Mary and I are truly grateful to the church for providing us with some extended time off to celebrate our 40th anniversary. As usual, it was great to have some down time just to relax and be refreshed on our vacation and, other than the cold that I think I picked up on the way home when there were a bunch of people sneezing and coughing on the plane, I definitely feel refreshed and ready to get back at it.
But this summer, God also used our time away to do some needed work in my life, both personally and as a pastor. So this morning I’d like to share with you a few of those things, both because I need to ask your forgiveness about several things and because my guess is that at least some of the things I learned might prove to be valuable for all of us, both as individuals, and for us as a body.
God used two primary instruments in that process – a book and some circumstances. I’ll begin with the circumstances.
Apparently, as Mary kept reminding me throughout the trip, I need to work on being more patient. So it seems that God kept slowing me down, literally, throughout our trip.
When we got to Kauai and tried to pick up our rental car, there was a long line and it wasn’t moving very fast as it seemed every single customer had to ask question after question about their rentals. And the lady who was apparently the manager, thought it was more important to restock brochures and otherwise piddle around in the office rather than actually help customers. Apparently she was right because by the time we finally got our car, there was no one left in line.
A couple days later we went to the grocery store and I got in the express lane that was for “8 items or less”. Apparently the person two people ahead of me in line thought that meant multiples of 8, as she had 16 items – yes I counted them.
Then there was the day we decided to drive the road to Hana in Maui. From where we staying it was a little over an hour drive to get to the beginning of the highway – which we completely expected. According to the app we used, there are over 600 curves and nearly 60 one lane bridges on that road. We also were aware of that so we knew it was going to take several hours to drive that 30-mile stretch of road. On that drive we made several stops along the way, including one at a state park that had a really cool sea cave, a black sand beach, and supposedly a blowhole, which we never saw. Of course, on the way back to the main highway all the traffic was stopped for about a half hour because a large branch had fallen on the narrow road and it took a while for a group of people to move it.
On the way back to our condo, however, we got just past the airport on the main highway and traffic literally came to a stop. So for the next 30 miles or so, we drove in bumper to bumper traffic, going about half the speed we had gone on the road to Hana. We figured there must have been an accident or some other reason for the slow traffic but later found out that all the timeshares on Maui rent from Saturday to Saturday, so everyone flies in that day, stops at Costco and then heads to their timeshares on the same highway we were on. So if you ever go to Maui, don’t arrive or leave on a Saturday.
However, by the end of the trip, I must have learned at least a little patience since we didn’t have any more unexpected delays like that. But actually, as I’ll share with you later, I came to understand that the issue God wanted to bring to my attention was actually not patience, but something far more important.
The book, on the other hand, revealed some far more significant and deep-seated issues that I needed to deal with. Before we left I downloaded a book titled Dangerous Calling – Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry. In hindsight I should have been more careful in picking my book – after all, the first word in the title was “Dangerous”. And that’s exactly what that book turned out to be – in a good way.
So let me summarize for you what I learned from that book and then I’ll share some more of the details that led me to this conclusion:
In both my personal life and in my role as Pastor:
I have been attempting to master the Word of God
rather than be mastered by the God of the Word.
Fortunately, that is not always the case, but to be honest, that is true much more than I’d like to admit. Every week I spend hours studying the Bible so that I can bring a message to you that accurately handles the text and hopefully applies it to our everyday lives. But far more often than I’d care to admit, my mastering of the Word of God has been more of a priority than letting the God of the Word master me. And every time that happens, I not only shortchange me, but I shortchange all of you. So for all the times that I’ve done that, I ask this morning for your forgiveness. Will you forgive me for that?
One of the encouraging things I found in the book is that I’m not alone. The author recounts story after story of pastors, even pastors of large mega churches, who have gotten stuck that same rut. But that doesn’t mean that it’s OK or that I don’t need to address it in my life.
But that understanding was only the first step in the process. So far, I’ve only told you the what, but not the why. What I was doing was attempting to master the Word of God rather than being mastered by the God of the Word. But why? Fortunately, the book helped me answer that question. And here is what I discovered was the root cause:
I had lost my awe of God.
Not all the time, to be sure, but certainly far too often.
I’ve already spent a lot of time confessing that to God and asking for His forgiveness. But this morning I also need to ask for your forgiveness, because every time I lose my awe of God I not only rob me, but I rob all of you. As I’ve come to understand, one of my primary duties as a Pastor is to help people restore their awe of God. And when that awe is not present in my own life, there’s not a very good chance that I’m going to be able to do that for anyone else. So will you forgive me for those times I’ve lost my awe of God?
