Facing the zombies
Luke 6:27-40
2 Cor 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone the new has come.
I want to tell you of an amazing transformation in my life. Jesus Christ changes lives. He makes us into something he can use, something new and wonderful. In my own life as a child I had 2 big fears. One was public speaking. I lived in fear that the teacher would call on me and I would have to speak in front of the class. Hard to believe isn’t it. I get up here and make announcements. Today I am preaching. What a change!
My prayer partner pointed out to me last week that God is all about defeating fear. When God reveled himself to Moses in the desert he said do not fear. When the angel appeared to Mary he said fear not. When the women met Jesus after his resurrection he also told them not to fear.
Rom 8:15 for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear.
God will take away your fears. God has also taken away my second fear. Zombies! As a child Saturday afternoon television was agony for me. There was a program called Shirley temple theater. Shirley Temple was grown up then and she hosted a Saturday program that featured horror films for children. Strange but true. I just had to watch, I could not stay away. I needed to learn how to protect myself from things that went bump in the night. This program had a limited budget and showed the same 6 movies over and over. The zombie movie was the scariest.
The plot was this; a group of ten friends would be on this island. One by one they would be turned into zombies. Other monsters I could understand, but when your friend becomes a zombie look out. No one could tell that they had turned bad. This guy gets turned into a zombie and he starts walking like this. (limps dragging one leg) And nobody notices. Hi John, Grunt! Not very talkative today are you? Grunt! What happened, did you do turn your ankle on the beach? Grunt!
Sometimes they do notice. The scariest part is that you have a zombie that walks like this (limps dragging one leg) and nobody can out run him. This one character runs like an Olympic champion and yet can not stay ahead of a limping, staggering, zombie!
So I’m over it. No more fear. Now I know what you are going to say. Bill, there is no such thing as zombies. You have no need to fear! I assure you, that you and I are surrounded by zombies every day. We just have a different name for them. What is the definition of a zombie? The walking dead. I will prove it to you right from the Bible that the walking dead are around us every day.
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, in this way death came to all men, because all have sinned.
There you have it; everyone who is a prisoner of sin is dead. They are the walking dead. We don’t call them zombies, but they are. I have been afraid of them. I was not afraid they would kill me. But I was afraid to share my faith with them. I am not afraid any more.
I am thrilled to speak the Lords words this morning. I can’t tell you the honor I feel. The Lord the creator of the universe, the one who’s words spoke creation. The creator of life has chosen me to speak his words. I think it is wonderful. Someone as small and insignificant as me can speak the Lords words. But not just me, but you can also. You can speak his words; his words are full of power.
John 5:24
I tell you the truth whoever hears my word and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned He has crossed over from death to life.
God’s word still creates life! God’s word spoken by you and me still create life. You can save the zombie. You can speak the words of God to an unbeliever, to one who is lost; if the words are heard, and taken to heart, you have created life. A person who was once dead in sin is now alive in Christ.
Mark 16:15
Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.
Jesus is speaking to his disciples in this verse and if you consider yourself his disciple, like I do, then he is talking to you. Go to all creation and speak his words. Now he isn’t asking all of you to stand up and preach to 100 people, like I am this morning. You would likely to get stage fright, get a little nervous. But you can do it one to one. Just you, one other person and the Lord. You don’t need to be all that nervous, it is just you and that one other person. I know we get nervous anyway. It is hard, but the Lord has asked us to do it so we do.
Open your Bible please to
Luke Chapter 6:27
I did not plan on starting the sermon here. As a matter of fact I did not want to start here. When I preach I usually speak about my experiences and how I apply scripture to my life. Starting here left in a quandary. I will speak here about something I have not experienced.
Luke 6:27-28 But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.
In my adult life I believe I have never had an enemy. As a child of course I have had other kids that I had not gotten along with. But as an adult I just haven’t had an enemy. Now it is not because I am such a good person. I don’t think that the Lord trusts me to have an enemy. You have seen the bumper sticker, (I don’t get mad I get even.) I think I would excel at that. I have never had an enemy. I have never had the opportunity to get even, but sometimes I wish I did. Just imagine this: Maybe he is my neighbor across the street, a zombie, someone who is dead to Christ. I would study him and look for a week moment and then I would strike.
