain’t over till it’s over.  What that lacks in grammatical correctness is made up in its spiritual depth.  Yogi was saying a team member never gives up until the last out is made. 

In spiritual asking, seeking, and knocking we must also never quit.  In Jesus’ statement all three words are in the present tense, meaning there is a continual action: Jesus-followers:

          ·       persevere, we keep on asking,

          ·       persevere, we keep on seeking,

          ·       persevere, we keep on knocking. 

There is a saying that God is not finished with me yet; and it is also true that He isn’t finished with the circumstances you can see. 

The Finish Line

The follower of Jesus who gives herself or himself over to being a servant of God is:

·       one who believes, rests in God’s strength alone

·       one who prays to develop a relationship with Jesus

·       one who forgives, because she is forgiven

·       one who gives, because all is given to him

·       one who ministers, because in serving others we serve God

·       one who prospers in his soul, because we want to believe, pray, forgive, give, and serve stronger tomorrow than we did today.

For followers of Jesus who take these issues seriously, asking, seeking, and knocking become possible. 

And, when that happens, the kingdom of God is glorified, and our Lord is pleased.

Our Prayer

Father, nothing would be better for us than to please you by being people who live as children of the King in His Kingdom.  Empower us, we pray, as we turn our hearts towards serving You, and turn our backs on self-serving.

We pray as those who would humble ourselves, seeking your face, all the while turning from our wicked ways, knowing the only possible source of true healing for our land is to live in your land, the Kingdom of God.

For the glory, honor, and praise to which You alone are worthy, o Lord, we pray in the Name of the Son, cooperating with the Spirit, to honor and exalt the Majesty of the Father. 

Let it be so in each of our lives…Amen!

 

Title Image:  original photograph, Russell Brownworth   W  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation 

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[1] Matthew 16:24

[2]  In Wikipedia, quoting Long, M., C. H. Langley 1993. Natural selection and the origin of Jingwei, a chimeric processed functional gene in Drosophila. Science 260: 91-95.[1]

[3] James 2:14-17

[4] Psalm 139:23-24

Snake In the (Church) Grass

[1]

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

“Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan.  Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” 

Job 2:2^(NLT)

One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again.  Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.  When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away.  “He’s out of his mind,” they said.  But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons.  That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.”  Jesus called them over and responded with an illustration.  “How can Satan cast out Satan?” he asked.  “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.  Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart.  And if Satan is divided and fights against himself, how can he stand?  He would never survive.  

Mark 3:20-26^NLT)                                                  

It was, as Yogi Berra put it, déjà vu all over again!  Just before our worship service this past Sunday there was a report of a snake in the copy room…specifically, the serpentine visitor was curled-up in the printer.  We’re on a tight schedule scurrying from an early service at our first congregation, so I hadn’t arrived yet.  By the time I got there, ol’ Slewfoot had been evicted from the sanctuary. 

Now, the last thing a pastor wants to hear just a few moments before the worship service is something as disturbing as a four-foot-long black snake seeking asylum in our building.  (Pastors hear enough of the difficulties and trials of life to choke an average-sized team of plow horses; worship ought to be uplifting and celebratory).  The last time this happened (about 15 years ago) the church member came to me literally three minutes before the service with this on her lips….uh, preacher; we got a problem here.  I’ll probably write about that one tomorrow.

So, what does this have to do with the plot against Job and Jesus casting out the devil?  I’m glad you asked.

People are not surprised at all when a seedy, back-alley bar, abortion clinic, or house of ill-repute is called a Satan’s den.  But there’s always something on the scale of uneasy surprise, indignation, or even volcanic-like anger, if you suggest Satan might be on the church membership roll.  I’ve seen it!

To the point – doesn’t it make sense?  Satan already has the corporate bigwigs who are making it impossible for the poor to get out from under the weight of not having enough.  He has the Hitlers, Sadaam Husseins, and the Jeffrey Dahmers or Ted Bundys; they gave-in to Beelzebub long ago.  If there is any credence at all to the concept of spiritual warfare, that Satan is doing whatever he can to trip-up and capture Christians, why would he stay home from church on Sunday mornings?  I would venture a guess and suggest the slithering slime-ball never misses a service! 

Notice what the Apostle Peter cautioned:

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8^(NLT)

So, yes, indeed…Satan is hiding in church!  If it were not so there wouldn’t be so many arguments and so much petty pride and attitudes.  People’s feelings wouldn’t get hurt so easily and leave the one place Jesus said we ought to gather.[2]

Satan is not only IN the church; that buzzard is RUNNING IT these days!

