When People See You – They See….. (Part 1)
Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30; Mark 16:17-18; Luke 6:27; John 13:34-35
Introduction:
When I enlisted into the military my first assignment was basis training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX. When the other new recruits and I arrived at Lackland and got off the bus, everyone knew that we were all new recruits. Because we had not been issued our uniforms for the first couple of days, wherever we went on the base, the other recruits who were already wearing their green fatigues or dress blues called us “rainbows”. When they would march by us they would sing in cadence “Rainbows, rainbows, don’t be blue, we were once rainbows too, sound off……” This went on for several days until we got our first green fatigues and were no longer called “Rainbows”. We were promoted. Once we started wearing our green fatigues, then we were known as pickles. So those who were wearing their dress blues would sing “Pickles, pickles don’t be blue…) you get the picture. This was consistent across the base. We were recognized by what we wore. Since we were now pickles, we got to call the other new recruits rainbows.
Rainbows were recruits who wore their “street” clothes. Since those clothes were all different colors and types, they had all of the colors of the rainbow represented. Also another quick give-away was the fact that we still had our hair. These two facts told everyone else that we were new recruits. Once we got our haircuts and were issued our first uniforms (green fatigues) we were called pickles because our fatigues were green. Finally we got to wear our dress blues. Only those within two weeks of graduating were allowed to wear their dress blues so if you were seen wearing them everyone knew you were close to graduating. My point to this story is this; I was easily recognized through all of the stages of basic training because of what I was wearing. It did not matter what I knew or what was on the inside of me, it was my clothes that immediately identified what stage I was in at that moment in training. Unless you were one of the drill instructors or other airmen stationed at the base, you were a rainbow, a pickle or someone close to graduating.
I tell you this because this morning I want you to consider what others see when they see you. I know that I have talked about this before, but we are entering into a new phase of our ministry. We have “successfully” completed three years of ministry as a Church and now it is time for this Church to really begin to establish itself as a permanent Church in Johnson County. To accomplish what God has called us to do, we must first look at ourselves as individuals and then as a corporate body to determine the image that we are portraying. So I will ask you two questions. First, when people see you, do they see God? Secondly, when people come to New Light, do they see and/or feel God presence. If the answer to either of these questions is “no”, we must correct this before God can establish us. If the answer to the question one is “no” then it automatically causes the answer to question two to be “no” on some levels. This morning and on the 4th Sunday we will take a very close look at what people are seeing when they look at us.
Being able to be recognized “as something” is important. I’ve often asked people would their co-workers and friends be surprised if they walked in a Church and saw them worshipping God. Every one of us is known by something. Maybe initially it is the way you’re dress, where you live, your job, your family name and/or the vehicle you drive. These are superficial when compared to what is really important. I received an email from Cynthia titled “Ten Things God Won’t Ask On That Day”. You may have seen it. But I want to highlight a few of them:
• God won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet. He’ll ask how many you helped to cloth.
• God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
• God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
• God won’t ask what your job title was. He’ll ask if you performed you job to the best of your ability.
We do not know what all God will say to us on that day, but we can rest assured that He is not necessarily placing the same value on things as we are. The question before us today is whether or not we are known as children of God because when people find out you’re a Christian, they begin to look for God in us. Since people are not able to look on the inside of us, they only see what we show them through our actions. If our actions do not show off God, then we are in trouble. If people can see God in me, and in you, then our actions are the evidence of our faith in Him. This is what is important and what we must personally evaluate as individuals and corporately as a Church. Turn with me to Matthew 13:24-30.
I. The Wheat and the Tares
“Jesus presented another parable to them saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir did you not sow good seed in your field?’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:24-30
When Jesus told this parable, He explained what it meant later in the chapter. In verses 36-43 He explains that He was the sower and the field was the world. The good seeds are the sons (and daughters) of the Kingdom while the tares are the sons (and daughters) of the evil one. The harvest is the end of the world. Jesus was saying, when He returns, He will have His angels separate His children (the wheat) from those who will be eternally lost (the tares). Those who are lost will be cast into the fire. That is the message that Jesus was delivering when He told this parable. We, as children of God, must exist side by side on this earth with the children of the devil. However, when Christ returns He will know His own and will separate everyone accordingly.
