Have you ever needed to find out what somebody else really
thought of you? Do you know what it is like to ask someone
what their opinion is of you – and then you wait for what
seems like an eternity for the answer, and when it comes,
you are still not sure if it is good or bad? Do you know what
that’s like?
I have to write letters of reference occasionally. Employers
and colleges seem to think that if you can get a
commendation from your pastor, you must be all right. Now
when I have to write a letter of reference, I struggle with it.
Do I tell this potential employer the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth about you? Or do I write some vague
and flowery epistle that says nothing but says it beautifully?
And then, after I have carefully constructed that letter, I
realize that you might end up reading it too. Maybe you did
not agree to keep your file confidential, and you will someday
read what I wrote about you. So I go back and edit the letter
again, just to make sure that if that happens you will not be
upset at me. What have we got here? Me writing what I
think of you, and worrying about what you think of me!
Wow! I believe I will just do what a friend of mine did. He
developed the all-purpose recommendation letter. He would
write, “I cannot speak too highly of this person.” You figure it
out.
One day Jesus took His heart in His hands and put it out
there for the disciples to stomp on. He asked what they
thought of Him. Knowing that they were not likely to be
straightforward about it, He asked them first what other
people were saying. It’s a lot easier to speak about
imaginary other people than it is to reveal our own hearts.
And so He asked, “Who do people say the Son of Man
is?” How am I playing out there, fellows? You have your
ears to the ground. What are they saying about me?
The answers were quick and to the point. They said,
“Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still
others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
Then Jesus pressed the point and asked the personal
question, “All right, But who do you say that I am?” Peter
got it right, as you know. “You are the Christ, the Son of
the Living God.” Peter recognized that Jesus was more
than John the Baptist, more than Elijah, more than Jeremiah.
Far more. But consider this: that even in the mistaken
opinions of the people, there was some truth. The people
saw Jesus as like John the Baptist, like Elijah, like Jeremiah.
Why? What was it about Jesus that reminded them of John?
What did Jesus do that made them think of Elijah? And how
did Jesus resemble Jeremiah? There is much to be learned
from exploring that.
But first, consider this: on the basis of Peter’s confession of
who Jesus really is, Jesus speaks about founding His church
and about giving it authority – the keys of the kingdom. He
says that His church will have two kinds of authority –
binding and loosing. “Whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will
be loosed in heaven.” Fascinating stuff! What does it
mean, this binding and loosing authority?
Today and next week I am going to imagine with you what
there was in people’s guesses about Jesus that led to His
statement about binding and loosing. Something in Jesus
suggested to the people these three men out of Israel’s
history. I believe that each of the three men they guessed at
were binders and loosers. Each of them did something that
bound Satan, that stopped evil; and each of them let loose
God’s liberating Spirit.
Today I am just going to work on binding. What is it that
John and Elijah and Jeremiah each did to bind evil and to
stop it in its tracks? And how do we as followers of Jesus
use His authority to bind evil?
Next week I will work on the other side of the ledger, the
loosing side. Next week I will explore with you how John and
Elijah and Jeremiah let loose God’s liberating Spirit. But
today the theme is “A Prevailing Church: Binding”.
I
First, look at John the Baptist. The people thought maybe
Jesus was John come back to life. After all, it had only been
a short while since John had been killed. And John and
Jesus were cousins, breathing the same spiritual air and
bringing a similar message. Some found it easy to say that
Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life.
Now what did they see in Jesus that reminded them of John?
I suspect they saw in Jesus someone who, like John, would
bind up mere religion. Some saw someone who would strike
at religiosity without righteousness. Neither John nor Jesus
were very patient with pious folks who were soooo religious,
who mouthed all the buzz words, but whose lives did not
exhibit righteousness.
In the Judaism of Jesus’ day there were various groups. In a
way they were like today’s Christian denominations. These
groups of Jews differed from one another on certain key
points, but one thing they all held in common: each group
thought it was right! Each group touted its doctrine, each
group cited its eminent rabbis, and each group claimed to
stand for God’s truth, thank you very much. The Pharisees
were one such group, and they were very zealous about
Sabbath-keeping. It was said that the Pharisees had created
638 laws on Sabbath-keeping alone. In fact, the Pharisees
said that Sabbath-keeping was so important that if, in some
week, all Jews all kept the Sabbath perfectly, then the
Messiah would come. But so complicated was the Sabbath
code that as each Sabbath came and went, and no Messiah
showed up, they would say, “You see! You see! Some
ignorant person out there messed up, and kept us from
getting our Messiah!” The Pharisees were very religious.
They were the kinds of folks who come to church every time
the doors open, the kind who think that being Christian
consists of gathering behind the stained-glass windows day
after day after. We call them church mice! Church mice,
running the halls, nibbling at all the goodies, and running
when there is real work to be done!
But what did John the Baptist say about these Pharisees?
Did he compliment them on their faithfulness? Did he sing
their praises for their careful observance of the Law? He did
not. Not at all. John called them a “brood of vipers” – a
tangle of snakes! John said that they were not bearing fruit.
