Becoming Backyard Christians Series

*Note: This is an adaptation of the second sermon in the "I Love My Church" Sermon Prep Kit on Sermon Central. Thanks to whoever created the original outlines. This is a great kit.

I Love My Church #2: Becoming Backyard Christians

Hebrews 10:19-25

[Lots of different fences on PowerPoint] When I talk about fences, what comes to mind? They come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Some are short, small, and transparent; others are walls of fortress. In every case, what is a fence designed to do? Keep something in or keep something out, right?

How many of you have a fenced backyard? I’ve noticed something in our neighborhood—and you can tell me if it’s true for you or your neighborhood. People work really, really hard on their front yard. We get a little obsessed with our front yards.

The front yard is where you mulch the flower beds. The front yard is where you install the sprinkler system. The front yard is what makes you live in fear that you’ll get a nasty letter from the HOA if you don’t blow the grass clippings off the sidewalk after you mow the lawn.

But then, there’s the back yard! When I was growing up, we had a fence that went around the perimeter of our backyard. The front yard was always kept really nice—grass always neatly cut and Mom had flowers out. It looked like the cover of a real estate brochure or home and garden magazine. This was the front yard.

On the other side of the fence though—slightly different. The grass was cut, but not as often as the front yard. All of our toys and bikes were in the back as well as our swing set. My parents preferred us playing back there so they knew where we were. The grill was in the back with our picnic table, so we’d have meals back there sometimes. We had a dog, and try as hard as we could, you still had to watch where you stepped. This was the backyard.

The fence was the separation between the two spaces. It was the barrier between the front yard, which everyone was allowed to see, and the back yard, which is where we lived. Where we played. Where we had friends over.

So… are fences a good thing or a bad thing? I would say a little of both. You see, fences can either divide or define. Fences that divide us are bad. But fences that define us are good. And as we are continuing our series I Love My Church, we are going to look at both of these ideas from Scripture. and this concept is going to play a big part in what we’ll see today as one of God’s plans for the church: that we would live connected lives. God wants us to live connected with Him and connected with one another. God wants us to know true community. What do fences have to do with that? That’s what we’re going to talk about.

Let’s look at Hebrews 10:19-25:

19 Therefore, brothers,[c] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

[Pray]

Before I unpack this, let’s go back to our fence. Let’s picture our lives as a yard. If a lot of us were honest, we’d admit that we like a good fence. What we are comfortable showing people and letting people know about us is our front lawn—and we try keeping a pristine front lawn. Nicely manicured. Beautiful grass. A nice welcome mat at the front door—for decorative purposes only. The front yard is what we show people.

But the backyard ... that’s different. That’s the real us, and getting in there is by invitation only. In fact, I’m going to build a fence because I’m not sure I want you to know what’s going on with the real me. I don’t want you to see the parts of my life that aren’t so pristine. I don’t want you to step in the dog piles. I’m not sure if we can have a meal together. The backyard is private, the backyard is me.