Can the World See the Difference?
Subject: The Community of Believers
Theme: Being the Place where the world finds God
Time: Sunday Morning July 30, 2000
Question: Can the World see the Difference?
Introduction:
How do we define “being different?” - in the past this has been shaped by what Christians have determined is necessary in order to be different than the world? - sometimes the distinctions have not been so effective:
Story of Moody visiting Spurgeon
The Big deal we make about what we wear - i.e., the significance of a nect tie!?!?
“In his book La Grande Historie de la Cravate (Flamarion, Paris, 1995) Francoise Chaile tells us about the appearance of this clothing symbol and its later widespreading.
“Around the year 1635, some 6000 soldiers and knights came to Paris to give their support to Louis XIII and Richelieu. Among them there was a great number of Croatian Mercenaries who, led by the Ban, remained in the service of the French King.
The tradional outfit of those Croats aroused interest because of the picturesque scarfs tied around their necks in a very specific manner. The scarfs were made of various cloths, ranging from coarse cloth which was used by common soldiers, to fine cotton and silk for the officers. This elegant “Croatian style” immediately conquered the French, who were delighted by this new clothing item, which had been, till then, completely unkown in Europe.
For the gallant French officers who were in the thirty year war, the advantage of the Croatian neck scarf was the enviable practicality, in distinction from the lace collar which had to be kept white and carefully starched. The scarf was tied around the neck and was pending loosely, without demand for any additional care, which was very practical, in combination with other ornaments, were as elegant as the stiff, high collars the wearing of which was difficult due to the long and thick soldier’s hair which was hiding those collars.
Around the year 1650, during the reign of Louis XIV, it was accepted in France, above all in court which was always fond of military ornaments, and the fashion innovation “a la Croate”, the expression which soon entered in the root of the French word cravate. The new tie became a symbol of culture and elegance. This last word in fashion was brought to England by Charles II, after his return from exile and ten years later, this fashion novelty conquered Europe, and alsoe most of the colonies on the American continent.”
The consistency of this story of the neck tie’s origin is found in the name for necktie among the various countries of the world: In Croatian it is the Kravata , in English the Cravat in French Cravate in German Krawatte in Hungarian Kravat in Italian Cravatta in Polish Krawat in Portuguese Gravata in Spanish Corbata and in Arabic Cravat.
The trivialities that we use to distinguish ourselves as different pale in comparison to what Jesus prays at the end of John 17:20-26 -
I’m not only praying for those who have believed in you but I’m also praying for those who will believe in you because of the words shared by those who know you. I pray that they all will be one family just as you live in me and I live in you and so all may live in us so that the world might believe that you sent me. I give them the fame that you gave me so that they will be one like we are one - I’m in them and You Father are in me so that they will be grown up into one, so that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them just like you love me.
Father, I want the ones you gave me to be where I will be so that they will see the wonder and majesty that you gave to me because you have loved me before the world began. Father - Righteous One - the world does not know you, but I know you and those who believe know that you sent me. And I’ve made you known to them and I will continue to make you known so that the love that you loved me with may also be in them and I will be in them myself.
Objective: As Jesus looks to the future, his desire is for the church to primarily be the place where the world finds God.
Transition: Jesus mentions that for the world to see the difference:
1. Its Important that those who Believe are One vv.20-23
a. An Awesome Desire
“I’m not only praying for those who have believed but for those who will believe through those who believe so that all of them may be one! “
There is a desire in Jesus that shows us God’s desire for all humanity to be part of His cosmic family - that all may come to God and be restored as sons and daughters of God.
In Jn 10:16ff “I have other sheep that are not of this pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
b. A very particular way of being one
Not the “raw raw ree” type of “one” where the idea of being one is centered around some human identity or goal or purpose but rather being one like Jesus and the Father are one.
A mutual acceptance - preserving both individuality and togetherness.
Note: Our sense of togetherness must always find its source in God and nothing else - the moment togetherness becomes something declared outside of God the more weak our unity becomes
c. so that the world might believe
in verse 21 Jesus sees the unity of those who believe a crucial element in causing others to believe.
It’s only when we are united together in Christ - see our reason for being together in God that the life of God truly spills out of our community into the lives of others. And Jesus’ desire is that we “grow up” into this unity by focusing on God’s presence in us.
Illustration: Ties, colour, weight, even smoking a pipe are not issues that are pressing for Jesus when He looks to see what the church should be so that the world may believe. What He does desire is that the church know Him so intimately that the love of God spills out into the world that so needs the love as well.
Application:
Its so dangerous when we take it upon ourselves to determine what the difference will be between us and the world - because then we in a sense have borrowed the world’s way of evaluating what is good and what is bad - man determining it in and of himself.
Rather, it is important to see that we must take our cue from Christ - as He evaluates the difference in those who believe by the love that is extended from them to those who may possibly come to believe in Jesus as well.
