Christianity in Context, Luke 4:4, I Corinthians 9:19-23
Introduction
The Reverend Billy Graham tells of a time early in his ministry when he arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the Church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to Heaven.” “I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy said. “You don’t even know your way to the post office.”
Transition
In this evening’s Scripture reading we hear the Apostle Paul saying that he became all things to all people so that we might save a few. In other words, he contextualized his ministry so that he could reach people within the context of their circumstances with the Gospel of Christ.
Here, Paul is not saying that he changed the message of the gospel to make it easier for people hear, as so many in our day have done; having ignored substantive teaching with regard to sin in order to make the Gospel more palatable. No, what Paul is saying is not that he changed the Gospel to suit the times, but that he contextualized it; he placed it into the here and now circumstances of their lives.
This evening, as I enter my text, I will focus on making just three points. (1) The Gospel message speaks to all people at all times in every circumstance, culture, and context; we dare not change the Gospel to suit the culture. (2) In order to effectively share the Gospel message, we must live it out within the context of our immediate circumstance. (3) We can do all of this because just as Christ broke into our context 2,000 years ago, He is available for us today, in our context!
Exposition
(1) The Gospel speaks to those enslaved to the law; the legalist. The Pharisees were condemned by Jesus as being “whitewashed tombs.” Where the law only highlights our sin and need for a savior, where legalistic religion only has the power to enslave people to tradition and ritual, true religion, true redemption has the power to set men free from sin, its consequences, guilt, and then to free us unto a life of communion with God.
Grace cancels disconnection with God and even more so, it affirms connection with God! “Where sin did abound how much more did grace abound!”
The Gospel speaks to those who have never heard the law or of grace. How many in our day have been deceived, even here in a culture where the Gospel is so available, into believing or rejecting a false Gospel? Watered down preaching by overly ambitious and agenda driven preachers has done much to convince unsaved people that they are in fact right with God.
Illustration
An incident is related of a missionary who came into contact with a proud and powerful Indian chief. The chief, trembling under conviction of sin, approached the missionary and offered his belt of wampum as atonement. “No!” said the missionary, “Christ cannot accept a sacrifice like that.” The Indian departed, but soon returned offering his valuable rifle and the most beautiful skins he had taken in hunting. “No!” was the reply, “Christ cannot accept those either.” Again the Indian went away, only to return with a conscience more troubled than ever. This time he offered his wigwam, together with his wife and child – everything for peace and pardon. “No,” was the reply even to this, “Christ cannot accept such a sacrifice.” At this the chief seemed utterly oppressed; but suddenly he somehow sensed the deficiency, for, lifting up tearful eyes, he cried out, “Here, Lord, take this poor Indian too!” That is the only condition for fellowship with Christ.
Faith unto repentance is the Gospel, not faith unto a new Mercedes. Faith unto eternal life is the Gospel, not faith unto egalitarian social ideas. Faith, true faith, is the simple act of receiving grace. Paul presented the case of the pure Gospel, man fallen and lost in his sins, Christ blood offering the hope of redemption! Dear Saints, let us proclaim the pure Gospel of hope and truth!
Paul speaks also of those who are weak; those who are oppressed. Let us not be so proud in our dealings as the Church that we forget those who are oppressed. The postmodern culture, in its pursuit for self advancement, self determination, and selfish pleasure has, in many ways, left the oppressed very far behind in the dust.
For the unborn child who seeks only to keep the gift of life given to him by his creator, let us speak out! For the oppressed unwanted child who suffers at the hand of a parent let us keep watch! For the oppressed wife who suffers the abuses of the man who vowed to protect her, let us be vigilant.
At this season of Lent as we rightly examine the suffering of Christ, let us remember that we are not only to identify with His suffering for eternal life but also identify with the suffering of those around us. Christ offered himself; love for the unlovely; are we to do anything less?
Illustration
A few years ago a lovely Christian mother gave her pastor criticism he deserved. He had preached a strong sermon on personal evangelism pointing out every Christian’s obligation to reach out and win others to the Lord. In the conclusion of the sermon he tried to obliterate every excuse that anyone might have for failure to lead others to Christ. The sermon needed to be preached, of course, as it still does. Only apparently he had been guilty of some unfair emphasis.
After the sermon he was invited home with a lovely Christian family. The husband was completing his resident work as a medical doctor, and had little spare time, but still he spent time in the church’s personal work program. The wife beautifully cared for their three lovely children. All of them were very young – one still an infant in arms – and required a lot of time.
During the meal the wife asked the pastor if he remembered the Scripture, “For as his share is who goes down into battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage” (1 Sam. 30:24). He confessed his ignorance, and she gave the context of King David insisting that the home guard be rewarded equally with those who had the more obviously essential role of fighting in the front line.
And then she shared a wonderful truth which is so easily forgotten. She mentioned that she felt that taking care of children, patiently teaching them the ways of God and His great values, looking for moments of readiness to deflect them gently when they get on the wrong track was “staying with the baggage.” She went on to point out that she often felt guilty for not doing more of the “church” work than she did. But she felt her greatest ministry was being a dedicated Christian mother.
My friend, all you need to say after listening to a needed reprimand like that is one word – Amen.
Wherever we are, we are there according to God’s sovereign will for our life. There is one who goes and there is one who sends. The Bible even says that without the one who sends the other can not go. Where ever we are, God has a purpose in our being in that very place.
The longer I live and more I study God’s word, the more I am compelled toward a very high view of God’s sovereignty in our lives and in the affairs of human history. God is not the author of bad things in our lives, but He is always at work redeeming them! God does not have us, as it were as puppets on strings, but He moves in our lives, through our lives, to accomplish His aims. Our human will and freedom resides squarely within the bounds of His sovereignty.
(3) The glorious reality of Christ’s humility, that is, His condensation from the throne of Heaven to become veiled in human flesh, is the ultimate expression of God contextualizing Himself to save us. In Christ, we see the word of God, the communication of God to man, becoming flesh; the full embodiment of divinity mingled with human flesh; a great mystery of beauty and grace.
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:1-11 NASB)
Conclusion
If we are to live out the Christian life within the context of our immediate circumstance, if we are to proclaim Christ within the context of our lives, we need look no further than the example of Christ. We must only follow after the Master of Mercy, our calloused hand gripped tightly around the walking stick of truth, sandaled feet trotting the dusty trails of this life, treading out the Gospel of Peace; eyes transfixed on Jesus Christ!
Christianity in context is little more than following the one who condescended from heaven into the context of our lives that we might become like Him! Dear Saints of God, as you go from this place tonight, may you be reminded that God is in your circumstance, your context, and he has placed each of us right where we are to be used for His ultimate glory within the context of His grace!
Amen.
