“Sold Out and Radical!”
TEXT: Hebrews 11:32-38
INTRODUCTION: Why did we start out reading from Hebrews Chapter 11? Because this is what some call the Bible’s “Hall of Faith.” Men like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses, Enoch and Noah. Men and women who dared to step up in the crowd and radically live out their faith in God. They lived on the edge. They made a difference. They were unashamed. They were “Sold Out and Radical” for the Lord. That’s what I want to talk to you about this morning.
PROPOSITION: Jesus didn’t call us to be “undercover Christians” who apologize for our faith; he called us to be “Sold Out and Radical” for the cause of Christ.
INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE: I wonder what would happen to our city, our country, and our world if everyone who called themselves Christians were to get “Sold Out and Radical” about what they believed?
TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT: Let me show you some examples from Scripture of what it means to be “Sold Out and Radical” for the Lord.
I. JOSEPH SAID “NO” TO SEXUAL COMPROMISE. Genesis 39:2-4; 6b-10 (READ).
Joseph found himself in a position of great power as Potiphar’s right-hand man. Many would have looked at him and said, “he had it all.” But he had come into this position through the “school of hard knocks.” He was the cocky, favorite son of an overprotective father, Jacob. He always received special treatment. Nowhere was the evidence of that fact more clear than in the famous “coat of many colors” Joseph wore around as a gift from his dad. Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him. He was a tattletale and a brown noser. Always prancing around in his fancy-smanshy coat. Finally, his brothers could take no more.
Joseph was sent on assignment by his father to check on his brothers who were tending the flocks and they seized the moment to do away with the source of their irritation. They threw him into a pit and began to talk about what they were going to do to get rid of him. Someone suggested they kill him but about that time, in the providence and plan of God, a caravan headed for Egypt happened along. The 10 brothers agreed to fake his death, sold Joseph into slavery, bloodied up his fancy coat, and succeeded in convincing their elderly father that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Joseph was removed from everything safe and familiar to him and sent into a foreign country. He was only 17 or 18 years old at the time.
This was the first in a series of “hard knocks” that eventually shaped young Joseph into a man God would greatly use. The road to greatness is often filled with character building detours and potholes. Fortunately, Joseph took with him to Egypt the one thing from home that he needed most: his faith in God. He rode into town an unknown slave. A foreigner with not a penny to his name. But God came to Egypt with him and Joseph was “Sold Out and Radical.” When God exalted him as Potipher’s right-hand man the devil came to check out his commitment level. He now had access to virtually anything in the house – food, money, clothes…even Potipher’s wife.
She noticed this good-looking hunk of a Hebrew and, obviously unhappy with her marriage, she began to seduce Joseph on a daily basis. She was relentless about it. Her intentions were made very clear to him, “Come to bed with me!” Here he is, now a young man in his early 20’s. He’s got the run of the house, a set of hormones in high gear, and a good-looking older woman who wants him in bed with her every day. There are plenty of men who would have called that their “dream job.” Plenty of men who would have cheered him on and said he deserved it after all the trouble he’d gone through. It was a situation that had compromise written all over it!
But Joseph was different. He was full of the Spirit of God and he was, “Sold Out and Radical.” The level of his commitment is seen so clearly in his response to this woman’s repeated sexual offers. I love it! He didn’t say, “Well, what if we get caught?” or “Let me think about it.” or “Do you have a condom so we can have ‘safe sex’?” No! He said, “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” It was a radical response. “Are you kidding? I don’t care if we’ve got the whole house to ourselves, God is watching!” “And though she asked day after day, Joseph refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”
“Way to go, Joseph! Way to be a Christian!” Thanks for showing us that INTEGRITY and PURITY are more important than a fleeting moment of passion. Thanks for the reminder that what we do we do in the sight of God. What about you? What are you going to do when the devil comes to check out your commitment level?
The response of someone who is “Sold Out and Radical” when being tempted sexually: “How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
There will always be a seducer waiting in the shadows. Are you full of lust or full of the Spirit of God? It’s time to throw off sexual compromise and get “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus!
