After the Exodus Sermon

This weeks sermon. Hope you like it. Sorry I have been a slacker. I will be better in December.

How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Mine was great. And it was not great for the usual reasons. I mean, it was great because of the usual reasons, bit it was great for so much more this year. Over dessert at my family’s house the subject of black holes came up. Being a physicist, that in and of its self was great. We talked about space time, quantum mechanics, sting theory, and the new E8. But the conversation didn’t end there. After all that, my cousin asked me what I believed about creation. This opened up the floor to Spiritual matters, and for the next 2 hours we talked about the gospel. We talked about the texts authenticity, about the claims of Christians, about “Religion”, about everything. We got to the point where we are going to pick up today. It is possibly the most offensive idea in all faiths, but at the same time, it is the most freeing.

Before we look at the text, let me set the stage. Jesus and his disciples have just had the last supper, and he is giving them some parting words before he is dragged off and murdered. It is at the end of his ministry. He had been with the men he is talking to for three years now, doing all sort s of wonders, miracles, and teachings. And this is the last this he wants them to hear. This is then, is the most important teaching, I imagine. I know if I were going to die, an I knew it, I would want to pass on my best jewels of wisdom, my sincerest love, not just something like, “don’t forget to turn off the lights in the garage.” I can assume that most of us are the same, right? We wouldn’t waste our last moments on Earth with our closest friends. We would make every word count. Jesus is doing the same thing here. He is passing along the last things he will say to his disciples before he goes to the cross.

Turn with me to your programs. We read:

1"Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4And you know the way to where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Let us stop there for a minute and unpack this. As I said before, this is one of the most offensive and freeing parts of the Bible. What is Jesus really saying here? Well it seems sort of self evident, doesn’t it? If we are Jesus words at face value he is saying that 1. We need to believe in him, 2. He is the only way to heaven, and 3. That he is God.

If we remember back to the beginning if the Exodus journey, we may remember that God makes similar statements to Moses when he begins his journey. In Exodus 6 we read

God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD.” 3I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as^(D) God Almighty,^[a] but by my name the^(E) LORD I did not make myself known to them. 4^(F) I also established my covenant with them^(G) to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5Moreover,^(H) I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6Say therefore to the people of Israel,^(I) 'I am the LORD, and^(J) I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and^(K) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7I^(L) will take you to be my people, and^(M) I will be your God, and you shall know that^(N) I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out^(O) from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8I will bring you into^(P) the land that I^(Q) swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession.^(R) I am the LORD.'" 9Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they^(S) did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Jesus words are echoing the exodus. Right before Jesus spoke these words he had instituted the Lord’s Supper. He calls it the New Covenant. He is reminding them of the old covenant. They were eating the Passover meal during this conversation. All the promises of Exodus would have been in their minds, as well as all the requirements. What Jesus is doing here is setting up the new covenant.

And this New Covenant looks remarkably similar to the Old. In the Old Covenant God sets up a few things. First he establishes that he is God. And then as we just read, he sets up some requirements. That is that Israel would be his people. If the denied him, then he would forsake them. But at the same time, if we go back to when the Covenant with Abraham was set up, God took the entirety of the Covenant upon himself, knowing that Abraham could not handle it. We are going to see the same pattern here with Jesus.

He first sets up, as we just read that he is God. But he does so much more than this. At this time there is a religious movement called the Pharisees. If we trace back their origin we find that they started out as a great movement, beginning with Ezra, a chief priest in the Old Testament. They began as a way to ensure that the people were following God, and as a call to all of Israel to be holy. However, by Jesus time, they had become corrupt. They had forsaken God for their rules. What they had done is decided that the way to God was through laws and regulations. If you followed their rules to a T, then you were safe, God would let you into heaven, and all was well. If you didn’t, well, then your fate as not so pretty. What they were trying to do was guarantee their spot in heaven buy their own power. They wanted to be sure to please God, and so they set up all these ways that they could be holy. Let me footnote this, and say that the desire for holiness is not in and of itself bad. It is actually very good. But what the Pharisees did was exchange God’s holiness, and God for their holiness and rules.

The Pharisees took the 613 Laws of the Old Testament and added to them thousands. They were so concerned with holiness that they would keep their drinks covered so as not to even drink a gnat, thus making themselves unclean. This seems a little absurd right? Worrying about gnats? And how were they to guard against them in their sleep? But before we laugh too hard at these men, how many today are trying to be good persons to get into heaven, or believe that that is all one needs to do. If we really question them though, we find that their idea of what a good person looks like looks pretty close to what they look like. They, like the Pharisees, have raised up their own standard of holiness, and forsaken God’s standard. If we were to ask them who got into heaven, based on being a good person, all of them think that they should get in.

Jesus says different though. He says that he is the way, the truth and the light. No one come sot the Father except though him. This New Covenant he sets up is one based on relationship. Just like is Exodus, if we call God our God, he will call us his people, and lead us into the Promised Land. This New Covenant is really no different from the Old.

Remember back to last week’s sermon. After God had established his covenant with the people he set up some guidelines for them to follow. We know them as the Ten Commandments. God is telling the people that the way to be his people is to follow his rules. He is not doing this just to get people to follow his rules though, he is doing it as a loving Father. Jesus is going to do the same as he sets up this Covenant. He says in John 14:15

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

And again in John 14:23-24

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

And what are these commands? Well, of starters we know that in the previous chapter of John Jesus specifically gives a command to love each other. So that is part of it, but there is so much more. Let me submit that what he referring to when he says “my word” is everything he has taught. Just as Israel was given statutes to live by, so are we, if we call our selves Christians. And part of the reason for this is obvious. How can the world tell that you are part of this covenant if there is nothing different about you? The reason for all the laws given to Israel was to set them up as a light among nations. It was to set them apart and to call others to the Living God.

But back to what Jesus says. He says if you love me you will keep my commands. Some of Jesus words are very harsh. He tells us in the Sermon on the Mount

21 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insult his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.

27"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

What Jesus is telling us is that God’s standard of Holiness is impossibly high. That the idea of being a good person is thrown out the window. But at the same time he says that if we love him we will obey him? How is this possible if his commands are in fact impossible?

There are a few things going on here, and we need to deal with each of tem to get a full picture of hat Jesus is saying. One of the first things that he is saying is that just acknowledging God is not enough. OT say that yeah there is a God, and even to say that it is Jesus doesn’t cut it. Even Demons know that to be true. In James 2:19 we read,

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

So just a knowledge or head belief is not enough. There must be a outward change. We must begin to not only say that there is a God, but to obey him. Jesus is here speaking to those who would say they love him but continue in sin. IT is the people whop have no desire to change. The one who pay lip service to God. Jesus is saying that one way to find out if someone loves me is if they are changing.

