February 12, 2006
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
It happened on a Wednesday several years ago. Reepicheep managed to throw everything off! The day started as most do around the Brownworth household; Elizabeth was first out the door, running the race between Thomasville and High Point.
The problem came when she got to Randolph Street, near the bank. As Elizabeth was tooling along close to escape velocity, Reepicheep, a mouse, emerged from under the front seat and ambled along the floorboard towards the front. He was just a mouse (Elizabeth called him a gigantic rat – we later named him “Reepicheep” after the valiant extra-large mouse in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series).
Well, just a mouse, or not, he was an unwelcome passenger in Tony’s Buick (that’s another sermon). When you’ve got a mouse (or a huge rat) patrolling the lower regions of your ride, you’ve just gotta stop!
Elizabeth almost made a new drive-thru lane in one of Thomasville’s banks. When she finally got the Buick stopped, Reepicheep was nowhere in sight. He had disappeared under the dashboard. Elizabeth disappeared through the driver’s-side door!
I answered the phone dripping wet – it was my bride. “You have got to come here right now!” said the voice, “there’s a huge rat in my car.” I said, applying the towel to my dripping hair, “Right now?” “You heard me,” the voice emphatically repeated. Well, it was Wednesday, February 13th, the day in-between our anniversary and Valentine’s Day. I should have been more gallant; I certainly should have been more understanding. I simply said, “I don’t think so!” It wasn’t my finest Sir Walter Raleigh at-your-service-my-lady moment. But, after all, I was sans clothes and only half towel dried. She understood – barely, but she understood. The saga ended with Elizabeth regaining her composure, braving the frontiers of Tony’s Buick and completing her journey to High Point.
Later, that evening, she even got in the car to come home (after assurances from Cecil the custodian, that the mouse had probably high-tailed it during the day – probably went to McDonald’s for lunch). We set a trap for Reepicheep in Tony’s Buick that night; nothing happened. Cecil was probably right – the mouse knew he’d better move his cheese. Better to move on than to ride with Elizabeth!
Reepicheep burned his Buick bridges in order to have a more peaceful life. That is the essence of Paul’s statement in our text this morning. Let me state the principle up front; then I would like to explore the principle, and how it is worked-out in our lives.
The Principle
Running the Christian race requires burning some bridges, and building others.
Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth is all about races, resources and results. Some of God’s people didn’t understand the requirement of resources in the kingdom. Paul explained it. Some couldn’t seem to get past the idea that the resources are for results in the kingdom – not security in this life. Paul pointed to the prize.
We are going to talk about the Christian race – bridges burned and bridges built. In doing so it’s necessary to look at the connection between money and the Kingdom of God. I warn you, it’s crunch time – listening to Paul’s ministry model in this sermon can be hazardous to your financial bottom line. It can also be the best relocation of your cheese ever!
There are four qualities to consider in the Christian runner:
#1. A Christian Runner Ought To Run By the Rules
No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. First Corinthians 9.26 The Message New Testament
There’s a bridge to burn if you’re going to run by God’s rules. That bridge is self. Jesus said,
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9.23b
If you listen to our culture (and you don’t have to listen too closely), it is a commonly held belief that following the rules is for other people. Being selfish in this generation is almost considered a virtue. But, that’s this generation; that’s not Almighty God. He considers selfishness sin.
If you’re going to run the Christian race the bridge you’re going to build is sacrifice. Paul sacrificed the luxury of receiving any financial compensation for his work as an apostle. He did so because, to him, the hardship of poverty was worth the results he saw in reaching people for Jesus Christ.
What about this concept? You can take a look at the financial statement of this church and see that there are some folks here – including me – who receive their living from the generous giving in our church. Is that wrong? No, Paul made it clear with examples and in other letters that it is not wrong for God’s people to support those who labor in the Gospel.
For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward. 1 Timothy 5:18 KJV
I could not do half of what I do if I had to work at a regular job, and then do ministry in my “off time”. I speak from previous experience! There were times when I went to a 9-5 job, then made visits and calls at night. I spent all day every Saturday studying for sermons. Every meeting was Sunday afternoon, sandwiched in-between hospital visits and an hour my family got while we cleaned the house and did the dinner dishes.
You can do that kind of thing for a while – but the family suffers, your health suffers, and eventually the ministry suffers. Paul loved that schedule – but he had no family responsibilities.
What about you? Many of you volunteer so much time, give your talents teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, working on committees, and doing every new thing the preacher comes up with…. revivals, and projects (and now Jerusalem!). You never get paid for a single bit of it. Ah, that’s true – but when you tell someone about serving Jesus, you never get that look back from their eyes that says, sure, you get paid to say things like that.
Many of you run by the rules. You fear (or reverence) God. You put self on the back burner. Things get repaired, painted, donated. Programs get staffed, upgraded, and promoted.
Every week our choir meets while the rest of us go home. They practice, present and do it again – all for the glory of God. That is the center of the issue – why you run! I am grateful for the salary I receive, but I don’t run for it. If that ever becomes the case, I’ll quit! Burn the bridge of self….build the bridge of sacrifice.
#2. A Christian Runner Ought To Run Hard
I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. First Corinthians 9.26 The Message New Testament
Age, temperament, physical condition and energy level aside, we all have 24 hours each day. We may all work at a different pace, see things differently, or approach tasks from perspectives that demand our special talents. The one thing we cannot afford is laziness. That is a bridge to burn.
One Russian proverb goes, He’s willing to swallow but too lazy to chew. There is lazy, and then there are folks like the farmer who said lightning struck an old shed and thus saved him the trouble of tearing it down, and rain washed off his car and saved him that chore too. When asked what he was doing now, he replied, "Waiting for an earthquake to shake the potatoes out of the ground."
