Blush
Pt. 1 - Lip Locked
We all like to put our best foot forward. No weaknesses exposed. Vulnerability hidden. Humanness shrouded. The only problem is that our perfectly wrapped and packaged facade is often interrupted by embarrassing and cheek coloring moments. Things that make you blush!
Society likes to portray and paint Jesus as this passive, gentle, and even soft man. Yet, the truth is that He was controversial, confrontational, and had a tendency to ask people questions that would have reddened their cheeks in embarrassment. We prefer the nice, polite, appropriate Jesus. However, Jesus asked some questions that were knee bucklers. Jesus would look Pharisees, tax collectors, and His own disciples right square in the eyes and pose questions to them that would cause the blood from their toes to shoot up their necks, into their cheeks, and cause them to look away and duck their heads. We like to read these same questions as if they are only for those folks. Perhaps we should read them with our name in RED! These questions that Jesus posed are questions that should invoke the same response in us. These questions should cause us to blush but more importantly should cause us to change!
Text: Luke 6:46 (NIV) 46-47 (Message)
“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”
“Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.”
Insert your own name and read them.
What an embarrassing question. Jesus isn't talking to nonbelievers. He isn't addressing the vilest of sinners. He isn't dialoging with prostitutes, drunkards, or drug pushers. No . . . He is talking to His chosen 12 and the crowds who were following Him. The chapter after witnessing a boat swamping catch of fish, a man lowered through a roof to be healed and in the same passage where they witnessed Jesus heal the man with the withered hand He turns and verbally slaps His followers in the face. You have seen the power. You have witnessed the supernatural for yourself. You have verbalized that I am Lord and yet you still don't do what I say to do! Ackward! Pregnant pause! Stare at the feet moment! We should feel bad for the disciples. We should duck our heads in shame for them! We should feel the burn of a blush for . . . us?
The disciples had only the few days or weeks of experience with Jesus. They only had a few moments of proof. They had yet to walk forward through the feeding of the 5,000, the Transfiguration, the healing of the blind men, the healing of the lepers, and ultimately His resurrection. So we can cut them some slack. But what about us? We have the luxury of reading the account of all those miracles and more. We should be able to entertain this same question and never flinch! And yet, I wonder when asked the same question if we too shouldn't blush
a. Are you a follower or an obeyer?
A child can follow their parent and not obey their parent. How many of us follow Christ but fail to obey Him and do what He says to do? We have been overtaken by the plague of disobedience! We want to announce Him as Lord and yet our lack of obedience dethrones Him! Many follow . . . few obey!
Are you doing what He says . . . period? We want His words to be suggestions rather than commands.
Jesus had already taught His followers many things. In fact, this crimson question immediately follows what we call the Sermon on the Mount. He informs them exactly how they should live and then recognizes that His followers weren't living out what He was saying!
Has anything really changed? In the Sermon on the Mount and in other teachings He says to forgive we seek revenge. He says let go of grudges we harbor hard feelings for decades. He says turn the other cheek we go for the jugular. He says to love our enemies we facebook and twitter about them instead. He says to gather together for strength we like the lake. He says serve and we are selfish. He says that we should practice humility we strut and prance as if we are the center of the universe! He says to take care of those who are in need we buy another pair of shoes or a new boat! He demanded that we be separate but he's cute or she's hot! He says to tithe we tip. He says honor authority we want our rights! He says honor parents we say we are grown! He says obey we negotiate.
Jesus makes it clear . . . His teachings are not to just be additions to our life but rather the foundation on which we determine how we will act, react, behave, live and operate! Until we obey we are only followers!
Crowds/fans follow . . . disciples obey!
Why is that some of us who have called Him Lord for years still don't do the thing or things He said to do? We want to remove what we don't like or what is hard! Find a church that only teaches the part we already wanted to do and fails to challenge us to do the difficult, painful, and sacrificial!
Some of us are no more obedient now than we were on day one of our relationship with Jesus! “Lord” isn't supposed to be His name or a term of endearment. Lord is supposed to be His position in our life! Boss. Head honcho. Commander in Chief.
Our face should be blushed! Our heart must be changed!
b. Are you lip locked or are you life locked?
There was an embarrassing commercial during the super bowl. It was a close up, slow motion lip lock between a super model and a nerd. BTW - did you know that it took them 45 takes? There was no one that saw that commercial that came to the conclusion that those two people were going to leave that exchange and develop a meaningful, lifelong relationship. It was just a lip lock.
Too many of us are lip locked to Jesus but not life locked. Lordship isn't revealed by our lips it is revealed by our life!
Lip service is common . . . obedience is not. Knowing the right words and being able to fit in just because you know the lingo and phrasing doesn't equal being a true disciple! You can fool us by your talk but you can't fool anyone with your walk!
It is increasingly common for us to want to live under His blessings but separate from His commands! That was the flaw of the Pharisees. They could talk about God they just didn't know God.
Jesus addresses lippy followers in Matthew 15:8, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."
"Frauds! Isaiah’s prophecy of you hit the bull’s-eye: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they’re worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy."
So real talk is validated by real walk. If our walk doesn't match HIS talk then we should blush!
It is an embarrassing thought to me that we could attend faithfully, worship passionately, speak religiously and yet discover that Jesus is only Lord . . . lip deep. Jesus says His teachings should be the foundation of our life!
How many of us only serve Jesus at lip level? When life gets difficult or things become challenging do we revert to our own thinking, our own devices, and our own solutions, ideas, and conclusions?
I am asking you to fill these altars this morning and establish Jesus as Lord not just with your lips. Move beyond lip lock. Move to life lock. Move to obedience. What has He instructed you to do that you have not done? Maybe it is to honor and you haven't. Fix that this morning. Maybe it is to forgive and you haven't. Go to that person this morning. Maybe it is to serve and you haven't. Sign up today. Maybe it is to give and you haven't. Obey today!
And so I ask you a blush inducing question this morning . . . "Why do you call Him Lord and still not do what He says?"