Now I want us to take another look at this parable for something that I believe is applicable to our message today. Notice in the parable that the landowner sowed wheat and his enemy came along and sowed tares among the wheat. This was done in an attempt to get the landowner to focus on getting rid of the tares immediately. The landowner decided instead to let them both grow together and he would have the reapers separate them at the harvest. The point I want you to understand is why the enemy chose to sow tares among the wheat. Why tares instead of some other weed? The blades of tares and the blades of wheat look the same and cannot be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest. If the landowner had allows his servants to go through and try to remove the tares, he would have lost part of his wheat because it was too hard at that point to distinguish between the two. However, by letting them grow together until the harvest, the blades would change and become easily distinguishable. This is similar to our relationship with the world. Sometimes it is hard to tell a Christian from a non-believer. This is especially true with baby Christians. Sometimes the transitions from the world can take some adjustments and hard decisions. But like the wheat, as they grow in God’s Word, the difference will come out.
Have you ever heard someone say “I would never have known that they were a Christian”? There are many Christians out in the world who do not “look” like a Christian. Well, what does a Christian look like? Christians look exactly like sinners. Christians look exactly like those who have not been saved and are still living in the world. Christians and non-believers alike wear the same clothes, work in the same office space, go to the same stores, like some of the same movies, eat some of the same food, live in the same neighborhoods, etc, etc, etc. Using these criteria, it would be very difficult to distinguish between a Christian and a non-believer. So how do we tell? This is not a situation like I was in while in basic training where you could easily tell what stage of training a person was in based on how they were dressed. Now we all look alike. Because we cannot always differentiate a Christian based on these things, there must be something else. There must be something within us that lets others know that we belong to God. So if it is not the physical things, it must be something else. Do you what it is? It is the way that Christians act and the things that they do from the heart that makes it easy for them to be spotted. The way we carry ourselves and the things that we do that come from the heart is what makes the difference. There are many people “acting” like a Christian, but that does not make them one. It is what is in your heart.
I want you to think of someone you know that is a Christian. Can you see that person in your mind? How do you know they are a Christian? Probably because of their acts as well as what they profess. When I was growing up, we used to watch the TV show “Sanford and Son”. If you’ve seen the reruns, you will recognize these characters. The main character was Fred G. Sanford. He was a junk yard dealer always looking for a hookup. He did not have the “best” moral character and his son Lamont often acted as his conscience. When Lamont wasn’t keeping Fred in line, Fred’s sister-in-law, Ester, was. Her character is the one I want you to think about. Let me describe Ester to you. First, as the “mothers” of the Church often did, she always wore a hat and a dress. When her character was on the screen, she was either coming from Church or going to Church. She was often carrying her bible and was quick to give Fred a scripture or two to set him straight. She would also throw her head back, wave her arm and holler “Hallelujah” as she was leaving Fred’s sinful presence. Her favorite name for him was “old fish eyed fool”. It did not matter what your background was, whether you went to church or not, if you saw Ester on the TV you would know immediately that she was representing a Christian.
When I was growing up in Tennessee, the older ladies who were mothers in the Church were respected. They were considered the “real” backbone of the Church because of their wisdom and how they carried themselves. They understood compassion and what it meant to really look out for one another. When they walked down the street, wearing their hats and carrying their bibles, going to and from Church, people would straighten up. Even the drunks gave them respect, often crossing to the other side of the street or making way for them while speaking to them very respectfully. There was more respect given to those mothers than were given to the preachers. But I believe those days are gone. Yes we still have mothers in the Church who has a lot of wisdom, but the world’s view of Christians has changed dramatically.
In the last 20 years it has not necessarily been a badge of honor to walk around saying “I am a Christian”. The definitive black and white separation between Christians and non-believers is now growing grey. When the sins of Christian leaders become public, the line begins to fade. When Christians operate by the standard of the world verses God’s standard, the line become grey. When we give our own definition to what it means to serve God and discount what God says is important, the line becomes grey. When there is nothing different about my life verses my unsaved friend, the line becomes grey. Those seeking God and His fullness are having a hard time finding Him because of those of us who already know Him. It has become very difficult to tell a Christian from a non-believer today. But should it be? Has God’s standards changed?
I want to share something with you, although the line may seem grey to us, with God it is still black. Although we may not be able to tell one from the other, God can and God will. Even though we may have changed God’s word to fit our own beliefs, it does not change His Word. God has not changed and because He has not changed, we are still able to differentiate between a Christian and a non-believer. Christ described what people should see in a Christian in how we act and carry ourselves. He also described what should not be a part of a Christian. I want you to ask yourself this question repeatedly for the next two weeks “When people see me, do they see God?” In two weeks I will give you information that Jesus shared so that you can fully answer this question. God bless.