Here in Colorado we have many days below zero, I would peer out my front window. He would be trying to start his car. RRRRR. Nothing RRR- R- -R-R stops. I let myself have just a moment of celebration. YESSS! Then I go into action. Faster than a speeding bullet, Quicker that the speed of light its JUMPER CABLE MAN. I am across the street in nothing flat with my cables and car running ready to help him. So you say Bill why are you doing this, you are talking about getting even with your enemy and there you are helping him. So the scripture here talks about doing good to your enemy, but you won’t fully understand unless I read another verse. Jesus is reinstating something out of Proverbs.
If you look up on the screen I have printed out
Proverbs 25:22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Boy I want to burn my enemy. I am excited about this. This is a neat deal. Check out the rest of this verse it says” and the Lord will reward you. I get have revenge and be rewarded at the same time. I could write a best seller about this. You see these self-help books all the time. Home business for fun and profit. Mine could be “Humiliate your enemy for fun and reward.” I am ready for this thing. After I get his car started I would watch for his wife to come out to shovel the snow and I could shovel with her. In the afternoon I would go around the block three times until his kids come out of the school and then I would give them a ride home. So when he gets home he finds out that Bill, his enemy did all this for him. I would have too much fun to have an enemy. The Lord would not trust me to have one. But you know if I did this kind of thing it is not likely I would have an enemy for long. That is why I think the Lord restated it here, and why Solomon wrote it in the first place. It is hard to retaliate on someone who is kind to you. I would have fun doing it, I really would.
Please turn back to verse 29 this is where I wanted to start this sermon because this was a real experience of mine.
29 If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. You, do not demand it back .Give to everyone who asks you, if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
This scripture got me in trouble a while back. I do remodeling work. I was working downtown, I carried out a few boxes of trash. I stacked them up alongside of my truck. On top of those boxes I had a packing blanket that I use as a drop cloth. I thought, I’ll load that trash on the truck later. As I was walking back inside I said to myself, wait a minute here. I can not leave that blanket just lying there. What if some homeless person comes along and steals it? So I headed back to put the blanket into the truck and then I stopped. If some homeless person were to steal my blanket, it probably means they are cold and need it. I should leave it just in case someone needs it. But does it make sense to let a homeless person steal what is mine? The Lord gave me good things in this world, it makes sense to take good care of what he entrusted to me. So I am stuck here totally immobile, stuck between two options. Then it occurs to me what my problem is.
Mathew 6:3-4a “when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”
I got stuck there you see. So I had this conversation with myself.
I don’t believe you are really going to leave that blanket out there to be stolen. Well the Lord says it is ok. Do you really want them to steal our stuff? The Lord says it is ok. He was talking about a tunic. What is a tunic? I don’t know but I’m sure it is not the same as a blanket. Why don’t you just leave the truck doors wide open? We could make a sign. I hope you like sealing my stuff. I hope you like the selection.
At this point my eyes got involved. I looked around and noticed that there were no homeless people around. This is a stupid argument I told myself. All I see is those two ladies over there who are laughing at me for talking to myself. Why don’t we let the brain decide? Can’t do that. What do you mean can’t do that. Can’t do that, the brain is not here. What do you mean that brain is not here? That lady over there says your brain went on vacation.
This is a true story. I embellished a little. I don’t really talk to myself. I stood in that alley for about 5 minutes, trying to decide what to do. Do I let my things be stolen or do I take care of the things that the Lord has entrusted to me? I did eventually let the brain handle this problem. I put things back into the truck and finished my work. I postponed my decision until later when I was more clear headed. I decided that it does not make sense to let someone steal from me. Leaving things out in the open was putting temptation, a stumbling block in someone’s path. I decided to find someone later who needed help, and help them. It made more sense than tempting someone to steal from me.
V32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them.
I thought about this. Nonbelievers give to charities. They do good for others. They often show kindness. They are genuinely concerned for the needs and welfare of their fellow man. What separates us from nonbelievers in our charitable giving? Jesus says to give to our enemies. Now I don’t know of any secular people who give to their enemies. The US government does this, but not for reasons of love, but to try to buy the good will of those who wish us harm.
There are good secular people who give because they have a sensitive heart.
I listen to talk radio and when the topic of giving comes up, what you hear a lot of is guilt. People feel guilty that they have much and others have little.
Advertisers take advantage of this guilt.
Example: Buy a new car this week and Gypco Dodge will donate a hundred dollars to Jerry’s kids.
