This sermon was preached by Scotty L Killingsworth to the Evergreen Congregation on September 28, 2003.
This sermon is the last installment in the series – Ready
The sermon title is, Ready to be different
Biblical Text 1 Thessalonians 5:1-24
The church is still the best hope for the world, but the church is in trouble. I could list the problems, but the list would exceed the time allotted for this teaching time. I’m not sure listing the challenges are necessary because you know the problems already. A simplistic explanation of why the church is in so much trouble is that we are almost exactly like the rest of the world. Where is the contrast? How are we different? The problem? We are just like the rest of our culture.
When the church works with power and influence in a culture it is because the people who are in the church stand up and stand out in the market place and offer a different way to live. They model a changed lifestyle. In every historical occurrence where the church changed the world it did so through the blood of martyrs, it moved forward on the tears of powerful prayer warriors and in the wake of influence left by people who were not willing to compromise their faith to please man. The power of a changed life is so magnetic that it attracts people who are dying for help and hope. When that power is absent everyone knows it, and everyone suffers and rarely does anyone want to talk about it because it is so controversial.
What is there about us that is worth investing our time and resources? Are we changing the world, or are we simply organized religion that exists to maintain itself? We pray, and sweat blood each week to bring you excellent worship, but Branson has comparable music to ours. (It is not better, but it is entertaining) Each week our Community Group pastor/teachers pray, prepare and present the Word of God, but media preachers and speakers are gifted orators you could listen to at home. What are we doing that is any different from the world? What is there about us that attracts the hopeless and lost? Where are our modern day, NW Greene County Martyrs? Who among us is willing to stand up and stand out and make a difference? Where are our prayer warriors who are willing to pay the price of intercession and mediation with God and man? Who is going to stand up and make a difference?
Is there a man or woman among us who is ready to stand up and put their faith to work? Who among us is willing to die to self and live to God? Anyone here willing to take up the ministry of prayer? Are there volunteers who will pray without ceasing for the power of God to fall on this church and churches everywhere?
The new believers written about in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 were taking great strides in the direction of becoming world changers. Their love was becoming famous and it was attractive. They were doing well, but were in need of a few course corrections to make them into the powerful and magnetic church God wanted them to be.
There are areas in which a church must set the pace. If we are no different than other professional and social organizations it is easy to see why the church is not dominant in society. We must find out wherein lie our differences and make restoring church power our daily bread.
What are areas in which the church should be setting the pace? How are we supposed to be different in contrast to the world around us? How are we supposed to be different?
Were different because we see differently 5:1-8
There are two Greek words used to describe time. One is Karios and the other is Chronos. Chronos is the precise time on a 24 hour clock. At 12:00 you could say it is time/chronos for lunch. The other is Karios and it is general or seasonal time. We would say it is Christmas time/karios. When The Father says that his children know the time of the second coming of Jesus he uses the Karios word. When a pregnant woman nears the 9 month gestation period she knows it is time. She may even have been given a due date by her doctor, but the actual time awaits incalculable factors.
1-3 When one looks at the big picture one will see that the second coming will actually be a surprise. It will occur at a time we don’t expect it. The constant application of this truth is be ready now. Don’t wait to get ready at a later time. God does not always send us a memo when he plans to act.
The birth of Jesus was not expected. Angels told shepherds not political and religious leadership. The birth generally took most by surprise. The Roman proletariat didn’t see it coming and reacted angrily when they discovered the truth by killing Jewish baby boys. The Jewish leadership didn’t see the Messiah coming, although they were looking for him as best they could.
The crucifixion was not expected even though the disciples were repeatedly told by Jesus himself that he came to die. They still didn’t get it. Peter cut the ear off one of the men who came to take Jesus into custody. He just didn’t get it and I feel he was not alone.
The second coming will happen like a thief in the night. We came home from church one Wednesday evening to find our house had been broken into and robbed. Those crooks didn’t have the decency to send me a note informing me of their plan to rob me. They came when I didn’t expect it.
One of the clear teachings about the second coming is it will be a surprise. It will come when world events are becoming peaceful and safe. It will take us by surprise.
His return will happen suddenly like labor pains on a pregnant woman. There is a time you know it can’t be long before a child is born, but we still don’t know the very moment. We may say, “It will be born next month or next week”, but we don’t know the very moment. Likewise people who live for Jesus are able to see that the time is near, but no one knows the moment.