In place of the burned bridge of laziness is the building of labor. No church, family, business or individual ever truly achieved something worthwhile without hard work.
It is difficult to keep your eye on the goal line. Sometimes a church will start a campaign to retire the building debt. Many will respond, the debt gets paid-down. The problem is that, while folks respond well to that need, the regular giving suffers. Some stop giving to the regular, unexciting, everyday budget needs in favor of mission trips, buildings and the like.
Running hard means continuing the course even when obstacles come along. Our unified budget need is something we agree upon each year. That is the focus of our tithes – the regular 10% of our income. We bring that into God’s storehouse as a matter of fact. The regular building payment, mission offerings are included in that.
An obstacle, or unexpected bump in the road, like paying off the building debt early, going on additional mission trips, unexpected love offerings for singing groups and the like – these are bumps we must deal with, but never forget these are done with over-the-tithe offerings. In short, give your tithe – the Lord expects that. When other opportunities come, give sacrificially as you can. The Lord will bless you for that. And when pressed into difficult circumstances, be the most generous you have ever been – it’s then His miracles come to the surface. But, in any event, run hard in building your bridge of labor.
#3. A Christian Runner Ought To Run Every Day
There is a bridge of distraction that needs to be burned; in its place we build a bridge of focus.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3.14 KJV
To press toward something is to keep focused on the desired result. Bill McCartney is the founder of Promise Keepers. His testimony about life as a successful football coach includes a bridge of distraction.
“When I took the job as head football coach at the University of Colorado in 1982, I made a solemn promise: I told everybody that with me, God was first, family second, and football third.
But I didn’t keep that promise for long. The thrill and the challenge of resurrecting a football program in disarray simply took too much time and attention. As my teams kept winning year after year, I kept losing focus of my priorities.
When we won the national championship in 1990, many people said I had reached the pinnacle of my profession. But for me, there was an emptiness about it. I had everything a man could want, and yet something was missing. I was so busy pursuing my career goals that I was missing out on the Spirit-filled life that God wanted me to have. All because I had broken my promise to put God first and foremost in my life.
It is evident that most Christians aren’t running every day when it comes to our stewardship. According to the latest statistics from Barna Research, a firm that tracks religious trends, although more than two out of three evangelical Christians (68%) claim to get their moral directions and decision-making guidance from Scripture, less than half that amount (33%) claim to tithe their income (which Scripture demands), and only about one in eight (12%) actually tithes!
In 1815 Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo, and the hero of that battle was the Duke of Wellington. The duke’s most recent biographer claims to have an advantage over all the other previous biographers. His advantage was that he had found an old account ledger that showed how the duke had spent his money: that, says the biographer, was a far better clue to what the duke thought was really important than reading his letters or his speeches.
Can you imagine that? If someone wrote your biography on the basis of your checkbook or your income-tax return, what might it say about you, your loyalties, your focus, and about whom you serve?
#4. A Christian Runner Ought To Run to Win
You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
First Corinthians 9.24-25 The Message New Testament
I am about to purchase a pair of athletic shoes -------walking shoes! My doctor says I must! He wants me to walk a lot to lose weight (there, I’ve said it!). I used to buy Nike’s – they have that really neat logo – the swoosh mark. Nike is actually in the Bible (almost):
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:
and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4 KJV
Nike is the word “victory” in Greek. Our victory is our faith in Christ. Running to win means trusting Christ for the victory. We sing the hymn, Faith Is the Victory. “Oh, glorious victory that overcomes the world. That’s burning the bridge of faintheartedness or fear. It is building the bridge of faith – and that’s what will do – the only thing that will do in serving Christ.
There are a few verses with which I want to end this morning. They should be precious to everyone who has called upon the name of Christ:
Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 1 Corinthians 4:1 (KJV)
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10 (KJV)
These verses say well what our task is –
We run by the rules, sacrifice, not self – God said so!
We run hard, not lazy people, laboring in love.
We run every day, training to focus on the prize in Jesus Christ.
And We run to WIN, knowing faith is our nee-kay, our victory!
I have a sign in my office. It says: 70% of Leaders Never Finish! That’s what running to win is all about. I want to finish my course in pastoring, witnessing, being a son, husband, father and grandfather, and as a good steward – with a win.
I want to go on like John Wesley, one of the greatest preachers of the last millennium. Here’s a single page from his journal:
"Sunday a.m., May 5 - Preached in St. Ann’s; was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday p.m., May 5 - Preached in St. John’s; deacons said, ’Get out and stay out.’
Sunday a.m., May 12 - Preached at St. Jude’s; can’t go back there either.
Sunday p.m., May 12 - Preached at St. George’s; kicked out again.
Sunday a.m., May 19 - Preached at St. Somebody Else’s; deacons called a special meeting and said I couldn’t return.
Sunday p.m, May 19 - Preached on the street; kicked off the street.
Sunday a.m., May 26 - Preached out in a meadow; chased out of meadow when a bull was turned loose during the service.
Sunday a.m., June 2 - Preached out at the edge of town; kicked off the highway.
Sunday p.m., June 2 - Afternoon service, preached in a pasture; 10,000 people came."
I want to be faithful despite whatever my fainthearted ways previously; I want to go out a winner in faith. I want to come to the end and hear, Well done, thou good and faithful servant
How is your running? Have you come to that point in your life where you finally said, That’s it! I am not settling any more. I am going to stop this merry-go-round right now. I will not run with the world any more. I hereby declare my cheese moved! I want peace. I want purpose. I want the power that comes with Jesus.
If you have not come to that point, but sense it may be near…allow me the privilege of praying with you today. Step forward as we sing the next hymn. Come in this invitation, ready to pray with others who will be coming. Together we will make our commitments to run by the rules, run hard every day, and run to win. Come as we make the commitment to Jesus to be faithful stewards.
