Barbarians, Sythians, and other dead People
Personal Intro –
Thank you for the welcome my family and I have received from many of you. I have had opportunity to meet a lot of people and learn names. That will take some time and I thank you for your patience as we get to know each other.
According to a middle-eastern fable, a merchant from Baghdad once asked his servant to run an errand. While at the markets, the servant went around a corner and saw ‘Lady Death’. She terrified him so much that he returned to his master in a great rush. “I am terrified,” said the servant. “I want to take the fastest horse and ride towards Samarra.”
Seeing how absolutely terrified his servant was, the master granted the request.
Later that afternoon, the merchant visited the markets himself and he too met Lady Death. He asked, “Why do you startle my servant?”
Lady Death answered, Frankly, it was I who was startled. I couldn’t understand why your servant was in Baghdad, because I have an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.”
When considering a topic for my very first sermon at Stafford Heights Baptist Church I thought, “well what should I do.” I mean the obvious thing to do in some instances is to do something testimonial. Take a scripture that reflects my journey with God and preach on that so you get a chance to know me better. But I’ve got to tell you that as I have commenced in my role here in the Youth/Young Adults and Discipleship portfolios of SHBC, I have been praying that God would give me a vision. I have been seeking him to try and determine just what it is that He wants to achieve through me in the life of this church over the next 6 months. Perhaps I may be here longer, but the compelling issue for me at the moment is the impending 6 months and what God wants to do in that time. So as I’ve been praying and as I’ve been observing in my first 3 weeks in the church I came to the conclusion that death would be the perfect topic. Not death as the middle eastern fable portrays, another death – one that as Christians I think we struggle with, more than physical death. And it is something that I think it is vital for us to grasp as the church is at a pivotal point at this time. I really believe that. Without knowing too much history of what has gone on here in the past I have enough of a sense that this is a time where the Stafford Heights Baptist Church is standing at the crossroads. What is this death I am talking about?
WHAT?
Colossians 3:5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
There is a call for us to put to death the things of the flesh, the things of the earthly nature. Inward sins and outwards sins. Sins of the flesh and sins of the heart. It is not very often that we see the sexual sins and lusts in the life of the church, most times these are hidden in peoples hearts but occasionally the church must deal with these things publicly. I am not wanting to dismiss these sins but rather to highlight the fact that the sins we often see as not as bad are listed in the same category as these hidden sins. Anger, rage, malice slander, hurtful language, lies. To this we can add gossip and others. Sin is crippling for us as individuals and crippling for us as a church. Why do we struggle to put to death these sins so often? One reason is the fact that the church is made up of a real mixed bunch of people. People who ordinarily would not get together. I had the privilege of my first youth group experience on Friday night, and I’ve got to tell you they are one of the most rag-tag, odd, unusual groups of people I’ve seen in a while - and that’s just the leader’s I’m talking about! But it is true, we have young and old, employed and unemployed, dark skin and light skin, there are numerous differences and sometimes those differences really get on our nerves.
Not only are we called to put things to death, but we are called to a new kind of life. As if the first call wasn’t hard enough.
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
We are called to exercise and exhibit a unity that is beyond compare. And this is not the only place in the bible that it comes up. Here are just a few other places:
1 Cor. 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Eph 4: 1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Rom. 12: 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
1 Peter 3: 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
It almost seems impossible given the mix of people that make up the church. But God never demands that we do anything impossible. I really don’t want to focus too much on ‘what’ we are supposed to do as Christians, because for the most part we know what we should do, but the reason I think we often don’t do it is because we have either forgotten ‘why’ or indeed never really understood the ‘why’.
Why should we do all this stuff? Why should we behave the way God wants us to behave?
Judgment - 3:6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
We are all going to be held accountable for our actions here on earth. God is angered by sin and particularly sin that we choose to continue in as Christians even though God has made the way for us to resist it. The very fact that there is coming a time of judgment should be one reason we should follow what God tells us.
Christ is Lord and he is in every Christian. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
Christ is ALL – He is the Lord of the universe
Col 1: 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Rev 4: 11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
Phil 2: 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Not only is Jesus Creator and Lord but he lives in the heart of every Christian.
1 Cor. 3:16
16Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
2 Cor. 13: 5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you
1 John 4: 4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4: 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Look around you. We may not be Greeks and Jews, barbarians, or Scythians, but we are all different. But no matter what differences there is amongst us if we are Christians, then Jesus Christ, the creator of the universe, son of God, King of kings and lord of lords, lives in us. (Jesus inside logo). Think about the people you find it hardest to understand or get along with. If they are Christians then Jesus lives in them. You cannot hold anything against them because to do so would be against Jesus. Even people who are not Christians, though not having God inside, have the stamp of the creator all over them. We are made in the image of God.
(Max Lucado tells a story of a trip to Israel with his daughter Jenna.)
Jenna and I boarded a -1:00 A.M. flight in Tel Aviv which would carry us back to the States. Travelling is always hectic, but that night it was especially bad. The plane was packed and we were delayed because of extra-tight airport security. As we boarded, I realized that our seats weren’t together. We were separated by an aisle. With no time to seek help from the front desk, I determined to persuade the fellow sitting next to Jenna to swap seats with me. Surely he’ll understand, I thought. He didn’t. He was already nestled down for the ten-hour flight and wasn’t about to move. "Please," I begged, "let me sit by my daughter."