Example: Buy a new bedroom set and Yankee furniture will donate $50 to “Friends of wild life.”
Now you can ease your conscience for living the high life, by helping furry little creatures at the same time. The worst one I ever saw was a “Gentleman’s club” that donated money to a charity for handicapped children. For every patron through the door a dollar was given. Now people can sin and do good at the same time!
What separates the charitable efforts of Christians from the efforts of the world?
Are the gifts we give as Christians any different than those given by the unbeliever? We give food, they give food. We give clothing, they give clothing. We give time, they give time. How does the recipient, see that there is a difference between what we give, and what the world gives? We can add something to our gift that costs us nothing, but is more valuable than anything the world has to offer.
Mark 16:15 says go into all the world and preach the good news.
This is news that nourishes the soul. The world can nourish the body with a gift, but only a Christian can give what nourishes the soul. That little thing that we can add to our gift.
Did you ever notice that the earthly body when it is in need can drown out the needs of the soul? The spirit says I need something, I need God. But when the body needs food, it can’t hear the Spirit. If someone were hungry and I held up a Bible in one hand and food in the other, we all know what the person will reach for. If we take care of the needs of the body, it will open the path to answering the needs of the soul. Jesus did that, Jesus feed 5,000 one time and 7,000 another time and then he gave them the word of God. He healed the blind, the sick, the infirm and then he healed the souls. He did this so that the psychical body would be quiet long enough, so he could minister to the soul. We can do that to. I can’t heal the sick, but I can meet the body’s needs. I can help out when someone is cold. We can meet the needs of the body and then meet the needs of the soul.
Vs 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned, Forgive and you will be forgiven.
I think we all try to live our lives without judging people. Often times I think we judge people and do not realize we do it. If you promise not to judge me too harshly, I will tell you how I judged someone. I judged, tried, convicted and pronounced sentence in just 2 seconds. Here I was downtown again and a homeless man came up to me and said “I haven’t eaten in three days, can you give me some money? In two seconds I made my decision, I said no not today. I did something even Sherlock Homes would be amazed at. You see, I just put together the facts. I looked at him, and in his shirt pocket was a pack of cigarettes. An unopened pack of cigarettes, I realized that this must have been a recent purchase. If it wasn’t recent, it would have been open. He would have smoked some. Sometime recently this man had $5.00 that he used to buy a package of cigarettes. This man has his priorities crossed. He has $5.00 and doesn’t buy food. He could not really be all so hungry.
I walked away from there feeling pretty smug. I just hope God doesn’t judge me with such careless abandon. First off many people are homeless because they use poor judgment. So suddenly I expect this man to use good judgment. But the real problem here was me. I thought the reason for this encounter was about, whether I should give him money or not. I missed the whole point. I will tell you the truth, this was not about food. It was about giving him Jesus Christ. I saved myself money; but I did not save his soul. How does a few dollars compare to that?
Vs. 38 give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
This is fantastic. You know how the Lord takes care of you when you tithe. I can testify to that. You can tithe 10% and that 90% left over will buy more than that 100% ever did. Can anyone else say that is true? I know it is true.
When the Lord rewards He really rewards! He says here you need to give. And if you give he is going to give back. Do you ever feel cheated when you open that cereal box and find it only half full? If you read the fine print on the package, you will see it says “contents sold by weight not by volume.” Settling may occur. So it is all shook down and you only have half a box. It doesn’t matter if it is sold by weight, I feel cheated. I paid for a full box and I only got half. But look here what God says. You are going to get a full cereal box. In verse 38 Jesus says you will get a pressed down, shaken together and overflowing cereal box. It is going to spill into your lap.
Vs 38 here it says for the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And just as I am anticipating my full box of cereal the breaks slam on. I am not going to get that packed in, shook down, over flowing cereal box. The measure I get is the same measure I give. I gave nothing to the man on the street.
40 A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like is teacher.
Jesus is my teacher. I can do the same things he did. I may not heal, but I can meet the needs of the body. Then I can meet the needs of the soul by speaking his words. When you meet the needs of the soul, you have created life. A new life was created in me. I am a new creature in Christ.
Now I have come full circle. This is where I started this sermon. God’s words still create life. God wants you to take those words and go to all the world and create life. Face the zombies. Feed their bodies, heal their souls.
