8/19/07 Home - Our Goal
Christians live a life of anticipation.
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:46-49
I love this description of the church!
We look toward the day of our passing from this world to the next with hope because of the promise of our Lord Jesus. He said that he was leaving us for a time to prepare a place for us. A place filled with many mansions. Revelation describes this place as a city with streets of translucent gold and shimmering pearl gates. The place Jesus has gone to prepare for us is going to someday be our home. Someday... but what about today?
Today we have a temporary home. Just as the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years with the tabernacle we wander in the desert of a dead and dying world but our tabernacle is not made of animal skins and fabric. Our tabernacle is made of people. Our home today is the church. Now don’t write it off as insignificant and unimportant. While our lord is building the temple city of the New Jerusalem in the heavenly places for us we have the wonderful, magnificent, church of Jesus.
Paul speaks of this in Hebrews 10:19-25. Listen to his teaching...
Home - a place of unconditional love
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22
Do you remember the movie called Raiders of the Lost Ark? Remember the part when they Nazi leaders opened up the Ark of the Covenant of God? Do you remember how the spirits rushed about the landscape and then - this is really creepy - their faces began to melt?
The High Priestly garments had a fringe of bells on the ephod that they wore into the Holy of Holies. The other attending priests would tie a rope onto his leg before he entered into this room on the one day a year he was permitted to enter. That was so if he happened to die in there - like if he touched something he shouldn’t or if he had a heart attack or if lightening came down and fried him like a marshmallow in a boy scout’s campfire - then they could drag him out of there.
Honestly, how much confidence would you have walking into such a place? Would you wonder if you were worthy to be in such a place? I would! Clearly this would be more than a little bit scary.
We don’t have to be afraid of God! Why? Because he is more than our God - He is our father! He loves you so much that he sent his one and only son to take your place on a sinners cross - and it doesn’t matter how unworthy you are.
Story: At a comparative religions conference, the wise and the scholarly were in a spirited debate about what is unique about Christianity.
Someone suggested what set Christianity apart from other religions was the concept of incarnation, the idea that God took human form in Jesus. But someone quickly said, "Well, actually, other faiths believe that God appears in human form."
Another suggestion was offered: what about resurrection? The belief that death is not the final word. That the tomb was found empty. Someone slowly shook his head. Other religions have accounts of people returning from the dead.
Then, as the story is told, C.S. Lewis walked into the room, tweed jacket, pipe, arm full of papers, a little early for his presentation. He sat down and took in the conversation, which had by now evolved into a fierce debate. Finally during a lull, he spoke saying, "what’s all this rumpus about?"
Everyone turned in his direction. Trying to explain themselves they said, "We’re debating what’s unique about Christianity."
"Oh, that’s easy," answered Lewis. "It’s grace"
The room fell silent.
Lewis continued that Christianity uniquely claims God’s love comes free of charge, no strings attached. No other religion makes that claim.
After a moment someone commented that Lewis had a point, Buddhists, for example, follow an eight-fold path to enlightenment. It’s not a free ride.
Hindus believe in karma, that your actions continually affect the way the world will treat you; that there is nothing that comes to you not set in motion by your actions.
Islam requires faithful remembrance in prayers and service.
Someone else observed the Jewish code of the law implies God has requirements for people to be acceptable to him and in Islam God is a God of Judgement not a God of love. You live to appease him
At the end of the discussion everyone concluded Lewis had a point.
Only Christianity dares to proclaim God’s love is unconditional. An unconditional love that we call grace.
Home - a place of supreme security
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Home is a place where we can always be safe. That doesn’t mean there won’t be difficult moments or challenging people to deal with. If you grew up in a family with brothers and sisters you have felt the competitive pressure of sibling rivalry.
What makes home safe and secure? It is simply the knowledge that the people who life with us are trustworthy and faithful. Our church home is filled with imperfect people but it is led by a perfect savior and friend who will never let you down.