JOSEPH SAID “NO” TO SEXUAL COMPROMISE…AND POTIPHER THREW HIM IN JAIL. Are you so full of Jesus that you’ll do the right thing no matter what? Take this whole world but give me Jesus…I’m “Sold Out and Radical!”
II. SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO SAID “NO” TO PEER PRESSURE. Daniel 3:13-18.
Here we have three Hebrew boys who were also living as slaves in a foreign land. Captives in the Babylonian Empire. God had exalted them, along with Daniel, to positions of leadership within the kingdom. They were “Sold Out and Radical” for God in spite of living in a pagan society. One day, King Nebuchadnezzar was bored so he had his loyal subjects make him an image of gold, an idol ninety feet high and nine feet wide. When it was all done, he had it set up in a large, open area, called all the people together and said, “I have an announcement: This cool, big gold guy is now your god. I’ve called a citywide religious festival in honor of the big fella and we’re gonna’ party! Free food and booze on me! The closing night of the festival, I’ve hired a big orchestra and we’re going have ‘Yanni’ here in concert with us. Towards the end of this big outdoor concert with Yanni, there will be a musical finale in honor of your new god.”
“You will be instructed at the appropriate time and when you hear the music begin to play everyone in the kingdom will bow down and worship their new god. It’s going to be great! The music will be playing; we’ll have a laser light show and a fireworks display. Oh, and by the way, anyone who refuses to fall down and worship our new god will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. Any questions? OK then, let’s party!”
Well, the day of the big concert arrived. Nebby was in all his glory. The festival was going great. Everyone had been partying all weekend. The city was buzzing with activity. It was time for the grand finale featuring a live orchestra and “Yanni” in concert. Everything was going according to plan. As the evening came to a close, the signal was given. The orchestra began to play. The volume was turned up. The speakers were pulsating and everyone began to bow down in honor of their new god. Everyone that is, but three Hebrew boys named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They stood out in the crowd because they were the only 3 standing. You see, they knew who the real God was, and they had decided in their hearts they would never bow to some 90-foot imitation.
They were “Sold Out and Radical.” They’re standing out in the middle of this huge crowd singing, “Our God is an awesome God…” The word quickly reached King Nebby. Let’s pick up the story at verse 13. (READ) King Nebby – “Fellas, there must be some kind of misunderstanding here. Maybe you didn’t hear me correctly. (K. Nebby explains it again…) Now, I’m going to give you one more chance. We’ll strike up the band again just for you guys, because I like you and when it comes time to bow, I expect you to bow to your new god. C’mon fellas, everybody’s doing it!”
Those three good church boys, full of the power of God looked that pagan king right in the eye and said, “No King, everyone’s NOT doing it. We will not bow down and worship a false god even if the whole world is doing it. You see, we know God personally and your big, gold, shiny guy is not Him. That’s just a statue. Our God lives in heaven. He rides on the wind. The earth is his footstool. He parted the Red Sea before our people and knocked down the mighty walls of Jericho when they entered into the land God promised us. Our people turned their backs on him. We’ve lost our land and our freedom but you’re looking at 3 boys who still believe in him and we will not bow our knee to any other. So, crank up the furnace, King! No matter what happens to us, let the whole world know, ‘There is only one God!’”
Now THAT’S what a Christian looks like! When you’re “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus it doesn’t matter if the whole world is bowing down. You stay standing. Stand up for the truth. NO COMPROMISE! What are you bowing down to? Are you going to follow the crowd or are you going to take a stand for Jesus?
When everyone else bowed down to the pressures of society, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego stood up and said, “No! It’s wrong and we will not bow down to it!”
The devil wants you to bow your knee and break your allegiance to the King of Heaven. Are you going to bow when the pressure is on or do you have what it takes to make a stand for Jesus? It’s time for the church to start putting some pressure on this godless society by making a stand for the living God! Let’s get “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus!
SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABEDNEGO SAID “NO” TO PEER PRESSURE…AND THEY THREW THEM INTO A FIERY FURNACE. Are you so full of Jesus that you’ll do the right thing no matter what? Turn up the furnace…I’m “Sold Out and Radical!”
