OPEN: When we first started this series, I sang the chorus to “Born To Be Wild” (by Steppenwolf). This morning I want to sing for you the 1st phrase of the first verse of that song:
“Get your motor runnin' - Head out on the highway.
Lookin' for adventure and whatever comes our way.”
And the chorus goes this way:
“Like a true nature's child, we were born, born to be wild.
We can climb so high, I never wanna die.
Born to be wild”.
Now what that song was saying was this:
These guys wanted adventure.
They wanted a wild… exciting life.
“Looking for adventure… and whatever comes our way.”
“Born to be wild, and we never want to die.”
And, you know, that’s exactly what Christianity promises us.
If we take our commitment to Christ seriously life can be a wild and exciting experience.
And when Jesus comes again, we’re going to have eternal life.
We’re never going to die.
But I want you to notice something here.
The song said they were LOOKING for adventure.
And, they were OPEN TO WHATEVER came their way.
The same is true of us.
As Christians, Jesus calls us to “look for adventure”.
To seek for whatever He sends our way.
Jesus said "Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19
To the crowds that followed Him, Jesus said:
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Mark 8:34
Jesus says:
Make the decision.
Choose the adventure.
Pick up your cross and follow Me.
Now, not everybody wants to do that.
I recently read a couple of articles by two different CNN reporters (Rachel Held Evans & Laura Sessions Stepp). They were trying to explain why “millennials” (the name for 20 somethings) were leaving church. And CNN was taking it upon itself to counsel churches on what congregations needed to do to start appealing to this generation of people.
Their conclusion?
Millennials were leaving congregations because the church wasn’t meeting their WANTS.
Now, that’s not quite what these CNN reporters meant to say. But throughout their descriptions of the millennials you saw a repeated drumbeat of: they “want” this and they “want” that.
CNN was saying: unless the church accommodated these WANTS they’d lose these kids
ILLUS: Consider some of the things these “millennials” seem to want.
One of the CNN reporters (Rachel Held Evans) declared that - as Millennials –
• “we want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.” What is it they want to be known that they stand for? Among the list “we want our LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transsexual) friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities.”
In other words: these millennials wanted what THEY wanted.
They’re not particularly concerned about what God might want.
Another CNN reporter (Laura Sessions Stepp) said:
“(Millennials) don't appreciate being condemned for living with a partner, straight or gay, outside of marriage or opting for abortion to terminate an unplanned pregnancy.”
Now notice: these millennials “don’t appreciate” being told these things are wrong.
They’d love to come to church (this CNN reporter tells us) and if it weren’t for a bunch of hardnosed, inflexible Christians they’d love to. But they’d prefer Jesus follow them… not the other way around.
But, the only way to live the life that pleases God and allows Jesus to lead us toward the kind of life He has in store for us - is to do things on HIS terms, not ours.
You see, that was the problem Peter had early on when he was with Jesus.
We’re told in Matthew 10 that Jesus said “…he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and BEGAN TO REBUKE HIM. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’
Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” Matthew 16:21-23
You see, Peter USED to think that he could tell Jesus what to do.
He used to think he could make Jesus dance to HIS tune.
But, after a while, Peter realized that that didn’t work out too well.
But now, in Acts chapters 3 and 4, we find an entirely different Peter.
This Peter was now a man who realized the folly of telling Jesus what to do, and who had finally accepted Jesus as his crucified Savior and Risen Lord.
Peter had finally come to the point where he accepted Jesus as someone who would TELL HIM what to do.
And I’m pretty sure Peter wouldn’t gone over real well with the millennial crowd, because Peter told just about everybody that they were sinners.
In Acts 3, Peter healed a lame man. And this once-crippled man was so excited he began to leap and jump around and praise God. In a very short time, a crowd gathers and Peter begins to preach to them.
And Peter tells those people “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. YOU DISOWNED the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. YOU KILLED the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” Acts 3:13-15
Now, those CNN reporters wouldn’t have been happy about that.
They would have criticized Peter for being too judgmental and harsh
But wait… Peter wasn’t done.
Some of the Jewish leaders heard Peter and John as they were preaching, and they had them arrested and brought up before the Jewish court – called the Sanhedrin.
And Peter tells THEM:
“It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is"’ the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:10-12
Had that happened today, CNN would have had all kinds of TV Specials saying how Peter was being unjust and self-righteous. And they would interview members of the Sanhedrin and pointed out how REASONABLE they were. I mean, after all, they released Peter and John off with a warning not to preach like that anymore. How much more reasonable and open-minded could you be than that?
And then… CNN would mock Peter and John as they aired next comments:
"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:19-20
Peter and John wouldn’t have gone over real big at CNN… or MNNBC… or ABC, or CBS, or any number of other news outlets of our day.
You see preaching Jesus has never been real popular with some folks.
ILLUS: How many of you have ever heard of the book “Pilgrim’s Progress”?
It’s a very famous book written by a man named John Bunyan. Bunyan was a preacher in the 1600’s who loved to preach out in the open fields. He’d find a stump somewhere and large crowd would gather hear him tell about Jesus. But Bunyan wasn’t particularly loved by the church leaders of his day and he was eventually while preaching in a field near a farmhouse.
