Dabbling in Jesus
Show “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” trailer
Many of you may have seen that movie, but you probably didn’t catch an important lesson in it.
Revelation 3: 14-16
14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
We like cold drinks and hot drinks but rarely in between.
More importantly, no one likes it when something is done half-way…not even Jesus.
There’s a BIG difference between dedication and dabbling.
It’s okay to dabble in a lot of things.
You can dabble in the stock market.
You can dabble in woodworking.
You can dabble in quilting or knitting.
You can dabble in pottery or some other hobby.
You can even dabble in your job when you only do what you have to do and no more.
But, we have to stop dabbling in Jesus!
We Dabble in Church (Which is His body.)
o Sure we want to be members. But what does that mean?
o We want to go to church…when it’s convenient.
o We want there to be programs for the young people…as long as it doesn’t cost too much money…and as long as they don’t ask me to help!
o We want to support the church’s work and the missionaries…as long as it doesn’t interfere with my financial or calendar plans.
o We want the building to look nice and be well kept…as long as I don’t have to come out to a work day.
o We want there to be good teachers and workers in our Sunday School classes…as long as you don’t ask ME to do it. (and if I don’t like the ones you pick, I’ll let you know)
o We want the church to have great, biblical leadership…as long as they don’t expect me to be one, pick one or obey one.
o We, basically, want the church to be there for us…not the other way around.
We dabble in church.
We Dabble in Service (Outside of Church)
Matthew 25:31-40
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
o We want to meet physical needs…on an occasional basis…not every day!
o We want to be kind to strangers…but invite them in? That’s just not safe!
o We absolutely want to care for the sick (and imprisoned)…if they would just let us know. Sometimes we didn’t even know they were sick or in need!
This is the difference. Dabbling waits for an opportunity. Dedication seeks an opportunity.
Dabbling waits to be told. Dedication knows the need because it knows the people.
o We want people to know about Jesus…but we don’t want to tell them. We would rather just invite them to church and hope they come.
These are not reserved for those in full-time ministry, but that is what we think when we dabble in our service for Jesus.
We Dabble in Growth (our personal closeness to Jesus)
2Peter 3 (after describing the return of Jesus)
14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Prayer
o We know the need for and power of prayer. That’s why we pray every day, at most meals and as we’re going to bed. We go to God, thank Him for His blessings and tell Him what we need and want.
Scripture
o We know that God’s Word is the absolute authority. It is without error and is our guide to life and eternity. That’s why we go to church to hear the preacher talk about it once a week. Sometimes we even get it out during the week…to prove somebody is wrong in what they believe.
Grace
o We know that is only by God’s grace that we are saved. Honestly, that’s about the extent of our knowledge on grace.
If your prayers are the same as they were the first time you prayed, there’s a problem. Do you talk to your friends the same way now as the first time you met?
If reading the Bible is just a church activity or a fall back plan when you need an answer (like an encyclopedia) you aren’t really taking full advantage of it. It applies to every issue in every day of your entire life…and beyond.
Grace is not only from God to you. It’s from us to the world. Are you really becoming more giving to a world that only takes from you? That is growth.
There’s a big difference between what is accomplished when you dabble in something and when you dedicate yourself to it.
(Show matchstick powerpoint)
What if we stopped dabbling in church and actually became the living, moving, active body of Christ inside and outside these walls?
Communication with God, the Word of God and the grace of God – Can you imagine how different our lives would be if we stopped dabbling in these things and became dedicated to them?
JESUS AIN’T BRYLCREEM! A LITTLE DAB WON’T DO YA'!
