Going Outside The Camp

Going Outside The Camp

Heb 13:8 - 16

August 16, 2002

I. One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general. The Grandma replied, "Well, let me think a minute. I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.

A. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers and clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air. Man hadn’t yet walked on the moon.

B. Your Grandfather and I got married first and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother. Until I was 25 I called every man older than I, ’Sir’- and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, ’Sir.’

C. We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment and common sense.

D. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.

E. Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

F. Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends -- not purchasing condominiums. We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.

G. We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President’s speeches on our radios. And I don’t ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey. If you saw anything with ’Made in Japan’ on it, it was junk.

H. The term ’making out’ referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

I. Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.

J. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could afford one? Too bad because gas was 11 cents a gallon.

K. In my day, "grass" was mowed, "coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your mother cooked in, and "rock music" was your grandmother’s lullaby.""Aids" were helpers in the Principal’s office, "chip" meant a piece of wood, "hardware" was found in a hardware store, and "software" wasn’t even a word. We were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused".

L. How old do you think Grandma was? She was 58 years old!

II. In the last 58 years our country has changed a lot and, there is no doubt that it is going to change some more. Things in our world have changed and they are still changing at a mind blowing pace.

A. And, if those of you who have been at this church since the beginning think back there are a lot of things that have changed in this church.

1. There are more people.

2. There are some faces that are not here anymore and new ones that are here.

3. There is a new building, with a lot of new things in it, including a lot more space and capabilities to do things.

B. But there are also with these new things and new people some more new things.

1. There is a wider variety of backgrounds, ideas, opinions, likes and dislikes, and preferences.

2. There are more adjustments to be made, and new people to get to know and like the things that are changing in our world this is only the beginning.

3. There will be more changes, and more things to adjust to, but the most dangerous thing that can happen to a church is for it to get to the point that it can’t or won’t change to meet the needs of people and be able to minister to them.

4. But, there are some things that have not and will not change and that’s where our security has to lie.

5. Our savior has not changed

(Heb 13:8 - 16 NIV) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat. The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.