They had nothing to show for their religiosity. Being religious
had not made them better people. It had only made them
bigger braggarts. John the Baptist bound the evil of mere
religion, religiosity without righteousness.
And so Jesus came along, and said to the same crowd,
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the
weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and
faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without
neglecting the others.” Oh, yes, Jesus must have
sounded a lot like John. For Jesus too wanted to bind up
and stop the evil of mere religion. Jesus too wanted to raise
up a generation of authentic people, people who wanted their
lives to matter. Jesus too knew that sitting in worship
services and attending Bible classes and mouthing all the
right slogans – that’s not enough. That doesn’t get it. What
Jesus wants from you and from me are lives that have
integrity, lives that are honest and clean and forthright. What
Jesus wants is obedience.
And what Jesus wants in a prevailing church is that we will
bind evil. That we will teach right living. That we will with
courage fight corruption and sin. That we will be willing to
say “No” to this materialistic culture around us. What Jesus
wants in a prevailing church that calls people to be more
than pew-fillers, but calls them to obedience. I will give you
the keys of the kingdom, and whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven. In the name of Jesus,
Jesus, greater than John the Baptist, let us to bind and stop
mere religion, religiosity without righteousness.
II
But not only did the people see John the Baptist in Jesus,
they also saw Elijah in Jesus. Elijah, who had lived about
850 years earlier. Elijah, whom tradition said would return
just before the Messiah was to come. What was it about
Elijah that suggested that Jesus might be him? What evil did
Elijah bind that Jesus bound up too?
Do you remember that dramatic scene on Mt. Carmel, where
Elijah confronted 450 priests of Baal and challenged them to
a showdown? Do you remember why they had such a
challenge? Israel’s king, Ahab, had imported foreign religion.
He had married a Canaanite queen, Jezebel, and allowed
her to bring in idol worship. But mind you, this was no
ordinary, garden-variety religion that Jezebel brought in.
This was Baalism, this was a sexually-charged, exploitive,
sensual cult. This was “if it feels good, do it.” Be as immoral
as you like and call it spirituality. The issue with Baalism was
not only that it was the worship of someone other than the
Lord; the issue was also that Baalism was self-indulgence. It
was a good time religion, a pleasure-soaked way of life.
Baalism was materialistic to the core, nothing but yielding to
the whim of the moment. It had in it no moral fiber
whatsoever. The stakes were huge; this thing would destroy
people’s very lives.
And so when Elijah stood on Mt. Carmel to challenge the
priests of Baal, he was binding up that thing in us that always
wants to give over to our gut instincts. He was binding up
that side of us that always wants to find excuses for self-
serving ways. We don’t really want to wait for marriage to
have sex, so we look for somebody who will tell us that purity
is out of date today. We don’t really want to be totally honest
with our taxes, so we look for somebody who will tell us that
the rest of the world owes us a living, so go ahead and trim
on your taxes. We don’t really want to be inclusive in our
churches, so we look for somebody who will tell us that this
church is too European or too African or too something, and
stay away from Takoma! But Elijah would have none of that.
Elijah bound our sinful self-made gods, our idolatry, and cried
out across the centuries, “If Baal – if your pleasure principle
– be God, follow him. But if the Lord be God, then
follow Him.” Elijah bound our wishy-washiness and insisted
that if we are going to follow the Lord, then we follow the
Lord completely. No half-way measures will do.
Oh, I can understand where people saw Elijah in Jesus, can’t
you? I can hear echoes of Elijah in Jesus, when Jesus says,
“You cannot serve God and money, for either you will
love the one and hate the other, or you will hate the one
and love the other.” That sounds like Elijah, binding up
wishy-washiness. Or when Jesus says, “If anyone would
be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me.” No double standards, no two ways
about it. Or when Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.”
Why Jesus, don’t you know that is not politically correct?
Don’t you understand, Jesus, that in America just be sincere
and associate with nice people and don’t rock the boat?
The Unification Church tried to recruit me again this week.
They’ve sent numerous letters, they’ve brought delegations
by here, and this week it was unending phone calls. “Pastor,
we want to do something for the family. We want you and
your wife to come to our meeting and let us bless you. And
we have a gift for you, just for coming.” I tried to be polite; I
really did. But I said, “No, I am not going to lend my support
to anything the Unification Church does.” “Oh, but pastor,
we are all for the same things. We are working for the
family. We all stand for the same things.” And that’s when I
lost my cool. I said, “No, we are not. We are not working for
the same things. I am working for the Kingdom of Christ.
You are working for Sun Myung Moon, and you are offering
Rolex watches, lavish banquets, and pleasure cruises.
That’s idolatry.” But they will call again. Idols are seductive.
Oh no. What Jesus wants from you and me are people who
have bound up self-centeredness and have put it aside.
