The Governor’s Academy in Byfield, Massachusetts, 33 miles north of Boston, is the oldest independent boarding school in the United States. Samuel Moody founded the school in 1763, which includes Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Quincy Adams, and Booker T. Washington Jr. as part of its illustrious history. Today, the exclusive school accepts only a third of the students that apply and charges each one $67,000 a year for tuition.
The Governor’s Academy is a prestigious school, but up until fairly recently, its name belied its elite nature. The school was originally named after the governor of the Massachusetts Territory at the time, William Dummer. Can you imagine the ridicule you would receive as a student of the Dummer Academy? People would say, “Students who go in, come out Dummer.” So in 2005, the board of trustees changed the name from the Dummer Academy to The Governor’s Academy, Associated Press, 2-28-05; www.thegovernorsacademy.org).
The name “Christian” also belies the nature of Christ’s followers. People in ancient Syria were the first to use the name in the First Century to make fun of believers (Acts 11:26)—"Oh, you silly CHRISTians; you’re just like Christ,” they would say. But believers ever since then have worn the name as a badge of honor—“Yes, I am a CHRISTian, a fool for Christ’s sake.”
You see, those who follow Christ are not smarter or better than anybody else. They just know that they desperately need Jesus every day. Now, that’s the attitude you need if you’re going to repair broken relationships.
First, as we saw last week, you must consider the cross with its message of forgiveness and sacrifice. Today, God asks you to consider your calling if you want to repair broken relationships. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 1, 1 Corinthians 1, where God makes that very clear.
1 Corinthians 1:26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth (ESV).
If you want to mend broken relationships, then first of all…
REMEMBER WHAT YOU WERE.
Consider where you came from. Look at who you were without Christ.
You were not intelligent, by human standards, before you came to know Christ. You were not powerful, or better you did not have any great ability. And you were not of noble birth, literally, you were not “highborn.” In other words, most believers were not born into money. They were not born into the upper class.
There are a lot of ways to gain influence in this world. Some say, “Knowledge is power.” If you’re an expert in something, or people perceive you to be, your words carry a lot of weight. Even though the science has recently discredited Fauci, he influenced the world throughout most of the Covid pandemic, simply because people considered him an expert. Some say, “Knowledge is power.”
Others find power or influence through their ability to do things. They can build. They can organize. They can, by the sheer force of their physical size and strength, intimidate others into submission.
And still others use their wealth to influence. “Knowledge is power,” and “strength is power,” to be sure, but more often than not “money is power” in this world. If you have enough of it, it is amazing how much influence you can wield.
The problem is most Christians don’t have the knowledge, strength, or money to wield much of an influence in this world. They are stupid, weak and poor; and yet, they are the very people God chooses to change the world.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are… (ESV)
God chooses stupid, weak, poor people to show up the wise, strong, rich people. God chooses nobodies to negate the influence of somebodies.
Think about it. “Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Joseph was abused, Moses stuttered, Gideon was poor, Samson was codependent, Rahab was immoral, David had an affair and all kinds of family problems, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Jonah was reluctant, Naomi was a widow, John the Baptist was eccentric to say the least, Peter was impulsive and hot-tempered, Martha worried a lot, the Samaritan woman had several failed marriages, Zacchaeus was unpopular, Thomas had doubts, Paul had poor health, and Timothy was timid. That is quite a variety of misfits, but God used each of them in his service” (Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, Zondervan, October 2002, p. 233)
So says Rick Warren, in his book, The Purpose Driven Life. These “misfits” wielded a powerful influence that still impacts us today, While the powerful ones of their day are totally forgotten. The only time anyone ever sees their name is when he or she reads a history book.
God chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
Think about David and Goliath. Goliath was the Philistine champion, a literal giant of a man. David was just a skinny shepherd boy with a slingshot and five smooth stones, and yet David brought that giant down.
God chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
After worrying for half an hour that they wouldn't get on an overbooked flight, an agent summoned Ken Langley and his wife to the check-in desk. Smiling, he whispered that this was their lucky day. To get them on the plane he was bumping them up to first class. It was the first and only time they’ve been so pampered on an airplane—good food, hot coffee, and plenty of elbowroom.
They played a little game, trying to guess who else didn't belong in first class. One man stuck out. He padded around the cabin in his socks, restlessly sampling magazines, playing with but never actually using the in-flight phones. Twice he sneezed so loudly they thought the oxygen masks would drop down. And when the attendant brought linen tablecloths for their breakfast trays, he tucked his into his collar as a bib.
Ken Langley says, “We see misfits at church, too—people who obviously don't belong, people who embarrass us and cause us to feel superior. The truth is we don't belong there any more than they do” (Ken Langley, Zion, Illinois; www.PreachingToday. com).
Nobody belongs except that Christ calls stupid, weak, poor people to be a part of His church. God chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are.
After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City, officials invited author and speaker Joni Eareckson Tada to be part of a counseling team that helped victims. Joni is a quadriplegic, and this is what she writes about that experience:
“Upon arrival, I had to go to the American Red Cross center to be cleared and credentialed. And I will never forget wheeling into that low, flat, red brick building. There were people setting up chairs and tables, stacking forms, and putting out doughnuts and coffee. And across the large room was a tall, officious-looking woman in a white lab coat.
“When she saw me wheel through the door, she quickly turned around with her clipboard, put down her glasses, and said, ‘Oh my, are we glad to see you here!’
“That sparked my curiosity, and I said, ‘Why?’
“She responded, ‘When people walk up to you in your wheelchair and see you handle your personal crisis with that smile of yours, it speaks volumes to them. It assures them that they can handle their crisis too. We need people like you in here. Please, help us go out and find more individuals like you who can assist us’” (Joni Eareckson Tada, “Receiving God's Grace,” Veritas, July, 2003; www.PreachingToday.com).
God says that to you: “We need people like you in here”—weak people with white canes, wheelchairs, and walkers—because God uses the weak, stupid and poor people to reach a hurting world with the good news about Jesus Christ.
God chose the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. Why?
1 Corinthians 1:29 …so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (ESV).
God chooses misfits like you and me, so refrain from boasting about your own wisdom, and set aside your pride. It will go a long way towards repairing your broken relationships.
A man in India angrily confronted his pastor, making many unfair and untrue accusations. Then he asked his pastor what he had to say.
In response, the pastor got up from his chair, walked to the washroom next door, filled an empty basin with water and came back to the room. The angry man was surprised when he saw the basin of water and asked what it was for. The pastor replied that even though the accusations were not true, that since the person was nevertheless upset with him, he felt the right thing to do was ask for forgiveness. The pastor then offered to wash the man’s feet, who broke down in tears at this act of humility. Then he opened his heart to the Lord. The pastor's humility was shown to be a strength and not a weakness! (Palitha Jayasooriya in his sermon, Beautiful Acts for God, Peoples Church, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 8-27-14; www.PreachingToday.com)
Humility is powerful when it comes to repairing broken relationships!
Dr. Robert (Joseph Pershing) Foster put it this way: “Sometimes you have to stoop to conquer” (Isabel Wilkerson, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Knopf Doubleday, 2016, pp. 140-41; www.PreachingToday.com).
So set aside your pride, and remember what you were before you came to know Christ. Then…
REALIZE WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST TODAY.
Understand all that God gives you because of your relationship with Christ. Appreciate how richly God blesses you because you belong to Jesus.
1 Corinthians 1:30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
Jesus is everything you need! HE is your wisdom, giving you the skill to live for Him.
And HE is your righteousness. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified [or declared righteous] by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). So that “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). God declared you righteous when you trusted Christ to save you from your sins.
Christ is your wisdom, Christ is your righteousness, and Christ is your sanctification (or holiness)—That is to say, He sets you apart from sin unto God. Romans 6 says, “Our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). Only in Christ do you find the strength and grace to live holy lives every day.