I don’t think Jesus is referring here to a perfect obedience. That contradicts his teaching, as well as all of Scripture. We are unable to obey on our own. We are sinners. What Jesus is saying though, is that there will be a change, a desire to obey, an outward mark. We will get back to this though.

The second thing that Jesus is trying to teach us here is total and utter dependence on Him. See we Are going to screw up. No matter how hard we try, we are going to get angry, we are going to lust. We can not fulfill the law. But remember the way to God. It is not through being good, but through Jesus. He is the way the truth and the light. In the same breath that he tells us that if we are angry we have broken the commandment about murder, h tells us that he has fulfilled the law. When he is crucified his last words are “It is finished”. In both cases he is communicating that we need not worry about being good people any more. What we couldn’t do, Jesus did. Paul states it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This is the Gospel. God did for you what you could not do for yourself. God says obey, you can’t, so he sends his Son to die and pay the penalty you deserved. Through this death you can exchange your sin for righteousness. Jesus is calling us back to himself when he calls us to obey. We try, we fail, we come to the cross.

The third thing that Jesus is doing when he tells us that if we loved him we would obey him is changing the conversation completely. The motivation for obeying is different than any other religion at any other time. This is what makes Christianity unique. We are not called to obey out of fear, or to gain something for our selves, but out of love. If you love me, obey me, Jesus says.

In every other religion you obey to become holy so God won’t punish you, or so that the Gods will smile on you and give you what you want. The motivation is fear. Muslims pray 5 times a day because if the don’t Allah may deal harshly with them. Buddhists offer sacrifices and obey their gods because if the don’t evil spirits will torment them. The Pharisees obeyed their rules because if the didn’t they couldn’t be sure that God would protect them. In every other religion at every other time the call to obey was motivated my fear. Fear of Hell, of wrath, of tormenting demons. If you obeyed and became holy you could assure for yourself a p[lace in heaven. You could appease the gods, you could dissuade god’s wrath.

This is not the motivation in Christianity. We can do nothing to make our selves holy. W are sinners. We are evil and vile. In Isaiah God says that our righteous deeds are like filthy rags. We read in Mark that Jesus says that no one is good. This is good news however, because God saves us. He knew that we were sinners, but Christ died that we have become holy. There is nothing that we need to do, except accept Jesus sacrifice for us.

Out of this we obey. Knowing that we are loved, that God desires us to be with Him, that he died for us, that he sacrificed his only Son so that we may be called Sons of God, knowing all this, we obey. This is the motivation. Do you see the difference. It is subtle but it is there. We obey because we are loved, we are not loved because we obey. We are given grace upon grace, and after all this we choose to obey a loving Father that has plans to prosper us an not to harm us.

We realize that our worth is not based on what we do, but on who God is. We see God as the loving Father who has set up rules and commands for us to obey to protect us. He is not some cosmic sadist who just wants his own way, but rather a parent who wants what is best for his kids. And after we realize all this, we obey.

So there’s my introduction which brings me to today’s sermon.

Obeying is hard though, isn’t it? If left to our own how many of us would be able to stop getting angry, stop lusting, stop lying, stop being greedy, stop drinking, stop being prideful and self righteous, stop any of the negative behaviors we have? I know I couldn’t. When I was drinking and womanizing I would try and try to stay sober. I knew that I wasn’t supposed to be drinking to blackouts and sleeping with anything with 2 legs. I knew it in my core. But I couldn’t stop on my own. I tried everything in my power, and nothing worked. My own strength wasn’t good enough. I could not make my self a better person. I know that not all of you share my testimony, but I assure you that you share my story. The details may be different, but everyone in this room has tried to make themselves better in some way, and failed. Although the sin may be different, the flesh is the same. And if you are sitting there thinking tat you have never had this experience, then you sin I pride, and I assure you, you can not change you self righteousness on your own.

So how then are we to obey, as Jesus tells us? Let’s go back to today’s text.

15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.

25"These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Can you see what happens? God gives us his Spirit to live in us. One of the Spirits jobs is to help us in all our struggles. You receive the Spirit when you become a Christian. So here is the pattern.

1. God calls us to be in Covenant with him

2. This covenant means we need to obey all sorts of laws we can’t obey

3. God knew we couldn’t obey, so he sent his Son to die in our place

4. We believe in Christ and love him because of who he is and what he has done

5. God calls us his own and makes his home with us, giving us the Holy Spirit

6. The Spirit helps us to obey all the commands we couldn’t before

The Spirit helps us obey all that is commanded, as well as giving us new desires for holiness. Let me explain with an example. When I was drinking, not only could I nit stop, but I couldn’t imagine a life with out alcohol and women. It was not just that I needed to drink; it was that there was no other alternative. That is what life was, and that is all I could hope for it to be. I couldn’t imagine a Friday night apart from parties and bars, a life without meaningless sex.

However once I submitted to God, crying out to Him in my brokenness, not only did he help me to not drink, he filled me with new desires. I could truly be free through the Spirit that lives in me. I was able to see an entire world apart from the one where I had been enslaved. I was freed t have a life outside of the prison of alcohol and drugs that I had made for myself. I was able to see way out.

Jesus promises that he will not leave us a orphans. He is here talking to his Apostles, but also to each of us. God is not some far off being, trying to impose his tyrannical will upon us. He is right here with us, helping us every step of the way. Jesus isn’t calling us to follow him, and then wishing us luck. He doesn’t go to a better place and allow us to fend for ourselves. He is right in the thick of it with us. He is helping us in our struggles. His Spirit lives in us, moving us forward in our sanctification. He doesn’t just say obey, but helps us to learn what that truly means.

It is through this Spirit that we can learn to live holy lives. Once we come to Jesus, and love him, we are already righteous in his sight. There is nothing else we need to do. Jesus said “It is finished.” All our work has been completed. But he also knew that there would still be struggles and hardship. That at times we would not want to obey, or be able to. We are constantly struggling against the flesh. Paul, the most prolific writer of the New Testament says that he does what he does not want to do, and doesn’t do what he wants. Jesus says that he is with us though. He will not abandon nor forsake us. Jesus says that he will make his home with us. He will live there. The Spirit of God will dwell in side of us.

As we listened to Robert speak last week about the Ten Commandments he cautioned us. His warning was about just trying to obey them with out looking to Jesus. Here is why. Either, like the Pharisees we check all the commandments off the list and become self righteous, or we live in utter despair because we try to follow the rules and find that we couldn’t. The temptation is to set up a religion. We set the rules higher than the rule giver. We add our own laws and call all those who don’t live up to our expectations evil. Or we live in fear and despair, never being able to live up to the standards we set for ourselves.