"I’m not moving."
"Come on, sir. Let’s trade places."
He leaned up and looked at my seat and leaned back. "No thanks," he declined.
Growl. I took my seat and Jenna took hers next to the thoughtless, heartless scoundrel. As the plane prepared for take-off, I dedicated my mind to drawing a mental sketch of the jerk. Wasn’t hard. Only a glance or two in his direction and I had him pegged as a terrorist on his way to assassinate the president of our country. By the time the plane was backing up, I was plotting how I’d trip him if he dared walk to the restroom during the flight. No doubt he’d smuggled a gun on board and it would fall to me to apprehend him.
I turned to intimidate him with a snarl and saw, much to my surprise, Jenna offering him a pretzel. What? My daughter fraternizing with the enemy! And even worse, he took it! As if the pretzel were an olive branch, he accepted her gift and they both leaned their seats back and dozed off.
I eventually dozed myself, but not before I’d learned the lesson God had used my daughter to teach me.
In God’s house we occasionally find ourselves next to people we don’t like. If we could ask them to leave, we would, but we aren’t given the option. All of us are here by grace and, at some point, all of us have to share some grace. So the next time you find yourself next to a questionable character, don’t give him a hard time . . . give him a pretzel.
Which brings me to my next “Why”.
We have been forgiven heaps. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
When we first become a Christian there is an excitement that is seems no one can put out. We are so filled with gratitude for what Christ has done and you can hardly hold us back. I know that is how it was with me. At 13 years of age all of a sudden I knew and understood what Jesus had done for me – why he died on the cross for me. I had to tell me family, my friends etc. It became my consuming passion. Then after a few years that excitement gets toned down. After a few rejections by friends and after being conditioned in the church we lose that passion. We have forgotten just how much we have been forgiven. Or at the very least we have sanitized it so that it does not grip us like it used to. It just rolls off our tongues so easily, “Jesus died on the cross for me.” Why do we need to follow the way of Christ and put off sin and pursue unity? Because Jesus has forgiven us everything.
Rom 4: 25He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Col 1: 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1 Peter 2: 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 3: 18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
1 John 2: 12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
2 Cor. 5: 21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Let us never, NEVER lose sight of what Jesus did for us and how much we have been forgiven. Geoff Fletcher spoke of Jesus at a college chapel time one Easter and referred to him in a way that pierced my heart and I have never forgotten it since. He said that as Jesus hung on that cross he became the “Divine Pervert” for you and me. Jesus hung upon that cross and actually became sin. For you and me. Every perversion, deviancy, evil and darkness was contained in Jesus – the most holy, sinless man who ever lived, in fact the very Son of God, the creator of the universe. All sin was heaped upon him and the father turned his face away!! Darkness covered the land and Jesus screamed out in desperation:
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?“—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Psalm 103: 8The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
HOW?
Col 3:1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
We are to set our minds and our hearts on things above. In other words, our hearts should beat with the heartbeat of God. We should know what the Father wants to do, what he longs for. Our minds need to focus on the very thoughts of God. And we are able to do that when we realize that we have actually died. V 3 is past tense, our death is something that happened in the past. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. All that is us, as independent from God, all our worldly desires, our plans and purposes the old us is dead. The reason that Paul can say there is no Greek, Jew, barbarian, Scythian etc in the church is because they have all died in Christ and now are risen with him. Christ is what now consumes them. It is the same for us, however, often we do not live out the resurrected Christ life and we do not count ourselves dead to self. That is why we have disunity and strife in the church.
I have only been here three weeks, but I have heard various people talk about other people in a negative way. This only serves to tear the church down. I have also had some people say to me that if I want to have a future in this church I’d better make sure I have certain people on side. I need to let you know that I will not entertain politics nor seek to please people in order to preserve my position. My commitment to you is to daily put my agendas aside and seek God’s agenda. Likewise as a church we all need to put our personal agendas aside and seek the face of God. We are dead men (and women) walking. We desperately need Christ to control our thoughts, words and actions because without Him we are lost as a church. This all sounds very negative and in a sense you may be asking how can I get away with saying things like this. I can get away with it 1. because I do not know situations so I’m not preaching at particular individual. 2. because I’m the new guy and naive in many way regarding this church (so perhaps I can be forgiven). 3. I honestly believe this is something God would want to say to this church.
Before I even started at this church I had a real sense that God had something special in store for this church and there was obviously going to be the need for change as the church presses ahead. Sure there will be some things that we will need to address as a result of the current consultancy and to reestablish the vision that was accepted and launched last year. I feel very strongly that this church is coming to the crossroads of decision. Will we lay aside our personal agendas and walk as dead to ourselves as we seek and live out the plan of God, or will we choose to go our own way ignoring God’s best for us, while many in the community go about there lives unaware of the relevance of this church to them?
Church’s vision: To minister in a relevant way to a diverse community, to see people come to Christ and grow to maturity in Him. An absolutely fantastic vision, but this church will never come close to achieving it if we carry on with our own personal agendas. Until we start to see each and every person, young and old, as a vital part of the body of Christ at Stafford Heights many people will go on without ever knowing the wonderful truth that there is a Saviour who loves them and longs to see them free and growing towards him.
We need each other. Let’s commit to laying down our lives and understanding that when we accepted Christ we died. We died to our flesh and personal plans and agendas. We said, Jesus you have all of me.
15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Col 3:15-17