(Now save the cards, letters, and emails…I didn’t just call your pastor the devil; I only meant to call attention to the fact that Satan is engineering all sorts of discord, delay, discontent, and any other kind of disruption he can to the church’s ministry and mission.  Although, he probably does do it through more pastors than we might imagine!)

These days I don’t get very rattled when a snake is found in the church building; it serves as a good reminder that the unseen snake, Satan, is still on the prowl.

For You Today

Peter’s advice to be on guard is a non-negotiable must for the Christian who wants to live and serve Christ faithfully.  We do that by worshipping and fellowshipping with our family of believers in the church, Bible Study, constant prayer, giving, and being a living witness for Christ in the community. 

That’s the kind of activity that will chase Satan Snake-Eyes out of the church!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Photo Courtesy of Julie Stickler

[2] And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.  Hebrews 10:25^(NLT)

Through the Gate of Righteousness With the Key of Mercy

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.  Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.  The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!  The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.  The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!  I will not die; instead, I will live to tell what the Lord has done.  The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not let me die.  Open for me the gates where the righteous enter, and I will go in and thank  the Lord.  These gates lead to the presence of the Lord, and the godly enter there.  I thank you for answering my prayer and giving me victory!  The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.  This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:14-24^(NLT)

The probability of being dealt five cards in a poker hand and having the best possible hand, a “royal flush” (all five cards in the same suit, and in perfect order; Ten – Jack – Queen – King - Ace) are: 649,739 to 1[1].  (I looked it up!)

My “friends” dealt me a perfect hand once.  We weren’t playing poker, but it was one of those “two-young-couples-too-poor-to-go-to-the-movies” kind of nights.  Elizabeth and I had our friends Curt and Cindy over.  It was late; the kids were already in beds.  We were all a little reluctant to end the night; we’d had a lot of fun. 

So I got up to put on some coffee so we could continue our   “almost awake” card-playing.  When I got back to the table, Curt had dealt the cards and I picked mine up to discover I had all 13 spades; I was holding a perfect hand.  My heart began to pound!  I was going to clean house!

When I looked up there were three sets of eyes welling-up with goofy tears.  Curt had stacked the deck!  They couldn’t hold it another second…all three of my “friends” burst into laughter.  I chased him out into the front yard, but he was too fast!  Royal flushes and perfect hands – the card player’s dream! 

There are also those nightmarish times when you’ve bet the farm and you don’t have a prayer.  That would’ve described Israel.  Our Psalm describes the celebration after one incredible, improbable victory.  Evidently the odds were so stacked against God’s people that winning the battle made them all shake their heads.  Eugene Peterson’s The Message paraphrases verse 17, I didn’t die. I lived!  It is as if the survivors looked around in disbelief that they had made it through the meat grinder unscathed.

It was as if all the cosmic tumblers in the world had clicked into place and the massive vault door to victory swung wide-open. 

It was like me having a golf match against Tiger Woods, and I not only beat Tiger, I beat him so badly he stomps his clubs to death and gives up golf!  Talk about things that are just not going to happen!

Now, if it is so that we can look at really awful circumstances and sense that all is lost, imagine the certainty of doom the disciples felt staring at the Roman soldiers sealing-up that tomb Friday afternoon.  Even the most wide-eyed optimist would not have quoted Yogi Berra’s it ain’t over til it’s over.  This was O-V-E-R!  Jesus was stone-cold….dead! 

Except…..(with all due respect to Mr. Berra)….nothing is over until God says it’s over!  Sunday morning Jesus came out of that tomb; the stone the builders rejected became a crushing stone.  Everything about evil and death and sin were crushed like stale bread under that rolling stone! 

Later the apostle Peter would write about it to the church this way:

To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” 

1 Peter 2:7-8(NRSV)

There is a separation in all of God’s creation that speaks to us especially on Easter Sunday.  Everything in nature has its’ opposite; hot has its cold, up has a down, and you either love NC State or you don’t! 

I saw another one of those license plates this week that proclaims a divided and broken home – one half of the plate has the NC logo; the other State!

With Christ and the resurrection there is also a separation; you either believe a dead man got out of the tomb and lived – or you don’t!  It’s that simple.  When a person makes up his mind about the person of Jesus Christ – who He is, and what He did – that also decides that person’s fate.

The Psalm in question here (118) gives the picture of folks walking right in the gate of righteousness and thanking the Lord.  They were on the winning side of the battle; their lives were preserved and they’ve got a lot for which to be thankful. 