Christ is your wisdom, Christ is your righteousness, Christ is your sanctification, and Christ is your redemption. The Bible says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood” (Ephesians 1:7). He set you free from the penalty of sin. He is setting you free from the power of sin. And one day, He will set you free from the very presence of sin in your life. Jesus is everything you need!
Ricky Hoyt recently finished the Iron Man Triathlon. In and of itself, that’s incredible, but it is even more incredible in Ricky’s situation, because Ricky is a little boy who totally, physically disabled.
Do you know how he did it? Ricky was able to finish the triathlon, because his father, Jack, is a champion. Jack swam for two miles in the open sea with his disabled son in a little boat behind. Then Jack took his son out of that boat and carried him to a bike. Jack put his son on the bike and pedaled a hundred miles with that little boy on the bike. Then Jack took the boy off the bike, put him in a specially made cart, and ran a twenty-six-mile marathon (Jim Dethmer, "The Gift of Mercy," Preaching Today, Tape No. 112; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s what Christ does for you. You couldn’t possibly run the race of life alone. So Christ became for you everything you could not do on your own.
Christ is your wisdom, Christ is your righteousness, Christ is your sanctification, and Christ is your redemption. In a word, Christ is your Champion, running the race with you in tow. That’s the only way any of us ever finish the race.
So instead of boasting about yourself, boast about how strong and smart Jesus is. Brag about Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:31 …so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (ESV).
In another place, the Bible puts it this way: “Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Don’t boast in your wisdom, might, or wealth, because God nullifies it all. Boast only in your relationship with God, who will never stop loving you.
In the New York Times (January 16, 2017), Philosopher Todd May says we're often telling stories about ourselves—mainly to make ourselves look good. May writes: “We tell stories that make us seem adventurous, or funny, or strong. We tell stories that make our lives seem interesting. And we tell these stories not only to others, but also to ourselves.”
May says that most of us “live in echo chambers that reflect the righteousness of our lives back to us,” and in our “echo chambers” we justify why we and our group are superior to others. It’s a very narrow, shallow story (Todd May, “The Stories We Tell Ourselves, New York Times, January 16, 2017).
On the other hand, followers of Jesus have a better and bigger story, not because they’re better people, but because their story begins with Jesus, not themselves. A children’s Bible, called The Jesus Storybook Bible, puts it this way:
This is how God will rescue the whole world [Jesus says]. My life will break, and God's broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart—and your hearts will heal… I won't be with you long. You are going to be very sad. But God's Helper will come. And then you'll be filled up with a Forever Happiness that won't ever leave. So don't be afraid. You are my friends and I love you. (C. J. Green, "The Only Thing You've Got Is What You Can Sell: Making Peace with the Stories of Our Lives," Mockingbird blog, 1-18-17; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s a wonderful story! Please, believe it and let your story start with Jesus.
Remember what you were before you came to know Christ, and realize who you are in Christ. It’s the only way to repair broken relationships, because it takes the focus off you and redirects it to Christ.
Writer and NPR commentator Heather King, a recovering alcoholic who has come to faith in Christ, reflected on her initial experience with the church:
My first impulse was to think, My God, I don't want to get sober with THESE nutcases! Nothing shatters our egos like worshipping with people we did not hand-pick… The humiliation of discovering that we are thrown in with extremely unpromising people! —people who are broken, misguided, wishy-washy, out for themselves. People who are… us.
But we don't come to church to be with people who are like us in the way we want them to be. We come because we have staked our souls on the fact that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the church is the best place, the only place, to be while we all struggle to figure out what that means. We come because we'd be hard pressed to say which is the bigger of the two scandals of God: that he loves us—or that he loves everyone else (Heather King, "The Better Church," Shirt of Flame blog, 10-23-11; www.PreachingToday.com).
Let God’s love for you and for every other broken person bring us together as a church like never before.