III. DANIEL SAID “NO” TO A GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ORDER THAT WENT AGAINST HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. Daniel 6:6-11.
Turn right a couple more pages to the story of Daniel. It’s a similar scenario to the two we’ve already shared. Daniel was also a captive in a foreign country, living in a pagan society. God has exalted him because he has made decisions that were God-honoring. But we’re about to see just how “Sold Out and Radical” Daniel really is because the devil is going to use King Darius to test his faith. Daniel was the King’s favorite advisor. God blessed everything Daniel did. This created jealousy among the rest of the King’s advisors and they began to plot a way to frame Daniel.
Try as they might, they could find nothing to use against Daniel. He was squeaky-clean. They could not find a shred of evidence of any wrongdoing. So they got an idea: The only way they could take him down was to somehow create a scenario that would place Daniel in a position of compromise with his strong religious convictions. Here’s where we pick up the story. (READ verse 6-11)
These conniving administrators appealed to the King’s pride and he took the bait hook, line and sinker. All it takes to lead a nation astray is a pagan leader with absolute power and a huge ego surrounded by equally corrupt followers. They have a way of re-writing the rules and the history books. Imagine being told whom you can and cannot pray to! It could never happen in THIS country! It has. What is an individual who is “Sold Out and Radical” supposed to do?
They do exactly what Daniel did. They get down on their knees and cry out to God anyway! Notice the corrupt leaders tried to take Daniel down by getting him to stop praying. Daniel had the good sense to know that if he stopped praying he would have already failed because his strength and success was totally wrapped up in his relationship with God. God was responsible for getting him where he was and he wasn’t going to turn his back on him now. I fully believe Satan has hindered the success of the church in the United States of America because he has stopped us from praying. We’re too busy too pray. We’ve been backed into a corner through the manipulation of the Constitution and the interpretation of “Separation of church and state.” We can’t pray in school. We can’t pray at graduation. We can’t pray before sporting events. The only time I’ve heard the President sanction prayer lately is when people are dead. Then it’s ok to pray.
What’s a Christian to do? It’s time for us to do what Daniel did. Let’s get on our knees again! IT’S TIME TO PRAY IN AMERICA.
When told he could not pray to his God in public or in private, Daniel, “got down on his knees and prayed 3 times a day, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”
The devil wants to keep you from praying because that’s where the power comes from. Do you even get on your knees once a day to pray? If you want to be “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus you’ve got to have a radical commitment to prayer! The devil doesn’t want you to have a successful Christian family, marriage, business, reputation…you name it. And he’s succeeding all over the country because we’re running around looking to man for the answer. The answer is only found on our knees. It’s time to pray.
DANIEL SAID “NO” TO A GOVERNMENT-ISSUED ORDER THAT WENT AGAINST HIS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS…AND THEY THREW HIM INTO THE LION’S DEN. Are you so full of Jesus that you’ll do the right thing no matter what? Let the lion’s roar…I’m “Sold Out and Radical.”
IV. JESUS SAID “NO” WHEN THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS ASKED HIM TO PREACH A MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE GOSPEL.
Jesus could have been popular with just about everyone if he would have just watered down his message a little. He was just too radical. Always talking about hell and sin and calling the religious leaders hypocrites. He was criticized for befriending sinners. For healing on the Sabbath. For teaching the people they could have a relationship with God without jumping through a bunch of religious hoops. For saying he was the Son of God. For forgiving people’s sins.
He was just too different. Too straightforward. Too controversial. Always rocking the boat. Always challenging the religious leaders to repent. Unafraid to look you in the eye and tell it like it is. He had some admirable characteristics about him. He obviously had supernatural power at his disposal. If someone could have just talked him into backing off a little. If only Jesus would have agreed to tone it down. To be a bit more politically correct. To have more respect for other ways of doing things. If only he would have been willing to compromise on a few issues, he could have been incredibly popular and accepted by everyone.