There is a way to be able to recognize the times. Verse 6 tells us to be spiritually awake. In other words we are not to be spiritually sleeping through life, but awake and alert at all times ready. Some of us need to wake up and smell the roses. The clue phone is ringing and you need to answer it.
A lack of self control plays a large part in this sleeping through life issue. When we are controlled by our lower natures and we give in to carnality and violence we are out of control. A life out of control is anything but clear on God sized events. Fleshly pursuits blindfold you to what God is doing all around you.
Here is the answer to our lack of alertness. We must add to our self control and huge helping of faith, love and hope. There is a quality to these three values of the faith that keeps our souls alive and awake. When we live in faith we don’t understand everything and we struggle with questions that we will never be able to answer, but our faith covers it. We say I don’t know, but God does and that is good enough. Our love covers all relationship stresses and divisions. Love covers a multitude of sins. And what can’t be swept under faith and love will work under hope.
So, why does knowing the big picture make me different? We are different because we are ready at all times to live or die. And we have the discipline of self-control that allows us to be watchful. Those two values allow us to see the big picture.
Were different because we love differently 5:9-18
12-13 Paul instructs us to love and respect those who give their lives to ministry. This is always embarrassing to speak on because it can be easily construed that I am asking for privilege, or pulling rank on you demanding you follow my every whim. Allow me to speak in generalities and not specifically about Evergreen church. In general those who give their lives and/or their time to lead in church, especially if they work hard at it, are to be held in highest regard. Paul told Timothy that those who are preacher/teachers deserve double pay. I want to meet with the finance committee right after church. (Joke).
Leadership requires follow-ship and in our culture church leaders are under a microscope of mistrust and doubt. By being unfaithful to our calling, our families and to our churches many church leaders have fallen by the wayside and into moral compromise. There has never been a time in my life when authentic and God called leaders need the church to step up and stand behind us. We need to have our backs and to not allow words of negativity or criticism to be spoken about those people who give their lives to serve you and lead you.
Church leaders are not perfect, but they generally are men and women of God who give their work their best. I can tell you that the people who receive pay from this church to do ministry leadership are highly motivated, skilled and devout. They would not be allowed to remain if they were any other way. I hold them to a level of accountability that is not necessary in other fields or endeavors.
There are two qualifiers used here that seem to grate against Western church thinking. Paul says these church leaders are (1) over you and (2) admonish you. Like it or not there must be order in church. Everyone can have an idea about how things proceed, but a church can go successfully in one direction at a time. So, someone must be out in front leading and that requires trust and follow-ship.
The second uncomfortable qualifier Paul used was “And admonish you.” This word
means to admonish, warn, teach, shine, send out light, be light, be shining. It has a sense to it which implies that church leadership must at times confront an individual or church as part of the job. So we are to love and follow the church leaders God has installed out of love even when they confront us and admonish us.
I have been criticized for preaching on stewardship as if it was my idea or agenda. I have been criticized for prayerlessness in the church when my personal prayer life has never been better.
In verses 13-15 We find more clarification for leadership and for follow-ship. Church people are to love and follow church leaders. We all together are to (See v. 14) Warn the lazy. Encourage the timid. Help the weak. Be patient with everyone. Never pay back wrong for wrong. Be kind.
In verses 16-18 I believe we see what can happen in a body of believers who love as we are instructed. We will discover -unceasing joy-unending fellowship in prayer, and an unbreakable spirit of thanksgiving.
Paul gets right to the point when he says, “This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.
We are different because we act differently. 5:19-22
Verse 19 admonishes us to do whatever it takes to keep the Holy Spirit fire burning among us. Are you aware that this implies that the amount of Holy Spirit fire we have in our church is up to us? We can have as much of God as we want. Why do we opt for so little?
The next area deals with prophecies. In the original setting prophecies were spoken when the church gathered. They were words of wisdom and direction for members from leaders and were presumed to be from the Holy Spirit. When one of these prophecies was given they were to be heard and followed. In Baptist life this is best applied to prophetic preaching. When a preacher/teacher speaks to the church we are to hear the voice of God in the message and act on it. We are not to denigrate preaching and to allow it to mold our lives.
Time does not allow us to deal with testing everything, holding on to what is good and avoiding every kind of evil. They make the foundation for another sermon at another time.
In conclusion:
The problem with the church is we are not different. Something has happened to our spiritual vision, our love and our application of truth.
When we step up and stand up and stand out and live out our vision, practice holy love in the church and act our faith in the marketplace we will astound a directionless world and once again take our rightful place as the church that Jesus gave his all to establish and ordain.
Are you different?
