Christianity in Context, Part-1, Luke 4:4
Introduction
Have you ever been misquoted or had your words taken so far out of context that by the time you heard what someone said you said it isn’t what you said at all? As a Pastor I know that words are powerful.
As I was doing some research for this sermon I found a list of Church bulletin bloopers that someone collected and put together in one place:
Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles, and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
Evening massage - 6 p.m.
The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
This morning the third verse of Blessed Assurance will be sung without musical accomplishment.
The Rev. Merriwether spoke briefly, much to the delight of the audience.
The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, "Break Forth Into Joy."
During the absence of our pastor, we enjoyed the rare privilege of hearing a good sermon when J.F. Stubbs supplied our pulpit.
Hymn 47: "Hark! an awful voice is sounding"
Potluck supper: prayer and medication to follow.
Don’t let worry kill you off - let the church help.
Transition
This morning I want to talk to you about context. In the context of a Sunday morning church bulletin those typo’s really changed the message that the church had hoped to communicate to its members and guests.
Context is defined as, “discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation.” In other words, context is the big picture.
Luke 4:4 says, “And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (ESV)
It is my prayer that you will leave this place this morning a little more aware of the importance of understanding God within the context of His written rather than within the context of personal opinion.
God in Context
In the Bible the phrase, “The Lord Spoke,” appears At least 106 times. It is only possible to understand what The Lord said as we listen to His words within the overall context of all that He has revealed to us about His nature.
There are many, however, who have taken God very far out of the context of all that He has spoken. There are many people in our day that prefer a God who is angry and wrathful and full of vengeance.
In order to justify their own anger and wrath and vengeance they take God very far out of context and twist His word of mercy into a word of judgment. They take a passage of Scripture that speaks about God’s judgment and make it central to their understanding of God.
They ignore the overall message of God’s love and mercy that runs like a river right through the center of the Scriptures. While the Bible does record events of God’s anger being kindled against disobedience, those instances can only be properly understood as they are considered within the overall context of the Scriptures.
Let me put it this way; if a loving and gracious parent becomes very angry at a child for disobedience and in their anger raises their voice at the child, does this mean that they are no longer a loving parent?
Of course that doesn’t mean that they are no longer a loving parent! In the moment that the parent corrected the child their anger was, in fact, an extension of their love. If they raised their voice and told the child not to run in the street, they only did so out love because they didn’t want their child to get hurt and suffer pain.
So it is with God. While He does dislike selfishness and sin, His primary attribute is love. Within the context of all that He has spoken to us, we can rest assured that God loves us, forgives us, and extends His mercy to us.
We see God being taken out of context at seemingly every turn. Just the other night I was watching the news as I listened to a particular political candidate as he spoke as though he were the only godly candidate running for office.
There is a political mood which permeates many churches in our country. Some pastors and churches go so far as to suggest and even insist that if you don’t vote a certain way or hold a certain political position then you are not a genuine Christian.
I would caution you to beware of those who take God out of context in order to use His words for their own ends, whatever those ends may be.
Just the other day someone came to my door to invite me to a meeting at a local church. This particular church group seems to interpret the Bible through the eyes of the Pharisee, the first century Jews who judged Jesus because of His acts of mercy and wrongly accused of disobedience to the law.
They see Christianity as primarily a morality code, a list of do’s and don’ts. And while morality is good, grace is better. While the law is important, it’s only real power is to point out our deep need for God’s grace.
Romans 6:14 says, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (ESV)
We are not judged according to the law. If we were, who among us could pass that judgment? Who among us can compare our works to the works of Jesus Christ?
As followers of the master of mercy, we ought to be led by the Spirit of Christ living deep within us. We don’t have to be led by fear, guilt, or condemnation.
Romans 7:6 says, “But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.” (ESV)
Christianity is not merely about strict adherence to a rigid moral code, though many who have taken God out of context would have you believe that it is.
Christianity is about being completely transformed from the inside out.
Once upon a time there was a prince who fell in love with a fair maiden. But his enemy captured the fair maiden and held her captive in a tower. Now the prince had a plan to rescue her, so he recruited the help of two small animals to send a message to the maiden.
First there was Claude Caterpillar. Claude was a nice guy, and he didn’t mind helping fair maidens in distress. But Claude was kind of a crusty old character.
You might wonder, did he get up on the wrong side of the bed? Maybe he has a migraine headache or something.
Anyway, the prince gave him the message, and he started inching along toward the tower.
Being a fat little caterpillar, he had to work hard to get there, even sweat a bit. He thought to himself, wouldn’t you know it; the sun would have to be shining today! Just then the weather began to change. Clouds moved in and little drops started coming down all around him.
He grumbled, “Rain, of all things. And I just had this suit cleaned.” But Claude wasn’t a quitter. He made it to the tower and searched for a way up. A vine growing along one side was the obvious answer. Inch by inch up the vine Claude went, only to discover that it was a climbing rose bush.
All the way up you could hear, “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” When he finally reached the window he heaved himself onto the ledge and said to the fair maiden, “Hey, lady! Come here! Are you the maiden in distress?” She nodded as she looked down at this sweaty, muddy little caterpillar.
Claude gave her the once-over and said, “You’re kidding. You mean I came all the way up here for the likes of you. I don’t know what the prince sees in you.
He sent me with a message, and you wouldn’t believe how hard it was for me to get here. His message was: ‘Get Ready.’ He’s coming to get you. Five o’clock sharp! Understand? All right! Good-bye!” And off went Claude.
Next the prince sent Barney Butterfly. Barney was not so sure of himself with the rain and wind, but he said he would try. His soft wings lifted him gracefully into the air. He struggled with all his might against the wind as it blew him back and forth. Just as he was about to reach the window, a bird swooped down and nearly ate him alive.
After a frantic chase, Barney flew inside the window beyond the bird’s snapping beak. He flew about the room until the maiden noticed him. She reached out her hand, and he landed softly on her finger. She brought him close as he relayed the Prince’s message: “Lovely and favored maiden, the prince loves you dearly.
At the sound of his voice, jump from the window and into his arms.” The maiden replied, “Thank you, beautiful butterfly. You are very sweet. But tell me, why did the caterpillar bring the good news in such a nasty manner? He seemed so rude and rough.”
The butterfly replied, “Oh, you mean Claude? Well, that’s just Claude. I used to be that way, too, until I was transformed.”
When we understand the message of God’s love within the context of His written word, we understand that God is not in the business of politics, wrath, judgment, or anything else which serves the ends of selfish people.
God is in the business of transforming lives and changing hearts. God is in the business of setting us free from sin and its consequences.
He is in the business of making us free to live lives of abundant grace and mercy.
Conclusion
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (ESV)
While good works are important, they flow out of a life that has been transformed. We can only understand the message of Christ within the context of God’s mercy.
We can only understand His mercy within the context of all that He has spoken to us in the Scriptures.
Be on your guard for those who misuse the message of God’s love and mercy for their own ends.
Remember to view God within the context of all that He has spoken to us through the Scriptures.