TENSION
But I’m not going to let any of you off the hook easily this morning either. Because my guess is that many of you have gone through that same experience of losing your awe of God. Perhaps, you’re even in that place right now. So before I go any further, I want to ask you a question. And I want you to think before you answer that question, so I’m going to give you a little bit of time to do that.
When was the last time you personally "stood in awe" of God?
And now that you’ve thought about that a bit, let me ask you a second related question:
When was the last time you experienced the awe of God
with others in corporate worship?
Finally, one more question for you to think about:
Why would you want to settle for just “doing church”
when you could be filled with the awe of God?
TRUTH
Earlier I mentioned that I came to understand that God was teaching me about something other than patience through the circumstances of our trip. One day I had gone down to a nearby store to pick up a few things and on the way back, God clearly spoke to my heart and I realized that what I need to develop is not just patience, although I could sure use some work on that, but rather extending grace to others. And it also became clear that I can’t separate that weakness on my life from my lack of awe. When I’m in awe of the fact that a holy God would extend grace to someone like me, then it becomes much easier for me to extend that same kind of grace to others.
So one last time – at least that I know of right now – I need to ask your forgiveness for those times when I know I have not extended grace to some of you. As God brings individual situations to mind, I’ll be sure to ask for forgiveness personally. But I know that since I’m prone to do that, I’ve probably not even realized it at times. If I’ve done that to you, will you forgive me for that?
I share that because this morning, I believe that God wants me to speak about some things that may be hard to hear. But I want you to know up front, that I don’t do that out of any sense of condemnation, but rather out of love for Jesus and for you.
For far too long, I think that I think that we’ve settled. I’ve done that personally and I think we’ve done that as a church. We’ve been satisfied with just “doing church” rather than really being a place where the awe of God is manifest. So we’ve settled for an occasional new family joining the church or a baptism here and there. But frankly, we’re not reaching people for Jesus the way we should and I’m convinced that a lot of that has to do with the fact that we’ve lost our awe of God.
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading through the book of Acts, along with many of you. And one of the things that has really stood out to me is the number of times that words like “wonder”, “amazement”, “astonished” and “awe” are used. The people were constantly in awe of Jesus and the way His disciples were preaching and serving in His name. And every day hundreds, and even thousands, were being added to the body of Christ. This is especially true in the account we find in Acts 13. So if you have you Bibles, go ahead and open it up to that chapter.
Beginning in verse13, we learn that Paul and Barnabas had gone to Antioch. And on the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and used the Hebrew Scriptures to tell people about Jesus. And at the end of Paul’s message, here is what happened:
As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
(Acts 13:42 ESV)
From time to time, some of you will tell me that the message that day spoke to some issue in your life or share some other words of encouragement, and I certainly appreciate that. But I don’t remember a time when you all begged me to come back and tell you more next Sunday. And because the people were so enthusiastic about what they had heard and in awe of Jesus, look what happens next:
And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God. The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
(Acts 13:43-44 ESV)
I am of the opinion that Jesus still wants that for His church today. He wants the gospel to be preached boldly and passionately in a way that everyone will want to bring others with them to hear that gospel. And I’m also convinced the only way we’ll ever get there is to restore our awe of God.
So I want to spend our remaining time talking about some of the barriers that cause us to lose our awe of God and what we can do to overcome those barriers.
APPLICATION
RESTORING MY AWE OF GOD
BARRIER SOLUTION
Busyness Set aside time to meditate on God’s glory
Familiarity Pray for eyes that are open to God’s glory
Knowledge Leave room for mystery
Isolation Commit to live intentionally in community
Man-centered worship Keep the focus on Jesus
1. BARRIER – Busyness
Our lives have become so busy that we just don’t take time to stop and smell the roses, alone take the time that is required to gaze on the awesome glory of God. We’ve filled our lives with so many things – many of them even good things – that keep us from taking the time that is required to restore our awe of God.
SOLUTION – Set aside time to meditate on God’s glory
The fact is that we make time for the things that are important to us. If I could follow any of you around for a few days, I’m pretty sure I could figure out pretty quickly what you value – cooking, working out, watching TV, reading, computer games, family, etc.
I can’t help but think here of the story of Mary and Martha. Martha was busy with all the things that mattered most to her, but what mattered most to Mary was just to sit in awe at the feet of Jesus taking in His every word.