If only he would have listened to what people were trying to get him to do…then there would have been no cross. No crucifixion. No death and resurrection. And you and I would still be hopelessly lost in our sins. But thank God, Jesus Christ was “Sold Out and Radical” about his mission! He could not be bought! Instead, he purchased my salvation. No force that hell could muster was able to stop him from dying for our sins. He was radical in his love. Sold out to God and unstoppable. Thank you Jesus! A Christian should have a radical love for the lost!
When the devil used evil men to try and distract Jesus from his mission, he stood firm in his convictions saying, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
If we love lost people then we won’t peddle a “socially acceptable” gospel. “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” Hell has not put up a “NO VACANCY” sign! If you and I aren’t “Sold Out and Radical” about reaching the lost then they will continue to go out into eternity by the millions into a sinner’s hell. Where’s your passion for lost people?
JESUS SAID “NO” WHEN THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS ASKED HIM TO PREACH A MORE SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE GOSPEL…AND THEY CRUCIFIED HIM. Are you so full of Jesus that your heart burns with a passion for the lost? It’s time to take up your cross and follow Jesus…Let’s get “Sold Out and Radical!”
V. PAUL AND SILAS SAID “NO” TO THE EVILS OF SOCIETY. Acts 16:16-19 (READ).
This demon-possessed girl followed Paul and Silas around town “for many days.” It seems like her actions were harmless but how many of you would like the town fortune-teller following you around promoting your revival meetings? Paul let it happen at first. I’m sure he was hoping she would eventually go away. But when it became apparent she was going to follow them around every day he had to make a decision. Paul was an intelligent man. I believe he had thought about the possible ramifications of the situation. He wasn’t looking for trouble, but I think he knew if he cast the demons out of this girl, her slave owners were going to get angry.
Paul and Silas were visitors in town. They weren’t looking for publicity or controversy. I’m sure they prayed about it. They talked about it. They tried to come up with a peaceable solution. But after days of the same thing, Paul became “so troubled” about this evil that he took action. He turned around, looked that girl in the eyes and said to the demon spirit inside of her, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come our of her!” Instantly, Jesus set her free! She was brand new. Clean. And Paul and Silas were instantly on the front page of the newspaper! The slave girl’s owners had them seized by the authorities. They were taken to court. Declared guilty of causing a city disturbance and advocating unlawful customs. They were stripped, beaten, whipped, and thrown into prison.
They were used to it because they were “Sold Out and Radical.” One of the hardest things for us to handle as Christians is this area of sin and civil disobedience. We know the Bible teaches us to obey the laws of the land and to respect those in leadership and authority over us. But how are we supposed to respond when the laws of the land and the leadership allow for things that are in direct opposition to the Word of God? Do we just stand back and watch sin openly mock the things of God and destroy our society or do we step up and speak out, even if it causes controversy?
Here’s the answer to that question: If Christians don’t stand up and confront the demonic activity around them then they hand their communities over to the power of the devil. There are spiritual strongholds in every city. Abortion clinics. Satanism and things that have to do with the occult. Mediums, fortunetellers, psychics, palm readers. Drug dealers. Gangs. Pornography, adult bookstores. Gambling casinos. Clubs for homosexuals and lesbians. As a Christian, we know these things are wrong and of an evil nature, but if you step out in opposition against them, you may find yourself in an all-out war!
We don’t want to make any waves. We don’t want any negative publicity. So, far too often, we do nothing. “All that is necessary for evil to prosper is for good men to do nothing.” I don’t know about you, but I for one, I’m tired of watching America fall deeper and deeper into the hands of the enemy. I’m tired of the devil having a field day with our marriages. I’m tired of watching him shred our families. I’m tired of all the sexual abuse. Tired of watching us throw our babies into the garbage through abortion. Tired of reading about kids shooting their classmates at school. Tired of hearing about homosexual rights.
I want to see people set free from the power of darkness. I feel God doing something in our nation. I believe God is raising up a generation of Christians who will once again be “Sold Out and Radical” for him. I think it’s starting to happen among our young people. They are starting to stand up, look evil in the eye and confront it in the name of Jesus! They’ve started saying, “We’ve had enough! It’s time to do things God’s way again!”
When Paul cast the demon out of the slave girl, he said to the world, “We care more about people being set free from sin than we do about our own comfort and convenience.”