Jesus is calling us here to something completely different. He is calling us to love him, to love God. That is all. Yes he is calling all of us to obey, but it is out of a love for God. And with this love comes a knowledge that our salvation is secure. That God had hade his home with us, and we are his friend. We know that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us, and through His power, the same power that raise Christ from the dad, we may be transformed. That even if we mess up and sin, God still loves us. His love is not based on our performance. His love is unconditional, and we need to just accept it to be free.

Jesus ends this speech on the Spirit as follows:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.

And this is his peace. You are God’s. He loves you like a Father loves his children- unconditionally. There is nothing that you can do to make him stop loving you. His arms are stretched out awaiting you. All you need to do is run into them. He died for your sins, not because you were holy, but because he is Holy. He doesn’t love you based on what you can do, but based on who He is.

If you are a Christian, you need not worry any more. Your salvation is secure. You are sealed. You are His Beloved. His love depends no more now on your perfection as it did when you first came to him broken and sinful. Because of Christ’s sacrifice you have been made righteous. There is no condemnation for you. There is no longer Judgment on you. As Paul writes in Romans 8:38-39

for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing. Now, with that knowledge, obey him. Obey him out of love. He has such better plans for you than you can imagine. The sin you are living in right now is nothing compared to the overwhelming joy of knowing God more fully. Listen to the Spirit that lives inside you, and have life abundant. Out of the overwhelming grace that God has shown you, respond in joyful obedience. Know that he has set up his rules to protect you. He is a loving Father, not a tyrant. Love him more and obey. In the Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis writes that we as people don’t sin because we are too passionate, but because we are not passionate enough. We are like a child content to play with mud pies because he can not imagine what is meant by a holiday at sea. We are far too ready so sin and exchange God for lesser things. God is with you, his Holy Spirit lives in you. You could have God more fully, and you are content with the sin that you are living in. Respond to God’s love. He wants to give you nothing less than himself. Yes he gives you peace, and salvation, but more than this, he gives you himself. Love him more. Cry out to him in your sin, and allow the Spirit to guide you in all truth and righteousness.

Like wise, if you are not a Christian, hear Jesus call on your life. He doesn’t require holiness before you come before him. He doesn’t want you to obey out of fear. He loves you. He wants to be in relationship with you. He wants to make his home with you. Jesus did all the work. You can be made righteous in him. All he requires is that you love him as he loves you. He is calling you right no to give up your mud pies and come to a vacation at sea. He has so much more than this world has to offer, and he gives it to you for free. You don’t need to do anything but accept it. He is calling to you as a loving parent, laying down his life that you might be saved.

Give him your religion, your self righteousness, your sin, and your filth. He has already done the work. You don’t need to try to impress God anymore; he loves you just as you are. He loves you just as you are. He has for you peace unlike anything you have ever known. He has for you his Spirit. He has for you himself. Come unto him, in all your sin and shame. He will clothe you in righteousness. He has already done the work. Come receive a renewed soul. Come, cry out to your Savior, and receive the life he always meant for you to have. Come and be in relation to your Father, who loves you beyond compare.

Jesus calls us to be in covenant with him. He calls us to a new Covenant. One where all we need to do is love him, and accept his love. In front of me is the Lord’s Supper. It was given to the disciples as Jesus spoke all this to them, and more. As he sat in the upper room eating the Passover Meal with his followers he took the bread and said “This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the up and said,” This cup is the New Covenant of my blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

If you call yourself a follower of Christ, weather it has been for years, or minutes, I invite you to the table. Know that you have been cleansed. Come humbly to the feast set before you, confession those sins that you are holding on to, asking the Spirit o free you from bondage. Come and eat of the New Covenant. Come to God as he calls out to you. Come.

Planting Churches that Plant Churches

Before I get all theological on you, I thought I would update you on our live out here in Amherst. We are all pretty good. Kiera is turning a year next week, eating solid foods, and running around. She is into everything. We also went away this weekend, which is what got me thinking about today's topic. We went to visit friends out in Eastern Massachusetts.

A few things struck me. First is that the country side looks the same as where I live, but the culture was completely different. It was almost eerie. There definitely is a difference even in the 2 hours difference, or 80 miles.

Second, our friends are having the toughest time finding a church. And the question is why. Are they too picky? Possibly, but after talking with them, it doesn't seem like they are being difficult. It seems like there just aren't good churches that are close. I will even quote them as saying "...at this point we are ready to sacrifice quality for locality."

How many others are doing the same? This is why dying churches just won't die already, or get their act together and follow Jesus, reaching out to the community, loving sinners, and calling all of us to repentance. Because there aren't good churches close, we are forced to drive a long time to find a good church, or settle for the best that's around. Now I am not saying that the church should accommodate everyone and no one should have to be inconvenienced by a little travel, but at some level the church should be meeting people where they are, both spiritually, and physically.

The solution to this problem is churches that plant churches. We need to stop being content with a 500 person sanctuary that reaches the people near it, and start having a kingdom view of the church. we need to start think globally, even on a local scale. What does this mean? Well, for starters, it means thinking not just about the town we are in, but the next few over, and the ones after that. It means that we start seeking the lost, and stop expecting them to just show up where ever is convenient for us.

The problem that my friends are facing is that the churches 30 minutes or more away are not thinking about people outside their Jerusalem. They are doing well numbers wise, financially, and even growing where they are. They are running small groups, multiple services, and trying to be as biblically faithful as they can. They feel like they have made it. How can I say all this? Because that is how many people at this church felt for a while. We bought a building, had 200 plus on any given Sunday, and were multiplying small groups. But we were only doing it in one place.

I think these other churches feel the same way. It is scary planting new churches. You take your best and kick them out, and then rely on God to fill that void, both personnel and financial. But if we want to make an impact for Jesus, and obey him, this is exactly what we must do. There are people 30 minutes away that couldn't find a church if they wanted, and there are cultures 10 minutes away that aren't going to come to the churches that are here.

Just like Eastern Ma. was different that Western, so are all the towns in between different from each other, the change is just subtler. A church that plants churches can study the culture around it and make their new plant local, organic, and culturally relevant. There are people 30 minutes away just waiting for Jesus to show up in their communities, and it is on us to bring it to them. If we don't they will sacrifice quality for closeness (you can debate the merits of this all day, but it is what is happening, right or wrong), and in so doing, possibly loose their souls.

I believe that my friends problem is pandemic. There are entire regions with no church. We need to get the local churches to reach out to the communities just out of sight. Sure we need to send missionaries to Asia and Africa, but if we are also not sending them to where we are right now, can we really say we are following the great commission? We need the local churches to multiply, plant other small groups and large celebrations. We need to re saturate North America with living, growing churches. The only way that this is going to happen is if the local church does it. The local church knows the flavor and temperature of the area around it, and is therefore best suited to this kind of work.