I remember the story years ago of a sweet little old lady who got upset with the minister in a committee meeting one week. They had words. The preacher got red-faced and called her out. The lady stalked off in a huff and as she left the room the door slammed and the sound of it rang through the building for what seemed like 15 minutes and the echo went on for hours.
What is remarkable is that on the very next Sunday this sweet little old lady sat in her accustomed place, sang every hymn with spiritual abandon, and listened intently to the message. At the end of the service the minister greeted her and expressed a bit of surprise at seeing her in church after their meeting the previous week.
She said, I’m not here for you - I’m here to worship our Lord.
Folks - church is not a perfect place. If you don’t know that yet - just hang around you’ll figure it out soon enough. What makes it a wonderful and magnificent place is that it is God’s church. He is faithful and will never let you down.
B-52 - From a distance - unbelievable - they simply should not fly. Close up - scary. There are ripples down the side of the plane and oil streaks coming from access panels. But if you are on the inside - Magnificent! This a perfect picture of the church.
We are the church and here is the one place we can feel safe! Others here will let you down. I will let you down but that’s ok because our God is faithful. And He will never let you down. Not ever.
Home - The place of challenging support
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Hebrews 10:24
The objective in community is spiritual formation in others.
Francis Schaeffer wrote,
"Unless people see in the church not only the preaching of the truth but the practice of the truth, the practice of love and beauty, [in relationships] they will not listen and they should not listen."
The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century.
Not only is our home a place of love and security - it is also a place to challenge and spur one another to do good and to be a people who freely reflect God’s love to a lost world.
The word "spur" that Paul uses here is a word that means to prod, provoke, and to incite. In fact one of the ideas is that we are to irritate one another into doing good deeds and displaying God’s love.
When I was raising my girls one of the things I tried to do and I must say I believe I did this quite successfully, was to be an irritating father. In fact, I believe that I’m a natural!
What I mean to say beyond teasing and driving my girls squirrelly, I tried to challenge them and to support them to become what God wanted them to be. Sometimes that was a kind and encouraging word when I made it clear that they really could do math. Sometimes it was a provocative challenge when I would bet them they couldn’t do it - just to get them to try. Sometimes it would be a steady insistence that they do something they really ought to do.
When Shannon was about 16 years old she and I agreed that she should go on a mission’s trip to Venezuela. The last week she told me that she didn’t want to go. I irritated her toward love and good deeds. I told her that we had already paid for the tickets, made all the arrangements, and she was going. She didn’t have to enjoy the trip - but she was getting on the plane. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime and it literally transformed her relationship with God.
This is what we need to do for one another in the body. It’s what we do for one another in our ministries and our life groups.
We need challenging support and sturdy encouragement.
Home - The place of sturdy encouragement
25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25
Listen, we are family. We belong together but we are not just a collection of disconnected people. We are family.
You can have two kinds of churches. One kind is a lot like a bag full of marbles. They don’t really have much to do with each other. They are hard and don’t every really mesh with anyone. In fact if you throw one into a group they kind of bounce off one another and head in all directions. They are islolated and individual. They ricochet off each other -- but when you take them out again, each remains intact, distinct and individual.
When Christians operate like marbles, they get together, and then go their separate ways, and everyone’s still the same as when they arrived.
The other kind of church is like a wineskin full of grapes. Put grapes into a bag, and apply a little pressure; the grapes break open and all their flavors get mixed together -- they influence the others and are influenced -- they become one - what’s certain is they’ll never be same individuals as when they began.
The marble mentality grows from individualism. Individualism which is totally foreign -- foreign to the NT and foreign to the way God created us as human beings. Rick Warren hits it on the head when he says, "We’re formed for family."
Are you a marble or a grape?
Does your life impact and influence other people in God’s direction? Do you give thought and prayer, as you approach Sunday morning, or a small group meeting, as to how you can approach fellowship ready to challenge or encourage or love the other believers with whom you’re going to spend time.
Francis Schaeffer said,
"Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful"
Let’s ask God to make us into grapes.