Brother/sister, if we can get enough Christians to live like that in the city of Hazleton, we’ll see a revival that will shake this place! Demons will start running and people will start getting set free! Is that what you want? Then it’s time to get “Sold Out and Radical!” for Jesus.
PAUL AND SILAS SAID “NO” TO THE EVILS OF SOCIETY…THEY WERE STRIPPED, BEATEN, WHIPPED, AND THROWN INTO PRISON. It’s time for God to come down and shake this place…because we’re “Sold Out and Radical.”
God is calling this church to “lay it all on the line.” He’s calling us out of a place of complacency and “business as usual” onto the front lines. Are you ready? It’s time for the church to say, “Listen up devil! You can throw us in jail, throw us in the fiery furnace, or throw us in a den of hungry lions. You can strip us, beat us, whip us and throw us into prison, but you can’t stop us! We’ve taken up the cross of Jesus. We are crucified with Christ and we are “Sold Out and Radical!”
Cassie Burnall showed up for school the day of the Littleton high school massacre just like always. She had no idea it would be the day she would die. She had no idea that one of her classmates would put a gun up to her head later that afternoon and threaten to kill her if she said she believed in God. But that is exactly what happened. Cassie Burnall was “Sold Out and Radical.” She refused to deny Christ and she became a Martyr for Jesus in her High School library. When that gun went off and Cassie went out into the presence of Jesus her death ignited something that is still bringing revival to the community of Littleton. Two backslidden Christian kids in the library who watched Cassie give her life vowed in that moment never again to compromise their faith as long as they lived. Christian kids in the public schools in the area who had before been embarrassed to stand up for Christ because they wanted to be “cool” suddenly began standing up and opening their mouths. Hundreds of teenagers have since turned to Christ.
One girl stood up and preached to her soccer team and the whole team got on their knees and accepted Jesus. Churches in the area are filled to capacity. Youth pastors from all denominations now come together every Monday. Senior pastors join together every Tuesday. Cassie Burnall looked a killer in the eyes and said, “Yes, I believe in God” and started a revival! She was “Sold Out and Radical.” Lord, give me courage like Cassie, not just to die for Jesus, but to live for him.
Jeremiah Neitz used to go to church all the time as a kid. He had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior – and he meant it – but as he got older he started hanging with the wrong kids and he walked away from the Lord. He experimented with the things so many teenagers fall into. Drugs, alcohol, sex. He really messed himself up. He was running from God. When he walked back into the Wedgewood Baptist Church youth group, covered with tattoos, piercings all over his body, he fully expected the kids to ignore him.
What happened instead blew him away. They loved him. They hugged him. They remembered him. They wanted him. They did what Jesus would have done. They accepted him just as he was. They literally loved Jeremiah back into the kingdom. And Jeremiah became “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus this time! Jeremiah was at the church the night a lone gunman walked through the doors and started shooting people. Seven people were killed before Jeremiah, who does not consider himself a hero, could take no more. He stood to his feet from the place where he had been crouching in his pew, and confronted the gunman with the words, “You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior.” With a fresh clip now in his gun the killer took aim at Jeremiah Neitz. Jeremiah responded by throwing out his arms and saying, “Go ahead, if you kill me, I know where I’m going. Do you?” The pastor of the church says it was at that moment that he believes the evil spirits in that man overcame him and he slouched into the pew and took his own life.
Jeremiah says he’s no hero, but I’ll bet Jesus would say different. He’s “Sold Out and Radical” and he laid it all on the line.
About this time a year ago a teenager named Tim went to church with his mother and stepfather. There was a new preacher in town and Tim liked him. More importantly he believed what the new pastor had to say about Jesus. One morning, not long after he started coming, Tim walked the aisle and gave his heart to the Lord. Things started happening in his life. There was a new joy. He started witnessing to his friends and bringing them to church. One night he brought a whole row of them in to the Wednesday night adult bible study. He came in to see his pastor one day and said, “Hey pastor, you’re great up there on Sundays. I was just wondering, do you think I should stop smoking dope now that I’m a Christian?”