At the time of his arrest, he was told that IF he would apologize to the magistrates and refrain from preaching that he would be released.
Bunyan replied that that wasn’t going to happen. And so he spent the next 12 long years in prison. When he was released he went back to preaching and re-arrested and thrown back into jail. It was while he was in prison that he wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress”.
ILLUS: Fast forward a couple of centuries and you’ll find that things aren’t that much different.
A high-school senior named Eric Bast at the Cincinnati high school wasn’t thrown into prison… but he was suspended for 5 days. Why? Because he had the audacity to write 3000 personalized letters to his fellow classmate with a message about how much Jesus meant to him and explaining how they could have a personal relationship with Christ and avoid spending eternity in hell.
The principal was not impressed and gave him a 5 day suspension.
But Bast wasn’t fazed by his punishment. In fact, his letter (and his willingness to face the wrath of the school system) made such an impression on several of his unbelieving schoolmates that they began having discussions with him about it.
And Christians at the school began to say to themselves "Wow, I realize that I'm totally not living for God, because I don't tell any of my friends, let alone every person.'"
Now some folks may say to themselves, “yeah, that’s pretty intense faith. These folks take this ‘following Jesus’ stuff pretty seriously. But I couldn’t do that.
• I couldn’t preach like John Bunyan.
• I wouldn’t be bold enough to hand out all those letters like that high School senior.
• And I DEFINITELY couldn’t stand up in front of a bunch of people like Peter and John did.
Well, actually, Peter and John couldn’t do that either.
Peter and John did NOT preach to the Sanhedrin that day.
Seriously.
Look with me to Acts 4:8 “Then Peter, FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, said to them…”
Peter and John weren’t the ones doing the speaking.
And this was a fulfillment of the promise Jesus had made to His disciples in Matthew 10. Jesus told them “On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:18-20
Whether they stood before a crowd, or before the Sanhedrin – God did the speaking
All Peter and John did was to be willing to show up, and God did the rest.
And all you and I need to do is show up. All we need do is stand up and be willing to be used by God… and God will give us the wildest and most satisfying ride of our lives.
ILLUS: Have you ever been to an amusement park?
Back when I was younger I really enjoyed amusement parks. I’d showed up at the gate and pay for my ticket and then I walked into this exotic world filled with all kinds of wonder.
Some parks had animal shows and minstrels walking the street. There were smells of cotton candy and fresh pizza and hot dogs. And – of course – there were rides of all types
Now, if I had wanted, I could have walk around all day just taking in the sights and the smells and the sounds. But my ticket cost too much money for me to just walk around and do nothing. And so rode the all the most exciting rides I could find – sometimes 3 or 4 times. I’d wait in line for anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour just to ride the roller-coasters.
All I had to do was “show up” and pay the admission, and all the rides and entertainment were free. The shows were entertaining, and the rides were wild and scary and exciting. And when I went home… I knew the day had been worth it.
Now – not to trivialize our walk with Christ - but that’s how it is with Jesus. Jesus paid such a high price for “our ticket” that it would be a shame for us to just stand around and do nothing.
But, you know, once we begin to walking with Jesus – the world becomes different. It becomes filled with wonder… filled with opportunity. And Jesus takes us on rides that are wild and scary and exciting.
And when our day on earth is done and we’ve spent our days with Jesus, when we go home with Him… we’ll know it’s all been worth it.
All Peter and John had to do was show up.
Their ticket had been paid for, and all they had to do was walk inside.
Now, there are many Christians who look at Peter and John and think:
I can’t do anything like they did. They were apostles for pity’s sake. I’m not as brave as they are, and I can’t speak like they did.
And that’s where many Christians make their mistake.
They believe success in of the great heroes and heroines of Scripture had to do with their intelligence and skill.
But about 3 years before this Peter and John had been common fishermen from a backwater part of the country. When they stood before the Sanhedrin and preached their sermon there the Sanhedrin “saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
So, how did these unschooled and ordinary men manage to shake up the most powerful and influential men of their day?
Well – first, they were men of prayer.
This whole incident began as Peter and John were on their way to the Temple at the hour of prayer. They had no immediate plans to start preaching… let alone finding some beggar who needed healing. They were on their way to pray.
They understood (as many Godly men and women should) that prayer was their power line to God. They weren’t going to get much of anything done for Jesus until they’d spent time in prayer.
ILLUS: A friend of mine told me that he’d been up at Silver Lake Restaurant last week. It was just him at one table… and a few people at another. Then he began to hear these people at that next table begin to talk about their church, and begin praying for their church and for God to show His power in their church. This intrigued him and he looked over to see who would love God so much that they’d spend time at a restaurant praying for Him to work in their congregation.
When he looked he recognized (name of one couple in the congregation) and (the name of a woman in the church). He was impressed!
As he told me about this, it thought to myself (I smiled a big smile):
“All RIGHT!!! I get to work with these folks!”
This guy was braggin on you because he saw how seriously you took your praying.