What Jesus wants from you and me are persons who have
made a choice for discipleship, even when it does not feel
good. What Jesus wants from you and me are hearts that
are willing to do what is right and are able to bind up the
whim of the moment.
And what Jesus wants from a prevailing church is that it will
bind up phoniness and falseness. That we will not be so in a
hurry to gain members that we will sacrifice our soul. That
we will not be so concerned about what is popular out there
that we will fail to be proclaim the Gospel. That we will not be
so worried about having enough money to do what makes us
feel comfortable that we will cut off giving good news to
Jerusalem, Jericho, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the
earth. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom, and
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.”
In the name of Jesus, Jesus, greater than Elijah, we are to
bind and the evil of wishy-washy, convenient self-indulgence.
We are to stand for Christ and Christ alone.
III
Who is our only Lord? Jesus. Whom do we serve and no
other? Jesus. Jesus – greater than John the Baptist, but
building on John’s scathing denunciation of religion without
righteousness; Jesus – greater than Elijah, but building on
Elijah’s firm either-or challenge to self-indulgence. The
people saw a lot of John and a great deal of Elijah in Jesus.
But they also saw Jeremiah. Quite a different personality,
Jeremiah. Jeremiah too spoke of an evil to be bound up, an
evil that Jesus took on as well.
Jeremiah is one of my favorite prophets. He is so very
human, and his emotions are right out there on his sleeve.
Jeremiah had a flair for the dramatic, and in so many ways
demonstrated the courage of a spirit-filled heart. Nowhere is
Jeremiah more dramatic and more courageous than in his
Temple sermon. The Temple sermon was delivered in
Jerusalem about 600 BC, on the eve of the city’s destruction
by the Babylonians. The people of the Kingdom of Judah
had grown fat and complacent. They had every confidence
that their Temple would protect them, and that there was
nothing to feel urgent about. Just hang in there, and the
good old Temple, tried and true, will see us through. Worry
about nothing, change nothing, do nothing, and we’ll muddle
through. But Jeremiah rings the alarm bell, loud and clear,
“Do not trust in these deceptive words:’This is the
temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple
of the LORD.’ ... amend your ways and your doings, ...
act justly one with another, ... do not oppress the alien,
the orphan, and the widow, ... do not go after other gods
to your own hurt ...”
Jeremiah calls us on our desire to have church the way
we’ve always had it. Jeremiah is binding up our wish to have
a church that serves us. Jeremiah is binding up our push to
have a church that feathers its own nest. Jeremiah is calling
us to mission – to serving the stranger, caring for the
vulnerable, empowering the weak. Jeremiah is binding up
our narrow little vision that sees only what we have always
done and misses what we could be doing.
And if Jeremiah binds that up, how much more does Jesus.
The Jesus who overturned the tables of the Temple
moneychangers, crying out against their selfishness. The
Jesus who sent out His disciples two by two and told them
they would sheep among wolves. The Jesus who taught us
that we shall be judged on our response to the hungry, the
thirsty, the sick, the needy, and the imprisoned. Jesus must
have sounded like Jeremiah, for Jesus is very clear that the
church is here to serve the world. The church is not here for
itself. It is here for the world.
What Jesus wants from you and me is that we be persons of
compassion, weeping over the brokenness of others. That
we become people with purpose, direction, mission. It’s fine
to be a church member; but that does not make you a
caretaker at the mausoleum. It makes you a pioneer blazing
a trail into the wilderness.
Jesus wants a prevailing church. That’s a church that binds
its own selfishness. A church that is far less interested in
enjoying itself than in serving the world. A church that is far
more committed to seeking and saving that which is lost than
it is to keeping its brass polished and its candles burning
properly. Someone reminded us that Jesus was crucified, not
in a cathedral between two candles, but on a town garbage
heap, between two thieves. The church is here for the world.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom, and whatever
you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” In the
name of Jesus, Jesus, greater than Jeremiah, we are to bind
and put a stop selfish churchianity masquerading as
missionary Christianity.
A prevailing church. I pray for a church that will bind evil.
Takoma Park Baptist Church, the times we live in present us
with evil. Will we bind it in the name of Jesus, or will we just
learn to live with it and let things slide? Will we stand for
something, in the name of the Lord Jesus, or will we just play
games and call it church?
We must become a prevailing church. We must bind the
temptation to be merely religious, without any attention to
righteousness.
We must bind the temptation to indulge ourselves and make
our own comfort primary in our church’s life.
And we must bind the temptation to do nothing more than
what we’ve always done. We must learn excellence, we
must learn to give ourselves to ministry, we must get
involved in missions, we must trust one another, and most of
all, we must trust Christ. For He has promised that when we
confess that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, then
to us He gives authority, and we will prevail. Nothing can
stop an obedient church – not its enemies, not its foot-
draggers, not its crumbling buildings, not its spotty history,
not even its flawed leadership, of whom I am chief. Nothing
can stop an obedient church; the very gates of hell cannot
prevail. We will prevail. We shall overcome. We have
overcome. In Christ, we shall prevail.