Restoring my awe of God requires that I make that a priority in my life. And that means scheduling some time to spend with Him each day. Preferably that would be the way you start your day, but I understand that won’t always work for everyone. Although I normally schedule that time very early in the day, there are some times that I have to adjust that schedule. But I guard that time as much as I possibly can.
I want you to notice what I didn’t say here. I didn’t say have a quiet time. I didn’t say read a devotion. What I’m encouraging all of us to do is to set aside some time to just be with God, to talk to Him in prayer and let Him speak to us through the pages of Scripture. But the key here is to do that with the right mindset, one that is searching to see the glory of God and be amazed and stand in awe of Him. A couple of the other solutions I’ll discuss will also help us do that.
2. BARRIER – Familiarity
When we drove that road to Hana, it seemed there was something breathtaking around every turn – a waterfall, some unique trees, or even a mongoose running across the road. But on that same road every day are people who drive it back and forth to work and I can’t help but think that after they drive that road so much that they become familiar with every turn and bridge that they begin to lose their sense of awe and wonder just because it’s so familiar.
And I think to a large degree our familiarity with God has often robbed us of our awe in much the same way. In 2004, Israel Houghton wrote a song titled “I Am a Friend of God”. We even used to sing it here at TFC. One of the reasons we no longer sing that song here is that songs like that can tend to take away the reverence and awe that God deserves. It’s OK for Jesus to call me friend, but when I begin to claim that He is my friend I think it robs me of some of my awe of God.
SOLUTION – Pray for eyes that are open to God’s glory
This is a prayer that I’ve started praying in my daily time with God. Before I open His Word, before I start lifting up my prayer requests to Him, I want to ask Him to open my eyes that I might see His glory, not just in the pages of Scripture, but in the things I encounter in my life each day.
On Tuesday night I took this photo of a sunset from our backyard. It is possible to explain what you’re seeing here in simply scientific terms by talking about how the water and dust particles in the atmosphere refract the light from the sun. But I took this picture because in this sunset God enabled me to see His glory. On our trip this summer Mary and I saw some unbelievable things that are a manifestation of His glory. So we made sure to thank Him every day for demonstrating His glory through His creation. And we ought to approach His Word with that same sense of excitement and wonder.
3. BARRIER - Knowledge
For a long time, people in many different cultures worshiped the moon. Man looked at the moon and considered it to be a manifestation of the divine so they worshiped it. But as civilization advanced and men constructed instruments through which they could observe the moon and even send people on a mission to land there and take samples, they discovered it was merely a large sphere of rock orbiting the earth and reflecting the light of the sun. So to a large extent when we gaze at the moon today, it has lost its awe and wonder. Now it’s certainly a good thing that we don’t still worship the moon, but it illustrates what can happen when we think we have someone or something figured out.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of knowing about God rather than really knowing God. And that’s a trap I’ve fallen into a lot, as I mentioned earlier. I think the seminary training that most pastors get really set them up to do just this because they focus more on dissecting the Bible than letting the Bible dissect their lives. But I don’t think this barrier is limited only to those with a seminary education, is it?
SOLUTION: Leave room for mystery
God has revealed a lot about Himself in His Word, but He certainly hasn’t revealed everything there is to know about Him. And frankly that’s a good thing because if we knew everything about Him, we would lose a lot of our awe and wonder.
So it’s OK to not be able to understand every Bible passage, to have some questions about God and His purposes, plans and ways. It actually increases our awe of God to understand that His ways are higher that our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts and to just be OK with that.
4. BARRIER – Isolation
I’ve often pointed out before that there is no such thing as a “Lone Ranger” Christian. God intends for His children to live within a community of fellow disciples of Jesus because he knows that is the very best way for all of us to develop into the people that God wants us to become. And when we fail to live in community like that, we miss out on the support that we would otherwise have as we go through difficulties and trials in our lives. And that tends to take our gaze off the glory of God.
SOLUTION – Commit to live intentionally in community
You may have seen this saying before. It is normally presented as an African proverb, even though there is absolutely no evidence that is the case. But I think it is quite helpful for us this morning:
I can go faster alone but we can go further together.
That’s probably pretty true in our walk with God isn’t it? Sometimes it’s just easier to live on our own. But in the long run, we’ll never arrive at the place God wants to be.