But notice the verse near the end of our Psalm: 

This is the LORD’S doing…Psalm 118:23^(NLT)

These people understood that they did not win any victory; it was God who fought and won. 

The gate of righteousness – the ability to walk right into God’s presence – is God’s gate; He owns it!  And His requirement for any who would have an audience with Him is moral perfection, righteousness.  The gate is locked to sinners. 

What opens the gate?  God’s mercy key…simple faith, or trust in God.  God’s word tells us there is no way around, under or over that gate; anyone who wants to be right with God must go through that gate.  You cannot break it down with good works or anything at all that you do.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9^(NRSVA)

It is the key of mercy that opens God’s gate.

Death wrapped its ropes around me; the terrors of the grave overtook me.  I saw only trouble and sorrow.  Then I called on the name of the Lord:  “Please, Lord, save me!”  How kind the Lord is! How good he is!  So merciful, this God of ours!  Psalms 116:3-5^(NLT)

The bedrock of the Christian faith is that only God is truly righteous; He is immutable, un-convictable in his character, thoughts, and actions.  Only God is good!  Only God can extend salvation, and He does it the way He has chosen to do it – through the cross and empty tomb.

When Jews share the Passover it’s customary to sing the Psalms as they eat and tell the story of God’s rescuing His children out of Egyptian bondage.  The Passover itself is the story of how the final plague, the death of the firstborn son, came upon Egypt.  All the Hebrew slaves sacrificed a lamb and sprinkled its blood on the door posts; the death angel passed-over all the houses where the doors were covered in sacrificial blood.  It was the key to their survival. 

It was God’s mercy. 

During the meal they would sing Psalms 113-114.  After the meal they would complete the story by singing Psalms 115-118 (our text today). 

On Good Friday Jesus and His disciples gathered in an upper room; they sang the story.  It is very likely that the last song they sang together was our text – a song of victory – then they headed to Gethsemane.

They sang a song of God’s mercy and his gate of righteousness; then Jesus went out to become the Lamb of God’s mercy and fulfill His righteousness.  Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, and then walked into the gate of God’s presence.  Jesus walked through the holy gate of righteousness so that the mercy key would open the gate for us as well.  Hallelujah; what a Savior!

Can you say that?  Can you say “he’s MY Savior”?  The Gospel is very clear…Thomas, the doubting disciple asked Jesus to help him understand what Jesus wanted, where He was going, and…        

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 (NRSV)

You cannot say he is MY Savior unless you’ve surrendered in faith to Him.  As Jesus told the crowds he was teaching that He had come from the Father to call everyone to salvation…

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.  Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;           John 6:35 - 37 (NRSVA)

The point is unmistakable that Jesus has called – but not everyone answers.  Some will never come to Jesus.  Friends it is not a matter of…

·               Coming to Jesus isn’t about hanging around the church house or around Christian people, or...

·                 giving money until you’ve given enough, or…

·                 participating in activities, or…

·                 serving on committees, or…

·                 reading the Bible.

All of these are good…fellowship, stewardship, working, serving, studying; but these are not answering the call of Jesus to come to Him. 

Jesus doesn’t want your time, talents and tithes; Jesus wants YOU!  Those other things will come naturally if you’ve given your life to Him, but HAVE you given your life to Him?  Have you given Him YOU?

There is a gate of righteousness that opens into heaven.  Someday you will die and you will be standing at that gate.  You will understand you are in the presence of Almighty Jehovah, the Lord God Omnipotent.  Your life’s deeds and a question will flash before you.  The question will be from God,

·                      Have you been perfect, as I am perfect?  Immediately your mind will see that candy bar you stole from the store as a child and you will know in your soul you weren’t perfect:

Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.

·                      Have you been perfect, as I am perfect?  Immediately your mind will see that scene in the locker room back in high school when all the team was using profanity and you will know in your soul you weren’t perfect:

Exodus 20:7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

·                      Have you been perfect, as I am perfect?  Immediately your mind will see that scene at work where you were asked a question and you left out some important information, and you will know in your soul you weren’t perfect:

Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

On that day we will all know we were not perfect; there are no perfect hands, because there’s never been a perfect person…except the spotless Lamb of God, who died for imperfect people who have less-than-perfect records. 

If you have surrendered your trust to Jesus, when it comes to the gate of righteousness, you’ll have a key of mercy – and even though you will know you’re not perfect, the key will open the door…and you’ll be home!

Let the church say Amen in the Name of the Father, Because of the Son, Cooperating with the Spirit…Amen!

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[1] Oddschecker.com