This is the hardest option to be sure, but I don;t think that Jesus lives in the easy, no matter what t he Prosperity Guys say. He is there most when things are hardest. It is in the struggle and turmoil that we can learn to depend on Christ whole heartedly, and at some level, this is what the modern church is missing.

So let's go plant churches. Let's invade culture first as students, getting a feel for the people, and then as teachers, leading them to Salvation. If we don;t do it, who is going to? If the church is not faithful in the seemingly small things of the next town over, how can we hope to be faithful in the larger goal of the world? What we need now are men and women convinced that this is how to reach the globe, and then ready top sacrifice all to make it happen. What is God calling you to do?

Comments on Exodus 17 and 18

There are many things that I could focus on in these chapters, so I am going to pick a direction and go with it for now. The direction I will be going is that of authority and team work. One of the first things we should see in this chapter is that Joshua appears. This is of little importance now, however he will take over the Israelites and Moses position, making his appearance of value. What is he doing in this chapter? He is fighting the Amalekites. There is some importance here as well. This is the first time that God uses people to fight, instead of just wiping out the firstborn or drowning an entire army in the Sea. Some of the reasons for this is unclear to me at this time, but I think in the very least we can extrapolate that God uses people. We are co-laborers with God in His plan, and if we are faithful, He will use us. I am also sure that Joshua, when a slave in Egypt, never thought that God would use him to get rid of an entire nation from the face of the Earth. But that was God’s plan, and Joshua, being faithful, only had to follow God, both day and night, and God revealed the reason that he was created. We could get much more in depth about this, but there are other things I want to get to.

The second observation that we should read in Exodus 17 is how exactly Joshua and Israel were able to win the battle against the Amalekites. It was not because of their fighting skill, or neat battle plans. They were able to win because Moses kept his arms up. What do I mean buy this? Exactly what I wrote. The Exodus story tells us that Moses was overseeing the battle, and when he lifted his arms, Israel began to win, and when he let down his arms, they began to loose. As many of you can guess, Moses starts loosing strength in his arms, and can not keep them up. If he lets them down Israel will lose, so what to do? Well, luckily Aaron and Hur were there, and they held Moses arms up until Israel won the battle. Why does God though, use this ridiculous method of defeating Amalek? Well there are actually many lessons in this story. First is the obvious answer. God wants all Israel to know that it is He who is defeating the Amalekites, and not them. He uses this ridiculous method to ensure that they are focused on Him.

But there is another lesson here for Moses. Although he is the leader of Israel, he is not able to influence this battle by himself for very long. His arms get weary. He is too weak. If he insisted on doing this himself, he would have failed, Israel would have been crushed, and he would have died with them. Part of the reason that God uses such a laughable method of defeating Israel’s enemies was to ensure that Moses is humble as their leader. It is ultimately Moses actions that determine the outcome of the battle- it is his arms that need to be raised. However, he can’t do it by himself. He needs the support, quite literally, of others.

Moses, however doesn’t learn this lesson though. In the next chapter we read that Moses is the sole judge over Israel. There are many people with complaints against each other, and disputes need to be settled. The line is huge. Moses is hearing each case individually. This is not in Scripture, but I suppose that Moses liked hearing every case. He was able to know everything that was going on. He was in complete control. I can only assume this based on what I know of human nature. The other thing that is going on, though, is that Moses is trying to be a good steward of what he was given, at some level at least. I imagine that his thoughts were as follows, ”God made me the leader of this Nation, I can’t let it get screwed up. I have to do all this work to guard what was entrusted to me.” And on some level he is right. We are to be good stewards. But let’s continue reading the story.

Jethro, Moses Father-in-Law, and a priest for quite some time, sees this and tells Moses it is not good. He gives Moses advice to raise up other leaders who can hear the cases, and save the really important ones for himself. He comes up with an administrative scheme to help Moses out. He tells Moses that he will burn out and hurt Israel if this doesn’t happen. Moses listens and then agrees.

We can all see how Moses would burn out. There are too many cases to be heard each day, so his job would have become never ending. How though, would he have hurt Israel? There are two ways, actually. First, people would not have their grievance heard, and so would get upset. Some of these people would take the matter into their own hands, having mob justice. Others may have revolted, or moved into other lands where they would be heard. This all hurts the new nation. But there is another, more pressing way that Moses continued reliance on himself alone would hurt Israel. What would happen once he died if he never trained a replacement? Sure a leader would be chosen, but let’s remember that Moses had all this stuff fall upon him gradually. First he was to go to Egypt, then lead the Exodus, and now preside over the people. There was a learning curve. His replacement would have no such benefits. HE would go from no responsibility to full responsibility instantly. He would most likely do a terrible job, and probably burn out quite quickly.

Jesus himself does similar things with his disciples. He sends them out many times, and has them perform with him in ear shot to train them for the day he left. He tries to give them shared responsibility first, so that when he leaves, they will know what to do. Moses doesn’t see this far ahead though. He is just willing to do what needs to be done by himself so as to not screw the whole thing up, but in the process he is doing more harm than he could know.

Part of the reason that what Moses was doing wasn’t good is because he was trying to hold onto power that wasn’t his. Who gave Moses his authority? God. These were God’s people and problems, and not Moses’. Remember the Amalekites. It was God who decided the fate, working through Moses. Moses needed help then. If he had just relied on himself to save the Israeli army, they would have died. He needed Aaron and Hur. It is the same lesson here. He is relying on only himself, when he needed the aid of others. He needed to humble himself and ask others for help.

Now, these others weren’t any body. They were faithful, and humble, and lovers of doing good, etc. Moses was to give the authority given to him to others like himself. God didn’t give authority over Israel to anybody, and neither was Moses to do that either. This is how he was to steward the nation. He wasn’t to decide everything himself, but rather to train others to do it. He was to shepherd the shepherds, so to speak.

This is the application for us then. We can not do this alone. We need help. We need to realize that what God has given us is still Gods. We are not to make light of it. We are to be good stewards, but at the same time, as authority is given to us, we must be willing to give it to others. Our job should be to train our replacement, in all that we do. If we lead a Bible study, we should be trying to create Bible study leaders, and then give them opportunities to lead. If we are pastors, we need to raise up pastors. If we are laymen, we need to raise up biblically faithful laymen. We need to replicate ourselves so that the kingdom will grow, and so we don’t burn out, and finally so that we realize that we are in fact not that important. We need to come face to face with the fact that we are replaceable, even if God has called us to a task. More than this, we should be trying to become more replaceable daily by giving up what God has given us.

I know that this application seems to fit more people who are in the ministry, but we can extrapolate it out to all of us. We are all not that important. We as humans tend to think ourselves higher than we ought. We are waned consistently in the New Testament and Old Testament alike that we need to curb this urge. This is in fact th first sin of humans, is it not. We were so important that we just had to eat the fruit and be like God. We should always be training our replacement, either in a company or in ministry.