You’ll notice here that I said we are to live intentionally in community. That means that we are willing to make some sacrifices in order to live life with our fellow disciples. I know that I don’t particularly like to get up at 5:30 on Monday morning so that I can be here at church by 6:30 for our Men’s Bible study. But I can honestly tell you this. Every week when I come and meet with the other men that come here, I come away with a better sense of the glory of God and my awe is restored at least a little bit each week.
I’ve also started meeting for lunch fairly regularly with a group of guys I went to high school that all became believers after we left high school. And when we get together I always come away encouraged and with a greater sense of just how awesome God is when I hear how He is working in their lives.
We all need that kind of genuine Biblical fellowship. And there are a number of opportunities for you to find a place. Men, you’re all welcome on Monday mornings – it’s not a closed group. Or you can come to our monthly men’s breakfast and be encourage by other men. For those of you able to attend during the day, Billie Mixon has a Bible study at her house each week. Women, there is a study on Thursday morning and Thursday evenings. And after this service we’re going to meet for our Bible roundtable to discuss further what we’ve learned this morning.
5. BARRIER – Man-centered worship
In what I believe is a genuine desire to reach the lost, many contemporary churches have resorted to worship that con only be described as man-centered or need-centered. The idea is that they want to create an atmosphere where unbelievers will feel comfortable. So the focus becomes on “here’s what God can do for you.” The worship services tend to focus on things like how God can fix your marriage or make you happy in your job, or help you with your finances or heal you physically.
Now certainly God can do all those things. Many of us here have personal experience with some of them. But when all our attention is directed at what Jesus can do for me, it certainly robs Him of His glory and diminishes our sense of awe.
SOLUTION – Keep the focus on Jesus
For those of you who have been reading through the book of Acts lately, do you remember any sermons from Paul or Peter or others that were focused on the needs of the people listening? Neither can I. But what I do remember is sermon after sermon that focuses on the amazing plan of God to send a Redeemer, Jesus, to take care of our sin. The focus is always on Jesus and the sacrifice He made on our behalf. And that is the message that created awe, wonder, amazement and astonishment.
Obviously I’m not saying that we can’t ever have a sermon that addresses our marriages or our jobs or our finances or our health. But what I am saying is that the focus should always be on Jesus and what He has already done for us. That’s how we recover our sense of awe.
INSPIRATION
So why does all of this matter? How would our lives be different, both as individuals and as a body if we got back our awe of God? I’m going to let Paul David Tripp, the author of the book, answer those questions.
Awe of God should be the reason I do what I do with my thoughts. It should be the reason I desire what I desire. Awe of God should be the reason I treat my wife the way I do and parent my children in the manner I do. It should be the reason I function the way I do at my job or handle my finances the way I do. It should structure the way I think about physical possession and personal position and power. Awe of God should shape and motivate my relationship with my extended family and neighbors. Awe of God should give direction to the way I live as a citizen of the wider community. It should form the way that I think about myself and my expectations of others. Awe of God should lift me out of my darkest moments of discouragement and be the source of my most exuberant celebrations. Awe of God should make me more self-aware and more mournful of my sin while it makes me more patient with and tender toward the weakness of others. It should give me courage I would have no other way and wisdom to know when I am out of my league. Awe of God is meant to rule every domain of my existence.
Tripp, Paul David. Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry (p. 117). Crossway. Kindle Edition.
[Prayer]
ACTION
As we close this morning, I want us all to make a very practical application of what we’ve learned this morning. The writer of the Hebrews gives us some instruction about our corporate worship:
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
(Hebrews 12:28-29 ESV)
So as we sing our final three songs and take an offering this morning, will you worship God with reverence and awe? Will you give because you truly believe that God is an awesome God who is worthy of a joyful, sacrificial gift. As you sing, will you really think about the words you are singing and how they reveal the glory of God and respond to Him in praise. Will you do as we’re instructed to do in the book of Colossians and sing to one another with thankfulness in our hearts to God?
Discussion Questions for Bible Roundtable
1. Share some personal examples of how familiarity with God has caused you to lose some of your awe of Him.
2. What are some examples of situations in the Bible where God worked in a manner that was completely unexpected? What does that demonstrate to us about why we need to leave room for some “mystery” when it comes to God?
3. What are some practical things we can do to guard against losing our sense of awe when reading the Bible and praying?
4. What changes could we make in our corporate worship that would help us focus on Jesus and restore our sense of awe?
5. Share some times when living in community with other Christians has helped you to restore or deepen your sense of awe.