We should be a community full of grace and truth - like Jesus who came in grace and truth.
“The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of grace and truth.” Jn.1:14
Transition: Jesus sees as a necessity that we be different because:
2. His Desire is for a Positive Outcome vs.24
a. He wants them to be with Him now and in the end
“Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”
In essence, Jesus desire here expresses again the desire of God for man to know what God has desired always for him:
God creates with a goal in mind - and that is that this creature called man would be able to know the infinite love of God. And Jesus expresses his desire that all who believe would be with Him and see the glory - the majesty that exists in the Godhead and that God desires to share with man.
b. careful not to see Jesus as accepting some and not others
I do believe that Jesus new very well that although the desire of God is for all to come to know Him some would make the conscious choice to ignore Him and so to his great displeasure - and that of God as well - some will not know Him. God honours the choice that man makes - it is the risk that He took in creating man in the first place - a free being who would be given a choice either to live alone or live in light of God’s presence.
Illustration: How hollow life would be if we were not given the opportunity for choice. This is seen so well in a recent film entitled The Trueman Show - the plastic life of Trueman whose life became the subject of a national TV show without his knowledge - only knowing the world that was created for Him so that others could be entertained. Thank God that our life is not like that. - I think of the dangerous conotations that are now being assumed by TV shows such as Survivor or Big Brother -
Application:
Jesus expresses a heartfelt desire to the Father that those who choose to believe in Him would be with Him where He is going - that He would lose none of those the Father would give Him.
And as we share our lives with Jesus and He especially pours His life into us - we also with tender hearts look to the world and desire that they too would spend eternity with Jesus - knowing the love of God and His presence in life everyday.
Do we agonize as much about this as we do about other trivialities? It is a good indication of how much Jesus we have truly let into our lives!
Transition: Finally Jesus points out:
3. The Necessity for the Church to be Different vv.25-26
a. the world does not know you
This is more than a statement of fact - it is one of emotion as well -
“Father, Righteous one, the world does not know you..........”
Illustration: Think for one moment - you did not know God ...... how would you have dealt with life this week? - How would you have coped with the stress that life brought this week? How would you have responded to bad news or difficult circumstances?
Imagine - dare to think of a moment without God and you can imagine what Jesus is feeling for those who have not yet believed.
b. What marks out the church is the presence of Jesus
“...even though the world does not know you, these that believe know you and they know that you have sent me - so I am determined to make them know you even more so that the love that we have for each other may be in them as well.”
I don’t see anything about conformity in this statement of Jesus - I see everything about being connected to God in every way possible so that the life that is lived among those who believe would be so infectuous as to spill out into the lives of those that do not believe.
Illustration: In the Globe and Mail on July 20 “When Junk Culture becomes a Way of Life”
Hal Niedzviecki in his book We Want Some Too: Underground Desire and the Reinvention of Mass Culture
Has identified another type of culture that exists today which he calls “Lifestyle Culture” defined as the triumph of our leisure lives over the things we are supposed to be paying attention too.”
Listen to what he says about our culture today: “Many, including our expert commentators, are finding the rise of lifestyle culture to be a disconcerting development. In a world of Tarzan fanatics and Bert and Ernie art, who is in charge? Who sets the standards? Who proclaims what cultural endeavour worthy? And, in associating ourselves so closely with what isn’t supposed to matter, aren’t we in danger of devaluing our “real” lives, attuning ourselves to our culture’s ethos of framgnetation and self-destruction as embodied in our mass culture celebration of drug addiction, deviance, insanity, and violence? One thing we cann all agree on: When it comes to cultural creation, confusion is pandemic.”
I’m afraid that this “lifestyle culture” has become an epidemic in the church as well as for instance the entire merchandizing of Christian trinkets and toys has mounted into the 100’s of millions if not billions - when I watch the Dove Awards and listen to Cathy Lee Gifford sing a song about her Pillow I ask God - our we fools are those who say they believe as empty and fragmented as those who don’t
Application:
Jesus presents the scenario to God the Father - The world doesn’t believe but I know you and those who believe know you and I will commit myself to making You known Father so that the love that is in us will be in them and so also in the world!!
Conclusion:
As Jesus looks to the future, his desire is for the church to primarily be the place where the world finds God.
And that means that we must be different not just for the sake of being different but by exuding lives and community that lives in the love of God and so becomes the place where the world can leave the confusion and unrest of society and find the peace and purpose that comes from knowing God in life.
Have you asked yourself - not so much whether we can see the difference in ourselves but whether the world can see the difference life makes when it is lived in constant awareness and devotion to Christ?!?!?
I ask you and me today - will we look to Jesus so that we may then be one people focused on Him - desiring that the world spend eternity with Jesus - knowing that only a truly transformed life that lives according to every beat and sound of God’s heart can spark faith in those that do not yet believe in Jesus?