Finally, there is another application for all of us. Like Joshua, we may not know the plans God has for us, but we need to be willing to step into battle and answer the call that he has created us to heed. WE need to know that it is not our own value or expertise that ill win us the day, but God's grace and plan.

Missional Ministry

Lately I have been trying to do a better job of "Missional" ministry. This is a new buzz word in church circles, and all it means is that we are living out the great commission, making disciples of the nations. Now this might not seem like a revolution, but it kind of is.

There are many reasons that this is a revolution, the majority having to do with the church nit doing its job. The idea is that for years the church has been inwardly minded, instead of outwardly focused.

I am not going to get into most of this though. What I want to talk about is how hard being missional actually is. If we are to believe the authors of books of this new movement, we just need to be missional, and stuff will happen. And while that is sort of true, it is sort of untrue at the same time.

What is true is that if we are reaching out to the community, hanging out with non Christians, and loving sinners, eventually people will come to know Christ. What is untrue is that all this will just happen if we change our attitude. We need to change everything- and that is why it is hard. I have much easier weeks when I am at out church building re-tiling or doing some other kind of task. It is just easier. There is a definite beginning and end. I can see the results of my labors in just a few hours. When I am done raking leaves, there are no more leaves. There is no guess work. The same can not be said if I am outwardly focused.

When I am at coffee shops engaging in the community, people watching, meeting with guys in our church, or meeting new people, the results are not quantifiable. Sure there are some obvious ways to tell if the work I am doing is baring fruit, people come to church, ask questions about the Gospel, become Christians, but these are few and far between.

And that is just the problem, isn't it. We like to check things off our list- I know I do So the church as a whole retires back in to the walls it has erected up for itself, and once again becomes inwardly minded. We call it going deeper, discipling, preparing, growing up our believers. But we should call it what it is- sin.

I can sympathize with the desire to look inward in stead of out. It is easy. Unfortunately we are not called to this kind of life. But at the same time, how fortunate for us that we are not called to that kind of life.

If you read my sermon, you will note that I talked about Paul telling us that we can share in the blessings of the Gospel when we become missional. There have been so many times in my life that being missional has filled me with joy. Three in the last year. There is nothing more rewarding than watching Jesus turn someones life around.

And this is the crux of the thing. What the missional guys have discovered is that there is joy in this burdensome, weary work. While it is not quantifiable as often as we would like, when it is there is nothing greater.


Being missional is extremely hard. We need to be intentional about everything we do. Whether we are watching the Sox with our friends, at work, or going for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, the work is never done. Our entire attitude must change. We must forsake the American way of lie that says this is your works time, and this is your time, and submit to a Biblical way of thinking that says this is God's time- and that is all there is.

That is not to say that we don't have days off, or vacations, however we remember that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, and sometimes we are called to do this too. Th difference in our attitude must be a full heart conversion. Our whole perception of the world must change. And this is part of why becoming missional is so hard.


At the same time, and in contrast to everything I have said thus far, becoming missional is easier than many of us think. The reason is that we don't really have to do anything. If we call our selves Chirstian, then we have the Spirit of God with in us. What does this mean? It means that we are being Sanctified all the time. And the big deal about this is that the Spirit desires us to b missional, so if we just listen to God, slowly our entire selves will be transformed.

We will be able to be nothing but missional. Romans 12 :1 states it like this. Therefore, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Our motivation is God. Our transformation id from God. Our lives become about God.

We can't do this on our own. we can;t force others to either. If we were to sit on our high horses and simply told people to become more missional, they would for about a week, and then the would stop hanging out with us because either they were ashamed that they were not doing what we told them they ought to be, or they just simply wouldn't want to be yelled at again.

As with every other epidemic in the church, this one has to be dealt with by the Gospel. Paul knew this, and that is why he tells the Romans to offer their bodies as living sacrifices. Notice the why. Why do we offer our bodies? Because of God's mercy. Because of Jesus. Because of the Gospel. It is not because we ought to, or God is owed it. Sure, we should, and God is owed it, but beating people over the head just doesn't work.


What has worked through the ages is the constant looking to Jesus. Getting people to be missional happens the same way that we stop someone form drinking, or having sex. Has an alcoholic ever stopped because someone told him he was screwing up? No. What happens, usually, is that he resigns himself to drink more to show that other person, and pulls away from them at the same time. What does work is the Gospel. What works is the reminder that Jesus loves them anyway. That God died for them while they were unclean, and through His death, they can be made clean. What works is reminders about God's mercy.


The same solution can be offered for mobilizing missionally minded congregations. We need to point them to Jesus. We need to remind them, not just that Christ demands that we make disciples of the nations, but that Jesus did the same for them. We need to remind them of how their lives have changed, and remind ourselves how Christ has changed our life. We need to remember the Gospel, look back on God's mercy, and fall back into the arms of our First Love.

If we have truly done this, how will we be able to do anything but share the Gospel, become Missional. We need to constantly remember that Jesus saved our life, and take that wherever we go. We need to truly believe the Good News, and after that, God will do the rest.

Radio Woes

If you read m sermon, then you will know that I talked a little about the recent school shooting and the subsequent radio discussion that ensued. I actually got fired up enough that I tried to call NPR, specifically the show "On Point", but as you can imagine, the lines were awfully busy, and so I didn't get through. What made me want to cal, you may ask. Well, lucky you, I am going to rant about it.

The show had all kinds of experts on, child psychologists, sociologist, etc. They also interviewed regular teachers and kids in high schools across the country. First, they found that students and teachers are not afraid to go to school everyday- for the most part anyway. There were some home-schooled kids and some kids with anxiety disorders that were afraid, but this is not the norm. I just want to throw that out there.

Clearly that is not why I almost called. So what got me ired up. Many things, and I hope to get to them all in a somewhat logical manner.

First, I want to address most of the callers concerns. What I heard for 1 hour this morning were worried mothers calling to tell Tom Ashbrook how awful violence is. I heard them blame the violence of society on video games and TV and movies. And these things may be bad. We are told by Paul in his letter t the Philippians to meditate on things that are good, and beautiful and pure. And I think there is a reason for this. What we think upon does become us. If we are constantly looking at porn, then we are apt to think of women as objects. So, for me, it is not a large jump to say that if we are always looking at murder and violence, it affects us.

My problem though, with blaming the TV and video game makers is three fold. First, it seems to take some responsibility off the individual, second it assumes that with out these games these kids wouldn't have done what they did, and third, it assumes that these games are driving society and not commentaries on it.

