The Culture In The Middle Series

LITURGICAL OPENING — PSALM 34:1-8

• I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

• My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

• O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

• I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

• They looked unto Him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

• This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

• The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

• O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

(Psalm 34:1-8)

GREETING

Good Morning ... and too, God be the Glory!

I greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

And there is a Word from the LORD ...

So let us turn our hearts and our Bibles to the book of Hebrews ... chapter 5, beginning at verse 12 ... and then chapter 6, beginning at verse 1.

When you find it ... please say Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING — HEBREWS 5:12-14; 6:1-3 (KJV)

(5:12) For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

(5:13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

(5:14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

(6:1) Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

(6:2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

(6:3) And this will we do, if God permit.

NEIGHBOR TURN

Turn to your neighbor and say ... Neighbor — SOMEBODY IN THE MIDDLE NEEDS TO GROW UP.

You may be seated ...

SOMEBODY IN THE MIDDLE NEEDS TO GROW UP.

PRAYER

Father ... the task of teaching Your Word is once again in my keeping. I commit myself to do the very best that I can. Clear my mind of distractions. Warm my heart with compassion. Fill my soul with faith in Your goodness and power. Speak to me ... that I may speak for You. Speak through me ... that I may speak to those who wait to hear Your unadulterated gospel. Right now, Lord ... remove self. Remove pride. Increase in me and I decrease in You. Hide me behind Your cross. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight. My Lord ... You are my strength and my Redeemer. This is my prayer. Amen.

INTRODUCTION

I want to talk to you this morning about something that everybody in this room has experienced ... but very few have been willing to name.

I want to talk to you about ... the middle.

Now ... I'm not talking about the middle of a football field. I'm not talking about the middle child. I am not even talking about middle age ... though some of us in here need to have that conversation too.

No ... I'm talking about the middle of your church. The middle of your organization. The space between what you say you believe ... and what you actually practice.

THAT'S the middle I came to talk about today. (Repeat)

You see ... the writer of Hebrews has a problem on his hands. He has a congregation that ought to be teaching ... and they still need somebody to teach them the basics. They ought to be eating steak ... and they are still on baby food. They have been in the faith long enough to lead ... and they are still waiting to be led.

In other words ... the middle broke down. And when the middle breaks down ...

EVERYTHING. BREAKS. DOWN.

Dr. Peter Drucker — the father of modern management — once said: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast."

(Peter Drucker, management consultant and author of "The Practice of Management," 1954, widely attributed)

Now Dr. Drucker was talking about corporations ... but he could have been reading the book of Hebrews. Because what the writer of Hebrews is describing is a culture problem. And a culture problem is always a character problem before it is an organizational one.