You’ve got to love the kid’s honesty! Well, Tim has had a few set backs here and there along the way but God is changing his life and using him in a powerful way. He’s always bringing friends to youth group. He’s into God! He’s got a passion for the lost. One of his friends ran up to him a couple weeks ago at school and said, “Hey Tim! I just accepted Jesus like you told me! I feel so good. No more guilt. I just feel all clean inside. It’s awesome man!” God is using Tim. He’s become a leader. God’s got his hand on him and he’s going to be a part of reaching his school for Jesus because Tim Broton is “Sold Out and Radical!”
Let me tell you another story about a man named Jeff. About a year or so ago Jeff’s life was unraveling. On the surface, everything looked fine. He had a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters. A good job. He was a hard worker. But Jeff had an anger problem that was out of control. It was a dark secret. A cloud over his family and his life. One day in a fit of uncontrolled rage Jeff lost it and struck one of his daughters. His wife and kids were devastated and afraid. His marriage was in jeopardy. He found himself in place where he might lose everything that was dear to him. He was at an all time low.
It was at this point that a co-worker who had been witnessing to him invited Jeff to a PK rally. Desperate for help, Jeff accepted. He says he can’t remember too much about that rally – he just remembers “crying a lot.” God was overhauling his life. Making a new man out of him. It started that weekend and has continued. Jeff’s girls got a new daddy. His wife got a new husband. Now you see them in church together sitting in the same pew. God gave Jeff back his family and gave him a second chance. Now the guy who had the anger problem that was out of control is the guy who often sits on the front row of the church and sings in the choir!
And he always has this huge smile on his face because Jesus now lives in his heart. God is using Jeff Yurkiewicz wherever he goes because he’s “Sold Out and Radical.” He knows first-hand what the power of Jesus can do in a person’s life.
Back in 1953, prior to the Catholic Charismatic movement, the Spirit of the Lord started to move in the life of a young lady named Mary. It was a hard thing to explain, but in her heart she longed for something more spiritually. She had a hunger for God that she could not seem to satisfy. The Holy Spirit was drawing her in a way she had never experienced before. At first she tried to satisfy this craving in her church, but it wasn’t working for her. She heard about a revival that was taking place at the Faith Assembly of God Church here in town and she was curious. Curious, but skeptical. She had heard about these “holy rollers.”
She snuck out of the house to attend the revival service, but had an usher sit her chair near the door so she could leave in a hurry if she didn’t like what she saw and heard. Well, apparently she liked it because that week Mary accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and when she did she knew she had found what she was looking for. She found joy! She found life! She found peace like she’d never known.
Unfortunately, Mary’s husband, a die-hard Catholic, did not share her enthusiasm about her newfound faith. He was violently opposed to her choice of churches and made it incredibly difficult on her. Several times after attending services Mary returned home to find herself locked out of the house. Her husband said, “He would rather have her in the gutter than in that church.” He left home for a time period. One night he was so upset over the issue that he locked himself in his bedroom with a gun threatening to kill himself.
Mary and her five children were often paralyzed with fear but her love for Jesus always pulled them through. Her daughter told me by phone last night that Mary always stayed strong even through the worst of circumstances and she can remember her mother would often say, “The Lord will take care of us.” And he has. Mary raised her children up in church. She was a rock in a very unstable home. God has proven himself faithful to her again and again. He has brought her through cancer, heart problems and anemia. He healed her of broken ribs and shrunk a cancerous tumor in her body until it disappeared.
I’m told she has not taken so much as one aspirin since the day she was saved. She’s a woman of faith and a Scripture quoting machine. I went to see her in the hospital before a heart catherization and she quoted me the whole 91st Chapter of Psalms. She sits down front this morning and she still loves to sing and praise the Lord. She’s Sister Mary Riotto and at ________ years old she’s still “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus!
Now, what about you? Are you “Sold Out and Radical” for Jesus, or have you simply “Sold Out” on Him? Are you an “undercover secret- agent Christian” or do you have a faith that’s on display 24 hours a day?
John Wesley – “Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I will shake the world.”