Now, maybe these games and such are to blame, but I am not so sure. I tend to believe that these games are getting more violent because society is violent, and not the other way around. We are a broken people, and all we set up leads toward degeneration and sin. The longer something exists, the more broken it becomes. I feel that this is what we are seeing with the rise of violence in America. TV, movies, etc are commentaries on this. That being said, they may drive it after, but I would say they are a symptom of our brokenness and not the cause.

Here is the next issue not mentioned on the radio. Sure these few kids may have played violent video games and then really killed people, but how are we to know if they would do it regardless of their video game play? I am of the mind that they would have killed regardless. We didn't have video games in the 40's but there were still murders.

Of course the type of murder was not the same. weapons are different, times are different. But that doesn't mean people didn't snap. Also, what about all the kids who play these games and don't kill people. Are they the exception? Are they any less shocked when someone else does decide to take another humans life? The answer to both these questions is no. We value human life more than any other time in history. We have raised health and living to the position of a god. Death is the worst thing that can befall someone today, and a quick glimpse of history will tell us that this is a recent invention.

SO if we value life more than any other time, how can we say that video games are at the same time causing us to devalue life.

Again, I am not saying that these games are good any more than I think porn or drugs are good. But are we to say that it is porn's fault that a marriage fails, or drugs fault that a person robs? Of course not. We are humans, and as such are free to choose. Unfortunately we are also sinful and broken and chose things that are bad for us. We become slaves to them, and save for Jesus, are doomed to live in darkness. But that doesn't free us from our choices. It is never a games fault that someone kills.

Though there was a lot more I took issue with, I will write about just one last item. One of the high school students said, and I quote,"Monsters don;t just exist. Society creates them." Now, I am not necessarily disagreeing with this young man, but there is a larger theme here that runs through his comment, as well as though well intentioned mothers. Everyone, from the panel, to the high schoolers, to the callers ll believed the greatest lie of this century. What is this terrible fallacy that is driving most of the people we meet in a day? It is the assumption that people are good, in general, and do bad things occasionally.

See, if we believe that people are good, then we need to look for reasons that they did this. But we are all capable of what these kids did. We are all evil, sinful, and rotten. In the book of Isaiah, God looks down at His creation and says "there is none who do good, no not one." Jesus himself teaches that no one is Good but God, and we are told in Romans that all have sinned. See we are broken and sinful. We are all high school shooters. It becomes a different problem when we look at it like this. The founding fathers set up this country based on the fact that we are wicked and wretched little creatures. Now I don't buy onto the new "proof" that we were a Christian nation, we weren't, but they drafters of the Constitution still knew enough of human nature to call black black.

The problem isn't games, or movies, or porn, or anything exterior to man. The problem is Man himself. I would say we are all monsters and society tempers us. We would all be killing everyone if it wasn't for fear of jail or execution. Society is not the root of this problem. Society didn't create these kids.

I am sure they had a lot of pain in life. I am sure we let them down. I am sure they were very broken and in need of extra love and attention. I bet they needed some sort of professional help. But that doesn't put the blame on us, or what they chose to watch.

They chose to play those games to get good at killing. They chose to feed their sin. Gods says to sin right before he kills Able that "sin crouches at the door like a tiger." But what did Cain do? He killed his brother when he thought no one was looking. Like Cain, these kids could have chosen not to feed their evil desires, but like all of us, they chose to do evil instead of good.

I am not saying there is not more we could do. Especially as the Church, there is always more we should be doing. But it is no ones fault but the individuals. That was never brought up. Everyone was blamed, but the killers. And that is what I take issue with.

If it were not for common grace working through society, we would all be dead. Instead of pointing fingers, let us praise God that most people are not good enough sinners to try for the really big things. Let us praise God that He created us with fear, so that, even if it is not of Him and eternal Judgement, we are afraid of judgment from our neighbors, friends, and courts.

I am saddened every time I hear that someone was so broken that they decide to take another's life, but what saddens me even more is that my surprise is that it is not more common.

Let us pray for the families and friends of both those shot and the shooters. Let us also pray for the next time, that there may be someone there to offer Hope and Life.

This Weeks Sermon

Here is my rough raft of the sermon I will be giving this week. I hope to post again tomorrow. Hope you enjoy.

I don’t know how many of you listen to or watch the news, but does anyone know what happened in Cleveland this past week? There was a high school shooting. It seems like they are common place now, doesn’t it. It is just another school, just another lost, evil kid.

Well, if any of you listen to NPR, you may be familiar with a show called “On Point” with Tom Ashbrook. I listen to this show almost daily. Wednesday the show was on this school shooting. They had experts on in child psychology, teaching, violence and the media, as well as interviews from kids around the country. There were a few main points that all these people had, some of them I agree with, and some I disagree with.

One of the common strands that all the experts agreed upon was that the school shooters were typically loners, and usually because they were a little different and therefore ostracized by their peers. Many of the people on the program were ready to blame society, violent video games, bullies, etc. I am not going to debate that here. What I want to call our attention to is that, regardless of the circumstances, these kids all felt alone. These kids were broken and depressed, and they felt helpless and hopeless.

What does any of this have to do with today’s sermon? A lot, actually.

We are taking a break form Exodus this week, and Robert has asked me to speak. FI we remember last weeks sermon, we are out of slavery, but now what. Over the next few weeks Robert is going to be answering that, but I have sort of a segue from there to where we will end up, which of any of you know the Exodus story is Canaan.

Let’s look at the text and see what school shooting and the Jewish Exodus have in common.

19For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Now before I go any further, I want to put these verses in context. If you were to go to 1 Corinthians 9 and read what the rest of the chapter was about, what you would find is a lot of talk about money. I am not going to talk about money, though. Paul is telling the Corinthians that he has every right to claim a salary for himself, but he chooses not too. Why does he choose not to? It is so that he may win more to Christ. This is why we do not pass an offering plate at MERCYhouse. If money is a stumbling block to the Gospel it is better to go without than to drive people away fro God. Paul goes on from here though, and I don’t believe that the whole of the chapter is about money. Paul uses the money issue as a stepping stone, an example per se, of a bigger principle.

And that bigger principle is what we find at the end of the chapter. We read that Paul became like the Jews to the Jews, and like a Gentile to the Gentiles.

Paul does footnote his transitions for us, though, and it is worth digressing to look at these briefly before we move on. We are told that to those under the Law he became as one under the law, though he himself was not under it. This is important. It was important then, and it is important now. In Paul’s day there were Judaizers who were going around telling new Christians that they needed to follow the Old Testament Law, a well as accept Christ as Savior. We know that Paul fought these guys tooth and nail. He even tells us that he wished they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves. This is referring their requirement that new believers be circumcised- a huge road block to the Gospel.