God’s people always realize that prayer is our power line to God. As Ps 127:1 tells us: “Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”
Godly people realize they need prayer to get anything done for Jesus.
So first Peter and John were praying men.
2nd – they were men of kindness and compassion.
“Now a man crippled from birth … saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!"
So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Acts 3:2-6
Peter and John weren’t rich men. They couldn’t give the beggar what he asked for. But such as they had they gave to him. They hadn’t gone to the Temple courts to heal this man. He wasn’t a prop for their sermon that day. They saw a man who had a need and the reached down into that man’s crippled world and touched him with Jesus.
And that’s what many people in this congregation understand.
• We have a food pantry, and there are people who put a lot of effort into making sure that it’s always stocked and well organized. Bev (the woman who oversees it) tells me that we serve upwards of 100 people a month through that small pantry.
• And there’s the two times our young adult Bible Study has sponsored a food truck that has come and served about 500 people each time. And they do this because they care that people have needs that we have the ability to meet.
• And we have a bus ministry. Joe drives it every Sunday morning (to pick up people for Sunday School and Worship) and every Wednesday night (for our children’s ministry). And he even takes it home occasionally to sweep it out and wash it down. And he does all that because the people he ministers to matter to him.
• And we have a children’s minister and a youth minister and a youth ministries and young couples minister. All these men have full time jobs besides what they do for this congregation, but they do what they do because of their love for the people they serve.
• And we have people who work at church camp. They take their vacation time and spend it teaching young kids about Jesus and sharing their lives with those children.
• And we have folks who’ve gone to the mission field. Places like Honduras, and Mexico and Haiti. They do this because they have something to give to folks in those countries. Those people matter to them.
• And we have people here who – when a friend is struggling in their lives - you pray for them/ right there and then because you know they need the prayer right then.
And I could go and on and on about the different ways in which many of you reach out to others for Jesus.
So, Peter and John were men of prayer and they were men of compassion.
But most importantly – these were men who were sold out for Jesus.
(The leaders of the Sanhedrin) “were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
Jesus had saved these men to do great things.
They had been saved to go on an adventure on behalf of their Savior and live a life that wild and exciting.
And Jesus saved you to do great things. He saved you to live a life that is more adventurous and wild than anything this world can offer. One of my favorite Bible passages is Ephesians 2:10 “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that He prepared in advance for us to do.”
ILLUS: A man told me last night that many people don’t do many of the things they could do because they are afraid of being embarrassed and facing the possibility of failure. That’s why so many Christians don’t do great things for Jesus… they’re afraid.
ILLUS: Years ago, one of your Elders here was confronted by a preacher in the church he was attending, and the preacher asked him “when are you going to start doing something for Jesus? Are you going to be satisfied just sitting in a pew all your life?” And that one question changed his life and made him realize Jesus saved him for more than just “going to church” and putting in his time. Ultimately he became one of the driving forces that helped to plant this congregation so long ago.
Now, I’m not into playing the guilt card. I’m not into shaming people to serve Jesus. There are many of you here that serve God with honor… and there are others of you who just sit back and put in your time. There are those who just satisfied to have Jesus pay their ticket and then stand around and do nothing.
I’m not into playing the guilt card with those of you would do that… because that’s not how I serve Jesus. I don’t serve Christ out of guilt or shame. I do it because it’s a great adventure. It’s a wild and exciting life and I look on those who don’t get that and feel a sense of pity. A sense that you’ve missed out on the excitement and pleasure of getting on board and taking the ride of your life.
I want to close with this illustration from a book by a Dr. Paul Brand: "In His Image." He wrote that when his mother was 75 years old, she was still walking miles every day, visiting the villages in the southern part of India, teaching the people about Jesus.
One day, at age 75, she was traveling alone and fell and broke her hip. After two days of just lying there in pain, some workers found her and put her on a makeshift cot and loaded her into their jeep and drove 150 miles over deep rutted roads to find a doctor who could set the broken bones. But the very bumpy ride damaged her bones so badly that her hip never completely healed.
He said, "I visited my mother in her mud-covered hut several weeks after all of this happened. I watched as she took two bamboo crutches that she had made herself, and moved from one place to another with her feet just dragging behind because she had lost all feeling in them."
"At age 75, with a broken hip, unable to stand on her own two legs, I thought that I made a pretty intelligent suggestion. I suggested that she retire."
"She turned around and looked at me and said, `What value is that? If we try to preserve this body just a few more years and it is not being used for God, of what value is that?’"
So she kept on working. She kept on riding her donkey to villages until she was 93 years old. At age 93 she couldn’t stay on her donkey anymore. She kept falling off. But she didn’t stop serving God. Indian men would carry her in hammocks from one village to another. And she continued to tell people about Jesus Christ until she died at age 95.
She refused to miss out on the adventure of serving Jesus. She refused to “retire” and just lay helplessly in a bed somewhere. She refused to miss out on the excitement of being there with Jesus to make a difference in her world.
Albert Schweitzer “I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
Are you looking for adventure?
Are you looking for an opportunity to serve your savior and make a difference?
Before you can take hold of that opportunity with Jesus, you need to belong to Him.
INVITATION