SO when Paul tells us that he became as one under the law, he makes sure to remind us that he is not under it. What he is saying is that when dealing with the Jews, he would adopt their way of thinking, although all the time knowing that it doesn’t affect his salvation. Is this seen clearly is Acts where Paul tells Timothy to get circumcised before going to Jerusalem. Timothy had already been doing ministry with Paul for years, so this outward mark meant nothing to Paul, or those whom he travelled. But Paul new that it was a huge deal to those whom they are going, and that it would be a block to their being able to effectively witness.

But it was not Timothy’s circumcision that saved him, but rather his faith in Jesus.

We must be clear on this point. Paul became “as one under the law”. He didn’t become under the law. He knew that his freedom was in Jesus, his salvation in Jesus, his faith in Jesus, and not in these laws.

In the same way Paul footnote his behavior toward those not under the law. He says

“21To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.”

Here we have almost the opposite footnote. We are told that to those outside the law he had his own law. But again Paul is tempering his speech in light of heretical movements in Christendom. We know form other writings that a group called the Gnostics were growing and teaching wrong doctrine. They taught that it didn’t matter what you did in your body, because your spirit is what counted. This was a pass to sin and sensuality that allowed for total debauchery by the Gnostics.

Paul is here telling us that we are still under the law of Christ. There is still an ethic to deal with, a mortality that we are bound to, when dealing with those who are not believers. We must be pure, be light, be holy. Jesus doesn’t give us permission to sin simply to reach those who sin.

Paul is tempering his statements here is response to false doctrine that was around during his life. These restraints still hold truth for us today though. There is still legalism, there is still Gnosticism. We are still called to witness to both groups. We are still told to be like one under the law to those under the law, and like one not under the law to those not under the law. But we still need to know that when we become as one under the law that our salvation is I Jesus, and not these rules we have adopted, and that we are still bound to behave as Christ would have us, holy and blameless, when we enter the houses of decadence.

There are legalists today who pile on rules and regulations that they feel lead to salvation. What Paul is saying here is that when we bring them the Gospel we need to adopt those regulations too, or else how would we be listened to.

Let me give you an example.

There are certain sects of Christianity that don’t allow drinking alcohol. There are certain areas of the country that if one drinks alcohol, one is not a real Christian. Now these thoughts have arisen over generations, and because most people in these areas profess to be Christians, but really aren’t, an one way to tell is if they get drunk or not, etc. There are seemingly good reasons for this legalism, and form a human stand point, it can make sense. But even with in the church, there are people who are not saved.

If we were to go to these areas of the country and drink, even if we did it responsibly, out witness would be ruined. We would be seen as hypocrites and heathen and no better than any one else. How then do we reach those who are lost? Well we become as one under the law. We adopt a no drinking policy, not because having a drink is necessarily wrong, but because we would loose opportunities, reputation, and souls. But at the same time, we know that it is not our abstention from alcohol that saves us, but Jesus.

The same can be said when we go to “sinful” areas. If we hold to the principle that all people who drink are bad and dirty nd not to be associated with we won’t be able to interact with them. If we hold tyhis moral superiority over them we will loose them. So we need to invade their culture, and become as one not under law. But at the same time of we just began doing as they did, getting drunk and sleeping with everyone, we ruin our selves and our witness. So we need to be under the Law of Christ. SO maybe we go to the bars and sing karaoke, but we don’t get drunk. We shine like stars in the darkness.

Paul then goes on in his letter saying to the weak he became weak, that he may win the weak. That he became all things to all men so that he may win some for Christ.

This then is the heart of this chapter. This is why he doesn’t take money, this is why he become under law, this is why he casts the law off. It is to win some. He doesn’t take on laws just to show how holy he is, or cast them off to show off his freedom, he does it to win people to Christ. This should be our attitude. If we do things for any other reason we are betraying our faith.

I believe Paul is footnoting his letter here for another reason. HE is not only combating the heretical teachings going on around this time, he is also trying to stop future heresies from arising in each believer. Martin Luther said that religion was the default mode of th human heart. I would amend tht saying either religion or irreligion is the default mode of the human heart. We have a tendency to add rules onto out faith to appear holy, either to ourselves or others, or, and this is the road I took, abuse or freedom and become slaves again to sin.

Paul is telling us here that if we cast of rules, or add some on, it must be out of love for the Gospel. If we do it for any other reason, we betray our Savior and our faith. We either become religious or irreligious. If, however, we do it to promote the Gospel, we are constantly looking to Jesus, either as our true freedom, or as our true law. We will be able to stay pure and holy, free and sinless.

There is another application that Paul would have us take away. We must become all things to all men so that we may win some for Christ. How do we know that he is calling us to be all things to all men? It seems from this paragraph that he is talking only about himself, and in this paragraph he is, but let’s continue in Paul’s letter. In the very next paragraph he states:

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

The conclusion of the chapter is directed to the readers. This is a clue that the whole of the chapter may really be about us. True Paul uses himself as an example, but that is just to drive home the point. Paul also writes to follow him as he follows Christ. It is a discipleship chain. We learn how to do this by watching others do it.

We are to run the race so that we may receive the prize. In Hebrews we are told:

1Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

The way we finish this race is to keep our eyes on Jesus. This is what Paul had been telling us in this last paragraph. The way to not get sidetracked in to legalism or sensuality is to look to Jesus.

Notice as well that there are two motivations for becoming all things to all men. First we have Paul telling us that he does it to win some so he may share in the blessings of the Gospel, and second that we may obtain some prize when all said and done. What this second prize is, I don’t intend to speak on, but I will say that it is a real prize. Jesus himself speaks of rewards and treasures in heaven. What these are like, and if we can even verbalize them, I dare not get into here. I refer you to smarter men than myself. I can, however speak but the former.

The greatest joys I have had in my life, besides my salvation, my wife, and child, have been while witnessing to friends and foes alike. I have spoken of this before, but it begs repetition here. My freshman year of college I had a kid come up to my room at about 8 pm and tell me that he could prove that God didn’t exist. He was very hostile towards both me and the Gospel. His purpose in coming was to put me in my place. Well at 4 am that night he became a Christian. I was so filled with Joy it is beyond description. I was able that night to share in the Gospel’s blessings.

Over the past few years Sarah and I have opened our house and hosted house churches, birthday parties, and everything in between. Through all of this we have had many non-Christians come through our doors. We had three at house church. And all three have come to know Christ, and we have been able to share in that Joy with them. We have been able to reap the rewards of their conversion. We have been blessed.

I don’t tell you all this to make you think I am so great. I tell you all this because there has been no greater day that when we see someone’s life transformed by the Gospel.

Becoming all things to all men is a hard thing to do. We all have people we like better. Places we feel more comfortable, sinners we can identify more with, but our call is to get out of our comfort zone.

SO often we think that someone else will reach them. How many of us pray that a Christian would come in to so and so’s life. We pray that someone of their own kind would stroll in and be able to share the Gospel with them, and then they could become like us and come to church. I know I have. So often I let others culture get ion the way. I use the fact that I don’t share their identity as a excuse not to tell them about Jesus. And that is all it is, en excuse.

We are told to become all things to all men. We, as Christians, are the ones who are called to transcend cultural barriers and bring the Gospel with us. To use the new cool church slang, we are called to make Jesus relevant.

Before I get attacked later, let me footnote that comment and say that we are not to change Jesus or the Gospel. That is not what I mean by make Jesus relevant. What I mean is that it is up to us as Christians to enter the world of the religious and the irreligious, bring the Gospel, and show the people of said culture how it pertains to them. I simply mean we need to meet people where they are, instead of telling them to come over to our side, and then giving them the secret of life.

We are the ones who are called to witness to our classmates, our house mates, our co-workers. We are to bring this Gospel to the people, where they are. We are to become as one under law, and at the same time under no law at all.

We need to cross significant cultural barriers with the Gospel, and in doing redeem that segment of society. And we need to do everything we can to win some for Christ.

As I say all this, I want us to here Paul’s words again. We are to do all this to win some for Christ. I repeat this because I don’t want you to get discouraged. Not everyone we witness to is going to accept the Gospel. In fact, it seems that most people wont. That is not an excuse to stop. We don’t cease laboring because it gets tough. Paul was repeatedly stoned, mocked, and eventually martyred. But look at the seeds he sowed. He was able to save so many because he was continually entering the culture he went to, bringing the Gospel with him, and he saw people transformed. He was able to share in their blessings.

How though are we to do this without becoming religious or corrupted ourselves? The answer is Jesus. We need to remember the Gospel as we go, a well as look to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith.

We need to remember what Jesus did for us. What Paul is calling us to do is exactly what God did for us. Jesus became all things to all men so that some may be saved, did he not?

First, Jesus left the splendor and majesty of heaven to be born a peasant in 1^st century Palestine. We are told to become poor to the poor, and weak to the weak, because that is exactly what Jesus did. We are told that he took the form of a servant after leaving his thrown.

Jesus also taught to both the religious and the sinners. The New Testament is full of interactions with tax collectors, prostitutes and Pharisees alike. We read of Nicodemus asking Jesus how to get to heaven. To reach those under the law he became as one under the law. Jesus lived as a Jew, and as such obeyed all the Laws of the Old Testament. He is fact fulfilled the Law so that we may be saved.

We know that Jesus hung out with those with out the law as well. We are told of him partying with tax collectors like Matthew. Now Matthew was Jewish, but he certainly didn’t obey the law. And what happens when Jesus interacts with these “sinners”. He is invited to more parties, and some get saved. Matthew even becomes an Apostle.

But Jesus example doesn’t end there. He goes to Gentile areas like in the Decapolis in Mark 5and heals a demon possessed man there. He returns other times and teaches to the Gentiles. He goes to Samaria and confronts an adulterous woman at a well in John 4. And because of his interaction many come to believe and are saved.

Jesus hangs out with the poor, feeding 5 thousand men on one occasion, and he hangs out with the rich, a disciple of his, named Joseph of Arimathea, giving Jesus his families tomb, worshipping him even in his death.

Jesus comes to Peter in a dream in the book of Acts and Peter finally realizes that “there is no partiality with God.” He desires to save all men, both Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, religious and irreligious.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus, how can we do anything but invade all the prevailing cultures of the day, and preach to them the good news. Jesus did all this and more. He hung out with with the religious and irreligious. And as he did, he was able to not be corrupted, but take into their culture Grace, Truth, and Light.

Jesus can to earth, God, and lived a perfect life, so that all these people may have life through Him. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. Whoever comes to me will never walk in darkness again, but have the light of life.”

He didn’t say the religious who come to me, or the poor who come to me, but all who come to me. Jesus came to earth and lived as a man so that we would have a model of how we are to go into cultures we would rather not. He was able to stay holy, though he came to this evil and sinful place, and if we keep our eyes on him, so will we.

How does all of this relate to my introduction though? What does anything I have talked about have to do with school shootings or Israel’s Exodus?

It in fact has everything to do with both. Last week we were told that we are out of Egypt. That we are no longer slaves. That Jesus, the ultimate Moses, has come and is leading us to the Promised Land. What are we to do with our freedom? Here is the answer. With your freedom become all things to all men so that some may be saved.

The one common strand in all the school shootings, is that, rightly or wrongly, the shooter felt alone and hopeless. I bet the people shot felt the same as they lay dying. We have hope, however. What would have happened if Christians had come along side these outcasts and loved them where they were? If they became geeks to save the geeks? If they became as an outcast to save the outcast? If they became jocks to save the jocks? What if these people were not reached out to once, but loved where they were for weeks, and months, and years. What if they were offered hope through the Gospel that agrees that we are in darkness, but offers a way out. Maybe there would not be so many high school shootings. Maybe the ones who were shot would feel the peace of God come upon them, and wouldn’t have had to die alone.

If you are sitting here today, hopeless, hapless, and alone, I tell you Jesus knows where you are. He was betrayed by his closest follower, abandoned by his friends, died naked and alone, hanging by his hands and feet on a cross made for us. He was rejected by men and forsaken by His Father. He knows your pain. He was there. But there is hope. He was raised from death, and through that resurrection reconciles us with God. This world is dark, but God is light. I invite you to ask Jesus into your life now. In Him we have Hope, and Joy, and Peace.

In this room are many of us who need to repent. Some of us need to repent of being with out law. We have become corrupt, preferring our sinful passions to His perfect passions. We desire to live in sin. To have sex with people who we aren’t married to, to drink a little to much with our non-Christian friends, to hold on to resentments and anger. We need to repent of looking too much like the culture we live in. We need to repent of using Jesus blood as an excuse to live in all sensuality and Gnosticism. We need to remember that although we are not under law, we are still under the Law of Christ, and we need to come back to right living. We need to stop worshipping gods like food, and money, and sex, and men, and women, and come back to the worship of the one true God.

Others of us need to repent of our legalism. We hold our religion higher than Jesus sacrifice. We need to repent of thinking others dirty, while we are clean. We need to repent of the Laws that we have imposed on ourselves and others. We need to stop worshipping our holiness, our religion. We need to top being our own Saviors, and come crawling back to the Savior of the World. We need to repent of the artificial barriers we have put up to the Gospel.

Some of us need to repent and get out of the world, becoming holy. Others of us need to repent and get into the world, being salt and light.

We are called to make disciples of the nations, to become all things to all men, while being holy and set apart. Let’s invade the community we live in, loving them where they are, and bringing with us the Gospel and the hope it offers.

Let us run back to Jesus as we walk into the world. Let us be Christ to this dark Valley, to this dark town, to this dark city. Let us pray.